The camera is nodding
It’s easy – like one two three
And if there is a way
To find you – I will find you
Festival time is my favourite time.
Months of rehearsal slipping through your fingers on the stage. Last minute script changes, diva tantrums, late night confessions, insights inspired by sleep-deprived delusions, friendships made, flirtations indulged, collaborations plotted, bonds strengthened.
Discovering incredible new artists and shows and ideas.
The precious, lazily excited feeling of high school summer holidays. (Diluted somewhat if you’re festival-ing in your own town and have to get to work the next morning).
Riding along the bike path after the late show, with the smell of jasmine hanging heavy in the daylight-saved evening.
Gutter mouth kisses which say ‘I’m fucking well alive, and so are you, sweetheart.’
This shit is what I live for.
I’m writing this sitting on my couch, listening to Tori Amos’ ‘Boys for Pele’, a formative fucking album if ever I had one.
Sometimes I breathe you in
And I know you know
Tonight I saw two equally amazing, yet completely unique, cabaret shows at Trades Hall by two very talented, very inspiring artists – Geraldine Quinn and Mrs Bang.
Geraldine I’ve seen a couple of times now, and I love her energy and irreverence, as well as her mighty cajunas onstage.
Plus she is a mighty fine ranga warrior woman with a killer voice and biting wit – kind of a cross between Xena, Florence Welch and Sarah Silverman – just my kind of woman.
But I’ve got a place to go
I’ve got a ticket to your late show
Mrs Bang I hadn’t seen before but was very much looking forward to experiencing, and she totally blew me away. Sultry, offbeat, brave and in possession of a sweet set of vocal cords that the sirens would kill for, Sheridan Harbridge (aka Mrs Bang) has a killer sense of deranged vulnerability that actually requires a fuckload of courage to be able to express onstage to a room full of strangers. I tip my hat and my heart to you, dear lady.
//
So. It’s been about a week now since I started this blog post, which was cut short due to extreme tiredness and wine.
Since I started writing this, we were nominated for and won Highly Commended for Best Cabaret at the Melbourne Fringe Festival, along with Geraldine Quinn – and the winner was Mrs Bang – snap!
Now looking forward to recording our first EP, which we’re starting THIS WEEKEND and which is the perfect follow-up to the Fringe, neatly avoiding crushing post-show comedown by throwing ourselves into ever more manic schedules – we’re doing a return season of the show back at the Butterfly Club (our second home on the south side of the city) at the end of the month (22-23 October), followed by two trips to Brisbane in November for the Live To Shine Festival (6 November) and a gig with the inimitable, kookysexybrilliant Emma Dean (26 Nov), topping it all off with another gig with Emma at The Toff back in Melbourne (27 Nov).
Like I said, this shit is what I live for. I feel so lucky to be playing with/for some of the best friends and people I have ever had the privilege of knowing.
So much of ourselves went into this show. That made it both terrifying and exhilarating to have the honour of performing it for people who were generous enough to come out at 10:30 at night (on WEEKNIGHTS no less, you adorable little nuts) to hear two half-crazed, sleep-deprived cabaret tragics sing their little hearts out. To hear people’s feedback that they could relate so strongly to our words and melodies was incredibly gratifying and humbling.
So thank you.
PS I’m also extremely lucky and excited to be working on developing a show with amazing up-and-coming cabaret star Sophie Walsh-Harrington – this woman’s intelligence, passion, general gorgeousness and talent just blow me away. And I guarantee she’ll do the same to you.
More to come on that soon…
