BMA Mag 373 Jun 07 2011 by BMA Magazine

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I EXIST

The passage to greatnes

#373JUN15

Music Festival and Conference

ENTRANCE

Beautiful Butoh

jack carty, jordan miller and leroy lee at the front

Who’s been hanging with Indian sadhus? Turn to page 29 to find out. #373J U N E 1 5 Fax: 02 6257 4361 Mail: PO Box 713 Civic Square, ACT 2608 Publisher Scott Layne Allan Sko General Manager Allan Sko T: 6257 4360 E: advertising@bmamag.com Advertising Manager Paul Foley T: 6257 4360 E: sales@bmamag.com

Editor Julia Winterflood T: 02 6257 4456 E: editorial@bmamag.com Accounts Manager Ashish Doshi T: 02 6247 4816 E: accounts@bmamag.com Super Sub-Editor Zoya Patel Graphic Design Cole Bennetts Exhibitionist Editor Julia Winterflood E: editorial@bmamag.com Film Editor Melissa Wellham NEXT ISSUE 374 OUT JULY 06 EDITORIAL DEADLINE JUNE 27 ADVERTISING DEADLINE JUNE 30 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.

Jack Carty, Jordan Miller and Leroy Lee at The Front Critically acclaimed indie folk darling Jack Carty is hitting the road in July with a string of shows to celebrate his debut album One Thousand Origami Birds. Fellow folk ramblers Jordan Millar and Leroy Lee will be also be making the journey, completing a line-up you’ll want to write home about. Currently championing his new Everything EP Jordan is adamant that he is only now truly honing his craft as a songwriter, while Leroy is an independent folk troubadour from Sydney who has toured with the likes of The Frames, Missy Higgins, Lior, Lisa Mitchell, Jeff Lang and Joan As Police Woman. Jack Carty returns after packing appearances at Playground Weekender, Nannup Music Festival and Peats Ridge along with a successful headline tour. They’ll all be at The Front on Friday July 1. Tix at the door.

The Alohas at The Phoenix Sydney’s legendary notorious treblemakers The Alohas are back. The surf/punk instrumental four-piece’s sound is loosely based on ‘60s surf music with face melting twang influence from bands like The Atlantics, and delivers a punishing total sensory assault where too much reverb is barely enough. Renowned for creating an atmosphere of madcap hijinks, they ensure there’s never a dry seat in the house. Check them out with support from local surf/garage band Space Party and bluesy rockers David Bath and The Hot Tubs at Phoenix on Saturday July 9.

Transcription Of Organ Music and Saskia Sansom at The Front Transcription Of Organ Music is the solo project for electric folk/ambient country musician

Damon Bird, who hails from Hobart. Bird’s music, which is haunting and atmospheric and at times been referred to as Tasmanian Gothic by nature, is a mixture of spacious, softly-strummed and plucked guitar, and stark, fragile idiosyncratic vocals. His songs have a strong storytelling element often concerned with Tasmanian history and place. Saskia Sansom, a now Melbourne-based songstress has self-recorded and released two albums of eerie, fragile and intensely personal material. Her second release Silver Ships was recorded with the inimitable Jim White of Dirty Three behind the kit. Ethereal, powerful, intimate yet lonely, her music punches and kisses, breaks up and makes up, turns heads and opens hearts. They’ll be at The Front on Thursday July 7.

For This Cause at Woden Youthie Brisbane band For This Cause will be hitting the stage at the Woden Youth Centre on Friday June 17. The band formed in 2009 and released their highly anticipated EP Journeys back in March. With an energetic and captivating live performance it’s set to be a cracking eve kicking off at 5pm.

The Lurkers and co at the phoenix On Thursday July 7, The Lurkers (Syd), A Commoner’s Revolt (Melb) and Ducks in the Mud (Melb) will be descending upon The Phoenix on the second stop of their Eat the Rich tour. All edible bourgeois are hereby warned. An evening of anthemic folk-punk sing-alongs, topical

quips, and general revelry will transpire. $10 solidarity price, and $5 for the unemployed/ funemployed/students and those that consider themselves conscientious objectors to work. 8pm.

Mikelangelo and The Tin Star Debut Album Launch at Tilley’s The Surf ‘n’ Western Sounds Of… Mikelangelo and The Tin Star will be launched at Tilley’s on Saturday June 18. Well known for his cabaret persona fronting The Black Sea Gentlemen, Mikelangelo formed The Tin Star in late 2009 as a channel for his love of instrumental guitar music of the ‘50s and ‘60s. Combined with a fascination for Western cinema soundtracks and Mikelangelo’s impressive baritone croon, The Tin Star could never be a purely instrumental band, and shades of Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley can be heard in the album’s vocals. Recorded and produced by Tin Star guitarist, Fiete Geronimo Geier, The Surf ‘n’ Western Sounds Of… features nine tremololaden originals with wall of sound guitar atmospherics and a strong pop sensibility. The album is split between songs with vocals, including appearances by guest vocalist Saint Clare, and dynamic instrumental rock tunes with a distinctive retro-allure. With special guests Saint Clare, Fred Smith and Liz Frencham, Konrad Lenz, Rufino and The Coconuts and Go Girl Gadget Go Go! the night is set to warm the cockles of your winter heart and get those toes a tappin’ and fingers snappin’. Doors at 8pm, tix $32 through the venue.

MIKELANGELO AND THE TIN STAR

FROM THE BOSSMAN I have wrested the golden fleece from the Hydra, thrown the One True Ring into the fires of Mount Doom, and have returned. By that I mean I have just got back from a month long jaunt around England with my wife and daughter, and ooo-my-my what an epic journey that was. People labouring under the misapprehension that life loses all excitement when you have children should try ratcheting up the thrill levels to 11 by indulging in a 30 hour plane trip with a six-month-old. WILD. You can keep your alcopops and party drugs; that’s real all night action, baby. I am a proud (yes, proud) Canberran born and raised (on the playground is where I spent most of my days), but my Dad’s career path found me soaking up the thrills, spills and teeth of Ol’ Blightey between the ages of ten and 18. And so, with my dear English mate’s wedding as a catalyst, I keenly uprooted the family, stuffed them into a tiny plane cabin and exposed them to the kind of food a hobo would disdainfully scrape from their well-worn boots, all so I could show them off to my old friends and check out the hallowed grounds where wee-Allan eventually became not-so-wee-but-still-quite-wee Allan. It’s been eight long years since I’ve been back and a lot has changed. The country doesn’t have much money any more, a fact evidenced by friends being out of work, and an unnerving event where our hotel of residence went into administration on the second day of our stay. Perhaps the ruinous nature of the country’s beautiful-to-the-touch yet easy to destroy paper money has finally caught up to them, or it could be the ploughing of all the sovereign funds into their cricket team. But in the wake of The Ashes every poverty stricken cricket lover of England would argue - over a pint, and to the death - that it’s worth it.

YOU PISSED ME OFF! Has someone yanked yer chain recently? Well send an email to editorial@bmamag.com and have your sweet vengeance. To the Mum’s group Mum who can’t control her son. I’m sorry you’ve been upset by me not inviting you to the park. But YOU PISSED ME OFF!! That first time we had a playdate at your house, I didn’t say anything when your child, let’s call him Gordon, repeatedly hit and yelled at my son for even going near his toys. I also didn’t say anything when he wouldn’t let my son have a pencil or even sit in a chair for morning tea. I didn’t say anything to you when he made my son cry by slamming the door in his face repeatedly, locking him in his (Gordon’s room). I didn’t even say anything when Gordon wouldn’t let my son on the playground, and pushed him off the ladder. Then, when you were at my house, with all of our kids, I didn’t say anything when Gordon was hitting my son over the head with a bucket. I didn’t say anything when Gordon pushed my friends daughter off our landing (which, at nearly a 1m height, would have resulted in serious injury had it not been for my friend catching her). I didn’t say anything when Gordon pushed my son off the bridge at the park, and that did result in injury. My son’s back was affected by the big fall and he still, even now, complains of a sore back. And I didn’t say anything. But the real clincher is, neither did you. Not to your son, to my son or to me. And now, you have the balls to be upset I didn’t invite you to the God damn park. Well lady, the reason is that YOU PISSED ME OFF!!!!!

A lot hasn’t changed. There’s a wonderfully strange surreality summoned by returning to a place so crucial in one’s childhood. Once a place of past perched in the penumbra of memory greyed by absence and compounded by the march of time - retreading old steps speared the mind with experiences as diaphanous and real as the day they were first rendered. That, and everything looks smaller. My ever-patient wife was treated to a personalised guided tour of my sleepy little town, delivered with a tad too much enthusiasm, and way too much detail. And the people haven’t changed, the old friends responsible for guiding, nurturing and often poisoning me into the man I am today. Yes we are all fatter, hairier in places we shouldn’t be, and where once stretched the taut and quivering flesh of youth now hangs the spavined pockmarked skinmap of experience. “Wow! You look exactly like you did at school!” is boldly exchanged whilst trying to not stare at the pedestrian crossing of crows’ feet by the corner of the eyes, and the strange growth on the upper cheek that looks like the sinful discharge of an illicit night of shame between a hairball and a boil. But in essence we’re still the same people; some of us still goofballs, some of us still ne’er do wells, some of us still sexually ambivalent. It’s like I’ve just popped back from getting the milk. Having just recently lost a dear friend in an overseas tragedy, this early stage of the journey reemphasised to me the importance of friends old and new, the value of taking time out from a work schedule - no matter how busy - to see how they’re going. We’re not here forever after all, and it’s people that make our giddy journey on this spinning ball of wonder called Earth worthwhile.* ALLAN SKO - allan@bmamag.com *Gluttons for punishment can find a longer version of this column on the BMA website - www.bmamag.com. More to come next issue.

and

another thing…

The following is part of an ongoing series. To catch up jump on the BMA website, bmamag.com . Travel document trauma over, we return home to pack. It’s almost midnight when we get back to the house, and we’ll need to be up again in five hours to get to the airport in time for the flight to Denmark. I make Bobby sit up while I pack an overnight bag for him, allowing him to make the decisions on wardrobe even though it’s all really been decided by Rhona long in advance. At about one o’clock, he finally flakes out, but I decide after today’s fiasco I can’t afford a missed alarm so I steam into the black coffee and sit down to wade through some old Godhammer footage from the ‘70s. Bobby is meant to be watching this with a view to the band putting together a 40th anniversary DVD package, but the reality is he doesn’t have the patience to sit down and watch the hundreds of hours of tape. At five o’clock I haul myself off the sofa and set about making the man presentable. At half-past six we present ourselves at check in. Even with Micky three quarters sober, this is a nervy experience; he struggles with almost all human contact that doesn’t take place in a bar, and his efforts at charming the female flight attendant fall on deaf ears. I take him by the elbow and get him away. After that it’s time to take our shoes off and go through security. In the old days the really good tour managers were able to get their bands through this horrific experience with a minimum of fuss – a signed photo here, free tickets there, meant that any band members accidentally ‘holding’ were met with a blind eye and waved through with a cheery smile and a thumbs up. Nowadays if the sniffer dogs take against you you’re buggered, and Bobby… let’s just say Bobby seems to have a look about him that dogs and security goons alike just don’t fancy. But he’s not holding today, and at twenty past seven we find ourselves in the VIP lounge with three quarters of an hour to kill and full access to the breakfast buffet. I’m liking the look of the scrambled eggs and bacon, but whilst I’m liking the look of them you know who has availed himself of the airside bar facilities. Looking like a cat that’s just presented his master with a dead mouse, he hands me what looks like a large bloody mary and toasts me. “No need for food, we’ll get some nosebag on the plane. Come on, ‘ave a little drinky!” Obviously I shouldn’t, but I won’t be driving when we get to Denmark so what harm can it do? 40 minutes later we’ve had four large ones each, much to the disgust of some of our fellow travelers. I don’t know if it’s paranoia, but I’m sure all of the ground-staff are scrutinising us as we move onto the air bridge. Has someone in the VIP lounge tipped them off? Are we marked men? Of course whilst I’m soaking my clothes in cold sweat, Micky decides to tell me, in a voice that can only be described as ‘loud’ about the time he was banned from all domestic flights in the US… scott adams - thirtyyearsofrnr@hotmail.com

WHO: Knightsbridge Cattle Station WHAT: Knightsbridge Hoedown WHERE: Knightsbridge, surprise! WHEN: Sat June 15

It’s that time of year when the farmhands at Knightsbridge Cattle Station get together for their Annual Hoedown. Hellish hay bales, mean-ass moonshine, cherry-sweet cowgirls, and wranglin’ rustlers abound, so strap on those chaps and spurs and get ready to (square) dance the night away. There’ll be live music in the form of the majestic Queen Juanita & The Zydeco Cowboys to get yer boots scootin’, and yer favourite resident jug blowers to see you through the wee hours. Celebrate the seventh birthday of one of Canberra’s favourite down home bonafide waterin’ holes. Starts at 7pm. Free entry. Dress for the occasion in yer country best.

WHO: Cardboard Charlie WHAT: The last of the Cardboard Charlie Bootlegs WHEN: Each Monday during July WHERE: The Phoenix

After seven years of booking The Bootleg Sessions at The Phoenix, Cardboard Charlie will be stepping back from its role in the weekly original music institution to make room for some exciting new plans. The Bootlegs will continue in a new format but July will mark Charlie’s last month so they have some massive things planned to celebrate the last seven years. Check out cardboardcharlie.com for more info on what’s on. Massive thanks to all the musicians who played for them, all of you who came out every Monday, and of course, The Phoenix, for helping Cardboard Charlie support developing original artists at The Bootleg Sessions.

WHO: Fun Machine WHAT: Desert Creatures launch WHEN: Sat June 18, 8pm WHERE: White Eagle Polish Club, o’connor

Fun Machine launch their second EP Desert Creatures at the Polish Club, a venue they mistook for a nail salon. Special guests include the stunning Julia and The Deep Sea Sirens, Illuminati-overlords nozl and territory-famous poet, Jacinta. The theme is ‘secret’, and secrets will abound, including special performances from . Wow! You can get a sneak peek of their new recordings through the usual facebook searches or just come along with clean ears and a durable pair of shoes. Trust us, you’re going to need them.

WHO: Effigy Presents WHAT: Sasha le Monnier (UK) and Club Junque (SYD) WHEN Sat June 18 WHERE: Das Klubhaus

Effigy are excited to launch their first gig at the newly renovated nightclub Das Klubhaus (above Pancake Parlour). Effigy is bringing the same commitment to quality music they have shown over the past few years, and are looking forward to showcasing a range of sounds at the venue. What better way to launch their new series of innovative nights than with Sasha Le Monnier, veteran progressive/techno DJ from the UK, along with Effigy’s favourite Sydneysider Club Junque. With an upgraded sound system and a swag of local DJs for the night, it will be Das Klubhouse like you’ve never seen it before.

