BMA Magazine #531 - Mar/Apr 2023

PUTTING THE “CANBERRA” IN THE COMEDY FESTIVAL LOCALS SHINE IN 2023

ENSEMBLE OFFSPRING MUSIC FOR EVERYONE

FARHAN SHAH & SUFI-OZ MORE THAN THE PAKASTANI PAVAROTTI

CLAIRE EDWARDES TO THE BEAT OF HER OWN DRUM

QUINTETO ASTOR PIAZZOLLA THE FIRE OF NEUVO TANGO!

MARY COUGHLAN A LIFE WELL LIVED THROUGH SONG

FROM PICKET LINE TO THE FOLKIE HEADLINE

Daniel Connell - Everything Hurts (From Laughing)

Daniel Connell - Everything Hurts (From Laughing)

Frankie McNair - CBR Comic Goes Global

Frankie McNair - CBR Comic Goes Global

Chris Marlton - CBR Comedy Legend

Chris Marlton - Full Of Character(s)

Billy Bianchini - Industry Big Gun Moves To LA

Billy Bianchini - Industry Big Gun Moves To LA

[Canberra’s Entertainment Guide]

#531 mar/apr 2023

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BILLY BRAGG p. 18 p. 34 p. 40

FARHAN SHAH

MARY COUGHLAN

16

ENSEMBLE OFFSPRING BILLY BIANCHINI

41

QUINTETO PIAZZOLLA TIM FERGUSON

MARTIN

p. 33

CLAIRE EDWARDES

CONNELL

FRANKIE MCNAIR

FROM THE BOSSMAN

BY ALLAN SKO [ALLAN@BMAMAG.COM]

And The Secret Ingredient Is... LOVE!?!

There has been a growing trend I’ve noticed upon feverishly scrutinising a product’s ingredients of a busy farmer’s market or boutique bakery; gleefully oblivious to the increasingly long queue of frustrated people forming behind me. It’s a trend that makes me arch an eyebrow of curiosity as the growing rabble audibly gnash their teeth.

And it is this: Including ‘Love’ as an actual, real ingredient.

I have noticed this inclusion on five separate occasions. Next to the salt, the sugar, the perrioroxide emulsifiers and various other chemical numbers and letters, will be listed the substance Love. Or, for extra twee points, a little heart emoji. What I want to know is... Have people thought this through?

Now, I understand that we say things are ‘made with love’ and that boutique stores in particular will want to express, to their hipster clientele, that they’re not about watered down mass production, maaaan. They go the extra mile, providing the equivalent of an easter egg that they know you — the discerning possibly-bearded possibly-head-scarf-wearing ingredients-scrutinising buyer— will read.

And it may induce a little knowing smile; the sound of “Nawww!” wafting out of the amygdala.

But maybe there’s more to this.

Have the FDA* had a review and determined ‘Love’ is now a tangible and measurable ingredient that can legally be included in food and drink products? What constitutes a safe level of Love? If the Love has been picked, then frozen, only to be warmed up later off-season and reconstituted, do the product makers have to declare this? Where exactly is this Love being grown and produced?

The stupid questions are endless.

Possibly the worst thing about this whole Love-is-now-aningredient thing is that it is often listed as the last ingredient. As we all know, said list runs from highest quantity at the start to lowest quantity at the end.

So these producers are flagrantly admitting to us that they’re making it with the bare minimum of love, effectively halfarsing the care component.

This is surely as bad as offering a waiter a 5c tip over none at all. If you can’t be bothered to ladle in a decent dollop of Love, then don’t bother at all. The fast food industry has made billions off that just notion.

And let’s face it, the idea of a “little bit of love added to every product” just sounds a bit… well… Unsavoury

Anyway, I’m off to buy a pumpernickel & ultra-chai superfruit loaf and take 15 minutes asking where the Love is sourced. *that is, of course, the Food and Drug Administration. Not to be confused with the Fraud and Death Administration

Fours bands across three states/territories converge to observe and celebrate International Wom*n’s Day. QLD’s alt-indie four-piece VOIID give a voice to the voiceless; fresh from Bundjalung Country, NSW comes the socially conscious hardcore punk of Masochist; plus two homegrown heroes in the form of incinerating alt-punk trio (and BMA faves) Box Dye, as well as the fresh-faced Pretty in Punk. Plus art stalls, local band merch stands, education stations, and vendors galore. Canberra + Women = Awesome. 7pm, $10.20 conc/$15; $5 from every ticket sold goes to Girls Rock Canberra

Wait... Is that Lindy Morrison? The Lindy Morrison, drummer with legendary Brisbane seminal post-punk-pop band The Go-Betweens?

The other half of a great female friendship recently written about in the beautiful memoir My Rock n Roll Friend by Everything But The Girls’ Tracey Thorn? Oh yes. And here comes The Blackeyed Susans’ Rob Snarski! After a gig or two together, disagreements, chess, and the odd arm wrestle, they’re back. Not for the faint hearted, but for the romantic, the readers, the writers, the displaced, the misfits, the fanatical, the lovers, and the lost. 9pm, $35/$40 via venue

Outlaw blues and soul for outlaw hearts. Canberra based Wease Wade and CC Hall have come together with a deep and delicious desire to create heartfelt sounds and soulful moods. Their debut single Lovin’ Arms ticks all those boxes, and more. They surrounded themselves with the cream of local musicians and engineers, then finished things off with mixing engineer, Anton Hagop, who was inspirational on Silverchair’s Diorama album. Outlaw blues and soul for outlaw hearts… welcome to The Wildfires! With special guests Moondog, and Big Mama and The Hanged Men. 7:30pm, $25 via Trybooking

Alive in the Park 2023 is back! With a backdrop of sweet summer air and towering trees framing the Yass River, what more could you ask for? Joining ten hours of incredible live music will be a variety of food trucks, craft beer and drinks by Kombi Keg, market stalls, and atmosphere. During the day is the time to get groovy to Will Kepa, The Burley Griffin, and Hope Wilkins, before the music ramps up in the afternoon with smartcasual, Muesli, and Jack Biilmann and the Black Tide. Then get your rock on, framed by the sunset, with Citizen Kay, and Redhook. Noon - 10pm, free event!

Gia Ransome is a Canberra singer/songwriter who, with her band, will make you feel like you’re living a great romance in an old-school dive bar. Described as a marriage between Nick Cave and Lana Del Rey, you can expect an experience of suave, bluesy rock. Her debut single Boots will be released on 17 March (review next issue) and brings with it riffs and grit inspired by her time living in London. Even better, she is joined on the night by ARCHIE and Nina Leo! 8pm, $18.40 via Moshtix

Wine Machine is a full-bodied day of wine, food, and live music, showcasing both the splendour of our nation’s most picturesque regions, and the spectacular musical accompaniments borne from Australian soil. And they’re packing a mean line-up to boot! To whit: Bliss & Eso, Lime Cordiale, Grentperez, KLP, Vera Blue, Northeast Party House, Jimi Kween, the wonderfully named The Poof Doof Drag Jamboree and, of course, Hot Dub Time Machine. 3pm - 11pm, tickets $97.13 - $148.26 wine-machine.com/wine-machine-canberra/

The Wildfires / Outlaw blues & soul outfit’s debut single launch / Fri, 10 Mar / Live at the Polo

CBR GRRRLS To The Front / Rockin’ way to tout Int Wom*n’s Day / Sat, 4 Mar / The Basement

Lindy Morrison & Rob Snarski / Power duo of Aus rock royalty / Sat, 4 Mar / Smith’s Alternative

Alive In The Park 2023 / Epic free festival / Sun, 12 Mar / Riverbank Park, Yass, NSW

Gia Ransome / A flavour of sultry dive bar rock / Fri, 17 Mar / Transit Bar

Wine Machine / Tunes & wine & feelin’ fine / Sat, 25 Mar / Commonwealth Park

LOCALITY

[THE LATEST ON LOCAL MUSIC] WITH RUTH O’BRIEN. SEND GIGS AND INFO TO: [RUTH@BMAMAG.COM]

Oh haiiii, it’s me again, back with some juicy details about some of Canberra’s most delicious upcoming gigs and events.

BTW, have I mentioned before how much I love this city? I was born and raised in Canberra, have actually never lived outside this place for more than a month. I have travelled a little bit, though, and despite it’s harsh winters and sometimes ridiculous drivers (so spoilt here with our roads!), compared to many places it’s a pretty stunning and cushy place to live.

Not to mention the arts and music culture!

As a teenager, some of my friends used to complain that there was nothing to do here. If I’m honest, living in Tuggeranong without a licence can leave you feeling up isolation creek without a paddle.

But, on the whole, there’s actually a shiteload happening. Like, all the the time. Here are a few examples of such things!

and fronted by four amazing forces of nature in Kevin 007, Malcom, Mickey and Andrew, then ya best get ya ass along.

Fresh Out runs from 11am-5pm and is the biggest LGBTQIA+ event on the Canberra calendar. All are welcome, and you can head to freshout.au for all the pertinent details!

If you’re keen on getting to know Canberra from a slightly different perspective, you should probably know about, and subsequently go to, Australian Dance Party’s Culture Cruise. This is an experience you will need to set aside a good part of the day for (as it goes for four hours) but it is a fantastic combination of art/performance meets city tour.

I Have No Enemies is “an original post-dramatic play about surveillance, data collection, and how we make sense of our place in the digital world”. It’s a production of Carroll’s theatre company Bare Witness, based at Belco Arts. If you’d like to bare witness (arf-arf) to this undoubtedly expressive and topical piece, head to ainslieandgorman.com.au

On Saturday, 11 March at 4:30pm, Glitoris are playing at Glebe Park as part of the Fresh Out Fair Day! The band have just finished recording their sophomore album and will be playing some new tunes from said record. If you like your music punk rock, part political, and part tongue-in-cheek,

Starting at the National Museum of Australia, participants will be taken across the lake by boat to then tour some of Canberra’s most beloved and iconic institutions. There’ll be food and refreshments throughout, and I have no doubt you’ll leave the cruise a more enriched person.

Happening every Saturday throughout March, the Culture Cruise is a fantastic way to get to know the rich tapestry of art, buildings, history, and people that make Canberra/Ngunnawal Country what it is. For all the info go to australiandance. party/culturecruise

Of course, Enlighten is happening very soon, too. From 3-13 March, many of our contemporary music favourites will be gracing the Enlighten program with their sweet tunes. Acts include nonbinarycode, Muesli, Lucy Sugerman, ARCHIE, smartcasual, Eden Plenty, The Devine Devilled, Lucy Ridge & The Derby Widows + many more!

For information about the specifics of each of these acts, head to enlightencanberra.com. Enlighten really is an event that every age group can get involved with, and it’s always a favourite on the Canberra calendar.

The wonderfully prolific Christopher Samuel Carroll has a new show happening between 1-11 March at the Ralph Wilson Theatre at Gorman Arts Centre

Lastly but not leastly, there’s always a vast lineup of things happening at Smith’s Alternative

One in particular I’d like to draw your attention to is the Smith’s Varietal #192! That’s right, there’s been 191 of these variety shows on the wonderful Smith’s stage, and acts of all, well, varieties, have taken part.

The one-hundred-and-ninety-second instalment is on Wednesday, 22 March and will be hosted by Mel Kordek Performing in the show will be Lumi Ricardi - poetry, Jacinta and Marlene - storytelling, Adam Fenech - flute, Anthony Irving - piano, Alaric - song, The Vest Brothers - songs, Evan Buckley - songs, and Mossgirl - songs.

Starts at 9:30pm and should wrap up about 11:30pm. Get along and get your variation on!

That’s it from me! Oh, if you wanna come say hi and meet face-to-face, I’ll be at The Basement from 7pm on Saturday, 4 March for Burntout Bookings’ Grrls To The Front gig! My new business, Upbeat CBR will have a stall there for this International Wom*n’s Day event and I’ll be available to chat about all things BMA and Upbeat!

If you’d like to know more about Upbeat CBR go to upbeatcbr. com. And to find out more about the Grrls To The Front event, head to thebasementcanberra.oztix.com.au

Otherwise, see you in a month from now!

Billy Bianchini

If you’re a part of the Australian Music Industry, chances are you’ve already heard of William “Billy” Bianchini - an Artist Manager, Producer, Economist, and Campaign Specialist from the ACT who has since built a sterling reputation for developing emerging artists and taking them to the bright lights of the national stage.

After founding the record label and artist services company warm water. at the age of 21, and developing artists like Sputnik Sweetheart and Groovy Daughter, the pandemic turned Billy’s attention towards industry support as the Program Manager of MusicACT, where he developed and implemented a suite of economic industry strategies alongside government, businesses, artists, and audiences to strengthen the ACT music scene. With sights now set on the US market, we sat down with Billy to give BMA readers an exclusive peek behind the curtain.

Tell us a little bit about yourself!

Thanks for asking! My name is William Bianchini, but everyone calls me Billy.

I started out in music back in 2018 here in Canberra as a uni student who just wanted to get more involved in the local scene. Since then, it’s been a wild ride as an independent Artist Manager. I’ve worked as a producer in some of Australia’s top recording studios.

And I’ve traveled to all corners of the country managing Sputnik Sweetheart, in this time designing and implementing numerous release campaign strategies that have put Canberra music on the map. This has been achieved via frequent major radio and television station rotation both in Australia and internationally. It’s all come from living and working here in the cool little Capital!

Who are your influences, musical or otherwise?

Gosh, there’s tonnes.

The whole industry continues to be a great source of inspiration for me both professionally and personally, but that doesn’t stop at the musicians.

Poppy Tohill’s management of BENEE has been a big one in my mind lately, and I’d say the same of Andrew Stone’s management of Lime Cordiale.

Both seem to have a well-calibrated antenna for culture and how it’s reflected through music. They’ve both achieved significant success, and throughout it all have been able to champion their artists in ways that are honest to the art and the people behind it.

I’m always curious and excited when those two in pop up in the headlines.

What are some memorable experiences you’ve had as a manager?

Either breaking big news, or getting hit by an absolute catastrophe.

When Sputnik Sweetheart’s lead singer Nette broke her hand on tour with The Grogans, I ended up having a pretty memorable late night at the ER waiting for Nette’s X-rays and trying to learn her guitar parts for the gig the next night.

She’s punk, though, so when we left the hospital she just strapped a pick to her broken hand and played the gig anyway.

