Blank Gold Coast issue #59 – August 2018

Rise Rasta hits Surfers Paradise Rise Rasta is a little coffee shop located in King Tutts Putt Putt in Surfers Paradise, but in September, they’ll be throwing down some beats alongside the beans. Sunday 23 September, right in the middle of school holidays, sees our favourite reggae sons Satisvibes perform an unplugged set. Follow @ riserasta on socials for all the details.

Bond University’s twilight Open Day will take place with a festive atmosphere, complete with live music, food and fireworks. Eight-piece Nomika – fronted by award-winning vocalist Megan Crocombe will take you to the cool, dark waters of nu-soul and jazz funk after Sheldon College soul band warm up the stage.

There’ll be campus tours, workshops and a heap of practical sessions for prospective students and their families. Live music kicks off from 5.00pm and fireworks are at 7.35pm. Get more at bond.edu.au/openday.

Editor in Chief: Samantha Morris Cultural Editor: Natalie O'Driscoll Creative Director: Chloe Popa Partnerships Manager: Amanda Gorman Partnerships: Simone Gorman-Clark Contributors (print and online): Samantha Morris, Natalie O’Driscoll, Anthony Gebhardt, Marj Osborne, Pip Andreas, Anna Itkonen, Summer Maughan, Simone Gorman-Clark, Nae Kurth, Terry “Tappa” Teece, Peter Wheeler, Sam Gilmore, Dan Maynard, Danny Santangelo, Nadia Achilles, Alicia Kent-Rooney and Erin Bourne.

Cover: Sunglass reflection of SAFE by Clayton Thompson at SWELL Sculpture Festival 2017, photography by Kits Wise Editorial: news@blankgc.com.au Advertising: advertising@blankgc.com.au

Best Night Ever returns for 2018

It’s nearly SWELL time

After a huge NYE-eve party last year with Grinspoon and British India, the Best Night Ever is back at NightQuarter this year with Brisbane garage punk party starters Dune Rats headlining in their only show anywhere until 2019! The Dunies have recruited Ratbag Records label mates The Gooch Palms and Totty to join the fun with more very special guests still to be announced. This is one for the fans who can’t face those New Years crowds – Some punters might even treat this as a hefty entrée to their New Year’s bender – any way you spin it, it’s set to be the Best Night Ever!

Again. It all goes down at Nightquarter on Saturday 29 December with first release tickets on sale from Oztix from Wednesday 1 August.

Visit Queensland's leading sculpture festival this September to experience works of art by local, national and international artists along Currumbin Beach, Gold Coast. The collection of unique and inspiring sculptures promises to captivate with thought-provoking messages, tactile constructions and intricate detail and, enormity as they create striking silhouettes along the shoreline. Share in the storytelling with artists' talks, a series of interview-style chats with select exhibiting artists to give visitors a unique opportunity to meet the maker. Art lovers of all levels will also have the opportunity to engage in a variety of workshops throughout the exhibition. SWELL runs from 14 – 23 September 2018. More at swellsculpture.com.au.

Gigs: gigs@blankgc.com.au Acknowledgement of Country We genuinely respect and acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on which we work and play. We honour their elders past, present and emerging as well as the rich contribution that continues to be made to society through art, story and music.

About us: Blank GC is independently owned and published by Samantha Morris and Chloe Popa. Founded in 2013 we are the Gold Coast’s independent cultural voice and we rely on advertising as well as our generous contributors to keep us in the fray. Opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the editor, publishers or the writing team.

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Live at Bond returns for University Open Day

Jesswar announced for Flo Rida support A decade on from releasing one the world’s biggest hip hop anthems, US rapper Flo Rida is returning to Australia to celebrate the 10th anniversary of iconic floor-filler ‘Low’, where he’ll be joined by local hip hop star Jesswar.

Having already played at some of Australia’s most prominent festivals, including Laneway, Splendour In The Grass and BIGSOUND, the 22-year old has already proven her ability to command an audience.“Flo Rida has made bangers for years! I can’t wait to open for him and bring the heat to his Melbourne and Brisbane shows,” said Jesswar. Catch Flo Rida and Jesswar at Eatons Hill in Brisbane on 2 August.

The new home of the FREE Gold Coast Show 2018 Get your Hot Coffee fix at Arthaus The crew at GD FRNDS is combining their love of music and art with a little shindig planned for Arthaus Projects on Saturday 4 August.

With music provided by Høt Coffee, Machine Club and SAVV and visual engagement by Veople, the crew will be serving Stone & Wood beers and raising funds for Soul Soup Australia in the process. Get all the details at bit.ly/ arthaus.

The Broadwater Parklands has been announced as the home of the 2018 Gold Coast Show, to be held 31 August - 2 September 2018, and for the first time ever it will be completely FREE to attend. The landmark Gold Coast event will be reimagined this year, becoming the first agricultural show of its kind to be held beside the water. The Parklands will come alive with side-show alley, woodchopping, baby animal farms, pig racing, arts and crafts, camel rides on the beach, live music, traditional show food, roving entertainment, fireworks and the Showbag Pavilion. The Show will also consist of a satellite location at nearby Owen Park and Southport Pony Club, which will bring back a full Equestrian Program, the cattle and Dog Show.

Sami art to the fore at One Arts One Arts Gold Coast will feature the work of local Gold Coast artist Annelie Dahlen in the Gallery’s August exhibition. Annelie believes most of her inspiration comes from her heritage of being part of the Sami people, indigenous people of northern Europe. Traditionally, Sami art has been distinguished by its combination of functional appropriateness and vibrant, decorative beauty. Annelie's art is a reflection of this.

Annelie’s exhibition will run for the month of August at One Arts Gallery, which is located on the corner of Veronica Avenue and Via Roma, Isle of Capri. The Gallery is open from 10am to 4pm Monday to Friday and 10am to 2pm on Saturday. The official opening with entertainment by Cate Bolyn is Friday night 3 August from 6.30pm to 9.00pm.

19 Karen turns double digits Bleach* Festival and The Farm achieve national recognition Together with contemporary dance company, The Farm, Bleach* Festival has truly cemented the Gold Coast as Australia's most exciting destination for site-specific contemporary arts, recently receiving the award for the Best Visual or Physical Theatre Production at the 18th Annual Helpmann Awards held at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney for the production of TIDE. Bleach* Festival Artistic Director and CEO, Louise Bezzina said, "We have been working towards this moment for many years. To see our festival and talented local artists from the Gold Coast gain national recognition is an absolute honour.”

Brunswick Nature Sculpture Walk Is Back Brunswick Nature Sculpture Walk is a triennial event, created along the foreshore of Brunswick Heads, where the river meets the sea. This free event is held over the October long weekend where the landscape will display 50 unique sculptures from both local and interstate artists.

The picturesque parklands of Brunswick Heads provides a perfect muse for sculptors to showcase their work and to reflect and incorporate nature. In addition to the interactive sculpture walk, there will also be a series of artbased workshops for all ages, as well as artist talks, tours and performances from the 28 September to 2 October, making it a must-see event on the New South Wales North Coast. Visit brunswicknaturesculpturewalk.com

One of the Gold Coast's hidden gems, 19 Karen Contemporary Artspace is turning 10. 19 Karen was first established to promote and nurture emerging artists not yet represented by commercial galleries. Now boasting a robust stable of over 70 artists from across Australia and around the world and covering many genres and artists at various stages of their careers - 19 Karen is the largest Contemporary Art Gallery on the coast, and plans to celebrate in style with a night of art, music and fun, with opening night of 2 new shows by exciting Australian artists, Angie Goto and Alison Mooney and entertainment by local Gold Coast blues duo - The James Street Preachers, with catering - made with love by Lilicious Catering. Join them from 5pm on Saturday 25 August to celebrate!

Byron Writer’s Festival kicks off with full program of events Byron Writer’s Festival 2018 has all bases covered offering up crime writers, rock stars, politicians, activists, refugees, journalists, comedians, artists, poets and, well, you name it. According to the recent full program drop, festival stalwarts Caroline Baum, Richard Fidler, Kerry O’Brien, Margaret Throsby and Bernard Zuel will be appearing alongside literary luminaries including Tom Keneally, Richard Drewe, Liane Moriarty, and Matthew Condon.

BWF runs from 3-5 August. Take a peek at the festival program at byronwritersfestival.com.

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IT’S A SWELL TIME FOR LOCAL TALENT With SWELL Sculpture Festival less than two months away, we decided to take a sneak peek at some of the exciting local talent that will be on display, and ask the artists about their pieces. Frankly, we can’t wait!

Prickles the Unhuggable Bear | Andrew Cullen and Dion Parker Award-winning Gold Coast artist Dion Parker is a busy man. As well as exhibiting Prickles at Currumbin, he will also translate his current work ‘lil Dusty’ to a large scale inflatable that will be installed at Northerly SWELL and will be hosting Kid’s Workshops for school students during the event. Andrew Cullen you may remember from his and Kara Vaughan’s ‘Army of Ants’ atop Currumbin Rock, which took out the Kids’ Choice Award at SWELL 2016. This is the guys’ first collaboration together.

“Andrew and I met through the art scene on the Gold Coast,” says Dion. “We are both sculptors and have exhibited at SWELL numerous times each.

“Prickles the Unhuggable Bear is a discarded toy from a generation past. Once upon a time the teddy bear was loved and cherished, even mended when necessary. Today teddies are replaced with phones and tablets, when they break, they get thrown out and replaced with a newer, better version.

“Prickles has steeled himself for this next phase of his existence. Bigger, sharper, and unhuggable.”

Resurgence | Melissa Spratt Melissa Spratt was the winner of the RADFLY Youth Art Prize in 2017, finalist in the Border Art Prize at Tweed Regional Gallery in 2016, and held a self-titled solo exhibition at the old Arts Centre Gold Coast in 2015.

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“This work Resurgence is a collection of felted sculptures that are displayed hanging suspended in space,” Melissa explains.

“They resemble a cocoon or pod-like form and comment on notions of new life, becoming and emergence. They have been a labour of love and speak to my diligence in process and mode of therapeutic making.”

Melissa is a first-time SWELL exhibitor.

“It is very exciting to be exhibiting for the first time in the SWELL Sculpture Festival,” she says.

“I go to the festival every year and am always very inspired by the talent on display. It feels like great timing with the progression and momentum my practise has gained this year.”

Wet felting is an unusual technique and I wonder how Melissa is finding it.

“It definitely has its challenges! Different wool compositions can alter the method and the maker needs to be in the right frame of mind to produce a piece of quality, and a certain amount of space is required.

“I have enjoyed creating with this process and would continue to do so if space and time permits. I am grateful I had the Mez studio space at The Walls Art Space in Miami to create this work and now also the opportunity to showcase it on an international stage.”

Natalie O’Driscoll

SWELL Sculpture Festival runs from 14 – 23 September 2018. Visit swellsculpture.com.au for more.

Pictured: Prickles the Unhuggable Bear

BANG ON A CAN THUMPS INTO HOTA

O’HEART EXPLORES THE FUTURE OF FOOD

Known worldwide as some of the best contemporary musicians, the Bang on a Can All-Stars formed in 1992 and are recognised for their ultradynamic live performances and recordings of today’s most innovative music. Freely crossing the boundaries between classical, jazz, rock, world and experimental music, this six-member amplified ensemble has consistently forged a distinct category-defying identity. With a massive repertoire of works written specifically for the group’s distinctive instrumentation and style of performance, the All-Stars have become a genre in their own right, and now lucky Gold Coasters have the opportunity to catch the sextet when they hit HOTA – Home of the Arts, at the end of August. Pulitzer Bang on a Can co-founder and Prizewinning composer David Lang answered a few questions for us in the lead up to the show.

O'Heart Festival Tyalgum is a conscious living festival bringing all things wellness, environmental and folksy to the Tweed Valley.

James and Katie Geralds from Green Cauldron Farm will be talking at the festival about Sustainable Agriculture and the Future of Food. Blank GC caught up with the couple in the lead up to O'Heart.

How will small-scale farming be the way to food production for the future?

Farming smarter, not larger, is the best way to produce food in the future as it uses less energy, provides better food security, and the produce has better nutritional value.

Agriculture today is a very sophisticated and highly technical industry, but because of its scale it often misses some of the benefits of smaller scale production.

For example produce from smaller farms is usually sold locally, reducing the amount of food miles they travel, and practices such as smaller spaces between growing rows means less weeds, higher yields and no need for harmful chemicals.

We want to show people that they should not only buy in-season food from local producers as much as possible, but learn some of the practices of small scale farming so they can generate their own local food systems as well.

We can all be small-scale farmers and the benefits are enormous on many levels.

Is it enough that consumers are demanding better practices? Or will middleclass consumers with an awareness of environmental issues always be a niche market?

While there is an element of niche market for the type and style of food we produce, the numbers say it all.

The global organic food and beverage market was worth $125 billion last year with estimates this market is set to nearly triple by 2024, reaching $324 billion.

It was only a few years ago that organic food was seen as fringe – now all the major supermarkets have their own organic brands, which says something.

But there are other elements of food production we're committed to pursuing such as reducing food waste and utilising unsellable foods, such as cosmetically imperfect produce that supermarkets don't want, and turning them into products such as kimchi, jams and pickles.

