Scheduled for the tail-end of March, Souled Out by Whatslively will visit Sydney, Melbourne, Gold Coast and Perth with a solid line-up of on-trend R&B acts.
I’ve typed similar sentences many times over the past decade, and I’ve watched sadly as R&B-flavoured festivals folded. Soulfest is the most obvious one, and slow ticket sales in its second year told me all I needed to know about Australia’s general taste when it comes to R&B and hip hop: it sucks.
When a festival that, in its first year, was headlined by both D’Angelo and Maxwell fails, you know you don’t really have a captive audience when it comes to anything Kyle Sandilands wouldn’t play 60 times a day.
Yet things have changed. R&B sells now. And I’m not talking nostalgia-baiting 90s R&B or shallow pop. I’m talking sonically robust, elegant R&B from the likes of Lucky Daye, Bryson Tiller, Tinashe, Summer Walker and Majid Jordan.
All of these acts are set to play as part Souled Out 2024, right alongside a handful of others like PartyNextDoor and Smino.
It finally feels like we have a strong R&B festival to look forward to, that doesn’t have to rely on the stars of yesteryear.
Souled Out will first pop-up in Sydney’s Parramatta Park on March 22nd before heading to the Gold Coast on March 23rd and Melbourne on March 29th. It’ll wrap in Perth on 31st March.
Given Juicy Fest was such a big hit in January, it looks like this should be another successful boutique festival to help add some excitement to a time of year that isn’t exactly known for its festivals.
Souled Out 2024 Lineup
Summer Walker
Bryson Tiller
PartyNextDoor
Majid Jordan
Lucky Daye
Tinashe
Smino
Libianca
Umi
Thuy
Will Singe
Lara Andallo
Joe Kay
Sasha Marie
Andre Power
Mistah Cee
You can still buy tickets from the official website.
