Description
Kangaroo Valley to showcase over 60 international, national and local acts
by Samantha O’Brien
TN165 Sept 24
Spring is nearly upon us and where else would you want to be at that time other than Kangaroo Valley Folk Festival, 18-20 October.
In the heart of the village, surrounded by bushland and views of the escarpment, this year’s festival at the Kangaroo Valley Showground promises to bring another great line up of performers, activities and stalls.
With a showcase of over 60 international, national and local acts, there will be something for everyone to enjoy…..folk, bush, old-time country, bluegrass, traditional, blues, jazz, world, poetry, dancing, sessions, workshops….the list goes on!
Programmed artists include Alan Reid, Ashlee Watkins & Andrew Small, Fred Smith, The Bushwackers, The Weeping Willows, Kejafi, Kiki & Pascal, Penelope Swales & the Stranded Assets, Miss Eileen & King Lear, The Royal Hi Jinx, The Inadequates, Tim Scanlan & Mana Okubo, Sparrowgrass, Daniel J Townsend, Robyn Martin Band, Mal Webb & Kylie Morrigan, Sarah Humphreys, Bonnie Kay & the Sweet Patooties, Antipodeans, Bec Taylor & The Lyrebirds, The Librarian Action Dolls, The Wild Women of Anywhere Beach, Casuarina Light Phenomenon, Carmen & Miranda, Ash Morse, Bush Angels and The Other Noonans.
Michael Waugh, Mudjingaal Yangamba, Lucy Wise, Alanna & Alicia, George Mann and Alana Conway will all be there promoting their upcoming or newly released albums.
There are some themed shows that we can look forward to.
The Times They Are a-Changin’ with Maurie Mulheron and a Small Circle of Friends (SCofF), a re-imagining of Bob Dylan’s early album.
Trilogy will present a Seekers Singalong concert that the audience are invited to join in with and the Carefree Road Band will perform the songs of Simon and Garfunkel.
The Koori camp are set to have some terrific local indigenous performers including Pirritu, Ron Callaghan, Mudjingaal Yangamba, Daniel Aaron, Jocean, The Djaarmby Band & Up in Smoke.
Singing groups that will be performing include A Few Good Spooky Men, Shanty Club, Ecopella and the Wollongong Welsh Choir.
The Kids’ Festival will have crafts and performers.
A Scandinavian Tipi Tent called the Happy Nest will be onsite for youth and blackboard performances.
Make sure your kids bring their instruments and take part in the Saplings workshops (8 -18 years) where they can learn some collected Aussie bush tunes and songs from our expert tutors.
Music will be provided or they can learn by ear.
Mishmash the Clown, Maypole with Molly and Speranza Starburner will also be there to entertain the young and young at heart.
A terrific article by John Elder in the last edition of Trad & Now (164) stresses how dancing builds resilience and is great for your mental health.
We couldn’t agree more, so we encourage you to bring your dancing shoes and head to the hall to take part in one (or all) of the many dances that are scheduled.
Styles include Swing, Bush, Irish, Scottish Country, Flamenco and English Folk.
Be on the lookout for the Morris dancing and belly dancing displays as well, as they are always entertaining.
One of the many beaut things of going to a festival are the interactive elements.
Take part in a music session or workshop, recite something at the Poets’ Breakfast.
Fancy a spot of Flow Yoga or Tai Chi perhaps?
Make new friends and learn or brush up on a skill at the same time!
Don’t forget to explore the rest of the village and valley while you’re there.
There are some lovely nature walks, cafes, shops and The Friendly Inn that you can visit.
All will be keen to welcome you.
Early Bird Tickets for Kangaroo Valley Folk Festival are on sale until September 30 or until sold out.
Tickets can be purchased at: www.kangaroovalleyfolkfestival.com.au/tickets
Concerts in four venues at Kangaroo Valley Folk Festival
by Stuart Leslie
TN158 P 46
Kangaroo Valley Folk Festival kicks off on Friday 20 October, with concerts in four venues from 3.20pm and a welcome bush dance at 7pm.
