Author: John Goodridge

Adelaide Fringe Review: Discovering the difference between Soggy and Moist

What is the difference between Soggy and Moist? For this Scratch Arts team, it’s the level of camp, clothing, and age relevancy. Both shows use the same actors. They both have the same storyline. Both feature bubbles and fun props. But they are aimed at very different markets. Loosely the story is that our hero…

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Adelaide Fringe Review: Arcadia takes us on an unknown journey

As the lights go down in the Octagon tent in Gluttony, three dancers emerge on stage in billowing sheets. It sets a sexy sultry mood. Arcadia is described as a “Journey to a desert utopia celebrating idealistic social values of the wild and free.” The mood suddenly changes as Stevie Wonder’s “Higher Ground” sounds out….

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Adelaide Fringe Review: Suren Jayemanne describes being an Industry Darling Adjacent

The Rhino Room is considered Adelaide’s premier venue for comedy. The 2022 Fringe program is huge and this year they’re hosting over 50 performers with 16 shows per night, five nights a week. With this incredible choice, it can be difficult for some performers to break through the noise and find an audience. It was…

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Blanc de Blanc Encore

Adelaide Fringe Gallery: Blanc de Blanc Encore at the Garden of Unearthly Delights

Strut & Fret’s Blanc de Blanc have been a popular part of the Adelaide Fringe in recent years, and this year the team returns for an Encore. With all the glam, glitz, cabaret, burlesque, camp and tasteful nudity we’ve come to expect, there is something for almost all of the family. Acrobats twirl overhead and…

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Adelaide Fringe Review: Electric Dreams’ Anthropocene in C Major is an inspired, if sobering, climate change symphony

The Electric Dreams collective are presenting several immersive arts programs for the 2022 Adelaide Fringe. These include the alternate realities of Bedtime Stories, Volo: Dreams of Flight interactive VR swings, First Nations centerpiece performance Sky Song, and more. This reviewer found themselves in the confines of the Pacific Islander room at the Adelaide Museum, where…

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Adelaide Fringe Review: Surviving Matt Hale’s Hypnotic Chaos

Matt Hale is a self-confessed comedy hypnotist, with self-help motivational and corporate entertainment packages a major part of his life. It makes sense then that a show called Absolute Chaos would be on the Fringe list. Hale’s introduction to the show is measured, thorough and complete. He explains the process and jokingly warns that even…

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Sarah Gaul

Adelaide Fringe Review: Sarah Gaul wants to be a WIFE. Or does she?

Sarah Gaul is a 31-year-old woman who’s been to more weddings in the last six months than she cares to admit. Always the bridesmaid but never the bride? Sarah takes the audience on a journey into her world, her take on relationships and what makes her tick. First things first, Sarah is an eco-warrior. She…

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Adelaide Fringe Review: Massaoke Oz brings late night party dance favourites back

The Massaoke Oz open air sing-along dance spectacular is back at Moa in Gluttony for more Fringe fun. The five-piece band decked out in glitter and glam certainly warmed up the crowd with all the party tune favorites from the 70s, 80s and 90s. A relaxation in COVID rules meant that you could dance, albeit…

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Adelaide Fringe Review: Someday – A Mindful Cabaret lifts the spirits high

Jennifer Trijo, OzAsia and Fringe Festival performer, has created Someday – A Mindful Cabaret performance at artist collective space The Mill. Together with performers Amber Fibrosi and Jakub Gaudasinski, the trio perform soulful and uplifting songs as well as challenging ourselves to be the best that we can be. Early in the performance there is…

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GODZ

A taste of Adelaide Fringe’s 20th Garden of Unearthly Delights

We were invited to a special media preview in The Garden of Unearthly Delights, celebrating 20 years as being part of the Adelaide Fringe. Director Scott Maidment introduced a few selected acts in the gorgeous Spiegeltent. First up was Mirko, direct from Berlin and part of the Blanc de Blanc Encore, with his newly developed…

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The Jungle Giants

Photo Gallery: The Jungle Giants + Bag Raiders + Lazy Wax – Thebarton Theatre (11.02.22)

