The Sydney Fringe Festival has officially kicked off its 5th annual edition with their first ever street party in Surry Hills. Fringe Ignite: Heat The Streets saw bars and shopfronts on Crown Street transform into free entry pop-up music venues, while street musicians roamed and people danced. No one needed to close down the street, no one needed to set up a big stage and close down business in the area. From 4pm until 8pm earlier tonight, the Fringe introduced a new type of street party that we could – and should – see take over more hubs of our city.
Things kicked off with an opening soiree at the Trinity Bar on the corner of Devonshire and Crown, with opening words from Lord Mayor Clover Moore, the Sydney Fringe Festival Director Kerri Glasscock and Ignite curator Illan Kidron, said a few words and gave us a performance of his own to set the mood. Our procession of arts industry, media and curious onlookers then made its way down Crown Street, following brass ensemble The Brassholes, who gave us some New Orleans vibes and a cover of The Beatles’ classic “Lady Madonna”. As they reached the Surry Hills Library, they seemed to join musical forces with a band who had set up shop on the balcony of the Ampersand Cafe. Indeed, a moment not unlike something you’d experience in New Orleans itself.
As we paraded down the street, we passed by the beautiful sounds of Emma Pask in The Standard Store, performing with a keyboardist and a man on the double bass. Great vibes in a room normally reserved for retail purposes only. Next door in Title, Haydn Walker was getting set up as Bondi FM broadcasted live.
We made it to Lady Godiva – upstairs at The White Horse Hotel – just in time to see All Our Exes Live in Texas, back in full quartet mode after being a member short at our own birthday party in Sydney a little over a week ago. Though we loved their earlier set all the same, it is indeed all the more complete with Elana Stone on the accordion, foot tambourine and… nose? Yes, Elana and Georgia used their nose as an instrument in one of the tracks. And it was marvelous.
The group are performers in the most classic sense. Like many of the highly regarded performers in the folk and country genre, they aren’t afraid to let their personality and spontaneous banter run through their songs, making it all the more endearing in the live environment. “Sailboat” was a stunning number, and I’m always a big fan of their cover of “Hotel Yorba”. A must see act.
Heading downstairs next, Lime Cordiale were well into their set, performing as a six piece with Shea Duncan from Toucan on the keys. “Pretty Girl” was the first track I caught, featuring a good dose of clarinet to mix in with their signature blend of pop, rock, jazz… and just about whatever they can think of. A newer track, coming off their current sessions recording up the NSW coast, felt like something out of Aloe Blacc’s repetoire. Meanwhile, “Faceless Cat” off their 2012 debut EP of the same name was sounding better than ever. The future is looking bright for the Sydney quintet, and it seemed the whole room – packed by now – agreed.
After making our way through couples dancing in the streets, I ended my evening with Martha Marlow, who was giving a new identity to the brilliantly named shoestore The Cook, His Wife and Her Shoes. One of the tracks she performed for us when she stopped by the AU at the end of last year, “These Days”, was being played on my arrival, sounding sweetly beautiful in the intimate and unique surrounds. I was also lucky enough to hear “Sister Annie”, which showed off Marlow’s immaculate vocal control. A stunning talent.
Seeing Crown Street embrace the Fringe Ignite concept was a joy to see. It provides an excellent precedence for future events which bring more foot traffic to a retail sector, without having to close anything down in the process. A collaborative effort between APRA, the newly set up Live Music Office, the City of Sydney and the Sydney Fringe, we at the AU hope to see plenty more like it. The more places that embrace live music, the better it is for all of us. Be it a country quartet, a genre crossing quintet or a solo singer/songwriter – if today was any indication, there’ll be crowds spilling out into the streets.
And there’ll be plenty more great live music where this came from. The Sydney Fringe Festival program commences tomorrow, 1st September and runs for the entire month. For tickets and more details about free events like this – as well as everything else under the sun, head to https://www.sydneyfringe.com/
