Songs. Stories. Silliness.

About

Join a hand-picked collection of nocturnal singers, joke-makers and storytellers at Griffin UP LATE, a post-show jam of music and chortles.

Either rock up to the Stables for 10pm or stick around Kendall Feaver‘s The Almighty Sometimes on Friday 17 August. We’ll be keeping the lights on and making some (very entertaining) noise until late. Well, 11pm, so pretty early actually… but you get it.

The line-up for our August Griffin UP LATE session includes the inimitable Zoe Norton Lodge (Story ClubABC’s The Check Out), indie folk songstress Sasha March, writer and performer Pippa Ellams (The Carousel), multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter Leah Flanagan and everyone’s favourite Smiths fan, yarn-wizard Phil Spencer.

Performance Times

Friday 17 August 10pm – 11pm

Lineup

Zoe Norton Lodge

Zoe Norton Lodge is a writer, performer, TV presenter and a very clever lady. The co-founder of Story Club, she is a writer/presenter on ABC1’s The Check Out and appears at Giant Dwarf on the reg. She was the General Manager of the National Young Writers Festival (2011-12) and is also the author of Almost Sincerely – a collection of “autobiographicalish” short stories about growing up in Sydney.

Sasha March

Sasha March, delivers vocal-driven gutsy, indie, folk, pop. Her alluring stage presence, emotive lyrics and rich voice captivate audiences through songs of dark optimism. With new music on the way we can expect something a little different with her latest collaborations and new found inspirations, though no doubt still upholding warm soulful vocals and honest tales. The past few years have seen her perform a constant string of shows including touring Australia’s east coast and in Europe through the Netherlands and Germany. Most recently she has supported Fractures and Exhibitionist at Sydney’s Landsdown Hotel and played Darwin Festival. She has performed and recording with Ken Stringfellow USA, (The Posies, R.E.M.) supported Kristen Hersh, USA (Throwing Muses, 50 Foot Wave), Mat McHugh (The Beautiful Girls), Ella Hooper (Killing Heidi) and played Gorgeous Festival Australia on the line up with Xavier Rudd and The Waifs and at Handpicked Festival with The Veronicas, Killing Heidi, British India and The Potbelleeze.

Pippa Ellams

Pippa is a Writer/Performer from Western Sydney. Her first play The Carousel was shortlisted for the Rodney Seaborne Playwright Award in 2015. During 2016 Pippa was a Resident Artist at Shopfront Theatre for Young people. With Collaborator/Director Hannah Goodwin The Carousel was produced at Shopfront Arts Co-op in February 2017 followed by a remount at Belvoir St Downstairs theatre in June 2017. The Carousel recently received a remount season produced by Merrigong Theatre Company in March 2018 followed by a third Sydney remount as part of bAKEHOUSE’s Step Up festival. Pippa participated in The Propel Initiative, a program created by Q theatre and ATYP to support young Western Sydney writers. Pippa was chosen as a participant in ATYP’s 2017 National Studio Program and from this her piece #NoFilter was selected to be performed as part of ATYP’s Intersection 2018: Chrysalis. Pippa is a founding member of Pip and Han inc., a company dedicated to creating dynamic new Australian works. Pippa is currently a participant in ATYP’s 2018 Fresh Ink program. She recently performed her first solo show, The Sorry Mum Project, at this year’s Bondi Feast Festival.

Leah Flanagan

Emotion and allure are at the heart of Leah Flanagan’s songwriting. The Sydney-based singer/songwriter uses space in an enchanting way – the listener has the sense they can settle amongst the lyrics and become part of the music. And when you settle you get carried away. It’s Leah’s voice that holds you, makes you feel, never in your face, instead making you an offer you can’t refuse. Her incredible journey as an artist is woven with star-studded collaborations with the likes of Sinead O’Connor, Meshell Ndegeocello and poet Sam Wagan-Watson; touring productions The Spirit of ChurakiFor Those Who’ve Come Across the Seas1967: Music in the Key of Yes, Shane Howard’s EXILE – The Story of Irish Music in AustraliaMission Songs and the Black Arm Band; Adelaide Festival’s 2011 production of Leonard Bernstein’s MASS, performing in Clinton Walker’s Buried Country Roadshow; duetting with Paul Kelly and Ursula Yovich and recently recording a duet of Archie Roach’s “I’ve Lied” with Marlon Willliams. Leah has also featured on ABC’s Spicks and Specks and SBS’s Rockwiz.

Phil Spencer

Phil is a writer & performer. Originally from the UK, he grew up in semi-rural South Oxfordshire (the rough bit) and spent many years living and working in the city of Glasgow (the posh bit). He now lives in Sydney where he makes comedy, theatre and stories for radio. Phil is the 2018 Artistic Associate at Griffin. He was the recipient of Peggy Ramsey Foundation Award for Writers and has been shortlisted for the Philip Parsons Playwright Award not once, not twice, but thrice (but still hasn’t won it – he’s pretty sure it’s rigged). Phil has performed in lounge rooms across Sydney, arts festivals across Australia and in shitty rooms above pubs the world over. His most recent show credits include: Hooting & Howling (NSW Tour, Lorne Arts Festival, Sydney Theatre Company Rough Draft) Glorious Pomegranate (Sydney Fringe), All Lost in the Supermarket (Sydney Writers Festival), Destroyer of Worlds by Caleb Lewis (Adelaide Fringe), You And Whose Army? (UK tour).

“Spencer’s charm and winning on-stage charisma is simply delightful” – ✮✮✮✮ The Brag

“Phil Spencer, the Dave Allen of modern storytelling, sans the scotch and half finger” – ABC 702