THREE10 September 18.08
british india
the nation blue The drones
dukes of windsor
floriade nightfest
ALSO INSIDE: VAN SHE, PLUMP DJS, THE TEMPER TRAP, CRAFT BEER FESTIVAL AND MORE
bma magazine
bma magazine
FREE STUFF No funny stuff, just free stuff. Send your answers to: editorial@bmamag.com and don't stop believin'. Yacult Taking out third place in the Audience Awards at last year’s Melbourne‘s International Film Festival, selected for Toronto’s 2008 Hot Docs, and nominated for Best Documentary in the upcoming 2008 AFI Awards, Beyond Our Ken provides an exploration of the anatomy, ambiguity and intrigue of Australian ‘cult’ KENJA Communications. Long considered to be a dangerous and secretive group, KENJA has gained increased attention in past years due to its alleged similarities to Scientology, legal action against founding member Ken Dyers for sexual abuse, and the highly-publicised debacle surrounding former member Cornelia Rau. In 2006, only a year before Dyers took his own life, Luke Walker and Melissa Maclean were given unrestricted access to KENJA’s spiritual evolvement centre, where they recorded the daily activities of the organisation and conducted revealing interviews with past and present members, along with founders Dyer and Jan Hamilton. We have five copies of this hot doco to give away to any disaffected, vulnerable readers. To snap one up, simply tell us which well-known group got its name from a cult located (at its cessation) in Guyana. Crafty Cuts “What’s this?“ I hear you mutter. “A beer festival-cum-patchwork and tea-cosy fair?“ No, my dear friend. While crochet lovers and connoisseurs of the finest teas for arrowroot-dunking are more than welcome, Canberra’s first ever Craft Beer Festival will aim to bring to the startling attention of Canberra’s inhabitants’ tastebuds the quality and diversity of Australia’s finest
micro-breweries. The dream of Samara Fuss (Head Brewer of The Schwartz Brewery) and Daniel Gaul of Olim’s Hotel, the day will run from 10am till late with stalls from Baron's Brewing Schwartz, Little Creatures, Matilda Bay, Coopers, Snowy Mountains, Zierholz, and many, many more.
its release and will be swinging by the ANU Bar on September 24, supported by The Lost Valentinos. Uniting the twin tonics of live indie and DJ electro into one tasty alcopop infusion, V was written in Berry and recorded in London, where it was mixed by Jim Abbiss (Massive Attack, DJ Shadow, Arctic Monkeys) and has already had trendoids and prog rockwannabies alike salivating over their singles Strangers, Cat & The Eye and Changes. If you’d like to acquire one of three double passes to their Canberra performance, burn all of your favourite big-letter neon vnecks and then send us an e mail. Chemical Addiction
And in case that’s not enough to have you shouting “where’re my pants?!”, there will also be local gourmet food producers in attendance, an appearance by enduring Sydney rockers The Choirboys, and all profits raised will go to supporting the ACT Eden Monaro Cancer Support Group. We’ve got two passes to this extravaganza to give away, along with four six-packs of Baron's Brewing Wattle Original Ale. Baron's Brewing is Australia's largest independent craft brewer, and this ale has won several awards. To snag one, tell us your greatest story of drunkeness. Being BMA staff, it will probably take a lot to impress us on this one...
For the past 15 years, The Chemical Brothers have provided the soundtrack to many a memorable night of youthful debauchery. Whether it be the music of choice for a big night on the gear, or the soothing tunes for a day-after comedown, Tom and Ed’s tunes have undoubtedly imbedded themselves in our collective memories. Now, the duo are releasing Brotherhood, a 2 CD ‘best of’, documenting their years in the spotlight.
She-Devils Sydney’s “fresher than Flavor Flav” psychcedelic electropop monkeys Van She have just released their debut LP V to both critical anticipation and vast crowds of confused, neon-clad, post-punk shoegazers. As a part of some conniving get-rich-quick scheme, they’ve decided to embark on an extensive national tour to support
The first disc collects the boys’ greatest tracks from their time in existence, while the second disc contains all ten tracks from their Electric Battle Weapon project, a series of special mixes they have recorded since 1996. Far from being a money-grabbing followup to their Singles 93-03 release of a few years back, Brotherhood is a much more comprehensive anthology of the group’s legacy. We have five copies of this delicious little package to give away. To get your sticky mitts on one, tell us one of the names of the Chemical Brothers’ former manifestations.
STRUTH BE TOLD I recently attended a job interview for a miniature species-related bar in Melbourne. Working for the man isn’t one of my strong points, but I have had some bar experience and a patchy resume that, in conjunction with the right joke, can sometimes get me over the line. Having said that, this year I’ve been laid off as a casual from two separate one-day-aweek jobs, so my part-time confidence is exactly that. An un-complicated young man wandered out and led me to an interview room. He said we had to wait for three other people to turn up. Alarm bells rang. I scanned through my brain but couldn’t recall ever hearing anything good about group interviews – Virgin Blue first round… having to pretend to be farm animals. While I waited, the man handed out a form for the usual info and questions like ‘describe your perfect day’. In the end it was just me, a prettyish girl, and an average uni dude. The interviewer fanned around some objects and instructed us to pick one. I went with the packet of blu-tak, presuming that it would be the easiest to make jokes about (smurf poo, anyone?). To kick off we played a memory game called Chinese Restaurant. This involved going round the circle saying ”I went to the Chinese restaurant and ordered the spring rolls,” remembering the previous item and adding another. The interviewer was so enthusiastic about the game he revealed he and his mates sometimes played it when they were out drinking. Thankful that I was not this man’s friend, I got up to about ten things before being undone by wonton noodles. Next, the random items were brought into the fray. The man said we had to act like we were TV salesman, and do a three minute sales pitch on our item. By this point I was regretting two things: the fact I’d come, and the fact I’d chosen to wear a polyester suit with polyester shirt and tie. I may as well have been wearing an electric blanket wrapped in gladwrap. The other two flapped about and got polite high school drama laughs. I trudged over to the far wall with my dignity on death-row. “For centuries man has been plagued by the problem of how to stick things to a wall. In prehistoric times cavemen used dinosaur urine. The first fleet used sugar mixed with kangaroo droppings. At last we bring you a simple-to-use product. 'But', I hear you ask, 'Now that I’ve stuck something up, what if I want to easily move it again?' Well, watch this!” I decided to get a bit hands-on and offer a demonstration, grabbing paper from the desk. This wasn’t a great tactic as I was so nervous I got junkie hands. I could have been in Cosi – a mentally unhinged person putting on a play for sleepy school groups. Next up, we had to read out our ‘perfect days’. Thinking it was a private writing exercise I’d gone into excruciatingly earnest detail. I said my girlfriend and I would bushwalk in Scotland, see a Beck gig at night, before retiring to a log cabin with an open fire to drink good gin. After silent nodding the prettyish girl went on. “Um, my perfect day would involve sunshine, grass and probably music.” While the interviewer told her that was great, I stared down at my forms, a 28 year old painfully overdressed man, reading out my inner-most desires at 10am so I could get the job of pouring beer into a glass. A job I didn’t get. JUSTIN HEAZLEWOOD www.bedroomphilosopher.com
bma magazine 9
NEWS
You Am I, I Am Yours
Byron Bay Arts & Music Festival
You Am I will be returning to the ANU Bar on November 13 as part of their Let's Be Dreadful tour, bringing with them their new LP Dilettantes, released on September 13. The group has had an uncharacteristically long break from the Australian live circuit due to US touring commitments and the recording of the new album, which has been described as “more open, more varied and filled with all the colours of the You Am I rainbow.” In support on the tour will be Perth’s Tame Impala, who will be using the tour to show off their debut EP. Tickets are on sale now from ANU Union.
Byron Bay’s insatiable appetite for music festivals has spawned the triumphant return after 12 years of the Byron Bay Arts & Music Festival on January 7-8 2009 at Belongil Fields. Currently, the festival will be adorned by a plethora of acts fresh from their performances at The Falls Festival, including Franz Ferdinand, The Hives, The Cat Empire, The Kooks, The Grates, Gomez, Faker, Tegan and Sara, Donavon Frankenreiter, Soko, and many, many more. Tickets for Lorne’s Falls Festival have sold out already, so if you wanna catch these quality acts, this festival is the place to be! Come All Ye Sinners
The relentless ex-Cold Chisel guitarist Ian Moss will be hitting our streets very soon, bringing along timeless vixen Wendy Matthews and Sydney six-piece vocal group Tempus in tow. The Never Say Never tour, stopping by the Southern Cross Club on October 30, will give Mossy a tremendous platform to showcase material from his new album, which is said to draw on influences including Al Green, Otis Redding and Creedence Clearwater Revival. Matthews as well will be giving fans a taste of her recent material, along with – this writer hopes – a moving rendition of The Day You Went Away.
Canberra is still reeling from last time Sin City were in town and now Melbourne’s kings and queen of rock are back to take it to the next level. Armed with a swag of new songs and fresh from tours with Sham 69 (UK), X and The Hell City Glamours, don’t miss one of Australia’s best live acts in their last Canberra visit for 2008. Sin City will be hitting The Basement on Saturday October 4, and joining them will be local legends Charlie Greaser, who will also be launching their new EP, NSW punk sensations Throwaway Kids, oi-boys All in Brawn and rock ‘n’ roll girls Sister Scarlette. Put that in ya diary, scum!
Screen It (Just Screen It)
Law & Disorder
If you’re of primary or secondary school age, have a keen hankering for making films, and have ever pondered exactly what that oft-spoken but rarely-defined enigma of ‘Australian Identity’ actually is, then this year’s Screen It competition is right up your alley. Screen It is designed to encourage imagination and inventiveness in Australia’s young film-makers, with participants this year being asked to create works around the theme of ‘Australian Identity’. Entrants may enter a work into one of three categories, with winners bagging a prize pack worth over $500. Registrations close on September 26, so get ya skates on! See www.acmi.net.au/screenit for more info.
Los Angeles' comedy improvisation stars, Dan O’Connor (Seinfeld, The Tonight Show) and Edi Patterson-O’Connor (Groundlings) are bringing their incredibly arresting and entertaining Impro Theatre performance Law & Disorder to the Street Theatre on September 28, hoping to entice more than just your average theatre-goers. The pair is aiming to re-create and investigate several fully-improvised crimes, inspired by audience suggestions. Only fifty seats are available. Please form an orderly queue.
Rolling Moss Gathers No Stones
Tuggeranong Arts Centre – Inaugural Young Independent Filmmaker’s Award The Tuggeranong Arts Centre is once again giving a handy step-up to local arts-inclined youth with the addition of a new award to its dynamic array of youth events and ongoing programs. Like a small child from a cannon, The Inaugural Young Independent Filmmaker’s Award will be launched this November, and is intended to target filmmakers at different levels of education. Entry forms are now available and can be scavenged from www.tuggeranongarts.com Battery Charging Newly-established Canberra production juggernauts Sky Pictures, founded by locals Adam Lynch and Hassan Bajway, will be painting the city blue this September 19 when they launch the music video Up n Down by Canberra hip-hop artist Double A. The launch will represent the fruits of many years of hard work by Double A, as well exemplifying his work in the local Canberra community. The launch will begin at 7pm at Monkey Bar, 128 Bunda Stree, Civic. The Amity Affliction Severs Ties, But Not With Canberra Brisbane’s hardcore boys The Amity Affliction have just finished recording their debut LP Severed Ties and are hitting the tarmac to spread its rampaging beats and thrashing guitars throughout the nation. The album will hit the shelves on October 4 via Boomtown Records, with the lads stopping by the Tuggeranong Community Centre for an all ages afternoon show on October 19.
Global Gathering November will see one of the world’s biggest international music festivals, Global Gathering, making its way through Perth, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. The lineup currently sees legendary robot-fetish dancers Kraftwerk leading a motley crew of starts, including Mark Ronson, Fischerspooner, Sasha, Above & Beyond, Felix Da Housecat, LA Riots, The Orb and Larry Tee. Tickets are on sale now. Sunflower Blooms Sewing the seeds of crunch-heavy grooves in the nutrient-rich soil of emotional intensity and fed with the nourishing fertiliser of double-neck guitar work, one of Brisbane’s soon-to-be-big rock groups, Sunflower, will be making their debut appearance in Canberra at The Greenroom on October 4 to promote their single Ready as well as giving fans a cheeky peak at their upcoming debut album, which was recorded with producer/engineer Jeff Lovejoy (Powderfinger, Tex Perkins). Supporting Sunflower will be Fistful of Nothing, Super FLORENCE Jam, and Please to Jive You. Come Again? Can you hear me, dear reader? Well, if you’re the whorish social butterfly of Canberra’s live music and clubbing scene that we expect you to be, then you may suffer, either now or in the future, from Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) – one of the hot-topics in this year’s recently-passed Hearing Awareness Week. Antony Payn, director of Ear Plug, a leading Australian producer of custom moulded earplugs, points out that NIHL is particularly relevant to music-loving types such as ourselves. The lesson? Take care of your ears, beloved readers. Hit up www.earplugonline.com.au for more info.
AND ANOTHER THING...
YOU PISSED ME OFF Has someone yanked yer chain recently? Well, send an email to editorial@bmamag.com and have your sweet vengeance. And for the love of God, keep it brief! ALL ENTRIES CONTAIN GENUINE SPELLINGS. To people in general because the world is becoming full of rude fucking assholes who think they can abuse and be fuckheads to people on a daily basis.
By the time you read this, Death Magnetic will be upon us. I refer, of course (and I’m surprised I have to explain this, you loose-faced freaks), to the new Metallica album, an opus which has loomed on the horizon like some sort of dirty wraith for the last two years, filling headbangers the world over with equal amounts of hope and trepidation as they wait for a sign from their heroes that some sort of normality reigns again in the halls of Hetfield and Ulrich… and the other two. Of course the fact is (and I don’t want to be too rude here, in case Lars tries to buy the mag purely to close us down in a Napster-style fit of pique), the bands last output, the highly comedic St Anger, was so bad that DM can’t fail to be an improvement. But the stakes are higher here, and the cold fact is thus: Metallica, arguably the biggest and most important heavy metal band on the planet, haven’t made a decent record since 1990’s Black album (although, to be honest with you, I didn’t think that was much cop at the time, either, though it’s grown on me over the years) – that’s nearly twenty years ago, during which time we’ve seen the fall of hair metal, the rise of grunge, an album from Lee Harding – surely the apotheosis of the pop-punk era – the coming and indeed going of nu-metal, rap metal, funk metal, skatecore, handbag pasadoble, liquid d ‘n’ b and the inexplicable demise of Wolfmother. So, after all this time and with all this other stuff going on, are they still worth the worry? Even if, as we read repeatedly on the interweb, Death Magnetic is a return to the sound and attitude of the band’s finest moment, 1986’s epochal Master of Puppets, should we really be getting out our stretch denim and hi tops (oh, sorry, I see you already have) in readiment for a bona fide THRASH METAL EVENT? Of course we should. I remember the first time I saw Metallica, at London’s Lyceum Ballroom on 1984’s Bang That Head That Doesn’t Bang tour, in support of the Ride the Lightning album. It was December 20, college had broken up just two days previously, and I was in love; not with a girl, y’unnerstand, oh no, although Emma Wood was a pretty fine girlfriend, she didn’t come close to the sheer visceral, neck-trembling excitement that was Creeping Death (which I’m listening to as I type, tears of nostalgia flowing down my beer-reddened cheeks as I croak out the timeless Die! by my hand! refrain), listened to at high volume with your arm around another man’s shoulder, pints held aloft in tribute… hang on, I’ve lost my train of thought…(turns down stereo). Anyway, yes, the first time. RTL sounds positively timid now, sonically, compared to, say, the new Helmut Lotti album, but in 1984, by cracky, they were quite literally as good as it got. Of course, mad as a goose bassist Cliff Burton was still alive and thrashing the ‘four string motherfucker’ to within an inch of its lacquered existence, but the whole band (of which of course three quarters still remain to this day) were simply the most dangerous, vital, energising band I’d ever seen for those two teenaged hours more than half a lifetime ago.
To people who ring up my work and think you can abuse the fuck out of us, learn some fucking manners, or didn’t your bitchwhore of a mother ever teach you them? Learn them or we are not going to deal with you. To the fucking wanker in the fat fucking ugly 4WD at the lights in Jammo who advised that ‘he wasnt trying to be rude or anything but he can see down my top’ with a fat ugly smirk on his face while his ugly overweight stupid bitch whore of a girlfriend laughed on, I dont really give a fuck what you can and cant see and moreover you shouldnt be fucking looking you ugly fucker. Take a good look while you can because that’s the
only action you’ll ever be seeing you buttugly fuck face. The only reason you get a kick out of looking down other peoples tops is because that’s the most tit you’re ever going to see because you’re clearly a stupid fucking wanker who doesn’t know how to treat women and wouldn’t know his dick from his face. You pissed me off fucker. To the people in huge fucking cars that park in spaces in Civic that are clearly marked ‘SMALL CARS ONLY’. Since WHEN is a Fucking Landrover a SMALL CAR??! Since WHEN is a Stationwagon a SMALL CAR?! Since WHEN is a fucking Jeep a SMALL CAR?! Either get your eyes checked or learn how to read and stop being so arrogant you fuckers. You all fucking piss me off.
FROM THE BOSSMAN Miscellaneous Things I’ve Learnt About The Music Industry #s 13, 27 and 45: #13: There is no such thing as a free lunch. There is such a thing as a free beer. Ensure you turn up to your meeting with the local bar manager with a coat lined with voluminous pockets, wait until they go out the back, and BAM. Free beer. The sweetest plum. Just try not to sound like a wild west sheriff as you gently clink your way out of the premises. #27: “Tickets selling fast!” means “Tickets not selling at all!”, shortened from “Tickets not selling at all, for the love of Christ, people, do you know how much money I’ve sunk into this thing? Please, please buy a ticket! THEY’RE GONNA TAKE MY THUMBS!” The number of exclamation marks denotes number of tickets not sold. “Tickets selling fast!” = they’re shifting OK, but we’d like to sell more. “Tickets selling fast!!!!!” = o boy.
SCOTT ADAMS
#45: “Hottest thing to come out of <insert location here>!!!” is the most used phrase by publicists and press release writers to describe an artist or band. In the same press releases, there is an 87% chance adjectives such as eclectic, unique, hot, forward-thinking and genre-defying will appear. 100% of the time, these are lies.
thirtyyearsofrnr@hotmail.com
ALLAN “HOTTEST THING TO COME OUT OF CANBERRA” SKO
And Christ, if DM can cause me to raise a glass to thrash metal again like the pundits have promised, then of course Metallica are worth the worry. I’m still believing, for a little while longer at least.
bma :: Issue310 www.bmamag.com "bma: anticipating the fourth wave of ska since the turn of the century." Published by Radar Media Pty Ltd | ABN 76 097 301 730
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Super Sub Editor Julia Winterflood Graphic Design Jessica Condi Film Editor Mark Russell Principal Photographers (The Flashbulb Posse) Andrew Mayo/Nick Brightman/John Hatfield Issue 311 Out October 2 Editorial Deadline September 19 Advertising Deadline September 25 magazine bma
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TIDBITS WHO WAYNE LOTEK WHAT UK RAPPER AND PRODUCER WHERE TRANSIT BAR WHEN SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 27
If you thought Saturday nights at Transit couldn’t turn into a more eclectic mix of allsorts (or were worried that they were becoming less so), then fear not! On September 27, the UK’s Wayne ‘Lotek’ Bennet will grace the stage, dishing up a glutenous serving of hip hop, dancehall and dub tunes in support of his new single Control Alt Delete and solo album REBEL HIFI. Now a rapper and producer, Lotek left school early to make a career as a studio master in London, where he eventually met up with and collaborated extensively with Roots Manuva, forming his own group Lotek Hi-Fi in 2002. Joining Lotek will be the Australian-Sri-Lankan MC Pataphysics, a Tamil and Singhalese-speaking trumpet player, sonic landscaper and rhythmic sound shaper. An authentic multi-tasker, he raps deal with everything from local and international politics, indigenous resistance and dreaming, to eastern philosophy, existence and spirituality. Kapow!
