John is a passionate photographer and reviewer, focused on Australia's vibrant music, culture and arts scenes. His vibe is one of infectious enthusiasm. Also enjoys romantic strolls on the beach.
The Meredith Music Festival Ballot is now open. It’s simple to enter, and it’s the easiest way to get tickets. Just head over to mmf.com.au before 10:34pm AEST, Monday 10 August. Meredith 34 will be held over three days and two nights at the one and only Meredith Supernatural Amphitheatre, from December 11, 12 & 13, 2026. Camping,…
After Friday’s shenanigans at Adelaide’s Beer and BBQ Festival, things settled down a touch for the Saturday sessions. Whether it was the rain, the Crows game next door, or something else, numbers were down compared to the night before. Which made navigating the event easier, but there is something to be said for squeezing through…
Adelaide’s Beer and BBQ Festival has evolved from having market stalls in the cowsheds at the Showgrounds to more of a mini music festival at The Drive, right next door to Adelaide Oval. With a welcome balmy warm night and the lure of headlining band TISM, the joint was packed to the rafters. But was…
Patience and Penitentia is a powerful durational performance by South Australian artist Ida Sophia that explores silence, punishment, and power within relationships. Over forty days, the artist, weighted down by rose-petal chains, performs a ritual of penance and silence. Dark red walls and a haunting soundtrack evoke memories of cavernous churches. Strands of rose thorns…
Matt Tarrant is a highly regarded magician, mentalist, producer, creator, and performer. He has recently taken the role of Chair of the Adelaide Fringe Foundation. We spoke to him about what the Foundation provides for artists and venues and how it fits into the Adelaide Fringe. Congratulations on your appointment as the Adelaide Fringe Foundation…
Since her successful appearance on Australian Idol in 2006, Jessica Mauboy has gone on to capture Australian hearts with her dance orientated R&B sound. She will perform at this year’s Mundi Mundi Festival, near Broken Hill in Western NSW. We chatted to her about the influences in her life, and how her musical journey started….
Global superstar Niall Horan has just announced that he will be touring Australia in February, bringing his highly anticipated Dinner Party Tour to arenas Down Under. Having just released the Dinner Party album, this will be the first chance for fans to see him perform it live. Horan is hitting arenas in Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney…
Modest Mouse is an American rock band formed in 1993 by lead singer Isaak Brock. Their output is prolific, with well over a dozen albums and EPs released. In their latest release, An Eraser and a Maze, Brock explores the theory of time existing simultaneously. Which, of course, is an oversimplification of the fifteen tracks…
This is your friendly reminder that if you don’t already have your July Adelaide Beer and BBQ Festival tickets, then now’s the time to get on it. The organisers have sent us an updated list of music, food and beer offerings that will make your mouth water. In their new home at The Drive, right…
Oscar Wilde‘s satiric play, The Importance of Being Earnest, is a “Trivial Comedy for Serious People”. South Australia’s State Theatre Company have sprinkled their own flavours into this delicious mix. The best way to describe the event would be queer and quirky – in the most over-the-top camp way imaginable. The plot begins with Jack…
If you’ve been holding off buying tickets to the Mundi Mundi Bash, Australia’s biggest outback music festival, then don’t spend too long thinking about it. The event has almost sold out, with 95% of tickets already sold. This year’s sister event, The Big Red Bash had to cancel due to the extraordinary floods in central…
What better way to celebrate the State Opera of South Australia’s 50th anniversary (Golden Jubilee), than with a special presentation of Rossini’s classic and joyful story of Cinderella (La Cenerentola). Artistic Director Dane Lam and Executive Director Mark Taylor have hit the nail on the head by choosing this beautifully simple story of an innocent…
Illuminate Adelaide is a beacon of light and energy in the midst of the city’s chilly winter. Expect the City of Churches to transform between July 1st and 19th into a vibrant winter playground of light, art, music, technology, and culinary discoveries. With world premieres, Adelaide exclusives and over 100 experiences and performances, this year…
When a musician throws a birthday party, he has some friends to call upon to make it special. Which is exactly what Sean of Sean Blackwell did on Friday night. To get the party started, Thom Lion played some tunes on the electronic piano accompanied by Troy from The Yellow Wallpaper on drums and Dylby…
