ANDY Golledge will be nursing a special drink during the country music festival.
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The alt-country singer has made a homecoming for the festival and while he's dropping some new tunes at the Tamworth Hotel, it's his drinking he hopes people would notice.
The former Tamworth-boy has been shocked by the water crisis in his hometown and called on people to be more mindful of their usage.
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He considered not coming to this year's festival, but decided instead he'd make some effort to lessen his impact on the local water supply.
Golledge brought 60 litres of drinking water from his home in Sydney to last him and his partner while they're in Tamworth over the next three days.
"We decided to leave the dog at home, so we got dog water now as well," he said with a laugh.
Golledge even avoided tapping into Sydney's supply as he was able to collect rainwater to take on the road to Tamworth.
He put the call out to other artists travelling to Tamworth to follow suit this year.
Artists with connections to the region have jumped on board including Billie Porter and Ben Leece.
He hoped his #BYOH2O campaign would at least shed some light on the dwindling water supplies in Tamworth and through the state.
"It is heavy to think about it," he said.
"But you can do positive things and have a positive outlook because it all starts with us.
"The government ain't going to do shit about it.
"It starts with us; it starts with one person."
Watching Tamworth's water woes unfold from afar, Golledge said he had become more conscious and mindful of his water use.
"I love this festival and Tamworth, but I also grew up fishing the Peel River, which is now in serious trouble due to the water supply situation," he said.
"The festival is so great for the community, so there's no way I'd miss it, but I think I should do my bit to lessen my impact and encourage other artists to do the same."
Tamworth is currently on level 5 water restrictions with the city's main supply, Chaffey Dam, falling below 13 per cent capacity this week.
Golledge will be performing at The Tamworth from Jan 23-26.