THE Great Southern Blues Festival is gathering momentum with the announcement of artist performance dates for the three-day, multi-stage event.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Kicking off at 6.30pm on Friday, October 3, the ode to both popular and obscure blues music packs a punch from the opening notes and this year includes performance packages that have never been seen before and may never be seen again.
Leading the weekend charge in this opening five-hour session is the east coast-based riff and groove band 19 Twenty. They are joined by American Piedmont Blues harmonica virtuoso Phil Wiggins, funk-based US band fDeluxe and Germany’s Johnny Riegler. The much-loved Jeff Lang and the Steve Edmonds Band add an Australian touch to the evening.
On Saturday the action runs from 11.30am to 11.30pm with performers including Ash Grunwald, The Paladins, Rick Estrin and the Nightcats, the Bondi Cigars, 8 Ball Aitken and the Kelly Richey Band.
The final day of action on Sunday features within the full line-up the UK’s Sandi Thom, rising stars The Montgomery Brothers and The Backsliders.
Nestled among the weekend’s line-up is a selection of performance packages that lives up to the Festival’s promise to challenge audiences about their expectations of Blues music.
This year a selection of renowned individual artists will join forces to produce epic, never-before-seen performances.
Leading the charge are legendary blues guitarists Kevin Borich, Mal Eastick and Phil Manning who will perform as The 3 Wise Men. This is an event not to be missed.
Proving that the blues are not just a man’s domain will be the Big Bad Blues Babes consisting of Kerri Simpson, Vika Bull and Kylie Auldist.
This is the first and only time the women will perform together and since each is a headline act in her own right, the vibe will be electric.
Finally, when US ‘barrel house’ piano man Mitch Woods challenged the crew at Festival headquarters to find the best two Aussie piano players to join him in his Boogie Woogie Blowout show, the team rose to the challenge.
Sydney keyboardists Bridie King and Alison Penny will step onto the stage for a three-piano assault with Woods that has the potential to redefine the genre.
With just over 10 weeks to go until the fun begins, there are almost 30 bands in the line-up with more to be announced.
Festival organiser Neil Mumme says the blend of great international acts with highly regarded
Australian artists are proving a winner with more than two-thirds of tickets already sold.
“We continue to draw incredibly high calibre of international artists to Narooma and our national artists love to join in the fun,” he said.
“We’ve gained a reputation for providing great music that spans the full genre of the Blues as well introducing emerging bands to a broader audience. It’s a winning mix and this year is no exception.
“Add in our amazing performance packages and we have the line-up to impress even the hardiest of blues lovers.”
The Great Southern Blues Festival is on October 3-5 at Smyth Oval, Narooma.