October ‘14
free
FELICITY LAWLESS
“All that you believe is shaped by how you perceive... and all that you perceive is shaped by what you believe.”
issue #014
MUSIC
The Cat Empire The Tea Party Klubnight Steve Smyth Allensworth
FOOD
Not Tonight Organics at Home Nectar Espresso Jamroc Body Buddhaful
REVIEW
Pig Day Out Yellowood King Gizzard Boy + Bear Sisters Doll
BEACH
Barnacles Plastic + birds Swell Snapper’s 50th
CULTURE
Erica Gray Buskers by the Creek Goodwill swing
Sunday Sessions at
Genki Cafe
Palm Beach
Live Music Starts 1.30pm. $20 Morsel Boards for four people. Sharing is optional. BYO. Sunday 5th October Warren M Sunday 12th October Monky Pharm Sunday 19th October Benny D Williams Sunday 26th October Mel Scarlett Friday live music Friday 10th october Anika Mantel Friday 17th October Ben Amor Friday 24th October Fatt Daddy Friday 31st October Monky Pharm www.facebook.com/genkicafepalmbeach Crn 5th av and Gold Coast Hwy PALM BEACH (07) 55981966
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#014 OCTOBER 2014 Editor: Samantha Morris Design: Chloe Popa, Blunt Pencil Studio Music Coordinator: Mella Bunker Distribution: Melanie Brennan Advertising: Amanda Gorman and Melanie Brennan Enivronment Editor: Mic Smith Illustrator: Kemii Maguire Sub-editor: Cody McConnell Contributors: Samantha Morris, Anthony Gebhardt, Gina Martin, Nev Pearce, Catherine D’avril, Michael J Roach, Keiren Bond, Kyle Butcher, Clare Maynard, Jake Wilton, Jackie Martini, Terry “Tappa” Teece, Marj Osborne, Catherine Coburn, Pip Andreas, Nathan James, Anna Itkonen, Mic Smith, Naomi Edwards, Mella Bunker Cover image: Claire Cottone Lifestyle cover image: Esther Erlich, Bliss - 2011 Acknowledgement of Country We show our respect and sincerely acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of this Land and their Elders past and present. 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. 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. www.blankgc.com.au
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point blank Free passes to Good Food & Wine Show Brisbane Good Food & Wine Show hits the city on 17 – 19 October. With masterclasses, farmers, producers, wine makers, hands-on demonstrations, Artisan Alley, the Grazing Garden with famed food trucks from across the city, the Good Food Theatre, Cheese Alley and more. We have ten (yes, ten) double passes to give away to the show. You want? You must enter by Monday 6 October and you can do so at blankgc.com.au/competitions. Free tickets to Oktoberfest Brisbane It’s Australia’s biggest German festival. Now in its seventh year, you’d be forgiven for thinking you were in Germany as you enter Oktoberfest. Punters dress in German garb (hello Lederhosen), and it’s certainly the closest you’ll get to an authentic Oktoberfest experience outside of Germany (Oktoberfest Brisbane is one of the Top 10 Oktoberfests outside of Germany). As well as the sights, sounds, food and fashion, of course traditional German beer features prominently. Oktoberfest runs over two weekends 10 – 12 October and 17 – 19 October at the Brisbane Showgrounds and we have five double passes to give away? Want one? Visit blankgc.com.au/competitions for all the details. And learn more about the event at oktoberfestbrisbane.com.au. Rachel Costanzo
Costanzo, you sieze the opportunity, ring the radio station and have them play your single down the telephone line. “It kind of felt like a dream when they answered my call,” she said. Rachel’s EP was two years in the making and recorded and co-written with The Voice contestant Michael Paynter. Read more about Rachel at rachelcostanzo. com.au. We have five copies of Rachel’s EP to give away. blankgc.com.au/competitions.
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Brooklyn
Margaret Olley Art Centre
Tweed to showcase art, music, food and culture A two day celebration of art, music, food and culture will descend on the southern Gold Coast when Tweed Fusion hits town. The event features a dinner at the Tweed Regional Gallery and Margaret Olley Art Centre on Saturday 4 October which celebrates Margaret with a menu that shares some of her favourite food and other activities across the weekend include the Coastal Creative Trail where the track between Cabarita and Norries Headland comes to life. There’ll also be art and sculpture masterclasses, a pop-up gallery and café, the Sunday Picnic and more. Get all the details at tweedfusion.com.au. Tweed Fusion takes place Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 October. Bluejuice
Rachel Costanzo launches new EP Imagine this. You’re listening to the radio when all of a sudden you hear it can’t play programmed music due to a computer meltdown. You’re a budding musician. What do you do? Well, if you’re Rachel
Bay on Saturday 4 October. Tickets from Oztix.
Bluejuice’s last goodbye After 13 years Bluejuice have announced they’re calling it quits. With three records and a tonne of live shows under their belts as well as bragging rights for the most played song on Triple J, they’re hitting the road for one last hurrah. And they’ll release a retrospective, Retrospectable featuring the best of the three albums, new music and some extras. The tour lands at The Cooly on Friday 3 October and The Northern Byron
Get soaked for summer Nothing spells summer like a pool party and boy is this gonna be one with a difference. The Soaked Luxury Pool Party will fuse electronic music with a seductive resort vibe and luxury poolside amenities. Hello!!!!!!!!! Held at Couran Cove Island Resort (who are offering Blank readers a 25% discount on accommodation for this event), this first offering features Seth Troxler as headline as well as Brooklyn who comes from Gladstone via Gold Coast and Biloela. Soaked takes place Saturday 15 November. Get details at soakedluxurypoolparty.com.au. Hayley Grace
Hayley Grace to release Tales from the Road Hayley Grace is a regular on the SEQ gig circuit and is about to release a new EP Tales from the Road, featuring music she’s written while travelling and honing her craft after 15 years of hard work. Hayley’s rich, soulful sound has made her a popular folk and blues artist both in Australia and internationally. While she counts headlining at Hilton Hotel in Sri Lanka as one of her career highlights, she hasn’t forgotten her
local roots. She’ll be at Southport Sharks on 28 September from 1.00pm which will feature a mix of covers and originals. Find out more about Hayley at hayleygrace.com. Mullum Music Festival If you’ve been reading Blank for a while, you’ll know that we’re big fans of the boutique music festival. The kind where you can see top quality music, discover new talent and basically chill without the agro / queues / hassles of those bigger events. We’ve been out of our minds at the volume of these small festivals with incredible lineups that have been announced lately, but top of our list for November and just down the road is Mullum Music Festival. Held over four massive days in Mullumbimby, this year’s lineup includes The Church, Hurray for the Riff Raff (US) Harry James Angus Band, Saskwatch, Husky, The Bombay Royale, Bustamento, Frank Yamma, Bobby Alu, Wild Marmalade featuring Paul George, Tora and Hussy Hicks. Comedians include Mady Nolan, Ellen Briggs and Greg Sullivan. These guys also have a policy of one third local artists, so seriously folks, get on board eh? Get all the details at mullummusicfestival.com. Numinbah venue added to Small Halls tour Cr Glenn Tozer recently announced how excited he was to have Numinbah Valley School of Arts added to the Festival of Small Halls Tour after a deal was struck with Woodford Folk Festival. The Festival of Small Halls will see Canadian folk artist Andy Brown join Australian artists The Mae Trio play a string of small, regional town halls. Cr Tozer said he’s pleased the Numinbah Valley community are such willing hosts. “I’m serious about activating the hinterland for arts and cultural activity and this partnership with Woodford’s Festival of Small Halls is just the start,” he said. The Festival hits Numinbah on 16 November. Legendary Modern Day Blues Icon tours Australia It’s inspiring that after almost 50 years in the business, Joe Louis Walker is still writing, recording, and playing a grueling tour schedule. He’s recorded 25 of his own albums and his been a force in blues since he was 16 and backing some of the world’s best in his hometown of San Francisco. Over those 50 years he’s performed or recorded with the likes of BB King, Bonnie Raitt, Taj Mahal, Huey Lewis, Brandord Marsalis and Ike Turner. It’s even more impressive that he has not gotten into a rut and that his music is still innovative and pushing the limits of modern blues. Walker
proves that there are still great barnstorming blues artists letting it loose in clubs and ducking into recording studios when they get the chance. See for yourself. He plays the New Globe Theatre in Brisbane on Thursday 30 October. Young actors get away with murder in DNA Some of the finest young actors from the Gold Coast and Brisbane will enthral audiences in the acclaimed play DNA, which follows of group of teenagers who do something bad… really bad… then panic and cover the whole thing up, using DNA to frame an innocent man. But when they find that the cover up unites them and brings harmony to their lives, where’s the incentive to put things right? They may all be guilty... but they have no intention of getting caught. Written by Dennis Kelly, the play deals with hard hitting issues, such as violence, guilt, accountability, pack mentality and unrequited love. DNA is at The Arts Centre Gold Coast from Thursday 2 – Saturday 4 October. More at theartscentregc.com.au. Mariah Carey to perform on the green Those guys at A Day On The Green have upped the ante with their announcement last week that Mariah Carey will play two shows at the popular outdoor event. Expect tickets to sell out very quickly. Mariah Carey plays Sirromet Wines at Mount Cotton on Sunday 16 November and Saturday 8 November at Rochford Wines in the Yarra Valley. Busby Marou duo
Busby Marou’s special duo tour Busby Marou are back on the road. AGAIN! On the back o their self-titled debut album reaching gold status and their follow-up album Farewell Fitzroy debuting at #5 on the ARIA charts, they’ve decided to hit the road as a duo going back to their roots and playing an intimate run of shows. Tom Busby and Jeremy Marou will perform in a stripped back, acoustic show bringing a whole new dimension to their much loved catalogue. You can catch the lads at the Byron Theatre on Thursday 30 October. Mullum Youth Mentorship Since Mullum Music Festival’s inception, the
organisers have grown new artists through the Mullum Youth Mentorship Program. When it was first introduced, the vision was to nurture young talent so that those new artists would eventually find their way into the Music Festival program as legitimate players in their own right. And that vision seems to be well within reach with previous winners Potato Potato, Tora and Gabriel and Ceclia included in past programs. Pas mentors have included Skipping Girl Vinegar, Husky, Mama Kin, Jordie Lane and Darren Percival. No surprises then, that the mentorship is back this year with categories including vocal, band, singer songwriter, under 15 and Directors’ Pick. The mentorship offers rehearsal / mentoring session with the category mentor, a ticket to the festival plus a backstage pass to their mentor’s set and a 20 minute performance slot at the festival. You must be under 19 to apply and applications close Tuesday 4 November. Get all the details at mullummusicfestival.com. Just a touch of Broadway at Broadbeach On Saturday 4 October, Kurrawa Park in Broadbeach will come alive with the sounds of Broadway. It’s a special show featuring the talents of Amelia Farrugia, Donald Cant and a host of local talent with the Gold Coast Youth Orchestra and Gold Coast Youth Choir who will all be performing hits from shows including Les Misérables, Phantom of the Opera, Chess and more. It’s a one-off performance. This Opera In the Park is another feather in the bow of Broadbeach Alliance who are also responsible for Blues on Broadbeach and its country and jazz counterparts. Get all the details at broadbeachgc.com or head along to Kurrawa Park from 6.00pm on Saturday 4 October. Touch of Magic at Café Dbar Christine Cooper will release a new collection of works at Café Dbar in October. The exhibition officialy opens on 27 September and Christine will be in the gallery from 1.00pm. Café Dbar is located at 275 Boundary Street, Coolangatta. Sheppards on the beach Indie pop sensation Sheppard has been announced as headliner for Celebrate Gold Coast which takes place Sunday 28 September at Coolangatta. The event is a celebration of everything GC – culture, lifestyle, food and fun. The one-day fiesta will include activities such as board shaping, BMX and skate demonstrations, Kombi and surfboard displays, Beachcare information and a heap of food and organic produce. The event runs 7.00am – 1.00pm.
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A FOREST-DWELLER SPREADING BOHEMIA AND TRUTH Felicity Lawless is a forest dweller, pure and simple. And she looks like one when she lobs into the Blank office for this interview. With her dog Bjorkee beside her, a station wagon (that you just know has a mattress which fits snugly) and a calm demeanour, she’s a refreshing change from the rock ‘n’ roll bravado we usually see in our offices. Blank’s founder, Samantha Morris had a chat to Felicity about her new album, her relentless gigging schedule and what Ouroboros means. “My life is funny,” Felicity said. “I live in forest in Tally Valley. It’s basically this falling down house that’s covered in art. The forest is just coming in.” And the Brisbane lass, who’s called the Gold Coast home for ten years feels perfectly at home, “I’m pretty much a local now.” Felicity’s first full length album Ouroboros launched this month and without much of a marketing strategy, it’s already pricked the ears of Sarah Howells at JJJ, getting airplay on the national youth broadcaster, and is this week’s feature album on local online station Rabbit Radio.
I’m the first to admit, I made an assumption about Felicity’s music. Often seen playing solo at markets and little cafes – just her and a guitar – I made a big assumption about the style of music she produces. Let me tell you this. I was way off the mark. Felicity’s music is a crazy cacophony of talented musicians playing incredibly diverse tracks. There’s a distinct hint of flamenco and Spanish guitar, but she’s quick to stress that what she plays is most certainly not flamenco. “Flamenco is really strict,” she said. “Pretty much anything I do, I don’t stick to the rules.”
“All that you believe is shaped by how you perceive... and all that you perceive is shaped by what you believe.”
I’m curious though, as to where that gypsy-style influence has come from and Felicity laughs out loud at my question. “I don’t know. Just some crazy Mexican cowboy is channelling through me. I have no Spanish heritage. I have been to Spain, though. And I’ve always been attracted to Latin America and Spain and I stayed with a lot of Flamencos over there and learned a lot of techniques,” she said. “I like to call it Bohemian. Because that’s my lifestyle … I’m just free, truth, art, beauty and I try to encompass that in everything I do.”
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She’s also happy to make a connection between where she lives and the music she creates.
still in Cheap Fakes and played with Taylor as well. He runs Love Street Studios.”
“Being a part of the natural environment I live in is instrumental to the sounds and organic, or gypsy style of the album,” she said. “The crows are my guides and the snakes are my healers.”
“Frency” was a big partner in Felicity’s recording process and also played on the record. I joked that he’s got a pretty cool gig going on to offer to produce someone’s album and then sneak on the record as an artist himself. Felicity laughed and said that’s his trademark. “The way we work together is that I have the vision and basically he has the skills to bring about anything I want. We did the last EP together as well and I just loved working with him,” she said.
