“When Michael Waugh opens his mouth, you should listen.”

– Andrew McMillen, The Australian

“As he does so rewardingly right across The Weir, Waugh shapes and colours his songs with the kind of unique Australian qualities associated with Tim Winton, Perry Keyes and Paul Kelly.”

– Rhythms Magazine

“Another masterclass in songwriting from Michael Waugh.”

–Shane Nicholson

“The Weir is a lyrical and musical tour de force. These songs have few equals in the current Australian music scene.”

– Eric Bogle



​“Michael Waugh’s words count for something. His songs are like falling into a movie. It’s a special thing to see a song. Michael’s ability - his gift - is to take tiny, corner-of-the-eye, ordinary moments and sing them into something significant - powerful and memorable and moving. In the cracked earth of The Weir, Michael Waugh has unearthed rare treasures indeed.”

– Colin Buchanan

“It was on my third listen to 'Warragul Police' that I came undone, at the second mention of scrambled eggs when dad meets the cops at the screen door. I’m crying, reaching for my hanky and the cd player to play it again!”

– Brian Nankervis





Michael Waugh’s new album The Weir reaches up from the dried, cracked heart of Gippsland’s irrigation reservoir - Lake Glenmaggie - asking what it means to grow up Australian. It is family ‘carguments’ on long holiday drives to see the big things of Australia, mozzie-bitten itches of first summer loves, Meldrum-fuelled familiarity of Aussie rock classics, and the lived-in love of dinner with your partner in front of Neighbours. But it is also about what lies underneath – our underbelly laid bare by the drought; the distances that drive us apart, the economic devastation of rural communities, the death-wish of boys in country towns, the spectres of colonisation, racism and homophobia.

Michael Waugh gives a profound new voice to the Australian experience. His insightful storytelling cuts to the heart of everyday life. It is honest, emotionally brave and compelling in its beauty.

His first two critically acclaimed albums “What We Might Be” and “The Asphalt & The Oval” drew on his experiences growing up in an East Gippsland dairy farming community. They resonated with audiences and connected him to a community of peers.

He performed at major festivals from Port Fairy to The Gympie Muster, won awards and earned lofty praise from some heavyweight critics.



PRAISE FOR “THE ASPHALT & THE OVAL” (2018)

“Unguarded intimacy is part of his overwhelming charm… I can recommend the entire collection of 13 tracks, which together offer a masterclass in songwriting… When Michael Waugh opens his mouth, you should listen”

– 4.5 star review, Andrew McMillen, The Australian


“These 13 tracks are at once insightful and wondrous”

– Jon Wolfe, Country Music Capital News



PRAISE FOR “WHAT WE MIGHT BE” (2016)

“With this one record Waugh has done enough to add himself to the list of archetypical Aussie singer-songwriters”

– 4 star review, Paul Smith, The Sydney Morning Herald


“His songs reverberate with reminiscences from rural Victoria sung in an accent as broad as the Murray–Darling Basin”

– 4 star review, Tony Hillier, The Weekend Australian


“Outstanding debut release”

– Billy Pinnell, Stacks Magazine


“A flawless collection of beautiful songs”

– Allan Caswell, Country Music Capital News





The Age Music Victoria Awards 2018

Winner, Best Folk and Roots Album





The Australian – 10 best songs of 2018

“They Don’t Let The Girls in the Game”





2017 CMAA Golden Guitar awards

Best New Talent nomination





Michael Waugh’s songs peer unflinchingly into the lives of those who have faced misogyny, homophobia, illness, violence and mental health in Australian rural communities – but the stories are lovingly depicted, evoking striking images of funny, real, beautiful, strong and flawed people. They are deftly balanced with humour, hope and lightness – textured with Australian vernacular and detailed with idiosyncrasies of specific places and people.


His insightful tributes to friends, family and parenthood are simultaneously deeply personal and nationally recognisable; audiences see their own brothers, parents, pubs, rivers, struggles and joys reflected in the faces of those characters who live large in Michael's songs.

Michael Waugh’s outstanding third album “The Weir”, produced by multi ARIA and Golden Guitar winning producer Shane Nicholson, is out now on Compass Bros Records / UMA.





© 2019 MICHAEL WAUGH

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