BMA Magazine 444 - 16 July 2014

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SCIENCE EQUALS DOPE BEATS

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How do you get stuffy old hipsters into science? With beats by Dr…err…Graham – ANU researcher Dr Graham Walker that is. Walker is teaming up with local DJ Sixfootsix (Chris Foster) to create DJ/science hybrid performance show Double Decker Science, that aims to create a novel fusion of science and art to get people to engage with science in an innovative and artistic way.

Demonstrations will be done without any verbal explanation, instead relying on music and visual aid to explain the science behind the stunts.

The show will be debuted as a grown-ups event at Questacon during Science Week on Friday August 22. The best part is, it’s free, which considering the educational value, sure beats the $300+ you would spend on Beats by that washed-up Dre guy…

Editor Tatjana Clancy

GREAT MINDS DON’T THINK ALIKE

T: (02) 6257 4456

The 2014 Mindscapes Festival, in conjunction with the Belconnen Arts Centre, are looking for interest from potential participants in Move-Speak-Act, an acting course for people who have or care for someone who has experienced mental illness. The course is open to people of any ability level and participants will have the opportunity to work with scenes written by

“I just hope everyone enjoys themselves” Ian McCarthy’s take on the World Cup # 4 4 4 J u l y 1 6 Fax: (02) 6257 4361 Mail: PO Box 713 Civic Square, ACT 2608 Publisher Scott Layne Allan Sko General Manager Allan Sko T: (02) 6257 4360

E: editorial@bmamag.com

Accounts Manager Julie Ruttle T: (02) 6247 4816 E: accounts@bmamag.com

Sub-Editor & Social Media Manager Chiara Grassia

different playwrights as well as devise their own original skits. The course will culminate in a public performance on Saturday October 18 as part of the Mindscapes Festival.

Registration to the course is essential and can be made by contacting Ann McMahon at the Belconnen Arts Centre on (02) 6173 3320 or by email at ann.mcmahon@ belconnenartscentre.com.au.

BEST JOY DIVISION SONG EVER After its successful launch in June, the Feminartsy website is now officially up and running, featuring all sorts of fascinating femme-tinged writings and art pieces. What’s more is that the site is now playing host to a variety of monthly events in Canberra including gigs, debates, panels, readings and more! Most prominent among the upcoming Feminartsy event calendar is She’s Lost Control, a lecture performance by all-girl art collective Hissy Fit. The show aims to combine live performance, video, queer theory and psychoanalysis to explore the productive and revolutionary qualities within the performance of hysteria. The evening will also be rounded out with a set of quirky indie pop performed by Marianne Scholem. The show will be held at The Front Café and Gallery at 7pm on Thursday July 31 with a cover set at $10. You can also get keen by checking out an essay by Hissy Fit on feminartsy.com

WINNERS CORNER Our recent Dayne Rathbone comp asked you to caption a photo of Nelson Mandela holding a little white baby. Our favourite response still makes me laugh out loud.

“Nelson Mandela opening his mouth, dreaming of a new future, or perhaps very tired.

A baby with an overly oblong head. A man’s pants and lower waist, hands disembodied from arms, proving that khaki pants really do go with anything, even a lack of a body. Man, Mandela really has his mouth open wide there. Of all the great political leaders of the 20th century, he might very well have the greatest mouth displacement.

I mean no-one talks about Gandhi’s open mouth, and Whitlam I don’t think can open up very far. Surely there’s a list online about the widest jaw displacements for 20th century political leaders... (searches Google and Wikipedia) Damn, nothing. Still impressive.

I’ll keep him in the number one slot for now, until I find definitive proof otherwise. And he certainly looks happy in that photo. Or tired, very tired. Or perhaps scared, because two of the other three people in the photo aren’t shown to have faces. Maybe that’s it. Maybe Mandela is recoiling in terror, because no-one else present has a face. That would be pretty scary, and explain the open mouth. Unlikely though”.

Graphic Design Chris Halloran

More emotional turmoil than you can poke an Ian Curtis at

Film Editor Melissa Wellham NEXT ISSUE445 OUT July 30 EDITORIAL DEADLINE Jul 23 ADVERTISING DEADLINE July 24 Published by Radar Media Pty Ltd ABN 76 097 301 730 BMA Magazine is independently owned and published.

Opinions expressed in BMA Magazine are not necessarily those of the editor, publisher or staff.

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FROM THE BOSSMAN So the good ol’ OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, as if you didn’t know) has named Canberra one of Australia’s best places to live, which may seem a little hard to believe when we’re breathing out condensation like ice dragons and snapping icicles off our unmentionables.

But dammit, don’t you just love this cold?

No, my brain hasn’t frozen. I truly love the Canberra cold.

I know that sporting a perpetually numb face and being late for work due to an urgent scraping of ice from the car windshield - in a scene reminiscent of William H. Macy’s more desperate moments in Fargo - isn’t exactly many people’s idea of fun. But I love Canberra for delivering us four distinct seasons. I concur it’s not exactly a great time of year for pubs and retail… When we’re all keen to snuggle up indoors with every DVD boxset ever made it can be hard to coax people out into the icy air.

But the cold gives us new experiences. Sure, we could shack up with our island friends in Fiji where the weather goes from hot in winter to effing-hot-and-sticky at all other times, but where’s the variety? Give me hearty winter warmers and quaffable cold-weather ales, festoon me with terrifyingly expensive yet delicious truffles, drench me in Canberra cold climate wine.

Drench me, I say.

And the cold gives us context. Like hard put-upon poet John Keats harped on about, juxtapositon gives life meaning; we can’t be happy without knowing sadness. There’s a certain modicum of ‘battling it out’ that make emerging into the eventual warmth of the ebullient Canberra spring all the more potent.

YOU PISSED ME OFF! Care to immortalise your hatred in print? Send an email to editorial@bmamag.com and see your malicious bile circulated to thousands. [All entries contain original spellings.]

To the GEOENGINEERING companies conducting global dimming experiments in Australia. We want our bright blue sky back! You REALLY pissed us off!

To the World Cup... Why did you had to end? For a month I had an excuse to be tired at work. Now what am I supposed to do?

Blame it on drinking?

To the dickwads who don’t respect that it’s an individual’s right to come out whenever THEY decide the time is right, you piss me off. By acting like the timing is your business and that Thorpie should have done it earlier as a matter of principle proves YOU don’t have any and that we may still have a long way to go despite my calendar suggesting it’s 2014. Also, last night’s Family Feud ads were unpopular on social media; and yet I find the show’s comeback quite exciting ie “Name an elite athlete whose medals have fuck all to to do with his sexuality?” The top audience answer is...

Canberra was in the news again this past week when a snarky writer for Buzzfeed - in reaction to OECD bestowing us with us with our accolade - decided to take weak potshots at our fair city for being “boring” and having “too many roundabouts”. Great material. The reaction to this piece was amazing; an army of Canberrans and interstate friends of Canberra joining chorus to berate and belittle.

And this, pleasingly, has been the case for some time now. It’s undeniable there has been a zeitgeist shift in sentiment towards Canberra (and being we’re knee deep in an Abbott government, that’s saying something). In the past, Canberrans would take it on the chin when our place was slagged off. Hell let’s face it, there was a lot to criticise.

But now there’s a sense of pride, a backlash when we’re attacked.

It’s like someone has played us that magnificent ‘I’m Mad As Hell’ speech from the 1976 film Network: “I want you to get mad. I don’t want you to protest. I don’t want you to riot… All I know is first you’ve got to get mad. You’ve got to say, I’m a [Canberran]. God DAMMIT! My life has value! So, I want you to get up now. I want all of you to get up out of your chairs. I want you to get up right now and go to the window, open it, and stick your head out, and yell, “I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!”

Indeed, we don’t take Canberra criticism lying down any more.

Nor should we. Whether it’s Guy Pearce mouthing off on The Late Late Show (which he apologised for, bless him) or some gitface on Buzzfeed, we’re not taking it any more. We’re proud Canberrans, god dammit, and our city has meaning. Even if when we lean out of our windows to shout, our face goes numb.

ALLAN SKO - allan@bmamag.com

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Image credit: Claudia Dalimore

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WHO: JOELISTICS WHAT: ALBUM LAUNCH WHEN: SAT JULY 19 WHERE: TRANSIT BAR

Travelling to our dear capital is Joelistics, who are boastfully parading their new album Blue Volume across the nation. Drawing on ‘80s-era post punk, ‘90s grunge, folk and golden era hip hop, the Melbourne MC and singer offers up an inspired glimpse into the human psyche.

Joelistics confidently straddles current sounds while simultaneously bucking today’s trends. At its heart, Blue Volume is a celebration of our inherent flaws – a tribute to old friends, lost love and a document of the frustration of an outcast bewildered by a deteriorating political and social landscape. Tickets $13.30 from moshtix. 8pm.

WHO: NAKED BODIES WHAT: ALBUM LAUNCH WHEN: SAT JULY 19 WHERE: FRONT GALLERY AND CAFE

Naked Bodies is the new skin for singer Quang Dinh who has spent the past two years kicking his mind into overdrive to bring us his new album Ride On. Working alongside a host of great musicians from the Melbourne scene, this album showcases the primordial, ramshackle, hell-fire that is Naked Bodies. With unstoppable drums, pulsating bass and complimentary hook-laden feedback guitars Naked Bodies is not to be missed. Self-recorded in an industrial warehouse and mixed and mastered by Nao Anzai, Ride On will be unveiled in Canberra at the Front Gallery and Bar. Tickets at the door, 7pm start.

WHO: TIM HULSMAN WHAT: ALBUM LAUNCH WHEN: WED JULY 23 WHERE: SMITHS ALTERNATIVE

Tim Hulsman learnt from an early age how to perform for an audience and he’s been sharpening his skills ever since. He’s had 18 years personal experience with which to observe how to both captivate and hold people. Friday July 18 sees the release of his third solo album, Dead Man’s Garden. The album blurs most of the blues, folk, alt-country borders, with narratives that comprise stories and snapshots of pivotal moments that have helped form Hulsman’s life to this point. To celebrate the new album, Hulsman will be stopping

by Smith’s Alternative to play some new tunes. Doors at 8pm.

Tickets TBA.

WHO: LEIGH BARKER WHAT: JAZZ AT SMITHS WHEN: THUR JUL 31 WHERE: SMITHS ALTERNATIVE

Acclaimed Australian Jazz Musician Leigh Barker and his six-piece group The New Sheiks return to Canberra for a very special one-off concert at Smiths Alternative Bookshop. The group’s live show is an intoxicating mix of fresh interpretations of traditional jazz, deep ‘gutbucket’ blues and joyful swing featuring some of the country’s greatest improvisers, presented in a spontaneous and engaging stage show. Barker is well known to audiences around Australia as he traverses everything from 19th century American folk songs to 21st century Australian music, all with the deepest swing this side of New Orleans. Doors open at 8pm. $15 at the door.

WHO: GUILTY SIMPSON AND KATALYST WHAT: GIG WHEN: FRI AUG 1 WHERE: TRANSIT BAR

Transit is bringing us a special treat this winter with Detroit heavyweight Guilty Simpson and Invada Records boss Katalyst visiting Canberra. For years now, Guilty Simpson has been a rock on the Detroit hip-hop circuit and is definitely a sound to be reckoned with. While Katalyst, a Sydney based producer, has been recording music and contributing tracks to the internationally community since the mid nineties. Traversing an array of soul, hip-hop, funk and rock Guilty Simpson and Katalyst show us that you can be politically conscious and still have fun. Doors open at 8pm. Tickets $25 +bf from moshtix.

WHO: FELICITY LAWLESS WHAT: ALBUM RELEASE WHEN: WED JULY 23 WHERE: SMITHS ALTERNATIVE

Purveyor of fine rhymes and gypsy/rock grooves, Felicity Lawless brings her tasty sounds to Canberra this winter. Having just completed her first, full length album Ouroboros, Lawless has taken to the road and will be unleashing fresh copies of the soulful masterpiece on our populace. Their live show is a melting pot of Spanish music and rock, gypsy flair, solid grooves and jungle beats, woven together with soaring vocals and poetic lyrics. Renowned for their dazzling live performances this band is not to be missed.

A second show at ‘Nigel and Beth’s Place is also happening on the Thursday July 24. 8pm. Tickets TBA. All Ages.

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jade fosberry Imagine a warehouse, deep down a sneaky little alleyway. Music, bouncing off the walls as an artist lines them with freshly sprayed graffiti. A skater rides a ramp in the corner while a band takes the stage, all next to pop up shops and booze-filled bathtubs. Now, imagine this heavenly warehouse conveniently located in our very own capital. In a few weeks we’ll have to imagine no more, as Canberra sees the launch of THE CHOP SHOP, a Braddon-based warehouse dedicated to music, skating, art, fashion and the brilliant community within Canberra that makes it all happen. The brains (and very much, the hearts) behind the initiative are Sancho Murphy, of skate/art/apparel store, Sancho’s Dirty Laundry and Pat Rose of clothing label, Coy. I was lucky enough to catch up with both of them in Rose’s graffiti filled home, to get a sense of, not only the caliber of art that’s going to be adorning The Chop Shop’s walls, but how the idea came to be and how it’s actually going to be operationalised in the coming weeks. The two have known each other for about a year and in that time have found themselves collaborating in more ways than one. As Murphy recalls, “Pat approached me one day in my shop about collaborating and opening up a venue which could support live art, pop up galleries and live music.” Rose adds, “In the same way she’s friends with a lot of street artists, I’m friends with a lot of music artists. We found that there are places in Canberra that do cater to live music but a lot of the time there’s largely personal gain to be had and it’s less about the artists and more about how much money they can make.”

the [Lonsdale Street] Traders. The whole warehouse is scheduled to be demolished in January, so I said ‘before it gets demolished and all the shops are vacant, can I throw an arts festival in there?’

Then somewhere along the track, the mechanics next door moved out early because that’s scheduled for demolition too. Nick was like, ‘what about this warehouse, would you be interested in taking it on?’ and I was like, ‘hells yeah, this is perfect.’” As noted by the demolition happening early in the new year, the entire Chop Shop warehouse initiative is temporary. But that’s the beauty of it. The guys are hoping to run events every Friday and Saturday from the end of July until new years, with the option of kicking on, based on the demolition, but much more so, based on whether the idea is still viable. As Murphy puts it, “We’re rolling the dice on this – it’s a new experience for us both. Rose adds, “At the end of it, if we’re like ‘hey, this worked, let’s keep doing it’, we’ll keep doing it. But then again, it might end in us saying, ‘Wow, we just had to declare bankruptcy.’” So how much money are they putting into this?

“Most…to all of it,” he says. “It’s a good, like, since-I-was-17-yearsold savings sunk into here.”

Rose and Murphy are putting pretty much everything they have into this, but they’ve also been fortunate enough to get a lot of help along the way. From materials donated, to money invested and of course, the immense amount of time, effort and skills offered by their many talented friends. It’s hard to imagine how much would need to build an idea like this – liquor licensing, insurance, sound set ups and physically fitting the place out. And the beauty is that whatever money is made (if/when entry is charged for events, or made from alcohol sales – as cheap as booze is going to be), the money’s going straight back into The Chop Shop and hopefully, eventually to the artists that are involved.

Artists won’t be charged to display their work and they won’t be paying commission on items they sell. This is obviously a fantastic gesture, but as you can imagine, it makes obtaining investment that much harder. Rose explains the usual conversation with investors. “They’re like ‘what are you charging the artists? Nothing.

Can you move on that?’…No.” It echoes the fact that the initiative is genuinely aimed at growing the independent arts scene in Canberra and giving passion for the arts a platform to be seen and heard. The soft launch is a good example of this, with wordsmith Omar Musa launching his novel, accompanied by a select few musicians laying down some sweet tunes. The actual launch party in August will feature artists live-spraying the warehouse walls, a skate-off happening on the freshly built ramp and music from Wallflower, Ventures and Canberra kings, Safia (to name a few).

The events from August until the new-year will follow suit in terms of quality acts and input from various areas of the arts world.

We both understand what it’s like to do the hard yards and not get paid, or acknowledged

The ultimate difference with The Chop Shop is that it’s been created and developed by people who understand the arts world. They get what it’s like to work in an area that you’re passionate about and not always get recognised or even paid for what you do. Murphy puts this quite well – “I feel that because we’re both artists and designers, we know people within that community, but we also know how they should be treated.” A message echoed by Rose, “We both understand what it’s like to do the hard yards and not get paid, or acknowledged.” Murphy also explains the fact that for most artists it’s a constant struggle to have your art seen. “From a gallery point of view, galleries charge rent, then take thirty percent commission,” she says. “As an artist that means every sale made during an exhibition goes straight towards these costs. It’d be cool to have a venue where you don’t have to fill out a lengthy proposal in order to be considered for an exhibition. In that way, this initiative’s for artists, by artists. That’s where we’re taking it.”

