BLAIRE 13 by Blaire Magazine

BLAIRE

MAY 2014 EMILY EATON EDITOR SARAH LONG CREATIVE DIRECTOR DAVE LEE ASSISTANT EDITOR NICOLE MCMAHON ADVERTISING / MARKETING EDITORIAL CONTRUBITIONS: ZOE BRADLEY MUSIC MONICA JANKOWSKI MUSIC KEVIN HE FILM MIA FRANCISCO LIFE TOM BENSLEY LIFE GEMMA DAVIES LIFE SPENCER HADLOW LIFE ISOBELLA VAN SCHAIK LIFE PHOTOGRAPHIC CONTRBUTIONS: LUCIEN GRAETZ MAGAZINE DESIGN: KELLY MCMAHON DESIGN FEATURING: THE JEZABELS, BAM BAM, EUGEN, NOORT, INKKSP FASHION SPONSORED BY OZ APPAREL ENQUIRIES / SUBMISSION / ADVERTISING: ENQUIRIES@BLAIREMAGAZINE.COM ABN: 62359130068 BLAIRE MAGAZINE IS AN AUSTRALIANBASED INTERACTIVE PUBLICATION DEDICATED TO THE ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT. LAUNCHED IN 2012 AS A BLOG PROJECT, BLAIRE’S INITIAL SUCCESS RAISED BIG INTERVIEW AND PRESS OPPORTUNITIES, ALLOWING FOR A RELAUNCH IN MAY 2013. WWW.BLAIREMAGAZINE.COM

CONTENTS

JUST GOOGLE IT

THE JEZABELS

MUSIC REVIEWS

BAM BAM

FEATURE ARTIST / NOORT

FASHION / SPONSORED BY OZ APPAREL

FILM REVIEWS

FEATURE PHOTOGRAPHER / EUGEN

EMERGENCY RAGE

ALCOHOL VS. DRUGS

TREE HUGGER

JUST GOOGLE IT TODAY IN SOCIETY, WE TOO OFTEN RELY ON GOOGLE FOR ANSWERS, RATHER THAN ACTUALLY DISCUSSING THE TOPIC. IS IT A HELPFUL SOURCE OR ARE WE TOO RELIANT?

ARGUMENT FOR To find out whether or not googling answers to everything is, as a culture, making us stupid, I googled things like: ‘is Google making us stupid?’, ‘scientific study of googling’ and ‘benefits of googling everything’. What I found was a pretty heated debate concerning a growing culture of internet-savvy young folk who can type a few words into a search bar and be given the answer (and many more answers) to anything in less than a second. There seemed to be two schools of thought on the subject: on one hand, our ability and tendency to quickly seek out answers is detrimental to our abstract thinking and problem-solving capabilities, and on the other, that it increases our wealth of knowledge, that we don’t have to waste time quarrelling (with friends or with ourselves) over facts, and that ultimately it broadens our assessment of knowledge, because Google provides us (like it did me, to write this) with a huge array of different interpretations and answers, from which we then develop our own argument.

For me, on the side of the latter, googling things has never been about ‘getting all the facts’ and trusting the first website on the first page as the only answer. My choice to google has always been about getting more. That is, more to think about, more to assess and, often, more than I know what to do with. The internet is an infinite source of information and search engines, which are designed to allow us to access as much of this information as possible. Much like checking the library catalogue for the right book (which nobody ever said was making us stupid), googling provides access to an impossibly large hive of virtual information. A scientific study was conducted at the UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) the intention of which was to determine the cognitive functioning of persons when googling things on the web as opposed to when reading a book. The UCLA team picked 24 participants, 12 of whom would have their neural patterns observed while reading a book, the other twelve while they google searched websites,

researching a subject of their choice. In both cases, participants showed brain activity signifying language, reading and visual abilities, but it was only the googlers who, in addition, showed evidence of decision making and complex reasoning while they worked. Simply put, their brain scans were lighting up a little more than the book readers. Which doesn’t mean everybody should stop reading books and stick to googling instead, it just might mean that adding internet searches to our research methods keeps our brains more actively involved. Although, this doesn’t solve the problem of the overload of information googling provides its users with, which is often the most commonly clicked links shown on the first page, which is most likely what google-searchers go to. This is where decision making and complex reasoning come into play. Google searching shouldn’t just be about the most results, but about getting the best result. This might mean making use of Google Scholar for more academic results, or putting

into one’s searches quotation marks or subtraction symbols or file types in order to narrow the results provided. And, just like skimming through a book before checking it out at the library, making sure the result is useful for the research. It’s often these finer points anti-googlers neglect when they slander googling, saying that it’s turning our brains into an unthinking mush, when in fact it could be the opposite. But if you don’t believe me, just google it. Tom Bensley

ARGUMENT AGAINST Google is an important tool, however we need some perspective. Our dependence on this search engine is reducing our collective group wisdom to nothing more than a special kind of mass ignorance. We’re not in pursuit of knowledge, we’re in pursuit of quick answers, and in the process are now trained to limit ourselves to the first couple of page results. We like the idea of having a wealth of information at our fingertips, but the reality is we don’t use it properly. Like a yoyo dieter’s inspiration board, we are under the misguided assumption that intent equates to accomplishment. We think we’re clever enough to find the information we seek, but in reality we’re just willing victims of marketing strategies vying for top rank. Web ranking works as a free market, so supply and demand of content functions with little intervention. This means good quality information is pushed further down the line by sites that might have domain authority, but weaker information. About. com is the perfect example of this in action. The reason these popular sites consistently rank so high is they employ Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) specialists as part of their online marketing strategy. I reiterate; it has nothing to do with the quality

