12 #022 UARY 20 14 FEBR
BEFORE AND AFTER – NEW ORDER IN NEW ZEALAND 1982/2012 BLACK LIPS BRING THE RUCKUS
S EETS ESTHER STEPHEN M RA A IP A W A M TA TALKING HEADS –
“I do remember the tour but, God, in those days we used to drink quite a lot of alcohol – my memory is somewhat detached because of that. I remember someone picking me up and putting me in a dustbin in the dressing room. It was probably very chaotic and anarchistic.” I HAD A chance to talk to New Order’s Bernard Sumner last week, putting in a call to his home south of Manchester to pick his brains about the before and after of the band, and three decades of touring history in New Zealand that includes shows in 1982 and 1987, a headlining slot at 2002’s Big Day Out, and their return this month – sans Hooky. The first question I put to him was about that ’82 show at Auckland’s Mainstreet Cabaret – recalled in this week’s History Made by Jonathan Ganley – where they were supported by punk Poet Laureate and fellow Salford Lads Club member, John Cooper Clarke. True to Sumner’s account, Ganley remembers him “passed out on the couch” when a local crew returned to New Order’s Parnell hotel after the Mainstreet Cabaret show, while Factory Records’ Rob Gretton held court, spliff in hand. “The touring thing was a party every night, you know – it was every young man’s dream,” Sumner says. “It was strange because, with Joy Division and early New Order, people thought we were very serious because our music was very serious. And we were serious about our music – but we liked to have a good time, and so did John Cooper Clarke.” The next couple of months sees these Manc heroes play New Zealand dates, New Order at Vector Arena on Monday 27 February, John Cooper Clarke returning for a five-date March tour, and Peter Hook revisiting Joy Division’s Closer in Wellington and Auckland in April. Probably not as chaotic and anarchistic as that ’82 show, but possibly the makings of some future History Mades.
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EDITOR: Sam Wicks sam.wicks@volumemagazine.co.nz WEB EDITOR: Hugh Sundae hugh.sundae@nzherald.co.nz DEPARTMENT OF VOLUME SALES: John Baker john.baker@volumemagazine.co.nz DESIGN: Xanthe Williams WRITERS: Stephen Bain, Gavin Bertram, Jonathan Ganley, Duncan Greive, Jessica Hansell, Joe Nunweek, Emma Smith, Hugh Sundae, Dan Trevarthen, Aaron Wahl, Aaron Yap ILLUSTRATION: Mitch Marks PHOTOGRAPHERS: Ted Baghurst, Jonathan Ganley, Masanori Udagawa AN APN PUBLICATION
PNC
You’re a month off the release of the new album. How does it feel to be under the influence? Ha ha! It feels good, man. I’m really proud of how this record turned out. The response so far to the songs I’ve leaked has been extremely positive. ‘Stranger Pt. 1 & 2’ sampled Gotye, ‘As I Fly’ borrows a little Bieber, and the new single ‘Take It All’ pinches a slice of Adele. How does Under the Influence producer Matt Miller get away with jacking for beats? Under the Influence started off as a mixtape project. It was always gonna be something I gave away for free so I told Matt to sample whatever he wanted to. Somewhere along the way it became more of an album, but it still has the soul of a mixtape. Under the Influence is presented by Crooks & Castles and VOLUME and will be released online for free on St Paddy’s Day. What was the inspiration for releasing album number four this way? I just felt the way the industry and my career are going, it was time to do something a bit different. I liked how people like Drake, Frank Ocean and of course my friend David Dallas have gone about their releases, and saw it really worked for them. Crooks & Castles and VOLUME are two brands I really respect, and luckily enough they were happy to come on board. Fire & Ice’s Jordache, David Dallas, Louie Knuxx and Perceive all jumped on ‘Take It All’. Who else can we expect to hear on the album? Taye Williams, Pieter T, Jeremy Redmore and Awa all feature on the record. Everyone on the album is a good mate of mine, so I really enjoyed being able to work with them all on one project. Sade’s one of your favourite artists. Did you make the trip to AUS for one of her shows in December? You had to bring that up! Sadly no, I couldn’t make it. Our love affair will have to wait for another day. PNC’s Under the Influence will be released for free download on Saturday 17 March from pncmusic.co.nz.
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Brooklyn’s Aa are in town to play three shows this week – Thursday at Arc Theatre in Whanganui, Friday at Mighty Mighty in Wellington and Saturday at Whammy Bar in Auckland.
PAUL JEFFCOAT – CREATIVE MANAGER/ PRODUCTION MANAGER – FREQUENCY MEDIA GROUP Dawn Raid Entertainment was my first proper job – I started with them nine years ago as a designer and I’ve been with them ever since. You can’t just do one job in the music industry anymore – “creative” involves doing most of the artwork for FMG. I’ve been doing the CD cover work for Dawn Raid since 2003, after Mareko’s White Sunday album. I like to work with the artists to get them something that they want and something that I like as well – it needs to be a collaboration with the artist so they know what they’re getting the whole way through. On the other side is the digital – that
involves getting all the music mastered and uploaded so it’s with all the digital providers like iTunes and so on. When I was just working at Dawn Raid, it was a matter of passing the releases on to Universal and they dealt with the whole process, but there’s a lot more involved now because we do much digital servicing.
SEND ME A POSTCARD Orchestra of Spheres’ Dan Beban is back from their European tour with All Tomorrow’s Parties to play the Festival Club at the New Performance Festival in Auckland on Friday 17 March. More details at the-edge. co.nz/npfhome.aspx.
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DEATH OF A HIPSTER…
I almost killed a couple of hipsters last week. They walked out onto Ponsonby Rd without a care in the world, apart from the usual barely hidden inner turmoil.
USUALLY WHEN A pedestrian mistakenly enters the path of the vehicle you’re driving they will quickly jump out of the way. Perhaps realise they’re in the wrong. Maybe even wave “Sorry”. Not these two. I wondered if their lack of remorse was due to the vehicle I happened to be driving at the time, which would normally be driven by someone at least a couple of tax brackets higher than mine. But I scratched that notion as they had such vacant stares – it wasn’t even clear they noticed the vehicle. Or even knew where they were going, although I suspect it was Golden Dawn. It would be wrong to say I screeched to a stop. That’s the thing about vehicles you can’t afford, they have computers in their brakes that seem to take the violence out of sudden
The one on the right then took a long drag of his cigarette and blew it towards me. I swear the smoke spelled out the words “Fuck you, much?” At this point, with a lack of engagement from the hipsters, I did the only thing I had left in my arsenal. I drove off in a huff. Although not before thinking how the one on the right looked a bit like Slater from Dazed and Confused. Perhaps it was the way he blew smoke. Later, I turned to Facebook to try and let off some steam. It was liked by halts. But I do think it was clear to 19 people! The comments came thick the hipsters that I was somewhat and fast. “Did you clock their shoes?”, inconvenienced by their mistaken “Road safety is so mainstream”, “Even meandering. with oversized glasses they still didn’t To make sure they got the picture see you?” I started to feel better about I followed up my furrowed brow by myself. That was until a friend living “Now I wasn’t even in the UK threw a spanner in the sure if they were works. “NZ has hipsters?” Now I wasn’t even sure if they were hipsters. Perhaps hipsters. Perhaps I had confused them I had confused with alternatives. One thing’s for sure – they defo weren’t emos. I had thought them with hipsters were easy to spot – people who alternatives.” say they listen to student radio but screaming, “EYES! USE. YOUR. FUCK. still think it’s okay to like Rihanna, ING. EYES!,” as loud as I could. I think but these days it’s just too confusing. Still, I’m glad that here I am I even repeated myself, this time slower. pondering what a hipster is, rather This didn’t seem to rattle them either. than pondering how I’d killed two That’s the thing about vehicles you can’t afford, they have computers in the hipsters on Ponsonby Rd. What a shit windows that stop sound going through. birthday that would have been.
