BMA Magazine - Canberra's Entertainment Guide - #516

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[CONTENTS]

[Canberra’s

Guide]

Entertainment

#516

Apr/May

This issue’s Recommended Reading: The Power of Meow

by Eckhart Tolle’s Cat

CANBERRA INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FESTIVAL

p. 28

Mail: 36/97 Eastern Valley Way Belconnen, ACT 2617 Publisher ABN 76 097 301 730 Pty Ltd General Manager Allan Sko T: (02) 6257 4360 E: advertising@bmamag.com Editor Allan Sko E: editorial@bmamag.com Accounts Manager Ashish Doshi T: (02) 6247 4816 E: accounts@bmamag.com Graphic Designer/Cover Design Juliette Dudley

GANG GANG MUSIC VENUE

p. 15

CHINS

JEFF LANG

p. 24

ESTHER HANNAFORD - TAPESTRY

p. 16

Film Columnist Cam Williams Entertainment Guide Editor Allan Sko Social Media Manager Allan Sko & Ruth O’Brien Columnists Ruth O’Brien, Josh Nixon, Niamh McCool, Alice Worley, Allan Sko Contributors Anthony Plevey, Rory McCartney, Ruth O’Brien, Vince Leigh, Dave Caffery, Belinda Healy, Alice Worley, Allan Sko NEXT ISSUE #517 OUT Thursday, 6 May EDITORIAL DEADLINE Friday, 23 April

p. 30

ADVERTISING DEADLINE Wednesday, 28 April 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.

CHRIS RYAN

p. 28 p. 26

BEN ELTON

p. 27

MATT KEEGAN

p. 25

TIM FERGUSON

ES 199 T 2 PAGE 10

JESS GREEN/PATRICIA p. 32

BEST CBR MUSIC 2

p. 34

BMA GIG GUIDE @bmamag p.42

...Sorry, where was I? Ahhhh yes, the brackets. Parentheses.

FROM THE BOSSMAN

BY ALLAN SKO [ALLAN@BMAMAG.COM]

A Note On Procrastination I never (which is to say, perhaps not NEVER; ‘never’ is one of those words that can either be lightly used and easily disposed of in its colloquial form, like a supermarket’s own brand tissue, the kind of ‘never’ our politicians would use - ‘Oh, I would never do that!’ which is to say that they would, indeed, do that, and with the frequency that the word ‘often’ or even ‘serial’ would be the more accurately terminology.

I’m no talking the serious ‘never’, the never-with-a-capital-N Never, the all caps NEVER, the italics never if you will; the weighty ‘never’ that holds true it namesake and echoes through the eons of time, echoing on and on, a perinnial contract of a word, existing past time as mountains are formed then erode and form once more, whole civilisations are started, built, reach their zenith then collapse over and over, and yet still the ‘never’ holds fast like the legendary Shield of Aegis, repelling all those who would defy the promise of never, fending off naysayers, doubters, and antagonists.

So yeah, not that ‘never’, not capital letters - at the front or all the way through - nor italics; that’s some heavy duty ‘never’ going on right there. I think we’re more comfortable in the flight-of-fancy version; the one that you can take out for a spin, knowing full well you can hand back the responsibilities of owning a proper Never after a short drive around the proverbial block. Far more comfortable in our little bracketed off version of ‘never’, which is what I was trying to say at the start.

We’re still in it, maaaaaan. Just because we’ve safely piloted through the asteroid field of multiple paragraph breaks doesn’t mean we’ve broken out of the parentheses-brackets field, which is quite exciting, really, kind of like that old episode of Seinfeld, well, they’re ALL old episodes of Seinfeld now aren’t they, to the extent that people in their 20s cock their head to the side like a confused kitten at the mention of it. Gosh, that makes you feel old.

But anyway, as I was saying, we’re like Kramer and the car dealership guy where they run the car past the fuel empty gauge and keep right on going, a scene which in itself was a reference to Thelma and Louise with the little handhold gesture and everything, you probably knew that already and I’m over-explaining, like I said it’s hard to know your Ideal Reader when you try to appeal to all.

But yeah, we’re well past that now; the ‘empty’ light has been shining for some time so best to end this soon… “Listen to me.

When this column rolls into that dealership, and that tank is bone dry, I want you to be there with me when everyone says, “Allan and that other reader, oh, they went further down the column than anyone ever dreamed!”

Or, my friends, OR... we could go even deeper! Maybe do a bracketparentheses inside a parentheses-bracket! Really Inception this shit (sorry, swearin again…. Ooooo! There it is! The hallowed bracket-within-a-parentheses… this feels weird; you could easily get lost in here. But you know what? I’ve never tried going three layers deep, so let’s see what happens (HKGIYSIYCCKSYCUCS)) Gah! I think I broke it! OK, that’s it, I’m getting out of this nightmare.

Come with me if you want to live, or at least get out of this and do something useful with your life. OK, we’re resurfacing; gotta go slowly go we don’t get the writer bends coming up, nearly there, OK! In three… two… one…) procrastinate.

Speaking of which, don’t forget we’re still in a brackets here, or ‘parentheses’ if you want to appear posh; it’s hard to gauge who you want to ‘talk to’ when it comes to your writing, your Ideal Reader as Stephen King puts it - which in his case was his wife - especially in this mag, the beloved-by-all-ages entertainment spectacular and champion of all things Canberra arts and the people who make it that is BMA Magazine.

I mean, everyone knows the term ‘brackets’ but I prefer ‘parentheses’, but if you don’t know what that means then one could come across as being unnecessarily verbose in some lame attempt to assert some kind of intellectual dominance, which is far from what I want to achieve… I’d almost go as far as saying I’d never want that, hahaha!

But seriously, it’s like swearing; I love a good swear in writing, a well-placed, properly earned swear that really punctuates emotion and gets a point across, or takes you by surprise - fuck! and evokes laughter, but I understand they’re not everyone’s cup of tea, and fair enough, but I mean just now, that cheeky f-bomb back there, utilised hopefully to prove some kind of point, that right there will put people off, possibly even turn an advertiser or two away in disgust, and GOD only know we need every cent we can muster In These Times™.

But to be honest, I’d use the term ‘parentheses’ in case an old writing teacher or family member reads this, to let them know all that time invested in me wasn’t a complete and total waste, that some things really did stick in the old brain space yesiree Bob… facebook.com/bmamagazine

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[HOT TIX]

Good Folk / Easter weekend of intimate concerts / Sat & Sun, 3 & 4 Apr / Various Queanbeyan venues The long-awaited Good Folk is on this Easter weekend! Two nights of intimate concerts from the best local and interstate performers, including: Fanny Lumsden with Montogomery Church, Fourplay String Quartet, Mikelangelo & The Black Sea Gentlemen, Stiff Gins, 19-Twenty, Little Quirks with Kim Yang, Omar Musa + Guyy and The Fox, Timothy James Bowen, Lucy Sugerman, Dan Hanrahan & The Rum Runners, Kristabelle & The Southern Jubilee Ringers, Alex & Annette Hood + Paverty Bush Band, Scroggin, Kay Proudlove, Chloe & Jason Rowen, Kim Yang Trio. Phew! Tix from folkfestival.org.au

Jon Stevens / The Noiseworks & INXS Collection Tour / Thu, 15 Apr / Canberra Theatre After a sell-out tour in 2019, Jon is back tributing the legendary bands that solidified his stature. Jon Stevens | The Noiseworks & INXS Collection Tour brings hits Take Me Back, New Sensation, Touch, Don’t Change, Hot Chilli Woman, Never Tear Us Apart, No Lies and more. This show is the proverbial all killer no filler; a visceral charge of emotion that will transport you back to 1987 and beyond including the INXS songs that were such a huge part of the soundtrack of our lives. 7:30pm, tix are $49 - $65 + bf from canberratheatrecentre.com.au

Pang Productions/ 11-strong hip hop line-up / Sat, 24 Apr / Smokey Horse, Braidwood The Melbourne-based independent hip hop label Pang Productions and Smokey Horse have been teaming up to bring a regular showcase of some of the most vibrant hip hop talent the land has to offer, all booming out from the beautiful surrounds of Braidwood. The April instalment sees the tenacious talents of Must Volkoff, Adam Koots, Joe Snow, Tenth Dan, Sinks, Axe Aklins, Context, Shaka J, Indighost, Rap FC, and Karuna. 5pm start, tix from pang.eventbrite.com

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UPCOMING EVENTS

Highland Light / CBR Band single lauch / Thu, 8 Apr / The Basement Imma pass to Punk & Disorderly columnist Alice Worley to talk about Highland Light: “I saw them playing at Sideway and I couldn’t help but think; is anyone else getting Green Day vibes? All three members are just balls of pure energy. It was hard not to be entertained by them, and after snagging a support slot for Hands Like Houses, it seems they’re doing quite well for themselves.”

Indeed! And now they’re launching third single Absolute with supports Box Dye, Parrots With Piercings, and THYME. From 7pm, tix a mere $13 from thebasementcanberra.oztix.com.au

Coolio Desgracias and Housemouse / Keepin It Small launch/ Thu, 22 Apr / Smith’s Alternative Coolio Desgracias and Housemouse have made bangers and rocked shows together since 2012. Coolio’s lugubrious baritone and HM’s high-pitched flow are a perfect fit - the two lyrical technicians dextrously weave rhymes over eclectic beats, with three EPs and album Deep In The Mick to their name. Now they present Keepin It Small on Futurefunk Laboratories - a kalaidescopic journey of hip hop flavours drawing on a wide range of influences and ways of styling/chopping. Support by Babyfreeze. From 7pm, tix $20 from smithsalternative.com

Jack Biilmann / Full Circle album launch Sat, 8 May / The Street Theatre Canberra based indie-roots songsmith Jack Biilmann can boast an average of two hundred shows a year (Covid permitting), using this time to hone his craft and pour his experience into new single Legacy and new album Full Circle. Aside from the seasoned playing and authoritative vocal performance, the upcoming collection simmers with a combination of raw emotional energy and swirling dark hues, presenting several strong hooks nestled within the vigorous and rough-hewn soundscape. Hear them live! 7:30pm, tix $30 from thestreet.org.au

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LOCALITY

[THE WORD ON LOCAL MUSIC] WITH RUTH O’BRIEN. SEND YOUR GIGS AND INFO TO: [RUTH@BMAMAG.COM]

Alright everyone, I’m excited! It might have something to do with having a new little kitten in my household but regardless, the energy and passion I’m feeling at the moment MUST be shared!

There are so many damn cool things happening arts and musicwise in our capital city. Let’s jump straight in.

First up, New Territory is an exciting initiative by the Canberra Theatre Centre. In this first year, up to three teams of artists will be invited into the building and offered rent-free use of the spaces, providing full artist fees, and giving access to the expertise of the wonderful CTC staff, in a series of residencies designed to show Canberra, and the rest of the county, just what we are capable of. They’ll be launching guidelines and details about the EOI process very soon. For more information, email: newterritory@ canberratheatrecentre.com.au

frontgallerycafe.com

The Front is starting up regular music again and is looking for acts. It’s so amazing to see such a beautiful little venue get behind the live music industry and welcome new audiences. If you’re a musician and want to talk to The Front about playing, contact them via their socials or send them an email to management@

One for the dance teachers out there – Belco Arts Centre is inviting professional dance tutors and companies who are interested in devising new programs or individual one-off classes as part of their Dance For Wellbeing program. Programs need to be focused on working through dance towards delivering meaningful wellbeing outcomes (physical, cognitive, and social) for participants. For more information head on over to website: belcoarts.com.au/wellbeing-eoi/

Speaking of The Street, Canberra’s own Jess Green (aka PhEnO) will taking to the stage on Saturday, 10 April. Jess is a seriously accomplished musician who has worked with some of the most recognisable music artists in Australia, including Clare Bowditch, Katie Noonan, Tim Rogers, Deborah Conway and Urthboy. Most recently, Jess collaborated with Patricia Piccinini, creator of the Skywhale, to launch the new addition to these aero-marine creatures, Skywhalepapa, with a beautiful, catchy pop track, We Are The Skywhales. Jess and the PhEnO band will be playing this tune along with many other new songs at the show. Get your tickets now via the Street Theatre website!

Sticking to the theme of women who rock in Canberra music, Bec Taylor has also recently launched a new track, Friend of Mine (available online now). Bec Taylor & The Lyrebirds will be playing at The Hive in Queanbeyan on Good Friday (2 April) and will be supported by Lucy Ridge & The Derby Widows. The show starts at 6pm and tickets can be booked via this link: fb.me/e/1gyPO6LXR

Bec Taylor also runs the amazing Bec Taylor School of Music and has just announced a new Community Rock School program for the LGBTQIA+ community. Participants will get the opportunity to use the incredible facilities at the ANU School of Music and also have the chance to perform at Smith’s Alternative at the end of the program. For more info head to the ANU School of Music website at: https://music.cass.anu.edu.au/community-rocks-lgbtiq-session A brand new gallery is about to pop up in Sutton, NSW, and the owners want to chat to visual artists hoping to exhibit work. The Village Gallery is currently being set up but if you have work and want to talk about it being shown at this lovely new gallery space, contact Kim via Instagram @villagegallerysutton

If you’re interested in getting more involved in Canberra’s theatre scene, make sure you get to know the wonderful people at The Street Theatre. There’s an array of opportunities to get involved throughout the year, including locally-made theatre productions.

Head over to The Street Theatre website at thestreet.org.au and click on the Artists tab for all the current info about what’s on.

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Lastly, some of you will know that I run a fortnightly music industry newsletter called Upbeat, jam-packed with music opportunities.

The newsletter is sponsored by the awesome team at MusicACT and our audience is growing steadily. To find out more about people in the Canberra music industry and learn about upcoming job, grant, funding and performance opportunities, make sure you’re subscribed! Next issue is sent out on 7 April.

That’s all from me this time, dear reader! See you next issue.

Ruth O’Brien - Singer | Songwriter | Writer | Lover of all things artsy and creative - email: ruth@bmamag.com @bmamag

Gang Gang Goes Gangbusters

bring their fans and friends. If you have a wide variety of events, you get a wide variety of people.”

[pics from left to right: warm weather outdoor space; Viktor Rufus; the Conway lads + dogs; Gang Gang signage; Gypsy jazz]

So here’s to more Gang Gang-style cafes and live music venues scattered around the ‘berra burbs.

by Ruth O’Brien

Most people wouldn’t have thought that buying a cafe during COVID was, with respect, the smartest thing to do. But, when the opportunity was presented to Sam, Max, and Riley Conway (possibly known better as three quarter of the band, Slow Turismo, pictured above with dogs) these brothers said YES. With no prior intention to own a cafe business but, being so invested in the music industry, these three young guys (who live, play, and now own a venue together) recognised the chance to impact the local music scene for the better.

“There were just so many great places for us to play when we were coming up, and the idea of being able to have a live music venue around the corner from our house? We were sold,” says Sam.

“I think there is an appetite for these kinds of community events”, agrees Sam. “The suburban local shops next to the oval? It’s very approachable.”

Gang Gang Café and Bar is at Downer Shops, Frencham Place. Open 7am-5pm Monday to Sunday, and 5pm – late Friday and Saturday. For more info about upcoming gigs head to ganggangcafeandbar.com, or go to their Facebook page - Gang Gang Cafe.

As residents of Downer and already working at the cafe, Sam and bros knew that Gang Gang Cafe & Bar was still doing quite well despite lockdowns, social distancing, and restrictions.

“The fact that we knew it could survive (the pandemic), that was all we needed to take the plunge.”

If you’ve ever been to this cool little venue (you absolutely should), you’ll know how homely and welcoming it feels as soon as you arrive. It serves great food and coffee, the staff are really nice, and perhaps most enticingly for live music lovers, there are two-to-three gigs on a week!

Sam said he and his brothers had a moment where they realised it was all coming together.

“We were sitting out the back the other day at home; we all sighed and went: ‘It’s actually kind of going to plan!’” he says.

The brothers have gigs booked at Gang Gang almost every night some weeks and are open to hosting any genre or style. One night they might have jazz. Another might be a series of singersongwriter performances. The idea of having classical music has also been thrown around.

During the warmer months, the Conway brothers made use of the beautiful summer evenings and outdoor space to create a fantastic and inviting community concert area. As the colder month roll in, I can see the venue becoming a warm and cosy haven - the Danish word hygge immediately springs to mind.

AND, their place is also incredibly dog friendly; around 7am is “dog happy-hour”.

“Some people just come to watch the dogs”, laughs Sam. “At 7:30am, we’ve got 20-25 dogs out there”.

At the heart of their success are three very genuine men with a passion for live music in Canberra. While there’s definitely been a lot of hard work, good business decision making, mentoring and support, building Gang Gang’s reputation as a live music venue has undoubtedly brought in new customers.

