Mullum Roots Festival Set to Reignite Mullumbimby's Music Scene
Esteemed musician and founder of the renowned Nimbin Roots Festival, Lou Bradley, is bringing an exciting musical venture to the heart of Mullumbimby. The inaugural Mullum Roots Festival is scheduled to take place in July 2025, promising a vibrant celebration of music, community, and sustainability.
Following the discontinuation of the beloved Mullumbimby Music Festival in 2020, Lou saw an opportunity to fill the void and revive the town's rich musical tradition. "The absence of the Mullumbimby Music Festival has been deeply felt within our community," says Lou. "We aim to create a sister festival to the Nimbin Roots Festival, injecting new life into Mullumbimby's cultural landscape."
Lou, and her husband Phil, both share deep roots in Mullumbimby, and she is determined to collaborate closely with the local community to ensure the festival's success. Having nurtured their own musical careers while raising their family in the hills of Mullum, the couple are passionate about rejuvenating their hometown with the power of music.
Drawing from her extensive experience as a songwriter and performer, including being an ARIA finalist, as well as her nine-year tenure leading the Nimbin Roots Festival, Lou is well-equipped to orchestrate a successful event in Mullumbimby. Joining her is seasoned music industry veteran Jon O’Rourke, bringing over three decades of expertise as a record label owner, manager, and producer.
"We understand the intricacies of curating a memorable festival experience," explains Jon. "Our goal is to deliver a world-class event while upholding principles of sustainability and accessibility."
World famous artist, Reg Mombasa, who is also a band member of Dog Trumpet, loved performing at last year’s Nimbin Festival so much that he created the artwork for this year’s event and has also designed the artwork for the Mullum Roots Festival.
To unveil the Mullum Roots Festival concept, a special concert featuring Robert Forster, (The Go Betweens), will take place on August 4th at the Mullumbimby Ex-Services Club, starting at 7pm. For info and tickets go to www.mullumrootsfest.com
About Robert Forster
Robert Forster is a Brisbane based singer-songwriter and author. In 1978, with Queensland University friend Grant McLennan, he co-founded the acclaimed pop/rock band The Go-Betweens. The group, based in London for five and a half years, recorded six albums, toured extensively, before breaking up in late 1989.
In the 1990’s, while living in Brisbane and Regensburg, Germany, Forster recorded and toured three solo albums of original material: Danger In The Past (’90); Calling From A Country Phone (’93) and Warm Nights (’96). He also released an album of his favourite songs by other artists called I Had a New York Girlfriend (’94).
In 2000, reunited with Grant McLennan, The Go-Betweens recorded their seventh album, and would record two more albums, one of which, ‘Oceans Apart’, was awarded the ARIA (Australian Recording Industry Association) Best Adult Contemporary Album of 2005.
On May 6, 2006, Grant McLennan passed away at the age of 48.
From 2005 to 2013, Forster was the music critic for Australian politics and culture magazine The Monthly. He won the Pascall Prize for Arts Criticism in 2006, and a collection of his music writings was published in 2009, titled, ‘The Ten Rules of Rock and Roll’.
In 2015, Forster received an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Letters from Queensland University. The following year, his memoir, ‘Grant & I ’ was published, winning the Book Of The Year award in Mojo and Uncut in 2017. His memoir was also translated and published in Italian and German.
Between 2007 and 2019, Forster recorded three albums of original material: The Evangelist (’08); Songs To Play (’15); Inferno (’19). On February 3, 2023, his new album, ‘The Candle And The Flame’ will be released.
Robert Forster will be undertaking tours of the UK, Europe, and Australia in the first half of 2023. He is currently writing a novel, and preparing the release of Volume 3 of The Go-Betweens Boxset series, ‘G Stands For Go Betweens.’