Womadelaide Day 1 – Archie Roach, Lior, Sarah Blasko | Adelaide Festival 2021 review
Archie Roach told important stories, Lior and the ASO wove intricate soundscapes and Sarah Blasko breathed new life into old favourites.
Adelaide Festival
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Womadelaide
Until March 8
King Rodney Park / Ityamai-itpina
It was Womadelaide and it wasn’t Womadelaide.
The usual sprawling, multiple stage locale at Botanic Park had been replaced by a much more compact, seated set up at King Rodney Park.
But those beautiful flags were still fluttering in the afternoon breeze, the line-up for a donut was a ridiculous as ever and the bats showed up at sunset, so some things felt familiar.
And given the state of much of the globe even a smaller Womadelaide is something to give thanks for.
Friday evening’s musical offerings began with Archie Roach, who truly is a national treasure. Roach speaks truth to power and tells uncomfortable stories, but it’s always done with love and compassion and a cheeky sense of humour.
He arrived on stage in a wheelchair, hooked up to on oxygen bottle (he’s a lung cancer survivor), but his voice is still a wonderful thing to hear.
It has a little more gravel these days, sure, but it’s still the perfect vehicle for Roach to tell his stories.
Charcoal Lane is first up, before Roach tells the crowd how much he loves our fair city.
“It was here I met my wife Ruby (Hunter), and that’s reason enough to love Adelaide,” he says.
Down City Streets features some soulful backing from Emma Donovan, before Leah Flanagan joins he for The Old Days, a story of the “funeral cabarets” Roach and Hunter used to attend, held to raise funds to bury dead relatives.
Free brings some funk before Took The Children Away – Roach’s signature song – hushes the crowd.
Roach finishes on Summer of My Life before receiving a well-deserved standing ovation.
After an hour or so’s break Australian singer Lior and composer Nigel Westlake lead the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra through Compassion, a 40-minute song cycle sung in ancient Hebrew and Arabic.
That might sound a little highbrow on paper, but it’s a beautiful piece of music that allows the listener to get lost in swelling soundscapes and powerful symphonic passages.
The flying foxes passing overhead as the stars emerged in a cloudless night sky only added to the vibe.
Lior rounds out the hour with a couple of his own songs, backed by the ASO, including his big hit This Old Love.
Sarah Blasko finishes the evening by playing her beloved 2009 album As Day Follows Night.
Backed by a hot trio (grand piano, upright bass and drums), Blasko delves deeper into the jazz elements of her work and it’s a real treat.
Resplendent in a shimmering gown, Blasko breathed new life into favourites like All I Want, We Won’t Run and Over and Over.
After a year of almost no live music there was a definite buzz in the air, both in the crowd and on the stage. You could feel that every performer was grateful to be once again doing what they were born to do.
The concert ran smoothly, the food and drink was excellent – as usual – and these 46-year-old knees actually appreciated the seated format. Bravo to Womadelaide to pulling off a great night of music in these tricky times.
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