Here we are

The YouAreHere festival has come around again. It's a wonderful event: "a curated festival ... of Canberra's diverse independent and experimental arts and culture". It strangely pops up in various empty spaces around Canberra or takes over whatever venue for the week. It's only a week but it's a busy and eclectic time. I should give it more time, but I tend not to. My loss. But I happened on a few venues after Hippo.

First was Reuben Ingall. I've seen him performing electronica. Apparently he's on 2XX (our Indie community radio station). This was a talk on some musical interests and their approaches. Just outside was a little library, actually standing quite forlorn. I noticed this because a friend of mine started the first of these free community libraries here in Canberra a few months ago and it was featured in the Canberra Times by Ian Warden, no less. Then I walked around the corner hearing classical music from Phoenix Pub. Mmm, stange. The venue has been setup differently from my last visit, with enhanced stage and lighting and layout and bar down the back. Two of the Inventi Ensemble of Canberra, Melissa Doecke (flute) and Ben Opie (oboe), were playing, all decked out to the nines and entertaining a diverse audience as a breather from the Bad!Slam!No!Biscuit! comedy session. Just proof of the diversity and impish mischievousness of this festival.

Finally, we've all seen this plaque on the corner of Northbourne Ave and London Circuit. For once I stopped to read it. "EIIR Here on 15th February, 1954, the citizens of Canberra greeted Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the first reigning British Monarch to visit Australia". It has this republican musing of many things. First reigning monarch to visit? Maybe the delay is understandable given commercial flights were just new. British Monarch? Isn't she claimed as the Queen of Australia?

Even more secret!

Now, what followed was seriously secret: “Secret gig that is even more secret than the secret gig before it”. So what were we in for? Not music, but poetry and readings. Poetry is pretty underground these days, so I guess it’s apt. I enjoyed it. Four presenters: Miranda Lello and Mathew Abbott from Canberra, Zoe Norton-Lodge and Pip Smith down from Sydney.

Miranda’s poetry was straightforward and eminently under-standable. She spoke of men and women and passion and personal battlegrounds in daily language and with street expletives. She spoke of cities and of failures that are not big enough to be art. She responded to Charles Bukovsky’s poem “Swingers” with her poem “Women who sleep with too many men” that spoke to me with eminent truth (eg, speaking about swinger sex: “the bed is a battleground / that measures only losses”). She stood for another poem dedicated to Walt Whitman that again spoke a woman’s view with clarity and intelligence. I liked her poetry: this was a woman speaking proudly and true.

Mat is a PhD and a punk bassist. Perhaps this all shows in his poetry. I felt there was more literature and history and symbolism in these words, and it wanted another listen. He spoke of waking from sleep and of the nature of twelve surfaces. He played on impersonal constructions “it’s raining” for one poem and on 10 maladies for another. I truly understood souvenir collection as a malady. This was rich and complex and difficult, and that from a punk bassist!

Zoe followed with a performance of a scene from a play she had written. It was lively, rhyming, auto-biographical and punny and poetical in style. It was really very well written and I enjoyed that aspect, but as a father of two boys, I can understand now why lots of parents have said girls are more difficult. Here’s a quote: "I’m not supposed to have fun, isn’t that right, Mum?” and “I feel so, so, so, so, so … sorry for myself”. I wasn’t young enough to appreciate the humour and not understanding enough as a father of boys. Nicely done, though.

Pip presented a series of poems. One on the Sydney skyline and the manic business happening therein. Several on animals: whales and the end of the world; cows and their love for us; snakes that you can fear and that you cannot reason with. She told a story of an office plant that gives purpose to a disappointed office worker. Capable and lively writing presented with vivacity.

Miranda Lello, Mathew Abbott, Zoe Norton-Lodge and Pip Smith presented poetry and stories at the YouAreHere Festival.

Secret!

It was announced on Facebook and the Web and it was in the YouAreHere festival program, but it was secret. Even the name was secret: “The secret gig that noone knows about”. But it was pretty well attended anyway and the music was good. This is indie or alt music and it’s a field I only visit at the edge every now and then. Sometimes I’m disappointed; sometimes I’m blown out; sometimes my judgement is poor. I remember the first time I caught the Cashews and I wondered what all the hype was about. I was wrong then. Whenever I’ve caught them since, I’ve enjoyed them immensely and I have great respect. This is bordering on folk. It’s singer/songwriter material. It doesn’t live by chops or harmonic embellishements, although the quality of the voices and vocal harmonies are essential. This is music of words and thoughts and connection. So how was the secret concert?

There were four acts. I came at the end of the first and just managed a pic, but I’ve mentioned Drew Walky on CJ before. Next was the Burley Griffin. They are missing a bassist these days, so just guitar, drums and banjo. They had an interesting sound, with that uncommon banjo, and played a fairly rocky set. “Tell me honey / do you still know my name / you love me like the drug you’ve used” was earthy and street-wise. “Life is full of changes / on these moments we are found” had depth and was interesting. I wish I had caught more words; they seemed serious and fairly overt in their writing. The Burley Griffin is Evan Murray Buckley (vocals, guitar), Henry King (banjo, vocals) and I didn’t catch the drummer’s name. [I've now learnt his name is Kyle Mitchell. EP, 15 May 2012]

Hashemoto followed with humour and wonderful harmonies and very nicely structured pop tunes. I was dumbfounded when they started with a dissonant cacophony, then elated when they dropped into lovely three-part harmonies that soared with Bec Taylor’s female (soprano?) voice, then impressed by the songwriting and structures. Professional, clear, well played and interesting: what more can you want from such a band? One thing: humour and audience connection. They had that too. I noticed some lovely pure pop anthemic chants and the audience joined in on some, like “Some good things will come”. It was better than it seems: anthems sound innane out of context. There were Beatlesque decays and thuddy drones and those lovely vocals. Much enjoyed. BTW, this may be the first time I’ve seen a band haul out an acoustic piano after a gig. Hashemoto comprise Damo Flanagan (guitar, vocals), Bec Taylor (piano, vocals), Potsy Webber (bass, vocals).

The Cashews took the concert out with their songs of Canberra. Of course, they always sing songs of Canberra, they are renowned for it. Witty, capable and oddly informed by local history. Songs about Sullivan of Creek fame, Weston of Nursery fame and more. But they are also touching (“Little things I have written at the Cotter River / and I can’t wait to tell you everything”) and clever (“Like the 2010 election / I was lacking in direction”) and humane (“You don’t have to be a high achiever / to be a golden retriever”). Alison’s voice is all smiles and Pete’s demeanour is remote until he cracks a joke. The Cashews are a Canberra institution and a perfect expression of what Canberra is: unrevealed but often quite brilliant. And did I mention that they sing songs of Canberra? The Cashews are Alison Procter (guitar, vocals, accordion, ukelele, baby glockenspiel) and Pete Lyons (guitar, vocals, trumpet, ukelele).