We Believe In Live Music
BYRON BAY BLUESFEST 36TH AND FINAL FESTIVAL
EASTER 2025 APRIL 17 – 20 APRIL 2025
FIRST ARTIST ANNOUNCEMENT OF MANY
20 Artists Announced, with Much More to Come Soon
Australian Artists Plus Our Favourite Antipodean Band Lead The List
A word from our Festival Director, Peter Noble OAM
As we prepare for the final chapter of Bluesfest in 2025, I am profoundly moved by the outpouring of support from thousands in our community, along with the many artists and their management eager to be part of our farewell edition. Thank you all for your heartfelt messages and expressions of solidarity.
We’re thrilled to unveil the first wave of artists for our grand finale. This lineup, meticulously curated to honour Bluesfest’s rich legacy, features a dynamic mix of legendary and cutting-edge performers. This announcement marks just the beginning. Our second lineup is well and truly in the works and the reveal is on the horizon, promising to further enhance what is set to be an epic farewell.
Thank you for being part of this incredible journey. Let’s make the final Bluesfest one for the ages!
Warmest regards,
Peter Noble OAM Director, Bluesfest
Release
Bluesfest Byron Bay, Australia’s iconic as well as most highly awarded music festival ever, is excited to announce the first wave of artists who will perform at the final Bluesfest in 2025. With the second announcement already in the works.
This lineup is bound to continue being stacked with some of Australia’s and the world’s best talent.
As Australia’s premier and most awarded music festival, we see it as our pleasure to showcase some of the country’s finest talent, and we are delivering in absolute spades with our four headline artists in this announcement. As we prepare to close this legendary chapter, we are bringing together an extraordinary lineup of artists in what we believe is at the core a REAL Bluesfest lineup, showcasing the best of Blues, Roots music, and Beyond. We’re going all out with a lineup that reflects the spirit of what Bluesfest has always been about: world-class music, unforgettable performances, and a community that loves and supports live music.
Leading this extraordinary lineup, we’re thrilled to welcome back Crowded House. Neil Finn and his bandmates are nothing short of legends in the worldwide music scene, known for timeless hits like “Don’t Dream It’s Over” and “Weather With You.” Crowded House has played at Bluesfest before, delivering some of the most memorable performances in our history. Their recent album, Gravity Stairs, debuted on the Australian albums charts at No. 1, and their live shows continue to draw massive crowds. We can’t wait to see them take the stage at the final Bluesfest.
One of Australia’s biggest stars, Vance Joy, returns to Australia to join Bluesfest for the first time after captivating audiences worldwide since his breakout hit “Riptide.” With over 5 billion streams and hits like “Mess is Mine” and “Lay It On Me,” Vance Joy has established himself as one of Australia’s most beloved singer-songwriters. We’re honoured to have him for the final festival.
Ocean Alley is another incredible Australian band that has taken the world by storm. Known for their smooth grooves and psychedelic rock sound, they’ve become a staple in the music scene with hits like “Confidence,” which has gone 6x Platinum. They first played Bluesfest in 2019, and boy have they grown in stature since then, becoming one of Australia’s biggest bands both at home and around the world. Their live performances are simply unforgettable, and we’re excited to see them return to our stage.
Breaking through as a busker (including the Bluesfest Busking Competition) and now a global sensation selling out stadiums around Australia, Tones and I has rewritten the rules of pop music with her hit “Dance Monkey,” which became the most streamed song of all time by an Australian female artist and has over 12 billion streams. This will be her debut on the Bluesfest main stage, and she has promised to put on the show of the year—we cannot wait! She was recently special guest on Pink’s record breaking tour, the highest grossing tour of 2024 and is now selling arenas.
And then there’s Gary Clark Jr.— a modern-day Bluesman whose extraordinary talent has transcended genres, blending his roots in Blues with Rock, Soul, and even Hip-hop. While his searing guitar work and soulful voice have earned him multiple Grammy Awards, including Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance. Gary last played Bluesfest in 2019, delivering one of the most powerful sets we’ve ever seen. His ability to blend Blues, rock, and soul makes him a standout artist of our time, and we’re ecstatic to have him return to Bluesfest.
