Lime Cordiale is giving their indie pop tunes a symphonic facelift in a transformative, bucket-list collaboration with Adelaide Symphony Orchestra for the 2026 Adelaide Cabaret Festival.
From ARIA chart-topping tracks to quirky and treasured favourites, conductor Vanessa Scammell and arranger Alex Turley give the band’s catalogue a majestic, high-brow makeover. It’s a nostalgic return to their nerd roots and a full-circle journey back to the orchestras where it all began.
Enchanting, intimidating, and utterly epic, this is Lime Cordiale as you’ve never heard them before. Don’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime symphonic headrush. The revolution will be orchestrated.
I chat with the boys, Oliver (Oli) and Louis Leimbach, of Lime Cordiale..
Markus Hamence: This show takes Lime Cordiale out of the usual festival and indie-rock setting and into a full orchestral world. What was the first thought that went through your minds when this collaboration with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra was proposed?
Lime Cordial: Playing our own show at the Opera House has always been a dream of ours, let alone with the Sydney Symphony, and then again with every major symphony orchestra around the country! There was no doubt that we were going to say yes to this offer. But imposter syndrome kicks in a bit too! I went to the Sydney Conservatorium and studied clarinet performance. At “The Con”, they always talk about playing clarinet in the symphony orchestra as the end goal. You can’t go much further than that. But we’re standing IN FRONT of the orchestra! All these guys are there for us! It was a scary thought. It took the first rehearsal in Tasmania to warm up and realise we’re not just a bunch of phonies.
MH: Your music has always had a playful, cinematic quality. Were there any songs that completely transformed once arranger Alex Turley and conductor Vanessa Scammell got their hands on them?
LC: Alex really took these songs to the next level. Working with him was fun and easy because we were on the same page from the start. We wanted this to be a different Lime Cordiale experience. I think a lot of bands want to play the songs as they usually would and then add the orchestra on top to try to fatten them out. But we felt like that’d be limiting. So we ditched the keys, synths and a lot of our guitar parts, and re-arranged them for orchestral instruments. Our songs have been completely redesigned. Vanessa was the perfect choice as conductor. It feels like she’s there to have fun — like us.
MH : You’ve described this project as a return to your ‘nerd roots’ and a full-circle moment with orchestras. What memories from your early musical lives came flooding back during rehearsals?
LC: Learning a classical instrument is so focused. Louis grew up with the trumpet and I was on clarinet. You have to put in so many hours of detailed practice, obsessing over reeds and valve oil, honing articulation and breath control. We practised these instruments intensely for 15 years and then stepped back as the band started to grow. But watching these players, who never stopped obsessing, got me feeling a little existential. Some of these guys have been playing for 60 years! Wow, I could’ve continued along this path and my life might be pretty different. Sliding doors, man!
MH: Lime Cordiale gigs are usually built on spontaneity and crowd energy. How different is it performing when you’re surrounded by an orchestra and every musical moment feels bigger and more precise?
LC: Y’know, we like to make our shows feel spontaneous, but they’re actually all meticulously planned. We arrange the parts, extend sections and often write the solos. We then practise the hell out of a set, record it, listen back and make sure we’re delivering the most entertaining show we can. We probably work more similarly to classical musicians than most bands. The crowd often gives us more energy on stage, potentially pushes us to get a little experimental and has Louis and me yelling down the mic a lot more.
MH: Adelaide Cabaret Festival is known for celebrating reinvention and unexpected collaborations. What makes this show feel like more than just a concert for you?
LC: Well… have you ever seen an entire orchestra play the kazoo?
MH: When you hear one of your own songs lifted by dozens of orchestral musicians, do you experience it as a songwriter, a fan, or almost as an audience member hearing it for the first time?
LC: If you keep your eye on us, you can see us watching the orchestra in awe. There are moments where we move off to the side of the stage and just observe. That’s us fan-girling.
MH: You’ve built a reputation on creating music that feels warm, quirky and deeply Australian. How do you keep that personality intact while giving the songs a grand symphonic makeover?
LC: That was pretty much our brief to the arranger. We try to get as experimental as possible in the studio, so there was no reason to hold back with the orchestra. When you have dozens of world-class musicians at your fingertips, the options feel endless. The orchestra tour was never going to be our serious moment as a band. We wanted to push boundaries where we could.
MH: If someone has never seen Lime Cordiale before and this Adelaide Cabaret Festival performance is their first experience, what do you hope they’re talking about on the walk back across Festival Plaza afterwards?
LC: Well, I hope they don’t expect us to have an orchestra at every Lime Cordiale show. That tour might get a little expensive. I hope they feel like they’ve experienced something a bit different… and that they’ll want to buy the vinyl once we get that ready for sale!
MH: Wrapping up, any other shows you’re looking forward to seeing at the Adelaide Cabaret Festival?
LC: We just had Mahalia Barnes in the studio for our upcoming album, so I’d love to see her tear the roof off. I’d also love to see Lazaro Numa with a little Cuban trumpet.
Lime Cordiale
with Adelaide Symphony Orchestra
2026 Adelaide Cabaret Festival
Thursday 11 June 2026
Festival Theatre, Adelaide Festival Centre
