Festival List

Raw Music Festival

The RAW music festival is an event to raise money for the International Anti Poaching Foundation (IAPF). Visit www.iapf.org for more info.

The Gum Ball

The Gum Ball Music Festival (27th and 28th April 2012), is an all age camping, byo music festival, located at Belford in the Hunter Valley, NWS. Its been around for a while, 7 years in fact, chipping away doing its own thing, rolling with the punches, building a dream, to what some may know as the ultimate live music experience. Gum Ball is a boutique music experience with simple necessities. A weekend in secluded bushland, full of awesome live music & art, onsite camping, BYO, delicious food, market stalls, kiddies mega playground, heaps of games and prizes, some big warm fires and a classic vibe similar to your mates backyard party.

Southbound Festival

Southbound is an arts, camping and music festival. A variety of Australian and international artists perform at this event. The festival occurs annually, early January, at the Sir Stewert Bovel Park in Busselton, Western Australia.

Sydney Festival

Sydney Festival was originally conceived by the Sydney Committee, the NSW State Government and the City of Sydney with a view to attracting people into the city centre during the holiday month of January. The first Festival took place in 1977 and it has since grown to become one of Australia's largest annual cultural celebrations with an international reputation for modern, popular and intelligent programming. In many ways it is probably still best understood as a celebration of Sydney and its style and energy reflect the confidence, diversity and vigour of one of the world's most beautiful cities. For three weeks each January the Sydney Festival offers a rich program of around 80 events involving upwards of 500 artists from Australia and abroad covering dance, theatre, music, visual arts, cross media and forums. In any given year, it makes use of most of the main theatres across the city including Sydney Theatre, CarriageWorks, City Recital Hall and venues at the Sydney Opera House, Sydney Festival also presents a number of quality, free outdoor events such as the long-running Domain Concerts which attract up to 100,000 people a time. From 2008 the Festival will take to the streets with a new free event entitled Festival First Night, a large-scale celebration of music and performance which will draw up to 200,000 people into in the heart of the city. The Festival has a history of presenting Australian premieres and many of Australia's most memorable productions such as Cloudstreet have resulted from Sydney Festival's commitment to nurture local artists. It has brought many of the world's great artists to Sydney for the first time including: Ariane Mnouchkine and Thèatre du Soleil (Flood Drummers), Robert Wilson (The Black Rider), Robert Lepage (Far Side of the Moon and The Andersen Project), George Piper Dances, Netherlands Dance Theatre, James Thiérrée, Philip Glass, Ian McKellen (Dance of Death) and the Batsheva Dance Company. Sydney Festival attracts a total audience of approximately 1 million across all of its events each year making it the most attended cultural event in Australia. Sydney Festival is Australia's largest and most attended annual cultural event running for three weeks every January since it was first held in 1976. Its program features more than 50 events including classical and contemporary music, dance, circus, drama, visual arts and public lectures. Its indoor and outdoor presentations attract an estimated 1 million people annually. The outdoor program includes the Domain concerts (Jazz in the Domain and Symphony in The Domain) which each attract an audience in excess of 100,000 people, and for the indoor program the Festival presents international and national performing and visual arts, occupying most of Sydney's theatres, galleries and concert halls, as well as specially created satellite venues throughout the city and surrounds. The Sydney Festival has generated many Australian commissions and world premieres, many of which have toured internationally. The Festival is principally funded by the NSW State Government, through the Ministry for the Arts, in partnership with the City of Sydney Council and with the support of the Nine Network as principal sponsor.

