BMA Magazine #517 - May/June 2021

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[CONTENTS]

[Canberra’s

Guide]

Entertainment

#517

May/June

BMA: Operating at 70% capacity

QL2 - REBEL

p. 25

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: allan@bmamag.com Accounts Manager Ashish Doshi T: (02) 6247 4816 E: accounts@bmamag.com Graphic Design Marty Baker

BRAIDWOOD’S BANGIN’ VENUE

p. 16

BAND PROFILE: PILOTS OF BAALBEK

NEW FICTION BY JERZY BEAUMONT

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ED KUEPPER & JIM WHITE

p. 23

Graphic Designer/Cover Design Juliette Dudley Film Columnist Cam Williams Entertainment Guide Editor Allan Sko Social Media Manager Allan Sko & Ruth O’Brien Columnists Ruth O’Brien, Josh Nixon, Alice Worley, Allan Sko Contributors Josh Eckersley, Rory McCartney, Ruth O’Brien, Vince Leigh, John P Harvey, Michele E Hawkins, Alice Worley, Anthony Plevey, Allan Sko NEXT ISSUE #518 OUT Thursday, 10 June

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EDITORIAL DEADLINE Friday, 21 May ADVERTISING DEADLINE Wednesday, 2 June 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.

p. 28 SYDNEY DANCE COMPANY p. 26

MILK BY VAN DEN BERG p. 28

VISUALISING HARMONY p. 32

TIM FERGUSON

ES 199 T 2 PAGE 10

FILM REVIEWS

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MUSIC REVIEWS

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BMA GIG/EVENTS GUIDE p.42 @bmamag

FROM THE BOSSMAN

BY ALLAN SKO [ALLAN@BMAMAG.COM]

They should really warn kids about it. It comes out of nowhere.

Being a kid, the world is your rocket, discovery your fuel. And boy howdy, have you done some discoverin’.

You’ve got a few years under the belt by now. You’re young, sure, but you’ve been around the block. Literally the whole block! And at great speed if the ice cream truck’s in town. Chiming away, on one of those blessed hot, sunny days that seemed to last forever.

It’s been, like, AGES since you were able to dress yourself without parental help. Heh… seems funny to think you ever needed help.

You’ve got a pretty good grip on school by now; you’ve made a few friends-with-sleepover-benefits.

Heck, you’re even starting to understand what emotions are.

And, OF COURSE, you’ve mastered the art of going to the toilet by yourself!

At least... you thought you did.

For you see, my dear friends, there is a rare phenomenon reserved exclusively for the porcelain plains. For some, the day never comes. For many, it has occurred at least once.

What binds the latter group is a sense of awe, wonderment and maybe, just maybe, confirmation that God does, indeed, exist.

I am talking about, The Miracle Poo. The miracle, or Canadian (due to its politeness), poo is the one that executes an Olympian-grade dive into the bowl, with the angle and force pinpoint perfect to slide gracefully round the u-bend and off on its little adventures, with nary a flush needed.

It is truly a miracle; not only do the aforementioned slant and power need to be laser accurate, but somehow the factory of your body has needed to shape - with the precision of a German car factory floor - the ultimate aerodynamic deuce.

It is amazing. Rare. And terrifying.

For when you first turn, doe-eyed, to proudly inspect the fruits of your youthful labour, and instead are met only by the softly undulating bowl water twinkling and winking at you, there is initial confusion. “I DID just go, didn’t I?” Soon unease sets in, swiftly followed by an indistinguishable fear that something has gone horribly, horribly wrong. Finally, truth blooms and fear gives way to unbridled disbelief.

“What brown sorcery is this!” the precocious among you may have cried. The din has summoned concerned family members.

A bathroom gathering occurs. And you do something you haven’t done in years; point toiletward with a look of beaming pride.

Has this happened to you? If so, share your own miracle poo story by writing to your local politician with a detailed account.

Our childen must be warned! Knowledge makes us powerful! Yes, this is the stupidest one of these I’ve ever written! facebook.com/bmamagazine

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[HOT TIX]

UPCOMING EVENTS

Owen Campbell / with special guest Moondog / Fri, 7 May / Harmonie German Club

Felicity Urquhart & Josh Cunningham / The Song Club tour / Fri, 14 May / Harmonie German Club

Three best-selling studio albums, two EPs, over 12 years of worldwide touring; Owen Campbell is one of Australia’s premier blues exports. Owen brings a gumbo-like repertoire to performances all over the world. His smouldering guitar work runs from bluesy riffs and soulful finger-picking to lap steel guitar solos using a shot glass slide. His gritty Americana vocals make this blues maven a global favourite. Now he’s back with new album The Rolling Thunder Of Love, and guest support Moondog. Doors 7:30pm, tix $25/$20 + bf from humanitix.com.au

The musical uniting of Felicity Urquhart and Josh Cunningham (The Waifs) is as unscripted as it is unforeseen. Understated but never unsophisticated, unpretentious and unlike anything else, Urquhart and Cunningham are poised to unleash songs and stories of undeniable beauty upon hearts and ears. Unless you uncork this fine wine, drink for yourself and understand, you will be unsatisfied and your life will be unhappy. Unlikely, unexpected, unforgettable, unwise to miss! 7pm, tix from $35 via eventbrite. com.au

The Huneez / with Flowermarket + Chins / Sat, 15 May / Live At The Polo

Sputnik Sweetheart / Jealousy single launch/ Sat, 15 May / The Basement

Kaitlin, Chad, and Pauly are The Huneez, an indie pop trio hailing from Wollongong, NSW. They play some of the sweetest beats and juiciest jams around, combining soulful melodies, funky rhythms, and some pleasantly piquant grooves into an assortment of original tracks. Their debut single, Morning Blue, has been streamed over 17,000 times across multiple platforms.

Joining them are last issue’s BMA Band, five-piece Chins, and indie-rock-with-an-intelligent-edge merchants Flowermarket. A heck of a night out! 8pm, tix $15 + bf from Trybooking

Funneling pure emotional energy into its 3:10 minutes, Canberra’s Sputnik Sweetheart present new single, Jealousy. The fourpiece alt-rock outfit dig deep and explore the discomfort and chaos caused when overcome by envy. It’s another striking step forward for the band, who have been consistently making a name for themselves since debut EP Growing Pains in 2019. Sputnik Sweetheart brings passionate delivery together with a refined sound, and they’ll be joined by Parkland, The Lenores, and Hope Wilkins to mark the release. 8pm, tix $24.99 from Oztix

10 Years Of Live at the Polo/ 16-strong local line-up / Sat, 29 May / Polish White Eagle Club

Tundrel / Tundrel Tomes Volume 2 LP launch / Fri, 4 June / Smith’s Alternative

It’s an out-and-out celebration. 10 glorious years of Live at the Polo, with David Smith & co wheeling out some the region’s finest acts to mark the occasion. They’re listed in the flyer graphic above, but it bears repeating! Julia Johnson, Nick Delatovic & The Empty Lake Singers, Bec Taylor and the Lyrebirds, Kim Yang, Endrey, The Burley Griffin, Rafe Morris and The Decideds, Slow Dial, Moondog, Betty Alto, Kilroy, Sesame Girl, Slagatha Christie, Lucy Ridge and the Derby Widows, Signs and Symbols, and Magic Rob Universe.

Woo! 1:30pm til late, all-day early bird $35 + bf from Trybooking

I’m going to hand over to BMA’s Rory McCartney’s review of Tundrel’s Put Em Down here: “There is an anger here that was not so present in the band’s first LP. Heavyweight riffs circle menacingly in rising clouds, with psychedelic injects adding to the fray. There is a powerful, wailing guitar highlight in the bridge, in a song that is more about axes than vocals. Notwithstanding that, Hore’s voice continues to impress with its massive strength, that helps set Tundrel apart.” In short, the longstanding band’s on fire, with a new album, so go check ‘em out! 8pm, $20/$15 from venue

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perform original music inspired by colourful artworks. The performance of the work will happen on Friday, 21 May. To book and to find out more, head to cso.org.au/event/visualisingharmony/

LOCALITY

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

Hey loves, nice to be back here with you once again for another injection of hot local events, music and arts news from around the capital. Let’s jump into it!

If you’re keen for some catchy new tunes by some of Canberra’s best music artists, there’s a whole lot of tracks you need to wrap your ears around.

Lucy Sugerman (pictured) has just released a new single, golden boy, delivering sassy truth-bombs such as: “an asshole’s still an asshole when it’s bleached”. I mean, quite right! This is the third single of Lucy’s that she’s put out in as many months ahead of the release of her upcoming debut EP. Bec Taylor has also put out a new track called Off The Edge with her band The Lyre Birds. Bec describes the track as being about, “jumping into something you’re terrified of. It’s got a cute Kate Nash-style verse mixed with an ’80s maximalist chorus reminiscent of Bruce Springsteen. Why have one harmony when you can have five? Exactly.”

Both Lucy’s and Bec’s songs are on Spotify and Apple Music.

While we’re on the theme of women in music, APRA AMCOS has recently announced this year’s Women in Music Mentorships. For 2021, the scope of mentoring opportunities has expanded, and invites music creators from a range of genres, backgrounds and career stages to apply. Applications close 7 May. For more info, head to apraamcos.com.au Still in the world of music, the ACT Government recently announced the Amp It Up! Fund. This initiative has been developed to assist small to medium live music venues to recover after the impacts of COVID-19 by offsetting the costs associated with programming and promotion, and to provide opportunities for musicians and other performance artists to pursue performance outcomes in the ACT. Applications for the Amp It Up! Fund opened at 9am on Monday, 3 May 2021 and close on Monday, 17 May 2021. To find out more, head to act.gov.au/business/business-support An interesting collaboration that’s been happening of late between Belconnen Arts Centre and the Canberra Symphony Orchestra is Visualising Harmony. Facilitated by world-class violinist Bindi McFarlane, players of the Canberra Symphony Orchestra will mentor five artists with disability, and together create and PAGE 14

[Pictured - Burst by Dennis Thorncraft – the hero image for the Visualising Harmony] If you’re keen to get along to an art exhibition, Strathnairn Arts is hosting Luminosity from 6-30 May. Presented by the Belconnen Artists Network (BeAN) – a diverse, enthusiastic and skilled group of 10 artists based in the Belconnen region – Luminosity, the interplay of light and shadow, is an analogy of what life is about. This exhibition will express ‘luminosity’ through a myriad of interpretations revealing how we are inspired by nature and the human experience. For more got to strathnairn.com.au

Margaret Kalms’ Colours of Endometriosis part of the Luminosity exhibition

As many of you are well aware, Smith’s Alternative hosts a smorgasbord of gigs and events each week. One of these I’d like to draw some attention to is the next Physics in The Pub event happening on Tuesday, 18 May. Local physicists will share their research, from info about the smallest quantum particle up to the biggest questions about the universe. So ease into your Tuesday with a refreshing bev and nice side of science to go with it, coz why not? More info for this, and other events at Smith’s, can be found at smithsalternative.com On Saturday, 29 May, Live at the Polo will be celebrating 10 years of local gigs! Starting at 1:30pm, the afternoon/evening will feature a whole host of popular local (or previously local) acts including Sesame Girl, Kim Yang, Endrey, Signs & Symbols, Betty Alto, Julia Johnson, Slagatha Christie + many more! The all-day early bird ticket is $35 which is a total steal for such a variety of quality live music! For more info and to book head to facebook.com/thepololive Finally, if you wanna come meet some locals working in music in Canberra, come along to the 1-Year Anniversary of UPBEAT on Thursday, 20 May! Details are still being finalised but the night will go from 7-9pm and will feature live music, the opportunity to chat and network with other music professionals, and also to hear from some of Canberra’s most prominent movers and shakers in the music scene. Tickets are FREE but limited! Head to events.humanitix. com/upbeat-1-year-anniversary to reserve yours.

And don’t forget to subscribe to UPBEAT, Canberra’s music industry newsletter, full of grants, opportunities and jobs, sent out every second Wednesday. Head to upbeatcbr.com for more info.

That’s it from me! Have a great month, chat soon, byeeeeeee!

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

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Bringing Badass to Braidwood

by Allan Sko It’s the stuff of a charming, award-winning little indie-film-thatcould; the tale of a mixed heritage husband and wife starting up a restaurant/bar/live music venue in their sleepy-yet-charming home town of Braidwood. Their hopes and dreams of combining homestyle Himalayan cooking with a vibrant music venue is initially met by some locals with befuddlement, before eventually winning over hearts and minds.

Except this isn’t a film, but an actuality playing out about an hour away from Canberra. And even more charmingly, it’s run by two Karunas ; Karuna Bajracharya (pictured far right in splendid pink baseball cap) and Karuna Gurung.