TAMA WAIPARA
Tama Waipara and Esther Stephens share a love for the song and the stage, skills that have seen them cast in roles that bridge both professions. For Talking Heads, Tama and Esther talked about their acting/music split and reconciling the two worlds. Photography Ted Baghurst TAMA WAIPARA: How do you see it all fitting together for you in terms of your acting and singing? Does one spill over into the other? Are they two separate entities? How does it all work? ESTHER STEPHENS: I’m still trying to work that out at the moment. This last season on Go Girls – actually the season before the one that’s coming out – they established my character as being a bit of a singer and a musician, and set up that partnership with me and Johnny Barker so some of my music started cropping up in Go Girls, although I’m still kind of working it out. The next thing that
I’d really like to do is get into some more musical theatre. Did one come first? Yeah, music was definitely first. Because both my parents are musicians I grew up singing. I was in a recording studio for the first time when I was about eight – my Dad was recording an album of tunes he’d written with all his mates and he let me sing on one of the songs, and I thought it was the most exciting thing ever. That’s kind of where it started, and then I just kept singing through school and church and then in bands and cover bands… Nothing wrong with cover bands. Gotta pay the bills.
“I like to maybe play it down a little bit more so that it’s not emotion by numbers.” – TAMA WAIPARA Yeah, exactly. What’s your acting/music split like? Well, you know, acting’s new to me. Not that new, though – it’s been a couple of years. What was the first project… Well, two in the context of 35 is [laughs]. So wait – was [Raising the] Titanics first or was it Rent? Rent came first. And was it Annie [Crummer] that pulled you into Rent? Annie was cast as Joanne, and I just thought it would be great to work with her. And I love the musical – it was one of the first things I saw when I moved to New York. It was a great
ESTHER STEPHENS experience – it’s terrifying – but it was a good precursor for Titanics, which was even more terrifying, and that was, like, ‘proper acting’. Titanics was fantastic – I enjoyed that show so much, especially it being new writing – Albert Belz.
I don’t know about you – sometimes I have trouble reconciling the two worlds. I think for theatre and musical theatre you sing in a way that is absolutely tied to the drama of the whole show and the whole play and the whole idea. And the story arc. And the story, and the character – all of it. Whereas in our own musical world and certainly in mine, I like to maybe play it down a little bit more so that it’s not emotion by numbers. Yeah, true. Although it’s interesting because I think the understated thing is very current, especially in the hipster scene. You mean the ‘sing with your mouth closed’ thing? Yeah, and keeping it very underplayed. It’s been amazing the response I’ve had when I take tunes of my own or if I’ve been doing little jazz covers gigs or singing Etta James songs or whatever, and when you engage with the story, when you engage with the emotion of a pop tune, it’s amazing how people respond. I play in Motor City Funk, the nine-piece Motown band, and that is a band where the more you perform, the more people respond and the more they’re drawn into the songs, so I think there’s definitely transferable skills in both of them. What’s the most positive skill you’ve learnt from one that translates into the other? Well, when I was at Unitec when I was training at drama school, I got invited to do a Master Class with Elaine Paige, who is the sort of doyen of musical theatre, which was just so exciting for me because when I was a kid, I was absolutely obsessed with Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals. I remember agonising at age 10 whether or not
I wanted to write a fan letter to Michael Jackson or Elaine Page – I was completely in love with both of them. Elaine Paige was the original Evita. She was also Grizabella in Cats and she was Mary in Jesus Christ Superstar – she was in all the great shows.
And she had a hit with ‘I Know Him So Well’ from Chess, right? That’s ’cause I’m old… So I went and did this class, and it was me and three classicallytrained kids. She spoke a little bit, did a bit of an interview, and then one-by-one we’d go up and sing a song and then she’d give us this feedback in front of an audience. The one thing she said to me which was unique to the other singers was, ‘You connected with the character, you connected with the story, and you communicated the story within the song’, whereas some of the opera guys hadn’t got their head around that part of performing yet – they were still very much engaged in the, ‘I’m going to hold my body like this and I breathe like this and I present my voice like this…’ Technique before tale. That’s probably the most valuable thing was the importance of the story and the character.
ra audio of Tama Waipa To listen to the full , head to on ati ers nv co in s and Esther Stephen Tuesday. me – live from 2pm nzherald.co.nz/volu Esther Stephens plays Olivia Duff in the new season of Go Girls, which starts Tuesday 14 February at 8:30pm on TV2. Find her online at facebook.com/pages/Esther-Stephens. Tama Waipara is curren tly crowdfunding to have his new album mix ed at Roundhead Studios – check out ple dgeme.co.nz for details .
Since their debut in 2000, an eventful 12 years has seen Georgia USA’s Black Lips play Israel and Palestine, get into feisty band beef with Wavves and get chased from India after nude on-stage antics. Now they’re bringing the ruckus to Auckland. Text Dan Trevarthen AT THE MOMENT Black Lips are about to head to Thailand, continuing their habit of playing non-Western nations that many indie rock bands wouldn’t make it to. But even after that colourful experience playing India, bassist/vocalist Jared Swilley says audiences aren’t all that different. “Generally it’s always been kind of the same reaction from everyone. People are a little different, but all the kids have the same urges and desires. I don’t know what to expect from Thailand at all, but either way it’ll be cool.” Swilley cites an unexpected influence for the atmosphere they try to create live. Every male in his family is a preacher, and now he tries to inspire rapturous responses of a different kind. “I grew up in Georgia in full gospel churches where everyone danced and spoke in tongues and went crazy, and I remember as a kid going there on Sunday mornings and people just losing their shit completely.” But for a band renowned as a touring act, on latest outing Arabia Mountain they decided they needed to focus a little more on the recorded output. “The album that preceded this one was really rushed. I like that record but we gave ourselves two weeks, then we had five months of tours right after that. With this one we just worked on it until we were happy with it, and we’ve never really done that before.” While they haven’t exactly mellowed, Black Lips have decided to settle down in one sense: they’re working with a producer for the first time. Though Swilley says they’re not abandoning all the old ways yet. “I think on this record we only used one mic for the drums on a lot of tracks and just had it placed well. All the early Sun Records’ records that you heard like Elvis or Johnny Cash that sound real good, that was just one microphone in the middle of the room. And if you had to turn down the drums, you’d just move the drums further away from the microphone.” Normally the person who decided exactly where to move those drums would simply have been a member of Black Lips. Swilley says their label had “always wanted us to work with a producer, but we weren’t so keen on that”. But
when the issue presented itself again, they drew up a half-joking list of bigname producers. “We ended up making this list of really famous high-end producers and gave that to them, and were like, ‘well, we’ll work with these people’. And somehow Mark Ronson heard about that, and I guess he was a fan and got in touch with us.” It was Ronson’s work on Amy Winehouse’s Stax-flavoured Back to Black that caught their eye. “As far as top 10 stuff and records that are getting Grammys, like huge albums, that album was really cool. I don’t really like many super-famous records that come out anymore, and they used to come out all the time. But that one was done really well – the production was awesome, the arrangements sound really good. It was just a classic sounding record so I knew he had the production taste that we had.”
“I grew up in Georgia in full gospel churches where everyone danced and spoke in tongues and went crazy.” – JARED SWILLEY That Black Lips taste is developing quite nicely, but it sounds like it’ll stay free of much modern influence for now. Swilley innocently talks about recently having learned how to download music off the internet. It’s surprising, but it fits in with their analogue approach. “I was pretty late in the game in finding out about [downloading music], but once I knew how to do it, it was rad. There’s not too much new stuff I like, though a lot of hip hop excites me. A lot of the stuff I get excited about has already been recorded and forgotten about and found again,” he says. They might have their heads in yesteryear, but now he searches for those kindred musical spirits in the mode of the day. “I love buying records and digging through record stores for hours, but I can do that sitting on my couch, find tons of crazy shit and not have to go all over the place.” Black Lips plays The Powerstation in Auckland on Tuesday 28 February.
Each week Duncan Greive performs some low grade analysis on the week’s New Zealand Singles Chart and reviews a few new release pop singles. To submit or suggest a track for review email singles@volumemagazine.co.nz or tweet @duncangreive. Flo Rida is still sitting atop our chart like a warty old troll, sapping our will to live. His success is an analogue to weather which never really gave us a summer, so as a result we never got a perfect song of summer, Nicki Minaj either. Three are attempting a run at the moment – each making a large leap in an otherwise fairly static chart. They are Guetta and Minaj’s frivolous ‘Turn Me On’, Train’s shockingly banal ‘Drive By’ and The Black Keys’ ‘Lonely Boy’. The latter might not make the top, but could turn these guys into legitimate stars. Because anyone who liked Kings of Leon, or, say, Led Zeppelin, is going to eat this up. In its third week the song leaps from 20 to seven, and with the post-Adele campaign-for-realinstrument guys needing a new fix, The Black Keys could end this year with 50,000 albums and a couple of nights at Vector under their belt if they’re not careful. New entry-wise ‘Hey Hey Hey (Pop Another Bottle)’ is new at 39, “r’n’b house rapper” one participant says at one point – as an example of that dominant archetype you could do a lot worse. Further up there are a couple strummy snoozers from people who use their own names to sell their music – a very un-pop practice, so they only get half a line – fuck y’all grown-ups.
