FREYA JOSEPHINE HOLLICK

Hollick describes her sound as ‘cosmic country’. Despite the futuristic-sounding title, cosmic country has deep roots in country that’s more California than Nashville, more outlaw than “countrypolitan”.

Words by Matt Parnell

like the universe had called me there, to be there with those people,” she says. “It wasn’t a place I chose, the place chose me, the wonderful people I worked with chose the band, chose the studio, chose the place, and I showed up.

The experience of recording in spaces used by Iggy Pop, Kurt Vile, PJ Harvey among others, as well as with artists like Greg Leisz, gave the album its size as well as its scope. Recording in the desert gives you somewhere to revel in the emptiness of, well, the desert, leading to something that feels less confined because it is less confined. She talks about amps being kept outside the studio proper due to lack of room, being afforded the opportunity to record differently given the locale. It’s hard to say how much bearing it has on the final sound, but it’s clear it had an impact on the outlook.

“I felt as though I was existing in a new dimension,” she describes, “one where people’s intentions were so obvious, where my path was so obvious. I felt connected to an eternal hum, like my power cord had been plugged into a new socket, and I needed to let all the dead weight fall off.”

The record’s centrepiece is its title track, the album’s fifth track of nine but also third single of five – perfectly in the middle of both. It’s a song that uses poetry to lament, longer and slower than the tracks around it, a palpable sense of loss. In the album context, after Vivienne, June, Dolly & Jolene, it’s almost jarring and a clear sign that the album’s going in a different direction. The key link is in its genre similarity, a testament to the multifaceted cosmic country as she delivers it.

Country music’s history in Australia is inextricably coloured by its American roots and associations, but with her latest record

The Real World, Hollick strives to create newer, more homegrown comparisons. That’s the root of her attraction to cosmic country: it has a different history to the Nashville country that people think of when they hear the genre. Music like hers has the opportunity to dismantle these stereotypes.

Her attractions to country music were more to do with its history in storytelling than any particular sound, inspired by its strength of song and poetry as well as artists like Townes Van Zant and Alan Toussaint. This is particularly evident in Hollick’s latest record The Real World.

Hollick began recording the album at the Rancho de la Luna in the Mojave desert. “I ended up there in the Mojave desert,

Something that comes up a lot is the idea that, in addition to everything else contained within the record, it’s also music for aliens. Partly tied into the mythos of country music and the desert, partly due to the cosmic half of ‘cosmic country’, partly due to the idea of the awakening.

“That desert is a powerful place, with a powerful history that stretches so far back before the capitalist machine put its devastation there,” she concludes. “The death place of Gram Parsons and a good place to go looking for aliens, I felt so at home, I can’t even explain it.” celebration of

Hollick will be bringing her cosmic country to Ninchfest on the Mornington Peninsula’s St Andrew’s Beach, from February 10 and 11.

However, it isn’t just the pursuit of cooling down by any means necessary that fuels summer for Melburnians. Rather, this time of the year signifies that we are in store for another Midsumma festival.

Midsumma has been the premier LGBTQIA+ festival in Melbourne for decades now, and this year the team behind the event organisation have pieced together a festival spanning three weeks that will showcase Queer arts and culture in spectacular fashion.

Victorian Queer community on such an iconic, huge stage. It’s not like 30-40 years ago where it was

Midsumma

Summer is in full swing. Consecutive hot days, overcrowded beaches, lines for gelato stores spilling out onto the sweltering asphalt of the sidewalks. These scenes are all too familiar for those who reside in Naarm throughout the first two months of the year.

Words by Jacob McCormack

normally perform together. It’s like a community catch-up, a meeting.”

The festival boasts parties, performances and gatherings that encompass all mediums and facilitate the celebration of the LGBTQIA+ community.

Australian stand-up, actor and radio host Joel Creasey is so committed to the event he made a special trip from W.A., where is currently part of the filming for an upcoming documentary series based on the rehoming of dogs.

“I had to beg production to let me leave W.A,” he says. “I’ve always attended fair day. Drunk too much and gotten burnt to a crisp. I’ve done several shows at Midsumma, I did one years ago called Twunks. It’s just a fun time in Melbourne because the weather is great, everyone is in a good mood.”

While Creasey has already hosted the Midsumma Extravaganza at Sidney Myer Music Bowl - an event that featured the who’s who of Australia’s contemporary Queer artistic scene - Melburnians can eagerly look forward to more major events as Midsumma heats up February.

The Midsumma Pride March will return to St Kilda’s Fitzroy Street on February 5, bringing together over 53,000 people for Melbourne’s iconic march celebrating solidarity in gender and sexuality diversity. As is tradition, it begins with the roaring motors of the Dykes on Bikes as per tradition, before the march itself is led by the Boon Wurrung Elders, Rainbow Aboriginal Float, and LGBTQIA+ youth. This will be followed by free entertainment and festivities, including DJs and live performances by St Kilda beach.

On February 12 - the final day of a massive program - the party moves northside, with a full-day and night street party in Gertrude and Smith Street precinct. Australian/Nigerian triple threat performer and queer advocate Keiynan Lonsdale (aka Rainbow Boy) will headline Victoria’s Pride, joined by Casey Donovan, Banoffee, Chela, Alter Boy, Jaguar Jonze, Cry Club and many more.

“It’s a rainbow, if you will, of Queer Australian artists,” Creasey describes. A seasoned veteran when it comes to attending Midsumma events, as well as having performed at a number of festivals, Creasey is aware of the significance of the festival. The pressure of performance and playing to a large crowd aside, Creasey is incredibly proud to be a part of a celebration of the Victorian Queer community, a festive take on a meeting of community members.

“I think it’s great that there is a celebration of the Victorian Queer community on such an iconic, huge stage. It’s not like 30-40 years ago where it was all a bit cloak and dagger. It’s now become out, loud and proud with people who are killing it in mainstream media and entertainment. It’s nice for us to all get together because we don’t normally perform together. It’s like a community catch-up, a meeting.”

A feat that Creasey notes, without the support of the Victorian government, would not be able to exact the scale it has amounted to.

“They [The Victorian Government] have been incredibly supportive, and they’ve been incredibly supportive of Midsumma and the St Kilda Pride Centre and the community in general.”

Midsumma Festival runs until 12 February across Victoria. This article was made in partnership with Midsumma.