Colonel Light, you got it right! A perfect city, on a perfect site.
Adelaide Songs: Director’s Cut - Adelaide Fringe 2018
Presented by Heritage Arts Traditions (HATs Inc.)
10 March 2018, 2pm
What makes Adelaide special and distinct from other more boisterous Australian capital cities is our charming ‘big country town’ status.
We are intrinsically connected by familiar localisms and even when teased and taunted by our Eastern Australian neighbours we’re proud of our thriving culture.
Now, as we sit perched high on the top-ten list of most liveable cities in the world we can gloat in triumph and spread our gleaming wings.
Go Adelaide!
But sometimes you just gotta poke fun at all that seriousness and pomp, it’s the Australian way.
Adelaide Songs: Director’s Cut provides an endearing and humorous snapshot of our Adelaide culture, and cleverly references some of the more notorious events that have occurred in South Australia.
Project Director Keith Preston has assembled a fine ensemble of five very talented local songwriters that have between them written fourteen original songs for this show. These Adelaide songs are catchy, satirical, and culturally astute. With tongue-in-cheek humour they tell the South Australian story and celebrate and (mostly) honour its people that have influenced it.
First devised in 2014, Adelaide Songs has expanded this year to include commentary on some of the more contemporary issues pertinent to South Australia.
Keith Preston commences the show with his classic salute Colonel Light that points to some of our eclectic Adelaide-isms and iconic spots.
Ivo Kirkpatrick’s swanky Politics of Love celebrates the audacious achievements of our past South Australian Premier Don Dunstan.
Paul Roberts’ song Colebrook thoughtfully remembers the Aboriginal children of the Stolen Generation and acknowledges our tainted history of marginalisation, murder, abduction and neglect.
Alan Hartley’s jingle Timmie Marcus Clark references the scandalous collapse of the South Australian State Bank exclaiming with the ironic lyrical hook ‘you can bank on me… we are fiscally blessed’.
Paula Standing’s oriental Guzheng inspired tune Lucky Girl (Wang Wang and Fu Ni) pays tribute to two very special fluffy imports from China that created pandemonium in 2009.
Another clever song is Ivo Kirkpatrick’s Fifth Best that remarks on our current obsession to advance on The Economist’s most liveable city in the world list since accidentally stumbling onto it back in 2012.
Keith Preston’s timely Festival Overload Blues speaks to everyone currently in Adelaide being overwhelmed by the large number of cultural events occurring all at once.
Supporting this assembly of songwriters are guest musicians the brilliantly dynamic Satomi Ohnishi (Percussion), Trisha Drioli (Bass), Jeremy Philips (Electric Guitar), and the amazing Ashley Turner (violin).
Adelaide Songs: Director’s Cut encourages its audience to fondly reminisce and provides varied musicality and swift transitions between songs that keeps the audience engaged.
Adding to the ambiance is the show’s setting in the historic St Paul’s Rectory building. If you didn’t get to see the show this year you have missed your opportunity, but I highly recommend that you keep a look out for future dates as they will hopefully pop up to perform at another Adelaide festival.
Adelaide Songs: Director’s Cut is presented by HATs Inc.
Friday 2 March 2018, 8pm (HATs Courthouse Cultural Centre, Auburn), Saturday 3 March, 5pm & Saturday 10 March 2018, 2pm & 5pm (The Jade, Adelaide)
The Adelaide Songs collective are: Keith Preston, Alan Hartley, Ivo Kirkpatrick, Paul Roberts, and Paula Standing.
Adelaide Songs on Facebook
Adelaide Songs: Director’s Cut event on Facebook
Images: Rowena Garcia