Taking a walk through its halls during this year's festival, weaving through the surge of Stetson hats, press stud shirts and sparkling belt buckles, you almost couldn't help but trip over a sterling up-and-coming songwriter.

There seemed to be a special and significant emphasis on home-grown talent at the Tamworth this year as well.

Charlie Collins and Andy Golledge had triumphant homecoming gigs supported by local legends Allison Forbes, Sally-Anne Whitten and Quirindi's Ben Leece.

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The rich vein of country talent which has bubbled-up from the New England region in recent years caught the eyes and ears of alt-country rocker and radio host Henry Wagons.

Wagons, host of Double J's Tower of Song, took up residency at the Tamworth during festival gathering tales, tall and true, about the city's music scene.

"There is a stereotype of Tamworth of the guy on Peel Street with a chicken on his head and an Akubra," Wagons told the Leader.

"There is a dad and his daughter playing along to bad midi tracks playing Folsom Prison Blues.

"But that's what you get on the news, or some tabloid coverage of Tamworth, there is so much more to it and I am keen to show that."

"The first time, I wasn't sure what to expect, but what I saw was a lot of incredible musicians playing incredible songs; strange, charming, whimsical, funny songs.

"I could always get myself a good parma and hear a good yarn and there was no other place like it."

Wagons will air his festival special on Double J later this week.

He described the Tamworth Hotel as a frontier for alt-country in the local scene.

"This seems to be a bit of hub for all of the beautiful and talented alternative country rat bags," he said.

"I think there is a lot of people playing here at the Tamworth Hotel that are kind of pushing the frontier of what country music is."

Alt-country has far-reaching, and soft borders, incorporating rock, blues, folk and, of course, good old-fashioned "twang".

Wagons said it could be the "gateway drug" of country music and Tamworth was reflecting a global interest which sharpened on country's alternate edges.

"When I first came to Tamworth about 10 years ago now, there was a little alt-country night, like once a week at a small venue that was crammed," Wagons said.

"That built and built and now, there is no longer a alternative country night because there is a venue that constantly has it."

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