What do you love about the scene?

The Canberra scene is wholesome. It welcomed me with open arms when I didn’t really have anything more to offer than a can-do attitude and a couple of bad ideas.

So in that way I love our scene’s faith in one another. We’re all on the same team and want to make each other better at what we’re passionate about.

I love the artist management scene in Australia in particular, for much the same reason!

Tell us about one of your proudest moments?

This is a tough one! For better or worse, I tend to get a little more career-obsessive rather than feel pride when these big milestones happen.

Just the other night, Sputnik Sweetheart played a great set at an industry-focused gig we’d be working towards for ages. It all turned out great for us, so after the show I took full advantage of the VIP area and free bar by drinking fizzy water and refining the band’s live-sound documentation.

That said, it’s hard not to feel something special at shows you’ve worked hard to make happen. Something about all that work behind the scenes culminating in 40 mins of joy and euphoria is always going to put a smile on your face.

What are your plans for the future?

There’s actually quite a big one on the horizon.

After seven years here in Canberra, I’m moving to Los Angeles. It’s a city I’ve always admired for its unapologetic embrace of the creative industries, so despite how much I know I’ll miss Canberra’s great people, places, and performances, I’m excited to live and work in a new environment.

What makes you laugh?

Lately, a Comedy Central series that Joe from Sputnik put me onto, by an Aussie band called These New South Whales (also the name of the show). It’s a similar vibe to The Office, but instead of Michael Scott or David Brent, it’s a punk band making countless egotistical mistakes and industry faux pas in their attempts to make it.

Essential viewing for those working in Aus music - utter gold. What pisses you off?

People who think less of one another because of their taste in music. Grow up, nerds.

Anything else you’d like to add?

Can’t head off without thanking MusicACT for taking a chance on me when I started as their Program Manager back in 2021.

When I was exploring the idea of a career in music, heading to their professional development events gave me the leg-up I’d been craving.

It’s been a blessing working alongside Director Daniel Ballantyne for the past two years. The MusicACT Committee continues to move mountains to protect and amplify Canberra music. We’re all very lucky to have them on our side.

Where can people follow along with all the great things you’re doing?

I’m not much of a social media sharer. But for those looking for the occasional sunset pic or my amatuer cooking accomplishments, you can follow me on instagram at @billy_final.zip

Empathy –The Currency of Music

By Grace Flanagan

Grace Flanagan is an organiser with United Workers Union, and the drummer in Kilroy.

Photo credit: Jill Furmanovsky

Bragg starts on the picket line. He was out playing for Unison paramedics in Yeovel today. Last week, he was in Dorchester with nurses who were striking for the first time.

“That was quite exciting,” Bragg enthuses. “So not only did they not know any of my union songs,” he laughs, “but they took a big step. I took that step, during the miners’ strike in my country in 1984, but now that you’ve taken that step, you’re part of this tradition. It’s not just about you, it’s about the women that came before you, and the struggles that they were involved in. It certainly made me feel empowered.”

That lived experience bleeds authenticity into Bragg’s music. Since his first release in 1983, his 13 studio albums blaze through punk, pop, and folk. Goaded by the loveless, the bigoted, and the vicious Tory government, Bragg became Britain’s foremost political singersongwriter.

“When I come and sing at the Folk Festival in Canberra, and I’m singing Power In A Union, I’ll be trying to evoke the spirit of the picket line where I was today.”

Indeed, Bragg is headlining the National Folk Festival, playing 8 - 9 April of the Easter festival at Exhibition Park, Canberra.

“That, to me, is the power of music,” he says. “The feeling that you’re not the only person who cares about this shit, whether it’s picket lines, or personal experience.

“Music has the ability to make you feel that you’re not the only person who’s ever felt this pain, or felt this joy, or felt this sadness, or felt this sense of disconnection. Whatever it is that you’re finding in the song, that makes you feel that you’re not alone.”

‘Emotional solidarity’, as Bragg characterises it, is the satiating part of his work. Whether it’s a school yard crush, the weight of capitalism, or COVID – he doesn’t just make you feel those feelings, he labels and validates them.

Bringing a new perspective to a time-bound, global experience led Bragg to write his most recent release, A Million Things That Never Happened, with an ensconced, personal approach. I Will Be Your Shield draws on his experience shielding his immunocompromised partner through the pandemic.

“You’re trying to come at it from a number of different angles… so they can bring whatever it is that they feel, even if it’s just that, and the idea of someone shielding them from the worst aspects of what they have to face.”

Capturing the dislocation, depression, and uncertainty of lockdowns, moments of Good Days And Bad Days hark his rendition of pleading ballad Love Has No Pride (1988). The latest release follows his lean into smooth Americana dotted with historical landscapes. Lonely diaries are lifted with chorus vocals. A couple of punchy tracks relieve the sober album in standard Bragg form.

The only COVID-specific track, A Million Things That Never Happened, was written to tie the album together.

“That was the one thing that I thought, without saying, just by putting up these images, just by giving people these tiny little vignettes, they would join the dots.”

I winced when Bragg released the 2021 album. After Canberra’s second lockdown had stretched to eight weeks, his instinct to massage the strained, tender parts of a listener’s soul felt like a threat.

Of course, it was like a heat pack I’d put off microwaving.

I mention Canberra’s bookish, middle-class reputation, contrasting so strongly with the places and times that spurred his most iconic work. I

ask Bragg if his albums resonate differently across cities’ cultures and economies, and how that could play out in Canberra.

“No, I don’t think it changes city to city,” he states. “I think it changes decade to decade. These things don’t go away, they just find a different route. You’re never gunna completely defeat the racists. You’re never gunna completely defeat the bigots, and the sexists. Each generation has to constantly renew their commitment to take that on. The fact that they [my songs] still resonate doesn’t surprise me.”

The One Step Forward, Two Steps Back tour opened ticket sales in 2019 and can now, finally, go ahead. The tour features three consecutive shows, each set spanning a portion of his 40+ year career, with visits at other festivals.

While not a canonical folk artist, Bragg’s influences and recent instrumentation sit squarely in the folk scene. At the Folkie, he’ll be joined by a pianist.

I ask Bragg why he started as a solo artist, considering his focus on the collective, and connecting with others.

“Well, I was trying to cut through really,” he reveals. “Everything that was in the charts was synthesiser duos, like Soft Cell, and Erasure.

“And I kind of missed the edginess of punk. The image of the single figure on stage telling their truth. At the time that had never been married to an electric guitar.

“Back in the day, you couldn’t get a gig if you said you were just playing solo guitar. So I went under the name of Spy v Spy so nobody really knew what they were coming to see. And then they’d find out it was a bloke with an electric guitar, a sort of ‘One Man Clash’, and I’d hope to keep them in the room doing that.”

Bragg imbues his intimate and declarative work with urgency. This attitude held through his campaign to get signed in the early ‘80s. He was first played on radio after delivering an unsolicited lunch to a hungry radio DJ, and posed as a TV repairman to infiltrate a recording company’s office.

I ask if music felt necessary for him, and what’s necessary now for him, and for music.

“I’m not really a musician, I’m a guitar player,” he states. “And I only play the guitar because, when I was 19 years old, the only way I could get a platform to express my views was to learn to play the guitar and write songs and do gigs.

“I’ve just got the urge to communicate. That’s what motivates me, rather than being a great musician. That’s why I talk a lot at the gigs, because I don’t just wanna sing the songs; I wanna contextualise them.

“Music in itself cannot change the world, it has no agency,” he continues. “But it can make you believe the world can be changed, and it can give you a better idea of what the world could be.”

That’s the experience he wants audiences to have.

“...so the next time they’re facing challenges, at their work, in the home or at school, wherever, they can think to themselves ‘well, there’s a room full of people in my town who give a shit about this, cause I saw them at the Braggy gig’.”

Much like with his own origin story of going to Rock Against Racism in 1978, Bragg sees music as the tinder to ignite a deeper struggle. Energised fans encourage him to keep the fire burning.

“I’m like, ‘mate, you just saw what I do, I’ve just done it’… I play songs, you’ve seen it. It’s up to you. It’s about you doing your bit now, taking those ideas, and moving with them.”

He says it’d be a cop out for audiences to think that just coming to gigs, or buying records, will change the world.

Settled, yet self-reflective, Bragg challenges himself as much as he

does listeners. Exploring the tension between principle, privilege, and age, in Mid-Century Modern he reveals ‘the gap between the man I am and the man I want to be’. When performing older material, the picket poet often updates his lyrics to show solidarity with current struggles.

“I didn’t have any political education; I left school when I was 16. I only had my class consciousness, really, which is why I went out to support the miner’s strike. That was my kind of political education.”

I ask about the politics within his fan base, the performance of activism he describes in Talking Wag Club Blues (1984), and the declines in union membership seen, especially in Canberra.

“If you wanna talk to an audience about socialism, there’s a lot of baggage that comes with that, unfortunately. Sadly,” he says.

“But if you wanna talk to people about accountability, if you wanna talk to people about things like empathy, then I think… although you’re using a much broader brush, you have much more opportunity to connect with them.

“Coz I happen to believe that empathy is the currency of music.”

While still branded as ‘capital-P’ Political, Bragg’s recent work strives for greater nuance and compassion. He says his Marxist friends would laugh at the approach.

“I think if socialism isn’t about empathy, what is it about?” he says. “If it isn’t about accountability, what’s the point of it? It has its roots in people organising to get accountability in the workplace, and elsewhere in society.

“Socialism is a form of organised compassion. You need to have that understanding of how other people feel in order to have that solidarity with them. Without empathy, there is no solidarity. Without optimism, there is no change.”

Allowing hope to grow has felt less risky in the last 12 months. Bragg says it falls on everyone to put their shoulders to the wheel.

“While the ball’s in play it’s worth engaging in the match; not just standing on the sidelines taking the piss.”

Billy Bragg plays at the National Folk Festival on 8 - 9 April. Tickets, and further info, are available via folkfestival.org.au/

“Without empathy, there is no solidarity. Without optimism, there is no change.”

- BILLY BRAGG

Photo Credit: Theo Michael

METALISE

Well, I’m still cooked after two days of Canberra Metal Fest. Our sincere congrats to the organisers. Keen for next time! And as we all know, time waits for no riffs, and there is an abundance of them cresting the horizon.

Canberra Metal Vio-Lence

Come Tuesday, 7 March there’s a classic twin USA thrash classic at The Basement with genre legends Sacred Reich and Bay Area stalwarts Vio-Lence. This tour has been a LOOOONG time in the offing, not just because both bands are legendary ‘80s proponents, but because of the stupid Covid.

If you bought tickets the first time around they’re still valid. And fear not friends; tickets are available via Oztix so you can enjoy a good ol’ mosh! Like we used to do!

Triple Album Tour - A Cerberus of a Show

The Basement also hosts South Australian’s Charnel Altar with fellow crow eaters Endless Loss on Saturday, 11 March.

Joined by a pleasingly mixed bill of fine locals in Ploughshare and Futility, Charnel Altar are touring their 2021 release Abatement of the Sun and Endless Loss their 2022 EP Bloodletting Narcotic Divination

Throw Ploughshare into the release mix on the back of their late ‘22 effort, Ingested Burial Ground, and that’s a lot of verbs and nouns that all equal a brutally good time.

One of the Canberra Metal Fest highlights for both this, and last, year were Frankston’s crazed Nembutolik.

It was welcome news that the band will be back on Wednesday, 19 April as a part of the 9-date antipodean tour with Wisconsin death groove merchants Jungle Rot. The Basement will, of course, host and tickets can, of course, be bought via Oztix.

Japan’s excellent Butcher A.B.C. (pictured below) announced a surprised visit to town in April, and we sure to love it when unexpected grindy guests come to town!

Joined by 100 Years War, Darkhorse and Wretch, all your blasting needs can be met at The Basement on Sunday, 23 April with tickets available via Oztix now.

Into The Fall Gives A Little Side Action

Ploughshare are also heading up to Sydney to play one of only two Into The Fall side shows with the awesome Gatecreeper on Sunday, 19 March at Metro Social.

The other side show is in Brisbane with headliners Obscura, and Undeath joining Convulsing at The Brightside. Tickets for the main game in Melbourne are about 50% gone now so if

[THE WORD ON METAL] WITH JOSH NIXON [DOOMTILDEATH@HOTMAIL.COM]

the Saturday, 18 March date has you umm-ing at ahh-ing at the prospect of seeing Obscura, Gatecreeper, Stabbing, Undeath, Cryptic Shift, Inverloch, Carcinoid, Altars, Freedom of Fear, Resin Tomb, Pestis Cultis, and Growth - then you need your head read.

Get on them tickets from good ol’ Oztix.

It was a pleasant surprise to hear Your Mate Bookings announce that UK’s Esoteric are making a long overdue saunter down under in June.

For the first time ever, no less. Friday, 30 June at The Basement is the date for the Maniacal Pyrrhonism tour and it will be best to investigate tickets early as this one will evaporate quicker than my bird bath on a 36-degree day.

Sunburn... Fore!

Speaking of fests, and then doom, it’s time to consider your ticket options with the weekend of 28/29 April rapidly approaching.

Yes friends, Sunburn IV is nearly upon us, and that lineup of the best in Australia’s stoner and doom bands is ridiculously stacked.

Alphabetically, you have a menu consisting of Amammoth, Astrodeath, Atolah, Bongcoffin, Burn the Hostages, Dirty Pagans, Droid, Dr. Colossus, Earth Omen, Elephant Orgy, Emu, Fumerole, Full Tone

Generator, Giant, Goat Shaman, Golem, Holy Serpent, Hydranaut, Khan, Kitchen Witch, Kvll, Lucifungus, Master Leonard, MWOC, Mourners, Pistonfist, Planet of the 8s, Pod People, Robot God, Smoke Witch, Sundowner, Yanomamo, and Vvarp

Please buy tickets; I believe I may have just developed carpal tunnel syndrome from frenziedly typing out all that doom-y goodness.

Vale Ivan Merchant

And we finish up this month with some sad news, as we mark the passing of Dirty Sanchez guitarist, and former Precursor and OG Pod People guitarist, Ivan Merchant on 31 January.

Ivan was, and continues to be, an integral part of the DNA of Canberra heavy music. He was right at ground zero for one of this city’s most fertile and exciting times for original live music.

