AUSTRALIAN SINGER-SONGWRITER
LUTHIER, POET & GLEANER
"warmth flecked with grit... beauty awaits"
ROLLING STONE
Nigel Wearne saunters after dark in the music of the night, blending blues, folk and Americana with a hint of New Orleans jazz. Hailing from Gunditjmara country in the deep south of Australia, he melds finger-style guitar, electric slide, 'up'-hammer banjo and honest storytelling. Gleaning diverse influence from Tom Waits, Joe Henry and Gillian Welch, he tells stories of forgotten rebels, wandering poets and his love of eggs. Nigel has toured Australia, New Zealand and Canada and he's performed at a long list of music festivals, including the Port Fairy Folk Festival, Adelaide Guitar Festival and Queenscliff Music Festival.
His sophomore album, Black Crow garnered wide critical acclaim including a 4-STAR review in Rolling Stone, a nomination for Best Country Album at the Music Victoria Awards and it debuted at #1 on the AMRAP Charts. Singer-songwriter, luthier, poet and gleaner; Wearne paints lyrical pictures with ‘the narrative-fuelled prose of Paul Kelly’ – BEAT MAGAZINE
‘One of Australia's emerging songwriter's’ – TONE DEAF
‘A fine exponent of roots Americana’ – RHYTHMS MAGAZINE
‘Retro Americana at its best. Soulful, haunting, gothic, backwater blues’
LISA SCHWARTZ – Philadelphia Folk Festival Artistic Director
Check out Nigel's luthier work HERE.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
2022 – Folk Alliance International OFFICIAL Showcase Artist*Virtual
2021 – Folk Unlocked Showcase Artist*Virtual
2020 – Folk Alliance International Showcase Artist
2020 – Canadian Winter Tour
2019 – Folk Music Ontario Showcase Artist
2019 – Canadian Fall Tour
2019 – Folk Alliance International OFFICIAL Showcase Artist
2019 – Canadian Winter Tour
2017 – Triple j Unearthed Winner – Port Fairy Folk Festival Competition
2017 – New Zealand Tour
2016 – 'Drawing Circles' Double Album Release
2013 – Music Victoria Awards – Best Country Album Nominee for 'Black Crow'
FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS
2022 – Cobargo Folk Festival, Adelaide Guitar Festival
2021 – Port Fairy Folk Festival Concert Series, The River Folk Festival Concert Series
2020 – Cygnet Folk Festival, Blue Skies Music Festival (CANADA)*Virtual
2019 – Troubadour Festival (CANADA), Maldon Folk Festival, Dorrigo Folk & Bluegrass Festival, Tamworth Country Music Festival
2018 – Port Fairy Folk Festival, Cygnet Folk Festival, Wintermoon Festival, The River Folk Festival
2017 – Illawarra Folk Festival, Birregurra Festival, Blackwood Festival, Surrey Hills Music Festival
2016 – Adelaide Fringe Festival, Bendigo Blues & Roots Music Festival, Nightjar Festival, Wallaby Creek Festival, Tablelands Folk Festival
2015 – Blackwood Festival, Kangaroo Valley Folk Festival, Happy Wanderer Festival, Mount Beauty Music Festival, Yackandandah Folk Festival
2014 – Cygnet Folk Festival, Majors Creek Festival, Fleurieu Folk Festival, Newstead Live! Music Festival, Boolarra Folk Festival, Blackwood Festival
2013 – Wallaby Creek Festival, Wirrina Bluegrass Festival, Kingston Harvest Festival, Kyneton Music Festival, Avoca Music Festival, Fiddlehead Festival
2012 – Port Fairy Folk Festival, Dorrigo Folk & Bluegrass Festival, Black Mountain Unplugged, JamGrass Music Festival, Folk, Rhythm & Life
PRESS HIGHLIGHTS
"warmth flecked with grit... beauty awaits"
Rolling Stone
"a fine exponent of roots Americana"
RHYTHMS MAGAZINE
"Authentic and impressive"
DAVE RUBY HOWE, TRIPLE J UNEARTHED MUSIC DIRECTOR
'Open Mic Artist of The Month' - May 2017
FOLK ALLEY
"Drawing Circles is a glorious cinematic journey, harnessing life’s irregular swells"
THE MUSIC
"A great songwriter"
PAUL GOUGH, ABC Radio National
"the narrative-fuelled prose of Paul Kelly"
Beat Magazine
"an eruption of energy, rhythm and melody"
Rhythms Magazine
"one of Australia's emerging songwriters"
Tone Deaf
"Guitarist to Watch"
Australian Guitar Magazine
"decidedly Australian, a down-to-earth gritty edge"
The Box
"a delicate heart and crisp guitar"
The AU Review
"Painting lyrical pictures"
The Mercury
"music that really speaks"
Forte Magazine
