While we all know about Australia’s reputation as a buzzing hub of cultural activity, especially when it comes to music, it seems all the attention goes to cities like Melbourne and Sydney, which are admittedly home to some of our most iconic venues and best-loved bands.
However, what some readers may not know is that there’s some serious noise being made in the capital of South Australia. Yes, Adelaide stands as Australia’s most underrated city when it comes to music, boasting a rich musical history, countless awesome bands, great venues, quality record stores, and internationally recognised festivals.
In order to give some much deserved props to Australia’s most underrated musical hub, we’ve taken a look at the history, the bands, the venues, the record stores, and the festivals that make the city such a special place for bands, musicians, and punters alike.
It’s The Home Of The Garden Of Unearthly Delights
With just one Spiegeltent in 2000, the Garden Of Unearthly Delights has become an annual staple on Adelaide’s cultural calendar. The unique festival playground including multiple performance venues, bars, carnival rides, an array of world foods, market stalls, and the most unexpected sideshow surprises. Running from February 12th – March 15th this year it’ll play host to some of the world’s most eclectic and exciting artists across ever genre imaginable, including Gotye’s band The Basics, rock hero J Mascis, Guy Pearce and Darren Middleton, Dan Sultan, and so many more, if you can find more culture and entertainment one place we’d like to know about it.
More info: www.gardenofunearthlydelights.com.au
Music SA Offer Very Healthy Music Grants
It’s no secret that Adelaide is punching above its weight when it comes to producing world class musical talent (see: Sia, I Killed The Prom Queen, Hilltop Hoods, Bad//Dreems, Cold Chisel) and one of the reasons is Music SA’s ongoing support of local music. Visit the Music SA website and you’ll see opportunities for grants like ‘The HTH Initiative’ which is the Hilltop Hoods Initiative, the chance for a local hip hop act to recieve a $10,000 cash incentive funded by Hilltop Hoods and APRA AMCOS to help manufacture, market, and release an album.
If you’re not a hip hop artist don’t sweat – they aso have the Josh Pyke Partnership, which together with APRA, singer songwriter Josh Pyke will be awarding a lucky fellow Australian musician with a $7500 grant to kick-start their music career. It’s not just about the dosh either – the winning artist also gets mentored by Josh Pyke himself and scores a meeting with Gregg Donovan (Wonderlick Entertainment) and Stephen Wade (Select Music), resulting in a business plan designed to support the progression of their music career. For more info and more opportunities visit www.musicsa.com.au
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WOMADelaide Was Born Here
The legendary annual world music and dance festival WOMADelaide was first run in 1992 as part of the Adelaide Festival of Arts, in its 23 years the festival has grown leaps and bounds and is now a must visit event for world music lovers nation, and world wide.
Running from the 6th-9th March, this year’s edition features world class talent including Neneh Cherry (UK), Nick Waterhouse (USA), Sharon Van Etten (USA), Sinead O’Connor (IRE), First Aid Kit (SWE), Balkan Beat Box (US/ISRAEL) among too many more to list. For more info on WOMADelaide visit www.womadelaide.com.au.
The City Debuted The Follow The Sun Festival
Local singer-songwriter Alice Haddy sums up the appeal of Follow The Sun festival pretty well with her description of the event: “Follow The Sun festival is Adelaide’s brand new festival hosted in Glenelg. With an exceptional line up for its debut, along with ‘backyard BBQ’ vibes and a sunny, beachside location, what more could you possibly want?” The inaugural Follow The Sun was held back in October and featured the likes of Paul Dempsey, BONJAH, and Dallas Frasca, along with a host of others. With a sterling reception from punters and Adelaide residents, it’s sure to become a staple of the city’s rich musical and cultural scene.
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It’s The Home Of Some Of The Best Aussie Talent
Now that we know that there is not only a vibrant live music scene in Adelaide, but plenty of places to pick up quality releases, it begs the question: are there any good bands from Adelaide? Of course. Adelaide is only the city that gave Australia and the world the legendary Cold Chisel, as well as fellow Aussie music icons The Angels and Paul Kelly. Also hailing from the South Australian capital are modern chart-toppers like Sia, Aussie hip-hop favourites Hilltop Hoods and Allday, beloved metalcore outfit I Killed The Prom Queen, as well as up-and-comers Bad//Dreems and Tkay Maidza.
Home Of Renowned Store Clarity Records
We’ve established that Adelaide is a buzzing hub of live music activity and that many of Australia’s most beloved bands and artists hail from the South Australian capital, but what do you do when you’re looking to pick up a couple of CDs or some quality vinyl? Too easy. Adelaide has some of Australia’s most renowned record stores, like Clarity, located smack dab in the middle of Adelaide CBD since 2010. The independent store imports from countries around the world with a selection that covers a wide variety of genres. There’s also Wolfies, in the outer suburb of Stirling Wolfies, which specialises in “precious” vinyl and high quality hi-fi equipment.
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Adelaide Festival Is Can’t Miss
Not content with just hosting the largest annual arts festival in the Southern Hemisphere, Adelaide is also home to the WOMADelaide world music festival and conference and of course, Adelaide Festival. Considered one of the world’s major celebrations of the arts and a pre-eminent cultural event in Australia, Adelaide Festival is known for its diverse and eclectic lineup as well as its ability to secure rare performances from legendary artists. Bringing some of the most respected artists in the world together in Adelaide, last year’s lineup featured the likes of John Zorn, Mike Patton, and Dave Lombardo, while previous years have seen performances from Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Charles Bradley, Roky Erickson, and many more.
The Live Music Venues Are As Good As Their Churches
There’s more to Adelaide than just churches and a car race. The South Australian capital loves its live music and just so happens to be home to some of the country’s most beloved venues. Besides unique live music initiatives like The Porch Sessions, which transforms your garden into a musical oasis where your friends and neighbours can come by to enjoy a gig in your front yard, the city is home to renowned venues like The Gov, Pirie and Co. Social Club, The Jam Room, and The Grace Emily Hotel, just to name a few, all of which are hallowed ground for bands around the country.
The Legendary Adelaide Fringe
While most cities in Australia have their own fringe festival, Adelaide take a particular pride in theirs. After all, it stands as the single largest annual arts festival in the Southern Hemisphere. No, not Australia, the entire freaking hemisphere. Running for 24 days and nights during February and March, the program is always peppered with excellent musical attractions and regularly features more than 4,000 acts from around Australia and the world, including a large contingent of bands, solo musicians, singers, and other musical performers.
