Melbourne Park fans will enjoy a new era and fan experiences, with global ticketing company AXS now the precinct’s official ticketing provider.

Located next to Rod Laver Arena, the AXS Fan Hub will be open seven days a week.

The Hub will offer merchandise, promotions and new ways for fans to engage with Melbourne Park.

AXS provides ticketing and live event technology for some of the world’s biggest venues and events including The O2 in London, T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and Coachella.

It will also be the official ticketing partner for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The partnership will introduce new digital services to make ticketing easier and more accessible.

It will also streamline ticket purchases and improve the experience for fans across Melbourne Park.

AXS will sponsor the seven sporting teams based at Melbourne Park, strengthening its partnership with the precinct and Victorian sport.

Melbourne Park is a major driver of Victoria’s visitor economy, generating more than $1.5 billion in 2025.

In addition to the Australian Open, Melbourne Park attracted 2.7 million visitors to 455 events last year.

This included more than 470,000 interstate and international visitors and 359,000 visitors from regional Victoria.

Events at Melbourne Park generated 1.2 million hotel bed nights across Victoria while the precinct generated $1.34 billion in Gross State Product and supported more than 13,500 jobs.

The partnership builds on Melbourne Park’s role as one of Australia’s leading sport and entertainment precincts with a year-round calendar of major sporting events, concerts and entertainment.

Victoria’s new acoustic cameras are a step closer to hitting the streets.

A local company will deliver the technology that will help catch illegally loud vehicles.

South Melbourne company SenSen will deliver the EPA’s two-year acoustic camera trial following an international tender process.

The first four cameras will be rolled out across Port Phillip, Casey, Knox and Stonnington councils.

These hi-tech cameras are targeting areas identified as noisy vehicle hotspots using reports from Victoria Police to EPA.

The devices are triggered by excessive vehicle noise, capturing images and registration details that EPA officers can use to identify vehicles for further action.

Owners identified through the cameras can be issued with a notice requiring them to take their vehicle to an accredited facility for noise testing.

If testing finds the vehicle exceeds legal noise limits, the owner must bring it back into compliance.

Those who fail to submit their vehicle for testing or fix an illegally noisy vehicle can face fines of $1,221 for individuals and $6,105 for companies.

The trial will expand from four cameras in its first phase to seven cameras, helping EPA target more noisy vehicle hotspots.

Reports of noisy vehicles have surged in recent years, from 5,404 in 2020-21 to more than 9,100 in 2025-26.

Almost 5,000 noisy vehicle testing notices and 1,222 noisy vehicle infringement notices were issued in the last financial year.

The cameras will complement existing EPA and Victoria Police enforcement, targeting unlawful vehicle noise and road safety offences, and will be on the streets by the end of 2026.

A growing community of readers across Victoria is proving that a love of books can change lives far beyond the page.

These avid bookworms are supporting families who’ve been forced to flee their homes due to disaster or conflict – with every book they read as part of a charity book club.
Carol Forrest, from Fryerstown, pictured, joined the ShelterBox Australia Book Club three years ago, becoming part of a nationwide community of readers committed to making a difference.
Since launching six years ago, the club has helped ShelterBox deliver emergency shelter and essential supplies – including water filters, solar lights, and mosquito nets – to people in crisis around the world.
Carol is a registered nurse turned bookshop owner. She created the Alpine Book Trail, involving 18 second-hand bookshops on the Victorian Alpine circuit and currently has a Street Library.
“I purposely stock global authors and their stories, as I love how a book can transport us to someone else’s reality, simultaneously altering my perspective.
“Joining ShelterBox Book Club made a difference to me as my eyes were opened to the realities of survival and how everyday families’ lives can turn so quickly into chaos. I feel privileged to live where I do and for my families and friends to be safe.”
Members make a small monthly donation to join the club, then choose their own copy of each shortlisted title – borrowing it, buying it, listening to it, or downloading it in whatever format they love.
Every six weeks, the group votes on a new book and comes together online to share reflections, ideas, and conversation.
“All our books have enriched my life and allowed me to deepen my knowledge and understanding. It’s certainly very invigorating to have one’s perspective gently and respectfully turned upside down when another’s perspective is completely different. This is a safe community where I feel empowered to speak and listen.”
Carol’s favourite read so far? Mornings in Jenin by Susan Abulhawa.
“Few books have had such a profound effect on me. Discussing a book this raw and politically charged, requires an immense amount of trust, the ShelterBox Australia Book Club provides a safe and respectful space to do this.”
Recent selections have included powerful voices from Myanmar, and Sudan, mirroring ShelterBox’s work in those regions. After the devastating earthquake in Myanmar, they explored the continent-spanning novel, Latitudes of Longing by Shubhangi Swarup. While ShelterBox responded to displacement in Sudan and neighbouring Chad, readers were immersed in Reem Gaafar’s spectacular Sudanese novel, A Mouth Full of Salt.
ShelterBox specialises in emergency shelter and has supported over three million people in nearly 100 countries. It is currently supporting families displaced by earthquakes in Venezuela and supporting people with shelter and other essential items in Cameroon, Ethiopia, Mozambique and Burkina Faso.
Link: www.shelterboxaustralia.org.au/reading-room/

