BMA Magazine 454 - 3 December 2014

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#454DECEMBER3 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 in Chief 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 NEXT ISSUE 455 OUT JAN 14 EDITORIAL DEADLINE JAN 7 ADVERTISING DEADLINE JAN 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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THE TRUE MEANING OF CHRISTMAS: GETTING DRUNK AND SAYING WHAT YOU REALLY THINK Budding Theatre’s Unwrap Me – a Christmas showcase of short plays – features ten original works from playwrights across Australia.

“Forget carolers, tinsel and happy families gathered around the traditional turkey dinner, Unwrap Me will expose you to the more whacky and perverse aspects of Christmas – something which may feel a little too close to home,” says Unwrap Me producer, Kirsty Budding. In seeking scripts from playwrights, Budding Theatre stipulated one rule: writers had to begin their play with a character entering carrying a Christmas present. “Thanks to our highly imaginative writers, the audience can look forward to domestic chaos, family deceit, bickering housemates, Christmas lunch sabotage, creepy gift-giving and even murder. If that’s not enough, Santa will also make an appearance... Applying for a loan at his local bank,” says Budding. Comprising ten short plays, Unwrap Me will feature over 40 talented actors from Canberra and Sydney and aims to raise $5,000 for Doctors Without Borders and World Animal Protection.

Catch Unwrap Me between Thursday–Saturday December 18–20 at the Canberra Theatre, Courtyard Studio. Tickets adult $30, concession/under27s $23 via canberratheatrecentre. com.au. This performance is not suitable for children under 16, which we all know makes you want to go even more. More info at buddingtheatre.com.

ELECTRIC YOUTH Canberra Electric Music Teachers’ Alliance represents a network of young, highly skilled, highly motivated teachers who strive to furnish their students with industry-level music skills and full confidence in their

abilities. This summer, Canberra Electric will be offering group weekend workshops, recording opportunities and one-onone tuition for students of all ages in a variety of skills including singing, guitar, audio production, piano, composition, music theory and much more. Information via canberraelectric.com

THE SELF-INDULGENT BIT AT THE END Massive props to all the venue owners, promoters, musicians, artists and punters for making sure that the Canberra scene still thrived during a postCentenary hangover. Even bigger kudos to all of the talented BMA Contributors for their tireless efforts this year to document 2014. And thanks to you, dear readers, for picking us up every fortnight like the hot friends-with-benefits we are.

Have a safe and happy break, see you on January 14.

I would rather strangle myself with these lights than listen to another Buble Christmas record

6. Ernest Ellis 7. Bearhug 8. Sun Kil Moon 9. Rowland S. Howard 10. Firekites.

It’s not cheating when you’re the Editor. So there.

the concept. “The Ginger Ninja was more than just a friend to us, he was family, he was the heart and soul of our little music community. His legacy will live on. The best way we thought to remember was just this, an annual punk rock festival.

Celebrating his life with the thing he loved the most; music.”

Expect awesome performances from the likes of Snowdroppers, Revellers, 28 Days, Bagster, Anchors, Totally Unicorn and plenty more to come.

Gingerfest will be held at The Factory Theatre in Sydney on Saturday December 6. Tickets $27.50+bf factorytheatre. com.au

INTERSTATE GINGER NINJAS Gingerfest is an exceptional all day event to raise money for Vision Australia in memory of Canberra man Nicholas SoferSchreiber, who was tragically murdered in late 2013. Known widely and affectionately as ‘The Ginger Ninja’, Nicholas was a long-time and much loved stalwart of the Canberra punk rock community. Event co-curator and close friend of Nicholas, Luke Griffis, explains

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FROM THE BOSSMAN Hello my friends and welcome to the final edition of BMA Mag for the year and we know what that means… It’s time to pry apart the bodice and examine the goo that made up Canberra 2014. I will be looking across the board at what was good, what was bad and what we can expect from 2015.

Food - I Have Trodden In Monsieur’s Bucket BEST - We have entered a foodie paradise with new places opening every week. Braddon and Kingston have seen an explosion of venues to the extent that every third Canberran has their own foodie/craft beer blog. We’re spoilt for choice and it really feels like Canberra is growing up.

WORST - Sadly, as a result of our desire for all that is shiny and new, old favourites are suffering. I know of at least four venerable venues that have experienced 30% downturn year after year. So while all these new places are providing a paradise for punters, they’re causing merry hell for a lot of the old guard.

2015 - I fear a correction is around the corner with old faves hanging up their beer towels. I hope not. You, my dear reader, have incredible power as a punter so try and spread your hardearned around. The new places deserve a good honeymoon period but don’t forget the regulars who have broken their backs for years to provide a place to go.

Music - Don’t Fence Me In BEST - After first losing MacGregor Hall then seeing the Polish Club consumed by fire, it’s been great to see the Canberra Musicians Club cement a permanent home at The RUC in Turner to continue their great programming of local and interstate talent. Transit Bar’s gig schedule continues to amaze, bringing the kind of names that require the scooping of one’s jaw from the floor. And speaking of fucking fire, Phoenix is back open! It may not be the whole venue but it’s better than nothing, dammit.

WORST - Say what you will of them but Meche, North Bar and especially dear, sweet, sticky ICBM (home to many a young Sko night out) were some of the longest standing bars Canberra had.

My dear 70-years-young Mum tells me stories of going to The Private Bin (nee Meche nee Insomnia). And now they’re gone. A piece of Canberra clubbing history has fluttered away with them.

2015: So much has been done over the years to protect ailing banks, the car industry and airlines, it would be nice to see the same luxuries afforded to the entertainment industry. At a government level venues need to be more protected. Rent and liquor licensing rates alone (which jumped massively from some $4000 to a staggering $16,000 annually not long ago) make it a strain, not to mention noise restrictions. Join MusicACT and make a difference - musicact.com.au Film (It’s Time For My Close Up) BEST: 2014 has been an amazing year for celluoidic offerings.

Between Palace and Dendy nearly every country has its own film festival and there’s a red carpet screening every other week. Not to mention the launch of locally produced film The Competition.

WORST: You could argue there’s too much film. In fact, you could definitely argue that. I love the cinema but found myself suffering fatigue in November with (the wonderful) CIFF, British and Windows on Europe festivals and all happening at roughly the same time, not to mention big films like Interstellar.

But the sad cessation of the brilliant ARC Cinema program at the NFSA was the worst, a beautiful cinema with a sharp digital screen and great retro films. Whilst I love Dendy, the closing night of CIFF last year in the NFSA courtyard gave us a Gatsby garden party feeling that I shall miss. Thanks for the memories

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ARC. I hope for your return one day. In the meantime, be sure to check out the Vinyl Lounge at ARC. Sharewalk This Way BEST: We’re getting a Shared Walkway in Civic and whilst the jury is out until completion I can’t help but feel this will bring the city that bit closer together - which has always been a criticism of Civic - hopefully lending a more European piazza vibe that the bitty and blocky Civic needs.

WORST: Construction starting in Spring? Really? Just when local businesses were desperate to see off a meagre winter with some warm-weather profits? The timing of the whole venture feels off. It will likely be finished with one or two months of warm weather left before we plunge into another mean winter.

2015: Development is development. It sucks but, mostly, is necessary. I just hope it hasn’t harmed Civic-based business too much so they can stay afloat and hopefully reap the benefits of the newly established Walkway.

Locals Done Good BEST: What a year for the region. Whether it be Nigel Featherstone, Omar Musa or former UC grad Justin Heazlewood putting out cracking books or No Hausfrau, Spartak, Cracked Actor, Johnny Roadkill, Owen Campbell, The Ellis Collective and Slow Turismo putting out stellar music it’s been a beauty. I’ll no doubt get cranky emails from people saying, “How could you not include X!” and that’s a damn good thing.

WORST: None, really. Gooo Canberra! (and surrounding regions).

2015: There’s a stack of new releases coming out, including Lavers, Tonk and Super Best Friends. Stay tuned.

And because my mother always told me to finish on a positive...

BEST: I’ve been doing this job for 12 years now, mainly because a) yes, it’s stressful at times but I love it and 7) those moments that make you squeal like a teenager. And so it was with the announcement of Shadow/Cut Chemist. Already 2015 is shaping up to be a bahnstormer. On the comedy front alone we have the Eddie Izzard, Billy Connolly, the third Canberra Comedy Festival and more exciting names to announce. It’s been great sharing another year together. 2015 is shaping up to be a good ‘un so we hope you enjoy this record-breaking 100-page issue, stay safe over the break and we’ll see you bright-eyed and bushy-tailed when we return with the first issue out Jan 14.

Much love - ALLAN SKO - allan@bmamag.com

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.]

The not-so-secret thing about a Secret Santa model of gift giving at a large family gathering is that everyone gets at least one quality gift. Dads avoid the aprons and sad alcohol-themed merchandise, Mums avoid the ‘beauty’ products that contain more sulphate than their dishwashing powder and kids avoid the plastic shit that require 500 obscure batteries before breaking. Quality not quantity is the key. Buy shit people can use. $2 moisturisers and past-their-use-by-date chocolates YOU PISSED ME OFF.

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WHO: GROOVIN’ THE ANU WHAT: LOCAL SOUNDS WHEN: FRI DEC 5 WHERE: ANU BAR

WHO: JOAN ARMATRADING WHAT: POP NOSTALGIA WHEN: TUE DEC 9 WHERE: CANBERRA THEATRE

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Regular night Groovin The ANU is all about giving Canberra bands, regardless of genre, a place to play and audiences a chance to support local music. Who knows, you might even find your new favourite band! The last event for the year boasts the punk rock stylings of The Sticky Bandits, indie rock from Other Liquid Fires, indie-popsters Buck et Al and art-garage five-piece Fricker (featuring BMA’s very own Punk and Disorderly columnist Ian McCarthy). Want your band to get in on the action? Flick the team an e-mail at info@ greenroomcanberra.com. 8–11.45pm. Free entry.

After touring for 42 years, the incomparable Joan Armatrading will be performing her last major world tour and first solo concerts. A treat for fans, this show will see Armatrading take to the stage alone, playing guitar, piano and singing. One of the world’s most prolific songwriters and musicians, Armatrading has released over 20 acclaimed albums and nabbed three Grammy nominations. Covering pop, blues, folk, reggae and jazz, the concert will feature her many hits including ‘Me, Myself I ‘, ‘Love and Affection’, ‘Willow’ and ‘Drop The Pilot’. Support from Ashleigh Mannix. 7.30pm. Tickets $98.30 onwards from canberratheatrecentre.com.au.

WHO: RUNNING WILD WHAT: ROCK/PUNK WHEN: SAT DEC 13 WHERE: CROATIAN CLUB, TURNER

Canberra Punk and Beyond presents Running Wild, an eclectic night of doom, rockabilly, punk and rock at the Croatian Club in Turner, featuring an epic line-up. Running Wild will see Australian Zeppelin, renowned for their authentic renditions of the beloved classics, return to the stage after 20 years. Psych-punk pioneers Young Docteurs will hit the stage in electric mode bringing some new tunes from their forthcoming album. Witchskull deliver heavy, groove driven primal rock while power trio The Crossbones will get you shakin’ along to their high-energy rock ‘n’ roll. Kicks off at 7.30pm, $20 at the door.

WHO: JAY WHALLEY WHAT: PUNK WHEN: SAT DEC 13 WHERE: THE BASEMENT

Jay Whalley has rejected all good advice and is playing a bunch of shows by himself. Armed with nothing but a guitar, some new and old songs and a cache of war stories, Whalley has been regaling audiences from Tasmania to... Actually he’s only done this in Tasmania. Not for much longer though – catch the Frenzal Rhomb frontman in rare solo form when he plays The Basement on Saturday December 13. Get in early to catch support slots from Jack Biilmann and Dylan Hekimian. Show kicks off at 8pm. Get ya tickets, just $15.30, from moshtix.

WHO: CELL BLOCK 69 WHAT: ‘80s POP WHEN: SAT DEC 20 WHERE: ANU BAR

The ultimate ‘80s party band Cell Block 69 are making their annual triumphant return to town as part of their endless world tour. Made up of a legion of Coreys, the band promises to swagger through pulsing rock ‘n’ roll and enough synth pop to get you shakin’ your thing on the dance floor. Canberra’s best Christmas treat, Cell Block 69 invite – nay demand –you to get out the hairspray and slip into something stretchy and fluorescent (the brighter the better).

Support from local trio Glitoris. Kicks off at 8pm. Tickets just $20 + bf a pop, available from moshtix.

WHO: Grooverider & DJ SS WHAT: DRUM & BASS WHEN: SAT DEC 20 WHERE: THE CHOP SHOP

Help True Jungle Souljahs celebrate reaching double digitals as well as farewelling co-founder Ben Murrell with an all-day birthday bash of epic proportions, featuring UK heavyweights DJ SS & Grooverider. Kicking around for the UK music scene for the past 25 years, they’re pioneers of drum & bass and an act not to be missed.

Crack open a beer and get stuck into jungle sets from Canberra’s finest, including Buick, Tidy, Inka (Ex Zerosis), Centaspike, Loic, Kinetic, Djhrh and Key Seismic. The Chop Shop’s doors open from 2pm onwards, headliners on from 8–11pm. Limited presale tickets $22 a pop from theticketfairy, $30 on the door.

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Summernats - it ain’t all about the cars. The music component on the rev head festival has been bringing in the punters and this year’s lineup is no exception. Taking the stage before Bliss n Eso’s performance will be Melbourne’s Havana Brown. The ARIA nominated DJ and pop singer has racked up a loyal following over the past few years and has shared stages with the likes of Bridney Spears and Rihanna. 2014 saw her unleash two singles, ‘Better Not Said’ and ‘Whatever We Want’ – hints that bigger things are to come for Brown in 2015. Set times at summernats.com.au.

Fresh from slaying stages across the UK and Europe, metalcore outfit The Amity Affliction will ring in the New Year with a national regional tour. It’s been a busy year for the Queensland band. After releasing their fourth studio album Let The Ocean Take Me in June, they packed their bags and headed overseas for a vigorous tour that saw them play sold-out headline shows in LA, New York and Toronto.

Check out what the fuss is about when they hit the ANU Bar stage, with In Hearts Wake, Confession and Antagonist AD. Tickets $53 +bf a pop from ticketek.

After finishing up the year with stints at Falls and Southband festivals, Kim Churchill will be back in town to support new tune ‘Single Spark’ from his latest album Silence/Win. The roaming singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist has snagged support slots for Billy Bragg and Michael Franti, done a stint at Glastonbury and headlined his own tours throughout Canada, the UK and Europe, all by the tender age of 24. He’s wooed audiences worldwide with his extensive vocal range, intricate guitar playing along with being a whizz on the bass drum, harmonica, tambourine and percussion.

Doors from 6.30pm. Tickets $15 +bf from theabbey.com.au.

WHO: HAVANA BROWN WHAT: DANCE WHEN: FRI JAN 2 WHERE: SUMMERNATS

WHO: the AMITY AFFLICTION WHAT: METAL WHEN: TUE JAN 13 WHERE: ANU BAR

WHO: KIM CHURCHILL WHAT: SINGER-SONGWRITER WHEN: FRI JAN 16 WHERE: THE ABBEY

Hailing from Canberra but having since made the move to Melbourne, Readable Graffiti will be returning to their stomping ground to play Transit Bar in the New Year. The band have just released a shiny new EP, Out To The Races, a follow up to their critically acclaimed Male Mood Swings EP. The newie features the sweet vocals, thoughtful landscapes and good-time dancefloor vibes the boys are renowned for. Lead single ‘Out To The Races’ is bound to be a new live favourite with its moody synth pop hook and punchy chorus. Price, times and support TBA.

WHO: READABLE GRAFFITI WHAT: POP Rock FUN WHEN: SAT JAN 17 WHERE: TRANSIT BAR

Canberra’s only doom fest, Heavy Heart II, is back to reign supreme with a stellar line-up of local and interstate bands. After suffering a mild heart attack in 2013, organiser Kurt Neist has decided to mark his birthday by putting on a doom gig to celebrate life. Heavy Heart II will feature Inverloch, with members of funeral doom pioneers Disembowelment, playing their first ever Canberra show. Rounding out the lineup are Okera, Myraeth, The Veil, Los Hombres Del Diablos and Tranquil Deception, who have reformed for the occasion. 8pm. Tickets $27.90 from moshtix or $30 at the door.

WHO: HEAVY HEART II WHAT: DOOM METAL WHEN: SAT FEB 7 WHERE: TRANSIT BAR

The first lot of acts for one of the biggest dates on the local music festival calendar, the National Folk Festival, has been announced.

Canada’s revered folk poet and singer David Francey will take to one of the 18 venues during the festival, along with Dark Horses, Baka Beyond, All Our Exes Live In Texas, Flying Emus, Fred Smith, Sparrow Folk and plenty more. Ticket prices range from $395 with camping onwards for a season pass, with discounts for concession, youth, child and over 80s, as well as day passes available. Info and tickets at folkfestival.org.au

WHO: THE NATIONAL FOLK FESTIVAL WHAT: get FOLKed WHEN: THU-MON APR 2-6 WHERE: EXHIBITION PARK

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BMA MAGAZINE’S TOP FIVE ALBUMS OF 2014 TATJANA CLANCY: EDITOR 5. WAR ON DRUGS – lost in a dream [SECRETLY CANADIAN] Kurt Vile branched out from The War on Drugs and Pennsylvania named August 28 in his honour. Adam Granduciel stayed put and has either made one of the best Tom Petty albums ever, or the ultimate soundtrack for a very particular scenario.

The one where you’re jack of your job and your relationship so you fill up the car and take to the road with nothing but the music in your glovebox, the deepening tan on your right forearm and the increasingly sparse and desolate landscape flying by as you hurtle into freedoms unknown.

Reimagined Americana that’s never twee, just achingly honest and expansive.

4. TOM VEK – LUCK [MOSHI MOSHI] Either David Byrne listened to some Clash records while playing with some ‘80s synths or Badly Drawn Boy was sick of writing scores for self-indulgent British films, took some pep pills and recorded the evidence. A wildly underrated record, Luck didn’t wow critics, with some of Vek’s arrangements described as ‘deranged’. No matter; ‘Mistake’ and ‘Sherman (Animals in the Jungle)’ are cracking anthems, with Vek’s laconic cynicism more than making up for an occasional out of tune vocal. This got more of a workout than anything else this year.

3. ICEAGE– PLOWING IN THE FIELDS OF LOVE [MATADOR] This knocked me around from the first listen. Precocious, fractured, torturous wailing with screwy time signatures and lyrics that justify an AVO before they should live in a love letter. I guess early Nick Cave is in lead singer Elias Bender Rønnenfel’s record collection, but his tales of longing and redemption are his alone, despite the band being achingly young. What would a 21-year-old know about loss? Turns out the track ‘On My Fingers’ proves it’s a hell of a lot.

Besides, if you’re going to emulate your rock heroes at least these are cracking examples. ‘Stay’ channels Steve Kilbey, with ‘The Lord’s Favourite’ giving Shane McGowan a run for his money. Wildly unpredictable and saucy.

2. SWANS – to be kind [young god/mute] I saw that a couple of esteemed writers have also picked Swans, but this still couldn’t prevent it from making my list. I’m stupidly new to this band, but what an introduction, albeit world’s away from classics like Filth. Michael Gira barking French in my headphones during the 34 minute long ‘Toussaint L’Ouverture’ converted me to the cult fellow writer Chris Downton speaks of. Impossible to categorise, it’s the soundtrack to a dark medieval reenactment weekend you would do well to know the safety word for.

1. CHEATAHS – CHEATAHS [WITCHITA RECORDINGS] Shoegaze and lo-fi indie is enjoying quite the comeback (see Bearhug and Twin Haus who just missed the top 5) but this was the very best example this year. Music critics went a little crazy using this self-titled debut as a jumping off point for ‘90s music appreciation 101, but comparisons aren’t necessary when the hooks are so pure and the ethos so simple. Tight, fuzzy, reverb laden indie-rock with no pretension, just catchy as fuck.

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ALLAN SKO : PUBLISHER/BOSSMAN 5. Balance 026 Mixed By Hernan Cattaneo [balance] Yes, yes… A compilation album is a bit of a cheat but this is what this section is for; sharing great music that we believe will enrich your life having heard it. And so it is with Cattaneo’s 2-disc contribution to the ever-wonderful Balance series. Both mixes are great but it’s the first disc that is a true wonder. It’s a timewarp back to when Sasha and Digweed ruled the world and Cafe Del Mar was the poison, or should I say elixir, of choice. Anyone who kicks off with Boards of Canada and folds in Moderat, Guy J and Cattaneo himself is alright in my books. Try Damabiah’s Irminsul, le pillier du Monde or beautiful closer Dizzy Moments

by Guy J and join the party.

4. NEBRASKA SOUNDTRACK by MARK ORTON [milan] I can do without the twee country tracks but the original score

by Orton is equal part melancholic, introspective and majestic.

Their Pie is one of the most beautiful tracks I’ve heard in years.

3. Aphex Twin - Syro [warp records] One of the first gigs I went to was Warp’s 10th Anniversary in a dingy warehouse on the outskirts of London in a time known as 1999. Boards of Canada, Autechre, Nightmares on Wax, Squarepusher and Aphex Twin played. I danced next to BjÖrk and was thrilled to see she was as short as I was. And I say Aphex Twin “played” but he rocked up, stuck in a tape, and joined the dancefloor.

As such, I’ll always have a soft spot for Mr Richard D. James. He shattered my perception of music with Windowlicker and Come to Daddy. But Syro, his first record in 13 years, is none of that. At first I thought the hype was simply due to the absence. But instead we have an intricate EDM record awash in wonky synths, acid basslines and intricate drum patterns. It’s a love letter to EDM in all its forms and its quite wonderful.

2. Run the Jewels - RTJ2 [MASS APPEAL/SONY RED] 2014 was the year I rekindled my love affair with hip hop. New albums from Aesop Rock and Rob Sonic (Hail Mary Mallon), Madlib & Freddie Gibbs, Big K.R.I.T and old fave Ghostface all delivered, and on the esoteric tip Busdriver pushed the boundaries with some worthy experimental noise hop (the Greyhat remix of ‘King Cookie Face’ is a strong track of the year contender). But it was the pairing of production/lyrical giant El-P and street level prophet Killer Mike that was the pick of the bunch. The album bristles with angst, energy and pomp, delivering another hard-hitting rap album rallying against everything from politicians, misogyny and incarceration in its taut 39 minutes.

Brilliant, El-P’s bombastic production has never sounded better.

1. Rat & Co - Binary [caroline australia] “Whereas Rat & Co’s excellent debut album One Uno Ein,” this plucky scribe wrote back in the May album review, “had shades of their self-professed main influence Boards of Canada, this sophomore longplayer is positively slathered in BoC, from the elongated guitar notes in opener ‘Samurai’ to the shuffling breaks of cinematic closer ‘Fault’….But to constantly compare Rat & Co to BoC is to do them a disservice. They are their own entity. The four-piece nature means live guitars, bass and drums flesh out the album’s electronic sample-laden sound and add a warmth and depth to what can otherwise be a robotic aesthetic. And whereas BoC’s recent Tomorrow’s Harvest was a largely cold and often eerie affair, Binary is awash with head-nodding grooves and bright guitar lines for an eminently more uplifting experience.” Couldn’t have put it better myself.

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CHIARA GRASSIA: SUB-EDITOR 5. BOB MOULD – BEAUTY & RUIN [MERGE] There have been a lot of albums I’ve liked this year but haven’t quite fallen in love with (give me time). Beauty & Ruin treads this line but makes the cut, if only because it’s getting warmer and Bob Mould’s blistering vocals always sound better in the heat. Not one to linger, Beauty & Ruin clocks in barely 35 solid minutes. From the headrush of ‘Kid With Crooked Face’ to the Copper Blue-esque ‘I Don’t Know You Anymore’, it’s clearer than ever that Mould writes pop songs. They might be drowning under distortion, but the hooks and heart-melting chord changes are all there.

4. EX HEX – RIPS [MERGE] Rips combines three of my favourite things – Mary Timony, power trios and summer songs. Teaming up with fellow Dischord alumni Betsy Wright (Chain & The Gang) and Laura Harris (The Aquarium), Timony swaps introspection and droning Drop D riffs for bratty quips and power chords. Ex Hex sound like The Cars and the Stones, sometimes Velvets/Reed (sing ‘Sweet Jane’ along to ‘Hot & Cold’), while still slinging shots at shitty exes. (“You took me to a party and you hid behind a door/Then you stole my wallet and passed out on the kitchen floor” is classic Timony.) Punchy and ridiculously catchy.

3. THE AMAZING SNAKEHEADS – AMPHETAMINE BALLADS [DOMINO] Almost camp in its macabre sensibilities, Amphetamine Ballads is a confident debut album that thrives on menacing swagger and excellent pacing. The Snakeheads sound is driven by frontman Dale Barclay’s versatile snarl – just as impressive when aggressively lashing out as it is vulnerably whispering – delivered in a thick Glaswegian accent.

Glistening guitar riffs, thudding bass and the odd strangled saxophone provide the backbeat. While their initial hype after the release of this album seemed to die down pretty quickly, even after Barclay swiftly kicked out everyone else in the band and replaced them, Amphetamine Ballads is still a corker.

2. OPEN MIKE EAGLE –DARK COMEDY [MELLO MUSIC GROUP] Open Mike Eagle, you had me at “I’m president of the rappers who don’t condone date rape”. Consistently poignant and strange, the self-aware Dark Comedy wraps up problems and pain in biting humour and on-point social commentary. Actually, these songs contain hands down my favourite lyrics of the year. While the delivery is casual rather than urgent, an undercurrent of anxiety snakes throughout the album, giving an edge to the self-deprecation. Over splintered beats, Eagle deftly references Depeche Mode, consumerism, Adventure Time, capitalism and Dave Brubeck without feeling twee or irrelevant. Life-affirming and deserving of a place in your daily soundtrack.

1. SARA RENBERG – THE TALL CALM [ANTIQUATED FUTURE] If released a decade and a half ago, indiepop bible Chickfactor would have been all over The Tall Calm. Sliding between deadpan and expressive, Portland-based Sara Renberg has an observational honesty and surrealness that reminds me of early Magnetic Fields and Stephen Malkmus. Songs aren’t mere moments, they’re epiphanies – favourite ‘Assimilation Blues’ sums up my current existential crisis with the line, “I’m afraid of who I’ll be when I get where I am going.” Vocals are looped over clean guitar lines, pauses are taken advantage of. Never feeling cluttered, The Tall Calm is deeply comforting– good for easing stress and heartache.

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ANGELA CHRISTIAN-WILKES: CONTRIBUTOR 5.JAMES VINCENT McMORROW – POST TROPICAL [VAGRANT] My very first review for Canberra’s own streetpress, this selection was fuelled by a late-night linking to single ‘Cavalier’.

Blending the softest strings with smooth keys into enveloping swells of folk-electronica, McMorrow took a totally different direction with his sophomore record, Post Tropical. The final product is gorgeous, with its immaculate compositions of rolling percussion, triumphant horns and heart-breaking vocals. You can find me on the living room floor, sobbing.