Illawarra Folk Festival

The Illawarra Folk Festival is an annual event presented by volunteers from the Illawarra Folk Club. The festival located at the Bulli Showgroud on Slacky Flat and is nestled at the base of the Illawarra escarpment only 1 hour south of Sydney. It is the perfect opportunity for Sydney-based travellers to visit via train and experience the true spirit of Down Under; including Aussie Bush and World Music dancing at the Global Green, spontaneous late-night pub gigs, camping out alongside locals and visiting the stunning world-renowned beaches of the region. The next festival is to be held 13 - 16 January 2011. The festival is 4 days of folk, world, acoustic, Celtic, traditional folk concerts, dances, workshops, parades, sessions with over 150 international, national and local acts with 600 performers. Nestled in the foothills of the Illawarra Escarpment is the beautiful Jamberoo Valley Lodge. It will be the venue for Folk enthusiasts when they gather in the wonderful ambience of its rainforest setting, to hear music and verse performed by a great array of renowned international and local performers. There will be 20 concerts with 16 acts from 9am in the morning till 7pm in the evening with a number of venues to choose from - a large concert room, an intimate acoustic concert room, the restaurant, outdoor terrace and grove area all set in the picturesque and tranquil surrounds of the Lodge. Artists who will be appearing include terrific touring traditional Scottish trio of Sandy Brechin, Ewan Wilkinson, Ronan Martin; the wonderful singer-songwriter Enda Kenny and fiddler Lindsay Martin; the eclectic high energy gypsy/cabaret/swing-jazz of Waiting for Guinness; songs and blues of Kristina Olsen (US);rootsy singer songwriter Nathan Kaye; brash poet Blue the Shearer; half of Trouble in the Kitchen with Adrian Barker & Kate Burke and locals Big Snore Hammers, Nick Rheinberger, Duncan Chalmers, Shoalhaven Youth Orchestra, Jason & Chloe Roweth, Jane Brownlee, Jamberoo Valley Fiddlers, No Such Thing and more to come. www.illawarrafolkclub.org.au/

Tamworth Country Music Festival

The Essence of Tamworth Max Ellis OAM, one of the Festival Founders takes a look at just what makes The Tamworth Country Music Festival one of the most unique in the world. Tamworth in January is hot, it's casual, it's stars and Golden Guitars, it's happy crowds, it's tents and caravans, it's easy going camaraderie .. "g'day mate and where are you from?", it’s concerts and shows, it's buskers, it's folding chairs, big hats and eskies. When its over, and you're heading down the highway to Croydon, Cremorne or Camooweal, there's the feeling that it will be good to get home again for some peace and quiet after 10 days of continuous music!! "See 'ya next year mate!!" For us locals there's a sense of relief as the tents come down and the 55,000 or so visitors head home. We say goodbye to country music friends we've known for decades. The pressure is off and it's nice to get our town back again, to drive down Peel Street and park outside the shops. Not that we mind. The annual Tamworth Country Music Festival has put our little city on the map in a way that is the envy of every other regional centre in Australia. It wasn't always like that. In the old days, locals headed for the coast in January to escape the dreadful heat and occasional flood. Nothing much happened in Tamworth between Christmas and the schools going back in February. People were surprised, when in 1973, Radio 2TM decided that the January Australia Day weekend was the best time for our first Country Music Awards. Despite a few pessimists who felt that country music was "hick", the Awards took off. In the years that followed we developed a string