VISUALISING HARMONY

by Ruth O’Brien

Something I never tire of is talking about the creative process of artists. No matter if it’s a solo artist, duo, or group, I love hearing about the way people make creative choices around their art form. I especially geek out when discussing the cross-over between different art forms and how one can influence another.

For this reason, among many others, I thoroughly enjoyed my recent interview with Bindi McFarlane - world-class violinist with the London Symphony Orchestra no less - who is the facilitator of the upcoming collaboration between Belconnen Arts Centre and the Canberra Symphony Orchestra (CSO) called Visualising Harmony.

In the days leading up to the final performance, five artists with disability from the Belconnen Arts Centre’s IGNITE Program will work with Bindi in a series of workshops. They will create new original musical pieces inspired by the orchestral Viridian, by Australian composer Richard Meale.

Viridian will be played live to the IGNITE artists by the CSO in a rehearsal of the piece in the week prior to the workshops with Bindi. This will provide the artists and the CSO musicians with the opportunity to talk about the work, their art, and the project overall.

And then, once back working solely with Bindi, the IGNITE artists will take inspiration from colours used within their own visual artworks to create new works.

Guided by the excellence of Bindi’s improvisational, compositional, and creative techniques, the project will culminate in a unique relaxed performance at the Belconnen Arts Centre.

“The Canberra players (CSO) haven’t done any projects like this before,” Bindi explains. “So that’s why it’s professional development as well, because we won’t be using scores and pieces of music.

“And writing music down will be improvised; improvising and creating music that is completely original. Musically, the ideas will come from the group working together as the workshops proceed, and I’ll facilitate all of that.

“The music will all benew. And we may take themes from Richard’s piece, you know, little elements of his music, maybe a theme, maybe some chords, but it’s not recreating pieces. It’s using it as a sort of germ from which we can make our own music.”

“We will use instruments like percussion, and xylophones, and then the CSO players will have their instruments. It’s all led by the participants.”

So how on Earth, in a world still struggling with a global pandemic, does a project like this come to be in Canberra?

Well, CSO and Belco Arts have collaborated in the past, and the catalyst for rekindling the partnership was the Restart Investment to Sustain and Expand (RISE) Fund, part of the Australian Government Funding to reactivate the arts sector after COVID. When this funding was announced, Belco Arts approached CSO and, once they started talking, had several ideas for how they could potentially work together.

Bindi McFarlane was already residing in Australia throughout the COVID crisis and had worked on similar projects with the London Symphony Orchestra in the community outreach program called Discovery.

“[Discovery] is all about extending the reach of an orchestra,” McFarlane explains. “Making an orchestra more than just an “office”. It’s a group of people in a concert hall on stage, it’s about taking those players out into communities, bringing communities into the orchestra; it’s about smashing the “glass” around an orchestra and trying to make it relevant.”

Visualising Harmony is about making music inspired by colour. But it’s also about removing barriers.

Removing barriers that might stop an artist with disability having the chance to interact with an orchestra. Removing barriers to the kind of work orchestras can do and how they do it.

And breaking barriers around certain stigmas that might typically be attached to both these groups of people.

Collaborative projects like this demonstrate that there are ways of making the arts accessible. Music-making can be done by anyone if barriers are removed for how to do so.

Likewise, orchestras should not simply be enjoyed by those with the monetary means to attend such performances. By using creativity and visualising new ways of making music, new and exciting art works and performances can be created like this one.

As an artist with disability myself, I know and understand some of the barriers that can come from music making. Many traditional instruments are simply inaccessible for me, and this has lead me to concentrating mainly on my voice, electronic sounds, and accompaniment from other musicians to create the music I want to make.

Visualising Harmony should be a great example of how access and inclusion can be done well both in the arts sector and by utilising the arts as a tool for connection, creativity and individual expression.

Visualising Harmony is on at the Belco Arts Centre, 7pm, Friday, 21 May, 2021. The show will be one-hour and there will be no interval. The performance is suitable for people of all ages. If you have any accessibility requirements to make your experience of the show more comfortable, please mention these upon booking. Alternatively, you can talk to the Belco Arts Centre staff on 6173 3300 or email hello@ belcoarts.com.au

SPUTNIK SWEETHEART JEALOUSY

In support of their new release, Jealousy, Sputnik Sweetheart will be hitting the road for a massive five-stop east-coast tour, hitting Brisbane, Sydney, Wollongong, Canberra and, finally, Melbourne. The new track arrives in the wake of rave reviews for their last single, Rolling, from many quarters, including Triple J, Tone Deaf, and their ever-growing army of fans.

The four-piece alternative rock band, formed in 2018, is primed to continue on their skyward trajectory with Jealousy. Sputnik is in fine form here, displaying a level of restraint and inventiveness that is casually alluring without sacrificing any indie-rock energy. Where do we begin? The intertwining guitar lines are an excellent starting point. But let’s go to the introductory identifying key guitar riff, a cohesive blend of single notes and chord twists, enabling a raw and unfettered playfulness that becomes a suitable bed for another of Nette France’s ethereally buoyant vocal performances. The verse melody here echoes the guitar riff, a juxtaposition as soft-edged as the lyric is affably deliberate. A couple of cycles in, and we’re faced with the chorus, a stirring encapsulation of kinetic instrumentation and melody, the drum part taken up a notch with the collective effort stamping a tender grandiosity onto the overall impact. As we’re led into the second verse territory, our listening fates are sealed. For me, this was secured after hearing the line: ‘I won’t let you eat alone on Christmas eve’. That’s the kind of line I want to hear; a romantic tension wrapped in a subtle humorous declaration. What we expect—another chorus to appear—does so of course, but in another form; a subdued version of it, a sleight-of-hand which not only reveals the part’s melodic strength but its vulnerable one too.

But the fully armed chorus does eventuate, only by leading us firstly into a beautifully climactic half-time bridge, a sensual peak that transforms more exquisite guitar work back into a chorus. Sputnik Sweetheart has delivered yet again— Jealousy is a splendidly potent indie-rock experience. VINCE LEIGH

THE SUNBEARS DEVIL SMILE Third single in for The SunBears follows recent track Hurricane [ ] with the three-piece establishing their claim on some hallowed territory with sly exuberance and effortless musical poise. Devil Smile is a chugging, steamrolling amalgamation of the band’s collective skills. The new track highlights a mutualistic relationship between vocal and guitar, a smooth interplay that underscores the thematic realms explored. Present, also, is a distinctive dynamic between verse and chorus, one which is perhaps de rigueur for such a style. Still, on Devil Smile, this tussle is displayed with alacrity and uninhibited naturalness. The relatively low register of the verse vocal contrasts suitably and effectively with the emancipated growls and grit of the chorus, particularly in the tag where, dare I say it, the ghost of Hendrix hovers conspiratorially—a most welcome spiritual presence indeed. The SunBears’ previous tracks have all exhibited a coalescence of genres, with rock and blues being the most prominent, then slicing and dicing these into whatever sub-genres emerge after that. Devil Smile does not diverge from this. The track is evocative in the sense that it adheres to those brooding, almost menacing characteristics that have long since marked the allure of the particular style. This evocation can only transpire as a result of the musical artistry at play. And I don’t use that term lightly. What persuades here are the performances. If we put aside the quality of the song for one moment—though I am always wary of contemplating such a thing—the playing is enough to carry one’s attention through to the end. Such expertise is part of the fabric of the track. And yes, despite my tendency to prioritise the song above all else, in such musical playgrounds as The SunBears frolic, this characteristic is not quite as vital. There are other artistic models, the kinds which do not require the listener to latch onto hooks necessarily but to immerse themselves in another sort of language: an emotional reality that seems to churn and ripple with unquantifiable integrity. VINCE LEIGH