WHO TIM LOYDELL AND THE DECKCHAIRS WHAT BRISBANE ROOTS DARLINGS WHEre ANU BAR WHEN SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 27
Us oldies know all too well how quickly time flies, and once you reach my our age, the years seem to fly past like WRXs in late-night Braddon. So it’s quite an achievement that Tim Loydell and the Deckchairs, after meeting less than a year ago at university, have already played The Brisbane Festival, The Woodford Folk Festival, and The Wonderland Festival, alongside Angus and Julia Stone. But the good news for you, estranged lover, is that these roots-Gods-to-be will be stopping by the ANU Bar on September 27 on their All Hands on Deck tour to show off their debut offering Some Strangers Ship. The EP, coming in at over 35 minutes, is more of mini album, shows a group whose musical maturity and song-writing depth is not reflected in their age. Joining these brigands will be Ooh La La, a gritty rock ‘n’ roll ensemble who boasts proudly to have bonded over “blues and brandy, funk and wine, jamming and gin.” Part of the proceeds of this tour will be going towards Red Cross Australia, so get along, folk!
WHO DEAD LETTER CIRCUS WHAT Brisbane altrockers WHERE THE GREENROOM WHEN Friday september 19
Fast becoming the sweethearts of Brisbane’s humid alt-rock scene, Dead Letter Circus are dripping with success of late. With their new single Reaction seemingly flooding the triple j airwaves and their debut EP of 2007 recently being released in Japan to much critical acclaim (along, most likely, with hordes of screaming school girls), the boys will return with Poseidon-like force to the Greenroom this September in order to flog the new single and road-test new material from their upcoming debut LP. Likened to the Mars Volta, and with influences ranging from Portishead to Faith No More and Muse, the group’s blend of modern rock tunes, infatuating melodies and deliriously delay-socked guitars has set them well apart from their prog-rock contemporaries since their foundations in 2005. Their shtick comes not from any cavalier mish-mashing of copious amounts of different genres, but rather from their flair for dissecting every other rock genre and transplanting its most supreme virtues into one little gold nugget of a tune. The lads will be playing on September 19 and will be joined by budding rockers Many Machines on Nine and recentlyresurrected locals Me the Conqueror.
WHO JOHN MACKEY WHAT jazz man alongside locals WHERE street theatre WHEN saturday september 20
The Street Theatre is set to transform its humble floors into a mini jazz festival on September 20, hosting John Mackey Behind the Scenes. The evening will showcase original compositions by Mackey, fused with classics from the greatest names in music and performed by some of today’s budding jazz professionals. Split into three sessions, the night will run from 8pm until midnight. Session one will see Mackey performing with The Austin Benjamin Trio, whose sound is a synthesis of influences from modern jazz, electronica, rock and folk with a strong base of acoustic. Session two will feature The John Mackey Trio, with Eric Ajaye mastering the bass and Mark Sutton working the drums. In the final session, Mackey will team up with The GSB, a contemporary fusion group blending elements of jazz rock, jazz fusion and hard bop, who produce the most exciting jazz showmanship of the contemporary era. Tickets can be bought for the whole night or for individual sessions, and things will begin warming up from 7pm with some laid-back jazz piano in the foyer.
WHO MIAMI HORROR WHAT mixing extraordinaire WHERE monkey bar WHEN saturday september 20
WHO arty-types WHAT ccas members exhibition 2008 WHERE Ccas manuka WHEN september 25 - october 5
Melbourne’s psychodelic mix-man Miami Horror has been unable to do any wrong of late. Currently producing beats for fellow Melbournites Gameboy/Gamegirl, the promising DJ/Producer is set to release his EP The Bravado in November and will be rocking da house at the Monkey Bar on September 20, previewing his undoubtedly red-hot tracks. He has described the EP as being “the epic, missionary 80s disco soundtrack of summer/spring/ winter/autumn” and it will no doubt prove to be nourishingly satisfying for fans who have so far lapped up his remixes of acts such as PNAU, Datarock, Faker, Grafton Primary, Soft Tigers, The Dirty Secrets, Midnight Juggernauts, Stardust, and Tegan and Sarah. Despite the tsunami of electro-oriented music that has smashed through Australia’s music industry in the past couple of years, Miami Horror has nevertheless been able to set himself apart with his deliciously distinct electro sound which has been described on his MySpace has “Daft Punk rolling with Prince,” a brew that will be surely blow the socks off any would-be disco-rave punter. Every year, the Canberra Contemporary Art Space likes to hand the power back to the people and invite all of its members to show what they are made of in the infamous Members Exhibition. You’ll find no art-snobbery here - all entries get exhibited and there is a strict theme to keep everyone on the level. The result is an exhibition that’s crammed to the rafters with amazing, inventive and often hilarious artwork.This year, in keeping with THAT local flower festival, the exhibition theme is The Garden of Good and Evil. Yes, there will be lovely paintings of flowers and odes to the springtime for those who like that sort of thing, but other interpretations will be far broader, with undoubtedly some inclusions based upon original ‘it' couple Eve and Adam and their dealings with the devil in the most famous garden of all. Best of all, you can foster your very own art collection as everything in the exhibition is for sale at the set bargain price of $100! The Garden of Good and Evil opens at 6pm on Thursday September 25 at CCAS Manuka so come along and have a squiz.
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13
“We want to be a part of something really big here; we want to transform the way people think of dance music”
POT LUCK
Tim Galvin Like Sneaky Sound System and The Rogue Traders before them, THE POTBELLEEZ have transformed from city-rocking dancefloor legends to international superstars with the addition of new vocalists and catchy as hell club records. “It's been great having the two guys involved full time, in the studio and on the road; we all have our strengths and weakness and together we cover everything personally and professionally,” states Dave, who joins Ilan Kidron to give us an update on where their recently acquired notoriety has taken them.
month,” says Dave. “I think people will be quite surprised with the album. We are very proud of it, it spans all the music we love. You will just have to wait and see!”
Their last two releases Don’t Hold Back and Are You With Me have both risen to the top of the charts and have been heard everywhere from clubs to music festivals and TV (including Channel 7’s recent Bejing Olympic coverage); even a recently elected Australian state politician had them blaring from the house speakers as he took the podium showing young voters that he is in touch with his inner trashbag.
“We are in Ireland now and our name is quite known here,” Dave clarifies. “The amount of Irish that come to Oz each year is massive so the word of mouth and Don’t Hold Back getting hammered on the radio has been huge for us; people come up to us here saying they’ve seen us at Family in Brissy, and different Ozzy festivals, and there is always an odd Potbelleez singlet to be seen in the crowd. We love playing to Irish crowds, they’re mental!”
“We get approached all the time by all sorts of different media formats,” says vocalist Ilan. “But we try to be discerning with the choices we make and what our music is representing to the public.” For those that don’t know, the group is, like me, half Irish, with DJs Johnny Sonic and Dave Goode hailing from the Green Isle while their vocalists MC Blu and Ilan Kidron make up the Australian portion of the barnstorming quartet. They were recently voted some of the top five DJs nationally in the revered ITM top 50 poll which exemplified their impressive calibre as popular club rockers and pop stars alike. This was greatly received as Dave explains. “We were blown away to get in the top five of ITM poll. It is a big milestone for us. We are in Ireland at the moment touring with the band and we’re getting a massive response here which is great. Apart from touring we are getting the album finished.” The bulk of their commercial success originates from the individual talents they bring to the group and the proof that their music appeals to everyone from fluoro clad festival goers to soccer moms and middle aged advertising executives, explains Ilan. “I think that’s the beauty of having four musicians involved in a project that respects our very different musical backgrounds; the process of creating the tracks is a very open and enjoyable process.” What some may not know is that the story didn’t begin in 2007; as a duo Dave and Johnny began receiving attention years earlier as DJs in Sydney running their own parties at the perennial underground burlesque bunker Moulin Rouge. So did they ever think that their sweaty club nights would lead to being beamed into loungerooms all over the world on music television? “Not quite,” says Dave. “We could never have expected or planned what’s happened, I don’t think anyone could, especially in dance music, we just did what we did, and we grow and learn all the time.” With the massive success of their singles it is only a matter of time before their debut long player is unleashed to the screams of many a teenage girl… and probably their dads too. “November is the release
When the guys are on stage they have what I like to call the ‘Summernats Effect’ where girls get wild and shirtless and guys miraculously multi task, inhaling black label vodka cans with one arm while their other arm rhythmically syncopates skyward. I question whether they achieve the same result when they return to Ireland.
In Australia, Rolling Stone Magazine just labelled them the “fastest rising stars of the dance scene”, which was a huge boost to the band who exist in a time when the market is being flooded with crossover bands and electronic pop as Ilan suggests. “It’s wonderful to be honoured in such a fashion by the world’s most famous and reputable music magazine but it is really the next few years that will define whether it means anything. We want to be a part of something really big here; we want to transform the way people think of dance music through innovative song writing and awesome sounds and production techniques and that takes time. It takes more than a couple of singles to make a real impact with any sort of culture shift, but it’s the best job in the world and we are in it for the long haul.” With the world at their feet and much more in their arsenal the future looks exceedingly bright for The Potbelleez, whose name I am assured is not meant to glamorise any form of obesity. They bring their phat beats back to the capital soon and Ilan has a warning for all would be clubbers, “(they can expect) the party of their life. Some unheard crackers! The reactions to a lot of the new album’s material has so far been off the hook, so prepare yourself for mayhem!” I close by asking whether, between touring, recording, signing body parts and record deals, they ever have time to stop and smell the roses, or in this case probably the four leafed clovers. “All the time. We are a busy touring band and spend a heap of our time in the studio but we definitely know how to break out the champagne, don’t worry about that!” For The Potbelleez, who are on the musical highway to fame and fortune, it seems that the lights are most definitely all green. The Potbelleez will be headling the launch of Old Parliament House's Our House summer parties. on October 5 from 5pm - midnight. They will be joined by Sharam, Dexter, Jeff Drake, and many more!
CHOIR of hard rocks "We rock out harder than most bands and after a break we are so looking forward to touring" Cecilia Pattison-Levi
THE CHOIRBOYS are energetic, charismatic and compelling musicians. Their massive rock hits like Run To Paradise and Boys Will Be Boys are true Aussie anthems. The Choirboys will be playing live for one night only here in Canberra. So get ready to rock – old school style. Since 1979 the iconic Australian band have been performing in pubs, clubs, theatres, concert halls and football grounds around the world. “Yeah, but this will be our first show in ages,” says Mark Gable, lead singer. “It is a real coincidence but this gig came about by chance. The guy organising it used to be in a band that used to open for us in the ‘80s and ‘90s. And, it sounds like this gig will be a great rock and roll night. We are going to have some fun!” The gig that Mark is so enthusiastic about is the National Craft Beer Festival, held by the historic Olim's Hotel in Canberra. Olim's Hotel is already a major supporter of craft style beers and specialty beers will be on show, with brewers from around the country attending. The event will be open to the public to taste the brews on offer and enjoy the warm, friendly atmosphere. And, later that night The Choirboys will rock out the place.“Look, we haven’t been doing much lately,” says Mark.“After the last tour we were all a bit exhausted after 14 months on the road. So it was good to re-charge and do some other things. The Choirboys will be a band that will stay around until we all die, but it is good timing for us to get out and about.” It seems an understatement that The Choirboys need to get out and about. This band has released some of the biggest and most influential songs of the past two decades here in Australia. “It’s strange you know – those songs – they have a life of their own now,” says Mark. “I find song writing really hard – torturous actually – but those albums we wrote (Big Bad Noise, Midnight Sun and Evolve) seem so amazing now. They are like runaway children and they belong to everyone and what is even more amazing to me is that the next generation seem to be embracing the albums and songs too.” “Look, what The Choirboys can promise is a great night. We rock out harder than most bands and after a break we are so looking forward to touring,” says Mark. “It’s a mammoth beast of a thing taking The Choirboys out on the road, but it will be so worth it.” So come along and unleash your tonsils on Run To Paradise and unleash your inner beer god. The Choirboys will play at the National Capital Craft Beer Festival, held on Saturday September 20 from 10am til late at Olim’s Hotel. Breweries from all over Australia will be showcasing their Craft Beers alongside local gourmet food producers, providing tastings to tantalize the most discerning taste buds. All profits from ticket sales and a charity auction at the festival will go to support the ACT Eden Monaro Cancer Support Group. Tickets are $20 each, which will snag you a commemorative tasting glass and 10 tasking tickets. Tickets are available from Olim’s Hotel Reception or www.moshtix.com
bma magazine 15
ALL AGES
The sun is out, finally, and the smiles are a-plenty. Garema’s usual shadow has been peeled away slowly from the checkerboard and replaced by the vibrant colours of the warmth that lies ahead. Congratulations, each and every one of you, we made it through what appeared to be the second coming of the ice age. Now let’s get down to the nitty gritty.
Everyone loves a good cause, because it’s rare that you know that there is certain good that will come out of something that you’re doing. Dig? That warm, fuzzy, overwhelming feeling you get, all that goodness. If you enjoy that feeling and/or just want to see some great bands this ones for you: MAKE POVERTY HISTORY BATTLE OF THE BANDS! A little bird dropped by a message that read a little like this: "We’re on the search for the best college rock band in Canberra. Friday September 26 (yep that’s right, last day of Term 3) is the first date for the diary We’re dividing schools up into Northside & Southside (some might say the
ultimate battle) for the heats Northside venue - Civic Youth Centre @ 6pm - FREE ENTRY Schools so far include: Copland, Lake Ginninderra, Radford, Hawker & St Francis Xavier Southside venue - Woden Youth Centre @ 6pm - FREE ENTRY Schools so far include: Canberra College, Erindale, Lake Tuggeranong & Narrabundah Grand Final - takes place during Anti-Poverty Week at the mighty Greenroom on Wednesday October 15 @ 6pm. $10 entry. First Prize - a day in a recording studio courtesy of Artsound! This competition is open to all college (years 11 &12) rock bands
in the ACT. Bands must register by Friday September 19. For further information contact ange@ahunt@acfid.asn.au" That’s correct boys and girls, blatant copy and paste. But I really thought it couldn’t have been put better. Get involved. It’s possibly one of the best names I’ve heard and also a great show. That’s right. Deez Nuts is back (in pog form). Smashing through The Tuggeranong Youth Centre on September 18, they bring along support from Confession as part of Deez Nuts ‘Back On The Street’ Tour. It’s going to be wild. End Communication. Australian hardcore sweethearts The Amity Affliction have announced tour dates for the release of their debut album Severed Ties through boomtown records. The Amity Affliction have certainly stepped up for the occasion with 12-track Severed Ties featuring guest vocals from some of the best including JJ Peters (Deez Nuts, I Killed the Prom Queen), Michael Crafter (I Killed the Prom Queen, Carpathian, Confession), Matthew Wright (The Getaway Plan) and Helmet (The Daylight Curse). Supported by A Secret Death, House Vs Hurricane and Rex Banner, The Amity Affliction will hit Canberra October 19 at Tuggeranong Youth Centre. The tour, which kicks of October 10 in Brisbane, will be more than enough to suffice you show fiends. A big bill for an all ages crowd, just what we like to see. The doors for this sucker open at 2pm. On lastly, for all you kids who would like a beard just like Kubrick’s, the Australian Centre for the Moving Image has just launched Screen It 2008, designed to encourage imagination and inventiveness in Australia’s primary and secondary school-aged students. This year entrants will be asked to create works responding to the them of ‘Australian Identity’. Are Bombers fans more Australian than Pies fans? Is Vegemite still Australian even though it’s owned by a foreign company? For more info and registration, head to www. acmi.net.au/screenit That’s all for another edition. Tune in. Cop Out. Peace Love JOSH 'WILD HORSE' MOLONY joshmolony@hotmail.com
LOCALITY Well, fiddledee-dee, spring has sprung and it appears that Canberra has arisen from its winter hibernation. Praise the lawd. Australia’s favourite dreadlocked hippie John Butler has a great little program he funds to help get financial grants for up and coming independent artists in Australia. Locality, of course, is proud to announce that Canberrans Roy Ramirez and Fenella Edwards have earned themselves some cash to contribute to their music careers. Congrats, gang. And in the same vein of successful cashed up localites, Jason Campbell-Smith (from band Sunchaser) has just taken out Songwriter of the Year in the Australian Songwriting Contest, the awards night held in Sydney on August 28. If you want to know more about the awards and the night, check out www.asai.org.au/default.asp
Those crazy cats at Switch 3 HQ are very pleased to announce their new album Calm Before. They’ve got a very special new website and MySpace, and are looking to get their gig on to celebrate. I’m excited, they’re excited, so check them out at www.myspace.com.switch3 or www.switchthree.com Megafauna is happening at the ANU on October 13, and the great thing about it is that a) it’s for charity, b) it boasts the tagline ‘the hairiest show on earth’, and c) there are a ton of local bands on the bill. Joining Melbournites The Nation Blue, and Aussie metalheads Pod People, will be Casual Projects, Hancock Basement, Super Best Friends, Cool Weapon, The Cherry Marines, Tres Terros, Penguin, Inside the Exterior and Boonhorse (ex-LOG). There’ll also be a circus sideshow, bbq, and more. Cost is $20, and tix are only available at the door.