WHO: Laura Hill WHAT: Soulful wave rider WHEN: Sun June 19 WHERE: The Front

Combining infectious folk melodies with the edge of vintage pop, Laura Hill invites you to ride a soulful wave through Morocco, New Orleans, Mexico and Australia delivering sounds inspired by life on the coast. Laura has just finished a string of shows in Victoria with Canberran Ashleigh Mannix and is heading over to Sydney to support Kim Churchill on his final Australian shows for 2011. Canberra is in for a real treat when Laura joins Tom Richardson and Benny Walker on their national tour at The Front on Sunday June 19. Doors 7pm, $5 on the door.

WHO: Georgia Fair and Daniel Lee Kendall WHAT: Acoustic double bill WHEN: Wed July 6 WHERE: The Front

Daniel Lee Kendall (pictured) has teamed up with close friends and now stalwart touring mates Georgia Fair for a brief but magical stint of live shows. Having melted many hearts on their initial run, this inspiring combination expands to bring the special double-headline show to wider audiences. Georgia Fair’s Jordan Wilson and Ben Riley have been playing music since they were little tackers, banging out Nirvana covers. Daniel Lee Kendall is an extraordinary singer/songwriter who has unveiled his first two releases in the past 12 months alone and has built up a dedicated following. Tix through the venue.

Kinds of g n i z a m A

josh brown

No, not Gwen Stefani’s fashion label. LAMB, as in the modest Mancunian drum ‘n’ bass duo who gained attention in the late ‘90s and early ‘00s with heartbreakingly beautiful tracks like Gorecki and Gabriel. Still not ringing any bells? Well, you could be forgiven for having a mental blank because as a unit the pair have largely been absent from the music scene ever since their 2004 split. It took a five year hiatus, three solo albums and a lot of soul searching for singer Lou Rhodes and programmer/beat maker Andy Barlow to reconvene and resume touring. Finally this year has seen the release of 5, the group’s fifth album and follow up to 2003’s Between Darkness and Wonder. But before we talk about that, let’s jet back in time a little to late December 2009. This writer was in attendance at Melbourne’s Prince of Wales hotel as an enthusiastic Rhodes and Barlow took to the venue’s cramped stage for one of their first Australian shows since the split. The iter gwr son My history as a pair played ting wri stly mo has been their opening love songs and I came to song and a point where I was so afterwards were met with disillusioned with love that a deafening it wasn’t my muse anymore roar that lasted at least a minute, leaving the band gobsmacked and unable to continue until the ruckus had receded. I put it to Rhodes that moments like that must have made her and Barlow think ‘why on earth did we ever stop?’. “Gosh,” she laughs, “I think you’re lost for words at those kinds of moments. It’s just amazing when you get that kind of response. It’s like ‘wow... I’m just going to have to take this for a while.’” But, as happened at the show in question, it doesn’t take long for Rhodes to get back on point. Despite the sort of rapturous reception they received from audiences, she continues, “We’re both glad that we did split because I think we’ve come to a really good place as a result of that time apart. We’d come to the end of a chapter for Lamb back in 2004. We’d had ten years, four albums and our relationship had become a bit frayed.” In addition to the pair’s inner tension, they also faced mounting outside pressures from their record label Mercury (a subsidiary of Universal) to release more commercial sounding music. Rhodes admits that she had been longing for a change in musical direction, but not quite the shift their record label was after. “By that time I was really aching to make acoustic music,” she explains. “I guess I was trying to pull Lamb in that direction and in retrospect that just doesn’t work. Lamb isn’t about that. So I was able to go off and do my solo records and tour acoustically and fulfil that need. It means that [now] Lamb can be Lamb.”

During their time apart, Rhodes wasn’t the only one keeping busy. Despite the fact that he was quite devastated by the break up (“he was so used to being ‘Andy from Lamb’ that when Lamb split he didn’t know who he was, in a way”), Barlow travelled, became a father and worked on his own solo project as well as producing other records. Following a string of ‘one off’ reunion shows in 2009, Barlow offered to assist Rhodes with the recording of her latest solo album, One Good Thing, at his home studio. “It became obvious that he was quite a changed man in a lot of ways,” she says. “That was a really positive process and part of the deal was that I agreed that I would sing on one or two songs for his Lowb project. That led to us working on Strong The Root, which of course became one of the songs on 5 and the process of working on that – it was almost like Lamb came into the room without us even planning it.”

5 5 Not long after, the pair had a fateful phone conversation which Rhodes remembers was the catalyst to the band’s reformation. “He was like ‘you know Lou, I really miss Lamb. Give me one good reason why we shouldn’t make another album’,” she explains. “And I tried to think of a reason, but I couldn’t. Then we decided we’d get back into the studio and see how it went and of course we had Strong The Root anyway, because it really did feel like a Lamb song. So that was the beginning, really.”

The break from Lamb inspired a renewed vigour for working with Barlow, though not all the song writing came easy to Rhodes. The lyrics booklet for 5 details her constant struggle with writer’s block. “The whole album was overcoming that, really,” she says. “My history as a songwriter has been mostly writing love songs and I came to a point where I was so disillusioned with love that it wasn’t my muse anymore and failing that I didn’t know what to write about. A lot of the songs were me sitting there going ‘oh I don’t know what to write’ and Andy going ‘well... get on with it!’” she laughs. “He doesn’t mess around, you know. He doesn’t indulge my struggles at all. It was really interesting for me to challenge myself beyond my comfort zone and I really like the result.”

On the subject of the future, Rhodes isn’t one to peer too deep into the crystal ball. “I would like there to be more Lamb albums,” she says, “[but] I’d also like to do another solo album before too long. What I’ve learnt is that I love Lamb for what Lamb is; the amazing programmed stuff and the sub-bass and the power behind it and all of that, but I love making acoustic music as well, so it’s really good to feed both of those needs. I don’t know what the future holds – it’s all open and I think that’s the way I like it, I like to not necessarily have the next few years charted out and just let it happen.” Lamb currently don’t have any plans to tour Oz (they were just here in February) but Rhodes says “I don’t think you can keep us away for long.” In the meantime, enjoy their excellent new release 5, which is available from all good record stores.

ALL AGES Thanks to Woden Youth Centre, on Friday June 17 you can be a part of Shockwave, which features an exciting line-up of rising local acts including Drawing North, Transience Invalid and Flight or Fall. Brisbane based alternative rock four-piece For This Cause will be headlining the event as part of their own debut tour. Tickets cost $10 at the doors, opening at 5pm. Fete de la Musique, featuring a spectacular folk/jazz/pop/funk line-up that is bound to get everybody up and grooving, includes local acts Scatterpuss, Clever Sunday, Fire on the Hill, Sally Greenway, Bressâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ere, Nichaud Munday, Stephanie Jones, Bradley Kunda and The Rueben Lewis Jazz Quartet. This is a free event , so

come along and dance and perhaps even warm your freezing toes. Doors open at 5.30 pm on Friday June 17 at the Alliance Francaise de Canberra in Turner. On Friday July 8 you have a unique chance to see Melbourne folk/indie rock five-piece Skipping Girl Vinegar, a band who has gained themselves a grand reputation for their exhilarating live performances. The group comprised of friends and siblings are touring in support of their most recent and most successful studio album, Keep Calm Carry the Monkey, and are stopping to provide us with a great night at The Street Theatre. Tickets cost $19 for students, and $25 full price. You also have the chance to snatch up an excellent offer: your ticket and a copy of Keep Calm Carry the Monkey for just $47. Tickets through the venue. Spawning from the Central Coast of New South Wales, pop rock trio Short Stack are making their way through the capital, this time on the road for the This Is Bat Country tour. On Saturday July 23 they will be performing with popular supporting acts Heroes for Hire and Because They Can at The Royal Theatre (otherwise known as the National Convention Centre), for one night only. Tickets cost $60 (+bf) from any Ticketek outlet. These tickets, for some reason, have proven to sell extremely fast, so Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d act fast if you are interested. On Friday July 29, the wonderful people at The Woden Youth Centre are providing us with a thrash-happy line-up that includes local metal/ metalcore/deathcore acts Na Maza, Ameliah Brown, Friend or Enemy, Frostbite and Immersion, as well as even more to possibly be announced closer to the date. Tickets cost a stupidly cheap $5 at the door. Of course, there will be more reminders of this gig as well as more information on it, as the date draws closer. Doors open to the hungry public at 6pm. This is a strictly drug and alcohol free event. NAOMI FROST allagescolumn@gmail.com

DANCE THE DROP

There is a basic rule in dance music which I like to refer to as the ‘Khaki Conundrum’. Most genres of dance music are born in dark dungeon-like rooms, perpetuated by small groups of internet idealists and then released into the mainstream like an unstoppable cyber virus. By the time a genre or particular artist is being requested at the DJ booth by groups of fake tanned cocktail swilling teenagers, in the eyes of purists, it has long been stripped of any chic credibility. Take dubstep as an example - for years it was the golden boy of unshaven keyboard warriors, a pure and untouched genre that, at the mere mention of the word made you cooler than the other side of the pillow. Along came Skrillex, and to a lesser extent, Deadmau5, and all of a sudden the ‘GTL’ brigade are claiming the genre as their “OMG favourite, lol”. I, for one, welcome our new high-heeled overlords because hey, at least it’s better than Justin ‘Anti-Christ’ Bieber, right?

Pesky historians will lead you to believe that Germany hasn’t invaded anything since WWII, but I know better. Who would have thought that a small club in our nation’s capital would be the next pin on the Kaiser’s campaign map. Seemingly overnight The Clubhouse has become Das Klubhaus, but luckily for us, it’s the events that keep rolling in instead of armoured tank divisions. Effigy are back in the upstairs cave on Saturday June 18, presenting UK female tech house seductress Sasha Le Monnier (UK) playing alongside the regular motley crew of local techno wizards. Who smoke da reefer? I’m not condoning drug use here, just using a childish segue to introduce Australian Indigenous didgeri-dance legends Ganga Giri, who are appearing at Transit Bar on Saturday June 25. The full band have appeared at a host of local and international music festivals such as Falls, Glastonbury Festival (UK), Woetsjtock Festival (Netherlands), Boom Festival (Portugal) and the Fusion Festival (Germany), so it is sure to be an infectiously mind boggling live show! If getting home in time to watch David Letterman is your bag then look no further than the next edition of Early Bird at The Deck. Regatta Point is such an amazing venue and 4Sound have lined up a massive division of local DJs to shake the lake to its trolley filled innards for the next instalment on Saturday June 25. The line-up includes most of the old (dare I say it) Lot 33 crew, including Peekz, B-Tham, Team Wing, DJ LYLT, 2Hyped, The Zizz, Pedro and Tim Galvin. Sadly enough, I think that this might be my last ever set in Canberra as I look to move on to bigger things interstate, so it would be great if you could all come along and buy me lots of expensive imported beer. I promise to put on a show that you will all remember! TIM GALVIN tim.galvin@live.com.au

facebook.com/ trinitybarcanberra

LOCALITY

A couple of weeks ago I saw Spiritualized at the Sydney Opera House on the opening night of Vivid. Geometric jellyfish, globular confetti swarms and scaly Japanese fans were projected onto its sails in a neon rainbow of colours. I’d never seen Circular Quay so resplendent; the water’s edge dotted with luminescent blue orbs. The collective excitement was electric. For the first time in my life I thought I’d like to live in Sydney one day.

Before Spiritualized I spent the day with an old friend. With no plans but to check out an exhibition of John and Yoko photos in a gallery off Oxford Street we took our time finding a bar. The pros and cons of Sydney and Canberra was a major discussion topic. My friend had recently moved there from here and was living in a residential warehouse in the Inner West. I’d never been to one of these infamous warehouses before. It was brilliant. Ramshackle but beautiful, with murals adorning the walls, multiple living areas and a rehearsal space slash unlicensed venue in the cavernous back room. You wouldn’t find anything like this in Canberra, I thought. And whilst walking around the one room gallery, staring at John and Yoko in love in black and white, I thought about how Sydney must be peppered with hundreds of these little galleries. We walked past one exhibiting the art of Doctor Seuss; I doubted it would travel to Canberra. These thoughts entered my mind often that afternoon as I peered through windows at racks of vintage frocks, books and records. As we wandered down Enmore Road and past The Enmore. As we decided on a restaurant for dinner (Peruvian? North African? Any of the hundred or so pho joints within a one k radius?). And as we made good use of the free booze at the Vivid VIP bar, relishing the opportunity for star spotting. I was due to board a 9am bus back to Canberra the next morn as I had a major essay due the following Monday and was yet to start. But our class had been given a ten day extension. I had plenty of time to write the essay. So why did I board that 9am bus on a Saturday, rather than delay my booking and spend the weekend in Sydney? Because I wanted to spend my rare plan-free weekend in Canberra. I walked out of Jolimont and moseyed home through the crunchy leaves. I made a pot of coffee, laid a blanket on the grass and read my book in the autumn sun all afternoon. It was bliss. I had an excellent time in Sydney; it was one of the best gig trips I’ve done (and I’ve done a few). But every time I walk through those sliding doors at Jolimont I’m never sad to be back. Always glad. I’m not saying that one place is better than the other, simply that I love coming home to this town. Good things come in small packages and I’m still unwrapping the layers of Canberra after four years of living here. One day I might feel I’ve unwrapped all the layers I can but until then I’ll keep unwrapping with all the enthusiasm of a seven-year-old on Christmas morning. Besides, Sydney’s only a short bus ride away. JULIA WINTERFLOOD julia@bmamag.com

SWIFT AND CUNNING LAUREN BICKNELL One thing that can be said of Canberra’s music scene is that it’s surrounded and populated by friends. As a small but cosy audience sang along to a particularly beautiful POCKET FOX song at The Front just a few weeks ago, this truth was perfectly epitomised. Sometimes it takes a village of musicians and friends to raise a band and help put out its debut EP. Luciana Harrison, frontwoman of Pocket Fox, said the achievements of the band are thanks to a lot of support from a lot of people.

