The Festival of Small Halls will be bringing Champagne Weather and Charm of Finches to Macleay Island on their upcoming Winter Tour: Produced by Woodfordia Inc, veteran producers of Woodford Folk Festival, this marks the 45th tour of regional, remote and rural communities with high-quality, visionary music. The tour weaves along the coastline of Woodfordia Inc’s home state, from rainforest villages to seaside towns and island escapes, each show is the pilot of the next, threading warmth and magic between. Touring to Australia for the first time as a duo, Champagne Weather are Anne Janelle and James Hill. Once called “the future of folk”, Champagne Weather’s music is a meld of today and tomorrow, curating sound sculptures with their strings and voices, their songwriting pays homage to the root of folksong and the transformative nature of inspirational modern composition. With plenty of awards and nominations under their belt, the Canadian act has performed at festivals and venues across North America, Japan and The United Kingdom. In anticipation of the tour, the pair noted “we couldn't be more thrilled! We will remember this one forever!” It has been too many years since we performed in Australia, and we are excited to be reunited with our fans and to make new ones along the way. Australian audiences are a special bunch, and we can't wait to feel the magic again.” Melbourne darlings Charm of Finches will head on the road for the second time with Festival of Small Halls. Sisters Ivy and Mabel hold the audience, with mesmerising harmonies, curious stories and intricate melodies. Off the back of their 4th studio album, Marlinchin in the Snow, recorded in rural Nova Scotia, Canada, the pair continue to cultivate a repertoire of folk songs traverse melancholy and wonder in equal measure. “Music is such a great way to build community and we’re so happy to be a part of that,” the pair said. “We’ve never been to northern Queensland and so we can’t wait to visit!” Festival of Small Halls Winter Tour 2025 starts on the 2nd July in Cooktown, before winding down the coast finishing up in the lovely community on Macleay Island on the 27th July 2025.
Our wonderful local act will be the Gelato Jetty Band. Born on a small Island in the Coral Sea, the Gelato Jetty band originated from a jam at the local gelato and ice cream shop on a Saturday morning. It became a regular gathering, the islanders coming to listen, and another Willy and the Poor Boys movement grew! Music, the sea and gelato, what's not to like!
The Band: Brett Kelly on Wood Guitar, Harmonica and Vocals. Robby Cenda on Lead Guitar and backing Vox. Caaden Goleby-Newman on Tenor Saxophone. Nikola Shaw on Tuba and Vox. These musicians have all paid their dues touring the music halls, hotels, markets and dives of the seediest parts of towns all over the globe. Now they come together with a touch of New Orleans, a dash of Hank Williams, a smidgen of Tom Waits and red dirt originals born out of Island life.
Tickets on sale at www.festivalofsmallhalls.com Adults $30, Concession $25, Children under 12 Free.
