Australian Stars Visible in Tønder
De kommer fra Sydney og suser ud i verden til udsolgte koncerter. Bandet Sons Of The East står på scenen på Tønder Festival 2025.
They come from Sydney and are selling out concert venues round the world.
The band Sons of the East are performing at Tønder Festival 2025.
The programme for next year's Tønder Festival is beginning to take shape, now that five international and a Danish name have been added. From Australia, we have the trio Sons of the East, whose convincing indie folk pop music is earning them an international reputation.
Good News from Canada
The Canadian fiddler and singer Natalie MacMaster is returning to Tønder Festival. She was here three times in the 1990s; this time with her husband and musical partner Donnell Leahy. Also from Canada comes The Lonesome Ace Stringband with their original mix of old-time, bluegrass and folk. Last but not least, Tønder Festival welcomes the up-and-coming duo Quote the Raven, from eastern Canada.
Scots and Danish
The folk music traditions of Scotland are in the good hands of The Langan Band, who nonetheless are not above transgressing these very traditions to introduce other styles into their music. From Denmark we have a man who has made his indelible mark on the Danish music scene: Michael Falch, who has released Drømmene (The Dreams), a new, highly-praised album, returns to Tønder with his new band Zonen.
THE MUSICIANS:
Sons of the East (AUS)
A band on the threshold of greatness, Sons of the East are from Sydney, Australia and they are attracting world-wide attention to their appealing indie folk pop and confident songwriting. The band has Nic Johnson on keyboard, guitar, and vocal; Jack Rollins on guitar and vocal, and Dan Wallage on guitar, banjo and vocal. The three musicians grouped in 2011 and have gradually climbed the rungs, releasing a series of singles, three EPs and an album. This latter is Palomar Parade (2022), which gave the band a considerable boost, winning good reviews and access to stages and festivals around the world. Sons of the East can brag of 300 million online streams and sellout concerts in Australia, USA and Europe. Critics note their fine songs, mixing folk and country and their excellent live concerts. The British music blog Clunk Magazine writes that their album Palomar Parade feels more like a classic than a debut and is reminiscent of Van Morrison, Bob Dylan and Garth Brooks. Their only Danish festival in 2025.
Natalie MacMaster & Donnell Leahy (CAN)
In the mid-nineties, fiddler Natalie MacMaster was in the vanguard of the young generation of traditional musicians from Cape Breton, on Canada's eastern seaboard. The music was brought to the island by Scots exiles who settled and fostered the growth of their traditions. Natalie MacMaster inherited the music from her father, the legendary fiddler Buddy MacMaster. She first appeared at Tønder Festival in 1995. The fast reels delighted the Tønder audiences, and in the following years, the young Cape Breton musicians were a constant hit at the festival. Amog them was Ashley MacIsaac, Natalie MacMaster's cousin. Natalie MacMaster has several JUNO nominations to her name, and has twice won the award for Best Instrumental Album, in 1999 and 2000. She was also nominated for an American Grammy prize in the category Best Traditional Album for My Roots Are Showing from 2000. Since the turn of the millenium, Natalie MacMaster has been married to fiddler Donnell Leahy, who enjoyed great success with the Leahy family band. In 2023, the couple released the album Canvas, on which Grammy winner Rhiannon Giddens also plays. Her only festival in Denmark in 2025.
The Lonesome Ace Stringband (CAN)
The Canadian trio the Lonesome Ace Stringband know their music history, and can join the dots between old-time, bluegrass and folk music. This is where new, original material meets deep americana roots, sounding both timeless and incitingly fresh. John Showman, violin, and vocal; Chris Coole, clawhammer banjo and vocal, and Lotus Wight, double bass and vocal, master both dance-friendly, uptempo numbers and quiet ballads. All three sing and they always cut to the chase, be the song about climate change, love, barbecue subtleties or life's existential questions. The Lonesome Ace Stringband are one of these bands who have played together so long that they think and act like one entity. They have spent thousands of hours together on stage. In 2007, they began playing at Toronto's legendary Dakota Tavern, where they could easily fit in ten sets in a weekend. They were the regular house band there for seven years so they were well played in before they recorded their first album and went on the road. Their most recent album is Try To Make It Fly from 2023. The Lonesome Ace Stringband played in Denmark in 2019. This time, it's Tønder Festival. Their only Danish festival in 2025.