of their content. They design their pages to abide by Googles’ link analysis algorithms, which Google uses to determine a page’s value. To simplify, Page A has a link to Page B. Google considers this a vote from Page A, which contributes to Page B’s rank. Imagine now that Page A wields a fair chunk of domain authority, such as Wikipedia. The more ‘important’ the recommending page, the more weight their vote has on page B’s position amongst search results. Good if you are cited by one of these information mills, not so good if you are an authority on a subject who is not savvy enough with marketing to fall on the radar of the larger site. Alternatively, if Page A has less influence and has been penalised by Google for dodgy practises this will negatively affect Page B’s ranking, even if Page B has no real affiliation with Page A. To further complicate matters, if your web address contains a country code, this will boost your rank in that particular country, but possibly negatively affect your rank globally. Additionally, if content readability is beyond what is considered reasonable for the masses, this too will affect rank. So you might have to dumb it down a little if you want to hit the Golden Triangle. This brings me to the Golden Triangle. Eye tracking research concludes that users will read the title and description of the first three page results, then the title and part of the description of the next few entries, and the final results on the page will maybe get a partial title acknowledgement. SEOs target the top three positions on the first page, so if you are relying on Google for your information, you’re pretty much falling into the arms of effective marketing, not quality content. Google is great for sampling public opinion and gathering fun facts, but for anything of substance you’re going to need to utilise a bit of brain power. The reality is, general group consensus is not a sufficient method of peer review. This is why libraries

still exist; the information you get from libraries and other specialist virtual databases typically include materials that have been published via rigorous editorial processes and are riddled with quantitative analysis. Good luck finding that kind of quality in About.com or Yahoo Answers. So if you’re looking for the solution to why your cat is yowling at the cupboard in the middle of the night or if you’re trying to stalk your ex’s new girlfriend, then sure, Google away. It’s a good time-waster. But if you need something of substance, you’re going to have to cut the Google apron-strings and venture beyond the search engine. Gemma Davies

THE JEZABELS

The Jezabels have had a heap of success and are reaping the rewards of years of hard work and dedication. With an upcoming Australian tour and an album that is smashing it both here and worldwide, the Jezabels are making their way into the music history books. We chat to drummer, Nik Kaloper about the tour, the album and his favourite band moments. The Jezabels have had quite an amazing 2013 and 2014 is coming to be even more so amazing. How do you guys feel about how far you’ve come in the last year and a half? Well, the last couple of years I guess have been pretty huge. 2012 was an entire year of touring for us and we played around 180 shows. We stopped that straight away and decided that 2013 was going to be a year just for writing our second album. So it’s two very different years from 2012-2013. We finished our second album in 2013 and here we are now. We’ve done a bit of touring this year already. We did Laneway Festival and most recently the European tour so jeez, it feels like we have done quite a lot in the last couple of years. I guess you could say we’ve come a long way. You were nominated for a staggering eight ARIA awards in 2012. Where does that achievement sit on the scale of amazing moments that you have had over the last couple of years? Well, obviously pretty high. That type of recognition is always a great thing and nothing to be scoffed at. We are very appreciative of that type of recognition. It is hard to define what your achievements are when you are in a band. Its hard to say if its finishing an album, or winning an award for that album, or if its nothing like that and its just playing shows and getting around the world that is an achievement. I’m still not quite sure yet exactly how to define that for myself. But it is pretty amazing. We’re grateful for all the recognition we’ve gotten, that’s for sure. You’ll be in Australia, playing your first headlining tour in April/May. And you’ve scored yourselves two shows at the Opera House. Is that something that still excites you? Oh absolutely! By no means are we like, ‘Oh its just a show at the Opera House. No worries.’ [laughs]. We’re just like, ‘Holy Crap’. We’re super excited and super stressed as well because obviously we want to put on a really good show. It is such a beautiful venue. It is like this whole package of mixed emotions. It’s going to be just fantastic. A majority of the band originally hail from Byron Bay, so I’m guessing the Brisbane show will be a special one? Yeah, more or less. I actually was born in California and was raised there. I moved to Sydney permanently when I was 15. So I’m the only one, the 25 percent of the band that didn’t originate in Byron Bay. But Brisbane is a special show. In some previous tours we were lucky enough to play the Great Northern in Byron which was awesome! The rest of the band’s families and friends were there. That’s a nerve-racking experience when your family is there. It is pretty weird. Do you prefer shows at huge venues or the smaller, more intimate ones? That question comes up a lot and I can’t make up my mind. The closest I can come to answering that is that both crowds have pros and cons. I mean, we played a show in Paris and the crowd was seriously so close to the stage. It was ridiculous. Like if I lent over a bit, I could touch the front row’s faces. That is so amazing for that reason. You can make this crazy eye contact with people so that is cool. But now also, it makes you feel a bit, I don’t know, vulnerable. Everyone is watching you like a hawk, so closely [laughs]. But then you have the bigger shows that are crazy and exciting and a bit more removed from the whole experience. So they’re just two different beasts to be honest. I think there are good things and bad things abut both of them. 9

