Celebrating country women in music

By Lachlan Ellis

A new festival celebrating regional female musicians is kicking off this weekend, bringing live music, an interactive workshop, and more to Ballan.

The inaugural Wild Indigo Festival will run from 10 am to 4 pm at the Mechanics Hall on Sunday 5 March, and will feature some of Victoria’s finest artists, including rising star Harmony Byrne, multi-instrumentalists Stella Savvy, and singer-songwriter Milla Williams.

The event will begin with a smoking ceremony and welcome by Wadawurrung woman Tammy Gilson, and will also serve to connect artists and launch the ‘Victorian Regional Women in Music Network’.

The Festival’s co-organiser, Heather Marsh – who performs under the artist name Breckin – said it was an honour to help bring the talent of regional women in music to the fore.

“The idea for the Festival really came from a group of country women who live in the regions, who’ve been getting together informally to network and support each other’s music careers. Following on from the fantastic Hide + Seek Festival in Moorabool last year, I applied for a small grant from Moorabool Shire Council for an event to coincide with International Women’s Day…that’s how Wild Indigo has come about,” Ms Marsh told the Moorabool News.

“I feel so delighted and privileged to be involved in this event. We have incredible talent in the country, incredible talent in the regions of Victoria, and yet regional women in music face some unique challenges. I think it’s really great to celebrate the amazing music they make, expose them to new audiences, and bring the community together to celebrate their talent and their achievements.”

Discussions on running the Festival started midway through last year, and following the successful grant application from Council, St Anne’s Winery, McGrath Real Estate, and the Mechanics Hall all got on board to support the event.

“It feels like the whole community is getting behind this now. As soon as we started telling people about Wild Indigo, the first question was, will we be running it yearly. I guess we’ll see how this first one goes,” Ms Marsh said.

“There are regional halls around Victoria that are known as live music venues. There’s Meeniyan Town Hall and Anglesea Town Hall, where people will come from all over the state because they know that venue hosts great artists. I think this is an opportunity to explore in ballan what’s possible for us as a creative town, to promote ourselves.

“So much is going on with the arts in this town. I think it’s a way to really put Ballan on the map, not just through Wild Indigo, but all the other great stuff that’s happening in the visual arts space, the Hide + Seek Festival, and that sort of thing.”

Tickets are available by donation; however, booking is essential. To book, head to events.humanitix.com/wild-indigo.

Tables of six are also available for $50, and tables of eight for $70. Refreshments available or bring your own.