On for young and old at the Malachi. And by them, too.

Date

It was an interesting concert at the Malachi Gilmore Hall on Saturday, January 25. The main act was the ever excellent The Safety of Life at Sea, but what made the show special was the three performances by some very young musicians.

It wasn't just a concert, either, as the audience were encouraged to bring food for dinner (boxes from the neighbouring Cave Pizza were well represented), and there was a meal break so that nobody had to eat while the music was on.

First up were three amazing performances by Georgie, Elliot and Lucy. Elliot played both piano and guitar (and violin later in the night), talent which is probably helped by having two musicians for parents, and the girls just sang beautifully. These three have a big future. The idea of having them in the show was to expose them to rehearsals, appearing with a good band behind them and performing to a large audience, experience which can only help them progress as musicians.

After the meal break, the grownups took the stage again. The usual quartet of Kris Schubert on piano (and guitar for a couple of songs), Lian Wong on bass, Stephen Helman on guitar and Tony Bibby on drums was augmented by Glen Wholohan on sax, clarinet and flute and Chris Dove on trumpet. Stephen even got to be the vocalist on a couple of songs.

It was another in the stream of great nights out with music at the Malachi, and everyone in Oberon looks forward to what comes next.

The show was supported by a grant from Live Music Australia to help with "Equipment, professional development, artist fees, marketing and production costs to support original Australian live music at Malachi Gilmore Hall, Oberon".

If you didn't get to the show or you are unfamiliar with the work of The Safety of Life at Sea, here's their latest recording, "Mama Let Me Go". You can find their recordings at your favourite record shop (remember them?) or streaming service or the band's web site.

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