Groove for Free at Blues on Broadbeach

If you missed out on the overwhelmingly enormous Byron Bay Bluesfest and its tsunami of thirds and fifths flattened in pitch, fear not, twelve-bar-enthusiasts (en-blues-iasts?). Blues on Broadbeach is coming in hot.

The free and all-ages Blues on Broadbeach festival has been strumming chords for Gold Coast crowds for 17 years now and it’s showing no signs of slowing. In fact, the award-winning festival is growing, each year serving up an ever-growing smorgasbord of local and international acts.

This year, spectators will be able to visit 20-odd stages and performance areas scattered along the beachfront and throughout the streets of Broadbeach. The line-up set to play at said stages is massive – arguably the biggest yet. We’ve scoured the generous list and cherry-picked a few of the must-sees.

Robert Cray

With five Grammy Award wins and over 20 celebrated albums, Robert Cray’s name is well deservedly at the top of the Blues on Broadbeach poster. The Blues Hall of Famer and his band, Hi Rhythm, will be bringing their blend of blues, soul and R&B to the beach and you shouldn’t be anywhere else when he walks on stage.

Ash Grunwald

A stalwart on the Australian blues and live music scene, Ash Grunwald is an ARIA and APRA Award-winning artist and always a crowd favourite. With a fresh album under his belt, you can expect some new jams.

Jan Preston

Known as Australia’s Queen of Boogie Piano, Jan Preston and her electric fingers truly deserve all the praise they get showered with. The magnetic and award-winning Preston has supported blues legends like Robert Cray and Bo Diddley many times before and will have you wiggling whether you like it or not.

When: May 17-20, 2018

Where: Broadbeach beachfront and streets

Entry: FREE and all ages welcome. For the full artist line-up, please visit the Blues on Broadbeach website.

words by niall roeder