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BELOW THE BELT FOR POVERTY
Fax: (02) 6257 4361 Mail: PO Box 713 Civic Square, ACT 2608 Publisher Scott Layne Allan Sko General Manager Allan Sko T: (02) 6257 4360 E: advertising@bmamag.com
Editor Tatjana Clancy T: (02) 6257 4456 E: editorial@bmamag.com
Accounts Manager Julie Ruttle T: (02) 6247 4816 E: accounts@bmamag.com
Allan’s new headshot went well.
Blur touring? I say WOOHOO. #462April29
For most of us, poverty is a word we bandy about when we’re buying two-minute noodles after having spent a couple of hundred the night before on beer, dodgy kebabs and cab fares. For others, it’s a lack of basic necessities, day-in day-out. From May 4- 8, thousands of Australians will eat on just $2 a day for five days – the equivalent of the extreme poverty line. Live Below The Line is run by Oaktree, Australia’s largest youth-run organisation with all members (including the CEO) under the age of 26. “Live Below the Line is about recognising the potential of young people,” said Oaktree CEO Chris Wallace, “It’s built on the belief that everybody should have access to an education, regardless of where they’re born.
raise $2 million. Funds raised support locally run education projects in South East Asia, providing scholarships, learning materials and teacher training for hundreds of young men and women. Participants can sign up for the challenge at livebelowtheline.com.au
“Live Below the Line doesn’t just raise awareness of the issue of extreme poverty,” he says, “but provides participants and their friends and family with a small way of tacking action on it”.
Talk about a clickbait headline! But it’s true! One of the creative names behind recent Braddon pop-up venue The Chop Shop, Pat Rose, is also a University of Canberra industrial design student who has been working on a secret squirrel project in recent weeks. He’s been helping kit out a brand new venue at UC that plans to open in the coming week. The Well is a small capacity venue that aims to create a more intimate
Over 30,000 Australians have taken the Live Below the Line challenge since its inception in 2010, collectively raising over $7.5 million for antipoverty initiatives. This year the campaign is on track to
NEW VENUE AT UC FOR FANS OF THE CHOPSHOP
environment than nearby Refectory or Zierholtz. Rose has been working on a light box and custom made DJ booth at the uni workshop; far better than anything I could ever have whipped up in woodwork* The venue plans to host all manner of performance pieces, including singer/songwriters, DJs and poetry. For opening info keep an eye on the BMA facebook page or head to The Well UC Facebook page for regular updates. *I made a wooden pencil case that wouldn’t shut properly in year 9. Don’t tell me there’s no place for it in this high stress world that forces hipsters to seek out raw, hand-crafted aesthetics. You can find it on etsy in the jaded cynic shop. $2000 ono.
Sub-Editor & Social Media Manager Chiara Grassia
Maybe they’ll have to eat their t-shirts for essential roughage on the $2 diet.
Graphic Design Marley Film Editor Emma Robinson NEXT ISSUE 463 OUT May 13 EDITORIAL DEADLINE May 7 ADVERTISING DEADLINE May 8 Published by Radar Media Pty Ltd ABN 76 097 301 730 BMA Magazine is independently owned and published. Opinions expressed in BMA Magazine are not necessarily those of the editor, publisher or staff.
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FROM THE BOSSMAN I’m Late, I’m Late, For a Very Important Date (But Who Cares, I Have a Phone) Of all meetings I’ve had this year, most haven’t started on time. In fact, the average start time was 10-15 minutes after the scheduled time. And I blame technology. Many havent’t figured out that if you’re meeting someone at midday, that doesn’t mean setting off at midday; it means leaving the amount of time it takes to get to the destination before midday, plus adding 5-10 minutes for traffic, a busy car park, cheeky wizards, or other unforseen incidents. Back when I was knee-high to a grasshopper I remember a time when the only way you could organise a meet-up was via a dial up phone. Anyone with a lot of 9s in their number would take roughly 15 minutes to dial. Prior to seeing someone in the flesh, this was the only way of making contact. You would jam your fingers into the small holes of the telephone, talk to a small voice representing your friend and make a time and place to meet them in the same hushed tone you would a spy meeting. Because come the day you’d damn well better be there otherwise the whole thing is off. You’d sit there at the appointed 11am time and if it got to 11:15am with a no-show you assumed they were dead and got on with your life/ turkey sandwich.
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.] Why you be taunting me coffee prices? you be el cheapo here, exxy there. I need consistency man. I need the cup to not be too hot, I need a barista (when did that become a freaking thing btw?) to rememember me skim milk. It froths better, my coffee maker homey told me so. So you SHOULD remember this. You should love it. Peace.
Remember that weird scene in The Banger Sisters where one of the spoiled daughters made this weird noise in the back of her throat? That may have injected realism in an otherwise flawed movie (I mean seriously, as if that joint could still have been potent) but I didn’t need to have it recreated at the theatre last night. During a particularly poignant moment. And like Susan Sarandon’s character, your friends chose to ignore it to make you feel better, so it was I that had to keep looking at you pointedly in order to draw your attention to this unusual and irritating habit. You pissed me off. Go see an ENTguy.
Nowadays we all have smart phones and instant messaging, and with it has come an undeniable laziness. Running a bit late? No worries. Just dash off a quick text saying you’re five minutes away and you’re set. But you’re never five minutes away. No-one is ever five minutes away. “I’m five minutes away” has to be one of the biggest temporal shifting lies of the collective human race. It really means 15 minutes. At least. But saying, “I’m 15 minutes away,” when you’re supposed to be there doesn’t sound good, whereas the, “I’m just round the corner 5-minute rhetoric” gives the impression of, “I’m actually really good at keeping time and holding to a schedule, but YOU know what life is like these days… There’s always a traffic jam, or a last minute call to take, or a wizard…” If you were to draw a pie chart tracking where five minutes actually equated to five minutes, it would just be all one colour with the word NO emblazoned across the middle. And by the way, don’t think of me as a grandstanding soapbox stander, waggling my finger in disgust at everyone. I’m just as bad as everyone. I have a long-suffering friend with whom I meet for lunch often and so used to my arrival time is he that if we “meet for 12:30pm” we both quietly know we mean 12:40pm. It’s the only way to combat the problem. And we all do it. We know when we say 12, we’ll both be there at 12:10, not having wasted the others’ time. So what’s the solution for us temporally challenged children of the 21st century? Simple, really. It’s what we seem to be doing already. We need to adopt a Time + GST, where GST means Getting Slowly There. Anyway, I must dash. It’s midday and I’m meant to see a man about a lunch. ALLAN SKO - allan@bmamag.com
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WHO: MICROWAVE JENNY WHAT: EP LAUNCH WHEN: SAT MAY 2 WHERE: THE FRONT CAFE & GALLERY
Microwave Jenny, the alter-ego of husband and wife musical duo Tessa and Brendon Boney, are hitting the road to launch their new EP Microwave Jenny and the Six Song EP. The pair have made waves in the music scene, playing Woodford Folk Festival, The Dreaming Festival, Adelaide Fringe Festival and across the pond at The Great Escape. Microwave Jenny combine cheeky lyrics with a mix of pop and smooth electric sounds to the stage and are quickly gaining a reputation for their fun live shows. Catch them at The Front on Sat May 2. Tix $17.85 through oztix.com.
WHO: VIDEOWARS WHAT: MUSIC/ART BATTLE WHEN: FRI MAY 8 WHERE: LA DE DA
VIDEOWARS is a cool new art battle format that takes its place in the pixel world. The first of its kind in Canberra, the event promises an action packed night and a whole heap of fun. Two teams will battle off head to head to take out the VIDEOWARS crown – each team will consist of a video artist and a DJ who battle it out using video art and an awesome accompanying soundtrack. With DJs like Roshambo, Jem and Faux Real and artists like Josh Owen and John Carolan, how could this not be amazing? Round one begins at 8pm.
WHO: SLEEPMAKESWAVES WHAT: ALBUM LAUNCH WHEN: SAT MAY 9 WHERE: ANU BAR
Sydney rockers sleepmakeswaves have announced a huge international tour to celebrate the release of their new album Love of Cartography. After a year of touring alongside the likes of Karnivool and Dead Letter Circus at international music festivals, the band will be playing a massive 55 shows in 22 countries across the world, bringing their unforgettable liveshows to thousands of people. Catch them at ANU Bar on Saturday May 9, 7pm. Tickets are $30.23, available at sleepmakeswaves.com or at ticketek.com.au.
WHO: DAN PARSONS AND STEVE GRADY WHAT: SINGLE LAUNCH WHEN: SAT MAY 9 WHERE: THE FRONT GALLERY & CAFE
After releasing his new single ‘I’ll Live and I’ll Die’, Melbourne singer-songwriter Dan Parsons is setting off across the country on a co-headline tour with fellow musician, Steve Grady. ‘I’ll Live and I’ll Die’ is the first offering from Parson’s third studio album and sees Parsons play drums, bass and guitar, with Jackie Marshall offering up her stunning vocals to the track.Heading off on their ’50 First Dates’ tour, Parsons and Grady are a pair who will not disappoint and are definitely worth seeing. Price and time TBA – more info at facebook.com/danparsonsmusic.
WHO: COLIN HAY WHAT: LIVE MUSIC WHEN: THU MAY 14 WHERE: THE PLAYHOUSE
The lead singer and guitarist of Men At Work, Colin Hay, is back with an awesome new show. He’ll be in town at The Playhouse Thursday May 14 to deliver a fresh, astonishing musical journey. “This is not a rehearsal, this is show time, each and every moment of each and every day,” says Hay. If that’s the sort of motto he lives life by, his shows are bound to be an absolute pleasure to experience. Doors open at 7.40pm. Tickets $59 +bf available at canberratheatrecentre.com.au.
WHO: THUNDAMENTALS WHAT: HIP HOP WHEN: FRI MAY 15 WHERE: UC REFECTORY
Coming to Canberra with their ‘Elephant in the Room’ tour, rap group Thundamentals are promising an energy-filled and vibrant show. Known for their live performances, the group have appeared at events like Groovin’ The Moo and The Falls Festival and have toured with Hilltop Hoods, along with selling out their last headline tour. Their latest album So We Can Remember has been met with high praise, including being referred to as “possibly... the best Australian rap album ever released”. Tickets are selling fast, so nab yours now for $28.60 from uclive.oztix.com.au.
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BAM MARGERA, where the fuck does one begin really? Claiming notoriety young as a pro-skater, his antics for mischief and tomfoolery spiked his interest into filmmaking – well not so much filmmaking as just recording like minded fools being hurled from roof tops in shopping trolleys. A market had been found, CKY (Camp Kill Yourself for those playing at home) was born and the fools took to it like a bull in a china shop, literally. In all seriousness, watching people fuck themselves up on purpose is indeed a novelty and one of my favourite past times. Margera had every aspiring ‘shitbag’ not only glued to their TV but in the palm of his hand and with the momentum behind him, he proceeded to become that brat on MTV who punished his parents for five long seasons.
mine in Finland, Andy McCoy [Hanoi Rocks, Iggy Pop]. He heard the music and he’s like ‘Dude, I want to go to Australia and play every set’ and I’m like ‘Fuck yes!’ So I’m really excited that Andy McCoy is now coming to Australia to play with us, it’s great.” According to Bam, the appeal behind FFU is the fact that there are no rules when inside it. “A lot of the time, all these bands are so strict with timing and order. I mean seriously, if you make it up on stage you can stay up there as long as [you’re] like [imitates anal stage manager] I might dance with ya, I might piss you off, you can do what you want really,” he laughs. You have been a huge fan of punk rock for so long, what makes a good punk rock song? “What makes a good punk rock song is mistakes,” Margera says with a laugh. “If you notice with Pro-Tools these days, they tend to loop drum tracks to make it sound perfect – well punk rock is not supposed to be perfect! As a matter of fact, if you make it perfect it just makes it completely cheesy.”
you can promote yourself these days; you don’t need a label to take your money anymore
As one of the original Jackass’ he had a moral duty to warp the nation and if you were bruised and battered as a kid it can be traced to something you found inspiring on an episode of Viva La Bam. If you still don’t know who I’m talking about, obviously you weren’t corrupted enough in your youth. Margera has had a finger in every pie over the years and as of 2012 he is of course none other than a front man in a project called Fuckface Unstoppable. Oh yes, you heard correctly. As plans are being laid for the FFU Australian tour this May (fucking up a town near you!) BMA heard from the man himself.
Such a varied career and yet one which holds music as the epicentre; being such a fan of music its surprising you’re just undertaking this venture now of FFU. “We’ve been doing it for maybe two or three years now” Margera begins, but in true fashion gets sidetracked with some rather appealing news. “But there is big news in the air for this Australian tour. I’ve just got back from a Euro trip and while I was travelling I decided to go visit a buddy of
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In previous interviews, Margera has mentioned that time is one of most valuable commodities and FFU has certainly kept him busy over the past two years. How much is sacrificed when concentrating on the one project? “I actually have my hands on a tonne of things right now, about to launch a clothing company,” he says. “I’ve been working on a movie for the past two to three years and now I’m working on another movie while we’re in Australia which is called Earth Rocker, which is about Andy McCoy. [It’s] a documentary about him being banned from America for twenty years, but now he’s finally allowed back in August.” I understand that the band have recorded the band’s debut album? “We recorded it in Iceland last October – it’s really, really cool, now we’re working on some new stuff in a studio in Philly,” he says. “The record is still getting worked on, mixing and such but we’ll play a lot of the songs on the Australian tour.”
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So the ‘live’ thing – you’re a natural in front of the camera so how does it differ to being on stage where there are no second takes? “Yeeeeah,” laughs Margera. “I love it though. I like bringing it on stage but sometimes when you’re not up to par, or you didn’t get your shit together that day, it sucks. Like, when you don’t feel like you’re in the shape you wanna be in especially when I ruptured a hernia going off a 100 foot waterfall in a kayak. I couldn’t do sit ups, I couldn’t lift anything for like a whole year. Because of that I gained like ten pounds, ick.” FFU consists of Margera’s bro Jess, often partner in crime from CKY, Matty Janaitis and Matt Deis, also from CKY on bass and guitar,. There’s also a charming fellow named Rubbish Heap from a crew called Guttermouth on drums and a long time buddy of Margera’s who he calls the ‘Brandywine Eel’ (Rich Vowes to his folks). What an assortment. Mention the name Bam Margera and businesses bolt their windows shut and cut the phone lines. When it comes to touring the chaos of FFU, are you given a novel sized list of terms and conditions from venues? “Um… Well actually when we went to England we did some gigs and they actually wrote a note to our Tour Manager, [which read] ‘Fuckface Unstoppable was completely disrespectful, completely rude.’ It’s like, well listen to our name – it’s called Fuckface Unstoppable!” He says. “If you book a band called A Bunch of Shit Heads and they act like a bunch of shit heads, then that’s what you get!” Margera sums up his last visit to our shores as, “All hell broke loose in Australia.” This may have something to do with him being knocked out by one of our UFC fighters in Adelaide, true story. What antics are you hoping to hit the stage with during the run? “Well, this time around I promised my dad I would not be painting on my spare time because when I got home last time, I was $40,000 in the hole for spilling paint all over every hotel room,” He says. “Every night a charge – $1,000 charge, the next day a $5,000 charge, one time it was an $8,000 charge. Oil paint does not get of rugs it seems. So no more paint on this trip,” he laughs.
