02 July ‘14
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CELEBRATING INDIGENOUS MUSIC issue #010
N A T L U S DAN MUSIC
TSUN Hard-Ons Boy+Bear GC Folk Festival City Over Sand
CULTURE
Paula Stafford Overfed undernourished Mudd Rush memoir Graham Hancock
Radical Son
MUSIC
Dubmarine The Audreys Robbie Miller Christine Anu David Taylor
ENVIRO Little known lives of killer whales City ‘skeleton’ plan Climate Salvation by Powerpoint
FOOD
Goldtoast supper club Percy’s Corner No Name Lane
SECRET SOUNDS PRESENTS BY ARRANGEMENT WITH ARTIST VOICE
ARTS CENTRE SUN 21 SEPT W I T H S P E C I A L G U E S T S VA N C O U V E R S L E E P C L I N I C
T I C K E T S O N S A L E T H U 1 0 J U LY THEARTSCENTREGC.COM. AU
NEW ALBUM OUT FRI 1 AUG 2
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SECRET-SOUNDS.COM. AU | ANGUSANDJULIASTONE .COM
#010 2 JULY 2014 Editor: Samantha Morris Design: Chloe Popa Music Coordinator: Mella Bunker Distribution: Melanie Brennan Advertising: Amanda Gorman and Melanie Brennan Enivronment Editor: Mic Smith Sub Editor: Cody McConnell Illustrator: Kemii Maguire Contributors: Jake Wilton, Mic Smith, Pip Andreas, Andrew Scott, Kyle Butcher, Mella Bunker, Catherine Coburn, Sly Steve, Locke Fitzpatrick, Shani Ishigaki, Anthony Gebhardt, Leisen Standen, Heidi Maier, Marj Osborne, Gina Martin, Emily Hosking, Christie Ots, Natalie O’Driscoll Acknowledgement of Country We show our respect and sincerely acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of this Land and of the Elders past and present, across the Gold Coast and surrounds. Commitment to Climate Reality Climate change puts the wellbeing of people of all nations at risk. We acknowledge that humans are having a significant impact on our climate and we are committed to reducing our own impact as well as educating other people about theirs. The time for climate action is now. Blank GC intends to take a leadership role in educating Gold Coasters about the causes of climate change as well as the solutions. Editorial: news@blankgc.com.au Advertising: advertising@blankgc.com.au Blank GC is an independently owned and published magazine, with all of our writers contributing their time pro-bono to boosting the cultural scene on the Gold Coast. Founded in 2013 with the goal of busting those boring stereotypes which have surrounded the Gold Coast for decades, we rely on advertising to keep us in the fray. Opinions expressed herein, are not necessarily those of the Editor, Publishers or of the writing team.
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point blank Cat Empire @ Miami Marketta
Winternight 2014 hits The Cooly Presented by Blank and Reservoir PR+MGMT, Winternight brings you a stellar lineup of local talent. These Four Walls, Smoking Martha, Mass Sky Raid, Versus Fate and Pharaoh’s Playground descend on the Cooly to help you through the depths of winter. These five bands cross vintage rock n soul and alt prog-rock genres for one night, Saturday 2 August. The first 30 people through the door get a free CD, vinyl or download from one of the bands and tickets are only $15. Monique Brumby
Cat Empire to play Miami Marketta Australia’s favourite festival band, THE CAT EMPIRE will be back to welcome in the Spring with a show that will blow you away – literally and figuratively. Airline baggage handlers around the country will likely quit as a troupe of trumpets, trombones, baritone horns, guitars, drums, percussion, and a man with an orchestra in his mouth prepare to circumnavigate the country to play shows in specially selected venues, including our very own Miami Marketta. Supported by Madre Monte and Tom Thum, The Cat Empire will play Miami Marketta on Sunday 12 October. Doors open 4.00pm and tickets are on sale now via thecatempire.com. Nick Cave announces Gold Coast show First we heard that The Cat Empire will play Rabbit and cocoon in November, and now we get the news that Nick Cave will stop in on his solo tour in December. Supported by a small ensemble of musicians Nick will be presenting songs from right across his considerable catalogue, including from 2013’s Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds release Push The Sky Away. This very special and intimate concert tour will see Nick perform in some of the more majestic theatres and auditoriums in Australia and New Zealand. He plays GC Convention and Exhibition Centre Thursday 4 December. Tickets on sale Thursday 3 July through nickcave.com/live. Mass Sky Raid @ Winternight 2014
Brumby’s on the loose Iconomic singer songwriter and ARIA award winner Monique Brumby has announced a new single Silent War alongside her self-titled 5th studio album. She hits the road to celebrate the release, which was three years in the making and recorded most at her Melbourne home studio. The single Silent War is a politically driven pop rock hit that highlights the need for equality for same sex marriage. She says that in a world with its fair share of war and conflict, love is a good thing! We couldn’t agree more. Monique plays Soundlounge on Friday 24 July. Canvas for Creatures Friends of the Pound have joined forces with Ground Control Coffee for Canvas for Creatures – a fundraising event with an art auction, raffles and door prizes as well as live entertainment by Gas Grooves, Ebb and Flow, Percussion Garden and Unwritten Electric. Fill your wallet and head along on Saturday 26 July from 5.00pm. It all goes down at Ground Control Coffee, 29 Industry Dive, Tweed Heads South. Finger food provided but BYO alcohol. Entry $20.
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John Schuman at GC Folk Festival John Schumann is one of the very few songwriters who have changed the way a nation thinks. Best known for his leadership of the legendary folk-rock band Redgum and his Vietnam veterans’ anthem I Was Only 19, he has recorded ten albums and toured the UK, Europe and Ireland where his songs are still played. He has received almost every award the industry has to offer – some twice over. And now he’s coming to the Gold Coast for the GC Folk Music Festival running 20 – 21 September at Country Paradise Parklands in Nerang. The lineup also includes Wes Carr, Round Mountain Girls, Hat Fitz and Cara and tonnes more. Put those dates in your diary right now, and then head over to coastacoustics.com.au for all the details. Cherish – the beautiful little things art exhibition A collaborative exhibition will showcase the cherished memories and moments of three visual art teachers from the Gold Coast. Nancy Donaldson, Deb McMenamin and Lorena Miles will share items and possessions that hold special meaning to them. Lorenna Miles unravels the complex life of a working mother through folk fantasy imagery exploring relationships and precious moments whereas Nancy Donaldson explores childhood memories with her mother, predominately through bird images. Deb McMenamin has searched for the beauty and artistic essence of seemingly random yet captivating objects. The exhibition includes sculptures, assemblages, paintings, and wearable art. The exhibition opens 3.00pm Saturday 12 and continues through Sunday 13 July at Wood Box Café, Burleigh West. More information from Nancy 0427 374 132. Amy Shark
Mary Valley rocks in September An all-weekend festival, with free camping might I add, is set to roll into the Mary Valley in September. Stonefield, Dallas Frasca, Sandi Thom, The Hillbilly Goats, Lloyd Spiegel, Hat Fitz & Cara, Lani & Lecia, Mojo Webb and a heap more are already locked in to the bill which will span two stages. There’s limited tickets, private campgrounds and BYO alcohol. Yes, you heard right. Mitchell Creek Rock N Roll Blues Fest takes place 19 – 21 September near Kandanga and VIP passes are only $235. More at mitchellcreekrocknbluesfest.com.au. GC students rock for a cause Music Business Students from Gold Coast TAFE will raise funds for CanTeen - the youth cancer charity, putting their skills and talents to good use. Bandana Rock will see the students take over The Loft Chevron Island on Thursday 3
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July, bringing guitar riffs and powerful vocals to the stage. Jessica Grimley, Caleb Lafaitele, Marty Gray and Myles Larsen - all students at the TAFE - will perform original and classic rock songs with each performer bringing their own style do the event. The Music students have enlisted the help from their fellow TAFE Queensland Gold Coast peers with the Diploma of Sound Production students taking care of the audio and lighting for the event. Tickets $10.
Shark bites girl It’s a long road. We all know that. Playing pokey digs. To just a handful of people. Recording in dodgy spaces. Using beer
Celebrating NAIDOC Week NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia each July to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. NAIDOC is celebrated not only in Indigenous communities, but by Australians from all walks of life. NAIDOC originally stood for National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee. This committee was once responsible for organising national activities during NAIDOC Week and its acronym has since become the name of the week itself. Each year, a different city hosts the National NAIDOC Awards Ceremony and Ball. This year, the host city is Gold Coast and the Awards Ceremony takes place 11 July at Gold Coast Convention Centre. Blank GC has chosen to commemorate NAIDOC week with a special feature on contemporary Indigenous music. It’s a theme we intend to continue into the future and we’d like to thank those musicians who took the time to speak with us over recent months. If you’re a local Indigenous artist, we want to hear from you. Contact news@blankgc.com.au. as currency. But Amy Shark thinks it’s all been about building up to this moment. The launch of her new single Spits on Girls. Amy Shark been writing and performing underground tunes that have been circulating many Gold Coast bedrooms for the last five years. She’s has played Valley Fiesta, Skilled Park Stadium, Bleach Festival and supported the likes of Matt Corby and The Delta Riggs. The single launches Friday 4 July at The Loft and national tour plans are on the drawing board. Yellowood ups the ante While on the subject of The Delta Riggs, they’ve just been announced to play alongside The Black Sorrows as headliners for the Yellowood Festival taking place 30 August at Alberta. The festival had rave reviews from Blank writers last year and we’re eager to send a crew out to this year’s event. Also on the bill are The High Grade, Tuesday’s Good, Jimmy The Saint and The Sinners, The Bobkats and more. It’s a sweet lineup and a fantastic venue at The Gem Hotel Alberton, just up the road from the GC. Tickets are only $50 and you can get a free shuttle from Beenleigh Train Station or a $20 shuttle from Cambus Wallace. Get all the details at yellowood.com.au. Gangsters Ball, Brisbane
Gangsters descend on Brisbane It’s Australia’s longest running cabaret, vaudeville, burlesque and fancy dress event, now in its 7th year. The Gangsters Ball will roll in to Brisbane on Saturday 20 September, bringing Kitty Ka-Bang, Franie Faux, Mr Gorski, Ruby Rubberlegs, the Great Gordo and many other performers with it. It’s a fully themed night of interactive entertainment, bringing to life the fashion, style, humour and classic merriment of the 1930s and 40s. Dress code is strictly gangster, flapper, moll and more. Get all the details at http://gangstersball.com.au/.
transformation of self and relationships, epiphanies about the short time we have here … Jackson and his four-piece band will perform a small run of shows to launch the EP in Brisbane, Byron and Gold Coast. They hit The Loft Chevron Island on Saturday 12 July and The Rails Byron Bay on Tuesday 15 July. Simple’s Better is out 10 July. Gangsters Ball, Brisbane
Support our show girl wannabes The Gold Coast Showgirl finals take place at Pacific Fair on Saturday 19 July. It’s the culmination of a months long search for a young lady to represent the Gold Coast at the Showgirl competition judged at the Ekka every year. The iconic Broadbeach shopping centre, which is currently undergoing a $670 million redevelopment, will present the Miss Gold Coast Show and Miss Teen Showgirl. More information at goldcoastshow.com.au. National Indigenous Music Awards on the horizon Nominations have closed for this year’s National Indigenous Music Awards (NIMAs), but the lineup for entertainment has been developing for some months. Featuring in this edition of Blank and also on the bill for the NIMAs are Dan Sultan and Tjintu Desert Band. They’re joined by Tom E Lewis, Djuki Mala, The Last Kinection, Desert Divas, Jimblah and Briggs. The awards take place Friday 15 August in Darwin but finalists will be announced during NAIDOC Week on Wednesday 16 July. More information at musicnt.com.au. Get dressed for the wizard Come dressed as your favourite Oz character as The Arts Centre Gold Coast plays host to The Wizard of Oz Show. The interactive show sees kids join in the adventures of Dorothy, Shakey the Scarecrow and friends down the yellow brick road in this new re-telling of one of the most magical children’s story. It plays Thursday 10 July at 10.30am and more information is available at theartscentregc.com.au. Listen up, Listen out is here Flume, Chet Faker, Ta-Ku, Zhu, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs and a heap of other acts have been announced to play Listen Up Festival when it hits Brisbane’s RNA Showgrounds on Sunday 5 October. More information about the boutique dance festival available at listen-out.com.au. Simple is Better for Jackson James Smith Following from his support of 5 Seconds of Summer, Jackson James Smith will be releasing his long awaited debut EP Simple’s Better this month in what he calls a
Songwriters still doing the rounds They’re just about to jetset to Europe, escape the winter and play a string of shows through August, September and October. It will be three months or more before the Hussy Hicks are back on the Gold Coast, so this Circle of Friends showcase may be the last time you see them perform their unique brand of bluesy folk for a while. This edition sees Lachy Doley, Daniel Champagne and Lani Motiekaitis join the Hussy Hicks on stage for a mix of stories and songs. The hussies have also made it quite clear they want to try out some new tunes before hitting European stages. Hussy Hicks and their Circle of Friends hit Miami Marketta on Sunday 6 July. Doors open 2.00pm and tickets are available at hussyhicks.iwannaticket.com.au. Tappa’s Trivia expands to Justin Lane You can take care of your smarty pants’ needs on Monday nights now that Tappa’s Trivia has extended its reach to Burleigh. Held in the function room upstairs at Justin Lane, it’s the perfect opportunity to test your brain with sport, movies, television, music, general knowledge and famous faces. Hosted by Blank’s surf writer Tappa, the game starts at 7.00pm and winners get a dinner voucher for Cavalier’s Italian Supper Room. It’s free to play, but spots fill fast. Send you news to news@blankgc.com.au www.blankgc.com.au
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GIVEAWAYS Whale Watching with Spirit of Gold Coast Spirit of Gold Coast are offering two lucky readers the chance to head out on the water for free! We have 2 single passes to give away. They’re having a great season already, with lots of whales and these passes are for use between now and 31 October. Wanna be in with a shot for a free whale watching trip? All you have to do is post a photo on Facebook of you holding up one word that describes how you feel about whales, tag us in the picture, add #verygy as a hashtag and you’ll be in the draw. Winner will be selected at random around midday Thursday 24 July.
Sunday, July 20 ADCO Amphitheatre 2 - 4pm bond.edu.au/roundmountaingirls DS1924
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2 double passes to The Commitments Andrew Strong and The Commitments hit Twin Towns on Saturday 26 July and we have two dou-
ble passes to give away. To be in the running, send an email with ‘The Commitments’ as the subject heading and your name and mobile number to news@blankgc.com.au. Winners drawn at random around midday Thursday 24 July and notified by SMS. Double pass to Monique Brumby We have one double pass to give away to Monique Brumby at The Soundlounge Currumbin for Friday 25 July. To be in the running, send an email with ‘Monique Brumby’ as the subject heading and your name and mobile number to news@blankgc.com.au. Winners drawn at random around midday Thursday 24 July and notified by SMS. Vegan, biodegradable nail polish Not all nail polishes are created equal. Thankfully, Miss Pearl Store offers a unique vegan friendly, cruelty-free, gluten, fragrance and toxin free,
biodegradable product. And we have one nail polish to give away (colour to be a surprise). To be in the running, send an email with the subject heading ‘Miss Pearl’ to news@blankgc.com.au with your name and address in the body of the email. Winner drawn at random around midday Thursday 24 July and notified by return email. Read more about Miss Pearl’s products at www. misspearl.com.au. Goldpine necklaces The Goldpine necklace is a new design from Melbourne label, Oktoberdee. We have two necklaces to give away. One in snow (pictured) and one in soot. To be in the running, send an email with the subject heading ‘Oktoberdee’ to news@ blankgc.com.au with your name and address in the body of the email. Winner drawn at random around midday Thursday 24 July and notified by return email. Read more at www.oktoberdee. com.au.
and my first record and I’m proud of each of those but with records as soon as you’ve finished it, it just feels like practice for the next one. I’ve started writing the next one and I’m still in the midst of Blackbird at the moment but pretty soon I think it’ll start feeling like practice for the next one.” Blackbird received some special treatment from Dan Sultan as well. He recorded the album in Nashville where managed to take time out to visit the home of rock ‘n’ roll legend Elvis Presley, the mansion-now-museum Graceland. He spent only a short time there but found it powerful and inspirational to walk the halls where one of the founders of rock lived. “The whole recording was bit of a ritual, we’d work six days a week and we’d be in the studio from ten to eleven in the morning until midnight. On Sunday I’d just sit on the couch to watch television. It wasn’t monotonous, it was great to have the routine but it was hard.” The large gaps between albums have allowed Sultan to bring his music to the masses with extensive tours, and a firsthand chance to see the changes in the music industry and mainstream genres. I asked Dan how he thought the music industry has changed from the start of his career to now.
