BMA Magazine 411 February 12 2013 by BMA Magazine

Sub-Editor & Social Media Manager Greta Kite-Gilmour

From Friday March 22 to Friday April 12 at Canberra Contemporary Art Space Gorman House, BMA Magazine will be curating an exhibition tracking the history of our humble publication from its auspicious beginnings in 1992 to the utterly atrocious whored-out rag you see littering Canberra’s streets today. Along with compiling every issue of BMA ever published for the public’s perusing pleasure (BYO white gloves), we are aiming to amass relevant knick-knacks, bric-a-brac and artefacts from our magazine’s history to display them in the context of BMA’s and the Canberran music scene’s development. And this is where you come in. If you have anything you feel could be relevant to our exhibition – posters, photos, memorabilia, banners, t-shirts and so on – please get in touch with us at editorial@bmamag.com as we’d like to display your items for the duration of the exhibition. All items will be credited to their owners (probably with a piece of sticky tape with ‘From the collection of Messrs ????’ scrawled on it in poo) and returned in perfect condition at the closure of the exhibition. Anyone contributing can of course expect VIP treatment (taking into account the sticky tape/poo setup as a good measure of resources) and an invitation to the exhibition opening. Huzzah!

Graphic Design Marley

Groovin’ the Moo 2013 Line-up Announced

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Film Editor Melissa Wellham NEXT ISSUE 412 OUT FEBRUARY 27 EDITORIAL DEADLINE FEBRUARY 18 ADVERTISING DEADLINE FEBRUARY 21 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.

GTM has been responsible for popularising two innovations of which we at BMA are very supportive: first, their ticket price remains set at $99.90 from year to year, regardless of inflation or improvements made to the line-up; second, their line-up is listed in strictly alphabetical order, eliminating ‘headliners’ and the inane conversations they spawn. In keeping with this simple and excellent approach, here is their 2013 line-up as they would have

Ainslie Wills’ Debut Album Tour to Visit The Front Ainslie Wills is set to release her debut album, You Go Your Way, I’ll Go Mine, on Monday March 4. Whether or not that’s newsworthy is debatable. What is newsworthy is that it’s fucking good. And for a debut album from an independent artist funded by Arts Victoria it’s damn good. By her own admission she was channelling a bit of Feist’s Metals in the recording process, but this one should speak to fans of Feist, Sharon Van Etten and many more alike. You Go Your Way, I’ll Go Mine was recorded over ten days during the dead of winter in a beach house on the Victorian peninsula. Strings were added at the Northcote

United Church and vocals were laid down in a converted studio in the family home of Ainslie’s best friend. Each location has imbued the tracks with a weightlessness and captures the organic qualities of Ainslie Wills’ acclaimed live performances. Wills will be bringing the aforementioned qualities to The Front Gallery and Café on Wednesday April 17 as part of her largest tour to date. Tickets are available now for $10 + bf through Moshtix.

The Gum Ball Festival Announces Second Round Line-up The Gum Ball is an odd festival. First of all there’s the name. Second, there’s the fact that between us here at BMA we know no one who’s been to it. Third, there’s the confounding nature of the second fact. This year The Gum Ball already offers Turin Brakes, Mia Dyson, The Beards, Saskwatch, The Preatures, Eugene Hideaway Bridges (USA), Katalyst, Jordie Lane, Mojo Juju and more. Already reason enough to attend. Now as part of their second round line-up they’ve announced The Hillbilly Killers (an alt-country supergroup consisting of Tim Rogers, Catherine Britt and Bill Chambers), Tumbleweed, The Medics, The Eastern (NZ), Money For Rope, Benjalu and more. This year the festival will run over three nights, Thu-Sun April 25-28, in its bushland venue near Belford in the Hunter Valley. For tickets/ further line-up information, see thegumball.com.au.

BMA Reference Library Stock Image No. 4006672: An editor to be takes the high road.

BMA Magazine Calling for Artefacts/Memorabilia

it: Alison Wonderland, Alpine, The Amity Affliction, The Bronx (USA), DZ Deathrays, Example (UK), Flume, Frightened Rabbit (UK), Hungry Kids of Hungary, The Kooks (UK), Last Dinosaurs, Matt and Kim (USA), Midnight Juggernauts, Pez, Regurgitator, Seth Sentry, ShockOne, Tame Impala, Tegan and Sara (Can), The Temper Trap, They Might Be Giants (USA), Tuka with Ellesquire, Urthboy, DJ Woody’s Big Phat ‘90s Mixtape, Yacht (USA) and Yolanda Be Cool. All these acts and the yet-to-be-announced triple j Unearthed and local artists will be appearing on The Meadows at the University of Canberra on Sunday April 28. Tickets are available through Moshtix for the aforementioned sum. Jerry’s Final Thought: This is a good festival.

FROM THE BOSSMAN Today, my friends, we are going to explore the subject of context, seeking examples from two recent Canberra activities – the ODI cricket at Manuka Oval and the Multicultural Festival in Civic. At both of these occasions a certain, shall we call it, wackiness entered into my wardrobe. For the cricket, it was a case of self-preservation. So white is my skin that on scorching days boasting a UV index of 6 or more, I can technically be classified as disabled. Fellow wearers of such translucent epidermis know we are equipped with certain warning mechanisms on such days, most notably that the sun’s beams go from a gentle hum to resembling the sound of a lightsabre being spurned into action. As such, along with the prerequisite bucket of suncream, one must don a hat that would give a satellite dish a complex. Such an occasion leads to an inevitable tussle between the wife and I over the exact size of hat I am to wear. Having lived every day of my life with this skin I appreciate the need for proper sun protection. But if I can escape without having to don the garbage bin lid my wife insists on, more’s the better. And this time I was determined to escape with dignity intact – I had to face my work colleagues and then my cricket buddies after all. Enough was enough... I was finally going to put the foot down, once and for all. So I enter BMA Mag with a dumpster lid on my head, much to the office’s general amusement. Ever the thinker, Editor Ash proffered, ‘Why don’t you just wear that big stupid sombrero that’s been in the back room for ages? If you have to look like an idiot, you might as well do it on your own terms.’ Words that, to these grateful ears, sounded as if from Socrates himself.

YOU PISSED ME OFF! Care to immortalise your hatred in print? Send an email to editorial@bmamag.com and see your malicious bile circulated to thousands. [All entries contain original spellings.] To the wanky shithole on Lonsdale in Braddon that was closing down the other day fuck you for not closing down and just moving instead. You pissed me off. All your store is full of retarded shit. No, I don’t thing a hand-painted cup is a bargain at 60% off when it’s still $29 for one dumb fucking cup that looks like someone splashed their inner colon with fingerpaint and left the cup up there for 40 days and 40 nights while they sat in a terrarium and drank guava juice. My faith in humankind was buoyed when I saw that your wankshit place was closing. But no, you’re just moving. How lucky are we that your designer tardery lives on among its own kind you useless, USELESS people. Dear useless people, I hope you are trapped in your useless store and forced to eat each other and when they finally find your bodies they discover that the last of you when faced with the inevitable conclusion that nothing in your store serves any use-based purpose, rather than even try to eat it or escape with it you just killed yourself instead.

Come 2pm and equipped with a silly hat I strode merrily into town to catch a bus to the ground. And here I learnt my first lesson about context. Wearing a silly hat at a cricket ground with a dress-up theme will see you toasted and celebrated or, at the very least, simply ignored. When strolling through Garema Place, however, and well away from such mirth you are viewed as the kind of man who probably has a pocket full of sweets and a panel van nearby with blacked out windows. So whilst women were shielding their children from me, I made a note to self: Do not wear ‘hilarious’ sombrero whilst walking through Civic. Unless, of course, it’s the Multicultural Festival, the scene of my second lesson on context in as many days. I have a pact with my eldest daughter; if she gets her face painted, Dad gets his face painted. And after parting with the best part of $20 and seeing my daughter graced with a three-petal flower the size of a postage stamp, I was determined to get our money’s worth on aggregate. This led to me wearing a full-faced luchador Mexican wrestling mask for the entire day. Proximity to your child is key here. Many a ‘Nawww’ face was flashed my way with daughter in tow. However, walking back alone to the BMA Mag office through a parking lot replete with a pack of car-hugging bogans is a different matter. ‘Nice face, maaaaate!’ one bellowed. ‘You off to rob some houses ‘n’ shit, eh?’ Affirming that was indeed the reason for my look I bid them a fond salutation and hastily retreated to work, where I was met with further hysterics for the second time that week. So when you’re out partying, whether it be at a fancy dress party or a themed wedding, be sure to stay within the Zone of Mirth. Otherwise you’ll find yourself in a lonely jail cell with nothing but a sombrero for company, desperately insisting that you really do have a daughter hence the magnitude of sweets in your pockets. ALLAN SKO - allan@bmamag.com

WHO: Frankenbok et al. WHAT: Shananigans Music Festival WHEN: Fri-Sat Feb 15-16 WHERE: The Basement

If you like it hard, fast and loud then it’s time to get acquainted with Frankenbok. The Melbourne metal-heads have been thrashing about since 1997 and have accumulated an impressive catalogue of albums, EPs, tours and hairdos. 2013 sees no change in their regime, with the release of new album Cheers, Beers and Beards and about 20 Aussie shows scheduled to help celebrate its release. The album offers up some fresh licks, as well as live recordings from The Prague Bar. The lads will play alongside Our Last Enemy, Witchgrinder and more on this two-day sixth instalment of Shananigans. 7:30pm. $25 door or $40 double-night pass available through The Basement.

WHO: The Ellis Collective WHAT: summer Residency WHEN: Sundays in Feb WHERE: The Front Gallery and Café

Last time triple j Unearthed winners The Ellis Collective played The Front, it was a sunny summer evening in December. With the weather too fine, and the audience too large, the gig was moved to the sidewalk underneath the trees. Their summer return in 2013 will look to nostalgically do not one but four warm, beer-drinking afternoon shows over every Sunday in February. Having spent 2012 locked in the studio, they’re looking forward to road-testing their new arrangements for the first time with audiences in Canberra. Each week will feature special guests, including The Understudy, Lucie Thorne and The New Gods of Thunder. 4:40pm-6:30pm. $10.

WHO: The Hard-Ons and Time & Weight WHAT: Live Punk Rock WHEN: Fri Feb 22 WHERE: ANU Bar

Local fans will be psyched at the announcement of The Hard-Ons’ return to Canberra, this time rocking the ANU Bar with their messy pop-punk and psychedelia-laced metal. Now infamous in the punk rock scene both within and beyond Australia, it’s hard to believe this crew began by storming the high school scene in Punchbowl back in the ‘80s. Now, almost three decades on, they continue to slog out high-voltage tuneage, this time accompanied by Time & Weight. This trio supposedly ‘possess a twisted soul that will sing you a lullaby then, once you are sleeping, whisper demonic messages in your ear.’ Creepy or cool? You decide. 8pm. $24.15 + bf through Ticketek.

WHO: Party Gravy WHAT: N’OrleansStyle Brass OUTFIT WHEN: Fri Feb 22 WHERE: The Abbey

Anyone who was part of the energetic and unbelievably sweaty throng of butt-shakers and foot stompers at The Phoenix a few Thursdays ago needs no introduction to Party Gravy. For those who haven’t yet witnessed this phenomenon, well… the name says it all. This time the group of young Canberra musicians will be bringing their New Orleans-style jazz to an even bigger stage and undoubtedly massive crowd. The Abbey will also be adding a Cajun flair to their menu to suit the music and fuel what’s set to be a packed night. Accompanied by Swing Catz dancers and supported by Sexytet. Doors at 6:30pm. $15 + bf thru theabbey.com.au.

WHO: Neil Finn & Paul Kelly WHAT: Australian Tour WHEN: Sun Feb 24 WHERE: Royal Theatre

Due to the overwhelming response from fans, two of ‘our ‘greatest singer-songwriters, Neil Finn and Paul Kelly, have announced that a Canberra show will be added to their 2013 Australian tour. Neil Finn and Paul Kelly will share the stage throughout the show as members of the one band, singing and playing together a selection of iconic songs from their rich and varied songbooks. The concerts will be a family affair, with the line-up to include Elroy Finn on drums and Dan Kelly on guitars. The Canberra show will also be supported by Lisa Mitchell. Tickets for this extra show are $99.90$119.90 + bf through Ticketek. 7:30pm.

WHO: Dead In A Second & The Arsonist WHAT: Festival In Your Lounge Room Tour WHEN: Fri Mar 1 WHERE: The Basement

Sydney band Dead In A Second will team up with Karnivool member Steve Judd’s new band The Arsonist for live shows throughout late February/early March under the Festival In Your Lounge Room banner. The idea behind the festival is simple, yet genius: ‘to present innovative new Australian bands and artists of varying musical styles to create a festival atmosphere in an intimate club environment.’ The idea came from wanting to create a festival environment in club-sized venues, allowing audiences a varied show and providing bands wider reach. Brilliant. Featured in the Canberra leg will be Down Set Go, Second Sun and Distance 301. 8pm.

ALLAN SKO ‘I’d stand in front of it saying, “Everything is really good about how Back in 2011 Wally De Backer – yes, three points, GOTYE – finally it looks and feels, but this is how we should break up the musical finished off a little ditty he’d chiseled away at for months called parts of the song, so that even a non-musician can feel like they’re Somebody That I Used To Know. It went on to enjoy mild success, mixing and quickly have a clear sense how the song breaks down; topping the triple j Hottest 100 in 2012, shifting over 10 million which parts are loops, which (with an M) units parts are toggles etc.” worldwide, hitting #1 in ing eth som was re the I had an inkling ten different countries With me moving and chopping special... I get a good feeling about , and leading to sold out music bits and putting them in nds sou ny, mo har y, tours of USA, Europe and when the melod folders Luku and Craig managed all are cs Asia. In short, Wally’s tax lyri and arrangement to very quickly realise this bill for the past year is working together, hence waiting so made it more playable and they more than I’ll earn in this Kimbra find to s managed to incorporate it in the nth mo ny ma lifetime. And it couldn’t last week or so.’ happen to a nicer bloke. To whit, he is making a special trip to Canberra to launch and support With the exhibition now safely covered in this article – and we’re the FRACTURED HEART exhibition at the National Film and Sound all going along to it now, right? – let’s get down what we want to Archive, an exciting project birthed from this very song. A brief hear... Is Wally sick of Somebody... by now? ‘I don’t really think history, and then we’ll hear extensively from the man himself. about it.’ Does his success as Gotye mean the end of other musical project The Basics? ‘We have a compilation of unreleased stuff At 2011’s ARIAs, Wally was summoned to perform Somebody... and live tracks coming out soon... I guess it’s pretty open. There’s with Kimbra. Never one to rest on laurels, Wally hatched an idea to definitely potential for us to make another record.’ Did he have make the performance backdrop particularly special; a 10x15-feet any idea Somebody... would be as big as it is? ‘I had an inkling multi-polygon heart lit up like a Daft Punk live set in time to there was something special... I get a good feeling about when the the notes. melody, harmony, sounds, arrangement and lyrics are all working together, hence waiting so many months to find Kimbra.’ Split into two pieces, allowing Kimbra to slide into view partway through the song (hence Fractured Heart), it took a team And what does he think of the various parodies doing the rounds? comprising core creatives Cindi Drennan, Craig Laurendet, Sean Healy and the fabulously named animator Luku Kukuku two ‘I do look at the numbers the parodies have achieved and I wish intensive months to build. that my mash-up [of the parodies] had gotten that,’ Wally says. ‘Funny story... I finished that mash-up, put it online, and 20 Such was its allure it was co-opted for the next Vivid Live! Festival minutes after thought, “I’ve forgot to put Zonday in there!” He in Sydney and now we have it here at the NFSA, intricately was the prompter to make the mash-up! My friend Simon sent restructured as a motion-sensor interactive exhibition where all through an email when my video first came out saying, “You may parts of the song can be remixed live whilst coloured light erupts have a successful video but don’t let it go to your head because along the structure. you’re 70-odd-million views away from this:” and he sent me a link to Chocolate Rain by Zonday. And then maybe a year later he Yes, it’s as cool as it sounds. sent another email saying, “What the fuck?” and a link to Zonday So let’s start at the beginning... How did this all come about? ‘It covering Somebody That I Used to Know!’ was loosely based on taking fractal elements of my dad’s two-part But for now, the Capital will be further spiced up this Centenary broken heart artwork on the inside of the Making Mirrors album year with the Million-Dollar-Man’s presence, and he’s pumped cover,’ Wally tells us from a Japanese hotel room, sporting a beard about it. children could lose their frisbees in. ‘I say loosely because the animation Luku did feels like it was from a different world. ‘It’s going to be great! Cindi and Craig have done such wonderful work and it’s great of Michael [Loebenstein] at the NFSA to ‘Rather than a 16x9 ratio screen behind a performance – which present the piece. More people are going to have the chance to I’ve done plenty of now – I wanted more projection mapping and play with it and I am very much hoping that on the day I’ll be able visual components. Cindi had done really beautiful projection to present a new track for it [State of the Art]! And maybe I can mapping onto buildings over the years. I talked to her and partner chop up a bit of the other records so that they can sort of switch Craig about using images and films clips as a basis to allow me and songs for people as it’s presented there.’ Kimbra to be a part of the artwork. With that we came up with the idea of combining Kat Kallady’s artwork from the single.’ Wally De Backer will be at the National Film & Sound Archive – yes, in the trembling flesh – on Friday February 15 from 6pm to launch Wally’s praise for his fellow artistes is too plentiful to show in full the Fractured Heart interactive exhibition. Bookings are essential, here, and he reveals there was much tweaking to get it to the neat so call (02) 6248 2000 to reserve this hot-hot ticket. And it’s free! interactive experience it is now.