Does it seem like the world’s gone mad? Too much orange? Jeff Glorfeld has thoughts.

The Sopranos, considered by many critics to be one of the most influential television series ever made, went into production in 1997 and was broadcast in the United States on the HBO cable service from January 10, 1999, to June 10, 2007, comprising 86 episodes in six seasons.
Australian viewers during that time could watch the show on pay-TV services such as Amazon Prime Video or Foxtel Now.
Warning: Readers who may never have watched the series but were intending any day now to sit down and view The Sopranos for the first time, please be advised, the following article references elements of The Sopranos to draw conclusions about the social and political environment in which we live in 2026. Please do not complain to the publishers and editors of this publication about spoilers.
For a while now we’ve been reading news and commentary about an orange-tinted, badly ageing, hysterical politician who has captured an inordinate amount of media coverage by spewing barely comprehensible, hate-filled rhetoric.
Her main target is migrants – the non-white kind, but she pretty much seems to look down her nose at everyone.
Yes, we’re talking here about The Perils of Pauline, not the Disasters of Donny. OK, we really are talking about Donny. It used to be said (maybe it still is?) that when the USA sneezes, the world catches a cold. Remember that one?
Maybe it seems overly facile to blame DJ Trump for Pauline Hanson – after all, she wandered out of Queensland obscurity and into the national conversation in 1996, and by 2001 it appeared her time was up. But in 2016, there she was again, this time as a newly minted senator.
And you know who else arrived onto the global stage like an infestation of Rhinella marina (aka cane toads) in 2016? Of course you do.
But well before any of the events that happened after 2016, The Donald, as he was generally known in the New York media, was little more than a self-promoting real-estate developer who fancied himself a man-about-town playboy.
So, The Sopranos TV series launched in 1999. Here is a partial list of the things that happened to Donald Trump in 1999, generated by Search Assist, the AI feature of the Duck Duck Go search engine:
* He began dating Slovenian model Melania Knauss.
* He finalised his divorce from second wife Marla Maples.
* He featured in a sensational gossip saga in which two former girlfriends vied for his attention.
* He announced his takeover of the Miss USA Pageant, and that he would start a modelling agency.
* He spent months teasing the media about a possible run for president of the US.
Here is where we head into the weeds, out where the buses don’t run.
The Sopranos TV series is based around the life of Tony Soprano, masterfully played by the late James Gandolfini.
Tony is a man of prodigious appetites who calls himself a waste management consultant but who in reality is a chief of a New Jersey organised crime family; his late father was in the mob, his uncle is a gangster, his mother is a bitter, manipulative woman.
Outwardly he leads an unassuming life, with a nice but unpretentious house in the suburbs, and a wife and two children.
Tony runs a crew of men who take care of the day-to-day criminal activities that provide him with an extremely comfortable life: extortion, theft, any number of illegal rackets, even murder.
The members of his gang don’t seem especially smart, but their loyalty to him is absolute, which is really the most important quality any of them possesses.
Tony’s wife, Carmela, brilliantly played by Edie Falco, holds his home and family together while he spends his days managing his criminal enterprise. She knows how her husband makes a living, and that he is a serial cheater, that he has sex with any number of other women.
A Catholic, she confesses her shame to a priest, that she knows her husband does bad things, and she admits that she stays with him because she enjoys the material comforts he provides for herself and their children.
Now here’s where we try to square the circle. In every instance where we refer to Tony, as in Soprano, substitute the name Donald, as in Trump. Since 2016 (another convergence?) people have been asking, how did Donny happen? And why? I blame Tony Soprano.
Let’s break it down. Imagine 1999 Donald on Thursday nights, or whenever, watching The Sopranos. Whether he understands it or not, this is what he sees, pure synergy:
x – Manipulative, unscrupulous parents – check.
x – Prone to violence – check.
x – Values loyalty over competence – check.
x – Indifferent to the needs of others – check.
x – Sexually promiscuous – check.
x – Seeks personal comfort over physical exertion – check.
x – Love of money – check.