From the Youth Cafe shows in the early ‘90s (that many of you would never believe how big and wild they got), through to the venues that

have also passed into legend like The Terrace Bar, Ivan was a big part of why many of us got motivated to take a leap of faith and start our own bands.

Pretty sure a rad picture of the man graced the first or second issue of this very rag. Vale, Ive.

BMA’s sympathies and thoughts extend to his brother Ross, step-dad Jim, and his family and friends during this time.

I Have No Enemies is an original work, devised by an ensemble under the direction of respected theatre artist, Christopher Samuel Carroll. Bare Witness have collaborated with Canberra-based company SilverSun Pictures, who have created digital elements, projected on stage. After stumbling upon a private voicemail full of sensitive information, four actors embark upon a morally-ambiguous sociological experiment to disentangle the reality of life online. Confronting, enlightening, and absurdly entertaining, it’s radical contemporary theatre that decodes the uncomfortable truth of life through a lens. 7:30pm, tickets $38.50/$27.50 via Humanitix

Travel via water on the stunning Lake Burley Griffin to Canberra’s premiere cultural destinations: The National Portrait Gallery and The National Museum of Australia. Jump aboard a captivating all-inclusive lake cruise and walking tour weaving together visual art, architecture, live dance, amazing music, theatrical tour guides, and great local food and wine. Culture Cruise is an exclusive half day art immersion - memorable and sensorial - connecting destinations and revealing stories here on the beautiful ancient lands of the Ngunnawal people, Canberra. 10:30am – 3pm, $181 - $209 pp via australiandance.party/ culturecruise/

Correspondence is the key to this ultimately romantic friendship destined to last for almost half a century. From childhood, friends communicate with each other through angst-ridden boarding school experiences, European adventures, failed marriages, and the ups and downs of careers. Over their lives, Andy and Melissa’s bond goes through many changes, as the sometimes-sweethearts/sometimesfriends go through periods of estrangement, but ultimately remain each other’s most trusted confidante. “True lovers” on paper, if not on the earth. 7pm + 2pm matinees, $25 - $50 via venue

Warehouse Circus is Canberra’s Circus. For over 30 years, Warehouse has made elite, globe-trotting circus performers, and entertained Canberra at major events, minor events, and at their own awardwinning productions. Now comes a comedy circus variety show for the whole family! Presenting a fabulous line-up of interstate circus superstars, Canberra’s rising talent, great local comedy acts and a whole lot of clowning around. A funny frenzy of amazing acrobatics, jocular juggling, incredible aerials, and other fantastical feats. Come see what all the hoopla is about! 1pm, $25 - $35 via venue

Created by circus visionary Yaron Lifschitz, with a pulsating score from Melbourne composer Jethro Woodward and striking lighting design from Paul Jackson, On by Circa is an unmissable and powerful new work infused with fierce humanity and exceptional acrobatics. After the smash-hits of Humans 2.0, Carnival of the Animals, and Peepshow, Brisbane’s globally renowned Circa returns, following eight strangers whose lives cross in the courtyard of an apartment block. Over the night they will fight, love, laugh, and find moments of beauty and transcendence. 7:30pm, $20 - $45 via venue

Miriam Lieberman Trio return to The Street Theatre with acclaimed new album Just Transforming. West African influences blend seamlessly with blues-infused melodies and soaring vocal harmonies. Lieberman’s songs are soulful collections of stories, beautifully told through kora, guitar, and her unmistakable voice. Trio members Lara Goodridge (Baby et Lulu/ FourPlay) and Lara Norman add soaring violin arrangements and vocal depth. Together they offer a powerful soundscape. 7:30pm, $29 - $35 via the venue

A.R. Gurney’s Love Letters / Directed by Kate Blackhurst / 15 – 26 Mar / Canberra Repertory

Australian Dance Party - Cultural Cruise / 11, 18 & 25 Mar / Atop Lake Burley Griffin

The Great Big Circus Gala(h) / Warehouse Circus / Sat, 18 Mar / The Street Theatre

On by Circa / Fierce humanity; exceptional acrobatics / Sat, 25 Mar / Goulburn Perf Arts

Miriam Lieberman / Just Transforming album launch / Sat, 1 Apr / The Street Theatre

Bare Witness Theatre pres: I Have No Enemies / New play / 1 - 11 Mar / Ralph Wilson Theatre

Photo by David Kelly

COMEDY REVIEW: Chris Marlton - Mephisto Waltz

Brilliant Canberra stand-up in her own right, Sarah Ison reviews the debut comedy special from local chuckle chameleon Chris Marlton which is—gasp!— available to watch now on YouTube.

Snorting silicon dust off the shaved back off an ape. Finding the keys to unlock your grandmother’s landlocked past. Shoes tied together with spaghetti laces you can throw on the stove after a long day’s work.

These are just some of the brain breaking ideas that simply don’t come close to any one-liner you’ve ever heard from a standup comic. But that’s Chris Marlton, the character-comic that effortlessly switches from a southern belle—who happened to be at both the signing of the Constitution and the filming of James Cameron movies—to the slam poet and rapper, Davy Bluetooth, spitting lines about veganism.

In his one hour special, Mephisto Waltz, Marlton morphs into seven characters hailing from across the globe with (mostly) on point accents that dance from English and American to unabashedly South African.

Marlton opens the show with the softly spoken Mama America, who knows everyone in the crowd from those times they spent together in the 1940s and somehow also the 1780s.

After reminiscing over how Danny-Rae died from being kicked in the chest by a horse called Star Pickle, she goes on to educate the “young’ns” about the Constitution being the “new bible”, but with allowances to shoot whomever you’d like.

Fast forward to the very yelly motivational speaker Rob-Rob Anthony reminding us our lives are like films, on which we are set designer, executive producer, accountant, and gaffer.

No one could possibly understand Marlton’s train of thought (good luck even getting to the bottom of the show title) and yet the audience doesn’t hesitate to call out responses to whichever character has materialised before them throughout the special.

Despite being very much on his plane, Marlton confidently invites those watching to join him in on his truly confounding journey through time and space asking questions like: what was your grandmother’s favourite ice-cream flavour?

It’s very rarely a rhetorical question, with Marlton persistently drawing the crowd into his madness; a place of suspended disbelief, incredibly imaginative writing and, sometimes, a complete silliness that you can’t help laugh at.

Mephisto Waltz is currently streaming for free on YouTube at youtube.com/@chrismarlton. Chris is currently touring new show, Moonlight Pilot, which you can see as part of the Canberra Comedy Festival on Thursday, 16 March at Canberra Theatre Centre. Tix via canberracomedyfestival.com.au

Frankie, my dear... She gives a damn

By Allan Sko

I feel a special connection to Canberra comic hero Frankie McNair. An on-going, increasing shimmer of pride and joy. This is partly due to her dear Mama living just down the corridor from me, where every time we bump into each other, a spirited chat punctuated with smiles occurs celebrating Frankie’s latest triumph.

To whit: she has recently returned from London (yes, England) doing an eight-date run at the prestigious Soho Theatre (“I was reeeeally worried about how things were going to translate,” she reveals of the experience. “But they were vibrant crowds; super up for it and really vocal. It was awesome.”).

This followed Frankie’s TV debut on ABC’s Question Everything, where she frissioned the airwaves alongside luminaries Jan Fran and Wil Anderson (“London was probably more nerve-racking,” she says of the two, “But TV was scary. I learned a lot from that.”)

And now, whilst simultaneously working on a brand new show for laterz, we can look forward to a Best Of, of sorts, at this month’s Canberra Comedy Festival, serving as a kind of metaphorical underlining and bolding of her strength-to-strength career to date.

“It’s an amalgamation of all of my favourite festival bits,” Frankie says. “A combination of what’s been working in the rooms, but also the things that I really enjoyed doing. It’s a tasting plate of my brain.”

Selecting work of personal enjoyment is important to Frankie.

“I’ve found that every time I’ve had a not-great show, it’s because I haven’t been enjoying myself,” she states. “I have to do what’s fun for me to do. And things that I find funny, not everyone is gonna find that funny. And that’s absolutely fine.”

This sense of enjoyment is a protective wisdom Frankie has honed throughout her

career; a mantra that has kept her mental health in check for such aforementioned big moments, as well as serving as a reminder of what’s important.

“I’ve been trying not to have that mentality of worrying about big opportunities,” she says.

“I used to have that weight. When I get really focused on it, and put a lot of expectation and pressure on it… It was exhausting.

“It got in the way of just enjoying being in the moment and performing.

“So now I just take the opportunity without any expectation that something will come from it and just enjoy that experience for what it is.”

Speaking of enjoyment, there was a time some years ago - when Frankie was still firmly on Canberra terra firma - when our paths crossed in the fated corridor. We had both recently embarked on an abstinence from alcohol, having identified, and subsequently publicly shared, its destructive underbelly. I enquire, from a place of love and understanding, where she sits on it today. What ensued was a healthy mental health chat, and a surprising and delightful McNair project.

“I am drinking again,” Frankie says. “But I feel like I’m more aware of it. It’s not really a big part of my life, whereas once it definitely was.

“I had a few years off. And I’m gently working through why that was. And I’m not sure where I’m gonna land with that; whether I’m going to cut it out again, completely.

“But I know that, mentally, I’m doing a lot better. Being sober, especially in festival environments, does feel a bit hard sometimes.

“I think Australia, especially, has a pretty close relationship with it as well,” she continues.

“There are so many people who, when I was taking some time off, reflected on it and realised that they never lived their adult life without alcohol being a part of it.

“Often we create space to ask, why am I doing something? Am I doing it because I want to do it? Or am I doing it because that’s just what’s expected? But for some reason, when it comes to alcohol, we kind of don’t do that.

“And uncomfortability,” Frankie continues, with renewed purpose, when discussing the alluring masking/numbing effects of alcohol, “where it feels gross, is where everything happens. Growth and wisdom rarely comes from feeling great all the time. So if you don’t let yourself feel it, you can’t grow.”

And it is from this point that a revelation emerges.

“We’re not really taught this,” she says. “I am in the process of trying to get this kid’s book I’ve written published. It’s basically talking about how to process and acknowledge and work through those hard emotions of life. When something bad does happen, how do we deal with it? And how do we process it in a way that is safe and healthy for us?

“I don’t think we’re taught that, so we tend to bottle things up. And then it turns into something else. So it’s about healthy coping mechanisms. It’s a book for kids and adults alike, and maybe it can be my little weird contribution to the world.”

And there you have, in a nutshell, why pride and joy for Frankie beams within me; a good person with a good heart doing great comedy on an increasingly greater stage. I can’t wait to share this article with her Mum.

Anything else to add before we part, Frankie?

“Oh, I don’t know. I just hope everyone is good. I hope everyone is joyful. Everyone is looking after themselves; and being kind.”

Frankie McNair’s comedy hits show Relax Your Knees is at The Courtyard Studio, Canberra Theatre on Monday, 20 March at 8:30pm. Tix are $25 + bf via the venue.

Daniel Connell could easily be described as the ideal Aussie comedian; affable, loveable and, of course, hilarious. His observational, dry, often unanticipated comedy has seen him take to stages all over Australia. Daniel has also performed in India, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Scotland. Driven to further his career in comedy, Daniel moved to Melbourne in 2010 and quickly established himself in the local scene. In 2011, he performed in The Comedy Zone at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF), a line-up of up and comers hand picked by the festival.

Since then, Daniel has performed a brand new hour of standup at ten consecutive Melbourne International Comedy Festivals. He has also taken each show to every major Australian festival.

So, it’s high time we caught up with the Canberra ex-pat and see what’s making him tick in 2023. Over to you, Mr C... What got you into comedy?

I always liked to make people laugh when I was younger. Then, aged 17, I saw Jimeoin at the Batemans Bay RSL and that pretty much made up my mind.

Although it took me another eight years to build up the courage to have a crack.

How would you describe your comedy to the layman?

Observational, set up/punchline. I like to put a twist, and/or take the piss out of everyday things and myself. I also enjoy going down darker paths, and catching people off guard.

How would you describe your style of comedy to a TV Exec looking to sign you to your own series?

As above, but with a bigger smile and a tray full of home cooked muffins.

Who are some of your favourite comedians?

Emo Parsonson, Tom Gibson, Chris Ryan, Luke Heggie.

What’s one of the funniest/weirdest things that’s happened in your career?

The weirdest would be when I performed at the Deniliquin RSL 40th anniversay and, while I was on stage, there was a projector screen behind me rotating through images of all the people who’d died in the previous year.

What’s one of the proudest moments?

I would say doing my first Melbourne Comedy Festival Gala in 2017. It was always something I was keen to do when I first started out.

Hecklers… A help or a hindrance? Any favourite “come backs” for the lippy segment of the great unwashed?

Usually it’s fine, so long as the heckler eventually shuts up and lets you get on with it. The best heckle I ever got was in Wee Jasper. We were performing on the back of a truck and a man was throwing cow shit at us.

Danish word ‘hygge’ encapsulates a general feeling of warmth and content. What would create this for you?

A cup of tea on the lounge after a gig. What yer doing to relax these days?

Currently watching Better Call Saul, and it is a ripper of a series (late to the party, I know).

Anything else you’d like to add?

On March 25th, get a babysitter, or dogsitter, or both. Head in the City for a nice meal, then at 6:45pm walk over to The Street Theatre for a laugh (tickets via the venue).

BMA’s LOLCol-ster, and renowned stand-up in his own right, Chris Marlton gives us a guided tour of the local comics featuring at this year’s Canberra Comedy Festival.

The Canberra Comedy Festival’s annual smorgasbord of comedy is back this March with international stars Larry Dean, Mark Watson, Daniel Sloss, and Josie Long, and Australian comedy legends Dave Hughes, Sam Campbell, Melanie Bracewell, and Wil Anderson to name but a mere few.

But the Canberra Comedy Festival is not just about bringing the biggest names in comedy to town. There has always been a grassroots side to the locally-curated festival. The CCF continues to develop local comedians, giving them an opportunity to perform and get a further taste of the professional stage.

2023 is no exception, with a raft of locally-brewed content from Canberra’s top comedians. Here are a few local shows you should definitely check out:

Sparrow Folk – Late Night Nesting

Canberra Comics Crushing it

Jeremy Smith brings a different energy to the stage. As a father, husband, ex-military turned office worker, his observations and stories are clever and insightful.

Consistently Different is on at the Courtyard Studio, Canberra Theatre Centre on Wednesday, 22 March at 7pm.