RIANZ TOP 10 NEW ZEALAND SINGLES CHART 1 Flo Rida ft. Sia – ‘Wild Ones’ 2 Annah Mac – ‘Girl in Stilettos’ 3 David Guetta ft. Nicki Minaj – ‘Turn Me On’ 4 David Guetta ft. Sia – ‘Titanium’ 5 Labrinth ft. Tinie Tempah – ‘Earthquake’ 6 Train – ‘Drive By’ 7 The Black Keys – ‘Lonely Boy’ 8 Snoop Dogg & Wiz Khalifa – ‘Young, Wild and Free’ 9 Ed Sheeran – ‘The A Team’ 10 The Babysitters Circus – ‘Everything’s Gonna Be Alright’
SINGLE OF THE WEEK
GOLDEN AXE – ‘Moon of Peaceful Planet’ The latest single from Auckland duo Golden Axe’s superbly titled new album Liquid Bacon (available on Bandcamp for any price you like) moves at a glacial pace by comparison to some of their more frantic prior recordings, but is no less entertaining for it – it might even be the most perfect execution of their tangled vision yet. A coolly hypnotic synth line bubbles on over a feather-lite drum beat, while the cosmos oozes and belches ominously in the background. If Norwegian slo-mo master Lindstrøm had grown up op-shopping in Birkenhead he might sound like this – my only complaint would be that at five minutes it’s about half as long as it could be.
MADONNA FT. NICKI MINAJ & M.I.A. – ‘Give Me All Your Luvin’’ Every part of this that Madonna didn’t control is pretty good. Martin Solveig’s production is classic Swedish poppy new wave (I know he’s French, but the sound is pure Teddybears), and Nicki Minaj and M.I.A.’s chanting is fantastic, plus their rappy things would be good if they were given a little longer to stretch out. Unfortunately Madonna’s lyrics and chorus are just weak – she’s labouring under the misapprehension that with all this talent around she just needs to turn up at this point. That may have been true at that dazzling Super Bowl half-time show, but on an artefact as holy as a pop single she needs to bring the AAA game we last saw from her circa ‘Hung Up’. A let-down. FUN FT. JANELLE MONAE – ‘We Are Young’ Pretty much everything about this band is horrible. Their previous projects had names like The Format and Steel Train. They gave away a single when they reached 40,000 Facebook fans (such an unambitious number!), as a prelude to associations with everything from Sprint Mobile, to Chevrolet, to Expedia – they don’t need to be Fugazi, but all this before a proper shiny hit? And their video features a brutal plug for the new Windows phone OS, along with a judgement-free shot of a woman getting bottled by a man. With all that being said, I’ve always found it very difficult to resist this kind of blatant OC–bait single, wallowing in the transience and emotional intensity of youth running wild, in its first flush of freedom. So despite all those black flags, I love it. BRANDY & MONICA – ‘It All Belongs to Me’ One of the many logical inconsistencies present in my criticism is a bias toward “retromania” (as Simon Reynolds recently dubbed it in his book of the same name) which revives programmed or electronic sounds as opposed to analogue or organic instrumental sounds. So this single – a sequel of sorts to the pair’s utterly perfect ‘The Boy is Mine’ from 1998 – which is entirely derived from the tone and feel of midlate ’90s r’n’b, gets a pass from me. Whereas Mayer Hawthorne makes me sick to my stomach. What are you gonna do? ROLL DEEP – ‘Picture Perfect’ The one-time grime standard-bearers have now polished their sound until it gleams like the chain around Pitbull’s neck. Which is to say this is trancerap, distinguishable from its US counterparts only by the accents. But they definitely give it a certain ludicrous charm – there’s something cutely aspirational about the English version of this sound, like they’re annoying kids on BMX bikes trying to get let in to the party. Whereas their colleagues from across the Atlantic are pure mercenaries, this still feels pleasantly amateurish.
VOLUME XANTHE WILLIAMS’ TOP FIVE WORTHY EMAIL SUBSCRIPTIONS
Born to Die (Interscope/Polydor) CULTURAL ARTEFACTS THAT Lana Del Rey is better and more interesting than: Pink Floyd, Adele, Jeff Koons, Pitchfork, Family Guy, Gawker, Lizzie Grant. Cultural artefacts she tries, though doesn’t succeed, to ease up alongside: ‘Wicked Game’, Julee Cruise, Elvis, Badlands, the Spike Jonze-directed video for Sonic Youth’s ‘100%’. Her scattershot aesthetic is thrown into sharp relief on Born to Die. The candy-noir vibe of ‘Video Games’ and ‘Blue Jeans’ had the coherence of her languorous, yearning mid-20th century pin-up sensibilities to bridge its jarring elements – splitsecond rap splices are her orchestral stings, skaters are her cowboys, etc. Naturally the first non-single LDR song we hear, ‘Off to the Races’, is revved-up Katy Perry nonsense that dares to crib Lolita. Then ‘National Anthem’ turns the opening pageantry of ‘Bittersweet Symphony’ into an anthem for money and hedonism (we really like these when HOWLER America Give Up (Rough Trade) The kind of indiegarage album that would have blown minds if it was released at the start of 2002 rather than the start of 2012 – alternatively, it’d pass for a way less disappointing third Strokes album. The idea of anyone really loving this album today feels odd to me, but the idea of anyone really hating it feels odder. MANTHYNG LoveChild (Dunedinmusic.com) Post-MGMT pop from Dunedin made in part by a man who wrote hit songs for Double J and Twice the T. The strongest tracks, like ‘Down By the Sea’ or ‘Call the Police’ are sonically inventive and verge on a sort of Southern skweee. Your mileage will vary on the campy remainder – hilarious or grating, depending on your mood. DERTY SESH Apology Accepted (Move The Crowd) The start of this album sounds a dead-ringer for the dirge that started Tyler’s Bastard – intentional? Post-Odd Future it’s hard to imagine Sesh as particularly controversial or despicable, and his ‘Not Afraid’level moves on ‘I Won’t Change’
1: The Selby – Gives me apartment envy. Some seriously incredible places that make me wish I was rich. 2: Campaign Brief Best Ads – As a recent AUT advertising graduate, reading this makes me think I’m keeping up.
quaintly vulgar black people do them, but it’s unforgivably crass for a white woman to paint an escapist fantasy of wealth. Show some class!) I’m going to go out on a huge limb and say she knows exactly what she’s doing, and that anything that has made pop music combative and hotly debated territory again is an unqualified success. People affronted by this woman are the same who treat music as their own taxonomic fiefdom of po-faced drama and perfect scores. It gives me great pleasure to present them, and this okayish album, with VOLUME’s second-only 11/11. Review Joe Nunweek
(bit reflective but still says “faggot”) don’t help this particularly. Some beaut pop-oriented productions on here occasionally suit the shitgets-deep vibe (see: ‘Let Me Go’). VARIOUS ARTISTS This is Dubstep 2012 (Get Darker) “If you want a picture of This is Dubstep 2012, imagine a ‘womp-womp’ dropping on a human face – forever.” – George Orwell, 1948. THE PHENOMENAL HANDCLAP BAND Form & Control (Friendly Fire) Album two from these guys is another serving of their looselimbed dynamic, sort of like viewing !!! through the prism of mid-2000s Auckland jam-funk. Long in the tooth occasionally but excels when it instead turns its hand to lambent yacht-rock à la latter-day Belle & Sebastian – ‘The Written Word’ and ‘All Clichés’ are fun and (relatively) tight. BIRDY Birdy (Atlantic) Can’t figure out if Britain’s Jasmine Van den Bogaerde is manipulator or manipulated (probably manipulated since she’s
3: The Denizen – Quality local content with a wide selection of articles. I like the frequency of emails too. Not annoying. 4: American Suburb X – Used this as an introduction to find “photographers I like” while studying a photography paper last year. Still continues to amuse me, particularly when procrastinating. 5: Ladyhawke – Bit biased, but love all the new artwork – excited about the album release in March!
