BMA Magazine 445 - 30 July 2014 by BMA Magazine

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Why did the guy quit his job at the cannery? He found it soda pressing. #445J U LY 3 0 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: advertising@bmamag.com

Editor Tatjana Clancy T: (02) 6257 4456 E: editorial@bmamag.com

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

Sub-Editor & Social Media Manager Chiara Grassia Graphic Design Chris Halloran Film Editor Melissa Wellham

The folk at the Capital Arts Patron Organisation (CAPO) are continuing their good work by inviting Canberra artists to again put their hat in the ring for 13 different arts awards and residencies ranging from between $500 to $13,000. They’ve been at it for 31 years and have given out around 1.9 million dollars to artists seeking to further their careers. Paul McDermott is their new patron, and is no stranger to the highs and lows of the Canberra arts community. That’s all well and good, I hear you say, as you complete another masterpiece in your shed, using a stray cat as your only source of heat and hoping that NutriGrain really does cater to all of your nutritional needs. You laugh into a dark room lit only by a small tealight and your waning optimism; arts grants, they’re as joyful and creative an application process as the art they wish to fund, why bother? Where’s MY Good News Week you say? Perhaps it’s time for us all to cast our cynicism aside as I tell you that CAPO is keen to inject even more diversity into the mix by encouraging as many different mediums and concepts as you can throw a colour wheel at. Basically if you can prove your idea has artistic merit you’re in with far more of a shot than if you tried to sell your work to others in your dole queue. I’ve been working on a wondrous art installation at my house with a working title ‘Never judge an album by its cover’. It features hundreds of CDs and dozens of records that

hurt. The launch is at Griffith Neighbourhood Hall, 55 Stuart Street, Griffith (Next to Griffith shops) on Friday the 1st of August. 6:30pm – 8pm, $5 entry. Fiona says to bring comfy clothes, a water bottle and enthusiasm (she means for my awesome dance routines). More info on nolightsnolycra.com

MORE LIGHTS, MORE LYCRA

We give stuff away regularly, but the true winners are our inboxes when we receive hilarious answers that have us rolling around the BMA office with mirth. My favourites this week were centred around your fictitious Scandinavian Film Festival program as you came up with your own movie titles. Jeremy even provided us with a brief synopsis for each of his suggestions;

Yeah, that idea hasn’t flown so far, but thankfully the alliteration that HAS taken off is back once more in a new venue. No Lights No Lycra is a community dance event created by Alice Glenn and Heidi Barrett in 2009. It has become a global dance community where a bunch of people get together, turn off the lights and dance like nobody’s watching! There are no steps to learn, no technique, no judgement. It’s a place to experience the pure joy of dancing. A new NLNL night is launching in Griffith, Canberra on the 1st of August, held weekly thereafter every Friday. This event was created by Fiona Harris a dance devotee who has been embarrassing herself on dance floors since ’88. Fiona believes in the power of uninhibited dance and says, “No Lights No Lycra recaptures the pure joy of dancing that you felt as a kid. We offer a place to dance that’s free of judgement and expectations. We turn off all the lights and dance like an un-coordinated version of Kevin Bacon in Footloose. We play everything from Beastie Boys to Beyoncé and everyone is welcome!” I’m secretly disappointed that no one will get to see my Courtney Cox/Bruce Springsteen routine, but I figure tying everyone up and making them stay for an extra few minutes of joy won’t

WINNERS CORNER

Is that Rein, deer?– One for the mature film fan. Magnus and Frieda set off on a dream trip around far reaches of Scandinavia, only to be interrupted by unexpected weather conditions and unruly wildlife, with hilarious results. Lock, Stockholm, Two Smoking Barrels– A rollicking crime caper taking the viewer through the underbelly of Sweden, Denmark and Norway’s interlinked criminal worlds. Characters that play up to Scandinavian national stereotypes add a light comic touch. Fjord Mustang– Olaf is renowned as a champion ocean kayak racer in Scandinavia but dreams of something more. A chance meeting sees him take on the world’s best in the USA, earning himself money, fame and a new nickname. But is his new life all it’s cracked up to be? I’m glad the lights are hiding my shirt, but what about the fire exits?

THROW YOUR ARMS AROUND PAUL MCDERMOTT: HE HAS ARTS MONEY TO GIVE YOU

are in incorrect cases. If this is the sort of competition you’re up against you can see why you might be in with a chance. If I have somehow reignited your passion you can head to capo. org.au/awards/ for an online application form and guidelines. Applications are currently open and close at midnight on Monday the 15th September, 2014.

NEXT ISSUE 446 OUT August 13 EDITORIAL DEADLINE August 6 ADVERTISING DEADLINE August 8 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 It’s been an emotional sine wave of a week as far as Canberra venues are concerned, with one old flame-licked favourite re-opening and another exciting new art space entangled in the much-maligned red tape of the ACT Planning and Land Authority. Let’s start with the bad news. The Chop Shop – which was set to be a dynamic new art, skate and community space along Lonsdale Street in Braddon – was shut down before it could even properly open. So excited were we here at BMA Mag HQ that we eagerly slapped the space on our previous front cover. But there is hope. As Sancho Murphy – one of the bright brains behind The Chop Shop, and operator of Sancho’s Dirty Laundry – told us this week: “We’re working with the government to overcome this red tape with a temporary solution. Pending that solution, we will be going ahead with the full calendar we previously had planned.” Is there anything us fun-lovin’ free-wheelin’ Canberrans can do in the meantime to help? “You can sign the petition!” Sancho chirps. “It’s up on our Facebook page, as well as being hosted at change.org… We’re basically trying to prove the worth of the space by showing how many people it can support by existing.” Jump on and get involved, people. In happier news, The Phoenix surprised almost everyone by re-opening back on Tuesday July 22 and what a wonderful community event it was.

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 butt-fugly couple who thought it was hilarious to walk past their shitbox Volvo only to circle back to it, thus loosing me a much needed spot in the Mooseheads carpark tonight - You PISSED ME OFF! Not only was I half an hour late to the 18th birthday dinner of a very dear friend (due to looking for ANY available spot to park- civic you pissed me off as well), but you had the gall to laugh about it to one another as someone else me took my place. You know what I hope happened to you on the drive home? Nothing. I hope the two of you shitheads live a long, long life in the company of one another - that would be punishment enough.

to the poor excuse for a human being, who’s head is sooooo far up his arse he probably doesn’t even read bma - you pissed me off, when, on a very busy road, you opened your damn car door soooo far out that other drivers nearly swipe it off (now I wish I did) and as I had to swerve, you got all abusive and verbal, not even owning up to your fault, you fucken pissed me off, you ugly human bastard face!

Powered by the always-entertaining pseudo-hillbilly grooves of The Fuelers, the night had it all - the drunk chick insisting everyone get up and dance; familiar faces from local nearby Canberra businesses; jovial bar staff and of course plenty a smiley face to be seen from the packed house. This was not a one-off soft opening night one hopes? “Yep, we’re definitely open,” The Phoenix overseer and perennial Irish rapscallion Sean Hannigan told me from his winter death bed (yet another victim of The Canberra Flu). “We’re back to what we did before… Monday is the Bootlegs, Tuesday quizzes… [As for acts] We have some firm bookings, but we’re seeing how it goes. This week we’ll start hard booking things in rather than not being sure. “Our big goal is getting back into the old part of the pub,” he continues. “It’s about reuniting both sides. In the meantime, we’re making the best of it that we can.” Amongst the hardship, toil and loss of revenue the fire created for The Phoenix, was there at least some joy to the amazing reaction and response felt by the re-opening? “It was unbelievable,” Sean confirms, emotion clearly in his voice. “It was REALLY encouraging, so many smiley, happy people. The staff were amazing. It felt good to be back.” Apathy is the death of ingenuity, my friends. We can sit on our hands whilst our tongues wag about what could be done better in this town, but here before you are two ways in which you can make a positive step to show your support for some hardworking venue operators. Go and sign The Chop Shop petition. Go and have a pint at The Phoenix. Canberra will be a better place for it. ALLAN SKO - allan@bmamag.com

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WHO: COOLIO WHAT: GIG WHEN: MON AUG 4 WHERE: TRANSIT BAR

WHO: JOVA WHAT: ALBUM LAUNCH WHEN: SAT AUG 2 WHERE: THE BASEMENT

WHO: Bone Thugs N Harmony WHAT: GIG WHEN: THURS AUG 14 WHERE: THE BASEMENT

In what is fast becoming an annual event, hip-hop legend Coolio has announced that he will be coming to Australia and will grace the Transit Bar stage. This MC is one of the most popular and successful rappers worldwide selling multi-platinum albums. A sensational composer, recorder and producer, Coolio continues to receive worldwide attention for his work as both an entertainer and role model who helps young people through his position as honorary director of the Heritage Begins Within Foundation. To see Coolio perform his mega-hit song ‘Gangstas Paradise’ get to Transit Bar by 8pm where tickets are $35+bf from moshtix.com.au Jova are an independent progressive rock trio who are based in Sydney and are ready to march their debut EP record - Colours that Run - across Australia’s countryside. With hypnotic beats, tribal rhythms and haunting guitar work, music fans will be reawakened as the trio reassert rock ideals that have largely been missing from modern music at large. Their unique sound - influenced by heavyweights such as The Mars Volta, Mastodon, Primus, Tool and Sigur Rós – manage to capture that elusive, refreshing human element while hinting towards a lavish darkness and mature aesthetic only obtained through dedication, distillation and time. Doors open at 9pm. Tickets $15 from jova.com.au. Having not been to Australia in over 18 months, it is that time again. Hip Hop legends Bone Thugs N Harmony are back with an exciting new line-up of cities and shows. This year they are hoping to scour new artists from across the nation to sign onto their new record label. Impressed by the talent us Australians posses this duo will travel by road so that they can see what else we have to offer. You can expect the entire award winning classics Bone Thugs n Harmony has to offer plus more as they tour through our beautiful capital. Doors at 7pm. Tickets $45+bf from moshtix.com.au

WHO: Bielfield & Glen WHAT: GIG WHEN: FRI AUG 15 WHERE: CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

Musical artists Kyle Bielfield and Lachlan Glen are on their way down under for their first ever Australian tour. The singer-pianist duo debuted early last year and received gleaming reviews from both musical enthusiasts and critics alike from across the globe. The duo will be presenting a production to Australia’s east coast that is as stimulating to the eyes as it if to the ears, with newly developed visual to accompany the reimagined folk, pop and classical hits that Bielfield & Glen specialize in. Doors open at 7pm. Tickets $61.50 from the Canberra Theatre Centre or bgtour.com.au.

WHO: Art vs. Science WHAT: ALBUM LAUNCH WHEN: FRI AUG 15 WHERE: TRANSIT BAR

Aussie electro-house trio Art vs. Science are touring regional Australia this year to celebrate the new release of their album Creature of The Night. This tour is guaranteed to get dance floors and festival crowds cranking and perfectly demonstrates the bands offbeat sense of humour. Weird costumes and the world’s largest hypnotron (maybe) will most definitely provide entertaining visual accompaniments that will mess with your head. Their national run of metro dates in June completely sold out, so punters should grab tickets early. Doors open at 8pm. Tickets are $20+bf from Moshtix. com.au.

WHO: JAMES REYNE WHAT: GIG WHEN: SAT AUG 16 WHERE: CANBERRA THEATRE PLAYHOUSE

Seats are being snapped up left, right and centre as James Reyne prepares to play Australian Crawl: The Crawl Files Live at the Canberra Theatre Playhouse. This is the closest thing fans will ever get to an Australian Crawl Reunion as James assembles an exceptional band to play the songbook of Australian Crawl – a no holds barred, full band, rock’n’roll assault. Back in January of this year, the Australian Crawl catalogue was released digitally for the first time to great success. With ongoing support from fans James has continued to dig through the vaults, unearthing gems to be performed live. Doors at 8pm. Tickets $65+bf. Ticketek.com

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ZOE PLEASANTS I distinctly remember the last time KATE MILLER-HEIDKE came to Canberra, it was the night Kevin Rudd finally managed to oust Julia Gillard from her job. I wondered, when I spoke to her, if she remembered the gig and she did. “That was brilliant, it was electric!” she says. All that feels like a long time ago now, with the protagonists long forgotten, but it was only last year and the enduring Miller-Heidke has been busy since then, releasing her new record O Vertigo! in March. She will be back in town this August touring it. “Mmaybe Malcolm Turnbull will have it out the night I’m back,” she quips. O Vertigo! represents a departure from the way Miller-Heidke has done things before: she’s gone independent and has written most of the songs by herself. I ask her what drove these changes. “I think a sense of wanting to be more in control of everything,” she says. “It’s a lot more work, but at my stage of career, it’s something that I value… And in terms of writing it myself, I felt like it was time to step up really and take complete creative control.”

It seems that more than her choice in record company it is MillerHeidke’s surroundings and state of mind that influences her sound. She described the process of writing O Vertigo! as joyful and a complete contrast from the misery she experienced when she wrote her previous record, Nightflight, sequestered away in a house on the outskirts of Toowoomba. “You know you have these romantic ideas about living somewhere rural and getting away from any distractions and just making art but I think the reality is a lot more depressing and a lot less romantic than it sounds,” she says. It was early 2011 when she wrote Nightflight and suddenly Miller-Heidke’s isolation became real as Toowoomba experienced dramatic flash flooding. “The making of that album was very miserable in a lot of ways,” she notes.

I waiver between like arrogance and self-loathing, probably what most artists would feel like

When she left the corporate comfort of Sony, Miller-Heidke turned to Crowdfunding, using the platform PledgeMusic to invite her fans to contribute money towards the cost of recording O Vertigo! in exchange for rewards. These rewards included a copy of the album, their names appearing in the liner notes, the Wurlizer piano on which she wrote O Vertigo! and having Miller-Heidke phone a person of their choice and sing Happy Birthday. The campaign was hugely successful: Miller-Heidke received 100 per cent of her target goal in just three days, which really buoyed her. “I was a bit anxious about some of the aspects of leaving a major label,” she admits. “But just knowing that there were fans that wanted to stick with me and had enough faith to buy the record before they’d even heard it. Yeah, it gave me some confidence.” When I ask what difference releasing O Vertigo! independently had on its sound, Miller-Heidke is quick to respond that Sony had always been very supportive of her and she felt she could make the music she wanted when she was with them. But, “I suppose part of me did feel the pressure to come up with something they could sell, in inverted commas and something that sounded like the radio,” she says. “Even if it was just sub-consciously, I felt that pressure.” And with that pressure removed, what guided her musical direction? She wasn’t sure. “Inner confidence or stupidity – just the idea of doing this for a living is kind of crazy! You make something at home and you hope that it’s good, but you never know for sure. I guess, I waiver between like arrogance and self-loathing, probably what most artists would feel like. There’s no way of knowing it’s good, the only thing I can do is put out something I like.”

So not surprisingly, after writing and touring Nightflight Miller-Heidke felt burnt-out. “It was the heightened pressure I felt, leaving such a big gap, four years, between records. It was living in Toowoomba with Kier [Nuttal], my husband and collaborator, slowly sending each other insane and getting cabin fever and ending up with a whole lot of songs about death,” she explains. “It’s a beautiful record and I stand by it as a piece of art but it was quite a downer. During that record and going through those songs each night was quite draining.”

To get some relief, Miller-Heidke moved to an art deco apartment in Kangaroo Point, overlooking the Brisbane River and it was here that she wrote O Vertigo! Nuttal was away for much of the time, busy doing other things —he has a new comedy act and he’s currently on tour opening for The Beards— so Miller-Heidke found herself writing by herself. “I actually wrote a lot of O Vertigo! out of doors, walking. Walking across bridges and near the river, the Brisbane River is quite majestic and beautiful. And some of that sense of momentum kind of carried through into the songs from the walking,” she says. “There’s something about physical exercise that can jolt a few things loose in your brain. I do think the process was very joyful, the most joyful it’s been for me.” Having been written from a joyful place, Miller-Heidke is now looking forward to touring the album. “Each time [I tour] the set kind of evolves. Nightflight-era, the set was probably a bit more stormy and brooding. I’m still going to keep those elements because they’re powerful, but everything feels a little lighter. I’m touring with a full band to the capital cities. It’s going to be the first time we’ve played these songs live with a full band. It should be fun.” Catch Kate Miller-Heidke with Ryan Keen supporting at the Canberra Theatre Centre on Saturday August 23 from 7.30pm. Tickets $61.50 + bf from canberratheatrecentre.com.au

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LOCALITY

Oh, thank the stars! It has returned! The Phoenix is back and there will never be a better way for me to start an edition of Locality than with that glorious news. At this stage, the list of forthcoming gigs is still under wraps, but Canberra Musicians Club have confirmed that they will be bringing their Bootlegs Sessions back to their spiritual home from Monday August 4, with many more magnificent musical announcements to come. Sure, starting with news as spectacular as this may mean that I’ve peaked too early, but when you see the list of local gigs coming up, I’m sure you’ll find it easy to maintain your enthusiasm. If you’re feeling like you need a few more jaunty jigs in your life, local purveyors of Celtic sounds Cassidy’s Ceili will be bringing a little Irish flavour to Smith’s Alternative on Wednesday July 30 from 7:30pm, with entry just $10. Groovin The ANU is back again with a great mix of local acts on Friday August 1 from 8pm. You’ll get to see sets from Brother Be, Pivotal Point, The Ians and more and you won’t have to pay a cent! This monthly event is really starting to pick up momentum and is a great way to catch a whole bunch of Canberran musos for the best price in town! After blowing their Kickstarter goal out of the water with a final total of over $16,000 thanks to a crowd of local street art and music lovers, The Chop Shop in Braddon is (at the time of writing) almost ready to open their doors. Unfortunately, progress has hit a snag thanks to some superb work by the ACT Planning and Land Authority. (Sorry, did some of my sarcasm drip onto your shoe?) Their first event had to be hosted at Lonsdale Street Traders, but hopefully the Shop will be open for good times and awesome music and art really soon, bureaucratic road blocks notwithstanding. Keep an eye on facebook.com/chopshopcanberra for all the updates as they happen. Magpies Underground will be playing host to a bunch of rough and tumble local acts on Saturday August 2, from 8:30pm. Taking to the stage will be Knights of the Spatchcock, Na Maza, Johnny Roadkill, with Brisbane blow-ins (_FAT_) also coming along for the ride. Entry is $10 and promises a night that will have your ears ringing well into Monday morning.

