Street parties, Archie Roach and a record-setting mural as Umbrella: Winter City Sounds returns

As in previous years, the festival operates on a Fringe-like open access model, with musicians and venues able to register their own shows alongside a handful of curated events and mini-festivals supported by Music SA, the City of Adelaide and the state government.

Legendary songwriter Archie Roach will headline Umbrella’s Topham Mall opening night party on July 12, with the Charcoal Lane singer joined by South Australian talent including Ollie English, Corey Theatre, Alana Jagt and Nathan May. Theatre will also appear at ‘Down By The River’, a July 27 showcase of Indigenous voices and stories at Tandanya featuring Frank Yama and Vonda Last.

UPDATE: Due to inclement weather the Umbrella opening night party has been relocated to Lion Arts Factory.

Blues rock outfit Kingswood will headline west end street party ‘Cry Baby Fest’ on July 20, with the Solomon Street bar forming the epicentre of a five band concert with pop up stalls, food and an outdoor bar. Multi-venue industry celebration Scouted will also return in 2019, relocating back to the east end with stages at the Crown and Anchor, The Stag, The Exeter and Sugar Nightclub set to host emerging acts including Towns, Elsy and Ricky Albeck & The Belair Line Band.

Launched in March, the newly formed Adelaide chapter of the international Girls Rock! movement will mount its first school holiday camp in July, culminating in a July 20 showcase gig at UniBar ADL as part of Umbrella. With the camp including a focus on matching up young female and non-binary musicians with their peers, the show will give  newly formed groups their first moment in the spotlight.

New initiatives include ‘The Producer Series’, which will see Adelaide synth connoisseur Luke Million craft new tracks in a recreated ‘bedroom studio’. But, in a hat tip to Regurgitator and Channel V’s 2004 Band In A Bubble experiment, that studio will be set up in a transparent box placed in the heart of Rundle Mall.

The festival will also see the unveiling of a special ‘City of Music’-inspired mural by Adelaide artist Dave Court. The Morphett Street-facing mural will be the largest in Adelaide’s CBD, and help draw attention to the city’s west end as a hub for music and creative expression, with Lion Arts Factory, Nexus Arts and a number of art and music spaces coexisting within a few streets. A short documentary on the mural’s creation will also be screened as part of music video competition Clip Combat! On July 18.

View the full Umbrella: Winter City Sounds program here

Umbrella: Winter City Sounds
July 12 – 28
umbrellaadelaide.com.au

Header image:
Lewis Brideson