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Events: Canberra Art Biennial at NFSA Acton

Celebrate Canberra Art Biennial at the NFSA with a new commission from Bronte Cormican-Jones and a curated events program. Exhibiting until 20 October, Of line, of light acts at once as a collection of two-dimensional drawings in space and three-dimensional sculptures, coming alive at night.

7.00pm October 12, Ghost in the Shell (1995), tickets
5.00pm October 23, Free movement workshop, register

In collaboration with Canberra Art Biennial and Canberra Glassworks.
Image: Kevin Miller, Canberra Art Biennial

Email: [email protected]

Address:
National Film and Sound Archive of Australia
McCoy Circuit, Acton

Phone: 1800 067 274

Only Everything

Immerse yourself in Only Everything, a profound musical “dramedy” that weaves a tale of love, second chances, and the intricate dynamics of blending families. This autobiographical narrative, inspired by its creators’ true stories, delves deep into the emotional landscape of two souls seeking connection amidst the trials of their personal histories.

Directed by 2023 Standing Ovation Award winner Rachel Thornton, Only Everything features a powerful new score, passionately brought to life by the on-stage band, led by the award-winning Nicholas Griffin (Best Music Director, 2020 BroadwayWorld Awards for The Life Of Us).

Book here.

Website: https://onlyeverythingmusical.com/

Email: [email protected]

Address:
Canberra Theatre Centre

Bondi Cigars

When the Bondi Cigars were first gigging around Sydney, late 1989, they moved in a blues/R&B circuit which, while robust enough since the 60s, had then been sparked into new life by the ‘blues revival’ of the mid-80’s, spearheaded by Robert Cray, Joe Louis Walker, Stevie Ray Vaughan and similar crusaders. And while many of the Sydney bands from that era have vanished, become historical footnotes or undergone major changes, the Cigars – true survivors – have battled on, without ever compromising their distinctive no nonsense style, to become a leading force in Australian R&B.

Always one of the country’s hardest working outfits (on the road more than off), the Cigars have kept their music tight, hard-driving and down-to-earth: the Australian bar band par excellence.

8:00pm (doors 7pm), tickets

Email: [email protected]

Address:
Harmonie German Club,
49 Jerrabomberra Avenue, Narrabundah

Live at the NFSA: Robin Fox: Triptych

The award-winning audio-visual experience from Australian artist and composer Robin Fox: lose yourself in simultaneous sound and light as Fox crafts an immersive blend of live electronic music and laser projections.

The latest work from Australian artist and composer Robin Fox, Triptych unites his two creative passions: electronic music and audio-visual mechanical synaesthesia. A marriage of sound and light, this immersive audio-visual experience uses custom-built hardware to create simultaneous sound from laser projections. The resulting audio-visual synchesis is nested within the vast soundscapes and raw voltage glitch composition that distinguish Fox’s work in the experimental electronic music world.

Triptych is influenced by the pioneering work of Polish émigré artist Stanislaus ‘Stan’ Ostoja-Kotkowski, who spent decades creating instruments and installations that treated sound and light as equal parts of a whole. Uniquely mapped to each performance venue, Triptych is an intentionally somatic work that can only be experienced in person; an invitation to community in the face of digital isolationism.

7.30pm Friday 18 October
8.00pm Saturday 19 October
Tickets

Email: [email protected]

Address:
National Film and Sound Archive of Australia
McCoy Circuit, Acton

Phone: 1800 067 274

Velvet Parade, Voodoo Acid Space Kings, Krampus

Mixed Bill Madness are excited to be back for our 6th mixed bill show.

Velvet Parade are fronted by musician/actor Ripley Hood (Green/Lime Spiders, Mushroom Planet et al) and have been described as a brand of Australian Gothic. Backseat Mafia magazine says “Antipodean genetic particles can be detected floating in the half light – a little Nick Cave, a little Dave Graney, a dash of The Triffids and Cousin Tony, with some hints of others like Tindersticks. You get the picture: theatrical, luscious and dark, a vampire presence and a rich, decadent opulence. All the trappings of an hedonistic existence, posed and exhilarating.

Voodoo Acid Space Kings are a band that combine sub genres of heavy music. You could describe it as Prog Stoner Doom Psych Metal.

Krampus are Canberra’s finest purveyors of grinchcore, a subgenre of blackened death doom metal with grinchy vibes.

6.00-9.00pm, tickets

Email: [email protected]

Address:
Smiths Alternative
Alinga St

Phone: 0491082418

Canberra Blues Society October Pro Blues Jam

Johnny Reynolds has an impressive background as an international performer for the past 40 (plus)years starting in the Dublin circuit in 1982. His credits include joining BB King on stage at the National Stadium in Dublin 1985, touring Ireland with The Karen Coleman Band, and The Rob Strong Band, touring Europe and Ireland and sharing The Gothenberg Rock Festival bill with such giants as Deep Purple, Georgie Fame, The Kinks and Zak Wilde. Johnny went on to join acclaimed Dublin outfit ‘The International Blues Band’ who toured in the UK, Canada and Ireland, where they supported James Brown at the Point Depot in Dublin! In 1997 he formed The Johnny Reynolds Band playing mainly original material from the blues/rock genre.

The host band will be followed by some of the finest musicians in the region jamming together for a great afternoon of live blues music. So bring your family, bring your friends and don’t forget your dancing shoes.

1.00-4.30pm, tickets

Address:
Harmonie German Club, Narrabundah

Conder Wetlands Planting Day

Come join Southern ACT Catchment Group for a planting event at Conder Wetlands and help create a healthy waterway habitat for frogs, small birds, reptiles and insects. No need to register, just show up!