Breakfast at Tiffany’s. The night kicks off at 7pm at the National Botanic Gardens. For those of you who call it Forever Alone Day… bring your pet rock! To purchase tickets (before 4pm on the day) visit Moshtix.

ALL AGES Hey folks! If you haven’t noticed, apparently there’s been a higher concentration of love in the air than usual. It’s all meant to be in the build up to one day in particular: Valentine’s Day. It’s known to some as a gentle reminder to stop and celebrate love and to a special few it’s a day of mourning known as ‘Forever Alone Day’. I would like to propose a new use for February 14; I think it’s an excellent opportunity to riddle this column with bad jokes. Let it begin! Q: What do you give a lover who asked for ‘some chocolate and few little surprises’? A: Kinder Surprise. However, if your romantic interest has asked to see a classic ‘60s rom-com under the stars on Thursday February 14, then take them to the outdoor screening of

Roses are red, violets are blue, I’m forever alone, how about you? (Egan, 2013). Kidding, but if your inner poet is as active (and less tormenting) than mine, perhaps you could try write poems about Canberra’s 100th birthday. The 2013 Poetry in ACTION competition wants you to submit a short poem of eight lines with a Canberra Centenary theme. Ten winning poems will be displayed on ACTION buses and winners will receive $500 prize money. The closing date for entries is Friday February 15. For submissions or more information visit arts.act.gov.au. Q: What does a car lover do for his car on February 14? A: He gives it a Valenshine! And what do you do with the dodgem cars at this year’s tenth annual Charny Carny? Destroy all! Coz’ nothing says ‘I love you, honey’ like missing all of your front teeth. You can find the carnival on the Canberra Christian Life Centre Community Oval on Saturday March 16 between 12pm and 6pm. For more information visit charnycarnival.org. au/carnival. Q: What did one light bulb say to the other? A: ‘I love you a whole watt...C’mon baby light my fire!’ More like, ‘C’mon baby light my Skyfire’. Come one, come all on Saturday March 16 and watch the pretty lights explode over Lake Burley Griffin. The festivities begin at 6pm with a free concert held at the Regatta Point Stage. The brilliant display of fireworks starts at 8:30pm. Q: What did the elephant say to his girlfriend? A: I love you a tonne! Speaking of elephants and songs about them, did you know Tame Impala is playing at Groovin’ The Moo? GTM is back this year on Sunday April 28 at The Meadows, University of Canberra. With a line-up like this, you won’t want to miss it: Alison Wonderland, Alpine, The Amity Affliction, The Bronx (USA), DZ Deathrays, Example (UK), Flume, Frightened Rabbit (UK), Hungry Kids of Hungary, The Kooks (UK), Last Dinosaurs, Matt and Kim (USA), Midnight Juggernauts, Pez, Regurgitator, Seth Sentry, ShockOne, Tegan and Sara (CAN), The Temper Trap, They Might Be Giants (USA), Tuka with Ellesquire, Urthboy, DJ Woody’s Big Phat ‘90s Mixtape (UK), Yacht (USA), Yolanda Be Cool. Tickets are available from Moshtix for $99.90 + bf. Cheers, ANDIE EGAN allagescolumn@gmail.com

LOCALITY

Since moving into its latest surrounds on the ground floor of the Lena Karmel UniLodge, the ANU Food Co-op has not only attempted to serve their amazing $4 lunches more regularly but has done so under pressure of significantly higher rents. With the aid of another regular event, Acoustic Soup, on Wednesday February 13, hopefully they can begin to cement their place there. Acoustic Soup offers food and music side by side from 6:30pm for $10 ($8 for students).

YOU MADE MY DAY!

Email editorial@bmamag.com to send a message of gratitude, warmth and generosity to the world at large. AWWW. This issue’s ‘You Made My Day’ goes to washed-up R&B star Craig David for sending BMA Magazine this tour photo:

On Friday February 15, the first of two nights in Canberra’s most popular metal festival will kick off at The Basement. Shananigans is now in its sixth year and showing no signs of releasing its stranglehold on the stray cats it hunts in the suburbs of Belconnen and murders and uses to sate its 48-hour bloodlust and then sells as pelts to idiot hipsters. This year it has too many acts to list here so visit their Facebook page. Doors open at 7:30pm both nights and it’s $40 for both if you pre-buy at the bar or $25 per night on the door. The following night, Saturday February 16, The Phoenix Bar plays host to The Fighting League. They’re supported by Spirit Valley and Danger Beach. Plugging locals like The Fighting League becomes something of a regular event when you write a column founded on the premise of plugging locals like The Fighting League but plugging locals like The Fighting League is exactly when a column like this comes even marginally within reach of providing a community service worth providing. The show starts at 9:30pm. Sunday February 17 sees A Bite to Eat Café continuing their Sunday Best series with Mark Rice. It may be all the way down in Chifley but if you haven’t been to A Bite to Eat I strongly recommend making the journey and a Sunday evening is the perfect time to do it. Every Sunday sports a free live act and there are two happy hours, one for drinks and one for tapas, from 5pm and 6pm respectively. But if you can’t be arsed making the hike, The Front Gallery and Café is hosting The Ellis Collective Summer Residency, which sees the Collective playing every Sunday in February from 4:30pm, each time with a different support. On the Sunday in question it’s Sanji da Silva’s new band, The New Gods of Thunder, and if that isn’t worth $10 I don’t know what is. I know gangrene is not. Blahnket are continuing their roll into 2013 by hinting brightly via social media at great things to come (and they just announced Gold Panda – you beautiful fucking wonders). In the meantime, they’re bringing Night Slugs (L-Vis 1990 & Bok Bok) to Trinity Bar on Thursday February 21. There’s an enormous slew of locals in support for this one and you can get tickets on the door from 8pm. Finally, RAW Comedy, the national open mic competition, will hit Tilley’s Devine Café on Saturday February 23. This is literally the first time I’ve mentioned Tilley’s in this column since I took it over last May and it makes me damn happy to do so. Admission is $20 on the door so head along and watch people make you feel awkward as they flounder and suck. Comics, there’s no pride in failing. And that’s everything local I care about. ASHLEY THOMSON - editorial@bmamag.com

DUSTING OFF THE ROCK chris downton If there’s one thing of which Canberra has never had a shortage it’s live bands. In fact, even a cursory glance at the list of bands that have come out of the Capital shows immediately that we punch way over our weight compared to larger cities like Sydney and Melbourne. Perhaps most interestingly, I recently came back there isn’t really to play a gig at Smiths a definable Canberra ‘sound’ Bookshop and it was als loc either, with The . gig ely a lov everything h wit me ed eiv rec lly rea from hardcore open arms – I only wish punk, metal, they came out in 1975! folk, dubstep, experimental music, hip hop and jazz being available most months to the local music-lover who’s persistent and happy to look for it. Then, there’s the old cliché about Canberra acts moving to Sydney or Melbourne once they become successful, but in truth that’s only part of the story, with the rise of local labels like HellosQuare opposing that trend. Forming part of the huge Centenary of Canberra celebrations over the March long weekend, CANBERRA ROCKS offers up the perfect opportunity to pay tribute to Canberra’s rich history of original contemporary music. Indeed, a quick glance at the impressive list of acts performing at the Regatta Point stage from noon to 11pm on Monday March 11 reveals several bands coming out of dormancy especially for the occasion, like 78 Saab. There’s also likely to be more than a few people surprised to discover that the likes of The Church and Machine Translations originally hailed from this city in their early days. ‘It’ll be an important night for us because we haven’t played live for well over a year,’ says Nick Craven of Hancock Basement. ‘Over the last while, a few of us have moved to Sydney or Melbourne and some of us have started working on different musical projects. But Hancock is where it all began for us, so it’ll be nostalgic to play some of the first songs we ever wrote again. It’s kind of a one-show reunion tour,’ he laughs. As one of the veteran artists on the bill, The Church’s Steve Kilbey also has a fond perspective on the development of Canberra’s live music scene. ‘[In the late ‘70s] I had a spare bedroom in Rivett, I didn’t have any friends, I worked in the public service and no one would listen to my songs except for my younger brother, who would always tell me that what I was doing was amazing. Everyone else thought I was rubbish. I recently came back to play a gig at Smiths Bookshop and it was a lovely gig. The locals really received me with open arms – I only wish they came out in 1975!’ Canberra Rocks takes place on Monday March 11, 12-11pm at Regatta Point stage, Commonwealth Park, as part of the Big Birthday Weekend celebrations. For more information on this and other Centenary of Canberra events visit: canberra100.com.au. Free.

justin hook Men At Work were one of the most successful bands of the ‘80s. The Melbourne-based band, led by COLIN HAY, shared the stage with icons like Little Richard and Miles Davis, appeared on Saturday Night Live twice, won Grammy Awards and sold over 30 million albums. A string of unbelievably successful and catchy songs (Who Can It Be Now?, It’s A Mistake, Overkill and of course the unofficial national anthem that is Down Under) hide the fact that they only ever made three albums and only barely managed to enjoy their success.

stop the drink in Australia. It was difficult because people didn’t really seem that interested in what I was doing and it was difficult to get songs on the radio. So I just kind of went away to a place where there seemed to be a lot of people like me there. I was just trying to do something new, wipe the slate clean and start again.’ Start again Colin Hay did, releasing 11 highly regarded solo albums that have moved naturally away from the big-sounding commercial sound of 1982 but retained the sly, quirky aspects of Hay’s best songs. On albums like American Sunshine and Gathering Mercury there’s no sense Hay is trying to recreate or replicate his earlier success. Somewhat interestingly then, Hay’s thriving solo career in Europe and North America brought him to the attention of Bill Lawrence in 2002, just as the show he created, Scrubs, was going through the roof. Soon enough, Hay was performing an acoustic version of the old Men At Work song Overkill in the opening episode of the show’s second season on NBC in primetime. It certainly didn’t hurt Hay’s career. ‘That came out of nowhere. But what people usually don’t consider – and nor should they consider because they don’t walk around thinking about what happens to you – is that I had been touring for a decade, making records and playing to small audiences, big audiences – any sort of audiences. They only notice when it happens.’

I have great respect for bands that manage to stay together and make great music. That’s just not what happened to us

Such a rapid rise was followed by the seemingly inevitable steep descent. ‘We did some amazing things and had an astonishing, phenomenally successful three years. But with that particular group of people that’s all it could sustain. I couldn’t have imagined going on any longer than that given the personnel. Men At Work was pretty much done at the end of 1983. You could almost say it was over before it started really.’ For a little context, Down Under was released in late 1981.

For what it’s worth, Hay did see potential in sticking it out and making the most of the accruements and largesse on offer. But there was a sense that the band’s creativity had peaked. ‘We could have stayed together and made great music. But I don’t think that was what the cards held for us. There’s always a part of you that wants to keep that going but it just didn’t happen. I’ve tried to capture what was great about the band and carry that through to what I have done ever since. I like bands. I have great respect for bands that manage to stay together and make great music. That’s just not what happened to us.’ After Men At Work split, the Scottish-born Hay relocated to Los Angeles. Far from being the hell-hole of clogged highways and broken dreams, California has proven a friendly and successful relocation. ‘People have this presumption that there’s something distinctly uncomfortable about Los Angeles. But I’ve always found it to be a creatively stimulating place to be. I think a lot of other people have too and there’s been some astonishingly amazing music made there for a long time. Most of the music we grew up listening to was made there. It’s not surprising people find themselves there.’ Like many relocations, scratch the surface and you’re bound to find more pragmatic reasons than eternal sunshine and the iconic record stack-shaped Capitol Records building. ‘I ran away in a sense. I had a record deal that was based out of LA. But I was getting divorced. I was drinking a lot and it was very difficult to

Despite the huge success of Men At Work and being the singer of Down Under, Hay is at ease with his back catalogue. He doesn’t perform on the heritage circuit because real effort has been made to stay creative and write new material, regardless of whether audiences would drunkenly request the old hits or not. ‘Look, the reality is I love those songs. They’re big songs. They have been very good to me; you can’t walk away from them. Well, you can. But I don’t see the point. There was a time in the late ‘80s when I didn’t want to play them because it was just too close to home – all a bit emotional. But you reclaim your past. That band and these songs are part of who I am. If you give them the respect, they will continue to be good to you. I’m lucky because the people who come to see me, whether I’m here in Australia or in the US, or Glasgow or Boise, Idaho, they tend to follow me through the years so they always hit me up for new songs. If they were the only songs I had it would be a bit glum, traipsing around dragging out the old tunes again. That hasn’t been the case for me.’ Colin Hay will hit Canberra Theatre Centre with his musical comedy act, Finding My Dance, Saturday February 23, 8pm. Tickets are $42-$49 + bf through canberratheatrecentre.com.au.

DANCE THE DROP

I like to consider myself a connoisseur of electronic music. Yes, there are genres and scenes that I find more repugnant than others. Yes, there are sounds that I am less likely to usher into my eardrums for more than a few bars before they are flung into the mental waste bin. But what I am willing to do is to give everything a chance. The dance scene is consistently being reimagined through the eyes of the newest generation of clubbers. The older and more jaded people become, the less likely they are to step away from the comfort of their reverse-cycle, high definition, broadband, home-delivered sedentary cave of solitude and wring what is left of their pulverised livers through the unscrupulous downward spiral of a night on the town. To those of you who are turning 18 this year, I urge you to try something different. Instead of following the herd to a popular club, go to a drum ‘n’ bass night in a gritty bomb shelter, have your

birthday at a hippy doof, drink mulled wine at a techno festival. Step away from the mainstream, if only for one night. Who knows, you might actually love it. One genre that rarely pops its head out of the soil these days is progressive (aka prog). I spent the best part of my early ‘20s being schooled by the sounds of progressive luminaries like Sasha, John Digweed, Hybrid and Nick Warren. As a DJ in Canberra it is very rare to get the opportunity to play the tunes you really love. Lucky for me, I get the chance to do exactly this at The Clubhouse on Friday February 15 at A Night of Prog. This event is headlined by German newcomer Wankelmut who exploded on the scene with his record One Day (Reckoning Song), which managed to achieve simultaneous #1s on Beatport and iTunes. Supports on the night include Fourthstate, Sean Kelly, Gabe Gilmour, Simon Palajda and a very special Tim Galvin vs. Peekz classic tune showcase. Magnifik has created quite a stir in local bars, clubs and hipster dens of late. For those who don’t know, this dapper anonym belongs to the handsomely bearded manchild Ashley Feraude. On Saturday February 16, Trinity Bar is helping him celebrate his latest sensual house release on Yes Yes Records: Feel the Groove. Supports include Alphabeck, Deepcuts, Amine Allahi and Sammy Soundslike. In this Drop Top 5, I present to you the man who recently came third in an Axwell lookalike contest: Australian house music legend and alleged lover of top shelf hair products: Matt Nugent. Avon Stringer – You [Sampled Recordings] – New single from myself and Jeremy Joshua under our Avon Stringer guise. Hot Natured feat Ali Love – Benediction [Hot Creations] – THE tune of the last 12 months only starting to kick in on Aus dance floors over summer. Nick Curly – Underground (Dennis Ferrer Remix) [Defected] – Real house right here. Dennis Ferrer never fails to deliver. Kings of Tomorrow – Let Me Tell You Something (Sandy Rivera Remix) [Defected] – Great to see Sandy Rivera back with such a strong tune. Tensnake – Mainline [Defected] – Retro house vibes with an awesome C&C Music Factory retro style video – YouTube it. TIM GALVIN tim.galvin@live.com.au

depth; there’s nothing wrong with that.’

THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME RK D&B pioneers Torgeir Byrknes (TEEBEE) and Larry Cons (CALYX) are heading back to Australia to raise further hell. We caught up with scallywag Teebee to talk past and future. ‘Getting signed to RAM Records was a huge step for us,’ Teebee reminisces. ‘The move was totally the right thing for us to do, as far as the label goes. RAM is as big as it gets, which is a testament to what they’ve done for D&B over the years.’

For me the worst thing is D&B that is inspired by D&B

But it was mostly the first sons of drum and bass – artists with ‘no hidden agenda’ as Teebee terms them – that influenced the duo. ‘Artists like Photek and LTJ Bukem brought the best of different things with them,’ he says. ‘That’s the reason Larry and I have survived; we have always tried to find different styles of music. You can always go hunting for some samples or whatever from a website – those things are so accessible now. It’s big business, we understand that, but we’re about doing things without losing the essence.’ Finally, for a duo that considers D&B their B&B (bread ‘n’ butter), they remain committed to risky creativity for their fans. ‘We know they expect something big from us and that can add pressure. But we’ll always create the storm along the way.’ Calyx & Teebee will be playing a D&B double-header at The Clubhouse on Thursday February 14 with supports Para, Buick, Logic, Zerosis and Frequence. 10pm. Door price TBA.