Sarah Ison and Laura Johnston – Would We Lie to You?

Multi-award winning comedy duo Catherine Crowley and Juliet Moody are back at the festival with a late-night comedy talk show of fun musical comedy games with special guests Rob Carlton, Ned and Josh from 104.7, and more. Sparrow Folk are a Canberra comedy institution who have toured the nation over the years.

You can catch them at the Courtyard Studio, Canberra Theatre Centre on Saturday, 18 March at 9:30pm.

Jeremy Smith and Marky Worthington –Consistently Different

Sara and Laura are both explosive, creative, and energetic comedians, bringing a brand new sketch comedy experience. Sarah has gone from strength to strength on the local scene, with charismatic crowd work and physical performances that both engage and entertain.

Laura Johnson is new to the Canberra comedy scene, but is a veteran of sketch-comedy, recently writing and directing the 2022 ANU Law Revue. Her musical comedy, compelling presence, and timing are not to be missed.

Get your tickets to this show quick, Courtyard Studio, Canberra Theatre Centre on Sunday, 19 March at 8:30pm.

Jeffrey Charles and Suma Iyer – United Colours of Basic

Marky Worthington and Jeremy Smith combine for a split-bill hour of comedy that guarantees value and variety with their contrasting styles. Marky has been refining his observational humour, along with his colourfully abrupt and funny storytelling, across many years.

While their lives may be different versions of ‘basic,’ Jeff and Suma’s brands of comedy are anything but. Jeffrey Charles delivers autobiographical, emotional musical comedy that is always funny and surprising. From composting, to boys’ nights out, to societal observations, no stone in Jeff’s life is left unturned.

Suma Iyer is one of the brightest new comics around, not just in Canberra, but across Australia. Suma is as clever and witty as any comedian you’ll see, with just the right amount of silliness thrown in for good measure.

Don’t miss the show: Courtyard Studio, Canberra Theatre Centre on Thursday 16 March at 7pm.

Year after year, the ANU Law Revue delivers high quality sketch comedy from energetic, hard-working ANU students who juggle their studies and their comedy writing/performing to perfection.

This year, the Law Revue joins the Canberra Comedy Festival and you’ll have a chance to see the best and brightest young sketch comedy stars before they become famous, as they wow you with their innovative and laugh-out-loud takes on life.

You can catch these clever young entertainers at the Drama Theatre, Kambri Cultural Centre at the Australian National University on Friday 24th and Saturday 25th of March at 9:45pm.

Meanwhile, true comedy talent Taylor Coughtrie has just moved away from Canberra to chase his dream as a comedian on the national stage. This is a split-bill stand-up comedy show about big transitions in life, packed with astute observations and big laughs all the way through.

See these guys before their big breaks at 6:30pm on Saturday, 18 March at the Courtyard Studio, Canberra Theatre Centre.

Tom Gibson, Emo Parsonson and Hamish HudsonDoes This Look Right to You?

Born in Britain, based in Canberra, brand-new dad Sam Silla is a comic on the rise with a life full of funny situations which become funnier in the telling.

A three-man line-up show that wouldn’t be out of place at any worldly comedy festival. Tom, Emo, and Hamish have seen it all, and have the comedy skills to keep you laughing the whole show through.

Tom Gibson’s observational comedy is elite, combined with sharp crowd-work, clever anecdotes, and extrapolations galore.

Emo Parsonson’s stories and reflections, from life on the farm to raising teenagers, will have you enthralled.

And Hamish Hudson is, simply put, one of the best musical comedians in the country.

These three experienced comedians are teaming up this comedy festival for a comedy extravaganza at the Manning Clark Hall, Kambri Cultural Centre at the Australian National University, on Saturday, 25 March at 8:30pm.

Taylor Coughtrie and Sam Silla – Opposite of Adults

BREAKING BOUNDARIES WITH ENSEMBLE OFFSPRING'S TECHNO FOLK

By Sammy Moynihan

Ensemble Offspring is not your typical music ensemble. They are known for their innovative and daring performances that challenge the boundaries of contemporary music. Their latest concert, Techno Folk, promises to be no exception, bringing together a mesmerising mix of chamber music with jazz and folk influences.

Artistic Director Claire Edwardes describes the concert as “good food with a twist!"

“Techno Folk features a plethora of folk and jazz inspired music by living composers for the unusual combination of percussion, clarinet, bass clarinet, and piano,” she explains. “A curiosity for new sounds should draw new Canberrans in but, at the end of the day, it is the innate familiarity of so many of the harmonies, rhythms, and tunes that are sure to make for an enjoyable yet memorable evening.”

Alice Chance's contemplative Mirroring will offer a moment of reflection amidst the frenzied energy of the other works.

Creation is at the core of Ensemble Offspring’s work as they regularly commission a range of spellbinding works by composers through their artist development programs. Techno Folk will highlight the works of Samantha Wolf and Nicole Murphy, who have both been selected as part of the company's Noisy Women program.

Claire describes the format of the evening as, “an intimate trio show with lots of chatting between works, technical virtuosity, and chamber musicianship from performers who have been playing together for years. The works are short and varied so if something doesn’t take your fancy the next work is sure to please!”

This conversational style of presenting music allows an audience to understand the experience on a deeper level, exploring the attitudes and enthusiasm of a company that prides itself on the presentation of new, original work.

“We find with music that people have never heard before, giving context makes the whole concert more meaningful for listeners,” Claire enthuses. “The composers we commission, collaborate, and perform with are all our friends and close colleagues - they are very much living, and very much telling, our stories through music.”

Joe is excited to join the audience and witness this innovative new concert for himself.

Claire will be performing percussion on the night and will be joined by Jason Noble on clarinet and Benjamin Kopp on piano.

While the group has achieved great success internationally, with recent tours to Amsterdam, Berlin, Glasgow, Hong Kong, and Shanghai, they are no strangers to Canberra.

“It’s been quite a while since we performed at The Street Theatre,” says Claire. “We were keen to return, and felt that the Techno Folk program would be just the thing to relaunch our unique brand of living new music in Australia's Capital.”

An exciting element of Techno Folk is the inclusion of a brand new piece by the 7-time Aria Award nominated composer Joe Chindamo. Known for his large-scale works for symphony orchestras, Joe is excited to write for a smaller, more progressive group. He appreciates the challenge of highlighting his own unique voice in the music.

"There is much honour in being granted an opportunity to create something that not only didn't exist before, but is a reflection of my musical worldview,” Joe states.

Alongside Joe Chindamo's new piece, the program features Karen Tanaka's thrillingly fast Techno Etudes, and Chick Corea's much-loved Children's Songs.

“There is little more exciting than hearing a new work come to life at its premiere performance, because the musicians always bring something to the work you didn’t know was there,” Joe beams.

“It’s a treat also to witness its reception by an audience who are hearing it for the first time. Curiously, it makes me hear it for the first time too, almost as if by magic; inhabiting the collective mind present.” For Joe, the experience of attending a premiere is akin to the wonder of being a child at a theme park.

“No matter how many times I do this, it always evokes the magic I experienced as a kid in anticipation of exciting things, like visiting Luna Park,” he says. “But then again, that’s not surprising, because this premiere will be a joyride. Perhaps even a rollercoaster!”

With Techno Folk, Ensemble Offspring promises a concert that will challenge and inspire audiences in equal measure. With their commitment to representing the voices of marginalised groups, and their dedication to highlighting the perspectives of diverse communities, this is a group that is not to be missed.

As Claire says: “When you realise that dead white male composers are totally ‘yesterday’, your ears will be transformed forever!”

The Ensemble Offspring: Techno Folk concert is on at The Street Theatre on Wednesday, 29 March at 7:30pm. Tickets are $30 - $39 via the venue.

photo by Keith Sanders

Claire Edwardes

TO THE BEAT OF HER OWN DRUM

By Morgan Quinn

If you’re someone who has even a passing interest in Australia’s “modern classical” music landscape, you will be familiar with the one, the only, Claire Edwardes.

For the un-initiated, Edwardes is a world-class master percussionist, artistic director, composer, and an important advocate for gender equity in the classical music sector. It is impossible to summarise Claire’s career within this article, though her receipt of the 2022 Medal of the Order of Australia for her contributions to music is indicative of her achievements thus far.

Claire’s most recent solo recording is 2021’s Rhythms of Change, which exemplifies her awe-inspiring versatility and technical capabilities with all new Australian works commissioned by, and written for, her. Her upcoming concerts in Canberra will see her perform as soloist with the Canberra Symphony Orchestra through a colourful and varied program of pieces composed by Stravinsky and Beethoven, and, most excitingly, a Percussion Concerto composed for Claire by fellow Australian, Iain Grandage.

The concerto is ominously and intriguingly titled Dances with Devils

“I work with a whole range of composers, and I perform their music all around the world,” Claire reveals. “Iain is the Artistic Director of Perth Festival and an old friend. I actually performed and toured with him when he was a cellist in a former life. He knows my playing and personality very well, and those familiarities fed into the creation of this work.

“The concept is around amazing women from colonial Australia, which also relates to my own personal interests,” Claire continues. “I’m really into gender equity and the female voice, and females having equality both onstage and in programming.”

As a layman to the form, I was curious to discover how narratives and themes are expressed via purely instrumental music.

“That’s the challenge of the composer,” Claire states. “They, of course, can do it through program notes and titles that are suggestive for the listener. But the beautiful thing about “classical music” is that the listener has the freedom and opportunity to just close their eyes and make of it what they will.

“Music without words is not overly literal and I do feel that this is the dual artistic vision which many composers thrive on,” Claire muses. “In Dances with Devils, each movement has a story – the first is called Chosen Vessel, the second is and the third, Drover’s Wife, portrays a very sad drowning, where we dip tubular bells in water using a very cool contraption which changes the pitch.”

Throughout the filmed iteration of the performance Claire shared with me, countless percussive instruments are struck, plucked, and dipped in water.

“The set up comprises a vibraphone, paired with tubular bells and crotales [a set of cymbals] on one side of the stage,” Claire explains. “On the other side of the stage is a marimba which is paired with the more typically percussive instruments.

“Together, we came up with instrumental combinations that are physically easy to get around, but it looks impressive and virtuosic moving between them all quickly! People always say to me after performing a percussion concerto, ‘You must be so fit!’, because what I do looks quite physical.

“But I’m actually just a normal Mum who happens to have to lug percussion instruments around constantly. I guess that keeps me fit!”

Edwardes’ performances are notable for her eye-catching presence and natural, animated way in which she communicates the music.

“Classical musicians are not necessarily known for moving much when they perform but being a percussionist means that movement and physicality is quite intrinsic to what we do,” Claire states.

“For me, movement is always good when it is fuelled by the music itself and enhances the music. I’m really not into musicians who throw their hair around and make big extraneous arm movements to look impressive.

“But at the same time I do feel that, as people, we are such visual beings that whatever techniques we can draw on to help the audience go deeper into the music must be utilised.

“Of course as a musician, the number one priority is the sound and how every aspect of music making is knitted together in performance to be something that really touches people or makes them excited. You just want your audience to feel something whether it be euphoria, melancholy, or their own private experience of the music.”

The wise, the curious, and the art-lover alike would be foolish to miss these performances. Fire & Shadow plays on Wednesday 22nd and Thursday 23rd March at Llewellyn Hall, ANU School of Music, 7:30pm. Tickets range from $17 - $109 and are available via cso.org. au/events/

Photo Credit: Nat Cartney

ladies and gentlemen...

by Morgan Quinn

Farhan Shah is an award-winning, Adelaide-based, Pakistani-born singer, composer, and music producer. He arrived in Australia in 2016 and has been working tirelessly, touring internationally, performing at major Australian music festivals, and producing award winning recordings.

I recently had the pleasure of chatting with Farhan Shah, who sat down with me to discuss his music and upcoming performances at the National Folk Festival. Joining him was Keith Preston, an experienced world music player in his own right, who offered his perspective on performing in the unique ensemble that will soon grace us.

So, what kicked everything off for Shah?

“From age 10 or 11, I was always around musicians in one way or another,” he reveals. “This was in Karachi, the metropolitan city of Pakistan. I was influenced by Western, pop, and rock music.

“As a teenager, you might laugh, I had a band called Just In Case,” Shah recalls, with a smile in his voice. “I became involved in many productions, writing jingles, producing songs for others, advertisements, background music, film music, releasing my own music, until finally I found my calling in Sufi music.”

This was to be a turning point for Shah.

“When I started doing Sufi music, the earlier experiences of my life gave me a unique ability to blend those sounds,” he explains.

“I could combine the traditional Qawwali and Sufi sounds with the contemporary by mixing guitars, bass, drums, and different ethnic instruments as well.

“It also enabled me to collaborate with all kinds of musicians,” he continues. “Sufi and fusion has become kind of my “claim to fame” and it’s what I enjoy playing in a group and as an individual.”

As for what audiences can expect to see when they perform at the National Folk Festival, both Shah and Preston are keen to chime in.

“The traditional Qawwali music is the style of music we will be brining to the festival this year,” Shah says. “Singers and musicians sit on the floor and then deliver the traditional performance, using instruments such as tablas and harmoniums. All the instruments are acoustic, with soaring vocals.”

“He hasn’t noticed that I’m not Pakistani yet,” Keith Preston adds, with a proverbial wink, a line that gets Shah laughing.

“Sometimes it’s a bit odd playing the traditional music of a culture you’re not from,” Preston admits. “But that’s what is fantastic about multi-cultural Australia.

“It’s been a journey, but I feel very comfortable with this music after all this time. It resonates with me, and I’m able to contribute as an equal member of the group.

“In the contemporary iteration of Farhan’s group, I play electric guitar, whereas in the traditional Qawwali group I play Santur, which is the Kashmir hammer dulcimer. It’s a very rare sound here.”

Preston sees a festival as a potentially vibrant melting pots for such culture culminations.

“I think it’s important that the festivals represent who we are as Australians,” Preston asserts. “It’s exciting when you see African, Middle Eastern, Indian, Pakistani, and Asian performers presenting their own music and experimenting and collaborating with one another in the Australian context. Our festivals should reflect that.”

I take this juncture to enquire: when composing one of these pieces, is there a distinction between the spiritual message and the music itself?

“Traditional Sufi music is devotional music,” Shah states. “Sufiism is a movement which happened in the 8th and 9th century against the idea of the exuberant and lavish life styles and the orthodox teachings of certain religions.