We also have UK Neo-Blues soul superstar Rag’n’Bone Man, known for his hit “Human,” which became a global anthem; Christone ‘Kingfish’ Ingram, the young Blues sensation who’s already won a Grammy; and RY X, a native of North Coast NSW who grew up on Woodford Island and is now an international star selling out venues like Royal Albert Hall, whose deeply emotional performances have earned him global acclaim.
Joining them are Allison Russell, the Grammy-winning storyteller whose powerful music has captivated audiences worldwide; Brad Cox, one of Australia’s most celebrated country artists, known for his chart-topping albums and electrifying live shows.
After being inundated with requests, we’re thrilled to welcome back the two most requested artists to return from from their 2024 Bluesfest performances. Here Come The Mummies, the high-energy eight-piece funk-rock band. Taj Farrant, the 15-year-old guitar prodigy who took Bluesfest by storm last year, returns as well. His incredible talent has made him a rising star in the music world. 19-Twenty also returns after their electrifying performances in 2024 left fans wanting more. Not forgetting Pierce Brothers and WILSN, who were both standout performers at this year’s festival.
Marc Broussard, whose powerful vocals and soulful performances have captivated fans worldwide, is set to bring his unique blend of rock, Blues, and R&B to the Bluesfest stage. Cimafunk, the Cuban sensation blending funk, soul, and Afro-Cuban rhythms, is making his Bluesfest debut, while The California Honeydrops will deliver their infectious retro-soul and spontaneous live energy to the festival.
Fanny Lumsden, one of Australia’s most esteemed country artists, known for her ARIA Award-winning albums and energetic live shows, will also grace the stage, bringing her distinct storytelling and vibrant performances to the final Bluesfest. Neal Francis, whose intoxicating blend of funk, soul, and rock has solidified his status as a modern soul icon.
This is just the beginning of an absolutely stacked lineup. We’re announcing these incredible artists today, but there’s so much more to come, as we are already finalising our second artist announcement. Join us for the final Bluesfest—this is going to be a festival that will be remembered for decades to come.
Bluesfest is supported proudly by the NSW Government through its tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW.
About Bluesfest Byron Bay
Bluesfest Byron Bay has been Australia’s premier contemporary Blues, Roots, and Beyond music festival since 1990. What started as a humble celebration of Blues & Roots music has grown into one of the most significant music festivals in the world. Of our many awards being recognized in the top 10 music festivals of the world from Pollstar, demonstrates the significance of this festival not just locally but around the world.
Over the years, the festival has hosted an incredible array of iconic artists, including Blues legends like BB King and Buddy Guy, music legends such as Santana, James Brown, Bob Dylan, Mavis Staples, Paul Simon, Bonnie Rait and Robert Plant, and contemporary greats like Dave Matthews Band, Lauryn Hill, Erykah Badu, John Mayer, Mary J Blige, and Kendrick Lamar, who made his first festival appearance in Australia at Bluesfest. Let’s not forget the amazing Australian artists that have played such as Cold Chisel, Midnight Oil, Kasey Chambers and Crowded House and so many more.
The final Bluesfest will be a four-day event, offering a power-packed experience that will close the curtain on this legendary institution. Held over the Easter long weekend from April 17 to 20, 2025, at the beautiful 300-acre Byron Events Farm, just 11km north of Byron Bay, the festival will continue to uphold its commitment to quality, featuring multiple stages and a diverse lineup that spans the best in Blues, Roots Music, and Beyond.
This final edition is not just the end of an era; it’s a celebration of everything that Bluesfest has stood for over the past 35 plus years – music, community, and unforgettable experiences.
Recognised globally for its excellence, Bluesfest has earned numerous accolades, making it the most awarded music festival in the Australian entertainment industry.
