Woodfordia Inc
presents
Festival of Small Halls Resilience Tour 2022: New South Wales
featuring Melanie Horsnell (AUS) and Ash & Sara (AUS)
Officially, Melanie Horsnell lists her home as Candelo – one of those little townships speckled on the map through the far south coast of New South Wales. The kind of place we’ve probably all dreamt about running away to, where we’d indulge our creative sides and wake up to the sound of the currawongs or willie wagtails every morning.
Known for her emotive melodies and powerful lyrics, Melanie’s performances will thread together 20 years of or writing and performing for her first solo acoustic performance of all original material, delivered in the one-woman-and-one-guitar format that Melanie has taken to living rooms and street corners, festival tents and small bars, and theatre stages she’s shared with the likes of Glen Hansard, Jason Mraz, Bernard Fanning, and Sarah Blasko among others. She was also recently a part of the Golden Guitar nominated band The New Graces.
Her latest album Trobairitz very well be the first Australian record named for the 13th century female troubadours of Occitania – those weird and wonderful borderlands where French, Spanish, and Italian cultures overlap. These are late night lullabies and buskers dreams. Recorded by ARIA-winning Australian producer, Paul McKercher, ensuring the clarity of the emotions and messages being revealed. They are songs from from many times and places: Maybe just a little of that 10-year-old in an oversized Akrubra strumming on Manly Esplanade for tourists’ coins, some of the loneliness of being broke and eating Weetbix and cabbage mixed together as dreams were chased through Europe, loves coming and going, and perhaps even the odd thrill of hearing one your songs soundtracking a Bonds undies ad. But never less than honest, open, and feeling.
“It’s a joy to listen to because for this troubadour there’s nothing to prove, just stories to tell, and the pleasures of sharing them.”
Bernard Zuel
“Horsnell is a songwriting gem, shining light on everyday life with gentle accuracy.”
Stephen Fitzpatrick, The Australian
“Melanie creates great, even classic acoustic pop”
Michael Smith, Drum Media
Sara and Ash are merged from two enduring independent musical careers. When former Starboard Cannons frontman Ashley Bell and well-known independent songwriter Sara Tindley considered forming a musical duo, their only criteria was that the project must be fun and beautiful. The delicate, moving and thought-provoking songs performed by these two larrikins at heart delivers on both in spades – fun, beautiful, and truly moving.
The musical collaboration of these two friends was born out of a shared disillusion with the “music industry” and a love of singing together, and has given rise to their debut EP “Going Out Clothes”, which as landed them on stages across Australia, with only guitar and banjo in hand.
This is great storytelling, fine writing and bare bones instrumentation. At its heart, it is the magical interplay of two great vocalists stripping things back to only the essential. It’s a distillation of longtime friends that is a timeless and compelling balm for these strange days.
Lyrically, Tindley shows shades of Paul Kelly & Tim Rogers while sticking to a Lucinda Williams-esque sound that’s about as sweet as anything that’s come out of the country for quite some time… compulsory listening for all supporters of Australian roots music
Dan Condon, TIME OFF
Bell has a way of painting portraits that are genuine and familiar, you believe every word he breathes is out of personal experience – both his and ours
Martin Jones, RHYTHMS
MEDIA RESOURCES

Woodfordia Inc presents Festival of Small Halls Resilience Tour 2022: New South Wales featuring Melanie Horsnell (AUS) and Ash & Sara (AUS)
Festival of Small Halls has announced that celebrated songwriters Ash Bell and Sara Tindley and emotive troubadour Melanie Horsnell will feature on the upcoming Resilience Tour 2022: New South Wales
MELANIE HORSNELL (AUS)
Officially, Melanie Horsnell lists her home as Candelo – one of those little townships speckled on the map through the far south coast of New South Wales. The kind of place we’ve probably all dreamt about running away to, where we’d indulge our creative sides and wake up to the sound of the currawongs or willie wagtails every morning.
To download a high quality image, please click here
ASH & SARA (AUS)
Sara and Ash are merged from two enduring independent musical careers. When former Starboard Cannons frontman Ashley Bell and well-known independent songwriter Sara Tindley considered forming a musical duo, their only criteria was that the project must be fun and beautiful. The delicate, moving and thought-provoking songs performed by these two larrikins at heart delivers on both in spades – fun, beautiful, and truly moving.
To download a high quality image, please click here

Festival of Small Halls events take place in venues operating under current government Covid Safe regulations, and has stringent Workplace Health and Safety requirements for all travelling artists and crew. Under the terms and conditions of all events, you must not attend if you have any symptoms of Covid-19.
Please do your bit to protect others and keep your community safe.

This is a Bushfire Community Recovery and Resilience Fund project through the joint Commonwealth/State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.
“Although funding for this product has been provided by both the Australian and NSW Governments, the material contained herein does not necessarily represent the views of either government.