Don’t ask; just bring the ice-cream.

4. HELLO SATELLITES – 84,000 [TWO BRIGHT LAKES] Forever shifting across a spectrum of emotions, the honesty behind 84,000 is a great source of attraction to most music lovers. Combined with endless creativity, Eva Popov’s second record is both compelling and interesting. Slipping between pop and folk but never sitting squarely on either, Popov plays with various instruments, sounds, ideas, to produce a sound unheard by many, but loved by those who do. My words cannot adequately summarise the beauty of this record, so I ask you to seek it out for yourself.

3. #1 DADS – ABOUT FACE [PIEATER/INERTIA] It’s no big secret that I adore nearly everything that Tom Iansek is involved in, so About Face was a lovely mid-year surprise from his solo project, #1 Dads. The nine tracks of the LP are built up around electronic beats, with each song its own pearl.

Highlights include ‘Randy Robinson and Cassidy’ and ‘Homeward Found’.

Its collaborations feel imbued within the record, with Ainslie Wills, Airling and Tom Snowden become comforting inclusions as opposed to surface additions. There is a vast feeling of comfort within About Face, with bursts of urgency balanced with still moments of peace.

2. TAYLOR SWIFT –1989 [BIG MACHINE] Following my deep love for Red, I wasn’t sure if old pal T. Swizz could bring it for her fifth record. “What if I just don’t feel it?”

I pondered. “What if it just doesn’t feel right?” I can confirm that she did indeed bring it. From the bursts of hope on ‘Welcome to New York’ to the flirtatious bounces of ‘Blank Space’, bittersweet call of ‘All You Had to Do Was Stay’ to unashamed pop banger ‘Shake It Off’, 1989 feels instantly welcoming. Like a classic red lip, this pop-fection will be with me for years to come. I am happily accepting a hard copy donation of the deluxe edition – please send to the BMA PO Box. 1. BOMBAY BICYCLE CLUB – SO LONG SEE YOU TOMORROW [ISLAND] Forever dabbling in their music, So Long See You Tomorrow finally brought me to my senses in terms of how much I love Bombay Bicycle Club. Bursting with intricacies and shaking with hypnotic rhythms, this is one of those perfect albums composed of pop masterpieces that blend seamlessly into a beautifully accessible whole.

I can listen to this all the way through without faltering, without a glitch, without a moment of doubt. ‘Whenever, Wherever’ I may be, this fits. So Long, See You Tomorrow isn’t just a top for the year – it’s on THE top ten albums of my existence thus far.

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BMA MAGAZINE’S TOP FIVE ALBUMS OF 2014 IAN MCCARTHY: CONTRIBUTOR 5. JULIAN CASABLANCAS & THE VOIDZ –TYRANNY [CULT] If you’re a diehard fan of Casablancas’ work in The Strokes, than initially this record is probably a little confusing and confronting. But if you can forget about any pre-conceptions, Tyranny has some pretty interesting things to offer. At the very least it’s an ambitious record – a record of intense layering, with no fewer than ten different things happening at any given time. Casablancas and his new backing band are obviously keen to experiment – but they get props for doing it somewhat tastefully, unlike many disenchanted rock icons of the past.

4. THE SMITH STREET BAND – THROW ME IN THE RIVER [POISON CITY] Melbourne’s The Smith Street Band have carved themselves a reputation as one of the most consistent and exciting bands in Australia and Throw Me in the River certainly does nothing to alter it. What’s more impressive is that they’ve maintained their recorded consistency amidst one of the busiest touring schedules…probably ever.

Throw Me In The River seems a pretty natural progression for the band. It features some heavier moments musically than previous albums, but still features Will Wagner’s familiar, nasally, nostalgia-inducing croon.

3. TAYLOR SWIFT – 1989 [BIG MACHINE] Don’t look at me like that. This record is an amazing achievement for Swift. Firstly, it’s the debut of an entirely new Taylor Swift who’s managed one of the most graceful transitions in pop history, trading in her gee-tar and country twang to make a fully-fledged pop record. And not only has she made the transition seamless, she’s made it interesting as well, with an album showcasing a vast creative potential from the 80s synth lines of ‘Welcome to New York’ to the impressive appropriation of snap music in ‘Blank Space’. Swift is at the very top of her game and is providing some exciting progression for the pop industry.

2. DEATH GRIPS – NIGGAS ON THE MOON [THIRD WORLDS/HARVEST] Niggas on the Moon is certainly the most challenging of Death Grips records, combining their already confronting sounds with near continuous vocal samples from the one and only Bjork. However it’s always been my impression that the entire point of Death Grips is/was to challenge, in which case Niggas on the Moon is easily the most Death Grips-iest record of all. Niggas on The Moon is the group’s fifth album and the third to be released suddenly, with no warning and free of charge because, in case you couldn’t tell by the music, Death Grips are a group that give minimal fucks about conventional structure and expectations. Though the experiment is soon coming to an end, it’s nice to reflect on the impact Death Grips have had in such a short career..

1. RUN THE JEWELS –RUN THE JEWELS 2 [MASS APPEAL/SONY RED] It was a little difficult to imagine Run the Jewel’s first album being successfully expanded upon, but they’ve done it. Run the Jewels 2 is even a noticeable improvement with brighter production and a more impressive showcase of both Killer Mike and El-P’s lyrical abilities. The wide range of interesting features is no hindrance either. Still sticking to the quality over quantity approach, Run the Jewels 2 come in at just under forty minutes, but it’s forty minutes of gold and I would rather be left wanting more than to feel my time has been wasted with filler.

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ALBERT SHIRT: CONTRIBUTOR 5. SWANS – TO BE KIND [YOUNG GOD/MUTE] Their best record within living memory is not vicious, not scary, not hellish etc. In fact, it’s frequently lovely, absorbing The Seer’s tomfoolery, torpid cinematography and melodic asceticism with infinite groove, infinite tension and finite melody (chanted, grunted, yowled, muttered). Ringmaster Michael Gira throws a bunch of ideas at the wall: air, Zodiac shit, god, history, domestic duties, which includes sex. Also: two caveat-emptor hours of abstract expressionist blues.

4. FREDDIE GIBBS & MADLIB – PIÑATA[MADLIB INVAZION] With the Young Money vicinities of the platinum overground out-of-bounds for card-carrying hip hop heads, Freddie Gibbs makes 17 selections from Madlib’s underground archive and adds disses, the odd hook and a loose web of introspective inverted gangsterisms. The resulting layered haziness punctuated by gentrified Blaxploitation initially wears thin (outside of the climaxing Madvillain fanboy cypher, over a beat as instantly classic as anything perpetrated by abstract rap’s illest villains). Hone in on slurred beats to locate a hipster cache that, after prolonged exposure, does not compromise the simultaneous sensations of thrilling, slanging and chilling on 2014’s finest rap record.

3. FLYING LOTUS –YOU’RE DEAD! [WARP] Perhaps it’s the audaciousness, the straightforward bloops and kooks, or that Thundercat sounds randier than ever, or that Kendrick does his best since blowing up the internet.

Or that where once Snoop’s stonedness now signifies as (forgive me) psychedelic. Or the more marked beginning-middle-end, the morbid amusement limning his cosmic dramatics, or that FlyLo fucks with his nerdiness without uttering an honest word. But despite displaying the same panoplies and vistas that define Ellison’s previous extended works, the latest step in his so-far unimpeachable discography appeals to me more even than his default classic Cosmogramma. Nil flatline samples.

2. MAC MILLER – FACES [REMEMBER MUSIC] Addicted to promethazine, now Whitney, Miller dies, shoulda died, is dying, wants to die on his second miraculous album – yes miraculous, yes album, yes second. Really – he died, will die, without a Drake feature. Though his wildest verbs are elsewhere – eating waffles reading Dickens, e.g. – the bars here delight in being disposable. Really – he died, will die, without trying to jump and get Kendrick’s bar. On this feature film, he’s the hardest working person in universe, a diagnosed insomniac, trying to get married (or stay alive) and he’s not going to his birthday party, rhyming liquidly and boasting loosely because he’s got a G pass.

1. ST. VINCENT– ST. VINCENT [LOMA VISTA/REPUBLIC] Growing and growing until all the strands of MIDI, living instruments and stray guitars link up to the tidy rhythms and (overlaid insouciantly) the various swoops, soars and arabesques of her inherently melodic voice. Though lyrically her concise indictments impede the rock’n’roll epiphanies I’d prefer on my album of the year, it also works as a preventative against mumbling, waffle, filler. She even takes out garbage, masturbates, talks Jesus. And then, as if by magic, her irrepressible eccentricities and sheer individualism are organized spotlessly onto 40 minutes comprising eleven songs that break zero-rules structurally. Verse-hook-verse-hook-noise. Repeat.

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RORY MCCARTNEY: CONTRIBUTOR 5. THE ELLIS COLLECTIVE – CARRY [INDEPENDENT RELEASE] There’s a grit and intensity in the delivery of frontman Matty Ellis that brings to mind the tar dark, strife-ridden music of The Drones, over on the rock side of the musical coin. However, where The Drones ride the ragged edge, The Ellis Collective dresses its grim bleakness in a dark beauty. The emotion and power of strings sweeps through the track list and the band’s special touch, the ghostly whine of the wood saw, adds an unearthly tone to the music. This is orchestral folk, with an impressive richness to the sound, sophistication in the arrangements and a perceptible weight to the lyrics..

4. DAN SULTAN –BLACKBIRD [LIBERATION] Dan Sultan’s third LP is a big jump for him in terms of its complexity and the breadth of styles. Sultan’s love of country shines through in ‘Kimberley Calling’, which rattles off the geographical make-up of the North West to a standout signature riff and melodic guitar licks which run gently through it. The album makes deft use of backing vocals to add class and body to songs such as ‘It Belongs to Us’. Sultan has moved from a simple country rock format to become a highly polished singer who transcends the rock, country, blues and indie-pop genres 3. KINGSWOOD – MICROSCOPIC WARS [DEW PROCESS] Microscopic Wars makes Kingswood’s first serious claim on a place in the pantheon of Aussie rock gods. Opener ‘All Too Much’ contains just the right amount of rugged desperation, imparted by frantic drumming and fraught vocals. ‘Piece by Piece’ is a “character” track with ambling, unamplified guitar plucks, punctuated by occasional bursts of amped-up strings. The surprising musical collage ‘Tremor’ brings a clashing geometry of rhythms and sounds. In the title track, by toning things down a bit and playing with tempos, the band shows that this is more than just a conventional hard rock album.

2. HUSKY – RUCKERS HILL [LIBERATION] Ruckers Hill captures the same melodic magic which made Husky’s debut irresistible. The great tone of Gawenda’s singing rises to new levels when his band mates join in on the harmonies, as they spin tunes that get stuck in your head. The opening trio of songs is impressive, with the title track showcasing the harmonies at their best, bursts of fast guitar rising up in ‘Saint Joan’ and one of the band’s most beguiling guitar melodies appearing in ‘Heartbeat’. This is no airy-fairy folk record. While often hushed in delivery, with rounded edges to their vocals, their singing always retains an impact.

1. SIA – 1000 FORMS OF FEAR [MONKEY PUZZLE] The vocal tsunami in the chorus of ‘Chandelier’ makes a statement that this is a big album. While auto tune distortion rules that opener, it’s Sia’s genuine voice that dominates the album. There’s fire in the belly in ‘Burn the Pages’, its marching keys broken by a stabbing beat in a blend of spiky pop, with RnB overtones. The poppy fun of ‘Hostage’ competes for attention with the clashing scenes of passion and violence in ‘Straight for the Knife’. Sia’s vocal inflections are a musical journey in themselves, turning, twisting, swooping and rocketing up. Combined with the varied, intricate melodies, the overall effect is magnificent.

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CHRIS DOWNTON: CONTRIBUTOR 5. DAMON ALBARN – EVERYDAY ROBOTS [xl recordings] Though I wasn’t that much of a fan of Albarn’s The Good, The Bad & The Queen project at the time, in retrospect it was all leading up to this forlorn, occasionally dark, but always heartfelt solo album. Perhaps intended as a lament for the 21st century’s increasing sense of disconnectedness more than anything else, Everyday Robots features what’s easily some of Albarn’s strongest songwriting yet and it certainly doesn’t shy away from his more intimate biographical details.

And just as you’re starting to feel pleasantly maudlin, there’s always ‘Mr. Tembo’ – a perky uptempo groover about a real baby elephant to cheer you up 4. APHEX TWIN – SYRO [WARP] Part of the fun with Syro was the typically Richard D James antics surrounding the release campaign, starting with the green blimp and leading onto the initial leak of album details on the deep web. After arousing a ridiculous level of anticipation, this longawaited return from Aphex Twin didn’t disappoint, but nor did it really surprise. Perhaps the most unexpected quality was the comparative accessibility of these tracks (drawn from myriad studio sessions over the past decade). While this is certainly an ideal entry point for those new to Aphex’s work, the sincere emotional heft and sonic vision of some of his greatest work is definitely in evidence here.

3. SQURL WITH JOZEF VAN WISSEM – ONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE: OFFICIAL SOUNDTRACK [ATP RECORDINGS] Jim Jarmusch’s Only Lovers Left Alive was easily the best movie I saw during 2014, with the score by Jarmusch’s own band Squrl in collaboration with lute player Jozef van Wissem offering up the perfect sonic counterpoint to the nocturnal, almost hypnotic visuals.

A lot of this album is primarily based around Squrl’s gloriously textured, post-Velvet Underground drones, with the occasional side-trip into Middle Eastern influences to liven up the most vampiric pulse. Further proof that Jarmusch is one of the coolest guys alive. If you haven’t seen this film, go and watch it. Now. 2. PRINCE– ART OFFICIAL AGE [NPG/WARNER] Out of all of the press surrounding Prince’s spectacular two album punch return this year, it seemed like very little attention was paid to just how much his personal outlook seems to have suddenly shifted, something also hinted at by his sudden embrace of social networks and release of YouTube videos. Beneath the nebulous sci-fi concept, Art Official Age sees Prince at a point where he’s wondering what happens next in his life and offering up a collection that shelves ego in favour of honesty. If Albarn approaches the increasingly detached new age with a sense of dread, Prince just electro-funks the hell out with some of his most uplifting tunes in ages. .

1. SWANS – TO BE KIND [MUTE] Most supposedly ‘dark’ bands deal in cartoon darkness, but Swans are the real shit. A friend of mine who saw them live likened the experience to being initiated into a cult and I have to admit that it’s a fair comparison. It was hard to believe that Michael Gira and co. could top preceding album The Seer, but To Be Kind sees them exploding off in new directions, with a masterful grasp of tension and release sustained over tracks that frequently stretch past the 13 minute mark. An incredible sonic document ; quite possibly Swans’ strongest album yet.

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BMA MAGAZINE’S TOP FIVE ALBUMS OF 2014 CODY ATKINSON: CONTRIBUTOR 5. HTRK – Psychic 9-5 Club [Ghostly International] If 2012’s Work (Work Work) is broadly an album about suffering and loss, then Psychic 9-5 Club is a muted affirmation of life. HTRK’s woozy, dub-influenced pop is utterly stupefying, a hazy re-collection of love and loss. Unlike previous HTRK efforts, Jonnie Standish’s vocals are front and centre, but the key remains the space between the sound. Each drum beat seems precise and considered, each bass hum hitting at the right time. Callbacks to trip-hop abound here, but HTRK go a little further than mere replication – they create their own sound. It’s the album I’ve listened to the most this year, new or old, and the one I’ll probably keep listening to in the future.

4. Blank Realm – Grassed Inn [Bedroom Suck] It’s the little things that make Grassed Inn such a good listen. Like the Casiotone keyboard melody on ‘Falling Down The Stairs’. Or the electronic drum beat on ‘Violent Delivery’, entering by stealth. It’s Blank Realm’s willingness to occasionally colour outside of the lines create moments of brilliance on Grassed Inn. The vocal delivery of Daniel and Sarah Spencer is impassioned throughout, and the lyrics well-constructed. And ‘Reach You On The Phone’ is one of the best album closers I’ve heard in a while.

3. Aphex Twin – syro [Warp] Aphex Twin has flirted with pop before (see ‘Windowlicker’), but he doesn’t tend to be good bedfellows with easy accessibility. Syro is probably his most immediately listenable work to date, but that’s not to say that there isn’t complexity aplenty on Syro. Instead, it feels like Richard D James has taken a more measured approach to how he makes music in 2014. Syro is both curious and catchy, an album that slowly reveals itself more and more each time you listen to it.

2. Ben Frost – A U R O R a [Mute Records/ Bedroom Community] An Australian expat based in Iceland, Ben Frost makes waves of textured noises, attacks on the ears and frontal lobes. This record, A U R O R A , is no different in attack or intent. A U R O R A doesn’t feature the prepared guitars of his earlier work, but instead relies heavily on heavily processed synthesised sounds, and near tribal drum beats. It’s a little heavy going in bits, but a thoroughly rewarding listen. However, it is Frost’s best execution of his modus operadi to date.

A U R O R A sees Frost collaborate with several other artists, such as Tim Hecker, and members of Swans and Guardian Alien, but Frost’ sonic fingerprints are all over it.

1. Circulatory System – Mosaics Within Mosaics [Cloud Recordings] Thirty-one tracks are listed on Mosaics Within Mosaics, but it seems like there are a hundred, if not more.

Fragments come and go frenetically, a seemingly endless cavalcade of song ideas. Not every note is perfect but they all seem to make sense.

Like band leader Will Cullen Hart’s earlier work with Olivia Tremor Control, experimentalism is tempered with a fetish for 60s and 70s rock and roll.

Listening to Mosaics Within Mosaics is like falling into a dream; a place to get lost, a space where all sense of time and place disappear.

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DAN BIGNA: CONTRIBUTOR 5. SLINT –SPIDERLAND [TOUCH AND GO] Slint recorded this painfully intimate post-punk masterpiece in 1991 and some excellent remastering packs on the intensity of the loud bits while enhancing to a greater degree the unsettled atmosphere of the quieter parts. What I really like about this reissue of a landmark recording is the bonus content mattering almost as much as the original album. The inclusion of strippedto-the-bone demo and live recordings via a digital download option along with a revealing DVD doco makes for a first class package.

4.BOB DYLAN AND THE BAND – THE BASEMENT TAPES RAW [cOLUMBIA] The ‘raw’ bit in the album title is a give-away. Dylan’s reinvention of American popular music was at its peak when these songs were recorded in 1967 and this two disc no-frills distillation of a more comprehensive set is beautifully singular Americana. The Basement Tapes had never been intended for official release and the recordings have the feel of Dylan jamming in his backyard after a few Friday afternoon beers. But it so happened he was jamming with some of the finest musicians in America. This release is the definitive version of The Basement Tapes in all its unrefined glory and cannot be bettered.

3. ELECTRIC WIZARD – TIME TO DIE [SPINEFARM] This is where we find blackened sonic ooze from the darkest recesses of the soul. And what about all those bone crushing riffs brilliantly conceived and executed? People have been saying this album is a return to epic, fuzzed-out doom riffage found on early classics like Dopethrone, but an intense commitment to a very particular kind of unsettling b-grade culture has continued from Electric Wizard’s earliest days. In any case, a much needed antidote to the soul destroying impact of everyday habit and routine is always something worth celebrating.

2. THE NEW CHRISTS – INCANTATIONS [IMPEDANCE] Outlaw rocknroll from the inner suburbs is once again the best thing going from a band that originally formed in the early 1980s. Bands like The New Christs represented and continue to represent the Australian alternative music scene in the proper sense of providing an essential alternative to mainstream mediocrity.

Every New Christs album has been fantastic just as every recording from vocalist Rob Younger’s other band Radio Birdman was fantastic and this latest effort hits all the right spots.

1.RYAN ADAMS – RYAN ADAMS [PAX-AM/SONY] The most enjoyable rock n roll I’ve heard in a long while – brash and heartfelt melodic but rough around the edges in all the right places. This is a much needed contemporary take on the sound of Bruce Springsteen and Bryan Adams that happens to be filtered through Californian post-punk circa 1986. Contrary to popular opinion it would seem there is only a fine line between hushed intimacy and big choruses with even bigger guitars. It’s almost as if Adams decided to become dazzled by the opulence of stadium rock with one foot planted firmly in the local tavern.

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BMA MAGAZINE’S TOP FIVE ALBUMS OF 2014 BERT POLE: CONTRIBUTOR 5. DR DUNDIFF X LOFIDEL – 1-2 SUPER DOPE SHIT [LOFI RECORDS] What started off as a friendly competition quickly became a heated battle between the greatest MPC heads to ever walk the streets of Kentucky. At a recent show in Louisville, Kentucky, LoFidel was approached by Dr. Dundiff and his crew of mafioso henchmen.

Dundiff would challenge LoFidel to a beat battle using the MPC 2000XL as the weapon of choice. The battle which lasted 18 gruesome days, finally was halted when both sides decided it was time to join forces and deliver 1-2 to the people-with a SONIC BOOM! 1-2 got a limited cassette release that sold out within days, however you can still enjoy the butter beats via Bandcamp.

4. CUNNINLYNGUISTS– STRANGE JOURNEY VOLUME THREE [SELF-RELEASED] The first ever truly crowd-sourced album. Not happy simply “crowd-funding” a release via Kickstarter like so many other artists, Deacon The Villain, Natti and Kno asked their fans for no money – instead they spent a year interacting with fans via social media and allowing them to vote on guest artists, suggest song concepts, letting them peek in on studio sessions and make decisions on album artwork. An experiment that could have gone terribly wrong has worked in favour of the Kentucky group. Stand out tracks for me is ‘The Format’ ft Masta Ace and Mr SOS. 3.DIAMONd DISTRICT – MARCH ON WASHINGTON [MELLO MUSIC GROUP] In 2009 Diamond District released their debut album In The Ruff, hailed as an instance classic, its impact reverberated throughout the underground and mainstream. A half-decade later, the holy trinity of yU, Oddisee and Uptown X.O have returned with March on Washington. Oddisee’s production is once again the backbone of the album and provides the perfect back drop for all 3 MC’s to bring the truth to the people. Some groups would suffer from each MC having varied distinct styles, however it compliments Diamond District. Stand out track for me is ‘First Step’.

2. PUTS – 12 STEP PROGRAM [PIECELOCK 70 ] & BLU GOOD TO BE HOME [NATURE SOUNDS] Okay I had my list sorted then I realised I’d missed an album – I thought fuck it, it’s my last ever piece for BMA Mag, I’m going to be greedy and have two albums for my second slot. It’s fitting that my second slot goes to two heavyweights of the LA underground. PUTS have been putting it down for years and 2014 saw them return with their ninth studio album. Stand out track for me is ‘LA Nights’. Blu returned with his seventh studio album Good To Be Home, his first ever double album.

Featuring a host of West Coast hip-hop luminaries, it’s an unapologetic celebration of Los Angeles music and culture. Stand out track is ‘The Return’.

1. JAZZ SPASTIKS – THE PRODUCT [SELF-RELEASED] I stumbled across this album by complete accident. I was doing some painting around the house and decided to give the Bandcamp weekly show a listen. Halfway through, one of the most refreshing tracks I’d heard in ages hit the speakers. Fate would have it that I stumbled across the UK collective of beat makers, DJ’s and artists going under the Jazz Spastiks banner. The Product perfectly balances vocal tracks with funky fresh heavily cut instrumental joints without sounding dated. Stand out track is ‘Dumb’ ft Yesh.

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GLEN MARTIN: CONTRIBUTOR 5. DAMON ALBARN – EVERYDAY ROBOTS [XL] The jaunty abomination of Mr Tembo aside, Albarn’s solo record does exactly what you want it to – allow some insight into the real, felt thoughts of modern music’s greatest polymath. There’s no cheese and pickle synthesisers or knees-up-mother-brown stupidity. Instead, we get a 45 year old man ruminating on connection and memory and it’s affecting and beautiful. Songs like ‘Lonely Press Play’ and‘Hollow Ponds’ are amongst the best of his career and the final track‘Heavy Seas of Love’ is the ultimate payoff. A Blur record would be welcome, but this is a fine thing all on its own.

4. THE ZEBRAS – SIESTA [JIGSAW] I fear that this one may have passed you by and that’d be a shame. Yes, the Real Estate record was excellent and your Galaxie 500 and Feelies and Pastels albums all warrant regular spinning. But did you know that there was a band, formerly of Brisbane and now of Melbourne, doing that kind of soaring, glistening pop as well as their contemporaries? The Zebras are feted overseas but barely noted here and it’s a shame – Siesta is a record of great intelligence and craft, not to mention what the internet children call ‘feels’. Plenty of feels.

3. ANGEL OLSEN –BURN YOUR FIRE FOR NO WITNESS [JAGJAGUWAR] I loved this album in February and I love it more now.

It summons the right spirits of imagined Americana and places a slightly wonky, tough-as-nails-but-knownto-cry narrator atop these perfectly observed soundscapes. Olsen is a vocalist from another time, a personality that is carried through the tone of her voice as much as the words she’s singing. This is one for the early hours and the late nights, best served with a glass of single malt. No ice.

2. SPOON – THEY WANT MY SOUL [LORMA VISTA] There was no real need for another solid Spoon record, but Britt Daniel doesn’t really care for what’s required.

Nor does he care for ‘soulsuckers’, ‘holy rollers’ or ‘skin tights’, the subjects of his now trademark Costello-esque bile. Spoon are a rock band in an older tradition thereofthey sneer and strut. They preference the vintage and eschew the viral.

And they compose mini classics, tossed off with insouciance. It wasn’t easy to get genuinely excited for this LP, purely because there’s nothing new about this band making something great. Our hard and fast culture underrates that achievement. It shouldn’t.

1. SUN KIL MOON – BENJI [CALDO VERDE] The year has ended in a bittersweet fashion for Mark Kozelek – embroiled in a twitter beef with The War on Drugs, releasing semi-comedic singles commemorating said beef, coming off a little jerky. It started differently, with the release of Benji. As a solo artist operating under various names and as leader of the Red House Painters, Kozelek has made close to 20 records, but nothing as perfectly realised as this eleven track meditation on loss, death, aging and crab cakes. Perhaps the only masterpiece released in 2014, Benji will outlive the Kozelek-as-meme moment and endure for many many moons.

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cody atkinson I’m not going to pretend I’ve listened to all the music released in 2014, or even all of the singles from 2014. I don’t think anyone could possibly could have the time to do so. As such, this list isn’t exhaustive, nor is it definitive. It is quite possible – and indeed likely – that I’ve left some absolute classics off this list. As such, take this list with a massive grain of salt. This singles list deliberately ignores selections from my album of the year list, as to provide a little more range.

The pick from first rate EP Five Points, local band Spartak impress on the vivid ‘Nightshift’. The contrasting vocals of Ahmed and Dorrian float in and over the stuttering electronics and strummed guitar. ‘Nightshift’ seems to be an exercise of contrasting and complimenting sounds; an experiment that works.