The concept is about creating an interactive space for people to gather and experience the art, music and culture that Canberra is quietly known for. But it’s also about creating an environment for talent to grow and thrive. Collaboration in Canberra has been happening for a while, from musicians meeting at gigs, to graffiti artists meeting and painting together, as recently as Rose’s Coy launch party. Murphy cites the fact that there’s so much talent dispersed around Canberra, but no real place that brings this passion together. “I found with people that used to come into my shop, there are these little cliques but they all don’t know each other. I feel that if they all just had a space where they could meet, they’d realize they had a common interest and the scene would just gain momentum and grow.” So how did they manage to lock down the perfect warehouse for this to happen, right in the middle of beautiful Braddon? As Murphy explains, “I approached Nick at

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In a place like Canberra with an arts scene that’s still young and often hidden; ideas like this, built on passion, hard work and genuine talent are rare. Props to the people behind it and here’s to four months of beautiful art, music and collaboration in our lovely little Capital – a place where passion clearly lives.

Tickets for the soft launch on Friday July 25 are handled through Electric Shadows Bookshop and tickets for the launch party on Saturday August 9 can be purchased through The Chop Shop Kickstarter campaign. For more info or to get involved check out chopshopcanberra.com

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LOCALITY

I really haven’t had room for a pithy introduction for a while and the same applies this time around. Bring on the gigs/news/stuff!

If you’re looking for something smooth for your ears on Friday July 11, you could catch Alice Cottee at Smith’s Alternative from 8pm ($10 entry), or head south to The Polit Bar to catch The Night Café from 6pm and get a dose of French and flute for free!

Sparrow-Folk are going to be a busy couple of creatures over the next few weeks, but first up they’re playing a free A Bite To Eat in Chifley from 5pm on Sunday July 20, before their first birthday soiree at The Front Gallery and Café on Friday August 1. Tickets for this are getting snapped up at an incredible rate, so head to Facebook for the details on how to book.

If there’s one act that has my buddies buzzing, it’s Guyy and The Fox. Don’t miss the chance to see what all the fuss is about on Sunday July 27 at The Front Gallery and Café from 6pm. There’s a lot of chatter about how good these guys are, so head to the event on Facebook for booking details or risk it at the door, which will set you back $15.

If you’re feeling a little broody and are looking for tunes to reflect your mood, catch Liam McKahey and The Bodies at Smith’s Alternative on Tuesday July 22 from 7:30pm for $10.

After a long hiatus, 104.7 is starting a weekly Made In Canberra segment as part of their Homegrown program, due to commence in August. According to Facebook, it’s going to be a Sunday evening program with gig guide and airplay for local artists. More details to come, but should you want to get in ahead of the pack with your recordings and press kit, send it to: Homegrown, PO Box 106, Dickson ACT 2602. It’s always great to see local media getting behind local music and this segment will be a fantastic addition to those already getting in on the act, like 2XX’s Live n Local and 666 ABC Canberra. More voices means more people at gigs and more support for our local scene and that sounds pretty damn good to me!

There has been some fantastic news over the last few weeks regarding a couple of local venues that are dear to the hearts of many Canberrans. After months of speculation (and a couple of gun-jumpings by yours truly in this very column), The Phoenix appears to be on the cusp of its much-awaited return. No, I won’t make any jokes about fires or ashes or birds, but these are elements shared with The White Eagle Polish Club, who have also announced a tentative reopening timeline of January 2015.

Finally, I want to take a quick moment to bid a written farewell to Julia Johnson and Nicholas Peddle, who are both leaving our fair city and heading north (to varying degrees). Our little scene has been richer for having them in our midst. Bon voyage and au revoir!

Note: In a declaration of personal interest, I’d like to acknowledge that I work in a non-programming role for 104.7.

NONI DOLL NONIJDOLL@GMAIL.COM/@NONIDOLL

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For the first couple of years I don’t know that any of us thought we’d play a show or do anything

GRAVE CONCERN PETER KRBAVAC If, beyond the unquestionable greatness of the music, another reason to appreciate Hot Snakes’ Automatic Midnight was needed, then the fact that album laid the foundations for the formation of OBITS years later is it. Guitarist Sohrab Habibion and Hot Snakes frontman Rick Froberg had met at one of Froberg’s exhibition openings, but it wasn’t until the artist called on Habibion’s graphic design skills to help assemble his band’s album art that the two cemented their friendship.

Fast forward five years and the pair were knocking back beers and knocking together garage rock tunes in a New York rehearsal room.

What’s surprising is that the two musicians hadn’t met earlier, considering they spent most of the ‘90s in embedded in the US underground rock scene, touring the country in two of the more notable bands of the era. “He was in Drive Like Jehu and I was in Edsel and I’m sure our bands crossed paths,” Habibion says. “We discovered later that we actually knew a lot of people in common, but we ourselves did not meet each other until we moved to New York – which was around the same time in 1997.”

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Obits – completed by bassist Greg Simpson and Girls Against Boys drummer Alexis Fleisig – was born from decidedly casual beginnings. In fact, if a friend hadn’t strong-armed them into playing a show, the band may have never left the jam room. “It took a while,” Habibion remembers. “I don’t know if you would call it woodshedding ‘cause that suggests a sense of purpose. For the first couple of years I don’t know that any of us thought we’d play a show or do anything. It was just for the fun of hanging out and playing music. Another mutual friend of ours basically put us on a show that she was playing – ‘You’re gonna play’ – and so we nervously got eight or ten songs together.”

Fast forward seven-odd years, through three well-loved albums for venerable Seattle label Sub Pop and we find Obits on the eve of their second Australian visit. For the band, these trips double as musical reconnaissance missions. High on the shopping list are the early Sunnyboys and Celibate Rifles 7”s and original singles from ‘60s OZ garage compilations Peculiar Hole in the Sky and Hot Generation, but Habibion always has his ear to the ground for new recommendations.

“Last time we were there we got to play with Kim Salmon which was a huge deal because we’re huge Scientists fans, but I realised I didn’t know half the stuff he’s done. That, for me, is one of the joys of travelling: meeting other people in bands or who write about music who ask ‘Do you know this band?’ There’s a fifty-fifty chance I’ve never heard of it – and I’d love to.”

Obits play at Transit Bar on Wednesday July 30, supported by TV Colours and Sweet Shoppe. Tickets are $22+BF from Moshtix.

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GUIDED BY DARK VOICES RORY MCCARTNEY Australian roots legend JEFF LANG is back with his fifteenth LP and BMA caught him, on a rare day off, in advance of his tour in support of I Live in My Head a Lot These Days. Looking at the album title and the PR flyer, written up as a quirky mental patient referral, there seems to be a focus on the darker corners of the mind in this record. However, Lang denies that this was a concept album. “I don’t shy away from that stuff and there are elements where that theme applies, with a bit of urban paranoia and unhinged characters,” he says. “But I just look for a title that hangs over the songs in a way that can represent them, without pinning them down too much.”

a bit of urban paranoia and unhinged characters

Some of the album is quite grim, about drink spiking, bleeding in the street and toxic relationships. What possessed Lang to choose such dark topics? “I don’t know, as I don’t pick these dark topics deliberately,” he explains. “It just comes out that way sometimes, picking things you’re not living in your own life. If I wasn’t so happy, perhaps I would not have those areas to explore, but would try to get away from them.”

Lang readily admits that he can’t always pinpoint the genesis of his songs –sometimes they just pop out. With ‘Petra Goes to the Movies’, he states that he does enjoy that sense of suspended disbelief you get from the big screen.

Lang picked an unusual, experimental mixing method, with the instruments and voices recorded independently and then replayed back through speakers around a stereo mic. “I wanted to engage with that side of the process in a playful way and have fun with it, while achieving a pleasing balance between the instruments,” he says. “Instead of going through a mixing console, it was running out of a multi-track recorder with every instrument piped back through a speaker, all at once.” The speakers (sometimes up to 16 for all the instruments and vocals) were moved back and forth a lot to get the right balance in volume. “The idea leapt out at me quickly, but I mulled it over for a while as a possible approach, considering possible pitfalls and ways around them,” quips Lang. The record benefits from considerable use of backing voices, including female vocals. Lang agreed that it was his biggest use of harmonies since ‘Whatever Makes You Happy’. “All these parts occurred to me after we’d recorded the songs live, as a four piece band,” he says. “I’d listen back and consider what else could be brought out through other parts.’

Lang doesn’t have a favourite track. “I’m happy that the record is a strong bunch of songs. I’m playing nearly all of them nightly on the road and they are all pulling their weight,” Lang says. “On any given night, different songs stand up and have a special moment.”

Jeff Lang will tour his latest album at The Street Theatre on Saturday July 19, 8pm. Tickets $30 +bf through The Street Theatre.

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THE REALNESS Do you love to get out to gigs but always find the best shows tend to hit Canberra mid week? Remember that last gig you decided to skip due to a mid week scheduling conflict? Well the good folks at Transit Bar have managed to snag a winner for the punters of the capital. They have booked in two hip hop heavyweights for a Friday night slot. Detroit MC Guilty Simpson is teaming up with Sydney DJ/ Producer Katalyst for an Australasian tour, with the Canberra leg on Friday August 1. The pair previously teamed up on the Quakers project, and are currently working together on some yet to be released material. Get on down to maybe catch a snippet or two of the new tracks or just witness a really dope live show.

Canberra MC Nix has recently dropped a very nice video/track titled She, which features the legendary Masta Ace and cuts by DJ JS-1. Locals will enjoy the visuals of the She video, which sees Nix and Ace utilise various Canberra backdrops while filming. She is the lead single from the forthcoming A Storm is Brewing LP which is will feature the likes of Blu, Apathy, Fashawn, Flu, One Sixth, and the aforementioned.

Unless you have been living under a hermits shell for the past week or so, you might have noticed some chatter on various social media outlets about this Your Old Droog dude out of Brooklyn. The internets is going nuts trying to unveil his identify, which has only intensified the speculations Your Old Droog is actually Nas. It’s very easy to make those comparisons considering the various Nas references scattered throughout his tracks to date. Various media outlets connected with Droog have claimed he is in fact not Nas, however, until his identity is revealed the speculation will remain.

You be the judge, check out the Your Old Droog EP via his soundcloud page.

Previously mentioned in this column last year, finally the Adrian Younge and Souls of Mischief album There Is Only Now, is finally available for pre order. The wait as been beneficial for those out there who prefer the physical album format compared with the digital version. The bundles available are very impressive, with the Super Limited Box containing vinyl versions of the album and instrumentals, additional 7”, turntable slip mats, cassette versions of both album and instrumentals, and to top it all off a cassette remix of the project by Ali Shaheed Muhammad. This box isn’t cheap, but the contents sure do justify the price. There are various other options available via the linear tabs website.

A few beat tapes that are worthy of a mention before closing out the column. Panacea beat maker K-Murdock has dug into his back catalogue and pressed up his instrumental project Soundscapes Vol.1 on limited cassette. Another veteran in the underground hip hop game has recently had his beat tape project Handshake vs Dap pressed up on a limited cassette run. Count Bass D has teamed up with Never Normal Records to deliver this wonderful package which is available now via there website. You wouldn’t be disappointed in checking out the latest release from Leaving Records via Stones Throw Records Seat of the Soul is a collaboration between beatmakers Ras G and VHVL..

BERT POLE - bertpole@hotmail.com

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METALISE A flurry of tour news has emerged since last you checked in here and probably my most anticipated one is the welcome first ever visit from the USA’s Torche. I’m not sure if their vaunted 4th record will come out ahead of their October tour which takes in 4 Australian cities, but I sure hope so. Steve Brooks, the bands vocalist has already dropped one of my favourite releases of 2014 with his first band Floor and the amazing Oblation record. Their Sydney show is at the Oxford Art Factory on the 19th of October and you can get tickets from thelifeisnoise, moshtix, oztix or venue websites.

That lifeisnoise is delivering yet another tour of this nature is a bit of a coup. I had heard whispers that there was an attempt to bring Floor out first to test the waters through another promoter, but lifeisnoise just keep upping the ante this year in the touring space.

There’s been an interesting shift in the touring dynamic. They’ve been a player for a few years now, but until recently, Heathen Skulls have dominated the types of tours that lifeisnoise are now absolutely nailing.

It is telling that since last issue, yet another tour has fallen through with the artists pointing the finger solidly at Heathen Skulls. On the other hand, lifeisnoise is consistently delivering shows that sit outside the slightly bloated realm of Soundwave touring while upping the ante on Heathen Skulls market with successful tours for

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bands that are on the lower payscale for Soundwave events. High On Fire perfectly demonstrate this on their Aussie tour this week , playing Sydney this weekend on Sunday the 20th at the Factory Theatre with I Exist and Gvrlls. Sleep, Neurosis, High On Fire and Torche and a bunch more. I think they’re definitely making a mark on the national touring scene and are a promoter to keep an eye out for.

Also in national metal interests, the long awaited Pozible funded documentary by film maker Nick Calpakdijan, Metal Down Under has completed production and pressing and now has a release date of August 22nd. The doco features Canberra heavily, with interviews of Rod Holder and Adam Agius of Alchemist and covering Metal For The Brain (RIP) festival along with a slew of footage and interviews with the people that have made Australian heavy metal the institution that it is. You can pre-order a copy from metaldownunder.com/shop.

This Saturday at the Basement in Belco is a night of black metal and beers with Inebriator, Bound for Ruin, Claret Ash and local stalwarts Reign Of Terror. Also coming up is 4 Dead in 5 Seconds on the 25th of July with guests, the following night is NASJAP, Dawn Heist, Acid Nymph and Imperilment. The 1st of August is Flaming Wreckage, Tortured, Claret Ash, …Is Dead and Beast Impalor.

With no excuse, I stuffed up the date for the I Exist show at Magpies which is on the 9th (not the 8th like I said last time) of August, a Saturday, but still with Legions, Blight Worms and Take Control Stay Brutal.

JOSH NIXON doomtildeath@hotmail.com

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DANCE THE DROP

One of the many witless daydreams scooped up by my semiconscious imagination to fill the time between sips of my morning roast involves waking up on ‘Freaky Friday’ with girl parts and a wardrobe full of lipstick (or whatever girls hoard).

I envision this amusing quandary to be a tad spicier if I was to forcibly inhabit a proper female DJ. These ambivalent crate diggers in their sweaty globe slip-ons, Canadian Ice hockey jerseys and ‘I seriously don’t give a shit about my hair’ retro beanies are currently being tarred with the same brush as people like Paris Hilton, who has declared herself as one of the ‘top five dj’s in the world’ after a five minute mixing lesson and half a day in the makeup chair being pooped on by her suicidal rat dog.

I yearn to feel the deep laceration on my soul that one could only feel when likened to America’s answer to a bucket of shit, sans bucket.

Sadly for me, flash-in-the-pan male celebrity male Disc Jockeys are more of a bad joke than an embarrassing hindrance. Sure, seeing Channing Tatum bang through a couple of Calvin Harris originals in his underwear would no doubt attract an impressive herd of overly made up cougars dribbling alcopops all over the main room floor, but after the glisteningly sticky honeymoon phase it would dissipate quicker than one of Shane Warne’s awkward twitter relationships.

Surely this new trend is making it harder for ladies with serious skills to garner the respect that they deserve. The industry isn’t helping, the way they package celebrity ‘female DJs’ on event flyers and CD sleeves as all legs and boobs and airbrushing – guys are lucky to get their face on a drivers licence let alone a six foot tall poster that could probably stick to the wall on its own with the amount of guy glue your younger brother has smeared all over it.

Instead of ‘show us yer tits’ it should be ‘show us yer tracks’. You can make a difference. Next time you are standing next to a celebrity female DJ, lean over, cover her ironic pop culture print bikini top with your cardigan and whisper, ‘Shhhhhh, It’s going to be ok’.

It’s too damn cold for a music festival. Luckily the toasty warm innards of Meche has your epic winter line-up sorted! The triple threat of Motez, Safia and Golden Features hits the main stage at Thank You Ma’am on Friday 18th July. Just like happened with RŰFŰS a few years back, this is the gig that you can tell all your friends you were at ‘before these guys were super famous’. Miss this and you will be sorry!

While you’re all wrapped up in your snuggie looking for things to do online before your fingers freeze, take a minute to check out these artists that have been killing it for me this month. Shiba San is the king of ghetto house, everything he makes is stellar. Sydney rude boy A-Tonez is killing it with fresh D&B production vibes; you have to check him out soon. Nicolas Hannig is a very cool new deep house producer with a progressive feel, and Spenda C has just dropped a fire party anthem with ‘Cigarettes’.

TIM GALVIN tim.galvin@live.com.au

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cody atkinson Only around for four years, California’s Death Grips challenged traditional hip hop orthodoxy head on and came out the other side.

Strange, controversial and dissonant in nature, Death Grips came from nowhere to capture the attention of the music press only to disappear again. Cody Atkinson looks at this short-lived alt hip hop phenomenon.

Name? Death Grips Age? Four years old.

Who are Death Grips? You mean “were”.

Were? Well, as of last week they no longer exist.

OK. Who were Death Grips? Underground art-agit rap crew from Sacremento who burnt bright and acted as a microcosm of music, and music stereotypes, in the early 2010’s.

doesn’t have to just produce stuff like Linkn Park or Kid Rock; it can equally be exciting and avart-garde, pushing musical boundaries.

But they’re not the first rap rock artists. While Death Grips aren’t by any means the first to push hip hop in this direction, they certainly pushed it hard. When you listen to an album like Government Plates it’s easy to draw comparisons to Kanye West’s critically acclaimed Yeezus, even if Kanye and his crew deny the similarities and potential influence. With Death Grips the rap and rock elements are abstracted out to a near unrecognisable form, with little in the way of traditional song structures.