On his own Subtitles label, Teebee is refreshingly frank. ‘The label did go through a slow stage for a while,’ he admits. ‘But that was because we wanted to do something distinct and unique. We’ve all witnessed the drastic decline in vinyl sales but that was part and parcel of the electronic music scene. Digital hasn’t done as well. So I’ve been in touch with my peers, they want to be on [Subtitles] now, so we’ve got some exciting stuff planned. ‘Getting [latest album] All or Nothing out there after having worked our arses off for so long is what keeps us driven,’ explains Teebee. ‘We knew we’ve done good things over the years, but to get the massive support across the world when we play feels good; being appreciated for doing something that you love is even better.’ Taking a more philosophical angle, Teebee continues: ‘For me the worst thing is D&B that is inspired by D&B; in the early days you would draw influences from reggae and jazz and techno… It was music from across the board in the ‘90s. “Anything goes” was the mentality. But even at the beginning of the millennium it was starting to sound the same. Movements like dubstep have been a great thing for us; it took a lot of people from one genre to the other. A lot of great artists found their real home there; others brought it into their production/ gigs. Some of those guys became real superstars. Others just enjoy making music and with that bring

THE REALNESS Following last issue’s departure of Roshambo, I’ll be doing a dance music column in the place of hip hop. I briefly considered following in my predecessor’s funky footsteps, but my knowledge of contemporary beats ‘n’ rhymes is somewhat limited, tapering off at Souls of Mischief’s From ‘93 Til Infinity. Hmm. Instead, I’ll be taking a look at happenings in house and techno music. I’m told that, for the time being, the column will still carry the current masthead of ‘The Realness’ and an accompanying illustration of a guy who actually looks like he’d be a Souls of Mischief fan. I would prefer the name of ‘Quite Exciting, this Computer Magic’ with a geekylooking DJ throwing his skinny hands in the air. But I guess I’ll have to chase it up with Bossman Allan later. Anyway, let’s kick things off with a bit of a broad look at what’s going on in electronic music. Resident

Advisor’s highly respected end-of-year polls from 2012 point to a few trends, most notably the saturation of the so-called ‘EDM movement’ in the United States. Among the top three DJs of 2012, we have Seth Troxler, a US native – although he’s been high in the rankings for a number of years now – and M-nus boss Richie Hawtin, who’s been touring his CNTRL: Beyond EDM live show extravaganza around the States for the past few months. There’s also a lot of noise about this current US-based boom and the effects it’ll have on underground electronic music. The ‘press play’ debate (named after a quote, ‘All we do is press play’, from the constantly-controversial Deadmau5), which dominated web forums last year continues to rage, as industry stalwarts Mixmag began a new series entitled ‘The Great EDM Debate’. It seems the battle lines have been drawn. On one side, we have the innovators, the upstarts, who are for the most part the ‘button-pushers’, working closely with Ableton, MIDI controllers and high-tech pre-cued lighting shows. On the other side, we have the old guard, the traditionalists. And they seem to fucking hate each other. A Guy Called Gerald, whose 1988 track Voodoo Ray was one of the defining anthems of the late-‘80s Manchester scene, referred to Deadmau5 last year as a ‘greedy rat head fuck’. Perhaps it’s out of resentment; Mr. Gerald’s heyday has certainly come and gone – he played a 3am set at Victoria’s Shine On Festival a couple of years ago, to a crowd of about 60 people, while masses raved to German prog jocks at the other stage. To be honest, this whole ‘debate’ is starting to get on my nerves. It’s devolving into the sort of Twitter-based name-calling previously reserved for pop stars and reality-TV types. And, past a certain point, it really doesn’t add anything to electronic music. It’s just bitching. The good thing is it’s easy to ignore. In the darkened, sweaty rooms of your favourite club, local DJs will still be playing rad tunes – be it with vinyl, CDJs or sitting behind a screen and a big glowing Mac logo. As for the threat of commercialisation, I feel my position is best summed up by a recent Sasha quote (admittedly via Twitter): ‘Most EDM is made by douchebags for douchebags. Do I care if lots of douchebags buy it? Not really, but it pollutes.’ Good man. He can tell it like it is without getting too hung up on things. Meanwhile, he’s a DJ who’s embraced change (as an early adopter of Ableton) without compromising his values. He’s stayed relevant without turning himself into a novelty, while nurturing and inspiring an entire new generation of DJs and producers. And, most importantly, he still knows how to absolutely destroy a dance floor – as anyone who caught him at Rainbow Serpent or his club shows will testify. Listen up, old guard; pay heed, new gen: here’s a guy you could both learn from.

MORGAN RICHARDS morg.richards@gmail.com

METALISE So we all know there’s a gazillion shows on around the shop at the moment, but this weekend in Canberra is a monumental slab of local goodies over two nights at The Basement in Belconnen on Friday February 15 and Saturday February 16. Melbourne’s band Frankenbok must have a dressing room out the back there as they’re back again headlining Shenanigans 6. The line-up is pretty ridiculous and includes Our Last Enemy, Witchgrinder, Deprivation, Breaking Orbit, House of Thumbs, Alice Through the Windshield Glass, Nobody Knew They Were Robots, Abreact, Na Maza, Barrel of Monkeys, Tortured, Law of the Tongue, Renegade Peacock, Escape Syndrome, Perpetual End, Inside the Exterior, Hence the Testbed, Johnny Roadkill, Beneath the Tides and The Devilzwork. That’s a massive slab of local goodies for the over 18s. For the under 18s, Civic Youth Café has a big evening show headed by Nicolas Cage Fighter with Elegist, Bury Me in Autumn, Cartographer, Fear No Foe, Set The Wolves and Come Forth. That’s on Friday February 15 kicking off at 4pm. They also have another show on Friday March 8 with Allay The Sea, Rivalries, Set The Wolves, City Lit Skies, Come Forth and Purity. Tool has announced a four-date arena tour for April/May this year. They hit the Allphones Arena on Sunday May 3. Heathen Skulls haven’t got the dates yet, but I know more than a few people will welcome the prospect of Municipal Waste rolling through Oz in June. If the Doomnations cancellation bummed you out too hard, you might find some solace in the announcement of the next Cherry Rock Fest happening down in Melbourne on Sunday May 5. Stoner rock legends Unida (fronted by John Garcia of Kyuss) and Truckfighters, a band Josh Homme calls ‘The best band that ever existed’ co-headline the show along with King Parrot, Barbarion, Matt Sonic & the High Times, The Murlocs, Mammoth Mammoth, Gay Paris, Surefire Midnights, The Workinghorse Irons, Drunk Mums, Little Bastard and Battle Axe Howlers. After blowing away the ANU Bar last year, The Darkness return in April with Joan Jett & The Blackhearts. Loving the first song and video from the new Kvelertak record Bruane Bren from the album Meir, which is coming out on Tuesday March 26 on Roadrunner. Don’t forget that the pride of Punchbowl are in at the ANU Bar on Friday February 22. The Hard-Ons are undisputed lifers of the Australian punk scene and following the scare resulting from the assault on Blackie last year, you shouldn’t take for granted an opportunity to catch the power trio pounding out the classics alongside the songs of the last couple of killer records. Along for the ride is Time & Weight, featuring members of Ballistic Allshorts, The Bloody Vice and The Hooligans. Melbourne crust gods Kromosom hit the studio this week ahead of their performance at Obscene Extreme in Melbourne on Friday April 12 and Saturday April 13 this year. JOSH NIXON doomtildeath@hotmail.com

ANGELS IN THE STREETS justin hook

Dave Gleeson is a no-nonsense, straight up and down Aussie rock singer. Hailing from the working class suburbs of Newcastle, a young Gleeson caught the bug overhearing conversations amongst his older siblings. ‘I’d hear all these stories about fights and chicks and drinking and rocking on. I’d hear these stories thinking, “One day I’m doing that”. So I started mucking around with a few mates and 25 years later I’m still doing it.’ For a large part of those 25 years, Gleeson was lead singer for Screaming Jets – hardworking commercial rock ‘n’ roll personified. The band toured relentlessly and even though Gleeson loves the stage, it took a toll. ‘I wanted to get away from it all so I went and worked as a plumber’s assistant with a mate for a couple of years. But being in a band is not the sort of job you retire from – it’s the best job in the world! As long as you can ride out the bad times you can work for as long as you want.’

All the business is taken care of by someone else and suits me fine. Because I fucking hate it

Having ridden out the rough times, Gleeson took a sideways step and now fronts one of the first bands he played support for: THE ANGELS. After a chance meeting and invitation by the Brewster brothers (Rick and John) to add vocals to some demos, Gleeson’s role has become rather more permanent. ‘I just thought I was singing some demos but they sounded so good and by the time they came up with some gigs it just felt natural.’ Taking over lead singer duties in any band is difficult enough, but the towering Doc Neeson was the face and voice of The Angels for decades. Not only is Doc still around (in increasingly poor health, unfortunately) but there were rumours Gleeson’s placement didn’t sit well. ‘They assured me Doc had left the band and it was all kosher so I bit the bullet and had a go.’ To his credit, Gleeson pays no mind to the off-stage distractions. ‘I just rock up on time, go to rehearsals and do my stuff. All the business is taken care of by someone else and suits me fine. Because I fucking hate it.’ With Gleeson, The Angels have already released an album of new material (Take It To The Streets) so questions about filling someone else’s shoes are becoming less relevant. ‘I’ve been singing since I was 17 years old and I’ve got my own style. But as a young man The Angels were like gods to us. I’ve played more gigs supporting them than any other band and most of the time I sat on the side of the stage watching. There’s definitely a little part of Doc in me, especially learning how to be a frontman. I just try to be faithful to the songs. And you can’t go wrong with songs like Mr Damage, Shadow Boxer and Long Line. It’s just awesome.’ The Angels will play The Auditorium at Vikings Club Erindale on Friday March 8. Doors open 8pm. Tickets by calling (02) 6121 2131.

E X H I B I T I O N I S T

TEEN RE-BELL-ION JANNA STACEY For the average pedestrian, Shakespeare is a bitter pill to swallow at the best of times. But then you’ve got the history epics, which span across multiple plays, getting more convoluted with each scene. Henry IV is one of those sagas, but thankfully John Bell has done half the decrypting work for you. Bell has combined parts one and two of Henry IV and set it in modern-day London – two plays in one and no funny costumes to decipher. Yet, he’s dubbed it HENRY 4, which is silly and rude, and people should just learn Roman numerals. Full stop. Still not convinced to attend? Prince Hal will be gallivanting around the stage played by a Canberra thespian, Matthew Moore, who BMA caught up with to sing the company’s praises. In a nutshell, Henry 4 shows the transformation of Prince Hal from scoundrel to King; war is waged, friendships and treachery explored, and it sets up the continuation of the Henry play series. Moore is no newcomer to the Bell Shakespeare stage, but this role holds a certain importance. ‘Hal really gets the full arc of his journey. From a wayward youth [to] rejecting court life and broken life with his father; he is seeking solace,’ he notes. In this play we see Hal as a confused juvenile who spends most of his time in pubs with vagrants and whores. However, ‘By putting the two plays together you get the full arc of him; from an out-of-control kid, not fitting into either world (pub or court), then finally returning to the good graces of his Father,’ says Moore enthusiastically. Those who are familiar with the play know that this full transformation of Hal has him, as some would say, turning his back on Falstaff and his lackadaisical ways. Falstaff is a Shakespeare favorite in terms of personalities, so does Moore think this deception of Falstaff will influence the audience’s perception of his character? ‘I don’t think it’s that cut and dry. We’ve all had relationships that have been a bad influence on us. I think we’ve all experienced cutting off a relationship that no longer satisfies our needs,’ notes Moore, before acknowledging, ‘When the play starts, there is already something a little wrong, their relationship is already a little bit broken. You never get to see them at their highpoint.’ And speaking of highpoints, Moore has the chance to work onstage with John Bell, as Bell himself will be portraying the infamous Falstaff. ‘I’m loving being on the stage with John. It’s incredible. I’m blessed to be on the stage with him and working with him so closely,’ remarks Moore. The relationship between Falstaff and Prince Hal now holds

so much more meaning for the Canberran original and it was never an easy character dynamic to define. ‘We want the relationship to be as complex and real as possible,’ says Moore, and with Bell himself filling the role, he will surely do it justice. With Bell portraying Falstaff, surely there are drawbacks to having the director on the stage. Luckily Henry 4 includes an experienced co-director. ‘Damien Ryan,’ says Moore, ‘which is so important because John has a fat-suit on for most of the play so Ryan really is such an asset.’ Having your director waddling around in a fat-suit could put a dampener on the creative perspective. Moore agrees, saying, ‘It’s so wonderful to have two heads on this thing. A great collective.’ Having Bell onstage is a perk but so is the contemporary setting of the play. ‘We’re setting it in the modern London but it’s certainly an Australian perspective of that. It reflects on the recent London riot, which is one instance of an uprising or rebellion, and we’ve been inspired by that. It is easy to change the context, make connections to how it’s relevant now,’ says Moore. Having the play in a modern context will definitely make this chronicle of English history more accessible to those unfamiliar with Shakespeare. Moore’s first experience with a professional touring company was with Bell Shakespeare back in his Canberra days. ‘I remember being in the theatre and experiencing a show and it changed me. I wanted to join the company and leave town!’ Coming back to Canberra is always a special moment for Moore as well. ‘I’ve toured here six times before with Bell but I love coming back home to play Canberra. Family is still in Canberra and the Canberra Theatre is a particularly beautiful theatre.’ And there is a reason, dear reader, that you should be making the exception to get a load of this play. As a young and rebellious bunch, you can seek solace in the themes of this particular epic. ‘It’s about wayward anarchic youth – it’s such an accessible play. If someone hasn’t had an experience with theatre before – this is the play to see.’ Well, BMA can shout ‘down with the man!’ like the rest of ‘em but there’s more than that to the play. ‘It’s full of life and humanity and humor and it will just leap off the stage. Young people will be shocked by how relevant and vital it is.’ Henry 4 will show at the Canberra Theatre Centre Sat Feb 23-Sat Mar 9. Times and ticket prices vary; check canberratheatrecentre. com.au for details.

If quantum physics has taught us anything, and it hasn’t, it would be that large bodies of liquid effectively repel a full-sized horse. ‘It’s like he’s flogging a dead horse.’ Flogging a dead horse is the second most dangerous action one can undertake. The most dangerous being flogging a deader horse. It is unlike anything and therefore not comparable. Four pieces of bad advice, three incorrect assessments and one ultimate truth: all about horses. ‘Get it straight from the horse’s mouth.’ This is a terrible idea. No matter what you ask a horse, the answer will always be nay. ‘Get off your high horse.’ Do not get off your high horse. It is an excellent place to be, especially in an oddly deep puddle or tall horse competition. Or if it’s the other kind of high horse, if you demount it is likely to go off in search of horse munchies or to see a dealer – next thing you know this horse is higher than Lance Armstrong in the French Alps. Never get off a high horse. Ever. You don’t want to see Oprah interviewing your high horse, nobody does. ‘Quickly, to the library – and don’t spare the horses!’ A request often made in a one-horse town. Adhering to it will functionally eliminate 100% of the horses in that town, which is practically equicide. I call it practequicide. ‘Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.’ You should always look a gift horse in the mouth. Especially if the gift is from a horse hater whose hometown is recently horseless. There may be a bomb in the horse. Remove it and save everyone a lot of embarrassment. Ask the horse if it is NOT thankful. You will be pleased by the response. ‘You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink.’ Horses are easily convinced to drink. Simply motion positively towards the water and take a sip yourself. The hard part is leading them to water.

Do not flog a dead horse. I cannot stress that enough. ‘I’m so hungry I could eat a horse.’ It is not possible to eat a whole horse. Any attempt to eat your entire horse will fail. If a flogger of horses wishes to eat your whole horse then allow them. They are likely to explode, especially if the horse was a gift and you had not checked its mouth. It was probably a bomb horse. Congratulations, you just saved everyone a lot of embarrassment. ‘A nod is as good as a wink to a blind horse!’ This statement is actually true. Horses are telepathic and will understand the meaning of any gesture regardless of your ignorance around their ability to sense it. Back on their home planet of Jupiter, horses would communicate exclusively through telepathy but they lost the ability during the Great Horse Wars, just over two million years ago. It was these wars which caused them to seek refuge on Earth. Many years later, they became domesticated by humans and now are much simpler, happier creatures. Though it seems that militant horse groups are beginning to form and plan an uprising to soon bring about the long predicted Horsepocalypse. But don’t bother asking a horse that, they’ll just deny it. TIM NOON - Tim Noon is performing at the Canberra Comedy Festival as part of the show Irresponsible at Civic Pub, Braddon, running Sat-Sun March 22-23 at 7pm. Tickets are $15 + bf through canberracomedyfestival.com.au.

