Festival of Jewish Arts and Music

Melbourne’s Shir Madness festival has a new name and a lineup that’s bigger and better than ever. Now called the Festival of Jewish Arts and Music, this year the event is taking inspiration from Lou Reed’s song 'Walk on the Wild Side', with a jam-packed day of music, performance and storytelling that celebrates the risk takers of Jewish culture. Highlights include Transparent producer Zackary Drucker speaking about the intersection of queer and Jewish identity, and “Punk Professor” Vivien Goldman talking about the long relationship between Jews and counter culture, along with performances by Israeli drag queen Asis D’Orange, musician Chris Cohen and beatmaker and producer Noga Erez. Headlining the day will be music legend Deborah Conway, who will be performing the entirety of Reed’s album Transformer, along with performances from the likes of Paul Kelly, Kate Ceberano, iOta and Clare Bowditch.