Patrick McMullan has been performing together with the big ones in the British and Irish music scene since the 70s. Over the course of the last ten years he musically bethought himself of his Irish roots. From these roots arose the Irish Rovers of Budapest, in harmony with the exceptional Hungarian fiddler Peter Pejtsik, Ferenc Torma and Nicole Janß. They will open the main program of the fourth Wackelsteinfestival with seldomly heard Irish Folk & pub songs and fiery jigs & reels.

This young Polish band, whose name means "foreign", "barbaric", takes up traditional Irish and Celtic tunes, playfully putting a novel touch on them. A lot springs from improvisation, in which the four young musicians weave multifarious influences. Rock, Jazz, Eastern European, Swing - wherever the moment might carry them, we will hang to their singing lips and strings.

After having, with Phønix, our first Scandinavian band last year, we could not resist letting ourselves musically roam a bit further north, towards Sweden. Ranarim will bring us traditional Swedish and medieval melodies and ballads in refreshingly new attire. The core is built by the perfectly harmonizing voices of Ulrika and Johanna, around which Ranarim's powerful rhythms and melodies unfold. In their music the threads of time find together in a dense musical weave that has enchanted audiences around the world. Although their hearts stick close to the traditional tunes, the Pop-like lightness of their new interpretations of traditional themes has brought them the reputation of being the answer of Swedish Folk to ABBA.

In Monn Turonn all band members have devoted themselves to Jazz as well as Folk music. We follow them as they combine these two seemingly so different styles, let ourselves be driven by pulsing percussion towards Southern Europe, where the gifted Venetian singer and Jazz improviser Francesca Viaro will enchant us with songs from Asturia, Gallicia and Italy. One of the musical highlights of this year's festival. Let us bask in Mediterrenean sun, tempered by a light breeze borne on the far-side shores of the Atlantic ocean.