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Rob Hirst

Jason Benz — Tue, 03 Mar 2026 07:23:52 +0000

This image is musician, songwriter and producer Rob Hirst playing with the Backsliders on the Mojo stage at Bluesfest 2023.

Rob also played Bluesfest in 2022 with a band he founded called Midnight Oil. When they played the first three notes of his song “Beds Are Burning”, I saw the crowd move as one as far as the eye could see. It was an amazing experience I will never forget.

After it was announced the Backsliders would be back for Bluesfest 2026, I downloaded their latest album “Bonecrunch” It is an old school electric blues album, full of rhythmic energy, and perfect for getting your Blues on.

I was listening to it when I read the tragic news that Rob Hirst had lost his battle with cancer. After the initial shock, the music community and Bluesfest responded by announcing a tribute to Rob Hirst to be performed at the festival by a range of musicians. I suspect “Beds Are Burning” will echo around the festival in 2026.

UPDATE: Bluesfest 2026 has been cancelled and the Backsliders Rob Hirst tribute has moved to the Byron Theatre on the 4th April.

Many of the artists from the cancelled Bluesfest 2026 line up are continuing with revised gigs, including….

Sublime:
Wednesday, April 1st – Festival Hall, Melbourne VIC
Saturday, April 4th – Hordern Pavilion, Sydney NSW
Wednesday, April 8th – Wolfbook Arena, Christchurch NZ
Friday, April 10th – Trusts Arena, Auckland NZ
Saturday, April 11th – Brewtown, Wellington NZ

The Black Crowes:
Thursday, April 2nd – The Forum, Melbourne VIC
Friday, April 3rd – The Forum, Melbourne VIC
Monday, April 6th – Fortitude Music Hall, Brisbane QLD
Wednesday, April 8th (NEW SHOW) – Enmore Theatre, Sydney NSW
Thursday, April 9th – Enmore Theatre, Sydney NSW

Pogues:
Wednesday, March 25th – Fremantle Prison, Fremantle WA
Friday, March 27th – Hindley St Music Hall, Adelaide SA
Sunday, March 29th – The Forum, Melbourne VIC
Thursday, April 2nd (NEW SHOW) – Fortitude Music Hall, Brisbane QLD
Sunday, April 5th – Sydney Opera House, Sydney NSW
Monday, April 6th – Sydney Opera House, Sydney NSW
Wednesday, April 8th – St James Theatre, Wellington NZ
Thursday, April 9th – Christchurch Town Hall, Christchurch NZ
Saturday, April 11th – NZICC Theatre, Auckland NZ

Marcus King:
~~Wednesday, April 1st – Powerstation, Auckland NZ~~
~~Wednesday, April 8th – Enmore Theatre, Sydney NSW~~
~~Friday, April 10th – The Forum, Melbourne VIC~~
~~Saturday, April 11th – Hindley St Music Hall, Adelaide SA~~

The Wailers:
Wednesday, April 1st – Drifters Wharf, Gosford NSW
Thursday, April 2nd – Metro Theatre, Sydney NSW
Friday, April 3rd – Finnians Tavern, Port Macquarie NSW
Saturday, April 4th – Coffs Hotel, Coffs Harbour NSW
Sunday, April 5th – Hotel Brunswick, Brunswick Heads NSW

Split Enz:
Wednesday, May 6th – TSB Bank Arena, Wellington NZ
Thursday, May 7th – TSB Bank Arena, Wellington NZ
Friday, May 9th – Spark Arena, Auckland NZ
Saturday, May 10th – Spark Arena, Auckland NZ
Wednesday, May 13th – Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne VIC
Thursday, May 14th – Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne VIC
Monday, May 18th – TikTok Entertainment Centre, Sydney NSW
Tuesday, May 19th – TikTok Entertainment Centre, Sydney NSW
Friday, May 22nd – RAC Arena, Perth WA
Monday, May 25th – Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Adelaide SA

The Living End:
Saturday, April 4th – Hotel Brunswick, Brunswick Heads NSW

Christone Ingram

Jason Benz — Sat, 07 Jan 2023 04:45:25 +0000

Christone “Kingfish” Ingram effortlessly channelled the original grandfathers of the Blues on the Crossroads stage at Bluesfest 2022.