“We’re of Nepali, Bhutanese and Aussie heritage,” boy Bajracharya says. “We’ve both grown up in the region spending our formative years in Braidwood and Canberra, and are really passionate about sharing our culture in a regional Australian town setting.

“Sharing the same first name can be confusing at times; we’re commonly called by our initials KB and KG; easy to remember as Karuna Boy and Karuna Girl.”

Sharing culture through food is always a winner, and the pair have whipped up something special to make Smokey Horse stand out on any culinary map.

“We serve homestyle cooking, all made using family recipes from Nepal and Nagaland in Northeast India - home of the hottest chillies in the world!” KB declares.

KB’s passion for food is matched by his prowess as a muso, with a long and colourful musical background, playing in Canberra Unearthed band the Bumblebeez, being an MC and producer in his own right, as well as stamping himself as a stalwart of the local drum ‘n’ bass scene. KG has a real job at the ABS but is also an avid DJ/ selecta, writer, and entrepreneur.

“We’re big supporters of original live music especially,” KB enthuses.

And they’ve put their money - both literal and metaphorical - where their mouth is, boasting a brimming live calendar over their near three-year (minus Covid shutdown) history.

“We’ve hosted numerous gigs during our first few years of operation including well established acts like Michael Simic of Mikelangelo and the Deep Sea Gentlemen, Christa Hughes of Machine Gun Felatio, Rufino and the Coconuts, On The Stoop, Headz Are Rolling, Cathy Diver, MC Context, and many more,” KB beams.

“We’ve hosted numerous fundraisers, partnering with Girls Rock Canberra twice, where the funds were used to sponsor local Braidwood girls attending their rock camp, and also raising $3000 for our local RFS brigades during last year’s bushfires.”

The suck that was/is Covid rudely shut the doors only a year into operation - a terrible occurrence that is only amplified for any fledgling business. But the couple didn’t slow down.

“We took advantage of this closure,” KB explains, “making significant venue upgrades, soundproofing, as well as installing new equipment, a ME&U digital ordering platform, and expanded outdoor seating to accommodate social distancing.

“We also had time to apply for multiple funding grants to bolster our ability to host live music events, and were successful in three out of three applications, including the biggest application from Live Music Australia where we were awarded a total of $26,000, which broke down into $20,000 in artist fees for original live music and $6000 for venue upgrades. It was a massive coup!”

Smokey Horse have staged three gigs so far under said Live Music Australia funding, hosting Canberra, local and regional acts like Cathy Diver, Paint Store, Lily Morris, and Blue Mountains outfit Earprojector. And there’s plenty more planned for the year ahead.

“We’re aiming to host 15-20 gigs over 2021 with up to three artists per gig, giving both emerging and established performers, from a wide variety of genres, opportunities to perform,” KB states.

“Live streaming upgrades will now allow us to share high quality video and audio online during shows. We also have the capacity to do multitrack audio/video recordings for post production and later release, also.”

It’s more than fair for KB and KG to be proud of their many fine achievements thus far.

“Looking back over our first two years of operation, we realised how much we’ve accomplished and why we ticked so many boxes in our applications,” Karuna reflects.

“We’d hosted dozens of live music shows, cabaret drag nights, DJ events, fundraisers, indigenous events, as well as partnering with a raft of Not For Profit organisations, building a reputation as a viable, inclusive and well organised live music venue/restaurant/bar as part of a growing regional touring circuit.”

As you would expect from such plucky folk, the libation-slinging legends are not laying on their laurels.

“We are really excited about using this funding to bring high quality acts to Braidwood and really put us on the regional touring map. We are also really stoked about being able to support musicians and the arts industry during what has been a difficult year.”

So get out to 183 Wallace Street, Braidwood to revel in Smokey Horse’s wares. Upcoming gigs include Hey Neighbour (8 May), Brass Knuckle Brass Band (29 May), The Strides (13 June), all of which start from 5pm, and are free!

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THE DROP

[THE WORD ON EDM/DANCE MUSIC] WITH ALLAN SKO How Do You Do, Fellow Kids?

Hello all. Bossman Allan Sko here, seizing the mantle of The Drop column for the first time in some 15 years. Big thanks to Niamh McCool for keeping the light on, and injecting some youthful vigour into proceedings over the past stretch.

And while the column may muffin-top its way out of my proverbial rave pants these days, I still know how to entertain and inform those soldiers of the fleet-of-foot and wide-of-pupil variety.

I’m with it. I’m hip. Duka-duka duka-duka duka-duka duka-duka...

HAWWWWW* So let’s kick off with some tune recommendations before sliding headlong into the giddy thrill of EDM ‘n’ dance happenings around the Nation’s Capital.

Whether you’re a longstanding drum ‘n’ bass head, or are simply ‘bass-curious, I could not recommend Noisia’s Vision Radio series enough. Recently rebranded from Noisia Radio after a staggering number of shows, Vision Radio (named after the trio’s label) is a weekly podcast/YouTube hour-ish mix of the latest and greatest (as well as some beloved classics) that the genre, and surrounding genres, has to offer. So if the likes of Upbeats, Sleepnet, Noisia themselves, Amon Tobin, Ivy Lab, Mefjus, Phace tickle you, or you simply wonder what it’s all about, get involved.

By now, The Chemical Brothers’ latest tune The Darkness That You Fear would have been out for a bit. The track title may lead one to believe a moody, imposing number awaits, but instead it is a joyously uplifting track regarding colours and love and dispelling said fear, which my own brother described as “a thoroughly Chemical Brothers Chemical Brothers track”.

I would add that it harbours lick of Boards of Canada in the undulating synthy opening bars, with a flash of peak-period Lemon Jelly for the enjoyable drop. It is also worth noting, in a genre forever buffeting about in the winds of fashion and technological advancements, within a concept as ever-changing as music, The Chemmies have creatively evolved whilst retaining both their core sound, and their fanbase; over a span of 25 years no less. Kudos, messrs Rowland and Simons; you truly are glittering ornaments of the industry.

On the events tip, exciting news. Canberra’s newest name in pop & electronic music promo, ACT5413, have their launch night coming up at Live at the Polo on Friday, 28 May ($1o, 7pm - 11pm) featuring some of Canberra’s hottest names in the electronic music scene: Eloria, Reubok, Maleezy & Sweethard.

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Eloria is a phenomenal local act who performed alongside some of the nations most loved at Groovin the Moo back in the day. Whilst known as a purveyor of funky electronic jams, the young man also favours the dark and heavy side of electronic fare, with an aim to “bring an original flow and feel to a saturated genre”.

You can further check out his wares at soundcloud.com/ james-peryman Reubok cuts an impressive figure behind the decks, and rinses out many a fine partystarting set. The master of the mix, you can check out various sets from the man at soundcloud.com/reubok Canberra rap sensation Maluil Aleer Deng, AKA Maleezy, asserted himself as a force to be reckoned with in Australia’s hip-hop scene back in 2019 with the release of single Win, swiftly followed by debut EP Scared of Shadows. Known for a powerful combination of flowing cadence, spoken word, technical wordplay, and trap-infused hip-hop beats, as well as being a strong voice for racial equality, you can check the man out on Spotify.

Over numerous performances at house parties, bush doofs, and club nights, Sweethard has gained mastery of the danceable footwork, Jersey club, garage and G house genres, lovingly whipping them together into a banging blend (and she’s not afraid to slide a bit of hardstyle in the mix to truly keep you on the toes). You can engage further with Sweethard via her Twitch - twitch.tv/sweethard666 and soundcloud.com/ sweethard666 Speaking of Sweethard and Reuben, you can often see them as one of the able supports of Fiction’s regular, and hugely enjoyable, FEEL Presents Fridays. The upcoming month continues the quality, with headline sets from Enschway (7 May), CC:DISCO! (21 May) and Little Fritter (28 May). All info and tix can be gleaned from intix.com.au In other events news is the highly anticipated return of Hard Attack Presents: Daveqon, where you get more Daves for your buck.

Joining the line-up is the wonderful Davina (Dave) Dzasta and the one and only DJ (Dave) Cotts for a an enthralling night of beatdriven goodness. It’s happening at The Boardwalk Bar & Nightclub, Saturday, 8 May, from 9pm til lickity-late. Tix $15 + bf via Humanitix.

That’s enough for this old man. I’m off for a cup o’ tea and a “biscuit”. *I enjoy the fact that this Austin Powers joke, where Dr Evil tries to prove how “hip” he is by badly recreating the Macarena is now, in itself, a dated reference of a dated reference. An Inception of daginess. Which suits me perfectly @bmamag

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PUNK & DISORDERLY [THE WORD ON PUNK] WITH ALICE WORLEY

Hey-Hey all! So what’s new? Well heaps, as it turns out. We are so chock-a-block with new releases right now, and some cracking shows as well, so let’s get stuck in.

First off, congrats to Highland Light for their release of Absolute and the launch they had in early April at The Basement; definitely the latest I’ve been out on a school night for a while, but well worth it. What a fun time! Well done, also, to supports Parrots With Piercings and THYME; always a blast watching Dave and Khial do their thing, and holy crap THYME were a great way to kick off the night. This was my first time seeing them and they looked so comfortable on stage, threw some cracking covers into their set, and had an infectiously positive energy that they projected onto the crowd. Nice job!

The Dirty Sunflowers have served up a new track In terms of upcoming gigs, The Dirty Sunflowers have a new track, called Reel Love. A musical love letter to Quentin Tarantino movies, they’ll be celebrating its release on Friday, 21 May at Smith’s Alternative with Nora, Box Dye, and Parrots With Piercings.

Congrats guys on another cracking track; Clouded was so fantastic and you’ve totally done it again!

Punk veterans A Commoner’s Revolt have at long last released their debut album, Social Distancing Since 1983.

Canberra THYME bring infectious energy live Sally Chicane had their Oh by the way, which one’s Sally? EP launch on Sunday, 18 April at The Basement and what a wonderful way to spend a Sunday arvo. Accompanied by NTT and Tennessine, they gave us a really energetic, bubbly show. Was super awesome on top of that to see Box Dye frontperson, Mel Sullivan, called up on stage to sing a cover of Green Day’s Basket Case with the Sally Chicane crew. I really love it when local bands collaborate!

Also have to mention that NTT’s singer and guitarist Georgia was an absolute firecracker on that stage. So much vigor and attitude with some amazing vocal talent that was giving me everything I love about ’90s rock ‘n’ roll. My hat is off to you, and thanks for putting on such a great set.

Sydney rising stars FANGZ stopped by on their tour to launch their new single Self Medicate at The Basement. By far the most high-octane show I’ve attended in a long while, the guys absolutely left their blood, sweat and spilled beer all over that stage. I always appreciate when touring bands don’t discount Canberra and give us the best they can, and that’s what these guys did. Born performers, every one of them, we all had such a great time moshing and crowd surfing in their presence. It’s very obvious why they’re getting some attention and being added to festivals like Inverted with the likes of Spiderbait, The Chats, and Skeggs (very interested to see when that show will be rescheduled on account of COVID, cos it’ll be a cracker when it arrives).

So great to see you guys, look forward to having you back in the capital next time around!

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As far as debut albums go, it’s damned impressive and if you’re in the mood for Canberra’s answer to The Dropkick Murphys, I highly recommend. Once this album has you geared up, go and grab yourself a ticket to check them out in the flesh when they play Gang Gang Cafe on the Friday, 8 May with Sic Parvis Magna (Wollongong) and WILSN of Red Door. Gonna be a fab night.

Phew! Look at all those new releases! So much great stuff being made and put into the scene at the moment, I encourage all of you to keep your ear to the ground cos there’s just going to be more and more stuff that’s been put together during COVID that all these talented artists have now refined and are eager to share with you.

Again, I would like to spruik The Noise Floor’s Canberra New Music playlist; it’s being added to all the time and it’s my number one go-to when I wanna check out what’s being thrown into the mix of our Canberra music collection.

Get. On. It. @bmamag

Melbourne-based band Shotgun Mistress has just released their first track for 2021, Bleed Me Out, [ ] an indie contemporary hard rock track that reaffirms the band’s trademark style and will undoubtedly add to their list of hits.

SHOTGUN MISTRESS BLEED ME OUT

After a year of remarkable chart and radio play gains, Shotgun Mistress has strengthened its position at the vanguard of new Australian hard rock. Bleed Me Out is set to repeat the considerable impact of previous singles—Save Me From Myself (#1 iTunes Rock Charts), Glorious Machine (#1 iTunes Rock Charts) and Collide (#4 iTunes Rock Charts)—in anticipation of the forthcoming debut album.

