Given the variety of shows on offer during the Adelaide Fringe Festival, many of them featuring all kinds of bells and whistles to impress a crowd, it’s refreshing to see a group like The Idea of North, who need nothing more than their voices to transfix an audience. And that’s just what this a cappella ensemble, comprising Sally Cameron (soprano), Naomi Crellin (alto), Nick Begbie (tenor), and Andrew Piper (bass) did on Saturday night when they performed at the stunning St Peter’s Cathedral.
The quartet opened with a quiet, but moving rendition of Paul Kelly’s ‘Meet Me in the Middle of the Air’, a fitting number given the concert venue, and the song’s inspiration being a prayer.
Next, after introducing each of the members in the group, they asked for a show of hands from those people in the audience who were seeing The Idea of North live for the first time. It was surprising to see so many hands reach for the sky, especially considering the Australian group have been together for 20 years now.
The group’s humour shone through, with tenor Nick Begbie trying to shake the hand of every newcomer in the crowd and learn their names. Given the size of the audience, this was quickly brought to an end by the rest of the group. Instead, Begbie kept the music and laughs rolling by serenading a lucky lady in the front row, Wendy, with ‘Marie’ – one of Randy Newman’s lovely but lesser known songs, i.e. not one of his Pixar works.
There were however, a number of songs featured from film soundtracks. ‘Over The Rainbow’ from The Wizard of Oz and ‘I Think It’s Going to Rain Today’ from Beaches were definite favourites, each receiving a collective ‘ahhh’ from the audience as they were introduced.
Throughout the night, each ballad – sung with perfect harmony – was followed by a definite, silent pause from the audience, as they soaked in every last note before loudly applauding.
Another highlight, again matching the setting, was Allison Krauss’ ‘Down to the River to Pray’. Like all of the songs in The Idea of North’s repertoire, it showcased each of the quartet’s unique voices, as well as their ability to blend together tunefully.
The only drawback of the night was the unfortunate weather. The hot and muggy night, combined with a capacity crowd, meant the church was quite stuffy, resulting in a number of audience members succumbing to the heat and slipping out for some fresh air. Hopefully they at least stood in the doorway to make sure they heard every magical song from this very talented group of vocalists.
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
The Idea of North – Ballads by Candlelight
St Peter’s Cathedral, North Adelaide
23 February
Adelaide Fringe
www.adelaidefringe.com.au
15 February – 17 March