“Live music is good for business,” says Sam. “If you establish facebook.com/bmamagazine yourself as a good place to play, people want to come back and

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BMA ARTIST PROFILE Madie: You won’t really find any music of the same genre in any of my playlists and there’s rarely more than two songs by the same artist. I don’t think I’m influenced by any one particular artist or music type. I take bits and pieces from everywhere.

Group members: Madie Cook (vocals), James Rowntree (guitar), Ryder Boyle (guitar), Emily Leslie (drums), Jayden Alderman and Eric Medway (bass guitar).

Band name and origins: Ryder: We’ve changed names many times, but CHINS came about just as we started songwriting. Jayden came to practice with an amazing bassline and none of us had lyrics, so he improvised with verse after verse of lyrics about chins.

Jayden: The song lyrics didn’t end up staying for obvious reasons, but we decided to keep the name for our band to commemorate the occasion.

Describe your sound: Eric: That’s a hard question because it’s not super consistent, but I’d definitely say modern alternative-rock.

Ryder: Our sound is a very bizarre mix. We’ve written many originals and they vary greatly. Our double A-side single has two songs that are like chalk and cheese. But overall, we focus on a very upbeat, danceable alternative rock-type of music.

Jayden: I would describe it as alternative rock or indie alternative rock.

We tend to go for a heavier sound, generally using distortion on guitar, but often like to push out of our comfort zone when we can.

Emily: Just imagine putting The Cure, Nirvana, and Surf Curse into a bowl, stirring it, putting it in a cake tin, and baking it for 60 minutes.

Who/What are your influences, musical or otherwise?

Ryder: We all have personal influences for the creation of vocal melodies, guitar riffs, basslines and drumbeats. A big influence has to be Nick Rattigan, an artist under the name Current Joys and one part of the twopiece band Surf Curse. We’ve only taken a small amount of influence from Current Joys’ music, but Surf Curse is a massive influence on our songs.

Inspiration for our heavier songs comes from The Cure with an extra touch of Nirvana. We love the textures in those respective artists’ songs.

Jayden: I’d say Joe Dart, the bass player from Vulfpeck, would be a big influence. I love his music. I’m not really sure what or who influences my playing style, because when I write baselines to songs I just tend to play what’s in key and then do the rest by ear.

Emily: My musical influences are Taylor Swift, because she is simply the best lyricist in the business, and Jen Ledger (the drummer from Skillet) because she was the first female drummer I knew. I also love YUNGBLUD because his songs are so personal and relatable, and he tackles some really important topics.

Eric: In terms of inspiring me musically, Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) would probably be the biggest.

What are some memorable experiences you’ve had as a band?

Jayden: Our recent double single promotion gig at Smith’s Alternative - when nearly all the audience got up and danced - was probably one of the most memorable for me. Another was when we played at The Basement for the first time alongside the awesome Box Dye! Ryder: One of them is being in the studio together. It is such a huge milestone for a band: sitting in a studio, taking turns recording your parts, and patching together a song you have spent hours on writing and improving. It’s something that every big band has done at one point, so it felt amazing on every level to be able to do it.

Eric: Recording in the studio was memorable for sure. It was a lot of fun and one of the first big things I did with the band. It was also really cool when a bunch of people wanted to buy our merch after we were on stage at the WOMEN WHO ROCK for CHARITY event. It was a massive day, because we also volunteered to help during the other shows – we were there for over 12 hours straight!

Madie: I agree, definitely our studio session. When we first arrived, I was nervous as all hell as I’d never done anything like it. But by the end I was amazed at how quickly everything had clicked perfectly into place.

It was an incredible experience and I’ll remember it for a long time.

Emily: Mine is when Ryder asked me to fill in for their January gig at The Basement. I had to learn an hour-long setlist in two weeks and the setlist kept changing! But I managed to pull it off, the gig was great, and I’m still here.

What’d you love about the scene?

Ryder: The whole thing about the indie alternative scene is that there are still so many differences with the music and the people.

There are the slightly strange yet amazing upbeat songs that make you dance, or the weird, relaxed tracks that are the perfect chill out tunes. A lot of the time ‘alternative’ music can fit into other genres like rock and punk, so it’s pretty versatile which is great in terms of live line-ups.

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Eric: It’s not really specific to our scene, but I enjoy chatting with other musicians at gigs.

There’s just something cool about watching a great performance and then being able to chat with the band (especially if they enjoyed your performance as well).

Jayden: Being around so much music is inspiring and pretty cool. I also love the people. Most of the other bands we have played with are friendly and supportive, even though they are normally older than us.

Madie: I have always loved singing and performing, so being able to do that in such fantastic environments is definitely my favourite part of the scene. Rock music always brings lively upbeat audiences, so it’s a wonderful atmosphere to be a part of.

Tell us about one of your proudest moments: Jayden: Someone approached me after a gig to say their son had been having a rough time and our performance had given him the most fun in months. I was really proud that we were able to have that sort of positive effect on someone.

Ryder: For me it was our recent single debut show at Smith’s Alternative. The audience were moshing in front of the stage, clapping and shouting. It was magical to see nearly the entire venue optionally leave their seats to dance to music we have written.

Madie: That gig was incredible because we interacted so much more with the audience and it was completely different to anything we had done before. Another proud moment for me was when I first joined the band. I hadn’t really sung in front of that many people before, so it was a special personal achievement.

Emily: Our last Smith’s Alternative gig is my proudest moment also.

The crowd was having such a great time, we played well as a band, and no drumsticks were dropped – a definite highlight for me. I think it was the best gig we’ve played so far.

Having everyone dancing lifted the energy so much and made the whole experience even more mindblowing for us.

What pisses you off?

Ryder: People who don’t respect others who are in the same business.

We’ve had gigs where we’ve been looked down on for being young. We’re all musicians and want to do what we love; there should be no reason for rivalries. We should all encourage and support each other for pursuing music. Also, bands who intentionally ignore set times are annoying.

Madie: Shitty people piss me off more than anything. Just get out of my life and go find someone else to annoy.

Eric: People who get away with doing things that hurt others.

Jayden: The lack of chocolate in my mouth.

What are your upcoming gigs?

The Basement on Saturday, 3 April where we are supporting LaHi (and the Diks) from Sydney on their EP launch tour. Ambient Book Club and Monkey Knife Fight will also be on stage. We love playing The Basement!

The Sideway Bar on Thursday, 22 April, and we also have some charity gigs lined up for Wear it Purple Day in August and National Bandana Day in October – I think they are both being held by Live @ The Polo. We also want to get back to Smith’s Alternative soon and have some other gigs in the pipeline – there are quite a few Canberra-based bands that we would love to share the stage with! Follow us on Instagram or Facebook (Chins.

Band) if you would like to hear more about our gigs!

Contact info: Milestone Entertainment Canberra (Facebook) handle the business side.

What are your plans for the future?

Ryder: Keep pushing the boundaries of creativity.

We’ve done radio interviews, gigs, and a studio recording but there is still so much more we can do.

Emily: We are working towards releasing an EP which is exciting. We’ve had the chance to work with sound wizard Joel from Canberra Noise Floor at Infidel Studios. We are learning so much all the time and getting better as a band. Longer term, I’d love us to play shows outside Canberra and perform at some festivals. Also, completing university.

Madie: I want to keep performing with the band, write some stories and songs along the way, and keep pursuing my passions. On a personal level, I’d love to travel all over the world and have a ridiculous number of pets. As a band, I want us to keep playing, improving, and meeting other bands and musicians.

Eric: I am looking forward to releasing our new ‘dual single’ and video.

What makes you laugh?

Ryder: Each other, as the experiences we’ve had together have been very unique. The time after gigs is always so funny – I am sure “bird cows” would mean nothing to anyone but us!

Jayden: Bad jokes and shirts that make people cringe.

Eric: Really dumb, random stuff that probably isn’t funny at all.

Madie: I laugh at pretty much anything - dumb jokes or witty puns. I do like word play quite a bit, and call me lame, but I watch a lot of vines - some of them are hilarious. Sorry, not sorry.

Emily: Memes and epic fails, especially if it’s basketball related. facebook.com/bmamagazine

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THE DROP

[THE WORD ON EDM/DANCE MUSIC] WITH NIAMH “IL VAMPIRO” MCCOOL [NIAMH.DOLFI.MCCOOL@GMAIL.COM]

Anonymous Raver – Fashion in the Contemporary Canberra Rave Scene Historically, fashion and music have been referential to one another. Certain music scenes have their own unique styles and the Canberra rave scene is no different.

It’s pretty difficult to talk accurately about the fashion/style of a place and/or scene; for one its not homogenised. For the sake of ease of writing, I’m going to make some broad statements, but in no way is this a definitive analysis on Canberra rave style, nor is it a rule book on how to dress.

Three things I’ve picked up on is the cold and how the weather effects how you dress; neon futurist styles; and irony.

Hackers - a rave tailor in film form make someone laugh from your clothing choice is a particular skill; likewise with music. I think the trend to ironic and humours styles in fashion is reflected in the rise of more ‘silly’ and light hearted music, like UK Bounce, Donk and meme music.

So now that you’ve thought about style a bit, where in Canberra can you show off your amazing outfits?

At Sideway Bar on Saturday, 17 April there is It’s a London Thing 6.0 featuring Killjoy from the UK and Mincy from Sydney. Should be a fun grime-filled night.

The following night at Sideway - Sunday, 18 April - is High Society, which is a free live hip hop event.

At One22, Harvey Sutherland is DJing on the Easter Sunday, 4 April supported by SONDRIO, Amando, Izaak Bink and Mia Sorlie and Wally. You can expected a broad range of genres: disco, funk, electronic, and house.

Over at Fiction there’s trance music with Australian artist MaRLo on the public holiday eve (again, Sunday, 4 April). And on Friday, 16 April there is FEEL featuring Sippy and Blackjack for your dubstep, trap, garage and drum ‘n’ bass kicks.

Anonymous Raver wearing a balaclava. Photo by Niamh Dolfi-McCool

That’s all for this month. Stay trendy!

So what is unique to the Canberra fashion scene? Well, the freezing weather definitely affects the way you dress. There are some brave souls (or soles, if we’re talking footwear) who try and ignore the cold for the sake of an outfit.

I’ve done this. I don’t advise it.

When you embrace wrapping up, it can become a cool chance [LULZ - Bossman Sko] to play with interesting cold weather styles.

Balaclavas, for example, I’ve seen popping up on chilly dance floors.

They keep your head, ears and sides of your face warm while adding some extra texture and character to your look. It can either be cute and silly, or more serious. I advice open-face style because it’s warm but your face is uncovered. You can DIY a balaclava by wearing a beanie and wrapping a scarf around your head and neck.

As mentioned before, music and fashion have always been in conversation with one another. A great example of this is the 1995 movie Hackers. Both the soundtrack and the costume design perfectly work together to convey the overall aesthetic of bright technological optimism and a sense of living in the “future”.

The Hackers wardrobe would absolutely fit in at a rave right now.

I’ve seen plenty of neon coloured “futuristic fabrics” like spandex, neonprint and 3m on the dancefloor. Bright, graphic make-up, sleek sunglasses, big chunky sneakers, reflective ‘metal’ like materials are common in dance music spaces. These styles are referential to the digitalisation of music.

A staple of the rave fashion and contemporary fashion in general is irony. But the kind of 2021 irony of finding something both hilarious and the coolest thing ever at the same time. I think humour is something that doesn’t get acknowledged enough. Being able to PAGE 18 PAGE 18

It’s cold in them thar hills... @bmamag

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PAGE 19 PAGE 19

PUNK & DISORDERLY

[THE WORD ON PUNK] WITH ALICE WORLEY Hey y’all! I’m pretty much just going to talk about one event this month because it was thrilling, and reminded me of all the things I love about the DIY scene that used to be so prevalent here in the capital, that perhaps we will see again.

So, my noteworthy Canberra punk experience for this month was without a doubt a house show I went to (and played at) on Petterd Street in Page. It’s been years since I went to a house show that was like the good old days of Lacklustre and Crossroads. Those gig houses seemed to be a truly euphoric pocket in time for Canberra music, but this gig had that same magic and we were all completely drenched in it (along with a hefty quantity of sweat).

Have to say, this was hosted fantastically. You were greeted by a table out the front with hand sanitiser and a giant bowl of ear plugs, and on the living room wall was a poster of a young Henry Rollins, shirtless, glistening; a perfect foreshadow of the evening we all had in store. With the organisers/residents welcoming us all in so warmly, this show did not take long to swing into gear.

Hmmm... It’s HYMMNN HYMMNN‘s a great band to kick off with; they always bring the energy with a touch of insanity. If there’s a band that’s built for an intimate, in-your-face environment, they’re it. Frontman Leighton was bouncing off anyone nearby, swallowing the mic, then swinging it above his head like a cowboy’s lasso, then dropping to the floor and crawling into the crowd to grab the nearest sets of legs.

Always that perfect recipe of enthralling, confronting, and a little bit terrifying. Well done, lovelies.

The crowd help a fellow punter outside for a breather(Pic by Claire Warren) Calling all girls to the front, we had an absolute ball playing off the highly enthusiastic and probably quite intoxicated crowd. Thanks again to the guys that organised this show cos this was one of the most enjoyable gigs we’ve ever played. The sweat was real, every person looked like they’d just been through a hurricane, but despite the lack of oxygen there was nothing but joy beaming from every person there.

Enfants finished the night off, sending wave after wave of explosive riffs and screams into an almost entirely shirtless and shiny crowd while we all braced ourselves for the at-least-halfa-dozen crowd surfs that were to come during their high octane set.

By the time they finished up, there was nothing left to do but pick up your drenched clothes, stumble into the yard and just collapse onto the wet grass while you smiled at your mates. All those good feelings.

I am so hopeful that this will be the start of a resurgence of these kinds of shows; they’re so much fun and just aren’t comparable to a venue setting. Well done to the Petterd Street Bash organisers; you did an absolutely fantastic job and I hope the clean up wasn’t too awful the next day.

Also, I’m super stoked to see Enfants being put onto an increasing number of line-ups. You’re all great entertainers and just an absolutely lovely group of people.

The Narcissists - each prettier than the last The Narcissists pulled us out of the prior fever dream and brought the crowd back to a more familiar mosh setting. The band’s always a draw; they know how to assemble a set to keep you engaged.

They usually have a great cover to shove in the mix and that evening’s choice of Carol by The Peep Tempels was such a winner.

By this point the living room was quite a sauna, so after a breather outside and a couple of cool down beers it was onto me and my goofballs, Box Dye. PAGE 20

Before I leave you, I have a gig I want to plug. In the last issue, I mentioned Highland Light as a band I was keeping my eye on. Well, they’ve got a single on the way, their third one to be precise, and subsequently a single launch to get your butts to. Absolute will be unleashed by the trio at The Basement on Thursday, 8 April and supporting them will be Box Dye, Parrots With Piercings, and THYME, so it’ll be a pretty high energy gig to say the least.

Since The Basement has been allowed standing shows again, the good times are there for the taking. So come on down and try not to spill your drink.

@bmamag

Canberra enigma st.sinner bring the Capital Fury

by Alice Worley

Let me set the scene here.

One day, I’m listening to this playlist of Canberra singles on Spotify. A track comes on that makes me walk over to my phone to answer my internal query; “Who the f**k is THIS?!?”. I checked, got onto the socials, searching Facebook and Instagram to see how long I’ve been in the dark, and I discover this band hasn’t actually been around for that long.

But they’re polished, with a clear sound and striking band identity. I check; no past gigs. Where on earth did these guys come from?

For everyone else that went through this same circuit of confusion, I’d like to properly introduce you to st.sinner.

To sate my curiosity, I got in touch with st.sinner frontman, Rory Maclean. It seems the start of Australia’s battle with COVID-19 was also the start of Rory’s new musical endeavour.

“I remember, at the time, at work and I can see this virus has affected someone in Canberra, and that was the day I went to Nick’s house for our first practice,” he reveals.

Nick Dennis, that is, who you might remember from such bands as Salad Bomb and Ginger Nuts. Rory, however, you probably would recognise from his previously most successful project, Fvceless.

Reflecting on his prior band experiences, Rory feels he wasn’t being fulfilled.

“I felt like I was not being genuine in any of them,” he admits. “I wasn’t being myself. This time, I’m doing it properly.”

The whole band seems pretty tight and well put together, so I wanted to know if the other members were also experienced musicians.

“I “leased” Caleb, the drummer, from Flash Anthem. I had a few demos written. I showed them to Patrick, who was away finding himself in the UK. He came back to Australia for me, not because of COVID or anything,” he laughs. “Patrick was also from Ginger Nuts, he was the bassist. And this is Josh’s first band.”

The criteria for being a part of st.sinner seemed to be summed up as the following: “These people are unapologetically themselves.”

We had a chat about how the punk scene in Canberra had been dwindling in recent years (hence my hiatus from the Punk and Disorderly column).