When it comes to arranging we have such an interesting group of instruments that the possibilities are just endless

“The first thing I think about when we’re talking about ourselves and this whole process is how grateful we all are,” she said. Bass clarinet player Nicola Menser Hearn agreed wholeheartedly. “I think Pocket Fox has really done well from the supportive and kind Canberra local music scene. Our EP wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for the kind people who helped us out along the way.” You might recognise some familiar faces amongst the eight members of Pocket Fox. The talented and diverse musicians largely come from other local groups and, together, have created a unique style that’s hard to label. Folk, jazz, pop, rock ‘n’ roll and a capella are all present at a Pocket Fox gig. You can even spot the occasional tribute to Latino and African music and all of this is held together with 1950s sweetheart harmonies. Luciana said of the band’s style, “When it comes to arranging we have such an interesting group of instruments that the possibilities are just endless. I think we also have that intention to always make songs kind of unique unto themselves.” Along with such a distinct and interesting sound, the ever-endearing onstage swishes of playful sundresses make this band somewhat irresistible. Later this month the band is gearing up to launch their first EP, which was recorded in a lounge room, a studio, Llewellyn Hall and a strange place called Charlie’s Forrest Hall. The latter was in a spot just outside of Braidwood, which featured murals of transvestite robots among other things. Nicola said the bizarre hall worked well for the group. “[It had] really good acoustics and it’s just a really great place to be creative I think because it’s just a really quirky place.” Luciana added, “Because there’s no phone connection or anything it was just a really nice spot to go and camp out for a couple of days.” If you haven’t caught the Foxes at any of their recent gigs, it’s well worth getting along to one of their upcoming shows. The band will soon be temporarily out of action while Luciana heads to Colombia but the group will be booking a few festivals for this summer. Their EP will be launched on Friday June 24 at the White Eagle Polish Club. Cathy Petocz, and Joe Oppenheimer and James Fahy will be ably supporting them. $10 entry or $15 with an EP.

HOP, SKIP, JUMP! shaun bennett Melbourne five-piece SKIPPING GIRL VINEGAR like to play goodcop bad-cop with their audience. Frontman Mark Lang cheerfully tells me that the band really does love Canberra as they stop by on every tour they do and are continually blown away by the warmth of the crowd. “We really do enjoy coming there. The first time was at The Phoenix Bar and there was a small but loyal crowd watching us. Since then the crowds have grown each time we’ve been back.” Since their Christmas show at The Street Theatre in December, the band have released their long-awaited sophomore album Keep Calm Carry the Monkey. It has come three Some people years after their debut Sift the Noise have meetings in 2008. However, they have kept fans over high-class happy in the meantime with singles or hes lunc Skype, we have One Long Week and Wasted, with ours over baked accompanying tours. While this kept fans in agonising anticipation for the goods album release, it was even harder for them to keep taunting their fans for so long. “The album process took about 17 months all up. Anything with life and blood takes a bit of time. We pushed ourselves - questioning our known process, breaking down everything we did, trying to find new pathways in our writing and recording. The temptation to return to what we knew was strong but I’m glad we pushed ahead into the unknown to unravel a new direction.” This new direction, however, was guided by producers Greg Arnold (Stonefield), Nick Huggins (Whitley, Kid Sam) and mixer Brad Jones who extended their relationship with Lang after working together on Sift the Noise. “I was conscious that I didn’t want to make a Sift the Noise II, but Nick is a wiz with experimental music so I was able to explore various layers when tracking over summer. This is now a piece of work and a statement that I’m proud of.” Another element adding to the delay of the album was a lack of funds. They received an impressive six-figure offer from major labels for Sift the Noise but made the confident decision to maintain independence. Arts Victoria provided a grant for Keep Calm Carry the Monkey but another $20,000 was raised from their beloved fans through the band’s philanthropy effort SGV Hobo Philanthropy. “We were really blown away by the response we got from fans. They donated heaps of money and all earned a place on the album’s Hall of Fame page.” With the album now out and an accompanying tour, the band now only has to be the good cop. As such they give out baked goods at their shows and provide hand written letters to their fans. “Some people have meetings over high-class lunches or Skype, we have ours over baked goods.” Skipping Girl Vinegar will be skipping into town on Friday July 8, to play an all ages show at The Street Theatre. Tickets are $25, and are available through thestreet.org.au .

E X H I B I T I O N I S T this year Giles visited the continent. While there she paid homage to her grandfather and performed as part of her Australian Antarctic Division Arts Fellowship. Her husband shares her interest in the lesser–known aspects of Antarctica’s history. Although Mawson is a familiar figure for many Australians, Weisel hopes the Antarctica festivities will “highlight the interesting personalities” that took part in the expedition, including Dr Madigan.

THE SOUNDS OF SNOW Grace Carroll It is hard to imagine anything colder than a Canberra winter. Mercifully, it doesn’t ever get down to -60 degrees, a common temperature in Antarctica. For those of us interested in the frozen continent to our south - but not enough to brave the weather - June will see the ANU School of Music play host to a five-day celebration of Antarctica that offers a taste of the continent, minus the icy temperature. THE ANTARCTICA MUSIC FESTIVAL AND CONFERENCE celebrates the centenary of the 1911-1914 Australasian Antarctica Expedition. The expedition, famously led by Sir Douglas Mawson, has since become what Artistic Director and Conference Convenor, Arnan Weisel, describes as “an important part of the Australian psyche”. And this importance is not being underestimated, with a number of centenary events being staged around Australia and New Zealand. As the theme of the music festival and conference suggests, these events are not isolated to the sciences, reflecting the broad appeal of the Antarctic. Weisel’s own interest in the connection between the creative arts, Antarctica and history is shared by those featured in The Antarctica Music Festival program, and come together in the first conference to examine Mawson’s expedition from this perspective. The five-day extravaganza presents a 21st century interpretation of Antarctica, viewed through the lens of the creative arts. The music festival kicks of festivities on Saturday June 25, running for two days prior to the three-day conference. The relationship between the arts and Antarctica may be a new idea to many. Although Mawson’s expedition is ingrained in Australian folklore, music is absent from this story. In fact, Antarctica is associated with science and silence, not music and performance. But this absence is not lost on Weisel. A professional pianist and Head of Keyboard at the ANU School of Music, he is keen to showcase the creative expressions inspired by the continent, especially sound and music. At the same time, the festival is also aimed at expanding knowledge of the 1911 Mawson-led expedition. The relationship between Antarctica, music and history has personal significance for Weisel. His wife, harpist and Head of Harp at the ANU School of Music, Alice Giles, is the granddaughter of Dr Cecil Madigan, a geologist who took part in the 1911 expedition. Earlier

Fulfilling Weisel’s ambition, the music festival consists of an impressive program that draws on history and the arts to explore the Antarctic. The National Gallery will host the opening event, where James Turrell’s Skyspace will be the backdrop for a free dawn percussion concert. Offering a taste of the innovative program, the concert is followed by jazz, choral and harp performances. These musical events are complemented by a range of dance performances, art exhibitions and film screenings. A highlight will be the exhibition of Dr. Archibald McLean’s photographs from the 1911-1914 expedition, to be held at the School of Music. The historic photographs will offer viewers a window into the experience of Antarctica a century ago. Adding a contemporary perspective of similar regions, local artist Genevieve Swifte will exhibit a series of photographs and drawings from Northwest Greenland at the School of Art. The diverse program of The Antarctica Music Festival and Conference reflects the widespread appeal of the continent. When organising the festivities, Weisel sought out a number of musicians, artists and academics who shared his interest in Antarctica, and other icy places. As a result, a mix of Australian and international personalities will contribute a wide range of perspectives to the program of events. One of these is acclaimed Norwegian sound artist Terje Isungset (pictured), whose participation in the Music Festival and Conference is a big coup for organisers. Famous for crafting instruments from ice, Isungset’s unique musical performance is sure to be a highlight. Those interested in more traditional (and long-lasting) musical instruments will enjoy Giles’ Antarctica-inspired harp performance. Images from her recent trip to the continent and readings from her grandfather’s diaries will be featured alongside the performance, creating a sensory experience of the continent’s unique natural environment that is set to be a wonderful finale for the music festival. This interest in Antarctica’s environment is a common thread running throughout the program of events. Despite the fact that it has been one hundred years since Mawson’s expedition, Antarctica remains what Weisel describes as a place that has “harsh and mysterious connotations”. He goes on to suggest these attributes make it the ideal place to explore music and other art forms, as creative artists are drawn to the continent’s extraordinary climate. This interest is, however, not limited to the arts. Astronomer Professor Fred Watson will present the keynote address at the conference, contributing another unusual angle to the exploration of all things Antarctic that the events promise. On that note, the last word is left to Weisel, who contends that The Antarctica Music Festival and Conference offers “the chance to be immersed in the environment of Antarctica”. That does sound pretty cool - literally. The Antarctica Music Festival and Conference runs from the Saturday June 25 – Wednesday June 29. Tickets for the conference and music festival events can be purchased through music.anu.edu.au .

people to enjoy the visual poetry of EnTrance and not think too deeply about it. “I would like the audience not to analyse it too much but, to breathe with it.”

TRANCE LIKE DANCE alisha evans To experience dance as you’ve never seen it before head to EnTRANCE. The production by Yumi Umiumare incorporates Butoh dance, theatre and visual art into an emotional journey. Butoh was developed in post war Japan by Tatsumi Hijikata and expresses intense emotions through slow, controlled, and sometimes distorted movements. Yumi started classical ballet at the age of nine but was introduced to Butoh at university. “When I saw Butoh for the first time my mind was blown away. I was so impressed to see dancers doing exactly the opposite of what classical ballet teachers had told us to do.” She says Butoh is her favourite style of dance because it is so versatile and can be mixed with anything. Butoh Cabaret is also up there on her list. Yumi says EnTrance is autobiographical and revisits all the different dance influences she has worked with. She wants

Yumi says she is able to share her unusual abstract and dream-like world through her performances. The solo piece may also elicit some introspection from the audience, she says. “People can also have their forgotten memories and unknown emotions provoked, which we tend to suppress in our modern haste way of living,” Yumi explains. “Sometimes, people have a dream after seeing my show and have their own interpretation about it. My piece is working in people’s subconscious, maybe.” Other responses she has received from audiences include making them cry or feel deeply moved, even the occasional outburst of laughter. Yumi was born in Japan in 1965 and moved to Melbourne in 1993 after performing at the Melbourne International Festival in 1991. The 46-year-old wanted a change from her life in Tokyo and loves her new country. She says touring Australia feels like an international tour and Yumi enjoys seeing all the different cities. She feels lucky to be a professional dancer that tours because it means she can visit so many countries including, Slovenia, Croatia, Fiji and Indonesia. “I love to visit exotic countries through my work.” Being surrounded by visual artists in her brother and mother means Yumi also likes to dabble in the art form, saying she is also a good cartoonist. EnTrance has been nominated for three Green Room awards, Melbourne’s Arts awards, and the performing artist is thrilled with the recognition. The performance has also been describes as “an impassioned and beautiful piece,” by The Australian. EnTrance will be showing at The Street Theatre from Thursday June 30 to Saturday July 2. Tickets are from $25, and are available through thestreet. org.au .

Broker states, “Hay makes objects that look as if they have been found and finds objects that appear to have been made by him”. What is most surprising about this exhibition and Hay’s greatest accomplishment with this body of work is how he has created such a harmonious dialogue between made and found. Central to Hay’s practice is the theory of gestalt perception; very simply the idea that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Almost all of the works in Box of Tricks are made up of disparate components. Unique objects on their own, they combine in works such as the striking Unprepared (2009), a piano with two of it’s legs cut, kneeling on an angle, stuck and wounded by a multitude of arrows.

TRICKS OF THE TRADE vanessa wright Walking into the Canberra Contemporary Art Space to view Paul Hay’s BOX OF TRICKS, I was immediately presented with the vastness of this exhibition. Covering both the middle and main space of the gallery are 14 large-scale sculpture works. Initially the scope of work presented seems overwhelming; with no clear course through the gallery the viewer is forced to make their own unique pathway, working their way in and around each of the sculptures. Maneuvering through the gallery you feel almost as if you are exploring an ancient or alien city, these beguiling and fanciful creatures its mysterious citizens, captured and frozen at a moment in time. Working within the tradition of assemblage art, which has a very strong history in the Canberra region, Paul Hay combines found objects and reclaimed materials with his own creations to construct his dynamic and unpredictable sculptures. As CCAS Director, David

In Performance Piece (2011) a basketball hoop sits on the floor next to a caged stone (That’s Easy For You to Say, (2011)) and an aerodynamic wheelbarrow (The Awful Weight of History, (2011)); in defiance of their differences, these incongruous objects all speak to each other, engaged in some unknown yet understandable dialogue. Pops of red, flecks of gold and a common use of wooden material create balance whilst drawing the eye in and threading together this plethora of work. Paul Hay is one of Canberra’s most established and accomplished artists and his practice includes performance, temporal works, public sculpture and installation. Since 1978 he has been working in Australia and overseas and has exhibited widely. Currently he teaches at the ANU School of Art and works from his studio at ANCA. Box of Tricks is an impressive body of work by one of Canberra’s most interesting sculptors, which will both surprise and amaze. All is not what it seems inside a box of tricks. Box of Tricks is on at the Canberra Contemporary Art Space, Gorman House until Saturday July 2. For more information check out ccas.com.au .

IN REVIEW

Much Ado About Nothing Bell Shakespeare The Playhouse Thursday May 19 - Saturday June 4 Bell Shakespeare has become a byword in my household for shows of an unpredictable quality. Last year’s King Lear was a tragedy of epically dull proportions – but Lee Lewis’ Twelfth Night was astonishingly good. And Bell is divisive. Some audiences appreciate the directness of the company’s performances, lauding the ‘Shakespeare for the people’ approach; others are frequently enraged by the apparent reliance on glossy design in favour of challenging interpretative decisions. Much Ado About Nothing, directed by Bell himself, seems to capture in a nutshell this schizo performance spirit. On the plus side: 1. It’s a gas: Much Ado… is uncomplicated, witty, and blessed with two darned charming leads, and as Beatrice and Benedick, Blazey Best and Toby Schmitz have oodles of personal charisma. They’re supported in their turn with notable performances from Nathan Lovejoy as Borachio and Sean O’Shea as Don John providing excellent stage villainy. 2. It’s schmick: such a toothsome lot! Such luxe costuming! Such a good-looking set! Props (pun intended Nomes? - Ed.) to designer Stephen Curtis, whose lush set and clothes pay homage to the decaying splendour of post-war Italy.