ALBUM IN FOCUS

TUNDREL THE TUNDREL TOMES VOLUME II

Renowned local band Buff Tundrel, with a pedigree going back to 1995, has gone through a few line-up changes over the ages (while retaining the core duo of Nathan Rowlands and Jason Hore). They shortened the name to Tundrel and issued debut LP Tundrel Tomes Vol I in 2015. And now the lads have released Vol II, with the aid of engineer Sean Boucher (of Cog fame) and the services of drummer Dave Williams and bassist Peter Mackenzie (although live gigs employ Marty Pye and ‘Grezzy’ as the rhythm section). The new release adopts a loose concept album approach, with Under the Skin - which appears in four parts throughout the track list - as the common theme which holds the disparate parts of the album together. Cloaked in mystery, the album does not give up its themes easily. Bearing strong prog rock sensibilities, Vol II is a work that really needs to be listened to as an album rather than just cherry-picking random songs. Put Em Down drifts in with sparse string plucks that are slowly engulfed in a cloud of distortion. The powerful vocals of Jason Hore start off, resigned to the routine grind of ‘another day’, before they take on an overwhelming rage that is matched by the descent of pitiless, distorted guitars. Heavyweight riffs circle menacingly in rising clouds, with psychedelic injects adding to the fray. If you were looking for a single from this LP, then this (or Cornucopia) would be it. The River delivers an industrial feel with steam hammer riffs. Hore’s singing and thunderous guitars battle each other for supremacy, with the axes winning this round. Then rock ballad Cornucopia, an unquestionable album highlight, typifies the band’s ‘slow but heavy’ approach. It brings a cruisy pace with a tethered grunt that always seems to be on the edge of going crazy. The track holds itself in check, until it unleashes with a storming guitar solo in the bridge Shedding returns to the industrial feel, with huge, low-end torque guitars and vocals that fight their way through a cloud of distortion. Sleep presents as a jangle of harsh intersecting sounds, representing the disturbed thoughts which prevent achievement of the much longed for rest. Clouds of psychedelic tones disturb the atmosphere. Where is the blissful escape that only his dreams can provide, as the track ends suddenly with the plea ‘Sleep!’? Deep Meditative Trance - Streetlights brings a deceptively laid-back start, slow and hypnotic, before catching you unawares with short bursts of raging vocals. It exemplifies the Tundrel style of a restrained fury with tracks having both calm and wild personas. Finally, its twin, DMT - New Dawn, stands out from the rest of this collection with its confused electronic chatter running through the song. The new record represents a period of growth for the band, whilst retaining their strongly atmospheric stance with a mix of gentleness juxtaposed with surging guitars and towering vocals. In developing their sound, they have employed an older album format which encourages you to immerse yourself in the entire work, rather than just random tracks.

Worth your ears. RORY McCARTNEY

THE WORD ON FILMS

with Cameron Williams

SAID SON TO MOM: WANNA WATCH A MON-ROM-COM?

It’s a classic love story. Guy meets girl. Guy falls in love with girl. Guy loses girl when the monster apocalypse hits. In Love and Monsters, Joel (Dylan O’Brien; The Maze Runner) and Aimee (Jessica Henwick; Game of Thrones) are monster-crossed lovers who live in separate underground bunkers. The couple stay in touch using a CB radio while creatures roam on the surface and feast on human survivors.

After a creature attacks Joel’s bunker, he decides it’s finally time to journey into the wild – without any prior survival experience – in order to find Aimee.

Ain’t love grand. Joel provides narration that drives Love and Monsters and as soon as you can say, “this feels a lot like Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” a poster for the 1980s classic can be spotted on his bedroom wall. Director Michael Matthews (Five Fingers for Marseilles), and screenwriters Brian Duffield (Underwater) and Matthew Robinson (Dora and the Lost City of Gold), fill their mon-rom-com (monster-romantic-comedy) with prerequisite heartache and giant mutant worms. O’Brien is charming as the lovesick Joel and his chemistry with Henwick during their early scenes together is enough to justify his romantic quest. Joel personifies the crazy things people do when they’re young and in love as he evades mutated frogs and insects, and it’s the creatures that make the greatest impression. The creature design for each beast is spectacular, and there’s enough variety to send the mind into overdrive at what may be lurking around the next corner. The visuals effects work is so grand that Love and Monsters is nominated for the Best Visual Effects Oscar and it’s well deserved. Joel’s monster encounters are fun and he gets a crash course in survival by a duo of no-nonsense outdoor experts (Michael Rooker; Guardians of the Galaxy), and Ariana Greenblatt (The One and Only Ivan) he meets along the way. Wisely, Joel’s trip breaks away from the romantic set-up as he grows in confidence, but it then makes Love and Monsters feels like an entrée. A lot is crammed into the final showdown but it pulls up too short after Joel finds his feet.

Love and Monsters has plenty of charm and a visually dazzling array of creatures.

But a craving for more lingers. More love?

More monsters?

Insert sequel here. NOMADLAND [ ] U.S. Gypsum’s plant in Empire, Nevada, which has provided work for the town, has closed down. Snow covers the ground, it’s well below freezing during the day. With no other work, most of the residents have left. Fern (Frances McDormand), widowed and now unemployed, tries to hold out, but, with no prospect of employment, eventually takes her van onto the road to begin life as a nomad. Although her journey is a solitary one, Fern meets many on her way who enrich her life, help her out, and become dear to her. She in fact discovers a community of nomads, some running away, some running toward, some simply embracing life a day at a time. Life on the road is often tough for Fern, the ability to keep her van and herself going depending on eking out each pay cheque as she moves from one menial job to the next. She spends many times in a laundromat alone, or eating by herself, or singing to herself to keep up her courage as she drives into the unknown. But she also finds expression for all that lies secretly within her — lost love, lost time, and perhaps even one or two dreams. And in her solitude she opens herself to the world: bending into cold winds along a wild coast thrashed by tumultuous waves; trudging through snowy fields; floating in a river. Nomadland is filled with eccentric, hurt, but largely hopeful characters roughened or rubbed smooth by life’s twists and turns. These are people with broken dreams and limited options. Evoking the utter truth of the life of a nomad takes some brilliance, and Frances McDormand, as Fern, is so compelling that it’s difficult to believe she isn’t a nomad herself. MICHELE E HAWKINS

THE LAST VEMEER [ ] Hitler’s Third Reich comes to an end in May 1945, and so begins the aftermath, which includes hunting down those who profited by selling great (often stolen) works of art to the Nazis. One of the men responsible for tracking down these works of art and bringing to justice those who sold them to the enemy, is Dutch Resistance fighter Joseph Piller (Claes Bang). When Christ with the Adulteress, by the great Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer, is recovered, Piller traces its sale to Nazi Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring by Han van Meegeren (Guy Pearce), an egotistical but failed artist. Piller takes van Meegeren into custody to begin his investigation. But there are other forces at work — those with a blood lust after confessions and convictions with little regard for any truths that might hide behind apparent evidence. At the heart of Dan Friedkin’s directorial debut, The Last Vermeer, which is based on a true story, is the relationship between Piller and van Meegeren. Bang’s deeply believable portrayal of Piller’s complex, strong, justice-driven character, forged by both his Judaism and his experience in the Resistance, is magnetically juxtaposed to Pearce’s compelling portrayal of van Meegeren’s self-absorption, vanity, and layered intelligence. Utterly convincing sets of the war-ravaged Netherlands, authentic costuming, and immersive performances bring to life the hardships and loss that millions suffered through the evil madness of a relative few. The story that The Last Vermeer reveals concerns not only two men on opposite sides of a ledger, but the choices that every person is called on to make between right and wrong. An absorbing work, The Last Vermeer presents a colourful forensic mystery, legal drama, and a thoughtful challenge to anyone interested in life’s greys. MICHELE E HAWKINS NOBODY [ ] Bob Odenkirk has had an extensive TV and film career. We learned to love him as the dodgy lawyer Saul in hit series Breaking Bad. Saul provided some light relief in what was often a fairly grim show (however, an attempt to cash in on his character in the spin-off series Better Call Saul did not rate so well [Better show if you ask me - BOSSMAN SKO]) Now Bob is back as you have never seen him before. Nobody is based on the ex-assassin trope much loved by Hollywood, where an exgovernment hit man is reluctantly forced to take up his weapons again. Fortunately, for this this much flogged to death plot line, Odenkirk (playing Hutch Mansell) breathes new life into the story as he is more an average, suburban family man rather than the muscle-bound tough guy who usually fills the assassin role. Christopher Lloyd, best known for his Back to the Future appearances, plays the ex-FBI father of Hutch. He is only too happy to abandon bingo games in his aged care home and take up some automatic weapons again in support of his beleaguered son. The film brings a compellingsoundtrack, which ranges from the crooner Andy Williams to Pat Benatar roaring out Heart Breaker in the car chase scene, which involves a flash 1970s era Dodge Challenger V8 (because there’s no replacement for displacement!). Hutch brings his foes to their doom in a variety of inventive ways, with enough violence to keep fans of the films of Quentin Tarantino or Sam Peckinpah satisfied. Nobody brings a welcome twist to an old plot line and provides quality light entertainment, brought to you by plenty of mindless violence! RORY MCCARTNEY THE COURIER [ ] In the midst of the Cold War, as the Cuban missile crisis builds, MI6 agent Dickie Franks (Angus Wright) and visiting CIA agent Emily Donovan (Rachel Brosnahan) decide they need a British businessman to make contact with Soviet Government minister Oleg Penkovsky (Merab Ninidze), whom Khrushchev’s warlike nature frightens. They recruit salesman Greville Wynne (Benedict Cumberbatch). Wynne is at first understandably reluctant; but, learning that he may be able to prevent a catastrophic nuclear exchange, he agrees to act as a courier of Russian military secrets to the West in an effort to defuse the missile crisis. Naturally, Wynne’s wife, Sheila (Jessie Buckley), cannot know what Wynne is doing under cover of his business relationships. So Wynne’s changing behaviour leads Sheila to draw her own conclusions. More seriously, the Soviets, alerted by an MI6 mole to a probable mole in their own ranks, look harder at Wynne and Penkovsky, placing them both in mortal danger. Though MI6 has promised British asylum to Penkovsky and his wife (played by Mariya Miranova) and daughter, the Soviet noose is tightening. The story of how Penkovsky and Wynne achieve what they do remains closely tied to Penkovsky’s strengthening convictions and Wynne’s steadily growing courage, and Wynne’s development in particular demands attention and empathy. Cumberbatch departs so radically from his best-known characters that we can easily forget the actor; we see instead a man who knows how to woo his clients and make mutually profitable deals and doesn’t feel cut out for heroism. Shot and edited to perfection, The Courier poignantly reminds us of the ways and hazards of spycraft on the streets of 1960s London and Moscow — and helps us recall the courage that it demanded. JOHN P HARVEY