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FFU is another notch on the belt of Margera’s career, a career which really can’t be defined as you dabble in it all. Where would you say you were the most content in life? What were you doing? “I would say skateboarding, but now that I think of it, it was really frustrating just trying a trick over and over again,” he ays. “But once you land it, it’s a very rewarding feeling so when I got hurt I had to find a different creative outlet and that’s where music came in and art and I kind of like it. I like it right now, I can still skate, not like how I use to but I have a park in my backyard I cruise around in, I paint all over my house everywhere and I have a music studio so I have everything I need.” For a man whose life is as chaotic as a punk song what do you do in order to chill? “It’s funny, I was always used to people coming in and out of my house – like if you know my gate code you just came in, hit the skate park, blast music, but now when I come home from tour I change my gate code and just… chill. Watch TV, veg out for a day or two, love the thirties,” he laughs. In terms of music, you’ve got amongst it in a number of ways – producing music videos for the likes of Clutch, Turbo Negro, HIM, a weekly spot on Sirius Radio and your (now defunct) label Filthy Note. What’s happened to Filthy Note? “The thing is, these days you don’t really need a record label anymore and directing music videos isn’t a great money maker, I just did it for the passion of film making and the love I have for the bands and their music,” Margera says. “But you can promote yourself these days; you don’t need a label to take your money anymore.” Catch Bam Margera with Fuckface Unstoppable at ANU Bar, Wednesday May 6. $38.90 from moshtix. Dedicated to Ethan Davis ~ Don’t stop until you land it
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LOCALITY After weeks of dour news in terms of local venues, there is finally some joyous news to share and it comes in a delightful pair! Firstly, after mourning the loss of Smith’s Alternative only a few weeks ago, the Canberra music community has come together to celebrate its imminent resurrection, thanks to the work of Nigel McRae. If you’re a regular around the traps you probably already know McRae from his incredible work with Canberra Musicians Club and as one half of Cuddlefish, so the fact that he can put on a good show is a given. But in order for this venture to succeed not only do we need to band together and give our patronage to this prodigal venue, McRae has also asked for feedback in the early stages of the business so
that it can grow to meet the needs and desires of its charming and incredibly good-looking clientele. There is a tentative opening date of June, but if you keep an eye on this column you’ll be kept abreast of any updates as they come to hand. In other joyous news, The White Eagle Polish Club in Turner has finally come back from the double blow dealt to them almost 18 months ago in the form of a burglary and fire. They have announced that they plan to hold their grand reopening on Saturday May 16, but in the meantime they will host former-Canberran and regular boomerang Mikelangelo on Saturday May 9 for his Balkan Elvis show. Starting at 8pm, tickets are $20 and can be pre-booked via TryBooking. On Saturday May 2, The Fuelers will be doing their best to warm up the punters at The Phoenix with their rollicking rockabilly tunes from 9.30pm, with entry a measly $5. The following week, Groovin’ the ANU is back at the ANU Bar from 8pm on Saturday May 8. This month’s line up includes Aloha Beta, Deathcap Mushroom, Yolanda Lee and Ella Hunt, all of whom you’ll be able to see without paying a cent! Get ready to pull down prejudice and turn up the fun levels with Breaking the Binaries for IDAHOT (the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia) at The RUC in Turner on Saturday May 9 from 7pm. The line-up for this massive variety show is full of talented burlesque and dance performers, as well as featuring musical spots from Heya and her banjolele, and singing performances from Bella Rose and Sweet Belladonna. Tickets are $35 at the door or less if you pre-book. Find the event on Facebook for more details, including how you can buy a discounted suspended ticket for someone who can’t afford full price. Finally, you may have noticed that this fortnight is a little light on content. Perhaps your band has a gig on that didn’t get a mention or you’ve just put out an album or single that you reckon should have had a run. In that case, get in touch! I hate missing opportunities to give Canberran talent an extra push. Email me at nonijdoll@gmail.com. I really, really want to hear from you! Until next time, keep digging through the gig guides, people – your new favourite Canberra band may be not too far away. NONI DOLL NONIJDOLL@GMAIL.COM @NONIJDOLL
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has made my return even more anticipated. I can’t predict the outcome of any tour or show, but my last two Australia tours in the past were amazing. I have a very rowdy fan base.
I’LL BE BACK
You can’t drop shit or the fans will hate you
How did you make the crossover into hip hop? I grew up in the projects of Brooklyn, New York. Hip hop was outside my window so it was always in me.
BAZ RUDDICK
You describe your music as death rap – is that purely because of lyrical content? How do you write ‘brutal’ lyrics? Do you have to live a brutal life or are you just capable of going there in your mind?
Having graced our shores for the last time in 2009, the world’s premier ‘death rap’ artist, NECRO is coming back. Nearly 20 years since he hit the airwaves of college radio, Necro has maintained an underground cult following through internet releases and social media followings. BMA spoke to Necro about his music, lack of commercial support and what it takes to be a ‘brutal lyricist’.
Death rap is one style of mine that I invented where I rap super brutal and violent in a very complex lyrical structure. I mention a lot of things most rappers have never mentioned. So it is because of the content and the style. I write thoughts that come to mind or different ideas that come to me. I have lived a brutal life but some lyrics are from my imagination.
BMA: You haven’t been to Australia since 2009. Are you confident you still have the fan base? How were the shows last time and how will the tour ideally go this time? NECRO: One out of every three messages I get is from a fan from either Australia or New Zea-land. Not being in Australia since 2009
You have very little support from commercial radio stations. How do you survive under-ground? Is the internet detrimental to your fan base? Many underground artists strive to be-come a commercial success… I have never been so lucky to get love from the commercial world. I survive because I have a cata-logue of 40+ titles available on over 300 digital platforms. I still sell CDs and sell a ton of mer-chandise… I haven’t worked a job for anyone since 17 years old. I have lived off hip hop for years. I have invested way more money into myself than most rappers ever will be down to do… Can you tell us about some of your new material? My new material is brutal and lyrical and fresh. [I’ve] just dropped two singles and videos called ‘Pop YA Head Off’ and ‘Smooth Crimy’. These are warm ups for the rest that is to follow. Every-thing I drop is quality… [you] can’t drop shit or the fans will hate you. Can you tell us about the success you had on American college radio? I wouldn’t call it success. Back in the day when Fatbeats were distributing vinyl you would get a lot of support from college radio. In 2015, Youtube is the new radio and on Youtube I am poppin’. I got over 50 million views if you add up all the songs I got on there. And 30,000 subscribers to my channel. Why is this the Terminator Tour? Because I terminate shit. I am brutal like that character and its a classic movie and people relate to it. Its a hot idea with a hot poster. Fans dig it. If you had to sell your show in one sentence what would you say? Necro is the most brutal rapper on earth so come see him live and watch a real NYC rapper spit his verses live like the actual record. Necro will be playing the ANU Bar on Fri May 22. $52.50 +bf via Ticketek. Meet and greet option available.
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rory mccartney In 2014 ex-Bluebottle Kiss frontman Jamie Hutchings and his new band INFINITY BROKE launched their debut LP River Mirrors. The results were drastically different from BBK material, with a serrated edge to the music and a love of ambient noise. Infinity Broke deliberately aimed for a darker, more intense sound, seeking to envelop the listener in its music rather than having it slip swiftly by, like rain off a highly polished car. BMA caught up with Hutchings as he was moving house after Easter, to talk about the new record. The new record Before Before came out just a year after the debut River Mirrors, using songs from the same rural recording session. However, the decision to make two LPs came later. “We could have made a double album, but you would have needed to conceptualise it from the start,” says Hutchings. “We had a bunch of material, written with two different band lineups in mind – the three piece and then more percussive elements when Scott [Hutchings] came back from overseas. We ended up recording all of it, but it made sense to split it due to differing styles, with one concise guitar driven one and one more jamming style.” Hutchings found it hard to split the songs between LPs. “I hate sequencing records,” he says. “It’s almost harder than making the album sometimes. I get obsessed with track listings.”
There are links between the albums, in both content and themes, including a track on Before Before entitled ‘River Mirror’. Asked if this was a deliberate ploy to link the two LPs Hutchings says, “They are kind of intertwined. Even though they are different, they are sort of siblings.” Furthermore, the two album titles came from the notion that something can happen that changes the whole path that you’re on, just when you thought your life was going to go the same way as before. There’s an element of that in some song lyrics. Delving down into individual tracks, some of the song ideas for Before Before also came from books or articles Hutchings had read. “There’s always a part of the author that’s left in the book, like grubby finger marks somewhere,” he says. “When you read something inspiring it generally sparks something in you and this can be the impetus behind writing a song.’”As in River Mirrors, the album cover art includes a story as the band prefers to decorate its releases with something other than a lyrics sheet. “The concept for ‘Abyss’ popped into my head like a childhood memory and I worked it in with some of the song themes,” says Hutchings.
I’ve always been freaked out by domestic sounds that happen unexpectedly, especially at night time
The new record is lighter in texture than the band’s debut, with shorter songs. Asked to elaborate on the difference between them Hutchings explains that “Before Before is not as groove oriented as River Mirrors. The arrangements are tighter and these songs can take longer to make as they require more accuracy. In River Mirrors things almost get to an unconscious point where people don’t have to be as deliberate. They find a spot and everyone can connect.” Some of the songs on Before Before such as ‘Only the Desert Grows’ have been around for a long time, longer than some songs on River Mirrors, just waiting to find the right home. In addition, Hutchings recorded two tracks, ‘Domestik’ and ‘Ladybug’, after the main session to keep the experimental element that was present in the band’s debut. In contrast to the band session in the country, Hutchings did these as a one man band effort. “There’s a spontaneous, clumsy element to home recording,” he says. “It works really well with stuff that does not need a rhythm section. There’s an immediacy as you’re thinking of the idea, writing it and recording it at the same time, so you capture something you can’t get if you prepare things over a long period.”
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As in River Mirrors, Before Before displays an emphasis on capturing ambient or homemade sounds, except this time the emphasis shifted from water to a rowdy metallic din. The sound collage ‘Domestik’ employed pots, pans and cutlery, plus some distorted toy piano and some feedback. “So there is a musical instrument input, but it’s an attempt to make music without actually playing any notes,” says Hutchings. As to where this fascination for ambient sounds comes from, he explains, “I’ve always been freaked out by domestic sounds that happen unexpectedly, especially at night time, like when the fridge turns itself on and off or when there’s a hissing as the cistern fills. Those noises really affect me and anything that affects you is a form of music, stirring your emotions or your nervous system. I want to recapture that feeling, to mimic it. Most things in music are mimicking something in nature.” The new record also includes the softer sound of a group of Bathurst-based singers, whose vocals appear in five of the tracks. “Another way to separate the two records was to give Before Before its own identity by grouping together the songs which used the input from the female backing choir,” says Hutchings. “Those songs seem to sit together, just like the double percussion songs worked on River Mirrors. Infinity Broke is a pretty masculine sounding band. Rather than having all this testosterone sounding rock, it’s good to have a bit of sweetness, like a bit of sun, bubbling away beneath all this dissonance.” Infinity Broke, with support from Agency, will play at The Phoenix on Thursday May 14. $10, 8pm
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DANCE THE DROP
The walls are covered in fluorescent lights, blue, white and yellow globes flashing intermittently like an alien spaceship preparing to land. The DJ booth, which looks like a cross between the Jetsons daily driver and a political pod from the Star Wars intergalactic senate, is closer to the roof than it is to the swarm of punters staring up at it in awe like a roman may have looked upon Zeus.
I’m standing in the main room of Exchange nightclub in downtown Los Angeles and Eric Prydz is just about to take the stage. I can’t even get close to the front – the club is a human Tetris board and I’m the oblong piece gawking at a bunch of sparsely dotted square holes, so I choose the very back of the room to set up camp. The club is flanked by tables and booths set on two separate levels, it reminds me of the Titanic, these roped off ‘VIP’ areas are the snobby first class decks and we are the burly ‘third class’, a thousand sweaty little sardines who en masse form the beating heart of the ship. The sound is incredible, almost unbearable. Each throb of bass creates a waveform in my drink, like a Tyrannosaurus Rex is lumbering towards us at 128 steps per minute. People don’t seem to dance here. Instead, they choose to punch the air and rock from side to side like a bull preparing to charge. It’s more like a presidential pep rally than a balls out club night although the vibe is tremendous and infectious – welcome to my American clubbing inauguration. I’ve spent the last four weeks travelling around the United States immersing myself in the culture of modern day American clubbing and I’ll be sharing my experiences with you over the next couple of editions of the Drop. If you like your beats served with a side of animal fries and a litre of soda pop, stay tuned! The Game of Thrones writers had tried to warn us. Winter is no longer coming – it’s well and truly here. That doesn’t mean you have the right to get all cozy on your couch watching reruns of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air – those local dancefloors aren’t going to fill themselves, people! It’s up to the individual and businesses in equal measure. They have to provide us with viable nightlife options and we have to show up. We may have swapped our clubs for bars but it’s a pretty good start. Tis a challenging road ahead for the Canberra clubbing scene but with the amount of fresh faces, committed promoters and wicked talent we have hidden away in the ACT. I have no doubt that we will see a strong resurgence in home grown events very soon and I look forward to reporting them to you right here. Now that we’ve got that out of the way I’d like to give a massive shout out to Peter O’Rourke who took over the column while I was on the other side of the world destroying most of my brain cells with endless nectar and noise. Thanks mate. It’s good to be back home, but mainly because of the quality coffee. TIM GALVIN tim.galvin@live.com.au
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If you’ve picked this issue up before Wednesday April 29 you can catch Sydney’s Dead Farmers as they launch their new Wasteland LP at The Phoenix. They’ll be joined by locals New Age Group and Total Nightmare for just a $5 door charge.