Upholding the remarkable tradition of the rock genre, Bleed Me Out yet again displays the band’s unique characteristics, an unassailable

juggernaut with a seemingly limitless reserve of dynamism, songwriting flair, and exhilarating power.

The visual imagery of the lyric corresponds with the driving rhythm section and the undeniable fire of the guitars—feats of incredible dexterity performed by the band’s worldrenowned guitarist Matt Wilcock (who has been voted one of the top 100 metal guitarists of all time).

An emblematic guitar riff kicks off proceedings, joined by the band and an accented accompaniment. The verse vocal is sung at a low register, one that emphasises the soon to be unleashed melodic punch of the chorus.

Shotgun Mistress’ lyrics mostly deal with emotional upheavals and dynamic relationships. Bleed Me Out is not necessarily any different, yet this time the wordplay refers to addiction, as this line reveals: ‘Best dressed for a relapse, back in line / tick tock cause you’re running out of time’.

The production of Shotgun’s latest is as well-crafted as their previous tracks, with the distorted guitars placed firmly upfront without clouding the mix; a feat that’s quite difficult to achieve.

Bleed Me Out confirms Shotgun Mistress’s flightpath—a soaring trajectory straight up to the next level to launch an unstoppable presence onto the global rock stage.

VINCE LEIGH

Brisbane-based garage rock punksters The Glycereens have been around since 2018 with their debut [ ] album Hangin’ On!. They’re returned with a new track Neon City Lights, a frenetic-paced piece that’s sure to appease those who like their post-punk gritty, trashy—in all the right ways—and brash.

THE GLYCEREENS NEON CITY LIGHTS

The tune kicks off with the band in full swing, a red herring introduction that utilises squishy distortion and raucous drums to induce a shuffle feel that temporarily lulls one into a false sense of tempo and groove security. Soon enough, it veers to a pause, at which time the track’s true heartbeat makes itself known.

Aha, yes, very cute.

From here on out, the tone is set. A two-chord guitar riff underpins the segue into the verses, and indeed, becomes the fluid foundation from which the rest of the song emanates. When those verse vocals emerge from the blanket of crash cymbal aided machete riffs, they are suitably immersed in the established landscape. Punk is protest, and one needs to hear the voice, if not articulating such remonstrations, then indeed sounding like it.

And this sounds like it: insouciance with a reckless streak.

It all works to provide the listener with a specific ride, which is speeding headlong into the slipstream of a post-punk beer barn saturnalia. The succeeding chorus features a reigniting chord change that ushers us into the realm of audience participation with effortless simplicity. ‘Are you ready to go?’ we’re asked.

And the answer is always yes, of course; we are on this expedition to the end.

And what an end. Following another round of verse and chorus, we get an alternative riff that leads us into a guitar solo. Not your one-string twanger either but a relatively melodically inspired series of notes.

From here we’re treated to, unsuspectingly, a motif that emerges from the solo’s residue. A response vocal melody joins this motif for an all-out race to the track’s fade, but what’s intriguing is this counterpoint—both elements are moving separately towards the same end, and they don’t collide.

Neon City Lights is garage rock with hooks, energy and a steadfast attitude, and a healthy allegiance to the genre’s cause. VINCE LEIGH

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METALISE

[THE WORD ON METAL] WITH JOSH NIXON Does it feel a bit weird that music is coming out of hibernation when it starts to get cold?

I dunno, but the amount of pits being opened up on my socials is waking me from a slumber, and the amount of folks getting out from original old school Metal from the Grave to the Tool tribute in recent weeks is awesome to see.

The Basement is booked pretty solid through til early next year now from what I’ve heard and I figure, as the restrictions continue to ease, we might see the rumoured eventuality of some new places for live music opening up in the city – especially off of the back of the grants announced for live music venues in recent weeks from the local government. Here’s hoping for some momentum in the right direction if the feds can actually deliver some vaccines around the joint.

Sydney’s Diamond Construct hit Belco courtesy of Destroy All Lines on Friday, 14 May along with Mirrors and Weighbridge. The lads put out an EP last August called DCX2 and obviously had to wait a bit to start airing their new work for us. With an Architects/ Northlane kinda vibe the EP is some strong work if that’s your cup of metal, so give it a sus before heading along to the show.

Deathbed are part of a massive metal doubleheader at The Basement this May Pilots launched their excellent debut Uncontrolled Airspace last year and so hopefully now the passengers for this flight will be well versed for some of their big sing-along chorus and catchy shuffle hard rockin’ good times.

Longstay locals Buff Tundrel (now known as the sleeker Tundrel) have been kicking out their quality jams for 26 years in Canberra and just dropped their excellent Tundrel Tomes Volume 2 in April.

The guys are giving you a few weeks to marinate on the goodness before hitting up Smith’s Alternative on Friday, 4 June. As noted in this issue’s review by Rory McCartney of aforementioned album, the band are in killer form.

Chain Tombstone & The Dead Men dropped an album in January called Circus of Gore and they’re bringing said circus to The Basement on Friday, 11 June with Axiomatic Theory and Black Heart. Check the album out and then go grab some tickets!

Futility have previewed their latest album, Anhedonic, for me and I’m going to be dropping a review of the monster new death doom classic when I get some details of its release. Suffice to say the lads had upped the ante to produce their best work to date and it’s a bloody ripper, well as much as the word ripper can describe the miserable goodness they cram into the album [Hey gang, Bossman Sko here – you can also preorder the release on Bandcamp now – https://futility.bandcamp.com/ and get an aural peak at some of the tracks!]

Diamond Construct can finally showcase DCX2 Saturday, 22 May is chockers at The Basement with each room hosting something for the fans of heavy.

The big room hosts Sun Burn, the Australian stoner doom festival that kicked off in late 2019 with an enormous show in Melbourne before having to slow up prior to its New Zealand leg due to Covid. The rebirth hits the big room with an enormous line-up of Australia’s heaviest stoner doom acts including Pod People, Potion, Burn the Hostages, Lucifungus, Astro Death and Master Leonard with tickets available through Oztix which, as of writing, were selling very quickly, so don’t miss out.

Out in the back room on the very same night is a huge bill of more upbeat heaviness with local breakdown-heavy Deathbeds headlining Apate, Wraith, and Bury Me. Deathbeds released their excellent debut album Sinner last year and the smaller capacity room has limited tickets so head to Oztix to purchase yours.

For Friday, 28 May prepare your boarding passes through Oztix to take off with Pilots of Baalbek. The flight includes entertainment from central coast rockers The Dunhill Blues and locals BC. The PAGE 22

Furthermore, Kurt from the band is running With A Heavy Heart 8 at the Polish White Eagle/Live at the Polo in July with a massive bill of Australian death doom legends including Cruciform, Illimitable Dolor, Futility, Burden Man and Dust Devil. A stellar bill for mid winter lamentations, and you can get your tickets through Trybooking.

Mucho metal this month, with more to come. See you next time.

BMA ARTIST PROFILE

What is it that you love about the scene? Your genre’s scene?

I love that the rock ‘n’ roll scene is mostly middle-aged people.

They welcomed us with open arms and it is generally a low ego, positive scene. I have had more fun playing in this scene than I have in many years involved in others.

Band name and origins: Pilots Of Baalbek formed in 2018 in Canberra with members from the ACT and outer limits.

Group members: Kaptain Adamski (vocals and guitar), Mistress of Arms (guitars and synth), Wing Walker (bass), and Astro Navigator (drums).

Describe your sound: It’s based on many styles of rock and hard rock from the 1970s; Think Sweet meets AC/DC and Hawkwind.

Who/What are your influences, musical or otherwise?

Musical Influences include Sweet, Guida, AC/DC, The Cult, The Stooges, The Angels, Hawkwind, The Dictators, Hellacopters, James Gang, and Accept.

Can you tell us about some of the most memorable experiences you’ve had as a band?

We haven’t been around that long, but I think a very memorable experience so far was playing a Live in your Lounge set last year. The crew were super professional and it was just great to be on stage with a full set up mid covid.

Tell us about one of your proudest moments?

Proudest moment was being asked to open for my favourite Aussie band The Neptune Power Federation! I had attended many of their gigs and was so happy they reached out and offered us a show when we had only done a few.

What are your plans for the future?

Finish writing new tunes and release some vinyl and secure some shows in Melbourne, Brisbane, and Adelaide.

What makes you laugh?

Generally very silly things make me laugh. Dumb stuff , people doing silly things. I like adult animation like just about anything from Adult Swim.

What pisses you off?

Generally people speaking shit about others as a conversation topic. If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.

Anything else you’d like to add?

Cheers to BMA keeping interest in live music in Canberra alive, Check us out at our next show at The Basement on 28/05/21.

Excerpts from verse novella Errant Night, part one: Under Darker Skies (Twinkling stars aren’t special; just wasted energy warped by atmospheric fluctuations.)

----Canberrans talk about two things in winter: Seasonal Affective Disorder and how grateful we’ll be come summer. Next time; this time. I have the sun in my bones. A craving for warmth unsatisfied by tinder. Matches. Walter Burley Griffin designed incinerators. And Canberra. The difference lies in the brickwork. Detail. Speak of the archaeology of absence, and even the ash is disturbed. This isn’t a little Sydney or an outer-outer Melbourne. I’m a fire sign, a greedy summer tan. But winter here is cold, getting colder.

Everything is detail. I’m not dead, but my autopilot days are cold.

Functional. August’s grey snow is mostly dust and routine. Speckled milestones posted online. Melt away. I feel something, sometimes. Tattoo needles. Scalding coffee. Hangovers. I taste almost every meal consumed.

I know I’m SAD, but depression is my heart’s armour. Rusted shut.

----Terrans have only one territory beyond our solar system. 4.24 light-years from home lies Proxima Centauri b. Barren, mostly.

Terraforming was largely unsuccessful, but the lone triumph houses the port city of Narcissau. Located within a massive crater, Narcissau is an upended toybox; a cubist favela of imperma-housing and bolted on architectural addendums.

Docks line the rim above, linked by spiralling wallbound shuttle to city floor. Narcissau buzzes as if a beehive in a cob loaf. To entrepreneurial dismay, extra-terrestrial life cared little for most trinkets of Earth.

Most. They love our shipping containers. We learned to specialize without hubris. Traffic wholesale and hollow. Narcissau became the ironsided hub of trade. FIFO workers commuting across the void.

----I thought I had found a deserter. Abnormalities plucked from a deep space scan, but upon approach I discovered a planet bejewelled.

Ablaze with not fire. Not-fire. Alighted. The surface was kneedeep in silicate bones. Opalised; the not-fire visible from space. I come from a land down under the boots of mining magnates and opportunistic narratives. Sanctioned piracy. Beauty in pressure. I drink vision, pay small change respects. Leave the dead to shine.

Without regular use, the dust in my throat chokes and the hinges of my jaw squeak. My roommate is iron-stoic. Poor conversationalist. I wish I could say I built an AI, but I’m a lousy programmer. (I bought a kit online.

Soldered on.) I don’t crave conversation, but the dust accumulates.

I’ll admit to the dark outside that I treasure most the silence between pithy sparks. To name is to limit, so Lexic Onthedash will keep our

relationship professional. Wired into the dashboard radiophone, tasked with trawling for pop hits and comm calls. (What do you know, L.O., L.O.?) Nobody calls. My number is a closely guarded secret. (‘ello, ‘ello?)

----I have seen a hundred thousand worlds since my convalescence. With every system jump, time hiccups back, and I arrive the day before I left.

I am older than I look. I am the tired that endures. Countless wonders wash over me. I feel something, sometimes. I am the autopilot. A fleet follows me now; crewed by the accretion of worlds passed. I traded my ex-employer’s ship in, up, on and on. I miss my first ship; nostalgia is a rare pang reminding me reminding reminding I was. I am what was. My latest vessel is a sleek whisper half a mile long, leaping solar systems under breath. All my teeth are anew. I am what was has become. I have climbed to the top without cheer. My hands quake but show no fault lines. I think I think I was looking for something. Opal bones. Rogue stars. What was now is. I come from a world of material fixation and incoherence.

----Fall. Strike satellite. Plummet and rattle. A panel falls off a wing, slicing through the air as sycamore seed. A shuriken spiking Lake George’s bed, to rest in silver glow and soil plume. I am a nosedive; an abrupt halt. A beautiful moon hangs over the turbines.

I never did find my Medicare card. Never did find the light.

----Jerzy Beaumont’s excellent Errant Night is available now from Recent Work Press for a mere $19.95.