SAULÉ WHEN WE FIRST WENT OUT

Canberra-based artist Saulé has followed up her debut single from last year, Let Me Know with When We First Went Out, and the singer-songwriter’s penchant for lo-fi restraint combined with subtle pop hooks continues.

The new track utilises a relatively sparse palette of voice, acoustic guitar, and percussion to initiate proceedings. Saulé’s method invariably surprises and satisfies. What begins as a bare, roots-based song with a slight whimsical veneer culminates in quite an optimistic-sounding scenario indeed—some curious production ideas to take note of first. The verse contains some jazz-like branching off that keeps the listener on their toes until the pre-chorus arrives. Although masquerading as a continuation of the verse, its momentary drop acts as another signpost for what follows. Straying off from the song’s title, which ignites a remarkable degree of inferences, are some tantalising melodic lines that quite simply remind this listener of summer. Any summer. Of course, Saulé’s appropriation of harmonies and other vocal layers contrive to create this vista, though one cannot discount the agility of the melodic swerves and turns that happen here. The sharp difference between the verse, pre-chorus sections, and the chorus is par for the course, expected and effective but evocative too; dynamism intact and the hook of the pay-off lines unchallenged. There seems to be an agelessness about When We First Went Out, or rather, that it has ingrained within its cells the characteristics identified with other eras, imbuing the track with quite a generative aesthetic. And what Saulé has created is mollifyingly focused and comprehensive. The sound is consistent throughout, enabling the lyric and melody to conjure their charm, with Saulé’s vocal performance as pliantly raw as it is exquisite. At a sub-atomic level, When We First Went Out encompasses the narrative of the personal, the intimate. But as we pan out and away, we discover a soulful musical statement that hints at a crowd-pleasing light-filled future. VINCE LEIGH

LENNIE GALLANT & DRAKE JENSEN PIECES OF YOU

Following the great response to his reinterpretation of the 1980s Corey Hart classic Never Surrender, a compelling duet with Ottawa artist Lisa Thompson of the band Sovereign Council, Nova Scotian and acclaimed Nashville recording artist Drake Jensen has released Pieces Of You. The new single was written by one of Canada’s best performing songwriters, Lennie Gallant. Drake Jensen has once again transformed a well-crafted song into a country-pop hit, bolstering the melodic hooks and the poignant lyric with his unique vocal style. Just as Never Surrender was given a contemporary country-pop revamp, reminding us of the strength of that song’s melodies, Jensen’s rekindled version of Pieces Of You has received similar treatment. The track is part of ICONIC, which will be released soon and includes versions of iconic Canadian songs from Gordon Lightfoot, Anne Murray, Leonard Cohen, and Rita MacNeil. Drake Jensen’s 2011 debut album On My Way to Finding You marked the start of an extraordinary chapter in this Glace Bay native’s music career. In 2012, Drake’s career took off following the phenomenal success worldwide of a YouTube video of the album’s title track. His second Outlaw album followed, which included the smash Scars.

2015 saw Drake’s third album, Retro, with his interpretation of Everytime I See Your Picture earning him praise from celebrated Canadian rock icon Luba, who called Drake a “maverick” of the music industry. In 2016, his album Sideshow was released with the lead single Wherever Love Takes Us bulleting into the Top 40 Country Charts in Australia.

Burn the Floor, released in May of 2020, was a massive hit at Australian Radio and was voted Video of the Year by fans of the site Country Queer. And now, with over 100k Spotify streams, Pieces Of You will undoubtedly broaden Jensen’s fan base and go on to become a global hit. VINCE LEIGH

GIG REVIEW - Omar Musa + Guyy & the Fox @ Good Folk - The Q Theatre followed by QBN Bowls Club - 3 April

Review by Anthony Plevey

The National Folk Festival’s concert series Good Folk held in Queanbeyan over the weekend of April 3-4 highlighted local talent, including a double bill of Canberra’s Guyy & the Fox (Guy Lilleyman and Amelia Gibson) and Queanbeyan’s own poet, author, and Rap Laureate, Omar Musa. Opening the show and sharing the rare (in early 2021) joy of performing for a live audience at Queanbeyan’ s The Q Theatre, Guyy & the Fox presented an energetic performance to an enthusiastic audience which, if dancing had been allowed, would have had quite a few people on their feet. Reconfiguring themselves from an acoustic duo, then into a trio (with The Fox’s mother on cello) and then on to the full ensemble of six- and 12-string guitar and violin with electronic keyboard, two percussionist and bass, the band presented an intriguing and entertaining performance. The range of influences, which Guyy and The Fox’s have drawn into their music, extended this variety. Whilst strongly based in the Celtic tradition, Guyy and the Fox colour their work with middle eastern flavours and Japanese Taiko drumming on custom built instruments creating their own style within the folk rock genre. The set comprised tunes from Guyy and The Fox’s 2016 album, notably the whirling Turkish Delight and the very apt, in a Covid restricted world, Dreams of Flying with its floaty beginning building to a raging violin solo; plus new work from the band’s upcoming release, which will be well worth a listen.

Internationally recognised and awarded poet and rap artist Omar Musa followed, presenting poetry and rap with his own gritty, controlled energy to a mesmerised audience.

Musa mixed performance modes with his solo poetry generating its own music merging with his funky rap accompanied by DJ Roshambo linking in a curious way with Guyy and the Fox’s flexible variety. These changes in style and pace provided a tight focus to Musa’s songs and poems, serving to isolate and intensify the impact of works like UnAustralia, Like a Cat Move, Lak$a and Assimilate which overlay personal experiences with community and national issues. This intensity was greatly appreciated by the audience, who rose to give rousing ovation for Omar’s set, and the show entire. Omar Musa following Guyy and The Fox may seem something of an extreme juxtaposition of style and content but it worked. This eclectic mix made for a highly dynamic show, which not only showcased the world class talents of these two acts but through its obvious contrast, extended the folk genre. Rolling, post-show, down to the lawns of Queanbeyan Bowls Club for a very entertaining session of community sea shanties with a group of keen, well-lubricated locals put these two world class acts in perspective. With songs referencing global travel from Valparaiso Chile to Hamburg and the canals of North America, sea shanties were the international music of their day and, in a way, the social media of their time, allowing people to communicate through adapting new words to common tunes to share life’s ups and downs and comment on working and social conditions. Like the sea shanties in the days of sail, this new music and poetry of today may become the folk music of the future, allowing connection with the past and rekindling shared history. Guyy and The Fox’s mingling of music influences, using the cross over folk-rock genre to build on traditions, and Omar Musa’s intimate engagement with audience whilst delivering his acetic commentary on our times, was paralleled in the rollicking, boozy, bawdiness and the lonely isolation of long journeys and tough discipline at sea which is at the heart of the shanties. Artists starved of the opportunity to perform live for the past year relished a live audience, the interactivity craved by audience rewarded, and the tradition of folk music having its roots in community extended by having local artists in the frontline. Good Folk didn’t just sidestep the Covid restrictions. The National Folk Festival organisation resourcefully came up with a viable alternate formula using local resources to deliver inclusive, communicative, entertaining and thought provoking music in the best tradition of folk.

