I’m not a highly religious individual, luckily – if I was I would have walked away from the pub theatre performance by ‘The Landlords’, feeling extremely offended. The two men that took to the stage were dressed in matching white coats, ties, black pants and thick black framed glasses and referred to themselves as Professor Pritchard and Doctor Arthur Downwards who claimed they were going to teach the audience a lesson in religion through a series of modules, i.e. a mockery of numerous religions, matched with corny jokes, song and dance, dodgy props and a series of pictures in the format of slides to accompany their witty show.

My understanding of different religions is quite minimal. I’d refer to myself as a free-spirited type, however not quite an atheist. If my knowledge of each religion was a little more extensive then I’m sure I would have been able to see more of the humour in this “comprehensive, life-changing lecture”, as referred to by the two mad scientists on stage.  However, I did enjoy a laugh or two throughout the performance, mostly due to the fact these guys were passionate, confident, entertaining and played their parts well.

The venue was a cosy location that finally made me feel like I was part of the You Are Here festival. Unfortunately, people kept on piling in and the venue soon became cramped and due to the extremely tall man and various others standing in front of the seated areas I was only able to see one of the performers for the entirety of the show. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one left feeling slightly outraged by this.

From referring to the morbidly obese man (Buddha), linking John Travolta with Scientology, sharing the importance of fortune cookies and an entertaining dance ensemble named ‘The Jew Shake’, The Landlords pulled out all the stops. Just as the performance seemed to be dragging, they ended with a bang and the majority of the audience let out cheery shouts as the duo left the stage.

If you are a strictly religious person with set beliefs, please hear the warning alarms ringing and stay away from this show. If you have absolutely no idea of any religious concepts you’ll more than likely sit there scratching your head, so again this one is possibly not for you. But, if you have an understanding of various religions, a sarcastic sense of humour, and don’t take life too seriously than you’ll only be disappointed if you miss The Landlords in action. It wasn’t really my cup of tea, but as they say, you never know if you never go.

Women of Notes and Rhythm drew in a crowd of happy, carefree eccentric people that filled the Transit Bar to about a quarter of the venue’s capacity.  I, and my amazing boyfriend, who was absolutely thrilled he had to accompany me to this event, were among the audience. The crowd varied from all different ages, couples, singles and large groups of friends.

Women of Notes and Rhythm isn’t like anything I’ve ever come across in the music performance scene. With a slight retro feel, this show proved to be completely original, with performances from four female artists and their bands including; Paryce, Ruth O’Brien, Heidi Gill and the Aqua Lungs, and Freyja’s Rain. Each group played a selection of their individual, intriguing songs to a content crowd.

Paryce portrayed catchy indie/rock style music and was full of life with a strong voice that matched her guitar skills, as she belted out some tunes. The set-changes seemed to drag out a little, which made the night feel slightly disjointed, however up next was Ruth O’Brien, with her catchy songs infused with a jazz and blues twist. Ruth gave some popular music her own spin as well as slipping in a few of her originals.

When Heidi Gill and the Aqua Lungs began their musical performance, my initial thought was ‘this is going to be a reggae style set’, however after her first song, the style of music soon transformed into indie/pop, as her songs followed with their conversational, descriptive lyrics. Their music was enjoyable, but the night was starting to feel a little like an upper-class karaoke party.

The best was saved till last, as Freyja’s Rain took the stage with their indie/rock music. The lead singer’s voice was soulful and captivating, and was a performance worth waiting for. A number of local DJs took to the stage after the last band finished up. It was great opportunity for these ladies to show us what they’ve got, but after listening to a few mixes I was ready for home.

From jazz to indie/rock, each artist brought to the stage something of their own and stamped their print of uniqueness. All in all, the Women of Notes achieved what it set out to do – to deliver a diverse range of Canberra’s local, talented women in the arts and music industry.