BMA Magazine 468 - 29 July 2015 by BMA Magazine

THE GREEN SHED

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CRDL

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WIG AND PEN AD SPACE

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GREAT SOUTHERN BLUES FESTIVAL

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CMAG

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FASH N TREASURE FASH N TREASURE

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THE DICKSON TRADIES

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AINSLIE AND GORMAN ARTS CENTRES

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Don’t worry, Omar – we’ll include you here every time. #468July29 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 Jeremy Stevens T: (02) 6257 4456 E: editorial@bmamag.com

Accounts Manager Peter Macie T: (02) 6247 4816 E: accounts@bmamag.com

Sub-Editor & Social Media Manager Andrew Nardi Graphic Design Chris Halloran Film Editor Emma Robinson NEXT ISSUE 469 OUT August 12 EDITORIAL DEADLINE August 5 ADVERTISING DEADLINE August 6 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.

Canberra’s own, Coda Conduct, have just announced a three show tour to support their brand new single, ‘Paint It Gold’. Sally and Erica will be touring through Sydney, Melbourne, and of course, their hometown Canberra, supporting the new track with their increasingly renowned live show. With grooves for miles and enough funk to fill an entire album, the single has been played on triple j, and triple j Unearthed, and has a great clip to boot, which you can check out on YouTube. Most importantly, make sure you head along to see the duo at Transit Bar on Saturday September 5. Tickets are $15.30 (including BF) through Moshtix.

GETTING ARTY IN TUGGERS If you’re the kind of person who’s been telling their mates for months and months, “Nah, I’m gonna take that class really soon and get painting. Oi, no man. I really am. Seriously. It’s going to happen,” then now’s the chance to come good on your talk. Starting in August and September, the Tuggeranong Arts Centre is launching a whole host of new classes geared towards all levels of students, and it’s the perfect chance to really kickstart that art practice you’ve either been neglecting, or meaning to start. Every Saturday from August 1, from 10am to 12pm, tutor Delene White will be exploring different art styles to inspire beginners. There will be 8 sessions in total covering a new style and artist in each, with students being encouraged to create a piece in that week’s style. It costs $140, which covers the tutoring fee only, and a list of suggested materials will be provided on enrolment. This one’s kicking off with everyone’s favourite Spanish mate, Picasso. Starting on the same Saturday, at the same time, and for the same price, is also a Still Life

Finally, Adele Rae Cameron will take students through methods of texturing and indigo dyeing fabrics to upcycle them. Dyeing materials and some textiles will be supplied, plus a list of materials to bring yourself. This one kicks off on Saturday September 5 from 10am to 4pm, and is $80. See tuggeranongarts.com for more details.

WE AREN’T TOYING AROUND Do you like toys? Of course you do. Everyone likes toys. Some adults say they don’t, but they’re lying to you. Pretending to be mature and responsible. They really have the same yearning for big toys and gizmos and gadgets that we all do. Which is why it’s great news that the Big Boys Toys Expo is coming our way on Sat-Sun August 22-23. A two-day event, it promises to be a huge event full of all the greatest “toys, tools, gizmos, gadgets, sports and hobbies” anyone could dream of. Held at Canberra’s Exhibition Park, they’ve locked in exhibits from Defence Force Recruiting, Recreational Aviation Australia, Pure Scuba, Aussie Boats Sales, Icon Water, and Shannons Insurance. They’ve also set up a sports lounge and bar for visitors to take a break from all of the demonstrations and the stalls and exhibits.

Tickets are available now at just $10 for adults. See more details at bigboystoyscanberra.com.au.

OP UNTIL YOU DROP Salvos Stores will be supporting the 2015 National Op Shop Week this year with the launch of The Style Army, an initiative to encourage that great thrifty experience of buying used instead of brand new. Between Sunday August 23 to August 30, National Op Shop Week will focus on the importance of supporting op shops. If you want to get involved, everyone’s being encouraged to help The Salvos continue their work by purchasing a little bit of recycled fashion. The Style Army will be at the Phillip Salvos Store at Shop 7, Phillip Market Place, and the Salvos Street Boutique will appear on Thursday September 3 from 6pm onwards. If you have the moves and fancy strutting your stuff, there’ll be a fashion show on as well to help showcase all the vintage wares on display.

DAT GLASS, THO Canberra Glassworks is seeking an ACT writer to creatively and critically respond to their New Glass 2015: Archaeology, Excavation and the Arcane exhibition currently showing at the Glassworks. If you’re a writer and live in the ACT, you could win $500 in cold hard cash as a prize, and entries only have to be 1000 words or less. The exhibition runs from June 17 to August 30, and there’s a two year ACT Writers Centre membership on the table for the winner! See canberraglassworks.com/ notice-board for all of the details.

Photo credit: Cole Bennetts. Ice-cream: Bubble O Bill.

PAINT THE TOWN

with shadow and light class for beginners. Canberra artist Genevieve Swifte will teach the drawing class focusing on still life compositions, light, shadow, and form. Beginning with graphite pencils, students will move onto charcoal and finally be introduced to colour near the end of the course.

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FROM THE BOSSMAN The running of a household is a delicate matter, requiring an almost-daily bout of political negotiations. One such area is how you view Saturday Mornings. You, for example, may see them as a simply excellent period of time in which to scrub away the stress and toil of the working week by engaging in a vigorous bout of doing Absolutely Nothing. It is a sanctuary of not-ness, where you can select from a wide array of things not to do. You could choose not read a book. You could choose not to watch TV. You could choose not to make breakfast. The blushing plethora of things to not do is simply wonderful. Your partner, however, will see this as a perfect time to enter the Household Pentathlon, which involves participating in the sports of vacuuming, cleaning the toilet, cleaning the kitchen, and more that barge foghorn like into your Saturday Morning Sanctuary. You insist these things will be done, but maybe not ten minutes after consciousness has returned. Your partner will insist that doing the contested chores now will get them out of the way, allowing for a relaxing rest-of weekend. They, of course, are annoyingly right and are once again being completely logical, but you’ll be damned if logic is going to ruin your perfectly good, messy, lazy Saturday Morning. This will lead to no-one being happy, which suits both parties. It’s a ritual that shouldn’t be messed with. A mood of Not Quite Getting Your Way is vital in the running of any modern household.

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.] put too much salt on me fuckin Maccas chips

To Hulk Hogan... Dude, Brother, Jack... Making racist comments eight years ago and being called out on it now is harsh. But that was some pretty nasty shit. You were the reason I got into wrestling back in the ‘80s. But those comments - context or no are just plain nasty. No person from any background should have to suffer such hatefilled words.

We move to the matter of dealing with household bugs. Your partner will wish to indulge in swift and crushing insecticide, carpet bombing the area in question with a mixture of chemical warfare and culminating with a boot stamping on an insect face forever. You however – despite your considered dislike of anything with more than two legs (and perhaps a dislike of some things with two legs but that’s another matter for another time) - believe that the intrusion can be resolved by giving the bug in question a stern talking to, or by the gentle application of a sheet of paper and bowl. After all, you’re all about Zen, and your irrational dislike of multi-legged creatures shouldn’t impede another living thing taking a gentle stroll across your carpet, no doubt on its way home to read a book with its children. You will find yourself in the bizarre headspace of picturing a spider holding a book out with four of its eight legs as the baby spiders gather round when your partner ends both this quaint vision, and the spider’s life, with an earth shuddering WHAP! Daily you will marvel at your partner placing a used teabag in its own special little dish, which happens to live further away than the bin so that a journey is made past the bin in order to put the teabag in a little dish, which will later find its way to the bin after it’s had a bit of a lie down and a tan. Best ignore this. But perhaps the most fun there is to be had in such a setting is that once the sport of cleaning is concluded, your find your partner has decided to disperse items you need in a fashion similar to that of a Resident Evil-style computer game, leading you to enter into a delicious bout of Try And Find The Thing You Need. For example, you may find your computer speaker will be seperated into three parts; one stashed in a kitchen cupboard, another upstairs, and the third in a place you have yet to discover. What fun. With any matters involving delicate household discussions, enter them assuming you are wrong. And all will be well. ALLAN SKO - allan@bmamag.com

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WHO: GANG OF YOUTHS WHAT: TOUR WHEN: WED AUG 5 WHERE: TRANSIT BAR

This Gang of Youths have done pretty well for themselves. With a sold out national album tour, a top five debut on the ARIA charts, triple j’s feature album, FBi’s album of the week and a plethora of glowing reviews, there’s every reason to believe that these kids can only keep going up. Word is also that their live show is freakin’ amazing, so you better get in quick when they drop by Canberra. We’re the first gig on the card! They’ll be supported by I Know Leopard. Tickets are only $23.50 through Oztix.

WHO: JACK CARTY & JORDAN MILLAR WHAT: TOUR WHEN: FRI AUG 7 WHERE: THE STREET THEATRE

These two buddy-musicians started out two years ago, touring around Australia in a lone van. And now, Jack Carty will join Jordan Millar on the road once again. Carty released his third studio album Esk earlier this year, and Millar put out two releases in 2014 – Advice From Beyonce and The Wheel EP. After doing their fair share of touring solo, these two friends are about to put on an intimate show with a set list determined by none other than the audience. What’s better, every pre-sale ticket comes with an exclusive 11 tracks as a free download. Just visit thestreet.org.au.

WHO: ORPHEUS OMEGA WHAT: ALBUM TOUR WHEN: SAT AUGUST 8 WHERE: THE BASEMENT

Since the release of 2013’s acclaimed ResIllusion, Orpheus Omega have cemented themselves as one of melodic death metal’s most promising newcomers. After a slew of national support slots, the band are now ready to unleash their third album, Partum Vita Mortem – a concept album exploring the human condition through birth, life and death across an hour of unrelenting musicianship. Featuring aggressive and melodic guitar work, intricate and powerful drumming, chaotic keyboard work and a variation of vocal styles, their live show is sure to impress. Entry is $12 from 8pm.

WHO: JAMES TEAGUE WHAT: TOUR WHEN: SUN AUG 9 WHERE: SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE BOOKSHOP

James Teague is a Perth-born poet and singer-songwriter who exists in a world of his own. His latest single ‘Heaven’ is a delicate, acoustic dirge woven with ethereal pedal steel guitar and an enchanting vocal performance. The track’s dynamic range coupled with Teague’s lyrical prowess distinguishes him from his folky counterparts. Inspired by literary figures such as Dylan Thomas, Hermann Hesse and Edgar Allen Poe, James writes songs that capture the existential angst with which the human soul is forever bound. For that, there’s no better venue than Smith’s. Stay tuned for ticketing details.

WHO: IMMIGRANT UNION WHAT: ALBUM TOUR WHEN: THU AUG 13 WHERE: TRANSIT BAR

Having just released their second studio album Anyway, Immigrant Union is the brainchild of Melbourne musician Bob Harrow and Brent Deboer – the drummer of The Dandy Warhols – who casually met over some cheeky beers. Since then, the band has included Courtney Barnett and her bandmates Dave Mudie and Bones Sloan, and they all happen to feature on the new album. Channeling a liberating energy, their live shows are receiving attention both locally and in the US – so this might not be a show you’ll want to miss. Tickets are available through Moshtix.

WHAT: 2015 ACT DMC DJ CHAMPIONSHIPS WHEN: FRI AUG 28 WHERE: TRANSIT BAR

The world’s longest-running DJ competition is celebrating its 30th anniversary. Though the DMC World DJ Championships were absent from the ACT for six years, they returned in 2014 to much acclaim. Bodies moved, tracks mixed and ultimately, DJ Scully took the win. He’ll be returning this year to defend his title, but you’ll also catch headline sets from the talented DJ Total Eclipse and X-Ecutioners for good measure. The tunes will roll out from 8pm ‘til late. Tickets are $20 through Moshtix or at the door. Visit kokyprik.com for more details.

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GUS MCCUBBING After playing to a Spanish audience as the sun set on the Mediterranean Sea at Barcelona’s Primavera Sound festival, Tim Carroll and Oscar Dawson released HOLY HOLY’s debut album on July 24. The duo’s first work is called When The Storms Would Come and was released through Sydney-based Wonderlick (Boy & Bear, Paper Kites), in association with Sony. Speaking to Dawson over the phone just prior to the album’s release date, he seemed to be looking at it with a sense of quiet satisfaction, rather than excitement. “Getting a record out is a bit of a long, involved process,” he begins. “When we finally finished the actual record – when we got the masters done and so on – that was a big moment. It’s the kind of thing where we could keep recording and writing new songs, but you really just have to draw a line somewhere and say ‘no, it’s done now.’”

If the band’s debut album required an element of spontaneity, Dawson says the creation of Holy Holy was the result of serendipity. After graduating from high school, Dawson and Carroll met in Thailand while volunteering to teach English. They stayed in touch while they went their separate ways throughout university. Later down the track, it just so happened that Carroll was living in Stockholm while Dawson was in Berlin. “He [Carroll] just popped up online out of the blue. I was visiting Stockholm and stayed on his couch. We wrote one of the demos that weekend, and then it just slowly filtered over time. He would come to Berlin or I would go to Stockholm and we’d write some more, and then a few years later we started recording this project.” While Carroll and Dawson remain at the core of Holy Holy, the project has grown to include Ryan Strathie on drums, Graham Ritchie on bass, and Matt Redlich – who doubles as the band’s producer – on synths. The band tours as a five piece and Dawson says he enjoys the additional numbers. “Getting the band together is more fun… that’s kind of our release. When Tim and I do all the background stuff behind-the-scenes, that’s more admin and organisation – which is not as inspiring necessarily – but just has to happen. So I guess when the band’s all together we feel like we should just enjoy ourselves.”

Things happen as though there’s someone else in the room with you

After mentioning the single ‘You Cannot Call for Love like a Dog’, Dawson said the track is a solid representation of When The Storms Would Come. He was keen to add that the album as a whole is a lot broader, however. “We wanted to make it a record where you could listen to it from start to finish, which could be idealistic or naïve these days… but yeah, it’s got some more dynamic moments and some softer moments…

“We’ve got a new single out now called ‘Sentimental And Monday’, which is a more contemplative tune. We wanted the record to sound natural and expansive. So I think we managed to achieve that.” When asked whether Holy Holy entered the recording process with a full set of tracks ready to go, Dawson actually alluded to the significant value he places on spontaneity. “I don’t think you would ever wing it completely, but to some extent you’ve got to. Because if you’ve got it planned in your head from start to finish in too precise a way, then it doesn’t leave any room for magic,” he says. “You end up being too controlling over the final product, and the little details or magic moments, or new songs, compositions and developments of your sound just won’t happen. “And I think when you’re working with other people especially, you have to leave room for chance, because you can’t know what’s possible. Sometimes things happen outside of your control. Seemingly, things happen as though there’s someone else in the room with you, or kind of guiding it. By that, I don’t mean it religiously – I’m an atheist, I’m not religious – I just mean there’s a vibe or an energy, or something like that.”

Speaking about the band’s sound, Dawson had a fair bit to say when I told him I thought Holy Holy had an oldschool vibe going. “I guess we’re not under any illusions of what we like listening to and where we stand in the world,” he began. “We love all sorts of music, I suppose… but we’ve always been attracted to nostalgic kinds of sounds and tones. I think that’s just a thing that happens in music now, though. It’s not uncommon for music to come back around in cycles – it’s like a revolving door of sound sometimes.” According to Dawson, if modern rock music sounds somewhat traditional, it’s only because it has a far stronger human presence than electronic music. “There are so many genres out there which are heavily programmed and sequenced… so I guess by virtue of the fact that we’re a band that plays in a room, it’s gonna give us a sound which – weirdly enough – seems older. But I guess we just try to make it our own. I don’t feel like we’re an oldschool band, I feel like we sound like ‘now’ actually. “I grew up listening to Neil Young, Queen, Led Zeppelin and Bruce Springsteen. So it’s really hard to shake off the weight of our heroes, because they’re such a big force in our lives. So definitely, that will come through in our music.” Holy Holy will bring their debut album to life when they play Transit Bar on Friday September 18. Supported by Fractures. Tickets are $15 + bf through Moshtix.