The Jungle Giants hit Thebarton Theatre like a breath of fresh air considering the reduced number of shows in recent times. Opening with some older favourites, before showcasing their latest album Love Signs, the audience were as energetic as COVID restrictions would allow. Bag Raiders and LazyWax warmed up the proceedings with dance and house…

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Interview: Comedian Michael Shafar on going viral on Chinese social media ahead of Adelaide Fringe

Michael Shafar is a Jewish lawyer turned comedian who relates his cancer recovery in his stand up shows. We chatted ahead of his upcoming season at the Adelaide Fringe. How did your show go back at the Fringe – was it two years ago or last year? I mean it feels like it’s a decade…

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Line up announced for Adelaide’s Spin Off Festival 2022 featuring Glass Animals, Jack Harlow and more

In these times of uncertainty, it’s good to have some positive energy to look forward to. Adelaide’s own Spin Off Festival is back in 2022 with some of Splendour’s most popular bands. Get ready to party on Friday 22nd July with… GLASS ANIMALS · JACK HARLOW · SPACEY JANE · BALL PARK MUSIC · G…

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Interview: Murph from The Wombats chats about their fifth album Fix Yourself, Not the World, Hottest 100 & eBoy

The Wombats are kicking off the new year in style, about to release their fifth studio album Fix Yourself, Not The World. Lead singer Murph caught up with The AU Review’s John Goodridge about the making of the album; out tomorrow through Warner Music Australia. Would you say this album is the most challenging one you’ve…

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In Oh, More Mr White Guy, Daniel Muggleton’s easy likeable personality shines through

Daniel Muggleton leaps out onto the stage, both noticeable and memorable for his bright red tracksuit. A fine fashion choice? Probably not, but if you Google “tracksuit comedian”, he is on the top of the list. So, it’s perhaps a wise one. The venue (Gluttony‘s Piglet – not Adelaide’s Rhino Room where you’ll see him this Thursday)…

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Sky Song lands at Adelaide Fringe 2022: Combining aerial drones with music from First Nations artists

The centrepiece of the 2022 Adelaide Fringe is set to be Sky Song, combining aerial drones with music from First Nations artists. Running for 31 nights at the Adelaide Showgrounds, the event will combine state of the art technology from Celestial with traditional Indigenous music. Narrated by the iconic Archie Roach, a swarm of drones…

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Thirty artists announced to mark 30 years of WOMADelaide

Long celebrated as one of Adelaide’s leading festivals, WOMADelaide have released the first thirty names for the 30th event in 2022. Heading the line up is veteran performer Paul Kelly, who not only played at the inaugural event, but played on the one-off WOMAD Indian-Pacific train trip from Perth to Pimba in 1996, and at…

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Sons of Zoku

Photo Gallery: Psychedelia Extravaganza feat. Sons of Zoku – Adelaide Unibar (17.07.21)

It was a dark and stormy night, but inside the Adelaide Unibar, five Psych bands were there to warm things up. Sons of Zoku headlined proceedings along with Nite Rites, The Howling Fog and last minute substitutions from Maisie and Road Wings. Our photographer John Goodridge was there to capture these images.

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Adelaide Cabaret Fringe Review: Sex, Lies and Betrayal is an intimate memoir of a Hollywood Star

In the comfortably chic apartment “La Vie En Rose” cackles on the gramophone. “A life in pink”, as it translates. “Miss Nightingale” swishes through the sheer curtains to fix the crack in the record. Karla Hillam is Miss Nightingale and her voice and looks are perfect for the role. A shock of red hair falls…

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Sons of Zoku

Photo Gallery: TUNGUSKA 2021 – Psychedelic and Post-Rock Festival – The Gov, Adelaide (27.03.21)

Tunguska 2021 brought a new line-up of sound artists to create and share healing waves in the beautiful space that is Adelaide’s The Gov. Presenting a collection of psychedelic sounds to lull you into the abyss, post-rock for space to experience these great energetic waves of sound, shoegaze delivering ethereal and shocking elements, inducing experimental…

