Whereabouts

whereabouts is a review series about the places that art has taken us, whether exhibition, performance, book or film

 
 
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Jodie Whalen This love is huge
Campbelltown Arts Centre Saturday 17 October, 2015
Susie Anderson.

For once I found myself actually present. I think it was the humanness of this performance. Jodie’s declarations through song made me laugh, cry and cringe. Thinking about Talia’s boyfriend Billy playing the guitar accompaniment (he was so good at it), weirdly feeling proud of him, happy for both of them, so proud of and impressed by Jodie. I teared up a few times because it was so honest. It was brave of Jodie to sing, to let everyone watch; brave of Heath to sit there and let himself by serenaded. At other times in my life I may have felt sad and deficient because I don’t have the kind of huge love that they have, but something about the joy and whimsy – conveyed through Jodie’s princess-like dress, our party poppers and the hundreds of balloons imprinted with Heath’s face swaying above the audience ready to drop – made it feel completely wonderful, inclusive. I think because like Heath, we were seeing it for the first time.
 

 
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Bree van Reyck Massive band
Campbelltown Arts Centre Saturday 17 October, 2015
Susie Anderson.

This took me back in time to when I used to perform in school band. End of year concerts or big gigs that the teachers agreed to do for arts festivals in town that only stressed them out. Watching all the girls in their different sections I really felt for the woodwind and brass, because in big arrangements of modern songs their parts tend to be overlooked and drowned out by the noisier instruments. Especially felt for the trumpet players because high school trumpeters aren’t half as loud as the arrangements need them to be. Having said that, I felt so much joy radiating from this massive band and again was nearly in tears. The songs they chose were simultaneously cool and embarrassing, but the overriding feeling was that it was just fun, and each performer’s enjoyment reached the audience. Also, the idea of being a young girl and getting to play alongside established musicians filled me with so much joy. There was so much power emanating from that band of girls.