Returning: RocKwiz

RocKwiz is back with a brand new season later this month on SBS and kicks off the iconic Byron Bay Bluesfest featuring Steve Kilbey, Tex Perkins and Emily Lubitz from Tin Pan Orange.

This special will bring the very best of the festival into living rooms around Australia with guest performances from headline acts including The Bamboos, Allen Stone, Ruthie Foster and Trombone Shorty. Aussie rock legend Russell Morris proves he has still got it with a stunning rendition of his classic hit, The Real Thing.

Returning to Melbourne for the rest of the season, the delightful Julia Zemiro, Brian Nankervis, human scoreboard Dugald and the talented RocKwiz Orkestra will each week bring the Gershwin Room at the legendary Esplanade hotel in St Kilda to life in Australia’s original music trivia show.

RocKwiz prides itself on paying homage to the bastions of Australian rock and this season is no exception with appearances from Joe Camilleri, Archie Roach, Ronnie Burns, Don Walker and John Paul Young.

Also set to emerge from behind the plush red velvet curtains to wow audiences this year are some of the biggest names in Australia right now with songstress Sarah Blasko, The Voice mentor Connie Mitchell, Presets front man Julian Hamilton, hip-hop legend Urthboy, and multi-award winning Indigenous performer Geoffrey Gurrumal Yunupingu.

International stars this season include American rocker J Mascis, aka Dinosaur Jnr, who according to Rolling Stone Magazine is the fifth greatest rock guitarist in the world. Also lined up for series 11 is Swedish singer songwriter Jens Lekman and Indie Pop’s man of the moment Mike Rosenberg, aka Passenger, whose single Let Her Go is currently taking the world by storm.

The new episodes are longer and feature two new games, ‘Whole Lotta Facts’ and ‘33 and a third Seconds to Shine’, with an extra musical guest appearing on each episode.

RocKwiz is still rocking, still rolling, and still the one rock and roll show that you can’t afford to miss.

Saturday 25 May, 8.30pm on SBS ONE.

David Knox blogs Eurovision for SBS