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LOCALITY

This fortnight is absolutely nuts for local music gigs and news, so let’s just get straight into it…

On Monday August 3, the Canberra Musicians Club presents the Bootleg Sessions at the Phoenix, kicking off at 8pm. With sets from Azim Zain and His Lovely Bones, The Ians, Simon Phillips, and Blackdog Walking, it’s free entry, though donations are encouraged. For a rollicking night of diverse rock genre-hopping – from surf to ska – The Polish Club should be your first port of call on Friday July 31 from 8pm for The Wild & The Reckless. Playing are Space Party, The Feldons and The Kingstons, with tickets at the door for $15, and less for concession and CMC members. Tom Woodward is arguably the most prolific recording artist in Canberra, with his fifth release in 12 months – Here Come The Flies

– being launched in a backyard concert on Saturday August 1 from 7:30pm. It’s one of the last chances you’ll get to catch him before he shoots off on another international adventure, so search Facebook for ‘Fare Thee Well Woodward House Party Concert Thing’ for details. Get your hands on the spooky rock tunes of Slow Turismo at the launch of their debut EP on Saturday August 8 at The Polish Club. Proceedings kick off at 8pm, with support spots from TEEM and Playwrite (Melbourne). Full price entry is $15, with lower prices for concession and CMC members. Coming from a world where things are a little heavier, Tundrel will launch their debut album at The Basement on Friday August 7, with a line-up that’s as long as your arm! Entry is $15, which is insanely good value when you consider that there are seven acts on the bill, from the ACT and interstate. Don’t miss a minute of it by making sure you’re there at 7pm when it all kicks off. ‘Grandma’s Herbal Remedy’ by Moochers Inc. has long been a favourite of local gig-goers, so it’s pretty damn exciting to hear that not only have they made a video clip for it, but they’ll also launch it at The Phoenix on Saturday August 1, from 9pm. Directed by Alice Taylor, it features a lot of suspect smoke, some incredibly improvised white outfits and a bunch of potentially familiar faces. To celebrate its release (and the secondthoughts of any public servant extras who may have security clearance checks coming up), they’ll be joined by 5th Avenue to make an occasion that is truly worthy of your best vintage dancing duds! Briefly – while we’re on the topic of music videos – I mentioned in the last issue about a couple of ex-pat Canberra acts who’ve got new singles out, and since then, they’ve both released videos, both of which are brilliant. SAFIA’s ‘Embracing Me’ clip consists of a forbidden Amish love story, while ‘Paint It Gold’ by Coda Conduct involves late night op-shop shenanigans and smashing various objects into shimmery smithereens. Take a look on YouTube to find them and thank me later. Finally, head to La De Da in Belconnen on Friday July 31 from 8pm and you can catch the Beatnik Sessions, featuring Eleanor Ailie, The Lowlands and TEEM for just $5! And people say Canberra’s boring?! Pfft. What a load of crap. NONI DOLL nonijdoll@gmail.com @nonidoll

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also in his excitement and willingness to collaborate with other artists. Case in point, ‘Dynamite’: the ultragroovy Asta track you’ve probably been humming to yourself the last couple months.

ALLDAY, EVERYDAY SETH ROBINSON From an outsider’s perspective, the rise of ALLDAY has been explosive. Since the release of Startup Cult last year, the Adelaideian rapper has taken over festival stages and radio airwaves alike. Now, he’s become a feature of the Australian music scene, and with his sights set on America and the world, there’s no doubt that Allday will be one of tomorrow’s biggest names. In the lead up to what will be a truly unreal performance at Snowtunes, we caught up with Allday for a quick chat. Once you sit down with Allday, it becomes clear very quickly that his meteoric rise hasn’t come without the hard yards. When asked, he describes the lead up to Startup Cult as “probably three years of hard work, and before that… my whole life. I’ve always rapped, as soon as I found out about it, that became a thing. It wasn’t always work, but it was always there.” It’s an admirable work ethic, which has seen him produce a sound unique to Australian hip-hop, with electronic and dance influences that have secured him a versatile and eclectic fan base. It’s cool, it’s fluid, and it can be seen not only in his own work but

I’ve always rapped, as soon as I found out about it

“I love doing these kind of albums. Not necessarily the songs I would make on my own, but together end up really cool. I like all kinds of music, so any kind of song that could use some rap, I’m down for,” he says. “The Australian scene is pretty small, so if you’ve done a couple of festival tours, I feel like you know most people. It’s a pretty tightknit community, cause everyone’s always touring together, so you kind of have to become friends.” Since signing his first overseas recording deal, Allday will be spending some more time in the US, which means his next album will most likely go trans-continental with tracks recorded both in the States and here in Oz. It’ll mean American radio time and some serious plane rides, but he’ll still be calling Australia home. Overall, one thing is clear: as long as it’s taken, and no matter how much work he’s put in, Allday is loving every second of the ride. “I remember one time in Port Macquarie, it was raining, right at sundown, and there were thousands of people. It was incredible, just one of those moments that blows you away. There have been lots of awesome times, but it’s just moments like that that really stick with you.” Undoubtedly, he’ll keep making music, and rocking festival stages across Australia and the world. You can catch Allday and be a part of the next memory at Snowtunes in Jindabyne on Saturday August 15. Visit snowtunes.com.au for more information and tickets.

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They want more people to know about their culture, their language, their stories

ACCORDING TO GOSPEL SAMUEL TOWNSEND There is much we have learned of GURRUMUL since his self-titled debut struck a universal chord in 2008; born blind on Elcho Island, sings in Yolngu language, doesn’t give interviews and rarely sits for photographers. When Gurrumul returns to Canberra this August to stun fans with his latest body of work, The Gospel Album, we will again witness his unique brand of magic and perhaps even ponder the logistical efforts undertaken in reaching this point. “Every bathroom is different. Every tap is shaped differently. Because we move around a lot when we’re on tour, you are constantly showing someone else (who can’t see) where everything is.” This is Michael Hohnen – creative director of Skinnyfish Music – who might be familiar to audiences as Gurrumul’s long-time creative collaborator and the guy who interprets for him during live shows. Hohnen’s role as creative partner and producer often extends to full-time carer too. Hitting the road is not a simple experience as Hohnen explains, but a rather complicated one involving a support team that sometimes includes other musicians, carers and family. The constant transition from one environment to the next is draining, “Particularly for him (Gurrumul).” Even the shift in temperature and humidity provides an obstacle, “It’ll probably affect his voice, it’ll definitely affect his temperament… We take blankets on planes and heaters everywhere.” Guitarist Ben Hauptmann’s family have even sourced a battery operated seat for extra warmth! The tour will showcase a collection of new work: hymns and gospel songs – Gurrumul’s answer to a ‘covers record’. “The album is about feeling and sentiment. When he sings his traditional Yolngu songs, they are about history, about paying respect. The Gospel Album has the same sentiment but he’s singing about different things.” Hohnen says that listening to the album – even though the content strays from the usual storytelling – evokes the celebratory feelings synonymous with Gurrumul and Rrakala.

this experience and the tracks on the album, “It’s partly about the beauty of singing hymns and music – not necessarily about the messages within the songs. Singing hymns is a social and community engagement that he’s been involved with since birth.” The video for ‘Jesu’, the first single from the record, articulates through imagery what Hohnen communicates verbally, “His family have given us the responsibility of bringing the Yolngu world to a greater audience – they want more people to know about their culture, their language, their stories.” The Gospel (according to Gurrumul) will no doubt continue spreading this message far and wide. With a fan base that now includes Stevie Wonder, Sting and Obama, you could say that the team at Skinnyfish have done a pretty reasonable job of the family’s request. The Gospel Songs Tour will come to Canberra Theatre Centre on Monday August 10. For tickets and information, visit canberratheatrecentre.com.au.

“When you enter a church you experience mixed feeling and emotion. Often I experience a sense of awe, for the beauty of the building itself, the history and architecture.” Hohnen draws parallels between

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Rocky, Meek Mill, Big Sean and Drake, amongst others, with a statement saying how much he loved those guys.

THE REALNESS

Who said the beef in the rap game was over? The other day I was reading ‘Questioning Feuds’ by BMA’s Cody Atkinson (from a few issues back) and it got me to thinking about the nature of feuds in the modern rap game.

Remembering some of the most well-known feuds between rappers – Biggie and Tupac; Ja Rule and 50 Cent; Lil Kim and Foxy Brown; Jay Z and Nas – beefs these days seem to rarely extend beyond what you might find in the comment section of any YouTube video (looking at you, Azalea Banks). Even Kendrick Lamar, in his now infamous ‘Control’ verse, had to preface his diss of J Cole, A$AP

Given these sorts of trends, you could be forgiven for thinking that some of the fire present in the early 90s to 2000s has died out. Despite this, news this week has emerged that both Cash Money Records head honcho, Birdman, and his protégé, Young Thug, were named in documents relating to the Lil Wayne tour bus shooting earlier in the year. It needs to be pointed out that neither have been charged – they have only been named in court documents (phone calls were made to each before and after the shooting), though it is a jarring reminder that the violence associated with rap hasn’t really ever gone away. While beef in general can be good for pushing rappers to make better music, rap-related violence does little to dispel ideas held in the mainstream that hip-hop is violent. While anybody who is involved in the culture knows that such instances are rare, and that violent references are generally used as mechanisms to illustrate realities of growing up poor and/or black all over the world, headlines like those relating to Thugga and Birdman only serve to perpetuate these perceptions. Whether or not this violence is necessary for hip-hop to maintain its cultural relevancy and overall cultural influence may have to remain another question for another column. So what’s coming up over the next few weeks? Phoenix Bar is starting a new monthly beats and rap night called Check Your Head! which looks like it’s going to be a really good thing for the local scene. Starting on Wednesday July 29 and featuring Roshambo, Suavess, Indighost and D’Opus, the plan is that the night will be a regular occurrence on the last Wednesday of every month. Producer Knxwledge – who has worked with both Joey Badass on 1999 and Kendrick Lamar on To Pimp A Butterfly – is coming to Canberra on Thursday July 30, playing at the Basement in Belconnen. Entry is free on a firstcome, first-served basis. Doors start at 8pm so get in early! Veteran of the scene, Hau is also back in town on Friday July 31 in support of his new single, ‘Kill.I.Am’, on the back of strong radio play. Touring his debut solo album, The No End Theory, it would be great to see a big crowd there. Tickets are a very reasonable $15 and are available on Moshtix and at the door. BRADY MCMULLEN realness.bma@gmail.com

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GRAN SLOW TURISMO IAN MCCARTHY SLOW TURISMO are one of those bands that fill you with an immeasurable amount of civic pride, and one of those bands for whom no amount of success would be undeserved. Big call, I know – but any Canberra scenester will tell you that brothers Sam, Max, and Riley Conway and their childhood friend Louis Montgomery have been slowly building the foundations of Slow Turismo for the better part of a decade (Google ‘Rubycon’, I dare you). Well all of that time and hard work is starting to pay off, with an infantry of blissfully intricate indie-pop tunes and some of the tightest, most fun live performances you’re likely to come across in the capital. I caught up with the band earlier this week, to discuss the excitement surrounding their upcoming EP release. In some ways, the manner in which the band discuss their development makes their success seem almost pre-destined. Speaking about some of their earlier musical memories, Sam – the oldest brother – said, “For us, it sort of felt pretty smooth, to be honest. I mean obviously me, Max and Riley have been playing together for ages. I mean, [Max and I] used to busk a lot. When we

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started getting a little too old and earning less money, we were just less cute, so we got this little guy [Riley] to just sit in the middle. He was tiny. He was four I think when we started getting him, and he sat in the middle just like smiling, slapping some bongos.”

We’re all pretty committed to not doing what is initially obvious

Adding to the humorous back-story, Sam goes on to divulge some more embarrassing memories of Louis and Max. “They used to play in the most hilarious screamo metal bands in high school and college. Lou – at one point I remember in high school – was playing to like assembly or something weird… and they would actually like touch necks while they were soloing.” Now, a few years on, their tastes and ambitions have obviously changed significantly. As Louis put it, “I think we’re all pretty committed to not doing what is initially obvious. Whenever it gets to a point where it’s like, ‘Well, certainly it could go here,’ we’ll do our best to make sure it goes to something completely unexpected.” That’s a mentality that seems to translate into the business side of things as well, with the band getting ready to release their first EP in a quirkier format than usual. Sam explains, “We looked into doing CDs and we were really close. We got the artwork and… it was really cool, and not actually to specs of CDs,” he says. “And then just the more we thought about it, apart from having something physical to sell at a show, CDs don’t really offer much these days… and then we were like ‘Maybe we can just sell these as like prints’.” Slow Turismo will launch their new EP at the White Eagle Polish Club on Saturday August 8. Tickets at the door will be $12, $10 concession, or $8 for CMC Members.

DANCE THE DROP

Ever been in one of those crowds on the dancefloor where – despite what should be really crappy party conditions – it’s actually one of those special “yeah, I was at THAT party” moments? It might be insanely hot and humid, and there’s way too many people with glowsticks in a crowded festival tent, or the sky cracks open with a huge burst of lightning just as the beat drops and a torrent of rain pours down, drenching everyone as there’s a defiant cheer? (My friend Dante loves telling me that story of a particular festival when he was on the decks.) I had one of those moments last weekend. It was probably about 7:30 in the morning, and I had been up all night before. I hopped up to the decks to begin a sunrise set an hour earlier – sure, it’s not the 1am peak-time set, but it’s probably one of the most fun sets to play outdoors, as the heavens change colour...

The fog was rolling in, the sky a dull grey – and then it starts snowing. There’s a brief moment of “great, that’s it, everyone is going to crash out and call it a night”, but something changed. There was a brief moment of WTF, and then a determination set in – people just danced harder, the floor filling up with people as the snow came down. Moments like that seem to fit dance music very well: a collective flash of tribal unity. And the more adverse the conditions, the more mud and sweat, the more people seem to dance. Except, of course, if it’s been wet and horrible from the beginning – no one likes a completely washed out festival! And now for gigs… Yes, it’s cold, but that’s kind of the point this coming weekend, as Canberra doof crew Just Chillin’ present their annual three-day gathering in Lowden Forest Park, starting this Friday July 31. There’s a huge range of DJs and producers (including yours truly) covering techno, prog, bass music and psytrance. Find the lowdown on their Facebook page; tickets are almost sold out. Also on the 31st, Canberra electro-expats and Triple J hosts The Aston Shuffle return home to spin some tunes at Mr Wolf. Support includes Cheese, Dinah Rose and Double Agent. Only $10 before 11:30pm. California-born Lane 8 will be gracing the decks at Mr Wolf the following Friday, with support from YoYo DJs, Nay Nay and Nick Riviera. The Anjunadeep label signee has been getting the thumbs-up from everyone including Pete Tong, Annie Mac and Above & Beyond – this should be a special one! (And it’s only $15.) Alternatively, head down to Academy Nightclub where the annual Ministry of Sound Sessions are touring. They are up to number 12, with Tenzin representing the label this year – $10 all night! Finally, tickets for Dragon Dreaming Festival are now on sale, with their first line-up released online last week, so if you’re up for some local festival action in October, check out their website and get tickets while they’re cheap! PETER ‘KAZUKI’ O’ROURKE contact@kazuki.com.au

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in Canberra. There’s also a truckload of shows coming up at other venues as well. Here’s what’s up. On Thursday August 6 you can catch Melbourne’s Maricopa Wells at Transit Bar along with a lineup of killer locals including Agency, Capes (#capesdays), and Casters. All for just $10 on the door.

Unfortunately, this column has to start with some more bad news. Our beloved Magpies City Club has decided not to renew its lease this year. It ends in September, which leaves the future of the space pretty open. The good news is that the space might not cease to be a venue, but it’s hard to say at this point what will happen. The venue has some pretty huge stuff in store between now the end of September however, so make sure you get down and show some support for what may well be the best punk and hardcore venue

Do you like filthy sludgy punk rock? No? Shut up, liar. Locals Cockbelch will be at The Basement on Friday August 21 along with Wollongong’s Alison’s Disease to finish off their ‘Diseased Cock Tour’. What could possibly go wrong? Foley will be rolling into town from South Australia on Friday August 14. They’ll be joined by Sydney’s Hurst, and locals Helena Pop and Azim Zain and his Lovely Bones. This one will cost you just $5 on the door. On Friday August 28, you can head down to Magpies City Club to catch Sydney’s Dividers and Nerdlinger along with locals Sketch Method and Capes. On Wednesday September 9, The USA’s Modern Baseball will be stopping by Transit Bar as part of their joint tour with fellow Americans Iron Chic. Tickets are available for $20+bf through Moshtix. Australian punk hallmarks The Smith Street Band are headed out on yet another tour. This time they’ll be travelling around the country in September alongside their American mates Andrew Jackson Jihad and The Sidekicks, and fellow Melbournians The Sugarcanes. They’ll be stopping by The Magpies City Club on Friday September 11. Tickets are set at $34.70 and are available through Oztix. Be sure to snatch up your tickets nice and early ‘cause this one’s sure to sell out! Also on Friday September 11, you can catch Melbourne duo The Stiffys at The Phoenix. Not sure if they count as punk, but they sure do seem to give a minimal number of fucks. So that’s all for now. Make sure you head out to as many shows as possible and show some support for Magpies. Also Jye’s back. Not that that means anything to you, but it’s pretty great. Jye’s fun. He has a red mohawk. Anyway, talk later. XOXO IAN McCARTHY

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METALISE Last issue I mentioned that Thy Art Is Murder are embarking on a national tour in support of their new Holy Wars record. Being one of Australia’s biggest metalcore acts, I figured a few BMA readers would be keen to make the trip, and you still can for the Saturday October 17 show in Sydney at the Factory Theatre. The good news is, if you can’t make it up the Hume, Suicide Silence have withdrawn from the Parkway Drive show and have been replaced for all dates by none other than Thy Art Is Murder. You can now get yourself along to the UC Refectory in Belconnen on Saturday October 10 and catch Australia’s two biggest heavy acts on the same bill. So it’s a good result, unless you love Suicide Silence.