Have there been any memorable shows, over the course of your whole performing life, that have stuck in your memory for how weird or wacky they ended up being? Well, just recently, there was a very strange show we had in Munich, in Germany. A few strange things happened. There was a couple in the front row, a man and a woman. The man was holding onto (who I presumed to be his partner) just by the breasts only. It was so distracting [laughs]. Every time I looked up, it didn’t help. I look at that and sort of make a face because I didn’t know where to look or what was happening. It was so strange and awkward. Don’t get me wrong, I think people are entitled to do whatever they want. Do what makes you happy, that’s fine. I just found it mildly distracting. At the same time though, we were having all these wild technical difficulties all over the stage. We had to stop for about five minutes to fix a couple of things. Heather and Hayley actually, just off the bat, hammered out a ballad form of ‘Disco Biscuit Love’ which we hadn’t played in about three or four years. It was a really strange night. I couldn’t have fathomed a more strange show than that one in Munich. And what about festivals? You’ve just played Laneway and you’re about to head to Oakbank, SA for the first Groovin’ the Moo date. How do they compare to the normal shows for you? The festival shows are really a great deal of fun. On one hand, they’re a bit more stressful because you literally have twenty/thirty minutes to roll onto the stage and make sure the equipment is working. That can be very hectic. We have to make sure the whole stage and the technical aspects of the show are prepared properly in such a short, rushed period of time. On the other hand, festivals are just like a huge party really. It is so much fun. I mean, you get all this extra time to meet different bands from around the world. The crowds at festivals are always up for a good time. That’s why they’ve come in the first place. You don’t have to quite win people over as much. You can just focus on having a good day with them. It is really a different type of show but it is a lot of fun. If you could perform anywhere in the world, where would it be and why? You know what, I would love to go somewhere where we haven’t been yet. We actually get quite a number of Facebook comments from people in Poland saying hi. I feel like we should probably make a visit to Poland sometime soon. Warsaw would be a pretty cool place to go. I just want to see the whole Eastern block of Europe. That would be great. I’ve always wanted to visit Prague or go further south to Budapest or Hungary, so at this moment in my life, that would make me pretty psyched. We really want to check it out. We have fans there that we’ve never played to so it would be pretty cool to go visit them. The new album, The Brink is out now in Australia. You guys wrote most of it whilst living in London. Why London? We just made the decision to live in London for 2013 to write this last album. We’re not sure what’s in store for us in terms of where we want to live or where we will be based moving forward, but we’re sorting that out. Why did we choose London? Well, why not? As far as work is concerned, we had an opportunity to do what we do but in a new, exciting place. London was close to the rest of Europe, in a metropolitan city and our record label is based there too so it just seemed like the right decision to make at the time. How would you describe the progress and sound of the second album, compared to Prisoner (2011)? It’s really hard to judge your own music and not sound repulsive [laughs]. To talk about your intentions and what you wanted to do. From our point of view, Prisoner feels quite moody and a bit dark I guess. It’s cryptic in both its sounds and in the lyrics. For the next album, we consciously made the decision to bring everything into focus and bring the music to the light. We tried to write 10

ALL YOU HAVE IS YOUR OWN IDEAS AND YOUR OWN CREATIVITY SO JUST STICK WITH THAT AND KEEP DOING IT UNTIL SOMETHING DOES HAPPEN. (OR YOU’LL JUST GET REALLY TIRED OF NOTHING HAPPENING.)

THIS NEW ALBUM STILL HAS A TENDENCY TOWARDS THAT ‘LARGER THAN LIFE’ THING THAT WE REALLY LIKE TO TRY AND DO

a pop record that stood down from our sound that was pretty straightforward but not in a negative way. That is what we were aiming for with this album. We did try to make it a bit different. Is there anything you guys thought needed to stay the same? Or was it like a blank slate? I feel like this new album still has a tendency towards that ‘larger than life’ thing that we really like to try and do. For whatever reason, we like to write grandiose music and I think we’ve tried to retain that aspect of our sound but just sort of paint it with a different palette. Are you guys worried that some of your fans might not take to the new album so well because of the differences between the two albums? Definitely, but I don’t think there is any way you could progress or develop as a band and not loose fans at the same time. I think it’s just a total bummer of a reality in the situation. If you stay the same, people will be disappointed that you didn’t try and push yourselves. If you change, then people will be disappointed that you sound different. It sucks when you think about it but you just have to try and not pay attention to that. Ultimately for us, if we just tried to do the same thing again and keep the album too similar to the first, we would feel cheap and fraudulent. We wanted to see what we could change and try pushing ourselves a bit harder to see what we could produce and see what would happen. What was it like working with Dan Grech-Marguerat (who has worked with Radiohead, Scissor Sisters, Lana Del Ray)? He was such a great, positive influence on us. He was a huge burst of energy that we needed at the end of our writing process. He was incredibly enthusiastic and we just ploughed through in like 14-hour days. Day after day. We just got everything down that we needed for the record and he had a lot of great suggestions. That is what is so good about working with a producer. When its just you and the band, you don’t even know if you’re recycling your own ideas. You need an outside force to come in and snap some things into perspective for you. And that is exactly what Dan had done for us. He definitely shaped the overall sound of the record. He knows how to do pop. He really knows how to do it all, basically. What’s your personal favourite song on the track and why? I really like the very last track, ‘All You Need’. I really like how Hayley’s paired these optimistic lyrics with the music, which tends to be a bit sort of melancholic and sad. I like that pairing. It just reminds me of rehearsals. When we rehearsals that song, it was snowy in London and we were at a rehearsal studio, in the arc of an abandoned railway bridge. I just remember coming outside and seeing it snowing and having that song that we were trying to write in my head. It is quite a nice memory for me. Any advice for young musicians looking to make it in the music industry? That’s a hard question. It sounds trite, but you just have to keep doing it. Keep going at it. If you’re expecting to get somewhere really quickly, it’s never going to happen. I mean, it could happen but if that is what you are looking for, then it probably won’t happen. All you have is your own ideas and your own creativity so just stick with that and keep doing it until something does happen. Or you’ll just get really tired of nothing happening. Monica Jankowski

MUSIC REVIEWS / Sarah Long

Ballpark Music / Puddinghead Ballpark Music have been around. Practically since they entered the music world, they have been kicking goals. However it has been their third release Puddinghead, which has sent them soaring above the rest. Brisbane’s energetic, five-piece have absolutely nailed it, providing us with playful yet intelligent indie pop. The band have experimented with interesting genre-shifts, using funky guitar sounds with a touch of 90’s-inspired indie rock. What I love the most about Puddinghead is Sam Cromack’s voice. It’s unique and has a mature sense of clarity and strength. It’s really quite sexy. My pick of the bunch would have to be ‘SHE ONLY LOVES ME WHEN I’M THERE’. It’s unreal. Even though it’s quite lyrical, it’s got a lot of punch! Well done boys.

