No Love Songs
A disarmingly charming work of gig theatre that packs an unexpected emotional punch, No Love Songs, is just the right fit to help break in Sydney’s newest performance space, the Foundry Theatre.
A sort of stripped-back modern romance story filled with catchy, indie-rock-inflected songs, the premiere Australian tour brings together musical theatre darling Lucy Maunder (Chicago, Mary Poppins) and Keegan Joyce (who you might recognise from his roles in the series Rake and Please Like Me) as Lana and Jessie, a plucky young couple navigating love’s highs and lows.
I must confess, I approached this show with trepidation, not entirely convinced that I’d be able to get on board. However, once you persevere through a handful of corny jokes, the performance really finds its feet. Leading with honesty and a sense of ratbag authenticity, this 80-minute two-hander taps into surprisingly profound depths. (And those depths get quite dark, too. So if you’re feeling in any way emotionally fragile, proceed with caution.)
A breakout hit of the 2023 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the songs of No Love Songs are penned by Kyle Falconer, frontman of Scottish band The View – and if that name doesn’t immediately ring bells, the breakout single ‘Same Jeans’ from their debut album, Hats Off to the Buskers, will certainly stir up some nostalgia for any self-respecting Millennials who loyally followed the indie rock frequencies in the 2000s. (I can practically feel the skinny jeans compressing my...