Thirty years ago, no one would have believed that people would pay five dollars for a cup of coffee. We can bring the same change in perspective into the food system. Growing amazing produce is not enough, we need to understand the psychology of the consumer and develop relevant messaging to persuade them to make this shift. This is the next frontier for food.

Pip Andreas

O'Heart Conscious Awakening Indie Folk Festival, August 17 to 19, Tyalgum, NSW. For the full programme go to oheartfest.com.

To read the full interview, visit blankgc.com.au

Have you developed an easy, shorthand way to describe Bang On a Can to people who don't know who you are over the years, and if so what is it?

There are a lot of categories in the music world. They are like little boxes that keep everything neat and orderly and polite classical, rock, jazz, world, improv, ambient, etc. Everything in its proper place. We started Bang on a Can because there are a lot of composers who are pushing through the walls of their boxes, trying to get to someplace less neat, less orderly, less polite.

We want to help them.

Is there any genre / style that Bang on a Can wouldn't attempt to cover?

Anything that pushes the boundary of its genre is fair game for us. We have presented amplified flamenco music that was so rhythmically complex that it was undanceable, we've presented processed Siberian ritual overtone chanting, Burmese drummers with western orchestral instruments, Brian Eno's ambient studio masterpiece MUSIC FOR AIRPORTS

arranged for live musicians, etc. We haven't had any country western music yet but that's only a matter of time. Basically, music from any genre or culture that starts with a beat is our specialty. And if it moves between categories we are interested.

What can Gold Coast audiences expect from the show you are touring here?

The music we are bringing to the Gold Coast is rhythmic, tuneful, multi-layered, playfully edgy and a lot of fun. It is really high energy, really up. Plus music by two great Australian composers that we commissioned and have toured all over the world. We are happy to bring them back home, to share them with you.

Natalie O’Driscoll

Bang on Can will bring local premieres of their distinctive repertoire for one night only at HOTA on 30 August. Tickets at hota.com.au.

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Playing Vegas

FOOD HACKER - CLEVER COOKING FOR BUSY PEOPLE Rosie Mansfield is a no-nonsense professional nutritionist who is on a mission to inspire us back into our kitchens to cook real food, fast. She aims to make our fast-paced lives a whole lot easier by redesigning the way we cook and eat through her concept of food hacking.

Never heard of food hacking? Think stripped-down ingredients, inexpensive recipes, familiar equipment used in original ways and experimenting with kitchen shortcuts to save money and time.

Rosie’s debut book ‘Food Hacker’ is aimed at the time-poor, space-restricted and hungry amateur cook, who wants quick and easy nutritious recipes without the complicated ingredients list, long preparation times or use of fancy equipment.

In no time Rosie will have you food hacking up a storm with the likes of banana oat bites and flavour bombs in an ice cube tray, sushi cupcakes and spanakopita in a muffin tray, pear bircher and banana bread in a jar, coconut flour cakes and

super quinoa porridge in a mug, spicy pad Thai and a broccoli cheddar pot pie in one pan and with honey lime chicken and garlic chilli prawns on skewers.

Inside the 216 vibrant and colourful pages you will find 90+ recipes of nutritionally balanced breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks sorted into chapters based upon equipment used to create them like a mug, bowl, jar, pan, muffin tray, foil, baking tray, skewers, blender, ice cube tray, sandwich bag and tin can.

Most recipes range from 5-30 minutes in preparation time, are 80% vegetarian, categorised in fun ways like ‘rush friendly’, ‘kid friendly’ or ‘late night friendly’ and are mostly in single serves.

Rosie’s new approach to cooking is quick, easy, stress-free, no fuss, cost-effective and simplified. Ok, some of the recipes are not the most aesthetically pleasing, but they are all certainly nutritiously flavoursome and absolutely anyone could give them a crack.

So if you’re a busy person who wants to get clever with your cooking through food hacking, this book has your name all over it.

Simone Gorman-Clark

Image / Clayton Blake Safe Photography Kit Wise

ROSIE MANSFIELD

14 – 23 September VISIT QUEENSLAND’S LEADING SCULPTURE FESTIVAL TO EXPERIENCE WORKS OF ART

BY LOCAL, NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL ARTISTS ALONG CURRUMBIN BEACH. Delve deeper with artist talks, twilight walks, Northerly SWELL, a figurative masterclass, plein air painting, life drawing and kids workshops. Book now!

Pacific Parade, Currumbin Beach, Gold Coast

www.swellsculpture.com.au FREE

weekend park&ride

@swellsculpture

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SWELL is supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland and Tourism and Events Queensland.

THE VOYAGE OF LARA SCOLARI AND AMICA WHINCOP Left Bank Gallery in Southport has brought us the collaboration of two fascinating female artists, Lara Scolari and Amica Whincop.

This exhibition brings together two contemporary female artists with a lot in common but still with their own unique tastes, details and personal observations.

Some Gold Coasters may be familiar with Amica and her work already, as this is not her first exhibition at Left Bank Gallery.

“It’s a beautiful venue, and the team at [Left Bank Gallery] do an incredible job of curating the space, promoting the works. I’ve had wonderful success with my work here in the past,” she says.

This time though, the juxtapositioning of her art with Lara Scolari’s brings out different nuances in her work and the art of the two ladies creates a wonderfully collective, organic art experience.

There are a lot of parallels between the artists; The abstract impressionist style depicting the imperfections in the nature, the serene yet vibrant atmosphere of the canvasses and the nature and organic elements at the base.

“We both have a shared love of fluidity, spontaneity, colour and circular organic form - a lot of similarities”, Amica explains.

Lara continues, “Amica and I are kindred spirits and each love to explore the unseen energy and natural world within our artmaking practice. Our art works well together, as we both create intuitively and in layers with limited palettes of colour.”

Lara is a Sydney-based artist with a divere background in arts and cultural practices. Her work is, without a doubt, a culmination of her experiences and talent and has gained her national and international recognition and success.

“The 15 original statement artworks which I have exclusively created for the Voyage exhibition are part of ‘FLUX’, my strong body of work this year”, she tell us.

“With my mum, dad, sister and nephew living in Surfers Paradise for the last 25 years, the Gold Coast feels like my second home. I am was thrilled to visually express my connection with the Gold Coast through my artwork, reflected in colour, energy and the vibe of this magnificent part of the world. “ Amica Whincop lives and works in Gympie, Queensland. Her work continues to gain international and national recognition and has been accredited to engage a wide audience, including those who often disassociate with abstract art.

“Each new collection of paintings I create reflect my desire to capture the beauty, tranquillity and balance informed by the rhythms and energy of the natural world. “, she describes.

“Voyage is an exhibition of paintings which particularly examine the ocean and throughout the creation of these works, I held the notion in my mind of the sea as a beautiful metaphor for our own personal journey within ourselves. “ Anna Itkonen Voyage is open until 31 August at Left Bank Gallery, Southport.

Pictured below: Lara Scolari

GET YOUR GLOW ON LOCAL ARTIST THIS WINTER LANDS AMONG The Gold Coast is once again set to GLOW in the THE STARS most spectacular way when HOTA, Home of the Arts hosts a free three-night festival of light that will transform the precinct into an enchanted, illuminated mecca, featuring aerial acts, music, immersive installations, food and more.

GLOW features the stunning work of six light architects.

Light stories over the lake, a walk-through laser and sound experience by acclaimed AV artist Robin Fox and a combined light and aerial performance are just a few of the incredible installations that will be featured in this year’s event. One that sounds particularly adorable is the Neon Dog Park by Melbourne artist Carla O’Brien.

The Neon Dog Park is the place where dogs of all breeds can have their own Light Party.

“My art is specifically designed to be 100% fully interactive and you actually become a part of the art!” exclaims Carla.

“Walking amongst them you can take one for a walk, get another one to fetch a bone or a ball and you can even scoop some neon poop! My favourite is seeing little kids patting the dogs. I haven't left out the cat lovers, there is a judgemental neon cat peering down from a tree limb.”

Carla creates interactive installations for festivals, so came up with the idea of creating something people could have multiple experiences with, without having to stand in a bunch of lines.

“It was quite hard deciding which dogs to create. I did a mix of breeds I love, popular dogs and then made them in typical positions you would see a dog. The dog peeing on the tree might be my favourite!

“I get a real kick out of seeing people laughing and smiling as they love my work and it gets me to come up with the next fun thing.”

There will be many surprises over the three days of GLOW with neon face painting, music, dancing in the dark and great food. Rumour has it the inflatable White Whale who starred at the GC2018 opening ceremony may even be in attendance.

Natalie O’Driscoll

GLOW runs at HOTA from 9 to 11 August from 5.00pm to 9.00pm. Visit hota.com.au for more.

Local artist Tracie Eaton has been shooting for the moon lately, with her work gaining recent national and international recognition.

Her artwork has been accepted for inclusion in Logie, Golden Globe and Oscars gift bags, and she is going to be working on an international fashion show and the ‘Ruby Collection’ for a new resort on the Gold Coast. Phew! We thought we’d see how she’s feeling about it all.

Please tell us all about how the Logie and Hollywood gift bag inclusions came about! And what are the pieces that the winners will receive?

I was provided a contact to Celebrity & Hollywood Gifting who specialise in providing gift bags to celebrate successes and events for national and Hollywood stars. After a few conversations, them reviewing my work and brand it was confirmed I was accepted as the exclusive artist to contribute in gift bags for Gold Logie winner and Silver Logie for best male, and best female.

Following the delivery of the artworks to the company, they were very happy and offered me the opportunity to be the exclusive artist for the Hollywood Swag-bags for 2019 Golden Globes and the 2019 Oscars. The bags are provided to nominated actors at the Four Seasons Hotel - where most of the stars stay. I am incredibly excited about this opportunity as not only will it provide immense exposure of my brand in the US, it is an opportunity to showcase Gold Coast art to the international stage. SUPER cool!

I created a range of art called the Petite Range a while ago, and these are the perfect fit for gifts. They are all original artworks...not one is the same. They are 25cm x 25cm so really cool to use as a tabletop display or hang as a medley of artworks on a wall. All are resin finished so really stand out. The pieces I am creating for Hollywood are all inspired by life on the Gold Coast. I want them to feel a little of what living in such a beautiful, funky place feels like - Aussie style.

Natalie O’Driscoll

To read the full interview, visit blankgc.com.au.

THE POWER OF HOPE KON KARAPANAGIOTIDIS Kon Karapanagiotidis’s family were no strangers to war and displacement. His grandmother fled her homeland during the Pontic Genocide. His father watched the Nazis march into and take over his village at age five, and his mother grew up in severe poverty. To give their children a better life, his parents traversed to Australia— with hope.

His parents didn’t yet know it, but their challenges and difficulties when they arrived would become their son’s life work.

As a small boy, Kon had his own trials: friendless and bullied for being different, he often felt like an outsider.

Unfortunately, his parents—who were loving and hardworking—were also grief-stricken from their own childhoods, which made them emotionally unavailable.

Things did not improve for Kon as a teen: his role in the family turned to one of mediating his parents’ fights.

Aimless, he struggled to find a place in this world and a way to express his emotions. Until, barely an adult, he found much of what he was looking for—self-love, connection, acceptance, and a feeling of significance— when he listened to vulnerable people in need and gave care, compassion, and hope.

‘The Power of Hope’ is not just a memoir; it’s the making of an empath and an activist. It is also about vibrant, shining people—such as asylum seekers, who are desperate to keep their families safe and to survive. Kon tells what stories of theirs he can. The focus is always on their humanity and the privilege Kon feels to have been a part of their lives.

Kon’s keen eye for injustice and refusal to do nothing— even when terrified—is sobering and calls us into action.

Kon will also make you wonder how he finds time to sleep! In the space of a few paragraphs, he’s a social worker, then he’s teaching students, then he’s running the Asylum Seekers Resource Centre, and then he’s achieved six university degrees and is a human rights lawyer in front of the High Court.

I suspect for Kon it’s a case of: see a need, fill it.

Nae Kurth www.blankgc.com.au

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REGURGITATOR Roxxin’ It Up

Can you believe that it's been nearly 25 years since the formation of eclectic Brisbane music institutions Regurgitator!? From playing their first show back in March 1994, they’ve since traversed points far and wide across the musical landscape, their tenure defined by rampant creativity, an irreverent disregard for playing to the norm and a humour-laced and fearless approach to delivering music both challenging and accessible - a neat trick, that.

And 1 August sees them dropping album number nine, the intriguingly named 'HEADROXX'. Promising to be yet another fine addition to the band’s canon of twisted aural delights, the first taste of the new record saw them release split single 'Don't Stress' / 'Light Me On Fire'.

In the lead up, founding members Quan Yeomans (QY) and Ben Ely (BE) gave us their own, in turns self-deprecating, surreal and enlightening insights into the new album, as well as the ever morphing world of ‘The Gurge’.

Congratulations on the imminent release of album number nine, ‘HEADROXX’. Where does it sit, in sound and aesthetic, compared to your previous releases?

QY: Thank you! nine’s the charm! I think early-onsetdementia could be the context we’re close to hitting. It sounds half as bad as the previous one and about two thirds worse than our second album, possible on par with the seventh. Aesthetically speaking it’s raw but with a polished knowhow; bold yet quivers anxiously when it shouldn’t. It’s got a fruity base with overtones of freshly baked scones and baby vomit notes that linger in the top palate.