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Adelaide Fringe Review: Daniel Muggleton is so much more than Mr White Guy

Daniel Muggleton leaps out onto the stage at Adelaide Fringe, both noticeable and memorable for his bright red tracksuit. A fine fashion choice? Probably not, but if you Google “tracksuit comedian”, he is on the top of the list. So, it’s perhaps a wise one. The venue (Gluttony‘s Piglet) is probably not the best available…

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Adelaide Fringe Review: Barbaroi is a fast paced action show

A lone wanderer stumbles amongst a crew of meta-human misfits in a dystopian world, industrial, cyberpunk in the not-too-distant future. This is the Barbaroi and this is her initiation. The stage is stripped, stark, future industrial and feels like a movie set. A driving contemporary musical backdrop includes artists such as NIN, Radiohead and early…

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Adelaide Fringe Review: Confessions of a Fake-Fake Psychic exposes magical secrets

As the audience assembles in the foyer of the Mill, yellow envelopes are handed out. The instructions are to write a question for the Fake-Fake Psychic and seal them within the envelope. We place them in a glass bowl near the stage as we enter. A statement is projected up on the screen. Words are…

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Adelaide Fringe Review: Hugh Sheridan’s HUGHMAN hits the right notes

The open-air MOA mini stadium at the rear of Gluttony was literally packed to the rafters. A dedicated crowd of followers of Hugh Sheridan were there to watch him strut his stuff in HUGHMAN. Bursting onstage, Sheridan soon spotted a Crows-guernsey-wearing man and pulled him on stage. Surprise. He’s one of the plethora of dancers…

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Yas Queen

Adelaide Fringe Review: Yas Queen belts out the show tunes in Leather Lungs

My closing memory of Yas Queen is a rousing rendition of Queen’s “Somebody to Love” with the audience standing and cheering a stunning performance. The journey along the way was a roller coaster ride of emotion. The opening number was also strong, but a number of factors threatened to derail the show. There was the…

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Makarrata Live

Photo Gallery WOMADelaide Day 4, feat Midnight Oil and First Nations collaborators: Makarrata Live

Day four of the WOMADelaide festival opened with Adelaide duo, Siberian Tiger. Their soulful and heartfelt tunes were a beautiful accompaniment to a sunny afternoon. The Teskey Brothers hit the stage next. The brothers have built quite a following from their festival appearances over the years and were a popular addition to the lineup. There…

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Tash Sultana

Photo Gallery: WOMADelaide 2021 Day 3 – Feat. Tash Sultana, Kaiit and Miiesha

Tash Sultana finished off day three of WOMADelaide in typical brash style. Sultana has a certain way of cajoling, enticing and threatening sounds from their plethora of instruments. They are surrounded by these instruments but is in no way confined by them. As they soar and float around the stage, they set each one off…

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Adelaide Fringe Review: 3 Course Comedy serves up the laughs

To say that it’s been a difficult time for the arts industry over the last year is an understatement. The Adelaide Fringe was one of the last events held in 2020 before Coronavirus hit and is now back in a far reduced capacity and social distance friendly way. Which doesn’t mean that everything is smooth…

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Midnight Oil

Photo Gallery: WOMADelaide Day 2 with Midnight Oil, Vika and Linda, and MRLN x RKM

By the second day of Womadelaide, a certain peace and harmony had developed in the crowd. COVID precautions were understood and the mad rush to see everything had changed into a more relaxed atmosphere. Not that this stopped newcomer indigenous rappers MRLN x RKM whipping up some energy onstage. Marlon Motlop (AKA MRLN) was born…

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Adelaide Fringe Review: Reuben Kaye leads us down his Kaye Hole

Reuben Kaye is no stranger to Adelaide audiences. He is entertained and delighted us over several festivals and fringes. As emcee tonight, Kaye invites us down his late-night Kaye Hole with a group of fellow performers. The Kaye Hole is a safe place, except if you’re a straight heterosexual man who, for once, find themselves…

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