For the full line up, and more info, check out www.myspace. com/megafaunafest Here’s some info for all y’all children’s entertainers...and others… “Entries are now open for the 2009 St Kilda Festival, one of Australia’s best known and Melbourne’s most loved events. Whether you are a band or solo musician, a children’s entertainer, stall holder, trader or have an event or activity that you’d like to showcase then now’s the time to apply.” In particular, you may be most interested in the New Music Stage Festival Day – 8 February 2009, which offers
emerging talents a chance to play at the festival. Ten bands will be selected to play on the New Music Stage, and the best bit is the crowd favourite will win $5000 and a slot on the Festival’s main stage in 2010. For more information and to apply, go to www.stkildafestival.com.au Here’s some news, an actual live performance by Me The Conqueror is set to take place as they support Dead Letter Circus at the Greenroom. Tickets are available for $12 apiece and all details are available at www. greenroomcanberra.com
Well, that’s about all I have time for. Just want to make it known that BMA’s own Erin Cook made it through to round 2 of the Australian ‘Ladette to Lady’ auditions. Do us proud, girl. *sniffle* CAZ DENNES cazzed@hotmail.com
DANCE: THE DROP
Evening, you saucy tarts. I was enjoying the spectacle that was Canberra’s second water feature – an apparent burst water main just near the merry-goround along City Walk – just the other day. Water was geysering at the height of the Actew
AGL building at an alarming rate, whilst a herd of slightly embarrassed looking workers stood around twizzling their toe into the dirt. To add to the hilarity, one of the resident inner city mentals turned up, barking with delight and greedily lapping from the newly formed puddles on the ground and splashing it eagerly around his face. He then started dancing in the newly formed Lake Burley Griffin jnr, which was slowly increasing in size. Before long, he was joined in his gay abandon by some borderline emo/hardcore
kids, showering innocent passersby with their child-like mirth. I love Canberra. O yes, we all know about DJs and where they’re ranked. There are more polls than a Fyshwick bar. So tis a breath of fresh air to hear of an international top 20 for VJs (that’s visual mixers, to those a little slow on the uptake). Our very own VJ Jim Medcraft is in contention to be the first Australian to make it into the rankings. Honing his craft at MIT in Boston, as well as his regular Academy nights, Jimbo
has busted out on the interstate festival stage, adding Field Day, Parklife, Future Music Festival, as well as our own Warehouse, Foreshore and Stonefest to his glittering performance CV. You can vote for our Jim by jumping onto http://www.djmag.com/ index.php?op=top20vj . Jim is currently on tour with Grafton Primary, the cad. Go forth and vote it up, you slags. There’s a new chap in town by the name of Matt Aitchison, putting on a new night: unBEATen Thursday. Geddit? In Matt’s own words, it’s aiming to be a “fusing of downtempo electronic grooves, with local musos.” Matt also flies under the performance moniker of Favourite Son. Introduce yourself to the nice people, Matt: “After touring solid for the past six years with Queensland group OKA, I’m ready to do things a little more low key, with a monthly night featuring funky electronic beats and a host of local musicians. The first features Niels Rosendahl on sax and Supernova Jade all the way from Byron Bay; the music will be the perfect cruisey payday evening soundtrack.” If that sounds delish, then pop on into Hippo on Thursday September 18 and check ch-check check check check chcheck it out. Academy Friday night rosters for the months ahead are filling up nicely, as a quick flick of your eyes to their ad across the page there will soon tell you. It is particularly good to see Guy Hatfield, AKA UK heavy-hitting breakbeat don DJ Hyper, making a stop over come October 24. We’re lucky to have the lad here at all, as he was recently banged up in a Hong Kong police cell for 36 hours after being swept up in a club raid only minutes into his set. A stinking cell and some taunting guards later, and the man was free to go. O, the high life of the globetrotting DJ. Before I go, that Academy rapscallion Ashley Feraude wanted me to mention (you say no to that face) that Academy stickers that can be picked up by Uni students to give them 2-4-1 entry on Thursdays and Saturdays. May the filth commence! ALLAN “WORD WHIPPET” SKO
UP FATTENING
“We aren’t stra ngers to seek ing out new sound and stil l have the pass ion to create innovate” and RK Lee Rous and Andy Gardner, better known as PLUMP DJS, have received enough accolades to justify hanging up their boots. They’ve done for breaks what Ray Charles has done for jazz. Don’t get me wrong, they might not have sold as many records, but they are stalwarts of the scene – pioneers of the movement and innovators of the highest order. Today, we speak with Lee about their imminent trip down under. The boy is excited and equally convinced that this will be their best tour of Australia ever. They are pumped with a new show and a handful of new tracks that highlight where they stand in 2008. He explains, “yeah, we’ve just handed the album over to Finger Lickin’ Records in the last month or so – while at the same time dealing with one of the most hectic DJ schedules at home and abroad. We’ve also launched Head-Fresh at Fabric given Eargasm is no more and that gives us a chance to introduce some new blood. The launch party went really well, we played at Glastonbury as well as the main stage at Global Gathering beside guys like Erick Morillo. I think in recent times we’ve gone into a new bracket to be honest.” Don’t confuse that with arrogance though, more a quiet confidence about how far they’ve come since the late 1990s. “The new album is really exciting for us because we don’t even think Eargasm was a full artist album; it’s still more like a DJ mix for us, so this is the first time we’ve done a true artist album.” Indeed, the boys see it as an eclectic body of music that they wanted to experiment with and produce from a slightly different and not-so-predictable perspective. “I think we’ve achieved that. We wanted to fuse hardcore dance tracks with slower and obscure stuff to make something that people would enjoy.” At the end of the day, they consider themselves lovers of dance music and see their new album as the culmination of a bunch of solid ideas that are innovative and unique. “There are also a number of experiments with full on vocal and downbeat stuff,” explains Lee. “Even some summery chill out stuff as well; it’s a different picture with each one and we really wanted that outcome in the end.” In terms of how it fits with the scene right now, Lee has moved on from the hype, the speculation and then the apparent death of the break beat scene. “Man, that whole thing is over. The scene maxed out in the UK two years ago and there are heaps of people who still buy it, listen to it and dance to it, so who's to know? We’ve seen some super developments like Fake Blood, Switch, 8 Bit and all these people coming to the fore who are incorporating breaks. It’s an overall raw sound that’s hard to pigeon hole but it gives us the chance to use this music in our sets. We always play music from artists from various scenes; our first breaks compilation saw us draw from all over the place. We aren’t strangers to seeking out new sound and still have the passion to create and innovate. We love dance music and we love partying and listening to music and it won’t ever go. There are a few new tracks that we are bringing with us including a massive Stanton Warriors remix. Lots of things are in the pipeline and we also hope to showcase our new four deck show in Australia.” Are the kids ready? You bet they are. The Plump crew will be ripping up Academy on Friday October 3. Tix are $30 from Moshtix. Their new album Headthrash is also out now on Finger Lickin' via Inertia.
An Announcement From the People of Dragon Dreaming
DRAGON DREAMING FESTIVAL 2008: a gathering of the tribes to celebrate love. Might sound like a hippy ideal? Maybe a little crazy? Might even sound a bit soft…. well, you be the judge. In 2006 a group of friends around Canberra had an idea. Frustrated with the lack of underground exposure for local artists, they decided to mastermind a three day festival to bring together the cream of local psy artistry and the surrounding community that supports it. Two years later that idea is a reality – but one that has come with a hefty workload. “We realised pretty early on that we couldn’t do this by ourselves,” says Servants of Sound (SoS) member Lynton Sheehan. “The only way we were going to get it right was to look to the rest of the community for help.” Well, they certainly found some help! REGEN, a not for profit event production company has in the past five years used music festivals as an opportunity to provide a practical education in regeneration and environmental awareness. In doing so, they have been responsible for planting over 50,000 trees in the Southern Highlands region. Also coming on board with a beautiful chill area is Ixchel, a Sydney based crew who donate all profits from events they run to charities including a free school in India and a Moroccan orphanage! “Ixchel are an amazing crew to work with. They have a beautiful energy about them and their décor looks incredible!” Sheehan chirps. Last but certainly not least, Suntribe, a crew from the NSW central coast are coming down with live electronic artists, DJs and (wait for it) an outdoor cinema! Speaking with Shane Russell from SoS he says, “Suntribe have been working hard to get the cinema happening, they have some awesome documentaries from around the world, and they have been sourcing quirky short films and animations to twist things just a bit.” This great collaboration is bringing about a fantastic action packed festival experience. First cab off the rank is the workshops. Fancy some capoeira? Ever wanted to learn to juggle? What about learning to fire twirl? How about a didgeridoo workshop with legend Charlie McMahon (founding member of Gondwanaland) and after all that (and more) you can just relax and create in the art space. What about taking part in the colossal clothes swap? “The what?“ I hear you say. Have your doofing clothes seen better days? Need some new threads but have no spare cash? Cleaned out your wardrobe lately but haven’t made it to the Vinnies bin yet? Well fear not, for at Dragon Dreaming 08 you will be given the opportunity to participate in the inaugural doofin’ communities colossal clothes swap. Bring along your pre-loved clothing to Dragon Dreaming and trade it with others in your community. They will have a clothes line specifically set up where you can donate and trade items with others. Peg one item
up, take one item down, peg two items up, take two items down and so on. This is a free activity open to everyone male and female, big and small. All preloved clothing, footwear and accessories will be accepted. So bring your shirts, bring your skirts, your jumpers, socks and hats and put them to good use. There will also be range of market stalls for your fiscal pleasure. With stalls coming from all over the region, there will be the opportunity to browse through the market village and find yourself everything from new clothes or jewellery to a bite to eat and a cup of coffee (or chai). One thing to be aware of is that there are no ATM’s at Dragon Dreaming so make sure you come prepared. Last but not least of course is the amazing musical lineup. How does catching some phenomenal acoustic music from Favourite Son (fresh from his world tour) sound? Or maybe electronic chill beats are more you style? There's Spoonbill’s wacky dub beats or check out Oxygene’s live VJ performance and of course who could go past Canberra legend Anjay playing some insane minimal beats. With three stages showcasing Canberra and Australia’s best we are definitely in for a treat. Paqman are taking time off from their burgeoning music careers in Melbourne to once again rock a Canberra dance floor. “We’re looking forward to returning to Canberra. The vibe was so fantastic at Liquid Sun and Dragon Dreaming looks to be just as good!” Paqman's Hayden Quinn says. For those who like it a little bigger, they won’t be disappointed. With Sensient, Onda (in their first ever outdoor appearance), Quench and Pspiralife (all the way from Tasmania), S.E.T.H. and Solar Spiral, Ministry of Sound legend John Ferris makes a triumphant return to the Canberra stage and of course the Rhythm Organizm himself Charlie McMahon. “Watching Charlie is mind blowing,” says DJ Loose Cannon (also playing at Dragon Dreaming), "he makes dance music live in front of you using nothing but his voice and his didge, it’s wicked, definitely a must see!” During the festival, SoS are also inviting you to support the Leukaemia Foundation as they shave for a cure. That’s right, a couple of guys and girls from SoS will be shaving their heads at the festival for your entertainment (actually it’s to raise money to support the search for a cure for cancer but you know it’s going to be a riot to watch). Speaking to Karolina from SoS she said, “the opportunity to do this is great, it means that we can help support a worthy cause whilst having a ball.” She also told me that Canberra stalwart DJ Loose Cannon is putting his head up for auction! That’s right, the highest bidder will win the right to crop a DJ! Dragon Dreaming will run from October 4-6. Second rount tickets are now available for $60 (tix will be $80 on the gate). For more info and technicolour briliiance, check out www.servantsofsound.org
YEAR OF THE DRAGON
“We realised pretty early on that we couldn’t do this by ourselves… the only way we were going to get it right was to look to the rest of the community for help”
THA REALNESS Canberra’s only specialist hip-hop shop, Writers Block, has just had some nice renovations so make sure you go check out the new store soon! New stuff in the shop includes Reason’s new album, Myspherical CD, some battle records, and other assorted musical gems! They’ve restocked all the nozzles and have recently also got the full Montana Blackline range in stock. Some ill colours there, so pop in and make sure you are decked out ready for Spring! Check them out online at http://www.writersblockshop.com/ Sky Pictures are a new local production house of media graduates from CIT looking to promote local talent. For their first major creative project they have produced a music video for local hip-hop artist Double A, which they are launching on Friday September 19 at Monkey Bar in the City. Keep an eye out for the clip and Sky Pictures! Sydney’s Sceptic and Dseeva have recently dropped their debut LP entitled Hip-Hop Psykosis. Showcasing a raw Sydney sound, complete with Public Enemy style drums, an old school aesthetic and raucous shout-along chorus. The album is chocked with suburban street tales and a jubilant love for the hip-hop elements. Sceptic and Dseeva will be doing some shows in Canberra later in the year, so keep your eyes peeled. Out of Melbourne’s hip-hop underground steps Pez with his debut album A Mind of My Own. Out on October 4 through Soulmate, the 14 track opus is full of stories of unfulfilled dreams, childhood nostalgia, political disconnection and unconditional love. Entirely produced by multi-instrumentalist Matik, and featuring musical contributions from members of TZU, The Cat Empire, Blue King Brown and fellow Soulmate signee 360, A Mind Of My Own is highly original and extremely accomplished. Sydney’s LookUP crew have just released their new mixtape Look UP In The Sky mixed by DJ Mathmatics. Rather than having the emcees rap over jacked beats, the crew has assembled a barrage of all new quality material from the likes of crew members Scott Burns, Bingethinkers and That’s Them. The mix also sees collaborations with friends such as Swarmy (Overproof), Tommy Illfigga, Benji (PK Crew) and S-Dub. Live wise in Oct/Nov, don’t miss the mighty Illzilla, who are in town on September 26 to promote their amazing debut LP Wasteland out now through Shock. They will rock a free show at Transit Bar, so don’t miss one of the most incredible live bands in the country! Spring Break hits the ANU on ILLZILLA October 18 featuring A-Love, Axe Aklins + Danielsan, Josie Styles, Harlequin and Stunami. No stranger to Canberra stages, this will be the first time ACT audiences will be able to see A-Love rock live with three piece band Lost Evidence, and in a collaboration set to be seen in Canberra, Axe Aklins will be joined by Koolism’s Danielsan on the wheels of steel. The night will also showcase live graffiti art from the Writers Block Crew and giveaways from the boys at JDY clothing. Rhyme Intervention 4 is back on November 15 at ANU Bar with its biggest line-up yet to raise money for the Cancer Council. A few of the stars taking the stage are Dialectrix, Last Credit, Social Change, Mind Over Matter, Scott Burns + Mathmatics, Mata + Must, Class A, Maggot Mouf and a whole host of others. With added graff demos, give-aways and trademark RI BBQ, you’d be a damn fool to miss out on this massive show supporting a worthy cause. To hear music from all of the above and more, tune to The Antidote on 2XX 98.3FM every Tues night from 9:30pm ROSHAMBO
e Van bansh ng at the “It’s like looki you’re flowers while gh the walking throu don’t really garden… You you just kind look at them, em” of walk past th Josh Brown Remember that annoyingly talented guy from school who consistently scored near perfect grades, was the star player of most, if not all, the sports teams and was going out with the hottest girl in the year? Well, Michael Di Francesco, guitarist and synth player extraordinaire, and his bandmates from Sydney outfit VAN SHE are the musical equivalent. Damn them! Don’t you wish you shared a label with The Presets, had the privilege of remixing Feist and possessed mad DJ skillz to boot? Di Francesco is unexpectedly philosophical when quizzed on the band’s rising profile. “It’s like looking at the flowers while you’re walking through the garden,” he muses. “You don’t really look at them, you just kind of walk past them.” Floral analogies aside, Van She are definitely no shrinking violet. After a three year absence following the release of their eponymous debut EP, new album V sees the boys return with a bang. Or is that a lick? Closer inspection of the album cover reveals a somewhat saucy gesture being made by a young lady. Di Francesco laughs off my innocent outrage at such suggestions of sexual innuendo. “That’s why there’s a ‘Warning: Explicit Material’ [label], but the funny thing is that it’s too late,” he chuckles. “By the time you look at the cover, you’ve already seen the explicit material.” Sneaky devils! Though there may have been a lengthy delay between releases, Di Francesco is quick to point out that Van She have kept quite busy in the interim. “In short, we just got side-tracked doing dance music,” he admits. After impressing critics and fans alike with their remix of The Presets’ Are You The One?, the boys were offered song after song to add their own synth-pop spin to. “It got to a point where the label was like ‘hey guys, you’re a band… what are you doing? Are you an electronic act now? You’ve got to write an album. You’ve gotta get on with it, this is ridiculous’,” he recollects. “We were like ‘that’s fine, but you keep giving us all these remixes!’” The solution to getting Di Francesco and company to knuckle down and churn out a quality album? Banish them to the countryside. “[Our record label] sent us away to Berry, on a farm,” he explains. “We went there – no distractions, no remixes, no girlfriends, no internet – and hung out for a couple of weeks and wrote a load of songs.” The result is the too cool for school indie-electro retro goodness of V which, coincidentally, the Van She boys are preparing to unleash at a venue near you in the very near future. What they have in mind for their upcoming tour, however, is more intriguing than your average concert. “We didn’t want to do just band gigs,” Di Francesco reveals. The band will play live and then immediately follow up with a blistering DJ set, lasting until the wee hours of the morning. Essentially you get to see Van She twice for the price of one performance. Neat! Though won’t this live/DJ party tour take its toll on Di Francesco and his colleagues? “That’s what we do,” he shrugs. “If there’s no work, you’re complaining and when there is work you should embrace it.” Talented AND modest… talk about dreamy! Van She will be doing their band-gig-and-more thang at the ANU bar on September 24. Tickets are $25.40
dukes nukem
“Apparently there’s baked goods for the early birds… Come early to get a free baked thing”
e eine klein sik Chiara Grassia NAcht mu
For another young, hyped-up indie band, YVES KLEIN BLUE have done particularly well for themselves. Bursting out of Brisbane, they’ve scored spots playing at all the prestigious festivals, Splendor, South By South West and Big Day Out, as well as nabbing supporting gigs with The Vines and even recently playing at the Picasso exhibition in Brisbane. “It was a hard gig,” lead singer Michael Tomlinson says about performing in the art gallery. “We were the support act for a guy who’s dead. It was a great honour to play.” The experience has been something quite different for both the band and the city. “You don’t hear of art galleries in Brisbane; Canberra’s art galleries are really something.” With that, has Brisbane’s culture affected them? “We are a product of our surroundings,” he states. After all, Brisbane has produced classic bands such as The Go Betweens and The Saints, both of which Michael has currently been getting into. “We’re proud of our heritage.” Not bad for a band who started out escaping high school PE classes to jam on “wonky, out-of tune” guitars. “It was actually a guitar storeroom,” Michael confirms, explaining how he and Charles Sale (guitarist) first formed the band in year ten at school, over a mutual love of Led Zeppelin. “The band over years fell apart; it was a crappy high school band, and then we met the other guys at uni and that’s how we formed.” Their festival experiences so far have gone well, with Michael revealing that the Austin music festival South By South West had “more bands than you can possibly see. There’s a band playing every hour, day or night for a whole week; it was incredible, such a crazy experience and a wonderful vibe. Splendour was obviously a dream come true. I’ve been to Splendour every year for the past three years, four years. It was a privilege.” With a name referencing French artist Yves Klein, you’d expect the band to have at least some artistic connection. “Sometimes, if I’m working out a song and if I’m having trouble with the parts and can’t figure something out, I draw a little squiggle.” And does this technique help? “Yeah, I love to look at it. I love the visual. Unfortunately I have a visual thinking mind and I’m trying to be in a band. It’s not really a device anyone else in the band understands. It looks like something a two year old would do, with a biro that was running out of ink and was upside down… That’s how legible these diagrams are. I can understand it, there’s no consistency to it, however.” Before settling down to record an album November, the band are set to travel about the country throughout October with The Holidays (“top chaps and excellent players and songwriters and performers”) as part of The Immaculate Confection Tour (“there’s no real reason to call it that, but we just thought we’d reference Tom Waits”). “It’s actually the biggest tour we’re ever done”, he says, noting that they’ll be playing at a variety of places. However, Michael mentions he was disappointed on his last trip to Canberra. “The porn was terrible, it was shocking. I don’t want to slander anything here, but there’s no excuse!” Yet there are perks for punters at the upcoming tour. “Apparently there’s baked goods for the early birds. I can’t confirm or deny whether that’s true or not, because I don’t really see how I can cook up baked goods in the back of this stinky van on the road to Canberra. I’m sure in the upperechelons of management, somebody is devising a way to combine a light bulb, a shoebox and an easybake oven to cook stuff while driving to Canberra. Come early to get a free baked thing.” Yves Klein Blue will play alongside The Holidays, and Chambers at the ANU Bar on October 4. Tix are only $12.95, so get along!
