This weekend, under dated disco balls and a ceiling that looks like a squash court, punters will dance to off-kilter musical performances from three bands in a North Adelaide community centre.

For the first time in its admittedly short history, award-winning music project Porch Records is hosting a gig outside of its Somerton Park home, Summertown Studio.

Porch Records’ founder, Sharni Honor, has programmed instrumental psychedelic three-piece Glass Beams, jazz quartet Surprise Chef and local up-and-comers No News to appear at the 73-year-old Eesti Maja (Estonian House) on Friday night.

“We have been curating a lot of touring shows at Summertown under the Porch Records brand, but this is the first traveling show since the last one a couple of years ago,” Sharni tells CityMag.

The bands will kick off at the 400-capacity hall from 8pm ’til late, and the music will be accompanied by gourmet bagels from Pearla Tuck Shop and gin from Brighter Later.

“It’s a night in a beautiful space; a chance to have a dance, catch up with old friends, eat great food, drink great booze [and] experience something a bit different in terms of music,” Sharni says.

“It’s a lot of funky instrumental jazz times… and it’s very much a stand up, have a bit of a boogie kind of affair, which for people that have gone to Porch Sessions a thousand years ago, [it’s] a little bit of a different spell. No acoustic guitars.” 

L—R: Porch Records production manager Luke Hancock and head-honcho Sharni Honor

Porch Records broke onto the scene in late 2021 and was awarded Best Innovation at the 2022 South Australian Music Awards. The label has just one release to its name so far (the self-titled debut EP from Nu Article), but Sharni says there are “a couple more releases in the works too”.

Sharni, an alum of Solstice Media’s 40 Under 40 for her work in the live music scene, told us this year that after nine years and 250 shows Porch Sessions was coming to an end. This was in part due to her wanting to step away from the acoustic-guitar-leaning sounds so closely affiliated with the award-winning event.

Though her tastes have changed, Sharni is still committed to bringing music to unorthodox spaces, as she did throughout Porch Sessions’ backyard-venturing history. This commitment to interesting and under-utilised venues led her to the Eastern European community hall.

“I just went on a massive Google rampage and came across this beautiful old hall, which is only kind of used for tai chi, and wrestling and circles for kids,” Sharni says.

“It’s looks like a squash court is on the ceiling, there’s disco balls, timber floors. It’s absolutely stunning.”

Wood panelling and disco balls

Asked what’s on the horizon for Porch Records beyond this weekend, Sharni says punters should expect more takeovers in Eesti Maja and a bigger roster of international guests.

“We’re going to explore a bunch of different spaces and just see where it goes and what music we can bring to Adelaide,” she says.

“There’s some fun stuff in the works.”