Rory expressed his thoughts on the matter.

“Punk music is about having something to say and being prolific. I was angry at the scene, I felt like there wasn’t any meaning to it, any sustenance. But this is where our parliament is, shouldn’t this be where punk thrives? I felt contempt that none of these bands were saying anything; just settling. They could all be so good, but it’s like they’re not being pushed.”

So what are st.sinner planning to do differently? “...make sure I’m doing this in the most professional and streamlined way but still staying gritty. It’s important to have your say and be uninterrupted, and that’s what’s great about music. You can say your piece before someone can say something back.”

So, let’s have a look at these gritty tracks. Mr Prime Minister, the first release. The track’s content is evident, but it specifically references ScoMo’s handling (or handshaking) of the early 2020 bushfires; his inability to connect with and assist those affected, and his disconnection to the Australian people as a whole.

“I was angry,” Rory explains. “Just before the bushfires the man fucked off to Hawaii. He’s an embodiment of the 1% that don’t care. That’s not governance. facebook.com/bmamagazine

The corruption is so outlandish and in-your-face. It was an amalgamation of not being represented, and I’m mad about it. This is what punk music is all about it, that emotion. It was just a lot of screaming in most of the practices. I wanted to get my anger out… I had to be reigned in at times.”

After that single accumulated a pleasing number of streams, Dead For The Weekend was added to the mix; a track not as brazen but still packed with energy.

“Dead For The Weekend came from the same place, but a different topic.

I’ve had substance issues in the past, and there’s this culture about not looking after yourself; to be self destructive and make it other people’s problem. I was able to see that I needed to start looking after myself.”

But Rory didn’t want his revelation to be kept to himself, he wanted to share it. Hence DFTW was created; a track with a high-energy party sound that is, essentially, about rejecting the party lifestyle.

“I wanted to do this in a way that people can hear it and say, ‘That’s groovy, I wanna look after myself too’. It’s completely okay to go out and get shitfaced, but you can’t do that all the time. It’s the most raucous song about self care you’ll ever hear.”

Now to the question that’s been on my mind for months: When can we SEE this band? They have two singles, two music videos, a show on YouTube... but no gigs. No classic getting your band started and playing your first shows in backyards or at a local booze merchant here.

It’s an unconventional, and intriguing, way of building a following, especially in Canberra. So when’s the first st.sinner show?

“We’re doing a third single that will be coupled with news of a debut show. It’s so different to what we’ve released so far and will show a new side of us. It’s poppier, but with attitude; pure attitude.”

Alright, so it’s happening, but as for when exactly? That’s still shrouded in mystery for now. As I pressured Rory to spill the beans, you could tell the excitement was there to do just that. But st.sinner’s calendar is still firmly under wraps.

“I can’t tell you much, but when we do one, you will definitely know, it’s gonna happen. I know people want it. The boys were all on me about a show, and I had to tell them to trust me because I didn’t wanna waste a debut show on something seated. But don’t worry, you’ll hear all about it. Probably. No you will.

Definitely.”

Okay, well I’m pretty satisfied with the info I got out of this interview. My curiosity about the beginnings of these guys has been put to bed, but not my curiosity about their future. I know what these guys have to offer as a recording band, now I want to see what their live selves can do.

So if you’re also curious, keep an eye on those socials. This band has proven they’re not shy about advertising the shit out of their releases, so expect the same for PAGE their 21 first event.

METALISE

[THE WORD ON METAL] WITH JOSH NIXON A year is a long time when the increments are so painfully stopstart and broken up by complex rules and regulations.

Yes, we need to keep safe. Yes, they are necessities that we have.

And no, we are not a tourism hub like North Queensland that relies on dollars from overseas.

Like I said last issue, though, the glass is half full and the coming month is looking like it might be the start of something if the government can actually deliver on its vaccination roll out and keep up the positive momentum.

First in discussion for April is a fond farewell to a bit of a Canberra institution. Tonk are made up of some bloody lovely blokes, and while it’s sad to see them go at their farewell show at The Basement on Saturday, 10 April, the fact it’s sold out with the increased cap (195 or so) is deserving. So long boys. Fellow longstanding favourites Night Train and Johnny Roadkill will help see the lads out in style.

Farewell sweet Tonk, and thanks for the blistering years of gig memories. We’ll always have the music Metal For The Grave is an interesting show, at The Basement once again, on Thursday, 15 April. Matty “Skitz” Sanders has blastbeaten his way through the Australian metal scene since the early ’90s with Damaged, Sadistik Exekution, Terrorust and many more.

The night is focused on his musical journey, but the band includes former members of other founding metal fathers including Hobbs’ Angel of Death, Manticore, and Misery. This will be a good one for the old schoolers out there and fresh from the studio, Wretch will be there to blast some newer material also. Presented by Your Mate Bookings, tickets through Oztix.

Flaming Wrekage have a new album out called Cathedral of Bones and have embarked on a brazen journey across the land of big modern sounding melodic down-tuned twin guitar riffs. The guys have two singles out for the record, including The Voiceless.

The tour smashes into Canberra at The Basement on Friday, 30 April with support from Clarity of Chaos, Queensland’s Diskust, and Arkanae. Tickets through Oztix, presented by Young Henrys.

Pilots of Baalbek will be setting the departure lounge up in The Basement on Friday, 28 May for a blistering set of ’70s hard rockin’ grooves from their fantastic debut from last year. The guys PAGE 22

Flaming Wrekage welcome you to their Cathedral of Bones have special guests The Dunhill Blues in tow, as well as Canberra band BC. Should be a a big night and – yoooooou’ve guessed it! – tickets from Oztix.

The line-up for Dark Mofo is to be released in the coming weeks and there is always something for the heavy music fan. Regardless, the festival is a good excuse to go down and check out Tasmania and the amazing Mona Art Gallery that coordinates the event.

Sunburn festival had big plans in 2020 with New Zealand, with touring the festival around the country on the cards. Well, the house won that hand and here we are. New Zealand’s loss however, is Canberra’s gain with Sunburn Lite coming to The Basement on Saturday, 22 May. Pod People, Potion, Lucifungus, Burn the Hostages, Astrodeath, and Master Leonard are all on the menu for the stoner doom psych fest. Presented by Black Farm Records you will be able to pick up tickets through The Basement’s Oztix site.

There are a tonne of shows, a lot of them international, booked for Q3 this year. With the USA well ahead of its vaccination schedule but Europe entering a 3rd wave, who knows what that will mean.

It might be overly optimistic, but it feels that, with capacity increasing and gig-goers now being able to stand instead of being confined to tables, we have turned a corner.

Nebula, Hirax, D.R.I., and a whole bunch more are on the cards still; let’s see if the house or the players can take the pot.

Til next time. @bmamag

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The EP of the same name is a sampling of the recordings that come with the book. The chapters are each linked, in some way, to a song Lang has written, with each one in the book followed by the lyrics from that song.

All of which lends to a compelling and engaging night of both music and story.

“The larger portion of the evening is performing songs, followed by some reading from the book,” Lang explains. “I’ve just done one weekend of the tour so far down in Tasmania and it went well.”

BY ALLAN SKO Australian guitarist-songwriter-vocalist-producer and roots-oriented rock merchant Jeff Lang is a true journeyman, releasing some 30 albums across 30 years of touring. He can boast, not that the humble man would, of myriad awards - Best Blues and Roots Music Album in 2002 (with Bob Brozman) and again in 2012 for Carried In Mind - as well as a multitude of worldwide collaborations with the likes of aforementioned roving guitar anthropologist Bob Brozman, American blues-rocker Chris Whitley, India’s desert-dwellers Maru Tarang, and world music virtuosos Bobby Singh and Mamadou Diabate.

You’d imagine our man Lang would have a tale or two to tell after such a span. And you’d imagine correctly.

Some Memories Never Die is Jeff Lang’s first book, a memoir of three decades on the road, brimming with recollections of gigs where the tour progress was by the grace of an oily rag; the road’s many turns can be elevated, or devastated, by the presence of fellow travellers.

And it all comes bundled with a 22-track album of Jeff Lang classics explicitly re-recorded for the book’s release, and an accompanying tour, landing at The Street Theatre this month.

“I didn’t want to write a traditional biography laid out in chronological order,” the affable Lang tells us. “I guess I took a leaf out [Bob Dylan’s] Chronicles where he just seemed to write about what he felt like.

“So I started by recalling anecdotes from the past. Then other related things would emerge and link, and eventually a chapter would form with an overarching theme, such as tales about hunting for old pieces of gear on tour, or a link about driving, or about a particular place such Ireland or Tasmania. There’s also a chapter about working with Chris Whitley.”

Lang’s purpose for the book is not simply a merry waltz down memory lane.

“I’m hoping to give those who don’t do this for a living a taste of what it’s really like, rather than a romantic portrayal; putting you there inside it from various different permutations.

“I take the music part seriously, but taking yourself too seriously with this could kill you,” Lang continues. “A lot of ritual humiliation is involved; it’s all a bit of a cosmic joke, and you’re the bottom of it. So I took that. There are serious things in there, but a large chunk of the book are things I found funny upon reflection; the absurdity of the touring and music experience. I figured if there’s enough laughs, and the bulk are at my own expense, that’s fair game.”

PAGE 24

With such a treasure chest of both song and story, one would expect the ‘life editing’ process for stage to be arduous. Instead, Lang approaches each live show as a DJ does at a dance party… listening to what feels right in the moment, then playing.

“You don’t want to try people’s patience!” Lang chirps. “In different places I might be reading from different things as well. You’ve got to pick an extract that will work as a standalone reading. With Tasmania, I had a few choices with me, and I get a gist of which song feels like the right one to do. Because I don’t usually use a setlist when I’m playing, especially when I’m playing solo. I’ll just have a feel for it. It’s not a case of, ‘what’s the audience want? Well, I’ll give them more of that.’ It’s what feels like the right thing to play right now, after that last song. Same with the reading. I’ll have a few choices, get to a spot in the night, go to a different part of the stage, and make a decision on what to read.”

With his lengthy career encompassing turbulent changes in both life and the music scene in particular, did Lang have any particular observations to impart?

“I mean, I’m part of it, so it’s hard to get an overall read on it,” Lang ponders. “I only see people play if I’m on the same bill with them, or at a festival. I speak to people, of course, and it does seem like it’s gotten more difficult. I wonder how a young band makes inroads these days.

It’s never been the most lucrative thing in the world. You used to sell merch [CDs] to help fund the thing, and there’s less of that nowadays.

But I’m wary of getting too much into ‘things were better in my day’...

That’s really boring!”

Despite the many changes, there’s one thing for Lang that rings true throughout time.

“To ‘make it’ involves a lot of compulsive, irrational choices; important choices. When I started, I certainly didn’t weigh it all up and go, ‘I can do this and I’ll be able to make it work by doing that’. I lived life through my 20s such that if I’d made enough money for petrol to get to the next town to play, that was all good. I had a van to sleep in, so who cares if there’s no accommodation at the venue? That’s the way I was living.

“I imagine for young bands starting out, you would have the same kind of headstrong, willful irrationality that I had. So maybe, in that way, things don’t particularly change at all.

Sure, it might be tough. Is it tougher? I don’t know. But I do know that people still bother to do it. And there’s still great bands getting around and great artists writing songs. I don’t think it’s something that just happens to you; you fall in love with sound before you get intoxicated by being involved with a discord, jumping in to the big river of sound that you fell in love with and splashing around. And, you know, it pulls you in.”

And you can be pulled in when Jeff Lang brings his Some Memories Never Die book, EP and tour all of the same name to The Street Theatre on Saturday, 24 April at 7:30pm. Tickets are $39/$35 from thestreet.org.au @bmamag

VIENNA WAITS FOR YOU

BY BELINDA HEALY & ALLAN SKO If your Great-Grandfather was an exceptional musician and composer who also fled Vienna during the time of Hitler’s rule, it would be a fitting tribute to honour this story through a musical performance.

Which is exactly what Matt Keegan has done with his latest show, entitled Vienna Dreaming.

“I have many fond memories of him as an old man in his 80s,” says Keegan of his Great-Grandfather Heini Portnoj. “He died when I was about 10 years old. Unfortunately, I do not recall hearing him performing any music, however, I do have vague recollections of him showing me a few things on the piano.

“All the specific details of Heini’s story came through my Aunt Julia who is the family historian on the maternal side of my family,” Keegan continues. “She provided me with a very detailed account of his life.

I’ve been told that he never spoke to anyone about his former life in Vienna, but I believe he must of thought about it from time to time.”

Soon, Keegan was pouring his creative energies and efforts into this very personal piece.

“Vienna Dreaming is a suite of music I composed in honour of my Great-Grandfather, Heini Portnoj (1895-1984). Heini was a composer and pianist and Austrian Jew who fled the Nazi movement in Europe in 1940 and ended up a refugee in Australia. The composition is my interpretation of what I considered the crucial moments associated with his life story.”

And how does one go about creating such a weighty piece?

“The music is all instrumental and draws influence from styles including: Viennese salon music, pop, jazz and classical influences,” Keegan reveals. “I felt strongly about keeping the soundscape in an ethereal realm in order to evoke general feelings and imagery rather than trying to recreate specific sounds of the past.

“I chose to use a combination of acoustic and electronic instruments to evoke an other-worldly, dream-like atmosphere. I decided to write in the programmatic style in order to imbue the songs, without words, with the feeling of his story as it moved through time.”

With the style firmly in place, the narrative arrived naturally.

“We begin with my Great-Grandfather as an old man sitting by a window on a rainy afternoon daydreaming about his past life in Vienna. From here we go on a musical journey that takes us through his memories including: his first job as a band leader in Vienna, meeting his wife Annie, fleeing his homeland, and eventually arriving in Australia.”

And music is not the only way Heini’s story is brought to life.

“To enhance the experience, artist Monica Higgins has animated the story, incorporating a collage of old film footage from Vienna and Australia with digital design and family photos to create beautiful visuals that accompany the music.”

Whilst it seems family is an obvious influence for Keegan’s immersion in music, he didn’t realise it at first.

“By the time I started high school I knew I wanted to be a musician, but at the time I did not recognise the significance of having musical influences on both sides of my family,” Keegan reveals. “In retrospect it seems obvious.

“Now I am a father myself, I have come to understand and appreciate how much the environment you grow up in affects who you are.

Having my own kids has also highlighted how lucky I was to have a supportive family who could afford to finance both music lessons and the purchase of instruments. Music is an expensive, time consuming, and noisy undertaking.” facebook.com/bmamagazine

As well as a commemoration of his Great-Grandfather’s life, Vienna Dreaming is also a celebration of being able to perform once again.

“Like most people, I think the hardest thing to manage was the initial shock of being totally stopped in your tracks and losing important career opportunities that had taken years of hard work to put in place,” Keegan says of Covid. “It has taken patience, consideration, and energy to re-establish focus and start realigning and rebuilding career momentum.

“Having said that, having a break from the pressure was a relief of sorts. I had other projects: recording, live streams, composing and arranging commitments, producing duties and writing the dissertation for my PhD. I also have three sons in primary school, so that full term of homeschooling was intense.”

After discussions on being a music teacher - “I have been teaching music professionally since I was in high school but still feel I have a lot to learn” - and how it has enriched his art - “Sharing information is a very important part of being a musician and often you have to present it in different ways, depending on the student” - talk turns to the myriad collaborations, bands, and groups he is a part of.

“Variety is very important to me,” he states. “I love immersing myself in different styles of music and have worked professionally as a jazz, blues, funk, pop, rock, reggae, folk, third stream, and intercultural collaborative musician.

“I enjoy playing in ensembles where I feel like I can make a valid artistic contribution. I am lucky enough to get to play with some incredible musicians and have found the best place to enjoy their music is to stand with them on stage while they do it. I have found the insights taken from my experience as a band leader has made me a much more supportive band member.”

With all that said, the excitement of the performance awaits.

“I would like to thank [CIMF Artistic Director] Roland Peelman for his time, support and musical input,” Keegan says in closing. “I am grateful for the opportunity to present the work in such a great space and have assembled a fantastic band to help me realise the music featuring the wonderful soloists, Veronique Serret on violin and Ben Hauptmann on guitar.”

The Street Theatre, Canberra International Music Festival and SIMA present Matt Keegan - Vienna Dreaming on Saturday, 17 April at 8pm at The Street Theatre. Tickets range from $40 - $25 and can be booked from thestreet.org.au PAGE 25

Exhibitionist | Arts in the ACT

Then, to the tune of Jolene, Mum sings: “Christine, Christine, Big Hair Big Dreams”, and I’m dead.

“Dear God no! We won’t be recording that, Mum. I mean, thanks, but no.”

Now I knew it was a risk, taking Mum to a professional recording studio staffed by young people. She loves an audience, does Mum, especially when she can embarrass me in the process.