Kingfish’s respect for the old masters is evident when you hear him play. He draws his inspiration from the earliest days of electric Blues.

With over 100 acts at Bluesfest, you can expect lovers of the original form to be well-catered for. The Byron Bay festival in Australia has a long history of attracting world-class Blues musicians from America’s Deep South. Kingfish is a great example, coming from Clarksdale, Mississippi, The heart of the Blues story. If you ever wondered what it would be like to go back in time and listen to Robert Johnson, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Muddy Waters and B.B. King craft the foundation of the Blues. A live performance from Kingfish can take you on that journey. (image download here)

Kingfish 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.

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

Jimmy Barnes

Jason Benz — Mon, 16 May 2022 23:07:56 +0000

This is Jimmy Barnes belting out a classic tune on the Mojo stage at Bluesfest 2022. Despite the audience coming out in force to watch this Cold Chisel legend, it was his introduction which made the news. Jimmy asked opposition Labor Leader, Anthony Albanese, to introduce his band. Unfortunately for Albo, there was an audible section of the crowd who did not appreciate a politician in an election campaign delaying the performance by 2 minutes. The mix of booing and cheering ebbed and flowed as he spoke. It created an uncomfortable tension you rarely see in festival crowds, but nothing compared to the sound everyone made together when Jimmy stepped on stage.

Understanding why discontent with government extends beyond those in power, maybe down to the area and its history. The Northern Rivers is a centre for counter-culture in Australia so it is naturally sceptical of big government. Since the last Bluesfest, there has been no pause between drought, fire, plague and flood. Bluesfest 2021 was cancelled with 1 day of notice by a government spooked by 1 covid case. The timing ensured maximum economic damage to businesses and artists already on their knees from the fires. When people started drowning, the government did not respond. Emergency calls went unanswered. It was the community, in a fleet of small private boats who saved the lives of people trapped in their homes. Locals are not surprised when politicians seeking photo ops with survivors get the cold shoulder. Anger at government inaction is so strong the current PM did not risk contact with the public at any point during his obligatory visit after the floods. So tension continued to build and needed to be released.

Bluesfest 2022 has shown that music has a role in mental and economic recovery. Gathering around music is in our DNA. We do it because we are human beings. When we immerse ourselves in music, the rest of the world disappears. This is an essential reprieve, especially when dealing with ongoing trauma. Being reminded of the imminent election during their overdue catharsis was too much for some, but was forgotten as soon as Jimmy began to sing.

UPDATE: Despite Jimmy and Albo getting Covid during the campaign, Albo became Australia’s 31st prime minister on 22nd May 2022.

This image cannot be used as editorial due to localized adjustments so this is purely an exercise in Photoshop for the blog. I used a sunset shot from South Australia called Solar Nuke to add yellow and red. The unedited image is available for download here.

UPDATE: Jimmy will be back onstage on Sunday 31st March 2024. Tickets are available via the Bluesfest Website.

The Wailers

Jason Benz — Mon, 18 Apr 2022 15:25:12 +0000

2022 saw the return of Reggae Royalty to Bluesfest. The Wailers closed the Delta stage on the final day of music. They are such a common sight on Bluesfest stages that they risk being taken for granted. Make no mistake, they are all reggae legends and it is a privilege to watch them play.

To say they captured the original ’70s sound is an understatement. Never has a band produced a more faithful live performance, of the original recordings. Close your eyes and you will think Bob Marley had come back to life.

I know of no other group who can fly halfway around the world, play for 90mins to any festival audience, most of which are younger than the tunes, and still have the crowd sing along to every song.

The crowd then called them back for 3 encore songs. First, they chilled the tempo with Redemption Song and the crowd responded by holding lighters in the air (but this is 2022, so most were phone lights) Then they played One World, One Prayer from their latest album which was quickly followed by Could You Be Loved, at which point the crowd erupted and five thousand people jumped in the air and began to move as one.

The Wallers released their first new album in 25 years. I have downloaded some tunes to help me get over the end of live music at Bluesfest for another year.

Next year’s festival tickets will soon be available from the Bluesfest website.

This image is available for download here.

UPDATE: The Wailers will return to the festival in 2026. Tickets are available via the Bluesfest Website.

