The 52nd National Folk Festival today announced its first round of artists for 2018, with six outstanding headline acts from the UK and Australia.
Faustus (UK) and Belshazzar’s Feast (UK) will perform exclusively at the National Folk Festival.
Festival favourite, Katey Brooks (UK) and homegrown heroes Mick Thomas and The Roving Commission (VIC), 19-Twenty (NSW) and Frumious (TAS) round out the first six acts announced for the 52nd incarnation of the Canberra-based festival.
These diverse acts represent the very best in folk music today from ‘bloke folk’ and ‘punk blues’ to gypsy jazz fusion and the indefinable and yet unmistakable sound of grassroots and suburban Australia
Faustus are a 'bloke folk' triumvirate of prodigiously talented multi-instrumentalists; Paul Sartin, Benji Kirkpatrick and Saul Rose which evolved from award-winning band Dr Faustus. Their three albums and dynamic shows have earned them widespread acclaim.
Belshazzar’s Feast (Paul Hutchinson and Paul Sartin) play breathtakingly beautiful and wickedly inventive tunes on oboe, accordion and violin, many of which incorporate slapstick comedy with outstanding musicianship.
After blowing away three full houses at the 2017 Festival, Katey Brooks is packing her guitar and returning to Australia with her new album, We The People.
Another returning Festival favourite is the ‘raucous and manic’ trio from the NSW east coast, 19-Twenty. Featuring Kane Dennelly (vocals and guitars), Syd Green (percussion, drums, dobro) and John Gwilliam on double bass and vocals, 19-Twenty believe in 'asking for forgiveness not for permission' and, accordingly, their music is the closest to punk the blues will ever get.
Each year the Festival draws on the best folk acts from two feature states, in a nod to its history as a travelling festival. For 24 years the Festival was held in different Australian cities and towns before putting down roots at its permanent home in Canberra. Tasmania and Victoria are the featured states for the 52nd National Folk Festival.
The first acts announced for the featured states are Frumious, a high-energy quintet from Hobart. Borrowing from many styles and cultures, their music is an infectiously upbeat fusion of folk and gypsy jazz with a fresh, contemporary and original sound.
Mick Thomas & The Roving Commission (VIC) features raconteur, troubadour, balladeer and poet, Mick Thomas, along with Squeezebox Wally on piano accordion and a rotating lineup of talented performers to keep the party alive with Mick's unique mix of folk, roots and country.
Offering ‘five days in a perfect world’, the award-winning National Folk Festival is one of the country’s longest-running, family-friendly and widely loved music festivals. The five-day celebration of music, song, dance, circus, spoken word and film features more than 200 international and national acts. Hundreds of volunteers transform Exhibition Park into a fantastical village, complete with roving entertainers, street circus, stages of all sizes, market stalls, food vans, shopping precincts, cafes, themed bars and arts and craft activities.
The 52nd National Folk Festival runs throughout Easter, 29 March—2 April 2018 at Exhibition Park, corner Flemington Road and Northbourne Avenue, Mitchell, ACT. National Folk Festival website.
National Folk Festival Line-Up 2018
Faustus (UK)Belshazzar’s Feast (UK)
Katey Brooks (UK)
Mick Thomas and The Roving Commission (VIC)
19-Twenty (NSW)
Frumious (TAS)