The fun continues all weekend until 5.30pm Sunday.
With over 50 acts in 7 venues, the festival has something for everyone.
As well as traditional folk, there’s blues, gypsy jazz, world music, indie, 60’s and 70’s pop and comedy, as well as poetry and dancing all weekend.
There’s plenty of join-in stuff too, with dances, poets’ breakfasts and workshops in everything from belly dancing to song writing.
There are kids’ activities all day Saturday and Sunday and accompanied children under the age of 12 get in for free!
If the excitement gets too much, festival folk can relax in our famous session bar with craft beer on tap and a million dollar view, enjoy a coffee or browse the food and market stalls.
You can start the day with yoga and meditation in our cool new venue, the Happy Nest, a Scandinavian tipi tent, which also hosts youth and blackboard concerts.
Season tickets at the gate are $140 or online for just $130.
Day and evening tickets are also available.
For full details, go to www.kangaroovalleyfolkfestival.com.au
Kangaroo Valley had it all
by Cec Bucello
Published in T&N 152 November 2022
What makes a perfect festival?
Have you ever wondered why you enjoy some festivals more than others?
There are so many things that organisers do to try and make a festival perfect that you need a checklist to see how each one fares, particularly as outdoor events are so vulnerable to the weather.
Having just returned from the Kangaroo Valley Folk Festival (KVFF) in South East NSW and thinking about how enjoyable that was, I am asking myself why.
To me, the music is the main thing.
Did I enjoy a performance and would I want to see that same act again, ideally playing different material, at the same festival.
The more such acts there are at a festival, the better it is of course.
Kangaroo Valley had many such acts.
One I saw three times!!!
While I certainly didn’t get to see every act, for me, the stand out acts at the KVFF were, in no particular order, Fred Smith, Bromham, We Mavericks, Alanna and Alicia, Sarah and Silas, The Beez duo, Montgomery Church, The Decideds, Kerryn Fields, Mic Conway & Robbie Long, Equus, Nerds & Music and last but not least, White Top Mountaineers.
The next factor is the venues and the quality of sound at those venues.
Again, at KVFF, at every venue bar one, I was always able to get in and get a seat, albeit sometimes at the very back or side and none were too big to dwarf the act.
The only venue that was far too small for some acts was, as the name suggests, Le Petite Grande.
The sound was perfect at all venues.
One act, Bromham from South Australia, had 12 members with 13 different instruments and five vocals all lined in simultaneously, and often all playing and singing simultaneously and although it was close to sensory overload, I could hear and identify each instrument and voice.
After that, it’s the weather, over which the organisers have no control.
At KVFF, even though there was flooding happening not too far away, the weather was perfect.
The ground was a bit soft and organisers had to place gravel in the high traffic areas in venues, but other than that, a bit wet, but no problems.
One of the areas that was normally used for parking for day trippers was closed because of the soft surface and many that came in needed to park on the main road and walk some distance, but that was not too much of a problem.
After that could come a number of boxes to tick such as the bar, the atmosphere, the dance and poetry programs, decorations, volunteers, workshops, children’s entertainment, indigenous involvement, good company, toilets.
KVFF had them all well and truly covered.
There were lots of singing and playing sessions in the enclosed bar area.
Morris dancers added greatly to the atmosphere of music coming from all venues, not too loud mostly, but enough to be heard as a background.
The dance program ran throughout the festival and covered the full gamut of dance styles, all with live music.
The hall has a good dance floor, an asset so often not available at other festivals.
The poetry is always far too early in the day for me, but as far as I could tell, that aspect was well covered with readings, slams etc.
There were decorations aplenty making what would normally be a very dull looking showground very attractive and inviting from the outside and each venue had interesting backdrops to the stage area and stages were high enough for seated patrons to be able to see performers.