“A lot of people seemed to think that we were a DJ act when we were in fact a five-piece rock band” Peter Krbavac Less than a year ago DUKES OF WINDSOR stormed the gates of Clubland on their jet-black steed of rock and roll. The group’s ascent has been an accelerated one: formed in their namesake Melbourne suburb Windsor in 2005, they cut their debut album The Others in ‘06, conquered the dance charts with the TV Rock remix of that album’s title track in ‘07 and now, in ‘08, have just released their sophomore effort, Minus. Guitarist Oscar Dawson excuses himself from a band meeting to take my call and even down the phone line the sense of excitement is palpable. The album was recorded during the almost 24-hour darkness of the Swedish winter. Says Oscar, “(It was) otherworldly… it was like we were in this weird Narnia kind of place,” he remembers. The new album was produced by Pelle Henriccson and Eskil Lövström, the team behind Swedish hardcore giants Refused’s seminal LP The Shape of Punk to Come. While their debut long-player The Others was slammed down in the studio in a matter of days, the recording process for Minus was a much more protracted affair. “We spent a lot of time cutting things apart, chopping things around, moving things, listening and re-listening,” Oscar explains. “It wasn’t the sort of album where we were all just sitting in a room jamming it out. We were really quite precise with how we wanted the songs to sound. It can end up sounding like you’re being clinical,” he continues, “but I don’t think that’s the case. You’re composing everything and not leaving things to chance.” The album sees the band expanding their sonic palette, or as Oscar puts it, “trying not to hedge our bets on the one style of song writing. We’re very comfortable with these four-on the-floor, up tempo, beaty kinda songs, but there are other songs on the album that are kind of slower and we were keen that they would be on the album.” Fans will be able to experience the album first hand when the Dukes head to town for the second instalment of the Foreshore festival. While they’re first and foremost a rock band, the five-piece are dab hands at playing more danceoriented events. “We’ve done shows where we’ve turned up to the venue and found, ‘oh, this is a total dance gig’,” he says, “but it’s nice that we’re able to move between these things. We did a tour with Sneaky Sound System recently which was very much a dance crowd, but then we did gigs with The Music a month ago who are much more a rock band, albeit with electronic influences. It’s always fun and exciting and a bit scary at the same time.” Of course, we couldn’t finish our chat without touching on that remix. While the exposure it’s given the band is an undeniable positive, I ask if it has been somewhat of a millstone around the band’s neck. “It did define us a certain way, a way we didn’t really predict and a way that we’re not comfortable with because it’s not us,” Oscar says. “A lot of people seemed to think that thusly we were a DJ act, some sort of dance duo, when we were in fact a five-piece rock band. I mean, we got invited up to Queensland a couple of times last year to do DJ sets – we haven’t got the first idea how to DJ. We managed to hook in a friend who could and it was just the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever done, getting up there and pretending we know how to DJ. We’re lucky now that we can get out on the road and show people who we are. Being our own band really.” Dukes of Windsor play alongside The Presets, PNAU, Nick Warren (UK), Above & Beyond and many more at Foreshore, Saturday November 29 in Commonwealth Place. Tickets $89.95 plus BF from Ticketek, Landspeed, Parliament and inthemix. com.au
PUNKSKA
Kids, Charlie Greaser and Sister Scarlete on October 4. The Bastards beat AIB to the punch, though, punking it up at The Basement with The Moots and Devilzwork on Friday September 19.
Spraying mace in the face of Osama bin Bogeyman and the terror-pimps inna Whitehouse, it’s the War On TerrorTM edition of the punk ‘n’ ska news. All In Brawl isn’t just a band with a great name; they’re also the best oi! and streetpunk act to emerge locally in decades. Don’t miss them when they next play The Basement in Belcompton, with Melbourne’s Sin City, Wollongong’s Throwaway
While on an oi! trip, The Cockney Rejects (formed 1979), and whose song Oi! Oi! Oi! gave the punk sub-genre it’s name, are in Australia later this year to perform at Sydney’s Gaelic Club on November 15. Original players, Micky Geggus (guitar) and Jeff ‘Stinky’ Turner (vocals) are active in the group. Californian hatecore heads, Ceremony celebrate their brand
of punk at the Tuggeranong Youth Centre this September 27 (AA). They’re touring the album Still, Nothing Moves You, which was released August 16 (Bridge 9/Stomp).
Recorded with Nick Huggins and Jonathon Burnside (Melvins, NOFX), those ‘in the know’ describe a return to their punk roots with lots of loud, fast, highenergy singalongs. They’re playing
Melbourne’s The Go Set signed a two-album deal with European label Coretex, home to everything from Terror, to Madball and Antiflag. The band’s fourth LP, Rising is due October 4.
ANU Bar on October 10 (LIC/AA) with Catgut Mary and guests. Tickets available through www. ticketek.com.au or the venue. Ska dynamos, The Mad Caddies are at the early stages of an album due around May, next year. Chances are there’ll be an EP before then and they will tour again as soon as dates are sorted.
THE GO SET
MAD CADDIES Long running Sydney punk outfit A.V.O release Domestic Violence Kept The Neighbourhood Quiet on Straight Up Records in November and the awesome Toe To Toe recently teamed up with hip-hop act Def Wish Cast. An EP is on the way, but they’re also soon to begin recording an album due early next year. Now, let’s return to the War On TerrorTM. Defining global foreign policies since 2001 and igniting the two continuing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan leading to the deaths of millions of innocents, the Bush Administration’s official report on the events of September 11 2001 has holes in it, big enough for ‘terrorists’ to fly a jetliner through. Millions worldwide are waking from the Orwellian nightmare of the Terror Wars and the evidence of a massive crime and cover-up involving major corporations and mainstream media blackouts is now available for you to expose. If you’re ready to ‘take the red pill’ and join the growing multitude calling for peace, justice for the victim’s families and a new ‘citizens’ investigation into 9/11, check out www.911sharethetruth. com/ or contact me for more details. Oi Oi that’s yer lot! Simon Hobbs SIMON HOBBS Next deadline is October 6. Send news, gig promos and abuse to rudebwaay@gmail.com .
this nation's saving grace
“The guy that toured us had toured 28 Days and said that we were the worst band he’s ever toured, which was probably one of the worst insults I’ve ever received.” Peter Krbavac It’s been far too long since Canberra audiences have been pummelled into submission by the uncompromising, snarling noise of Melbourne’s THE NATION BLUE. How long exactly? “That’s a good question…” muses guitarist and singer Tom. “It’s been a few years since we’ve been to Canberra. We’re long overdue for a return - we’re keen to get back!” And what better way for the trio to return than as the headliners of this year’s Megafauna fest, raising money for the Australian Cancer Research Foundation alongside 14 other local and interstate bands. Last year saw the release of their third LP, the raw, stripped-back fury of Protest Songs, which was followed by the band’s first overseas tour, taking in Brazil, Japan and America. “It’s something that I’ve been working towards for ages,” says Tom. “The only thing I really ever wanted to do was to be able to have a chance to play overseas. Brazil was one of the most mental places I’ve been to. The first day we played to about five people, the following night we played to three thousand. We were the first band from Australia since Silverchair to go through Brazil. I think (audiences) are appreciative of anyone who can get over there and have the balls to go through some of the areas we went through.” Of their shows in the country, one in particular, held in a San Salvador squat, stands out for Tom. “We were playing on tables and chairs,” he says, setting the scene. “All the local street kids came along. They were all heavily into martial arts and they were knocking each other out. I’ve never seen that degree of violence. It was intense. The power kept going out and they kept getting more and more rowdy, and every time the music would start - we were playing with grind and metal bands - they’d just destroy each other. It was like a nightmare!” All this madness was only accentuated by the fact that they’d just come from Japan, famous for probably the most polite and well-behaved audiences in the world. “We went from Japan where we were ripping apart karaoke rooms, drunk in the streets and generally a cultural disgrace. The guy that toured us there had toured 28 Days and said that we were the worst band he’s ever toured, which was probably one of the worst insults I’ve ever received. That would probably amount to some sort of hate crime, we’re gonna have to write letters of apology to the Japanese consulate. But we went from there where we were kings of the castle to where we were pretty much just kidnap fodder.” The group’s overseas exploits will likely feed into their next album, already halfway completed. “There’ll be the odd reference to it, but I think it’s more a musical thing. It’s more the constructions of the songs and some of the chords we use. Lyrically, Protest Songs was not so much a political album but it was a more ideological exercise, whereas this one’s far more personal. I can write critiques of political systems and ideologies but I can’t ignore the fact that at some points I’ve been pretty fucked to people and pretty shit as a human being. Basically it’s going to be a big list of the shit things I’ve done to people, so I’m sure it should be nice and depressing. We’re pretty bleak as a band so I think nothing will change there.” The Nation Blue play alongside Cuthbert and the Night Walkers, Pod People, Casual Projects, Hancock Basement, Hytest, Boon horse (exLOG), Super Best Friends, Cool Weapon and many for at Mega fauna ‘08, Saturday October 11 at the ANU Bar. From 2pm, tickets on the door.
we are about to tour with Built To Spill and The Meat Puppets and then we are off to play the All Tomorrow’s Parties Festival in New York. It is strange that we won’t be home to see the release of the new album and I think I am starting to get a bit homesick.” The Drones release their highly anticipated fourth studio album, Havilah in a few days. “It is very exciting because we think we have made a really good album,” says Mike. “It’s still a Drones album, but we really sat down and thought about this record and what we wanted to do. The last couple of albums we have just slapped it down and it was done. This album is more thoughtful, lighter, and accessible I guess, it has moments of clarity and it’s not so heavy. I will tell you, I can listen to this album from start to finish and sometimes I struggle with some of our stuff.”
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“I can listen to this album from start to finish and sometimes I struggle with some of our stuff” Cecilia Pattison-Levi Good bands exist independently of trends and styles, playing on that magical yet terrifying edge of danger. THE DRONES write passionate music without one speck of compromise and they have been proudly carrying forth the torch of vital, uncompromising rock. The Drones are an indie/rock four-piece band from Melbourne who have been plugging away at the Australian music scene now for about six years. They have won much critical success with the release of four powerful albums and the AMP Award in March. After an amazing set at the Splendour In The Grass, The Drones hopped on a jet plane to the US for two months. “Yeah, we are here in Brooklyn and I am standing outside the pub. I can see the Twin Towers lights from here,” says Mike, the amazing drummer in The Drones. “We are just about to play a gig. Then
The Drones will be hitting the road again in Australia, after all the American tours and shows, but this time they will be coming to Canberra. “Yes. We haven’t played in Canberra yet,” says Mike. “This is because we are a bit of a DIY band and when we tried to get a gig there, the guy at the place said ‘send us a demo’. We don’t have a demo – we have four great albums, but no demo. So it never happened. We are all looking forward to Stonefest and playing for the first time in Canberra and it looks like a great line-up too.”
With all the critical and live gig success, The Drones should be thinking of relaxing a little. “No Way!” says Mike. “You know that big award we won – the money was really great and at the right time and we loved the recognition – but while the other fucking bands were partying we were working and doing a sound check in Brisbane. That’s us. We will just keep on playing live shows and we love it.” This seems like a guiding philosophy for The Drones. It’s the force of their own convictions and the strength of their vision and work that makes them such a revered band. The Drones and a host of other fine bands will play live @ Stonefest at the University of Canberra on Friday October 31 andSaturday November 1. The Drones new album Havilah is released on September 20 through ATP Recordings.
one time at band camp...
"I'm really hoping to reproduce that in Canberra - to put on a good show and give them the rock star lifestylfe" Ben Hermann There is any army of callous sceptics around who would claim that in the age of internet-bred rock stars and bedroom-spawned Pro-tools recordings, the utility of band competitions is descending quicker than the integrity of Guy Ritchie’s filmmaking credentials. However, to attend any of the heats of the NATIONAL CAMPUS BAND COMPETITION (NCBC) is to bare witness to the raw, sweaty, uncensored spectacle of live performances by aspiring rock stars; something which cannot be judged or experienced via the medium of even the most polished, wanked-up MySpace site. The NCBC is now the largest live band competition in the southern hemisphere, with past winners and entrants including the talent-dripping likes of Eskimo Joe, The Vines, Jebediah, George, Grinspoon, Waikiki, Frenzal Rhomb, 78 Saab, Augie March and The Vasco Era. With ACT heats to be held in late September, organiser John Hunter points out that bands are set to gain a lot of experience through participation in the event, regardless of whether they make it through to the finals. “Last year we had video media students there and they videoed it all. We had up to five cameras on each band and they would get their bracket recorded with sound and video,” John explains. “The bands also get excellent feedback from the judges. We have three industry professionals judging and they give bands feedback on their bracket and they can then use that to improve.” The NCBC has been running on Australian university and TAFE campuses across the country for 18 years, with over 1000 bands from over 80 institutions competing each year. This year Canberra has also won the rights to host the national finals in November – a notable achievement, considering it is only the second time in the competition’s history that it has reached our city. John hopes this will give the ACT an opportunity to reproduce the rock and roll atmosphere that last year’s ACT finalists Rubycon, who came runners-up in the national finals, experienced. “Rubycon thought it was just such a rock star type of thing to be a part of. They came back thinking that the winning band [Will Stoker and the Embers] were great, and they were just so impressed with all the royal treatment. I’m really hoping to reproduce that in Canberra – to put on a good show and give them the rock star lifestyle.” And just in case all those would-be Kid Rocks generate a little bit too much hot air, John is endeavouring to make the 2008 National Finals a carbon-neutral event by offsetting the travel of all bands coming to the ACT, and purchasing green power for the gig and any other measures necessary to ensure a sustainable Competition. This year the national finalists will once again be competing, like kittens for the next facebook-featured lolcat photo, for a huge cash prize and the much-valued record company attention, with ACT finalists also competing for a gig at this year’s Stonefest festival. As usual, John expects the competition to be very tough, with Canberra’s stock of young talent seeming to be increasing exponentially by the year. “I think Canberra definitely manages to produce some pretty good quality acts,” John admits. “I was really impressed last year. I think we had fewer bands than previous years, but nevertheless we had a really good depth of talent, with such a great range of genres. I’m thinking this year that it will be even bigger than last year.” The NCBC ACT heats will be held at 7pm on September 18 at the CIT Music Industry Centre, Phillip Campus, and at 3pm on September 20 at UCU. The ACT Final will be held on September 25 at CIT MIC and the National Final on October 23 at MIC. Get involved you whipper-snappers!
“It seems like successful bands these days just don’t seem to really tear it up onstage anymore” day and really liked the takes, so we ended up going with that,” Chris explains. “There were no kinda nerves there because it was sort of done before we realised it.”
burnin' up Peter Krbavac In a music scene plagued with coolly detached hipsters prissing and preening against the far wall, Chris Altmann may just be the last bastion of inexhaustible, unquashable rock ‘n’ roll spirit and determination. The man’s been up since six am doing an honest day’s work – painting houses in East Brighton, Melbourne – and no sooner has he knocked off than he’s in the Triple R studios for an interview, which is where he remains, holding yet another pesky journo at bay. The reason for all this yappin’? Slow Burn, his band THE VANDAS’ new LP. True to its title, Slow Burn has been a good while in the making. “It’s been ages,” says Chris. “We had a fair break after the last EP – it was recorded here and there and wasn’t really a good representation of us. We felt a bit lost, I think, and we didn’t have a manager for about a year so things kind of got left.” But with ex-Canberra lad Dan Craddock steering the good ship Vanda, things are back in swing. A rockier affair than previous outings, recent stage-mates You Am I, The Drones, and the Beasts of Bourbon, as well as namesake Harry Vanda’s ol’ ‘60s beat combo, give you a fair idea of where The Vandas are coming from musically. And if the LP sounds a bit rough ‘n’ ready – and it does, gloriously so – that’s because the tracks were originally only intended as demos for the main event, rather than the final version. “We just ended up having a good
Slow Burn was recorded by good friend Joel Silbersher (GOD, Hoss, Tex Perkins), who was chosen because Chris says the band “knew he was really honest and harsh. We knew with him calling the shots we were gonna get something that was gonna be really potent and to the point. Bashed out live over a couple of days, it’s a raw, thrilling and, above all else, catchy collection of tunes. “We really wanted to have something that sounded like us, but hadn’t been all dolled up and ironed out, which happens with a lot of recordings these days. There’re a few mistakes in there but I think that sort of makes it good,” he chuckles. “That’s what I like in a record anyway – it sounds human rather than having everything layered and neatened up. This feels like we’ve really got to say what we wanna say – not really message-wise, but just musically. We got to make the type of thing we wanted to make, which, when it comes to ‘art’, that’s what you’re supposed to do.” Like any Aussie rock band worth their salt, The Vandas pride themselves on their live performance. “It seems like successful bands these days just don’t seem to really tear it up onstage anymore,” Chris says ruefully. “I was watching this Otis Redding DVD and it’s just so different to see a performer who can get onstage and, without any gimmicks or anything like that, can just sing and really grab someone by the throat. These days everyone’s wearing their latest fashion haircuts and got their little gadgets… I sound like a cynical old man,” he chuckles self-mockingly. “We wanna be able to have that sort of clout onstage as well, which I think we’re heading towards,” he continues. “People have been saying we’ve improved a lot again just recently, so that’s always encouraging to hear. There’s nothing better than playing in a band and just really thumping it out, y’know. When everyone’s really getting into it, there’s just nothing better than that!” The Vandas play the Transit Bar on Thursday September 18 with The Guests and Black Creek. Free entry. Slow Burn is out now on Liberation.