15). Transposing indie hits of today like ‘1901’ and ‘Young Blood’ into adult-contemporary torch-songs is an interesting exercise for an amateur musician, it’s not an interesting exercise for a majorlabel debut. ‘Skinny Love’ is the most misogynistic pop song of the past decade (yeah, I’m including rap) and it’s not ethical to make a child cover it. ANA TIJOUX La Bala (Shock) A South American pop album that makes you feel embarrassed at having virtually no Spanish has got to be better than a pop album which makes you feel embarrassed to understand English. Tijoux’s vocal attack is all velvet glove/iron fist – on ‘Desclasificado’ she goes from breathy to nimble in seconds. Sometimes the jazzy backing feels a bit like it was designed for people who like “world music”, though. EMELI SANDÉ Our Version of Events (Virgin) I feel like this might be the UK’s big populist r’n’b/ soul moment for the year. Sandé has previously written hits for everyone from Leona Lewis to Susan Boyle, but freer rein over the sound of this album leads to
good results. ‘Heaven’ revives the swelling strings of Massive Attack’s ‘Unfinished Sympathy’ to good effect, ‘Mountains’ plays out like some dream combo of The xx and Tracy Chapman’s urban sadness. VAN HALEN A Different Kind of Truth (Universal) The first Van Halen album in 14 years is fascinating – the fact it’s a platonic ideal of what The Rock and Hauraki should sound like, the fact that lead single ‘Tattoo’ sort of functions as their ‘Born in the U.S.A.’ party-stomper with David Lee Roth giving a paean to organised labour, the fact the band sounds lean and young. I’m not the sort of dude who really gets into Van Halen, but this is objectively a kickass old-person reunion album. CHAIRLIFT Something (Young Turks) Brooklyn pop duo has been credited for drawing from the less fashionable corners of ’80s pop. News to me – this is the same garish but breezy stuff Ford & Lopatin nailed in 2011 – I thought it was huge at the moment. The first two tracks are stone-cold stunners and an alluring female vocalist saves the rest from Yeasayer death-wish territory. Reviews Joe Nunweek
New Order looked to be consigned to the dustbin of history after the departure of bassist Peter Hook. But the Manchester legends have regrouped and will visit New Zealand this month. Text Gavin Bertram NEW ORDER’S AUCKLAND show this month will be followed in April by errant bassist Peter Hook, exploiting Joy Division’s back catalogue. Hook’s departure from the longrunning Manchester band in 2007 was acrimonious to say the least, and appeared to be their death knell. But a few years later the remaining New Order members Bernard Sumner, Stephen Morris and Gillian Gilbert have regrouped, while Hook has controversially forged a new career performing the music of their former band.
“I made the mistake of saying ‘we’ll never get back together again’ and then we immediately did.” – STEPHEN MORRIS Although sick of the subject, drummer Morris is at least diplomatic about Hook’s reincarnation of Joy Division’s two albums, Unknown Pleasures and Closer. “He can do what he wants really,” Morris suggests half-heartedly. “It’s fine – if it’s what he wants to do, it’s what he wants to do. I’m sure it will be great – I hope it is.” That qualifier is understandable, given the place Joy Division holds in the hearts of many music lovers. That band (Hook, Morris, Sumner and late vocalist Ian Curtis) formed after the Sex Pistols’ legendary Manchester shows in 1977, and define the bleak post-punk aesthetic.
New Order, which formed in the wake of Curtis’ suicide in 1980, has been a more joyous affair, welding dance music’s electronic rhythms to a melancholic pop sensibility. Through singles like ‘Blue Monday’, ‘Bizarre Love Triangle’, ‘True Faith’, ‘Regret’, ‘State of the Nation’, and ‘World in Motion’ they’ve been one of Britain’s most reliable acts for 30 years. Morris thought it was all over in 2007 though – and not for the first time. “If I’m honest I did,” he says. “But after the last hiatus at the end of the 1990s I made the mistake of saying ‘we’ll never get back together again’ and then we immediately did. So I’ve never said that again. Although I have to admit I didn’t think it would happen.” After the confused circumstances under which Hook departed, the remaining trio reconvened with new bassist Tom Chapman and guitarist/ keyboardist Phil Cunningham for several shows in 2011.
This month New Order visits New Zealand for the first time since the 2002 Big Day Out. Morris says he’s enjoying this new phase in the band’s existence. “We got into playing the songs together and you could just tell it was really good,” he reflects. “And if you enjoy it, it becomes infectious and other people pick up on that. [The new lineup has] made things a lot easier and more versatile – you don’t have to rely on sequencers as much. It’s been a bit of a revelation really.” Hook’s bass work was always a distinctive aspect of New Order’s sound. His melodic playing on the high frets was a trademark of their best work, generally augmented by synth bass. Morris says they told new bassist Chapman not to bother trying to copy Hook’s style, rather to impose his own style onto the songs. It’s just part of the
STUCK IN THE FACTORY rejuvenation of the material that this new iteration of New Order has demanded. They’ve even re-examined their entire back catalogue to see which songs they can introduce to the live set. Morris hopes it is a return to the adventurousness the band once represented. “In the early days of New Order we wanted to do things differently,” he says. “We kind of drifted away from that. We used to play quite weird places, and change the set around a lot. It’s a bit difficult at the minute because we can’t remember some of the songs, but it would be good to get back to that sort of thing because it’s what makes it interesting.” Whether that renewal extends to new music being recorded is undecided, Morris says. Members of New Order have been working on side projects Bad Lieutenant and The Other Two, and he thinks it’s more important to
complete those before the band starts writing again. “We’ll probably do it,” Morris considers. “But I think the worst thing you can do is to start something when you’ve got loads of other things. It’s good to clear the decks and then move on.” New Order plays Vector Arena in Auckland on Monday 27 February.
As hilariously depicted in Michael Winterbottom’s film 24 Hour Party People, New Order’s story is inseparable from the Factory Records story. The Manchester label also released Joy Division, A Certain Ratio, the Happy Mondays, and OMD but was famously inept when it came to business. Factory, and The Haçienda club it owned, became a money pit that leeched off New Order’s success. Stephen Morris says that period in the 1980s was the worst time in the band’s existence. “Being on a label like Factory you could do anything you wanted,” he says. “But Factory became a bit too big, a self-fulfilling prophecy, and in the end it was absolutely horrible. We were going on tour and all the money we made was going into the Haçienda. It all became a bit of a treadmill, which wasn’t great.” Although dancefloor classic ‘Blue Monday’ remains the biggest selling 12-inch single of all time, New Order saw little return from it. Perhaps it was all part of their late manager Rob Gretton’s plan for the band to “never peak”. “We wanted to keep it as more of an underground indie thing, which was great,” Morris says. “But in a way it was the record label that peaked and ultimately fell into a black hole and dragged us with it.”
DENZEL PICK
SAFE HOUSE Director Daniel Espinosa
Starring Denzel Washington, Ryan Reynolds, Brendan Gleeson, Vera Farmiga SAFE HOUSE IS fundamentally another Tony Scott-Denzel Washington joint, except that Scott’s been replaced by Daniel Espinosa, a Chilean-born Swede who’s making his English language debut. Unfortunately for our eyeballs Espinosa shares Scott’s affinity for nauseatingly saturated colour schemes and frenzied, migraine-inducing editing and camerawork – all those things that make Scott-at-his-worst such a chore to endure. Washington’s a rogue CIA agent named Tobin Frost who’s been on his former employer’s shit list for nine years when he suddenly turns up in Cape Town to obtain some highly sensitive files from MI6 operative Liam Cunningham. Ryan Reynolds plays the rookie type who gets pulled into the mess when Frost is nabbed and stored
in the safe house he’s assigned to. David Guggenheim’s script contains nary a surprise (hold the phone, the government is corrupt!) and is so transparently cynical of the CIA that its third act “twist” is eye-rollingly obvious from the get-go. This doesn’t leave the film with much intrigue: the South African locale simply serves as a dumping ground for its joyless barrage of unwatchably executed car chases, shootouts and fights, while the jaundiced skin tones make you feel like you’re watching a movie about a viral outbreak. Washington is coasting, Reynolds, in his limited capacity, tries his best to give us some semblance of a character arc, and the rest of the supporting cast – Vera Farmiga, Brendan Gleeson, Sam Shepard – fill their roles as Langleystationed CIA peeps with visible indifference. Review Aaron Yap
It’s hard to imagine the Oscars today nominating a film so blatantly paranoid and skewed as Walon Green’s The Hellstrom Chronicle (Olive Films) – let alone have it win the category – but that’s what happened in 1972. It’s still quite impressive today: the positively skin-crawling micro-photography, Lalo Schifrin’s spacey, far-out score, the persuasively bleak tone prophesising the insect kingdom triumphing over humans. Add to that the exaggerated crackpot narration of Dr Hellstrom (actually actor Lawrence Pressman) and you have one hypnotic, genuinely fascinating example of the doco genre. Remember: “The Earth was created not with the gentle caress of love, but with the brutal violence of rape.”
