Helen Henderson will return to the main entertainment stage when the 2026 Bluff Oyster & Food Festival takes place in Bluff on Saturday 23 May.
Henderson, a singer songwriter, hails from Invercargill but her musical career spans from London to Los Angeles and Muscle Shoals, Alabama on the banks of the Tennessee River. She is a powerful folk rocker with Celtic, blues, and country influences and has released four albums. She currently splits her time living between Los Angeles, California, and Bluff, New Zealand, and last appeared at the festival in 2018.
Her debut album, “The Sonora Sessions,” was recorded in LA to rave reviews.
Her second album, “Twisting Wind,” was recorded at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, which is widely referred to as “The Cradle of Rock and Roll.” Powerful and raw, this album captures the soul of this “Kiwi siren” and features some of the world’s finest rock musicians such as Doug Pettibone (Jewel, Lucinda Williams, Marianne Faithfull) on guitar, plus famed Muscle Shoals “Swampers” David Hood (bass) and Spooner Oldham (piano).
Her third album, “London,” was recorded as a young Kiwi artist on Ensign Records in London in the late 70s, featuring musicians from several top English bands such as Uriah Heep, Fairport Convention, Humble Pie and Colosseum.
The fourth album, “Muriel’s Dream,” is a collection of songs she wrote when she moved to London in the 1970s. The majority of the tracks were recorded at Advision Studios, the home of many hit records. Henderson was signed to Ensign Records at the time – home to Boomtown Rats, The Waterboys, and Sinéad O’Connor. Several tracks were rewritten and recorded later at Phantom Vox Studios in Los Angeles. The albums are available on all digital outlets.
open.spotify.com/artist/0BC1lbU5sKDPY7bz5eiXu9
instagram.com/kiwisiren
facebook.com/poetwhosings
helenhendersonmusic.com
Henderson joins a fantastic entertainment programme that includes the Bluff School Kapa Haka Group, the Mapu-Kuki-Airani Rarotongan drummers, and music acts featuring The Eastern, Sweet Marie and Band Of Bluffies.
While the event will proceed, organisers recognise that availability of the Bluff oyster throughout the 2026 season is uncertain and no promise of oysters is made. Nevertheless, should that situation arise, there will be plenty of other awesome southern seafood such as blue cod, pāua and muttonbirds, as well as other food products, along with great beverages, music and entertainment.
Tickets are available on Trade Me for $50 plus GST (plus shipping), while in Invercargill they can be obtained from Barnes Oysters.