More Acts Added to Bluesfest 2024: Tedeschi Trucks Band, The Cruel Sea + More

September 27, 2023

Byron Bay Bluesfest has announced the second batch of artists for its 2024 event. The first announcement came in August and featured the likes of Tom Jones, Jack Johnson, Elvis Costello and The Teskey Brothers. These acts will be joined by Tedeschi Trucks Band, The Cruel Sea, Tim Finn and a Bluesfest exclusive appearance from Taj Mahal.

Bluesfest 2024 is also set to welcome Ian Moss, Rickie Lee Jones, Dan Sultan, The Whitlams Black Stump Band, Coterie, Playing For Change, Lisa Hunt’s ‘Forever Soul’, Wilsn, Caravãna Sun, Women of Soul Collective and an exclusive performance from Jackie Venson.

Rickie Lee Jones – ‘We Belong Together’

Bluesfest 2024’s first artist announcement was widely criticised for its lack of gender and cultural diversity. The second announcement is not as one-sided as the first, but it doesn’t correct the white, male bias of the first announcement.

In her keynote speech at September’s BIGSOUND conference, Camp Cope’s Georgia Maq cited Bluesfest as an example of how Australian music festivals continue to miss the mark when it comes to progressive programming.

“I’d like to point out the recent lineup reveals of Good Things Festival and Byron Bay Bluesfest,” said Maq. “It’s 2023 and those lineups aren’t just unacceptable, no, they make a mockery of all the hard work women, people of colour and queer people have done over the last decade for this industry to make it safe, inclusive and representative of audiences.”

Maq continued, making reference to the controversy that erupted when Bluesfest booked Sydney band Sticky Fingers for its 2023 event. “It’s insulting and the organisers should be deeply ashamed and embarrassed, especially after Peter Noble’s doubling down of trying to justify booking Sticky Fingers last year for Bluesfest.”