Felicity is one of those rare breed who actually works fulltime as a musician. Which means she’s very busy gigging a range of venues – from markets and cafes, to corporate events, Sports’ Clubs and even Skypoint Q1. What’s it like, then, to move from that live set kind of focus to one that’s more about crafting an entire album to be marketed as a package? I ask Felicity, is there some level of risk involved with the investment it takes to put a whole album together? “I guess like my whole attitude is that I just keep putting out and focusing on what I’m wanting all the time,” she said. “I think in music if you think about the risks you wouldn’t even play music. It just takes that certain attitude of ‘I’m just going to do this” otherwise it can be a devastating industry.” “If you’re just loving it and playing for the love of it, it just seems to feel magic,” she said. “That’s my favourite part,” she said, about the recording process. “I do a lot of solo gigs – that can be really gruelling. Band gigs are fun. But cash solo gigs are difficult.” “To do an album is the ultimate for me. It’s like having a whole blank canvas and going ‘OK I know I want to do this’, what am I going to do with these songs.” “On this album I just got obsessed with cello, ‘cos that’s always been a favourite. So what am I going to do? I’m not going to let money be an inhibitor. So there’s a whole pile of cellos and violins on there and a heap of string arrangements as well,” Felicity said. “I’d worked with someone years ago in another band I’d played in and put the feelers out to a few cellists and it just felt really good with him and he was really excited straight away. I called the studio the sweatshop because people would come in and it’d be pretty demanding,” she said. And how long did the whole process take? “Probably at least 3 solid months,” Felicity said. “I pretty much I worked side by side with Scotty French. He was in French Butler and is 8
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So, what happens now for Felicity Lawless? This is her first full-length album and there’s a bunch of shows to promote it. Then what? “Planning is not my forte,” she said. “It all seems to happen pretty spontaneously.” “I just designed the album as a healing instrument to go out into the world. I’ve put songs in keys that are supposed to be chakra balancing. It’s a journey of going from a pretty introverted, depressed place into an amazing place. I’m hoping that it just goes everywhere and spreads bohemia,” she said. My approach is organic. I’m just putting it out there and packaging it up to be transformative.” “But there are loose plans that have started happening. We did a little tour when we finished, just to the snow. And I will be doing another tour to Victoria and NSW in January, but I do like to let it flow organically and see where it goes.” Our conversation moves to the physical album itself. The artwork is captivating. No surprises, that it’s another local artist responsible. Bec Cunningham not only did the artwork (we featured Bec in a special ladies edition of Blank) she also helped Felicity come up with the title of the album. “Ouroboros is a symbol of a snake eating its own tale,” Felicity explained. “And it’s in Greek and Roman mythology. In heaps of other cultures it’s the medical symbol as well. The snake, in animal medicine is the most powerful medicine of transformation and rebirth because it’s shedding its skin all the time. So, eating its own tail is even more of a complete cycle. It represents creation through destruction.” “The catchwords are transform, transcend, unify,” Felicity said. But it’s not all forest-loving bohemia for Felicity. She
acknowledges that finding a niche is important, and this is evident in her relentless schedule of local gigs. She likens it to spreading her life of freedom as far and wide as possible. “I don’t think I could live in any other city and live off music as I do,” she said. “And sometimes that’s about finding those niches and doing the odd corporate gig. I do 4 – 6 gigs a week.” “I play in some really random places. Like I do a Tuesday night weekly gig at the Burleigh Sports Club, which is really different to playing at Bambu or Pablo or The Soundlounge. Actually, there my main audience are children – they just get up and dance and they do the craziest things.” “That’s why I don’t care about playing at different places. One of my biggest learning experiences has been at Burleigh – just being myself there and accepting and being accepted. It’s like I’m part of the family. And you realise that with everyone. Once you get to know people, we’re all essentially the same. You can have unity and all this fighting and crap doesn’t happen because it’s like ‘I get that person’,” she said. “It’s my mission. I live in the forest; my life is one of freedom – and I try to spread that. And to have the privilege of doing in in places like Q1 – it’s where I want to be bringing magic into this realm so it’s accessible to everyone to feel that vibration,” she said. “It’s like infiltrating that system with bohemia and truth – that’s where the transformation happens – the people that have the money and the people making those decisions.” “I am pretty much a hermit living in the forest that only comes out occasionally,” she said. And I guess we should all be just a little thankful that she does. As well as catching Felicity every Tuesday night at Burleigh Sports Club, you can see her launch her album on Friday 3 October at The Soundlounge Currumbin with Allensworth and Julia Rose. She’s also performing at Caloundra Music Festival on Monday 6 October and The Motor Room West End with the Flumes on Friday 10 October. Get all the details at felicitylawless.com.
ELECTRONICA AT THE ROASTERY Denizen first started making music when he was five, writing songs on a small toy organ. He’s now a master of what he calls electronic journey and grooves, someone who allows himself total music freedom, with the ability to go anywhere in his set rather than writing to a dance formula. “My style is not typical at all,” he said. “It’s deep journey music that can go anywhere: unexpected, playful, deep, dark, uplifting, dynamic.”
OCEAN’S TEA PARTY
Jeff Martin sits in his studio and art gallery in Fremantle, WA: a recording space he describes as a beautiful alchemy of different worlds. Ahead of a string of shows in Coolangatta and Brisbane next month, Mike J caught up with the lead singer of Canadian group The Tea Party - a band you could say successfully conquered Australia over 15 years ago with consecutive tours following seminal 90s release The Edges Of Twilight. The new album The Ocean At The End has bought with it a new set of fans. This first release from The Tea Party in ten years is streamlined, laid back, with room to breathe and a good dose of Houses Of The Holy thrown in. How is the band summing up the album at the moment? What The Ocean At The End represents at this moment in time is exactly where the three individuals in the tea party are personally, artistically, esoterically in our individual lives - and the fact that we still have the ability to bring three very, very different personalities into one thing and create a magical piece of art is very much a blessing. With the tea party - well a lot of fans would understand this - maybe some wouldn’t - that we are our own worse critics to a certain extent. We demand a lot from each other as a group. And the reasons why we took a year and a half to make The Ocean At The End - if the Tea Party was going to a put a record out today, it not only had to represent what is ‘now’ for the three of us, but also it would have to stand shoulder to shoulder with anything that we have done in the past...There is a playfulness on this record that I don’t think exists on any of the others. And we’re very relaxed. I mean, it’s a hard rock record - it’s guitar driven and you know there’s some serious riffage on it and everything else. But as a whole, as a piece of art, it touches on everything that The Tea Party can do like no other band. ...So, obviously The Tea Party is my priority and for the other two as well, so much so that Stuart (bassist), is so excited about the whole situation that he’s gone ahead, without telling Jeff (Burrows) and I, to book pre-production for the new album in Vancouver in 2016. So I guess we’re making another record. Aha, excellent can we print that? [Laughs] Yes you can print that. So Vancouver it is. That’s not the studio in Byron Bay but we can forgive you for that one. You’re based in Fremantle, hence the collaborations with local artists over there at the moment? Basically, Robert Buratti is one of my dearest friends now
but he’s also my business manager. So him and I in the world of art - the gallery he has here is also my recording studio now. Robert and I share a common interest and a common philosophy in the teachings of Thelema you know Aleister Crowley and things like that. So a lot of the art that surrounds me here are actually original James Gleesons, Aleister Crowleys, Rosaleen Nortons so it’s a magical place to create music. For someone like me that constantly needs that artistic stimuli I couldn’t be in a better place right now. We’ve created a new record label here called 93 Records. It’s not only going to be a vehicle for the artists that I produce but there are, projects such as I’m doing a collaboration with Mick Skelton and Sarah McLeod. Mick is the drummer for the Baby Animals amongst other bands and is just an incredible talent. The three of us we’ve written a record that will come out next year on 93 Records. Also Robert and I on the fine art frontier - I did a soundtrack for an exhibition he curated called Windows To The Sacred. I created a surround sound soundtrack called The Nightmare Paintings. So all around the world for this exhibition - when you walk into whatever gallery in whatever city this soundtrack is surrounding you... It’s like a meditation piece. It’s another different side of what I do allowing me to explore all things
He’s also one of the team behind Lu:sid Loops, a new event focused on electronic music hosted at Ground Control Coffee Roastery and launching 11 October. We hung five with Denizen ahead of this new electronic event. One piece of advice you’d give to a large group of people? Dance. One piece of advice you’d give an aspiring musician? Do what you want to do, not what is expected. Don’t be afraid to combine things that “shouldn’t” go together. Be quirky and fantastic. When I hear your tunes I want to get a glimpse into your soul. Five musicians / artists you’d take on a roadtrip around Australia? I know I should choose Australian artists, but my music is heavily influenced by these guys so I would choose Bonobo, Beats Antique, Kruder & Dorfmeister, Thievery Corporation and, well I would choose myself because I would love to play with these guys! The best gig you’ve ever played? It was actually at a lesbian dance party in Redfern, Sydney. OMG those girls put on a great party! It was an amazing vibe, amazing people and it went on well into the next day :) Anything else? If you’re even just a little curious, come to Lu:sid Loops... you won’t regret it. Lu:sid Loops launches 11 October Follow Lu:sid Loops facebook.com/lusidloops Tickets from Ground Control Coffee, 29 Industry Dve, Tweed South, 07 5513 0891, or goldcoasttickets.com.au
And I need to pick you up on a 10 day tour of Marrakech posted on your website next year as well (led by Jeff Martin and accompanied by artist Robert Buratti). If there’s any space left on that tour, where do we book? It’s going to be wonderful you know. It’s going to be a sabbatical for me because that part of the world’s been calling me for some time so I need to go back there and get that energy again. To create some new music and at the same time share it with people that want to be a part of it and understand how I go about exploring things and searching out music and the local musicians and it’s going to be a wonderful time. The Tea Party play Coolangatta Hotel on Tuesday 21 October with special guests The Superjesus. www.blankgc.com.au
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CATS CONTINUE TO STEAL THE LIGHT
movement or genre. It’s been able to continuously transform and be on the outer, and that’s worked to our advantage with people discovering it or themselves over the years.” Felix reflects on the journey The Cat Empire has made since first finding their feet, and the joys of really being a live band at heart. Something he feels is an important distinction, setting them apart from the journey many other artists take. “First and foremost the band has always made a living from performing live and in many ways the sound was formed was from what was happening at live shows. The word of mouth thing, you know, that would inform where the next concert would be and people would travel.” “The way our music was made was very much linked to the journey the band was on at that point. And that meant that we kind of got this discipline about us which was an old fashioned one – performing live, which is something still quite unique. We often found it diff to put things on albums, we could never quite capture what happened when people saw us perform.”
The Cat Empire played their 1000th show earlier this year, but the gigs keep on rolling in. They’re just about to embark on an Australian tour so Samantha Morris caught up with frontman Felix Riebl about the band’s incredible knack for playing to a live audience, as well as how touring has changed over the years. Felix Riebl remembers the first shows The Cat Empire did, when the band was just a trio, that uncertainty of not really being sure how many people would show up and whether there’d be an audience at all. “I’d be at the end of an alleyway waiting for people to arrive,” he said. “That kind of anxiety when all you want as a band is to play to a decent looking room. I remember having this thought of being in a band that actually plays to full rooms. I remember that memory strongly.” So how does it feel, when a band that has played 999 shows gets up on stage in a place like Federation Square to celebrate its 1000th live milestone? Well according to Felix, exactly the same way it always has. “That night we were at Federation Square, we were getting ready,” he said. “The previous day had been beautiful and that day was a typical windswept strange moody afternoon and about half an hour before the show we looked out and the conditions were miserable.” “It looked like maybe it wouldn’t be such a good turnout and I had that same anxiety hoping people would arrive soon. Where we were standing, we wouldn’t see people arrive.” “Then ten minutes before we were due to go on, people who followed us from the beginning, their kids, parents, typical 10
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“Some bands start out and the they write a hit song or album and they’re a band people hear first of all on radio or TV and I envy a lot of those bands. They can kind of achieve a lot more in a lot less time but for us it’s about contact with audiences, and repeated contact with audiences,” he said. One thousand gigs in, I guess you could say that Felix and his bandmates have kind of perfected the knack for putting on a great live show. When we spoke the band were about to set out on a 22-date tour of Europe – mostly summer festivals. Melbournians they just all arrived. 10,000 of them. A sea of people.” “It’s a really exciting thing to walk out and see that all of a sudden,” Felix said. “It made me feel this wonderful kind of upsurge for my city.” We talked about how The Cat Empire had this ability to really bridge the generation gap when it comes to music. Felix said it was one of the reasons why the band is actually still together. “When we walked out for the thousandth show there were a lot of young people there,” he said. “And a lot of young people make contact … people who hadn’t even been born when the band was first around.” “If we thought the music was becoming this mothball, sentimental thing for people who’d just been there and were reminiscing, that would really mark the end of it very quickly for me.” “The demographic keeps changing. While it’s fresh like that, it allows us to be able to move in interesting ways, especially in a live setting.” “The music was always quite unique in its sound,” Felix said. “It was never attached too much to a time and place – it wasn’t music that tried to fit in to any one particular
“It’s really exciting to be part of festivals when they happen,” Felix told Blank. “Big audiences, an hour / hour and a half of intensity on stage, and heaps of fun to be amongst other bands and people who are generally in a great frame of mind when they’re there.” You can imagine with those 1000 shows under their belt, there must have been a lot of amazing festivals thrown in the mix. I pose the question to Felix: what’s the best festival he’s ever played. “I’m not sure I have a favourite,” he said. “Last year we played Montreal Jazz Festival – it’s one of my favourites. It was summer there, everyone was out on the street, it’s a great city. Two sets we did there to over 150,000 people … and real music lovers. They responded to the more interesting things we do … that was a great outdoor festival for me.” So, has much changed over the years? From those heady days of new-found stardom to the present when most of the band have families? “When we started, we were very young and very excited to be just perfoming, staying up late and trying to tear as much out of every night as possible. And then there comes a point, the typical nature of touring, where you’re going around in circles. You’re doing laps of the world or laps of the country and certain places become familiar,” Felix said. “If the show gets tired or becomes a pastiche of itself then we’ll top.”
“But while young people are discovering the band, coming through and new songs coming out of it, while we can go to places overseas and play to really growing and lovely audiences, then this thing is very much still alive.”
What’s your most vivid musical memory? Would have to be the time I put my fathers framing hammer through the skins of his Rogers drum kit. I was five years old and didn’t think the drumsticks were loud enough. Even then it was all Rock and Roll!
“Lives change, people’s opinions change, people become boring, your own lives change, but what stays the same is the chemistry of the band onstage,” Felix said. “It doesn’t really matter what happens around it.”
What brought you to this career? Art is the only thing that calms me whether it be music or carpentry. I love to finish things and look back at a project then scratch it all up and make it dirty. Now there’s a bit of momentum/urgency with a new born baby girl and music label (United Family Artist) signing Allensworth and fronting the new album. All the years of hard work are finally coming to fruition.
“There are actual changes though,” he said. “Will has four kids under four. We used to be exhausted on tour and now he treats it like a holiday because he gets time to think. Those are the strange inversions that happen. Harry has two kids. Ollie has two kids. Harry’s family travelled through Europe and Canada with us, so backstage changed a lot.” Our conversation moves through talking about The Cat Empire’s involvement in a Great Barrier Reef fundraising CD, through to Indigenous music and Felix’s favourite Australian artist (Archie Roach). And then we speak about the band’s upcoming Australian tour which takes in 13 shows in a month, with a little detour to MONA in Hobart in November. The Gold Coast is on the itinerary too and Miami Marketta has nabbed the gig adding The Cat Empire to their growing portfolio of touring acts. “We’ll have a big stage presence for this one,” Felix said. “The pressure for Australia is that we’ve played here a lot and people return to see our shows so I feel a need to reinvent things as much as possible – we try to do something interesting for each tour.” As well as having fans performing on stage with them at each city venue of the tour, part of a competition the band has run across the country, Felix promises a live show to be remembered. And for a class act, with more than 1000 shows under their belt, I think that’s a promise likely to be delivered. Catch The Cat Empire on Saturday 12 October when they play Miami Marketta, supported by Madre Monte and Tom Thum. Tickets still available.
What are your thoughts on the GC music scene? It’s thriving with amazing, original talent. Everyone seems to be fluent and very original in their songwriting. Beautiful music always seems to emanate from beautiful places. We have had the pleasure to share the stage with such artists as Felicity Lawless and Julia Rose and we are fortunate to have Scott Frenchy backing us this run.
ALLENSWORTH Allensworth have been recognised for their contribution to Southern California music with awards as diverse as Best Live Band, Best Soul and R&B Band, Best Acoustic Band and Best Jam Band from the Orange County Music Awards which recognises artists from LA to San Diego. They’ve also shared the stage with the James Brown, Stevie Wonder and Herbie Hancock. This rock and soul duo are joining forces with some northern NSW artists to bring their new album Against the Grain to our fair shores next month and we caught up with them before they arrive.
What’s the one piece of advice you’d give an aspiring musician? Never give up. It’s the best advice that was ever given to me from the bass player of Bad Religion - a punk rock band from LA. No one was interested in Bad Religion, there was no market so they built a label that is now a multi-million dollar company and made their own market. Even when times are bleak as long as you stay true to your craft people will listen as your art evolves. The most under-rated musician right now? James Hunter, a soul artist out of Berlin. He has a belt that screams Little Richard and James Brown and has an unorthodox approach to the guitar that is all his own. His band is very loyal and extremely tight. His last album was recorded in Brooklyn with the Daptone team and though he’s made some noise and played on some of the late night shows in the states as well as constant touring and festival appearances, he still barely sells out small venues. I still think he’s a genius. Jamie Allensworth and Anthony Gonzales will be joined by well known northern rivers musicians Tracy Stephens on bass, Scott French on guitar and Guy Anderton on drums to perform as a five-piece band when they land at the Soundlounge on Friday 3 October. They’re supported by Felicity Lawless who’s launching her new album. Local songstress Julia Rose completes the bill. When Gavin’s back from his European travels, you can catch him at Cabarita Sports Club (4 October), Bangalow Hotel (10 October), Miami Marketta (11 October), Nimbin Hotel (16 October) and North Kirra SLSC (19 October).