BLACKBIRD SINGING AROUND AUSTRALIA Dan Sultan’s Australian tour is already underway, but he still found time to speak with Kyle Butcher while in Melbourne about playing at the National Indigenous Music Awards held in August, Indigenous musicians and his latest album Blackbird. Dan Sultan is no stranger to the National Indigenous Music Awards (NIMAs) and has played extensively across the country supporting his past albums. But he is excited about this year’s event held in Darwin, and especially about playing new tracks from Blackbird.. “Yeah it’s going to be great. I always go, when I am nominated and when I’m not. I love that place, it’s a great night and it’s a beautiful part of the world up there in Darwin and it’s a really nice amphitheatre, it’s one of the nicest stages I’ve ever played in. I get about a forty minutes to an hour set.” Dan Sultan has had a few lineup changes throughout the years , but says the process of getting new members isn’t quite as dragged out and tedious as you would expect. He explained how his latest rhythm lineup just fell into place. “They were both last minute replacements. I had a great rhythm section before and we’re still friends, one is in
Canada and the other is in Darwin. We were in a festival where they had to freight our gear along with every other band’s gear. We got pushed back and my drummer had another gig back in Melbourne so he had to go. Our bass player at the time called up his friend Peter Marin and he came down and sat in the car for a few hours and learnt the songs off the record and we got up and played it. He’s been my drummer ever since. My last bass player recommended Joshua Jones when he couldn’t play a few songs and when he decided to move to Canada Josh was the natural choice Any fan of Dan Sultan would know his composition has progressed enormously from his first album Homemade Biscuits, released eight years ago, to his latest album, Get Out While You Can. He’s had years to refine his art and it’s clear how much his craftsmanship has developed. “I think with Blackbird I had a lot more freedom and I felt a lot more liberated. I was able to go out and make the record I’ve always wanted to make. I love Get Out While You Can
“It’s hard to say, I still feel like I’m at the start of my career. There’s a lot of good things happening and a lot of mediocre things happening and I call it ‘Musak’, it’s not really music, it’s stuff that happens around you rather than going through you and there’s always been ‘musak’ and that’s alright.” “In saying that there’s a lot of good music being released too. The big change for me was that I was independent for so long and I’ve recently signed to a label and now Blackbird was released with them. Independent music is being taken a lot more seriously than it has been and now there are awards at the ARIAs for independent artists and there are more opportunities for artists to go on and do it themselves,” said Sultan. “I feel like people are paying a lot more attention to Aboriginal artists as well. It’s not like we just started playing good music but now it’s flared up again in a big way since the first flare in the 80s. I think the industry is paying more attention.” “We don’t want to be carried, if we’re good enough then we’re good enough and the fact is that a lot of us are. The fact that we’re Aboriginal is secondary. We’re always asked to explain ourselves but at the end of the day we’re just musicians. I play rock ‘n’ roll, that’s what we do. Nokturnl came out in the 90s and they weren’t necessarily an Aboriginal metal band, they were a metal band that were up of Aboriginal people,” he said. Dan Sultan names many influences from Australia’s classic 80s artists, including Paul Kelly and has been fortunate enough to play alongside many of his inspirations. It was Paul Kelly who personally contacted Sultan to contribute to the Kev Carmody tribute album Cannot Buy My Soul. The artists who contributed to the album also played accompanying live shows in Sydney and Queensland. www.blankgc.com.au
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Sultan also had the opportunity to play with INXS at the 2010 ARIA awards in an electric performance containing INXS’s hit Just Keep Walking. Not only did Dan Sultan have this honour but he also contributed a track to their compilation album. The album Original Sin was re-released by INXS containing tracks like Don’t Change, Never Tear Us Apart and Mystify re-recorded with guest vocalists for each track. Dan Sultan recorded Just Keep Walking, regarded as one of the best tracks on Original Sin.
HANGIN’ 5 WITH CHRISTINE ANU
Dan’s talent doesn’t stop at music however, he has dabbled in acting; starring in Australian award-winning movie Bran Nue Dae, which boasted famous actors like Geoffrey Rush and Ernie Dingo. Dan played the role of Lester, the boyfriend of Rosie, played by Jessica Mauboy. He also contributed the title track along with three other compositions to the soundtrack. I asked Dan whether he would continue acting alongside his music career. “I don’t think so, I don’t really consider myself to be an actor. With Bran Nue Dae everything lined up and it was pretty perfect and I couldn’t refuse. If something like that came up again I’d definitely consider it. I’ve worked alongside Geoffrey Rush on Bran Nue Dae and I see how hard they work on their craft but I definitely don’t consider myself an actor.” Sultan was also given the honour of being selected to join The Black Arm Band, a group of Australia’s premier Indigenous artists, which was created by Steven Richardson to promote and celebrate the music created by Indigenous Australians. The Black Arm Band consists of over forty musicians such as Gurrumul, Paul Young, Archie Roach and Emma Donovan. The band has played in Australia and once overseas in London. It is amazing to think Dan Sultan considers this as the early stages of his music career despite having already achieved so much. His extensive list of accolades and his passion for music is certainly a sign of things to come from this talented musician.
Dan Sultan plays The Soundlounge, Currumbin on 4 July.
Do you think there are enough opportunities and support for up and coming Indigenous artists throughout Australia? There are more opportunities and more support than there was at the start of my own career, but there could always be more. If there’s a high demand , this creates more work as more artists from across the board are being sought after. In an ideal world, it would be nice to have a booking agent whose sole purpose would be to source work for artists from bands to didj players, from singers to comedians, from
dancers to speakers/storytellers, and the list goes on. More people would get work and there would be more work opportunities created. Ideally, there would be a large talent management representing the artists, as well... You’re latest single Beat of Your Heart has been released as a fundraising initiative for Heart Research Australia. Why is this important organisation so close to your heart? I thought the idea was fantastic! To be able to use my profile, rehash an old song and in turn raise much needed funds and awareness for heart health and heart research, was a stroke of genius! I’ve been touched by the story of my very good friend and colleague when her mother passed away at the age of 45 from a heart attack while we were touring a play in Victoria. A young woman/mother of three in the prime of her life, one minute she’s going about her week doing all the things she normal does and suddenly without warning, she’s gone! It was difficult consoling my friend who had just lost the most precious person in her life, but the message about taking care of my own health became more clearer than ever. So this project was important for me to honour my friend’s mother, and to help people have a better understanding about heart health. This one is for all the ladies out there. How do you maintain those gorgeous curls? Products! I’m the product queen but I’m not as diligent with my hair as I should be. Not everyone should use my routine, not unless you have my specific hair type- the condition is always coarse and dry. My hair has gone through changes throughout my life affected by hormones, stress, chemicals, heat, etc. The same thing has not always worked twice, hence the endless supply of products. But recently, I went back to my roots, so to speak, and started using coconut oil again. Morrocan or Argan oils are also terrific but expensive and I’d rather spend on the other hair products that come into play. I shampoo once a fortnight, but condition (salon quality) my hair frequently leaving it in for 3-5mins. I comb out my hair using a wide tooth comb. Then apply oil right after the conditioner and a salon quality hair gel for curls, right after the oil. I then wrap hair for an hour after which I let it dry naturally. You’ll be visiting the Gold Coast for an encore performance of Rewind: The Aretha Franklin Songbook. What is it about this lady of soul’s music that captivates you? Aretha’s voice is what has always captivated me! Her gospel style singing and her range are what has mesmerised me about her songs and her performance. Her storytelling, her musicality and her life’s story have always captivated meshe’s a living legend!!! No one does it like Aretha! You’ve been keeping busy but it has been quite a few years since your last release. What’s next on the horizon? I’m currently in the processes of putting together a Christmas Album, which is exciting! I have gigs booked all year, so there’ll be a lot to keep me busy… Emily Hosking
Christine Anu plays RSL Southport, 21 August.
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SASKWATCH
Photos courtesy of Leisen Standen, Lamp Photography
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RADICAL SONGS
including a stint as CEO. It took David a long time to follow in her footsteps as far as tertiary education is concerned. Just this year he started studying at University of Newcastle.
Last month David Leha, otherwise known as Radical Son, released a sample CD with three tracks on it. The opening track Human Behaviour immediately shot to number 1 on the AMRAP Great Southern Charts.
“I’m doing a Bachelor of Music, specialising in voice,” he said. “I love it.” “I’m able to articulate, or I’m learning to articulate what it is that I’m doing. Up until now I’ve been able to just do this thing with my voice – I can sing in just about all genres – and I don’t know – this course is just creating a better understanding for me, and that’s important.”
Radical Son has been making music for ten years. His previous releases being a self-titled EP in 2005 and the Black Stones EP in 2008. But this is David’s first recording with the Radical Son band, which has provided him with both the musical backing and experience of others to up the ante on both his delivery and creative expression.
The songwriting process for David is quite contemporary. He says when he first started writing songs he had a recording device. “Ideas, when they come to me now, I either jot them down on paper or just record them onto my iPhone,” he explained.
David had just heard the news about his number 1 debut on the AMRAP charts when we spoke. “You just never know about these things,” David said. “I never have high expectations. I just want to keep writing songs, and who picks it up? You don’t know.”
He says he’s gotten much better at telling his story. “I’ve been on a journey myself, and there’s a maturity in my work now. I definitely didn’t get here overnight,” he said.
The three-track sampler features songs from Radical Son’s yet to be released album Cause & Affect. To say the three tracks showcase David’s vocal ability is an understatement, moving through reggae, dub, spoken-word and RnB. And then there’s the horns, harmonious back-up vocals and more than a hint of soul and gospel.
And despite the fact that David has been singing since his mid twenties, it still takes work to be comfortable in the limelight. “I still get nervous before each show. I also feel a bit pumped. I do enjoy it,” he said. David’s connection to Archie Roach is obvious. In fact, the best gig he’s ever played, he says is being part of Archie Roach’s choir. “I liked not being the main focus,” David said.
The 37 year old singer / songwriter has hooked up with a team of accomplished musicians to craft songs which are poignant yet hard to pigeon hole in terms of genre. And David’s Indigenous heritage provides a strong undertow in his music. “When I was 21 I put a big tattoo across my back – Kamilaroi tribe – I kind of acknowledged my physical attributes, being gifted at sports – it was all about my Aboriginal heritage and my Tongan DNA contributed to that as well,” he said. “But it was also about the life our people lived. The beliefs and values especially.” And it’s these values that have influenced David’s songs. “This world we live in is so materialistic,” David said. “Comparing that to the ideals, the culture that we used to live – believing that everything was connected. We were the animals, the plants. That to me is very beautiful. It’s something I yearn for – that connectedness. That’s what the song One Dream is about.” “My mother, she never lived on Country,” he said when asked about his physical connection to his Kamilaroi 10
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“I also sung at the Sydney Festival in front of 100,000 people, that was amazing. There were a few of us artists doing a tribute to Ruby Hunter.”
heritage. “We moved around quite a bit.” “She went to three unis – Wollongong, , Adelaide and Armidale – and me and my brother were with her. I think because she didn’t go to school when she was a young girl, she decided to try and get educated as an adult.” That’s a lot of moving around to do with a young family and David explains: that’s the only way of life his mother knew. “That’s just the way mum was. To avoid her being stolen as a child, her mother and father just kept moving and moving. And she kept doing that when she had us boys – she just kept on the go,” David said. David’s mum is retired and lives in regional Queensland now. “She has a deep love for me and no matter what I do, she’s supportive,” David said. Her years of study at University lead to roles in one of NSW’s Aboriginal Land Corporations
Growing up with alcoholism, and on an Aboriginal mission, Archie Roach’s story has been well documented. David has experienced his own ups and downs, having children removed from his care and struggling through relationships and addiction. It’s no surprise that David values his connection with Archie. “Uncle Archie is one of those people I’ve had the opportunity, the great fortune to meet. It’s great to have that wisdom and unique voice,” David said. “It’s one of the beautiful things about being a musician – the connections that you make. Whether it’s someone in the audience connecting to the performance or songs. Or through an interview, connecting with a reader at some level.” “We have (connected on a level other than music),” David said of Archie Roach. “If you know Uncle, you know he’s a quiet person and I’ve been very fortunate for him to open up to me and tell me some things that are quite personal to him.” David plays a role now mentoring young musicians,
facilitating writing workshops and helping people with expressing themselves. What’s his advice to aspiring young musicians? “I think the most important thing is to keep writing. The more words you have and the better picture you can paint I’d say just keep writing, keep telling your story, you eventually get better at it.” David’s a father to eight children, four of them living with he and his wife. If you think the life of a touring musician is hard, throw being a dad to that many kids into the mix, and it must be positively manic – especially when the youngest child is just 18 months old. “I really am a homebody,” David said. “I love my wife and my children and I miss them so much when I’m gone. It’s the hardest thing for me – being away from them. I’m generally a kind of quiet person, so I’m not into doing the social thing when I’m gone. I like to spend time by myself.” While I’m talking to David I’m envisioning a household strewn with instruments, family jams and sing-alongs. “We do have musical instruments around the house, but no-one has any real talent,” David laughs. But he’s quick to correct himself saying his wife is learning to play the ukulele and that he loves to listen. So with a new album out mid September and a national tour on the horizon, what does the future hold for Radical Son? “I don’t know to be honest,” he said. “I see myself doing more music, growing as a musician - yeah, more collaborations, and more songs.” “Music is going to be a big part of my life.” There’s something in David’s story-telling that’s humble and under-stated. His quiet and considered responses to my questions hint at something else bubbling under the surface of his tattooed skin. Some kind of resistance, some kind of humility at his journey, a deeper past. When I mention this to his publicist she tells me there is. That the lyrics to Human Behaviour give you a sense of the stuff of his soul – a journey that David has only just started to articulate in song. “Said I’d never do that again. What is this weakness in me? It gets hard just to control myself. Don’t know if I’ll ever change … human behaviour.” It seems David Leha has a much bigger story to tell. And there’s no doubt there’s a growing number of people waiting to hear it if Human Behaviour’s chart success is anything to go by. Samantha Morris
Radical Son’s album Cause & Effect is due out mid September. The Radical Son live show features a seven-piece band with horn section and they’re slated to tour nationally soon. Stay tuned to Blank GC for dates when they’re announced.
DUBMARINE As one of the most dynamic live acts on the scene Dubmarine continue to push new ideas and experiences in both their songwriting and live performances. Front man and founding member Kazman spoke to Sly Steve about the secrets of a good live show, creating odd time signatures and experimenting with the formula.
