BMA Mag 336 29 Oct 2009

www.bmamag.com

the basics

zombie nation

hilltop hoods karnivool + midnight juggernauts the mess hall + parkway drive + drapht

Graphic Design by macdaddy@macie.com.au

#336 OCT28

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We just love throwing things your way. Send answers to

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editorial@bmamag.com and who knows? The good ship BMA might just make your day.

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1 A Flood of Kevin Often tagged ‘a muso’s muso’, Kevin Bennett’s name is familiar, but you possibly haven’t heard his solo stuff. The legendary Bill Chambers produced his CD Solo, which features Kasey Chambers. Now Guy The Sound Guy, aka long time Canberra soundie/studio engineer Guy Gibson has teamed up with Lone Wolf Promotions to invite Bennett newbies and longtime fans to catch this Australian songwriting treasure in Canberra in acoustic, intimate mode, with local musos Dave “National Folk Festival” O’Neill, Bob Rodgers and Bucky in support.

To discover Kevin Bennett and his musical mates for yourself on Friday November 6 at 8pm at the Polish White Eagle Club (opposite O’Connor Shops) tell us who’s your fav Oz muso.

2 May the Force Be With Him Charlie Ross is not your average Jedi knight. In fact, he’s not a Jedi knight at all, but why hold that against him when he’s so damn funny? From the West End and Broadway comes One Man Star Wars, his Hans Solo (nyuk nyuk – Ed.) take on the greatest battle to ever take place, the Star Wars Trilogy. No costumes, no props, just one self professed nerd doing his favourite scenes from the films.

Having performed his show over 1200 times and with over 500 viewings of all three films under his belt, it’s set to be a wild ride for young and old fans alike.

We’ve got five double passes to his Saturday November 14 3pm

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matinee at Canberra Theatre where there’ll be a lot of laughs to be had. To win one just tell us your fav Star Wars line.

3 Three’s a Crowd Back in town to make you laugh, cry and question society are Australian comedic legends, Tripod. You may remember them from their side-splittingly high-larious JJJ segment Song in an Hour on Adam and Wil’s brekkie show. Since then it’s been a busy little while for the trio; touring all over the world; performing at the biggest and best comedy shows; releasing a Christmas album, (a Christmas album!? Yes, readers, a Christmas album, just like Bob Dylan!). They sing songs, they tell jokes, they’re quite gentlemanly about it all, so what’s not to like about Scod, the geeky one, Gatesy, the hot one, and Yon, who’s the spitting image of Gollum. See for yourself by scoring one of three doubles to their Friday November 13 show at The Playhouse. To win, send us the link to your fav comedy song.

4 Send in the Chopper There’s only so many charity events Bono can host, right? If

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there’s one guy certain to ruffle your feathers and laugh with glee, its Heath Franklin and a character called Chopper. Like all telling dramas, this story goes to the heart of it all, the Australian gaol system, and the people it breeds. Determined to rid the world of deadshits, Chopper takes you to where it all begins and does some serious strategising. The D-Division at Pentridge has never been so alive, and Make Deadshits History is just the refreshment needed after the 2007 success, Harden the Fuck Up Australia. We’ve five DVDs to giveaway. To score, tell us your fav deadshit tale.

5 Case In Point New from up and coming director Christian Alvart comes Case 39. Starring Renee Zellwegger as family services social worker Emily Jenkins, the tale pivots between tactful thriller and pulling-of-the-heartstrings tragedy. When Jenkins stumbles across Lilith, a young girl in her area, her fears are confronted as she finds the parents trying to kill their child.

Resolute to look after Lilith until a suitable foster family will take her, and as all Hollywood

films go, things start to go awry.

It’s so suspenseful we don’t even know the twist. To win one of five double passes tell us a tale sure to scare the bejesus outta us.

6 pocket rocket Come on a journey through time and space… you can hear the Boosh theme song just ringing around in your ears can’t you?

Vince, Howard, Bollo, Bob Fossil, and all the other creepy but cool characters are back, in print form. They’ve done radio, they’ve done television and now Old Gregg has found his way onto your bedside table in the Pocket Book of Boosh.

For some laughs, questionable comics and damned good tales (Vince’s section obviously) write in and tell us your favourite Boosh moment to win one of five copies of the Pocket Book of Boosh.

So Thom Yorke has come out and declared the album is dead. Well, if not dead it’s certainly lying in intensive care with a cracked case and a terminal cache of scratches on the CD. Since the advent of iTunes, the trend has been that no one under 20 buys CDs any more. And why would they? The things get ripped straight onto computers and then what use are they? To load into your discman on the train? I’m afraid this, along with lying on your bed reading lyrics in six-point, is relegated to the ‘90s along with rollerblading and vienettas. Now we get an album cover gravatar and a tracklist destined to be corrupted by file sharing cowboys and DJ shuffle.

In the past singles have been used as an incentive to sell the album.

Now, the concept of buying a CD single is laughable (they’re $10, when a single song is $1.70). Instead, kids are happily breaking up albums like chocolate bars to get the no obligation songs they like.

At best, they may grace the others with a 30 second audition. This is why songs need good hooks, for the iTunes preview.

Spare a thought for the poor musicians, who spend the best part of a year and tens of thousands of dollars painstakingly recording their six string super hits in 24-bit high definition, only to have it crudely crushed into an mp3 and listened to through flat earphones. Those of you who take music for granted should realise the audio quality of an mp3 compared to a CD is like going from a five course Indian banquet down to a sausage roll. Music isn’t just about that awesome guitar riff or those pounding synth drums, it’s about the texture of the high treble frequencies blending with the mid-level tones and the soothing sub-bass. Just think of the loud shirted, poor postured, questionably hygiened producer who has sat at the mixing desk labouring for months to ensure the song reaches your ears with just the right blend of equalisation. Every time you listen to your iPod, he cries. (More to do with his marriage but still...).

So, is our lord and saviour Thom Yorke correct in peering down from his post-EMI pedestal and declaring the album dead for us non-visionary plebs? Part of me says ‘screw you dude.’ I’ve waited my whole life to be able to make an album. To feel the electric rush of running a knife along the box and opening it up to see the ribbed canvas of a hundred identical spines glowing back at me. To lie in bed listening to my own ideas and sonic creations purring back through the cradle of compression and the gloss of mastering. I think of the hours I’ve dedicated to the finer details, like the right sequencing of tracks, and how that will ultimately be broken by someone who ‘grabbed a heap of shit off a mate’s iPod.’ Though the album may be dying, music itself is thriving. It’s never been so accessible, and despite the file sharing explosion, there has been an apparent revival in young people buying vinyl. For now, it means that dads like me pushing thirty can proudly bang on about how great CDs were to a generation who can’t quite hear because they’re partially deaf, with a face full of sausage roll.

JUSTIN HEAZLEWOOD www.bedroomphilosopher.com Justin performs as The Bedroom Philosopher and writes for Frankie, Jmag and The Big Issue.

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villainous water horse

Deadline’s turned my brain to a bowl of grey custard

# 3 3 6 O C T 2 8 Fax: 02 6257 4361 Mail: PO Box 713 Civic Square, ACT 2608 Publisher Scott Layne General Manager & Advertising Manager Allan Sko T: 6257 4360 E: advertising@bmamag.com Editor Julia Winterflood T: 02 6257 4456 E: editorial@bmamag.com Accounts Manager Ashish Doshi T: 6247 4816 E: accounts@bmamag.com Sales Executive Danika Nayna T: 0408 657 939 Super Sub Editor Josh Brown Graphic Design Natalie Runko Exhibitionist Editor Naomi Milthorpe Film Editor Mark Russell Principle Photographers (The Flashbulb Posse) Andrew Mayo Nick Brightman John Hatfield NEXT ISSUE 337 OUT NOV 11 EDITORIAL DEADLINE NOV 2 ADVERTISING DEADLINE NOV 5 Published by Radar Media Pty Ltd ABN 76 097 301 730 BMA is independently owned and published. Opinions expressed in BMA are not necessarily those of the editor, publisher or staff.

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Villainy is part of the new feel at Hippo Bar on Saturday nights, featuring a mix of Canberra’s finest beat selectors. Expect anything from dubstep, house, disco or breaks to create a vibe that will be a bit more bouncy than your last visit. 8pm. $5.

Sounds of the Screen This year’s Screen Music Awards will be held at the City Recital Hall in Sydney on Monday November 2. Compositions for Baz Lurhman’s blockbuster Australia and Robert Connolly’s political thriller Balibo feature heavily in this year’s nominations, along with the crème de la crème of well known and upcoming Australian and international composers.

The awards recognise music composers across 12 categories including awards for kids TV, documentaries, feature films and advertising. The Chaser’s Chris Taylor and Andrew Hanson are hosting the event and there’ll be live performances of some of this year’s nominated compositions.

For more info head to awards@ apra.com.au .

Centre Stage Newcastle based alternative rock outfit CenterSection are about to release their first LP. Take some emotionally-charged vocals and intuitive riffs weaving their way through solid bass lines, finish it off with some steady drum grooves and you have Aesthetic, their dark and sophisticated second release.

A feast of rock tunes, Aesthetic varies in style and has something for everyone. The Aesthetic Launch Tour hits Canberra on Saturday October 31 at The Pot Belly Bar in Belconnen.

3D Christmas An adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol will be the first film to screen at Dendy Canberra in 3D. Dendy

is the first cinema in Canberra to install the XplanD 3D model, Europe’s most popular 3D system, which uses high quality reusable glasses rather than disposable plastic ones. The glasses use LCD lenses which alternate on and off 144 times a second to create a sharp image with an impressive sense of depth. They are also designed to be particularly comfortable, so goodbye scratchy cardboard.

Head to www.dendy.com.au for more info.

MMAD Camp Are you a young person interested in learning more about music and the industry?

351 is a camp held to inspire young artists. It’s an award winning three day intensive program of music workshops, seminars and performances aimed at supporting, engaging and encouraging young people interested in the music industry.

A number of artists including The Potbelleez & Blue Mc, Evermore, Bliss N Eso, Sereck, Mistery, Wizdm, Maya Jupiter, The Winnie Coopers and many more will be working with young people to help them write, record and perform their own songs. 351 is a nation wide initiative held in Sydney from January 16-18 2010. For more info head to www.mmad.org.au .

ISWC Entries Extended The International Song Writing Competition (ISC) entry cut off date has been extended to Monday November 30, so get your entries in for the chance to have your songs judged by music heavies such as Kings of Leon, Tom Waits, Jeff Beck and a number of other music industry pros to be in the running to win part of the US $150,000 worth of cash and prizes. For entry info visit www. songwritingcompetition.com .

Independent Arias Entries are open for the 2010 MusicOz awards - Australia’s independent awards for unsigned, independent artists.

The awards give independent artists, managers and labels vital recognition, confidence,

exposure and opportunity. Be quick, entries close Saturday October 31. For more info head to www.musicoz.org .

Too good You wouldn’t think it could get any bigger than 2009, but they did it. Headlining Good Vibrations 2010 are the electrifying, stadium powerhouse of The Killers, party starters Basement Jaxx, Grammy Award nominated DJ/producer/remixer Armand Van Helden, powerhouse indie trio Gossip, iconic rapper Busta Rhymes, audience wow-ers Friendly Fires, legendary industry pioneers Salt-N-Pepa, and yep, a whole lot more. All shows sold out this year so get in quick for tickets. It’s happening in Sydney at Centennial Park on Saturday February 13. Tix on sale nationally on Friday October 30 at 9am.

Tix through Moshtix, Oztix and Ticketek. For more info, head to www.gvf.com.au .

Saintly And just when you thought you’d be all festivalled out after summer along comes the national St Jerome’s Laneway Festival with one of the most exciting lineups of 2010. In Sydney on Sunday Jan 31 catch UK luminaries Echo & The Bunnymen, femme powerhouse Florence & The Machine (pictured), Sarah Blasko, Eddie Current Suppression Ring, Dappled Cities and Whitley with more to be announced.ix on sale Friday October 30 from www.greentix. com.au. For other national dates and more info head to www. lanewayfestival.com.au .

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YOU PISSED ME OFF!

thing…

First of all, may I take this opportunity to apologise for the break in normal transmissión – I’ll return to my story about going to see Kansas in Germany at a later date. For now, I’m writing to you from the palatial splendour of the business centre of the Hotel Palacios VIP in Madrid, where I am domiciled in the Penthouse Suite at the moment on route to the mother country to attend my sister’s wedding. I’ve only been away for a few days, but already it’s a journey that’s assuming epic proportions. Why don’t I fill you in?

Having deposited the kids safely with the lady wife’s parents, we set off optimistically, cases heaving under the weight of wet-weather protective gear and thermal long johns, and checked in to our Sydney Airport hotel in a collective state of high excitement. The hotel advised us that their Áeronautic Bar was the place to be in the airport precinct, so after having a quick wash and brush up we took our place in the excitement. What the blurb obviously meant to say was that the AB was the place to be if you were dressed in high viz vests, were on your lunch break from heaving luggage onto the carousels and needing to swill down seven or eight Jack and cokes whilst leering at Pussycat Dolls videos on the big screen. Feeling old, myself and the good lady mounted the stairs for an early night and a bit of Hunter on the ABC – check in tomorrow at 7am!

Of course it’s never that easy, eh? Standing in line at 7.15 next morning we become vaguely aware of the announcement, made by someone evidently underwater and speaking not in their mother tongue, that our flight had been delayed, for reasons that still, four days later, have not been made clear, FOR SIX AND A HALF HOURS. The apologetic member of staff who checked our bags through issued us two meal ticket vouchers with an apologetic smile and wished us bon voyage, without a trace of irony.

Airports, as I’m sure you’re aware, are pretty rubbish places these days. The time when international air travel was a passport to excitement and the inevitable heavy drinking that goes with it are long gone. Now you have to remove your shoes in order to get through security and be frisked by stone-faced Eastern Europeans who take every weak joke you make as compelling evidence that your rectum is full to bursting point with contraband before being let loose airside in a world where, apparently, Crocodile Dundee is still King, and invited to drink in the Bondi Bar whilst clutching your dutyfree Beanie Baby platypus. My wife, of course, doesn’t drink that often so my first task is to find her some drinking water for the wait.

Although I consider myself something of a newshound, I’d missed the announcement that the next Jihad starts with a bit of Evian, and was at a bit of a loss to understand why her bottles of Mount Franklin had been confiscated at Passport Control. Unfortunately every single water vending machine in the International terminal is out of order, which means I have to waste ALMOST ONE HALF of one of our precious vouchers to purchase something that should be provided FOR FREE to struggling pilgrims such as ourselves in times of stress like these – we is not happy.

NEXT EPISODE: Beer with added fibre that’s good for young people, and exciting tales of Seoul after midnight…

Has someone yanked yer chain recently? Well send an email to editorial@bmamag.com and have your sweet vengeance.

And for the love of God, keep it brief! [All entries contain original spellings] To the deros that crashed and destroyed my car after stealing it on Friday night, you pissed me off! You should have done yourselves and this world a favour by either remaining in the car while it burned or becoming more seriously injured when you rammed it into that pole. Although you must already suffer from severe brain damage, it’s possible that a harder hit to the head might have knocked some sense into the poorly arranged network of neurons that could only be a product of dole-bludger parents who smoked during the 9 month period before you were spawned into this world with the sole purpose of becoming an oxygen thief and permanent harasser of Centrelink staff at the expense of hard-working people like me. The only thing that pisses me off more than the existence of poor excuses for human beings like you is that I’m sure you’ll be gracing the world with a few more ignorant deadbeat children that your smackie girlfriend will shit out. From the bottom of your ugh boots to the top of your bong, I loathe you. Kindly FOAD.

FROM THE BOSSMAN This ‘ere issue you’re currently holding in hot little hands – or are staring at with glazed eyes from a grey computer cubicle, whatever your medium of filth may be – is one of only four left until the end of the decade. Yes, it’s a thought both terrifying and magnificent in its construction. We shall soon be marching tenaciously through November, having only just brushed the dust off our knees from April, and not long after that we’ll all be sporting multi-coloured party hats demanding a Happy 2010.

A new decade. Shiiiiiiiiiieeeeeet. That means only two months to live it up in one of mankind’s most hated decade terms; ‘the noughties’.

Yes, time flies when you’re having puns, as that half-remembered phrase goes, and it certainly seems like it’s been a crazy year for all and sundry.

In an attempt to wrestle the temporal power back, I’ll be holding specialised classes next year in attempt to slow down time, including Watching Paint Dry 101, a rigorous weekly session of Parliamentary Question Time and perhaps most effective of all – Prisoner Cell Block H: The Complete Boxset. Feel free to join me.

It will really make those minutes last.

ALLAN “TIIIIIIIII-AAAAAAH-IIIII-IME, IS ON MY SIDE” SKO

scott adams thirtyyearsofrnr@hotmail.com

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Who: Canberra’s hair posse What: Breast Cancer Fundraiser When: Sat Oct 31 Where: The Holy Grail, Civic

11 of Canberra’s leading salons unite in a fashionable fundraiser for the inaugural Catwalk Hair showcase event. All money raised will be handed to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. There’s plenty of bang for your donated buck, with Drum Assault and a dance performance by Jaffa Stix, plus $10,000 in giveaways and prizes. You can also hang out with some of Canberra’s best hair stylists while they demonstrate their follicle crafting abilities or just sit back with some mates and a glass of champers in honour of raising awareness of one of the deadliest diseases that affects Aussie women.

