The sixth announcement sees more than 10 new artists and acts added to the already-breathtaking bill
From left: The Waterboys' Mike Scott; Hozier
The annual Byron Bay Bluesfest has released an exhaustive six rounds of line-up action ahead of this April's event, with yet another batch of acts arriving this morning, led by the likes of Hozier and The Waterboys, to close out the truly mammoth roster in sterling form.
Hozier is in the midst of a chart-blitzing wave Down Under, with recent top-five-ranking single Take Me To Church doing much for the Irish muso's stock with Aussie music fans, as well as punters around the globe. The track has netted Hozier a Grammy nomination (Song Of The Year, no less), with the politically charged clip pulling no punches in its depiction of a young homosexual couple fleeing backlash in Russia.
The Waterboys, meanwhile, should be well known to any discerning listener of rock-infused folk, with a more-than-40-year career (and back catalogue to match) informing their status as one of the most alluring new drawcards on boardfor Bluesfest, which this year runs from Thursday 2 to Monday 6 April at Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm, just outside Byron Bay.
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Beefing out the remainder of the festival's sixth line-up announcement is a smorgasbord of worthwhile local and international concerns, including Kiwi collective Fly My Pretties in their first Australian festival appearance, plus buzz-soaked up-and-comer Hunter Hayes. Punters will also get a chance to enjoy sets from Switchfoot, Super Chikan and Vasti Jackson (presented by Music Maker), Diesel, Jeff Lang, Phil Wiggins & Dom Turner, Nikki Hill, The Rumjacks and the final performances of Afro-Colombian roots-rock outfit Watussi.
Said festival director Peter Noble of the new recruits: "We have such an exciting sixth announcement in what is a watershed year for Bluesfest."
"We are now putting the final slatherings on the 2015 Bluesberry cake, with a few more surprises up our sleeve," he continued. "This just may be our best serving yet."
For more information about Bluesfest, head to our dedicated event page.
Hozier
The Waterboys
Switchfoot
Hunter Hayes
Fly My Pretties
Music Maker presents Super Chikan and Vasti Jackson
Diesel
Jeff Lang
Phil Wiggins & Dom Turner
Watussi (final performances)
Nikki Hill
The Rumjacks
Lenny Kravitz
The Black Keys
Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals
Paolo Nutini
David Gray
The Gipsy Kings feat. Nicolas Reyes & Tonino Baliardo
Zac Brown Band
Ben Howard
Counting Crows
Rodrigo Y Gabriela
Jurassic 5
Gary Clark Jr
Alabama Shakes
Train
Michael Franti & Spearhead
Jimmy Cliff
John Mayall
Keb Mo
Angelique Kidjo
George Clinton & Parliament-Funkadelic
Paul Kelly presents The Merri Soul Sessions feat. Dan Sultan, Kira Puru, Vika & Linda Bull, Clairy Browne
Mavis Staples
Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue
Xavier Rudd & The United Nations
Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires
Soja
Dispatch
Chris Robinson Brotherhood
Beth Hart
Donavon Frankenreiter
Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls
Tony Joe White
Augie March
Justin Townes Earle
Melbourne Ska Orchestra
Mariachi El Bronx
Band Of Skulls
Blue King Brown
The Beautiful Girls
Ash Grunwald
Rebelution
JJ Grey & Mofro
Pokey LaFarge
Dave Alvin & Phil Alvin with The Guilty Ones
Jon Cleary & The Monster Gentlemen
G. Love & Special Sauce
Ruthie Foster
The Beat
Keziah Jones
Sheppard
Jake Shimabukuro
Trevor Hall
Serena Ryder
Playing For Change
Steve Smyth
Karl S. Williams
Declan Kelly presents Diesel N Dub feat. Emma Donovan, Alex Lloyd, Pat Powell, Radical Son, Tony Hughes
Music Maker presents Cool John Ferguson and George Stancell
RocKwiz live
Michael Franti's Soulshine music & yoga concert feat. Michael Franti, Soja & Trevor Hall