The list could go on much longer but you get the idea: Donny wanted to be Tony.
The Sopranos’ final episode was broadcast on June 10, 2007, in the USA, written and directed by series creator David Chase.
The ending is still talked about today among fans, as the television screen goes dark, leaving Tony Soprano’s fate ambiguous. As for the other guy, the one who plays golf and starts wars, we’re still waiting for that show to end.

California-born Jeff Glorfeld found a home in Australia and a career in journalism in 1985. But in 2018 family ties pulled him back to the USA, where he keeps his Aussie connections alive with occasional contributions to The Local and a national weekly radio program, The Down Under Hour.

This year, 2026, is the centenary year for the golf course at Hepburn Springs now known as Hepburn Golf.

People often wonder why Hepburn Springs has a golf course rather than Daylesford.
The first recorded push to establish golf in Daylesford appeared in May 1900, when an article by “A. Golfer” in the Daylesford Advocate encouraged the town to add golf to its attractions. A meeting was arranged to form a club, but it was poorly attended and adjourned.
Golf was probably first played locally around 1910 at Wombat Park, where Herbert Cox and his gardeners created several holes. Enthusiasts walked from town carrying hickory-shafted clubs with traditional names such as mashie, niblick and brassie. In 1912, golf professional Dick Banks inspected possible sites near North Ajax and Wombat Park, judging the latter suitable for a nine-hole course.
After World War I, interest revived as Daylesford looked to tourism and recreation to support the town after mining declined.
In 1921, the Daylesford Progress Association formally supported creating a golf club and course. After considering several possible locations, Victoria Park was chosen because it was the most practical site at the time.
The Daylesford Golf Club was formed, with Cr William Weir as president, and Banks designed a nine-hole course. The links officially opened on June 6, 1921 before about 250 people, with the Mayoress, Mrs Lenna Weir, driving the first ball. Women were strongly represented.
The club operated alongside the cricket and racing clubs at Victoria Park, which created ongoing difficulties. Greens were damaged by wandering stock, racehorses and competing sporting uses. Women were requested not to wear high heels. The club disbanded and was reformed in 1925 with new officers, fees and committees. The course improved, professional instruction was offered, and membership and competitions grew. Women were enthusiastic.
By the late 1920s, visitors from surrounding towns attended tournaments, including major women’s events. The club affiliated with regional golf bodies by 1930 and developed plans for a clubhouse located on the south-eastern end of the current soccer field. This clubhouse was eventually moved to the tennis club when the Daylesford Golf Club closed.
Despite periods of activity, support fluctuated. Damage to the course continued, and in 1938 the club was again reformed. A proposal to establish permanent municipal links was rejected.
The Daylesford Progress Association had supported golf at Victoria Park to get it going as soon as possible to support tourism, but it continued from 1921 to search for land for a stand-alone golf course. This land was found at Hepburn Springs and plans were laid for an 18-hole course which eventually opened in 1926 with its first tournament held in November 1926.
Golf in Daylesford stopped during World War II but briefly resumed in 1946. The club held its final opening day in 1947. After that, no further records have been found. Increased pressure from football, redevelopment of Victoria Park, and competition from Hepburn Springs Golf Club, formed in 1926, probably contributed to the end of golf at Daylesford.