WHO: KEVIN BENNETT (FROM THE FLOOD) WHAT: INTIMATE ACOUSTIC SHOW WHEN: FRI NOV 6, DOORS 7PM WHERE: POLISH WHITE EAGLE CLUB

Don’t tell his band he’s escaped for the night. Sure Kevin Bennett loves The Flood, but when Guy The Sound Guy and Lone Wolf asked him to play a Canberra solo gig how could he resist? Bill Chambers produced his solo acoustic CD, Solo, and he borrowed Kasey Chambers to record with. This is a show for fans of great songs and damn fine music. Listen for yourself at his gig with top Canberra musos Dave O’Neill, Bob Rodgers and Bucky. (Though Bucky only got the CD last week so it could really be fun).

WHO: THE ROSIE BURGESS TRIO WHAT: PLAYFUL LASSES WHEN: SUN NOV 1 WHERE: THE FOLKUS ROOM

Freshly returned from their hugely successful tour of North America and Canada, The Rosie Burgess Trio are back in Australia and getting straight down to business. Armed with an electric violin, harmonica, ukulele, guitar, mandolin, a make-shift drum kit and a fistful of new material, The Rosie Burgess Set, featuring Sam Lohs on percussion and Sophie Kinston on the red violin, are renowned for their playful, heartwarming and hilariously entertaining live shows. Don’t miss them on Sunday November 1 at The Folkus Room with Sam Lohs and Rachel Brady. For more details head to www.myspace.com/ rosiesmusic or www.rosieburgess.com .

WHO: HOODLUM SHOUTS WHAT: WINNERS OF triple j UNEARTHED TRACKSIDE COMP WHEN: SAT NOV 21 WHERE: THOROUGHBRED PARK

From the moment you wake up in the morning your brain starts actively listening to many more of the sounds that are constantly bombarding your ears. Your auditory sensitivity diminishes throughout the day, background noise and meaningful noise start to blend and your perception of sound degrades until you almost can’t distinguish the noise from the message. You are much more perceptive to music in the morning therefore your audio experience will be much more enjoyable. This alone is a good reason to arrive at Trackside early, another is that you will get to see Hoodlum Shouts – you will need fresh ears. See you there.

WHO: ANTI DRINK DRIVERS WHAT: THINK TANK FESTIVAL WHEN: SAT NOV 14 WHERE: UCU REFECTORY

Drink driving is something we’re all affected by, either by doing it, seeing it, or worse, losing someone to it. After losing two friends in a car accident, the creators of the Think Tank Festival decided to get together and combat drink driving and remember their friends with a smashing music festival. On Saturday November 14 the UC is set to be rocked by 19 bands including the likes of Daysend, The Veebees, Looking Glass, Johnny Roadkill, Point of View, Paqman, a bunch of others and a slew of DJ sets between it all. There’ll be something for every musical taste, and all proceeds are going to the National Brain Injury Foundation.

WHO: LITTLE BEATS ZINE DISTRO WHAT: An evening of zines, music, art and fashion WHEN: FRI OCT 30 WHERE: GRASS STAINS 2, ITRIP ISKIP

Hitting you like a fistful of awesome comes Little Beats Zine Distro; the brainchild of two local ladies who love all things photocopied, stapled, and distributed on the sly. Bringing you the best, the worst and everything in between from the zine world, Little Beats is collecting from all corners of the world and making a grand entrance at itrip iskip’s Grass Stains II on Friday October 30 for an evening of festivities. To find more info check out www. littlebeatszines.blogspot.com or if you want to contribute, email littlebeatszines@gmail.com. They’ll be your new best friends in no time.

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y g o l o n h c t e chnique s Te

peter rosewarne Electronic music lovers around the world seem eager for new material from established bands like LCD Soundsystem and Justice. It is in fact a well loved local band (who initially grabbed the attention of Justice) leading the way and exciting their audience with new single This New Technology, leaked online last month and quickly becoming the most blogged about artist on reputable music blog aggregate, The Hype Machine. MIDNIGHT JUGGERNAUTS have withdrawn from their dance anthem beats, suggesting a move towards their psychedelic Pink Floydian influences. As drummer Daniel Stricker puts it, “we’d been playing live for so long [on their eight month long international tour] that I think we changed as a band and the things we listened to, the influences, evolved.”

Midnight Juggernauts have performed with a lot of musicians who have cropped up on music blogs over the last year or so. It seems there are so many of these experiences that Daniel is almost too excited to articulate. “There were a lot of bands we played with that I liked. We’ve done a lot of shows with this band called Holy Fuck in the past couple of years – they’re great! There’s another band called Fuck Buttons as well… Bands that do electronic stuff live and create this massive sound; that’s been inspirational to me. Not just those bands, specifically, but that technique.”

We like the dark and moody vibe

Apart from bands with the word ‘fuck’ in them, the soft-spoken drummer also seems keen on older music, revealing that he’s “been into a lot of the old kraut music. Like Nord-ian stuff, where they use tape four-track cassette players to manipulate the sound of things. There’s a bunch of that on the [new] record. There’s this one track where we got these vocals and we recorded them through a synthesizer, and then we re-recorded that through a four-track tape player through a delay pedal. And it gives this weird sounding texture, it’s really gritty. A lot of this record had just been running stuff through a million different things, manipulating sounds…”.

Daniel explains the differences employed on the new album (compared to their debut), being that the sophomoric release is “more like a live band playing in a room. Instead of it being a massive dance production (though it has elements of that), it’s more about the layers. A lot of the time you’ll get a warped sound effect, really lush and washed out; more that kind of intensity.”

Beyond their once again self-produced album, Midnight Juggernauts have been given multiple gig reviews, some describing them as energetic and fun, others saying they’re more chilled out. “I guess it’s a bit of both but we like the dark and

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moody vibe,” Daniel says. “And we try to do a bit of everything.

We have all these samples and loop pedals and toys and make a real effort so we can improvise and so that it can be organic.”

Regardless of the wild or relaxed atmosphere, it can be said that things have changed for Midnight Juggernauts when performing live, no longer ad-libbing with Chinese menus or getting booted from the stage by John Travolta so he can sup in front of a jazz band. Reception has improved, to say the least! But it’s not all about playing it safe on stage. Daniel tells me that while “our songs won’t be improvised, their structure and how they will be played will change. There’s nothing tying us down to play it exactly the same way each time. A lot of electronic bands are tied to a backing track or other electronic aspects, which stops you from moving around. We make an effort to recreate everything we can as live as we can.”

What seems to have persevered over the course of their everexpanding career is the dark ambience of their sound, provoking comparisons with David Bowie and descriptions like “prog dance meets cosmic film score.” It wouldn’t be a stretch to see Midnight Juggernauts scoring some intergalactic flick, or even producing the kind of album that can be played in sync with an ‘80s horror film (much the same way that Radiohead’s OK Computer can be played while watching Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy). “Film and the visual element are a big part of the band,” Daniel emphasises.

“A lot of our references and ideas come from different soundtracks by guys like John Carpenter. A lot of the music we do focuses around a mood and the music and the imagery supplement one another, adding to an overall effect.”

Midnight Juggernauts’ technique has opened a lot of windows of opportunity, as Daniel explains. “We’ve been saying no to a lot of remixes. We get asked almost every single day but we’ve had to say no so we can get this album together. We’re totally going to get back into it though!” Amidst some pondering, Daniel does briefly mention that a remix for Health is in the works. They don’t seem to stop!

In fact, now that they’ve completed their second album (after their big international tour) Midnight Juggernauts are already about to tour their Mother country (Australia, not England).

Along with Parkway Drive, Tame Impala, Hilltop Hoods and a flurry of other musicians, Midnight Juggernauts perform at the Trackside Festival on Saturday November 21. Tickets through Landspeed Records, Ticketek, Moshtix and Oztix.

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ALL AGES Hey there folks! Frustratingly enough, a few of the gigs that I’ll be addressing this fortnight will be simply reminders and repeats from previous weeks, indeed once again due to the terrifying and multiplying number of 18+ gigs in our not so fair nation. Although, I can say happily and with clarity this fortnight that a few loving bands have managed to remain loyal to us underage fans. I’m sure that one day I’ll come to terms with the fact that both musicians and audiences love their bars. But until that fateful day, I think I’ll continue to rave and rant.

But what could brighten up my mood any better than announcing the finalised lineup for the Boys of Summer 2010 tour? Not much I believe, for this year the good people of the Tuggeranong Youth Centre will be playing host to Australian bands 50 Lions, Trap Them, Mary Jane Kelly and notorious headlining band Every Time I Die, coming all the way from the US to top off what will be one of the greatest metal/rock/hardcore lineups of 2010. The fifth annual Boys of Summer tour will be held on Tuesday January 19 of next year. Tickets cost $25 plus a small $3.20 booking fee. Tickets began selling on Friday October 23, so for all you fans out there, snatch them up early from Moshtix, Landspeed Records or The Music Shop.

Just a reminder to quickly grab your tickets for Trackside 2009.

Whether it involves a short trip to your local Automatic Teller Machine or whether it’s more a case of lifting every cushion in the house in hope of striking gold, $85 + a small booking fee will get you into the most superb and ear stimulating event of 2009. Once you have obtained the legitimate amount of coinage, you can trade them for tickets at Landspeed Records, Moshtix, Ticketek or Oztix.

Once you have reached one of the four checkpoints, you wait. Then on Saturday November 21 you are off to the Trackside Festival, this year featuring such brilliant bands as Hilltop Hoods, Karnivool, Parkway Drive, Midnight Juggernauts, Tame Impala and many more for your ears’ pleasure. Lovely scenery for your eyes, stalls for your impulses, food for your food hole and spectacular music for your anxious ears. What more could you possibly want from a beautiful summer day at Thoroughbred Park?

Native Byron Bay five-piece band 50 Lions have over time fiercely carved their name into the Australian hardcore music scene and by this point in time they are undoubtedly one of the most predominant Australian hardcore bands. Lionised particularly for their unceasingly mind-blowing stage presence, they’ve decided to hit the road once again. 50 Lions will be playing at the ever increasingly reliable Tuggeranong Youth Centre with Trapped Under Ice, all the way from Baltimore, USA. They’ve recently released their third album Secrets of the World and they’re just about ready to give their Aussie fans their first taste of the music live. These hardcore bands are coming from two separate sides of the globe to bring you a once in a lifetime lineup and a more than thrilling evening. Want to thrash your little heart out? Tickets are available from Moshtix for just $25.50.

Until next time, Adios amigos!

Naomi Frost allagescolumn@gmail.com

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Halloween is upon us, which means it’s time to dress up in your spooky finery and head on over to Stonefest. There are four Canberra acts on the bill this year (well done you lot!) so get along to UC on Saturday October 31 and rock out with The Trivs, Super Best Friends, Hancock Basement and Ashleigh Mannix. Tix are $85.30 from Ticketek. Grass Stains 2 is a showcase of local music, art and fashion, hosted by itrip iskip in Braddon. Be there from 6pm on Friday October 30 to see sets by Ah! Pandita, Hoodlum Shouts and Cat Cat. Ah! Pandita will also be playing at the lip magazine Fundraiser at the Front Café and Gallery on Thursday October 29. The fun starts at 8pm and entry is by donation. Point of View will be playing at the ANU Bar with Claude Hay (NSW) and Chase the Sun (Syd) this fortnight. Be there from 8pm on Thursday October 29.

LOCALITY Still Exist (Bris) and Never Trust a Bunny (NSW). Lastly, Paulie the Water Tiger, Freyja’s Rain and Ffatt Controller will be playing on Saturday November 7 to raise funds for a school in Ghana. Each gig starts at 8pm. Domus Adultus is on at Hippo again this fortnight.

On Thursday October 29 you can catch Greg Carlin, Amber Nicholls, Cartesian Discotec

and the James Fahy Trio. Be there on Thursday November 5 to see Alice Cottee, Cuddlefish and Little Sister. The music starts at 8pm and entry is $7/$5.

Be at the Phoenix on Monday November 2 and Monday November 9 for this fortnight’s Bootlegs sessions. Entry is free and the bands start at 8pm.

A big congratulations goes out to Hoodlum Shouts, who have won the triple j Unearthed Trackside competition. These guys have earned themselves a coveted place on the upcoming Trackside lineup. Stay tuned for more info, and in the meantime you can catch Hoodlum Shouts

at Phoenix on Saturday November 7, when they play with Sydney’s The Shake Up.

Finally, indie scallywags Hancock Basement have a one in ten chance of playing the Big Day Out tour! They’ve been made a Media Pick in the top ten of Tooheys Extra Dry’s national Uncharted competition. Voting opens Thursday October 29, and you can vote every hour for two weeks at www.uncharted. com.au. The band with the most votes will win the tour slot. What are you waiting for? Help a local band kick it with the big guns!

CATHERINE JAMES locality.bma@hotmail.com

There’s great news for Southside musos and punters alike, with PJ O’Reilly’s in Tuggeranong introducing a regular live music session.

MUDD Nights will be held on Wednesdays at 8:30pm, and on Wednesday November 4 you can catch Space Party, The King Hits and Teen Skank Parade.

Entry is only $5, so head out on the night and show your support for Southside gigs. Locals Jonny Telafone and Teddy Trouble and the Space Boys are playing with Crayon Fields (Melb) at Bar 32. The music starts at 8pm on Thursday November 5 and entry is $10. The Pot Belly is the place to be for local rock and metal this fortnight. On Friday October 30, Army of Ignorance will be playing with Melbourne’s The Rostovs. On Saturday October 31, Point of View are playing alongside Newcastle’s CentreSection. On Friday November 6 you can catch Final Lies, Corporate Takedown, They

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DANCE THE DROP It really irritates me to hear people bitch about the quality of acts that come to Canberra. There is this seemingly endless few who carry their soap boxes to every gig willing to announce ‘why didn’t they bring this person?’, ‘if they brought that DJ why couldn’t they bring [insert international DJ here]?’ Firstly, why go to a party only to berate it?

Secondly, promoters can’t just click their fingers and magically the best DJs will appear in town next week. It takes months of planning and negotiations. So if this sounds like you, PIPE DOWN because you are seeing big names for substantially less than other capital cities and, like most people, you probably have a sweet hook up behind the bar. Just get d-runk and get out of my face. End rant.

Poured myself a chamomile; now for some good news. There are a few new kids in town who go by the name of JAKE. Keep your ear to the ground as they are planning a different kind of party experience.

I actually don’t have much information on this one, let’s just hope they can deliver.

Pang!’s continuously impressive lineup of travelling entertainment resumes on Friday October 30 with the Neon Essential Vol. 2 tour.

The Neon Records imprint has released the second in its mix series and Grant Smilie (TV Rock) is heading to Lot33 to promote it. Kid Massive (France) is also on the bill and for those playing along at home he has coincidentally just released an EP called Neon Lights.

Supports include Pang! residents Hubert, Beat It and Reverse Dog. Exposed returns to Transit after a short hiatus to present the Official Stonefest After Party featuring troublemakers The Hump Day Project. Debauched mayhem seems to follow these guys whenever they visit our fair city and I am sure this will be no exception. The gig is FREE and local DJs will be Chairman Wow v Fidel Maestro, Cheese, Beat It and Kiss Off Electric.

The races have never been my thing so if, like me, you would prefer to go out afterwards there are a few serious contenders. Our House (not to be confused with My House) is back for its run of summer parties at Old Parliament House starting Tuesday November 3.

Friction & Lexington have invited Kid Kenobi, Bass Kleph and Dancing With the Stars third round drop out Emily Scott to kick start the lineup. If you are a race day ticket holder don’t miss out on free buses to the event from Thoroughbred Park.

Pang! is hosting its own Race Day After Party at Lot33 and it is set to be monumental. K.I.M (The Presets), Boy 8-Bit (Mad Decent, UK), Beni, Bag Raiders and The Aston Shuffle are sharing headline responsibilities with Hubert, Beat It, Timtulip and Cheese to fill out the program. Pretty sure it will reach capacity not long after doors open at 5.30pm, so be careful not to get stranded in the line on Kennedy Street.

If these parties all sound a lil’ too four four don’t miss Shockwave featuring DJ Cotti (UK) at Hippo on Saturday November 7. As one half of -30 Recordings Cotti’s dubstep and grime will certainly make Hippo’s system wobble. mi favorito… I’m not going to beat around the bush here. Go to Exposed. Go to Exposed and bring your friends!

STAKY staceymanson@gmail.com

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BRAAAIIINS! staky David Whittaker is not a name synonymous with dance music. Unless your Einstein Factor specialty concerns Commodore 64 songs of the mid-‘80s you most likely have no idea who he is at all. Whittaker was the original composer of a track called Stardust written for 1984 platform game Lazy Jones.

Six years later a young ZOMBIE NATION popularised the infectious tune as his remix Kernkraft 400 soared to the top of the charts (and football terraces). Zombie Nation, aka Florian Senfter, is still coping with the accolades over a decade later.

“When people come up to me I just smile and, what can I say, I have made other songs,” says a man clearly adept at fending off Kernkraft questioning. “Personally I enjoy focusing on my recent work. I understand though the song has a melody that is easy to sing along to.”

Still, attention needs to be paid to the song that launched Senfter’s career off his first commercial release.

Indicative of its time, Kernkraft 400, meaning ‘nuclear energy 400,’ is one of the greatest selling monophonic ringtones ever.