3. It’s easy: Bell always approaches the Bard with an eye to ensuring everything you see on stage (word, voice, idea, or image) is abundantly clear. Having said that... 1. It’s gimmicky: Bell frequently makes use of celebrities in what one can only assume is an attempt to bring in audiences. Sometimes it works, as with Max Cullen in last year’s Twelfth Night. This year’s spot is filled by another Max – Gillies – who on an ordinary day is a hoot. As Dogberry, though, Gillies bombs, and the scenes that should receive the most laughs got naught more than a polite titter. 2. It’s uneven: sometimes you just can’t predict what Shakespeare you’re getting with Bell. Is it edgy, rip-shit-up Shakes (Titus Fall of Rome)? Teen-dream Shakes (Romeo and Juliet)? Strine Shakes (Twelfth Night)? With Much Ado About Nothing, it seems like Bell didn’t know which version he wanted to use – and nor did any of the actors. Everyone did a different kind of Bard. And that’s pretty annoying, to be honest. 3. It’s facile: Why set the play in 1950s Italy? Here’s why: because it’s an era and a culture in which one can safely box the play’s tendency towards paternalism and sexual archaism (viz: everything that happens to Hero) as quaint things of the past, rather than as problems that continue to plague human relationships and which need addressing in a mature manner. Memo: Man up, John. Hell, though, it’s always Bell Shakespeare’s shows that remind me why I, and so many people, have a continuing love affair with the theatre. It’d just be nice if Bell Shakespeare was a bit more consistent in loving us back. Naomi Milthorpe

IN REVIEW David Hicks in conversation with Donna Mulhearn Sydney Writers Festival Sunday May 22 On Sunday May 22 at the Sydney Writers’ Festival, after an intense hour in conversation with Donna Mulhearn, David Hicks awed an audience of 900, gaining him a well-deserved standing ovation. This was his first public appearance since the publication of his memoir, in fact since his detention in Guantanamo Bay. Mulhearn, a pacifist best known for her plight in Iraq acting as a human shield, guided him with ease through what wasn’t an easy task. Despite her mispronunciation of the prison’s location as ‘Guantamano’ she navigated the sensitive topics respectfully. The audience, as sombre as they come, also offered Hicks their undivided attention and empathy, which encouraged Hicks in what wasn’t an easy task for him either. Mulhearn commenced the conversation comically by saying she was about to ask the question at the forefront of everybody’s mind: was it true that he had been invited by Channel 7 to appear in Dancing With the Stars? Yes, he said, it was true. Generally throughout however, the vibe was fuelled with raw emotion - shame, rage, pity and pathos. Hicks mentioned at the beginning that during the years of being kept incommunicado he lost the ability to articulate his thoughts properly, resulting in anxiety and stress – this being a major factor as to why he hasn’t appeared publicly since his release.

Describing his detention lightly, he only briefly referred to being “punched”, “kicked” and “spat on”, whilst skirting around painful descriptions of seeing holes in fellow detainees’ legs from electrocution and hearing the haunting screams of others being tortured. He spoke almost always in a monotone, but managed to humbly admit he was “annoyed” by the way the press had bought into the lies and distortions created about him. In truth, Hicks has never been convicted by a legitimate court for breaking any US or Australian laws. Also, he never received any compensation, explanation or apology from either government. The press too received his memoir with almost total silence. Ultimately Hicks states, “There is a strong call for justice, humanity and for our brothers and sister elsewhere.” He passionately described the sufferings of the people of Kosovo as they were told to him during his time in the KLA, also reminding us that people are still being killed in Kashmir. “This shouldn’t be about me,” Hicks said in a poignant plea for recognition on a national frontier. “This is about something that happened to an Australian citizen.” The Writers’ Festival was fuelled by lovely weather, contentious topics, and crowded cafés, however the highlight was surely that after eight and half years the public was privileged enough to see David Hicks finally able to just talk. I can’t advocate enough the injustice of his incarceration and the absurd inhumanity he was subjected to. Get involved. Get the truth. Read the book Guantanamo. Find out more at thejusticecampaign.org . Sinead O’Connell

ARTISTPROFILE: Cara Irvine

What do you do? Theatre. Lots and lots of theatre. I direct and design shows. When did you get into it?

What pisses you off? Stupid people! What’s your opinion of the local scene? There is so much going on in theatre in Canberra that it’s easy to be swept up by it all. I am constantly amazed by the number of people who tell me that there is nothing to do in Canberra. What?!?! Have you got your head stuck up your butt? What are your upcoming projects?

Directing Look Back in Anger for Paris Hat at the beginning of the year. It was one of the greatest challenges that I’ve had in the industry and we did a pretty amazing job.

I’m directing David Williamson’s The Removalists for Freerain Theatre Company at the moment. It’s violent, intense and incredibly funny! We’ve done a lot of boxing training for this show, and it looks awesome! Tuggeranong Arts Centre – Friday June 17 to Sunday June 26. Bookings through 02 62931443.

What are your plans for the future?

Contact info:

To keep making theatre. I think that there are still a lot of people out there who need to be given a chance to see great shows, and, a few misconceptions about the art form that need to be changed.

cara.irvine@ gmail.com

About ten years ago, I started to become excited by theatre. However, it wasn’t until I got to uni and started working with some extraordinary artists that I knew I loved it. Who or what influences you as an artist? Many things influence my art. Mostly people - passionate, excitable people. When I’m around people and talking, arguing or witnessing their passion about ideas, loves, plays, books or films - I take that on board and start to work. What’s your biggest achievement/proudest moment so far?

What makes you laugh? Everything - you have no idea!

freerain@ bigpond.com

bit PARTS WHO: Amnesty International WHAT: Faces of Asylum WHEN: Wed June 15 – Sat June 25 WHERE: The Q Exhibition Space, Queanbeyan Performing Arts centre Amnesty International is holding a free exhibition titled Faces of Asylum to dispel some of the myths around refugees by promoting facts and sharing personal stories with the community. “In Australia, the debate around refugees has been largely framed by myths and misconceptions. The common belief that refugees are ‘illegal’ simply isn’t true. Seeking asylum, even by boat, is legal under Australian and international law, and the vast majority of people who arrive in Australia by boat are found to be genuine refugees,” ACT/Southern NSW Community Campaigner Bede Carmody, said. Faces of Asylum is part of Amnesty Internationals’ Rethink Refugees campaign. For more information, go to rethinkrefugees.com.au .

WHO: Free Rain Theatre WHAT: The Removalists WHEN: Fri June 17 – Sun June 26 WHERE: Tuggeranong Arts Centre So, who removes what, and from whom? Australian society was born in violence. Once a pattern of violence is accepted for any circumstance, it becomes acceptable in all circumstances. With such a difficult theme, director Williamson’s genius is to make The Removalists a very funny play as he sits comedy and drama comfortably together. A young policeman’s first day on duty becomes a violent and highly charged initiation into law enforcement. Remarkable for its blend of boisterous humour and horrifying violence, the play has acquired a reputation as a classic statement on Australian authoritarianism and is a key work in the study of Australian drama. Tickets $28 (conc $25). Call 6293 1443. WHO: Hip-hoppers and boppers WHAT: Australian Hip-Hop Championship Canberra Preliminaries WHEN: Sun June 26 WHERE: The Street Theatre The Australian Hip-Hop Championships is Australia’s definitive hiphop dance competition providing performers with the opportunity to showcase the artistry and technique of hop-hip dance nationally. With the chance for media exposure and access to prizes and the title of Australia Hip-Hop Champions, over one day on Sunday June 26 audiences will have a chance to witness Canberra’s most talented dance crews performing over two hours of intense entertainment. With MC KG, DJ Richie Blaze, live performances and one on one freestyle battles at both events, this is a chance to experience the artistry and technique of hip-hop from the best in Australia’s hiphop dance scene. For details and registration visit ueg.com.au . WHO: ANU Drama WHAT: Auditions for Panic WHEN: Now! WHERE: ANU

WHO: Various artists WHAT: PIN - Wonderwall WHEN: Now until June 19 WHERE: ANCA Gallery, Dickson ANCA Gallery presents an intriguing exhibition of artist-made brooches, showcasing miniature wearable works by local, regional and interstate artists. Coordinator of the project, local artist Chloe Bussenschutt states “It was the idea of miniature instead of monumental ‘public art’ that triggered the shows conception; the brooch just seemed like the logical vehicle for this idea.” Enthusiastically received by makers, the concept of reducing scale and honing in on a wearable, miniature platform appealed to artists from a broad range of practices such as sculptors, textile artists, printmakers, painters, ceramicists, silversmiths, machine-makers, photographers, wood workers and glass artists. The results are both accessible and intimate, with most of the objects available for purchase.

Actors, male and female, between the ages of 18 and 70, are needed for an ANU Drama PhD Production of Panic by Pulitzer Prize winning verse-dramatist Archibald MacLeish. Written in 1935, the play is about the bank crash of 1933 during the Great Depression. Written in the form of a Greek Tragedy, Panic follows the rapid decline of the all-powerful banker McGafferty and analyses the political and even spiritual crisis which threatened the confidence of the US and destroyed lives not by hunger alone or by cold, but by a paralysis of fear. The production dates run from August 18 to 27 at the ANU Arts Centre. For more information contact Andrew Holmes, andrew. holmes23@gmail.com or call on 0412 209 945. WHO: Tim Dwyer and co WHAT: Optical Eyes WHEN: Fri July 8 WHERE: CCAS Gorman House Optical Eyes is a new collaboration with video artist Tim Dwyer that will create layers of sound, projections, lighting, installation and performance to invoke a psychedelic flash back. Be warned that the show is not suitable for anyone who has ever suffered from seizures. Through an eclectic performance akin to a lurid apocalypse, Optical Eyes promotes its anti-message through obnoxious sound, hypnotising illusions, projections and various other extravagances. Excessive projections will add to the visual overload with a barrage of utopian noise and sound provided by Matthew Brown, Horse Macgyver, Luke Penders and Avatron.

When I asked

ON THE BAND WAGON sinead o’connell Catching up with Henry Wagons was probably the coolest thing I got to do all autumn. Wagons, the lead of WAGONS, is playfully charismatic, laid back and in sneaky possession of a well crafted sense of humour. Everyone should be happy to know that Canberra boasts his favourite hot chips (in Australia!) too. “I think it’s

him what it was somewhere in the mall, from Kingsley’s. that gave him Post-2am however, Chicken Gourmet. the enthusiasm Mmm.” His overwhelming talent comes part and passion to write and in parcel with what inspires him most - food. create music he Indeed when I asked him what it was that wasted no time gave him the enthusiasm and passion to in exclaiming, “Food!” write and create music he wasted no time in exclaiming, “Food!” It provides him the “energy and nourishment” needed to be a musician. Plus for each and every town the music brings him to, there is always some new cuisine he is keen to try. If you end up in Melbourne one cold day, Wagons recommends moseying to Hells Kitchen to indulge in his drummer’s famous soup. “It’s the best in the city!”

Their new album Rumble, Shake and Tumble channels the unique mysticism of the Wild West through Henry’s ragged vocals and the band’s seasoned ensemble. Lyrical filtering of their influences, from early “Rod Stewart’s fanclub” to “Cormac McCarthy’s final chapters” (specifically The Border Trilogy), is executed beautifully throughout. Wagons may be a sultry synthesis of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds together with the growl and aggression of Tex Perkins and of course the winning lyricism of Johnny Cash, which lulls even the faint hearted into a dark abyss. The seeds of the band’s imagination stem from “Elvis Presley and Tom Jones across to outlaw acts like Willy Nelson,” he says. Such love for Willy Nelson resonates memorably in their tribute song; “sometimes I listen to Elvis, sometimes I listen to Cash, sometimes I listen to Waylon, but it all leads back to the one and only…Willy Nelson!” My personal favourite is Marylou, a bluesy homage to the southern girl that haunts many a folksy musician. They have blown away hipster ‘burbs like the Bowery in NYC and whipped audiences into frenzies in Vancouver, however Wagons says it was “trips up to the North West of America,” that offered the loveliest memories. It reminded him of his hometown Melbourne with a “vibrant music scene and vibrant enthusiastic people.” Added to his list of favourite tours were a festival in Ho Chi Minh City (where he was able to “absolutely OD” on his favourite food) and a short stint in Quindanning WA, a true gem in his eyes. Ultimately, of the opportunity to visit new places and perform in front of new crowds Wagons says, “this might sound cheesy, but there’s something really romantic about it.”

IT’S NOT BLACK AND WHITE KG From Elvis to Eminem, music history offers so many examples of white folk playing black music and, in the early years at least, doing much better out of it than their minority brothers and sisters. But didgeridoo-toting pale-face GANGA GIRI couldn’t be accused of misappropriating the spirit of Yidaki, or didgeridoo, from Indigenous Australians. “I’ve been given permission to do this,” affirmed Ganga over the phone on the road from Melbourne to Perisher to hit the Snowy Mountains of Music Festival. Permission, no less, by a traditional custodian of Yidaki from India was good Arnhem Land. But even before embarking to study the on the search for the source of this 2,000science of year old instrument, Ganga had already and th brea been on a spiritual walk-about through yoga, which is great for the India and Nepal, learning yoga and “hanging didgeridoo with the sadhus.” Indeed, it was in the mystic mountains where he was bestowed his moniker of the Sanskrit words ganga (river) and giri (mountain). “India was good to study the science of breath and yoga, which is great for the didgeridoo,“ says Ganga. “Having an amazing experience in the Himalayas, I got to find out more about the indigenous side of things… I was also lucky enough to spend quite a bit of time in Arnhem Land, just hanging with the people. I was invited to really special ceremonies… These Indigenous elders and sadhus live in the bush and do their special ceremonies. It’s quite amazing. There are definitely similarities [between them].” Having spent a bit of time in Aboriginal communities in the Pilbara myself, one of the enduring sentiments I came away with was a deep sense of loss over their lost culture and tradition. However, Ganga says Arnhem Land is different. “They have a bauxite mine up there, which enables the people to have a bit of money. There’s also still an abundance of bush tucker and people are still hunting their traditional food… They’re still doing ceremonies from thousands of years ago and tribal law still exists. Arnhem Land is probably the closest to how it was thousands of years ago, so the culture there is still bright. There are still problems, just like anywhere. But for me to see empowered Indigenous people on their tribal land is certainly a gift.” And like the lunar movements of tribal calendars, Ganga’s musical line-up waxes and wanes with various performers joining different shows on the tour to promote his latest album Good Voodoo. “It’s never exactly the same show. We might have different Indigenous guys in different places, different percussion guys. The core members are the rasta [vocalist Jornick Joelick] and myself as the beats man, which forms a really solid foundation to invite guests. But sometimes, less is more. More people on stage makes it more entertaining for sure, but with less people there’s more space. You can hear the vocals and didj clearer. I like the variety… A live performance is always a magical moment.” Ganga Giri will be entrancing Transit Bar on Saturday June 25 in support of his Good Voodoo album. Readable Graffiti are in support. Tix $15 through Moshtix. Hit up gangagiri.com for more info.