BE: It definitely sounds like a Regurgitator album in the way that our personalities are imprinted in the songs. Although in saying that it also feels rather different, as it’s been five years since our last release, so it definitely has a freshness to it. We were excited about the idea of making something pretty experimental and messed up. I hope we achieved that – it’s kinda hard to tell, as we’ve heard it so many times. We met a great young artist named Ben Adams, who designed the cover. It’s a great image of a multiple eyed, melting faced monster in fluoro colours. It actually inspired us to mix the album in a way to suit the art work. That’s never happened before.

How did the genesis and gestation of the new record play out?

QY: Our manager told us he was booking a tour in August and that we had better have an album done by the end of June or he was quitting because he couldn’t see the point any more. Ben and I sighed and said ‘ok’. We then sat down in front of our computers, almost immediately slumped into extremely bad back posture and began googling good music to copy and paste into our digital audio work stations. And voila, it was done in three weeks.

BE: As I said, it had been a long time since our last album, so last year Quan and I got together and played our demos to each other to see if we could come up with something. We generally write our songs separately then bring them to each other and decide what tracks would make a good record, then play on each other’s tracks and help each other produce the songs. With HEADROXX all the songs seemed to have a similar lyrical vibe about suffering anxiety and worry in the modern world; dealing with family, bills, politics etc. Which are kinda heady themes, so we felt HEADROXX would make a great title for the album.

Playing live vs creating in the studio – do you have a preference?

QY: I like the energy release of playing live - contorting yourself into odd poses and dancing badly in front a bunch of people you don’t know. Studio work is all about losing yourself in a very personal space. I like the controlling, fine tuning and problem solving nature of being in the studio.

BE: I think I prefer recording to touring, as I like to stay at home more these days. Though in saying that, once the tour gets going and I get used to the late nights it’s actually super fun. We will also be touring with some really great bands like Glitoris and The Stress of Leisure. They are both really entertaining, fun bands who are also great friends, which is a bonus. They also like a good dress up!

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Does the longevity of the band surprise you? (albeit with some ‘hiatus’ time thrown in) And can you see yourselves continuing to do what you do now in the foreseeable future?

QY: I prefer the term ‘Granny Nap’ over hiatus. There’s never really been a pressing need for us to quit. If any of us get totally sick of it I’m sure we would, but it’s still fun and we’re still mobile enough to play standing up. Though I kind of do look forward to the day where we’re so old we have to play in beds surrounded by aged care workers.

BE: Yeah it’s been a real journey. We just did a huge play list for Double J, selecting all of our favourite music that inspired us over the years and I must say the list is very diverse. We have morphed and changed so much over these last 25 years, as most humans do. It’s just so very strange playing songs you put together when you were 23, 24 years old. So young and angry at times, haha! Though in saying that, when we do make time to get together for a show we have a great appreciation for what we have. When you have friendships that last this long, it feels like family – although not a family that find themselves fighting all the time, rather a nice, harmonious gathering. I also feel we do it for the super-ace people who are fans of our music and come out time and time again to support us, buy our records and see us play.

Anthony Gebhardt

HEADROXX' is available from 1 August and Regurgitator hit the road to support its release, stopping in at Kingscliff Beach Hotel 24 August, The Tivoli 25 August and Solbar 26 August.

Congratulations on the cracking new single, 'Drug Fiend'. The track was recorded with Mark Duckworth and Brad Hoskings at Blind Boy Studios in Nerang. What was it like working with them?

RADOLESCENT

Local Punk Rock Fiends Drop Cracking New Single

Rambunctious three piece punk rockers, Radolescent, describe themselves as “three young fellas from the Gold Coast who like their music loud and the beers cold.”

Last year saw the Radolescent lads, Isaac, Lachlan and Kurt, put out their debut EP, ‘Scrape Ya Plate’, and since then they’ve been busy building their profile, playing live and working on some new tracks. The first taste of which is a belligerent slice of classic punk rock which goes by the name of ‘Drug Fiend’, which you can check out on the band’s Soundcloud page.

The guys will be hitting the tour-trail in August, including a launch show for ‘Drug Fiend’ at elsewhere in Surfers Paradise on 3 August. In the lead up Anthony Gebhardt posed a few questions to the guys.

It was great, they’re both very good at what they do and don’t really have time for any fuck ups - and surprisingly we didn't have any, haha! Brad is a freak with the quick keys and his studio is set up really well. ‘Duck’ had a good idea of what we wanted with pre-production before we went in with Brad.

We had expectations that we would be there pulling all-nighters, but we left every day at like 4 in the afternoon, shocked hahaha!

The new single also reminds me a bit of late 70's English punk rock. Is this generally indicative of your sound as a whole? And what are a few of your favourite punk rock bands, both new and old?

We haven't really tried to make our music sound like anything in particular, it kind of just comes out that way after playing together. There are definitely some curveballs on the (next) record though. We all have a similar taste in music and listen to bands like Wavves and Fidlar, but yeah we don't really have American accents… and Lachy talks about Lemmy a lot haha!

You guys have a tour coming up in August, including some shows down south. Have you played in Sydney and Melbourne before?

No we haven’t, we’re really looking forward to it though. We have some mates living in those spots and some of the touring bands we have played with are from there, so it will be nice just to see them, let alone play shows.

We have a new album recorded, so we will just start pushing the songs to people live and gauge their responses. Kurt takes his smoke machine everywhere - not the vape kind! Can you take smoke machines through carry on?

What are the band up to for the rest of the year?

We’ll be doing a bunch shows locally and interstate and we’ll release another song before the end of the year. The new album should be out at the start of next year. And we’re filming a funny clip for ‘Drug Fiend’ that will be out in the next month or so.

Keeping it real!

Anthony Gebhardt

Radolescent hit elsewhere to laumch ‘Drug Fiend’, 3 August.

ependent record store! ya local 'bricks n mortar' ind

Drop into Byron’s local independent brewery...

The way it should be FIND OUR BEERS AT YOUR LOCAL OR DROP INTO OUR TASTING ROOM TASTING ROOM OPENING HOURS AND TOUR TIMES – stoneandwood.com.au/book-a-tour

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Stone and Wood Brewing

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17

FIRST FRIDAYS IN BLOOM AT HOTEL MIAMI Hotel Miami is a creative co-working hub, doubling as studio and event space in Miami. Run by husband and wife team Jessie Jones and Nick Atkins and their business partner Darran Franks, the space has been utilised for creative and corporate workshops, birthdays and baby showers and celebrations of love and life. But every first Friday of the month, the team at Hotel Miami throw open their doors for a regular house event where local artistic talent is thrown under the spotlight.

“We've been really lucky to attract really fun and likeminded people to work here and we've quickly formed a happy little community,” Jessie Jones told Samantha Morris.

“On the first Friday of each month we showcase a new local artist or artists, giving them a chance to show their work to the community and hopefully sell some also!”

“We always have a DJ or band playing and Young Henry's beer flowing at the bar put on by the Cambus Wallace. And our most recent addition is the Latin American food truck Little Wahaca, so delish!”

Jessie said the nights have been a roaring success, with great turnouts and artists selling a heap of their work while punters hit the dancefloor.

On the first Friday in August, Hotel Miami will showcase artistry of the female form and its connection to nature.

“The works that will be featured are a combination of film photographs and fine art illustrations, accompanied by lush plant installations by local florist Carly Jackson,”{ Jessie said.

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‘In Bloom’ will explore the female body, and the way it mirrors nature through reproduction, nurturing and growth. It will challenge the perception of the female form in media today and encourage and celebrate the uniqueness of every woman and Jessie explained that the event would also include interactive art installations as well as life drawing.

If a Cambus Wallace bar, Latino eats and Hawaiinyls spinning the black disks, set amongst floral and feminine artistry sounds like your kinda thing, Hotel Miami will deliver the goods.

Samantha Morris

Hotel Miami is at 1/49 Lemana Lane, Miami and First Fridays next rolls out on Friday 3 August with artists Ella Fitzgerald and Kelly Robinson under the spotlight.

More at bit.ly/inbloommiami.

A GUITAR FESTIVAL, IN A BREWERY IS RETURNING TO BYRON The Byron Bay Guitar Festival is back, baby, and with it come British India, Ash Grunwald and Dallas Frasca, amongst a tonne of talent showcasing incredible guitar skills alongside a guitar marketplace, upskilling opportunities and of course, beer. It is in a brewery after all.

Alongside the headliners, you can catch The Fumes, Jeff Martin, Hussy Hicks, Lloyd Spiegel, Opal Ocean, The Jimi Hendrix Show with Steve Symonds and young guns from Byron Bay High School.

The 6 – 7 October event is set to be an industry highlight for lovers of allthings guitar. Produced by Byron Music, the festival is a veritable guitar lovers’ heaven. Director Nick Sergi explains it best.

“It celebrates the diversity of the guitar and the diversity of people who love music,” he said.

“We’re really excited about building this festival up and celebrating not just music but the industry around it. In a world where more and more is moving into the digital realm, we want to bring it back and celebrate live music, the craftsmanship of beautiful instruments, and the community that forms around music when you’re physically standing in a room enjoying it together”.

There will be more than 29 live performances across two stages, a showcase of instruments and craftsmanship from some of the world’s favourite makers as well as workshops, seminars and delicious food and beverage.

After a successful debut year in 2017, despite torrential rain, the Byron Bay Guitar Festival was heralded a success for bringing a local community event accessible to all back to the Byron fold and embraced by artists and audience alike.

Tickets for the 6 – 7 October event are just $50 for one day or $90 for two and are on sale now at byronbayguitarfestival.com.

Byron Bay Guitar Festival 2018 lineup British India + Ash Grunwald + Dallas Frasca + The Fumes + Jeff Martin + Hussy Hicks + Lloyd Spiegel + Opal Ocean + Jimi Hendrix Show w. Steve Edmonds Band + The Soul Movers + Murray Cook + Southern River Band + Flying Machine + Joel McDonald + Frankie’s House Band + Andy Jans Brown & Cozmic + Tullara + Malcura + Dan Hannaford + Jereome Williams + Martin Lartigua + Shai Shiriki + Nathan Kaye + El Dorado + When Hawk Met Sparrow + Jordan McRobbie + Byron High School Students + more!

Samantha Morris

The 2nd Annual Byron Bay Guitar Festival runs Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 October 2018 at Byron Bay Brewery. More at byronbayguitarfestival.com.

open every friday & saturday from 4pm-10pm

Live Music ticketed event

NighT Markets

Food Vendors events nightquarter spectacular

ticketed event

ticketed event

every friday & saturday | 6:30pm

fire! circus! acrobatics!

fri 10th aug

SAT 11th AUG

fri 7th SEPT

xavier rudd

pub rock night

FLIGHT FACILITIES

darling james gc show auditions

matty rogers

TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW ONLINE

TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW ONLINE

TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW ONLINE

04 august

18 august

ticketed event

the radiators good boy

ticketed event

ticketed event

03 august

beer, bourbon & bbq festival

black rabbit george

10 august

24 august

xavier rudd (ticketed)

11 august sat 8th sept

sun 23rd sept

fri 26th oct

amy shark

the cat empire

katchafire & guests

TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW ONLINE

TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW ONLINE

nightquarter.com.au

1800 264 448

TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW ONLINE

17 august

pub rock night featuring the radiators good boy (ticketed)

hollow coves wedding festival

25 august bobby alu island night

31 august show holiday petting zoo

1 town centre drive, helensvale

JULY THURSDAY 26 JULY Zookeepers (Covers) | Southport Sharks The Dirty Channel | Beach Hotel, Byron Free The Genie | Cambus Wallace James Street Preachers | Scottish Prince

FRIDAY 27 JULY Kenny Slide (5.00pm) | Burleigh Brewing Co Lann – Acoustic Soup (12.30pm) | Emerald Lakes Golf Club Hot Reno + The Goldblooms + Plateau + Dopamine | Currumbin Pub Graham Hobson | Watermark Hotel & Spa Benny Hanna (5.00pm) | Cabana Bar & Lounge, Southport Sharks Elevation Band (Covers) | Southport Sharks Dan Clarke Band + Katie Demeester | Beach Hotel, Byron Seaside + Taylor | NightQuarter Trilogy Duo (Covers) | RSL Club Southport Mescalito Blues + Rob Edwards (5.00pm) | Miami Marketta The Great Gig in the Sky, Songs of Pink Floyd: Sunrose + The Yams + Free the Genie + Space Blister and the Marble Odyssey | Miami Marketta (Studio 56)

SATURDAY 28 JULY Polaris + Justice for the Damned | Miami Shark Bar Cal and Robbie (GANGgajang) + JJ Harris (The Riptides)| Currumbin Pub Live at Bond Open Day: Nomika (5.00pm) | Bond University Mark Watson | Watermark Hotel & Spa Wally & The Gators (Covers) | Southport Sharks Carnaval de Cuba: El Timbon + Suavito | NightQuarter Devils Kiosk (Covers) | RSL Club Southport 22

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Pick It UP! + Luke Pauley (4.00pm) | Miami Marketta Sky Eater (2.00pm) | Sheaok Shack

