Festival Artist Focus: Charm Of Finches

Answered by: Mabel Windred-Wornes

Which festivals can we find you at? We are playing at the Queenscliff Music Festival in Victoria. We can't wait to play this awesome festival.

Sum up in five words your typical festival season experience. Driving. Camping. Singing. Collaborating. Jamming.

What’s the weirdest thing you’ve seen at a festival? The sniffer dogs! They were hilarious - two people dressed up in full body, fluffy sniffer dog costumes. They were carrying walkie-talkies and basically barking a lot! We saw them at the Blue Mountains Festival earlier this year.

Name your top five essentials you can’t live without while on the festival circuit? Gold jumpsuit - self-explanatory. Capo - must remember the capo. My little Martin guitar. My sister Ivy - can't live without her harmonies, plus she remembers which fret to put the capo on. Ivy's bright red lipstick - she gets grumpy when she forgets it.

What’s been your favourite backstage moment during a festival? At Cygnet Folk Festival in Tasmania, at the final concert at the end of the weekend, we were wildly dancing choreographed Beyonce moves with Monique Clare during Japanese-Irish-trad band John John Festival's set. Someone drew the curtains back and the audience went a bit crazy! Such fun!

What are your festivalgoer pet peeves, the things you wish people wouldn’t do at a fest? We hate it when people talk loudly throughout intimate acoustic gigs. Why do people do that? Luckily that rarely happens at folk festivals, and Ivy has a special death stare for those who trespass, which usually works to stop it!

Three songs that are on your festival pump up playlist? Dan Parsons' Dream On Lover - best driving music around. The Ahern Brothers' Comb That River - excellent singalong/vocal warm-up. One Up, Two Down's version of the old cowboy tune Bury Me Not On The Old Prairie - we cry and then our makeup runs.

Aussie weather can be a hectic force come festival season. So, if you had to choose: mud pit or dust bowl? (and why?) Mud pit - we don't want to breathe in that dust! Plus Woodford Folk Festival in Queensland is a bit of a mud pit at times, but nobody gives a damn 'cause it's an amazing festival.

Which acts are you most excited to catch during your festival season? Sarah Blasko at Queenscliff! We adore her voice and her songs. Kasey Chambers of course! We opened for her years ago at the Murwillumbah Country Roots Festival when we were pretty young and were a bit awestruck! We hung out with her kids backstage. She's just so great!

Website for more info: charmoffinchesband.com