Organiser Girl

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - Wallis Mt Barker, Saturday 3 December 2005
Pride and predjudice - Wallis Picadilly, 6:30 PM, Wednesday 9 November 2005
Look both ways - Village Launceston, 4:40 PM, Wednesday 26 October 2005
In Her Shoes - GU Marion, 9:15 PM, Friday 7 October 2005
Serenity - Hoyts Norwood, 7:00 PM, Tuesday 4 October 2005
Charlie & The Chocolate Factory - Wallis Glenelg, 9:15 PM. Saturday 17 September 2005
The Jacket - GU Marion, 8:40 PM, Tuesday 23 August 2005
Wedding Crashers - Hoyts Norwood, 7:10 PM, Tuesday 16 August 2005
Layer Cake - Palace, 7:00 PM, Wednesday 10 August 2005
The Island - GU Marion, 9:05 PM, Thursday 4 August 2005
My Summer of Love - Nova, 8:30 PM, Tuesday 26 July 2005
Sin City - GU Marion, 6:55 PM, Tuesday 19 July 2005
Batman Begins - GU Marion, 9:30 PM, Tuesday 12 July 2005
Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants - GU Marion, 5:00 PM, Friday 8th July 2005
Mr and Mrs Smith - GU Marion, 7:05 PM, Tuesday 28th June 2005
Star Wars Episode III : Revenge of the Sith - Hoyts Norwood, 8:30 PM, Thursday 19th May 2005
Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Wallis Glenelg, 9:30 PM, Saturday 30 April 2005
Downfall - Palace, 1:40 PM, Saturday 16 April 2005
The Life Aquatic - GU Marion, 9:20 PM, Saturday 9 April 2005
The Illustrated Family Doctor - Nova, Saturday 12 March 2005
Sideways - Palace, 9:30 PM, Monday 14 February 2005
Motorcycle Diaries - Palace, 8:40 PM, Friday 14 January 2005

single white e-mail - jessica adams
going home - harriet evans
love overboard - janet evanovich
full bloom - janet evanovich
full blast - janet evanovich
full speed - janet evanovich
full tilt - janet evanovich
city of the beasts - isabel allende
full house - janet evanovich
every boy’s got one - meg cabot
saskia’s journey - theresa breslin
visions of sugar plums - janet evanovich
hell island - matthew reilly
friends like there - victoria routledge
it’s not you it’s me - allison rushby
nightpeople - anthony eaton
leaving jetty road - rebecca burton
switchcraft - lowri turner
thompson gunner - nick earls
distance between us - maggie o’farrell
the running man - michael gerard bauer
fireshadow - anthony eaton
running in heels - anna maxted
metro girl - janet evanovich
rocky road to romance - janet evanovich
eleven on top - janet evanovich
harry potter and the half-blood prince - jk rowling
come away with me - sarah mcdonald [ed]
sex crimes - jenefer shute
the submerged cathedral - charlotte wood
kiwis might fly : around new zealand on two big wheels - polly evans
seducing mr maclean - loubna haikal
deception point - dan brown
the rose grower - michelle de kretser
the dewey decimal system of love - josephine carr
swift as desire - laura esquivel
angels and demons - dan brown

When I was away for work recently I met Joanna Hempel. She was staying in the same Hotel as me and we met in the dining room. We had a great conversation over dinner. Eventually her husband got bored and went upstairs to their room.

Touring the rest of the country as the Quantic Soul Orchestra, but traveling to Adelaide from Melbourne on their own, the UK’s funky breakbeat DJ Quantic (Will Holland) and soul singer Alice Russell played an intimate show at Sugar.

Supporting local DJs Brother Irwin, Troy J Been & Japeye entertained an eclectic crowd before and after the main feature. Troy’s early tunes coaxed several exotic-looking young women to the dance floor, where they showed off some moves I’ve never seen before. Funk, jazz and global rhythms filled his set, and provided a suitable transition into Quantic’s retro and soulful sound.

Sugar usually takes off well into the night, but after a little stalling to build the crowd, Alice & Quantic appeared after midnight. This was quite an early timeslot for Sugar on a Friday but it felt late, coming at the end of a full working week for a homebody like myself! Despite being tired and unable to dance much due to a sporting injury it certainly was a treat for a jazz-funk lover to hear some live vocals, especially some sung by such a rich voice as Alice’s.

Moments where she harmonised with her own voice on the backing track were particularly magical, and she has an amazingly powerful and soulful voice for a petite white girl. The set featured tracks of Alice’s own pensmanship, Quantic’s, and even a cover of 4Hero’s ‘Hold it Down’. The track received a major reworking, and sounded like a rare groove 45 from the mid seventies. This retro production was commonplace in Quantic’s backing tracks, and the theme followed with his track selections after Alice’s vocal set came to an end. It was interesting to note that Quantic was using a laptop to cue his backing tracks, with digitally interfaced turntables allowing him the ‘old school’ turntable control through the Russell set. The crowd was an even mix of listeners and dancers, and the vibe in the room was positive… but not as electric as it was for Sugar’s last international guest, Desyn Masiello.

The final song Alice delivered was a surprising rendition of the White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army” before handing over the floor to Quantic and his favourite funky jazz breaks. After witnessing such a talented singer I’m definitely going to betracking down Alice Russell’s recently released album ‘My Favourite Letters’.

Due to its two flights of stairs, Sugar is not the most accessible of venues when you have two strained quadriceps, so I have an important credit to list. Thanks to Luke for carrying me up the stairs! It was well worth the effort.

For more information about both these artists, make sure you check out their websites:

Quantic & Quantic Soul Orchestra
Alice Russell