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album reviews
DAY OF ECHOES
INTERPOL
NICHOLAS ALLBROOK
THE VINES
Day of Echoes are a Gold Coast four piece hard rock, around for a while, but about to burst onto the music scene with their latest release. Songwriter, singer, and guitarist Adam Milne, or better known as Gold Coast Surfer/Shaper, Milny, has whittled down 20 years of writing, to two EPs The Sea of Becoming divided into two parts, with the first EP available on-line.
Exactly four years and one day after Interpol’s eponymous fourth album, El Pintor was released. The title is Spanish for ‘The Painter’. This album marks Interpol’s return after a short slew of performances, stopping in Australia only to play Splendour in the Grass and an intimate gig the night before. Clocking in at exactly 40 minutes and ten tracks long, El Pintor is an incredible release from an incredibly influential indie rock band of the 00s.
It’s difficult to place this record in Nicholas Allbrook’s wide-stretched musical career. While departing from Tame Impala, he still continues with of POND and also drums in Peter Bibby’s live band. The songs extend from themes of homesickness and removal, often messy, sometimes kaleidoscopic. Ganough, Wallis and Fatuna finds a change in the young Perth musician and a refreshing rebrand on psychedelic music.
Wicked Nature is the sixth LP offering from Australian rock purveyors The Vines. The album clocks in at over 50 minutes spread out over two discs, 22 tracks and features. Opening track and leading single Metal Zone is a crunchy psychedelic track with enough hooks to keep even the easily distracted enthralled. This track really sets the listener up for the rest of the album, a blast of 90’s garage rock unlike any band I’ve heard recently.
The Sea of Becoming Part 1
This five-track EP is powerful, anthemic, and with a drive that uplifts you, particularly my favourite track Seventeen, with power, rythmn and flow and va ery catchcy riff that reverberates in your mind. They’re not a onetrick pony either, with songs like Closing the Book of Hate, changing it up with a slightly different feel, pace, and ambiance. The production on the EP is excellent, and so it should be with Milny only wanting the best for his baby and returning to Loose Stone studios after having tracked there previously with producer Tyse Lee and engineer Zach Hilton for an acoustic project with Lucas Stone (Helm). This EP pumps and drives, and is truly independent, you can get it via their facebook page Day of Echoes, or website dayofechoes. com or catch the lads when they play the Shark Bar on Saturday 11 October. Jake Wilton
El Pintor
Ganough, Wallis And Fatuna
Opening track All the Rage Back Home was the leading single before being succeeded by Ancient Ways, and it’s an excellent start to the album. It begins stripped back; vocals slick with reverb mix with slide guitarwork until the rhythm section joins to infect your brain with the bittersweet sound Interpol is so well known for. Paul Banks certainly knows how to create emotive melodies that emulate heart-wrenching loss. Anywhere feels like a throwback to their third release, Our Love to Admire, without the unique bass compositions from Carlos Dengler, who left Interpol before El Pintor to pursue other projects. Anywhere is an intricate weaving of Paul Bank’s efforts on bass underpinned by drums that neither overpower nor leave the listener desiring more. The final track on El Pintor is ominous and is my favourite from the album. Twice as Hard feels twice as heart wrenching and sounds like a storm of guitars and bright cymbals. The somewhat cryptic lyrics leave a lot to be assumed by the listener. As Twice As Hard fades, it makes me excited for Interpol’s to return to Australia. Kyle Butcher
The lyrics are pretty sceptic – not to say all of Nick’s lyrics aren’t with his POND project – yet they extend from the mundane to human observations. Whispers of Beauty though, drives the idea of Nick’s home life and possibly also of the time when he detached himself from the Tame Impala brand, “I might have drooled if a white bird hadn’t caught my gaze / That’s what it’s like when you’re in an empty phase.” Having spent the best part of an entire year off the road and alone with his thoughts, Nick continues to foster the idea of detachment. Sonically, Ganough, Wallis and Fatuna crosses between freak-psych jams, footwork infused rhythms and slow covers-of-Beatlescovers. ITTTME is an incredible blast of noise that differs from anything previously released by Nick. Clever spurs of transit psychedelic rock which cycles between lucid dreamscapes. No doubt this is a record that is the direct brainchild of Nick’s inner-most workings. 100 k’s ‘round Carmel is music for beatnicks of 2014. An explosive and claustrophobic work that leads a woozy spiral of bass and sitar ending with a trip of a lifetime. Maybe leaving himself alone with his thoughts turned out to be a good thing. Considering his extensive back catalogue with countless bands, Nick has turned out his most personal and sonically driving set of songs to date. He could have easily branded these songs as POND, yet they wouldn’t hold the same spirit and maturity coming from his own name. Jake Wilton
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Wicked Nature
Following Metal Zone is Ladybug, which is slightly less focused on hooks but does feature the best hook of the album. The Vines are masters of playing hazy, shaking verses that build into explosive choruses thick with guitar layering and enough distortion to get any 90’s kid feeling 16 again. Anything You Say is a nice pop number that along with 90% of the album, contains distorted guitars. A laidback, almost lazy vocal melody wafts over the instrumental sections of Anything You Say and is a nice touch to round out the track. Into The Fire is my favourite track from the album, and for good reason. The Vines instantly transport you into the midst of an intricate soundscape you get lost in for the entire song. You can tell when you hear Wicked Nature that each track has effort and emotion poured into it. With their strong garage rock that they are known for, all I can do is wait for their next tour to hear how these tracks translate live. Kyle Butcher
PHIL BARLOW Faith or Fear
The first thing that grabs me about Faith or Fear is how nice the groove is throughout this track. It feels like a throwback to old school blues but it has a fresh approach to the style, breathing life into an incredible sound. Faith or Fear is superbly composed. Each note played isn’t unnecessary or stray, and every instrument comes together to create the incredible track that Phil Barlow has created. The song closes in a jam-like crash of blues rock with distorted vocals, bringing a perfect end to a splendid blues number. Kyle Butcher
On the cusp of their second Australian visit for 2014, Alex Knost of Californian off-kilter two piece Tomorrows Tulips took time out for an idiosyncratic Q&A with Anthony Gebhardt You guys were out here earlier this year as part of The Growlers Australian tour. How did this new tour come about so quickly? Met the handsome Strange Yonder people, made a new album, sent emails... Any enduring memories from the show you played last time at The Coolangatta Hotel? I feel like every other show kinda surpassed the Gold Coast show, it was packed but with folks there to party not see the bands. You’re on the bill of Sounds of the Suburbs festival in Cronulla, are you fans of any of the other bands on the bill? Wax Witches, Gap Dream, Mylie Grace and Ozzie Wong to name a few...
TOMORROWS TULIPS’ SECOND VISIT
The upcoming new record, When - what sort of vibe can we expect compared to previous releases? We wrote it compulsively, and recorded it much the same. Our previous album Experimental Jelly was slightly dwelled on it terms of writing and production. You’ve put together a very striking twin-video for your new
tracks Baby/Glued To You. Is there a particular concept or narrative linking the two together? Subject relation, context, short songs...there’s a freedom that comes with fresh territory. From your tour itinerary it seems you’ll be getting in plenty of surfing along the way! Is this a consideration for touring schedules? And what’s your favourite surf spot in Australia? We just do whatever we can to pull a tour off, usually that consists of more couch surfing than surfing, but any time off we try to rinse off. Seeing as the tour concludes in Byron Bay does this mean you’ll be factoring in some time at the La Casa Artist Residency once again? Naw, we head to Europe for a month... Did you create any news songs the last time you hung out there, or was it all about your other pursuits? Yeah we did demos, it was kinda the beginning of the end with my girlfriend and ex drummer at the time so turmoil conquered productivity. I really dig the DIY, ‘non muso’ approach to your musical craft. Are there any musicians that have particularly inspired you? You use what tools you have at hand, if we had Lady Gaga’s studio we would use it too. Catch Tomorrows Tulips: 1 October, Black Bear Lodge with The Babe Rainbow + Tempura Nights and 3 October, The Northern in Byron Bay, with The Babe Rainbow + White Lodge.
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gig reviews PIG DAY OUT IN KINGSCLIFF 23 August A night at the Cudgen Leagues Club was not what I had planned for my Saturday. Alas, a last minute call from my editor advising me of a venue change had my little car hurtling down the M1 toward the little streets of Kingscliff for the 3rd annual Pig Day Out. After the regulatory leagues club sign in, I headed upstairs to a room that reminded me of a few ‘how-ya-goin’ wedding receptions I attended in rural Victoria. What I was greeted with was not stale conversation and tacky centerpieces, but a room buzzing with ideas, laughs and energy that you could almost see. Where a bored second-cousin-once-removed might be yawning at an old aunt’s speech, here sat a 60-year old man drinking a light beer with his wife, who was talking with the man next to her, a gent no older than 25 who was clad in tie-die and yoga pants, who had his daughter running around their feet laughing. The same diversity was found at every table that filled the humble space. What is this place? Who are these people and how do they know each other? More so, how are they all listening to this lass* from Sea Shepherd on stage with such intent? Have I just stepped into a parallel universe where people aren’t estranged by generation and they care about the earth’s wellbeing? The namesake of its birthplace Pigabeen, PDO is a grassroots creative festival and the baby of 27-year old Joel Colombo. 5-days of non-stop rain had Joel banging on Cudgen League’s Club at 9.30am begging for their help in saving his baby from death-by-flood. In true story-book fashion they agreed. Capped at 300 patrons, PDO promotes local bands, creative artists and the congregation of humans. At the ripe, almost green age of 27, Joel has curated a local festival with loyal punters and a stellar line-up to boot. With a little luck and a lot of guts Joel secured Jebediah
legend Bob Evans as a headliner after hassling him post-gig at the signing table. He was joined by Aquila Young, The Orchard, Lane-Harry x Ike Campbell, Clashing Colours, Double Lined Minority, Jake Fox, Jackson James Smith and Jake Fox. “I started Pig Day Out because so many artists don’t ‘makeit’.. What does make it mean anyway. PDO is an opportunity to get the talented and underrated artists out and amongst their community. PDO veteran Sean Smith of Tweed has brought his wife and kids to PDO all three years, and like most attendees knew Joel through his dad, workplace, and Joel’s involvement with the community. “Last year [on Joel’s farm] the kids were burning marshmallows by the fire and dancing around the main stage as we sat on hay bales and listened to some grassroots into the night”. “We’ll go again for sure, Joel knows how to get a good variety.” Next year’s PDO is going public. Joel has bigger fish (people) to fry (invite). “Pig Day Out is an event everyone comes to feel positive and hone into the sense of community”, he said. “I want to get more people involved and inspire everyone to create, inform and spread the movement.” To join me on a hay bale in Pigabeen next year or learn about the PDO movement, visit pigdayout.net Keiren Bond
YELLOWOOD FESTIVAL 2014:
The Black Sorrows + The High Grade + Jimmy The Saint And The Sinners + The Delta Riggs + Schoolfight + Civilians + Tuesday’s Good + Eliza Pickard + The Bobkats Alberton Hotel | 30 August A back to the farm, country style hoe-down featuring an eclectic line up of music is on the menu for the second year of
Image courtesy of Gina Martin
Yellowood Festival @ Alberton
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Yellowood, taking place within the sun kissed confines of the old rodeo arena next door to the 125 year old Gem Hotel in Yatala. There’s hay bale seating scattered around the grounds, a mechanical bull to test the mettle of the brave or foolhardy, and a bunch of folk tossing wooden sticks across the grass, aka the traditional Viking game of Kubb, seems to be permanently underway. On the music front, tasty blues and indie vibes were served up early in the day by the likes of The Bobkats and the young but talented Eliza Pickard and her bandmates. These two festival starters were quickly followed by Tuesday’s Good, our home-grown darlings. Sarah Frank’s deep vocals enthralled attendees in the as the rest of her band played their genrehopping tunes to set an incredibly positive (and hot) mood for the rest of the day. Civilians upped the ante taking command of the stage for their hour-long set, which blew past as the cruisy afternoon set in proper. Then the mid arvo throng are served up a spicy dose of organic Aussie hop-hop via renowned Brisbane crew School Fight, with plenty of heads nodding along in appreciation to witty tracks such as subversive favourite from a few years back IGA. Next up sees The Delta Rigs deliver an impressive set of wide-screen, British inflected indie rock tunes, flamboyant frontman Elliott Hammond channelling his inner Bobby Gillespie with authentic abandon. Some epic crescendos are reached as the lads deliver a dash of bombastic panache to Yellowood proceedings. The devilishly stylish gang known as Jimmy The Saint And The Sinners are the perfect soundtrack to the sun going down on Yellowood. Dapper frontman Jimmy The Saint is an engaging presence throughout their incendiary set, howling and convulsing with abandon while the band lay down their fever-spell voodoo-swamp blues. The bands greasy, soulful originals mingle seamlessly with aptly chosen covers such as Screaming J Hawkins I Put a Spell on You, with Jimmy also wielding a Hawkins inspired skull on a carved wooden stick with relish. Tonight’s three between-band DJ’s provide the crowd with plenty of enjoyable diversions, with sozzled revellers dancing with abandon to the eclectic-retro of Headly Selecta, the party starting antics of The Hawainyls (together with able sidekick, the super-hero clad Jossman) and the killer raw grease retro-grooves of Sixties Sarah.