How did this work live? Did they even play live? Death Grips were notorious for pulling out and postponing tours and shows.

One particular show stands out, a Lollapalooza sideshow in Chicago. The venue was playing Death Grips through the PA, the support had performed, and a drum kit was placed on stage. The band, however, had decided not to fly into town. The crowd, angry about the no-show, stormed the stage and trashed the drum kit. It was later confirmed via various media sources that this was their intention all along, that it was a stunt.

The crowd, angry about the noshow, stormed the stage and trashed the drum kit

“A microcosm of music in the 2010’s”?

That’s a bit rich, isn’t it? All the elements are there - near anonymous fame brought on by the web, endless hype and think-pieces, a distinct musical style, a hyperactive recording schedule, near constant controversy, fights with record labels, file-sharing and gratuitous nudity.

Huh. What would I know them from? Well, they are possibly best known for their album No Love Deep Web, an album surreptitiously released by the band after their label told them to shelve the album for 6 months. Death Grips leaked it via torrent, where it was downloaded over 30 million times in six months, which is probably but not certainly a record. No Love Deep Web also featured pretty controversial artwork, with the cover featuring a picture of the drummer’s erect penis with the album title written on it in black pen.

So that’s the gratuitous nudity. Yep, that’s correct. The band then ended up warring with the record label (Epic, owned by Sony, home of Avril Lavinge, Mary J. Blige,and TLC), releasing private emails and threats from the label online. Epic, unsurprisingly, ended up dropping the band. The band, throughout this process, appeared to give zero fucks.

Enough about the controversies. What did they sound like?

Musically, Death Grips tried to push the boundaries of hip hop.

Underwritten by Zach Hill’s grainy production, Death Grips utilised harsh synths and super raw drum sounds to create dissonant noise behind Stephan Burnett’s unique flow. Each Death Grips track broke with any sense of continuity throughout, with near constant changes in tempo and melody.

Yeah? I mean, their most recent album n***s on the moon features Bjork on each track, but not in an inherently recognisable format.

It’s all over the shop, with minimalism and maximal co-existing uncomfortably throughout. The entire Death Grips catalogue is proof positive that a combination of rock and rap influences

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It’s starting to sound like the whole Death Grips project was a stunt...In their farewell note, Death Grips stated that the band was a “conceptual art exhibition anchored by sound and vision”.

But what does that even mean? Your guess is as good as mine, but I’d suggest that they were just trying to create something meaningful, worthwhile and different. It’s also worth noting that their farewell note was written on a napkin and claimed they were quitting because they were at their best.

Anything else in their farewell note? Well, they also said that they will still release their final album later this year, so it’s not entirely over. But all live shows have been cancelled, and they’ve called on their fans to stay “legend”. Which seems pretty final to me.

So what’s the reaction to the breakup been like? Loud. Every music writer and their dog has seemingly written a piece about the breakup of Death Grips, as if it’s a obligation to the craft. For a band that only produced four albums in four years, there has been a lot of ink spilled about them.

Like this article...Well yes, this piece included. I’d suggest that so much has been written about them because they are someone worth writing about, but it equally be a product of the never ending need for content to fill column space, both in print and online. Regardless of whether it is the latter or the former, Death Grips and their legacy have been analysed to a degree not often seen, certainly for a band that had short existence, which is a notable legacy of itself. Death Grips may have not been the greatest band, or even for some critics even a good band. But they were undeniably an interesting band.

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California Girls. Now, to be fair, these acts aren’t exactly punk, but if you dig the progressive, experimental ethos of punks past, you’ll still enjoy this. It’s only $5 anyway…

Even more Melbournians will be visiting our capital on Thursday July 25 when Bone stop by the Magpies City Club with support from locals Primary Colours and Mind Blanks. Entry to this one is set once again at $10.

Hot damn! Do you see all these paragraphs!? There’s nine of these motherfuckers and with the exclusion of this one and the last one, they each cover a different show taking place within the NEXT THREE WEEKS! So start getting pumped or keen or whatever else the kids are saying these days, ‘cause here they are: Laura Palmer will be coming from Melbourne on Thursday July 17 to launch a new EP. Joining her on the Magpies City Club stage will be locals Office Jerk, Bacon Cakes, Swoon Queen and Ecruteak. This show is a liscenced/All Ages event and will set you back a mere $10 at the door (and by “door” I mean “bottom of a stairwell.”)

If you wanna hear some heavy shit, head down to the aforementioned Magpies City Club, on Friday July 18 to catch Newcastle’s Family Values and Dog Act as part of their ‘Family Dog Weekender.’ They’ll be supported by Canberra’s own Office Jerk and Yoko Oh No. This show is All Ages and will only cost you $10.

In another exciting development TV Colours will be playing AGAIN at Transit Bar on Wednesday July 30. This time, they’ll be supporting Obits all the way from Brooklyn (which for people who have never left Canberra is like a bigger, more dangerous version of Braddon).

Wives (formerly known as Sweet Shoppe) will also be playing support at what is sure to be a massive night. Tickets for this one are $22+bf through Moshtix.

In late July-early August Sydney/Newcastle band Liberation Front will be headed out on an east coast tour along with the central coast’s Sparrows. They’ll be stopping by Magpies City Club on Friday August 1 with support from Byron Bay’s Raised As Wolves and locals Lung. Entry to this one is once again set at $10 on the door.

Aaaaand as always, make sure you keep tuning into 2XX every Monday night from 9:30pm for a taste of some of the best local, national and international punk and hardcore on Haircuts & T-shirts.

Also on Friday July 18, local heroes TV Colours will be making a triumphant return home as they play support to Sydney’s Straight Arrows at Transit Bar. Also joining the line-up is solo singersongwriter Angie. Entry is set at $10 at the door on the night.

So yeah. Go to those and if you’re still alive in a fortnight’s time, pick up the next column for more

The next night, Saturday July 19, Melbourne’s Centrefold will be stopping by the Magpies City Club along with locals RAUS and

PUNK.BMA@GMAIL.COM

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IAN McCARTHY

@bmamag

who were sort of politically like-minded with sort of where we were at was really amazing...”

SO LIBERATING IAN McCARTHY It’s been ten years since Sydney/Newcastle punk band LIBERATION FRONT recorded their first song and nearly seven since they last visited Canberra. Luckily, that dry spell is about to be lifted with the band scheduled to visit our fair capital as part of their own headline tour. Guitarist and vocalist Tim Rowland took some time out of his intense till-counting to talk about the band’s history, message and upcoming tour.

Speaking of the band’s beginnings, Rowland says, “It came about basically because I was teaching our bass player how to play bass and he wanted simple stuff for him to learn and he wanted to write things and create so it was basically born out of that.” Next, the band found a drummer and started playing shows. Since then, they’ve released plenty of recorded material, including last year’s The Second Coming of the Great Depression EP. They’ve also supported an impressive list of touring acts, with Rowland pointing out one specific highlight.

“Being on tour and like meeting Strike Anywhere was pretty big one for me personally...I think being on tour with them and meeting people

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I think if we weren’t a political band we would have broken up a long time ago

The band is very politically conscious, with their music often containing many political messages. About the band’s political drive, Rowland says, “I find that with a lot of music a lot of people just wanna write songs that are fun and I suppose for us that wasn’t what was gonna motivate us to play music and make music…For us, our politics are the biggest part of our band but I think if we weren’t a political band we would have broken up a long time ago.”

After touring with a stack of international bands, Liberation Front are now getting ready to set out on an east coast tour with their mates Sparrows. This time however, the band is making sure they visit Canberra, a place they’ve noticed many tours with bigger bands tend to skip. Rowland elaborated on the decision to visit the capital.

“We hadn’t been there in a long time and you know, I was seeing a lot of good music in Canberra whenever I’ve been there…” he says. “And you know we haven’t really had a chance to spread our message and what our band’s about to people from Canberra before…so I wanted to take our show and our message somewhere where people haven’t maybe seen us play before.” Rowland also recognised the potential of spreading the band’s message in the nation’s capital. “It’s also the political capital of Australia so what better place to spread your messages than right where the poison’s going down?”

Liberation Front will be on tour with Sparrows, stopping by the Magpies City Club on Friday August . $10 on the door. For those of you who love the white stuff (I mean snow. Get your head out of the gutter) they will also be playing a show at the Lake Jindabyne hotel on Wednesday July 30 for free.

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E X H I B I T I O N I S T ARTS | ACT

THE LIGHTER SIDE OF SCANDINAVIAN FILM LAUREN STRICKLAND When you read the words ‘Scandinavian film’, what’s the first thing that pops into your mind? Do you think of Sweden’s The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo trilogy, with its gritty, confronting violence and high-stakes espionage? Do you think of Borgen, the Danish political drama and its lineup of sombre faces, or even The Killing, also Danish, also a TV series, also bloody and full of mutilated corpses and criminal investigations? Scandinavian film’s reputation for the grim, gory and gruesome is, obviously, not entirely undeserved, but when I spoke to Genevieve Kelly, director of Palace Cinemas’ inaugural SCANDINAVIAN FILM FESTIVAL, she was keen to emphasise that film from the region was not all thrillers and noir. “The perception is that, because The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo was so successful, that is what Scandinavian cinema is…but there’s so much more going on,” she says.

Kelly has not neglected the criminal element. The program includes films like Denmark’s The Keeper of Lost Causes, based on an internationally best-selling crime-thriller novel of the same name and the Swedish trilogy Easy Money, both of which are good examples of Scandinavian Film living up to its reputation. A cursory glance at the festival’s program will tell you that there are more exceptions that disprove the rule, rather than the other way around. Kelly’s opening night selection, an adaptation of another bestselling novel, The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared, is just one example of the many comedies, romantic dramas and biopics that dominate the lineup.

“The 100-Year-Old Man is hilarious,” says Kelly. “And it’s a great opening night film – it’s got a lot of energy and I think it’s always nice to open up with a comedy because it puts everyone in a good mood – and [because] comedy is not necessarily something that is associated with Scandinavian cinema. It’s really nice to see that represented so prominently.”

“It is an outrageous film and the premise in that film is outrageous,” Kelly continues. “But I think that Scandinavian film has got an authenticity about it that other cinema doesn’t have.” In the case of The 100-Year-Old Man – an absurd, surprising, laugh-a-minute tale of a centenarians antics upon escaping from his nursing home – Kelly maintains that the Scandinavian claim to authenticity stands. “If you look at other comedies – American comedies or even Spanish and Italian ones – they are a little bit more pronounced, a little bit more slapstick. With Scandinavian cinema, however, it’s all a little bit more restrained,” she says. “It’s the way in which the actors react to everything with a certain dryness; they never overreact, they react in a way that makes the situation believable.’

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Scandinavian film has a history of relentless realism. In 1995, a group of directors including Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg formed the Dogme Movement in order to counteract what they saw as the encroaching threat of CGI-driven cinema; the dominance of Hollywood blockbusters that are prohibitively expensive for fledgling filmmakers. The group’s manifesto called for a return to traditional filmmaking values, placing emphasis on storytelling and the craft of the actor. Although the movement disbanded after a decade, Kelly argues that modern Scandinavian film has been influenced by it.

“Scandinavian filmmakers founded this kind of realism – no fake lighting, no fake anything, presenting everything how it is in reality.

It’s really full-on realism,” says Kelly. She attributes the distinctive Scandinavian style to this emphasis on verisimilitude. “There’s a stylishness that the Scandinavians have and I think that everyone associates a certain wonderful visual style with their cinema.” She adds, “I think that the reason their thrillers and their crime dramas are so successful is because they’re so believable. Their realism makes them all the more scary; you could see it happening.’

So, why Scandinavian film and why now? Is it just because of the success of their many noir blockbusters? “The Scandinavian Film Festival has been something that has been in the pipeline for quite a few years,” says Kelly, “at least three from memory. It’s been a simple situation of finally having enough manpower to actually stage it.

Palace has produced the Italian Film Festival for six years now and a few years ago we took on the Israeli and Spanish film festivals and this year we also ran a British one – so we were kind of at capacity!”

The appearance of the Scandinavian iteration at this particular point in time can be attributed, according to Kelly, to the fortuitous return of a staff member from maternity leave, but it’s the strength of the Scandinavian film industry that was real inspiration. “The whole team has seen what amazing films Scandinavia produce,” she explains.

“Every year we travel to Cannes, to the Berlin Film Festival, to the Venice Film Festival and we’ve seen all of these amazing films - hence why we’ve always wanted to do something like it. This year we just had the opportunity because we had another body on board, but really it’s because we love what Scandinavian filmmakers are doing.

“There are so many facets to [Scandinavian cinema] that we just don’t see because it doesn’t have the profile in Australia, yet, that it deserves. It’s what we hope to change with this festival – to give [Australian audiences] the chances to really experience the whole spectrum of Scandinavian cinema.”

The Scandinavian Film Festival runs from Tuesday–Sunday July 8–20 at the Palace Electric Cinema. For more information visit scandinavianfilmfestival.com

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IN REVIEW In Perspective Nishi Gallery Sat–Sun June 14–29

Placed in the heart of New Acton is the Nishi Gallery, which played host to the In Perspective exhibition. Launched by the United Nations Commissioner for Refugees, this photo exhibition was held to raise awareness for Refugee Week. Stepping over the threshold of the gallery I kept my eyes half-closed as I examined the first image expecting soul-shattering photographs of dying children and butchered homes. Instead, I was arrested by images riddled with hope and the courage of refugees around the globe.

These photos were taken with a bland and dreary backdrop and yet the people that filled the frame brought the photographs to life. The colour stitched into their clothing, their expressions and the tasks they were performing captured the plight these people faced. One of the first photographs was of a boy, a big clump of mud clutched tightly to his chest, getting ready to add it to the frame of his family’s home. This family was rebuilding their lives with what little they had at hand but in between the cracks of the foundation little bits of green poked through, showing that it was more a living organism than a place of rest.

My eye was caught again, this time by an image of a group of men praying in their local mosque, which had been reduced to little more than rubble. Families stood strong together while behind them their luggage sat, all in a state of limbo as they waited to be moved to a safer place. These were images of people who had been separated from their families and the land they had come to call their own and in each image you could see their desire to return home. The structures being built were temporary – everybody was at the edge of their seats, waiting for the moment that they could pack up and return to their homeland. The photographers have caught this urgency, this sense of movement between the lenses of their camera, which has created images of both anguish and hope in such a dire situation.

There was a quote printed on the wall by Antonio Gutierrez, the UN high commissioner for refugees. It stated that, “While every refugees story is different and their anguish personal, they all share a common thread of uncommon courage – the courage not only to survive, but to preserve and rebuild their shattered lives.” Each image operated with this in mind, portraying to us the strength of the human soul. It was a powerful exhibition with stunning images supported by a strong message of hope and resilience. The In Perspective exhibition was well worth my time, with the UNHRC providing unique and thought provoking photographs.

BETH WATSON

T Image credit: David Flannery

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NOT WORKING JESS OLIVER

We don’t always get along with the people we work with, in fact, sometimes they drive us crazy. Canberra is lucky enough to be hosting the world premiere of local playwright Julian Hobba’s latest play, BARTLEBY, a tale of workplace relations that everyone can relate to. Based on the acclaimed 1853 short story by Herman Melville, Hobba takes this premise of workplace conflict and reimagines it in the context of a modern day legal firm.

Originally from Melbourne, Hobba is a talented playwright who received critical acclaim for his 2006 work, Delicacy. His most recent work is presented by a gifted cast of Max Cullen (Spider & Rose, The Great Gatsby); Dene Kermond (Muriel’s Wedding, Strictly Ballroom) and ACT improvisation master, Ben Crowley (Chalk Pit, Love Song). According to Dene Kermond, “Bartleby is really a show about how we deal with people and their emotional lives in the workplace. How much empathy do we show people and how much can we expect to receive?”

Bartleby takes place in the contemporary Australian office, where the demands of technology and expectations of endless advancement have made the atmosphere permanently schizophrenic. Bartleby (Crowley) is brilliantly capable yet stubbornly unworkable and a source of great annoyance to the Young Lawyer (Kermond). A champion of rigid technological processes and the antithesis to his employer the wise Old Lawyer (Cullen), the Young Lawyer presents the Old Lawyer with a dilemma – the choice between correct office processes and Bartleby’s humanity. “In many ways, it is my character who is the real problem in the situation due to the way he responds to the character of Bartleby,” says Kermond. “His ambition blinds him and he lacks the sympathy and empathy that the situation requires.”

Whilst Kermond personally relates more to the Old Lawyer, he has come across characters similar to the Young Lawyer many times in his working career and even admits to being a bit of Bartleby at times, but that’s kind of the point.

“All the characters in the show are so multi-dimensional that everyone in the audience will have had experience with people like them, or even relate to them personally,” quips Kermond. “By the end of the play I guarantee your perceptions of each character will have changed at least once!”

Hobba’s skills as a playwright impressed Kermond from the start.

“The script drew me in the first time I read it, it’s so relevant,” he says. “It’s very funny, moving and engaging and the writing is absolutely beautiful… Straight away it engages a collective and individual memory of the workplace.”

Like Melville’s short story, Kermond hopes Bartleby will make people stop and think about their actions in the workplace. “I hope the play makes the audience question their own behaviour at work and what effect they as an individual have on workplace dynamics,” he notes. “Sometimes we need to stop worrying about protocol and practice a little humanity.”

