A musical journey based on true stories from Tasmania’s convict past is set to tour Melbourne, Bendigo, Ballarat and Frankston for the first time in May. Vandemonian Lags previously featured at the inaugural Dark Mofo festival in Hobart in 2013. It last played at Port Fairy Folk Festival in 2019 and was also the subject of a concert album and feature film.
The return season stars an ensemble of musicians and performers, including Brian Nankervis, Mick Thomas, Tim Rogers, Jeff Lang, Ben Salter, Sal Kimber, Darren Hanlon, Shelley Short, Van Walker and introducing Claire Anne Taylor, backed by an all-star band featuring Weddings Parties Anything’s Jen Anderson, Mark Wallace and Michael Barclay, along with Craig Pilkington.
The slang word ‘Vandemonian’ was used derogatively to describe those who lived and served time on the island colony. This event will showcase a collation of musical stories from the convicts who were transported to Tasmania, with the narrative also covering the exodus from Van Dieman’s Land to the mainland during the booming gold rush in Victoria in 1851.
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Vandemonian Lags‘ genesis was a historical project that exploring the tales of some of the 70,000-odd convicts transported to Tasmania from Britain in the 1800s.
Vandemonian Lags will be performed on 22 May at Ulumbarra Theatre, Bendigo, 23 May at Melbourne Recital Centre, 24 May at Her Majesty’s Theatre, Ballarat and 25 May at Frankston Arts Centre.