The Chris Harland Blues Band will be launching their new record, A Long Time Coming, at the Old Canberra Inn on Friday August 1 from 8:30pm, with CDs available for sale and entry costing you absolutely nothing! Finally, the Art Underground Open Mic Night will return to Beyond Q Bookshop at the Curtin Shops on Friday August 8 from 7pm. There’ll be plenty of different things going on, with spoken word and other beautiful things also welcome, but it’s also the perfect opportunity for local musos to spruik their wares! It’s touted as a warm, welcoming environment for emerging artists, so whether you’re an old hand or just looking to give it a go, this may well be your chance! Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to meet a bloke called Cooper in a certain pub on East Row. NONI DOLL NONIJDOLL@GMAIL.COM/@NONIJDDOLL

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We put out a mix tape today from a rapper in Atlanta, Georgia

THE EARLY BIRD GETS THE BEATS rory mCcartney

Launched just last January with a show at the Phoenix, local record label Holy Eucharist Line is having a name change and hosting a show at a new venue in Braddon to launch its Autumn/Winter catalogue. They are dropping their religiously inspired title (with the slightly sacrilegious acronyms HEL) for the more prosaic EARLY MUSIC and have swapped their runic emblem for a wicked new logo. BMA spoke one third of Early Music, Sam Andrews, to find out about the label’s progress in their first six months and their next big event. “Progress is a bit slow, but we’re finding people and working on new music and learning more about the business,” he says. After starting off with music from bands in which they were involved, the label’s creators have been pursuing new talent. “We meet people through doing music, through contacts in other bands we know and through the internet,” explains Andrews. “We found people in Soundcloud and hit them up.” While most bands are from the ACT and the region, the label is spreading its fingers widely. “We have a couple in Perth, through my brother Elias Andrews who is a musician and we put out

a mix tape today from a rapper in Atlanta, Georgia, our first international artist.” So why the title change? “The new name had less associations, was less loaded and was easier to type into Google,” Andrews says. “Plus we hope to promote music through interviews on 2XX and ArtSound.” In its second crop of releases, the label is promoting more bands and pursuing its second aim of going beyond music and supporting visual art. “We’ve made a few videos for our bands and we’re getting into 3D animation,” notes Andrews. The label’s next launch, a free, all ages event at new venue The Chop Shop will achieve the dual aims of boosting both music and visual art. Looking for their music in stores? Forget it! Early Music operates digitally including through download cards and they have a special opportunity at the launch for people to download the label’s previous catalogue to their own USBs. Early Music takes on all comers when it comes to genres. “At the launch we’ll have a mix of heavy guitar based bands and more electronic stuff,” says Andrews. The launch line-up features all bands in the new catalogue launch, including punkers Faux Faux Amis, folk-rock/ comedy act Petrichor, grunge rockers The Wrst, electronic a cappella artist Aphir, the electro beats of Samantha Hera, guitar pop band Northumberland and the ambient noise works of Alphamale. There will be art on display, both digital and physical. “We will have some prints there from illustrator Mikael Hattingh. We will also be providing finger food for people to snack on while they’re watching music.” However, there will be no booze in keeping with the all ages setup for the night. Early Music is launching its Autumn/Winter catalogue at an all ages thrash on Saturday August 16 at The Chop Shop in Lonsdale Street, Braddon. 8pm; free entry until 10pm and $5 entry thereafter. earlymusicaustralia.tumblr.

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We aren’t as awesome as Regurgitator though. They used to get naked

FEELING PEKY BAZ RUDDICK Canberra electro duo PEKING DUK have become something of a yardstick by which we measure our city’s other electronic exports. Formed in Canberra in 2010, Adam Hyde and Reuben Styles, have not only been able to measure their success in digital saturation and distribution on the internet, but also in their extensive tours and performances for audiences the world over. With a tireless and relentless approach to mixing and producing, Peking Duk are fast establishing themselves as one of the country’s hottest electronic exports. A week shy of their appearance at Splendour in the Grass, I chatted to loveable nice guy Styles about how they made their transition from mixing to producing, the internet as the key to success and their exciting new track. Peking Duk’s abrupt rise to fame began with a Passion Pit remix shared on Soundcloud. The mix went viral and before they knew it the boys were hearing it the internet over. This has set the bar for how Peking Duk release and distribute their tracks. “Ten and twenty years ago, when a band would have a new track or album they would put months into planning it’s release... They try and plan it out so perfectly so the release goes how they want it to. Nowadays you just chuck something on Soundcloud,” says Styles. If it is a sick track then people will listen to it. The process now is so organic. No one controls it. You just put it out there and if it is

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something people like then they will share it and it will take its own path.” This ‘viral effect’ that Reuben describes was the secret to Peking Duk’s initial success. Reuben shares with me an anecdote of the ‘not-so-typical’ typical writing process of Peking Duk which led them to collaborate with Byron Bay’s Styalez Fuego and Ben from SAFIA. Having originally started the track as a remix for an American band, they soon realised they liked it too much to give it away. “When we took the vocals out we realised the instrumental track was nothing of the band. So it was super easy to ditch the vocals and approach Ben for our own,” says Styles. “And he has the most beautiful voice known to the land of white men. You shut your eyes and it sounds as black as they come. It’s beautiful! So this song especially has been a really fun adventure!” Having moved on from the days of exclusively releasing remixes, Peking Duk still holds something of their remix roots in the way they write their originals. “I am a big fan of doing the remix and ditch the vocals trick,” says Styles. “Flume actually told us how that used to be one of his techniques!” While many may claim that electronic acts are often lackluster and lazy when it comes to live performances, this in no way the case for Peking Duk. Having done a round of mix-up exclusives and a month of Friday Night Shuffle on Triple J, Peking Duk have forced their cheeky live performances into the ears of every radio listener. “Performing is great because you can just get a little bit crazy,” notes Styles. “We like to turn it into a party. It’s not too serious. Everyone has no fucks to give and Adam gets his top off I guess in every single show. We aren’t as awesome as Regurgitator though,” laments Styles. “They used to get naked.” Maybe so! But they are ours and they are still pretty darn good! Peking Duk will bring their Peace, Love and Sweatiness tour to Meche Nightclub on Saturday August 16 from 8pm.. Tickets $25/$35 + bf via Moshtix.

THE REALNESS I’ll admit I had to do a double take when I saw this one, Compton native Coolio making an appearance at Transit Bar on Monday August 4. While he might not be as prolific as some of the other rappers turned actors, he still has amassed a pretty impressive discography which includes some of the biggest cross over hits of the 90’s. Probably most remembered for his huge chart topper ‘Gangsta’s Paradise’. Others, like myself, might venture down to hope they hear some of his earlier work from his debut solo album It Takes A Thief or some vintage tracks from the Madd Circle days. Supported by Suavess and Jimmy Pike. Apollo Brown connoisseurs will be excited about the news of a new Ugly Heroes EP, scheduled for a late August release. Verbal Kent, Red Pill and Apollo have reunited again after the success of their self titled debut album from 2013. If the first single ‘Naysayers & Playmakers’ is anything to go by, the follow up EP is going to deliver more of those soulful Apollo beats nicely topped with Verbal Kent and Red Pill blue collar rhymes. So let’s say you are one of those dudes that reads this column every week but doesn’t do cassettes or vinyl and digital is more your thing. Well, don’t say this column never delivers for ya! Arguably one of the best lyricists to ever pick up the mic, Ras Kass has released his 1998 sophomore album Rasassination for download via his Bandcamp page. A worthy addition to any collection whether it be a digital or physical copy. 2014 looks like it will be remembered as the year of the reunion for monumental LA hip-hop groups. Earlier this year, fans across the globe were treated to all the members of Jurassic 5 putting any past differences behind them to return to stage for one more world tour. Not to be out done by their fellow city neighbours, Dilated Peoples have returned to the booth once again and are set to drop their fifth studio album, Directors of Photography via Rhymesayers Entertainment. Many who follow either Evidence, Raka or DJ Babu via their Instagram accounts will understand the significance of the album title. Queens MC Cormega is back with his fifth studio album, which follows 2009’s Born And Raised. Mega Philosophy is entirely produced by Large Professor. Large Professor’s tracks hit hard with that authentic boom bap sound creating an audio landscape for Cormega’s lyrical display. Features include, Black Rob, Nature, AZ, Redman, Styles P and Raekwon to name a few. It looks like 2014 is shaping up to be the year for UK-based Jazz Spastics. They have returned with their latest single ‘Dumb’ featuring NYC underground duo Yesh (Siah and Yeshua Da Po Ed) and dropped another absolute banger! Head to their Bandcamp page to cope the two track download today. Finally, on the beat tip, you may want to check out the third instalment of the Hot Record Societe compilation series, paying homage to Brazil. Some real nice jazzy down tempo hip hop beats to vibe to. Speaking of jazzy beats, Vancouver beat maker Karavelo has released his debut project Koldpak.Halflyfe via Goldie Records, available on cassette or download.. BERT POLE - bertpole@hotmail.com

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ALL SHUFFLED UP sinead o’connell Canberra’s own house music duo THE ASTON SHUFFLE, Mikah Freeman and Vance Musgrove, are likely two of the best advocates for the capital city. Honestly, they can’t get enough of it. Freeman comments, “I think the thing I like about Canberra is the fact that it’s a pretty small town, it’s pretty intimate, but it’s got the best of both worlds in the sense that you’re never far from the actual city. Plus there’s a fantastic music scene and you get the best of what Sydney and Melbourne get.” On a personal level, with a tight knit circle as his base in Canberra, Freeman adds, “It’s great for me because I have my family there. I can go gallivanting around the countryside or tour around the world and live that kind of music, rock star life, but then I get to come back to Canberra and chill with my close friends and family. Living in Canberra keeps me grounded and just ensures I don’t get sucked into the wrong lifestyle.”

I have to pinch myself every day – we never set out to do this!

Like most of us who’ve been away too long, Freeman gets “excited to come back” and spend quality time here. Though, when not at home getting grounded, the duo is busy on the road, or on planes. Freeman says the only good thing about tour life is “performing” because in reality, “touring sucks. You just spend so much time in airports…but I guess if that’s what I’m complaining about with my job than I’ve got it pretty damn good.” Following this humble trajectory Freeman comments, “It’s just amazing to have the opportunity to be able to write music and release it and have people that are coming to see you…The fact that I’ve still got this job…I have to pinch myself every day – we never set out to do this! It’s something I definitely don’t take for granted.” Prior to The Aston Shuffle, Freeman was a chef and Musgrove sported a handsome Law/Chemistry degree. “We were just writing music and then opportunities arose and we sort of had a crack at doing it. Now we’re still here and it’s pretty amazing, man. I love being a cook but this is too incredible.” In the early days, Freeman was in to rock music and recollects going to see dance music shows and watching the “dance culture blow up.” When harvesting his own sound in a band, he eventually came to the conclusion that “being in a band was so much harder, but being a DJ, pursuing and driving yourself to try and get shows was far more rewarding.” So he “made the switch” and ditched his drum kit for turntables and “didn’t sleep for the first few months after that.” Fastforward to August 2014 and The Aston Shuffle will be performing for fans in Miami, New York and Los Angeles as well as multiple shows in Australia. “It’s going to be pretty crazy.” The Aston Shuffle is playing at ANU Bar Saturday August 16. Doors at 730pm. Tickets online @ tiketek.com, $24.20 + bf.

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DANCE THE DROP Gather around children and let’s talk about drugs. I’m going to go out on a limb here, a very long and very sturdy limb and take a punt that a large number of you who are reading this have at one point or another been exposed to recreational drug use. I’m not talking about the kind of illicit substances that catalyses a career in toothless windscreen washing, more so those which are used to enhance your social experience in clubs. People all over the world consume this particular kind of drug to momentarily escape from their mundane nine to five prison. Sure, sitting at home binge watching Netflix is a proven ointment to stress and boredom but it isn’t until the mind is bathing in a rainbow shower of manufactured chemicals

that it truly absconds from the grip of weekday incarceration. That disagreement you had with your boss this morning? The assignment you handed in late? That weird streak on your underwear? All gone. You are Bruce Willis in Die Hard, a gun toting bare footed badass mowing down your worries like they were lackadaisical European terrorists. Admit it, you’ve been there before. You’ve tasted the power and licked your lips; you’ve trodden the sullied path and loved every last second of it. I don’t need a polygraph print out to tell me what I can see in your eyes right now. You are extremely proud of your weekly foray into inebriation. Which drug am I talking about? Why it’s alcohol of course. I’ll take a double scotch and coke thank you and catch you on the dance floor. Trinity Bar is one of the many Canberra establishments where I have sharpened my love of liquor. It is with a sad emoji that we must bid adieu to its illustrious owner, Mr PANG himself, Hugh Foster. The gargantuan man is big in both size and achievement, having brought us some of the most memorable parties Canberra has ever seen. I am unsure what the future holds for the infamous venue, but to its new owners I wish you well and look forward to seeing what the future brings! Ministry of Sound parties at Academy are always tumultuous affairs. The Sessions Eleven tour featuring New World Sound may very well be on a Friday night (August 1 to be exact) but you’d be best served organising the Monday off on annual leave. I know what you are thinking, ‘I can handle myself pretty well thank you very much!’ but I’ll bet you wake up in a bathtub full of empty schnapps containers with massive penises drawn all over you in permanent marker. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. New music has been pouring into my inbox of late and I’d like to share a couple of my favourites with you. Tiga’s latest melancholy masterpiece ‘Bugatti’ is quite a beguiling single that pretends to be dark and mysterious techno but is in actual fact a fun pop song that gets stuck in your head for hours. Fuzzy Shoe owner Danny T’s latest EP Take Me is a stellar package for house heads and just when I thought EDM was dissolving into a predictable quagmire, young gun Alesso has just teased his latest track ‘Tear The Roof Up’ – let’s just say it’s VERY good. TIM GALVIN tim.galvin@live.com.au

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cody atkinson It started out slowly, but now has become a full on deluge. The ‘90s is back, like Backstreet, alright. But can we afford to take the good with the bad again, or will society fall into a black hole in which it is unlikely to recover from? It’s the recent past versus the present in the ultimate battle for the hearts and minds of Canberra in 2014. Cody Atkinson reports from the front line. Name? The Nineties. Location? All around us. Wait, the ‘90s are cool again? Well, let’s not go that far. But it’s back? According to all of the signs present on the landscape the nineties may very well be back.

Two decade rule? You know, the time period where the shame regarding the era you grew up in disappears and where young people decide that all the stuff you liked while growing up was/ is cool.

So Courntnio is coming to town, what’s the big deal? The major issue with Courtnio touring and ‘90s revivalism in general, is the selective memory of the cultural touchstones from the decade. Selective memory? Well, believe it or not (Ripley’s, natch), not everything from the’ 90s was great.

There were some pretty big missteps in the ‘90s, including a couple that have started to rear their heads again.

OK, what’s happened to date? Well, it’s been sneaking in slowly. First, news breaks that the Pixies are reforming and are doing new music. Then Pavement reform and go around the world playing bigger shows than they ever did the first time around. Chet Faker mined Blackstreet for his first hit and Coldplay have been meekly copying Radiohead for years. Indie labels were also at their strongest point since the early ‘90s, with the way music is delivered being radically altered again. And don’t get me started on the fashion... I mean flanno shirts, denim overalls, baggy t-shirts, double denim, snapback caps...There’s no doubt that the 2010’s have appropriated much of the ‘90s from fashion point-of-view, with the much valued exception of hypercolour t-shirts. You know it kinda feels like the ‘90s when you see a guy walking down the street in the middle of a Canberra winter wearing a Charlotte Hornets jersey in teal and purple. What’s the deal about the ‘90s anyway? Well, grunge and the Seattle sound, Britpop, IDM, the wider acceptance and proliferation of alternative music, the rise of the slackers, the internet, Super Nintendo...the nineties certainly had their charms. So why are you only telling about this now? Surely it’s most of it has already come back? While we have seen elements of the revival to date, we may have hit the epicentre of peak ‘90s in Canberra.

