Penelope's searing songwriting and soaring vocals are artfully underpinned by Mal Webb on bass and vocals and Kylie Morrigan on fiddle and vocals. Their award-winning material will leave you both satisfied and thoughtful.

 

Penelope has been articulating the human condition for over 30 years. She has ten solo albums under her belt, plus five with Mal in their feel-good extravaganza band Totally Gourdgoeus. Penelope won the 2019 Alistair Hulett Songs for Social Justice Award with her song “Cambridge Analytica” which explores the impact of social media propoganda on democracy. She then went on the be short-listed for the 2020 prize with “The Ides of March in Christchurch”, a skilful and compassionate dissection of the Christchurch massacre and aftermath. The recordings of both songs feature The Stranded Assets.“The Ides of March in Christchurch” was showcased by a number of New Zealand radio stations on the first anniversary of that event and garnered a personal thanks from Jacinda Adern.

 

Penelope Swales and the Stranded Assets made their debut performance at the awards ceremony at the National Folk Festival in 2019. They went on to wow audiences at the 2020 Tamworth Country Music Festival and headlined at GANEAA Festival in Wangaratta in April 2021. In 2022, they opened the Budawang stage at the National Folk Festival and featured at Denmark Festival of Voice in Western Australia.