27 – 29 JULY Groundwater Country Music Festival: The McClymonts + Granger Smith ft Earl Dibbles Jr + Adam Harvey + O’Shea + Catherine Britt & The Cold Cold Heart + Lillie Mae + Bill Chambers + Joshua Hedley + Troy Kemp + Kirsty Lee Akers + Casey Barnes + Travelin’ Still: The Songs of Slim Dusty with Pete Denahy & The Travelling Country Band + The Hillbilly Goats + Hurricane Fall + Doug Bruce + The Morrisons + Melody Moko + Country Music Cocktails | Broadbeach

SUNDAY 29 JULY Adam Harpaz (2.00pm) | Burleigh Brewing Co Lann – Acoustic Soup (12.30pm) | Emerald Lakes Golf Club Womblordz + Cactus + Dogfight + Med Heads | Miami Shark Bar Cheap Fakes | Mo’s Desert Clubhouse Mohndoo + Goodrich | Beach Hotel, Byron Street Cafe (Covers) (1.00pm) | RSL Club Southport Morton Choppers | Cambus Wallace

AUGUST WEDNESDAY 1 AUGUST James Street Preachers | Cambus Wallace The Yams | Scottish Prince Katie Demeester | Beach Hotel, Byron

THURSDAY 2 AUGUST Free The Genie | Cambus Wallace James Street Preachers | Scottish Prince The Coal Truth + David Ritter + Jason Delphin | Beach Hotel, Byron

FRIDAY 3 AUGUST

MONDAY 6 AUGUST

Stoneage Romeo’s (730pm) | RSL Club Southport

Aussie Pride | Southport Sharks

Howlin Time | The Parkwood Tavern

Greg Bankx (11.00am) | RSL Club Southport

TUESDAY 7 AUGUST Matthew Armitage | Cambus Wallace Adam Harpaz | Beach Hotel, Byron

Two Tears in a Bucket | Scottish Prince

The Yams | Scottish Prince

Soul’d + DJ Longtime | Beach Hotel, Byron

Free The Genie | Cambus Wallace James Street Preachers | Scottish Prince Josh Hamilton Duo | Beach Hotel, Byron

FRIDAY 10 AUGUST

MONDAY 30 JULY

DJ Longtime + DJ Fonzaius | Beach Hotel, Bryon

Benny D Williams (7pm) | Chinderah Tavern

Andy Burke | Sheoak Shak

Jock Barnes + Ragga Jump | Beach Hotel, Byron

TUESDAY 31 JULY Leigh James | Beach Hotel, Byron Elska | Cambus Wallace

Bob Franklin + Mel Buttle Comedy | Parkwood Tavern

SUNDAY 5 AUGUST Elska | Cambus Wallace Graham Ashton | Scottish Prince The Superlove + Dave Dog | Beach Hotel, Byron Hot Pursuit Duo (1.00pm) | RSL Club Southport Brooke Supple | Aviary Rooftop Bar BB Factory (12noon) | Advancetown Hotel

Michael Eotvos | Aviary Rooftop Bar

MONDAY 13 AUGUST 4’20 Sound Reggae Night | Beach Hotel, Byron Michael Whitmore | Southport RSL

Guy Kachel | Beach Hotel, Byron

Trapdoor + Ban Solo + EchoWave + Autoghost | Currumbin Pub

Abbigayle Anderson (Covers) (11.00am) | RSL Club Southport

Street Cafe (1.00pm) | RSL Club Southport

TUESDAY 14 AUGUST

SATURDAY 4 AUGUST

Shotgun Duo (1.00pm) | RSL Club Southport

Alysia Rose | Cambus Wallace

Xavier Rudd | NightQuarter

Chris Hutchison | Aviary Rooftop Bar

Lloyd Saniel (Covers) | Southport Sharks

Jacob Lee + Reckless Abandon + Tayla-Lee Robinson | Q1 Level 2

James Street Preachers | Cambus Wallace

THURSDAY 9 AUGUST

The Poison & Van Halen Show | Parkwood Tavern

Pub Rock Night + The Radiators + Good Boy | NightQuarter

SUNDAY 12 AUGUST

Benny D Williams (9pm) | Coolangatta Sands

Devils Kiosk (7.30pm) | RSL Club Southport

Stone Witches + Liquid Face + Hot Reno + These New South Whales | Miami Shark Bar

WEDNESDAY 8 AUGUST

Raw Deep + Filthy Minds + The Fools + Taine Joso | Currumbin Pub

Paris Lane + Round Mountain Girls | Southport Sharks

Brown Suga | Southport Sharks

4’20 Sound Reggae Night | Beach Hotel, Byron

Andy Jann Brown | Beach Hotel, Byron

Guy Kachel + The Soul Shakers | Beach Hotel, Byron

Ebony Rose | Sheoak Shak

Michael Hickey + Agent 77 (covers) | Southport Sharks Long Gone Daddy’s (7.30pm) | RSL Club Southport

SATURDAY 11 AUGUST Peach Fur + The Lonesomes + Syrup Go On + Cosmic Dad | Snookerworld Benny D Williams (6.15pm) | Burleigh BBQ Bazaar DJ Longtime + Rhys Bynon | Beach Hotel, Byron

Gavin Doniger | Cambus Wallace

WEDNESDAY 15 AUGUST James Street Preachers | Cambus Wallace Josh Boyd Trio | Scottish Prince Scott Day Vee | Beach Hotel, Byron Bay

THURSDAY 16 AUGUST Free The Genie | Cambus Wallace James Street Preachers | Scottish Prince Peter C & Dr Baz | Beach Hotel, Byron

FRIDAY 17 AUGUST Jeenie + Sound Savannah + We All Drive + Dawn Of Dusk | Currumbin Pub Leigh James + Pink Zinc | Beach Hotel, Byron Josh Boyd + Lost Safari | Southport Sharks Wally and the Gators (7.30pm) | RSL Club Southport

WEDNESDAY 22 AUGUST James Street Preachers | Cambus Wallace The Yams | Scottish Prince Greg Kew | Beach Hotel, Byron

THURSDAY 23 AUGUST

Merlin Solo (1.00pm) | RSL Club Southport Maddy Thompson | Aviary Rooftop Bar

MONDAY 27 AUGUST Doubleshot (11.00am)| RSL Club Southport

Free The Genie | Cambus Wallace

Che Fu | Parkwood Tavern

James Street Preachers | Scottish Prince

TUESDAY 28 AUGUST

SATURDAY 18 AUGUST

Hollow Coves + Guests | Beach Hotel, Byron

Kelly Blues | Cambus Wallace

The Australian Bee Gees Show | The Star Gold Coast Black Rabbit George | NightQuarter DJ Longtime + Rhythm & Cutloose | Beach Hotel, Byron Izzy Day | Sheoak Shak The Dee Jays Band | Southport Sharks Gemini Duo (7.30pm) | RSL Club Southport Phil Barlow | Burleigh Masonic Lodge

SUNDAY 19 AUGUST Benny D Williams (2-5pm) | Boatshed Currumbin Angelo Pash | Cambus Wallace Dale Walker | Scottish Prince Living in the 70’s + Touch Sensitive + Dj’s | Beach Hotel, Byron The Rockks (1.00pm) | RSL Club Southport Jessica Odgers | Aviary Rooftop Bar

17 – 19 AUGUST O Heart Indie Folk Festival, Tyalgum NSW

MONDAY 20 AUGUST 4’20 Sound Reggae Night | Beach Hotel, Byron Rhydian Lewis (11.00am) | RSL Club Southport

TUESDAY 21 AUGUST Matthew Armitage | Cambus Wallace Dan Clark | Beach Hotel, Byron

FRIDAY 24 AUGUST Regurgitator + Glitoris + The Stress of Leisure | Kingscliff Beach Hotel Albert Lee | Soundlounge Roadhouse “EP Launch” + Die for Mushies + Atticus Chimps + MNVR | Currumbin Pub Benny D Williams (4pm) | Balter Brewery Adam Harpaz + Mckenzie | Beach Hotel, Byron Chris Hutchison + The Mason Rack Band | Southport Sharks

Ben Walsh | Beach Hotel, Byron

WEDNESDAY 29 AUGUST James Street Preachers | Cambus Wallace Sally Sa | Scottish Prince Leah James | Beach Hotel, Byron

THURSDAY 30 AUGUST The Unknowns + The Lonesomes + Whine + The Miserines | Currumbin Pub Free The Genie | Cambus Wallace

Goran Sedlar (7.30pm) | RSL Club Southport

James Street Preachers | Scottish Prince

Screaming Jets + Boom Crash Opera | Parkwood Tavern

Du’ East | Beach Hotel, Byron

SATURDAY 25 AUGUST Kingswood + Mane | The Northern, Byron DJ Longtime + DJ Just Sayin’ |Beach Hotel, Bryon

FRIDAY 31 AUGUST Tuffy + Black Rabbit George | Beach Hotel, Byron Tayla Doyle + Playing Vegas | Southport Sharks

Tomi Gray | Sheoak Shak

Trilogy (7.30pm) | RSL CLub Southport

The Hodads (covers) | Southport Sharks

Dual Frequency | Parkwood Tavern

SEPT 2018 - JAN 2019 FRIDAY 7 SEPTEMBER Flight Facilities | NightQuarter

SATURDAY 8 SEPTEMBER Amy Shark + E^ST + Alexander Biggs | NightQuarter (Ticketed)

FRIDAY 14 SEPTEMBER The Radiators | Currumbin Soundlounge

SUNDAY 23 SEPTEMBER The Cat Empire + Odette | NightQuarter (Ticketed)

6-7 OCTOBER Byron Bay Guitar Festival 2018 | British India + Ash Grunwald + Dallas Frasca + The Fumes + Jeff Martin + Hussy Hicks + Lloyd Spiegel + Opal Ocean + Jimi Hendrix Show w. Steve Edmonds Band + The Soul Movers + Murray Cook + Southern River Band + Flying Machine + Joel McDonald + Frankie’s House Band + Andy Jans Brown & Cozmic + Tullara + Malcura + Dan Hannaford + Jereome Williams + Martin Lartigua + Shai Shiriki + Nathan Kaye + El Dorado + When Hawk Met Sparrow + Jordan McRobbie + Byron Bay High School Students + More!

FRIDAY 19 OCTOBER Zac Gunthorpe | Soundlounge

FRIDAY 2 NOVEMBER The Angels | RSL Club Southport

WEDNESDAY 21 NOVEMBER David Byrne | Gold Coast Convention & Exhibition Centre

SATURDAY 24 NOVEMBER Never Ending 80s | NightQuarter (Ticketed)

SUNDAY 27 JANUARY 2019 Hotter Than Hell: Spiderbait + Shihad + Killing Heidi + Bodyjar + 28 Days + Area-7 | Broadwater Parklands

Take Your Pick (7.30pm) | RSL Club Southport Regurgitator | Kingslciff Beach Hotel

SUNDAY 26 AUGUST Craig Atkins | Cambus Wallace Elska | Scottish Prince Goodrich + My Happy Place | Beach Hotel, Byron

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23

Love from Summer Xx

Hello, and welcome to ‘Love from Summer Xx’, an oldfashioned advice column where you can open up your heart, and I open up a lively can of solicited advice, sage wisdom, home truths and tough love.

Dear Summer, After being out of the dating scene for many years, I have recently started dating online. I am on a few sites and having no luck, and feel like I’m wasting my time. With so much choice why can’t I find anyone special?

Alex

Dear Alex, Thank you for your honesty and your heartfelt question. I feel for you.

Modern dating is no walk in the park, literally. Gone are the days when you found that special someone at church, the library or the grocery store. Now it’s about online dating, apps and reality TV, which suits some but not others.

People are living online and through filters on their phone. Being connected to everyone and everything all the time had made us blasé and spoilt for choice, and swiping right is easier and less confronting than making eye contact with a stranger. Almost 25% of all Australians are using at least one online dating site or app.

For some online dating is just a game. An amusing way to pass the time.

Making snap decisions about potentially compatible partners based on a few selfies and paragraphs, like products in a catalogue. Others find themselves online because they are isolated, lonely or bored. Then there are those who are fresh out of a relationship and looking for a quick attention fix or ego boost. These individuals are not looking for an exclusive relationship or a real connection.

People who want real connections and value their precious time hire matchmakers, so we can do the searching and screening for them. Perhaps that may suit you better.

Love from Summer Xx Boss Lady Matchmaker @ Mate4Life We invite you to send your dating dilemmas and curly questions to greetings@mate4life.com.au.

UNDER THE SOUTHERN STARS RETURNS FOR 2019

Some of Australia’s best rock is hitting the Gold Coast this January, following the success of the inaugural run of Under the Southern Stars shows.

This summer will see ARIA Hall of Famers Hoodoo Gurus join forces with rock royalty You Am I as well as Eskimo Joe, The Superjesus, British India, The Getaway Plan and Scott Darlow for one hell of a summer soiree in Southport.

For over three decades the Hoodoo Gurus have consistently been one of the most inventive, lyrically smart and goddamn exciting rock’n’roll bands Australia has ever produced. Along the way they’ve influenced an entire generation of bands including the likes of You Am I, so it’s quite fitting they share a bill this January. Hoodoo Gurus, by any measure, are one of Australia's greatest, best loved and most enduring rock bands.