I just have a few drinks to get in to the mood of the party

Zombie Nation is yet to cash in on this aspect of his success. “Ten years ago the ringtone industry was like the Wild West,” he says. “Now it is a bit more organised. I am sure I could send my case to lawyers to investigate, but I have better things to do.”

In more recent times Zombie Nation has collaborated with Tiga under the alias ZZT. Together they produced the glitchy Lower State of Consciousness in 2007. After so long in the business Zombie Nation, who is also known as John Starlight, can see the benefits of working with new artists and new sounds.

“The scene has become a lot more interesting over the past ten years, there are more influences,” he says. “Today it seems like everything is possible. People used to play just techno and no one would complain.

There is more openness now, more personality. It seems things are more party-based. Well there have always been parties, but it is like the DJs are like rock stars in a band I think.”

A few mask-wearing artists come to mind, but Zombie Nation is quick to downplay the necessity of such gimmicks. “I used to wear latex masks, which a few different people do now days,” he says. “But normally I just have a few drinks now to get in to the mood of the party. I try and get there at least an hour and a half before I play so I can hear what is being played and connect with the party.”

The Zombie Nation live show will be plugged in at Foreshore Summer Music Festival on Saturday November 28. Join the Chorus! Tickets through Ticketek, Parliament Clothing, Qjump, Moshtix, Landspeed Records and Lexington Music.

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HAND ME MY AXWELL

CHILD’S PLAY

STAKY

JESSICA CONWAY

Each week Beatport adds thousands of new tracks to its already outstanding catalogue. The online music store is recognised by DJs and producers alike as the foremost legal source for downloading dance music. Swedish musician AXWELL has been named Best House Artist in the prodigious Beatport Music Awards for the past two years yet he remains coy about his ongoing success.

Sydney pop quartet CASSETTE KIDS are making serious inroads into being another Aussie success story. Their sound has been likened to artists such as the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Klaxons, Björk and Ladyhawke with a pop/indie/techno vibe that consistently pushes all the right buttons. The group is led by the chatty Katrina Noorbergen, known for unleashing siren-esque wails and leaving every audience in a sweat of some form.

“I rarely know if what I am making would be considered a hit,” says Axwell of chart toppers I Found U, Tell Me Why and Feel The Vibe.

“I don’t know what makes a hit, it is still mystery to me. I can sort of say what might work on the dancefloor because I know what anticipation might work, you know – the build up. But I don’t usually like tracks that become hits. For example I hated Viva La Vida off Coldplay’s last album, I even took it off my playlist, and that was a really big hit! You might say I have an inversed hit meter.”

After developing his taste for electronic music from early PC games Axwell has evolved into one of the industry’s most sought after remixers. His discography includes reworked hits for the likes of N*E*R*D, Usher, Moby, Madonna and Faithless. However it is Axwell’s work with the prolific Swedish House Mafia (including Sebastian Ingrosso, Steve Angello and formerly Eric Prydz) that prevails. The group’s formation has none of the grandiose revelry one expects of such notable artists.

I want to hook up with Australian singers!

“I moved to Stockholm from the south of Sweden in 2001 and I invited them to come to my studio to make house music,” says Axwell. “Stockholm isn’t that big and we were some of the only ones making just house. I thought we should hook up and we started developing a friendship. Now we tour together as the Swedish House Mafia and make music together.”

Unlike his collaborators though, Axwell has adopted an approach to production that ensures his work remains unclouded by the many gadgets available. “Mostly I use software plugins to make music,” he says. “When I started out I could only afford a computer, I couldn’t afford any synths or any other equipment and I couldn’t play the keyboard.

So for me to go and buy synths would not be staying true to my roots. I think when you have a limit to your sounds you can be inspired by those limitations. Maybe that is too philosophical,” he laughs.

Beatport awarded Axwell another accolade for Best Remix of 2007 regarding Dirty South’s Let It Go. The Swedish Mafioso is looking forward to a reunion with the Australian producer upon his impending return to our shores. “I want to make a track with Dirty South in Australia,” stirs Axwell. “We work really well together. I also want to hook up with Australian singers!”

Catch Axwell on Saturday November 28 at the Foreshore Summer Music Festival. Final release tickets are still available.

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Last November, with Sony’s backing, the foursome quit their day jobs and cocooned themselves into a nine month writing and recording stint resulting in an “energetic record that doesn’t let up,” forecast to be a hot summer soundtrack. The Kids are audibly advancing, intentionally making tracks with clearer messages. “I have a tendency to say things in my own way and no one knows what the hell I am talking about,” Kat laughed of her song writing abilities.

“For me to actually sit down and come up with lyrics that were clear and that everyone could relate to was harder for me than to do something that was convoluted and poetic.”

After she mentions that she has been in bands since age 16, I figure Kat has had to have gone through a few by now. With a sigh and a tone of lamentation akin My best to recounting tales of past love friends were or adolescent misbehaviour she the guys in my exhales “yeah… I did. I was always band gigging and writing in lounge rooms.

That was the whole basis of my social life in my teenage years. My best friends were the guys in my band.” Starting with covers in the Blue Mountains before beginning writing she has only cracked Sydney with Cassette Kids “’cause [before Sydney] was you know big and scary and far away.” Oh how things change!

Even with a solid musical history Kat is yet to have a proper singing lesson, which is surprising once you hear her vocal range, but she agrees the band have benefited from some guidance. “Technically I don’t really know what I am doing, it is just a visceral response,” Kat admits. “When Cassette Kids first started we were playing in a different key, so I was always right at the top of my range.” Compare early track Acrobat to latest single Lying Around on their MySpace to hear what she means. When their producer said to drop it down a key, Kat recounts it “was just like heaven for me. I was just like ‘wow, I am singing in places and it doesn’t hurt anymore!’”

If you like the Kids’ live performances then fret not, they are not set to be sucked into the great US or UK markets… not just yet, anyway.

“It feels kinda weird to drop a brand new single and then just vanish.

But it is definitely something we wanna do, that is where our sights are set,” Kat says definitively. Even once they breach US shores they’ll resist the celebrity security guards and armoured black trucks. “I hope we can always be the band that plays and then just hangs out with everyone in the crowd.”

You can catch Cassette Kids at the Trackside Festival on Saturday November 21. Tickets can still be purchased through Landspeed Records, Ticketek, Moshtix and Oztix.

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produce unique forms of art, much more than just reproductions of real-life works of art – why would you go to Second Life to see bad reproductions of the Mona Lisa?” Raymond quips.

The artists invited by the NPG to be involved in Doppelgänger are certainly doing more than that. Gazira Babeli (Italy), Andrew Burrell (Sydney), Cao Fei (China), Patrick Lichty (USA) as well as Adam Nash, Christopher Dodds and Justin Clemens (Melbourne) are all practising digital artists in both the real and virtual world.

DOUBLE TAKE YOLANDE NORRIS I have only recently set up an internet connection at my place, and as that connection is about as fast as a sloth moving through a jungle canopy, it is safe to say that I don’t know a great deal about the mysterious online world known as Second Life.

When I heard that the National Portrait Gallery would be launching its new exhibition DOPPELGÄNGER within Second Life I was even more baffled, but fortunately Gillian Raymond, the exhibition’s curator and NPG Web Manager, was on hand to shed some light on this virtual phenomenon.

Raymond was initially drawn to Second Life when it was launched in 2003. Like many of us, she’d always been fascinated by the idea of virtual realities, just like those seen in cult-classic movies such as The Matrix.

“Second Life is an online 3D virtual environment accessed by creating an account and downloading a free viewer to your computer,” Raymond explains, keeping things nice and simple for me.

“By creating an ‘avatar’, a 3D digital version of yourself, you can take on the appearance of a new person; a different sex, a different age or even an animal. Once you have built your avatar you can walk, fly or teleport to islands created by other users and use text or voice chat to communicate with the other ‘residents’.”

The residents that Raymond refers to are an ever-growing pool of other users from all over the world. Over 16 million accounts have been registered to date, with more than 65,000 users online at one time. The residents are responsible for forming the communities within Second Life which make up a big part of the experience.

Raymond admits, “I think to really get into Second Life you have to find a community to become a part of – it’s a bit like Canberra - you have to know the good places to go!”

I am surprised to learn that the arts, including music, theatre, and visual art, already make up a large part of these communities.

There are over 2,000 ‘museums’ in which art can be viewed, virtual exhibition openings for artists to network with avatar audiences, and many Second Life artists even sell work online.

They all jumped at the opportunity to work with the National Portrait Gallery to simultaneously push the boundaries of both portraits and galleries. Digital artworks within the exhibition investigate subjects dealing with beauty, illusion, self-image and the ever fascinating concept of cloning.

Although this is the second online exhibition to be launched by the NPG, it is the first time the gallery has used Second Life, and the first instance in which an Australian institution has curated an exhibition within it.

In this alternate reality, the National Portrait Gallery has constructed a purpose-built landscape called Portrait Island, and it is here that Doppelgäanger takes place. Visitors log on and explore the space using their chosen avatar. Along the way they encounter artworks, most of which are interactive. In many instances, the visiting avatars become parts of the work itself.

I know that the National Portrait Gallery has really been pushing boundaries lately, but to me the idea of a virtual art exhibition seems like something out of the future, not a present reality. Raymond’s simple explanations and her approach towards the project help me see that perhaps it isn’t such a far fetched-notion after all.

“The NPG sees Portrait Island as no different to the physical display spaces and will continue to display digital art that investigates notions of identity and portraiture in this space.”

While the project is certainly a challenge to the traditional concept of an art exhibition - chiefly that is has to inhabit a physical space - Raymond points out that it enables the NPG to contact a wider audience than ever before.

“Exhibiting in Second Life gives us the opportunity to reach a massive online community but hopefully also to inspire people who have never experienced this kind of thing before.”

It looks like I may be one of those people - if only I can sort out my stone-age net connection to take the plunge into this new dimension! Those happily online are able to get involved by sending their avatars to Portrait Island and checking out Doppelgänger for their (virtual) selves.

Artistic types may even be able to step into the Second Life spotlight at some stage. “We are calling on artists to submit proposals for work for display on the Island,” says Raymond. “And, of course, we’re already thinking about the next exhibition in the online program!”

Doppelgänger is online until March 23 2010 and can be accessed by visiting www.portrait.gov.au .

“There is a very strong artistic community working in Second Life who are using the full potential of the online environment to

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ARTISTPROFILE: Julian Fleetwood

What do you do?

Edit. Write and perform poetry and run poetry gigs. Dabble in zine making.

When did you get into it?

A bit during Year 11 and 12 but mainly at the end of uni — around 2006.

Who or what influences you as an artist?

Old video games. Cheesy horror movies. Local poets Hadley and Seung Baek.

What’s your biggest achievement/proudest moment so far?

Editing The Sex Mook for Vignette Press.

What are your plans for the future?

Lots more poetry slams at The Front. Trying to get more of my writing in print/recorded.

What makes you laugh?

Dad jokes.

What pisses you off?

People whingeing about something without engaging in making it better.

What’s your opinion of the local scene?

Canberra’s got a tonne of exciting things going on but they can be a little hidden away. Once you find the right people you can’t possibly be bored.

What are your upcoming performances/exhibitions?

Halloween Poetry Slam (Fri Oct 30 at The Front), MCing the ACT heat of the Australian Poetry Slam (Fri Nov 6 at the National Library of Australia) and running a special exhibition launch slam at the National Museum of Australia (Sat Dec 12).

Contact Info www.traversepoetry.org, poetry.slams@gmail.com

THE ROOF IS ON FIRE NAOMI MILTHORPE

A play about a wealthy Mississippi family in the fifties wouldn’t seem to have anything to do with Australia in the noughties. But, say the play’s director Jordan Best and star Jenna Roberts, the themes of Tennessee Williams’s Pulitzer-winning CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF – opening at the Courtyard Studio on Friday October 30 – are close to home. Cat On A Hot Tin Roof tells the story of Maggie Pollitt, caged by her rapturous love for her alcoholic ex-football star husband Brick. The couple are childless, a fact mercilessly hooked upon by Brick’s brother Gooper and his wife, Mae, rivals for the affections – and inheritance – of the brothers’ sick pater, Big Daddy.

“It’s a hexagonal boxing ring, with each character in their corner,” says Roberts, who plays the titular cat on a hot tin roof, Maggie. “Out of all of them she’s the one prepared to sacrifice the most to get what she wants, which is Brick,” says Roberts. “She plays the perfect wife, or the friend, or the carer, or the seductress […] the worst part of it is, he’s not disgusted by her, he’s indifferent.”

Maggie’s desperate desire to win Brick back is arguably the play’s most memorable aspect but, argues Roberts, there is “so much more to it.” “The dilemmas the characters face are timeless,” says Best. “The kind of familial conflict portrayed in the play is something I think everyone has experienced to some degree.”

Underscoring the play’s story of family dysfunctionality is the more bitter and universal theme, of “the powerful and obnoxious odor of mendacity” that corrupts each of Williams’s characters. “I think, as Australians, we like to think of the attitudes of the southern states of America as being backward and very far removed from our own, far more liberal and open minded attitudes,” argues Best.

“When I started to look at it, especially if we’re talking about the 1950s, the differences between the southern states of America and, for example, Queensland, are not all that great. Misogyny, racism, sexism, homophobia were rampant in both cultures, and, scarily enough, I think little has changed.”

The parallels were so great that Best initially considered setting the play in Queensland before deciding on a more traditional, Southern incarnation. “It was written for Deep South, it has to be,” says Roberts. “The humour and the language and the interactions, the nuances […] it was only relatable to that society. The language is just magic. It’s humid and hot, and Tennessee Williams has this magical ability […] to imbue the text with this hot, pulsing rhythm.”

Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, presented by Free Rain, opens Friday October 30 at the Courtyard Studio CTC and runs til November 14. Tickets on 6275 2700.

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and turned it into a delicious award winning meal. And then a fat guy with a cravat judges it.”

Over the years, Anderson has had the opportunity to work with some of the biggest names in comedy, including the two people who influenced him to start a career in comedy. “My two favourite TV shows were Ted Robinson’s The Big Gig and the Andrew Denton’s Money Or The Gun. I never imagined that I’d be working with them on The Glass House and The Gruen Transfer. They were the two shows that made me love comedy but it took another six or so years to ever have the courage to try it.” Recently, Wil has performed in the USA, an environment where socio-political tensions run high. “I think as an external voice, I have a lot more leeway over there. If people are going to come out, pay money and sit in a room to see what you have to say, then you might as well have something to say.”

FREE WIL stephen samara Wil Anderson is kicking off his latest tour, WILOSOPHY in Canberra this month. He talked to Exhibitionist about life, the universe and everything…

Friendly Fire is set to hit the shelves next month, and Wil went about writing it the same way he did with his last book, Survival of the Dumbest. “It was a compilation of writing I did for the Sunday Magazine. I give the publishers all this writing I have from my columns and other stuff, and it goes to the editor at Random House who makes it into a really cool book. Everyone goes ‘Wow, you wrote an excellent book’, but I really did the equivalent of providing the mystery box on Master Chef - I provided the ingredients and someone took it away

Anderson has something to say about the state of the media. “There’s a new conservatism in the media at the moment. Everyone wants to make everything a scandal; every day there’s someone getting in trouble for a joke. It’ll get to the point where electrical companies will complain about people making jokes about changing light bulbs, and animal rights activists will ask why we’re discriminating against chickens with ridiculous motives to cross roads. Nothing is taboo, my material isn’t necessarily offensive, but some people will be offended by it. I don’t care that I offend people, but I care that I can back up my points when I’m confronted about them.”

In Wilosophy, a recurring theme is politics. “When I first got into comedy, Howard was PM and I worked jokes out of that. It was important to me when Rudd came in that I found some jokes to make about him. You always make fun of who’s in charge, but it’s hard to make fun of someone who just gave everyone $900.”

See Wil Anderson’s Wilosophy at the Canberra Theatre from Thursday 29 to Saturday 31 October.

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PORCELAIN: An interview with director Beng Oh EX: Why Porcelain? What is it about Chay Yew’s play that speaks to you?

BO: It’s a play about being Asian and gay in a Westernised country where you’re very much in the minority […]. To that extent it mirrors my own experience. More importantly though it’s a deeply personal and passionate work by a young playwright. The emotions contained within it are raw but they ring true. It’s this quality that the audience responds to and it’s this selfsame resonance that speaks to me as a director.

EX: The play centres on the killing of a man by his gay lover in a toilet block. How does Porcelain give the protagonist, John Lee, a ‘fair trial’?

BO: John Lee’s trial doesn’t feature in the script. The play is rather concerned with the reasons or the pathology behind the murder. We follow the efforts of a criminal psychologist trying to get to the heart of the matter whilst a journalist grapples with the larger social issues.

EX: How does the play depict or challenge issues of racism and homophobia?

BO: It’s a racial drama, not a love story. […] Racism and homophobia are givens in the play. They’re not dramatised but, like gravity, they have a profound impact on events and characters. Chay Yew, the writer, uses a documentary-style approach paired with the central narrative to tackle these issues, injecting a fair amount of humour into the mix as he goes along.

EX: What made you decide to direct Porcelain at this time?

BO: I’ve waited a long time to direct Porcelain. […] In 1996 I directed a reading of it for Outcast Theatre, a gay and lesbian theatre company in Melbourne. It was clear even within the constraints of a rehearsed reading that this was a remarkable play both in its subject matter and its candour. […] Finally in 2007 everything fell into place and we staged the Australian premiere of the play at La Mama. We had a warm reception and a sold-out season and were determined to revive the production, hence the return season this year.

