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ADAM MADA: ILLUSIONIST MAGICIAN
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he magic tricks that Adam Mada pulls off on stage may be seriously aweinspiring, but the magician himself has a fun, humorous stage presence that combines the best of illusionism and comedy. The Australian magician is constantly showcasing and perfecting his craft, and performs every Saturday night at his home venue of Slide Cabaret in Darlinghurst, Sydney. He is a founding member of the popular venue, and has performed there for the past six years, wowing spectators with his mystical, astounding close up magic and larger-than-life personality. Mada is known as one of Australia’s most prominent and talented magicians, and has appeared in the media numerous times and toured across the country. He showed off his skills in the Channel 9 and BBC UK series ‘The Real Hustle’, in which he exposed some of the most elaborate heiststyle scams in the world and has also worked as an illusion consultant on the film ‘Sleeping
Beauty’. He has been chosen as a guest judge for magic panels, and passed on his skills by conducting workshops for other professional magicians. Mada first got into magic when he was a child, and transformed his youthful dream into a reality when he attended the Jeff McBride Magic Masterclass in Las Vegas and studied with mentors from across the world. His shows are always explosive and eventful, with Mada promising, “a hilariously good time, some very strong visual effects, some jiggery pokery, audience participation and I mean the entire audience, and definitely a few things people won’t have ever seen before”. Performing at venues across Australia, Mada has many regular clients who love his shows, including author Tara Moss who based a character on the magician in her best-selling novel Siren. He has also given back to the community,
NEW SOUND: GRUNGE TO LOVE SONGS
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hile she may be most famous for her edgy, rocky sound as lead singer of The Superjesus, Sarah McLeod is set to debut a softer, more classical side with a new EP and tour. The musician has embarked on a national tour to present the music from her EP ‘96% Love Songbook Part 1’ and will also be playing at the Tattersalls Hotel in Penrith on Friday, December 20. McLeod first rose to fame in the 90’s as the lead singer of The Superjesus, with the band winning three ARIA awards, selling hundreds of thousands of records and becoming recognised as one of the quintessential, iconic Australian rock outfits. Her new EP is in stark contrast to her previous alternative rock music with The Superjesus, and fans will be surprised to learn that the singer has always had an interest in writing more emotional, personal songs. “This style of music has always been my foundation, however in the 90’s I pushed it very
firmly aside in order to focus on my ‘grunge’ phase. I never confessed to anyone that my tastes were living in the past, but now I feel I have come full circle and it’s okay or me to just write what comes naturally,” McLeod said. The tracks on ‘96% Love Songbook Part 1’ are classic love songs featuring touching lyrics and simple chord changes. McLeod said she was inspired by the songs she enjoyed when she was younger, including the early recordings of The Beatles and artists such as Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, The Ronettes and The Platters. The EP’s lead single ‘Scouts Honour’ was premiered on Channel Seven’s ‘The Morning Show’, and fans will get to hear the rest of the songs at McLeod’s Penrith concert, which follows a nation-wide tour in November. Sarah McLeod will perform at the Tattersalls Hotel in Penrith on Friday, December 20 at 8.30pm. Entry is free. For more information, call 4732 6373 or visit www. tattersallshotelpenrith.com.au.
working as an ambassador and official magic coach for the Starlight Children’s Foundation and recently headlined the World AIDS Day Gala.
Adam Mada performs every Saturday night at Slide Cabaret in Darlinghurst, Sydney. For more information, call 8915 1899 or visit www. slide.com.au.