SINGER-SONGWRITER Emily Barker will kick off a new intimate concert series at the “geomorphological spiral” in Booyeembara Park.
Held in the picturesque park as the sun goes down, the atmospheric concert will feature Barker reading from her new poetry book Sonogram and performing a live set.
Holding the gig at the Spiral—a nod to the park’s history as a limestone quarry—was the brainchild of Freo local Michael Tucak. He’s no stranger to thinking outside the box when it comes to gigs, hosting the neighbourhood music festival Gerry’s Gold in a suburban laneway in Fremantle.
“I was walking past Boo Park ‘Spiral’ one morning after watching the model yachts racing, and thought it’s a perfect little ‘in the round’ performance spot,” he says.
“I bounced the idea off Emily Barker, who I’ve seen perform a few times since she moved back to Freo from London, and I’m constantly impressed at what an incredible performer she is, and now she’s right here under our noses.”
Barker grew up in Bridgetown before moving to the UK and carving out a successful career as a singer-songwriter, fusing Americana, country and folk.
She went on to release critically-acclaimed albums and perform the themes for BBC dramas Wallander and The Shadow Line.
The next school holiday concert will feature Isabel Rumble, a NSW artist who specialises in indie-folk.
• Emily Barker is getting ready to play the Spiral at Booyembara Park.
If both gigs go well, Tucak is keen to extend the series and have it as an annual event in early Autumn, when the weather isn’t as harsh.
“Friends of Boo Park told me they held music events in the spiral some time ago, and are excited it is happening again,” he says.
“It is very different from those big events that have happened over in the concrete amphitheatre.”
Major music festivals in Australia have been dropping like flies recently with the rising cost of holding events and the cost of living a double whammy. But smaller gigs and concerts have started to fill the void, giving artists other opportunities to perform.
“Emily Barker played at Sullivan Hall in White Gum Valley last year as part of a ‘small halls’ tour all around WA, and they were fantastic to see audiences coming out and loving seeing music in their own neighbourhood or town, it can feel really special and be so memorable,” Tucak says.
“I’ll always remember seeing the one Emily played in the little town of Wellstead.
“These smaller neighbourhood or community events might never replace the scale of big music festivals, but they can offer a lot to musicians and audiences, in a different way.”
Held between 5pm-7pm, the causal sunset gigs are designed for people to walk down after work/school holidays and enjoy some tunes in a family-friendly environment.
There’s plans for a food truck on Montreal Street if you don’t want to bring your own picnic.
The Sunset Sessions is at Boo Park, corner of Stevens and Montreal Streets, in Fremantle from 5pm-7pm. Emily Barker is on Thursday April 9 and Isabel Rumble on April 16. For more info and tix see events.humanitix.com/boopark.
by STEPHEN POLLOCK