Bluesfest Issues Statement On Parkway Drive Booking

Bluesfest has issued a statement following yesterday’s surprising line-up announcement which featured heavy legends Parkway Drive alongside Erykah Badu and The Wailers.

The Byron Bay band’s inclusion led to discourse online, with some questioning why they were added, and now the festival has said that “Bluesfest has always been about great music - not genres”, sharing comments from Festival Director Peter Noble OAM on his “long-standing programming philosophy” and why it “has never been, and will never be, limited by genre”.

“I’ve always been a major fan of the world’s great festivals,” Noble said.

“Particularly the Montreux Jazz Festival under its legendary founder Claude Nobs, and the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival under George Wein. These presenters showed the world something very important - that music is an open sky.

“Claude Nobs booked Deep Purple at Montreux Jazz in the mid-1960s and was absolutely crucified for it. People said a hard rock band had no place at a jazz festival. Yet that booking became part of music history.

“While Deep Purple were there, they watched a building burn across Lake Geneva after a fire broke out during another concert. That moment inspired them to write Smoke on the Water - one of the most famous rock songs of all time. It came directly from a so-called ‘wrong’ booking at a jazz festival.

“That booking happened nearly 60 years ago - and it’s still called the Montreux Jazz Festival. Don’t worry about the name of a festival. Get into the music they put on.

“You see it at Glastonbury Festival, where genre boundaries were broken long before it was fashionable, and particularly at Jazz Fest in New Orleans. Jazz Fest was attacked when they first presented a rap artist - Mystikal - decades ago. People went crazy.

“They were criticised again when they booked artists like Dave Matthews Band. Today, those decisions are celebrated. Those festivals understood that great music belongs on great stages, regardless of labels.”

Noble noted that “blues will always be at the heart of Bluesfest”.

“If you don’t love the blues, you’ve got a hole in your soul,” he added. “But if you love music, you should love great music - and that’s what Bluesfest is about.

“Many years ago, I was asked to go backstage and speak with Macavine Hayes, a blues musician from the Music Maker Foundation who had just performed. He was in his 80s. He took my hand and said, ‘Thank you for booking me on your festival.’ But he didn’t let go.

“Then he said, ‘You don’t understand what I’m really saying. I’ve been playing the blues all my life, but this is the first time I’ve ever been booked on a music festival alongside great artists like Jackson Browne. He said, ‘This is the first time that’s ever happened for me. I only get booked to play blues festivals, not music festivals.’

“That moment, close to 30 years ago, showed me the way forward. It showed me that blues needs to be part of a wider platform. Blues should never be pushed into a corner. It belongs on stages alongside other great artists. It’s for everybody - the same way all music is for everybody.”

The festival pointed to other line-up inclusions over the years, from Kendrick Lamar, Mary J. Blige, Dave Matthews Band, and Jurassic 5, to highlight its “diverse programming”.

The festival’s 2024 line-up saw a performance from Infectious Grooves, which featured Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo.

“Someone recently posted that they came to Bluesfest in 2024 only to see Infectious Grooves - a band that included a member of Metallica,” Noble said. “Because of everything else they were exposed to, they’re now coming every year.”

The statement concluded with Noble reiterating that “there will always be genre-bending artists at Bluesfest”.

“There will always be artists who challenge you as an audience. That’s what great festivals are meant to do. That’s what Bluesfest does.

“Don’t get stuck on labels. Get into the music. Support live music. Buy a ticket. Bring your children - but don’t forget the earplugs. Music is a gift, and it should be part of everyone’s life.”

Tickets to this year’s Bluesfest, taking place across the Easter Weekend in April, are available now via the festival website.

The newly announced acts join already-announced heavy hitters including Split Enz, Earth, Wind & Fire, Áine Tyrell, Sublime, Buddy Guy, Angelique Francis, The Black Crowes, Counting Crows, Roshani, The Living End, and many others.