of new activities that are still the backbone of the Festival, creating an event now recognised as one of the top ten music festivals in the world. While music is at the heart of the 10 day Festival, it's the fascinating combination of welcoming locals, friendly visitors, summer holiday atmosphere and non stop music that gives the place such an across the board appeal. And there is always time for meeting new friends, or old, in a cool spot in a club, pub or coffee shop. And the music? Well you can hear every sort of country music in every sort of venue from the giant Tamworth Regional Entertainment & Conference Centre to clubs, theatres, halls and of course outdoor stages in parks like the famous Coca-Cola Concerts. Much of it is free and most is pure Australian. There is no cultural cringe in Tamworth! Join the thousands who stroll down the city's pleasant, tree lined main thoroughfare, Peel Street, at any time during the day or in the warm evenings. Three blocks are closed to traffic over the Festival and down the entire length are buskers. Some have been coming to the same spot for years. You'll hear some of the best and worst performers in the nation! There are individuals, groups and bands, all ages, some shy, some flamboyant, playing all kinds of music. You might pause to listen to an aboriginal country rock band from Arnhem Land, while just a few metres away there's an old yodeller from Bourke, singing Slim Dusty songs, both competing for audience with a crooning kid with a blue guitar from Tasmania. And don't imagine for a moment that any of these buskers are no-hopers. Kasey Chambers, Troy Cassar-Daley and Keith Urban are just a few of the stars, who have trodden the Peel Street pavements as youngsters. There is just so much to see and do that even after 38 years I still haven't been to everything. These days the official program lists over 2,500 individual events ranging through concerts, record launches, bush poetry, exhibitions and so on. It even includes rodeos and bull-riding in the fabulous new Equine Centre. People often ask me whether I had ever thought that the Festival would develop into such a vast and significant event. I answer that while I can't remember our vague expectations 38 years ago, we certainly contributed enough blood, sweat and tears over the years, to make it happen! I'm proud of what we achieved and I still love every minute of it!! The pivotal event is the glamorous Golden Guitar Awards, staged in the huge Tamworth Regional Entertainment & Conference Centre (TRECC). Held at the end of the Festival, the Awards attract all the major stars of Australian country music as well as a large contingent of VIPs and fans from all over the nation. Since it started in 1973 over 350 Golden Guitars have been presented with legendary Slim Dusty still holding the record with 36. It’s hard to believe but he took out his first in 1973 and his last, posthumously, in 2005. There are just so many other shows to see, talent quests like Toyota Star Maker, which has launched artists like Lee Kernaghan, James Blundell, Keith Urban and Beccy Cole. Or the Bush Laureate Awards and the 33 year old Buttercup Open House both held in our superb 75 year old War Memorial Town Hall where memories of The Somme blend with bush poetry and country music. The clubs, pubs and halls all ring with music. And so the list rolls on, a vivid kaleidoscope of Australian sounds, sights and people. Whether you come for 10 days or one day, the moment you land on this island of music you cease to be an observer and become a part of the close family that gathers from the far corners of Australia every January to create the fantastic experience we call the Tamworth Country Music Festival. Welcome to Tamworth!!