I last saw you guys at Bluesfest this year, you had the opening set on the first day which is always a tough ask but you were on fire. How do you prepare for a live show? Well before we do any show, we rehearse our set and we’ll think about what kind of show it is, like the Bluesfest: we knew we had a couple of shows there and we knew that they were going to be at that timeslot. So we sort of write to cater for the time slot. We don’t have any fear with opening up for the shows whatever the time of day it is, we’re going to bring it on and give it our all. We believe that no matter what, each show we do leaves a memory for the audience and ourselves. Would you have any advice for up and coming bands on what the secret is to a good live set? There’s a few different pointers, number one always have an idea of what time you’re going to play in the day. You know bands have their rockin’ songs and then they have their deeper songs or some might have sexy songs, or their emotional songs or whatever. So you should write the set to cater for what time of day, what kind of mood people are going to be in. If it’s early afternoon and people don’t want to really go jumping around like crazy, especially if it’s a hot day, they just want to enjoy the music. Then if the suns down you bring the party on make it like a fresh sort of vibe. Then you know if it’s late at night then you can get into the deep hardcore kind of vibe. How important are festivals like Boomerang or Dreaming Festival to showcase modern Indigenous culture to a broader audience in a festival setting? I find that cultural festivals, especially Indigenous ones are awesome ways for educating the mainstream Australian without all the bad news. You know we’re just infiltrated everyday by the news and media about the downfall of the culture, but when you go to these festivals you see the culture is actually vibrant and alive and you get to see different varieties of it and aspects of it. I think people tend to magnetise towards positivity and that’s what these festivals do but at the same time they educate, but they educate in a different way. They educate in a very similar way to what the corroboree was like, the corroboree consisted of like, it was a cooperation of the whole family, of the whole clan all participating, there were story tellers and there were
painters, there were dancers and so on and they all related. That was sort of our school in a way as we grew up, dance festivals and that sort of thing and telling a story, and that’s how people remembered. So cultural festivals like that in Australia are a great way to educate people in a real positive sense. I guess people are having so much fun that they won’t realise that they’ve learnt something straight away, that might stay with them later on Yeah sometimes that’s the best way to educate, we’re taught at school to read this, learn this, get told that and remember it and then move onto the next thing and it’s really sterile you know, where as if you put in energy and action and fun then it brings out a spiritual feeling as well, you feel it within. They talk about emotional memory, you know when you get taught and you get emotive with it you’ll take it in deeper, deep into your soul and those sorts of things you don’t really forget. In this day and age we’ve got ADHD with how much information we get, we just get smashed with stuff, you know there’s too much to think about, but if you get inclusive then it really stays with you. So what’s on the cards for the rest of 2014? Myself I’ve been obsessed with songwriting at the moment, I’ve had a bit of a breakthrough when it comes to writing tunes. I’ve found a formula if you like which enables me to write any kind of tune I want and experiment with it. Lately I’m working on this idea called the 6/4, which is based on 6 beats plus 4 beats as a cycle, sort of like 6 forward and 4 backwards. The idea comes from what happens in the ‘shake a leg’, if you’re in a corroboree and you see a shake a leg, basically when they do the shake a leg they move up 6 or 7 or 8 beats then they sort of stop, then they pull back and then they repeat the process. I’ve found a way to write that in a contemporary way into our music. So we’ve just been doing odd time signatures but trying to find a groove and I guess a danceable feeling in stranger time rhythms and mixing it all up a bit. Did you catch Dubmarine at Marketta? Hop on our Facebook page and tell us what you thought: facebook.com/blankgoldcoast.
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IT’S PAYBACK TIME FOR INDIGENOUS HIP-HOP You have your Thelma Plums and your Robbie Millers but is this the extent of your Indigenous music library? It’s easily time to expand that catalogue and delve into the world of Indigenous hip-hop. Payback Records is a relatively young record label but it is at the forefront of bringing the somewhat underground culture of Indigenous hip-hop to the surface. Founder Nathan Lovett-Murray got on the blower with Jake Wilton to talk about the growing market for the genre, humble beginnings and exciting new releases. What led or inspired you to launch your own record label? It was more just working with Tjimba Possum Burns who’s in the group Yung Warriors. We used to go to school together and I hadn’t seen him for a few years. I bumped into him, asked him was he’s been doing and he said he’s just finished recording an album. It was the first time I had heard Indigenous hip-hop and since then just really wanted to be a part of it. I noticed in Melbourne, at the time, there was a lot of other Indigenous rappers who are just as talented but weren’t getting opportunities. In the end, we decided we needed our own record label to promote our own music; and that’s exactly what I did. Was it a tough concept to get off the ground in the beginning? Definitely! Myself, not knowing much about the music industry and coming from a sporting background, it was pretty tough. Although, through my profile, I was able to open doors and meet with other people involved in the industry. It’s helped us release four CDs in the past six years and another this year with our artist Miss Hood. Miss Hood was brought to my attention earlier in the year. She’s got an incredible story; what did you see in her? She was one of the regional artists we found at the beginning of Payback Records. She’s been really loyal to the label and has been working hard for the past two years on her music and getting herself out there. In that time, she was able to record an album and we wanted to release it through Payback. You mentioned Yung Warriors just before which some people may know through Triple j play. Have these national radio stations helped your artists along in the process? We’ve had a lot of support through media; moreso community radio stations. Triple j has been the biggest support in terms of the Yung Warriors album [Standing Strong]. We were able to get two singles picked up by them and they also supported one of our national tours. The exposure Yung Warriors got from that really crossed over to more of a mainstream audience.
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Would you say that’s a goal of yours; to reach a more mainstream audience? It’s always been my vision, from the start, to promote our music at an international level. I’ve been lucky to travel overseas a few times – it’s a big world out there so it would be incredible for international listeners to enjoy our music. Around the corner is the National Indigenous Music Awards (NIMAs). Are these awards important to you? Yeah, I think they’re important for all Indigenous artists who really want to get their music out on a national level and being apart of the NIMAs is really important. They give you great exposure and also give you an opportunity to perform at the awards. A lot of people in the music industry are starting to take notice of the NIMAs so it’s an exciting time. What brought NIMAs to my attention was the success of Robbie Miller and Thelma Plum who both played and won awards. Were these artists a big push for Indigenous music? Yeah, I think the partnership the NIMAs have with triple j Unearthed is really important, too. That’s another platform for up-and-coming artists that want to share their music on a different level. Have you noticed a rising trend in listenership in Indigenous music? I think the top level Indigenous musicians – Jessica Mauboy and Gurrumul Yunupingu – have done really well in Australia, especially in the mainstream media. We’ve seen that starting to trickle through to the more up-and-coming artists and our label. Six years ago I would get so many emails and request from around the country from Indigenous musicians wanting to work with Payback Records. Now you do a quick search on the Internet and instantly you get a whole variety of Indigenous hip-hop and other music genres. You said your dream was to bring international attention to Indigenous hip-hop. Are we in the midst of an overseas demand for it? You see what Gurrumul has done over in Europe and Jessica Mauboy has had support slots with huge international acts. Although I think Indigenous hip-hop is going to be the next
thing that’s really going to take off overseas. Once we get that support and acknowledgement then we’ll just jump at the chance. What releases are on the horizon for Payback? Yung Warriors are away working hard on a new record. We’ve also got a couple more releases this year as I said with Miss Hood and also we’ve got another young artist Philly. We’re looking at releasing his album around July called Not My Life along with a national tour to support it. Miss Hood’s new album It’s Fatal is out now via Payback Records. Visit paybackrecords.com.au to keep up to date on new releases.
HANGING 5 WITH ROBBIE MILLER Triple J Unearthed National Indigenous Music Award winner 2013 Tell me about your family and their Country My great great grandmother was stolen generation and taken from our lands (APY lands in Central Australia). She was moved to Adelaide and had a daughter who was then taken away from her. That daughter was brought up to Queensland where she had my mum, who was also taken away and brought up by a Catholic Irish family in Brisbane. It’s pretty sad, but they were the times. How did you find all of this out? My grandma was well into her 30s - 40s when she found out she was adopted. She was raised to believe she was Irish – and had no idea about her heritage. It was just weeks before her mum died when she found out she was adopted. And then it was a bit of a journey for her from there to find out who her family was and she connected with a sister. And then the journey began in terms of where our aboriginal side comes from. Tell us about your music career? It’s brand new (laughs). I studied music at uni and have been playing guitar for 13 or 14 years, but yeah, success was an accident. Last year I got together with my best friend to make some music. We put it on Unearthed, because that’s what you do, and didn’t expect anything of it. Then we just happened to win the Unearthed competition.
It’s slow and steady which is a good thing. I want to build fans as they come and I’m not in any big rush. A music career has a certain time frame. Singles will come out and from there momentum will slowly build. I’m happy to take the slow path – if it means a longer career in what I love. Tell us about your ‘other’ work? AIME is the Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience. In my last year of study at QUT Brisbane, AIME came to the university and did some recruiting – basically a program where you get to help out Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander kids – help them get through school. It’s something my partner and I connected with and thought it was a great way to give back. So I started working at Loganlea High School and then a job opened up at AIME at Bond University and I jumped at it. That was 3 years ago. Recently my first lot of year 9 students from 2011 just came to their year 12 program. At the end of the session they wrote speeches about their time in school. And there were about 7 of them who said if it wasn’t for you Robbie coming to my school to help them out with AIME I would have left school a long time ago and you’re pretty much the reason why I’m here today. That did bring a tear to my eye and made quite a few people cry and it’s proof that what I do really does work.
Getting kids through High School is really important to me and I’m just really glad I get to do it day in day out. What’s next for Robbie Miller? I release a song last year called Sunday and put it up on Facebook and didn’t do anything else with it. A few people think it’s probably worth more than just doing that, so I will probably do a second round with that, maybe try to commission it to radio. There’s a film clip to come with that too and then another single coming out, which will coincide with my EP. I’m not allowed to say when it’s coming out, but I have finished most of it and am just working on that new single. Music’s one of those things where everyone can have an opinion about what the song’s about. Sunday is kind of just looking back on a life– a retrospective view of a life. It is about specific people in my life – not me personally, but people really close to me. It’s abut them and their story. I’m a big fan of stripped back. I like the idea of having a message in songs and using your voice to deliver a message. The music just fills in what the song’s about. Not to give too much away about the EP but that’s what you’ll get. Samantha Morris + Mella Bunker
ANTIMATTER’S UNDERGROUND SOUNDS TRANS AM Volume X
Since 1990 American three piece Trans Am have been pursuing their own idiosyncratic take on epic instrumental jams, ironically cheesy rock histrionics and vocoder infused, soundtrack inspired uber-sounds. Having ridden the fickle waves of the mid 90s post rock anti-boom, the trio has since maintained a somewhat sporadic presence on the musical landscape, emerging every few years from the band members’ other various side projects and playing the game totally on their own terms, delivering their music irrespective of any current musical fad. The band truly excel in the live setting, and witnessing drummer Sebastian Thomson in full flight is one of the most thrillingly visceral spectacles in rock, an intuitive powerhouse of tension and release who can caress and pummel his kit in equally impressive fashion. Volume X, Trans Am’s 10th album was recorded in San Francisco and is a self-produced effort. It sees the band deliver a well-rounded snapshot of all elements of their sound across the years, where unlikely matched genres such as prog metal, kraut rock, minimal electro and 80’s b grade movie inspired soundtracks somehow manage to co-exist in relative harmony and without sounding like a garbled mess, for the most part. Yes Kraftwerk, Metallica and Giorgio Moroder can good musical bedfellows make, in the right hands…
Opening track Anthropocene starts with a 30 second keyboard drone, which gives way to a relatively generic (by Trans Am standards) cyber rocker, augmented with a muted vocal performance from bassist and singer Nathan Means. This is a sound they have put to better use previously on albums such as the eclectically stunning Red Line. The following number Reevaluations sees the band morph thrillingly into one of their familiar pulsing, electro-synth with vocoder workouts. All eerily retro-future and creepily malevolent, it’s the soundtrack to a cyber punk dystopia. Night Shift sees the band this time tap into their Krautrock mantra, the swirling, dreamy keyboards and motorik pulse riding the track all the way home. Things get hair-flailingly thrashy on the frantically rocking Backlash, whizzing by on a speed metal via Motorhead highway to oblivion. I’ll Never is a wistful cyber-ballad, a pulsing drum machine heartbeat and icy keys of robotic heartbreak intoning the listener to ‘come a little bit closer, for the very last time…’ And penultimate track Insufficiently Breathless commences with a gentle seaside sway of acoustic strums and proggy keyboards, a rare moment of relative lightness amongst the bug eyed paranoia and over the top rock that infuses the majority of the band’s blueprint.
Whilst Volume X may not be Trans Am’s definitive musical statement (seek out Red Line and Future World to hear the band in career defining glory), it still delivers enough thrills and clout to make it worthy of investigation for both previous disciples and new converts alike. To hear the album for yourself, tune into Rabbit Radio (the Gold Coast’s very own digital streaming online radio station) on Tuesday nights from 9pm, when the record will be played in full right after The Avalon Hour - the radio mouthpiece for Antimatter’s Underground Sounds.