Quote the Raven (CAN)
The Canadian duo Quote the Raven sing charming americana songs, according to both audiences and music reviewers not only in their home patch in eastern Canada, but also in USA and Europe. Quote the Raven is Kirsten Rodden-Clark, vocal, and Jordan Coaker, vocal and guitar. They met in a choir in 2011 and were encouraged to sing together, since their voices fit each other admirably. Their vocal harmonies are irresistible, as clear as crystal, and when the songs, which refer to the north American roots tradition, are of such high quality, then it is not surprising that they attract audiences. Quote the Raven began singing in bars and small venues over ten years ago. More recently, their tours have taken them all over Canada, and to USA and Germany. Their album Can’t Hold the Light from 2021, in particular, has been beneficial for their career. In 2022, the album won a prize for Contemporary Roots Album of the Year at the Canadian ECMA (East Coast Music Association) Awards and was nominated in two categories at the Canadian Folk Musik Awards. Their only Danish festival in 2025.
The Langan Band (SCO)
Scots traditions meet American old-time, eastern European gypsy swing and globale jazz in The Langan Band. During the group's 15 year existence, their career has advanced hugely. They now tour in USA and other places, and autumn 2024 is earmarked for an extensive Scandinavian and German tour with another Scottish band, Fara (well known to Tønder Festival's audiences). The Langan Band is John Langan, vocal, guitar and percussion; Alastair Caplin, vocal and violin; and Dave Tunstall, vocal and double bass. They compose most of the music themselves, with more than a nod to traditional Scottish folk music, but they are not shy of crossing conventional limits and introducing other styles and fresh creative ideas into the mix. On stage, these three virtuosi reveal a whole palette of musical inspiration and deliver a captivating show, their distinctive vocal harmonies to the fore. Their latest album Plight o’ Sheep from 2023, was very well reviewed by the music magazines Mojo and Songlines, among others. Their only Danish festival in 2025.
MICHAEL FALCH & ZONEN (DK)
After recent years' success with a MALURT tour, solo work in 2023 and a tour with his colleague Poul Krebs, Michael Falch now turns his hand to something else: he starts a new rock band with an eye to summer 2025. MICHAEL FALCH & ZONEN, they call it. Michael Falch's latest album from October 2024, Drømmene (The Dreams), has been crowned with critical acclaim, and he is following up with a trio tour with cellist Live Johansson and Mikkel Reumert Damgaard on keyboards. The summer of 2025 will see a tour with the full ZONEN band. Besides Live Johansson and Mikkel Reumert Damgaard, the group numbers guitarist Søren Koch, who played for years in Falch's backing band, Boat Man Love. The rhythm section has Jesper Haugaard, formerly regular bassist with Kim Larsen in Kjukken, and drummer Jesper Elnegaard, who has studio form with Falch. For many years, Michael Falch had Neil Young's title Rust never sleeps as a theme. Falch, now 68, singer, author, and occasional actor, spent part of his youth in Tønder in the 70s. Now he is more in demand than ever, so he and his songs won't be rusting just yet.
Tønder Festival 2025 – so far:
Sons Of The East (AUS), Natalie McMaster & Donnell Leahy (CAN), Elephant Sessions (SCO), Oysterband (ENG), Rikke Thomsen (DK), Melissa Carper (USA), Fantastic Negrito (USA), Adeem The Artist (USA), The Lonesome Ace Stringband (CAN), The Langan Band (SCO), Quote the Raven (CAN), Michael Falch & Zonen (DK)
Tønder Festival 27th, 28th, 29th and 30th August 2025
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Tickets: www.tf.dk
News
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The kings of British folk rock, Oysterband, bid their farewells as a live band with an extensive tour, culminating in a final concert at Tønder Festival 2025.
Outstanding Commitment Over 50 Years
Thursday, October 10, 2024, marked a special day for Tønder Festival, as dedicated volunteers were honored for their outstanding commitment over 50 years.
Applications for musicians are now open.
It is now possible for bands and musicians to apply to perform at Tønder Festival 2025.
