FINN ANDREWS
Since signing a record deal at the tender age of 16, Finn Andrews and his band The Veils have released 5 albums together. Andrews took some time out to begin work on his first solo album, ‘One Piece At A Time’, right here in Auckland, and will be bringing a trio to Auckland Folk Festival, returning many years after he cut his teeth as a songwriter hanging out at the festival.
THE MAES
Award-winning Melbourne duo The Maes are sisters Maggie and Elsie Rigby. The Maes present their startlingly fresh take on Australian contemporary folk music, incorporating intricate instrumental arrangements on banjo, fiddle, mandolin and guitar, through powerful original songs and breathtaking harmonies.
SOPHIE & FIACHRA
Described as “invigorating” by The Irish Times, Sophie & Fiachra’s sound is rooted in the Fiddle playing and singing of Quebecoise Sophie Lavoie, the uilleann piping and Banjo playing of Fiachra O’Regan from Ireland. Their sound is sweetened all the more by Gaelic and French Canadian song arrangements.
| VIRELAI
Powerful Skandinavian melodies & poetic nordic ballads combined with an energizing and endearing performance! Since 1999, Virelai have been touring Scandinavia and Europe, boosting good energy with their positive, contagious appearence. Denmark’s leading medieval folk band is guaranteed to make you dance, sing and smile! |
| LINDSAY LOU
Lindsay Lou was named one of NPR Music’s 12 best live performance sessions of 2015 by Mountain Stage with Larry Groce. Her singing floats over the instrumental mastery and deep groove of her band with dynamics that range from a lullaby to a battle cry. |
IRISH MYTHEN
| A true entertainer who is known as being a triple threat, Irish Mythen’s show highlights the Canadian’s various talents – the proficient and talented metaphorical singer-songwriter, the storyteller who’ll grasp your attention and who has the ability to bring you on an incredible and emotional journey as well as the comedian with a joie de vivre who’ll have you laughing from the very beginning until long after the end of her show. |
THE JEWS BROTHERS BAND
With deep roots in klezmer music, over time the Jews Brothers have turned towards the fun and comedy schtick that has always been a part of Yiddish-American music and theatre. With jazz-style improvisation and swing rhythms added to the mix and an emphasis on interesting and charming vocal arrangements the band is in a sense re-inventing the genre.
TUI MAMAKI
Tui Mamaki is a vocal explorer, performer, composer/arranger, born in France, raised in Aotearoa/NZ and currently residing in Bulgaria. She can thank her musically adventurous troubadour family for giving her a taste for sounds from far-away places. In following her voice, she has travelled to Pay Basque, India and the Balkans to study traditional vocal techniques and repertoire.
HOLLY ARROWSMITH
| Born in the heart of the American desert, in Santa Fe, New Mexico and raised in the mountains of Southern New Zealand, Holly Arrowsmith (Folk Tui Winner 2016) is a songwriter on the rise locally and internationally, a strong forerunner in New Zealand’s current folk revivalist movement. |
FABLES
Fables are a musical ensemble from the outskirts of Auckland. Fronted by Jess Bailey and accompanied by a cast of many talents, Fables produce a gentle and heartfelt indie-folk sound which could warm even the coldest of hearts.
RHODEWORKS
RhodeWorks are an award-winning bluegrass folk band who play fast-paced, high-energy folk music, presenting a set of traditional and well-loved bluegrass alongside their original material. Brothers Laurence (17), Sam (15) and Nate (12) present soulful vocal harmonies and fiery instrumentals. Largely self-taught multi-instrumentalists, they love nothing more than heading to the workshop to craft their own instruments.
THE NUKES
| The Nukes from West Auckland are far more than a ukulele band. Part vaudeville, part rat-pack, part musical car crash, this talented trio deliver an engaging mix of humour and originality that audiences of all ages will love. Great song-writing, musicianship and 3-part harmony combine to create a truly memorable, entertaining experience. |
CANDICE MILNER
| Despite her young age, Lyttelton local Candice Milner has been making waves from the Christchurch portside suburb for years. With songs that vary between folk and ballads, pop-rock and country, her album ‘Evergreen’ was a finalist for last year’s Folk Tui. |
BERNIE GRIFFEN & THE THIN MEN
| Bernie Griffen’s songs are melodic, soulful tales of a life well and truly lived on the fringes, full of love, pathos and colourful stories that play like anthems and tap into a vein of testimony. His third album ‘Doors Wide Open’ was released in May 2018. |
DANNY PRIESTLEY
| Originally from Australia, Central Hawkes Bay ‘Bogan Angel’ Danny Priestley has a history steeped in folk music, ballads and anything he reckons might be worth a crack up there, as well as the songs and stories that he just loves to share. His large stage presence, honest banter and famed voice has been known to make hardened outback diggers cry into their coopers. |
ORIGINZ
Originz are a 15-piece fusion band, featuring an array of instruments from bagpipes, bass and percussion to trumpets and voice. Their sound has to be heard to be believed: Imagine African rhythms meeting Celtic music, mixed up into a wild sound that is loud, proud and unbowed.
MIKE HARDING
| Taranaki based music historian and folk singer Mike Harding brings his own stories and songs alongside collections of NZ’s past and present songs. He presents his Kiwi-musicana show, with songs collected from small towns, back-country roads and his many years on the road as a seasoned solo performer, as well as with good-time Kiwi-music band Gumboot Tango. Winner of the Best Folk Album, 1988! His musical apprenticeship began in the folk clubs and cafes of Auckland in the late 70s and early 80s, and he returns to the Auckland Folk Festival for his third time. |
NIGEL PARRY
Described by a radio presenter as “one of the finest traditional folk artists in NZ”, Nigel Parry’s unique mix of contemporary, traditional and early music relies heavily on his vocal arrangements. An award winning songwriter, Nigel’s music connects intimately with the ‘folk’ – people, their lives and struggles, their causes and stories, ties with the land, links with the past and hopes for the future.
ROUGH TOWN
Rough Town is a new project formed especially for the Auckland Folk Festival. Comprised of multi-instrumentalists Tim Chia, Caleb Chia, Adam Ogle and Emily Roughton, who coincidentally all have been past recipients of the Frank Winter Memorial Award, Rough Town have joined forces to explore a fresh and vibrant side of folk music, combining the traditional style with an exploding beat and unmistakeable flair.
