Music of Adelaide includes music relating to the city of

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

. It includes all genres of both live and recorded music by artists born or living in the city, live music events happening in the city, and other aspects of the music industry relating to Adelaide. Adelaide is a UNESCO City of Music. It enjoys several annual music festivals and awards, and possibly has more live music venues per capita than any other capital city in the southern hemisphere. Organisations such as

Music SA Music SA, formerly AusMusicSA and also known as South Australian Contemporary Music Company Ltd, is a non-profit organisation whose aims are to promote, support and develop contemporary music in South Australia, which it does by providing trainin ...

and the Music Development Office, backed by the state government, help to nurture the live music industry and the careers of emerging artists. Artists of some renown such as

Sia Sia Kate Isobelle Furler ( ; born 18 December 1975) is an Australian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Adelaide, she started her career as a singer in the acid jazz band Crisp in the mid-1990s. In 1997, when Crisp disbanded, she rel ...

, Paul Kelly,

Redgum Redgum were an Australian folk and political music group formed in Adelaide in 1975 by singer-songwriter John Schumann, Michael Atkinson on guitars/vocals, Verity Truman on flute/vocals; they were later joined by Hugh McDonald on fiddle and Ch ...

Cold Chisel Cold Chisel are an Australian pub rock band, which formed in Adelaide in 1973 by mainstay members Ian Moss on guitar and vocals, Steve Prestwich on drums and Don Walker on piano and keyboards. They were soon joined by Jimmy Barnes (at the ...

, Adelaide Symphony Orchestra,

Hilltop Hoods Hilltop Hoods is an Australian hip hop group that formed in 1996 in Blackwood, Adelaide, South Australia. They are regarded as pioneers of the " larrikin-like" style of Australian hip hop. The group was founded by Suffa (Matthew David Lambert ...

, No Fixed Address and

Guy Sebastian Guy Theodore Sebastian (born 26 October 1981) is an Australian singer and songwriter who was the winner of the first ''Australian Idol'' in 2003, judge on Australia's ''The X Factor'' from 2010 to 2012 and again from 2015 to 2016, and coach ...

originate from the city.

Live music

2013: ''Reverb'' report leads to new support

In 2012, the

Don Dunstan Foundation Donald Allan Dunstan (21 September 1926 – 6 February 1999) was an Australian politician who served as the 35th premier of South Australia from 1967 to 1968, and again from 1970 to 1979. He was a member of the House of Assembly (MHA) for th ...

, in partnership with Adelaide City Council, the

Australia Council The Australia Council for the Arts, commonly known as the Australia Council, is the country's official arts council, serving as an arts funding and advisory body for the Government of Australia. The council was announced in 1967 as the Austr ...

, Arts SA,

Adelaide Fringe The Adelaide Fringe, formerly Adelaide Fringe Festival, is the world's second-largest annual arts festival (after the Edinburgh Festival Fringe), held in the South Australian capital of Adelaide. Between mid-February and mid-March each year, ...

, the Department of the Premier and Cabinet and Regional Development Australia Barossa, hired British music promoter

Martin Elbourne Martin Elbourne (born 19 January 1957 in Carlisle, Cumberland) is an English performing arts promoter. Elbourne was brought up near the village of Knebworth, Hertfordshire. His first job, at age fifteen, was working for the local stately ...

as Thinker in Residence on a project named "Reverb". The project aimed "to create collaboration and unified action for a healthy, more sustainable music scene" in

. A report based on his recommendations was produced in 2013, entitled ''The future of live music in South Australia''. As a result of Elbourne's report, the Music Development Office and adjunct St Paul's Creative Centre was created by the state government (then under Arts SA, now Dept of Innovation & Skills) in 2014, with the goal of "build ngpathways into creative and industry development, with city vibrancy and economic benefit being the ultimate outcomes", which it does by facilitating grants, fellowships and other means of developing the careers of contemporary musicians. A new independent body called Musitec and an advisory body known as the Music Industry Council were also established.

