Matinée Performance: The Maes

The Maes bring modern folk to life with lush harmonies and acoustic mastery on guitar, mandolin, fiddle and banjo. Born in Victoria, Australia, the sisters grew up immersed in a melting pot of music from around the world washed up on stolen land. The Maes are outstanding live, with engaging storytelling and spinetingling harmonies. The sisters draw their audience in like your sweetest and scariest friend. With echoes of Gillian Welch and The Waifs, there is a timeless luminescence and simplicity to the songwriting and sound of Maggie and Elsie Rigby. As well as selling out headline shows around the country and overseas, their international festival appearances include appearances at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival (USA) Edmonton Folk Festival (Canada) Celtic Connections Festival (UK) and Woodford Folk Festival (Aus). The band's fourth studio album, 'Abreast' was released in August 2025 and was supported by a tour of the UK opening for Grace Petrie as well as playing the Shetland and Orkney Folk Festivals. The Maes also celebrated the album's release by curating a one-day folk-festival-style event, 'Abreastival' in Castlemaine's iconic Theatre Royal. The band's previous albums, 2019's self-titled record and 2017's Take Care, Take Cover won the Music Victoria, Folk/Roots Album of the Year among a host of other accolades. I?ve always had such love for The Maes! Their timeless sound is always sung with such sincerity and emotion straight from the heart. ? Josh Teskey simply superb ? The Australian quite simply breathtaking ? Rhythms Magazine