The Secret To A Successful Festival & How Bluesfest Keeps Getting Bigger

"I think the reasons for it are, on one level, people don't really plan out their events and all the eventualities properly and then if you're doing a smaller event and you wanted to get some headliners and you can't get them for whatever reason… do you really think 5000 [people] are going to come? It should be bleeding obvious."

"We've seen a lot of changes. We've seen the touring model, apart from a couple [festivals] go the wrong way and the reasons for that are to me are fairly obvious. They were leap-frogging huge production and stages, trying to set up quickly in rented fields, football stadiums or showgrounds…"

"We've seen the touring model, apart from a couple [festivals] go the wrong way and the reasons for that are to me are fairly obvious."

Meanwhile, for the fourth year running Bluesfest has picked up a Pollstar nomination for International Music Festival Of The Year and its sixth overall. The global industry award ceremony will be held in February next year and Noble says he is proud for yet another nod. 

"We're up against some bloody big events like Isle Of Wight… Primavera… but we're always up against Glastonbury," he smiles. "You're not going to beat Glastonbury, but the fact that we're there every year and I don't even see the other events every year… it's an honour."

As for the Byron Bay spectacle's 2016 line-up, many believe this is the three-day-festival's biggest bill yet which features the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Tom Jones, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, The National, City & Colour, UB40 featuring Ali Campbell and co-founder of The Beach Boys, Brian Wilson. While he says he is never afraid to approach an artist no matter their status ("I'm quite brash - I'll go after everyone"), he admits that as a music fan he is always humbled when they accept the offer.  "I think when Brian Wilson said yes a few weeks ago… he wants to do Pet Sounds and to many, back in the '60s that was the album that turned the wheel to get everybody into doing great concept albums and it influenced Paul McCartney with Sgt Pepper."

Given the fact that Bluesfest is only getting more popular as the years go by, Noble says there is one question he is always asked; "'Do you have a budget or do you just keep spending?' That question tells me a lot," he says. 

"In other words, the 'wow' factor is coming in. We totally work to a budget - we're merciless about it, we know what our event costs. When you have your own site and you've been running a festival for many years, you know what each part of the staff car park costs and that's your job."

For those considering going along to Bluesfest in 2016, Noble says that no matter the music preferences, there is something at the festival for everyone. 

"It's a great opportunity to go and hear these people on the same festival that you can wander over somewhere else and hear Kendrick Lamar. I think that's what a festival should be. It shouldn't be too focused on any one thing."