City of Music

Adelaide was awarded a UNESCO City of Music title from the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...

in late 2015, after an application driven by the

Festival Centre Adelaide Festival Centre, Australia's first multi-purpose arts centre and the home of South Australia's performing arts, was built in the 1970s, designed by Hassell Architects. The Festival Theatre opened in June 1973 with the rest of the cent ...

, the Music Development Office and Adelaide City Council. It was the 19th city to gain the status. In 2015, it was said that there were more live music venues per capita in Adelaide than any other capital city in the southern hemisphere, and ''

Lonely Planet Lonely Planet is a travel guide book publisher. Founded in Australia in 1973, the company has printed over 150 million books. History Early years Lonely Planet was founded by married couple Maureen and Tony Wheeler. In 1972, they embarke ...

'' labelled Adelaide “Australia’s live music city”.

2017–2020: Live Music Action Plan

In 2017 the

City of Adelaide The City of Adelaide, also known as the Corporation of the City of Adelaide and Adelaide City Council is a local government area in the metropolitan area of greater Adelaide, South Australia and is legally defined as the capital city of South ...

produced a report entitled ''Adelaide: City of Music: Live Music Action Plan 2017−2020'', after holding its first Live Music Summit to coincide with a visit by other global UNESCO Cities of Music on 8 March 2017. The report outlined the council's strategic plan and role in sustaining live music in the city.

Live music events

Womadelaide 2020 - Picture -1 (49832555013)

The city and surrounding area showcases many different genres of music with international and local artists in events such as the Adelaide Festival of Arts,

Barossa Music Festival Barossa may refer to: __NOTOC__ Places *Barossa Valley, a valley in South Australia **Electoral district of Barossa *Hundred of Barossa, a cadastral unit in South Australia *Barossa Goldfields, South Australia, also in the same area * Barrosa (Portu ...

, the world music festival

WOMADelaide WOMADelaide is an annual four-day festival of Music, Arts and Dance, which was first held in 1992 in Botanic Park, Adelaide, South Australia. One of many WOMAD festivals held around the world, it is a four-day event that presents a diverse selec ...

(held annually in

Botanic Park Botanic is an adjective related to botany Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The ...

), the

Adelaide Guitar Festival The Adelaide Guitar Festival (AGF), formerly the Adelaide International Guitar Festival (AGIF) is Australia's largest guitar festival, held biennially in the South Australian capital of Adelaide. The AGF is the sister event to the New York Guitar ...

and the

Adelaide Cabaret Festival The Adelaide Cabaret Festival is an annual arts festival featuring cabaret held in the South Australian capital of Adelaide. It has been held in June each year since 2001, with the exception of 2020 owing to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, ...

is a not-for-profit organisation founded in 1997 to promote, support and develop contemporary music in South Australia, which it does by providing training at many levels, professional development advice and live performance opportunities. Among its other activities, it has run the annual Umbrella: Winter City Sounds event since 2016, growing each year. Described as "a grass roots organic creation that is made up of local venues and mainly local performers", it offered over 350 live events in 2018. In association with the biennial Adelaide Guitar Festival, it presents "Guitars in Bars" each year, as part of Umbrella. The touring music festival, St Jerome's Laneway Festival, visits Adelaide each February with a range of contemporary artists, since 2014 at

Hart's Mill Hart's Mill is a former flour mill complex located on a bend in the Port River, in the north-western corner of Port Adelaide, South Australia. Now partially restored, it has become the suburb's cultural hub. It has been listed as a state h ...

in Port Adelaide.

Classical music

The Adelaide Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1937, with William Cade as conductor. The ASO often plays for the

State Opera of South Australia State Opera South Australia (SOSA) is a professional opera company in Adelaide, South Australia, established in 1976. History State Opera South Australia was established in 1976 as a statutory corporation under the ''State Opera of South Aust ...