THE REALNESS Big tip off this month is that one of my fave producers Zomby is returning with a new album on his new home at the famed 4AD label. Sound like a bit of a weird match? Not so much, as 4AD has been pushing genre bending and innovative music for a long while now and their signing of Zomby only further cements their willingness to pioneer new styles and explore new angles. Zomby’s new LP Dedication is due out shortly and you can stream the entire album in preview at German online store HHV. Back on the home front, Melbourne wordsmith Fluent Form is back with his third album Word Merchant on Crate Cartel/Obese Records. Out Friday June 10, the album is jam packed with an array of heavy conceptual tunes, vivid storytelling and plenty of razor sharp Fluent Form lyricism and humour. Produced by Geko, the album features guest raps from the heavyweight ensemble of Lazy Grey, Raven, Maundz, Geko, Fatty Phew, Aetcix, Juse One, Dialectrix, Bigfoot, Ciecmate, Selzy, Jake Biz and Tornts. Back in the US there’re some anticipated and interesting releases on the horizon from the likes of Vakill (remember his excellent The Darkest Cloud LP from a few years back) who returns with Armour of God through the Chicago Molemen imprint. Produced by Panik, Memo, Jake One and more, the record also features collaborations with Vizion, Juice, Rhymefest, Nino Bless and Crooked I. Underrated beat magician (and certified workaholic) Count Bass-D is back again, this time teaming up with Boston’s Insight. Both amazing producers and emcees in their own right, they’ve just released The Risk Takers LP which should be suitably nuts. The album features Pacewon and Kool Keith. Two of the hip-hop scene’s most loved emcees Canibus and Keith Murray have joined forces for the Undergods LP. Their epic titled album In Gods We Trust, Crush Microphones To Dust features Crooked I and Tech9ne alongside production from Shuko, Jake One, Erick Sermon, Bronze Nazereth, Beat Butcha, Da Beatminerz and more. Jumping back to the UK and more on the funky tip, besides mixing the latest instalment of the Rinse series, super-producer Roska is set to drop a brand new six-track EP of original material on the label on Monday July 18. There’s a new video for Jackpot doing the rounds at the moment. Hunt it out. Soul Jazz Records always produces the goods and this time label owner Stuart Baker and Kevin Martin aka The Bug have curated a brand new compilation entitled Invasion of The Mystereon Killer Sounds in 3-D. The two-disc release compiles exclusive tunes from producers who pay homage to dancehall culture and meld it with other genres. Finally this month is the news that the don Silkie returns with his second album City Limits: Vol 2 this June. The first instalment made my top ten a few years back and since then Silkie has been churning out a slew of killer EPs. Returning to Mala’s Deep Medi label for the release, the album sees him exercise his knack for more darker styles and features collaborations with Skream, Truth and Von D. It’s going to be ace. To hear music from all of the above and much much more, tune to The Antidote, every Tuesday night from 9.30pm on 2XX 98.3FM. ROSHAMBO roshambizzle@yahoo.com.au

A CUT ABOVE THE REST DAVID BUTLER What happens to indie bands in between albums? Where do they go? What do they do? And why can’t we have them always - the good ones at least - instead of waiting around for several years for a follow-up album? Who knows? But it’s happened many times before, I think our first and it will happen again. Brash young album was indie kids make a splash, get a lot of ctic, ecle y prett airplay, and provide some danceable sometimes just good times, before disappearing for the sake of off the face of the earth, allegedly being eclectic ‘touring’. That was the case for THE PAPER SCISSORS, whose debut, Less Talk, More Paper Scissors got a bunch of airplay on triple j back in 2007, and sounded something like an Australian mash up of The Rapture, Modest Mouse and Cold War Kids. The single Yamanote Line in particular was a winner, and left fans across the country baying for more. And four years down the track, they’ve got their wish in the form of new LP In Loving Memory, but it’s an older, more focused version of the band than last time around. Singer Jai Pyne is just a tad nervous about how the album will sit with music fans. After all, it’s been a while. “It feels good to finally have the album done,” Pyne said. “We feel really happy and proud of it, but kind of anxious at the same time, just to see what people think, if people like it, and how it goes.” While the debut Less Talk… branched out on some fruity tangents, Pyne and his bandmates are now more secure in their sound, and have focused on forging a coherent long player that’s uniquely their own. “I think it’s a far more focused work than our last album. I think our first album was pretty eclectic, sometimes just for the sake of being eclectic,” he said. First Single Lung Sum features Pyne’s signature brash vocals and a colossal chorus, but the surrounding verses have been carefully shaded with some sonically sculpted guitars and crisp snare drum. “In terms of sound I think it’s colder than the first album,” Pyne said. “It’s a bit more abrasive. There’re strong pop elements to it as well, but it’s a bit more grown up and a bit less funky I think.” But much of the band’s new confidence can be put down to simply getting a little older, and settling in to becoming a tight bunch of mates, and a solid indie three-piece. “When you’re first in a band you kind of feel this invincibility, and it’s a real rush of ambition when you’re playing music. We were all pretty righteous.” The Paper Scissors will be playing at Transit Bar on Saturday June 18 with Readable Graffiti and Rubycon in support. Tickets are $15.30 from Moshtix or at the door.

METALISE Bastardfest has announced its full line-up for the shows touring the nation in September. The Sydney show is on Saturday September 3 and features, Psycroptic, Blood Duster, The Dreamkillers, Extortion, The Kill, Pod People d.Usk, Claim The Throne, I Exist, The Dead, Shellfin, Dead Letter Opener Iron Hide, Jack Flash, Synthetic Breed, The Ovaries, Happy Camper The Last Outlaw, Through Plagues and Magnertron. For our local hardcore fans, you may want to book in a trip to Melbourne on Saturday September 17 for the return of the USA’s mighty Ringworm, who will play alongside Psycroptic, Mindsnare, Extortion, Pod People I Exist, Fuck I’m Dead and Claim The Throne. Check the Bastardfest website for details.

Russian Circles have announced their first Australian tour and will be at ANU Bar on Friday September 9. The instrumental artists’ first tour will have some more acts added to the show as it gets closer, Metallise will keep you informed. Sydonia are on a national tour bringing their self-described “alt metal” stylings, and they’re bringing Contrive up the Hume on Thursday June 23 at Belconnen’s home of heavy metal, The Basement. The band will be airing out new tunes due to come out later this year on their as yet untitled album. Bay Area thrash masters Forbidden are touring Australia for the first time in July and August and they’re playing Sydney at The Bald Faced Stag (or ‘The Wall’ depending on how you know the Parramatta road venue) on Friday August 5 with Hobbs Angel Of Death, Hellbringer and Maniaxe. If you didn’t catch Portal at Evil Invaders III on the long weekend, you might want to book a holiday up to Brisbane for their Friday November 11 date at The Globe Theatre with Star Gazer and Spire. Motely Crue have officially announced their Australia tour for three dates in Australia in September. Friday September 23 is the closest one for glam fans. Supports for the show are Brett Michaels of Poison and Doc Neeson of The Angels. Meh, the book was better. No seriously, The Dirt by Neil Strauss, probably the best rock bio ever penned. The Doomriders tour hits The ANU Bar on Monday July 25, unleashing their blend of unhealthy obsessions in classic rock, hardcore and skateboarding all over Australia and New Zealand. I Exist are along for the ride and don’t forget to check out I Exist’s new album II: The Broken Passage out this week in your local record store. The band will launch the album next weekend, on Saturday June 25 at The Basement in Belco with Loveshy, Disavow and Anchors. If that’s not your cup of chai, Aussie grind champions Captain Cleanoff play Sydney on Saturday June 25 at Black Wire Records with Burning Servant, Battle Pope and Michael Crafter and the following night at The Sandringham Hotel in Newtown with Roadside Burial, Serious Beak and F.G.W.M.W.S. Unkle K’s Band of the Week: Drainland, Dublin, Ireland. myspace.com/drainlanddublin JOSH NIXON doomtildeath@hotmail.com

to the guitars, that was where his knowledge really came through.”

RESILIENT EXISTENCE daniel boyle The musical juggernaut that is Canberra’s own I EXIST are getting ready to release their latest album, II: The Broken Passage, following on from last year’s I: A Turn For The Worse. I caught up with vocalist Jake Willougby, drummer Simon Murphy and bassist Alex Young, to talk about the new album and recording with Billy Anderson. Simon told me, “I’d never heard of the guy before, but you know, he produced a few of Aaron’s favourite albums.” Aaron Osborne is I Exist’s founding member, one of four guitarists involved in the band. “He’d done things like Sleep and Eyehategod, he played in The Melvins for a while. When it was suggested that we get a big name producer, the main names suggested didn’t seem to suit. Billy was kind of a dream producer for Aaron, and Graham from Resist got in touch with him and things came together fairly quickly from there.” The band returned to Goatsound, the studio of Bloodduster’s Jason PC, this time with Billy Anderson at the helm. Alex said, “At first, Jason just showed him around the studio, but then when it came

Prepare for a serious dose of mythical hardcore on an international scale

Featuring up to seven members on the stage, after launching their album later this month, I Exist will take to the road in July alongside Doomriders, including a couple of shows in New Zealand. I Exist have built up a strong following in their short couple of years, based mainly around relentless touring. The band features current and former members of a wide range of Canberra’s metal and hardcore acts, most notably Hard Luck, Slowburn, Pod People and many more. These varied influences have all contributed to the sound of I Exist. “I think everyone is adding more to this album. Aaron comes up with the basic structure, and then we add our own ideas. Josh has come out of his shell a lot more on this album, he writes a lot of the leads.” Since playing their first shows in early 2009, I Exist have gone from strength to strength, already putting out their second album, alongside a Wet & Wild themed split recording with Sydney’s Phantoms, as well as a demo and a seven inch. It’s been a busy period. The band members I talked to put their progress and their busy schedule down to one thing. “It’s definitely due to the huge amount of work that Aaron puts in the band.” As for the new album Jake told me, “We’ve kind of moved away from the themes we began with, there are a lot more songs on here that are just based around wizards and dragons. It’s not that we’re not a serious band, more that we’re moving away from the ideas we began with. Prepare for a serious dose of mythical hardcore on an international scale.” I Exist will be launching II : The Broken Passage on Saturday June 25, at The Basement, with Anchors, Disavow and Loveshy. 18+.

the word

on albums

album of the issue Late Night Tales Trentemøller [Late Night Tales]

Trentemøller’s version of Late Night Tales is a very dark and sexy soundtrack for a horror film. In only the second song (and you should really listen to this in order) a deep and eerie voice (along with an eerie tune) tells the story of La Llorona (The Weeping Woman, a Mexican ghost tale to spook the kiddies). At the end of the song she screams. But don’t worry, the album doesn’t get too caught up in selfreferential ‘I’m-a-horror-film’ wank. Trentemøller recognises up-and-comers Thee Oh See’s and Vampire Hands and blends them in with established artists like Low, M. Ward and Nick Cave and Warren Ellis (whose song is adopted from The Proposition soundtrack (there are no rules here)). These choices have been made primarily for the purpose of illustrating Trentemøller’s own style; a smoky, sad, ghostly, heavily instrumental mood aggressively ekes out the same way it does in his own work. Albums like these encourage us to withdraw from our instinctive self-indulgent desire to trawl through the internet to find new music, skip ahead and dismiss whatever doesn’t immediately grab our attention (something I’m particularly guilty of doing). PETER ROSEWARNE

Belles Will Ring Crystal Theatre [Remote Control]

Cilla Jane Until Morning Comes [Green/MGM]

FUN MACHINE DESERT CREATURES [INDEPENDENT]

Crystal Theatre is the eagerly anticipated second full length album from vintage psychedelic-folk troupe Belles Will Ring. The title is the name of an old cinema in the village of Portland, near Lithgow, where much of the album was recorded, and it is within this frame that a timeless celluloid style rises out of the weary hours of the night to dance.

Melbournian Cilla Jane’s second album comes after early recognition of her talent and sponsorship through a John Butler Seed Fund grant. It is a work of great beauty, to make the boys sigh and the girls shed a silent tear.

Since the release of their debut EP More is More! in ‘09, local pop/rock/soul/ funk outfit Fun Machine have become something of the ‘it’ band of Canberra - the band that always play a great set; the band that always pull the type of crowd that everyone wants to be a part of. As far as local releases go then, it’s fair to say that Desert Creatures has been eagerly anticipated by those aware of its approach; fans desperate to finally experience at will the sweat-soaked adrenaline surge that accompanies a Fun Machine show. Desert Creatures will, for the most part, satiate those with such a craving. FM are, unfortunately (or fortunately), a group whose on-stage charisma, presence and infectious energy will forever be difficult to replicate in the studio. Yet the quality recording/mastering has meant that flagship tracks such as Toxic and Ah Te give the listener the same tingly rush of blood of a live performance.

The album’s two stand out tracks, Come to the Village and Come North With me Baby, Wow were both released last year and are the initial orientation points of this album, but the shuffle of scene setting mood pieces in between will soon disarm and disorient the unwary listener. This is thanks to band member Liam Judson’s intimate recording techniques, which lifted Cloud Control’s Bliss Release to the heights of analogue perfection. Trouble in Deepwater, referencing another remote NSW town, sets the scene of fragile isolation, escape, yearning, and toasting marshmallows over smoky fires. It also sets the sonic stage - the reverb drenched interplay of vocals and guitar, washed out and tender, threatening to come apart. A touch of Nick Drake and Quentin Tarantino. Not all these tracks are pulling in the same direction, but it is the thematic link, the ghostly hand on the wheel of this album, that brings them back together. Belles Will Ring will be looking for a screenplay to stage to this authentic tromp through the haunted edges of the outback. Liam Demamiel

The opening title track is full of tenderness and a wistful yearning. One Deep Breath carries a gossamer caress to the soul, both soothing and seducing at the same time. Into the Woods displays impressive musicality, with the soft piano chords complementing the lovely timbre of her voice. This girl has a voice that just has to be heard to be believed, an alluring tone which is both sweet and tinged with a certain sadness. However, in the capering Back to Me, Cilla sounds a lot like the bright voiced Regina Spektor. A special warmth is injected into the music by the cello of Andy Picker, who co-arranged the album with Cilla. Song messages revolve around love, hope and playfulness, and there’s a common thread running through them all, inviting you to take a deep breath and leap into new adventures. The CD artwork is delightful and there’s even a charming simplicity to the song titles, such as On My Bike and Made of Glass. Cilla Jane plays The Front on Saturday July 9. It’s sure to be a captivating gig, guaranteed to make you leave your daily cares far behind. RORY McCARTNEY

Most satisfying, however, is the group’s maturity and development in songwriting. Their live shows succeed without doubt in exhibiting their tenacity for energetic, funklaced rock, yet the more refined subtleties of Wichita or Coming With Muskets would often be lost on a live audience. More than studio cuts of their live repertoire, Desert Creatures is a bold statement of the group’s potential. It’s being launched at the White Eagle Polish Club in O’Connor on Saturday June 18. ben hermann

singled out

with Dave Ruby Howe

FLOWERS ICEHOUSE [Universal]

ThE ARCTIC MONKEYS Suck It and See [Domino]

TYLER THE CREATOR Goblin [XL]

That burst of domestic electro a few years back was a useful reminder that the local music scene has always been far more complex than meat and potato, guitar-based rock. Occasionally, different heads would rise above the parapet. 30 years ago a young classically trained composer scratched together a few tunes in a dodgy flat on Sydney’s leafy middle North Shore. Taking cues from the new wave, glam and art rock the Iva Davies-led Flowers (changing their name to Icehouse soon after this was released) found their feet quickly settling on a sound that was edgy, melodic, mysterious and arid. Icehouse, the lead track, is all creepy slow burning atmospherics. Quite an audacious way to start a debut, sneaking into your conscience rather than forcefully demanding attention – a radical notion in the post-punk/pubrock landscape of the day.

