Shot Notes
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.
John Butler is the Swiss army knife of musicians. He has a multitude of instruments, styles and music projects. His latest album “Running River” is designed for meditation. Each chill-out tune is a 10-minute epic where John unleashes his inner Vangelis. It’s as if he has been left alone in a music shop with the record label’s credit card. The world has yet to see a guitar player who does not want to buy all the effects pedals.
John Butler has appeared at Bluesfest every few years since 2007. Regulars will have seen him evolve as an artist. Since his 2024 album, I’m eager to see what he does live now. Will it be the high-energy prog-folk-rock he is known for, or will the audience end up in a fugue state?
John Butler 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.
Yesssssss
#savebluesfest