Whoretopsy have their new album Never Tear Us Apart out on Thursday August 20. YouTube is hosting the video for the album’s title track, from their blackest of humour slamming death metal. The Melbourne band are on the road in September to launch the 10-track record and they will be at the Basement on Friday September 11. The heavy yin to the puerile misogyny yang of that show is the announcement of the Grammy award-winning female-fronted heavy rock of Halestorm at ANU Bar on Saturday December 12. With Lizzy Hale’s own signature Gibson explorer and a train of hype that stretches back to their home in Pennsylvania, the tour is off the back of their third album Into The Wild Life. Tickets are on sale now. JOSH NIXON doomtildeath@hotmail.com

Only a few weeks until the mighty Yob make a long overdue maiden visit to Australia on Saturday August 22 at the Manning Bar. That tour is of course being presented by Perth promoter lifeisnoise, and that mob never rests. They have now announced a sterling double bill of heavy psyche for October, welcoming back Earthless – whom we’ve enjoyed here on their three previous tours – and the very welcome addition of stoner doom maestros, Elder. The tour hits the Newtown Social Club in Sydney on Saturday October 24. That is just a killer double act of power trios, with very different approaches to music, but equally enthralling in their own right. Isaiah Mitchell of Earthless just unleashes a torrent of informed guitar shredding, with the bedrock foundation of Off! and Rocket From The Crypt drummer Mario Rubalcaba, as well as bassist Mike Eginton underpinning the shred. Elder released one of this year’s best records for me in the form of Lore, which dropped back in February. Both bands did sick covers on the Hendrix tribute Electric Ladyland (Redux), which came out in June. This will be a killer show.

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

RANDY JEREMY STEVENS Everyone’s favourite felt-y comedian (you want to touch him, don’t you? You can’t lie to us), RANDY, is planning a visit to our fine city. We caught up with him to ask about his life, love, and racial disharmony. You were in Canberra earlier in the year with your partner in crime, Sammy J. Are you excited to come back, and if not, can we expect loads of jokes making fun of our city? Trust me, they’ll be fine, we’re a fairly self-deprecating bunch. (With the politicians who also call this city home, we kind of have to be). I’m always incredibly excited to visit our nation’s capital. I actually own a semi-attached unit in Woden where I grow hydroponic alfalfa for export. So this trip is mostly about making sure my irrigation system is working correctly. And yes, I will be making fun of your city. Obviously we all love your work with Sammy J, but do you look forward to putting on your own shows and getting that creative freedom? If it wasn’t for a very tricky maze of legal obligations I would have stopped performing with Sammy J years ago. Unfortunately he owns a large portion of my intellectual property, including but not limited to my left arm and lower intestine. My solo career exists purely to cover legal expenses. What about all of that attention just on you. How do you handle all of the groupies you get? Pepper spray. And for all of the ladies out there, is there a Mrs Randy on the scene right now? Not that I know of. There are a lot of comedians on the scene that I’m not aware of though so there could be a Mrs Randy and I just haven’t seen her do a gig yet.

Kermit was using the colour of his skin as a thinly-veiled metaphor for the deep-seated racial disharmony that humanity seems incapable of evolving beyond. The colour of my skin is more to do with a mistimed solarium experience and teenage alcohol abuse. Do you prefer the term “puppet”, “muppet”, or the more politically correct “felt-based individual”? None of the above. “Randy” works fine. Are there any perks to being a puppet man? Do you get bus concessions? I don’t trust busses, they remind me of high school. You’ve spoken about queue rage being one of your favourite spectator sports. Are there any other rage-based spectator sports you enjoy? I personally find “yelling at sportspeople on TV rage” the most enjoyable. I used to record Rage on VHS most weekends, I still have a tape with a grunge special they did one night. Lots of Alice In Chains and Temple of the Dog. Good times. We don’t really know a lot about your past – what was your childhood like? How were your parents growing up? I don’t know what my parents were like growing up because I wasn’t born yet, but as for my own childhood, I remember it like one long summer of bare feet and barney bananas with sporadic moments of intense trauma that several years of hypnotherapy has failed to unravel. You’re visiting Canberra along with some very funny individuals. Who’s your pick to see on the night and why?

Serious question: I was born in ’92 and really want to know what was so great about Wobbies World? How’s your campaign to reopen it going?

I’m the wrong person to ask I’m afraid, as soon as I finish my set I’m going straight to the Mount Stromlo Observatory where the Canberra Astronomical Society are making an attempt at the Guinness World Record for Most People Stargazing. I do not intend on missing that shit.

Serious answer: If you don’t already know what was so great about Wobbies World, you’ll never understand. It was a different time back then.

A purple felt man like you must have some big plans for the future. What’s up your sleeve? World domination? An early retirement to that condo of yours in the Bahamas?

I don’t know if you know him, but Kermit reckons it isn’t easy being green. What about being purple though? Do you get many purplists out there, harassing you on the street?

Two words: Hydroponic alfalfa.

Randy will be coming through Canberra as part of the Sydney Comedy Festival Showcase on Friday August 21 at the Canberra Theatre Centre. See canberratheatrecentre.com.au for tickets and details.

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CHARLIE SAGE

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“The power of Steinbeck is to paint incredibly powerful and poignant situations that are illustrated through really simple ideas.” John Steinbeck’s classic OF MICE AND MEN is just weeks away from gracing the Canberra stage. Before it’s opening at The Playhouse on Thursday August 6, BMA spoke with Andre de Vanny (who plays Curley) to discuss his character, the production, and what it’s like to take on a play with such an impressive history.

TROUBLE WITH MICE IS YOU ALWAYS KILL ‘EM BY SETH ROBINSON

Stemming from a background in television and animation, Andre suggests he “did things in reverse order” – only training in theatre after already working in TV. It’s perhaps this history and experience across mediums that make it easy for him to discuss the piece and his character in depth. “Curley is certainly the antagonist of the play, however it’s kind of acting 101 that you can’t judge your own character. You can’t walk around thinking he’s a bad guy, or it becomes a cartoon cutout,” he says. For Andre, Curley is an insecure guy in a hyper-masculine world. “His sense of self and power is often being undermined. In a lot of ways, it’s a really interesting look at gender roles. He’s been married for two weeks, and he and his wife fill these roles of hyper-masculine and hyper-feminine, but in the worst ways,” he explains. “He’s a boxer, but he constantly feels threatened. He’s physically smaller than the other guys, so in some ways it’s a classic archetype of that small man syndrome – but I think it’s more than that. I have to feel sympathy for him, even if I’m the only one.” Andre’s is a powerful description of an often misunderstood character – just one amongst a cast in a “timeless story, told with absolute integrity, by one of the most exciting companies in the country right now.” Directed by Iain Sinclair – a Canberra local – Andre makes it clear that the Sport For Jove theatre company’s production of Of Mice and Men is one that’s not to be missed. “There’s something exceptional about this company – it’s blossoming. Up until now, it’s always been a co-op, so it’s all people doing it for the love of it,” Andre says. It’s an exciting prospect, and it’s exactly what’s needed when it comes to taking on a classic – particularly one of this gravity. It helps that Steinbeck wrote the stage adaptation himself, as much of the action is already mapped out in the text. “It’s amazing how well that holds up. For us, there’s a huge respect for the text. But I remember a moment when Iain Sinclair – who is an amazing director – came to us and kind of gave us permission to let go of any idea that this was some kind of classic, and let it evolve beyond what it is,” Andre says. “You could gild the lily and kill it, or honour each beat and moment while you’re in them. It would be easy to let it become more than it is and let it defeat you.” Of Mice and Men opens at the playhouse on Thursday August 6. For bookings or more information, visit canberratheatrecentre.com.au.

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CLASSICS IN REVIEW The Bell Jar Sylvia Plath [Faber and Faber Limited; first published in 1963] It creeps up on you. One day you’re laughing over dinner with friends and the next you’re wondering, “Is this it? Is this all there is?” – wishing you could just curl up and hide from the world. The Bell Jar is a semi-autobiographical account of Plath’s slide into depression and subsequent treatment, told through the eyes of nineteen-year-old Esther Greenwood. The story opens with a prestigious magazine internship in New York. It’s supposed to be the experience of a lifetime, but something’s not quite right. And Esther knows it. This sense of unease builds as Plath skilfully draws the reader in, closing each chapter with a cliffhanger. From the opening line, “It was a queer, sultry summer, the summer they electrocuted the Rosenbergs, and I didn’t know what I was doing in New York,” to its bittersweet conclusion, Plath weaves humour through the heartbreak with a knowing wink. Brutally honest, heart-wrenchingly tragic, but what wit! Plath tells her story the way she wants to. And the thing is, what she has to say is just as relevant now. We’re told: “You can be anything you want to be,” but the truth is, you can’t. (Just look at Girls...) The world is not your oyster. To grow up is to come to terms with this. We might laugh at the gender expectations and double standards of 1950s America, but they too linger on today. The world is filled

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with treacherous men (and women). Esther’s exquisitely acidic descriptions of such characters and disillusions with life are utterly relatable. Asked what she wants to do after she graduates, she admits, “I don’t really know.” “I saw myself sitting in the crotch of this fig-tree, starving to death, just because I couldn’t make up my mind which of the figs I would choose. I wanted each and every one of them, but choosing one meant losing all the rest, and, as I sat there, unable to decide, the figs began to wrinkle and go black, and, one by one, they plopped to the ground at my feet.” The second part of the story, set in a series of mental hospitals, is a less enjoyable read. It is harrowing, but one feels far from giving up on Esther. Plath lays it all bare without a trace of self-pity. And that – even if you don’t like her writing – is to be admired. The Bell Jar encapsulates the confusion and pain of transitioning into adulthood. Thankfully, we have options today that were denied Esther. But ‘choice’, as we learn, is paralysing too. Plath’s one novel, so vivid in its imagery, will stay with me through my twenties. Sparkling like a cold cut diamond, hiding a heart of vodka, it is a coming-of-age story unlike any other. SHU-LING CHUA

I get recognised now and then, and yes, it is weird, because I forget that people all over the country have seen my show, Kinne. The first ten seconds of the conversation usually has me trying to figure out where I’ve met this person before. Once I realise that they are just being nice enough to tell me that they enjoy the show, I find myself being extra grateful and a bit overwhelmed. Each encounter is ended not by me, but them saying, “well it was nice to meet you, I gotta… [an arbitrary point with their thumb indicating they have matters to attend to elsewhere.]” Only yesterday I was at the doctors, just hanging out in the waiting room, talking to a friend on the phone. A young woman approached the front desk. After a glance my way, she said, “Kinne?” I gave her a friendly wave like an idiot, and had my usual panic attack of “do I know this person or not?” Luckily, I was preoccupied on the phone. But I listened in, of course, and heard her wondering if she should ask me for a photo together. I saw her approaching out of the corner of my eye, but then – not wanting to interrupt my phone call – she politely went into the other waiting area. After my appointment, I thought I’d be nice and go say hello to this woman. Me: Hi there, just thought I’d say hello before I leave, sorry I was on the phone before, so I couldn’t talk. Her: Oh okay, thanks, hi, how are you? Me: Good thanks, well we’re at the doctors, we can’t be that good I suppose ahahahaha (funny guy). Her: Yeah that’s true, hope there’s nothing too wrong with you?

IN REVIEW

Me: Nah, I just like to hang out here, good place to meet people (funny guyyyy). Her: Haha. [Unnecessary pause.] Her: … So, what’s going on? Me: Oh not much, just doing the live tour at the moment, but the next gig isn’t ‘til Thursday in Darwin, so a bit of time off. Her: Oh, what’s the live tour? Me: It’s just me doing stand up, then I come back on as the lifeguard and the bachelor from the show, it’s pretty fun. We’ve done Adelaide, Perth and Brisbane so far. It’s going well. Her: Oh, great. [I wait for her to ask for a photo, because only a wanker would ask if someone wants a photo with them.] Me: So, did you want to get a photo or anything? Her: [Looks around the room.] Um, nah, it’s okay. Me: Yeah, bit weird, I guess. Well, just thought I’d say hello. Nice to meet you, see you around. I exit, admitting to myself that she did seem a little intimidated. I head down the escalators and start perusing options at a juice bar. Hearing a female voice shout “Kinne!”, I turn to find yet another lady approaching me. It’s at this point that I realise THIS IS THE WOMAN who recognised me in the doctor’s waiting room – so who the f&%$k was the woman I just spoke to? ! As she tells me that she and her husband love watching my show, I’m not giving her the full ‘Kinne conversation experience’ because all I can do is recount how uncomfortable I just made a complete stranger, by wandering up to her out of the blue, dressed like a scumbag and essentially asking her if she wanted a photo together for no reason whatsoever!! TROY KINNE - Having starred in two seasons of his hit TV series Kinne on 7mate, Troy Kinne will be coming through Canberra on Thursday September 3 at the CIT Music Industry Centre. See trybooking.com.au/IEFX for details.

Dylan Thomas: Return Journey The Street Theatre Tuesday–Saturday July 21–25 Re-creating a public lecture–cum–recital by the poet himself and, of course, featuring his prose and poetry, Dylan Thomas: Return Journey offers candid insight into the author of Under Milk Wood, whom the channelled author commences by describing mercilessly. My companion for the performance pointed out that when a painter paints in self-portraits a similarly blunt account of his physical imperfections that Kingdom’s channelled Thomas, earning the actor many laughs, painted of his own in words, we don’t find it funny; that we recognise in the painter’s art genius and courage in revealing the truth of his journey through time. Thomas’s courage was as great. Without self-indulgence, Kingdom’s Thomas went on to describe his early life in similarly understated, blunt style, including in particular a trip he took with his uncle and many fellow fisherman on a hired bus. Though something of a shaggy-dog story – with the bus returning once for an overlooked member of the expedition but not returning a second time for a set of false teeth, whose wearer, some said, would not be requiring them for smiling as he did not smile – it was an amusing one, invoking Thomas’s wordplay as Kingdom described sheltering beneath “one of my uncle’s stomachs”. Interspersing his monologue – apparently (but in reality certainly not) conducted entirely off the cuff – with recitals of “Do not go gentle into that good night”, “And death shall have no dominion”, and several other poems, Thomas moved on to describe his first visit to his Welsh home town of Swansea since leaving it, 14

years earlier, as a young man of 18 or 19. That visit had entailed many somewhat tragic discoveries: of the extent of the town’s destruction in bombing during World War II; of the memories his townsfolk retained of him, which mixed pride in his fame as a poet with offhandedness about his youthful character, one old man remembering only that he had been one of millions of like youths; of the entire insignificance of his early “dog bites man” journalistic career. But it also demonstrated the survival of Swansea’s spirit of community, every surviving body still knowing every other. The most notable aspect of the performance was the believability that the man standing before us was Thomas himself. Kingdom, having a natural leaning toward Thomas’s manner of speech and a gift for reproducing cadences, recited Thomas’s poetry extraordinarily nearly as Thomas did. With Thomas’s Welsh musical cadence, and embedding Thomas’s characteristic wordplay, Kingdom’s recitals – much as Thomas’s did – inflect a characteristic declining cadence, lending complete sentences and entire poems an air of being as yet unfinished, or at least tentative. So sly phrases such as “ulterior decorator” and “giving the work the works” added necessary variety to a monologue that, in Thomas’s style, remained deadpan throughout. JOHN P. HARVEY

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ARTISTPROFILE:

What are your plans for the future? Working with likeminded partners Margo Piefke, Paul Martin, Lorna Crane and others. More locative collaborative work, mainly audio/visual. Working on a concept for the revitalised Gorman House. Having a rest in September, after the current project wraps.

What do you do? Since 2010, I’ve done sound design and audio work; experiments with noise. Over time, I’ve done visual work to accompany it. I now find I work more often on the visual multimedia aspects.

What makes you laugh? My two-year old daughter and I find each other hysterically amusing.

Charles Sage

When, how and why did you get into it? I’ve been active musically since the ‘90s, but since giving away live performance (home computing got sufficiently affordable), I started designing basic imagery and short films to accompany music – a sort of DIY aesthetic. I’m also part of ongoing projects Hessien with Tim Martin, and The Rothko Chapel with Pete Dowd. Who or what influences you as an artist? As a viewer or a listener, I’m interested in how the imperfections or flaws in a work develop it – accidents shaping design. As for artists whose work I’m interested in? Mark Rothko, Dag Rosenqvist, James Turrell, Sidney Nolan, Ben Frost, Jackson Pollock, Jakob, Miles Davis, Noveller, Kaki King, Radiohead, among others. Of what are you proudest so far? I finished an audio project called The Glass Canoe in 2012 and made a series of accompanying short films in 2013, which came close to being released on DVD in Japan in 2014 (before the label went into hibernation). It’s been in deep freeze since, and I’m hoping to eventually resurrect it as an installation piece or exhibition.

