Shot Notes
Guitarist and frontman John Butler on the Mojo stage at Bluesfest 2014. This musician makes up the fabric of Australian music, performing in a variety of lineups. In the magic that is festival serendipity, I discovered him while waiting to see Dave Matthews. The John Butler Trio will return to Bluesfest in 2018 to perform their own potent blend of folky blues-rock. In 2003-04 and 2009-13, the trio included drummer Nicky Bomba, frontman of the powerhouse that is the Melbourne Ska Orchestra, who also played at Bluesfest in 2015. Music is a small world.
John Butler and the Melbourne Ska Orchestra will return one last time for the final Byron Bay Bluesfest in Easter 2025, tickets are available via the Bluesfest Website.
UPDATE: In 2026 Bluesfest will be the last in a line of major festivals closed from increasing headwinds. This began before covid, with the previous state government’s legislative “war on festivals“. The new government risks letting this trend continue through inaction. However, you can change this. If 20,000 signatures are received, the NSW Parliament must debate Bluesfest’s future. #savebluesfest if you live in the state Sign up here. For everyone else, there is an international petition on change.org Sign up here.
Definitely going . Amazing
Legend
[…] John Butler on the Crossroads stage at Bluesfest 2022. It was my favourite Bluesfest of the past decade. After a 3 year gap, the crowd was up for it, the artists were up for it, and everyone just wanted to get wild after so much time inside. […]