Fairbridge Festival – set to go down at Fairbridge Village on April 21-24 has unveiled their first round of international artists, and in full Fairbridge fashion they cover an incredibly wide spectrum of music and performance.
Northern Irish piper Jarlath Henderson (UK), a dynamic cross-cultural blues partnership Phil Wiggins and Dom Turner (US/AUS), Quebecois ‘trad’ music trailblazers Les Poules a Colin, bluegrass/folk/pop line-blurrers Flats and Sharps (UK), legendary San Franciscan Kristina Olsen are all on the bill, while much-loved Scottish music, circus, theatre, comedy and everything-in-between trio The Chipolatas (UK) celebrate 25 years of performance.
Playing the Uillean pipes and with a clear and haunting voice, Jarlath Henderson is backed by an ear-twisting combination of crunchy violin, bubbling Moog basslines, guitar, flute, keys and electronic flourishes.
Meanwhile, Les Poules a Colin’s collective sound bursts with natural talent and respect for their repertoire, hinting at contemporary and jazz influences.
“It’s real eye opener, with a fantastic array of traditional music but also so much contemporary, and twists on regional styles. It’s wonderful what young artists, in particular, are doing with revitalising trad music and making it fresh and exciting,” artisitc direcot Rod Vervest said.
“It took me less than 10 seconds listening to Les Poules a Colin to book this band for Fairbridge Festival.
“Theirs is a gift that comes from being totally immersed in a tradition of music-making that is handed down and around as a part of life. They are all from musical families, and I believe all still live together in a share house.”
The first announcement of international artists is just the tip of the iceberg, with even more visitors yet to be announced, as well as a whole gaggle of local talent to balance out the bill.
Fairbridge has changed dramatically since it’s birth in 1993, but one thing has remained the same: the combination of amazing contemporary folk and world music, and one of the best music festival settings you could ever imagine.
Go to fairbridgefestival.com.au for full details.