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gig guide JULY Thursday 3 July Bandana Rock: Jessica Grimley, Caleb Lafaitele, Marty Gray and Myles Larsen, The Loft Chevron Island The Beards, Soundlounge Currumbin Kiara Jack & The Jills, Railway Hotel Byron Bay Tuesday’s Good, Currumbin Creek Tavern Non Cents, Josh Rutherford, Six Shooter, Chris Miller, Elsewhere Surfers Paradise Friday 4 July Dan Sultan, Soundlounge Currumbin Sarah Frank, Burleigh Underground Drummers (6.00pm) Tuesday’s Good, Currumbin Creek Tavern (8.00pm) The Flumes, Byron Bay Brewery Amy Shark, Eden Mulholland (Melb), Teigan Le Plastrier, Loddy & Stav, The Loft Chevron Island Silversix (Sweat it Out), Elsewhere Surfers Paradise Street 66, Burleigh Brewery
Sunday 13 July Music in the Park at Labrador, Tuesday’s Good (from midday) David Murray, Bread n Butter Kirra (6.30pm) Monday 14 July Open mic night, Surfers RSL Tuesday 15 July Jackson James Smith, The Rails Byron Bay Wednesday 16 July Open mic night, The Loft Chevron Island Thursday 17 July Reichelt, Daisy Kaye and the One Night Stand, Candice Skjonnemand, Mia Bailey, Cadence, The Loft Chevron Island Friday 18 July Kenny Slide, Burleigh Brewery Geoff Achison and The Souldiggers, Soundlounge Currumbin Sarah Frank, Genki Café Palm Beach Beni ‘Protect Can’t Hide’ EP Tour, Elsewhere Surfers Paradise Songwriters Circle: Kay Proudlove (Syd), Josh Lovegrove, Calan Mai, Gabrielle Lambe, The Loft Chevron Island Saturday 19 July Velvet Martini, Miami Marketta Dead Books, Kit Lightning and The Revelators, Benjalu (Acoustic), Eleea Navarro, The Loft Chevron Island
AUGUST Friday 1 August Karl S Williams – deluxe edition launch of Heartwood, Miami Marketta The Urban Chiefs (Tamworth), The Van Bams, The Vultures, Timmy Rickard, The Loft Chevron Island Saturday 2 August Jason Delphin, Tim Johnson, Stars to Shores (Benny Willis), Tyla Jade, The Loft Chevron Island Winternight 2014: These Four Walls, Smoking Martha, Mass Sky Raid, Versus Fate and Pharaoh’s Playground, The Cooly Hotel. Presented by Blank and Reservoir PR+MGMT Sunday 3 August Sarah Frank, Bambu BarMusicFood Palm Beach Nicky Conviene, Bread n Butter Kirra (6.30pm) Monday 4 August Open mic night, Surfers RSL Wednesday 6 August Hanson, Coolangatta Hotel Open mic night, The Loft Chevron Island Friday 8 August MKO, Miami Marketta
Saturday 5 July Kiara Jack & The Jills, Yamba YHA Taylor, Miami Marketta The Strums, Caféïne (Canada), David Aurora, Mitchell Ryan, The Loft Chevron Island
Monday 21 July Open mic night, Surfers RSL
Saturday 9 August Rabbit Radio turns 2, birthday bash, Swingin’ Safari Surfers Paradise
Wednesday 23 July Open mic night, The Loft Chevron Island
Sunday 10 August Felicity Lawless, Bread n Butter Kirra (6.30pm)
Sunday 6 July Nine Sons of Dan, Swingin’ Safari Mason Rack Band, North Kirra SLSC, 2.00 – 5.00pm Sarah Frank, The Village Markets Emoh Instead ‘homecoming tour’, Elsewhere Surfers Paradise Circle of Friends: Hussy Hicks, Lachy Doley, Daniel Champagne and Lani Motiekaitis, Miami Marketta (2.00pm)
Thursday 24 July Indigo Parade, Jon Whitten & Mirrored, Talicia Pyke, Teigan Le Plastrier, Jill Beth, The Loft Chevron Island
Monday 11 August Open mic night, Surfers RSL
Monday 7 July Open mic night, Surfers RSL Tuesday 8 July Dan Sultan, The Northern Byron Bay Wednesday 9 July Hell and Whiskey, The Northern Byron Bay Open Mic, The Loft Chevron Island Thursday 10 July Smokin Suzie-Jane, Michael McCartney, The Loft Chevron island Friday 11 July Lloyd Cole (UK), Soundlounge Currumbin The Lyrical, Miami Marketta Pretty City (Melb), Sons Of The Morning (Acoustic), Jake Whittaker, Sam Ramage, The Loft Chevron Island Josh Lee Hamilton Duo, Burleigh Brewer LILT, Frienships (live), Entheogenesis (live), BRCKS, Elsewhere Surfers Paradise Saturday 12 July Jackson James Smith EP Launch, Scott Dalton, Tommy Sheehan, The Loft Chevron Island Hanlon Brothers, Miami Marketta Footstomp Farm African Benefit Gig: Josh Rennie-Hynes and more, Tallebudgera Hall Cassian (Sweat It Out), Elsewhere Surfers Paradise Bound for Ruin, In Ashes we Lie, Chronolyth, Knights Like These, Coolangatta Hotel
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Friday 25 July Monique Brumby, Soundlounge Currumbin Cheap Fakes, Miami Marketta Fletch, Burleigh Brewery Essie “Sugar Rush Single Launch”, Polydemic, Aquila Young, Nyssa Berger, The Loft Chevron Island Saturday 26 July Andrew Strong (The Commitments), Twin Towns Tweed Heads Coast Acoustics, featuring Jessie Morris Band, Country Paradise Parklands Nerang Moondogs, Miami Marketta Lights of Berlin (Perth), Maddi Rose, First Contact, Blake Daymond, The Loft Chevron Island Angela Fabian Band, Burleigh Underground Drummers Canvas for Creatures: Gas Grooves, Ebb and Flow, Percussion Garden, Unwritten Electric, Ground Control Cofee Tweed Heads South Sarah Frank, Jimez Cafe Sunday 27 July Mason Rack, Fisherman’s Wharf Main Beach Matthew Armitage and Swanny, Bread n Butter Kirra (6.30pm) Sarah Frank, The Bluff Café Burleigh Heads
Wednesday 13 August Open mic night, The Loft Chevron Island Friday 15 August Tim Freedman does Nilsson, Soundlounge Currumbin Bree De Rome single launch, Miami Marketta Sunday 17 August Sarah Frank, The Bluff Café Burleigh Heads Matthew Armitage and Swanny, Bread n Butter Kirra (6.30pm) Monday 18 August Open mic night, Surfers RSL Wednesday 20 August Open mic night, The Loft Chevron Island Friday 22 August Christine Anu, RSL Southport Andy Jans Brown, Cozmics, Miami Marketta Ed Kuepper, Soundlounge Currumbin Saturday 23 August Coast Acoustics featuring Dan Hannaford, Country Paradise Parklands Nerang
Monday 28 July Open mic night, Surfers RSL
Sunday 24 August Justin and Lance, Bread n Butter Kirra (6.30pm)
Wednesday 30 July Open mic night, The Loft Chevron Island Hell and Whiskey, The Northern Byron Bay
Monday 25 August Open mic night, Surfers RSL
Thursday 31 July Monster Guitars: Adam Hole and Mark Easton, The Rails Hotel Byron Bay The Orchard, Dean Blaich, James Becroft, Tash Agius, The Loft Chevron Island
Wednesday 27 August Open mic night, The Loft Chevron Island
Send your gigs to news@blankgc.com.au
you are as a musician like a business, and that is way, way, way more successful in my opinion.” Understandably local artists strive to stand out from others in order to attract an audience. Daniel argues that with all the self promoting artists on social media, the benefits of being signed by a record label are still prevalent.
SIGNED TO SOCIAL MEDIA Posters and vinyl records of famous hip-hop musicians adorn the room of 18 year old Gold Coast rapper LaneHarry. An Apple Mac desktop computer sits as centrepiece to the young musician’s room and acts as head-quarters for all promotional activity linked with his music. “I promote my music through social media and live shows,” he says. “Word of mouth is probably the biggest help with so much competition.” Lane-Harry is one of the few musicians on the Gold Coast that can boast 3 big studio releases in the past 11 months, two having earned positions in the top 40 hip-hop charts on iTunes. Lane’s careful use of his 1368 friends on Facebook, 453 followers on Instagram and a newly established 83 followers on Twitter have helped to secure his status as an influential figure in the local music scene. With social media now able to help achieve such results for an artist willing to self promote, just how important is this tool in the music industry? “Social media promotion is advertising to people you already know in the hope that they get on board and spread the word,” Lane says. “It’s pretty important.” Lane’s grasp of social media promotion has indeed succeeded in attracting attention, even leading to a fresh new contract signing him and music partner Ike Campbell to local record label Human Records earlier this year. “We haven’t released our first product through Human Records yet,” he says. “I imagine things will be very different and much more professional.” With the duo’s latest venture into the professional world of the music industry, will their music reach new heights with audiences? Or has the use of social media by artists today made record deals a thing of the past? “It hasn’t really put small labels out of business. I think the small labels know what to do better than the individual artists,” said Daniel Hitzke, a professional music teacher, producer and musician. As well as being an educator Daniel also works in the online marketing and promotions sector of the same record label that has just signed Lane and Ike. “Most musicians that I know don’t realise that they’re a business,” Daniel explains. “They don’t approach it that way, and they need to. Whereas if you are signed to a small label on the coast they understand that and they can market who
“If you have got someone else [a record label] representing you, it shows that you’re serious enough and professional enough that someone takes an interest in what you are doing at a professional level.” 18 year old Tommy Sheehan, an indie-folk musician from the Gold Coast, has found that record labels do demand a certain level of prestige even in the small local music industry. “As soon as you do get yourself on a label its like people instantly think and see you as more professional. You could reach out to all those places [festivals and gigs] yourself, but I think you would have a much better chance of getting gigs and some good exposure on things like that if you had a label behind you.”
Presented by Blank GC & Reservoir PR+MGMT:
WINTERNIGHT 2014 @ The Cooly Hotel SATURDAY 2 AUGUST $15 for five smokin’ bands to heat up a chilly winter night...
Tommy has acquired quite a reasonable sized fan base, even though the musician is yet to release a single piece of original work. Tommy plans to release his first original EP in coming months. A positive response can be expected judging by the level of attention social media has already generated for his covers of other musician’s songs. “The best thing is probably sharing on Facebook because umm... If someone likes a song they can share it to all their friends as well,” Tommy said. “So yeah I have had like a lot of people sharing my music and stuff on Facebook, reaching out to more people which is really cool.” 19 year old music lover, Dale Cooke, actively searches for new and interesting music from a wide variety of artists. “I would say I get a new artist put in front of me probably three times a week.” Dale says.
THESE FOUR WALLS SMOKING MARTHA MASS SKY RAID VERSUS FATE PHARAOH'S PLAYGROUND
Dale scours sites like Hypetrak in search of the latest tunes, but admits that this is perhaps not the usual path taken by most young adults in finding new music. “If they are not constantly looking for it, which they wouldn’t be if they didn’t care that much about it... they would mostly find it through stuff like social media and their friends and stuff like that...I think.” Although Dale believes social media does in fact influence the discovery and growth of local unsigned artists, he still acknowledges the role of all record labels as vital cogs that keep the music industry ticking. “I think that at some stage every artist has to join a label,” he says. “I don’t think that you could come from nothing to being completely successful and do everything on your own. There is just way too much that has to be handled in the whole process of becoming successful.” Social media has taken the promotion and distribution of music to a new arena, but it seems record labels are still able to hold influence in this bustling platform of connectivity. Locke Fitzpatrick
First 30 people get a free CD, vinyl or download card from one of the bands on the lineup. Doors open 7PM - first band on @ 7.30 Tickets $15 at the door
For more information go to: www.facebook.com/events/1482039258700313
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album reviews
THE PAINTED LADIES
The Painted Ladies: Plays Selections from The Loner
JACK WHITE Lazaretto
Jack White’s second solo offering is awesome from start to finish. Title track Lazaretto boasts an impressive guitar progression and is expertly composed, which is to be expected from the founder of bands like The White Stripes and The Raconteurs. White’s unique rock-styled rapping vocals on the first two tracks is something he has developed and perfected over the years and has come out in an impressive way on this album. The female backing vocals contained on this album are beautiful and eloquent. Temporary Ground is reminiscent of White Stripes’ track We’re Going to Be Friends and showcases some of the eclectic instruments contained in this LP. Would You Fight For My Love? is deep and brooding with piano, rolling toms and dark backing vocals. The lyrics are moving, the vocals are sung with such passion and the song closes in a grand, opera-esque explosion of sound. White found inspiration for the lyrics in old creative pieces he wrote when he was a teenager and took characters and themes from these pieces and wrote the lyrics as if his teenager self was there to collaborate. That Black Rat Licorice is backed by traditional string pieces under a crunchy guitar section and is an overwhelming tsunami of sound that feels like a clash of his solo work with his early White Stripes compositions, just as Jack White planned. White has solidified his solo sound as being separate from all of his other projects and it is impressive to note that all of his bands are distinctly unique and are never confused with one another compositionally. There is hardly a weak track on the album. Kyle Butcher
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In Bathurst prison in 1973 Vic Simms wrote and recorded arguably one of the most important Australian albums of all time. Over 40 years on Australian musician Luke Peacock has assembled an A class group to reinvent songs from Simms’ The Loner, including Paul Kelly, Rusty Hopkins and Ed Keuper. The original album portrays Indigenous issues still relevant and it probably predates any other Australian album in exploring such things. They were, effectively, Australia’s first black protest songs. Selections begins with an upbeat, classic country-rock tune that describes overcoming racial segregation in 1970’s Australia. With a chorus of ‘If you’re brown, stick around / If you’re white, that’s alright / If you’re black, get back, into the shadows’, Get Back into the Shadows cleverly pairs catchy country sounds with a sincere message. The album moves through several stories exploring issues of racial segregation, abandonment and suppression, however, Selections is broken up by a few little love songs in the middle. Karens Song begins with that sweet country guitar twang that sounds so innocent. The lead male vocals are coupled with a female backing voice that brings a real sense of romance to the track. With the rolling snare and constant but gentle bass line, this beautiful dedication comes to a climactic end, quickly followed by the soft, acoustic tune Living My Life by the Day. Selections slowly builds again with Stranger in my Country and flows into the true rock ‘n’ roll feel of I Wanna Bop, featuring plenty of brass in a driving bass line. The album closes with a high energy track Hey Sheriff that tells the story of having your lover stolen by another. The Painted Ladies: Plays Selections from The Loner is a very important reinvention of a seminal album in Indigenous music. In the original album Simms describes life as an Aboriginal man in the early 1970s. Peacock and his band of merry bards, including Vic Simms himself, have breathed new life into those same songs. Gina Martin
TJINTU DESERT BAND
Tjamuku Ngurra (Grandfather’s Country) “For our community of around 200 people there is one general store, no mobile phone range and little access to the internet. But Ikuntji (aka Haasts Bluff in the Northern Territory) is much more than the town itself - it’s the rocky hills, the red earth, the country of our Dreaming, our grandfathers’ country.” Tjintu Desert Band. The debut record from Tjintu Desert Band serves as in introduction to the flagship sound of Indigenous Central Australia, the band peddling in a musical hybrid known in their parts as ‘desert reggae.’ And this is indeed an apt description, with reggae inspired grooves (in addition to a light funk-rock vibe) forming the cornerstone of large chunks of their debut album, Tjamuku Ngurra. Having previously cut their teeth for 15 years under the name of the Sunshine Reggae Band prior to the release of Tjamuku Ngurra, the band’s dexterous musical chops are on full display throughout this record. The vast majority of lyrics on the album are sung in the band’s native tongue of Luritja (a dialect of the Western Desert People), delivered with soulful aplomb by lead singer Terry Marshall. The title track Tjamuku Ngurra lays down one of the album’s highlights, riding a funk-reggae bedrock with the band’s passionate vocalising speaking directly to their people, of their people and for their people. Walpa Warri is a down-tempo reggae-rock number in turns loping and epic, and on Ngurra Ikuntjinya the band raise the tempo on the back of a slinky groove and a rousing chorus. A slight hue of My Morning Jacket is present in the inspired guitar flourishes of guitarist Jeffrey Zimran on the song Tanyjirrintjaku, adding a welcome oomph to the band’s dependable reggae-rock template. And final track Grandfather’s Dreaming serenades on the back of a desert lullaby, the band’s sweet vocalising embellished with tasteful guitar, harmonica and traditional percussion, the perfect soundtrack to sitting around by the campfire light, under the moonlight, listening to the Dreamtime story all night long. Anthony Gebhardt
CONOR OBERST
BROADWING
JACKSON JAMES SMITH
Listening to Upside Down Mountain it’s impossible not to hear Bright Eyes, Oberst’ band, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Released in May this year the lyrics are clear, the melodies full and the songs catchy.
Released earlier this month Pinhole Camera is the debut EP from Alice Springs singer/songwriter Broadwing.
Jackson James Smith is an amazing solo artist hailing from the stunning Gold Coast and is proudly one of our own.
Pinhole Camera
Upside Down Mountain
With an album full of songs about growing up, learning from your mistakes and moving on, songs like Time Forgot have the perfect mix of electronics and soft buoyant vocals to get stuck inside your head. After a few albums that lost the joie de vivre that Oberst can bring about, Upside Down Mountain is truly a return to form. Tracks like I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning strip away any pretentions with simple lyrics and composition that burn through your ears straight to your heart. Using his voice as another instrument layered over a mix of clashing drums, light synth and organic sounds Oberst has definitely redeemed himself with Upside Down Mountain and proves that he is truly a unique vocalist. There is a song for every mood on this album so put it on and allow it to wash away any of the day’s developments, or enhance them. Upside Down Mountain can take you anywhere. Christie Ots
Simple’s Better
With tracks like Anodyne you are pushed straight into the flow of the EP, which resounds with a melding of organic and synth music. The comparisons to early Gotye are definitely deserved, as vocals wind through in a haunting swell of passion; lifting listeners up, only to drop them down with the stroke of a piano key. The Virus In absolutely glitters with sonic tension that breaks over you, but manages to keep a sense of soulfulness to it, then wraps the listener up until all you can wonder is how one man manages to make all this on his own. This is from conception to completion entirely the magic of Broadwing AKA Ben Allen. Winter would have to be the stand out track, with lyrics that are honest and manage to pierce through the mundane humdrum of overcrowded music and lay out a tale of pulling yourself back from the edge. Winter isn’t coming people, it is here and it is great. If you haven’t yet treated your ears to Pinhole Camera you know what you need to do. Christie Ots
RADICAL SON
of Gotye’s catchy opening riff from Somebody that I used to know, but maybe that’s just me.
Radical Son have released three tracks ahead of a full album release later in the year. The first track Human Behaviour has already shot to number one on the AMRAP Great Southern Charts.