The tricky thing about being an ‘it’ band is sustaining ‘it’ over the long-term. In 2006, The Arctic Monkeys came out of nowhere with Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not; an album that was brilliant and fresh and worthy of the attention it received. It established The Arctic Monkeys as one of ‘those’ bands, anchored by their simple guitar sound and the ingenious lyricism of frontman Alex Turner. Suck It and See comes five years (and a few solid albums) down the track. What it reveals is a band that is almost indistinguishable from all of the other four-piece rock outfits out there today.

There has been no viral video more exciting, retweeted, reblogged, shared to your newsfeed and spreading in earnest this year than Tyler The Creator’s performance of Sandwiches on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon. The simple, menacing beat. The energy from the performers so real, so enthusiastic it had Mos Def screaming in celebration almost incoherently. The second album by this troubled, talented underground rapper, who has helped lead his band of friends OFWGKTA from tumblr nobodies to being the hottest ticket in town at the Sydney Opera House in the space of two years is killer. Forget Eminem comparisons – Tyler doesn’t claim to be a comedian, he is a much more scared, vulnerable, enthusiastic, imaginative young man, expressing his malaise and disconnect through his dystopian production, adversarial lyrics and the overriding therapy-based themes of all of his albums thus far.

In the anxious shuffling Can’t Help Myself the echoey strains of disaffected and lost ‘80s youth can be deciphered, a similar feeling pervades Walls and We Can Get Together, both justifiable radio hits back when radio mattered. This album has aged well – neither embarrassingly futuristic nor hampered by the technical constraints of the era. A few tracks fail to rise, but those that do elevate it to classic status. Icehouse are far more than egregious mullets and Great Southern Land blasting out of souped up Holdens on Australia Day. This album is evidence of a band with a singular vision far ahead of their time. JUSTIN HOOK

Opening track She’s Thunderstorms sees the album starting flat, with Turner’s trademark witticisms shelved for lyrics that border on cliché and boring. Black Treacle propels the album further down this direction, and it is not until Brick by Brick that the album starts to go anywhere. Despite occasional flashes of brilliance, most notably All My Own Stunts and the aforementioned Brick by Brick, Suck It and See can best be described as underwhelming. The Arctic Monkeys have strayed too far and into territory that they do not need to be in. What differentiated them as a band was their almost cheeky attitude and an ability to translate this into their music. Suck It and See is too serious, devoid of almost all the things that made The Arctic Monkeys so good. Liam Demamiel

Due to the language, themes and concepts discussed here (some people will take offence to many of the throwaway lines, and rightly so), this record is hard to justify liking if you are over the age of 15, but the rawness of the beats, the honesty in the delivery of the mind sparks, and the wonderful lack of professionalism make this album stand out so favourably from most albums you will ever hear, especially these days. Simultaneously inspiring and revolting, Goblin is important for 2011. alistair erskine

Aeroplane My Enemy [Balance Music] I was pretty adamant about how disappointing the first Aeroplane album was, but off it we’ve got one last single which just so happens to be the best cut from the album. My Enemy is classic Aeroplane, the one that everyone fell in love with on those jillion remixes; it’s smooth, a little sultry, with funky bass and gorgeous lush synths, all topped off by the string-assisted drama. If only it could’ve all been this good.

Com Truise Fairlight [Ghostly International] Against the other poster children of the chillwave scene, Com Truise appears like the synth-obsessed loner, stuck in his room, endlessly tweaking sequencers and playing Super Metroid. If that sounds like your thing then you’ll dig Fairlight, a lean instrumental workout of bleeps, bloops and computer zaps that’ll continue to pulse through your ears after it’s finished.

Miracles Club Light Of Love [Cutters] Because Cut Copy can do no wrong the Modular heroes are now giving some (deserved) love to disco-toting buddies Miracles Club on their own Cutters label. The Light Of Love pack comes with some tasty re-workings of the original, including one by the Cut Copy crew themselves which floats about the floor for six minutes with relentless piano plonks and the odd tom flourish. Hell yeah.

the word

on films

WITH MELISSA WELLHAM

I do love Oscar season: the serious WWII films, the psycho-sexual thrillers, the yearly surprise performance from a one-time rom-com actress who does something watchable with her career for once. But perhaps what I love even more is the blockbuster season. You know what to expect. You know that eating popcorn will be appropriate, and you won’t have that awkward moment where you have to decide whether to crunch your way through Nicole Kidman’s breakdown. You know you will have fun.

quote of the issue “I suppose I am a professor now. Pretty soon I’ll be going bald.” Charles/Professor X (James McAvoy), X-Men: First Class

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides Disclaimer: despite my love of Johnny Depp (that has only been somewhat lessened by his playing exactly the same character in every Tim Burton movie) I was mostly resolved to hate the latest installment in the Pirates franchise. There is something so blatantly moneygrubbing about creating the fourth installment in a trilogy, which doesn’t even star the majority of the original cast that I find vaguely repugnant. But it’s not all bad. This installment focuses even more on Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp), who is having as much fun as ever strutting, prancing and eyelash-batting his way across the screen. On Stranger Tides sees Jack kidnapped by Blackbeard (Ian McShane) and his sultry daughter Angelica (Penelope Cruz), and forced to help them find the fountain of youth. Right behind them is Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), who has turned from pirateer into privateer, and is seeking the elixir for a dying Duke. Aside from the ‘been there, pillaged that’ feel of the film, it also isn’t as well scripted as the previous installments. Where the previous three were genuinely witty and featured unexpected twists, the jokes here fall flat and the twists are either incoherent or far too convenient. The concept has been plundered for all its wealth. A film about the fountain of youth, Pirates certainly proved one thing: some franchises just can’t live forever. Melissa Wellham

The Hangover: Part II

X-Men: First Class

The Hangover: Part II makes no apologies for the fact that it wants to push the boundaries. It wants to shock and gross you out – and for every incredulous groan you utter, some studio exec somewhere gets his wings. And by ‘wings’ I mean ‘pile of money’.

A prequel to the other X-Men films that have been released in recent years, First Class is set during the swinging ‘60s, and shows the early friendship and eventual falling-out between Charles (Professor X, played by James McAvoy) and Erik (Magneto, played by Michael Fassbender). Erik and Charles meet for the first time when they both become involved in the mission to find Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon), a mutant determined to start nuclear war. Other mutants make appearances, including Beast (played by Nicholas Hoult, Skins) and a young Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence, Winter’s Bone), and Emma Frost (January Jones, an ice queen playing a literal ice queen).

This sequel to the wildly popular The Hangover has pretty much used that film’s fame as an excuse to use the exact same formula again. Oh sure, a few of the main things have been changed (the location for one thing, and there’s a monkey in this one), but overall this is pretty much the same script with a few words replaced. In this instalment, the wolf pack head to Thailand for Stu’s wedding. Everything goes smoothly, and no one disappears or drugs anyone else. Ha! What kind of comedy would that be? Of course there are roofies involved – as well as bar fights, drug dealers, unwanted tattoos, casual racism, and some surprising sexual revelations. Is it worth seeing? Well, it’s a laugh, that’s for sure – although the general consensus is that it isn’t nearly as good as the first film. Some jokes are taken a bit too far, but overall the film is (for the most part) harmlessly offensive. Some will hate it, but personally I enjoyed it. Maybe that says something about me… MEGAN McKEOUGH

Aside from the strong script and slick production, the thing that makes First Class work is the ensemble cast. Aside from January Jones (proving that her un-emoting in Mad Men is not acting, it’s just all she can do with her face), the majority of the cast turn in solid performances. McAvoy and Fassbender are unsurprisingly great. And the bromance! Oh, the bromance! The friendship between Charles and Erik is truly beautiful – there’s just something so lovely about seeing stoic dudes talk about their feelings. Although, there are definite homoerotic under (over?) tones, which just makes the film all the more poignant. First Class is both funnier and more moving than the X-Men films that have come before. X-Men: First Class is (and this is almost too easy) first class. MELISSA WELLHAM

the word on dvds

Human Planet (Blu Ray) [Roadshow/BBC]

The Killing [Madman]

Another Year [Icon]

With over 800 minutes of sheer hi-def brilliance, Human Planet has just raised the bar on how nature/sociological/ anthropological docos are done. A few months back we discussed the battle between National Geographic and the BBC for nature doco supremacy. BBC has the reputation, tradition and history and accordingly the farthest to fall. Nat Geo, as the upstart in this caper, devoted their energies to technique and technology with some gripping successes. Sadly they fell over on the narrative front. No such misstep from the BBC. They own this stuff.

Every decade or so a TV show comes along that surgically attaches ass to couch. Danish crime drama The Killing (Forbrydelsen) is one such show. It’s also one of the best TV shows ever made.

In many ways Mike Leigh’s latest film Another Year refuses to conform to the basics of scriptwriting or filmmaking. There are no broadly painted character arcs. The drama is never over egged. The tension – crisp throughout – comes not through artificial highly stylised set pieces, but through acutely observed simmering hostility between characters with real depth.

This sprawling doco divides itself up somewhat arbitrarily into eight parts: water, desert, rivers, jungles, Arctic, mountains, grasslands and cities. But in doing so it gets to cover every corner of the globe. It was a mammoth undertaking – four years and a few thousand terabytes of video. Whilst not overburdened with technical wizardry, the series slowly pieces together a picture of our world that’s well known (the oceans are deep, snow is cold) and less well known (tribesman who get to suspend their marriage vows and engage in a little bit of random sex when the drought breaks). Whatever the theme, the series zeroes in on specific stories to illustrate larger points. So we get Mongolian tundra farmers fretting about wolves attacking their flock. And we get insane Filipino oxygen divers (100 metre garden hoses as lifelines) risking death to secure shrinking hauls of seafood. All up, life is perilous and a constant threat of imbalance, yet somehow we move on. Human Planet is a visual smorgasbord; cinematography is universally jaw dropping. But underneath all those pretty pictures is a compelling narrative: we’re in this together so stop screwing it up. Your move, National Geographic. JUSTIN HOOK

Over the course of 20 hour-long episodes, The Killing redefines the procedural crime genre, thereby ruining every other proforma cop show in the process. Normal procedure dictates a crime happening, investigation ensuing and resolution within 43 minutes. Conversely, over a thousand tightly packed and utterly compelling minutes The Killing unravels every element of this basic and well-worn structure (all the while skewering the concept of a neatly contained crime drama) to reveal the true costs of crime – on the victim’s family, those wrongly accused, friends, politicians, investigators, the media and anyone unfortunate enough to get ensnared in the aftermath of an unseen murder. Detective Sarah Lund (Sofie Gråbøl) is set to retire when a teenage girl bound in the boot of a car is found. Lund takes the case full throttle despite that new life in Sweden beckoning. As the case becomes more complicated Lund’s new life drifts off into the distance as she battles with prickly banana eating, no-smokingin-the-office flouting offsider, Jan Meyer (Søren Malling). Through it all Gråbøl is as stoic as the sullen weather enveloping Copenhagen and isolating all those around her. Deliberately, it seems. She plays Lund purposely flat, falling prey to none of the usual female cop tropes – no sassy mouth, designer heels or office flings. Indeed her sensible thick sweater was the breakout star of the show when it first aired. It’s impossible to distil where this show ends up or how it gets there but rest assured every step is nerve wracking and riveting. Tak indeed. JUSTIN HOOK

No surprise coming from a man notable for a strict adherence to a particular type of British realism unmatched in modern cinema. To some eyes it’s bleak. And partly that’s true. Leigh will never be accused of pandering to blockbuster escapism. But bleak implies a sense of despair and desolation, whereas Leigh imbues his films with a sense of ordinariness that can be quite confronting at times. His films are a constant reminder to us all that there is nothing wrong with living in the here and now, toiling away at whatever desk-monkey job we have, just getting by. And that’s exactly what is happening here. Tom (Jim Broadbent, brilliant as always) and Gerri Hepple (Ruth Sheen) live a happy existence in a non-descript semi in the suburbs, tending the garden at their allotment on the weekends. Through their open doors pass a parade of friends who over the years have clearly come to rely on the couple for their stability and openness. Mary (Lesley Manville) has ingratiated herself into Tom and Gerri’s lives to the point where she is an unofficial aunt figure. Through Mary’s inability to operate as a normal human being we witness the disintegration of a friendship that was possibly not worth it to begin with. Another Year is a tremendous film. It’s also one of the few that filled me with slight regret that it had finished. I could have done another hour in these people’s lives, easy. JUSTIN HOOK

the word

BLACKBOX

on games

DiRT 3 Developer: Codemasters Platform: PC, 360, PS3 Length: 5+ hours Rating: Worth grabbing With poor old Colin McRae having passed on several years ago now, it seems like it’s finally time to put to rest his name too. But I suspect his name doesn’t feature in this issue’s game title not for this reason, but rather because Dirt 3 seems so much fresher than Colin McRae 8 (no corpse pun intended - although obviously it was because I just wrote that). Whilst it still doesn’t quite match the likes of EA, who are about to put out their 18th Need for Speed title, I do shudder when a sequel is released within anything less than two years of its predecessor (I’m looking at you Modern Warfare). What differentiates the two series though is that Codemasters, the developers behind Dirt, seem like they actually want to make a good racing game, whereas the horde behind the NFS franchise seem more motivated by what will look good in a trailer. In that vein, Dirt 3 continues its trademark classiness with the return of its stylish menus. Whereas Dirt 2’s were flashy at the expense of practicality, this time form and function are well balanced. The quality established by the menus is carried throughout the game. Dirt 3 features some spunky looking cars and courses, making it visually a more appealing game than GT5. Sure, not so much with regards to how realistic particular bits looks, but rather how coherent and consistent the overall aesthetic is. With regards to the actual gameplay, it’s still nicely varied albeit with a greater focus on the rally component. Consequently, the game feels more mature and mellow than Dirt 2, which for me is only a good thing, although the game still longs to be ‘hip’, with players being able to upload their replays to YouTube (as if there wasn’t already enough crap on that site). Likewise, there’s a new power-sliding mode, known as Gymhana, which actually does quite a lot to add some variety to the otherwise all racing affair. Touching on controls briefly, the cars are somewhat tricky to handle, however this does do well to create a real sense of power. Throw in some tarmac and you’ve got yourself one ballsto-the-wall racer. When it inevitably then goes tits up, you can still rather clumsily rewind time. Whilst this feature does well to remove those moments of sheer rage, it does so at the cost of cheapening the win. Having now played both Dirt 2 and 3, I can say that this game is a definite improvement. Whilst I still probably wouldn’t shell out the cash for it if I was already a proud Dirt 2, GT5 or even a Shift owner, I would point someone in Dirt 3’s direction over all others. TORBEN SKO