Awards include:
- 1 WIN at the Keeping the Blues Alive Award Memphis for Bluesfest Director Peter Noble
- 9 WINS at the NSW Tourism Awards for Major Festivals and Events – (6 Gold, 3 Silver)
- Induction into the NSW Tourism Awards Hall of Fame in 2019 for three wins a row.
- 8 WINS at the North Coast Tourism Awards for Major Festivals & Events
- 4 WINS at the Helpmann Awards for Best Contemporary Music Festival (Ceremony for Australia’s most talented and celebrated performers and industry)
- 1 WIN at the Helpmann Awards for Best International Contemporary Concert
- 8 WINS at the Australian Event Awards for Best Cultural & Music and Event of The Year
- 6 NOMINATIONS for NSW for Major Festivals & Events at the Australian Tourism Awards (2 Silver, 1 Bronze)
- 10 NOMINATIONS at the Pollstar Awards (USA) for International Festival of the Year (No other Australian Festival nominated in this or last decade)
- 1 WIN at the Pollstar Awards (USA) for International Festival of the Decade with a top 10 finish in 2021.
- 1 WIN at the first Variety Awards for Festival of the Year
Contact Information
Peter Noble will be available for interviews
Bluesfest Publicist – Gaynor Crawford
Mob: +61 409 250 510
Email: gaynor@gaynorcrawford.com
Bluesfest 2024 Photo Gallery
Approved Artist Images
Artists bio’s included in Bluesfest’s first announcement are as follows:
Crowded House
For more than four decades, Crowded House leader Neil Finn has been on an evolving, winding journey. Crowded House’s mid-Eighties hits like “Don’t Dream It’s Over” and “Something So Strong,” combined with albums like Woodface and Together Alone, set the standard for the period’s erudite jangle-pop while always pushing the band’s art forward.
That creative spirit brings Finn and his Crowded House bandmates to Gravity Stairs, their first new release since 2021’s Dreamers Are Waiting and eighth overall. Produced by the band with Steven Schram, the album shows Crowded House in its current incarnation — Finn, Nick Seymour, Mitchell Froom, and Finn’s sons Elroy and Liam — as sharp as ever, feeling musically adventurous, and still capable of reaching the staggering highs that have made them an international favorite. It’s the act of climbing those figurative “gravity stairs,” inspired by a heavy stone staircase near where Finn vacations, that he likens to his own mindset as a creator.
“It’s a metaphor for getting a little older and becoming aware of your own mortality, your own physicality,” Finn says. “Things are getting a little harder, and there’s more determination needed to get to the top, but there’s still the same compulsion to climb them.”
Finn describes that process in “Magic Piano,” which opens the album. Lush and sophisticated, the song’s arrangement captures an almost hallucinatory feeling of drifting upward. “Let the melody reign, oh yeah,” Finn sings, offering homage to what he calls his “slavish devotion to music.”
Finn’s résumé bears that out. From joining his brother Tim in the New Wave favorites Split Enz to leading Crowded House to his numerous solo efforts, Finn’s varied body of work is connected by his knack for penning meticulous, indelible melodies and impressionistic lyrics that demand multiple listens. It’s earned him devoted fans all over the globe, an Order of the British Empire honor, and induction into the Australian Recording Industry Association’s Hall of Fame.
“Magic Piano” marked one of the first songs the band — whose members currently reside in four different countries — attempted to work up in rehearsals ahead of their recording sessions for Gravity Stairs, which took place in Australia, New Zealand, and California. The second day they played it, it suddenly clicked.
“It was a very different song when we started playing it. It was probably ambitious because it’s not a simple song — it’s got a lot of twists and turns,” Finn says. “But the aim is to produce something that sounds effortless, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world and that it’s always existed like that. That’s the art of record making.”
Other songs on Gravity Stairs do that in the best possible way. There’s a hyper-melodic, Brit-pop quality to “Life’s Imitation,” which brims with sparkling vocal harmonies and a longing for connection. Finn imagined the song during the most isolated parts of the Covid lockdown, but instead of melancholy, it has a big, empathetic heart and hope to spare.