Guyy & the Fox

Omar Musa

Roshambo

THEATRE REVIEW - You’re Safe Til 2024: Deep History @ Courtyard Theatre - Saturday, 10 April

Review by Anthony Plevey

Deep History is the second work in a planned, six-part, six-year (2019-2024) collaboration between Canberra-based artists David Finnigan (Playwright) and Rueben Ingall (Musician) which takes on the challenging topic of planetary transformation. Anchored to a scripted monolog and accompanied by all the familiar trappings of a conference room presentation including the ubiquitous butcher’s paper and texta to record a dot point ‘Guide’, slightly clunky multimedia projection and ‘science project’ props; You’re Safe Til 2024: Deep History initially feels somewhat chaotic. Oddly, this presenter has his own soundman and Ingall’s musical accompaniment is a counterpoint to the Finnigan’s ‘unrehearsed’ energy as he purposefully evolves the soundscape across the work conveying an intended inevitability beyond the words. The duo intersperse geological time, family history and events imagined in the life of a re-current female actor, shape-shifting across the ages. She is, Finnigan tells us from the start, a different-but-thesame person, giving the audience a hook for this loosely woven thread, which takes in the broad sweep of human history. Logged by an evolving, growing mound of rice, the rice of time, the rice of population - 1 grain for 1000 people, Finnigan spins his tale, intersecting personal and family pivot points, decision- and incidentdriven intimate stories, with the longitudinal tide of deep time where meteorology, geology, and species’ survival ricochet to derive points for the butcher’s paper Guide. From the cataclysmic Mt Toba eruption 75,000 years ago in ancient Indonesia, which creates a long volcanic winter and brings human kind to the brink of extinction; a meagre 15 grains remain. However, She (with the help of others) survives, so Guide point 1 – Survival is possible. New axioms arise as the pile grows; another teaspoon of rice grains – intergroup/species competition – Look after your own kind, a dipping sauce bowl of grains - agriculture, urbanisation and the rise of elites – Acquire power. As the spoonfuls grow to bowlfuls and larger containers are funnelled onto the pile, there is a breakdown pointing to the historic shift in the human climate that is now physically manifesting as rapid environmental change. Five hundred years ago, world population hits half a billion and the cancer of colonisation spreads east and west. The invasion of the new world with its all-too-familiar travel facilitated epidemics and emergent globalisation usurping and enslaving Indigenous peoples heralding Finnigan’s final unwritten guide point - There are no rules any more. The Guide is torn, abandoned as useless but history continues… industrialisation, atomic warfare, and population - eight million grains overspill the table. This rice graphed, then and now, ‘deep history’ is further overlaid and interleaved with a minute by minute, hour by hour recount of communications between then London-based Finnigan and his friends holidaying on the South Coast during the catastrophic bushfires of the intense six days of Christmas-New Year 2019. In an emotional commentary set against familiar images of thick, citywide smoke, refugees in the ocean, fleeing wildlife, and desperate fire fighters, he quotes time stamped text messages read with 17,000km hindsight. Linking implicitly with the heroine survivor of Mt Toba, Finigan chronicles his own powerless apprehensions for his friends’ ill-advised and seemingly random choices, which enabled their family to escape and survive. This deliberately un-slick presentation from a shoeless, T-shirt clad presenter awakes us from the suspended animation of COVID lock down, snapping us back to 2019 and the parked reality of climate change. Whilst most attention seemed to be on Finnigan and his telling story, Ingall’s music, a combination of live performance and computer based soundscapes, subtly inveigled itself into the action and became essential to the work.

As the performance closed Ingall, himself a first hand witness to the conflagration on the South Coast, responded with a flat reticence to Finnigan’s questioning about his family’s loss, conveying his sense of retained, unresolved shock. The strength of this work is in its lo-fi complexity which, whilst initially requiring a strong audience buy-in, builds as the piece develops. Audience post-performance comments of ‘triggering’, ‘bleak’ and ‘frustrating doom’ underlined the compelling impact of its scored, recounted, fact-fiction approach. Despite its glitchy, field-recorded feel, a frustration of undeniability, almost beyond politics, comes from the contentions of catastrophe both explicit and implicit in the connections drawn by the artists across personal, historical, and geological time. Whilst we may want to look away, downplay the storylines as simplistic or just hope, blankly, almost fatalistically, in You’re Safe Til 2024: Deep History Finnigan and Ingall want to tell us that, regardless of individual choices, human nature may not, might not, possibly cannot evolve fast enough at this time of planetary change.

CIMF - Calvin Abdiel In Recital (Piano) The winner of Theme and Variations Foundation piano competition in 2017 playing Brahms, Godowsky, Haydn, and Bach. 12:30pm - 1:15pm VERITY LANE MARKET Adam Hill - Shoes Half Full Australia’s BAFTA nominated, Spicks and Specks hosting joymonger returns with more audience led spontaneity (at a safe distance) and some much-needed comic positivity. 6:30pm, $59.95 + $5.95 bf from venue CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE Ahimsa - Meditations on Gandhi Created and directed by our jazz luminary Sandy Evans 150 years after Gandhi’s birth, Ahimsa fuses jazz, Hindustani and Carnatic chant with contemporary electronic sounds. Shows at 6:30pm & 8:30pm, $65/$60 from cimf.org.au FITTERS WORKSHOP Canberra Theatre Centre and shake & stir Present: Animal Farm (opening night) George Orwell’s powerfully potent and profoundly popular allegory returns in a multi-award winning theatre production – served fast, furious and full of grunt. From 6 - 8 May, 7:30pm + Sat matinee, $50 + $5.95 bf from venue THE PLAYHOUSE Greg Fleet & Ian Darling - The Twins (closing night) Two old school friends come back together forty years after playing the twins in Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors, to rework it as a two-hander. They get a little distracted along the way. 7:30 pm, $31 + $5.95 booking fee from venue THE COURTYARD STUDIO Queer People Reading Naked Queer People Reading Naked is a literary salon that will hook you with the promise of nudity, but keep you with the literature and empowering message. 7:30pm THE BOARDWALK BAR & NIGHTCLUB CIMF - DOBBY with DJ Diola DOBBY, straight outta the Murrawarri Republic, a powerful young voice in the Oz music scene. Straddling hip hop as well as classical soundworld, DOBBY together with DJ Diola is never less than mind blowing. 9pm, $30 from cimf.org.au VERITY LANE MARKET CIMF - Eyes and Ears Music, archival footage, and live performance mingle in the spaces, cinemas, and courtyards of one of Canberra’s great institutions. The event brings the Tiwi Strong Women to Canberra after many years. 11:30am – 1pm, $55/$50 from cimf.org.au ARC CINEMA CIMF - Masterclass: Sandy Evans Multi-skilled, immensely versatile, and ever dedicated, Sandy Evans is one of the great dames of Australian jazz. Here Sandy interacts with the youngest generation of improvising musicians. 4:30pm – 5:30pm, free BIG BAND ROOM @ ANU SCHOOL OF MUSIC Smith’s Irish Jam Canberra’s finest exponents of trad Irish tunes gather for a weekly jam 5pm – 7pm SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE CIMF - Waltz to Tango Celebrating Astor’s Piazzolla’s ‘nuevo tango’ for this 100th Birthday, this concert also brings Elena Kats-Chernin’s most acclaimed dance score to life alongside Andrew Schultz’s dreamlike new work. Two shows at 6:30pm & 8:30pm FITTERS WORKSHOP Choirboys - Feels Good Tour Doing what they have always done best, play great Australian Pub Rock. 7pm, $34.40 from Oztix THE BASEMENT Owen Campbell Trio + guest support Moondog After 3 best-selling studio albums, 2 EPs, and over 12 years of national and international touring, Owen Campbell has cemented himself as one of Australia’s premier blues exports. Doors 7:30pm, show 8pm, $25-$35 from venue HARMONIE GERMAN CLUB The Weeping Willows - Black Crow Tour 2021 CMAA Golden Guitar award winners, The Weeping Willows (Laura Coates and Andrew Wrigglesworth) are a couple of old souls, steeped in Bluegrass tradition and draped in Gothic Americana imagery. 8pm, $25/$20 from venue SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE Vinyl DJs From 8pm Spinning a variety of retro, jazz, funk, and more THE OLD CANBERRA INN CIMF - Sandy Evans Trio One of Australia’s great jazz luminaries, with a reputation for fearless collaborations and monumental projects, Sandy Evans crowns the series by returning to her roots in a straight trio set. 9pm – 10pm, $30 from venue VERITY LANE MARKET FEEL ft Enschway Young, wild, party enthusiast Enschway brings the funnest, heaviest and banging-est sets. Supports Reubok, Kaliopi, Toucan, Shell_Boy, Divito, Edstar. $21.79, 9pm – 5am FICTION CLUB Karaoke 9pm – 1am THE BOARDWALK BAR & NIGHTCLUB

