THE FIVE SHOWS AT MOFO YOU JUST CAN’T MISS

MOFO 2018: A wild, weird and Walshy weekend at Mona

THOUSANDS of musicmad Mofos descended on Mona yesterday, with the Hobart leg of Mofo 2018 now in full swing.

About 3000 people — including hundreds from interstate and overseas — packed on to Mona’s lawns and into its many gallery and performance spaces yesterday to see the likes of Femina, Moor Mother, Jamila Woods and Godspeed You! Black Emperor in action, with similar audience numbers expected on-site again today and tomorrow.

In Mona’s Barrel Room yesterday, deep beneath the wine bar, audiences sat in silence soaking in the world premiere of opera singer Eve Klein’s new show Vocal Womb.

Not one for the squeamish, Vocal Womb sees Klein perform with a laryngoscope camera inside her throat, projecting every internal muscle movement on to a screen behind her.

“We are the athletes of the singing world,” Klein said.

“Singing opera is really, really hard, and intensely physical. You sing with your whole body, but the artifice of opera means you never see that as an audience member.

“So this performance is about exposing those internal mechanisms and removing the artifice of opera so that the physical sensations of singing are on view.

“We have nine shows (across the three days), so there’s plenty of opportunities to come and see the intimate details of my larynx.”

Klein will perform at 1pm, 3pm and 5pm today, with an audiovisual installation running when she’s not on stage, giving patrons the chance to remix audio feeds from her heart, lungs and intestines.

Other highlights of today’s program will include performances by Emel Mathlouthi, Rahim AlHaj and Karim Wasfi, Brian Jackson and the Southern Gospel Choir, and Filastine and Nova on the Main Stage; while Femina, Ajak Kawi, Evil Goat and Violent Femmes frontman Gordon Gano will all play on the Turrell Stage.

The “Weekend at Walshy’s” winds up tomorrow with another packed program, featuring performances by Jlin, Mayhem, The Hobart Liberation Orchestra, and local bands including Drunk Elk, Philomath and The Soda Creamers playing under the Hobart + Music = Yeah! banner.

Tickets are still available via www.mofo.net.au.