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PRESS

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"warmth flecked with grit... beauty awaits"​​

            Rolling Stone

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"vocal swagger of Van Morrison and dark spirituality and intelligence of Nick Cave"​​

           the weekend australian

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"intoxicating New Orleans-tinged Americana... a bit of Waits, some Early James and C.W. Stoneking"

POST TO WIRE

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"tailor made for fans of Tom Waits... complete with fire and brimstone lyrics that recall Nick Cave"
RHYTHMS MAGAZINE

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"Poignant and mysterious"
MAVERICK MAGAZINE UK

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"guitar that sounds very much in the style of Marc Ribot"
RHYTHMS MAGAZINE

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"one of Australia's emerging songwriters"

​Tone Deaf​

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"Guitarist to Watch"

Australian Guitar Magazine

 

"decidedly Australian, a down-to-earth gritty edge"

The Box

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"Authentic and impressive"

DAVE RUBY HOWE, TRIPLE J UNEARTHED MUSIC DIRECTOR

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"Drawing Circles is a glorious cinematic journey, harnessing life’s irregular swells"

THE MUSIC

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"the narrative-fuelled prose of Paul Kelly"

Beat Magazine

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"a fine exponent of roots Americana"

​Rhythms Magazine​​

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"​a delicate heart and crisp guitar"

The AU Review

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BIO

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AUSTRALIAN SINGER-SONGWRITER

LUTHIER & TRUTH SEEKER

 

Nigel Wearne - LOOK UP more background.jpg

 

"warmth flecked with grit...beauty awaits"
          rolling stone

​

"the arranging chutzpuh of Ennio Morricone, vocal swagger of Van Morrison and dark spirituality and intelligence of Nick Cave"​​

             the weekend australian

​

Nigel Wearne saunters after dark in the music of the night, blending blues, jazz and Americana-noir. Hailing from Gunditjmara country in the deep south of Australia, he's a guitarist and multi-instrumentalist with diverse influences such as Nick Cave, Tom Waits and Rickie Lee Jones. A deep thinker and truth seeker with a penchant for all things peculiar, he sings of human frailty, grace and the cosmos; songwriting that cuts to the bone.

 

Nigel has toured Australia, New Zealand, the US, UK and Canada and he's performed at a long list of festivals including Hardly Strictly Bluegrass (USA), MerleFest (USA), Philadelphia Folk Festival (USA), Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion (USA), Cambridge Folk Festival (UK) and the Adelaide Guitar Festival (Australia).

 

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 Australia's AMRAP Charts. His latest offering The Reckoning received back-to-back nominations for Best Blues Work at the 2023 & 2024 Music Victoria Awards, a 4-STAR review in The Weekend Australian and had two songs selected as finalists (top #10) in the International Songwriting Competition.

 

Rollicking, rumbling, sneering and reflective, The Reckoning is a full band explosion of songs, stories and musical mayhem; Gretsch electric guitar, horns, reeds, Hammond organ, drums and bass. All the while, Wearne's crooning, cutting, monolithic vocal keeps lyricism and poetry at the forefront. Think after dark jazz club meets Ennio Morricone with a dose of soul. An enlivening experience that inhabits the after-dark realms of blues, jazz and rock 'n roll; this is Americana-noir.

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"intoxicating New Orleans-tinged Americana... a bit of Waits, some Early James and C.W. Stoneking" POST TO WIRE


"tailor made for fans of Tom Waits... with fire and brimstone lyrics that recall Nick Cave"  RHYTHMS MAGAZINE

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Check out Nigel's luthier work HERE.

UPCOMING ACTIVITY

2024 – Folk, Rhythm & Life
2025 – Cygnet Folk Festival

2025 – Cobargo Folk Festival

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2024/2023 HIGHLIGHTS

2024 – Hardly Strictly Bluegrass (USA), Philadelphia Folk Festival (USA), Blissfest (USA), Master Musicians Festival (USA), Mile of Music (USA)

2024 – USA Fall Tour

2024 – USA Summer Tour

2024 – UK Winter Tour

2024 – UK Americana Music Week OFFICIAL Showcase

2024 – Your Roots Are Showing OFFICIAL Showcase (Ireland)

​2023 – International Songwriting Competition Finalist (Top #10) – Best Video 'To The Edge'​

2023 – AmericanaFest OFFICIAL Showcase (USA)

2023 – UK Americana Music Week OFFICIAL Showcase

2023 – Folk Alliance International OFFICIAL Showcase (USA)

2023 – Music Victoria Awards Nominee – Best Blues Work

2023 Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion (USA), MerleFest (USA), Old Settlers Music Festival (USA), Mile of Music (USA), Cambridge Folk Festival (UK)

2023 – USA Spring, Summer & Fall Tours (x3)

2023 – UK Winter & Summer Tours (x2)


CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

2022 – International Songwriting Competition Finalist (Top #10) – Best Video 'Black Behind The Blue'

2022 – Music Victoria Awards Nominee – Best Folk Work for 'Above The Bit'

2022 – Australian Folk Music Awards Finalist – Contemporary Album of The Year for 'Above The Bit'

2022 – Folk Alliance International OFFICIAL Showcase*Virtual

2021 Folk Unlocked Showcase*Virtual

2020 Folk Alliance International Showcase, New Orleans USA

2020 – Canadian Winter Tour

2019 – Folk Music Ontario Showcase, Toronto CANADA

2019 – Canadian Fall Tour

2019 – Folk Alliance International OFFICIAL Showcase, Montreal CANADA

2019 – Canadian Winter Tour

2017 – Triple j Unearthed Winner – Port Fairy Folk Festival Competition

2017 – New Zealand Tour

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FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS

2024 – Hardly Strictly Bluegrass (USA), Philadelphia Folk Festival (USA), Blissfest (USA), Master Musicians Festival (USA), Mile of Music (USA), Port Fairy Folk Festival, Matsumura Blues Festival

2023 Cambridge Folk Festival (UK), MerleFest (USA), Mile of Music Festival (USA), Old Settlers Music Festival (USA), Healesville Music Festival

2022 – Adelaide Guitar Festival, Cobargo Folk Festival, The River Folk Festival, Dorrigo Folk & Bluegrass Festival

2021 – Port Fairy Folk Festival March 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, Bendigo Blues & Roots Festival, 2 Worlds

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

MUSIC

REVIEWS

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        THE WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN

The Reckoning Album Review - November 2023

 

RHYTHMS MAGAZINE

The Reckoning Album Review - November 2023

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yorkshire post

The Reckoning Album Review - January 2024

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THE MUSIC - HOWZAT

Drawing Circles Album Review - May 2017

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RHYTHMS MAGAZINE

Drawing Circles Album Review - November 2016

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JOELENE: THE COUNTRY MUSIC BLOG

Drawing Circles Album Review - November 2016

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        Rolling Stone

Black Crow Album Review - January 2013

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RHYTHMS MAGAZINE

Black Crow Album Review - November 2012

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UNPAVED

Black Crow Album Review - November 2012

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