Performers 2025
More performers booked! It’s still a work in progress but we can now announce a few more of the wonderful musicians who will play at Wirrina this year.
The Lofty Mountain Band
The Lofty Mountain Band are an exhilarating conference of things with strings playing a breakneck fusion of pop, country and folk. Fronted by prolific, Adelaide raconteur, Max Savage the band plays catchy, hook-based pop songs with bluegrass instrumentation. And what a line up they are! Formed in 2020, at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, the band have built up a solid following in their home state playing a string of sold-out shows in regional and metropolitan South Australia over the past few years. With an intoxicating blend of tight vocal harmonies, virtuosic playing, yearning, wit and melancholy, their music is ethereal and grounded, often devastating and occasionally transcendent. Their performance promises to be exciting—be sure to be there!
The Weeping Willows
You may have had the luck to see/hear Andrew Wrigglesworth and Laura Coates play in SA from time to time since 2012, but this is their first time at Wirrina! Yours truly is a big fan and I can’t wait to see them live again. After six years, the Melbourne alt-country duo, are celebrating the release of their long-awaited third studio album, You Reap What You Sow . In the years in between, they’ve picked up a substantial collection of prestigious awards and toured in the USA. When I first came across them over a decade ago they were relatively unknown but those days are gone and they are now receiving the recognition they so deserve. Andrew’s stunning guitar work and Laura’s voice are a winning combination. We are very lucky that their journey is bringing them to Wirrina!
Paula Standing
Local SA songstress, Paula Standing, will no doubt delight Wirrina audiences with her performance. Paula is an established favourite amongst the Australian contemporary indie roots scene, where wry humour and warmth are as much a part of the show as her impressive vocal range and guitar combo. The poetry in her heartfelt songwriting is just beautiful—listen closely. Paula’s song ‘Ordinarily’ has recently been voted as a finalist in the World Songwriting Awards—for best modern country song. Go Paula! Maybe she’ll play it for us at Wirrina…?
Jeri Foreman and Grace Honeywell
Jeri Foreman and Grace Honeywell will join us from Glasgow at Wirrina this November. Long -time Wirrina festival attendees will likely remember Jerri and her fiddle playing from earlier festivals —playing with Astro Cobalt and Andrew Clermont’s Supper Club shows. She was substantially involved in SA’s Folk, Bluegrass and modern string music for many years before moving to Scotland. Grace joins her with acclaimed expertise in fiddle, guitar and songwriting. Both have a solid teaching reputation with adults and youth, as well as impressive performance histories.
They will be performing, teaching and leading sessions at our festival (Nov 21—23) and also arrive Monday 17 to teach at the music camp beforehand (Nov 18—20). More information coming soon!
Watershed Stringband
Cat & Clint join Dave & Wendy from The Cartwheels, to form Watershed Stringband — featuring red-hot fiddle and banjo, dreamy vocal harmonies, snappy guitar pickin’ and juicy double bass. This all-star lineup bring a unique blend of vintage country from driving bluegrass and old time dance tunes to western swing and Australiana.
Runaway Dixie
This year
Runaway Dixie join us for the first time with original Australian songs and Bluegrass classics. We welcome Virginia, Lynette and Jim to our gathering. Runaway Dixie music is traditional Bluegrass, Gospel, and vibrant Country classics plus the trio’s original compositions, and features
Jim Hermel (lead Vocals) on banjo,
Lynette Coad (Harmony Vocal) on bass guitar, and
Virginia Coad (Lead/Harmony Vocal) on lead/rhythm acoustic guitar.
Crooked Road
Festival darlings, the fella’s from Crooked Road, are back to wow us with their stellar sting playing, impeccable harmonies, and exhilarating Bluegrass arrangements. As we’ve said before, these guys are Bluegrass royalty at Wirrina and we can’t get enough of them!