Thredbo Blues Festival

Over 100 performers from around Australia and 2000 Blues fans will converge on Thredbo Village in Australia's snowy mountains for the three days this January 12-14th for what many describe as their favourite Australian music festival. The Blues Festival is renowned as a boutique style event due to its very personal venues including restaurant gigs complimented by great food and wine. Artists confirmed for the festival are: Andy Cowan Sugarcane Collins Steve Tallis Mighty Reapers Andrea Marr Kaya The Others Jimi Hocking Ross Ward Ray Beadle Band Kevin Borich Mal Eastick Dallas Trasca CW Stoneking The Hands Nick Charles Youth talent competition – we are looking for the best young guitarist in the region to play with the legends of blues – more to follow Blues workshops – interactive workshop where you learn to play the blues on supplied equipment Blackboard Jams – A blackboard will be present outside Drakes and House of ULLR, musicians and invited buskers Buskers competition – we have had approximately 120 musicians apply to the festival this year and a selection of those artists will be invited to rove around the festival. There will be a silent judging of their talent and the winner is invited back to Thredbo as part of the bill for the following year. Note: The program can change due to unforseen circumstances without notice. Any changes to the FINAL program will be available at the Festival Information and Ticket Booth on the weekend. Festival Pass holders gain access to all music venues, however pass holders must comply with the liquor licensing laws pertaining to restaurant venues. Festival organisers appreciate your understanding of this situation, which is not imposed by Thredbo’s businesses. A weekend festival pass also includes unlimited rides on the Kosciuszko Express Chairlift. THREDBO's main chairlift rises 600 vertical metres from the picturesque valley floor to the top of the Ramshead Range, which is the perfect access point for an easy walk to the top of Australia - Mt Kosciuszko. All festival venues are within easy walking distance; so after you arrive, give the car a rest and enjoy the fresh mountain air on foot. January is generally very warm in the mountains, so a poolside gig combines great music with a swim and spectacular mountain views. Thredbo festivals also offer intimate performances in restaurant venues. Restaurant gigs are very popular as they are a great way to enjoy fine food and wine in the company of accomplished musicians; bookings at these particular venues are essential, as they tend to book out early. See the venues for contact details. THREDBO has great restaurants and shops with all the facilities you'd expect to find in an international class year-round resort. A supermarket, bottle shop, chemist, bakery and newsagent provide the essentials whilst there is a choice of retail shops to find that special gift or souvenir of the village and the festival. If you feel the need for a break from the Blues, the Thredbo Activities Desk can help organise tennis, golf, bobsledding, hiking, mountain biking or a swim or work out in the Thredbo AIS complex. Accommodation is available for all budgets and a festival weekend offers 100 hours of superior blues within a village that is situated in the spectacular setting of the NSW Snowy Mountains within Kosciuszko National Park. The Thredbo Legends of Blues Festival centres around the Thredbo Alpine Hotel Poolside ( weather permitting ) with concerts and performances held there from early morning till late in the afternoon on both the Saturday and Sunday Bars: U/18 access in the company of an adult until 9pm (all within the Thredbo Alpine Hotel ph 6459 4200) Keller Bar, Schuss Bar, Lounge Bar, Cascades Bar, The Kosciuszko Room Restaurants: The following restaurants will feature live music during the festival; Cascades phone: (02) 6459 4200 Drakes ph (02) 6457 6415 Eagles Nest phone: (02) 6457 6019 The Tarrace phone: (02) 6457 6222 T Bar phone: (02) 6457 6355 Credo phone: (02) 6457 6844 Sante phone: (02) 6457 6083 The River Inn phone: (02) 6457 6505 All ages: Village Square (outdoors), Community Centre, Poolside (outdoors) JEFF LANG Singer-songwriter Jeff Lang has built up a reputation for startlingly original performances, working without a set list, allowing the unique energy of each night to shape the songs. While Lang will talk of his admiration for the elemental blues of Skip James, the raw gospel of Blind Willie Johnson, the devastating guitar work of Jimi Hendrix, the masterful slide guitar of Ry Cooder, and the sublime song writing of Bob Dylan and Richard Thompson, comparisons to these artists fails to paint an adequate picture. Jeff Lang is critically acclaimed as a truly great guitar player. The unusual thing is that the guitar playing never gets in the way of the music, nor overshadows his gift for hauntingly poetic song writing. As a live performer Lang is only satisfied when something truly inspired takes place. This restless striving for the sublime pays great dividends for audiences that join him for the ride. DALLAS FRASCA AND HER GENTLEMEN Listening to the ball wrenching vocal performance of Dallas' debut solo recording, Acoustic Slide Groove, can give you a good indication of why she is where she is today. Dallas comes from a background of singing with roots bands. She began singing at the Saphire Coast town of Pambula, N.S.W, with some friends jamming. Re-locating back to her stomping ground, (North East Victoria), she worked rotating 12 hour shifts as a Lab. Technician for nearly 6 years on and off in her home town of Wangaratta. In almost solitary confinement for 12 hours a day, she learnt to sing by