Glenn Tozer Marks 25 Years at Blues On Broadbeach
Blues on Broadbeach is marking 25 years on the Gold Coast with a lineup that pairs The Teskey Brothers, Ash Grunwald, Ruthie Foster and Robert Finley with local names built into the festival’s identity. The event has drawn hundreds of thousands of punters over the years, and this edition leans into that scale without losing the homegrown acts that helped make it work.
Matthew Brown at Broadbeach
Matthew Brown has played Blues on Broadbeach with one band or another for 17 years, and he returns this time with Mr Brown & his Vintage Vibration on Saturday night at BOB on Surf Parade. He said, “I love this festival and it’s great to be coming home after being on the road either side of Blues on Broady.”
Brown also pointed to the festival’s curators, saying, “Duck and Zac have a great reputation for putting together a top lineup; they are all about supporting local festival ambassadors, like our characters from Alpha Stomp.” That gives the anniversary bill a clear shape: the international names pull attention, but the festival still uses local acts as part of the draw rather than as filler.
Alpha Stomp Sunday
Alpha Stomp is scheduled to play the main stage on Sunday, a useful reminder that Blues on Broadbeach still spreads its programming across multiple stages rather than concentrating everything around the marquee acts. The group is described as a traditional Muddy Waters, Chicago blues outfit, and it has spent the past 5 years building its fan base.
Louie Shelton adds another layer to the lineup. He is performing and storytelling exclusively for the Twelve Bar Society, and his presence carries weight because he is acknowledged by his induction into the Musicians Hall of Fame in Nashville and is known for writing guitar riffs for the Jackson Five, Neil Diamond, Lionel Richie and The Monkees.
Gold Coast Blues Legacy
Blues on Broadbeach began in 2001, which makes the 25-year mark more than a nice round number. It is the kind of anniversary that tests whether a free, beachside blues festival can keep balancing touring names, local loyalty and enough variety to hold a crowd that has already been counted in the hundreds of thousands.
Stan Brown is part of that local story, too, as a hinterland legend and co-founder of the old Woodchoppers in Mudgeeraba, while Blues on Broadbeach 2026 is already being mentioned in the festival’s orbit. For attendees, the practical takeaway is simple: the weekend is not built around one star slot but around a schedule that spreads value across the main stage, Surf Parade and the Twelve Bar Society, with Sunday and Saturday night carrying the most obvious local checkpoints.