THIEVERY ON COrPORAinTk Iwe should aim to Julia Winterflood
“I th , al life plus ten re te a ic n u m com uch slightly, and to it te ra e g g a x e ay” etry in some w it by art or po
triple j boys and girls would undoubtedly be able to recall the incendiary gun-fire paced melodic snarl of BRITISH INDIA’S first single Outside 109 from the J Award nominated Guillotine, with the resonant line “When you were seventeen / You wrote down all your dreams / But don’t know what they mean now”. Declan Melia, frontman, is now 23, and his songs have moved on from teenage dreams to themes of teenage disenchantment, superficiality and superciliousness. Yet despite his seemingly scathing critique of our “bottled water generation” there’s an erudite and invigorating strain flowing through the veins of all ten tracks on Thieves, their brilliant second album, which was written before their debut was even released. “We wrote Thieves with a real sense of desperation. We were unsure whether the first record was going to come out or even if the band was going to be around for another 12 months. We poured all our nervous, scared energy into writing new tracks thinking it would save us.” It most certainly did. Thieves is an outstanding record. For a rock band of the stock standard lead guitar, rhythm guitar, bass and drums modus operandi, avoiding mediocrity and the raised fist pub-rock archetype presents a significant challenge. British India not only overcome it, they conquered it; while Melia admits that when they wrote Guillotine they were “young and stupid”, their debut, despite failing to attract major label attention, was an absolute corker. Tie Up My Hands, Russian Roulette and Frozen on the Inside rose to infamy with blitzkrieg speed, with their soaring and catchy choruses, expertly executed drum crescendos and grab-you-by-thehair hooks. Thieves exhibits all of these elements yet naturally in a more mature, controlled and contemplative manner. Sounds like the regular rigmarole for a rock band, doesn’t it? Yet British India have something else: remarkably stimulating and captivating lyrical content; lines that snare your ear and trigger the urge to read them in print. I asked Melia about the line “When your dad had his heart attack we watched it all on video tape” (You Will Die, I Will Take Over). The imagery is disturbing yet thought-provoking, and laced with a sophisticated edge of social commentary. “I like artists who try to make every line count and every line confronting. I find that increasingly, especially in this country, lyricists have been quite mute over the past few years. People are screaming things into a microphone but they don’t really have anything to say. Lyrics take a back seat as far as writing goes, which is a shame, because I think in the ten best rock and roll songs ever written, you wouldn’t find a wasted line in them.” “I don’t think it’s the role of the musician to tell people about real life. That’s why I found the Arctic Monkeys records and some of those records that came out of the UK in the last few years so underwhelming. They seem to be saying, verbatim, in black and white, what their Saturday night was like. I think we’ve had enough of that. I think we should aim to communicate real life plus ten, exaggerate it slightly, and touch it by art or poetry in some way. I try to make every line count and make every line confronting.” Regretfully space does not permit me to speak of the powerful and passionate unfettered energy of British India’s stage presence, so you’ll have to experience it for yourselves at Trackside, Saturday November 22.
“Whether I’m famous or working in RSLs, I don’t think it really matters” Shailla Van Raad They’re a combination of soulful vocals, swirly textured guitars and interesting drums. THE TEMPER TRAP seem like a combination waiting to be marketed as a musical delicacy. The quattro: Dougy (vocals and guitar), Loz (guitar/keys), Toby (drums) and Jonny (bass) originally from Melbourne, are a young band formed in 2005 as Temper Temper. They like to think of themselves as “very mature; we do things like entertaining ourselves on tour with loudspeakers and coughing through them only to bolt when anyone payed attention. So I guess we’re just a bit juvenile. Mostly though, on tour we’re not really a crazy rock band; we’re a really tame rock band, actually. Or maybe we just haven’t really been caught off guard. It’s not like we’ve ever gotten absolutely wasted and woken up next to a tranny. We’ve never looked for trouble and trouble hasn’t really looked for us.” And their thoughts on the actual performances on tour? “There is definitely a difference between live and produced sound. I really like putting on a great live performance; our fans are there to see a show. When touring though, you have days where you don’t feel like doing a live performance and sometimes you do. It doesn’t matter because as a band we owe it to the audience to give them what they came for.” The Temper Trap is a band rising up and up in the Australian music scene but it’s good to know that members are still musically grounded. As Dougy describes, “obviously we do it for the money, I’m the alpha male in the studio; I can be a bit bossy, a bit tough, a bit of a cow, but we’re all good friends essentially. I am really passionate about what I do. The other band members have similar thoughts obviously and I guess that’s why we get along, but I can’t really speak for them. I definitely want the band to be more successful in general, but at the same time I want to keep making the music I want to make – whether I’m famous or working in RSLs, I don’t think it really matters.” Musically, The Temper Trap obviously haven’t been trapped by their success; they know what progression is all about and don’t lose sight of it. “I think if you’re not experimenting with music, you’re just stagnant.
temper temper Music is all about experimentation and pushing the boundaries. We’re not an ‘experimental’ band as such, in fact we’d be considered to be very pop, but we’re always looking for different and interesting sounds. This is always part of the priority list.” So what does this list look like? Travel is an important part of a troubadour’s life and the members of the band are smart enough to know they need to do it often. Conveniently, Dougy has some strings (so to speak) he can pull for this to happen overseas. “I’m originally from Indonesia,” he says,” and came to Australia when I was 19. I already knew English because we got taught in Indonesia. I want to go back for a visit to Indonesia. I’m trying to set up a band tour there. There’s a pretty cool scene there. There’s definitely an untapped market in that region and I really want the tour to happen.” The future looks bright for the hot young talent; they all feel that even their caged name won’t be able to restrict them to Australia. “In two years we hope to relocate to New York and be working on a new album. New York has a very diverse music scene; there is so much different music there, from world, to reggae, hip-hop and punk.” Let’s hope for our sake, they stay a few more years in Australia and grace us with their ambient-fiery sound. The Temper Trap play at the ANU Bar on Friday September 26, with support from Bird Automatic.
BLACKBOX There’s so much going on in TV land over the next few weeks that it’s hard to know what’s the biggest news. Until you get to the SBS email. Yes folks, the much-vaunted local version of Top Gear (SBS Mon Sep 29 7.30pm) kicks off in just over a week. Carlovers, revheads and comedy fans who catch the bus will be holding their breath to see if the series measures up. On the plus side, the cars will be available here and some of the hosts, such as inimitable cartoonist Warren Brown have a personality and love for motoring that should fit the format. Like all localised versions, though, it will probably need a settling-in period for the viewers to see it as a stand-alone show and for the hosts to avoid trying to mimic their counterparts. Except for The Stig. And it remains to be seen whether the Australian Stig can be as successful as TISM at protecting his real identity. Perhaps The Stig is actually a member of TISM… The new 90210 (SCTEN Mon 8.30pm) has managed to copy its longer monogrammed predecessor and offer a real surprise in the teen drama genre. Sure all the actors are pretty – no Andrea or David Silver here – but, elaborate backstories notwithstanding, the characters are less vapid and vacant than many of the show’s contemporaries. While not challenging viewing or Emmy-award winning scripting, Blackbox predicts 90210 will become the guilty pleasure to replace the void left by Dirty Sexy Money. Whether the new Knightrider (Prime Sat Sep 27 9pm) will mange the same feat, remains to be seen. This is likely to be one case where the original retains its cult status, cheesy acting from The Hoff and all. And what’s with the new K.I.T.T? Taking a regular black rev head coupe and adding a red light to the bonnet and a couple of props from the Star Trek set does not an icon make. Spicks and Specks (ABC1 Wed Oct 8 8.30pm) takes a different tack with Hamish Blake hosting a behind-the-scenes special. While there’s expected fare such as viewers’ comments and how the questions are picked, the team interviews will reveal the rudest, crudest and weirdest guests. Voyeuristic viewing at its best. New police dramas Rush (SCTEN Tue 9.30pm) and The Strip (WIN Thu 8.30pm) have yet to solidly cement themselves in the Chez Blackbox schedule but neither is reach-for-the-remote fare. Of course it could be Callan Mulvey in the former and endless scenes of summer in the latter that are holding the attention. While the premise of a comedy actor reprising a film role to do a documentary about toilets around the world could have been a disaster, Kenny’s World (SCTEN Wed 8pm) is incredibly well-researched with plenty of quirky finds. The same can’t be said for Taken Out (SCTEN Mon-Fri 7pm). This woeful dating show makes Perfect Match, replete with compatabilitycalculating robot Dexter, look sensitive. In the documentary department don’t miss The Lost World of Tibet (ABC1 Sun Oct 5 7.30pm) which uses archival footage shot before communism, Two in the Top End (ABC1 Tue 8pm) with intrepid travelers Tim Flannery and John Doyle, Four Wives, One Man (SBS Tue Sep 30 10.05pm), which follows a polygamist family in Iran over three years and Iconoclasts: Eddie Vedder and Laird Hamilton (ABC 2 Wed Oct 1 9.20pm) which looks at the lives of the Pearl Jam singer and the surfer through their friendship. Sadly, some Blackbox faves are approaching season cliffhangers including The Hollowmen (ABC1 Wed Oct 8 8.30pm) which actually ran two seasons, Doctor Who (Sun Sep 28 7.30pm) which winds up with Davros and a cast of thousands and Dexter (SCTEN Sun Sep 28 10.10pm) which should cure the nightmares about the ice truck killer. Amusing note of the week: A new season premiere of NCIS (SCTEN Tue Sep 30 8.30pm). Hard to recognize when a season ends amongst all those repeats. TRACY HEFFERNAN tracyheffernan@bigpond.com
THEATRE COLUMN It’s been a big week for Theatre Column, with the result that not a lot of theatre has been seen. But mercy me! The times they are a-gettin’ hectic, what with Rep’s Pygmalion, moonlight’s Oleanna, The Hunting Season and the new Bell looming on the horizon. How are we to get to them all? Mainly on the Plain Shavians everywhere should be creaming themselves, because the favourite creepy Svengali GBS is making its way to the pro-am stage. That’s right, it’s Pygmalion, directed by Tony Turner, with the lovely Jess Brent and the lovelier Jerry Hearn in the sculpted/sculptor roles of Eliza and Higgins. Rep generally do a good show of blue-ribbon toffee classics so get yourself a ticket. Yes, it would be luvverly. Canberra Repertory presents Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw. On now until Saturday October 4 @ 8pm. Matinees September 20 & 27 and October 4 @ 2pm. Twilights September 21 & 28 @ 5pm. Info and bookings phone 6257 1950. Oleanna Moonlight’s third show in its season of modern American greats is David Mamet’s ‘classically structured tragedy’, Oleanna. A student (Rachel Battams) accuses her professor (Mark Bunnett) of sexual harassment and all hell breaks loose. It’s got everything: lies, power play, political correctness, the blurred boundaries of right and wrong in a postmodern world, university curricula… hell yeah. Moonlight presents David Mamet’s Oleanna directed by Cara Irvine. ANU Arts Centre Drama Lab, September 18-20 & 24-27 @ 8pm. Tix $15/$12 at the door, or you can get Vivaldi dinner and show packages – call 6257 2718. Night at the Improv Impro Theatre ACT has been kicking around the N.C. for a goodly while now, doin’ their impro thing. Now, they’re bringing imported impro to the Canberra stage for one night only. Strap on ya seatbelts, people: LA stars Dan O’Connor and Edi-Patterson O’Connor, widely regarded as the best improv performers on the planet (so sez the press release, anyways), will feature in Law & Disorder, a night of improvised criminal investigations. Theatre Column doesn’t know quite how to describe the event, but is sure it will be ‘arresting’. Ha. Impro Theatre ACT presents Law & Disorder at Street 2, Sunday September 28 @ 7.30pm. Tix $18/$15, to book and get more info call the B.O. on 6247 1223. Take a shot Still waiting on more info about what is happening with The Hunting Season but let it be known that there is a website, there will be performances happening SOON at Belconnen Theatre of the ‘doublebill of awesome’ variety, and you should find your way there when it’s on. Watch this space. Fall of Rome Lastly, Bell will be back in the ’Berra in mid October with Anatomy: Titus Fall of Rome. It’s a reworking of the Bard’s ultra-violent bloodbath, Titus Andronicus, adapted by German playwright Heiner Muller, directed by Ozlegend Michael Gow, and starring Bell himself as the revenge-serving Titus. It’s on at the Playhouse, check out the Canberra Theatre website for more info: www.canberratheatre.org.au. Rock on, Canberra. NAOMI MILTHORPE princessnaea@gmail.com
HOLY GRAIL - CIVIC FRIDAY 10 OCTOBER, 8PM $35 presale/$38 on the door, Holy Grail 6257 9717, or www.ticketek.com.au
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DISCOLOGY Disturbed Indestructible (Reprise) If you collared a respectable looking lady of middle age in the street and asked her, after confirming that she knew nothing about music, to describe how she thought a heavy metal album cover might look, I’ll bet you a pound to a pinch of shit she’d envisage the awful, clichéd, flaming-eyed, bechained demon which adorns the sleeve of Indestructible. Similarly, take a moment in time yourself and think how sonically such a record might introduce you to the ‘delights’ within… thinking sirens, gunfire, bells tolling? Well, well done, because HMFX Volume One was well and truly pillaged for the intro to this, Disturbed’s fourth album. All this negativity and clichédom may well stop you from actually listening to the bloody thing, which would be a shame because, against all the odds, Indestructible features at least two absolutely diamond metal anthems in the form of The Night and Enough, both of which carry enough melodic punch to sweep all before them in the ‘hit parade’, if such a thing still exists, whilst simultaneously providing a sufficiency of air guitar mayhem which will keep even the most hardened weekend warrior salivating like one of Pavlov’s dogs – with studded collar, natch. A pleasant surprise. SCOTT ADAMS Switch 3 Calm Before (Independent) Local heroes Switch 3 were touted for big things in these very pages a couple of weeks ago, but to these ears, things aren’t so cut and dried. The band’s main problem is macrocosmically highlighted on track three of their album Calm Before, the partly splendid Come to Me. That problem is this - whilst the song’s instrumental bits and pieces work fine – the Iron Maiden-cum-Marilyn Manson riffs gallop along in actually rather fine style, vocalist Maf Davis rather hampers the required effect when he opens his word hole. That’s not to say he can’t sing – he has a distinctive tone to his singing, no doubt about it, and he can carry a tune, but the timbre of his voice is so at odds with what’s going on elsewhere in the track you can’t help but be distracted by his earnest intonations. As the band seem to be heading in a heavier direction here (check out the marvellously abrasive guitaring on An Axe, Hessian Sack and Quicklime) this strikes this reviewer at least as something as a problem in prospect. When the band takes things down a notch or two, as they do at the start of The Prize, everything meshes and fears are allayed, at least for a verse before the pace picks up into the chorus. This shouldn’t be taken as a negative critique, and indeed there are some that might say that Maf’s voice makes Switch 3 so sufficiently different as to actually render them something of a unique proposition – but I don’t think so. Maf plays guitar too, rather well as it goes, but if the band wants to progress and stick with the heavy stuff, which they should if they can keep coming up with material of the calibre of album standout The Dunes, they may like to consider adding a second vocalist to the mix, someone with a bit more of what we in the trade refer to as ‘bollocks’ in the vocal
department, leaving Davis to handle the quieter, less incendiary moments and concentrate on his axework. Or, even better, you could all buy this regardless of my grumbling, allowing the man to immediately embark on an intense 60 Marlboros/bottle of bourbon a day training routine to get that voice into the ‘rawk’ swing of things. Room for improvement, but promising – very promising- nonetheless. NAMBUCCO ‘ESPERANCE’ DELIRIA The Hampdens The Last Party (Warner) I really love The Hampdens and they are so underrated as a band. They make beautiful music. Susannah Legge’s voice is exquisite, ethereal and warm all at the same time. Her lush vocals sit nestled in the mix of synthesizers and strings, a strange blend but one that somehow works. The album moves from wild electronica through chilled-out pop-rock, to nearly-straight rock and back again to near-acoustic pop. Asleep on the Lawn and Croupier are standouts, but this album is really bigger than its parts. The tracks are sewn together to create something rare and beautiful which begs to be played again and again. CECILIA PATTISON-LEVI
this album; I think it shows how much she has grown since her debut. It’s just a shame this album seems to be going unnoticed. CECILIA PATTISON-LEVI Seether Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces (Sony BMG) Since when has there ever been beauty in a negative space? Frontman Shaun Morgan’s distorted vocals sound more like he is trying to swallow the microphone with a lot of saliva rather than deliver an eligible note. However, if you can imagine enjoying Nickleback crossed with Hinder, this might do something to your insides. It’s hard to see a good band like this regress, but this disc is best left on the shelf. The album uses quite catchy and heavy guitar rifts with an overactive but tight rhythm, although they disappoint with staying within this comfort zone. This is nothing groundbreaking, but it is radio ready, and it is consistent. Seether fans will enjoy the consistency with their heavy and catchy songs, but others may struggle to listen to a band that can’t break out of a negative space. EMMA CSIBI
Sophie Koh Paris Wells All Shook Up (Shock) From the first Keep it (Illusive Sounds) track All Shook Up, Melbourne’s Paris Koh’s intentions Wells seems to have are clear. This is a landed on her feet singer songwritpretty quickly after er’s album and as being fated by Justin such there is no Timberlake on his real groundbreaktour late last year. ing activity going It took her out of on here, just some basic, pretty song small clubs and into the limelight. And, writing. Koh sings in an understated, with Keep It she’s aiming to stay there. mid-range, tuneful tone. The musical This album blends hip-hop, groove background takes shape and much and other elements; it all makes sense. of its lyrical direction reflects on Koh’s These styles are adopted presumably wandering past. Born in New Zealand to show off Paris’ versatility, so you’ll hear echoes of all sorts of singers here like Roisin Murphy, Duffy, Amy Winehouse and more. But, once you get over that diversity, and lock into the deeper moods of songs like Being Your Woman and Lonely, Paris Wells goes a long way to establishing her Extreme credentials here. Saudades de Rock (Stomp) CECILIA PATTISON-LEVI Sandi Thom The Pink And The Lily (BMG) The last Sandi Thom album was released on the wave of an internet sensation; namely her debut single, I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker. It’s fair to say then, that the 26-year-old Scot has a lot to live up to with album two, The Pink and The Lily. This album was recorded in the very same Tooting basement and simplicity is still the key. The album has uncomplicated rhythms, pared-down instruments and sweet vocals. The album kicks off with The Devil’s Beat, a cleverly chosen first single. It’s a rip roaring musical romp, written about the perils of global warming. The music is in the confines of upbeat folky-pop music. Sure, not all the songs are amazing, but they’re all good. Beatbox for instance is a likeable ballad and I’m A Human Being is another good track. If you are a fan of Thom’s, I do recommend that you buy
to Malaysian parents, Koh spent much of her childhood in flux, moving between Singapore, Auckland, Wellington and Melbourne. This is reflected in the sounds and styles on the album in the stand out songs Milk Song and Gan Lan Shu. All Shook Up is a subtle achievement by a songwriter who starts with the basics and builds from there. CECILIA PATTISON-LEVI Soulfly Conquer (Roadrunner) Only three years ago, Max Cavalera seemed a busted flush. After leaving his band Sepultura due to the everrelevant ‘musical differences’ and embarking on an initially successful solo career, the vessel of same, Soulfly, were becoming increasingly cognisant of the law of diminishing returns, and where once his wholehearted embracement of ‘world’ styles and rhythms was hailed as the work of a ground breaking musical visionary, three albums on the trot of the same old same old had led to a deal of disillusionment and, indeed, derision amongst those who were once faithful. Somehow Max pulled things out of the fire, first with 2005’s coruscating Dark Ages, then with his long awaited reunion with brother Iggor for the frankly staggering Cavalera Conspiracy project, and now… more of the same, it has to be said. Except that now ‘more of the same’ is more brilliant heavy metal, sans ‘all-star’ hook ups and ten-minute didgeridoo epics set to old Dead Kennedys riffs. Once again, Cavalera has pulled the rabbit out of the hat, with the likes of Warmaggedon, Blood Fire War Hate and Rough all bearing the hallmarks of a man who is once again hungry and firing on all cylinders. Christ, one album of this quality in a year would have been good enough, but two? Don’t question it, just wallow… NAMBUCCO ‘DOOM’ DELIRIA