IN REVIEW Lacking Responsibility The Front Gallery and Café Thursday January 31

It certainly doesn’t take a long time before the lounge room-like bar at The Front in Lyneham starts to feel like an overcrowded cocktail party, but that’s what makes it perfect for an up-close-and-personal, intimate gig. An excited buzz filled the air as a diverse crowd tried to find space to sit, ready for what would hopefully be a very funny evening of local comedy. Hosted by Canberran comedic veteran and director of the Canberra Comedy Festival Jay Sullivan, Lacking Responsibility is a new Canberra show which will be taken down to Melbourne for the upcoming comedy festival season. Featuring four young stand-ups, this performance was a taster of what promises to be a successful show. Jay Sullivan eased the audience into the show, his experience in the craft clearly shining through. Sullivan’s Canberra-centric comedy was well received, with jokes about the bus system and its clientele starting the first laughs of the evening. The first comedian up was young up-and-comer Josh Glass, performing a support slot before the main show. His innocent jokes about being a virgin and not wanting to sleep with a girl in his dreams until he had been ‘dream married’ were particularly funny. The brave move of ending on a pun paid off, leaving the audience ready. Simon Bower was up next, continuing the theme of virginity, as well as pieces about Facebook-hacking and the difficulties encountered when donating blood. The audience particularly enjoyed a story about a secret crush of his who had the same name as his sister, as well as his inner alter-ego of a fussy, conservative older lady.

Harris Stuckey stepped up next, with a different direction and change of comedic pace, presenting a lot of short, almost oneliner jokes filled with puns. After a bit of a slower start, Stuckey soon had the audience chuckling along. I did notice however that he apologised for many of the riskier jokes in his repertoire, which seems to be quite common among younger comedians compared to their Gen X counterparts. After a short intermission to buy some more drinks and literally cool down the room, Shahed Sharify took control of the microphone for the second part of the show. A newer comic, having only started in June last year, Sharify’s material was a bit hit and miss, although when it worked, it had many in the room roaring with laughter. His idea of committing a robbery with an Eftpos machine was insightful. Tim Noon closed the show, with jokes about the creation of sushi by the wasabi industry and the idea of achieving ‘snail goals’. His ability to link later jokes with earlier material was masterful for someone of his age, ending the show on a high note. The four young comedians worked brilliantly together and, if this preview is anything to go by, Melbourne is in for a quality show. peter O’rourke

LITERATURE IN REVIEW Gun Machine Warren Ellis [Mulholland Books; 2013]

The same day that his partner is killed by a naked man with a shotgun, New York Detective John Tallow discovers an apartment packed to the rafters with hundreds and hundreds of guns, each one linked to a single unsolved homicide. With his partner dead, his bosses furious at the amount of work he’s just dumped on their laps and the city’s most prolific serial killer to catch, Tallow has to work through a massive conspiracy that pretty much nobody wants him to solve. The only assistance he has is two eccentric CSU techs who don’t know what they’ve done to deserve this. Technically, Gun Machine is a police procedural. The mystery is not particularly engaging, but that hardly detracts from the reader’s enjoyment of the novel. Ellis’s decision to put us in the killer’s head early on takes away a lot of the suspense from the plot: knowing what we do about the killer, there’s no opportunity for a fake-out or to suspect any of the characters Tallow encounters. The tension comes from the obvious facts the readers pick out immediately rather than the unknown. The real attraction is Ellis’ tight, sharp prose and mesmeric authorial voice. His comic writing background is clear; his visual descriptions are visceral and immediate, like close-up hi-res photographs, and when he describes the impact of a shotgun shell on a man’s head the reader can see it with stomach-turning clarity. Gun Machine is also a love letter to New York; the city as the locals see it. Tallow, the quintessential jaded detective, thinks of the city

in precincts; a series of areas of responsibility and crime rates. The Wall Street wizards describe a city of fibre-optic cables and data transfers, while the pants-wettingly crazy murderer has a palimpsest of pre-European settlement ‘Mannahatta’ overlaying his vision. The novel dwells at length on issues of history and perspective, on the gritty reality of the street contrasted with the insular shiny plastic world of the mega-wealthy, on the massive corporations that have become the new face of America. Despite all the history and philosophy and contemplation, Gun Machine is fastmoving and easy to read. The characters are believably grungy in a noir-ish sort of way, the institutions neither saintly nor wholly corrupt, the bursts of action shocking and visceral. Gun Machine is a tight, sharp book that leaves you thinking. EMMA GRIST

people in it, it would feel like I was objectifying the landscape, or pushing it back... I grew up in the bush and the bush is really important to me. It’s a story that I feel is very common, that a lot of people have this. Australia... [has] always been a landscape nation or a bush nation, but now we’re becoming a lot more urban and the relationship to the landscape is—’ Ruby pauses, momentarily distracted, but I think the word she was searching for was ‘changing’. The bulk of the work displayed in The Complementary Woman was created during Ruby’s residency with the Canberra Contemporary Art Space. Ruby and her fellow CCAS residents (class of 2012) are combining their talents for this year’s Blaze, an annual exhibition dedicated to emerging Canberra artists.

BETWEEN THE DESERT AND THE FOREST lauren strickland ‘It’s so hairy,’ says Ruby. ‘You lose a lot of paint.’ There’s a pause as we both let that statement sink in. ‘But I’ve always wanted to do it.’ Artist RUBY GREEN paints on velvet (what were you thinking?) – rich, textured, greedy velvet that sucks up her paint as she works. Her paintings contemplate the often fraught body and the landscape it inhabits. Her first solo exhibition, The Complementary Woman, opens this Valentine’s Day at Canberra Contemporary Art Space in Manuka. It is a sharply contrasted semi-autobiographical narrative of Ruby’s life, full of the blue-greens of her south east, mountain-meets-the-shore childhood and her burnt red, dried out desert gap year. The body is everywhere in her work: small, pale figures that traipse up and down the horizon and wend their way down into the foreground. ‘If I were to paint a landscape without

While Ruby (somewhat sheepishly) admits that she didn’t have much interaction with the other artists working alongside her Gorman House studio these past six months, she does describe them as ‘united [by] our anxieties’ – namely, climate change. ‘I grew up in the ‘80s and most of the people doing the residency this year grew up in the ‘80s. I feel like we were probably one of the first generations to really get educated about the impact that we as individuals can have on the environment. And I guess that there’s a cycle of anxiety that our planet was not going to stay safe forever, and that we were really vulnerable... storms and droughts and things... nature was something to be feared rather than something we have power over; it has a lot of power over us.’ Ruby’s art is about the idea of ‘home’: the when and the where, and how it will be in the years to come; how we ought to take care of it. Home is not easily defined. Even Ruby admits, ‘I don’t know,’ and adds, ‘Somewhere between the desert and the forest.’ The Complementary Woman opens Thursday February 14, 6pm, at CCAS Manuka. Free entry, food & drinks! Blaze 7 opens Wednesday February 20, 6pm, at ANCA Gallery, Dickson. Free entry.

WHATCHA GONNA DO… VANESSA WRIGHT The Canberra Contemporary Art Space is leaping into 2013 with a gutsy show that revisits the history of the space through the work of 20 iconic female artists who have shaped the art scene of Canberra over the past 30 years. BAD GIRLS celebrates the more than 1000 women who have exhibited at CCAS since 1981, through the work of these 20 selected artists, including Vivienne Binns, Marianna del Castillio, Julia Church, Ruth Waller and Jacqueline Bradley. This is the best of the worst, the baddest cats of the Canberra art scene. Curator Anni Doyle Wawrzynczak sums up just who these bad girls are in her catalogue essay: ‘Bad Girls are everywhere. They’re our grandmothers, mothers, sisters, daughters and aunts; they’re single, straight, transgendered, gay and married’. These women are all artists who have a strong connection to Canberra, they have lived, worked, taught and ultimately changed the landscape of the art scene locally and nationally. ‘They’ve painted, printed, postered, sculpted and photographed subjects that reflect their own secret desires, burning issues and universal feminist concerns with energy, insight, humour, pathos, hope and righteous anger.’ The first work to draw you into the exhibition is a luminous ochrecoloured work by Mandy Martin, Vivitur Ex Rapto (for Gina), 2013. It’s a beautifully desolate painting, capturing the red wasteland that is characteristic of open cut mines in Western Australia. The only sign of life is a lone yellow truck driving into the distance. A visually captivating work counterbalanced by the anger at corporate greed the title reveals. Alison Alder has been a driving force in the Canberra art scene for many years, having been one of the founders of the Bitumen River Gallery in Manuka, which later became CCAS, and is currently the artistic director/CEO of Megalo Print Studio and Gallery. Her work Even A Man Can Do It, 1981, a colourful cartoon-style screenprint of a man doing laundry, was shown in the inaugural BRG show and is shown here again in Bad Girls. Alder’s work, as well as eX de Medici’s large black and white laser printed posters Wedding Cake and Pistol, 1983, capture the poster-making movement which emerged in the ‘70s and ‘80s and provided an accessible, convenient format in which to mass produce imagery and messages for activist artists and feminists in particular. Many of the ideas presented in the exhibition are as relevant today as they were ten, 20 or even 30 years ago, which is a testament to the quality of artists involved, but also shows how relevant these issues remain today and how much we still need our Bad Girls to speak out.

Bad Girls is on at the Canberra Contemporary Art Space, Gorman House, from Friday February 8 – Saturday March 16. For more information visit ccas.com.au. Free.

ARTISTPROFILE: Sarah Blythe

Of what are you proudest so far? In addition to finishing university, I am proud to have been awarded two emerging artist awards. I was also able to exhibit my work in Melbourne last year at the Edmund Pearce Gallery and the Carbon Black Gallery.

What do you do? I am a photographer and I also enjoy painting and crafts. I like to create conceptual works and am interested in experimenting further with mixed media arts.

What are your plans for the future? To continue creating art and photography. I would also like to travel.

Who or what influences you as an artist? As well as my grandmother being one of my major influences, I am also fascinated by nature and textures. Interior design and patterned fabric also play a part in influencing my work.

What makes you laugh? Being nervous. I sometimes laugh at the most inappropriate times. What pisses you off? When Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not organised. What about the local scene would you change? I am excited to see the development of the National Arboretum. Upcoming exhibitions? 100 group exhibition to celebrate the centenary of Canberra. It will take place at the Belconnen Arts Centre from Friday April 19â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Wednesday May 5. Contact Info: sarahblythe.com; sarah.blythe@zoho.com.

[Gerbera; 2012]

When, how and why did you get into it? I completed my Honours degree at ANU in Photography and Media Arts in 2011. I have always enjoyed art as my grandmother is a painter and I began to paint with her from a young age. When I was three years old I was given my first camera and have continued to experiment with photography ever since.

hardcore; and the Christian dudes who listened to white metal biblethrowers Stryper (please, please look this band up).

UNINHIBITED I had two types of friends at school – those who liked U2 and those who liked music. The former owned all of the inescapable Irishmen’s albums, their t-shirts and their VHS videos; and, over a bottle of tequila, they would bore you pantsless with the mind-numbing details of the fucking Zoo TV tour. Those same friends would also tell you they were really into music, by which they meant they were really into U2. I remember seeing a CD collection made up solely of U2 albums, which is like looking at a meal made up solely of boiled carrots. But somehow those friends thought they had superior taste in music by virtue of not listening to any of the other acts featured on the blandathon that was Video Hits. Those of us who actually liked music, however, knew we were the ones with superior taste. This was because we put a bit of effort into finding our favourite artists by taping and watching hours of Rage (these were pre-Internet days). This was how we followed the early ‘90s alternative trail from Nirvana to The Screaming Trees to The Melvins and so forth; happily heading down esoteric side roads along the way. While we did this, other groups at school were sure they the ones with superior taste: the metalheads who were into Venom; the homies into Boogie Down Productions; the ravers into Rotterdam

It was all elitism of course, with everyone thinking they had the superior taste. Except, that is, for those strange kids who said they were into ‘a bit of everything’. I eventually followed the musical trail I was on to punk and found the punks to be paradoxically the most elitist of all. No one thinks they’re better than everyone else like a fan of anarchopunks Crass. No one. So after a few years I returned to indie rock where (I thought) the elitism was less cancerous and continued my musical journey (U2 reference, anyone?) quietly comfortable in the knowledge that I indeed had the superior taste. Then The O.C. proved that a lot of what I listened to was just pop music that hadn’t been promoted and my favourite bands turned into bands listened to by people who were into a bit of everything and possibly even U2. That briefly led me to the less palatable regions of the music world where for about two minutes I thought noise might be my thing. To test this theory I went to a Wolf Eyes gig in Vancouver where at one point a band member seriously asked if they ‘had cops here in Portland’. I found that noise wasn’t really my thing. So, after all that, it became tiresome to constantly feel the need to be better than others, so I mellowed out. In fact, I’m so comfortable with it all that it doesn’t even bother me that some people still have a profound inability to see that Bono is a massive tool. Okay, that’s not true. Pete Huet petehuet@yahoo.com

bit PARTS ARTBEAT WHAT: Group Art Exhibition WHEN: Sat Feb 9-Fri Mar 1 WHERE: Canberra Grammar Gallery, Red Hill Artbeat is a group exhibition by local and regional artists for whom art plays a sustaining force in their lives. This exhibition celebrates the original work of a number of young and emerging artists, including Jenny Hull from Wagga Wagga, and Sally Dunbar, David Hodges, Rebecca Hanrahan and Dinah Vandermeys, all from Canberra. The exhibition has no particular theme but the subject of dogs seems to be popular - go figure. The exhibition opens Saturday February 9, 4pm at Canberra Grammar School Gallery, which is located in the heritage listed main quad of Canberra Grammar School (40 Monaro Crescent, Red Hill). The Gallery is open weekdays from 10am-4pm and Saturdays from 11am-4pm. For more information, visit cgs.act.edu.au. Free.

KARST COUNTRY WHAT: Painting & Photography Exhibition WHEN: Fri Feb 8-Sun Feb 24 WHERE: Belconnen Arts Centre This exhibition examines karst landscapes near Canberra from two viewpoints: the colourful, textured acrylic paintings of Phil Ryan, alongside the serene infra-red images – stills and motion – of Glen Ryan. The distinctive landscapes around Wee Jasper, Blue Waterholes and Yarrangobilly are the inspiration for these works and show the result of the weathering limestone on the topography of the area. Phil Ryan, trained in both science and art, has worked with Forests NSW and CSIRO Forestry in Canberra. Glen Ryan creates his work using high speed infra-red monochromatic film, capturing elements of the landscape invisible to the human eye. 10am-5pm Mon-Fri, -4pm Sat. Free. THE CREATIVE POWER OF WOMEN WHAT: Multi-Gallery Exhibition WHEN: Thu Feb 14-Sun Mar 3 WHERE: M16 ArtSpace Gallery M16 will run three simultaneous exhibitions within their gallery spaces, each of which will feature themed artworks by a collection of artists. Gallery 01 will feature Material Translations, including sculptures, video and drawings by six female artists. Gallery 02 will feature A Fusion of Two Elements showcasing Cate & Rob Riley’s new Lambda Duratrans and a video projection. Gallery 03 presents Canberra artist Karen Green’s latest painting exhibition, Portrait of the Woman Next Door. The exhibition will be officially opened on Thursday February 14, 6pm, by Helen Ennis and will feature a contemporary dance performance. Free. MODERN CLOTH NAPPIES WORKSHOP WHAT: Cloth Nappies Workshop WHEN: Wed Feb 20 WHERE: Canberra Environment Centre Are you interested in reducing waste from the bottom up? Using reusable nappies instead of land-filling disposable nappies is one small way to make a difference. The Canberra Environment Centre is exploring the world of modern cloth nappies with this workshop, which will introduce you to the different types of modern cloth nappies available, the accessories that make using cloth nappies easier, tips for washing and maintaining cloth nappies and the financial savings and environmental benefits that result from leaving disposables behind. Limited places, bookings essential: workshops@ecoaction.com.au or 6248 0885. 10:30-11:30am. $15 or $10 for carbon challenge participants. See ecoaction.com.au for a full list of all CEC’s workshops.

UNDER MY SKIN WHAT: Glassworks Exhibition WHEN: Sat Jan 23-Thu Mar 21 WHERE: Canberra Glassworks

BLAZE 7 WHAT: Emerging Visual Artists WHEN: Wed Feb 20-Sun Mar 3 WHERE: ANCA Gallery

Internationally recognised Canberra artist Kirstie Rea exhibits new works in glass in Under My Skin, a beautiful and poetic exhibition that continues Canberra Glassworks’ Centenary programming, 100 Days of Glass, by presenting a collection of works that foregrounds the artist’s experience of growing up and living her life in Canberra. Drawing from her lifelong residence in Canberra, she explores notions of recollection, nostalgia and place by transforming glass to resemble sheer fabric, which she then pairs with domestic objects and implements from the garden. Open Wed-Sun, 10am-4pm. Free.

Canberra Contemporary Art Space (CCAS) presents its annual emerging ACT artists showcase exhibition Blaze in partnership with ANCA Gallery. Blaze 7 showcases the crème de la crème of emerging visual art in Canberra and is a must-see exhibition for the culture connoisseur. Initiated by CCAS in 2006 as an annual exhibition to record the progress of emerging artists in the ACT, Blaze 7 is comprised of selected work from emerging artists’ exhibitions throughout 2012 and the CCAS Studio Residency Program. The exhibition opening will be on Wed Feb 20, 6pm. Free.

the word

on albums

mama kin The magician’s daughter [independent]

album of the issue my bloody valentine mbv [CREATION/Sire] Firstly, understand that to review M B V is almost impossible. Not in 310 words, not in 1000 – such is the scale of the myth that surrounds the band and its mercurial leader Kevin Shields, this is less a record than a sociocultural ‘event’, an object with so much extraneous noise surrounding it that the LP in its centre is quite hard to hear. That Loveless, the 1991 predecessor to M B V, is so often charged with not just being very very good but amongst the best LPs ever is the other key issue in trying to stare this album down with a straight face. What constitutes success? Does it need to again change the face of modern music? Unite Israel and Palestine? Make Tony Abbott likeable? Given the status of their previous work, one can excuse the 22-year wait for M B V. So let’s try something else – playing M B V on its merits.