listening to vocalists on the small transitor radio in the lab. Frasca's distinctive, gutsy, heart-felt vocal style is of uncommon strength and her finger pickin / slide guitar grooves are earning her respect from fellow musicians and been wowing crowds all over Australia in the past few months. In just six months she has achieved more than most musicians could hope for in a lifetime. BOB BROZMAN TODAY Redefining musical diversity worldwide, Bob Brozman is a remarkably prolific artist whose wit, energy, and musical technique combine powerfully to create an unforgettable live performance. A master of slide, fingerstyle, and percussive guitar, Bob's exhilarating show spans the global and musical spectrum, and keeps audiences enthralled, begging for more of his endearing, infectious energy. Bob's familiarity with diverse world music cultures produces a novel blending of rhythmic and timbral influences, unparalleled in today's musical environment. His rhythmic dexterity resonates with elements of blues, jazz, Gypsy swing, calypso, sega, and even the most modern hip-hop and ska beats. JAN PRESTON Jan can best be described as Australia's "Queen of the boogie woogie piano." Her stunning ability as a boogie, honky tonk and ragtime piano player, is matched by a richly resonant voice and a joyful and communicative stage personality. Jan is enormously popular on the festival circuit, having played more than 40 festivals throughout Australia, New Zealand, and Europe in the past 3 years. She has won 4 Best Female Blues Artist and Blues Artist of the Year Awards, is a regular ABC and RNZ radio performer, and has sold out concerts from the tip of Australia to the very South of New Zealand in main centres and tiny regional towns. Jan has a way of fully engaging the audience in her shows, and her mastery of the boogie woogie, barrelhouse and honky tonk piano style, leaves listeners in raptures. ANDY COWAN When the house is rockin' with the big horn section and Cowan's soulful vocals and keyboards are right out front, this is killer stuff. (Jeff Glorfeld - The Age Entertainment Guide) His songs and style reach back into the very heart of Blues and Soul. Cowan shows himself to be a great songwriter and musician. (Ed Nimmervoll - Music Australia Guide Magazine) One of Australia's most experienced and talented singer/songwriter/pianists in the Soul-Blues idiom, Andy has been described justifiably as the "King of the Keys". He ripples, rolls and rocks through original compostitions with passionate and soulful vocals, wrapping the audience in his energy and weaving an emotional and spellbinding magic. Andy has evolved into a refined and sophisticated songwriter/performer, arriving at his music after a long and winding journey - the resulting confidence, maturity and taste are well earned and deeply embedded. Andy's musical career began in Melbourne, Australia, growing up in a household surrounded by music. Following classical piano studies, he began exploring improvisation, and absorbing musical ideas from soul, blues, and folk artists developing his very own signature style that has matured over time. In his late teens Andy played and recorded with many well-known Australian and overseas musicians, as well as piano and keyboard arrangements on many film scores - including the cult movie Stone . JAMES SOUTHWELL James was asked up to play with Kevin Borich, Phil Manning and Aussie Legend rhythm section Mark Kennedy & Harry Brus when he was 13. A year later he was asked up on stage to play with Chain and Phil Manning handed the lead over for James to play the solo on Black & Blue. His first album, “DARK ANGEL”, was recorded at Kevin Borich's studio in December 2005. Mark Kennedy, Harry Brus & Kevin played on Dark Angel. Phil Emmanuel & Mal Eastick featured on the cover of Stevie Wright’s “GUITAR BAND”. Since the release of Dark Angel by MGM in June 2006, the James Southwell Band has been in constant demand playing almost 200 shows all over Australia including Major Festivals, Blues Clubs, Dedicated Music Venues as well as Pubs & Clubs from the top of WA all the way down to the bottom of TAS. During 2006 James also played three shows with Angry Anderson as lead guitarist and two for Stevie Wright. In 2007 JSB has a 70 show “ROCK’N THE BLUES” National Tour with 21 of these show in WA alone, playing Headline shows for both the Perth Blues Club & West Coast Blues Club. 2008 is looking great for JSB with an All Star line up Headlining the Entertainment at SUMMERNATS 21 in Jan. Then it's off to this festival at THREDBO. PHIL MANNING A founder and continuing member of the now legendary ‘Chain’, Phil Manning has long been regarded as the most effective blues guitarist produced in this country as well as a fine session player. (Chain are the only blues band to ever have a number one (‘Black’n’Blue’), they also had a number two (‘Judgment’). As well as headlining his own shows he has toured with a remarkable number of artists including Muddy Waters, Sonny Terry and Brownie McGee, Albert Collins, Freddie King and dozens of others to the most recent Doobie Brothers Down Under Tour this year. Tours of Ireland, UK and New Zealand in recent years have begun to reveal his original take on blues/roots music to a much wider audience. Manning received great radio accolades from the south of the USA to the Netherlands, Germany, Russia, Israel, Portugal and Italy. Phil Manning is best witnessed in live performance. It is here the sheer artistry of his work shines through & it is for this his audience loves him. “…an Australian national treasure…can play the hell out of an acoustic instrument so good that it leaves you breathless…” – Folk Roots magazine, U.K.

