This year the festival precinct will include ticketed concerts in the TAFE / Fossil Museum carpark and the Festival Club at BMEC (accessed from Courthouse Lane). Linking these two venues there will be a series of free events in Kings Parade. With these venues the festival celebrates the literal “heart” of Bathurst, all within easy walking distance. As a satellite event there will also be a return of the 2022 Festival hit, the Regional Song Contest Finalists Showcase at Keystone, still an easy walk from the main festival precinct.
While organisers are planning for balmy February weather BMEC will remain ready as a wet weather back up so it can be guaranteed that concerts will go ahead rain, hail or shine.
The theme of the festival is to “Support Local Business”, so festival goers are asked to buy food from one of the many local businesses that surround the festival precinct, take it to Kings Parade or the TAFE / Fossil carpark and enjoy Bathurst in summer with some great food and entertainment.
Gordi (Sophie Payten) is the headliner for 2023. With over 600,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, Gordi has recently combined with Paul Kelly in Australia and Swedish singer/songwriter, The Tallest Man on Earth, on a European tour. Sophie grew up in Canowindra and studied to be a doctor. In fact with no gigs possible during the height of the pandemic Sophie returned to medicine to help out in hospitals in the Melbourne lockdown. We are glad she is now able to return to her music to play for us.
Second on the bill is Ash Grunwald, one of the great Australian blues musicians and an institution at Bluesfest who has released eleven studio albums and received five ARIA award nominations plus the gong for Best International Act at the LA Music Critic Awards in 2014.
Next we have Karen Lee Andrews whose songcraft is built on a thorough knowledge of blues, gospel and soul music and motored by an undeniable hunger to connect.
Andrews mostly tours as a formidable trio, teaming up with Yanya Boston on drums and Adam Ventoura on bass – two exceptional musicians. This dynamic band is exhilarating to witness!
The Friday night Club will rock to Owen Campbell & The Cosmic People sharing alternative blues and soulful cosmic rock at its best. Owens’ sound is best described as smouldering guitar work to soulful finger-picking to lap steel guitar solos, gritty caramel vocals and a sublime rhythm section.
The final concert, at the festival club, will feature the sublime Jude Perl who has written and performed 6 solo comedy shows winning 3 Green Room Awards for Best Original Song. Earlier this year Jude performed her latest show at the Melbourne Comedy festival also appearing in the Melbourne International Comedy Festival Gala
Stay tuned to inlandseaofsound.com.au and social media for information about the regional support artists who will play and full details of the free entertainment in Kings Parade.
Event and Ticket Details