Sick of Denzel being such a serious action-oriented badass lately? Good time to revisit one of his most charming roles: The Mighty Quinn (1989). In this colourful Jamaica-set mystery he plays a police chief setting out to clear his friend’s name of murder. Great reggae soundtrack, breezy feel, a totally underrated film.
A sequel to the acclaimed Indonesian actioner The Raid will begin shooting later this year in Jakarta. Tentatively titled Berandal, it’ll be the second film in what director Gareth Evans envisions as a trilogy. The Raid opens 22 March. Al Pacino has been confirmed as the villain for Despicable Me 2. This will his first animated role. Dimension Films is planning a remake of ’80s robot comedy Short Circuit with Hop director Tim Hill at the helm. It’s described as more family-oriented than the original version. Harrison Ford is in early talks to reprise his character of Deckard in the Blade Runner sequel, which is set for release in 2014.
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New Order’s Bernard Sumner at Mainstreet Cabaret
W/ JOHN COOPER CLARKE Mainstreet cabaret, auckland friday 3 december 1982 Jonathan Ganley photographed New Order and John Cooper Clarke at their first New Zealand appearance at Mainstreet Cabaret, Auckland on 3 December 1982. IN DECEMBER 1982 New Order gave us a glimpse of the electronic future when they played two shows at Mainstreet Cabaret in Auckland, supported by the “punk poet” John Cooper Clarke. The night before the first show, I went with some friends from Radio
B to a reception for the group. The location was a club tucked behind Mainstreet, and we waited for the enigmatic Mancunians to appear. Eventually I recognised Peter Hook in the crowd, but saw none of the others. It was past midnight when some of us went on to the Barrycourt Motel in Parnell, where the touring party were staying. Picture a typical 1970s’ New Zealand motel room, occupied by some of the group and many hangers-on. Bernard Sumner was passed out on the couch, but Steve and Gillian were livelier. We chatted for a bit to the guy who was looking after New Order’s synths and sequencers. The technology
John Cooper Clarke
was still in its infancy and causing a lot of problems. A bespectacled old guy with grey hair and beard surveyed the scene from a chair in the corner. ‘Must be Gillian’s dad,’ I thought. He asked after “Johnny Claaaarrke” who was apparently “feeling poorly”. This
Bernard Sumner was passed out on the couch, but Steve and Gillian were livelier
guy seemed very happy with his bag of weed, chain-smoking spliffs and making laconic remarks. I realised much later that this was Rob Gretton, manager of Joy Division and New Order, co-founder of Factory Records and the driving force behind Faç51 – The Haçienda. Gretton’s blunt management style became legendary,
and the “old guy” was actually in his late 20s at that time. When you’re 18 and living at home and want to go to the most eagerly anticipated show of your life, it’s not a good idea to come home that morning at 3am. I was not popular. But I grabbed my camera and made it to Mainstreet, claiming a spot at the front of the stage. A cheerful John Cooper Clarke appeared, inscrutable behind his Ray-Bans, looking like a stylish cross between ’66 Bob Dylan and a highwayman. He ran through some of his repertoire of rapid-fire doggerel and told a joke or two. Everyone knew his poems, word-for-word. New Order followed the script as described by the UK music press. They didn’t say a word, they didn’t play Joy Division songs, they didn’t do an encore. I was at a party a year or two later and heard somebody moaning about how they just stood there while
the music played. It was true that a lot of the music was sequenced, and they certainly had the technology – the Simmons drum pads and an Emulator, which was the last word in sampling keyboards in 1982 (utilising the five one-quarter-inch floppy disk that inspired Peter Saville’s design for the ‘Blue Monday’ sleeve). What can you say about a concert 30 years later? I looked at the setlist online. There’s no way of knowing if it’s accurate. I remember watching the final song from the stairs at the back of Mainstreet. They played ‘In a Lonely Place’, and it sounded beautiful but chilling. But that was the old New Order. It was the newness of the sound of the unfamiliar songs that was so compelling. Until that night I had never heard electronic rhythms and synths and sequencers so loud and clean before, and it was amazing to be right inside that pulse, inside that synthetic heartbeat for the first time. I felt at home inside their music, a part of that electronic whiplash sound that was set to take over the world. Jonathan Ganley has a photoblog at pointthatthing.com (search on the blog for New Order to see more photos), and also contributes to publicaddress.net/capture. New Order plays Vector Arena in Auckland on Monday 27 February. John Cooper Clarke plays the Dunedin Fringe Festival on Wednesday 21 March, Kings Arms in Auckland on Thursday 22 March, Bodega in Wellington on Friday 23 March, and Marchfest in Nelson on Saturday 24 March.
Mara TK, Crete Haami and Billy TK
SAN FRANCISCO BATH HOUSE, WELLINGTON THURSDAY 9 FEBRUARY Review Emma Smith Photography Masanori Udagawa MARA TK, in suit, black fedora and angular glasses shuffles to a seat centre-stage. Billy TK, a moment behind, steps in stage-left: a white tussock of beard, a sharp grey suit and small, circular shades under a tight black beanie – the man nicknamed the Maori Jimi Hendrix. Drummers Riki Gooch and Iraira Whakamoe plus bassist Crete Haami filter in. A solemn acapella rings forth – ‘Ma Wai Ra’ – and Mara welcomes the small but eager crowd. “This is the first go at a couple of songs me and my father wrote. Fingers crossed, here we go...” Fingers crossed? No luck needed for this group, who have already proven their collective soul and psychedelia in
various incarnations of Fly My Pretties, Eru Dangerspiel, and the Hollie Smith band. Arpeggios lunge skyward in the psychedelic wash of the first song, ‘Anyone Here’, from Mara TK’s Taniwhunk EP. “Taniwhunk” is also to be the name of Data Hui’s debut album, and the new style they’re trying to forge, an investigation into the concept “Maori in space”.
“Mara’s relaxing so far back into the groove his seat threatens to topple backward.”
Mara’s relaxing so far back into the groove his seat threatens to topple backward. The “woaw-woaw” of his guitar line is mimicked by members of the audience. They liked that. Son calls, father responds, tracing complex blues licks with effortless, economic movements, having moved barely a step from the starting block. Crisp cymbals and sharp snares take
the weight of Riki Gooch’s driving groove, while Iraira Whakamoe fires drum samples, mealy textures and the absent Aaron Tokona’s pre-recorded guitar lines from behind a drum kit, his snare muted by a checked pink tea towel. The synthesised “wap-wap” of future soul gives way to a samba feel. Atmospheres shapeshift, dealt unsettling right hooks by offbeat vocal lines, and rhythms syncopate unexpectedly. Built up then knocked sideways, the music has an urgency, movement, and presence. Damn! I forgot to keep an ear out for a “conceptual” storyline. I think I heard something about the Moon... and from the drench of delay, it sounds like we’re in orbit already. It’s difficult to make out what people are saying in outer space. Did Mara just sing “P has got me on the run”? Or was that P.E.? A friend whispers in awe, “It’s like Pink Floyd with a groove”, and almost on key, Billy takes a seat with his 12string guitar and the mood softens to something more pastoral. Data Hui just landed.