Liars – ‘Mess On A Mission’

THE BEST: Total Control – ‘Flesh War’ Total Control turn down the anger a little on this one and head a bit towards new wave. There are synths in play here and perhaps a time machine back to the 80s. But this isn’t a bad thing – instead it’s nice that Total Control feel comfortable enough in their own skin that they can change directions so abruptly and successfully after the critical success of Henge Beat.

Caribou – ‘Our Love’ ‘Our Love’ feels like the perfect tempering of Dan Snaith’s eclectic roots and his recent flirtation with deeper club music. The acoustic elements of earlier Caribou and Manitoba have been almost entirely sidelined, instead replaced by simple yet catchy melodies and pulsating rhythms.

Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra – ‘Austerity Blues’ A side project of Godspeed You! Black Emporer, SMZ takes a much more direct approach than GYBE. ‘Austerity Blues’ authoritatively swaggers itself through 14 minutes of action, but despite its length it never outstays its welcome.

Perfect Pussy – ‘Interference Fits’ Bring on the new noise. The cognitive dissonance that exists between an undeniably catchy riff and the near incomprehensible surrounding noise should create discomfort but instead draws my sorry arse in. “Easy does it” doesn’t belong here.

Yes I’m Leaving –’One’ This is a balltearer, plain and simple. It gives and gives and gives, ‘til it can’t give no more. This trio from Sydney, named after the farewell party they played for their first gig, is all about passion and raw energy. ‘One’ is Yes I’m Leaving at their most polished to date, but it’s a smudge of clarity and not an airbrush to oblivion.

Container – ‘Slush’ ‘Slush’ is the wrong title for this song. This is sharp.

This is cutting. This is abrasive. I’ll be honest, I at first struggled to get through the first 30 seconds, but it’s really worth sticking with. Really, it’s more like an aural car crash, so visceral that you can’t keep listening, so beautiful that you can’t stop listening.

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Spartak– ‘Nightshift’

The stand-out track from Liars new album, ‘Mess On A Mission’ pushes a bit more of a focus on the dance part of the equation. Angus Andrew’s trademark vocals are all over this, but a four to the floor beat underwrites the whole joint. One of the first Liars songs that could be dropped in a club.

Twerps– ‘Heavy Hands’ Dismiss Twerps as just another lo-fi jangly Melbourne band at your peril. ‘Heavy Hands’ shows some great guitar driven tension throughout and vocal parts that give in intent what they sometimes lack in clarity. More than anything else, ‘Heavy Hands’ is just damn catchy, like Twerps often are at their best.

The Ocean Party – ‘Wading In’ Reminiscent of jangle pop heroes past, ‘Wading In’ puts a little bit of sheen on the Ocean Party’s ringing guitars and languid melodies. Lyrically rooted in social realism, ‘Wading In’ isn’t perky but it is pretty and also pretty engaging.

THE WORST: Redfoo -New Thang/Play-N-Skillz feat. Redfoo, Lil Jon and Enertia McFly – ‘Literally I Can’t’ Fuck this terrible, sexist noise. All of it.

Jason Derulo – ‘Wiggle’ SERIOUSLY CAN SOMEONE TELL ME WHAT “GO HEAD, GO HAM SANDWICH” MEANS?!?!??!?!?!?!? But seriously, this is terrible, right down to the eight millionth “wiggle” on the track and Snoop’s phoned in verse.

Avril Lavigne – ‘ Hello Kitty’ What the actual fuck is this? What is a 30 year old woman trying to be a Japanese schoolgirl for? This is, to my best guess, dubstep crossed with pop crossed with J-Pop with three strums of an electric guitar over the top. It is also worth noting that Chad Kroger co-wrote this “song”, though “abomination” seems a more apt descriptor for ‘Hello Kitty’.

5 Seconds of Summer – ‘She Looks So Perfect’ This is just flat out bad. It’s all the things that are bad about pop-punk, without any of the redeeming features.

It’s so lazy that they couldn’t even finish writing the main vocal refrain, and contains PRODUCT PLACEMENT RIGHT IN THE FUCKING CHORUS.

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It’s about helping people through the music, to make changes in the world

BLISSED OUT sinead o’connell Multi-platinum, ARIA award winners BLISS N ESO are headlining Summernats 28 in January 2015, reuniting with Canberra, a place they “really love”, to showcase more than just their talent as leading troubadours in Australia’s hip-hop arena. They’re putting together

“something special” for ‘Nats 2015, Eso says. On the Friday they’re performing with their custom Kombi from the Circus Under the Stars tour which they’ll have on display as an elite show car in the Judging Pavilions on the Saturday. Also, DJ Ism and the guys are doing another mini-show, signing autographs, talking cars and music with fans who want to hang out with them. There are rumours that the kombi might even cruise around the festival.

As well as Summernats 2015, the group has also partnered with White Ribbon Day Australia where they’re confronting domestic violence head on in an effort to combat the issue that Eso admits “is a serious problem in this country.” This comes after much contention surrounding his release of sexist Instagram photos in September.

Of their collaboration with White Ribbon Day, Eso says, “We want to be able to make a really positive contribution and this organisation puts light on a serious issue.” Despite Eso’s transgression, it is reassuring to see the reform and better yet, the participation he is encouraging as a result. His positivity is palpable and hopefully contagious among others who are still in the dark when it comes to misogyny. “Ultimately this all came from a negative thing, but we have turned it into something positive and that’s what matters now,” he says. This got us talking about how women are represented in hip hop, as both props and creators. “Hell yeah, there should be more women in hip hip,” says Eso “That’s the thing about hip hop, the girls love it just as much as the boys but they’re somehow not as big a part of it.” Female hip hop artists being left in the margin is also a concern for the genre at large. As Eso says, “Having more female hip hop artists will help change the way they’re represented from the inside.”

As a kid Eso recalls that although hip hop gave him “energy – it was gangsta and it didn’t have a positive message.”

Hence, the development of these messages is something Bliss N Eso take very seriously. “We like to do things differently with the music. We’ve even had people meditate in crowds!” he says.

“It’s about helping people through the music, to make changes in the world.”

As we discuss stereotypes in hip hop and the confines with which they place the artist, Eso admits, “we’ve plowed through them all. You know the whole ‘white kid who wants to be gangsta’ or a ‘wanna be homie g’ as well as the Aussie trying to be an African-American.” He sighs. “Most people just see me as a rapper, but I’m a husband, I’m a comedian.

I’m a lot of things.”

Bliss N Eso are playing at Summernats 28, Thursday–Sunday January 1–4 2015 at Exhibition Park. Tickets on sale at summernats.com.au.

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school show for the revheads. ILLY is scheduled to face the bourbon fuelled punters on Saturday, probably the biggest night of the event.

BMA caught up with Alisdair Murray, aka Illy, as he rested between gigs, after the opening show in Darwin from his latest tour, which he describes as “probably the biggest shows of my career, in the solo sense.”

BURNING UP rory mccartney What have rap and cubic inches got in common? Quite a lot actually, if you intend on going to the upcoming Summernats. For 2015, the organisers have made a swing to urban in compiling the musical entertainment line-up, with prominent rappers Bliss n Eso presenting their traditional Aussie hip hop sound and Illy performing a more new

Illy, who drives a VE Commodore, confesses to being a Summernats virgin, although has frequented racetracks previously, having been to the Grand Prix and performed at the V8 Supercars. He has good reports of street machine events from friends and past Summernats entertainers. “I’m good mates with the Hilltop Hoods, who have talked it up and I’ve had mates tell me about the Spring Nats, so I’m keen to see what it’s all about. The response has been really good too, with people dialing me up on line, saying how they’re really looking forward to it. That’s just the encouragement I need to know we’re really going to have a good time.”

The Summernats crowd presents a different audience from the usual gig and festival audiences, with punters who will come to the stage after listening to screaming engines and ingesting burning rubber all day. Asked if there were songs that the revheads may especially relate to, Illy says, “The crowd should lap up the songs from the Like a Version I recorded late last year,” which included some especially Australian songs such as Silverchair’s ‘Tomorrow’, ‘The Nosebleed Section’ by Hilltop Hoods and Paul Kelly’s ‘To Her Door’. Apart from those, he’s confident that the high energy songs in his set will suit the occasion. Illy is keen to ensure the set resonates with the punters.

“We’ll play with a live drummer and I think that really adds to the show. We’ll cut some of the slower songs too, because we want to hit it pretty hard at Summernats.”

As for future plans, Illy may have a new album out towards the end of 2015. “I haven’t really started working on it yet as I’ve been so busy with the touring,” he says. “I’m keen to get into it after Summernats, when the whole next album process can start.” He has several rough drafts underway, but is keeping the material close to his chest until the ideas mature a bit. In the meantime, he’s off to the ARIAs, as both a nominee for an award and to present the award for best breakthrough artist.

Illy will fire up the punters at Summernats 28, Saturday January 3 2015 at Exhibition Park. Summernats passes from $75 onwards, available at summernats.com.au

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ALLAN SKO GUY PEARCE has a new album out called Broken Bones; a culmination of a lifelong passion that he’s been reluctant to share until now. And we’ll get to that, I promise. But first I wish to visit how the man helped make the Canberra Centenary a big deal.

For all the money, time and effort that was put into the region’s 100th birthday in 2013 one thing that grabbed the most headlines was the “comedy riffing” Pearce did as a guest on Craig Ferguson’s The Late Late Show in which some good old fashioned Canberra bashing was had. Being the publisher’s of Canberra’s entertainment guide and a Guy guy I couldn’t waste this opportunity.

“Hello Mr Pearce!” I enthused at the start of our conversation. “This is Allan calling from your favourite place in the world… Canberra.”

“Ha,” he chuckled in that oh-so familiar voice. “I’m never going to live that down, am I?”

have a good discussion about rather than going, ‘I’ve jumped the gun’. I worked with Michael Barker (John Butler Trio drummer), and he was the one saying, ‘Why don’t you get this music out’ and I gave him the old story I said to myself 25 years ago, that I don’t want to inflict myself upon the world, I don’t want to be another actor bringing music out. And he said, ‘That’s just a story in your head’.

There was a look on his face that said, ‘You’re an idiot’ which made me realise I had no justification. We all need a kick up the bum.”

While some people turn to art and music as a cathartic exercise others simply do it for the sake of creation. Which is it for Pearce?

“It’s a combination of both plus other things,” he says. “I love the endless, limitless nature of music. I like playing live but my real passion is being in the studio and experimenting, recording and layering . That’s also why I enjoy making film even though it’s a very different process. The idea of putting something down that’s recorded, edited and moved around to make a story I find absolutely fascinating.”

Some years ago I spoke to fellow Aussie-actor-turned-muso Noah Taylor, who stated music was a more satisfying pursuit because he was the one creating whereas acting was more of a job fulfilling someone else’s role. I was curious to see if Pearce felt the same?

the odd thing about it is I really like Canberra...

Pearce helped change the course of public opinion on Canberra largely because such light-hearted riffing - and really, that’s all it was - was met with a shower of indignation from then-Centenary chief Robyn Archer as well as Fairfax Media papers. Usually when someone publicly bags Canberra everyone would have a good ha-ha-ha and chip in with comments about “being boring” and full of “roundabouts and public servants”. Not this time. Then after that something amazing happened. Pearce apologised. Calling himself a “dickhead” no less. No one had apologised for Canberra-bashing before, least of all the man who starred in the Oscar-laden The King’s Speech.

I mention to Pearce how this brought Canberra into sharp focus in an ultimately positive fashion.

“Oh well I’m glad I could have been some sort of help!” he quips.

“The irony, well not the irony, but I suppose the odd thing is I really like Canberra. I had such regret about it afterwards I couldn’t believe it! I was trying to be funny and it went a bit wrong for me.

I’ve been on [Ferguson’s show] before and we get on very well. He’s a great guy and I was trying to be as funny as him. You live and learn. I feel nervous about coming back to Canberra because I’m either going to have people patting me on the back saying, ‘Hey, you really helped us out!, or go, ‘Get out of our town!’”

Despite a glittering film resume that would give most rightthinking folk an ego Pearce is such an easy-going, talkative gent it’s like having a chinwag to a neighbour over the fence. And if you rolled your eyes at the prospect of yet another big name actor gone musician, Pearce felt the same.

“I haven’t been nervous about turning my hand to music because that’s always been there,” he admits. “I’ve been nervous about facing the reluctance to another actor bringing music out. As I’ve gotten older I care less about that. I’m really happy with the album and how it has all come together. So if there is any criticism I can

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“Yeah very much so,” he says. “That’s the thing that draws you to it. When I write I start thinking, ‘What do I want to express?’ [That said] with film, I have to be in a place where I am calling the shots - at least emotionally. If a script speaks to me I’ll do it, so on some level I’m still in charge of that. Often people get the impression that as an actor you’re plonked over there, told what to do, what to wear and you just do it. But I’m actually far more in control than that. But ultimately you’re part of a story that somebody else wrote, you’re jumping on board a character that’s already created and even though it moves you and you’re excited it’s different to the story I want to tell, the emotional journey that I want to express, you know?”

On the subject of message, one of the greatest compliments I can pay Pearce’s album is that his voice is instantly recognisable.

“I thought about [my voice] for years and years and years,” he says.

“I’ve sung ever since I was five. My voice changed a lot; I went through a big period where I would try emulate other people. When I was around 20 I tried to sound like Peter Gabriel. I couldn’t do that. I enjoy what you can do with your voice. It’s like putting on an accent or character, so I do feel like I do have control.”

With the release of his first album to add to the already swollen CV, does this new path for Pearce mean less screen time?

“I’ll dip into [film] constantly,” he assures. “Right now I’m promoting a record. I write while I’m away and always take a guitar with me.

Not so much on set more when I’m back at the hotel room or the apartment, I’ve worked on learning my lines and there’s nothing else to do like walking the dog and dealing with bills and that sort of stuff. I can’t really write music when I’m back at home but I can certainly record it. So I’ll always just keep doing what I’m doing.”

Guy Pearce’s Broken Bones is out now. He will be playing at Factory Theatre Sydney with Darren Middleton on Feb 20. .

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top ten films WITH

This was a year for exceptional science fiction, fantasy and dystopian film. In the list below your (hopefully) trusted film reviewers have selected some of the best. Just outside of the top ten we also saw such imaginative films as The Double, Richard Ayoade’s distinctly dystopian sophomore offering.

Beyond the supernatural, sci-fi independent films dominated. Boyhood, Force Majeure, Obvious Child, Calvary and Nebraska (the first two made it onto the list below) restored faith in understated filmmaking; and left-of-centre docos such as Particle Fever and The Case Against 8 proved that fact can be just as thrilling as fiction. Of note, The Grand Budapest Hotel and What We Do In The Shadows were the only two films that all three BMA critics agreed should be in the top ten. So perhaps laughter is the most powerful, if not medicine, then convincing emotion – MELISSA WELLHAM

MELISSA WELLHAM (MW), EMMA ROBINSON (ER) & CAMERON WILLIAMS (CW)

10. SNOWPIERCER

5. GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY

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

Snowpiercer is off-the-wall and absurd, violent, gory and serves as an unexpected vehicle [pun intended I hope - Bossman] for moral lessons about climate change. It is unlike any movie you’ve seen before. Its originality is reason enough for its accolades - MW

Has a scene entered the pop culture consciousness so completely this year as that of Dancing Baby Groot? No. And that’s just scratching the surface of what makes Guardians of the Galaxy so great.

As irreverent, zany and thrilling as any Marvel movie – especially the good ones, like The Avengers – Guardians is all the more impressive for making us care about a talking raccoon and a monosyllabic tree. With a fresh and fun take on the superhero genre, Guardians was also packed with unexpected heart – MW

9. PRIDE

4. HER

The 1980s were a dark time for many but what we got out of it was immeasurably important.

There are many unsung heroes that deserve to be praised and remembered, which is why everyone should see this film. Young gay activist Mark Ashton, who champions the rights of all those oppressed, galvanises the gay rights movement during the reign of The Iron Lady through an alliance with the striking Miners. What follows is heartening beyond belief. If you need a feel good film that won’t make you hurl, see Pride – ER

Her was the best kind of science-fiction film – one that is barely about the future at all and more about modern society. A movie from the incomparable Spike Jonze, Her was smart, sweet and soulful, exploring what happens when computer operating systems start to gain consciousness. Her was refreshing because it didn’t assume that artificial intelligence would be automatically evil and it resounded because it tapped into something deep about love and the digital, distracted society we live in – MW

8. FORCE MAJEURE

3. THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL

A scathing satire of masculinity delivered with Kubrickian unease by writer and director Ruben Östlund. There’s a sense of isolation and foreboding as the camera glides across the snow-covered landscape. The avalanche scene is a masterstroke in exposing a dormant conflict that drives the plot. The big white cloud approaching the camera is one of the most unforgettable scenes of 2014. As Force Majeure unfolds the cabin fever of the Alps intensifies and Östlund’s family portrait becomes distorted by dysfunction and is absolutely captivating as a result – CW

Quirky films can often suffer from self-indulgence.

Fortunately this one doesn’t. Budapest can be enjoyed on so many levels – following the escapades of a charming and legendary concierge and his loyal lobby boy and the theft of a priceless renaissance painting against the backdrop of a politically charged landscape. Further, you can play the game ‘spot the superstar’ – the cast is a veritable smorgasbord of talent. If anything, the constant portrait lens of the camera showing either the stunning sets or the actors makes for a unique movie going experience – ER

7. INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS

2. BOYHOOD

What the American public wants in the theatre is a tragedy with a happy ending. I wish I’d thought of that line but it belongs to author and literary critic William Dean Howell. If Mr Howell was alive today he’d be chuffed with Joel and Ethan Coen’s Inside Llewyn Davis, a film that embraces failure in a beautiful way. From the ground floor of the American folk movement the Coens’ tapped into the ultimate story of the man that never was – CW

A snapshot of a young life flashes before your eyes in Richard Linklater’s phenomenal film. This a masterclass in the power of a filmmaker to control the passage of time and tell an engaging story. An accomplishment grand in scope and ambition but so incredibly intimate and heart-warming. I never wanted it to end. Shot over 12 years, it’s a great achievement in modern American filmmaking and solidifies Linklater’s status as one of the most important filmmakers of his generation – CW

6. WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS Given the vampire craze doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, thank god someone finally decided to explore its funny side. There are several realities modern film and literature skimped on when it comes to vampires thus depriving themselves of genius comic fodder. What happens when vampires aren’t invited into nightclubs? How do they get their undead groove on? This film is also quote heaven, cementing its place in the vampire hall of fame (Nosferatu? Pfft.) – ER

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1. ONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE Perhaps an unexpected choice for the best film of the year is writer-director Jim Jarmusch’s offbeat entry to the vampire genre. It’s scary not because of the blood-sucking tendencies of its protagonists but of what it says about society. Worth seeing for the performances from Tom Hiddleston and Tilda Swinton (swoon) alone, Only Lovers Left Alive is artful and beautiful while embodying deep sadness and seriousness. A subtle, exceptional piece of filmmaking. – MW

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TV: The Year in Review with Allan Sko and Justin Hook

Hello. This is your square-eyed TV ghouls Justin Hook and Allan Sko here, perched at the end of another year and casting a misty red-peeper back on the year of TV. Except, of course, with the rise and rise of Netflix, Apple TV and other services that landscape is changing. We’ll get to that. We’ll also get into whether one of the greatest shows on modern TV, Boardwalk Empire, ended well, why comedy/satire is brighter and more important than ever and how it was a bellwether year for all things Australia. Damn, sounds like a good section. Let’s get to it - ALLAN SKO

To Box or Not To Box?

JUSTIN HOOK: As more and more TV shows get the re-released box set treatment the viewer should rightfully ask – do we need this?

Is there a calling for the collected works of The Fresh Prince? Was McGuyver crying out for the deluxe treatment? Most re-releases are blatant revenue grabs preying on nostalgia and the complacency of capacity - “I don’t really need this, but what the hell”. When David Lynch and Mark Frost oversaw the Blu-ray release of Twin Peaks earlier this year it was a case study in how box sets can be done properly. Visually stunning from Day One, it benefited hugely from the hi-def presentation. It also gave us the complete package by throwing in the movie and ensuring the derided second season wasn’t shunted to an afterthought. This last point is critical. The box set format forced us to view Twin Peaks in its totality, second season legacy issues aside.

Twin Peaks was hugely influential, that is a given. But what was noteworthy was how the years have been kind to a show so out of place and out of time that it still feels slightly odd. The biggest surprise came soon after its release when Lynch shocked everyone by announcing he was going to make more Twin Peaks in 2016, fulfilling a quarter-century old taunt from within the show. Now that’s playing the long game. Damn you Lynch, this brilliant new box set is no longer definitive.

Who can stop the Caledonian Mafia?

HOOK: The vote didn’t go the way the hardliners wanted, but all wasn’t lost for Scotland as two of its most reliable talents delivered the goods in 2014. Firstly, Peter Capaldi took control of the most

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famous blue box in history becoming the twelfth Doctor Who. It was a divisive decision. Coming hot on the heels of the fresher faces of Matt Smith and David Tennant, Capaldi is known to millions as the alpha-swearer Malcolm Tucker from The Thick of It. To say he’s broadening his fan base is an understatement.

His Doctor wasn’t nearly as bitter as predicted and a lot funnier. By season’s end even the harshest critics had surely warmed to this caustic and cantankerous time traveller, openly ridiculing stupid humans and hating hugs. His stewardship of the Tardis seems natural now.

Capaldi’s friend and the force behind The Thick of It delivered one of the best comedies of the year in Veep. Aramando Iannucci’s Washington laughfest was predicted to fail but after a solid start the ensemble piece with Julia Louis-Dreyfus at the helm as useless Vice President Selina Myers is right in the sweet spot. The cast bounce off each other effortlessly and Iannucci is writing clever scripts that allow Louis-Dreyfus to confirm her status as a great physical comedian with impeccable timing. Somehow, Iannucci and Steven Moffat need to get the Doctor and Myers in the same room together.

Boardwalk ENDpire

ALLAN SKO: One of the best dramas in the modern era wrapped up thus giving us a great opportunity to make that bad pun (credit to Hook). With only eight episodes to end things the show utilised flashbacks of Nucky Thompson’s past and quickfire character deaths to move things along to its ultimate conclusion. What started, to this viewer’s eyes, as a well-tailored empty suit in Season 1, Boardwalk quickly blossomed with each series packing more of a punch, meticulously weaving a complicated multi-location storyline and delivering both moments of shocking violence (those protracted fight scenes are simply brutal in their realism) and stunning sentimentality (the “Hit me tough guy!” exchange between Capone and son and Richard Harrow’s fate are some of the best drama you’ll find). So did it end well? Yes it did. There was a fittinh surreal, almost gloomy feeling to the final season. And while many people picked the ending early (including yours truly) it still delivered a fitting conclusion, the flashbacks giving weight for who Nucky really is and why the ending was just. One of the greats, this deserves space in the annals among The Sopranos and The Wire.

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ADVANCE AUSTRALIA FAIR HOOK: And now it’s the dreaded ‘Australian’ section of the round up. Don’t turn off, although if it was actually TV you probably would by now.

And that’s a problem because Australian telly is going through a noticeable purple patch. Without digging too deep you’ll find the type of shows that easily attract audiences twice the size if they were made elsewhere. Wentworth, Puberty Blues, Upper Middle Bogan, It’s A Date, Secrets and Lies, Redfern Now, The Code and Old School all prove there is a surfeit of talent out there looking for ways to tell stories – some deliberately local, others with an eye for the international. Puberty Blues (pictured) drew focus squarely on the personal and mapped it against an eerily accurate representation of Australian suburbs 30 odd years ago. Secrets and Lies and The Code went to great pains to tell a long arc story and slowly unravel intricate plots aligning themselves very deliberately with crime and political noir dramas out of Britain, the US and Scandinavia. Never once though did you feel they were trying to copy. Then there’s Shaun Micallef’s Mad As Hell, which at the very least keeps Francis Greenslade on our screens for another year.

SKO: Thanks Hookster, I’ll take it from here. There aren’t enough words in this column to express my love for Shaun Micallef and Mad As Hell. While people may be cooling on Stewart and Colbert contributions to political satire/news, homegrown hero Micallef proved that his weekly rants are exactly what this country needs.

The supporting cast of Francis Greenslade, Ros Hammond, Emily Taheny, Tosh Greenslade, Veronica Milsom and Stephen Hall (whose rendition of Matthius Corman’s Schwarzenegger spokesperson is brilliant) perfectly blended pitch-perfect character work and surrealism (“release the Kraken!”) whilst lampooning everyone from politicians on all sides to us consumers. Sad to see it go for another year. And Soul Mates was a pleasing hit. The brainchild of Christiaan Van Vuuren and Nicholas Boshier, the men responsible for such internet favourites as Trent From Punchy and Beached As. it was sketch comedy at its finest. Fun Fact: Boshier used to be Lior’s manager and was one of my favourite people to converse with. The more you know. Also a big fond farewell to The Movie Show. Truly the end of an era.

Don’t Make Me Laugh (Actually Do)/Satire

SKO: 2013 wasn’t great for comedy. The hugely anticipated return of Arrested Development misfired. Bob’s Burgers got a bit weird.

The wheels fell off Community. The Office limped to a conclusion.

2014 by comparison was a bahnstormer that leaves me stumbling on where to start. Aforementioned Mad As Hell and Soul Mates were the comedy bright spots for Australian TV (and I’ll admit to having a penchant for Have You Been Paying Attention? as easy as the format is). Brooklyn Nine-Nine was the best new comedy show, pulling off the deft trick of funny self-contained episodes that also managed to push an over-arching storyline. I have always been a fan of Andy Samberg so it’s great to see him get a vehicle. The pleasant surprise is the “supporting cast” who each take turns to steal the show (although if Season Two is anything to go by, the audience clearly wants more Boyle, Gina Linetti and Captain Holt as their screen time has shot up). Bob’s Burgers bounced back in fine style, putting out some of their best episodes to date. Watch The Kids Rob A Train.

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The final scene of the stain-splattered family walking towards the camera perfectly exemplifies the zany, antic-ridden and yet happy family unit. It’s been a shitty year news-wise; wars, ebola, tragic celebrity deaths… We need comedy more than ever and it delivered.

HOOK: One of the biggest revelations of the year was Daily Show alumni John Oliver. Although seemingly trawling the same patch as Jon Stewart, Bill Maher and Stephen Colbert, Last Week Tonight With John Oliver took the format to new heights over 24 episodes.

The longer run time (roughly an hour) allowed Oliver to dig deep into a topic every show, in addition to the normal take-the-piss segments. Almost every single longer piece went viral – some even achieving real world policy responses – demonstrating that wellresearched and cleverly positioned satire is more than just a chuckle or Affleck-bait. By getting his audience involved in the campaigns, LWT is breaching that gap between knowing politics sucks and doing something about it.

Will Netflix revolutionise AustraliaN TV?

