Form of Freedom: Badland Caravan
At the dawn of 2025, I had the pleasure of witnessing Adelaide band Badland Caravan perform. I had been overcome by a wave of ethereal energy, as if a transportation portal had opened by forceful energy which transited the present to a distant place and time.
Their sound and style ritually synchronised, invoking the presence of a roll of film left in the sun to slowly warp and simultaneously glisten. The hypnotic and strangely intimate enigma of Badland Caravan is best encapsulated by frontman Adam Higgs himself as “an alchemical transmutation of energy”.
To further explore how form manifests within their visual presence, I conversed with Adam (singer, frontman) and Lui Burvill Kernahan (guitarist). Their sound is self-proclaimed as “psychedelic blues” at its core, incorporating elements of “Latin, jazz, country and western”. These genres are combined into a cauldron with the spices of “‘50s rock and roll and ‘70s hard rock” sprinkled subtly within. Perhaps allusions to revivalism can be attributed to Adam’s discernible resemblance to “curly haired front men” like Jim Morrison (The Doors) and Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin). Yet, it is undeniable that their sound and style eloquently express an esoteric vintage flair immersed in transcendental pagan mysticism.
“Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.”
Their style is plagued with a range of recurring motifs and visual forms. From flared corduroy jeans to Adam’s glistening golden jewellery, a declaration of the alchemic belief that gold is the “literal crystallisation of sunlight and silver moonlight, [which retains] mystical qualities”. Lui’s cowboy hat connotes the mysterious spirit of an old western film, and of course, there is no deficiency of earthy, flowy fabrics and unique thrifted pieces. The omnipresence of spiritual symbolism suggests Adam’s “interests outside of music [like] the occult” which permeate thematically. This amalgamation of visual elements ties together with their sound in a ritualistic manner, evoking the imagery of Ancient Greek myth and as Adam suggests, “Egypt in its zenith”.
Left to right: Adam Higgs (singer, frontman), Lui Burvill Kernahan (guitarist), Seraph Chambers (bass player)
THE ROLE OF THE ARTIST IN FORMULATING FREEDOM
As a visual artist, I understand that the artist's job begins where tangibility is forbidden, achieved through translating sound, thoughts, and feeling into physical form. While music isn’t visual, it has a similar effect audibly. I choose to believe the way a musician's sound and image manifests can be attributed to the rich interconnectedness of the collective unconscious.[1]. Through Adam’s discussion he expressed how their aesthetic is in some way “intuitive”, cohereing with my belief as he suggested it is no coincidence their music manifests as visually imagined.
“Visual presentation helps with audience immersion” says Adam. He recalls the “airy, ethereal, bright colours [and] flowy [forms]” displayed by psychedelic, hippie bands of the late 1960s, a period synonymous with liberation and freedom. Lui puts this simply by suggesting “when you dress up for a show [it feels] freeing” emphasising the “form of freedom” is infused prominently throughout their fashion. With freedom at the forefront, Badland Caravan represents the embodiment of the archetypal artist. They adhere to the notion that “the essence of a work of art is…[its ability to rise above] the personal and speak from the mind and heart”. They express this to their audience, ultimately proliferating their vibe quest of freedom (Carl Jung, The Spirit, p.101).
PURSUIT OF BALANCE THROUGH FORM
I asked Adam if their music could take the form of a shape, he then suggested “A mandala,”. The mandala represents a visual balance between “frenzy and order” while being “geometric [and] pleasant to look at, [withholding] elements of intuitive expression”. Adam’s comparison to a mandala seemed to perfectly encapsulate the unification between their sound and style. Adams fashion represents retrospection and esoterica, meanwhile the music combines traditional rock instruments alongside the occasional mystical shimmer of tambourine and muddy sound of harmonica. Together, their unification permits the achievement of a paradoxical and otherworldly effability.
Potentially it is such a balanced marriage of sound and style which describes Badland Caravan’s domineering ability to shake, rattle, and roll a room; their ability to hijack the collective unconscious of their audiences while initiating a spiritual experience through the power of the joint forces of their visual and sonic mysticism.
[1] Psychologist Carl Jung’s theory that there exists a shared, inherited unconscious mind amongst all humans. This is expressed through universal images, ideas and symbols known as archetypes which present themselves across multiple cultures and time periods.