There’s horns, harmonious back up vocals and more than a hint of soul and gospel. But probably the most compelling element of these three tracks, which quite honestly have me very eager to hear the whole album, is David’s ability to tell us something about himself through song.
Radical Son sampler
Frontman David Leha has been making music for ten years, but this is his first recording with a full band. To say the three-track sampler showcases David’s vocal ability is an understatement, moving through reggae, dub, spoken word and RnB. In the opening track I also hear a little hint
It’s no surprise that Human Behaviour opens the sampler. With a laid back groove, I can imagine David crooning these words in the setting of a dimly lit blues bar with a couple of old guys swaying in the horns section. One Dream by contrast is a slower song, nearly gospel like and Highest of Love opens with spoken word before building to a funky combination of
He is an emotive composer and his new EP Simple’s Better is a testament to that. The vocal melodies soar through notes and octaves beautifully and he seems to slot into a role as an experienced musician that belies his 21 years. Opening track Far Away has a strong indie feel with layered guitar work and vocals, complete with a quick guitar solo that rounds out the sound. Far Away builds and builds to an impressive chorus of acoustic and vocal sound you don’t expect. The title track is personally my favourite and is recorded beautifully with bright cymbals and a slow but distinct build up throughout only to strip away to a minimalistic chorus that comes back strongly, then another underpinned by a rock n’ roll guitar solo. Piano based track Strong clocks in as the EP’s longest song at just over five minutes but it doesn’t feel long by any means. Strong is the most raw and emotive song from the six track release and the piano notes are strong yet delicate, much like Smith’s vocals. This EP is an astounding release from a local artist and is indicative of interesting things to come from this solo act. Kyle Butcher horns and instrumentation to round out the track. For someone who’s played to more than 100,000 people (Sydney Festival), he’s humble and that’s obvious in his music. David has a strong voice and has brought together an incredibly talented group of supporting musicians and vocalists to add depth to these three songs. “Said I’d never do, that again … what is this weakness in me?” There are tales of maturity and growth, honesty about life and the challenges it throws in our path. But there’s also a hint of something more I can’t quite put my finger on. I think we’ll hear much more from this father of eight over coming years. Samantha Morris www.blankgc.com.au
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THE AUDREYS Since releasing their debut album, Between Last Night and Us, in 2006 The Audreys have gone from strength to strength, releasing three further albums and garnering critical acclaim, several ARIAs and a deservedly devoted fanbase. Heidi Maier had the chance to talk to Taasha Coates, The Audreys’ winsome and witty front woman. The last few years have been a beehive of activity both personally and professionally for Taasha, as she’s juggled making time for music with the demands of motherhood. Speaking from her hometown of Adelaide, where The Audreys were born and to which she returned after a brief stint living in Brisbane four years ago, Coates is looking after her husband and young son, both of whom are unwell, before getting ready to hit the road again. The Audreys recently released their fourth album, ‘Til My Tears Roll Away, and they’re currently traversing the country, playing live with a full band for the first time in several years. Coates, who is pregnant with her second child, admits that it’s a marked difference from the last time she toured, playing stripped back acoustic duo shows with her band mate and songwriting partner Tristan Goodall. Coates and Goodall met at university in the 1990s. For many years they were a couple, separating shortly after the band’s debut album was released. That album snagged them their first ARIA, for Best Blues and Roots Album, a feat they’ve since gone on to repeat with their two subsequent albums, 2008’s When The Flood Comes and 2010’s Sometimes The Stars. ABC Music/Universal Music Australia released a box set, The Audreys: Collected. Comprising their first three albums, it also boasts several previously unreleased rarities. When I ask Coates what prompted the decision to repackage the albums she is characteristically forthright and dryly humorous. “Honestly? People come up to us at shows and say, ‘Oh, I’ve got that album, but which of the other two should I buy? Which is your favourite?’ It’s a tough question to be asked because it’s a bit like someone asking you to pick your favourite kid! It’s really nice to now have the option to just give people all three and hopefully 18
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we’ve made it interesting for longtime fans by adding some things they won’t have heard before,” she says. The band’s unprecedented and history-making ARIAs trifecta was also a motivating factor for the repackaging and rerelease of their complete back catalogue. As Coates points out, utterly devoid of ego, “it’s kind of cool, no? I mean, people will come to one ARIAs ceremony and maybe win a bunch of awards, whereas we’ve only ever won the one award, but it’s the same award, and we’ve won it for each album we’ve released, three times in a row, and that’s a bit special, I think.” In writing and recording ‘Til The Tears Roll Away, Coates and Goodall stuck with the formula that has worked for them their entire collaborative relationship – Goddall flew in to spend time with Coates in Adelaide and they hunkered down, focusing primarily on writing songs. “We don’t live in the same place, so we really have to make the week or two that we have together count. We’ll usually sit down with a guitar and a pad of paper and stare at each other for ages! Or sometimes we’ll write a bunch of songs one day and then the next day we’ll have nothing, but we both realise that’s just the way it works,” Coates muses. “I don’t think of the way we write as special – it’s just what works for us and it’s what we do. We tend to write on guitar or piano and we actually recorded most of the record in five days, so it happened pretty fast. We wanted to record the tracks live, so we got the band into the studio and we hadn’t played them any of the songs, which was kind of mean!” Asked about the harder, grittier edge that colours many of the songs on ‘Til The Tears Roll Away, Coates is down-to-earth, attributing it to “that weird unconscious thing that just sometimes happens when you’re songwriting.”
“Tristan and I and our producer Shane O’Mara, went into the studio on the first day of recording and discussed what sounds we wanted … we don’t sit around listening to our old records thinking we need to do that again. Bands don’t tend to listen to their own records thinking that they need to do that again. Well, maybe some do, but we don’t,” she says. “Because of that, you lose your reference point and that’s not always a bad thing. It’s all about whatever you’re feeling. It’s still Tristan playing guitar, still my voice, it’s still our songwriting, but it had been more than three years since we wrote or recorded together and things change – your emotions change, your mood changes, you’re in a completely different headspace.” ‘Til The Tears Roll Away is out now through ABC/Universal Music Australia.
off the record Woods
that. I love a good garage sale and every year the northern NSW town of Brunswick Heads holds an all-town garage sale on the Queen’s Birthday long weekend. This year my dad, brother and I traipsed up and down the streets for hours, stopping at any garage sale that took our fancy. There are usually small stacks of vinyl at most of the garage sales, with the usual Christmas record selection, but this year the quality of vinyl was outstanding! I picked up Joni Mitchell’s 1971 album Blue from a small, newly opened music shop in Brunswick that had beautiful vintage gear on the walls. Blue is a classic album depicting perfectly that late 1960s early 70s folk sound. After Mitchell had split with David Crosby she left on a trip to Europe where she wrote a lot of the songs on Blue. The album begins with the upbeat, sunny sounding All I Want and continues on to My Old Man, flowing beautifully. Blue explores different aspects of relationships, the hard times and the good times and is very well rounded. Still celebrated as one of the pinnacle albums of the time, every household should have a copy of Joni Mitchell’s Blue!
Belle & Sebastian Woods
With Light and With Love, 2014 When it comes to hard working bands, Woods are somewhere at the top of the list. They run a record label, Woodsist, that has been responsible for releases by bands like Real Estate, The Babies, Kurt Vile, Kevin Morby and Alex Bleeker & the Freaks and host a yearly 2 day festival in Big Sur. On top of all this, they tour extensively and have released seven albums in eight years: the most recent With Light and With Love. Released in April this year With Light and With Love has the same folky-pop sound that Woods are known and loved for but executed with a level of sophistication missing from earlier releases. Jeremy Earl sings his words with an unmistakeable high pitch while drummer Aaron Nevue really shines through. With Light And With Love kicks off with a sweet folky tune Shepherd that tells the tale of a breakup and unlike other breakup stories, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. The title track from the album is an epic nine minute journey with a psychedelic vibe. It’s the kind of song that has you on the edge of your seat to find out happens next. Released on Woods’ label, With Light and With Love can be found on their website on CD, cassette and of course vinyl.
Joni Mitchell Blue, 1971
One mans trash is another mans treasure, or something like
Tigermilk, 1996
I’d been looking on eBay and other online sites for a copy of Belle & Sebastian’s first record, Tigermilk, for some time so when I stumbled across an import in a shop I had to snap it up. This is my favourite Belle & Sebastian album. Easily. Tigermilk is filled with catchy pop tunes that are oh so cynical (my favourite kind of pop tune). After Stuart Murdoch was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome he left his career as a boxer and began song writing. While coming to terms with his illness he recruited bass player Stuart David and then it wasn’t long until they started performing with a full band under the name Belle & Sebastian. Murdoch is a brilliant storyteller and he certainly has a way with words. The mood for Tigermilk is set right from the start with a pessimistic tale in The State I Am In and follows through with even more impressive stories in Expectations and She’s Losing It. Originally released on Stow College label, Electric Honey, only 1000 copies were pressed in 1996 then reissued through Jeepster in 1999. For me this album couples clever pop music and ironic stories perfectly and I am so glad to have found it! Standout tracks for me are You’re Just A Baby, The State I Am In and I Don’t Love Anyone. Gina Martin
HANGIN’ 5 WITH TAYLOR After years of an international troubadour lifestyle, David Taylor has returned home to the Gold Coast and formed what he describes as a heavy folk monster band. He’s joined forces with Nick Stewart and Geoff Green from ARIA award winning band George. With Crick Boue on bass and gifted multi-instrumentalist Scott French also on board, Taylor has honed his sound and style and offers a uniquely theatrical live performance. Here he hangs 5 with Blank, ahead of his show at Miami Marketta. Tell us about the best gig you’ve ever played? For the release of our debut album Warmer we toured with a string quartet that lay such a cosy blanket over our sound. We had Dave McCormack (Custard) opening for us and revving up the crowds. The Gold Coast show at The Arts Centre was definitely the best. Capacity crowd, great sound and the band was on fire. If you could give one piece of advice to a large group of people, what would it be? Music is not a competition, nor should it be portrayed as one. Television shows that are shaping this perception of music to the younger generation should come with labels like tobacco products. If it’s music that turns you on, grab a gig guide. What are your thoughts on the GC music scene? I love it! It’s amazing and full of wonderful characters and don’t let anyone tell you differently. Don’t get me wrong, a few more venues would be great, and it can be hard to draw people out sometimes. But there are truly inspiring artists, venues, organisers and music appreciators that keep this city rolling. What’s your most vivid musical memory? My Uncle was the singer for The Screaming Tribesmen that were this huge cult Brisbane band in the late 80s. Early on when they started and played our local venue I was just a kid. I climbed on the roof and could see and hear them playing through the huge fan vents. It was electrifying and made we want to be a singer. What’s the one piece of advice you’d give an aspiring musician? Music is such a unique journey for everyone… so no advice. Just a little passing smile of recognition and encouragement. It can be so powerful. www.blankgc.com.au
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gig reviews ELLIE GOULDING + BROODS Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre | 5 June Kiwi brother and sister act BROODS supported Ellie Goulding on her Halcyon Days Australia tour and were a superb choice to open each gig. Frontwoman Georgia Nott was impressive on stage, dancing and moving around with skill and experience beyond her years. The music Georgia and her brother Caleb Nott produce is similar in genre to headliner Ellie Goulding’s compositions and this excited the crowd far more than any other act could have. BROODS played their hit Bridges and got the crowd moving before exiting the stage to clear the way for Goulding. Ellie Goulding was spectacular. Her stage presence held the audience captivated from start to finish while she weaved through songs off her 2012 LP Halcyon. The crowd had songs they expected to hear live and Goulding delivered, playing hits like I Need Your Love, her biggest hit with collaborator Calvin Harris, Explosions and opening her set with Figure 8. Not all songs Goulding played were expected however. A cover of Elton John’s classic Your Song entranced the crowd while Goulding soared with beautiful high notes and emotive lows, bringing an amazing sound to a favourite. Goulding’s backing band was impressive, a tight knit group of musicians with a strong rhythm section and a guitarist who has toured with her for many years. Goulding danced around the stage as she played an extensive set and the crowd fed off the mood she set. Goulding previously played a rainy set at Future Music Festival’s Brisbane leg where she battled with howling winds and a heavy downpour, risking her equipment. Goulding had none of this to worry about at Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre and fans were well satisfied as Ellie Goulding played her last songs in a captivating encore. Kyle Butcher
MOVEMENT + TINCTURE
UNDERWOOD MAYNE
Black Bear Lodge, Brisbane | 5 June
The Loft | 14 June
Tincture has slipped under my radar and just thinking about that time wasted not listening to Tincture makes me sad. This is an artist full of Chet Fakery potential but with an undercurrent of darkness. Better known as Luke Dalton to some, the young Brisbane local opened up the Black Bear Lodge in a loud and inter-dimensional manner. The pulsating synths and choppy vocal cues continued to build and throb making simple conversation with fellow gig-goes a chore. The Tincture live experience resulted in something I only thought I’d see at a Fuck Buttons show. Impressive.
There is an undefinable air about Underwood Mayne that draws the eye while they are setting up to perform. You find yourself wondering if you’ve seen them play before at another venue, or if you’ve met one of the members at a random gig. However as soon as those first raucous riffs come tearing out of the sound system, you realise what it was that seemed so familiar about them. They have genuine star quality.
The night’s main attraction then took the stage. Hailing from Sydney, Movement infuse everything R&B with those most intense of Jamie xx remix moments. There was an incredible buzz in the venue. This is a band with only one EP in their repertoire but with the daunting task of filling an hour slot. The trio set the mood instantly with droning electronics and ambient lighting. Only a couple of songs into the set, the Brisbane crowd was treated to the appearance of Ivory, the group’s latest single. If you were to take any moment from this set away, let it be this song. Thumping, calculated beats, claustrophobic aesthetics and guitar solos! Movement went full throttle from then. The frequent use of strobe lighting symbolised the band’s impressive sonic resonance perfectly and didn’t over stay its welcome. Singer Jesse James Ward oozes soul and delivered a powerful performance. Overheard conversations post-gig was related to how sexy soul singers really are. Make no mistake, many fans were swooning over Ward’s hefty vocal range. By the end of the night, Movement were down to one song, Us. A fantastic singalong moment with the band using the off beats to draw out the coda and make those dance moves ever so brisk. This is a band to keep an eye on – Movement have it! While “it” is perhaps a little difficult to define in this context Movement will be Australia’s next biggest export – and perhaps already are with shows in Paris and New York already done and dusted!
