Sydney Festival part 2

44 Sex Acts in One Week

Seymour Centre
Sydney, Australia
13 January 2021

Written by award-winning playwright David Finnigan, 44 Sex Acts in One Week is the story of the journalist Celina Valderrama, who has been tasked to review a book that advise to experience more than forty sex acts that are meant to change one’s life. With the deadline looming on the horizon, she needs a willing partner in crime and since options are limited, ends up with her office nemesis and lefty eco-activist Alab Delusa to experience and review kink in every shape and form.

As the premise suggests, 44 Sex Acts in One Week is a subversive yet romantic sex-comedy that is part radio play, part stand-up with no real set apart from fresh produce to simulate sex acts and a spontaneity that was preserved by having had only very limited rehearsals. 

The result is a performance that despite smutty content manages to maintain a playful edge and having premiered on the radio due to the implications of the pandemic, the script has been tweaked over time and expanded to fully take advantage of the space the stage offers, which enabled Finnigan to weave in satirical element that aim at the ubiquitous wellness industries and its self-proclaimed gurus.

Who is Afraid of Virginia Wolf?

Opera House
Sydney, Australia
15 January 2022

Edward Albee’s own bitingly witty brand of what was coined by Samuel Beckett and Eugene Ionesco as “theatre of the absurd” shook the reverie of the 1960s outlook on what theatre ought to look like. 

I have had the chance to see the classic “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf” and its portrayal of 1960s America incarnate on three continents and was looking forward to the resident artistic company of the Adelaide Festival Centre, i.e. State Theatre Company South Autralia’s interpretation, especially given the fact that Edward Albee’s estate refused to allow for the script to be cast racially.  

Taking the interesting angle of considering the political status quo of the new world, Sydney Theatre’s interpretation explores the depth of race and power relations of the US and thereby adds another, updated and contemporary layer to the corrosive psychodrama channelled through the lens of First Nations director and actor Margaret Harvey.

The result honours the original script yet with its ear firmly on the ground of political and societal issues of our times, subtly alludes to themes of identity and how it is perceived by artfully interrogating the darker shades of Australian society in a disruptive manner, thereby staging a transformative and inclusive theatre experience via providing a platform to a diversity of voices.

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Sydney Festival

Future Classics and Amyl & the Sniffers

Future Classics
Speaker’s Corner
05 January 2022

With the label’s roster including such trailblazing acts like Flume, Flight Facilities and Ta-ku, there are few Australian crews that would be better suited to throw a party to ease into the three week extravaganza that is the 2022 incarnation of Sydney Festival, before the floodgates open for the program to unleash both large-scale as well as intimate performances across the cities’ public places,  stages, streets, screens and everything in between.

Having coined and dominated Australian electronic sound for more than a decade, the evening saw both Future Classic’s stalwart Touch Sensitive hold court as well as the introduction of newer acts, i.e. the Warrang / Sydney based  rap crew 1300, self-taught alternative-pop newcomer Jack Slade as well as a COW*TECH set from Reuben Styles of Peking Duk’s new positive vibe laden project Y.O.G.A., all of which were frenetically celebrated by an enthusiastic audience that did not remain seated for too long.

Amyl and the Sniffers
Speaker’s Corner 
06 January 2022

I have been lucky enough to witness one of the first shows Amyl & the Sniffers played in Sydney, along with checking in on them whenever the chance presented itself, be it supporting the Cosmic Psychos or when they played intimate performances at small venues. 

It has been fantastic to see their evolution from destroying stages by channelling their all-out primal brand of raw Australian pub rock with punk rock sensitivities to the confident and refined version of themselves that doubles down on their idiosyncratic formula.

Lead by live-wire Amy Taylor’s frenetic, snarly and dervish-like spilling of her mind reminiscent of an Australian hybrid of Wendy-O-Williams and Kathleen Hanna, the band is not merely backing her but defiantly racing alongside dropping their canon of riffage like bombs on the weak, resulting in a magnetic, electrifying and harsh live experience.

Anyone into time-honoured punk rock would be hard pressed to not fall in love with Amyl and the Sniffers oeuvre, of which their prowess as a live band is an integral part. 

Comprised in equal parts of thuggish affirmations and a disarming vulnerability, Amyl & the Sniffers capture the essence of anarchic ethos, unwavering sassy attitude, dynamic raucousness and thereby infuse the tried and tested genre known as pub rock with new lifeblood without forcefully attempting to reinvent the wheel.

A band that knows who they are and what they stand for and one that you want to experience live whenever you can as they are bound to conquer bigger stages as their standing increases on international terrain.

The Pulse
Roslyn Packer Theatre
08 January 2021

A pulse is the equivalent of measuring the heart rate and if the multi-faceted Sydney Festival incarnation of the renowned circus company Gravity & Other Myths is anything to go by, the ticker that pumps blood through its three core ensembles, all of which contributed to The Pulse,  and the accompanying thirty voices strong choir is in tip top shape.

