Iconoclastic guitarist and songwriter Kaki King presents the final touring cycle of her immersive multimedia work 'The Neck Is A Bridge To The Body'.
'The Neck Is A Bridge To The Body', released as an album in 2015, is Kaki's reinterpretation of the role of the live solo performer that sees her relinquishing control over the guitar and allowing it to speak for itself. “I perform as a character that is at the behest of the guitar,” Kaki explains.
“So the guitar says 'jump' and I say 'how high?', basically. The concept, if there's one thing to nail it down, is that the guitar is now represented visually the way it has always been a part of my life, which is that the guitar dictates what I do and not the other way around.”
The conceptual basis for the show stems from Kaki's own, evolving relationship with the instrument that has been a defining symbol of her art and professional career. “After playing guitar for this long and having it be part of my life for this long it is something that I have very little control over,” she says.
“I don't mean that in a very spiritual way, I mean it in a practical way that I've been playing for so long and I know the way I play so well and the guitar knows it too that the guitar takes the lead.
“So there's a representation of that in the show where I take a backseat; I'm in costume, I'm wearing sunglasses and I'm mutely interacting with the audience in a way that I seem to be confused as to why they're even there but the guitar is the one that is really controlling everything.
"The guitar has all the power and I have the humility to approach it in a way that's not 'do as I say' - it's more like 'hey, what are we going to do now?'”
Bringing 'The Neck Is A Bridge To The Body' to Australia serves as a highlight for Kaki, who holds an exceptionally high opinion of Australian audiences and their innate love for live music in all its forms.
“I've said this many times, but the kind of audience that you receive in Australia where people are so sophisticated and aware – there's so much theatre in Oz – they're aware of what's out there, what's happening and they're really tuned in.
“Then at the same time they're so ebullient about their love for music and willing to spend so much time, energy and money on going to festivals and discovering new artists.
“I think Australia always has a finger on the pulse and it's for those reasons that this show is honestly made for an Australian audience, especially with some of the places we're getting to play.”
Kaki King Australia Tour 2018
9-10 Aug - Sydney Guitar FestivalSat 11 Aug - Adelaide Guitar Festival
Sun 12 Aug - Rosemount Hotel (Perth)
Mon 13 Aug - Melbourne Recital Centre
Thu 16 Aug - Byron Bay Theatre
Fri 17 Aug - Brisbane Powerhouse
Sat 18 Aug - Blue Mountains Theatre
Sun 19 Aug - Lizotte's (Newcastle)