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What pisses you off? I’m very slow to anger, but lack of consideration for or marginalisation of the perspectives and lived experiences of others will do it every time. What about the local scene would you change? I am perhaps not the best person to ask; I politely excused myself from the Canberra music scene (such as it was) about ten years ago after moving to Melbourne, and after I returned, my crowd had well moved on. I then spent many years collaborating online, and rarely saw it. Since I’ve re-engaged, I find everyone without exception to be happy and largely free of ego. Upcoming exhibitions? A large experimental multimedia tribute to refugee musicians called Internecine: The Vanished Musicians at Nishi Gallery, New Acton, Fri–Tue August 7–25. The project includes three albums, a DVD, paintings, photography and installations from myself and about two-dozen local, national and international contributors. ArtsACT bravely supported the project; proceeds from sales of artworks are being donated to refugee charities – the ASRC, UNHCR and RACS. Contact Info: I’m found at y0t0.tumblr.com, but The Vanished Musicians can be found at internecined.tumblr.com.

IN REVIEW

LITERATURE IN REVIEW

We can all relate to circus acts as being great feats of strength, coordination and balance, but they usually come in a series of discrete acts. Well, the Circus Under My Bed performance by the Flying Fruit Flies from the National Youth Circus had all of those elements. What made it so special however, was the narrative that linked everything together.

The Buried Giant is the seventh novel (and first to be published in ten years) by Kazuo Ishiguro. Apparently all of the author’s books have ‘a buried giant’ that could be a secret bubbling beneath the surface or a revelation of an unseen or understood reality.

The Buried Giant Kazuo Ishiguro [Random House Large Print; 2015]

Circus Under My Bed Canberra Theatre Thu–Sat July 16–18

The story revolved around a young girl reluctantly packing up her personal treasures before moving to a new home. Falling asleep, the players from a dreamtime circus appeared to help her pack. The show actually began well before the formal start time, with performers wandering about on stage and up through the audience. Clowning around, they busied themselves dusting off members of the audience, trying to tempt punters to lick the ladle of their pretend ‘soup’ and stealing kids’ popcorn. Once the show had begun there was non-stop action, with so much going on around the stage that it was hard to take it all in. At times, there were up to 17 people racing around. The storywriter’s imagination saw toys become ‘real’ animals, leaping about in a comic skit of sheep and sheepdog. There were impressive feats of strength and daring, as the young cast balanced, twirled and leapt high above the stage. Most effective was the young woman performing on a moon shaped ring while coloured stars bobbed about below. Being a circus means that there is always scope for things to go wrong, with a hula-hoop missed in a throw, or a bottle dropped during a juggling act. It just makes it all the more thrilling though, especially when you realise that the knife being juggled is actually sharp, as the skit ends with the chef catching the apple on the point, producing a squirt of apple juice! What made it all the more impressive was the age of the performers, with some – including principal characters in the plot – as young as eight. The comedy never stopped – whether it was the sad clown longing for his beloved, or the petulant girl trying to get the balloon that kept floating just out of reach. The balance of light and darkness was used to great effect. Dimly lit balloons and stars appeared out of the gloom, creating a magical atmosphere. There was clever use of props too – especially the many umbrellas, which depicted the various forms of transport used by the clown searching for his girl. The music also made a major contribution to the vibe of the story. It was either bouncy and fun or delicate and emotive – especially the elegant piano tunes and the whispers of the harp. The tempo amped up towards the finale, and the music took on a decidedly eastern tinge (perhaps with an eye to the show’s move to Turkey later in the year).

Image credit: Daniel Boud

RORY MCCARTNEY

Not being familiar with the author and his storytelling quirks – or looking much past the title – I started reading with the innocent expectation that the story was about an actual buried giant. I was wrong. Set after the end of a war between Saxons and Britons, the story begins with an introduction to Axl and his wife Beatrice: two elderly Britons living on the outer fringe of a village burrowed in to the side of a hill. A widespread historical amnesia has descended on the populace, erasing both recent and distant memory. Axl and Beatrice call this forgetting “the mist”, and there is much conjecture as to its origins and reasons for being, as memories fade. They once had a son, though neither can quite remember him or why he left them. But they suspect that he must be waiting for them in the Saxon village in which he now lives, which is some days’ travel away. They embark on a journey to visit him, and it is this journey, the encounters and revelations along the way that are the basis for the rest of the novel. They encounter a number of strange characters – including Wistan, a helpful, young Saxon warrior on a quest of his own for a faraway king, and an elderly Sir Gawain – nephew of King Arthur – whose reputation precedes him. It transpires that “the mist” is actually the breath of a tyrannical she-dragon named Querig – the very same dragon Sir Gawain has quested to slay for many years. Killing Querig is therefore the only way to restore the memory of the country. The restoration of memory is a bitter pleasure however, as historically, the mist has enabled a period of peace between the Saxons and Britons, forgetting why they were fighting anyway. The ‘forgetting’ generates some fairly meandering, lengthy and – for me – quite inane dialogue, which made the first third of the story a bit of a slog. I started to get interested at the point the travellers make it to a hillside monastery tormented by birds. This is a story with a lot of fantastical qualities, but I couldn’t help but notice similarities with Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. It’s not exactly like it, but it has enough similarities like underground villages, river-dwelling pixies, child-snatching ogres and fearsome dragons with name starting with Q to be a little off-putting. ALISON 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 prejudice of the swing state that may bestow power than the validity of an independent opinion. A sad indictment of the current realpolitik is that the acquisition or retention of power far outweighs its proper application once attained. This is no new phenomenon, but it is one currently in sharp focus. Few things are as galling as the misuse of our long-fought for democracy, and a symptomatic stench of this abuse currently pervades society: offensively pungent because it is too gutless to admit its own cowardice, sickening because it attempts to insulate itself with a pre-emptive ‘get out’ clause. It is the seemingly harmless phrase ‘to my understanding’, and it is everywhere. Acting as shorthand for ‘I have no idea whether what I’m about to say has any merit or semblance of truth whatsoever’, this duplicitous little phrase has been wielded by many to distance themselves from their very next utterance, offering a handy fire escape before the incendiary nature of their premise illuminates their underhandedness. The two-faced prefix first arrived upon the scene in a different guise via various media outlets wishing to claim an exclusive story prior to all the facts being in: ‘The BBC understands that…’ One could potentially grant a modicum of understanding here where perpetrators are engaged in a direct competition in which haste often trumps accuracy. Regrettable, but mildly understandable. When the same policy is adopted by individuals it becomes fully exposed as a licence for naked opportunism masquerading as informed comment.

There is a simple remedy, but it will mean sacrificing every democratic right that tens of thousands of your forebears have fought and died for. You must willingly sign over any and all rights to have any say in how your country is run. You must accept the harshest of circumstances and lowest of living standards, never once questioning the assertion that it is all for your own good. You must do so in submissive deference to one who is demonstrably better than you in every way. You will confer upon me the absolute power to rule this tawdry country. I’m your daddy now. GIDEON FOXINGTON-SMYTH

Predictably, it has become a staple of the politician who wishes to appear in possession of all the facts without committing to a single one of them. By offering their ‘understanding’ they give comment on any and all topics, taking any opportune position they choose while simultaneously shielding themselves from future accusations of U-turns, backflips and open defamation – having staked their initial position upon a prior ‘understanding’. So slippery will these already lubricated characters become that they will be impossible to pin down without the engagement of the Japanese whaling fleet and a battery of harpoons. It is the failure, and worse still, unwillingness to commit to a single position for fear of ruffling the mangy feathers of some inbred hick who happens to fester in a marginal constituency that rankles most. Fear of beginning a sentence with ‘I think that’ rather than ‘it is my understanding’ exposes the public figure more concerned with perception than character, more attuned to the

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bit PARTS THE SELFISH GIANT WHAT: Exhibition Opening and Book Launch WHEN: Fri Jul 31–Sun Aug 9 WHERE: The Drill Hall Gallery ANU Celebrating the work of prolific Canberra artist Paul Summerfield, this exhibition will showcase a limited edition print series titled The Selfish Giant. Based on the original fairy tale by Oscar Wilde, Summerfield has illustrated the story through his own unique interpretation. His fifth solo exhibition, the twenty striking illustrations will be on display, with a limited number of the handmade books available to order upon inquiry. Paul has worked for the past two years on his unique interpretation of The Selfish Giant, which has a rich history of published versions from all over the world. The official opening runs from 5pm to 7pm on Friday July 31. Entry is free. THE SOLDIERS WIFE WHAT: Musical Theatre WHEN: Thu Aug 6 WHERE: The Street Theatre The Soldiers Wife is a musical project by a group of female Queensland-based musicians, designed with the sole intent of documenting the untold, emotional stories of the wives and widows of Australian soldiers. Artists interviewed groups of women who were affected by their husbands’ departures into war. Their stories were then turned into songs with the purpose of educating communities on the lesser-known struggles of these Australian women. Heartwrenching tales – both old and new – will feature at the live show, which will also include explanations of the stories behind the songs. Tickets are $25 through thestreet.org.au. Be there by 7:30pm. BRICKS TO CANVAS WHAT: Street Art Exhibition WHEN: Sat–Sat Aug 8–29 WHERE: Aarwun Gallery, Federation Square Image credit: Reko Rennie

Bricks To Canvas is the story of the nation’s ex-street artists and their rise to fame on the global art market. Almost unknown in Australia, a handful of our young artists – graduates of the streets and laneways of our capital cities – have grabbed the opportunity to market their art worldwide. The exhibition features eight artists honing vastly different styles. Among them are Luke Cornish, Reko Rennie, Anthony Lister, Mark Whalen, Vexta, Ghost Patrol, Jackson Slattery and Sean Whalen. This is truly a success story in Australian art, which has yet to be acknowledged. It kicks off at 2pm. There’ll be afternoon drinks, playful discussion and a feast of homegrown talent. A KINDER WINTER: BUILDING A SIMPLE HOTHOUSE WHAT: Farming Seminar WHEN: Sat Aug 15 WHERE: Canberra Environment Centre Canberra winters can be harsh on everyone. Sure enough, that also includes your fresh veggies. Yep, you heard me. How kind have you been to your vegetables? Just take a second to think about that. Do you show them the love and tender care they deserve, or do you just let them freeze their arses off out there? If you have any shred of a heart, you’ll come along to this seminar on building a backyard hothouse for your vegetable garden. It will run from 10am to midday. Registration is $20. Limited spaces are available however, so RSVP through their website at ecoaction.com.au.

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the word

on albums

album of the issue WE LOST THE SEA DEPARTURE SONGS [BIRDS ROBE RECORDS/ART AS CATHARSIS]

With their third album, We Lost The Sea show how adept they are at linking the musical with the conceptual. The Sydney-based six-piece’s new release Departure Songs is their first since vocalist Chris Torpy passed away, and it is as emotive and evocative as you would expect. The instrumental post-rock record focuses on the failure of “epic and honourable journeys, or events throughout history” – the kind of moments where selflessness can become an act in the name of progress or an ultimate good. ‘A Gallant Gentleman’ opens with strobing, cavernous, guitar echos – which feel like an effective way to bring the listener into the right space necessary for a record that deals with the kind of epic, but hardly attention-seeking, postrock that Departure Songs embodies. It’s a gentle lowering of the listener into the release – so when the crashing guitars smash through the comforting layer of sound it’s more a relief than a surprise. ‘Bogatyri’ begins roughly with dirge-like guitar melody and percussion that tends to drag just a little too long. Pacing with this kind of music is everything, and it just feels a little off. Thankfully there’s a full recovery, with the track picking up – sharp guitars spike in through the march to build and build, before it all peaks with a beautifully grounding bassline and guitars that solidify the song without crowding everything else out.

‘The Last Dive of David Shaw’ references Australian scuba diver David Shaw who is one of but 11 people who have ever dived deeper than 240 metres using scuba gear. In October of 2004 on a record-breaking dive, Shaw found the body of Deon Dreyer, a South African diver who had died diving in Bushman’s Hole a decade prior. In January of 2005, Shaw, while trying to recover Dreyer’s body, died himself. Starting with the faint sound of breathing through scuba gear opening the track, it rumbles and growls, growing in intensity, before cutting straight to sublime, interweaving guitars. The title alone is enough to conjure some fairly sombre imagery, and the music manages to match it perfectly. It further moves into a section marked by an intense repetition of deeper, muddier notes, before strings come in and guitars once again lift themselves toward a much heavier and darker platform. The album closes with two tracks: ‘Challenger part 1 – Flight’ and ‘Challenger part 2 – A Swan Song’, referencing the NASA 1986 Challenger disaster. ‘Flight’ uses a spoken word sample about dreams, before gradually building over straining, high-pitched guitars that rest on an edge between unsettling scratching and wailing. The band had absolutely exquisite artwork done for the release by Matt Harvey. It’s desolate imagery fits the album perfectly and complements the release in the manner it’s deserving of. Departure Songs is an album that explores frontiers and limits. It pushes and pulls, shifting the listener between canyons and rifts and space over the course of nearly 70 minutes. ‘A Swan Song’ closes the album with a sample of President Reagan’s speech following the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster: “The crew of the space shuttle Challenger honoured us by the manner in which they lived their lives. We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye and ‘slipped the surly bonds of earth’ to ‘touch the face of God.’” No review could possible convey what Departure Songs is about more than that.

OLIVIA CHANEY THE LONGEST RIVER [NONESUCH] Take the voice of a contemplative, wistful but slightly melancholy wood fairie, place it in the body of a 33-year-old woman, and you have English folk singer Olivia Chaney. After a 2014 EP launch, she has issued a debut long-player (recorded in a studio, a home and a church), which captures both her own compositions and covers from other artists, done to her own arrangements. Emotion flows like a tide through the purity of her voice and the patterns of her fingers on the keyboards. Chaney’s elfin tones give the opener ‘False Bride’ a gossamer touch. Her lyrics portray the everyday, whether it’s about using the hoover, high street shops or preparing for love or lust. Of rare quality, her songwriting is seen at its best in ‘Imperfections’. High and lilting in that track, her voice dominates scarce piano notes, with the singing increasing in force and the piano rising in sympathy as the song approaches its finale. As the harmonium measures the melancholy progress of ‘Waxwing’, the song is taken to another level by the vocal harmonies and sighing violin of her compatriot Jordan Hunt. There are two curious inclusions on the CD. While they demonstrate the scope of her talent, the tone that makes Chaney’s voice so special is submerged in ‘La Jardiniera’ (sung in Spanish). The antique presentation of ‘There’s Not a Swain’ (the original of which dates from 1693) is unusual, but a distraction from the style of the rest of the collection. However, these are just speed bumps in a very special album. Chaney’s skill in applying her own arrangements to the songs of others climaxes in ‘Blessed Instant’, a work of unfathomable emotion. RORY MCCARTNEY

JEREMY STEVENS

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DUB PISTOLS THE RETURN OF THE PISTOLEROS [SUNDAY BEST]

KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD WIZARD QUARTERS [REMOTE CONTROL]

FLYING SAUCER ATTACK INSTRUMENTALS 2015 [DOMINO]

When Dub Pistols first emerged during the second half of the nineties, they were quickly tipped as being one of the more promising names operating amongst the then-burgeoning big beat scene popularised by labels like Skint and Wall Of Sound. Indeed, 2001 saw them signed to Geffen and given the status of being one of the label’s priority acts in the US that year, only for them to release their second album Six Million Ways To Live on 9/11. While their American profile ended up derailed, head Dub Pistol Barry Ashworth’s mix instalment of the seminal Y4K compilation series saw their status ignited amongst the then rising UK new skool breaks scene, with the collective moving more towards straight breaks and hip-hop in recent years as that scene dissipated.

Winners of the competition for the band with the most Zs in their title, this mob from Melbourne has issued an unusual album. With only four principal tracks (hence the title) it justifies the LP tag by having each song run for a whopping 10 minutes.

15 years have elapsed since the last FSA album with group founder David Pearce continuing to explore the highly distinctive cosmic folk music that arrived fully formed on the group’s debut self-titled album in 1993. Pearce occupies an unusual place in the Bristol music scene, inspired in equal measures by post-punk, 1970s German psychedelic groups and modernist composition of the minimalist kind, but sounding like no one other than himself.

