Sharon Shannon did it. The East Pointers too. And now Irish band, FourWinds, will blow away Australian audiences when they bring their lively trad tunes down-under to this summer’s premier folk festivals and venues for the very first time.
Kicking off at the internationally renowned Woodford Folk Festival in December, FourWinds will jig around Australia’s East Coast for five weeks, including appearances at Cygnet and Illawarra Folk Festivals, plus a very special, one-off show with folk legend, Andy Irvine at The Old Museum in Brisbane.
Just a short time after they formed in 2013, FourWinds won the coveted Danny Kyle Award at Celtic Connections and have since been hailed the best exponent for the next generation of contemporary trad music.
“We are so excited to have a strong Irish presence at the Woodford Folk Festival this year, and to be presenting stalwarts of the scene such as Sharon Shannon and Andy Irvine, along with the best newcomers in the Irish tradition in the form of FourWinds,” said Chloe Goodyear, Head of Programming.
Comprising four talented and independently successful musicians, critically acclaimed vocalist and Bouzouki player, Daoiri Farrell said, “We’ve all been playing traditional music for years around the world, it was only a matter of time before we joined forces!”
“Our sound is deeply rooted in the Irish tradition without ignoring modernity and creativity, which produces a landscape of tunes and lyrics people find very fun and exciting,” said FourWinds’ Uilleann piper, Tom Delany.
“We’re told there is a strong resurgence of trad music appreciation in Australia, so we can’t wait to visit and meet you all for some serious Irish craic,” said Delany.
WOODFORD FOLK FESTIVAL PRESENTS
FOURWINDS FIRST AUSTRALIAN TOUR
28 Dec – 1 Jan • QLD •Woodford Folk Festival
2 Jan • QLD • The City Sounds, Queen Street Mall
4 Jan • QLD • The Old Museum, Brisbane feat. Andy Irvine
5 Jan • TAS • Mountain Mumma
6 – 8 Jan • TAS • Cygnet Folk Festival
11 – 15 Jan • NSW • Illawara Folk Festival
17 Jan2 • NSW • Wauchope Arts Hall
18 Jan • NSW • 5 Church Street, Bellingen
20 J an • NSW • The Unorthodox Church of Groove, Newcastle
21 Jan • NSW • Metropole Guesthouse, Katoomba
22 Jan • NSW • Django Bar, Marrickville
23 Jan • ACT • Smith’s Alternative
24 Jan • VIC • Spotted Mallard, Brunswick