In short, it’s a startling record. It sounds like nothing else but the follow-up to Loveless, a similar but more interesting record. What does it sound like? It sounds internalised. Like the sound of blood rushing through a brain, with some key valves shut off. The sound of circulating blood sending somebody a little crazy. There are songs that are easier to admire than love, such as the opening battle of noise vs. melody, she found now, and there are songs that will make any fan spin round light posts in utter gormless joy, like only tomorrow and new you. Then there are songs which teasingly reveal what kept Shields interested these past 22 years – the twisted take on dancefloor rhythms such as the unfathomable closer, wonder 2. This is a weirdly comforting yet thoroughly difficult record. It’s tough to describe just how odd, idiosyncratic and brilliant it is. GLEN MARTIN

Indie upstarts Neighbourhood Youth devoted the latter half of 2012 to writing and recording their first EP. This followed success in gaining some airtime with their earlier laidback single Stone, which paved the way for this latest release. The band places a heavy emphasis on the vocals of its frontman John Philip in order to make its mark. Title track Holiday is the fastest song in this selection of generally cruisey tunes. The pop song’s opening with its tick-tock-like chiming guitars gives it an immediately recognisable signature. Their ringing tones are the perfect background for John’s deep voice, with its distinctive timbre, the whole package served up with an echo chamber effect. We Lay Awake comes from the same stylistic mould, but is slower and more atmospheric in its delivery. Half a Man is a strange choice for the first single as it’s not the EP highlight. However, there’s no denying its deliberately drawn out lyrics and bold chorus give it a character of its own. The disc wraps up strongly with the brightness of Fire and Gold’s core melody and Only One, which possesses the bounce of a San Cisco/Last Dinosaurs song. The EP shows promise for a band which draws on the popular upbeat, summery sound of favourites such as Jungle Giants, but which projects a distinctive vibe, thanks to its frontman. You can try it out too, for a paltry $5 download fee from their Bandcamp site. rory mccartney

high highs open season [fine time records] The High Highs are relatively new to the Australian music scene, releasing their first full-length album Open Season early this year. Band members Jack Milas and Oli Chang are from Sydney, so it is fitting that they released this album before Australia Day. Whilst most of us spent it listening to the Hottest 100 countdown, firing up over the selection and sizzling sausages, the High Highs’ album was being distributed. The High Highs are difficult to place into one genre, as they are described as fluctuating between electronic, wave and rock. After listening to Open Season the album carries a definitive ghostly sound, with a mixture of Milas’ falsetto voice and piano synths from Chang. Unfortunately, after hearing all 12 tracks the album becomes a ghost in your mind. The repetitive nature of the tunes starts to sound more like elevator music, with the tracks lacking in diversity. Open Season itself is the standout track, with a catchy and upbeat chorus. With a simple guitar riff and a powerful melody it is a strong addition to the album. Unfortunately, other songs do not have this infectious quality, which makes the rest of the offerings sound insipid and forgettable. As a debut album, Open Season showcases that the duo have enough musical talent to create higher quality work in future. However, the boys need to improve their songs so they are less monotonous and more vibrant, otherwise by next Australia Day they will have sizzled out. cassidy brown

pvt homosapien [create/control] With the trio now dividing their living space between Sydney and London, PVT’s preceding 2010 album, Church with No Magic, represented something of a divisive point for longtime fans, with Richard Pike adopting the role of lead singer proper, with his vocals at the forefront of most tracks. If anything, this fourth album Homosapien (their first since splitting from the Warp label) sees the stylistic shifts of that preceding record progressing even further, to the point where PVT feel more like a pop rock act than ever before. Those concerned that this newfound accessibility might result in a corresponding loss of edge have little to fear, though. The vast, cold and reverbdrenched synth-scapes of Church... remain firmly present here, with the frequently unearthly blend of digitally treated vocals, cavernous drums and hypnotically weaving electronics of opener Shiver calling to mind one of Thom Yorke’s claustrophobic glides as much as it does Depeche Mode’s icy grandeur. Elsewhere, Love & Defeat hints even more at PVT’s live ambitions, offering up the closest thing to a huge anthem here, as Richard Pike’s smooth falsetto soars over crashing rock drums and the sorts of stark synthscapes you’d associate with Black Celebration-era Mode, before the title track sees the wiry guitars coming to the forefront as Pike’s jittery, processed vocals blend into the indie-rock centred backing, becoming just another rhythmic texture at points. In this case, PVT’s stylistic shift has paid off. chris downton

sex wizard grey matter/ white matter [clarity records]

faspeedelay ghost on the waterfront [audio actions]

all ords for the first time never EP [independent]

I have not heard of Adelaide’s Sex Wizard before. They are quite good. I have not written a CD review before either. This, however, will not be classified under ‘quite good’.

Canberra-based hip hop heads Stateovmind and Podbotiks have been making music together for a while but have finally joined forces to create All Ords. The duo cleverly compiled some of their best work, dating back years to succinctly form six tracks that make up their debut EP, For The First Time Never.

When it comes to wine, the label shouldn’t matter. What’s inside should speak for itself. That’s not always true, but it is for this release. Painfully arty exterior, brutally listenable interior. More fun than taking the piss out of paedophilia and Not For Profits.

Comprised of Rob Pelle (drums), Charles Zammit (guitar) and Don Rogers (bass), Melbourne instrumental rock trio Faspeedelay meld elements of post-rock’s introspective meanderings with a heavy edge that’s indebted to Wipersesque punk, a combination that’s seen them support acts as diverse as Scattered Order and SixFtHick. Released for the trio’s first headlining Australian tour, Ghost On The Waterfront offers up Faspeedelay’s debut album, and it’s a surprisingly heavy beast. Goat Dance pretty much hurls the listener straight into the action, with a barrage of thundering punk drumming and elastic bass that immediately suggests ‘80s DC hardcore, while the chiming fluid guitar riffs inject an offcentre surf rock edge, shortly before things wander out into a crashing flame-out that’s all showery cymbals and howling guitar feedback. By contrast, Pretty Much treads subdued and introspective waters as delay-treated guitar scapes ebb against a moody bassline, only for tense atonal guitars to suddenly slot in alongside the snares and drag things off to a considerably more paranoid place, a trajectory also followed by Don’t Let Me Go. While it’s impressive upon first listen, before long a sense soon starts to creep in that Faspeedelay only have two gears, one slow and meandering, and the other full balls-to-wall thrashout, generally in that order. Unfortunately, Ghost On The Waterfront gets predictable and repetitious quickly.

scott johnston

CHRIS Downton

The first thing I noticed about their CD was its snazzy yet infuriating cover art. It took me about 17 seconds to squint correctly and hold the album at just the right angle so I could actually make out the words ‘SXWZD, GREY MATTER, WHITE MATTER’ through the stylish but fucking annoying mix of black and white dots and matte and gloss cover finish. I had a headache for a few minutes afterwards, like I’d just tried to impress someone by showing them for how long I could go cross-eyed. Like most things in life, I quickly discovered that I needn’t have gone to all that previous effort. The clearly written band name and album title were conveniently located on the album spine. Fucking bastards. Are they doom metal? Are they sludgy thrash? Yes and yes and maybe. But yes. Either way, they go down easier than an altar boy left unaccompanied and instrumentally are tighter than a charity organisation’s staff Christmas party.

I was listening to this in my car for the first time while driving my mum to the shops. Track two, Anthem Rap, started off with a pretty sweet backbeat then broke into the chorus of ‘this is gangsta rap, cocksucker fall back’, so I turned the volume up to make my mum feel uncomfortable. The rest of the EP continues on much the same; heavy beats and heavier language accompanied by surprisingly personal lyrics. Life is a standout for me, with the best of the EP culminating in the final track. The chilled beat is meshed with some pretty sharp lyrics to create one of those classic hip hop tracks that you find yourself bopping your head to on the first listen. The EP contains music and ideas dating way back to their school days and, although the boys are both much older and wiser, it’s clear the sentiments still resonate today. The two haven’t given much indication as to whether there are going to be future releases but fingers crossed this isn’t the last we hear from All Ords. jade fosberry

the word

on films

WITH MELISSA WELLHAM

I’m not going to hide it anymore: I love romantic comedies. Some of my favourite films – and said with the emphasis of Kanye West – OF ALL TIME, have been rom-coms. You’ve Got Mail. 10 Things I Hate About You. Anything old school with Katherine Hepburn in it. But over the past few years – thanks in large part, I feel, to Katherine Heigl – rom-coms lost their magic. Thankfully, I feel these dark ages are over. As Silver Linings Playbook proves, the much maligned rom-com genre is finally being given the scripts it deserves.

quote of the issue ‘This is what I believe to be true: you have to do everything you can, and if you stay positive, you have a shot at a silver lining.’ Pat (Bradley Cooper), Silver Linings Playbook

silver linings playbook

django unchained

the impossible

Pat’s (Bradley Cooper) life has not gone according to plan. After brutally attacking the man with whom his wife was having an affair, and subsequently being diagnosed with bipolar disorder, he has to spend eight months in an institution. When he is released, he has lost his wife, his job and his home – and ends up back at his parents’ (Jacki Weaver and Robert DeNiro) place. He is determined to win back his wife, Nikki, but things get complicated when he meets Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), a young woman suffering depression.

Tarantino makes great revenge flicks – no matter if it’s samurai-style or a foray into the Spaghetti Western, he knows what he’s good at. There’s blood. There are explosions. There’s a flexible interpretation of American/world history.

The 2004 Boxing Day tsunami was the third largest earthquake ever recorded on a seismograph and killed over 230,000. The Impossible follows a real-life family (originally Swedish, but in this film British) who are torn apart by the tsunami. Maria (Naomi Watts), Henry (Ewan McGregor) and their three sons go holidaying in Thailand, expecting to spend time in a tropical paradise. But on December 26th, their holiday turns into a nightmare.

This is dramedy at its finest. Unfortunately, Silver Linings Playbook has been nominated for a number of Oscars. I say ‘unfortunately’ because it means that many viewers will have been tricked into thinking this is some sort of humourless, arty film that deals with serious themes like depression. And while it does deal with serious themes like depression, it does so within a fairly standard rom-com format. The reason you should watch Silver Linings Playbook is not because it deals with real world issues in a believable way (although it does) or for the sharp wit and laugh-outloud moments (although there are plenty of those) but for its infectious optimism. The world could do with a few more moments – and films – that look at the silver linings.

In this incarnation, former slave Django (Jamie Foxx) teams up with German bounty hunter Dr Schultz (Christoph Waltz) in a quest to find and free his wife from a plantation in the South. Waltz is absolutely amazing and Leo DiCaprio turns in a delicious performance as the twisted plantation owner. Foxx’s tortured glares and steely resolution would make Uma proud and there are some expected (and unexpected) cameos thrown in too. There is a liberal use of that ‘n’ word, which won’t sit right with some people, and shitloads of balls-out, gun-slinging, fistsmashing violence, which won’t sit right with even more people. But for those critics concerned with historical accuracy, did anyone see Inglourious Basterds? Tarantino isn’t basing his films on facts – he makes pulp fiction, not documentaries. So while the controversy is understood, I think the main issue is that Django runs too long and yes, Tarantino gets carried away.

If you were cynical, you might assume that this is another tribute to the white survivors of 2004 – that ignores the 230,000 Asian people who died and had their homes destroyed. Unfortunately, I’m not a cynic. ‘No!’ I thought, ‘I’m sure that this film will still deal sensitively with the fact that the tsunami resulted in mass deaths of locals and had an ongoing impact on their communities!’ Perhaps I was a little optimistic. The Impossible does not do this exceptionally well – although it is an exceptional film in other ways. This is a disaster movie that feels real. It’s not all towering tidal waves and people screaming and running for their lives. This is what it would really look like to be caught in the path of a crushing, unforgiving wall of water.

‘Serious’ and ‘romantic comedy’ might seem like mutually exclusive terms, but this film is a joyous combination of both.

But hell, isn’t that why we love him? He is the king of getting carried away – going too far, making a spectacle – and frankly that’s why his films are so damn entertaining.

It is a touching, terrifying film. It is sometimes overwrought (it’s a film about a tsunami, people) and emotionally exhausting (er, see previous bracketed comment) but also potent filmmaking.

melissa wellham

megan mckeough

melissa wellham

the word on dvds

ENLightened - the complete first season [warner home video]

jerusalem: the making of a holy city [ROADSHOW]

Raw emotion is incredibly difficult to pull off in real life, let alone the fictional world of TV. For the most part, the fear of failure and uncomfortable silences drive us to take the middle road with our careers, relationships and lives. Living on the emotional edge is both risky and unbearably tiring. What you see on TV has been smoothed over, written, rewritten, edited, punched-up and approved by teams of writers and producers like it’s the arse-end of a long game of Chinese whispers. Which makes the ninth episode of this little-known show nothing short of a revelation. Consider Helen is as close to perfection as you’ll see in short form comedy/ drama. Helen (Dianne Ladd) had been, up until that point, a supporting character, the mother of Amy Jellicoe (Laura Dern, Ladd’s real life daughter) who was helping her daughter through a total emotional breakdown. In Consider Helen, an almost dialogue free episode, Enlightened shifted on its axis and forced us to view the world through a lonely elderly woman dealing with buried grief and anger. It’s not charming or quaint – it’s confronting and compelling. For the most part though, Dern and series co-creator, co-writer and co-star Mike White slowly bake the empty, facile self-help and corporate cultures; Amy recovers from her breakdown with a stream of positive affirmations that infuriate everyone around her and empower her to pay even less attention to other people than before she went nuts. Luke Wilson as her pain-killing, drugaddled husband is neither pitiful nor dark…just a guy who can’t muster the energy to cope. It’s a subtle, touching performance and one of Wilson’s best. Even though Enlightened won Dern a Golden Globe and has a loyal support base, it’s not a zeitgeist show. But it’s probably one of the best shows of which you’ve never even heard.

Like most people, when looking for analysis of centuries-old religious and ethnic tension I consult cookbooks. In last year’s award winning Jerusalem, Yotam Ottolenghi talks at length about the provenance of hummus, reminding us that the dish, considered to be a thoroughly Palestinian dish, was also party of the Aleppine Jewish diet for thousands of years before it arrived in Jerusalem in the mid-20th century. The Aleppine people were based in Syria and if you’ve kept an eye on the news recently you’ll know Aleppo has had its fair share of problems. Determining ownership of mashed up chickpeas is a murky task with competing theories and evidence. It’s also evidence that few things are static, movement of people influences culture, and people will do anything to stake their claim on symbols that define and justify their existence. It’s hummus – and it’s also the history of Jerusalem. In this three-part series there isn’t much talk about hummus, but there is plenty of background about one of the oldest, holy and fought-over cities in the world. Considered to be the epicentre of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, presenter Simon Sebag Montefiore (who also wrote a well-received biography of the city) strives to make the complex and controversial comprehendible. Walking through the storeroom of a functioning bakery in the Palestinian part of Jerusalem, Montefiore uncovers stunning ancient Christian iconography amongst the pipes and sacks of flour. Mind-boggling. One of the dangers of a doco like this is trying to please competing perspectives on who has the ‘right’ version of history. This is the complete, linear version going back to King David. It’s not a history of religion per se, but a convincing case is made that Jerusalem remains a key influencer of world affairs despite its apparent chaos.