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Wait, what? That’s right, in 2014 both Coolio, he of the ‘Gangsta’s Paradise’ and Courtney Love, of Hole and Kurt fame, are touring in Canberra. If I had to make a call here, they are two of the clearest signs of the ‘90s apocalypse. So they’ll be playing on horses from Hades? No, it’s an analogyand a joke.

Age? Well, 20 or so years old.

Hey, haven’t the nineties been back for a while now? Yeah, it’s been coming back for a while, with the two decade rule remaining fully in effect.

How so? Well, in the next month both Coolio and Courtney Love will be playing headlining shows in Canberra.

Of course not everything from the 90s is great. Not every decade had a perfect microcosm of pop culture... There were some pretty big missteps in the ‘90s, including a couple that have started to rear their heads again. Name just *one* example, Mr Smart Guy. OK, here’s one. The resurgence of ‘90s-esq boy bands.

What do you even mean...OH MY GOD ONE DIRECTION?!?!? Yep and all of the quick attempts that have tried to cash in on their fame and fortunes. Face it, when we opened the door to all the positives of ‘90s revivalism, we also left it open for the resurgence of the boy band. There is blood on all of our hands. Make it stop! I wish I knew how. Be careful what you wish for. With all the “Dinosaur Jr touring and recording again with original lineup”, you get “*NSYNC reuniting on national TV”. What other horrors may we encounter? Well, without this column turning totally exhaustive, we haven’t seen the second coming of nu-metal yet, which is generally a good thing for everyone. While ‘90s R&B has been mined a second time over for use in EDM, little has been made of the reams of big beat out there. And hip-hop is big, but gangsta rap has largely fallen by the wayside, bullet holes and all. But is all this a bad thing? You know what? What? I’m not sure it is. Even if the worst of the ‘90s come back into fashion, who is it really harming? Comedians get to recycle their bad boy band jokes, hairdressers make money off the kids trying to replicate their favourite nu-metal hairstyles and people will walk the streets proudly with the Vanilla Ice flow...there’s always a silver lining. So we should embrace the terror? Well, at least be impassioned observers, with beverage in hand.

know Jackie or Zane to enjoy this awesome lineup which includes Rick Dangerous, Revellers, No Assumption, KANG (Sydney), Raised As Wolves (Byron Bay) and Office Jerk. If you’re keen for a chillaxed Sunday sesh, you can head to Transit Bar on Sunday August 31 to catch Wil Wagner of The Smith Street Band along with fellow Melbournian Georgia Maq. You can get tickets for this one ahead of time for just $13.30 through Oztix. Okay, I have a legitimate question. What kind of loving music venue doesn’t allow crowd surfing? Without naming any names, I recently attended the triumphant homecoming of a much loved Canberra band and as soon as the crowd started getting a little rowdy the bouncer decided he was having none of it and began escorting anyone who leapt into the loving supportive arms of fellow punters off of the premises immediately. I, for one, cannot and will not stand for this. Crowd-surfing is a tradition with a long and proud history among the context of live music and the benefits are many. It allows that overenthusiastic drunk guy the attention he craves through a relatively safe and non-destructive outlet while also providing a bonding opportunity to the crowd who are now tasked with the duty of keeping him up for as long as possible and providing some visual encouragement for the performers. It’s a win for everyone really and to attempt putting an end to such a wonderful past-time is a folly which should not be accepted. So kudos to the guy who crowdsurfed anyway with the knowledge that it would bring an early end to his music-loving experience and an even bigger kudos to the group of beautiful punters who cheered him on as he forcibly exited the venue. You’re amazing people. Anyway, shows….here they are!

Western Australia’s Alex The Kid will be rolling through the capital as part of their own national tour on Wednesday August 20. They’ll be blowing the roof off of the Magpies City Club with help from locals No Assumption, Silver Lining and Rather Be Dead.

On Saturday August 30, the Magpies City Club will be hosting Jackie and Zane’s Nintendo Themed 21st. Don’t worry, you don’t have to

IAN McCARTHY

It’s still a little while away, but it’s never too early to start plugging The Bennies who will be heading on tour along with New York City’s Morning Glory in September, including a date at the Magpies City Club on Sunday September 21. They will also be joined by Sydney/ Newcastle band Mucho Sonar, Melbourne’s Wolfpack and locals Revellers. As always, remember to tune into 2XX FM for Haircuts & T-shirts every Monday from 9:30pm. Also, please remember that crowd-surfing is a beautiful, uniting activity and no unappreciative oaf of a bouncer can take that away from you. XOXO Gossip Punk

PUNK.BMA@GMAIL.COM

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METALISE So High On Fire was amazing despite their issues with the monitors and having a bit of a sook, but this month lifeisnoise are bringing the almighty Neurosis to Australia for the very first time in their 29 years in existence. I know I tend to harp on a bit on the doomier side of the metal rainbow, but this is a show that if you have any appreciation for heavy music, you simply must attend. The Sydney show on Saturday August 9 at the Manning bar with Adrfit For Days will be well worth a trip up the Hume. I have a show that night so I’m gonna head to the evening before in Melbourne if I can to catch them with Whitehorse at the Hi Fi. This weekend there’s a couple of tempting treats to get you out of the winter hibernation with a show Friday August 1 at The Basement in Belco with Claret Ash with Tortured, Flaming Wreckage, ….is dead and Beast Impalor. Saturday August 2 at the ANU Bar is sleepmakeswaves, Breaking Orbit and Teal. The following weekend at Magpies on Saturday August 9 is I Exist, Legions, Blight Worm and Take Control, if heading to Sydney for Neurosis is beyond your means. September is totally nuts for metal shows and tours. Like ridiculous and I’m really glad at least a few of these shows are heading to Canberra to save me some cash! At the end of August, on Thursday 28, at the Transit Bar we get a visit from King Buzzo of The Melvins

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doing his solo tour. I Killed The Prom Queen are back with their new album under their arms and a show on Friday September 5 at Magpies. Possibly my most anticipated international show of the year is at the Basement on Tuesday September 9 with Conan from the UK coming out with Yanomamo from Sydney in tow and locals lords Looking Glass rounding out the line-up. On Saturday September 20 there is a great show featuring bands with members that helped forge the metal reputation of our fair city. The Levitation Hex and Witchskull feature members of Armoured Angel, Alchemist, Aeon of Horus and Looking Glass and their show at the ANU Bar with some soon to be named special guests should feature prominently on your local shows not to miss list. Speaking of olden days, I wrote recently on the impending release of the documentary on Australian heavy metal entitled Metal Down Under. That film was funded thanks to money raised through www. pozible.com . I contributed about 100 bucks or something from memory to that one and the cool thing about crowd sourcing is that you usually get a batch of goodies to go with it. Well, there’s now another project up and running for long time metal journalist, radio host and general headbanging lifer Brian Giffin. Brian is attempting to capture 40 years of music in a single printed encyclopaedia documentation of Australian heavy metal. He has had a few cracks at it in the past and maintains a wiki on the internet that will hopefully see him realise his dream project. There are a slew of packages available with cool gifts including the aforementioned documentary, CD’s and more. Please visit http://www.pozible.com/ project/183372/251775 and donate! JOSH NIXON doomtildeath@hotmail.com

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

THE TECHNICALITIES OF TUMBLING INDIGO TRAIL Duncan West appears to be, as many of the most fascinating people are, remarkably normal. Sitting casually in a café around the corner from the Canberra Theatre, he looks entirely ordinary, reading from a Kindle as he quietly drains the remaining dregs of his flat white. In actuality, his peaceful, calm demeanour is strikingly at odds with the stories he tells – of throwing himself into the air, of just catching a friend as they tumble down through the ether, of screwed up knees and impassioned audience members and an award winning, inspiring brother. Such is the extraordinary life of an acrobat. West has been with CIRCA, one of Australia’s most prestigious circus companies, for just over 14 months. “It was a very roundabout journey for me,” he says. “I didn’t go through a lot of the formal training that people do. I’ve never been to a circus school, I never had formal lessons. I watched my little brother doing it (he’s an amazing acrobat, he went through NICA) and I’d watch his end of year shows and think ‘Oh. I want to learn that.’ So I’d go back to Sydney, where I was working as a firefighter at the time.” I blink, momentarily nonplussed – a firefighter turned acrobat? Now that is something almost alien in its rare brilliance. West just grins and continues. “I got a surprise phone call from the director of Circa after I’d been doing [amateur work] for a few years and he said ‘You ever thought about joining the circus?’” Even now, he chuckles slightly at the absurdity of it, as though he can’t quite believe his path. “I got flown out to Brisbane between my day and night shifts, auditioned, flew back for my next shift, got the job and was flying out for Léon in France in three weeks.” Now the veteran of several shows, West looks back on his earlier performances with the air of remembering an intoxicating combination of panic and elation. “The first show I ever performed with Circa was S – the newer version of which we’re actually bringing to Canberra in a few weeks. There’s a photo of me looking terrified outside a poster in Hungary. I was just like: ‘Day One. Here we go!’” Since then, West has performed in parts of Africa, Canada, France, Belgium, Spain, the UK – the list goes on and on. “Every country you go to has a different vibe,” he says, grinning idly. “Circus has a different presence [in different parts of the world].” He pauses, staring into space for a moment, as though he’s watching a screen only he can see, filtering through each separate nation’s appreciation of art. The way the arts themselves are viewed seems to intrigue him. It’s clear that West has an immense respect for all artists, be they traditional or unconventional and it’s no surprise that this respect

extends into those involved with the art of movement. “I think there’s often the thought that classical art and physical art don’t go hand in hand,” he says emphatically, as though he’s encountered this opinion many times before. “[It’s this idea that] you might be really into painting or impressionists but you can’t therefore go and enjoy a circus show and see crazy things happening with bodies.” He pauses again, taking a long sip of his scalding hot chocolate as he ponders how to continue, how exactly to express the equal importance of all types of art. “But I think once you can get into the idea of enjoying things for their own sense then there’s not really a limit to which one you’ll enjoy,” he states finally. “You know what you enjoy and you find it for yourself.” And if Circa’s current offering, the illustrious S, looks half as incredible in real life as it does on YouTube, then this is art not to be missed. West gets an irrepressible glint in his eyes as he talks about performing the show itself. “With S, it’s really just us, on stage. There is no story, no narrative beyond that which the music gives you. The power of the music is really not to be underestimated in this show,” he says. “It’s one of two shows I’ve done with Circa where I’ve heard audience members crying halfway through. And you know, that’s immensely powerful.” The show’s origins and development are another long, complex story that West tells with relish. “From a broader view [the titular ‘S’] signifies the arc of the show and how it dips and rises with crescendos in the music. From an ensemble perspective, though, it’s the idea of adding an ‘s’ to something and making it plural,” he explains. “This is a show where it’s very rarely about one person – much more often, there’s three, four or all seven of us on stage at the same time. And then, for the movement qualities, it’s about how you make something bend, something curve, something sinuous – if you tumble, can you make that in the shape of an ‘S’? It’s a theme that we all latch onto and carry through the show.” The continuity of it is confirmed in his way of speaking; he weaves and twists through all the different aspects as effortlessly as the show’s namesake. Upon being asked what his favourite aspect is, however, West gets temporarily tongue-tied. It’s clear that there’s just so much for him to unpack and appreciate in the art of acrobatics that it’s nigh impossible to choose just one thing. In the end, he settles on plain old addictive exhilaration. “It’s that feeling of hearing an audience go ‘oh no, don’t do the thing, don’t do the thing – oh God, they’re doing the thing.’ That’s it.” Circa’s ‘S’ is on at the Canberra Theatre from Wednesday–Saturday August 6–9. Tickets start at $45 +bf/$40 +bf /$35 +bf, available from the venue.

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FUNNY GUY IAN MCCARTHY My first impression of SAM CAMPBELL was a bit…err…confusing. I went to congratulate him after his involvement in Dayne Rathbone’s highly successful show It’s Me, Mandela and after shaking my hand enthusiastically, he gestured to the admittedly well-dressed and respectable looking gentleman to his left and proudly announced, “This is my father. He just got out of prison.” I was so dumbfounded by the awkward bluntness of the situation that I had no idea how to respond and that was basically the end of our conversation. Luckily, as I spoke to Campbell over the phone a couple weeks later, he was quick to inform me that, “I was just mucking around. He’s actually a law-abiding man and a horticulturist. He specialises in mangoes and avocados.” Now that that was all cleared up, we were free to talk all about Campbell’s comedy career which began when he entered the RAW Comedy Competition in 2010 and escalated in 2011 when he participated in RAW again, this time making his way to the national final. Reflecting on his earlier career, Campbell says, “I was pretty vanilla at that stage. I was kind of more doing what I thought a standup comedian would do rather than what I would like to do.” When asked about the development of his comedy since then, Campbell says, “It has degenerated to be more pure and more simple.” Speaking of the subject matter in his comedy, Campbell says, “I have to hide the fact that I haven’t really had any life experience, so I have to have a lot of energy, I have to make a lot of weird faces and I have to talk about lots of strange things like men and lizards and birds and stuff like that. That’s all I know about.” It’s safe to say that Campbell’s energy, weird faces and strange stories have won him the hearts and laughs of plenty of people across Australia and they’re about to win him even more as he gets ready to set off as part of the Sydney Comedy Festival Roadshow. Campbell seems excited for the tour, as he acknowledges that comedy isn’t always the most lucrative industry. “It’s hard for an Australian comic,” he admits. “You end up on some shitty panel show on ABC 9 making jokes about Kyle Sandilands. It’s horrible, you know? No one takes Australian comedy seriously…” Perhaps this is why Campbell’s future plans see him moving out of stand-up comedy and into the arts of writing and production. As he puts it, “I’d like to escape from the stand-up comedy game. It’s run by Zionists and parasites.” Apparently not afraid of insulting his comedy peers, he adds, “Friends in the industry? No way! They’re all pseudo-creatives. They’re no good.” Sam Campbell will be joining a number of other comedians for the Sydney Comedy Festival Showcase which will be stopping by the Canberra Theatre on Saturday August 2. Tickets are $40+bf through the venue.

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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

JUNK BEATS BAZ RUDDICK There is often an unwritten assumption that musicians use drugs. Drugs are used for creativity, for escape, for recreation, to medicate, to hide and a plethora of other reasons. With many musicians, we often assume that drugs are an instrumental part of the process and with others we know it’s a part of the lifestyle. However, our views on drugs and musicians are a world apart from our view of drugs and others. Politicians, athletes, actors and our peers are judged and demonised for partaking in the use of illegal substances while we live ‘vicariously’ through musicians and artists with an often glorified interpretation of their use and a sadistic observation of their abuse. Brisbane-based journalist Andrew McMillen ‘s book TALKING SMACK takes a look at drug use in the Australian music scene and how we as a society have the conversation that we never want to have. “We tend to perceive creative people... as living ‘on the edge’, outside of the social norms and expectations that come with nine to five jobs, salaried jobs,” states McMillen in the foreword to his book. “It’s on the edge, we’re led to believe, that ‘the magic happens’: that by pushing the boundaries of the human mind and body, great work is created.” With this premise in mind McMillen undertook interviews with fourteen Australian musicians. Among the list were The Church’s Steve Kilbey, Gotye, Holly Throsby, Powderfinger’s Ian Haug, Tina Arena, The Birthday Party’s Mick Harvey, Bertie Blackman, Grinspoon’s Phil Jameson, Lindy Morrison, Spencer P. Jones, Bluejuice’s Jake Stone, Tim Levinson, Jon Toogood and Paul Kelly. “What I found with drug use in general is that there is no single story,” notes McMillen. “There are so many pathways through this topic. And that is one thing I will take away through the book. There are fifteen stories, including mine and they are totally different.” The strength of the book rests on the tales of the subjects. The Church’s Steve Kilbey tells an animated and colourful story about his relationship with heroin. Hailed as a beautifully articulate storyteller by McMillen, Kilbey tells the story of how boredom led him to heroin, how his addiction relied on others, how he evaded the law in Sweden again and again and how his body and mind eventually rejected the drug it initially loved so much. McMillen’s chat with fresh-faced songstress Holly Throsby was the perfect example of the all-encompassing nature of substance abuse. Invited into her Sydney home for a mid-morning tea, McMillien chatted to Throsby about how she delved into the world of cocaine and became ‘an enthusiastic recreational user’. “We only get to hear about the most adverse outcomes of drug use which is addiction, overdose and severe problems. But I feel there is this big silent void in-between which is recreational use without much or any harm,” states McMillen. “I think that is what Holly’s chapter exemplifies that people throughout Australia on a weekly basis use illicit drugs and then go back to work on a Monday morning without too many adverse effects, or any.”