“It’s about trying to achieve some reality and being aware that connection is hard to make,” he says. “And even before Covid, it was hard to find closeness to people. That became particularly acute afterward.”
Themes of connection and love pop up in several places on Gravity Stairs. “All That I Can Ever Own” begins with a funky drum beat and shimmering keyboards as it examines impermanence through child rearing and property under threat by rising waters. By the time it reaches its conclusion, it’s arrived at something that sounds like jubilation. “There’s an awareness that you can’t really control the outcomes of what happens when you love someone,” Finn says. “Throughout your life there’s an element of letting go of anything other than the love you feel for somebody.”
Finn borrowed from his father’s war diary for “Some Greater Plan (for Claire),” drawing on a memory of a whirlwind romance in Italy for a melody that’s both seductive and emotional. “It was always a thing that came up. Dad would have this wistful look in his eye when he would talk about Italy,” Finn recalls. Finn’s brother Tim makes an appearance on the track, which is dedicated to a friend of Finn’s who’s no longer with us. Equally cinematic, the mysterious “Black Water, White Circle” peers through the world of dreams into the afterlife.
“Oh Hi,” a friendly tune with colorful spirals of guitar and a chorus worthy of repeat sing-alongs, makes a promise: “I won’t forget.” The tune has a deep connection to Finn’s philanthropic efforts with So They Can, an international nonprofit focused on building schools in remote parts of Kenya and Tanzania. “I’m hoping the song comes across without needing to know the backstory,” Finn says, “but it’s very much inspired by these incredible kids and their magnificence.”
Gravity Stairs is bookended by a second song about the joys and agonies of creating. “Night Song” is almost like a waking dream, slipping into different rhythmic patterns and arrangements as it unfolds and following the siren call of creation through a scorpion-guarded desert landscape and out through desolate stretches of night. “Wish there was another way,” Finn sings, knowingly.
“That was inspired by a guy I heard outside my hotel window at 3 in the morning. He was ranting and saying amazing things,” Finn says. “You share that part of the night with people who are on his kind of trip. I felt a strange kinship with him.” The unknown man’s voice is the last sound on Gravity Stairs and his wondrous exclamation is familiar in a way to Finn, who’s experienced his share of late nights trying to unlock the magic of a composition.
“People will certainly relate to the idea that no matter what you’re thinking about at 2 in the morning, it feels like obsession,” he says. “And when I’m working on songs, that’s the reality: I’m going to bed with a tune going round in my head, and I’ll wake up with a tune going round in my head.”
And as he has so many times before, Finn will make the decision to scale those gravity stairs yet again to see what awaits at the top.
Vance Joy
You don’t sell over two million copies of your debut album without some serious hard work, and Australian singer/songwriter Vance Joy has never been shy of major elbow grease. When Vance Joy first cut his teeth performing at open mic nights in Melbourne, he was feeding on a diet of artists like The Pogues and Paul Kelly. By 2013 he was ready to introduce the world to his ukulele-led charm ‘Riptide’, which became an instant global classic. The connection and journey his music was about to have on the world in years to come was an unexpected reward to the young songwriter.
Vance Joy (born James Keogh) consolidated on that first impression with further anthems ‘Mess is Mine’, ‘Georgia’ and ‘Fire and the Flood’. Those hits all found a home on the 2014’s debut ’dream your life away’. Vance Joy spent 2013 and 2014 playing clubs around the world before the album was released which then saw him surface everywhere from singing on the American Idol Season Final to being handpicked to open Taylor Swift’s 1989 World Tour, festivals from Lollapalooza in Chicago and South America, to Coachella, Splendour in the Grass and the AFL Grand Final. After his successful Sold Out 2016 ‘Fire and The Flood’ North American theatre run, and Australian performances at the Sydney Opera House, Margaret Court Arena and Riverstage he took a well-earned rest.
Come July 2017 – Vance Joy kicked off the campaign for his sophomore album ‘Nation of Two’ with the lead single ‘Lay It On Me’ showing it was destined to be another successful album. The track was followed six months later with the album and follow up single ‘Saturday Sun’, a tune so good that he held up delivering Nation of Two to ensure it made the cut.