EX: Why do stories like Porcelain need to be told?

BO: Dramatising stories like Porcelain validates experience.

Things that are hidden are by definition rarely seen and never acknowledged. Racism, homophobia, sex in toilets, all these things still exist. Theatre is one forum in which these issues are addressed and imaginatively dealt with. If nothing else it opens up a debate.

Chay Yew’s Porcelain directed by Beng Oh plays at The Street Theatre from Tuesday Nov 3 to Friday Nov 6 @ 8pm, & Saturday November 7 @ 4pm & 9pm. Tix $29/$23. Bookings 6247 1223.

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THE SPANISH TRAGEDY naomi milthorpe “You don’t often get the opportunity to see Lorca on Australian stages,” says actor Sam Hannan-Morrow, before checking himself: “except, of course, for this year.” Hannan-Morrow has taken on the role of the stolid, indifferent husband Juan in YERMA, the final installment in Moonlight’s season of tragedies by Spanish playwright Federico García Lorca.

Yerma is a story of desire and longing, of the yearning of a childless peasant woman to have a child with her husband. The play centres on the eponymous character Yerma, trapped in a sterile marriage to Juan. “She’s a really powerful force but incredibly sad,” says actor Catherine Hagarty, who has taken on the role. “You sympathise with her, you can understand why she behaves the way she does.”

Yerma is tortured by her desire for a child, and by her husband Juan’s indifference to desire. She flirts briefly with a childhood sweetheart, Victor (Sam Lavery) but turns away from sexual desire in the name of honour. In terms of narrative and character Lorca’s drama, like that of Chekhov or Ibsen, seems plain. But the power and tragedy of the play lie most forcefully in Lorca’s beautiful, imagistic writing.

Through the intensity of his language, Lorca transforms Yerma’s personal struggle into a heart-wrenching tragedy. It’s beautiful to read and incredibly powerful to watch. In performing in Yerma, HannanMorrow says he has found a “new appreciation for Lorca’s writing,” “It’s very lyrical,” says Hagarty.

As audiences have seen in Moonlight’s two other shows for 2009 – The House of Bernarda Alba and Blood Wedding – Lorca can create tragedy from the ordinary struggles of ordinary people who, by the constraints of a rigid society are driven to desperate acts. Yerma, indeed, is an exquisitely rendered character, whose emotional journey is explored through powerful language as well as song; one of the beauties of Lorca is that he provides artists with a spectrum of media – word, image, and song – to use.

Director Carol Whitman, currently completing her honours degree in Drama at the ANU, has worked to incorporate these aspects within her production. The play integrates music by Ellen Kimball and a stunning red-and-white set by designer Erin Pugh, to create “a beautiful experience from start to finish.”

“It’s a serious, heart-wrenching, full-on play,” says Whitman. And one that, after this year, you may not get to see again for a long time.

Moonlight presents Federico García Lorca’s Yerma at the ANU Arts Centre Drama Lab from Thursday October 29 to Saturday November 7 @ 8pm.

Tickets at the door: $15 or $5 for ANU students.

UNINHIBITED Sometimes the arts are far removed from the currents of the world; sometimes art can appear rarified, air-kissy and – let’s face it – a big ol’ pile-o-wank; sometimes you sit there wondering WHAT- WHATWHAT- IS THE POINT OF THIS BS?* On a better note, sometimes art can tap into what is known in certain circles as the zeitgeist, an entirely inexplicable ‘spirit’ that pervades a time/place/generation, leaving it and everything it touches with a peculiar whiff of cogency, whatever that means.

Sometimes, also, art can be simply lovely, and touch the soft gooey part inside of one, that goo which causes one to smile indulgently at small children and to give money to Greenpeace.** There is a school of thought that suggests that everything happens in an exact place and exact time, for a particular reason. If that is the case, the shows this week – moonlight’s Yerma, The Street’s Porcelain and Free Rain’s Cat On A Hot Tin Roof – must have come along to remind Canberra about the importance of open, honest desire. They all three of them deal in secrets, in mendacity or the repression of truth, and in the curtailing of desire by societal or familial forces.

In a parallel spirit, the NPG’s online exhibition Doppelgänger revolves around the extension (or bifurcation) of personal identity in

Second Life. I went along to the exhibition opening where a friend of mine, one of the gallery’s Education Officers, told me about how her avatar – a muscular, red-trousered dude named Naxos – was getting spaded by the ladies of the net; many of the works in Doppelgänger explore the fracturing of human identity by the new, online persona (indeed, in folklore, if you met your doppelgänger it generally augured your swift demise).

Meanwhile, the final show of the year from the youngsters of the National University Theatre Society moved me if not to tears then at least to general emotional gooeyness. Their Hours of Fun With Cement, a season of short plays from local playwrights, was a wonderful night of theatre of the purest intention: the five-minute, puerile, joyous, hilarious madness of Newstacular (the product of their 24 Hours of Theatre festival), David Finnigan’s satire on Scientology and kitchen-handing, Hate Restaurants, and two plays

by Hadley, Sock Yeti (a grossfest of revolting proportions) and Zara and the Sea. This last, directed by Duncan Ragg, also meditated on the powers of imagination and the pitfalls of pretense – and is one of the more beautiful short plays I have ever had the pleasure of watching.

All these performances are powered by one of the greatest things about art, its ability to expose the ways in which human beings pretend to each other – or to themselves. Art is pretense (and sometimes pretentious), and it’s a lie – but it’s a lie that tells the truth.

NAOMI MILTHORPE exhibitionist@bmamag.com *This happened to me a few weeks ago. I won’t name the show but suffice to say it left me with a thirst for a) blood and b) whisky. **Author has never given money to Greenpeace. Dirty hippies.

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bit PARTS WHO: Various artists WHAT: Figuration WHEN: ‘Til Sunday November 8, 11am-5pm daily WHERE: Paintbox Fine Art Gallery Figuration is a group show, at Paintbox Fine Art on Braddon’s Lonsdale Street, featuring figurative work from five established artists. Featured in the exhibition are beautiful, delicate fantasies

by Maki Horanai, whose work has been strongly influenced by the nature of her childhood in snowy villages along the sea coast in northern Japan, the bold, dark representations by Melbourne portraitist Norma Bailey-Ramsay, and the creamy figures of Archibald finalist Fu Hong. Figuration runs ‘til Sunday November 8 and is completely free.

WHO: Tempo Theatre WHAT: John Chapman’s Kindly Leave the Stage WHEN: November 5 – 14 WHERE: Belconnen Theatre Tempo grace Belconnen’s stages once again, with their latest production, English comedy Kindly Leave The Stage. The rather ingenuous press release states: “This comedy set in the flat of Rupert and Sarah is great fun from start to finish with twists that will delight audiences. Tempo has assembled a cast of talented actors who bring Chapman’s script to life. Join Rupert and Sarah as they host a dinner party that does not go according to plan.” Hmmm.

I think I will. Tickets are $25/$20 and can be purchased through Canberra Ticketing on 6275 2700.

WHO: Various artists WHAT: Exhibition I Forget To Forget WHEN: Until Saturday November 21 WHERE: Canberra Contemporary Art Space Gorman House I Forget To Forget, put together by National Gallery of Victoria curator Stephen Gilchrist for Gertrude Contemporary Art Spaces in Melbourne, has now arrived for a very welcome Canberra jaunt.

The exhibition assembles eye-popping artworks from some of the country’s hottest young artists. The gallery houses such wonders as a giant knitted nana blanket by Helen Johnson and a formidable collection of ‘Aboriginalia’ – artist Tony Albert’s collection of reclaimed objects depicting dubious representations of Indigenous Australians.

Other artists included are Daniel Boyd, Reko Rennie, Jonathan Jones and Andrea Fisher. I Forget To Forget is not to be missed if you want to know what’s happening in Australian contemporary art right now.

WHO: Woody Allen and Larry David WHAT: Whatever Works WHEN: ‘Til it closes WHERE: Dendy Canberra Centre It’s not often that an artist can straddle the two worlds of popular success and arthouse cred. Woody Allen seems capable of this delicate balance, and his latest picture, Whatever Works, is a treat. Larry David plays genius Boris Yelnikoff, whose gargantuan intellect has rendered him incapable of conducting a pleasant conversation with the vast majority of humanity. The film is peppered – both liberally sprinkled and made all the more savoury – by Boris’s hilarious, bombastic tirades against the ‘inchworm’ humanity whose ignorance is a daily plague.

Enter Melodie (Evan Rachel Wood), a Southern belle whose innocence (and ignorance), coupled with her sunny attractions, foils Boris’s liberal misanthropy. Highly recommended.

WHO: Car Collector Dale Arthur WHAT: Dale’s Cars: Model Cars from the 20th Century WHEN: Late October 2009 ‘til February 7, 2010 WHERE: Canberra Museum and Gallery

WHO: New York based artist James Angus WHAT: Geo Face Distribitor WHEN: Now and forever WHERE: The entrance to the National Portrait Gallery

Dale Arthur began collecting diecast model cars during his childhood in 1950s Tonga; this boyish interest was rekindled 30 years later when he was given a packet of model cars as a joke by his wife. The Canberra Museum and Gallery, as part of their Cabinets of Curiosities Exhibition series, is showing Dale’s extensive collection of model cars, including Matchbox and Meccano Dinky toys, model cars from the former USSR, and live steam models from England. Get down to CMAG to see it – you have ‘til February next year!

Geo Face Distribitor was commissioned by the NPG as part of the design for its new premises. NYC-based artist James Angus was commissioned in 2008 and the sculpture has now been unveiled. On discussing the sculpture design James Angus said “I want people to be able to see faces. When viewing the sculpture, the faces emerge: cavities link up to form pairs of eyes and mouths, protrusions start to look like noses. And then they might equally disappear and the whole thing collapses back into something unnameable.” Oo er. See it now, or the next time you head to the NPG.

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WITH THIS QUIP

SEX, DRUGS & COCK ROCK

katy hall

KATHERINE QUINN

You never really know what type of response you’re going to get from an artist when your interview takes place with a severe time difference. Luckily for me Kris Schroeder of THE BASICS is, while struggling with eloquence at one stage, remarkably awake considering it’s not even 9am where he’s calling from. “We’re in London, it’s week two and part of five weeks we’ve got over here.

I’ve snuck out of the room to come and talk while the others are all sleeping still.”

To be honest, I was a bit sceptical about THE GALVATRONS before I did this interview. Is there a place for OTT ‘80s rock in today’s music industry? I wasn’t so sure. To my surprise, however, I got totally glamoured by this glam rock frontman, and listening to the recording I realise that (rather embarrassingly) I spent the entire interview giggling like a school girl. Despite his attempts to convince me that “I’m just a knob on stage really, that’s it. I’m a total geek otherwise. I’m a bit of a hermit.” – I’m not buying it. Not to imply that he’s a knob – but Johnny’s hardly the comic-reading uber-nerd he’d have you believe. He’s chatty, funny, and very charismatic; everything a rock star (and my future husband) should be.

Kicking off the touring with what’s set to be several months of it after the recent release of their third album, Keep Your Friends Close, Kris admits that getting from the initial point of writing the album to performing on the other side of the world was a long time in the making, taking two and a half years to reach a release point. “There have been a lot of changes with it, it started out as a different album,” he says. “It was originally a lot more poppy but, like everything, it just evolved naturally into what it is now.” Written in the outback of Australia, recorded in their Melbourne studio and mastered in London’s Abbey Road studios, the album is certainly well travelled.

We know all the right Creedence covers and a bit of AC/DC, so we do pretty well

One major stop they’re looking forward to making in the next year with the new album is revealed with a chuckle, “Tamworth.” Like the Tamworth Country Music Festival? “Yeah!” he beams enthusiastically. “We’re like the alternative to country music there. Every second year we do it and say we’re never going to do it again, but this will be our fourth time there. We could never do it every year – the sheer size of it is too much as is, but our sets end up going for three hours and we’re playing every day; this time we’ll be doing nine shows in nine days.” The Basics have the tendency to make a small mountain of fans wherever they go, with their crossgenre style and classic stage manner being a hit with people from all ends of the music spectrum. So I’m curious to know if the reaction at the nation’s biggest country music festival is the same. “Well, we know all the right Creedence covers and a bit of AC/DC, so we do pretty well. But, we always walk away from there having met some new people and made some new fans; it’s good fun.”

Before they pack their finest flannel and head up north they’re making a stop at the Trackside Festival for their second visit since its inception. At this stage I remind Kris of their last visit to the festival, and a round of Podwarz which saw The Basics fail to win the crowd. “That was rigged! I was playing Ghostbusters! There’s no way we should have lost. We’ll see what happens this year. Maybe I’ll stand a chance?” A moment later he mumbles, “definitely rigged.”

You can catch The Basics at the Trackside Festival on Saturday November 21. Tickets can still be purchased through Landspeed Records, Ticketek, Moshtix and Oztix.

However, despite his aforementioned good points, two successful EPs and the stuff-of-legends true story that The Galvatrons were signed after only their fourth gig, it’s clear that Johnny still has both feet firmly planted on the ground. “I like my rock stars to be rock stars,” he tells me, while we’re discussing The Galvatrons’ larger-than-life on-stage atmosphere. “Like Bowie and Mick Jagger and Freddie Mercury – I love that kind of ‘I’m better than you’ kind of thing – as long as you leave it on the stage.”

“I love that kind of ‘I’m better than you’ thing – as long as you leave it on the stage.”

When I ask him why he thinks it’s ‘important’ to bring back synth-ridden, ‘80s cock rock, he says “I dunno if it’s important! I don’t think it’s world changing!” (and now I feel silly for asking that question). “Around 2000 there was a lot of realist music, like music about the everyday, but now people are embracing more theatrical kind of rock stars.” As for the synth: “I like the kind of paleo-future vibe. ‘Paleo-future’ means an outdated version of the future,” he informs me, and I sit there nodding enthusiastically. “Like in the ‘80s if you wanted to set something that was from the future you put a synth line in. I guess it’s just more of an atmospheric thing.”

Then the conversation turns to sex. I don’t quite know how that happens, but I’m okay with it. “If you’re in it for sex and drugs, rock ‘n’ roll is not the answer!” Johnny says. Ah, now I remember – he’s telling me about his experiences at Foreshore last year. “Man those electro-dance kids, they know how to put it on! If I could just pass that on to the youth of today – for sex and drugs, don’t pick up a guitar, pick up a deck!”

Nonetheless, Johnny maintains that he is very much looking forward to playing Trackside festival this year. “We always have a good crowd at Canberra,” he tells me, and, when prompted, I promise I’ll be there ‘in the front row.’ Oh dear. This has been Bridget Jones for BMA, with (more than) a bit of a crush now, actually.

The Galvatrons are a part of the terrific Trackside Festival lineup, taking place at Thoroughbred Park on Saturday November 21. Tickets through Landspeed Records, Ticketek, Moshtix and Oztix.

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UR THE TRAVELLING CHIMERADO MONIQUE SUNA Where does JEFF LANG fit?

This is the question that baffles me as I sit in musical amazement, tentatively

Youtube-stalking my would-be interviewee. Lang is too folksy to be country, too country to be blues and he plucks away at his many guitars

in ways that fascinate and hypnotise. Experimental he is, conventional he is not and, having already released a bevy of albums, nor is he a beginner.

“I grew up in Melbourne and have been a musician for 26 years. I have played with the resonator, bottleneck, regular, acoustic…” says Lang about his wide collection of guitars. It is no wonder that the guitarist and singer/songwriter has built such respect among his fellow musicians. He is surprisingly self-effacing, even philosophical about life as a musical genius

and his gradual rise in fame and fortune. “Your music, it’s not going to be for everyone.

Ultimately it’s about expression and speaking with

“It’s important to have a career that isn’t based around being the hip new thing.” a powerful voice… wallpaper style. As soon as it becomes about the lifestyle you may as well stay home and sing to the wall. People, they choose to come and listen to you.

Transcend the moment. You want to just experience that moment. It moves beyond a form of language, yet helps you to speak and communicate.

I don’t think of it as a career, the music transports you until you are not thinking about rent or the fight with your girlfriend. Music needs to provide transcendence, entertainment. It is a worthy goal. Mainstream artists are there to be seen. That is more to do with fashion than music.

It’s important to have a career that isn’t based around being the hip new thing because fame is really difficult to maintain.

The people I respect have been around for a long time. Known by some but not a household name,” explains Lang. It is very much appropriate that the title of Jeff Lang’s new album, Chimeradour, suggests the life of a travelling troubadour.

“I follow a path that keeps me inspired, don’t wanna be bored,” laughs Lang. “I am somewhat a romantic drifter, living in a van, gig to gig. I drive some poor old van; only just made it to some of those places.” As he speaks, Lang paints vivid pictures in your mind. His soothing voice takes you away, and all you want is for him to continue with his beautiful words.

The fabulously versatile melodies of Jeff Lang shall be gracing Canberra’s humble Street Theatre on Saturday November 14 to launch his enigmatically named Chimeradour. Tickets through www. thestreet.org.au .

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WHAT THE DEUTSCH!?

LAST DAZE ON EARTH

KATHERINE QUINN

peter rosewarne

It’s the morning of my interview with ADRIAN DEUTSCH, and I’m not in the best of spirits. The previous night saw me stressed and sleepless at the hands of an incredibly boring essay, I have a full working day ahead of me and I’m running on coffee like it’s rocket fuel. Boo hoo. Then Adrian answers the phone. “Baby, whatever it is, I’ll try to help you.”

