5 July 2025 – Arcana Empress Theatre, Brisbane – words by Cecilia Pattison-Levi – pictures by Nino Lo Giudice
Andrea Krakovská is a magnificent guitarist and performer. I first saw her playing with Brian Canham in Pseudo Echo on the 40th Anniversary Autumnal Park Tour. Since then, I have seen them play more shows at festivals and on the Love An Adventure Tour where Andrea Krakovská’s guitar shredding skills have shone like a beacon. Then, I saw some advertisements about an aerial guitar show in Sydney and Melbourne with Andrea Krakovská – and she was hanging and swinging from the ceiling upside down like a bat – while skilfully playing her guitar. Well, I had to see that! I duly prayed that a Brisbane show would be announced. It came and I bought myself a ticket and took myself off to Moorooka to Arcana Empress Theatre to see this performance.
And, the performance was a mixture of a wonderful solo warm-up set from Georgina Neilsen. Then, there was Koala Man and his crowd engagement techniques, the aerial skills trapeze artist Miss Phoxlyn, a skilled band with Emma Nagy (guitar), Renee Cobcroft (drums), Scott Piper (bass) and then Andrea Krakovská herself demonstrating her guitar skills, piano/keyboard skills and then her own trapeze and ariel skills while playing guitar.
The evening commenced with Georgina Neilsen delivering an intimate and stripped back set of her own six songs with one cover. She came onto the stage dressed in black with the most beautiful electric blue guitar. When she opened her very blue eyes, they caught the reflected colour – and the crowd couldn’t look away. It was striking! These piercing blue eyes, as her voice rang out, as she performed her opening song ‘Somebody Else’ and quickly followed it with ‘I Wanna Stay In Bed’ and ‘In My Heart’.
L-R Koala Man – Georgina Neilsen – Arcana Theatre – photos by Nino Lo Giudice
Then, knowing that I had seen her before, it took me a while to click that Georgina Neilsen is one third of the band Not Gonna Lie. Then, she spoke eloquently about her connection to Andrea Krakovská, touring and writing music. Georgina Neilsen, then, played a cover of Lizzy McAlpine’s ‘Ceilings’ which segued into her last three songs that had the theme around relationships with “current” and not so current partners. ‘How Does It Feel?’ the up-tempo “more angry” song and ‘Keep On Lovin’ You’ were set highlights. She closed out the set with a new song ‘Doin’ Time’ with an open G chord. Georgina Neilsen let the crowd know that her new solo EP would be out soon. She performed this vulnerable solo set with skill and care.
There was a short interlude for drinks, a stretch, discussions about camera angles, as small bits of equipment were moved by the stage crew. Then, after everyone moved back into the performance space, Koala-man appeared and set about getting the crowd engaged and ready for what we were all about to see with lots of cheering, laughing and antics. Then, the calls for him to get off stage “and protect the species” were made and this showed the crowd was ready and it was time for the main event.
The main event was Andrea Krakovská, her ariel partner Miss Phoxlyn, and her band. They took to the stage and played ‘Die 4 U’. And, it was then the crowd realised, that this performance was going to be a full-on bodily experience. It was thrilling to watch the bodies contorting on the trapeze, as the music thumped into your ears, and your eyes and mind took in the spectacle of a rock band performance and circus feats of bravery. Andrea Krakovská ruled the stage. She controlled and commanded every part of the stage floor, the air above the floor, and the sonic arrangements made and produced around her – and how those sound waves flowed out and hit the crowd.
Andrea Krakovská & band – Arcana Theatre – photos by Nino Lo Giudice
I knew this wasn’t going to be your average gig. It was going to be a celebration of expertise. Every person on that stage was highly skilled: a powerhouse crew of musicians and performers. Miss Phoxlyn started the aerial ribbon demonstration of her skills by climbing into the ceiling on silk as ‘Always With Me’ played in the background. Throughout the set the each performer was highlighted. The bass player Scott Piper delivered a great solo on centre stage highlighting his skill set to Queen’s ‘Another One Bites The Dust’. After ‘Warmness On The Soul’ and a ‘Harmony Medley’ the drummer Renee Cobcroft showed her abilities with a solo that utilised the whole drum kit with purpose, power, and precision. For the crowd, it was like being hit with perfect rhythm. Then, the next solo set after ‘Warrior’ saw guitarist Emma Nagy play with such finesse. She was as smooth as silk on those guitar strings and the noise from her chiming guitar was striking.
Then, it came back to Andrea Krakovská. At first, she was playing her guitar extremely well as a land based performer, before she took to the air to perform her ribbon and rope aerial work while playing her guitar. She shimmed up the rope and within a few seconds she was spinning like a rock ‘n’ roll whirlpool, or she was upside down or hanging by her neck. Not even an injury to her hand in the warm up held her back.
Andrea Krakovská & band – Arcana Theatre – photos by Nino Lo Giudice
Not only that but Andrea Krakovská had arranged, and written musical pieces like the lovely ‘Elusion’ and the emotive ‘Land Of The Tatras’. She also played the Roland keyboard with real class after she kicked the koala off it. The track ‘Popular Monster’ brought out the heavy tunes and you could feel the music driving through the crowd, as the bodies on stage contorted into various shapes.
It was astonishing: sight and sound – in fact – it was ‘f$%^en’ awesome! As a dancer in a previous lifetime, I kept wondering how they keep their ‘spot’? (This is important as it stops you spewing especially over the crowd). I also hoped that had not eaten tacos or anything red. And, then, I thought: did the playing of guitar help that middle ear concentration? Apparently, no. I asked. You just have to watch for your place in space and trust it will be there. I was amazed! Andrea Krakovská and Miss Phoxlyn were flawless, flying, unravelling in silk, fierce when tangled in rope and smiling throughout the whole show.
The performance, or set, ended with ‘Time Of Your Life’ and I am sure the crowd had the time of their lives. I wanted to watch it all again, but that would have been unreasonable after an hour of high energy circus and gymnastic work. It was wonderful to see a show that had no gimmicks and relied on pure talent. The band were so tight they could have stopped time if they wanted to and the aerial stunts were just pure spectacle with no safety net.
Andrea Krakovská & band – Arcana Theatre – photos by Nino Lo Giudice
If you get the chance to see Andrea Krakovská and as she called them “her hungry” group – go and see this aerial rock show. Do not hesitate! Whether you’re a guitar or music fan, an admirer of theatre or circus, or like me you just like to see people do incredible things in an extraordinary way with their bodies and instruments: then this show really delivers. And, how! Andrea Krakovská and her team were fun, exhilarating, remarkable and memorable.
