The river Palais is coming back to glorious life. Hooray.
For almost a year, people have grumbled that its hibernation shape was blot on the riverscape.
Now, as the Festival opens up its 2018 program, it glows with promise of beautiful sounds, sights, concepts and tastes.
By night, it will throb with music, laughter and celebration.
But first thing in the morning, it has a very special magic.
It is the clever thinkspace of the Adelaide Festival.
As the fragrance of fresh coffee wafts across the water, people gather for Breakfast with the Papers.
This is when ideas are spun, when satirical quips fly and when caustic commentaries whip across the crisp pages of the morning papers.
This is when journalists come out to play with literary identities, when Writers’ Week and local scribes cross paths and when bright and curious Adelaideans can have the best free entertainment.
Breakfast with the Papers was introduced last year, its lively interactions instantly demonstrating its staying power as a Festival event.
This year, with CIBO Espresso coffee on hand alongside the papers courtesy of The Advertiser, Tom Wright again will host the morning current affairs show bringing together panels of interesting media brains - from visiting Festival identities to familiar local journalists, from renown writers to specialist academics - a new crop each morning.
The Palais opens its doors at 7am when the Torrens waters shimmer in the morning calm and the odd swans glide by. It pays to arrive early to beat the coffee queue. But this gives some reflective time to browse the free copies of the paper before their contents are dissected.
I had the pleasure last Festival of being one of Tom Wright’s panellists in a session with American political analyst Thomas Frank from Writers’ Week and fellow Aussie journalist Peter Cave. It was good grist on the American political front whence I had just returned from a 6-month road trip around the USA observing the rise and rise and then election of Donald Trump. The world was still numb with shock.
It was exciting to see the Palais filling up with interesting Festival and community personalities. Even the Festival’s artistic directors Neil Armfield and Rachel Healey, can’t resist joining these audiences. This year, with the Trump regime’s Tweet-driven madness reverberating through the world, the political discussions promise to be wild with Australian politics also sitting right up there in the controversial hot seat.
Breakfast with the Papers, along with David Marr’s Festival Forums on the Palais, are free events.
They are part of a diverse 47-event program which will keep the Palais bubbling along from morning until deepest dark for 17 festive days.
By night it becomes a floating music mecca with bright lights laughter and cocktails. Top acts will perform, from sweet melodic lilting folk sounds like Julia Jacklin and divine Lior, to Archie Roach AM and the Perfumed Genius and Grizzly Bear and Regurgitator. Heels will kick up and the water below will shimmy to the tempos.
At lunchtime on the Palais, it is another story altogether.
Foodies will unite in this glorious foodie city.
The Palais will assume a gourmet mantle hosting luscious Long Lunch events catered by top chefs. Obviously, these gourmet happenings aren’t freebies like Breakfast with the Papers or the David Marr forums. They’re $169 a head and are exquisite gustatory adventures delivered by the foodie stars of the moment from here and afar. Needless to say, they’re pretty hot ticket events. Book now.
All the details can be found on the links below.
Samela Harris
The Palais
Where: Adelaide Riverbank and Elder Park
When: 2 to 18 March
Visit: adelaidefestival.com.au for exact times
Festival hospitality options are available.
Bookings: adelaidefestival.com.au or BASS 131 246
Long Lunches Program
Sun 4 Mar - O Tama Carey
Sat 10 Mar - Jared Ingersoll
Sun 11 Mar - Alex Herbert
Mon 12 Mar - Jordan Theodoros
Sun 18 Mar - Janet Jeffs
Time: 11.45am – 3pm
Cost: $169 per person. Transaction fees apply
Breakfast with the Papers
Palais open from 7am daily
Hosted panel session 8 to 9am
No sessions Friday 2 Mar & Mon 5 Mar
Free Entry – No bookings required
Festival Forums
Fri 2 Mar 12.30pm
Mon 5 Mar to Fri 9 Mar 12.30pm
Tue 13 Mar to Fri 16 Mar 12.30pm
Duration 1hour
Free Entry – no bookings required
Wow! A kick butt statement! How else to ponder allowing a very young emerging arts company to launch its 2018 season in the Balcony Room of South Australia’s Parliament House?
The evening proved revelatory.
With a short rush of play from three characters of Stephen Sewell’s Welcome The Bright World, which House of Sand and State Theatre Company of South Australia are presenting next year, a story unfolded, overlooking the big renovation of the Adelaide Festival Centre.
Artistic Director Charles Sanders and I chatted. We narrowed down on something important which is a problem that dates back to the 90’s… in Adelaide especially. How do you get to be a developing second tier artist or company in South Australia, let alone anywhere else? When funding decisions have essentially destroyed the sector connecting arts and community?