Compiled by Jan Smith, volunteer at Daylesford & District Historical Society and Hepburn Golf member. Information for this history was sourced from the DDHS newspaper collection held at the Daylesford Museum.

Next edition; read about 100 years at Hepburn Golf.

Well, as you can see, the slab is down! And the build is on its way.

Walls go up this week and then lock-up should be by the end of September. Yay. Relief…
Watch this space.
– Donna Kelly

Hi there, I am Comet, a three-year-old gentle and mellow male cat with a calm, independent nature.
I enjoy my independence but also appreciate quiet companionship. I am the epitome of a low maintenance friend, content to observe the world from a cosy corner. I am a bit shy but once I warm up to you I will be a serene, independent companion to share peaceful days with.
Microchip No. 956000019739036
Come and meet me at MAAWS.
Call 5472 5277 | shelter@maaw.org.au

Source No. BR100938

Governments. Sometimes they just don’t govern well.
Now I am all for following the rules. Well, most of the time. I think if the lockdowns were ever brought back I would ignore them.
And I would never wear a mask while walking alone around the Glenlyon Reserve again. But who knew at the time.
Anyway, we have run the piece next to this column, Pick me, pick me, for about 13 years. As long as we have been running. And after the first one when I forgot to add the microchip number I have always done my best to follow the rules. And also hoped that every cat and dog and hamster gets a forever home.
We are up to edition 365 so hopefully that is 365 pets, or maybe more, that we and you and petstock Daylesford, who sponsor the piece, have helped to re-home. Nice effort everyone.
But apparently I have missed a bit. You also need to run the source number of the place which has the pets for adoption. I didn’t know. But it is an easy fix. And I have added it already. See left.
But this is where the government bit comes in. I received an email last week from Agriculture Victoria’s Pet Exchange Register. It was quite stern – and I didn’t even warrant a name. Not even my much hated Dear Sir. And it had a word in capital letters, very shouty. It went like this:

From: Pet Exchange Register (DEECA) <PER@agriculture.vic.gov.au>
Sent: Wednesday, 19 August 2026 12:15 PM
Subject: OFFICIAL: “Pick Me Pick Me” Adoption Advertisement

Hi

The Pet Exchange Register compliance team are responsible for investigating cases of alleged non-compliant advertisements for the sale and/or re-homing of dogs, cats, kittens, and puppies in Victoria.
We are contacting you in relation to the “Pick Me Pick Me” pet adoption advertisements that are published in your Newspaper and online site and to provide advice about your requirements for publishing these advertisements.
The advertisement of dogs, cats, kittens, and puppies in Victoria is regulated by the Domestic Animals Act 1994. Under this Act, advertisements for the sale, giving away or re-homing of dogs, cats, kittens, and puppies in Victoria must include both:

• The microchip number of each animal advertised

AND (shouty bit)

• The source number of the owner or rescue organisation generated by the Pet Exchange Register

Currently your advertisements do not provide the source number of the rescue organisation that these animals can be adopted through. Please ensure that for any advertisement that you publish for the sale, adoption or giving away of a dog, cat, puppy or kitten in Victoria includes the source number and the microchip number of each animal advertised.

Oh dear, I have been told. And I get that they have to be a bit impersonal although the “Hi” was a nice touch. Missing name not so much.
I just reckon they could have started with a “well done” for all you and your readers have done for the pets.
But maybe I am just getting too sensitive as I grow older. Just sayin’…

POET’S DREAM

Night releases ideas
Held captive by daylight
Throwing down lines
Stimulating nightmares

Altered states
Memorise: repeat, repeat, repeat
Elusive phrases
Recaptured at dawn

– Julie Moran

Julie finds inspiration within the minutiae of life: the mundane, the humorous and quirky find their way into her poetry. She enjoys open mic and poetry slams, recently joining a creative group to develop her public performance skills.

