National Folk Festival turns45

Sun 6th Mar, 2011 in Local News

45 years is a long time. 60s pop band The Monkees just announced their 45th anniversary tour, the 45th American Superbowl was in February and 45 years is the sapphire wedding anniversary. 45 years ago, the National Folk Festival began.

This year, the five-day festival will be held from Thursday 21st April to Monday 25th April and will celebrate all things folk.

Attracting 55,000 people every year, the festival will continue to be one of the ACT’s biggest annual events. More than 200 different acts will feature in this year’s lineup.

Irish singer-songwriter Andy Irvine will be heading the International part of the music lineup, that also includes Italian Riccardo Tesi & Banditaliana, Canadians The Good Lovelies, America’s Mike Compton, Bruce Molsky, Joe Newberry and Rafe Stefanini, as well as our neighbours New Zealand’s own harp and Celtic guitar duo Helen Webby and Davy Stuart.

Brisbane’s acoustic-Celtic band Sunas are representing the Aussie side, along with Eric Bogle, Ted Egan, Ami Williamson (daughter of John Williamson), Fiona Boyes, The Bushwackers, Warren Fahey and the Larrikins, The Baylor Brothers and The Crooked Fiddle Band.

A special mention goes to The Barons of Tang, known for their gypsy deathcore style and will no doubt attract many curious audience members.

As always, the festival will also play host to numerous world dance performances, poetry readings, village markets, film screenings, street theatre and comedy routines.

2011 National Folk Festival full lineup: (in alphabetical order)

A.J. Leonard
Afro Mandinko
Alan Musgrove & his Watsaname Band
Alanna & Alicia Egan
Ami Williamson
Andrew Clermont’s Supper Club
Andy Irvine and Rens van der Zalm (Ire)
Ange Takats
Another Roadside Attraction
Appalachian Clogging
The April Maze
Bad!Slam!No!Biscuit!
Badja River Quartet
The Barons of Tang
The Baylor Brothers
Big Rory & Ochie (UK)
Bill Jackson & The Acoustic Orchestra
The Blue Ruins
Bluegrass Parkway
Bluehouse
Bob Hodgson
Borderline Kaylee
Brass’ere
Mike Compton, Bruce Molsky, Joe Newberry & Rafe Stefanini (USA)
The Bushwackers
Bygone Error
Chris Duncan, Catherine Strutt & Pekka Pentikainen (AUS/FIN)
CeCe
The Chat-Warblers
Chloe & Jason Roweth
Coral Eden
The Crooked Fiddle Band
D J Gosper & The KarismaKatz
Dan “Lids” Fernandes
Danny Mack
Danny Spooner
Dark Horses (Keith Donnelly and Flossie Malavialle) (UK)
David Campbell: Simply Poetry!
Delia’s Friends
Dennis O’Keeffe and Dennis Taberner
Derek Warfield & the Young Wolfe Tones (IRE)
Didgeman
Drew Walky
EcoBeat
Ecopella
Emma Nixon and Tony Vandermeer
Enda Kenny Band
Eric Bogle
Evan Mathieson
The Fagans
Festival Fiddle Rally
Festival Folk sing Eric Bogle
The Fiddle Chicks
Fiona Boyes
Flap!
The Fooks
The Fool Factory
Francesca Sidoti
Fuego Blanco
G’Norm’s TSDAV Victorian Selection
Geek Love
Geoffrey W Graham
The George Jackson Band
George Kamikawa & Noriko Tadano
George Papavgeris (UK)
Gilly Darbey (NZ)
The Glorious MUDsingers
The Good Lovelies (CAN)
Gorani
Grace Turner
Hashemoto
Helen Webby and Davy Stuart
The Idiot Squad
Innes + Present Company
iNTRiKA
Jan Preston
Jenny M. Thomas and The System
Jim & Ingrid Rehle-Williams
Jim Brown
Jimmy the Fish
Jodi Martin
John Thompson and Steve Cook
John Warner
Jon Madin
Jugularity
Julia and the Deep Sea Sirens
Kate Delaney & Denis Tracey
Kate Rowe with Ryan Morrison
Kavisha Mazzella
Keith McKenry
Kelly’s, The (IRE)
Kengugró & Gyöngyösbokréta
Kim Cunio and Heather Lee
Kim Sanders & Friends
Laique
The Larrikins
Levi McGrath
Lise Hanick (FRA)
Lucy Wise
Luke Plumb, Laura Targett and Jem Dunlop
Maggie Murphy & Friends
Mandy Connell
Manquehue Chilean Folk-Dance Group
Margret RoadKnight
Mark Wilkinson
Martha Tilston & The Woods (UK)
Martin Pearson and the MP3
Martin Wyindham-Read (UK)
Men in Suits
Michael Fix
Michael-John Azzopardi
Mixed Drinks
The Morpeth Jugbusters
Mzaza
Nancy Kerr and James Fagan (UK)
The National Folk Festival Percussion Experience
Newport Bush Orchestra
NFF ContraBand
Northumbrians And Pipers
O’Neill And Rodgers
Of Freaks And Fools
Oud Vibrations
Pacific Curls (NZ)
Panta Rei
Pat Drummond & Karen Lynne
Patrick Lyons
Penny Larkins and Carl Pannuzzo
Peter Mace – Bush Poet
Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band (USA)
Phil Manning
Phyl Lobl
Rafe and the Well Dressed
The Rainmakers
Reid & VanSante (UK)
Riccardo Tesi & Banditaliana (ITA)
Roaring Forties
Roger Holmes
Roo’d
Rory Ellis
Saadhana – Sublime Music of India
Salmiakki Pelimannit
Session Experience
Shanachie
Shane Howard
The Shiny Bum Singers
Shortis and Simpson
The Song Company
Soteria Bell
Souleiado French Dance Group & Laurel de Vietri
Spooky Men’s Chorale
STRELLEY
The String Contingent
Sweet Lowdowns
Sydney Balalaika Orchestra
Tango Social Club of Canberra
Ted Egan
Ten Cent Shooters
Thom Jackson
Timbre Flaws
The Tinderbox Collective
Totally Gourdgeous
The Tragic Troubadours
The Transylvaniacs
Twice Bitten
VFMC Billabong Band
Vicki Swan & Jonny Dyer (UK)
The Wedded Bliss
women in docs
Wongawilli
Zhiva Voda
Zondrae King

See last year’s gallery here: