The Taranaki Big Blues Banger

Brought to you by Three Sisters Brewery!

Join us for a full-throttle day of live blues, local brews, and a down-home banger of a good time at the legendary Butlers Reef, Ōakura. With a stacked lineup of blues legends and rising stars, this is Taranaki’s biggest blues event of the decade — and it’s set to blow the roof off the coast. Get ready to stomp, sway, and soak up the soul! The blues are rolling into town to bring out the boogie in you!

 Saturday, 18 October
 Butlers Reef, Ōakura
 1:00 PM – 10:30 PM Doors open 12.30pm

 Early bird tickets on Eventfinda – available now! https://www.eventfinda.co.nz/…/the…/new-plymouth Tickets move to full price at 9pm on Saturday 12 October. Online purchasing available until 6pm on the day.

DOOR SALES AVAILABLE ALL DAY – $45pp

10 BANDS * BIKES * BREWS!

 

 FEATURING:

• Bullfrog Rata – Legendary NZ bluesman Bullfrog Rata returns to Taranaki to serve up all the raw, chunky, rootsy grooves and wailing blues bends you can handle. It’s banging blues all the way with Bullfrogs energetic take on blues standards right through to his fresh, relatable original material.

• Hudson & Lurman – electrifying guitar-driven firepower from Sean Lurman, international award winning guitarist over the raw emotive songs of international blues man Roy Hudson recently seen in New Plymouth opening for Aussie blues rock sensation 19-Twenty.

• Blues Buffet featuring Erna Ferry – blues, soul, and rock ’n’ roll from these seasoned heavy hitters. Blues royalty from Whanganui!

• Courtnay & The Unholy Reverie – fierce, poetic, and powerful! Stand back – this crew brings the fire!!

• Karen Clarke Blues Woman – cruisy, blues, upbeat blues and crank from Taranaki’s indie blues woman herself!

• MsAlignment – genre-bending, fearless local rockers on a mission to drench the dancefloor.

• Radio Wah Wah – tight, funky, and full of textured blues rock groove these boys bring the good time classics!

• Hoo’s Blues –take a trip down the Mississippi with original, gritty, old-school Delta vibes. (UPDATE: Sorry to say Hoo’s Blues wont now be appearing due to being unwell but you can catch Paul Coulton featuring with Band 1 – Wayne Manson and Friends, 11.30am, Three Sisters Brewery, Devon St East, NP)

• Betsy & the Reckless – sweet rebellion with a retro twist from Betsy’s latest edition. So much soul!

• The Peanut Butter Blues Band – this newly minted South Taranaki crew brings eclectic rhythm ‘n blues feels; and plenty of fun!

AND The MOST FM Bell St Blues Show DJ’s will be spinning tracks during stage change overs. You’ll hear everything from the blues nostalgia you grew up right up to today’s hottest blues tracks! These boys will also bring alive the impressive history of blues music within Taranaki over the last 50 years!

AND HERE’S A WARM UP OPTION FOR SATURDAY MORNING – Start your Big Blues Banger adventure on Devon Street, New Plymouth! Kick things off late morning by browsing the essential blues collection at Vinyl Countdown Records, then enjoy a mouth-watering lunch at the iconic Three Sisters Brewery. Soak up your first live blues act of the day their while sipping on a Big Blues Banger beer – brewed by Three Sisters especially for this event. After that, hop on the festival bus and take in the stunning coastal views on the short ride to Butlers Reef, where a full day of rollicking blues awaits. The bus out to the festival leaves the Ariki Street bus stop at 12.30pm. After the show the bus will leave Butlers Reef around 10.40pm returning to the Ariki St bus stop (via dropping off at the Oakura Beach Holiday Park). $5 per person each way.

 

This event is curated by local muso’s/the Taranaki Blues Society and championed by The Bell Street Blues Show (Most FM 100.4), this sweet ‘lil blues fest is a celebration of our rich and rising regional blues scene — and a powerful reminder of what live music can do.

 Check out the classic bikes and cars, grab some merch, order some kai and let the kids play in the playground while the music rolls on.
 Sip on handcrafted beer from Three Sisters Brewery, and tuck into the brand-new “Blues Banger” sausage from the Oakura Meat Co at the BBQ stand.
 Family-friendly. Music-lover ready. Biker-welcoming.
 Early bird tickets on Eventfinda – available now!
 Return buses from Three Sisters Brewery, New Plymouth – just $5 each way. Check our Facebook event for more details.

Whether you’re a diehard rhythm & blueshound or brand new to the groove, this is the event that brings it all home — rhythm, soul, good vibes, and one banger of a good time.
See you there, Taranaki!