Being a part of the Byron Bay Buesfest circuit for 2008 has afforded New Zealand the rare opportunity to place together on one show some of the planets greatest talent in the blues and roots genres with a wealth of music to further entertain live performance aficionados.
Once again, it’s shaping up to be a bill with something for everyone – a rich collection of local and global heavy hitters spanning everything from vintage blues and soul, through to, fusion, swing, R&B, swamp rock, folk, alt-country, indie rock and much, much more.
Festival director Peter Noble said, “I’m so excited about the incredible depth of talent we’ve got this year. Of course, in addition to the big names, people are going to be knocked out by some of the acts we’re bringing over. As you may know, we try and top the previous festival every year with Bluesfest at Byron Bay (which I’ve got to say is becoming increasingly difficult!) But this year I do think we’ve done it again. Yes we’ve got the big acts, but we’ve also got a whole swag of legends that reflect our original ethos and help take the spirit, culture and diversity of our event to new levels. To have the only surviving member of The Wailers – Bunny Wailer giving the Festival genuine Jamaican reggae will be an historical moment for us. Blend in the new and we have an unbeatable gumbo of the best talent in New Zealand and much of the rest of the world. We know we’re now regarded by many artists who play Bluesfest as one of a small handful of premier international events worldwide – and the way we see it – if we can create a healthy, happy, responsible artistic climate that sparks the imagination and allows performers to play at their highest levels – then we’ve done our job.”
And of course you know the best part – finally New Zealand gets to enjoy all the months of hard work Peter puts in to secure another amazing lineup.
So to Ian Brown from the legendary Stone Roses and the rest of the auspicious first announcement add Bunny Wailer, Newton Faulkner, Xavier Rudd and Sugarland to complete the international performers list.