New Orleans: The Big Easy, Crescent City, The City That Care Forgot or, quite simply, NOLA.
Whatever you call it, New Orleans is perhaps known for one thing better than anything else: Mardi Gras, with its colourful parades and all-night parties that seem to envelop the city in an intoxicating cloud of music and celebration.
Adelaide gets a little taste of the New Orleans nightlife with NOLA at Nexus presented by Nexus Arts. It’s a New Orleans musical feast featuring Chris Weber’s Banksia Orchestra and Melbourne outfit Horns Of Leroy.
“We want to bring that New Orleans spirit to Adelaide, especially before the silly season as well with the [Fringe] festival.”
But the highlight of the evening will be the second-line parade led by musical vanguard Adam Page.
“I’m putting together the final group, which is essentially going to be a group that I lead called the Piping Shrike Brass Band and it’s actually going to be the maiden voyage gig of this particular group,” Adam says.
“What we’re doing that’s very different but also in the style of NOLA is to invite members of the audience to bring instruments, or if they don’t play anything bring a pot or pan or a tambourine, and a part of the evening is basically learning this really simple piece of music I’ve written, which we’ll then take to the streets in the true NOLA second-line spirit.”
In the tradition of the iconic, vibrant street parades that New Orleans is so well-known, the second-line is the part of the parade that follows the main-line musicians and is made up of anyone who wants to join in, be it by playing an instrument or just dancing along.
“When I was New Orleans a couple of years ago for Mardi Gras it was great,” Adam says.
“We were riding around and saw that the Treme Brass Band was walking down the road so we put our bikes down, joined the second-line and just danced, and it was fantastic.
“[NOLA At Nexus] is not just for people that will bring an instrument; hopefully we’re going to get some attachments as we move through the streets heading back to Nexus.
"It’s around the same time as Fat Tuesday in New Orleans, which is Mardi Gras day, and basically the people that have organised it have a strong connection with New Orleans where a few of us have been there for Mardi Gras and we just love it, we love the spirit.”
‘NOLA At Nexus’ brings The Big Easy spirit into town just before Adelaide Fringe kicks off, a perfect way to welcome the month of madness that is Fringe season.
For Adam, it’s a chance to indulge in what has become for him a cultural passion. “This kind of thing doesn’t happen in Adelaide,” he says, “so we really want to kick it off and bring that New Orleans spirit to Adelaide, especially before the silly season as well with the [Fringe] festival.
“I think it’s a great way to do it, where we have three different New Orleans-themed bands playing on the same night and just getting people excited for the music.”