The answer? Cross collaboration, within the state and around the nation.
Sanders expressed it well in his speech, observing, “South Australia has been wonderful at investing in the hardware that makes theatre possible — theatres and festivals and institutions. And we’ve got some amazing ‘software’ too, wonderful major companies and independent artists doing wonderful work. But I’d hazard to suggest there’s a ‘gap’ in the software — through no lack of trying by many, many skilled and talented individuals and collectives, there’s not enough high quality, independent theatre by early and mid-career artists, supported by decent company structures… We need the work to fill all these shiny new buildings.”
Sanders has been dividing his time between Adelaide and Sydney and joins another Adelaide force of this cross-state-creative-nature existent on stage, isthisyours. They just completed a season at Her Majesty’s Theatre in Adelaide of Angelique, but individually divide their time on income making projects interstate or overseas. However, they remain dedicated to making work in Adelaide.
The cross-state collaboration is becoming markedly a new model for those small companies we know and love. Even more, you can take it overseas as Sanders has done in New Zealand. Two works of House of Sand 2018 programme, dance theatre works, have played to award winning success in New Zealand last year, Pedals and Castles.
Rolling through the House of Sand 2018 program, all of the above becomes wonderfully evident in the potential offered and hope given for ‘home’ made excellence.
Sanders’ programme is a ‘hella yeah’ blend of dance, politics and theatre stretching from the aforementioned production of Sewell’s Welcome The Bright World to hard-hitting, hard to get performing rights of Alice Birch’s Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again.
I’d go. I’ve spent a quarter century supporting this kind of gutsiness.
David O’Brien
What: Pedals. Castle
When: 8 Feb to 7 March
Where: Holden Street Theatres
What: Welcome The Bright World
When: 20 Sept to 6 Oct 2018
Where: Queens Theatre
What: Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again.
When: 20 Nov to 1 Dec
Where: Holden Street Theatres
As a music lover, there are lots of artists and albums that I rate highly, yet interestingly there are relatively few that occupy the status of being ‘favourites’. Among others, my favourites include names like Led Zeppelin, Soundgarden, and a little Canadian trio called The Tea Party! I’ve long been a fan of these guys, and have the great fortune of catching them play, as well as a host of other acts that front man Jeff Martin has put together, many, many times. Every time they return, I’m just as excited as the first time I witnessed them all those years ago.
It seems that at the moment, lots of past acts are either doing reunion shows or tours celebrating past releases and the like. On face value, The Tea Party seem to be doing something similar, as they tour to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their awesome fourth album, Transmission. But then you realise that unlike so many contemporaries running the cash-in cycle, The Tea Party actually reunited quite a few years ago after a hiatus and have released a few albums in that time too, so this tour really is a celebration; and what an album to celebrate!
Opening with the sensational party-starter Temptation, things go from strength to strength. As a big Tea Party fan, I’ve followed them on their musical journey and each album is a new path on that journey, a definite progression through the musical ether.
Transmission builds on their earlier releases, Splendor Solis and Edges Of Twilight, but is somewhat heavier with Eastern influences and more electronic sounds than we’d heard before. Tunes like the aforementioned Temptation, the mellow Eastern-progressive Psychopomp and Release, thumping Gyroscope or Babylon, and the massive epic title track still get my heart pumping two decades on.
Not only are these guys touring, but they’ve also re-recorded the album’s biggest tunes - Temptation, Psychopomp, Release, and Transmission - released them as an EP, and also produced a coffee-table book retrospective of the Transmission era. Like Big Kev, I’m excited!
The Tea Party are set to play Thebarton Theatre on Thursday November 2nd. They’ll be playing Transmission in full for their first set, and will be back for more Tea Party goodness in what is sure to be a killer second set too! See you there!
Luke Balzan
When: 2 Nov
Where: Thebarton Theatre
Bookings: ticketmaster.com.au
Matt Byrne Media. Maxim’s Wine Bar.
On the opening night of Matt Byrne’s My Kitchen Fools, Matt Byrne will celebrate his 20th year bringing performances to Maxim’s Wine Bar in Adelaide’s east.
“Twenty years ago I was looking for a venue for my first Fringe show and the former Odeon Theatre manager Bob Jesser suggested I get in touch with a Sam Savis who had taken over the Leon’s Wine Bar and turned it into Maxim’s Wine Bar,” Byrne says.
The upstairs venue overlooks the corner of Norwood Parade and George Street at Norwood.