When we arrive at the studio within 90 seconds she says “You have very blue eyes” to Brett, the cameraman, and all of a sudden I’m skirting the wildfire that is Wendy Ryan.

“She does this, guys, sorry. Mum, don’t flirt with the crew.”

Mum reads her introduction.

THE MOTHER OF ALL INTROs

By Chris Ryan My Mum has always been, what I understand the young people call, “Extra”.

There are two sides to that coin; it is both a source of joy, and exasperation. Yes, I love that she’ll show up unannounced with lamingtons, but not so much cherish her need to Mumsplain to the 15-year-old “Chef” (as she referred to him in the retelling of the story) at the Coffee Club that you never put a paper napkin under a toasted cheese sandwich because the paper will always stick to the cheese.

Anything can happen with Mum in public.

She might have to compliment a barista on his hair or she might need to tell a policewoman about her suspicion that her neighbour is probably doing something illegal, certainly annoying.

When I called my Mum and asked her to record a voiceover to introduce my new festival show, I should have given her more specifics. All I wanted was the basic back announce: “Good evening everyone, I’m her PAGE 26

Mum, please put your hands together for Chris Ryan!” I figured she brought me into this world, she could bring me onto the stage and, since she gets a bit of a mention in the show, it would be nice to give her the mic.

But upon picking her up to take her to the recording session, the first alarm bell rang when Dad asks: “Have you got your notes, Wendy?”

“Notes?!” I ask, looking from one parent to the other for some explanation for this excessive prep for such a short spiel.

“Yeah, your Mum’s been working hard on an introduction, it’s really good.”

Alarm two came when Mum asked: “How does that song Jolene go again?”

“When Christine was four and we lived in India, she came to me and said, ‘Mum, there’s a snake at the door’ and I said, ‘Don’t be ridiculous!’ But when I opened the door, there was a giant cobra rearing its head and hissing. Later, when Christine was 38, she came to me and said, ‘Mum, I want to do stand-up comedy’ and I said ‘don’t be ridiculous’.

“Now welcome to the stage, my very funny and ridiculous daughter, Christine.”

The show is nothing to do with India and I don’t want to plant a seed in people’s heads at the start only to have them sit through an hour and go, “Well, why did her Mum mention India in the intro, then?”

I get Mum to redo it.

Some days later, over tea and lamingtons that Mum’s brought over, she looks at me, deadpan, and says: “That introduction was no good. You should scrap it.”

Chris Ryan’s show Big Hair, Big Dreams is at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival from 6-18 April.

“Jolene? Why is that important right now?”

1 April - Chris Ryan’s Trial Show, Smith’s Alternative.

My brain is already running from a sabretoothed tiger when she follows up with: “I thought I would sing.”

23 April - Club Sandwich Comedy, Tuggeranong Arts Centre

“Oh no! Don’t sing. This is just an intro – we don’t need song. What were you thinking of doing?”

24 April - Belco Speakeasy Comedy feat. Sarah Gaul, Flazeda Alternate Performing Arts Hub

@bmamag

BARES ALL

by Allan Sko

Ben Elton is the Cliff Richard of comedy. At least when talking about long term success. The man has seen a hit sitcom on the BBC every decade since the 1980s, from punk comedy favourite The Young Ones which Elton co-wrote when only in his 20s, through to the beloved Blackadder and all the way up to the current David Mitchell sporting Upstart Crow.

He’s worked with comedic greats like Adrian Edmondson, Rowan Atkinson, and the dearly departed Rik Mayall to name but a mere few. He’s worked with music greats such as Queen on the We Will Rock You musical. And he’s worked with the great publishing houses with myriad novels including Stark, Popcorn and Dead Famous.

And now, at long, long last (especially considering this was meant to happen last year thankyouverymuchCovid) the man is returning to the stand-up stage for the first time in 15 years. Ahhhh, the call of stand-up. Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in, eh Ben? “I never wished to, nor tried to, escape stand-up comedy,” Elton chuckles. “I just took a pause, only because I wanted to be a part of my kids’ growing up and, if you tour as I do, you take a few months, go to Australia and New Zealand, maybe a bit of Canada, drop into Hong Kong… It takes a lot of time! And I don’t have to do it, so I don’t want to miss six months where my kids go from five to six or six to seven; those are beautiful times, although they’re hard work, to be honest.

But I’ve had my time taking the piss out of that.”

One of the reasons Elton has never wished to escape stand-up lies in its many allures, which have been with him since a young age.

“I loved stand-up comedy as a 21-year-old when I realised it was a vibrant vehicle for ideas,” he chimes. “For me, stand-up comedy is an intriguing and challenging comic art. It’s the most subjective thing I do. When I’m on stage, I’m really presenting my SELF. Elsewhere, I can hide my opinions behind characters, or any number of things!

“But on stage, it truly is the sharp end, and on the sharp end is me; this is how I feel, this is what makes me passionate, this is what makes me angry. This is me seeing the funny side of this shit we’re all going through. And that’s a very personal and edgy thing to do. If you slip, you’re doing it in front of a lot of people; if you’re misunderstood, especially in the age of Twitter and outrage, it can have some very serious consequences. But it all makes for a very focused evening, and makes for more exciting art.”

The comment about Twitter and The Age of Outrage lent me to query whether this has changed Elton’s approach to comedy, either through context or content.

“I talk a lot about it,” he says. “It hasn’t changed me; I do my thing, I tell my truth, and I tell it with as much passion and vigour and creativity as I can.

“But I do talk about context, and not quoting me out of context,” he continues. facebook.com/bmamagazine

“And it’s funny - I hope I’m making it funny - but I talk about what could be done to me, and I’ll pick up a sentence from a nuanced conversation about trans rights or Me-Too, and you take that one sentence and I’m dead; you’ve killed me. So I’m saying don’t do it.

And if anyone does do it, I need everyone else to tweet back in my defense! My wife was worried about it because she said you’ll be labelled toxic, and closed down; become a non-person.

“Frankly, I’m 60, I’ve written a lot of novels and done a lot of tours; I think I can take the risk.

“The audience knows what’s happening underneath and are enjoying it,” he continues. “The banality of taking offense without thinking, without applying nuance or context, is a very dangerous thing that’s happening at the moment. Suddenly everyone’s having toxic debates and it’s alienating us all. It’s making us feel all separate and defensive. But my tour is bringing everyone together! You can see what I’ve done to Britain. When I started, Britain was hopelessly divided; but look at us now!”

Fellow Brit comic Jimmy Carr, who I have interviewed on a few occasions, also shares this sensibility. Elton is quick to highlight the differences between he and Carr’s approaches.

“Jimmy has a very different situation; what he’s saying is look, it’s all out there and I’m finding the funny, I don’t care if you take offense or, at least, I wish you wouldn’t. I’m a bit different. I like Jimmy; a lot of what he does is very, very funny. But his whole point is, ‘I don’t have a position’. I don’t have an attitude here; I’m just telling jokes.

“I don’t do that,” Elton asserts. “I don’t tell ‘jokes’. I’m saying the exact opposite of what Jimmy’s says. This IS me, I do have an attitude, I do have a position. I am applying my point of view and adding a moral imperative to the act. You don’t have to agree with it, but by fuck am I going to make it funny and I’m gonna make you understand it, and if you quote it out of context I’ll pursue you til the day I die.

“Jimmy’s a gag-teller; I am giving my truth. I’m coming at various issues with my point of view, and that’s kinda dangerous. You can’t say what Jimmy says, which is, ‘Hey! I was just having a laugh’. Mine are laughs within the idea I’m developing.”

With this - and without risking the banal ‘do you still get nervous?’ question performers receive ad nauseum - Elton goes on to say: “I don’t get gut butterflies; it’s more a tension I get before going onstage because I have to remake my comic argument every time.

Over two hours, I have to make my point. And I stress about that.

People don’t need to agree, but I hope I intrigue. Some people say, ‘I don’t vote the way you do, but you made me laugh and you made me think.’ And I think, ‘Ooo, that’s nice.’”

Fully down the comedy rabbit hole, this leads Elton is expand further, delving into the theoretical and, perhaps, the philosophical.

“My life and my career is an instinct,” he says. “I write what I think. It’s not an option for me to just write gags. Art is an improvisation. When I write a joke, I’m hearing it for the first time. None of us know how we think. It’s like that Ian Foster quote: ‘How do I know what I think til I see what I say?’ Like painting a picture; you don’t know what it’s going to be when you first dab colour onto the canvasse. Sure, you have an idea, but you don’t know what’s formed until it’s formed.

“Mind you,” he adds, after brief reflection, “there’s an Abraham Lincoln quote: ‘If you give me two hours to cut down a tree, I’ll spend the first hour sharpening the axe’. That’s also worth thinking about!

So maybe have a bit of a plan.”

It’s clear Elton pours heart and soul into his comedy, and after so many years in the game operating through so many different mediums, he has a lot to say, with his entire career to this moment leading up to his show at The Playhouse.

“I’m looking forward to Canberra,” he chimes. “I’ve had very nice meals there. Very classy. I’m looking forward to getting a walk on, in the country. I like Canberra, but I also like getting out in the countryside. I went on a little horse-riding holiday thing. It was great fun.”

Ben Elton will be at The Playhouse on Tuesday, 20 April at 7:30pm.

Tickets are $71.65 - $183.65 + bf (and mostly sold, so hurry!) from PAGE 27 canberratheatre.com.au

at the National Gallery of Australia with songs by Jo Geia and traditional songs from the Tiwi Strong Women. And there’s festival commissioned Indigenous music Hand to Earth by Yuin Woman Brenda Gifford at the National Gallery of Australia.

Performances by Indigenous artists include Magic Garden at the Australian National Botanic Gardens featuring southeast Arnhem Land Songmen David and Daniel Wilfred. Eyes and Ears at the National Film and Sound Archive, with live performance by the Tiwi Strong Women linking traditional song with archival footage. And two events, All of them, and one of us and Heartland will feature composer and acclaimed Didgeridoo player William Barton.

Inclusion, Connection and Relevance … the Idea of Vienna

BY ANTHONY PLEVEY The 26-year history of the Canberra International Music Festival may have its roots in classical and chamber music, but acclaimed pianist and versatile musical director Roland Peelman has been working over his six-year tenure as Festival Artistic Director to shift the festival to a broader focus.

Following the hiatus enforced by COVID-19 last year, 2021 is something of a breakthrough year for the Festival as the organisation activates its key values of inclusion, connection and relevance in an expansive program that engages with a wider variety of musical forms, reaching out to new audiences.

Seeing the Festival theme “…the Idea of Vienna” as a pivot point, Peelman explains: “To some people, Vienna means coffee, chocolate and schnitzel. For music-minded people they think, ‘Oh yeah, that’s Mozart, isn’t it?

Hayden, Beethoven, Schubert and all those guys’.

“For a lot of people it stands for the tradition, the western tradition.

So we have this “…idea of Vienna” and a perception of it.

“But we live here in Australia,” Peelman continues. “We have a culture that goes back over 40,000 years, so I thought we should actually turn the table; let’s look at Vienna from the other side.”

Peelman is enthusiastic about “upping the ante on Indigenous music” and the expanded Canberra International Music Festival running from 17 April to 9 May, whilst presenting a core of classical works by Beethoven, Schubert and Mozart, has over a quarter of its program incorporating Indigenous performers, works, and themes.

To whit, major works include Brenda Gifford’s 2020 composition Djiribawal presented as part of the festival’s Opening Gala at The Fitters Workshop. There’s a presentation of festival composerin-residence Brian Howard’s dreamtime themed Rainbow Serpent

Festival Open Day, CIMF@Belco Arts, will include further performances by the Tiwi Strong Women. Rapper, drummer, and Murrawarri Republic member Dobby is performing with DJ Diola as part of Sessions@Verity, and Traditional songs by David and Daniel Wilfred, Wagilak-speaking Songmen from southeast Arnhem Land, will feature as part of Great Hall Rising at The Fitters Workshop.

The Canberra International Music Festival’s expanded program also offers more for fans of Jazz and Contemporary music with a new alliance between the Festival and Verity Lane Market in the city’s CBD offering an accessible, less formal environment.

Among the featured artists in the Sessions@Verity series are aforementioned rapper Dobby and DJ Diola, Canberra’s own classical guitar duo Andrew Blanch and Ariel Nurhadi, while Christine Johnston and Sonya Lifschitz will present Crumb’s Lyre preceded by Localjinni’s Alleyhart video walk.

Sessions@Verity will also include the festival’s youngest performer Ronan Apcar on piano presenting Third Stream, and the highly regarded jazz combo The Sandy Evans Trio. Also included are free lunchtime concerts by Anna Fraser and Calvin Abdiel.

The free open day CIMF@Belco Arts at the new Belconnen Arts building is worth further mention. Featuring a smorgasbord of musical experiences, CIMF@Belco Arts presents a broad range of festival artists from the Indigenous songs of the Tiwi Strong Women to the guitar riffs of Jess Green and the hip-hop grooves of DJ Diola.

Asked about the standout works of the Festival, Peelman, pianist and fan of the genre-bending, unclassifiable Radiohead, identified the highpoint of the Sessions@Verity series as Josh Cohen’s Radiohead for Solo Piano, a sanctioned piano interpretation of their songbook by the band themselves.

“I’m really excited about it. I’ve always loved Radiohead and it works so well on piano,” says Peelman.

Peelman highlights new work Djiribawal (2020) by Yuin woman and emerging composer Brenda Gifford as a highlight of the Festival’s Opening Gala.

Tiwi Strong Women

Josh Cohen’s Radiohead for Solo Piano PAGE 28

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“We are celebrating her [Gifford]. We’re celebrating that new work which is a different way of looking at the world,” says Peelman, reinforcing his take on the Festival’s theme.

Freshly commissioned by Canberra International Music Festival, Indigenous work Hand to Earth composed by Yuwaalaraay storyteller Nardi Simpson also gets praise from Peelman.

“It’s absolutely remarkable,” he says. “Because it’s about ancient women’s culture that was lost about 100 years ago. So it’s about reviving the old traditions that died out.”

Uniquely, Nardi and her sisters, Six Yuwaalaraay Women from Lightning Ridge, will perform Hand to Earth using a possum skin cloak, newly created by the artists, as an instrument.

The festival program also highlights female performers drawing on the strength and stewardship of Indigenous women as much as the refined skills of classical instrumentalists and soloists and the audacity of Christine Johnston and Sonya Lifschitz’s collaboration.

Discussing Katy Abbott’s innovative Hidden Thoughts: Do I Matter?, an engaging and challenging work at anytime, Peelman acknowledges the absolute synchronicity and relevance of this work in the context of current events.

A cross discipline collaboration between composer Abbott and writer/cartoonist Kaz Cooke, and linked with University of Houston researcher Brené Brown’s work on vulnerability and shame, Hidden Thoughts: Do I Matter? is based on the anonymous responses of

Sandy Evans

Ronan Apcar

over 200 women to four questions: Do you have hidden thoughts and feelings? What have you learned to be brave about? What would you like to be braver about? Would you like to say anything more about hidden thoughts and/or courage?

In her artist’s statement, Composer Abbott characterises Hidden Thoughts: Do I Matter? as: “A journey into that murky place, the chatter in your head …asking you to consider the thoughts that confine you and to become their witness rather than their slave.”

Focussing on the themes of personal disclosure, self-censorship and role expectations, Hidden Thoughts: Do I Matter? takes a verbatim theatre approach designed to incorporate the audience’s thoughts in real time. Based on a vocal style of writing and composing, developed

by Abbott for using words that aren’t designed to be set to music, this timely work is anticipated to be a highly evocative and emotional feature of the festival program.

Festival Artistic Director Peelman’s picks of festival highlights clearly point to the 2021 Canberra International Music Festival’s expanded scope and diversity in pursuing musical excellence, maintaining its core traditions whilst being courageously determined to look at the world in a different way, flipping …the idea of Vienna.

Noting again the impact of COVID 19 on the planning and development of the Festival program, Peelman emphasised that most events repeat across the festival program to ensure audience access. The Canberra International Music Festival runs from 17 April 17 to 9 May across various venues. Full program details are available at cimf.org.au

Dobby

Matt Keegan Vienna Dreaming Christine Johnston

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Esther Hannaford’s celebration concert of Carole King’s Tapestry album not So Far Away

By Ruth O’Brien Esther Hannaford is one of Australia’s leading musical theatre performers. The winner of two Helpmann Awards - one for her performance in Hairspray (2011) and most recently for Best Female Actor in Beautiful (2018) - is coming to Canberra to perform the songs of Carole King’s best-selling album, Tapestry.

Released in 1971, this four-time Grammy Award-winning album placed #25 in Rolling Stones 500 greatest albums of all time.

Now, if you’re thinking, “who’s Carole King?” or “I don’t know any Carole King songs”, chances are you know more than you realise.