Big Day Out

The Big Day Out (BDO) is an annual music festival that tours Australia and New Zealand. Like many other modern music festivals, the Big Day Out is held in stadiums which are more commonly designed for major sporting events. All of the Big Day Out locations utilize multiple performance stages, on which different acts will often be playing simultaneously. It is common that the well known international acts will play on one of the two "main stages", which overlook the main sporting ground of the venue, and the lesser known (and often local) acts will perform on smaller stages. All of the stages are within a short walking distance of one another. A signature feature of the Big Day Out is the "Boiler Room", a large circus-style tent in which the more electronically themed artists perform. This style of venue intends to enhance the sound and ambience of the performance, which can be compared to a Rave. Other areas at the Big Day Out include a novelty entertainment stage, a signing tent, multiple food and merchandise shopping areas, and one or more designated alcohol consumption areas to which access is restricted to those of the local drinking age. Alcohol at the Big Day Out is limited to those brands who are sponsoring the event (Jack Daniels branding can be seen in the adjacent photo), and can only be purchased from within the venue. The event lasts from mid-morning (doors open at 9 - 10am) to late evening (the last performances finish at around 1am).

Rainbow Serpent Festival

The Rainbow Serpent Festival has come a long way in 10 years. From a small gathering in a secluded clearing, to an internationally recongnised, multifaceted weekend of dance, colour, expression and celebration. People now travel from all over the world to Western Victoria to experience what some have said is the best outdoor festival of it’s type in the Southern Hemisphere. For many of the 7,000 plus people that attend each year, Rainbow has become an institution, and annual reunion, a marker in the year that’s looked forward to for months in advance. For others it’s a fresh discovery of opportunity and escapism, a chance to connect with like minded individuals and to celebrate nature, community and harmony. Perhaps the continued success of Rainbow can be accredited to the broad experiences and opportunities on offer. No longer just an electronic music festival these days you can expect to experience a unique combination of music, art, performance, spiritual education, relaxation and healing. "While dancing their Dreamings, aborigines spiritually connect themselves to the land and to the Dreamtime. The drumming of feet during the dance draws the earth into dialogue with the dancers, allowing the ceremony to bring the power of the Dreaming to life." The name Rainbow Serpent is distinctly Australian, coming from the Dreamtime creation story told by the traditional owners of the land. Dreamtime stories often vary between aboriginal tribes, however the story of the Rainbow Serpent is special as it is one of the few common to all. The Rainbow Serpent is protector of the land, and the source of all life. Music has always been a highlight of Rainbow. From the early trance days to the broader musical style of today, one thing Rainbow has never compromised on is the quality of it's acts. With world class décor, roving artistic performances, crazy activities you cant imagine a more exotic sensory mix spread over four days. Put simply if you’ve never been to the Rainbow Serpent Festival, now is the time to buy a tent and call your friends.

Australian Blues Music Festival

The Australian Blues Music Festival is held on the second weekend of February every year in a variety of venues throughout the historic CBD of Goulburn NSW. It is The National Festival of Australian Blues Music and showcases the very best of emerging and established Aussie blues talent. The line-up includes acoustic and electric acts with a range of styles from the roots of blues music to the music that has been influenced by blues. Features include: Australian Blues Music 'Chain' Awards, open mic/jam throughout the weekend, Youth in Blues Jam, Pro-Jam, vintage guitar and amp shop, workshops with the artists, buskers & markets.