We binged out on Sydney Festival tickets this year so we’ve been having a big dose of culture. First was Briefs at the Spiegeltent in Parramatta. Bizarre boys-only burlesque with a very sexy tranny as MC. Whoever thought plate-spinning could be so funny?
Then English folktronic singer Beth Orton at the City Recital Hall – not so great as she mumbled and we couldn’t hear the words.
Fatoumata Diawara was wonderful. 
Amazingly beautiful singer from Mali with a great little band. “Fatoumata Diawara blends jazz and blues with the traditional Wassoulou music of her Malian parents to create her own contemporary folk sound.” She had the whole of the Spiegeltent rocking. Bruce Elder, a friend and colleague from the Sydney Morning Herald was there reviewing. We had a good chat with him before the event and he gave Fatoumata a great review in the paper.
Then it was ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore at the Sydney Theatre. Top-class production, riveting and enjoyable. The festival website says: “Cheek By Jowl, one of the world’s great theatre companies, returns to Jacobean tragedy with a new production of John Ford’s ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore. In this violent and bloody drama, we watch a brother and sister’s passionate descent into hell. It is the vision of Britain’s renowned artistic team, director Declan Donnellan and designer Nick Ormerod.”
Off to the main Spiegeltent in Hyde Park to see Amiina. “Amiina deliver an aural treat, creating a dreamy, enigmatic and precisely organised chaos. A must for fans of the beauty and subtlety of contemporary Icelandic music.” I didn’t know a lot about Icelandic music, but this was amazing – whalesong meets tubular bells. They played the saw for a haunting wailing sound and added plucked strings from what looked like tiny autoharps.
It has been raining for weeks here, but we managed to stay dry and even eat and drink outside around the venues. Great atmosphere. More culture to come.