In fact, on Tapestry alone, there are many recognisable songs including You’ve Got A Friend, (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman and I Feel The Earth Move.

And the brilliance of these songs is that even if you haven’t heard them before, they’re so catchy and familiar that you’ll likely enjoy them just as much as veteran Carole King fans.

Hannaford knows all of these songs particularly well after playing the woman herself in the Australian tour of the aforementioned musical, Beautiful - The Carole King Musical, in 2017-2018.

For Hannaford, it’ll be a new experience singing the songs as she’ll be singing them as Esther, not Carole.

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“It’s going to be good because I’ll be in the same position as the audience, admiring these songs,” she says.

Hannaford has a few favourites from the Tapestry collection. The first is It’s Too Late and So Far Away. Another one, that wasn’t featured in the Carole King musical, is Way Over Yonder.

“I find it quite challenging to sing, it’s a new one [for me].”

Hannaford talks about “getting vocally fit” for these performances as, like for many people in the performing arts, there’s not been a great deal of work these last 12 months.

“It’ll probably be quite emotional… This will be the first performance with a live audience [since the pandemic hit].”

And for audience members, this may well be the first live show attended in 12-months also. Mix all that with the beautifully nostalgic musical masterpiece that is Tapestry and there’s likely not a dry eye to be had along this tour around the country throughout April-May. From the year that we’ve all had, if you wanna come and feel some emotion, this is the show for just that.

“We’re going to play Tapestry from beginning to end, to honour what it is. And then we’ll do some of the other classics that people might wanna hear and we’ll do them in a fun way.”

Regardless of whether you’re a die-hard King worshipper or merely a curious subject, this show is shaping up to be a beautiful and wholesome experience and not-to-be-missed.

Tickets for this 50th Anniversary Concert of Carole King’s Tapestry, performed by Esther Hannaford, are on sale from The Canberra Theatre website - canberratheatrecentre.com.au . Dates are Saturday 8 May, 7:30pm and Sunday 9 May, 7pm (new show). For more info, visit the Canberra Theatre website or call 6275 2700

@bmamag Photo credit: Awais Butt

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Musician Jess Green and Skywhale(s) creator Patricia Piccinini combine to breathe further air into Canberra’s iconic airborne associates

By Ruth O’Brien Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s a bloody Skywhale!

Never in my wildest did I think the word “Skywhale” would come out of my mouth, nor could I forsee scribing this fantastical name even once, let alone as many times as I now have.

But how incredibly glad I am, not only write and talk about the Skywhale and now, Skywhalepapa, but also have the opportunity to sit down and chat with the artist, Patricia Piccinini, and Canberra musician, Jess Green (aka PhEnO), about their collaboration on the song We Are The Skywhales.

Now, if you’ve not yet listened to the song, stop, head to your fave digital streaming service and give it a spin. Isn’t it divine?

Quite frankly, how could it not be, having been written by Green, one of Canberra’s most prolific and successful musicians.

Green has enjoyed an amazing music career since graduating with First Class Honours from the ANU School of Music in 2001.

She’s been a session guitarist for some of the country’s biggest musicians, sharing stages with the likes of Clare Bowditch, Deborah Conway, Katie Noonan, Tim Rogers, and Urthboy.

I met up with these two beautiful, creative women at The Street Theatre (where PhEnO happens to be playing a show on 10 April, but more on that in a bit).

Piccinini recalls how the two met and started working together.

“We have a friend in common called Nell. She recommended I check out Jess’ work. I really connected with it. I loved the ideas in it, loved the music quality, and I really loved her voice. And I said to Nell, ‘do you reckon I can contact her?’ And she said, ‘of course you can!’”

Nell, also an artist, who has recently been part of the Know My

Name initiative at the National Gallery of Australia (NGA), had previously worked with Green and seemed to know that she and Piccinini might be a good fit.

A few emails later, the ball was rolling.

“I remember the moment we first talked really clearly,” Green recalls. I was at the Boundless Playground with my kids… and I sat in the carpark [on my phone] looking at the sky and remember seeing clouds right next to the Carillon. It was a visceral moment, talking about the ideas and looking at the sky and this other Canberra icon”, laughs Green.

When you listen to the lyrics of the song, you can almost envisage part of what Green might have seen in these first moments. and as we soar among the clouds we see ourselves in the shadows below and all the other creatures free living together in a delicate flow Green talks more about her creative process in composing the fun, whimsical, and catchy tune.

“I felt the responsibility of talking to Patricia’s ideas. So I took that very seriously. But I also felt super free and joyous because I was allowed to just make my work.”

Green says the project gave her a huge amount of freedom to move forward. In other songwriting projects, where she has been restricted by certain parameters, this collaboration was unique in that she was allowed to just make art the way she does it.

“That’s why it worked out so well, because it is your best work”, Piccinini says to Green. “You’re not emulating anyone else, you’re doing you, and you’re the best at it”.

“I’m the best at me!” laughs Green.

Jess Green in full PhEnO flight PAGE 32

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I could tell by the way that Piccinini and Green interact that the two have great respect and admiration for one another and their work. Piccinini says that she knew Green was the right person to work with because their “interests and values overlap enormously”.

Both women, who have spent a large part of their lives based in Canberra at various points, find a lot of meaning and symbolism in what Skywhalepapa (complete with skywhale babies riding on Papa’s back) represents about masculinity, particularly about the nurture and caring of small children.

Both artists are mothers and both identify with their husbands being the “Skywhalepapas” in their lives.

“In my partnership, we’ve taken turns with who stays home and who goes to work, because we’re both creatives. But, in general, in Western society, in some industries, that’s resisted,” says Green.

Piccinini adds that Skywhalepapa is an important mirror to hold up to Western society about the positive changes around masculinity, and also show men that care and nurture are an important, if not vital, part of masculinity.

“In the ‘60s and ‘70s you were ‘letting down the side’ if you, as a man, walked down the street holding your child’s hand, because that’s not what masculinity looked like.

“Now, you go to the Balloon Spectacular and you see lots of men holding their kids, and that’s a really fantastic thing that’s happened. So let’s celebrate it; let’s mirror it back.”

We Are The Skywhales wasn’t originally part of the Skywhalepapa commission, the project initially just being about the balloon. But, as time went on, Piccinini felt that her newest majestic creature needed a soundtrack to accompany his official launch into the world. Together, Skywhale and Skywhalepapa now form a family of beautiful, yet unusual creatures of flight. facebook.com/bmamagazine

If you want to hear this amazing song live, there are a few upcoming opportunities where you can do just that.

The final Skywhale Family Flight, run as part of the NGA’s Know My Name, will be happening on Friday, 3 April at 5:30am. Green and her band draw you in with a beautiful soundscape as the balloons inflate, and I hear it’s all kinds of incredible. Piccinini herself describes this experience as “alluring, atmospheric, and welcoming”. Tickets are free with booking and can be made through the event specific website knowmyname.nga.gov.au And finally, as mentioned earlier, Jess Green (aka PhEnO) has a show at The Street Theatre on Saturday, 10 April. She’ll be joined onstage by some seriously incredible musos, including Alyx Dennison on synths, James Hauptmann on drums, and Lachlan Coventry on bass.

Along with We Are The Skywhales, PhEnO will perform some new and never-before-played music. Having opened for Joan As Policewoman and The New Pornographers, as well as Odette and Moaning Lisa, you can rest assured that the quality of the music you will hear at this show will be more than deserving of your time, money, and attention.

And if you’re only new to the Canberra Skywhale phenomenon and want in on the beautiful community it’s creating, the lyrics of the chorus to We Are The Skywhales is as good a place as any to start: Fire down in our bellies Catching the wind in our tails We sail up and up above you We are the Skywhales!

PhEnO (+ Band) will be performing at The Street Theatre on Saturday,33 10 April at 8pm. Tickets are $32 full/$29 concession and can be purchased from thestreet.org.au

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[THE BEST OF CANBERRA MUSIC PART 2- SINGLES] DMC SEARCHING [

]

Searching is the third release for Canberra-based music artist DMC. The new track is a genredefying song that harnesses robust melodic components, a semi-melancholic flavoured vocal performance, and marries them to a clean, contemporary and streamlined production.

Searching is a curious track as it very effectively blends many disparate styles, such as pop, hip hop, and light rock to arrive at a very pleasing result. Anchored to a full and potent chorus, with its seductive repetitions and soulful sombre-toned note choices, DMC’s performance fits the sonic landscape here, and although it has quite obviously been through a technological transformation, a sense of his emotional power nonetheless is evident.

with its souped-up pace, and more obviously via the dreamy, imploring guitar lines scattered throughout.

The song also benefits from the spaces segmenting the parts, the drops and shifts in focus, providing a surprising and relieving dynamism that echoes the conceit of the lyric. There is a sense of yearning that elevates this track, a resonance that seems to aptly posit the artist’s desirous ambitions at just the right pitch.

This yearning is no doubt linked to the connotations of the word ‘searching’ but it is also revealed by the open nature of the production.

With its patchwork design, its palpitating insistence, its thrumming allusion to a vaporous woe and, of course, easily digestible melodic motifs, the song covers a lot of ground, resulting in a most admirable record and a highly satisfying helping of contemporary pop panache.

And no doubt, DMC will be suitably rewarded for name-checking his home town. VINCE LEIGH

The aforementioned stylistic traits make themselves known with subtle flair and are used quite sparingly, such as the hip hop influence in the drum groove, or perhaps a little more plainly, the pop element in the crafting of the chorus melody lines. A ‘rock’ tinge is noticeable via the energy of the track,

[

MOOD. GOGO

]

Canberra-based music artist Mood. released GOGO in 2020, a curious blend of R&B infused pop and soulful electronica.

Blurring genres is a commendable aim, and Mood. seems to have this fine art down. I suspect Mood.’s other aims include signposting that magical era for synth sovereignty, the 1980s, with lines such as ‘Hit the floor like the ‘80s’.

Utilising a flotilla of contemporary sonic fire, including vocal manipulation, ethereally enhanced voice effects and efficient machine drums, GOGO harnesses a series of subtle melodic pathways that – rather than reach a kind of dramatic peak – build a persuasive layer of enticing aural sweet and light to reinforce the lyric’s logic: seduction.

Steady and streamlined, and tinctured with a very fine coat of eloquence, GOGO oozes effortlessly through several states of attempted emotional manipulation, and for the most part, it succeeds. It is mostly eloquent anyway, and with one line

alluding to a sense of self-awareness, this can only be congratulated: ‘On my mind so catchy / hottie and a savage’.

Hottie and a savage; sounds like the title of an escapist film for adulterated teens.

Containing a few surprises, the arrangement feels quite mercurial, with its recurring synth swells delineating two strong melodic sections that, when following on from each other, seem to act as a twin-pronged chorus. These are the parts that are drenched in pop goodness, reaching pleasing climatic lines while offering a dynamic counterpoint to the less focused sections.

Mood.’s multi-faceted skills certainly get a work out on this record, and perhaps most effectively concerning the vocal parts, which are astutely placed, creating an enticing surface of human cadences that provide a rich and firm scaffold upon which the more scheming music motifs are laid out.

This is late-night escapism, a seduction technique that blends a myriad of converging musical elixirs and creates a smooth and sophisticated distillation that satisfies on many levels.

VINCE LEIGH

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[ THE BEST OF CANBERRA MUSIC PART 2 - SINGLES ] LUCY SUGERMAN COLOUR BLIND

After the release of i wanna kiss boys cos i’m bored, Lucy Sugerman sold out a hometown [ ] single release gig at The Abbey in Canberra in November, showcasing her brand new four-piece band and previewing upcoming material.

Her latest single, colour blind, is a taster of that material.

Lucy has also been invited to participate in the 2021 Melbourne Songhubs earlier this year, curated by Gretta Ray. This year’s Songhubs songwriting camp curation brings together selected women-identifying or non-binary intensive APRA AMCOS members and renowned international songwriters and producers to create new hits.

Along with Gretta and Lucy, other participants include producer Anna Laverty and artists G Flip, KLP, Lisa Mitchell, Montaigne, Kat Edwards, Ninajirachi, Odette, Alex Lahey, Eilish Gilligan, Tulliah, Woodes, and more.

And judging by this new track, it’s no wonder Lucy has been invited to join such an esteemed line-up. colour blind retains the lo-fi flair and effervescence of i wanna kiss boys cos i’m bored yet turns it up a notch or two in the melodic punch department.

Designating a rolling verse style followed by a semianticipatory pre-chorus makes for a perfect counterweight to a zippy, high octane pop chorus, which lodges in your head before you have time to catch your next breath.

SLOW DIAL YOU DON’T TALK MUCH [

]

The third single in for Canberra’s Slow Dial sees the band fulfilling the promise of its previous work: singles Standing There (2019) and Koszi (2019).

Over two years, the band has not only attracted a decent fan base, landing them sold-out shows with fellow Canberra talent Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers and Sputnik Sweetheart and the likes of Kingswood, but it’s also allowed for a productive fermentation of their style, sound, and songwriting.

You Don’t Talk Much was conceived during the lockdown, the band stowed away in the Blue Mountains no less. The idyllic workshop seems to have paid off: the new single contains enough verifiable, visceral fire to fortify their live reputation while sustaining a confident leap straight up to the next level.

Replete with drumstick count introduction, You Don’t Talk Much preserves the raw muscular sensibilities of the band’s early work

The track is aided by an astute production job that elevates without squandering any morsel of euphonious muscle, suffusing the requisite dynamics with a tasteful array of subtle quirk and compatible sound choices. One gets to the chorus and assumes Lucy has a bit of a hit on her hands; it glistens without being too transparent and lobs it out of the ballpark without the listener having any say in it. colour blind contains an admirable undercurrent of pop sophistication below the effortless seeming veneer, and coupled with Lucy’s persuasive vocal execution, it will undoubtedly invoke a torrent of effusive responses.

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while harnessing a newfound, refined musical aesthetic. Kicking off with an accented, boots and all-bass-heavy rock riff that cleverly maintains a kinetic indie parlance, the track swiftly ascends—partially by way of a dreamily assertive vocal from Damon Mudge—to satisfying melodic, galvanising heights.

As the band says of the new track: “With this song we wanted to capture the energy of that chaotic part of a night out when everything is in full swing.”

Yes, well, there’s certainly a frenzied kind of application of the band’s match fit wares here, the comforting sense that this feels like a legitimate presentation of a four-way creative collaboration. There is also an all-over melancholic swagger explicitly emanating from the supplicatory tone of the melodic choices.

One can easily imagine oneself standing amid a crowd of eager-to-be-pleased gig attendees, thoroughly blitzed and blasted, not necessarily from any of the usual, nameless life-numbing constituents but from the more heartening, life-reaffirming elements that rise to the surface on You Don’t Talk Much, the power rock sizzle that is Slow Dial’s latest VINCE LEIGH

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[FILM REVIEWS]

THE WORD ON

FILMS with Cameron Williams ZACK SYNDER’S THE NEVERENDING STORY Zack Snyder’s Justice League clocks in at a whopping 4 hours and it’s not a good sign when the film’s villains are impatient.

I check the time: 2 hours and 10 minutes; the titular Justice League haven’t even met yet.

Steppenwolf’s look has been steppin’ up

moustache and created the most cursed top lip in cinema history; the story warrants its own behind-the-scenes soap opera.

So, Justice League releases and it underperforms at the box office and tanks with critics.

But how did we get here? That’s a long road, too.

Soon, fans begin to speculate online that Snyder’s cut of the In 2017, director Zack Snyder film exists and start a campaign (300, Watchmen) stepped using hashtags and making signs away from Justice League at pop culture conventions. At after a family tragedy. Warner first the fans were derided, but it Brothers hired Joss Whedon turns out their hunch was correct (Avengers) to finish the film, because Snyder held on to an but it triggered a complete unfinished edit of the film. overhaul and production woes; actors who worked Yada-yada-yada, Warner with Whedon filed formal Brothers does a deal with Snyder complaints with Warner to finish the film so they can Brothers that lead to an release it on their new streaming internal investigation about service in America, HBO Max the working conditions. (how convenient).

The dramas continued when Henry Cavill, who plays Superman, returned for re-shoots with a moustache he’d grown for Mission: Impossible – Fallout and a contractual obligation to keep the ‘stache – best legal clause ever. In a pickle, Warner Brothers digitally removed the

Greek gods, Amazons and Atlanteans, has a similar feel to Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings. But the Justice League in full flight can never conjure the same epic feel.

There’s a jarring sense of déjà vu throughout, though it’s a more cohesive film with lots of breathing room to develop each character and their pesky real-world problems and Dad issues; especially the additional scenes with Aquaman (Jason Momoa), Cyborg (Ray Fisher) and Flash (Ezra Miller). Even Batman (Ben Affleck) and Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) have a greater sense of regret and purpose this time around.

The time investment in each character is where Snyder makes the biggest gains to help understand what each character must overcome to join a superhero team.

