Why I love Adelaide: Laura Hill

Award winning artist Laura Hill is an exquisite singer songwriter from the Fleurieu Peninsula in South Australia and one of the regular artists at Winter Weekends. She has the innate ability to write songs that are both encapsulating and haunting. With hints of sassy wisdom, Laura’s song writing is matched with a stunning clarity and tone to create a beautiful, varied and dreamlike soundscape. You can also find her fronting Lilac Cove, a dreamy nostalgic Indie/Pop 5 piece launched in 2020.

I live in the Fleurieu Peninsula and I’ve been a singer/songwriter for a while now. The booker from down South got me some shows in Adelaide and at one of those shows, the organiser of the City of Adelaide's Winter Weekends was there and she loved it. So I jumped onboard the initiative that was part of COVID recovery last year. A lot of of places shut down but the City of Adelaide threw a lot of support into the arts and music which I was very grateful for, it got us through a tricky situation and it still is helping us through that. That’s how I got involved. I was about to go overseas travelling with my band Lilac Cove and that got stopped, so I stayed in Adelaide and it was a good chance to explore my own backyard.

Being a performer, it is like a second home these days. I reside in the South but I am going to be honest, I just like eating. And wherever the good food is, I’ll go, even if the city is 35 minutes from home. I've found a lot of new places from performing which is something I’m really surprised about. You have your go-to places but when you’re pushed out of your comfort zone, it's awesome to try new things and we are so spoilt in Adelaide for food and wine options.

I keep coming back because I like Adelaide and I think it’s a really good initiative to get people out during winter. A lot of places around Australia are doing it really well and I feel like in Adelaide, when we get on board with something, we really embrace it. And that’s been very evident watching the program start at the early stages until where it finished. There were more and more people coming out, people were telling people, they create a vibe, they create something special. So, for me, its been awesome to watch and seen how it's helped collectively. I’m getting my own little group of fans but its been awesome watching the businesses and the vibe benefitting from the program.

They’re free, there’s music, some of the stations get fire twirlers that are amazing and it's great watching them come out and watching the people get drawn to that. In fact for me, it’s my favourite part of the night where I can just sit down, have a drink and something to eat and just watch the fire twirlers. It’s free and it’s family friendly too. You can use it as an after work catch up or you could even plan a birthday around it or something like that. You’ve got a lot of different environment and venues on your doorstep and you can choose your own adventure so to speak.

I really like the fact there’s boys and girls and you’ve got everything from jazz to singer/songwriter to even some pop/punk stuff. For me, I’m an original artist and I sing original music – I don’t sing covers and anywhere that promotes that originality for me is a tick. Adelaide certainly has some wonderful musos in town and anywhere I can play original music is a plus, so that is what draws me to the program.

They are all really good and they are all really versatile as well. My heart is definitely in original music so discovering new talent by the fire and hearing original music oozing from the streets this winter is definitely under rated in my opinion. Some artists doing just that and you should checkout would be Jimmy Bay, Sam Britain, Patty Ramm and Dusty (AKA The Wanderers).

I’m a sucker for Japanese food, so anywhere I can go for a hot meal. Anywhere I can find a dark ale for me in winter is also a go to. I love to eat my way through the Markets as well. 

The Flinders St Project – fresh and delicious.

A Japanese restaurant on Melbourne Street called Sato. The fried tofu soup was delicious. Dinner there would be my go to - I seriously can’t stop thinking about that flavour bomb! One Friday I was playing on Melbourne Street and the weather was really bad. Sato brought me out a bowl of soup because I was cold and he just gave it to me for free which was so lovely of him – it was packed and he didn't need the business.

A drop of vino at Bar Torino on Hutt Street or a whiskey by the fire at The Olivia Hotel on Hutt Street, they have an open fire little garden out the back, its really lovely. Both are very friendly and have awesome vibes.

Boy n Bloom on Flinders Street – tasty bagels and friendly service.

Go see the fire twirlers from The Dragon Mill. They are awesome and a bunch of fire gods and goddesses! They are special guests at Winter Weekends around different locations in the CBD.

I loved the Fire Gardens that was on in 2020 in the Adelaide Botanic Gardens. I think I'm a bit of a pyro... I love fire and I'm drawn to fire [laughs]. It's good when Adelaide takes risks on different events like that.