You Am I are without doubt one of Australia’s alltime essential rock ‘n’ roll bands. More than two decades on from their first album release, You Am I have not only had one of the longest and most successful recording careers in Australia, but are also one of our most loved live bands. They have won a total of Ten ARIA Awards including Album of the Year, Best Group, and Best Independent Release.

The one-day festival takes place on Saturday 19 January at Broadwater Parklands and tickets are on sale now. And if that’s not enough of a lineup for ya, come 2 October, there’ll be one more special guest added to the bill.

Tickets on sale now via underthesouthernstars. com.au. Follow at #UTSS19 and FB.com/ utssconcerts.

Saturday January 19th Coast Broadwater Parklands, Gold

JACOB LEE PLAYS RARE HOME-TOWN SHOW

THE ANGELS ARE COMING TO SOUTHPORT RSL

PHIL BARLOW: FROM LEADER OF THE PACK TO LONE WOLF

Once you’ve heard Jacob Lee sing, you’re unlikely to forget about it. This uber-talented Gold Coast singer / songwriter has, at just 23, racked up streams in the tens of millions, and also has a few international tours under his belt. Known for his powerful melodies and emotive lyricism, Jacob is accruing a massive international following without the help of any kind of management team.

They’ve already kicked off 2018 with a series of sell-out shows as part of the Red Hot Summer Tour and at the same time they announced a national tour – which will see the band coming to the Gold Coast to play ‘Face to Face’ in its entirety as they celebrate the 40th anniversary of the seminal release.

Gold Coast’s Phil Barlow has marked the start of a new musical direction with the release of neo-folk-soul number, ‘In My Heart’.

This month Jacob – who himself has been a multi-nominee and finalist for the Gold Coast Music Awards - was announced as support act for 5 x Platinum and ARIA-Award winning Sheppard.

No surprise. The man has clocked up some 28 million Spotify streams with no label or booking agent and has gigged in America, Europe, UK and across Australia.

Mystique, ambiguity, passion and brilliance lie behind the lyricism of Jacob Lee and he hasn’t even released his debut album yet. The ten-track ‘Philosophy’ is due for release soon on his own label.

“Whenever I’m not writing or in the studio, I’m marketing myself,” he told Blank GC last time we spoke.

“I think it’s because I’ve never had management. I’ve never had a label, and I’ve just started my own label,” he said.

To mark the tour, they also headed into the studio to record a 2018 version of ‘Take A Long Line’. The track will be available at the gigs, and no doubt will become a collectors’ item – the track is one of The Angels’ most loved songs and was their first hit single in 1978, peaking in the national charts at #26 and remaining there for a whopping 29 weeks.

The album ‘Face to Face’ remained in the charts for a year and a half. They didn’t know it at the time, but The Angels had created the musical soundtrack of a generation.

“This new version of Take A Long Line is special,” says Rick Brewster, “with an extended instrumental section in the middle and a repeat solo at the end.”

And they will, of course, be playing it on the tour, alongside other classic Angels hits, many that often don’t make it into live sets. Rick says tracks like ‘Straightjacket’, ‘Outcast’, ‘Love Takes Care’ and ‘Live It Up’ will be highpoints for the band and the audience.

Samantha Morris

“I just literally feel as though it’s in my DNA. I can’t stop,” he said.

“If I stop for twenty minutes I feel as though I’m wasting time.”

You’ll be able to hear for yourself why Jacob has amassed such a big following when he performs at Q1 Surfers Paradise, Level 2 on Saturday 11 August. He’s bringing along Reckless Abandon and Tayla-Lee Robinson for the show with tickets available via bit.ly/jacoblee18.

The Angels hit Southport RSL on Friday 2 November.

Tickets $40. More at theangels.com.au.

With two albums and over 300 shows under his belt as frontman of blues rock outfit Phil Barlow and The Wolf, Phil is a seasoned performer and accomplished songwriter. But he’s recently traded high energy festival performances for more intimate and captivating experiences.

"There was a time when I could not sit still,” he said. “My mind would race in search of something more and my heart was a mess because I was lost in intense waves of emotion as I tried to find my feet after a painful separation.”

"The wild and primitive nature of the band was an important and powerful expression of those feelings. It was a lot of fun too, playing to great crowds, getting a bit loose and feeling liberated!"

But Phil went through a shift and felt less connected to that music; that he wasn’t living this truth anymore. He took ‘Rosie’, his touring bus (and home) to a remote property to disconnect from the world and reconnect with himself.

"A whole world of words poured out of me and new ways to express them - in music and poetry,” Phil said. “In those three weeks, I felt my heart truly open for the first time in a long time."

Powerfully pairing the simplicity of raw vocals and acoustic guitar with dynamic layers of modern production, ‘In My Heart’ marks the first taste of Phil Barlow’s musical evolution, crafting soulful music with authenticity and presence.

Not only did Phil's extended period of solitude yield soulful new music, he also authored his first book, ‘The Poetry Of Healing: Pain to Peace’, which will be published at the end of August.

Samantha Morris

Samantha Morris

Jacob Lee + Reckless Abandon + Tayla-Lee Robinson Q1 Level 2, Saturday 11 August, 6.30 – 9.00pm Tickets $15 + BF 26

www.blankgc.com.au

‘In My Heart’ is out 3 August with a launch event on 18 August at the Burleigh Masonic Lodge. Tickets at philbarlowmusic.com.

TROPIC THUNDER 6PM AUGUST 30, 2018 VISIT BURLEIGHBREWING.COM/CINEMA

MORE BREKKIES UNDER $10 Do you want to eat like a queen without feeling that your purse has been robbed?

After paying over $20 for a smashed avo with goat’s cheese, we went on the hunt for the best priced brekkies in town. This is our second list, with some rippers amongst it.

Mr Brown’s Tuckshop

5/7 Brown Street, Labrador

We’ve never quite forgiven Rob and Chee for closing Vice Baby, their popup Asian diner in the garden behind Miami Rice, but that’s another story… Labrador is richer, having gained the crafty pair in their café, Mr Brown’s Tuckshop, a little dining beacon in an underserviced suburb.

Their Bacon and egg roll on a milk bun with pickles and homemade relish is $10, and you can choose your Old School Jaffle filling for $9. Mine’s roast mushroom, goat’s cheese and caramelised onion. Yummo!

Old Coach General Store 2 Ziedan Dr, Mudgeeraba

Shane and Michelle Raymond, who took over Mudgeeraba’s Old Coach General Store late in 2017, have big plans for this store come café. They’re delving into food and even extending their fare through Uber Eats. Beyond the usual Fish and chips with gravy, there’s açai bowls on offer and burgers on brioche buns. We tried the Big Boy packed with salad and a delicious beef burger for $9.80, while the Falafel Burger with homemade mint yoghurt and hummus was only $7.50. Shane’s tradie special is a Morning After burger including a cup of local Mudgeeraba coffee for $7.50. With the store open daily from 6am – 7pm, you can ring ahead and your food will be ready for you.

The Oak

Cnr Robert and Railway St, Mudgeeraba The Oak Café is one of our best finds so far this year! It’s not grand, but it has pedigree, with co-owner/chef Paul Horne having been a chef under Raymond Blanc, at Gwinganna and finally Mondo Organics, Australia’s first licensed organic restaurant, which he credits as the inspiration for The Oak Café’s menu.

Try out The Oak’s Soaked flour pancakes with banana, praline, ice cream and pure maple syrup for $10, or our choice: Activated pistachio and pumpkin granola with fresh apple and natural yoghurt for $9. It’s also a great vegan choice.

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Hard Grind Coffee Retreat 32 Surf Parade, Broadbeach

Sister café to the iconic Hard Coffee of Tedder Avenue, Main Beach, Hard Grind Coffee Retreat is only metres away from Pacific Fair and The Oasis, hidden away on the ground floor of the Neptune Resort.

While many of Hard Grind’s brekkie option come in at around $11, the Bacon and egg muffin with tasty cheese, served on a toasted English muffin with BBQ or tomato sauce is an indulgent brekkie for only $6.80!

The Brick Café

9A/27 Industrial Avenue, Molendinar

Caffe Republic

Bronberg Plaza, 62 Slatyer Ave., Bundall Peter Dufty is one person who has taken up the challenge of integrating specific dietary requirements into the mainstream menu of Caffe Republic. A classically trained ‘master chef ’, Pete’s menu delivers ‘Food with a Conscience’ to your liking: Gluten-free, Paleo, Vegetarian, Dairy-free or Keto.

Whether you are going out to lunch, wish to cut back on your food intake or are a smaller appetite eater, the ‘Light Bites’ section of Caffe Republic’s menu will really hit the spot. You can enjoy quality (in lighter portions) house-baked potato bread, paleo seed toast with avo and dukkah, Bubble and squeak on Sourdough with hollandaise, or House-baked banana bread with berries, butter, coulis, granola and coco whip, all $10 and under!

There’s a strong family heritage behind The Brick Café.

Louis Vell, who owns the Molendinar café with his wife Danica, spent his high school years working in the kitchen of his parents’ Broadbeach restaurant, Boonchu Thai, for thirty years a ‘go to’ place for a tasty takeaway.

With family helping out at The Brick Café, Louis is making Aussie breakfasts, such as Eggs on toast for $6.50, Brekkie Burger for $7.50, and a $5.50 Brekkie Wrap ($8 with coffee), as well as some of Boonchu’s favourite Thai dishes from 9am: soups, noodle dishes and stir fries (mostly $15).

Euphoria Espresso Café

Ronnie’s Place

One could easily enter a state of euphoria looking at Euphoria’s breakfast menu. Esther and Richard are charming hosts, and their café has parking right out the front!

With well over half of the brekkie dishes under $10, it’s difficult for us to make a choice between Mashed avo and feta with a poached egg on rye and a side of capsicum jam for $7.50 (eat your heart out Bernard Salt!), Euphoria’s own Bircher muesli with banana and toasted macadamias, Greek yoghurt and honey $8.70, or Blueberry pancakes with ice cream and maple syrup $9.50

There’s nothing like Ronnie’s for homestyle baking.

Ronnie, a caterer, puts her heart and soul into everything, from the café’s home-baked brekkies and lunches, cakes and High Teas, staff ’s friendliness, helpfulness and charity work…it’s a delight!

Food is priced to bring customers back, with brekkies including Frank Sinatra eggs your way or a Bacon and egg toastie for $5, Yoghurt and berry parfait or bircher muesli $8.50, Homemade Banana and raspberry bread with yoghurt, berries and butterscotch sauce $9.50, or three fluffy pancakes with maple syrup, mixed berries, whipped cream and their own honeycomb butter for $9.

105/137 Laver Drive, Robina

28 Musgrave Ave., Chirn Park

The Roost@53

53 Johnston Street, Southport In the middle of a tradie area and well-used thoroughfare between major roads, The Roost is in workers’ territory.

There are plenty of menu items aimed to ‘take and go’ with tradies’ brekkies and lunches racing out the door. What makes The Roost different is that everything, including the bread, is made in-house.

Bacon and egg roll for $7, Breakfast Burrito $7, Eggs your way with toast $9, Veggie Burrito with scrambled eggs, spinach, pumpkin, cheese, salsa & hot sauce is $8, and it lasts me two meals! Even an omelette with the lot is $10. So many generously-sized options, keenly priced. No wonder food from The Roost is in hot demand!

WHY WAIT TO MAKE GREAT? CHOOSE JOB-FOCUSED TRAINING IN

ANIMAL STUDIES, BUSINESS, CREATIVE INDUSTRIES, CYBER SECURITY, EARLY CHILDHOOD, HEALTH, IT, LEGAL STUDIES, NURSING, TRADES AND MORE Ask about the TAFE Priority Training Program which is providing additional funding support to eligible Queensland residents by reducing the costs involved with studying in a specific range of diploma, certificate IV and certificate III programs.

Frigg 10 Frank Street, Labrador Though the café’s name may sound like a swear word, it’s named after Frigg (or Frija, after whom Friday is named), goddess of domesticity, wisdom, love and marriage, pretty apt considering how the sisters love to cook! They also understand that people have different sizes of appetite, so the café runs two menus: the regular one and a ‘secret’ menu especially sized for (but not confined to) post-bariatric clients.

As it turns out, they’re just my size! Choosing off both menus, there are several options under $10: Free range eggs on toast $9, Acai sorbet parfait with granola $8, Hickory smoked bacon burger $10, and Avo and tomato on sourdough with balsamic glaze $9. Almost all meals on the secret menu are $12 and under. Why eat big if you don’t want to? That’s my reasoning!

Marj Osborne read more of Marj's reviews on foodgoldcoast.com.au

ENROL NOW FOR JULY

1300 308 233 tafeqld.edu.au TAFE Queensland RTO NO. 0275 | CRICOS NO. 03020E

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JULY 29 SPRINGBROOK WINTER FAIR, SPRINGBROOK STATE SCHOOL 9am - 3pm Free community event for the whole family. springbrookwinterfair@gmail JULY 29 BONOGIN RURAL FIRE BRIGADE OPEN DAY, 660 BONOGIN ROAD 10am - 3pm www.bvrfb.org.au AUGUST 4 YOWIE MARKET ADVANCTOWN HOTEL Fresh local produce, art and handicrafts, quality collectibles and more! advancetown.com/yowiemarket AUGUST 11 - 12 GOLD COAST CAR SHOW, MUDGEERABA SHOWGROUNDS 11am – 7pm Saturday only ROCK & RETRO CAR SHOW Family Day with FREE entry for kids under 12.

