Paul Kelly Leeuwin Concert 2019

Iconic Australian singer, songwriter and musician, Paul Kelly will headline the 35th annual Leeuwin Concert in Margaret River, Western Australia on Saturday March 9. Inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 1997, Paul Kelly has recorded over 21 studio albums, two live albums and several film soundtracks in an influential musical career spanning over thirty years. His sellout live performances, including 2017’s spectacular Sydney Opera House forecourts concert, receive outstanding reviews.

Paul Kelly’s extensive songbook features hits that are firmly lodged in the Australian psyche including ‘Before Too Long’, ‘To Her Door’, ‘Darling It Hurts’ and “From Little Things Big Things Grow’. Following 2017’s ‘Life is Fine’, one of Kelly’s strongest and most evocative albums, October 2018 saw the release of ‘Nature’, an album featuring poems from literary greats such as Dylan Thomas, Sylvia Plath, Walt Whitman and Philip Larkin set to a rock’n’roll soundtrack. As an artist who continues to cross musical boundaries, Paul Kelly has had an enormous influence on generations of musicians, as evidenced by the triple j tribute album ‘Before Too Long’, released in 2010, featuring John Butler, Missy Higgins, Megan Washington, Paul Dempsey and many others. Rolling Stone‘s David Fricke has called Paul Kelly “one of the finest songwriters I have ever heard, Australian or otherwise.”

The 2019 Leeuwin Concert will also feature the Art Series Marquee party, whilst picnickers will enjoy the traditional post-concert ‘Arena Party’ with dancing to the music of The Milford Street Shakers.

The tradition of the Leeuwin Concerts began in 1985 when Leeuwin Estate provided financial support for the London Philharmonic Orchestra’s Australian tour. Described as ‘the most extraordinary concert ever held in Australia’, the Leeuwin Concert Series now enjoys a 34-year history. They have featured an eclectic mix of the world's finest musicians and entertainers including Ray Charles, Tom Jones, Sting, Roxy Music, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, James Galway, Diana Ross, John Farnham, Jackson Browne, Carole King, Diana Krall, Chris Isaak and James Taylor.

A highlight in Australia’s social and cultural calendar, visitors from across Australia and abroad make the pilgrimage to the Margaret River vineyard, attired in anything from top hats to t-shirts. As the sun sets over a majestic backdrop of karri forest and music fills the natural amphitheatre, Leeuwin's famous kookaburras commence their cackling chorus to the amusement of guests and entertainers alike.