“Qawwali comes from the word “call” – “call” meaning “sayings”. So, sayings of different saints, teachers, from the holy book of Muslims, the Quran. The general ideas are of peace, love, humanity, diversity, multi-culturalism, speaking for justice. This music was very hypnotic and attractive.

“So, when I compose this music, I am aware that it stays on those Sufi lines, although we are contemporising it with different words and sounds.”

Preston has his own thoughts on the topic.

“From my perspective, Sufi music is very attractive because it’s not really tagged to an orthodoxy,” he says. “It’s more that you can achieve themes of mystical unity or enlightenment through music and dance, and through the words.

“I’ve often asked other Afghan and Persian musicians who are into the Sufi music, ‘What is your religion?’. They say, ‘I don’t really care about religion –music is my religion’. It’s sort of like, this is the early form of Trance Music. It’s like the whirling dervishes who spin and spin until they feel like they’re sort of spinning in time with the world.”

“You will find traces of jazz in the music as well,” Shah interjects. “There are improvisation aspects. The scale is fixed, the rhythm is fixed, some lyrics are fixed, but it’s all about feeling that music inside you. Sometimes you will see performers pick up a line and they will keep repeating the same thing again and again with different variations.

“You will see a lot of musicians singing, cutting off each other’s lines – it’s almost like a fight between vocalists.” Keith agrees.

“We get a lot of people who can’t help themselves. They get up and dance because it’s so mesmerising. It just has a bloody good beat.”

For the Folkie, there will be five members indulging in this mesmeric musical rumble. Keith Preston on Santur, multi-instrumentalist Ravi from Melbourne, a Sydney-based harmonium player, and a Brisbane vocalist. And, of course, Shah and his incredible voice. Was such a talent a given gift, or one honed and trained over ceaseless hours?

“It is a natural gift that was always there, but I have discovered it over time,” Shah explains. “Even when I go back and watch my performances I think, ‘Is this really me who did this?’.

“I had training for Eastern and Western Classical music in Pakistan for a year or two, but I would say that the person who influenced me the most was Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, the “King of Qawwali” music,” Shah continues. “He was the one in ‘85 to perform at WOMADelaide and then ’92, and I think in ’96 and ’97. Because of him Australia became familiar with Qawwali and Sufi music.

“I received this accolade in Adelaide Fringe Festival of the “Pakistani Pavarotti”, which always brings a good laugh to us all. Now that is how I always get introduced: ‘Please welcome, the Pakistani Pavarotti, blah blah blah!’” he chuckles.

“But I will say, he will always be the real Pavarotti, the “King of Qawwali”. I’m still exploring what I can achieve and do.”

Keith adds: “In South Asian music, there aren’t such genre barriers.” In closing, Shah proffers: “The Australian audiences that I’ve seen are quite receptive to this idea of cultural diversity. This is what brings people together and connects different cultures and languages.

“What else can you do with music?

“It connects hearts; it cuts those cultural barriers and, for a moment, you become one. These are the bridges that connect different people. All those mind-setting barriers of, ‘you are different, I am different, you follow a different god, I follow a different god, I don’t follow god’… all these closed doors get opened in one performance. It clarifies.

“What you take from that performance when you go home, you reflect in isolation – it does change a lot of things, these cultural encounters. It feels good to be part of those experiences.”

You can catch Farhan Shah and Keith Preston when they perform as the five-piece Farhan Shah & Sufi-Oz at the National Folk Festival on 6 - 10 April at Exhibition Park. More info & tickets are available via folkfestival.org.au/

“We get a lot of people who can’t help themselves. They get up and dance because it’s so mesmerising. It just has a bloody good beat.”

- Farhan Shah

Canberra metalcore band A World In Colour unleash their third single, a scorching exploration of the complexities of grief, memory, and loss.

There’s more in common here with their sophomore release, Break Me (2022), than debut, Descent (2021), harnessing a broader palette of sensibilities and sub-styles within the metal/punk/hardcore schema.

In The Blue invites us into this netherworld of anguish and heartbreak quite solicitously, a mix of ethereal voices and wistful guitars prepping us for what one expects will be an onslaught of the most demandingly unforgiving variety.

And that ambush does arrive, but it’s surprisingly more melodically sensate than a mere barrage, featuring a galvanic chord sequence, a bittersweet rousing vocal texture, and soaring guitar lines that hover above the steadfast chaos of the drum parts.

All this leads to the opening verses, stripped back and highlighted by a soothing melody and developing intensity and dynamic.

A pre-section ushers in the chugging guitars and a more fitting prelude to the chorus, whose front end maintains a melodic centre that only drifts into a hardcore acerbity towards the end.

So then we have the gutturals, the double-bass drum assaults, all of which find themselves back to various interludes of disintegrations until a vitalising vocal swirl leads us to another chorus.

Post second chorus, we are treated to more of the identifying and inveterate metalcore tropes; the low tunings, a generalised deluge, and a levelling of the intensity that has us in the thralls of some suspension, as the sound and rhythms teeter on a dilating edge.

Just what that edge is, undoubtedly reflects the emotional effluence exposed in the lyric, a spectral taint whose obliquity is on par with the corroborative musical bed. A World In Colour has delivered a sterling third track, utilising a fine balance of emotional resonance and fierce, cathartic musical skills -

VINCE LEIGH

THE WILDFIRES YOUR LOVIN’ ARMS

Canberra’s Wease Wade and CC Hall have united to form The Wildfires, and Your Lovin’ Arms is the duo’s debut track. Featuring the cream of local musicians, and engineered by Australian ARIA awardwinning music producer/ engineer Anton Hagop (Silverchair, Powderfinger, Missy Higgins, and Birds of Tokyo), Your Lovin’ Arms is a selfassured slice of contemporary country, persuasively executed, and containing strains of discernible emotional legitimacy.

The rhythmic foundation relies on a mid-paced, smoky, bluestinged shuffle, laced with guitar, which allows the melody and chord choices to find a happy medium between the traditional

and the new. It’s a coherent and satisfying balance between what we expect and what we don’t.

The lead vocal performance assumes control here, swirling around the melancholic, with enough yearning and anticipation that the lines uttered seem almost inevitable.

The chorus’ descending melodic structure helps crystallize the primary sentiment, and later, as it resolves, helps embolden the fevered admission—or perhaps, it’s inducement—either way. We are left with an almost confronting turnaround, ‘I can feel it when you hold me/you ain’t gonna be lonely no more.’

Is this a reconciliatory stance, or the allure of fresh desire?

We are not entirely sure, but the track’s power resides in its direct nature, despite the ambiguities.

Helping to secure this energy is the production. A balancing acts that occur throughout, the guitar parts sluicing in and out of the chorus vocal, the organ blanketing the background, or the background vocals providing a soothing counterpoint to the heated sensitivity of the lead vocal.

Your Lovin’ Arms is contemporary country with enough oldschool blues to render it casually inviting, without relying on anything other than a boiling point kind of irresistibility.

And it does this by slipping easily into an enticing intimacy without compromising the quality of the song.

VINCE LEIGH

ALBUM IN FOCUS

strategic alliance of musicianship with creativity that does not represent music for music’s sake but vie for our emotional attention also.

And that is a welcome departure.

If I were to choose a recurrent musical sensibility that courses throughout the LP, I would nominate funk-fuelled indie pop as the dominant strain.

And yet, it is pulled this way and that by jaunts into a prog-rock-like territory, as in Face To The Palm , noise-inspired industrial rock in Walking Through Mud , and indie folk, such as in Knowledge Of Sally .

Mostly, the production follows the requirements of these various modifications, with some tracks nuanced with just the proper doses of difference. To whit, the shufflebased sibling tracks, The Obvious Thing and The Contract

So, once again, Half Past Midnight Thirty is another reveal not only of Morgan Quinn’s ambitious focus, but the ever-developing finesse of his abilities to achieve those lofty and admirable ambitions.

VINCE LEIGH

Half Past Midnight Thirt y is NISSAN: Unstoppable’s follow-up to the 2021 album Cereal Sounds , a wide-ranging detonation of experimental electroeclectic indie pop.

And the new one?

There is a similar approach at play, utilising the conventional with the non-conventional, toying with arrangements, textures, disjointed melodic counterpoints, and the notso-disjointed, exploring the edges of a variegated style base, which include funk, pop, electro, and the occasional retro-flavoured fusion of the more amiable genres.

But there are some notable changes. Perhaps one of the most significant differences is the consistency of the album’s appropriation of guitars, which seems to be—aside from the voice work—the governing instrument; at least, in terms of song craft and, to a lesser degree, the production.

Morgan Quinn (aka NISSAN: Unstoppable), the former member of Canberra band Pleased to Jive You, has kept the more intrusive sound excursions heard on Cereal Sounds to a minimum and included songs with more traditional tendencies.

Quite a few of the 18 tracks on display exceed the two-and-a-half-minute mark and feature elements that allude to a

NISSAN UNSTOPPABLE HALF PAST MIDNIGHT THIRTY

Jodi Martin - 21 & Restless

BMA Bossman Allan Sko has a throughly stimulating conversation with Boss Lady Jodi Martin, who is swinging into town to mark a very special occasion indeed...

Singer-songwriter Jodi Martin is known by her loyal following as a road warrior –famous for years of touring Australia in her

Toyota van, armed with just her songs and her guitars. Jodi’s track Diesel perfectly captures her passion and dedication to touring her music, and the adventures the touring life has sparked for her.

And there have been some grand adventures along the way – like Jodi’s

songwriting road trip from New Orleans to New York State with her hero Arlo Guthrie, which spawned Jodi’s stunning 2016 album Saltwater

“This year marks 21 years since my first album [Water and Wood] was released by indie label Little Big Music,” Jodi enthuses, “alongside luminary Irish stablemates Mundy and Glen Hansard’s The Frames.”

And to celebrate her 21st year of touring and recording music, Jodi is playing a very special show at one of her favourite Australian venues – Smith’s Alternative right here in Canberra on Sunday, 12 March at 3pm.

“I’ll unveil some never-before-released songs from the vault,” she teases.

To further mark the occasion, Jodi is releasing a three-album set called The Never Settle Trilogy.

“It includes a collection of the best songs I wrote between the age of 4 and 21,” she says. One such track, and an undoubted highlight, is the hilarious Tommy the Toyota – an epic blues rap immortalising her Dad’s ute and its dramatic escapades.

“The funny thing is, it’s not just 21 years since Water and Wood started this ball rolling,’ Jodi reflects. “It was another 21 years before that when I wrote my first song that I can still remember!’

And will said song be unveiled at Smith’s, do tell?

“Yes, absolutely. I was only 4, so it will be a slightly vulnerable moment. But it is funny,” Jodi laughs.

Jodi’s early years of songwriting clearly paid off, because by the time she turned 16, Kasey Chambers recorded her song Why for the Dead Ringer Band’s ARIA Award winning Homefires album, inspiring a young J to keep on writing.

Jodi’s 21st anniversary has also inspired her to start writing a book that, “chronicles my adventures, including my journey to overcome depression through authentically processing my emotions. It was the very thing that drove me to write and share songs in the first place.”

And there is a reliable whisper that the first chapter may be unveiled at the show! This intimate concert at Smith’s Alternative - Sunday, 12 March - will attest to why Jodi has become the respected songwriter and storyteller that she is - both at home and beyond. 3pm - 6pm, $30 via venue

Mary Coughlan A Life Thoroughly Lived

By Jen Seyderhelm

Irish singer-songwriter Mary Coughlan has ridden life’s lows and seized its highs, and has the voice, and songwriting skills, to bring this story to us.

In 1984, 28-year-old Mary Coughlan was single and looking after three young children.

“To make ends meet I would clean offices, the windows of newly constructed buildings, and sell knitted hats at the weekend markets,” she explains. “Some evenings I would be encouraged to sing at parties and pubs in my hometown of Galway [Ireland].”

Mary eventually caught the ear of Dutch guitarist Eric Visser.

“We entered a talent competition with compositions of Eric’s and came second,” Coughlan says. “Eric paid for me to enter the studio where we recorded some of his songs and an assortment of folk, country, blues, and jazz numbers.”

The resultant album was given the apt title of Tired and Emotional I’ve been listening to it in the car on repeat. There is a stretch of three songs – a Celtic folky stomp called Country Fair Dance (complete with accordions), the moody but radio friendly Lady In Green, and finally the blues and horns infused Seduced, which is among most sensual tracks I’ve ever heard.

Each sound like they are sung by an entirely different artist. Each are also so clearly enunciated that I could literally hang off every word. My mother, operatically trained, would always pick me up when I dropped my t’s or d’s. She’d be applauding here.

Instinctively musical, rather than classically trained, “that enunciation is an Irish thing,” Coughlan tells us. When it was discussed in the studio whether she should go for the contemporary American style looser language, “Eric told me to be myself. Be Irish. Sing my way.

“It was fun to create this jigsaw puzzle of parts of myself,” Coughlan continues. “At the time, the album would never go beyond Galway Bay, so I could speak to topics that were still forbidden in Ireland, like divorce, women’s rights, and (gasp) enjoying sex.”

Somebody, probably Eric, sent a cassette tape demo to the TV juggernaut The Late Late Show. By chance, long time host Gay Byrne was walking past the producers when Coughlan’s voice rang out.

“Who is she?” he demanded. “Book her.”

So Coughlan performed, having rehearsed only one of her songs for a live audience (the astonishingly beautiful Meet Me Where They Play The Blues). And then:

“In the darkened studio, when they asked me for ‘something else’, I did Billie Holiday’s Strange Fruit, off the top of my head.”

That session resulted in Tired and Emotional selling more than 100K copies and Coughlan being catapulted into a world of touring, excess,

and record company demands. In turn, Mary drank to excess herself (she’s 29 years sober now) and lost everything, including her way.

“With the love of my children and grandchildren, the safe recording environment I have shared with Eric and my band for more than 30 years, and finding a platform to make real change to the situation for women in Ireland and beyond…” she is experiencing a career revival similar to her friend and recent Grammy winner Bonnie Raitt.

“My cover of Bonnie’s I Can’t Make You Love Me is my most downloaded track!” she enthuses.

In 2018, prior to Covid, she wrote and performed an opera play based loosely around her life called Woman Undone

“During lockdown, I created Life Stories [her latest album].”

