After grey skies led into the 10th anniversary Birdsville Big Red Bash, a long-awaited desert sunset was their scene as the Hoodoo Gurus took the stage on day one of the world’s most remote music festival in outback Queensland.
The legendary Aussie rockers got the 10,000+-strong crowd roaring as they pumped out classics including rugby anthem What’s My Scene and other chart hits Like Wow – Wipeout! and Another World.
Introducing Another World, Dave Faulkner told Bash revellers, “This is the most unique music festival in the world. We’re kind of like a group of aliens out here from another world.”
This will be the band’s second time playing the Big Red Bash, which they will follow up with a debut appearance at sister event, Mundi Mundi Bash in Broken Hill, NSW in August.
Earlier in the day, Aussie legend John Williamson opened the main stage with an iconic performance of his classic hits after performing True Blue to the record-breaking crowd in blue who smashed the world record by creating a blue map of Australia and singing Waltzing Matilda up on Big Red.
Having headlined the inaugural Big Red Bash back in 2013, Williamson’s return couldn’t have been more fitting to mark the 10th year anniversary of one of the ‘most Aussie’ music festivals in the country.
“It’s like a coliseum of caravans out there. This event is iconic – I feel proud to have been part of the very first event. I love being here, and I love that it brings so many people to experience the Outback. Singing Waltzing Matilda on top of Big Red couldn’t be more appropriate as Banjo Paterson wrote it in Outback Queensland not too far from here,” said ARIA Hall of Famer John Williamson as he looked out across the event site.
Other acts who took to the Outback stage today included Pierce Brothers and The Waifs – with Furnace and the Fundamentals who brought the main stage to a close with an eclectic set that had everyone jumping.
It wasn’t just about the music. Today was Big Blue Day that set a new world record for “the largest human image of a country”.
5,467 punters, kitted in blue from top to toe, herded into the shape of Australia inside an area mapped out by GPS.
The multi-day festival’s bold feat broke the world record for “the largest human image of a country”, previously held by Romania with 4,807 participants – adjudicated by the Australian Book of Records, who will also oversee the events’ Nutbush world record attempt on Thursdays.
Aussie legend John Williamson provided the most fitting soundtrack, True Blue, which rallied the patriotic pack into place.
With each participant encouraged to dress in blue and purchase a charitable $15 blue wig, the colossal effort raised an impressive $74,897.90 for a cause close to festival founder, Greg Donovan’s heart, type 1 diabetes research, for JDRF, plus an additional $20,000 raised so far on the raffles.
In and around the stellar musical schedule and world record attempt, punters were also treated to a whole host of wonderfully odd outback-inspired activities – from Sunrise Yoga on Big Red to Dunny Door Painting and all sorts of surprises in between.
Running from July 4-6, 2023, the family and dog-friendly Big Red Bash is estimated to bring $15 million in economic benefit to regional and outback Queensland. In Birdsville, the renowned Bakery is reporting daily sales of close to 1,500 curried camel pies and 900 coffees as festival goers travel through to the iconic event.
The outback town is usually home to a population of around 150 people.
The Big Red Bash is produced by the Outback Music Festival Group, which also stages the Broken Hill Mundi Mundi Bash taking place in outback NSW in August. The sold-out event is headlined by ICEHOUSE, Hoodoo Gurus, Human Nature, Pete Murray, Kate Ceberano, Troy Cassar-Daley, Dragon and many more. For more information, visit www.mundimundibash.com.au.
What: 2023 Birdsville Big Red Bash
Where: Big Red sand dune, 35 km West of Birdsville
When: July 4-6, 2023
More info: www.bigredbash.com.au (SOLD OUT)
Full Line-Up: ICEHOUSE, John Williamson, Hoodoo Gurus, Human Nature, Pete Murray, The Angels, The Waifs, Kate Ceberano, Troy Cassar-Daley, Ross Wilson, Dragon, Chocolate Starfish, Shane Howard, Pierce Brothers, Wendy Matthews, Grace Knight, Jack Jones, Melanie Dyer, Caitlyn Shadbolt, Furnace and the Fundamentals, The Chantoozies and The Big Red Bash Band.
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