The 3 Year Project to raise funds for Headspace to launch at The Presynct, Nambour

A 42-year-old father-of-three from the Sunshine Coast, Australia, is proving it’s never too late to dream big

Sam Holden is on a mission to play a headline gig at Glastonbury Festival in 2027.

Two decades ago, Sam put his budding music career on hold to raise a family and forge a career in engineering. Now, with arthritic pain threatening to rob him of the ability to play entirely, Sam has decided it’s now or never if he’s ever to fulfil his life-long dream of getting his music onto the global stage.

Sam put together the 3 Year Project band with the help of five professional session musicians last August. As a band they have reshaped Sam’s earlier music and brought his teenage songs to life.

The 3 Year Project will perform 100 gigs in three years, with the final gig (should they be successful) on the Glastonbury Festival Pyramid Stage in 2027.

With a setlist - aptly named Soundtrack Of Their Lives - the band’s sound blends Britpop influences from Oasis and Blur, with deeply personal themes of love, loss, and redemption.

The 3 Year Project’s first single is set for release in February, followed by an album by late 2025.

However, music is only part of their mission. Having witnessed his family’s struggles with mental health, Sam plans to partner with charities like Headspace to support children and families in need.

“This is about more than music—it’s about making a difference,” Sam says. “I hope this journey inspires others to take their own first steps, no matter their age or circumstances.”

Sam and the 3 Year Project band hope to raise money and awareness for mental health in the communities of every city they play.

The 3 Year Project’s first gig will be at The Presynct in Nambour on February 21.

You can follow along, and give 3 Year Project a cheer along the way on www.3yearproject.com

“This is about more than music—it’s about making a difference,” Sam says.