Skrillex / Recess Skrillex has always been an interesting artist. He entered the music scene with his breakthrough track ‘Scary Monsters Nice Sprites’ and it was a massive hit. Unfortunately since then, his music hasn’t been as good. He continued producing dub step, but people were over that genre and had moved on. Skrillex then disappeared off the scene and has seemingly come out of nowhere with his debut album Recess. And to be fair, I like it. It’s different. Even though he does incorporate some of his old style, it’s not overpowering, and he has experimented with new sounds and voices. The album features the likes of Passion Pit’s, Michael Angelakos, along with Diplo, Chance the Rapper and more. This album highlights a deeper meaning for the producer, along with soulful hip-hop and dirty hardcore dance.

Skaters / Manhattan From what I have gathered, these guys were born out of a house party back in 2011, when Michael Cummings met his buddy, English guitarist Josh Hubbard. That’s when great things started to happen and Skaters came knocking on our doors to party! It has been two years and they have finally released their album Manhattan. And the reason why it’s called Manhattan? Because it was made down in Manhattan. It’s lyrical, melodic and has amazing fuzzed-out slow jams that keep your head bopping all the way through the album. It sounds exactly like what you would imagine downtown New York streets to be like, if you were a tourist with your headphones on. Love them or hate them, they’ve nailed their sound. My favourite song is ‘To Be Young In NYC’.

Ásgeir / In The Silence All the way from the Icelandic hinterland, meet Ásgeir! His album In The Silence has been translated, so we can not only listen to his harmonic and extremely relaxing voice, but understand it too! The record is beautiful, tranquil and relaxing. It’s like relaxing on a patch of beautiful green grass, whilst watching a waterfall. His music transfers between the traditional folk music and more modern electric sounds. There is something evocative about the male voice when it is throttled to a falsetto, or muted to a ghost of a croon. It’s this young-man-lost appeal that drives In the Silence. Ásgeir displays startling maturity and musicianship with In The Silence, suggesting that we are only circling the precipice of what’s to come.

BAM BAM

Zoë caught up with Bam Bam (alter ego of Joel Chamaa) for a chat for the unveiling of his first official release The Good Life EP. Your name Bam Bam is really cool, how di you come up with it? I’m just a big fan of the little character from the Flintstones, the little character in it called Bam Bam. So I just saw him and I was like hey, that guy reminds me of myself, that’s awesome. I never even made the connection! Yeah I like him because he’s the littlest guy ever but he’s the strongest in the whole village. Your new EP, The Good Life, is out. Tell us a bit about it? Yeah I guess it’s my first official release, and it’s been leading up to that though I’d made mixed tapes and things. The whole vibe of the EP is in the name because you know it does have a positive vibe to a lot of it. I mean there are some points where I spill a bit of guts, but it’s generally kind of an upbeat happy vibe going on there – the good life! Out of all the songs, which is your favourite, or the most personal to you? I think the most personal one there would be the last track which is ‘Better Man’. I had been with a girlfriend for three years at the time, and I was actually touring with 360 every other month, and on the road and spending all my time partying. When I’d come home from tours, the party didn’t really stop. So I let myself get in a bad way, and was partying

on tour all the time and coming back and partying at home, and that ultimately lead to destruction of a relationship. So we’d been broken up and I wrote that song. Usually for me it’s just something affecting me or anything that’s getting to me, that’s the best thing for me to do, is to write about it. That song just kind of bled out on to the page. The hardest part about writing that song was keeping it less than a 20 minute song! That’s definitely the most personal hook straight from the heart about exactly what was going on at that situation and how I was feeling about it, and how I let the partying and shit get the better of me. But I came through the other side, so all good. In your single ‘Feel Like I’m Alive’, you say you feel like you’re on the wild side. Do you think that’s where that lyric came from? Yes definitely, that applies to a lot of things, like partying and not partying. I tend to be a little bit wild anyway, like I like to do funny shit and be a little bit out there. It’s not directly related to the whole party thing but there is definitely something came from the partying. Can tell us what the wildest thing that you have ever done? Oh, aw shit. Well it doesn’t have to be the wildest if you can’t say it! Nah actually alright, okay here you go this is it; this is the wildest thing that I’ve ever done. One time I was… eh… hahaha oh shit I’m not supposed to say this. Okay I’ll tell you the second wildest thing I’ve done. One time I swallowed a condom full of instant coffee. I had been living with filmmakers at the time and they were going to make a video where I was going to, eh, I was going to swallow a condom full of instant coffee and then pass it through me and it was going to come out the other side and one of them was going to drink it! But it never came! Yeah ridiculous! But it never did come. It’s still in there now. And that’s why I reckon I’m so crazy, from the instant coffee. 17

So I thought I’d give the music thing a go and it turned out that I unintentionally switched careers.

