Neon Toast opens in darkness.. but i won’t tell you why. Let’s just say the lighting arrives unexpectedly.
There are plenty of surprises in this delightful piece from Brunswick trio Eleanor Riley, Kerrily Aitchison and Rachael Dyson-McGregor.
A series of diverse dance pieces touching on life in a bakery, urban dating, the thrill of the chase. Such a beautiful sense of nostalgia in some of the scenes. Although there’s no time setting, it feels like the past, with jazz from the twenties and a bath before dinner. Gorgeous humour in the words and movement. Sifting flour through socks as all three women move so gracefully.
i really enjoyed this show.
Anytime Place has a strong record for astounding performance.. and Neon Toast builds on that tradition.
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Links:
It was windy, raining and cold.. but the show must go on, isn’t it!
Emma Bathgate opened this extraordinary gig at the Fairfield Amphitheatre
An astonishing evening of the musical kind. A program including 2 world premiere performances.
First Chorus is part of the Melbourne fringe festival, this time featuring in
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Plus, from the Victoria hotel event in August:
The choir i’ve been singing with had our big big night.. seven original songs by the songwriters in the choir. Songs in genres including folk, pop, jazz, operatic and gothic-epic, the arrangements all worked by Virginia Bott the amaazing musical director.
i wish i could put up the video right now, but it’ll take ages to be ready. i’ve heard the bootleg recording came out well.
The first show was electric and intense.. while the second was more sedate, laidback, and somehow harder work. Probably because we were already exhausted. As Lou said, it was as though we had a whole season, from opening to closing night .. in the same evening.
The Victoria Hotel has really picked up its game, reshaping into a kitschie Melbourne style classic. Upside-down lampshades hanging from the ceiling.. which any self-respecting Melbourne bar must have.. since the Night Cat started the tradition back in ooh 1990-something.
Really great to be involved in such a dynamic and powerful performance, eh!
Lovely people.
Totally feeling the vibe of the 2009 High Vibes festival.
Of course i must kick off with the very wonderful Flying Scribble, my favourite band in the whole world. Mal Webb at 303 was hilarious, doing mad things with his beat-boxing, a loop pedal and several trombones.
Then i bumped into some extremely glamorous and funky dancers from the first chorus band of singers, who’d created an impromptu dance floor outside Subterrain. Good venue!
Now i really feel part of Brunswick. Invited to a special performance by the one-and-only Gasoline Stew and the Dump. Lou and Anto put on their magic rubbish dump costumes and transform themselves into the essential oil of Grunge Itself. Where else but Andy’s Laundromat. Killer gig. Loved every minute.
Big thanks to the Stew and the Dump.
Plus, special treat .. Anto hands me their brand new freakishly amazing camera and says would i mind taking some shots. So i pretend to be a rock photographer. Yes this was back in late october 2008, but i’ve just tracked down the video:
and here’s their mad backyard video clip for “put that thing on”:
“You are invited to join Sanctum Theatre and Fenestra Productions in celebrating the 233rd anniversary of Adam Smith’s seminal work, Wealth of Nations as part of this year’s Melbourne Fringe Festival. The ship may be sinking, the ‘invisible hand’ might have lost its grip on the invisible wheel, but there is an alternative. For two weekends in September Sanctum and Fenestra break away from the globular economic system to realise Smith’s ideal of a true and unfettered market on a small patch of turf in Brunswick – ‘Wall Street on Barkly’.”
Lachlan read us the Business Age yesterday, because the economical journalists there had noticed the number 233 in connection with Adam Smith. They suspect theatrical shenanigans. They would be correct: here comes the Nut Economy. The roller coaster of free trade.
Here are some photos from the previous incarnation back in May ’09
Oh and here’s the official publicity line: ‘Merchants of mania, hawkers of hubris, snake oil salesmen and peddlers of useless pendants’ peddle their wares in the Wealth of Nations market place. Do you have anything to offer? Come up with a product and a pitch, fill in a Trader’s Application form, get in for free and earn your peanuts to buy drinks for the evening. Get your Trader’s Application form from Sanctum Theatre.
WARNING: MAY CONTAIN PEANUTS!!
Each night will feature a different band and guest performer. Bands include:
I Dream a Highway just had their 2nd birthday gathering.
(If you don’t know yet, it’s a funky retail outlet on the Northcote Hill opposite the Wesley Anne, with clothes and cds and lovely arty stuff.)
Ben and Rhi laid on the liquor and some scrumptious Mein Leibe pizzas for all their friends, family and neighbours.
Zeena dragged me reluctantly along to an evening at Bar 303 on Northcote High Street. “Harmony on High” they called it.. and if i’d known what it was called i wouldn’t have gone because i have a strong repulsion for all the shops that call themselves whatever “on High”.
How very prejudiced and resistant of me.
Because this was a beautiful gig.
Zeena’s friend Matt is in a band called Vocal Agents. They started the night with some lovely and innovative harmonies. Some of the arrangements were better than others. The crowd loved their version of Mad World.. it wasn’t my favourite. However, even though it wasn’t to my taste, i had to admire their talent and strengths.. and risk-taking. Really good voices, blending well. The bass guy had a solid deep line going throughout. Different people led various songs. They were a good intro to the night.
The Hazelman Brothers were delightful. 2 out of the 3 brothers made sweet harmonies together, and captivated the audience. Nice lyrics too, although i couldn’t tell you what they sang about now. Relationships and stuff.
Cadmium Waking have changed their name to Aluka.. they’ve been snapped up by Clare Bowditch’s management to tour with her, and i’m not surprised. Sweet strong voices, wonderful harmonies and really, really good arrangements. When the timid blonde girl next to the wall hit her bassy lines in the final song, i was thrilled.. why didn’t she sing in that lower register all along!! Enchanting sounds.
Could have stayed for the stars of the night, but we skipped away to catch the final number from Woohoo Revue at Open Studio. Ooh they were good. We walked in and the crowd was dancing like kids in a jumping castle. Fun.
i wish i could have been at both gigs really.. and i heard the Wesley gigs were good too: missed The Boys (clarinet jazz), but will try and catch them next Saturday evening. Apparently there were 4 part harmonies on the Wesley stage too.
Music music music.
Northcote is jumping !!
Cross the river if you have to.
Yum.
“Great year to be a Saints supporter,” says Matt at work.. and i must agree with him.
