THE BYRON SHIRE Volume 28 #41 Tuesday, March 25, 2014 Phone 02 6684 1777 Fax 02 6684 1719 editor@echo.net.au adcopy@echo.net.au www.echo.net.au 23,200 copies every week
Inside this week
P16 P R O M O T I N G S O L A R FA M I LY VA L U E S
CAB AUDIT
Mungo skewers Abbott’s holy war – p10
Politics of protest – p10
Bluesfest turns 25 this year – p15
Mandy surrenders the Commo – p19
Gigs by the bucketful – p22
Tralala Blip go their radio hearts
Performers and crew in rehearsal for My Radio Heart, opening on Thursday at Lismore City Hall. Photo Jeff ‘My Radiated Art’ Dawson
Inspired by the Marvel comic book series X-Men and arcade video games, My Radio Heart is billed as ‘a love story for the 21st century’. It begins its local season in Lismore this Thursday. Commissioned by NORPA and developed in collaboration with Western Sydney-based Urban Theatre Projects (UTP), My Radio Heart features the internationally renowned Tralala Blip as both performers and composers. Lismore-based Tralala Blip is a collective of differently abled artists
and Cou disc pons oun ts!
who create, produce and perform original electronic music. Using a variety of midi controllers, computers, digital and analog musical instruments, Tralala Blip discover new forms of musical expression that are accessible, experimental and fun. My Radio Heart writer and director Rosie Dennis from UTP and NORPA’s artistic director Julian Louis have brought together acclaimed sound artists Lawrence English and Randolf Reimann (Tralala Blip), and video designer Samuel James. Joining the ensem-
ble is Claudie Frock, who northern rivers locals may know as her alter ego Peggy Pop Art. Students from Wilson Park School in Lismore have also been involved in the creative process, contributing to Samuel James’s video design. ‘As a director I couldn’t ask for a more generous group of performers. They’ve dived into an unfamiliar process and have embraced it with gusto and humour. I think audiences are in for a real treat,’ says Rosie Dennis. ‘It’s a really interesting model, creating work in regional
areas and then “exporting” it to the city, or in our case Western Sydney. So often it’s the reverse; work is made in the capital cities and toured to the regional areas.’ Bookings for My Radio Heart can be made on 1300 066 772 or www.norpa.org.au. Tralala Blip’s debut LP Aussie Dream is available on the Disembraining label at www. disembraining.com. Q See Sharon Shostak’s video of
this story at – www.echo.net.au/?p=89707
Byron Shire Council Notices Page 36
Council rejects controversial Bangalow DA In a close vote Byron Shire councillors decided 5–4 last Thursday to refuse a development application for a controversial mixed residential and commercial building at 9 Station Street, Bangalow, near the A&I Hall. Mayor Simon Richardson moved to refuse the DA on various grounds drawn from the previous DA for a similarly large building on the site. Councillors for the development then spoke of the inevitability of change and their fears of Council being taken to court. Those opposed raised issues such as bulk and scale of the proposed building, its 11.7m height being above all future buildings in Station Street (to be 9m under the new LEP), its likely influence on the heritage status of the neighbouring A&I Hall and its heavy use of the narrow lane to its east. The staff report on the DA recommended approval but councillors narrowly saw otherwise. The move to refuse was supported by Crs Richardson, Dey, Cameron, Spooner and Ibrahim. Crs Woods, Cubis, Hunter and Wanchap voted against. If successful the development would have included eight flats, three shops and basement car parking for 22 vehicles. During public access town planner Paul De Fina and employee of the developer Bart Elias spoke in favour of the staff recommendation. Bangalow resident and former Byron Shire councillor Jenny Coman spoke against and had the support of several other residents in the gallery. It is expected the developers will challenge the refusal in the Land and Environment Court.
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