That’s pretty much up there alright! So for that single ‘Feel Like I’m Alive’, it’s so bouncy and it’s so uplifting, do you see people listening to it on a beach, getting ready to party, that kind of thing? Yeah, yeah, it’s just what the song is about life, being young at heart, because I kind of feel like that myself. It’s definitely a positive vibe track. It’s just all about really having a good time. We’ve shot a clip to it and the clip shows exactly what the song is about; people having a good time and enjoying life really and it’s definitely a good beach vibe song or party song or whatever really. So yeah I guess you could say that. A party song. You’re really into breakdancing. Do you think that inspires your music or does it play any kind of role in it? Yeah, I mean breakdancing was my first love. I’ve been a breakdancer for over 10 years now and that was my introduction to hip hop and music I guess. I got into music, but breakdancing was my main passion and I put everything I had into that, but I was always doing music as a hobby. And I guess they go handin-hand because they’re both in the same sort of scene. I accomplished everything I wanted to in breaking and then I saw my friends who were doing music kind of pull up. In the last few years all my friends are doing really well and selling more records

and all that sort of stuff, so I just saw them doing it and I was like shit it’s actually possible to make a career out of it! So I thought I’d give the music thing a go and it turned out that I unintentionally switched careers. So yeah the breaking transitioned me into music, definitely. You’ve been called the ‘next big thing’ in hip hop. How do you feel about that? Oh really? Haha um good I guess, I didn’t know there was anybody who said that about me, but if they did then thank you, haha. Well there you go! Okay last question: what are your plans for the future, and what do you think it holds for you? I’m just going to hang the EP out, and then I’m going to tour it, and at the moment I’ve already started working on the album. So I’m planning to try and get the album out as soon as possible after this EP, and take it from there. See how it all goes, hopefully well! Zoë Bradley

Dear Blaire Magazine, Noort Creations is Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s smallest design studio, which I started last year. The studio is just a desk in my garage in Lilli Pilli on the far north coast of New South Wales. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve spent a bunch of time in there over the last year punching out logos and creative work for different bands and businesses. From humble beginnings, hopefully a big, long, fun career grows. Inspiration? Good music and anything punny really get me in a design head space. My brothers band, Mickey Gloss, is doing big things in the UK right now, and that really gives me confidence in making a career out of being creative, because digging holes or being a salesman scares the shit out of me. I would way rather buzz out in my little garage. Love Noort x 20

FASHION / Sponsored By Oz Apparel

EVERY NEIGHBOURHOOD IS FULL OF HIDDEN HEROES AND INKKSP WANTS TO MAKE SURE THEY ALL GET THEIR DAY

INKKsp INKKsp is all about the locals, those scruffy-looking characters hiding behind a hoody at your local convenience store, the kid at the checkout scanning your canned beans or that girl skating down Blackburn Road. Every neighbourhood is full of hidden heroes and INKKsp wants to make sure they all get their day. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nothing against our international neighbours, we just feel thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s too much home-grown quality and talent getting jammed in the global fashion photocopier. Right down to the cotton, all our materials and designs are 100% Aussie owned and manufactured. And because everything you see here was put together by local mates, our price tags are wallet friendly, not status symbols. Forking out eighty bucks for a shirt to find that so did everyone else at the venue, or having your brand new hoody turn to tiedye at the first wash are sins INKKsp vows never to commit. Our garments sit right, feel good and last years. Better yet, each item you put in your pixelated shopping cart is cash in the hand for our friendly neighbourhood artists, printers, manufacturers and cotton farmers.

In five words or less, describe your brand. BORN, DRAWN, WORN, IN AUS. I have noticed that your website represents other brands as well. Can you explain how your brand works? You can think about it this way, everything blank that we sell is purely INKKsp, from our famous tall-cut threads to our fashion cuts. Anything else you see with a print is the result of INKKsp collaborating with a local artist to get their designs and brand name out there. So you could say we have two sides to INKKsp, the Melbourne-made basic threads, and the locally designed graphic tees printed and promoted by us. How long have you been around? I started printing out of my back shed about six years ago when I got sick of working a standard nine-to-five desk job. I had to get out and screen-printing was my outlet. I started printing as a hobby for mates, which slowly progressed into doing jobs for businesses, brands and events. After four years of garments passing through my hands, I started noticing the difference in quality between imported and Aussie-made gear, which was almost impossible to source in the cuts I needed. That’s when I decided to start manufacturing my own garments, in Melbourne, from Australian-made materials, having full control of the cuts and quality. From this, INKKsp was born. Why do you feel that it’s important to remain localised in everything that you do (manufacturing, printing, distributing)? Quality and control. Aussie made gear is just better. I was sick of seeing cheap imports on retail shelves with ridiculous price tags and thought something needed to be done. Another big part of printing, manufacturing and distributing in Australia, is having everything at arms reach. Control over ever aspect is extremely important to me, and a big part of what makes INKKsp unique. In the end it might cost me more, but I’d rather know that I’m giving my customer a quality product then stashing cash in my pocket. Besides helping other local buddies out, where do you see yourselves in two years? Working out of a warehouse in Melbourne as one of the biggest distributors in Australia of locally manufactured basics, whilst still bringing you the freshest new talents to emerge from the local art scene. As well as being online, where can we find your label? Honestly, sometimes I don’t even know. One week you’ll find us popped up in the middle of a shopping centre, the next, at a shop on your local strip. It’s wherever we feel the need to inject some Aussie-made freshness. Right now though we’re setting up shop at 7A Grimshaw Street, Greensborough. The best bet to keep tabs on the whereabouts of INKKsp is through the facebook page www.facebook.com/INKKsp. What has been your favourite print, and who was it designed by? I’ve had the opportunity to print a lot of neat designs from a variety of different designers, but one that really sticks with me is the ‘Smoking Beard’ by Ben Hampton from Home Bound Clothing, one of our local talents. I’m more old school and love the tall tees so it ticks all the boxes. We’ve also got some killer new prints coming through the pipeline that we’re super keen to be releasing, so keep your eyes out.

