On Your Marks, Get Set … HIGH VOLTAGE is just a month away!

Western Australia’s new free homegrown High Voltage rock n’ roll festival inspired by local legend Bon Scott will soon take to the streets of Fremantle in a huge celebration of local talent and creativity.

Bon Scott statue, Fishing Boat Harbour, Fremantle. Credit Fremantle Shipping News

There will be more than 50 performances and events along a 5km street circuit and three festival sites during the historic one-day festival on Sunday, 7 May.

Thousands of people are expected to line the streets of Fremantle in what is intended to become a major annual tourism event.

The centrepiece of the festival will be a procession of bands playing on seven flatbed trucks over two hours while doing a lap of Fremantle from Fremantle Oval to South Beach then back to central Fremantle, passing the Esplanade near the Bon Scott statue along the way.

The line-up playing on separate trucks will include multi-ARIA Award winning rock and blues legend Diesel; post-punk female rockers Body Type; one of Australia’s best-known entertainers and actors, the WAAPA-trained Eddie Perfect; Perth soul and blues star Natalie Gillespie; and the critically acclaimed Cash Savage and the Last Drinks.

They will be complemented by a diverse range of entertainment playing at three festival sites in Fremantle including Katy Steele, Dan Sultan, Southern River Band, Whole Lotta Love, DICE, Barry Morgan, DJ Bee Rizzi, Junkadelic, Billy Damage and The Jinja Assassin, Datura4, the Perth Saxophone Rockers and more.

As well as the bands performing on trucks, there will be three different festival sites, each providing a unique experience –

Fremantle Oval for all music fans where artists such as Katy Steele, Dan Sultan and Southern River Band will be performing

Wilson Park at South Beach which will have a chilled beachside vibe with legendary local bands and DJ

Esplanade Park which will have a focus on family activities and fun for all ages.

You will find more information right here.

The event is a WA Government-owned event managed by the Festival of Perth and is expected to become an annual one. All the State and local pollies are pleased as punch about it. Premier Mark McGowan had this to say –

“The energy and sheer fun as Highway to Hell transformed Perth back in 2020 is now back in black as High Voltage.

“This is a free family friendly festival that will be distinctly Western Australian.

“Just like trailblazing Bon Scott, it is going to have a big impact well beyond WA.

“Well done to everyone involved in overseeing the creation of High Voltage.”

Tourism Minister Roger Cook was quite ecstatic noting –

“Our strategy is all about staging a wide variety of major events – especially exclusive events – that will attract visitors and engage locals.

“High Voltage fits the bill in every way.

“There is nothing else like it in the world – bands on a flatbed truck pumping out music along a 5km street circuit while passing by three unique festivals around Fremantle.

“Just like Bon singing the song all those years ago, High Voltage is going to start with a rumble and build into a roar that will be heard around the world.

“High Voltage is going to be a fantastic experience for local families and music fans of all ages as well as local businesses and tourism operators.”

Not to be outdone, Culture and the Arts Minister David Templeman chimed in pointing out that WA has recently hosted huge shows by Ed Sheeran and Bjork “so it’s also fantastic that we celebrate our own musical legends with a new homegrown music festival in Fremantle celebrating the enduring impact of Bon Scott.”

He reasonably added –

“Music in WA is one of our strongest creative industries and the recent success of the band Voyager in its bid for Eurovision success is just one example of the exciting energy and talent that is out there.

“And let’s not forget the economic impact – arts jobs are real jobs and this new event will create hundreds of jobs and have a lasting economic impact.”