On 14 December 2012, Mitchell announced that he would be performing at the 2013 Tamworth Country Music Festival – that appearance was his third consecutive one at the festival as Bob Evans. He proclaimed "I fricken love going to Tamworth and urge anyone within road trip distance to come along for the weekend." In previous years Mitchell played with a backing band which included Ashley Naylor (Even) and Roderick "Wally Meanie" Kempton (The Meanies). At the 2011 festival, Mitchell performed a duet with Australian country music artist Kirsty Lee Akers who had discovered Mitchell during his supporting tour with Australian country music artist Keith Urban – Akers explained on stage that, prior to the Urban tour, she had often heard a Bob Evans song at a shopping centre without knowing the name of the artist. The pair performed a rendition of John Prine's song, "In Spite of Ourselves".