Sunshine, good music and a handful of your closest mates; is there a better recipe for a good time? We don’t think so. Though, make it all free and you’re onto a winner.
Yep you guessed it… we’re talking about The Summer Sundays sessions at the Ballarat Botanical Gardens. Kicking off in early January, there’s already been an impressive line-up of artists take to the stage the past two weeks. With one more session to go, you won’t want to miss this.
Held on Sunday 20 January, this last Summer Sundays session will see four very special performances.
First up, we’ve got well-dressed jazz punks with a passion for classic and neo soul, Jazz Party, who play R&B-inspired tunes with a contemporary bent. With Darcy McNulty’s wailing saxophone leading the horns section, the silver-tongued backing vocals by the jazzboys form the perfect backdrop to the almighty roar of lead lady and soul diva Loretta Miller. This is Jazz Party.
Alongside Jazz Party, you’ll enjoy the sounds of Magnets. This is the project of Melbourne based Siobhan McGinnity. After years on the Melbourne music scene hiding behind her keys and backing-vocals, Magnets is finally stepping out on her own. Trained as a classical pianist from the age of 6, Magnets started experimenting with guitar recently for a new challenge, which led to a shift in direction of music stylings.
A musician that needs no introduction, Sahara Beck will also be joining the ranks. Renowned for her dynamic and potent live performances, the independent Brisbane artist will take the stage armed with new material recorded last year with ARIA Award-nominated Tony Buchen (Mansionair, Courtney Barnett, Montaigne) in his Kingsized Soundlab studio’s in Los Angeles. Recently stepping out in an electrifying new direction, she’s still as seductive and elastic as ever.
Rounding out the Sunday sesh is Ballarat local Candi Wade, who started singing and performing in front of crowds at the age of five. A talented musician, Candi learned multiple instruments including drums, guitar, ukulele and piano during secondary school as well as studying VCE music performance in year 12. Candi performs at many local venues and plans to focus on writing and performing her own material as a local upcoming artist for the new year.
Alongside the music, a selection of Ballarat’s favourite food vendors will also be on-site serving up the best in local produce. You’ll find gourmet burgers, seafood and smoothies from Grill Your Hunger, traditional gourmet woodfire pizza from The Forge Pizzeria, natural homemade dumplings (chicken, beef, pork) from The Dumpling Man, street food with authentic Indian dishes from East India Trading Co-Food Truck, as well as premium ice-cream from Luigi’s Gelato, juice and smoothies from Boost Juice, quality coffee from Bean Me Up, and there’s even The Classic Milk Bar Co, takin’ it back to ‘82.
Of course it wouldn’t be a Sunday session without some cheeky beverages from the Garden Bar. This fully-licensed pop-up bar will showcase some of the region’s best wine, craft beer, cider and even the classic PIMMS cocktail, and is the ideal place to relax and take in all the action with the best line-of-sight to the stage. We hear there’s even a free VIP experience for Garden Bar guests this year, so get in early to secure your spot.
The Summer Sundays concert series is presented by the City of Ballarat. For more information like @SummerSundaysBallarat on Facebook.