Local Lines features poetry by locals about local and any other matters.
Please submit poems to Bill Wootton at cottlesbreedge@gmail.com

We are about to tick over our 13th year of operation in the Central Highlands, and it’s never cost you a cent to pick up a copy of The Local; that’s a deliberate choice, not an accident.
Because a free magazine reaches more people than a paywalled one ever could, and getting the real story on your council, your community and your local businesses into as many hands as possible has always mattered more to us than making it exclusive.
In print, on the website and across social media, we blast out four stories a day, seven days a week, 365 days per year. You don’t always get to see all the yarns as we weed out the boring press releases, so they don’t lob on our featured stories page – you’re welcome…
Don’t get me wrong, a few years ago at a virtual classroom the guys from Google tried to suggest a paywall was the way to go. Almost convinced I asked for a business case of a same-sized newspaper somewhere in the world that a paywall worked for – they said they would get back to me. Still waiting.
This passion for our community was born in some ways from the tardiness of the old Fairfax paper which took and took from our community until things got a little hard. (Donna and I both worked on The Advocate). During the pandemic they packed up their eight-page excuse for a newsletter and their bat and ball. Meanwhile we went weekly when our towns and villages needed not just news but a bit of a giggle fast and often.
In my career as a photographer, and more recently a photojournalist, I have been stung, bitten, burnt and had fibreglass shards removed from my forearms by my great mate and partner in crime, Donna. And that’s all in an effort to get close to the action and get the best shot, talk about sacrifice.
And over the years we have partnered with all the festivals for virtually cost price to ensure they too have longevity.
In terms of business our advertisers cover a lot of it, but not all of it. Delivery, hosting, journalists, photographers, proper human sub editors, and those bastards at the ATO, must all be paid.
But to ensure our longevity, and so we can see out another 13 years, not just for you but for your family and the community we all live in, where a local paper cuts through the noise of social media, we’re inviting you to become part of the story. If you can, to lend a hand.
If The Local has ever told you something worth knowing, you’ve been in it or just enjoyed a giggle, please chip in at one-off or monthly, whatever suits. And if you are an anti-donator chuck in an advert and not only support your local newspaper, get a bit of business on the way. Chip in rant over…

This year, 2026, is the centenary year for the golf course at Hepburn Springs now known as Hepburn Golf.

People often wonder why Hepburn Springs has a golf course rather than Daylesford.
The first recorded push to establish golf in Daylesford appeared in May 1900, when an article by “A. Golfer” in the Daylesford Advocate encouraged the town to add golf to its attractions. A meeting was arranged to form a club, but it was poorly attended and adjourned.
Golf was probably first played locally around 1910 at Wombat Park, where Herbert Cox and his gardeners created several holes. Enthusiasts walked from town carrying hickory-shafted clubs with traditional names such as mashie, niblick and brassie. In 1912, golf professional Dick Banks inspected possible sites near North Ajax and Wombat Park, judging the latter suitable for a nine-hole course.
After World War I, interest revived as Daylesford looked to tourism and recreation to support the town after mining declined.
In 1921, the Daylesford Progress Association formally supported creating a golf club and course. After considering several possible locations, Victoria Park was chosen because it was the most practical site at the time.
The Daylesford Golf Club was formed, with Cr William Weir as president, and Banks designed a nine-hole course. The links officially opened on June 6, 1921 before about 250 people, with the Mayoress, Mrs Lenna Weir, driving the first ball. Women were strongly represented.
The club operated alongside the cricket and racing clubs at Victoria Park, which created ongoing difficulties. Greens were damaged by wandering stock, racehorses and competing sporting uses. Women were requested not to wear high heels. The club disbanded and was reformed in 1925 with new officers, fees and committees. The course improved, professional instruction was offered, and membership and competitions grew. Women were enthusiastic.
By the late 1920s, visitors from surrounding towns attended tournaments, including major women’s events. The club affiliated with regional golf bodies by 1930 and developed plans for a clubhouse located on the south-eastern end of the current soccer field. This clubhouse was eventually moved to the tennis club when the Daylesford Golf Club closed.
Despite periods of activity, support fluctuated. Damage to the course continued, and in 1938 the club was again reformed. A proposal to establish permanent municipal links was rejected.
The Daylesford Progress Association had supported golf at Victoria Park to get it going as soon as possible to support tourism, but it continued from 1921 to search for land for a stand-alone golf course. This land was found at Hepburn Springs and plans were laid for an 18-hole course which eventually opened in 1926 with its first tournament held in November 1926.
Golf in Daylesford stopped during World War II but briefly resumed in 1946. The club held its final opening day in 1947. After that, no further records have been found. Increased pressure from football, redevelopment of Victoria Park, and competition from Hepburn Springs Golf Club, formed in 1926, probably contributed to the end of golf at Daylesford.