I can’t say I’ve ever easily pinned down who KATE MILLER-HEIDKE is.

Her demeanour suggests coy, gentle lady of the house, ready to throw a tea party. Some video clips, like Can’t Shake It, reveal her as a Gwen Stefani hopeful, teetering towards hysteria with colour changing black head remover still in place. And when I speak with Kate I feel I could just as easily be sharing a pint with an old uni friend.

No, okay, that’s a lie (or perhaps a hallucination caused by sleep deprivation). Those are in fact lyrics taken from the title track of Adrian’s brand new album, Help You!. A former member of Sydney band Red Riders, Adrian left in early 2008, citing “classic Spinal Tap creative differences” as his reason for going solo. Amazingly, Adrian’s music is exactly like him. So essentially, he could have answered the phone and started spouting sympathetic lyrics down the receiver. Help You! portrays I was just a contentment and wisdom thinking how overlaid with a cheerful energy awesome my found in wandering bass lines and syncopated piano. It’s the life is kind of music you listen to when you need to cocoon away from the world with a cup of tea – a musical hug, if you will. And Adrian is so nice to me that I do indeed feel like hugging him (hard over the phone, though).

Despite her approachable down-to-earth friendliness, Kate has good reason to be a snooty cow. After winning multiple ARIAs, an APRA award, gaining international recognition and seeing her album Curiouser go platinum last month, Kate is about to embark on a tour with Ben Folds. Kate informs me that this entails, “singing the Regina Spektor part of You Don’t Know Me,” adding, “slightly shitting my pants about that.”

I enquire as to what inspired this philosophical, folk-pop sound.

“When I was writing the album, I’d been comparing my everyday existence now, which is very pleasant, with my family history,” Adrian tells me. “My grandparents came out of the holocaust in Europe, so I’m the first born in Australia. I was just thinking how awesome my life is, really.” “But aren’t you afraid your happiness is going to disappear?!” I ask, unwittingly reflecting my bleak mood. “Yeah, even when you’re happy, you can be worried about when you stop being happy!” Adrian says, sounding distinctly… happy. “I guess that’s a part of the human condition. I think all we can really hope to achieve is to try and articulate those moments when we are happy and enjoy them for what they are.”

I’m not surprised when Adrian says he admires the work of Leonard Cohen, because the two musicians share a poetic, searching tone – what Adrian calls “the pseudo-amateur-philosophical thing I have going on.” But although his songs occasionally deal with serious subjects, it’s clear Adrian doesn’t take himself too seriously. And how could he? He grew up in Canberra just like the rest of us, attending Campbell High and Narrabundah College, before moving to Sydney to pursue fame and fortune. He still says attending ‘Bundah was two of the best years of his life and this admission reflects the sense of positivity that Adrian exudes, even over the phone. It’s contagious – at the end of the interview I feel so much better. Adrian helped me, so (and I have to do this) let him Help You! Adrian and Paul Andrews (Lazy Susan) will play a show at The Front Gallery and Café on Saturday November 14. Get there early to ensure a spot on one of the comfy couches!

She needn’t be nervous though. It’s not the first time she has sung with a big wig. Kate also tells me, “last year we opened for Cyndi Lauper and I watched her perform from the side. I wiped a tear from my eye after she sang True Colors. Then she came over and said ‘hey Kate, do you wanna come up and sing Girls Just Wanna Have Fun with me?’ It was unforgettable.” Um, yeah!

Singing with the great squinty one is a solid peak point!

It’s kind of fun to put in the odd moment of vocal insanity

Surely Kate is still in plateau mode, managing to keep herself (and her husband and bandmate, Keir Nuttall) busy working on a new album and a lot of “to-ing and fro-ing. We just got back from Nepal, where we did a gig for MTV Asia, to raise awareness about human trafficking over there.” Lady of the house, bonkers AND humanitarian?! Is this collection of personalities why her music has changed so much over the years? The last album certainly shares a bit more of her classical training, what with the crazy vocals and all. But it’s okay; Kate hasn’t lost the plot, clarifying, “I come from a folk music background and I think the first EP and Little Eve reflect that. Whereas Curiouser was much more about exploring the joys of expansive, experimental pop music… I think in the end a song has to come down to the lyrics and melody. But it’s kind of fun to put in the odd moment of vocal insanity.”

Since Kate is about to tour for the release of the single The Last Day on Earth, I thought I would ask who it is about (presumably not Didge from Neighbours) but I am told, “that song was initially inspired by a recurring dream about the apocalypse; it’s a love song during the apocalypse.” Quite the ominous tour then!

Don’t miss Kate Miller-Heidke’s apoca-cryptic performance at the Hellenic Club (18+) on Tuesday November 17. Tickets through Ticketek.

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CHISTT ARCHIS ANAR CK,, AN DUCK CK,, DU DUCK DU

TAKE OFF POTENTIAL

ELIZA SANDERS

MONIQUE SUNA

ANARCHIST DUCK, a funk/reggae trio from Brisbane, have just released their debut album Propaganda. They are soon to embark on a promotional tour down the east coast, performing 18 shows over the next few months. With influences from Rage Against the Machine to Bob Marley, Aretha Franklin to Ween, they’ve been compared to The Red Hot Chili Peppers and The Cat Empire. “We’ve got a bit of a funk theme throughout our music but it does go quite ‘worldy’ at times,” explains Felicity Flawless, the band’s guitarist and lead vocalist.

There is a marked difference between the two artistes this here journalist was instructed to represent in this issue of BMA. One was a seasoned musician, complete with over 20 years worth of stories and insight, the other is a fresh-faced Simon Connolly, guitarist and singer for Melbourne-based five-some, POTENTIAL FALCON. Curiously it would be Connolly who is the more cynical of the two as he talks of his sad disillusionment in relation to both lyrics and life in general. “Love and heartbreak is a very country thing which is pretty much what the whole record is about. We are afraid of people hating our ‘feeling’ music because it’s not very cool to be personal. People like it when you hint at things,” says Connolly softly. Yet he does seem to appreciate how important sincerity is in the musical world.

“Honest and heartfelt music is an outlet. I learn about myself from listening to my songs.”

The Duck began when the three band members moved in together.

“I basically moved in because there was a dinosaur in the backyard,” says Flawless, but the band soon discovered that they shared more than just a love of backyard dinosaurs; they started jamming together. Why the name Anarchist Duck, you ask? “We had a bit of a crazy flatmate who drilled two holes in the wall and they kinda looked like a duck. We ended up doing a bit of graffiti around it, putting a little beak on it and a little tail so yeah, I guess we were jamming to this huge duck, singing about a lot of lawlessness and revolution so that’s where the ‘anarchy’ part came from.”

From these humble beginnings Anarchist Duck became selfproclaimed funk revolutionists. Coalescing the talents of “funk-master” Jules on bass guitar with the Latin/punk flavourings of drummer Arno, audiences can’t help but get up and dance to their unique sound. Not only are The Ducks the leaders of the funk revolution, they are massive political activists as well, using their music to create change and promote a stack of causes from the Food Not Bombs Movement to Open Doors, supporting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender peoples. “We played at a lot of protests and sunrises to start of with so that’s always been a part of our music,” Flawless explains. “Jules and I write about what we feel because, you know, we want the world to be a beautiful place.” Equally as important as raising awareness though their music, The Ducks try to connect with their audiences by singing about “the general heartbreak, the kind of personal struggle to make everything work.”

We want the world to be a beautiful place

So what can we expect from the debut album of such a talented trio?

“It’s big!” Flawless enthuses. “It’s got a really big sound. We produced it with Paulie B who worked with George and The Beautiful Girls. It’s really fresh and has a real ‘up’ vibe.” Anarchist Duck are bringing their “big” funky sound to Canberra audiences. They are pumped to come back after finding out earlier this year that Canberra in fact does have more than “politicians and straightedged gardens.”

Cath Anarchist Duck at The Phoenix on Saturday October 31, The Front on Sunday November 1, and Friday November 6, or The Full Moon Party on Saturday November 7.

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Most of the band originally hailed from Canberra, with Connolly himself spending most of his teenage years in Campbell. Fellow Falconer Hugo Temby (piano/Rhodes/bass/guitar/vocals) actually still bases himself in Canberra and refuses to move to Melbourne.

When asked how often Temby flies down for gigs and band meetings Connolly laughs, “he plays an amazing piano and it’s worth having around. He can’t be with the band always but we consult him over the lyrics, he’s a bit of a control freak but we love him.” The other three members who make up Potential Falcon are Huw Murdoch (guitar), Donovan Martin (drums/vocals/ general comic relief) and Joseph Foley (bass/vocals). Each one is an important piece of the Falcon puzzle. They describe themselves as being a quirky mix of “indie-cum-country rock” and if you like Wilco, My Morning Jacket, Neil Young and Sonic Youth, you may just find a place in your heart for Potential Falcon.

Honest and heartfelt music is an outlet

Having only formed in December of 2006, Potential Falcon have already celebrated the April 2007 release of the fantastically named Hank Williams’ Grave. “It was a lazy title stolen from one of our songs – the new one has a lot more focus. Hank Williams’ Grave was trying for the sake of trying,” admits Connolly. You may be wondering about what is this ‘new one’ that he refers to. It is actually in reference to the exciting October 2009 release of their (proper) debut album Wings on Fire, another name borrowed from an album song. Having toured the coast of Australia numerous times they will finally take their potential overseas early next year. “We are getting ready New Zealand,” enthuses Connolly.

Catch the delightful Potential Falcon as they make use of the Transit Bar as a launching pad for the much awaited Wings of Fire. They shall be accompanied by Voss and Hoodlum Shouts. 8pm on Thursday November 12.

Be there, I shall.

the release really feels like a release!” quivers Chaffey.

KE LUKE D LU HAND COOLL HAN COO allan sko Forged in the fires of Canberra, sordid electronic trio COOL WEAPON – comprising lovable scallywags Josh Chaffey, Luke McGrath and Matt Sanderson – are at once as uninhibited and potent as their namesake suggests. Behind the scenes, nonchalance has no place in their working mantra. October 15 saw the release of long (long, long) awaited debut The Lay of the Land; a culmination of a year, and a career, of hard work with everything completed in-house. Originally slated as a 2007 EP release, a combination of new ideas, relocated band members (McGrath is currently enjoying the perpetual summer of the Top End) and securing a hard-fought ACT Government Arts Grant saw the project lovingly balloon into a long-player, albeit it a super tight 23 minute one (“The shorter the better,” says McGrath, “length is what remixes are for.”). Basstwanger Chaffey is understandably chuffed, and chaffed, after such a wonderful ordeal.

“Goddamn it feels good! This whole thing has been like tantric sex and the build-up has been going on for years! And now, ‘aaaaaargh,’

Despite inevitable life distractions, the past few years have seen the trio list an increasing number of achievements. Scoring well in the UncharTED online music competition, winning a Sony BMG A&R Hottest Pick, a Guest Artist’s Pick from Canberra Unearthed winners The Bumblebeez and going on to finish fourth overall are but a few. On record, they layer sexy lyrics atop a swirl of toetapping pop rock. Live, they are outrageous, with Chaffey slapping the bass like a seasoned gigolo, Sanderson tilting the keyboards at a frankly alarming angle and vocalist McGrath megaphoning his purr ‘n’ sex performance in. In both endeavours, they seem in their natural environment. Was such chemistry instant?

“Yeah, the chemistry did come along pretty quickly. It was like a musical think-tank – the pop hack, the metal dude and the

This whole thing has been like tantric sex electronic tinkerer,” says Chaffey. “We butted heads a bit, but only ever in the pursuit of the best sound, the truest expression of our musical urges,” adds McGrath.

And whilst the tuneful triumvirate may currently be scattered far and wide across this great brown land of ours, we can still expect great things from 2010 onwards. “Oh yeah, this ain’t the end. It’s taken us a while but we’re just warming up,” says McGrath, before Chaffey adds, “like I said baby, we’re tantric!”

Cool Weapon’s debut album The Lay of the Land is out now at all good record stores.

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THE REALNESS Sydney’s Horrorshow have been putting in some serious work since the release of their acclaimed debut LP around a year ago. With their well deserved Elefant Traks backing, the duo has dedicated some serious studio time and conjured up their second batch of quality hip-hop entitled Inside Story. Growing and developing their sounds, defying their youth

and testing musical boundaries, Solo and Adit have once again delivered a mature, insightful and beautiful collection of tunes that will have you reaching for the replay button on the regular. You couldn’t meet two nicer dudes and they definitely deserve all their success. It’s fantastic to see and hear such talent coming out of this country. Big ups fellas.

Hard worker and razor sharp lyricist, Melbourne dwelling emcee Fluent Form has wasted no time following up his very promising debut Chapters Of Substance with his second full length The Furnace. Arriving with sounds akin to bombs being dropped and with Obese distribution, the album is 14 varied and deep hard-hitting tunes, as Fluent shows his versatility as a vivid story teller, a keen social observer and a devastatingly clever lyricist. Technically speaking, Fluent Form knows rap inside out, serving up a myriad of flows, patterns and delivery styles. Co-signed by guests Brad Strut, Ciecmate, Mata & Must,

1/6, Maundz, Fatty Phew and Raven, you know you are getting 100% certified raps on the LP. Backed by some tasty production from Geko, Ciecmate, Doc Felix, Must, K21, Discourse and WIK (whose beat is MEGA) – this is quality all round. Get the LP and check Fluent out at www. myspace.com/fluentformmusic.

I’ve been caning the new Chasm & Vida Sunshyne single Where Did We Go Wrong lately – it’s just too nice. The tune has the perfect summer vibe and Vida’s voice and flow hits the spot. The tune is from their forthcoming album Move on Obese and proves that Chasm is one of the hardest working beat makers in this country (when does the fella sleep!?). I can’t think of a better producer to soundtrack Vida’s life and b-side Stress is also the bizness. Positive vibes from two positive musicians – I love how the record is both forward thinking and also pays homage to sounds of old. Bring on the LP – it sounds like the people’s music to me!

Melbourne’s Requiem has just dropped his highly original debut Grassroots Anarchy and its accompanying e-press release says it best – “ten recipes in his anarchist’s cookbook, each littered with socio-political urgency and paranoia.” This is street journalism for sure, protest music for the now, sound-tracked by beats from Ciecmate, Doc Felix, Defiant, Pabstrakt and Wizard.

A couple of o/s releases to look out for; Royce Da 5’9 is one of my fave emcees and he’s just dropped his new solo LP Street Hop featuring incredible production from a myriad of my favourite beat makers – DJ Premier, Streetrunner, Nottz, Mr. Porter and more. Cormega is also back with his latest LP Born Raised.

Beats come from the dream team of Large Professor, DJ Premier, Nottz, Ayatollah, L.E.S and DR Period. Boom-bap is back people!

To hear music from all the above and more, tune to The Antidote on 2XX 98.3FM, every Tuesday from 9:30pm.

ROSHAMBO roshambizzle@hotmail.com

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FED TO THE LIONS STEPHEN SAMARA 50 LIONS have the talent, the vision and the balls to make it in the hardcore scene, not just in Australia but internationally as well. They have escaped the bonds of metalcore and have become an entirely unique band. They are set to team up with Trapped Under Ice for the upcoming Where Life Expires tour, and they’re surely going to make some waves.

“We’re a hardcore band and always have been. In saying that, we aren’t trying to segregate ourselves at all. We play similar venues to metalcore bands – we play alongside them.” It seems that there is a substantial dichotomy between modern hardcore and metalcore, a different kind of mentality that separates the two genres but also illuminates their similarities. “Hardcore is more based around energy and interaction with the crowd rather than playing on a massive stage with a barricade and matching stage moves and stage props.”

50 Lions is a lucky name for a lucky bunch of guys. They took the name from a poker machine they would regularly win on and the luck carried over to the band when they released their first self-titled demo, which sold out in under three months. They’ve also shared the stage with some of their biggest influences, including Terror and Madball.

“It’s always good to If you can’t get kids to play with awesome bands, especially your shows and sell older bands and ms see it n the s, ord rec ones that have l to be missing the rea influenced your point music. You learn a lot from them by watching them live and how they play and carry themselves. You also find that they’re not superheroes, they’re usually just down to earth people who have put in a lot of time and effort to get where they’re at.”

Aside from breaking away from the current hardcore trends, they also diverge from the slew of MySpace-orientated bands that have popped up in the last few years. “MySpace can only take you so far as a band. You may have a million friends and plays but if you can’t get kids to your shows and sell records, then it seems to be missing the real point. Personally I think we’re at the place we are right now from hard work and a good work ethic when it comes to touring and putting out new material on a regular basis so kids don’t get bored of us.”

After the national tour, they’re taking a month off and then heading out to the highway on the Boys of Summer tour, then doing a few shows in southeast Asia. “In general we’re going to be on the road a lot more and trying to tour more on an international level as well.”

What do the Byron Bay boys have to say about Canberra? “Canberra has always been a town that we need to play more and missed on a lot of tours. These days there is a lot of cool bands coming out of Canberra, some good venues and people working hard to make it what it is today. ‘Support your local bands and shows’ is the only real thing that needs to be said.”

50 Lions and Trapped Under Ice (USA) will play the Tuggeranong Youth Centre on Sunday November 8. Tickets through Moshtix.

