Lumen Bar brings nu jazz, native flavours and glowing good times to Illuminate Adelaide
There’s something about Illuminate Adelaide that makes you want to linger. Maybe it’s the glowing installations, maybe it’s the crisp winter nights, or maybe it’s the excuse to spend an evening hopping between art, music and a good glass of wine. This year, Adelaide University’s Lumen Bar is giving you every reason to do exactly that.
Returning to Goodman Lawns from July 3-19, the pop-up festival favourite is back with a fresh look inspired by London’s early ’90s nu jazz scene, alongside a line-up of vinyl DJs, live bands, local wines and a snack menu celebrating South Australian native ingredients.
Perfectly positioned on North Terrace, Lumen Bar once again forms part of Adelaide University’s contribution to Illuminate Adelaide’s City Lights program, making it an easy stop between the festival’s immersive artworks and light installations.
Professor Jessica Gallagher, deputy vice chancellor international and external engagement at Adelaide University, says the venue has become an important part of the winter festival experience.
“This year’s program brings together creativity, music, food, culture and community in the heart of North Terrace,” she says. “Lumen Bar has become a much-loved part of Illuminate Adelaide, bringing people onto campus to experience the university in a different way.”
From London clubs to North Terrace
Forget generic festival playlists. This year’s Lumen Bar takes its cues from the smoky basement clubs of early 1990s London, when nu jazz blurred the lines between jazz, funk, soul and electronic music.
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The concept doesn’t stop at Britain, though. Adelaide has long had its own love affair with the genre, something the venue is keen to celebrate.
“The look and feel took inspiration from early ’90s clubs in London, and the way that sound found its own aesthetic in Adelaide through places like Cargo Club and Club Foote,” Adelaide University director events Ross Ganf says.
“The spirit of this music has existed in Adelaide for more than three decades, and it is having its time in the light again at Lumen Bar.”
The soundtrack unfolds throughout the day, beginning with interactive jukebox sessions where visitors can choose the tunes before vinyl DJs take over into the evening.
Come Friday and Saturday nights, the stage fills with free live performances featuring some of Adelaide’s best funk, jazz and soul acts. Expect sets from Duck Soup, 5 Sided Cube, Alexander Flood, UK street soul artist Surahn, acid jazz collective Cargo Ago Go and the Jamiroquai tribute show A Funk Odyssey.
Come for the lights, stay for dinner
While the music might draw you in, the food could easily convince you to stay longer.
The menu has been created by a trio of South Australian culinary heavyweights: National Wine Centre head chef Satoshi Kikuchi, Waite chef in residence Karena Armstrong and former chef in residence Kane Pollard.
Think festival snacks elevated with native ingredients. Saltbush-spiced fava beans, tomato-whipped hemp ricotta served with brewers’-grain bark and freshly shucked Coffin Bay oysters topped with karkalla pickle are all designed for sharing over a glass of wine.
Armstrong says the menu reflects the kind of relaxed winter catch-up many of us are looking for. “I love meeting up with friends over a glass of wine and something good to eat. It might be a quick drink, or it might turn into a meandering few hours.
“The Lumen snacks are full of flavour, with the right amount of salt and umami. My work with Red Centre Enterprises during my chef in residence role has opened the door to a deeper understanding of First Nations ingredients, and those ingredients are represented across the menu.”
On the drinks front, the focus stays firmly local, with wines produced by Adelaide University alumni winemakers sitting alongside classic cocktails. Midweek tastings give visitors the chance to meet the makers while sampling some of South Australia’s standout drops.
Your Illuminate pit stop
One of Lumen Bar’s biggest drawcards is its location. Sitting in the middle of the City Lights trail, it’s the perfect place to warm up before heading back into the festival.
Take in Miguel Chevalier’s immersive Pixel Waves, where digital landscapes ripple beneath your feet, ponder the glowing installations of Pavol Truben’s Under Pressure, or seek out the giant illuminated creatures of Glow Art Creation’s Nocturnal.
Then circle back for another glass, another set and maybe one more plate to share.
Because while Illuminate Adelaide is famous for lighting up the city, Lumen Bar proves some of the best moments happen when you stop rushing between installations, settle in with friends and let the music take over.
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