And it is exactly that, with a side order of her distinctive sassy songs like High Heel Boots

There are many similarities to Tired and Emotional. Both have break up songs (Double Cross & Two Breaking Into One; “about the men I have shared my life with,” including the notorious relationship with Frank Bonadio. “Fuck ‘em,” she flatly states); riffs to alcohol and breaking free of it, joyous tributes to sex (“Currently, I’ve got a fractured foot, so I can only look at my high heel boots,” she quips) and “odes to my family,” to lovingly steal a song title from fellow Irish artists The Cranberries.

Her connection to friends and family run deep.

“Before I reach Australia, I’ll be visiting my friend Anne in Syria to perform a concert for displaced and abandoned women and children,” she says. “I’m concerned for my grandchildren, too, and how deeply they feel the world’s plight.”

As a woman who has been there and see it all, for a bit of lightness she took her 16-year-old granddaughter to a show at The Globe.

“Afterwards, we wandered to the steps of St Paul’s Cathedral where I sang a rousing rendition of Feed The Birds,” much like the Bird Lady in Mary Poppins 60 years previous.

“My granddaughter was mortified,” she says, with a smile in her voice.

At a later gig, the same granddaughter sat up front and cheered, laughed, and sang along as Coughlan wowed the crowd. As she does.

Coughlan doesn’t “listen back to radio or TV” that she’s done, but will watch performances, because she knows she was in the moment, with her voice and music, just like on the steps of St Paul’s.

And we can join her in the moment on Thursday, March 16, 7:30pm, at The Street Theatre. Tickets are $49 + bf via the venue. I will be wearing my high heel boots.

Photo Credit: Tamsin Davies

Nuevo Tango

Piazzolla Style!

By Sammy Moynihan

Canberrans are in for an eclectic tango treat in March, as Latin Grammy winning Quinteto Astor Piazzolla hit The Street Theatre as part of their first Australian tour. Throughout their long career, the collective are recognised worldwide as pioneers and custodians of the distinctive Nuevo Tango style.

Tango is more than a dance. It's a musical/cultural genre that originated in Argentina and Uruguay in the late 19th Century. Tango is characterised by its distinctive rhythm and energy. It's a style that has evolved over the years, and Piazzolla is credited with revolutionising it by incorporating contemporary music elements into the long-standing tradition.

Through the incomparable talent of this group, his legacy lives on, inviting both dedicated fans and fresh faces alike to experience the passionate fervour of this sizzling style of tango.

For Dario Vaccarro, the quintet’s producer, Nuevo Tango is deeply linked to Piazzolla’s own exposure to different styles of music, growing up as an Argentinian living in Jewish and Italian communities in New York.

“His music is a mix of jazz, traditional tango, and classical music, and that’s what makes the music so special,” Vaccarro states.

Piazzolla’s commitment to innovating and diversifying tango often put him at odds with his peers in the scene. While he achieved great success internationally, Argentinian audiences were harder to crack.

“The traditional tango people wanted to kill Piazzolla because he put an electric guitar into tango!” Vaccarro jokes.

“But when you listen to his music, you can feel all the tension that was around it. You can feel all this passion, this melancholy, this fire and energy. All the life experience he went through is reflected in his music. That’s what makes it magical.”

Despite this adversity, Nuevo Tango soon became recognisable in clubs around the world and brought more international audiences in.

Piazzolla wrote music for many ensembles but, according to Vaccarro, the quintet was always his favourite. For him, “The quintet synthesises all the elements of the style,” Vaccarro states.

The performers we’ll see at The Street are a mix between original members and fresh faces who joined the ensemble in later years.

“The musicians are all virtuosos; they are the best in the Piazzolla world,” he enthuses. “We’re like a good wine. All the perfect elements have come together.”

After achieving critical success in Europe, Asia, and America, this is their first time visiting Australia. Vaccarro is particularly excited because he knows, from Spotify and social media, that they have a huge following here. He can’t wait to bring the group, meet their fans, and grow new audiences.

“Our newest album will actually be released in the middle of the Australian tour, so our Australian audiences will get to hear beautiful music that is not as known by a general audience,” he says.

“They’ll hear the classics, and they’ll also hear some new unique aspects of Piazzolla.”

Said upcoming album, Operation: Tango, highlights some unique and lesser known pieces within Piazzolla’s vast repertoire, as well as rearrangements of some of his work for a quintet.

The Quinteto, with the enigmatic leadership of Dario Vaccarro, is a testament to the enduring appeal of Piazzolla’s Nuevo Tango style. It’s easy to see why audiences around the world have been captivated by his music for over half a century. His unique blend of jazz, classical, and traditional tango elements create a sound that is at once nostalgic and contemporary.

Piazzolla's work was not just an innovation in music but a cultural milestone, and he remains an inspiration to tango lovers worldwide.

As Vaccarro exclaims: "Our mission is to bring Piazzolla’s legacy to the world. He is always present in everything we do. It’s not about us. It’s about the master and his music.”

With a mix of fresh sounds and classic pieces, this will be an exciting evening for tango and Piazzolla fans, new and old. The concert at The Street Theatre promises to be a night of unforgettable music; full of passion, fire and, of course, tango.

Quinteto Astor Piazzolla hits The Street Theatre on Wednesday, 15 March at 7:30pm. Tickets range from $49 - $59 and are available via thestreet.org.au/shows/quinteto-astor-piazzolla

Photo Credit: Mauricio Velez

THU 2 MARCH

Sparrow-Folk - Nice Pair!

After a long lockdown, roosting on some hilarious hits, these cheeky birds are set to launch a comeback bigger than an ‘80s rock band. 7pm, $29 + bf via venue

COURTYARD STUDIO

The Piano Guys

The chart-topping, gold-selling musical outfit return to Australia for a six-city tour. Arriving as a musical phenomenon seemingly overnight, they have delivered bold compositions that transcend genre.

7:30pm, $89 – $189 + bf via venue

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

Bare Witness Theatre PresentI Have No Enemies

Cyberpunk Detective Story meets Maniacal Ted Talk meets Live-Action ‘90s Hacker Movie. Confronting, enlightening, and absurdly entertaining, IHNE is radical contemporary theatre that decodes the uncomfortable truth of life through a lens. Runs until 11 March. 7:30pm, $27.50 - $38.50 + bf via Humanitix

RALPH WILSON THEATRE, GORMAN ARTS CENTRE

Creedence Clearwater Collective

Walking through the life and music of one of the world’s most iconic bands – from the songs they wrote, to the songs they covered, to the songs they wrote for others.

7:30pm, $69 via The Q THE B - QUEANBEYAN PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE

FRI 3 MARCH

James Abberley (WA)

James blurs the lines of a modern day singer-songwriter, with a traditional folk/roots approach, drenched in soul and summer swept vibes. Supported by Heath Lancaster, a talented, young singersongwriter from Kempsey, NSW. 6pm, $15 conc/$20 via venue

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

Sparrow-Folk: Nice Pair!

Award winning musical comedy duo Sparrow-Folk are back with a brand new batch of deliciously naughty tunes. 7pm

COURTYARD STUDIO

Herald w/ Gunk, Oh! Starving, Sonic Reducer

Putting on a rowdy show full of punk, rock, and alternative sounds. $13.30 conc/$18.40 via Oztix

THE BASEMENT

Smashing Pumpkins + Nirvana +

AIC/Cornell Tribute

A great night of live music awaits, with the celebration of the ‘90s stalwarts from three different bands. 7pm, $29.60 via Oztix

THE BASEMENT

Mary Coustas – This is Personal

Mary Coustas gives a powerful and unforgettable insight into the woman behind the infamous and iconic boofhead Effie. 8pm, $79.90 + bf via venue

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

Stella Donnelly

Fresh off the back of a global world tour, Donnelly finally returns home to Australia. Support from emerging Western Australian artist Mia June. 8pm, $40.53 via Moshtix or $40 on the door

UC HUB

The Divine Devilles

Two well-travelled souls, each with a swag of awards, a suitcase full of songs, and a love of that sweet, swinging, grooving place where blues and jazz meet. 8pm, free CANBERRA IRISH CLUB

The Best of Arj Barker - Power Hour

The best of Arj Barker. All kill, no fill. 8pm, $54.90 from The Q

THE B - QUEANBEYAN

PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE

The Crossbenchers Live

A 4-piece CBR band doing lounge, blues, R&B, originals, covers. From Chuck Berry to Frank Sinatra, to Ray Charles & The Doors. 8pm, free DICKSON TAPHOUSE

SAT 4 MARCH

Dean Haitani Live

With his unique finger style and soulful earthy vocals, Dean draws inspiration from blues & roots music, and his love of funk and old school R&B rhythms. 2pm, free OLD CANBERRA INN

Mr Tim’s Singing Jamboree

Come along for an afternoon of Choir therapy hosted by Tim Bevitt aka Mr Tim - children’s entertainer, educator, songwriter, and choir leader! 3pm, free

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

Magic Rob Universe + Spaceman Africa The Musical

Two of Canberra’s local folkrockers take you on journey from the comical to the esoteric. 6pm, $10 conc/$15 via venue

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

CBR GRRRLS To The Front Burntout Bookings presents VOIID (QLD), Box Dye, Masochist (NSW), Pretty In Punk to help celebrate International Wom*n’s Day 2023! Plus education stalls, and bring a bag of women’s toiletries to help women in need via Share The Dignity. Sponsored by YWCA Canberra and The Joyful Frugalista thanks to the Great Ydeas Grant. 7pm, $10.20 conc/$15; $5 from every ticket goes to Girls Rock Canberra

THE BASEMENT

Best of Arj Barker - Power Hour What do you get when you take your best jokes from over 30 years, lovingly restore and refine each one, jam them all into a single hour, and finally sprinkle in some brandnew material and hint of improv? The best of Arj Barker. 7:30pm

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

The Garifuna Collective (Belize)

They harness the indomitable energy of their African and Indigenous ancestors, generating an irrepressible, positive energy every time they perform. 7:30pm, $39 - $49 via venue

THE STREET THEATRE

Mary Coustas – This is Personal Mary gives a powerful and unforgettable insight into the woman behind the infamous and iconic boofhead Effie. 8pm, $79.90 + bf via venue

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

Lindy Morrison & Rob Snarski

Singer-songwriter Rob Snarski (Blackeyed Susans/Chad’s Tree) joins forces with legendary Go-Betweens drummer Lindy Morrison. 9pm, $35 conc/$40 via the venue

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

SUN 5 MARCH

AVA Martina Live

AVA Martina is a singer-songwriter, composer, and multidisciplinary artist based in Canberra. 2pm, free

QUEENIES - KINGSTON

Duo Caivano-Sawyer

Duo Caivano-Sawyer offer a journey through contemporary Argentinian tango music and features Rodolfo Caivano on bandoneon and Kieran Sawyer on guitar. 4pm, $20 conc/$30, Under 12s - $5

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

The SalonistasSunday Session on the Deck

The Salonistas are a Sydney band whose sound has been described as ‘velvety, alt-country soul’. They play songs about love, grog, Jesus and, occasionally, buffaloes. 4pm, free entry

CANBERRA IRISH CLUB

NeonHoney Live

NeonHoney is a music producer and songstress. 4pm, free

OLD CANBERRA INN

Dean Haitani Live

With his unique finger style and soulful earthy vocals, Dean Haitani draws inspiration from blues & roots music, and his love of funk and old school R&B rhythms. 4pm, free entry

DICKSON TAPHOUSE

MON 6 MARCH

Mal Webb & Kylie Morrigan

From Glastonbury, UK, to Gladstonebury, NZ, Mal and Ky have entertained and amazed audiences of all ages with their multi-instrumental, live-looping, brain tickling songs. 4pm, $15 conc/$20 via venue

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

Jimmy Carr - Terribly Funny 7pm, tix sold out at time of print

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

TUE 7 MARCH

Sacred Reich +

Vio-Lence + Deprivation

Hardline Media are absolutely stoked to present this epic thrash double bill! 7pm, $59.95 ($159.95 VIP) via Oztix

THE BASEMENT

Open Mic Comedy

Come along and chance your comedic chops. Runs on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month. Doors at 7pm, show starting at 7:30pm

ABYSS - THE BASEMENT

WED 8 MARCH

Bare Witness Theatre PresentsI Have No Enemies

Cyberpunk Detective Story meets Maniacal Ted Talk meets Live-Action ‘90s Hacker Movie. Runs until 11 March. 7:30pm, $27.50 - $38.50 + bf via Humanitix

RALPH WILSON THEATRE, GORMAN ARTS CENTRE

THU 9 MARCH

CSO Goes South: A Twilight Soiree with Kirsten Williams & Edward Neeman

A French-inspired program featuring Debussy Sonata in G minor for Violin and Piano; Amy Beach Ballade; op. 6 Fauré Violin Sonata No. 1 in A major, op; 13 Exp. 6pm $35/$30/$25 + 50c bf via Trybooking

TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE

Sydney Dance Company - Ascent

Featuring world premieres by Artistic Director Rafael Bonachela, international choreographer Marina Mascarell, and the return of Antony Hamilton’s critically acclaimed Forever & Ever. Runs 9 - 11 Mar. 7:30pm, $69 – $89 + bf via venue

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

Peter Black & Tim Steward

You won’t find two such icons of Australian rock ‘n’ roll on the same bill together often - and you definitely won’t find them here!

9:30pm, $15 via venue

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

FRI 10 MARCH

Cy Fahey

What do you get when you have an Aboriginal born in Malaysia that looks like a Wog? Cy Fahey! Who is as weird and eclectic as his sense of identity!

7pm, $15 via venue

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

Canberra Blues Society Presents: Eugene “Hideaway” Bridges (USA)

Big and burly, wearing a cowboy hat with his guitar slung across his chest, Eugene is a veritable blues machine.

7pm, $30 + bf via Humanitix

THE ZEPPELIN ROOM

The Bennies

Australia’s premier psychedelic reggae ska doom metal punk rock band have a few new members, a bunch of new songs, and have never been more ready to party with you.