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35

the word

BLACKBOX

on games Ah, racing games. I have somewhat of a love-hate relationship with them these days. On one hand, they don’t require a serious life commitment in the way that, say, Fallout does. Indeed, they offer great duck in, duck out entertainment, perfect for our modern, balls-to-the-wall lifestyles. However, they don’t really offer much variation between titles. Need for Speed alone consists of dressing up the same bollocks in a slightly shinier wrapper each time. Where’s the innovation, people? Indeed, is innovation even possible in this saturated market anymore? According to Dirt 2... not particularly.

Colin McRae DiRT 2 Developer: Codemasters Publisher: Codemasters Platform: PS3, 360, PC Length: 10hrs Rating: 3 Colin McRae died? Wow, missed that one. At least his legacy lives on through the Collin McRae series. Unfortunately though, Dirt 2 doesn’t quite live up to the man’s stature. Admittedly, there’s nothing really wrong with the game other then the fact that there’s nothing particularly outstanding about it either… with the possible exception of the menus. Yes, rather disturbingly, Dirt 2’s most distinct feature are the race menus. Shying away from the stunningly sleek yet sterile style of the first, now they’re fully 3D scenes that seamlessly transition in and out of the racing. Unfortunately, after you’ve taken your umpteenth unskippable look around the race yard, been slowly lectured about all the shit you’ve unlocked and listened to some lame quip from another racer, it all gets a little tiresome.

Menus aside, the actual racing content of the game comes in various flavours, ranging from the traditional rallying, to the less than entertaining ‘hit the yellow shit on the road’ mode. While the variation is interesting, I would have preferred they stuck to mastering one particular style instead, say, RALLY for instance. As such, as with any quantity over quality decision, it’s not without its issues, which include some temperamental car control, non-dynamic terrain and a reasonably ill thought out flashback mechanic, which as the name suggests, lets you rewind time and undo that fatal mistake you just made (taking the dumbing down of games to that next level). In actuality, you’ll probably choose the wrong place to pick up the action due to the ludicrously placed replay camera and end up slamming into the same bloody thing you did the first time. Even when it’s used properly, it still ruins the flow of the game and could have easily been dropped.

However, my greatest gripe with the game is with the trendy, Need For Speed-esque image it seems so keen to tout. Whereas I was hoping to take on Tommi Mäkinen in the French Alps, instead you’ll be racing against BMX (eh?) rider Dave Mirra in his pimping joy ride. Talk about selling out. So whilst Dirt 2 isn’t a bad pick, don’t bother buying a party mix if all you want is some good chocolate, if you get what I mean.

TORBEN SKO

36

Two big stories this week – one good news, the other not. Keeping with tradition, the bad news first – the Top Gear franchise is moving to WIN. The original UK series should be fine (apart from the fact there will be plenty more ads to wade through). It’s the kids – Top Gear Australia – that Blackbox is worried about. What’s going to happen to the kids? After a rough start where the show was trying really hard to be a carbon copy, the hosts settled in with the addition of James Morrison at the start of the second series. Morrison was witty and despite his night job with a trumpet, knows his cars.

Channel Nine has already confirmed it is in talks with Shane Warne to host what is bound to be a slicker, more commercial version of Top Gear Australia. The key to the show’s success has always been its irreverence, its ability to take on the top manufacturers and tell them their car is rubbish. Will the face of Advance Hair (yeah, yeah) take on the new Holden Commodore on a network where the main aim is to get advertising revenue? Perhaps not.

Usually WIN waits until it has these things settled but this time their hand may have been forced by a disgruntled SBS showing their disappointment in a press release that ended with “SBS will not comment further.”

And now for the good news. Channel Seven has finally launched its new digital channel, 7TWO. Freeview Australia says it will air in Canberra and the start date is Monday November 2 but Channel 72 is not showing up on a set top box scan at Chez Blackbox yet.

Aside from moving Ugly Betty (7TWO Tue Nov 3 7.30pm), Stargate Atlantis (7TWO Wed Nov 4 8.30pm), Heroes (7TWO Thu Nov 5 8.30pm) and some other programming to more friendly timeslots and adding The Jay Leno Show (7TWO Mon Nov 2 6pm), 7TWO will take Go!’s lead and resurrect some retro programming – including Dangermouse (7TWO Sun Nov 8 9am), Flipper (7TWO Tues Nov 3 8am), and Murphy Brown, The Sopranos and Six Feet Under on the coming soon list.

Elsewhere this fortnight, SBS finally has Dead Set (SBS1 Mon Nov 9 10pm), a five-part zombie thriller set on Big Brother Britain and another Chaser stalwart goes serious – Julian Morrow will deliver the Andrew Olli Media Lecture (ABC1 Sun Nov 8 10.15pm).

Docos to look out for include Artscape: The Sylvania Waters Project (ABC2 Sun Nov 1 7pm) which revisits our first ever observational doco that followed a family of cashed-up bogans living on a Sydney canal-estate, The Farewell File (SBS1 Fri Oct 30 8.30pm) about KGB agent Vladimir Vetrov, Rainforests: the secret of life (ABC2 Sun Nov 1 7.30pm) from Mt Warning, Where is the Wall? (ABC1 Tue Nov 10 8.30pm) and Busting the Berlin Wall (SBS1 Sun Nov 1 9.30pm) to mark the 20th anniversary since it came down, Guerilla Art (SBS1 Sun Nov 1 8.30pm) which looks at street art and Shintaro (SBS1 Wed Nov 4 8.30pm) about the controversy over ‘60s kids show The Samurai.

Don’t miss Spicks and Specks ‘80s Revival (ABC1 Wed Nov 4 8.30pm) – mullets, new wave, early Madonna or Debbie Gibson, the garb alone will be worth the investment – guests are Brian Mannix (Uncanny X-Men), Ally Fowler (The Chantoozies), Dave O’Neill and George McEncroe and the winner scores a Prince Charles and Lady Diana commemorative engagement plate that could well be worth a bomb on eBay. TRACY HEFFERNAN tracyheffernan@bigpond.com

the word

on albums

album of the week bridezilla the first dance [inertia] To say that The First Dance is eagerly awaited underplays Bridezilla’s predicament somewhat. Having been handpicked by Nick Cave, ATP and the indie-rock-cred community en masse as the bright young thing of the scene they’d better not fuck it up. Largely, they don’t.

Their first major release is a case study in simultaneously playing down expectations (it doesn’t over-egg the mix) and broadening potential (2007’s Bridezilla e.p. sounds like a completely different band).

First track Lunar Eclipse sets the tone perfectly; an elegiac slow build smoulder, revelling in a light syncopated clutter of drums, violin and reverbrich guitar snarls. Final track The Last Dance is an intense, delicate hushed gothic ballad.

As bookends they do a pretty good job marking out the bands territory. In between there’s high country, mountain-green pop songs, Will Oldham-style (Tailback) and alt-country rave-ups (Western Front).

That said – it doesn’t all work. A few tracks plod along directionless but The First Dance is an invigorating and bold statement of intent from a band seemingly not that interested in the middle ground. All power to them.

JUSTIN HOOK

ACE FREHLEY ANOMALY [RIOT ENTERTAINMENT]

Marduk Wormwood [Regain Records]

ACE IS BACK! Oh yes, whilst his former compadres in Kiss stagger on their increasingly ludicrous platforms from ‘farewell tour’ to ‘farewell tour’, the Spaceman has set about writing a combative album choc full of muscular riffage and bludgeoning soloing that sounds quite frankly like the man doesn’t realize it isn’t 1985 any more but is none the worse for that. Indeed in the final wash up Anomaly may well be seen as the best thing Frehley has put his name to in 30 years, since he beat the other three Kissers and came up with a marvelous solo album in 1978. Nothing really stands out here, but there’s something about the record as a whole that hits the target.

Marduk seem to remain faithful to characteristics of black metal while progressing their own style within the genre. Their lasteffort, Rom 5:12, showed signs of ever-growing maturity - such as the jazz beats of Imago Mortis - and it seems that this new direction hasn’t slowed down one little bit. What strikes I, your brave reviewer, as worthy of noting is Marduk’s developed structure and production quality. With each new album, the drums get tighter, the guitars get cleaner and more defined and Mortuus’ vocals get more and more filled with hate and torment. Some will say legendary, others will dismiss it as “norsecore”...but whatever your opinion, Marduk will never falter in their quest for black metal supremacy.

Nambucco “Shock Me!” Deliria

Hospitality Presents This is Drum + Bass Mixed by High Contrast + London Electricity [stomp] Two CDs and 55 tracks of arse-tearin’ balls-to-thefloor D&B mixed by a chimp with A-D-D. Yes, it’s that good. Except, of course, it’s not programmed by our simian friends, but two of the finest minds in the genre today.

Messrs Colman and Barrett have placed themselves on the world map in recent years, backing up consistent production with a string of high profile remixes that exude the Hospital label’s mantra of smooth, melodic tunes underpinned by multi-layered beats and warbling, stadium filling basslines. An exciting selection, expertly mixed with healthy blends, that tarries but a few minutes on each track before firing the next one into the mix. Heard about this D&B malarkey but don’t know where to start? Right here, pal.

ALLAN SKO

stephen samara

jaimi faulkner kiss & ride [mumble music] Jaimi is an accomplished guitarist with a ripper voice.

He’s dying to share his experiences and this album is full of beautifully written songs inspired by his travels, particularly in the US. Frequently written on the road, themes vary from the thrill of ‘Highway Life’ to the heartache of long distance relationships in ‘My Dear Girl’.

Genres include folk in ‘Rooftops’, a bit of soul in ‘Light a Candle’ (a CD highlight), blues in ‘Down’ and a hint of country in ‘Five Flights Up’ (an interesting choice of style since it was written in Paris). The emphasis is on cool tunes, played at a pace between slow and cruising speed, that are as smooth as new motor oil. I love the rich sound of the electric organ that underscores several songs.

singled out

with Dave Ruby Howe

[HEADING-Reviews] [BODY] Florence & The Machine You’ve Got The Love (UMA) Being a cover, this is a weird choice for a single (tell me that Cosmic Love wouldn’t be far better), but as with everything else she does, Florence dresses things up with impeccable production and style. Cover be damned, this is unique.

Michael Jackson This Is It (Sony BMG) It’d be understandable for this to suck. Post-death releases are never much more than a cash grab and MJ’s twilight years didn’t exactly produce much great material. Yet it doesn’t suck. Indeed, it’s pleasant in a restrained, smoothed-out kind of way. Let’s hope the upcoming deluge of posthumous releases holds up to this.

Midnight Juggernauts This New Technology (Siberia) After over a year in the wilderness, Midnight Juggernauts are back, but not as we knew them. They seem more charged-up than ever, rocking along on a thumping beat and raw Morricone guitar chills. A curveball to be sure, but it’s a pleasure to have them back.

Snoop Dogg ft. TheDream Gangsta Luv (Interscope) It’s tough to believe that Snoop Dogg can pop a boner in amongst that wave of bong haze, yet here he is, jamming with a new ode to the booty.

rory mccartney

37

the word on dvds

generation kill Produced by David Simon and Ed Burns (The Wire) and based on the writings of Rolling Stone journalist Evan Wright (who was embedded with the US Marines as they rolled through Baghdad in the early stages of Iraq v 2.0), Generation Kill is an intense and frustrating journey displaying all the hallmarks of a Simon/Burns joint. There is no exposition – you’re dropped right into the middle of the action with exposition; it’s confusing – characters are initially hard to pin down especially in 100 pounds of khaki Kevlar protection and the dialogue is often impenetrable – see point one and two as well as a whole new level of militaryspeak that easily rivals The Wire’s arcane scripting. But make no mistake – this isn’t The Wire in the sand. It’s an entirely different and yet somehow familiar and equal beast.Despite the subject matter, Generation Kill isn’t a chest-beating shoot-em-up USA! USA! war-is-hell type story. But nor is it a Chomsky-esque antiwar diatribe (that cut shot of a grunt reading Chomsky was quite funny, though). It’s a relatively simple, sometimes absurdly placid, document of a bunch of highly trained, unequally educated, bored Marines driving across hostile terrain in a desperate search for a mission. Actual warfare is seen mainly in the hazy distance. When they eventually find their way into combat – it’s confusing and nerve jangling.

This seven part mini-series could have been derailed if Wright’s character played as the viewer’s voice – clarifying the complex administrative machinations onscreen for the laggards at home. Fortunately, he is mostly a silent observer leaving all the work to us. Generation Kill is more about hierarchical incompetence than fighting wars, and the outright unreliability of middle management and chain of command. It is a story about grunts and how they see their world –ugly, reactionary, angry but nuanced and never condescending. Compelling storytelling and essential viewing.

JUSTIN HOOK

38

star stories seasons one and two

fringe - season one

“When you’re famous, you’re public property,” the old adage goes. If this is true, then Star Stories has rented out said property, rigorously studied it, smeared it with faeces, and handed it back in a flaming bag.

Star Stories is your typical British-centric copy cat comedy, delivering 25 minute mockumentaries on celeb life stories on the likes of George Michael, Catherine Zeta Jones, Tom Cruise and Britney Spears; all told from a celeb’s perspective allowing artistic bias to run rampant. Mimicry is a tried and true, often ho-hum idea (the not-bad Spitting Image and Dead Ringers, the terrible Skit House, hell, even Hey, Hey It’s Saturday) but Star Stories distinguishes itself from the pack in three distinct areas: 1) sharp, witty writing, 2) magnificent mimicry from the actors, 3) combining the two to make a genuinely funny outing. Exactly how hilarious purebred antipodeans will find this is variable. Seeing out my formative years in Ol’ Blighty during the ‘90s lets those like me in to countless extra in-gags that will simply wash over a Southern Cross tattoo-sporting Australian audience. But the action is fast paced enough thanks to excellent editing, and the various real-life characters are so entertaining in their own right that while the episode on Sadie Frost may confuse it can still be enjoyed, and episodes on the universally known Guy Ritchie and Catherine Zeta Jones will have everyone laughing along. There are enough peripheral characters that pop up in each episode to keep it interesting – Mick Hucknall, Russell Brand, Chris Martin, Colin Farrell, Michael Douglas, John Travolta… not many are left alone – and it’s the ludicrous depictions married with spot on impressions that make this such a joy. All the actors are brilliant, but Kevin Bishop is undoubtedly the backbone (check out his Alex Ferguson) and Steve Edge could stare down Jack Dee in a dead-pan contest. Four star stuff, but add an extra half star if you lived in the England over the past 20 years.

Any show that teams The Wire’s Cedric Daniels (Lance Reddick), Spock (Leonard Nimoy), Pacey Whitter from Dawson’s Creek (Joshua Jackson) and Denethor from that mystical goblin trilogy thing (John Noble) is onto something. Or possibly on something. Co-created by J.J. Abrams, Fringe relives those glory pre-millennial tension years of The X Files when it was perfectly acceptable to claim your missing coffee mug was actually a conspiracy that spiralled all the way to the highest levels of government. Fringe’s first 15 minute are jaw-dropping (literally, in one instance) and highlight its promise and flaws.

It’s a high concept show that relies on episodic, self-contained puzzles and typically gruesome crimes being solved through ‘fringe’ science – mysticism, teleportation, retina mapping and so on, whilst in parallel unravelling the workings of a shadowy and sinister multinational defence and technology company. It seems like Abrams is making up for the loss of good-will experienced by one of his other shows – Lost – where mysteries are frustratingly left hanging for months on end or pushed into dead-ends, because Fringe moves at a swift pace and manages to score a balance of immediate outcome delivery and plot arcs that encourage commitment.

That’s the promise. The flaw is character development; Anna Torv as FBI agent Olivia Dunham is wooden and detached and whilst this might adequately suggest a degree of wonder and shock, as the story tightens its grip it becomes a tad repetitious.

Reddick plays the stiff Homeland Security type guy straight down the line but he can do so much more. Still – it’s that guy from The Wire! On the other hand, Noble and Jackson riff off each other gloriously as loopy, genius father and impatient, unforgiving son and Nimoy… well, enough said.

The latter easily makes up for the former. Production design is impeccable giving Fringe a visual tightness and disconcerting sense of unease that elevates the show far beyond its shaky foundations.

ALLAN SKO

JUSTIN HOOK

39

the word

on films

WITH MARK RUSSELL

I learnt something this week – Bill Nighy can’t save everything. His voicing of Dr Elefun in Astro Boy is totally miscast and is only slightly better than Nicolas Cage’s Dr Tenma. The whole film was probably my own personal worst cinema experience this year and guaranteed to depress anyone who enjoyed the show. Ah Billy boy, selling out to this trash has meant we can no longer walk into your films with unwavering confidence. A shame – hope you got a boat-load of cash.

quote of the issue “Let’s face it, our marriage was never a garden of roses.

Botanically speaking, you’re more of a Venus Fly Trap.”

Boris Yellnikoff (Larry David), Whatever Works.

astro boy

film TITLE

WHATEVER WORKS

Farrrrk you David Bowers. Piss on my family photo album if you wish.

Run over my very first bike; you’ll get no tears from me. But leave Astro Boy the hell alone!

When mother and wife Marianne (Hope Davis) dies in a car crash, widower Colin Friels takes his two daughters Kelly (Willa Holland) and Mary (Perla Haney-Jardine) to Genova, Italy. This ancient city becomes the backdrop for all of their attempts to deal with this grief.

After the more straight-laced outings of Match Point and Vicki Cristina Barcelona, Woody Allen is back to his existentialist comedy rants. In Whatever Works he’s brought in Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm creator Larry David to play intelligent misanthrope Boris Yellnikoff.

