Danielle McGrane
(Australian Associated Press)

Robert Plant, the legendary frontman of 70s rock band Led Zeppelin, will be joining Lionel Richie on the line-up for next year’s Bluesfest.

The music festival in Byron Bay has been attracting big-name performers for nearly 30 years including Bob Dylan, Kendrick Lamar and Tom Jones.

Plant performed at the festival in 2013 and will return to celebrate Led Zeppelin’s 50-year anniversary by performing some of the band’s seminal hits with his group the Sensational Space Shifters. It will be Richie’s first time on the bill for the festival in Byron Bay.

Also on next year’s line-up are Prince’s band, The New Power Generation, disco legends CHIC featuring Nile Rodgers, Bluesfest regulars The John Butler Trio and Australian singer-songwriter Tash Sultana.

This year’s headliners, Neil Young and Bee Gees’ frontman Barry Gibb, cancelled just months before the festival was due to take place, but the festival went ahead with big names including Patti Smith, Santana and Mary J Blige performing.

* Bluesfest will take place at the Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm, just outside Byron Bay, over the Easter long weekend March 29 to April 2, 2018.

* Bluesfest 2018 first artist announcement:

Robert Plant and the Sensational Space Shifters

Lionel Richie

The John Butler Trio

Tash Sultana

The New Power Generation

CHIC featuring Nile Rodgers

First Aid Kit

Jose Gonzalez

Morcheeba

Gov’t Mule

Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real

The California Honeydrops

Eric Gales

Bobby Rush

Dumpstaphunk

Joe Louis Walker

Rick Estrin & the Nightcats