Live Review: Sudan Archives @ Liberty Hall

“This is my first time in Australia. The food is so good. I haven’t had a bad meal since I got here.” These were some of the stand-out words from Brittney Parks, better known as Sudan Archives.

While seemingly inane dialogue about the difference between Down Under and her native Ohio, this gustatory motif threaded throughout the night, appearing on the latest single, Selfish Soul. Indeed, the self-taught avant-garde artist treated us to a sumptuous feast to feed our selfish souls. 

She is a hyperreal huntress in black lace and leather, emanating a fierce sensuality in her stagecraft. Her trusty violin bow is like an arrow she pulls from its sheath strapped to her back. Each time she whips it out, a sheening sound effect – like a dagger unsheathed – clamours, and she prepares her attack.

What follows is a tour de force of electrified violin, hard-hitting beats and RnB-infused basslines. On tracks like Confessions from her 2019 LP Athena, a backing of clouds matched the bridge, “And if I saw all the angels, why is my presence so painful?” The striking stream of violin strokes delivered with such verve entreats us to holler and lark. 

Her two breakthrough tracks inspired the greatest crowd engagements – 2017’s Come Meh Way and 2018’s single Nont for Sale – with the bouncy rhythm, contagious chorus lines and West African-inspired finger-picking and fiddling style.

The titular track off her 2022 LP, Natural Brown Prom Queen: NBPQ (Topless), is an absolute banger and deserves high rotation in clubs. Parks delivered the song with a sultry vivacity that was almost too hard to bear and coaxed a call and response on the “I’m not average” hook.

Earlier, UK-born, Sydney-based Chanel Loren – “Chanel like the perfume, Loren like Sofia Loren” – took to the stage in a fairly brief set that showed some promise. The three-piece didn’t exactly gel, but the singer seemed stylish and talented enough to go out independently and develop her craft in the coming years.

All City Jimmy started off the night’s proceedings with his brand of hip hop, which fused nostalgia-tinged lyrics about the summer of 2002 and the stark reality of 2022 on his recent release Westside Boy.