Perth Voice Interactive

THERE’S still time to catch some great events at the Perth Festival before it winds up on Sunday night.

The repurposed East Perth Power Station has taken centre stage during the festival, providing a stunning backdrop for electronica and live music.

On Saturday (March 1) grammy-nominated Jordan Rakei will be wowing audiences at the venue with his mix of soul, R&B and jazz.

He will play in full his critically-acclaimed new album The Loop.

Born in Tokoroa and raised in Brisbane, the young muso released two EPs and was nominated for the prestigious Australian Music Prize before he was 21.

He relocated to London, signing with label Ninja Tune, and became a fixture – via his dance-music alter ego Dan Kye – on the soul-electronic scene. 

Now he’s back in Australia, performing The Loop for one night only. Doors open at 7.30pm with support from Drea at 8pm and Rakei on at 9.20pm.

Another great Festival venue is the Perth Town Hall, which for the past month has been transformed into “The Embassy” – a tribute to the old Perth ballroom that used to host 80s raves, department store balls and old school dance lessons.    

If comedy and music is your thing, then check out Joseph Keckler at The Embassy on Saturday (March 1) at 9.30pm.

His highly original act features operatic monologues on weird and wonderful subjects like psychedelic mushroom trips, haunted houses and, ehm, buying a jacket.

The Embassy will close out its festival stint with A Night Out West on Sunday (March 2) at 6pm.

A celebratory nod to The Coolbaroo Club and its infamous 1955 ball, the event features a top line-up of First Nations artists.

The Coolbaroo League started in 1947 as a protest to the prohibition area in the city centre and got its name from the Yamatji word for magpie, to symbolise the coming together of black and white.

The dances were attended by mob from all over and were open to everyone, including visiting celebrities like the Harlem Globetrotters and Nat King Cole.

Sunday night’s bill includes playwright and poet Barbara Hostalek, David Milroy and Lucky Oceans – who take the audience on a musical journey of the Coolbaroo Club – and award-winning Noongar artist Bumpy.

Entry is free from 10pm and late-night revellers can enjoy Lubly Dae Crew, a collective of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander DJs, producers and music lovers from Boorloo’s underground electronic music scene.

They’re sure to get everyone on the dance floor.

Tix for Perth Festival at www.perthfestival.com.au. 

by STEPHEN POLLOCK