Image courtesy of Gina Martin
Yellowood Festival @ Alberton
Image courtesy of Jake Wilton
Cam Avery @ Black Bear Lodge
Penultimate act The High Grade keep the momentum rolling with a vibin’ set of reggae hip hop fusion, the joyous seven piece keeping the ever more merry crowd singing and grooving along with abandon. Which leaves us with tonight’s esteemed head liners The Black Sorrows, featuring the talents of Oz rock institution Joe Camilleri. As is befitting a band of their experience and calibre, they fly out of the gates and hit the ground running, totally nailing an epic version of classic Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons track Shape I’m In. The multi talented Camileri has a wealth of material and guises to call upon, but alas an on-stage power outage kills the band’s momentum about a third of the way through their set. And despite the best efforts of the festival organisers the interruption proves to be terminal, and brings a premature end to festival proceedings. Although it’s a shame for sure, it fails to detract too much from what has been on the whole a thoroughly enjoyable, communal, back to boutique festival experience. Well done Yellowood, let’s hope the festival continues to develop and power on for many more years to come!! Anthony Gebhardt + Kyle Butcher
and varied and provided a mix of country rock, folk country and everything in between. John Williamson the Mcclymonts and Sara storer with her melodious Aussie story telling were all received by an enthusiastic and dedicated crowd, both young and old and John Williamson provided a toe tapping sing along set with the crowd singing along to every word with no fault. Over 120 artists took to the different arenas and venues over the festivities and country greats like Kasey Chambers, and Lee Kernaghan and Adam Harvey were joined by alt-country artists like Thelma Plum and Josh Pyke It has to be said, there really is something for all at the Gympie Muster and it is the number one Bush Bash for Queensland. Personally I can’t wait for next year, I’m a country convert. Clare Maynard
CAM AVERY + SHINY JOE RYAN Black Bear Lodge, Brisbane | 04 September
GYMPIE MUSIC MUSTER Amamoor Forest | 27 - 30 August The 33rd Gympie Music Muster saw gorgeous sunshine, a beautiful bush setting and an eclectic 50,000 strong crowd – all brought together in the name of country music. I’d not thought of myself as a huge fan of country music, but I was willing to brush of the boots and the Akubra and give it a whirl. It’s hard to not fall in love with the atmosphere and the characters at this gathering in the bush; everything organised superbly with fabulous musicians, performers, bush poets and great festival goers. The bush has been doing it tough over the last couple of years with some of the worst drought conditions we’ve seen, so the Gympie Muster also lends a hand by providing relief to farmers through its Buy a Bale program which educates festival goers as well. Australian iconic country performers we’re in force this year celebrating a wide range of talent. The line up was vast
Say what you will about the Perth psychedelic scene, but these guys essentially built it from the ground up. Pub crawlers could experience Mink Mussel Creek from 2007 before moving directly into early Tame Impala days. Soon to follow was the inescapable movement of POND and a plethora of solo records from folks involved in those bands. We come now to the Growl who on their first record, managed to infuse industrial rock clatterings with gospel blues and south of the border guitar licks. They produced one of my favourite records of last year, and now Cam Avery, the group’s swinging front man, takes to the Black Bear Lodge to preview a bunch of new Growl songs. An intimate vibe draped the Lodge, tables and chairs lined the walls – something unseen at the previous Velociraptor show. Shiny Joe Ryan stepped onto the stage band-less and axe in hand ready for shredding. Setting the tone of the night instantly with his rendition of the greatest song ever written, while making no apologies to Tenacious D, Shiny Joe sang, I wanna f**k your girlfriend. While only dropping a few tracks from his debut album, the set was mainly filled with songs unapologetically stolen from POND band mate Nicholas Allbrook and 4.00am psychedelic beast jams. Which brings me to the most electrifying moment of Shiny Joe’s Image courtesy of Jake Wilton
King Gizzard @ Soundlounge
performance. With an underlying freak, avant-garde, Aphex Twin-style pulsating beat chugging along in the back, Shiny Joe filled the space with swirling guitar licks that stretched from one end of the psychedelic spectrum to the other. It was a picturesque and enthralling moment from the afro’d gentlemen – one which could have easily filled the Woodstock arena. Walking on stage with a smile on his face, Cam Avery warmed the crowd with a stripped back Growl favourite, Douse the Lamps. Using yelps and growls (no pun intended), Cam provided the rhythm with intense onomatopoeias and clever use of loops. While the full band experience of the Growl is phenomenal, something about the rawness of Cam’s solo encounter made it really special. Dropping a few new tracks, Cam provides back story to the album’s creation and his experiences living in Los Angeles. The new songs are mature and weighty yet still clever love songs. Full of swagger and breathy hymns, Cam staggers around the stage like a cowboy drunk on love. All Black Bear Lodge needed was those unhinged doors in saloon bars and we would have been walking into a scene from True Grit. Cam’s set managed to hit a unreeling high when he played Dance With Me – a cut from the new Growl record that had been previously shared on Soundcloud. Again using the vocal loops and breathy acoustic to construct rhythm, Cam then subtly plucked away on an acoustic guitar and delivered a heart-wrenching story of love lost. His vocal cues were spot on with brilliant delivery. While these new and old Growl songs were presented in the most simple of performances, it’s hard to tell where and how they’ll end up sounding on the end result. Cam’s swaggered stage presence and rawness of music allowed this show to be something unique – a brief window into his creative song writing process. Jake Wilton
KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD WIZARD + THE MURLOCS + SALVADARLINGS Soundlounge | 06 September The forever progressive and transcendent King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard may have shunned Queensland on their last whip around the country earlier in the year, but managed to make three stops – not including the
Image courtesy of Kyle Butcher
Sister’s Doll @ Currumbin Creek Tavern
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gig reviews
BIGSOUND madness – for their latest whirlwind trip. You may not know the name, but you don’t have to in order to appreciate just how work intensive this group is. Announcing their fifth record in two years – I’m In Your Mind Fuzz – the group are now headed for US domination. But before they do that, they have to win over this slurry Gold Coast crowd, first. To get the feet warm and the spirits buzzed, Gold Coast’s own heartthrobs Salvadarlings take the stage. I was not prepared for being so blown away. These psychedelic wonder-bombs have been securing AAA support slots of late, but I haven’t managed to see them due to over capacity room – case in point Rabbit Radio’s second birthday party, yikes! Front woman Ashley Goodall is a shy yet demanding persona on stage. Both in her looks and stage presence, she gives off a feel of Grace Slick of Jefferson Airplane and Beach House’s Victoria Legrand. Their music created woozy lines of psychedelics, weaving from Tame Impala jams between songs and the aforementioned Jefferson Airplane beatnik blues. Although, collectively, a little static on stage, Salvadarlings are the new name in the psychedelic restructure genre. On the other end of the psych-blues spectrum comes the Murlocs – coincidently sharing members with King Gizzard, the group delve into some deep swamp-style blues and psych. Minor technical difficulties aside, the Murlocs were incredibly tight and didn’t skip a murky beat. Guitarist Jamie Harmer ragdolled his body around the stage, feeling the rhythm and transmitting it across the audience’s own groove tactics. The muffled and audacious effects from the harmonica and vocals of Ambrose Kenny Smith gave the Murlocs lo-fi sonics to prove their worthiness for their King Gizzard support slot. Powering on and wasting no time, King Gizzard introduce the Gold Coast to their latest single Cellophane and manage to develop it into an almost ten minute slice of heaven – making the studio version a weak imitation. From them on, it was nothing but power; probably the only acceptable adjective to describe the group’s set. Honing in on two drummers, three guitars and a harmonica King Gizzard whacked out a career spanning setlist along with a whole heap of newies from I’m In Your Mind Fuzz. I forgot to mention the appearance of the flute, also; yes, rock bands around the world, flutes are cool. If Jethro Tull were too
flamboyant to imitate, then follow King Gizzard’s steps. Set favourite came in the form of Hot Water, an unreleased song which slowed the mood and was home to the aforementioned flute action. Of course, Head On/Pill was instrumental in making King Gizzard’s set that little bit more mammoth. The 15 minute prog-psych-freak-blues giant of a track ripped the Soundlounge crowd in two and created some seriously hurt heads – both from moshing and mind tripping. Jake Wilton
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Kyle Butcher
SHIHAD + THE SINKING TEETH The Zoo, Brisbane | 09 September
SISTER’S DOLL + THE_MOLOTOV + BAD VIRTUE + THE SILENCIO Currumbin Creek Tavern | 06 September Sister’s Doll certainly picked the right venue for the Gold Coast leg of their Welcome to the Dollhouse Tour. Currumbin Creek Tavern is fully equipped with sublime sound systems mixed with a nicely elevated stage that is no doubt the envy of other venues on the Gold Coast. The Silencio warmed up the night with their half hour set that piqued everyone’s interest as they filled the room. Bad Virtue took the stage barely 15 minutes later and their punk rock reverberated throughout the room, their whole set being readily accepted by the crowd, especially due to a surprise cover of Guns N’ Roses. This busy five-piece boasted a tight sound that brought together multiple genres into one distinctive sound. Paul Burridge powered through the set with driving beats while the rest of the band focused on getting the crowd singing along to their songs, which worked well. The crowd really got into their reimagining of The Cranberries hit song Zombie, and judging from the band’s faces the set ended too soon for them, clearly having fun interacting with the crowd. Sister’s Doll came on just as they were advertised - with more makeup than our girlfriends, in throwback 80’s clothes and a lightshow to match. The three young members were showmen, jumping around, effortlessly pulling off guitar solos and running around for their entire 19 song set that stretched well past the 1.00am mark. Sister’s Doll loved the
Many years ago, when I was a young lad and discovering many bands for the first time, I was given a copy of the Big Day Out 96 CD showcasing some of the acts on the bill that year. The one track that struck a chord with me was Deb’s Night Out by New Zealand band Shihad, and I immediately went on a mission to find the album it was on. That album was Killjoy, which to this day holds a place in my top 10 albums of all time and is one of my biggest musical influences. I loved how heavy it was and how the album as a whole was all killer, no filler. Fast forward 18 years to the release of Shihad’s 9th studio album FVEY, which has seen the band return to a much heavier style then the releases which followed Killjoy. Even though I have seen Shihad countless times over the years, I was excited when the rare opportunity came up to see them perform their new album from start to finish. We arrived just in time to see Melbourne band The Sinking Teeth put on a show that would give many other bands on the scene a run for their money and catch the attention of everybody present in the room. By the time The Sinking Teeth finish their set the sold out room at The Zoo is packed with not only fans but also many industry big shots, keen to see the headliner do what they do best, rock the fuck out of the place. This is something Shihad were born to do. Front man Jon Toogood is as charismatic as ever and ignites
Image courtesy of Jackie Martini
Images courtesy of Kyle Butcher
Kingswood @ Rics
crowd, and the crowd reflected those feelings as adoring fans danced along to their mix of covers and originals, including one particularly good cover of a little song called Paranoid by Black Sabbath. The boys showed loads of promise, and I have no doubt when they return they’ll be stopping by Currumbin Creek Tavern again.
Kingswood @ Rics
Boy & Bear @ The Arts Centre GC
a wave of excitement in the room before even hitting the first chord of the album opener Think You’re So Free. FVEY translates perfectly live and the band looked like they were having the time of their lives sharing new material with the enthusiastic audience moving to every number they belt out. After playing the last song from the album Cheap As, the band treats the room to a blistering three song encore consisting of classic tracks You Again, The General Electric and Home Again. Shihad once again proved that they are still one of the best live bands on the scene and can still write heavy catchy tunes. Nev Pearce
KINGSWOOD Big Backyard, Rics | 12 September This was the fifth time I had seen Kingswood live, so I knew what to expect. So I thought. Kingswood have always brought incredible live performances to every stage I have seen them play, but their set at Ric’s Big Backyard was something else. Tearing through their new album Microscopic War’s tracks and returning to early singles like Yeah Go Die, Kingswood not only packed Ric’s Bar’s aptly named ‘Big Backyard’, but they got the entire crowd to go nuts for the entire set. Every punter I could see knew the words to every song and sung them back at Fergus Lidacre and Alex Laska. Kingswood have this impressive ability to capture the energy of their music in the recordings, yet this gig had something else, something fans of Kingswood can only hear live. They were tight, excellently mixed and loud, just as rock bands should be. Lead singer Fergus Lidacre sported a sleeveless Britney Spears 2002 tour shirt, whether he got that shirt at a gig himself or he picked it up in an Op shop somewhat ironically is unknown to me. Kingswood tackled a cover of country act First Aid Kit’s My Silver Lining, and as they played the opening notes the crowd
somehow managed to jump around even more than before. Kingswood didn’t play an encore, they didn’t need to. Closing with their hit Ohio, the crowd certainly seemed more than satisfied with Kingswood’s performance, and I have no doubt many of them will be jostling for prime position when Kingswood hit Falls Festival at the end of this year. Kyle Butcher
BOY & BEAR + HOLY HOLY The Arts Centre GC | 14 September A rainbow of lights beamed out of Arts Centre Gold Coast with people excitedly milling around the outdoor bar area chatting and gearing up for a night of organic live music from talented Australian musicians; the venue was buzzing. As the lights dimmed, out onto the stage wandered special guests Holy Holy who were extremely relaxed as they warmly welcomed the Gold Coast crowd by opening the night with their first song Wanderer. Holy Holy quickly displayed their natural talent for embracing people through music, the beat and vibration of the drums reverberating through the room with lead singer Tim’s smooth and silky masculine voice releasing poetic lyrics that resonated in your soul. Three songs into the gig when the band broke into If I Were You Holy Holy had successfully engaged the crowd enjoying a little banter between songs. Oscar’s lead guitar riff invited people to sing along as legs were swinging, feet tapping, heads bobbing and hands clapping in time with the rhythmic beat of the drum. All too quickly the smokey sultry vibe of the supporting band came to a close with Pretty Straight as shouts of ‘I love you’ repeatedly vocalised from the crowd, the boys bowing their heads in a sign of thanks with acknowledged words from singer Tim stating ‘The Gold Coast has such lovely loud people around, nice to know you are out there, feeling the love!’. Non-stop chatter suddenly ceased as the lights darkened and all of a sudden out came Boy & Bear immediately blowing the crowd away with Bridges as Dave’s powerful voice and angelic face combined with the band’s magnetic vibe forced everyone’s
attention to the stage as the lights came on, a dazzling sight and sound to behold. Two songs in saw frontman Dave welcoming the crowd with a smile as he happily shared the band’s excitement of the massive year they were having with the tour being on the road since February and announcing that the Gold Coast was their 100th show! The crowd went wild and cheered when Dave’s amazing voice started singing Lordy May, the sound so completely intoxicating; a magical stage relationship with the audience was established for rest of the night. Then one female fan rushed to the stage and instantly others followed suit gathering in front of the band to create a new stand up front row. Dave loved the crowd reaction and relished it stating that ‘You can’t make the Gold Coast sit down’ as the crowd lapped up his admiration and returned it tenfold. Then came a moment that just seemed to suspend time during the performance as Dave and the band slipped into their Fall At Your Feet cover that really is something to experience live; there wasn’t a person in the whole entire venue that wasn’t lapping up their powerful rendition of the Crowded House original with a quick slip into Heart of Gold before returning back to the original track. Boy & Bear’s music has a way of delivering straight into your heart and soul songs that become addictive and end up as permanent fixtures on your personal playlist. The energy never stopped during the whole performance and lifted even more towards the end of the show when the boys performed Southern Sun quickly followed by Feeding Line when the audience jumped up and rode the massive Boy & Bear sound wave. The guys were so friendly and personable with the crowd you just couldn’t help but feel part of the show yourself, with plenty of offers from people for the guys to be part of their selfies! Finally, like all good things that must come to an end, the boys moved into their last song, Big Man. It was an apt finish to he show as people swayed together as one, and a well deserved standing ovation was delivered to one of the most artistic of bands, who really outdid themselves in a performance that will be talked about on the coast for a long time to come. Jackie Martini
Image courtesy of Jackie Martini
Boy & Bear @ The Arts Centre GC
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18 www.blankgc.com.au JUAN ARATA
GUIM TIO ZARRALUKI
CLARE TOMS
DAN WITHEY
ANNE SMERDON
LORRAINE ALLAN
ESTHER ERLICH
AMANDA SHELSHER
CAROLYN O’NEILL
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JESSICA WATTS
MEGAN PULS
HUGH FORD
MELISSA HARTLEY
LEIGH PEARSON
HELEN HOLMES
PETRA REECE
RAY PAUL
KATE McCARTHY
BECK WHEELER
SKOUNT
MELLISSA READ-DEVINE
MARK WARREN
SONJA DANOWSKI
RICHARD DENNY
YOSI MESSIAH
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It’s not often that world politics influences music from the Gold Coast, but that’s exactly what has happened for two-piece electronic outfit Klubknight. Comprising Chris Lamaro and Brett Selwood, the duo have landed on their feet receiving nothing but praise from local industry as well as airplay from stations locally and abroad. Their EP From the Whiteboard is available now through itunes. We hung five with the pair ahead of their EP launch at Elsewhere. If you could take 5 musicians / artists on a roadtrip around Australia, who would you choose? LCD Soundsystem, Holy Ghost, Daft Punk, The Presets, Kanye West The most under-rated musician right now? Funboys (Gold Coast) What’s your most vivid musical memory? We would have to say a memory that relates to us both as a collaboration. Probably the evening Klubknight spawned. We randomly met up and decided to go to Mylo when he played earlier this year on the coast. He played for about 4 hours straight, we didn’t leave the dance floor it was amazing. What are your thoughts on the GC music scene? Its most certainly there, depends on what you’re looking for, there is some really cool underground club stuff getting around, we think it’s really starting to grow and we will be seeing some really cool artists emerge in upcoming years. But still a very long way to go before we can be considered a “scene” What’s the biggest challenge to up and coming Australian artists? Certainly getting your music heard by the right people is a challenge, there is a lot of great music around, just has not been discovered. And touring without breaking the bank.
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Klubnight launch their shiny new EP at Elsewhere, 11 October.
“Playing with this group made we want to create something really positive” is how Moore has described his current musical incantation, and The Best Day is certainly one of his most musically direct creations. That’s not to say that the fat of Sonic Youth’s meandering, experimental tendencies has been totally shed. Many of the tracks clock in at well over the five minute mark and that highly distinctive, discordant guitar tone which very much defined the sound of his parent band still inevitably seeps to the surface more often than not.
THURSTON MOORE The Best Day
Anyone with any kind of inkling of alternative rock history should be familiar with the name Thurston Moore via the years he spent as the co-creative axis, alongside his former long-term beau Kim Gordon, in the highly influential art rock deity Sonic Youth. The lanky, eternally youthful New Yorker (now residing in London) has struck out on his own before, delivering three previous records under his own name since 1995. This time around Moore has assembled an all-star backing band featuring My Bloody Valentine bassist Deb Googe, Nought guitarist James Sewards, as well as long-term compatriot Steve Shelley from Sonic Youth on drums.
