Sing a Song of Sixpence event at Jeparit and Watchem | Photos

The weekend of January 29 to 30 saw the Hindmarsh Hotel in Jeparit and the catholic church in Watchem host Sing a Song of Sixpence, which brought together five songwriters in an intimate live session.

The lineup included former Leonardo's Bride vocalist Abby Dobson, alt-country artist Freya Josephine Hollick, roots musician Grim Fawker, and the Wimmera's own Danny Walsh.

Tour organiser and musician Craig Johnston, also known as Delsinki, also performed at the event.

He said he was impressed by the level of community support behind the event in both of the towns.

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"Knowing that Danny Walsh was from the Wimmera I called him up and he mentioned that the (Watchem) church was a possibility.

"I realised that it was only about an hour from Jeparit so we put the two dates together and that is how it came about.

"The community response has been good. People had been putting posters up around the place."

The event saw the five songwriters and accompanying instrumentalists sit in a musical circle to perform stripped-back, acoustic renditions of their songs.

Sing a Song of Sixpence initially began at the Memo Music Hall in St Kilda, and has since embarked on a tour across regional Victoria.

Mr Johnston said he was pleased with the turnout at the Watchem and Jeparit shows, despite concerns about COVID restrictions impacting the event.

"I think it is a really weird time at the moment for people coming out. There is a lot of fear around the virus which is understandable.

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"We were all extremely nervous, just one person needed to get COVID, and if it was one of the performers then that changes everything. You can get another player, but some people come especially to see artists like Freya Hollick or Grim Fawkner.

"At the church, we just opened up all the doors and windows, it was like a great big vent. We capped it at 60 tickets, which was well underneath the capacity of the venue.

"You do what you can do really. It was a mildly stressful time, but during and after the gigs made it all worth it, especially in Jeparit and Watchem."

Sing a Song of Sixpence will continue its tour across regional Victoria with a performance at The Old Church on the Hill in Bendigo on February 11.

Hot off the release of a new album, Mr Johnston said he hopes to return to the Wimmera in April or May - and has plans for another Sing a Song of Sixpence in the region in June.

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