The success of ‘Nation of Two’ saw Vance Joy tour the world throughout 2018 on the ‘Nation of Two World Tour’ ranging in venues from Arena’s across Canada, amphitheatres in North America including the famous Red Rocks, the first Latin American headline shows, theatres across Europe and Arena’s across Australia including two sold-out hometown shows at Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena. November 2018, the end of the 83 date World Tour, Vance Joy had yet another offer to tour with one of the world’s biggest female artists. P!NK extended an offer for Vance Joy to join her European stadium run on her Beautiful Trauma World Tour. Summer 2019 saw Vance Joy and band join her biggest tour to date and enjoy an extensive run of Stadium shows across Europe before taking another well-earned break to work on album number three.
In 2021 Vance Joy returned with ‘Missing Piece’, the song soon hit x2 Platinum in Australia, #1 at USA Triple A Radio, #2 on the Australian Radio Chart, #2 at the USA and Canada Alternative Radio Chart and won Best Video at the ARIA Awards. Released in June 2022, ‘In Our Own Sweet Time’, the third album by Vance Joy featured hit single, ‘Clarity’ which peaked at #3 on the USA Alt Radio Charts. The song spent one week at #1, nine weeks in the Top 5 and eleven weeks in the Top 10 on the Triple A Radio Charts in the US. In Australia, Vance Joy received 5 ARIA Nominations after the album’s release including, Best Solo Artist, Best Adult Contemporary Artist, Best Pop Release for Clarity, Song of the Year for Clarity and Best Video for Every Side of You. Winning Best Video for the 2nd year in a row.
With 5 billion streams across all platforms, it’s no surprise that listeners all over the world connect to Vance Joys intimate yet anthemic song writing. His lyrics take you on a journey that will reach out and hold you for a delicate moment. Bringing together a unique, charming mix of folk music with pop influences, these songs capture the familiar pulse of everyday experiences in a unique and celebratory manner.
Ocean Alley
One of Australia’s most exciting musical exports, rock outfit Ocean Alley have taken the world by storm with their dynamic live performances, infectious melodies and faultless musicianship. Across four critically acclaimed albums, the six-piece – comprised of Baden Donegal (vocals), Angus Goodwin (guitar), Lach Galbraith (keys/vocals), Mitch Galbraith (guitar), Tom O’Brien (drums) and Nic Blom (bass) – have never wavered in their dedication to their craft, always grounded by a genuine passion for the creative exploration of music. Their catalogue amounts to more than 1 billion streams, with nine singles accredited in Australia and New Zealand with sales certified Gold or higher.
Ocean Alley first experienced runaway success with 2018’s undeniably catchy, funk-infused single “Confidence”. The track has gone on to achieve 6x Platinum certification, surpassing 200 million streams on Spotify alone. Since November 1 2023, the song has exploded on TikTok and Instagram, spawning billions of views, and the audio being used over 900,000 times. The track hit the US Billboard Singles Charts for Rock & Alternative, landing at #15 Hot Alternative Songs, #21 Hot Rock Songs and #27 Hot Rock & Alternative Songs, #2 in New Zealand’s Top 40 Singles, and #19 in the UK’s Independent Single Breakers Chart. At home, the song re-entered the ARIA Singles Chart top 20, more than five years since the track first debuted.
With its stacked harmonies and soulful swagger, “Confidence” resonated with Ocean Alley’s home audience in Australia following the release of their breakthrough second album, Gold-certified Chiaroscuro. It became the song of the summer, taking out the #1 spot in Australia’s largest annual music poll – triple j’s Hottest 100 of 2018. It also found fans in internet celebs like the Dolan Twins and One Directioner Louis Tomlinson. “Confidence” peaked at #9 on the ARIA Singles Chart and Year-end chart performance saw the single placed at #64, later nominated for Song of the Year at the 2019 ARIA Music Awards and Rock Work of the Year at the 2019 APRA Music Awards.