You know what’s pretty punk? Doc Martens. You know what’s not punk at all. Paying $200 for a pair. Outrageous. I still did it, but only because I’m reasonably comfortable in my place as a daggy poser, but now I’m a poor daggy poser with blisters on the back of my feet. Dr. Marten, if you’re even a real doctor, you pissed me off. Oops, wrong column…
In other surprising news, Bam Margera is not only still alive, but also still legally allowed to travel and have social interactions wizh other human beings. The former Jackass star is coming to Canberra with his band Fuckface Unstoppable, which also features members of CKY, Viking Skull and Guttermouth. They’ll be at ANU Bar on Wendesday May 6 with local support set to come from Foreign Kings and Urge to Kill. Tickets are available via Oztix; $57.15 or $210.15 for a Golden Ticket, which includes a meet-and-greet. If you’ve been a teenager at any point during the past fifteen years and fancy a trip down emo-memory lane then you should probably be heading to see Silverstein on their ten year anniversary tour. They’ll be playing at the Magpies City Club on Thursday May 7 with support from Dream on Dreamer and Young Lions. The show is all ages and you can snatch up tickets for $38.30 through Oztix Sydney noise-rockers Infinity Broke are headed on tour to launch their new album Before Before. They’ll be stopping by The Phoenix on Thursday May 14 with support from locals Agency. $10 on the door. Melbourne thrash group King Parrot are headed to the Magpies City Club on Thursday May 21. They’ll be joined by hometown mates High Tension and Collosvs. On Saturday May 30, Melbourne’s Clowns will be stopping in Canberra as part of their Running ‘Through These Veins Tour’. They’ll be at The Phoenix with support from Melbourne’s Summer Blood, Sydney’s Tanned Christ and locals Office Jerk and Hygeine. Tickets for this one will be $5 on the door. The pretty much legendary Frenzal Rhomb are headed to Canberra on their ‘The Final C*ntdown Tour’ and if this news doesn’t excite you immensely then you should take a second to look back at your teenage years because they sucked, guaranteed. Anyway, they’ll be at The Basement on Thursday June 4 and you can secure tickets for $27.50+bf through Moshtix. That’s all for now, folks. Punks. Punk folk. IAN McCARTHY/PUNK.BMA@ GMAIL.COM
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METALISE When lifeisnoise announced a June tour for my album of the year producing band I won’t deny going a bit funny in the duds. I tweeted as much when the joyous news that Pallbearer were undertaking a winter pilgrimage and hitting the Hermann’s Bar in Sydney on Saturday June 20 off the back of a performance at the very interesting Dark Mofo fest happening in Tasmania on Thursday June 18. Last year’s Foundation of Burden record proved that Billy
Anderson was still capable of doing extraordinary things behind the desk, producing a lush dense and melodic soundscape to show that the bands exceptional debut record Sorrow and Extinction was no anomaly. This is my winter must see show. Closer to home the supports for the June visit from the USA’s Weekend Nachos gig at the Basement in Belconnen was announced in the last couple of weeks. The date is Monday June 9 and local grind lords Wretch will join Cursed Earth in supporting the Reelapse Records power violence band. Should be a cracker. Silverstein play the Magpies in the city this fortnight with their show on Thursday May 7. Joined by Dream On Dreamer and Young Lions, the Canadian post-hardcore band will no doubt live preview their new record I Am Alive In Everything I Touch, their eighth, which is due out on Tuesday May 19. King Parrot obviously made an impression on the Metal Hammer journo’s at the Soundwave Festivals earlier this year. The magazine featured Slatz and Youngy translating Australian for the YouTube channel and their relentless touring schedule and high profile record producer has resulted in the band being up for nomination in this years Golden Gods, arguably the largest heavy metal awards show held in the UK each year. The new album Dead Set is out on Friday May 15 and the predictably hectic touring schedule that accompanies it lands at the Magpies in the City on Thursday May 21 with High Tension and Colossvs. Don’t forget Voyager and Klone hit the Basement on Saturday May 22. If you’re a south sider, consider a hotel room in Belco for the show on the Sunday May 23 where Divine Ascension headline a bill featuring four great bands including Tensions Arise, Acid Nymph and Johnny Roadkill. You may also consider a sleepover in the city the following weekend with the Magpies hosting two big nights in a row. Saturday May 30 is the Into The Crypt show with a huge mixed bill with something for all tastes of heavy music including I Exist, Hellbringer, Witchskull, Boonhorse and Urge To Kill for a mere $10. Sunday May 31 is In Hearts Wake with We Came As Romans, Beartooth and Storm in The Sky. JOSH NIXON doomtildeath@hotmail.com
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rory mccartney The basement location under the YHA Backpackers in Akuna St has hosted several bars over the years. There’s been Re-Bar, The Church Bar and currently TRANSIT BAR. In an atmosphere of declining venue numbers, Transit has brought a steady tide of exciting up and coming acts to Canberra. In May, the bar celebrates its ninth birthday. BMA spoke to Jem Natividad, the man charged with the vital role of securing performers for gigs, about the venue. “Transit came into the scene about the time that Toast, where I came from, was winding up,” says Natividad. “Transit took over carrying the torch for Toast. We really found our feet about three or four years in and started doing a lot more live stuff.” Being the venue booking guy sounds exciting, but it’s not without hard work and stresses of its own. Natividad admits that he has had nail-biting moments. “All the time! It’s one of the major challenges in doing a live venue, especially when we’re trying to maintain the standards we’ve set.” Fortunately bands rarely cancel and when they do, it’s for important reasons like family emergencies. “In my time in the music industry, I’ve rarely come across any drama queen types,” he says. “Then again, I’ve done it for so long that I don’t sweat the small stuff anymore’.
Asked about the venue’s biggest event, Natividad laughs, “We’ve punched above our weight so many times over the years. I have been stoked at the acts we’ve put through.” Natividad mentions DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist as real catches, as Transit would be the smallest venue they have played in a decade. On occasion, Transit captures artists who play stadium show and these can bring their own dramas. “Staging the Shadow and Cut Chemist thing was quite a challenge, because on that tour the smallest venues they played in Australia were 1500 capacity. Trying to translate that big a show with $100,000 worth of gear to a small stage is a tough day.”
My attitude, rather than booking stuff that is on jjj now, is to build stuff that will become bigger later on
Natividad is proud of what Transit has achieved and the goals it has set for itself. “We started with local bands, then started taking internationals in and diversifying the kind of music that we do,” he says. Transit has an open music policy, embracing DJs, hip hop, metal, indie – whatever’s in the spectrum. “I have a wide music taste, as does the owner,” says Natividad. “We’re not a single genre place as venues tend to be. I think we’re unique like that.” Transit aims to be ahead of the wave, rather than relying on what’s popular right now. “My attitude, rather than booking stuff that is on jjj now, is to build stuff that will become bigger later on,” says Natividad. “I like helping them get to that stage.” He gives Owl Eyes as an example, noting that her shows grew from just a few people, to other 100 to completely selling out. Research takes up 80% of Natividad’s time. “I spend a lot of time studying what’s out there and making approaches to people,” he says. “Sometime its agents saying I’ve got this hot new band for you to try out.” While the balance between Transit chasing acts and acts chasing them is 50/50, the venue currently gets more requests from bands than it can deal with.
The size of the stage can be an issue. “We’ve had some big acts come in, see the stage and have 30 seconds of shock,” says Natividad. “But that wears off as soon as the show starts. Artists tend to get it, that we don’t have that crazy barrier between them and the people, like most venues do. Bands really enjoy the intimacy, coming off saying that’s one of the best shows they have done.”
Everyone knows about the demands placed on city venues regarding noise limitations and the downfall this has meant for some venues. However, Transit has managed the issue well. “We suffered a lot of that in the middle years,” Natividad says. “Every time the front door opened sound escaped, affecting the hotels above and across from us. So we changed to the side door and made improvements in terms of sound baffling.” Transit has done karaoke for several years. “It’s an important feature in demonstrating that we are a bar that does stuff,” says Natividad. “We’re not just a live music venue – in the end we are a bar.” The bar takes pride in its craft beer selections and maintains an impressive array of top shelf rums because, as Natividad adds, “the owner, the managers and myself, we do quite like our alcohol.” Notwithstanding the bar focus, Transit’s people are all seriously into music and have been in local bands. Natividad was in Bent Hen, Damo the sound guy was in SMEG and Brad the security guy was in Pod People. Marc, the owner, was well known for his dreads. Looking back, Natividad admits, “I’m kind of happy we’ve lasted nine years in the volatile Canberra market, when a lot of businesses have suffered over the last 18 months. There are so many bars, but no one is doing live music.” The birthday bash will feature a whole week of celebrations. The exciting line-up includes The Hard-Ons, Foreign Kings, Adalita and many more. Transit Bar’s big anniversary week kicks off on Tuesday May 12. For full details including ticketing head to transitbar.com.au. [Photo credit: Ben Davies, OhSnap photos]
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CODY ATKINSON What is DIY? DIY is Do It Yourself, an ethos that has been adopted by alternative subcultures over the years, not to mention home renovators. How about we stick to the music… If you want. DIY is about taking control of your music and as many aspects of it as you can. DIY is also what the Canberra music scene is. Bands practising in garden sheds. Recording in bedrooms. Holding house-shows in living rooms, with mattresses against the windows to protect from noise complaints. Venues tend to be on the smaller side and after a while you start to notice the same faces in the crowd and on the stage. So why the focus on DIY? Everything has to start somewhere – every great idea has to have a small moment where the slightest distraction or disturbance can knock it out of existence. An inclusive scene helps to foster these new sounds and helps encourage the really good ones. Instead of getting lost in the drift of a bigger city, Canberra lets something that is good grow pretty quickly, both via word of mouth and local press.
But isn’t Canberra largely DIY by circumstance and not by choice? Canberra isn’t home to any major record labels, huge studio or big booking agencies. BIG MUSIC doesn’t live here and it’s parsimonious with its visiting time. It is, however, packed with people who give a shit about music, who are willing to devote their time and effort to what they like and are willing to make it succeed in any way they can. So, for the uninitiated, who’s out there on the local scene? Canberra has a bunch of small labels and collectives devoted to getting their music out there in any way that they can. Lacklustre Records run towards the harder edges of rock and punk, putting on shows and releasing records. Dream Damage has been kicking around for as long as I’ve been in town, putting out a nearly universally high quality, if not small, stream of music.
Canberra lets something that is good grow pretty quickly, both via word of mouth and local press
But you’ll never be a superstar coming from Canberra. It’s a small pond. Well, Peking Duk just played Coachella last week, with a member of SAFIA supporting them. Peking Duk are less than five years away from playing uni nights and I saw SAFIA last year at a converted warehouse in Braddon. These days, if you want to “make it”, you can do so from nearly anywhere (with a bit of luck). If all this music is out there, where is it physically? Like it has been for the last few decades, music gets thrown out there in any way possible – CDs, cassettes, vinyl, you name it. Even USB drives are used as distribution where it makes sense. Instead of just dubbed cassettes and burnt CD-Rs, the most common form of DIY distribution nowadays is online, with Soundcloud pages and Bandcamps numbering in the thousands. If you want to feel good about the local music scene, spend the next week or so cruising the “Canberra” tag on Bandcamp. Yeah? There’s literally something for everyone out there, all coming out of our city. Punk. Metal. Hip-hop. Pop. Electronica. Sounds that you couldn’t imagine coming from the suburbs of the Capital. Stuff that’s really bloody good, that you had no idea existed, or even could exist, here. And some absolute garbage. There’s gotta be crap for the good stuff to stand out. Exactly. Also, just because I think it’s crap doesn’t mean that you’ll think it’s crap.
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Is that it? Nope. Cinnamon Records cover a pretty wide range of sounds and styles, as does HellosQuare Records who also run a vinyl-only household record store, Peking Spring. The Canberra Musicians Club puts on local shows each and every week. Dirty Girl/ Canberra Music Blog write and support the local scene in various ways. Birds Love Fighting might be more Melbourne-based than Canberra now, but they still have some footprint in town. Home Brew Records put on a number of shows at City Magpies and have started to make noise about releasing music. Done? Still going. The Burner Collective have been putting out mixtapes and dabbling in shows for a while now. ZonkVision keep it pretty out there, but have put on some great stuff over the years. In the world of hip hop, the Caps Lock Collective and the Next Movement have been getting it done, with shows and releases all across the board. Is this just one of those laundry list things where you try to list everyone you can without actually saying anything? I’ve probably forgotten about a thousand other labels here, from lack of space to sheer lack of knowledge. Canberra’s scene is vibrant and I don’t think any one person could be across it all. That’s before we get to the individuals putting on shows around town and making their music available to anyone who wants to listen. All outside the gaze of BIG MUSIC… Yep. All for the sake of making and enjoying music. Artists buy the music of other artists. Locals support locals on short tours. Fans cross over between scenes and genres, supporting in any way they can.
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E X H I B I T I O N I S T ARTS | ACT
PLEASE, MIRIAM, TELL US SOME MORE indigo trail MIRIAM MARGOLYES is very often described as ‘the batty, mad aunt you wish you had.’ And, while only a fool would disagree, I suspect it would be a grave mistake to pigeonhole an explosive personality such as hers. She’s incredibly learned – speaking with her is vaguely akin to having a conversation with an animate literature encyclopaedia, which is also vaguely petrifying – but she’s also warm, blunt and very, very funny. Next month she will be in Canberra, as her new show The Importance of Being Miriam, plays at the theatre Wednesday– Saturday May 6–9. “The Importance of Being Miriam is quite rich in content, I will say that,” Margolyes reveals over the phone from Sydney, where she has just been promoting this one-woman extravaganza. “If people don’t like me, they shouldn’t come, because there’s a lot of me in it.” Despite this rather wry observation, she hopes it’ll draw a large crowd from across the board. “A lot of older people like coming to my shows – I don’t know why because my shows are incredibly rude,” she says, simultaneously pensive and – older people can remember me in Blackadder, the younger ones can remember me as Professor Sprout from Harry Potter and Australians will know me from Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, so I hope that will pull in the people.” Even people who might be taken aback at her straightforwardness? She laughs. “Of course. It’s good for people to be a bit shocked.” By all accounts, the show is a multifarious dance through the shocking, the intriguing and the heartrending. Accompanied by pianist John Martin, it’s a combination of classical literature – including works from Oscar Wilde, Shakespeare and Margolyes’ personal favourite, Charles Dickens – and anecdotes and stories from her own life. It’s is an intricate blend of genres, emotions, characters and, most importantly, words. “It’s quite complicated actually. For example, I tell a very personal story about my mother towards the end of the show. And that I find quite upsetting and self-involving.” Margolyes reveals that in fact the whole show is dedicated to her mother, who died of a stroke when she was quite young. “You know, she was such a huge influence on my life… She really dominates me, I think. She always did dominate me and I’m not unhappy about that. It was a wonderful relationship.” Here, Margolyes goes silent for a moment and the phone line crackles briefly with things unsaid. “She taught me how to be a person,” she finishes, with a trace of a smile in her voice. There is a flip side to this poignancy though, which Margolyes tackles with typical candour. “There are things that have happened [in my life] that she would strongly disapprove of. You know, she was very opinionated, like I am and I think she would have found some of my remarks quite disgraceful.” She barks a laugh. “She was very respectable and I’m…not really respectable.”
