The friendly, uke-loving group, The Wheatsheaf Ukulele Collective is set to treat Adelaide Fringe audiences with a new repertoire of one-hit wonders with their live show, 'Do Uke Remember?'.
Ria Loof, singer and ukulele player, is excited that The Collective will be a part of the action at the Fringe for a seventh time. “It’s a genuinely amazing time of year if you’re in Adelaide,” she says.
“The whole city comes alive and there’s just so much to do and see.”
Ria is confident the band will surprise punters with songs they don’t even remember loving, until they hear the short-lived hits again, ukulele-style. “It’s these memorable songs, where people don’t even know who the act was,” she says.
“They’ve just come in and sprinkled a little bit of magic in one song, and then they’re forgotten. It’s unbelievable how many one-hit wonders are out there, and they’re really, really well-known songs!”
Ria, who has been with The Wheatsheaf Ukulele Collective since 2011, credits the band’s consistent presence at the festival for the two dates that it has already sold out this year.
“We just kept on going back and back and doing it, and the audiences that came to the first show, they had such a good time that they spread the word, and it’s just a roll-on like that,” she says. “I think that over the years, they know that they’re guaranteed a good time.”
The band always consider their audience when constructing their set.
Leaving no genre unexplored, The Wheatsheaf Ukulele Collective have covered songs in the past that range from Michael Jackson to Metallica, Britney Spears to Fleetwood Mac, breaking down common perceptions of the humble uke’s versatility. “It’s kind of like a surprise instrument,” Ria says.
“We revel in the fact that we have had different songs in the past that people will kind of go: 'No! Really? On a ukulele? How can you do that on a ukulele?'”
The singer is animated and clearly passionate about the musical potential of the uke; currently the group has nine players on the roster, including a ukulele bassist. Together, the members manipulate their instruments using pedals and intricate string work to put a new twist on contemporary and classic musical hits.
The Wheatsheaf Hotel is the perfect make-shift living room for the Collective to share their experiments. Ria calls the pub a “hub” and “spiritual home” for the group, who usually rehearse at the venue and like the inclusiveness of its stage.
“It’s very comfortable for the audience and the audience interaction,” she says. “There’s no pretence or a ‘this is us, you are them’ kind of thing. It’s very inclusive and relaxed.
“Generally it works out to be amazing, especially some of these epic songs we’ve done in the past, [like] 'Sweet Child Of Mine', and we love to make our audiences giggle.”
