Community Billboard March 27 – April 3

Africa Entsha deliver a cappella with attitude.

Hailing from South Africa they offer songs in English and their native Zulu – entsha means new in Zulu – with an energy and optimism that is entertaining and infectious.

But this five-piece band doesn’t just offer vocals. Dance, movement and percussion are very much part of the package. Percussion is via clapping, foot stamping, or oral effects through a mic, and the dance moves, while not always tightly choreographed, help generate a buzz of energy within the band and around the audience.

BBC Folk Awards best newcomer nominee, Acoustic Stage opener at Glastonbury, guest vocalist with Zero 7 and six critically claimed internationally released albums.

Martha Tilston returns to Australia with her latest record, a musical invitation to sit out under the stars around a fire and reconnect with a long-lost part of ourselves.

She delivers a mesmerising set of songs and astute observations through her beautiful crystal-clear vocals, with the support of an eclectic ensemble of multi-instrumental musicians.

Olsen: the you beaut country surveys the remarkable, seven-decade career of one of Australia’s most distinguished artists, John Olsen.

Born in Newcastle in 1928, John Olsen became widely known for his energetic and distinctive painting style and his lyrical depictions of the landscape and its life-forms.

Olsen: the you beaut country encompasses the artist’s formative years in Sydney and Europe, and his return to Australia and development of a spectacular and idiosyncratic vision of the landscape.

In a dirt-dry town in rural Australia, a shot shatters the still night. A mother and her daughters have just welcomed home the man of the house… with a bullet. The only issue now is disposing of the body.

From the pen of Victorian playwright Angus Cerini, The Bleeding Tree premiered at Griffin Theatre Company in 2015. It immediately earned praise as “a great and complex production” (The Australian) and went on to win three Helpmann Awards.

The Bleeding Tree is an Australian murder ballad blown up for the stage, with three strong women fighting back. Throughout, Cerini’s writing is powerfully lyrical, bracingly funny and a highly original take on Australian gothic.

Roland Kay-Smith will launch his second album, As Cool As They Come. Crowdfunded through Pozible, the new album is a broad mix of piano-led cabaret-style show tunes, acoustic Americana and blues rock. There are shades of Randy Newman, Warren Zevon, Bob Dylan, Harry Nilsson and Tom Waits splattered across the 10 tracks on the album. Humour features heavily and so do the guitar solos. And before you ask, no, there is no saxophone on the record.

Roland will be joined by his four-piece rock band for a night of country, blues and good old fashioned rock ‘n’ roll. The band will be performing songs from the new album, as well as a swag of favourites from his back catalogue and previous bands, including Walrus, Smitty & B. Goode and Roland K Smith & the Sinners.