A politician isn't usually welcomed at many events but Woodford Folk Festival welcomes all types and that included Australia's current and former prime ministers at the country's largest outdoor music festival.

Ben Sollee has been changing minds all over the world with his soulful, folk music, with his vocals and instrumental compositions.

Spain's Los Coronas are heading to Australia this month, and will stick around for the New Year, performing at Pyramid Rock Festival, Sydney Festival, as well as a whole bunch of headlining shows. The AU review got to pick the brain of the band's guitarist, David Krahe, just before they start their whirlwind tour of our country.

While at Woodford Folk Festival, Phil Perez had a quick chat with a few of the performers at the festival. First up, the always wonderful, Sydney based musician Andy Bull.

As we hit the second day of 2012, we take a look back at how hundreds of thousands of music fans around Australia brought in 2012 through a string of events on New Years Eve and New Years Day.

I've arrived and settled in at Woodfordia for this years Woodford Folk Festival. Needless to say, I haven't so much hemp clothing product in one location! Apart form all that fashion craziness, all has been quiet of the perfomance front, except from the odd poet and person on stilts. However, I'm sure that will all change soon enough today.

Over the last few weeks, a pile of announcements have been made about events and festivals around the country. Here’s a round up of all the latest news - including the massive announcement from Peats Ridge Festival that they will be streaming the entire event live - a first in Australia!

Hitting Australia next week, we catch up with Mongolia's folk rock collective Hanggai.

How did Hanggai come together?

The Once have been around doing a whole heap of touring with a basic lineup of harmonic voices and acoustic instruments, and they've gradually grown a large following in their homeland with original stories woven within the lyrics of their songs.

Over the next few weeks at The AU Review we will be featuring a series of chats with performers playing the Woodford Folk Festival. Woodford Folk Festival has been is a quiet institution over the many years it’s been around, and while in more recent years the grounds of Woodfordia has hosted Splendour In The Grass, the area is more about entering a world dubbed 'Unreality' over one of the more relaxing or partying times of the year, New Years Eve.

Over 400 acts from across the world, will come together for the Woodford Folk Festival from the 27th December to the 1st January.

Festival Director Bill Hauritz described the programme as “a rootsy explosion of culture underpinned by enchantment and romance.”

The Queensland Folk Federation (QFF) has announced that The Dreaming Festival, 2011, will become an important and comprehensive component of this year's Woodford Folk Festival rather be held as a separate event over the Queen's Birthday long-weekend in June.

Folk had been arriving at the festival site since Christmas Day, so by Woodfordian standards we're late, landing the day after Boxing Day. Thanks to the well publicized Worst Flooding For Fifty Years in Queensland, we're swimming in delays all around and it's nightfall when we find a space that isn't swamped to make our home, sweet home.