It was around this time last year that the coronavirus pandemic started to hit Australia and a number of shows at the Brunswick Music Festival were cancelled. Thankfully this year the festival has been able to go ahead despite a short five-day lockdown in Melbourne in mid-February.
On Saturday night I met up with Belinda at Howler to see the sold out Joelistics Presents Film School album launch. As with other recent gigs we sat in chairs set up on the floor of the bandroom. The opening acts were DJ Paso Bionic and Beatrice (Haiku Hands/Kardajala Kirridarra), who did a set of ethereal sounding electronic music along with some great visuals behind her. When Joel came out on stage he told us to sit back and relax into the show, which was a collaboration with other musicians and artists. The members of the band jammed and improvised with each other as film clips played behind them and contemporary dancers performed on the floor and stage. It was a really interesting and special show and we both felt it was almost something you would expect to see at the Arts Centre.
Tonight Ash and I headed to the recently opened Brunswick Artists' Bar (downstairs from the Brunswick Ballroom) on Sydney Road to see Loretta & Her Boyfriends. We managed to grab a couple chairs to cram into the small, intimate space. Loretta Miller (Jazz Party) and her bandmates played two sets of songs from some of her favorite female jazz and blues singers, including Peggy Lee, Nina Simone, Sarah Vaughan, Julia Lee and Patsy Cline. They appropriately finished the evening with the song "Last Call (For Alcohol)." It was an entertaining night and nice to be able to check out the renovations to the venue.
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