For punk provocateur, No Wave music legend, avant-garde artist, actor and self-empowerment speaker Lydia Lunch, there is nothing more powerful than spoken word poetry. Having badgered and cajoled Rowland S Howard and Nick Cave early in The Birthday Party’s career (and becoming part of spin-off group Honeymoon In Red), the ageless US rabble-rouser and restless collaborator is relishing her return to Australia.

‘It’s interesting,’ she reflects. ‘I’ve curated so many shows, put together so many salons and brought a lot of people to the spoken word stage for the first time. And it’s usually rock musicians that are most intimidated by it,’ she smiles mischievously. ‘And I’m like, “what’s your problem? You’re an exhibitionist over here, you’re shy over there You’ve got the mic.” The words cannot be hidden behind the music. It’s absolutely the most important thing to do.’
Performing Tales Of Lust & Madness (‘stories of obsession, depression, darkness, life, death’), Lunch will be sharing the stage with absurdist operatic balladeer Joseph Keckler, and promises a velvet hammer technique. ‘He’s velvety, then I come in like a hammer. We’re very different in delivery and style but conceptually, aesthetically, perversely and humorously, we’re a unique and utterly compatible combination.’

The Garage International @ Adelaide Town Hall, Thursday 14 March, 7.15pm.