It’s been 50 days since South Australia, and the rest of the country, was forced to essentially ban all live performances to flatten the curve of COVID-19. While various streaming initiatives and a handful of new releases have helped some artists keep their heads above water, you could almost be forgiven for temporarily forgetting the depth and breadth of musical talent that resides in our city.
To help remind you what Adelaide’s musicians look like, and offer a welcome break from your usual COVID-19 routine, Music SA have commissioned local artist Owen Lindsay to create an illustrated tribute to the local music scene featuring 90 Adelaide acts and 8 beloved, if temporarily closed, music venues cryptically embedded across a streetscape scene.
“We just thought this would be a great opportunity to entertain folk at home who are currently self-isolating, as well as keeping SA music in the forefront of everyone’s mind,” Music SA CEO explains. “The collaboration with Owen has also been important, as visual artists and graphic designers all play an important role in the live music scene with poster designs, album covers, and branding; it’s all very relevant to putting on gigs in Adelaide.”
“Over the years, I’ve done album covers and gig posters for a few local bands,” Lindsay says. “This big, crazy illustration was a lot of fun to do, particularly coming up with some of the more convoluted references.”
Music fans are invited to identify as many artists as possible and submit their findings through the Music SA website, with 10 signed block mounted prints of the work up for grabs for the most successful sleuths.
And we’ve gotta say, while the likes of Sia Furler, the UFO that graces the roof of the Grace Emily Hotel and a City of Churches-appropriate religious trifecta of Sister Janet Mead, Where’s The Pope and The Superjesus are fairly easy to spot… this is proving much harder than it looks.
Walter is a writer and editor living on Kaurna Country.
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