Jerzy Beaumont’s work has appeared in publications such as Cicerone Journal, Australian Poetry Journal 8.2, The Dirty Thirty Anthology, BITE Magazine, The Canberra Times, Hobo Camp Review, Cordite 93: PEACH, NO NEWS, and more.

A graduate of UC’s Bachelor of Writing, he represented the ACT at the Australian Poetry Slam finals in 2017, and has performed his poetry throughout Australia and the USA. This is his first book. recentworkpress.com/books/product/errant-night

DANCE OF REBELLION

By Josh Eckersley

This month QL2 Dance are returning to the Canberra Theatre Centre Playhouse to present their highly anticipated show REBEL: THEN. NOW. WHEN? We spoke to artistic director Ruth Osborne about the Quantum Leap ensemble behind the project, and the challenges they’ve faced in bringing REBEL to life.

The QL2 Dance company has a fascinating history in the Canberra dance community, existing and evolving in various forms for over 20 years. Originally part of the Australian Choreographic Centre, changes to funding resulted in the formation of QL2 Dance in 2007, which was developed primarily to continue growing all of the established and esteemed youth dance programs.

The ever-present Ruth Osborne has remained a constant fixture throughout, serving as a guiding beacon in the precarious waters of contemporary youth dance in Australia. Wearing many hats as she tirelessly works to support an endless run of young artists, she gives us a glimpse of what it takes to keep things moving forward: “My role here involves everything, like overseeing all the programs, developing the Quantum Leap project each year, and doing some of the choreography… so it’s a big, beautiful job really.”

One of the most renowned of their current dance programs is the Quantum Leap ensemble, which focuses on developing young dancers aged 14 to 21 years, in an intensive six-month-plus journey towards a major performance. This year their project is called REBEL: THEN. NOW. WHEN, and explores the uncertainty of today’s world by looking through the lens of our past and future. Where activism and social rebellion have successfully brought positive change to society in the past, the question is raised of how we can again find the strength to bring about greatly needed change in these uncertain times.

As Ruth explains it: “The idea behind REBEL is about acknowledging from the past, from the ‘60s and ‘70s, the amazing amount of activism and protests that went on in that era, and what was achieved and what developed over that time. We’ve been looking at that historically and contrasting that with today and what the issues are now. What are the movements that are happening and what do we have to call out now? For the young people involved, it’s about understanding their rich history and not taking everything for granted... it is also about leadership. Who do we follow, and what do we believe in? When do we stand up for what we believe in?”

It is clear Ruth is very passionate about the subject matter and supports the young artists in actively participating in many aspects of the project, from decision-making to contributing creatively.

“We take about seven months to develop a project,” she says, “so we go into it very deeply and it’s very much a collaboration with the young people, so everybody’s involved with it and not just being taught steps. We look at different subjects that will make a difference to young people. It’s not about telling them how to think, it’s giving them the opportunity to discuss, research and make up their own

Photos: Lorna Sim minds. We feel it’s important to have a subject that can make a difference to them, and when audiences see committed, talented young people on stage, really believing in what they are doing and saying with their bodies, they will be inspired by that as well.”

Originally slated for a 2020 release, the performance had to be rescheduled last year, due to the impacts of Covid-19. Ruth tells us: “REBEL was something that we started last year before the pandemic hit. We decided we wouldn’t try and finish it then; we will do it this year instead. So, it’s been a bit of a challenge, but it’s been great.”

Given the entire industry is reliant on physical connection and touch between dancers, the overall impacts of the pandemic on the dance community have been overwhelming. Despite this, out of necessity, some adaptation and innovation in the face of adversity has helped QL2 weather the storm and come back even stronger. Ruth recalls: “It was devastating, as I’m sure it was for a lot of people. Certainly, in our industry, it’s been terrible. We went online completely. We had started REBEL, had auditioned the dancers and were doing our Sunday rehearsals (when Covid-19 hit), so we went online. We Zoomed, with everyone dancing at home, filming stuff and sending it in to us. It was difficult but I’m incredibly proud of everyone, of my staff and the teachers for adapting the way they did. We managed to get through.”

Thankfully we won’t have to wait much longer to see these young stars up on stage. REBEL: THEN. NOW. WHEN is showing at The Playhouse, 20-22 May. Tickets from $28 + bf via the venue.

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THE IMPERMANENCE OF ALL THINGS

By Josh Eckersely The Sydney Dance Company are set to unleash their latest work at the Canberra Theatre Centre in June.

We spoke to their world-renowned Artistic Director/ Choreographer Rafael Bonachela about his newest creation, the incomparable work, Impermanence.

So rarely will an artist come along at precisely the right time to portray a subject so eerily relevant that it serves to hold a mirror to the modern human experience. Somehow, they manage to capture our thoughts, fears and vulnerabilities within their art, and in doing so they captivate our collective minds with something so relatable that its far-reaching appeal is undeniable.

The artist I’m referring to is Rafael Bonachela of the Sydney Dance Company. The work is Impermanence, and it is coming to Canberra, briefly.

Hailing from the small town of La Garriga, near Barcelona, Spain, Bonachela was born in the fading shadow of the Franco dictatorship, which had gripped the country for more than 30 years. Following his downfall was somewhat of a cultural revolution that suited the young Bonachela’s passion for dance.

“I always loved dancing, but I didn’t even know at the time that it was called choreography. I had never been to a ballet or a dance company.

There was no dance school in my town either. I just always loved dancing.

It’s something that felt very natural to me. I was born under Franco, the fascist ruling, but from when I was born to now, Spain is a very different country. Spain now enjoys and appreciates culture and music and dance…

I was the first generation of what became an incredibly open-minded, forward-thinking culture, but it had been in the dark for a long time.”

After training in Barcelona, Bonachela moved to London to further study dance. Over a 20-year period he honed his craft and eventually founded his own company before being invited to Sydney in 2008 as a guest choreographer with the Sydney Dance Company. It was here as the Artistic Director that he established an artistic vision and identity for the company that was unique and different to anything else around the world.

Bonachela recalls: “At first I thought, I’ve got my company in London and it’s taken me 20 years to set myself up, but after a couple of months being in Sydney and getting to know the company, I realised the potential of what I could do with the Sydney Dance Company… Over the last 12 years I’ve really focused on showcasing the best of contemporary choreography to Australian audiences and audiences around the world.”

The Sydney Dance Company remain at the forefront of modern dance with their latest full-length work, Impermanence, which is described as a visceral and thrilling exploration of the juxtaposition of beauty and devastation. Bonachela conceived the idea for Impermanence and brought the show to life alongside the acclaimed composer Bryce Dessner, best known as the guitarist from Grammy award-winning rock band The National, and for his film scores for The Revenant and The Two Popes. Inspired by the tragedies of the Notre-Dame fire in Paris and the recent Australian bushfires, Impermanence promises to be a breathtaking journey into the transitory qualities of humanity.

As Bonachela explains: “Impermanence is a philosophical concept of change; the title reflects on the ephemeral nature of life. It was conceived from a conversation with the composer Bryce Dessner, in Paris in 2019, about the fire in Notre-Dame. We were reflecting on how easily things fall apart, like Notre-Dame, that had been there for hundreds of years.

Structures that you’d imagine would be there forever, eternal, but are not.

There was also the fragility and impermanence of human life, the planet, and human relationships. When talking about that it felt like the perfect subject for live performance, which itself is in the moment and fleeting.”

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Photos: Pedro Grieg Then, in late 2019, with the music-writing process underway, the Australian bushfires raged through many parts of the country, impacting both artists in a deep way. Bonachela recalls the impact on Dessner’s writing process.

“He had a real connection with Australia. He had friends that had to be evacuated and that really affected him. Out of that he created these incredible pieces of music which are full of emotional power and are epic, raw, and poignant.”

Originally slated to open in March last year, audiences can now finally experience this show, performed live on stage by 17 incredible dancers, together with the Australian String Quartet.

The excitement and gratitude of this momentous occasion are not lost on Bonachela, who is hopeful and positive about the future of dance, of art, and of humanity.

“It’s all been so crazy in the last year but for me, the awareness of the impermanence of everything has become even more real. I feel that I must seize every moment and that every moment counts. To be present and to be living in the moment is what gives me energy and what gives me hope…

“We have all shared this trauma and humanity has experienced something over the last 12 months that we’ve never experienced before. I think that will stay with us, but I also believe we are stronger and more unified than before. I really want to believe that we are, and that’s another thing that gives me hope.”

Impermanence is showing at Canberra Theatre Centre, 4 - 5 June 2021. Tickets $69-89 + bf from venue.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF COUNTRY

By Allan Sko Actor and playwright Dylan Van Den Berg is a theatrical treasure.

Scooping writing accolades such as The Griffin Theatre and The Rodney Seaborn Playwright Award winner, and recent winner of the Nick Enright Award for Playwriting in the 2021 NSW Literary Awards, Dylan also impressed with his excellent acting turn in Metamorphosis at The Street Theatre at the end of 2019.

Now, with Milk, Dylan is finally able to present his most important work to date as both writer and actor.

“I’m terrified,” Dylan confesses. “It’s been the longest lead up in history. And the added pressure is that this will be The Street’s return to life. So it’s double the usual anxiety!”

Also fuelling Dylan’s healthy nerves is that Milk is a very personal story, and an important one. The premise is thus: On the precipice of something life changing, a young Palawa man plunges into an exploration of self and Country.

Carried with the winds of a metaphysical Flinders Island, the land of his mob and the place where it all happened, he is drawn back to the dawn of colonisation. To a woman who bore the brunt of the oppressors’ violence, and then forward to her granddaughter, who buried the truth as a means of survival.

Stirring up stories together, with parts both achingly sad and unexpectedly funny, what unfolds reveals by slow degrees painful but important truths.

A compelling tale, no question. So, why the title Milk?

“It exists for a number of reasons,” Dylan explains. “The story is about three Aboriginal ancestors from different periods of time converting in this metaphysical space, kind of Flinders Island. And each of them are grappling with the reverberations of colonisation; one of the characters is from first contact and PAGE 28

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another is from the ‘60s in Tassie. And another one is from the present day. He is a fair-skinned Aboriginal man. So the title Milk comes from the fact that at some point in the play, someone describes him as having skin like milk.

“And there are references to motherhood and children, so there’s that connection as well. But the clearest one is around skin color, and with skin that doesn’t reflect his ancestors, this young man asks: do the stories of the past belong to him?

“Funnily enough,” Dylan recalls after further chat, “the title of the play came to me before the story, about six or seven years ago. There was a comment, something overheard in a cafe or somewhere, that gave me a sense that it would be an interesting title. It’s just been with me for so long now that I’ve almost forgotten where it exactly came from.”

With delicate themes such as race and identity, and the tricky idea of to whom a story belongs, Dylan went about his work with great care.

“I think the big question of the play is: what are the stories we’re allowed to tell?” Dylan muses. “That we’re entitled to tell?

It’s certainly something I grappled with a lot. And of course, the answer is, yes, you are entitled to tell the stories.

“In the last few years I really started to explore what it means to be fair skinned and still be Aboriginal,” he says. “There’s a lot of privilege that comes with that; you haven’t suffered in the same way that your ancestors might have. However, there’s a great loss that you’ve suffered as well. It was the policies of the colonisers that resulted in us having light skin so there’s a real cultural deficit.”

With the present day character being a younger playwright, one could assume an autobiographical element to be at play. @bmamag

“It’s certainly inspired by my experience, and stories of my family, but also Tasmanian Aboriginal history more broadly,” Dylan explains. “I was born, and grew up in, Tassie; that’s on my Dad’s side. On my Mum’s side, I’m English and Irish. I always knew about my Aboriginal heritage, but it wasn’t until later when I started to realise what that meant.”

While he has been wrestling with the scope and ethics of this weighty story, there’s one aspect Dylan had set since the start.

“I was lucky enough to work through The Street Theatre’s First Seen program,” he says. “And in the very first development, the ending is one of the earliest things that I wrote. And it hasn’t changed a word throughout the process. In the last few years, I’ve always known where it was going. It’s both an ending with a full stop and the beginning of something as well.”

With an ending, a title, and a purpose firmly in place, Dylan engaged a collaborative spirit - both during its creation and on stage - to help tell not only his story, but one of a wider culture.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to work with Aunty Gaye Doolan, who is an incredible Palawa woman. And we’re related,” Dylan says. “It’s been amazing to be able to shape this story that’s inspired not just by my family history, but by an Aboriginal history of which Aunty Gaye is across. It’s been a great process to be able to collaborate with someone who has such knowledge.”

Dylan has the same gratitude and praise for his fellow actors: the terrific Roxanne McDonald and Katie Beckett.

