The Hillbilly Goats at The Courthouse Theatre, Bright VIC

Kick yer shoes off, put yer hoe-down and hang on to yer britches! Them Hillbilly Goats from Far North Queensland are pure-bred purveyors of old-time Appalachian mountain music, bringin’ high-energy shows packed with banjo, fiddle, bones, double bass, harmonica, three-part harmonies and a splash of tap dancin’.

Just crowned 2026 Australian Folk Band of the Year, these rootin’-tootin’ festival favourites also took home the same People’s Choice honour back in 2022, plus the 2020 Golden Fiddle Award and four Golden Guitar finalist nods for bluegrass recordings (2016, 2017, 2019 and 2020). Earlier on they were multiple Best Local Group winners at the Cairns Post Hit Awards.

Their mission is simple: strip back modern layers and haul audiences back to the Scots-Irish settlers of the Appalachian Mountains. Expect award-nominated originals alongside traditional tunes from 1710 right through to the 1940s, all delivered with a quirky, foot-stompin’ edge that traces mountain music’s evolution into blues, country and bluegrass.

They’ve lit up major stages across Australia and all over the world, turnin’ every gig into a lively shindig full of stories, history and that unmistakable hillbilly spirit. Ain’t no ordinary band – the Hillbilly Goats are a full-blown show that’ll have yer boots dancin’ and yer heart singin’ long after the last note.