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Bartleby is on at The Street Theatre Saturday–Sunday July–August 26–3.

Tickets are $35/$32 concession and are available through the venue.

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LAND OF A THOUSAND DANCES RORY MCCARTNEY A quarter of a century after its formation, BANGARRA DANCE THEATRE is coming to Canberra with a special show that tells one of the good stories about the experiences between the first white settlers and the tribes that inhabited the shores of Sydney Harbour.

BMA spoke to dancer Luke Currie-Richardson about his own career in dance and the new production Patyegarang.

Currie-Richardson’s early introduction to his culture and dance happened here in Canberra. “I started my contemporary dance experience at QL2 in Braddon. I was thrown into the deep end, seeing if I would sink or swim with people who had been dancing all their lives,” he says. “It was about auditioning for a part in the youth ensemble and then creating a brand new work Unspeakable.”

Contrary to first impressions, Currie-Richardson was not always destined for dance, even though he had done traditional Torres Strait Island dancing when younger, performing around Canberra and touring regional Victoria and Sydney in the school holidays. “I did not find that I was drawn to dancing as such, but was more drawn to my culture and learning about the stories of the Torres Strait and Murray Islanders,” he says. Currie-Richardson was a sporty bloke, who in his teens played Rugby League and represented the ACT at basketball.

He adds, “The idea of being a contemporary ballet dancer wasn’t huge on my list. I got the love of the spotlight, dancing traditional dance at the Multicultural Festival and dancing in front of my friends at Melrose High and Erindale College,” Currie-Richardson wanted a way to showcase his culture and dance was it.

Bangarra is a prestigious national dance company, which many would fight to get into. While Currie-Richardson had been training at the National Aboriginal Islander Skills Development Association Dance College and Queensland University of Technology for two years, he had no real intention of trying for Bangarra. However, fate had other plans for him. He went to a Bangarra audition to support his cousin who had started him off in dance. Neither of them was successful, but Bangarra was interested in Currie-Richardson’s abilities and watched his progress. “Two years on, one of their senior dancers retired. I got this call after a long day at uni with Stephen Page [Artistic Director] on the other end,” he states. “Do you want to come down here for a traineeship? Here I am, a little boy from Canberra, on the stage with them at the Opera House.” Bangarra is always driven by cultural stories, either Aboriginal or from the Torres Strait. Their Artistic Director talks to other choreographers, to establish what they are passionate about in Indigenous culture, whether they are

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traditional, political or historical stories. In one way or another, they are all interlaced with Indigenous history and culture. “For traditional stories, the theatre has a great relationship with far north-east Arnhem Land. A lot of stories and traditional dances come from that area,” Currie-Richardson says. “Also, when we did Terrain, about Lake Eyre, we walked around that area. It was breathtaking and we got to meet with the elder who showed us the land and told us the stories.”

Patyegarang is a historical tale, a very special story that paints a different picture of the clash of cultures at first contact, based on the diaries of settler Lieutenant William Dawes. “Artistic Director Page researched them to the dot,” explains Currie-Richardson. “I remember him coming in and he always had a story to tell about each section of the dance he created. The amount of research he does, he just becomes fluent like he’s experienced it himself. He would explain the experiences Patyegarang and Dawes had together. This is an unheard of story – one we need to embrace because all we hear about the first settlers is the bad stuff. A story like this is not taught in the schools, but it’s something that we need to tell.”

In this remarkable tale, an Indigenous woman and non-Indigenous man teach each other their ways and language. If not for it, the people of the Eora Nation would have lost much of their language and culture.

Dawes jotted much of their language down. When the diaries came back to Australia in the 1970s, no one was speaking the language.

Centuries after they were written, Dawes’ records were used as the means of re-establishing an almost lost language. “It’s a beautiful thing. In a society where we are losing so much, this is a story we should embrace. We got to meet with an elder who is fluent in this language which 40 years ago was unheard of,” says Currie-Richardson.

Patyegarang has 14 dancers from the Theatre and a non-Indigenous dancer playing the part of Dawes. Currie-Richardson, who dances as a warrior in the ensemble, found a special meaning in the link between the story and Bangarra’s home turf. “We walk out of the theatre and look across the water to Dawes Point. It’s not just that the story is part of the Sydney area; it’s that we are performing the show on the land where he met Patyegarang,” he adds. “We want to do our best, because a lot of us are spiritual and we want to perform for the ancestors of Patyegarang. It’s a beautiful feeling.”

Bangarra Dance Theatre presents Patyegarang at Canberra Theatre, running from Sunday–Tuesday July 17–19. Tickets (various prices) available through the venue website Tickets from $43 + bf/$35 +bf concession/$30 +bf for under 27s, available from the Canberra Theatre.

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BOUNDLESS OPTIONS ZOE PLEASANTS BOUNDLESS is the latest production for Canberra’s QL2 contemporary dance company. It will comprise three short pieces which explore big, boundless ideas: who we are; how we live within our environment and growing old. But before it opens, eight of dancers are taking a quick sojourn overseas to perform one of the three pieces in Bangkok and Glasgow. I caught up with Ruth Osborne, QL2’s Artistic Director, who was looking forward to that moment when the plane door closes and, in theory, all the organising for the tour is done.

QL2’s international reputation has earned them an invitation to the Commonwealth Youth Dance Festival in Glasgow. But since Glasgow is such a long way to go for three days, Osborne wanted to fill out the tour to make it chunkier. So the dancers will also go to Bangkok, where they’ll give two performances and London where they’ll do a workshop with the Rambert dance company.

On the tour the dancers will perform Cinders, the middle work of the Boundless triple bill. Choreographed by James Batchelor and with music by Morgan Hickinbotham, “it’s a very dense piece,” says Osborne. “[Batchelor is] a very heavy thinker and the piece is about how we exist in our environment. He’s making assumptions that people move through an environment rather than feeling like they’re really part of it,” she explains. “It’s a very abstract piece; the eight dancers had to really mature as it’s a very difficult piece. There’s a lot of improvisation in it, a lot of incredibly complex timing and there’s an amazing video that Wild Bear productions has made – this organic, structural video that goes with it.”

In contrast to this is the first piece, The Bigger Picture, choreographed by Danielle Michich and with music by Adam Ventoura, “is really about these young people,” says Osborne.

Michich sent the dancers questionnaires asking them: “what interests them, what worries them, what are the unusual things that [they] know in their hearts,” explains Osborne. She was “making them really, really think about things so she can get to know them before she even meets them.”

And the final piece of the triple bill is Samsara, choreographed by Dean Cross and with music by, again, Ventoura, is about life cycle.

“We’ve invited the GOLDs, Canberra Dance Theatre’s community group, Growing Old Disgracefully to join us,” says Osborne. I caught a little bit of the rehearsal for this piece and was struck by how visceral and engaging it was. Reflecting on this, I ask Osbourne how she chose the dancers for the company. “We’re not looking for that perfect turn-out,” she says. “That full arch and that leg up to here, some of them have it and some them don’t. We’re looking more at personalities, people that can work together.”

Catch Boundless at The Canberra Theatre from Wednesday– Saturday July– August 30–2. Tickets available from the venue’s website: $32 +bf, $26 +bf 27 and under, $20 +bf concession/child/family.

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other lists from all those other years. Forgotten artefacts of preemptive criticism.

UNINHIBITED As I type, the world is churning and chattering over a wobbleboardwobbling pedophile, a fresh terrorist outfit in Iraq, a local tennis prodigy and a footballer who prefers his own brew when getting on the piss. By the time you read this most will be forgotten, just as the conversation has moved on from the kidnapped Nigerian schoolgirls, gas attacks in Syria, Uryguan cannibals and whoever won the Voice/Block/MasterVoice/Biggest Fatty/Australia’s Got Fat Chef Mastervoices etc.

Meanwhile, some publications are running their ‘half-year reports’, the best albums and films and book and exhibitions from the first six months of the year. These will soon be filed next to all those

Here are some things I believe in – real, honest adult criticism.

Interplay between artists and audiences. And giving work the benefit of time. Work that is built to last longer than its actual duration needs to be savoured. I can’t help but think that not paying due attention is a problem and the noise of the modern age helps none.

Capitalism won, in case you were wondering. And it seems that the base-model for the system (creating want, competition between entities addressing want, turnover of goods that keeps the machine running, the need for more to satisfy this golden goal called ‘growth’) is affecting how we address art and each other. The machine requires more stuff, now! Replace the other stuff! Never too much stuff! Have you got the stuff? All the stuff? Get it now, plus more!

You need it! You’re less a person without it! HAVE IT! Songs are designed to hit the listener in 20 seconds, from fear of losing the perceived window of attention. Art is being packaged and sold in Saatchi-shaped grabs to break through the news cycle.

Theatre and the novel are dead, apparently, even though people keep showing up and reading.

So on. The conversation is set to hype and geared toward getting your attention. It’s no good, friends. No good at all.

I’m going to appear ancient and suggest that art needs time to drink it in and the way art is being presented to you in the audience is anathema to this requirement.

This is my last column. I’m stepping back because in the rush to keep up with things I’m actually missing out. For me, it’s better to know one album, one book, one painting really well, instead of being able to give you a sentence on ten works but not really knowing any of them. Maybe it’s a metabolism thing. Maybe you can flit between cultural work. I can’t.

For me, there’s a richness in deep engagement that trumps other models. Keeping your finger on the pulse is no longer attractive.

So thanks to Tatjana, Ashley, Julia and Allan for having me.

BMA is a magnificent thing and I’m lucky to have been published in these pages. I hope you have a chance to savour them and everything else.

Thanks for reading.

GLEN MARTIN glenpetermartin@gmail. com

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ARTISTPROFILE: Fredrika Rose

What do you do? I create sculptures and spaces, and illustrate controversial issues and humorous observations. Most of my work is sculptural – I am often moved by things that involve the audience, and require some form of participation and spatial investigation. I utilise materials to contrast the weird and fantastic, with a dark and literal sense of humour – manipulating the viewer with spectacle and juxtaposition. My field of interest also lies in installation, print media, embroidery/soft sculpture, watercolour, illustration, design, fashion, and performance art. I dabble in a few things to say the least.

When, how and why did you get into it? I’ve created since I can remember. It is something I have always done, and will continue to do.

Who or what influences you as an artist? It is obvious that the environment in which I am surrounded by or have previously been in influences my art, my approach and the themes that I am interested in. Having grown up overseas for the majority of my life in a variety of different cultures has definitely had the most influential effect on my art practice. Various cultures and people will do that - observing and immersing yourself amongst change. As an art student, it goes without saying that your favourite artists have a huge influence on you– Mona Hatoum, Marlene Dumas, Marina Abramovic, Egon Schiele, Balint Zsako, Sarah Lucas, Patricia Piccinini, Fiona Hall, Jake and Dinos Chapman, Philip Beeseley, Anish Kapoor. Artwork that is highly detailed or artists that really push the boundaries through controversial topics generally intrigue me and, in turn, have a lasting influence on me.

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Little things that continue to intrigue and influence my practice: various literature, philosophers, documentaries, gender bias, films, nature and our natural habitat, the weird and fantastic.

Of what are you proudest so far? At the moment, my forever improving artistic skill and capability. One can never learn enough.

Also, managing to feature in 6 shows this year whilst studying honours, having three jobs and travelling. Phew.

What are your plans for the future? I plan to continue making, travelling, learning and assimilating to a variety of cultures What makes you laugh? My own clumsiness. Generally most things make me smile.

What pisses you off? Negative attitudes, the feeling of chalk.

What about the local scene would you change? I’m impressed with the forever growing art scene and supportive culture within Canberra– I wouldn’t change much. There is a lot of growing potential in this small city that we should be proud of.

Upcoming exhibitions? More Than a Body: Organic Perceptions Tuggeranong Arts Centre, Canberra : 3 July– 3 August Solo Exhibition Sculpture, Foyer Gallery, School of Art, ANU, Canberra. 23 July – 2 August, ANU Honours & 3rd year Sculpture Students SiXMiX : Emerging Sculptural Practice, POD CraftACT Gallery, Lonsdale Street Traders, Canberra : 6 August – 18 August Group Exhibition : ANU Honours Sculpture Students.

Contact Info: Fredrikarose.com/ Fredrika.mackenzie@hotmail.com

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IN REVIEW

IN REVIEW

Although I’ve seen some jaw-dropping entertainment in my time, I’ve never before seen anything approaching Pilobolus’s athletic depiction of the literally fantastic. This art form – a constantly surprising melange of dance, silhouette and mime – defies easy classification. Pilobolus, nominally a dance company, developed the format largely in response to two specific commissions: an advertisement for Hyundai and entertainment at the 2007 Academy Awards. Pilobolus has performed more than a hundred productions to international audiences, but Shadowland may be its most impressive and its most demanding. Certainly it is as captivating a work as I’ve ever seen.

Set in 1974, with a distinctly 1970s style to its dance numbers (except those danced in traditional Samoan costume), The Factory is a musical story chiefly of the love between Edward, heir to his father’s textiles factory;, Losa and her father, Kavana, who, having lost Losa’s mother to a tsunami, are the most recent arrivals of Samoans the factory sponsors on three-­month working visas. In summary, the factory’s owner, Richard, has become progressively more inhumane toward his workers since his wife died. The factory has become increasingly run down and hazardous and work conditions have become increasingly arbitrary. Richard cares only for profit. The workers send home all the money they can, but it’s never enough and they end up indefinitely trapped in factory life. Losa’s traditionality, her father’s protectiveness of her and fear for their jobs and the factory workers’ awareness of their powerlessness combine with Richard’s determination that his son will have no romantic involvement with a Samoan to create a seemingly insurmountable obstacle to their love. As well, another factory girl, Lagi, has her sights set on Edward.

Shadowland Canberra Theatre Sat–Sun June 21–22

Opening with a sequence in which a girl encountering the barriers to children everywhere falls asleep and finds that her shadow inhabits an independent world, the performance exquisitely shows her floating on the breeze before cleverly dancing her into the silhouette world, the shadowland.

From there, the surprises continue accumulating: clever replacement of shadow by silhouette; the exacting juxtaposition of variously scaled silhouettes; the ways in which silhouette can convey passing scenery; the animal shapes that human forms can mimic; the clear tension and danger in a nevertheless humorous scene reminiscent of The Magic Pudding and worthy of Terry Pratchett; and how well this entirely non-verbal performance communicates even to small children.

Decades after the event, I carry with me still a magical memory from the age of about five, when, in a Sydney performance of Noddy and the Magic Faraway Tree, the scenery altered entirely and instantaneously before my eyes. While I’ve since guessed how the magic was made, the memory of it retains its effect on me. And so it is with Shadowland. The gracefulness of the early scene in which the young girl, the protagonist, flies in her dreams is the kind of memory a child who sees it at the age of six or eight will carry fondly even thirty years later.

Such memorable scenes occur throughout. The conversion of a girl into a dog-girl; her incorporation into a circus act; her decision whether to leap to her death rather than face recapture; the road trips; the three deadly chefs pursuing her for addition to the cauldron; the outcome of that conflict. This is the stuff of fairy tales brought vividly to memorable life for children, to complement storytelling, real games and friendships and it reconnects adults with the world of the imagination that workaday routine and separation from the rest of nature cause us to forget. It’s for the memories it will leave you with that you should see this astonishing production.

Shadowland‘s magic is something you won’t easily forget. If you can possibly see this show, then see it. If necessary, see it at an overseas venue. You won’t regret it; and you’ll never forget it.

The Factory Canberra Theatre Tues–Wed June 24–25

It wasn’t only the dance steps that successfully communicated the piece’s setting in the 1970s. The leads’ costumes were perfect – factory conditions suggested the limited unionisation that the workers would have enjoyed then. Even the factory owner’s hair style was distinctly seventies. The characters of the two fathers, Richard (Paul Glover) and Kavana (Aleni Tufuga), came across particularly well and the nominally jealous Lagi (Rosita Vai) was a lot of fun.

Despite the plot’s serious intent, this production was little other than a light­hearted frolic. It wasn’t possible to take seriously, for instance, that a capitalist as conservative and bullish as Richard would let pass without the least comment the open transvestism of one of his workers, nor was it easy to understand what more Losa saw in Edward than we did. But, if the characterisation didn’t elicit all the sympathies it might have for the common plight of its protagonists, the consistency in the quality of song and dance more than made up for it. The production’s eight big song and dance numbers and another nine pieces of ensemble singing, all accompanied by a live three­piece band, conveyed well the determined optimism of Pacific Islanders in the face of hardship – an optimism clearly bred of warrior toughness in the face of adversity in traditional life.

The enthusiasm of the dances, choreographed and performed to perfection, was infectious. The songs themselves, at least those sung in ensemble, were similarly engaging, particularly those in the first half. Their well­voiced four-part harmony at once recalled the traditional religious music that post­ colonial societies have absorbed into their cultures and expressed the joyousness of Islander communities and it was consistently sung beautifully..

JOHN P. HARVEY

JOHN P. HARVEY

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A R T | C O M E DY | D A N C E | L I T E R AT U R E | T H E AT R E solace right now through any other communicative means you can lay your hands on?’

When what it should read is: ‘How dare you!

People are making unreasonable demands upon my time and it will not stand.

