In the late 1980s, a young ship’s cook named Tracey Edwards had had enough. Sick of sailing’s impenetrable boys club, where women were barely tolerated on board – let alone in control on deck – she made an extraordinary decision. Edwards bought a boat, put together a team, and announced that she would be heading up the first all-female team to compete in the Whitbread Round The World Race.
Vanguard Burlesque is no shy newcomer to the Brisbane drag and burlesque scenes.
Fronted during its Wonderland Festival run by local drag royalty, Vollie LaVont, and featuring the likes of Betty Lovecat, Ruby Slippers, and Kryptonite, this troupe really do live up to their forward-looking name.
Singer-songwriter Anna Smyrk recently dropped her second EP, Swim, and I’m certain you’re going to love this five strong selection.
Recorded in a Central Victorian farmhouse, Swim brought together a band of old friends on violin, banjo, dobro, double bass and drums, with Anna’s sister on backing vocals. The end result is a rousing collection of contemporary folk music, bound together by Anna’s thoughtful lyrics and distinctive vocals.
Of the EP, Anna said:
“Being in unfamiliar places always spurs new ideas for me. I wrote these songs in the Solomon Islands, Cambodia and Australia. I was living in places that were so different in so many ways, but water, rain and the ocean were fundamental in all of them, and images of water kept coming up in the songs.”
Inspired by Anna’s global travels, Swim is an exquisite exercise in musical storytelling. Every track is strong, but there’s haunting quality to both “Bones” and “Home“, a past AU Review Track of the Day, that will stick with listeners for a long while.
Lyrically, Anna touches on a variety of themes – from long distance love (“The Wait“) to a despair of global politics (“Alight”) – with more than a few poignant lines and stirring choruses perfectly designed to get under your skin. Featuring stunning layered vocals, it’s all brought together by that folk-loric, almost alt-country, sound, resulting in a beautifully crafted EP that just gets better and better with every listen.
