A Day in Carlton: Mark Rubbo's pick

15 Oct 2024

Mark Rubbo, Readings Chairman, shares his top pick from the event program of the upcoming A Day in Carlton Festival. Explore the program now, and join us for 24 hours celebrating books, culture and community!

Earlier this year I was at the Clunes Booktown Festival. The opening event was sold out but I managed to get tickets. It was a show called Underscore with Sally Ford and the Idiomatics. I was vaguely familar with Sally, a member of the renowned Melbourne Ska Orchestra, I liked her joyous music; but I noticed that Underscore featured three writers – Helen Garner, Wayne Macaulay and Jane Clifton – I was intrigued but a little sceptical. 'This could be a bit of a chore,' I thought. Well, it wasn't.

Blurring the lines between music and storytelling, song and recitation, the writers performed excerpts of their work over a lush electro-acoustic underscore provided by Sally Ford and the Idiomatics. In between the stories, Sally and her band entertained with their own haunting songs. The 90 minute set, with an interval, flew by and at the end the packed house erupted with joyful applause.

When my colleague Chris Gordon and I were planning our Day in Carlton, I said to Chris that we have to have this show as our opener and I don't care how much it costs. Sally's sister, Helen Garner, gave me her contact details and we were soon meeting with Sally and her co-conspirator Patrick Cronin. The Ska Orchestra was touring Mexico in November but fortunately they could fit us in before they left and together we chose the writers for them to work with – bestselling author Christos Tsiolkas, author and poet Maxine Beneba Clarke and our own Sean O'Beirne, author of a collection of wildly funny short stories and a critique of Helen Garner.

This will be an evening to remember, so come along and enjoy the fun!