Have you done any custom made shirts for anyone famous yet? If so, who? If not, who would you love to design custom made t-shirts for? I haven’t really made any custom shirts for anyone famous yet, but I would be keen to put some Aussie made threads on skater/entrepreneur Rob Dyrdek who has been someone I have looked up to. Wouldn’t mind making a visit to his fantasy factory either… If you could dress Snoop Dogg for a day, what would you put him in? Who have you guys been speaking to? We are currently working on a little project that will be involving Snoop Dogg which all came about when he was in town for the Big Day Out earlier this year. Can’t say too much about it just yet, you know how these things are, but you’ll find out the answer to this question very soon. If you were granted one place in the entire world to set up your own store, where would it be? MELBOURNE CITY! What are you wearing right now? Up top I’m wearing a grey tall crew over a purple tall tee. Down south, a pair of chinos and my demolished high tops.

SPONSORED BY OZ APPAREL OZAPPAREL.COM.AU

FILM REVIEWS / Kevin He

Noah A true blockbuster based on the widely-known Noah’s Ark tale from the Old Testament, Darren Aronofsky uses the multimillion dollar budget well as he fashions an epic-fantastical biblical tale that is true Aronofsky, and his most mainstream effort yet. The cast all bring their A-game and while the script is weak (inserting as many biblical passages and phrases as possible makes the dialogue feel disjointed) the cast is wonderful here, Emma Watson in particular. It’s a shame little screentime is given to Noah’s sons, but it all comes together to form a magnificently wonderful film that’s thought provoking, bold and strikingly violent. Honestly one of the most violent mainstream films you will see this year, it’s a wonder how the film passed with a M-rating with the mass amounts of blood, cannibalism, gang rape and some truly disturbing visions. Don’t take your kids. 4/5

Mistaken for Strangers As an insight into indie sensations The National, this documentary is an utter disappointment. But as an exploration of lead singer Matt Berninger and his brother, Mistaken For Strangers is a hilarious, true and heartbreaking exploration of raw emotion and depth, truly giving The National another dimension outside of their wonderfully perfect music. The shunned aside Tom Berninger acts as a director and foil to his handsomer, smarter and more successful brother, and the eventual bonds that reveal themselves between the two is what makes this film so captivating and bittersweet. You don’t need to be a fan to enjoy this documentary, but it certainly helps. A wonderfully meta and appropriate documentary with equal parts humour and sadness, it’s an indierock documentary for everyone. 4/5

The Raid 2 As a sequel to one of my favourite action films of all time (certainly the best one this side of the century), The Raid 2 certainly carries the heavy task of trying to usurp it’s predecessor. Gareth Evans pens a tale of corruption, double sides and gangsters in a plot ripped straight from Infernal Affairs and stinks of it. Unfortunately, Evans’ attempt to create a unique and memorable story is a failure, as supercop Rama (Iko Uwais shining here) fights his way through the streets and slums of Jakarta, acting as an undercover mobster. The fight scenes are especially wonderful, as Evans lets utterly loose here, and it shows. Evans and his crew of choreographers give a whole new meaning to the fights, and provide reason to why stunt crews deserve Oscars. If anything, you must see it for the climactic fight scene, something that will take your breath away and make you break out into wild applause; much like the audience did in my screening. 4/5

Drug War Johnnie To’s 2012 Drug War is a masterpiece of Hong Kong/Chinese action thrillers. While not overtly original, the film is so intricately crafted and thrilling that any claims of unoriginality are thrown out the window. Sun Honglei’s role as both undercover drug lord and police captain Lei allows him to play two extravagantly different roles and fully stretches out his abilities as an actor, but it’s Louis Koo as arrested drug lord Choi, acting as informant to avoid the death penalty, that is the film’s crux. Beautifully shot (the opening scenes on the Chinese superhighway are especially extravagant here) and beautifully directed, Drug War is another notch on To’s list of successes. Each performance is amazing, the film is light on action but the two major gunfights are absolutely breathtaking in scope and violence, Drug War is a fascinating film and must definitely be seen. 4.5/5

EUGEN BEKAFIGO Eugen ‘Greg’ Bekafigo has always had an eye for creativity. Starting with photography, he slowly transitioned from still image to moving image. With the help of his studies (Bachelor of Multimedia from Griffith University, Australia 2013), he has since combined different multimedia elements into his work. Eugen is now based in New York and it is here that he runs The Short Ends, his own freelance creative and multimedia service, specialising in mostly Videography, Video Editing and Digital Effects. Eugen is also an avid break-dancer and during his time studying here, he produced videos that helped strengthen Brisbane’s break and hip-hop scene. Now back in New York, Eugen has been busying producing promotional videos for many businesses, injecting them with his own brand of urban flavour. www.theshortends.com facebook.com/theshortends twitter @theshortends instagram @theshortends# youtube www.youtube.com/user/GOBEKAFIGO

EMERGENCY RAGE The ongoing pay dispute between Dennis Napthine’s Victorian Government and the paramedics of the state continues to rage. But what has caused these issues, and what can be done to help?