, the

Adelaide Youth Orchestra The Adelaide Youth Orchestra is an 80-member symphony orchestra designed to showcase the best young instrumentalists in Adelaide, South Australia. The youth orchestra itself comprises members aged between 12 and 25 years. Four further ensembles f ...

and

Adelaide Chamber Singers Adelaide Chamber Singers is an Australian chamber choir. Along with Greta Bradman, Adelaide Symphony Orchestra and Luke Dollman they received a nomination for the 2018 ARIA Awards for Best Classical Album with the album ''Home''. Discograph ...

Music education

UofAdelaide-BonythonHall&Conservatorium-front-Aug08

Music education starts in primary and secondary public and private schools across the state. A number of public schools (19 have been designated "music focus schools" by an Education Department program called Instrumental Music (IM). Some of these are the APY Lands schools,

Marryatville High School Marryatville High School (MHS) is a public state secondary school in Adelaide, South Australia. The school is situated on a large area of land in the eastern suburb of Marryatville, part of the City of Norwood Payneham and St Peters. First Cree ...

Open Access College Open or OPEN may refer to: Music * Open (band), Australian pop/rock band * The Open (band), English indie rock band * ''Open'' (Blues Image album), 1969 * ''Open'' (Gotthard album), 1999 * ''Open'' (Cowboy Junkies album), 2001 * ''Open'' (YF ...

and

Whyalla High School Whyalla High School was a high school located in the city of Whyalla in the Australian state of South Australia catering for school years 8–10. It was the first high school built in Whyalla. It was built by BHP in 1943, as a Technical school f ...

. The primary tertiary academy of music is the

Elder Conservatorium The Elder Conservatorium of Music, also known as "The Con", is Australia's senior academy of music and is located in the centre of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. It is named in honour of its benefactor, Sir Thomas Elder. Dating in ...

at the

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a public research university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on N ...

. In the south-east of the state at

Mount Gambier Mount Gambier is the second most populated city in South Australia, with an estimated urban population of 33,233 . The city is located on the slopes of Mount Gambier, a volcano in the south east of the state, about south-east of the capital Ad ...

, James Morrison opened the James Morrison Academy of Music – a tertiary level, dedicated jazz school offering a degree in jazz performance.

Music organisations

As well as those mentioned above (Music SA, Music Development Office, etc.) there are other organisations based in Adelaide which focus on various aspects of the music industry. SCALA (Songwriters, Composers, and Lyricists Association) is a non-profit,

incorporated association Incorporation is the formation of a new corporation. The corporation may be a business, a nonprofit organization, sports club, or a local government of a new city or town. In the United States Specific incorporation requirements in the United ...

, founded in November 1987 in Adelaide. Its goal is to support and encourage

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music ...

s, composers, and

lyricist A lyricist is a songwriter who writes lyrics (the spoken words), as opposed to a composer, who writes the song's music which may include but not limited to the melody, harmony, arrangement and accompaniment. Royalties A lyricist's incom ...

s in any style and genre, regardless of their level of skill and experience. It runs a venue for original music, workshops, the annual FOOM (Festival of Original Music) Song Competition, and regularly releases albums of original music (the 23rd such CD being released in 2015). SCALA also hosts special events, often at the Wheatsheaf Hotel in the inner western suburb of

Thebarton Thebarton ( ), formerly Theberton, on Kaurna land, is an inner-western suburb of Adelaide, South Australia in the City of West Torrens. The suburb is bounded by the River Torrens to the north, Port Road and Bonython Park to the east, Kintore ...

, such as "Showcasing Aboriginal Artists" in June 2019.

Awards and events

From 2017–2020, the

South Australian Government The Government of South Australia, also referred to as the South Australian Government, SA Government or more formally, His Majesty’s Government, is the Australian state democratic administrative authority of South Australia. It is modelled o ...

