In the Green Room: Adverse Reign
The word on the street is that Adelaide is a hotbed for emerging talent. Local label and event curators Adverse Reign tell us more about their hip-hip showcase lighting up The Lab for Illuminate Adelaide
Word on the Street Vol.2 hits The Lab on July 13. What’s it about?
An old saying about family goes, ‘It starts at home’, and Kaurna Country is home to many talented artists. However, there’s a consensus that our home doesn’t have what it takes to foster and maintain the growth of these creatives. In protest of that, Adverse Reign is celebrating what’s at home by sharing opportunities with local talent. Word On The Street Vol.2 is a continuation of a project we started in 2020 based on this concept. We aim to have people saying, ‘Word on the street is… Adelaide has the best talent’.
What should people expect from this gig?
Great expectations or no expectations. People should come to this show with an open mind, ready to experience an array of emotions. The lineup is filled with exciting emerging South Australian artists such as Magajie, Stefan Rossi, Praise Mangena, Waikid, Katie Aspel, and Zach C-R with music from DJ Z-no, DJ Lamu, DJ Soultea and hosted by MC $AM.
Headliner Magajie has just recently released an experimental project titled ‘Transit’, and performed at the Adelaide Festival 2024 in the Floods of Fire festival line up with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra & Citizens Orchestra! Magajie will be joined on stage by a live band to create an energetic performance of songs from the EP and some unreleased music.
How did you curate the lineup?
It was a collaborative effort led by Praise Mangena, creative director of Adverse Reign, with the help of ILA and Illuminate Adelaide. Every artist involved has a unique style of music. It’s been a while since we’ve [had] the likes of Stefan Rossi and Katie Aspel on stage, so it’ll be great to see what they’ve been up to!
Why did you decide on The Lab?
The Lab is a venue that embraces originality and experimental projects, so when we received the offer from Illuminate Adelaide to curate a live music show for Live at The Lab, we were ecstatic. In this industry, it’s important to align yourself with organisations and individuals that share the same values when it comes to creativity.
As we’re just coming off of the release of our own experimental project, we believe that this next show at The Lab is an amazing opportunity for the artists involved to showcase their talents differently at a venue that has amazing audio and visual systems. These are key components of performance, the back end things, that majorly contribute to the success of an event and we want these artists to feel successful after the show!
What’s the backstory of Adverse Reign?
With an arsenal of culturally diverse individuals who are incredibly talented in their various practices of art, Adverse Reign is continuously finding new ways to elevate and create better. ‘There is no limit to creation’ is our mission statement. As an entertainment music label and event management company, Adverse Reign aims to provide artists with more opportunities to showcase themselves and bring their art to life.
What local Adelaide artists are on your radar at the moment?
Every artist on our lineup has been on our radar since the start of Word on The Street. They’ve all done well for themselves by making good music and putting on some great performances.
Outside of our lineup, we’ve also been seeing some amazing work from the likes of Elsy Wameyo and Natasha Bianca. It’s amazing to see the growth of these two women in their respective genres of music.
In your opinion, what sets Adelaide’s creative/music scene apart?
Adelaide’s creative/music scene has grown expeditiously over the years and local acts are becoming increasingly hands-on with their creations, which allows them to think outside the box and has given them the ability to create authentic art. Adelaide artists rely on making music that relates to real life experiences rather than following or copying trends. We believe that with more support from the local government and creative platforms in the Adelaide creative/music scene, the state will emerge as a force to reckon with.
What’s next for Adverse Reign?
As we kick on into the second half of the year, we’re also looking forward to setting the foundations needed to lead into the 2025 Fringe season. It’s something we’ve been looking into for the last couple of years and now is the time to go forward with it. Our team is composed of individuals with a wide range of talents so there’s a lot to be created there!
See Magajie (Naarm), Waikid, Stefan Rossi and more perform at Word on the Street Vol.2, presented by Adverse Reign, at The Lab for Illuminate Adelaide this July 13. Buy tickets now.