Just when you thought that 2014 couldn’t get any bigger, Soundwave touring have announced another killer tour! Trivium and In Flames will team up for an Australian tour at the end of November and will play the Tivoli on Wednesday 19 November. Tickets through Ticketmaster. Slipknot have revealed the title for their new album and have released a video for the single The Devil In I. The upcoming album entitled Vol 5 : The Gray chapter is the band’s first album since 2008 and is a tribute to long time bass player Paul Gray who passed away in 2010. There has also speculation online about who the new bass player and drummer is since founding member and drummer Joey Jordison left the band last year. In the new video for The Devil In I, The bass player is shown to have some distinctive hand tattoos that match up to guitar tech and Krokodil guitarist Alessandro Venturella but it is yet to be confirmed if it is actually him. All will be revealed soon. The one and only Devin Townsend has announced a rare guitar clinic tour next month and you can see him shred in person on Monday 20 October at Princess Theater, Brisbane. Tickets through thumpmusic.com.au
Eight minute opener Speak To The Wild commences with a chiming guitar motif before locking into a classic, mid-paced Sonic Youth channeling vibe which twists, builds and implodes on the back of Moore’s melodically off-kilter guitar tones and distinctive vocals, while second track Forevermore lays down an epic, prickly groove that doesn’t let up for its eleven minute duration.
Those looking for something a little more succinct and up-tempo will find salvation within the urgent Detonation, which was originally considered for the title of the album. And the album’s final track, Germs Burn, is all power-bounce rifferola and blazing J Mascis inspired guitar nirvana and serves as a homage of sorts to Darby Crash, the long lamented singer of seminal late 70’s LA punk band The Germs. Thurston Moore’s The Best Day will be released on 20 October via Matador Records...don’t forget that you heard about it here first.
Tape commences with a droning, middle-eastern style raga before descending into a minimalist string-guitar mantra, bringing to mind the American primitivism of pioneering guitarist John Fahey. And Vocabularies follows in a similar accousta-mantric vein, the shadow of the valley of freak folkers such as Six Organs of Admittance hanging ominously in the mists... Meanwhile title track The Best Day starts off vaguely recalling one of his parent band’s best chugg-along rock moments, Sunday, before a blazing rock solo thrown into the midst morphs the track into something else entirely.
Thurston Moore
Black metal masters Marduk have announced a tour with Inquisition throughout January next year. The bands will hit every capital city on the run and will play the Crowbar in Brisbane on 18 January. Tickets through Oztix. Anvil have announced a bunch of dates in Australia for November. The band are set to play five shows including a stop in Brisbane on Saturday 8 November. No venues have been announced yet but more news on the tour won’t be far off. Thrash metal legends EXODUS will release their tenth studio album, Blood In Blood Out in October. The first single Salt The Wound features a guest solo by Metallica shredder and former Exodus guitarist Kirk Hammett - epic stuff! Dutch death metal band Sinister will tour Australia for the first time in November. Catch them at the Crowbar in Brisbane on Sunday 9 November. They’ll be upported by Mephistopheles, Laceration Mantra & Gold Coast’s very own Eternal Torment Tickets through Oztix
Trivium
Got some metal news we should know about? Email rabidnoiseradio@hotmail.com. And get the latest metal tracks and interviews with Rabid Noise every Wednesday night from 9.00pm live on rabbitradio.com.au.
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BIGSOUND 2014: HANG 10 It was a massive few days at Bigsound with both Blank GC and Rabbit Radio represented heavily at the industry event. Amongst the stellar lineup of speakers who made up the conference program proper there was the most insane lineup of live music on offer. Our formal team – Mella Bunker, Jake Wilton, Kyle Butcher and Emily Hosking laboured over the program of events to unearth the tastiest sounds just for you. Here’s their top 10. King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard | Mella Bunker
It’s no secret to my friends that I’m a little bit obsessed with KGLW at the moment and their performance at the Carlton Dry Showcase (11 September) has only increased that obsession. One of the reasons they make me so happy when I see them live is because I love to get loose at gigs (in a nonintoxicating/clothes on kinda way) and these guys make it so easy for me to do that. I first saw the seven piece at last years BIGSOUND where they opened with epic album opener Head On/Pill from 2013 Float Along – Fill Your Lungs. That performance blew my mind and fulfilled all my psych rock fantasies in 16 minutes. On Thursday night I was treated to another epic opening performance with freshly released single “Cellophane” from soon to be released album “I’m Your Mind Fuzz”. KGLW were also the talk of the industry panel at BIGSOUND this year and I get why, live their music bursts with energy, an eclectic mix of guitar, thrumming bassline, wailing harmonica and fuzzy vocal effects. Guest keynote speaker Mick Harvey (The Bad Seeds) mentioned in his talk that drummers were sometimes not credited for the role they played in bands. That would be impossible with KGLW who have two and whose timing is fierce and brings an added element to the hyperactive psych sound they produce so well. I love watching those guys literally bouncing out of their seats when they play live. If you haven’t seen King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard in SE Qld you’ve probably missed out. For all you other lucky buggers living south of the border and overseas, time is on your side. KGLW are about to embark on an international tour and I recommend you catch them in a smaller, intimate environment if you can before they move onto bigger and less accessible stages.
The Harpoons | Mella Bunker
On the other end of the sound spectrum is Melbourne four piece The Harpoons whose single Unforgettable dropped at the beginning of the year and is the perfect word to describe their performance on the same night (11 September) at The Brightside. Described as modern pop RnB, The Harpoons are all vocally talented, and took turns showcasing those voices throughout their set. That being said it’s Bec Rigby’s sophisticated sultry voice that elevates this band into another dimension, channelling sounds of Detroit and Chicago bringing something new and exciting to Australian shores. The Harpoons have just released their second single Can we work it out and are set to release their debut LP Falling for You sometime later this year. Keep an ear out for that one.
Felicity Groom | Kyle Butcher and Jake Wilton
Spookyland | Mella Bunker
There is something haunting and strange about this intense band from Sydney, is it because guitarist Liam Gordon may have had a close encounter of the other kind? Or maybe because bassist Nic Malouf isn’t afraid to break all the rules? Maybe it’s because singer/songwriter Marcus Gordon’s voice is unique and hard to describe – high pitched, nasally almost cartoonish? But fucking awesome live. Whatever it is, the formula works. Listening to Spookyland play their folk alt-rock at Alhambra on the Wednesday night of Bigsound, I found myself comparing their sound and story telling to Velvet Underground. Dark, brooding almost uncaring if you like them or not, I felt pretty lucky to be sitting in the audience that night to witness what I believe is a band that will gain cult status. Spookyland will be touring with The Lemonheads soon and their latest video Rock and Roll Weakling can be viewed online.
Orphans Orphans | Kyle Butcher
Even though this band has only been around for a handful of gigs, they have a huge amount of experience because they have all played in other Brisbane bands ranging from The Jungle Giants to Moses Gun Collective. Their live perfor22
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mance is reminiscent of early Split Enz. The raw energy, the grooving dancing and the overall tightness of sound was impressive. The set consistently made the crowd jump along with the music from intense start to Orphan finish.
Wow. Felicity Groom’s voice is simply phenomenal. Distinctly Australian, Felicity’s music is unique: we’re talking incredible haze of alt rock with a smooth fringe of electronic music creating a virtual blend of psych and pop. Despite her guitarist ripping his fingers open while smashing out a driving beat on the drumkit, the set was consistently impressive. Felicity Groom and her AAA backing band created a longing experience and a reason for her to return to Queensland. Throwing in plenty of new material from her second album Hungry Sky, due October – Felicity shook and shivered through the Black Bear Lodge. Black Bear Lodge was packed full of punters coming to see this talent on display and there is no doubt she is on the rise, commanding the audience with her dominating voice and holding spellbound more than enough punters – these two guys, for sure.
The Creases | Kyle Butcher and Emily Hosking
The Creases have been busy supporting their debut EP, and their set in New Globe Theatre showcased those latest songs with a slight injection of older tracks like I Won’t Wait. As most Brisbane punters know, The Creases bring the power and sporting mop tops and turtlenecks, anyone would think that The Creases are from another time and place. Their sets are consistently tight, and tonight was no exception. Energetic, fun and full of ‘ooh wah’s’, these guys had everyone bopping along and taking a ‘trip’ of their own. While their live show has potential to be ironed out, there’s no reason why these guys aren’t going to be the next big thing. They packed out the theatre before they had even struck a chord and their grooving tracks moved the crowd, in more ways than one.
Marlon Williams | Emily Hosking
The minute I heard him described as “the impossible love child of Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison and Townes Van Zandt”, I knew Marlon Williams was going to be one of my top picks. And disappoint, he did not. Hitting the Press Club stage on Thursday night with nothing but his guitar and a wide brimmed hat, this New Zealander showed he is most certainly a mutual re-incarnation of some of the best musicians the world has ever seen. His powerful vocals delivered heartfelt and cheeky stories of love, life and broken marriages. If you dig the older stuff then Mr Williams is certainly going to float your boat.
create a heavier, most dynamic, and mostly instrumental, live performance. Favourites like Stray Current and Fire Penguin transformed into spiral swirls of prog-Sabbath riffs and quick fire bursts of lyrical delivery. An interesting insight to where Baptism of Uzi are current sitting – but where’s the new music, guys?
D.D. Dumbo | Jake Wilton
Packing the Alhambra I OH YOU after party was current hype machine D.D. Dumbo. The one man act was able to pull off a sound designed for a four-piece band and craft his summer infused tunes. He was able to captivate a more-than-capacity venue and charm a few girls, easily. The constant use of pedal and looping work showed how hard working and devoted this artist can really be.
Jeremy Neale | Emily Hosking
You know those acts that you read a little something about (whether it be their bio, an interview or perhaps even their twitter feed) and you just know you are going to love them? That was my experience with Jeremy Neale. The minute I heard him described as a sixties revivalist, I was hooked. And then I saw him live. Neale hit the Alhambra stage as part of the BIGSOUND Live schedule on Thursday night to a packed out audience, and there is no wonder why he attracted such a large crowd. This Brisbanite is something else. He fills the stage with so much charisma and while the audience quickly falls in love his effervescent personality, it feels as if he is mutually falling hard for them too. My mate perfectly captured the essence of this gig when he turned to me halfway through and exclaimed ‘I feel like I’m at a prom in the 60’s.’ Jeremy Neale was certainly my most treasured discovery of BIGSOUND 2014.
Baptism of Uzi | Jake Wilton
Having not seen the Melbourne outfit since their dwarfing and momentous set at Splendour in the Grass 2013, I was keen to see how the group are developing. Prog-psych dripped across their debut EP, yet they www.blankgc.com.au
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EXITS AT BIGSOUND Steve Smyth spent years roaming the streets of Paris and London, traversing Europe, Asia and North America. He listened to rough mixes of songs in his head, scrawling lyrics in dog-eared notebooks and teasing out arrangements on his guitar. No wonder, then that his debut Exits is a soundtrack for travel. Blank’s Catherine D’avril caught up with Steve at Bigsound 2014. These songs appear very personal. Do you share these stories so other people can relate? That’s the beauty about writing songs, the main idea is to share them. Because music is directly connected to the soul, people usually find their own interpretation. I believe that the songs that I wrote are not mine anymore, they belong to everybody. I love on the record, how you’ve made such a seamless mix of rock tunes and others that are more subtle, quieter. Do you prefer writing a rock tune or an acoustic song? They are different elements, it was a big effort to bring out arch and tenderness in the same time. As long as I feel like what I’m creating is honest and truthful I’ll go that way. To answer your question and to say which one I prefer is like choosing your favourite child! Desolation Point is my fave from the record. Tell us more about this one? It’s kind of the hardest one to explain.... It’s feel like it’s the exit of the adolescence and there have been and will be teenagers who want to escape from whatever was happening : home life, school or fucking changes that you’re going through. This period is so volatile sometimes and you realize what the world is..... Also it’s the realisation of who you are, where you want to go, wars and adults stuff. You enjoy travelling, I thought of this album as a real road trip sounding album, something you’ve probably written on the road? Yes I’ve done it a lot on the road. I don’t remember if it’s all over the place, you never know when a song will find you! You kind of obey the orders. I think there’s a lot of this road trip atmosphere on this record. this strong environment helped me to get extremities in my songs. You’re about to tour in Tasmania? I was quite sad to see that Tassie wasn’t involved in our tour! I lived in Tasmania in my childhood for a time and it can get missed on a lot of tour and I really don’t understand it! There’s a lot of great music down there, a really strong community of musicians and heaps of music lovers! I’m glad that we made it happen this time! 24
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The Australian music scene is so damn cool at the moment! Every week there is a new release from one awesome Aussie or another so here are a few of my latest acquisitions. White Lodge
For supporting this compilation I got a signed, milky white copy of the 10”, including a sticker and a badge. You can order the compilation from milkrecords.com.au
SPLIT 7”
Forests/White Lodge, 2013 So I finally got my hands on a copy of this split 7” I’ve been after for a while and I’ve been excitedly playing it for whoever walks through my door. Gold Coast/Brisbane based psych-rockers White Lodge and Taiwanese band Forests teamed up to bring just a taste of their respective sounds.
A MILK! RECORDS COMPILATION Various Artists, 2014
Supporting Independent, Australian music is something I feel very strongly about so when I stumbled across a Pozible campaign from Courtney Barnett’s independent label Milk! Records, I jumped on board straight away. The label wanted to put out a 10” compilation featuring a bunch of Melbourne based artists who had spent a weekend together recording. The compilation kicks off with a track from The Finks called Cottonmouth and its melancholy pop sound is the perfect introduction to this EP. I think one of my favourite things about it, not only The Finks but also every artist on this record is that they all actually sound Australian! Sometimes the Aussie accent can get lost in music but listening to this opening track from The Finks it’s so clear and I absolutely love it. Next up is Pickles From the Jar, Courtney Barnett’s latest. The catchy, constant track keeps with her style of lyrics that we’ve all come to love. It’s kind of like a love song, a really clever, catchy one that doesn’t end in bitterness. It’s light-hearted and references You Am I, so it’s a winner in my book! Speaking of You Am I, the next track is from Jen Cloher and features Tim Rogers. Stone Age Brain has this cool garage rock sound and Cloher and Rogers swap verses before launching into the ultimately catchy chorus. The song has a solid energy from start to finish and is followed up really well. Flipping over to side B we have Royston Vasie with Two Fingers Telling You No, keeping the energy high. Closing the record is Fraser A. Gorman, who recently performed at BIGSOUND. Sugarcane Motorcycle is the perfect way to round this EP out. The instrumentation is gorgeous and lyricism unlike anything else. The saxophone solo at the end, fading out is just beautiful.
Forests take out side A with their fuzzy, psych surf rock sound, kicking off with Ego Bender. This tune has a constant guitar riff that gets (pleasantly) stuck in my head. They have this really unstructured sense of pop music and I can’t help but hear The Velvet Underground in here somewhere, especially in the vocals on the second track, The Fall. I think it’s the soft, unassuming vocals against the fuzzy guitar that have me so fascinated by this song. Side B sees White Lodge delivering their dizzy, psych-garage sound. I’ve been playing Her Spell on repeat! I love the structure of this track and the doo-wop style backing vocals, especially through the chorus. It’s catchy and progressive and what else can I say, I just dig it. Next up and closing out the split 7” is Flower Eyes. I love the way this track builds. It starts out with this mellow swelling and explodes into an unfaltering energy. These guys have also just released their second EP, Technicolour Visions on translucent yellow cassette.
