Forget about Michael Meyers and movie monsters, because the real horrors lie closer to home in the seemingly innocent streets of Australian suburbia. Or at least that’s what the architects of ‘Suburban Gothic’ want you to believe.
From the creators of the award-winning show 'The Beautiful Losers', ‘Suburban Gothic’ is a no holds barred, black comedy that attempts to shine a satirical light on some of Australia’s biggest social issues.
Accompanied by a three-piece band, performers Karlis Zaid, Mark Jones (who also forms part of the band as the show's piano player) and Aurora Kurth use a combination of original songs and spoken word to take the audience on a hellish journey into the lives of some very questionable suburban inhabitants.
The 9 June show at The Blue Room began promisingly, with a hilarious song/ skit about a young couple lost in a strange suburb.
But from there it went downhill; what followed was an hour-long procession of hit and miss songs that were – in my opinion – more miss than hit.
‘Suburban Gothic’ features an array of songs about controversial topics including date rape, domestic violence, suicide, racism and murder; and those with a sensitive disposition may find the content distressing.
There are moments of light-hearted humour; the songs about the trials of a suburban vampire and the misunderstood artistry of a street flasher were absolute gems.
As a trio, Karlis, Mark and Aurora have fantastic chemistry and their powerhouse voices complement each other beautifully creating a harmony which is pleasant to listen to even if the song's content isn’t.
‘Suburban Gothic’ is one of those shows that you will either love or hate (depending on your sense of humour).