justin hook

30 Rock - season 6 [UNIVERSAL/SONY] By now, it’s all over – 30 Rock has finished. A couple of weeks ago in the US the last episode aired. Despite a general consensus that the show peaked in the first half of its life and was waddling towards its inevitable death, a late burst of creativity turned the tables and made up for a couple of fallow years. This is probably one of the most important seasons of 30 Rock. Viewers will always tune into a final season to say a goodbye, but the penultimate year is the footing on which those goodbyes are built. It’s also the last year where the writing team are forced to push the show to greater heights and confirm its legacy, because the final season is the wind down, the closing off, the tears, the valedictory wave. The consistency of this sixth season meant the show could go out on its own terms. As in the pilot episode back in 2006, Liz Lemon (Tina Fey) is still trying to run a late night comedy sketch show whilst her boss Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin) is pushing the corporate agenda over the creative agenda. That’s basically it for this show. Almost every episode can be distilled thusly: a bunch of crazy people do crazy things whilst the higher-ups worry about money and power. Character growth is minimal (but not necessarily needed) and beyond some recurring themes – Lemon doesn’t want to be single, Donaghy dates powerful, conservative women, Tracy Jordan (Tracy Morgan) is an out of control familyavoiding deviant – plot arcs are rare. Accordingly, 30 Rock is best taken in bite-sized chunks and the focus on a finish line has paid off handsomely. This is one of the better years and a reminder of why it will be missed. Where else will we see John Hamm in blackface? justin hook

the word

BLACKBOX

on games

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 Platform: PS3, 360, PC, Wii U Developer: Treyarch Length: 5-10 hrs Verdict: Take or leave By this stage, if you were to pick up a Call of Duty game and expect it to be anything other than an interactive action flick, you’d be fooling yourself. True to form, Black Ops 2 is exactly this. Most of its levels are relentless, throwing you from one action moment to another. In some cases this works; one standout level is Karma, which sees you infiltrate a five-star resort. It’s an example where the expansive visuals put out by this graphically accomplished game create a real sense of grandeur. The whole level is well paced, with it allowing you to experience the rich-indulgence early on, before tearing everything apart. It later offers a few reprieves through the use of some mini-game moments. Unfortunately, the rest of the game doesn’t tend to do either the mini-games or the pacing well. The game follows the new trend of assuming all-out action equates to engaging gameplay. Game devs need to realise that the calm moments make the chaotic ones more confronting. If you instead set your action baseline too high, you’ll always be trying to outdo yourself, which is exactly how this and every other modern Call of Duty game feels. I would prefer to see them focus their efforts on how to make the slower moments engaging. Again, the Karma level demonstrates how this can be done through scoffing at rich people, attending a dubstep disco, and watching your face be inserted into adverts. In trying to keep up this all-out action approach, the game frequently throws you into mini-game moments (horse riding, mountain climbing, fighter jet dogfights, that kind of thing). With most of these moments being far too short to master, you’ll be winging your way through, often quite poorly. However, not keen to have your incompetency ruin the flow of this tale of international terrorism, most of these moments are stupidly easy or are accompanied by Wolverine-esque healing powers. With neither of these elements lending themselves towards satisfying gameplay, they just dilute the good stuff. While I wouldn’t want to see all these elements culled, there is certainly room for tightening. As for the story, I think someone needs to stop reading Tom Clancy. The inclusion of some small storyline branching does provide some interest to outlandish tale. However, the game does such a poor job of explaining itself sometimes they are easy to miss. Despite being a pretty typical Call of Duty entry – with all that implies – there’s still a lot here to keep you interested, including some great multiplayer and an enjoyable zombie mode, both of which have seen a considerable improvement over the first Black Ops offering. That said, this game is still mainly one for COD diehards. TORBEN SKO

While we indulge in the new big ticket premieres the networks can’t help telling us about – yes, yes, we know Downton Abbey (Prime, Sun, 8:30pm) is back – Chez Blackbox is quietly awaiting news of a start date for The Americans (SCTEN, TBC). With a stamp of approval from the US critics that matter (and a Canberra one with far less cachet), the ‘80s-era spy drama about KGB officers deep undercover in the US is the ultimate Cold War drama. But it’s not all just spy action. As well as looking at the duality of life undercover, it also explores the mixed loyalties that real spies must have endured during the Cold War. As much a case study of what the human spirit can endure as a racy spy drama (think Breaking Bad with Russian spies instead of malcontent drug manufacturers). Best. News. Ever: arguably the greatest Star Trek franchise, Deep Space Nine (Eleven, Thu Feb 14, 8:30pm), gets a rerun from the beginning. Other new shows that have kicked off with the advent of the ratings season include Girls (Showcase, Tue, 5:45pm), Enlightened (Showcase, Mon, 5:15pm), CSI: NY (WIN, Thu Feb 14, 10:40pm), Revenge (Prime, Mon, 8:45pm), Castle (Prime, Sun, 9:40pm) and new action thriller Last Resort (Prime, Wed Feb 20, 8:30pm), about a US nuclear submarine crew who have been branded fugitives after questioning a suspicious order. At the Movies (ABC 1, Tue Feb 19, 9:30pm) has moved days – you can catch Margaret and David a little earlier in the evening every week before The Book Club (ABC1, Tue Mar 5, 10pm) once a month. Docos to check out include Kevin McCloud’s new series Man Made Home (ABC1, Sun Feb 17, 7:30pm), a new season of Australian architecture in Dream Build (ABC1, Sun Feb 17, 8:20pm), Ewan McGregor: Cold Chain Mission (SBS1, Wed Feb 27, 8:30pm), where the Scotsman goes on a mission to deliver vaccines to children in remote communities across the world, and The Dust Bowl (SBS1, Fri Mar 1, 8:35pm) that looks at the environmental catastrophe in the US in the ‘30s and features the tunes of Woody Guthrie. Also seek out The Legend of Cool “Disco” Dan, narrated by Henry Rollins. It premieres in Washington on Sat Feb 23 and comes recommended by Hank himself (which is not the case with all of his work). If you’ve had about as much as you can take of the cold-faced stares of chefs and judges on the endless roundabout of reality cooking shows and you ventured out to enliven your tastebuds at the Multicultural Festival, let some real chefs show you how to recapture the heady aromas at home with Yotam Ottolenghi’s Mediterranean Feasts (SBS1, Thu Feb 28, 8:35pm), Food Safari (SBS1, Thu Feb 21, 7:30pm) and Jerusalem on a Plate (SBS1, Thu Feb 21, 8:30pm). The new reimagining of Dallas (WIN, TBC) was left with a bit of a conundrum when Larry Hagman died last year. With half the season shot and the need to kill off the character, they decided to go retro, revisiting the popular ‘Who Shot JR?’ cliffhanger of 1980. Odd guest spots are the bread and butter of cult sci-fi stars. Big Bang Theory (WIN, Mon & Tue, 8pm) alone has provided superannuation supplements to Leonard Nimoy, George Takei and Summer Glau, but now Mr Sulu will play an alien on US sci-fi sitcom The Neighbors (No Australian airdate). Don’t miss Tropfest (SBS1, Sun Feb 17, 8:30pm). Just 47 days until new Game of Thrones (assuming you read BMA on the day of issue and Foxtel fast-tracks it). TRACY HEFFERNAN tracyherrernan@bigpond.com @ChezBlackbox

the word

on gigs

The Waterboys Canberra Theatre Friday January 25 While the great unwashed thronged Capital Hill for the pre-Australia Day celebrations, a small but dedicated band of true believers met to worship a venerable band with a rich musical history. There was no support act, but who needs one with a back catalogue which stretches back three decades? Even though the kit had probably been on stage for hours, the roadies still came out to put on the mandatory last pieces of gaffer tape (it’s in their training). Then The Waterboys launched into Don’t Bang the Drum with an intensity which other bands usually reserve for their closing number. For the tour, the band featured five members only, but they shared the stage with the shades of the roughly 50 musos who have come and gone from the band over the years. There was no doubting the focus on the night and the centre of the action was the band’s founder Mike Scott. He dominated the stage, striking a Jagger-esque figure, tall and lean with long hair and plenty of vital, hip rocking moves. There was a bit of Dylan in there too, with the hat and the vocal style adopted for the bluesy songs. Scott was accompanied on stage by Steve Wickham on electric fiddle, James Hallawell on keys, the hyperactive Marc ‘Archie’ Arciero on bass and Ralph Salmins on the skins. The band leader chatted with the audience in his broad Scottish brogue, talking about Uncle Arthur’s Bedtime Stories, cockatoos and the delights of Melbourne’s Italian restaurants and bookshops. Hecklers were dealt with summarily, with instructions to ‘go boil your head’. As promised by Scott, who apologised about the band being a bit delayed in visiting Australia (by three decades), the punters were given a good selection of favourites from The Waterboys’ earlier albums in the first half of the show. There were lots of songs from the band’s ‘big music’ era. The set included All The Things She Gave Me, A Girl Called Johnny and Girl on a Swing, all delivered with blistering abandon. It was amazing to hear Wickham’s electric fiddle duel with the electric guitars. While there was relatively little from The Waterboys’ Celtic folk music period, I was pleased with the inclusion of their trademark tune The Raggle Taggle Gypsy, and She Tried to Hold Me represented the band’s post-folk era. The first set ended with a blitzkrieg performance of The Pan Within. Everyone I talked to during intermission was awed by the musicians’ skill and how tight they were. After the break, the show was dominated by selections from the band’s new album, An Appointment with Mr. Yeats, which features the work of Ireland’s greatest poet put to music. Song styles varied greatly, including a more traditional folk style and some very arty stop-start, fast-slow delivery. This set was a bit of a mixed bag. However, there was no denying the brilliant delivery of The Lake Isle of Innisfree, done in a Mississippi blues style, the more traditional folk delivery of Mad as the Mist and Snow, and the strength and passion of September 1913 rocking out. The encore featured their biggest hit, The Whole of the Moon, which lured some punters up to dance. For this song Wickham played an electric guitar the size of a ukulele.

PHOTOS BY PAUL MACMANUS/KEITH CORCORAN

It was a performance which belonged more on a festival stage than the reserved Canberra Theatre. RORY McCARTNEY

the word

Carole King, Shane Howard Royal Theatre Thursday February 7

on gigs

If you think you don’t know who Carole King is, let me assure you, you do. And if you were to tell your mum that you didn’t know a Carole King song, she’d probably scoff at you and say something like, ‘Don’t be ridiculous.’ Mine did. And when she rattled off song names like Natural Woman, You’ve got a Friend, I Feel the Earth Move and a whole lot of equally recognisable hits, I began to see why she had an underlying tone of disappointment in her voice. So to try and redeem myself as a fraction of the musically knowledgeable daughter I once was, I took my dear young mother along to see the Natural Woman herself, to her childhood reminiscing delight. Unsurprisingly, the audience was a little on the ‘mature’ side. As in, when we sat down in our fabulous sixth row seats, instead of the familiar gig scent of sweat and Red Bull, the room had a more comforting aroma of lavender and hairspray. Carole King could arguably have sold out the AIS, so it’s no surprise that there were no empty chairs in the intimate theatre. And everyone was in early for Carole’s special guest, Shane Howard – lead singer of a little band called Goanna. And what a storyteller. In between beautifully strummed stories, Shane would tell travel tales and recited poetry by Patrick Kavanagh, to which we all listened intently, processing our lessons. Then he quoted Pat Benatar, with ‘love is a battlefield’, to which a resounding ‘Mmhmm’ came from the agreeing audience. Brilliant. Of course, he finished on an incredible acoustic version of Solid Rock, singing the final chorus in Pitjinjara, and everyone was grateful to have witnessed such a special Australian song sung by the icon himself. It was an electric atmosphere when Carole took the stage. I couldn’t help but smile at the youthful squeals and fist pumps coming from the bespectacled men and women nearby. She sat at the grand piano and told us that she was grateful for ‘the very warm Canberra welcome’, and we discovered we were seated between that loud guy that likes to ruin moments (‘Canberra loves you, Carole!’) and those girls that got too pissed before the show and came to hear one song (‘Play TAPESTREeEeEeE!!’). Straight away, that familiar voice struck a nerve within us all, like listening to an old family member. Of course, there was a definite (allowable) element of cheese too; Carole told us her third song became the theme tune for Gilmore Girls and the stage backdrop turned to a picture of them. But it was a cheesiness punctuated by some of the biggest hits. Ever.

PHOTOS BY DALE WOWK

When the second half of the show kicked in, the chart-busters rolled out. Simpsons fans would have squealed in delight with me when Carole and her magnificent band went to town on Jazzman. It’s too Late brought the chorus of audience voices back to life and Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow? had people’s eyes leaking... I think it was the pent-up nostalgia escaping. And those goosebumps made a valiant comeback with I Feel the Earth Move, inspiring a seated shuffle (as close as possible to dancing without standing), at the end of which Carole and her band bid us a sudden goodnight and left the stage. When they did, the crowd, having been put through so many emotions and the stress of Carole possibly leaving without their chance to see the Natural Woman perform the tour namesake, exploded. And of course, she returned to perform it alongside the beautiful So Far Away. Seeing Carole King sing Natural Woman and the rest of her catalogue of golden hits was such a special experience for anyone in the Royal Theatre that night. But I think the most special thing about being there was seeing so many older Canberrans and their families enjoy music that has been with them, people almost three times my age, for their entire lifetimes. DANIKA NAYNA

ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE Wed Feb 13 - Thu Feb 14 wednesday february 13 Art Exhibition – Karst County

Landscapes featuring weathering limestone, known as karst. 10am-5pm. Free. BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Exhibition - An Unguarded Moment

A series of paintings of people in their ‘unguarded moment’ by Jess Annetts. 9am-5pm. Free. TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE

Exhibition - Unprotected

A new exhibition by Canberra-based artist Rachel Head. Free. HONKYTONKS

Exhibition - The Mountain

A mixed media group exploration of perception and history. 9am-4:30pm. Free. GALLERY@BCS

Exhibition – The Angel of History

Ambitious survey exhibition by Canberra-based sculptor Clare Martin. 12-5pm. ANCA GALLERY

Exhibition – Women with Clever Hands

Establishes the characteristics of the Gapuwiyak style as a group. 10am-5pm (12-4pm Sat). CRAFT ACT CRAFT & DESIGN CENTRE

Exhibition – Toulouse-Lautrec: Paris & the MR 10am-5pm (7pm Fri/Sat). Tickets $6-$25. See nga.gov.au for more. Exhibition closes Tue Apr 2.

thursday february 14 Art Exhibition – Whimsical Oddities

8am-9pm (-4pm Sun). Free. ILIOS GALLERY

Exhibition – Karst County 10am-5pm. Free.

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Exhibition - An Unguarded Moment 9am-5pm. Free.

TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE

Exhibition - Unprotected

A new exhibition by Canberra-based artist Rachel Head. Free. HONKYTONKS

Exhibition - The Mountain 9am-4:30pm. Free. GALLERY@BCS

Exhibition – The Angel of History 12-5pm.

ANCA GALLERY

Exhibition – The Creative Power of Women 12-5pm. Free.

M16 ARTSPACE

Exhibition – Women with Clever Hands 10am-5pm (12-4pm Sat).

CRAFT ACT CRAFT & DESIGN CENTRE

Exhibition - I Heart Threads

Kieran Stopp’s unique t-shirt designs on display for the first time. Free. THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ

Exhibition – Toulouse-Lautrec: Paris & the MR See nga.gov.au for more.

NATIONAL GALLERY OF AUSTRALIA

Exhibition – Whimsical Oddities

Live Music

Portraits of animals in suits, hearts and oddities by Caiti Stevens. 8am-9pm (-4pm Sun). Free. ILIOS GALLERY

Karaoke

Calyx & Teebee

TJS Presents. 10pm. THE CLUBHOUSE

Clubfeet

Karaoke Wednesdays

Supported by Safia. 8pm. Presale tix $10 + bf thru Moshtix.

DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

Live Jazz

Live Music

DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

9pm.

The Apology – Five Years On

Archie Roach, Bart Willougby, The Last Kinection and more celebrate the Apology. 5:30-10pm. Free. NEW PARLIAMENT HOUSE

Acoustic Soup

Food and music stew. 6:30pm. $10/$8 students. ANU FOOD CO-OP

Doc White

Doc White: vocals, banjitar, mandolin, guitar, ukulele, percussion. 8pm. $10 door. THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ

On The Town

TRANSIT BAR

7:30pm. Free.

Faux Real

Actually, literally. 9pm.

KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

Paper Arms

With Life and Limb, Persoectives, Surrender. Doors 8pm. Price TBA. THE BASEMENT

Charles & Dave 9pm-12am.

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

Valentines Day Frank Sinatra & Peggy Lee Show

Tickets available online at digress.com. au. $55 presale for a three-course meal and show. DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

Pleased To Jive You

9pm.

With Both Cheese (Tokyo), Astrochem. 9pm.

ANU O-Week FOAM Party

4Some Thursdays

Latino Wednesdays MONKEYBAR

Academy and ANUSA Present. 9pm. ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

THE PHOENIX BAR

Rubix Cube Party. 9pm. THE BASEMENT

Workshops Free Theatre Workshop

The Threads Collective invite you to share stories of migration. 10am12:30pm & 6:30-9pm. Free. BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE Fri Feb 15 - Sun Feb 17 friday february 15 Art Exhibition – Whimsical Oddities Portraits of animals in suits, hearts and oddities by Caiti Stevens. 8am-9pm (-4pm Sun). Free. ILIOS GALLERY

Exhibition – Karst County

Landscapes featuring weathering limestone, known as karst. 10am-5pm. Free. BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Exhibition – Bloom and Blush

A collection of works by Adelaide-based jewellers Peta Kruger and Kath Inglis. 11am-5pm (-4pm Sat). BILK GALLERY

Exhibition - An Unguarded Moment

A series of paintings of people in their ‘unguarded moment’ by Jess Annetts. 9am-5pm. Free. TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE

Exhibition - Unprotected

A new exhibition by Canberra-based artist Rachel Head. Free. HONKYTONKS

Exhibition - The Mountain

A mixed media group exploration of perception and history. 9am-4:30pm. Free. GALLERY@BCS

Exhibition – John Young: The Bridge...

A survey exhibition. 12-5pm. Free. DRILL HALL GALLERY

Exhibition – The Angel of History

Live Fridays

Exhibition - Unprotected

On The Town

DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

HONKYTONKS

Blame it on the Boogie Weekends

Live acoustic musicians. 5pm onwards. Free.