JIMMY THE SAINT AND THE SINNERS Boozehounds & Bad Mean, 2014
These guys are doing something different to anyone on the Gold Coast! It’s refreshing and disturbing and unbelievably cool. I recently caught these guys at Yellowood Festival and was totally blown away. They have such a presence on stage that feels oh so right, like they were born to be there. I picked up their latest EP, Boozehounds & Bad Men on 12” vinyl at the festival. The artwork is amazing! I almost just want to frame it. The album consists of bluesy ballads and stories of love, murder and unfaithfulness. They have a desert-blues sound and such a unique style of lyrical content. My favourite tracks from the EP are Re-Animator and Clint Vicious. Atlantis Music in Southport has this record in stock. Gina Martin
GOLD COAST GIG GUIDE SEPTEMBER Wednesday 24 September Open mic night, The Loft Chevron Island ESCALATE: featuring Here’s to Neverland and a supporting lineup of local teenage rock bands, Helensvale Cultural Centre Thursday 25 September David Aurora + Jon Whitten + Mentality Twins +Dominique Maurice | The Loft Chevron Island ArtExposure (graffiti, decor, DJs and fire spinners) | Byron BayBrewery Friday 26 September Taylor, Ashleigh Mannix, Jac Stone, Soundlounge Currumbin Caravana Sun, Miami Marketta Complicity, Burleigh Brewery Sarah Frank, Jimez Cafe Future Native, Junior Danger, Sound Saber, Cannons, Neem, Benny D Williams, Currumbin Creek Tavern Matt Stokes (covers), One50 Public House Tsun + The Delicates + 7 local visual artists | Elsewhere Milan Martin | Cafe Dbar Frazer Goodman and friends | The Loft Chevron Island Conkarah (Jamaica) + 4’ 20’ Dub Live | Byron Bay Brewery Saturday 27 September Mitch Green + Salt & Steel + Anika Mantell | The Loft Chevron Island CC The Cat | Byron Beachside markets 10.00am The Hi Boys, Miami Marketta Devil’s Kiosk, Burleigh Underground Drummers Anonymous Club, Buzzbees, Kasper, Kobrakai, The Storytellers, Q the Moon, Currumbin Creek Tavern Slim Pickens, Sheoak Shack Fingal Matt Stokes Duo (covers), One50 Public House Waxhead | Byron Bay Brewery VJ King JNR | Cafe Dbar Leopold’s Treat | Open Day BeachCare Party Rainbow Bay Sunday 28 September Sarah Frank, Genki Cafe Angie Simone (covers), One50 Public House 1.30pm Hayley Grace | Southport Sharks 1.00pm Josh Lovegrove | Cafe Dbar CC The Cat | Skypoint Q1 3.00pm
Bluejuice, Cooly Hotel Felicity Lawless, Allensworth, Julia Rose, Soundlounge Currumbin Those Folk + Ellie Hopley + Tyla Jade | The Loft Chevron Island Tomorrows Tulips + The Babe Rainbow + White Lodge | The Northern Byron Bay Briggs & Co (covers), North Burleigh SLSC Ethan Smaling | Cafe Dbar Flex Cop Placebo EP tour | Elsewhere Versus Fate + Baltimore Gun Club + True Theory + Green Room Riot + Casey Duque | Currumbin Creek Tavern Stevenson Street (covers) | Jupiters PA Bar Friday 3 – Monday 6 October Caloundra Music Festival: John Butler Trio, Pete Murray, Wolfmother, Ball Park Music, Baby Animals, Tina Arena, James Reyne, Skunkhour, 1927 and heaps more Saturday 4 October Dead Kennedys and The Bennies | Cooly Hotel Bluejuice | The Northern Byron Bay Mitchell Ryan | Cafe Dbar Bluescorp, Miami Marketta Jesse Morris Band | Sheoak Shack Fingal Nat & Stu Duo (covers) | One50 Public House Karl Peters (covers) | North Burleigh SLSC Songwriters Session with Megan Cooper, Cameron Milford and Dana Hassall + Finkler + Luke Houselander | The Loft Chevron Island Eddie Boyd and the Phatapillars + Unfinished Business + Indigo Parade + Jesse Pumphrey + Julie Hayes | Currumbin Creek Tavern Hippopotamus (covers) | Jupiters PA Bar Opera in the Park | Kurrawa Park Broadbeach Sunday 5 October Listen Out Festival: Flume, Chet Faker, Ta-Ku, Zhu, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, Brisbane RNA Showgrounds Hardwell, Riverstage Brisbane Sarah Frank, Bambu BarMusicFood Luke Horsfield | Cafe Dbar Amanda King (covers), One50 Public House 1.30pm Groove Elements (covers) | Jupiters PA Bar CC The Cat + Essie Thomas | Northern Rivers Hotel Lismore Warren M | Genki Cafe Tuesday 7 October Dallas DUO (covers) | Jupiters PA Bar
Day of Echoes, The Sea Shall Not Have Them, The Audiosmiths, Miami Shark Bar VJ King JNR | Cafe Dbar Andy Penney (covers), North Burleigh SLSC Phil Barlow and the Wolf, Sheoak Shack Fingal Matt Stokes (covers), One50 Public House Klubnight EP Launch | Elsewhere Ella Fence | Bass Espresso Brisbane Agent 77 (covers) | Jupiters PA Bar The Wildbloods (acoustic) + Scott Dalton + Jackson James Smith | The Loft Chevron Island Sunday 12 October The Cat Empire, Madre Monte, Tom Thum, Miami Marketta (4.00pm) Dinkum Bohos |Lennox Heads Markets Beau Maynard | Cafe Dbar Angie Simone (covers), One50 Public House 1.30pm Sarah Frank, The Outcider (3.00pm) Monster Guitars | Tyalgum Hotel 2.00pm Monky Pharm | Genki Cafe Tuesday 14 October Undercover Project (covers) | Jupiters PA Bar Wednesday 15 October Confession, Prepared Like a Bride, Graves, Shark Bar Miami Dinkum Bohos | Pizza Paradiso Suffolk Park Open mic night (free) | The Loft Chevron Island Thursday 16 October Tim Freedman does Nilsson & Whitlams Classics | Soundlounge Currumbin Dinkum Bohos |Byron Bay Farmers Market GC Songwriters Night | The Loft Chevron Island Friday 17 October Kiara Jack & The Jills, Bangalow Hotel Josh Lovegrove | Cafe Dbar Briggs & Co (covers), North Burleigh SLSC Dinkum Bohos |Mullumbimby Farmers Market Nescient + Decryptus + Inhailed + Don’t Waste The Paint + The Cilikis Progressio Project | Currumbin Creek Tavern Struggle Street (covers) | Jupiters PA Bar Fletch + Eliza Pickard + Tom Sun | The Loft Chevron Island Ben Amor | Genki Cafe
Wednesdsay 8 October Open mic night, The Loft Chevron Island
Saturday 18 October Alvin and Jahbutu, Miami Marketta Sarah Frank, Mandala Organic Arts Cafe
Wednesday 1 October Open mic night, The Loft Chevron Island Tomorrows Tulips + The Babe Rainbow + Tempura Nights | Black Bear Lodge Brisbane
Friday 10 October Declan Kelly and The Raising Sun, Miami Marketta Sam & Steph (covers), North Burleigh SLSC Beth Lowen | Cafe Dbar Frazer Goodman & friends | The Loft Chevron Island MKO | Soundlounge Currumbin Central Street + Arundel + Aquila Young + No Body Died + James D’Kan | Currumbin Creek Tavern Mr Perkins (covers) | Jupiters PA Bar Dinkum Bohos | Pizza Paradiso Suffolk Park Anika Mantel | Genki Cafe
Sunday 19 October Dinkum Bohos | Bangalow Farmers Market Alvin and Jahbutu, Miami Marketta Sarah Frank, Mandala Organic Arts Cafe James D’Khan + Dan Irwin + Sunday | The Loft Chevron Island Isaac Paddon, Sheoak Shack Fingal Pauly Atkins | Cafe Dbar Paul Atkins (covers), North Burleigh SLSC Buskers by the Creek | Winders Park Currumbin (daytime) Battle of the Buskers | Currumbin Creek Tavern Rushhour (covers) | Jupiters PA Bar Benny D Williams | Genki Cafe
Friday 3 October Taylor, Burleigh Brewery
Saturday 11 October Mescalito Blues, Miami Marketta
Sunday 19 October Kiara Jack & The Jills, Bangalow Hotel (NSW)
Monday 29 September Open mic night, Surfers RSL Tuesday 30 September Missy Higgins | Arts Centre Gold Coast Ella Fence | Arts Centre Terrace Stage
OCTOBER
Matthew Armitage | Cafe Dbar Tuesday 21 October The Tea Party, The Superjesus, Cooly Hotel Signature Duo (covers) | Jupiters PA Bar Wednesday 22 October Open mic night (free) | The Loft Chevron Island Friday 24 October The Honeysliders perform Neil Young’s On The Beach: featuring Andrew Morris, Danny Widdicombe, Dan Mansfield and Ben Carstens, Soundlounge Currumbin Kye Cole Band (covers), North Burleigh SLSC Jay Whalley (Frenzal Rhomb) + Jud Campbell + Matt Haora + Tim Johnson | Currumbin Creek Tavern Paige Victoria Spiers | Cafe Dbar Ramjet (covers) | Jupiters PA Bar Fatt Daddy | Ganki Cafe Saturday 25 October Hilltop Hoods, V8 Supercars The Living Room, Miami Marketta Slim Pickers | Sheoak Shack Fingal Paul Atkins (covers) | North Burleigh SLSC Coast Acoustics: open mic night + Leaping Lizards | Paradise Country Parklands Mitchell Ryan | Cafe Dbar Empyre (c0vers) | Jupiters PA Bar Monster Guitars | Goonellabah Tavern Scott Dalton EP launch + Holly Terrens + Miss Elm + Liam Ward | Currumbin Creek Tavern Sunday 26 October Lisa Jayne | Cafe Dbar Byron Bay Surf Festival featuring The Griswolds | Beach Hotel Byron Mel Scarlett | Genki Cafe Tuesday 28 October Mr Smith (c0vers) | Jupiters PA Bar Wednesday 29 October Open mic night (free) | The Loft Chevron Island Thursday 30 October Thirsty Merc (acoustic), Cooly Hotel Joe Louis Walker | New Globe Theatre Brisbane Busby Marou (acoustic duo) | Byron Theatre Friday 31 October British India | Soundlounge Currumbin Lavidius + United States of Oz + Being Jane Lane + Crash Vaccine + Salt & Steele + Dean Blaich | Currumbin Creek Tavern Marketta Halloween, Miami Marketta Milan Martin | Cafe Dbar Radio Star (covers), North Burleigh SLSC Sarenda (c0vers) | Jupiters PA Bar Songwriters Circle: Ella Fence | The Loft Chevron Iland Monky Pharm | Genki Cafe Friday 31 October – Sunday 2 November Island Vibe Festival: Finlay Quaye, King Tide, Toothfaeries and more | Home Beach, North Straddie
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JAMROC QSuper Centre, Cnr Bermuda & Markeri Street, Mermaid Waters My Jamroc love affair was not ‘love at first sight’ but ‘love at first bite’! I’m partial to a bit of bird, especially when we’re pressed for time. A good chook can be hard to find. Despite this, I’d dismissively walked past the Jamroc store at QSuper more times than I’d care to admit. “Just another chain in the chicken production line,” I thought, “another bird on the wire!” Wrong! My first bite of succulent, juicy spiced bird told me that! International chain? Wrong again! Jamroc is a family business. When Joy Parkes (Mama Jamroc) and her family moved to the Gold Coast in 2010, she missed the flavours of Jamaica so much that she decided to bring them here. No one Jamaican dish would speak to Aussies more, she thought, than Jerk chicken, so Jamroc was born. Within a couple of years, Jamroc chicken was famous enough to be a food of choice of the West Indian Cricket Team on their Australian visit. Jamroc BBQ ‘Jerk’ Chicken is the centrepiece of Jamroc’s menu. Following recipes handed down through generations, the chicken is twice marinated for over 24 hours using Caribbean herbs and spices (jerk) before it is char-grilled. Halal, gluten free and dairy free (there aren’t many cows in Jamaica), it’s nutritious and ticks all the right boxes. Main dish sorted...now for the choices... Firstly, you need to choose your heat level. We chilled out with the Mild. It’s aromatic and flavoursome. (#1 Useless information: The Main Squeeze is a bit of a heat wuss). The adventurous can choose Traditional (Medium), A Hot Affair or, for the brave, the fiery Rasta’s Revenge. That’ll put you amongst it!
Jamroc @ Mermaid Waters 26
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Secondly, choose the way you want your chicken served. To me, nothing beats a dressed bird with a side of lightly spiced slaw and chips. Cooked in vegetable oil (rather than the usual beef tallow), the chips are crisp and crunchy. Seasoned with Jamroc’s special salt blend, they’re some of the best chips we’ve tasted! (#2 Useful information: We prefer to eat in to maximise the crunch.) The Main Squeeze ordered a Rasta Wrap which was ‘entirely awesome’ (his words). It’s a generous meal of soft tortilla wrapped around marinated chicken breast, salad and garlic mayo; a great lunch alone ($8.10), or with a drink and side ($13.70). Want a lighter meal? Try the kebabs with a salad on the side, or a burger for something even more substantial. Named after Jamaica’s capital cities, the burgers are full of flamed chicken breast and a choice of fillings, sizes and add on sides (chips, slaw, rice and beans, salad or cornmeal dumplings). Although there’s no charge for BYO and a bottleshop nearby, a range of Jamaican soft drinks are available in the store next to the stand of imported sauces. If you’re really adventurous, try one of Mama Jamroc’s daily specials from her Caribbean Kitchen: Goat Curry, Oxtail and Broadbeans, Curry Chicken or Brown Stew Chicken. They’re made from the traditional recipes by Mama herself. To us, they’re an acquired taste, but for Jamaicans, they’re a real taste of home. Frankly, I think Mama Jamroc was right: it’s all about the Jerk Chicken. As my teeth sank into a succulently spiced smoky flavoured breast on my first bite, juices dripping down my chin, I was heard to murmur, “I won’t eat another chicken again unless it’s this good!” Love at first bite! Marj Osborne Read more of Marj’s reviews at foodgoldcoast.com.au
NOT TONIGHT BAR & CAFÉ 50B Nerang Street, Southport “Not Tonight.” There’s a seductive challenge in those words. The saying is steeped in history; a famous dismissal that leaves plenty of room for alternatives. Let’s get creative! If not tonight, when? “Then how about today?” I throw out the alternative, and we meet for lunch instead. Location, location, location! It’s often quoted as the key to success, and Not Tonight has the money on the nose. The winter sun gleams off the light rail as it pulls in at Southport Station, our destination just across the street. Just around the corner from the centre of town, it’s opposite the iconic Courthouse Hotel and Old Ambulance buildings. Not Tonight, today. Sitting pretty on the top corner of Davenport Street Village, Not Tonight is the only small bar in town. Yet it’s so much more. It’s a music-pumping, sassy craft beer and cocktail venue at night, a tapas joint with fancy Melbourne laneway-style nosh, a clandestine lunch spot on the weekend or even a catch up café for a quiet Toby’s Estate coffee and cake. It was a brave move, opening a new bar while the barricades were still up for the light rail construction. But as owners Arran Woollams and Julian Luckhardt know, a lot of the ‘luck’ at the track is gained in the preparation! They had a vision of a boutique city-style bar serving smart yet affordable gastropub food, great cocktails and local craft beers. With backgrounds in architecture, lighting engineering and hospitality, the guys brought a different take to the venue. Designing and building most of the bar themselves, they have left the finish raw, its casual retro-industrial flexibility intended to meld to the evolving usage of the venue. “We want to let customers make it their own place,” Arran tells us, as I cast my eyes up the stairs. It’s the sort of
Jamroc @ Mermaid Waters
Not Tonight @ Southport
comfortable tiered dining and bar space where all sorts of people could meet for different purposes; a place that could fit varied occasions. Having secured Jonathan McGlynn as Chef, there’s a gastro pub feel to the menu, with some interesting choices. Trained in the UK under Lee Scott (Head Chef for Gordon Ramsay and Raymond Blanc) Jon’s background includes Head Chef in various restaurants and gastropubs in London, large scale catering, as well as Hospitality management and training. For this one-chef kitchen, the menu comprises clutches of dishes arranged by price point and times available to help you navigate your choices. It’s good, honest food with some fancy touches. How about a weekend brunch of Eggs Bene, or Zucchini and corn fritters or French toast with honeyed walnuts and crème chantilly ($10 - $14)? Or fancy a BLT Bloody Mary or a Morning Glory Gin Fizz to chase Friday night away? You’re on, because the small bar licence means you don’t have to eat to consume alcohol! And why not share some platters and drinks after work? The choice of Share Boards ($18) should see you through. Or grab some bar bites such as Aranchini and Slow-cooked pork belly skewers ($8 – $14) or pizzas to keep the crowd happy. Everything is freshly made: your fish will be Tamborine beer battered whiting, the chips hand cut. Best of all the pricing, of both food and drinks, hits the mark for Southport clientele. Open at present for ‘long weekend’ hours, the guys have plans to host special events such as chef ’s long table dinners and beer and food matchings, as well as continuing event catering for 30 or 40 on request. And if you thought the food was fabulous, take a look at the drinks menu! Boasting beer on tap for $5 a pot and cocktails priced between $10 and $14, the bar menu shows off local, local, local at the best prices in town. Not just any beer, either! It’s small batch run beers, such as Beard and Brau Farmhouse Amber Ale from Mt Tamborine, Stone & Wood from Byron Bay, and our own Dream Date on tap from Burleigh Brewing’s ‘A Bit on the Side’. Besides that, the bar boasts cocktail base labels we’ve never heard of: • The international gold medal West Winds The Sabre from the Margaret River region, the gin slightly scented
• •
with lemon myrtle and lemon peel Pot distilled 666 Tasmanian vodka brimming with the flavours of Autumn Butter Double Dip, a cold drip extracted coffee liqueur from Little Drippa in Melbourne which makes as good an Espresso Martini as an IV drip!