Bloody hell. ‘Back in the Day’, Extreme had big (make that massive) credibility problems. Y’see, like most of their eighties ‘hair metal’ counterparts, Extreme were a great band musically, but were so slavishly bound to the whims of their record company the only time you, as the casual listener, were ever likely to hear from them was when some saccharine slop such as More Than Words or Hole Hearted were being touted by the men in suits as ‘the hit single’. Which was a massive shame, because for every teenaged breakup anthem they tossed off in their sleep, there was a towering funk metal colossus of the stature of Decadence Dance to be enjoyed by those whose interest went a little bit beyond whatever was being served up by the commercial radio nincompoops of the day. Which brings us to the modern day, and Saudades de Rock. In one of those glorious ironies that rock and roll throws up every now and again, the huge piles of money generated by ‘the power ballad’ gold rush of the late '80s (see Night Ranger, Mr. Big, Europe and Whitesnake) means that bands like Extreme can re-emerge, nearly twenty years later, unshackled by constraints of trend or image, and bring out records such as this. Records that have to please nobody but themselves, and those who can sniff out a good thing when they hear it, if you get my drift. Absolutely faultless pieces of bloody brilliant music. From the soaring, Queen-informed harmonies of opener Star, through the lugubrious funk of leadoff single Comfortably Dumb (Rage Against the Who?), to the effortless Presley pastichery of Take us Alive, there simply isn’t any let up. Even the ballads sound natural and unforced (especially the serpentine, bluesy stomp of Last Hour), and, with vocalist Gary Cherone giving an absolutely earth shattering performance throughout and axepert Nuno Bettencourt redefining the term ‘shred’ so that it now encompasses ideas such as ‘taste’ and ‘style’ as opposed to merely ‘fast-fingered freak’, there’s an air of downright brilliance permeating this album, from the rock solid rhythm section of Pat Badger and new drummer Kevin Figueiredo up, that the band only really hinted at in their Get the Funk Out heyday. If you like rock music of any form that’s worth the name, you’d better add this to your collection. SCOTT ADAMS
Various Nigeria Rock Special: Psychedelic Afro-Rock and Jazz Funk in 1970s Nigeria (Soundway) There has been a spate of first rate African funk compilations released in recent times, some focusing on the 1970s scene in Lagos, a sprawling Nigerian city that spawned a thriving bar and club scene. This was fuelled by a blend of intermingling cultures, alcohol and imported records from key funk purveyors in the US including Sly Stone and James Brown. The James Brown influence seems to have extended to the hard driving, minimalist rhythm fest Brown conjured with his band the JB’s in the late 1960s. In this respect, key elements of the best African funk were propulsive beats attached to indigenous melodies labeled ‘high-life’, which were often adorned with horns and guitars geared towards a joyful adoration of heavy grooves. This compilation forms part of a superb three disc collection of Nigerian blues, afrobeat, underground disco funk and psychedelic rock on the Soundway label. On Nigeria Rock Special, many of the fifteen featured artists are as indebted to the sensuous hard rock of bands like Led Zeppelin as the more expected, yet always glorious afrobeat. Tight as hell rhythms and psychedelic guitars make for a powerful and infectious mix. Everyone knows about the intense trance-funk of Fela Kuti, but the Soundway label has opted for lesser known names whose recordings were acquired after a bunch of successful scouting trips to the African continent. Simply check out the expansive fuzz guitar solo on Ofo, the Black Company’s Eniaro as proof of the potency of this music, but it is all killer stuff. DAN BIGNA
Motley Crue Saints of Los Angeles (Shock) It’s been a little over ten years since the original line up of Motley Crue released an album, and there’s no doubt Saints of Los Angeles is a welcome return to the loud, crashing bombast of the halcyon days. Allegedly galvanized into activity by the general public’s interest in their daft but immensely readable biography The Dirt, Motley Crue have put together their best collection of tracks since Dr Feelgood, but we’re left wondering who exactly cares about this band anymore? Stragglers from the hair metal and LA Glam scene will always hold a candle for these reprobates but that’s hardly anything to base a career resurrection on. Yeah, The Dirt was popular but only because the reader was intrigued to see how far they would fall, how low they would go and if their misogyny was immature acting out or hardcore anti-social behaviour. Assuming there was widespread interest in the band as a functioning unit again is another thing altogether. But here they are wisely pointing out that the ladies can be problematic on Chicks=Trouble and astutely informing us This Aint A Love Song – it’s actually a fuck song folks. Cheers lads. Good to have you back, I suppose. The inclusion of keyboard squalls and squidges however is not welcome, stick to the basics and stand up to Tommy next time. But truthfully they don’t give a damn as the self referential and similarly auto-biographical White Trash Circus ably proves. Tongue in cheek or down the gob of a silicone-enhanced porn star, Saints of Los Angeles is Motley Crue filth personified – sex, sleaze and ludicrous pop metal. JUSTIN HOOK
Fujiya and Miyagi Lightbulbs (Pod/Inertia) Krautrock, ay. Along with post-rock and pysch rock it must surely rank as one of the most overused and misunderstood terms in the music critic’s lexicon. It’s normally considered to be lazy short hand for propulsive, metronomic, hypnotic fusing of minimalist guitar riffing and exploratory electronica. In reality, any band peddling a repetitive drum beat and vague ramblings about motor cars gets to call themselves Krautrock in their press releases and free weeklies (note: BMA is a issued fortnightly). Playing an E-minor chord for 12 minutes does not constitute the rebirth of Neu!. Hailing from Brighton in the United Kingdom of Great England, Fujiya & Miyagi are the next in a long line of variable quality Krautrock practitioners. From go (Knickerbocker) to whoa (Hundreds & Thousands). Lightbulbs fulfils every requirement of Krautrockesque noddling, but this time around there is a little more sex and funk in the mix; to wit the aptly named Pussyfooting and Uh, although sadly they come off as a sub-par LCD Soundsystem. It’s when the motorik template is stretched like on Dishwasher and Goosebumps things get beguiling. Undoubtedly, Fujiya and Miyagi have defined their sound and here they start to refine it somewhat – but in the process they have also taken an unnecessary diversion into fey '80s funk. Get back on the autobahn, please. JUSTIN HOOK
Gabriella Cilmi Lessons to be Learned (Island UK) Garbriella Cilmi’s debut album was released with great fanfare and with a lot of the press hailing her as Australia’s answer to Amy Winehouse. Like Miss Winehouse, Gabriella is gifted with a rich, husky voice (which in Gabriella’s case, belies her young age) but the two artists are markedly different. Gabriella’s album is a pleasantly well produced and listenable album, though the whole thing is a little too sugary to feel substantial. First up single Sweet About Me is a contender for best pop song of the year but the rest of the album doesn’t quite hit the same heights. You might find yourself wanting your cookies to be laced with something a bit heavier. CARRINGTON CLARKE
Cell Out
With Mark Russell; his mummy is a drunken horror.
You know those times when they just replace the actor playing a role and we all pretend we don’t notice? Maria Bello tried to fill the gap left by Rachel Weiz. The two leads in the Hulk sequel get revamped. But my favourite has got to be The Oracle character in The Matrix trilogy. The original actress dies in between the 2nd and 3rd films so they replace her with someone else. But they’re too smart for a basic swap. They figure they’ll cover the discrepancy as a glitch in the matrix. “Sometimes I look in the mirror and don’t even recognise myself.” Nice one guys, that’s much better. In Bruges Despite what the trailer might imply, In Bruges is not a rollicking comedy, nor is it a no-holds-barred action shootout, laying waste to the streets of Bruges – although there is a little of that. In Bruges is a lot more – it’s a pensive, character-driven drama that ponders moral dilemmas and the nature of killing, full of thoughtful, tense scenes and atmospheric cinematography. Okay, so that makes it sound kind of dorky, a bit like something your teacher might make you watch on a rainy day. It’s not. There is also a lot of swearing, some great one-liners, and a decent amount of blood, too. You realise about halfway through the film that not a lot has happened in the plot. Two men (Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson) are in Bruges, waiting. Both of them are hit-men, but we haven’t really
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor From the opening myth-like scenes, detailing the rise and fall of the Dragon Emperor (Jet Li) 2000 years ago, this third Mummy instalment promises to bore you senseless, and then describe how it did so every step of the way. Don’t come here looking for respect, filmmaker Rob Cohen is pretty convinced you would sink beneath the sheer complexity of this sequel’s plot if you were not given clichés and masses of expositional dialogue to keep you afloat. Brendan Fraser is back, facing not necessarily a mummy, but some kind of creature that used to be evil and is now undead and evil. His wife’s along for the ride again, though now the lovely, talented, British Rachel Weiz
"The yak yakked." John Hannah The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
seen them kill anyone, yet. There’s also a girl (Clemence Poesy), a film set and a dwarf. One of the hit-men is plagued by the memory of his last, fateful, hit. Not a lot happens in Bruges, which is perhaps what director Martin McDonagh is going for. A lot of thinking happens – thinking, and waiting. Bruges is (not-so-subtly) likened to a sort of purgatory or limbo, which is accentuated by surreal shots of the Bruges streets, where these two souls are sent to deliberate their fate and think about life, death and second chances. Before you start to think it’s boring, I assure you that things do get more complex and action packed, as the fate of the characters reaches a bloody climax. The chemistry between Gleeson, Farrell and Ralph Fiennes (their boss)
is impeccable, and aided by sharp dialogue. At its best, In Bruges is funny, tragic and clever. At its worst, it’s a little too self-aware and occasionally needlessly offensive. In Bruges is probably a bit high brow for those expecting Colin Farrell shirtless and some flying devil-maycare bullets. The film will doubtlessly leave these people disappointed, as each bullet in Bruges comes with a moral price and the ambiguous ending is meant to leave you thinking, not screaming yippee-kay-ay. But for those with the patience to push through the heavy themes and foggy settings, In Bruges will be a delightful surprise with its powerful story, clever twist and frustrating but fitting ending.
has been replaced by the lovely, not as obviously talented and very obviously not British Maria Bello. They’ve got a young rapscallion son to join them, his Asian love interest, the unwise-cracking John Hannah, and some guy named Mad Dog. Add in a witch, some terracotta warriors and a scattering of yetis, and you’ve got a new character to pop up, shovel in hand, any time a plot hole needs to be filled. They’re all fighting to stop the Emperor rising again to rain doom across the world. He’s a pretty powerful guy so straight away they’re up against it. They can’t shoot or really stop him at all so the screenwriters invented stalling mechanisms between each completely ineffective encounter;
mechanisms like making a plane fly faster than a dragon or having an indestructible character wait around and let his soldiers fight it out for five minutes in order to ‘clear a way for him’ to then walk into the middle of the firefight anyway. This is hair-yankingly bad stuff, with flat writing, flaccid romance and tired and uninventive action scenes thrown in whenever the pace slows down even a little. It’s too long, too boring and too paint-by-numbers to satisfy anyone but diehard fans of intellectual masochism. Doubtless The Mummy 4 script is already haunting the desk of some Hollywood exec wanting to resurrect their own evil career.
While there are some interesting issues hidden amongst the special effects and gnarled monsters, director Guillermo del Toro (yes, Pan’s Labyrinth) doesn’t bother too much with them and they’re nothing too original anyway – hero saves mankind even though we don’t accept him, we arrogantly destroy the earth because we strive to become greater and greater. Snooze. There is also the inevitable feeling that the art department kept challenging themselves with each creature, presenting us with weird thing after weird thing and trying to make it look believable instead of ridiculous. Carnivorous fairy? Check. Giant beansprout monster? Check. Man made of fog? Check. Giant metal robot bugs? Check.
There’s no faulting del Toro’s vision – he does conjure up amazing magical creatures, and puts this film together with a faultless style that makes it a visual feast. But what is there, beneath this good-looking, well-imagined exterior? Not that much. I found Hellboy to be enjoyable enough, but not mind blowing or very affecting. In addition, del Toro uses some odd music in odd places, and the ending is completely terrible and corny, leaving you with a question mark rather than an exclamation point. Overall, Hellboy is a brilliantly designed film that still manages to lack that special something extra.
MEGAN McKEOUGH
MARK RUSSELL
Hellboy II: The Golden Army I hate when films get too hyped, because you are inevitably disappointing. Hellboy II is, unfortunately all show and not a lot of substance. It’s loaded with amazing effects and design, but thin on plot and overall, feels as though it’s a mediocre film jazzed up into something people want to get excited about. Hellboy (Ron Perlman) and co (Selma Blair, Doug Jones) must stop an ancient, supernatural prince from joining together three pieces of a magical crown and awakening a Golden Army to destroy all of mankind – the ungrateful and simple creatures that we are. Along the way, they face incredible and horrifying foes that the prince keeps throwing at them. Highly original story, to be sure.
MEGAN McKEOUGH
flower po wer
“Look to th choreograpehskies and you’ll see Stra above the groed performance conductnge Fruit, a und atop flex d four metres ible metal peo les” Peter Krbavac If you thought Floriade was purely the domain of retirement village day trips and the occasional Morrissey fan stalking about, looking to nick a bunch of gladioli to stuff in the back pocket of their Levi’s, then you’re wrong. Dead wrong. Because with the announcement of FLORIADE’S NIGHTFEST entertainment program, this year it’ll be less posies and more The Posies; less roses and more Guns n’ Roses; less spring blossoms and more Gin Blossoms. Obviously none of the aforementioned bands will be playing – that’d be ludicrous – but if you’ll follow me through this ham-fisted analogy, what I’m trying to get at is that this year Floriade will feature live music, among many, many other new attractions. And all in the glow of stunning specialist lighting. For five nights only, beginning Wednesday September 24, Floriade NightFest will welcome in spring in fine fashion, delivering discerning Canberra punters nights of entertainment, food, wine, film screenings and night markets. Set against a stunning landscape of glowing lanterns, twinkling fairy lights and floodlit flower beds in Commonwealth Park, Floriade NightFest will breathe new life into this well known and much loved event. Celluloid connoisseurs will be rubbing their buttery, popcorn smeared mitts together in glee at the program of specially selected short films screening on a huge outdoor cinema screen – bigger than Canberra has ever seen before! There’ll be a selection of the best ever short films from Tropfest, a collection of the funniest short films from comedy fests around Australia, Melbourne International Animation Festival short films, shorts from Australia and around the world at the forefront of animation technology; Baz Luhrmann’s Strictly Ballroom, celebrated as a theme night with big band music, ballroom dancers and an Aus film character costume competition,; and finally, the best in children’s features, shorts, animations, documentaries and even films produced by children. Musically, the The Aron Lyon Trio will hold court every night except Saturday 27, soundtracking the evening with a varied musical selection to match each night’s theme, from traditional swing to contemporary jazz, as well as Latin, reggae, funk and rhythm and blues. Then on Saturday, the 20-piece Blamey St Big Band will pay homage to the big swing bands of yore, playing standards from Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Glenn Miller. Gastronomically speaking, gourmet food and wine will be on offer in a selection of dining options: picnic hampers, a la carte dining, quick and easy food stalls, wine tastings and more, or even bring your own. Then wash it down with a drink or two under the stars at the outdoor NightFest Glow Bar. Then there are the regular events, a feature of all five nights. Glamorous ‘Entertainment Tonight reporters’ will welcome you to Floriade NightFest, meeting and greeting on the red carpet. Look to the skies and you’ll see Strange Fruit, a choreographed performance conducted four metres above the ground atop flexible metal poles. It features glowing spheres, extraordinary characters and projected sound and images and is held after every film at Stage 88, with a grand finale planned too. If you’re not one for heights, take a ride on the Floriade Feetbus, a human powered disco bus where your drag queen crew will have you in stitches with their personalised tour of NightFest. Meanwhile, the kids will be entranced by Squirt, a water-activated sound installation. Armed with spray bottles, you can create a symphony of sound that has to be seen to be believed! All in all, a very tidy five days of entertainment. Floriade NightFest runs from Wednesday September 24 to Sunday September 28 between 6 and 10.30pm.Tickets from www.ticketmaster. com.au or 136 100. For the full program and further info, head to www. floriadeaustralia.com, www.visitcanberra.com.au or phone 1300 727 655.
GIG REVIEWS Gyroscope @ ANU Bar, Tuesday September 2 “Rain, rain go away come back another day.” With lyrics like these you can only make fun of them, or just laugh. But Gyroscope definitely take these lyrics seriously. Too seriously. They may be passionate about what they do, but this certainly doesn’t mean they do it well. The Gyroscope troupe from Perth has been at it for more than ten years now. They have a consistent following in Australia and are experienced in their dealings with music. They are modest and happy with the music they make. All of this gives them a bit more of an edge than some of the prima donna’s bursting forth in the music scene, especially those nu-ravers from Melbourne. Performance wise, though, the group enjoy putting on the serious-face. Here we ought to define ‘serious-face’ as what our faces would look like if Diana died again and this time we actually gave a toss. Gyroscope certainly are louder and faster from their produced sound. They build up dramatic effect through strong vocals. Powerful vocals and an equally powerful drumbeat can be quality when done well, but not when they override the twanging of a colourful ’80s inspired guitar riff or a guttural hum of an excellent bass line. And yet, we as a ‘cultured’ society still let bands get away with such musical slaughter. “Gyroscope is a prime example of this mistake,” I tell my partner, who by the middle of the gig, leans uninterestingly back against a wall trying not to look uninterested, at least for my sake. “ All of their songs, even when they start to sound different, just end up the same,” I continue as Snakeskin comes on. Point proven, obviously. If only Gyroscope could follow this simple soup music recipe, against shameless music slaughter: Step 1) Guitar and bass ought to be isolated, like the latest alpha-male husband, at the head of a dinner table. Step 2) Vocals and drums ought to be subdued, like a compliantsubservient blonde at the latest husband’s dinner table. Equals: a more interesting and varied sound. But no soup for you, people. How disappointing. On more of a positive musical-culinary note, Australia, one of Gyroscope’s few acoustic pieces, is also one of the few pieces that holds some promise. Musically, the sound is different for this particular band. It can even be described as experimentation with another layer of sound. Politically, the message is clear and speaks about Australia’s first ancestors and their place in society. It puts into musical practice and real life perspective what so many young ’uns are being indoctrinated with at school. It also makes Gyroscopes recurring theme of serious-face, lacklustre lyrics and overcooked percussion-vocals look just a little bit old. Gyroscope caters to an audience though that likes the old. We can only hope that they don’t care too much to cater for the bland sheeple. Gyroscope may have a good recipe of their own with Australia. If they follow through, they might make some fantastic music in the future. SHAILLA VAN RAAD
GYROSCOPE@ ANU BAR PHOTOS BY ANDREW MAYO
Ivoj Nob (Bon Jovi Tribute Band) @ The Green Room, Friday July 4 What better way to celebrate the Fourth of July than with a tribute to a red-blooded American band. Bon Jovi tribute band Ivoj Nob featured a number of well known local musos, including Matt (the local champion of retro rock) from Renaissance playing the part of Jon Bon Jovi and a guitarist from Tonk acting as Richie Sambora. Ivoj Nob, with its five member line-up, portrayed Bon Jovi in its earlier years, before the departure of Alec Such reduced the band to a quartet. The Green Room stage was set up with a flash light show and regular showers of gold foil, to give us some of that ‘big arena’ feel.
