GEORGIA MAQ ANNOUNCES LIVE AT SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE EP PLUS SHARES REGINA SPEKTOR COVER 'SAMSON'
Georgia Maq has today announced the release of her upcoming Live At Sydney Opera House EP, a collection of songs lifted from her recent appearance at Vivid LIVE out on December 2. With the news comes Georgia’s arresting cover of ‘Samson’.
Performed in the intimate Utzon Room, Live At Sydney Opera House is a capsule of Georgia's own original songs reimagined as a stripped-back, piano and strings-led performance, including Pleaser’s ‘Big Embarrassing Heart’ and the stand-alone release ‘Cold Summer’, alongside her entrancing cover of Regina Specktor’s ‘Samson’.
A song of personal significance, Georgia reveals “Samson is a very important song to me, being a greek woman with a moustache and hairy arms I was always bullied in school about being different, but then I heard Samson and it completely changed my perspective of my body. I started playing that song when I was 15 and it always brought me back to my power.”
The powerhouse vocalist delivered a spellbound performance overlooking harbour-side views with audience members entranced by Georgia’s every breath, tears moving to every note. "This performance affirmed what I’ve always known about Georgia Maq," says Lucy Smith of Mornings on triple j of the night. "She’s one of this country’s star vocalists and consistently working hard to evolve her sound and approach. You could have heard a pin drop during this set. A selection of songs considered with grace, musicality, and intimacy. Maq knew the gravity of this moment, and the room was captivated by her presence and voice."
Georgia explains, "I love how live versions of songs are different to the recording and the authenticity of a live performance, so I wanted to share that. With the pandemic, it’s hard to go out and see live music so I wanted to bring that intimate experience to the listener at home. These performances were special to me because I had my beautiful step mum Rebecca Mason on the piano, as well as my ride-or-die string duo, Lucy Rash and Lucy Waldron, all of whom I am very lucky to call friends.”
Live At Sydney Opera House EP marks Georgia’s solo debut in the live show arena, where previously Camp Cope headlined the Sydney Opera House in 2019. With the upcoming release, Georgia will unveil two previously unreleased tracks in ‘Neighbour’ and ‘Living Alone’ - stay tuned for Live At Sydney Opera House EP out on December 2nd and more from Georgia Maq coming soon.
Photo by Jess Gleeson & Artwork by Sebastian White
As the leader of Naarm / Melbourne’s DIY punk trio Camp Cope, singer and guitarist Georgia Maq became something of a local hero, calling out music industry sexism over fearsome indie rock salvos while garnering widespread international acclaim. The band’s second album, How to Socialise and Make Friends (2018), was described by Pitchfork as “a mix of folk-rock intimacy, punk incision, and loud emo catharsis,” and featured heavily on year-end best-of lists around the world. In late 2019, Maq surprised everyone by releasing her solo debut, Pleaser, a refreshingly bright and catchy missive of electro-pop tunes about heartbreak and love. Describing the album as “Paul Westerberg meets Robyn”, Maq drew on her punk energy and love of pop artists like Carly Rae Jepsen, Lorde, and Cardi B to craft an immaculate collection of synth pop bangers.