Tickets: available here

THE LAST OF THE HUMAN TROUBADOURS teams up alt-country, folk and jazz vocalist Jackie Marshall with Black Square String Quartet: Camille Barry and Mike Patterson (violins), Charlotte Burbrook de Vere (Viola) and Dan Curro (cello).

"[Jackie Marshall] is simply fabulous and far and away the best female singer and songwriter I have heard in the ten years I've been living and travelling in Australia; Jackie is an Aussie original" – Sam Cutler, manager of The Grateful Dead and tour manager of The Rolling Stones.

“That rare thing: an Aussie original” – The Weekend Australian.

“A left-field legend in the making” – Martin Jones, Rhythms Magazine.

With her new album, "The Last of the Human Troubadours" a new side of Jackie Marshall emerges as she embraces the intimacy and nuance of the string quartet, arranged by renowned composer Robert Davidson (who happens to be Jackie's partner in life as well as music), and performed by the masterful Black Square String Quartet.

Jackie explores ideas in response to the popular explosion of AI-generated music and reflects on the nature of human music and music making. In the mix are settings of poetry by Uroš Zupan, a hero in his native Slovenia where Jackie has spent many magical months amongst the music and theatre community. There are also songs dedicated to Aunty Delmae Barton, whose distinctive way of making music derives from growing up listening intently to bird song, and a spellbinding reviving of the earliest surviving song ever completely notated (as far as we know): the 2000-year-old Seikilos Epitaph from ancient Tralles in Greece, with lyrics that feel as universal now as then: "while you live, shine; have no grief at all. Life exists only for a short while, and time demands its due".

JACKIE MARSHALL is an independent songwriter, performer and recording artist who creates music in alternative contemporary genres, glancing across folk, country, rock, improvised and art music realms.  

Jackie's musical training started in studying jazz vocals at the Queensland Conservatorium, but it's in her distinctively personal and poetic writing style where she found mastery. Her 2006 cinematic alt-folk debut album Fight n'Flight (produced by Ben Tolliday) was short-listed for the Australian Music Prize alongside such luminaries as The Drones, Gotye and Lisa Gerrard. Since then she has released a number of critically acclaimed recordings including the alt-country Lillith Shrugs (2018) and Ladies’ Luck (2010) LPs, an EP under the moniker The Peppercorn Queen (2014) (after a spontaneous coronation by poet Andrew Hull at the Nymagee Outback Music Festival in 2009). Collaborations include an experimental album with producer Robin Waters via The Thin Air Project titled March Gathering (2015); and performance and recording as a guest artist on Kosovo-Slovene composer Imer Traja Brizani’s Amala project, alongside other various Australian works.

No two Jackie Marshall shows are alike; her knack for in-the-moment flights of improvisation keeping even the most experienced band member on their toes. Jackie’s performances brim with energy, warmth, presence and all the experience of a complicated life distilled into song, reaching far into the hearts and minds of intrepid music lovers at home and abroad.

Discover more of Jackie Marshall's music on her YouTube channel @jackiemarshallmakesmusic.

BLACK SQUARE STRING QUARTET was founded in 2018, inspired by the iconic and controversial artwork The Black Square by Kasimir Malevich, one of the first true examples of artistic minimalism, the quartet aims to challenge and inspire audiences with daring & innovative repertoire choices. Strong advocates of new & Australian music, the quartet has premiered works by composers including Thomas Green, Robert Davidson, Ken Thomson, Cathy Likhuta, Marike Van Dijk, Brenda Gifford, Richard Grantham, Michael Bakrncev and Philip Eames. Their collaborations with some of Australia's finest musicians and ensembles - including Trichotomy, Shugorei, Tenzin Choegyal, Early Modern, Andrew Veivers, and Steve Newcomb - push the boundaries of contemporary chamber music.  

Explore more of Black Square String Quartet's work at blacksquarestringquartet.com.

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Cost

Tickets for this performance are $25–50. A cash bar will be available for socialising amongst the plants after the performance. 

Tickets

You'll receive confirmation of your ticket order by email or sms (whichever one you used with your order). We'll have a ticket list at the door when you arrive to help you save the trees and the hassle of printing your ticket.

Location

Plant Empire has moved! This concert will be held at our new premises in Tennyson, Brisbane: 15/55 Lofter St, Tennyson Q 4105. The site has easy access to free on-street parking and is an easy 10-minute walk from Yeerongpilly train station and restaurants at Yeerongpilly Green.

Accessibility

Concerts in our new premises have unallocated ground floor seating that are all level without any steps, while mezzanine seating with obstructed views is accessible via a staircase with 22 steps and 1–2 landings. The site has one wheelchair parking spot, and visitors are encouraged to use on-street parking to leave other on-site parking available for people with mobility issues.

Reminders

You have full control over how (and how often) you receive reminders for our events. You will receive one email confirmation from us when you purchase your ticket; but we won't send any further email reminders, so please ensure that you have the concert details in your diary. You can also use the "add to calendar" function in our events calendar to add the concert to your digital calendar and customise your reminder preferences.

Cancellation Policy

Please choose carefully before purchasing your tickets for this concert as we do not offer refunds on event bookings. 

Program Changes

*Please note that the program for this concert is subject to change.

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