SATURDAY 8 MAY

CIMF - Beethoven for Breakfast: Edward Neeman & Kristian Winther Followed by a conversation with the artists hosted by Genevieve Jacobs. 8:30am – 10:15am, $52/$48 from cimf.org.au VERITY LANE MARKET CIMF @ Belco Arts - A Full Day of Free Music From hip hop grooves to Hindustani vibes, from the chilled guitar riffs of Jess Green to the hot-hot frenzy of Super Rats, a special appearance of the Tiwi Strong Women, and you got the idea. Throw in the Golden Gate Brass Quintet, a young piano quartet, and Canberra’s longest running youth choir and might just get the full measure. 10am – 4:30pm, free entry BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE CIMF - Heartland What started as a small duet for the 2019 Festival has since become a fully-fledged major work, an invitation into landscape, culture, language and Country. Two shows at 11am & 1pm, $65/$60 from cimf. org.au FITTERS WORKSHOP Live Acoustic Sets From 2pm THE OLD CANBERRA INN Hey Neighbour A trio of strapping young lads, looking to sing for you, steal your hearts, and borrow a cup of sugar. From 5pm, free entry SMOKEY HORSE CIMF - Mozart Recomposed Gordon Hamilton’s new version Recomposed gives Mozart’s legendary sketches the Max Richter treatment, throwing new contemporary light on this sacred classic score. Two shows at 6:30pm & 8:30pm, tickets $80/$70 from cimf.org.au FITTERS WORKSHOP Black Starr Cabaret Fresh off tour from Newcastle Fringe, the NSW Black Starr Cabaret and Burlesque show heads to Canberra! 7pm FLAZÉDA HUB The SunBears - The Barren Spinsters - Moon Dog A night of smoking blues music from three of Canberra’s best blues bands. The SunBears are releasing their third single Devil Smile. From 7pm, currently SOLD OUT but a waiting list via the venue exists POLISH WHITE EAGLE CLUB Carole King’s Tapestry One of Australia’s finest leading ladies, Esther Hannaford, joined by an all-star band to celebrate 50 years of Carole King’s landmark album, Tapestry. 7:30pm, $76.70 + $5.95 bf from venue CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE Def Repplica & Poizon’Us Present Rock Of Ages Canberra From 7:30pm THE BASEMENT Jack Biilmann: Full Circle Album Tour After the launch of a new rock project, a global pandemic, and a truck load of inspiration, Jack Biilmann is back on the road with his 3rd solo record Full Circle. The record sees Biilmann in his true element of blues/roots but also wanders into the folk, soul, Americana, and soul genres for by far the most complete record to date. 7:30pm, $30 from venue THE STREET THEATRE Punk and Shit at Gang Gang With Wollongong/Bargo two piece rock band Sic Parvis Magna, angry folk/punk quartet A Commoner’s Revolt pumping their debut album Social Distancing Since 1983, and one-man acoustic punk act in Canberra’s WILSN. From 8pm, $5 GANG GANG CAFE Sex On Toast - “ake Your Mask Off (And Love Me Tonight) Tour With special guests. From 9pm, $34.92 via Moshtix THE UC HUB

Hard Attack presents: DAVEQON Joining the line-up is the wonderful Davina (Dave) Dzasta and the one and only DJ (Dave) Cotts for a night you will never forget! 9pm – 3am, $15 + bf via Humanitix THE BOARDWALK BAR & NIGHTCLUB

SUNDAY 9 MAY

CIMF - Far and Near A concert with new songs in a wild cacophony of styles and manners. Two shows at midday & 3pm, $75/$65 from cimf.org.au AUSTRALIAN CENTRE FOR CHRISTIANITY AND CULTURE CIMF - Rainbow Serpent The Rainbow Serpent, a great force of life as well as destruction, the great creator of the Universe. This concert brings together the musicians of Ensemble Offspring with iconic Indigenous artists. Two shows at midday & 2pm, $65/$60 from cimf.org.au NATIONAL GALLERY OF AUSTRALIA Live Acoustic Sets From 4pm THE OLD CANBERRA INN What We Carry - Poetry on Childbearing The launch of What We Carry, a powerful new anthology on childbearing, bringing together the voices of more than 60 contemporary Australian poets. 4pm, $5 entry SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE Carole King’s Tapestry One of Australia’s finest leading ladies, Esther Hannaford, joined by an all-star band to celebrate 50 years of Carole King’s landmark album, Tapestry. 7pm, $76.70 + $5.95 bf from venue CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE Song of the Earth Mahler’s ‘greatest symphony’, according to Leonard Bernstein. The work was inspired by seven ancient Chinese poems and follows one of the most painful episodes in the composer’s life. Two shows at 6:30pm & 8:30pm, $80/$70 from cimf.org.au FITTERS WORKSHOP

MONDAY 10 MAY

Lunchulele Every Monday lunchtime, 12.30pm1.30pm, ukulele players mysteriously appear SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE Saeko Ogi - Rock At The Roadside Saeko Ogi’s work is a lyrical blend of verse and her original paintings. 5pm SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

TUESDAY 11 MAY

IQ Trivia From 6pm THE OLD CANBERRA INN A German Life - Robyn Nevin (opening night) Australian theatre royalty Robyn Nevin gives the performance of her career in the critically acclaimed play by Academy Award winner Christopher Hampton. Directed by stage luminary Neil Armfield. Runs 11 - 16 May, tix from $69 + bf from the venue THE PLAYHOUSE

WEDNESDAY 12 MAY

Old Timey Jam The open jam where we party like it’s 1899. Luminaries from the local old timey/folk/acoustic scene will gather at Smith’s to lead an open session of Americana/old timey music. 4pm-6pm SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE Live Jazz From 6:30pm THE OLD CANBERRA INN Canberra Symphony Orchestra - Longing and Desire Performances of Richard Meale AM, MBE Viridian, Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2, and selections from Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet ballet score. 7:30pm, $30$101 from cso.org.au LLEWELLYN HALL Geoff Jazz at Smith’s With Jason Bruer, Greg Coffin, Andrew Robertson, Cam McAllister, Alex Hirlian, and Dave Quinn. Two shows at 7pm and 8:30pm, $25 from the venue SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE Wham Presents: Foxholes of the Mind by Bernard Clancy Foxholes of the Mind dramatically takes audiences on a roller-coaster ride as they look into the lives of Vietnam veteran Frank and his wife Trish, 30 years after the war. Runs 12 - 14 May, $47 + bf from venue THE COURTYARD STUDIO The Grogans The band’s first national tour since November 2019, following the release of their debut album Just What You Want. 7pm, $29.81 via Moshtix THE UC HUB Boardwalk Rainbow Comedy Featurimg the talents of Luka Musicki (also MC), Jenni Atkinson, Rossco Cavanagh, Roland Taureau, Chris Richards, and Andrew Hypatia. From 8pm, optional gold coin donation to a queer charity THE BOARDWALK BAR & NIGHTCLUB SW presents: Jim Dusty, S. Wells and Suli Casino Cowboy Dusty, raised in the frozen bosom of NSW, S. Wells, and the bedroom dream pop of Suli. From 8pm, free entry SIDEWAY