Monster trucks and fireworks/ Retro cars 50’s–70’s, Vintage, Hot Rods, Kombis, Beetles,

Panel Vans, Caravans 11am – 3pm Sunday goldcoasttickets.com.au/ event/9th-annual-gold-coastcar-show-6521

SEPTEMBER 9 DARREN SMITH CYCLE CLASSIC HINZE DAM WALL 7.30 – 12.30 goldcoastcyclingclub.com.au

AUGUST 12 WATERFALL TRAIL RUNS, NUMINBAH FOREST RESERVE

1ST & 3RD THURSDAY EVERY MONTH GC MUSO’S JAM, WALLABY HOTEL, RAILWAY STREET, MUDGEERABA

Course travels through Numinbah Forest Reserve, including fire trails and creek crossings

Facebook/Gold Coast Muso’s Jam

runningcalendar.com.au/event/ waterfall-trail-runs AUGUST 19 PAWS IN THE PARK, MUDGEERABA SHOWGROUNDS

EVERY SATURDAY MUDGEERABA PARKRUN, D’ARCY DOYLE PARK, SOMERSET DRIVE, MUDGEERABA 7am start every Saturday free 5km timed run parkrun.com.au/mudgeeraba

Queenslands largest dog market EVERY SUNDAY event!

FREE LIVE MUSIC, pawsatthepark.com.au ADVANCETOWN HOTEL, NERANG MURWILLUMBAH AUGUST 26 ROAD MUDGEERABA NEIGHBOURWATCH 4 / Live music every Sunday 12SENIORS DAY, WOODLANDS 4pm PARK, MUDGEERABA Family Fun Day – last Sunday 10am – 2pm of every month, free live music, jumping castle nhw4mudgeeraba@hotmail.com advancetown.com/whats-on

O’HEART DELIVERS EPIC MUSIC PROGRAM THIS AUGUST When Tyalgum’s indie folk festival lands in the middle of this month, it brings with it an eclectic music program of exceptional quality. With 60+ market stalls, a focus on green and healthy lifestyles and farming, wellness and a kids corner with craft, garlands, potions, storytelling and bellydancing, the festival promises an eclectic experience for all types. And the music on offer is substantial.

Over the three-day event more than 30 artists will grace stages. We’re talking the likes of Casey Barnes, The Heart Collectors, Famous Will, Luke Bennett, Salt and Steel, Karrie Hayward and the Northern Rivers Choir.

Casey might be a typical country artist, but his songs resonate something a little unique, pulling at heartstrings and pushing boundaries. He’s performing alongside The Heart Collectors, who deliver acoustic tunes with an organic, Celtic-infected lilt of vocals and melody. If soaring cello, intricate guitar, sparkling mandolin, boot-banging banjo with four seasoned performers delivering the goods.

Salt and Steel will be well known to Blank readers, having previously taken out Buskers by the Creek Battle of the Buskers. As a result of their prize package, they recorded and released their debut EP ‘Breath. Connect. Grow’, continuing on their journey delivering foot-stomping rhythms and heart-stirring melodies.

The rest of the musical lineup is diverse. It includes acoustic folk, rock quintet Silk n Oak, plenty of guitar and stomp, soul and blues and gospel, complex riffs and ethereal vibes and even a touch of reggae.

Samantha Morris

THE AUSTRALIAN BEE GEES SHOW: DIRECT FROM LAS VEGAS They’ve just celebrated seven years in residence in Las Vegas’ The Excalibur Hotel and have clocked up more than 2250 performances and now the Australian Bee Gees Show is headed to the Gold Coast as part of its ‘Direct from Vegas’ world tour.

Michael Clift, AKA Barry Gibb, started the band in 1996 and while the group has its roots in Vegas, Michael explains how they work in other locations.

“We have multiple casts so we can also tour,” he said. “Many times we have two touring shows playing in different parts of the world as well as the Vegas show playing six nights a week.”

The new show, being toured globally, features all the Bee Gees hits in a nostalgic trip down memory lane, delivered in a modern, multimedia concert event. We know Australian fans have a special connection with the Bee Gees, but Michael says his American audiences are also great.

“They’re very vocal and very responsive, especially if they like what you are doing. They don't quite know the 60s history as well as an Aussie or an English fan but we have been educating them on that part of the Bee Gees career,” he said.

“We've been lucky enough to perform in over 60 countries and that list just keeps growing.”

Michael said that growth is testament to how popular the Bee Gees music is worldwide. I ask him why he thinks that is.

“I think it is simply great songs that are very heartfelt, especially some of the 60s tunes, a lot of emotion and that connects with people all over the world.”

And it seems the formula is working for Michael and his crew. They’ve just been signed for another two years at The Excalibur Hotel, were voted Best Tribute Show in Las Vegas by the prestigious Las Vegas Review Journal and receive the coveted Entertainer of the Year award for 2015 at the prestigious Win Win Headliners Bash.

After 21 years on the world stage and more than 6,500 performances in 60 countries, the show has evolved to become the definite live ceelbration of the wonderful music written by the Brothers Gibb and when they hit Australia, they’ll have something special in store.

“The show is performed in two acts, One Night Only and a nod to the 70s Disco period,” Michael explained. “Fans can expect all of the guys from the 60s and 70s, some of the songs written for other artists and a few medleys so we can squeeze even more of this fantastic catalogue into one show.”

Samantha Morris

Final set times and venues will be announced soon for the 17 – 19 August Tyalgum event. Head on over to oheartfest. com for all the details.

The Australian Bee Gees show hits The Star Gold Coast Saturday 18 August.

CHEAP FAKES DEEP SPACE Groovealicious South East Queensland six piece Cheap Fakes have just delivered a delirious slice of musical mana in the form of their fourth album, ‘Deep Space’. The band have built up quite a following since their inception in 2009, and with a few recent lineup changes, this album sees them diversify their sonic template to incorporate a subtle shift from their straightup funk-ska-rock origins into a more genreblending universe, which some have christened with the vivid moniker of ‘cactus jazz’.

Recorded at Love Street Studios on the Gold Coast and engineered by the band’s prolific lead guitarist, Scotty French, ‘Deep Space’ kicks the party off with the jaunty ‘Sisters’, a piano and brass driven exotic funk rocker with a dash of psychedelia squeezed into the song’s middle section, perfectly setting the scene for the album to unfurl it’s deliciously diverse sonic tentacles.

‘Dust And Bones’ is a spicy Latino funk workout that wouldn’t be out of place sound tracking a 70’s themed TV show, while ‘Shibuya’ rocks the Casbah with a bouncy gypsy-ska shuffle augmented with twangy surf guitar.

Elsewhere we get the funked-up psych trip that is ‘No Scents’, while ‘Ben’s In Space’ is a 45 second instro-lude of squelchy deep funk, which segues into the lewd, retro funk rock of ‘BiggysSack’, which features a mid-song horn interlude worthy of channeling one’s inner-pimp.

The album’s title track is also one of its highlights, a spritely, horn driven number which in turn powers and bounces along on a bedrock of electro-funk, with the latter half of the song wigging out with electro-psych and drum flourishes.

In penultimate number ‘Mountain’, another of the album’s highwater marks, we ascend to the heady realms of wigged-out, spaghetti cactusjazz, shrouded in a haze of mystic psych-exotica.

And ‘Touch N Go’ is a Prince channeling funk rocker which concludes the album on a party vibe before dissolving into more tripped-out soundscapes.

With ‘Deep Space’, Cheap Fakes have charted a course into the outer realms of their musical universe. This is a trip well worth strapping yourselves in for.

Anthony Gebhardt www.blankgc.com.au

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GOLD COAST ON SHOW AT BIGSOUND BIGSOUND has dropped its second live lineup announcement and amongst the gold is some serious homegrown talent.

Gold Coast’s Eliza and the Delusionals, Hollow Coves, PACES and San Mei will perform at the international showcase event alongside the nation’s best up and coming talent.

They’ll join Didirri, Sahara Beck, Psychedilc Porn Crumpets, Ella Hooper, Butterfingers, Blank Realm and The Chats at the 4 – 7 September event.

San Mei said she was excited about the opportunity to meet and learn from people within the music industry and to make some international connections.

“I’ll have a new single coming out, along with a little east coast tour, and looking to make it to the US and UK in the coming year,” she told Blank Gold Coast.

After a stint as triple j Unearthed feature artist of the week in May and the pricking of ears internationally after the release of her track ‘Wonder’ earlier this year, the Gold Coast producer is set for big things.

Hollow Coves will return from international touring to perform at BIGSOUND as well as a number of local shows. After taking out two categories at this year’s Gold Coast Music Awards and selling out venues all over the world, BIGSOUND will be a pivotal moment in the band’s trajectory.

As well as night time performances, Gold Coast acts will also shine at a lunchtime showcase. With the support of City of Gold Coast and Gold Coast Music Awards, Phoebe Sinclair, Black Rabbit George and Electrik Lemomade will have the opportunity to strut their stuff in front of international bookers and buyers attending BIGSOUND. The showcase takes place Wednesday 5 September from 12.30 – 2.00pm.

Samantha Morris

BIGSOUND runs 4 – 7 September in Fortitude Valley. The Gold Coast BIGSOUND showcase take place Wednesday 5 September from 12.30 – 2.00pm.

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BUSKERS BY THE CREEK TEASES LINEUP FOR 2018 Buskers By The Creek organisers are promising glitz and glam alongside vivacious energy and one hell of a party when their fifth annual festival rolls into Currumbin this October.

More than 300 performers are set to entertain Creekside and organisers are asking punters to step-up and be part of the spectacle with fancy dress encouraged.

CHASING MORE THAN JUST VELVET

Soon to make their foray onto the pop music scene, Chasing Velvet are one of Australia’s freshest all-female pop duos, and their first single ‘If I May’ off debut EP ‘Replay’, which is out early August, suggests they’re a new breed of rising talent. The Gold Coast pair are quirky, energetic and have their sights firmly set on new horizons.

Vocalist Amira Talbot and Vocalist/Drummer Naomi Grashuis say that while the EP took some time to create, they’re stoked with the result.

The first line-up announcement is due to drop in coming weeks, but we’ve already been sent a few teasers. We can report that Amsterdam's renowned juggler, Michiel Hesseling and his side-kick clown, JeanMichel will be landing in Currumbin to dish up a number of shows as part of The Flying Dutchmen’s 30 year anniversary world tour.

You heard right. This guy has been juggling his way around the world for 30 years and you can see him right on the creek at Currumbin thanks to Buskers by the Creek.

For free!

Joining him will be New Zealand’s piano busker, AJ Hickling, who makes ends meet by playing music on the streets. He’ll be mesmerising audiences with his deep, soulful and cross-cultural musical tapestries come October.

And if you’re sitting there thinking, I could totally do that, then go ahead. It’s not too late to throw your hat in the ring. Applications to perform are open until the middle of august.

We’re also excited to reveal that the prestigious Battle of the Buskers is back for 2018, kicking off festivities on Friday 12 October with a special ticketed event ‘Bloca

at Boatshed’ also being introduced for the first time on Saturday 13 October. Bloca will see exotic fire dancing and drumming with authentic Brazillian fare and Chandon S cheers with a salsa king and queen also crowned on the night.

Blank Gold Coast is proud to be a partner for Buskers by the Creek for the fifth consecutive year, joining forces with Creek, Country Realty, City of Gold Coast, Cr Gail O'Neill, Cr Daphne McDonald, Southern Gold Coast, Stone & Wood Brewing, Sailor Jerry, Chandon S, Gold Coast Graphic Design, Stick it Signs and Gold Coast Barges to make the event possible.

Samantha Morris

Buskers by the Creek takes place 12 – 14 October in Currumbin. The Buskers’ festival is free, but other tickets, applications to perform and more can be found at: buskersbythecreek.com.au.

“We are ecstatic and overwhelmed that we can finally share our new music to our amazing fans,” Naomi said.

Naomi said their electro-pop sounds will translate to a live setting in a modern and unique way.

While both having previous performed, Chasing Velvet has been underway for a little longer than a year. Naomi said the pair met online.

“There is only so much you can do being a duo BUT we have found ways to put on an amazing live show full of surprises,” she said.

“We had a mutual friend who is actually now our manager,” she said.

“Amira and I started talking for a bit, discovered we both had common interests, the main one being music… we both wanted to pursue the music industry and our mutual friend wanted to manage a band. Put one and one together, you have Chasing Velvet.”

Amira is currently enrolled at TAFE Gold Coast studying the Music Industry (performance) course. She says not noly did she want to gain a better insight into the music industry, but she also wanted theoretical knowledge of musical ideas and concepts that would help her develop in her career.

“Most of the EP had been written prior to starting the course but being half way through the course currently I have definitely been advantageous in my proceedings with the band from my class work,” she said.

“I have a better understanding of music theory as well as business and legal aspects of the music industry that I am now grateful to be aware of.”