10.00am to 12.00pm

Website: https://www.sactcg.org.au

Email: [email protected]

Address:
Tom Roberts Ave, Conder ACT

Phone: 0262966400

Book Club at the NFSA, The Drover’s Wife + Discussion

MA15+
1984 | 17 mins | 16mm | AUS | D: Sue Brooks
2021 | 108 mins | DCP | AUS | D: Leah Purcell

Published in 1892, The Drover’s Wife is a portrait of isolation in the Australian outback, penned by one of Australia’s most well-known authors. Henry Lawson’s short story has since been extensively adapted, critiqued and reinterpreted, from visual arts to the screen.

Created as part of her studies at the Australian Film, Television and Radio School (AFTRS), Sue Brooks’ short film uses the myth of the drover's wife to explore the portrayal of women – or lack thereof – in Australia’s cultural history. Brooks’ film is based on Murray Bail’s short story adaptation of The Drover’s Wife, and draws on the Russell Drysdale painting of the same name.

Meanwhile, writer/director and creative powerhouse Leah Purcell offers her own reimagining in the feature film The Drover’s Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson. Purcell also stars as the titular Molly, a heavily pregnant woman pushed to her limits and isolated in the remote high country of colonial New South Wales. Originally adapted for the stage, Purcell’s interpretation invites contemporary audiences to see Lawson’s classic story through First Nations and feminist lenses.

‘…a powerful, and still quite rare, view on the fraught founding of contemporary Australia as told from a woman’s perspective, by a woman filmmaker’ – TimeOut

The screening will be followed by a discussion of the films and Henry Lawson’s short story The Drover’s Wife with actor, writer and director Leah Purcell AM.

1.00pm, tickets

Email: [email protected]

Address:
National Film and Sound Archive of Australia
McCoy Circuit, Acton ACT 2601

Phone: 1800 067 274

Eric Idle, Always Look on the Bright Side of Life

Prepare for an evening of laughter and nostalgia with the incomparable Eric Idle as he presents his one-man musical extravaganza: Always Look on the Bright Side of Life, Live! Join us at Llewellyn Hall for a show that combines humour, music, and a lifetime of unforgettable stories.

8:00pm, tickets

Address:
Llewellyn Hall, ANU

Professor Alice Roberts, from Cell to Civilisation

This is the story of us. Our story started 3.8 billion years ago. Who are we? Where do we come from? What does it mean to be human?

By peering deep into our past and dragging clues out into the light, science can now provide us with some of the answers to the questions that people have always asked. From the first spark of life on earth 3.8 billion years ago, we can track the evolution and connectivity of all living things.

Join Professor Alice Roberts to follow in the footsteps of our ancestors from Africa into Asia and around the Indian coastline, to Australia, north into Europe and Siberia, and, eventually, to the last continents to be peopled: the Americas.

7:30pm, tickets

Address:
Llewellyn Hall,
Acton

Blues Piano Night @ The Zeppelin Room

It’s back! One of the most popular events in the Canberra Blues calendar – This time Blues Piano Night will feature FIVE different players, playing solo and together, offering the audience different takes on the many genres of blues piano styles. Our world class line-up - Jan Preston, Don Hopkins, Carolyn “Pinecone” Packer, John Black & Ali Penney are signed up and ready to bring you all the blues piano goodness they can muster! Don’t miss this show.

8:00pm (doors 7:00pm), tickets

Email: [email protected]

Address:
Harmonie German Club
49 Jerrabomberra Ave, Narrabundah

Phone: 0419607710

Hoodoo Gurus: Back to the Stoneage

Originally released in March 1984, Stoneage Romeos, was the Gurus’ debut album and featured the hits Leilani, Tojo, My Girl and I Want You Back. It reached #29 on the Australian Album Chart and the album went on to win Best Debut Album at the 1984 Countdown Awards. Stoneage Romeos has consistently appeared in the Top 10 on almost every Top 50 and Top 100 Australian album lists. The Back to the Stoneage 2024 national tour will see the band play the Stoneage Romeos album in full followed by a selection of hit songs and album tracks.

With special guests Spy V Spy.

7:30pm, tickets

Address:
Llewellyn Hall, ANU

19-Twenty: A Xmas Party

Canberra Blues Society proudly presents 19-Twenty: A Xmas Party. 19-Twenty have been whipping up a frenzy on the festival scene. They are electric. An infectious riff and groove based blue-billy-grass-rockin'-roots band. At its core, 19-Twenty is a band that thrives on live performance, where their chemistry and charisma truly shine. Their dedication to their craft and commitment to delivering unforgettable live shows has garnered them a loyal fan base and critical acclaim. Whether you're a blues aficionado, a roots enthusiast, or simply looking for a night of high-energy music, 19-Twenty is a band that promises to leave you wanting more.

Organise your Xmas party group now.

8:00pm (Doors 7pm), tickets

Email: [email protected]

Address:
Harmonie German Club
49 Jerrabomberra Ave, Narrabundah

Phone: 0419607710

Vargas Blues Band Australian Tour 2025

He has been called a ‘living legend on the electric guitar’, the “King of the Latin blues”, a “guitar blues player of another dimension”. And this is perhaps an understatement for Javier Vargas, the most acclaimed Blues and Blues Rock guitarist from Spain, founder of the Vargas Blues Band, with 8 platinum discs for sales records in Europe and America and approaching 30 albums released since 1991. Join us for a live and vibrant blues and blues rock performance by Vargas Blues Band on their first tour down under!

8:00pm, tickets

Website: https://roblespromoters.com/tour

Email: [email protected]

Address:
Harmonie German Club
49 Jerrabomberra Ave, Narrabundah

Phone: 0401632070