BWW Reviews: SESSIONS 2014: BABYLON CIRCUS - French Fusion Band Is the Toast of the Town

Reviewed by Blake Parham, Friday 10th January 2014

Sessions 2014, the live music series at the Adelaide Festival Centre, is a delightful recent addition to the Adelaide arts calendar.

The series sees the Space Theatre turned into an intimate live music hub, in cabaret format with a dance floor, where some of the best bands and singers from Australia and further abroad perform their wonderful mix of styles to a very appreciative Adelaide audience. The line-up for this series features French hip-hop and rap, flamenco, electronic music, Ukrainian folk music, blues, and drum 'n' bass; just to name a few. There really is something for everyone in this series.

Babylon Circus, a French band, are possibly the most charismatic and happy bunch of performers I have ever seen. Their joy and excitement was amazingly infections, frequently inspiring the audience to get up and dance and join in with the action. The 10 piece band are a fusion of French chanson, funk, afro-beat, European folk tunes, dancehall rego, and the list goes on! Their seamless fusion of all of these styles takes the audience on a trip, as they put it, "down the road after the gypsy".

All of the members of Babylon Circus are phenomenal musicians and consummate performers. One was able to switch from playing improvised bebop clarinet to folk inspired French love tunes on an accordion. Additionally the group's horn section is exceptional; they are loud, brash and play phenomenally well; and the singers presented the songs with a large smack of theatre, making the audience beam with happiness.

If Babylon Circus is an example of what the Sessions live music series has to offer, then this series is not to be missed. The series continues with Yellow Blue Bus on the 14th of January, Féfé on the 15th of January, John Grant on the 17th of January, Flamenco Areti on the 18th of January, local band, Vincent's Chair, on the 23rd of January, and PilotFest 2014 on the 24th of January. Get you tickets now at BASS.

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