Merging acrobatics, a musical ensemble of singers in a meticulously choreographed performance, set in scene against a carefully calibrated light design canvas and serenaded by an engaging and driving score, The Pulse results in a harmonious and poetic whole that is much more than the mere sum of its parts would suggest.

The ebb and flow of the performance coinciding with rays of light emerging from the dark is accentuated by Gravity and Other Myths’ power as a collective: It redefines what contemporary circus can be as it incorporates not merely remarkable routines and feats but leaves enough room for both subtleties as well as comedic and dramatic elements, which aid in letting the fluid cohesiveness shine as it highlights how we as humans react to change and life as a collective.

Summa summarum: An aesthetically rich example par excellence for gracefully controlled chaos that is bound to delight anyone remotely interested in contemporary circus.

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to Be Magazine #2 plus Merzbow mixtape

What can a counter-cultural print publication centred around arts, fashion and music be in 2021, in an age where online publishing allows to reach anyone?

For myself, the real achievement of a well-curated print magazine lies in its provision of a space for a real dialogue to create a forum where visions can be shared and critical thinking nourished.

Enter to Be magazine, a very particular publication in that it seems to actively resist to conform to having a fixed identity or format.
Published in a bi-annual fashion, the print version is complemented by an online space as a catalyst for interpolating artists to share their emissions and to connect with new audiences, aestheticians and art enthusiasts.

With Annabel de Vere as a curator at the helm of editing, to Be disseminates new ideas portrayed in an idiosyncratic and unprecedented way of presentation by not merely providing an analysis of the respective content, but by creating a place for discourse.

The free form of each issue aspires to reinvent itself while still somehow retaining its DNA, i.e. imagery being independent and not merely illustrative or ornamental, by expanding and experimenting with traditional editorial and curatorial practices, allowing for pushing the boundaries in terms of presentation and reflection in equal measure.

Balancing a global outlook with an emphasis on the local nature of the magazine, I like the flexibility of the foci as they zoom in and out, which allow for at times delicate, intimate observations which not only geared towards spawning discussions but by being inherently part of it.

to Be’s current, second issue is centred around the key to longevity, i.e. the changing of and with the times and ways to address and respond to the ever-changing fast-paced reality we are faced with these days.

Light is shed through different prisms on how political notions, technological advancements and subcultural development impact its diverse and eclectic cast of contributors, ranging from artists like Erwin Wurm via photographers like Joshua Gordon to musicians like Eartheater. 

In an age of immediacy and overwhelming connectivity, to Be is an ode to lingering on the process, the ongoing and with its deliberate print format, physical objects that can be preserved. 

An ambitious, well-curated tour de force of inspiration, documenting moments, movement and tendencies that matter, the authorship of which gives credit to the notion that there is an astute awareness of the identity of the readership.

Issue #2 is accompanied by a mixtape of noise maestro Asami Makita, i.e. Merzbow. Comprised of rare outtakes of his harsh, confrontational torrent of noise, the mixtape pays homage to the unique space Merzbow occupies in the realm of experimental music at large. 

The taped is backed by Room40’s Lawrence English musings on Merzbow to contextualise the man’s expansive oeuvre and educate the uninitiated on his approach and evolution. What a treat it would have been to have Asami himself contribute an article on his fetishes…

Hachette Publishing Special

Asterix and the Griffin  (Asterix No. 39)

By Jean Yves-Ferri and Didier Conrad

I grew up with Asterix, i.e. the original incarnation of characters created by Rene Goscinny, and it was heart-breaking to see how both the storytelling and wit suffered when illustrator Albert Uderzo tried to do both.

Having not had exposure to the Asterix series since the nineties, it was fantastic to see that the new creative duo, i.e. Jean Yves-Ferri and Didier Conrad, seem to have gotten things back on track with the thirty-ninth release of the series, i.e. Asterix and the Griffin.

This instalment sees Asterix, Obelix, their loyal dog Idefix and their druid Getafix embark to Sarmatia, an icy landscape located around today’s Russian territory, which was fabled to be guarded by a mythical half-eagle / half-lion animal, in a bid to help the Sarmatians to fight Caesar’s troops who had been sent out to capture the griffin and bring it back to Rome.

Asterix and the Griffin is delightfully dominated by puns, wordplay and underlying references, quips, clever nomenclature and allusions galore with a finely nuanced delivery that is bound to entertain not only children but has enough eastereggs and subtle plot content, with feminism being only one of the more obvious issues being tackled.

It is a real joy to see a return of the classic illustrations with an emphasis on rich coloured and meticulous attention to detail, which invites one to get lost in each individual panel, paired with the discoveries of what real-life and historic characters the protagonists are based on. 

Despite the story staring a tad abruptly without further contextualisation, Asterix and the Griffin with its myth-meets-reality story delivers in spades by incorporating contemporary issues  and demonstrates that the DNA of the original is being honoured and taken to the next level by a team clearly comprised of long-time Asterix fans.

The legacy lives on.