Obsessions

Dynamic pub rock show band. 8:30pm12am. Free. CALWELL BAR N BISTRO

Damien Leith

Live in concert playing ‘The Hits’. Dinner and show 6:30pm/show 8pm. $76/$40 thru cscc.com.au. CANBERRA SOUTHERN CROSS CLUB (WODEN)

Ced Nada

The antidote to all your music pleasure. 9pm. KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

Shananigans 6

Bigger and better than ever. 22 bands, two nights. 7:30pm. $40 presale @ Basement, $25/night door. THE BASEMENT

Ungus Ungus Ungus

Progressive funk rock gypsy pop psychedelia outfit. 8pm. $8 door. THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ

The Cool/Chad Shuttleworth (Newcastle) 5-8pm/10pm-2am.

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

Official ANU Secret Garden After-Party With Bombs Away. 9pm. ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

Alex Carder 9pm.

Blame it on the Boogie Weekends

Exhibition – Women with Clever Hands

MONKEYBAR

Disco, motown, ‘80s and ‘90s. 10pm onwards. Free.

THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ

Exhibition – Toulouse-Lautrec: Paris & the MR 10am-5pm (7pm Fri/Sat). Tickets $6-$25. See nga.gov.au for more. Exhibition closes Tue Apr 2. NATIONAL GALLERY OF AUSTRALIA

Comedy Damian Callinan

With Emo Parsonson, Tim Noon and Rafe Morris. 7:30pm. Tix $25 online at frenziedproductions.com.au.

Not the latest, but definitely the GREATEST music. 9pm. Free. TRANSIT BAR

Understanding Music Seminar

Learn notes, chords, everything in three days! Call/txt/email: 0450510822/ ums@netspace.net.au TBA

Establishes the characteristics of the Gapuwiyak style as a group. 10am-5pm (12-4pm Sat). CRAFT ACT CRAFT & DESIGN CENTRE

Exhibition - I Heart Threads

Kieran Stopp’s unique t-shirt designs on display for the first time. Free. THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ

Exhibition – Toulouse-Lautrec: Paris & the MR 10am-5pm (7pm Fri/Sat). Tickets $6-$25. See nga.gov.au for more. Exhibition closes Tue Apr 2. NATIONAL GALLERY OF AUSTRALIA

Art Exhibition – Whimsical Oddities

ILIOS GALLERY

Landscapes featuring weathering limestone, known as karst. 10am-5pm. Free. BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Exhibition – Bloom and Blush

A collection of works by Adelaide-based jewellers Peta Kruger and Kath Inglis. 11am-5pm (-4pm Sat).

Calendar Girls

CANBERRA REPERTORY SOCIETY

Workshops Understanding Music Seminar

Learn notes, chords, everything in three days! Call/txt/email: 0450510822/ ums@netspace.net.au TBA

Free Theatre Workshop

The Threads Collective invite you to share your stories of migration. 1:30-5pm. Free. BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

sunday february 17 Art Exhibition – Whimsical Oddities

Portraits of animals in suits, hearts and oddities by Caiti Stevens. 8am-9pm (-4pm Sun). Free.

Arc Outdoors. Doors at 7pm for a sunset start. Bookings required: nfsa. gov.au or (02) 6248 2000.

ILIOS GALLERY

Live Music

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

ARC CINEMA

JK Rollin 9pm.

#GRLPWR

TRANSIT BAR

10pm.

KRAVE NIGHTCLUB

Urban Playground Presents. 10pm. MONKEYBAR

Jemist

Guaranteed, built to last. 9pm. KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

Cassette saturday february 16

BILK GALLERY

Exhibition – Women with Clever Hands

Workshops

Exhibition – Karst County

Cheese/Retro

M16 ARTSPACE

DJs Karma/JSwiss/ Hypnotic/MC Tee

Live Music

THE CLUBHOUSE

Material Translations, A Fusion of Two Elements, and Portrait of the Woman Next Door. 12-5pm. Free.

Something Fresh Feat. John Glover

AINSLIE FOOTBALL CLUB

10pm.

Based on the motion picture based on a true story. Bookings/info (02) 6257 1950/canberrarep.org.au.

Portraits of animals in suits, hearts and oddities by Caiti Stevens. 8am-9pm (-4pm Sun). Free.

ANOP Feat. Wankelmut

Exhibition – The Creative Power of Women

ANCA GALLERY

Bambii, Dinah ROse, and Eddie Shaggz wannabeyourlover. 8pm. Free.

CANBERRA REPERTORY SOCIETY

ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

Theatre

Exhibition - I Heart Threads

Love Saturdays

Ambitious survey exhibition by Canberra-based sculptor Clare Martin. 12-5pm.

DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

Calendar Girls

Kieran Stopp’s unique t-shirt designs on display for the first time. Free.

With Pred. 9pm.

HIPPO BAR

Establishes the characteristics of the Gapuwiyak style as a group. 10am-5pm (12-4pm Sat). CRAFT ACT CRAFT & DESIGN CENTRE

Exhibition – The Angel of History

Vertigo (PG)

Exhibition – The Creative Power of Women

M16 ARTSPACE

DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

DRILL HALL GALLERY

On The Town Canberra’s hottest Latin night. DJ Trent Richardson & DJ Spink. 9pm.

Disco, motown, ‘80s and ‘90s. 10pm onwards. Free.

A survey exhibition. 12-5pm. Free.

Film

Havana Nights

Material Translations, A Fusion of Two Elements, and Portrait of the Woman Next Door. 12-5pm. Free.

Exhibition – John Young: The Bridge...

HIPPO BAR

Ambitious survey exhibition by Canberra-based sculptor Clare Martin. 12-5pm. ANCA GALLERY

A new exhibition by Canberra-based artist Rachel Head. Free.

Featuring Daron K. 10pm. TONGUE & GROOVE

Shananigans 6

Bigger and better than ever. 22 bands, two nights. 7:30pm. $40 presale @ Basement, $25/night door. THE BASEMENT

Chad Shuttleworth Trio 10:30pm-2:30am.

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

The Fighting League With Spirit Valley, Danger Beach. 9:30pm. THE PHOENIX BAR

Exhibition – Karst County

Landscapes featuring weathering limestone, known as karst. 10am-5pm. Free.

Exhibition - Unprotected

A new exhibition by Canberra-based artist Rachel Head. Free. HONKYTONKS

Exhibition – John Young: The Bridge...

A survey exhibition. 12-5pm. Free. DRILL HALL GALLERY

Exhibition – The Angel of History

Ambitious survey exhibition by Canberra-based sculptor Clare Martin. 12-5pm. ANCA GALLERY

Exhibition – The Creative Power of Women

Material Translations, A Fusion of Two Elements, and Portrait of the Woman Next Door. 12-5pm. Free. M16 ARTSPACE

Exhibition - I Heart Threads

Kieran Stopp’s unique t-shirt designs on display for the first time. Free. THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ

Exhibition – Toulouse-Lautrec: Paris & the MR 10am-5pm (7pm Fri/Sat). Tickets $6-$25. See nga.gov.au for more. Exhibition closes Tue Apr 2. NATIONAL GALLERY OF AUSTRALIA

ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE Sun Feb 17 - Tue Feb 19 Live Music Riley Catherall (live)/ Kimosabi (DJ set) 3pm/6pm.

Understanding Music Seminar

Learn notes, chords, everything in three days! Call/txt/email: 0450510822/ ums@netspace.net.au TBA

THE DUXTON

Sunday Best @ A Bite to Eat

monday february 18

Mark Rice: cruisy keyboard covers with added cool. Tapas + happy hour from 5-7pm. Free.

Art

Canberra Blues Society Jam

Exhibition – Toulouse-Lautrec: Paris & the MR

A BITE TO EAT CAFE

The best Canberra blues musicians gettin’ loose. 1-4:30pm. $3 members/$5 non-members. HARMONIE GERMAN CLUB

Irish Jam Session

Free traditional Irish music in the pub from late afternoon on into the night. Free. KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

Sunday Cider Sessions

Live music in the beer garden while the weather shines. 4pm. Free. KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

The Smith Street Band

With Bomb the Music Industry (USA), The Bennies. 8pm.

10am-5pm (7pm Fri/Sat). Tickets $6-$25. See nga.gov.au for more. Exhibition closes Tue Apr 2. NATIONAL GALLERY OF AUSTRALIA

Exhibition - An Unguarded Moment

A series of paintings of people in their ‘unguarded moment’ by Jess Annetts. 9am-5pm. Free. TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE

Exhibition - The Mountain

A mixed media group exploration of perception and history. 9am-4:30pm. Free. GALLERY@BCS

THE PHOENIX BAR

Exhibition - Unprotected

The Ellis Collective Summer Residency

HONKYTONKS

All Sundays in February, playing songs new + old, w/ The New Gods of Thunder. 4:30pm. $10.

A new exhibition by Canberra-based artist Rachel Head. Free.

Exhibition - I Heart Threads

Exhibition - Unprotected

THE PHOENIX BAR

HONKYTONKS

With Elisha Bones, Lavers, Cromwell, Noel Bodie. 8pm. Free.

tuesday february 19 Art Exhibition – Toulouse-Lautrec: Paris & the MR 10am-5pm (7pm Fri/Sat). Tickets $6-$25. See nga.gov.au for more. Exhibition closes Tue Apr 2. NATIONAL GALLERY OF AUSTRALIA

Exhibition – Whimsical Oddities Portraits of animals in suits, hearts and oddities by Caiti Stevens. 8am-9pm (-4pm Sun). Free. ILIOS GALLERY

Exhibition – Bloom and Blush

A collection of works by Adelaide-based jewellers Peta Kruger and Kath Inglis. 11am-5pm (-4pm Sat). BILK GALLERY

Exhibition – Karst County

Landscapes featuring weathering limestone, known as karst. 10am-5pm. Free.

CRAFT ACT CRAFT & DESIGN CENTRE

Exhibition - I Heart Threads

Kieran Stopp’s unique t-shirt designs on display for the first time. Free. THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ

Karaoke Karaoke Love

Croon and wail your heart out on the Transit stage. 9pm. Free. TRANSIT BAR

Live Music Irish Jam Session

Free traditional Irish music in the pub from late afternoon on into the night. Free. KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

Liz & Boling’s Eurovision Trivia

Live Music

Exhibition - The Mountain

Kite Making Masterclass

Biscuits

Post-weekend sounds from Ryz, Peekz, Kimosabi and more! Free pool. 9pm. Free.

Establishes the characteristics of the Gapuwiyak style as a group. 10am-5pm (12-4pm Sat).

Trivia

Workshops

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Exhibition – Women with Clever Hands

Exhibition - An Unguarded Moment

THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ

Free workshop in the lead up to Kite Festival Wind Air Water. 2-5pm. Free.

A new exhibition by Canberra-based artist Rachel Head. Free.

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

A series of paintings of people in their ‘unguarded moment’ by Jess Annetts. 9am-5pm. Free.

THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ

Kieran Stopp’s unique t-shirt designs on display for the first time. Free.

The Bootleg Sessions

TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE

A mixed media group exploration of perception and history. 9am-4:30pm. Free.

Arc Cinema Presents. 7:30pm. THE PHOENIX BAR

Trivia Tuesdays

First prize $75 cocktail party. 7:30pm. Free. DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

GALLERY@BCS

TRANSIT BAR

ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE Wed Feb 20 - Sat Feb 23 wednesday february 20 Art Exhibition - I Heart Threads

Kieran Stopp’s unique t-shirt designs on display for the first time. Free. THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ

Exhibition – Toulouse-Lautrec: Paris & the MR 10am-5pm (7pm Fri/Sat). Tickets $6-$25. See nga.gov.au for more. Exhibition closes Tue Apr 2. NATIONAL GALLERY OF AUSTRALIA

Exhibition – Whimsical Oddities Portraits of animals in suits, hearts and oddities by Caiti Stevens. 8am-9pm (-4pm Sun). Free. ILIOS GALLERY

Exhibition – Bloom and Blush

A collection of works by Adelaide-based jewellers Peta Kruger and Kath Inglis. 11am-5pm (-4pm Sat). BILK GALLERY

Exhibition – Karst County

Landscapes featuring weathering limestone, known as karst. 10am-5pm. Free. BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Exhibition - An Unguarded Moment

A series of paintings of people in their ‘unguarded moment’ by Jess Annetts. 9am-5pm. Free. TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE

Exhibition - The Mountain

A mixed media group exploration of perception and history. 9am-4:30pm. Free. GALLERY@BCS

Exhibition – John Young: The Bridge...

A survey exhibition. 12-5pm. Free. DRILL HALL GALLERY

Exhibition - Unprotected

A new exhibition by Canberra-based artist Rachel Head. Free. HONKYTONKS

Exhibition – The Creative Power of Women

Material Translations, A Fusion of Two Elements, and Portrait of the Woman Next Door. 12-5pm. Free. M16 ARTSPACE

Exhibition – Women with Clever Hands

Establishes the characteristics of the Gapuwiyak style as a group. 10am-5pm (12-4pm Sat). CRAFT ACT CRAFT & DESIGN CENTRE

Karaoke Karaoke Wednesdays 9pm.

DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

On The Town

Workshops Free Theatre Workshop

The Threads Collective invite you to share your stories of migration. 6:30-9pm. Free. BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

THE PHOENIX BAR

Theatre Calendar Girls

Based on the motion picture based on a true story. Bookings/info (02) 6257 1950/canberrarep.org.au. CANBERRA REPERTORY SOCIETY

9pm-12am.

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

CRAFT ACT CRAFT & DESIGN CENTRE

Faux Real

Art

On The Town

HIPPO BAR

Exhibition - I Heart Threads

4Some Thursdays

Fambiz Presents. 9pm.

Kieran Stopp’s unique t-shirt designs on display for the first time. Free.

With Heath Marshall. 9pm.

Free entry. 9pm.

9pm.

Pure R&B Launch Party ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ

ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

Special K

Exhibition – Toulouse-Lautrec: Paris & the MR

Theatre

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

10am-5pm (7pm Fri/Sat). Tickets $6-$25. See nga.gov.au for more. Exhibition closes Tue Apr 2.

Calendar Girls

Exhibition – Whimsical Oddities

CANBERRA REPERTORY SOCIETY

NATIONAL GALLERY OF AUSTRALIA

Portraits of animals in suits, hearts and oddities by Caiti Stevens. 8am-9pm (-4pm Sun). Free. ILIOS GALLERY

Exhibition – Bloom and Blush

A collection of works by Adelaide-based jewellers Peta Kruger and Kath Inglis. 11am-5pm (-4pm Sat). BILK GALLERY

Exhibition – Karst County

Landscapes featuring weathering limestone, known as karst. 10am-5pm. Free. BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Exhibition - An Unguarded Moment

A series of paintings of people in their ‘unguarded moment’ by Jess Annetts. 9am-5pm. Free. TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE

Exhibition - The Mountain

Based on the motion picture based on a true story. Bookings/info (02) 6257 1950/canberrarep.org.au.

Destination Home Revisited A piece by The Threads Collective, Artists in Residence at BAC. 7-9:30pm. $5 door. BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

friday february 22

Material Translations, A Fusion of Two Elements, and Portrait of the Woman Next Door. 12-5pm. Free. M16 ARTSPACE

Exhibition – Women with Clever Hands

Establishes the characteristics of the Gapuwiyak style as a group. 10am-5pm (12-4pm Sat). CRAFT ACT CRAFT & DESIGN CENTRE

Presented by Blahnket: L-Vis 1990 & Bok Bok. With heaps of locals. Tickets $20+ on the door. 8pm. TRINITY BAR

Live Jazz

7:30pm. Free.

DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

The Vernons

The Right Hand Trigger tour. With Bruges. 8pm. Free. TRANSIT BAR

Charles & Dave 9pm. Free.

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

Nite Society x Landspeed: Instagram Jam

#nitesociety on Instagram - win Landspeed vouchers, dance to music. 8pm. $5 pre-10pm, $10 after. 5pm/10pm. Free.

Jemist

Exhibition – Toulouse-Lautrec: Paris & the MR

Sirdee

THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ

10am-5pm (7pm Fri/Sat). Tickets $6-$25. See nga.gov.au for more. Exhibition closes Tue Apr 2. NATIONAL GALLERY OF AUSTRALIA

Exhibition – Bloom and Blush

Exhibition – The Creative Power of Women

Live acoustic musicians. 5pm onwards. Free.

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

ILIOS GALLERY

HONKYTONKS

Live Fridays

Kieran Stopp’s unique t-shirt designs on display for the first time. Free.

Exhibition – John Young: The Bridge...

A new exhibition by Canberra-based artist Rachel Head. Free.

ANU BAR AND REFECTORY

Exhibition - I Heart Threads

GALLERY@BCS

Exhibition - Unprotected

With Time & Weight, Machina Genova and T-Bone. 8pm. $20 door.

Chicago Charles/Special K

Portraits of animals in suits, hearts and oddities by Caiti Stevens. 8am-9pm (-4pm Sun). Free.

DRILL HALL GALLERY

Hard-Ons

TRANSIT BAR

A mixed media group exploration of perception and history. 9am-4:30pm. Free.

A survey exhibition. 12-5pm. Free.

5-8pm.

Art

Exhibition – Whimsical Oddities

MONKEYBAR

8pm.

Charles & Dave

Establishes the characteristics of the Gapuwiyak style as a group. 10am-5pm (12-4pm Sat).

THE PHOENIX BAR

Night Slugs (UK)

BAD!SLAM!NO!BISCUIT!

KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

Exhibition – Women with Clever Hands

Live Music

Something Different

Funk assassin of soul. And handsome. 9pm.

