PHOTOGRAPHY BY RAE ASHLEY; ATSUSHI NISHIJIMA/WARNER BROS; NINO MUÑOZ/NETFLIX.; MATTHEW MURPHY. ADDITIONAL WORDS BY MAEVE GALEA, EMMA JANE WARRENDER AND ISABELLE KNEVETT.
CULTURE
Sad” in my bathroom because there’s
really good acoustics in there. I was in
quite a dark place writing that song,
but it was therapeutic.
MC: You’re about to play at
Splendour in the Grass in July. How
do you calm your nerves on stage?
TP: I get so nervous! My anxiety
can be pretty bad, to the point where
sometimes I feel physically ill before
I go on stage. It’s a scary thing to put
yourself out there; but by the second
song in, I love everyone watching me
[laughs]. I try to find certain people in
the audience, and I will look straight at
them and perform to them. It centres
me and reminds me of what I’m doing
and why I’m doing it.
MC: Claudia, you directed the
documentary Her Sound, Her Story
last year, which highlighted the
music industry’s intense gender
disparity. What did you hope it
would achieve?
CSD: The documentary was a
four-year venture with my friend
Michelle Grace Hunder, who’s a music
photographer. More than anything,
it was a celebration of the community
[of women in music] we’ve been able to
nurture. It was about connecting with
individuals and sharing their stories.
MC: Thelma, you appeared in Her
Sound, Her Story. What do you
think is the biggest issue facing
women in the music industry today?
TP: Oh gosh, there’s a lot [laughs]. I
think we need to start listening and
believing women. Those two things
will help empower women.
MC: What is your hope for the
future of the industry?
TP: I’m excited for the day when
rich white men aren’t in charge
anymore. I literally can’t wait.
MC: Who are you listening to?
TP: I love Carly Rae Jepsen’s new
album [Dedicated]. She’s such a queen.
CSD: Ooh I’ve had Caiti Baker and
Alice Ivy on repeat lately – and
Thelma, of course!TALES OF THE CITY
STREAMING ON NETFLIX NOW
Welcome to 28 Barbary Lane: an eccentric,
queer-friendly apartment block in San
Francisco. Inspired by American author
Armistead Maupin’s books, this new Netflix
series is set in present-day and follows Mary
Ann Singleton (Laura Linney of Ozark) as
she returns home to San Fran and reunites
with her daughter Shawna (Ellen Page of
Juno) and ex-husband Brian (Paul Gross of
Alias Grace) after 23 years. It’s the best
homecoming since Beyoncé’s documentary.THE SUN IS ALSO A STAR
OUT NOW
If you’ve just watched To All The Boys
I’ve Loved Before for the 74th time, put
the remote down and wipe the crumbs off
your tracksuit pants – because it’s time to fall
in love all over again, with Natasha (Yara
Shahidi of Black-ish) and Daniel (Charles
Melton of Riverdale). Based on The New
York Times bestseller, this classic rom-com
follows two teens as they fall in love during
a single day in NYC. It’ll take you straight
back to high school and the all-consuming
and intense moments of young love.FEEL GOOD INC
COME FROM AWAY
SHOWING AT THE COMEDY THEATRE
IN MELBOURNE NOW
“This is not a 9/11 story, it’s a 9/12 story,”
says David Hein, the writer of the touching
musical Come From Away. Co-created with
his wife Irene Sankoff, the stage production
tells a real life story of September 11, when
the FAA shut down US airspace and 38
planes carrying nearly 7000 people, nine
cats, 11 dogs and a pair of apes landed in
the tiny town of Gander in Newfoundland.
The community took the strangers in and
rallied around them. The musical is an
extraordinary tale of generosity, empathy
and love (two passengers fell in love and
remain married today). Bring tissues.BETTER^ IN^ BLAK(^) IS
(^) O
U
T
NO
W
Spark joy amid the winter darkness with this month’s
must-see stage and screen productions