Genova is one of those films that doesn’t impress, nor disappoint; it just, kind of, is. Conflict and hardship are constantly being built up by director Michael Winterbottom, only to be defused moments later. As such there is a continual sense of ill-ease and creepiness throughout. This is at its most heightened when younger daughter Mary starts seeing her mother’s ghost. But then it kind of flatlines.

Boris’s pessimistic existence is thrown into turbulence when he meets the luminous Melodie (Evan Rachel Wood). Their wildly unlikely and unconventional romance plays out in the streets of New York, changing them both irrevocably.

This woeful, ultra-American reworking of the classic Japanese cartoon series completely misses the point. It takes the moral complexity and emotion of the original and remakes it as a boring, convoluted, characterless shell.

This is mainly due to a script that should never have made it past the first draft stage.

Instead of taking storylines from the series, or even something closely approximating them, writer/ director David Bowers has given us a story focussed round two spacey little balls of light – one made of pure, hippy, positive energy and one pure negative.

What. The. Shit? Everything’s then peppered with a bunch of ridiculous plot points that would give a three-year-old pause, let alone us 20-somethings who grew up loving this stuff. Case in point, Toby (the human boy Astro is made to replace) is killed by a weapon’s blast that’s strong enough to completely vaporise him – yet somehow his little red hat and a single hair survive. That’s right, flesh and bone don’t leave so much as a pile of ash but somehow woven cotton has the resilience of a lead-encased cockroach.

The cinematic abominations continue ceaselessly from here.

Creator Osamu Tezuka must be spinning in his damn grave.

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The only thing left is for Bowers to complete his retroactive child abuse and remake Monkey Magic with Paris Hilton as Tripitaka or something. Bastard!

Everything is well constructed and very honest. The performances and characters are near perfect and the city is shot beautifully but it all comes to naught. There’s just not enough story for it to work. Events occur with little fanfare or interest, then fade into obscurity. We know these people quite well when the credits roll and the elements are there to make things interesting but it feels like Winterbottom is making a point of not following through.

This is not the sort of film that will encourage passionate responses – whether positive or negative. In the end it’s all fluffer and no money shot.

This film has an odd feel to it, due mainly to Boris being like every character Allen himself played, while being portrayed just that tiny bit differently

by David. Allen’s writing and directorial powers combined with David’s acting should combine to form some sort of ultimate Jewish angst film, but they don’t. Woody could always ramble on with endless neurotic arrogance but Larry’s louder and over-aggressive nature makes him too abrasive.

The script is also not as restrained as his earlier work. The rants are longer with less actual relevance.

And his knowing looks and speeches to the audience don’t play well.

Everything moves much more quickly when Patricia Clarkson steps in as Melodie’s southern belle mother. She brings a sharp wit and strong personality to everything. Her character brings much needed conflict to an otherwise flat story structure.

Overall Whatever Works is another odd Woody Allen film that will only truly impress the thinning ranks of his die-hard fans.

the word

The ANU Bar rivals a giant beige wall in lack of excitement these days. On the plus side, I guess, this meant the crowd were so bored that enthusiasm was quite high for first supports The Laurels. Proud gazers of shoes from big city Sydney.

on gigs

When I was younger my friends and I used to turn the wigs around on the mannequins at David Jones (something I highly recommend doing).

Take that backwards hair look, add a guitar and hey presto – you have the singer from The Laurels. Squeaky guitars and songs peppered with My Bloody Valentine influence had me more than interested. Huzzah, they’re good! I climbed further though the crowd to gain a closer look, only to come face to face with the lanky bass player swaying to and fro; I was startled. This was my best friend Conor from 15 years ago, one who I’d all but lost contact with. This band surprises its audience with the ‘memory lane’ angle. I like that.

Memory beers soon followed across the table from one another.

Hurtled through time, I found he’d lost his stutter, puppy fat and baby teeth. His tour with Tame Impala had been quite full on, mainly due to their sudden popularity. Apparently they’re full on, apathetic and like to inhale copious amounts of cannabis smoke. Captain Obvious charges into another battle.

Back inside, watching the first few tracks from the next lot, Jonathan Boulet, was interesting. Firstly, they weren’t any good. Not bad, but no different then the other ten million Belle and Sebastian wannabe bands our country is plagued with. Their lyrics closely resemble the ‘things my grandmother likes’ list (tea, owls, clouds etc) and are in abhorrent need to shred a guitar solo or two. Some nice harmonies, but nothing your weekend dad’s cover band can’t pull off at the RSL open mic night. Just as embarrassing too, might I add. No stars.

On stage, a keyboard scratched out a kitsch demo track whilst the headliners slumped on stage. Stomach thoroughly drenched, I was excited when they ripped into their set hard and heavy. I took great pleasure in chuckling to myself about their appearance, that of medieval B-grade movie extras with rusty fringes and frizz that glowed in the purple stage lights. Don’t get me wrong, it’s welcomed with their breed of psychedelic rock. Their nervous set at Meredith Festival last December seems that of a different band, as now they’ve lost that shake and are nothing but confidence. Honestly, remarkable for whippersnappers this young.

PHOTOS: BEN SHAW

Tame Impala/Jonathan Boulet/The Laurels ANU Bar Friday September 18 After sprays of vomit fell from my gullet onto some garden enthusiast’s pride and joy the other night, a smile crept through my trembling lips. No, I’m not some sick jerk who gets his kicks from vomiting; I was viewing it as a sign of a grand night out.

I’ll rewind slightly, back to my early arrival at the ANU Bar. The usual crowd of androgynous socialites pranced around. It’s the types you know so well – big-haired, faux-bearded, scarfed folk who resemble Frankenstein’s monster stitched from French cartoon character Madeline and a laid-off wharfy. Through this crowd, it’s clear to see Tame Impala are doing something right. The doors never quite ceased the flow of people entering, leaving the venue at a healthy capacity towards the end of the night. Being the darlings of triple j must have helped boost tickets, as did their ability to get famous by covering already successful songs. It all seems so simple.

The elephant in the room with these guys is Cream – they sound pretty fucking close to them. Influence is one thing, but for me this goes a little too far. Chuck Jefferson Airplane somewhere in there too. The jams are amazing, but it still all blends into one beast after not too long. Plus I wouldn’t mind some vocals that didn’t always sound like a deaf guy singing happy birthday in slow motion.

Later throughout the jams, and with one eye drunkenly squinted to reclaim the little depth perception I had left, Tame Impala burst into apparent single Half Full Glass of Wine. Knowing the stories, personally I think the name Half Full Bottle of Water with a Severed Garden Hose Jammed in the Side would have suited them much better.

But so be it. The end was quite good; lots of powerful drums and me smoking outside. The crowd seemed to like it, I’ll just go on that.

Honestly I would have liked to have seen something original, but for those who dig this style of retro revival rock, yeah, go nuts.

The night ended with me drinking far too much (more) beer at BMA HQ, hurling opinions at anyone in a stumble’s reach. I was told from a few others there who saw the gig that it was rad, so yeah I’ll take that on board. Alternative review – “rad.” There you go, two options to choose from kiddo. In conclusion, Tame Impala are a re-hash, but a good one at least. Full of youngster energy, yeah, but if you’re going to do a re-hash do the Grateful Dead at least, or maybe listen to the first band for inspiration. 32 stars.

TRAVIS HEINRICH

41

GIG GUIDE Oct 28 - Oct 31 wednesday october 28

Wednesday Lunchtime Live

Arts

Musique aux Vents - French Wind Music, concert III. Jonathan Barakat (bassoon).

I Forget To Forget

Stoneday

I Forget To Forget, put together by National Gallery of Victoria curator Stephen Gilchrist for Gertrude Contemporary Art Spaces in Melbourne, has now arrived for a very welcome Canberra jaunt. The exhibition assembles eye-popping artworks from some of the country’s hottest young artists. The gallery houses such wonders as a giant knitted nana blanket

by Helen Johnson and a formidable collection of ‘Aboriginalia’ – artist Tony Albert’s collection of reclaimed objects depicting dubious representations of Indigenous Australians. Other artists included are Daniel Boyd, Reko Rennie, Jonathan Jones and Andrea Fisher. I forget To Forget is not to be missed if you want to know what’s happening in Australian contemporary art right now.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE GORMAN HOUSE

Lake George (After Rothko) Exhibition by John Conomos. Until November 21.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE GORMAN HOUSE

Fictionary

Exhibition curated by Serge Bodulovic.

Until Nov 1.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ARTS SPACE - MANUKA

Avenue Q

WESLEY MUSIC CENTRE

Stoneday as part of UC’s Stone Week features live music, $5 steins and street performers.

UNIVERSITY OF CANBERRA

Something Different

Gerry and The Boys THE PHOENIX PUB

PJ O’REILLY’S, CIVIC

Karaoke Night

HOLY GRAIL KINGSTON

thursday october 29 Arts Arc: Once Upon a Time in the West (1968, M)

Sergio Leone’s operatic Western epic, with Henry Fonda and Charles Bronson.

7pm.

ARC CINEMA, NATIONAL FILM & SOUND ARCHIVE

hippo bar

Something Different Lip Magazine Fundraiser

THE FRONT CAFE AND GALLERY

Cash prizes and 2 for 1 basic spirits and tap beer.

CUBE NIGHTCLUB

Carry On Karaoke PJ O’REILLY’S, CIVIC

Karaoke With Grant

PJ O’REILLY’S, TUGGERANONG

friday october 30 Arts Grass Stains 2

Live

A showcase of local music, art and fashion. Be there from 6pm to see sets

by Ah! Pandita, Hoodlum Shouts and Cat Cat. It’s also the launch night of Little Beats Zine Distro, the brainchild of two local ladies who love all things photocopied, stapled, and distributed on the sly. Bringing you the best, the worst and everything in between from the zine world. Little Beats is collecting from all corners of the world. To find more info check out www.littlebeatszines. blogspot.com or if you want to contribute, email littlebeatszines@ gmail.com. They’ll be your new best friends in no time.

ITRIP ISKIP, LONSDALE ST, BRADDON

Philadelphia Grand Jury

Dance

TRANSIT BAR

Rev

Belco Flicks: A Night of Sights and Sounds

Screening locally made short films. A full night of drama, comedy, animation and more!

BELCONNEN COMMUNITY CENTRE

Faux Real

KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

These lads sure can rawk.

The Amity Affliction Charles Chatain

Canberra’s weekly alt club night with two levels of DJs playing rock/indie/ dance/punk/pop. $5.

Wil Anderson: Wilosophy

Neon Essential Vol. 2

TUGGERANONG YOUTH CENTRE KING O’MALLEY’S, CIVIC

GQ’s comedic talent of the year returns to Canberra for more laughs.

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

BAR 32

With Grant Smilie (TV Rock) and Kid Massive (France), support from Hubert, Beat It and Reverse Dog.

Sneaky Weasel Gang

LOT 33

FILTHY MCFADDEN’S

Nathan Frost

Chase the Sun

Jack of all trades.

KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

On their Princess single launch tour.

With Claude Hay and Point of View.

8.30pm.

ANU BAR AND REFECTORY

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Greg Carlin, Amber Nicholls, Cartesian Discotec and the James Fahy Trio.

Karaoke

Figuration

Live

Domus Adultus

Fame Trivia

HOLY GRAIL, KINGSTON

Reppin’ Canberra drum ‘n’ bass and dubstep crew. Faux sure.

paintbox fine art gallery, lonsdale st, braddon

FOLKUS ROOM - ITALO AUSTRALIAN CLUB

Karaoke Night

Dance

Figuration is a group show featuring figurative work from five established artists. Featured in the exhibition are beautiful, delicate fantasies by Maki Horanai, whose work has been strongly influenced by the nature of her childhood in snowy villages along the sea coast in northern Japan, the bold, dark representations by Melbourne portraitist Norma Bailey-Ramsay, and the creamy figures of Archibald finalist Fu Hong. Figuration runs ‘til November 8 and is completely free.

35 years of paverty and their love child.

Come support your local indie media at the launch party for issue 18 of lip.

Poetry, music and more,

A new breed of musical. Not for kids!

Until November 8.

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

Franklyn B & Humbug

Purple Sneakers

Feat. M.I.T., PhDJ, Hancock Basement DJs, Talihina Shan and Will Eat Brains.

8pm - waaay late!

TRANSIT BAR

Live Itchy Triggers

HOLY GRAIL, KINGSTON

My Sauce Good

Tasty acoustic trio playing French swing, soulful Latin-American folksongs and Bohemian jazz.

THE FRONT CAFE AND GALLERY

Lucy Bermingham and Rachel Thorne CASINO CANBERRA

Tribute to the Misfits

You call youself a Misfits fan? Come and see five bands performing their best.

THE BASEMENT

Leanne Melmoth

Leanne Melmoth stops at the King-O, touring her debut album Perfect Day. KING O’MALLEY’S, CIVIC

Summer Cocktail Launch

The launch of Trinity’s new summer cocktail range. Feat. Nathan Frost, Bicipital Groove and more.

TRINITY BAR

Wil Anderson: Wilosophy

GQ’s comedic talent of the year returns to Canberra for more laughs.

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

Suns of Kyuss

ANU BAR AND REFECTORY

Double Back

CHISHOLM TAVERN

After Work Jazz From 5 to 8pm

KING O’MALLEY’S, CIVIC

The Rostovs

With Army of Ignorance.

The pot belly bar

Something Different Halloween Poetry Slam

Sign up from 7.30, open mic, slam, cash prizes. The theme? Spooky poetry!

THE FRONT CAFE AND GALLERY

saturday october 31 Arts Arc: Canberra International Film Festival

The Red Shoes (1948, G). 4.30pm.

ARC CINEMA, NATIONAL FILM & SOUND ARCHIVE

GIG GUIDE Oct 31 - Nov 5 Arc: Canberra International Film Festival Fran (1985, M). 2pm.

ARC CINEMA, NATIONAL FILM & SOUND ARCHIVE

Arc: Once Upon a Time in the West (1968, M)

Sergio Leone’s operatic Western epic, with Henry Fonda and Charles Bronson.

7pm.

ARC CINEMA, NATIONAL FILM & SOUND ARCHIVE

Canberra International Film Festival Halloween Special

Dead Snow (Norway). As mad and blood stained as a meat-axe, this hilarious splatter-romp through the winter wonderland of Norway pits seven medical students and a skidoo against a hungry hoard of Nazi zombies. 9pm.

Dendy, civic

Anarchist Duck

Underground evening of funk, reggae and rhymes as part of their Propaganda album launch tour.

THE PHOENIX PUB

Timothy Jaquier Single Launch Launch of new single I Tried Again.

2pm.

ROSE COTTAGE

Doctor Stovepipe

Playing live at the Gorman House Halloween Markets at noon.

GORMAN HOUSE ARTS CENTRE

Oscar

KING O’MALLEY’S, CIVIC

The Wedded Bliss FILTHY MCFADDEN’S

GQ’s comedic talent of the year returns to Canberra for more laughs.

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

Black Asylum

Shakedown!

CentreSection

BAR 32

Shunji

Sydney via Canberra, genuine legend.

KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

Halloween

9pm-5am. Free entry if in costume and prizes for best cosumes. With DJs Peter Dorree and Matt Chavasse and drag production show.

CUBE NIGHTCLUB

Official Stonefest Afterparty Exposed presents The Hump Day Project and local supports.

TRANSIT BAR

Live Something Like This HOLY GRAIL, KINGSTON

Stonefest

The Living End, British India, Josh Pyke, Frenzal Rhomb, Children Collide and more.

UNIVERSITY OF CANBERRA

Party on through the end of the weekend with DJ T and free pool.

CUBE NIGHTCLUB

Live The Rosie Burgess Trio

Freshly returned from their hugely successful tour of North America and Canada, The Rosie Burgess Trio are back in Australia and getting straight down to business. Armed with an electric violin, harmonica, ukulele, guitar, mandolin, a make-shift drum kit and a fistful of new material. the folkus room

ANU BAR AND REFECTORY

With Point of View.

the pot belly bar

monday november 2

Stall holder jack-o-lantern competition, trick or treat tree, children’s activities and more. 10-4pm.

GORMAN HOUSE ARTS CENTRE

sunday november 1 Arts Arc: Canberra International Film Festival

Loving Friend (2009, u/c 18+). 4.30pm.

POT BELLY BAR, BELCONNEN

Carry-On Karaoke

TRANSIT BAR, AKUNA ST, CIVIC

Trivia Night

PJ O’REILLY’S, TUGGERANONG

Trivia Night

HOLY GRAIL, KINGSTON

wednesday november 4 Live THE PHOENIX PUB

MUDD Nights

Attack! Vol 1

comprising Carl Dewhurst on guitar and Simon Barker on drums, deliver a sonic tour de force. $10.

THE PHOENIX, EAST ROW, CIVIC

Gorman House Halloween Markets

Pot Belly Trivia

Showa 44

Chic

Day Play

THE DURHAM, KINGSTON

With Space Party, The King Hits and Teen Skank Parade. $5, 8.30pm.

THE FRONT CAFE AND GALLERY

HOLY GRAIL, CIVIC

From 7:30-10:30pm

Live

Something Different Catwalk hairdressing feat. celebrity guest DJs. National Breast Cancer Foundation fundraiser. $35.

Fame Trivia

Captain, My Captain

Wil Anderson: Wilosophy

Dance Indie, alt, dance and electro with residents Skullss, Veda, Celebrity Sextape, Relay and M.E.R. $5.