Transvaal Diamond Syndicate

thursday february 21

Latino Wednesdays 9pm.

Degg

A collection of works by Adelaide-based jewellers Peta Kruger and Kath Inglis. 11am-5pm (-4pm Sat). BILK GALLERY

Exhibition – Karst County

Landscapes featuring weathering limestone, known as karst. 10am-5pm. Free. BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Exhibition - An Unguarded Moment

A series of paintings of people in their ‘unguarded moment’ by Jess Annetts. 9am-5pm. Free. TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE

Exhibition - The Mountain

Late night type man. 9pm.

KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

Featuring Daron K & Songz. 10pm. TONGUE & GROOVE

Chicago Charles 5-8pm.

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

Sugarcane Collins

Touring a new album down the east coast. 8pm. HARMONIE GERMAN CLUB

Sarah Humphreys

Album launch show. 7pm.

THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ

On The Town Havana Nights

Canberra’s hottest Latin night. DJ Trent Richardson & DJ Spink. 9pm. MONKEYBAR

Blame it on the Boogie Weekends

Disco, motown, ‘80s and ‘90s. 10pm onwards. Free. DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

Theatre

A mixed media group exploration of perception and history. 9am-4:30pm. Free.

Calendar Girls

Exhibition – John Young: The Bridge...

CANBERRA REPERTORY SOCIETY

GALLERY@BCS

A survey exhibition. 12-5pm. Free. DRILL HALL GALLERY

Based on the motion picture based on a true story. Bookings/info (02) 6257 1950/canberrarep.org.au.

saturday february 23

Exhibition - Unprotected

Art

HONKYTONKS

Kieran Stopp’s unique t-shirt designs on display for the first time. Free.

A new exhibition by Canberra-based artist Rachel Head. Free.

Exhibition – The Creative Power of Women

Material Translations, A Fusion of Two Elements, and Portrait of the Woman Next Door. 12-5pm. Free. M16 ARTSPACE

Exhibition - I Heart Threads

THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ

Exhibition – Toulouse-Lautrec: Paris & the MR 10am-5pm (7pm Fri/Sat). Tickets $6-$25. See nga.gov.au for more. Exhibition closes Tue Apr 2. NATIONAL GALLERY OF AUSTRALIA

ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE Sat Feb 23 - Sun Feb 24 Exhibition – Whimsical Oddities Portraits of animals in suits, hearts and oddities by Caiti Stevens. 8am-9pm (-4pm Sun). Free. ILIOS GALLERY

Exhibition – Bloom and Blush

A collection of works by Adelaide-based jewellers Peta Kruger and Kath Inglis. 11am-5pm (-4pm Sat). BILK GALLERY

Exhibition – Karst County

Landscapes featuring weathering limestone, known as karst. 10am-5pm. Free. BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Exhibition – John Young: The Bridge...

A survey exhibition. 12-5pm. Free.

Blame it on the Boogie Weekends

Disco, motown, ‘80s and ‘90s. 10pm onwards. Free. DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

Theatre Calendar Girls

Based on the motion picture based on a true story. Bookings/info (02) 6257 1950/canberrarep.org.au. CANBERRA REPERTORY SOCIETY

Destination Home Revisited A piece by The Threads Collective, Artists in Residence at BAC. 7-9:30pm. $5 door. BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

DRILL HALL GALLERY

sunday february 24

Exhibition - Unprotected

A new exhibition by Canberra-based artist Rachel Head. Free. HONKYTONKS

Exhibition – The Creative Power of Women

Material Translations, A Fusion of Two Elements, and Portrait of the Woman Next Door. 12-5pm. Free. M16 ARTSPACE

Exhibition – Women with Clever Hands

Establishes the characteristics of the Gapuwiyak style as a group. 10am-5pm (12-4pm Sat). CRAFT ACT CRAFT & DESIGN CENTRE

Comedy RAW Comedy

The national open mic competition. 8pm. $20 on the door. TILLEY’S DEVINE CAFE

Dance Kick Up Your Heels

1910s Edwardian Ragtime Dance. 7:30pm-12am. $30 thru socandance.org.au. ST SAVIOUR’S CATHEDRAL

Film L’Inferno (U/C18+)

Arc Outdoors. Doors at 7pm for a sunset start. Bookings required: nfsa. gov.au or (02) 6248 2000. ARC CINEMA

Live Music Turbo Belco

With The Vee Bees, Seedy Jeezus. 9:30pm. THE PHOENIX BAR

Andy Garvey 9pm.

HIPPO BAR

Art Exhibition - I Heart Threads

Kieran Stopp’s unique t-shirt designs on display for the first time. Free. THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ

Exhibition – Toulouse-Lautrec: Paris & the MR 10am-5pm (7pm Fri/Sat). Tickets $6-$25. See nga.gov.au for more. Exhibition closes Tue Apr 2. NATIONAL GALLERY OF AUSTRALIA

Exhibition – Whimsical Oddities Portraits of animals in suits, hearts and oddities by Caiti Stevens. 8am-9pm (-4pm Sun). Free. ILIOS GALLERY

Exhibition – Karst County

Landscapes featuring weathering limestone, known as karst. 10am-5pm. Free. BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Exhibition – John Young: The Bridge...

A survey exhibition. 12-5pm. Free. DRILL HALL GALLERY

Exhibition – The Creative Power of Women

Material Translations, A Fusion of Two Elements, and Portrait of the Woman Next Door. 12-5pm. Free. M16 ARTSPACE

Live Music Mitch Cañas (live)/ Alphabeck (DJ set) 3pm/6pm.

THE DUXTON

Sunday Best @ A Bite to Eat

Hidden Desire: acoustic soul with a jazz influence. Tapas + happy hour from 5-7pm. Free. A BITE TO EAT CAFE

Irish Jam Session

DJs Karma/JSwiss/ Hypnotic/MC Tee

Free traditional Irish music in the pub from late afternoon on into the night. Free.

MONKEYBAR

Sunday Cider Sessions

Urban Playground Presents. 10pm.

Therein

Doors 8pm. Supports/price TBA. THE BASEMENT

Get Stellar

Unforgettably yours. 9pm.

KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

Killing the Sound 10:30pm-2:30am.

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

Live music in the beer garden while the weather shines. 4pm. Free. KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

The Ellis Collective Summer Residency

All Sundays in February, playing songs new + old, w/ Thorne Again (Lucie Thorne). 4:30pm. $10. THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ

On The Town Love Saturdays

With Runamark. 9pm. ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE Mon Feb 25 - Wed Feb 27 monday february 25 Art Exhibition - I Heart Threads

Kieran Stopp’s unique t-shirt designs on display for the first time. Free. THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ

Exhibition – Toulouse-Lautrec: Paris & the MR 10am-5pm (7pm Fri/Sat). Tickets $6-$25. See nga.gov.au for more. Exhibition closes Tue Apr 2. NATIONAL GALLERY OF AUSTRALIA

Exhibition - An Unguarded Moment

A series of paintings of people in their ‘unguarded moment’ by Jess Annetts. 9am-5pm. Free. TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE

Live Music

Nerd Time Trivia with Joel and Ali

Dee’s Books & Comics and Impact Records Presents. 7:30pm. THE PHOENIX BAR

Trivia Tuesdays

First prize $75 cocktail party. 7:30pm. Free. DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

wednesday february 27 Art Exhibition – The Creative Power of Women

Material Translations, A Fusion of Two Elements, and Portrait of the Woman Next Door. 12-5pm. Free. M16 ARTSPACE

The Bootleg Sessions

Exhibition – Women with Clever Hands

THE PHOENIX BAR

CRAFT ACT CRAFT & DESIGN CENTRE

CIT Presents Mind The Gap, My Own True Love, Paryce, Maggie Jeffs. 8pm. Free.

Biscuits

Post-weekend sounds from Ryz, Peekz, Kimosabi and more! Free pool. 9pm. Free. TRANSIT BAR

tuesday february 26 Art Exhibition - I Heart Threads

Kieran Stopp’s unique t-shirt designs on display for the first time. Free. THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ

Exhibition – Toulouse-Lautrec: Paris & the MR 10am-5pm (7pm Fri/Sat). Tickets $6-$25. See nga.gov.au for more. Exhibition closes Tue Apr 2. NATIONAL GALLERY OF AUSTRALIA

Exhibition – Whimsical Oddities Portraits of animals in suits, hearts and oddities by Caiti Stevens. 8am-9pm (-4pm Sun). Free.

Establishes the characteristics of the Gapuwiyak style as a group. 10am-5pm (12-4pm Sat).

Exhibition - I Heart Threads

Kieran Stopp’s unique t-shirt designs on display for the first time. Free. THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ

Exhibition – Toulouse-Lautrec: Paris & the MR 10am-5pm (7pm Fri/Sat). Tickets $6-$25. See nga.gov.au for more. Exhibition closes Tue Apr 2. NATIONAL GALLERY OF AUSTRALIA

Exhibition – Whimsical Oddities Portraits of animals in suits, hearts and oddities by Caiti Stevens. 8am-9pm (-4pm Sun). Free. ILIOS GALLERY

Exhibition - An Unguarded Moment

A series of paintings of people in their ‘unguarded moment’ by Jess Annetts. 9am-5pm. Free. TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE

Exhibition – John Young: The Bridge...

A survey exhibition. 12-5pm. Free.

ILIOS GALLERY

DRILL HALL GALLERY

Exhibition - An Unguarded Moment

Comedy

A series of paintings of people in their ‘unguarded moment’ by Jess Annetts. 9am-5pm. Free. TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE

Exhibition – Women with Clever Hands

Establishes the characteristics of the Gapuwiyak style as a group. 10am-5pm (12-4pm Sat). CRAFT ACT CRAFT & DESIGN CENTRE

Jay Sullivan

Canberra comedian. Funny. 7:30pm. Free.

THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ

Karaoke Karaoke Wednesdays 9pm.

DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

Comedy

Live Music

ComedyACT Open Mic

John Sharkey III

THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ

THE PHOENIX BAR

7:30pm. Free.

With Sex Noises and guests. 9pm.

Karaoke

On The Town

Karaoke Love

Latino Wednesdays

Croon and wail your heart out on the Transit stage. 9pm. Free. TRANSIT BAR

Live Music Irish Jam Session

Free traditional Irish music in the pub from late afternoon on into the night. Free. KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

Trivia

9pm.

MONKEYBAR

Theatre Calendar Girls

Based on the motion picture based on a true story. Bookings/info (02) 6257 1950/canberrarep.org.au. CANBERRA REPERTORY SOCIETY

thursday february 28 Art Exhibition – The Creative Power of Women

Material Translations, A Fusion of Two Elements, and Portrait of the Woman Next Door. 12-5pm. Free. M16 ARTSPACE

Exhibition – Women with Clever Hands

Establishes the characteristics of the Gapuwiyak style as a group. 10am-5pm (12-4pm Sat).

Live Jazz

7:30pm. Free.

DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

Ced Nada

Gentle and firm. 9pm.

KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

Theatre Calendar Girls

Based on the motion picture based on a true story. Bookings/info (02) 6257 1950/canberrarep.org.au. CANBERRA REPERTORY SOCIETY

Kieran Stopp’s unique t-shirt designs on display for the first time. Free. THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ

Exhibition – Whimsical Oddities Portraits of animals in suits, hearts and oddities by Caiti Stevens. 8am-9pm (-4pm Sun). Free. ILIOS GALLERY

Exhibition – John Young: The Bridge...

A survey exhibition. 12-5pm. Free. DRILL HALL GALLERY

Live Music Waterford

With The Burley Griffin, A Drone Coda. 9pm. THE PHOENIX BAR

Portraits of animals in suits, hearts and oddities by Caiti Stevens. 8am-9pm (-4pm Sun). Free. ILIOS GALLERY

Live Music Live Fridays

Live acoustic musicians. 5pm onwards. Free. DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

Princi

Such a sweet guy. 9pm.

KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

On The Town Blame it on the Boogie Weekends

Disco, motown, ‘80s and ‘90s. 10pm onwards. Free. DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

Something Different Ladies Night

A night of shirtless breakdancing males. Disgusting. Tickets on sale at digress.com.au. DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

friday march 1

CRAFT ACT CRAFT & DESIGN CENTRE

Exhibition - I Heart Threads

Exhibition – Whimsical Oddities

Art Exhibition – John Young: The Bridge...

A survey exhibition. 12-5pm. Free. DRILL HALL GALLERY

Exhibition – The Creative Power of Women

Material Translations, A Fusion of Two Elements, and Portrait of the Woman Next Door. 12-5pm. Free. M16 ARTSPACE

Exhibition – Women with Clever Hands

OUT

FEB27

The herbaliser BORED NOTHING 78 SAAB BIRDS of tokyo

Establishes the characteristics of the Gapuwiyak style as a group. 10am-5pm (12-4pm Sat).

PARTY AT THE SHOPS

Exhibition - I Heart Threads

...and more!

CRAFT ACT CRAFT & DESIGN CENTRE

Kieran Stopp’s unique t-shirt designs on display for the first time. Free. THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ

FIRST CONTACT SIDE A: BMA band profile

Aaron Peacey 0410381306

In The Flesh Scott 0410475703

Adam Hole 0421023226

Itchy Triggers Alex 0414838480

Afternoon Shift 0402055314 Amphibian Sound PA Clare 0410308288 Annie & The Armadillos Annie (02) 61611078/ 0422076313 Aria Stone sax/flute/lute/ harmonica, singer-songwriter Aria 0411803343

Crystal Barreca Where did your band name come from? I was given it at birth.

Backbeat Drivers Steve 0422733974 backbeatdrivers.com Bat Country Communion, The Mel 0400405537

Johnny Roadkill Paulie 0408287672 paulie_mcmillan@live.com.au Kayo Marbilus myspace.com/kayomarbilus Kurt’s Metalworx (PA) 0417025792 Los Chavos Latin/ska/reggae Rafa 0406647296 Andy 0401572150 Missing Zero Hadrian 0424721907 Hadrian.brand@live.com.au Moots Huck 0419630721 aspwinch@grapevine.com.au

Group members? Crystal – vocals and ukulele, Richard – guitar, Andrew – accordion, Phill – double bass, Loretta – sax, Louise – trumpet.

Birds Love Fighting Gangbusters/DIY shows-bookings@ birdslovefighting.com

Describe your sound: Original gypsy reggae grooves with quirky horn lines.

Bridge Between, The Cam 0431550005

MuShu Jack 0414292567 mushu_band@hotmail.com

Capital Dub Style Reggae/dub events Rafa 0406647296

Painted Hearts, The Peter (02) 62486027

Who are your influences, musical or otherwise? Hindi Zahra, Flap! , Babylon Circus, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday. What’s the most memorable experience you’ve had whilst performing? Playing at Sydney Festival first night to a crowd of over 10,000 people! It’s surreal; you can’t really see people, it’s just a sea of heads. Of what are you proudest so far? Recording an EP of original tunes. I’m very proud. What are your plans for the future? Record another CD –with more ukulele!!! What makes you laugh? Lame stuff, like speaking in an ocker accent. What pisses you off? Conservative politics.

Black Label Photography Kingsley 0438351007 blacklabelphotography.net

Cole Bennetts Photography 0415982662 Danny V Danny 0413502428

Morning After, The Covers band Anthony 0402500843 Mornings Jordan 0439907853

Polka Pigs Ian (02) 62315974 Rafe Morris 0416322763 Redletter Ben 0421414472

Dawn Theory Nathan 0402845132 Danny 0413502428

Redsun Rehearsal Studio Ralph 0404178996/ (02) 61621527

Dorothy Jane Band, The Dorothy Jane 0411065189 dorothy-jane@dorothyjane.com

Rug, The Jol 0417273041

Drumassault Kate 0414236323

Simone & The Soothsayers Singing teacher Simone 62304828

FeralBlu Danny 0413502428 Fighting Mongooses, The Adam 0402055314 Fire on the Hill Aaron 0410381306 Lachlan 0400038388

What about the local scene would you change? If I could, I would open another music venue in Civic that plays music every night of the week.

Fourth Degree Vic 0408477020

What are your upcoming gigs? My CD Launch!!! At The Polish Club in O’Connor, Friday February 22; my other band The Wanninashvilles at The Front, Friday February 15; Kiama Jazz Festival, Sunday March 10.

Groovalicious Corporate/ weddings/private functions 0448995158

Contact info: crystalbarreca.com; crystalbarreca@gmail. com; facebook.com/crystalbarreca; soundcloud.com/ crystal-barreca.

Australian Songwriters Association Keiran (02) 62310433

Jenn Pacor Singer-songwriter avail. for originals/covers 0405618630

Gareth Dailey DJ/Electronica Gareth 0414215885

Sewer Sideshow Huck 0419630721

Sorgonian Twins, The Mark 0428650549 Soundcity Rehearsal Studio Andrew 0401588884 STonKA Jamie 0422764482 stonka2615@gmail.com Strange Hour Events Dan 0411112075 Super Best Friends Matt 0438228748

Guy The Sound Guy Live & Studio Sound Engineer 0400585369 guy@guythesoundguy.com

System Addict Jamie 0418398556

Haunted Attics band@hauntedatticsmusic.com

Undersided, The Baz 0408468041

Top Shelf Colin 0408631514