Project Description

Byron Bay Bluesfest 2018

Live Review

Reviewer: Brianna Denmeade

Byron Bay Bluesfest

Byron Bay Bluesfest 2018

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For many people around Australia, Easter long weekend is a time for relaxing, hunting for Easter eggs and eating bucket loads of chocolate, which is my gig most years. This year, I joined the tens of thousands of people, who are mostly returning punters, to spend five days and four nights listening to some of the best live music this country has to offer.

Byron Bay Bluesfest is Australia’s Premier Contemporary Blues & Roots Music Festival. It showcases music from around the world annually on the Easter long weekend on 120 hectares at Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm, just north of Byron Bay, NSW. – (Bluesfest.com.au)

Next year will be the festival’s 30th anniversary, a milestone for any music festival, but before you starting counting down to next year’s event, have a read of this full live review of the 29th annual Byron Bay Bluesfest.

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Bluesfest

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I arrived at the festival grounds to collect my pass on Thursday afternoon. The grounds were pretty muddy by day two of the festival with the previous night’s rain and hundreds of punters walking to and from their campgrounds into the main festival area.

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Rag N’ Bone Man // Bluesfest Byron Bay // Photo by Rob Rizza

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As it was my first ever Byron Bay Bluesfest, I opted for staying at a friend’s place in Byron, but looking around the grounds at all the campers made me miss being inside the festival full-time just a little bit. That is until I see people walking toward the portable showers with mud all over them, carrying clothes to change into. I know too well the highs and lows of festival camping, so it was nice strolling in fresh for the day ready to enjoy what day one of the festival had on offer.

After getting my ticket I started heading to the first act on my list, Citizen Cope who played at the ‘crossroads’ stage. They were the final headline to be announced for this year’s line-up, but they were the first artist I saw and they set the tone for the rest of the festival. Playing classics such as Fame, Sideways and my personal favourite which was a great sing-a-long moment during the set; The Sun’s Gonna Rise.

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Leon Bridges is the other standout artist for me on Thursday the 29th of April. His smooth bluesy, gospel tones rang across the main ‘mojo’ stage.  The entire audience sways in time as he belts out well-known tracks like Better Man, Bad Bad News and the crowd favourite seemed to be his number Coming Home which prompted a dead silence from the audience. The silence was due to the way he commands the stage with his presence of ease, making the amazing music he creates look like it comes to him like riding a bike; which it probably does.

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Lauryn Hil Bluesfest Byron Bay

Lauryn Hill // Bluesfest Byron Bay // Photo by Rob Rizza

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Day 2 brought some of my favourite performance of the entire festival, and I got to stay at the ‘mojo’ stage pretty much all night apart from food and drink breaks. I was lucky enough to be front row for Harts, Asgeir and Gomez before having to take a breather and then got to close my night with the incredibly talented Lauryn Hill.

Asgeir performed his tracks Higher, Torrent, Higher, King & Cross and Going Home flawlessly with smooth, crisp transitions between each track. It was nothing short of stunning musicality, and the atmosphere he created was something transient.

Lauryn Hill arrived on stage half an hour late and referred to the crowd as Brisbane rather than Byron Bay a few times but I could not find one fault in her performance or talented vocal abilities. She gave the crowd a live show inclusive of some of her classics including Lost Ones and Final Hour and made sure to close with her most current chart hit Do Woop (That Thing).

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Day 3 and 4 (Saturday and Sunday) I took the time to explore the festival outside of the live music which was a world of its own providing festivalgoers with performance and health workshops, clothing and jewellery markets, an array of food stalls (with A LOT of vegan and healthy conscious options), family-friendly activities and so much more! It really was a world of its own and I know why so many of the returners say it is the best festival in Australia.

I closed Sunday evening, yet again, at the ‘mojo’ stage where I caught John Butler Trio and my absolute standout of the weekend Tash Sultana. These performances were back-to-back and it seemed like most people inside the festival were now staying put for the rest of the evening. John Butler Trio put on a spectacular performance as per usual, I have seen them live a few times and it is always a positive experience.

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John Butler Trio // Bluesfest Byron Bay // Photo by Rob Rizza

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But I have to admit it was VERY hard to follow Tash Sultana after an absolutely epic, emotionally charged hour-long set. When she performed the tracks Higher and Notion I had goosebumps run over the top of my skin and all of the hairs on my arms stood upright, the music feels like emotions would sound as you watch Tash Sultana pour every ounce of herself into her performance. Most of her set show concentrated on her instruments and being present with her music, little crowd interaction, which wasn’t a bad thing when watching her on stage in her element is hypnotic. She closed with Jungle which had the audience break from concentration into a soft sing-a-long; this set definitely stood out.

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Tash Sultana // Bluesfest Byron Bay // Photo by Rob Rizza

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Strolling into the festival gates for the 5th and final time for Byron Bay Bluesfest 2018 I was a little sad knowing the next time I leave I won’t be returning to this music lovers paradise. But that feeling quickly turned into determination to soak in as much live music as I could for my final day at the festival.

I mixed it up a little for my final day seeing artist’s I had never heard of until seeing the lineup such as The Bali Blues Brothers and Dog Trumpet who were both so much fun and I now had two new bands to listen to back home. I packed the rest of my day in with none other than The Wailers and the incredible Lionel Richie; what a way to close my Byron Bay Bluesfest experience.

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Nile Rogers // Byron Bay Bluesfest // Photo by Rob Rizza

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It was a dream come true to see both acts, and right here in Australia too. The lineup has been a great combination of local and overseas blues and gospel acts. I am beginning to understanding why the returning punters choose to skip Easter weekend duties to spend 5 days in Byron Bay with other like-minded folks. If you are more a music person than a chocolate person come on out to Byron Bay, NSW for the 30th anniversary in 2019! See you there!

Check out the rest of the Byron Bay Bluesfest 2018 Gallery here!

Day 1: https://amnplify.com.au/portfolio-items/day-1-bluesfest-byron-bay-29-03-18/

Day 2: https://amnplify.com.au/portfolio-items/day-2-bluesfest-byron-bay-30-03-18/

Day 3: https://amnplify.com.au/portfolio-items/day-3-bluesfest-byron-bay-31-03-18/

Day 4: https://amnplify.com.au/portfolio-items/day-4-bluesfest-byron-bay-01-04-18/

Day 5: https://amnplify.com.au/portfolio-items/day-5-bluesfest-byron-bay-02-04-18/

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AMNPLIFY – DB