HOOK: After the longest courtship since Jacqui Lambi and insanity finally agreed to coinhabit, Netflix recently confirmed they will be entering the Australian marketplace in 2015. Though already easy to get by sidestepping geo blocking, Netflix’s official entrance will hopefully shake up the local TV landscape. Originally a streaming service, the channel has made significant gains in original programming over the last two years. Orange is the New Black and House of Cards are their marquee brands – award winning comedy and drama, pitch perfect performances, well scripted and buzzworthy. They weren’t cheap knock-offs by a scrappy start up. The former was a snappy ensemble piece that occasionally addressed systemic problems of class and society in the US whilst the latter was a ruthless political DC drama…So not that dissimilar after all.

Along with a full roster of forthcoming shows, docos and stand-up comedy specials Netflix are programming plenty of courageous and left-of-field content. So confident are they that the CEO has predicted broadcast TV will be dead by 2030 and internet TV will be the next logical step. If so, Netflix will have a significant first mover status. How this flows through to local content is open to conjecture. A healthy subscription base makes plopping over $100 million for 26 episodes for House of Cards seem like good business.

Whatever happens, Netflix will be a force to be reckoned with.

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LOCALITY

We’re coming into the Christmas/New Year season and unfortunately, that means that the Canberran scene is getting ready for its customary summer nap. However, the first few weeks of summer are looking particularly promising, with lots happening around town. On Wednesday December 10, local rapping rascals Coolio Desgracias and House Mouse are launching their new EP Just Cheesin’ at Smith’s Alternative as part the venues regular mid-week CMC evenings. There’ll be no physical CD, but in an interesting move, there will be a limited edition comic book, illustrated by Ed Radcliffe (of The Fuelers and many other artistic pursuits), which comes with a download for the EP. It will also be available for purchase online.

Also on the bill are Autogeist, Albert Soesastro, Matt Lord and The Finnickers, with proceedings kicking off at 7:30pm and entry going for $10. Groovin’ the ANU is back on Friday December 5 for their last run of the year, with another brilliant line-up that you can see without paying a dime. Taking to the stage will be The Sticky Bandits, Other Liquid Fires, Buck et al and Fricker, with doors opening at 8pm.

If you’re looking to start your week off right, head to The Phoenix on Monday December 8 for the 2XX Live n Local Bootlegs. The bill consists of Primary Colours, Agency and Finnickers, with Sydney-based interlopers Beast & Flood sneaking their way into the mix as well. As usual, this is a completely free event, which means more money to spend on a cheeky Monday night beer! On Saturday December 20, you could be treating yourself to a whole bunch of Corey-fuelled 80s goodness with the glorious return of Cell Block 69. These musical survivors will take to ANU Bar stage after another year-long hiatus, with support by Glitoris, who will bring their special brand of incredible feminist-pop-punk glory to the party. Tickets are $20 plus booking fee and you can find all the details (including their incredible back story) at facebook.com/ cellblock69.

Plenty of congratulations are in order for all the Canberran performers heading to Woodford Folk Festival over the postChristmas and New Year period. The bands going include Fun Machine, Brass Knuckle Brass Band and Moochers Inc, while other local faces who’ll be there include CJ Bowerbird, Karen Middleton, Melanie Tait and The Tragic Troubadours. So if you’re heading along, don’t be surprised if there’s a few local faces you recognise! While things are looking quiet for the short term in regards to gigs, there are lots of exciting whispers about recordings that we can expect some time in 2015. So far, Brass Knuckle Brass Band, PAINT on PAINT and the Nicholas Combe Nonet all have releases due to come out some time in the new year, so be sure to keep your eyes and ears peeled. You’ll find more details here in Locality as they come to hand. So here we are at the end of the year, which also marks 12 months of me throwing details about local music and events at you.

Many thanks to everyone who has read this rambling column over the last year and here’s to another year of awesome Canberran tunes and gig iin 2015!

NONI DOLL - nonijdoll@gmail.com /@nonijdoll

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Just don’t mention the stripping Hitler

THE YEAR IN LOCALITY NONI DOLL The last twelve months have been a bit of a mixed bag for Canberra’s music scene, with plenty of stumbling blocks, accompanied by an equal number of highlights.

The number of local releases in 2014 was impressive, with plenty of variety and a high standard being set across the board. Local albums included Sparrow-Folk’s cheeky The Fox and The Lark, Liam McKahey and the Bodies’ Black Vinyl Heart and No Hausfrau’s We Were Invincible. There were EPs aplenty, with Citizen Kay’s Demokracy getting plenty of positive feedback, while Nick Delatovic’s insane experiment that was recording an EP In A Day proved to be a successful gamble.

In singles, Julia and the Deep Sea Sirens’ ‘Lake George’ and Finnegan and Brother’s collaboration with Bec Taylor, ‘Roadkill’, are both wonderful tracks, while Peking Duk and Safia’s ‘Take Me Over’ got plenty of attention and airplay right across the country.

biggest supporters of local live music, The White Eagle Polish Club and The Phoenix were both taken out by fire by the end of February, leaving things looking quite bleak for the local scene. Thankfully, some new players came to the fore, with Smith’s Alternative taking on the Bootlegs Sessions, The RUC in Turner becoming the temporary home of CMC gigs and Magpies Club in Civic stepping up to become the north side’s hub for all things punk. The Chop Shop made its entrance in September after some red tape issues and while temporary, has proven itself to be a magnificent addition to the list of venues here in the capital.

In 2014, the Canberran music scene faced a lot of hurdles, but through hard work and solidarity from the community, its heart is still beating, ready to take on all the ups and downs that 2015 may bring.

Glitoris’ debut at the You Are Here festival was easily the most discussed single-artist show of the year, with other great performances of 2014 including the farewell to Julia and the Deep Sea Sirens; Fun Machine’s glorious glitter-fuelled return, Moochers Inc’s adorable indoor picnic and Rufino and the Coconuts’ tropical paradise, all transforming The RUC in Turner; and little gems like Art Underground at Beyond Q Bookshop in Curtin, Endrey’s album preview and exhibition launch at The Front Gallery and Café and the short-lived but delightful Soctor Deuss. Sadly, this year also saw the end of In Canberra Tonight, a show that was truly a testament to how much talent and wonder lives in our wonderful capital.

It could be said that this was the year of the local festival, with You Are Here, Canberra Musicians Club’s West Bank Festival, the Canberra Fringe and Multicultural Festival all big talking points for the local arts community. (Just don’t mention the stripping Hitler.)

Easily the rockiest road was reserved for Canberra’s venues. Two of Canberra’s

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IAN MCCARTHY & aLBERT SHIRT We know that the world of pop music can sometimes feel vain and profit-driven, which is why it can become easy for people who consider themselves “real music lovers” to dismiss it altogether- a dangerous mistake.

Genuine music-lovers know that genius can come from any genre of music and although it may sometimes seem tougher to sort through, pop is no exception. Here’s a list of the top five tracks you may have dismissed this year that you shouldn’t have: Justin Bieber ft. Chance the Rapper – ‘Confident’

Honestly, the precise worth of its constituents is murky: Charli’s multitracked holler more gaudy than fresh, a T.I. guest verse missing and the GarageBand beat plodding, puttering away self-consciously. However, 2014’s main jam transcends its parts via constant replay. Enunciating a slippery prequel to ‘Royals’, Iggy’s varied catchy punches eventually come to be dutiful hooks themselves and, with enough hope and perseverance from the faithfully hip, the track becomes perfect enough to be easily disposed.

Unstinting melodies also help Swift deftly juggle feminism and capitalism and remain credible

Bieber ditches the bubblegum pop that made him famous in favour of some smooth, snappy R’n’B somewhat reminiscent of Justin Timberlake or 90s R. Kelly, utilizing his husky lower register which matches his playful come-ons.

Chance the Rapper delivers a tight sixteen bars, moving through flows with his trademark effortless cool. If you were of the impression that Bieber was a pop puppet not to be taken seriously, think again.

DJ Snake ft. Lil John – ‘Turn Down For What’ If you’re not into Trap then chances are you’re probably what Lil John would refer to as “turnt down.” Lil John doesn’t like being turnt down. In fact, it seems he can’t think of a single thing to turn down for. If you’re not familiar with EDM or trap, think dub-step but a little easier on the ears – not a lot though. There’s scratching, cross fading, build-ups, massive drop and, most importantly, Lil John providing a new generational party-cry – “Turn down for what?”

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Iggy Azalea ft. Charli XCX – ‘Fancy’

Taylor Swift – ‘Blank Space’

With every inch of ‘Shake It Off’ pro-forma and dippy, ‘Blank Space’ is a godsend for Swift’s career as well as Billboard. Phenomena: appropriating then transforming snap music into stadium fodder, adorning brazenness with the click of a deactivating mic, fucking with her pop-cult status as preternaturally as Eminem. Unstinting melodies also help Swift deftly juggle feminism and capitalism and remain credible. Don’t be fooled – like Nicki, she’ll mean anything she says, then cash her statement in the six figures.

Nicki Minaj – ‘Anaconda’ Decontextualized (i.e. stripped of visuals) 2014’s most newsfed single subsumes its integrity as cultural landmark, which I mean sarcastically and unfurls its sexless charisma and labyrinthine ProTooling, which I don’t. School bells, chipmunked horns, shifting beats-bass-organ-hi-hats, general SFX and onomatopoeia, all filtered through the EQ of a target audience focus group, the blaring upshot being punchy rather than pulpy. She doesn’t fuck or not fuck the coke-dealer and she’ll tell you she did if you like.

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CODY ATKINSON 2014! The year after 2013 and the one before 2015. A lot of things happened this year, many related to music. Cody Atkinson reminisces over the year that was, gracefully, with a glass of scotch in the hand and tear in the eye.

Holy shit, is 2014 over already? Yes, my friend, yes it is. The proverbial race has been run and won and the spoils have been divided.

Didn’t U2 try to give away music for free? Well, they decided (after being delivered a truckful of cash) to give away their album for free just to see everyone criticise them because it was: a) a bit shit; and b) given to them without consent. Note to all other musicians: don’t give away your shit music unless people ask you for it.

How about “don’t release shit music”? That might be a step too far for some.

If you had to name one thing that shaped the Canberra music scene this year, what would it be? Fire.

Fire? Yeah, fire had a significant impact on the Canberra music scene in 2014, closing down The Phoenix for most of the year and the Polish Club for the whole year. Both venues play an integral part in the live music scene in town and without them there were fewer venues for great local bands to show their wares. That’s not to say that other venues didn’t step up throughout the year. On a more positive note, the introduction of The Chop Shop to the mix provided a great late year boost.

What musical trends reigned supreme? 2014 will probably, for better or worse, be remembered as the year of the banger. Typing those words aren’t super fun.

Neither is listening to bangers... More alternative hip hop also enjoyed its moment in the sun with Run The Jewels. Death Grips and Action Bronson gaining a high level of critical acclaim. In Australia, bro-wave dance (think Chet Faker and Flume) has seemed to die off a little. As has the “dolewave” scene which was killed off by the attempted murder of the dole. Garage rock and psych seem to be kicking along well with a number of great albums released in those veins locally.

Vanilla Ice has a critically acclaimed comeback

But 2014 was still a great year for live music in Canberra? Absolutely. Canberra saw a number of great shows this year, from locals such as TV Colours, Assassins 88, Wives, Slow Turismo and Raus, to touring indie bands such as Yes I’m Leaving, The Ocean Party, Gooch Palms and The Stiffys, and even bigger shows like Billy Bragg and the annual Groovin The Moo. 2014 saw a plethora of great live music, across different formats and genres, in a number of great venues. It was, to paraphrase Ice Cube, a good year.

What do you think was the biggest issue facing the wider music industry this year? The fair price for music and its consumption.

Streaming music services, such as Spotify and Pandora, are rapidly growing across the world, especially in Australia. Unfortunately, these services provide little to no real cash for artists when their songs are listened to, with as little as 0.05c (approx) per play going to the musicians.

But surely people are still paying for music? Punters seem to be doing it in a slightly different way, though. The rise of crowdfunding has also been sharp with many bands, both big and small, going to sites such as Kickstarter and Indiegogo to raise cash to record their albums. Even the (recently) historical bastion of free downloading, the humble torrent, has been monetised in favour of artists. And that’s not to mention the further spread of independent online distribution services such as Bandcamp.

But isn’t the overwhelming issue that people generally want to pay less for things? Yep. That’s the issue with the current model of streaming and something artists and record labels will have to look at in depth.

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There were some pretty odd things that happened this year in the music world, weren’t there? Like Spod blagging his way onto Laneway via Twitter? Or The Basics launching a rock ‘n’ roll based political party, perhaps without a full knowledge of the state of live music in Victoria (as reported by themusic.com. au). Tex Perkins also ran for Parliament in Victoria but he somehow managed to make a deal to save iconic venue The Palais. And the mess around the Big Day Out was pretty prominent and wide reaching. But perhaps nothing was as odd as the ever-evolving story around AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd.

What do you see happening next year? I’m not a fortune teller but here are my guesses: a major festival goes under, several hyped albums fail to live up to expectations, a young artist breaks through and gets declared “the future of music in Australia”, a prominent music figure states that “rock is dead”, a new “genre” breaks through critically and spawns a million articles, physical album sales continue to drop and Vanilla Ice has a critically acclaimed comeback.

Vanilla Ice? You heard it here first. Unless it doesn’t happen, in which case I’ll deny that I ever wrote it.

And what’s the one thing you want to happen next year? Serious discussion, and eventual action, around reform of music related laws in the ACT, including the introduction of agent-of-change laws and a re-assessment of noise restrictions in live music areas. Step on up Legislative Assembly...

So who won 2014? As they say in the classics, music was the real winner in 2014.

How cliché...

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ALLAN SKO CHUCK PALAHNIUK - author of Fight Club, Survivor and Choke among many others - is back with one of his most stimulating efforts yet in Beautiful You. “It’s gonna wipe Fight Club off the map,” Chuck told me a year ago. “I combine the romance novels my mother used to read with the pornography my father used to read.

I call it gonzo eroticism.”

[AUTHOR] The idea for Beautiful You came from a TEDTalk on arousal [BODY] addiction - an idea recommended wordChuck countthought 900 “fascinating” as “no-one was really talking about it before then” - which was soon reinforced by [WRAP-UP] the viewing of a daytime TV ad for a vibrator, which he found “a bit shocking”. Taking these ideas he combined them with his own personal demon to create his latest story.

“I have a new short story collection out in May next year,” Chuck says. “The kind of short stories I do are disguised journalism where people have told me true things and I’ve repeated those things in order to cultivate the core idea. With a novel, however, typically I’m resolving a personal issue that I need to focus on and exhaust in 300 hundred pages.

“I see [the book] as open for people to reveal themselves,” he continues. “Their interpretation reveals more about them than it does about the work itself. It’s like a Rorschach test.”

Throughout Beautiful You Chuck mentions a few personalities - Rachel Griffiths, Ron Jeremy and Ron Howard - often for comic effect. Was this to ground this fantastical story in real life or was it simply for a chuckle?

“It’s such a real thing embedded in such an over-the-top make believe world,” Chuck says. “And in another way it’s funny. It’s also an homage to the style I’m lampooning, that kind of chick-lit where they’re constantly name dropping celebrities and fashion designers in books like The Devil Wears Prada. That’s part of the style so that’s why I did it.”

The book - as you would imagine given the subject matter - is filled with confronting dialogue and imagery, including a charming image of a religious couple walking into a room and being liberally sprayed with ejaculate from a copulating couple. I ask how Chuck deals with writing such passages.

...the sexual acts seemed like a good metaphor for explaining my own panic attacks...

“The episodes where Penny (the book’s hero) finds herself subjected to sexual arousal beyond her control are very much me working through having panic attacks,” Chuck explains. “I wanted a way to deal with my panic attacks through the disguise of this girl subjected to this sexual arousal. The vibrator seemed like a very good metaphor for explaining arousal addiction and the sexual acts seemed like a good metaphor for explaining my own panic attacks.”

Whereas Fight Club came under fire for glorifying violence and anarchy when in fact it was an intelligent dissection of the male psyche, Beautiful You is set to run a similar risk of being accused of misogyny. Chuck is prepared for that, and has a counterpoint.

“It’s not so much about women as it is about each generation and how they have to find their own goal,” he says. “They can’t just accept the goal of the previous generation. And in the case of Penny she realises she has somewhat accepted the goal of feminism without deciding whether they’re her goals. I think every generation instead of just accepting the goals of their parents foisted on them – every generation has to find its own goal.”

Was this sense of identity linked to Chuck’s anxiety?

“I dunno if that’s the core of my anxiety,” he says. “But I know it’s an anxiety for a lot of young people when they’re starting out. They have been taught all along what to strive for and what they should be. And then they get out of college and they really don’t know, they realise that they’ve never really thought for themselves about what they should be - so I would see that more of a fear of someone much younger than me.”

As with many of his books there is a reveal at the end, not to be confused with an M. Night Shyamalan twist. “I don’t have twists in my books so much as I have reveals,” Chuck says. “The information has been there all along; only at the end is the veil lifted.

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“I really enjoy it!” he says with obvious glee. “[As far as pushing boundaries] I have to answer to myself. I’m more worried about my own regret that I didn’t go to the furthest of my imagination when I was working on a project. I’m far more damning on my work than any outsider could possibly be.

“I do have a point where the material is too much,” he continues. “There was a previous draft talking about carving vegetables into dildos and how this carved potato could be used as a dildo and then washed and served for the family dinner.

And I thought that was the ‘over-the-top’ moment where I’d gone far enough and I could begin to back off. You don’t want to exhaust people. You reach that point of offensiveness and then you back off and give people a rest before you take them to greater, more challenging material.”

So as well as channelling his own anxiety attacks, why does Chuck feel the need to pen this particular tome?

“There’s so much in the world obviously geared toward sexually aroused men,” he says. “So much advertising blatantly focused on turning men on and getting their attention and selling men things through sexual arousal. It’s time to turn the tables.”

And as is his wont, there’s plenty more on the horizon for Chuck.

“I’m flying to Calafornia this weekend for a book event. My last one was eight hours of signing. This one will be 10- 11 hours. I’ve had some meeting with James Franco; they’re working on a draft for a film of Rant. The first issue of the Fight Club sequel graphic novel and the new short story collection will come out in May. [David Fincher is] trying to put together a stage musical of Fight Club.

He said he has Trent Reznor excited about doing the music for it.

I finally go down to talk to him on Sunday we’re going to spend a day together to talk about it amongst other things.”

Chuck Palahniuk’s Beautiful You is out now on Random House.

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Best Shot of 2014

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andrew mayo

BLUEJUICE @ ANU BAR

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good enough for me. If you want your name added to the list, shoot editorial@bmamag.com an email today with a draft column ready to go!

THE REALNESS So my final The Realness is upon me. Firstly, I would like to thank everyone who has helped support this column for the two years that I’ve been at the helm. To the regular readers (cue tumbleweeds) I hope you have found the column a useful tool to either remind you about an upcoming gig in the Capital or to help you discover a new album or artist via the many recommendations in these here words.

I’ve had a great time being part of the wider BMA Mag team. I still remember my first draft column and hoping the previous editor, Ash, would give me a shot at the big time. Unfortunately the money, hoes and cars never seemed to materialise but despite this my name will be forever etched in the BMA Mag Hall of Fame and that’s

As one of the US’s most distinguished and versatile selectors, DJ/ Producer House Shoes is one of Detroit’s ambassadors to the world. Helming the infamous St. Andrews Hall from 1994-2004, his well-honed approach has seen production and release work with counterparts including J Dilla, Slum Village, Phat Kat and Danny Brown (whom he co-produced the 2012 single Sweet). Catch House Shoes when he stops by Transit Bar on Friday December 12.

It was early in 2014 when Phil Gektor and Flu stood on their Frankston line railway platform looking for something good to listen to on their journey. Their choice was limited to popular albums and poor quality singles. Phil & Flu’s disappointment and subsequent anger at the range of records available led them to produce and record a project and thus change the world. Phil & Flu’s forthcoming album Classics is scheduled for an early December release.

With two full-length albums already under their belts that garnered them buzz in the underground (Lasting Impressions and The Revisited), New Jersey emcee uMaNg reunites with Swedish producer B.B.Z. Darney (The Boom Bappin’ Zombie) to complete their trilogy of albums, this time linking up with their label debut on Ill Adrenaline Records entitled The Black Rose Certificate.

Tony Starks returns to Staten Island after nine years, like a man returning home from a war. He wants the company of old friends, to reunite with his girl, to live a quiet life. But New York has other plans for him... On this, his debut project with Tommy Boy Records, Ghostface once again delivers exactly what the hardcore Wu-fans crave: desperate tales from the dark side over soulful boom-bop tracks. The soundscape is provided by The Revelations (Brooklyn’s acclaimed soul band/production team). Their hard-hitting tracks match the intensity of Ghost’s violent narrative. His costars on 36 Seasons are legendary lyricists and storytellers in their own right, three of the greatest of all-time: AZ, Kool G Rap and Pharoahe Monch.

And to close out my final column, back in 1993 Wu-Tang Clan gave us a timeless classic. 20-plus years later they return with A Better Tomorrow, after a seven year hiatus as a group.

Hopefully it’s not shithouse and you wished you picked up the latest Iggy Azalea or 360 album instead.

I’m out!

BERT POLE bertpole@ nobodyliveshereanymore.com

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jade fosberry Hip hop is a constantly evolving genre of music. From unexpected artists dabbling with bass and rap to fresh meat conquering the airwaves, there’s always something quietly brewing in the world of boom-bap. 2014 was no exception, with experimental and exciting releases, collaborations and a few surprises we didn’t see coming.

Here are a few highlights: Run the Jewels 2 RTJ was released in 2013 and blew everyone’s minds. The duo then thought ‘things are kinda quiet, let’s get this sequel out’. With slick rhymes and heavy, HEAVY bass, RTJ2 is near perfection. El-P and Killer Mike are on fire and are set to run through to 2015 without stopping. Run The Jewels is the answer – your question is ‘what’s poppin?’ (insert side eye emoji here) Lil Smith Tackles Hip Hop This year Jaden Smith made internet headlines for a number of reasons. Most notably (and relevant to this feature) for his recent attempt to tackle rap. As much as we all want to judge him for beginning his music career by collaborating with a pre-pubescent Justin Bieber, don’t. He’s clearly much wiser these days (his twitter is proof of this) and has now chosen to collaborate with the likes of fellow online messiah, Childish Gambino. Granted that his input to Glover’s track ‘Late Night In Kauai’ is a musical version of his 140 character musings, Childish Gambino makes it work.

The hip hop paradigm shifts So we all saw several clips doing the internet rounds over the past few months. Hoping you all caught that one of T-Pain singing (minus auto tune) and the other of Daniel Radcliffe rapping (finally justifying the first half of his last name). And in case we didn’t already know that Lorde was a young, musical machine that is more talented than us all, she decided to take Jeremih’s ‘Don’t Tell Em’ and completely slay it (rapping like she got tips from David Dallas). Lykke Li also recently threw in a cover of Drakes ‘Hold On, We’re Going Home’ to a London performance and managed to turn it into a moody, brooding hit (probably what Drake was going for to begin with). All these examples prove the current state of hip hop is in flux – providing a welcome way to flip the script and change the way that we, as fans, as well as artists, think of and approach the genre.

Local albums released this year have taken us on emotional journeys to personal places

Hip Hoppers Without Borders Established Australian hip hop artists have leapt to new heights this year, delivering exceptional music that can easily rival that of their overseas counterparts. From the inception of hip hop collective One Day to the risks taken by the Hoods and Thundamentals, the groups and artists we’ve seen soar over the past years have flown to new heights in 2014. Local albums released this year have taken us on emotional journeys to personal places, spitting perfect prose over consistently luscious beats.

These hip hop heads have not only put Australian hip hop on the map in terms of competitive calibre, but they’ve managed to keep our country’s love of hip hop alive and hungry.

T.I Is still making paper; disregarding hip hop T.I seems to have a good eye for pop hits and a penchant for forgoing rap quality for a few quick dollars (or a few mill, but that’s not the point). Let’s take a ride through our pop music time machine and keep an eye out for sneaky T.I shall we? Almost ten years ago, Justin Timberlake releases ‘My Love’ – a pretty decent song, so let’s not judge T.I too harshly for his contribution there.

Fast forward a few years to 2013 and T.I’s managed to secure a spot on Robin Thicke’s ‘Blurred Lines’. Questionable themes aside, the song is plainly pretty shit and not at all a justifiable use of T.I’s talents. He seems to have the same dollar signs in his eyes with the release of his ninth album Paperwork, featuring all the hip hop (read: pop) stars we know and hate, most notably Iggy Azealia and Chris Brown. Let’s hope 2015 sees T.I take his talents back to the calibre of 2008’s Papertrail and far from the lows he’s sunk to in recent times.

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Biggie and Tupac reincarnated (kinda) The legacies of two of the biggest names in rap live on almost two decades after their deaths. This year, 17-year-old Christopher Wallace Jr dropped a couple of freestyles which honestly aren’t too bad. The genius may not be as prevalent as it was in his father but the kid has some decent flow. Tupac, too, has jumped from the grave, back into the spotlight, after poems he wrote when he was just 17 (coincidence or illuminati?) have surfaced. Jokes and preconceived views aside, the poems give some insight into the intellectual and progressive lyricism that solidified Pac as one of the greatest rappers of our time.

The hip hop workout plan All the pop songs got a hip hop makeover this year. From the ‘Shake it Off’ x ‘Backseat Freestyle’ mash-up, to the Kanye remix of Lorde’s ‘Yellow Flicker Beat’. If we didn’t already know, any track can be infinitely improved (or made tolerable in the case of T. Swift) with some hip hop input.

More fresh Australian talent 2014 has seen the Oz hip hop scene explode. Not just with the consistent canon of the artists we know and love but with the introduction of the next gen of hip hop royalty. Tkay Maidza, Citizen Kay and UV Boi (to name a mere few) are taking over airwaves and hearts all over the nation with experimental, emotive and importantly, quality music. These young hip hop guns are pushing boundaries, meshing genres and giving us all a lot to be proud of.

All up It’s been another big year in hip hop, from Australia to the other side of the world. We’ve seen the release of some brilliant albums and tracks while witnessing local talent thrive on our own shores.

Most notably, we’ve seen hip hop almost recalibrate and bring with it new views, new talent and quality music. We have a lot to be proud of and even more to be excited for with where the state of hip hop is today.

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DANCE THE DROP

A good friend described 2014 as ‘The rise of the VJ’ and I couldn’t agree more. DJs have been swallowed up by their hubris and crapped out of a gigantic confetti cannon anus flanked with eyeball fizzing lasers and city sized screens discharging viral visual loops at a million tweets per second – and somewhere amongst all of the explosive rainbow chaos is music. The newest generation of clubbers have been cognitively coached to crave distraction.

Superstar DJs have become extras in their own production, the real star of the show is the show itself. I can’t really blame the industry for gravitating away from the human aspect of musical performance because, let’s face it, most DJs are boring to watch.