Cube Sunday

Bootleg Sessions

tuesday november 3 Arts Porcelain

A keen and dramatically accomplished work by Chay Yew. Until Nov 7. www. thestreet.org.au .

THE STREET THEATRE

Dance Our House

Feat. Kid Kenobi & MC Sureshock, Bass Kleph and Emily Scott.

OLD PARLIAMENT HOUSE

pj o’reilly’s, tuggeranong

A night of song and noise from three leading exponents of both. JW Sparrow is known for dreamy drones and good times. He’ll be playing songs from his new EP, and whatever else he damnwell pleases. Also along for the ride is OM Carroll, best known as the lead man from Voss. Owen will bring tales of exploration and consternation, thrilling you with the awesomeness of Voss’ brand new LP The Inland Sea. Finally, Glenroi Heights, of Canberra’s seventh most respected indie band Waterford, will devote himself to playing songs from Waterford’s new EP. the front gallery and cafe

Something Different Karaoke Night

HOLY GRAIL, KINGSTON

thursday november 5

Pang! Melbourne Cup Day Afterparty

Arts

LOT 33

Transes (1981, u/c 18+). 7pm.

Pang!’s biggest lineup to date with K.I.M, Boy 8-Bit, Beni, Bagraiders, The Aston Shuffle and more!

Arc: Canberra International Film Festival

Frequently Asked Questions CASINO CANBERRA

ARC CINEMA, NATIONAL FILM & SOUND ARCHIVE

Misfits Tribute Show

Dance

Live

TUGGERANONG YOUTH CENTRE

Kosmos Lounge

Filthy’s Muso Night

Arc: Canberra International Film Festival

SOMETHING DIFFERENT

ARC CINEMA, NATIONAL FILM & SOUND ARCHIVE

Halloween show. Tix at the door. AA.

Three on a Tree CHISHOLM TAVERN

Halloween Bash

Come in fancy dress and rock out with Our Last Enemy and supports.

THE BASEMENT

Minimal progressive electronic and dance to get the fire started in your belly.

THE FRONT CAFE AND GALLERY

FILTHY MCFADDEN’S

ARC CINEMA, NATIONAL FILM & SOUND ARCHIVE

Transes (1981, u/c 18+). 7pm.

Trivia Night

PHOENIX BAR, CIVIC

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GIG GUIDE Nov 5 - Nov 10 Arc: Canberra International Film Festival

Bexta

ARC CINEMA, NATIONAL FILM & SOUND ARCHIVE

Ug Beats

Kindly Leave the Stage

TRANSIT BAR

The Red Shoes (1948, G). 2pm.

This comedy set in the flat of Rupert and Sarah is great fun from start to finish with twists that will delight audiences. Tempo has assembled a cast of talented actors who bring John Chapman’s script to life. Join Rupert and Sarah as they host a dinner party that does not go according to plan.

Tickets are $25/$20 and can be purchased through Canberra Ticketing on 6275 2700.

BELCONNEN THEATRE

Dance

On her Mixology tour. With Archie.

ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

Fauxstate.

Live Andy and the Roys

KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

Anarchist Duck

Dubstep night feat. Crooked Sounds, Aeon, Buick, Faux Real, Harlequin MC and Shifty Business. $20.

THE FRONT CAFE AND GALLERY

Live

POT BELLY BAR

THE FRONT CAFE AND GALLERY

Kooky Fandango FILTHY MCFADDEN’S

Crayon Fields (VIC)

With Jonny Telefone, Teddy Trouble and The Space Boys. 8pm, $10.

BAR 32

They Still Exist with Final Lies and Never Trust a Bunny.

3rd Exit

Free live music at King O’Malley’s.

KING O’MALLEY’S, CIVIC

After Work Jazz From 5 to 8pm.

KING O’MALLEY’S, CIVIC

Rev

Domus Adultus

Canberra’s weekly alternative club night with two levels of DJs playing rock/ indie/dance/punk/pop .

hippo bar

Kevin Bennett (from The Flood)

Cottee, Cuddlefish and Little Sister.

Something Different Nick Cave Exhibition Event

Nick Cave: Contemporary Musician, Contemporary Bard. Exploration of Cave’s musical sensibilities.

NATIONAL LIBRARY OF AUSTRALIA

Karaoke

Cash prizes and 2 for 1 basic spirits and tap beer. DJ Peter Dorree from 11pm – 5am with FREE pool.

CUBE NIGHTCLUB

Carry On Karaoke PJ O’REILLY’S, CIVIC

Karaoke With Grant

PJ O’REILLY’S, TUGGERANONG

friday november 6 Dance Jemist

Ugbeat CEO, he of the silky smooth skin.

KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

BAR 32, SYDNEY BUILDING, CIVIC

Intimate, acoustic, Australian songwriting treasure. Joined by locals Dave O’Neill, Bob Rodgers & Bucky.

Presented by Guy The Sound Guy and Lone Wolf Promotions. Tickets just $20 at the door. Doors open 7pm, music 8pm.

POLISH WHITE EAGLE CLUB

saturday november 7

Arc: Canberra International Film Festival

Touki Bouki (1973, u/c 18+). 4.30pm.

Cotti (UK)

ARC CINEMA, NATIONAL FILM & SOUND ARCHIVE

Dance

HIPPO LOUNGE

Chrome Vs Die Maschine

Kosmos Lounge

HOLY GRAIL, CIVIC

THE FRONT CAFE AND GALLERY

Minimal progressive electronic and dance to get the fire started in your belly.

Chrome DJs Salem, Stealth.Elf and metaVirus versus Die Maschine (Syd) DJs Voodoo and Sanguinius. $6.

Shakedown!

Live

Indie, alt, dance and electro with residents Skullss, Veda, Celebrity Sextape, Relay and M.E.R. $5.

50 Lions

Tix from Moshtix and Landspeed.

BAR 32

TUGGERANONG YOUTH CENTRE

You Only Live Once Tour

Featuring Black Angus and Dangerous Dan, with support from Hubert, Cheese, Ben Colin (Vacation Records), Adam Miller.

Live

Live

THE PHOENIX, EAST ROW, CIVIC

LOT 33

Arc: Canberra International Film Festival

Lolo Lovina

tuesday november 10

FILTHY MCFADDEN’S

Something Like This

Something Different

HOLY GRAIL, KINGSTON

Wagons

Ta Ke Ti Na

With the snarl of Tex Perkins, the hostility of a drunk Tim Rogers and the lyricism of Johnny Cash.

Rhythm as a pathway for transformation. Meditational rhythm making with your body. Free workshop.

TRANSIT BAR

Funky Fedoras Trio

THE FRONT CAFE AND GALLERY

Brothers Grim

HOLY GRAIL, KINGSTON

Trivia Night

Described as Howlin’ Wolf in an AC/DC t-shirt, on too much cocaine, tempered with morphine. 8pm.

Trivia Night

Charity Gig

THE DURHAM, KINGSTON

Transes (1981, u/c 18+). 2pm.

THE FRONT CAFE AND GALLERY

Arc: Canberra International Film Festival

With Paulie the Water Tiger and more.

All clothing donations to be sent to Ghana. Free, 9pm.

ARC CINEMA, NATIONAL FILM & SOUND ARCHIVE

Into the Shadows (2009, u/c 18+).

4.30pm.

ARC CINEMA, NATIONAL FILM & SOUND ARCHIVE

monday november 9

Bootleg Sessions

CASINO CANBERRA

Arts

Arc: Canberra International Film Festival

ARC CINEMA, NATIONAL FILM & SOUND ARCHIVE

They tell us he’s world famous.

Underground evening of funk, reggae and rhymes as part of their Propaganda album launch tour.

Arts

Pierrot Le Fou (1965, M). 2pm.

Dance

Rachael Thoms and Lachlan Coventry

Ashley Feraude

Acoustic Music

ARC CINEMA, NATIONAL FILM & SOUND ARCHIVE

Frankie Madrid

CASINO CANBERRA

sunday november 8

Sergio Leone’s operatic Western epic, with Henry Fonda and Charles Bronson.

7pm.

HOLY GRAIL, KINGSTON

They Still Exist regional tour 2009

KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

Arc: Once Upon a Time in the West (1968, M)

POT BELLY BAR

The Shake Up

Ken Awesome Show Band

Fame Trivia

From 7:30-10:30pm

Pot Belly Trivia

POT BELLY BAR, BELCONNEN

Carry-On Karaoke

TRANSIT BAR, AKUNA ST, CIVIC

With JJJ Unearthed Trackside comp winners Hoodlum Shouts.

THE PHOENIX PUB

PHOENIX BAR, CIVIC

Trivia Night

PJ O’REILLY’S, TUGGERANONG

Trivia Night

HOLY GRAIL, KINGSTON

KING O’MALLEY’S, CIVIC

OUT nov 11

foreshore tori amos whitley deadmau5

hungry kids of hungary …AND MORE

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SIDE A: BMA band profile

Templestowe Where did your band name come from?

Dan came up with ‘Final Eyes’, however Evan suggested a slight variation – ‘Final Lies’.

Group Members? Dan (vox), Johnts (lead guitar/vox), James (rhythm guitar), Evan (bass/vox) and Josh (drums).

Describe your sound: Metal meets new-school punk, meets rock. Catchy hooks, chunky guitar riffs, pounding beats and dynamic vocal lines.

Who are your influences, musical or otherwise? In the past, we’ve been said to have a sound somewhere in the ballpark of Funeral For A Friend, Silverstein and Atreyu. We look to all things for inspiration. We all come from pretty diverse backgrounds both musically and in life. Life is rarely the way you want it, if ever. Shit happens – things that nobody deserves. Our lyrics present an outlook of hope in a music genre often (although not always) devoid of such sentiment.

What’s the weirdest experience you’ve had whilst performing? Last time we played at The Basement we had some bloke streak through the gig totally naked. Let’s just say that it’s very cold in Canberra during the winter months!

What’s your biggest achievement/proudest moment so far? Releasing this new CD. What are your plans for the future? Brisbane masters of metal They Still Exist are coming down in early November to play a couple of shows with us. We’re really looking forward to playing and hanging out with them. They’re doing a lot of good stuff up there in their hometown. We’re conducting a fundraiser gig for the Movember Foundation which will be held at The Potbelly in Belconnen on Saturday November 28.

The proceeds from the show will be donated to charity and there will be prizes for the best and worst mo’s.

What makes you laugh? One time at band camp...

What pisses you off? Promoters/venues that try and rip off and/or exploit local talent.

What’s your opinion of the local scene? Sadly, Canberra has a lack of live venues. That being said, all of the local acts always give it 100% every time they are up on stage.

What are your upcoming gigs? Thursday October 15, 7pm @ Tuggeranong Youth Centre – All Ages CD Launch w/ Break Even + I Exist + Vera. Friday October 16, 8pm @ The Basement – 18+ CD launch w/ Escape Syndrome + Corporate Takedown + Helm.

Contact Info final.lies@gmail.com

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FIRST CONTACT Aaron Peacey Aaron 0410 381 306 Adam Hole Adam 0421 023 226 Afternoon Shift Adam 0402 055 314 After Close Scotty 0412 742 682, afterclose@hotmail.com Alcove Mark 0410 112 522 Alice 0423 100 792 Allies ACT (Oxfam Group) alliesact@hotmail.com/ myspace.com/alliesact Amphibian Sound PA Clare 0410 308 288 Amplif5’d Classic rock covers band Joy 0407 200 428, joybarac-heath@hotmail.com Annie & the Armadillos Annie 6161 1078/0422 076 313 The Ashburys Dan Craddock 0419 626 903 Aria Stone, sax & flute, singer/ songwriter (guitar) Aria 0411 803 343 Australian Songwriters Association (Keiran Roberts) 6231 0433 Arythmia: Ben 0423 408 767/ arythmiamusic@gmail.com Backbeat Drivers Steve 0422 733 974, www.backbeatdrivers.com Big Boss Groove Andrew 0404 455 834, www.bigbossgroove.com.au Birds Love Fighting Gangbusters/DIY shows - bookings@birdslovefighting.com Black Label Photography Kingsley 0438 351 007 Blister Bug Stu 0408 617 791 Bridge Between, The Rachel 0412 598 138, thebridgebetween.com.au Bruce Stage mgr/consultant 6254 9857 Caution Horses Nigel 0417 211 580 Chris Harland Blues Band 0418 490 640 chrisharlandbluesband@yahoo.com.au Clear Vision Films rehearsals/film clips/stunts - 0438 647 281 wcoulton.clearvisionfilms.com Cole Bennetts Photography 0415 087 833/colebennetts@gmail.com Cris Clucas Cris 6262 5652 Crooked Dave 0421 508 467 Danny V Danny 6238 1673/0413 502 428 Dawn Theory Nathan 0402 845 132 D’Opus & Roshambo hifidelitystyles@yahoo.com DJs Madrid and Gordon 0417 433 971 DJ Latino Rogelio 0401 274 208 DJ Moises (RnB/Latin) 0402 497 835 or moises_lopez@hotmail DNA Vic 0408 477 020 Drumassault Kate 0414 236 323 Easy Mode Daz 0404 156 482, easymodeband@gmail.com Entity Chris 0412 027 894 Epic Flagon band@epicflagon.com Fighting Mongooses, The Adam 0402 055 314 Final Lies Dan 0413 784 941 final.lies@ gmail.com Final Warning Brendan 0422 809 552 Fire on the Hill Aaron 0410 381 306/ Lachlan 0400 038 388 4dead Peter 0401 006 551 Freeloaders, The Steve 0412 653 597 Friend or Enemy 6238 0083, www.myspace.com/friendorenemy Funk Shui Dave 0407 974 476 Gareth Hailey DJ & Electronica 0414 215 885 GiLF Kelly 0410 588 747, gilf.mail@gmail.com Guy The Sound Guy Guy Gibson live & studio sound engineer, own PA, 0400 585 369, guy@guythesoundguy.com HalfPast Chris 0412 115 594 Hancock Basement Tom 6257 5375, hancockbasement@hotmail.com Happy Hour Wendy 0406 375 096 Haunted Attics band@hauntedatticsmusic.com Heroines Belle, The 0417 453 811 (if room) Email: belindaleadbeatter@ hotmail.com

Hitherto Paul 0408 425 636 Infra Retina Kyle 0437 137 775/Michael 0425 890 023/www.infra-retina.com In The Flesh Scott 0410 475 703 Inside the Exterior Nathan 0401 072 650 Itchy Triggers Andrew 0401 588 884 Jacqui Seczawa 0428 428 722 JDY Clothing 0405 648 288/ www.jdyclothing.com Jenn Pacor singer/songwriter avail. for originals & covers, 0405 618 630 Jim Boots 0417 211 580 Johnny Roadkill Paulie 0408 287 672, paulie_mcmillan@live.com.au Karismakatz DJ Gosper 0411 065 189/ dj@karismakatz.com Kayo Marbilus myspace.com/kayomarbilus Kurt’s Metalworx (PA) 0417 025 792 Little Smoke Sam 0411 112 075 Los Chavos Andy 0401 572 150 los.chavos@yahoo.com.au Manilla Green Herms 0404 848 462, contactus@manillagreen.com, Mario Brujo Gordon world/latin/ reggae/percussionist and DJ. 0405 820 895 Martin Bailey Audio Engineer 0423 566 093 Mercury Switch Lab Studios mercuryswitch@internode.on.net Missing Zero Hadrian Brand 0424 721 907 hadrian.brand@live.com.au Moots aspwinch@grapevine.com.au Huck 0419 630 721 MuShu Jack 0414 292 567, mushu_band@hotmail.com MyOnus myonusmusic@hotmail.com/ www.myspace.com/myonus No Retreat Simon 0411 155 680 Ocean Moses Nigel 0417 211 580 OneWayFare Chris 0418 496 448 Painted Hearts, The Peter 6248 6027 Phathom Chris 0422 888 700 The Pigs The Colonel 0422 412 752 Polka Pigs Ian 6231 5974 Premier Audio Simon 0412 331 876, premier_audio@hotmail.com Redletter Ben 0421 414 472 Redsun Rehearsal Studio Ralph 0404 178 996/6162 1527 Rhythm Party, The Ross 0416 010 680 Roger Bone Band Andy 0413 483 758 Rob Mac Project, The Melinda 0400 405 537 Rug, The Jol 0417 273 041 Samsara Samahdi 0431 083 776 Sansutra J-Ma 0403 476 350 Sealegs Imagery/Photograpghy Mary Luckhurst 0433 022 476 Simone Penkethman (Simone & The Soothsayers, Singing Teacher) 6230 4828 Soundcity Rehearsal Studio Andrew 0401 588 884 Solid Gold Peter 0421 131 887/ solid.gold@live.com.au Super Best Friends Matt 0438 228 748 Surrender Jordan 0439 907 853 Switch 3 Mick 0410 698 479 System Addict Jamie 0418 398 556 Taboo Bamboo Greg 0439 990 455 Tiger Bones & The Ferabul-Zers Danny feralbul@aapt.net.au Tim James Lucia 6282 3740, LUCIAMURDOCH@hotmail.com Top Shelf Colin 0408 631 514 Udo 0412 086 158 Undersided, The Baz 0408 468 041 Using Three Words Dan 0416 123 020, usingthreewords@hotmail.com Voodoo Doll Mark 0428 650 549 William Blakely Will 0414 910 014 Words for You writer/publicity/events Megan ph 6154 0927, megan@wordsforyou.com.au Zero Degrees and Falling Louis 0423 918 793 Zwish 0411 022 907

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