Billy Bragg to play Port Fairy Folk Festival

Bragg is not the only big-name on the first Folkie performer announcement, with popular Australian act The Waifs and festival favourite Steve Poltz joining him.

Tickets go on sale to Folkie subscribers on Friday, with subscription enrolment at the festival's website.

It will be Bragg's first appearance at the Folkie, but he will have some familiar faces around him, as The Waifs supported him way back on his 2002 UK tour.

Bragg is considered one of the most important voices of his generation, using his music to project commentary on social issues in the UK in the 1980s and '90s. He remains a prominent performer, releasing his newest album, The Million Things That Never Happened, late last year.

The Folkie has played an important part in the careers of The Waifs and Poltz, with both acts beloved at the festival, which will be held on the weekend of March 10-13.

The Waifs were an emerging act when they first appeared at the festival is 1997, with the 2023 event to be their eleventh time playing Port Fairy.

For Poltz, 2023 will be his fourth time in Port Fairy, having made his debut at the iconic event in 2015.

His return will be highly anticipated, with an injection of a sharp wit and talent for storytelling between his musical offerings making him a must-see for many.

The festival is coming off a successful 2022, when all tickets sold out.

After COVID-19 restricted access to some international performers this year, festival program director Justin Rudge said 2023 was on track to be bigger and better than ever.

"After the joyous return of the Folkie earlier this year, I am thrilled to reveal the first line-up for what is promising to be a huge festival in 2023," Rudge said.

"Next year will see the return to a full-strength program, brimming with a diverse range of styles and genres, and featuring the best musical talent from Australia and around the globe."

Other artists included in the first 2023 performer announcement include 19-Twenty, Eric Bibb, Gina Williams and Guy Ghouse, Inn Echo, John Smith and Mary Coughlan.

From County Galway, Coughlan has been a prominent performer in her native Ireland since her debut album in 1987.

She has played twice at Port Fairy, the last of those performances in pre-pandemic 2019.

Bibb is a US-born blues musician who has a Grammy nomination on his CV. His return to Port Fairy has been long-awaited, with his last appearance in 2007.