’s newly established Live Music Events Fund promised funding to the AIR (Australian Independent Record Labels Association) Awards and concurrent music conference, to take place at the Queen's Theatre in Adelaide. The events take place in July, along with Music SA's '' Umbrella: Winter City Sounds'', a program of live music across Adelaide, and a couple of food and wine festivals in the city. Music SA presents the annual South Australian Music Awards (SAM Awards), which replaced the Fowler's Live Awards from 2015, with support from the Music Development Office,

APRA AMCOS APRA AMCOS consists of Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) and Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS), both copyright management organisations or copyright collectives which jointly represent over 100,000 songwri ...

and other sponsors. The 2019 Awards are to be held at the

Bonython Hall Bonython Hall is the " great hall" of the University of Adelaide, located in the university grounds and facing North Terrace, Adelaide. The building is on the now-defunct Register of the National Estate and the South Australian Heritage Register ...

in November. SCALA presents the annual FOOM (Festival of Original Music) Song Competition, with the finals awards event held in September at the Wheatsheaf Hotel.

Local radio

Local community radio stations

Fresh 92.7 Fresh 92.7 (formerly Fresh FM) is a not-for-profit, community radio station broadcasting in Adelaide, South Australia on a frequency of 92.7 MHz. The radio station can also be accessed through DAB+ digital radio, iHeartRadio and the Fresh ...

and

Radio Adelaide Radio Adelaide (call sign: 5UV) is Australia's first community radio station. The signal reaches across the Adelaide metropolitan area to the Mid North, the Yorke Peninsula and Fleurieu Peninsula, the southern Barossa, Kangaroo Island, Riverl ...

play and promote local music.

Venues

Music venues for live music of all types and for musicians at all levels of experience include the

Adelaide Entertainment Centre The Adelaide Entertainment Centre (AEC) is an indoor arena located in the South Australian capital of Adelaide. It is used for sporting and entertainment events. It is the principal venue for concerts, events and attractions for audiences bet ...

Thebarton Theatre The Thebarton Theatre, also known as the Thebbie Theatre or simply Thebbie/Thebby, is an entertainment venue located in the inner-western Adelaide suburb of Torrensville, South Australia. Built in 1926 as a combined town hall / picture theatr ...

, Adelaide Festival Centre, Elder Hall, Adelaide Town Hall, Nexus Multicultural Arts Centre, Lion Arts Factory,

The Gov Hindmarsh is an inner suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. It is located in the City of Charles Sturt. The suburb is located between South Road to the west and North Adelaide. The River Torrens forms its southern boundary and the Grange and ...

, and a host of smaller pubs, theatres and halls.

List

(Local names in parentheses for reference) *

* Adelaide Festival Centre * Adelaide UniBar * The Crown & Anchor (The Cranker) * Electric Light Hotel * Enigma Bar * The Exeter * The Fat Controller * The Gaslight Tavern * The Governor Hindmarsh Hotel (The Gov) * The Grace Emily * Lion Arts Factory * L!ve on Light Square * Jade Monkey * Jive * The Highway * Producers Bar * Rhino Room * Rocket Bar *

(Thebby) * The Metropolitan Hotel (The Metro) *The Wheatsheaf Hotel ("Wheaty") * Whitmore Hotel

Musicians of note

Adelaide has produced a number of popular bands and musicians, including

Australian hip-hop Australian hip hop traces its origins to the early 1980s and is largely inspired by hip hop and other urban musical genres from the United States. As the form matured, Australian hip hop has become a commercially viable style of music which i ...

crew Hilltop Hoods, pub-rock act Cold Chisel (and soloist Jimmy Barnes), and '' Australian Idol'' winner Guy Sebastian. Other popular bands include

Atlas Genius Atlas Genius are an alternative rock band formed in Adelaide, South Australia in November 2009. The band's mainstay members are the Jeffery brothers, Keith on lead vocals and lead guitar; Michael on drums; and Darren Sell on keyboard. Their debu ...

, Testeagles,

Eric Bogle Eric Bogle (born 23 September 1944) is a Scottish-born Australian folk singer-songwriter. Born and raised in Scotland, he emigrated to Australia at the age of 25, to settle near Adelaide, South Australia. Bogle's songs have covered a variety of ...