Some of the world’s best even struggle to manage a few air pumps and communicative hand signals, I mean how long can you stare at the bouncy person pretending to twiddle knobs before you whip out your iPhone and play online scrabble? Some performers do attempt to make their act more interesting by using a cunning sleight of hand to take your attention away from how banal and formulaic their music has become. They may jump up onto the turntables as if to say ‘Hello, I’m still here just in case you forgot, LOOK AT ME!’ or grab the microphone and check up on how you are going for the tenth time – if you are lucky (and hungry) they may even throw a cake at you, kind of like distracting a puppy with a tennis ball. The common theme here is diversion, if the person behind the decks is doing everything humanly possible to beguile you, then I’d hazard a guess that they are probably playing horrible music.

Newly birthed house and techno event Buddha Nights is the antipodean brother to the aforementioned wave of shitty glitz.

It is a warm and welcoming intimate showcase of musical feels, a place to come and experience music with likeminded souls. German underground wunderkind Robosonic headlines the next event on Friday December 12 at Trinity Bar. You know what to do!

Be sure to pack your sleeping bag, because the very next night on Saturday December 13 Sydney’s most expensively masked man Golden Features is returning to Canberra to anonymously destroy the dancefloor at Trinity Bar. If you haven’t seen his show before I highly recommend that you get along and see it, this kid is good.

As promised I’ve been reaching out to some of the nation’s biggest and brightest dance music stars to share with you their top five tunes of the year. In this instalment I spoke to Sydney legend Ember, who has enjoyed a stellar year in 2014 capped off by mixing Minstry of Sound’s The Annual 2015. Ember is one of the scenes most respected performers and he fires off a scorching hot list of his favourite main room party records from the past 12 months: Shrillex & Kill The Noise ft. Fatman Scoop – ‘Recess’ (Milo & Otis remix) Peking Duk ft. Nicole Millar – ‘High’ (Yahtzel remix) Ember – ‘Blur’ (Go Freek remix) KANT – ‘Ey Yo’ (MK remix) RL Grime and What So Not – ‘Tell Me’ (original mix) TIM GALVIN - tim.galvin@live.com.au

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THE YEAR IN DANCE TIM GALVIN People love awards ceremonies. There is something mindlessly euphoric about heaping praise onto famous figures that the rest of us find quite soothing. It is in the spirit of giving that I present to you the first annual Droppie Awards, a dazzling awards presentation where the best of the best are acknowledged for their contribution to the dance music scene. 2014 has been a turbulent year for club culture. Paris Hilton was referred to as a ‘Best Female DJ’, Melbourne bounce alerted Americans to the existence of another Australian city apart from Sydney and House music became known as ‘deep house’, probably due to everything else being so damn noisy.

Ladies and gentleman, welcome to the 2014 Droppies!

He really should be yelling at kids to get the eff off his lawn

Let’s begin with the international section shall we!

The Magical Unicorn award acknowledging something awfully commercial that didn’t suck goes to Duke Dumont.

The Duke forced quality house music down the throats of teens and tweens all over the globe and was the most commercially successful artist of the year who also managed not to sell his soul to the EDM devil. Kudos Duke. The I Love You Man award for excellence in emotion goes to Eric Prydz, who caused more man-on-man hugging this year than any other musical artist. His evolution as the king of underground crossover has been one of my biggest highlights of the year and I look forward to many more public displays of bromance in his honour in 2015.

The Where’d He Go? award for most distracting stage show goes to Hardwell who was so insignificant within his own stage production that many of his biggest fans could not even pick him out of a lineup.

Well done, random white male. The Detective Roger Murtaugh award for the guy who is way too old for this shit but is still getting it done goes to Giorgio Moroder. Truly a master of his craft, Moroder has spent the year producing for artists like Daft Punk, releasing his own material and touring when he really should be yelling at kids to get the hell off his lawn. He is 74.

The Royal Flush award goes to Afrojack, who bragged in a recent interview that his gleaming new Bentley had an Afrojack hood ornament. He may think he is a dance music deity but in reality he is a giant corny turd circling the drain of relevance. Merry Christmas douchebag!And now for the local awards. The Human Tennis Ball award goes to Franky Tapia, who was promoting at Trinity Bar, then at Meche and now back at Trinity Bar. Congratulations, you big furry legend.The Dorian Gray award for physical immortality goes to Ashley Feraude aka Magnifik, whose timeless beauty begs the question ‘Is there a gigantic painting of you rotting away in the basement?’ Well done lad. And finally we come to the most coveted award of all, the pies de resistance, the crown jewel, the ultimate accolade – the Golden Droppie. With so many local ‘High’ achievers this year, picking the winner of the first Golden Droppie was not an easy task. With great pleasure it is my privilege to announce that the inaugural recipient of the award for being the biggest champions of dance music in 2014 is, Peking Duk. Take a bow boys, you deserve it.

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METALISE OK so last column for the year and there’s a buttload of stuff on that you need to consider for your next month or so til we meet again in the New Year (deep breath).

A few days after we go to print, Thursday December 4 is Full of Hell from the USA at the Crossroads with Idylls, Machina Genova, Hygiene and Harrow.

International touring additions this past fortnight included a welcome announcement of a Suffocation and Decapitated double bill next May with the Manning Bar Sydney show being closest on Tuesday May 5.

Speaking of the fifth of the fifth, Wollongong perennials Segression (whom longtime fans will get the fifth of the fifth as a reference to their 1997 album of the same name) play the Basement Friday December 5 with Carbon Black, Red Bee, Nouveaux and Johnny Roadkill. The band are touring their new full length Painted in Blood out now through Murder Machine Records.

Mogwai have announced a tour for February off the back of two nights of shows at the Perth International Arts Festival in late February next year. You can always see them closer to home on the Monday March 2 in Sydney at the Sydney Opera House though, which would also be rad!

Sleep hit the Manning Bar on Saturday December 13 and the one support for the show will be a special set from 30 year Sydney veteran Punchbowl punks the Hard-Ons. Lifeisnoise killed it in 2014!

For something more grVm, don’t forget the indomitable Marduk and the might Inquisition have a mid-January Australian tour with Saturday January 17 being the Hifi Sydney show. That said, it would be really worth it to head down to Melbourne the night before on Friday January 16 to catch their Hifi Melbourne show where Marduk will play Panzer Division and Those of the Unlight albums in full.

The Basement has a festivus busy schedule ahead with plenty of reasons to get out to Belco to get merry. Saturday December 6 is the Troldhaugen CD launch with four other bands for $15. Friday December 12 is the ten year anniversary of Dimebag’s death and there’s a Pantera tribute night featuring 4 sets of Pantera tunes.

Saturday December 13 is Frenzal Rhomb frontman and former triple j DJ Jay Whalley doing his solo acoustic set he’s been touring around the last couple of months with supports.

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I was saddened to hear that Moth bassist Marcus Kapitza passed away all too young on Saturday November 15. He played in a bunch of grind and death metal bands over the years and was usually found at shows in Sydney or many times here in the ACT stumbling round and enthusiastically supporting Australian heavy music. Yes, he had a reputation for some pretty damn offensive opinions on a range of subjects, was routinely banned from a number of internet forums and was arrested at the Cronulla riots. To say he was an angel that never harmed a fly would be a stretch. Actually if you described him as such he’d likely tell you to get f*cked. That said, he was a gentle giant who always treated me with respect and bought more merch than near anyone I know. So to sign out this year on a sombre note, if you haven’t seen your mates in a while, maybe give em a ring and catch up as you never know what’s around the corner. Embrace the festivus, have a safe thrashing new year and come back safe and sound and rested for 2015. Vale’.

JOSH NIXON doomtildeath@hotmail.com

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THE YEAR IN METAL josh nixon I have reflected on this year in metal with a number of mates at recent social events and I’ve wondered aloud if I was alone in thinking that it was a really doom metal kinda year. Not that the year was particularly morose or slow, but in that the stuff that has routinely held sway on my stereo this year has been predominately of the slower variety.

Autopsy, Impaled Nazerene, Mastodon, Iron Reagan, ACxDC and Australia’s Super Happy Fun Slide all gave the cardiovascular system a boost with their records, but I kept coming back to slower, records and there were a bunch of them. I’ll save the words for my top five albums of the year also in this issue, but Eyehategod, Electric Wizard, Conan, Yob, Pallbearer, Witch Mountain, Thou, Indian, Bongripper, Earth and Symptom all release worthy records this year. In terms of Australian metal, one band really owned 2014 above and beyond even Ne Obliviscarus and their world record crow sourcing effort that created their very well received Citadel record.

King Parrot did more miles both in Australia and in the USA in 2014, wreaking havoc, making high profile friends and even more hilarious videos along the way. Legendary skinsman Matty Skitz Saunders dropped out along the way due to the intensity of their touring schedule and that right there should underscore the sheer scope of their labours this year.

Case in point, after doing pretty much 35 shows in 38 nights in the states, the guys were back in the van and doing a 15 show jaunt around Australia the weekend they got home. That’s dedication.

They’ve spent a good part of the third and fourth quarter of this year hunkered down in the backwoods in the states priming new material to follow up Bite Your Head Off which should see 2015 bear more musical fruit and Slatz making us laugh in videos AND in his new monthly column in Blunt magazine where he is an agony aunt now.

Good times. Canberra metal’s main happening in my view has been the significant investment from the new team at The Basement in their extensive renovations. Rarely has there been that kind of investment made in venues in Canberra and it’s the most significant support to live local, national and international bands of a heavier variety since the Gypsy Bar in the early 2000s. Musically there were several highlights, but for me the Wretch, Witchskull and Levitation Hex show that pulled a tonne of punters to the ANU in September stood out. The show bridged a gap and spanned three generations of Canberra metal and demonstrated a wide cross section of musical tastes to keep the fires of inspiration burning for all and I can’t wait to see what comes out of our little borough in 2015.

Top 5 Pallbearer – Foundations of Burnden – Profound Lore Records Electric Wizard – Time To Die – Spinefarm Records Yob – Clearing the Path to Ascend – Neurot Recordings Conan – Blood Eagle – Napalm Records Thou – Heathen – Gilead Media

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If you’ve picked this bad boy up in time, you can still catch Violent Soho this Wednesday December 3 as they hit up ANU Bar on their No Sleep ‘Til Mansfield Tour. You can grab tickets for $25+bf through Moshtix.

Here it is, the last Punk & Disorderly of 2014, the one time of the year at which it is acceptable for punks everywhere to bow their heads respectfully and allow a single tear to fall down their cheek – then quickly do a shoey* to regain their reputation. However, after regaining their reputation they’ll realise there was really nothing to be upset over in the first place because I’ll be back in just over a month, and in the meantime there’s still this stuff to do.

One of the most important punk dates of the year is just around the corner. The first annual Gingerfest will be taking place at The Factory Theatre in Sydney this Saturday December 6 to honour the life of Nicholas Sofer-Schreiber, ‘The Ginger Ninja.’ The lineup is massive, reflecting the huge impact that Nick had on the Australian punk scene. Snowdroppers, 28 Days, Bagster, Totally Unicorn, Anchors, Born Lion, Clowns, Lincoln Le Ferve, Hightime, The Doctor, The Decline, Super Best Friends, Chris Duke and the Royals, Steel City All Stars, The Punk Rock Hillbilly, Issaac Graham, Lost In Line, Revellers, and The Brothers Nude will all be there. Tickets are just $27.50+bf , available through The Factory Theatre website. All proceeds from this event will be going toward Vision Australia.

If you enjoy punky vibes that are a little easier on the ears, check out Melbourne’s Georgia Maq , Newcastle’s Spencer Scott and Shelby Clements, and Canberra’s own Jack Livingston as they stop by the Magpies on Friday December 12 as part of their New South Wales mini tour. They’ll also have some local support coming from Swoon Queen.

If you’re a Frenzal Rhomb fan (who isn’t?) you can catch Frenzal frontman Jay Whalley as he sets out on a solo acoustic tour which will be stopping by The Basement on Saturday December 13. He’ll be joined by local acoustic legends Jack Billmann and Dylan Hekiman. Tickets for this one are $12+bf through Moshtix.

And as always, Haircuts & T-shirts is on Punk Rock Radio with a new show airing at different times throughout the week giving you the best mix of local and international punk/hardcore music and news. For more info, head to punkrockradio.net.

That’s all for 2014, but there’s already heaps of stuff lining up for 2015 so make sure you come scurrying back in the new year. *shoey – a party trick in which quickly drinks an entire alcoholic beverage out of a shoe IAN McCARTHY PUNK.BMA@GMAIL.COM

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At the beginning of this year, the local punk community displayed an overwhelming sense of, unity, pride and support as it was forced to deal with the tragic murder of Nicholas Sofer-Schrieber, or as he was affectionately nicknamed “The Ginger Ninja”. Since his death, the community has rallied together to create every possible opportunity to honour his memory. In July, there was Dansonfest – a punk festival in Schrieber’s memory, which served mainly to raise money for an even bigger annual festival in his name. Now, five months on, we’re mere days away from Gingerfest, which will be taking place at The Factory Theater in Sydney, featuring a pretty massive lineup as far as Australian punk goes and with any luck it will quickly become a national punk institution.

We’re the realest people you’ll ever meet

THE YEAR IN PUNK IAN MCCARTHY Being amongst the crowd at The Smith Street Band’s Zierholz show last week was probably one of the best ways to bring an end to this year in local punk. I mean granted, Smith Street are from Melbourne and the two supports, The Front Bottoms and Apologies, I Have None, were both international acts, but the local atmosphere was there. All the relevant faces were among the crowd, the room was hot, the mosh was brutal and everyone from the band to the bar staff seemed to be having a good time. Even when a good friend of mine was escorted out for crowd surfing, he was outside laughing with security a few moments later.

It was a very reassuring experience because sometimes politics can get in the way of music and divides can be created over things as petty as not having the right backline or “stepping” on someone else’s “turf.” Ultimately though, punk is about comradery. It’s about getting together with like-minded people, trying to change the weaker points in society and celebrating the strong ones. It’s about creating a community and that’s what I think the Canberra punk scene does better than any other.

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The most inspiring part of all of this is that Nick wasn’t even a band member. He wasn’t a promoter, manager or sound technician. He was just a loveable punter. Nick was the guy, buying the tickets, moshing to the bands and snatching up the merch. The community still recognised him as a valuable player. They didn’t see him as a fan or a customer, but as a supporter, because without him the bands would be playing to an empty room in a broke venue. Everyone appreciated him. That’s what we have more than any other community, a no-bullshit attitude that ultimately leads to a purely honest, genuine and loving atmosphere.

Punks thrive off of authenticity, sincerity and mateship. We may not always be particularly bright, talented, or original, but we’re the realest people you’ll ever meet.

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

SOME OF THAT COMPETITIVE SPIRIT indigo trail It’s approaching midnight in London when Skype makes its distinctive burbling, clunking sounds and Simon Weaving pops up on the screen. Weaving, normally based in Canberra, is in Europe for a film festival but despite his local time there’s not a weary yawn or drooping eyelid in sight. As we settle down to talk about the film he’s written and directed, THE COMPETITION (premiering at Dendy next week) there is instead a profound sense of excitement – and a little bit of pride. His particular brand of pride isn’t remotely close to selfimportant egotism, but rather that coveted sense of fulfilment that permeates the end of a long, difficult and winding creative journey.

The Competition is about a small and strangely musically gifted town that gets a visit from a big-city reality TV show and it’s been a long time in the making. The idea for the movie sprang out of a reaction to the emotionally draining Australian cinema in the late 00s. While selecting films for the Canberra International Film Festival, Weaving watched all the most recent Australian movies and was struck by how melancholy and nihilistic they were. “There were all these films about dark, sad people living sad urban lives, taking too many drugs and dying,” he says with a mixture of weariness and bleak amusement.

From this deluge of pessimism sprang the idea for The Competition.

“We wanted a warm, feel-good film that was about music and musicians. It was really important to me that all the characters were likeable,” he says simply, turning up his nose at the current ubiquitous ‘anti-hero,’ that’s currently saturating media.

Given that The Competition boasts a bright, funny script and an ensemble cast across all ages and talents, it appears they might have well and truly managed to capture this elusive light. Weaving nods in agreement. “It ranges from young people figuring out what to do next with their life to older people who are – actually, they’re probably doing the same thing – working out the meaning of life. Basically, there’s all these different characters that all different audience members can latch onto. That was always really important to me.”

The Competition was shot, produced and edited in Canberra with a local cast and crew, so this sense of community extended well beyond the screen. “It was basically made for nothing, just with the goodwill of everybody involved,” Weaving grins. “So it’s been a real labour of love. Everyone was so generous.” ‘Labour of Love’ is about the most accurate phrase that could be given to The Competition’s slow and steady path to completion. Not only did the script undergo several rewrites and attempts to sell to studios before Weaving and his team decided to just make it themselves, it’s also been in post-production for four years. “Doug Kirk, our editor and I – we’re working for basically nothing. We would sit in SilverSun’s studios after hours when they

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weren’t using it and we worked a couple of nights a week.” Weaving laughs self-deprecatingly. “Yeah… It took a while.”

The editing process might have been a lengthy one, but it had some priceless moments for Weaving. One specific scene, when two young lovers finally part after one has decided to move to the big city, is particularly – and literally – close to the heart. “The actors, they wear microphones pinned to their chest to pick up the dialogue and during this scene, they hug – it’s quite an emotional hug. And when they hugged all you can hear is two heartbeats, beating, because their microphones are picking up each other’s heartbeats. We could hear them when we were editing it. That scene, it still to this day brings tears to my eyes.”

Another auditory aspect of the film which Weaving seems particularly proud of is the soundtrack. Featuring local artists, including The Fuelers, Fire on the Hill and Owen Campbell, The Competition is positively reverberating with melodies. “We put the word out that we were making this story with lots of music… We just said, ‘Look these are the two days we’re going to be shooting the band scenes, anyone who wants to do it, turn up and you can sing!’ We wanted bands preferably to come, play and actually be in the film as characters playing their music.”

This resulted in a huge variety of acts volunteering for the gig, which Weaving discusses with the air of a kid on Christmas morning. “Julia from Julia and the Deep Sea Sirens, she was around and she appears in the film and Chanel Cole was in town – and she was a finalist in Australian Idol so she knew all about reality TV.” Having these talented musical acts had another, more unanticipated benefit. “Because [these musicians] were involved, we wrote a bit more depth in those minor characters… We were able to enrich them so much.”

From the sound of it, all of The Competition is extremely rich – in characters, in music, in the effort that went into creating it. Most importantly though, according to Weaving, the story is full of a rich warmth. “Well, to get a bit philosophical here, I kind of think humans are hardwired for story,” he says. “We’ve been on the planet for, what, 60,000 years? For most of that time we didn’t have writing, we just passed things down through storytelling.” At this, Weaving pauses momentarily, brows slightly furrowed. “We live in a world these days where we’re all a little bit ADD and our attention spans are really short and yet we can still sit in the same seat for two hours without moving, in the dark, with complete strangers, just to take in a really good story.”

He smiles suddenly, as if he’s just popped the last piece of a well-loved jigsaw into place. “There’s really something magical about cinema.”

The Competition premieres at Dendy on Wednesday December 3.

Tickets can be purchased online at Dendy.com.au.

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UNINHIBITED It’s the question I ask myself every day: is it important? By important I mean essential. It’s not necessarily the ‘why make art’ question. It’s more about how this society of ours would look and feel if none of us said, Alright, let’s create some thing new. The Neanderthals among us, some of whom have managed to get into positions of terrific power, would say that life would go on – they’d still be able to shoot a hole in the ozone layer with a cross-bow. But the wise know better.

At one end of the art-as-political-statement spectrum is the protest song. It’s not too hard to conjure the grand-daddy of political singers, Bob Dylan, of whom I’m not a fan: there’s only so much harmonica any sane person can stand. Then there’s U2, but best we say no more about them. Closer to home we had Midnight Oil, and, probably more significantly, Paul Kelly and his reconciliation anthem, ‘From Little Things Big Things Grow’. A bit more recently, we’ve had ‘Idioteque’ by Radiohead, a song which in its obscure way had a go at climate-change deniers. We’ve had PJ Harvey’s Let England Shake, her exploration of Old Blighty’s love of conflict. Then there is Macklemore’s ‘Same Love’, which did exactly what protest songs should do: burrow into our consciousness through entertainment.

And this year Burial gave us his anti-bullying EP, Rival Dealer.

But did any of this work actually change the world? In the way they asked for our better selves, absolutely yes, even if it was only at the personal level.

Not long ago someone – a true national leader – said to me, “Why do artists insist on commenting about politics? Why don’t they just do what they’re good at, which is make art?” I was shocked by friend’s comment, especially as she is such a sophisticated thinker in her field. My answer was that all art is a political act, and all artists should be aware of the politics of their times.

This year I was fortunate to be commissioned to write an essay for Craft ACT’s professional members show. I was struck by how beautiful many of the pieces were, while others were straight out comical (in a good way). The written statements made it clear that these eminent artists were intimately connected with (1) their environment and (2) politics, especially the degradation of our natural resources through greed. Beauty as a political act? You bet.

Which brings us back to the Neanderthals in power.

How can we get politicians to notice what we do so they can act on our behalf? Firstly, we must produce the best possible art, whatever the motivation. We need to put our souls into what we make, push ourselves to exhaustion. Sure, take a few days off over Christmas: get drunk, swim in the ocean, sunbake (not in that order). But then – and here’s the real kicker – in the new year, if you see something your government is doing that you don’t agree with, write a letter, shoot off an email, send a strategic tweet, organise a fucking sit-in.

Let them know that things should be better. FOR CHRIST’S SAKE, SCREW THE SILENCE. Until then, brothers and sisters in arms, much love.. nigel featherstone

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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

ARTISTPROFILE: Nicci Haynes

What do you do? I identify as a printmaker but that’s only part of it.

I draw and I make books and awkward little videos. I do performance too, but am reluctant to call myself a ‘performance artist’ – that’s someone who does embarrassing things in public. I do embarrassing things in my studio with a camera on self-timer.

When, how and why did you get into it? I didn’t officially get into it until I went to ANU school of art at age 40. My flat-mate at the time went and I liked the look of his homework.

Who or what influences you as an artist? Often its literature – James Joyce’s Finnegan’s Wake has been endlessly inspiring. Jim Dine etchings. William Kentridge.

Of what are you proudest so far? Last week at the Canberra Critics Circle awards, with most of the visual arts awards going to ANCA artists. It felt good to be a member of ANCA. What are your plans for the future? Spend more time making art.

What makes you laugh? John Clarke and Bryan Dawe What pisses you off? Rummaging. (For example, my keys.

Somewhere in my bag.)

What about the local scene would you change? I’d put couches in all the gallery spaces.

Upcoming exhibitions? I currently have drawings at Left Hand Gallery in Braidwood. Next week M16 drawing prize and ANCA Common Ground.

Contact Info: niccihaynes.com.au, drawing000.wordpress.com

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IN REVIEW British Film Festival 2014 Palace Electric Cinemas Thursday 6 – Sunday 30 November Thankfully, Australian audiences appreciate and justify British filmmakers’ assumptions that their audiences understand nonverbal cues and subtle shades of meaning and mood.

The 2014 British Film Festival covers a good range of moods. Along with seriousness in films such as Mr Turner and The Sea comes British humorous sensibility in abundance, in films such as What We Did on Our Holiday (2014), an adventure in both deception and mischievous truthfulness for the greater good. If the premise sounds familiar — a husband and wife on the verge of divorce, attempting unsuccessfully to keep it from the children, must at all costs keep it too from the children’s grandfather for fear of undoing him — it doesn’t feel formulaic. Rather, it’s full of refreshing surprises. With Billy Connolly providing benign mischief, and David Tennant and Rosamund Pike playing his son and daughter-in-law, the laughs in this family comedy never let up. When your children live as truthfully as your father lives recklessly, expect the very worst.

The plot is just unlikely enough to seem true, and the acting even of the three children is flawless. Its denouement is hearteningly sweet despite being just realistic enough to be hopeful.

The Love Punch (filmed in the U.K. and France in 2013) is a new twist on a second chance at love. A divorced couple comes together to recover money that has been legally stolen from a company’s employees’ pensions following a takeover. When a failed attempt to prick the thief’s conscience stimulates a brazen plan to take back what is wrongfully theirs, the story quickens into great fun without descending into absurdity or slapstick. Starring Pierce Brosnan and Emma Thompson, with Timothy Spall and Celia Imrie in strong supporting roles, the film’s tense moments are dosed with light relief; even the music in the soundtrack is funny. The Love Punch is an utterly enjoyable adventure, a romp, and surely one of the top few British comedies of 2013.

Another film with Pierce Brosnan in a lead role adopts an entirely different way of looking at being wronged. A Long Way Down (2014) sets out from the chance meeting of four intending suicides on top of a skyscraper. That could describe one of those drastic, dreary, dreadful British “comedies” that attempt to make light of material whose dull, depressing nature is inherent and forever; but in fact the film does something rather special in letting us into the worlds of these four individuals at the ends of their respective ropes: Martin, whose marriage, television career, and highly public reputation have been pulverised after an extramarital fling with a young woman whose age he badly misjudged; Maureen, whose undying love for her brain-injured son can’t free her from the prison of helplessness that

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her solitary support of him has become; Jess, a teen whose father’s substitution of money for attention has driven her to increasingly desperate measures; and JJ, for whom life is an existential failure.

Starring Pierce Brosnan, Toni Collette, Imogen Poots, and Aaron Paul, with Sam Neill and Rosamund Pike as their foils, A Long Way Down offers a glimpse into the serious business of deciding that life is worth ending. For all that, the film, in essence genuine light British comedy, makes life more worth while.

Jimmy’s Hall (filmed in the U.K., Ireland, and France in 2014), a Ken Loach film, is of a different kind. Without casting the audience into despair as British films easily can that deal with depressing times and circumstances, it depicts the uphill battle that young, disenfranchised members of an Irish community have in order simply to be free to engage in healthy social and educational activity in a hall that local Jimmy Gralton has built for the purpose. The film shows the dependence of pulpit morals upon class distinctions and monopoly over land taken by force from those who had traditionally farmed it; but its strength lies in its depiction of conflicting values.

Without unrealistic optimism, the film offers sage insights into what is important in life. Fictionalised from a true account, this very localised story universally resonates with our experiences of nobility, courage, and love in the face of fearful threat and social rejection.

Extra sessions by popular demand have extended the festival by a week, but the festival’s nominal closing title on Sunday the 23rd was The Imitation Game (actually a U.K./U.S. production), starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Mark Strong, and Matthew Goode, a World War II drama about the development of the programmable computer for purposes of decrypting enemy ciphers.

Exquisitely filmed, with a near-perfect soundtrack, it’s a dramatic, warm-hearted tale of the key role that a few cryptographers played in providing the Allies with a decisive advantage — shortening the war by an estimated two years, and saving an estimated 14 million lives. The film focuses both on the attempt by Alan Turing (Cumberbatch) and his co-workers to create the machine to break the Nazis’ Enigma encryption scheme and on the brilliant but asocial Turing’s strained relationships with others. Exploring character as strongly as it pursues plot, it delves into its protagonists’ relationships and Turing’s treatment after the war as powerfully as into the protracted effort to turn Turing’s machine on Enigma. And, for additional value, the film includes a gratuitous education in war history, politics, early computer design, and the British secret service. john p. harvey

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it off as yet more verbal diarrhoea from a civilisation which deems any opinion not only worthy of note, but of dissemination. One of the more confusing elements was the hashtag, something I soon came to realise was itself a means of categorisation. Do you need to hear what some irrelevant thinks of Australian politics? Search #auspol In dire need of the latest piece of advertising-dressed-as-analysis?