“They’re incredible,” Dylan effuses. “They’ve contributed to developing the work along the way. Both were part of its creation at different stages; Katie a couple of years ago, Roxy last year.

And I’m really excited to get to work with them on it. It’s not often that you start working with actors who’ve had input in the material. So we’re not starting at square one.

facebook.com/bmamagazine

“It’s also adding to my anxieties working with such great performers!”

Dylan elaborates further of the significance of their input.

“It was great to have Indigenous women contributing to those characters,” he says. “It’s an experience I’m not familiar with. It was really important to have them in the room; the characters as they exist now are a living combination of bits and pieces that were shared, from their own experiences of the world.”

The telling of this story, and its potential impact, expands even further, encapsulating not just Aboriginal people, but all people of Australia.

“My view is that, if you’re writing a story for the community, it’s their story as well. I do feel that responsibility,” Dylan states.

“A big thing that drove this - from my research and from stories that I’ve heard - is that a lot of Australia considered Tasmanian Aboriginal people to be extinct. There were films made about this in the ‘70s. So for me, in the back of my head as I’m writing this play, I was saying to myself: ‘We are still here, and I want people to know that we are still here’.

“I see Milk as an invitation to audiences to consider their own pasts and histories, and the part they’ve potentially played in ongoing colonisation. And also reflect on the responsibilities that everyone has to contribute to reconciliation.”

A weighty and worthy work indeed! Milk by Dylan Van Den Berg is on at The Street Theatre from Thursday, 3 June (Preview) - Saturday, 12 June. Tickets range from $32 - $45 and are available via thestreet.org.au/shows/milk-dylan-van-den-berg

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WHAT’S OLD IS NEW AGAIN

By Dan Bigna

“It’s something I’ve been thinking about for many years and it will be a fairly unique run of shows.”

ED KUEPPER

As you would expect, those strange times in 2020 created the opportunity for individual sensibilities to get a good workout. Prolific Australian musician Ed Kuepper decided time well spent in isolation was to perform a number of live streaming shows, and also to pull out a bunch of early Beatles records and re-connect with finely attuned song craft channelled through basic instrumentation.

The thrill of those records had made him want to pick up the guitar and blast out some chords from an early age, and revisiting them proved a welcome distraction from the chaos happening outside.

“It was a weird kind of time. It went by very quickly and also very slowly,” Kuepper muses. “Everything was blurred from one day to the next. I listened to Beatles records that I hadn’t listened to for decades. It was fascinating how good those records were, and the nine year-old in me came back when listening again. It was a pleasant experience and I think sometimes it’s good to go back to the very beginning; it’s easy to get a bit jaded and cynical in the music business.”

Once upon a time, Kuepper and vocalist Chris Bailey embraced a cynical sneer and invented Australian punk rock in The Saints circa 1976. But Kueppers’s urge to push musical boundaries even further became crystal clear in post-Saints group Laughing Clowns and the head spinning number of solo and collaborative recordings he made since.

One particularly appealing group was The Aints, a Stooges and John Coltrane influenced outfit Kuepper formed in the early 1990s. In 2018, Kuepper revived The Aints!, with the added ‘!’ to the name to distinguish it from the earlier incarnation, and recorded The Church of Simultaneous Existence, made up of songs and “various musical and lyrical elements” he had written many years before. Promo material called it a “surprise success” but I consider it one of his greatest albums; a striking blend of best bits from his past work.

Time moves on and in a good sign things are starting to happen again in live music, Kuepper will be teaming up with adventurous percussionist Jim White [known to many for his imaginative work in The Dirty Three] for a string of shows comprising songs from Kuepper’s extensive back catalogue. The tour coincides with a number of CD and vinyl releases including a collection of singles Kuepper recorded between 1986 and 1996 when people were still buying singles.

Kuepper has always picked his accompanying musicians with care and I want to hear about Jim White’s appeal as a performing partner.

But before we get to Jim, I am interested to hear a bit more about the genesis of The Church of Simultaneous Existence.

“When I did an album a few years ago called Lost Cities [2015] which, depending how you count them, is sort of my 50th album, I was thinking for a little while it should be my last one,” Kuepper says.

“But then I had all these melodies pop into my head, and a lot of these were melodies I had written when I was really young.

So I had this brief idea that I would turn these melodies into a Lost Cities-style thing except make it more orchestral, but that didn’t happen. Then there was an offer to do a tour to commemorate some anniversary, or something The Saints had done. That was an offer for The Aints to do this. Initially I said no, but then a year later another thing came through and I said: ‘Look, ok, but on the basis that it’s not just going to be a cheap, nostalgic kind of thing’.

Kuepper goes on to point out: “The Saints were never in Australia for very long. We played in Brisbane while

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@bmamag

Jim and Ed we were developing and not many fans of the band [in Australia] saw the original line-up and were not really exposed to what was a rapid development; three albums in 18 months and then split up.

to those before or after. This will be dependent on a range of factors, including the mood of both performers on any given night, the level of interaction with the audience, and the general vibe of the venue.

“But there was a back story to the band, and I had all these songs and bits of songs, so I said I would do The Saints commemorative tour, or whatever it was, but I was going to introduce new, yet old, material.

There was a worried silence on the promoters’ part but I was pretty sure hardcore fans were going to like this and that turned out to be the case.

“We are starting with discovering everything I’ve done in terms of a time span kind of thing and there will be some new things in there,” he says. “But it’s more the way the songs are going to be played. Every night is going to be different to the night before.

“That album was road-tested. I didn’t want to force the material if it wasn’t working live. I didn’t want to record if we played to an audience and they responded negatively. But the opposite happened and it really galvanised people. And somewhere along the line a decision was made that we should actually record it. And that’s what we did.”

In 2019, The Aints! played a show at The Street Theatre in support of The Church of Simultaneous Existence and it was energised, creative, and just straight up good fun. Now in June, Kuepper will return to The Street but this time without the full band, instead opting to perform with the great drummer Jim White.

I ask Ed the motivation for touring as a two-piece.

“I really like him as a drummer,” Kuepper says. “He cites The Saints and the [Laughing] Clowns as early, major influences on what he’s done, so we have some musical shared history. Basically, he’s played in bands who have supported me and I’ve done shows where I’ve supported bands he’s played in. It’s something I’ve been thinking about for many years and it will be a unique run of shows. We don’t have plans beyond what we’ve advertised at the moment. We’ll just see how it goes.

“I like the idea of adding and subtracting rhythmic elements at times,” he continues. “I did an album of guitar, voice, and drums in 1990, Today Wonder. But this is different. It’s electric for starters, not acoustic. I think you have to experiment a bit from time to time. Solo shows were very important to me for developing as a musician, but I also think there is something about interacting with a musician like Jim who is a really good interpreter. He has a sort of spontaneous approach to his playing but is also really solid”.

Ed is also keen to pursue the notion of spontaneous creation in these shows so that any one performance could turn out to be quite different facebook.com/bmamagazine

“In a way, the material is secondary to the performance. It’s more of a musicians’ kind of interpretive, spontaneous night by night thing. Given how everything is recorded these days, it’s nice to do things that are kind of one-off, that are there for people who are there in that moment.”

To coincide with the shows, three albums will be released. The Laughing Clowns compilation Golden Days: When Giants Walked the Earth, originally released in 1995, will be making its first appearance on vinyl.

There will also be The Aints! Live at the Bowlo, and a singles collection Ed Kuepper - Singles ‘86’ ‘96’ that will be his first ever collection of 45s and CD singles. There is little doubt that all three will sound great and become significant additions to Ed Kuepper’s lengthy discography.

Referring to the Laughing Clowns compilation that I first picked up in the mid 1990s on CD at a time when vinyl had been consigned to the historical dustbin, Kuepper says: “It’s important to me to have the material available again. It’s an ongoing, slow process, but we are getting there. We are testing the waters with this collection. It is a good compilation. The actual mastering is truer to the original releases and we’ll see how we go.”

The singles collection will sit nicely alongside existing Ed Kuepper compilations and remind music fans that a long, long time ago singles made significant musical statements.

“That was the era in which I released singles, that decade between the mid 80s to the mid 90s”, Kuepper says. Beyond that this is the first time those particular songs have been collected together. At first I was a little dubious about it. But once we actually started doing it and I listened to it, it seemed to work”.

Ed Kuepper With Jim White perform at The Street Theatre on Thursday, 24 June at 8pm. Tickets are $50 via the venue.

PAGE 31 PAGE 31

VISUALISING HARMONY

by Ruth O’Brien Something I never tire of is talking about the creative process of artists. No matter if it’s a solo artist, duo, or group, I love hearing about the way people make creative choices around their art form.

I especially geek out when discussing the cross-over between different art forms and how one can influence another.

For this reason, among many others, I thoroughly enjoyed my recent interview with Bindi McFarlane - world-class violinist with the London Symphony Orchestra no less - who is the facilitator of the upcoming collaboration between Belconnen Arts Centre and the Canberra Symphony Orchestra (CSO) called Visualising Harmony.

In the days leading up to the final performance, five artists with disability from the Belconnen Arts Centre’s IGNITE Program will work with Bindi in a series of workshops. They will create new original musical pieces inspired by the orchestral Viridian, by Australian composer Richard Meale.

Viridian will be played live to the IGNITE artists by the CSO in a rehearsal of the piece in the week prior to the workshops with Bindi. This will provide the artists and the CSO musicians with the opportunity to talk about the work, their art, and the project overall.

And then, once back working solely with Bindi, the IGNITE artists will take inspiration from colours used within their own visual artworks to create new works.

Guided by the excellence of Bindi’s improvisational, compositional, and creative techniques, the project will culminate in a unique relaxed performance at the Belconnen Arts Centre.

“The Canberra players (CSO) haven’t done any projects like this before,” Bindi explains. “So that’s why it’s professional development as well, because we won’t be using scores and pieces of music.

“And writing music down will be improvised; improvising and creating music that is completely original. Musically, the ideas will come from the group working together as the workshops proceed, and I’ll facilitate all of that.

“The music will all benew. And we may take themes from Richard’s piece, you know, little elements of his music, maybe a theme, maybe some chords, but it’s not recreating pieces. It’s using it as a sort of germ from which we can make our own music.”

The levels of musical experience within the IGNITE group will PAGE 32 undoubtedly vary. But, as Bindi says, the project is about:

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“Making music with non-instrumental makers. There may be some instrumentalists [in the IGNITE group] working with us, we don’t know.

“We will use instruments like percussion, and xylophones, and then the CSO players will have their instruments. It’s all led by the participants.”

So how on Earth, in a world still struggling with a global pandemic, does a project like this come to be in Canberra?

Well, CSO and Belco Arts have collaborated in the past, and the catalyst for rekindling the partnership was the Restart Investment to Sustain and Expand (RISE) Fund, part of the Australian Government Funding to reactivate the arts sector after COVID. When this funding was announced, Belco Arts approached CSO and, once they started talking, had several ideas for how they could potentially work together.

Bindi McFarlane was already residing in Australia throughout the COVID crisis and had worked on similar projects with the London Symphony Orchestra in the community outreach program called Discovery. “[Discovery] is all about extending the reach of an orchestra,” McFarlane explains. “Making an orchestra more than just an “office”. It’s a group of people in a concert hall on stage, it’s about taking those players out into communities, bringing communities into the orchestra; it’s about smashing the “glass” around an orchestra and trying to make it relevant.”

Visualising Harmony is about making music inspired by colour. But it’s also about removing barriers.

Removing barriers that might stop an artist with disability having the chance to interact with an orchestra. Removing barriers to the kind of work orchestras can do and how they do it.

And breaking barriers around certain stigmas that might typically be attached to both these groups of people.

Collaborative projects like this demonstrate that there are ways of making the arts accessible. Music-making can be done by anyone if barriers are removed for how to do so.

Likewise, orchestras should not simply be enjoyed by those with the monetary means to attend such performances. By using creativity and visualising new ways of making music, new and exciting art works and performances can be created like this one.

As an artist with disability myself, I know and understand some of the barriers that can come from music making. Many traditional instruments are simply inaccessible for me, and this has lead me to concentrating mainly on my voice, electronic sounds, and accompaniment from other musicians to create the music I want to make.

Visualising Harmony should be a great example of how access and inclusion can be done well both in the arts sector and by utilising the arts as a tool for connection, creativity and individual expression.

Visualising Harmony is on at the Belco Arts Centre, 7pm, Friday, 21 May, 2021. The show will be one-hour and there will be no interval.