The Mark of Cain The curse of Cain and the mark of Cain are phrases that originated in the story of Cain and Abel in the Book of Genesis. In the stories, if someone harmed Cain, the damage would come back sevenfold. Some interpretations view this as a physica ...

and the

Superjesus The Superjesus are an Australian rock band formed in Adelaide in late 1994. Their debut album, ''Sumo'' (February 1998), peaked at No. 2 on the ARIA Albums Chart, their second album, ''Jet Age'' (October 2000) reached No. 5 and their ...

. American Ben Folds has also lived in the city, inspiring his song titled "Adelaide" from the album '' Super D''.

Electric Fields Electric Fields are an Aboriginal Australian electronic music duo made up of vocalist Zaachariaha Fielding and keyboard player and producer Michael Ross. Electric Fields combine modern electric-soul music with Aboriginal culture and sing in Pi ...

, winners of the 2016 Emily Burrows Award and Best New Talent in the 2017

National Indigenous Music Awards The National Indigenous Music Awards (NIMA), also known as the NT Indigenous Music Awards from 2004 to 2008, are music awards presented to recognise excellence, innovation and leadership among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander musicians in ...

as well as being a contestant for representing Australia at the Eurovision Song Contest, hail from Adelaide.

List

The following is a list of some artists, past and present, originating in Adelaide and/or based in Adelaide. * Adelaide Symphony Orchestra *

* Amber Calling *

Australian Pink Floyd Show The Australian Pink Floyd Show, more frequently referred to as the Australian Pink Floyd, is a Pink Floyd tribute band formed in 1988 in Adelaide, South Australia. Their live shows attempt to recreate the look, feel, and sound of Pink Floyd' ...

* Bad//Dreems * Bit by Bats *

Chalice A chalice (from Latin 'mug', borrowed from Ancient Greek () 'cup') or goblet is a footed cup intended to hold a drink. In religious practice, a chalice is often used for drinking during a ceremony or may carry a certain symbolic meaning. R ...

* City Riots * Clowns of Decadence *

Coerce Coercion () is compelling a party to act in an involuntary manner by the use of threats, including threats to use force against a party. It involves a set of forceful actions which violate the free will of an individual in order to induce a desi ...

Double Dragon is a beat 'em up video game series initially developed by Technōs Japan and released as an arcade game in 1987. The series features twin martial artists, Billy and Jimmy Lee, as they fight against various adversaries and rivals. The origina ...

* Embodiment 12:14 *

Exploding White Mice Exploding White Mice were an Australian punk-pop band from Adelaide which formed in 1983 with Paul Gilchrist on vocals, Andy MacQueen on bass guitar, Gerry Barrett on guitar, Craig Rodda on drums and Giles Barrow on rhythm guitar. In 1984 Barre ...

Fear and Loathing ''Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream'' is a 1971 novel in the gonzo journalism style by Hunter S. Thompson. The book is a ''roman à clef'', rooted in autobiographical incidents. The story follo ...

* Fire! Santa Rosa, Fire! * Fraternity *

Funkoars The Funkoars are an Australian hip hop act from Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. The group is part of the Certified Wise crew of hip hop artists from South Australia (including the Hilltop Hoods, and Vents), who also collaborated on various ...

* Fury *

Headband A headband is a clothing accessory worn in the hair or around the forehead, usually to hold hair away from the face or eyes. Headbands generally consist of a loop of elastic material or a horseshoe-shaped piece of flexible plastic or metal. T ...

* I Killed the Prom Queen *

In Fiction In Fiction were an Australian five-piece melodic rock band from Adelaide. Having formed in 2005, In Fiction signed to Boomtown Records in 2006 with their debut release ''The Four Letter Failure'' and featured as Triple J's "Next Crop" artist as ...