Six years on from their preceding Rum & Coke collection, this fifth album The Return Of The Pistoleros places the emphasis firmly upon ragga skank, and sees them enlisting an impressive cast of vocal collaborators that includes Seanie Tee, Neville Staples and Earl 16. What’s immediately apparent is just how little sonically has changed in the Dub Pistols’ camp over the last decade. More upbeat tracks such as opener ‘Pistoleros’ and ‘Ride With It’ build their backbones around the sorts of rolling junglist breakbeats and jump-up ragga accents that packed dancefloors circa 2002, and while there’s certainly some inspired vocal performances, the end result feels dated more than anything else. Elsewhere, more downbeat explorations like ‘This Anthem’ call to mind the likes of Herbaliser, as loping dubby rhythms roll against skanking horn riffs. Despite the nostalgia flashes, this isn’t too exciting. CHRIS DOWNTON

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Opener ‘The River’ brings prog rock features and a ‘70s aura to its meandering path. The jazzy song has orchestral features broken into movements. Just when it seems the song is ending – after a long jam session – another verse emerges, followed by yet another jam. Percussion and guitars conduct a long running conversation, maintaining the same, foot tapping melodic core, accompanied by the fuzzy vocals that feature throughout the record. Full of character, ‘Infinite Rise’ brings wind noises and a bumpier rhythm, while guitars yowl like cats and animal sounds appear randomly. In the bouncy cadence of ‘God Is In The Rhythm’, KGLW bring vague suggestions (though slowed and muffled) of Led Zeppelin’s ‘D’yer Mak’er’. The CD highlight, ‘Lonely Steel Sheet Flyer’ is a psychedelic adventure, where surf rock guitars trip the light fantastic, and needlepoint notes send icicles up the spine. While the antithesis of stoner rock in both style and volume, the KGLW material serves the same purpose, providing the mood for the listener to drift away and fade out. And although long tracks do have their devotees, their format results in less focused songs with a consequent drop in impact. Some tracks – notably ‘God Is In The Rhythm’ – sound repetitious to the point of monotony. While the shorter radio edit version of that track is also on the disk, its inclusion achieves little. RORY MCCARTNEY

Early comparisons to psych-noise bands like My Bloody Valentine were misplaced, because even though his guitar could release unearthly swells of feedback and distortion, the music was often freed from the beat with an ebb and flow determined by an inner logic. In the early days, Pearce advocated a lo-fi DIY aesthetic that brought a grainy resonance to the sound and accentuated the intensity of the noisy peaks, but fuller production values crept in as the guitarist started on what he referred to as phase two of the band in the late 1990s. This new album – comprised of 15 untitled instrumental guitar tracks of varying length – is like a return to the beginning. Overlapping tones and harmonics are carefully crafted to form pulsating drones that transcend the comfortably familiar. On the album sleeve, Pearce acknowledges Florian Fricke, the mastermind behind German psychedelic band Popol Vuh whose atmospheric, devotional compositions over many years patiently sought out the unknown. This is music designed for close listening and its sparse, minimalist vibe stretches out time and space. DAN BIGNA

BOATS RELEASE [INDEPENDENT RELEASE]

HOLLY HERNDON PLATFORM [4AD]

THE GETAWAY PLAN DARK HORSES [INDEPENDENT]

Melbourne DJ Blake Patterson wanted to move away from the electronic house scene to something soothing, with folk influences and simple guitars. Despite having broken the gamer habit by ditching his Xbox, he couldn’t quite pull himself away from the dance influences of his former employment. As a result, his debut EP (under the stage name Boats) still carries some of the tang of his nights on the decks.

Originally Tennessee-born and currently studying for a doctorate at Stanford’s Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA), Holly Herndon’s 2012 debut album Movement saw her quickly tagged with the somewhat lofty label of ‘laptop auteur’. It’s as good a description as any for the tracks contained within that album, which saw her using the programming language Max MSP to create custom instruments and vocal processes, the results calling to mind everything from Coil and Autechre through to AGF and even Laurie Anderson at points. Three years on and this second album Platform sees her making the move to indie heavyweight label 4AD, whilst offering up a collection that feels much bigger, brighter and more emotional than its predecessor.

Dark Horses sees The Getaway Plan pushing a few boundaries to create a solid release, but they aren’t pushed far enough to create a truly memorable one. ‘Landscapes’ crashes into the first few seconds of the album with grandiose, punching guitar that lifts and lifts; all the while the bass runs beneath, providing a wonderfully chunky, crunching foundation. The chorus has the kind of kick we’ve come to expect from The Getaway Plan, and things feel good.

The short ‘Intro’ could be the weird wailing of an alien orchestra tuning up – if aliens had saxophones, that is. While a bit of a filler, it does act as a harbinger of the material to come. Released as a single, ‘Spider’s Soul’ matches lingering echoes with a metronomic beat, conjoining with ricocheting vocals. In this sleepy song, layered electro-calligraphy paints openended questions, “some girl, some guy”. Briefly buffeted by an intrusive buzzing, sounds bounce off each other, generating a rippling melody that moves slow-mo in a lower field of gravity. Beginning with an acoustic strumming with squeaky strings, ‘Shallows’ explores a shadowy existence, still locked in a cavern of echoing vocals and wavelets of keys. The vocal reverberations have been peeled away in ‘Rabbits’, where a whistling feature works with an I’m-notafraid-of-the-dark vibe, which butt up against looming synths that spring to life mid-song. Boat’s aim to create stripped-back songs comes closest to realisation in the final pairing of delicate, keyboard-dappled strummers, ‘That’s The Way’ and ‘Hold The Knife’. In the closer, what sounds like a veiled threat is actually a plea for release – to be cut free. Boats’ debut is a form of music for those in need of a serious chill-out – it is not intended to quicken anyone’s pulse, however. RORY MCCARTNEY

Indeed, the level of sonic depth and texture here is often astonishing, with everything seemingly blown up to HD levels of detail. While things feel initially more colourful and optimistic, the theme of online surveillance and the vulnerability of technology continually resurface here. The first single ‘Home’ offers a love song to an NSA eavesdropper that threads spoken phrases like “I feel like I’m home on my own, and it feels like you see me” into an eerie backdrop of crunching industrial textures, fragmented vocal elements and percussive glitchy rhythms. Elsewhere, ‘Chorus’ offers up one of the more oblique moments here, as things deconstruct almost entirely at points into a wash of blurred out vocal processing and jarring bursts of rhythm, and indeed, it’s fascinating to find out that the entire track was created using custom software that converts web browsing histories into audio signals. All up, Platform is a challenging and brilliant listen. CHRIS DOWNTON

Unfortunately, old problems still haunt the band. Lyrics like “Oh I was blind, but now I have seen / There is a monster lurking deep inside of me” from ‘Castles in the Air’ pull the listener out from perfectly adequate writing into a kind of bland cliché that struggles to seem genuine. This is the same problem that previous album, Requiem, has – fortunately, like Requiem, it doesn’t happen all too often. That’s not to say it isn’t a great shame though: if vocalist Matthew Wright relaxed into his lyricism a bit more, and took more of an oblique, experimental, and personal approach – ala La Dispute’s Jordan Dreyer’s poetic storytelling – we’d have a much more interesting experience. ‘Last Words’ stands out most of all – and the band seem to know it, having just released it as a single. The songwriting feels clean and focused, and the pop-like sensibilities are welcome, almost moreso than some of the angst we’re burdened with elsewhere. ‘Dreamer Parallels’ sees Wright more vulnerable-sounding than ever, percussion on ‘The Means’ hits the spot, and closer ‘Exodus’ feels like the most justifiably lengthy track on offer. Between a few tracks that feel like paintby-numbers jobs, The Getaway Plan show intense promise on Dark Horses. Let’s hope they see it fit to experiment a little more with their delivery in the future. They have too much potential not to. JEREMY STEVENS

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singles in focus BY CODY ATKINSON CONTAINER ‘EJECT’

THE CASANOVAS TERRA CASANOVA [RUBBER RECORDS]

PALACE OF THE KING WHITE BIRD/BURN THE SKY [DEVIL’S MUSIC/LISTENABLE RECORDS]

Formed in 1999, Melbourne-based three-piece The Casanovas developed a reputation for wild, fast guitar work on songs like ‘Shake It’. The band has largely been on hiatus since 2007, due to family and daytime job distractions for frontman and guitarist Tommy Boyce. However – feeling the call of the studio – the band repaired to Sing Sing and captured its third LP. The Casanovas’ latest release shows a broad range of styles that vary from garage, to flirtations with pop, blues and a heavier style of rock.

After three EPs, Melbournian hard rocking, blues infused, pseudo retro (just look at the psychedelic sleeve art) band Palace of the King has mustered enough songs and cash to unleash its debut LP. The output of the six piece invites comparisons with Gun Street Girls and Airbourne although, unlike the latter, front man and chief lyricist Tim Henwood prefers to concentrate on the vocals instead of wielding an axe on stage. Regarding lyrics, don’t expect much more than lots of references to hell, the devil and similar hard rock fodder. However, the words take a (very) back seat in this genre, as it’s all about riffage, of which there’s plenty.

The band announces its return with wailing sirens and howls before breaking into the deep, buzzing riff of opener ‘He’s Alive’. Lyrics are pleasingly imaginative – from monsters, to the downside of too much sex in the title track, to slimy romance in ‘Slug’. Just two of the many CD highlights, ‘Hotel Sunrise’ and ‘Just Because’ hit all the right notes melodically. ‘Cold Metal’ revels in dirty blues, punctuated by spaced out echoes and venomous growls from the guitar. ‘Day In Day Out’ crosses over into pop sensibilities with its catchy, bouncy chorus. Skins man Jaws Stanley sets up for a big finish with the bold tom-tom beat of closer ‘Oriental Woman’, a track that shares more in common with snarling, spitting hair metal than garage. The band tips the hat to The Vapors with a snapshot of the key riff from ‘Turning Japanese’ at the song’s last gasp. Loud and proud, there are enough indulgent licks throughout the tracklist to make any guitar nut happy. It may have been nine years since the last LP, but the results have been worth the wait, with an album that really rocks. RORY MCCARTNEY

The album adopts an unusual format, with the White Bird/Burn the Sky split which divvies up the songs. Henwood’s high vocals are borne aloft on dirty, muckraking blues riffs as he lays down the punishment in ‘Take Your Medicine’. There’s a Guns n Roses sound to the band when they slow the pace in the bridge of ‘No Chance in Hell’, while standout track ‘White Bird’ has a winning see-saw motion to the riffs, with Henwood sounding rather Led Zep in his vocals. The upswing of its guitars assumes wrecking ball momentum. A kaleidoscopic maze of riffs marks the LP’s halfway point, before another highlight ‘Ain’t Got Nobody to Blame But Myself’ delivers keyboard work from the graves of Deep Purple and Uriah Heep. The lighter, faster ‘Leave Me Behind’ gets a Nitrous boost from some chili saxophone while keys and guitar accomplish a do-si-do in the funky, bouncy ‘Devil’s Daughter’. While there’s nothing startlingly attention grabbing or unusual here, it’s all good stuff and would be most impressive live. RORY MCCARTNEY

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Container makes music for your head to explode to. ‘Eject’ is no different, with seemingly failing drum machines and totally overdriven synths at war with any skerrick of silence remaining in the remote vicinity. Very few tracks make you sit bolt upright to listen to them, but this is one of them.

MELT (FEAT. RAUS) ‘CANBERRA TO SYDNEY’ With a motorik beat driving the action, this kinda feels like the lonely drive from the capital to Sydney. Krautrock influences pervade throughout the track and Raus’ vocals seem to channel an Ian Curtis-esque baritone. However, it is Jordan Rodger’s guitar that remains the hero here. Well worth a listen.

PARQUET COURTS ‘PRETTY GIRLS IS A MOTHERFUCKER’ According to Parquet Courts pretty much everything is a motherfucker. Drawn out via a Northern US drawl, it kinda all makes sense. Fuck everything. It might be a bit simple, and a bit grade school, but at least they’ve committed to it. Maybe this isn’t Parquet Courts at their guitar slashing best, but it’s not bad nonetheless.

FLO RIDA (FEAT. ROBIN THICKE & VERDINE WHITE) ‘I DON’T LIKE IT, I LOVE IT’ I mean, what are you expecting here? A Flo Rida song won’t change the course of humanity, or lead us on the path to a new age of enlightenment. Fuck, if Flo Rida could do that, maybe he’d be better served as the President of the UN. This song, however, is an example of nothing but a generically bad song, memorable only for its forgettableness.

the word

on films

WITH EMMA ROBINSON

I often rant in these reviews and columns about the cynicism of sequels – how they are merely a ploy to make money with little to no artistic credibility. However, sometimes my bitterness is sweetened with a sequel that survives on its own merit and I’m proven wrong. Magic Mike XXL is a thoroughly enjoyable montage of gorgeous men, funky tunes and hilarious dialogue that is, surprisingly, not exclusively enjoyable for heterosexual women! Don’t despair over the lukewarm Jurassic World and don’t get me started on Terminator Genisys. Magic Mike delivers!

quote of the issue

“Tomorrow we start the pilgrimage to Myrtle Beach for the stripper convention!” – Joe Manganiello (Big Dick Richie), Magic Mike XXL

RUBEN GUTHRIE

MAGIC MIKE XXL

MADAME BOVARY

Australia has a toxic relationship with alcohol.

Channing Tatum returns in rippled, svelte form in the sequel to 2012’s surprise hit Magic Mike, to reprise his role as the male stripper with hips to rival Elvis.

Based on the groundbreaking 19th century novel by Gustave Flaubert, Madame Bovary stars Canberra’s own Mia Wasikowska (Jane Eyre) as the titular tragic heroine, whose dissatisfaction with the monotony of country life triggers her penchant for making terrible life decisions, including reckless spending and engaging in extramarital affairs with a couple of handsome cads. The depth of social commentary one would envisage in an adaptation of Madame Bovary is severely lacking. The film strips its characters of their complexities, relying on heavyhanded visual or aural cues to express their internal struggles. Emma Bovary is constantly peering out of windows, denoting her isolation or prisoner-to-social-convention status, and leaving the audience querying whether the film actually offers anything more than ‘window dressing’. Indeed, the film’s very symbolic hunting sequence – which ends with the death of a prize stag – is an emotionless ‘Requiem for a Random Beast’. The inexplicable use of various accents (French, American, English) is also jarring: Wasikowska’s American accent likens Emma to a bratty, wannabe, haute couture-obsessed Valley Girl. As you’d expect with a period drama, the production design is top-notch, complete with rustic estates, muted colours and what appears to be a B-line for a certain little gold statue for Best Costume Design. If only the substance of the film matched the impressive aesthetics.

Ruben Guthrie (Patrick Brammell) is a hotshot advertising guru with a model fiancé and a party-pad on a Sydney waterfront. After consuming vast quantities of all the alcohol, he jumps off his balcony and into his pool, only to wake up the next day with a broken arm, an irate fiancé and a pledge to give up alcohol. The obstacles Guthrie encounters are varied and constant, ranging from cultural pressures (it’s ‘un-Australian’ not to drink), to his mother (“have a drink, we want our son back”). This film drives home the constant struggle addicts face – you have to be able to rely on your own strength to say no, because even those who love you will not always act in your best interests. I’m struggling to come up with more than three rituals or celebrations in Australian culture that are not associated with alcohol. Birthdays, celebrations, even after-work drinks are all accompanied with some of the expectations and even pressures to imbibe. What is really disturbing is the pressure non-drinkers face when they refuse – one cannot simply say ‘no, thank you’ and leave it at that. I’m reminded of Lily Allen’s lyrics: “please can we leave, I’d like to go to bed now. It’s not just the sun that is hurting my head now.” Binge drinking has gone past enjoyment. The hangover is rarely worth the ‘fun’. EMMA ROBINSON

It’s been three years since Mike glided offstage and bid adieu to male stripping. Unfortunately for Mike (but fortunately for us), the allure of dancing onstage and earning the adoration of thousands of women is irresistible. Thus Mike rejoins his equally hunky friends on a road trip ending at a stripper convention. Why? Partly because he misses his friends, partly because he is at a crossroads in life. But really, who cares? This film is light on plot and heavy on the snappy dialogue and visual goodies. It is not trying to be anything that it isn’t and that’s fine – Magic Mike XXL delivers a fun, sex positive, inclusive film. Unlike films that feature bikini-clad women as the main draw card to watch the film and little else, Magic Mike XXL celebrates male beauty in a light-hearted, slightly nostalgic way (Joe Manganiello’s liquid hips to the backdrop of the Backstreet Boys is not to be missed by anyone who was a teenage girl in the 1990s). Given the lack of exploration of female sexuality in mainstream cinema, it is refreshing to see a film of this ilk. Women like to look at attractive people too! Are you ready to be exalted? EMMA ROBINSON

MAJELLA CARMODY

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PALACE CINEMAS

ANT-MAN

WOMEN HE’S UNDRESSED

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has succeeded once again, satisfying audiences and shareholders with a thoroughly passable family-friendly entry in Peyton Reed’s Ant-Man. With a strong cast including Michael Douglas as Hank Pym (the original Ant-Man), and Paul Rudd as Scott Lang (displaying considerable leading man talent in the titular role of presentday Ant-Man), this film aims to entertain.

Gillian Armstrong’s tribute to Kiama local turned Hollywood costume designer and threetime Oscar winner Orry-Kelly is an engrossing portrait of an extremely talented (albeit lesser-known) Australian. Played in dramatisations by the excellent Darren Gilshenan, Orry-Kelly was a magnetic personality with a flair for pageantry. At times, this documentary glosses over the less glamourous parts of Kelly’s life – such as being drafted during the Second World War – and it does get bogged down in rather specific details of costume design. However, this is all made up for with its recounts of Kelly’s relationships with Hollywood’s superstars of the time – Bette Davis, Marilyn Monroe and Jack Warner (the head of Warner Brothers studios), to name a few. In particular, it’s interesting to learn about the intimate relationship between Orry-Kelly and Cary Grant, and the way openly gay Hollywood stars and personalities had to hide their affection in such an open forum. Indeed, it is rumoured that the publication of Orry-Kelly’s biography was blocked by Grant himself.