The performance is suitable for people of all ages. If you have any accessibility requirements to make your experience of the show more comfortable, please mention these upon booking. Alternatively, you can talk to the Belco Arts Centre staff on 6173 3300 or email hello@ belcoarts.com.au

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Photo of Bindi McFarlane by Tina K Photography Artworks L to R: Jill Hayman, Nyulla Sofi, Jimalyn Lawless, PAGE 33 Dennis Thorncraft, Matthew Templeton, Barbara Van Der Linden

[CANBERRA MUSIC REVIEWS] SPUTNIK SWEETHEART JEALOUSY [

]

In support of their new release, Jealousy, Sputnik Sweetheart will be hitting the road for a massive five-stop east-coast tour, hitting Brisbane, Sydney, Wollongong, Canberra and, finally, Melbourne. The new track arrives in the wake of rave reviews for their last single, Rolling, from many quarters, including Triple J, Tone Deaf, and their ever-growing army of fans.

The verse melody here echoes the guitar riff, a juxtaposition as soft-edged as the lyric is affably deliberate. A couple of cycles in, and we’re faced with the chorus, a stirring encapsulation of kinetic instrumentation and melody, the drum part taken up a notch with the collective effort stamping a tender grandiosity onto the overall impact.

As we’re led into the second verse territory, our listening fates are sealed.

For me, this was secured after hearing the line: ‘I won’t let you eat alone on Christmas eve’. That’s the kind of line I want to hear; a romantic tension wrapped in a subtle humorous declaration.

What we expect—another chorus to appear—does so of course, but in another form; a subdued version of it, a sleight-of-hand which not only reveals the part’s melodic strength but its vulnerable one too.

The four-piece alternative rock band, formed in 2018, is primed to continue on their skyward trajectory with Jealousy. Sputnik is in fine form here, displaying a level of restraint and inventiveness that is casually alluring without sacrificing any indie-rock energy.

But the fully armed chorus does eventuate, only by leading us firstly into a beautifully climactic half-time bridge, a sensual peak that transforms more exquisite guitar work back into a chorus.

Where do we begin?

Sputnik Sweetheart has delivered yet again— Jealousy is a splendidly potent indie-rock experience.

The intertwining guitar lines are an excellent starting point. But let’s go to the introductory identifying key guitar riff, a cohesive blend of single notes and chord twists, enabling a raw and unfettered playfulness that becomes a suitable bed for another of Nette France’s ethereally buoyant vocal performances.

Third single in for The SunBears follows recent track Hurricane with the three-piece establishing [ ] their claim on some hallowed territory with sly exuberance and effortless musical poise. Devil Smile is a chugging, steamrolling amalgamation of the band’s collective skills.

THE SUNBEARS DEVIL SMILE

The new track highlights a mutualistic relationship between vocal and guitar, a smooth interplay that underscores the thematic realms explored. Present, also, is a distinctive dynamic between verse and chorus, one which is perhaps de rigueur for such a style.

Still, on Devil Smile, this tussle is displayed with alacrity and uninhibited naturalness. The relatively low register of the verse vocal contrasts suitably and effectively with the emancipated growls and grit of the chorus, particularly in the tag where, dare I say it, the ghost of Hendrix hovers conspiratorially—a most welcome spiritual presence indeed.

VINCE LEIGH

The SunBears’ previous tracks have all exhibited a coalescence of genres, with rock and blues being the most prominent, then slicing and dicing these into whatever sub-genres emerge after that. Devil Smile does not diverge from this. The track is evocative in the sense that it adheres to those brooding, almost menacing characteristics that have long since marked the allure of the particular style. This evocation can only transpire as a result of the musical artistry at play.

And I don’t use that term lightly.

What persuades here are the performances. If we put aside the quality of the song for one moment—though I am always wary of contemplating such a thing—the playing is enough to carry one’s attention through to the end. Such expertise is part of the fabric of the track. And yes, despite my tendency to prioritise the song above all else, in such musical playgrounds as The SunBears frolic, this characteristic is not quite as vital.

There are other artistic models, the kinds which do not require the listener to latch onto hooks necessarily but to immerse themselves in another sort of language: an emotional reality that seems to churn and ripple with unquantifiable integrity.

VINCE LEIGH

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ALBUM IN

FOCUS

fame) and the services of drummer Dave Williams and bassist Peter Mackenzie (although live gigs employ Marty Pye and ‘Grezzy’ as the rhythm section).

The new release adopts a loose concept album approach, with Under the Skin - which appears in four parts throughout the track list - as the common theme which holds the disparate parts of the album together.

Cloaked in mystery, the album does not give up its themes easily. Bearing strong prog rock sensibilities, Vol II is a work that really needs to be listened to as an album rather than just cherry-picking random songs.

TUNDREL THE TUNDREL TOMES VOLUME II Renowned local band Buff Tundrel, with a pedigree going back to 1995, has gone through a few line-up changes over the ages (while retaining the core duo of Nathan Rowlands and Jason Hore). They shortened the name to Tundrel and issued debut LP Tundrel Tomes Vol I in 2015.

And now the lads have released Vol II, with the aid of engineer Sean Boucher (of Cog

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Put Em Down drifts in with sparse string plucks that are slowly engulfed in a cloud of distortion. The powerful vocals of Jason Hore start off, resigned to the routine grind of ‘another day’, before they take on an overwhelming rage that is matched by the descent of pitiless, distorted guitars.

Heavyweight riffs circle menacingly in rising clouds, with psychedelic injects adding to the fray. If you were looking for a single from this LP, then this (or Cornucopia) would be it.

replete with brilliant long-held, wavering notes, and Hore suitably abandons restraint in the vocals.

Shedding returns to the industrial feel, with huge, low-end torque guitars and vocals that fight their way through a cloud of distortion.

Sleep presents as a jangle of harsh intersecting sounds, representing the disturbed thoughts which prevent achievement of the much longed for rest.

Clouds of psychedelic tones disturb the atmosphere. Where is the blissful escape that only his dreams can provide, as the track ends suddenly with the plea ‘Sleep!’?

Deep Meditative Trance - Streetlights brings a deceptively laid-back start, slow and hypnotic, before catching you unawares with short bursts of raging vocals. It exemplifies the Tundrel style of a restrained fury with tracks having both calm and wild personas.

Finally, its twin, DMT - New Dawn, stands out from the rest of this collection with its confused electronic chatter running through the song.

The new record represents a period of growth for the band, whilst retaining their strongly atmospheric stance with a mix of gentleness juxtaposed with surging guitars and towering vocals. In developing their sound, they have employed an older album Then rock ballad Cornucopia, an unquestionable album highlight, typifies the format which encourages you to immerse yourself in the entire work, rather than just band’s ‘slow but heavy’ approach. It brings a cruisy pace with a tethered grunt that always random tracks. seems to be on the edge of going crazy. The Worth your ears. track holds itself in check, until it unleashes RORY McCARTNEY with a storming guitar solo in the bridge The River delivers an industrial feel with steam hammer riffs. Hore’s singing and thunderous guitars battle each other for supremacy, with the axes winning this round.

PAGE 35

Photo by Tim Floyd

[FILM REVIEWS]

THE WORD ON

FILMS with Cameron Williams SAID SON TO MOM: WANNA WATCH A MON-ROM-COM? It’s a classic love story.

Guy meets girl. Guy falls in love with girl. Guy loses girl when the monster apocalypse hits.

In Love and Monsters, Joel (Dylan O’Brien; The Maze Runner) and Aimee (Jessica Henwick; Game of Thrones) are monster-crossed lovers who live in separate underground bunkers. The couple stay in touch using a CB radio while creatures roam on the surface and feast on human survivors.

After a creature attacks Joel’s bunker, he decides it’s finally time to journey into the wild – without any prior survival experience – in order to find Aimee.

Ain’t love grand.

Joel provides narration that drives Love and Monsters and as soon as you can say, “this feels a lot like Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” a poster for the 1980s classic can be spotted on his bedroom wall.

Director Michael Matthews (Five Fingers for Marseilles), and screenwriters Brian Duffield (Underwater) and Matthew Robinson (Dora and the Lost City of Gold), fill their mon-rom-com (monster-romantic-comedy) with prerequisite heartache and giant mutant worms.

O’Brien is charming as the lovesick Joel and his chemistry with Henwick during their early scenes together is enough to justify his romantic quest.

Joel personifies the crazy things people do when they’re young and in love as he evades mutated frogs and insects, and it’s the creatures that make the greatest impression.

The creature design for each beast is spectacular, and there’s enough variety to send the mind into overdrive at what may be lurking around the next corner. The visuals effects work is so grand that Love and Monsters is nominated

for the Best Visual Effects Oscar and it’s well deserved.

Joel’s monster encounters are fun and he gets a crash course in survival by a duo of no-nonsense outdoor experts (Michael Rooker; Guardians of the Galaxy), and Ariana Greenblatt (The One and Only Ivan) he meets along the way.

Wisely, Joel’s trip breaks away from the romantic set-up as he grows in confidence, but it then makes Love and Monsters feels like an entrée. A lot is crammed into the final showdown but it pulls up too short after Joel finds his feet.

Love and Monsters has plenty of charm and a visually dazzling array of creatures.

But a craving for more lingers.

More love?

More monsters?

Insert sequel here.

NOMADLAND [

]

U.S. Gypsum’s plant in Empire, Nevada, which has provided work for the town, has closed down. Snow covers the ground, it’s well below freezing during the day. With no other work, most of the residents have left. Fern (Frances McDormand), widowed and now unemployed, tries to hold out, but, with no prospect of employment, eventually takes her van onto the road to begin life as a nomad.

Although her journey is a solitary one, Fern meets many on her way who enrich her life, help her out, and become dear to her. She in fact discovers a community of nomads, some running away, some running toward, some simply embracing life a day at a time.

Life on the road is often tough for Fern, the ability to keep her van and herself going depending on eking out each pay cheque as she moves from one menial job to the next.

She spends many times in a laundromat alone, or eating by herself, or singing to herself to keep up her courage as she drives into the unknown.

But she also finds expression for all that lies secretly within her — lost love, lost time, and perhaps even one or two dreams. And in her solitude she opens herself to the world: bending into cold winds along a wild coast thrashed by tumultuous waves; trudging through snowy fields; floating in a river.

Nomadland is filled with eccentric, hurt, but largely hopeful characters roughened or rubbed smooth by life’s twists and turns.

These are people with broken dreams and limited options. Evoking the utter truth of the life of a nomad takes some brilliance, and Frances McDormand, as Fern, is so compelling that it’s difficult to believe she isn’t a nomad herself.

MICHELE E HAWKINS

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[FILM REVIEWS]

THE LAST VEMEER

NOBODY

[

[

]

Hitler’s Third Reich comes to an end in May 1945, and so begins the aftermath, which includes hunting down those who profited by selling great (often stolen) works of art to the Nazis.

One of the men responsible for tracking down these works of art and bringing to justice those who sold them to the enemy, is Dutch Resistance fighter Joseph Piller (Claes Bang). When Christ with the Adulteress, by the great Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer, is recovered, Piller traces its sale to Nazi Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring by Han van Meegeren (Guy Pearce), an egotistical but failed artist.

Piller takes van Meegeren into custody to begin his investigation. But there are other forces at work — those with a blood lust after confessions and convictions with little regard for any truths that might hide behind apparent evidence.

At the heart of Dan Friedkin’s directorial debut, The Last Vermeer, which is based on a true story, is the relationship between Piller and van Meegeren. Bang’s deeply believable portrayal of Piller’s complex, strong, justice-driven character, forged by both his Judaism and his experience in the Resistance, is magnetically juxtaposed to Pearce’s compelling portrayal of van Meegeren’s self-absorption, vanity, and layered intelligence.

Utterly convincing sets of the war-ravaged Netherlands, authentic costuming, and immersive performances bring to life the hardships and loss that millions suffered through the evil madness of a relative few. The story that The Last Vermeer reveals concerns not only two men on opposite sides of a ledger, but the choices that every person is called on to make between right and wrong. An absorbing work, The Last Vermeer presents a colourful forensic mystery, legal drama, and a thoughtful challenge to anyone interested in life’s greys.

MICHELE E HAWKINS facebook.com/bmamagazine

THE COURIER ]

Bob Odenkirk has had an extensive TV and film career. We learned to love him as the dodgy lawyer Saul in hit series Breaking Bad. Saul provided some light relief in what was often a fairly grim show (however, an attempt to cash in on his character in the spin-off series Better Call Saul did not rate so well [Better show if you ask me - BOSSMAN SKO]) Now Bob is back as you have never seen him before. Nobody is based on the ex-assassin trope much loved by Hollywood, where an exgovernment hit man is reluctantly forced to take up his weapons again.

