Soul/folk singer Ngaiire and Hiatus Kaiyote frontwoman Nai Palm will kick off an exciting line-up of live music performances at the Nexus Multicultural Arts Centre next month.
Programmer Ross McHenry (Shaolin Afronauts and The Transatlantics) says the 2014 Nexus Live program of “intimate concerts” will present both established musicians and exciting new artists who draw on a range of diverse cultural influences.
He says Nexus decided to move away from the “world music” branding of its previous live gigs because the term seemed limiting.
“The term world music isn’t as useful as it once was … new music with diverse cultural elements is appealing to all Australians and South Australians.”
McHenry describes Ngaire and Nai Palm, who will both perform at the first Nexus Live show on May 16, as two of the most significant Australian female performers to emerge in the last couple of years.
Nai Palm is the frontwoman of Melbourne-based band Haitus Kaiyote, which received a Grammy award nomination last year for Best R&B Performance for its song “Nakamarra”. Papua New Guinean-born artist Ngaiire released her solo debut album Lamentations in 2013 and also performed at this year’s WOMADelaide. The show will also feature a set by Adelaide DJ Slamagotchi.
Other artists in the 2014 Nexus Live line-up include David Bridie (Not Drowning Waving, My Friend the Chocolate Cake), Indigenous singer-songwriter Frank Yamma, Malian drummer and balafonist Bassadi Koné with his Australian band Koné Express, Latin dance band Orchestra Mermelada, ARIA-winning guitarist-songwriter Jeff Lang and folk/blues/country musician Glenn Skuthorpe.
The final night of the program, June 16, will showcase new work commissioned by Nexus which is the result of a collaboration between musicians from three very different backgrounds: Adelaide multi-instrumentalist Adam Page (currently based in New Zealand), Melbourne-based Indian classical musician Jay Dabgar and Adelaide beatmaker Oisima.
McHenry said the commission was intended to “reflect the identity of modern South Australian music”.
The Nexus Live program will run every Friday from May 16 until June 16.
