The sound of thousands singing in unison swept across the plains of the Simpson Desert outside of Birdsville, giving Big Red Bash festival goers the ultimate finale to an epic three-day outback extravaganza.
Jon Stevens, known for his commanding vocals and dynamic stage presence, headlined the third and final night with his hugely successful Noiseworks and INXS Collection show. Stevens brought the energy as well as the emotion, belting out iconic hits like “Take Me Back,” “No Lies,” and INXS classics such as “Need You Tonight” and “Never Tear Us Apart”.
Ian Moss took the stage earlier with a perfectly curated set of solo hits, covers and Cold Chisel anthems, following the band’s announcement of a 50-year anniversary tour later this year. Moss’ genius guitar playing and soaring voice reverberated off the Big Red sand dune. Highlights included “Bow River”, “Telephone Booth” and “Tuckers Daughter” which resonated with the audience.
Big Red Bashers also saw fantastic performances from Vanessa Amorosi who hit the outback stage for the first time as well as Bash favourites Sarah McLeod and Chocolate Starfish as well as Ash Grunwald, Hayley Mary, Fanny Lumsden and Tina Turner Tribute.
Fanny had driven through the desert to her first Bash gig, performing at Outback Pubs on the route in much to the delight of Bash travellers.
Jon Stevens, Sarah McLeod, Adam Thompson, and Hayley Mary came together for a rocking finale, raising the roof with “Good Times” by INXS and Jimmy Barnes.
“It’s always a mix of extreme happiness and relief that we’ve delivered another successful event when we hit the end of day three. And sadness that it’s coming to an end. We run on adrenaline and the energy of our performers and our amazing crowd during the event, and then before we know it an event that is twelve months in the making is over. This year had so many highlights, we’ll cherish the many new memories made along with all our festival goers. And within a few days of our final bump out you won’t even know we created a mini city in this pristine outback setting,” said Festival Founder and Managing Director of the Outback Music Festival Group Greg Donovan.
2,754 Big Red Bash festival goers Freeze-Frame Danced their way to a new world record for the “most amount of people doing a Freeze Frame Dance” – adjudicated by the Australian Book of Records – beating the previous record of 1,308.
While they smashed the Freeze-Frame record, Birdsville revellers fell short of toppling the current Nutbush City Limits Dance record of 6,594 boot-scooters which was set at sister event the Broken Hill Mundi Mundi Bash last year. This leaves the door wide open for the Mundi Mundi Bash to once again set a new world record when the event is staged next month.
A dance with a worthy cause at its core, the Nutbush has been raising much-needed funds for the Royal Flying Doctor Service since 2016, with this year’s bush dancers raising an impressive $46,800 for their amazing work, bringing the total raised for the worthy cause to an impressive $114,000..
To date, Outback Music Festivals has raised a whopping total of more than $1 million for the cause since 2016.
Away from the main stage, attendees enjoyed a plethora of activities where there was something for everyone. From desert dance parties and sunrise yoga to sand dune surfing – there was no shortage of fun. Families enjoyed fun runs, art workshops, and acoustic campfire sing-alongs, while adventurers explored 4WD desert expeditions and wildlife spotting.
The Big Red Bash once again showcased why it’s the most iconic outback music festival, blending top-tier Aussie musical performances with the unparalleled beauty of the desert landscape. More than 7,500 festivalgoers of all ages have attended the Big Red Bash this July.
The Birdsville Big Red Bash is an all-ages, dog-friendly camping event that offers up a uniquely Australian adventure for families, grey nomads, camping and caravanning enthusiasts and intrepid travellers.
Headlining the Birdsville Big Red Bash were Oz legends, Tina Arena and Jon Stevens joined by an epic lineup of over 30 artists including Ian Moss, Colin Hay, Tim Finn, Diesel, Baby Animals, Vanessa Amorosi, Mark Seymour, Richard Clapton, Casey Barnes, Shane Howard, Pierce Brothers, Bjorn Again, Mi-Sex, Chocolate Starfish – Bat Out of Hell, The Rolling Stones Revue starring Phil Jamison, Tex Perkins and Tim Rogers, Furnace & the Fundamentals, Ash Grunwald, Fanny Lumdsen, Sarah McLeod, Hayley Mary, Steve Balbi and Amy Ryan.
The Birdsville Big Red Bash is supported by the Queensland Government through Tourism and Events Queensland and features on the It’s Live! in Queensland events calendar. The Birdsville Big Red Bash generates more than $20 million in economic benefit for Outback Queensland.
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.
What: 2024 Birdsville Big Red Bash
Where: Big Red sand dune, 35 km West of Birdsville
When: 2-4 July 2024
More info: www.bigredbash.com.au
[Photo credit: Matt Williams]