However, the world-ending threat is not a worthy contrast.

Zack Snyder’s Justice League does its job to make the 2017 version redundant, but bigger is not better when it comes to the maudlin alien invasion plot that leads to lifeless digital smackdowns and slow-motion The mulligan on Justice League sequences set to goofy needle is exhausting, but it’s an drops. One battle sequence set in improvement. the ‘age of heroes’ that features

SIX MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT [

]

With diplomatic tensions at breaking point following Hitler’s invasion of Poland, a girls’ finishing school managed by a starry-eyed Miss Rocholl (Dame Judi Dench) and taught by an ex-pupil, Ilse (Carla Juri) has attracted the interest of British Intelligence. The school’s pupils are the daughters of highranking German Nazi officials, and the Brits expect the Nazis to smuggle the girls to Germany immediately before triggering war with Britain.

When an intelligence agent posing as a teacher at the school is murdered, another agent, Captain Thomas Miller (Eddie Izzard), having applied for and obtained the teaching post, uncovers vital intelligence that puts his own life in danger.

Despite strong leads by Judi Dench and Eddie Izzard (who co-wrote it with director Andy Goddard and Celyn Jones, who plays a police corporal) and an appealing character in Charlie the bus driver (Jim Broadbent), the film offers little insight into any character’s personal motivations, and it contains the odd distracting irrelevancy and minor plot hole (picking up the murder weapon surely isn’t the kind of mistake an experienced operative would make, even in 1939).

Despite such faults, Six Minutes To Midnight generally holds together as an entertaining thriller; its camerawork employs angles and perspectives that serve to heighten tension; and its resolution, fittingly not tying up every loose end, satisfies the promises it makes the viewer at the outset.

As a thriller that examines the position of children as pawns of empire, it’s certainly worth a look.

JOHN P HARVEY

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[THE BEST OF CANBERRA MUSIC PART 2 - SINGLES] SKINNY WOLF FEVER

Canberra based duo Skinny Wolf released their debut track Fever last year. Ash Buckley and Josh Veneris [ ] have come up with a sound that’s an intriguing blend of folk-blues roots and indie dream pop, featuring a laid back lo-fi groove and a mesmeric wistful air.

The choice of instrumentation here – guitars, electric and acoustic, other assorted key textures – help keep the record in the realm of the familiar, though the arrangement and the unassuming melodic structures steer it in all sorts of different directions.

If a track can be both quiet and bewitching, this is it.

Utilising an assortment of hushed vocal inflexions and the more full-bodied sort, Ash and Josh’s performances create a disquieting sense of intimacy, utilising dynamics to achieve not only an evolved sentiment but an irrevocably soothing mood. It is the sound of the

noonday sky, lulling us with its cajoling spirit.

Although no particular part seizes you by the throat, this, I would imagine, is not what is intended anyway.

Fever is an apt title, the track shimmers with a vague sense of delirium whose origins lie most noticeably in Ash’s tender disclosures.

When Josh’s vocal appears it merely reinforces this sense, creating a seductive counterpoint.

The melodic tendencies of the guitar add another voice to the two, embellishing the track with a subtle layer that seems to lend a thoroughly candid tone to the proceedings.

Fever is a bittersweet evocation, effortlessly arrived at and natural sounding, the lyric seemingly spontaneously delivered, as though the two were indeed trekking under a blazing sun and their communication has echoed around those parched valleys and simmers in the atmosphere as they move through its heated landscape.

Fever is an intangible entity, an aural slice of raw and uninhibited folk allurement, and worth a good listen.

VINCE LEIGH

WALLACE MAIR THIS IS PARADISE

Wallace Mair grew up on the Mull of Kintyre, Scotland and has been performing since he was fourteen. [ ] He moved to Canberra five years ago and last year released a new track This Is Paradise, taken from his 2019 album What’s in a Name.

Wallace has had some chart success with another track reaching no 5 in the UK and Irish country charts, so it’s no surprise that what we get with This is Paradise is an accessible country-tinged pop ballad whose potency relies on a directness, an endearing intimacy that lays bare the constituent factors of dedication and devotion.

The flag waving line here is, ‘I know I love you that’s for sure.’ That end qualifier is imbued with a casual assuredness that sounds

fittingly close to absolute. There is nothing like certitude when declaring such emotionally unreliable, high-risk statements. This has the beneficial aspect of helping, perhaps to remove any doubt the intended recipient of such statements might have.

As well as the barebones nature of this affirmation, Wallace Mair utilises the unassuming demureness of his voice to disarm and charm and, for the most part, his efforts are unassailable. The instrumentation reenforces Wallace’s intentions, with a lone acoustic guitar gradually acquiring apt accompaniment along the way, including a light application of strings and charm-heightening background vocals, all contributing to a gentle amplification of intent, establishing the universal through the intimate.

After all, as singular as Wallace’s tempered outpouring is, its very sense of uninhibited naturalness shines straight through, proving the dual effect of his pointed admission; it appeals to the direct target with as much vitality as it does to a more broader and unsuspecting audience.

Although we are routinely exposed to the strains and resonances of any number of brooding heart-on-everypart-of-their-sleeve balladeers, Wallace Mair seems to have found a place in this coterie as a result of his adept song writing and his concordant voice and, of course, the pleasing, effortless way in which that is used.

VINCE LEIGH

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[THE BEST OF CANBERRA MUSIC PART 2 - SINGLES] THE TIPSY SCHOLARS AFTERSESH

Australian indie folk-rock band The Tipsy Scholars formed in 2014 and have since established a reputation for [ ] their live shows, most particularly in their twin hometowns of Sydney and Canberra.

The band has performed at some of Australia’s biggest festivals including Lost Paradise and Inland Sea of Sound and have shared the stage with several high-profile acts including Thirsty Merc, Polish Club, Alice Ivy, and Andrew Farris.

Since releasing their debut EP Nowhere to Be in 2018, the band has gone on to tour up and the down the east coast of Australia as well as internationally with stints in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Now, with their EP garnering over 100,000 streams and the release of their track Aftersesh, the band has just entered the next phase of their career.

Utilising a laid-back feel replete with restrained guitars and drum brushwork, The Tipsy Scholars have persuasively conjured a sparse, temperate atmosphere that reflects a denouement, with the melodic passages only adding to this sense of observed release.

Northbourne Flats last single Kindred Spirit was a relatable musical meditation, an impressive coalescence of personal reflection and self-discovery recorded in [ ] the wake of the 2020 Australian bushfires and the COVID lockdown.

NORTHBOURNE FLATS FT. RUBY DELGADO PARALYSED

Despite not being able to perform shows, the band has satisfied their many followers by continuing to evolve and release effective tracks. Their latest, Paralysed featuring vocalist Ruby Delgado, is no exception. From the brooding, wistful opening to the many exhilarating and intense peaks in this mini masterful slice of what I can only term power folk, Northbourne Flats have quite significantly exceeded the expectations of their last release.

Paralysed is a rolling, often thundering series of musical motifs whose surging layers of vocal, guitars and sheer aural raw veracity creates an otherworldly expanse that is part traditional part

Yes, this feels like the end of something, though the repeated line of, ‘I feel alive’ offers considerably more than just the debris of time but a marshalling of the components of revelation.

The track has a lulling, soothing quality, and once again, this is another pleasing sonic recapitulation of the subject of the song, and never wavers from this except when the chorus appears, which is replete with a suitably more excited dynamic from the vocal, and a recalibrated spark from the instrumentation.

Aftersesh certainly has all the decompression and dilettante nuances of a post-event landscape, and curiously this is not quite maudlin but rather obliquely optimistic; oblique, perhaps, but optimistic nonetheless.

One can imagine this track being boom boxed at five in the morning, echoing through the shellshocked room with the strains of ‘I feel alive’ reaffirming the hammerings of the ensuing hangovers.

VINCE LEIGH

contemporary and quite compelling.

Eschewing obvious melodic lines, and choosing to counter this with more discernible and restrained note and chord choices, Northbourne has nonetheless attempted to go for the jugular; but ever so finely, ever so slickly, subliminally almost. One is carried along here on a brief whirlwind that makes concise use of adept performances and sharply-focused band vocal interplay.

And Ruby Delgado’s vocal additions are not merely textural but assist in the hypnotic reach, providing clear fragments that contribute efficaciously to the whole. ‘I am living in a fairytale’, the opening line decrees, and that not-so oblique confession’s metaphorical influence seems to linger throughout the song, offering the listener a transformative time-ride through a remote yet accessible hinterland; this is the place where stark emotions have been foraged, revealed, then probed under even starker light and recast into inviolate language.

And as far as music goes, that’s a quite a state: persuasive and endearing. Paralysed is aural documentation of this and more.

It is quite a bit more, and with this latest Northbourne Flats has raised the stakes.

VINCE LEIGH

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GIG REVIEW - Underground Roots & Reggae ft Los Chavos, The Decideds, Kopasetic, Shadow Ministers @ The Basement, Friday, 5 Feb Review by David Caffery/ Pics by David Caffery & Rafa Instinctual excitement filled our ride to The Basement. It was like the Golden Years again, edging to be immersed by great music and elated souls. Like before ‘social’ was infected by ‘distance’.

I just hoped it wasn’t a seated gig – surely Canberra’s beyond that?

We skipped down the stairs into a sold-out roots and reggae concert. Seats.

Everyone seated, groups distanced, and the eight-piece Shadow Ministers pumping sweet dub grooves from a nicely lit stage. Weird. Where’s the front row bending at the hips, getting down after 11 months of pixilated concerts?

Nonetheless, everyone was stoked to be there. Rafa (Rafael Florez) always puts on loving and uplifting shows, and this was a standout by adding guest musos to each band.

Shadow Ministers played with a captivating energy. Gun members of Agency Dub Collective, Dub Dub Goose and Los Chavos worked with guest vocalists MC Tomasky and Kyra Lloyd for a cracking opening to the night. Special shout out to Joel for rocking a keytar.

Between acts the bar manager performed his wry Covid comedy. The health office should be proud. Like an air host for a rock venue, he patiently explained the shit reality of current requirements: don’t stand and drink, but drink so the venue survives.

Permit me in this review, if I may, a brief moment for a pertinent rant.

I’ve always lamented the financial link of music to booze, but people hardly buy albums, and Spotify pays about 0.003 cents per stream (Apple music is about double, but double of nothing is useless). So the venue and bands must rely on tickets and drink sales, but the 800 capacity venue was Covid-full with 150 people. The viability is precarious with Jobkeeper, and if that finishes next month without capacity changes, the music industry is fucked. Did you notice that the Australian aviation sector was given over a billion dollars in the lockdowns but music, also operating below 5% of pre-Covid levels, got an old AusCo fund with a new name? MusicACT, APRA and others are desperately trying to find a solution.

Alas… But back to the awesome gig.

Mr Bar Manager announced the game-changing news: THERE IS A DANCE FLOOR! No longer at the front of the stage, the venue assigned a boogie area near the bar so we didn’t forget to drink with a few conditions.

The cool bass and deft guitaring of Kopasetic ignited the dance floor. They have a beautiful diversity of roots moods and their new song, Petrified, is a stunner. Dancers were doing the covid do-si-do: following the rock host’s interpretation of the health rules, people were gliding from the d-floor to a stool to sip a drink and jump back up to dance again. No-one was sure what it achieved, but the host was happy and so were we.

The Decideds, a new rootsy-dubby-funky-jazzy-gypsy eight-piece fronted by the wonderful and hilarious Rafe Morris, thickened the dance floor and swayed those in their seats. The bright happiness of each band member streamed through their music, enlivened by Kyra Lloyd’s outstanding vocals.

Then we were ready for the pièce de resistance, Canberra’s musical red cordial spiked with tequila: Los Chavos! Their intoxicating urban Latin reggae was strengthened with cameos by Rafe and Canberra’s musical godfather, Simon Milman. Horns, hands, and smiles were raised to the very last beat.

The Basement is a stellar venue, well set up with a priceless rock vibe, though the audio engineering didn’t always do justice to the night’s large bands.

Another issue was that the line-up was nearly all male. Each muso deserved the gig, but so do more females.

The golden years are behind us for now. But gigs like this keep Canberra soulful, connected and alive.

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[THE BEST OF CANBERRA MUSIC - REVIEWS] MECHANISM OF ACTION ALRIGHT [

]

Canberra-based electronic group Mechanism Of Action has released their second single for the year, Alright. The new track follows a series of singles released through NYC-based label Bentley Records, as well as independently.

The group—comprising Maestro D (Denis), CL (Craig), and Alicia—formed in 2018, hoping to initialise a fresh approach to the local electronic music scene.

As Denis says about the group’s objectives:

“We’d really like to put Canberra on the map in terms of electronica. Canberra has had some successful acts of late, and we’d like to do our bit.”

And if Alright is anything to go by, Mechanism Of Action is sure to leave a decent footprint on that map.

Drawing from a deceptively expansive inventory of musical strains, Alright manages to form a cohesive whole utilising a couple of dominating styles—trap and indie R&B—while subverting the more obvious characteristics of others, such as hip hop and dance.

Despite its reliance on technological wizardry, the latest track reveals a convincing, robust melodic core.

There is a dream-fused song beneath the surface sheen, variegated and possessing all the requisite satisfying qualities. The track is bifurcated, with the verse and the pre-chorus parts utilising downtempo traits, ones that verge on trip-hop, while the chorus

JACK BIILMANN FULL CIRCLE [

Two previous albums have paved the way for Jack Biilmann’s Full Circle.

]

With an average of two hundred shows a year, Jack Biilmann has shared the stage with some of the country’s biggest artists, including Tash Sultana, Ian Moss, Sarah McLeod (The Superjesus), Mat McHugh (The Beautiful Girls), Jay Whalley (Frenzal Rhomb), Bootleg Rascal, and Kim Churchill, as well as performing as part of the ACT’s showcase at BIGSOUND, Australia’s national music industry conference.

aims for the full trap electronica treatment with a few healthy sprinkles of pop.

Amid the converging alliances of strangeness and tonal surprise in the chorus, there is the entreating vocal from Alicia, gingerly providing an unassuming yet striking counterpoint.

With this in mind, the track nonetheless adheres to some of the tropes of this hybridised genre.

The post second chorus breakdown allows for a noticeable but unobtrusive gear change, the vocals letting the synths and keys take over the melodic load, as well as providing a welcome variance in atmosphere. Cleverly allotted space follows, with the re-introduction of the anticipated chorus closing the track.

Alright will certainly convince Canberra listeners that Mechanism Of Action is doing their bit for local electronica, and undoubtedly unveil the group’s charms to a global audience. VINCE LEIGH

The album delivers what its aural landscape promises without acceding to predictability, presenting several strong hooks— SOS, Mirror—nestled within the vigorous and rough-hewn soundscape. And like all enduring records, this marriage can distinguish the paradigmatic from the fleeting.

There is a sense that Full Circle will ultimately be viewed through the lens of the former denomination. VINCE LEIGH

This gig tally is reflected in the robust and assured performances on the new album.

Aside from the seasoned playing and authoritative vocal performance, this collection simmers with a combination of raw emotional energy and swirling dark hues.

However, there are a few more relatively wistful moments, such as in Grandfather’s Hands (Don’t Wash Away) and Sunday Morning. The tracks form a cohesive whole due to Biillmann’s persuasive and pliant vocals, as they dip from muscular roars, heard in the opener Mirror, to the imperfect vulnerability revealed in Plastic Roses.

Amid the narratives that reach for the personal and a wider circumference, as in Society, there is a liberality of styles, absorbing blues-based nuances, folk-aligned aesthetics with a guitar-driven rock core, all resonating with considerable ease and confidence, not to mention power and control. There are tides of swampy country doused moods, presenting a distinctive amalgamation when juxtaposed with the styles mentioned above. Full Circle is a testament to Biillmann’s twin-engine prowess with the added inducement of some refined, adept songwriting. facebook.com/bmamagazine

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ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE

THURSDAY 1 APRIL SW Band Night Present: Evan Buckley, Bobby James and Georgia Bennett The weekly local free band night SIDEWAY Easter Thursday Rave The biggest night of the year, featuring Brittany De Marco, Haylee Karmer, Vivace, Take-Tu, with Toucan and Edstar in the Fact Bar. Tix from fctn.intix.com FICTION CLUB

FRIDAY 2 APRIL Katrina Maree – Debut EP Release Party With supports Ambient Book Club, Pure Hazel, and Transista Groove.

Raising money for BERYL WOMEN INC, Canberras’ longest standing refuge for women and children escaping domestic violence. $20 + bf from oztix.com.au POLISH WHITE EAGLE CLUB Bec Taylor and the Lyrebirds The alt folk-pop project of Canberra multi-instrumentalist Bec Taylor. Supported by Lucy Ridge and the Derby Widows. $15-$20 from events.humanitix.com THE QUEANBEYAN HIVE Van Halen Tribute Show Shananigans Entertainment is proud to present Poundcake: The best of Van Halen show. Supported

by Silentia, performing a full set of acoustic rock covers to kick off.

