20 April 2025 – Bluesfest, Byron Bay – words by Bec Harbour – pictures by Clea-marie Thorne
Here we are at day 4 – the final day of Bluesfest 2024. Everyone’s a bit tired, a bit footsore but happy as we have seen some great music.
My first pit stop was Delta stage for Kim Churchill – the MC telling us that it is his 8th time playing Bluesfest – he kicked off with ‘Rusted Walls’ a song he hasn’t played for about 10 years but thought it fitting.
Next up was ‘Rosemary’ – it was about his grandma and written from the point of a guy called George who was descending into dementia and decided grandma was the love of his life – a bittersweet song as so was his grandma. Churchill tells those relatable stories about life and what resonates with him – With a new album out later this year we were treated to ‘Hobbies’ one of the singles.
Kim Churchill – Bluesfest – photos by Clea-marie Thorne
Over to the Jambalaya stage to have a listen to the over 18’s busker winner, some nice easy flowing funk but we missed their name. We decided to sit in the gin bar to have a drink or two and listen to Eric Stang play some blues covers.
I went to Mojo next to catch Kasey Chambers. After the first song Chambers promised to not be so angry for the rest of the set and remarked that a few blokes up the front looked scared, then played ‘Backbone (the desert child)’. Chambers was excited to be here and said she only had sad country songs but was so excited some wee came out. She said she would only be doing new songs then said nah, she’d do some old ones as she knew them better. She also said she’d warn us when the older, more screechy ones were on and if you didn’t like it, take a dunny break .
Kasey Chambers – Bluesfest – photos by Clea-marie Thorne
Mid song Kasey stops to introduce her dad Noel, crowd applauds and cheers, Chambers says stop or he’ll get a big head or want to be paid.The song that many were waiting enough, the bittersweet ‘Not Pretty Enough’ was for the women on her tour and her support act for this years tour, Jenny Mitchell and her violinist provided harmonies. For ‘The Captain’ she duetted with Vance Joy who looked like a nervous kid as well as her father. Then her proud mama moment, her son Arlo out next with his grunge style band, Chambers taking phone pictures from the side of stage.
John Butler was next. With all the people who brought their own chairs creating a fence around the Mojo stage it was impossible to get back anywhere near where I could hear anything. I decided that now was as good a time as any to go and get dinner – I caught the tail end of his set which seemed to be a jam version of ‘Zebra’ while I passed through to the Delta stage.
John Butler – Bluesfest – photos by Clea-marie Thorne
At 8.30 I went down to watch Here Come the Mummies who were indeed letting their freak flag fly (this is probably the name of their first song of the set). The gimmick here is they are a funk band that dress up as mummies. They have played every day of Blues and no one is sick of them yet, because it’s bloody hilarious. The music is definite funk oriented and there were people having a good old dance and they sure were here to party.
Next, a celebration of funk, soul, and timeless charisma as Chaka Khan lit up the stage with a performance that was both a retrospective and a party worthy of her legendary status with everyone ready to dance. The set opened with a vibrant montage that walked the crowd through her storied career—an audio-visual tribute to the Queen of Funk. Clips and hits flowed into each other, culminating in a euphoric crowd singalong to ‘Higher Love’, a reminder that her music continues to transcend generations.
Chaka Khan – Bluesfest – photos by Clea-marie Thorne
From the jump, Chaka had the audience in the palm of her hand. “Y’all having a good Easter?” she asked with a grin, before playfully checking, “Anybody here actually know the words to my songs?” When the crowd responded in full voice, she laughed, “Y’all look too young to know these lyrics!”
Clearly, the audience did. ‘I’m Every Woman’ turned the packed tent into one massive, joyful choir—hands in the air, voices raised. ‘Ain’t Nobody’ followed shortly after, the connection was real: performer, band, and fans, all vibing in unison – Chaka Khan still brings unmatched energy, vocal fire, and charm.
Night 4 wrapped with Hilltop Hoods, perhaps an odd choice for a blues festival, but Bluesfest has never played by the rules. A good chunk of the people who made it to Day 4 of this festival crammed themselves into the Crossroads stage amid jokes about “who pulled out of headlining Bluesfest for Hilltop to be here?” I did not recognise the first two songs, but there was no mistake when ‘The Nosebleed Section’ came on and the crowd took the energy to the next level. No matter the fit or the fact that they closed a blues festival, Hilltop Hoods always bring the energy to whatever festival they are at.
Hilltop Hoods – Bluesfest – photos by Clea-marie Thorne
With Bluesfest pulling its format back to 4 days rather than 5, reducing stages and compressing the experience somewhat, there were detractors out there. I say that the 4 days is just about right, the artist scheduling was somewhat interesting especially when 2 acts followed one another on the same stage that a majority of festival goers wanted to see – it got very crowded and difficult to move (hindered by the camped out ring of people in their own chairs sitting in walkways hampering exiting). A few more food vans and seated areas to eat and this would be just about the perfect festival. I look forward to next year!
Highlights day 4