FRIDAY 14 MAY

First Seen: Church Sweet Church by Rebecca Duke A small church community in Tasmania’s North-West is bought by a young lesbian couple; Tash, a boyish and charming music teacher, and Cate, a florist raised in the town. 5pm, tix via donation THE STREET THEATRE Smith’s Irish Jam Canberra’s finest exponents of trad Irish tunes gather for a weekly jam. 5pm – 7pm SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE Felicity Urquhart and Josh Cunningham (The Waifs) The pair are poised to unleash songs and stories of undeniable beauty upon hearts and ears. 7pm, $37.83 – $76.65 from Eventbrite HARMONIE GERMAN CLUB Selby & Friends Presents: Patriot Games A powerful program whose flavours are brought vividly to life by three old friends and veteran Australian artists. 7:30pm, $59.15-$77.50 from premier.ticketek.com.au LLEWELLYN HALL Don’t Miss the Melody - Music Trivia Bringing some much needed pizzaz to the bog standard trivia experience with interactive rounds where you might find yourself in the spotlight. 8pm, $15 from venue SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE The PJ O’Brien Band PJ O’Brien knows how to get a Blues party started. His blistering fretwork has been turning heads from Perth to Memphis, Chicago, Austin, London, Singapore & back again. Driven by PJ’s fat & funky guitar, accompanied by his smooth, soulfilled vocals, this band is receiving widespread acclaim. 7:30pm, tix $20 + bf from Humanitix AUSTRIAN CLUB Diamond Construct w/ Mirrors From 8pm, $24.90 from Oztix THE BASEMENT Vinyl DJs From 8pm Spinning a variety of retro, jazz, funk, and more THE OLD CANBERRA INN Community ft SECRET GUEST With supports Amraks, Waxlily, Mia Sorlie, Izaak Bink, Amando, and Max. 9pm – 5am ONE22 Hip Hop Takeover ft. YOUNGN LIPZ One of the most requested artists arrives, with supports Kilusan, Femme Rebelle, Edstar, Trigga, and Divito. 9pm – 5am, $32.23 from intix.com FICTION CLUB Karaoke - The 80s Retro Night Put on your craziest outfit and come to sing and dance with us! The ‘80s themed cocktails and shots will be running at the bar all night long. Registration 8pm, event 9pm – 1am THE BOARDWALK BAR & NIGHTCLUB

SATURDAY 15 MAY

Leo Joseph’s Blues Piano Sessions Running since 2011, Leo’s familiar solo blues piano sessions have now found a new home at Smith’s on the 3rd Saturday of every month. From 12.30pm to 2pm SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE A German Life - Robyn Nevin - (matinee) Australian theatre royalty Robyn Nevin gives the performance of her career in the critically acclaimed play by Academy Award winner Christopher Hampton. Directed by stage luminary Neil Armfield. Runs 11 - 16 May, 2pm, tix from $69 + bf from venue THE PLAYHOUSE Live Acoustic Sets From 2pm THE OLD CANBERRA INN

Welter From the Mountains of Tasmania to the coastal surf of NSW, Welter are producing outstanding “music for the good life”. 6pm, $20 from venue SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE Live @ The Polo | Featuring Chins // The Huneez // Flowermarket The Huneez are an indie pop trio hailing from Wollongong, NSW, playing some of the sweetest beats and juiciest jams around. Throw in last issue’s BMA Band in five-piece Chins, and indie-rock with an intelligent edge merchants Flowermarket, and you have yourself a night! From 8pm, $15 + bf from trybooking.com POLISH WHITE EAGLE CLUB Sputnik Sweetheart Jealousy Single Launch w/ Parkland, The Lenores, Hope Wilkins Energetic, emotive and passionate, Sputnik Sweetheart bring their own blend of Alternative-Rock to the Australian Music Scene. From 8pm, $24.99 via Oztix THE BASEMENT

SUNDAY 16 MAY

A German Life - Robyn Nevin - (closing day) Final chance to see Australian theatre royalty Robyn Nevin give the performance of her career in the critically acclaimed play by Academy Award winner Christopher Hampton. Directed by stage luminary Neil Armfield. Performances at 1pm & 6pm, tix from $69 + bf from venue THE PLAYHOUSE Live Acoustic Sets From 4pm THE OLD CANBERRA INN

MONDAY 17 MAY

Lunchulele Every Monday lunchtime, 12.30pm-1.30pm, ukulele players mysteriously appear SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

TUESDAY 18 MAY

IQ Trivia From 6pm THE OLD CANBERRA INN Physics In The Pub Eight Physicists, eight minutes each, all with a fascinating story to tell. In previous years we’ve had nuclear physics stand up, songs on big data, and fusion energy lego. What will it be this year? Sponsored by the Australian Institute of Physics (ACT), and MC-ed by Dr Phil Dooley (Phil Up On Science). 6:30pm SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

WEDNESDAY 19 MAY

Old Timey Jam The open jam where we party like it’s 1899. Luminaries from the local old timey/folk/acoustic scene will gather at Smith’s to lead an open session of Americana/old timey music. 4pm-6pm SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE Live Jazz From 6:30pm THE OLD CANBERRA INN Canberra Shanty Club A community singing group that sings sea shanties, working songs, and all manner of folk chorus tunes. All singing levels are welcome. 6:30pm SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE Canberra Youth Theatre Presents: Little Girls Alone In The Woods by Morgan Rose An inventive adaptation of The Bacchae that puts a modern feminist lens on the Greek legend of Dionysus. It dares us to go into the woods and seek out what knowledge lies beyond the border of respectability and rules. What new worlds await us? Runs 19 - 22 May, $30 + $5.95 bf from venue THE COURTYARD STUDIO

THURSDAY 20 MAY

QL2 Dance Presents: REBEL REBEL is QL2 Dance’s major project for 2021 for the Quantum Leap ensemble. Choreographers: Ruth Osborne, Steve Gow, Jack Ziesing and Jodie Farrugia. Runs 20 – 22 May, $28 + $5.95 bf from the venue THE PLAYHOUSE Canberra Youth Theatre Presents: Little Girls Alone In The Woods by Morgan Rose 7:30pm THE COURTYARD STUDIO Smith’s Irish Jam Canberra’s finest exponents of trad Irish tunes gather for a weekly jam. 5pm – 7pm SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE QL2 Dance Presents: REBEL 7pm THE PLAYHOUSE Silverback Touring Presents - Icons & Legends: Bon Jovi A tribute to the music of Bon Jovi that focuses on his releases between 1983 and 2005 and will feature a hit and anthem filled set. 7pm, $46.70 from Oztix THE BASEMENT Visualising Harmony Facilitated by world-class violinist Bindi McFarlane, players of the Canberra Symphony Orchestra will mentor five artists with disability, and together create and perform original music inspired by colourful artworks. 7pm, $25/$20 via belcoarts.com.au/harmony BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE Canberra Youth Theatre Presents: Little Girls Alone In The Woods by Morgan Rose 7:30pm THE COURTYARD STUDIO Arj Barker – We Need to Talk Due to Popular Demand, Arj Barker returns with an Encore performance of his hit show – We Need To Talk. 8pm, $49.90 + $5.95 bf from venue CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE Vinyl DJs From 8pm Spinning a variety of retro, jazz, funk, and more THE OLD CANBERRA INN Kath & Kim Drag Bingo Enjoy five rounds of bingo plus live Kath & Kim shows. Dress as your favourite character for your chance to win our best dressed prize. 5:30pm & 8:30pm, tix/waiting list via outix.co HARMONIE GERMAN CLUB FEEL ft. CC:DISCO! Celebrating the release of First Light Vol II, with supports Tekito, Waxlily, Chloe Maguire, Izaäk Bink, Jackson Lees. 9pm – 5am, $21 via firstlightftccdisco.intix.com FICTION CLUB Canberra Youth Theatre Presents: Little Girls Alone In The Woods by Morgan Rose 2pm & 7:30pm THE COURTYARD STUDIO Live Acoustic Sets From 2pm THE OLD CANBERRA INN QL2 Dance Presents: REBEL 2pm & 7pm THE PLAYHOUSE Melody Pool In 2021, Melody Pool announces her awaited return with new music penning its way into her sets, exploring a new and re-birthed brilliance hinting at subjects of empowerment, resurgence and uprising. 5pm, $25/$20 via venue SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE Bingo Loco Canberra (SOLD OUT - waiting list available) 6:30pm, tixel.com HARMONIE GERMAN CLUB Sun Burn Lite - Mini Metal Festival With Pod People, Potion, Lucifungus, Burn the Hostages, Astrodeath and Master Leonard From 7pm, $35 + bf via Oztix THE BASEMENT Marty Sheargold: A New Live Standup Show Don’t miss the opportunity to laugh live with the star of Have You Been Paying Attention? as he delivers a load of jokes and stories he can’t do on national TV. 7:30pm, $49.90 + $5.95 bf via venue CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE Rob Snarski + Peter Milton Walsh Walsh is the near-myth behind The Apartments, the group he named after one of Billy Wilder’s greatest films. Snarski brings the songs from his beloved solo works Sparrow and Swan and Wounded Bird. 7:30pm, $35 + bf from Trybooking POLISH WHITE EAGLE CLUB Dusty The Concert - Monique Montez This is a concert celebrating Dusty Springfield’s musical achievements, hit songs, life stories and impact she had around the world during the era of Black & White Soul. 8pm, $43.60 via Ticketek CANBERRA SOUTHERN CROSS CLUB (WODEN)