7pm, $29.60 via Oztix

THE BASEMENT

Transista Groove

Three seasoned musicians who met by chance in 2019 who deliver diverse genres including blues rock, hard rock, grunge, jazz rock, and funk. 8pm, free entry

CANBERRA IRISH CLUB

Dean Edgecombe & The Seventh Sons Live

Playing a mix of classic and original R&B, blues, and roots. 8pm, free

DICKSON TAPHOUSE

Katrina Maree Duo and Wallabindi

An amazing night of not one, but two sensational Canberra duos. 9pm, free

THE DURHAM

SAT 11 MARCH

Sydney Dance Company Workshop with Charmene Yap

In this workshop, you will be taken through contemporary technique exercises and have the opportunity to learn some repertoire from Sydney Dance Company’s new show, Ascent 10:30am, $35 via Eventbrite

THE MAIN HALL, GORMAN ARTS CENTRE, BRADDON

Kevin Carrington Live

A talented multi-instrumentalist/ singer who plays a blend of pop, blues, and rock. 2pm, free

OLD CANBERRA INN

Rose Tattoo

The “Rock N’ Roll Outlaws return in 2023. 7pm, $45 via Oztix

THE BASEMENT

Mark Wilkinson

After a busy 2022 recording and previewing his new music across North America, including standout showcases at Americana Fest in Nashville, Wilkinson turns his attention to home to celebrate new EP Mariposa. 7pm, $30 conc/$35 via venue

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

Metaphysical Warfare Tour

Adelaide’s most abhorrent –Charnel Altar and Endless Loss with locals Ploughshare and Futility. 7pm, tix on door

POT BELLY BAR

Bare Witness Theatre PresentsI Have No Enemies

Cyberpunk Detective Story meets Maniacal Ted Talk meets Live-Action ‘90s Hacker Movie. Runs until 11 March. 7:30pm, $27.50 - $38.50 + bf via Humanitix

RALPH WILSON THEATRE, GORMAN ARTS CENTRE

Rob BrydonA Night of Songs and Laughter Award winning comedian Rob Brydon and his eight-piece band have arrived. 8pm, $81.80–$102.30 + bf via venue

CANBERRA THEATRE

Zambezi Sounds

Zambezi Sounds hit Smith’s Alternative for another session of danceable Afro-Caribbean-African Grooves! From 10pm, $15 conc/$20 via venue

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

SUN 12 MARCH

Eden Plenty Live Australian artist, singer, songwriter, and guitarist Eden Plenty is a devoted music craftsman, exploring heart wrenching and intense emotions of being torn away from a loved one. 2pm, free

QUEENIES - KINGSTON

Jodi MartinNever Settle Trilogy Launch Hailed by the Weekend Australian as “one of Australia’s most talented singer songwriters”, Jodi Martin marks 21 years this year since her debut album was released. And she’s celebrating with a three (three!) LP launch! 3pm, $30 via venue

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

Dana HassallSunday Session on the Deck Country artist Dana Hassall’s airy, earthy vocals, and feel-driven guitar are a cup of tea for the soulwith a shot of whiskey. 4pm, free

CANBERRA IRISH CLUB

Kevin Carrington Live Kevin Carrington is a talented multi-instrumentalist/singer who plays a blend of pop, blues, and rock. 4pm, free

DICKSON TAPHOUSE

Jessica Maree Live

Jessica Maree is an award winning singer-songwriter, composer, and vocal coach. 4pm, free

OLD CANBERRA INN

Overmyer + Raupach + Coleman + Pound + Dunan

Tessie Overmyer, Harley Coleman and Toby Dunan are the new generation of Sydney jazz: scarily accomplished and fearlessly openeared. In Canberra, they meet Alex Raupach and Chris Pound in a new collaboration. 7pm, $20 conc/$25 via venue

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

Clannad

Celebrating an exceptional awardwinning 50-year career, Clannad embark on their In A Lifetime Farewell World Tour, their final ever tour of Australia! 7:30pm, $92.05–$227.35 + bf via venue

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

TUE 14 MARCH

Wendy Rule

Visionary songstress Wendy Rule returns to Canberra for one show only at Smith’s Alternative. 7pm, $25 via venue

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

WED 15 MARCH

Quinteto Astor Piazzolla

Latin Grammy-winning ensemble pays tribute to the man who revolutionised tango music forever.

7:30pm, $49 - $59 via venue

THE STREET THEATRE

THU 16 MARCH

Jeffrey Charles + Suma IyerUnited Colours Of Basic

Jeffrey shares a colourful journey through middle-class anxiety with an acoustic guitar. Suma is brown, basic, and ambivalent about it, but delights in sharing surreal observations about the everyday.

7pm, $20 + bf via venue

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRECOURTYARD STUDIO

Mary Coughlin - Life Stories

Emotional depth, expression, and power, forged from an extraordinary life. 7:30pm, $49 via venue

THE STREET THEATRE

Chris Marlton - Moonlight Pilot

Character comedian Chris Marlton is returning with three of his favourite creations: New York club comic Marlon M’Logne; motivational speaker Rob-rob Anthony; and Aussie comedy legend Gareth Mosley. 8:30pm, $20 via venue

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRECOURTYARD STUDIO

The Burning Hell (Canada)

Densely populated genre-shifting songs packed with an abundance of literary, historical, cultural, and pop-cultural forebears, stories, and hooks. 9pm, $25 via venue

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

FRI 17 MARCH

Caitlin Maggs, Scott Hawkins, and Wen Su - The Reunion Tour

Pink hair, long hair, and he’s got hair. After a year away Caitlin Maggs, Scott Hawkins, and Wen Su are back on The Reunion Tour. And joining them this time is Ethan Kirk on the drums taking this metaphor all the way.

6:30pm, $25 + bf via venue

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRECOURTYARD STUDIO

Running in the Shadows of Fleetwood Mac

More than just a tribute. Says Ursula Cain, who sings the songs of Stevie Nicks: “We bring the raw passion and energy that Fleetwood Mac displayed throughout the ‘70s, because we love this band, and the music.” 7pm, $43.35 via Oztix

THE BASEMENT

Fever Shack - Raw Doggin Reality

Album Launch w/ Trenchknife & Thantu Thikha

Firing hard on all cylinders fresh off their Indonesian tour, The Shack are ready to bring their energetic live shows of killer crossover hardcore your way. Joined by Sydney’s upcoming hard riffers, Trenchknife, and straight edge hardcore legends in Thantu Thika. 7pm, $18.40 via Oztix

THE BASEMENT

Checkerboard Lounge (VIC)

From standing ovations at festivals to crammed inner Melbourne pubs, no two shows are the same. Vibrant and unforgettable, Checkerboard are a tour-de-force. 7pm, $20 conc/$25

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

Gia Ransome - Boots Single Launch

Gia Ransome and her band launch her new single Boots with special guests

ARCHIE and Nina Leo. 7:30pm, $18.40 via Oztix

TRANSIT BAR

Nick Schuller - Fire Brand

After the Schuller family home burned down, Nick monetised his trauma and turned his family’s tragedy into an hour of light entertainment! Fire Brand is a tale of Captain America, Canesten antifungal cream, and some very overcooked chips. 8pm, $22 + bf via the venue

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRECOURTYARD STUDIO

Saint Patrick’s Day

From breakfast to close, come celebrate St Patrick’s Day with us. A day of food, drink, song, and dance. 8pm, free

CANBERRA IRISH CLUB

Phoenix 5 Live

High-in-demand ‘60s to ‘80s covers band, blending multi generation talents for a dynamic live sound. 8pm, free entry

DICKSON TAPHOUSE

The Harry Morrissey Official Harry delves into the concepts of gender and masculinity with an overarching focus on feminism. A fuse of dance, comedy, and drag for short attention spans. It’s extra, OTT, camp, kitch, and kooky. 9:30pm, $25 + bf via venue

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRECOURTYARD STUDIO

Warehouse Circus

A comedy circus variety show for the whole family, brought to you by Canberra’s very own Warehouse Circus. A funny frenzy of amazing acrobatic acts all mixed up with comedians, clowns, acrobats, and much more.

From 1pm, $25 - $35 via the venue

THE STREET THEATRE - STREET 1

Claire Hooper - Sweet Charity

Charming audiences with her captivating storytelling and impeccable timing, Claire Hooper is one of our finest stand-up comedians. As seen on The Project, Question Everything, Spicks & Specks, Patriot Brains, Celebrity Letters & Numbers and The Great Australian Bake Off. 7pm, $35 + bf via venue

THE STREET THEATRE

Raw Comedy 2023 - ACT State Final

For the last 27 years, jokesters from across Australia have come together to compete with their wit at RAW Comedy, the country’s largest and most prestigious open mic comedy competition. 8:30pm, $25 - $30 + bf via venue

THE STREET THEATRE

SAT 18 MARCH

Escapado Sol Live

Providing country, soul, Latin, jazz, and funk-based solutions since the late Quaternary period! 2pm, free

OLD CANBERRA INN

Hashemoto + The Lonely Fates

A double bill of Canberra bands old and new. 3pm, $10 conc/$15 via venue

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

Rob Carlton - Cleary Confused

Actor, writer, and exceptional storyteller, Rob Carlton (Paper Giants’ Kerry Packer, Underbelly, Chandon Pictures, A Moody Christmas) is reliving four true stories that made him the confused, but happy, man he is today. 5pm, $30 + bf via venue

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRECOURTYARD STUDIO

Taylor Coughtrie and Sam SillaOpposite Of Adults

With more than half a century of combined lifetime experience, Taylor and Sam are well and truly grown up… on paper. These two comics are on the brink of breaking out into their comedy careers and more

importantly… full blown adulthood. 6:30pm, $25 + bf via venue

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRECOURTYARD STUDIO

On Repeat: Taylor Swift

Midnights Release Party

Round up your Masterminds and Anti-Heros and join us in celebrating Taylor’s 10th album! Plus we’ll be spinning all your other fave songs from Miss Swift, it’ll be a night that Hits Different! 7pm, $20 via Oztix

THE BASEMENT

Bobby James Band - EP Launch

The much awaited debut release for local 5-piece the Bobby James Band, out 18 March. A blend of powerful melodies, driving rhythms and soulful lyrics. Featuring a unique recipe of guitar, cajon, djembe, bass guitar, and keys. 7pm, $15 via venue

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

Nurse Georgie Carroll - Sista Flo 2.0 You’ll laugh, you’ll gasp, you’ll cry, it might even hurt, but it will make you better. Make sure you’re there to hear it all in this very special encore season. She should have been a midwife as she always delivers! 7pm, $49 + bf via venue

THE STREET THEATRE

The Women’s Room 2...

Just Add Estrogen

Comedians Tanya, Jacqui, Sarah, and Trish chat hilariously about life, love, and the experiences and challenges of being a woman. This show has something for everyone. MC’d by Sue Stanic. 8pm, $25 + bf via venue

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRECOURTYARD STUDIO

Lloyd Langford - Current Mood

Apart from champing at the bit to be back touring, Lloyd Langford is almost certainly feeling one or more of the following moods: cheeky, baffled, exhausted, curious, absolutely sick to death of going to the playground. 8:30pm, $35 + BF via venue

THE STREET THEATRE

Sparrow-Folk - Late Night Nesting

Sparrow-Folk’s hugely popular late night talk show is a hilarious hour of frivolous fun featuring festival favourites and local celebrities. It’s a chance to see your favourite comedians be put to the test in the Sparrow-Folk nest! 9:30pm, $25 + bf via venue

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRECOURTYARD STUDIO

SUN 19 MARCH

Sally Davis Live at Queenies

Join Sally and Cole Clark on acoustic guitar as she takes you through a list of her favourite covers including Pixies, Fleetwood Mac, and The White Stripes. 2pm, free

QUEENIES - KINGSTON

Cassidy’s CeiliSunday Session on the Deck

Cassidy’s Ceili in for the afternoon and a wind down after St Patrick’s Day. 4pm, free

CANBERRA IRISH CLUB

Moondog Live

Moondog is a master of the blues harmonica and a formidable guitarist, singer, and songwriter. His voice holds a deep authenticity reminiscent of the great blues/soul singers of old. 4pm, free

OLD CANBERRA INN

Sam Carl Live Frontman of rock ‘n’ roll band Humdinger, Sam pleases the ears of both pub goers and heavy show goers alike. 4pm, free

DICKSON TAPHOUSE

The Women’s Room 2...

Just Add Estrogen

Comedians Tanya, Jacqui, Sarah, and Trish chat hilariously about life, love, and the experiences and challenges of being a woman. This show has something for everyone. MC’d by Sue Stanic. 8pm, $25 + bf via venue

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRECOURTYARD STUDIO

Owen Campbell & The Cosmic People

Bringing the band back to The Canberra Irish Club. Two ripping sets from 7:15pm – 9:30pm. Doors 6:30pm, $25.50 via Oztix

CANBERRA IRISH CLUB

Koori Comedy Showcase

Koori Comedy Showcase is back and as deadly as ever. Canberra’s best First Nation comedians will grace the stage with 60,000 years of culture, storytelling, and spinning yarns behind them, bringing you a night full of good vibes and laughs.

7pm, $23 + bf via venue

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRECOURTYARD STUDIO

Sarah Ison & Laura JohnstonWould We Lie to You?

Sarah and Laura present Would We Lie to You? and pose the ultimate question: “Seriously, would we?” You’ll have to just take your best guess as this comedy duo perform sketches taken from real life scenarios or complete fabrications.

8:30pm, $20 + bf via venue

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRECOURTYARD STUDIO

MON 20 MARCH

Schalk BezuidenhoutFeeling Good

In this classic man-and-mic hour of stand-up comedy, Schalk Bezuidenhout delivers a healthy dose of ‘90s nostalgia and hilarity through a uniquely South African lens. Shows at 5:30pm & 7:30pm, $30 + bf via venue

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRECOURTYARD STUDIO

Mark Watson - Search

Both a dad and a kid himself, around the midpoint of his life, the Taskmaster star and multiple award-winner returns to Canberra to consider the search for meaning that we’re all on, with or without Google. There will be a lot of jokes.

7pm, $35 + bf via venue

THE STREET THEATRE

FIDLAR - Deyown Ondah Tour

The surf rock legends are back in full force. The band’s latest work has been self-described as “leaning into the extremes”. 7pm, $74.90 via Oztix

THE BASEMENT

Sam CampbellEvery Single Emotion

After winning the award for Best Comedy Show at the Edinburgh Fringe and emceeing Aaron Chen’s wedding in Sydney, Brother Samuel is ready to charge onto the stage and present his latest unsavoury ideas to a sleek and juicy audience.

