CLOSE
x

FAIRBRIDGE FESTIVAL Six picks for your weekend fix

Fairbridge Festival’s Artistic Director Rod Vervest

Celebrating family, friends and shared experiences since 1992, Fairbridge Festival returns this weekend with three days of music, camping, art, and good all-round entertainment from Friday, April 9 until Sunday, April 11, at Fairbridge Village, Pinjarra. This year’s event will deliver the biggest showcase of local artists the Festival has ever seen, from Indigenous artists to folk musicians and dance bands, and even some jazz, pop and classical. As Fairbridge release the set times for the weekend (see below), we caught up with Fairbridge Festival’s Artistic Director Rod Vervest, who undertook the difficult task of choosing his six not-to-be-missed acts.

Alter Boy

Alter Boy

Describing themselves as queerlectro-pop, Alter Boy are something completely unique, brave and pioneering. Three intelligent and articulate, young, deaf/hard of hearing artists perform brilliantly with their band to produce glistening pop, coordinated dance and theatrical pizazz (all performed in Auslan). It’s original, it’s dedicated, it’s real and it’s happening! I’m predicting big things for this band.

Cecilia Brandolini

Cecilia Brandolini

Sensitive and creatively wrought songs with tinges of Joni Mitchell, Cecilia produces a depth of work way beyond her years with emotional and important messages. She hasn’t left behind the fact that great playing enhances and propels great songwriting, and to cap it all off, she has a crystalline and rare voice.

Jessie Gordon & Mark Turner

Jessie Gordon & Mark Turner

One of the most tight knit and entertaining duos around. Jessie is quite simply world-class, a fantastic entertainer and born to be on a stage. Mark is a killer acoustic guitarist with all the attributes of a solid accompanist. He is equally capable in his own command as a singer-songwriter. Top shelf!

Craig Sinclair

Gotta Love Guitar concert

Anyone who knows me will know I’m just a little bit into guitar, and guitarists are my favourite people! Three of them are here. Marlie wields a guitar with real attitude and presence. She can mix it with the best and her blues playing has real grunt and passion. Craig Sinclair (pictured above) is a humble gentleman, and in my opinion, one of the most underrated singer-songwriters in the country. His guitar playing is relaxed and understated (like him) but when you look closely, it’s super-refined, brilliantly integrated and stylistically coupled to his message. What do I mean? Find out for yourself. Bill Lawrie is my kind of guitarist/songwriter. Gnarly, patinated to perfection, straight to the heart of the matter, and delivered with 110% authority and authenticity. His voice is powerful but there’s always more in the tank with Bill.

Kohesia Ensemble

Kohesia Ensemble

The brainchild of award-winning bassist Kate Pass, Kohesia Ensemble ooze creativity, joy and passion. Music for the mind and soul, they’re a wonderful expression of Western Australian community diversity. Their Persian-influenced jazz is heady and exotic. Close your eyes and take a magic carpet ride.

Axel Carrington

Axel Carrington

Clock Without Hands is Axel’s latest album and takes its name from the novel by Carson McCullers. With unmistakable tinges of American “primitive guitar” and a broody southern Gothic atmosphere, Axel generates tone poems on his nylon string that reference Fahey, Kottke and Joni. It’s swirling and layered, and I completely dig it for its resurrection of a folk style that wandered off the track because it wanted to.

To find out where and when you can catch these artists, and who else will be hitting the stage over the weekend check out the set times below. For the full line up and more info on the acts, head to fairbridgefestival.com.au

x