Movement @ Black Bear Lodge, Brisbane
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Jake Wilton
I saw people stagger back from the stage once the band started, as though compelled by the sheer wall of sound that is blasting them in the face. Imagine a supergroup made up of members of Jet, Wolfmother and the Rolling Stones. On crack. Chuck in a hard-edged, mid-heavy sound that’s fresh and wholly their own, and you have a set by these talented performers. Of particular note are the juicy tracks “Said Hello” and fresh new single “Flowers Of Stone” The heavily instrumental “Can’t Believe It” takes a psychedelic journey from hard hitting blues rock through to angsty grunge tones towards the end. This is a group that knows how to grab you by the hair and hang on. The driving melodies and shrieking keys of Euan Lovell are perfectly balanced by the groovy precision of bass player Michael De Salvo, who is so laid back he looks like he is jamming along with a funky Parliament record in his lounge room. The chaos was carried by thundering drums that hit at the very core. Lead singer and guitarist Sam Wylie does his best to shred both his vocal chords and guitar strings during the course of the tightly controlled chaos that is their 45 minute set. I swear I saw sparks fly from his ring clad fingers as his classic axe screams through the authentic, high octane riffs that Underwood Mayne are so well known for. One can’t help but wonder where all the band members, at the tender ages of 23 and 24, attained their rock pedigrees. The boys bang out one vintage, blues-inspired rock tune after another without the first sign of fading. Quite the opposite in fact: through the course of the set the room fills with an electric energy that sees even the most jaded rock
Movement @ Black Bear Lodge, Brisbane
stalwarts in the crowd tapping a foot or nodding along in time to the band’s cow bell spell. Rock zombies, dancing to the tune of their gods. Underwood Mayne doesn’t so much perform their music as become possessed by it, dragging the audience along with them every step of the way. Keep up with their journey either through their facebook page or website. A single launch is coming soon, and you’ll want to know about it, believe me. Natalie O’Driscoll
THE SUPERSUCKERS The Zoo, Fortitude Valley | 19 June ‘Grab a drink and chug a lug, have some sex and take some drugs’ – The Supersuckers: Rock Your Ass. So goes the manifesto of intent blazoned across the back of one of the Supersuckers tour t-shirts on sale at tonight’s show. The hard rocking and harder living Tuscan, Arizona four piece are in town on the back of their latest record Get The Hell, another high water mark in their sordid 25 year career of rock and roll debauchery. And tonight the band well and truly live up to their self-proclaimed billing of ‘the greatest rock and roll band in the world’ with a blazing set of riff perfect, high octane, flat out rock and roll. This is a band in no way shy about embracing all aspects of rock and roll mythology, from sunglasses at night (no Corey Hart covers thankfully!) to rock god posturing and guitar worship through to devil horns, middle fingers and then some… it’s loud, sweaty, over the top and a whole heap of fun, just the way killer rock and roll should be!! The band deliver their sizzling set in bite size chunks of around five songs back to back, stopping briefly to recharge, deliver wry and dry sermons on the redemptive powers of rock and vice, and in the case of suavely 70’s channeling guitarist Dan ‘Thunder’ Bolton, pulling a comb from his back pocket to slick back his hair. Following an opening salvo of largely newer material
Underwood Mayne @ The Loft
including Get The Hell and High Tonight, the band are suitably warmed up to deliver a wallop of crowd pleasers in the shape of 90’s riff-tastic classics such as Bad Bad Bad and Creepy Jackalope Eye. Throughout their whizz-bang set band leader Eddie Spaghetti performs his role as rock and roll preacher with authentic aplomb, while at the same time channeling his inner-Lemmy masterfully on the bass.
Next up we’re treated to the attitudinal stumble and rumble of Northern NSW scuzz-punkers Raygun Mortlock. Channeling the primal ooze of Amphetamine Reptiles(s) and the ugly, hateful Australian 80’s underground, the band deliver an impressively acerbic set of yob-punk venom, with the drop dead funny ruminations of lead singer James Doyle a particular highlight.
Dispensing with the usual encore routine, the band remain onstage to deliver their final salvo for the evening in the form of crowd pleaser Pretty Fucked Up, a tough and reverent cover of AC/DC classic Rock And Rolll Singer, before going out in a blaze of righteous glory with their 90’s anthem Born With A Tail, complete with raised middle finger crowd participation.
Brisbane rock and roll uber-lords HITS then hammer the point home with an incendiary set of blazingly unhinged glory, in line with their lofty status as one of Brisbane’s finest rock and roll acts since The Saints! Rock and roll survivor, the ever entertaining ‘Evil Dick’ is in fine fettle out front, twisting, grimacing, cajoling, staring, sermonizing and even standing on his head as his crack support crew, including the twin guitar onslaught of Tamara Dawn and Stacey Coleman, ignite and burn….a thrilling white knuckle-ride of a set!
But there is no rest in sight yet for the wicked, with a sweat drenched Spaghetti heading over to the merchandise desk to press the flesh and regale a whole bunch of exhilarated Suersucker’ites. All hail the Evil Powers of Rock and Roll!! Anthony Gebhardt
THE HARD ONS, HITS, RAYGUN MORTLOCK, LOUD GOES BANG The Coolangatta Hotel | 20 June There’s a strong whiff of beer sodden nostalgia in the air tonight as the Cooly Hotel plays host to the return of legendary Aussie punk rock institutions the Hard Ons, reconvening with all original members present to play a selection of classic tracks from their ‘golden’ period of 1984 to 1993. Tonight’s opening act, Gold Coasters Loud Goes Bang, bill themselves as ‘punk rock played by guys with bad backs and stiff knees.’ As is befitting of their pedigree across the local punk rock landscape in various guises across a number of years, these self-deprecating (relatively) elder statesmen get proceedings off to an explosive start with a riff-tastic set of melodically tinged classic punk rock. Loud AND bangin’, they well and truly hold their own as part of tonight’s bumper bill.
And that leaves tonight’s headliners, the indomitable Hard Ons, delivering their uniquely addictive recipe of three quarters melodically charged punk/garage/power pop anthems, mixed with a liberal dose of agit thrash-punk spikiness. Tonight sees the band in four piece mode, with the return of original singer and drummer Keish De Silva, this time seamlessly assuming upfront vocal duties. Staying true to their legacy it doesn’t take most of the band long to strip down to shirtless mode. Frenetic bass player Ray Ahn busts out plenty of his trademark rock and roll poses and faces, guitarist Peter ‘Blackie’ Black shreds impeccably with his fluidly furious guitar moves and drummer Murray Ruse is a veritable powerhouse throughout. Melodically charged, youth-body explosions abound; The Girl in the Sweater, She’s A Dish, Just Being With You, Don’t Wanna See You Cry, Yuppies Suck…hell the whole set blurs by as one adrenaline packed highlights reel! Throughout the room the old-school centric crowd embrace proceedings with gusto, growing old (dis)gracefully, just like it was 1991 all over again… Two encores are barely enough to satiate. It’s great to see Keish get behind the drum kit for a number, singing and bashing out Where Did She Come From without missing a beat. On and On gets a rare live airing before the band go out
The Hard Ons @ The Coolangatta Hotel
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with legendary show-ender Suck and Swallow, which ebbs, flows and is jammed out to an epically cosmic conclusion to bring down the curtain on a feel-good reprisal of past glories, demonstrating just why the Hard Ons continue to be one of this country’s finest and most respected punk rock icons. Anthony Gebhardt
not to translate through the speakers and into the audience. The band is currently on their NZ leg of the tour, so if you’re lucky enough to be heading over that way make sure you catch them! Christie Ots
KATCHAFIRE
THE AUDREYS AND BRENDAN GALLAGHER
Rabbit + Cocoon | 22 June
Soundlounge | 20 June
A completely sold out Rabbit & Cocoon greeted New Zealand’s Katchafire when then played on the Gold Coast recently. The line of eagerly awaiting bodies stretched out early, with everyone trembling with excitement to see the seven-piece reggae band.
Taasha Coates and Tristan Goodall, the singer/songwriters who are the heartbeat of alt-folk, blues and indie rock group The Audreys have been making music together for many years and have the sort of professional simpatico that one rarely comes across.
The afternoon kicked off with local lads The High Grade. The six-piece brought their trademark style of good vibes, groovy bass lines and punchy lyrics. Covering Marvin Gaye’s Let’s Get It On saw the crowd swaying and singing along and the band brought a beautiful energy to the stage. Lead vocalist Andrew Russo played off the other band members and kept everyone smiling as the sun set.
Theirs is a relationship that has yielded some of the most memorable records of the past decade beginning with 2006’s Between Last Night and Us before continuing on to 2008’s When the Flood Comes and 2010’s Sometimes the Stars.
The second act of the day was a surprising DJ act named Switch Craft. While this may not have been what I expected at a reggae-centric night, Switch Craft melding right into the groove. The transition between pieces was excellent and the high tempo kept people excited to see the main act. As the crowd began to get restless and called out for Katchafire to take to the stage, the band trooped on to applause. With a burning introduction and a screaming audience the band launched straight into things. Intertwining high energy beats with a mellow crew as the guys played You’re Dreaming there wasn’t a still figure to be seen. At one point Logan Bell, one of the lead vocalist’s pulled his brother Jordan Bell out from behind the drums and into the spotlight to sing a song. These guys have so much fun on the stage that it would be impossible for this
The Hard Ons @ The Coolangatta Hotel
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Along the way they’ve won back-to-back ARIAs for each of those records and have now released their boldest and most experimental to date – the admirably bombastic and blues-suffused ‘Til My Tears Roll Away. It is, in many ways, a musical departure for the group. Hitherto known for music that skilfully blends alt-country with alt-folk while throwing in the occasional dose of down-and-dirty rock-and-roll, ‘Til My Tears Roll Away is altogether another beast – an unashamedly full-bodied record, boasting a full-band sound to deliver songs that embody a darker, grittier aesthetic than their previous works. Striding onstage after a sadly underappreciated and wonderful opening set from troubadour Brendan Gallagher, the hugely talented frontman of Karma County and sometime solo artist, The Audreys were in fine form, launching into the bracing back-and-forth sway and stagger of “Darlin’ Girl.”
The Audreys @ Soundlounge
From there, they did something that few artists do nowadays – they played ‘Til The Tears Roll Away in its entirety, steamrolling through the brilliant record with consummate professionalism and extraordinary passion. Just as Tristan’s musicianship is integral to the success of The Audreys, so too is Coates’ voice, an instrument of enviable range and beauty; like fellow alt-country chanteuse Neko Case, Coates has one of the most versatile, crystalline and emotive voices in contemporary music and to hear her sing live is nothing less than emotionally stirring. Coates and Goodall were joined onstage by a crack band comprising electric guitar virtuoso Shane O’Mara, drummer Ben Weisner and bassist Rick Plant, each of whom made contributions that highlighted the instrumental fullness and poetic lyrics of each song on ‘Til The Tears Roll Away, expertly fleshing out each song to replicate the sounds of the studio recordings. The evening was capped off with a handful of favourites drawn from their first three albums and requested by fans via the band’s Facebook page – “Oh Honey” and “You and Steve McQueen” had the crowd loudly wolf-whistling and clapping loudly. There was also “Nothing Wrong With Me,” the sensual rocker “Lay Me Down” and low-fi “Sometimes The Stars.” These were followed by a faithful, stripped back rendition of Bob Dylan’s seminal “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall” that placed Coates’ vocals front and centre and then led into an aching cover of INXS’ “Don’t Change.” At that moment, as Coates and Goodall occasionally leaned in to share a microphone, the band’s music bolstering their voices, there could be no denying the audience was bearing witness to something special – on record, The Audreys are one of the finest bands Australia has ever produced and their stirring, memorable and impassioned live performances only further reinforce that. ‘Til The Tears Roll Away is available now through ABC Music and Universal Australia. Heidi Maier
The Audreys @ Soundlounge
MAINTAINING MYSTIQUE: LITTLE KNOWN LIVES OF KILLER WHALES Few people know it, but killer whales live in Gold Coast waters. They are one of the most poorly understood marine mammals in Australia, particularly in Queensland, which is why the Australian Orca Database (AOD) is trying to develop a higher profile for them. Since 2000, cetacean researcher David Donnelly has struggled to engage more community groups, fishermen and charter operators in the Sunshine State to contribute to the AOD citizen science program, but orcas have such a small media profile they are largely ignored.
This killer whale was sighted travelling in a pod off Coolangatta in August 2009. The most recent sighting was this month off South Straddie. Australian Orca Database is looking for fishermen and charter boats to keep an eye on orcas on the Gold Coast. Photo supplied and copyright of Coolangatta Whale Watch
This photo of female killer whale Split Fin was taken in Eden, NSW. She is easily identified because of the split in her fin from a boat strike. Killer whales have strong pod fidelity and Split Fin has been sighted with the same male since 1996. Image by Scott Sheehan, under permit ©scottsheehan.com.au
“We don’t know much about Australia’s top level predator,” Donnelly says, and when he says “top level” he means killer whales feed on white sharks. The problem with not having enough information about the whales, which are not actually whales but the largest of the dolphin species, is that they can’t get an accurate conservation status – they are rated as data deficient. “Our belief is it’s likely that killer whales are not in large numbers in Australian waters and it’s only through analysis of existing data we can find out what the population status might be.” “Only then can we give them an accurate conservation rating,” the marine researcher says. He says a community science initiative is the way to go to collect photos and sighting information. “They are very difficult to research in the field because they are hard to find as there are no known places where they congregate.” The data AOD has collected on killer whales since it started in 1994 in Antarctic’s Macquarie Island is just the tip of the iceberg. Surveys by the Australian Antarctic Division see lots of killer whales in the Southern Ocean, but that data belongs to the Australian government, so “any sightings in Queensland are worth their weight in gold” for Donnelly. The last sighting in Queensland was only a few days ago, around 13 June at South Stradbroke Island. Queensland has a small AOD network including the University of Queensland Cetacean Ecology and Acoustic Laboratory, the Parks and Wildlife Service that came to the aid of the mass stranding of orcas at Hervey Bay last year, and teams at Stradbroke Island and Peregian Beach. Killer whales are extremely intelligent and their behaviour reflects this.
They hunt cooperatively making them more successful than white sharks, but alpha males often don’t participate in the hunts though they share in the kill.
One sighting recorded the distinctive orca matriarch 970km away from the previous sighting 16 days earlier, clear evidence that orcas migrate great distances.
They take fish from fishermen, particularly long lines and leave the hooks. Called depredation, it’s a common problem in Tasmania, New Zealand and New South Wales.
“There has never been an orca attack on a human being in the wild. They are very rarely curious and a little standoffish,” Donnelly says.
They’re very good at sharing information, so the sound of a long line pulley system is like a dinner bell for killer whales, Donnelly says.
Capable of speeds of 20kph, Donnelly says they throw up an impressive amount of white water.
The pods are matriarchal led by a female and they have a very high pod fidelity. “We know one female who has been with the same male since 1996,” he says. Her name is Split Fin because her fin was split by a boat strike. She has been seen in groups of six to 15, but as pods can communicate long distances the groups can be very spread out, unlike dolphins.
Incredible animals and yet not until two years ago was there any dedicated research. Donnelly says analysis of the data is very time consuming so funding is needed, but worth it to know more about these little known cetaceans. Call in a sighting 0401 01 1022 or visit ozorcas.com for more info. Mic Smith
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The new Gold Coast Draft City Plan has been coined a “skeleton plan” because it doesn’t differentiate between unique areas, such as Burleigh pictured in the foreground and Surfers Paradise in the background. Photo by Mic Smith
CITY ‘SKELETON’ PLAN SCRAPS PROTECTION OF LOCAL AREAS Conservationists have criticised the Gold Coast City Council for removing local area checks and balances following the recent release of the draft City Plan 2015. There are fears the new planning scheme will put the unique local character at risk, slashing protection of local areas, leaving a ‘skeleton’ of a plan. Local areas will no longer boast special design rules to protect their distinctive character. Conservationists say local area plans are necessary to deliver sustainable development, protect landscape and wildlife corridors, allow for businesses to set up and grow, and to support infrastructure such as roads and transport. The document, guiding the way new development occurs on the Gold Coast for the next decade, went to public consultation Tuesday 17 June. The Council has settled on the line “Building our city, enhancing our lifestyle” and public comments are due 29 July. The plan has been canvassed by Mayor Tom Tate as a means to have the city open for business by freeing up red tape. There are no local area plans within the new document, only zones to organise areas for preferred or acceptable land uses. Residential density and height restrictions are considered, but some have raised concerns about areas losing their distinctive character without scrupulous design rules for the city’s diverse surroundings. There’s no doubt the Gold Coast needs to invest in its future, but many are worried by the plan’s projected 320,000 extra residents by 2035. Local conservationists say the ‘one size fits all’ approach won’t protect the local character of areas of particular importance such as Burleigh, The Spit and Currumbin Hill. The document omits 30 existing local area 24
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plans, with Mudgeeraba being the only plan included for Australia’s second most populous local government area. Former town planner and spokesperson for Gecko - Gold Coast & Hinterland Environment Council, Brian Feeney is heavily involved in researching the new planning scheme, and wants the integrity of local area plans retained. He says the plans have been fine-tuned over time in response to local concerns, including the development of Currumbin’s headland. Mr Feeney says area plans help identify locations where regeneration needs to happen as well as the protection of wildlife corridors. He says local variations need to be taken into account as they offer a level of detail necessary given the size of the city. “It’s impossible to have rules that are appropriate in every local area because a building of eight stories might be quite okay in one location, but completely out of character in another,” Mr Feeney said. “They also make it easier for people to take safe pedestrian routes that are not in conflict with traffic,” he said. Mr Feeney is sceptical of the council’s public consultation, and says it would take a substantial number of submissions to reinstate local area plans. “The opportunity for people outside that group to have an input was filtered by the local council. Traditionally these public consultations, that are required under legislation, were about correcting any small-scale errors that have been made, so it’s quite unlikely there will be big changes to come out of this public consultation,” he said.