Billy TK
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NORTHLAND
FRIDAY 17 About Time Jazz Trio – Butterbank, Whangarei, 6pm, Free The Hewson Project – 35 Degrees South Aquarium Restaurant and Bar, Paihia, 6pm, Free Bling Nite – Homestead Tavern, Kerikeri, 9pm, Free SATURDAY 18 Tribalstate w/ Infinite Roots – Mangawhai Tavern, Mangawhai, 9pm SUNDAY 19 About Time Jazz Trio – Schnappa Rock Cafe, Tutukaka, 1pm, Free
AUCKLAND
TUESDAY 14 Charlie Couch – Love Songs With a Hint of Jazz – Papakura Club, Papakura, 5:30pm Chicane Duo – Bill Fish Cafe, St Marys Bay, 6pm Auckland Jazz & Blues Club presents Sisters of Swing – Pt Chevalier RSA, Pt Chevalier, 7:30pm, $5 WEDNESDAY 15 Live Nudes, The Welfare Mothers and Guests – Kings Arms, Newton, 8pm The List ft. Tom Scott, Substance & Truent – Khuja Lounge, Auckland CBD, 10pm, Free Creative Jazz Club: The Ottington Brothers (AUS) – 1885 Basement, Auckland CBD, 8pm, $5-$10 The Circling Sun Band + DJ Truent – Ponsonby Social Club, Ponsonby, 9pm, Free Live Latin and Brazilian Music – The Mexican Cafe, Auckland CBD, 8:30pm, Free Petra Rijnbeek & Paul Voight – Sugar Bar, Newmarket, 7pm, Free THURSDAY 16 Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra – I Love You Tour – Q Auckland, Auckland CBD, 8pm, $38-$45 Gerry Rooderkerk Alive & Acoustic – The Fiddler Bar, Auckland CBD, 10pm, Free Labretta Suede & The Motel 6 Album Release Show – Kings Arms, Newton, 8pm, $20 Mark Cunningham – Union Post Brewbar, Ellerslie, 9pm, Free The Adults – Warm-up Show – The Winchester, Newton, 9pm, $40 The Crimson Vendetta, The Altered States, Austere & More – The Thirsty Dog, Newton, 8pm, $5 Petra Rijnbeek & Paul Voight – The Lumsden, Newmarket, 6:30pm, Free Frozen Alice w/ Kive – Juice Bar at The Windsor Castle, Parnell, 9pm FRIDAY 17 Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra – I Love You Tour – Q Auckland, Auckland CBD, 8pm, $38-$45 Occupational Therapy ft. Bobby Brazuka & Manuel Bundy – Ponsonby Social Club, Ponsonby, 9pm, Free Riqi Harawera – Florrie McGreals Irish Pub, Takapuna, 3pm, Free Steve Tulloch Band – Orewa Town Centre, 6pm, Free
InkCoherent Presents Concord Dawn – InkCoherent, Newton, 10pm, $10 DJ Jason Eli & Percussionist John Ellis – The Deck, Auckland CBD, 8pm, Free David Dallas ft. Lady Esque – Stampede Bar & Grill, Papakura, 9pm, $20 Nico Stojan – Sawmill Cafe, Leigh, 9:30pm, $10 Cuban Accent – Havana Club, Auckland CBD, 9pm Friday Night Salsa – Latin Dance Studios Ltd (Latinissimo), Glenfield, 8:30pm, $5 Live Latin Music – Besos Latinos Restaurant, Auckland CBD, 7:30pm, Free Mothra, Rule Of Theives, Big Punch and Brigada – Kings Arms, Newton, 8pm Splore 2012 – Tapapakanga Regional Park, Orere, 12pm, $220 Contagious – Cock & Bull, Lynfield, 9:30pm, Free Shotgun Alley – Real Groovy, Auckland CBD, 4pm, Free The Kavalliers – A Rocking Great Band – Warkworth RSA, Warkworth, 7pm, Free TiTch Marvel And The Paparazzi Dolls – Route 66 Live Music Bar, 9pm, Free SATURDAY 18 Phoenix Foundation presents Silo Sessions – Silo Park, Auckland CBD, 12pm, Free Music in Parks 2012 – Summer Sounds – Nixon Park, Kingsland, 2pm, Free Roger Waters – The Wall – Vector Arena, Auckland CBD, 8pm Dead (Melbourne) w/ Mean Girls, Rifles & God Bows to Math – The Basement, Auckland CBD, 9pm Honeybadger Tour – Dogs Bollix, Newton, 9pm Rock N Roll BBQ ft. X-Ray Fiends & More – Kings Arms, Newton, 1pm Storehouse w/ Tom Rodwell – Artworks Community Theatre, Waiheke Island, 8pm, $15-$20 Brett Polley – Florrie McGreals Irish Pub, Takapuna, 3pm, Free Darren Hanlon – Wine Cellar, Newton, 7pm Emeralds & Greenstone – Corban Estate Arts Centre, Henderson, 2pm, $15 DJ Thane Kirby & Guitarist Adam Stevenson – The Deck, Auckland CBD, 8pm, Free Pure Trench Bar ft. Ralph Good (Switzerland) – Trench Bar, Auckland CBD, 10pm, $10 Neil Watson 3 – Buenos Aires Restaurant, Herne Bay, 9:30pm, Free Habana Noches – Tropical Flavour – QF Tavern, Auckland CBD, 9pm, Free Splore 2012 – Tapapakanga Regional Park, Orere, 12pm, $220 Mark Armstrong Acoustic – De Fontein, Mission Bay, 8:30pm, Free Riqi Harawera – Rickshaw Eddy’s, Mission Bay, 9pm, Free Jason Mohi – Malt Bar, Grey Lynn, 8pm, Free Second New Zealand Northern
Soul Weekender – InkCoherent, Newton, 9pm, $10 Unknown Peace – Republic Bar & Kitchen, Manukau City CBD, 10pm, Free TiTch Marvel And The Paparazzi Dolls – Route 66 Live Music Bar, 9pm, Free Sick Disco – Cassette Number Nine, Auckland CBD, 10pm SUNDAY 19 A Summer of Free Music in the Market – Artisan Wines, Oratia, 1pm, Free MusicBox – Goode Brothers, Botany Downs, 3pm, Free Super System – U2 and Green Day Tribute Show – Huapai Tavern, Huapai, 3pm, Free JamesRAy’s Acoustic Country Sunday – Bar Africa, North Harbour, 12pm & 5.30pm, Free DJ Jason Kyle & Saxophonist Lewis McCallum – The Deck, Auckland CBD, 5pm, Free Chicane Duo – Bill Fish Cafe, St Marys Bay, 1pm Coopers Creek Summer Sunday Jazz – Coopers Creek Vineyard, Huapai, 1pm, Free Music in Parks 2012 – Jazz at the Rotunda – Auckland Domain Band Rotunda, Parnell, 2pm, Free Second New Zealand Northern Soul Weekender – Ponsonby Social Club, Ponsonby, 5pm, Free Sunday Jazz, Rock, Reggae Session – Shooters Saloon, Kingsland, 2pm, Free Music in Parks 2012 – The Culture Garden – Nathan Homestead – Manurewa Arts Centre, Manurewa, 4pm, Free MONDAY 20 Roger Waters – The Wall – Vector Arena, Auckland CBD, 8pm Alistair Brown – The Bunker, Devonport, 8pm, $15 VIVA Jazz Quartet – The Windsor Castle, Parnell, 6pm, Free
Knights of the DUB Table ‘Way of the DUB’ Album Tour – Poverty Bay Club, Gisborne, 9pm, $10 Alizarin Lizard – The Weekend Went Without You Album Tour – Smash Palace Bar, Gisborne, 9pm SUNDAY 19 Te Awanga Estate Sunday Sessions – Te Awanga Estate, Hastings, 12pm, $5 HBS Bank Summer in the Parks – Cornwall Park, Hastings, 3pm, Free
THE COROMANDEL
MANAWATU / WHANGANUI
SUNDAY 19 Soul Sax Plus – Tairua Landing, Tairua, 12pm, Free
HAWKE’S BAY / GISBORNE
TUESDAY 14 Jez Lowe & Kate Bramley – Playhouse Theatre, Hastings, 8pm, $25 WEDNESDAY 15 Alizarin Lizard – The Weekend Went Without You Album Tour – The Cabana, Napier, 9pm THURSDAY 16 Alizarin Lizard – The Weekend Went Without You Album Tour – Geoff’s Saloon, Wairoa, 9pm FRIDAY 17 Alizarin Lizard – The Weekend Went Without You Album Tour – Sunset Point Bar and Bistro, Mahia, 9pm Official Echo Musiq Single Release Party – Sessions Bar and Music, Gisborne, 11pm, $10-$15 Live@5 – Hawke’s Bay Opera House, Hastings, 5pm, Free SATURDAY 18
WAIKATO
SATURDAY 18 The Official After Party – Ngaruawahia RSA, Ngaruawahia, 8pm, $25
BAY OF PLENTY
