Presented by: Adelaide Festival Centre, Space Theatre
Reviewed Friday 19 Sep
In the lead up to the OzAsia Festival, Helen Feng gave plenty of notice that Beijing outfit Nova Heart would push some boundaries and make the audience feel slightly uncomfortable yet mesmerised as discussed in this recent Glam Adelaide Interview.They didn’t disappoint, and in a show that went just under an hour, they certainly threw some punches amongst the psych-rock soundtrack to Feng’s monologues and spoken word moments.
The show was a little clumsy at the start, with Nova Heart’s drummer having several attempts to cue up the computer backing, and then Feng finally traipsing onto the stage with a half drunk bottle of wine (which she generously shared with a punter perhaps as a peace offering for keeping us waiting). It’ s hard to tell if the decadence and anarchy that Feng emanates in her persona is all part of the act or otherwise, but whichever way it seems to work for Nova Heart. She continued to down several beers throughout the relatively short set, an outstanding effort indeed!
The music is chic, nouveau-alternative/pop psychedelia with heavy bass lines and thumping percussion laced throughout that made you want to move, so it was a curious choice as to why the organizers decided to have a cabaret setup with a seated audience. This wasn’t a major hindrance however, as Nova Heart were as theatrical and alluring in their musical presence and certainly made the most of their time on stage.
The vocals were on occasion inaudible most probably due to mixing, but nonetheless this was a solid offering by the Chinese Queen of Rock and company! They will be playing a second show tonight (Saturday 20 Sep at 8:45pm), so if you love the abstract and erratic then this is right up your intellectual alley.
This is not just a psych-rock band, this is a mini production akin to organized musical chaos- It’s an incarnation of Andy Warhol’s ‘Exploding Plastic Inevitable’ with Helen Feng providing the multimedia element!
Venue: Space Theatre
Season: 19-20 September 2014 8:45pm
Duration: 50 mins-1 hour (no interval)
Tickets: Adult $35.00 Concession $30.00
http://www.adelaidefestivalcentre.com.au/ozasia-festival/shows/nova-heart/
Reviewed by Darren Hassan
Twitter: @DazzHassan
More News
