Review – Babylon Circus
The only thing better than ten gorgeous French men is ten talented gorgeous French men.
Babylon Circus, a 10 piece ska and reggae group formed in Lyon France, have been bringing their Eastern European-influenced magic to stages all over the world since 1995. And they lit up the stage on Friday night, filling every corner of the venue with passion and energy. Their music had that authentic French feel that makes you want to pack a vintage suitcase, sell all of your worldly possessions and go on a Bohemian adventure, and the lead singers captivated audiences with romanticised notions of love and travel and stories from the streets of France. Trickles of punk, jazz, and swing crept their way through each song, highlighting the fact that in addition to being a bunch of cute vagabonds there are also undeniably talented musicians.
Despite the band’s relentless energy and the audience’s genuine enthusiasm, something about the show just wasn’t quite right. Babylon Circus brought a show that could finish a music festival or tear up a dance floor, but at 8pm in a theatre that was half seated the show was just too big for its setting. It was a Fringe show with an Adelaide Festival audience. The addition of a support act would have given it a much better vibe, not because Babylon Circus couldn’t hold the audience on their own, but because it took the audience half the show to really warm up to the mood and get dancing.
If Babylon Circus played the Queen’s theatre at 11pm after a night of great local acts then it could easily have been a contender for one of the best performances I’ve seen in a long time. Wandering into the Space Theatre a few hours after work to a half-seated audience, however, just didn’t make the most of what the band had to offer.
