Blog — Page 234 of 282

Amongst Ruins (Snake Eggs Hatch)

Old Fitzroy

Sydney, AU

Presented by Poor Tom's Gin & Mark Blumer, and supported by Playwriting Australia and ambassador Louis Nowra, Michael McStay’s short play Amongst Ruins (Snake Eggs Hatch) takes place in a post-apocalyptic, famine and poverty stricken environment and sheds light on war profiteering and the moral dilemmas along with the resulting human conflict and lack of integrity that come with its territory.

With the motive circling around (enabling) killing people for profit and the backdrop of a war torn city, McStay seems to have not only drawn influences for the story, but taken more than a few pages out of Orson Welles’ The Third Man.

The play is less about casting a moralin infused judgment but rather highlights that there is really no difference between us – no matter which side you choose as we are longing for forgiveness, because we too have committed both great and mundane evil by compromising morals in order to survive instead of being willing to die to maintain our integrity:

McStay seems to go with the allegory that morality in wartime is currency under inflation.

Greek and epic styles, e.g. Sophocles’ Antigone, seem to have had a profound influence on the writing of the narrative based on time, space and plot and how all the individual factors tie in together within the confines of forty minutes: It goes straight to the point and does not waste an awful lot of time with nuances or subtleties.

Amongst Ruins also incorporates Brecht-esque components, i.e. Mutter Courage, with the merchant in Amongst Ruins being Mother Courage before her kids were born.

The cast comprised of Cecilia Morrow, Zoe Jensen, Amy Hack, Ryan Carter and Jack Crumlin play well off each other and their delivery radiates intensity. Another Red Line Productions emission that keeps the high standard the Old Fitzroy is known for.

Amongst Ruins (Snake Eggs Hatch) will run April 25-May 6.

Helmet

Manning Bar

Sydney, AU

April 29, 2017

Helmet finally returned to Australia in 2017 to celebrate their third and was is considered to be their most experimental album Betty from start to finish, which was originally released by Amphetamine Reptile Records as a double 10”.

Betty is built on Helmet’s trademarked hypnotic, earworm, crunching riffs infused breaks galore and based on a solid foundation of pounding, driving drums, but features a broader approach compared to their 1992 major label debut Meantime, with its forays into mastermind Page Hamilton’s indulgences blues and jazz, the latter of which he has a master’s degree in composition in.

Given Hamilton’s musical reach and expertise, it its almost surprising how much Helmet has stuck to its formula with Betty being the only slight derivation, where Hamilton infused the songs with a bit of melody and meandered different territories.

While Helmet live has always been a force to be reckoned with, the dynamic time signature changes, textural diversity and range of tunings the songs of Betty were recorded in along with the band expanding their songwriting approach, playing those songs seemingly poses a challenge the band enjoys as they power through it, with Hamilton mastering the passages that in recorded form have distorted vocals.

Helmet is a not a band of pomp or big (or any) any words: Stoically they plough through their set with the audience of the night, of which the lion’s share has come out of the woodwork and live show retirement, approvingly bopping their heads and celebrating each lick of what has been labeled “thinking man’s metal”.

Apart from Betty in its entirety, the second half of their set Helmet offered renditions of their other hits but also from the newest emission, Dead To the World.

The evening was testament to the timelessness of Helmet’s oeuvre – one that in terms of influences has sent massive waves in both directions.

One would need to flipchart to illustrate how pervasive its influence has been since the mid-90ies: Be it in terms of groove metal for outfits like Pantera and Sepultura, mainstream darlings like Queens of the Stone Age, Tool or even softer bands like Weezer and the Smashing Pumpkins, via hardcore and post-hardcore acts like Quicksand and Orange 9mm, as well as sludge and dirtier calibers like the Californians of –(16)- or Floridians Cavity, as well as the math-metal genre in general have been heavily influenced by Helmet.

Tonight’s show demonstrated in an impressive manner that Helmet’s no-frills approach is still captivating its audience in a live environment.

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Photos by KAVV

The Hodgetwins

Factory Theatre

Marrickville, AU

April 25, 2017

The Hodgetwins, Virginia-bred identical siblings Kevin and Keith Hodge, are “social media personalities” and operate a variety of YouTube channels, where they mainly dish out solicited, unadulterated, improvised, on the cuff advice in comically altered voices on sex, love and life their massive fan base asks for via e-mail.