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“I often think some people might faint with shock when they hear some of the language and some of the things that I talk about.” Indeed, it is well known that Margolyes does not censor herself for anyone – as best exemplified a few weeks ago, when she infamously called Tony Abbott a tit on national television. “Oh I got into a lot of hot water for that,” she says. “It was on the front page of the newspapers. I was quite embarrassed, actually.” Despite the controversy, she doesn’t seem to regret it. “I think that I have all my life said things that people have thought but not actually said themselves. Sometimes it gets you into trouble and sometimes it doesn’t and instead makes you friends, but it’s certainly not something to be taken on lightly.” This love of opinions, words and language in all its forms has tenaciously walked alongside Margolyes her whole life. I ask her about Dickens, who is her favourite author and she goes off like a firecracker, alit with excitement. “I can’t understand why everybody isn’t nuts about Dickens! He’s the most fabulous storyteller – he creates the most extraordinary and funny and diverse and terrifying characters and he has a clear moral streak so you always know who’s the bad and who’s the good.” Her unbridled enthusiasm is almost palpably leaking out of the receiver. “He was able to command so many different moods, because he’s wonderfully funny! And shocking and also full of a sentimental love for family and good humour. He creates a whole world and once I entered it when I was eleven, which was my first reading of Dickens, I never left it,” she says happily. It’s suddenly easy to imagine a row of well-loved, dog-eared Dickens books lining the shelves of her home, having followed her all over the globe. Soon enough though, she turns contemplative. “I don’t think that I’m consciously trying to recreate [an environment as rich as Dickens’] in this show. But I think that without even knowing it, he has influenced me so strongly that I feel that’s what I must do – present a rich and varied canvas, because that’s what he does. So I hope that I do that.” She pauses momentarily before proudly stating, “I believe that I do, because people afterwards say, ‘Gosh, there was so much in the show. So many different things.’ I like to think that they can take a big bite out of the sandwich I’m offering.” To finish off, I ask one last (and, given we’ve just discussed the significance of language, perhaps irritatingly tricky) question. Can she sum up such a complex, dynamic, garrulous show using just one word? “One word! Only one?!” she shrieks incredulously. There is a long pause – for a split second, I think the line is dead. Then, the resonant, defiant answer. “No!” The Importance of Being Miriam is at the Canberra Theatre Wed–Sat May 6–9. Tickets from $67–$95.
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BEST IN SHOW SAMUEL TOWNSEND Two years ago Kirsty Webeck was working in a, “Miscellaneous, nondescript department in the Federal Government”, which she says, “Wasn’t particularly funny and shall remain nameless.” At the age of 30, after an epiphany of sorts, Webeck made the decision to develop her knack for hilarious story telling (which until then was only inflicted upon her friends and family, myself included) and give stand-up comedy a crack. She enrolled in a one-week workshop organised by the Melbourne International Comedy Festival crew and got busy honing her craft. The weeklong intensive resulted in a five-minute routine as part of a wider showcase of emerging comedians. Webeck recalls that she, along with 15 other budding jokers, were encouraged to rope in ten mates to “create” the audience, which eventuated in a 150 strong crowd for her debut gig. The rest, as they say, is history. Soon after, Webeck left the “serious government portfolio” and embarked on a mission to make audiences laugh for a living. After a sojourn through the US, where Webeck feasted on live
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comedy acts for inspiration, she returned to Australia and penned her MICF show, HOPING FOR THE BEST, which has seen sold-out nights during its run at Caz Reitop’s Dirty Secrets in Collingwood. Webeck says the show, “Allegedly goes for 50 minutes, but has run for well over an hour each night, which has made audiences and venue manages very happy!” The show itself is a journey through Webeck’s “dubious employment history”, taking audiences back to her days in Canberra by putting the microscope on the “ridiculous and mundane positions” she held whilst growing up in the Capital. Webeck reflects on her title as the ‘Quality Assurance Cleaner’ at the Cheesecake Shop. “My schoolbag was full of sandwiches so old that they’d turned into green powder,” she says. “My math book had been drizzled in so much bag-juice that it had more nutritional value than anything from Light and Easy. So it makes sense that this was my first job title.” Webeck sites the “everyday” as being a major inspiration to her particular brand of comedy. “Interactions with people and breakdowns in communication, people getting upset over really inane things,” she lists. The coming year is bound to provide Webeck with a wealth of new material as she busily plans a tour that will take her to Brisbane, Sydney and Adelaide before heading to New Zealand. Webeck’s blond ambition, motivated by her love for both Denise Scott and Drew Barrymore, should also see her back in America before the year is out. “I’m not going to wait around for someone to tell me the time is right,” she says. “The right time is now.” Webeck is fearless in her approach and the proof is in the pudding, or the cheesecake in this instance. “I figure, why not? I’m going to toss myself in the deep-end, like I did by starting with one-hour shows!” Kirsty Webeck performs Hoping For The Best at The Front Gallery and Café on Sat May 23 and Mon May 25 at 7pm. Tickets and information through trybooking.com
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ARTISTPROFILE: Aylana Soktoeva
What do you do? I work with colour combinations and apply different styles, forms and objects. I work with a technique known as eclecticism, which combines many theoretical art practices including realism, abstractionism and impressionism. When, how and why did you get into it? I start creating and painting when I was six years old. Art has always been a part of me – it is a great tool to communicate with thousands of people, silently explaining my thoughts and emotions. Who or what influences you as an artist? I get inspiration from my life events, memories and emotions and associate them with colours, forms and objects and apply appropriate style. It is important to connect the message and the mood of the paintings I create and give the opportunity to all viewers to discover their own understanding and meaning.
Of what are you proudest so far? Graduating from university with a postgraduate degree in Visual Arts and Design. My works has been published in the European catalogue magazine New Faces In Arts and the Russian-Chinese magazine Zabaikalie Without Borders. I participated in Showcase Raw Artists in Canberra July 2014 and became Canberra Raw Visual Artist of the year. This March, I had the opportunity to take a part in showcase as part of Art Not Apart. What are your plans for the future? I’m planning to continue creating and showcasing. My main goal is to prepare and present my personal exhibition and travel around with my works. What makes you laugh? People who love me, happy people, animals, generosity and honesty. What pisses you off? Indifference, dullness and lies. Arrogance, duplicity and lack of tact. What about the local scene would you change? More opportunities for artists to showcase and get easier this information about upcoming events. Upcoming exhibitions? Will definitely continue exhibiting as soon as there is an opportunity. Contact Info: BAjka1@yandex.ru, Facebook group: Aylana Soktoeva – Visual Art
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UNINHIBITED I was a tall kid. Tall and skinny and no good at sport. My talents lay elsewhere. I was known for my intricately collaged cards made for Christmas and birthdays, memorising the dialogue (verbatim) to Drop Dead Fred and The Colour Purple, as well as the Chinese art of fēng shuǐ, which I practiced under the tutelage of my step-mother, notorious for her compulsive rearrangement of furniture. Even with these impressive strings to my bow there is still a single resounding statement, made by family and friends-of-the-family, which haunts me years later – “So tall! Gosh, he’ll make such a good basketball player!” Bullocks. I will not. The only dribbling I was doing occurred during sleep, whilst wearing braces and my retainer. No one ever once said, “Gee-whizz, what an eye for composition” or “How long did that take you?” and I can’t ever recall being asked who my ‘artistic heroes’ were. Art is a dirty word. “But surely the times have changed?” I can hear you asking. More bollocks. I teach teenagers and I’m telling you, “The times, they are a stagnant.” My classes are populated mostly with female students, which is wonderful, but also really interesting when you ponder the art
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world, an institution overly represented by men. Ask anyone to recall five artists off the top of their head without thinking and the names that are generally spat freely are Andy, Pablo, Henri, Michael and Salvador. The boys club. I digress – this is a rant about actively encouraging our youth by nurturing their creativity, not a rant about gender inequality (not in 470 words anyway). It’s no secret that art, in its many guises, is under-appreciated, undervalued and undersexed in this great land we call Oz. Our government’s focus is firmly fixed elsewhere, creating a ‘trickle down effect’. The trickle makes its way to the parents of my students who often sit across from me at Parent Teacher Evenings asking questions like, “But what kind of job can you get with a visual art degree?” How should I know? Which one is your kid anyway? I can never tell them apart when they’re out of their numbered footy jerseys. What I do know is that tall kids need to stop being told they’ll be great sportsmen just because their femurs are abnormally lengthy. Instead of recoiling in horror when your son or daughter returns home to tell you they’ll be studying Alternative Firing Methods in their elected Ceramics class next Semester, feign interest and ask questions; “What is Raku anyway?” is generally a good conversation opener. Also, learn the names of female artists already! Start with Louise Bourgeois, Vivian Maier, Georgia O’Keefe, Rosalie Gascoigne and Yayoi Kusama. Art is not a dirty word, art is good for you. Art makes the world go round. samuel townsend
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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
IN REVIEW
As You Like It The Playhouse Tuesday 7 – Saturday 18 April 2015 Shakespeare’s reputation has sustained itself for four centuries largely through the continuing relevance and accessibility of his insights into human nature. Bell Shakespeare has made him even more accessible. Usually without even altering the plays’ language, the company has a flair for using body language to clarify the meanings of archaic words and of very dated jokes. Of course, knowing more about those words enriches the play; but the moral dilemmas, the reasons for conflict, and — puns excepted — the major comedic moments continue to amuse, enliven, and enrich us. (If Shakespeare’s characters deal with their dilemmas in ways that seem strange to us, perhaps the same would apply vice versa; to them, broadcasting to all and sundry our every insignificant problem might even seem deranged!) Bell’s rendition of the play, largely in a surreally transparent forest setting, was entertaining, intriguing, and imaginative. Shakespeare’s comedic plots frequently feature disguises, sometimes even into the opposite sex. Bell newcomers Zahra Newman (Private Lives, The Government Inspector) and Kelly Paterniti (Home and Away, Griff the Invisible) each played one character forced to disguise herself as another, and did so brilliantly. Newman played the banished Rosalind, a girly girl, toughing it out, in banishment, as the young man Ganymede; Paterniti, as her loyal cousin, Celia, created, in her new persona as “Aliena”, the perfect comic foil for “Ganymede’s” character. For bonus complexity, Newman’s Rosalind, disguised as Ganymede, pretended to be Rosalind. Bell Shakespeare often takes this a step further by having an actor take two or three parts; in this
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one, most took at least two parts. A change of clothing, a change of hat, a new complexion, and a new demeanour usually effected the alteration, sometimes making it difficult to credit that the different characters mask the same actor. John Bell himself appeared as two characters; it was delightful to see their utterly convincing contrasting natures, as those of Tony Taylor, playing the servant Adam and the shepherd Corin, and of Alan Dukes, playing two very different brothers (both, as it happens, dukes). None of the actors was less than wonderful. From George Banders, as the shallow but energetically enthusiastic fool Touchstone, and Gareth Davies, in four different roles, to Dorje Swallow, as the convincingly reforming Oliver, and Emily Eskell, chiefly as the “Ganymede”besotted Phebe, and Abi Tucker, as the singing courtier Amiens and Touchstone’s love interest, the shepherdess Audrey: whether their parts were engaging, melancholy, or insipid, all played them brilliantly. Charlie Garber was a fabulous choice for Orlando, his instant love for Rosalind making him foolish most appealingly. Complementing all this acting talent was Kelly Ryall’s modern music set to Shakespeare’s “hey nonny nonny”–style lyrics, sung lustily by Abi Tucker (Heartbreak High, Water Rats), playing the courtier Amiens, and Davies, in his role as Touchstone. john p. harvey
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LITERATURE IN REVIEW Revival Stephen King [Hodder and Stoughton; 2014]
Stephen King, the masterful story teller and teacher whose dark and dangerous mind produces stories that shock and frighten, is back with Revival, his 58th novel and latest offering in the horror genre. Jamie Morton is an average rhythm guitarist for hire and former drug addict who narrates the story of the decent into darkness of a young electricity-obsessed Methodist minister after the death of his wife and young son in a car accident. Jamie’s story is also of his own coming of age and unravelling life through the decades. Jamie first meets Reverend Charles Jacobs as a six years old after the Reverend moved to the town of Harlow to take up his first ministry. The Reverend and his family are welcomed and establish in the community but he is sacked when, at his first sermon after his family are killed, he declares ,“We came from a mystery and it’s a mystery we go. Maybe something is there, but I am betting it’s not God as any church understands Him.” Some years later, Jamie meets the former minister again at a fairground while he is looking for a fix after being sacked from a travelling band. Now a charismatic huckster selling his ‘Portraits in Electricity’, Jacobs offers to cure Jamie of his drug addiction through the application of electricity to his frontal lobe. Knowing Jacobs helped his brother regain his voice the same way some years earlier, Jamie agrees. It becomes clear though that “something happened” during the treatment and while cured of his drug addiction, Jamie is not the same.
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There are a lot of markers that indicate that Jacobs is using sick desperate people as guinea pigs as he is building his skills in administering electrical treatments. Jamie is reunited through Jacobs with his first love, Astrid, who is terminally ill and seeks the electrical treatment as her last hope. At the end of her treatment she gives Jacobs confirmation that through the power of electricity the afterlife can be accessed. This is what Jacobs has been seeking to answer the question of what happened to his wife and son after their deaths. The answer does come when Jacobs takes his experimentation up a level by harnessing lightening to try to revive a dead woman. The ending is unnerving but not as horrifying as I was expecting. The view King gives us into an imagined place after death is at odds with what I understand to be the universal hope and some readers may find it quite disturbing. I however, expect nothing less when I read Stephen King. Seriously though, if you are not prepared to have your beliefs shaken then you should give this one a miss. Dark stuff told by the best in the business. alsey ann condie
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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 Another chief criticism of Canberra is that it lacks history. This from dwellers of cities themselves little more than 200 years old. To listen to the critics, one could be forgiven for thinking they are denizens of Rome, citizens of Carthage, inhabitants of Damascus, rather than recent migrants to Newtown or Fitzroy who, when confronted with this central fault line, clamour in their flustered defence that they were there well before macchiato became ‘a thing’. A paradox of greatness is that its attainment is often employed to denigrate more modest endeavours. It should be obvious to most that any honourable quest for beauty will only be tainted should that beauty be employed to highlight the relative plainness of others. I very much doubt that Alexandros of Antioch flaunted his Venus de Milo around Athens as a disparaging yardstick for more rudimentary sculptures, although I myself always found the Venus to have a little too much of the ‘surly, ham-fisted seadog’ about her to be considered truly beautiful. Even so, the point is that a pallor of smugness goes a long way to invalidating any claim to magnificence. It is this shortcoming which I feel does so much to nullify the haughty claims of the many urbanites who see fit to mock their own nation’s capital from afar, or even from within. Their central accusation seems to be that Canberra is a ‘planned city’, inferring that their own conurbations sprang fully-formed from the deep, Pyrmont having found its place alongside Haymarket as naturally as the beach leads to the sea. All cities are planned endeavours by their very nature. To claim them as ‘organic’ is to either mislead one’s audience or to expose one’s own idiocy to such a degree as to undermine any further utterance one may ever expel.
