Performers 2025

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).

Jim Patterson & the Wellbeing Social Club

Jim Paterson’s WellBeing Social Club is a collection of musicians whose mission is to reach out and bring the community together with uplifting, original, and inspiring rootsy songs. The thing that really ties them all together is their love for music. Expect to hear fantastic harmonies and some of the best musicians in SA

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. Formed in 2020, 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 Bluegrass Remnants

The Bluegrass Remnants bring tradition to life with a timeless blend of hard-driving rhythm, rich harmonies, and spirited picking. Featuring Jim Golding on banjo, Heath Joyce on mandolin, Ian Riethoff on bass, and Chris Leidy on guitar, this four-piece outfit plays traditional bluegrass with heart and grit—seasoned with the occasional “jazzgrass” twist. Whether it’s a well-loved standard or a playful reimagining, The Bluegrass Remnants deliver an engaging, toe-tapping sound that honours the roots while exploring fresh territory.

The Weeping Willows

You may have been lucky enough 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! 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.

Andrew Clermont’s Super Supper Club Arvo

Andrew Clermont brings together a selection of musicians every year who never fail to ‘wow’ the Wirrina audience with their virtuoso performances. This year, Andrew’s Super Supper Club Arvo will be featuring Simon & Marta (Ala President of SCALA Songwriters —Vocals & epic Acoustic Guitars with Harmonica), Ingrid Wangel (Scandinavian Fiddle feature), Dr Phil Hungerford (Awarded Tamworth Songwriter), Rob Wallace (Violin extraordinaire), Janet & Hugh Gordon (Tamarisque SA -Piano, Vocals , Fiddle & Mandolin like straight off the Paddle Steamer Marion!), Josh & Parvyn Bennett (from BluGuru & Bombay Royale and now heading for a solo Grammy Nomination!), Lucy Kammerman (the best of Fiddle youth), Quentin Eyers (Q the Music studio master musician), Margie Russell (Legend harmony & vocal interpreter!), plus the Multi Mando Mob Fest Finale!  Not to be missed!

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.

The Old Crossroads 

The Old Crossroads is a five-piece bluegrass band that brings a full and vibrant sound reminiscent of the bluegrass performed by its founders. The group, led by Ashton Edgley, strives to deliver the classics and deep cuts of the genre across the 50s and 60s, inclusive of high-paced instruments and powerful high and lonesome harmonies.  As a band, the Old Crossroads has put in the time and effort to do extensive research and match the sounds and delivery of straight-down-the-line bluegrass.

Crooked Road

Festival darlings, the fella’s from Crooked Road, are back to wow us with their stellar string 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!

Runaway Dixie

Kenny Joe Blake

Kenny Joe Blake  has been a wandering troubadour since he learned to play harmonica at 17. He started playing guitar in 1975. In the ’90’s he began playing and writing music in the Roots Country scene—he teamed up with the late  AP Johnson. These days his repertoire includes contemporary country, blues, R ‘n B, Rockabilly, Bluegrass, and folk. He  plays a lot of his own material and by  all accounts he tells a great story or two as well. We welcome Kenny to the Wirrina stage for his first appearance at the Festival.

Paula Standing Trio

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…?

Dustbowl Chic

Dustbowl Chic are locally renowned for their unique and rustic blend of good fun folk rock and country tunes, with a dash of blues, brass and bluegrass; mandos and banjos; harmonies and hilarity; as well as dobros and a didgeridoo thrown in for good measure. Dustbowl Chic…porch stomping, shed shaking, pew rattling good fun.

Adelaide Scottish Fiddle Club

The Adelaide Scottish Fiddle Club was founded in 2002 to encourage an interest in the musical heritage of Scotland, and to provide a supportive environment for the playing of this rich repertoire of music. The club has members ranging in age from ‘under-eights’ to ‘over-eighties’ and caters for all levels of playing ability. As regular performers at Wirrina, their sets are always a joy!

www.adelaidescottishfiddleclub.com.au

Sally and The Poor Boys

A South Australian-based band that covers songs by iconic musicians such as Neil Young, Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, Eric Clapton, Creedence, The Rolling Stones and more.

Lasseter’s Gold

Lasseter’s Gold will be playing for the Shearing Shed Bush Dance. Lasseter’s Gold is a popular Adelaide folk band established in 2007.  The band has a wealth of musical experience and specialises in running bush dances and performing Celtic music, Australian bush songs and a wide range of folk songs.

The Reverend and Mrs Rowdy’s Whisky Communion

Come join a Sunday morning, country music themed communion of minds and hearts. The Reverend and Mrs Rowdy, with special friends Anne Toner, Kate West and the deft handed Callum Lawrie on mandolin, re-create an age-old Sunday morning ritual—the Whisky Communion. The Whisky Communion offers an opportunity to engage in the long-held tradition of Sunday morning community celebration of all things profane and sacred, complete with three-part harmonies, classic country tunes and the spirit of the times. Come help move the spirit. BYO cup, sinners!!!