The team behind Spilt Milk is swapping synths for steel guitars with the launch of Strummingbird, a brand-new country music festival set to debut this spring with an absolutely banging lineup.
Strummingbird’s first lineup is headlined by none other than Jelly Roll, the Nashville country-rock heavyweight whose gravel-soaked anthems and redemptive rise have earned him four Grammy nominations and a rapidly growing fanbase Down Under. He’ll be joined by Shaboozey, the breakout star behind the Billboard Hot 100-topping “A Bar Song (Tipsy)”, who’s quickly become one of the most exciting voices in modern country.
Check out the full lineup below.
It’s the latest move from Kicks Entertainment, the team behind the sold-out Spilt Milk juggernaut, and their first foray into the world of cowboy boots and country ballads. The inaugural Strummingbird Festival will take place across three cities in October and November: Saturday, October 25th at Kawana Sports Precinct, Sunshine Coast (Kabi Kabi & Jinibara Country), Saturday, November 1st at Newcastle Foreshore, Newcastle (Mulubinba), and Sunday, November 2nd at Claremont Showground, Perth (Boorloo).
Pre-sale kicks off August 7th, with general tickets on sale from August 8th.
Hints of Shaboozey’s involvement came earlier this month when Strummingbird’s lone Instagram post featured his hit “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” soundtracking a teaser reel, with the caption “Sign up to get tipsy” nodding to the song’s chorus. Organisers had played coy when pressed by Rolling Stone AU/NZ, simply teasing: “Boots, bands & bevs. That’s all we’re sayin’ for now!”
Shaboozey’s star has continued to rise in the meantime. His latest single “Good News” recently cracked the top 10 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart, and his album Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going debuted at No. 5 in the US. Despite a more modest chart showing in Australia, the Virginia native’s popularity here is undeniable—“A Bar Song (Tipsy)” hit No. 1 locally and has since gone 2x Platinum.
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Meanwhile, Jelly Roll’s long-rumoured Aussie visit was inadvertently confirmed by his wife, Dumb Blonde podcast host Bunnie Xo, who revealed in a recent episode that “J is going to Australia for four weeks” after wrapping his European tour. That tour ends in mid-September, lining up neatly with Strummingbird’s early-November shows.
Further signs came via social media, where fans spotted Meta ads for a Jelly Roll VIP experience in Australia popping up across regional Queensland in recent weeks, including mentions of Townsville and Rockhampton.
Strummingbird Festival
Pre-sale tickets on sale August 7th. General tickets on sale August 8th.
Saturday, October 25th
Kawana Sports Precinct, Sunshine Coast (Kabi Kabi & Jinibara Country)
Saturday, November 1st
Newcastle Foreshore, Newcastle (Mulubinba)
Sunday, November 2nd
Claremont Showground, Perth (Boorloo)
Lineup
JELLY ROLL
SHABOOZEY
TREATY OAK REVIVAL*^
JAMES JOHNSTON, KAYLEE BELL, MATT HANSEN,
DREW BALDRIDGE, JULIA COLE, THE JACK WHARFF BAND^+,
THE DREGGS, WADE FORSTER, ZAC & GEORGE, RACHAEL FAHIM, DENVAH,
PLUS LATE NIGHT RIOT WITH HOT DUB TIME MACHINE*+ AND Y.O.G.A^
*Sunshine Coast ^Newcastle +Perth