There aren’t enough places around for a pure bit of indulgence without a remortgage! But this is one! So when he says ‘Not tonight’, I say ‘Sure! Let’s meet for a drink this afternoon’. Catch the tram, meet the man! Marj Osborne Read more of Marj’s reviews at foodgoldcoast.com.au
ORGANICS AT HOME Shop 7, 5th Avenue, Palm Beach Sometimes an event happens which stops us in our tracks, pulls us up and shakes us out before we head off in a different direction. For John Gorry, that event was cancer. Like some of my friends who have suffered from the disease, he says that it has changed his appreciation for life and the way that he thinks forever. For John, his life re-evaluation led him to organics and sustainable whole food, spreading the message through his Palm Beach café, Organics at Home. Ever self-deprecating, John says his chef, Marci, is the real hero of the café. She’s the master of the kitchen, the one with the knowledge about alkalising foods and healthy wholefood cuisine. ‘Why alkaline?’ I ask. The rationale is that cancer cells thrive in a slightly acidic environment. By eating an alkaline diet, eliminating sugar and all processed foods, eating lots of raw vegetables, fish and pulses, it is difficult for cancer cells to regenerate or thrive.
know that it 1941 only one person in eighty would contract cancer. Now, two out of every three men and a third of all women can expect to suffer from cancer at some time in their life.” The figures are staggering. “Over 70,000 chemicals have been created to spray on foods.” I shake my head in utter amazement at our current food practices. Hardly surprising, then, that Organics at home is 100% organic. There’s no lip service to quality here! Only stable oils and fats are used in cooking, grains are pre-soaked for better digestion, no refined flour or sugar is used, and fruit juice is freshly cold pressed. It’s little wonder that the food tastes so good! There’s a Rosti Stack for brekkie using kale, navy beans and mushrooms. Yes, there’s eggs and bacon, but why not tuck into a brekkie bowl packed with the goodness of quinoa, kale, activated almonds, carrot and avo, topped with poached egg, toasted sunflower and pepitas? It’s all so good for you. I pass up the burgers and pulled pork sandwich in favour of Marci’s Salad. It’s a soup bowl of pre-soaked biodynamic brown rice tossed with kale, seared zucchini, roasted beetroot and avocado topped with toasted seeds, dressed with apple vinaigrette. Pre-soaking the rice really does make a difference to its ease of eating! At $13.50 it looks like a smallish bowl, but it proves to be both delicious and very filling. There are lots of detox and alkalising juices and house-made raw treats as a second course, but I settle for a Fair Trade Organic coffee. It’s a very mild blend and I’d ask for it a tad hotter next time! Organics, sustainability and buying local are all worthy food practices, yet we’re only now seeing our first organic cafés on the Gold Coast. John says that it can still be difficult to source organic produce in the quantities he requires. Hopefully, supply will improve as demand increases. Organics at Home is a welcome addition to the thriving Palm Beach food scene. It’s fast gathering a following of regular diners.
“We have to rethink our lifestyle,” John tells me. “Did you
Oranics at Home @ Palm Beach
Marj Osborne Read more of Marj’s reviews at foodgoldcoast.com.au
Nectar Espresso @ Miami www.blankgc.com.au
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NECTAR ESPRESSO 293 The Esplanade, Miami As spring hits the GC it’s time to put those hideous winter days behind us by swapping the Uggs for thongs. Come out of our hibernation and migrate to the beach. For those who make the pilgrimage to North Burleigh you will happily discover Nectar Espresso, a new kid on the block ready to quench your caffeine thirst. Opening less than three months ago, Nectar Espresso is a small hole-in-the-wall café in an enviable spot nestled beneath North Burleigh Surf Life Saving Club and overlooking the beach. With a sunny outlook and welcoming vibe, it has proved hugely successful with the locals and other beach goers, attracting an eclectic mix of people including families using the parks, surfers and swimmers, those out for a leisurely stroll and even people riding up to the window on their bikes. It has quickly taken off as a favourite spot for the many people who frequent the beach and its surrounds. A La Marzocco espresso machine consumes the lion’s share of bench space and churns out the orders with precise rapidity. The coffee beans are a special blend made especially for Nectar by Story Coffee in Palm Beach, which lends itself primarily to milky coffees like their piccolo, with its crème caramel aroma that was translated into the coffee’s sweet flavour. I spoke to Carly, the marketing manager, and she informed me that Nectar is hoping to expand their coffee with more blends geared towards black coffee, and that they would love to offer different blends for different tastes. Regardless their current blend translated well to the salted caramel-scented espresso, which had a tangy acidity and intense flavour hit of cinnamon, chocolate and hints of smoky tobacco. The long black was juicier, with hints of raspberries detected amongst the savoury notes. Nectar is locally focussed and proud and with a view towards a healthy lifestyle, they currently stock cold pressed juices from Tonic Juice Co. and make their own delicious raw treats on site. Nectar Espresso is open seven days a week from 6.00am until 1.00pm. On your next trip to the beach it is well worth stopping by and grabbing a caffeine hit to brighten your day. Catherine Coburn
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WHAT’S INTERESTING ABOUT BARNACLES?
Crabs, pawns, sea urchins and sea cucumbers are marine invertebrates. They’re critters without backbones that live in marine environments. Each marine invertebrate species has evolved to withstand the elements. They wear their bones or exoskeleton on the outside of their body and they have hooks or muscular feet to hang onto rocks when the sea gets rough. These hardy little fellas can endure whatever life throws at them, tough it out when exposed and even get raunchy when under the sea. One of the very few facts I remember off the top of my head from my marine invertebrate’s class is about barnacles. They might be inconspicuous rocky shore critters, but their reproductive processes are pretty adaptive to say the least. You know what they say about men with big feet… well, barnacles actually have the largest penis to body ratio for any species in the animal kingdom. So, I’ll leave you to debate what men’s shoe size means. To add some science substance, barnacles are actually hermaphroditic, meaning that they have both male and female reproductive parts. This allows them to fertilise each other and not necessarily their neighbour (they uncoil their long tubular penis to find a receptive mate). Over 1000 fertilised eggs can be released at any one time and once hatched, the larvae use chemical and touch receptors to find a suitable rock to call home, which they then lay a slab on by releasing cement receptors. Now, there’s some Beach Bits for trivia night!
Naomi Edwards
I TAWT I TAW A PUTTY TAT. WETS GET WID OF DA WEEDS
PLASTIC FILLS TUMMIES OF NATURE’S FLYING LEGENDS They either mistake floating plastic for food or eat it because it has fish eggs attached. For the last three years, CSIRO with partners Shell Australia’s National Social Investment Program and Earthwatch surveyed the entire Australian coastline both on the beach and in the ocean to produce the report Understanding the effects of marine debris on wildlife which has just been released. The report’s lead analyst Dr Wilcox says the findings don’t say what negative impacts the debris load has on the birds, but it is safe to say plastics aren’t having a positive impact. They eat everything from balloons to glow sticks, industrial plastic pellets, rubber, foam and string. Short tailed shearwaters in V shaped flocks the size of Boeing 747s are winging their way across the Pacific Ocean towards the Gold Coast carrying an unwelcome payload. They make landfall around the Gold Coast on their 15,000km return from Alaska to nesting grounds in Bass Strait this time every year, but new information has emerged about just how many of them are carrying plastic in their guts. Two thirds of all Australia’s 28 million shearwaters have ingested plastic in the stomachs, the lead analyst of a three year marine debris research project says. CSIRO Senior Research Scientist Chris Wilcox says one of the most surprising findings of his analysis was how much plastic and debris is in shearwaters and animals in general. A key concern coming out of the project is that as marine debris increases the impact on marine fauna increases through entanglement, ingestion and chemical affects. “Plastic production rates are intensifying, and the volume of refuse humans release into marine systems is growing at an exponential rate,” the report says. Shearwaters have a high debris load because of their surface feeding style, Chris Wilcox says.
He says the wreck events like the one last year when thousands of shearwaters washed up dead or dying on Gold Coast beaches happen naturally because of food shortages and weather, but marine birds might eat more plastic when food is low as they become hungrier. His analysis included a global risk analysis of seabirds and marine debris ingestion for nearly 200 species and found that 43 percent of seabirds and 65 percent of individuals within a species have plastic in their gut. Disturbingly this is projected to increase to 95 percent by 2050. He is surprised at just how much marine debris is on the Australian coastline even in remote areas – with a few thousand pieces per square kilometre to 40,000 pieces. One of the worst areas was inside the Great Barrier Reef after a flood and cyclone event. The findings show that most marine debris is plastic and nearly all of it originates in Australia except for fishing nets in the Gulf of Carpentaria which are mainly of international origin. “What we are trying to do is provide some database, some advice based on the data about how big the problem is and what actions might be effective in terms of reducing the problem.” “Whether or not policy makers choose to take those up or not is outside of my purview.”
“The goal for us was to identify what policies at a council, state and national level would make a difference in terms of the amount of plastic going into the ocean.” He says single use fizzy drink bottles are the biggest culprits and consumer habits and illegal dumping need to change. The report shows that shearwater nestlings being fed by mothers are at high risk of mortality from plastic particles in the regurgitated food mix. It also shows that young birds are also more at risk of ingesting plastic when they feed. A member of the Australian Bird and Bat Banding Scheme who has been banding shearwaters at a nesting ground in Port Fairy in South West Victoria for 30 years was unable to account for the unprecedented low number of chicks in this year’s count following the huge wreck event up and down the Australian East Coast last year. Phillip Du Guesclin said he normally counts 50 to 150 nestlings just after the parents leave on migration in April but this year could only count 19. He said he didn’t know if they weren’t there in the first place or if they had left earlier than usual. A Japanese migratory bird scientist, Senior Biologist Yamashina Institute for Ornithology Nariko Oka, says there wasn’t a wreck of shearwaters along the Japanese coast this year during their migration north when they passed in May. “In years of the poorest growth of chicks, fledglings probably die off on their way in the tropical or subtropical waters before reaching to mid latitude waters like Japan,” he says. Dr Oka says warmer than usual temperatures in the Bering Sea at the end of July/early August could have reduced the krill that the shearwaters feed on in the north. “Shearwaters will probably suffer on their migration back to Australia during the coming return trip, because of a decrease of food for them,” he said. Mic Smith
Spring has begun and as the weather starts to warm up before we know it we’ll be blessed with the arrival of beautiful flowers – flowers of all different colours, smells and sizes. Unfortunately some of our bushland will be blanketed in yellow flowers from cat’s claw creeper - an aggressive, non-native vine that creeps up trees and smothers them causing significant impacts on our wildlife and waterways. To help reduce the spread of cat’s claw creeper, SEQ Catchments has launched a photo competition open to anyone who spots this flower to submit their best photo and share their own story. The top three entries will be showcased and receive some pretty cool prizes. If taking photos isn’t your style but still keen to help save our wildlife and waterways from cat’s claw creeper contact the Gold Coast Catchment Association to get involved in their bug on creepy creeper campaign - it’s about biocontrol action! Spring in to action by contacting Gold Coast Catchment Association info@goldcoastcatchments.org / 0423 846 494. Or find out more about SEQ Catchments’ photo competition at apps.facebook.com/my-contests/catsclaw. Naomi Edwards
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Sweet Spinach Smoothie 2 cups of spinach 1 cup of coconut water 1 frozen banana 1 tablespoon flaxseed oil 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
BODY BUDDHAFUL DETOX BOOK HITS THE SHELVES Michelle Merrifield is an educator, trainer, author and entrepreneur. As the Founder of Essence of Living yoga studio in Mermaid Beach, which recently celebrated its tenth birthday, she’s also a proud Gold Coaster who’s taken her passion for yoga and pilates to the world. After travelling through USA, India, Indonesia and Thailand acquiring knowledge from her gurus, Michelle has built her studio to be an internationally recognised yoga and pilates academy. If she’s not already busy enough recording Essence of Living TV programs for corporate clients, training yoga and pilates teachers in the making, or taking regular yoga and pilates classes at her studio, this power woman has just released a new book – her third. Body Buddhaful Detox is designed to guide everyday people through detox. “It’s not a starve yourself detox, but one where people actually eat,” Michelle told Blank, prior to the book’s launch. “My book is designed for people who train and work hard and who are looking to feel more balanced in life. Between strength and flexibility and eating naturally and organically, we can create equality and harmony in human form that sends a ripple effect into your heart and your mind. How you do one thing is how you do everything.” We were lucky enough to catch Michelle between commitments to ask her a few questions about detoxifying and to nab a sneaky recipe from her new book. Spring has just begun. Is Spring the best time of the year to detox, or doesn’t it really matter? There is never a bad time to begin your detox. Detox can happen anytime throughout the year, but as we head into the warmer months there are more people searching for a way to become both healthier and happier versions of themselves. A 30
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detox is a great way to start this journey. How can yoga help your body to detox? Your mind? Yoga, pilates and meditation are the perfect ways to cleanse the mind from any negative thoughts. Positive energy though your mind, body and soul during a detox will create balance and harmony throughout your entire life. What is the most important thing to eliminate from the diet when detoxing? During a detox, the most important thing to eliminate is any negative thought processes and remove yourself from situations that will trigger any bad food habits. Your mind is where your willpower and strength will come from and positive thoughts are a must. We’ve all heard the argument to drink loads of water when detoxing. Can you drink too much? That is, does it cause an electrolyte imbalance or stress the kidneys if you drink too much water? There is a lot to consider here. The required volume of water has many deciding factors and if you are unsure, please seek advice from a naturopath or fitness professional. It’s dependent on how much exercise you are doing, your weight and height, the temperature outside, and how much you sweat. Obviously, if it’s hot you need to drink a lot more water. Apart from caffeine withdrawal, what else causes you to feel sick and/or headachy when detoxing? The main cause of these symptoms is when you remove sugar from your diet. Sugar is a drug, and it’s more addictive than caffeine. Another cause would be the withdrawals from processed food that are high in preservatives. Should we do a digital detox (social media, computers in general, TV etc) along with a mind/body/spirit detox? Absolutely, everyone needs to have a TV and social media free
day once every week. My advice is also to limit your social media activity to 30 minutes in the morning, and 30 minutes at night. If you’re someone who likes to watch the news at night, choose one news program rather than 3. Spending quality time with your family and friends, or doing some exercise of an evening, will make you a happier person. Can you work while doing a detox? Absolutely! You can go about your normal daily routine while taking part in a detox. It’s very important to make detoxing as easy as possible. We all have such busy lives and it needs to be achievable. Simple is always more sustainable which is the focus for my new book Body Buddhaful Detox. I have kept the juice, smoothie and soup recipes simple and easy to create. You talk about getting rid of negative energy. What about getting rid of toxic friends? My advice is to always surround yourself with positive, uplifting and beautiful people. The positive vibrations in a friend circle can lift everyone’s energy to another level. What are your thoughts on the ‘raw food revolution’? Has it gone too far? Definitely not. Any food movement that gets people eating food in its raw and organic form is something society needs. We are living in an obesity and diabetes epidemic with the vast majority of our population at high risk of heart disease and other fatal illnesses. I personally have an 80/20 rule, where I eat 80 per cent raw food in my diet, and I encourage others to do the same. What is the ‘Body Buddhaful Challenge’? Our next Body Buddhaful Challenge begins on 6th October. It’s a 12 week program designed to retrain your habits, spring clean the dusty corners of your body and give you the inspiration and motivation to achieve your goals. Ultimately, it’s a girl’s guide to holistic health and happiness. Included is unlimited access to our Yoga and Pilates classes, a Body Buddhaful Journal, and each person becomes part of an online support community. Beauty comes from the within and it’s about feeling beautiful both on the inside and out. Pip Andreas Body Buddhaful Detox is available online at essenceofliving. com.au, at Essence of Living in Mermaid Beach or at Mrs Flannerys at Miami.
and overseas. The team behind the exhibition has evolved to include some of the best art professionals in Queensland. And to add to this, the festival attracts an increasing number of wonderful volunteers who make this whole event possible. From humble beginnings twelve years ago, Swell has become a force to be reckoned with in the cultural calendar in Australia. And all of this here in our backyard. Or beach if you like!
