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The Fringe Street Party gig you can't miss

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The Nugget
March 21, 2025

★ THE FRINGE STREET PARTY GIG YOU CAN’T MISS ★

PubSing super stars: Peter Bodin, Steph Carson, Briony Phillips, Marion Yates

There is so much happening at the Fringe Opening Night Street Party, it's hard to know where to look. Don't worry - I'm going to tell you where to look.

Start with the gig many people in this town build their night around - nay - build their month around.

PubSing's Fringe Street Sing is at 6:00 PM on the Lyttleton Street Stage. The song is Lionel Ritchie’s All Night Long. I know. Try to keep your socks on.

This is the first PubSing gig of the year and the first time that local muso Peter Bodin of 'Peter and the Wolves' will be joining the PubSing crew of Steph Carson, Marion Yates and Briony Phillips.

PubSing is for people who can sing. Obviously. Steph says it’s also for people who can’t sing. Like me!

When I played Glinda the Good Witch in my school's production of the Wizard of Oz, the director said I was so bad I would have to speak my song.

"To people who say 'I can't sing,' I go, well, PubSing's perfect for you because you can have a wine, shake your shackles off and suddenly you're singing and then you’ll go, ‘Whoa - it sounds really good,’” Steph says.

“I think it's being surrounded by your part. All around you are people singing the same thing."

Pub Singers can sound so good, the leaders will sometimes cut the music and have punters belt out the tune unaccompanied.

"Harmonies get me in the all the feels," Steph says.

She sees unlikely customers get won over by their first PubSing experience all the time.

"I remember Crag Carrick (MainFM radio host) came to the Tap Room one night thinking Books in the Brewery was on. We were like 'Nah. It's PubSing.'

"He was like 'Ah well, I'll stay.' And he absolutely loved it. It's those sort of people who come up at the end they're like 'That was the best thing I've ever done!'

Research has shown that group singing helps forge social bonds fast, acting as the perfect icebreaker.

Steph says she can vouch for this.

She didn't know anyone when she moved to Castlemaine with her husband and first baby.

"I joined MaCapella (which started as a choir for mums) after being in town for about a year. It just had started. I was like 'What is this — a choir where you can take your kids? Like, what? So I joined it and suddenly found all these people who had a love of singing, too.”

When MaCapella founder, Tara Flynn, was about to go on maternity leave, she suggested Steph lead the choir for six months.

"I had three kids by that stage. My youngest was like, one. I thought about it that night and I was like, 'Yeah. Yeah, I want to do that,'“ Steph says.

"Through that (role in MaCapella), all this other music stuff has come. All these amazing musical things that I'd never dreamt I would be part of."

In addition to leading PubSing, Steph is now in multiple bands, is a super star backup singer for Castlemaine Idyll, has performed on stage with Mama Kin Spender and teaches Flash Dancercise.

I don't think life could be any more fun?

"That's music and dance in our town, isn't it? There's so much available, so much to choose from. Like we are spoiled in the arts in Castlemaine. It's amazing,” Steph says.

“And that's like the Fringe opening night. That program is off its' head. There's so much going on.”

Ya keen?

We're going to … Party … Karamu … Fiesta … Forever. All night long!

❀ SIR LES GETS HIS BIG MOMENT ❀

Have you all met Sir Leslie Thornton?

This local character has a very exciting exhibition launching at the Castlemaine Art Museum on Saturday and you are going to want to see it.

He paints what interests him: local icons, bridges, buildings and mountains.

“I like the architecture around here. It's not homogenous, all the colonial architecture, the modern brutalist period and the ultramodern period, the whole lot. I like the idea that you can walk around town and see a dozen different styles in one street,” Sir Les says.

“My pursuit is of course beauty and balance I want to make things that are beautiful and a joy to look at, for a start.

“I also like to have a humorous angle, occasionally, or a political comment in an obtuse way.”

You’ve likely seen the post cards and tea towels with the image of the Castlemaine Pie Shop. Sir Les painted that art work.

“The sign on the window of the pie shop had the graphic of a pie, which no longer exists. I painted that in 1978 as a sign writer out and about town. I wanted to remember that image. I just composed the painting and people ended up liking it.”

Sir Les moved to Castlemaine in 1972. He says it hasn’t changed much over the years.

“I got involved in the local scene. It was a very welcoming, artistic community back in those days as well,” he says.

He awarded himself a knighthood and took on the title of Sir Les for his long service in managing the Theatre Royal. He says that keeping the historical theatre running felt like five full-time jobs at times.

“It was challenging, but it was enjoyable. If you’re enjoying what you’re doing, it’s not work, is it.”

Sir Les says he can’t wait to show the community his exhibition and is loving the attention his art is receiving at the moment.

“I’m delighted. I could have done with this sort of attention 40 or 50 yeas ago, but it's great now, having everyone excited about this show and it looks great. I've been amazing and surprised.

Sir Les will be giving personal tours on Thursdays at noon.

Do yourself a favour book in. You are guaranteed to leave with a heart full of art and lots of wonderful stories.

♡˖ EVENTS ˖♡

𖥔 TALK TO MOI PLOISE 𖥔

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