Clare Sands (IRL)

Support on the night from Rosa Mack, usually who fronts a 9 piece but flying solo for a very special performance on the night, as well as the debut performance by artist Madeleine Postle.Doors 7pmMusic from 7:30pm--



Clare Sands is a sixth generation fiddle player and bilingual singer from Cork, Ireland. Making a welcome return to Australia after her debut tour in 2024, Clare will perform Port Fairy Folk Festival, Blue Mountains Music Festival, Yackandandah and a selection of headline shows - this time accompanied by multi-instrumentalist Cian McGrory on pipes, whistles and guitar. Channeling the music of her ancestors, she weaves Traditional Irish roots with Contemporary sounds and influences, embodying a fearless warrior-like spirit. As well as representing Ireland on global music stages, Clare is a cross-continental swimmer and black belt, with several world medals to her name! 'Sands excavates into Ireland's ancient myths & landscapes whilst exploring the political exigencies of it's here and now' - Songlines Magazine



Her eponymous album secured a place among the Irish Times’ Top 5 Folk Albums of 2022, and earned Sands a Best Folk Singer nomination at the Irish Folk Awards. Other notable projects include the ‘hypnotic and tribal’ (BBC Radio 2) Tírdhreacha agus Fuaimdhreacha (Landscapes and Soundscapes) EP, and Gormacha, a musical odyssey that treads a path between the Irish language, folklore and our natural world. Sands' passion for collaboration has led her to work with some of Ireland’s finest folk and traditional musicians, including Hothouse Flowers, Steve Cooney, Susan O’Neill, Niamh Regan, Brian Finnegan and more.



Recent electrifying live performances include Glastonbury & Cambridge Folk Festival (UK), Fête De la Musique (FR), Festival Cervantino (MEX) and notably, Cygnet Folk Festival Tasmania, where Clare was awarded the Dennis Dubetz Cygnet Folk Festival Award in 2024 after a series of uplifting and energising concerts at the renowned lutruwita festival.



Showing no signs of slowing down, Sands continues to traverse land and sea, pushing the boundaries of her artistry and exploring new musical frontiers. She brings audiences on a transcendent journey through time and tradition, where past and present converge in a symphony of sound, celebration and spirit. Clare Sands stands as a testament to the enduring power of music to unite and inspire - a troubadour for the modern age, whose melodies resonate across generations and cultures alike.



‘Sands reach is wide & deep. This album speaks most of all of resilience & solidarity, of friendship & kinship. This fine debut revels in Sands innate & fearless curiosity, and her insistence on diving deep below the surface. A mighty first step to what promises to be a lifelong expedition.’  - Siobhán Long, The Irish Times --Introducing Rosa Mack: powerhouse vocalist and veteran of impassioned performances, this Meanjin/Brisbane-based soultress takes to the stage with her nine-piece rock/soul collective, captivating audiences with old school funk flavour and confident style.



Emerging as a fresh collective in late 2020, the humble beginnings of this world-class act have seen numerous sold out shows in Brisbane’s local haunts, a string of critically acclaimed South-East Queensland community festival performances and a capacity-breaching New Years’ Eve performance at Woodford Folk Festival 22/23.



"Engaging, unapologetic, ferociously talented and painfully vulnerable, Rosa Mack gives her audience more than one reason to listen."--Making her debut performance at this event, don't miss Madeleine Postle, opening the show on the night. Her sweet sounds and smooth vocals, (usually heard in local Brisbane band Ghost Mutt), will now be center stage for the first time. A performance not to be missed....!///