Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now the Top End is gearing up to host a
folk festival at Mount Bundy Station in Adelaide River in August.
It sounds like it's going to be awesome. There's going
to be performances for more than forty artists with hundreds
expected to attend. Joining us on the line to tell
us more is the festival coordinator Lewis boyle Bryant. Good
(00:21):
morning to you, Lewis, morning, Katie. Lovely to have you
on the show now. I understand it's a fifty fifty
third edition, So fifty third year that sounds well. I'm
sure you've got a massive, massive event lined up to
mark the occasion.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Yeah, we sure do. It's one of the oldest regional
folk festivals in the country and we're doing our biggest
ever festival we've had in the Top End.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
How cool? So forty artists, how are you going to well?
Have you lined them all up already, Lewis?
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Yeah, we just released our program two days ago. We've
got three stage and music from ten o'clock in the
morning until eleven o'clock at night and.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
At Mount Bundy Station. It sounds like it'll be incredible.
What an iconic location to have the event.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
Yeah. Absolutely. We were sort of hunting around for a
new venue about this time last year and looking for
somewhere within that sort of two hours Driver Darwin and Yeah,
Mount Mundy was just the obvious pick, and the new
management there have been really supportive of our festival as well.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
So talk me through some of the artists that you
have secured. I know a lot of people listening this
morning it'll be you know, peaking their interests and they're
probably wondering if they'll be able to get themselves along
to a teend.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
Yeah. Sure. Well, about fifty percent of our artists are
Territory based, about half of those from the Top End
and the other half from the Red Center. Tracy Barne,
local artist up here, is launching her new album on
the Sunday night. Sally Belfer, who many of your listeners
will know, is going to play You'll set with some
kids from Milkwood STEINUS School on strings. Yeah, Glennie Ray's
(02:05):
coming up from our springs and Bantua. And then as
far as international and interstate acts go, we've got an
act coming over from East Team or tim or Leste
who are playing over here for the first time as
a band. It's some Comenia and the Noise Project, and
there are a few bands coming up from interstate as well.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
So how long does it go for? Like talk us
through you know how kind of like I guess how
it rolls out.
Speaker 2 (02:34):
So it'll go from Friday through Monday. On the first
weekend of August, first of the fourth, we'll sort of
kick things off on Friday evening and have a bit
of a taster where a lot of our acts will
get up and play twenty minute sets, just give people
a bit of an idea of what to expect over
the weekend. Music workshops, sessions, kids program all day Saturday
(02:54):
and Sunday, and then a festival farewell on the Monday
morning and people can wrap up in the head home
about mid.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
So it sounds like it is very much a family
friendly event as well.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
Yeah. Absolutely, kids under the age of twelve are free
and we've already got over one hundred kids coming this weekend.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
Oh how wonderful. Hey tell me In terms of like
where exactly it, I know it's obviously they're at Mount
Bundy Station, but do people just camp out there? Like?
What does it? How does it work in terms of accommodation?
Speaker 2 (03:25):
Yeah, so most people who are coming out will be camping,
and there's a whole bunch of unpowered and powered camping
on site. Unfortunately, we're out of accommodation at the venue itself,
but there's still some accommodation left at the Adelaide River
in the town and we're running a bus back and
forth for the duration of the festival as well.
Speaker 1 (03:44):
And if anybody is listening this morning and they're keen
to find out a bit more detail, where can they
head to?
Speaker 2 (03:51):
They can google Top Half Folks Festival and that'll either
take you to the Top End Folk Club's page and
we're selling tickets on Humanitics.
Speaker 1 (03:59):
Good stuff will Lovely to talk to you, Lewis, and
I'm sure it's going to be a fantastic event. I
think my producer might be keen to hit out because
she wanted to know whether you can or what you do,
so I reckon she's lining up, lining herself up.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
Fantastic, good stuff.
Speaker 1 (04:15):
Lovely to talk to you, thanks mate,