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Canberra is indeed a young whippersnapper in global terms, as chaste as the most virtuous lady in octuplet layered hessian petticoat and triple-padlocked chastity belt; but invest some time in her and she will reveal herself to you. Unlike the wanton strumpets of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast who are all too ready to infect all-comers with a panoply of nether bacterium. I am not arguing that Australia’s larger cities are without merit, of course they are (excellent methamphetamines), but I am averse to those who would belittle smaller towns as though the great cities of the country were their personal creations. Virtues become all the more attractive when unannounced, if not quite concealed. Banging on about one’s attractions renders them unattractive and your audience will develop an aversion to them should this shameful promotion come hand-in-hand with the disparagement of others. Smugness is a slippery notion: should one accuse another of it, the implication is that oneself is not smug; however, if one believes oneself not to be smug, there is a very good chance one is exactly that. This delicate concept of course does not apply to me, who am merely here to call out city-dwelling, smug Canberra-bashers for what they are. Cocks. gideon foxington-smythe
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bit PARTS BIRDS, BEASTS AND BEAUTY WHAT: Art Exhibition WHEN: Thu–Sun Apr–May 16–10 WHERE: Strathnairn Homestead Gallery As part of the Canberra and Region Heritage Festival and presented by Strathnairn Arts, Birds Beasts and Beauty is an exhibition of works created by members of the ACT Porcelain Artists Association. Using porcelain arts with modern techniques, the exhibition allows artists to apply their skills to a variety of forms and shapes and even includes pieces painted to commemorate the ANZAC day centenary. Over 180 pieces of work are on display in the two galleries and many pieces are available for purchase. For more information on the exhibition visit strathnairn.com.au. THOUSAND MILE STARE WHAT: Art Exhibition WHEN: Wed–Sun Apr –May 22 –10 WHERE: ANCA Gallery Australian visual artist Katy Mutton is bringing her post-war project Thousand Mile Stare at the ANCA. Combining research and art, this exhibition shines the light on the struggles of returned ANZACs as they came to terms with trauma and injury caused by World War I, as they tried to rebuild their lives on the land through the Commonwealth scheme. Mutton encourages you to shift your focus from the man as a soldier, but rather to focus on the man as a survivor, highlighting the damage which is not seen by the naked eye. Open12pm – 5pm, Wednesday to Sunday. Entry is free. THE CRUCIBLE WHAT: Theatre WHEN: Wed–Sun May 1–16 May WHERE: Theatre 3 Arthur Miller’s critically acclaimed classic American drama, The Crucible, is coming to Canberra, directed by Jordan Best. This classic drama is set between 1692–1693 during the Salem witch trials in the Province of Massachusetts Bay and is a powerful and timeless depiction of intolerance and hysteria which can tear apart a community. The audience will be transported to the 17th century Salem through the talented production team, including set designer Michael Sparks, set coordinator Russell Brown, Duncan Ley as John Proctor, Lexy Sekuless as Elizabeth Proctor, Adam J Salter as Parris and Zoe Priest as Abigail Williams. 8pm. $42 from canberrarep.org.au. PUPPETRY PROGRAM WHAT: Puppet workshop WHEN: Wed–Sun June 3–21 WHERE: Belconnen Arts Centre
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Marianne Mettes is a skilful puppeteer, puppet-maker, artist and performer, who uses her company PuppetOOdle to bring her years of knowledge and experience to others. Mettes has been professionally trained by master puppeteers and puppet builders from around the world, including Europe and USA, as well as receiving funding and creating projects for the Sesame Street Workshop (New York), Canberra Street Theatre and National Museum of Australia, just to name a few. Now Mettes is bringing her experience and mastery to her local Canberra community through an intensive program in which children can participate. $150 per term or $20 per class.
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the word
on albums
albums of the issue Sunnyboys Individuals/Get Some Fun [Feel]
It’s not an unusual story for a rock band – blaze brightly, burn out and bomb out. Sunnyboys was a band with a supernova glare in the early 1980s, built on a hit single ‘Alone With You’ and a successful self-titled debut record. Then it all went pear shaped, from a combination of label pressure, managerial decisions the band did not like, constant touring and a sophomore LP which flopped. The mix on their second album Individuals, resulted in a sound which bitterly disappointed the band. The final nail in the coffin was a serious mental health issue on the part of front man Jeremy Oxley. Sunnyboys could have disappeared into rock oblivion, was it not for the recent chance discovery of the original recording tapes for Individuals in the estate of their late manager. That paved the way for the re-release of the record, with a vibe of which the band could be proud. This resurgence was accompanied by the re-release of Sunnyboys’ third album Get Some Fun. Comparing the two LPs, the differences are dramatic, reflecting the swift development in the sound of what was still only a young band. Individuals is full of light and space, befitting a surf and beach vibe, with a simplicity characteristic of ‘70s pop/rock. Use of the ‘rough’ tapes, never intended for public exposure, has resulted in a curious sound to the re-release. The vocals come through cleanly due to the clarity of the recording and there’s an unusual feeling of space in the package, allowing instruments to be heard cleanly in their
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Dorsal Fins Mind Renovation [Remote Control] own right, rather than their competing in a mash of sound. The rough edge of the recording peeps out in one track, with the keys sounding out of place in the song. The brightness of the guitars which was Sunnyboys’ signature sound (at the time) dominates, as seen in the opening title track, a catchy foot tapper with joyous licks. ‘Leaf on a Tree’ presents a more complex, choppy sound, with some honky tonk piano (the only extra instrumentation in the mix). Album highlights come in ‘No Love Around’ and ‘You Need a Friend’, a track that shines with its harmonies, great melody and guitars that cast sparks. The package benefits from additional live tracks from a 1982 radio broadcast, including the hit ‘Alone With You’. At the time of its launch, Get Some Fun failed to grab either public or critical acclaim, and was insufficient to arrest the downward spiral that saw the band dissolve in mid-1984. However, the band genuinely sounds like it is having more fun, with an eagerness to experiment with a broader set of more complex arrangements, and extras like lashings of cow bell in ‘Cat Walk’. Get Some Fun was a genuine child of the ‘80s. The music comes harder edged and darker, with more heft to the guitar work in opener ‘Show Me Some Discipline’. There’s a flirtation with a Devo-esque flavour in ‘Lovers (On Another Planet’s Hell)’ and they played with the sound to give Oxley a deeper vocal tone (like Dave Faulkner of the Hoodoo Gurus) in ‘Come as No Surprise’. Tracks like ‘The Stooge’ indicated the exciting direction the band was taking, but it was not to be. While it was their last studio LP, Sunnyboys regrouped for more gigs as recently as early 2015. rory mccartney
The latest musical project of Saskwatch/ Eagle & The Worm’s Liam McGorry, Dorsal Fins offer up something of a Melbourne indie supergroup, with a lineup of ten core band members being augmented by an additional cast of rotating guests. McGorry describes his intent behind Dorsal Fins as being a desire to work with new sounds and processes removed from what he was used to, without a strict plan. While their origins may have been borne from experimentation though, there’s a very tight and focused feel to the ten tracks that make up this debut album Mind Renovation. There’s a distinctly psychedelic indie-dance feel to a lot of the tracklisting, with keyboards and jangling guitars fusing neatly with propulsive, occasionally electronic-based rhythms. If opening track ‘Nothing Left To Hide’ calls to mind a more hiphop-meets-garage rock take on Tame Impala’s galloping grooves as McGorry’s distorted vocals echo out against horns and tripped-out synths, ‘Monday Tuesday’ offers up a sweet turn into streamlined new wave pop as Ella Thompson’s reverb-drenched multitracked vocals call to mind some shimmering fusion between The Runaways and Cut Copy. ‘Heat On The Floor’ meanwhile ventures out into flamboyant disco-funk grooves as crisp programmed beats and fat synth bass grooves roll beneath opulant Philly soul horns and Thompson’s rnb-tinged vocal harmonies. ’Cut The Wire’ calls to mind shades of Kasabian as clattering hiphop drum breaks and jagged indie guitars intersect against McGorry’s nasal treated vocals while deep synth bass pads lurk in the foreground. Apart from ‘Jacqueline’s slightly awkward and jarring side-step into stream of consciousness spoken word, Mind Renovation sees Dorsal Fins pretty much consistently firing on all cylinders. chris downton
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Sufjan Stevens Carrie & Lowell [Asthmatic Kitty]
The Staves If I Was [Atlantic Records]
Doc Holliday Takes the Shotgun Odd/Even [Independent Release]
The last time Sufjan Stevens presented something bare and open, sans weird Christian-camp theatrics, was 2004’s Seven Swans. Ostensibly a record about faith, the overwhelming takeaway from that beautiful record was how foreboding and creepy Stevens could make such primal arrangements sound. In the light of Carrie & Lowell, Swans sounds like something the Wiggles could cover. Carrie & Lowell is bleak.
There’s something almost tangibly spellbinding about The Staves’ latest offering, sophomore album If I Was. Their particular brand of folk-rock is very tranquil and soothing, but it’s also quietly addictive – the velvet glove hiding an iron fist. It’s those completely hypnotic three-part harmonies – just like a hand, they swoop down, picking you up and squeezing you out for all you’re worth. This album commandeers your complete attention, but never clamours or even asks for it – you just give it, willingly swept along by the tide.
Sydney-side five-piece Doc Holliday Takes the Shotgun followed their 2010 formation with the EP Boot Hill. Their newest release, at 12 tracks, could easily be mistaken for an LP, but it’s only one by stealth, as five of the listings are short sound samples. True to their 1960s platform, the band has strung songs together with scratchy snatches of song, like those to be heard as a driver turned the tuning knob of his analogue car radio in that era.
It’s also one of the loveliest records made in the past ten years. Maybe 20. It’s astounding. Heartbreaking. Beautiful. Confounding. Difficult. And masterful. The well reported back-story is that Carrie & Lowell is about Stevens’ parents – Carrie, his mother, suffered from schizophrenia and abandoned her family on a couple of occasions (“when I was three, three maybe four, she left us there in the video store”). Lowell is Stevens’ stepfather, married briefly to Carrie and remains a presence in the songwriter’s life (he runs Stevens’ label Asthmatic Kitty). This is a concept record about these relationships – mother, stepfather and son, through the prism of Carrie’s death in 2012 and the real world impossibility of finding something as clean and precise as closure. Carrie & Lowell is not a closure record, or a making peace record, so much as a document of the emotional travails the relationships herein entailed and where they’ve left the narrator. There are no brass sections, no grand motifs as per the 50 states records, no layered and laboured electronics as heard on The Age of Adz. Instead there is guitar, piano, banjo, falsetto and whispers. It’s a tough listen and something that doesn’t grab the listener’s throat. It’s more of a slow squeeze. A startling, sad, wonderful and essential record. glen martin
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It’s a neat, palpable improvement from their already excellent debut album, 2012’s Dead & Born & Grown. Dead & Born & Grown had the emotional significance expected of a lyric-focused folk rock band, but If I Was has something even more than that – a maturity that practically bleeds through every track. Something particularly commendable about If I Was is the track listing. Each song is a complexity to be unpackaged, it’s true, but they’re only so compelling because they are parts of a whole. There is a constant undulating rhythm, a sort of lyrical curlicue that leads you through the eerie halls of ‘The Shining’ – which, yes, does include references to Stanley Kubrick’s film of the same name (and yes, it’s awesome) – then through the wistfully pensive ‘Don’t You Call Me Anymore,’ to the inspiriting ‘Horizons,’ which sounds something akin to what I imagine it would be like to have a hot air balloon in your chest (the buoyant part, not the giant uncovered flame). If I Was is a sweet, fierce, quiet, demanding album that deserves a magnifying glass over every inch of its complexity. indigo trail
The band has captured the high speed reverb of surf rock and bent it to theatrical effect in its own horror-surf brand. Scorning traditional themes of monsters and aliens, the material illustrates more credible hazards such as suicide, reckless driving or being buried alive. The wild surf sound guitars of Courtney Print and Maxo Harrison provide a suitably dramatic means of expressing creeping menace, a real and present danger, or frantic desperation. There’s an undeniable allure to the fast and crazy foot tapping rhythms, if your feet can keep up. Stark warnings such as “don’t open any doors!”, or that you might end up as a bloody stain are delivered in the suitably ominous tones of frontman Jack Booker. Notable tracks are ‘No Frills’, with its undertaker tread pace that conjures an atmosphere of impending doom and ‘Shipwrecked’ whose banshee guitars illustrate a tale of grim love. Then there are the stratospheric licks, combined with the roll and pitch of an underlying rhythm, which together propel ‘Aokigahara’ (about a Japanese forest favoured as a suicide spot). When not vainly attempting to flee a terrible fate, the boys slow down to a swaggering stray cat style in the bluesy ‘King of the Moon’. RORY McCARTNEY
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The Prodigy The Day Is My Enemy [Cooking Vinyl]
The Wombats Glitterbug [Warner Music]
Tigran Hamasyan Mockroot [Nonesuch]
Liam Howlett and his merry men haven’t made it easy on themselves by leaving such a long gap between 2009’s Invaders Must Die and this latest album, but it’s been curious to see just how mixed the reaction has been to The Day Is My Enemy so far. Partially it’s been down to the release of weaker tracks as the initial singles, a trend that seems to have afflicted The Prodigy from ‘Girls’ onwards. Partially it’s also down to the musings of journalists attempting to work out exactly where they fit amongst today’s EDM landscape. As the 14 tracks that make up this collection make plainly clear, The Prodigy don’t, they never did and that’s arguably one of their greatest strengths.
You could argue that The Wombats have always been a happy band but you would be wrong. Listen closely and you will realise lead singer Matthew Edward Murphy has always has been a bit of a miserable sod. It’s good to hear he hasn’t lost this knack on the Liverpudlian lads third album, Glitterbug. Opener ‘Emoticons’ immediately spills upon new territory, with a change in pace, new guitar tones and unheard vocal abilities from lead singer, Matthew Edward Murphy. Already, answers as to how the band would reinvent the third time round are being answered.
Armenian jazz pianist Tigran Hamasyan started learning to play when he was nine and since then he’s proven to be something of a musical prodigy. Combining improvisational jazz influences with traditional Armenian folk, Hamasyan released his first album, 2006’s World Passion at the age of eighteen. He hasn’t slowed down since since, earning accolades and mentorship from the likes of Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock along the way. This latest collection on US jazz mainstay Nonesuch Mockroot offers up his sixth album in just nine years. Compared to Hamasyan’s preceding Shadow Theater album there’s far less of a dance/electronica feel to these twelve tracks, which see him focussing more on a live trio approach backed up by a drummer and bassist. As you’d expect, there’s plenty of virtuosic musicianship on display here.
Despite its Cole Porter-pinching title, The Day Is My Enemy offers up one of the angriest albums to come out of the UK in the last year, with Howlett wisely continuing the more band-oriented feel of its predecessor. When they’re firing on all cylinders, some of the tracks here stand amongst the band’s best work. The title track offers a crushing tank of an intro, with Martina Topley-Bird’s teasing guest vocals offsetting ferocious walls of wrathful distorted synths, while elsewhere the likes of ‘Wall Of Death’ and ‘Destroy’ easily stand up against some of the trio’s most stadium-shaking moments so far. As always, you can tell within three seconds that each of these tracks are Prodigy songs, with the signature hand-stabbed analogue keyboards, clattering breakbeats and subbass drops that have been their armament continually resurfacing. But that’s OK – The Prodigy own that sound and it’s what sets them apart from everyone else. chris downton
However, miserable soddiness aside, there are moments throughout Glitterbug marked with an endearing hopefulness. The sweetness of ‘Give Me A Try’ and ‘Be Your Shadow’ are elevated into pop glory with ‘80s synths. Alternatively, tracks such as the slick ‘Headspace’ and the shuddering ‘This Is Not A Party’ are decidedly dire, while ‘English Summer’ and ‘Pink Lemonade’ hark back to earlier days of their guitar slammers. In order to fully appreciate this record, I feel the need to contextualise. The Wombats debut’, A Guide To Love, Loss and Desperation was exactly what was stated on the packet, whilst This Modern Glitch explored the darker sides of our personalities we try to hide. On Glitterbug, they have reframed these older passages from these previous albums, seemingly effortlessly blending them into cohesion, yet still tapping into new ideas and holding their unique sensibility. Solid songwriting, sharp lyricism and a tangible reality behind the stories told mesh together into the trademark Wombats trap. Once again, they have succeeded in ripping out hearts and stitching them back in while having a good party. ANGELA CHRISTIAN-WILKES
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’Song For Melan & Rafik’ almost calls to mind one of Squarepusher’s more jazzcentred moments as spiralling keyboards dart back and forth against complex live drum patterns and Hamasyan’s own haunting wordless vocals, before rich horns make their appearance. Elsewhere, the dark and brooding ‘Entertainment’ reveals his love of metal as he hammers out furious powerchords against a wall of crashing drums, in what’s easily one of this album’s most ferocious moments. It’s not all pyrokinetics here, though. Hamasyan’s rendering of traditional Armenian folksong ‘Kars Parts 1 & 2’ offers up a haunting wander through feathery piano arrangements, subtle beat programming and urgent massed vocal harmonies that easily sends some of the biggest chills up the spine here, something that’s no mean feat. While there’s a lot to take in here in one sitting, Mockroot impresses. chris downton
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singles in focus by cody atkinson Dollar Bar ‘Wayne & Schuster’
Dick Diver Melbourne, Florida [Chapter Music]
Infinity Broke Before Before [Come to the Darkside Luke]]
Dick Diver’s third album, Melbourne, Florida, might just be their most diverse and mature album yet. The rambling jangle of their often attributed dolewave sound has developed into a subtle slice of laid back indie pop – perhaps it could be called post-dolewave?