The Day of the Dead – A Visual Compendium

Dia de Muertos, i.e. the less solemn holiday of death is more geared towards a joyful celebration rather than the traditional mourning in the manner Western culture gathers to pay respects to the dearly departed.

More often than not substantiated with humorous undertones, colourful imagery, flowers, self-built altars and sustenance is prepared in a light hearted bid to pay homage to the deceased.

Experiencing the Mexican Day of the Dead in the third dimension on site is a mind-blowing experience, the essence of which this comprehensive tome sets out to capture by collating a myriad of artistic ephemera celebrating the dead. 

The sheer visual vibrance and splendour, visionary imaginations and attention to detail is a sight to behold and this anthology does a fantastic job conveying the spiritual essence via not only photos but both traditional and iconic illustrations of (sugar) skulls, depictions of swinging skeleton characters, meticulously crafted paper cuts, and classic artworks created by such trailblazing artists like Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, whose works elevate the depictions to another level as they tie in with the folklore on a deeper level and include references to historic events of their lineage.

Curated by luminaries in the field of Mexican art and culture, this faceted compendium is not only recommended for Day of the Dead aficionados but for anyone remotely interested in cultural events, idiosyncratic takes on life and death and vibrant, engaging artistic representations of what moves and affects humanity in its very core.

Yearbook 

Seth Rogen

Over the years, more often than not, I have quite enjoyed Seth Rogen channelling his idiosyncratic comedic talents on screen – be it in the fantastic Freaks and Geeks, or his mainstream success movies that made him a famed, generational actor and filmmaker.

Yearbook meanders through Rogen’s life from his humble beginnings as a comedian, honing his craft via the meteoritic rise to him now being a seasoned elder statesman of the funny realm. 

Comprised of candid essays, Rogen elicits laughter not merely through jokes and the recounting of funny anecdotes, but through the way he expertly structures stories and eloquently elaborates in a manner that allows a deeper insight in his approach and thinking.

Apart from career defining moments, it is the mishaps and episodes shedding light on his failures that in a non-linear fashion highlight Rogen’s thoughtfulness, wit and ability to find humour in the strangest of places, far away from the weed induced humour he is known for. Needless to say, there are also chapters dedicated to the latter via recalling outrageous drug induced episodes.

Yearbook is an immensely entertaining tour de force in storytelling due to his blunt approach in not beating around the bush when it comes to detailing the eccentricities of the celebrities he gets exposed to along the way and how they conducted themselves, including but not limited to encounters with the likes of George Lucas, Nicolas Cage, Kanye West and Tom Cruise.

Another interesting facet is added when Rogen offers insight into the inner workings of the film industry, e.g. when he goes into pointed elaborations about The Interview versus North Korea fiasco and the implications of social media.

Rogen’s prose is on point and well-nuanced throughout, often eliciting unexpected laughs with his collection of true and often touching stories.

Due to Rogen’s humility and absence of mean-spiritedness, his quasi-memoir Yearbook is an affable feel-good book and the written equivalent to a hangout with the man.

The Formative Years

Helloween

As prepubescent in the late 1980s, there was a German heavy metal band that ruled my world long before I endeavoured to get lost in the world of extreme music.

I must have been nine when I was gifted Helloween’s Walls of Jericho album and it instantaneously blew my mind – the artwork, the tight and intricate musicianship, the theatrical vocals with the unrivalled stability on those insanely high soaring notes, the effortlessness of delivery and the fact that a band like that emerged from Germany. 

I was hooked.

What followed was a massive step up: Helloween’s two epic concept albums centred around fantasy stories, i.e. Keeper of the Seven Keys part 1 and 2. What was initially planned to be a double album but then split in two parts as it was perceived to be too ambitious by the label, became a major success.

With a new vocalist who was by the time of recording merely nine years older than me, the two album do not merely mark a turning point in the band’s history and departure from Helloween’s accomplished speed metal roots, but it deliberately  ventures into melodic territory and is widely heralded as one of the first albums that would define a new genre going by the moniker power metal.

Sound-, lyric, artwork- and music-wise Keeper of the Seven Keys within the context of its time felt like a ground-breaking, new self-contained cosmos that the band confidently sculpted to push the envelope in every direction.

Epic, progressive and mystic in equal measure, the two Keeper of the Seven Keys albums create a unique atmosphere and make them a fun listen to this day due to the heavy riffing, catchy (pre-)choruses, melodic guitars with dominant virtuosic and inspired soli taking up a disproportionate amount of real estate on the masterful recordings, which expertly change atmospheres throughout from reassuring to horrific and everything in between not unlike a well-executed movie with a nuanced storyline.

Looking back, it is not further wondrous that both albums kicked the doors open for Helloween to become a Teutonic success story, which saw them not only tour with Iron Maiden, play Monsters of Rock, tour successfully all over the world and eventual being graced with airplay on MTV’s Headbangers Ball.

Curiously enough, the sentiment of their single I Want Out not only reflected my outlook on the world at that time, but catapulted me into the exploration of heavier and more extreme music.