Jimmie Allen, Gavin DeGraw, Lee Kernaghan, Kasey Chambers and The Buckleys are among the artists performing at Newcastle Entertainment Centre on Tuesday, April 18.

A different artist line-up has been announced for each of the nine festival venues. Food trucks and boutique pop-up bars are part of the festival experience.

Jimmie Allen exploded onto the country music scene with his 2018 debut album Mercury Lane featuring two singles, Best Shot and Make Me Want To, which went to No. 1 on Billboard's Country Airplay chart. In 2021 he released album Bettie James Gold Edition, was nominated for best new artist at the 64th Grammy Awards and took home the new artist of the year award at the CMA Awards as well as new male artist of the year at the ACM Awards.

Allen's most recent album, Tulip Drive, was released in June 2022 and features the No. 1 hit single Down Home. He has also ventured into the world of hosting, having co-hosted the 57th ACM Awards alongside Dolly Parton and Gabby Barrett and New Year's Eve Live: Nashville's Big Bash in 2022 with Elle King and Rachel Smith.

He is currently on Carrie Underwood's The Denim & Rhinestones Tour as a special guest on all 43 US arena dates.

Gavin DeGraw's soulful style boldly bloomed on his 2003 platinum-certified full-length debut, Chariot, which included the gold single Follow Through as well as platinum hits Chariot and I Don't Want To Be. In 2008 he released his self-titled second album, Gavin, powered by the platinum-selling single In Love With a Girl, and in 2011 the gold-certified Sweeter went four-times platinum. His 2013 duet with Colbie Caillat, We Both Know, was nominated for a Grammy Award.

Lee Kernaghan is credited with reinvigorating Australian country music by synthesising traditional country themes with his own brand of rural rock and images of an evolving regional culture. Songs like The Outback Club, Boys From The Bush, Hat Town, She's My Ute, Outback Club, Backroad Nation and Australian Boy are anthems for a generation of Australians living and working on the land. Lee has achieved 40 No. 1 chart-topping songs and has 38 Golden Guitars under his belt.

Kasey Chambers kickstarted her career with The Captain in 1999 and now has 12 award-winning albums to her name. In 2018 she became the youngest female ever to be inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame and the youngest inductee to the Australasian Country Music Roll of Renown.

Byron Bay "hippie country" band The Buckleys were discovered, signed and managed by the late C.M Murphy, the man behind INXS. The Buckleys are Sarah (22), her brother Lachlan (21) and their sister Molly (19). Their debut album Daydream featured four top-five singles and last year they released the five-song song EP Take It As It Comes which was recorded in Nashville.

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