Felix Riebl

Jason Benz — Thu, 14 Apr 2022 16:32:56 +0000

It is not every day you are asked to photograph the end of an empire. The Mojo stage finale on Day 1 at Bluesfest 2022 saw the final gig of Melbourne 6-piece, The Cat Empire. After 8 albums and 20 years of touring including 16 shows at 9 Bluesfests. Felix exploded onto the stage like a coiled spring. His energy was only matched by the audience who made a sound so loud it tickled my eardrums. This last hurrah was planned before the big pause so the anticipation was electric. They drew heavily on their debut album whose anthemic tracks had the crowd cheering for more. The dynamism of these musicians ensures the legacy of this cat empire will be many musical kittens. (image download here)

UPDATE: Felix is relaunching the Cat Empire with a new lineup and is billed to return to the festival in 2023 tickets are available via the Bluesfest website.

UPDATE: The Cat Empire 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.

Bluesfest Returns

Jason Benz — Thu, 14 Apr 2022 10:02:38 +0000

This is The War & Treaty which had the honour of heralding the return of live music on the Mojo stage on Day 1 of Bluesfest 2022. What a great choice to kick things off. They have a raw energetic groove that infuses into your bones. Like getting in a warm bath that instantly reminds you how much you miss it. The husband and wife team fuse Southern soul and gospel vocals while the band add a tasty dollop of rock and roll.

The band are playing all 5 days of the festival so there is still time to get your tickets from the Bluesfest website.

This image is available for download here.

New Year

Jason Benz — Fri, 31 Dec 2021 13:01:50 +0000

Happy New Year 2022. I had a Hippy Christmas, listening to music in a native forest with a cell tower to myself. I would normally be chilling up a mountain at this time of year but it has been cool enough to stay in the subtropical lowlands where the internet is fastest. 2021 was a wet year too in Australia, this helped rejuvenate the natural environment after the fires.

As the world discovered in 2022, In the wake of disruption, you don’t get back what you had before. We must face the challenges of this new reality as the world continues to change. I hope this year’s existential threats can create solidarity so we can move forward together, as we did to take action on the hole in the ozone layer.

This image has been accepted by Shutterstock for Stock Photography and is available for download here.

Soyuz Spacecraft

Jason Benz — Fri, 24 Sep 2021 11:29:29 +0000

This is a Soyuz spacecraft in a Leicester museum in the UK. It was the only way humans could get into space when the shuttle retired in 2011. It has done it reliably for over 55 years.

Living self-sufficiently in a metal tube is much like #vanlife. Everything needs to be strapped down or it will fly around while you are travelling.

Australia has the longest national highway in the world and it is a never-ending loop around a remote ancient red desert landscape.

NASA could save a fortune training Mars astronauts by sending them down under in a kaleidoscope of kombis.

Edinburgh Millennium

Jason Benz — Sun, 30 May 2021 17:53:37 +0000

I rendered this for my 1000th Shutterstock image. The background is the Scottish capital Edinburgh, and the first photo I took with a DSLR. The text is created in Photoshop. This is my first 3D experiment as I have been using a non-3D version of Ps for the last 12 years. It is unlikely I will use 3D too often as it is at the limit of what my new laptop can do. While rendering it uses more power than it can draw from USB-C, so it drains the internal battery too. After a few renders, you risk running out of power during a render, even though it is plugged in. I just read USB-C plans to upgrade its max power output from 100w to 240w. This would fix this issue. After waiting 12 years to upgrade my laptop, it would be my luck that it is outdated 3 months after getting it. I am still pleased with the XPS-17. The screen is amazing. When you work somewhere with 360-degree windows it pays to have an extra bright non-reflective screen.

This image has been accepted by Shutterstock for Stock Photography and is available for download here.

New Year

Jason Benz — Thu, 31 Dec 2020 13:01:33 +0000

Happy New Year 2021. This time last year Australia was on fire and its leadership was absent. The world watched the country burn as over 1 billion animals died. After the main event of 2020 this island continent would be viewed as one of the global success stories. Hopefully, next year will achieve such a revolution for all. Best wishes to everyone, especially those in the UK who are currently suffering from their absence of leadership.

The original firework image has been accepted by Adobe Stock for Stock Photography and is available for download here.