COMING SOON: SAT 20th September
REAPERCUSSION II WED 24th September
VAN SHE TUES 7th October
VOICES OF MASADA (UK) THURS 9th October
Matt gave a bottler of a performance with his ability to draw out those long, screaming notes. It was a very creditable rendition of the voice and vibe of JBJ himself. Bon Jovi has transcended the period from the ’80s to the 21st century well, with songs that urge fans to make the most of life. Matt’s passionate performance was reflected in the enthusiasm of the good-sized crowd, which sang along to every song. He was great on Bad Medicine, and brilliant on acoustic guitar on the softer Ride Cowboy Ride. The two-part set list featured 23 songs, drawing on the hits from most of the band’s albums. Set highlights were Wanted Dead or Alive, I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead, Livin’ on a Prayer and Shot Through the Heart. I’ll bet the second show on Saturday night will be even better.
HOLLY THROSBY FRI 10th October
THE GO SET *Tickets thru Ticketek. Transaction fees apply. Pre-purchase tickets and guarantee entry!
RORY MCCARTNEY Rocket Science/Peabody/The Shake Up @ The Greenroom, Saturday August 30
September
Sydneysiders The Shake Up certainly shook in their black, skinny leg jeans as they rattled off a set of fast paced toe-tappers, beginning with Crawling. Hair plastered to his face, vocalist Miles delivered his message with a Mick Jagger-like snarl. It was all good stuff and the band received a solid response from the audience. The masters of songs with thunderous openings, Peabody deliberately inject sporadic, jarring sounds into their music for effect. Random feedback and piercing squeals from the guitars are all part of the battle plan. Lead vocalist Bruno punctuates lyrics with screams of passion whilst going into spasms of delight with his guitar. Meanwhile, guitarist Tristan is frenetically twitching his instrument back and forth as the entire band totally loses itself in the music. Subtlety has no place in their fierce guitar work as melody and randomness combine to form a musical package that is always riveting. Peabody pushed heavily their soon to be released album Prospero, which includes a few tracks from the 2007 The Devil for Sympathy EP. The only orphan in the set from previous releases was Stupid Boy from 2002. They finished powerfully with The Only Way I Know. Like Peabody, Melbournians Rocket Science were peddling their latest album, Different Like You, which represents a continuation of the band’s garage rock with its unique untamed, alien vibe. They opened with an instrumental oldie 3C10, with strident chords from the keyboard backed by racing guitars, before bursting into Love, Love, Love from the new release. Rocket Science are unusual in being a non-eletcro dance band that has an organ as its lead instrument. The other unique feature is the heavy use of the theramin. This first appeared in the set in Weekly Dreams, with Roman weaving magical notes from the instrument, palm outstretched in appeal to the screaming electronic devil. Such is the fascination of the electronica that you have to drag yourself back to the other band members. There is plenty of very intricate guitar work that is not to be missed, such as the blur of Paul Maybury’s flying fingers in Jukebox Junkie. Roman is a wild performer, dancing and gesticulating behind his keyboard, before dragging it round the stage and tilting it at odd angles. During the final song Crazy he left the stage to play an old upright piano at the rear of the room, while the rhythm section kept up a subdued beat from the stage, to which he returned for a final manic crescendo. The fans lapped up the new tunes and went feral over older material including favourites Burn in Hell and Being Followed. RORY MCCARTNEY
RAPID FORCE PRODUCTIONS present
SAT 20
REAPERCUSSION II feat HELLRAISER, MATRIX, ARTEMIS, EXA-CIST, LOOSE CANNON, NEONIK, FRODO, FI-END Tix @ Landspeed Soon $25+bf
WED 24
VAN SHE + THE LOST VALENTINO'S Tix on sale now @ Ticketek $25.40*
FRI 26
THE TEMPER TRAP ALL HANDS ON DECK TOUR feat
SAT 27
OOH LA LA TIM LOYDELL THE DECKCHAIRS $12
*Tickets thru Ticketek. Transaction fees apply. Pre-purchase tickets & guarentee entry!
BMA BAND PROFILE
the trivs Band name: The Trivs Where did your band name come from? Someone once told us that ‘Trivs’ means ‘to be doing fine’ in Swedish, which we like to believe, but never looked into it. We probably should check on that… Group members: Miller Rouse: frontman, Michael Bones: leads, Byron Fay: baritones, Daniel Gaffney: kicks and hits. Describe your sound: Well, if Slayer and the Bee Gee’s had a love child, and that child decided not to follow in its parents footsteps, you’d be getting close. Who are your influences, musical or otherwise? The Strokes, Arctic Monkeys, Bloc Party, David Attenborough and William Shatner. What’s the weirdest experience you’ve had whilst performing? We once played in a tiny bathroom at a house party… stinks. What’s your biggest achievement/proudest moment so far? Last week we had a sound check… but we have also supported three national touring acts in three months (Mercy Arms, Skybombers and Calling All Cars) as well as breaking into the top ten on the triple j Unearthed charts… but mostly we’re thrilled that people come to see us play. What are your plans for the future? Making squillions of squids. Hmmm. Being in rehab by 2012... and possibly some recording and radio play in between. What makes you laugh? The fact that parents aren’t allowed to take photos of their kids at soccer games, but Ronald McDonald is still allowed to hang out with those kids unsupervised... seems a bit funny... *awkward silence*... What pisses you off? Nickelback cover bands…and Nickelback. What’s your opinion of the local scene? It’s pretty good! We are having heaps of fun playing with and checking out great local bands like The Magic Hands, The James Fahy Trio, Like Foxes and Rasputnik. What are your upcoming gigs? September 25, The Filth @ Transit Bar with Fait Accompli, AKA Shaker and The Bungalow, October 23, Gangbusters 1st BIRTHDAY FUNDRAISER @ Bar 32, October 30, Lansdowne Hotel (Syd) with The Fights and Assemblage Point, November 20, headlining Gangbusters @ Bar 32 with The Fights and Like Foxes. Contact Info: http://www.mypsace.com/thetrivs, http://www.triplejunearthed. com/thetrivs, The Trivs are on facebook: the Group (updates and information), the Fan page (if you love us). Management & Bookings contact: Duncan Brown, duncan.brown228@gmail.com
FIRST CONTACT: Write your band’s name as well as the name and phone number of the person to contact (limit of two contacts ie. phone and email) and send $5 (cheque or money order made to Bands, Music, Action) to bma: PO Box 713, Civic Square, ACT, 2608. For your $5 you’ll stay on the register until you request removal. Changes to listings also cost $5. Aaron Peacey Aaron 0410 381 306 Afternoon Shift Adam 0402 055 314 After Close Scotty 0412 742 682, afterclose@hotmail.com Alcove Mark 0410 112 522 Alice 0423 100 792 Allies ACT (Oxfam Group) alliesact@hotmail.com/ myspace.com/alliesact Amphibian Sound PA Clare 0410 308 288 Annie & the Armadillos Annette 6161 1078/0422 076 313 The Ashburys Dan Craddock 0419 626 903 Aria Stone singer/songwriter(guitar), sax & flute Aria 0411 803 343 Australian Kingswood Factory Sharon 0412 334 467 Australian Songwriters Association (Keiran Roberts) 6231 0433 Arythmia: Ben 0423 408 767/ arythmiamusic@gmail.com Backbeat Drivers Steve 0422 733 974, www.backbeatdrivers.com Bastards Jamie 0424 857 282/ www.bastards.altpro.net Big Boss Groove Andrew 0404 455 834, www.bigbossgroove.com.au Birds Love Fighting Gangbusters/DIY shows - bookings@birdslovefighting.com Blister Bug Stu 0408 617 791 Bridge Between, The Rachel 0412 598 138, thebridgebetween.com.au Bruce Stage mgr/consultant 6254 9857 Casual Projects Julian 0401 016 885 Catchpenny Nathan 0402 845 132 Caution Horses Nigel 0417 211 580 CD and Website Design Brendan 0404 042 574 Chris Harland Blues Band, The Chris 0418 490 640 chrisharlandbluesband@yahoo.com.au Chuffs, The Glenn 0413 697 546 Cold Heart Projects Andrew 6294 5450 Cole Bennetts Photography 0415 087 833/colebennetts@gmail.com Colourful Racing Identities Josh 0410 135 605 Cool Weapon Luke 0410 983 450/ Josh 0412 863 019 Cris Clucas Cris 6262 5652 Crooked Dave 0421 508 467 Cumulonimbus Matt 0412 508 425 Dance With Amps Marcus 0421 691 332 Danny V Danny 6238 1673/0413 502 428 DayTrippers, The Reidar 0414 808 677, daytrippers@grapevine.com.au (dp) New Media Artists Mal 0414 295 297 Dogact dog-act@hotmail.com, Paulie 0408 287 672. DJs Madrid and Gordon 0417 433 971 DJ/MC Bootcamp Donte 9267 3655 DJ Latino Rogelio 0401 274 208 DJ Moises (RnB/Latin) 0402 497 835 or moises_lopez@hotmail DNA Vic 0408 477 020 Drumassault Kate 0414 236 323 Dubba Rukki Jim 0409 660 745 Easy Mode Daz 0404 156 482, easymodeband@gmail.com Entity Chris 0412 027 894 Epic Flagon band@epicflagon.com EYE eye@canberra.teknet.net.au Fighting Mongooses, The Adam 0402 055 314 Final Warning Brendan 0422 809 552 Fire on the Hill Aaron 0410 381 306/ Dan 0410 480 321 FirePigs, The Danny 6238 1673/0413 502 428 4dead Peter 0401 006 551 Freeloaders, The Steve 0412 653 597 Friend or Enemy 6238 0083, www.myspace.com/friendorenemy Funk Shui Dave 0407 974 476 Gareth Hailey DJ & Electronica 0414 215 885 GiLF Kelly 0410 588 747, gilf.mail@gmail.com Guff Damian 6230 2767 HalfPast Chris 0412 115 594 Hancock Basement Tom 6257 5375, hancockbasement@hotmail.com Happy Hour Wendy 0406 375 096, Haunted Attics band@hauntedatticsmusic.com Hitherto Paul 0408 425 636 Adam Hole Adam 0421 023 226 Infra Retina Kyle 0437 137 775/Michael 0430 353 893/www.infra-retina.com
In The Flesh Scott 0410 475 703 Inside the Exterior Nathan 0401 072 650 Itchy Triggers Andrew 0401 588 884 Jacqui Seczawa 0428 428 722 JDY Clothing 0405 648 288/ www.jdyclothing.com Jenn Pacor singer/songwriter avail. for originals & covers, 0405 618 630 Jennifer Versatile singer looking for band; 0422 158 362 Jim Boots 0417 211 580 Karismakatz DJ Gosper 0411 065 189/dj@ karismakatz.com Kurt's Metalworx (PA) 0417 025 792 Lenders, The Tim 6247 2076 Little Smoke Sam 0411 112 075 Los Capitanes Tim 0421 842 247 Los Chavos Jules 0413 223 573 los.chavos@yahoo.com.au Manilla Green Herms 0404 848 462, contactus@manillagreen.com, Mario "Brujo" Gordon world music DJ/percussionist 0405 820 895 Martin Bailey Audio Engineer 0423 566 093 Malumba Dan 6253 5150 MC Kayo Marbilus 0405 648 288 kayo_101@hotmail.com, www.myspace. com/kayo_marbilus, Meatbee Ben 0417 492 560 Missing Zero Hadrian Brand 0424 721 907/hadrian.brand@live.com.au Murder Meal Combo Anthony 0419 630 721 MuShu Jack 0414 292 567, mushu_band@hotmail.com Myriad Kath 6253 8318 MyOnus myonusmusic@hotmail.com/ www.myspace.com/myonus Neptune's Necklace Mark 6253 1048 No Retreat Simon 0411 155 680 Ocean Moses Nigel 0417 211 580 OneWayFare Chris 0418 496 448 Painted Hearts, The Peter 6248 6027 Para 0402 277 007 Petra Elliott Petra 0410 290 660 Phathom Chris 0422 888 700 The Pigs The Colonel 0422 412 752 Polka Pigs Ian 6231 5974 Premier Audio Simon 0412 331 876, premier_audio@hotmail.com Queanbeyan Music & Electronics 6299 1020 Redletter Ben 0421 414 472 Redsun Rehearsal Studio Ralph 0404 178 996/6162 1527 Rhythm Party, The Ross 0416 010 680 Roger Bone Band Andy 0413 483 758 Rob Mac Project, The Melinda 0400 405 537 Rug, The Jol 0417 273 041 Samsara Samahdi 0431 083 776 Sansutra J-Ma 0403 476 350 Sara Vancea Sara 6247 9899 Seditious Intent Toby 0419 971 547 Sindablok Duncan 0424 642 156 Simone Penkethman (Simone & The Soothsayers, Singing Teacher) 6230 4828 Soundcity Rehearsal Studio Andrew 0401 588 884 Solid Gold Peter 0421 131 887/ solid.gold@live.com.au Stalker and Liife Darren 0413 229 049 Super Best Friends Matt 0438 228 748 Surrender Jordan 0439 907 853 Switch 3 Mick 0410 698 479 System Addict Jamie 0418 398 556 Taboo Bamboo Greg 0439 990 455 That ‘80s Band Ty 0417 265 013 The Morning After (covers band) Anthony 0402 500 843/ myspace.com/themorningaftercovers Tim James Lucia 6282 3740, 0413 609 832, LUCIAMURDOCH@hotmail.com Top Shelf Colin 0408 631 514 Transmission Nowhere Emilie 0421 953 519/myspace.com/transmissionnowhere TRS tripstate@hotmail.com Udo 0412 086 158 Undersided, The Baz 0408 468 041 Using Three Words Dan 0416 123 020, usingthreewords@hotmail.com Voodoo Doll Mark 0428 650 549 William Blakely Will 0414 910 014 Woden Youth Centre Jeremy 6282 3037 Zeitgeist www.zeitgeist.xwave Zero Degrees and Falling Louis 0423 918 793 Zwish 0411 022 907
GIG GUIDE September 18 - 21 THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 18
ARTS _____________ Recovering Lives Showing, through archival material, how lives once hidden can be found again. Til Sep 21 ANU DRILL HALL GALLERY, ACTON Ainslie Arts Centre Classes Including drumming and percussion, electric bass guitar, clarinet, flute, string swing, tarantella and singing group classes. Until Dec 9. Info 6230 7190 AINSLIE ARTS CENTRE Heartbeat By Heide Smith, Jenni YoungBourke, Jan Lewis and Rewa Nolan. Until September 21 CCAS MANUKA Arc Cinema: Muhammad Ali, The Greatest From 7:30pm NATIONAL FILM AND SOUND ARCHIVE
DANCE _____________ Michael O'Rourke KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE Trash Thursdays With DJs Adam and Esscue. $5, $2 til 2am ACADEMY, CIVIC Blast From The Past Tunes from the ’80s and ’90s MINQUE, FRANKLIN ST, MANUKA APS Aussie Party Season From 5pm. Singstar competition PAPARAZZI NIGHTCLUB, MANUKA Ashley Feraude (TRINITY) BAR, DICKSON
LIVE _____________ Gangbusters: Straight Arrows With Archaeopteryx, From the South, and DJs after midnight. From 9pm. $5 BAR 32, NORTHBOURNE AVE Live Music: Mitch From 9:30pm THE DURHAM, KINGSTON National Campus Band Comp All Ages. From 7pm CIT MUSIC INDUSTRY CENTRE, PHILLIP Deez Nuts With Confession TUGGERANONG YOUTH CENTRE unBEATen Thursday Featuring funky electronic beats and local musicians. With Niels Rosendahl on sax and Supernova Jade HIPPO BAR
THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 18 The Vandas With The Guests and Black Creek. Free entry TRANSIT BAR, AKUNA ST, CIVIC
SOMETHING DIFFERENT _____________ Braddon Brainbuster Trivia 6pm rego, 6.30pm start. Beer/ food vouchers, cash prizes to win THE BRADDON CLUB Karaoke PJ O'REILLEY'S, TUGGERANONG FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 19
DANCE _____________ Mish Mash: Groove Terminator ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB Souled Out Fridays R&B with DJ Leon Smith MINQUE, FRANKLIN ST, MANUKA Dusty Grooves With local sex wagon Jemist. 9pm HIPPO, GAREMA PL, CIVIC After Work Beats With Jam Master Jemist TRANSIT BAR, AKUNA ST, CIVIC Up n Down - Music Video Launch by Double A Produced by Sky Pictures. From7pm MONKEY BAR, BUNDA ST, CIVIC Scotty Fischer KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE Friday Night Mix Up With DJ Craig PJ O'REILLEY'S, TUGGERANONG Michael O'Rourke With Anthony Dellamarta. From 6pm (TRINITY) BAR, DICKSON
LIVE _____________
Young & Restless vs Cheese With The Fighting League and Y&R DJs. 8pm TRANSIT BAR, AKUNA ST, CIVIC Heuristic Rocking on from 10pm THE DURHAM, KINGSTON Dead Letter Circus With MM9, and Me the Conqueror. $15. From 8pm THE GREENROOM, PHILLIP Looking Glass With Monster Elephante, The Chuffs, and Voss. From 9pm. Entry $5 THE POT BELLY BAR, BELCONNEN
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 19 James Le Fevre Quintent From 5:30pm THE SOUL BAR, WODEN
SOMETHING DIFFERENT _____________ Classic Karaoke From 7:30pm THE BRADDON CLUB SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 20
ARTS _____________ Canberra Concerto Orchestra WESLEY MUSIC CENTRE, FORREST Arc Cinema: Play Misty For Me From 7:30pm NATIONAL FILM AND SOUND ARCHIVE
DAY PLAY _____________ National Campus Band Comp All ages. From 3pm UNIVERSITY OF CANBERRA UNION National Capital Craft Beer Festival Breweries from all over Australia will be showcasing their Craft beers.With a performance by The Choirboys. From 10am til late. Tix $10 OLIM'S HOTEL, BRADDON Gorman House Markets GORMAN HOUSE Burley Griffin Antique Centre KINGSTON FORESHORE Jazz Sessions From 2pm, catch some smooth jazz, complimented by Australian cheese platters for only $10 and weekly wine tastings MINQUE, FRANKLIN ST, MANUKA
DANCE _____________ Jemist From 9pm KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE Reapercussion II Featuring Hellraiser, Matrix, Artemis, Exa-cist, Loose Cannon, Neonik, Frodo and Fi-End. Tix $25+bf ANU REFECTORY Saturday Samba Fever Brazilian roots boys from Sydney, Kokoloco Belezas show from Canberra live Batucada and Capoeira all night. From 9pm PAPARAZZI NIGHTCLUB, MANUKA
SATURDAYSEPTEMBER 20 80s Music With DJ Craig PJ O'REILLEY'S, TUGGERANONG Decadance Saturdays With Ashley Feraude, Pred, Miles, Rexy and VJ Jim. From 10pm ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB Exposed Featuring DJ Perplex (Australia DMC Champion) TRANSIT BAR, AKUNA ST, CIVIC Jemist From 9pm (TRINITY) BAR, DICKSON Miami Horror With DJs Kiz, Tim Galvin and Trent Richardson MONKEY BAR, BUNDA ST, CIVIC
LIVE _____________ Shakedown Regular indie/alt/dance night with DJs Tom and Chris. Follows Bachelor of Arts. From 9pm BAR 32, NORTHBOURNE AVE Mr Lincon Kicks off at 10pm. $8 cocktails 4-10pm THE DURHAM, KINGSTON Dubba Rukki THE PHOENIX, EAST ROW, CIVIC Entropy With Transmission Nowhere and Maxios. Free. From 8pm THE GREENROOM, PHILLIP Electric Ladyland HIPPO BAR, GAREMA PL, CIVIC Saxesessions With John Mackey & friends. Wonderfully impolite jazz all night. From 7:30pm till midnight THE STREET THEATRE SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 21
DAY PLAY _____________ Old Bus Depot Markets KINGSTON Burley Griffin Antique Centre KINGSTON FORESHORE Tuggeranong Homestead Markets TUGGERANONG HOMESTEAD
DANCE _____________ Sunday Playground $3 Coronas, and free finger food MINQUE, FRANKLIN ST, MANUKA