The resurgence of “Confidence” follows a huge 18 months of touring for the band off-the-back of their critically acclaimed fourth LP Low Altitude Living (2022), which saw The Australian award the record four stars, calling it a “continuation of one of the most impressive bull runs by an Australian rock band in recent memory”, while Rolling Stone Australia proclaimed “this album will push Ocean Alley further towards major-global-band status.” The album features hits ‘Touch Back Down’ – which was nominated for Most Performed Alternative Work at APRA Music Awards of 2023 – ‘Deepest Darkness’ and ‘Home’ just to name a few album highlights. It debuted at #3 on the ARIA Albums Chart – and #5 on the NZ Top 40 Albums Chart, making it the band’s first album to chart in New Zealand. Low Altitude Living followed the success of Lonely Diamond (2020) which also debuted at #3 on the ARIA Albums Chart and was nominated for Best Rock Album at the ARIA Awards.
In 2023 & 2024, the band sold more than 80,000 tickets across their Australian headline shows, plus over 80,000 tickets sold across the UK, Europe, North America and New Zealand. They had a number of key festival call-ups, including replacing Lewis Capaldi at the last minute for Splendour In The Grass, adding to the list of major festival billings that also boasts international icons Reading & Leeds (UK), Sziget (HU), BottleRock (US) and Rhythm & Alps (NZ) to name a few. Continuing to grow their devoted following both at home and abroad, Ocean Alley are solidifying their place as one of Australia’s most beloved and influential bands, and are poised to make an indelible mark on the global music scene for years to come.
Tones and I
As an inimitable vocalist, clever lyricist, deft producer, and inventive creator, Tones And I stretches the scope of pop music with unpredictable and undeniable anthems of her own design. Since exploding onto the global scene in 2019 as a busker from the Mornington Peninsula, Australia, she has smashed records, garnered multiple awards, sold out tours, surpassed 12 billion streams and reached multi-platinum heights around the world. Her breakout “Dance Monkey” went 6x platinum in the United States, is the most Shazamed, minted her as “the first female artist to reach 3 billion streams on Spotify with one song,” and has consistently held a spot in the “Top 10 Most-Streamed Songs of All-Time on Spotify.”
Her 2019 EP, The Kids Are Coming, crashed the Top 30 of the Billboard 200 and is certified Gold. Meanwhile, Tones And I’s full-length debut, Welcome To The Madhouse, toppled the Australian Albums Chart at #1 in 2021. Among five career ARIA Awards, “Cloudy Day” closed out 2022 as ARIA’s “Song of the Year.” Beyond selling out shows on multiple continents, she has graced the worlds biggest stages, and has delivered stunning performances on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, TODAY, Jimmy Kimmel LIVE!, Good Morning America, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and many more.
Along the way, she has also collaborated with Macklemore, blackbear, Jonas Blue, Sam Feldt and BIA, in addition to contributing music to NETFLIX’s True Spirit and the blockbuster sequel Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Taking the helm, she personally shapes her vision by not only writing and performing, but also producing and directing visuals. Tones And I is a creative force and never stops pushing forward.
Look out for Tones’ highly anticipated sophomore album ‘Beautifully Ordinary’ landing on the 2nd of August, globally.
Gary Clark Jr. (USA)
A modern Blues virtuoso, Gary Clark Jr. has redefined the genre with his fiery guitar playing and soulful voice. With multiple Grammy Awards to his name, he has captivated audiences worldwide with his genre-blending artistry and powerful performances.
Rag’n’Bone Man (UK)
With his breakthrough hit “Human,” Rag’n’Bone Man introduced listeners to his powerful baritone voice and unique blend of Blues and hip-hop. His debut album went 4x platinum in the UK, and his collaborations with major artists have solidified his place as one of the most distinctive voices in modern music.
RY X
Grammy-nominated artist and producer RY X is known for his deeply emotional and vulnerable artistry. His music, which resonates on a global scale, has captivated audiences around the world and earned him collaborations with major artists such as Drake and John Legend.
