You’ve been waiting. We’ve been waiting. Gosh darn, we’ve all been waiting.
Following its return to a full-strength festival last year for our 30th Anniversary, Western Australia’s beloved springtime musical adventure, Blues at Bridgetown, returns for 2023 with a weekend’s worth of music, melodies and new memories from Friday-Sunday, November 10-12.
C.W. Stoneking returns to WA with His Primitive Horn Orchestra this November. The band that have been his long-time collaborators – Stephen Grant, James Clark and Grant Arthur – will again join C.W. on the road this December, playing songs we know and love from his back catalogue. The Primitive Horn Orchestra first appeared on Stoneking’s album of 2009, Jungle Blues. The album has since been certified gold and the band joined him for extensive touring both internationally and at home.
Stoneking’s 2014 release, Gon Boogaloo, collected a slew of awards (ARIA Award, AIR Award and Music Victoria Award) and was praised by many including The Saturday Paper, who called it ‘a masterpiece’. He spent years touring Australia and overseas, both solo and with a band, but had not been reunited with his Primitive Horn Orchestra since 2012. History awaits at Bridgetown.
Rarely has an Australian band received as much consistent and widespread acclaim from critics and music fans alike as the Bondi Cigars. With 10 albums under their belt, and over 30 years of constant touring, this award-winning quartet have well and truly worked their way into Australia’s musical heart. As with all great bands, the sum of the whole exceeds the sum of the parts, and the Bondi Cigars are no exception.
Sweet Talk are renowned for their high-energy live shows readily whipping unsuspecting punters into frenzied states of boogie and unabashed song at the drop of a hat. The six-piece band from Melbourne was founded over a bond of late nights, American music, classic songwriting and improvised jams. Gaining a loyal following, Sweet Talk have been journeying across Australia with appearances at Blues On Broadbeach, Queenscliff Music Festival, Tamworth, Port Fairy Folk Festival, Out On The Weekend along with live rooms, pubs and BBQs across cities and states. Sweet Talk stitch together a rich tapestry of vintage influence into something altogether their own.
Star-on-the-rise Roshani returns to weave story and song to uplift the soul. Born into a musical family in Sri Lanka, at six weeks of age Roshani was given up for adoption and fate led her to the other side of the world in Tamworth, where she had the opportunity to nurture her musical gift. With a voice that gives you goosebumps, utilising loop pedal and various instruments, Roshani’s sound is as unique as her life story. “I can’t wait to see you guys in November, it’s going to be wicked,” Roshani says. “Last year was mind-blowingly amazing and I can’t wait to be with you all again to share some music and some dancing and some love and some laughter.”
Bridgetown audiences will fondly recall seeing Grant Haua perform with bluesy duo Swamp Thing in previous years, but in 2023 he returns with his new outfit, The Soul Decree. “I’m so looking forward to getting back to Bridgetown,” Grant says. “It was my first overseas festival, and I made a lot of good friends there. I’ve got a whole band going on here and I’m really looking forward to showing you the Grant Haua experience in its final form.”
Also adding their own rich tapestries will be Minnie Marks, Zydecats, Kangaroos With, Machine Guns, Tracey Barnett, Smokestack Rhino, Rose Parker Band, The Human Highway, Tommy Bosson & The Score, Tanya Ransom, Howling Onshore, Two Dollar Dog and Whiskey Nips with many more to be announced very soon.
Tickets are now on sale through bluesatbridgetown.com.au/tickets
where all package details can be found.
