While Bluesfest is one of the festival highlights of the year, shining a light on local, national and international legends when it comes to blues, roots, soul and rock, not everyone can make their way to the Byron Bay event. Luckily that’s where Bluesfest Touring comes in.
Last year, the sideshow announcements kicked off with the likes of Allen Stone, Trevor Hall, California Honeydrops, Nahko & Medicine for the People, Larkin Poe and Ray LaMontagne, to name a few. Making good of their promise of more acts to come, the Bluesfest Touring team then added the likes of Flogging Molly, Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, Shakey Graves and David Gray, along with Iggy Pop, Nathaniel Rateliff, The Marcus King Band, and Fantastic Negrito.
With so many options, we thought we’d put together our top picks of the new sideshows we’ll be seeing in Melbourne.
Iggy Pop
This one was obvious. Often considered the godfather of Punk – Iggy Pop is making a welcome return to Australia this April with tour dates just announced in Melbourne and Sydney’s Opera House. Widely acknowledged as one of the most dynamic stage performers of all time, Iggy Pop pre-figured both ‘70s punk and ‘90s grunge and has built a legendary career filled with both critical acclaim and fanatic cult success. Seeing Iggy Pop rock out is definitely a performance to put on every music lovers bucket list.
Catch him at Festival Hall in Melbourne on 21 April 2019
David Gray
After scaling enormous heights with album sales over 12 million (including the highest selling album ever to-date in Ireland with breakthrough album ‘White Ladder’), BAFTA, Brit and Grammy nominations, a Q Award, two Ivor Novellos and much more, David Gray returns revitalised with a new perspective, energy and new sound to take to his adoring Australian fanbase. The English singer-songwriter’s eleventh studio album ‘Gold In A Brass Age’, will be released in early 2019 and will be performed live in Perth, Sydney and Melbourne this April along with his back-catalogue of career-defining songs. With a loyal Australian fanbase and a plethora of albums to enjoy, there’s no doubt tickets to see David Gray live in Australia this April will be in high demand.
You’ve got two shows for this one. Palais Theatre, Melbourne 19 & 20 April 2019.
Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats
The eight-piece Soul band will be gracing Australian stages again in 2019 but this time with a new album under their belt and an even larger Australian audience after a reinvention of Nathaniel’s style in 2015 which is designed to be performed live. Known as party animals on stage, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats offer a unique live performance with a front man who possesses a husky sixties styled voice with inflections of Gospel and a vibrant soulful band to support it.
Head to The Croxton, Melbourne on 18 April 2019
Tickets via www.bluesfesttouring.com.au/