Allison Russell (Canada)
Grammy-winning artist Allison Russell is a masterful storyteller, weaving powerful narratives through her music that resonate deeply with listeners. Her work, from the soul-stirring Outside Child to the expansive The Returner, has established her as one of the most vital voices in contemporary music.
Christone ‘Kingfish’ Ingram (USA)
Grammy-winning guitarist and vocalist Christone “Kingfish” Ingram is the defining Blues voice of his generation. His electrifying performances and guitar-driven sound have captivated audiences worldwide, earning him widespread acclaim and a growing influence in the Blues scene.
Brad Cox
Known for his chart-topping albums and hit singles, Brad Cox has become one of Australia’s most celebrated musicians. His authentic spirit and relatable persona have earned him a significant place in the music scene, with his latest album, ACRES, reaching #1 on the ARIA Country Charts.
Here Come The Mummies (USA – Exclusive)
This high-energy eight-piece funk-rock band, known for their enigmatic personas as 5000-year-old Egyptian mummies, has become a phenomenon across North America. Their infectious grooves and electrifying performances have made them a must-see live band.
The California Honeydrops (USA – Exclusive)
Formed in the subway systems of Oakland, The California Honeydrops have become an electrifying force in the retro-soul scene. Their mastery of improvisation and commitment to spontaneity make every performance a unique experience.
Marc Broussard (USA)
Hailing from Carencro, Louisiana, is a powerhouse vocalist renowned for his ability to blend the soulful traditions of his Southern roots with contemporary R&B, rock, and Blues. Growing up in the heart of Cajun country, Marc was immersed in music from a young age—his father, Ted Broussard, was a member of the legendary Boogie Kings, and this rich musical heritage deeply influenced Marc’s sound. His major-label debut, Carencro, released in 2004, brought him into the national spotlight with the hit single “Home,” a gritty, heartfelt anthem that perfectly showcases his deep emotional connection to his music.
Over the years, Marc has continued to evolve as an artist, maintaining his authentic connection to the sounds of the South while exploring new musical landscapes. Known for his soulful, raspy voice that can effortlessly shift from tender ballads to rousing, foot-stomping rockers, Marc has built a loyal fan base worldwide. His live performances are a testament to his passion and skill, consistently leaving audiences both moved and exhilarated. At the final Bluesfest, Marc Broussard will bring his unique blend of soul, rock, and Blues to the stage, promising a performance that will resonate long after the festival has ended.
Pierce Brothers
Twin brothers Jack and Patrick Pierce have carved out an indomitable presence in the Australian indie-folk and Blues & roots scene. Their high-energy performances and magnetic stage presence have made them a must-see band on the global music scene.
Taj Farrant (Exclusive)
At just 15 years old, guitar prodigy Taj Farrant has already captured the attention of music lovers worldwide with his extraordinary talent. His debut album, Chapter One, marks the beginning of what promises to be a remarkable career.
Fanny Lumsden
With 2 ARIA Awards and 9 Golden Guitars to her name, Fanny Lumsden has firmly established herself as one of the most esteemed performers in the country music scene. Her unique sound and compelling storytelling continue to break the mold.
19-Twenty
This vibrant fusion of riff-driven Blues, roots, and rock with a touch of billy has made 19-Twenty one of the most talked-about band on the scene. Their electric energy and infectious grooves make every show a must-see event.
WILSN
WILSN’s blend of classic soul and contemporary flair has captured the attention of the US music industry and audiences worldwide. Her powerful voice and timeless sound continue to make her one of Australia’s most exciting new voices in soul music.
Cimafunk (Cuba – Exclusive)
Cimafunk is redefining Cuban music on the global stage with his unique blend of funk, soul, and Afro-Cuban rhythms. His rise has been meteoric, earning him multiple Grammy nominations and a place as one of the most in-demand artists in the world.
Neal Francis (USA – Exclusive)
Neal Francis crafts an intoxicating blend of funk, soul, and rock that harks back to the golden era of the late 1960s and 1970s. His deeply introspective and soulful sound has solidified his status as a modern soul icon.