Search #dailytele The ham-fisted authorities who muddle their way through this rag’s production decreed that the final issue of the year comprise a host of reviews – a critique of the prior twelve months.

I steadfastly refused their misspelt diktat, but it did bring to mind the merits of review and classification, and how by categorising theories, phenomena and incidents we may more effectively discuss and understand them. For example, distinguishing all plant life from the entire animal kingdom by employing the terms ‘flora and fauna’ provides us with a handy verbal shorthand when discussing how best to destroy them both. So, categorisation has its place, but it is also open to misguided and reckless abuse.I first encountered the social medium of Twitter some months ago and instinctively wrote

At its best this tool enables effective research, and at the very least it allows one to largely circumvent the excessive idiocy so prevalent among today’s ‘empowered’ populace. That the majority of the empowered should use the hashtag to order their own self-absorbed tedium is a reality both depressing and extremely depressing. – A few examples: #awkward - #justsayin (note the wilful exclusion of the letter ‘g’) – #winning – #selfie – #literally (nearly always employed figuratively, which regular readers will know is itself grounds for a pitiless flogging). If one was feeling charitable, one could make the case that these examples act as a means of quarantining morons from the rest of us. Avoid these well-worn hashtags and you can avoid those drawn to illiterate irrelevancy like so many stupid moths to the kindled conflagration of inconsequence. So prevalent are these dim-witted moths that they form a considerable mass which can be efficiently sidestepped.

But those who use hashtags tailored to their own specific worthlessness are the greater evil – a rogue element whose restricted and blinkered use of a tool of unquestionable global reach is both galling and dangerous.

Any investigation of these neverbefore-encountered hashtags always reveals something of such inconsolable banality that one almost yearns for the days of The Black Death, so that Mother Nature may counter-balance this blight. All that would be required is the promise of a retweet with each lethally-ingested spore.

The greatest culprit is the fully-formed and valid sentence deprived of all punctuation and preceded by a hashtag. Why?!

Why not write a full and complete sentence that may have meaning?

To hope for worth is a stretch, but you could still achieve coherence.

Nevertheless, to end the year on a cheery note, we can be grateful that these permanent records will accelerate the purges all the sooner come The Reckoning. #anditiscoming gideon foxington-smythe

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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

We shouldn’t feel bad for eating and drinking all the goodies this Christmas. Have a look around us – even your elbow’s delicious, if you dip it in chocolate. There’s also sausages and glutinous bread with lashings of sauce. There are chips on every plate. There’s cupcakes and pavlova and spit roasts. There are legs of ham out there you could bash a robber with. It’s glorious.

It is party season with huge amounts of food around to tempt us into stacking on the kilos. People writing in the women’s mags and health mags will try and shame us into showing some restraint, making us think we’re letting ourselves down. Well, those people are weiners.

People in the pop culture health industry like Lettuce Face and Broccoli Butt don’t understand how the human body works. We cannot drink ten beers and not eat a hamburger and a delivery of pizza so big it’s a ‘shipment’. We have to eat, dammit. And the stuff on offer is just too tasty to ignore, especially after ten beers. Oh shut up about the beers, Lettuce Face. We paid for them.

These characters who pontificate about diet and portion sizes need o climb down from their lofty kale. I haven’t read any of their articles, but they talk rubbish. The stuff we eat doesn’t come from some magic pixie garden. Our stuff comes from cake. And when we’re down to our last bit of cake, we usually don’t look at it and think, ‘oh, I better not’. We’re thinking, ‘I better eat that before some other cake-eating bastard does.’

Ham brings us to a related issue, China. China has the most pigs in the world. They’ve got half a billion of them. Imagine if we had that many pigs in Australia. With around 23 million of us, we would have 21.74 pigs per person. Or, if you carve it up another way, 43.48 legs of ham each and a lot of bacon. We truly would be the lucky country.

The only thing holding us back seems to be the Chinese stockpiling the world’s pigs.

We can only hope Tony Abbott turned his mind to the pig issue when he signed the free trade agreement with China recently. If they get all our coal and we get all their pigs, it could be a pretty good deal.

But this remains to be seen.

Until we know more about the free trade deal we should be happy with the hams we have. Eat them and everything else. It’s Christmas and at this time of year, Santa is the ideal body weight. He taught us that carrots are for reindeers and pudding is for people. Go and eat a hundred puddings and then dance in the streets. Put out a busker’s hat. If you’re lucky, people will pay you in pudding and ham.

Don’t listen to the weiners and have a Merry Christmas. paddy hornby

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LITERATURE IN REVIEW A Vison of Fire Gillian Anderson and Jeff Rovin [Simon and Schuster; 2014]

Gillian Anderson of X-Files fame has written a sci-fi novel in collaboration with Jeff Rovin. Rovin has authored a catalogue of sci-fi books, but this is Anderson’s first foray into publishing. A Vison of Fire: Book One of The Earthend Saga, starts with the theft of an artefact on board a ship and quickly becomes a complex story revolving around multiple young people in different parts of the world having, what appear to be, unrelated psychotic episodes.

Caitlin O’Hara, a child psychologist based in New York is trying to juggle a career and life as a single mum to her deaf son. She is asked to treat Maanik, the sixteen year old daughter of the Indian Ambassador to the United Nations. Caitlin is convinced the girl’s psychotic episodes of screaming and talking gibberish are related to an attempt on her father’s life but an episode experienced by a young woman in Haiti suggests otherwise.

All this is happening amid tensions between India and Pakistan that have the world worried they are on the brink of a nuclear war.

To help Maanik, Caitlin travels to Haiti to try and learn something from the young woman whose episode had her almost drowning on dry land. Here, she has an encounter with Vodou and is shaken by her own supernatural visons. Her friend Ben, a translator at the UN has access to software that can translate the dialect she has recorded and his translations start to make some sense for Caitlin. Her father recognises a drawing of a disturbing vision she had while in Haiti and she realises she has her own mystical childhood history.

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This book tries to tie a lot of things together. Starting with psychology, international politics and Vodou, it blends in some linguistics, a secret sect, Norse mythology and early civilisations.

The further I got into the story the more I wondered exactly what genre this book actually fits in too. It is promoted as science fiction but feels like a new age kind of psychological thriller in part. There is an interesting plot structure but it has some issues with balance in the amount of explanation for some elements. There is either not enough for some and too much for others.

X-File fans will find the simmering, below the surface attraction between Caitlin and Ben reminiscent of the tension between Scully and Mulder. Subsequent instalments should tie off or, perhaps further unravel loose ends.

Readers who like their sci-fi with a thriller feel would find this one a page turner to the end, but those who like their stories a little less cluttered will be tempted to put it down around half way when things start to get a bit weird..

ALSEY ANN CONDIE

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bit PARTS NAMATIJIRA TO NOW WHAT: Art Exhibition WHEN: Tue–Mon Nov-Feb 25–9 WHERE: Tue–Mon Nov-Feb 25–9 Namatjira to Now: Five Generations of Watercolours in the Central Desert celebrates the work and legacy of painter Albert Namatjira and the iconic Hermannsburg School of Watercolours movement. The collection showcases exquisite, vibrant desert landscapes by five generations of Hermannsburg artists and a new animation piece from the younger generations. The exhibition, which has brought senior Western Aranda watercolour artists as well as a few of the younger generation to Canberra to launch the collection, aims to rally assistance for the art movement’s sustainability into the future. On until Monday February 9 at Presiding Officers’ Exhibition Area, Parliament House.

Free entry.

PEKING SPRING WHAT: Record Shop WHEN: Appointment only WHERE: Weston Creek Taking cues from DIY record outlets in Asia and Europe, new independent record shop Peking Spring operates by appointment only or making appearances at various pop-up locations. Run by hellosQuare’s Shoeb Ahmad, Peking Spring will stock mainly vinyl along with tapes, CDs and music magazines that cover the indie spectrum, from punk to electronics, experimental to grooves and everything else in-between. You’ll be able to drop by the store with an appointment twice a month – and look out for pop out stores at events across town.

Take a sneak peak at their catalogue at records.pekingspring.com. To make appointment e-mail pekingspringrecord@gmail.com.

VINYL LOUNGE WHAT: Music WHEN: Fri Dec 5 WHERE: National Film & Sound Archive Vinyl fiends unite! NFSA’s Vinyl Lounge has moved to the first Friday of each month at 5.30pm, the perfect way to cap off the week. Good tunes, drinks and nibbles. Reminiscent of record clubs of the 1970s, you’ll enjoy a diverse selection of folk, world, rock, funk and lounge music from the Golden Age of vinyl, 1960s – 1980s. Bring along your own favourite records to add to the mix. The last Vinyl Lounge date of the year is Muriel’s Wedding-themed, with a special nod to the 70s.

Drinks and nibbles from 5pm, tunes from 5.30pm. Free entry.

MURIEL’S WEDDING: RENEWING OUR VOWS WHAT: Film celebration WHEN: Fri Dec 5 WHERE: National Film & Sound Archive You can dance, you can jive at Muriel’s Wedding: Renewing Our Vows – a 20th anniversary celebration of Australia’s favourite wannabe bride and dancing queen. The Vinyl Lounge will be spinning tunes from the film, including ABBA staples, to get you in the mood and costumes (starring Muriel’s actual wedding dress) and props will be on display in a miniexhibition. Film screening includes Q&A with special guests. Dress up in wedding attire for your chance to snag prizes for best costumes on the night. 5.30pm onwards with film at 7pm. Vinyl Lounge and exhibition free; film tickets $20.

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THE COMPETITION WHAT: Film WHEN: Thu Dec 11 WHERE: Dendy Cinemas Made in and around the ACT, Simon Weaving’s new feature film, The Competition, is about music, love and chasing your dreams. Steffie Waters is a country girl with big city dreams but loyal ties to her small town life. When judges from a struggling music reality TV show arrive in town to scope new talent, Steffie has a few tough decisions to make.

Featuring local music from favourites including The Fuelers, Owen Campbell, Julia & the Deep Sea Sirens and Chanel Cole. Red carpet gala opening on Wed Dec 3; general release Thu Dec 11. Screening exclusively at Dendy, times at dendy.com.au 2CELLOS WHAT: Music WHEN:Thu Jan 8 WHERE: Llewellyn Hall, ANU Dynamic duo 2Cellos have turned the humble cello into an instrument of rock, equally comfortable playing Bach as they are AC/DC. After their cello version of Michael Jackson’s ‘Smooth Criminal’ went viral in 2011, 2Cellos shot to worldwide acclaim, signing to Sony Masterworks, releasing two albums, touring with Elton John and appearing on Glee.

Following a string of sold-out Australian shows earlier in the year, the pair will be back in the country in January, including playing Llewellyn Centre. 8pm. Tickets from $75.85 +bf onwards from ticketek..

NOTED WHAT: Writer’s festival WHEN: Fri–Sun Mar 13–15 WHERE: Various locations An offshoot of the You Are Here Festival, Noted is Canberra’s first experimental writer’s festival with a stack of events for scribblers and scrawlers of all tastes and abilities. The jammed-pack program, spread out over three days, includes online interactions and storytelling, unpredictable live events, formative workshops, guerilla writing sessions, multi-art collaborations and a literary bar hop. Wanna be involved? There are opportunities for writers, readers and publishers to take part of Noted as festival artists, but be quick – call out closes Sunday December 21. Come and get Noted. For all the details, head to notedfestival.com..

ROSS NOBLE WHAT: Comedy WHEN: Wed–Thu Apr 22–23 WHERE: Canberra Theatre Following 14 sell-out tours, the king of improvisational comedy, Ross Noble, is back with another mind-blowing Australian tour for his new show, Tangentleman. With an on-stage presence like no other, his exuberance, spontaneity and cerebral style have established him as one of the world’s best-loved comedians. The master surrealist uses an infinite imagination and plenty of tomfoolery, which is sure to have audiences in fits of laughter. Material suitable for ages 15+; show does contain use of strobe lights and fog effects. 7.30pm. Tickets $50.20, $46.20 concession, with discounts for groups of ten, available at canberratheatrecentre.com.au.

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the word

on albums

Its sturdy rhythm and pulsating undertones set a standard for the rest of the record. The allure of instantaneous pop carries through with the slick ‘Style’ and spacious slowmoving ‘Out of the Woods’. Quiet details such as the woven harmonies on ‘All You Had to Do Was Stay’ and the swirling touches underlining the shuddering chorus of ‘I Wish You Would’ suggest a deliberacy in production. As one friend aptly said of thundering stomper ‘Bad Blood’, “I wish I had relationship problems so it could be more than THE BEST POP SONG I’VE EVER HEARD.”

album of the issue Taylor Swift 1989 [Big Machine Records] As I followed Taylor Swift’s music throughout my high school years, each album brought about a slightly greater gravitation away from her country-pop roots towards pop in the singular. In this way, 1989 feels inevitable. Taylor’s fourth LP Red examined the various emotions that entail its namesake colour whilst surprising critics and fans alike by dabbling in a more immediate form of pop. Swift has taken the pop experimentations of that album, grasped them with both hands and pulled out the ‘pop princess’ card with more fervour than any other point in her career. 1989 pays homage to the glory days of the 1980s and in being glaringly obvious with her influences, Swift has managed to pull it off better than any other star on the charts at the moment. Heavy beats are wrapped in tasty synth production and combined with a familiar voice and on-point song-writing, it’s quite hard to resist the urge to fall into 1989.

‘Welcome to the New York’ presents the nostalgic immediacy Swift aims for. A rumbling bass-line filters through the claps of a drum pad, glossy synths dancing over the top, before the beat strips back for the album’s first explosive chorus. The rapturous opener is followed by the bouncy ‘Blank Space’, wrapped in a flirtatious humour – “but darling, I’m a nightmare dressed like a daydream”.

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Matters start to slip on the last third of the record, but not so far as to lose the listener. ‘Wildest Dreams’ feels unconvincing in its Lana Del Reyesque homage, whilst soaring ballad ‘This Love’ – which would have felt perfectly at home on past records – feels strangely alien despite its electro touches. Redemption from a dangerous stickiness is found on finale, ‘Clean’.

More subtle than its predecessors, it is produced by long time love of mine, Imogen Heap. Heap’s manipulation is soft, washes of vocals melded together with delicate electro thuds. Devoid of anger and of demons, Swift sings with perhaps the most poetry across the entire record: “There was nothing left to do/When the butterflies turned into dust that covered my whole room/So I punched a hole in the roof/Let the flood carry away all my pictures of you.” Both in terms of sound and meaning, it sheds off the final moments of the album with an honest and really quite beautiful finality.

I had high hopes for 1989. Its undeniable impact could finally help the world sit up straight and start valuing Swift beyond the realms of so-andso’s girlfriend and gossip fodder. In all its euphoric splendour, it could mark the celebration of Swift as a singersongwriter, a creator and a musician.

However, if this doesn’t happen, I find comfort in the fact that 1989 will accompany my solo dance sessions and shower sing-alongs for a long, long time to come.

ANGELA CHRISTIAN-WILKES

Imogen Heap Sparks [Cooking Vinyl] Could this be Enya on Ecstasy? No, it’s England’s Imogen Heap and while there are similarities in their work, with heavy vocal overlays and the strong rhythms which flow through the music, that’s about as far as the resemblance goes. While she’s half of duo Frou Frou, Heap is usually a solo artist who produces and mixes her own work. A whizz with the electronics, her technical production skills have been recognised through a Grammy Award.

Heap’s stunning ability to arrange evershifting vocals and sounds in a musical hide and seek shines again in her latest LP. A collection of atmospheric, alternative pop that’s been woven in electronica, the tracks vary from the dreamy ‘Climb to Sakteng’, to the rapid pulse of album highlight ‘Me the Machine’ and the robotic manipulations of ‘Run-Time’. The material has strong infusions of world music, picked up during Heap’s travels and her creative process has included suggestions from fans, results from random encounters with strangers and the injection of ambient sounds. Vocals vary from lush to icicle sharp in unconventional song structures. The complexity of the lyrics is such that new nuances can be detected in repeated listens.

If you were to trawl an electronic net through a Wi-Fi space, then the haul might look like ‘The Listening Chair’, a pixelated collection of phrases, ideas and statements.

The essence of the sub-continent features in the spinning spoke melody of ‘Cycle Song’ and in the tinkling bells and eastern beats of ‘Minds Without Fear’. Beginning with the sound of a match being struck, ‘Lifeline’ haunts with its gasped and panted vocals and origami folds of music. In a word – bewitching.

RORY McCARTNEY

@bmamag

Primus Primus & The Chocolate Factory With The Fungi Ensemble [ato] There’s always been an eerie, almost oompaloompa vibe to a lot of Primus’ distinctly eccentric output, to the point where it’s somewhat surprising that they’re only just finally tackling Willy Wonka territory this far into their career. The seeds for this latest album Primus & The Chocolate Factory With The Fungi Ensemble were first sown during last year’s Willy Wonka themed New Years Eve show, which saw the band covering the soundtrack to the original Gene Wilder film version in its entirety. After enjoying the experience, with drummer Tim Alexander back in the band to complete the classic Primus lineup, this album sees them recreating the set in the studio whilst roping in the additional skills of Critters Buggin percussionist Mike Dillon and Frog Brigade cellist Sam Bass.

As you’d expect, the meeting of Primus and Charlie & The Chocolate Factory proves to be a perfect fit, with the expanded lineup managing to highlight the abundance of dark undercurrents in the original film. Indeed, in Les Claypool’s hands ‘The Candy Man’ gets turned into a nightmarish wander through ominous tribal drums and wheezing cello that carries a sense of mounting panic more than anything else, whilst still remaining faithful to the original. Elsewhere, ‘Semi Wondrous Boat Ride’ succeeds in raising the hairs on the back of the neck as it accelerates off into the darkness, while elsewhere ‘I Want It Now’ even offers a rare lead vocal from guitarist Larry Lalonde.

While undoubtedly impressive though, this has the feel of being a stopgap release rather than a new Primus album and the appeal is dependent on how much of a Wonka fan you are.

Sinéad O’Connor I’m Not Bossy, I’m The Boss [Inertia/Nettwerk]

Ben Ottewell Rattlebag [label]

Best known for her shaven head and an enormous hit in 1990 with the single ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’, Sinéad O’Connor has released ten LPs since her 1987 debut.

It’s a pretty prolific, if somewhat under the radar, output for the outspoken Irish singer, who has embraced jazz, mainstream pop, reggae folk and alternative rock during her long career.

Having not ever been a Gomez fan (quite disliking them, even), Rattlebag by their singer/songwriter Ben Ottewell adds to his underwhelming output.

I’m Not Bossy, I’m The Boss is a mix of rock and pop, with a hint of funk in ‘James Brown’ and blues in ‘Kisses Like Mine’. Produced by O’Connor’s first husband Johan Reynolds, the record includes a contribution from celebrated ambient artist Brian Eno on keyboards. The opening quadrella of songs is pretty pedestrian, but O’Connor unleashes the fireworks from ‘The Vishnu Room’ onwards, with powerful songs sheathed in both desire and rage. Her voice transitions effortlessly from longing, to desperation, to a message of strength.

It’s a special moment when the burr of her Irish accent breaks through, as seen in the floating ‘Streetcars’. With lyrics focused on love and lust, O’Connor has revisited the bold emotion expressed in ‘Daddy I’m Fine’ from the ‘Faith and Courage’ album. The promise of some rock content, made on the album cover art, is fulfilled. Emotions of passion, anger and scorn pour freely from the breathless vocals and snarling guitars in ‘The Voice of My Doctor’, while the tinkling intro of ‘Harbour’ is brutally smashed by bursts of fury. Well known for her political and theological commentary, O’Connor’s views on what religion should be all about flow in the church bell chiming, bouncy pop of album highlight ‘Take Me to Church’. rory mccartney

Drab, uninspired, Rattlebag’s title track opener passes by quickly as Ottewell yawns tired lyrics regarding wooden crosses and fire, mission bells and water over generic pianos, guitars and organs. Quickly cementing the trend that is prevalent throughout the 38 minutes, track two ‘Red Dress’ continues Rattlebag’s stale and unnecessary existence. As more tired lyrics swirl around, this time referring to a being in a red dress being a saviour for a weary traveller, the listener may be forgiven for travelling to another part of the house, perhaps to go and listen to the preferred sound of an empty food processor processing nothing at all. Rattlebag’s most interesting moment is ‘No Place’, as Ottewell find himself in an echo chamber, singing close to themes of dystopia or perhaps common white collar depression, over plucked and lap steel guitars. Short lived, though, is the respite from Ottewell’s unoriginality. ‘Edge’, ‘So Slow’ and ‘Papa Cuckoo’ reprise the flavour of dust and the entire affair is all capped by the album’s closer ‘Distant Shores’ as slowly modulated chords lift Ottewell’s final quasi religious sentiments, all the way up to the back of the shelf where it may continue to gather dust.

Perhaps this review is a bit scathing, but given the opportunity to write words about music releases, I see it as a responsibility to urge you to save some time and not go out and purchase Rattlebag – it’s not worth it.

SEBASTIAN FIELD

chris downton

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Setec Brittle As Bones [Feral Media]

Bored Nothing Some Songs [spunk]

Philip Selway Weatherhouse [Bella Union]

Sydney-based producer/songwriter Joshua Gibbs first appeared under his Setec alias back in 2012 with his acclaimed debut EP I’ll Be Good and two years on this downloadonly album on Feral Media Brittle As Bones finally offers up his anticipated first longplayer. Perhaps the best description that applies to the nine tracks collected here is electronically enabled dream folk-pop, with Gibbs crafting his lulling downbeat arrangements around delicate acoustic instrumentation, vintage looped samples, his own treated vocals and found sound percussion. At times there’s almost a sense of the sorts of manipulated vocal harmony experimentation explored by the likes of Panda Bear colliding with the sorts of acoustic sample textures you’d associate with Four Tet or Koushik.

The music of Fergus Miller, aka Bored Nothing, comes across in a disarming, low key approach which draws you into its orbit.

Fond of lo-fi production and the use of his Pink Casio Sampling Keyboard and, oh yes, Seinfeld, Miller could be the everyday hero for suburban blokes who struggle in relationships. Insecurity pours out in ‘Why Were You Dancing With All Those Guys’ and his uncertain search for meaning shines out in ‘Where Would I Begin’ with lyrics like “She said she had a degree/I told her I had started three”. Miller creates pancake stack sound layers, playing everything himself. In taking a more conventional tack than the slightly out of focus vibe of his self-titled debut, Miller has delivered an LP with shorter songs that bring catchier rhythms and more appealing melodies. However, in making the jump from his home to a real live studio (Plutonium, as constructed by the John Steel Singers), Miller has still retained a real DIY feel to his sophomore album.

If Radiohead drummer Philip Selway’s 2010 debut solo album Familial offered an exercise in exquisitely crafted subtlety, four years on this follow-up Weatherhouse represents a considerably different listening experience. While Familial saw Selway drawing upon guest musicians such as members of Wilco and Seven Worlds Collide bandmate Lisa Germano though, the ten tracks collected here see him collaborating with Quinta and Fridge’s Adem Ilhan, both musicians who’ve performed in his live band over the last few years. In comparison with Familial’s predominantly acoustic arrangements, Weatherhouse comes across as much darker and more expansive, though no less emotionally direct.

‘Haunted’ opens proceedings with rich guitar bends stretching out blissfully against a lush backdrop of swelling orchestral samples and lazy bass runs as Gibb’s delayed vocal stretches off into the distance, the entire track calling to mind the unhurried ebb and roll of peaceful ocean waves more than anything else. ‘Water Or Concrete’ sees a vintage sample locking in against the lyrics alongside slow juddering hip hop beats, bringing out the sense of lulling circular flow even more. Elsewhere, ‘Tiny Seed, A Leaf, A Tree’ sees a scratchy sampled male vocal loop merging with Gibb’s own layered harmonies and feathery acoustic guitar strokes as rich piano chords shift into the foreground, in an offering that calls to mind Appalachian folk as the rolling layers of vocal harmonies drift slightly amidst the mesmerising background textural details.

A gorgeous debut from a local artist who definitely deserves to be better known. You can get Brittle As Bones as a name-yourprice download from bandcamp. chris downton

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Captioned with the appropriately diffident Some Songs, you can hear him softly counting down to the start of ‘Ultra-lites’ and leaving the tape running to capture his fumbling shut down at the tail of ‘The Rough’.

Opener ‘Not’ is an acoustic strummer, decorated with the arc light bright electric guitar picks which pervade the record.

‘Ice-cream Dreams’ has strong appeal with its beguiling rhythm and tap-tap percussion, which is so palpable it could be right next to your ear. ‘We Lied’ stands out amongst the tracks, with its atmospheric synth beginning, before erupting into the fastest, most complex sound of the LP. Other winners include ‘Don’t Get Sentimental’, with its spinning wheel pace amped-up by sparks of electric guitar and ‘Ultra-lites II’. rory mccartney

Opening track ‘Coming Up For Air’ sets up the overriding mood of this album from the very outset as Selway’s impressive vocals ring out through delay against eerie feathery guitar textures and slow echoing drums, before a more pop-centric chorus section lets some of the tension out against a bright jangling guitar hook that hints at a more filmic R.E.M. If there are hints of Selway’s ‘main’ band here, they’re certainly most apparent on tracks like ‘Ghosts’ which sees forlorn mellotron textures and feathery guitars forming the backdrop for a lilting vocal that wouldn’t sound out of place if Thom Yorke sang it, the growing sense of paranoia in the lyrics virtually sealing the deal. Despite these inevitable occasional comparison points though, Selway’s very much his own man on this impressive second album, with tracks like ‘It Will End In Tears’ and ‘Drawn To The Light’ seeing him crafting hugely epic emotional builders that are rendered all the more spectacular by their widescreen production. At just 37 minutes in running length, Weatherhouse offers up a beautifully concise statement. chris downton

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singles in focus by cody atkinson DZ Deathrays ‘Lonely This Christmas’

Jack Ladder And The Dreamlanders Playmates [inertia] Playmates’ affectionate synth pop is the boat in which Jack Ladder triumphantly tours us through his penchant for buoyant tunes and colourful words. Backed by his Dreamlanders (featuring Donny Benet and Kirin J. Callinan), Ladder is further growing into his title of The Nick Cave For This Generation.

The first few tracks (‘Come On Back This Way’, ‘Her Hands’ and ‘Model Worlds’), dripping in melted plastic keyboards, introduce Playmates – as the title suggests – as playful pop. Synth stabs and warm guitars stutter through the openers as Ladder narrates on themes of infatuation, abuse and dread. Through Playmates’s gentle, 80s-influenced middle stanza, Ladder further explores similar themes of infatuation and desire highlighted by the almost duet ‘To Keep And To Be Kept’, shared with American singer/songwriter Sharon Von Etten. Playmates’s most overstated moment comes in the form of the album’s eighth track ‘Neon Blue’ which almost renders the tail end of the album a touch too ‘playful’, leading Jack Ladder And The Dreamlanders as close to sounding like an ill -fated Billy Idol tribute. Playmates is restored by the synth-laden closer ‘Slow Boat To China’, a song of doubt and depression which leaves the listener with the curious last line ‘We’re all sailing the seas on a snail’.

