Ashley Davies with Ned Kelly. 72815 Picture: DAMJAN JANEVSKI
By Vanessa Chircop
ASHLEY Davies’ acclaimed multimedia production of Ned Kelly re-tells the story everyone thinks they know but in a way they have never seen.
The show, which will be performed at The Substation this Friday, features a live six-piece band, performing under projected archival documents and photos from the State Library of Victoria’s La Trobe picture collection.
With a recorded narration by Ian Jones – Australia’s foremost Kelly historian – Ashley hopes his presentation will move and transport the audience to key moments in the life of the infamous bushranger and his gang.
But for Ashley, Ned Kelly is more than just Australia’s most notorious bushranger.
“It’s not as clear cut as him being a bushranger – I’m not saying he’s a saint but I am trying to get the whole story out there,” he said.
The all-round muso, songwriter and drummer, Ashley Davies became enthralled in the Ned Kelly story after reading Robert Drewe’s novel ‘Our Sunshine’ – which tells the story of the Kelly saga.
“There was so much to the Kelly story I didn’t know about,” he said.
His research continued and so did his fascination.
“I was reading anything I could get my hands on.”
Eventually he gathered enough material and began writing an album of instrumental music he thought could accompany the story and the collaboration for the show began.
The ARIA award winner and Hobsons Bay resident has opened for Bob Dylan, Patti Smith, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and ZZ Top, just to name a few.
As a composer, his music has featured in major Australian films such as Somersault, Australian Rules and the television series The Silence.
And in 2001 he launched his CD and live road show of Ned Kelly.
The album won the 2001 Best Australian Debut CD in Rhythms Magazine Reader’s Poll.
It premiered at the Apollo Bay Music Festival to a packed house and has since toured several Australian festivals and will this week hit Hobsons Bay.
Ashley hopes the show will bring something new to the story and enlighten audiences about the man behind the armour.
“The story itself is a great story,” he said.
“A lot of people cast judgments on Ned Kelly in a certain way without the full story.”
Ashley hopes his multimedia production will give people a greater understanding of not just Ned Kelly but the Kelly era.
