Melbourne Recital Centre will be taken over by the Festival of Jewish Arts and Music (previously Shir Madness) – a celebration of contemporary Jewish culture – on Sunday September 8. There’ll be plenty of live music, talks and a storytelling slam.
The festival has a strong music focus. International headliners include Israeli beat maker and producer Noga Erez, and American singer-songwriter Chris Cohen, formerly of the band Deerhood. And for the festival’s headline performance, Transformer – A Tribute to Lou Reed, indie-pop artist Gabriella Cohen and Kate Dillon (Full Flower Moon Band) will direct a performance of Reed’s iconic album Transformer by artists such as Chris Cohen, Alex Gow (Oh Mercy), Emily Lubitz (Tinpan Orange), Bella Venuti (IV League), Spike Fuck and ARIA-winning post-punk legend Deborah Conway.
Another performance, Song of Songs, will pay tribute to legendary Jewish songwriters and composers such as Leonard Cohen, Paul Simon and Carole King. On the line-up are Paul Kelly, Vika Bull, Kate Ceberano, Clare Bowditch, Harry James Angus, Lisa Mitchell and more.
Check the information out on Broadsheet.