The best of the rest of the fest – Port Fairy Folk Festival

While other festivals are falling by the wayside thanks to cost of living stresses and insurance challenges, Port Fairy continues to delight.
A young man in a blue shirt with an acoustic guitar plays on a small outdoor stage with his eyes closed. Flynn Gurry. Port Fairy Folk Festival.

Other than our stand-alone reviews of Cat Power Sings Dylan and Missy Higgins, the recent festival threw up a slew of excellent performances. While it may be the big names that draw you to buy a ticket, it’s unearthing the surprise gems that is the total joy of a festival like Port Fairy.

This year, there was no bigger thrill than catching the warmth and homespun talents of John Muq. Born and raised in Uganda and now living in Texas, Muq is a natural born story teller who skilfully weaves pertinent moments from his fascinating life story throughout a series of simple songs that cut right to the heart of their given emotions or themes.

Unlock Padlock Icon

Unlock this content?

Access this content and more

Madeleine Swain is ArtsHub’s managing editor. Originally from England where she trained as an actor, she has over 30 years’ experience as a writer, editor and film reviewer in print, television, radio and online. She is also currently President of JOY Media and Chair of the Board.