The ambulances around Victoria have been branded recently with some very different messages. Most of the windows have been written on with chalk paint; messages to the public encouraging them to support them campaign for better pay and conditions from the Victorian Napthine Government. For some, it comes off as disconcerting. The sound and sight of the blue and red sirens is, to many, a sign of order and someone they can place their trust in. When an ambulance pulls up with slogans in chalk paint all over them it creates a totally different image. The paramedics behind the push would call it desperation; an attempt to try and have their voices heard by the government. The tension between the Victorian Government and Ambulance Victoria has only continued to heighten as they time passes during their current pay dispute. The inability to come to an agreement has gotten to a point where a few weeks ago about 1700 of Victoria’s paramedics voted in favour of work bans. This would mean that those members effectively have stop 42

work meetings. The state secretary for Ambulance Victoria Steve Mcghie has said that these steps have been taken by the paramedics in attempt to send a message to the state government to ‘get serious’ about working together for fair pay and better conditions. The current dispute has been ongoing now since August 2012 with the paramedics requesting a pay rise of 30% over three years. The bargaining has been fairly unsuccessful so far. In November of last year the paramedics rejected a pay rise of 12% over three years and decided to pursue further action against the government. This is what led the current slogans being written over the vans, as well as t-shirts with the same message written on them loud and clear. The next steps taken will be the stop-work bans and then the invitations for journalists and politicians to join paramedics to join them on shift, in the hope of creating a better understanding of the issues that they face on a daily basis. The response from the government has not been very supportive. The

current Health Minister David Davis commented on the issue, saying it was ‘disappointing that the hardline ambulance union has decided to take industrial action after refusing a significant pay offer’. He also expressed concern that the actions of the paramedics might have a negative effect on the community, ‘without an ambulance service our patients would be exposed and there would be significant risk’. The paramedics responded with the point that they would never engage in any kind of industrial action that might run the risk of putting the public in danger. The damage might have already been done though, according to paramedics. Just several days ago, two people died waiting for paramedics to arrive. Both men died of cardiac arrests in Eastern Gippsland after both waiting over an hour for ambulances to arrive. Some have argued that this is a prime example that Victoria’s ambulances are spread too thin. Paramedics aren’t the only ones struggling under the current

government. The Victorian branch of the UFU (United Firefighters Union) are continuing with their ‘Napthine Slashes, You Burn’ campaign. This comes after the Napthine government cut 66 million dollars worth of funding to Victorian firefighters. The UFU have also accused the government of failing to recruit and train an appropriate number of professional firefighters and also attacking the conditions of their employment. It’s quite obvious, with two out of the three sectors affected, that Victoria’s emergency services are strained. Is this a new occurrence though? The answer is no. In recent years we’ve seen similar industrial disputes from the police, nursing, and teaching unions. Were those cases solved in a timely and efficient manner? The answer again is no. It seems like an ongoing cycle of pay disputes; when

one group has won their case another one will be lobbying for theirs. So what are we all to do? As Victoria’s population continues to grow, particularly in Melbourne, we will continue to see a strain on our public sector and services. This shouldn’t really come as a surprise for either the government or the workers. What is needed is empathy. The Government needs to understand the vital work that our paramedics, firefighters, policeman, nurses and teachers do. The Government also doesn’t have endless pockets. What’s important is fixing these issues quickly and efficiently. This saves time. This saves money. This saves paramedics from having to scrawl political slogans across their windows. But most importantly, it saves lives. Spencer Hadlow

ALCOHOL VS. DRUGS What is worse?

The important question on everyone’s lips these days is which is worse drugs or alcohol? The dream of course isn’t that question. Wouldn’t it be nice to exist in a society that has never uttered those words, but of course there is no such society, for ours has become one fuelled by drug and alcohol abuse eventually leading to drug and alcohol fuelled violence. Thus the importance of this question needs to be met. However before we can address some important issues a very specific point must be raised, if we are to classify which is worse drugs or alcohol then we need to note that alcohol is technically classified as a drug. Therefore when talking about whether which is worse we are really stating which is the more harmful drug. Alcohol firstly is harmful, when drunken in copious amounts one often wakes up with memory loss, a killer hangover and the pleasure of spending the morning vomiting it all back up. Sure we laugh now at how silly we were last night, but really think about why you are wanting to get blind drunk. You drink to lose control, to gain a new feeling or to get pissed, wasted, trashed etc… Ask yourself this though; have you ever been out to a club or when a friend is drinking heavily and not indulged in a beverage? Have you ever thought alcohol would make this better? Have you dreamed of waking up and not remembering anything from the night before? 44

That my friends is called dependence and that is why alcohol can be deadly. Yes, in moderation its ok but everybody knows this, even know no one actually plays by that rule. It’s a harmful drug that can cause a complete change in a person’s behaviour and many times not for the better. Don’t believe me? How about you ask Thomas Kelly, Matt Tuffin, Scott Snodgrass or Thomas Keenery. They all suffered from violence bred from alcohol and sadly not all survived. The fact is that alcohol changes a pattern in your behaviour, when you drink more you lose a part of yourself that might not have done a certain thing – you lose you inhibitions and whilst people think that’s fun, the reality is that so many times it lands people in places that they don’t want to be in the mornings. In fact the situation has gotten so out of control that the Daily Telegraph has reported that in “NSW there are more police fighting the war on alcohol than there are troops left fighting the war on terror in Afghanistan.” It might not have seemed serious until you read that statement, but for so many people to be so worried and to be trying to stop the abuse of alcohol every day there is a big issue, one needs to realise that when abused alcohol can be equally as deadly as drugs.