Workshops ran throughout the weekend and there were some unusual topics covered by some different presenters, making the selection quite interesting and well attended.
All of the volunteers that I communicated with, without exception, were very helpful and welcoming.
I didn’t have any children there so I can’t comment on their entertainment program but the Koori Camp had lots going on all weekend.
There were plenty of portable toilets in place and I had lots of friends there, most of whom volunteered, to ensure that the extra touch of good company was there for the entire three days.
Then, as a bonus particular to KVFF, is the location, being in a spectacular valley with beautiful views whichever way you look.
What more could I want?
Well, seeing that you ask, the only thing missing was that my band wasn’t booked to perform this year, and again, I took instruments with me that didn’t come out of their case, as there was so much else to do.
The festival organisers at KVFF have been doing this for 15 years, with many of the key organisers still there for much of that time, so they are well experienced in what they are doing.
Nevertheless to get it all so right is still quite an achievement and deserves rewarding.
Kangaroo Valley Folk Festival is back with more
by Julie Ward
Published in T&N151 October 2022
On many levels, 2020 and 2021 will be known as a double leap year, when life was put on pause and we now pick up where we left off.
Such is the case for the Kangaroo Valley Folk Festival, which returns with a traditional three day format from October 14-16.
It’s a comeback event that promises to be bigger and better than ever, with the line-up featuring old favourites and new, performers who have been on standby waiting for the return of live music.
Haven’t we all?
“I’ve been excited about this line-up for the past two years and now and finally, we get to stage the event, our 15th festival”, said Festival Director, Stuart Leslie.
“Kangaroo Valley is such a popular destination and the artists love being part of the festival, but I think the enforced hiatus will take it to a whole other level.
“Audiences can expect an absolutely bumper weekend of entertainment from performers like 19Twenty, The Bushwackers, Mic Conway and Robbie Long, Fiona Ross & Shane O’Mara, Fred Smith, Benji and the Saltwater Sound System, Kerryn Fields, We Mavericks, Jane And The Rain, Bromham and a whole lot more.”
With borders now open, the White Top Mountaineers will make their KV debut along with another returning offshore favourite, George Mann.
Alongside an eclectic range of music performances, poetry and dance also take the stage and audiences of all ages are encouraged to join in.
The daily Poet’s Breakfast is hosted by multi award winning performance poets Robyn Sykes and Peter Mace, and walk-ups by amateur poets are welcomed.
When it comes to dance, the line-up this year is a veritable step-ball-change around the world and another great chance to get up off your seat.
Margaret & Bill Winnett head up the Sydney Irish Ceili Dancers and have taught dance workshops up and down the eastern seaboard at numerous festivals for many years.
If hip swinging is more your thing than a highland fling, Sapphire Tribal Bellydance from the Far South Coast of NSW have channelled the original gypsies of Egypt and are bringing it to our Valley.
Founder and Artistic Director, Nicole Stenlakje, promises colourful and elaborate costumes with lots of variety, with props including skirts, shawl, fan, finger cymbals and swords.
Macedonian Dance, Scottish Country, Nordic Folk and good old fashion Aussie bush dancing will complete the offering and give a good reason to head to the bar for a refreshing drink.
Koori Camp will return in 2022 with talented Didge/Yidaki player Riley Nolan taking a key role.
Riley will be pulling together and sharing culture and ceremony with workshops in Bush Tucker, Didge playing, indigenous weaving and more.
The website has the full line-up of performers and links to their music, along with a curated Spotify playlist with a sample of them all.
The Folk Festival is a safe and friendly environment for the whole family and accompanied children under 12 are free.
With entertainment across some ten venues/stages in the Showground, and a vast array of food, drinks, arts and crafts, there really is something for everyone.
Tickets are available online only via the website www.kangaroovalleyfolkfestival.com.au
s, to get it all so right is still quite an achievement and deserves rewarding.