Fortunately, for this this much flogged to death plot line, Odenkirk (playing Hutch Mansell) breathes new life into the story as he is more an average, suburban family man rather than the muscle-bound tough guy who usually fills the assassin role.

Christopher Lloyd, best known for his Back to the Future appearances, plays the ex-FBI father of Hutch. He is only too happy to abandon bingo games in his aged care home and take up some automatic weapons again in support of his beleaguered son.

The film brings a compellingsoundtrack, which ranges from the crooner Andy Williams to Pat Benatar roaring out Heart Breaker in the car chase scene, which involves a flash 1970s era Dodge Challenger V8 (because there’s no replacement for displacement!).

Hutch brings his foes to their doom in a variety of inventive ways, with enough violence to keep fans of the films of Quentin Tarantino or Sam Peckinpah satisfied. Nobody brings a welcome twist to an old plot line and provides quality light entertainment, brought to you by plenty of mindless violence!

RORY MCCARTNEY

[

]

In the midst of the Cold War, as the Cuban missile crisis builds, MI6 agent Dickie Franks (Angus Wright) and visiting CIA agent Emily Donovan (Rachel Brosnahan) decide they need a British businessman to make contact with Soviet Government minister Oleg Penkovsky (Merab Ninidze), whom Khrushchev’s warlike nature frightens. They recruit salesman Greville Wynne (Benedict Cumberbatch). Wynne is at first understandably reluctant; but, learning that he may be able to prevent a catastrophic nuclear exchange, he agrees to act as a courier of Russian military secrets to the West in an effort to defuse the missile crisis.

Naturally, Wynne’s wife, Sheila (Jessie Buckley), cannot know what Wynne is doing under cover of his business relationships. So Wynne’s changing behaviour leads Sheila to draw her own conclusions. More seriously, the Soviets, alerted by an MI6 mole to a probable mole in their own ranks, look harder at Wynne and Penkovsky, placing them both in mortal danger. Though MI6 has promised British asylum to Penkovsky and his wife (played by Mariya Miranova) and daughter, the Soviet noose is tightening.

The story of how Penkovsky and Wynne achieve what they do remains closely tied to Penkovsky’s strengthening convictions and Wynne’s steadily growing courage, and Wynne’s development in particular demands attention and empathy.

Cumberbatch departs so radically from his best-known characters that we can easily forget the actor; we see instead a man who knows how to woo his clients and make mutually profitable deals and doesn’t feel cut out for heroism.

Shot and edited to perfection, The Courier poignantly reminds us of the ways and hazards of spycraft on the streets of 1960s London and Moscow — and helps us recall the courage that it demanded.

JOHN P HARVEY PAGE 37

[SINGLE REVIEWS] SAULÉ WHEN WE FIRST WENT OUT [

]

Canberra-based artist Saulé has followed up her debut single from last year, Let Me Know with When We First Went Out, and the singer-songwriter’s penchant for lo-fi restraint combined with subtle pop hooks continues.

The new track utilises a relatively sparse palette of voice, acoustic guitar, and percussion to initiate proceedings. Saulé’s method invariably surprises and satisfies. What begins as a bare, roots-based song with a slight whimsical veneer culminates in quite an optimistic-sounding scenario indeed—some curious production ideas to take note of first.

The verse contains some jazz-like branching off that keeps the listener on their toes until the pre-chorus arrives. Although masquerading as a continuation of the verse, its momentary drop acts as another signpost for what follows.

the chorus is par for the course, expected and effective but evocative too; dynamism intact and the hook of the pay-off lines unchallenged.

There seems to be an agelessness about When We First Went Out, or rather, that it has ingrained within its cells the characteristics identified with other eras, imbuing the track with quite a generative aesthetic.

Straying off from the song’s title, which ignites a remarkable degree of inferences, are some tantalising melodic lines that quite simply remind this listener of summer. Any summer.

And what Saulé has created is mollifyingly focused and comprehensive. The sound is consistent throughout, enabling the lyric and melody to conjure their charm, with Saulé’s vocal performance as pliantly raw as it is exquisite.

Of course, Saulé’s appropriation of harmonies and other vocal layers contrive to create this vista, though one cannot discount the agility of the melodic swerves and turns that happen here.

The sharp difference between the verse, pre-chorus sections, and

At a sub-atomic level, When We First Went Out encompasses the narrative of the personal, the intimate. But as we pan out and away, we discover a soulful musical statement that hints at a crowd-pleasing light-filled future. VINCE LEIGH

Following the great response to his reinterpretation of the 1980s Corey Hart classic Never Surrender, a compelling duet with Ottawa artist [ ] Lisa Thompson of the band Sovereign Council, Nova Scotian and acclaimed Nashville recording artist Drake Jensen has released Pieces Of You.

Drake Jensen’s 2011 debut album On My Way to Finding You marked the start of an extraordinary chapter in this Glace Bay native’s music career.

In 2012, Drake’s career took off following the phenomenal success worldwide of a YouTube video of the album’s title track. His second Outlaw album followed, which included the smash Scars.

LENNIE GALLANT & DRAKE JENSEN PIECES OF YOU

The new single was written by one of Canada’s best performing songwriters, Lennie Gallant. Drake Jensen has once again transformed a well-crafted song into a country-pop hit, bolstering the melodic hooks and the poignant lyric with his unique vocal style.

Just as Never Surrender was given a contemporary country-pop revamp, reminding us of the strength of that song’s melodies, Jensen’s rekindled version of Pieces Of You has received similar treatment. The track is part of ICONIC, which will be released soon and includes versions of iconic Canadian songs from Gordon Lightfoot, Anne Murray, Leonard Cohen, and Rita MacNeil.

2015 saw Drake’s third album, Retro, with his interpretation of Everytime I See Your Picture earning him praise from celebrated Canadian rock icon Luba, who called Drake a “maverick” of the music industry.

In 2016, his album Sideshow was released with the lead single Wherever Love Takes Us bulleting into the Top 40 Country Charts in Australia.

Burn the Floor, released in May of 2020, was a massive hit at Australian Radio and was voted Video of the Year by fans of the site Country Queer.

And now, with over 100k Spotify streams, Pieces Of You will undoubtedly broaden Jensen’s fan base and go on to become a global hit.

VINCE LEIGH

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PAGE 39

GIG REVIEW - Omar Musa + Guyy & the Fox @ Good Folk - The Q Theatre followed by QBN Bowls Club - 3 April Review by Anthony Plevey The National Folk Festival’s concert series Good Folk held in Queanbeyan over the weekend of April 3-4 highlighted local talent, including a double bill of Canberra’s Guyy & the Fox (Guy Lilleyman and Amelia Gibson) and Queanbeyan’s own poet, author, and Rap Laureate, Omar Musa.

Opening the show and sharing the rare (in early 2021) joy of performing for a live audience at Queanbeyan’ s The Q Theatre, Guyy & the Fox presented an energetic performance to an enthusiastic audience which, if dancing had been allowed, would have had quite a few people on their feet.

Artists starved of the opportunity to perform live for the past year relished a live audience, the interactivity craved by audience rewarded, and the tradition of folk music having its roots in community extended by having local artists in the frontline.

Good Folk didn’t just sidestep the Covid restrictions. The National Folk Festival organisation resourcefully came up with a viable alternate formula using local resources to deliver inclusive, communicative, entertaining and thought provoking music in the best tradition of folk.

Guyy & the Fox

Reconfiguring themselves from an acoustic duo, then into a trio (with The Fox’s mother on cello) and then on to the full ensemble of six- and 12-string guitar and violin with electronic keyboard, two percussionist and bass, the band presented an intriguing and entertaining performance.

The range of influences, which Guyy and The Fox’s have drawn into their music, extended this variety. Whilst strongly based in the Celtic tradition, Guyy and the Fox colour their work with middle eastern flavours and Japanese Taiko drumming on custom built instruments creating their own style within the folk rock genre.

The set comprised tunes from Guyy and The Fox’s 2016 album, notably the whirling Turkish Delight and the very apt, in a Covid restricted world, Dreams of Flying with its floaty beginning building to a raging violin solo; plus new work from the band’s upcoming release, which will be well worth a listen.

Omar Musa

Internationally recognised and awarded poet and rap artist Omar Musa followed, presenting poetry and rap with his own gritty, controlled energy to a mesmerised audience.

Musa mixed performance modes with his solo poetry generating its own music merging with his funky rap accompanied by DJ Roshambo linking in a curious way with Guyy and the Fox’s flexible variety.

These changes in style and pace provided a tight focus to Musa’s songs and poems, serving to isolate and intensify the impact of works like UnAustralia, Like a Cat Move, Lak$a and Assimilate which overlay personal experiences with community and national issues. This intensity was greatly appreciated by the audience, who rose to give rousing ovation for Omar’s set, and the show entire.

Omar Musa following Guyy and The Fox may seem something of an extreme juxtaposition of style and content but it worked. This eclectic mix made for a highly dynamic show, which not only showcased the world class talents of these two acts but through its obvious contrast, extended the folk genre.

Rolling, post-show, down to the lawns of Queanbeyan Bowls Club for a very entertaining session of community sea shanties with a group of keen, well-lubricated locals put these two world class acts in perspective. With songs referencing global travel from Valparaiso Chile to Hamburg and the canals of North America, sea shanties were the international music of their day and, in a way, the social media of their time, allowing people to communicate through adapting new words to common tunes to share life’s ups and downs and comment on working and social conditions.

Roshambo

Like the sea shanties in the days of sail, this new music and poetry of today may become the folk music of the future, allowing connection with the past and rekindling shared history. Guyy and The Fox’s mingling of music influences, using the cross over folk-rock genre to build on traditions, and Omar Musa’s intimate engagement with audience whilst delivering his acetic commentary on our times, was paralleled in the rollicking, boozy, bawdiness and the lonely isolation of long journeys and tough discipline at sea which is at the heart of the shanties.

Good Folk highlighted the sorely missed role live music performance plays in community witnessed in the arts drought of pandemic lockdown.

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THEATRE REVIEW - You’re Safe Til 2024: Deep History @ Courtyard Theatre - Saturday, 10 April Review by Anthony Plevey Deep History is the second work in a planned, six-part, six-year (2019-2024) collaboration between Canberra-based artists David Finnigan (Playwright) and Rueben Ingall (Musician) which takes on the challenging topic of planetary transformation.

Anchored to a scripted monolog and accompanied by all the familiar trappings of a conference room presentation including the ubiquitous butcher’s paper and texta to record a dot point ‘Guide’, slightly clunky multimedia projection and ‘science project’ props; You’re Safe Til 2024: Deep History initially feels somewhat chaotic. Oddly, this presenter has his own soundman and Ingall’s musical accompaniment is a counterpoint to the Finnigan’s ‘unrehearsed’ energy as he purposefully evolves the soundscape across the work conveying an intended inevitability beyond the words.

The duo intersperse geological time, family history and events imagined in the life of a re-current female actor, shape-shifting across the ages. She is, Finnigan tells us from the start, a different-but-thesame person, giving the audience a hook for this loosely woven thread, which takes in the broad sweep of human history.

Logged by an evolving, growing mound of rice, the rice of time, the rice of population - 1 grain for 1000 people, Finnigan spins his tale, intersecting personal and family pivot points, decision- and incidentdriven intimate stories, with the longitudinal tide of deep time where meteorology, geology, and species’ survival ricochet to derive points for the butcher’s paper Guide.

From the cataclysmic Mt Toba eruption 75,000 years ago in ancient Indonesia, which creates a long volcanic winter and brings human kind to the brink of extinction; a meagre 15 grains remain. However, She (with the help of others) survives, so Guide point 1 – Survival is possible.

New axioms arise as the pile grows; another teaspoon of rice grains – intergroup/species competition – Look after your own kind, a dipping sauce bowl of grains - agriculture, urbanisation and the rise of elites – Acquire power.

As the spoonfuls grow to bowlfuls and larger containers are funnelled onto the pile, there is a breakdown pointing to the historic shift in the human climate that is now physically manifesting as rapid environmental change. Five hundred years ago, world population hits half a billion and the cancer of colonisation spreads east and west. The invasion of the new world with its all-too-familiar travel facilitated epidemics and emergent globalisation usurping and enslaving Indigenous peoples heralding Finnigan’s final unwritten guide point There are no rules any more. The Guide is torn, abandoned as useless but history continues… industrialisation, atomic warfare, and population - eight million grains overspill the table.

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This rice graphed, then and now, ‘deep history’ is further overlaid and interleaved with a minute by minute, hour by hour recount of communications between then London-based Finnigan and his friends holidaying on the South Coast during the catastrophic bushfires of the intense six days of Christmas-New Year 2019.

