Presented by Adelaide Festival Centre
Reviewed 14th June 2019
In the Liner Notes Live series, a seminal album is presented to the audience, with various performers talking about and/or giving their interpretation of a particular number.
Co-produced and hosted by Michael Nolan, these shows are similar to the tribute gigs organized by various spoken word groups here in Adelaide. Although the Adelaide gigs see each performer actually create something especially for the night, Liner Notes tends to allow the guests to simply get on stage and have a chat.
Nolan is a personable and professional host, but his initial talk about the gestation of the Blues Brothers movie was far too long and detailed. After a lively opening, his lecture flattened the audience, and it took a while to pull the energy back up: a surprisingly rookie mistake.
Andy Griffiths was amusing about Rawhide, as was the fabulous Julia Zemiro herself, chatting about Jailhouse Rock. Dave Graney had some interesting things to say about John Lee Hooker, but sadly, spent much of this time on stage rambling. Drag diva Kween Kong gave a typically spectacular rendering of Aretha Franklin’s show-stopper Think, and Maggie Beer delivered some delightful verse about Franklin herself. Slam poet Omar Musa was the only guest to actually create a piece of work, which he delivered in his inimitable and beautiful style.
The fantastic band, including Ben Ling, Ainsely Finn and Rob McDowell, were only on stage for three numbers, which seemed like a waste.
This was a pleasant enough evening, but overall seemed ramshackle and lacking in substance.
The next Liner Notes will be Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust, on the 15th June. Hopefully, that will be a tighter, livelier and more musically rich experience for the audience.
Reviewed by Tracey Korsten
Twitter: @TraceyKorsten
Rating out of 5: 3 DISAPPOINTING
Venue: The Blue Room
Season: 14th-15th June
Duration: 70 minutes
Tickets: $ 64.90-$74.90
Bookings: https://www.adelaidecabaretfestival.com.au/events/liner-notes-live-ziggy-stardust/
https://www.adelaidecabaretfestival.com.au/
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