What’s better than seeing one live show? How about FOUR live shows all squeezed into a glorious 90-minute package? Boutique production company, Amplified House, has put together this sensational line-up just for the Adelaide Fringe, and quite honestly, you won’t find a bigger, more star-studded line-up of amazing musicians at the Fringe this year. Not to mention the best value show while we’re at it!

Hosted by the delightful Amelia Ryan, House Sessions packs a punch from start to finish. First up was a brand new act titled Diva Down Under, starring three of Australia’s biggest and brightest female talents. Philippa Lynas, Michaela Burger and Dee Farnell kicked things off with a stirring rendition of Men At Work’s Land Downunder before singing in harmony and individually songs from artists such as Kylie Minogue, Olivia Newton-John and Chrissy Amphlett. This will be a show to watch out for at future Fringes!

With headliner Nancy Bates unable to make the show, the cast of Simply Brill took the stage to fill in the musical fun. It was Amelia Ryan and Michaela Burger stepping to the microphone again to belt out golden age classics such as Da Do Ron Ron, Be My Baby, and crowd favourite Leader of the Pack. The kiddos in the audience may not have known the lyrics, but the boomers certainly loved this sing-along portion of the show. 

27 Club has been a musical stalwart of the Adelaide Fringe scene for several years now, and Dusty Lee Stephenson with Carla Lippis returned to the Arkaba stage to ramp up the rock’n’roll vibes. Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison and Amy Winehouse made the musical cut in this condensed 27 Club sojourn.

But, dare I say, the best was left to last with Amplified House’s headliner Adelaide Fringe 2026 act, titled Twenty Sixteen, closing off this amazing evening with some powerful music backed by some very powerful voices. The concept of the Twenty Sixteen show is to pay respect to all the artists who passed away in 2016, so the likes of David Bowie, Prince, George Michael and Leonard Cohen are honoured. The best part about this band is how well they seem to be enjoying themselves together on and off the stage. 

Chatting to some of the guys after the show, they all seemed in great spirits, with sax player and singer Nic Jeffries even jokingly asking me if he’d get a mention in my review with his lead performance in Rocking All Over the World (I may have surprised him with his own Insta story). As Nic mentioned to me, the Twenty Sixteen show couldn’t be performed without everybody in the band playing an important part in its musical creation, and that seems to go for all the great stuff coming out of Amplified House at the moment. House Sessions is a shining diamond in a crowded Fringe musical market!

***** Five Stars