Thanks to newly uncovered and unforseen financial obligations, due in large part to the unknown harvest of my wilfully virile and rampant seed, it has become incumbent upon me to find employment, cut off as I am from my considerable assets while a host of sticky legal arguments and tawdry accusations navigate your judicial system.

I confess to immediately finding the realities of employment wholly unpleasant. My time is wasted upon menial tasks that morons consider valuable, when in actual fact they are designed purely so that those without merit may cite something, anything, as a product of their waste of the precious oxygen which could so plainly be put to better use than fuelling mediocrity.

The greater they can convince themselves that the formatting of any nondescript document is of the utmost importance to someone whom they are unlikely to ever meet, the less probable they will stove their own head in with the countless, encircling binders that entomb them as if they were a Pharaoh enmeshed in its own clerical catacomb of unending sadness.

If you think I will permit you to impose your diseased influence upon my studied absence, I suggest you re-evaluate your motives, conceited inquisitor. And do so while fucking off.’

(Please feel free to employ either of the above two examples as my gift to you.)

There are obviously many who thrive on disclosing their every movement to anyone who will listen (I speak of the all-too-rife ‘social media strumpets’), but must the practice be forced upon us by employers? No, it must not.

Now I am far from a socialist. I believe high society is a suitably rarefied atmosphere which should rightly be inhabited by the likes of me, waited upon by the likes of you. But really, if there were any justice, even the likes of you would be able to visit both your frustrations and improper sexual fantasies upon those who would demand an ‘out of office.’ gideon foxington-smythe

That this complete waste of my time is negligibly paid is criminal enough, but surely the more indefensible crime is that it demands that absences from the office be not only communicated to colleagues, but relayed to the wider world.

I speak of a lamentable device known as the ‘out of office’ – an automatically generated message designed to inform those whom wish to bother you that their unrelenting burden shall not be shouldered this very moment, but that it can be hoisted upon the absentee’s shoulders at a later, defined date.

It essentially reads ‘My intrigue at your every request cannot be tempered by mere absence! Your demands must be satisfied and should you find your way through the fug of your own selfimportance, please do pester me at the very next opportunity.

Or why not simply invade my

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bit PARTS JAPANESE ENCOUNTER WHAT: Art Exhibition WHEN: Thu–Sun Jul 10–27 WHERE: M16 Artspace This three-part exhibition showcases Japanese art and culture along with artists inspired by Japan. The Winter Garden shows Japanese artists reinventing everyday life to give new meaning to commonplace items and explores our contemporary era – a time when shared values are hard to establish in an increasingly globalised world. There will also be a Bonsai display showcasing the Three Friends of Winter – pine, bamboo and plum trees – which is a traditional grouping of winter plants. The last exhibition, Hibiki, brings together eight artists from around the world who provide personal perspectives of Japan captured in textiles, photography, painting, print and sculpture. 12pm. Free.

BRO.OCH WHAT: Art Exhibition WHEN: Fri–Sat Jul–Aug 11–9 WHERE: Bilk Gallery Bilk Gallery is presenting Bro.och, an exhibition showcasing a wide selection of brooches and pins ready to adorn the chests of Canberra’s most discerning men and women. This year they are banishing the long held stigma of the brooch, removing the bad ‘80s connotations and embracing the ‘anything goes’ style. One should never underestimate the power of a good accessory to draw attention, to heighten ones appearance and to instigate stimulating conversation. Using a diverse range of makers Bro.och has well timed their exhibition as the Canberra winter moves in and more empty jackets appear, begging to be adorned. 6pm. Free entry.

RAW: NATURAL BORN ARTISTS WHAT: Art Exhibition WHEN: Wed Jul 30 WHERE: The Uni Pub RAW: Natural Born Artists is an arts organisation that hand-selects and spotlights independent creatives in visual art, film, fashion, music, hair & makeup artistry, photography, models and performing art. This multifaceted showcase is made up of local talent and provides the exposure needed to inspire and cultivate creativity so that they might be seen, heard and loved. RAW events feature a cash bar for cocktails while you enjoy the night. Dress code is cocktail attire, so dress the occasion and get ready for an artistic circus of creativity! Doors open at 7:30. Tickets are $15 from rawartists.org SYDNEY COMEDY FESTIVAL WHAT: Comedy Festival WHEN: Sat Aug 2 WHERE: Canberra Theatre Centre The Sydney Comedy Festival is coming to town and has hand-picked the funniest and freshest acts of this annual comedy event and squeezed them into one hilarious night of world-class comedy. Highlights from the Showcase will include Smart Casual, Daniel Townes, Nikki Britton, Luke Heggie and stand up trouper Greg Sullivan. Guiding you through this killer line-up will be host Cam Knight, whose stellar flights of fancy are sure to keep you on your toes! With a cavalcade of comedians that will tickle everyone’s funny bone, this is the best value ticket in town, so don’t miss out! Tickets $40 + bf. 7:30pm.

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the word

on albums

album of the issue Glass Animals Zaba [Wolf Tone] Glass Animals are – if you believe the Google search results – somewhat of an “it band”. After a listen to their debut album Zaba it’s not hard to understand why this is so. There’s been a quiet revival of soul in electronic music recently and the Oxford quartet and their debut album Zaba could easily be considered one of the leaders. Of course, we have our Chet Fakers and our Disclosures, whose accomplishments must not be denied. Yet Glass Animals cross the line – several lines, in fact – to create a record that encompasses many different styles whilst remaining understated. Listening to Zaba is initially like – hold on for the terrible simile – taking the first mouthful of creamy ice-cream from the tub, for lack of a better simile. The sound is pervasive, smooth and indulgent, taking over the senses rapidly. It’s also ridiculously cool. (It’s okay, the bad simile is over now. You can stop cringing.) The album melds together its core electronic elements with hypnotic rhythms, dragging in hip hop, soul and RnB fluently. If done badly, the results could have been catastrophic. However, the result is delicious: confident, slick and filled with steamy soundscapes all too easy to get lost in. The emulation of the tropics is pushed from the name of the band and the album title – named after children’s book The Zabajaba Jungle - to lyrical references of leopards

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and leaves and the detailed album art. It can be hazardous to pull off a concept as exact as this, but Zaba succeeds by working with precision. It is the deliberate conception of the jungle sound that gives way to a constant humid atmosphere for the record, allowing for little intricacies to give further depth.

Genre-hopping gives each new song fresh details to focus on. ‘Black Mambo’ revels in RnB sway, the love-plea of ‘Hazey’ is drizzled with oriental tones whilst 90’s soul simmers on closer ‘Jdnt’. A quick skim of the tracklist informs the listener that they haven’t stuck to conventional vocabulary – see the interestingly named ‘Walla Walla’ and ‘Intruxx’. The former opens with chunky beats and an underlying buzzing bass-line. Lyrics are absent on the latter, allowing the instrumental to break apart the two halves of the album. It begins as a whisper, building up into heavy synth washes. Although an electronic record, this feels like music that could be effectively adapted to play live. Listening to the band’s recent Like A Version confirms this assumption. The album’s subtle eccentricity is aided throughout by Dave Bayley’s sensual vocals, adding to the exotic mystery. Suave and supple, whilst ambiguous with the words delivered, they’re crucial in the overall slinky dynamic. It’s hard to believe so silver-tongued a performer studied an area as tedious as medicine (no offence to all wonderful medical students reading this.) The popular single, ‘Gooey’, is a prime example of this peculiar tenor. Soft electronic chimes blend subtly with harmonic sweeps for a lush yet chilled track. Taking a closer listen to front-man Bayley’s lines adds to the strange attraction: “While my naked fool/ Fresh out of a gooey, icky womb/ A woozy youth/ Dopes up her silky smooth perfume.” The topic of its predecessor, the irresistible ‘Pools’, is less indistinct but still charged with sexual energy, wrapped in a soaring chorus and sultry touches that bring the heat. Summarised into one word, Zaba is alluring. On the surface, it’s pretty enough to play as background music.

Yet, in the process of listening more attentively, it gives way to an indulgent deconstruction of its components.

A glittering effort that isn’t to go unnoticed.

Ziggy Marley Fly Rasta [Tuff Gong / Shock] The oldest and most commercially successful child of Bob, Ziggy Marley has marked out a position as the very definition of a crossover reggae star. While he’s still scooping up Grammy nominations with his records, both solo and alongside his band The Melody Makers, he’s also flirted with Disney, appeared on US celebrity car shows and also recently released a pro-marijuana comic book alongside renowned toker Woody Harrelson. Heck, he even scooped a Grammy for Best Children’s Album a couple of years back with his Family Time album, proving he’s got all the lifestyle demographics covered. At this point in his career, Marley pretty much knows what his audience wants and this sixth solo album Fly Rasta offers up a smoothly produced wander through reggae, pop and crossover rock styles that while being solid, doesn’t really offer up much in the way of real surprises. Opening track ‘I Don’t Wanna Live On Mars’ sets the scene with an epic countdown sequence intro before seguing into a guitar-heavy rock reggae offering that doesn’t exactly sit a million miles away from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, albeit considerably more boosted by swelling female vocals and an impressive Stax-style horn section. Elsewhere, the skanking title track sees the guest vocals of legendary toaster U-Roy being called into service as a fluid rhythm section sees the more roots reggae oriented directions being covered.

‘So Many Rising’ sees Marley offering up the sort of stripped-down and acoustic protest song that’s pretty much become emblematic of both his and his late father’s songbooks.

While some of Fly Rasta sounds like Marley engaged the auto-pilot, his fanbase probably won’t be disappointed.

CHRIS DOWNTON

ANGELA CHRISTIAN-WILKES

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Tiny Ruins Brightly Painted One [Spunk Records]

The Shoe I’m Okay [Community Records]

Soundgarden Superunknown [A&M Records]

NZ’s current top pop export may be Lorde, but there’s’ another Kiwi artist doing interesting stuff down the alt-folk end of the spectrum. Hollie Fullbrook formed Tiny Ruins as her solo vehicle in 2009, but the project has morphed into a three piece band, with a host of hangers-on who added the depth to the band’s second LP. The sound maintains the essence of their debut Some Were Meant for Sea and the EP Haunts which followed it. Fullbrook’s voice carries an olde worlde charm, such that it would be more comfortable spinning at 78 RPM, rather than traveling down a wire in ones and zeroes. Her voice alternates between translucent, high pitched folk and deeper tones, with a lazy hint of the blues.

This is the debut album from indie American unknowns The Shoe – and it’s excellent.

Icons of heaviosity like Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath paved the way for Soundgarden, whose status as a leading light of the Seattle post-punk scene is assured if Sabbath filtered through US punk and hardcore in the latter 1970s is a suitable measure. The band’s earliest recordings signposted a shift in the Seattle music scene towards a looser, lower-end sound that ironically drew upon 1970s stadium hard rock as much as hardcore’s decline of western civilisation credibility.

But Soundgarden never sounded as raw and messy as, say, Mudhoney. Churning riffs and angsty vocals hung together on solid foundations which in some ways accounted for mainstream breakthrough early on. But a growing popularity never sapped the songs.

A gentle album, the tempo varies from glacial, all the way up to a casual strolling pace. Instrumentation is understated, in keeping with the fragile singing. The accompaniment rarely breaks free of its muffling bonds, but it provides the warm cradle for the singer, with the rhodes and percussion adding an attractive raindrop patina to ‘Ballad of the Hanging Parcel’.

Indeed, this album is all about the voice, with the lyrics losing their sharp edges, becoming soft and malleable. Opener ‘Me at the Museum, You in the Wintergardens’ is a wistful, romantic idyll, while Fullbrook’s vocals become a fine tip nib, scratching out a detailed picture of her surroundings and emotions in ‘Carriages’.

Most songs come baked to the same recipe, with the result that every bite is sweet, but they all taste much the same. Just bang it on the CD player and its easy background music. Listen carefully and this dreamy album delivers its own special rewards.

A collaboration between pianist Lem Jay Ignacio and singer/songwriter Jena Malone (who actually, I was surprised to find out, doubles as an actress, with roles in Donnie Darko and The Hunger Games), the album showcases a beautiful maturity and flair that would be expected of much more seasoned artists.

Malone’s voice is ethereal and haunting, which both adds another layer to the sweetsounding piano as well as juxtaposes the occasionally harsh (yet always well thoughtout) lyrics.

Particular track highlights are difficult to pick out – this is one of those rare albums in which every song is a puzzle and undoing each one is a long, labyrinthine treat.

However, the eponymous track certainly deserves a mention; somehow, the track manages to convey intense vulnerability along with an innate sense of aging wisdom.

The strangely magnetic ‘Indian Giver’ is another highlight on an album that ebbs and flows with mesmerising confidence.

Outstanding.

INDIGO TRAIL

Superunknown was foreshadowed by this band’s moment of glory ‘Jesus Christ Pose’ from 1991, a song whose musical complexity was intense and weighty. This could also be said of the 16 songs on this album, originally released in 1994. Although radio attention was drawn to the languid melody and respectable pace of single ‘Black Hole Sun’, the feel is supercharged throughout particularly on barnstormers like the title track and ‘Spoonman’. This is where the listener is treated to grand scale familiarity and individual creative expression at the same time. This reissue includes the usual remastering job which beefs up the original mix along with a bunch of b-sides and demos – some alright and some pretty ordinary.

But the original album holds up very well 20 years after its original release.

DAN BIGNA

RORY McCARTNEY

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Little Matador Little Matador [Fiction / Universal]

I Am The Riot Hearts [Independent Release]

Birdeatsbaby The Bullet Within [Future Proof Records ]

While Nathan Connolly is best known to the world as the lead guitarist for Mum-friendly UK arena fillers Snow Patrol, this self-titled debut album from his new five-piece band Little Matador offers up a considerably more raw and energetic take on anthemic rock. It’s also something of a reunion of sorts, with Connolly passing the lead guitar duties to pre-Snow Patrol bandmate Dave Magee so that he can assume full frontman duties. From the outset, it’s pretty obvious that Little Matador are a considerably heavier proposition than Connolly’s ‘main’ band, something that’s brought out in further detail by Sam Bell’s clear and powerful mix and production. ‘Liar Liar’ offers up a thrashy punk-pop race through tribal drumming, stacked up jagged guitar riffs and Connolly’s raw-throated vocals that hints at the harder edged side of Arctic Monkeys more than anything else. The sinuous ‘Cheating Heart’ meanwhile stakes out terrain that’s closer to the likes of QOTSA, offering up hard as nails desert rock grooves that preserve their heavy sense of swing amidst flowery layers of multitracked vocal harmonies.

While it was recorded in Melbourne, the songs for the debut record of I Am The Riot were penned in bars in America’s south that were long on character but short on elegance. Song lyrics revolve around frontman Brendan Ryder’s US odyssey, bush-fire hearts and the music, bars and cars that make up Melbournian nights. The band unashamedly worships at the altars of various gods, be they rock, folk or even (drawing on their origins) country in nature.

The Bullet Within opens bitingly, with the aptly titled ‘The Bullet’ – a track possessing a disarming but dazzling blend of violence and nonchalance – slamming the listener into attention.

Elsewhere, ‘Reasons’ offers up a sidestep into stomping call-to-arms style arena rock hooks and layered keyboards reminiscent of later period Oasis, before ‘Shatter’ takes things off on a jangling country-folk wander through stomped percussion, hazy layers of acoustic guitar and yelled female backing vocals that at points suggests an edgier take on Mumford & Sons. While it often isn’t hard to see the influences poking through here, on the whole this debut album from Little Matador sees them offering up an impressive and hook heavy collection of straightforward rockers that sounds pretty much tailor-made for big venues.

CHRIS DOWNTON

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The vocals of Ryder bear a warm, sweet sound and the guitar driven melodies have the happy quality of possessing instant, foot tapping appeal. Country influences sit on the band’s collective shoulders, but they don’t crowd out the rock/indie elements or the occasional zap of punk that appears in the forcefulness of the delivery. Solid harmonies and whole of band sing-along choruses add to the appeal.

References to both Americana and Melbourne suburbs are scattered through the album. Opener ‘Sugar Skulls’ joins the dots between the American roots of the lyrics and the band’s Victorian home, with Fitzroy getting an early mention. The song starts smooth and cool, before suddenly turning hot and fast. ‘Never Alone’, which carries a certain Living End verve to it, is the album highlight. The boys slip their elastic sided boots on, with a little rural touch and some pedal steel guitar, in ‘Brunswick Nights’, while ‘This Year’s (Lost) Resolution’ is great, pure, bouncy pop.

The third studio outing for band Birdeatsbaby, The Bullet Within is ultimately a touch too uneven for true brilliance, despite the strong start. The album’s single, ‘Spiders’ – featuring a collaboration with Gabby Young – is unfortunately a disappointment.

With so much possibility at its disposal, the track ties itself up in knots and promptly trips over them, mashing Young’s sophisticated vocals with jolting guitar and sharp strings that don’t so much juxtapose, but jerk. Fortunately, this does not stretch across the whole album. ‘Into the Black’, featuring violinist Melora Craeger, rises and falls effortlessly, while ‘Tenterhooks’ packs a punch right to the gut.

Even so, these great and varied offerings don’t quite gel with one another. The album is something like solving a jigsaw puzzle blind; the pieces are all there, but where to put them? However, Mishkin Fitzgerald’s vocals remain a highlight, deftly utilising raw captivation.