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The fourteen stories that make up the chapters of Talking Smack are all distinct tales. From the hardcore crystal methamphetamine addiction of Phil Jameson and the casual cocaine use of Throsby to the on again off again relapses of heroin abuse of Steve Kilbey and Paul Kelly, all musicians have a different tale. The reason by which McMillen chose a plethora of different examples was to offer a balanced interpretation of drug use. Or, as he puts is, “far more balanced than anything else I have encountered as a reader or a cultural consumer.” McMillen highlights the duality of drug use as the main source of his interest in the topic. “These are things that if you don’t keep in check they can have incredibly adverse effects for you, but at the same time they can be incredibly uplifting and can be the source of many positive experiences. They can affect the mind in such an array of sensations...” The chapter on Phil Jameson showcases rock-bottom, down and out addiction at its most heartbreaking. Following a very public check into rehab, in 2007 it came to light that Grinspoon front man Phil Jameson had fallen victim to the addiction of crystal meth. At the height of Aussie rock royalty, Jameson’s tumble to the bottom left him broke and his family in tatters. “When the book idea came up, I asked him if he would re-tread the ground he had trod so very publicly on national television years ago,” explains McMillen. “He had to think very long and hard about that because for him what was there to be gained by going over that territory again?” A relatively unknown drug at the time, Jameson’s addiction highlighted that the drug was not isolated to garbage ruffling, skin tearing junkies, but had taken footing throughout society. “It was very heartbreaking stuff and it came to define him as a person. And he still has to carry that image around with him to an extent,” McMillen says. “It is hard, I guess, to shake the stigma. I think he did carry a lot of shame. Maybe not the drug itself, but the effect it had on his family around him. Certainly it was the kind of thing that could have torn them apart and it is pretty remarkable that it didn’t actually.” Additionally, McMillen had to be careful not to let the anecdotes of the stories carry the book. Treading a fine line, he manages to keep the book engaging and relevant without it sliding into a bunch of ‘I was once so high dot dot dot’ stories , nor is the book presented as a “shameless promotion” of drug use. “It is one of those touchy taboo subjects were people tend to have their minds made up and hopefully if people take the time to read the book they might reconsider their position on the topic,” he notes. “So often illicit drug use is displayed in such a black and white light. The user is demonised, portrayed as a criminal and a law breaker who is jeopardising their own health. But in reality there are plenty of shades of grey.” Talking Smack: Honest Conversations About Drugs by Andrew McMillen, published by University of Queensland Press, is available in paperback (RRP $29.95) at bookstores nationwide.

UNINHIBITED It’s one of my favourite words, always has been, always will be: ‘community’. I don’t mean the US sit-com (though that show is not without its charms) but the word itself. My ever-trusty Oxford Australian Reference Dictionary (1992) defines ‘community’ as (1) a body of people living in one place or district and (2) fellowship or the state of being shared or held in common. The word ‘community’ is related to ‘communicate’ (success in conveying information or evoking understanding), ‘communion’ (sharing, participating), and ‘commune’ (intimate discussion). All these words are connected to the Middle English and Old French word ‘communitas’, meaning common, and the Latin word ‘communicare’, meaning the same. I’m sure you get my drift: I like the word ‘community’ and know what it means. As do most sane people. More recently I’ve been thinking – or have been forced to think – about the whole idea of creative communities. At the risk of sounding like a Year 12 English teacher, let’s dive into the meaning of that word too. ‘Creative’: able to create, inventive, imaginative. Which isn’t terribly illuminating, is it? Let’s try the verb: ‘create’: to bring into existence, to give rise to. That’s better. This creativity business sounds important, doesn’t it; weighty, lofty, the best thing conceivable, the stuff of dreams, which I happen to think is actually true. Could we say that a creative community is one where, at its core, we all have the ability to bring something important into existence? Yes, I think we can say that. Does this mean Canberra is an inherently creative community? Only a fool would say that we’re

not. We have the nation’s key national cultural institutions on our collective doorstep, as well as over twenty local arts organisations scattered throughout our suburbs. Artists at all levels are thick on the ground, as evidenced by the annual iteration of the very magical You Are Here festival – and that’s just one example. Art forms across the board are thriving, with many representing the Territory at the national and international level (which makes us sound like sport – we’re not like that, no, we’re not ever). In this way, we’re lucky; we probably live in one of the most enlightened, progressive jurisdictions in the world. Having said all that, the point I really want to make is this: where does our community begin and end? Where does our creativity begin and end? My first Exhibitionist column was about the importance of crossing borders (legally, illegally, however it must be done) and I’m still going on about it. All it takes is for there to be one person in The Lodge to be pathologically one-eyed about borders (Operation Sovereign Bullshit) for that way of thinking to trickle down and infect other parts of society, even the thinking of our own, beautiful, usually generous region. And that ‘region’ word is critical to this. Where and what is our region? What drives it? Who thinks that they are sufficiently informed and powerful to make decisions on our behalf?The fact is, as soon as you – we – apply rigid definitions to the notion of creative community, as soon as you – we – pull up the draw-bridge, we become smaller, not bigger, worse, not better, we become isolated, not connected. Like a fish in a bowl we start gasping for air. Art thrives in the grey zones, in the amorphous, in the mysterious. Art thrives when sparks are allowed to fire across space. We do want to keep thriving, don’t we? If the answer is yes, we must resist any and all attempts to be narrowed, to be diminished, to have the life dragged from our lungs. NIGEL FEATHERSTONE

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ARTISTPROFILE: Anna Sutherland

What do you do? I design, screen-print, dye silks and velvets, weave braids and trims, sew and upholster to produce a large range of home décor products and accessories. At the beginning of the year I launched ‘Maddison Jayne’ as my own small business while completing a Certificate IV in Small Business Management. When, how and why did you get into it? In my final years at school I enjoyed all my creative classes, but I was unsure about the career path I wanted to follow. When I found the ANU School of Art - Bachelor of Visual Arts where I could major in textiles I was immediately excited about fabric/pattern design. During second year I fell in love with screen-printing and later weaving my own braids and trims, both of which are a big part of my work today. Who or what influences you as an artist? My current print designs are inspired by decorative pieces of jewellery. I enjoy the transformation that comes from drawing each item and putting it into a repeat pattern, especially the multi-colour designs. Drawing jewellery began as an inspiration for a side project, I enjoyed it so much that it has remained my main inspiration. I can’t see it changing too much in the future, though I will be launching some new colour ranges that are quite different to most of the work I do now.

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Of what are you proudest so far? I can now make ottomans from scratch on my own. It’s handy knowing how to use an electric jigsaw. One less thing I need to hassle people about! What are your plans for the future? The near future brings lots of markets and a handful of exhibitions. My long term goal is to have a shopfront filled with my colourful home décor products, maybe even a studio space out the back to work on new collections and commissioned pieces. That would be ideal. What makes you laugh? Blonde moments, I have quite a few. What pisses you off? Canberra drivers and stupid pedestrians! Argh! What about the local scene would you change? I’m pretty happy with the current art scene, it’s exciting to be part of it! There is always something on and so many talented artists. Upcoming exhibitions? I have a solo exhibition at Belconnen Arts Centre in the Arts lounge: ‘A Printed Space’ Friday –Sunday August 1 –24. Spring Fair at New England Girls School, Armidale NSW, Saturday September 6. Handmade Market, Saturday –Sunday October 4 –5. MODERN Market, Saturday November 22. Every few weeks I head out to the Old Bus Depot Markets which is always a great way to spend a Sunday. Contact Info: maddisonjayne.com Email: anna@maddisonjayne.com Facebook: facebook.com/maddisonjaynedesign Instagram: instagram.com/maddisonjaynedesign Tumblr: maddisonjaynedesign.tumblr.com

LITERATURE IN REVIEW Can’t and Won’t Lydia Davis [Farrar, Straus and Giroux; 2014]

Conventional wisdom holds that chicken nuggets are a safe food to feed children and that Coca Cola is bad for your health. Yet there I was, in the hospital emergency department with a chicken nugget stuck in my throat and being given instructions to skol a can of Coke. Earlier in the day while scoffing a nugget meal, something odd happened, progres was halted - Houston, we have a blockage. My gullet was rejecting new food and ejecting liquids sent down to clear the blockage. After confirming I could still breathe, but not swallow food the next two hours at home went like this: 1. Weird dry retching into the kitchen sink. 2. Sweet relief - I think it’s fixed! 3. A slow pain building in my chest ever 7 to 8 minutes. 4. Return to step 1. Being unable to swallow your own saliva would freak a lot of people out but I wasn’t going to let a chicken nugget defeat me. Genius ideas to fix it like getting hit in the back, getting hit in the front, laying flat, running and throwing myself down on ground, even the Heimlich manoeuvre, failed to work. It was time to admit defeat, swallow my pride (hah!) and go the Emergency Department. It turns out that being an obese man with chest pain gets you through the ED triage process and into a bed with a doctor pretty quickly. After a demonstrating my wretching, they gave me something official to unload into - a bed pan. Public hospital glamour! The doctor explained there was an injection which would relax the muscles in my food pipe so the nugget would continue it’s journey. But then a nurse piped up and asked if we’d tried Coke, said she’d seen it work before. The doctor thought Coke was worth a crack, so my wife was sent to buy a can of Coke, at her own expense. Armed with a cold can of black liquid gold, staff pulled curtains closed around my bed, handed me the bed pan and stood back. Waaaay back. There’s a special kind of thrill that comes from being given medical instructions to skol Coke, but when the medical staff started chanting “Skol, skol, skol!” things got exciting. Down the hatch!

Lydia Davis is a renowned literary writer who critics praise for taking a unique approach to prose. Relying heavily on observation, she eschews traditional narrative forms to connect with readers on a more creative level. Her style has earned her numerous accolades, and Can’t and Won’t is her fifth short story collection. In it, she pays expert attention to the use of themes, which weave through several or many stories, connecting the writing for the reader. For instance, when she focuses on anxiety she compares the everyday fear of the dentist with the existential fear of walking to the guillotine. This pattern of pairing the mundane with the extreme casts the stories in an absurd light, faintly echoing the genius found in Camus’s stories. She excels at very short and very long stories. Unfortunately, the bulk of the collection is somewhere in the middle. The writing is filled with extraordinary honesty—the kind that is meant to add some hook for readers—but her openness doesn’t discriminate between the interesting and the routine, so she shares it all and the writing grows cold and distant as a result. Those stories that first appeared in large magazines, such as The New York Times or The Paris Review, showcase a clear, distinct voice, and they almost justify buying the entire collection. However, the stories before and after those gems drop the voice immediately, creating a disjointed reading experience. Better to track down her previously published short stories online or in print, if possible. Although there were passages that I thoroughly enjoyed, I can’t imagine picking up another Lydia Davis book. That said, I wouldn’t skip her future stories that make it into magazines, either. If you are at the bottom of your reading list or if you are looking for a literary exercise, you’re likely to find something to enjoy in Can’t and Won’t. However, if you’re looking for a more readable short-story collection from this year, you’d do better to pick up David James Poissant’s The Heaven of Animals, which was superb. jack plane

The resulting eruption was a one man tribute to the term ‘super volcano’. Amid the froth and bubbles, a frantic search for the nugget revealed nothing. Nothing, yet I felt different, slightly better. I tentatively sipped at the Coke, could I actually swallow now? The sweet relief of Coke reaching my stomach resulted in a wave of euphoria not dissimilar to completion of child birth. I high-fived the nurse who gave us this idea, grabbed my things and left the Emergency Department to murmurs of “Nuggets are for children, try chewing them” from the other patients. The true hero that day was the wonder-drug that is Coca Cola. Add some to your First Aid kit, and put it on the PBS. craig harvey - Craig Harvey is a stand-up comedian on the Canberra comedy scene. You can find him talking smut on stage at all the fine comedy establishments in Canberra, check comedyact. com.au for details.

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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

There is little to be done when abandoned by inspiration, and it can be relied upon no more than the British summer. When deadlines loom, and when those deadlines are wielded by inferiors, the problem only intensifies. Thankfully, your hot-headed government leapt to my rescue, issuing as it did its latest ‘Operation’. The first example of your government’s puzzling appetite to frame matters of great import, whether real or imagined, in militaristic terms was the dubiously titled Operation Sovereign Borders – an exercise whereby, by claiming to dissuade a genuinely predatory trade in human misery, one may continue to deprive those in authentic need for domestic political purposes. Your government employed two techniques: framing the political objective in terms of perceived threat, and better yet, dressing the naked hostility of its position in the avowed finery of nobility.In order to appease the prejudices of many of those upon whom they rely, your government has clothed the whole business in the tawdry rags of an ostensibly humanitarian concern for those who would risk their lives at sea, while tacitly positioning itself as a demagogue. Framing the issue as a military operation adds weight to the responsibility of its effective resolution, while simultaneously granting greater flexibility in protocol compliance and embellishing the severity of the situation in the eyes of the community. Governments of all colours have framed policy in terms which seek to both emphasise severity and justify the measures employed to achieve political objectives, while insulating themselves against criticism by denouncing opponents as willing to trivialise events now outlined as moral. There is, however, another approach, where distorted justification is replaced by unnecessarily explicit piety. You will be aware that the most genuinely tragic of incidents took place in the skies above Ukraine recently. Many innocent lives were lost and for no reason. The nations of all those affected rallied to appease their citizens left bereaved. This is what governments should do – call upon their considerable resources to represent and defend the interests of citizens when the individual is unable. It is in this context that, just before I was primed to set 500 words to paper on the thematic inconsistencies of the ACTION Buses timetable, I came across Operation Bring Them Home, intended to repatriate the bodies of those killed in Ukraine. The aim of this latest Operation cannot rightly be considered admirable, for it is essential, but to consider it as anything other than humanitarian would be inhumane. However, the public presentation of an obvious need as a venerable exploit is at once tainted by an underlying political motive to be seen to spearhead an essential obligation of your basic function. Framing duty as an easily-digestible, media-friendly virtuous undertaking flies in the face of the virtue one wishes to communicate. That there be any wish to communicate integrity at once dilutes it. There should be no cachet sought. Get on and do it. Upstanding citizens don’t need to be told by their governments, however implicitly, how fundamentally decent actions are fundamentally decent. How long before we’re presented with Operation Don’t Shoot Old People In The Face? gideon foxington-smythe

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bit PARTS GESTUREALITY WHAT: Art Exhibition WHEN: Wed 30th July – Sun 17th August WHERE: Form Studio & Gallery Gestureality is an exhibition of contemporary abstract paintings exploring the relationship between gesture and human movement by Andrea McCuaig. McCuaig holds collections across Australia and this exhibition showcases a series of medium and large-scale works aimed at exploring the invisible and transient trails of movement that are otherwise often overlooked in everyday experience. Painting this subject has brought forth a connection between the artist’s own kinesthetic movement and the subject which gives pictorial form to the subject of the picture. Ann McMahon will do the official opening on Wednesday 30th of July at 6pm. Tickets TBA. REFRACT WHAT: Circus WHEN: Thu 7th August – Sat 9th August WHERE: Belconnen Community Theatre Canberra’s home of circus, Warehouse Circus Inc. are bringing their high flying cast of young artists to shatter your idea of extraordinary with their new show Refract. Refract asks audiences to explore the world in a brand new light and come away with a newfound appreciation for life’s chaotic but perfect patterns and simplicities. Join them as they demonstrate an impressive array of skills as they tumble, flip, fly, throw, catch and sail their way through the world that is and the world that could be. Doors open at 7:30. Tickets are $18 from trybooking.com NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: THRILL WHAT: Night at the Museum WHEN: Fri 8th August WHERE: National Museum Australia Image credit: Paul Chapman

Experience a rush of exhilaration, excitement and anticipation as you experience Night at the Museum. This popular event continues in its exploration of the themes of the Australian National museums collection. It will be an evening full of entertainment, games, food and music as you examine your thrill seeking senses through fire and glow circus performances, swordplay demonstrations, bucking bull competitions or handle the scaly critters from Reptile’s Inc. and Canberra Reptile zoo. This is an event for over 18’s with tickets priced at $10. Doors open at 6pm. COLOUR MUSIC WHAT: Art Exhibition WHEN: Thu 14th August – Sun 28th September WHERE: ANU Drill Hall Gallery

Colour Music brings together the work of visual artists Warren Burt, Botborg, John Aslanidis, Cathy Blanchflower, John Nixon and David Sequeira who speculate on the connections between music and visual art. A core of historical works by Roy de Maistre, Ludwig HirschfeldMack, Jozef Stanislaus Ostoja-Kotkowski and Frank Hinder provides the framework for these artists who are intrigued by the rapport between pictorial form and pitch, harmony, movement and musical notation. Extended forms of painting using light, performance, kinetics and musical collaborations renew the preoccupation with synaesthesia that haunt the modernist project. The exhibition is open to the public Wednesday to Sunday from 12pm. Free Entry.

