The organisers of the 2014 Deni Ute Muster are thrilled to be able to lift the lid on this year’s amazing line of musicians set to take the stage over the October long weekend.
Now in its 16th year, the Deni Ute Muster celebrates all things Australian and is the largest event of its kind in the world. Year on year the “Muster” continues to grow bigger and better and 2014 is on track to once again break all its records.
In its first year (1999), the Festival had approximately 5,000 patrons and set a new Guinness World Record for the most number of legally paraded utes at 2,839 – a record which still stands today. Since 1999 the Deni Ute Muster has become the region’s biggest tourist drawcard and a “bucket list” celebration of all things Australian.
Without further ado, the artist line up for the 2014 Deni Ute Muster is … drumroll please:
Friday, 3 October, 2014
Morgan Evans, one of Australia’s hottest singer/songwriters, will be opening the main stage line up on Friday, 3 October. A four-time CMC Music Award winner who’s toured with everyone from Taylor Swift to Alan Jackson, Morgan’s #1 selling debut album was recorded in Nashville and launched this year to great acclaim. His high-energy, dynamite performances are acclaimed by fans and media both here and in the US where he’s presently on tour before heading back home to perform tracks from his recently released, self-titled debut album at the 2014 Deni Ute Muster.
Blackjack Billy (USA) are the definition of fun – a group whose on-stage alchemy is impossible to describe in words but makes audiences holler and dance in delight. Their breakthrough signature hit Booze Cruise – an indelibly catchy ode to summer living – raced up the charts when it was released last year. Blackjack Billy made their Australian debut this year whipping the crowd into a frenzy at CMC Rocks the Hunter and sending their Get Some’ EP to number one the following week. Be ready to rock when Blackjack Billy take the stage at this year’s Deni Ute Muster.
James Reyne, Joe Camilleri, Daryl Braithwaite and Ross Wilson need no introduction to Australian audiences – between them they supplied the soundtrack to a generation and Deni Ute Muster is thrilled to welcome their The Time of My Life Band show to the line-up for Friday, 3 October. Still individually selling out shows around the country, don’t miss the chance to experience the time of your life in one unforgettable night featuring all the iconic Australian hits from these four legends. With countless chart hits between them, including The Horses, One Summer, Taxi Mary, Chained To The Wheel, The Boys Light Up, Hammerhead, Come Said The Boy and Bed Of Nails, the foursome will each take the stage to perform a selection of their most memorable singles, before joining forces to play together for the unforgettable finale.
There’ll be no time for sitting down when country superstar, Gary Allan (USA), takes stage to close the Muster’s first day in true country-rock style. Gary Allan is a certified country music superstar and has been mixing honky-tonk bravado and grainy isolation across nine acclaimed studio albums; all the while mining the emotional turf that fuels a life well lived: the joys of parenting, the heartache of personal loss, the testosterone of disagreement and the unpredictability of love.
Gary Allan has had a string of #1 singles on US country radio including Man To Man, Tough Little Boys, Nothing On But The Radio, Watching Airplanes and Every Storm Runs out of Rain as well as his trademarks hits – the lonely Best I Ever Had and the swaggering Right Where I Need To Be. Along the way he has amassed seven gold albums – three of them certified Platinum – and maintained the admiration of critics for his unwavering uniqueness.
Saturday, 4 October, 2014
After developing into one of the biggest Australian acts on commercial radio in 2013 (Top 10 on national radio), Brisbane indie-outfit Sheppard returned with a bang in 2014 with their No. 1 hit single Geronimo – the first track from their highly anticipated debut album. It was Sheppard’s breakthrough hit Let Me Down Easy that first ignited radio airwaves around the world last year, hitting the Top 20 ARIA and airplay charts in Australia and the Top 10 in Thailand. The single, which is on its way to 130,000 sales, cracked the Top 100 on the CMJ college radio charts in the US last year and received further chart success in New Zealand, Holland and Thailand. Sheppard are already lining up a handful of appearances in 2014, including showcase slots at Musexpo and the Worldwide Radio Summit in the USA, The Great Escape in the UK and opening slots for Keith Urban on his upcoming Australian tour in June before opening the stage on Saturday, 4 October at the Deni Ute Muster.
Spiderbait are considered Australian rock royalty with over half a million albums sold, 5 Top 20 albums, 19 ARIA Nominations and 2 ARIA Awards! They were the first band to make it to the #1 spot on triple j Hottest 100 for their pulsating guitar anthem Buy Me A Pony and their cover of Black Betty scored them a No. 1 single on the ARIA Singles chart and a Top 20 single in the US. After an 8 year recording hiatus, Spiderbait returned in 2013 with a new self-titled album produced by François Tetaz. The album remains true to their rock heritage mixed with sweet sounds, double kick and gritty ball busting riffs.
The Mavericks (USA) are a country-steeped garage band that fuses elements of Tex-Mex and rock n roll to create the ultimate party every time they step on stage. They racked up hit after hit during the 1990s, crossing over to the mainstream with songs like All You Ever Do is Bring Me Down and Dance the Night Away. After pursuing solo projects for most of the past decade, the group reformed in 2012 and unleashed their new album, In Time, like nothing had changed. They made their first ever trip to Australia last August and its Deni Ute Muster’s turn to be wowed and captivated by these irresistible legends.
Jimmy Barnes has been there and back. And, he says, “I’m glad to be back”. He’s tasted glory as Australia’s favourite rock singer for more than three decades and Deni Ute Muster is proud to have him close the festival on Saturday, 4 October.
In the ‘70s and ‘80s, Jimmy Barnes was the wildest, loudest and most popular rock ‘n roll star in the country. In the 1990’s he reached mega-stardom with back-to-back No. 1 albums in both soul and rock genres. But it was the 2nd gig he played when he was 16, as lead singer on the back of a truck one hot Saturday at Gawler Raceway in Adelaide, South Australia, that started it all – that band would become Cold Chisel.
Jimmy Barnes holds the record for most No. 1 records by an Australian artist and is currently working on a new album of his old songs with special guests to mark the 30th anniversary of his first solo record.
Deni Ute Muster General Manager, Kate Pitt, said, “It’s just an amazing line-up of Aussie and international acts on both Friday and Saturday nights. Each year we’re able to raise the bar and this year, with such a depth of talent, we’ve been able to do it again. I’m confident we can break last year’s crowd record, as well as setting new world records for the largest parade of utes and largest gathering in blue singlets.
“And the concerts are only part of the entertainment at our festival which continues to draw a more diversified crowd and becomes established as a ‘bucket list’ event for anyone with an interest in Aussie rural culture,” Ms Pitt added.
There will also be non-stop activity around the festival site with most of last year’s favourites returning, including the Bull Ride Spectacular, The Australian National Circle Work Championships, Ute Museum, Holden Grunt Off, Holden Barrel Race and Show ‘n’ Shine, plus a host of trade sites and food stalls.
Big kids and little kids also love Carnivale Corner, our helicopter rides, the mechanical bucking bull, woodchop demonstrations and Whip Cracking Championships.
Additional competitions will also be held for tradie’s utes, to encourage more of another iconic Aussie breed.
The 2014 Deni Ute Muster is proudly supported by the NSW Government through its tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW.
Tickets are on sale now and available at www.deniutemuster.com.au