Overall, The Bullet Within is certainly a slightly uneven effort, but worth a listen nonetheless.

INDIGO TRAIL

It’s hard for a band like I Am the Riot to make a name for themselves. They are unlikely to be considered alternative enough to suit the JJJ playlist and lack the label connections usually needed to get on mainstream radio.

They deserve better.

RORY McCARTNEY

@bmamag

v

singles in focus by cody atkinson Raus ‘Drive’

Led Zeppelin III [Atlantic]

Sharon Van Etten Are We There [Jagjaguwar]

Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page has put in considerable effort to repackage the band’s back catalogue and the first three Zeppelin albums released between 1969 and 1970 have now been released. Although all are essential listening, I have chosen III to focus on as this album happens to be the most musically developed of the three.

A woman who had to break free from a relationship that was openly hostile to her music, New Jersey alt-folk singer Sharon Van Etten has been getting her own back ever since, using the emotional fallout from that scene to power the raw energy of her songs. From a minimalist girl-and-guitar debut with Because I Love You, her music has grown in depth with the move to a more band oriented production. Her fourth LP Are We There continues in that vein.

Firstly, the remastering is excellent; making the sound full and beautifully pitched, particularly when it comes to John Bonham’s drumming which always packed a punch at the best of times. The trebly compression which had limited earlier digital mastering has been fleshed out, making for a more rewarding listen on decent audio equipment.

Although somewhat critically maligned by those who were suspicious of the heavier turn British music was taking in the late 1960s, Page stuck to his guns in order to ensure his vision for the band was never compromised. By the time Zeppelin recorded its third album in 1970, the early blend of mystical folk rock and pile-driving rock n roll had become fully integrated full-flight riff-fests like ‘Celebration Day’ and ‘Immigration Song’ rubbed shoulders with modern British folk on ‘Gallows Pole’.

The excellent sound quality on this edition makes you want to pay closer attention, particularly to such a song as ‘Tangerine’ with its alluring flavours of melody, mood and delivery.

The bonus material also deserves repeat listens and the previously unreleased track ‘Key to the Highway/Trouble in Mind’ is soaked in the blues which the band had embraced from the onset and then radically transformed.

DAN BIGNA

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Van Etten’s voice possesses a great musicality as she lingers over individual words. Often melancholy in tone, she is most impressive when winding up from a slow, sleepy delivery to one that is strong and passionate. Song arrangements have a surface simplicity that belies their deeper complexity and notes are sometimes delivered with the severity appropriate to the wielding of weapons in a domestic. In ‘I Love You But I’m Lost’, the harsh drumbeat is like a slap to the face and even the hammered piano notes carry an aura of violence. ‘Your Love is Killing Me’ speaks of personal mutilation as a means of escaping from a relationship. ‘I Know’, sees Van Etten at her brilliant best with only a solemn piano for her consort, while in ‘Every Time The Sun Comes Up’ each word is strung out, delivered like an manifesto in itself. In a rare moment of humour, she sings, “People say I’m a one hit wonder/but what happens when I have two?”

When driving the family on long trips, don’t confuse this album with a kiddies album of similar title. The song themes might put the kids off relationships for life. (It’s much safer opting for the Hooley Dooleys.)

RORY McCARTNEY

The second single in the past couple of months for Raus, Drive puts a spotlight on Rory Stenning’s unique falsetto. ‘Drive’ is built on, for want of a better term, a driving beat and smooth keyboards, but it doesn’t get stuck in a rut at any point. Short, sweet but absolutely worthwhile.

Lower Plenty ‘On The Beach’ ‘On The Beach’ sees Lower Plenty return with a slice of seemingly ramshackle jangle pop.

There is no polish here, just the grit of clanking cymbals and overstrummed guitars. While a slight departure from their earlier material, it is no less enjoyable.

Death From Above 1979 ‘Trainwreck 1979’ After a hiatus of eight years, Canadian dance-punk two-piece Death From Above 1979 are back near where they left off, if not in the same spot. ‘Trainwreck 1979’ sees DFA 1979 play to their strengths, namely as a fun rock band with good pop instincts. The riffage on show throughout this track is particularly “rad”.

DJ Snake & Lil Jon ‘Turn Down for What’ WHY AM I LISTENING TO THIS? WHY AM I LISTENING TO THIS? WHY AM I LISTENING TO THIS? WHY AM I LISTENING TO THIS? WHY AM I LISTENING TO THIS? WHY AM I LISTENING TO THIS?

41

the word

on films

WITH MELISSA WELLHAM

It’s been a while since we saw a spoof movie that was actually funny. Austin Powers, definitely. The first Scary Movie, sure. Maybe even the second, when the concept still felt a little fresh. But it’s all been down hill from there. Well, 22 Jump Street saves the day. It’s not strictly a spoof, but it’s a satirical, self-referential, self-mocking script – that never veers from silly to stupid – and is a lesson in films not taking themselves too seriously.

quote of the issue “The Koreans bought the church back, so we had to move across the street... to 22 Jump Street.” – Deputy Chief Hardy (Nick Offerman), 22 Jump St

22 Jump Street

Calvary

Frank

The curse of the comedy sequel is that the jokes might fall flat a second time around.

22 Jump Street is one of the most genuinely funny sequels in recent memory – due, in large part, to the fact that it makes fun of the fact it’s a sequel. 22 Jump Street is self-referential and self-mocking; silly instead of dumb.

Creative writing teachers worth their salt will tell you that plot is always subservient to character. Without engaging characters, this film would have been a colossal flop.

Fortunately, every single one of them engaged with the audience with aplomb.

The freak flag is hoisted high in Frank but there’s a cathartic method to the madness that makes Lenny Abrahamson’s film a charmer. Jon (Domhnall Gleeson) is an aspiring songwriter who gets a break when he joins an experimental band led by a man who wears a papier-mâché head, Frank (Michael Fassbender). Frank is loosely based on the persona of Frank Sidebottom (the alterego of comedian Chris Sievey) and the story is influenced by writer Jon Ronson’s experiences playing keyboards for Sidebottom’s Oh Blimey Big Band. On screenwriting duties Ronson and Peter Straughan stray from the biopic format and into something fictional.

Jon’s aspirations of commercial success are at odds with his bandmates’ desire to create something unique. Abrahamson comically explores the mad genius of the band recording ambient sounds or discussing the possibilities of making an entire album out of the sound of a door closing. The band is frequently pushed to breaking point but a strange emotional force keeps them together, which Jon misinterprets as the key to being the next big indie act. Fassbender slowly reveals Frank’s vulnerabilities and it aches with sadness – it’s another brilliant performance from Fassbender. In these moments, Abrahamson deftly morphs the tone from laughing at the kooky behaviour of the characters, to sympathising with the emotionally wounded characters and their coping mechanisms. Frank is like a big group hug from the oddballs in your life.

Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Jenko (Channing Tatum) have been through high school twice, so their next assignment as undercover cops naturally takes them to university. The duo are trying to track down the campus drug dealer (an intentionally familiar plotline). Jenko joins the football team and Schmidt falls in with the slam-poetry, art-major bohemian crowd – and they have to work at keeping their bromance alive, while catching the bad guys.

The bromantic chemistry between Hill and Tatum is probably the best thing about the film; they are fun characters individually, but together they are as good as Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks. It’s refreshing to see a mainstream film take male friendships seriously (without taking themselves too seriously).

The brilliance of Hill and Tatum aside, the script is sharp and snappy, the self-referential jokes are smart and the speedy pacing means you don’t have time to get bored or think too seriously about whether this movie was motivated by financial or creative imperatives.

It’s silly, a little bit subversive and the script is damn funny.

MELISSA WELLHAM

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Father James Lavelle (Brendan Gleeson) is a good priest who is confronted during confession by a member of his parish with sinister intent. The anonymous confessor declares he will kill Father James in seven days, commencing a weeklong reckoning. Rather than putting his material possessions in order, he goes to his troubled flock of parishioners and attempts to give them guidance.

Child abuse, addiction, murder and suicide are just some of the heavy themes explored during this week through each character.

What is surprising for a film of this kind is (much like In Bruges) how funny it is. The director expertly weaves the blackest of humour within scenes of quiet and not-so-quiet desperation.

The threat of the coming murder is never far from the minds of the viewers and yet I laughed out loud several times.

Films are often powered by characters that are not particularly good people – what grips an audience is conflict.

It is remarkable that the main character is a very good man while the rest of the characters are varying shades of bad played by a star-studded cast.

Two very enthusiastic thumbs up for this.

EMMA ROBINSON

CAMERON WILLIAMS

@bmamag

The Rover Oh, how I feel for the tweenage girls who try to sneak in to see The Rover, just because Robert Pattinson is in it.

Directed by David Michod – who cemented himself as a talent to watch with his 2010 film Animal Kingdom, a movie about the Melbourne underworld – The Rover is a credit to his IMDB page. The film is still set in Australia and still deals with the darker side of society – but those similarities aside, Michod has clearly tried to do something different with this dystopian flick.

Eric (Guy Pearce) is a loner traveling through the outback – and besides that, we don’t know much about him at all.

When a ragtag gang steals his car and leave behind a wounded member of their team – Rey (Robert Pattinson) – Eric sets off in pursuit. Rey is not quite all there and acts as Eric’s hostage (and accomplice) and perhaps friend. Their dysfunctional relationship powers the film.

Michod wrote the film based on an idea he developed with Joel Edgerton – and it must be said that the script has the feel of a short story adapted for the screen. Despite the lack of action (whether physical or emotional), dialogue and even backing music, The Rover succeeds in its primary purpose, which is to keep the viewer sitting on the edge of their seat.

MELISSA WELLHAM

Transformers: Age of Extinction The advertorial origins of Transformers come full circle with the arrival of Transformers: Age of Extinction – the definitive infomercial blockbuster. After seeing Age of Extinction I was flabbergasted to define what I had just seen.

I felt like Dorothy waking up at the end of The Wizard of Oz, seeing the familiar elements of what I know to be a film, but unable to properly place them within the context of standard movie making. Big movie star Mark Wahlberg, you were there.

Luscious Industrial Light and Magic special effects magic, you were there. And Michael Bay’s bronzed beefcake slice of slightly racist and sexist Americana, you were there too. All of the ingredients were there but Age of Extinction cannot be defined as a film.

I had seen people blatantly plug sodas (World War Z and Pepsi) and the obligatory cut-to-mobile phone screen promotion (almost every film in the modern era) but this was something else. Bay treats the screen like a billboard and the story is viewed as a nuisance.

Action sequences and story beats are placeholders for advertising. It baffles the mind to imagine screenwriter Ehren Kruger sitting down and write scenes with specific instructions to incorporate brands. With Age of Extinction you get what has been paid for and that doesn’t feel like entertainment. Advertising gurus will celebrate because they’ve been able to sell products behind explosions and ridiculously good-looking people frowning at scenery.

CAMERON WILLIAMS

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43

the word on dvds

44

Eastbound and Down The Complete Fourth and Final Season [Warner Home Video] It’s no big secret that this fourth season of Eastbound and Down was never meant to be. The creative team behind the show (Adam McKay, Jody Hill, Ben Best and Danny McBride) made so much about three seasons being the natural arc of Kenny Powers that fans had made peace with a looming end date.

And with Powers rounding out the finale of season three faking his own death it did seem as though a naturally anarchic and deliberately obnoxious series had found a natural resting point. Giving the world a massive middle finger as his parting gesture whilst screwing over family and friends made total sense. So it was surprising to hear the team were bringing Kenny back from the dead – again – for another final season. You had to wonder what more was there to say about Kenny Powers the failed baseball pitcher, shit father, worse husband, outrageous jerk, drug addict, alcoholic and wearer of the worst mullet perm since Roberto Baggio circa 1990. And after seeing these last episodes, the answer is not much – but I’m glad they exist. Powers has now made an uneasy peace with family life and the world, though still labouring under the misapprehension he deserves applause for every step he takes. Then circumstance steps in and gives him a golden egg in the form of a guest on an ESPN-like sports chat show.

But Powers can never resist shitting in his own nest and soon enough his infantile approach to life is again his undoing. Ken Marino as Guy Young, host of said ESPN show, gets close to stealing the entire season.

Young is Powers’ perfect foil – just as obnoxious, but more successful. Their chemistry is nerve-jangling. After four seasons it’s hard to know if Kenny Powers has learnt anything but his pursuit of the American Dream has been fun to watch, if cringe worthy at times.

JUSTIN HOOK

House of Cards season 2 [Universal Sony] In House of Cards’ first season Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey) was driven by revenge – pure and simple. After being denied the plumb Secretary of State job, he implemented the ‘whatever it takes’ mantra as coldheartedly and lethally as possible. Frank was on the cusp of reaching his new goal, Vice President, and no one was going to stop him.

The show is a delight for anyone looking for scheming, conniving politicians who think nothing of ruining or ending lives to get ahead. And Frank is the beating, amoral heart of it all. But beyond the attainment of power Frank is an empty vessel. At one point he berates the President for swinging with the breeze and not holding a position – Frank is just as bad. There’s nothing behind his shifting allegiances than but raw power.

And perhaps that’s the case the show is trying to prosecute.

Crass power mongering is one thing, but the utter lack of insight is quite another.

House of Cards is a good show, although not quite as great as it thinks it is. Some plot points stretch credulity – one camera in that train station? And the hat and glasses combo were an effective disguise? Sure. As the season progresses Frank’s one dimensionality becomes ever more apparent to the point where he’s almost a cartoon villain – only thing missing is the sight of him lighting a stogie with a hundred dollar bill.

Laughing like a maniac. Still, it’s an addictive show; power has that effect. Frank’s wife Claire (Robin Wright) is a fuller character this time around and just as devious as her husband, probably more. It continues to look cold and dark – yes we get it, just like the characters – and that’s not a bad thing. Especially when it’s hiding something. It’s just impossible to tell if there’s anything deeper underneath.

JUSTIN HOOK

True Detective Season 1 [Warner Home Video] Ten years ago, the idea of Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson anchoring a critically acclaimed eight part Southern gothic noir TV drama with split time perspectives would have been laughable at best. Unfundable at the very least. The former was deep in his shirtless rom com years whilst Harrelson was a happy pot activist/B-movie actor.

But here we are in 2014 and the pair has just been nominated for Emmys. A busy award season awaits. This is a very confident show. It starts with the camera planted firmly on Martin Hart (Harrelson) recalling a crime 20 years past to a pair of investigators. The action then switches to that timeline. Then returns the present, where Rustin Chole (McConaughey) is talking to the same investigators. But where Marty looked a little fatter for the years, Rust has transformed from rakish Nietzsche cop to Lynyrd Skynyrd roadie; long hair, attitude and booze. Marty and Rust were once partners in the Louisiana police force and as the story progresses – slowly – that old case doesn’t seem as open and shut as everyone first imagined.

True Detective overlays some big philosophical ideas of the universe, good, evil, truth, manhood and memory onto a pretty generic cop drama.

Most of the philosophy comes courtesy of Chole; a man turning against humanity for personal reasons. He has ugly thoughts and is a bad guy, but only to keep other bad guys in their place. Or so he says. Not every hi falutin idea lands on target but McConaughey carries Chole’s flaky metaphysical rants with slow burn intensity.

He’s incredible. Arguably the show peaks halfway through with one of the best tracking shots committed to film. To give further detail would be to spoil. It does wobble at a crucial moment, but for all that came before, forgiveness is easy.

JUSTIN HOOK

@bmamag

the word

on gigs

Hello Satellites, Julia Johnson The Front Friday June 16 Acoustic gigs in coffee shops are usually pretty lovely within themselves. Make that coffee shop the cosy Front and have the music performed by Hello Satellites and Julia Johnson of The Deep Sea Sirens and lovely becomes exquisite. Though the large gathering in the gallery next door threatened to override Johnson’s first few songs, it thankfully quietened down and a beautiful serenity settled in. Peppered with light banter about ex-boyfriends and social media, Johnson’s set was filled with ‘Little Surprises’, such as calling doorman/Deep Sea Sirens’ bassist Seb up front to harmonise during ‘Eyes So Blue’. During ‘I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry’ – from The Beverly Hillbillies Movie – a great clash from out back shattered the tranquillity. “The moon is made of sheet metal,” Johnson quipped. The small but attentive audience had reached a comfortable state of attentiveness by the time the front-woman of Hello Satellites, Eva Popov, started to play. One of her earliest performances in a solo capacity, Popov was visibly nervous but remained composed. The record’s intricacies could clearly not be maintained with a one-woman band – noting before ‘Joy Inside Our Skin’ that the second album had contained no recorded guitars at all – but the simplicity allowed for Popov’s unique voice to bring itself forward. On record, Popov is gorgeous; in performance she verges on breath-taking. After graciously closing a set varying from old to brand new, Popov was summoned back onstage by Johnson for the heart-warming encore of ‘Building A Wall’. The combination of Johnson and Popov was made for The Front on a cold winter’s Friday night, filling those there with warmth.

ANGELA CHRISTIAN-WILKES

the word

on gigs

RÜFÜS, Hayden James ANU Bar Thursday June 19 It’s hardly a surprise, given that RÜFÜS managed to secure three tracks in this year’s Hottest 100, that their Canberra show last Thursday was completely sold out. What may be a surprise, however, is that their live show is, in effect, just their album with the volume cranked. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, particularly given that the positive reviews for Atlas almost entirely dwarf the negative ones. It just means the music, rather than being cut, sliced and dissected to fit the stage, bypasses innovation in favour of what already works.

