‘ALL OPPRESSION CREATES A STATE OF WAR’ – SIMONE DE BEAUVOIR The Byron Shire Echo • Volume 40 #33 • January 21, 2026 • www.echo.net.au
Parkway Drive – Byron High to Bluesfest via the world Byron Bay Bluesfest, Australia’s most awarded music festival, has announced the next wave of artists joining the Bluesfest 2026 lineup, with the addition of three of the most influential, revered and culturally significant acts in modern music: Parkway Drive, Erykah Badu, and The Wailers.
Parkway Drive Formed in Byron Bay in 2003, Parkway Drive have risen from teenage metal underdogs to global heavy music icons. In 2026, they return home for a defining moment, delivering their first hometown performance since their Byron Bay high school shows in 2014 – and their first ever Byron Bay festival performance. While some people might question Bluesfest’s choice of the local Byron band Parkway Drive, Bluesfest creator and director, Peter Noble OAM, told The Echo that, ‘it’s about getting creative and influencing different audiences to come and be exposed to different music’.
Parkway Drive at their last Byron show in the Byron High School auditorium. Photo Jeff ‘Soft Core’ Dawson He said that having multi-genre artists play at the festival is part of a long-standing programming philosophy, and that Bluesfest has never been, and will never be, limited by genre.
‘I’ve always been a major fan of the world’s great festivals,’ Peter said. ‘Particularly the Montreux Jazz Festival under its legendary founder Claude Nobs, and the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
under George Wein. These presenters showed the world something very important – that music is an open sky.’ Peter said his lightbulb moment was almost 30 years ago when
he was asked to come backstage and speak with Macavine Hayes, a blues musician from the Music Maker Foundation who had just performed. ‘He was in his 80s. He took my hand and said, “Thank you for booking me on your festival.” But he didn’t let go. Then he said, “You don’t understand what I’m really saying. I’ve been playing the blues all my life, but this is the first time I’ve ever been booked on a music festival alongside great artists like Jackson Browne. This is the first time that’s ever happened for me. I only get booked to play blues festivals, not music festivals.” ‘That moment showed me the way forward. It showed me that blues needs to be part of a wider platform. Blues should never be pushed into a corner. It belongs on stages alongside other great artists. It’s for everybody – the same way all music is for everybody,’ he explained. ‘There will always be genrebending artists at Bluesfest. ▶ Continued on page 2
Residents concerned over Mullum ‘co-living’ development Paul Bibby Residents living near the site of a proposed 50-unit residential development in Mullumbimby have expressed concern about the impact of the project on their street, the town more broadly, and the precedent it could set for future development in the Shire. The $8.2 million development, known as ‘The Nest’, would see two old cottages at 115-117 Stuart Street replaced with a nine-metre-high,
three-storey building and a 41-space carpark. On the second and third floors of the building would be 50 tightly packed, one-room units, each with its own micro bathroom and kitchenette. These would be accompanied by communal living areas, including co-work spaces, communal laundry areas and a yoga deck, however some have questioned whether these areas are large enough to be used by more than a handful of people at any one time.
The developer behind the project, Cadre, says that the units would provide desperately-needed affordable housing aimed at key workers, including individuals, couples, young people and single parents with a child. However, Stuart Street residents Heath Milton and Oni Blecher, say the proposed development is not appropriate for a small regional town and will have adverse impacts on traffic, parking, safety, and general amenity.
Maintaining a strong Pursuing true community voice – independence through The Echo is turning 40! ▶ p4 localisation ▶ p13
World Adaptive Surfing 2026 in the Bay ▶ p14
‘We live directly across the road, so our concerns come from thinking about how this development would function day-to-day for both residents and the surrounding neighbourhood,’ say the couple, who are part of a broader group of residents concerned about the development proposal. ‘The proposal concentrates a large number of very small units on a single site in the centre of Mullumbimby, creating a level of density that feels out of step with the town.
‘There are also unresolved questions around stormwater, flooding, and servicing that are particularly important for people living nearby.’ The couple say that they understand the housing pressures facing the town and are very supportive of solutions to the housing crisis in this area, but question whether this site is appropriate for such a dense development, particularly considering that the Mullumbimby ▶ Continued on page 6
Health and healing Byron style ▶ p16
Seven abuzz with entertainers of all kinds ▶ p20
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