Live Acoustic Sets From 4pm THE OLD CANBERRA INN

MONDAY 24 MAY

Lunchulele Every Monday lunchtime, 12.30pm1.30pm, ukulele players mysteriously appear SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE Recent Work Readings - Jacqui Malins & Penny Drysdale As part of the That Poetry Thing readings, come along for the launch of two new Recent Work titles: F-words by Jacqui Malins and Glass by Penny Drysdale. 7pm, free entry, register via venue website SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

TUESDAY 25 MAY

IQ Trivia From 6pm THE OLD CANBERRA INN

WEDNESDAY 26 MAY

Old Timey Jam The open jam where we party like it’s 1899. Luminaries from the local old timey/folk/acoustic scene will gather at Smith’s to lead an open session of Americana/old timey music. 4pm-6pm SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE Live Jazz From 6:30pm THE OLD CANBERRA INN

FRIDAY 28 MAY

Smith’s Irish Jam Canberra’s finest exponents of trad Irish tunes gather for a weekly jam. 5pm – 7pm SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE Dreams - Fleetwood Mac & Stevie Nicks Show Bring your wild heart and that gypsy spirit to re-live one of the legendary bands and performers of the seventies and eighties, and one band Australians love – Fleetwood Mac and Stevie Nicks. Featuring a well-oiled & talented group of musicians. Two shows at 5:30pm & 8:30pm, $35.57 – $75.81 via Eventbrite HARMONIE GERMAN CLUB ACT5413 Launch Party ft. Eloria, Reubok, Maleezy & Sweethard ACT5413 is Canberra’s newest name in pop & electronic music promo. 7pm-11pm, $10 on the door POLISH WHITE EAGLE CLUB Pilots of Baalbek, The Dunhill Blues and BC Get on board for a night of rock ‘n’ roll with CBR party wreckers Pilots of Baalbek. Your crew includes very special guests The Dunhill Blues from Sydney and Canberra’s BC helping with the in-flight entertainment. From 7pm, $15 + bf from Oztix THE BASEMENT Augie March - Sunset Studies Live 2021 Released in October 2000, Sunset Studies was the first long player from Augie March. In 2021, the band’s dusting off this classic and performing it live! 8pm, $69 – $85 + $5.95 bf from venue CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE Charlie Violet + Moondog + Freelings A night of moody, uplifting, raw and intimate song-sharing. From 8pm, $15 from venue website SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE Vinyl DJs From 8pm Spinning a variety of retro, jazz, funk, and more THE OLD CANBERRA INN FEEL ft Little Fritter The Gold Coast native returns to celebrate his new EP out on Catch & Release, with supports Parisi, Take-Tu, Pork, Juicee, Edstar, Divito. 9pm – 5am, $ 21.79 via intix.com FICTION CLUB

SATURDAY 29 MAY

Comic Author Tom Taylor Signing and Q&A Australian #1 New York Times bestselling comic book author Tom Taylor, well known for his work in Injustice: Gods Among Us, DCeased, X-Men Red, Suicide Squad and much, much more, is in town for a 11am - 2pm signing at Impact Comics followed by a Q&A from 4pm – 6pm at Reload Bar & Games IMPACT COMICS Tina Arena - Enchanté Enchanté promises the same high level of quality, integrity, emotional depth and theatricality that we’ve come to expect from this extraordinary talent. 7:30pm, tix from $120 via Ticketek LLEWELLYN HALL Celebration! 10 Years of Live @ The Polo It’s an out-and-out celebration of 10 glorious years of Live at the Polo, with some the region’s finest acts to mark the occasion. Featuring Julia Johnson, Nick Delatovic & The Empty Lake Singers, Bec Taylor and the Lyrebirds, Kim Yang, Endrey, The Burley Griffin, Rafe Morris and The Decideds, Slow Dial, Moondog, Betty Alto, Kilroy, Sesame Girl, Slagatha Christie, Lucy Ridge and the Derby Widows, Signs and Symbols, and Magic Rob Universe. From 1pm til late, all-day early bird $35 + bf from Trybooking POLISH WHITE EAGLE CLUB Live Acoustic Sets From 2pm THE OLD CANBERRA INN Teddy Tahu Rhodes & Guy Noble Acclaimed baritone Teddy Tahu Rhodes joins popular pianist and conductor Guy Noble to perform powerful, rapturous songs and delicate classical arias in a celebratory concert with a sprinkle of their beloved comedic flair. 2pm, $59 - $69 + $5.95 bf from venue THE PLAYHOUSE Brass Knuckle Brass Band Street funk outfit BKBB is a sweaty late-night party for anyone who knows a sousaphone will always be tougher than a bass guitar. From 5pm SMOKEY HORSE

Decadence & Debauchery The scintillating local and interstate line-up features: Porcelain Alice (Miss Burlesque NSW 2019), Moisty Magic (Miss Burlesque SA 2019), Idris Stanbury (Wham Glam Circus Man!), Dimitri (Canberra Juggler Extraordinaire), and, of course, Jazida (Producer #JazidaProductions, 46th Most Influential Burlesque Industry Figure 2021). 7:30pm doors for an 8pm show, $33 from Eventbrite VERITY LANE MARKET Shakedown Cabaret & Trivia Featuring award-winning burlesque, cabaret, clowning and comedy, this is an interactive trivia night with a tangy twist. The trivia questions relate to the show you are watching, so you better be paying attention! From 8pm, $40 via Eventbrite HARMONIE GERMAN CLUB Live Acoustic Sets From 4pm THE OLD CANBERRA INN Victor Martinez Parada - Solo Guitar Maestro Victor Martinez Parada has thrilled audiences in Chile, Uruguay, Brazil, Argentina, Australia, China, and Japan for more than 50 years with his mastery of classical, LatinAmerican and avant-garde guitar. 5:30pm, $30 from venue website SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE Dean Abbott - Letting Go Album Launch Dean Abbott is bringing his soulful tone and mellow vibe into the heart of Canberra City, launching his new album Letting Go. Supported by Finley Geach. 7pm, $22.19 from Eventbrite LUCKY’S SPEAKEASY AT QT CANBERRA Adams Parade + The Vanderstruts + Blank Display From 7pm, $13 from Oztix THE BASEMENT

MONDAY 31 MAY

Lunchulele Every Monday lunchtime, 12.30pm1.30pm, ukulele players mysteriously appear SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

TUESDAY 1 JUNE

IQ Trivia From 6pm THE OLD CANBERRA INN

WEDNESDAY 2 JUNE

Old Timey Jam The open jam where we party like it’s 1899. Luminaries from the local old timey/folk/acoustic scene will gather at Smith’s to lead an open session of Americana/old timey music. 4pm-6pm SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE Live Jazz From 6:30pm THE OLD CANBERRA INN

Silverback Touring Presents - Aussie Made Tour Featuring Electric Mary, Palace of the King, Dead City Ruins, and local guests Wicked Things. From 7pm, $60.95 from Oztix THE BASEMENT The Appleton Ladies’ Potato Race Inspired by real life events and featuring a cast of five fabulous women, The Appleton Ladies’ Potato Race by Melanie Tait is a funny, honest, and heart-warming story about upsetting the potato cart and standing up for your principles. Runs from 3-5 June, $59 – $79 + $5.95 booking fee via venue THE PLAYHOUSE Milk: By Dylan Van Den Berg On the precipice of something life changing, a young Palawa man plunges into an exploration of self and Country. Runs 3 - 12 June, $45$32 from venue THE STREET THEATRE

FRIDAY 4 JUNE

Smith’s Irish Jam Canberra’s finest exponents of trad Irish tunes gather for a weekly jam. 5pm – 7pm SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE Pachanga! Urban Latin Fiesta An all local line-up of Urban Latin talent featuring Funkytrop (Afro-Latin Funk), Chicharrita Club (tropical Latin rock), Raio De Sol (Samba Percussion) DJ Dede Da Cruz (African + AfroLatin specialist) + beginner dance lesson to get you in the mood. From 7pm, $25 via Oztix THE BASEMENT The Appleton Ladies’ Potato Race Inspired by real life events and featuring a cast of five fabulous women, The Appleton Ladies’ Potato Race by Melanie Tait is a funny, honest and heart-warming story about upsetting the potato cart and standing up for your principles. Runs from 3-5 June, $59 – $79 + $5.95 booking fee via venue THE PLAYHOUSE Milk: By Dylan Van Den Berg On the precipice of something life changing, a young Palawa man plunges into an exploration of self and Country. Runs 3 - 12 June, $45$32 from venue THE STREET THEATRE Sydney Dance Company Presents: Impermanence A visceral and thrilling exploration of the juxtaposition of beauty and devastation, Sydney Dance Company’s full-length work, Impermanence is Rafael Bonachela’s newest creation. Contemporary composer, Bryce Dessner has composed a new score full of emotional power. Best known as a founder of American rock band The National and for his film scores for The Revenant and The Two Popes. 7:30pm, $69 – $89 + $5.95 bf via venue CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE Tundrel Album Launch Described by BMA’s own Rory McCartney as “heavyweight riffs circle menacingly in rising clouds, with psychedelic injects adding to the fray; Hore’s voice continues to impress with its massive strength, that helps set Tundrel apart.” In short, the band’s on fire, with a new album. 8pm, $20/$15 via venue SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE Vinyl DJs From 8pm Retro, jazz, funk, and more THE OLD CANBERRA INN

