Fred Smith and band will be presenting this extraordinary song cycle on Australia’s involvement in Afghanistan, culminating in the dramatic evacuation from Kabul in August 2021.

Brought to you by the Newstead Arts Hub and Newstead Live, Sparrows of Kabul is on at the Newstead Community Centre on Friday 2 June, 7pm. Performance 2 hours, including interval. Drinks at the bar. Recommended for audiences 15+ years.

Great songs, vivid images and some cheeky Aussie humour combine to offer a vivid account of Australia’s Afghanistan story told through the eyes of someone who was there.

‘Fred Smith is simply the best folk/country musician working in this country…beyond writing some of the finest songs about Australians at war, he has created a repertoire that is wry, literate, witty, powerfully emotional and insightful.’ (Bruce Elder, SMH).

Fred was there at the beginning in Uruzgan Province and returned at the end working from Kabul International Airport (KIA) on the difficult evacuation. His epitaph for the mission is ‘it was what it was’, and we are left with an admiration for the work of our soldiers and for the courage and tenacity of thousands of Afghans who braved the human logjams outside the gates of Kabul International Airport in a last-ditch dash for freedom.

The concert will begin with songs from Fred’s acclaimed Dust of Uruzgan album which draws on his experiences working alongside Australian soldiers in southern Afghanistan. It will culminate with material he wrote after working on the dramatic evacuation from Kabul in August 2021.

Recommended for audiences 15+ years 
Note: this performance includes occasional rude language, some bawdy humour, and stories and imagery from the Afghanistan war, including the evacuation of Kabul airport. Please consider whether this would be uncomfortable for you or family members.