Compiled by Jan Smith, volunteer at Daylesford & District Historical Society and Hepburn Golf member. Information for this history was sourced from the DDHS newspaper collection held at the Daylesford Museum.

Next edition; read about 100 years at Hepburn Golf.

A diverse program of free and low-cost community events showcasing Dja Dja Wurrung art and culture is to take place on Djandak (Djaara Country) this September.
DUMAWUL, the cultural tourism, education and creative arts enterprise of DJAARA (Dja Dja Wurrung Clans Aboriginal Corporation), has announced the return of Malamiya Mang Then & Now for 2026.
The program of events celebrating Dja Dja Wurrung creativity and culture takes place from September 16 to October 6 with many events running during the school holidays. Meaning ‘Long Ago and Now’ in Dja Dja Wurrung language, Malamiya Mang celebrates the enduring connection between Dja Dja Wurrung People, Culture and Country. This year’s program will feature a rich mix of art exhibitions, cultural workshops and tours, community gatherings and ceremony.
The 2026 program is being held during Boyn (Bread) and Lawan (Mallee Fowl) time on the Djaara seasonal calendar.
Program highlights include: Malamiya Mang Family Day in the Bendigo city centre, featuring activities and experiences for all ages; Malamiya Mang Then & Now Djaara Artists’ Group Exhibition showcasing contemporary works by Djaara artists in Bendigo; ‘Biyal’ Exhibition, Castlemaine, Djaara artists and the broader community celebrate the Guildford Big Tree with sculpture, installation and cultural expression; Cultural Arts Workshops, offering hands-on opportunities to learn from Djaara artists and cultural practitioners (bookings required – opening soon); Cultural Tours, led by Djaara Cultural Educators, providing insights into the stories, history and ongoing connection to Country; and special cultural events, seasonal celebrations and community gatherings throughout the program.
The 2026 program artwork has been created by Djaara artist Troy Firebrace, whose design reflects the interconnected relationship between past, present and future through the lens of Djaara ways of knowing, being and doing.
Link: www.MalamiyaMang.com.au

The Geelong MarimbaTaters is teaching new musical skills to Creswick North and Creswick primary schools – the start of an ongoing exciting partnership.

The vibrant sounds of the MarimbaTaters, primary school students from Geelong, recently echoed through Creswick as the acclaimed youth marimba ensemble visited Creswick North Primary School and Creswick Primary School, delighting students with an energetic performance and introducing them to the exciting world of marimba music.
The marimba is an instrument similar to a xylophone, but with a deeper sound and frequently used in African music.
CresFest director Stella Savy said the visit marked the beginning of an exciting partnership between the MarimbaTaters, CresFest and Creswick North Primary School.
“Students from Creswick are now embarking on a musical journey that will culminate in a special performance at CresFest 2027. This program is part of CresFest’s long-term vision to make music an ongoing and accessible part of every primary school’s learning experience in Creswick.”
Throughout Term 4 this year and Term 1 in 2027, CresFest will provide professional musicians to work with students at Creswick St Augustine’s and Creswick North primary schools, delivering high-quality music education and inspiring young people through hands-on performance experiences.
Stella said the MarimbaTaters would work with students at Creswick North Primary School, while other professional musicians engaged by CresFest would lead music programs across the three schools.
“These collaborations are designed to build confidence, develop musical skills and foster a lifelong love of music within the local community. I am very excited to be working with these young students who are already demonstrating a real desire to embrace music in their lives.”
The program will culminate in all three schools joining together for CresFest’s community extravaganza The Big Bang, to be held on the Saturday afternoon of the first weekend in April 2027. The performance will see hundreds of local students share the stage with professional musicians in a vibrant celebration of community, creativity and live music.
During the MarimbaTaters performance, Creswick students from both schools joined in with enthusiasm, singing, clapping and dancing – the excitement and energy throughout the day were infectious.
The MarimbaTaters are talented young musicians and senior primary students from Tate Street Primary School in East Geelong who love to play the marimba.
They play rhythmically challenging, multiple-part arrangements of exciting African-inspired marimba tunes.
The band is led by teacher and Community Music leader, Dani Rocca and accompanied by Adam Burke.
The marimba is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars that are struck by mallets.
Below each bar is a resonator pipe that amplifies particular harmonics of its sound. Compared to the xylophone, the marimba has a lower range.
Typically, the bars of a marimba are arranged chromatically, like the keys of a piano. The marimba is a type of idiophone.
Today, the marimba is used as a solo instrument, or in ensembles like orchestras, marching bands (typically as a part of the front ensemble), percussion ensembles, brass and concert bands, and other traditional ensembles.