SWELL OF SCULPTURE HITS CURRUMBIN BEACH
Swell Sculpture Festival has engulfed the Currumbin foreshore for the 12th time and turned the beach, the dunes and the whole beachfront into one huge open air art gallery. A total of 66 sculptures are spread from the tip of Elephant Rock to the sands of Currumbin Creek. And not to forget the small sculptures displayed at the Swell Smalls Gallery in the Way of Design Gallery across in the Nioka building. This means a hundred sculptures for you to feast your eyes on. Talk about a swell of art!
THE SKIN ERICA GRAY IS IN
Swell has always been an overall experience, not just simply walking through an exhibition in the light of day. The program consists of felting workshops, masterclasses, artists talks, livemusic, twilight walks, sculptures light after dark, t-shirt printing and visual as well as performing art. It is called a festival after all. But a festival with a serious side. Swell Sculpture Festival has grown into its skin over the years and nowadays attracts world-class artists both from Australia
The artist awards are always of great interest to both the artists and public alike. Artists vote for their favourite and this year chose Jina Lee’s Harmony to win the Groove Café Artists Peer Award. The Max Fabre Foundation Environmental Awareness award went to Michael Van Dam for his humpback whale themed piece Intervention and Glen Star and his sculpture Erebus won the Jennie Neumann OAM Emerging Artists Award. The big one, the Swell Sculpture Award, was judged by Chris Saines, Director of Queensland Art Gallery and the Gallery of Modern Art in Brisbane. After careful deliberation and honourable mentionings and high praise for various sculptures and sculptors, he had chosen one above the rest. This piece was Daniel Clemmett’s Keeping Up with the Kalashnikovs. Clemmett’s choice of material, subject matter, skillful finishing and thought-filled process of making this sculpture have made it relevant, thought provoking and a testament to the artist’s vision and ability. For further information visit swellsculpture.com.au. Anna Itkonen is a volunteer board member for Swell Sculpture Festival
Erica Gray is one of the Gold Coast’s most unique and interesting artists. She works with soft sculpture, painting and stitched textile work.
while the stitched works are a relatively new addition to my art family. It too has its own voice, often one that ties and unites the narrative between sculpture and paint.”
Her exhibition The skin we are in, which runs until the end of October, is an exciting and quirky exploration of human and animal relationships, and if you like your art fresh and with a twist, then this is the exhibition for you.
Combining these mediums and switching effortlessly from one to another gives her art a contemporary edge and uniqueness that lingers in your mind long after you have left the exhibition.
She shares her house and studio in Sorrento with her partner and a colourful animal menagerie consisting of a cat, a dog, seven gold fish, two finches and a free range herd of geckoes, all of which have influenced this exhibition. But her first love, and also where she started her career is fashion. She transitioned to art and in recent years came full circle by introducing some of the fashion elements to her art practice.
It is no wonder that this busy artist has a long list of accomplishments varying from winning her section in the World of Wearable Art in Wellington, New Zealand to solo exhibitions in the Tweed River Regional gallery and the Gold Coast City Art gallery as well as exhibiting in Sculpture by the Sea in Sydney and Swell Sculpture Festival on the Gold Coast.
“This is my interpretation of similarities, differences, quirks and compositions … that represent my current view on human to human, human to animal and animal to animal relationships,” she said. “After all we all feel the same emotions and pain, no matter what the skin we are in.”
This spring seems busier than ever though. You can see Erica’s art not only in the Lorraine Pilgrim gallery in Southport but also in September at the 2nd Tamworth Textile Triennale in Tamworth Regional Gallery, in November at the Noosa Regional Gallery and her finalist garments at the World of Wearable Art in Wellington, New Zealand which opens in the end of September.
Her ambition and her ability to work with these different mediums is part of what makes Erica’s art so intriguing.
Watch this space for the second installment of our story on Erica and the wonderland of wearable art!
“I suppose it is a bit indulgent in a way trying to control three very different mediums, but it allows for so much more expressions,” Erica said. “Sculpture is in your face and in your space; I enjoy its boldness, and its subtleness. Painting is peaceful and almost always takes me to a happy place,
The Skin We Are In is open until end of October at the Lorraine Pilgrim Gallery, 87 Ridgeway Avenue, Southport. Anna Itkonen www.blankgc.com.au
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Jupiters Hotel & Casino presents
AUSTRALIA’S FIRST EVER BRIDGE SWING LAUNCHES ON GOODWILL There’s no shortage of adventure sporting opportunities when you live on the Gold Coast. But we’ve just found one with a difference. Thanks to Save The Children you can throw yourself off a bridge, all in the name of raising funds to help kids Goodwill Swing to Save is Australia’s first ever bridge swing and its aim is to raise $200,000 for vulnerable Queensland children and families including the organisation’s two refuges for families and domestic violence. The event takes place on Friday 24 and Saturday 25 October and is being capped at 250 people, with each person tasked with a fundraising target of $500. It’s the first ever bridge swing, and by participating you’ll get to free-fall and then swing across the Brisbane River from the Goodwill Bridge.
To register or for more information visit scasites.org.au/swing/
AQUATIC CENTRE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Jimeoin
Dave thornton
The Gold Coast Aquatic Centre was formally opened this month, with a free pool party for the public. The $41 million facility will be one of the key Commonwealth Games venues and has already been used for the Pan Pacs with the Pan Pac Masters just around the corner. It’s the first Commonwealth Games venue to open to the public, but more significantly, it now eases the pressure on the other public pools around the coast who’ve picked up the slack for those who love to follow the long black line for fitness. Casual visits to the pool are the same price as for other City Pools and the complex includes a new FINA standard ten lane 50m competition pool, an eight lane 50m training pool, a dive pool with 10m platform, a 25m pool, an indoor learnto-swim centre, a kid’s play pool, a dry dive training facility, a gym, café and conference facilities. Go check it out for yourself. Samantha Morris
TOM BALLARD
Fiona O’Loughlin
19 KAREN ARTSPACE 19 Karen is a contemporary art space in an industrial precinct in Mermaid Beach. The gallery showcases bold new art by emerging, mid-career and established artists from Australia and abroad. With a range of style and genres from pop culture, surrealism, realism, street art, abstraction and the still undefined, you don’t need an art history degree to be engaged by the work on display. And this month is no different. The gallery has two solo shows – Influx by Dan Withey, a young artist from Adelaide, and Anew by Leigh Pearson who has returned to the art scene with this new show. In addition, Together showcases a group of French artists, curated by local Patrick Oudin – bringing a little bit of Europe to the GC with his collection of beautiful works.
jupitersgoldcoast.com.au
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PERFORMANCE MAY CONTAIN ADULT CONTENT AND COARSE LANGUAGE. Subject to availability, change and cancellation. All guests under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult or guardian at all times. *A $6.70 service/delivery fee and 1.95% payment processing fee applies to all internet and telephone bookings through Ticketek.
All three exhibitions run throughout October. The gallery is open Tuesday to Saturday, 10.00am to 5.00pm and you’ll never guess the address? 19 Karen Ave, Mermaid Beach. Samantha Morris
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AUSSIE ROCK ROYALTY TO JOIN 12,000 PAN PACS MASTERS Australian rock icon and founding member of Cold Chisel Ian Moss will headline the Pan Pacs entertainment program when the Masters Games come to town. Held from 1 – 9 November, the entertainment program will be one of the biggest in the event’s history with more than 12,000 competitors, officials and supporters expected over the eight nights. Ian Moss is best known for his work with Cold Chisel, but five years after the group disbanded, he released his critically acclaimed solo album Matchbook and went on to releases a further seven solo albums. He’s also joined Chisel on a heap of reunion tours which served to reinforce his status as one of Australia’s greatest guitarists. During the Pan Pacific Masters Games, Moss will be joined by Brian Mannix from Uncanny X-Men, Boom Crash Opera’s lead singer Dale Ryder, Kids in the Kitchen’s Scott Carne and Ally Fowler from The Chantoozies. In addition, every night of the week, a celebrated house band and resident DJ will propel the celebrations well into the night
with more artists to be announced in coming weeks. Events Management Queensland CEO Cameron Hart said this year’s entertainment program is an exciting addition to the premier multi-sport event. “The entertainment program adds so much excitement and flare to the Pan Pacific Masters Games and we’re sure our attendees won’t be disappointed with the incredible atmosphere each night, in particular the opening and closing ceremonies,” Mr Hart said.
Thursday 6 November - House band + resident DJ Friday 7 November - House band + resident DJ Saturday 8 November -The biggest party in Pan Pacific Masters Games history
More information mastersgames.com.au.
The current entertainment program at the Games Village: Saturday 1 November - Ian Moss, house band + resident DJ Sunday 2 November - House band + resident DJ Monday 3 November - House band + resident DJ Tuesday 4 November - House band + resident DJ Wednesday 5 November - Absolutely 80s (featuring Brian Mannix, Dale Ryder, Scott Carne and Ally Fowler), house band + resident DJ
Play it, Live it, Love it on the Gold Coast in November!
Over 40 sports
Nightly entertainment
12,000 participants
Enter Now! mastersgames.com.au
Insta
#PPMG14
1 - 9 November 2014 www.blankgc.com.au
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BLANK SCREEN
Best known for their work on HBO’s hit TV series Flight of the Conchords, Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi have teamed up once again to create their most ludicrous concept to date: a mockumentary following five vampire flatmates living normal, night-to-night lives in the quiet suburbs of Wellington, NZ.
Any semblance of normality comes undone for these oddballs when Petyr, the fourth, ancient housemate, bites a young human visitor, turning him into a cool, vivacious vampire. As it turns out, this is exactly what the stale house needs and everyone except Deacon, who becomes insatiably jealous, welcomes the fresh new blood.
Biting deep into the humour vein, What We Do in the Shadows delivers a spray of heart-pounding hilarity we’ve all come to expect from these Kiwi masters of comedy.
As tempers flare, and rifts appear between old mates, the arrival of local werewolf-pack, lead by alpha-male Anton (Darby), certainly adds more heat to the out of control Hellfire. If the boys can’t learn to play nice and suck it up, there’ll be a sticky end for all.
Loaded with hysterical sketches, the film comes together like an impromptu performance. Though clearly there’s much more to this simple story than it seems. It’s Shawn of the Dead meets Twilight… Well, not quite.
WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS Staring Jemaine Clement, Taika Waititi, Rhys Darby, Jonathan Brugh
Viago (Waititi) the soft-spoken dandy runs the house with chaotic order, fussing over daily chores ignored by his immortal housemates. Vladislav (Clement) has a disturbing penchant for torture, while Deacon (Brugh) the young 289 year old, is a rebellious troublemaker, fighting household rules at every turn.
Shot as a fake documentary, the film is visually raw, layered with an eerily titillating soundtrack spinning and scratching on the old gramophone. Guaranteed to have you in tears of laughter from the opening credits, What We Do in the Shadows proves there’s one thing these Kiwi’s do well, and that’s comedy! Nathan James
Proudly Suppor ted by
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SNAPPER ROCKS ON AT 50TH BIRTHDAY BASH It was a big weekend for all involved with the world famous Snapper Rocks Surfriders, celebrating 50 years as one of the first boardriders club in Australia.
NEW EXHIBITION
Not many boardriders clubs have reached this great milestone, and not many clubs can claim the honour roll of members which Snapper Rocks Surfriders can. It was great to see their world champions taking part in the weekend from Phyllis O’Donnell 1964 Women’s World Champion, to Joel Parkinson, 2012 Men’s World Champion. Unfortunately 2012 Women’s World Champion, Stephanie Gilmore was on sponsor promotional duties in the US, but there was no shortage of World Champions, and just plain champions over the weekend.
DAN WITHEY – INFLUX LEIGH PEARSON – ANEW TOGETHER – A GROUP SHOW OF CONTEMPORARY FRENCH ARTISTS
Members came from all over the planet to party with their surfing mates, with club founder Graham Merrin, travelling from the US to take part, as did 1976 World Champion, former club secretary, and one of the original “Coolie Kids”, Peter “PT” Townend. Joan Peterson was there with a table of the Kirra Surfriders, to present a plaque on behalf of Kirra congratulating Snapper (Kirra are now 52 years old, and Snapper was spawned from Kirra), Joan of course is the mother of “MP”, the great Michael Peterson, and another of the Coolie Kids. The 3rd of the original Coolie Kids, 1978 World Champion Wayne “Rabbit” Bartholomew was on hand, and had some great stories from the old days as did many others.
RUNS UNTIL 1ST NOVEMBER 2014 19 Karen Contemporary Artspace 19 Karen Avenue Mermaid Beach QLD 4218 www.19karen.com.au info@19karen.com.au 07 55545 019 Gallery Hours – Tuesday to Saturday 10am – 5pm (or by appointment)
MC for the Friday luncheon, Life member, Bruce Lee, gave a great history of the club, and I think nearly every member got a mention. A rich history indeed. Dave Taylor from the Titans was present, and they even got Parko up for a bit of a chat. The inevitable question came up, had he given up on the World Title? “I never give up!” was his reply to which cheers filled the room, and he added, “I did not lose out here (Quiksilver Pro Snapper), and I have not given up on winning the world title”. Yes and the room went nuts again! From all reports it was a great family beach day on the Saturday, with the wanna-be pros, the grommets, hanging out with the champions of the club, munching on pizza, surfing and having fun. The Saturday night “Come as your Favourite Decade”, saw some hilarious outfits, and much fun, letting the hair down and partying on to well into the night. I hope the rest of Coolangatta was ready when the doors of the Rainbow Bay SLSC shut, most of the crew going more than well into the night. A good time to surf Snapper the next morning methinks! Congratulations to Snapper Rocks Surfriders on 50 years! One of the most dominant clubs in our great country, or to take an annoying American commentators quote “Best club - on the planet”. Tappa
BUSKERS BY THE CREEK 18 – 19 October It’s been 12 months in the making, but Buskers by the Creek is nearly here – it’s the Gold Coast’s newest cultural event and more than 100 performers are already locked in. Taking over Winders Park in Currumbin, a mix of talent including acrobats, singers and songwriters, drummers, hula dancers and the world’s smallest extreme sport enthusiasts, The Radical Rodents will fill your weekend over 18 and 19 October. Dan Hannaford will open festivities and a fire performance by our very own Energy Entertainment will wrap up day one. Battle of the Buskers, sponsored by Lovestreet Studios and Blank GC takes over Currumbin Creek Tavern on the Saturday night and sees the festival’s singer / songwriter finalists compete to take out the title. Ash Perrow, a founding member of The Lamplights opens day two for an instrumental showdown with the program being rounded out by Imamba daners and community drummers as well as an eclectic group of performance artists and an international menu. It’s a tasty festival dishing up all manner of treats, a unique weekend of entertainment you do not want to miss. Buskers by the Creek hits Currumbin on 18 – 19 October. More at buskersbythecreek.com.au. Samantha Morris www.blankgc.com.au
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life
*taking a closer look at life on the GC
free OCTOBER 2014
19 KAREN CONTEMPORARY ARTSPACE Featuring two new exhibitions this month
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