Western Australia’s beloved springtime musical adventure, Blues at Bridgetown, is back for 2024 with another great weekend’s worth of music, melodies and new memories from Friday-Sunday, November 8-10.
This year represents a new dawn and a new day for Blues at Bridgetown, as we evolve with the flow of the blues as an artform and honour what the festival has become over the course of its 30-year history.
“1993 seems like it was so long ago,” says Pip Mills, the festival’s co-founding director with Sheila Howat. “Mobile phones were a novelty, the world wide web was slow in getting to small rural communities, most printed communication was by fax and music was largely produced on CD and cassette. It was in that environment that we set out to create an annual event that would grow and evolve to ensure longevity.
“Blues at Bridgetown was not just about the genre – it was also about an emerging tourism industry and image building for our community and the surrounding region.
“We are thrilled that the current management have embraced the dream and the need to contemporise Blues at Bridgetown – the programme for 2024 reflects all, and more, of our aspirations from 1993.”
Indeed, John Butler‘s debut Blues at Bridgetown performance was as a busker in that very first year. He returns as one of Australia’s premiere alternative songwriters and storytellers with accolades spanning from #1 charting albums, platinum records and ARIA Awards across his illustrious career as one of the country’s most successful independent musicians.
Dave Hole is Australia’s premier internationally successful bluesman and highly acclaimed slide guitar virtuoso. He burst onto the international scene when his first album, Short Fuse Blues, was picked up by America’s most prestigious blues label, Alligator Records. He has since released a further nine critically acclaimed albums and is an Australian ARIA award winner who has headlined festivals in America and all across Europe.
After a chance meeting at a backyard party and bonding over their diverse tastes in music it took some convincing to get all members of South Summit to join the band. Now one of Perth’s most talked about live bands, the five guys can’t imagine doing anything else. With their new single, Givin’ It Up, just around the corner and a new national tour to be announced, 2024 looks to be the year of South Summit.
Hailing from the Central Coast of NSW, Australia, Little Quirks have been performing together all their lives. A dynamic stage show coupled with harmonies to die for make them one of the hottest live acts out there. Their 2023 Blues at Bridgetown sets were brilliantly energetic and we can’t wait to have them back.
Also adding their own dashes of magic will be Owen Campbell, Little Green, Checkerboard Lounge, Siobhan Cotchin, Smoke Stack Rhino, Frank Sultana, Laurel & The Painkillers, Louis Rebeiro & The Blues Machine, Boox Kid, The Floors, Joan & The Giants, Tom Fisher & The Layabouts, Brandie & Wise Trio, Rochelle O’Reilly, Whiskey Nips, Alexia Parenzee and Pat Tierney with many more to be announced very soon.
Tickets are now on sale through bluesatbridgetown.com.au/tickets where all package details can be found.