Irish-convict-noir trio Witches Leap will play Bellingen on Friday October 5 as part of their regional tour.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The trio combines the richness of Uilleann Pipes with wooden Irish flute, prog-folk bouzouki and stompbox to filter traditional Irish music through the hanging swamps and mythology of their Blue Mountains home.
With a line-up that has performed at major folk festivals across Australia, Witches Leap’s originals sing to the heart of Australia’s identity and history: Folk-punk tales of black bushrangers and rum-soaked redcoats give way to convict-gospel sing-alongs and lively Irish polkas.
Witches Leap showcases the rarely seen Uilleann Pipes, the traditional bagpipe of Ireland: A much gentler and darker instrument than the more famous Scottish counterparts, the Irish pipes evoke both the haunting tones of Ireland and the driving energy of Celtic music. Keeping traditions alive, this unique trio build on the past with original jigs and reels inspired by the Australia’s landscape and identity: from the stories of the black heroes of the resistance wars to the winding back-roads of the Blue Mountains.
“It feels like there’s a bit of a songline linking Bellingen and our home in the Blue Mountains,” says Witches Leap singer and piper, Paddy Connor, who last performed in Bello with folk-grass band Lime and Steel, “we are really excited to come and be part of that sweet connection.”
Witches Leap perform at 5 Church St, Bellingen on Friday, October 5 from 2pm. Tickets are $15, with presales available at the venue.