K Mac at the Planetarium is a lovely way to spend an hour during the madness of the Fringe: sit back, relax and get absorbed by the music and visuals.
K Mac is Kathryn McKee, a cellist, composer, and musician from Brisbane who has worked with Eminem and Kanye, among others. They perform a set list of ethereal songs—think Goldfrapp or Lady Gaga during their electronica, dreamy period.
What elevates this beyond a simple gig show is the quality of musicians playing. Sadly, they aren’t listed in the Fringe description or publicity material. The cello and violin duo were simply sublime, bouncing off each other with smiles, either building up great crescendos of music or simmering, with pizzicato vibrating under the surface. They were supported by a great percussionist on the drums. K Mac coordinated it all from behind the keyboards and laptop with smiles and great energy.
K Mac at the Planetarium produces music that is hazy, dreamy, sometimes driving but always engaging. The let-down element is the visuals. The Demonstration Room at Summerhall just can’t provide a ‘planetarium’ space. The projected images do take up the whole back wall, but they don’t extend to the ceilings or sides as might be expected in a planetarium. They have been staging these shows in observatories and planetaria, so I’m sure the effect there is out of this world. There is variety in the visualisations—botanical flowers bursting into bloom, patterns morphing, close-ups of tangled veins deep in our bodies, and galaxies expanding—which draw our eye. However, anyone who’s looked up psychedelic, meditating, trance videos on YouTube will have seen these.
The seats are hard, wooden and high: it is all part of the charm of Summerhall, experiencing music in a space that used to house veterinary students, but it does make it more difficult to get into the ‘relaxation’ zone.
I recommend K Mac at the Planetarium if you’d like to step out of the Fringe for a while and experience some atmospheric music created by superb musicians—but don’t go expecting a galaxy of stars to transport you into space.
https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/k-mak-at-the-planetarium
