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Nicky Bomba

Jason Benz — Sun, 20 Apr 2025 13:17:49 +0000

This is Nicky Bomba leading the awesome Melbourne Ska Orchestra on the Delta stage on the final day of Byron Bay Bluesfest. I saw their previous set on Saturday and was impressed that they had enough quality songs, they did not repeat the same set. This is unusual. In my experience, the larger a band gets, the harder it is to produce more than 1 tight set. MSO is no ordinary band, In 2018 they recorded one new song a week for a whole year, producing 4 albums.

Credit must also be given to the backstage crew who keep every performance running like clockwork, no matter how big the band. The success of the sold-out Bluesfest 2025 has guaranteed the future of live music festivals in NSW for now. However, this great festival is only made possible by people buying discounted early bird tickets, so Peter Nobel can book more great acts for Bluesfest 2026.

Lachy Doley

Jason Benz — Fri, 18 Apr 2025 13:52:17 +0000

This is Lachy Doley on the Jambalaya stage on the second day of Byron Bay Bluesfest. He has been called the Jimi Hendrix of the Keyboard, and when you see him live, there is no better description. It is like a wild guitarist is fighting to get out when he bends notes on his Whammy Clavinet. Keyboard players typically don’t have much ability to move compared to other musicians, but this does not stop Lachy from putting on a dynamic performance. He was like a golden retriever who ate the instant coffee when he sprinted around the stage between songs. The Lachy Doley Group has a second set on Sunday. All tickets have now sold out on the Bluesfest Website.

UPDATE: Due to the success of Bluesfest 2025, its future has been confirmed. Discounted early bird tickets for the 2026 festival are available here.

Melody Angel

Jason Benz — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 13:45:00 +0000

This is Melody Angel on the Delta stage putting the Blues in Bluesfest on the first day of the Byron Bay music festival. It was the most powerful performance so far, and there was a lot of competition, such as Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine) At the time of writing, Melody Angel has 3 more shows over the weekend, a few ticket options are still available via the Bluesfest Website.

UPDATE: Due to the success of Bluesfest 2025, its future has been confirmed. Discounted early bird tickets for the 2026 festival are available here.

Electric Cadillac

Jason Benz — Wed, 16 Apr 2025 13:55:33 +0000

I have never seen a guitarist and bass player switch instruments so quickly mid-song. This is Electric Cadillac on the Delta stage, kicking off the music at the pre-party party of Byron Bay Bluesfest 2025. All the festival goers who camp onsite are treated to a sneak peek on Welcome Wednesday before the festival officially starts on Thursday. Festival director, Peter Nobel, briefly chatted with the crowd after their set and hinted there may still be a future for Bluesfest as ticket sales have broken records. At the time of writing, a few ticket options are still available via the Bluesfest Website.

UPDATE: Due to the success of Bluesfest 2025, its future has been confirmed. Discounted early bird tickets for the 2026 festival are available here.

Nahko Bear

Jason Benz — Tue, 31 Dec 2024 13:01:20 +0000

Happy New Year 2025. This is Nahko and Medicine for the People playing on the Jambalaya stage at Bluesfest Byron Bay in 2017. He is wearing a “Make America Native Again” cap. Then, as now, the world is facing uncertainty about the future. One thing is certain, Nahko Bear is returning to Bluesfest in 2025, this time he is billed as just Nahko without his band. This is a trend in music, the industry is putting money behind solo artists over bands. This is something Bluesfest has resisted. You will always find bands at Bluesfest.

I cannot think of anything worse than paying hundreds of dollars for a festival ticket, only to watch someone press play on a laptop. You can pay even more money to watch elaborate costumes and dance routines to hide the fact that there is someone backstage pressing play on a laptop. Bluesfest is committed to supporting musicians making music with instruments rather than computers. It is a live music experience like no other.

Nahko will return to the festival with an unnamed band in 2025, tickets are available via the Bluesfest Website.

UPDATE: Due to the success of Bluesfest 2025, its future has been confirmed. Discounted early bird tickets for the 2026 festival are available here.