Whereas other films in the MCU have shifted towards more serious tones with narrative heft, Ant-Man appears light and playful throughout its two-hour running time. Gags, puns and witty one-liners abound thanks to the early involvement of Edgar Wright in production; and indeed, Wright’s fingerprints are all over this film. Yet Ant-Man lacks the magic of Edgar Wright as in Shaun of the Dead, and it doesn’t grasp the audience in the same way as other MCU films. Two hours fly by and we’re left with a heady anticipation for the next instalment from Marvel Studios – not fully satisfied by such a frivolous film. Ant-Man feels less like a standalone film and more like an insubstantial part of a larger plan. Which isn’t to say this film isn’t enjoyable. Ant-Man is a great night out at the movies, and a great family film to bring the kids to. Just don’t be surprised if you don’t necessarily remember many of your favorite parts when you walk out of the theatre. PATRICK JOHNSON

This documentary – with interviews from the likes of Jane Fonda and Angela Lansbury – leads us through Kelly’s life story, pairing the growth of his career with the growth of Hollywood from the 1920s through to the 1960s. Not only is Women He’s Undressed an absorbing insight into the history of film, but it’s also a tribute to the role of fashion and costume design in the Golden Age of Cinema. PATRICK JOHNSON

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the word on dvds

CITIZENFOUR [MADMAN] In recent weeks, the former US Attorney General Eric Holder suggested there might be a time in the near future when Edward Snowden could return to the US in something other than lifelong shackles and prison jumpsuits. After leaking classified information about covert government activities (including spying on citizens), Snowden fled the US in 2013 and currently resides in Russia. From that moment, he became a hero to those seeking full and honest transparency, and a traitor to those who feel governments should be able to make unsavoury decisions in the shadows. Of course, these are necessary generalisations – so perhaps the biggest takeaway from the Snowden revelations is the global debate about mass surveillance it kick-started. If you think it would have happened in the absence of his actions, you’re kidding yourself. Indeed, this conversation is something Holder acknowledges as necessary and applauds, though I doubt he felt that whilst in office. Citizenfour puts us smack-bang in the middle of the Edward Snowden firestorm. Filmmaker Laura Poitras was working on a documentary about government surveillance in 2012 and had already secured input from Julian Assange, William Binney and Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald. Early the next year, she started receiving encrypted messages from an anonymous source who wanted to meet her. They met at a hotel room in Hong Kong. At the time, the source – Snowden – was unknown. Within days he would be known internationally as that guy who leaked all that stuff, and was effectively stateless. Hong Kong started proceedings to extradite him to the US, so he fled to Cuba only to get stranded in Russia, which is where he remains. Poitras is there every step of the way, making this the most insider-y account of an international data leaker, ever. It could be a tighter film, but the subject matter and context make an arguable case for taking it slow. JUSTIN HOOK

THE DECLINE OF WESTERN CIVILISATION [MADMAN/VIA VISION] Only now has Penelope Spheeris’ groundbreaking documentary series The Decline of Western Civilisation received an official release on DVD – essential viewing for anyone interested in the transformation of underground music in Los Angeles throughout the 1980s. The original low-budget film was released in 1981 and mixed together live footage from key hardcore bands such as Circle Jerks, X and Black Flag, with band interviews and anecdotes from scenesters, venue owners and fanzine writers. Spheeris opts for a stark observational realism, which gets across that punk and hardcore reflected a way of life freed from the materialist trappings of mainstream society. This explains why band interviews are conducted in shabby apartments rather than the fancy hotel rooms normally reserved for the commercial hit factories. The doco’s cinema vérité adds urgency to high energy, no frills punk rock performed by bands focused as much on daily survival as on crafting underground art. Some didn’t make it, such as Germs vocalist Darby Crash – whose selfdestructive impulses did him in not long after his appearance on screen – but a stack of firstrate music has nevertheless been preserved. When Spheeris returned to the LA music scene later in the decade to make another film, hardcore punk was still around but so were a large number of metal-lite bands on the Sunset Strip who believed that simply slapping on make-up and tossing a few rock ‘n’ roll chords together was the key to sexual and financial salvation. Spheeris retains an observational style in The Decline of Western Civilisation Part 2. Interviews with the likes of Ozzy Osbourne and Paul Stanley from Kiss – along with a whole bunch of long forgotten glam casualties – are entertaining and candid. A third installment returns to hardcore punk, making this collection one of the most compelling music documentaries ever made. DAN BIGNA

IT FOLLOWS [ROADSHOW] One of the theatrical posters for It Follows – not the one printed here – shows an image of a fearful, young, blondehaired girl gazing into a car’s rear view mirror, her hand adjusting its angle. The poster captures the darkness in front of the car with dabbled red titles jittering near the bottom. It’s a highly stylised image recalling the horror film posters from the ‘70s or ‘80s. Deceptively simple, it invokes fear through suggestion rather than action. It’s the perfect representation of the film it promotes and one of the best movie posters in years. The scene is set when a girl flees her house in obvious distress – no one seems to be following her. We all know how that ends. Next up are Hugh and Jay – young lovers at a cinema. Hugh sees something and flees with Jay in tow. Sometime later, Jay is happily passing time in the back of a car like teenagers do, then Hugh chloroforms her. Jay is taken somewhere terrifying, where Hugh explains his behaviour is linked to a curse. That’s the most you can say without spoiling, but in case you haven’t picked it up, It Follows is a film about passing things on to people through actions – presented here as youthful and lustful actions. This creates a minor firestorm of analytical spasms, where subtext and interpretations go to some pretty awkward places – sexually transmitted diseases, AIDS, chastity, sexual morality and shaming. The director David Mitchell says it doesn’t matter what the ‘it’ is – in nightmares, something, anything is after you. It’s a clever sidestep. Whatever the demonic force exercising terror, It Follows is brilliant. It looks like a cross between Halloween and The Virgin Suicides, capturing the freedom and complications of being young with an overbearing sense of suburban dread. JUSTIN HOOK

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the word

on gigs

PHOTOS BY RORY MCCARTNEY

Nova & the Experience, Cracked Actor, Lowlands Polish White Eagle Club Saturday July 25 Lowlands struck a stylish note with a cellist in suit and bow tie and their drummer in a frock. Their cool vibes swept up folk pop and blues, with a cabaret air. The jazzy plucked cello and light strokes from the drummer’s brushes combined well with the electric vocals of Ella Hunt. The set included their own work ‘Cinders and Ash’, with a core like a Celtic ballad, and a laidback interpretation of the classic ‘Stormy Weather’. Cracked Actor set the scene with trickling guitars and shimmering cymbals. Songs crept along on tiptoe, with lots of space between notes, to the floating vocals of Sebastian Field. Projected as from a distance, his singing was a mix of high tones and lyrics. Ramping it up mid-set, guitars circled each other like snapping mongrels. A song about alien abduction was a highlight in a very atmospheric performance that brought Radiohead overtones. Starting off with ‘Little Secrets’, Nova & the Experience gave a sparkling performance of indie-pop in a Jungle Giants vein. James and Anna Buckingham shared the vocals, combining brilliantly in the harmonies. They moved into the midst of the crowd to launch one number, bearing only an acoustic guitar and no mics, before rejoining the rhythm section for the rest of the song. When the performers so obviously love every moment of the show, you can’t help but love it too. The quality of the songs is just half the story, as the band has the bubbly confidence to engage with the punters and draw them in with a constant patter between songs. With such a repertoire of bright, catchy and danceable songs, and a great stage presence, we can expect them back in a bigger venue. RORY MCCARTNEY

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CODY ATKINSON PBR is a beer. R&B is a long-standing music genre. PBR&B is an unholy marriage of the two that may very well damn us all in the end, or at least leave us a bit bored at the end of the day. Cody Atkinson looks at this thing that was originally a joke, then a real thing, and finally a bit of both. What’s PBR&B? It’s a portmanteau of PBR and R&B. More specifically, it’s a newish music genre, referring generally to ‘hipster R&B’. OK, let’s go one step at a time. What is PBR? PBR is the acronym for Pabst Blue Ribbon. It is a cheap yet decent American Lager originally coming out of Milwaukee. It rates about 68 on BeerAdvocate, which would give it between 3 and 3.5 stars in BMA. It is also the beer synonymous with the hipster movement. Synonymous with the hipster movement? Well, sales of PBR were in severe decline for decades, until about 2002 when things started to turn around. For reasons probably associated with identity, price and non-shitness of taste, it was adopted by various alternative subcultures in the USA. From being a somewhat dying brand, hipsters in general brought it back to life and made it bigger than ever. How the fuck did a beer and a music genre get married up together into a separate microgenre? Well, as is the norm for many modern music subgenres, it started out as a joke on Twitter. A joke on Twitter?

OK, which artists ‘do’ PBR&B? As above, the first musician referred to as PBR&B was The Weeknd, and he’s probably patient zero in this ever-spreading virus. Frank Ocean’s solo material – away from Odd Future – has been called PBR&B, and others such as How To Dress Well and Miguel have also been tagged with the label. But from an Australian perspective, perhaps the most prominent exemplar of the genre is... ... is who? You kinda just tailed off there without finishing. ... Chet Faker. From his breakthrough cover of Blackstreet’s ‘No Diggity’, to his incredibly popular album Built On Glass, Faker has displayed all the key hallmarks of PBR&B – down to a puntastic name. Hallmarks such as? Slow, woozy beats, low-key singing, and pleasant-enough melodies that don’t demand attention but instead co-exist with the nothingness that surrounds. PBR&B’s biggest feature is its lack of offensiveness – nearly to the point of pain.

PBR&B’s biggest feature is its lack of offensiveness – nearly to the point of pain.

Yeah. Eric Harvey, a writer from Sound of the City (and later Pitchfork), tweeted “Okay, out of the nascent PBR&B thing of Weeknd, How to Dress Well, Frank Ocean, it’s not even a question that Ocean is the best, right?” At the time of writing, it had 36 favourites and 15 retweets.

So... how is it still around if it was barely a semi-successful joke? A couple of months later, in an actual review, a Village Voice writer referred to the latest Weeknd and Frank Ocean mixtapes as PBR&B, which brought the term more widespread attention. By the end of the year, PBR&B had spread throughout the alt music critic terminology. PBR&B also benefited from the sheer popularity of the sound in the mainstream, which kept the whole thing in focus. PBR&B even got its own wiki page. So what does PBR&B sound like? Downtempo crooning over sparse surrounds. Echoes everywhere. Synthetic-sounding drums, a lot of synths, a world full of the artificial. You’ve almost certainly heard your fair share of PBR&B out in the wild, and to an extent it has partially become the sound of the early 2010s. The sound of the early 2010s? Well, alternative R&B has. It’s debatable whether this is PBR&B or even hipster R&B, but there’s a case to be made – even if the originator of the term has backed away from it. He’s backed away from it? How can it still exist? In 2013, Harvey wrote a piece for Pitchfork delving into the entire thing, and digging for reasons why it took off to the level it did. He reckoned that PBR&B’s appeal came down to its shorthand, in describing the music (R&B) and the people who were most actively listening to it (PBR-drinking hipsters) – plus the slightly

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humorous nature of the genre. In the end, Harvey felt a bit worried that his stupid Twitter joke was actually being used to judge and define works broadly produced and categorised as PBR&B, and the actual impact of that.

So who actually listens to PBR&B? Everyone. Well, most people. But more than most – get ready to hold your hats here – hipsters do. SHOCK FUCKING HORROR.

Yep, hipsters do. Non-hipsters do. Fuccbois do. Drunk people do. Actually, a lot of drunk people do. PBR&B sounds about 1000% better for each PBR downed. But the interesting thing is that – as Harvey noted in his Pitchfork piece – most hipsters have moved onto other microgenres and scenes. Hipsters are, by definition, hip, and a music genre from four years ago isn’t the most cuttingedge thing around. When PBR&B – whatever the fuck it actually is – went kinda mainstream, the alternative crowd started to hop off. Furthermore, Harvey identified probably the critical truth about music genres and subgenres. Which is? That genres exist as a clear point of identification of music, but not necessarily one of the artist’s choosing. It is extremely unlikely that any artist tarred with the PBR&B brush would readily accept the categorisation of their music as such. PBR&B works as shorthand in describing a bunch of broadly similar music with similar influences from a discrete timeframe, but it does nothing to describe the artist’s intentions in creating the music in question. So should we stop using PBR&B and other similar terms? No, but we should be less forceful in putting artists in boxes against their choosing. Not everything needs to be put into discrete little boxes all of the time. Sometimes punny little genre names – like dolewave or shitgaze or PBR&B – are fun to throw around, but using real words that have meaning to describe things is sometimes a little more useful.

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ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE July 29 - August 1

Listings are a free community service. Email editorial@bmamag.com to have your events appear each issue. WEDNESDAY JULY 29

ART EXHIBITIONS Chatter

DANCE Reckless Valour 29 Jul-1 Aug.

THE PLAYHOUSE

Cat Mueller. 16 Jul-2 Aug.

LIVE MUSIC

High Country Waterfalls

Wednesday Lunchtime Live Concert

M16 ARTSPACE

Phil Ryan. Acrylic and mixed media waterfall paintings. 2 Jul-1 Aug. TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE

Shall we dance?. 12:40–1:20pm. $2–5.

Fred Olsen: A Profile

WESLEY MUSIC CENTRE

STRATHNAIRN HOMESTEAD GALLERY

ON THE TOWN

Australian Woodfire: Curator’s choice

CHECK YOUR HEAD

STRATHNAIRN HOMESTEAD GALLERY

THE PHOENIX BAR

Curated by Peter Haynes. 9 July-2 Aug.

Curated by Peter Haynes. 9 Jul-4 Aug.

“In the falling light”

Your monthly dose of beats, rhymes and life. 8pm. $5.

Hetty Kate and the Dan Mclean Big Band

SOMETHING DIFFERENT

AINSLIE ARTS CENTRE

speaking out for NAIDOC. 15-25 year olds. 5:30pm. Free.

Tickets at www.agac.com.au.

Hetty Kate

With Canberra’s Premier Big Band. 7:30pm. $20. AINSLIE ARTS CENTRE

ON THE TOWN Playtime

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

Chicago Charles & Dave 9-12pm. Free.

Fred Olsen: A Profile

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare

THEATRE

Doubt, my Candles Out

Merryn Sommerville. 16 Jul-2 Aug.

Abridged. 22 Jul-2 Aug. Bookings www. honestpuck.com.au. CANBERRA ACADEMY OF DRAMATIC ART

M16 ARTSPACE

Susan a’Beckett, Meg Brow and MaryAnn Marshall. 2 Jul-1 Aug

Burlesque and cabaret. 7:30pm. $20. Burlesque glamour. 7:30pm. $20.

Gaslight

A Victorian Thriller. 30 July- 15 August. CANBERRA REPERTORY SOCIETY

FRIDAY JULY 31

THURSDAY JULY 30

Red Dirt, Wild Places

Chatter

M16 ARTSPACE

POLIT BAR & LOUNGE POLIT BAR & LOUNGE

NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

ART EXHIBITIONS

Phil Ryan. Acrylic and mixed media waterfall paintings. 2 Jul-1 Aug.

THEATRE

10am-5pm. Free.

SATURDAY AUGUST 1

Shaken and Stirred Shaken & Stirred

Life and time: Portraits by Rod McNicol

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AUSTRALIA

High Country Waterfalls

RELOAD BAR & GAMES

M16 ARTSPACE

6pm. 18+. $10.

SOMETHING DIFFERENT

...now you don’t

Dorte Conroy. 12-5pm daily.

Night at the Museum: Mystery

Cat Mueller. 16 Jul-2 Aug.

SOMETHING DIFFERENT Mario Kart N64 Tournament

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

Kirsten Coelho. Porcelain. 12-5pm Wed-Sun. DRILL HALL GALLERY

taLKbLaK RADIO

TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE

Curated by Peter Haynes. 9 July-2 Aug. STRATHNAIRN HOMESTEAD GALLERY

proximate

Robert Agostino, Thomas Boivin and Spiro Miralis. 30 Jul-23 Aug. Free. PHOTOACCESS MANUKA

Australian Woodfire: Curator’s choice

Curated by Peter Haynes. 9 Jul-4 Aug. STRATHNAIRN HOMESTEAD GALLERY

EASS 2015

Art graduate awards.

ART EXHIBITIONS

WATSON ARTS CENTRE

TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE

Dean Edgecombe and Seventh Songs

If I made you a mountain

NATIONAL PRESS CLUB

Unmentionables

By Alycia Moffat and Claire Lenehan. Weds- Sun 11am- 5pm. Free.

Kirsten Coelho. Porcelain. 12-5pm Wed-Sun.

