Blues, dancing and laughter

It has flourished, featuring top Australian blues artists and turning the historic Port Precinct into a buzzing hub of live music, great food, and community spirit.

One of the artists returning to Winter Blues for 2025 is Kathleen Halloran, a Melbourne-based guitarist and singer-songwriter.

Kathleen describes her music as “sort of pop, it is very guitar-driven, kind of bluesy, and pretty rocky.”

“I try to write music that is an excellent vehicle for a live jam,” she said.

“I’ve got a fantastic band and we love to lift the roof off live where we can.”

In 2024, on her first visit, Kathleen found Winter Blues amazing, soaking up everything the blues festival had to offer.

“The whole town is just lit up with music from the moment you wake up, to the moment you go to sleep, there is live music happening and while it is a blues festival, there is still so much variation and character,” she said.

If Aussie bluesy rock with a little bit of hillbilly with Dad jokes thrown in is more your thing, Marshall and the Fro will be back for another year of boogying.

Marshall and the Fro frontman Marshall Okell does treat the music seriously, but not himself and the band too much on stage.

“We just get up there and try to have a ball and try to get as many people in the audience to join in with us and get down and boogie,” he said.

The three-piece outfit will be joined again in 2025 by blues washboard and harmonica legend Manzi.

“He plays really mean washboards and harmonica and he is one of the funniest human beings that I’ve met on the planet,” Marshall said.

“He is a one of a kind fella.”

For a full line-up of all the free gigs at the 2025 Winter Blues Festival, including who is playing where and when, go to winterblues.com.au

Echuca Moama Winter Blues Festival runs from Thursday, July 24 to Sunday, July 27.