Sampa the Great, Sticky Fingers and More Artists Added to Bluesfest 2023

Bluesfest has made its sixth artist announcement for 2023, naming five more acts who’ll appear at the Byron Bay festival this Easter long weekend. Zambian artist Sampa the Great will beef up the festival’s hip hop offering, which already includes Talib Kweli, GZA and Big Freedia. Sticky Fingers join the lineup for the five-day festival, appearing 12 months after the release of their fifth album, LEKKERBOY.

Another addition is A Heartfelt Tribute to Uncle Archie, produced in association with the Archie Roach Foundation. The performance will feature “long-time friends and musical collaborators” of the late Gunditjmara and Bundjalung musician and storyteller Archie Roach, who passed away in July 2022.

Sampa the Great – ‘Let Me Be Great’

Melbourne-based 13-piece rock’n’roll collective Fools will make their way to the Byron Events Farm in Tyagarah, NSW, along with Northern Rivers singer-songwriter Jerome Williams.

Bluesfest made its fifth lineup announcement in early February, adding former The X Factor Australia winner and Eurovision representative Dami Im, Pacific beats artist Bobby Alu, Mental As Anything offshoot Dog Trumpet, YouTube sensations Steve ‘n’ Seagulls, roots festival favourites Hussy Hicks and UK folkie Frank Turner.

The event’s previously announced headliners include Beck, Bonnie Raitt, Buddy Guy, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Gang of Youths, Counting Crows, Elvis Costello, The Doobie Brothers and plenty more.

“I hope you feel as we do about the Bluesfest lineup,” said Bluesfest festival director Peter Noble. “Not only is it one of the best bills in the festival’s history, I believe it is the festival bill of the season.”

UPDATE 16/02/2023: Bluesfest director Peter Noble defends booking Sticky Fingers for 2023 event: “Isn’t it time to forgive, and let him get on with his life”

UPDATE 20/02/2023: King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard have withdrawn from Bluesfest, citing Bluesfest’s decision to present content that “is in complete opposition to [their] values”.