Now we move onto drugs, the illicit ones to be precise. In everybody’s eyes this is the worse drug. Forget alcohol for a minute and focus on this; when a person takes, snorts, smokes or injects a drug into their body that drug increases the dopamine in the pleasure and motivation pathway of your body and in doing so alters the brain function- in scientific terms it alters the normal communication between neurons. Therefore alike with alcohol, drugs are harmful right off the bat as they change a person’s behaviour whether that be emotionally, physically or mentally. However to many, drugs are the most harmful simply because of the reasoning for its usage. This is because drugs are used frequently as a way to combat stress, to combat boredom, to combat a disease, to combat painful memories, to combat being an outsider and most importantly drugs are used because once you have one- the feeling of that first hit leaves a lasting impression. Once that first hit is taken, the second will be taken to try and get back that feeling and soon enough you’re hooked on a drug, trying to chase that illusive feeling. That there is the reason that illicit drugs are worse than the abuse of alcohol, because once taken the dependence immediately kicks in

and soon enough you are left with a shell of a person you don’t recognise. The ABC reported that ‘200 million people worldwide use illicit drugs.’ That is one in 20 people using illicit drugs with around ‘56 million people using amphetamines including meth, 21 million people using cocaine and 21 million people using opioids like heroin.’ The report went on to say that the 200 million number does not include people who use ecstasy, hallucinogenic drugs, inhalants or steroids. Let that sink into your brain for a minute. Now here comes the crux of the issue: why illicit drugs are worse than non-illicit drugs like alcohol. Firstly up to 39 million people are considered dependant drug users, it is a major cause of HIV, hepatitis C and some argue hepatitis B. The consequences to yourself and others are more severe as you could overdose, hurt someone in drug fuelled rage, be dependent on a drug and even suffer long term organ damage. Around 241,000 people die every year due to illicit drugs and its thought to shave 13 million years of the life spans of drug users.

At this point, it’s hard to come to a reasonable conclusion as both alcohol and drugs have the same facts - Once can become dependant - It changes your behaviour - The reasoning for use is not a good one Therefore when asking which is worse it comes down to this, illicit drugs are harmful. They chance you, they make you different and you can’t control yourself. Some of you argue alcohol does that too. It does. The only difference is alcohol is a legal drug. Illicit drugs are not. That there is your conclusion. It’s what you have been told for years, and it’s what we will continue to be told; Illicit drugs are far, far worse than alcohol. Isabella Van Schaik

TREE HUGGER Tony Abbott has done it again: we weigh up the pros and cons of the government’s decision to allow Tasmanian Forests to be destroyed.

When I think of the word forest, enchanting trees with long branches and scattered wildflowers spring to mind. I have always associated a forest with escapism and adventure, not logging, homeless animals, conflict, anger and politics. Now, however, thanks to the latest grand plan from Tony Abbott, the term forest will now bare a saddening discomfort. Mister Abbott and his team have, as Greens leader Christine Milne put it, ‘decided to mount a massive assault on the environment.’ It appears Mr Abbott seems to be okay with sending an International, as well as National, message that ‘Australia does not value it’s World Heritage Area or National Parks.’ The beautiful hectares that create the Tasmanian forests are under serious threat from the Abbot government and there is minimal action that protestors can take. After my initial shock of hearing about this cruel attack on nature, I delved deep into the justification and reasoning behind ol’ Tony’s decision and sadly, I still don’t see any 46

need for the destruction of “some” of the hectares that make up the lush and tourist-attracting forests of Tasmania. The federal government have asked the UNESCO’s (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) World Heritage Committee to remove the Tasmanian Word Heritage Wilderness Area of more than 70,000 hectares of highly contentious forest. You may be wondering why on earth would they ask such a thing? Well. Even after all the arguing and protesting and determination to have this land as part of the Tasmanian Forest Peace Deal, Mister A and Co. believe it will ‘deliver additional economic and social outcomes… all the while, maintaining the values of the wilderness.’ Human beings always have to interfere with nature, don’t they? And for such materialistic values, such as money. For those of you who don’t really care about forests and natural beauties, and not to mention how Australia is represented in terms of it’s attitude towards the environment, then

perhaps you may feel the Abbott government are pretty valid with their choices. Perhaps you believe it is a-okay to destroy previously protected land to make room for some hefty logging? You may raise your glass to the Tasmanian Senator, Richard Colbeck, Parliamentary Secretary to the Agriculture Minister, when he says that the “minor” boundary “modification” includes removal of a number of areas containing pine and exotic eucalypt plantations. Maybe you would nod your head incessantly with the justification of, ‘areas that have previously been impacted by forestry operations and other infrastructure will be removed.’ Pardon me, but that is a pretty lame excuse. In my opinion, these areas should not have been affected in the first place! So are there any really, really, really good reasons for the deforestation of thousands and thousands of hectares of a once heritage-listed section of Tasmanian land? Sorry all you anti-tree-hugging peeps, but I have tried and failed to find any

positives about this situation. At one point of my research I thought I stumbled across a somewhat small light at the end of this forest-killing tunnel, and that was the logging industry would benefit financially and job-opportunity wise. But then I was met with some cold hard truths that Tony Abbot should take a long, hard look at. Senator Milne puts it perfectly when she says, ‘Tony Abbott has it so wrong. The logging industry was on its knees in Tasmania because around the world nobody wants to buy timber products that come from old growth forest.’ Hmmm, it appears to me that Mr Abbott missed a huge chunk of reality when he decided to rip apart the Tassie forest. He just doesn’t seem to understand that what he’ll do is actually destroy the forest industry and, most unfortunately, destroy Tasmania’s clean, green and clever brand, which is their main asset and stems from their World Heritage Area. So if you’re still one of those people who are on Team Abbott and think it is fine to destroy hundred year old land and trees in beautiful forests in a protected area, well, not cool guys. Not cool. Mia Francisco

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