“It was nice and central opposite the Norwood Town Hall upstairs, there’s a great atmosphere and we have been using four stools and the dance floor ever since. Maxim’s is a great Fringe venue, as it’s intimate, still holds 100 people, the bar is always open and the people always seem to come in and out with a smile on their face.” Byrne continues.
Byrne’s first show, way back in 1997, was John Godber’s Bouncers. The show was a sell out for four weeks.
After performing Shakers in 2000 Byrne turned his hand to writing his own shows, and has never looked back.
“The first was Barrackers, then came Virgins, Pricks, Over The Hill, Chalkies, Caddyshack And Other Dangerfields, WAGS, The Penis Principles, P.I.G.S., Bogans, dateless.com, Chunderbelly, and The Luv Boat and now we have Matt Byrne’s My Kitchen Fools" Byrne says.
The four handers have become a bit of an Adelaide Fringe institution; well known for their bawdy humour, overflow of dad jokes, and spoof titles. Byrne’s quick wit is always showcased and there is virtually no end to the puns on offer.
“The Fringe has grown massively over the past 20 years.” Byrne says “There were only a few shows when I first presented Bouncers back in 1998, now we have more than 1,300 shows. We’ve had some wonderful actors in our Fringe shows over the years and I’m delighted with the cast for our new show Matt Byrne’s My Kitchen Fools”
Half-baked TV cookery is now in the oven as Byrne’s latest show turns up the heat on the ridiculous array of Celebrity Chefs and the many TV shows they serve us up.
“We used to have cooking shows, now we have cooking CHANNELS!” Byrne says
The show will be hosted and judged by Gordon Ramraid (Byrne), Nigella’s Awesome (Niki Martin), Rachel Rayban (Stefanie Rossi) and Jamie Bolivar (Marc Clement).
“But we also play the four teams who are fighting to win the right to run their own pop-up restaurant on The Parade,” Byrne continues, “We have Greek grandmother and grandson team Yia Yia and Con Moussaka, Scottish BFs Colin Justin and Justin Colin, the super bitchy Farkin Sisters Jacinta and Placinta and hippie collective Big Daddy Grassroots and his Nimbin niece Moonbeam.”
They are joined by other Celebrity Chefs, including Poo with an H, Saggy Beer, Galiano Zumba and Hester Bloominheck.
“We get to know, love and hate these people who have no cooking skills but loads of ambition,” Byrne says, “We sing and dance and give the audience an interactive taste of everything from snakes, to oysters, pheasant plucking, creamy cantaloupes and zero gravity green cheese. It’s a feast of comic ingredients but like every cooking show, it’s not about the food!”
The show will play from the 14th of February to the 19th of March at Maxim’s Wine Bar on Norwood Parade. Bookings can be made on 1300 621 255, adelaidefringe.com.au or mattbyrnemedia.com.au
Paul Rodda
When: 14 Feb to 19 Mar
Where: Maxim’s Wine Bar
Bookings: adelaidefringe.com.au
Incredible interactive art sensation House of Mirrors, US singer-songwriter Kurt Vile, US godfather of chillwave Toro Y Moi, and Aussie music legends The Bamboos are all set to rock the Adelaide Festival’s newest and most exciting venue, the Riverbank Palais and surrounding Parc Palais.
The Palais will feature more than 60 free and ticketed acts involving more than 130 artists and special guests across 18 days and nights of the Adelaide Festival, the Riverbank Palais will light up the Torrens with a full dance card of live bands, DJs, theatre shows, lunchtime forums and special events from breakfast until late night, complemented by a sumptuous selection of food, wine and roving entertainment in the surrounding Parc Palais in Elder Park.
Officially opening to the public on Thursday, March 2, the Riverbank Palais will commemorate its first night by harking back to the historic Adelaide venue that inspired it – the legendary Floating Palais de Danse of the 1920s – with a swinging concert of 1920s music by Andrew Nolte and his Orchestra.
Opening night festivities will spread onto the Adelaide Riverbank in Parc Palais, with live music from a range of local bands and DJs in the rotunda and the must-try mirror-maze House of Mirrors.
A smash hit at the 2017 Sydney Festival and Hobart’s 2016 Dark Mofo, House of Mirrors is an interactive art installation for all ages that has enthralled and amazed its Australian audiences. It has been created by Melbourne artists Christian Wagstaff and Keith Courtney from 40 tonnes of steel and 15 tonnes of mirrored glass. The walk-in maze features oblique corridors of full-length mirrors, arranged at varying angles to produce multiple reflections and kaleidoscopic-like chambers in a labyrinth of intrigue. This crazy amusement in the Parc Palais will have festival goers of all ages both lost and found - and delighted.
