Twilight at Taronga and Melbourne Zoo
Here a quick heads-up: never engage the somethingyousaid.com team in conversation about animals unless you want to lose a few hours of your life. Editor Bobby will bore you to tears with giraffe facts, Assistant Editor Carol is the world’s biggest dog enthusiast, Illustrator Alice has forgotten more about owls than you will ever know, and so on. Yup, we love animals here at SYS, and we quite like music too, so we’re pretty damn excited about the upcoming Twilight series in Sydney and Melbourne. No, it’s nothing to do with surly vampires, but rather the dream combination of live music in a zoo environment.
SYDNEY
The Twilight at Taronga series will return this summer for its 20th anniversary edition from Friday 30th January through Saturday 21st March. Celebrating the Sydney summer with breathtaking 180-degree harbour views, the amazing Taronga Zoo will present performances from iconic Australian artists such as Bernard Fanning, Paul Kelly, You Am I, Sarah Blasko, Dan Sultan and Something For Kate, while the international guests coming to check out the koalas (and sing some songs) include, impressively, Belle and Sebastian, Rufus Wainwright, Conor Oberst with The Felice Brothers (!) and many more.
Across the series, a striking new visual identity designed by iconic Australian artist, Mosman local and all-round bloody legend Ken Done will be on display, further establishing Twilight at Taronga as an essential Sydney experience. And get this, free public transport is included in the price of all tickets – covering bus, rail, light rail and ferry from Sydney metropolitan areas.
If you’re heading along and happen to wander past the giraffe enclosure, then you will more than likely see our Editor staring in wonderment at them. Best just leave him to it.
You can see the full-line up and buy your tickets now at www.twilightattaronga.org.au
MELBOURNE
Meanwhile, The Melbourne Zoo is taking on biggest, boldest and brightest Zoo Twilight series yet. Sunsets and starry nights combined with wild animals, the Taste of Twilights food zone and amazing performances from an incredible collection of international and local musicians will make for a damn fine night out.
Melbourne Zoo’s Twilights series sees twelve shows taking place across Friday and Saturday evenings, starting Friday 30th January and running through to Saturday 7th March.
The 2015 program includes James Reyne with special guest Jack Carty; Bernard Fanning and Little May; Sarah Blasko, Paul Kelly, Clairy Browne, Kira Puru, Dan Sultan, Spiderbait and Jen Cloher. Also, Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks will be supported by special guests Twerps. Our pick of the bunch though must surely be Conor Oberst with The Felice Brothers. That would be an amazing gig anyway, but in a zoo? Mind officially blown.
The Twilights conservation theme continues this year, with proceeds from the season’s shows helping to save the Eastern Barred Bandicoot – a species now sadly considered extinct in the wild.
Tickets to all shows include full access to the Zoo and the event is fully licensed. There are a number of food outlets within the Zoo serving delicious options from sit down dinners, to take away pizzas, snacks, coffee and deserts. You can also bring your own picnic, just no BYO alcohol or glass within the Zoo grounds.
For the full line-up and to buy tickets, go here: zoo.org.au/twilights
Words and general giraffe enthusiasm by Bobby Townsend.