“Most of all we love getting involved with our audience, making them feel a part of the show because we want them to remember that day forever. It’s an amazing feeling being able to play original songs that audiences love just as much we do, it truly inspires us to perform to the next level and to create new music and ways to perform the songs,” Naomi said.

And it’s not just the music the duo bring to the stage. Amira said the pair have worked with a choreographer for some of the songs on the EP “to create something visually entertaining and so fun to perform.”

At this point the ladies are focussing on the release of the EP ‘Replay’ but they’re hinting at a release show in August.

“Chasing Velvet have plans for the future, we’re just mapping it all out for now and seeing how it all goes,” Amira said.

Samantha Morris

The single ‘If I May’ is out now and the EP ‘Replay’ is out 4 August. More at chasingvelvet.com. www.blankgc.com.au

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DESTINATION: SNOW I vacation away from the Gold Coast every winter. Since my son was born five years ago we’ve had stints in Thailand, Vanuatu, Daintree, Atherton Tablelands and Central Queensland coast – balmy days, cool nights and plenty of warm water for lazing around in.

But ever since our friends visited Tasmania in winter and saw snow, my kid’s been obsessed with “real” winters. He wants hot chocolate and snowmen, skiing and hot pools, thermals and gloves.

There was only one thing for it. New Zealand.

Once we had our sights set on skiing Queenstown the research began, and I have to say, for a complete novice things were a bit overwhelming. What’s a writer to do? Make a listicle, of course. Here’s my tips for the absolute novice wanting to ski Queenstown:

Queenstown is the ultimate family destination Skiing aside, Queenstown is absolute GOLD for families. From ice-skating to gondola rides, million-dollar views, accessible snow for those not skiing, movie theatres, cheap cafes, fancy restaurants, boats, gardens, bars with roaring fireplaces and beaches for playing, you WILL not be bored here.

Ski local When you stay in Queenstown, you’ll want to ski at Coronet or The Remarkables. Thankfully, both are operated by the same company so you can buy a three-mountain pass (that also includes Mt Hut near Christchurch) and flit between them as conditions dictate. Coronet is just 20 minutes away from Queenstown. The Remarkables around 40 minutes. If you haven’t driven in snow and ice before, get advice before doing so, or better yet, take the bus. Kids five and under are free and the return trip is just $20. Even on the busiest day at Coronet we only waited 15 minutes for the bus home at the end of the day. The landscape is mint and you will absolutely want to enjoy it. The bus is a stellar option.

What you need to ski To be honest, you can totally get away with arriving on the mountain with nothing. Everything you need is available onsite – either for hire or purchase. But here’s what I wish I’d known before arriving:

•

Take your own goggles and gloves. For hygiene reasons, they can’t be hired. You can buy these on the mountain or at dozens of stores around Queenstown.

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You’ll need ski pants and a jacket. These cost around $40 for a set (pants and jacket) to hire per day on the mountain. If you’re skiing for more than a couple of days it makes economic sense to buy your own.

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You’ll want to wear thermals or an under-layer beneath the ski pants and jacket.

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Helmets rock. They’re available to hire onsite as well.

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If you’re skiing you’ll need ski boots and skis. Hiring skis at Coronet is around $50 per day. You can also hire this gear in town, but that means lugging it up to the mountain every day on the bus.

•

Buy the best quality wool socks you can.

Lift passes and lessons What you might not realise is that you don’t need a lift pass to simply get onto the mountain, check things out and enjoy some snow. Anyone can do that at any time. A lift pass gets you up onto the slopes for skiing or snowboarding. A one-day pass costs around $120 and there are discounts for multi-day passes (which don’t have to be consecutive). Buy before the snow season actually starts for massive discounts and bundle up your lift pass with lessons or ski hire for bigger savings.

Kids lessons are the bomb I wanted to learn to ski properly myself and so that meant I either had to arrange childcare for each of the days I was on the mountain or sort something else out. Enter Kea Club.

On Coronet (The Remarkables have something similar on offer), kids aged 5 – 17 years can participate in the Kea Club which conveniently starts 20 minutes before adult lessons, includes five hours of ski instruction, a hot lunch and most importantly on-demand access to patient, qualified instructors to help them get up and riding as quickly as possible. I can’t speak highly enough of this service. For 5 year olds Kea Club will set you back $146 and for kids aged 6 – 17 it’ll cost $190. Worth every cent.

MyPass MyPass is the digital system used to manage all your purchases and lift passes for Coronet Peak, The Remarkables and Hut. It’s a credit-card sized card. When you buy lift passes, ski

hire, lessons or anything else – whether online, at the Snow Centre counter in Queenstown or at one of the ski fields themselves, your purchases are loaded onto the card. Although you will get a paper voucher for ski lessons that you’ll present to your instructor. Your MyPass doubles as your physical lift pass. You’ll need to swipe it to access both the magic carpet (beginners’ conveyor) as well as ski lifts throughout the day, including during lessons.

When you arrive During peak times, you can imagine the throng of people waiting to get sorted with hire gear and skis. If you’re coming for the first time and you’re joining group lessons, you should plan to get up to the mountain as soon as things open. If you’re taking the bus, that means jumping on one of the first departures while it’s still dark in Queenstown. But hey, you wanted a winter holiday, right? You’ll join the queue to be fitted for clothing / skis and be on your merry way lickety-split.

Coronet is the home of night skiing That’s right, you can ski at night at Coronet every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 4 – 9.00pm with the slopes magically lit up for both skiers and spectators. A night skiing lift pass is only $62 too, making it super-affordable, if you can drag yourself away from the heated outdoor deck with roaring fire and DJ, that is. Night skiing runs until early September.

You don’t have to ski to enjoy Coronet There’s an area set aside for snow-play on Coronet and you can hire sleds for making the most of good weather. If you don’t have ski pants, you will get wet and cold, so pack a change of clothes. Visitors can also ride the chairlift. Scenic chairlift rides cost $30 and you must have enclosed shoes. You can book and pay onsite. There’s several cafes serving everything from awesome meat pies to home-made soups and night skiing offers magical ambience as well as music to fuel the night-time stoke.

Samantha Morris The Coronet ski season runs until Sunday 30 September (subject to mother nature, of course) with The Remarkables and Mt Hutt closing around Sunday 7 October.

Find out more about Skiing New Zealand’s South Island at nzski.com.

HIGH FLYING LOCAL TEEN QUALIFIES FOR AUSTRALIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS

APPLICATIONS OPEN FOR TAFE QUEENSLAND SCHOLARSHIPS

ENTER THE CUTEST COMPETITION EVER AT BOTANICAL BAZAAR

The Australian Indoor Skydiving Championships are being held at the end of August in Sydney and Gold Coast local, 14-year-old Sarah Yates has qualified to compete.

Queenslanders who are leaving school this year, considering a career change or just need a boost to get skills that will get them a job, are encouraged to apply for a TAFE Queensland scholarship, with applications now open.

Botanical Bazaar 2018 is hosting a Tea Cup Garden Competition, and all are invited to enter - even if you don’t like tea! The competition is a chance for you to create an artist’s garden within a tea cup. There are endless ideas on how to show off your skills from miniature garden tools, miniature cuttings of plants, decorated tea cups and saucers.

Elvish, sparkly, cartoon-inspired, rainbow coloured, a winter garden, the opportunities are endless! Google and Pinterest will definitely be your friends on this one.

Sarah has only been flying for two years but she is a complete natural is already a professional in the sport, having had her first taste of indoor skydiving at iFLY Downunder.

“Dad asked me if I wanted to get into it as a professional sport and I jumped at that idea,” says Sarah. “It’s really really fun just being in the air, I love it.”

August 2016 saw Sarah competing in the Australian National Indoor Skydiving Championships at iFLY Downunder (Sydney West), where she came 4th in the Junior Freestyle competition after only six months of training. At the same competition, Sarah teamed up with Amy Watson, 11 year old junior indoor skydiving champion from Sydney, with the pair competing together in Two Way VFS (Vertical Formation Skydiving). The girls had loads of fun flying together and took out the trophy for People’s Choice Award.

In December 2016, Sarah went to compete in the Battle of the Blades competition in Seattle USA, where she also placed 4th in the Junior Freestyle.

What makes Sarah’s story even more inspiring is that she suffers from a medical condition known as CRMO (Chronic Recurrent Multifocal Osteomyelitis) which involves painful inflammation in the bones and can limit her from certain activities.

“My body thinks that I have an infection in my bones but I don’t, so my body is fighting an infection that isn’t there, so it’s eating away at my bones, so I have little holes in my bones,” explains Sarah.

Indoor skydiving has been a fantastic exercise program and sport for her as it is gentle on her joints. Sarah said she loves flying because it gives her a sense of freedom.

“I’m hoping that one day I’ll be able to go to the world championships and if they try to make it an Olympic sport or a Commonwealth Games sport, I’d love to represent Australia there,” says Sarah.

The Gold Coast will no doubt be cheering Sarah on every step of the way to the Championships at the end of August.

Natalie O’Driscoll

The scholarships are available to support study of a wide range of qualifications with TAFE Queensland from semester one, 2019 by providing up to $5000 to help cover the costs of study such as course fees, text books and living expenses.

TAFE Queensland General Manager Gold Coast, Karen Dickinson said the scholarships provide an opportunity for Queenslanders everywhere to develop their skills and gain a qualification to secure jobs in some of the largest and fastest growing industries.

“We know the power vocational education has to change people’s lives and help them achieve extraordinary things,” Karen said.

“Two types of scholarships are available. The first are merit scholarships aimed at supporting people who have demonstrated strong levels of achievement to advance their careers. The second are access and equity scholarships designed to help students who are battling social or financial hardship.

“I encourage anyone looking to start their career or make a career change to apply,” she said.

This year, TAFE Queensland will again work with the Queensland Government to offer Advance Queensland – TAFE Queensland Pathways Scholarships as part of this scholarships round.

Minister for Innovation Kate Jones said the Advance Queensland–TAFE Queensland Pathways Scholarship program was an opportunity for more Queenslanders to embark on STEM-related careers including nursing, engineering, science, and technology.

“This program is opening up doors and removing barriers to study,” Ms Jones said.

“These scholarships are helping Queenslanders gain the educational qualifications they need to be job-ready now and into the future,” she said.

You will then need to bring your Tea Cup Garden to Country Paradise Parklands, Nerang on Saturday 15 September between 2pm – 4pm. These will be placed on display and a closed judging panel will vote on the entries.

The winner will be decided by 7pm that night and winners notified via SMS that night and announced at Botanical Bazaar.

There are two entry categories, Adults (16yrs and above), Children (5-15years), with four prizes up for grabs. Entries are limited to 15 adults and 15 children, on a first-comefirst-served basis, so be quick!

All entries receive 1 free adult ticket to Botanical Bazaar (collected at time of entry delivery). Prize vouchers are to be spent at Botanical Bazaar.

Botanical Bazaar is a yearly event which showcases everything green from urban gardening, sustainable living and botanical ‘must-haves’. More than 90 green inspired exhibitors will showcase their cherished plants, talents and products, which includes specialist plant nurseries, herbalists, botanical arts, landscape design and sustainable living concepts. Free activities throughout the day include over 20 educational talks and demonstrations on various gardening topics and herbal concepts. With an array of themed areas, there is something to suit all levels and ages of gardening interests. The event runs at the Country Paradise Parklands, Nerang on Sunday 16 September.

To enter the teacup garden competition, visit botanicalbazaar.com.au/tea-cup-garden-competition Natalie O’Driscoll

Applications for the scholarships to support study at TAFE Queensland in semester one, 2019 close on 31 August 2018.

For more information visit scholarships.tafeqld.edu.au.

Natalie O’Driscoll www.blankgc.com.au

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SPIRIT OF GOLD COAST WHALE WATCHING The Gold Coast is one of the best locations for whale watching in Australia. Our close proximity to Byron Bay and the Continental Shelf means that Humpback Whales travel our way to protect themselves and their calves from the orca, each June to November. We jumped aboard Spirit of Gold Coast, one of the pioneers of whale watching on the East Coast of Australia, to spend half a day among these majestic creatures.

Nestled next to the helipad at Marina Mirage sits Spirit of Gold Coast, a two level vessel with a large open deck on the lower level and ample galley space. The staff are happy and efficient, giving a brief safety induction and strongly recommending seasickness tables ($1 each from the kiosk) before we set off.

It doesn’t feel like much a ride before we are out on the sparkling waters of the Pacific Ocean, being rocked around by some half decent waves. (My son thoroughly enjoys the wonky journey from table to toilet and back.) The occasional whale watching vessel is dotted about but for the most part it feels like we’re the only ones on the ocean.

Despite it being winter, the breeze is pleasant, the sun is strong and jackets aren’t really required out on the deck. It seems that – at least in our case - all the guests manage to stay dry, as well.

When we spy a small pod, they are galumphing along at a great pace a couple of hundred metres from the starboard side. We get numerous blows, a small tail splash and a couple of part breaches, but it’s the next pod we encounter ahead that get a

little more playful and curious, approaching within about 100m of the boat. While there are a few stretches of straining our eyes to catch glimpses, and a couple of direction changes while we motor on towards some active pods, for the most part, once you start seeing the whales it’s a fairly nonstop visual experience, and most areas of the vessel offer some kind of vantage point. The staff are helpful and knowledgeable, often helping to point out the best spots for watching and giving a few interesting titbits about Humpbacks and their habits along the way.