GIG GUIDE September 23 - October 1 SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 21 Lilova Diskow From 8pm (TRINITY) BAR, DICKSON
LIVE _____________ Irish Jam Session From 5pm KING O'MALLEY'S, CIVIC Toni Childs Dinner and show from 6:30pm ($87) or show only at 8pm ($45) SOUTHERN CROSS CLUB, WODEN Malungos Presented by Canberra Copoeira ALL BAR NUN, O'CONNOR MONDAY SEPTEMBER 22
DANCE _____________ Hospitality Night With Sean Kelly & guests TRANSIT BAR, AKUNA ST, CIVIC Bootleg Sessions Local musos bustin' it out THE PHOENIX, EAST ROW, CIVIC
SOMETHING DIFFERENT _____________ Mad Monday Free pool and listen to classic and top 40 with DJ Craig PJ O'REILLEY'S, TUGGERANONG TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 23
LIVE _____________ Chuse Jazz Tuesdays With Kooky Fandango (TRINITY) BAR, DICKSON Music Madness With KarismaKats, The Feldons and Alice Cottee FILTHY McFADDEN'S, KINGSTON
SOMETHING DIFFERENT _____________ Fame Trivia From 7:30-10:30pm. Book early to avoid disappointment by calling 6295 1769 THE DURHAM, KINGSTON Pot Belly Trivia POT BELLY BAR, BELCONNEN Carry-On Karaoke Win $1000. Yes, $1000 TRANSIT BAR, AKUNA ST, CIVIC Trivia Night $100 cash prize PJ O'REILLY'S, TUGGERANONG
TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 23 Phoenix Phunnies Featuring Emo Willis, Jay Sullivan, Rick Meir, Geoff Setty and more. Free. From 8pm THE PHOENIX, EAST ROW, CIVIC WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 24
ARTS _____________ Top of the Trops See this incredible selection of the best short films from the past 14 years of Tropfest FLORIADE NIGHTFEST, STAGE 88 Exhibition Launch: Diverse City An eclectic exhibition of works from Canberra artists from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. From 5:30pm CIVIC LIBRARY, CIVIC SQUARE
LIVE _____________ The Aron Lyon Trio Leading jazz group, with traditional swing, jazz, latin, reggae, funk, rhythm and blues FLORIADE NIGHTFEST, STAGE 88 Van She With The Lost Valentinos. Tix $26 ANU REFECTORY Den Hanrahan THE PHOENIX, EAST ROW, CIVIC John Mackey Project Entry $7 HIPPO BAR, GAREMA PL, CIVIC
SOMETHING DIFFERENT _____________ Fame Trivia PJ O'REILLY'S, CIVIC Trivia Night ACT RUGBY UNION CLUB $5 Night TRANSIT BAR, AKUNA ST, CIVIC Meet Your Match Speed Dating MINQUE, FRANKLIN ST, MANUKA Carry-On Karaoke $5 Coronas and Snowy Mtn Brewery beers THE DURHAM, KINGSTON Open Mic Night WIth Stillton Detox. Free pool PJ O'REILLEY'S TUGGERANONG THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 25
ARTS _____________ Opening: Etched in the Sun Prints made by indigenous artists in collaboration with Basil Hall & Printers 1997-2007. From 6pm ANU DRILL HALL GALLERY
THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 25
THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 25
Comedy Festival Short Films Don't miss this selection of the funniest short films from comedy festivals around Australia FLORIADE NIGHTFEST, STAGE 88 The Garden of Good and Evil CCAS's Members' Exhibition. From 6pm CCAS MANUKA
Basement Pool Comp THE BASEMENT, BELCONNEN Karaoke with a Twist PJ O'REILLY'S, TUGGERANONG Carry on Karaoke PJ O'REILLY'S, CIVIC Braddon Brain Buster Trivia 6pm registration for 6:30pm start THE BRADDON CLUB McFadden's McComedy Featuring Jay Sullivan, Nuts, Geoff Setty, Wes the Irishman and more. Free. From 8pm FILTHY McFADDEN'S, KINGSTON
DANCE _____________ Trash Thursdays With DJs Adam and Esscue. $5, $2 drinks til 2am ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB Ashley Feraude KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE Blast From The Past Re-live your favourite tunes from the ’80s and ’90s MINQUE, FRANKLIN ST, MANUKA Jemist From 9pm THE DURHAM, KINGSTON APS Aussie Party Season From 5pm. Singstar competition PAPARAZZI NIGHTCLUB, MANUKA Michael O'Rourke (TRINITY) BAR, DICKSON
LIVE _____________ Gangbusters: Cathy Petocz With Haunted Attics and DJs after midnight. From 9pm. $5 BAR 32, NORTHBOURNE AVE The Aron Lyon Trio Leading jazz group, with traditional swing, jazz, latin, reggae, funk, rhythm and blues FLORIADE NIGTHFEST, STAGE 88 3rd Exit From 9:30pm THE DURHAM, KINGSTON The Filth Featuring Fait Accompli, Aka Shaker, The Bungalows and The Trivs TRANSIT BAR, AKUNA ST, CIVIC Hippo Unplugged Acoustic, blues, roots, reggae, funk. Entry $7 HIPPO BAR
SOMETHING DIFFERENT _____________ Starchild Skull Lloyd Pye believes he has ironclad proof that at least one alien-human hybraid was alive (and died) 900 years ago. Hear all about it. 6:30pm. Tix $15 HAYDON-ALLEN LECTURE THEATRE, ANU
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 26
ARTS _____________ Melbourne International Animation Festival Short Films You'll be blown away by this selection of new animation shorts from Australia and around the world FLORIADE NIGHTFEST, STAGE 88 Beethoven Cycle Arnan Wiesel performing 'Tow Sonatas Opus 5 and three sets of variations.' 7:30pm WESLEY MUSIC CENTRE, FORREST
DANCE _____________ Mish Mash: Rin Tin Tin From 10pm, $10 ACADEMY, CIVIC After Work Drinks From 5pm, with Jemist TRANSIT BAR, AKUNA ST, CIVIC Souled Out Fridays R&B with DJs Daz, Nate & Adam MINQUE, FRANKLIN ST, CIVIC Havana Nights MONKEY BAR, BUNDA ST, CIVIC Dusty Grooves With Jemist, from 9pm HIPPO BAR Downtown Brown KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE Friday Night Mix Up With DJ Craig PJ O'REILLEY'S TUGGERANONG KarismaKats From 5pm SOUL BAR, WODEN Homo High Reunion With live performance drag show and plenty of prizes CUBE NIGHTCLUB Dicipital Groove With Dowtown Brown. From 5:30pm (TRINITY) BAR, DICKSON
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 26
LIVE _____________ The Temper Trap With Bird Automatic ANU REFECTORY, ACTON The Aron Lyon Trio Leading jazz group, with traditional swing, jazz, latin, reggae, funk, rhythm and blues FLORIADE NIGTHFEST, STAGE 88 RockZone Rocking on from 10pm THE DURHAM, KINGSTON Live Band THE BRADDON CLUB Illzilla TRANSIT BAR, AKUNA ST, CIVIC Never See Tomorrow With As Silence Breaks. 8pm THE GREENROOM, PHILLIP The Chris Harland Blues Band 9pm-midnight. Entry $5 THE POT BELLY BAR, BELCONNEN SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 27
ARTS _____________ Strictly Ballroom That's right, the classic, flamboyant Australian flic FLORIADE NIGHTFEST, STAGE 88 Annie The classic New York musical. 2pm matinee ERINDALE THEATRE, WANNIASSA
DAY PLAY _____________ Gorman House Markets GORMAN HOUSE Burley Griffin Antique Centre KINGSTON FORESHORE Jazz Sessions From 2pm, catch some smooth jazz, complimented by Australian cheese platters for only $10 and weekly wine tastings MINQUE, FRANKLIN ST, MANUKA
DANCE _____________ Jemist Rippin' it up from 7pm (TRINITY) BAR, DICKSON Ashley Feraude BINARA ONE, CROWN PLAZA Frankie Madrid KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE Saturday Spring Fever All ages until 10pm. From 7pm PAPARAZZI NIGHTCLUB, MANUKA 80s Music With DJ Craig PJ O'REILLEY'S, TUGGERANONG
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 27 Lotek (UK) With Pataphysics (Melb), and Capital Dub Style DJs TRANSIT BAR, AKUNA ST, CIVIC Decadance Saturdays With Chris Fraser and Rexy. From 10pm ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB Lilova Diskow From 9pm (TRINITY) BAR, DICKSON
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 28
TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 30
DAY PLAY _____________
DAY PLAY _____________
Little Big Shots See the best in local and international children's features, shorts, animations and documentaries FLORIADE NIGHTFEST, STAGE 88 Karisma Kats From 2pm OLIM'S HOTEL, AINSLIE Tuggeranong Markets TUGGERANONG HOMESTEAD
Rock School Fun school holiday activity for ages 11-16. Until Oct 3 AINSLIE ARTS CENTRE
LIVE _____________
DANCE _____________
Blame St Big Band This 20 piece ensemble plays wonderful music in the tradition of the big swing bands FLORIADE NIGHTFEST, STAGE 88 Ceremony With Slowburn, Losing Streak and Cold Front. All Ages. Doors at 6pm. TUGGERANONG YOUTH CENTRE Ooh La La With Tim Loydell and the Deckchairs. Tix $12 ANU REFECTORY, ACTON Kudos Kicks off at 10pm. $8 cocktails from 4-10pm THE DURHAM, KINGSTON Juke Baritone and the Swamp Dogs With The Wedded Bliss THE PHOENIX, EAST ROW, CIVIC Ozzy Vs Dio 8pm. Entry $20 THE GREENROOM, PHILLIP Hot Pants By Matt Dubbya HIPPO BAR, GAREMA PL, CIVIC
Sunday Playground $3 Coronas, and free finger food MINQUE, FRANKLIN ST, MANUKA Tom Toms (TRINITY) BAR, DICKSON
SOMETHING DIFFERENT _____________ From Bigfoot to Sitchin Lloyd Pye will present verifiable proof that humans did not evolve from apes and that yetis are a legitimate species. 6:30pm. Tix $15 HAYDON-ALLEN LECTURE THEATRE, ANU SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 28
ARTS _____________ Law & Disorder Featuring international guest improvisers, Dan O'Connor and Edi Patterson-O'Connor. 7:30pm. Tix $18/$15 THE STREET THEATRE, ACTON
LIVE _____________ Irish Jam Session From 5pm KING O'MALLEY'S, CIVIC The Aron Lyon Trio With traditional swing, jazz, latin, reggae, funk, rhythm and blues FLORIADE NIGTHFEST, STAGE 88 Amber Lawrence WIth live band THE ROSE COTTAGE The Cool 5 till 9pm ALL BAR NUN, O'CONNOR
LIVE _____________ Musical Madness @ Filthy's With Easy Mode and Wedded Bliss. Free entry FILTHY McFADDEN'S, KINGSTON
SOMETHING DIFFERENT _____________ Carry-On Karaoke TRANSIT BAR, AKUNA ST, CIVIC Trivia Night THE PHOENIX, EAST ROW, CIVIC Fame Trivia THE DURHAM, KINGSTON Pot Belly Trivia POT BELLY BAR Trivia Night PJ O'REILLY'S, TUGGERANONG WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 1
DANCE _____________ Caribbean Vibes MONKEY BAR, BUNDA ST, CIVIC
SOMETHING DIFFERENT _____________
Bootleg Sessions Local musos bustin' it out THE PHOENIX, EAST ROW, CIVIC Hospitality Night With Sean Kelly & guests TRANSIT BAR, AKUNA ST, CIVIC
Fame Trivia PJ O'REILLY'S, CIVIC $5 Night TRANSIT BAR, AKUNA ST, CIVIC Carry-On Karaoke From 9:30pm. $5 Coronas and Snowy Mtn Brewery Beers THE DURHAM, KINGSTON Open Mic Night With Stillton Detox. Free pool PJ O'REILLEY'S TUGGERANONG
SOMETHING DIFFERENT _____________
LIVE _____________
MONDAY SEPTEMBER 29
DANCE _____________
Mad Monday Free pool and listen to classics and Tp 40s with DJ Craig PJ O'REILLEY'S TUGGERANONG TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 30
ARTS _____________ Thom Pain A wry monologue in which an ordinary man muses on childhood, yearning, disappointment and loss. Until Oct 11 THE STREET THEATRE
Mojo Juju and the Snake Oil Merchants With Mr Fibby, Opposable Thumbs and Lillian Star THE PHOENIX, EAST ROW, CIVIC
DVDEVOTEE
Deep Water
Shutter
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip
(Hopscotch)
(Twentieth Century Fox)
(Warners)
You ever told a little white lie that came back to bite you? Mangled the truth to get out of a tight spot only to get sprung and subsequently humiliated? Perhaps you valiantly attempted to spin your way out of it by embellishing and making the deceit larger and getting in deeper. It’s a horrible tight feeling of doom and dread, not wanting to get caught out but being too far to back down. Spare a thought then for Donald Crowhurst, the archetypal courageous British lion standing up to be counted in the first round of the world yacht race of its type in 1969 with little more than a few weekends pleasure craft sailing behind him. Crowhurst was a family man, a big thinker whose ideas invariably ended in dust and approaching his middle years there was not much to show. He then hit upon the idea of a solo non-stop circumnavigation of the world to secure a £5,000 booty that would stabilise his professional and personal life. It was the typically mad British thing to do. Things weren’t particularly good from the start. After securing financial backing and press via a ruthless Fleet Street self promoter, Crowhurst captured the imagination of a nation willing to buy into any old British ‘can-do’ mythology on offer; the Empire was still strong and a Brit had sailed around the world a year previous. But even as an amateur sailor he knew the craft he was entering would simply not be up to the task. You can see the regret in his eyes as he sets out from Devon on the last possible day before the race is closed. What follows is one man’s journey into the biggest lie of his life: he falsifies the boat’s log books and convinces himself of unlikely victory by waiting for the race leaders to finish their lap of the world whilst he idles in the Atlantic Ocean sailing absolutely nowhere. Events and nature conspire, but eventually it’s Crowhursts’ own mind that turns on itself. He becomes a mad Kurtz-like character set adrift from reality, and the world, scribbling philosophical treaties verbatim. This documentary is monumentally sad and thoroughly engrossing, utilising talking head interviews with fellow competitors, family and friends. Recordings of Crowhurst on his journey and footage of equally mad Frenchman Bernard Moitessier ratchet up the intensity, resulting in a sense of shock and disbelief when it’s all over. And I’ve only told you the half of it.
This is a ‘horror’ film so mind bogglingly tedious, so woefully plotted, so painfully unscary that it doesn’t deserve any ink – positive or negative – to be heaped upon it, but hey, something’s got to fill this column, right? And I’ll be damned if I’m gonna let those bastards Setty and Hook run things, so here goes. A quick glance at the sadly hopeful tone of the press release accompanying this disc reveals “from the executive producers of The Ring and The Grudge”. O dear, executive producers? That’s all they could manage? I believe they hand out one of those credits to the stage hand if he whips up a particularly spot-on cuppa joe for the director, so that there’s not a good start. And from the very beginning to the final scenes, this film claws desperately at the far (far, far) superior aforementioned flicks. Newly weds <insert faded TV actors here> go to Japan where Matey Jim (not actual character name) is set up for a top photography possie (oh yeah sorry, I forgot. He’s a photographer, the film’s all about photography, hence the title Shutter. Not to matter. It’s shit). On the way, they mow down a girl in their car. Or did they? Suddenly, spectral shapes are appearing on all of Matey Jim’s photos. Or are they? We then learn the dead girl was mixed up with Matey Jim in the past, which is when we start to care. Or do we? Unfortunately, no-one was able to inform the director, writer, or indeed coffee guru executive producers, that white blotches on a photo simply. Aren’t. Scary. Especially for just under one and a half fucking hours. The only time I shat myself in this film was upon glancing at the timer towards the end, only to discover a mere 20 minutes had elapsed. Every horror cliché is wheeled out from the grave time and again (“Mmmm, seemingly nothing in this scary room. I’ll just safely turn around and <BAM!> O Jesus H Humperdink! For the love of…! O, no wait. It’s just the other character. Phew! That was sure a close one!”), the pacing is as pedestrian as a zebra crossing, the ‘twist’ is so flaccid my penis actually shrunk to a humble 12 inches, and the script is typically bad.
In 2006 it was announced there would be two shows on the very same network both dealing with the behind the scenes mischief of a prime time ensemble comedy sketch show – it was going to be either a masterstroke of programming genius or the most foolish decision since Nixon purchased that Dictaphone – or two shows ostensibly about what happens when the cameras are turned off after an episode of Saturday Night Live. History shows 30 Rock won the ratings battle and heads towards its third season with a full gust of wind and awards behind it, but the similarly numerically titled Studio 60 didn’t fare so well and was canned before the end of its premiere run. Upon release, there was much hype, expectation and grudging respect for this Aaron Sorkin (West Wing, Sports Night) dramedy. Studio 60 promised a return to intense pede-conferencing, light speed banter and highly stylised television of early West Wing. By and large it delivered. The big cheerful surprise was Matthew Perry’s brilliance – who knew this Friend’s huckster had talent, timing and depth? The sad, exasperating surprise was Sorkin’s inability to craft a series set on a supposedly legendary comedy show that is the least bit funny.
JUSTIN HOOK
I really need to stop watching these kinds of films. I think I’m developing a masochistic personality. ALLAN SKO
Sure, the drama behind the scenes appealed to a certain type of viewer interested in industry machinations and the self referential story lines (Perry’s drug background = Sorkin’s personal history) were charming and knowing – but every so called ‘sketch’ is an abject lesson in comedy by committee. It simply isn’t funny. And it needed to be to maintain the illusion of believability. There is no proof that Studio 60, the ‘show-within-the show’, is actually humorous. Indeed, one wonders if the onscreen portrayal of hapless writers struggling, and failing to bring the funny is actually a manifestation of Sorkin’s fraught state of mind once the audiences began to dip, the critics bared their fangs, and execs unceremoniously decided the show was a lame duck. With hindsight Studio 60 is better now than before. The drama is dogmatically multi-layered, Amanda Peet and Steven Weber work wonders with engrossing character arcs and Brad Whitford is on TV again. Result! Yet whilst the topical, sometimes hectoring story lines may date (some absolutely have) and the first episode Gilbert and Sullivan sketch should be erased from tape and memory, Studio 60 is an admirable, classy and entirely watchable failure. JUSTIN HOOK
NEXT ISSUE: MEGAFAUNA, THE WHITLAMS, HOLLY THROSBY, KEVIN OUT OCTOBER 2, YOU FILTH! BLOODY WILSON AND LOADS MORE!