A songwriter’s circle sounds like a forbidden zone — a creative space for artists and poets to interweave their magic.
Chanel Lucas of Women In Docs fame has merged creative forces with Brisbane’s best female songwriters – including Mardi Lumsden, Lucinda Johnson (better known as O Little Sister), Kristy Apps and Hailey Calvert – to showcase an intimate and personal songwriter’s circle; each playing songs unplugged, on stage, together, engaging with the audience and each other in an improvised and relaxed setting. “That’s the traditional type circle,” Chanel says.
“We’re putting a bit of a twist on it for the Brisbane Fringe Festival and asking songwriters to not only play their original work, but play the first song they ever wrote, the first song they ever played in public, and a song that inspired them to become a songwriter.”
With such an array of different performers the results are expected to be hilarious or astounding, introspective or illuminating. “It can be very revealing and it definitely gives a bit of insight as to why they are the songwriters they are today in terms of style and content. The first song vibe hopes to bring it back to the original inspirations and influences to reveal a little backstory even if that doesn’t match up to what they play today – I’ve been to shows like this before and someone who’s famous for pop music is on stage playing a cover version of John Denver. Sometimes it can be surprising and hilarious and a real eye opener.”
The intimate vibe of the songwriter’s circle allows a different, unrehearsed and unexpected show every time. “It makes for a really interesting concert because you're not just watching one act on stage for 30 or 40 minutes. There are three or four different people all on stage together, bouncing off each other; often one song will lead to someone else's song and people end up jamming in on each others song… It all turns into a bit of a story.”
So get out and along to the shows; you might even catch Chanel playing ‘Drunken Sailor’. “It was the first song I ever learnt on guitar, I was five so don’t hold me to that.”
‘Songwriters Circle: West End Girls’ takes place at The Bearded Lady August 20 & 27.
