Folk artist to play Old Church

MALMSBURY’S Lucy Wise will perform an intimate solo show at the Old Church on the Hill this Sunday.

Wise, from Margaret River in Western Australia, grew up surrounded by music and got her first taste of performing when she was seven as part of The Wise Family Band.

She developed a love of acoustic music and began finding her own sound, eventually settling in central Victoria and touring three albums internationally.

Her latest tour, Taking Heart, has seen her play the east coast of Australia in her first performances since before the COVID-19 pandemic.

“There’s a really special sort of magic that happens when you’re on stage in a real venue playing for people,” she said.

“You can see the smiles on people’s faces, people nodding and grooving along with the music and having a laugh with you.”

Wise said her music is inspired by the folk sounds she grew up with, with warm melodies, heartfelt lyrics, and topics such as love, old friendships, the environment, and body image.

On stage she plays an open-tuned guitar, ukulele, and Appalachian dulcimer, all of which were hand-made by her luthier dad Scott Wise.

“The instruments play a big role in my music, they all have a character of their own and it’s very special to play an instrument made by a family member,” she said.

Wise was nominated in the Best Folk Act category at the 2021 Music Victoria Awards for her song Broadbeans and is currently working on her fourth album set to be released in March next year.

Catch her at the Old Church on the Hill on Sunday, 25 September from 5pm, supported by Luke Watt. Tickets at lucywise.com.au.