Say hi to the Village people
FALLS’ much-loved festival within a festival, The Village, is back again with more weird and wonderful stuff for 2017-18, from yoga sessions, samba classes and circus workshops to puppetry, burlesque, comedy, and more unexpected surprises.
There’s also plenty of live music, including a performance by Tanzer (aka Melbourne-based musician and composer Hayley Foster). Equal parts dreamy, stark and seductive, Tanzer combines ’60s film soundtracks, new-wave divas and deep-fried Euro-disco to create a genre all her own, which she’ll showcase at 12.30am on Monday.
Tanzer will be joined by leading Tasmanian bands including Dark Matter of Story Telling (midnight Saturday); Heart Beach (9.30pm tomorrow); Surreal Estate Agents (noon Saturday); The Dominic Francis Grief Ensemble (2pm Saturday); Senor Tabby (8pm Friday); Baba Bruja (2pm Sunday); The Bad Dad Orchestra (11pm tomorrow); The Stragglers (3.30pm Saturday); The Bootleg Gin Sluggers (5pm Saturday); and Teens (1.15am Sunday).
The Village’s comedy line-up will be led by “Australia’s favourite sparklepuppy muppet dominatrix comedian”, Melbourne’s Lisa-Skye, who will present her highenergy “sex-drugs-and-glitter” comedy stylings at 2.30pm on Saturday and Sunday.
Other comedy acts will include “multi-award winning idiot” Josh Glanc (midnight Saturday, 12.15am Sunday); comedian/burlesque dancer/massive weirdo Clara Cupcakes (12.15pm Saturday, 5pm Sunday); the dark, brave and razorsharp Laura Davis (9.30pm tomorrow, 5pm Saturday); and the self-proclaimed “funniest person in the world”, the exceptionally humble Dr Neal Portenza (2.30am Sunday, 12.45am Monday).
As usual, The Village will play host to a wide array or weird and wacky stuff, including mesmerising Magic Carpet Rides (11.30am Saturday and Sunday); The Wedding Factory; Gherkin Khan’s Amusement Alcazaar; the absurd yet delightful duo With Compliments, Bertha & Stan; avant-garde noise terrorists PEEN; Tasmania’s best-loved juggling, joke-cracking bogan Dynamite Damo; and The Village’s legendary nightly 10 Minute Dance Parties. The best of the best will also take part in the Village Variety Show at 10.30pm tomorrow, 4pm Saturday and 12.30pm Sunday.
If that all gets a bit much, there’s other stress-free activities on offer in The Village, including morning tai chi and yoga sessions, and the chance to pamper your tangled festival tresses at the luxurious Eye Am Hair caravan or Todd & Sweeney’s Hair Wash and Sensory House.
Meanwhile, Milquebarth and friends will host The Village Radio Talk Show, breaking down all the daily Falls news, weather and gossip (9.45am, 11.45am and 5.45pm Saturday and Sunday).