By Shellaine Godbold. Until Aug 1. Mon - Fri 9am - 5:30pm Sat 9am - 1pm. Free. CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

Underwater Landscapes Peter Fisher. 16 Jul-2 Aug. M16 ARTSPACE

Innerspace

Curated by David Broker. 10 Jul-15 Aug.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

Classic and original Blues Rnb. 7pm.

ART EXHIBITIONS proximate

Robert Agostino, Thomas Boivin and Spiro Miralis. 30 Jul-23 Aug. Free. PHOTOACCESS MANUKA

A World of Things

Jo Law and Redmond Bridgeman. 30 Jul-23 Aug. Free. PHOTOACCESS MANUKA

DANCE

“In the falling light” DRILL HALL GALLERY

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ARTS SPACE (MANUKA)

...now you don’t

kid

M16 ARTSPACE

Dorte Conroy. 12-5pm daily.

Helani Laisk. 29 Jul- 16 Aug.

2Seasons

DANCE

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

ANCA GALLERY

Reckless Valour 29 Jul-1 Aug.

THE PLAYHOUSE

Ceramics from Northern Territory. 104pm Tue-Sun.

Red Dirt, Wild Places

Susan a’Beckett, Meg Brow and MaryAnn Marshall. 2 Jul-1 Aug TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE

FILM

A World of Things

29 Jul-1 Aug.

Stronger than Fiction

PHOTOACCESS MANUKA

Yioryios. 10-4pm Tue-Sun.

FILM

PALACE ELECTRIC CINEMA

Amelia Zaraftis

Stronger than Fiction

2Seasons

Ceramics from Northern Territory. 104pm Tue-Sun. BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Capturing Inherent Patterns BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Recent Work. 12-5pm daily. M16 ARTSPACE

Free Spirit

Antoinette Karsten. 18 Jul- 8 Aug. TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE

Reckless Valour THE PLAYHOUSE

Documentary Film Festival. 30 Jul- 2 Aug. PALACE ELECTRIC CINEMA

LIVE MUSIC

Archaeology, Excavation and the Arcane

Mondecreen Single Launch

CANBERRA GLASSWORKS

Slide Connection Stuttgart trombone quartet

Glassworks exhibition. 17 Jun- 30 Aug

on edge

Amelia Zaraftis. 16 Jul-2 Aug. M16 ARTSPACE

Unmentionables

By Alycia Moffat and Claire Lenehan. Weds- Sun 11am- 5pm. Free.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ARTS SPACE (MANUKA)

“Here I give thanks...”

John R Walker. Landscapes. 12-5pm Wed-Sun. DRILL HALL GALLERY

Victorians Stepping Up

Ceramic Exhibition. 10-4pm Tue-Sun. BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

With Guests. 9pm. $5. THE PHOENIX BAR

7pm. $10/$5. Children under 12 free. WESLEY MUSIC CENTRE

Death Cab For Cutie

Documentary Film Festival. 30 Jul- 2 Aug.

LIVE MUSIC Alive Fridays

Innerspace

THE BASEMENT

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

Performing 80’s countdown hits. 8pm. $5.

ON THE TOWN Aston Shuffle

Doors open 10pm. $10.

TREEHOUSE BAR

Knxwledge

With Ventures and Nigiri Gang. Presented by Red Bull Music Academy. THE BASEMENT

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CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

Flux Capacitor

ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

A Night of Story in Song

NIGEL & BETH’S PLACE

By Shellaine Godbold. Until Aug 1. Mon - Fri 9am - 5:30pm Sat 9am - 1pm. Free.

Underwater Landscapes

MR WOLF

Aine Tyrrell and Mick Daley. Tickets via www.eclecticsounds.com.au, moshtix or the venue.

If I made you a mountain

Presents Brynny. Doors open 9pm. $10 before 11pm.

Tickets via http://premier.ticketek. com.au/. ANU BAR AND REFECTORY

Jo Law and Redmond Bridgeman. 30 Jul-23 Aug. Free.

Flava R&B 9pm. Free.

Oscar

10:30pm. Free.

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

Peter Fisher. 16 Jul-2 Aug. M16 ARTSPACE

Curated by David Broker. 10 Jul-15 Aug.

Capturing Inherent Patterns Yioryios. 10-4pm Tue-Sun. BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Amelia Zaraftis

Recent Work. 12-5pm daily. M16 ARTSPACE

Mixed Earth Part 1 28 Jul- Aug 7.

BELCONNEN COMMUNITY CENTRE

Free Spirit

Antoinette Karsten. 18 Jul- 8 Aug. TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE

Archaeology, Excavation and the Arcane

Glassworks exhibition. 17 Jun- 30 Aug CANBERRA GLASSWORKS

ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE August 1 - August 8 SATURDAY AUGUST 1 on edge Amelia Zaraftis. 16 Jul-2 Aug. M16 ARTSPACE

“Here I give thanks...”

John R Walker. Landscapes. 12-5pm Wed-Sun. DRILL HALL GALLERY

Unmentionables

By Alycia Moffat and Claire Lenehan. Weds- Sun 11am- 5pm. Free.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ARTS SPACE (MANUKA)

Victorians Stepping Up

Ceramic Exhibition. 10-4pm Tue-Sun. BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

A World of Things

FILM Stronger than Fiction

Documentary Film Festival. 30 Jul- 2 Aug. PALACE ELECTRIC CINEMA

LIVE MUSIC Matt Dent

Awesome Aussie Roots Music. 4pm. OJO CAFE AND BAR

Gershwin and Friends

4:30pm. $40 including supper and wine. ANU DRILL HALL GALLERY

Irish Jam Session.

DANCE

Traditional Irish musicians in the pub from late afternoon. Free.

Reckless Valour

Double Trouble

29 Jul-1 Aug.

THE PLAYHOUSE

FILM Stronger than Fiction

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

The music of Martin and Peter WesleySmith. Aug 1 7:30pm. Aug 2 3pm. THE STREET THEATRE

SOMETHING DIFFERENT

Documentary Film Festival. 30 Jul- 2 Aug.

Ghosts in the Scheme

LIVE MUSIC

PARLIAMENTARY TRIANGLE

PALACE ELECTRIC CINEMA

2-4pm. Free. Bookings at canberraticketing.com.au or 02 62752700

Moochers Inc. Video Launch

MONDAY AUGUST 3

With 5th Avenue. 9:30pm. $5. THE PHOENIX BAR

Gershwin and Friends

LIVE MUSIC

ANU DRILL HALL GALLERY

CMC Presents The Bootleg Sessions

International Blues Music Day

THE PHOENIX BAR

4:30pm. $40 including supper and wine. Presented by Canberra Blues Society. Various artists performing.. 2-11:30pm. Members: $15/ Non: $20.

8pm. Free entry.

TUESDAY AUGUST 4

HARMONIE GERMAN CLUB

Arcane Saints

With Johnny Roadkill, Mad Charlie and Finding Eve. 8pm. THE BASEMENT

4th Degree

10.30pm. Free.

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

Double Trouble

The music of Martin and Peter WesleySmith. Aug 1 7:30pm. Aug 2 3pm. THE STREET THEATRE

SOMETHING DIFFERENT Cafe Historique

3pm. Free. Fsvp by 27 Jul. ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE

THEATRE

SOMETHING DIFFERENT Tour of France

Cognac, armagnac, calvados masterclass. $45 early bird. POLIT BAR & LOUNGE

THEATRE Short + Sweet Theatre Festival

7:30pm.

THE PHOENIX BAR

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 5

SUNDAY AUGUST 2 Winter festival

10am-4pm.

NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

ART EXHIBITIONS ...now you don’t

Dorte Conroy. 12-5pm daily. M16 ARTSPACE

ART EXHIBITIONS kid

Helani Laisk. 29 Jul- 16 Aug. ANCA GALLERY

proximate

Robert Agostino, Thomas Boivin and Spiro Miralis. 30 Jul-23 Aug. Free. PHOTOACCESS MANUKA

Life and time: Portraits by Rod McNicol 10am-5pm. Free.

NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

“In the falling light”

$45 (+TF). 6-8 Aug.

Mixed Earth Part 1

7:30pm.

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

28 Jul- Aug 7.

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

The Soldier’s Wife THE STREET THEATRE

BELCONNEN COMMUNITY CENTRE

FRIDAY AUGUST 7

Free Spirit

Antoinette Karsten. 18 Jul- 8 Aug. TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE

Archaeology, Excavation and the Arcane

Glassworks exhibition. 17 Jun- 30 Aug CANBERRA GLASSWORKS

“Here I give thanks...”

John R Walker. Landscapes. 12-5pm Wed-Sun. DRILL HALL GALLERY

COMEDY Comedy Club

Laura Davis. 8pm. $15.

ART EXHIBITIONS Lightness of Being David Kim. 7-30 Aug.

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Traces and Hauntings

University of Canberra Faculty of Arts and Design staff exhibition. 7-30 Aug. BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Internecine: The Vanished Musicians 7 to 25 Aug. 10am to 3pm. NISHI GALLERY

CIVIC PUB

LIVE MUSIC

Ministry of Sound Session 12

Wednesday Lunchtime Live Concert Beyond the Sea. 12:40–1:20pm. $2–5. WESLEY MUSIC CENTRE

THEATRE

With Tenzin. Doors open 9pm. $10. ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

Groovin The ANU 8pm. $10.

ANU BAR AND REFECTORY

Tundrel album launch

Supported by various artists. Doors open 8pm. $12.

Gaslight

THE BASEMENT

CANBERRA REPERTORY SOCIETY

10pm. Free.

A Victorian Thriller. 30 July- 15 August.

Heuristic

Short + Sweet Theatre Festival

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

Over one heady fortnight 30 (plus!) short plays showcase the best of ACT writing, directing and acti CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

THURSDAY AUGUST 6

Hey Buddha!

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ARTS SPACE (MANUKA)

LIVE MUSIC Flyying Colours 9pm. $5.

THE PHOENIX BAR

Rubber Soul Revolver

See two Beatles studio masterpieces performed live on stage with 17 of Australia’s finest musicians CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

Blue Eyes Cry

ON THE TOWN Lane 8

Doors open 10pm. Tickets $15 on the door or at https://events.ticketbooth. com.au/event/MrWolfPresent MR WOLF

SOMETHING DIFFERENT MetaVirus live audio stream RELOAD BAR & GAMES

Le Van du livre

9am-4pm. Books, magazines and DVDs for sale. ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE

Canberra Craft & Quilt Fair

Inspirational displays & workshops. Aug 6-9. $15. EXHIBITION PARK IN CANBERRA (EPIC)

THEATRE Of Mice & Men

$45 (+TF). 6-8 Aug.

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

Melbourne Band. 7-10pm.

SATURDAY AUGUST 8

NATIONAL PRESS CLUB

I Fagiolini

7pm. Book now at ticketek.com.au or 1300 795 012. LLEWELLYN HALL

EASS 2015

9-12pm. Free.

WATSON ARTS CENTRE

Of Mice & Men

THEATRE

Emergencies, Natural Disasters, Epidemics, Conflicts. 5-30 Aug.

ON THE TOWN

Art graduate awards.

Inspirational displays & workshops. Aug 6-9. $15.

Without Borders

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

Kirsten Coelho. Porcelain. 12-5pm Wed-Sun. DRILL HALL GALLERY

Canberra Craft & Quilt Fair

EXHIBITION PARK IN CANBERRA (EPIC)

John Hart, Saara March & Sui Jackson. 6-16 Aug. Weds- Sun 11am- 5pm. Free.

Trivia with Tris & Travis

SOMETHING DIFFERENT

Curated by David Broker. 10 Jul-15 Aug.

TRIVIA

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

CANBERRA REPERTORY SOCIETY

CANBERRA ACADEMY OF DRAMATIC ART

Innerspace

ART EXHIBITIONS

A Victorian Thriller. 30 July- 15 August.

Abridged. 22 Jul-2 Aug. Bookings www. honestpuck.com.au.

PHOTOACCESS MANUKA

Over one heady fortnight 30 (plus!) short plays showcase the best of ACT writing, directing and acti

Gaslight

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare

Jo Law and Redmond Bridgeman. 30 Jul-23 Aug. Free.

ART EXHIBITIONS Desolato: Performance

Poet Subhash Jarieth and cellist David respond to the portrait of Peter Sculthorpe. 2-2:30pm. Free.

Chicago Charles & Dave

NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

Helani Laisk. 29 Jul- 16 Aug.

kid

ANCA GALLERY

@bmamag

ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE August 8 - August 15 SATURDAY AUGUST 8 Bricks to Canvas

Street art exhibition. Opening Aug 8, 2pm.

AARWUN GALLERY, FEDERATION SQUARE

proximate

Robert Agostino, Thomas Boivin and Spiro Miralis. 30 Jul-23 Aug. Free.

Short + Sweet Theatre Festival Over one heady fortnight 30 (plus!) short plays showcase the best of ACT writing, directing and acti CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

EASS 2015

Art graduate awards.

WATSON ARTS CENTRE

A World of Things

ON THE TOWN

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

Innerspace

Chicago Charles & Dave

$45 (+TF). 6-8 Aug.

SUNDAY AUGUST 9

PHOTOACCESS MANUKA

Curated by David Broker. 10 Jul-15 Aug.

LIVE MUSIC

Life and time: Portraits by Rod McNicol

Art Song Concert. 3pm. $15- 30.

Keith Bailey. 12-5pm daily.

NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

Irish Jam Session.

Internecine: The Vanished Musicians

Kirsten Coelho. Porcelain. 12-5pm Wed-Sun. DRILL HALL GALLERY

A Fleeting Fantasy

WESLEY MUSIC CENTRE

Traditional Irish musicians in the pub from late afternoon. Free. KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

A World of Things

SOMETHING DIFFERENT

PHOTOACCESS MANUKA

Drawn In: Carlos Perez, classical guitar

Jo Law and Redmond Bridgeman. 30 Jul-23 Aug. Free.

Innerspace

Curated by David Broker. 10 Jul-15 Aug.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

Without Borders

Draw while listening to music, all materials provided and all aged and abilities welcome. 1pm. Free. NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

DOTA 2 International RELOAD BAR & GAMES

Emergencies, Natural Disasters, Epidemics, Conflicts. 5-30 Aug.

Canberra Craft & Quilt Fair

Free Spirit

EXHIBITION PARK IN CANBERRA (EPIC)

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Antoinette Karsten. 18 Jul- 8 Aug. TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE

Archaeology, Excavation and the Arcane

Glassworks exhibition. 17 Jun- 30 Aug CANBERRA GLASSWORKS

Inspirational displays & workshops. Aug 6-9. $15.

Fun ‘n Games Day

Games, raffle, jams, children’s dress up clothes. 10-4pm. $10. For more info contact 6288 7752 or lr CANBERRA SOUTHERN CROSS CLUB (WODEN)

Hey Buddha!

MONDAY AUGUST 10

M16 ARTSPACE

Bare: Degrees of undress

7 to 25 Aug. 10am to 3pm. NISHI GALLERY

Without Borders

Emergencies, Natural Disasters, Epidemics, Conflicts. 5-30 Aug.

CANBERRA GLASSWORKS

Hey Buddha!

John Hart, Saara March & Sui Jackson. 6-16 Aug. Weds- Sun 11am- 5pm. Free.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ARTS SPACE (MANUKA)

The Traces Between: Dyed Textiles Melinda Heal. 12-5pm daily. M16 ARTSPACE

LIVE MUSIC Wednesday Lunchtime Live Concert

12pm. Free for members.

OPL League of Legends RELOAD BAR & GAMES

Canberra Craft & Quilt Fair

Inspirational displays & workshops. Aug 6-9. $15. EXHIBITION PARK IN CANBERRA (EPIC)

THEATRE Gaslight

QUESTACON

THEATRE Dylan Moran

Star and creator of ABC TV’s Black Books is back in Australia with a brand new show, Off the Hook. T CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

Owen Elliott & Miguel Alvear. 12:40–1:20pm. $2–5. WESLEY MUSIC CENTRE

SATURDAY AUGUST 15 ART EXHIBITIONS kid

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

RELOAD BAR & GAMES

$109/111.65. 8pm.

TUESDAY AUGUST 11

7.30pm.

THE PHOENIX BAR

Quake 3 & Doom 2 Tournaments

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 12 ART EXHIBITIONS kid

Helani Laisk. 29 Jul- 16 Aug. ANCA GALLERY

proximate

Robert Agostino, Thomas Boivin and Spiro Miralis. 30 Jul-23 Aug. Free. PHOTOACCESS MANUKA

Traces and Hauntings

University of Canberra Faculty of Arts and Design staff exhibition. 7-30 Aug. BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Life and time: Portraits by Rod McNicol 10am-5pm. Free.

NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

A Victorian Thriller. 30 July- 15 August. CANBERRA REPERTORY SOCIETY

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ANCA GALLERY

Robert Agostino, Thomas Boivin and Spiro Miralis. 30 Jul-23 Aug. Free. PHOTOACCESS MANUKA

THEATRE

Life and time: Portraits by Rod McNicol

Gaslight

NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

A Victorian Thriller. 30 July- 15 August. CANBERRA REPERTORY SOCIETY

Short + Sweet Theatre Festival Over one heady fortnight 30 (plus!) short plays showcase the best of ACT writing, directing and acti CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

THE BASEMENT

SOMETHING DIFFERENT

6pm. $10.

proximate

Orpheus Omega

ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

Scinight: Good Vibrations

ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE

Trivia and Beers with Bondy and Kiers

With JaySounds. Doors open 9pm. $10 before 11pm.

SOMETHING DIFFERENT

Gurrumul – The Gospel Songs Tour

TRIVIA

Love Saturdays

TRANSIT BAR

Helani Laisk. 29 Jul- 16 Aug.

With King Hits, The Burley Griffin. 9:30pm. $5.

ON THE TOWN

Peter Black

Speed Talking

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

With Imperilment, Hadal Maw, Immorium, Daemon Pyre. Doors 8pm. $12.

5-7pm.

Various artists. 8pm. Free.

Live music. 10.30pm. Free.

THE PHOENIX BAR

Wayne Kelly trio

ON THE TOWN

Glassworks exhibition. 17 Jun- 30 Aug

THE PHOENIX BAR

The Ivory Elephant

LIVE MUSIC

TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE

SOMETHING DIFFERENT

The Mighty Yak

NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

Archaeology, Excavation and the Arcane

2XX Local n Live presents Bootleg Sessions

LIVE MUSIC

14 Aug- 15 Nov. Free.

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

“Here I give thanks...” DRILL HALL GALLERY

FRIDAY AUGUST 14 ART EXHIBITIONS

LIVE MUSIC

John R Walker. Landscapes. 12-5pm Wed-Sun.

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

Black Rain on a White WallRemember Hiroshima

John Hart, Saara March & Sui Jackson. 6-16 Aug. Weds- Sun 11am- 5pm. Free.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ARTS SPACE (MANUKA)

9-12pm. Free.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

Art graduate awards.

“In the falling light”

THE PHOENIX BAR

Of Mice & Men

EASS 2015

10am-5pm. Free.

With Brass Knuckle Brass Band. 9pm. $5.

Jo Law and Redmond Bridgeman. 30 Jul-23 Aug. Free.

PHOTOACCESS MANUKA WATSON ARTS CENTRE

The Cactus Channel

How to Manage A Disaster

Best Festival Ever. Boho interactive and Applespiel. 7pm. 12-22 Aug. THE STREET THEATRE

THURSDAY AUGUST 13

10am-5pm. Free.

EASS 2015

Art graduate awards.

WATSON ARTS CENTRE

Traces and Hauntings

University of Canberra Faculty of Arts and Design staff exhibition. 7-30 Aug. BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

A World of Things

Jo Law and Redmond Bridgeman. 30 Jul-23 Aug. Free. PHOTOACCESS MANUKA

Innerspace

Curated by David Broker. 10 Jul-15 Aug.

LIVE MUSIC

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

The Journey

Black Rain on a White WallRemember Hiroshima

Duo Amythis in Concert. 7:30pm. $15-30. WESLEY MUSIC CENTRE

Miami Horror

With JOY., Young Franco & Cleopold. Tickets via http://premier.ticketek. com.au/. ANU BAR AND REFECTORY

Keith Bailey. 12-5pm daily. M16 ARTSPACE

Internecine: The Vanished Musicians 7 to 25 Aug. 10am to 3pm. NISHI GALLERY

Without Borders

Emergencies, Natural Disasters, Epidemics, Conflicts. 5-30 Aug. BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE August 15 - August 30 SATURDAY AUGUST 15 Archaeology, Excavation and the Arcane

Glassworks exhibition. 17 Jun- 30 Aug CANBERRA GLASSWORKS

Hey Buddha!

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 19 ART EXHIBITIONS The Traces Between: Dyed Textiles

John Hart, Saara March & Sui Jackson. 6-16 Aug. Weds- Sun 11am- 5pm. Free.

Melinda Heal. 12-5pm daily.

The Traces Between: Dyed Textiles

PHOTOACCESS MANUKA

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ARTS SPACE (MANUKA)

Melinda Heal. 12-5pm daily. M16 ARTSPACE

COMEDY Dylan Moran

8pm. Tickets $81.46/$91.65 at ticketek.com.au. ROYAL THEATRE

LIVE MUSIC Fire On The Hill

Live music. 9.30pm.

M16 ARTSPACE

proximate

Robert Agostino, Thomas Boivin and Spiro Miralis. 30 Jul-23 Aug. Free.

Traces and Hauntings

University of Canberra Faculty of Arts and Design staff exhibition. 7-30 Aug. BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Life and time: Portraits by Rod McNicol 10am-5pm. Free.

NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

A World of Things

Jo Law and Redmond Bridgeman. 30 Jul-23 Aug. Free. PHOTOACCESS MANUKA

Black Rain on a White WallRemember Hiroshima

THE PHOENIX BAR

Keith Bailey. 12-5pm daily.

ON THE TOWN

Internecine: The Vanished Musicians

DJ Raven

70’s, 80’s, 90’s, Dance Classics and Top 40. From 9pm. Free. VIKINGS CHISHOLM

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)

THEATRE Gaslight

A Victorian Thriller. 30 July- 15 August. CANBERRA REPERTORY SOCIETY

How to Manage A Disaster

Best Festival Ever. Boho interactive and Applespiel. 7pm. 12-22 Aug. THE STREET THEATRE

SUNDAY AUGUST 16 LIVE MUSIC Matt Dent

Awesome Aussie Roots Music. 2pm. ROSE COTTAGE

L’Arche fundraising concert

Robert Schmidli piano. $10-30. $5 discount for online bookings at www. trybooking.com/EOGR WESLEY MUSIC CENTRE

SOMETHING DIFFERENT Canberra Blues Society Monthy Jams TBA. 2pm. $3/$5.

HARMONIE GERMAN CLUB

TUESDAY AUGUST 18

M16 ARTSPACE

7 to 25 Aug. 10am to 3pm. NISHI GALLERY

Without Borders

Emergencies, Natural Disasters, Epidemics, Conflicts. 5-30 Aug. BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Archaeology, Excavation and the Arcane

Life and time: Portraits by Rod McNicol 10am-5pm. Free.

NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

Traces and Hauntings

How to Manage A Disaster

Best Festival Ever. Boho interactive and Applespiel. 7pm. 12-22 Aug. THE STREET THEATRE

THURSDAY AUGUST 20 LIVE MUSIC GLOSS (Syd)

With BCBG, Bobby Kill, Eadie & the Doodles. 9pm. $5.

Spike Deane. 12-5pm daily. M16 ARTSPACE

Sarah Norris. 12-5pm daily.

Black Rain on a White WallRemember Hiroshima

LIVE MUSIC

PHOTOACCESS MANUKA

Keith Bailey. 12-5pm daily. M16 ARTSPACE

Internecine: The Vanished Musicians

M16 ARTSPACE

The Preatures

With The Creases & Low Lux. Tickets from http://premier.ticketek.com.au/. ANU BAR AND REFECTORY

7 to 25 Aug. 10am to 3pm.

FRIDAY AUGUST 28

NISHI GALLERY

Without Borders

Emergencies, Natural Disasters, Epidemics, Conflicts. 5-30 Aug. BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Archaeology, Excavation and the Arcane

Glassworks exhibition. 17 Jun- 30 Aug CANBERRA GLASSWORKS

LIVE MUSIC A Night in Siena

With Simone Vallerotonda. 6pm. WESLEY MUSIC CENTRE

How to Manage A Disaster

THEATRE

M16 ARTSPACE

Wordsmith

HONKYTONKS

THE PHOENIX BAR

Kate Stevens & Julian Laffan. 12-5pm daily.

Jo Law and Redmond Bridgeman. 30 Jul-23 Aug. Free.

THEATRE

Poetry. 8pm. Free.

World Series

A World of Things

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Honkytonks Winter Night Markets BAD!SLAM!NO!BISCUIT!

ART EXHIBITIONS

Selkie Series

SOMETHING DIFFERENT

All ages. From 5pm. Free.

THURSDAY AUGUST 27

University of Canberra Faculty of Arts and Design staff exhibition. 7-30 Aug.

Dreddseppelin Live audio stream

CANBERRA GLASSWORKS

RELOAD BAR & GAMES

Best Festival Ever. Boho interactive and Applespiel. 7pm. 12-22 Aug. THE STREET THEATRE

TUESDAY AUGUST 25 SOMETHING DIFFERENT

LIVE MUSIC Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s Platero and I

Jacob and Gideon Cordover. 7:30pm. $15-$30. WESLEY MUSIC CENTRE

Australian 2015 DMC Champs Hoest By Ran-Dee. 9pm. TRANSIT BAR

SOMETHING DIFFERENT Josh Earl

Comedy Club. 8pm. $20. UNI PUB

SATURDAY AUGUST 29 ART EXHIBITIONS Without Borders

Emergencies, Natural Disasters, Epidemics, Conflicts. 5-30 Aug. BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Archaeology, Excavation and the Arcane

Glassworks exhibition. 17 Jun- 30 Aug CANBERRA GLASSWORKS

World Series

The Dollop ‘Live’

Kate Stevens & Julian Laffan. 12-5pm daily.

UNI PUB

Bare: Degrees of undress

8pm. $30.

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 26

M16 ARTSPACE

14 Aug- 15 Nov. Free.

NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

Selkie Series

ART EXHIBITIONS

Spike Deane. 12-5pm daily.

Without Borders

Traces and Hauntings

M16 ARTSPACE

Emergencies, Natural Disasters, Epidemics, Conflicts. 5-30 Aug.

University of Canberra Faculty of Arts and Design staff exhibition. 7-30 Aug.

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Wordsmith

Chicago Charles & Dave

Archaeology, Excavation and the Arcane

Sarah Norris. 12-5pm daily.

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

CANBERRA GLASSWORKS

THE PHOENIX BAR

ON THE TOWN 9-12pm. Free.

SATURDAY AUGUST 22

Christo and Raph’s Trivia

The Traces Between: Dyed Textiles

Melinda Heal. 12-5pm daily. M16 ARTSPACE

Bare: Degrees of undress 14 Aug- 15 Nov. Free.

NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

PHOTOACCESS MANUKA

SOMETHING DIFFERENT

ART EXHIBITIONS

THE PHOENIX BAR

Robert Agostino, Thomas Boivin and Spiro Miralis. 30 Jul-23 Aug. Free.

Glassworks exhibition. 17 Jun- 30 Aug

TRIVIA Presented by twotonmurphy.com. 7:30pm.

proximate

Glassworks exhibition. 17 Jun- 30 Aug

Traces and Hauntings

University of Canberra Faculty of Arts and Design staff exhibition. 7-30 Aug. BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

SOMETHING DIFFERENT Retro Arcade special

feat. Jose Ciminelli on Defender RELOAD BAR & GAMES

M16 ARTSPACE

SOMETHING DIFFERENT Goldeneye Tournament & Cocktail party RELOAD BAR & GAMES

SUNDAY AUGUST 30 LIVE MUSIC Matt Dent

Awesome Aussie Roots Music. 4pm. WILBUR’S CAFE BAR

@bmamag

ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE September 2 - Sept 9 WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 2 ART EXHIBITIONS World Series

Kate Stevens & Julian Laffan. 12-5pm daily. M16 ARTSPACE

Selkie Series

Spike Deane. 12-5pm daily. M16 ARTSPACE

Wordsmith

Sarah Norris. 12-5pm daily. M16 ARTSPACE

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 4 LIVE MUSIC Brother Be

Spring Fling Gig. With Monsterpiece, Beth Monzo. 8pm. $15/12. THE POLISH WHITE EAGLE CLUB

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 5 ART EXHIBITIONS Juggler of Gravity

Dan Moor Sculptural installation. 5-26 Sep. TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE

Bare: Degrees of undress 14 Aug- 15 Nov. Free.

NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

World Series

Kate Stevens & Julian Laffan. 12-5pm daily. M16 ARTSPACE

Selkie Series

Spike Deane. 12-5pm daily. M16 ARTSPACE

Wordsmith

Sarah Norris. 12-5pm daily. M16 ARTSPACE

WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 9 ART EXHIBITIONS Juggler of Gravity

Dan Moor Sculptural installation. 5-26 Sep. TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE

World Series

Kate Stevens & Julian Laffan. 12-5pm daily. M16 ARTSPACE

Selkie Series

Spike Deane. 12-5pm daily. M16 ARTSPACE

Wordsmith

Sarah Norris. 12-5pm daily. M16 ARTSPACE

OUT

MON??

THE SNOWDROPPERS THE GETAWAY PLAN CHUCK PALAHNIUK ...AND MORE!

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SIDE A: BMA BAND PROFILE

FIRST CONTACT 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

Tundrel

remains… hence, Tundrel.

Where did your band name come from? During a drunken ‘think tank’ in 1994, Black Tendril was morphed into Buff Tundrel. 20 years later, half of the original band

Group members? Jason Hore (vocals/guitar), Nathan Rowlands (guitar), Peter Mackenzie (bass), Phil Turner (drums), Sid Yerbury (guitar tech/roadie/harp player/ designated driver/storyteller). Describe your sound: Rock, with a focus on melody and dynamics. We’ve been called ‘aggressive lounge’ before… we’ve also been called rock ‘n’ soul. We’re just a dirty rock band, really… Who are your influences, musical or otherwise? Alice In Chains, Black Sabbath, Kyuss, Dream Theater, each other! What’s the most memorable experience you’ve had whilst performing? We held a fundraising gig for a beautiful little girl with cancer, Annalee McGuigan. It was called Rage Against Cancer. Nath took the name of the gig to heart and – perhaps caught up in the emotion of the evening – smashed his guitar into pieces during the final song. We can still hear it’s final tortured screams as it died… Of what are you proudest so far? Our new album, The Tundrel Tomes: Vol I, which is to be released on Friday August 7. And the songs on it. What are your plans for the future? To keep writing, recording, and to take our music further out into Australia – to see more of this country and its great bands. What makes you laugh? Tundrel Tuesday (band practice). Our friends. What pisses you off? Arguing over this question! (Honestly, we spent more time on this one than any of the others!) What about the local scene would you change? We LOVE the local scene! So much diverse talent, and so accepting, loving and FUN! Add to that some great venues, with people running them that care about live, original music. We’d like to see our local media investigate and highlight this talent further, so a wider range of people hear about a broader range of art. Even small movement in that area would make a massive difference for talented, local artists. What are your upcoming gigs? Friday August 7 – The Basement, Canberra – see our Facebook page for more!

Contact info: facebook.com/pages/ Tundrel/275210429258176, tundrel.com

Aria Stone sax/flute/lute/ harmonica, singer-songwriter Aria 0411803343 Australian Songwriters Association Keiran (02) 62310433 Back to the Eighties Ty Emerson 0418 544 014 Backbeat Drivers Steve 0422733974 backbeatdrivers.com Birds Love Fighting Gangbusters/DIY shows-bookings@ birdslovefighting.com Black Label Photography Kingsley 0438351007 blacklabelphotography.net

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 Morning After, The Covers band Anthony 0402500843 Mornings Jordan 0439907853 Obsessions 0450 960 750 obsessions@grapevine.com.au Painted Hearts, The Peter (02) 62486027 Polka Pigs Ian (02) 62315974

Bridge Between, The Cam 0431550005

Rafe Morris 0416322763

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

Redletter Ben 0421414472

Cole Bennetts Photography 0415982662 Danny V Danny 0413502428 Dawn Theory Nathan 0402845132 Danny 0413502428

Redsun Rehearsal Studio Ralph 0404178996/ (02) 61621527 Rug, The Jol 0417273041 Sewer Sideshow Huck 0419630721

Dorothy Jane Band, The Dorothy Jane 0411065189 dorothy-jane@dorothyjane.com

Simone & The Soothsayers Singing teacher Simone 62304828

Drumassault Dan 0406 375 997

Sorgonian Twins, The Mark 0428650549

Feldons, The 0407 213 701 Fire on the Hill Aaron 0410381306 Lachlan 0400038388

Soundcity Rehearsal Studio Andrew 0401588884

Fourth Degree Vic 0408477020

STonKA Jamie 0422764482 stonka2615@gmail.com

Gareth Dailey DJ/Electronica Gareth 0414215885

Strange Hour Events Dan 0411112075

Groovalicious Corporate/ weddings/private functions 0448995158 Guy The Sound Guy Live & Studio Sound Engineer 0400585369 guy@guythesoundguy.com Haunted Attics band@hauntedatticsmusic.com

Super Best Friends Greg greg@gunfever.com.au System Addict Jamie 0418398556 Tegan Northwood (Singing Teacher) 0410 769 144

In The Flesh Scott 0410475703

Top Shelf Colin 0408631514

Itchy Triggers Alex 0414838480

Undersided, The Baz 0408468041

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

Zoopagoo zoopagoo@gmail.com

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