“The advisory group set up by the mayor had very narrow representation, mostly from people from the development industry, planners and architects – so it was very much an insiders advisory group.” Councillor for Division 12, Greg Betts says the issue of community engagement is something he has not personally heard. Cr Betts is Chairman of the sub-committee charged with delivery of the draft, who also holds a master’s degree in town planning. “Council has been very open about the development of the plan and all the committee meetings have been held in open session. There has been an ongoing openness to the media about the development of the plan and we have kept all updates live on our website for all to see,” Cr Betts said. “This is in stark contrast to our local government neighbours in Logan City and Redland who did not release any information about their plans until the official public notification period,” he said. He says the ‘skeleton plan’ terminology is almost accurate given the time constraints, but says it’s probably being put across in a negative light. “We call it a base plan, because we know that there’s a lot more to be done - we can make exceptions, without having to maintain the full local area plans constructed. Rather than doing a full local area plan we’ve put a precinct [plan] over the top of the zones. We can make exceptions, without having to maintain the full local area plans constructed, to address those concerns,” he said.
they should certainly bring that forward in a submission. We’re expecting those sorts of issues along with a range of other issues to be raised by the public.” Local conservationists are standing by their dissatisfaction, recognising the need for local planning across the Gold Coast’s large area. The investment by the former council and local communities to nurture special design guidelines that balance economic, environmental and social objectives is still at risk of being lost. In contrast to the Gold Coast, Brisbane’s 61 local area plans have been outlined in their new city plan. Local resident and conservationist Sheila Davis says there is not enough ‘meat’ in the new City Plan 2015 and explains the wording is significantly weaker. “There will be less opportunity to reject development because the State Government has gutted the Nature Conservation Act and the Vegetation Management Act,” Ms Davis said. “The local area plans were essential, they were consulted upon, and now that community consultation has gone out the window, they’ll say the constraint maps are still going to be there, but they won’t be if a developer challenges them,” she said. “The new city plan is like the emperor’s new clothes – there’s nothing really there that will protect our communities and our environment.”
CLIMATE SALVATION BY POWERPOINT 500 people from 32 countries gathered in Melbourne last week to be trained by Al Gore and some of the world’s leading climate scientists, campaigners, communication and psychology experts. Samantha Morris was one of those selected for the Climate Reality Leadership program. She shares five things she learned that will help you navigate the climate change maze. 1.
Division 14 Councillor Chris Robbins says the planning scheme has been designed to open the city up for business. “There’s a focus on cutting through red tape and simplifying planning application processes, making it cheaper and more efficient for developers,” Ms Robbins said. “We’re expecting to get quite a few thousand submissions as people go and have a look at the plan and see what the impacts are on their own properties,” she said.
2.
Central Chamber of Commerce Vice President Boyd Sargeant says the Council needs to be commended for its planning scheme which supports key infrastructure.
There is no denying the science. Scientists agree that climate change is already happening and that humans are the cause. Because most ‘debates’ have one person speaking about climate change and one denying its existence, this gives the viewer or reader the sense that there’s a 50/50 divide. There’s not. There is only one way to have a statistically valid debate about climate change and that involves having three people explain why they don’t believe in climate change, and 97 people explaining the science. As John Oliver says, polling people as to whether they believe in climate change or not is like having a poll that asks “are there hats?”
Pictured L - R: Geoff O’Connell, Jeanette Peterson, Melanie Brennan, Samantha Morris and James Kewes.
had predicted. The cost of electricity from photovoltaic, or PV, solar cells is now equal to or less than the cost of electricity from other sources powering electric grids in at least 79 countries. By 2020 more than 80 percent of the world’s people will live in regions where solar will be competitive with electricity from other sources.” So says Al Gore in a recent story he penned for Rolling Stone. And if Australian data is anything to go by, he’s on the money. Between 2011 and 2013, rooftop solar capacity more than doubled and there are more than 1.1 million rooftop PV systems across the country. 4.
What shits climate scientists the most? I think Professor Andrew Pitman, Director of the Australian Research Council’s Centre of Excellence for Climate System Science says it best.
“I have a theory about global warming and why people think it’s real. Go back 30, 40 years when there was much less air conditioning in the country. When you didn’t have air conditioning and you left the house, it may in fact have gotten a little cooler out there, because sometimes houses become hot boxes. Especially if you’re on the second or third floor of a house in the summer time and all you’ve got is open windows and maybe a window fan. Or you have some servant standing there fanning you with a piece of paper. Now, 30, 40 years later, all this air conditioning, and it’s a huge difference when you go outside. When you go outside now, my golly, is it hot.”
“Many people who would not dream to claim they understand how antibiotics, microprocessors or immunisations work seem happy to wax lyrical on their views on climate change.
“I think the best aspect of the Gold Coast is that it’s a growing city. New people are bringing along new ideas and it’s impacting on how dynamic the city is,” Mr Sargeant said.
A politician or media identity who would be laughed out of office if they said “vaccines don’t work” or “I am certain the moon is made of cheese” happily speak equivalent rubbish on climate science, believing their views deserve credit.
“The Gold Coast is characterised by its iconic high rises, which build upon the existing character of the area,” he said. Shani Ishigaki
I want engineers to build bridges; I want a trained surgeon to operate on hearts and I want some of our decision-makers and commentators to either shut up, or familiarise themselves with climate science well enough to talk sense.”
Have your say and lodge a submission by 29 July at goldcoast.qld.gov.au
3.
There is good news though. And it comes from the sun. “Our ability to convert sunshine into usable energy has become much cheaper far more rapidly than anyone
We need serious political will to address global warming and halt emissions before it’s too late. Rush Limbaugh probably doesn’t provide the best example of strong political will, or even a basic understanding of science. Or cohesive thought.
Wait what did you say Rush? You’ll have to speak up. I can’t hear you over the weight of scientific evidence. 5.
I have more good news though. There are now 6 climate reality leaders right here on the Gold Coast equipped to fight the good fight one Powerpoint presentation at a time. You’ve heard of death by Powerpoint. What about salvation by Powerpoint? Since 2007, one in 60 Australians have seen a Climate Reality Presentation. You can book a free presentation www.blankgc.com.au
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GOLDTOAST SUPPER CLUB goldtoast.supperclub@gmail.com We’re embarking on an adventure: an evening dining in the house of a stranger, meeting people unknown, bound together by time, place and one other thing: a common interest in food. This is the Goldtoast Supper Club. Tonight’s theme is ‘Rustic Italian’. It’s not the first time we’ve tasted Bree’s food, so we’re anticipating a night of pleasure, and delighted to meet others who share our passion for good food. Bree Denman has told me previously that she began the dining club at the beginning of 2012 as a way to pursue her culinary passion through an alternative route. Each month or so she holds a small popup function based around a theme. It may be a picnic, a Mexican cantina dinner, a slowcooked feast, a Bunch of Flowers, Burgers, Beer & Bingo or a Parisian brunch! After the date, theme and venue are decided, the event is opened to all comers, with a set donation price given to offset the costs. Close to the event, the venue is disclosed via email to the guests. “We’re putting on a five course Italian feast with dishes from all over Italy, including Milan, Capri, the Piacenza Valley & Sicily. You will start the night with a complimentary cocktail and meet your fellow dinner guests over a shared antipasto platter. Once seated, the meal will continue with a handmade ravioli entrée, a Caprese Salata for the salad course and a traditional Milanese main. The night will end with a classic Italian dessert... coffee and tea.” We begin on the verandah with Sgroppino (a limoncello and champagne cocktail) and work on deconstructing a fabulous still life antipasti: Affettato Piacentino ( a spread of anchovy butter made with Pepe Saya, salami and prosciutto), Giardiniera, Peccorino Romana cheese and piquant Sicilian olives accompanied by Gnocco Fritto (fried bread). It’s surprising how easy it is to talk to people over food when you’ve taken the leap of faith to enjoy their company! When we move to the communal table for the next few courses, the atmosphere is already warming. So, when the entrée arrives, generous hats of ricotta-filled beetroot ravioli, comments
abound: ‘Isn’t the colour amazing’, ‘Have you ever made a sage and burned butter sauce like this?’ The sauce is subtle, the nutty flavours of sage gently dousing the ravioli. It’s simply a delicious dish. A Caprese salad of heirloom tomatoes, basil and baby gnocchi cleanses the palate in preparation for the main course: a generous rustic serve of Osso Bucco, served on top of a Risotto alla Milanese (risotto with parmesan and saffron), with Gremolata. Tiramisu and coffee complete our evening. Satiated, we’re already looking forward to the next adventure. Unsurprisingly, dining in a home makes a difference to the experience. It’s more quirky than a restaurant, and far less formal. We chat about travel adventures, where we’ve tasted dishes such as these, swap dining experiences and even delve lightly into other interests. The evening’s BYO, there are no food choices to be made, no decisions hemmed in by cost or bill-splitting, no uncomfortable food envy moments, just a convivial intimate dinner party with Bree as chef and her sister Lily our smiling ever-present waitress. We thoroughly enjoyed our evening. It’s the dinner party we’d love to give, but don’t; a great way to be more adventurous with food choices, meet new friends and step into the unknown, all rolled up into one. If you see dining as an ‘omnivorous’ experience, a cultural learning event, whether you are travelling overseas or within our own country, then this is a journey worth embarking on. Be brave! Cast off, and join us! Marj Osborne Read more of Marj’s reviews at foodgoldcoast.com.au
PERCY’S CORNER 45 Nerang St, Southport Thank God we’ve reached an age where ‘everything old is new again!’ Live long enough and you’ll have hallowed places to cherish: the ballroom on top of a hill where you danced the night away, a Spanish fronted church where you were married, a hotel where you first heard the blues or one of the greats Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, or Louis Armstrong. There’s an affection we hold for special places, and when they are plundered our hearts break a little.
On an early morning in 1979 a sword was thrust through the heart of every Queenslander with a sense of history. The 1880s built Bellevue Hotel was razed to the ground as the city slept. Three years later it was Cloudland that fell; in 1999 our own Spanish Mission style Infant Saviour Catholic Church in Burleigh. Perhaps we learned something from this. Today, we seem to be trying harder to keep our heritage intact, treasuring both our memories and their physical keepsakes. On the Gold Coast, one of our best is the Old Ambulance station in Southport. Its most famous ambulance officer Percy Raby, oversaw the construction of the building in 1919. He married, moved in upstairs, raising a family and worked there for more than 30 years. Percy was renowned for his kindness, enthusiastic service and the efficiency with which he ran the service. “…he gives in service far more than he could ever be paid…” The Queenslander said of him in 1935. With no hospital in the area, the ambulance service covered an area from Coomera to Burleigh. We can only imagine the medical emergencies he must have encountered in the burgeoning coastal community, and how many people he helped! Lovingly restored in 2002 by John Howe, the Old Ambulance Station now houses ‘Co Spaces’, a cooperative tenanted workplace. At the front of the building, where Percy Raby once served locals in the clinic room, the tiny espresso bar Percy’s Corner provides a different sort of service. Opened by Sara Eagles and her (soon to be) husband Liam Howe, Percy’s is quickly gaining a reputation as one of the best brews in Southport. “We grew up on the Coast and were connected to the building through family. Returning from Sydney, the opportunity arose to open here. We’ve always loved coffee and wanted to open a place that brought fabulous coffee to Southport,” Sara told me. There’s thought gone into the decor, the doors specially made to match the building, original floors restored to their former glory and vintageitems added to complement the refit. Percy’s is a haven of the converted; specialty coffee drinkers, that is. There’s no disputing the quality of the beans, single origin Kenyan, Sumatran and Costa Rican, but the choice remains: ‘How would you like your coffee prepared?’ With beans sourced from Single Origin Roasters, you can choose espresso, siphon, cold drip or pour over. Coffee’s priced at the standard $3.50 to $5.00, however the level of service more than pays its way. It’s a time intensive, loving celebration of the bean! My short black ‘pour over’ is undertaken with scientific precision. The extraction of the brew at approximately 200 degrees takes the best full floral tones from the beans, leaving any fat and bitterness in the grounds.
Goldtoast Supper Club
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Percy’s Corner @ Southport
I find it hard to tear my eyes away from Barista AJ’s intriguing moustache, but when I do, I see that he’s brought out the scales, weighed the exact amount of coffee, and begun the pour. I soon find out that I’ve been making my pour over incorrectly, dumping the whole amount of boiling water into the filter, too hasty to allow the coffee to ‘bloom’!
AJ pours slowly around and around the cone, wetting the beans, stopping partway as if at a given signal from the scales, before finishing off the pour.
NO NAME LANE
It might seem fussy to some to get precise water temperatures, to weigh the beans and water, to follow this elaborate ritual, but the result is a great cup of coffee! It’s a perfectly balanced brew, the short black showing off the excellence of the beans, a hint of honey and sweet syrupy body. Yes, dear reader, AJ has persuaded me to abandon my usual flat white, if only just this once!
Tucked away in Broadbeach’s Oracle precinct in dappled sunlight lies No Name Lane, a coffee shop that has successfully combined the Melbourne alleyway vibe with Gold Coast’s laid back attitude.
