Byron Bay Bluesfest organisers have shared the full set times for this year’s edition of the festival, which will run from April 6 to 10 at its usual home, Byron Events Farm, in the coastal NSW town – see the playing schedule in its entirety, updated as of April 6, below.
- READ MORE: Five Things I Know: Peter Noble, Bluesfest
There will be four stages at this year’s Bluesfest: Crosswords, Mojo, Delta and Juke Joint. The festival’s first night will be closed out (on different stages) by Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, the Black Sorrows, Paolo Nutini and Larkin Poe. Larkin Poe and Rateliff will play closing sets again the following evening, with Gang of Youths and St. Paul & the Broken Bones headlining the remaining stages.
Elvis Costello and the Imposters were due to perform on days 1 and 2, but had to drop out of the festival due to a COVID-19 case in the band, it was revealed April 6. The band have pushed their tour to 2024 as a result.
Saturday’s nighttime offerings include Joe Bonamassa, Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit, Counting Crows, Femi Kuti & the Positive Force, Dami Im and Buddy Guy. Sunday night highlights, meanwhile, include Tash Sultana, Mavis Staples and Bonnie Raitt. Performances from the Doobie Brothers, The Cat Empire, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue and Lisa Hunt’s Forever Soul will close the festival’s final day, on April 10.
Elsewhere among this year’s line-up are the likes of Beck, LP, Jackson Browne, Frank Turner, Yirrmal, Fools, Ash Grunwald, Xavier Rudd, Coterie, Michael Franti & Spearhead and Spinifex Gum. A tribute to the late Archie Roach – who passed away in July last year – will be held on the festival’s second day, organised in association with the Archie Roach Foundation.
This year’s line-up sparked backlash last month when controversial reggae rock band Sticky Fingers were added to the bill. In response to the booking, both King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard and Sampa the Great – who were previously booked to perform at the festival – withdrew from the line-up.
Festival director Peter Noble repeatedly defended the band, but Sticky Fingers eventually exited the line-up themselves. Bluesfest organisers said they “cannot, sadly, continue to support Sticky Fingers by having them play our 2023 edition” in a statement released March 2, and apologised to those “[they] involved in this matter through our mistaken belief that forgiveness and redemption are the rock on which our society is built”.
Other acts who were originally announced as part of the line-up but have since exited the bill include The Soul Rebels, GZA, Talib Kweli and Big Freedia. A representative for The Soul Rebels claimed festival director Peter Noble cancelled their Bluesfest appearances and tour “in bad faith and in breach of contract”, which Noble has denied.
Byron Bay Bluesfest’s 2023 set times are:
Thursday (April 6)
Crossroads
14:30-14:45 Welcome to Country
15:00-16:00 Nikki Hill
16:30-17:30 St. Paul & the Broken Bones
18:00-19:00 Spinifex Gum
19:30-20:30 The Angels
21:00-22:00 Beth Hart
22:30-23:30 Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats
Mojo
14:45-15:30 Daniel Champagne
16:00-17:00 Dog Trumpet
17:30-18:30 LP
19:00-20:00 Kaleo
20:30-22:00 Paolo Nutini
Delta
15:30-16:30 The Bros. Landreth
17:00-18:00 Greensky Bluegrass
18:30-19:30 Steve Earle
20:00-21:00 Lucinda Williams
21:30-22:45 The Black Sorrows
Juke Joint
15:30-16:30 Frank Sultana
17:00-18:00 Southern Avenue
18:30-19:30 Keb’ Mo’
20:00-21:00 Eric Gales
21:30-22:30 Larkin Poe
Friday (April 7)
Crossroads
