MANE heads to Edinburgh for Made in Adelaide
We speak to MANE ahead of her first trip to the UK as part of this year's Made in Adelaide programme
The Adelaide Fringe is the Australian equivalent of its Edinburgh namesake, and is the second biggest annual arts festival in the world. With music at its core, in 2015 the South Australian capital was declared a Creative City of Music as part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network.
Last year the Arts South Australia-funded Made in Adelaide scheme was launched, to help raise the profile of artists from Adelaide to an international audience. This year Arts SA has partnered with Olaf Furniss, director of Edinburgh’s Born to be Wide showcases, to co-host a special Music Made in Adelaide evening on 9 August at Summerhall. Beginning with a live panel discussion, the free event will also feature a live showcase from three of Adelaide's best up-and-coming artists.
One of the acts set to perform at the showcase is MANE. Also known as Paige Renee Court, MANE has been getting national radio airplay in Australia, and in 2016 she won two South Australian Music Awards for Best Female and Most Popular Pop Artist. Last year she released her debut EP House of Horror, and over the past couple of years has toured extensively around Australia as well as taking in shows in New Zealand and the USA.
Due to the almost ten-hour time difference, we send some questions to Court via email ahead of her upcoming visit to Edinburgh. “This is my first time to the UK and Europe and I’m really looking forward to playing shows and exploring the market,” she tells us. “I’ve heard such great things and I think some of the shows are going to be quite special. Being able to play in Edinburgh during the Fringe will be pretty amazing.”
As well as playing shows in Edinburgh, Court is also going to be playing shows in London, Hawick and Germany. On her Facebook page she announced the “exciting news”, and gave “big cheers to Little Acorn Music, Arts South Australia and Born to be Wide for conjuring up such a special time.” We ask how important it truly is for an artist like MANE – who’s hoping to gain traction beyond Australia – to have this kind of support network. “It’s super important to be in tune with each other and have good communication. Sian [Walden] – my manager – from Little Acorn has done such a great job setting the majority of this tour up and I’m stoked she is going to be coming over for it.”
She also recognises the importance of government schemes like Arts South Australia, who operate much like our own Creative Scotland, saying: “Arts SA have been great to me. Like a lot of government schemes [they] help provide the guidance, tools and financial support needed to embark on things such as an international tour which can be crucial as an independent artist.” And she adds that having the extra help from Born to be Wide's Furniss is going to “make the time over there that little bit more special.”
Much like Adelaide, Edinburgh is a festival city so Court is making the most of her time here already with six shows planned between 7 and 13 August. We ask what she’s hoping to get out of playing in Edinburgh: “I think for the most part being able to play to a different audience," she replies. "Given the time of the year I’m sure it will be buzzing with people who appreciate live music, which no doubt will help create a great vibe for all the shows we have locked in while I’m there.”
So after her UK and EU tour, what’s next for MANE? “I’ll be releasing a brand new single very soon, I’m really excited about it,” Court says. “It’s been a work in progress for a while so I’m stoked to finally be able to get it out there. There will definitely be more tour dates in the pipeline with that release and hopefully that will involve coming back to the UK and EU at some point.”
MANE’s sound is reminiscent of Lana Del Rey, Lorde and Moloko, and much like them she has a voice of her own. Her rich, soulful vocals are full of emotion, and layered over a bed of well crafted beats, piano and guitar. We’re certain MANE will find more than just a few new fans during her UK and European travels this August.
MANE plays as part of the Made in Adelaide showcase at Summerhall, 9 Aug. Other Adelaide acts joining her on the night are Carla Lippis and Wanderers
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