For a band with such a fresh debut album, this is mildly disappointing, but it doesn’t completely stand in the way of what is ultimately an entertaining performance. Unsurprisingly, their Hottest 100 tracks ‘Sundance’ and ‘Tonight’ are the most memorable and it’s of no question that their vocal tracks are far, far ahead of their instrumentals. The real star of the show, however, is what goes on behind the boys; a new, state-of-the-art light show flashes, swoops and blazes almost more than the music itself. All in all a decent, well-rehearsed effort, but lacking the indubitable something their album revels in.

INDIGO TRAIL

PHOTO BY STEVE NEBAUER

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45

the word

on gigs

Saskwatch, Jim Lawrie, Calico Cat ANU Bar Saturday June 21 If there’s such a thing as silver-tongued soul, then Saskwatch’s Nkechi Anele has a mouthful of diamonds. In fact, Saskwatch are so good live that a post-show listen to their album Nose Dive sounds almost … empty. Truth be told, for a while, everything sounds empty when it isn’t accompanied by the ineffably smooth jazz/soul/rock hybrid that the nine piece band call their own. Mostly playing tracks from Nose Dive, the band have an explosively capricious effect that works entirely in their favour, allowing them to sail effortlessly from ‘Left Me To Die’ and its compelling danger to the irrepressible ‘Hands.’ Quite frankly, I’d be willing to bet there wasn’t a single still foot throughout ‘Give Me A Reason’ – and, surely, I don’t need to supply said reason for that.

The upshot of a brilliant live act is that it rather eclipses the support – and indeed, while both Jim Lawrie and Calico Cat showed promise, they were overshadowed by the formidable beast-beats of Saskwatch. This is perhaps apt, given the band’s name. It must be said, however, that the only bad thing about this monster of a band is one hour is hardly long enough to showcase their gargantuan sound.

INDIGO TRAIL

PHOTO BY STEVE NEBAUER

the word

on gigs

PHOTO BY ERICA HURRELL

46

Graveyard Train, Cherrywood Transit Thursday June 26 It was a good turnout for a Wednesday night and a fairly low profile band, with a lot of hirsute gentlemen present in the bar. Melbourne four piece Cherrywood took the stage with their battle scared double base and songs of drinking, patriotism and jail. While folkcounty at heart, they were a versatile mob. Starting with a slow, mellow mandolin driven tune, they made a mega jump in speed and volume to country-punk style, then switched vocalists and broke out the electric guitar for a burst of rock. Set highlights included ‘High End of a Low Town’, with its three man vocal delivery.The headlining sextet fronted with steel guitars, a banjo and Nick Finch with his trademark black hat. Kicking off with ‘The Sermon’, they are big on percussion, with one on drums, one on tambourine and Adam Johanssen striking the heavy links of the band’s famed chain, that is a major feature of their horror-country genre. They are big on vocals too, with lead vocals swapped between Fincha and Beau Skowron, who delivers his lyrics with the visage and gestures of the demented. Easing the punters into their new material, the gig was full of old songs and a track, ‘She Likes to Eat the Skin’, from their latest LP didn’t appear until four songs down the set list. Singing of witches, monsters and dancing with the dead, Graveyard Train is at its best with the combined power of all six voices. Their songs have the happy quality of lyrics which, even if you haven’t heard them before, you can quickly pick up and sing along to. With twangy western melodies, boot tapping rhythms and plenty of eccentricity, the gig served well to cement the band’s growing cult following.

RORY McCARTNEY

@bmamag

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47

the word

Dave Graney Smith’s Alternative Friday July 4

on gigs

Dave Graney is a raconteur, not afraid to entertain with both story and song. He commands the centre of stage, the spotlight, through both words and action. No support was provided for Dave Graney on the night, and quite frankly, none required. Graney has an ample back catalogue, with quite distinct phases across his career. Graney and his cohort have no problems filling an hour or two or three, and the quality didn’t seem to wane through the course of the night.

Part of the joy in seeing Dave Graney live is seeing how he plays off of Clare Moore, his collaborator for the last three odd decades.

They seem musically as one on stage, complimenting each other perfectly. This tour saw Moore out of her traditional role of being strictly behind the drum kit, instead playing an improvised side kit (anchored by a suitcase kit drum) and a heritage electric keyboard.

Graney himself showed his admirable chops on the guitar through the night, switching from 12 string to 6 frequently. Rounded out with a third member wielding a baritone guitar, the sound produced on the night was simple yet well rounded.

A particular highlight was the fake encore, which focused on songs from Graney and Moore’s early formative band The Moodists. To see and hear how well the material of The Moodists, now more than 30 years old, holds up today was a sheer joy on the night.

CODY ATKINSON

PHOTO BY MEGAN LEAHY

the word

on gigs

Lloyd Cole The Street Theatre Tuesday July 8 It was a very laid back gig; just Lloyd Cole and his two acoustic guitars up there under the lights. Cole noted that some people have choreography or light shows. He just moves his capo along the guitar neck. He announced himself as the opening act, and that he would come back after the intermission to headline. So we had two long sets to soak up a lot of his solo back catalogue, a scattering of songs from his latest LP ‘Standards’ and, of course, the much anticipated hits from the days of Lloyd Cole and the Commotions.

Obviously enjoying himself, Cole would tilt his head back, eyes closed with a slight smile, after striking the final note in each song.

There was plenty of space between words and music, with Cole letting the strings reverberate before carrying on to the next note.

He’d fade a song out by repeating the chorus and slowly backing away from the mic. Exhibiting a very dry sense of humour, Cole threw in a few quips to amuse the crowd. His audience used to get texts from babysitters, enquiring when they would be home. Now his punters are old enough that their kids have moved out. Emphasising this lapse of time, he followed up with the Commotions’ 1984 hit ‘Perfect Skin’. Without breaking stride in the lyrics, he threw a ‘Bless You’ in mid song after a punter sneezed. Searching for an illusive word, Cole snatched it from the air with a satisfied ‘yes’! He was not shy about pointing out similarities between songs either, saying how the next one had the same chords and rhythms as the last. Cole closed with ‘Forest Fire’ and a blessing that we get home safely.

RORY McCARTNEY

48

@bmamag

ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE Wed Jul 16 - Sat July 19

Listings are a free community service. Email editorial@bmamag.com to have your events appear each issue. wednesday july 16

Art Exhibitions Hibiki

Textiles, painting, print & photography influenced by Japan. Jul 10-27. WedSun 12-5pm. Free.

On The Town

Crooked Colours

Live Music

Cheap Feast

TRANSIT BAR

Family Values

$10 stew. $6 drinks. 6pm.

A. BAKER

Hump Day Wednesdays

Kick back mid-week with drink specials.

5pm.

M16 ARTSPACE

TRANSIT BAR

Intimate Spaces Revealed

Something Different

Until Aug 9. Tue-Fri 11am-5pm. Sat 10am-4pm.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

Winter Garden

Japanese pop culture. Jul 10-27. WedSun 12-5pm. Free.

M16 ARTSPACE

Glint

Connections between printmaking and glassmaking. Until Aug 3. Free.

CANBERRA GLASSWORKS

Patterns of the Past

Duncan Smith makes patterns to remember Wiradjuri ancestors. Tue-Sun 10-4pm. Free. Until Jul 27.

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Art Of Seduction

Until Aug 9. Tue-Fri 11am-5pm. Sat 10am-4pm.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

Proving My Existence

By Aaron Garlick. Jul 10-20. Wed-Sun 11-5pm. Free

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ARTS SPACE (MANUKA)

NAIDOC Exhibitions

Spirit of Country & Blaktism. Jul 10-27.

Tue-Thu 10-4pm. Weekends 12-4pm.

Free.

HUW DAVIES GALLERY

Price’s Café

Recreation of 1950s cafe welcoming to Aboriginal people. Until Jul 27.

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Comedy Improvention

International festival of unscripted theatre & comedy. Jul 16-20. Bookings & info at: thestreet.org.

THE STREET THEATRE

Film ANU Anime Society Screenings Jul 10-27. Wed-Sun 12-5pm. Free.

M16 ARTSPACE

Karaoke Curry-Oke Wednesdays

Hosted by Jonathan Davis. 8pm. Free Entry.

DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

Live Music Kelly Menhennett

Live music. Alternative country, roots and soul. Time TBA. Price TBA.

Bro.och

A wide selection of brooches & pins.

Until Aug 9. Open at 11am.

BILK GALLERY

Euroscience at Questacon

Celebrate Europe’s scientific achievements with shows & demonstrations. Jul 14-18. Info at: questaco QUESTACON

Theatre The Fairytale Channel

by Kirsty Budding

School holiday special theatre production. 10am & 2pm. 2pm only on July 19. $10.

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

Trivia

Workshops School Holiday Workshops

Science experiences for kids aged 10–15. Jul 8-17. Info at: questacon. edu.au QUESTACON

thursday july 17 Art Exhibitions EASS 2014

Art of 4 Graduates of the ANU School of Art Ceramics Workshop. Thurs-Sunday.

10am - 4pm.

WATSON ARTS CENTRE

Comedy Improvention

International festival of unscripted theatre & comedy. Jul 16-20. Bookings & info at: thestreet.org.

THE STREET THEATRE

LOL Pol Stand Up Comedy With Emo Parsonson. 8pm. $5.

POLIT BAR & LOUNGE

Dance Patyegarang

A dance about first contact. Jul 17-19.

Book at: canberratheatrecentre.com.au CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

With Propeller, Bacon Cakes, Spencer Scott, Swoon Queen & Ecruteak.

7.30pm. $10.

MAGPIES CITY CLUB

Special K

Live music. 9pm. Free.

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

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With Dog Act, Office Jerk & Yoko Oh No. 8pm. $10.

MAGPIES CITY CLUB

Azlan & Heuristic

Tim Clarkson . 7.30pm, $TBA.

5pm afternoon session. Band starts 10pm. Free.

Ten Tenors on Broadway

Jester

Thursday Jazz

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

Broadway’s most-loved classics. 8pm. $95/$111.50.

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

9pm. Free.

WALSH’S HOTEL

THE PLAYHOUSE

Straight Arrows & TV Colours

On The Town

TRANSIT BAR

4Some Thursdays

Live music. 8pm. $10.

80’s Tribute Night

Free all night.

Covers of iconic 80’s bands performed by local and interstate acts. 8pm. $20.

Thursday Long Play

Gin & Beats

ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

Dinner and Live Jazz. Feat. John Mackey Trio & Dollface. 5pm.

HOTEL HOTEL

Something Different Euroscience at Questacon

Celebrate Europe’s scientific achievements with shows & demonstrations. Jul 14-18. Info at: questaco QUESTACON

The Fairytale Channel by Kirsty Budding

Laura Palmer

Presented by CMC. 7.30pm. $10/$7.

THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ

POLIT BAR & LOUNGE

Fun, laughs & prizes! 7.30pm. Free.

Growing Change

Essie Thomas

Live music. Folk rock. Time TBA. Prices TBA.

Theatre

Live Music

ANU FOOD CO-OP

Eldbury

IQ Trivia Fun

THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ

Pedal Powered Film Screening and Q&A. 7-9pm. Free.

8pm. Presale via Moshtix

School holiday special theatre production. 10am & 2pm. 2pm only on July 19. $10.

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

Workshops School Holiday Workshops

Science experiences for kids aged 10–15. Jul 8-17. Info at: questacon. edu.au QUESTACON

friday july 18 Art Exhibitions EASS 2014

Art of 4 Graduates of the ANU School of Art Ceramics Workshop. Thurs-Sunday.

10am - 4pm.

WATSON ARTS CENTRE

Comedy Improvention

International festival of unscripted theatre & comedy. Jul 16-20. Bookings & info at: thestreet.org.

THE STREET THEATRE

Dance Patyegarang

A dance about first contact. Jul 17-19.

Book at: canberratheatrecentre.com.au CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

THE BASEMENT

With Yohan Strauss & Negronis.

5.30pm.

A. BAKER

The Yearlings 8pm, $TBA.

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

Ten Tenors on Broadway

Broadway’s most-loved classics. 8pm. $95/$111.50.

THE PLAYHOUSE

On The Town Alive Fridays

Presenting Mobin Master. $10 all night.

ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

Something Different Tarot Card Reading

6–8pm. Free entry. Must book. Call Marisol on 0404 364 820 POLIT BAR & LOUNGE

Euroscience at Questacon

Celebrate Europe’s scientific achievements with shows & demonstrations. Jul 14-18. Info at: questaco QUESTACON

Tour de France: Special Event

Enjoy a movie and the 13th stage of the tour. 7.30pm. Free.

ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE

Theatre The Fairytale Channel by Kirsty Budding School holiday special theatre production. 10am & 2pm. 2pm only on July 19. $10.

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

saturday july 19 Art Exhibitions Price’s Café

Recreation of 1950s cafe welcoming to Aboriginal people. Until Jul 27.

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Hibiki

Karaoke

Textiles, painting, print & photography influenced by Japan. Jul 10-27. WedSun 12-5pm. Free.

Wanni-Oke! Karaoke Night

Intimate Spaces Revealed

Live Karaoke. Kitchen specials from 6pm - 8pm. Karaoke starts at 8pm.

Free.

VALLEY TAVERN WANNIASSA

M16 ARTSPACE

Until Aug 9. Tue-Fri 11am-5pm. Sat 10am-4pm.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

49

ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE Sat Jul 19 - Wed Jul 23 EASS 2014

Art of 4 Graduates of the ANU School of Art Ceramics Workshop. Thurs-Sunday.

10am - 4pm.

Live Music Second Sun

sunday july 20

Second Sun and friends. Live music.

8pm. $10.

Art Exhibitions

Japanese pop culture. Jul 10-27. WedSun 12-5pm. Free.

4th Degree

Art of 4 Graduates of the ANU School of Art Ceramics Workshop. Thurs-Sunday.

10am - 4pm.

Afternoon Tea With The Artists

Jeff Lang

WATSON ARTS CENTRE

Winter Garden M16 ARTSPACE

The EASS artists discuss their work and demonstrate some techniques.

2pm. Free.

WATSON ARTS CENTRE

Patterns of the Past

Duncan Smith makes patterns to remember Wiradjuri ancestors. Tue-Sun 10-4pm. Free. Until Jul 27.

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Glint

Connections between printmaking and glassmaking. Until Aug 3. Free.

CANBERRA GLASSWORKS

NAIDOC Exhibitions

Spirit of Country & Blaktism. Jul 10-27.

Tue-Thu 10-4pm. Weekends 12-4pm.

Free.

HUW DAVIES GALLERY

Art Of Seduction

Until Aug 9. Tue-Fri 11am-5pm. Sat 10am-4pm.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

Proving My Existence

By Aaron Garlick. Jul 10-20. Wed-Sun 11-5pm. Free

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ARTS SPACE (MANUKA)

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

Live music. 10.30pm. Free.

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

Album launch. 8pm. $30. Book at: thestreet.org.au THE STREET THEATRE

Terry Batu

8.30pm. Free.

JERRABOMBERRA HOTEL

The Jukes 9pm. Free.

WALSH’S HOTEL

Music at Gorman House Markets

With Humbug, Night Potion, Hither & Yon + Carlos Perez.

GORMAN HOUSE ARTS CENTRE

Comedy Improvention

International festival of unscripted theatre & comedy. Jul 16-20. Bookings & info at: thestreet.org.

THE STREET THEATRE

Live Music Canberra Blues Society Jam With Marji Curran. 2–5:30pm. $3 members/$5 non-members.

HARMONIE GERMAN CLUB

Irish Jam Session

THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

Mulled Games

Board games and mulled wine. 5pm.

A. BAKER

tuesday july 22 Karaoke Karaoke Love

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

TRANSIT BAR

Karaoke Madness

58,000 songs to choose from. 8pm late. Free.

POLIT BAR & LOUNGE

Live Music The White Album Concert

Tim Rogers, Phil Jamieson, Josh Pyke and Chris Cheney tackle The Beatles’ White Album. Bookings: (02

Traditional Irish musicians from late afternoon. Free.

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

Joelistics

Irish Jam Session

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

TRANSIT BAR

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

Live music. Single launch. Starts 7.30pm. Tickets $10.

With Coda Conduct & Worlds Eye View.

8pm. presale via Moshtix.

Inebriator & Bound for Ruin With guests Claret Ash & Reign of Terror. 8pm. $15.

THE BASEMENT

Ten Tenors on Broadway

Broadway’s most-loved classics. 8pm & 2pm. $95/$111.50.

THE PLAYHOUSE

Improvention

On The Town

THE STREET THEATRE

WATSON ARTS CENTRE

Naked Bodies

Comedy International festival of unscripted theatre & comedy. Jul 16-20. Bookings & info at: thestreet.org.

EASS 2014

Something Different

Traditional Irish music. From late afternoon. Free.

The Acoustic Sessions

With Stu Tyrrell. 2pm-4pm. Free.

IRON BAR

Sparrow Folk

Comedic ukulele vocal duo. 5-7pm.

Free.