Doors 6:30pm, tix $25+bf via oztix. com.au THE BASEMENT Vinyl DJs From 8pm THE OLD CANBERRA INN JEP Trio GANG GANG CAFE Karaoke @ The Boardwalk Bar THE BOARDWALK BAR & NIGHTCLUB

SATURDAY 3 APRIL LaHi (and the diks) National EP Release Tour w/ Ambient Book Club, CHINS, Monkey Knife Fight The first forty groups through the door will score an Easter Show Bag filled with Merch, and a pro photographer will be on-hand to take photos of you and your group, as well as the VIP photos of you with the band of your choice! Doors 7pm, tix $29.35 from oztix.com.au THE BASEMENT PAGE 42

Live Acoustic Sets From 2pm THE OLD CANBERRA INN Good Folk: Kristabelle & The Southern Jubilee Ringers + Den Hanrahan & The Rum Runners Good Folk is the scaled down Folk Festival event featuring 22 concerts over two jam-packed days in classic Queanbeyan venues. $30 from Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre; 10:30am BICENTENNIAL HALL Good Folk - Chloe & Jason Roweth - Songs And Poems of Henry Lawson “Jason and Chloe Roweth are without question two of our finest interpreters of Australian traditional folk music.” – Ruth Hazleton. $15 from venue; 10:45am ROYAL HOTEL QBN Good Folk: Alex & Annette Hood ‘A Tribute’ supported by Paverty Bush Band $20 from Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre; 1:30pm BICENTENNIAL HALL Good Folk: Omar Musa with Guyy and the Fox Queanbeyan’s very own esteemed author, poet and rapper returns to the ol’ stomping ground. $35 from venue; 2:30pm THE Q – QUEANBEYAN PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE Good Folk: Stiff Gins with Kim Yang The exquisite voice of Kim Yang combined with the hearty Stiff Gins. $40 from Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre; 5:30pm BICENTENNIAL HALL Good Folk: Little Quirks Good vibes from the Central Coast trio. $30 from venue; 6:30pm THE Q – QUEANBEYAN PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE A Taste of Ireland – The Irish Music & Dance Sensation Experience one of the most prominent Irish Dance shows in the world today, with all new sets, costumes, tunes and effects. $74.90 – $109.90 + bf from venue; 7:30pm CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE Good Folk: Fanny Lumsden with Montgomery Church 2021 Golden Guitar Awards “Female Artist of the Year” Fanny Lumsden is joined by the majestic Montgomery Church. $45 from Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre; 8:30pm BICENTENNIAL HALL

Good Folk: 19 - Twenty $30 from Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre; 9:15pm THE Q – QUEANBEYAN PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE

SUNDAY 4 APRIL Easter Sunday Session feat.

Sesame Girl The Canberra dream pop four-piece Sesame Girl headline this special Easter Sunday session. Hop down to the Horse for live jammin’, bands, DJs, curries, craft beer, cocktails and good times!

SMOKEY HORSE , BRAIDWOOD Live Acoustic Sets From 4pm THE OLD CANBERRA INN Back Bone BMX “ACT Jam” street party + Lucifungus Record Launch - All Ages Blocking off the road out the front of Bentspoke Braddon. All day event with ramps set up on the street; bands from 8pm BENTSPOKE BREWING CO Sunday Sessions with Harvey Sutherland (DJ) Musician, producer, DJ and all round magician Harvey Sutherland brings an exclusive DJ set. Blending a broad array of genres from disco, funk, electronic, and house. With supports SONDRIO, Amando, Izaak Bink & Mia Sorlie, and Wally. 8pm 5am, tix on door only ONE22 MaRLo The return of Australia’s leading Trance artist. With supports: Peekz, Daron K, Vivace, Biscuit Bytes.

9pm - 5am, tix $32.23 from fctn. intix.com FICTION CLUB Good Folk - Chloe & Jason Roweth - Songs And Poems of Henry Lawson Drawing their inspiration from the warmth of old-style bush entertainment and folklore, the Roweths work with vibrant arrangements of new and old traditional Australian songs, poetry, yarns, and dance tunes. $15 from venue; 10:45am ROYAL HOTEL QBN Good Folk: Mikelangelo & The Black Sea Gentlemen The long-awaited return of one of Australia’s most enduring musical ensembles. $40 from Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre; 11am BICENTENNIAL HALL

Good Folk: Timothy James Bowen National Folk Festival partners with Queanbeyan Palerang Regional Council to deliver this COVID-safe, inclusive and innovative festival alternative for 2021. $30 from Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre; 2pm BICENTENNIAL HALL Good Folk - Kay Proudlove Emotional and witty, Kay is a Wollongong raised indie-folk singer-songwriter with a remarkably agile, engaging, honest, soul-bearing voice and a wry, dry-ice sense of humour. $10 from venue; 2:30pm ROYAL HOTEL QBN Good Folk: Little Quirks Good vibes from the Central Coast trio. $30 from venue; 2:30pm THE Q – QUEANBEYAN PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE Good Folk: FourPlay String Quartet This Easter weekend, Queanbeyan will come alive with a vibrant program of indoor concerts and outdoor entertainment as part of Good Folk – a folk experience in Queanbeyan. $40 from Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre; 5:30pm BICENTENNIAL HALL Good Folk: The New Graces With Montgomery Church $30 from Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre; 6:30pm THE Q – QUEANBEYAN PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE Good Folk - Kim Yang Trio Inspired by Joni Mitchell and Bon Iver, Canberra’s indie-folk singersongwriter Kim Yang writes songs that speak from her experiences as a partner, a woman, a traveller, and an insecure soul. Her ethereal sound balances delicately between vulnerability and power. $10 from venue; 7pm ROYAL HOTEL QBN Good Folk: Kristabelle & The Southern Jubilee Ringers + Den Hanrahan & The Rum Runners Rounding out the Good Folk mini-fest in jaunty style. $30 from Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre; 8:30pm BICENTENNIAL HALL Good Folk: 19 - Twenty $30 from Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre; 9:15pm THE Q – QUEANBEYAN PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE

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ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE

TUESDAY 6 APRIL IQ Trivia Arrive 6pm for 6:30pm start THE OLD CANBERRA INN

WEDNESDAY 7 APRIL Live Jazz From 6:30pm THE OLD CANBERRA INN

THURSDAY 8 APRIL Highland Light Absolute Release Party With supports Box Dye, Parrots With Piercings, and THYME. From 7pm, $10 THE BASEMENT You’re Safe Til 2024 A six-year project about planetary transformation Playwright David Finnigan and musician Reuben Ingall are creating six new shows, one each year, from 2019 to 2024, each looking at a different aspect of the massive changes taking place on our planet.

From 8 - 10 April, $35 + bf from Canberra Theatre THE COURTYARD STUDIO Louis Nowra’s Così Set in a Melbourne mental hospital in 1971 the semiautobiographical Così is the sequel to Nowra’s previous play, Summer of the Aliens. From 8-24 April, $45 - $35 from venue CANBERRA REPERTORY SW Band Night Present: Kirklandd, Archie and Zuko Another CBR power trio of acts for the weekly free band night SIDEWAY

FRIDAY 9 APRIL Royale With Cheese: ‘90s Unplugged Australia’s premier ‘90s rock show, playing all rock and pop covers – from Seattle-sound to Grunge to Britpop and all the best Oz Rock from the ‘90s. From 8pm, $45.15 from oztix.com.au THE BASEMENT Brendan Clarke Trio From 6pm GANG GANG CAFE FEEL ft Choomba With supports Parisi, Reubok, Rex Da Ruler, Juicee, Divito, and Edstar.

9pm - 5am, tix from fctn.intix.com/ FICTION CLUB facebook.com/bmamagazine

Sustainable Stand-Up Comedy that’s not only funny, but positive, delightful and makes the world a better place. 8pm, $20 from venue SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE Andrew Farriss (INXS) Performing two shows at 5:30pm & 8:30pm. Dinner & show $91.80, tix from venue ROYAL HOTEL QBN Karaoke @ The Boardwalk Bar From 8pm THE BOARDWALK BAR & NIGHTCLUB Vinyl DJs From 8pm Spinning a variety of retro, jazz, funk, and more THE OLD CANBERRA INN

SATURDAY 10 APRIL PhEnO (+ Band) Fresh from the triumphant success of releasing and performing We Are The Skywhales with Patricia Piccinini, at the launch of “Skywhalepapa”, PhEnO and her band bring you a dynamic live show, including brand new music. 8pm, $32/$29 from venue THE STREET THEATRE Black Mountain String Band GANG GANG CAFE Il Bruto Seasoned players Il Bruto will be takin’ care of business with a Satdee arvo of garage, blues, punk and rock ‘n’ roll. 3pm, $20 from venue SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE Peter Combe - Greatest Hits A concert for kids, parents who used to be kids, and grandparents who originally bought the albums for the parents who used to be kids!

2pm, $35 + bf from venue CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE Live Acoustic Sets From 2pm THE OLD CANBERRA INN

SUNDAY 11 APRIL Charm of Finches Known for their stunning sibling harmonies and transporting melodies. 7pm, $25/$20 from venue SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE Live Acoustic Sets From 4pm THE OLD CANBERRA INN

MONDAY 12 APRIL Canberra Shanty Club Canberra Shanty Club is a community singing group that sings sea shanties, working songs and all manner of folk chorus tunes.

All singing levels are welcome.

From 7pm THE OLD CANBERRA INN

TUESDAY 13 APRIL IQ Trivia Arrive 6pm for 6:30pm start THE OLD CANBERRA INN

WEDNESDAY 14 APRIL Live Jazz From 6:30pm THE OLD CANBERRA INN Thornhill Aus Tour 7pm, tix sold out at time of print; double check with venue THE BASEMENT The Leonie Cohen Trio Geoff Page presents his monthly series of jazz concerts at Smith’s, second Wednesday of each month.

Leonie Cohen piano, Hugh Fraser bass and Nic Cecire drums unfold a mix of moving interpretations of standards and a beautiful array of original compositions. Two shows, 7pm and 8.45pm, $25/20 from venue SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

THURSDAY 15 APRIL Metal from the Grave Tour For the first time in his 33 years of blasting – the indomitable “Skitz” will step up with a hand-picked crew of players and perform music originally recorded by a selection of peer-influencing bands in Australia’s metal scene – including Damaged, Manticore, Misery, Terrorust, and Hobbs Angel of Death. 7pm, $40.05 from oztix.com.au THE BASEMENT Jon Stevens | The Noiseworks & INXS Collection Tour After a sell-out tour in 2019 Jon is back tributing the legendary bands that catapulted him into Aussie Rock Royalty. 7:30pm, $49.00 – $65.00 + bf from venue CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

Fundamentals With one of Sydney’s finest, Julia Wilson. Supports include Wagga funnyman Michael Vincent, local rising star Jacqui Richards and your favourite loveable mess of an MC, Jeffrey Charles. Two shows, 7pm ($25) and 9pm ($20), tix from venue SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE One Man In His Time: John Bell and Shakespeare Spend an evening with John Bell, a man who believed that Australians could see themselves reflected in the works of Shakespeare, and founded a company based on his belief. 7pm, $53.50-$78.50 + bf from Canberra Theatre THE PLAYHOUSE

FRIDAY 16 APRIL Red Light Confidential Red Light Confidential is a safe space for artists and audiences alike where newbies rub shoulders with seasoned pros, and audiences feel like they’re a part of something special. With talent from Burlesque, Comedy, Cabaret and Live music locally and beyond. Doors 7:30pm, donation entry ($20 recommended) from eventbrite.com.au FLAZÉDA HUB Viktor Rufus In the words of Viktor himself: “Gang Gang’s intimate setting allows us to explore our creative vulnerabilities. Join us for a night of musical expression coupled with a tasty brew, vino or vegan tiramisu.”

From 6pm GANG GANG CAFE FEEL ft Sippy & Blackjack Big Bass abound when Sippy returns along side the head of BASSIC @ Chinese Laundry, all round DJ & producer Blackjack.

With supports Reubok, Kaliopi, Rex Da Ruler, Divito, and Edstar. $21.79 from fctn.intix.com/ FICTION CLUB Fangz - Self Medicate Tour With fellow Sydneysiders Down For Tomorrow. 7pm, $29.35 from Oztix THE BASEMENT Goolabri’s Monthly Public Bar Night - Autumn Rhythm Live music by The Decideds (8 piece band) and Black Cypress (regular favourites). From 6pm THE WEDGETAIL PAVILION Vinyl DJs From 8pm THE OLD CANBERRA INN

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SATURDAY 17 APRIL Drive Safe There’s Nowhere Else to Go EP Launch Playing the first (possibly only) Drive Safe full band extravanganza. With Lady Denman and Slagatha Christie. 7pm, $17.35 from oztix.com.au GANG GANG CAFE The Chats – AC/DC CD Tour w/ Special Guests Formed in their mate’s bong shed in Coolum, Queensland 2016 when all three members were 17, The Chats represent everything that’s good about Australia and nothing that’s bad: a rebel spirit, gallows humour and the endless hedonistic pursuit of A Bloody Good Time.

6:30pm, $45.10 from moshtix. com.au KAMBRI PRECINCT Silverback Touring Presents The Iron Maidens The world’s best, and only, female tribute to the mighty Maiden. 7pm THE BASEMENT The Biggest Little Show In Town - Riley Catherall (w/ band) + Gretta Ziller Melbourne alt-country singersongwriters, Gretta Ziller and Riley Catherall, are joining forces this autumn to celebrate their new single releases. 7pm, $20 from venue SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE Genesis Owusu Smiling With No Teeth Album Tour [SOLD OUT] THE UC HUB Matt Keegan: Vienna Dreaming Leading saxophonist Matt Keegan delves into his family’s history to create a new musical story against the old tale of migration and cultural fusion.

8pm, $40 – $35 ($25 student) from venue THE STREET THEATRE Mirusia Known to millions around the world as the “Angel of Australia” – the name given to her by the famous Dutch violinist, André Rieu. 8pm, $53.80 from premier. ticketek.com.au CANBERRA SOUTHERN CROSS CLUB (WODEN)

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It’s A London Thing 6.0 Killjoy (UK) & Mincy (Syd) A gig of grime & garage, with supports Juzlo, DJHRH feat. JLP & Macca, and DJ Mixer. 9pm - 5am, $15 - $20 + bf from humanitix SIDEWAY Live Acoustic Sets From 2pm THE OLD CANBERRA INN

SUNDAY 18 APRIL High Society - Live Hip Hop Night Free afternoon show, with CBR’s finest acts including MN Cappo, ILL GATO, Chemi-Cal + many more, plus inteestaters Skells, Keggles & Master Marx from the Blue Mountains/Sydney for that boom bap goodness, with Context on hosting duties (now back in CBR from Melbourne). From 2pm SIDEWAY Sally Chicane - “By the way, which one is Sally?” EP Launch Special Sunday afternoon show with guests NTT and Tennessine.

4pm THE BASEMENT The Faumuis Kashia, Salale and Koebi Faumui are a vocal group who’ve been singing and performing together for over nine years. 6pm GANG GANG CAFE Live Acoustic Sets From 4pm THE OLD CANBERRA INN

MONDAY 19 APRIL Recent Work Readings: Rico Craig and Jerzy Beaumont (with Open Mic) Open Mic limited to 10 poets reading for 3 mins each. Spaces can be reserved on the night, or pre-book by emailing contact@ recentworkpress.com. 7pm SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

TUESDAY 20 APRIL Open Mic Comedy Limited spots available, email: markyworthingtoncomedy@ gmail.com for a spot. When it comes to bookings the “First In Best Dressed” rule applies. 7pm, free entry THE BASEMENT

Ben Elton – Live 2021 Ben Elton exploded onto the comedy scene more than 30 years ago, hosting Channel 4’s groundbreaking Saturday Live.