One man’s hoarder is another man’s collector and there are plenty of shows to cater for the obsession including American Pickers (7Mate, Wed Jun 29, 9.30pm),which follows Mike Wolfe and Franz Fritz as they unearth rare finds in people’s garages and junkyards across the US Midwest, Hardcore Pawn (7Mate, Wed Jun 29, 10.30pm), a fly on the wall doco about a family owned pawn shop in Detroit, Antiques Roadshow (Gem, Sat, Sun 6.30pm, Mon-Fri 4.30pm) and Australia’s favourite (and the best) Collectors (ABC1, Fri, 8pm) which peers into some of the most eclectic collections imaginable. Mate is really living up to its moniker with a slew of very blokey new observational docos including Monster Nation (7Mate, Wed Jun 29, 11pm), Monster Garage with ordinary people, Swamp People (7Mate, Thu Jun 30, 7.30pm), which follows the alligator season in Louisiana, and repeats of Mythbusters (7Mate, Wed Jun 29, 7.30pm). It’s all about the observational doco this issue with viewers finally getting a peek behind the scenes of UK policing with Behind the Force (SBS1, Tue Jun 28, 8.30pm) and yes Chez Blackbox will be most disappointed if it turns out to be more like COPS (One, Tue, Wed, 8.30pm) than The Bill (7TWO, Thu 8.30pm, ABC1, Mon-Fri, 4am). And the new Chez Blackbox fave ob doco is An Idiot Abroad (One, Mon, 8.30pm). More a rollicking travel comedy, really - Ricky Gervais (which usually spells don’t watch) has sent his mate Karl Plinkington off around the world to sample other cultures. If Karl was Australian he’d probably come from Bogangate and question why you’d want to go to Sydney, let alone Brazil. As it turns out, he does go to Brazil and as you’d expect makes some hilarious observations. Those who fancy a fash mag career should check out Marie Claire – Under the Cover (7TWO, Sun 6.30pm, Prime, Sat, 2pm). The BMA office is much more exciting… just sayin’ (you said it Trace - Ed.). Those who dream to be a famous product designer should get a taste of the reruns of Design for Life (ABC2, Sun, 8pm) – not sure Philippe Starck really disproves the arrogance of the French. Other docos to check out include Leigh Hart’s Mysterious Planet (ABC1, Tue, 9pm), which looks at the world’s greatest mysteries, like the Loch Ness Monster, The True Story (ABC1, Wed, 9.30pm) looks at the real stories that inspired Hollywood adventure flicks such as Pirates of the Caribbean and James Bond, Nuclear Meltdown (SBS1, Sun Jun 19, 9.30pm) looks at the situation at Fukushima, and Go Back to Where You Came From (SBS1, Tue Jun 21, Wed Jun 22, Thu Jun 23, 8.30pm) takes six Australians on the reverse journey that refugees have taken to reach Australia. If you like Will Ferrell, you can now catch him on the small screen in Eastbound and Down (7Mate, Tue, 10.30pm) as burnt out baseball player Kenny Powers. Looking for some non-footy sports viewing? The FIFA Women’s World Cup is on (SBS1, starts Mon Jun 27, 1.30am) and should be good for the patriotic spirit – Australia’s women’s team is ranked 11th in the world. Tennis fans will be pleased to hear Prime will be broadcasting Wimbledon live. The brilliant Rake (ABC1, Sat Jul 2, 9.30pm) is repeated (again) and don’t miss Stephen Fry’s latest dramedy Kingdom (ABC1, Sat Jun 18, 7.30pm). TRACY HEFFERNAN tracyheffernan@bigpond.com

the word

Jebediah / Violent Soho / Young Revelry ANU Bar Thursday May 26

on gigs

Jebediah at the ANU Bar! What is this? 1997? Is that why there’s so much flannelette? But no, here we all were, some 14 years since the release of Slightly Odway, and excited as school kids again to see what was - and still is - a cracking good Aussie band. A threequarters-ish full house turned out for the occasion, and witnessed a fine performance from the Perth-based indie rockers, filled with lots of charm, humour, and just a little nostalgia. Support acts Young Revelry and Violent Soho opened proceedings to a largely unresponsive crowd, although Violent Soho fared best out of the two. The Brisbane lads took on the challenge with an energetic, raucous, and grungy set, closing with a ripping version of 1989 grunge anthem My Pal by God, which went down a treat. But it was the much-loved Jebs that we’d braved the cold for, and they didn’t disappoint. Scruffy frontman Kevin Mitchell, fresh from his acoustic troubadour outings as Bob Evans, seemed to relish playing with a rock band again, and struggled to wipe the grin off his face for the rest of the evening. “Did you miss us?” Mitchell asked. “We missed you.” The crowd roared their approval. It would be wrong to describe the set that followed as a ‘greatest hits’ performance, because there were just as many great Jebediah songs left out as could be squeezed in to the one show. After all these years I’d forgotten how consistent these guys were as songwriters. Epic singles Harpoon and Jerks of Attention came early on in the set, and - along with Puck Defender, Benedict and Leaving Home, made a good account of the band’s 1997 hit record Slightly Odway. But this was not just a trip down memory lane. New single Comet off the band’s recent album Kosciusko was welcomed loudly, and it was great to see a bunch of younger fans up the front hanging out for these newer tunes. Another plus of seeing the Jebs after so many years was the polished musicianship of all four members. The years spent honing their craft made for a much smoother and richer sound, and while a few of the rougher, punkier edges were knocked off, the overall mix was stronger for it. Even Mitchell’s famous nasal whine, which once had the word ‘home’ from Leaving Home turned into a multi-syllable extravaganza, has toned down a notch or two. It was a pretty special night at the ANU. When you can look around and see punters singing every word to obscure album tracks from a record that came out over a decade ago, you know it’s a band that’s had a deep and lasting effect. There’s something just so damned loveable about Jebediah. These four scruffy, punky popsters with a knack for writing catchy tune after catchy tune were never the biggest Aussie band in their era. Not critically at least.

PHOTOS: ANDREW MAYO

Those ‘critically acclaimed’ gongs went to the Silverchairs and Powderfingers of the nation, and to a lesser extent Grinspoon and Something for Kate. But there was an enduring love for this band on show at the ANU that night, which was pretty powerful to be a part of. Few Aussie bands have been more loved by the punters, and few have been as consistently good. The best part is, with a new quality record out in the form of Kosciusko, it seems there’s still some life in the old girl yet. Dave Butler

GIG GUIDE June 15 - June 18 wednesday june 15 Arts Bad!Slam!No!Bicuit! Poetry Slam 7.30pm.

THE PHOENIX PUB

I’m Hans Christian Anderson

The Last Emperor

An exquisite ballet from the Liaoning Ballet Company. 4 performances only. CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

Harvest – Dierdre Pierce

This exhibition highlights the work of mixed media artist Dierdre Pearce. CRAFT ACT

Arc: The Yusef Trilogy

PIN - Wonderwall

Arts

Faces of Asylum

Restoration

ANCA GALLERY, ROSEVEAR PLACE

Dispeling some of the myths around refugees by promoting facts and sharing personal stories.

Egg (2007, 18+). 2pm.

THE STREET THEATRE

ARC CINEMA, NATIONAL FILM & SOUND ARCHIVE

THE QUEANBEYAN PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE

The Last Emperor

Arc: The Yusef Trilogy

Dance

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

ARC CINEMA, NATIONAL FILM & SOUND ARCHIVE

7.30pm.

An exquisite ballet from the Liaoning Ballet Company. 4 performances only.

PIN - Wonderwall

An intriguing exhibition of artist-made brooches, showcasing miniature wearable works. ANCA GALLERY, ROSEVEAR PLACE

Faces of Asylum

Dispeling some of the myths around refugees by promoting facts and sharing personal stories.

THE QUEANBEYAN PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE

Milk (2008, 18+). 7pm.

PIN - Wonderwall

An intriguing exhibition of artist-made brooches, showcasing miniature wearable works. ANCA GALLERY, ROSEVEAR PLACE

Faces of Asylum

Dispeling some of the myths around refugees by promoting facts and sharing personal stories.

THE QUEANBEYAN PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE

Live

Emmure

Faux Real

TUGGERANONG YOUTH CENTRE

KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

Speaker of the Dead Oz tour.

Karnivool

With Shockone and Over Reactor. Tix through Ticketek.

Well actually, not literally, he’s totes real.

Ill Starred Captain 9pm.

THE PHOENIX PUB

ANU BAR AND REFECTORY

Force de Funk Mahoud and Sidney

These stars join forces to bring the house down to celebrate Sidney’s 21st Birthday. 7:30pm, Free. THE FRONT CAFE AND GALLERY

Something Different Fame Trivia

Make sure you register your team by 6pm every Wednesday at the bar to test your knowledge. TRANSIT BAR

thursday june 16 Arts Uncontained

Uncontained presents bite size portions of craft and design. CRAFT ACT

Restoration

An exhibition of paintings by James Lieutenant.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ARTS SPACE - MANUKA

friday june 17

MOS Sessions 8 Tour

With Tommy Trash. Presales on sale now. ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

Foreplay Fridays

9pm till 5am with DJ’s Matt & Pete. Two for one drinks & free entry until 11pm.

Come and unleash your inner 80s and work that dancefloor to all the classics. Free Entry. TRANSIT BAR

Live

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE GORMAN HOUSE

Harvest – Annabelle Davidson This exhibition highlights the work of glass artist Annabelle Davidson. CRAFT ACT

The Removalists

Presented by Free Rain Theatre. Directed by Cara Irvine. Bookings 6293 1443. TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE

Box of Tricks

Sculptures by Paul Hay. Continues until July 2.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE GORMAN HOUSE

Arc: Rainer Werner Fassvinder

ARC CINEMA, NATIONAL FILM & SOUND ARCHIVE

Presented by Free Rain Theatre. Directed by Cara Irvine. Bookings 6293 1443. TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE

Regards to the Family

Photographic installation and video by Debra Porch. Continues until July2.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE GORMAN HOUSE

THE BASEMENT

Dance

Presented by Live Evil. $20, doors at 8.

Shockwave

WODEN YOUTH CENTRE

Sculptures by Paul Hay. Continues until July 2.

ARC CINEMA, NATIONAL FILM & SOUND ARCHIVE

A Night of Classic Heavy Metal

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ARTS SPACE - MANUKA

Box of Tricks

Milk (2008, 18+). 7pm.

The Removalists

Cheese (80s/Retro)

For This Cause

CRAFT ACT

Arc: The Yusef Trilogy

MONKEY BAR

DJs Trent Richardson + guests! Doors open 9pm.

Restoration

This exhibition highlights the work of mixed media artist Dierdre Pearce.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ARTS SPACE - MANUKA

Corona Madness Party

Arts

Harvest – Dierdre Pierce

An exhibition of paintings by James Lieutenant.

Germany’s postwar master director. In a Year with 13 Moons (1978, MA15+). 4.30pm.

CUBE NIGHTCLUB

Ft. For This Cause, Drawing North, Transience Invalid + more! 5pm, All Ages!

An exhibition of paintings by James Lieutenant.

saturday june 18

An intriguing exhibition of artist-made brooches, showcasing miniature wearable works.

WODEN YOUTH CENTRE

With an energetic and captivating live performance it’s set to be a cracking eve kicking off at 5pm.

Sasha le Monnier (UK) and Club Junque (SYD)

Effigy are excited to launch their first gig at the newly renovated nightclub Das Klubhaus. DAS KLUBHAUS

Knightsbridge Hoedown

Nathan Frost

Boot scootin’ at the cattle station, feautring Queen Juanity & The Zydeco Cowboys, Free entry.

Ice cold to the touch, warming to the soul.

KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

Live

Friday Night Acoustic Series

Fun Machine Desert Creatures EP Launch

‘Pro Blues & Roots Acoustic jam’. Featuring ‘Steve Russell’. 8pm (Free entry). HARMONIE GERMAN CLUB

Bowen & The Lucky Dutchmen Upbeat Blues/Funk/Rooots sensation, 7:30pm, $10. THE FRONT CAFE AND GALLERY

It’s gonna be bananas! With JDSS, nozl and Hungarian dancers! And Jacinta! Two stages! 8pm. WHITE EAGLE POLISH CLUB

Mikelangelo and The Tin Star Album Launch

With special guests Saint Clare, Fred Smith and Liz Frencham and more! Tix through the venue. TILLEY’S

GIG GUIDE June 18 - June 27 The Paper Scissors - In Loving Memory Tour Sydney’s Paper Scissors drop into Transit as part of their national tour. $12 + BF Presale. TRANSIT BAR

Bowen and the Lucky Dutchmen

Live

Timber

Gentlemen’s Jam Bootlegs

KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

Cam McLennan, Elisha Bones, Sam McLaren, Runaway Skyline, Daniel Champagne. THE PHOENIX PUB

THE PHOENIX PUB

sunday june 19

tuesday june 21 Arts

Deep, man. Just deep.

Wagons - Rumble, Shake & Tumble Tour

Thirsty Merc

SOUTHERN CROSS CLUB

TRANSIT BAR

SOUTHERN CROSS CLUB

friday june 24

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE GORMAN HOUSE

Arts

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ARTS SPACE - MANUKA

Something Different

The Removalists

Arc: The Yusef Trilogy

Trivia Night

ARC CINEMA, NATIONAL FILM & SOUND ARCHIVE

7:30pm.