A BITE TO EAT CAFE

Sunday Sounds and Sangria

Liam McKahey & The Bodies 7.30pm, $10/$7.

wednesday july 23 Art Exhibitions Price’s Café

Recreation of 1950s cafe welcoming to Aboriginal people. Until Jul 27.

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

NAIDOC Exhibitions

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

Spirit of Country & Blaktism. Jul 10-27.

Tue-Thu 10-4pm. Weekends 12-4pm.

Free.

Love Saturdays

On The Town

Hibiki

ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

Free Pool at Transit

With Jono Fernandez. $10 all night.

Dance

Something Different

Patyegarang

Bro.och

3pm – 5pm, $5.

Free pool tables. From 2pm.

TRANSIT BAR

monday july 21

HUW DAVIES GALLERY

Textiles, painting, print & photography influenced by Japan. Jul 10-27. WedSun 12-5pm. Free.

M16 ARTSPACE

Intimate Spaces Revealed

Until Aug 9. Tue-Fri 11am-5pm. Sat 10am-4pm.

A dance about first contact. Jul 17-19.

Book at: canberratheatrecentre.com.au

A wide selection of brooches & pins.

Until Aug 9. Open at 11am.

BILK GALLERY

Comedy

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

Film

Theatre

Patterns of the Past

ANU Anime Society Screenings

The Fairytale Channel by Kirsty Budding

Schnitz & Giggles Improvised Comedy

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

Jul 10-27. Wed-Sun 12-5pm. Free.

M16 ARTSPACE

School holiday special theatre production. 10am & 2pm. 2pm only on July 19. $10.

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

Duncan Smith makes patterns to remember Wiradjuri ancestors. Tue-Sun 10-4pm. Free. Until Jul 27.

Live Music

Winter Garden

6.3pm-8pm, $5.

Bootlegs by (TBC) Live music. 8pm. $5.

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Japanese pop culture. Jul 10-27. WedSun 12-5pm. Free.

M16 ARTSPACE

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

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ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE Wed Jul 23 - Sat Jul 26 Glint

Connections between printmaking and glassmaking. Until Aug 3. Free.

CANBERRA GLASSWORKS

Art Of Seduction

Until Aug 9. Tue-Fri 11am-5pm. Sat 10am-4pm.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

Film ANU Anime Society Screenings Jul 10-27. Wed-Sun 12-5pm. Free.

M16 ARTSPACE

Karaoke Curry-Oke Wednesdays

Hosted by Jonathan Davis. 8pm. Free Entry.

On The Town

Live Music at King O’Malleys

Girls Night Out

Japanese pop culture. Jul 10-27. WedSun 12-5pm. Free.

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

Glint

Live music. 9pm. Free.

Thursday Jazz

Live music. 8pm. Free.

6–8pm. Free entry. Must book. Call Marisol on 0404 364 820

TRANSIT BAR

POLIT BAR & LOUNGE

ANU Anime Society Screenings

On The Town

Theatre

M16 ARTSPACE

Thursday Long Play

Wombat Stew

Dinner & Fusion with Bottlebrush, Alex Voorhoeve, Tim Wickham, Brother J & Mr Michael. 5pm.

HOTEL HOTEL

ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

CMC Presents Tim Hulsman & Felicity Lawless

Theatre

Free all night.

TRANSIT BAR

Something Different Bro.och

A wide selection of brooches & pins.

Until Aug 9. Open at 11am.

BILK GALLERY

Digital Feast

AV wonderland with uniVibes DJ and ANU Projection Artists. Cheap meals and drinks. 5pm.

Tarot Card Reading

Story-telling, mime, music, dance & puppetry. 10am & 11.45am. $25.

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

Nothing is Sacred by Kirsty Budding Theatre production. 7pm. $20. trybooking.com/92317 SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

saturday july 26

Wombat Stew

Story-telling, mime, music, dance & puppetry. 10am & 11.45am. $25.

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

Friday july 25

Hump Day Wednesdays

Kick back mid-week with drink specials.

5pm.

Live Music

Art Exhibitions Art Of Seduction

Until Aug 9. Tue-Fri 11am-5pm. Sat 10am-4pm.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

Price’s Café

With Goldfinger & Gimlets. 5.30pm.

Recreation of 1950s cafe welcoming to Aboriginal people. Until Jul 27.

The Edge Rock Show

The Anatomy of Life

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ARTS SPACE (MANUKA)

Gin & Beats A. BAKER

Live music. 5pm afternoon session.

Band starts 10pm. Free.

Angus Murphy

Live music. Kitchen specials from 6-8pm. Music from 8pm. Free.

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

By Angela Parragi. Wed - Sun 10am5pm. Until Aug 3. Free.

NAIDOC Exhibitions

Third Party

Spirit of Country & Blaktism. Jul 10-27.

Tue-Thu 10-4pm. Weekends 12-4pm.

Free.

WALSH’S HOTEL

Hibiki

A. BAKER

VALLEY TAVERN WANNIASSA

Trivia

9pm. Free.

HUW DAVIES GALLERY

Lemvis a Tribute to Johnny Cash and The King 8.30pm. Free.

Textiles, painting, print & photography influenced by Japan. Jul 10-27. WedSun 12-5pm. Free.

4 Dead in 5 Seconds

Intimate Spaces Revealed

IQ Trivia Fun

Fun, laughs & prizes! 7.30pm. Free.

POLIT BAR & LOUNGE

JERRABOMBERRA HOTEL

thursday july 24 Art Exhibitions The Anatomy of Life

By Angela Parragi. Wed - Sun 10am5pm. Until Aug 3. Free.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ARTS SPACE (MANUKA)

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Connections between printmaking and glassmaking. Until Aug 3. Free.

A Drone Coda

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

Live Music

On The Town

M16 ARTSPACE

John Mackey & Alec Hunter. 8pm. $15/$10.

4Some Thursdays

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

With Havana Brown. $20 before 11pm.

Something Different

DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

Live music. 7.30pm. $10/$7/$5.

Winter Garden

Live Music

Plus guests. 8pm. $15.

THE BASEMENT

The Cactus Channel

With the Brass Knuckle Brass Band.

Funk music. 8pm. Presale via Mostix.

TRANSIT BAR

M16 ARTSPACE

Until Aug 9. Tue-Fri 11am-5pm. Sat 10am-4pm.

CANBERRA GLASSWORKS

Film Jul 10-27. Wed-Sun 12-5pm. Free.

Live Music Live Music at The Basement NASJAP, Dawn Heist, Elision, Acid Nymph & Imperilment. 8pm. $15.

THE BASEMENT

Ayla

With Brother Be. Live music. 8pm. Free.

TRANSIT BAR

Oscar

Live music. 10.30pm. Free.

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

Music at Gorman House Markets

With Humbug, Night Potion, Hither & Yon + Carlos Perez.

GORMAN HOUSE ARTS CENTRE

Adam and Ash 8.30pm. Free.

JERRABOMBERRA HOTEL

Jacinta Le

EP Launch. 2-5pm. Free.

ANU ARTS CENTRE

On The Town Love Saturdays

With Runamark. $10 all night.

ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

Something Different Bro.och

A wide selection of brooches & pins.

Until Aug 9. Open at 11am.

BILK GALLERY

Hansel & Gretel Roller Derby Varsity derby league co-ed game & women’s game. Doors open 5pm.

Games at 5.30pm/7.20pm. $15.

SOUTHERN CROSS STADIUM

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

Theatre

Patterns of the Past

Wombat Stew

Duncan Smith makes patterns to remember Wiradjuri ancestors. Tue-Sun 10-4pm. Free. Until Jul 27.

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Story-telling, mime, music, dance & puppetry. 10am & 11.45am. $25.

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

@bmamag

ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE Sat Jul 26- Sat Aug 2 Nothing is Sacred by Kirsty Budding Theatre production. 7pm. $20. trybooking.com/92317 SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

sunday july 27

monday july 28 Something Different Mulled Games

Board games and mulled wine. 5pm.

A. BAKER

Art Exhibitions

Theatre

Hibiki

Take Me Home

Textiles, painting, print & photography influenced by Japan. Jul 10-27. WedSun 12-5pm. Free.

M16 ARTSPACE

Winter Garden

Japanese pop culture. Jul 10-27. WedSun 12-5pm. Free.

M16 ARTSPACE

Jul 10-27. Wed-Sun 12-5pm. Free.

M16 ARTSPACE

Live Music The Acoustic Sessions

With Mai & Sam. 2pm-4pm. Free.

IRON BAR

Veronicas Boyfriend

Laid back blues and grooves. 5-7pm.

Free.

Live Music

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

Live Music at The Basement

Live Music

THE BASEMENT

Obits

Live music. 8pm. Tickets available from Mostix. $25.60.

Live music with guests Flawlezz, Nix & Context. 8pm. Tickets available at Moshtix. $28.60.

CMC Presents Cassidy’s Ceili

Liberation Front

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

MAGPIES CITY CLUB

On The Town

With Brother Be, Pivotal Point, The Ians + more.

tuesday july 29 Karaoke Karaoke Love

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

TRANSIT BAR

Karaoke Madness POLIT BAR & LOUNGE

Cirque Mother Africa

Talents from 9 African countries. 7pm. $70/$80.

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

Cheap Feast

Free Pool at Transit

Free pool tables. From 2pm.

TRANSIT BAR

Theatre

$10 stew. $6 drinks. 6pm.

A. BAKER

Flaming Wreckage, Tortured, Claret Ash, ...Is Dead, Beast Impalor. 8pm. $15.

Guilty Simpson & Katalyst

TRANSIT BAR

TRANSIT BAR

Live music. Time TBA. Price TBA.

Live music. 7.30pm. $10/$7/$5.

Groovin the ANU

Hump Day Wednesdays

Kick back mid-week with drink specials.

5pm.

TRANSIT BAR

ANU BAR AND REFECTORY

Something Different Tarot Card Reading

Trivia

6–8pm. Free entry. Must book. Call Marisol on 0404 364 820

IQ Trivia Fun

POLIT BAR & LOUNGE

Fun, laughs & prizes! 7.30pm. Free.

POLIT BAR & LOUNGE

saturday august 2

thursday july 31

Art Exhibitions

Something Different

Dance

Storytime with Jay Sullivan

Quantum Leap in Boundless

Until Aug 9. Tue-Fri 11am-5pm. Sat 10am-4pm.

THE PLAYHOUSE

The Anatomy of Life

8pm. $18.

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

wednesday july 30

Nothing is Sacred by Kirsty Budding

Art Exhibitions

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

Until Aug 9. Tue-Fri 11am-5pm. Sat 10am-4pm.

Theatre production. 7pm. $20. trybooking.com/92317

Youth contemporary dance ensemble.

7pm. $20/$32.

CANBERRA GLASSWORKS

THE PLAYHOUSE

On The Town

TRANSIT BAR

Dance

Glint

Youth contemporary dance ensemble.

7pm. $20/$32.

On The Town

The music of Queen and free pool tables. 3pm. Free.

friday august 1

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

Quantum Leap in Boundless

Theatre production. 7pm. $20. trybooking.com/92317

A BITE TO EAT CAFE

DECADES

POLIT BAR & LOUNGE

Until Aug 9. Tue-Fri 11am-5pm. Sat 10am-4pm.

THE PLAYHOUSE

Live Music

ROSE COTTAGE

Burlesque glamour. 7.30pm. $20. Book at: politbar.co

Dance

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

Blues/roots. 2-5pm. Free.

Intimate Spaces Revealed

Shaken & Stirred

Nothing is Sacred by Kirsty Budding

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

Irish Jam Session

Finn

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ARTS SPACE (MANUKA)

Quantum Leap in Boundless

The Music & Life of John Denver. 8pm. $70.

58,000 songs to choose from. 8pm late. Free.

Traditional Irish music. From late afternoon. Free.

Something Different

By Angela Parragi. Wed - Sun 10am5pm. Until Aug 3. Free.

Connections between printmaking and glassmaking. Until Aug 3. Free.

Film ANU Anime Society Screenings

The Anatomy of Life

Art Of Seduction

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

Art Of Seduction

Youth contemporary dance ensemble.

7pm. $20/$32.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

By Angela Parragi. Wed - Sun 10am5pm. Until Aug 3. Free.

Live Music Leigh Barker

Live music. With guests Ben Pannuci & The Finer Cuts. 8pm. Prices TBA. SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

Thursday Jazz

Leigh Barker. 7.30pm. $15.

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

OUT

Jul 30

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ARTS SPACE (MANUKA)

Intimate Spaces Revealed

Until Aug 9. Tue-Fri 11am-5pm. Sat 10am-4pm.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

kate miller-heidke early music aston shuffle peking duck circa s ...and more!

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FIRST CONTACT SIDE A: BMA band profile

Aaron Peacey 0410381306 band.afternoon.shift@ gmail.com.au Adam Hole 0421023226

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

Several Devils Where did your band name come from? A computer game.

Group members? Ian Robert Lind – prime protagonist (lead vocals & guitar), Misha Momcilovic – prime enthusiast (drums). Victor Simic (guitar & vocals), Shaun Coen (bass).

Describe your sound: In a box - Australian underground rock.

Crunching melodic guitars, fast solid rhythms with punk attitude and rock energy.

Back to the Eighties Ty Emerson 0418 544 014 Backbeat Drivers Steve 0422733974 backbeatdrivers.com Bat Country Communion, The Mel 0400405537 Birds Love Fighting Gangbusters/DIY shows-bookings@ birdslovefighting.com Black Label Photography Kingsley 0438351007 blacklabelphotography.net

Who are your influences, musical or otherwise? Radio Birdman, The Saints, The Celibate Rifles and a plethora of UK and New York punk. Plus music of a bygone Canberra era with Young Docteurs, Club of Rome, Hell Yes, the Creeps and the Untouchables.

Bridge Between, The Cam 0431550005

What’s the most memorable experience you’ve had whilst performing? When Hell Yes reformed for the Canberra Punk and Beyond gathering, Guy Fawkes night 2011. It led to the book ‘Head Full of Flames’ being published, immortalizing Canberra’s underground music scene from decades past, forever.

Chris Harland Blues Band, The Chris 0418 490 649 chrisharlandbluesband @gmail.com

Of what are you proudest so far? We’re all old mates so this band gives us the excuse to get together doing what we love the most – talking shit and belting out some rockin’ grooves.

What are your plans for the future? To boldly cross the boundaries of Canberra’s subcultures as we return to the local scene playing the music we want to listen to.

What makes you laugh? Our master, his antics and his sayings – “For too long have the ancient ones slept, but now we rise”.

What pisses you off? Bad sound mixes from arrogant sound techs and people who take themselves way too seriously.

What about the local scene would you change? No band should pay to play. Bring back the cheap door deal. Venues should pay for publicity, the PA and the lights. We need a free phone app to link ALL Canberra’s events/gigs. Oh and free beer for bands.

What are your upcoming gigs? Punk and Disorderly at the Croatian Club – Saturday August 9 and Saturday September 27.

Contact info: severaldevilz@gmail.com, facebook.com/ severaldevilz

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Australian Songwriters Association Keiran (02) 62310433

Capital Dub Style Reggae/dub events Rafa 0406647296

Cole Bennetts Photography 0415982662 Danny V Danny 0413502428 Dawn Theory Nathan 0402845132 Danny 0413502428 Dorothy Jane Band, The Dorothy Jane 0411065189 dorothy-jane@dorothyjane.com Drumassault Dan 0406 375 997 Feldons, The 0407 213 701 FeralBlu Danny 0413502428 Fire on the Hill Aaron 0410381306 Lachlan 0400038388 Fourth Degree Vic 0408477020 Gareth Dailey DJ/Electronica Gareth 0414215885 Groovalicious Corporate/ weddings/private functions 0448995158

In The Flesh Scott 0410475703 Itchy Triggers Alex 0414838480 Jenn Pacor Singer-songwriter avail. for originals/covers 0405618630 Johnny Roadkill Paulie 0408287672 paulie_mcmillan@live.com.au Kayo Marbilus facebook.com/kayomarbilus1 Kurt’s Metalworx (PA) 0417025792 Los Chavos Latin/ska/reggae Rafa 0406647296 Andy 0401572150 Missing Zero Hadrian 0424721907 hadrian.brand@live.com.au Moots Huck 0419630721 Morning After, The Covers band Anthony 0402500843 Mornings Jordan 0439907853 MuShu Jack 0414292567 mushu_band@hotmail.com Obsessions 0450 960 750 obsessions@grapevine.com.au Painted Hearts, The Peter (02) 62486027 Polka Pigs Ian (02) 62315974 Rafe Morris 0416322763 Redletter Ben 0421414472 Redsun Rehearsal Studio Ralph 0404178996/ (02) 61621527 Rug, The Jol 0417273041 Sewer Sideshow Huck 0419630721 Simone & The Soothsayers Singing teacher Simone 62304828 Sorgonian Twins, The Mark 0428650549 Soundcity Rehearsal Studio Andrew 0401588884 STonKA Jamie 0422764482 stonka2615@gmail.com Strange Hour Events Dan 0411112075 Super Best Friends Greg greg@gunfever.com.au System Addict Jamie 0418398556 Tegan Northwood (Singing Teacher) 0410 769 144

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

Top Shelf Colin 0408631514

Haunted Attics band@hauntedatticsmusic.com

Zoopagoo zoopagoo@gmail.com

Undersided, The Baz 0408468041

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