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album in focus

black keys turn blue [nonesuch] The Black Keys collected the winning ticket on El Camino, the band’s million selling album from 2011. A combination of hard-hitting Southern blues and soul, high production values from Danger Mouse and fleshed out arrangements that moved beyond the garage guitar/ drums template was a winner for all concerned. The ingrained funkiness of the songs, imitation disco falsetto and electronic handclaps at the right moments, along with inevitable catchy choruses, propelled that album into the charts. But the Black Keys didn’t always sound like this. The first time I heard them was a track played by famed British DJ John Peel, an ultra-raw version of the Robbie Pete Williams blues workout ‘Grown So Ugly’. This was good stuff that hit the right spots on first listen. It seemed there was a garage rock revivalist movement on the go in tandem with the White Stripes and the Brian Jonestown Massacre. The Keys went on to cover untreated blues artist Junior Kimbrough on a mini album released on the Fat Possum label (Chulahoma: The Songs of Junior Kimbrough) to suggest that hard-hitting electric blues was a mainstay and it was the heavy, hard stuff that appealed the most. But after the release of Magic Potion in 2006, The Black Keys began cleaning up their sound, the urgency and no-frills attitude replaced by a more thoughtful approach to proficiency and arrangement. El Camino at least pointed to the roots of rocknroll and the subsequent success of that album

suggested that alternative music in the proper sense of the term was once again making inroads into mainstream oddness. But then came the inevitable follow-up to a major success which has troubled rocknroll bands from the start. Turn Blue, The Black Keys’ eighth album, gets off to a good start. Opening track ‘Weight of Love’ is a flowing seven minute workout that communicates what the song title suggests. This is the kind of song that Neil Young explored to soul-shaking effect with Crazy Horse in the late 1960s. It has emotional weight and explores a universal theme with first rate lead guitar from Dan Auerbach. And that is where the appeal begins and ends. The album features a striking op-art psychedelic cover, but the imagery doesn’t represent the music within. Fourth track in, ‘Fever’, is an appealing dance floor filler and operates in the same way that heavy metal operates – music stripped of the blues to communicate a message devoid of subtleness. This is a good song to mention, as the entire album – excluding the opener – is a variation on one commercially desirable theme. That is, ply the listener with a funky beat, an attractive chorus and some rockin’ guitar fills and listener satisfaction will magically follow. This is not to say that Turn Blue isn’t worthy of sympathy. ‘It’s Up To You Now’ brings some of that Junior Kimbrough rawness back into the fold, closing track ‘Gotta Get Away’ has a bit of Rolling Stones swagger circa 1978 and the album has now sold a lot. It is also difficult to keep the magic going after many albums released, but the numerous hints of a great, gritty garage band going way too clean are obvious here. I guess the problem is that every song on Turn Blue has a too immediate effect; at one point brain teasing confectionary, at another a well-honed musicality. Either way, place this what-could-havebeen album in the ‘listen once and move on’ category and pull out some early 1960s Yardbirds for wild, desirable emotion in sound. DAN BIGNA

The Icypoles my world was made for you [lil chief records] The Icypoles are an all-girl four piece from Melbourne, and on their debut album they live up to their name. The crisp clear vocal harmonies that riddle My World was Made for You pay homage to the treat, crisp, cool harmonies surrounded by syrupy folk-pop. Opening song ‘You Make Me’ is unfortunately flat, and the cloying sweetness of ‘Babies’ seems to set a trend, before pulling it together with its subtle atmospheric touches and compelling bass line. Surface value of ‘You Make Me’ dictates simplicity, but the stripped back approach reveals a firm craftsmanship, with each element speaking for itself. The bass lines are intricate yet fun, the percussion varying often for great interest and the guitar melodies slick. The key lyrical theme is definitely love – losing it or seeking it. Whilst convincing, this coating detracts attention in its constant doses, becoming too sweet to swallow. Even some of the more negative toned songs are disguised in sugar, which is oddly lifting on ‘Gotta Stop It’ but just plain odd on ‘Popular Boy’. ‘Happy Birthday’ is a catchy shimmy, but so cutesy in delivery, the sexual context becomes a little off-putting. There are nods to 60’s girl gangs throughout, such as the rhythm and reverb of the short-lived ‘Don’t Fall In Love With Me’ – the harmonies are a beautiful highlight - and swaying call of ‘Just You’, a cover from cult TV show Twin Peaks. The Icypoles have created an album with fresh details waiting to be discovered each new listen. If you have the stomach for the twee delivery, My World Was Made For You is a charming and deliberate offering from The Icypoles. ANGELA CHRISTIAN-WILKES

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new empire in a breath [permanent records]

Taylor McFerrin Early Riser [brainfeeder]

tracksuit daydreaming days [label]

Formed in 2005, Sydney-side band New Empire scored a hit with the song ‘One Heart/A Million Voices’ from their 2011 LP Symmetry. While it gained airplay as a local TV theme for the Olympics, it was an overly saccharin song with token guitars added in an attempt to gain rock cred. Fortunately, there were other tracks from that sophomore release which were readily listenable.

The oldest son of vocalist and classical conductor Bobby ‘Don’t Worry Be Happy’ McFerrin, Brooklyn-based electronic producer and multi-instrumentalist Taylor McFerrin surfaced with his Broken Vibes EP back in 2007, and it’s taken him six years to finally complete this debut album Early Riser. As well as playing all of the instruments here, McFerrin’s original intention was to sing all of the vocals himself, an idea he since abandoned. In many senses it’s this decision to surrender the vocal contributions to others that ends up lending this album some of its greatest strengths. It’s also not hard to see why McFerrin ended up on the uber-hip Brainfeeder roster, with much of this album following a distinctly post-Flying Lotus and Thundercat style aesthetic, with virtuosic jazzy instrumental performances being digitally re-edited and recontextualised. Opening track ‘Postpartum’ offers up an intoxicating taste of the lush textures being crafted here as McFerrin’s own gentle soul harmonies rise up out of a headspinning wash of layered jazz percussion and shimmering organ keys. ‘Already There’ meanwhile sees Robert Glasper and the aforementioned Thundercat contributing robust guest performances on keys and limber fretless bass to a deep, cinematic backdrop of string samples and glittery electronics, before ‘The Antidote’ sees Hiatus Kaiyote’s Nai Palm adding a breathy soul presence to an unpredictable fusion of polyrhythmic percussion samples and subtle guitar strokes. It’s RYAT’s appearance on ‘Place In My Heart’ though that easily offers up one of this album’s biggest highlights, her delicate yet raw vocals merging beautifully with an indietinged backing of drums and contoured guitars, clearly illustrating why she’s one of Brainfeeder’s biggest secret weapons. A good album that stops slightly short of being brilliant.

Formed in the US but now based in Perth, Tracksuit, consisting of frontman Steve Hensby and twins Travis and Jay Leggett, are an indie rock band that rolls out music you can boogie to. Any doubts about their intentions should be dispelled by the title and vibe of opener ‘Dance (Looking For Romance)’ with its hip swinging bass guitar rhythm. Their sound is a throwback to the 70s in both style and content. No gloomy songs chock-full of angst here; their lyrics recall the innocence of retro pop, full of good vibes about partying, dancing, loving and plenty of glitz.

Their third LP delivers yet more mainstream material in a mix of space filling power pop and softer ballads. Lyrics are inoffensive, ambiguous at times and deeper than your average pop, focusing more on personal growth than the usual she loves me/doesn’t love me stuff. Jesus gets mentions in the credits on the CD wrapper and the band has played at Hillsong events. However, despite a Biblical reference to Jonah and the ‘Fallen Soldiers’ theme about fighting for peace, this is not an overtly Christian record. Rather, it is a pure sugar hit of appealing melodies, whose seductive attraction overcomes its basic lack of grunt and anything truly memorable in song tunes. It’s a truism for rock that good angst makes for good song writing, and there is no grit in this LP with its warm keys and non-threatening guitars. However, while it would be easy to dismiss this album, that would not be doing it justice. Clever use of catchy melodies, simple but alluring rhythms, frontman Jeremy Fowler’s balmy vocals plus the strength of the interplay between members’ voices renders a product which is very easy to listen to. Fowler is especially suited to the gentler numbers like the title track and ‘Wise Fox’. Opener ‘Tale of Jonah’ explodes with brightness and ‘The Sun Won’t Sleep’ scores best of breed with its cascades of keys. RORY McCARTNEY

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chris downton

While the core band is your standard drums/guitar/bass set-up and the tracks are strongly guitar driven, Tracksuit has rounded out the depth and variety of its tunes with a little trumpet in ‘You Are My Light’, some keys to fill the peaks and troughs between guitar licks and even some piano accordion in ‘’Monsieur or Madame’. An orphan in this collection of bright and fast pop-rock, this cheeky number, with its touch of humour and a Parisian air, is about trying to work out if your attractive dance partner is male or female. Hensby changes his rock vocal for a tide of falsetto in ‘Stalker’, with the backing vocals and some big licks combining together for greater impact. He gets some sweet female vocal assistance from Rosie Atterton in ‘Velvet Rd’. The first album single ‘Chewy’ channels the sound of The Who and ‘Breakdown Doors’ recalls the swinging rhythm of Melbourne band Even. This is a debut LP with the energy and attitude of rock without the arrogance, and the fun of pop but with edgier guitars and chunkier bass riffs. rory mccartney

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judas priest redeemer of souls [epic/columbia] Unlike their peers Iron Maiden, who seem to treat the internet as simply another arm of their merchandising empire without ever actually seeking to connect with their audience at large, Judas Priest – at least in the runup to the release of this, their seventeenth studio album – have been keen to get amongst ‘the kids’, peppering their ears with advance tracks and snippets of chat from band members Glenn Tipton, Rob Halford and newkid guitarist Richie Faulkner seeking to build a sense of anticipation for Redeemer of Souls. I have to say it kind of did the opposite for me, as each track that surfaced did nothing but underline my sense of unease at what the album would sound like. This attitude of apprehension was stoked by vocalist Halford’s substandard performance on the recently released Ronnie James Dio tribute album; phrases like ‘shitting on the legacy’ kept coming into my mind, if not directly out of my mouth, as I feared much of the good work done by this band in over forty years of metal grandeur might be undone by one last, desperate shot at glory by a band not quite up to the task. I needn’t have worried. The band may now be unquestionably in its dotage, but it’s definitely still fit for purpose. Taken as a whole, as opposed to singular, unsupported nuggets, Redeemer of Souls fits together perfectly, and it’s easily the best of the three albums recorded by the band since Halford’s 2003 return. Tracks such as ‘Battle Cry’ easily hold

their own against a back catalogue that features such metal classics as The Sentinel and Electric Eye, with Halford’s voice sounding frankly stunning after that Dio debacle. Sure, he doesn’t hold those high notes for as long as he used to - and some of the power he once had has cashed in its super and headed for the seaside - but overall, with a set of material written around his voice and catering to it, the man puts in an assured, solidly impressive performance. His performance on opener ‘Dragonaut’ is pure, classic Halford if you need any convincing. Come to think of it, the whole track is pure, classic Priest. For a longterm fan such as myself who, without wishing to bog the band down in nostalgiaworshipping retro mania actually wants to hear the band playing stuff like this, it’s utter nirvana. Elsewhere Faulkner fits in just as seamlessly as his Downing-lite visual appeal would have suggested, and, although he’ll never deliver the rhythmically destructive playing power of KK, as a foil to Glenn Tipton he plays his part perfectly; his fresher approach to songwriting has doubtlessly energized Halford and Tipton, and whilst there’s nothing too modern on show here – timewise this album could easily have appeared after 1984’s Defenders of the Faith stylistically if not exactly sonically – there is definitely an elusive something in the sound of RoS that hasn’t been present before. The band explores areas they haven’t visited for a long time – Crossfire is a bluesy piece of hard rock that would have felt right at home on 1978’s Killing Machine – and overall attacks the job in hand with a confidence and hunger sadly absent on last release, the misfiring Nostradamus. Indeed supplanting Nostradamus as the last recorded output of Judas Priest might come to be seen as Redeemer of Soul’s greatest legacy to the world of metal, though to stop at that would be unfair to the actual album itself. This is a solid, at times spectacular piece of classic metal, and should be welcomed as such. Whether the band can pull off tracks like ‘Battle’ is a another matter, but for now this is a work to be cherished and enjoyed for what it is. SCOTT ADAMS

Jessica Lea Mayfield make my head sing [ATO / PIAS] When Ohio-based singer / songwriter Jessica Lea Mayfield first emerged back in 2008 with her debut album With Blasphemy So Heartfelt, her acoustic guitar-anchored songs saw her immediately tagged as being a folkie, a label that she’s increasingly tried to transcend. Three years on from her Dan Auerbach-produced follow-up Tell Me, this third album Make My Head Sing sees her working alongside her bassist and husband Jesse Newport to fashion a collection of songs that are easily her most rock-centred and powerful to date. Gone are the feathery acoustic guitars, in favour of a visceral crunch built around overdriven riffs and powerful rock drumming. Indeed, ‘Oblivious’ opens with the sort of churning sludgy powerchords and trashcan tribal drums you’d associate more with the likes of Melvins before Mayfield’s country-chanteuse vocals take centre stage through a veil of reverb, the sense of slow flame-out happening below bringing out plenty of brooding intensity in her performance. Elsewhere, the jangling ‘I Wanna Love You’ leans closer to post-New Wave indie that carries more than a twinge of The Cure in its shimmering fretwork and tightly compressed drumming, while ‘Pure Stuff’ sends a churning guitar riff J. Mascis would be proud of flailing in what’s easily one of this record’s most post-grunge kissed offerings, while Mayfield’s soaring vocals subvert proceedings by taking things out towards Nashville. While some of this album can’t help but plod along, for the most part Make My Head Sing sees Mayfield grafting a more muscular and overdriven rock undercarriage onto her emotionally direct songwriting with generally successful results. Having a backing band this tight and lean also certainly doesn’t hurt. chris downton

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singles in focus by cody atkinson Circulatory System ‘if you think about it now’

Slint Spiderland (remastered) [Touch and Go]

Hercules And Love Affair The Feast Of The Broken Heart [Moshi Moshi / PIAS]

Here we have one of the most gripping post-hardcore collections from the US music underground. Slint recorded only two albums in its short lifetime but the reverberations from Spiderland continue to be felt. A strange and elusive band, Slint came to life in the thriving Louisville, Kentucky music scene from the remnants of Squirrel Bait who played a singular postpunk clamour. Next came the debut album Tweez (1989) recorded by Steve Albini which contained the early stirrings of a new kind of sound, one built from a trance-like quiet/noise dynamic that was sparse, yet intensely vivid. This sound was fully formed on Spiderland, released with little fanfare in 1991, by which time the band had dissolved.

Hercules And Love Affair has always felt more like a rotating musical collective than a band per se, with linchpin Andy Butler enlisting a completely new cast of vocal collaborators for each new album, and indeed their 2008 Antony Hegartyfronted single ‘Blind’ was a big key element in the group’s initial breakthrough to a wider audience. Three years on from their preceding Blue Songs collection this third album The Feast Of The Broken Heart sees Butler drawing in another stellar cast that includes new core vocalists Rouge Mary and Gustav alongside guest appearances from Krystie Warren and UK indie-folk singer John Grant. Considering that Butler has life experience dancing to Larry Levan’s DJ sets, it’s no surprise that the ten tracks collected here come built around a distinctly late-night techno / house backbone that favours the use of original drum machines and analogue synths. The additional production input of industrial veteran Mark Pistel also adds a welcome hard edge to the predominantly moody and flamboyant tracks that beautifully brings out the harsh sense of jacking rhythm that’s lurking just below the surface. It’s certainly an intriguing contrast to hear John Grant’s rich soul vocals inhabiting a backdrop of glittering electro synths and disco-tinged piano flourishes as crisp Chicago house hi-hats roll beneath. Elsewhere ‘5:43 To Freedom’ tosses a heap of bitchy vocal samples into the mix alongside a backbone of jacking snares, only for Rouge Mary teasing multitracked vocal harmonies to jump into the foreground against flashes of vampy synths. While some of this wears off after repeated listening, for the most part this is a strong third album from Hercules And Love Affair.

I first heard Slint when Albini raved about them in a late night interview on Triple J and then played the weird album track ‘Nosferatu Man’ – I almost fell off the bed. A lurching rhythm from bassist Todd Brashear drove the song to its noisy climax with whispered vocals from Brain McMahan making for a creepy undertone. This song is like nothing you’ve ever heard and marks a complete post-punk transformation. A smouldering tension seeping through the album’s six tracks comes to a head on closer ‘Good Morning Captain’. This song climaxes after seven scary minutes with a sonic roar that unsettles in the way David Lynch movies unsettle. This edition is the budget version of the lavish box set with excellent remastering that makes the music a fiercely visceral presence and includes the fascinating documentary Breadcrumb Trail which pulls this mysterious group from the shadows. dan bigna

chris downton

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There’s a lot going on here. Strike that, everything is going on here, from tape hiss to afrobeat to the sitar effect on a Casio keyboard. Circulatory System never played it straight up, and this is Will Cullen Hart running his love for 60s pop through so many filters it’s hard to process all at once. ‘If You Think About It Now’ may alienate at first, but it gets better exponentially each time you hear it.

