Killing Heidi
Taronga Zoo
Sydney, AUS
February 4, 2017
Twilight at Taronga is an annual concert series set amongst the environment of Taronga Zoo, in a natural amphitheatre with fully licensed bars and gourmet antipasto hampers on offer – cue cheese and wine - overlooking the picturesque Sydney harbour backdrop, with each stunning sunset competing with the headliner in terms of aesthetic presentation.
Sydney’s daily disappearances of the sun are nothing short of spectacular, especially when the sun has actually already disappeared and only the high altitude wispy, translucent clouds and alto cumulous can still reflect the light, like it was the case tonight.
With all proceeds raised from the Taronga shows going straight back to helping wildlife conservation, scientific research and environmental sustainability, it makes for good cause to support the yearly events on top of the culinary and visually appealing experience of the soft glowing light caused by the reflection of the sun’s rays from the atmosphere.
Killing Heidi is one of a few local Australian bands that performed a reunion show for the occasion of Twilight at Taronga.
Having formed in Violet Town in 1996, with the meaning of the band name to signify a play on the end of innocence and embracing imperfection, they recorded three albums and achieved considerable mainstream success on terra australis with their mix of teenage angst, adolescent energy and sing-along pop with just enough grrl-rock edge to mollify young audiences before they parted ways and went on an infinite hiatus.
The band disbanded in 2006 with siblings and founders Ella and Jesse taking a lower profile with an acoustic folk duo, The Verses.
While the question is if something that was so youthful in essence could be reproduced in a convincing and adroit manner twenty odd years on, the band presented itself well-oiled with an enriched reinterpretation of their songs and playing them in a mature and reinvigorated way, instead or merely rehashing the spirits of days gone by pretending to be teenagers.
The audience seemingly enjoyed the stroll down memory lane as front woman Ella Hopper, who has become a radio presenter and media personality in her own right, danced and pranced around the stage through a dynamic set, soaking up the "welcome back" love.
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Photos by KAVV
