Tag: Australia Day

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Free Concerts for Australia Day

What are you doing this Australia Day? Sure you could celebrate with a barbeque like last year, but with so many free concerts happening around the country there’s no reason to stay in!

Australia Day Live – Parliament House, Canberra
Technically this show is the day before, but the line-up is so fantastic it deserves a mention. From 6:30 pm acts like Jessica Mauboy, Natalie Bassingthwaighte, Dan Kelly, Wendy Matthews, Gurrumul, and Brian Cadd, will play Parliament House. Pre-show entertainment starts at 3:30 so arrive early to get a good spot!

Rocksong Festival – The Rocks, Sydney
More than 70 of this country’s finest singers and songwriters will play across nine stages in The Rocks. From 11 am to 9 pm you can see big name acts like Christine Anu, Holly Throsby, Kid Confucius, The Herd, and Tina Harrod.

James Morrison – Kings Domain Gardens, Melbourne
Australia’s iconic jazz trumpeter James Morrison will play a free show in the gardens from 12:30 pm. If you’ve never seen James live you don’t want to miss this.

Survival 2009 – Fremantle Park, Fremantle
This Aboriginal cultural festival features performances by Fitzroy Xpress Yabu Band, Abmusic Band, and indigenous dancers and performers. Join in the fun from 1 pm.

Australia Day Concert – South Bank Piazza, Brisbane
Finish off Australia Day with performances by Clare Bowditch, The Gin Club, and Gentle Ben and his Sensitive Side. It all kicks off at 7:30 pm, but with acts like this you’ll want to arrive early for a good view.

A Day on the Beach – Kingston Beach, Tasmania
There’s not a lot happening in Tassie, but some local bands will play at A Day on the Beach. The event, which starts at 10 am, also features sand castle competitions, water and beach sports, a kids gym, a treasure hunt, and an old fashioned Aussie BBQ. It sounds like fun!

Australia Day Concert – Elder Park, Adelaide
From 10 am Adelaide will celebrate Australia Day with a massive free concert. Lee Kernaghan will headline the show, which also features All Stars, Acoustic Juice, and Patrick McMahon. There’ll also be face painting and other kids activities, making this event one for the whole family.

Image source: Euthman @ Flickr

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Wendy Matthews Plays Free Australia Day Show

Ring in Australia Day with a free concert by one of our favorite entertainers. Wendy Matthews will perform on the steps of Canberra’s Parliament House for nix. Around 30, 000 proud Aussies are expected to attend the January 26 show.

Expect to hear songs from Wendy’s new album She, a celebration of songs by strong female performers like Chrissie Hynde, Joni Mitchell, Bonnie Raitt, and Aretha Franklin.

“These artists and songs meant a lot to me growing up,” explained Wendy. “They were strong women who used their personal suffering to create songs of such depth and beauty.”

If you can’t get to Canberra to see Wendy’s Australia Day show you can catch her at the following venues this month.

14 January 2009 – Friends Restaurant, Perth
15 January 2009 – Café Bouvard, Mandurah
16 January 2009 – Charles Hotel, Perth
17 January 2009 – Mundaring Weir Beer Garden, Perth
18 January 2009 – Bridgetown Hotel

Image source: Wendy Matthews image gallery

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Aussie Aussie Aussie!

In honour of Australia Day I figured I’d put together a collection of some of my favourite patriotic songs. They’re all very different, but they have one thing in common: they were written by proud Australians who weren’t afraid to let the world know they love their country. So grab a beer, put another snag on the barbie and sing along!

I barely recognise Richard Clapton in this clip for “Down in the Lucky Country!” Just ignore the naff special effects and join in with the chorus.

OK, so technically Christina Anu wrote “My Island Home” about Torres Strait rather than Australia generally, but it’s since been adopted as an unofficial anthem. A beautiful song, and a beautiful performance on SBS’s Rockwiz.

Speaking of unofficial anthems, they don’t get much bigger than “I Still Call Australia Home.” I’d really hoped to find a video of the original Peter Allen version, or even Hugh Jackman’s Broadway performance, but Guy Sebastian’s jazzy take will have to do. I saw The Boy from Oz when I was in New York, and I have never felt more proud to be an Australian as I did when this song was performed.