Well worth the attention, Jack Ladder And The Dreamlanders’ Playmates maintains interest fairly well throughout it’s 49 minute running time and illuminates a memorable band and great performances. sebastian field

Harts Daydreamer [Pavement] Melbourne-based singer/songwriter Darren Hart (aka Harts) has had an enviable year, having just recently returned from Minneapolis, where he spent time jamming with Prince and 3rdeyegirl at Paisley Park, at the invitation of the Purple One himself.

It’s not hard to see why Prince was attracted to Harts’ virtuoso guitar-laden electro funk, with the fact that Hart produced and played all of the instruments himself on this debut album Daydreamer further cementing the comparisons with Prince’s youthful and impetuously confident mid-eighties period.

Opening track ‘Red & Blue’ in particular sounds like it could have stepped straight out of the tracklisting to Dirty Mind as it shifts from a slinky minimalist synth intro section dominated by Harts’ powerful falsetto vocals, before the Hendrix-esque guitar pyrokinetics kick in amidst crashing rock drums and things build into a slamming crescendo against smooth soul keys.

Elsewhere, ‘Golden Beach’ sees things wandering out into jittery funk as shimmering guitar arpeggiation and blurred New Wave synths glide against stinging fretboard bends and Hart’s vibrato-edged soul yelp, as the tension levels suddenly get released in a fanfare-like roar, before ‘Under Falling Skies’ opts for a more stripped-back downbeat soul direction that’s centred around the interplay between glowing keyboard harmonies and Hart’s intimately miked vocals. If it’s the most Motownkissed moment here, elsewhere ‘Tide’ offers languid Talking Heads by way of yacht rock grooves that call to mind the likes of Empire Of The Sun more than anything else and indeed it’s no real surprise to find that Hart and Nick Littlemore are planning on working together later this year. Apart from the occasional slightly overblown moment, Daydreamer is an impressive debut album.

I was told that, as Christmas is coming soon, that I had to review a Christmas song. So along steps ARIA Award winners DZ Deathrays into the breach with their cover of ‘Lonely This Christmas’. And meh. It’s not their best song, but they still to get to rock out a bit. It’s, by far, not the worst Xmas song. You’ll love it if you like Christmas, DZ or a combination of the two.

Exhaustion ‘Pure Duty’ If you only gave me two words to describe ‘Pure Duty’, they would be “driving” and “haunting”.

Built on the backbone of a super-solid drumbeat, the howling guitar slashes cut through and create chaos. After listening to ‘Pure Duty’, all I could think about is why there wasn’t more music like it around these days.

Slow Turismo ‘Thunderstorm’ From the reverbheavy opening lick, ‘Thunderstorm’ sets into a nice groove. Slow Turismo have created a nice slice of beautiful, relaxed, summery guitar pop built for listening to on a blazing hot day.

Parra for Cuva feat. Anna Naka ‘Wicked Games’ It was foretold, before the darkest dawn, that an agent of doom would shout: “HOLY SHIT WE NEED A DANCE-POP VERSION OF THAT CHRIS ISAAK SONG!” That dark, future dystopia is now upon us. Go to your loved ones and hold them tight. We may not get through this in one piece.

chris downton

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the word

on films

WITH MELISSA WELLHAM

Ah, the splitting of a novel into more than one film – does it ever work? There’s a reason the author wrote it as one book after all – because that’s how the character arc, the plot arc and every other arc imaginable, well, arcs over the course of the story. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows did it, Twilight: Breaking Dawn did it and Peter Jackson went right ahead and turned one very slim novel into three three-hour-long movies.

I suppose we can only be grateful that Jackson didn’t decide to turn The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies into ‘Part 1’ and ‘Part 2’ as well.

quote of the issue

“Miss Everdeen, it is the things we love most that destroy us.” – President Snow (Donald Sutherland), Mockingjay

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The Hunger Games: Mockingkay – Part 1 The third installment in The Hunger Games franchise is not nearly as action-packed as its predecessors. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing, because it’s a lot darker and deeper as well. This is a film about the propaganda behind the war – as well as what happens to survivors.

The film picks up where Catching Fire left off. Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) has been rescued from The Hunger Games by the rebellion situated in the underground District 13 – and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) was left behind in the Capitol.

The rebellion is being led by President Coin (Julianne Moore), but they still need a symbol: the Mockingjay. Katniss agrees to step up and become the face of the rebellion, as long as President Coin will rescue Peeta.

Should the final Hunger Games book have been split into two movies? Well, should they have done the same to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows? Or the final Twilight book? Probably not in all three cases. But while Mockingjay does feel like one big set-up for the next movie, the phenomenal actors involved make it work.

Jennifer Lawrence makes Katniss’ frequent breakdowns – and her burden – feel convincing; and Elizabeth Banks as the image-obsessed Effie Trinket is a scene-stealer as always.

Julianne Moore subtly conveys a steely leader who ends up in a far less altruistic place than she started; and Philip Seymour Hoffman is perfect as the master propaganda-maker, pulling strings behindthe-scenes.

MELISSA WELLHAM

The Drop

St. Vincent

This one’s a slow burner. The Drop tells the story of solitary bartender Bob (Tom Hardy), his sketchy cousin Marv (James Gandolfini) and the grim Nadia (Noomi Rapace) along with several shady characters inhabiting the underbelly of Brooklyn. Cash gained via illicit crime changes hands every day in Brooklyn and each night a random bar is elected to be ‘the drop’ – i.e. the stash for said cash. One night Bob and Marv’s bar is robbed by two young opportunistic criminals. This starts a chain of events that leads to the seedy underworld of crime enveloping them.

Bill Murray keeps getting better with age and he light-heartedly gets a chance to have his Clint Eastwood style ‘get off my lawn’ moment with St Vincent.

The story is largely driven by Bob, the world is perceived through his eyes and his observations shape how Brookyln and its people come across. Bob’s backstory is a blank slate for most of the film with tantalising clues revealed bit by bit. It would be easy to dismiss his character as pensive, naïve and a little slow if not for the subtle hints picked by audiences who were paying attention. His adoption of a wounded dog shows compassion yet his unflinching demeanour when confronted with violence shows something else entirely.

This film very effectively creates an atmosphere of tension – you know something bad is going to happen, you just don’t know what (I couldn’t take my eyes of the dog, who was vulnerable in every shot he was in). Fans of urban crime movies will love this.

EMMA ROBINSON

Vincent (Murray), a dysfunctional retiree, is recruited by his new neighbour (Melissa McCarthy) to take care of her 12 year-old son, Oliver (Jaeden Lieberher), while she works. Vincent’s after school care itinerary includes trips to the racetrack and fight training.

St Vincent is Little Miss Sunshine with a thick Brooklyn accent – it’s a ‘little kid paired with the worst possible role model’ movie that’s ultimately the victim of its own schmaltziness. There’s no prizes for guessing how it all plays out and it works through familiar feel good story beats. Everyone is learning from each other, life affirming speeches are made and a family forms in an unlikely place.

Murray is what makes the misdemeanours tolerable and his performance is superb.

He gives St Vincent the dark humour and heart it needs to push through the sweet patches. Lieberher is an impressive young performer who matches Murray’s vintage and their chemistry has the right spark. Look out for the scene stealing, almost unrecognisable, Naomi Watts.

Knockabout charmers like St Vincent seem to come around each year. Murray’s involvement makes it hard to ignore and it’s easy to get caught up in the scrappy allure of this crowd pleaser because it’s Bill-freaking-Murray.

CAMERON WILLIAMS

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Let’s Be Cops

The Dark Horse

The key to enjoying this film is to have very low expectations (which any discerning moviegoer would by looking at the poster, let alone the trailer).

Once that’s done, several laughs can be had from this film.

The Dark Horse is a truly beautiful, exceptional film.

Genesis Potini (Cliff Curtis from Whale Rider and Boy) – also called ‘Gen’ – was once known as ‘The Dark Horse’: a New Zealand chess champion who seemed like he was going to make it big time. But when the film opens on Gen, the gentle giant has been in and out of mental institutions for the umpteenth time. Searching for something positive to focus on – doctor’s orders – Gen begins coaching a local club of disenfranchised youth the game of chess. There, he starts to find a purpose – and the courage to lead in other areas of his life.

Ryan (Jake Johnson) and Justin (Damon Wayans Jr) are best friends closing in on the big 30 and have very little to show for their three decades on planet earth. Enter highly relatable themes to most people, such as the panicky feeling of ‘oh god, what have I been DOING for my twenties’ and ‘why does no one take me seriously?’ Solution?

Dress up as cops, stroll into downtown Los Angeles and engage in wacky shenanigans.

The boys have a few laughs, enjoy the feeling of respect and authority, get in way over their heads, learn a valuable lesson about life and walk away from the experience better and happier people. Entirely predictable but still s omewhat entertaining.

One of the best-selling points of this film is the supporting cast.

James D’Arcy as the skeezy criminal Mossi oozes menace and looks like he’d be sticky to the touch, exactly what you’d expect. Likewise, Andy Garcia, boss of the criminals (don’t know what the technical term for what that is and neither does the director of this film) is quietly frightening.

If you’ve just finished exams, or you’re mightily hungover, see this film –it’s brain candy with some fun moments. emma robinson

Written and directed by James Napier Robertson, this inspiring true story is brought to life by strong performances. James Rolleston (also from Boy) plays Gen’s 14-year-old nephew, Mana – a marginalised young man teetering on the edge. The insight he provides into the violence of his father’s bikie gang – showing why ‘troubled youths’ are so often troubled – is deeply affecting. Wayne Hapi plays Gen’s complex, bikie ringleader brother. It’s Cliff Curtis, however, who really carries the film. His depiction of a man struggling with mental instability – or rather, fighting to keep any semblance of mental stability – commands attention.

The script deftly moves between comedy and drama, with a thrumming heart of realism. The Dark Horse almost certainly won’t be seen by as many people as it deserves.

Make sure you’re not someone who misses out.

MELISSA WELLHAM

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the word on dvds

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Doctor Who – The Complete Eighth Series [Roadshow] In the end it was Malcolm Tucker wot did it. After years of prevaricating and finding excuses not to commit to a childhood favourite I finally succumbed to the Scottish – er – charm of Peter Capaldi. Not so much because I was expecting hours of blue language and aggressive finger pointing but because Capaldi is a brilliant actor. As the new Doctor he carried the expectations of millions of fans, eager to see “their” precious Doctor Who brand protected and ready to knock anyone whom didn’t live up to their unreasonable demands. Luckily, I could view this eighth series of the rebooted Dr Who through clear eyes. I had no skin in the game, but now I get it.

The regeneration episode (Deep Breath) had to cover plenty of ground and largely did it well, even if a T-Rex stalking Victorian-era London was obliterated in the process. If anything the first – and feature length – episode of Capaldi’s reign looks reserved as the season progresses. It started with a bang, but it seemed they deliberately downplayed the full range of the new Doctor.

It doesn’t take long for him to take flight, pardon the pun.

Atomising and miniaturising the Doctor, his still-wary companion Clara (Olivia Coleman) and a team of soldiers, then sending them into a Dalek will have that effect. Along the way the Doctor learns not everything is inherently evil and beyond repair. Each episode finds the Doctor and Clara slowly getting to know each other – push/pull – a nice proxy for the audience and Capaldi. As an outsider it didn’t take long to warm to the unique and very British charms of camp and quip. Some genuinely scary bedtime stories and seeing the Cybermen again after decades sealed the deal. It’s impossible to pass judgement on where Capaldi’s Doctor sits in the grand scheme, but I get the feeling that misses the point entirely. justin hook

The Code [Universal Sony] Multinationals are evil, we know that. Multinational biotech firms are even shadier. Throw in government operatives, a political scandal, murder and a hacker on the spectrum and you’ve pretty much ticked off every key element of a modern thriller. The Code is a complicated, multi-narrative thriller set in the outback and Canberra. Although possibly not as complicated as it wants to be. The good news is that after years of being the butt of jokes about our weather and workforce, Canberra has been given a chance to shine – think the fast-pace of The West Wing via the steely grey second season of House of Cards with some very deliberate and atmospheric Nordic vibe. At times it looks like they have filmed another, quasi-familiar city. But no, that’s definitely the Parliamentary Triangle. This is a critical element of The Code – it takes its story and setting very seriously. There are no short cuts and it is very clearly trying to engage the viewer more comfortable with slow burning long arcs.

It starts with a teenager running through the outback, distressed and covered in blood. He has no idea what happened but later his passenger is found dead beside the car they crashed.

Through flashbacks we learn someone else was involved – a scratchy phone video of a mysterious figure approaching the pair after the crash. The details are passed onto a struggling journo at a Buzzfeedtype website. The trail then weaves through a deputy prime minister, the Pakistani Embassy, Iranians, North Koreans, the AFP, uranium conspiracies, Lego USB sticks and that damn multinational again. At times it feels like The Code is twisting hard to contrive gravitas and packing too much into six episodes. But if aiming too high is the worst complaint, that should give you context you need. This is exactly the type of show we need to make more of.

It helps that it’s bloody good. justin hook

The Simpsons – Complete 17th Season [Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment] It’s accepted as an article of faith that The Simpsons best days are well behind it and the show’s long slow decline started somewhere in the late ‘90s. There’s no denying The Simpsons had a phenomenal winning streak for about eight years, where almost every episode was TV rolled gold. And sure enough, quality control did slip with flat episodes arriving in higher frequency. I’m not one of those people willing to forgive once-great shows ambling through the motions – but the reality is every ‘bad’ season of The Simpsons still has redeeming qualities. And this 17th season has plenty, with the Ricky Gervais guest spot (Homer Simpson, This Is Your Wife) being a highlight and an interesting case study in all things Simpsons.

Unlike most guest stars, Gervais also co-wrote the episode and it being the mid2000s he went for a reality TV wife-swap show motif.

Gervais plays Charles, a typical Gervaisian character – full of verbal tics and overflowing with awkward sentence structures.

He is swapped into the Simpson household where he is amazed that Marge doesn’t hen peck.

Near-hilarity ensues. What is interesting is that Gervais’ original scripting somehow gets lost in the behemoth of the show. It feels like any other episode, even though an outsider penned it. That’s partly because the usual writing team had input and partly because everything seems get normalised in the Simpsons mixer. Episodes like My Fair Laddy and Kiss Kiss Bang Bangalore still prove the show had legs this far into its life. As Gervais said, even a bad season of The Simpsons is still better than almost anything out there.

Cliché, but true. justin hook

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the word

on gigs

Ross Ryan Smith’s Alternative Friday November 14 In town celebrating the 40th anniversary of his most successful album, My Name Means Horse, Ross Ryan took to the Smith’s stage accompanied by Canberran Roy Zedras on bass and Ken Stephenson (on everything else, including his beautiful home-made slide guitar). After all these decades, Ryan’s folk-country tuned voice has maintained its strength and tone and the musicianship, delivered by well-seasoned, intensely focused players, was a joy. Ryan noted that some arrangements differed as they could not bring the album’s orchestra along and ‘I Don’t Want to Talk About it’ certainly had an unusual, up-tempo, country treatment. Part discography tour, part memoir of his adventures, Ryan kept us chuckling at his anecdotes.

We heard all about his passion for Belinda Green (Miss World at the time) and his lucky break supporting The Big O on tour. While centred on the My Name Means Horse album, Ryan cut a swathe through his other releases. The punters were kept happy with the big hits: ‘I Am Pegasus’, ‘Blue Chevrolet Ballerina’ and ‘Orchestra Ladies’ (his ode to groupies). ‘Blue Chevrolet’ was initially banned on many radio stations, because it contained (shock, horror) the lyrics “heavy with child”. Yes, radio audiences were a lot feebler there, with sensitive ears! However, the song was a big hit in Canberra when first released. There was also a rendition of ‘Isa’ which Ryan wrote for Slim Dusty and covers included Bob Dylan’s ‘Mama You’ve Been on My Mind’ and Woody Guthrie’s ‘Deportee’. Ryan played ‘Cool River’, saying that it “was the only song of my own that feels like a cover when I play it, so I must really like it.” The two-set show ended with another cover, Townes van Zandt’s ‘Pancho and Lefty’.

RORY McCARTNEY

the word

on gigs

Husky, Ali Barter Transit Bar Saturday November 15 Melbournian Ali Barter started proceedings with some dark indie music. She has a low, floating voice that makes you think of a lonely country highway at night. You know the sort – darkness all around except for the reflections of white lines and roadside reflectors.

Songs included some juicy, long guitar jams. Sounding good either with her band or out front solo, she closed with the moody vocals and spectral guitars of ‘Community’.

Opening with the title track, folk-pop band Husky took us through much of their sophomore album Ruckers Hill, with a few treats thrown in from their debut, including ‘History’s Door’ and ‘Tidal Wave’.

The arrangements stuck pretty much to the plot of the albums, with only Gideon Preisson lashing out with some extended keyboard passages in ‘For to Make a Lead Weight Float’. Some unplanned changes were forced when the band’s acoustic guitar suffered a broken string. Suddenly, there was some frantic retuning as the songs went all electric.

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Husky does not have a strong stage presence, concentrating on just laying out their intensely beautiful music. Apart from a quiet “hello Canberra” from frontman Husky Gawenda, a request from Preisson to fill up the space in front (promptly complied with by the punters) and a question on where to party afterwards, there wasn’t much chatter. However, that ‘shy’ impression changed radically with the encore song. Armed with only a guitar (reduced to five strings), tambourine, piano accordion and maracas, they descended from the stage and plonked themselves in the centre of the crowd. After requesting a noisy fan be shut off, the band led a sing-along of ‘Lover Come Back to Me’, with lots of ‘softer-softer now’ and’ louder-louder now’ instructions from Gawenda. A top end to the night!

RORY McCARTNEY

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PHOTOS BY ADAM THOMAS

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Spartak+ CCAS Friday November 21 A stark white room confronted punters as they walked in – an art gallery temporarily bereft of art. The only signs of life were instruments set up around the main room and people tinkering over them. It’s always a strange feeling arriving at a gig early and having to busy yourself until things happen.

This wasn’t a “traditional” Spartak show, at least not one they have played this year. The three core members of the band were joined by five others, Seb Field and Grahame Thompson from Cracked Actor, Paul Heslin, Jonathan Corcoran from p a r k s and projectionist Louise Curham. The performance was intended to be an immersive one, with each performer controlling their own speakers and sounds.

The crowd was encouraged to wander around the room and to change the “mix” of the performance via their physical location.

PHOTO BY MEGAN LEAHY

the word

on gigs

Towards the back of the room, the sounds of the three Spartak members dominated, with Evan Dorrian’s impeccable drumming dominated the room. On the left hand side, the samples of Corcoran and cello of Thompson stood out. On the right, the processed audio of Heslin and looped vocals of Field. The projections of Curham added a extra layer of purpose to the performance and contributed to the, at times, delicate aural environment with an off-kilter clatter of Super8 reels turning. Due to the method of performance, every person in the room likely experienced the show differently. The two, twenty-minute, sets were rich in texture, with subtle moods and shifts slowly engaging and drawing in the crowd. The music presented was unique – all improvised, likely never to be heard again.

CODY ATKINSON

The Pharcyde Transit Bar Wednesday November 26 The phenomenal, Spike Jonze-helmed, ‘Drop’ video (repeated ad nauseam on RAGE) provided the hook for a near-endless search. If you can remember back that far, the deep dark days of the internet were mostly spent on the elusive last track or two of an album on Napster or Kazaa or Gnutella. I spent days looking for stuff, but about the hardest target was The Pharcyde.

The Pharcyde has halved in size over the years, going from four to the remaining two of Bootie Brown and Imani. Shedding Fatlip and Slimkid3 haven’t disrupted the live show as much as would be expected, with Brown and Imani picking up the spare verses in their stride. Still, it’s a bit odd hearing the essentially solo Slimkid3 cut ‘Otha Fish’ without him at the front. On the night The Pharcyde mined heavily from their first two albums, the solid Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde and the critically acclaimed Labcabincalifornia.

PHOTO BY MEGAN LEAHY

For two men who have entered their third decade in the game, Amani and Brown still perform with the energy of 20 year olds.

Much of that same classic appeal of The Pharcyde is still present – the occasionally lackadaisical subject matter and the contrasting textures of their respective flows. Bootie Brown’s high-pitched delivery is something else live and it really brought verses like his first on ‘Drop’ to life. When matched with Imani’s deep, rumbling voice, The Pharcyde present aural textures that, while slightly uncommon, are still on-point. The flow largely builds off the phenomenal production on the earlier albums, a testament to the talents of producers J-Swift and the late J Dilla.

CODY ATKINSON

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ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE Wed Dec 3 - Sat Dec 6

Listings are a free community service. Email editorial@bmamag.com to have your events appear each issue. wednesday december 3 Art Exhibitions Cleft

By Tara Bromham and Louise Upshall.

6pm Thursday 27th November.

Continues until 7th December. WedSun.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ARTS SPACE (MANUKA)

80 Denier

By Madeline Bishop. 27 Nov - 14 Dec. 10-4 Tues-Fri. 12-4 weekends. Free.

HUW DAVIES GALLERY

Ancient Mexican Codex

By Octavio Garcia Alvarado. 27 Nov 14 Dec. 10-4 Tues-Fri. 12-4 weekends.

Free.

HUW DAVIES GALLERY

Pulse: Reflections on the Body

Art seminar and floor talk inspired by the exhibition. Free. RSVP by 27th Nov. 29th Nov 2pm-4.30pm.

CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY

Trivia Tranny Trivia

Questions with Glamour. 8pm. Free.

POLIT BAR & LOUNGE

thursday december 5 Live Music Thursday Jazz

Harry Edwards Trio. 8pm. $10/$15.

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

Art Exhibitions George Rose Exhibition 6pm. Entry TBA. THE CHOP SHOP

Art After Dark

The Inner South Arts Hub LAUNCH event 1. Art, wine and music across different galleries in the Inner south.

M16 ARTSPACE

friday december 5 Comedy Josh Wade

Stand up comedy. 8pm. Tickets via Oztix.

TRANSIT BAR

Nick Rigby

Live Music

27 Aussie artists exploring shifts in understanding of what it is to be human. Until Feb 22.

THE LOFT AT DUXTON

Remixed Top40 Countdown

Shapes in Space

THE CHOP SHOP

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Miss December Tour. Supported by Turismo. 8pm. Tickets at Moshtix.

Pulse: Reflections on the Body

Live music. 7pm.

EMA Charity Gig

With live DJ’s. Free entry.

Charity gig. Live music. Time TBA. Tickets TBA.

HELLENIC CLUB (CIVIC)

Art exhibition. 21st Nov-7th Dec. Special opening 30th Nov. 2pm.

Castlecomer

THE LOFT AT DUXTON

Oblivion

TRANSIT BAR

With Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran and Tracey Benson. 6pm 5th December, continues until February.

CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY

By Ngaio Fitzpatrick. 27 Nov - 14 Dec. 10-4 Tues-Fri. 12-4 weekends. Free.

Dos Locos

DJ Voss

Live DJ. 8pm.

Timothy D

Live music. 9pm. Free.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

Kasey Chambers

Segression

VIKINGS CLUB (ERINDALE)

THE BASEMENT

Stereosonic Sideshow

With Oliver Heldens & Jack Beats. $25 via Moshtix.

ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

Something Different The Front Room

Opening Fri 5th Dec. Open Mon-Fri. 9am-5pm. Free.

NATIONAL FILM AND SOUND ARCHIVES

The Vinyl Lounge

BYO vinyl. 5.30-6.30pm. Free.

NATIONAL FILM AND SOUND ARCHIVES

saturday december 6 Art Exhibitions Cleft

By Tara Bromham and Louise Upshall.

6pm Thursday 27th November.

Continues until 7th December. WedSun.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ARTS SPACE (MANUKA)

80 Denier

By Madeline Bishop. 27 Nov - 14 Dec. 10-4 Tues-Fri. 12-4 weekends. Free.

HUW DAVIES GALLERY

Ancient Mexican Codex

By Octavio Garcia Alvarado. 27 Nov 14 Dec. 10-4 Tues-Fri. 12-4 weekends.

Free.

HUW DAVIES GALLERY

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

Live Music

Bittersweet Tour. With Kim Churchill.

8pm. $34-$51 through Ticketek.

With Red Bee, Carbon Black, Noveaux + Jonny Roadkill. 8pm. $TBA.

The Cactus Channel

4th Degree

Grab a map and ride between the galleries in the Inner South for art viewing and art activities. 11-

THE PHOENIX BAR

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

Pulse: Reflections on the Body

Violent Soho

8pm. $30 via Ticketek.

ANU BAR AND REFECTORY

CMC Presents

Strumpet & Moochers INC. 7.30pm. $10/$7/$5.

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

Something Different Inside Out: An Experts Guide to Mental Health A digital book with insights into mental health issues. Special opening 30th Nov. 21st Nov - 8th Dec BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

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

QUESTACON

With Brass Knuckle Brass Band & Karate Boogaloo. 9pm. $5.

Live music. 5pm afternoon session/10pm band. Free.

The Waifs

Jordan Millar

With Liz Stringer. Tickets: canberratheatrecentre.com.au.

One-off performance. Live music. 8pm.

THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

Oliver Heldens & Jack Beats

On The Town

ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

4some Thursdays Free entry.

ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

Stereosonic sideshow. $25 via Moshtix.

Art and Ride

M16 ARTSPACE

27 Aussie artists exploring shifts in understanding of what it is to be human. Until Feb 22.

CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY

Shapes in Space

Tate Sheridan

Art exhibition. 21st Nov-7th Dec. Special opening 30th Nov. 2pm.

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

Oblivion

Album launch. 7.30pm. $10.

Playtime

On The Town

TREEHOUSE BAR

Tom Hathaway

Top 40, Dance, RnB. 10pm. Free entry.

HUW DAVIES GALLERY

House, Electro, Indie/Nu Disco, Chillout and Funk. 9pm. Free entry.

TREEHOUSE BAR

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

By Ngaio Fitzpatrick. 27 Nov - 14 Dec. 10-4 Tues-Fri. 12-4 weekends. Free.

HUW DAVIES GALLERY

Live Music Ben Bronte & Borderline Lucy 7.30pm. $10.

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

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ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE Sat Dec 6 - Wed Dec 10 Timothy D

With Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran and Tracey Benson. 6pm 5th December, continues until February.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

Daily Meds: Sour Milk Album Tour

Live Hip Hop. 8pm. Tickets via Moshtix.

TRANSIT BAR

A CSO Christmas

A concert of Christmas favourites. 2pm & 7.30pm. Tickets at ticketek.com.au or 1300 795 012.

Love Saturdays

With Chris Fraser. $10 before Midnight.

ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

Something Different Inside Out: An Experts Guide to Mental Health A digital book with insights into mental health issues. Special opening 30th Nov. 21st Nov - 8th Dec BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

M16 Artspace 2014 Drawing Prize

Patrick Ryan

Lead singer of The Steptones. Live music. 6.30pm.

THE DUXTON

COZMO Annual Summer Concert

tuesday december 9 Comedy Irresponsible Comedy

Enjoy live music with COZMO. 4pm6pm. $10/$5.

8pm. $10

Irish Jam Session

Karaoke

HELLENIC CLUB (CIVIC)

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

Traditional Irish music. From late afternoon. Free.

Karaoke Love

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

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

M16’s annual drawing prize. 5-19 Dec. Free.

On The Town

TRANSIT BAR

The Surrogates

Free Pool at Transit

Live Music

Free pool tables. From 2pm.

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

Amore: A Classical Poetry Slam

TRANSIT BAR

Joan Armatrading

LLEWELLYN HALL

Live music. 5pm afternoon session/10pm band. Free.

M16 ARTSPACE

The Peppercorn Queen

With Livia Brash and Dianna Nixon.

7.30pm.

Previously The Fat Lambs. 9.30pm. $5.

THE PHOENIX BAR

AINSLIE ALL SAINTS CHURCH

Vendetta

sunday december 7

8pm. $TBA.

EAGLE HAWK HOTEL

Anthony Anaxagarou

Slam, music and more. 7pm. $10.

TRANSIT BAR

monday december 8

Live Music

Live Music

Basement Sunday Sesh

Dried Spider & Nika

THE BASEMENT

Craft stalls + live acoustic music. Doors open 2pm. Free entry.

On The Town Sneaky Saturday

With different acts each week. 9pm.

Free entry.

THE BASEMENT

Sunday Sangria & Sounds

BandJava & Whiskey Strait. 3pm. $10.

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

Finn

TREEHOUSE BAR

Blues/roots. 2-5pm. Free.

Gorman House Christmas Markets

Nick Rigby

Great shopping and entertainment.

6th-20th Dec. GORMAN HOUSE ARTS CENTRE

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

Trivia with Bondy and Kiers Trivia. 7.30pm.

THE PHOENIX BAR

Troldhaugen

CD Launch. With Knights Of The Spatchcock, Renegade Peacock, Beast Impalor, Eyes To The Sky. 8pm. $1

Bluesfest solo event. Tickets at canberratheatrecentre.com.au or 6275 2700.

ROSE COTTAGE

Live music. 3pm.

THE DUXTON

7.30pm. $10.

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

2XX LocalnLive Presents The Bootleg Sessions

With Primary Colours, Beast & Flood, Agency & Finnickers. 8pm. Free.

THE PHOENIX BAR

Workshops French Classes

wednesday december 10 Art Exhibitions Oblivion

By Ngaio Fitzpatrick. 27 Nov - 14 Dec. 10-4 Tues-Fri. 12-4 weekends. Free.

HUW DAVIES GALLERY

80 Denier

By Madeline Bishop. 27 Nov - 14 Dec. 10-4 Tues-Fri. 12-4 weekends. Free.

HUW DAVIES GALLERY

Conversation, pronunciation, grammar or travel workshops for all ages. Info + bookings: afcanberra.com.au ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE

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ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE Wed Dec 10 - Sun Dec 14 Ancient Mexican Codex

By Octavio Garcia Alvarado. 27 Nov 14 Dec. 10-4 Tues-Fri. 12-4 weekends.

Free.

HUW DAVIES GALLERY

Pulse: Reflections on the Body

27 Aussie artists exploring shifts in understanding of what it is to be human. Until Feb 22.

CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY

On The Town 4some Thursdays Free entry.

Art Exhibitions

Playtime

Oblivion

ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

Top 40, Dance, RnB. 10pm. Free entry.

TREEHOUSE BAR

friday december 12

Live Music

None

Delaney’s Duo

Buddah Nights presents Robosonic

Live music. 7pm.

THE LOFT AT DUXTON

CMC Presents

Bec Taylor, Albert Soesastro & Matt Lord. 7.30pm. $10/$7/$5.

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

Timothy D

With Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran and Tracey Benson. 6pm 5th December, continues until February.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

Something Different M16 Artspace 2014 Drawing Prize M16’s annual drawing prize. 5-19 Dec. Free.

M16 ARTSPACE

thursday december 11 Live Music Justine Clarke

Encourages young audiences to engage their imagination through words, song and movement. 11am. $33.9 CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

Thursday Jazz

Damien Foley Quartet. 8pm. $15/$10.

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

Bootleg Rascals

Live music. Supported by Jack Biilman.

8pm. Tickets via Moshtix.

TRANSIT BAR

saturday december 13

Live music. Tickets $15 via moshtix.

TRINITY BAR

Art Exhibitions

By Ngaio Fitzpatrick. 27 Nov - 14 Dec. 10-4 Tues-Fri. 12-4 weekends. Free.

HUW DAVIES GALLERY

College Express 6

THE BASEMENT

Buddha Nights

With Robosonic, Spike & Lima, B-tham, Fourthstate + more. $25.

TRINITY BAR

DJ Voss

Live DJ. 8pm.

THE LOFT AT DUXTON

House Shoes

With Jedbrii, Shug Brainless, D’Opus and more. 8pm. Free entry before 10pm. $10 after.

TRANSIT BAR

Alive Fridays

Presents SAFIA. supported by Hatch. $15 via Moshtix.

ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

Chad Croker/Special K

5pm afternoon session/10pm Band.

Free.

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

With TV Colours, Mind Blanks & more.

9.30pm. $5.

THE PHOENIX BAR

On The Town

TREEHOUSE BAR

With different acts each week. 9pm.

Free entry.

Rachael Stevens. Art exhibition and book launch. 6.30pm. Dec 13th-20th.

Coy Party

80 Denier

Gorman House Christmas Markets

CANBERRA GRAMMAR SCHOOL GALLERY

By Madeline Bishop. 27 Nov - 14 Dec. 10-4 Tues-Fri. 12-4 weekends. Free.

By Octavio Garcia Alvarado. 27 Nov 14 Dec. 10-4 Tues-Fri. 12-4 weekends.

Free.

Dime’s 10 year anniversary featuring 4 full sets of nothing but Pantera. Doors 8pm. $15.

The Big Xmas Hootenanny II

The Skeleton Diaries

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

THE CHOP SHOP

Pantera Tribute Gig

ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

Sneaky Saturday

HUW DAVIES GALLERY

Live Music

With Runamark - $10 before Midnight

Unique perspectives from young local artists. Until Jan 18.

Rush Photography Exhibition. 6pm.

Love Saturdays

Ancient Mexican Codex

HUW DAVIES GALLERY

Pulse: Reflections on the Body

27 Aussie artists exploring shifts in understanding of what it is to be human. Until Feb 22.

CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY

Dance On Course 2014

Contemporary dance from University dance students. 7pm. Tickets at QL2. org.au.

QL2 THEATRE

Warehouse Edition. 6pm. Price TBA. THE CHOP SHOP

Great shopping and entertainment.

6th-20th Dec. GORMAN HOUSE ARTS CENTRE

Something Different M16 Artspace 2014 Drawing Prize M16’s annual drawing prize. 5-19 Dec. Free.

M16 ARTSPACE

sunday december 14 Dance On Course 2014

Contemporary dance from University dance students. 7pm. Tickets at QL2. org.au.

QL2 THEATRE

Live Music

Live Music

Jay Whalley

Patrick Ryan

Doors 8pm. Tickets available from Moshtix. 1300 GET TIX. THE BASEMENT

DJ Norm

Live DJ. 8pm.

THE LOFT AT DUXTON

Timothy D

With Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran and Tracey Benson. 6pm 5th December, continues until February.

Lead singer of The Steptones. Live music. 3pm.

THE DUXTON

Alithia

With Hence the Testbed and Tundrel.

6pm. $10.

TRANSIT BAR

Irish Jam Session

Chicago Charles & Dave

On The Town

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

S.A.M

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

TREEHOUSE BAR

Moochers Inc

Delaney’s Duo

Patty Mills Documentary Trailer

TRANSIT BAR

THE DUXTON

Live music. 9pm. Free.

Time and Weight

With Duck Duck Ghost, Fricker. 9pm. $5.

THE PHOENIX BAR

House music. 9pm. Free entry.

Documentary trailer screening. Time TBA. Tickets TBA. THE CHOP SHOP

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

Live music. 8pm. $10.

Live music. 6.30pm.

Bandjava/Oscar

BMA Sunday Session

5.30pm afternoon session/10.30pm band. Free.

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

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Traditional Irish music. From late afternoon. Free.

Presented by BMA & La De Da. With Dave Scotland, B-Tham, System Segue & more. 3.30pm. Free entry.

LA DE DA

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ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE Sun Dec 14 - Sun Dec 21 On The Town Free Pool at Transit

Free pool tables. From 2pm.

TRANSIT BAR

Something Different Canberra Christmas Markets

A Christmas themed market with gifts and food. 14th-15th Dec. 9am-3pm. $3 Entry.

EXHIBITION PARK IN CANBERRA (EPIC)

monday december 15 Live Music The Bootleg Sessions

Liam Gale and the Ponytails, Darling Mermaid Darlings & Chloe Harrison.

8pm. Free.

THE PHOENIX BAR

Something Different Canberra Christmas Markets

A Christmas themed market with gifts and food. 14th-15th Dec. 9am-3pm. $3 Entry.

EXHIBITION PARK IN CANBERRA (EPIC)

Workshops French Classes

Conversation, pronunciation, grammar or travel workshops for all ages. Info + bookings: afcanberra.com.au ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE

tuesday december 16

The Skeleton Diaries

Rachael Stevens. Art exhibition and book launch. 6.30pm. Dec 13th-20th.

CANBERRA GRAMMAR SCHOOL GALLERY

Pulse: Reflections on the Body

27 Aussie artists exploring shifts in understanding of what it is to be human. Until Feb 22.

On The Town

DJ Norm

4some Thursdays

THE LOFT AT DUXTON

Free entry.

ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

friday december 19

CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY

Live Music

Live Music

The Surrogates

Timothy D

With Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran and Tracey Benson. 6pm 5th December, continues until February.

Live music. 5pm afternoon session/10pm band. Free.

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

Pharoahe Monch

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

With D’Opus & Roshambo, Jimmy Pike, Coda Conduct, Lash, and Flawlezz.

8pm. Tickets via Moshtix.

Something Different

Baker Boys

BAD!SLAM!NO!BISCUIT! 8pm.

THE PHOENIX BAR

Christmas Gift Fair

Handcrafted and unique ceramic works that are perfect for Christmas giving.

11-23 Dec. Thurs-Sun+Mon WATSON ARTS CENTRE

M16 Artspace 2014 Drawing Prize M16’s annual drawing prize. 5-19 Dec. Free.

TRANSIT BAR

Live music. 1pm.

THE DUXTON

Alive Fridays

Presents Will Sparks. $20 before 11pm.

ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

On The Town Warrior Screening

Debut screening of Simone Thompson’s film ‘Warrior’ Music by Wallflower, Hill People, Bec Sandridge THE CHOP SHOP

M16 ARTSPACE

thursday december 18 Live Music Jimmy Pike

saturday december 20 Art Exhibitions Pulse: Reflections on the Body

27 Aussie artists exploring shifts in understanding of what it is to be human. Until Feb 22.

Karaoke

With Mix, Shug Brainless, B.S.O.P., Lash. Doors 8pm. $10.

Karaoke Love

Mind Blanks

CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY

THE PHOENIX BAR

Unique perspectives from young local artists. Until Jan 18.

Karaoke. 9pm. Free entry.

TRANSIT BAR

Trivia Impact Comics Present Nerd Trivia With Joel and Ali. 7.30pm.

THE PHOENIX BAR

wednesday december 17 Art Exhibitions College Express 6

Unique perspectives from young local artists. Until Jan 18.

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

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THE BASEMENT

With The Newsletters & Waterford.

9pm. $5.

College Express 6

Nick Rigby

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

THE LOFT AT DUXTON

Dallas Frasca

Rachael Stevens. Art exhibition and book launch. 6.30pm. Dec 13th-20th.

TRANSIT BAR

Live Music

Live music. 7pm.

With Tonk and Renegade Peacock.

8pm. Tickets via Moshtix.

Chicago Charles & Dave Live music. 9pm. Free.

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

The Skeleton Diaries

CANBERRA GRAMMAR SCHOOL GALLERY

4th Degree

5.30pm Afternoon Session/10.30pm band. Free.

Live DJ. 8pm.

Timothy D

With Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran and Tracey Benson. 6pm 5th December, continues until February.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

Bareback Titty Squad Live music. 8pm. $10.

TRANSIT BAR

The Jungle Souljahs

DJ SS & Grooverider. 10th Birthday. Live music. Tickets $22 at theticketfairy.com.

THE CHOP SHOP

Love Saturdays

With Jared de Veer. $10 before Midnight.

ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

On The Town Sneaky Saturday

With different acts each week. 9pm.

Free entry.

TREEHOUSE BAR

Cell Block 69 After Party After Party. 12am.

THE PHOENIX BAR

Gorman House Christmas Markets

Great shopping and entertainment.

6th-20th Dec. GORMAN HOUSE ARTS CENTRE

sunday december 21 None Canberra Blues Society’s Christmas Jam

With Bailey Judd and Room 15. Bring money/donations for Marymead. 2pm. $5.

HARMONIE GERMAN CLUB

Live Music Basement Sunday Sesh

Craft stalls + live acoustic music. Doors open 2pm. Free entry.

THE BASEMENT

Irish Jam Session

Traditional Irish music. From late afternoon. Free.

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

Nick Rigby

Basement Christmas Party

THE DUXTON

90’s party covers. Doors open from 4pm. Free entry.

Live music. 3pm.

THE BASEMENT

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ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE Mon Dec 21 - Tues Dec 30 w

Josh Veneris

Live music. 6.30pm.

friday december 26

THE DUXTON

A Very Rocking Xmas Sunday

By Stand Your Grounds, Metalworx, Scissor Kick Champs and Full/ Frequency. 2pm. $15.

TRANSIT BAR

On The Town Free Pool at Transit

Free pool tables. From 2pm.

TRANSIT BAR

monday december 22 Live Music Early Music presents The Bootleg Sessions

With Matthew Elias, The Wrst, DENNI & Alphamale. 8pm. Free.

THE PHOENIX BAR

Workshops French Classes

Conversation, pronunciation, grammar or travel workshops for all ages. Info + bookings: afcanberra.com.au ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE

tuesday december 23 Karaoke #KaraokeLove: Christmas Competition Christmas Karaoke. 9pm. Free.

TRANSIT BAR

Trivia Quiz

Trivia. 7.30pm.

THE PHOENIX BAR

wednesday december 24 Art Exhibitions Pulse: Reflections on the Body

27 Aussie artists exploring shifts in understanding of what it is to be human. Until Feb 22.

CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY

College Express 6

Live Music Boxing Day Jump Club

With Fingers. $15 before 11pm.

ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

On The Town Playtime

Top 40, Dance, RnB. 10pm. Free entry.

TREEHOUSE BAR

saturday december 27 Art Exhibitions Pulse: Reflections on the Body

27 Aussie artists exploring shifts in understanding of what it is to be human. Until Feb 22.

CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY

College Express 6

Unique perspectives from young local artists. Until Jan 18.

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Live Music Love Saturdays

With The Projektz. $10 before Midnight.

ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

Timothy D

With Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran and Tracey Benson. 6pm 5th December, continues until February.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

On The Town Sneaky Saturday

With different acts each week. 9pm.

Free entry.

TREEHOUSE BAR

sunday december 28 Live Music Irish Jam Session

Traditional Irish music. From late afternoon. Free.

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

Josh Veneris

Live music. 3pm.

THE DUXTON

Unique perspectives from young local artists. Until Jan 18.

Delaney’s Duo

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

THE DUXTON

Live Music

On The Town

Chicago Charles & Dave

Free Pool at Transit

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

TRANSIT BAR

Live music. 9pm. Free.

Fred Smith Bands Orphans Xmas

Live music. 9pm. $10.

THE PHOENIX BAR

thursday december 25 On The Town

Live music. 6.30pm.

Free pool tables. From 2pm.

tuesday december 30 Karaoke Karaoke Love

Karaoke. 9pm. Free entry.

TRANSIT BAR

Happy Christmas

Christmas at King O’Malleys. Free.

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

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ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE Mon Dec 29- Thur Jan 8 Art Exhibitions

Dorothy-Jane Band

Pulse: Reflections on the Body

NATIONAL BOTANIC GARDENS

27 Aussie artists exploring shifts in understanding of what it is to be human. Until Feb 22.

CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY

College Express 6

Unique perspectives from young local artists. Until Jan 18.

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

tuesday december 30 Live Music

Part of Summer Sounds with The Central. Blues & grooves. 5.30pm.

On The Town Love Saturdays

$10 before midnight.

ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

sunday january 4 Live Music Humbug

With Joel Fletcher. $20 via Mostix.

Part of Summer Sounds with The Central. Irish & Scottish rhythms.

5.30pm.

Oscar

Irish Jam Session

New Years Eve

ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

Live music. 10pm. Free.

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

Bass in the Place

With Joel Fletcher, Runamark, Hudak & Jake Raven. Live music. 9pm. All Ages.

GAREMA PLACE

wednesday december 31 On The Town Shananigans NYE Party

Featuring live bands, burlesque, acoustic acts and a free BBQ. Doors 5pm. $20/$25.

THE BASEMENT

thursday january 1 Live Music Dos Locos

Live music. 9pm. Free.

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

SBS

Live music. 10pm. Free.

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

friday january 2 On The Town Locals Do It Better $10 entry all night.

ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

saturday january 3

NATIONAL BOTANIC GARDENS

Traditional Irish music. From late afternoon. Free.

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

wednesday january 7 Art Exhibitions Pulse: Reflections on the Body

27 Aussie artists exploring shifts in understanding of what it is to be human. Until Feb 22.

CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY

College Express 6

Unique perspectives from young local artists. Until Jan 18.

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Live Music Timothy D

With Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran and Tracey Benson. 6pm 5th December, continues until February.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

Something Different Perception Deception Exhibition Hands-on exhibits to surprise your senses and challenge your mind. 9am5pm. Until May 2015. Admissio QUESTACON

thursday january 8 Karaoke

Art Exhibitions

Karaoke Love

Pulse: Reflections on the Body

TRANSIT BAR

27 Aussie artists exploring shifts in understanding of what it is to be human. Until Feb 22.

CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY

Karaoke. 9pm. Free entry.

Live Music Chicago Charles & Dave Live music. 9pm. Free.

College Express 6

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

With Jimmy Pike, Nix, Beat Theory and Semantic. 8pm. $10.

Unique perspectives from young local artists. Until Jan 18.

Shug Brainless and Toddla: CD Launch

Live Music

TRANSIT BAR

Special K

On The Town

5.30pm Afternoon Session/ 10.30pm band. Free.

4some Thursdays

Timothy D

ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

Free entry.

With Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran and Tracey Benson. 6pm 5th December, continues until February.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

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ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE Fri Jan 9- Tues Jan 27 Live Music Lucky Nights

sunday january 11

With J-Trick & Matt Watkins. $10 before 11pm.

Live Music

Art Exhibitions

Chad Croker/Oscar

Part of Summer Sounds with The Central. Dance music. 5.30pm.

Hit Parade

Pulse: Reflections on the Body

ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

5pm afternoon session/10pm Band.

Free.

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

saturday january 10

NATIONAL BOTANIC GARDENS

Irish Jam Session

Traditional Irish music. From late afternoon. Free.

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

Live Music

saturday january 17

Timothy D

With Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran and Tracey Benson. 6pm 5th December, continues until February.

27 Aussie artists exploring shifts in understanding of what it is to be human. Until Feb 22.

CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY

College Express 6

Unique perspectives from young local artists. Until Jan 18.

Art Exhibitions

Theatre

Pulse: Reflections on the Body

Charlie & Lola’s Extremely New Play

Live Music

THE PLAYHOUSE

With Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran and Tracey Benson. 6pm 5th December, continues until February.

27 Aussie artists exploring shifts in understanding of what it is to be human. Until Feb 22.

CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY

College Express 6

Unique perspectives from young local artists. Until Jan 18.

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Live Music Heuristic

5.30pm Afternoon Session/10.30pm band. Free.

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

Timothy D

10am and 12:30pm. $34.90 - $39.90.

tuesday january 13 Live Music The Amity Affliction

The Weight Downunder tour. With In Hearts Wake, Confession + Antagonist AD. 7.30pm. $53 via Ticketek ANU BAR AND REFECTORY

wednesday january 14

With Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran and Tracey Benson. 6pm 5th December, continues until February.

Art Exhibitions

Big Boss Groove

27 Aussie artists exploring shifts in understanding of what it is to be human. Until Feb 22.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

Part of Summer Sounds with The Central. Big Band. 5.30pm.

NATIONAL BOTANIC GARDENS

Paper Lions

Live music. 8pm. Tickets via Moshtix.

TRANSIT BAR

Pulse: Reflections on the Body

CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY

College Express 6

Unique perspectives from young local artists. Until Jan 18.

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

On The Town

Live Music

Love Saturdays

Timothy D

$10 before midnight.

ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

Theatre Charlie & Lola’s Extremely New Play

10am and 12:30pm. $34.90 - $39.90.

With Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran and Tracey Benson. 6pm 5th December, continues until February.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

thursday january 15

THE PLAYHOUSE

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

friday january 23 something different Ben & Jerry’s Openair Cinemas With live music every Saturday and Sunday. 18th Jan - 22nd Feb. Tickets at openaircinemas.com.au.

NATIONAL LIBRARY OF AUSTRALIA

Timothy D

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

Dr. Stovepipe

Part of Summer Sounds with The Central. Alternative country. 5.30pm.

NATIONAL BOTANIC GARDENS

sunday january 18

saturday january 24 Art Exhibitions Pulse: Reflections on the Body

27 Aussie artists exploring shifts in understanding of what it is to be human. Until Feb 22.

CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY

something different Ben & Jerry’s Openair Cinemas

With live music every Saturday and Sunday. 18th Jan - 22nd Feb. Tickets at openaircinemas.com.au.

Live Music Timothy D

With Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran and Tracey Benson. 6pm 5th December, continues until February.

NATIONAL LIBRARY OF AUSTRALIA

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

Live Music

Annie & The Armadillos

Part of Summer Sounds with The Central. Jazz & Blues. 5.30pm.

The Fuelers

NATIONAL BOTANIC GARDENS

Part of Summer Sounds with The Central. Rockabilly, country & pop.

5.30pm.

Franklin B Paverty

Australia day concert. Part of Summer Sounds with The Central. 5.30pm.

NATIONAL BOTANIC GARDENS

NATIONAL BOTANIC GARDENS

wednesday january 21 Art Exhibitions Pulse: Reflections on the Body

Workshops Jam It

27 Aussie artists exploring shifts in understanding of what it is to be human. Until Feb 22.

CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY

tuesday january 27

Jam with young musicians and professional musicians. Tues-Fri. 9am4pm. Multicultural festival gig 1 AINSLIE ARTS CENTRE

Karaoke Karaoke Love

Karaoke. 9pm. Free entry.

TRANSIT BAR

OUT

JAN14

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Merry christmas and a happy new year, readers. Thanks for picking us up and choosing an alternative streetpress as your friend in the cafe, pub, bar, or home of your choosing. we couldn’t do it without you. see you in the new year. love, BMA.

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FIRST CONTACT SIDE A: BMA band profile

Aaron Peacey 0410381306 band.afternoon.shift@ gmail.com.au

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

Adam Hole 0421023226

Johnny Roadkill Paulie 0408287672 paulie_mcmillan@live.com.au

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

Cell Block 69 Where did your band name come from? A very sexy prison.

Run by the French in Napoleonic times or something. It’s from history. Do some research.

Group members? Duanne LeCorey-Michaels (lead vox), Corey Axelrod (rhythm Axe/rhythm synthesizers), Corey Elektra – (co-lead backing vox), Corey A. Chick – (co-lead backing vox), Corey Chameleon – (co-lead backing vox), Corey Van Coverdale – (co-lead axe), Corey in te Domine Corey Exultate Corey – (lead bass axe) Corey the artist formerly known as Korey – (lead/rhythm synthesisers), Corey RoKK SiXXXxxxXXX – (lead StiXxX).

Describe your sound: The Future Sound Of Yesterday is Tomorrow. Others would call it rock (and to a lesser extent, synth pop).

Who are your influences, musical or otherwise? We are so radically into anyone who gives it their awesome most, though none come close.

What’s the most memorable experience you’ve had whilst performing? Ah yes. In ‘79 during our infancy we were commissioned as the new public face of NASA. Naturally, we were performing a new song and being broadcast live from the moon. There was a blonde man there with a very high voice called “Sting” or something. After that day that scoundrel should have changed his name to “Thief”.

Of what are you proudest so far? Proving to Mathew Bellamy that he was doing the ‘80s in the wrong decade.

What are your plans for the future? You mean the ‘90s?

Does such a decade exist?

What makes you laugh? The squiggly tails of little piggy shaped sandwiches in the rider. Oh, and funny things.

What pisses you off? The prejudice and consequent unfair separation of those less privileged within the socioeconomic spectrum. Getting sequins in my soup. Dropping cufflinks in my cup of Silver Tips Imperial. You know…

What about the local scene would you change? We love our fans in sweet Canberry. We love them loving us. We wouldn’t change a thing.

What are your upcoming gigs? ? Sat Dec 20 Xmas with Corey – Rock Spectacular at the ANU Bar and Stadium!

Contact info: facebook.com/cellblock69

Australian Songwriters Association Keiran (02) 62310433 Backbeat Drivers Steve 0422733974 backbeatdrivers.com Bat Country Communion, The Mel 0400405537

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

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

Mornings Jordan 0439907853

Black Label Photography Kingsley 0438351007 blacklabelphotography.net

Obsessions 0450 960 750 obsessions@grapevine.com.au

Bridge Between, The Cam 0431550005 Capital Dub Style Reggae/dub events Rafa 0406647296 Cole Bennetts Photography 0415982662 Danny V Danny 0413502428 Dawn Theory Nathan 0402845132 Danny 0413502428 Dorothy Jane Band, The Dorothy Jane 0411065189 dorothy-jane@dorothyjane.com Drumassault Dan 0406 375 997 Feldons, The 0407 213 701 FeralBlu Danny 0413502428 Fire on the Hill Aaron 0410381306 Lachlan 0400038388 Fourth Degree Vic 0408477020 Gareth Dailey DJ/Electronica Gareth 0414215885 Groovalicious Corporate/ weddings/private functions 0448995158 Guy The Sound Guy Live & Studio Sound Engineer 0400585369 guy@guythesoundguy.com Haunted Attics band@hauntedatticsmusic.com

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Kayo Marbilus facebook.com/kayomarbilus1

MuShu Jack 0414292567 mushu_band@hotmail.com

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 Top Shelf Colin 0408631514

In The Flesh Scott 0410475703

Undersided, The Baz 0408468041

Itchy Triggers Alex 0414838480

Zoopagoo zoopagoo@gmail.com

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