THE PHOENIX PUB

Box of Tricks

wednesday june 22

Sculptures by Paul Hay. Continues until July 2.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE GORMAN HOUSE

Arts

Arc: Tsui Hark

Faces of Asylum

Hong Konh Action: Shanghai Blues (1984, M). 2pm.

ARC CINEMA, NATIONAL FILM & SOUND ARCHIVE

Dispeling some of the myths around refugees by promoting facts and sharing personal stories.

The Removalists

THE QUEANBEYAN PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE

TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE

Presented by Free Rain Theatre. Directed by Cara Irvine. Bookings 6293 1443.

Regards to the Family

Photographic installation and video by Debra Porch. Continues until July2.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE GORMAN HOUSE

Live

The Removalists

TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE

Live The Floating Trio

A wondrous musical world you won’t want to leave. 7:00pm, $5.

Presented by Free Rain Theatre. Directed by Cara Irvine. Bookings 6293 1443. TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE

THEATRE 3

Australian Hip-Hop Championships

Box of Tricks

Juniors, 2pm, Open, 7pm. Tix through the venue.

Sculptures by Paul Hay. Continues until July 2.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE GORMAN HOUSE

A bizarre bazaar of bric-a-brac and bits and bobs. It’s a garage sale in a pub! Free set up. 12-5. THE PHOENIX PUB

monday june 20 Arts Regards to the Family

Photographic installation and video by Debra Porch. Continues until July2.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE GORMAN HOUSE

Arts The Removalists

Presented by Free Rain Theatre. Directed by Cara Irvine. Bookings 6293 1443. TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE

Metaphors for a Stuff Up

An exhibition by Dan Stewart-Moore. Opening 6pm. Continuing until July 3.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ARTS SPACE - MANUKA

Dance

ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

Digital

Tix on sale now.

Purple Sneakers

Australia’s moved loved indie night back to do it again for May. www. purplesneakers.com.au. TRANSIT BAR

Live

(and Why Is Everybody Talkin’ About Him?). (2010, 18+). Final screening, 7pm.

TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE

ARC CINEMA, NATIONAL FILM & SOUND ARCHIVE

Live Anarchist Duck

The tightest trio of gold coast funk/ reggae rhymers. 8pm, $10. THE FRONT CAFE AND GALLERY

Alex Anonymous THE PHOENIX PUB

Jazz Garters

Bookings 6257 1950. More info canberrarep.org.au . THEATRE 3

Minimal, deep house, progressive sounds & techno. From 10pm. THE CLUBHOUSE

Dub By Day Launch Party

Feat. Downlink. $15 before 5pm. TRINITY BAR

Live The Intercity Saliva Swap Saga Cam McLennan, Elisha Bones, Sam McLaren, Runaway Skyline, Daniel Champagne. THE PHOENIX PUB

Antarctica Music festival and Conference

Five days of music, dance, Antarctic sounds, photography and more. music. anu.edu.au/antarctica . VARIOUS LOCATIONS

Arc: The Yusef Trilogy

Something Different

ARC CINEMA, NATIONAL FILM & SOUND ARCHIVE

LiveSmart Festival

Honey (2009, G). 7pm.

Arc: Scott of the Antarctic (1948, G). 4.30pm.

ARC CINEMA, NATIONAL FILM & SOUND ARCHIVE

Live Dali’s Angels

Arc: Who Is Harry Nilsson

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE GORMAN HOUSE

Presented by Free Rain Theatre. Directed by Cara Irvine. Bookings 6293 1443.

Arts

Antarctica Music Festival and Conference

ARC CINEMA, NATIONAL FILM & SOUND ARCHIVE

The Removalists

saturdayjune 25

Milk (2008, 18+). 2pm.

Box of Tricks

Sculptures by Paul Hay. Continues until July 2.

Kylie’s best mate turns it up on the real.

W/ Young Romantics and James Fahy Trio.

Arc: The Yusef Trilogy

Honey (2009, G). 5pm.

Don Rimini

Fame Trivia

thursday june 23

Arc: The Yusef Trilogy ARC CINEMA, NATIONAL FILM & SOUND ARCHIVE

Make sure you register your team by 6pm every Wednesday at the bar to test your knowledge.

Phoenix Flea Market

THE STREET THEATRE

dance

Mornings

Something Different

Jazz Garters THEATRE 3

KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

THE PHOENIX PUB

TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE

Bookings 6257 1950. More info canberrarep.org.au .

Something Different

TRANSIT BAR

Presented by Free Rain Theatre. Directed by Cara Irvine. Bookings 6293 1443. Bookings 6257 1950. More info canberrarep.org.au .

W/ Tom Richardson and Benny Walker, 7.30pm, $5. W/ Life & Limb, Dark Horse, Shoeb Ahmad. 7pm, $5 at door.

Arts

Jazz Garters

D’Opus

THE FRONT CAFE AND GALLERY

saturdayjune 26

The Removalists

THE FRONT CAFE AND GALLERY

Laura Hill

A two hour spectacular. Bookings 6283 7288.

Bookings 6283 7288.

Photographic installation and video by Debra Porch. Continues until July2.

Milk (2008, 18+). 4.30pm.

TRANSIT BAR

Craig Pesco Presents Freddie Mercury

Restoration

An exhibition of paintings by James Lieutenant.

The famed tribal-technological deep earth dance experience of Ganja Giri. Presale from Moshtix.

Melbourne’s dirty, lowdown Burt Newton loving bandit return! $10 + BF Presale from Moshtix.

Regards to the Family

Arts

Ganja Giri - ‘Good Voodoo’ Tour

Supporting AMnesty International. Electric cars, food and coffee, yoga, giveaways and more. ST JOHN’S HALL

Carry on Karaoke

All your sing along favourites and current chart hits available for you. 10pm. P J O’REILLY’S, CIVIC

monday june 27

THE PHOENIX PUB

Five days of music, dance, Antarctic sounds, photography and more. music. anu.edu.au/antarctica . VARIOUS LOCATIONS

I Exist

With special guests Anchors, Disavow and Loveshy. Doors 8pm, $12 entry, 18+. THE BASEMENT

Jemist

Sometimes cranky, generally happy. Not approachable, but plays music. KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

Live The Intercity Saliva Swap Bootleg Sessions

Ruth O’Brien, Matt Dent, Holographic Cocoon, The Hatty Fatners. THE PHOENIX PUB

GIG GUIDE June 27 - July 08 Antarctica Music festival and Conference

thursday june 30 Arts

Greta (BD)

Bookings 6257 1950. More info canberrarep.org.au .

VARIOUS LOCATIONS

Experimental bass music. From 11pm. THE CLUBHOUSE

tuesday june 28 Arts Jazz Garters

Bookings 6257 1950. More info canberrarep.org.au . THEATRE 3

FAT Awards 2011

CIT’s annual awards and showcase of short films from CIT media students. 6:30pm. $10 on the door. MIC VENUE, CIT SOUTHSIDE

Journey to Awe – Phase One Paintings by Margy Duke, opening night, 6pm. BELCONNEN GALLERY

Live

Dance

Jazz Garters

THEATRE 3

Untrained

Four Canberra Men Dance Off: two trained dancers, two untrained dancers. Bookings through the venue. CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

Arc: The Yusef Trilogy Honey (2009, G). 2pm.

ARC CINEMA, NATIONAL FILM & SOUND ARCHIVE

9pm till 5am with DJ’s Matt & Pete. Two for one drinks & free entry until 11pm.

Arts

Ashley

Bookings 6257 1950. More info canberrarep.org.au .

CUBE NIGHTCLUB

Canberra’s dubstep champion elite.

Jaytech

Anjunadeep tour. Presented by Effigy.

Live

Havana Nights

Diamond Discoveries Big Score Bootlegs

TRINITY BAR

9pm.

Five days of music, dance, Antarctic sounds, photography and more. music. anu.edu.au/antarctica . VARIOUS LOCATIONS

Something Different Trivia Night 7:30pm.

THE PHOENIX PUB

wednesday june 29 Arts Jazz Garters

Bookings 6257 1950. More info canberrarep.org.au . THEATRE 3

Untrained

Four Canberra Men Dance Off: two trained dancers, two untrained dancers. Bookings through the venue.

Live

Antarctica Music festival and Conference

Five days of music, dance, Antarctic sounds, photography and more. music. anu.edu.au/antarctica .

THE PHOENIX PUB

Assidian’s Birthday Showcase

ARC CINEMA, NATIONAL FILM & SOUND ARCHIVE

THE BASEMENT

Live

Synthetic Breed, Ignite the Ibex, Alice Through the Windshield Glass ans more. $20, 8pm.

Jack Carty, Jordan Miller and Leroy Lee

Helmet

Seeing Eye Dog Australian tour. Tix through Ticketek.

THE FRONT CAFE AND GALLERY

saturday july 02

Freyja’s Rain

Get ready to sing and dance along! Supported by Duncan Sargeant. &.30pm, $5. THE FRONT CAFE AND GALLERY

Fire on the Hill THE PHOENIX PUB

Helmet

Seminal hard rockers play ANU Bar. Tickets through ticketek.

tuesday july 05 Arts Jazz Garters

All three indie folk ramblers are sure to charm the pants of ya. Tix at the door.

Bookings 6257 1950. More info canberrarep.org.au . THEATRE 3

Something Different Trivia night

THE PHOENIX PUB

Arts

wednesday july 06

Jazz Garters

Bookings 6257 1950. More info canberrarep.org.au .

Arts

Live

Jazz Garters

THEATRE 3

Bookings 6257 1950. More info canberrarep.org.au .

TRINITY BAR

Smitty and B. Goode

Dave Graney & the Lurid Yellow Mist

Dee Jay Gosper Trio

Live

Jayo

Georgia Fair and Daniel Lee Kendall

‘The Lurid Yellow Live Show’. $10 + Presale from Moshtix. TRANSIT BAR

THE PHOENIX PUB

CASINO CANBERRA

Rocksteady supreme team.

KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

Something Different sunday july 03

Wobble

Introducing the next collection of graphic design, art, and digital media. KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

friday july 01

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

Live

Joe Oppenheimer and James Fahy, Julia and The Deep Sea Sirens, Fun Machine, Big Score. Don’t miss!

MONKEY BAR

Arc: Rainer Werner Fassbinder Germany’s postwar master director. The MArriage of Maria Braun (1978, M). 7pm.

Jazz Garters

THEATRE 3

KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

ANU BAR AND REFECTORY

Antarctica Music festival and Conference

monday july 04

Foreplay Fridays

Five days of music, dance, Antarctic sounds, photography and more. music. anu.edu.au/antarctica .

Jazz Garters

Bookings 6257 1950. More info canberrarep.org.au . THEATRE 3

Daniel Lee Kendall has teamed up with close friends and now stalwart touring mates Georgia Fair. THE FRONT CAFE AND GALLERY

Captian My Captain

Arts

9pm.

Jazz Garters

the phoenix

Bookings 6257 1950. More info canberrarep.org.au .

comedy

Live

Featuring Marie Helou plus supports. 8pm, $10 from www.comedyact.com. au or at door.

THEATRE 3

Arts

THEATRE 3

Pro Blues & Roots Jam

Featuring ‘Den Hanrahan & the Roadsiders’. 2pm, FREE entry.

Comedy Club

CIVIC PUB

HOLY GRAIL, KINGSTON

VARIOUS LOCATIONS

more of the same OUT entertaining, witty, 06 LY JU informative,

cuttingedge and groundbreaking music and arts stories you’ve come to expect!

FIRST CONTACT

SIDE A: BMA band profile

The Rebound Slapdown Where did your band name come from? Well, I (Newman), and Jimi were chillin’ out the front of Lake Ginnenderra College and were discussing the hilarious concept of a slapdown (the act of flooring someone with a single slap) and a more awesome concept was founded - the ‘rebound slapdown’ (the act of slapping someone into something and as a result of that flooring them). So from that day on we were The Rebound Slapdown. Group members: Aaron Beattie (vocals), Dan Newman (bass), Kieran Hockaday (drums), and James Taylor (guitar) Describe your sound: A big, soggy bowl of Weet Bix, covered in rainbow paint and thrown on a llama. Psychedelic guitar mixed in with some funky fresh beats with some phat slap bass thrown on the top and then luscious vocals layered all over it. Grooves that make you want to dance and at the same time make you feel like staring at something shiny for hours on end. Who are your influences, musical or otherwise? The Mars Volta, RHCP, Batman, Taylor Swift, Kanye West, John Frusciante, Chromeo (aw yeah!). What’s the weirdest experience you’ve had whilst performing? Aaron regenerated into two Aarons once, and watched himself writhe around on the floor (See triple j Unearthed photo). What’s your biggest achievement/proudest moment so far? Actually playing gigs after years of jamming in garages. And being featured in BMA Magazine. What are your plans for the future? To keep the funk pumpin’ and go with it where it takes us. What makes you laugh? Getting told our frontman is a mix between Fred Durst and Zach Galifianakis. What pisses you off? Itchy beards or no beards. What’s your opinion of the local scene? It’s pretty kicking. Our drummer is in half of the bands in the local scene What are your upcoming gigs? Suporting Bowen and the Lucky Dutchmen at The Front, Friday June 17. The Phoenix on Saturday June 18. Contact info: Jimi - 0411 784 935 james.r.taylor@live.com.au

Aaron Peacey Aaron 0410 381 306 Activate Jetpack activatejetpack@ hotmail.com 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 982 662 /colebennetts.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 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 Groovalicious Corporate/Weddings/ Private functions 0448 995 158 groovalicious@y7mail.com Guy The Sound Guy live & studio sound engineer, 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 Hitherto Paul 0408 425 636 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 Words for You: writer/publicity/events Megan ph 6154 0927, megan@wordsforyou.com.au 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 Rafe Morris 0416 322 763 Redletter Ben 0421 414 472 Redsun Rehearsal Studio Ralph 0404 178 996/6162 1527 Rhythm Party, The Ross 0416 010 680 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 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 The Morning After (covers band) Anthony 0402 500 843/ myspace.com/themorningaftercovers Tiger Bones & The Ferabul-Zers Danny feralbul@aapt.net.au Tim James Lucia 6282 3740, LUCIAMURDOCH@hotmail.com Top Shelf Colin 0408 631 514 Transmission Nowhere Emilie 0421 953 519/myspace.com/ transmissionnowhere 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 Zero Degrees and Falling Louis 0423 918 793 Zwish 0411 022 907