Folk by the Sea - Kiama | Illawarra Folk Club

Media release - 2023

Media release – June 15, 2023 - Images below.

FOLK BY THE SEA FEATURES INDIGENOUS VOICES

The 2023 Folk By The Sea festival in Kiama, presented by the Illawarra Folk Club on September 22-24,
will feature a “Voice of First Nations Folk” concert with leading Indigenous artists as a lead-in for the
Australian Government’s referendum for an Indigenous Voice to Parliament to be held later in the year.
Festival Artistic Director David De Santi said Indigenous performers had made an enormous contribution
to Australian cultural life, including folk music, and the festival organising committee wanted to
celebrate that.

The “Voice” concert will feature the Gumaraa Aboriginal Experience, First Nations singer-songwriter
Pirritu and Microwave Jenny – Indigenous duo Tessa Neku and Brendan Boney whose music is a fusion
of folk, pop and jazz.

“We are proud to be celebrating Indigenous music and Indigenous culture at Folk By The Sea,” Mr De
Santi said. “The referendum on the Voice to Parliament will be held after our festival, and so this is our
contribution to the debate. The Illawarra Folk Club has always sought to showcase Indigenous
performers at our events and feel that this year’s “Voice” feature will add a rich extra dimension to Folk
By The Sea 1 .”

This year’s festival will return to pre-Pandemic scale with 35 acts performing in seven venues in its
traditional home, the Kiama Showground, the neighbouring Kiama Anglican Church and Kiama Bowling
Club.

Melbourne-based Irish singer-songwriter Enda Kenny heads an eclectic program of folk, Celtic, Bluegrass
and world music, sea shanties, comedy, poetry and folk dancing for the three-day festival.
The line-up ranges from the award-winning duo of Lindsay Martin and Victoria Vigenser performing as
We Mavericks to a large contingent of female artists including Corn Nut Creek from Victoria, Felicity
Dowd from the NSW South Coast, Fly Little Sparrow from Queensland, L J Parks from Tasmania, Sarah
Humphreys and The Fallen Robins, as well as Kiama favourites Cha Cha Del Mar and The Water Runners,
with their songs of the South Coast.

World music will be well represented with East and West from Queensland, Alijamia, Mad Kelpie
Playmate, Scroggin and Wollongong’s own Con Artists.

A special feature will be Russell Churcher’s tribute show for Gordon Lightfoot, the acclaimed Canadian
singer-songwriter who died in May this year.

Ticket are available at https://folkbythesea.com.au/tickets. Three-day pass - $115; Friday evening - $40;
Saturday - $75; Sunday - $60. Concessions for children and youth.

PERFORMERS: Aljamia, Cha Cha del mar, Chloe & Jason Roweth, Corn Nut Creek, East of West, Enda
Kenny, Felicity Dowd, Fly Little Sparrow, Frankie & Albert, Gumaraa, John Ralph, Kiama Pipe Band,
Kiama Sea Shanty Club, LJ Parks, Mad Kelpie Playmates, Microwave Jenny, Nerida Cuddy, Peter
Willey, Pirritu, Redfern Shanty Club, Remembering John Dengate, Rheinberger & Wilson, Robyn Sykes,
Russell Churcher - Gordon Lightfoot Tribute, Rusty & The Saint, Sarah Humphreys, Scroggin, Southern
Cross Bush Band, Stonybroke, The Con Artists, The Fallen Robins, The Water Runners, Todd Cook,
Tribal Jewels Dance Co, We Mavericks, Wil Linder.

Issued by Honorary Publicity Officer Nick Hartgerink 0418 424085

For further information, contact David De Santi on 0409 571788