Kirsty Lee Akers likened it to the Golden Guitars without the nerves. Which is perhaps what the organisers intended all along.
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During the Tamworth Country Music Festival more than 80 guests dressed up, and sat down to a four-course meal, fine wine and even better music at the festival’s gala dinner at the Tamworth Golf Club.
It is the sort of intimate event that is helping breathe new life into the festival.
Organiser Perrin Finlay-Brown confirmed that the event would be back next year, and reflected on this year’s first festival gala dinner when he spoke with Talkin’ Country this week.
It came about after Tamworth Golf Club CEO, Andrew Graham, approached Finlay-Brown looking for an event that could be held at the venue.
“He hit me up on Facebook about 18 months ago,” Finlay-Brown said. “And both of us being wine and food lovers, we came up with the idea to put on a high-end food event.”
Finlay-Brown also organises Country Music Cocktails on the first weekend of the festival, which, like the gala dinner, is an event aimed at bringing some glamour to the festival where people can wear their best dresses and suits.
“(It) gives artists and fans the chance to just have a party to start the festival on the first weekend,” Finlay-Brown said of Country Music Cocktails.
“From the fan perspective, they really got a taste of something unique, similar to what a Golden Guitars after-party feels like, where they’re rubbing shoulders with their favourite artists.”
The gala dinner took the concept one step further with top tier Yalumba wine (some worth $70-$80 a bottle), goat’s cheese onion cream among the entrees, mains consisting of braised beef short rib and smoked salmon fillet, followed by desserts of burnt orange cream and lemon cheesecake mousse.
“The festival needs variety, and a lot of people are scared to step out on that limb, because it costs money and there is risk to it, but with risk comes reward, as they say.
“I think a variety of events, and unconventional music events, will really thrive in the future when there is so much competition.”
2016 Star Maker finalist Hayley Jensen hosted the evening, and has already been locked in to perform the role at next year’s gala dinner.
Despite the success, Finlay-Brown admitted it wasn’t all smooth sailing leading up to the dinner.
“It’s pretty scary when you’re doing something like this that’s so out of the box, to see how people will respond, and three months out we were concerned about the numbers and the interest,” Finlay-Brown said.
“But the way it turned out, we had a great response, so we were pleasantly surprised.”