Thousands of music lovers descended on Katoomba from March 16-18, making the 23rd Blue Mountains Music Festival one to remember.
After playing to 83,000 fans at Sydney’s ANZ Stadium on the Friday night in support of Ed Sheeran, headliner Missy Higgins joked on Sunday about how much she loved being able to see the audience’s faces in Katoomba.
Following her solo show in the big top in the grounds of Katoomba Public School, she then joined Waifs’ singer Vikki Thorn for one song during her concert.
It was that sort of festival. Artists became fans too, watching each other’s gigs and making surprise appearances on stage with other performers.
“The notable big names – Missy [Higgins] and Kate [Miller-Heidke] and Harry [Manx] and Steve Poltz and Vikki Thorn – they just delivered in spades. They shone,” said festival director, Bob Charter.
“But this was cushioned out by people raving about [lesser-known acts] like Malcura, Adam Page, and Blair Dunlop. People were talking about [Ireland’s] Susan O’Neill, just what a magic voice she had and how quirky she was. It just kept going on and on and on.”
Indigenous rapper Briggs proved the festival demographic definitely stretches to the under-20s on Saturday night.
“There were 250 kids down the front [for Briggs]. They were surfing, they had each other on their shoulders. It was a magic event,” said Mr Charter.
After a deluge of rain hit the 2017 festival, the balmy weather was a hit with festival-goers this year. People stayed longer, lapping up the music as well songwriting sessions and in-depth conversations with artists.
“I would think the moment of the whole festival was [Aboriginal artist] Archie Roach’s conversation recorded for the ABC,” said Mr Charter. “Archie was crying, the audience was crying. There were some amazing moments.”
The 2019 festival will be held from March 15-17.
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