Ex-Bluebottle Kiss member Jamie Hutchings’ new band Infinity Broke released its debut River Mirrors in 2014. That record deserted BBK’s melodic indie style, in preference for an intense, experimental sound that reveled in jagged edges. Just a year later comes a second album, also made with material laid down in the 2013 recording session.
The subtle melodies on Melbourne, Florida don’t so much hit you in the face here, but rather creep under your skin, revealing themselves like old friends on repeated listens. The guitar licks that punctuate over various tracks highlight details with an understated flourish. Dick Diver complete the sound with added horn section, but not to worry, nary a sax-crime is to be seen. The occasional off key notes are part of the charm, making it all the more realistic. Melbourne is, in fact, a city in Florida, USA, but there’s no confusion over where Dick Diver hail from. Their delivery is distinctly Australian – at times verging on naïve but always sounding earnest. All members share vocal duties, which heightens the sense of collaboration and allows each member to project a unique voice within the band. Their lyrical poetry sits comfortably within the Chapter Music catalogue, steeling Dick Diver’s place as a label heavyweight. The themes seem to share similarities of missed and lost human interactions, ultimately expressing suburban life: the glimpse of a tail light on the road; reminiscing through photographs past; broken, empty houses when the relationships are long gone; or the isolated view from a train window.
Very much a guitar album, Before Before stays true to the vibe of the debut, with a couple of notable differences. While still intense, tracks are shorter and punchier, with the backing of a female choir to mellow the sound. While Before Before has less of a wounded animal aspect to it, the tracks still carry a harsh sting that’s prominent in the opening pair of songs. Guitars bicker before breaking into a fist fight in ‘Famine of Words’, while the angular licks in ‘Only the Desert Grows’ caries a surfside tan. The lengthier ‘Cinder Borne’ carries more of the mood of the debut, but it’s no match for earlier works like ‘Monsoon’. The track ‘River Mirror’ links this LP to the preceding record and stands out with its catchier, more melodic tone.
Melbourne, Florida is a solid album and step in a new direction that demonstrates their versatility as a band. It should serve to cement Dick Diver’s place as one of most prominent bands in Australia at the moment.
The band’s love of ambient noise persists, except this time the gushing, splashing effects of ‘Water’ have given way to the scrap metal symphony ‘Domestik’. Well named, it sounds like my wife trashing the cupboards in search of a cake tin. Notable tracks include ‘Papa Was A Clown’, a high impact song that is rounded out by the female choir and Hutchings’ sister Sophie on Hammond organ. While it is easy to get beguiled by the sticky web of unkempt, harsh guitars in Before Before, the album has less of the intriguing character and fewer of the engaging rhythms which made River Mirrors so fascinating.
megan leahy
rory mccartney
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An extended callback to a well-spent youth watching endless amounts of telly, ‘Wayne and Schuster’ sees onceBrisbane stalwarts Dollar Bar at their best, with near-endless wordplay and distorted guitars. A little bit Richman, Malkmus or even Pollard, but with an ocker twang.
Ratatat ‘Cream On Chrome’ After a five year break between albums, Ratatat return with their genre-bending sound. Borrowing from hip-hop, electronica and rock, ‘Cream On Chrome’ continues with Ratatat’s lyric-free obsession with near-futurism and their addiction to catchy hooks.
Blur ‘My Terracotta Heart’ 2015 seems like the year that Blur ticks off the final box in their long-awaited (and long-lasting) comeback – a new album. ‘My Terracotta Heart’ has some nice elements, but lacks either the realism of Blur’s early high-points, or the intensity of their later days. Colder than usual, ‘My Terracotta Heart’ is still a nice song nonetheless.
Pitbull ft. NeYo ‘Time Of Our Lives’ This song is about getting drunk at a club listening to music like this particular song, a form of metaescapism that is almost certainly accidental. The idea isn’t new, the lyrics aren’t interesting and the melody doesn’t stick in your head. But it could be a lot worse.
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the word
on films
WITH EMMA ROBINSON
This week in cinemas we have all kinds of genres to delight, provoke and even terrify. The Age of Adaline sees Blake Lively flex her impressive acting chops as the layered and intriguing Adaline. However, if love stories aren’t what keep you coming back to the movies, you can forgo sleep for a week and see It Follows and afterwards thoroughly enjoy debating with your fellow cinema goers what the metaphors in that film were over the calming and restorative powers of wine. Glasses of which you should not count.
quote of the issue “Years, lovers, glasses of wine… These are things that should never be counted.” – Ellis Jones (Michiel Huisman) The Age of Adaline.
emma ‘no photo as yet’ Robinson
Black Sea
The Age of Adaline
The opening set up of this film reminded me of nothing so much as Brassed Off. A motley crew of blue collar Scottish workers are laid off from their jobs, although in this case their heartless employer is a marine salvage company and they work down on the ocean floor rather than down a mine. But the rest of the story could not have played out more differently.
This movie did well what the film adaptation of The Time Traveller’s Wife was trying to do – tell a love story about ordinary people with extraordinary afflictions. Both films explored the theme of displacement in time – The Time Traveller’s Wife saw the male lead shifting randomly from one moment to another and using this to form a bond with the love of his life. The Age of Adaline followed the nearly eight decades long life an immortal woman and how necessarily solitary and lonely that kind of life would be.
While commiserating their losses over a pint, conversation between Robinson (Jude Law) and his colleagues turns to a sunken U-Boat, chock-full of Nazi gold, which their company had located but had been unable to reach due to territorial disputes in the titular sea. With funding from a mysterious backer, represented by the duplicitous Daniels (Scoot McNairy), who accompanies their voyage, Robinson acquires a run-down soviet era sub, recruits additional Russian crew to run it and sets off to sea to find their fortune. Language barriers and bad attitudes contribute to rapidly escalating tensions among the crew. Add to that the challenges of keeping a leaking, creaking, rust-bucket sub running, evading hostile warships and the logistics of getting several tons of gold out of an 80 year old wreck and you’ve got one hell of a suspense piece. The racist, murderous Australian, Fraser (Ben Mendelsohn) is a particular standout, along with the Russian sonar operator, Levchenko (Sergey Kolesnikov). Not for the claustrophobic, the paranoid or the faint hearted. patrick bell
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Adaline (Blake Lively) is a woman frozen at the age of 29. After narrowly escaping the FBI (keen to solve the mystery of the ageless Adaline) she lives a cautious and isolated life, only staying in regular contact with her daughter (Ellen Burstyn). The human heart, needing what it needs, intervenes. Adaline reluctantly begins to fall in love with charming Ellis Jones (Michiel Huisman – or Daario Naharis!) My first thought was that I’d wished the director had explored the themes around the loneliness inherent to immortality far more thoroughly. Adaline’s need for companionship was lightly touched on in scenes with her and her dog – her involved conversations with the animal pointed to the need for an actual person to talk to. However, this film is a love story, not a philosophical piece and on that front it does very nicely. A great Sunday night movie. emma robinson
Avengers: Age of Ultron The eleventh entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is full of compromise. Writer and director, Joss Whedon, is caught between managing a lukewarm core story while getting sidetracked with the demands of tangents associated with future Marvel blockbusters. Avengers: Age of Ultron is overloaded, but the spectacle is fun, Whedon’s witty dialogue pops and the execution of intimate character moments shine in what’s essentially a bridging film in the MCU. Tony Stark/Ironman (Robert Downey Jr.) jumpstarts a peacekeeping program using an artificial intelligence program that becomes the villainous Ultron (James Spader). The Avengers swing into action to stop Ultron’s plot to destroy humanity. The opener illustrates Whedon’s skill at crafting action set pieces as The Avengers raid a compound of the evil organisation Hydra. Whedon frames each beat like it was ripped from the page of a comic. His composition of each heroic feat is superb despite being mired by an overuse of digital effects and scrappy editing as the film progresses. Whedon is a master at breaking tension with humour as a reminder of the ridiculousness of superheroes at play – it’s okay to have a crazy amount of fun embracing the impossible. Ultron is a middling antagonist but the narrative does allow for each Avenger to have their moment of vulnerability which outshines the physical conflict. Avengers: Age of Ultron has humility despite overextending itself as a cog in a much bigger machine. cameron williams
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Run All Night
It Follows
I hate to admit it, but I’ve never quite gotten Liam Neeson as an action hero – he seems bored in every scene he’s in, like he’s seen and done it all before. Such is the case with his latest offering, Run All Night.
Every time someone suggests ‘let’s go see a scary film’ I say ‘Yes! I LOVE scary films!’ I then find myself in the cinema, thinking ‘why do I do this to myself?! This isn’t fun, I’m terrified!’ And then I remember a good scary film is actually a wonderful and impressive thing.
Jimmy ‘The Gravedigger’ Conlon (Neeson) is an alcoholic exgangster troubled by the past that earned him his nickname. Estranged from his son Mike (Joel Kinnaman), Jimmy’s only real friend is his old boss, Shawn Maguire (Ed Harris). When a horrific coincidence threatens the life of his son and his young family, Jimmy is forced to once again rely on his very particular set of skills to get them out alive. For a man wrestling with psychological weight of his past crimes, Jimmy seems to have little concern with doubling or tripling his body count over the course of the film. There are some interesting themes of fatherhood, redemption and ‘like father, like son’ surrounding Jimmy and Sean which aren’t properly fleshed out or explored. Add to this a never ending number of action movie clichés (sketchy eastern European gangsters and an unstoppable Anton Chigurh wannabe assassin, played by an actor with the unlikely stage name of Common, to name but a few) and you’ve got a fairly run-of-the-mill flick. The acting is of a quality and the reverse car chase makes for some fun but, like Neeson, we’ve seen it all before. patrick bell
Jay (Maika Monroe) is a young woman living in a dreamlike surburbia. After having sex with her boyfriend (Jake Weary) she finds herself being stalked by slow moving… zombies? Visions? It isn’t clear. Only that they are relentless and seemingly unstoppable. One of the many things I loved about this film was how the director managed to leave the time it was set in ambiguous – there were no smartphones or references to the internet and the fashion was a collection fads long past. The whole piece felt like a nightmarish sequence – there was no logic, just a feeling that what was stalking them was inescapable. I felt aggravated when Jay ran up the stairs (instead of out the front door) to escape her stalking sex creature. (On a side note, if you can stomach gratuitous gore see High Tension for a heroine that thinks and acts logically in a crisis). However, under the same circumstances I might not have all my wits about me, despite the vast number of horror films I’ve seen. So I can forgive this flaw. Full on and unforgettable. emma robinson
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the word on dvds
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Nightcrawler [Madman]
Spirited Away [Madman]
The Green Prince madman]
Louis Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a dysfunctional loser. After being fired from his construction job he happens upon a car accident and in the aftermath realises there are people who not only film accidents, but chase them and get paid by TV news stations for the resulting footage. Being a man of no scruples, this is his perfect job. Soon enough he is excelling at it, trampling over bloodied victims getting the type of extreme close up shots that attract higher fees and more notoriety. Starting out with basic equipment and no reputation, Bloom is soon a small businessman with an employee. Who he treats like shit because, you know, he’s dysfunctional.
The re-release of the Studio Ghibli back catalogue on Blu-ray is one of the greatest achievements in entertainment archiving in decades. As each new title gets the hi-def treatment, we are again reminded of how timeless and perfect these films are. But despite the acceleration of digital technology – especially in animation – there hasn’t been a noticeable impact on the famed Japanese studio’s output. Older titles like Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away looked just as vibrant, fresh and brilliant as the recently released The Wind Rises. What this says is, Ghibli nailed it from the get-go and never faltered.
You’re the Palestinian son of one of the founders and the spiritual leader of Hamas. You eat dinner with the man who is at the nerve centre of Hamas strategy. You’ve grown up under the constant scrutiny of the Israeli security forces. Your father is taken away for five minutes by those same forces and returns a year later. Anger, fear and resentment to the point where you buy guns on the black market. Soon after you are bailed up and sent to jail. You emerge an Israeli spy for the murky Shin Bet, for which you will remain for ten years through a turbulent and deadly decade that included the Second Intifada and the death of Yasser Arafat. You are responsible for the incarceration of your own father to prevent a statesanctioned assassination. You are sent to prison on multiple occasions and ‘interrogated’ to maintain the visage of a Palestinian terrorist. And that’s just the half of it. It sounds like an overegged season of Homeland – but it’s the true life story of Mosab Hassan Yousef, the Green Prince.
Bloom’s big break comes when he is first on scene at a multiple murder, taping the perpetrators as they speed of in an SUV. In a sequence that can only be described as skin crawling and venal, he videotapes fresh corpses. His management of this recording brings him into clashes with the police and the station running his tapes. It feeds his ego and wallet. And of course, a salivating public demand more of it. Nightcrawler posits itself as a satire and a take down of modern TV news. The lengths that producers go to secure footage, the depths that content providers will sink to provide that footage and the depravity of the audience lapping this stuff up is the films target. Sadly, for the most part, none of it hits the target. It’s classic LA modern noir, out of the Michael Mann school of detached disconnection. So it looks gorgeous. But unlike Mann, first time director Dan Gilroy can’t keep all the pieces moving and make them fit together when needed. It is a tense film but ultimately empty, built almost entirely around Gyllenhaal’s skeezy and unsettling performance. But frankly, I’m getting tired of dysfunctional male losers, regardless of how bravura they are.
