The following headline acts have been confirmed for 2012. Please note that there may be lineup changes closer to the event.
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| Name of act | Program notes | Website | |
|---|---|---|---|
| My Friend the Chocolate Cake | My Friend The Chocolate Cake are an imaginative and intensely colourful acclaimed live band whose career spans the last two decades. Singer/songwriter and pianist David Bridie, alongside the glorious strings of Helen Mountfort’s cello and Hope Csutoros’ violin are high in the curious collision of elements that have made My Friend The Chocolate Cake a failsafe concert draw and triple ARIA winners. (VIC) | www.mftcc.com |  |
| Shane Howard | The incredibly talented Shane Howard makes a long awaited return to Fairbridge. Joined by guitar maestro John Hudson, Howard will captivate audiences. These special performances are on the eve of the 30th anniversary of the release of the ground breaking album Spirit of Place - featuring Solid Rock. Be treated to classic Howard songs spanning 30 years from Spirit Of Place to Goanna Dreaming. (VIC) | www.shanehoward.com.au |  |
| Seth Lakeman | Seth Lakeman is widely regarded as the UK’s foremost folk singer songwriter. His music encompasses traditional and modern themes of love, loss and human struggle. He came to wide public attention following his Mercury nominated Kitty Jay album in 2005, when Seth brought folk music to a new, younger audience. Expect a captivating, energetic and undeniably compelling live show from Lakeman and his superbly talented band. | www.sethlakeman.co.uk |  |
| The Chipolatas | Established in 1992, The Chipolatas present unique performances incorporating high-octane circus skills, music, theatre and dance. Blending accordeon and acoustic rhythms with hip-hop and street style, their performances and inspiration are embedded in worldwide culture. This is the essence of their unique identity; mixing traditional roots with contemporary stylings. (UK). | www.chipolatas.com |  |
| Shooglenifty | Famous the world over for inventing techno ceilidh, acid croft and hypnofolkadelia, Shooglenifty's original, exciting sound launched the band on an international career. A wild uptempo mix of trad talent and super funky phonics melding heritage and hedonism into one unbreakable whole. Shooglenifty is one of Scotland's most unique musical exports. | www.shoogle.com |  |
| Chris While and Julie Matthews | Chris While & Julie Matthews are both individual writers of some note but it's when they combine their talents that the unique nature of their partnership flourishes. World renowned for their affinity on stage and for the energy and enthusiasm of their live perfomances. Winners in the Best Duo category at the 2009 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards and nine times nominated since 2001 in the Best Duo, Best Song & Best Live Act categories. (UK) | www.whileandmatthews.co.uk |  |
| Kavisha | ARIA award winner Kavisha Mazzella's songs combine the ingredients of earthy, sensual vocals with deep lyrics that have humourous, poetic, social justice and mystic themes. They take you on an uplifting, boundary-riding adventure as she visits traditional Italian folk and her own well crafted songs that ring with echoes of celtic, fado and gypsy influences.She will be accompanied by Matthew Arnold on violin and viola. (VIC) | www.kavisha.com |  |
| Tjupurru | Brisbane based international didjeridu performer Adrian Fabila Tjupurrula aka Tjupurru is a proud descendant of the Djabera Djabera tribe of the WA Kimberleys. Armed with a didjeribone and a seismic sensor called a face bass in his mouth and with electronic guitar effects, Adrian performs as a one man band, creating live samples and looping them to create songs and soundscapes that criss cross most musical genres. (QLD) | www.tjupurru.com |  |
| Stiff Gins | Stiff Gins are one of Australia’s best known and most loved Indigenous acts. These two women combine their stunning harmonies and wicked humour to transport you to a world of joy, spirit and song. (NSW) | www.stiffgins.net |  |
| The Woohoo Revue | Call them what you will - 'Balkan gypsy brass band, roaring twenties swing ensemble, Wild West fiddle contest or a soundtrack for Looney Tunes' - it barely scratches the surface. There are few if any parallels to the sound of The Woohoo Revue. (VIC) | www.thewoohoorevue.com.au |  |
| Linsey Pollak | Linsey Pollak is a dynamic and exciting performer, well-known for his work in many musical roles - as musician, instrument-maker, composer, musical director and community music facilitator. Linsey has a reputation for making and playing instruments made from found objects such as rubber gloves, carrots, watering cans, chairs, brooms and bins. He has toured all over the world with his solo shows.(QLD) | www.linseypollak.com |  |
| Mal Webb | Mal Webb plays too many instruments in too many styles to too many people. He gives solo performance a bad name, and that's Mal, whatever your language. Music that stomps all over stylistic boundaries. It's as grittily human as it is other worldly, as clever as it is stupid, as playful as it is ponderous. Ballads, beatbox and beyond. A jolly jaw dropping journeyman. Eclectic, ebullient and even educational. (VIC) | malwebb.customer.netspace.net.au |  |
| Fred Smith and Liz Frencham | “Smith is a superb songwriter…Frencham has a voice with the appeal emotional honesty and clarity of someone like Shawn Colvin…There is no other folk duo in Australia which even comes close to this magical combination.” Bruce Elder, Sydney Morning Herald. (ACT) | www.fredsmith.com.au |  |
| April Verch Band | April Verch doesn't just perform music she exudes it. The internationally renowned Canadian fiddler, singer, songwriter and stepdancer has a passion for performing and her goal is to touch the lives of those who are listening at any given moment. "The world is this amazing puzzle that we can't fully understand and music is the joy that pulls it all together and helps us make sense of it" says Verch. (Canada) | www.newsouthfolk.com.au |  |
| Blu Guru | Finally free from a myriad of other bands, they came to tell it all: a twisted taunt of celtic, blues, swing, bluegrass, jazz, Indian and adventure. The roads and flights between Kenya, Calcutta, London, Vancouver, LA & Oz weave a soaring night of music, song and story between Josh Bennett, Andrew Clermont and Parvyn Kaur, all members of the Dya Singh World Music Group, The Supper Club, and The Lawnmowers. (East Coast) | www.bluguru.net |  |
| Dry Bones | Dry Bones is the perfect combination of contemporary songwriting highly influenced both by traditional music and by the great songwriters of earlier times. One moment Dry Bones sounds like a traditional Jug Band and then shifts and becomes the arousing herald of today's acoustic rock and roll. This group is both unique and powerful; the songwriting is superb; the instrumental approach brilliant and the on stage energy powerful. (NSW) | www.newsouthfolk.com.au |  |
| Totally Gourdgeous | Formed in 1998, Australian band Totally Gourdgeous are four outrageously diverse singer/songwriter/musicians united under gourd (all 10 instruments played are hand-made of gourds), sing songs written by themselves and a few dear friends. Imagine Joni Mitchell and James Brown getting down in Bob Marley's pumpkin patch via the Muppets. Infectious eclectic beauty in the gourdiest of costumes. (East Coast) | www.totallygourdgeous.com |  |