THURSDAY 16 LSG Group – The Pheasant Plucker, Rotorua, 9pm, Free FRIDAY 17 Knights of the DUB Table ‘Way of the DUB’ Album Tour – The Pheasant Plucker, Rotorua, 9pm, $10 SATURDAY 18 Metal Mania – Baypark Arena, Mt Maunganui, 9am SUNDAY 19 Alizarin Lizard – The Weekend Went Without You Album Tour – The Pheasant Plucker, Rotorua, 9pm Metal Mania – Baypark Arena, Mt Maunganui, 9am MONDAY 20 Jimmy & Perry – The Pheasant Plucker, Rotorua, 7pm, Free
TARANAKI
THURSDAY 16 Supermodel/Sleeping Dogs – Butlers Reef Hotel, New Plymouth, 9pm
FRIDAY 17 Jackie Bristow – Coming Home Tour – The Bent Horseshoe Cafe, Tokomaru, 8pm, $15 TastyBrown – Old Skool Bar, Palmerston North, 8:30pm SATURDAY 18 Rhythm in Bulls Free Summertime Outdoor Concert – Bulls Domain, Bulls, 6pm, Free
WELLINGTON REGION
TUESDAY 14 Live Music – The Library, 5pm, Free WEDNESDAY 15 $noregazZzm + Fauxhound do Wellington – Mighty Mighty, 9:30pm Alps, Secretive George, Tiger Choir, Grass Cannons & Foxtrot – San Francisco Bath House, 8pm, Free Destroy The Night – Bar Medusa, 9pm, Free THURSDAY 16 Nancy’n’Norman and friends – Mighty Mighty, 9pm
Mahia Blackmore and the Paradise Band – Hotel Bristol, 8:30pm, Free In Like Flynn – Molly Malones, 9pm Jez Lowe and Kate Bramley – Meow, 7:30pm, $25 Cut Chemist – San Francisco Bath House, 9pm, $65 FRIDAY 17 Shihad – Bar Medusa, 8pm Aa (USA) NZ Tour – Mighty Mighty, 9:30pm Supermodel & Sleeping Dogs – Bodega, 9pm, $10 Newtown Rocksteady – San Francisco Bath House, 9pm, Free Hudson Mohawke (Warp Records / UK) – Sandwiches, 11pm, $20-$30 SATURDAY 18 Two Piece Fest w/ DZ Deathrays – Bodega, 7:30pm, $15-$20 Ryan Edwards – Whirlwind – Kapiti Playhouse, Paraparaumu, 8pm, $16 Jim Beam Homegrown 2012 – Wellington Waterfront, 12pm, $75-$95 Ouch My Face, Golden Awesome, Jetsam Isles & Force Fields – Mighty Mighty, 9:30pm Proton Beast 2000 And Blood Tour – Bodega, 9pm, $15 Shaw Gate – The Lido Cafe, 8:30pm, Free Newtown Top Ranking – Baobab Cafe, 1pm, Free Have Voice; Will Sing – Meow, 7pm, $10-$18 Mtown – The Empire, Lower Hutt, 9pm, Free SUNDAY 19 Jackie Bristow – Coming Home Tour – Jetty Cafe, Lower Hutt, 6:30pm, $15 Have Voice; Will Sing – Meow, 7pm, $10-$18 The Boptet – The Lido Cafe, 7pm, Free The Sunday Jazz Club – Public Bar & Eatery, 7:30pm, Free MONDAY 20 Have Voice; Will Sing – Meow, 7pm, $10-$18
NELSON / TASMAN
THURSDAY 16 Shenandoah Davis (USA) – Mussel Inn, Golden Bay, 8pm Classic Hits Winery Tour: Gin, Mutton Birds, Avalanche City: SOLD OUT – Neudorf Vineyards, Upper Moutere, 5pm, $69 FRIDAY 17 Classic Hits Winery Tour: Gin, Mutton Birds, Avalanche City: SOLD OUT – Neudorf Vineyards, Upper Moutere, 5pm, $69
MARLBOROUGH
SATURDAY 18 Ralph Blues – Lennys on Main Irish Pub and Cafe, Marlborough Sounds, 7pm, Free
WEST COAST
FRIDAY 17 Shenandoah Davis (USA) – Frank’s, Greymouth, 8pm, Free
CANTERBURY
TUESDAY 14 Anti Valentines Show – Dux Live, 8pm, Free THURSDAY 16 Mark McGuire + God Destroyer – darkroom, 9pm, Free Proton Beast 2000 And Blood Tour – Dux Live, 9pm, Free The Black Velvet Band – Becks Southern Alehouse, 8pm, Free Salsa On Thursdays – Salsa Latina Dance Studio, 8:45pm, Free FRIDAY 17 Lloyd & Doublet – Alvarado’s Mexican Cantina/Bar, 7pm, Free Tealight Acoustics – Phillipstown Youth Centre, 8:30pm, $5 Badd Energy + Grand Chancellors – darkroom, 9pm, Free Division St – Becks Southern Alehouse, 9pm, Free SATURDAY 18 Classic Hits Winery Tour : Gin, Mutton Birds, Avalanche City – Mud House Winery & Cafe, Amberley, 5pm, $59-$69 The Middlemen – Becks Southern Alehouse, 9pm, Free Division Street – Pierside Cafe and Bar, 8:30pm, Free SUNDAY 19 Jex Lowe and Kate Bramley – Irish Society Hall, 7:30pm, $15-$20
OTAGO
FRIDAY 17 JoHanna Mystery & Friends: South Island Tour – Dux de Lux, Queenstown, 8pm, Free Proton Beast 2000 And Blood Tour – None Gallery, Dunedin, 9pm, $12-$30 Goofest DIY Music and Arts Festival Dunedin – Glue Gallery, Dunedin, 5:30pm, $20-$30 SATURDAY 18 Goofest DIY Music and Arts Festival Dunedin – Glue Gallery, Dunedin, 12:00pm, $20-$30 SUNDAY 19 Jo Little & Jared Smith – Mou Very, Dunedin, 3pm, Free Goofest DIY Music and Arts Festival Dunedin – Glue Gallery, Dunedin, 12:00pm, $20-$30 Classic Hits Winery Tour: Gin, Mutton Birds, Avalanche City – Logan Park, Dunedin, 5pm, $59-$69
SOUTHLAND
THURSDAY 16 JoHanna Mystery & Friends: South Island Tour – The Blue Duck, Milford Sound, 8pm, Free
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POWERSTATION JUST ANNOUNCED: EILEN JEWELL 17 MARCH
THE SISTERS OF MERCY MAYER HAWTHORNE
WEDS 22 FEB THURS 23 FEB TUE THE BLACK LIPS 28 FEB WITH RACKETS AND THE TRANSISTORS THURS 1 MARCH WED ROKY ERICKSON 7 MARCH WITH SHAFT WED 14 MARCH SAT 17 MARCH THURS 22 MARCH
ROOTS MANUVA
THE DIRTY THREE EILEN JEWELL
ALABAMA 3 WED 28 MARCH ELBOW SAT 31 MARCH NICK LOWE FRI 13 APRIL SIX60 SAT 14 APRIL SIX60 WED 18 APRIL MARK LANEGAN
www.powerstation.net.nz
PNC’s Under the Influence is about to drop – and his SBW theme ‘POLO’ got 3000 Soundcloud plays in only eight hours last week… The future of Galatos is in question – hopefully it doesn’t come under the wrecking ball… Proton Beast is busting eardrums everywhere… The Home Brew album looking for a home – anyone want to back a winner? … Nato from Beastwars has relocated back to Wellington… New venue downtown looking to open… Doug Jerebine’s 1969 album has been released through Drag City and is receiving rave reviews worldwide including number one pick in the latest Mojo and a five-star review in Uncut – expect a March show with the World Band… The Datsuns have been finalising the mixes at Roundhead – and they are sounding good – new and old Datsuns’ fans will be impressed… Heading down to South Auckland, Static Bar in Hamilton
RadioActive.FM’s One Love reboot at Foxglove on the waterfront went swimmingly well on Waitangi Day. The MVP award goes to Ras Stone – you’ve come a long way since The Cross in ’02… Turntablist extraordinaire Cut Chemist plays at San Francisco Bath House on Thursday… Friday night, it’s all going down at Sandwiches, with the Wellington debut of Glaswegian electronica producer and DJ Hudson Mohawke, a purveryor of neon-lit r’n’b stylings… Mexican songstress and multi-instrumentalist Andrea Balency plays Matterhorn on Saturday night. Joining her are DJs Hopepa (from Fat Freddy’s Drop) and Nick D… Meanwhile, out on the waterfront, Jim Bean Homegrown 2012… The 2012 Wellington Fringe Festival is kicking into full gear over the next few weeks. Recommended shows include Puppet Fiction, Sea of Stories, Babylon, Yes. No. Maybe?, Songs from the Top of a Hilltop and Road 2 Da Riches. Check fringe.co.nz for more info… Brisbane psychedelic popsters Old Growth Cola play Mighty Mighty on Wednesday 22 February, bringing with them a bag of merch including limited-
that the first release on the label will be from The Eastern, an album called Hope and Wire which will be released on 5 March… And watch out Windy ones when Missing Teeth hit town on 3 March with their best-of album in hand.