Ten year-old Chichiro is on her way to the new family home with her parents when they stumble across a deserted theme park. Her parents, Aiko and Yuko, rush headlong into the park but Chichiro is not so keen. Under duress she enters, crossing an empty river bed after which time everything proceeds to go completely bonkers. Her parents turn into corpulent pigs, a mysterious boy takes her under his wing – which is useful because humans aren’t welcome in this world, her name changes, there’s a dragon, a no-face and a bathhouse witch. That’s about a quarter of it. Chichiro’s journey through the terrifying and challenging spirit world was designed by Miyazaki for children around about the same age as Chichiro. It’s a coming of age story, where Chichiro develops essential life skills and overcomes fears. The crazy world she finds herself in mimics (hopefully) the imagination of most children her age – something Miyazaki goes to great lengths to capture. Other themes are universal – adapting to new environments and jettisoning your past. Spirited Away was the studio’s international crossover hit and remains the highest grossing film of all time in Japan. That it looks gorgeous in hi-def is a given. But it’s the subtext that prolongs its shelf life, pretty much to infinity.
justin hook
justin hook
This peculiar story is told almost exclusively through talking head interviews with the two knowing participants in the plan, Mosab and his Shin Bet handler Gonen BenItzhak. Historicial footage and recreations break the simplicity of the interview format. But really, how could this be anything but fascinating. Fortunately, Mosab’s logic for becoming a traitor is investigated in some detail, it’s a critical element. But the broader context of his decade as a spy is only tangentially touched on and the internal reaction (Hamas, for example) of his outing is almost entirely overlooked. You also get the sense only about half the actual story is being told here. There are gaps and holes, possibly for operational reasons but possibly for the rumoured feature film about Mosab’s life. justin hook
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the word
on gigs
PHOTO BY MEGAN LEAHY
The Beards, The Stiffys ANU Bar Saturday April 18 Having not-so-subtlety stuck their band name over The Beards’ drum kit, Melbourne two piece art rockers The Stiffys leapt on stage in their racing driver suits and helmets. The loudest band of the night, the drum and bass guitar outfit roared out silly songs with the simplest lyrics (sometimes just two words repeated over and over), bashed out to catchy beats. Song themes covered topics as varied as Red Rooster, Skittles sweets, sex and French kissing (‘Kissy Kissy’). Their ‘Boogie Board’ song had punters carrying a girl, moving her arms in swimming fashion, over their heads through the crowd. After each song there was a high-five between the band members with encouraging cries of “Good job everyone” to the audience. It was all ridiculously entertaining! Unsurprisingly, the crowd was suitably hirsute, with hipster types being in the minority as people were there for beards for beards sake, not as a fashion item. The Beards gigs are equal opportunity facial hair events. The un-bearded could participate, with many women sporting false beards or drawn on ones and clean shaven guys with stuck on hair. Audience participation included a good deal of beard fondling between the audience and band members and there was the expected harassment of those who had dared to attend clean shaven. The show included pyrotechnics (party poppers) and a costume change (the guitarist took his shirt off). Oh yes, there was music too, led by the bushy Johann Beardraven, with his sultry sax and hair covered keytar. Somewhat unnecessarily he announced “This song is about beards” (they all were, of course) and the band’s followers sang along to every song, word perfect. (THE BEARDED) RORY MCCARTNEY
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the word
on gigs
Guantanamo Baywatch, The Shabbab, Bo Loserr Phoenix Thursday April 16 Strolling into the Phoenix slightly after the scheduled start time, I was greeted with the sounds emitting from an electronic (not electric) guitar and a vintage drum machine. Bo Loserr, nee Bacon Cakes, was bombarding the crowd with a new approach, one more like Spod than Bob Log III. While I only caught the end, it was an intriguing start to the night. The Shabbab are one of those bands that a brief description doesn’t serve them justice. A Melbourne-based group hailing from Tel Aviv and Beruit amongst other places, The Shabbab are gloriously unhinged onstage, an exhibition of all that is rock and roll and right with live music. They were tight, but they played like maniacs, bundles of energy barely contained by the small confines of the stage and their clothes. Sounding like a more spaced out version of the Black Lips, The Shababb blended their wide range of influences together to create something a bit different, and quite a bit good.
PHOTO BY MEGAN LEAHY
Guantanamo Baywatch. I’m going to stop the review for a second here, so we can all appreciate how good a name that is. Guantanamo Baywatch. Guantanamo. Baywatch. A three piece hailing from Portland (Oregon USA, not Victoria), Guantanamo Baywatch presented a blend of garage tinged surf rock with a bit of grit showing. However, they were at their best when they let their pop tendencies shine through, through slick guitar runs or sweetly intertwining vocals. All three members worked seamlessly on stage (down to the tequila order), except for the occasional false start in respect of song choice. A very impressive set by an impressive band. cody atkinson
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ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE Wed Apr 29 - Fri May 1
Listings are a free community service. Email editorial@bmamag.com to have your events appear each issue. thursday april 30
wednesday april 29 Art Exhibitions Weathered
17 Apr - 10 May.
BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE
X-Rated
The Sex Industry in the Act. Until Sept 20. CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY
Artifish // Artifice
By Ned Hatch. Opens 17 Apr. 6pm. Free. M16 ARTSPACE
Fritz Who?
By Brian Smith. Opens 6pm Apr 15 until May 16. Mon-Fri 9am-5.30pm. Sat 9am-1pm. CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)
Birds, Beasts and Beauty
Art exhibition. Thu 16 Apr – Sun 10 May.
STRATHNAIRN HOMESTEAD GALLERY
Stretch Marks of the Universe Tommy Balogh. NISHI GALLERY
Sticks and Stones
Art Exhibitions Birds, Beasts and Beauty
Art exhibition. Thu 16 Apr – Sun 10 May.
STRATHNAIRN HOMESTEAD GALLERY
Arja Valimaki
27 Mar 10am-2pm. 30 Mar-2 Apr 10am-4pm. 13 Apr-16 Mar 10am4pm. 17 Apr 10am. 27 Apr-30 Apr 10am-4pm. EMBASSY OF FINLAND
Dance Frame of Mind
Sydney Dance Company. 7.30pm. $49/$69. CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE
Live Music DVA
With Cracked Actor. 9pm. $5. THE PHOENIX BAR
Mozarts Flute
7pm. $49/$29/$20 at australianhaydn. com.au or 1800 334 388. ANU DRILL HALL GALLERY
By Gina Wyatt. Opens 17 Apr. 6pm. Free.
Clint Boge
Impulse
Dos Locos
M16 ARTSPACE
Art by Belle Palmer. Opening 6pm Tues 2 Apr - Sat 2 May. Free. TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE
Thousand Mile Stare
Art exhibition. Wed 22 Apr - Sun 10 May. 12pm – 5pm. Wed to Sun. Free.
8pm. $15.30. TRANSIT BAR
9pm. Free.
KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB
On The Town 4some Thursdays
ANCA GALLERY
Free entry.
Return to Anzac Cove “Your Friend the Enemy”
Playtime
13 artists commemorate Gallipoli. Opening 6pm Apr 10. Runs until 17 May. Open Wed-Sun 12-5pm. ANU DRILL HALL GALLERY
Sleuth: The Delegation
Art. Opening 6pm Thur Apr 2 - Sat May 2. TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE
Capture
ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB
Top 40, Dance, RnB. 10pm. Free entry. TREEHOUSE BAR
Something Different Shaken & Stirred
Burlesque. 7.30pm. $20. Bookings at politbar.co. POLIT BAR & LOUNGE
15 Apr - 10 May.
friday may 1
BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE
Groundrush
Opens 6pm Apr 10 - May 16. Tues - Fri 11am-5pm, Sat 10am-4pm.
Dance
CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)
Frame of Mind
Film
CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE
Sydney Dance Company. 7.30pm. $49/$69.
Spanish Film Festival 2015
Film
PALACE ELECTRIC CINEMA
Café Cinéma
Tickets at palacecinemas.com.au.
Live Music Dead Farmers
5.30pm. Quai d’Orsay. Free for members otherwise $12. ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE
With New Age Group & Total Nightmare. 9pm. $5.
Live Music
Steve Smyth
5pm afternoon session/10pm Band. Free.
THE PHOENIX BAR
8pm. $14.30.
Chicago Charles/ Itchy Triggers
TRANSIT BAR
KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB
Trivia
Lilve music. $30. 6.30pm.
Tranny Trivia
The Audreys THE ABBEY
Questions with Glamour. 8pm. Free. POLIT BAR & LOUNGE
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ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE Fri May 1 - Fri May 8 Kidgeeridge Festival
Music festival. Fri $77. Sat $127. Weekend pass $177. Camping tickets $60. Info at kidgeeridge.com.a
Groundrush
Opens 6pm Apr 10 - May 16. Tues - Fri 11am-5pm, Sat 10am-4pm.
MILTON SHOWGROUND
CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)
On The Town
Dance
Lucrative
Frame of Mind
DJ music. 9pm. Free Entry TREEHOUSE BAR
Sydney Dance Company. 7.30pm. $49/$69.
Something Different
Film
Violin at Twilight
Spanish Film Festival 2015
Music and art with Carl Rafferty. 5pm. $30/$25. Book via email carlrafferty@ bigpond.com. ANU DRILL HALL GALLERY
monday may 4
Alive Fridays
CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE
Comedy
ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB
Film
The Umbilical Brothers
Something Different
Spanish Film Festival 2015
No Lights No Lycra
PALACE ELECTRIC CINEMA
Feat. Marlo. $15 before 11pm.
7am. Tickets $12/$15 at eventbrite. com.au. GORMAN HOUSE ARTS CENTRE
Perception Deception Exhibition
Hands-on exhibits to surprise your senses and challenge your mind. 9am5pm. Until May 2015. Admissio
Tickets at palacecinemas.com.au.
Live Music Microwave Jenny
Tickets at oztix.com or at 6249 6902 for $17.85.
Cult Classics: Clueless
Live Music
The Importance of Being Miriam
KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB
THE PHOENIX BAR
9.30pm. $5.
The Sex Industry in the Act. Until Sept 20. CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY
Fritz Who?
By Brian Smith. Opens 6pm Apr 15 until May 16. Mon-Fri 9am-5.30pm. Sat 9am-1pm.
Music festival. Fri $77. Sat $127. Weekend pass $177. Camping tickets $60. Info at kidgeeridge.com.a
On The Town Sneaky: Tom Hathaway
NISHI GALLERY
Impulse
Art by Belle Palmer. Opening 6pm Tues 2 Apr - Sat 2 May. Free. TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE
Thousand Mile Stare
Art exhibition. Wed 22 Apr - Sun 10 May. 12pm – 5pm. Wed to Sun. Free. ANCA GALLERY
Return to Anzac Cove “Your Friend the Enemy”
13 artists commemorate Gallipoli. Opening 6pm Apr 10. Runs until 17 May. Open Wed-Sun 12-5pm. ANU DRILL HALL GALLERY
Capture
15 Apr - 10 May.
BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE
Sleuth: The Delegation
Art. Opening 6pm Thur Apr 2 - Sat May 2. TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE
Theatre Production. 1-16 May. Bookings at canberrarep.org.au or 6257 1950. THEATRE 3
thursday may 7
The Umbilical Brothers
Live Music
CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE
9pm. Free.
Kidshow (Not suitable for children). $46.90.
Chicago Charles and Dave
KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB
Love Saturdays
Dream On Dreamern & Young Lions + Morep.
THE PHOENIX BAR
Staunch Nation
With Runamark. $10 before 12am. ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB
KLParty
Feat. KLP & Young Franco. $10 before 10pm. MR WOLF
Violin at Twilight
Tommy Balogh.
The Crucible
Andrew and Shannon’s Pub Trivia
TREEHOUSE BAR
Birds, Beasts and Beauty
Stretch Marks of the Universe
Comedy
THE PLAYHOUSE
Trivia
Something Different
STRATHNAIRN HOMESTEAD GALLERY
tuesday may 5
$95. canberratheatrecentre.com.au.
Sneaking in the city’s finest DJs. 9pm. Free entry.
CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)
Art exhibition. Thu 16 Apr – Sun 10 May.
The Bootleg Sessions. 8pm. Free entry.
Kidgeeridge Festival
MILTON SHOWGROUND
X-Rated
CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE
Heuristic
THE PHOENIX BAR
BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE
Le Noir: The Dark Side of Cirque
Theatre
DENDY CINEMA
The Crucible
17 Apr - 10 May.
ANU BAR AND REFECTORY
Tickets $12 at dendy.com.au.
THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ
The Fuelers
Weathered
With guests. 8pm. Tickets $57.15 at oztix.
$109/$79. canberratheatrecentre. com.au.
Theatre
Art Exhibitions
Bam Margera as FFU
Film
Canberra Musician’s Club presents
saturday may 2
Live Music
Something Different
CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE
QUESTACON
THEATRE 3
PALACE ELECTRIC CINEMA
Kidshow (Not suitable for children). $46.90.
10.30pm. Free.
Theatre Production. 1-16 May. Bookings at canberrarep.org.au or 6257 1950.
Tickets at palacecinemas.com.au.
Music and art with Carl Rafferty. 5pm. $30/$25. Book via email carlrafferty@ bigpond.com. ANU DRILL HALL GALLERY
7.30pm.
wednesday may 6 Art Exhibitions Weathered
Art Exhibitions Puppetry Program
Puppetry lessons for children. $150 per term or $20 per class. BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE
Fritz Who?
By Brian Smith. Opens 6pm Apr 15 until May 16. Mon-Fri 9am-5.30pm. Sat 9am-1pm. CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)
Birds, Beasts and Beauty
Art exhibition. Thu 16 Apr – Sun 10 May.
Art exhibition. Wed 22 Apr - Sun 10 May. 12pm – 5pm. Wed to Sun. Free.
Traditional Irish musicians in the pub from late afternoon. Free. KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB
On The Town Playtime
Top 40, Dance, RnB. 10pm. Free entry. Free entry.
The Sex Industry in the Act. Until Sept 20.
Groovin the Moo
Irish Jam Session
THE PHOENIX BAR
X-Rated
STRATHNAIRN HOMESTEAD GALLERY
UNIVERSITY OF CANBERRA
With Cold Emotion & p a r k s 9pm. $5
TREEHOUSE BAR
BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE
Live Music Saskwatch, You Me At Six, Hilltop Hoods and many more. Tickets available at Moshtix.
MAGPIES CITY CLUB
17 Apr - 10 May.
CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY
sunday may 3
Silverstein
Thousand Mile Stare ANCA GALLERY
Return to Anzac Cove “Your Friend the Enemy”
13 artists commemorate Gallipoli. Opening 6pm Apr 10. Runs until 17 May. Open Wed-Sun 12-5pm.
4some Thursdays ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB
Something Different Le Noir: The Dark Side of Cirque
$109/$79. canberratheatrecentre. com.au. CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE
Theatre The Importance of Being Miriam
$95. canberratheatrecentre.com.au. THE PLAYHOUSE
friday may 8 Live Music Live Music
Capture
5pm afternoon session/10pm Band. Free.
BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE
Buried In Verona
ANU DRILL HALL GALLERY
15 Apr - 10 May.
KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB
With Pariah, Lifes Ill, Hate Crime & Harley Quinn. MAGPIES CITY CLUB
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ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE Fri May 8 - Sun May 10 On The Town
Sleepmakeswaves
VIDEOWARS
Great Northern Tour. Tickets at oztix. com.au or sleepmakeswaves.com.
LA DE DA
Dan Parsons & Steve Grady
Art Battle. 8pm.
S.A.M.
9pm. Free.
TREEHOUSE BAR
Alive Fridays
Feat. Helena. $10.
ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB
Acaddamy $10.
ANU BAR AND REFECTORY
Info at facebook.com/danparsonsmusic. THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ
90’s Music Festival
Bands perform covers of classic 90’s rock. 6pm. $20 at oztix.com.au or $25 at door. THE BASEMENT
MR WOLF
On The Town
Something Different
Surgin aka Steve Lising
Le Noir: The Dark Side of Cirque
TREEHOUSE BAR
$109/$79. canberratheatrecentre. com.au.
DJ. 9pm. Free Entry.
Chrome
Resident DJs playing industrial, EBM, alternative, dark electronic. $10/$5.
CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE
DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR
Theatre
With Jared de Veer. $10 before 12am.
The Importance of Being Miriam
$95. canberratheatrecentre.com.au. THE PLAYHOUSE
saturday may 9 Art Exhibitions Weathered
17 Apr - 10 May.
BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE
X-Rated
The Sex Industry in the Act. Until Sept 20. CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY
Love Saturdays
ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB
Something Different Fash N’ Treasure
10am - 3pm. 7 Feb, 21 Mar, 11 Apr, 9 May, 13 June, 15 Aug, 19 Sep & 7 Nov. Entry $3. EXHIBITION PARK IN CANBERRA (EPIC)
Le Noir: The Dark Side of Cirque
$109/$79. canberratheatrecentre. com.au. CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE
Theatre
From Far and Beyond
The Importance of Being Miriam
TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE
THE PLAYHOUSE
2pm. 9-30 May.
Fritz Who?
By Brian Smith. Opens 6pm Apr 15 until May 16. Mon-Fri 9am-5.30pm. Sat 9am-1pm. CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)
Birds, Beasts and Beauty
Art exhibition. Thu 16 Apr – Sun 10 May.
STRATHNAIRN HOMESTEAD GALLERY
Thousand Mile Stare
Art exhibition. Wed 22 Apr - Sun 10 May. 12pm – 5pm. Wed to Sun. Free.
$95. canberratheatrecentre.com.au.
The Crucible
Theatre Production. 1-16 May. Bookings at canberrarep.org.au or 6257 1950. THEATRE 3
sunday may 10 Art Exhibitions Puppetry Program
ANCA GALLERY
Puppetry lessons for children. $150 per term or $20 per class.
Return to Anzac Cove “Your Friend the Enemy”
Live Music
13 artists commemorate Gallipoli. Opening 6pm Apr 10. Runs until 17 May. Open Wed-Sun 12-5pm. ANU DRILL HALL GALLERY
Capture
15 Apr - 10 May.
BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE
Identities
2pm. 9-30 May.
TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE
Dance Fortuity
BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE
Irish Jam Session
Traditional Irish musicians in the pub from late afternoon. Free. KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB
Something Different Le Noir: The Dark Side of Cirque
$109/$79. canberratheatrecentre. com.au. CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE
$25. canberratheatrecentre.com.au. THE COURTYARD STUDIO
Live Music Live Band
Live music. 10.30pm. Free. KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB
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ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE Mon May 11- Sat May 23 monday may 11 Dance
Natalie and the Romance EP Launch 7.30pm. $15/$20.
CIT MUSIC INDUSTRY CENTRE
Fortuity
On The Town
THE COURTYARD STUDIO
Playtime
Film
TREEHOUSE BAR
$25. canberratheatrecentre.com.au.
Top 40, Dance, RnB. 10pm. Free entry.
Return to Anzac Cove “Your Friend the Enemy”
13 artists commemorate Gallipoli. Opening 6pm Apr 10. Runs until 17 May. Open Wed-Sun 12-5pm. ANU DRILL HALL GALLERY
Groundrush
Cult Classics: The Room
Something Different
Live Music
DENDY CINEMA
Naked Girls Reading
3 girls read aloud from various books. 7.30pm. $15. Book at: politbar.co.
wednesday may 13 Art Exhibitions X-Rated
The Sex Industry in the Act. Until Sept 20. CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY
POLIT BAR & LOUNGE
VanuARTu Fundraiser
Art Auction to raise funds for Vanuatu after Cyclone Pam. 5pm. TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE
Cafe Historique 6pm. Free.
ANU DRILL HALL GALLERY
From Far and Beyond
friday may 15
2pm. 9-30 May.
TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE
Fritz Who?
By Brian Smith. Opens 6pm Apr 15 until May 16. Mon-Fri 9am-5.30pm. Sat 9am-1pm. CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)
Return to Anzac Cove “Your Friend the Enemy”
Dance Fortuity
$25. canberratheatrecentre.com.au. THE COURTYARD STUDIO
Live Music
13 artists commemorate Gallipoli. Opening 6pm Apr 10. Runs until 17 May. Open Wed-Sun 12-5pm.
Thundamentals
Groundrush
With support. 8pm. Tickets at door.
CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)
On The Town
ANU DRILL HALL GALLERY
D’Opus & Roshambo
With support. 8pm. Tickets at the door. TRANSIT BAR
On The Town Sneaky: Lucrative
Sneaking in the city’s finest DJs. 9pm. Free entry.
Theatre The Crucible
TRANSIT BAR
Identities
Surgin aka Steve Lising
THE PLAYHOUSE
sunday may 17
BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE
Fortuity
Fortuity
SciNight: X-rated Science for Adults
8pm. Moshtix.
Hell Ain’t A Bad Place To Be
Theatre
THE PLAYHOUSE
TRANSIT BAR
The Crucible
Theatre Production. 1-16 May. Bookings at canberrarep.org.au or 6257 1950. THEATRE 3
thursday may 14 Live Music Colin Hay
The Story of Bon Scott. 8pm. $52 at canberratheatrecentre.com.au.
saturday may 16
CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY
Fritz Who?
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2pm. 9-30 May.
TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE
By Brian Smith. Opens 6pm Apr 15 until May 16. Mon-Fri 9am-5.30pm. Sat 9am-1pm. CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)
Playtime
Top 40, Dance, RnB. 10pm. Free entry. TREEHOUSE BAR
friday may 22 Live Music 8pm. $45 from ticketek.com.au. ANU BAR AND REFECTORY
S.A.M.
9pm. Free.
TREEHOUSE BAR
Something Different Fri 6pm-9pm. Sat 9am-3pm.
saturday may 23 Art Exhibitions Identities
2pm. 9-30 May.
TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE
X-Rated
The Sex Industry in the Act. Until Sept 20.
TRANSIT BAR
From Far and Beyond
Something Different
TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE
With support. 6pm. Presale via moshtix.
2pm. 9-30 May.
Canberra Blues Society Monthy Jams
Live Music
HARMONIE GERMAN CLUB
With guests.
The Mighty Bluesicians. 2pm. $3/$5.
monday may 18
Cult Classics: Sharknado
The Sex Industry in the Act. Until Sept 20.
On The Town
CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY
Adalita
X-Rated
TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE
The Hard Ons & Yoko Oh No TRANSIT BAR
Live Music
Film
From Far and Beyond
8pm. Moshtix.
THE COURTYARD STUDIO
2pm. 9-30 May.
Tickets $59 at canberratheatrecentre. com.au. THE PLAYHOUSE
$25. canberratheatrecentre.com.au.
Art Exhibitions Identities
MAGPIES CITY CLUB
GRIFFITH HALL
Puppetry lessons for children. $150 per term or $20 per class.
Something Different
The Funkoars
With guests.
Puppetry Program
Dance
Theatre
King Parrot
Huge Vintage Sale
Dance
Live Music
Live Music
Art Exhibitions
TREEHOUSE BAR
QUESTACON
thursday may 21
On The Town
The Story of Bon Scott. 8pm. $52 at canberratheatrecentre.com.au.
TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE
6pm. 15 May. $10 at door.
TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE
Hell Ain’t A Bad Place To Be
THEATRE 3
2pm. 9-30 May.
THE COURTYARD STUDIO
2pm. 9-30 May.
Necro
DJ. 9pm. Free Entry.
$25. canberratheatrecentre.com.au.
From Far and Beyond
Theatre Production. 1-16 May. Bookings at canberrarep.org.au or 6257 1950.
UC REFECTORY
Opens 6pm Apr 10 - May 16. Tues - Fri 11am-5pm, Sat 10am-4pm.
CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY
TREEHOUSE BAR
Tickets at uclive.oztix.com.au. $28.60.
Foreign Kings
The Sex Industry in the Act. Until Sept 20.
Opens 6pm Apr 10 - May 16. Tues - Fri 11am-5pm, Sat 10am-4pm. CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)
Tickets $12 at dendy.com.au.
X-Rated
Tickets $12 at dendy.com.au. DENDY CINEMA
wednesday may 20 Art Exhibitions
The Underground Architect MAGPIES CITY CLUB
On The Town Treehouse 2nd Birthday Party! 9pm. Free.
TREEHOUSE BAR
Something Different Huge Vintage Sale
Fri 6pm-9pm. Sat 9am-3pm. GRIFFITH HALL
Identities
2pm. 9-30 May.
TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE
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ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE Sun May 24- Fri Jun 5 X-Rated
sunday may 24
The Sex Industry in the Act. Until Sept 20.
Art Exhibitions
CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY
Puppetry Program
Puppetry lessons for children. $150 per term or $20 per class. BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE
From Far and Beyond 2pm. 9-30 May.
TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE
Student Teacher Show May 28-Jun 14.
monday may 25
WATSON ARTS CENTRE
Film
Film
Scarlet Road
Cult Classics: Commando
Film screening. 2.30pm. Free. RSVP by Thu 28 May.
Tickets $12 at dendy.com.au.
CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY
DENDY CINEMA
Live Music
wednesday may 27
Livewire presents Into The Crypt
Art Exhibitions
With I Exist, Hellbringer, Witchskull, Boonhorse & Urge to Kill. $10 entry. Doors at 7.
Identities
2pm. 9-30 May.
TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE
MAGPIES CITY CLUB
X-Rated
On The Town
CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY
Sneaky: Surgin aka Steve Lising
The Sex Industry in the Act. Until Sept 20.
From Far and Beyond
9pm. Free.
TREEHOUSE BAR
2pm. 9-30 May.
TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE
sunday may 31
thursday may 28
Art Exhibitions
On The Town
Puppetry Program
Playtime
Puppetry lessons for children. $150 per term or $20 per class.
TREEHOUSE BAR
X-Rated
Top 40, Dance, RnB. 10pm. Free entry.
friday may 24 Flava R&B
9pm. Free.
TREEHOUSE BAR
saturday may 30 Art Exhibitions Identities
2pm. 9-30 May.
TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE
BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE
The Sex Industry in the Act. Until Sept 20. CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY
Student Teacher Show May 28-Jun 14.
WATSON ARTS CENTRE
friday june 5 Live Music 80’s Music Festival
Bands perform covers of classic 80’s rock. 7pm. $20 at oztix.com.au or $25 at door. THE BASEMENT
OUT
May 13
brother be german film festival records you’ve forgotten about ...and more!
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FIRST CONTACT SIDE A: BMA band profile
Aaron Peacey 0410381306 band.afternoon.shift@ gmail.com.au Adam Hole 0421023226
Afternoon Shift 0402055314 Amphibian Sound PA Clare 0410308288 Annie & The Armadillos Annie (02) 61611078/ 0422076313 Aria Stone sax/flute/lute/ harmonica, singer-songwriter Aria 0411803343
Passive Smoke Where did your band name come from? We’re (not as) passive (as we seem) and we know smokers. Group members? Eadie (guitar/vocals), Chiara (guitar/ vocals), Elly (bass/occasional yelling), Pixie-Marie (drums). Describe your sound: Tough jangle. Dense guitars and drums, a bit shouty. Been compared to Galaxie 500, Young Marble Giants, Speedy Ortiz and Crow but we don’t hear that (totally flattered though). Who are your influences, musical or otherwise? The band started over “do you listen to Delta 5?” Marine Girls. Love Outside Andromeda. Sleater-Kinney. The Breeders.
Australian Songwriters Association Keiran (02) 62310433 Back to the Eighties Ty Emerson 0418 544 014 Backbeat Drivers Steve 0422733974 backbeatdrivers.com Bat Country Communion, The Mel 0400405537 Birds Love Fighting Gangbusters/DIY shows-bookings@ birdslovefighting.com Black Label Photography Kingsley 0438351007 blacklabelphotography.net
What’s the most memorable experience you’ve had whilst performing? A guy from Melbourne told us we were either fun or punk, like he didn’t expect such a thing could be possible in Canberra.
Bridge Between, The Cam 0431550005
Of what are you proudest so far? We’re proud of everything we’ve done so far.
Chris Harland Blues Band, The Chris 0418 490 649 chrisharlandbluesband @gmail.com
What are your plans for the future? Writing more songs, playing more shows and releasing our EP, Inhale, on Cinnamon Records
Capital Dub Style Reggae/dub events Rafa 0406647296
Cole Bennetts Photography 0415982662
What makes you laugh? Everything.
Danny V Danny 0413502428
What pisses you off? Facelickers.
Dawn Theory Nathan 0402845132 Danny 0413502428
What about the local scene would you change? We are the change. What are your upcoming gigs? Thu May 21 @ Phoenix w/ Totally Mild and Wives, Sat May 23 @ Rad Bar (Wollongong) w/ Wives and The Nuclear Family, Thu Jun 4 @ Phoenix w/ The Newsletters, Matthew Dreams and Mink Blanks. Contact info: facebook.com/passive.smoke
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
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In The Flesh Scott 0410475703 Itchy Triggers Alex 0414838480 Jenn Pacor Singer-songwriter avail. for originals/covers 0405618630 Johnny Roadkill Paulie 0408287672 paulie_mcmillan@live.com.au Kayo Marbilus facebook.com/kayomarbilus1 Kurt’s Metalworx (PA) 0417025792 Los Chavos Latin/ska/reggae Rafa 0406647296 Andy 0401572150 Missing Zero Hadrian 0424721907 hadrian.brand@live.com.au Moots Huck 0419630721 Morning After, The Covers band Anthony 0402500843 Mornings Jordan 0439907853 MuShu Jack 0414292567 mushu_band@hotmail.com Obsessions 0450 960 750 obsessions@grapevine.com.au Painted Hearts, The Peter (02) 62486027 Polka Pigs Ian (02) 62315974 Rafe Morris 0416322763 Redletter Ben 0421414472 Redsun Rehearsal Studio Ralph 0404178996/ (02) 61621527 Rug, The Jol 0417273041 Sewer Sideshow Huck 0419630721 Simone & The Soothsayers Singing teacher Simone 62304828 Sorgonian Twins, The Mark 0428650549 Soundcity Rehearsal Studio Andrew 0401588884 STonKA Jamie 0422764482 stonka2615@gmail.com Strange Hour Events Dan 0411112075 Super Best Friends Greg greg@gunfever.com.au System Addict Jamie 0418398556 Tegan Northwood (Singing Teacher) 0410 769 144
Guy The Sound Guy Live & Studio Sound Engineer 0400585369 guy@guythesoundguy.com
Top Shelf Colin 0408631514
Haunted Attics band@hauntedatticsmusic.com
Zoopagoo zoopagoo@gmail.com
Undersided, The Baz 0408468041
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