Die! Die! Die ‘crystal’ On ‘Crystal’, Die! Die! Die! continue to subtly downshift from their earlier noise rock tendencies to incorporating more post-punk influences. The frenetic guitar riffs are still there, but they’re balanced against more methodical sections. As with many Die! Die! Die! songs, the guitar reigns supreme, with the feedback squall the chorus a particular high point.

David Guetta ft Sam Martin ‘lovers on the sun’ ‘Lovers on the Sun’ is spaghetti western meets generic club music meets three day old bits of dried vomit of the front of an Ed Hardy t-shirt. But ultimately this is a banger that doesn’t bang. HOW DOES A BANGER NOT BANG? Dammit, bangerz have one bloody job, not a hard job, and this one can’t even do that.

Blonde Redhead ‘Dripping’ Hit a groove and stick with it. That’s the simple base of ‘Dripping’, the long-awaited return of pan-continental Blonde Redhead. Dream-poppy vocals swirl over the track and oscillating synths provide colour, but the foundation that ‘Dripping’ built on is that everlasting groove.

the word

on films

WITH MELISSA WELLHAM

If cinema is to be believed, the world is ending. (And, you know, also if scientists are to believed. But that’s a discussion for different pages.) Apocalypse and the end of the world have always been popular themes in blockbuster flicks, but directors seem to be approaching new levels of pessimism in their sci-fi fare. In Snowpiercer, the world is well and truly rooted by climate change. In DotPotA, humanity is beaten by some damn dirty apes. Let’s just hope that when the next Marvel or DC film is released, our souls will be saved.

quote of the issue

“Know your place. Accept your place.” Mason (Tilda Swinton), Snowpiercer

Snowpiercer

Charlie’s Country

Jersey Boys

Snowpiercer is an audacious and ambitious sci-fi, with art-house sensibilities and stunning cinematography. Bong Joon Ho (director of The Host and Mother) has created a film that acts as an antidote to the special effects-heavy sci-fis that dominate the screens throughout the year.

Filmmaker Rolf de Heer holds the camera on Charlie (David Gulpilil) sitting on a bed in a decrepit shack, silently looking at photos in the opening of Charlie’s County. You see his stunning eyes darting side-toside, lost in memoires, while his environment crumbles around him. Gulpilil and de Heer want you to witness the inequality of the aboriginal community in modern Australia.

Jersey Boys is neither a particularly enthralling nor especially entertaining film – but the musical numbers make it work. It’s a strange combination of comedy, drama and musical that never quite hits the right notes as any of these things.

In a dystopian future destroyed first by climate change, and then mankind’s attempt to counteract climate change, the last survivors of humanity travel the globe on a train with a perpetual motion engine – it’s the only thing keeping them from the artificial winter outside. At the front of the train live humanity elite, dining on sushi; and at the back of the train are the lowerclass citizens, sustained by gelatinous protein blocks. Curtis (Chris Evans) lives at the back of the train, but when cryptic messages incite the passengers to revolt, he finds himself leading a rebellion. Snowpiercer is warning about ignoring the threat of climate change, and a not-so-subtle allegory about capitalism. (The fact that Captain America is there just makes the moral lesson slightly more mocking.) The film is set entirely on the rattling train – or as its inhabitants call it, The Rattling Ark – but the confined space doesn’t feel small or lackluster. The limited spaces are used to impressive aesthetic effect, and heighten the tension and sense of impending doom. The film is off-the-wall and absurd, while also being violent and gory – and this combination mean that the heavy-handed moral lessons can be forgiven.

melissa wellham

Charlie is living in an aboriginal community, who is pushed to breaking point. Stepping into third world Australia is shocking and de Heer doesn’t shy away from casting an honest eye over what’s actually happening. In one scene Charlie proclaims to a doctor that he’ll be dead by the time he gets access to the proper medical care that he needs. Most of the film is a funeral procession for the ancient aboriginal culture with only minor glimmers of hope. It’s the brutal beating our psyches need to wake up to the injustice of Charlie’s situation. De Heer does push too hard with music cues to signal where you’re supposed to emote, when his direction is already doing an incredible job. Gulpilil is sublime and his eyes are windows into a world of sorrow; it’s a haunting performance that’s absolutely captivating from start to finish. Charlie’s Country is one of the most important Australian films of the year so far. See it, or bench any opinions you have about the state of the Australian film industry. cameron williams

Clint Eastwood directs the silver screen version of the Tony Award-winning musical, which tells the behind-thescenes story of the iconic 60s group The Four Seasons. The band’s trials and triumphs, their friendships and their falling outs, are interspersed with hits like ‘Sherry’, ‘Big Girls Don’t Cry’ and ‘Can’t Take My Eyes Off You’. John Lloyd Young is a convincing Frankie Valli, Erich Bergen an exceptionally likeable Bob Gaudio, Vincent Piazza is an infuriating Tommy DeVito, and Michael Lomenda does what he can with the role of Nick Massi. Jersey Boys is a solid film, but it doesn’t have quite enough razzle-dazzle to be completely entertaining, or quite enough grit to make the dramatic angle work. There are also some pacing issues at play, with too much time dedicated to the group before they were even a group; and not nearly enough time dedicated to the fall-out of the complex relationship between Valli and DeVito. Once we are reintroduced to the characters in their old age, the truly terrible elderly make-up seen in all Eastwood films (remember J. Edgar?) also makes a cameo. If it weren’t for the songs, there wouldn’t be much reason to watch. MELISSA WELLHAM

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Sex Tape I had very low expectations of this film (especially given Cameron Diaz’s last travesty The Other Woman) and was pleasantly surprised to find it an inoffensive way to pass 90 minutes. It even had moments that were kind of touching. Annie (Cameron Diaz) and Jay (Jason Siegel) play a couple in the throes of the bedroom fizzle – they are still in love and fancy each other but can’t recapture the wild passions and endless erections of the dawn of their love. In an effort to spice things up they make a sex tape – always a good idea, yes? No, of course not. The tape gets leaked and wacky hijinks ensue. The film makes a few clever (if clichéd) observations on social media – we are supposed to use and control it to better our lives, and yet if you don’t fully understand it the world may see you getting down and dirty with your partner. As social media and technology evolves, so do people’s perspective on privacy and what is shocking. There was a subtle nod to this in the casting of Rob Lowe, whose career was very nearly ruined in the 1980s when a sex tape of his went the equivalent of ‘viral’ back then. Unfortunately, there was also the obligatory child who was wise beyond his years and a complete turd because apparently this is funny. Still, good brainless fun. EMMA ROBINSON

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes This is a movie where monkeys ride horses. And yet, it has still warranted a 3 and a half star review. A growing colony of genetically evolved apes, led by Caeser (Andy Serkis) comes into contact with a small group of human survivors, almost ten years after a deadly virus (think of it as Ape Flu) knocked out most of the human population on earth. The two species form an uneasy truce, but the individuals within their camps who distrust the outsiders – whatever animal they might be – push both sides towards the brink of war. Although it doesn’t make much sense that a film titled Dawn of the Planet of the Apes would follow a film called Rise of the Planet of the Apes (surely those names should have been reversed?), DotPotA is an admirable sequel. Like its predecessor, it breathes new life into a long-running, sometimes-laughable franchise, with a smart script and abovestandard special effects. Being able to watch ape faces reflect human emotions is slightly less impressive this time around, if only because we have seen it before; but the intelligence and emotional resonance of the storyline still means that you feel for the apes as much as you feel for the human characters. The morals lessons are not exactly understated, and the script follows a pretty standard blockbuster format – but this is a blockbuster still ruled by ideas in place of explosions. MELISSA WELLHAM

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the word on dvds

Community – Season 4 [Universal Sony]

The Lego Movie [Roadshow]

All things considered this season of Community could have been a whole lot worse. And let’s not forget those ‘things’ were significant. Show runner, creative engine and general loud mouth Dan Harmon was spectacularly fired from the show before this season went into production. He didn’t go silently – burring bridges, highways, tool booths and petrol stations on his one-man intifada against NBC and Sony. It was fun to watch, arguably better than some of the episodes he had written. Then there was his public slanging match with Chevy Chase; part time cast member and if stories are to be believed full time asshole. By the time the dust had settled both Harmon and Chase were out of jobs. Also gone was a huge cast of talented writers – the Russo brothers, Dimo Stamatopoulos, Chris McKenna. What fresh hell was this show about to serve up?

Ten years ago Lego was in serious trouble, $1 billion in debt kind of trouble. After decades of growth and comfortable market leader status, the Danish company was struggling hard. The humble plastic brick was seen as old and tired. Lego was wasting energy on products buyers didn’t want and unable to play the video games era correctly. They were on the verge of being swallowed by venture capitalists (boo, hiss). But the company turned itself around and The Lego Movie is more than just a product tie-in – it’s the crowning achievement and logical tick off point for that tumultuous decade that preceded it. Emmet Brickowski (Chris Pratt) is an everyday chump; a construction worker with no ambition. His world is ruled by evil tycoon, Lord Business (Will Ferrell). A small ragtag bunch of resistance fighters led by Wlydstyle (Elizabeth Banks) mistake Emmet for ‘The Special’ a powerful individual who accidentally finds the Piece of Resistance. OK, that’s quite a set up – especially for a kid’s movie, which this sort of is – but what is really achieves is allowing the characters to race through a world built entirely of Lego. It’s a phenomenal technical achievement and a major victory for local production house Animal Logic. Cities, fantasy worlds, oceans, fire, explosions – everything looks like actual Lego bricks. The script is even more impressive. Fast, funny, self-referential without evoking knowing groans. Only the grumpiest will complain of product placement, it’s called The Lego Movie for a very good reason, what did you expect? Like all animated films, it seems, the message is one of self-belief with the final act of the film being a call for creativity over following the rules. In lesser hands this would come off as bunkum, but there is real skill and passion behind this film. Two simple things missing from most every other film you’ll see this year.

Senior writer Megan Ganz was made great pains to say nothing had changed. But it clearly had. It was a different show and rightly so. Dan Harmon for all his faults knew this was his show; his unique blend of hubris and talent made the show so thrilling and infuriating. If anything, Season 4 feels a little rudderless. The show is still funny and aggressively meta but it’s just not as batshit crazy or confident. Take the episode built around 90’s pop star Sophie B Hawkins. It’s the sort of left-field pop culture reference tailor made for Community but it never gets traction, limping from one almost gag to another. Another issue is the overuse of Chang – hardly a fan favourite – for the entire season. Somehow the show rescues itself from failure, stronger than the sum of its parts sort of thing. By no means has the best the show had to offer, it’s still plenty better than the competition. justin hook

justin hook

Orphan Black – Series Two [Roadshow] After the conclusion of Orphan Black’s first season, I suffered a little buyer’s remorse wondering if the praise heaped up on it was a little overdone. Yes the show was a grand mix of futuristic genomics gone mad and fast paced cat and mouse, where both the cat and mouse often looked very similar – but where was it all going? The follow up season picks up exactly where we left off and hinted at an answer – running. That’s where this show is going. Running very fast from evil scientists, religious cultists, men with guns, women with guns and pretty much everyone just out of frame. Only occasionally does it slow down to answer questions and when it does – the answers aren’t always convincing. Sarah Manning (Tatiana Maslany) spent the first season of Orphan Black trying to figure out who/what she was. She slowly uncovered a series of Sarah clones and a company, Dyad, who seemed to be orchestrating the entire experiment. This time around, the thrust isn’t so much what is going on but why – why are all these clone worlds colliding into each other? As always, there’s no easy answer. If the first season belonged to soccer mum Alison, this one is Helena and Rachel. The former is back from the dead(ish) and the latter adds a few necessary dimensions to the ice-cold bitch trope. Speaking of dimensions, the addition of a new clone in the second half was controversial to say the least. And possibly a touch gimmicky. Orphan Black is still a good show that deserves faith. Stunning lead performances by Maslany as multiple characters make it unlike else on TV and Jordan Gavaris as Felix is noticeably less annoying this time around. The team behind the show have hinted there was a three-year arc to this story, which makes this a holding pattern year; it feels like it. justin hook

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the word

on gigs

Groovin the ANU (Conversation, Local Horror, Critical Monkee, Owls Hunt Bats) ANU Bar Friday July 11 One of the best kept secrets around town is the monthly Groovin the ANU show. With four local bands (plus DJ Briller between sets this time) and Tooheys New at $3 a pop, that’s gotta be value. Of course the snobbery of those who only see ‘known bands’ often tends to limit the audience to mates (and sometimes mums) of band members. However, this sort of line-up often throws up pleasant surprises. With a gig like this, a bit of hit and miss in quality can be expected. However, what really impressed on the night was how good the bands were. Like wow, I’ve never heard of these local guys and they sound hot. While there was a good variety in styles, the emphasis was on rock. For Owls Hunt Bats, the PA setup was unusual in that it placed the emphasis on the vocals rather than guitars. But that was cool, because vocalist Thomas could really sing, coming across equally well on both the full-on songs and the more laid back rock ballad style. Critical Monkee starred on with the deep vocals of Hayley, accompanied by an unknown friend with an equally powerful voice. The combo made for some good harmonies, while bassist Wendy strutted all over the stage. Local Horror pinched the drummer from Critical Monkee and the four bearded types laid down some impressive guitar work, closing with a solid instrumental. Conversation suffered from last band syndrome (most of the mates of earlier bands had left) and their soulful rock style, with a big female vocal, was better suited to be first band up, rather than a closer. Why not take a chance and come along to the next one (Friday August 1) to see what you’re missing.

the word

on gigs

rory mccartney

King Parrot, Wretch, Aeon of Horus ANU Bar, Thursday July 17 Despite the temperature, the ANU was a flurry with devotees last week to catch not only a cold or a hangover but a foretaste of some of Canberra’s favourites supporting Australia’s hottest export King Parrot. Wretch enthralled the crowds with some home grown grind. A detonation of assault slayed the punters as Wretch manifested itself into that brooding force they are known for. Aeon of Horus gave a solid performance – fresh of the Poisoned Kings Tour the band showed their home town exactly why their name and brand of metal has reached distinction status. Flawlessly combining brutality with splendor, Aeon are contenders, mark my words. King Parrot gave a big fuck you to winter and an even bigger fuck you to the nation’s capital with lead singer Matt Young spitting, “Yeah I know its fucking cold, I have no clothes on!” King Parrot are currently leading a terrorizing campaign through the east coast, a campaign which has been noted as some of the last live shows for the band until 2015. There is something extraordinary when witnessing a King Parrot show, the amount of energy the band yields is intimidating, as if they march for their own revolution and their precision; something to aspire to. The pieces that make up this healthy and delectable mix are truly proficient musicians who breeze through their set and enjoy the fuck out of it. So in proper King Parrot style the band was showing no mercy to the punters. Involuntarily, we bathe in a shower of water as Young unleashes his unique and menacing vocals. It wasn’t long before the crowds were eating it up and took to the floor like crazed cronies. As we stir in a pit of frenzy to crowd favourites like ‘Bozo’ and ‘Shit on the Liver’, the boys ruthlessly shove more down our throats. If King Parrot have started their revolution, they are clearly signing up every metal head along the way. carrie gibson

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Straight Arrows, TV Colours, Angie Transit Bar Friday July 18 Canberra had struck. I knew I only had a day or two until I was totally laid out by the sickness. I could feel it in my head and my throat. The despicable mid-winter flu had taken another victim, but perhaps live music was the cure. To test this hypothesis caution was thrown against the wind and Transit Bar was the venue. Would live music kill the pesky cold? Angie was first up, with just a guitar and microphone for company on stage. Angie’s set on the night was short but distinctive, one of howling guitars and droning vocals. Better known as Angie Bermuda from bands such as Circle Pit, Ruined Fortune and the headlines on the night, Angie solo sees Bermuda slow everything down a couple of notches and work on the more guttural rock elements. It was fair to say that a fair proportion of the crowd present on the night were there to see local lads TV Colours play their first show in the Capital in a couple of months. For the uninitiated, TV Colours play heavy garage rock, with stray bits of 80s pop, metal and punk thrown in the mix. While this sounds on paper like a monster of Frankenstein proportions, it works shockingly well both on record and live. The crowd did not take long to form a pit at the front of the stage, with various fluids flying around the room and steam building to mask the cold winter night. TV Colours seem to be nearing the end of the Purple Skies, Toxic River touring cycle, with newer material entering the set in fits and bursts. Make no mistake, however, of the strength of the set as a whole. Straight Arrows have been kicking around Sydney for a solid half decade, with a couple of releases under their belt but mostly renowned for their live show. Often when you see a band that has a good live reputation, it’s easy to be disappointed, as expectations are escalated beyond reasonable levels. But on this night, Straight Arrows played an absolute ripper of a set, a cacophony of garagepsych that just wouldn’t quit. The hype was real – Straight Arrows were for real. Made up of the sum of a number of Sydney bands, they are led by producer-en-vogue Owen Penglis, who looks in passing like a version of Thee Oh Sees’ John Dwyer. Indeed, Straight Arrows share some similarities with the burgeoning San Fran garage scene, with memorable riffs bleeding into pounding rhythms, occasionally pierced by shrill vocals. “All the good songs tonight are off our new album Rising,” quipped Penglis at one point. “All of the others are by The Beards.” Not one song was particularly memorable, instead the whole range bloody brilliant. On a whole, one of the finest sets at Transit this year. Post-script: Turns out drinking beer and moshing to killer music won’t cure the flu. I’ve spent the last two days laid up on my couch, drinking lemon tea and eating soup. I currently sound like a mid1990s version of Tommy Raudonikis. It is not going well. I also apologise to all of those I made sick with my reckless actions. cody atkinson