TISM (This Is Serious Mum) are a seven-piece anonymous alternative rock band, formed in Melbourne in 1982. Main members include vocalist/drummer Humphrey B. Flaubert, bassist/vocalist Jock Cheese, keyboard player Eugene de la Hot Croix Bun, and vocalist Ron Hitler-Barassi. Over the years the band has developed somewhat a fanatical following, including the “Victims of TISM”…
Adelaide fuzz, drone and noise band Night Rites was formed by three mates, Peter, Adam and Rhys, in a backyard studio during COVID. They initially had an indie psych sound, but after switching roles—Peter to drums, Adam to guitar, and Rhys on vocals—it led to a more droning style. Influenced by bands like The Black…
The Adelaide Beer & BBQ Festival (ABBF) has been a staple event in the brewing community for a decade at the Adelaide Showgrounds. Between 2015 and 2025, it’s grown to be the largest brewing event of its kind in Australia, with more brewers under one roof than any other festival in the country. It’s survived the…
As the Adelaide Fringe reaches the final quarter of its four-week life, the tempo of the event changes. The audience and the artists are tired and weary. Some are elated. Some are just waiting to be newly discovered. With over 1500 shows on offer, it can be difficult to be heard above the noise of…
Comedian Elf Lyons is no stranger to the Adelaide Fringe, with rave reviews of her show Raven back in 2024, making her the talk of the town. Which is no mean feat in the cut-throat world of the Fringe. This year, she has brought the ballet “Swan Lake” to life in a way that even…
“Fuccbois: Live in Concert” is a comedy that satirizes boy bands and that culture, but featuring women and non-binary actors in the lead roles. The premise is the band’s final concert and has the audience actively singing along. The music is authentic pop. The show is currently being performed at the Adelaide Fringe and heading…
Many feel that 2026 has already been a difficult year, with global tensions on the rise. This affected even WOMADelaide with some acts not able to attend this year due to travel disruptions and other issues. However, a feeling of hope and resilience was front and foremost for this year’s event. Celebrating cultural diversity, honouring…
The fact that women are such a big part of the WOMADelaide Festival is no accident. With women on the management team, and as decision makers, artists and presenters, made celebrating International Women’s Day such a natural and beautiful thing. The mood of the day was one of nurturing and celebrating the beauty inside whilst…
It was a glorious autumn day in Adelaide’s Botanic Park for the second day of WOMADelaide, the world’s music, arts and dance festival. Families have set up picnic rugs, whilst roving performers, Born in a Taxi pranced around as zebras and kids exercised their creativity in Studio Ruby Chew‘s pop-up wonderland. The event hosts a…
Despite some last-minute changes with artist travel plans disrupted by the sudden unrest in the Middle East, the show must go on. Inside the Botanic Gardens, it was like a sanctuary, fruit bats overhead and seven stages all playing a variety of world music. Day one of WOMADelaide 2026 kicked off in fine style. As…
From the producers of burlesque show The Delinquents, their new show Fafi D’Alour is just as fun and exciting. A five piece band sets the tone of the evening in the upstairs room at the House of Delinquents in Adelaide’s Pirie Street. It’s a feature of the Adelaide Fringe that venues are created all over the…
As the audience take their seats in the Speigeltent, the atmosphere is already electric. Bernie Dieter’s Club Kabarett is described as the hottest cabaret, East of Berlin! The three piece “haus band” are already on-stage, filling the tent with upbeat tunes. Meanwhile, dazzling performers sashay through the assembled throng, handing out flags emblazoned with “Slut”,…
The darkened stage contains little but a white telephone upon a table. It rings. Young dancers, clad in harlequin-style outfits race to answer it, reminding us of the time that was commonplace in our homes. It becomes a dance of calling, answering and connecting, setting the scene for what is to come. The young Taiwanese…
Nestled amongst the attractions of sideshow alley at the rear of the Garden of Unearthly Delights is an unassuming collection of white ocean containers. They house three of the Darkfield experiences, Seance, Flight and Invisible. The nearby screams of patrons being flung high in the air on the various rides lend a strange contrast to…
There’s nothing like a good Irish pub show to get your evening off to a grand start. The Shamrocks have finally made their way to Adelaide to show how to do exactly that. The six Irish lads, including two sets of brothers have an instantly likeable energy about them. Raymond Walsh created the Shamrocks back…
Oscar Wilde‘s farce The Importance of Being Earnest is all about two young men about town who lead double lives, avoiding their social obligations. It is normally played in a rather rigid format by rather experienced thespians. It’s a play that explores explores themes of identity, social expectations, and the nature of truth and deception. Which…
