Meet the self-confessed 'dad rocker' with a handle-bar moustache who will perform at TCMF

The man with the unmistakable Merv Hughes moustache will be singing alongside The Andy Golledge Band on January 27, at the Tamworth Hotel, with his distinct '1960s country' fused with 'classic rock and roll' flavoured hits.

"I prefer to call it 'Dad Rock', probably to the detriment of myself," the alt-country music singer said.

The former McCarthy Catholic College student left Tamworth at the age of 19, nearly 20 years ago, in pursuit of his muso dreams. He comes back most years for the festival, including in 2023 when he was nominated for a Golden Guitar.

"I just wanted to get out. I had itchy feet. I had friends who were moving out," he said, admitting that the regional city has recently become a more tempting option as property prices skyrocket along the coast.

Golledge has lived in Sydney for most of the time, and has travelled 22,000 kilometres through America while living in the back of a van, but moved to Wollongong with his partner about a year ago so they could save for their own place.

"I used to play out the front of the skateboard shop in Tamworth during the [country music] festival back when I was a teenager," he said.

"But it wasn't until I left Tamworth that I really fell in love with country music."

Golledge cites his biggest influence from the alt-country music scene as being New York-based Gillian Welsh, saying "she's unbelievable".

"I just became obsessed with her to the point I was trying to write a lot of my songs around the way she structures her songs and tells her stories," he said.

Golledge released his debut EP Namoi in 2020, which he dedicated to his brother who was diagnosed with brain cancer a while ago, but who is currently living a "healthy and happy" local life.

"It was kind of about us getting out on the [Namoi] river and fishing around town because that's kind of basically what we grew up doing," he said.

In 2023, he released his first full album Strength of a Queen which won an Australian Independent Record (AIR) award for Best Independent Country Album or EP.

He is expected to release the title track of his next album Young, Dumb and Wild during the country music festival, which "is about losing touch with that inner child and the creativity that comes along with that".

Golledge said his favourite parts of his hometown are "probably the sunsets and the rivers".

"You can see everything, there's not too much obstructing the view which is what I really appreciate ... the space," he said.

"And if you want to get in the redneck jacuzzi, and sit in the rapids, there are so many spots and many nice rivers that run through [the area]."