PHOTOS BY BY ?????????? MEGAN LEAHY PHOTOS

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the word

on gigs

PHOTO BY DAVID BURKE

Fred Smith Courtyard Studio, Canberra Theatre Centre Thursday July 24 A Fred Smith song is deceptive. Its quiet, measured start suggests where the melody is going and for how long you will await a contrasting, rousing chorus. But it doesn’t go that way. It builds melodic complexity; it introduces some new instrument or harmony; a lyric takes you by surprise. Rather than hear the song, you fall into it; it clutches you. The surprise of finding yourself in the alien lives of strangers requires no dramatic alterations in melody or key; it arises from Smith’s ability to put his bare feet in the footsteps of his song’s subjects. Photographs, most shot in Afghanistan, complement Smith’s introductions and songs with extraordinary precision, documenting strife-worn Afghanistan’s everyday life, the everyday fragile humanity that the Afghanis and the Australian peacekeepers share, the atmosphere pregnant with contradictory violence and gentleness, the indescribable light, the everyday human vulnerability of children and adults living, in stone and sand, within arm’s reach of the machinery of war. Smith’s mischievous facility with words energises his performances; his genuinely attentive empathy for those suffering unenviable privations is refreshing. In this performance, Smith had the capable help of Penny Larkins, singing harmony and sometimes lead; drummer/keyboardist Carl Pannuzzo; and Canberran bassist Tom Carruthers, all four tight throughout. Pannuzzo and Carruthers played with the casual precision of jazz pros, easing new instruments into a song with effortless mastery and subtlety. A consistently able, entertaining performer, Smith has reached that pinnacle at which his music, happy or sad, both matters and enriches. John P. Harvey

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the word

on gigs

The White Album The Canberra Theatre Tuesday July 22 Officially entitled ‘The Beatles’ but universally known as The White Album, the double LP was recorded in a fragmented atmosphere (with many songs lacking the participation of all four Beatles). In 2009, 41 years after its release, four of Australia’s finest – You Am I’s Tim Rogers, Josh Pyke, Chris Cheney of The Living End and Grinspoon frontman Phil Jamieson – brought it back to life. Now they were back again to play the whole lot in track order. The 17 piece backing setup was impressive, with brass, strings and two drum kits. The gear was picked to match the album cover too, with white baby grand and black and white drums. The show kicked off with a jet plane sample as Cheney let loose with ‘Back in the U.S.S.R.’, before Jamieson followed up with the gentler ‘Dear Prudence’. Jamieson, Cheney and Pyke joined forces for ‘Ob-LaDi, Ob-La-Da’ before Rogers made his first appearance in a truly shocking checked suit for ‘Wild Honey Pie’. He had no guitar to do windmills with, but did the next best thing with his tambourine. It was a bizarre feeling at first, seeing these legends in a kind of super karaoke. However, that feeling passed quickly as the four guys and their backing band were so into the songs and the fun of the event. With 30 songs in two sets to get through, there was no mucking about and a continual swapping over between singers, with occasional participation by all four at once. Each of the stars brought his own style to the show. Jamieson, in dinner jacket and bow tie, camped it up in the first half, but came back full of attitude and high kicks after the interval. Pyke was the cool crooner, while Cheney was the guitar wielding straight rocker. Rogers played the rascal, becoming increasingly more disheveled as the night wore on, although he returned in the second half looking cool in tropical white. He was also the comedy relief and spokesman for the main players, with his most telling comment being that they were not there for nostalgia, they were there for the joy of the songs and delivering them with a lot of love. Jamieson was the most mobile, wandering through the backing band, draping himself on them and, to the misgivings of the audience, over selected members of the crowd. He was super flexible, banging out the big notes in ‘Yer Blues’ and mincing about for ‘Honey Pie’ (it was a long way from Grinspoon’s ‘Dead Cat’). Cheney showed his stuff with the wailing, drawn out guitar solo in ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’ and rocked out in ‘Helter Skelter’, playing a guitar laid flat on the floor before throwing it high for a catch. Rogers shone out with his extravagant, theatrical style, with a fake pistol (complete with ‘bang’ flag) against his head for ‘Happiness Is a Warm Gun’, then dancing around a plastic pig mask during ‘Piggies’. Pyke’s biggest moments were in ‘Julia’ and ‘Blackbird’; songs just made for his smooth vocals. The backing band, led by musical director Rex Goh, flexed its muscles presenting the experimental instrumental ‘Revolution 9’, with its clouded vocal effects, before all four blokes returned. The encore served up ‘A Day in the Life’, from the ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ album and a reprise of ‘Revolution1’. At the end, a small boy went on stage to dance and sing along with the band. Boosted onto the piano by Jamieson, he was so good that it was hard to believe that it wasn’t a set-up. However, a gob smacked Rogers assured us of its genuine spontaneity.

PHOTOS BY MARK TURNER

RORY MCCARTNEY

@bmamag

ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE Wed Jul 30 - Fri Aug 1

Listings are a free community service. Email editorial@bmamag.com to have your events appear each issue. WEDNESDAY JULY 30

Art Exhibitions Intimate Spaces Revealed

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

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

Eyes to Eye

Evolving worlds of growth and rebirth by Erin Lynzaat-Reid. Jul 29-Aug 11. THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ

The Anatomy of Life

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

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ARTS SPACE (MANUKA)

Geoff Achison

Self taught roots guitarist. 7.30pm. $10. THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ

On The Town Hump Day Wednesdays

Kick back mid-week with drink specials. 5pm. TRANSIT BAR

Trivia IQ Trivia Fun

Fun, laughs & prizes! 8pm. Free.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

Liberation Front

UNI PUB

MAGPIES CITY CLUB

Something Different

Acoustic local & interstate musicians. 9.30pm. $TBA.

9pm-late. Free.

Shaken & Stirred

Burlesque glamour. 7.30pm. $20. Book at: politbar.co POLIT BAR & LOUNGE

Feminartsy presents She’s Lost Control Lecture performance by Hissy Fit. Time TBA. $10. THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ

POLIT BAR & LOUNGE

THURSDAY JULY 31

Art Of Seduction

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

Terbium

Art Exhibitions Albert Camus 1913-2013

FRIDAY AUGUST 1

Live Music

LITTLE BROOKLYN

Special K/ Oscar

5pm afternoon session. 10pm band. Free. KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

2XX Lip Service

Fundraiser with June Low 8pm. $TBA. SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

Sparrow Folk

1st birthday. With Greg Kimball + Peter Karmel. 7.30pm. $30 includes free drink.

Art Exhibitions

THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ

All the Young Dudes

Doppel & Negronis. 5.30-8.30pm. Free.

Gin and Beats

Masculinity and it’s flexibility. Aug 1-24. Tue-Sun 10-4. Free.

A. BAKER

A Printed Space

THE LOFT AT DUXTON

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

Exhibition celebrating Albert Camus. Opening at 7pm Jul 31. Until Aug 14. 9am-7pm. Free.

CANBERRA GLASSWORKS

ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE

Dance

Anna Sutherland’s passion for design & colour, inspired by beautiful pieces of jewellery. Aug 1-24.

Quantum Leap in Boundless

Dance

Glint

Live music. Time TBA. Price TBA.

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

DJ Esscue

8pm-12am. Free

DJ Raven

With Luke Jaimes. 9pm-late. Free. UNI PUB

Live Music at The Basement

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

Youth contemporary dance ensemble. 7pm. $20/$32.

THE PLAYHOUSE

Film

Youth contemporary dance ensemble. 7pm. $20/$32.

On The Town

Karaoke Don’t Stop Believing Karaoke

Stronger Than Fiction

Film

With New World Sound. $15 before 11pm.

Heat 2. 9:30pm. Free.

DURHAM CASTLE ARMS

Live Music Wednesday Night Raw Gigs

Showcasing local talented musicians. 8.30pm. $TBA. LITTLE BROOKLYN

Obits

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

After Hollywood

Indie pop. EP launch. 7.30pm $10. All ages. DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

International Documentary Film Festival. Thu-Sun until Aug 31. PALACE ELECTRIC CINEMA

THE PLAYHOUSE

Stronger Than Fiction

Live Music

International Documentary Film Festival. Thu-Sun until Aug 31.

Leigh Barker

Live Music

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

A Drone Coda

With Cracked Actor & Agency. 8pm. Free.

PALACE ELECTRIC CINEMA

Flaming Wreckage

With Tortured, Claret Ash, ...Is Dead + Beast Impalor. 8pm. $15. THE BASEMENT

TRANSIT BAR

Davesway

Chicago Charles & Dave

OJO CAFE AND BAR

9pm. Free.

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

CMC Presents Cassidy’s Ceili

Thursday Jazz

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

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

Quantum Leap in Boundless

Leigh Barker. 7.30pm. $15.

Dinner Concert

With Dylan Hekimian (folk) & Bella Groove. 5.30-10.30pm. Free. HOTEL HOTEL

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6.30pm. Free.

Guilty Simpson & Katalyst

THE BASEMENT

Ministry of Sound Sessions 11 Tour ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

Something Different Tarot Card Reading

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

Theatre Arcadia

By Tom Stoppard. Heart & chaos: 1 family 2 centuries. 8pm. $20/$30. CANBERRA REPERTORY SOCIETY

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

Groovin the ANU

With Brother Be, Pivotal Point, The Ians + more. ANU BAR AND REFECTORY

ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE Sat Aug 2 - Tues Aug 5 saturday august 2 Art Exhibitions Intimate Spaces Revealed

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

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

Eyes to Eye

Evolving worlds of growth and rebirth by Erin Lynzaat-Reid. Jul 29-Aug 11. THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ

Albert Camus 1913-2013

Exhibition celebrating Albert Camus. Opening at 7pm Jul 31. Until Aug 14. 9am-7pm. Free. ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE

The Anatomy of Life

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

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ARTS SPACE (MANUKA)

Art Of Seduction

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

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

All the Young Dudes

Masculinity and it’s flexibility. Aug 1-24. Tue-Sun 10-4. Free. BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

A Printed Space

Anna Sutherland’s passion for design & colour, inspired by beautiful pieces of jewellery. Aug 1-24. BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Glint

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

Film Stronger Than Fiction

International Documentary Film Festival. Thu-Sun until Aug 31. PALACE ELECTRIC CINEMA

Live Music DJ Steve

With Luke Jaimes & Terbium. 9pm-late. Free before 10pm/$5 after. UNI PUB

ZZG, Kevin Windross Band & Jova Live music. 8pm. $15. THE BASEMENT

Bastard Sons of Liberty

With Cockbelch and others. 8pm. Gold coin donation. POT BELLY BAR

Terry & Gillian

Dynamic, vibrant & refreshing. 8pm. Free. GUNDAROO COLONIAL INN

Splendour In The Bar

Strangeways DJs presents its annual indoor festival. 8pm, $10 before 10pm, $15 after. TRANSIT BAR

Johnny Roadkill

Sunday Siren Series

MAGPIES CITY CLUB

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

With FAT, Knights of the Spatchcock + Na Mazza. 8.30pm. $10.

DJ Norm

ANU BAR AND REFECTORY

Jova

With Kevin Windross Band & ZZG. Live music. 8pm. Tickets $15. Available at jova.com.au.

monday august 4

8pm-12am. Free.

THE LOFT AT DUXTON

On The Town

Comedy

Love Saturdays

Schnitz & Giggles Improvised Comedy

With The Projektz. $10 all night. ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

Something Different Bro.och

6.3pm-8pm, $5.

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

Live Music

A wide selection of brooches & pins. Until Aug 9. Open at 11am.

Coolio

Enlightened by JS

Geoff Achison

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

Theatre

Live original music presented by Canberra Musician’s Club. 8pm. Free.

BILK GALLERY

Book Launch. 3pm-5pm. Free.

Arcadia

By Tom Stoppard. Heart & chaos: 1 family 2 centuries. 8pm. $20/$30. CANBERRA REPERTORY SOCIETY

Sleepmakeswaves

Instrumental rock. 8pm. $25. Tickets: anuunion.com.au

With Lisa Richards + special guests. 7pm-9pm, $10.

sunday august 3 Film Stronger Than Fiction

International Documentary Film Festival. Thu-Sun until Aug 31.

8pm. $35+BF. TRANSIT BAR

Blues guitar legend. 8.30pm, $10.

The Bootleg Sessions THE PHOENIX BAR

Something Different Mulled Games

Board Games and Mulled Wine. 5pm-late. A. BAKER

Trivia Fame Trivia at Woden

Great prizes to be won. 6.30pm.

PALACE ELECTRIC CINEMA

THE TRADIES (WODEN)

Acoustic local & interstate musicians. 9.30pm. $TBA.

Live Music

Great prizes to be won. 7pm.

Special K

THE BASEMENT

Live Music

Sunday Sessions

Fame Trivia at Dickson THE TRADIES (DICKSON)

Comedy

LITTLE BROOKLYN

Sydney Comedy Festival Showcase

10.30pm. Free.

Acoustic local & interstate musicians. 4pm. $TBA.

The Naddiks EP Launch

Josh

Comedy

THE DUXTON

Open Mic Comedy

Funniest & freshest acts of Sydney’s biggest comedy event. 7.30pm. $40. CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

Dance Quantum Leap in Boundless

Youth contemporary dance ensemble. 7pm. $20/$32. THE PLAYHOUSE

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

Fundraiser for CEIS. With Kulture Break + Beneath the Surface. All ages. $10. 6.30-8.30pm.

Live acoustic music. 3pm-6pm. Free.

Tate Sheridan Birthday Special

IRON BAR

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

Local Singer/Songwriter. 507pm. Free.

ETERNITY CHURCH

The Acoustic Sessions Matt Dent. 2pm. Free.

8pm, $10.

Ruth Obrian

Arrester

A BITE TO EAT CAFE

THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ

Traditional Irish music. From late afternoon. Free.

From Melbourne. 7.30pm. $TBA.

Coro Choral Music

Public choral rehearsal. 3-4.30pm. Free. NEWACTON PRECINCT

LITTLE BROOKLYN

Irish Jam Session

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

Sunday Sounds and Sangria With Cactus Jack. 3pm-5pm, $10. SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

tuesday august 5

With Shahed Sharify. 7.30pm, donation. SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

Karaoke Karaoke Madness

58,000 songs to choose from. 8pm late. Free. POLIT BAR & LOUNGE

Karaoke Love

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

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ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE Tues Aug 5- Sat Aug 9 Something Different Alto & Vino

Eat, drink and learn about olive oil, wine, and Bernd’s four course dinner. 6.30pm. Tickets at event A. BAKER

Trivia Quiz Night

With a team or by yourself. Varied prizes. 7.30pm. Free. THE PHOENIX BAR

wednesday august 6 Art Exhibitions Intimate Spaces Revealed

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

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

Eyes to Eye

Canberra Free University

Film

Circa S

Stronger Than Fiction

THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ

The possibilities of strength & flexibility.7.30pm. $35/$55. Book at: canberratheatrecentre.com.au. CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

Theatre Arcadia

By Tom Stoppard. Heart & chaos: 1 family 2 centuries. 8pm. $20/$30.

IQ Trivia Fun

Fun, laughs & prizes! 8pm. Free. POLIT BAR & LOUNGE

thursday august 7

ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ARTS SPACE (MANUKA)

By Michelle England. Aug 7-17. WedSun 11am-5pm. Free.

Masculinity and it’s flexibility. Aug 1-24. Tue-Sun 10-4. Free.

Film

Art Of Seduction

International Documentary Film Festival. Thu-Sun until Aug 31.