11:30-12:30 Frank Sultana
13:00 -14:00 19-Twenty
14:30-15:30 Fools
16:00-17:00 LP
17:30-18:30 Kaleo
19:00-20:00 Beck
20:30-22:00 Paolo Nutini
22:30-23:45 Gang of Youths
Mojo
13:00-14:00 Ray Beadle
14:30-15:45 Christone ‘Kingfish’ Ingram
16:15-17:15 Marcus King
17:45-18:45 A Heartfelt Tribute to Archie Roach
19:15-20:15 Spinifex Gum
20:45-21:45 Yirrmal
22:15-23:45 Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats
Delta
12:00-13:00 Round Mountain Girls
13:30-14:30 The Bros. Landreth
15:00-16:00 Daniel Champagne
16:30-17:30 Steve Earle
18:00-19:00 Keb’ Mo’
19:30-20:30 Lucinda Williams
21:00-22:00 Larkin Poe
Juke Joint
12:30-13:30 Southern Avenue
14:00-15:00 Bud Rokesky
15:30-16:30 Steve ‘n’ Seagulls
17:00-18:00 Greensky Bluegrass
18:30-19:30 Chain
20:00-21:00 The Black Sorrows
21:30-22:30 Vintage Trouble
23:00-24:00 St Paul & the Broken Bones
Saturday (April 8)
Crossroads
12:30-13:30 Eric Stang With Clarence Bekker Band
14:00-15:15 Christone ‘Kingfish’ Ingram
15:45-16:45 Marcus King
17:15-18:15 Chain
18:45-19:45 Eric Gales
20:15-21:45 Buddy Guy
22:15-23:15 Joe Bonamassa
Mojo
12:30-13:30 Bud Rokesky
14:00-15:00 Jerome Williams
15:30-16:30 Vintage Trouble
17:00-18:00 Allison Russell
18:30-19:45 Jackson Browne
20:15-21:15 Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit
21:45-23:15 Counting Crows
Delta
13:30-14:30 Hussy Hicks
15:00-16:00 Nikki Hill
16:30-17:30 19-Twenty
18:00-19:00 Frank Turner
19:30-20:30 Clarence Bekker Band
21:00-22:00 Beth Hart
22:30-23:30 Femi Kuti & the Positive Force
Juke Joint
12:00-12:45 Loose Content
13:15-14:00 Buttered
14:30-15:30 Daniel Champagne
16:00-17:00 Dog Trumpet
17:30-18:30 Electric Cadillac
19:00-20:00 Fools
20:30-21:30 Dami Im
22:00-24:00 Lisa Hunt’s Forever Soul
Sunday (April 9)
Crossroads
12:30-13:30 Round Mountain Girls
14:00-15:00 Allison Russell
15:30-16:30 Yirrmal
17:00-18:00 Femi Kuti & the Positive Force
18:30-19:30 Michael Franti & Spearhead
20:30-22:00 Tash Sultana
22:30-23:45 Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue
Mojo
13:00-14:00 Hussy Hicks
14:30-15:30 Steve Poltz
16:00-17:00 The Bros. Landreth
17:30-18:30 Nikki Hill
19:00-20:00 Mavis Staples
20:30-22:00 Bonnie Raitt
22:30-24:00 Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit
Delta
13:00-14:30 Rockwiz Live
15:00-16:00 Roshani
16:30-17:30 Steve ‘n’ Seagulls
18:00-19:00 19-Twenty
19:30-20:30 Backsliders
21:00-22:00 Eugene ‘Hideaway’ Bridges
22:30-23:30 Lachy Doley & the Horns of Conviction
Juke Joint
13:15-14:00 2023 Busking Adult Winner
14:30-15:30 Bobby Alu
16:00-17:00 Ash Grunwald
17:30-18:30 Ray Beadle Stax of Blues
19:00-20:00 Electric Cadillac
20:30-21:30 Dami Im
22:00-24:00 Lisa Hunt’s Forever Soul
Monday (April 10)
Crossroads
12:30-13:30 Steve ‘n’ Seagulls
14:00-15:00 Yirrmal
15:30-16:30 Jon Stevens
17:00-18:00 Beth Hart (Acoustic)
18:30-20:00 Bonnie Raitt
20:30-23:00 The Doobie Brothers
Mojo
12:00-13:00 Bobby Alu
13:30-14:30 Backsliders
15:00-16:00 Ash Grunwald
16:30-17:30 Mavis Staples
18:00-19:15 Xavier Rudd
19:45-21:15 Michael Franti & Spearhead
21:45-22:45 The Cat Empire
Delta
13:00-14:30 Rockwiz Live
15:00-16:00 Steve Poltz
16:30-17:30 Dog Trumpet
18:00-19:00 Clarence Bekker Band
19:30-20:30 Coterie
21:00-22:00 Femi Kuti & the Positive Force
22:30-23:45 Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue
Juke Joint
13:15-14:00 2023 Busking Grommet Winner
14:30-15:30 Local High School Showcase
16:00-17:00 Roshan
17:30-18:30 Lachy Doley & the Horns of Conviction
19:00-20:00 Eugene ‘Hideaway’ Bridges
20:30-21:30 Nikki Hill
22:00-24:00 Lisa Hunt’s Forever Soul
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