The shtick, which constantly makes themselves laugh, worked so well for them, that apart from promoting their supplement range and fitness channels, they decided to take the show on the road and bring it to Australia as part of the Sydney Comedy Festival.

Their No Filter tour is their attempt at establishing themselves as stand-up comedians and thereby change the perception of them.

The show is narrative driven, spiked with personal observations and detailed depictions of their relationships, their experiences in the professional world and growing up in under poor circumstances.

Despite relying heavily on scurrilous jokes and their bodybuilding aesthetics, their stand-up set does show promise, with nuances shining through that indicate that the deployment of anecdote and recountment of common experience in the vein of Bill Burr or the trenchant observations and storytelling of chief Richard Pryor have had a massive impact on how they tackle and structure their live incarnations.

The siblings have quickly earned a cult following online and the reception Australian audiences greeted them shows that they have an appeal that is not confined to North American territory.

It will be interesting to see if they have the tenacity to refine and evolve their stand-up shows and unique interaction, which is currently heavily based on what has become their comedic catchphrases, low hanging fruit, i.e. employing colourful vulgarities, and their edgy sense of humor.

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Photo sourced from performer website

Sex Object

Depot Theatre

Marrickville

April 23, 3017

As per its mission statement, Depot Theatre, nestled in the vibrant Addison Road Centre and the arts scene of Sydney suburb Marrickville, aims to entertain, challenge and inspire audiences with performances that are accessible, affordable and – most importantly – a fun night out.

They collaborate with and host an eclectic range of emerging and established independent theatre makers and cultural organisations to stage a wide range of though-provoking Australian and international works and thereby support hundreds of independent arts practitioners in the areas of performance, directing and production design and management.

Presented by JackRabbit Theatre, character driven play Sex Object is, as the title suggests, up-and-coming writer Charlie Falkner’s take on sex – the sex of self-absorbed Millennials in the era vulgaris of social media, where everyone can be famous for 15 people.

JackRabbit Theatre is not unknown for its faible for loud, fast, pacey dialogue and a tongue firmly placed in cheek – a red thread that continues with Sex Object and its cringingly familiar stereotypical characters, be it the beautiful blonde, the new age artist or the overly confident, flamboyant narcissist.

The ensemble works well together, which is testament to the team director Michael Abercrombie and Charlie Falkner have become with their second collaboration after Dirty People.

Overall, Sex Object is an enjoyable play yet could have used a bit of editing as it takes its time to get into gear and connect the dots, which can leave an audience wondering through its lagged midway section where it is all headed instead of focusing on the fast and fun play in the moment.

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Photo by T

Tash Sultana

Ivy Courtyard

Sydney, AU

April 16, 2017

Courtyard’s annual Easter party at Sydney’s Ivy stepped it up this year with easily one of the biggest lineups in the history of the event.

Leading the charge is one of the hottest artists in Australia right now:

Tash Sultana.

Following a breakthrough in 2016, Sultana has continuously sold out her national shows and continues to do so internationally.

Tash Sultana is a DIY one-woman live show, singer / songwriter, who defies categorization.

Yes, there is reggae, hip hop, indie pop, not quite alternative rock – all rolled up and served as a well-calibrated, seemingly improvised multi-layered mélange with her intricate vocal arrangements and sophisticated pronunciation and intonation as the cherries on top. 

Loose, mellow psychedelic harmonizing with unlikely instrumentals weaves through her songs, yet there is an underlying structure and her radiating presence make the songs come alive and serve as the red thread to the narrative of her very own world.

We are talking vibes.

As in – once you let loose, commit to tumbling down the rabbit hole, do not be afraid to be faced with manic and darker shades and it will be fine.

An ultimately empowering experience.

Sultana began her career in Melbourne, Australia, “busking,” or performing on city streets, which informs her authentic, intense and immersive live performances where she shines and seems totally at ease and peace with herself, no matter if she is beat boxing, singing, playing flute, guitar, trumpet or what have you, all delicately orchestrated and looped together in real time.

She is fearless and it translates in the connection she strikes with the audience.

She self-released her debut Notion on her own label, Lonely Lands Records, which I recommend you to check out for yourself.

For more information, tour dates of her upcoming North American tour and samples of her songs, peep:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vn8phH0k5HI 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQN1piSqAmk

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Photos by KAVV