Words & image: Fiona Watson

Well, as you can see, the slab is down! And the build is on its way.

Walls go up this week and then lock-up should be by the end of September. Yay. Relief…
Watch this space.
– Donna Kelly

Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds – Vilnius, Lithuania – August 18

Kalnų Parkas, in the beautiful city of Vilnius, Lithuania, an amphitheatre amidst a parkland with nearby stunning views of the city and, as we are in Europe, a castle nearby. Summer tour here, only a few dates left, this being the only one in the Baltic region, the crowd is huge, reverential and unfortunately, wet.
This is the first rainy day over the last week of glorious late summer sunshine, I’ve been told this happens a lot. The weather holds out for the over two and a half hours of this mesmerising interactive emotional concert experience.
As my mate Andy said earlier in the year in Melbourne, David Byrne is theatre, Nick Cave is church! Perfect. Over the time ( did I mention the length of gig?) we were in the presence of Nick’s sermon-like prowling of the stage, crowd surfing, joking, interacting with the crowd, and moving as one with a 10-piece band. Not afraid to try new or not recently performed material, starting again. Is that in G minor? Do I come in first?
The 21-song setlist draws from the breadth of his work, more so than in the earlier tour, which leaned more towards his latest album Wild God.
So, the highlights? After a stunning assault to the senses, Get Ready For Love, an oft-repeated ‘F***king Vilnius’ was bellowed to rapturous applause. The band are astonishing.
Warren Ellis, as always, violin, guitar, synthesizers, loops, backing vocals. Jim Sclavunos drums, percussion, and backing vocals. George Vjestica on guitars and backing vocals. Colin Greenwood bass, (Radiohead), Larry Mullins on keyboards, piano, percussion, and additional drums and Carly Paradis, keyboards, synthesisers. Backing vocalists (Touring Choir) are Janet Ramus, T Jae Cole, Miça Townsend, and Wendi Rose.
Early tracks were strongly featured on setlist. Tupelo and Train Long Suffering from The Firstborn Is Dead were standouts. Gospel/spiritual themed O Children and Joy featured the phenomenal touring choir. Warren Ellis was, as usual, visually and aurally mesmerising, but shined particularly on duo work from Carnage, dedicated to Patricija and all mothers, and of course staples such as The Weeping Song. Is it just me or is the ringing of a bell on Melbourne trams the same pitch as the familiar intro to Red Right Hand? (I know, that’s really music nerdy!)
I’ve only been here for a couple of weeks, but I already understand how significant the line “the Russians moved in” from Jubilee Street feels here — perhaps Cave gave it extra emphasis.
The ensemble is superb: a unified force that is part rock ‘n’ roll spectacle, part interactive spiritual experience. A chilling version of Henry Lee featuring Janet Ramus, stepping out from the chorus; amazing.
Nick does remarkably well to crowd surf and perform from the audience in a suit, especially at his older years. Skeleton Tree, which he admitted is difficult to include in the setlist, left the crowd gasping at its fragility and raw emotion. On a whim, the band added Cinnamon Horses with Cave asking again what key it was in and who starts. A solo keyboard intro to The Mercy Seat gave the song even more of an impact with its building crescendo. City Of Refuge with its haunting harmonica intro was a perfect opening to the encore.
The epic Hollywood from Ghosteen featured the lyrics projected in Lithuanian as a prelude the encore. Thousands of people whispering the lyrics to Into My Arms has to be heard, and seen, to be believed, re-start and forgotten lyrics adding to audience connection. Stunning. F***king Vilnius indeed.