8:45pm, $30 conc/$35 + bf via venue

THE STREET THEATRE

TUE 21 MARCH

Canberra Comedy Festival Gala

This two-hour showcase event features some of the very best acts from the festival line-up – all of your favourite local and international comedy superstars. 6pm, $83 - $93 + bf via venue

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

Frankie McNair - Relax Your Knees

Relax Your Knees is a peek into the anxious brain of an aggressively optimistic dyslexic queer nightmare who was raised by TV and is trying their best. No story, no thru-line (cowards), just Frankie screaming her favourite jokes for 55 mins. $25 + bf via venue

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRECOURTYARD STUDIO

WED 22 MARCH

Lawrence MooneyEmbracing Your Limitations

The world is full of self-styled gurus, Svengalis, mind coaches, and horrific influencers. Lawrence is here to help you to quit, embrace your inner loser, and win at life. Based on Lawrence’s anti self-help book, Embracing Your Limitations

7pm, $49 + bf via venue

THE STREET THEATRE

Marky Worthington & Jeremy Smith - Consistently Different Marky’s solid observational humour and vivid insights into his active mind, and Jeremy’s stories from a life that can only be described as hilariously “middle of the road” will have you in stitches… and relieved you’re not them. 7pm, $20 + bf via the venue

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRECOURTYARD STUDIO

Diff’ring Strokes

Witness the Diff’ring Strokes of Canberra’s most promising young comics! Anneli Cole, Danyal Diallo, Fateh Singh, Jeff Shen, and Alessandro Oliveira will offer you their takes on life. 8:30pm, $20 + bf via venue

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRECOURTYARD STUDIO

Rove McManus - Awesome Sauce Rove is feeling pretty good. He’s actually feeling pretty awesome. So why not come and get in on some of this ridiculous enthusiasm as he shares a new hour of thoughts, ramblings, and tangential musings.

8:30pm, $35 + bf via venue

THE STREET THEATRE

THU 23 MARCH

Friendlyjordies Presents: Brûz

“This is about the most insane thing that’s ever happened to me - being sued for defamation,” says Jordan “Friendlyjordies” Shanks. “I am going to reveal to you for the first time the extraordinary lengths of the press, the legal system, and the NSW coalition government conspired in order to protect one 50-year-old brat.” 7pm, $51 via Oztix

THE BASEMENT

Kirsty Webeck - A bit of fun

Fresh from her TV debut comedy special for Paramount+, Kirsty is up for a bit of fun and reckons you could benefit from some too. Beloved for her feel-good outlook, Kirsty’s crafted another hilarious upbeat hour, so take a break from the doom scrolling and join your new bestie for a bit of fun! 7pm, $35 + bf via venue

THE STREET THEATRE

Niamh Regan (Ireland)

Weaving the Irish lyrical tradition with contemporary sounds. 7pm, $20 conc/$25 via venue

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

The Anti-Experts PresentWankernomics: Solutionising

The Corporate World

At last, a comedy about late-stage capitalism! James Schloeffel (The Shovel) & Charles Firth (The Chaser) teach how to thrive in today’s corporate world, including how to eliminate clear communication, Gina Rinehart’s tips for inheriting massive wealth, and how to conceal wage-theft.

7pm, $39 - $55 + bf via venue

CANBERRA THEATRE

Nath ValvoHit Machine (A Best Of)

After 12 hit festival shows, Nath is celebrating all his fave bits in one red hot hour! There will be high kicks, twirls, and an avalanche of jokes. 7pm, $35 + bf via venue

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRECOURTYARD STUDIO

Unedjamacated

Who needs a proper job when you can disappoint your parents as a comedian? The next big thing in stand-up, magic, and sketch with CBR’s finest new comedians. 8pm, $20.50 via Trybooking

TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE

Sh!t-Faced ShakespeareRomeo & Juliet

An hilarious blend of an entirely serious Shakespeare play with an entirely shit-faced actor. What could possibly go right? From 23 - 25 March, 8:30pm, $46.90 conc/$48.90 + bf via venue

THE STREET THEATRE

Josie Long - Re-Enchantment

“After defeat, re-enchantment is necessary,” said Lola Olufemi. This thought inspires Josie’s new hour of stand-up infused with humanity, compassion, and brief political rants. 8:30pm, $35 + bf via venue

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRECOURTYARD STUDIO

FRI 24 MARCH

ANU Law Revue

Canberra’s oldest running sketch show that has nothing to do with law. Created by very funny CBR students, be ready to receive cutting edge comedy and Zero Legal Advice. 7pm, $20 via Moshtix DRAMA THEATRE, KAMBRI CULTURAL CENTRE

Geraldine HickeyOf Course We’ve Got Horses

“I’m good at telling funny stories; it’s why I’ve won awards & can afford nice cameras & horses. Okay the horses aren’t technically mine, they belong to Cath & one of them is a pony. But we are married, so what’s hers is mine now.” 7pm, $25 + bf via venue

THE STREET THEATRE

Friendlyjordies Presents: Brûz

Revealing to us the lengths that the press, the legal system, and the NSW coalition government conspired to, in order to protect a 50-year-old brat. 7pm, $51 via Oztix

THE BASEMENT

Chris Ryan - Sore

Chris has moved, physically and metaphorically, so there’s a bit going on. Thoughts will be served with signature dry snark, targeting those who deserve it. 6:30pm, $28 + bf via venue

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRECOURTYARD STUDIO

Dave Hughes - Too Good

‘Career best form’ and ‘never been funnier’ are two quotes Hughesy has heard about himself recently from other talented comedians.

6:30pm, $49.90 + bf

CANBERRA THEATRE

Canberra Blues Society Presents: Hussy Hicks + Minnie Marks

CBS presents the award winning band Hussy Hicks plus guest support Minnie Marks. 7pm, $20/$25 + bf via Humanitix or $30 on the door

HARMONIE GERMAN CLUB

The Umbilical BrothersThe Distraction

Unbelievable human performances meets special-effects wizardry. It feels so much like magic, you’ll want to burn them at the stake.

8pm, $54.90 via The Q

THE Q - QUEANBEYAN PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE

Nath ValvoHit Machine (A Best Of)

All his fave bits in one red hot hour! Nath is all over your screen, hosting Just For Laughs Australia 2022, on The Project, and The Hundred with Andy Lee. 8pm, $35 + bf via venue

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRECOURTYARD STUDIO

The Tuesday Weld Experience

Playing their own up-beat surfy/ poppy numbers along with plenty of long, lonesome, broken-hearted love songs in the key of country. 8pm, free

CANBERRA IRISH CLUB

JD Band Live

Old school blues and roots with Dorothy-Jane ‘DJ’ Gosper (vocal, blues-harps, guitar), Jeff Prime (guitars), and Dean Edgecombe (bass). 8pm, free

DICKSON TAPHOUSE

Stephen K AmosThe Very Best Of He’s back, due to overwhelming popular demand, with a collection of his best bits. 8:30pm, $49.90 + bf via venue

CANBERRA THEATRE

Jordan Gray - Is It A Bird?

Following an entirely SOLD OUT run at the 2022 Edinburgh Fringe, the UK’s premier transgender comedian takes on babies, boobies, bigots, and Batman in a blistering hour of music and comedy. 9:30pm, $31 + bf via venue

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRECOURTYARD STUDIO

SAT 25 MARCH

Super Rats

Super Rats play classic drinking songs, ballads, and dances from the backstreets of Bucharest. At the rhythmic centre of the band lurks the mighty cimbalom, a giant dulcimer with 145 strings. It sounds something like the offspring of a honkytonk piano and a xylophone. 3pm, $15 conc/$25 via venue

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

JD Band Live

Old school blues and roots with Dorothy-Jane ‘DJ’ Gosper (vocal, blues-harps, guitar), Jeff Prime (guitars), and Dean Edgecombe (bass). 2pm, free

OLD CANBERRA INN

Clean Comedy Spectacular

Get tickled by our squeaky-clean line-up of comedians doing material that is both hilarious and tasteful. Some of the best festival comedians, with none of the dirty bits! 5pm, $20 - $25 + bf via venue

THE STREET THEATRE

Subhira Quintet

Wild contemporary world music from Chile - from a band with 30 years experience and 21 albums under their belt. 6pm, $25 conc/$35 via venue

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

Chris Ryan - Sore

Comedic thoughts will be served with signature dry snark, targeting those who deserve it. 6:30pm, $28 + bf via venue

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRECOURTYARD STUDIO

Daniel Connell - I’m Always Sore

Daniel Connell (MICF Gala & Comedy Allstars (ABC)) returns with a brand-new show. Come down for a laugh, go to Mooseheads after, night sorted. 7pm, $30 + bf via venue

THE STREET THEATRE

Dave Thornton - Chatter

Over 18 years, Dave Thornton has built a rep as one of the country’s best stand-up comedians. As seen on The Project, Would I Lie to You, The Back Page, and Upper Middle Bogan. 8pm, $35 + bf via venue

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRECOURTYARD STUDIO

Tom Gibson + Emo Parsonson + Hamish Hudson -

Does This Look Right to You?

Every kid is told to plan ahead, use their manners, and think before speaking. But some kids don’t listen. This is a show about what happens to those kids when they grow up. 8:30pm, $30 via Moshtix MANNING CLARK HALL, KAMBRI CULTURAL CENTRE

Wil Anderson - Wilultimate

In 2022, Wil Anderson returned to stand-up with his best show yet – a remarkable feat for someone with over 25 years in the game. 8:30pm, $49.90 + bf via venue

CANBERRA THEATRE

Jordan Gray - Is It A Bird?

After 10 years in the music biz (and a memorable run on The Voice), Jordan Gray has suddenly become one of the UK’s most exciting and celebrated rising comics. 9:30pm, $31 + bf via venue

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRECOURTYARD STUDIO

SUN 26 MARCH

Inez Hargaden Live

Inez Hargaden is an Irish singersongwriter from County Cavan. She draws from folk, pop, rock, and jazz to commonly reflect on the joys and tribulations of life. 2pm, free

QUEENIES, KINGSTON

The Burley GriffinSunday Session on the Deck

Post religious folk hymns born of an isolated childhood and refined on hitchhiking adventures of the USA. 4pm, free

CANBERRA IRISH CLUB

Sally Davis Live

Join Sally, and Cole Clark on acoustic guitar, as she takes you through a list of her favourite covers including the likes of Pixies, Fleetwood Mac and The White Stripes. 4pm, free

DICKSON TAPHOUSE

Renae Stone Live

Renae performs a wide range of popular covers songs, including today’s Top 40 pop, dance, and R&B hits as well as an extensive range of pop rock hits. 4pm, free

OLD CANBERRA INN

Paul Foot - Swan Power

Paul opens his beak and explores topics including a potential solution to the problem of online trolling, the massively underwhelming sex drive of pandas, and La La Land’s Bryan Gosling. Plus, a full re-enactment of 1992 film Titanic (severely abridged). 6:30pm, $35 + bf via venue

THE STREET THEATRE

Michelle Brasier - Legacy

Legacy is the search for another Michelle Brasier and the exploration of all the other women one woman could have been if she’d made different choices. 8pm, $30 + bf via venue

THE STREET THEATRE

TUE 28 MARCH

Paradise Kitty (USA)

The band, endorsed by members of Guns N’ Roses themselves, will be performing the classic Appetite For Destruction in its entirety as a delayed celebration of its 35th anniversary, together with a range of GN’R fan faves. 7pm, tix $55.10 via Oztix

THE BASEMENT

Cirque Mother Africa

Celebrating 15 years, and direct from a sell-out Broadway season, Cirque Mother Africa returns to with an all new show, featuring the amazing hand-to-hand balancing act as seen on Australia’s Got Talent. 7:30pm, $89.90 – $99.90 + bf via venue

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

WED 29 MARCH

Ensemble Offspring: Techno Folk Experience Ensemble Offspring’s unique brand of living new music; a mesmerising mix of chamber pieces with jazz and folk influences. 7:30pm, $30 - $39 via venue

THE STREET THEATRE

FRI 31 MARCH

Rum Jungle - Back Home Tour

Fresh off appearances at Falls Festival and packed summer shows, Rum Jungle is delivering a new cruisy tune Back Home. 7pm, $18.40 via Oztix

THE BASEMENT

Dave Graney & Clare Moore

Graney & Moore return to Smith’s with their band mistLY for the Canberra launch of their fantastic new album In A Mistly. 7pm, $30 conc/$35 via venue

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

The Redgum Years Starring John Schumann & The Vagabond Crew

A concert of songs and stories for those that still believe that songs can change the world. 8pm, THE STREET THEATRE

Thyme

Loud distorted blues licks, tasty basslines, punchy drums, and the powerful vocals to match. 8pm, free CANBERRA IRISH CLUB

SAT 1 APRIL

Dean Edgecombe & The Seventh Sons Live

Playing a great mix of classic and original R&B, blues, and roots. 2pm

OLD CANBERRA INN

Father Deer Hands Sad Souls Tour w/ Some Heard Trouble, Bad Lunar, and A World in Colour

Sydney’s Father Deer Hands are an outfit of loud technical guitars, huge drums, percussive and sludgy bass lines, and dynamic vocals. Joined by post hardcore collective Some Heard Trouble (VIC), as well

as Bad Lunar and A World In Colour!

7pm, $18.40 via Oztix

THE BASEMENT

Miriam Lieberman TrioJust Transforming

West African influences blend seamlessly with blues-infused melodies and soaring vocal harmonies.

7:30pm, $29 - $35 + bf via venue

THE STREET THEATRE

Miro Freitas & The Legends

The Portuguese pop star can’t wait to bring you his new full band show. 8pm, $30 via Humantix

CANBERRA IRISH CLUB

SUN 2 APRIL

Burnish Live

Canberran live music duo playing jazz, pop, and folk! 4pm, free OLD CANBERRA INN

Moondog Live

Moondog is a master of the blues harmonica and a formidable guitarist, singer and song writer. 4pm, free DICKSON TAPHOUSE

Frock ‘n’ TrollSunday Session on the Deck

Gus and Sherri Olding are the original Frock ‘n’ Troll (folk rock + traditional roll). 8pm, free CANBERRA IRISH CLUB

MON 3 APRIL

Danny BhoyNow Is Not A Good Time

It’s been a long wait for the globetrotting Scot. Now comes the world premiere of his brand new show. 8pm, $69.90 + bf via venue

CANBERRA THEATRETHE PLAYHOUSE