As a change to NSW festival licensing stops 17-year-olds from going to Splendour in the Grass unless chaperoned by an adult, Guardian Australia staff reflect on their own music gig supervision – or lack thereof
The world tells you Nick Drake was a sad man. But Hazey Jane II is a happy song, I promise. Sure there are themes of isolation and alienation. And some of the lyrics scream âanxiety!â.But also there are horns, a twanginâ electric guitar and suggestions on how to move through the world â like:
âTake a little while to grow your brotherâs hairâ or
âTake a little while to find your way in hereâ. And
I think thatâs nice. â
Joe Koning
Nothing tickles my fancy more than a super upbeat tune with truly depressing lyrics. Sheâs giving him the runaround, never answering his calls, and heâs begging her for love while sheâs always just letting him down â and you just bop along like itâs the happiest song on earth. (Love Really Hurts Without You is another absolute banger in this category.) â
Last modified on Mon 3 May 2021 00.31 EDT
Rage is a good place to start
After being cancelled last year due to the pandemic, 2021âs Sydney writersâ festival began with fury: an opening address shared by Melissa Lucashenko, Tara June Winch and Evelyn Araluen, and taken by all three as an opportunity to advocate for justice. As Araluen put it: âAboriginal women know what it is to be silenced, ignored or wilfully misinterpreted by those who do not wish to hear what needs to be said.â
Lucashenko told a parable which had at its core the damage wrought by gentrification, as it âhits country NSW like a freight trainâ. Winch, stuck in France with a tab open on the Stranded Aussies forum, gave a forceful speech about how Australia looks from afar â violent, racist and in denial â and how uncomfortable it feels for her to be grouped into the âidentity crisisâ that is âAussieâ in the first place.
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Your support of our work is inspiring and invaluable. / Trust Me, I’m an Expert: How Augmented Reality May One Day Make Music a Visual, Interactive Experience
Trust Me, I’m an Expert: How Augmented Reality May One Day Make Music a Visual, Interactive Experience
Music is ingrained in so many aspect of our lives, but it’s also the subject of a significant body of academic work.
You probably heard your first strains of music when you were in utero. From then on it’s helped you learn, helped you relax, hyped you up, helped you work, helped you exercise, helped you celebrate and helped you grieve.