The Eastern set to launch their new double and are searching for a suitable venue for the release party. Recorded with Ben Edwards (The Sitting Room), the album is a big step-up. The band is about to embark on an extensive touring schedule both in New Zealand and Australia. Last week they played to 300 people at the Diamond Harbour Sunday concert and generously donated back their performance fee to the local community… The ’80s reunion show at the Dux last Saturday was close to
The Eastern
a sell-out. Outstanding performances from all involved with The Sliders and The Axemen providing some exceptional moments. Hopefully this will become a yearly event… The Hamner Jazz and Blues Festival takes place on the weekend of 24–26 Feb and features Hot Club Sandwich, Fiona Pears and Paul Ubana Jones… Chart is moving office to the bottom floor at the jazz school.
Doug Jerebine
is hosting many shows and worthy of a visit… Opossum’s York Street Studio session for Sundae Sessions was incredible… Unknown Mortal Orchestra are supporting Girls on a US tour culminating in some unofficial SXSW parties. And if you still want to go to SXSW, move quick – STA Travel are offering excellent packages… Calligraffiti Upside Down Tour is at Saatchi & Saatchi Gallery in Parnell – running now until 23 March… 95bFM’s In Session sessions are busting out – expect Cat Venom very soon… Heard wind of Wavves coming to town in May… Shitripper have completed their debut album and will be playing Melbourne Anzac Weekend.
Myele Manzanza
run cassette recordings and seveninch vinyl… @Peace (and friends) hit San Francisco Bath House on 25 February, playing an all-ages and an 18+ show… Myele Manzanza has offered up ‘Absent’ (ft. Bella Kalolo) the second single from his debut album One for free download. Cop it at myelemanzanza.bandcamp. com/track/absent-ft-bella-kalolo... Rough Peel Records has announced
The Transforming Dunedin: Creative Arts and Culture Symposium will map the city’s cultural vision from 2–3 March – more at transformingdunedin.co.nz… Arthouse Media offering special recording deals to unsigned local artists… Ecophonic has new track up on Soundcloud… Purple Rain to host new monthly open mic nights in a VERY cool underground space…. The city braces itself at the prospect of 20,000 returning students.
Got some news for More Volume? Email us at morevolume@volumemagazine.co.nz.
SPLORE 2012 Erykah Badu, Hudson Mohawke, DJ Qbert and Reeps One, Soul II Soul, Africa Hitech, Gappy Ranks, Shortee Blitz, The Yoots, @Peace, Scratch 22, Disasteradio, Alphabethead, Earl Gateshead, The Nudge, AHoriBuzz, The SmokeEaters, Hermitude and more 17–19 February – Tapapakanga Regional Park, Auckland
MAYER HAWTHORNE AND THE COUNTY Wednesday 22 February – San Francisco Bath House, Wellington Thursday 23 February – The Powerstation, Auckland
THE SISTERS OF MERCY Wednesday 22 February – The Powerstation, Auckland
NEW ORDER Monday 27 February – Vector Arena, Auckland
THE BLACK LIPS Tuesday 28 February – The Powerstation, Auckland
ROOTS MANUVA Wednesday 29 February – The Front Room, Wellington Thursday 1 March – The Powerstation, Auckland Friday 2 March – The Colombo, Christchurch
URGE OVERKILL Tuesday 6 March – The Powerstation
ROKY ERICKSON Wednesday 7 March – The Powerstation, Auckland
Saturday 13 March – The Powerstation, Auckland
WOODEN SHJIPS Sunday 1 April – Kings Arms, Auckland Monday 2 April – Bodega, Wellington
ARIEL PINK’S HAUNTED GRAFFITI Tuesday 13 March – Kings Arms, Auckland Wednesday 14 March – Bodega, Wellington
DIRTY THREE Wednesday 14 March – The Powerstation, Auckland
Wednesday 11 April – Clarence St Theatre, Hamilton Thursday 12 April – Dux Live, Christchurch Friday 13 April – The Opera House, Wellington Saturday 14 April – SkyCity Theatre, Auckland
STEVE EARLE Wednesday 11 April – Kings Arms, Auckland Thursday 12 April – Bodega, Wellington
Sunday 18 March – Kings Arms, Auckland Monday 19 March – San Francisco Bath House, Wellington
JOHN COOPER CLARKE Wednesday 21 March – Dunedin Fringe Festival Thursday 22 March – Kings Arms, Auckland Friday 23 March – Bodega, Wellington Saturday 24 March – Marchfest, Nelson
JOE SATRIANI, STEVE VAI AND STEVE LUKATHER – G3 Sunday 25 March – Logan Campbell Centre, Auckland Monday 26 March – Michael Fowler Centre, Wellington
Tuesday 27 March – Bodega, Wellington Wednesday 28 March – Kings Arms, Auckland
Tuesday 6 March – The Regent Theatre, Dunedin Thursday 8 March – The Civic Theatre, Auckland
HENRY ROLLINS
ST VINCENT
BORIS RYAN ADAMS
NICK LOWE
ELBOW Wednesday 28/Thursday 29 March – The Powerstation, Auckland
MARK LANEGAN BAND Wednesday 18 April – The Powerstation, Auckland
PETER HOOK & THE LIGHT PLAYING CLOSER – A JOY DIVISION CELEBRATION Wednesday 18/Thursday 19 April – Bodega, Wellington Friday 20 April – Studio, Auckland
JUSTIN TOWNES EARLE Thursday 19 April – Dux Live, Christchurch Friday 20 April – Bar Bodega, Wellington Satuday 21 April – Kings Arms, Auckland Sunday 22 April – Sawmill Café, Leigh
LADY GAGA Thursday 7 June – Vector Arena, Auckland
95bFM & MUCH MORE MUSIC PRESENT
95bFM AND MUCH MORE MUSIC PRESENT
ROKY ERICKSON WITH
Shaft
POWERSTATION WED 7 MARCH TICKETS FROM TICKETMASTER www.muchmoremusic.co.nz • www.powerstation.net.nz
APRIL 2012
THU.19 DUX LIVE CHRISTCHURCH FRI.20 BAR BODEGA WELLINGTON SAT.21 KINGS ARMS AUCKLAND SUN.22 SAWMILL CAFE LEIGH
POWERSTATION WED 22 FEB TICKETS FROM TICKETMASTER www.muchmoremusic.co.nz • www.powerstation.net.nz
LOVE POLICE TOURING & MUCH MORE MUSIC PRESENT
MUCH MORE MUSIC PRESENTS
ACOUSTIC & UNPLUGGED
TICKETS FROM TICKETMASTER PENNY LANE RECORDS CHCH ROUGH PEEL RECORDS WGTN LEIGH SAWMILL CAFE
THURS 22 MARCH
POWERSTATION TICKETS FROM TICKETMASTER NEW ALBUM OUT MARCH www.justintownesearle.com www.lovepolice.com.au www.muchmoremusic.co.nz
WWW.MUCHMOREMUSIC.CO.NZ WWW.POWERSTATION.NET.NZ WWW.ALABAMA3.CO.UK
WED 14TH MARCH POWERSTATION TICKETS FROM TICKETMASTER
95bFM & MUCH MORE MUSIC PRESENT
WARREN ELLIS Violin MICK TURNER Guitar JIM WHITE Drums
www.muchmoremusic.co.nz
•
www.powerstation.net.nz
‘UNCONQUERABLE ON THE MAP OF AUSTRALIAN MUSIC’
THE WEST AUSTRALIAN
Bernard Sumner Stephen Morris Gillian Gilbert Phil Cunningham Tom Chapman 27th February Vector Arena Auckland www.ticketmaster.co.nz 0800 111 999 Presented by Solid Entertainment, 95bFM and Vector Arena