Her clever lyrics, caramel voice, acoustic guitar and charango (Bolivian Mandolin) are nicely salted with comrade Stuart Atkin’s man-voice and guitar.

On tour from Melbourne, the duo have supported the likes of Blues legend Lloyd Spiegel and Sally Dastey, performing at iconic Melbourne venues like Ruby’s and Folk festivals such as the National, Kangaroo Valley and Yackandandah.

With two EPs under belt (Me You Kitchen Now & Love it Lost it Drunk it Found it) plus a new album with the band out in November, Melissa and Stuart present their stripped back traveling show for your heartstrings and funnybones.

www.melissamain.com

They represent an exciting direction in Latin / jazz mixed with world music influences, exploring a wide range of styles and genres from breezy Bossa Novas to fiery improvised virtuosity.

Each instrumentalist is a master of his medium and the results are imaginative, mesmerising and highly evocative.

Urban Gypsies Quartet have been performing for over 15 years at numerous concerts, festivals, clubs and special events. They have supported Buena Vista Social Club, Cassandra Wilson, and many more world famous acts. They have held residencies and concerts in exclusive Sydney venues including The Basement, The Vanguard, Venue 505, Camelot, Cafe Sydney, SIMA, the Ivy, Riverside Theatre and the Establishment.

They have released three highly acclaimed Albums to date: Gypsy Fever (2000), Sauvage (2003) and Beautiful Catastrophe (2009). The fourth Album “Samsara” is due for release in early 2014.

www.urbangypsies.org

Cousteau were a London-based outfit who emerged on the scene in 1998, gained considerable success for a few years but have remained inactive since 2005.

Sometimes referred to as a cross between David Bowie and Burt Bacharach, the band had a pretty cool sound and they made it big in Europe and the US, while also enjoying significant high praise and recognition here in Australia.

Their 1999 home-made, self-titled, debut album sold out straight away, helped by a ripper five-star review in Uncut magazine. When the album was re-released the following year it was named album of the week in London's The Guardian and sold more than 230,000 copies internationally. The band's second album Sirena was released in 2002 and sold more than 80,000 copies, while receiving accolades from Rolling Stone, Billboard, USA Today,The New York Times and The Sydney Morning Herald.

But lo and behold, Cousteau's frontman Liam McKahey has taken up residence in Canberra and has put together a whole new band that aims to impress.

In 2009, McKahey released a solo album as Liam McKahey and the Bodies. The album was called Lonely Road. He is now building the Bodies into a local outfit with a bunch of local musicians, including the very impressive Canberran Jenny Spear on guitar.

The band write and play beautiful songs of love, loss, opiates, trains and outlaws. A mix of Americana/blues/rock reminiscent of Johnny Cash, Lee Hazlewood, Nick Cave and Scott Walker.

www.liammckaheyandthebodies.com