On the home stretch, a pod of three (two males and one female) pop up on the port side, clearly intrigued with the boat. They play alongside us, maybe 20 metres or so out, for a good 10 minutes, before heading their own way. It’s a thrilling experience, and a wonderful cap off to the day.

With over 20 years of whale watching experience, the Spirit of Gold Coast team certainly understand what they’re about, and are well-equipped to provide a fun, safe and educational day among the Humpbacks. During whale watching season they head out twice a day, and there’s a re-book guarantee if no whales are seen.

Natalie O’Driscoll Visit spiritwhalewatching.com.au for pricing and booking.

Note: Blank GC were guests of Spirit of Gold Coast.

GOLD COAST BANDS IN THE RUNNING FOR PASSPORT TO AIRLIE

Gold Coast’s best live acts are being invited to compete for the chance to perform at Airlie Beach Festival of Music which runs over three days in November.

Winners of the national competition – which Gold Coast band Wayward Suns took out last year – win free accommodation and VIP tickets to the 2018 festival, $1000 cash, 4 – 5 gigs while up in Airlie and the chance to play the main stage the following year.

Seven heats will take place over seven weeks at The Avenue Surfers Paradise, commencing Sunday 5 August. Bands must play a 30 minute set comprising at least three original songs and solo performers up to five-piece bands are welcome to enter.

It is free for bands to enter and for punters to attend the heats.

Airlie Beach Festival of Music runs over three days and features 74 bands – a perfect match for the Whitsunday’s famous 74 islands.

The lineup for the three-day event is as stunning as the landscape it’s set in. Smash Mouth, Killing Heidi, Ash Grunwald, Dave Dobbyn, The Church, Frankie J Holden and Wilbur Wilde, Diana Anaid and the full 25-piece Melbourne Ska Orchestra will perform alongside Kasey Chambers, Bill Chambers, Mason Rack Band, Bustamento, Electrik Lemonade, The Ted Mulry Gang, Marcia Hines, The Hillbilly Goats, Jones Rivers and The Wayward Suns.

Samantha Morris

To enter the Passport to Airlie battle of the bands, visit passportairliebeach.com.au and for the full lineup for Airlie Beach Festival of Music, which runs 9 – 11 November, visit airliebeachfestivalofmusic.com.au.

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GET YOUR GREEN ON THIS NATIONAL TREE DAY 2015 2 8 3S- E5POCTOBER - 2 OCT 2018 ART

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A TRIENNIAL SCULPTURE WALK ALONG THE FORESHORES OF BRUNSWICK HEADS N.S.W

40 NATIONALLY RECOGNISED ARTISTS WORKING WITH ENVIRONMENTAL THEMES

: www.facebook.com/BrunswickNatureSculptureWalk : Brunswicknaturesculpturewalk

Did you know that Sunday 29 July marks the 22nd National Tree Day? Since its humble beginnings in 1998, over 3.8 million people have rolled up their sleeves, put their hands in the earth and planted more than 24 million new trees and native shrubs. Each year these numbers continue to grow and the event is now known as the largest nature protection and tree planting initiative across the country. This year's theme ‘Connect in Nature’ explores the possibility of not only connecting with trees but also connecting technology with nature.

Trees are absolutely vital to our existence and each year Planet Ark conducts research to encourage and inspire us to spend time more in nature. Research has shown that Australians spend a mere 3% of our week in nature and close to 3 hours per day on our phones, mostly on social media. For every hour we spend on a leisure activity outdoors we spend close to 7 hours in front of the television or computer. 75% of us believe we are not spending enough time in nature and 62% of us want to spend more time in nature and feel happier when doing so.

To celebrate National Tree Day, City of Gold Coast’s NaturallyGC program has a range of free events planned for you to get involved in while spending a little more time in nature.

Saturday 28 July Nature journaling and tree drawing workshop in Springbrook from 9am-11am.

This hands-on fun workshop is suitable for ages 15 years and over and will explore trees as wonderful subjects for meditation, journaling and drawing.

Grow that plant workshop in Benowa from 1pm – 4pm. Learn some of the best tips and tricks for gardening success in this hands-on workshop taught by the Friends of the Gold Coast Regional Botanical Gardens.

W W W. B R U N S W I C K N AT U R E S C U L P T U R E WA L K . C O M

Sunday 29 July NaturallyGC National Tree Day Planting in Oxenford from 9am – 10.30am. Join the City of Gold Coast and help plant 3000 trees along the Coomera River in this all ages family-friendly event. Registration is essential.

Friends of Federation Walk National Tree Day Planting at Main Beach from 8am- 1030am. Help plant and restore the corridor of vegetation along the western side of the reserve followed by a sausage sizzle. Participants are asked to meet at the site office in Phillip Park car park opposite the Sea World roundabout, Seaworld Drive, Main Beach. For more information please email info@federationwalk.org or call ph 0400 740 972.

Visit Eventbrite for registration to the workshops and tree planting.

Simone Gorman-Clark

www.blankgc.com.au

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Donny Love take a stroll down The Esplanade Gold Coast oddball sensations and underground scene stalwarts Donny Love, have released a new video for their self-described motel-bop track ‘The Esplanade’. You’d be hard pressed to find a more GC video than this one. It seriously engages with place-based songwriting and visuals, complete with buskers in the Cavill mall and Ibis going about their business, and complimented by a chorus of a jagged horn line with no vocals. “We attempted to capture the mood of The Esplanade at night to contribute to the local vernacular and the lineage of the city and in a small way the ongoing definition of its identity,” says frontman Andrew.

Check out the clip on YouTube, mates.

Amy’s big Love Monster strikes a chord Just moments before Amy Shark hit the stage at Splendour In the Grass, she got news that her debut album ‘Love Monster’ took out the ARIA Charts number one spot. The album, which sees Amy speak from the heart, has clearly spoken to her masses of fans, many of whom sang along to her Splendour set wordfor-word. You can stream the album on Spotify, or nab a copy on vinyl before they’re all snapped up across the world.

More GC chart-toppers And while we’re speaking of Gold Coasters making waves in the charts, local country music star Adam Brand has debuted at #6 with album ‘Milestone… 20 Years’ and Byron babes The Babe Rainbow has debuted at #18 with their album ‘Double Rainbow’, which is available on coloured vinyl for those record tragics amongst us. Nice work Gold Coast.

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www.blankgc.com.au

Angus Oastler releases sad song

Robbie Karena steps out solo

It’s a name you will have heard bandied around GC venues for years.

Singer-songwriter Angus Oastler, regularly collaborating with other acts has released two EPs, participated in the SEED series and now presents a brand new three-track EP ‘Take Me To The Ward’ and its lead single ‘Sad Song’. The track showcases Angus’ own Americana style and classic 70s country and folk influences as well as his songwriting ability. While it covers the typical story of heartbreak, it does so with guitar and keys with guest appearances by Shannon Kelly on bass and Jake Morton (Napoleonic Wars / Electrik Lemonade) on drums. Listen now via Spotify or Bandcamp.

Afters years working as a gun for hire, Gold Coast guitarist Robbie Karena has stepped out as a solo artist and released debut album ‘Good to See Ya’. Predominantly jazz and blues guitar instrumental with a couple of gospel / vocal tracks thrown in for good measure, the ten-track album shows Robbie’s versatility as a guitarist and lays down some serious lounge vibes and instrumental playlist gold. Take a listen via Spotify.

Atticus Chimps: Lead, Pretend

Mass Sky Raid on edge of the unknown with new album due Cheap Fakes launch new album into Deep Space Brisbane via Gold Coast festival funksters Cheap Fakes have releasted their fourth studio album ‘Deep Space’, which sees a multi-genre offering displaying musicianship, diversity and talent. The 12-track album is full of stylistic twists and turns with rock, blues, funk and latenight jazz all embroiled in the aural adventure that unfolds for listeners.

Perfect timing for new music too, with Cheap Fakes having just hit Splendour and Bello Winter Festival and sets at The Zoo, Beach Hotel Byron Bay and Caloundra Music Festival on the horizon. Listen now or take a look at our album review for a juicy run-down.

Gold Coast’s alternative rockers Mass Sky Raid have been making the rounds for seven years and that’s not about to change with new album ‘Science of Fiction’ due this month.

They’ve also released a video for single ‘Edge of the Unknown’ ahead of a hometown show. You can see them at Miami Shark Bar alongside King Mungi, The Stranger and Second Circle, Saturday 18 August.

Keep your ears peeled for ‘Science of Fiction’ through all the usual outlets.

IVEY always delivers the goods

With a healthy throwback to heavy 90s pop-punk, Gold Coast threepiece Atticus Chimps have released heavy-hitter ‘Lead, Pretend’. There’s nothing complicated about this song, yet it delivers a punchy four minutes of riffs with a catchy chorus to boot.

See them perform ‘Lead, Pretend’ live at Currumbin Pub on 24 August or listen to the track online via Spotify.

Double Rainbow for the babes

Drug Fiend, Radolescent’s new song

The Babe Rainbow’s new album ‘Double Rainbow’ sees the Byron Bay psych-pop outfit hit the ARIA charts, debuting at #18 with the record.

And this month sees the three-piece also release a video for two of the tracks on the album ‘Eureka’ and ‘Alan Chadwick’s Garden’ using footage adapted from the cult 1971 doco ‘Garden’ by Michael Stusser – used with his permission to pay collective homage to the organic gardening pioneer, Alan Chadwick.

The best way to get your head around this work is to listen and watch. You can do so in all the usual places, including Spotify. The Babe Rainbow’s national tour is partly sold out. You can catch them at The Zoo, Saturday 18 August, if you snap up those tix now.

Antiestablishmentarianism is the order of the day with Radolescent’s new song ‘Drug Fiend’, both in terms of its lyrics as well as its 90s punk-era sound. Written by Isaac Atkington as social commentary after disagreeing with friends and family about what people class as a ‘drug’, the song was recorded at Blind Boy Studios with Brad Hoskings and Mark Duckworth both working their magic on the track. The is a punchy number with a catchy sing-along chorus and serious rock riffs, all packed into less than two minutes. Expect an EP sometime soon, and get yourself along to elsewhere on Friday 3 August to see Radolescent in person before they hit the road through August and September.

Some Days for SEQ crooner Fonz Whaler Fonz Whaler combines psych-folk with intricate guitar work, textural elements and melodic arrangements.

The song is the first track off an upcoming EP - it’s a unique combination of eerie vocals overlayed with jazz-vibes, Whaler’s croonervoice and lyrics about lost love and hope for the future. Best to take a listen to this one – some songs are just hard to put into words. Listen via Spotify.

New single, new video and new tour are keeping Gold Coast favourites IVEY due this month, ahead of the release of their second EP later this year. Mixed and mastered

by Konstantin Kersting, the new track ‘Always’ delivers a constant bass grove with memorable lyrics and expert attention-to-detail. The accompanying 90s-inspired video, directed by the band’s own Lachlan McGuffle is a colourful and fun production, with footage captured outside Gold Coast’s retro Miami Shore Motel. Check out the clip on youtube and catch ‘em at elsewhere on Friday 10 August.

In this great south the sand, resides a can almost hold it Get a tan, and ma your facade, and s - Donny Love

Japanese Vintage for Black Rabbit George Five-time finalist at the recent Gold Coast Music Awards, singer/ songwriter Black Rabbit George dexterously dips his toe into alt-country territory with new song Japanese Vintage, his most accessible work to date. He’s also been announced to perform at Gold Coast’s BIGSOUND showcase, which takes place as part of Australia’s largest international music gathering on Wednesday 5 September in Fortitude Valley. He’ll hit Nightquarter before then though – on Saturday 18 August to be exact – and then Byron’s Beach Hotel on 31 August. Listen to ‘Japanese Vintage’ via Spotify.

Since 2013 the...

Beach Passport to Airlie s Battle of Muso lias stra year and is now Au ch ea n ow gr s ha petition! largest battle com

MUSO'S GARAGE

Jacob Lee delivers With You Quiet over-achiever - Gold Coast's Jacob Lee has just clocked 23 million Spotify streams and to celebrate he's gifted the world with one of the year's most intimate singles. Known for his intricate ability to capture the delicacy of human emotion and with songs that gently touch the heart, Jacob’s new track 'With You', off upcoming debut album Philosophy, is out now. You can listen via Spotify and catch Jacob in person when he hits Q1 on Saturday 11 August.

Want to find out when all these guys and gals are playing live? Hit up the Gold Coast gig guide at blankgc.com.au and get thee to a gig.

hern land with the sun, the surf and a darkness so thick and heavy, you t in your hand. ake your little stand, and hold up stay away from that esplanade.

Each winning band gets into the Airlie Beach finals to win a gig on the main stage of the festival and also receives: • 4 NIGHTS ACCOMMODATION • VIP MAIN TENT PASSES • $1000 PERFORMANCE FEE • A SPOT ON BALCONY TV • PLUS THE CHANCE TO PLAY THEIR OWN MUSIC IN PARADISE!!

3 DAY S 74 BA NDS 9 - 11 NOV 201 8

TO ENTER: passportairliebeach.com.au

with Reggae Infused

Find us at King Tutts carpark

www.blankgc.com.au

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