Georgia Maq is releasing a live recording of her Vivid LIVE concert at the Sydney Opera House. Recorded in the Utzon Room, the five-song Live at Sydney Opera House EP is due out on Friday, 2nd December.
The EP includes a cover of Regina Spektor‘s ‘Samson’, which Maq has released to mark the announcement. Live at Sydney Opera House also features cuts from Maq’s debut solo album, Pleaser, which were reimagined for the venue; some stripped back, some enhanced with string and piano arrangements.
Georgia Maq – ‘Samson (Regina Spektor Cover)’
Maq said ‘Samson’ holds special significance for her. “Being a Greek woman with a moustache and hairy arms, I was always bullied in school about being different,” she said. “But then I heard ‘Samson’ and it completely changed my perspective of my body. I started playing that song when I was 15 and it always brought me back to my power.”
The Sydney Opera House is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Maq’s band Camp Cope played a headline show there in 2019, before Maq returned with her own material in June 2022.
“With the pandemic, it’s hard to go out and see live music, so I wanted to bring that intimate experience to the listener at home,” Maq said. “These performances were special to me because I had my beautiful step mum Rebecca Mason on the piano, as well as my ride-or-die string duo, Lucy Rash and Lucy Waldron, all of whom I am very lucky to call friends.”
She added, “I love how live versions of songs are different to the recording and [I love] the authenticity of a live performance, so I wanted to share that.”
It’s been a busy year for Maq, who returned to international touring after releasing Camp Cope’s third album, Running With The Hurricane. She also appeared on the Ben Lee single ‘Arsehole’.
Further Reading
Camp Cope’s Georgia Maq Announces Solo Show With Eight-Piece Band
Camp Cope National Album Tour Happening This May
Ben Lee and Camp Cope’s Georgia Maq Share New Collab ‘Arsehole’
