The festival is full of quirky surprises and the annual Bread & Butter gig has become a must-see for those in the know.

The ultimate duets concert Bread & Butter is where festival programmer Kate Atkinson pairs up festival acts to cover a well-known song or collaborate on one of their own.

"Many of the Bread & Butter artists have never met before, let alone performed together but often they have admired each other's work," said Kate

"When pairing the artists together, I say there are no rules on what song they choose. The only guideline is to have fun. I ask them to not tell me. I am always blown away by their excellent and creative collaborations."

This year Bread and Butter at Bello will bring Laura Jean together with The Maes to blend beautiful harmonies, Melbourne's sonic maestros Pony Face will team up with vocal powerhouse Claire Anne Taylor, funk fem-hop outfit The Mamas will bump up against RnB cosmonauts Gold Member and ones-to-watch Alana Wilkinson and Feelds are bound to be a highlight - with many more surprise collaborations to be revealed on the day.

This gig is a festival favourite so get to the venue early to get a ringside seat!

Bread & Butter: Saturday 13 July, 4pm, Cedar Bar, Bellingen

On the Couch with Brian Nankervis

Another Bello favourite is when popular broadcaster and Rockwiz legend Brian Nankervis joins the festival for his 'On the Couch' sessions.

Brian invites performers to join him in the Cedar Bar for a song or two and an intimate chat. It's a great way to sample the diversity of the program. Brian kicks proceedings off with a little musical quizzing, before calling up the first of the performers. Always insightful and often hilarious, Brian's 'On the Couch' sessions reveal the stories behind the musicians.

"There's something special about Bellingen and this wonderful festival and whether I'm on the couch in the Cedar Bar, performing poetry in a hairdressing salon, walking by the river or dancing in the Memorial Hall, I feel very lucky and determined to put on the best show I can," said Brian.

On Saturday Brian will interview Tammi Savoy & Chris Casello on their first Australian visit from the US, singer songwriter Laura Jean and Leah Flanagan who recently toured with Yothu Yindi and the Treaty Project. On Sunday Brian will welcome Queensland Music Award winner Emily Wurramara, Tasmanian singer songwriter Claire Anne Taylor and members of Sydney-via-the-bayou outfit Psycho Zydeco.

On the Couch with Brian Nankervis: Saturday 13 & Sunday 14 July, 12:30pm, Cedar Bar, Bellingen

If you want to be a part of these unique experiences and much more you better get your mitts on tickets to Bello Winter Music (July 11-14) because they are selling fast!