Delicious, affordable, theatrical and totally South Australian, Parc Palais will also offer an amazing array of food cooked by one of Adelaide’s favourite chefs, Brad Sappenbergh of Comida at Adelaide’s Central Market. Enjoy a snack, dinner before a show, supper or just hang out and enjoy the daily specials proudly showing off South Australia’s best produce, with beer and wine by SA beverage partners including Coopers and Penfolds. There’ll be Comida’s world famous Paella, a flaming fire pit with ethically sourced free range pigs and lamb on giant spits, and delicious locally sourced ingredients from whiting and chips, oysters and prawn cocktails to vegetarian delights cooked over the flames before your eyes.
Music lovers will find their home at the Palais, with a packed concert program kicking off in spectacular style with the Festival’s free opening weekend concert by music legend Neil Finn on Sunday, March 5.
You can then rock your nights away on board the Riverbank Palais seven nights a week with concerts by the raucous and rollicking Hot 8 Brass Band from New Orleans, who will get the dance floor jumping with their eclectic mix of marching band jazz, funk, RnB and hip-hop, forerunner of the “chillwave” movement US artist Toro Y Moi, and Mexican musical gunslingers Mexrrissey, putting a unique spin on Morrissey hits with their seven-piece Latin rhythms.
Also on the music program are Australian music royalty Dave Graney and the Coral Snakes and iconic Melbourne soul groovers The Bamboos, Colombian nine-piece salsa band La Mambanegra (The Black Mamba), Sydney Argentinian tango outfit Tángalo and indie folksters, All Our Exes Live in Texas, local electronica sensations Electric Fields and Urtekk, and a late night program of local and international DJs including Total Eclipse, Nickodemus, Frank Booker and Adelaide’s Late Nite Tuff Guy that will keep the Palais swinging into the small hours.
Theatre will also take centre stage on The Riverbank Palais program with two shows - The Duke, a funny, poignant and playful show from writer/performer Shôn Dale-Jones, with half proceeds going to Save the Children’s Child Refugee Crisis, and Who Am I?, former Castanet Club member and Sale of the Century champion Russell Cheek’s funny and heart-warming account of his attempt to scale the summit of Australian quiz shows.
Join journalist and commentator Annabel Crabb in The F Word, a series of early evening conversations with prominent women from across the Adelaide Festival and Adelaide Writers’ Week. Guests include award-winning author Kate Grenville, acclaimed filmmaker Lynette Wallworth, celebrated Australian chef Christine Manfield and lauded columnist and self-confessed “loud woman” Lindy West for fascinating tête-à-têtes about those other F words – female, feminist, fun, food and festival.
With a range of exciting day time events and activities, the fun isn’t just restricted to when the sun goes down.
Begin your day on board the Riverbank Palais with Breakfast with Papers where you can enjoy quality coffee and light breakfast from CIBO Espresso and copies of The Advertiser, along with lively discussions on current affairs and Festival news with Festival artists and some of South Australia’s top journalists.
Weekday lunchtimes will see a series of free Festival Forums, hosted by one of Australia’s most influential commentators, David Marr and selling fast are the already announced six weekend Riverbank Palais Long Lunches, each helmed by a different iconic Australian chef: Cheong Liew (Neddy’s, The Grange) and Christine Manfield (Paramount, East@West, Universal), Cath Kerry (Petaluma, Art Gallery Restaurant at the Art Gallery of SA), Mark Best (Marque, Pei Modern), Michael Ryan (Range, Provenance) and Karl Firla (est. Restaurant, Oscillate Wildly).
Adelaide Festival Artistic Directors Neil Armfield and Rachel Healy are thrilled to unveil the debut program for their new venue, set to be the jewel in the Festival’s crown for the next three years.
“We have such pleasure in delivering to you the heart and hub of our festival, our stately pleasure dome, the floating Riverbank Palais,” says Mr Armfield.
“Whether you're hungry or thirsty, in need of a thrill or a thought or a moment's respite, on the Palais or in the grounds of the Parc Palais that surrounds it, there's a place for you from dawn through dusk, to the small bewitching hours of the night. Come and join us. And come again. And again!” Ms Healy adds.
The Riverbank Palais and Parc Palais are open from March 2 to 19, 2017. Entry to Parc Palais is free. Entry to the Riverbank Palais is both free and ticketed according to programming; please check the guide for details. Tickets to all Adelaide Festival shows, including the Riverbank Palais program, are on sale through BASS on 131 246 or via www.adelaidefestival.com.au.
Adapted from a Media Release by Petra Starke