Jamaican Ska

Jason Benz — Mon, 23 Sep 2024 02:55:37 +0000

Legendary Pat Powell (Patou) with the awesome Melbourne Ska Orchestra at the 2014 Blues on Broadbeach Festival. Patou is a British-born Jamaican who moved to Australia. We have likely spent a similar amount of time in all 3 countries. That is all I can claim to have in common, as no matter how much roots music I listen to, I’m still a short skinny white guy. His globe-trotting did not end there. He has sung on the biggest stages and recorded all over the world. Only a legend can get paid to watch Kylie Minogue dance. His voice is as deep, warm and smooth as he looks. You have probably heard him without realising. He is like the James Earl Jones of singing.

This photo is from the early stage of the Melbourne Ska Orchestra when they had just released their first album. Since then they have released six more studio albums, including in 2018 when they released one song a week for a whole year. Impressive for a 34-piece band. That 1 year produced 4 albums which are a homage to the original Ska movement which grew from sound system culture in Jamaica.

The speed of music production is phenomenal.

This website started 20 years ago with reggae festivals in Jamaica. Every week before we knew the No.1 US song, a local band would have arranged and recorded a reggae/ska version and had it in the shops before anyone heard the original. New tunes were just as quick. When Hurricane Ivan passed by. The song telling the story of that hurricane was on the radio before the hurricane made landfall. Since MSO mastered the ska skill of rapid recording, they created a large body of work in a short time. Now they are out of the studio and ready to party.

I highly recommend you see them live if you get the chance.

The Melbourne Ska Orchestra have been confirmed for the final Byron Bay Bluesfest at 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.

UPDATE: I had a chat with Pat. He told me he met the Melbourne Ska Orchestra at Bluesfest as he was hired by Bluesfest to drive the artists bus. Proof it is more than a festival, it does change lives. One more reason to #savebluesfest

UPDATE: Due to the success of Bluesfest 2025, its future has been confirmed. Discounted early bird tickets for the 2026 festival are available here.

John Butler

Jason Benz — Wed, 18 Sep 2024 08:20:29 +0000

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.

Ash Grunwald

Jason Benz — Fri, 13 Sep 2024 14:26:58 +0000

Aussie blues legend Ash Grunwald on the Crossroads stage at Bluesfest 2022. No blues festival would be complete without a performance from this prince of the pentatonic. He is from the southern hemisphere’s biggest music cauldron, Melbourne, although he saw the light in 2010 when he relocated to Byron Bay.

Ash has an amazing body of work, with a dozen studio albums over two decades. My favourite is his 2019 album “Mojo” for its raw blues energy, and a guitar tone so fat it is at risk of diabetes. The album also has a powerfully dark duet with Kasey Chambers which reminded me of the haunting duet between Nick Cave and Kylie Minogue, if you replaced the orchestra with a blues guitar.

I love it when musicians collaborate to create something new and unexpected. Bluesfest is designed to make this happen. Along with the latest acts and the international headliners, there is a core of Australian bands, like Ash and Kasey, who Bluesfest supports year after year. This makes Bluesfest its own music scene.

Ash Grunwald and Kasey Chambers will return one last time for the final Byron Bay Bluesfest in Easter 2025, tickets are available via the Bluesfest Website.

UPDATE: Due to the success of Bluesfest 2025, its future has been confirmed. Discounted early bird tickets for the 2026 festival are available here.

Little Quirks

Jason Benz — Sun, 31 Mar 2024 04:57:35 +0000

This is Jaymi Toole playing the mandolin and singing with the Little Quirks as they opened the Mojo stage with their dynamic folk/rock/pop style at Bluesfest 2024 in Byron Bay. They put on the most passionate and energetic performance I have seen at the festival, and they have some stiff competition. Like many at this festival, they started out busking on the streets of Australia and dreaming of one day playing Bluesfest. Today their dream came true, and they made the most of it. It was great to see artists having so much fun onstage. Little Quirks will be back on the final Monday of music. Tickets are available via the Bluesfest Website.

Jaymi Toole and Abbey Toole from Little Quirks opening the Mojo stage at Bluesfest 2024 in Byron Bay.

Susan Tedeschi

Jason Benz — Sat, 30 Mar 2024 12:59:49 +0000

This is the Tedeschi Trucks Band headlining the Mojo stage on day 3 of Bluesfest 2024 in Byron Bay, Australia. Susan Tedeschi pictured singing, although she was not alone, by the end of the set almost half the band had been lead singer, including Mike Mattison who originally sang in The Derek Trucks Band before they fused with Susan’s band to form Tedeschi Trucks. 2 more days of music, ticket available via the Bluesfest Website.