Third artist announcement featuring
Thursday Headliners –

35th Anniversary
BLUESFEST, BYRON BAY

– 11 new artists announced
with more to come

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Photo credit: Joseph Mayers

Bluesfest, Australia’s most awarded festival, is thrilled to reveal a sensational second artist announcement for its highly anticipated 35th anniversary of the festival, held next Easter in Byron Bay, NSW.

After the recent unveiling of an incredible initial line-up, Festival Director Peter Noble has turned up the heat with star-studded additions to the program by adding headliners Tedeschi Trucks Band to Tom Jones and Jack Johnson, along with an army of crowd favourites.

Bluesfest’s announcement today of 15 artists, along with the previously announced 23, takes the total to 38 onthe line-up so far.

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PORTUGAL THE MAN / Photo – Maclay Heriot

Portugal. The Man: Headlining Thursday night is one of rock’s most prized possessions in Portugal. The Man. They soared to lofty heights in 2017 with the astounding success of their infectious single,“Feel It Still,” which earned the group a plethora of new accolades – including a GRAMMY award for “Best Pop Duo/Group Performance,” a 5x RIAA platinum certified single certification, a mind-blowing 20-week residency at #1 alternative radio, and an inescapable presence on the Top 40 airwaves.

Ziggy Alberts / Photo – Janneke Storm

Ziggy Alberts: An Australian singer-songwriter   and author who has established himself as one of Australia’s leading independent artists, selling out multiple theatres and amphitheatres. His genuine grassroots story has lifted his artistry into universal acclaim,captivating audiences across the globe – a testament to his songwriting ability and powerful live performance.

Snarky Puppy

Snarky Puppy: is a jazz, funk fusion collective of sorts with as many as 20 members in regular rotation. At its core, the band represents the convergence of both black and white American music culture with various accents from around the world. Japan, Argentina, Canada, and the United Kingdom all have representation in the group’s membership. But more than the cultural diversity of the individual players, the defining characteristic of Snarky Puppy’s music is the joy of performing together in the perpetual push to grow creatively.

Blind Boys Of Alabama / Photo – Jim Herrington

Blind Boys of Alabama: A gospel music institution foover 80 years, Blind Boys of Alabama played their first Bluesfest back in 1992 and have played 8 times more since then. Blind Boys of Alabama will bring their harmonious and spiritually uplifting sounds to Bluesfest, showcasing the enduring power of gospel music. The Blind Boys’ live shows are roof-raising musical events that appeal to audiences of all cultures, as evidenced by an international itinerary that has taken them to nearly every continent.

Meshell Ndegeocello

Meshell Ndegeocello: Jazz, soul,neo-soul, jazz artist and acclaimed GRAMMY™ winning multi-instrumentalist,singer, and songwriter Meshell Ndegeocello is an unassuming colossus whose body of work extends far beyond the early hits and virtuosic bass playing with which she is most associated. “If That’s Your Boyfriend (He Wasn’t Last Night),” her taunting and funky breakout single, immediately set her apart as an instrumentalist, vocalist, songwriter,and producer.

Fiona Boyes

Fiona Boyes & The FortuneTellers: Known as Australia’s First Lady of the Blues, with eight USA Blues Music Award nominations and a recent induction into the Blues Victoria Hall of Fame. Fiona plays deep Blues and has carved an international reputation as a blues guitarist, bandleader, vocalist and songwriter. Winner of the International  Blues Challenge in Memphis, USA, she is also a Blues Blast Music Award winner and former Port Fairy Folk Festival Artist of the Year.

The Turner Brown Band + Nikki Dom Meeks / Photo – Chuck Bradley

The Turner Brown Band: Experience what happens when southern US Church-based ‘Sacred Steel’ lap steel guitar music crashes head-on with blues-based slide guitar.  Merging southern US Gospel and Australian blues sounds, The Turner Brown Band is a joint project between Australian slide guitarist Dom Turner (of Backsliders) and USA-based lap-slide guitar and vocal sensation Nikki D Brown. Described by Guitar World as the“Jimi Hendrix of Sacred Steel”, Nikki D Brown offers a powerfully rich soul/gospel sound delivered with impeccable flare and energy.

Pierce Brothers

Pierce Brothers: Twin brothers Jack and Patrick Pierce’s high-energy duo have been a staple of the Australian indie-folk/ blues & roots scene for years. Bursting onto the global stage in 2014, Pierce Brothers embarked on their musical journey as street performers on Bourke Street, sharing the sidewalks with other remarkable talents such as Tash Sultana and Tones and I.Before long, their performances became an absolute must-see for anyone in theknow.

Velvet Trip

Velvet Trip: Velvet Trip is the psychedelic music project of Wiradjuri multi-instrumentalist Zeppelin Hamilton, who performed live with Nick Savvas (Charlie Gradon), Clayton Allen(Julia Jacklin), and Sinj Clarke (Horror Show). In the wake of three single releases in the past year, Velvet Trip was featured in the NY Times (T Mag) RUSSH, NME Aus, and selected to be part of Mushroom Groups ‘First Nations’ PathwayProgram’.

Roshani

ROSHANI: Hailed as the ‘Breakthrough Artist’ of Bluesfest 2022, ROSHANI is a star on the rise. Born into a musical family in Sri Lanka, at 6 weeks of age, she was adopted and grew up in Tamworth, where she had the opportunity to nurture her gift. She developed her one-woman show while living in her van, busking on the streets and travelling wherever the wind took her. A genre-blurring artist, ROSHANI moves seamlessly from blues powerhouse, soul-drenched torch singer, folk balladeer to electro house diva.

Sweet Talk

Sweet Talk is renowned for its high-energy live shows, readily whipping unsuspecting punters into frenzied states of boogie and unabashed song at the drop of a hat. Theall-singing, all-playing 6-piece band from Melbourne was founded over a bond of late nights, American music, classic songwriting, and improvised jams.

Bluesfest 2024 continues its tradition of providing an eclectic mix of musical genres, ensuring there’s something for everyone to enjoy. These latest additions join an already impressive lineup that includes previously announced headliners and artists.

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A word from our Festival Director, Peter Noble OAM

We hope you love our Third Artist Announcement!  This Announcement is all about Thursday, theFestival’s opening day and night. We have loaded some simply stunning headline artistsonto Thursday’s bill, making it impossible to miss.

We are incredibly excited to have Portugal. The Man headlining Thursday night. This is a prolific band that creates amazing music.Their record-breaking song ‘Feel It Still’ has had almost 1.2 billion listens on Spotify and over 350 million views on YouTube. The rest of their catalogue is equally as good, and we’re absolutely delighted to have them play Bluesfest for the first time.

Ziggy Alberts is also a fan favourite, having played Bluesfest back in 2018 and recently sold out The Green Room here on the Bluesfest site. Ziggy is also playing on the Thursday.

Blind Boys of Alabama have an incredibly rich history at Bluesfest, having played Bluesfest eight times, the first back in 1992. They are indisputably the most well-known Gospel band in the world, and I am so proud to have them play at our 35th-anniversary special.

The Turner Brown Band, known for ‘Sacred Steel’, are among the few bands touring this style of music. To catch Sacred Steel, you would normally have to participate in a church service in the deep south of the USA. This is an act not to be missed.

We are excited! Thursday is looking good, so now, watch out for Monday!

PeterNoble OAM

FestivalDirector