Since then Elton has achieved huge success as a stand-up comic, author, playwright, actor and director. 7:30pm, $71.65 – $183.65 + bf from venue THE PLAYHOUSE IQ Trivia Arrive 6pm for 6:30pm start THE OLD CANBERRA INN

WEDNESDAY 21 APRIL CIMF - Josh Cohen: Radiohead For Solo Piano Radiohead fiercely protects its reputation and catalogue, but Josh Cohen got the thumbs up to perform his Radiohead songbook around the world. $30. Students (under-25) $15 available the day prior from cimf.org.au VERITY LANE MARKET Live Jazz From 6:30pm THE OLD CANBERRA INN

THURSDAY 22 APRIL CHINS BMA Band Profile darlings will be strutting their stuff on stage. Turn to page 16 to read up, then turn up to Sideway to rock out SIDEWAY Coolio Desgracias and Housemouse Keepin It Small Album Launch This duo has been making bangers and rockin shows together since 2012. Coolio’s lugubrious baritone and Housemouse’s high-pitched flow are a perfect fit. 7pm, $20 (includes pre release) from venue SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

FRIDAY 23 APRIL Karaoke @ The Boardwalk Bar THE BOARDWALK BAR & NIGHTCLUB CIMF - Andrew Blanch and Ariel Nurhadi, guitar duo: ALCHEMY Hear these “two stunning young guitarists” (Sydney Arts Guide) in beloved works by Debussy, Rameau, Piazzolla, Albéniz, de Falla and Granados. 8pm, $30 (students under-25 $15 available the day prior) from cimf.org.au VERITY LANE MARKET

Cuddlefish and Friends An informal evening of songs, stories, tentacle lovin’ and the ‘light show’. With The Cashews, Nicegood Things and The Standard Deviants.

8pm, $20/$15 from venue SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE Melinda Schneider: A Farewell To Doris Following the recent passing of the legendary Doris Day, acclaimed Australian singer Melinda Schneider pays tribute to her childhood idol.

8pm, $69.90- $120 + bf from venue THE PLAYHOUSE Neil Murray: Keep Rolling On The maverick song man was a founding member of the pioneering Warumpi Band, which in the ‘80s penetrated mainstream Australia with the iconic anthems My Island Home and Blackfella Whitefella.

8pm, $32/$29 from venue THE STREET THEATRE DJ Disco Frenzy From early evening til late GANG GANG CAFE Titty Titty Bang Bang presents: Explicit Content Explicit Content explodes on to the stage not once but twice with burlesque and featured performers including comedians, dancers and artists. There will definitely be something for everyone in this thrilling show. 6:30pm and 9:30pm, $25 from eventbrite.com.au FLAZÉDA HUB Vinyl DJs From 8pm Spinning a variety of retro, jazz, funk, and more THE OLD CANBERRA INN

SATURDAY 24 APRIL Beugs Brothers (Adam Koots & Tenth Dan), Joe Snow, Must Volkoff Pang Productions are a Melbourne based hip hop collective with a cult-like following. They have stapled themselves in the lug holes of thousands across Australia and beyond and are now coming to play their first show here since the Covids. From 5pm til late, tix from eventbrite.com.au SMOKEY HORSE, BRAIDWOOD TOOL - Tribute Show After nearly a 3 year break, The Jerk Offs will be returning to perform an epic 2 hour set of all your favourite TOOL songs! 6:30pm, $30 + bf via oztix.com.au THE BASEMENT

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ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE Jeff Lang: Some Memories Never Die Jeff Lang has built a reputation for making startling and influential music that is accomplished, intricate, gutsy, melodic and loaded with soul. 7:30pm, $39/$35 from the venue THE STREET THEATRE Yasmine Hosseini Indie rock music from Perth, WA. Doors 6pm GANG GANG CAFE We Can Be Heroes - An Orchestral Tribute to David Bowie Conducted by George Ellis the 24-piece Symphony Orchestra will perform the Best of Bowie featuring songs from his entire songbook. 7:30pm, $99.90 + bf from venue CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE Live Acoustic Sets From 2pm THE OLD CANBERRA INN

SUNDAY 25 APRIL Homegrown Sounds Presents: Sounds From The Suburbs From 6:30pm GANG GANG CAFE Jeff Martin - Set in Stone Tour Promising to be a whole new live experience, the tour will feature songs from Jeff’s upcoming solo release, including single Set in Stone, as well as crowd favourites for good measure. 8pm THE BASEMENT Live Acoustic Sets From 4pm THE OLD CANBERRA INN

TUESDAY 27 APRIL Daniel Sloss – HUBRIS Daniel Sloss: HUBRIS is the all-new, 11th solo show by Scotland’s i nternational comedy superstar, hot on the heels of his ground-breaking, global smash-hit Daniel Sloss: X. 7:15pm, $49.90 + bf from venue CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE CIMF - Ronan Apcar, piano: Third Stream One of the youngest artists at this year’s festival, Ronan presents an off-beat piano evening that crosses the boundaries of jazz and classical.

With pieces by Kapustin, Prokofiev, Gershwin, Ginastera and more, Ronan adds a light Armenian twist and a distinctly personal touch.

8pm, $30 from cimf.org.au AINSLIE ARTS CENTRE facebook.com/bmamagazine

IQ Trivia Arrive 6pm for 6:30pm start THE OLD CANBERRA INN

WEDNESDAY 28 APRIL CIMF - Localjinni’s AlleyHART video walk The 8pm Crumb’s Lyre performance will be preceded by Localjinni AlleyHART video walk from 6:307:30pm. Embark on a circular saunter around the city centre streets and snikelways. 6:30pm, $20 from cimf.org.au VERITY LANE MARKET And Beyond The Violence A Phantom Gravity international play reading from Shadow House PITS. 7pm, $20 from venue SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE CIMF - Christine Johnston & Sonya Lifschitz: Cumb’s Lyre Christine Johnston as Madame Lark joins macrocosmic piano siren Sonya Lifschitz as they unleash their duelling scores on the eve of the festival. 8pm, $30 from cimf.org.au VERITY LANE MARKET

CIMF - Masterclass: Andrea Keller Andrea Keller writes music for our times. Three ARIA Awards, seven Australian Jazz ‘Bell’ Awards, two Art Music Awards, and many more plaudits later Keller continues to invent and re-invent herself at the piano. 4:30pm BIG BAND ROOM @ ANU SCHOOL OF MUSIC Gypsy Jazz From 6:30pm GANG GANG CAFE CIMF - Opening Gala The Elements From the heart of Vienna to the core of Canberra’s music festival: a celebration of elements that connect us to the people of the world and to the elders in our midst. Brenda Gifford’s long awaited new work is revealed in the hands of the Australian Art Orchestra alongside Mozart’s Turkish credentials and the annual Beaver Blaze. 6:30pm and 8:30pm, $80/$70 from cimf.org.au FITTERS WORKSHOP

THURSDAY 29 APRIL

Bangarang (formerly Mondayitis) The variety night returns with a mixed bag of local talent. 7pm FLAZÉDA HUB

CIMF - Hanging Gardens An early masterpiece of Viennese expressionism: Schoenberg’s seminal song cycle about love set in the imagined world of Babylon.

Anna Fraser, Soprano and Roland Peelman, Piano. 12:30pm, free entry VERITY LANE MARKET

Flaming Wrekage - Cathedral Of Bones Album Launch w/ Clarity of Chaos, Diskust, Arkanae Flaming Wrekage take to the stage to deliver their most crushing live show to date. 7pm, tix from oztix.com.au THE BASEMENT

Liz Lea Dance Company and Belco Arts present: The Point A new full length dance work created and performed by a multinational company of dancers from across Australia and India, exploring and celebrating the interconnections in design, movement and music. From 29 Apr - 1 May 7:30pm (Sat matinee), $45/$35 from venue BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Ben Lee: OMG I’m Playing Gigs Again! Tour 2021 2021 is shaping up to be another wild ride as Ben preps for the release of his forthcoming album featuring collaborations with Shamir, ChrisAan Lee Hudson, Money Mark, Sadie Dupuis and Zooey Deschanel. 7:30pm, $43 from venue THE STREET THEATRE

FRIDAY 30 APRIL CIMF - Magic Garden Enjoy the marvels of the Australian National Botanic Gardens with a musical discovery walk leading you through the gardens’ rain forest gully, rock garden, and into the new Banksia Garden with Festival musicians at every corner. 11:30am AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL BOTANIC GARDENS

Urzila Carlson - Token African The award-winning South AfricanNew Zealander comedian returns with her new show. 7:30pm, $61.40 + bf from venue CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE Karaoke @ The Boardwalk Bar THE BOARDWALK BAR & NIGHTCLUB

Cabaret Voltaire An evening of avante-garde art and performance, inspired by the fashion industry / Aestheticism and the essence of ‘l’art pour l’art’ (art for art’s sake). 8pm, $25 from venue SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE Vinyl DJs From 8pm Spinning retro, jazz, funk and more THE OLD CANBERRA INN

SATURDAY 1 MAY CIMF - Schubert Sublime I Schubert’s String Quintet has been described as ‘terrifyingly beautiful’ or ‘transcendent’. Two shows at 11am and 1pm. $75/ $65 from cimf.org.au THE FITTERS WORKSHOP CIMF - ḥarīm Traditional Sufi music. Two shows at 2pm and 4pm. $65/$60 from cimf.org.au AUSTRALIAN CENTRE FOR CHRISTIANITY AND CULTURE Floor Element 2021 A combined amateur and professional floorwork competition with local dancers coming together to show off their talents and compete for the winning place! From 6pm THE BASEMENT Capital Punishment - Monsters Think you’re punny, do you?

Canberra’s competitive pun slam challenges you to strut your stuff against Australia’s pun champions.

7pm, $15 from venue SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE Urzila Carlson - Token African The award-winning South AfricanNew Zealander comedian returns for night two of her new show.

7:30pm, $61.40 + bf from venue CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE Dub Dub Goose + Nyash!

Two mighty bands on one glorious night of dub, ska, roots, jazz goodness! Dub Dub Goose make a rare live appearance on this double bill with local hero’s Nyash! Afrobeat Collective. 8:30pm, $25 from trybooking.com POLISH WHITE EAGLE CLUB Live Acoustic Sets From 2pm THE OLD CANBERRA INN

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SUNDAY 2 MAY CIMF - Do I Matter?

A number of years in the making, the work is distilled from the answers of over two hundred women to a confidential survey about their private thoughts.

Compiled by Abbott with writer and cartoonist Kaz Cooke, Do I Matter? also incorporates the audience’s private thoughts – in real time… Shows are 6:30pm and 8:30pm, $75/$65 from cimf. org.au THE FITTERS WORKSHOP CIMF - Hand to Earth A celebration of First Nations artists: women’s culture from Lightning Ridge followed by Yolgnu Songmen from Arnhem Land. Shows at 1:30pm and 3:30pm, $65/$60 from cimf/org.au NATIONAL GALLERY OF AUSTRALIA Julia Morris – I’m Not Even Joking Tour In her 30th year of stand up comedy, there is no doubting our beloved Lady Julia Morris is the Doyenne in the art of pulling one’s leg. 7:30pm, $59.90 + bf from venue CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE Liam Wright Time Will Tell EP Launch Liam’s soulful tone and folk rock influence has helped create his sound drawing inspiration from greats such as Neil Young, Bob Dylan and The War on Drugs. With Evan M. Buckley and Jack Bird. 7:30pm, $10.76 from eventbrite. com.au SIDEWAY Live Acoustic Sets From 4pm THE OLD CANBERRA INN

MONDAY 3 MAY CIMF - Great Hall Rising This event touches upon some of the landmarks of Australian history with music that takes us into the heart of Australia’s democracy and into the soul of our nation. Shows at 11am and 1pm, $55/$50 from cimf.org.au THE FITTERS WORKSHOP CIMF - Greatest Mozart II The musicians of the Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra conclude their CIMF residence with two of Mozart’s greatest chamber works on period instruments. Shows are 6:30pm and 8:30pm, $80/$70 from cimf.org.au THE FITTERS WORKSHOP Greg Fleet & Ian Darling The Twins A heart-breaking and hilarious new play about trust, remembering and forgetting to remember, loss, regret, love, PAGE 46

pain, and glory. From 3–6 May, $31 + bf from venue THE COURTYARD STUDIO UB40 40th Anniversary For The Many Tour Offering audiences a taste of classic hits like as well as tracks from the latest release For The Many. 7:30pm, $97.50 – $119.00 + bf from venue CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

TUESDAY 4 MAY CIMF - Beethoven for Breakfast Partridge String Quartet perform Beethoven’s String Quartet followed by a conversation with artists hosted

by Genevieve Jacobs. Plus breakfast!

8:30am, $52/$48 from cimf.org.au ALBERT HALL CIMF - All of them, and one of us Three musicians pay tribute in a quiet act of musical reconciliation, followed by a guided tour through the venue.

Shows at 11am and 12:30pm, $55/$50 from cimf.org.au AUSTRALIAN CENTRE FOR CHRISTIANITY AND CULTURE CIMF - Schubert Sublime II Over the course of four extensive movements, Schubert’s Trio in Bb scales the heights and depths of human aspiration. Two shows at 6:30pm and 8:30pm, $75/$65 from cimf.org.au THE FITTERS WORKSHOP IQ Trivia Arrive 6pm for 6:30pm start THE OLD CANBERRA INN

WEDNESDAY 5 MAY CIMF - Up Close at Gorman The Festival’s most intimate experience takes place in one of Canberra’s retro jewels, Gorman House. Its courtyards and lovingly restored galleries and theatres host seven brief and contrasting performances, starting at 11am and repeated at 20-minute intervals. $55/$50 from cimf.org.au GORMAN ARTS CENTRE CIMF - Night and Dreams Gruber’s pandemonic piece for chansonnier and ensemble is equally probing of the unconscious mind, with Christine Johnston as the first female performer to tackle this Viennese musical circus. Two shows at 6:30pm and 8:30pm, $80/$70 from cimf.org.au FITTERS WORKSHOP Live Jazz From 6:30pm THE OLD CANBERRA INN

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[SPOTLIGHT]

IGNITE Gallery pres. Journeys by John Brookes / 14 Mar - 15 Sep / 23 Brindella Circuit, within Canberra Airport Part of the IGNITE: Gallery initiative, Journeys explores the notion of journeys and travel, both literal, and as a metaphor for our internal growth and personal change both positive and negative; a relevant topic in Covid times where physical travel and social interaction was limited, calling upon mental reserves to revise goals and priorities. These stunning photos use minimum editing in achieving the defamiliarised look and feel of the subjects, favouring camera settings at point of shot. The images form part of a wider project that continues the artist’s own personal journey

Flickerfest / World-renowned short film fest / 16 Apr / Palace Electric Cinemas Celebrating its 30th year, Flickerfest remains Australia’s leading Academy® Qualifying and BAFTA Recognised short film festival, presenting A-list selections from a record 2,700 entries!

Entertaining, inspiring and award-winning films from globally respected competitions abound, including Canberra talents Stephanie Jane Day, Alex Wu, Lillian Paterson, Benjamin Balte, Jaslyn Mairs, Johnny Milners, plus fun and timely The End The Beginning shot around Canberra, awarded 2021 Best Original Music score. $25/$22 from flickerfest.com.au/tour/canberra/

The Point/ New full-length dance work / 29 Apr - 1 May / Belconnen Arts Centre The wonderful Liz Lea Dance Company and Belco Arts present The Point, a new full length dance work created and performed by a multi-national company of dancers from across Australia and India, exploring and celebrating the interconnections in design, movement and music. Taking inspiration from the designs of Walter and Marion Griffin and the notion of ‘Bindu’ – the point of creation in Hindu mythology – The Point explores connections between place and people through the prism of light. $45/$35 from belcoarts.com.au/point/ facebook.com/bmamagazine

UPCOMING ARTS EVENTS

Così / Play by Louis Nowra / 8 - 24 Apr / Canberra Repertory Set in a Melbourne mental hospital in 1971 the semiautobiographical, poignant comedy Così is the sequel to Nowra’s previous play, Summer of the Aliens. Nowra adroitly demonstrates that reality is unique for each person, and often people may slip into illusions in order to avoid the truth. It is suggested that although they may not have been completely ‘normal’, those considered to be ‘insane’ still possess a great insight that ‘normal’ people may overlook. Tix $45 - $35 from venue

Daniel Sloss / New show HUBRIS / 27 & 28 Apr / Canberra Theatre At only 30-years-old, but performing since he was 16, Sloss has firmly established himself as one of the world’s most significant and successful touring stand-ups of his generation. His critically acclaimed 2018-2019 smash hit, Daniel Sloss: X, delved into the controversial subject of toxic masculinity and received acclaim for its deeply funny and incredibly moving observations about gender and sexuality. Daniel’s new show HUBRIS is even more relevant after the unprecedented global events of 2020. 7pm/7:15pm, $49.90 + bf from canberratheatrecentre.com.au

CIMF@Belco Arts / Full free day of every music type Sat, 8 May / Belconnen Arts Centre A day of unbridled music making in Belco Arts crowns this year’s Canberra International Music Festival. And it’s free! From hiphop grooves to Hindustani vibes, from the chilled guitar riffs of Jess Green to the super hot frenzy of Super Rats, plus a special appearance of the Tiwi Strong Women (pictured), and you get an idea. Throw in the Golden Gate Brass Quintet, a young piano quartet, DJ Diola, Samarai Cunio + Heather Lee + Kim Cunio, and Canberra’s longest running youth choir and you’re getting the full measure. From 10am all the way to 4pm. Once again, this event is FREE and not ticketed. Open to all, subject to Covid capacity PAGE 47

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