I’m also enjoying a Bagel and lox (smoked salmon, cream cheese, red onion and capers), one of the few bites to eat on the tiny ‘kitchenless’ menu. Baked Egg and bacon cups, loaves and slices, and organic Granuesli could be other choices for a meal on the run. Percy Raby is not just recognised here through the name of the espresso bar, or its fine level of service above and beyond what you pay; there’s also credence given to the heritage of the building and the pieces of history Percy left under the floor. Taking up the lino during the renovation, John found layers of newspaper beneath, no doubt used to provide insulation to the floor. They covered the period from 1944 to 1947, from Percy’s hometown of King’s Lynn in England, as well as local Brisbane and Sydney papers. John had the forethought to retain these treasures, and they can now be read in a bound book in the café, laying bare the differences in social mores, the tidbits of social scandal, as well as now treasured cultural snapshots of a bygone era. I understand the lunch break ‘grab a coffee’ routine, but why not take your time when visiting Percy’s Corner, not just to experiment with your coffee, to check out the vinyls lurking under the table, but also to soak up a bit of history, to look and listen to whispers of those who have gone before. More reading: Southport Heritage Walk: http://heritage.goldcoast.qld.gov. au/uploads/pdf/southport-heritage-walk.pdf Strand, O 2011, ‘Coffee’s slow dance’, New York Times, 9 February, viewed 18 May 2014, http://www.nytimes. com/2011/02/13/magazine/13Food-t-000.html Marj Osborne Read more of Marj’s reviews at foodgoldcoast.com.au
3 Oracle Boulevard, Broadbeach
No Name Lane was recommended to me by a colleague who lives locally and is a regular customer. On the day we stop by the café is busy with locals, like my colleague, and tourists staying in the precinct stopping by to grab a cup on their way to explore our golden shores. The café has a simple and modern interior of wood, exposed brick and contemporary pendant lighting and, whilst relatively small in size, there is a variety of seating options on offer inside and out. No Name Lane use Black Sheep Coffee’s feeling woolly blend in their white coffees, which was sampled in a smooth butter caramel and malt chocolate flavoured piccolo and latte. Both very drinkable with the piccolo having a slightly stronger taste than the latte. For their black coffee the single origin on offer was the Black Sheep Coffee’s Guatemalan Volcan de Oro, an espresso which had an intriguing flavour of black cherry and spice, mellow to taste, but with a tinge of citrus that lingers on the palate. Lastly, even though it was a cool day, I had to try their cold drip which is made with 3rd Crack Coffee Brokerage’s three bean blend. This is one of the best cold drip coffees I have tried, with an aroma like mulled wine with flavours of black currant and a hint of lemon peel. Delightfully sweet without any added sugar, I believe this little beverage would be the bee’s knees on a hot summer day. Whilst I didn’t get a chance on this visit, No Name Lane also makes a filtered coffee on the 3rd Crack blend, which I am hoping to try in the near future. No Name Lane is open 7 days a week 6.30am to 5.00pm. Whether you are a local or a tourist wandering the streets of Broadbeach, I recommend you make a caffeinated trip down No Name Lane. Catherine Coburn
Independent food reviews of the Gold Coast Bringing you news and behind the scenes information about Gold Coast restaurants and providores www.foodgoldcoast.com.au www.facebook.com/GoodFoodGoldCoast twitter.com/FoodGoldCoast instagram.com/foodgoldcoast pinterest.com/marjoz/restaurants-food-gold-coast/
MORE MUDDY MAYHEM FOR GOLD COAST A military inspired obstacle challenge is set to bring more than muddy mayhem to the Gold Coast with organisers aiming to leave a legacy for Australian families affected by conflict. “I’ve lost five guys on operations that I have been deployed with, and had 32 wounded, including Matt on our last deployment,” said Event Director Adam McNamee, a commando himself. The event in question is True Grit, Australia’s first military inspired obstacle challenge that will hit Mt Tamborine on 12 – 13 July. Designed and operated by former commandos from the Australian Special Forces, the course is 10km in length and will incorporate more than 30 military style obstacles. Adam and Matt Cardinaels have a combined 32 years in the military and are determined to contribute to Legacy and the Commando Welfare Trust. “With our backgrounds in Australian Special Forces, we can bring that real world experience to obstacle racing. Our course at the base of mighty Mt Tamborine incorporates natural terrain and military experiences like no other obstacle course,” said McNamee. “We choose our locations carefully. A lot of obstacle course races are just structures erected on paddocks, we’re about much more than that. We take a course and tailor it to a military style event,” said McNamee. 3000 participants are expected over the course of the weekend with smoke, dizzying heights, undulating terrain, extreme temperatures, and a 10km course challenging the toughest competitors.
More information at truegrit.com.au. Percy’s Corner @ Southport
Addict Espresso @ Board Culture, Mermaid Beach
Samantha Morris www.blankgc.com.au
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LAUGH YOUR PANTS OFF Jupiters Casino, Gold Coast | 6 June Laugh Your Pants Off brings some of the best Australian comedians to the same stage in a night of side-splitting laughter. This is the fourth installation of the Jupiters Casino event.
SALTWATER COUNTRY ON SHOW The work of 16 Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists will be exhibited on the Gold Coast before touring the country and internationally. The exhibition aims to capture the cultural and creative experiences of artists as they reclaim their histories, investigate their pasts and establish new ways of caring for Country and community through their artistic practices. The exhibition will call the Arts Centre Gold Coast home from 19 July to 31 August. Opening day, 19 July from 11.00am You probably have preconceived ideas about art openings. But what if we told you you could arrive at this one by a free boat, participate in pop-up workshops, meet artists who’ve travelled from the Torres Strait, hear from the curators and the CEO of the Australian Council for the Arts? Yes. That’s exactly what we’re telling you. • • •
take a free water shuttle service from Cavill Ave pontoon in Surfers Paradise. Shuttles run 10.30am – 5.30pm. meet Erub Island born artist Ken Thaiday as he hosts a pop up workshop hear from the curators Virginia Rigney and Michael Airf in conversation with a bunch of exhibition artists
Artists featured in Saltwater Country include: Vernon Ah Kee / Daniel Boyd / Michael Cook/ Megan Cope / Erub Erwer Meta / Fiona Foley/ Rosella Namok / Mavis Ngallametta / Laurie Nilsen/ Napolean Oui /Ryan Presley / Brian Robinson/ Ken Thaiday / Alick Tipoti / Ian Waldron / Judy Watson. Young Artist Immersion opportunity In conjunction with the exhibition, The Saltwater Project Young Artist Immersion Day will take place on 20 August. High School students will participate in developing knowledge about Indigenous culture, workshops led by Indigenous artists and real-world discussions about careers in creative industries. Expressions of Interest close 1 August and more information is available from Jodi Ferrari (07) 5581 6567. 28
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REFLECTIONS ON CAMPING
Tom Gleeson led the assortment of comedians ranging from Triple J’s new breakfast co-host Matt Okine to stand up veteran Denise Scott and The Barry award-winner Sammy J and Randy. Even though Denise Scott was one of the headlining comedians she was one of the first to take the stage, warming up the night and setting the standard with her mother jokes and sexually awkward humour. Canadian Marty Putz was an interesting comedian. Instead of arming himself with routines about his kids, friends or sightings in public, he arms himself with custom made props that were never used in the way you would expect. From attempting to shoot a ‘hamster’ through a pipe from the second row to drying off a member of the audience with a toilet roll blower, Putz had the audience in stitches from start to finish. Rusty and Another Guy were a music based duo that changed words to hit songs like a controversial alteration of Tears in Heaven. The use of music in comedy is not unheard of, but the way Rusty and Another Guy engaged the audience was different to the other comedians. Tom Gleeson took the stage and showed what a world touring professional comedian is made of and was excellent. The audience was locked in Tom Gleeson’s hysterical world of laughs and mockery of certain political leaders. Tom Gleeson was truly hilarious, and I heard members of the audience reciting some of his witty one-liners as they left the casino. Sammy J and Randy closed out the night with a mixture of piano oriented comedy and puppet work that explained why this duo won the Australian comedy award, The Barry. They played a song about keeping secrets and moved in and out of the stage on a rotating floor before host of the evening Lindsay Webb came out and gave the crowd a few more laughs and sent them on their way. The night was well received by every attendee and I would expect a fifth instalment of Laugh Your Pants Off to be held sooner rather than later. And you’ll certainly see me there. Kyle Butcher
“But the place which you have selected for your camp, though never so rough and grim, begins at once to have its attractions, and becomes a very centre of civilization to you: ‘Home is home, be it never so homely.’“ The words of Henry David Thoreau, 19th century American poet and naturalist, ring true in this era of technology saturation. We often plan to visit a place for the view – landscapes and seascapes – and take for granted that we can actually be right in the spot most people just look at. And that’s where we appreciate the details of nature: wet grass in the morning, insects that glow in the dark, wild flowers, sea of stars in the sky when it gets dark, sounds of bats and other invisible creatures of the night, even the waters of a billabong. We often travel to get to a destination, why not make the destination a journey as well? One way to accomplish this is to go camping. Camping is the best way to experience Australia and its amazing environment. Whether it’s getting wild and dirty with bush camping - mosquitoes and all, or indulging in a bit of luxury with the new trend of glamour camping, nothing beats sleeping outdoors and experiencing nature in its purest form. Here are some random thoughts about the journey of camping: • if freestyle camping is not an option, caravan parks often have the best locations: by the beach, river, and lake or in a forest. So choose the least busy ones or the ones farthest from the town centres or the “main drag”. • simple eating is made easier because you cook with least additives to your food. Gourmet food is not out of the question though because cooking with less ingredients means you have to be more resourceful and creative. • camping has made our life less distracted: no forced socialising and limited use of gadgets. The people you meet spontaneously seem to have the most interesting things to say anyway. • sleeping closer to wild nature creates a sense of vulnerability, and makes you realise you are neither superior nor inferior to other creatures on this planet. • you travel light when camping. Less stuff gives means you appreciate the journey as much as the destination. Whatever your choice of camping style, what’s important is to immerse yourself in the experience and enjoy the spontaneity of the journey. Roselle Tenefrancia
been there done that
YOGA… I DON’T GET IT By the time I was ten years of age, I had become competent in cricket, tennis, hockey, swimming and soccer. I loved ball sports. I loved running around. I loved it more than I loved school. Instinctively, to see a ball, to catch it, hit it or kick it just made sense. It made more sense than time tables, long division, pro-nouns, apostrophe’s or Jesus.
I remember the day I saw a treadmill for the first time. My grandma had purchased it impulsively after watching an infomercial. I couldn’t understand why a person wouldn’t just run outside. Then there was the first gym I ever went to. It was filled with many treadmills and other machines like the ‘stair master’. So damn confusing for a kid. Though I found it difficult to comprehend, soon enough I came to accept gymnasiums as part of the community. In fact, I even ended up joining a gym for the first and last time about ten years ago. It was at this fine establishment that I attempted yoga for the very first time. I remember old women and farts. That is all. Yoga was certainly not a trendy pursuit in those years. Pilates classes were springing up about the place but it wasn’t until 2012 that I finally embraced the yoga experiment. I had little choice. The girl I was dating was a yoga instructor. One day I went to pick her up from work. I tried to sit on the couch and wait patiently for her class to finish. I attempted to read a book but was distracted by the human traffic. After a while it dawned on me that I was in a studio filled primarily with 21-30 year old women who practise the principle of “looking ridiculously hot” before stepping anywhere near a workout zone. Holy shit! I think I get yoga. Well, I get part of it. There seemed to be a lot of smiling
going on at this place so I gave it a go. Unrolled my mat, sat in lotus and chanted my first ever ohms. Ten minutes into this class I remember thinking “wow, this is really fucking awkward”. I didn’t let this deter me. I kept showing up to the odd class, trying to impress my new lady. Each time I showed up, the same thought-loops were waiting for me “holy shit, how can ANYONE possibly bend like that? WTF did she just say? Put my left ear to my right elbow and do a handstand? WTF mate!!!” This infuriating awkwardness came to be too overwhelming. I threw in the towel. I’m sorry yoga, I just don’t get it, was my attitude. However, the seed was planted. I knew something special, even sacred was happening to the lives of those who remained committed to yoga. One week ago I saw a flyer advertising unlimited classes for a month at a ridiculously cheap price. It has been close to twelve months since I chanted ohms. As I leave the house I can feel the old judgement returning in thought cycles. “Fucking Yoga! This shitty, awkward, new-age nonsense. What was I thinking?!” I ignore the thoughts and continue the march. I am committed this time, I can feel it. I attend my first class and leave miserable. I attend my second class and again leave miserable and scared that I am just not going to ‘get it’. I am never going to get that yoga smile. Then class number three this morning… wow! I don’t know what was different about the class or what was different about me, but wow. I can honestly say I am ready to leave the trauma behind and start a fresh partnership with the world of yoga. Namaste. Andrew Scott
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BUSH FOODS AND THE GOLD COAST Indigenous Queenslanders and Northern New South Welshmen have traditionally used native plants in our glorious subtropical and tropical environment to heal themselves, as well as for food. Here are five healing and nourishing plants native to the Gold Coast, with some of their tradtional uses, old and new. 1.
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Goat’s foot plant. This grows along coastal dunes all along tropical and sub tropical areas. The leaves, which look like goat hooves, can be crushed and applied externally to treat rheumatism, jellyfish stings, and boils. Tea tree. The oil is taken from the leaves of the Melaleuca tree which is native to South East Queensland and Northern New South Wales. Tea tree oil’s antiseptic properties were discovered in 1923. Unfortunately, when antibiotics became readily available and cheap, tea tree oil went out of fashion. Now with the advent of antibiotic resistant superbugs, the world has become interested in this excellent native remedy again. The crushed leaves and oil can be diluted to treat cuts and wounds, or can be inhaled to help congestion and respiratory tract infections. Macadamia nuts. Native to South East Queensland, macadamia nuts are Australia’s only native, edible commercial crop. I may be a bit biased here but these are the yummiest of all nuts. Macadamia nuts are full of monounsaturated fats which can reduce cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the blood. They are also loaded with lots of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. This is THE perfect food. Lemon scented myrtle. Native to coastal Queensland. The leaves can be made into a tea that is said to have a relaxing effect. You have to eat macadamia and white choc cookies with the tea of course. Lilly Pilly. These trees grow from NSW to Cairns in Queensland. Crushed berries were used to treat sore ears. Very messy and very pink!
Lilly Pilly berries can be made into the most gorgeous pink-coloured cordial, absolutely perfect for little girl’s parties. No need for ADHD inducing red food colouring here, so this cordial will also make you very popular amongst the mothers of the other six year olds at your little girl’s school. Here’s a recipe: LILLY PILLY CORDIAL Ingredients 2 cups lilly pilly berries 4 cups water 1 teaspoon tartaric acid 2 cups sugar Juice of 2 lemons
Pink berries of the Lilly Pilly
Method Put the lilly pillies, water, tartaric acid, sugar and lemon juice into a stainless steel saucepan. (Tip: pick the lilly pillies when they’ve just changed colour. If left to ripen for too long they will become bitter.) Boil for about 5 minutes, or until the lilly pillies are just starting to soften. Mash the fruit, then tip the mixture into a strainer and strain out the lumps. Pour the liquid into sterilised bottles. Use like ordinary cordial - put a splash in a glass and add water to taste. Note: The cordial should keep for at least two weeks, and possibly longer. Remember it doesn’t contain preservatives, so it won’t last as long as shop bought cordial. Best to keep it in the fridge. If it starts to bubble, turn cloudy, or looks or smells in any way odd or different from yesterday, throw it out. If possible, use several small bottles rather than one or two large bottles, as the fewer times your cordial is opened, the longer it may keep. If you want to make a really big batch, it’s best to freeze it until needed. Macadamia nuts
Pip Andreas
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GC MARATHON SCORES GOLD LABEL “It all comes down to who’s willing to hurt the most in the end.” So says Benita Willis, four-time Olympian and Ambassador for the Gold Coast Marathon. Benita joined Jann Stuckey MP, Minister for Tourism, Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate and as well as representatives from Gold Coast Airport and Events Management Queensland to launch the 36th annual Gold Coast Airport Marathon recently. “As we look toward the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games, it is events like the Gold Cosat Airport Marathon that showcase to a global audience our ability to host high calibre international sporting events,” Minister Stuckey said. “Last year saw more than 27,000 competitors converge on the Broadwater Parklands, with 53% of those travelling to the Gold Coast from interstate or overseas,” she said. More than 30,000 participants of all ages and abilities will participate in 2014, the first year the event has been run since attaining the prestigious international designation of a Gold Label Road Race by the International Association of Athletics Federations. Benita Willis explained that despite a long and successful career, most of her race wins and records are held overseas as high standard races were rare in Australia until recently. The IAAF, the sport’s world governing body awards Road Race Labels only to those marathons that meet strict criteria for excellence in the delivery of the race. Also attending the launch was marathon legend Lee Troop who plans to finish his twenty year career at this year’s event. He was in hospital last week with a blood clot. “I’m not exactly sure what the doctor said but I heard him say ‘run’ and I took that as a green light that I was still allowed to come to the GC and compete,” Troop said. It’s been eight years since he won a marathon on the Gold Coast and in 2011 he competed and just fell short of being selected for the Olympics, but he still loves coming to the event. “To be able to come here and do my last Marathon … it’s not neccessarily about me,” Troop said. “It’s more about my family, my friends, my sponsors, the people who’ve followed my career for twenty years.” “I get that chance for a last hurrah. I won’t be my fittest and I won’t be my finest, but I sure as hell plan to run my best,” Lee said. And if Benita’s advice is anything to go by Lee, it just all comes down to how much you’re willing to hurt. The event program takes place Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 July and features the a heap of races including the full marathon, half marathon, wheelchair marathon, junior dashes of 4km and 2km and a leisurely 10km run. More at goldcoastmarathon.com.au. www.blankgc.com.au
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