Story by Melanie Christiansen

People often say blues music is a feeling, but a feeling is just the beginning when you aim for a spot on the stage at the annual International Blues Challenge (IBC) in Memphis, Tennessee.

That’s according to John Durr, the Melbourne Blues Appreciation Society (MBAS) President who can claim to know more than most people about this coveted award in the annals of the world’s finest music, The Blues.  John Durr has seen the IBC evolve over the last 20 years from a tiny competition to an internationally recognised opportunity for blues artists who are ready to take their career to the next level.

“You have to train for it,” says John. “People may say it’s just the blues; it’s only got three chords; it’s a feeling, so you don’t need to practice the blues. But this is a competition and like any competition, you have to train for it if you want to succeed.”

This year, the Blues Association of South East Queensland (BASEQ) is running a local competition to select a blues act to send to the IBC in January 2026. The Association is mighty proud to be relaunching Queensland’s involvement in the contest after a hiatus brought on by the global pandemic of 2020/2022.

To get things going, BASEQ is inviting expressions of interest from blues bands, solo and partner acts from South East Queensland or the Northern Rivers of NSW, from which up to eight acts will be selected to perform in a final event at Lefty’s Music Hall on August 24.

The winner – whether it’s a solo performer, a duo or a band – will receive substantial support from BASEQ to make the 14,000 km journey from Brisbane to Memphis for next year’s IBC.

Having overseen a similar selection process for the MBAS over many years, John Durr, says the first step for any blues act with an eye on Memphis is to pick the right repertoire. And the key to that, he says, is understanding that the Blues Foundation of Memphis designed the IBC and its rules with the primary goal of improving the quality of the blues. They even employed a mathematician to help them weight the judging criteria to reinforce that.

So of the five criteria — blues content, originality, talent, vocals and stage presence — blues content carries the most weight, as it should. The raw score for blues content — meaning that the sound and feel of the music is true to any of the recognised blues categories — is multiplied by four. The originality score is multiplied by three, while talent, vocals and stage presence are each multiplied by two.

“If you know the blues content gets the biggest weighting, it’s simple,” says John.

“Work on what gets you the most points first. Ask yourself: is this a blues song? And if you’re unsure, don’t do it.”

Having selected a repertoire, John says blues performers could learn a lot from how their classical colleagues prepare for competitions.

“Classical music people say you practice at 100 percent to rehearse at 80 percent to perform at 60 percent.”

The important distinction there, he says, is that you practice alone with no distractions, unlike when you rehearse with others or an audience, let alone when you compete with all the nerves and tension and adrenaline weighing on your performance level.

“So your best preparation for a competition is to practice and practice and practice … to make that 100 percent practice level as good as it can possibly be.”

It sounds like a lot of work and it is, but John says the opportunity to compete at the IBC in Memphis is very much worth the effort.

“If you can advance past the first two nights, you will be noticed and good things can happen.”

That could be festival bookings, the attention of an agent or, perhaps best of all, a record label.

“And even if you don’t get that far, practicing for and participating in the IBC will make you a better act.”

Having been to the IBC four times, most recently in 2017, John has one more piece of advice for any Australian act lucky enough to get there.

“Don’t lose your shit,” he says. “I’ve seen people, shooting to win the final, come on and do some big ballad and just totally blow it.

“If it wasn’t part of your repertoire, if you haven’t practiced it, don’t do it. Just do the basics, really, really well.

“And enjoy it!”

Any blues acts in South East Queensland or the Northern Rivers region interested in competing for a place in the IBC should contact Robin Jones at president@baseq.org.au by March 30 to obtain an application form.  All applications must be completed and forwarded to BASEQ by May 25.