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

Stronger Than Fiction PALACE ELECTRIC CINEMA

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

Live Music

A Printed Space

Dinner Concert

Anna Sutherland’s passion for design & colour, inspired by beautiful pieces of jewellery. Aug 1-24. BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Karaoke

Gin and Beats

With Faux Real and Gin Fiz. 5.308.30pm. Free. A. BAKER

THE LOFT AT DUXTON

Not Waving

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Live Music

Trivia

Albert Camus 1913-2013

All the Young Dudes

PALACE ELECTRIC CINEMA

DJ Norm

Art Exhibitions

Exhibition celebrating Albert Camus. Opening at 7pm Jul 31. Until Aug 14. 9am-7pm. Free.

International Documentary Film Festival. Thu-Sun until Aug 31.

CANBERRA REPERTORY SOCIETY

Evolving worlds of growth and rebirth by Erin Lynzaat-Reid. Jul 29-Aug 11. THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ

friday august 8

Opportunity to engage with ideas that matter, without the cost or time commitment. 6pm.

With Los Pajeros & The Johnny Reynolds Blues Band. 5.30-10.30pm. Free. HOTEL HOTEL

Thursday Jazz

8pm-12am. Free.

Leo Joseph Piano Lunch 12.30-1.30pm, Free. SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

Paryce and her two piece band With speical guests. Time TBA. $TBA. POT BELLY BAR

A Gentlemen’s Agreement

With Hypergiant + Darkness Reigns. Sludge rock/Alternative Metal. 8pm. $15. THE BASEMENT

Ben Chan

6.30pm. Free.

OJO CAFE AND BAR

Live Music

Acoustic local & interstate musicians. 9.30pm. $TBA. LITTLE BROOKLYN

Riley/ The Mighty Yak

ANU Law Ball

With Mash’d N Kutcher. $10 before 11pm. ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

Live Music

TRANSIT BAR

The possibilities of strength & flexibility.7.30pm. $35/$55. Book at: canberratheatrecentre.com.au.

CMC Presents local and touring bands

9pm. Free.

With The Ians, Jack Livingston, Aimee Francis + Buck et al. 7.30pm. $10/$7/$5. SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

Wednesday Night Raw Gigs

Showcasing local talented musicians. 8.30pm. $TBA.

Chicago Charles & Dave KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

Ben Brontë

Connection between poetry & songs. 7.30pm. $TBA. THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ

On The Town

LITTLE BROOKLYN

4Some Thursdays

On The Town

ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

Hump Day Wednesdays

Kick back mid-week with drink specials. 5pm. TRANSIT BAR

Something Different Bro.och

Top 40 & house, disco & RnB. Free.

Something Different Circa S

The possibilities of strength & flexibility.7.30pm. $35/$55. Book at: canberratheatrecentre.com.au. CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

A wide selection of brooches & pins. Until Aug 9. Open at 11am.

Theatre

Perception Deception Exhibition

By Tom Stoppard. Heart & chaos: 1 family 2 centuries. 8pm. $20/$30.

BILK GALLERY

Hands-on exhibits to surprise your senses and challenge your mind. 9am5pm. Until May 2015. Admissio

Arcadia

CANBERRA REPERTORY SOCIETY

Eyes to Eye

Evolving worlds of growth and rebirth by Erin Lynzaat-Reid. Jul 29-Aug 11. THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ

Albert Camus 1913-2013

Exhibition celebrating Albert Camus. Opening at 7pm Jul 31. Until Aug 14. 9am-7pm. Free. ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE

Not Waving

By Michelle England. Aug 7-17. WedSun 11am-5pm. Free.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ARTS SPACE (MANUKA)

All the Young Dudes

Masculinity and it’s flexibility. Aug 1-24. Tue-Sun 10-4. Free. BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Art Of Seduction

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

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

A Printed Space

Anna Sutherland’s passion for design & colour, inspired by beautiful pieces of jewellery. Aug 1-24. BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

saturday august 9

International Documentary Film Festival. Thu-Sun until Aug 31.

Paryce and her two piece band With speical guests. 8pm. Free.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

On The Town

DURHAM CASTLE ARMS

Heat 3. 9:30pm. Free.

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

Film

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

Something Different

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

Intimate Spaces Revealed

5pm afternoon session. 10pm band. Free.

With Dr Jawbone & The Restless Souls. 7.30pm, $10.

Don’t Stop Believing Karaoke

Art Exhibitions

Circa S

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

The Marvellous Miz Demeanours

New Show: Bad Habits. 8pm, $30. Book at: trybooking.com/85880 SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

Night At The Museum: Thrill

An over 18’s event exploring ‘Thrill’ with music, games, art & food. 6pm. $10. NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AUSTRALIA

Art Underground Open Mic Night

Share your poetry, short stories or music. 7pm. Free. BEYOND Q

Theatre Arcadia

By Tom Stoppard. Heart & chaos: 1 family 2 centuries. 8pm. $20/$30. CANBERRA REPERTORY SOCIETY

Stronger Than Fiction

PALACE ELECTRIC CINEMA

Live Music Several Devils

Rock/garage/punk. Time TBA. $TBA. THE BASEMENT

The Henchmen

With speical guests. Time TBA. $TBA. THE PHOENIX BAR

I Exist

With Legions, Blight Worms + Take Control. 8pm. $10. MAGPIES CITY CLUB

Barnyard Birthday Bash

Red Bee, I Am Duckeye, Barrel of Monkeys, Bear, Critical Monkee. 8pm. $15. THE BASEMENT

DJ Esscue

8pm-12am. Free

THE LOFT AT DUXTON

Live Music

Acoustic local & interstate musicians. 9.30pm. $TBA. LITTLE BROOKLYN

Heuristic

10.30pm. Free.

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

Frank Sultana

An authentic experience 7.30pm. $TBA. THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ

On The Town Love Saturdays

With Rawson. $10 all night. ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

QUESTACON

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ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE Sat Aug 9 - Thurs Aug 14 Chrome

DJs playing industrial, EBM, dark electronic & alternative. 9pm-late. $5/$10. NV NIGHTCLUB

Something Different Circa S

The possibilities of strength & flexibility.7.30pm. $35/$55. Book at: canberratheatrecentre.com.au. CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

The Marvellous Miz Demeanours

The Acoustic Sessions Minh Ha. 2pm. Free. IRON BAR

Irish Jam Session

Traditional Irish music. From late afternoon. Free. KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

Something Different A Liberal Dose

Presented by Shortis & Simpson. 3pm & 7pm, $30/$25. Book at: trybooking. com/94348

tuesday august 12 Comedy Irresponsible Comedy 7.30pm, $10.

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

Karaoke Karaoke Love

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

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

TRANSIT BAR

New Show: Bad Habits. 8pm, $30. Book at: trybooking.com/85880

Theatre

Bro.och

Arcadia

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

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

A wide selection of brooches & pins. Until Aug 9. Open at 11am. BILK GALLERY

Theatre Arcadia

By Tom Stoppard. Heart & chaos: 1 family 2 centuries. 2pm & 8pm. $20/$30. CANBERRA REPERTORY SOCIETY

sunday august 10 Film Stronger Than Fiction

International Documentary Film Festival. Thu-Sun until Aug 31. PALACE ELECTRIC CINEMA

Live Music Sunday Sessions

Acoustic local & interstate musicians. 4pm. $TBA. LITTLE BROOKLYN

Mary & Riley

Acoustic pop, country & rock. 1pm4pm. Free. GUNDAROO COLONIAL INN

Second Sunday Coffee & Concert

By Tom Stoppard. Heart & chaos: 1 family 2 centuries. 2pm. $20/$30. CANBERRA REPERTORY SOCIETY

monday august 11 Live Music The Bootleg Sessions

2xx LocalnLive presents live original music. 8pm. Free. THE PHOENIX BAR

Bone Thugs N Harmony

‘Grammy’ award-winning US hip hop. 8pm. $52. THE BASEMENT

Something Different Mulled Games

Board Games and Mulled Wine. 5pm-late. A. BAKER

Shadow House Pits presents: Without A Voice 6

Beyond The Violence. 8pm, $TBA. Book at: trybooking.com/93873

Music at Midday

Royal Military College Band. Donations to MS Australia. 11am & 12.30pm. Free. CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

Melody Pool & Marlon Williams Highly acclaimed. 7.30pm. $15. THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ

Trivia Quiz Night

With a team or by yourself. Varied prizes. 7.30pm. Free. THE PHOENIX BAR

wednesday august 13 Art Exhibitions Albert Camus 1913-2013

Exhibition celebrating Albert Camus. Opening at 7pm Jul 31. Until Aug 14. 9am-7pm. Free.

Trivia

By Michelle England. Aug 7-17. WedSun 11am-5pm. Free.

Fame Trivia at Woden

Great prizes to be won. 6.30pm.

Josh

THE TRADIES (DICKSON)

THE DUXTON

Live Music

ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE

THE TRADIES (WODEN)

Live acoustic music. 3pm-6pm. Free.

POLIT BAR & LOUNGE

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

Concert by local musos. 11.30pm. Free. BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Karaoke Madness

Fame Trivia at Dickson

Great prizes to be won. 7pm.

Not Waving

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ARTS SPACE (MANUKA)

All the Young Dudes

Karaoke Don’t Stop Believing Karaoke Heat 4. 9:30pm. Free.

DURHAM CASTLE ARMS

Live Music Acoustic Soup

Organic food and local music. 7pm. $8/$10. ANU FOOD CO-OP

Wednesday Night Raw Gigs

Showcasing local talented musicians. 8.30pm. $TBA. LITTLE BROOKLYN

CMC Presents local and touring bands With the Dan & Amy Band, Tom Woodward + Dylan Hekimian. 7.30pm. $10/$7/$5. SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

Theatre Arcadia

By Tom Stoppard. Heart & chaos: 1 family 2 centuries. 8pm. $20/$30. CANBERRA REPERTORY SOCIETY

Trivia IQ Trivia Fun

Fun, laughs & prizes! 8pm. Free. POLIT BAR & LOUNGE

thursday august 14 Film Stronger Than Fiction

International Documentary Film Festival. Thu-Sun until Aug 31. PALACE ELECTRIC CINEMA

Live Music Thursday Jazz

With Ben Marston Trio. 7.30pm, $15. SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

Theatre

Masculinity and it’s flexibility. Aug 1-24. Tue-Sun 10-4. Free.

Arcadia

A Printed Space

CANBERRA REPERTORY SOCIETY

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

By Tom Stoppard. Heart & chaos: 1 family 2 centuries. 8pm. $20/$30.

Anna Sutherland’s passion for design & colour, inspired by beautiful pieces of jewellery. Aug 1-24. BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

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ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE Fri Aug 15- Wed Aug 20 friday august 15

saturday august 16

Film

Art Exhibitions

Stronger Than Fiction

A Printed Space

International Documentary Film Festival. Thu-Sun until Aug 31.

Something Different

Trivia

Lunch with Puccini

Fame Trivia at Woden

PALACE ELECTRIC CINEMA

Anna Sutherland’s passion for design & colour, inspired by beautiful pieces of jewellery. Aug 1-24.

Live Music

Offline

Arcadia

NISHI GALLERY

CANBERRA REPERTORY SOCIETY

Festival 15

15 Bands, 15 minutes, $15. All styles, all genres. 8pm. THE BASEMENT

Matt Dent

6.30pm. Free.

OJO CAFE AND BAR

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Work by artists represented by Jas Hugonnet online gallery. Aug 16-31. 11-3pm.

TRANSIT BAR

Masculinity and it’s flexibility. Aug 1-24. Tue-Sun 10-4. Free.

With X-Cutioner Total Eclipse. 8pm. Presale via Moshtix

Busby Marou

8pm. $25. Tickets: anuunion.com.au

All the Young Dudes

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

PALACE ELECTRIC CINEMA

Elvis – Memphis to Las Vegas

6.30pm. $50/$220. Book at: theabbey. com.au THE ABBEY

Bielfield & Glen: Ambrosia 14

Folk, classical & popular hits reimagined. 7.30pm. $55/$61. Info at: canberratheatrecentre.com.au. CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

Bloody Lips

IRON BAR

tuesday august 19 Trivia Quiz Night

With a team or by yourself. Varied prizes. 7.30pm. Free. THE PHOENIX BAR

wednesday august 20 Art Exhibitions

Derryth Nash. 2pm. Free.

A Printed Space

Canberra Blues Society Jam

Peking Duk

HARMONIE GERMAN CLUB

Anna Sutherland’s passion for design & colour, inspired by beautiful pieces of jewellery. Aug 1-24.

Something Different

Offline

HOTEL HOTEL

Peace, Love & Sweatiness Tour. 8pm. $25+BF/$35+BF. Tickets: moshtix. com.au MECHE

Uncle Jed

The Aston Shuffle

TRANSIT BAR

With Fleur Miller. 8pm-9.30pm, $25/$20. Book at: trybooking. com/94363

7.30pm. $25. Tickets: anuunion.com.au

Theatre

THE STREET THEATRE

CANBERRA REPERTORY SOCIETY

POLIT BAR & LOUNGE

Words written and spoken with blood. 3-5pm. Free.

Lunch with Puccini

By Tom Stoppard. Heart & chaos: 1 family 2 centuries. 8pm. $20/$30.

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

LITTLE BROOKLYN

Live Music

Something Different

Arcadia

Karaoke Madness

Acoustic local & interstate musicians. 4pm. $TBA.

The Acoustic Sessions

Family trio. 8pm. Presale via Moshtix.

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

TRANSIT BAR

PALACE ELECTRIC CINEMA

Live Music

LITTLE BROOKLYN

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

Stronger Than Fiction

Sunday Sessions

Acoustic local & interstate musicians. 9.30pm. $TBA.

Karaoke Love

International Documentary Film Festival. Thu-Sun until Aug 31.

Stronger Than Fiction

International Documentary Film Festival. Thu-Sun until Aug 31.

Karaoke

Film

Creature of The Night tour. 8pm. $20+BF. Tickets: moshtix.com.au TRANSIT BAR

THE TRADIES (DICKSON)

sunday august 17

Live Music

Art vs Science

Great prizes to be won. 7pm.

By Tom Stoppard. Heart & chaos: 1 family 2 centuries. 2pm & 8pm. $20/$30.

Film

ANU BAR AND REFECTORY

Fame Trivia at Dickson

Theatre

By Michelle England. Aug 7-17. WedSun 11am-5pm. Free.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ARTS SPACE (MANUKA)

THE TRADIES (WODEN)

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

Not Waving

KP presents DMC Act Heats

Great prizes to be won. 6.30pm.

With Fleur Miller. 8pm-9.30pm, $25/$20. Book at: trybooking. com/94363

ANU BAR AND REFECTORY

The Joseph Tawardros Quartet

Permission to Evaporate album launch. 8pm. $30. Tickets at thestreet.org.au.

Live Music

Acoustic local & interstate musicians. 9.30pm. $TBA. LITTLE BROOKLYN

Il Bruto

Rock n’ roll! 9pm. $TBA. OLD CANBERRA INN

The youth jam. 2–5:30pm. $3 members/$5 non-members.

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Lunch with Puccini

With Fleur Miller. 12.30pm. $35 with lunch/$25/$20. Book at: trybooking. com/94363 SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

NISHI GALLERY

All the Young Dudes

Masculinity and it’s flexibility. Aug 1-24. Tue-Sun 10-4. Free.

monday august 18

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Karaoke

Comedy Schnitz & Giggles Improvised Comedy 6.3pm-8pm, $5.

Work by artists represented by Jas Hugonnet online gallery. Aug 16-31. 11-3pm.

Don’t Stop Believing Karaoke Final. 9:30pm. Free.

DURHAM CASTLE ARMS

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

Live Music

Wednesday Night Raw Gigs

The Steptones 8pm, $10.

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

OUT

Aug 13

Showcasing local talented musicians. 8.30pm. $TBA. LITTLE BROOKLYN

hilltop hoods art vs science king buzzo jova ...and more!

facebook.com/bmamagazine

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

Fricker Where did your band name come from? It was the title of a student film Rob made about a man who must travel to Cape Cod to warn the President of a vampire invasion. Group members? Ian McCarthy, Cary Longman, Dan Hirst, Darius Belihomji, Rob Armour. Describe your sound: Art-garage. Who are your influences, musical or otherwise? Who are your influences, musical or otherwise? Our constant need for external validation and Jerry Seinfeld. What’s the most memorable experience you’ve had whilst performing? We’ve only played two shows and this question makes us feel insecure.

Australian Songwriters Association Keiran (02) 62310433 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 Bridge Between, The Cam 0431550005

Of what are you proudest so far? The immense time and mental labour we’ve expended trying to answer these questions (no jks we’re actually mad cool).

Capital Dub Style Reggae/dub events Rafa 0406647296

What are your plans for the future? We’re gonna release some kind of record at the end of the year and then probably break up.

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

What makes you laugh? Our constant need for external validation and Dan.

Cole Bennetts Photography 0415982662

What pisses you off? This question. What about the local scene would you change? Observation of the Sabbath. What are your upcoming gigs? Monday, August 11 @ Local n’ Live Bootlegs, venue TBC; Wednesday, August 13 @ Acoustic Soup, ANU Food Co-op. Contact info: triplejunearthed.com/artist/fricker facebook.com/pages/Fricker

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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