SATURDAY 5 JUNE

Live Acoustic Sets From 2pm THE OLD CANBERRA INN The Appleton Ladies’ Potato Race Inspired by real life events and featuring a cast of five fabulous women, The Appleton Ladies’ Potato Race by Melanie Tait is a funny, honest and heart-warming story about upsetting the potato cart and standing up for your principles. Runs from 3-5 June, $59 – $79 + $5.95 booking fee via venue THE PLAYHOUSE Milk: By Dylan Van Den Berg On the precipice of something life changing, a young Palawa man plunges into an exploration of self and Country. Runs 3 - 12 June, $45$32 from venue THE STREET THEATRE Temtris Ritual Warfare Across Australia Temtris sixth, and newest, album Ritual Warfare combines the best elements of heavy metal with a modern feel. Soaring vocals with twin guitar harmonies, blazing solos a powerful rhythm section. From 7:30pm, $24.25 via Oztix THE BASEMENT Pierce Brothers - Into The Great Unknown For years now, twin brothers Jack and Patrick Pierce’s high energy duo Pierce Brothers has been a staple of the Australian indie-folk/ blues & roots scene, captivating festival goers and headlining sold out venues the world over. 8pm, $45.13 via Moshtix THE UC HUB Sydney Dance Company Presents: Impermanence A visceral and thrilling exploration of the juxtaposition of beauty and devastation, Sydney Dance Company’s full-length work, Impermanence is Rafael Bonachela’s newest creation. Contemporary composer, Bryce Dessner has composed a new score full of emotional power. Best known as a founder of American rock band The National and for his film scores for The Revenant and The Two Popes 7:30pm, $69 – $89 + $5.95 bf via venue CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

SUNDAY 6 JUNE

Live Acoustic Sets From 4pm THE OLD CANBERRA INN Milk: By Dylan Van Den Berg On the precipice of something life changing, a young Palawa man plunges into an exploration of self and Country. Runs 3 - 12 June, $45$32 from venue THE STREET THEATRE Alma Moodie Quartet playing Beethoven and Schoenberg String Quartets Named to honour internationally significant Australian violinist of the 1930s and 1940s, and led by acclaimed violinist Kristian Winther, the Alma Moodie Quartet is committed to invigorating the classics and exploring new works with their combined virtuosic talents. This concert features Beethoven’s String Quartet in E minor Op 59/2 and Schoenberg’s String Quartet in D Minor Op 7. The quartet comprise Kristian Winther & Anna da Silva Chen, violins; Alexina Hawkins, viola; Thomas Marlin, cello. This 2-hour concert is set to be a spellbinding event. 7:30pm, $35/$28 from Trybooking DUNTROON CAMPBELL SCOUT HALL Apia Good Times Tour The 8th anniversary Apia Good Times Tour will be the biggest yet with performances from Brian Cadd, Deborah Conway, Joe Camilleri, John Paul Young, Kate Ceberano, Leo Sayer, Vika & Linda Bull and, making her Good Times debut, Ms Wendy Matthews. 7:30pm, $99.90 – $129.90 + $5.95 bf via venue CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

MONDAY 7 JUNE

Lunchulele Every Monday lunchtime, 12.30pm1.30pm, ukulele players mysteriously appear SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE The World of Musicals A brand new production and the wonderful revue of all your favorite musical theatre hits which include such classics as The Lion King, Fiddler On The Roof, Mamma Mia, We Will Rock You, The Mikado, The Pirates of Penzance, and many, many more. 7:30pm, $49.90 – $99.90 + $5.95 bf via venue CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE Live At The Basement - Uni Rock - UC M.U.S.I.C. Live event from the University of Canberra Music Society. From 8pm THE BASEMENT

TUESDAY 8 JUNE

IQ Trivia From 6pm THE OLD CANBERRA INN

WEDNESDAY 9 JUNE

Old Timey Jam The open jam where we party like it’s 1899. Luminaries from the local old timey/folk/acoustic scene will gather at Smith’s to lead an open session of Americana/old timey music. 4pm-6pm SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE Live Jazz From 6:30pm THE OLD CANBERRA INN Milk: By Dylan Van Den Berg On the precipice of something life changing, a young Palawa man plunges into an exploration of self and Country. Runs 3 - 12 June, $45$32 from venue THE STREET THEATRE

Lightbulb Improv / The Door / 7-8 May / Courtyard Theatre

Lightbulb brings a live show with a difference; one in which you control the outcome. In a world interrupted, we’ve all reflected on our “what if moments”. In The Door, you can see how the decision plays out; each step through the door shaping the differing worlds. Watch the parallel worlds unfold, based on a single decision that the audience has chosen. As an antidote to our often predictable and routine lives, Canberra’s premier improv troupe create spontaneous entertainment to bring you the unexpected. 6:30pm and 8:45pm both days, $23/$28 + bf from Canberra Theatre

Canberra Youth Theatre - Little Girls Alone In The Woods / 19-22 May / The Courtyard Studio

An ordinary town; something amiss. Not the maths exam, the overdue essays, or even global warming troubling the teens. It’s a low buzz of anxiety, a quiet terror in the night. Girls have been going missing. Were they taken? Or have they ventured into the bush themselves…? LGAITW is an inventive adaptation of The Bacchae that puts a contemporary feminist lens on the Greek legend of Dionysus. It dares us to go into the woods and seek the knowledge that lies beyond the border of decency and rules. What new worlds await us? $30 + bf from Canberra Theatre

Decadence & Debauchery/ Burlesque + more / 29 May / Verity Lane Attic

Jazida Productions is excited to announce the next all-star installment of Decadence & Debauchery at new location in the Verity Attic. The scintillating local and interstate line-up features: Porcelain Alice (Miss Burlesque NSW 2019), Moisty Magic (Miss Burlesque SA 2019), Idris Stanbury (Wham Glam Circus Man!), Dimitri (Canberra Juggler Extraordinaire), and, of course, Jazida (Producer #JazidaProductions, 46th Most Influential Burlesque Industry Figure 2021). Tix go quick so get in while you can! 7:30pm doors for an 8pm show, $33 from Eventbrite A German Life / Play starring Robyn Nevin / 11 - 16 May / The Playhouse

Aussie theatre royalty Robyn Nevin gives a career-high performance in the critically acclaimed Christopher Hampton play, A German Life. Directed by stage luminary Neil Armfield, hit of the 2021 Adelaide Festival, the story concerns one ordinary woman’s extraordinary time during World War II. Nevin plays Brunhilde Pomsel, an unassuming woman with good shorthand skills who came to work in Joseph Goebbels’ Propaganda Ministry. Innocent or culpable? A searching play that probes confronting questions for contemporary audiences. $69.90 + bf from Canberra Theatre

Rope / The play that inspired Alfred Hitchcock / 20 May - 5 June / Canberra Repertory

Rope is a brilliantly tense play from Patrick Hamilton, author of Gaslight, which was performed by REP in 2016. The premise is thus: believing themselves to be intellectually superior to their contemporaries, two flatmates murder their friend purely to see if they can get away with it. They then throw a cocktail party, serving food from the top of the trunk where they have hidden his body. Tension and suspicions increase as the evening wears on. Tickets $45 - $35 + $3.50 bf from Canberra Repertory

Alma Moodie Quartet / 2 hrs of classy Classics/ Sun, 6 June / Duntroon Campbell Scout Hall

Named to honour internationally significant Australian violinist of the 1930s and 1940s, and led by acclaimed violinist Kristian Winther, the Alma Moodie Quartet is committed to invigorating the classics and exploring new works with their combined virtuosic talents. This concert features Beethoven’s String Quartet in E minor Op 59/2 and Schoenberg’s String Quartet in D Minor Op 7. The quartet comprise Kristian Winther & Anna da Silva Chen, violins; Alexina Hawkins, viola; Thomas Marlin, cello. A 2-hour spellbinding concert awaits. 7:30pm, $35/$28 from Trybooking