* Iwantja (band) *

JAB A jab is a type of punch used in martial arts. Several variations of the jab exist, but every jab shares these characteristics: while in a fighting stance, the lead fist is thrown straight ahead and the arm is fully extended from the side of ...

James Taylor Move James Taylor Move was a short-lived Australian/British psychedelic pop, progressive rock group from Adelaide. It was formed by Kevin Peek on guitar (ex-Hurricanes, The Twilights, John E. Broome and the Handels), Trevor Spencer on drums, Alan Tar ...

Jimmy Barnes James Dixon "Jimmy" Barnes (née Swan; born 28 April 1956) is a Scottish-born Australian rock singer. His career, both as a solo performer and as the lead vocalist with the rock band Cold Chisel, has made him one of the most popular and best- ...

King Snake Roost King Snake Roost (also known as KSR) were one of a number of Australian and International guitar-based bands who emerged from within the punk rock and post-punk scene of the mid-1980s that came to be defined as noise rock. King Snake Roost fo ...

Leader Cheetah Leader Cheetah were an Australian indie rock band from Adelaide, South Australia, formed in 2007 by members of defunct Adelaide bands ''Pharaohs'' and ''Bad Girls of the Bible''. The band toured nationally and appeared at festivals such as Sple ...

Lowrider A lowrider or low rider is a customized car with a lowered body. These customized vehicles are generally individually painted with intricate, colorful designs, rolling on wire-spoke wheels with whitewall tires. Lowrider rims are generally smalle ...

* Mere Theory * No Fixed Address *

Orianthi Orianthi Penny Panagaris (born 22 January 1985), known mononymously as Orianthi, is an Australian guitarist, singer and songwriter who rehearsed in 2009 with Michael Jackson in preparation for his '' This Is It'' concert series, and performed wi ...

* Paul Kelly *

Reece Mastin Reece Mastin (born 24 November 1994) is an English-born Australian singer and songwriter who won the third season of ''The X Factor Australia'' in 2011. Mastin subsequently signed with Sony Music Australia. His debut single " Good Night" reac ...

* Static Icon * Testeagles * The Angels *

The Audreys The Audreys are an Australian blues and roots band which formed in Adelaide, in 2004 by founding mainstay, Taasha Coates on lead vocals, melodica, harmonica and ukulele. They have released four studio albums, '' Between Last Night and Us' ...

* The Dairy Brothers * The Hot Lies * The Mad Turks from Istanbul *

The Masters Apprentices The Masters Apprentices (or The Masters to fans) were an Australian rock band fronted by Jim Keays on lead vocals, which originally formed as The Mustangs in 1964 in Adelaide, South Australia, relocated to Melbourne, Victoria in February 1967 ...

The Open Season The Open Season were a four-piece alternative rock band from Adelaide, South Australia. The Open Season formed in December 2004. The group is known for combining gutsy Aussie rock vocals and heavy melodic guitar riffs and have shared stages w ...

* The Shaolin Afronauts *

The Sundance Kids Sundance are an Australian pop rock/indie rock band from Adelaide, South Australia, formed in 2006. The group began as the acoustic trio of vocalist and guitarist Ash Gale as well as guitarists Jason Shepherd and Luke Zecchin, before they were ...

The Superjesus The Superjesus are an Australian rock band formed in Adelaide in late 1994. Their debut album, ''Sumo'' (February 1998), peaked at No. 2 on the ARIA Albums Chart, their second album, ''Jet Age'' (October 2000) reached No. 5 and their ...

* The Sweets of Sin *The Transatlantics *The Vibrants *Unitopia *Universum (band) *The Urban Guerillas *Virgin Black *Wes Carr *Where's the Pope? *Wolf & Cub *Wrench *Young Adelaide Voices *Zephyr Quartet *Zoot (band)

Live music

2013: ''Reverb'' report leads to new support

City of Music

2017–2020: Live Music Action Plan

Live music events

Classical music

Music education

Music organisations

Awards and events

Local radio

Venues

List

Musicians of note

List

See also

References

Further reading