Despite the name, Silence! is anything but quiet. The French performance artists, Les Commandos Percu created an incredible eye-popping mashup of fireworks, drumming and explosions.
As the sun set over the Torrens River in Adelaide, the Zimbabwean-born R&B musician KYE warmed up the crowd. Encouraging everyone to dance, she gained some new young fans who got into the spirit of the music.
Brother and sister duo, Lastings, kept up the pace and performed some old and new songs. Their latest single “Holding Me Like Water” was very well received.
Finally, it was time for the French artists to take the stage. Entering from behind the crowd, they forged a noisy and fiery path through the seated audience, forcing people to stand and escape the onslaught. The effect was that of a giant burning coal, which was then rolled on stage to light up the mountain.
The musicians took their place and continued the relentless drumming on various metal objects. Poer tools were used to both create music and noise as well as create sparks and fire. Over the banks of the Torrens, fireworks exploded, creating an effect that the whole stage was an active volcano.
Oblivious to the fire, sparks and explosions all around them, the drummers were persistent. With heavily painted faces, the performers looked as if they had climbed from the pits of hell. It was like watching the end of the earth.
With a crescendo of noise and fireworks, the performance was over as suddenly as it had started. With the company taking a bow, the entranced audience were left with a feeling that they had witnessed something special.
FIVE STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Silence! has finished it’s 3-day run at the Adelaide Fringe, but there is much, much more to see HERE.
