The first lot of Bluesfest sideshows are here, with a few of the acts planning a string of headline shows on top of their appearance at the Byron Bay Festival.
American country artist Sturgill Simpson will be bringing his distinct twang to Australia for the first time in 2016 with a show in Sydney and Melbourne. Ska 2-Tone outfit The Selecter will also be playing two headline shows with original front pairing Pauline Black and Gaps Hendrickson.
Steve Earle & The Dukes are also heading back to Australia for a considerably large run of dates around the country.
Bob Marley’s legendary band The Wailers will play four shows separate to Bluesfest with each promised to be unique.
Bluesfest have made two lineup announcements so far with Tom Jones, Noel Gallagher and The National all on the bill. They have also made a special announcement that Kendrick Lamar will make the trip to Byron for the festival.
Keep up to date with all the Bluesfest developments on our feed and check out all the sideshows dates below.
Sturgill Simpson
Sturgill Simpson is one of the fastest rising names in country music and he’ll be making his debut trip to Australia in 2016 to show us what all the fuss is about. He’s touring off the back of his Grammy-nominated second album Metamodern Sounds in Country Music and has played everything from Bonnaroo to Willie Nelson’s Fourth of July Picnic.
The Kentucky crooner has also captured the attention of everyone from David Byrne to Dan Auerbach and is making the trip to Australia right as his hype is reaching boiling point. He’ll play a show in both Sydney and Melbourne at the end of March next year.
Sturgill Simpson Bluesfest sideshows dates
Tickets on sale at 10am local time on 15th October.
Tuesday, 22nd March 2016
The Metro Thearte, Sydney
Tickets: Ticketek
Wednesday, 23rd March
170 Russell, Melbourne
Tickets: Bluesfest Touring
Steve Earle & The Dukes
Steve Earl & The Dukes were only in the country for Bluesfest last year but they’re coming back for another round. Country/blues/folk rocker Earle is a Grammy Award winning artist with sixteen records to his name including his 2015 LP Terraplane. That record saw him take his first expedition into the world of blues which will no doubt come through in his live show.
Earle and his legendary band are known for their brilliant live set and they’re giving Australia plenty of opportunities to see them live. On top of Bluesfest they will play seven dates across Perth, Sydney, Melbourne, Mackay and Cairns. Husband and wife duo The Mastersons will join as support on every date.
Steve Earle & The Dukes Bluesfest sideshow dates
Tickets on sale at 10am local time on 15th October.
Friday, 11th March 2016
Astor Theatre, Perth
Tickets: Astor Theatre
Wednesday, 16th March 2016
Rooty Hill RSL, Sydney
Tickets: Rooty Hill RSL
Thursday, 17th March 2016
The Metro Theatre, Sydney
Tickets: Ticketek
Friday, 18th March 2016
Melbourne Recital Centre, Melbourne
Tickets: Melbourne Recital Centre
Saturday, 19th March 2016
Melbourne Recital Centre, Melbourne
Tickets: Melbourne Recital Centre
Tuesday, 22nd March 2016
Mackay Entertainment & Convention Centre, Mackay
Tickets: MackayTix
Thursday, 24th March
Tanks, Cairns
Tickets: Ticketlink
The Selecter
It’s been four years since Pauline Black and Gaps Hendrickson re-launched The Selecter but since then they’ve been on a never-ending tour which has included Coachella and Glastonbury. In 2016 the ska 2-tone band will be gracing the Bluesfest stage as well as playing a sideshow in both Sydney and Melbourne.
“We’ve been going from strength to strength because the reaction to us as a live band has been absolutely brilliant everywhere we go,” said Black describing the renaissance the band has had since reforming. Despite recording and releasing studio albums, it’s all about their live show which you’ll get to see while they’re here.
The Selecter Bluesfest sideshow dates
Tickets on sale at 10am local time on 15th October.
Wednesday, 23rd March 2016
The Factory Theatre, Sydney
Tickets: Bluesfest Touring
Friday, 25th March 2016
The Corner Hotel, Melbourne
Tickets: Bluesfest Touring
The Wailers
As Bob Marley’s band, The Wailers sold over 250 million albums in their time but they’re still upholding Marley’s reggae legacy with energetic, unique shows around the world.
The legendary band will be bringing something a little different to each of their four headline shows. They will be playing a different album in full each night choosing between Exodus, Survival, Uprising and Legend. They haven’t announced what album they will be playing where yet but every show will be treated to a selection of greatest hits in addition.
The Wailers Bluesfest sideshow dates
Tickets on sale at 10am local time on 15th October.
Thursday, 17th March 2016
Tanks, Cairns
Tickets: Ticketlink
Saturday, 19th March 2016
The Playhouse Darwin Entertainment Centre, Darwin
Tickets: Your Centre
Monday, 21st March 2016
Astor Theatre, Perth
Tickets: Astor Theatre
Wednesday, 23rd March 2016
Rooty Hill RSL, Sydney
Tickets: Rooty Hill RSL