In an emotional commentary set against familiar images of thick, citywide smoke, refugees in the ocean, fleeing wildlife, and desperate fire fighters, he quotes time stamped text messages read with 17,000km hindsight. Linking implicitly with the heroine survivor of Mt Toba, Finigan chronicles his own powerless apprehensions for his friends’ ill-advised and seemingly random choices, which enabled their family to escape and survive.

This deliberately un-slick presentation from a shoeless, T-shirt clad presenter awakes us from the suspended animation of COVID lock down, snapping us back to 2019 and the parked reality of climate change. Whilst most attention seemed to be on Finnigan and his telling story, Ingall’s music, a combination of live performance and computer based soundscapes, subtly inveigled itself into the action and became essential to the work.

As the performance closed Ingall, himself a first hand witness to the conflagration on the South Coast, responded with a flat reticence to Finnigan’s questioning about his family’s loss, conveying his sense of retained, unresolved shock.

The strength of this work is in its lo-fi complexity which, whilst initially requiring a strong audience buy-in, builds as the piece develops.

Audience post-performance comments of ‘triggering’, ‘bleak’ and ‘frustrating doom’ underlined the compelling impact of its scored, recounted, fact-fiction approach.

Despite its glitchy, field-recorded feel, a frustration of undeniability, almost beyond politics, comes from the contentions of catastrophe both explicit and implicit in the connections drawn by the artists across personal, historical, and geological time.

Whilst we may want to look away, downplay the storylines as simplistic or just hope, blankly, almost fatalistically, in You’re Safe Til 2024: Deep History Finnigan and Ingall want to tell us that, regardless of individual choices, human nature may not, might not, possibly cannot evolve fast enough at this time of planetary change.

David Finnigan

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ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE

THURSDAY 6 MAY

FRIDAY 7 MAY

CIMF - Calvin Abdiel In Recital (Piano) The winner of Theme and Variations Foundation piano competition in 2017 playing Brahms, Godowsky, Haydn, and Bach. 12:30pm - 1:15pm VERITY LANE MARKET

CIMF - Eyes and Ears Music, archival footage, and live performance mingle in the spaces, cinemas, and courtyards of one of Canberra’s great institutions.

The event brings the Tiwi Strong Women to Canberra after many years. 11:30am – 1pm, $55/$50 from cimf.org.au ARC CINEMA

Adam Hill - Shoes Half Full Australia’s BAFTA nominated, Spicks and Specks hosting joymonger returns with more audience led spontaneity (at a safe distance) and some much-needed comic positivity. 6:30pm, $59.95 + $5.95 bf from venue CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE Ahimsa - Meditations on Gandhi Created and directed by our jazz luminary Sandy Evans 150 years after Gandhi’s birth, Ahimsa fuses jazz, Hindustani and Carnatic chant with contemporary electronic sounds. Shows at 6:30pm & 8:30pm, $65/$60 from cimf.org.au FITTERS WORKSHOP Canberra Theatre Centre and shake & stir Present: Animal Farm (opening night) George Orwell’s powerfully potent and profoundly popular allegory returns in a multi-award winning theatre production – served fast, furious and full of grunt. From 6 - 8 May, 7:30pm + Sat matinee, $50 + $5.95 bf from venue THE PLAYHOUSE Greg Fleet & Ian Darling The Twins (closing night) Two old school friends come back together forty years after playing the twins in Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors, to rework it as a two-hander. They get a little distracted along the way. 7:30 pm, $31 + $5.95 booking fee from venue THE COURTYARD STUDIO Queer People Reading Naked Queer People Reading Naked is a literary salon that will hook you with the promise of nudity, but keep you with the literature and empowering message. 7:30pm THE BOARDWALK BAR & NIGHTCLUB CIMF - DOBBY with DJ Diola DOBBY, straight outta the Murrawarri Republic, a powerful young voice in the Oz music scene.

Straddling hip hop as well as classical soundworld, DOBBY together with DJ Diola is never less than mind blowing. 9pm, $30 from cimf.org.au VERITY LANE MARKET PAGE 42

CIMF - Masterclass: Sandy Evans Multi-skilled, immensely versatile, and ever dedicated, Sandy Evans is one of the great dames of Australian jazz. Here Sandy interacts with the youngest generation of improvising musicians. 4:30pm – 5:30pm, free BIG BAND ROOM @ ANU SCHOOL OF MUSIC Smith’s Irish Jam Canberra’s finest exponents of trad Irish tunes gather for a weekly jam 5pm – 7pm SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE CIMF - Waltz to Tango Celebrating Astor’s Piazzolla’s ‘nuevo tango’ for this 100th Birthday, this concert also brings Elena Kats-Chernin’s most acclaimed dance score to life alongside Andrew Schultz’s dreamlike new work. Two shows at 6:30pm & 8:30pm FITTERS WORKSHOP Choirboys - Feels Good Tour Doing what they have always done best, play great Australian Pub Rock. 7pm, $34.40 from Oztix THE BASEMENT Owen Campbell Trio + guest support Moondog After 3 best-selling studio albums, 2 EPs, and over 12 years of national and international touring, Owen Campbell has cemented himself as one of Australia’s premier blues exports. Doors 7:30pm, show 8pm, $25-$35 from venue HARMONIE GERMAN CLUB The Weeping Willows Black Crow Tour 2021 CMAA Golden Guitar award winners, The Weeping Willows (Laura Coates and Andrew Wrigglesworth) are a couple of old souls, steeped in Bluegrass tradition and draped in Gothic Americana imagery. 8pm, $25/$20 from venue SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE Vinyl DJs From 8pm Spinning a variety of retro, jazz, funk, and more THE OLD CANBERRA INN

CIMF - Sandy Evans Trio One of Australia’s great jazz luminaries, with a reputation for fearless collaborations and monumental projects, Sandy Evans crowns the series by returning to her roots in a straight trio set. 9pm – 10pm, $30 from venue VERITY LANE MARKET FEEL ft Enschway Young, wild, party enthusiast Enschway brings the funnest, heaviest and banging-est sets.

Supports Reubok, Kaliopi, Toucan, Shell_Boy, Divito, Edstar. $21.79, 9pm – 5am FICTION CLUB Karaoke 9pm – 1am THE BOARDWALK BAR & NIGHTCLUB

SATURDAY 8 MAY CIMF - Beethoven for Breakfast: Edward Neeman & Kristian Winther Followed by a conversation with the artists hosted by Genevieve Jacobs. 8:30am – 10:15am, $52/$48 from cimf.org.au VERITY LANE MARKET CIMF @ Belco Arts A Full Day of Free Music From hip hop grooves to Hindustani vibes, from the chilled guitar riffs of Jess Green to the hot-hot frenzy of Super Rats, a special appearance of the Tiwi Strong Women, and you got the idea. Throw in the Golden Gate Brass Quintet, a young piano quartet, and Canberra’s longest running youth choir and might just get the full measure.

10am – 4:30pm, free entry BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE CIMF - Heartland What started as a small duet for the 2019 Festival has since become a fully-fledged major work, an invitation into landscape, culture, language and Country. Two shows at 11am & 1pm, $65/$60 from cimf. org.au FITTERS WORKSHOP Live Acoustic Sets From 2pm THE OLD CANBERRA INN Hey Neighbour A trio of strapping young lads, looking to sing for you, steal your hearts, and borrow a cup of sugar.

From 5pm, free entry SMOKEY HORSE

CIMF - Mozart Recomposed Gordon Hamilton’s new version Recomposed gives Mozart’s legendary sketches the Max Richter treatment, throwing new contemporary light on this sacred classic score. Two shows at 6:30pm & 8:30pm, tickets $80/$70 from cimf.org.au FITTERS WORKSHOP Black Starr Cabaret Fresh off tour from Newcastle Fringe, the NSW Black Starr Cabaret and Burlesque show heads to Canberra! 7pm FLAZÉDA HUB The SunBears - The Barren Spinsters - Moon Dog A night of smoking blues music from three of Canberra’s best blues bands. The SunBears are releasing their third single Devil Smile. From 7pm, currently SOLD OUT but a waiting list via the venue exists POLISH WHITE EAGLE CLUB Carole King’s Tapestry One of Australia’s finest leading ladies, Esther Hannaford, joined by an all-star band to celebrate 50 years of Carole King’s landmark album, Tapestry. 7:30pm, $76.70 + $5.95 bf from venue CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE Def Repplica & Poizon’Us Present Rock Of Ages Canberra From 7:30pm THE BASEMENT Jack Biilmann: Full Circle Album Tour After the launch of a new rock project, a global pandemic, and a truck load of inspiration, Jack Biilmann is back on the road with his 3rd solo record Full Circle. The record sees Biilmann in his true element of blues/roots but also wanders into the folk, soul, Americana, and soul genres for by far the most complete record to date. 7:30pm, $30 from venue THE STREET THEATRE Punk and Shit at Gang Gang With Wollongong/Bargo two piece rock band Sic Parvis Magna, angry folk/punk quartet A Commoner’s Revolt pumping their debut album Social Distancing Since 1983, and one-man acoustic punk act in Canberra’s WILSN. From 8pm, $5 GANG GANG CAFE Sex On Toast - “ake Your Mask Off (And Love Me Tonight) Tour With special guests. From 9pm, $34.92 via Moshtix THE UC HUB @bmamag

ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE Hard Attack presents: DAVEQON Joining the line-up is the wonderful Davina (Dave) Dzasta and the one and only DJ (Dave) Cotts for a night you will never forget! 9pm – 3am, $15 + bf via Humanitix THE BOARDWALK BAR & NIGHTCLUB

SUNDAY 9 MAY CIMF - Far and Near A concert with new songs in a wild cacophony of styles and manners.

Two shows at midday & 3pm, $75/$65 from cimf.org.au AUSTRALIAN CENTRE FOR CHRISTIANITY AND CULTURE CIMF - Rainbow Serpent The Rainbow Serpent, a great force of life as well as destruction, the great creator of the Universe.

This concert brings together the musicians of Ensemble Offspring with iconic Indigenous artists. Two shows at midday & 2pm, $65/$60 from cimf.org.au NATIONAL GALLERY OF AUSTRALIA Live Acoustic Sets From 4pm THE OLD CANBERRA INN What We Carry Poetry on Childbearing The launch of What We Carry, a powerful new anthology on childbearing, bringing together the voices of more than 60 contemporary Australian poets.

4pm, $5 entry SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE Carole King’s Tapestry One of Australia’s finest leading ladies, Esther Hannaford, joined by an all-star band to celebrate 50 years of Carole King’s landmark album, Tapestry. 7pm, $76.70 + $5.95 bf from venue CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE Song of the Earth Mahler’s ‘greatest symphony’, according to Leonard Bernstein.

The work was inspired by seven ancient Chinese poems and follows one of the most painful episodes in the composer’s life. Two shows at 6:30pm & 8:30pm, $80/$70 from cimf.org.au FITTERS WORKSHOP

MONDAY 10 MAY Lunchulele Every Monday lunchtime, 12.30pm1.30pm, ukulele players mysteriously appear SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE facebook.com/bmamagazine

Saeko Ogi - Rock At The Roadside Saeko Ogi’s work is a lyrical blend of verse and her original paintings.

5pm SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

TUESDAY 11 MAY IQ Trivia From 6pm THE OLD CANBERRA INN A German Life - Robyn Nevin (opening night) Australian theatre royalty Robyn Nevin gives the performance of her career in the critically acclaimed play by Academy Award winner Christopher Hampton. Directed by stage luminary Neil Armfield. Runs 11 - 16 May, tix from $69 + bf from the venue THE PLAYHOUSE

WEDNESDAY 12 MAY Old Timey Jam The open jam where we party like it’s 1899. Luminaries from the local old timey/folk/acoustic scene will gather at Smith’s to lead an open session of Americana/old timey music. 4pm-6pm SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE Live Jazz From 6:30pm THE OLD CANBERRA INN Canberra Symphony Orchestra Longing and Desire Performances of Richard Meale AM, MBE Viridian, Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2, and selections from Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet ballet score. 7:30pm, $30$101 from cso.org.au LLEWELLYN HALL Geoff Jazz at Smith’s With Jason Bruer, Greg Coffin, Andrew Robertson, Cam McAllister, Alex Hirlian, and Dave Quinn. Two shows at 7pm and 8:30pm, $25 from the venue SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE Wham Presents: Foxholes of the Mind by Bernard Clancy Foxholes of the Mind dramatically takes audiences on a roller-coaster ride as they look into the lives of Vietnam veteran Frank and his wife Trish, 30 years after the war. Runs 12 - 14 May, $47 + bf from venue THE COURTYARD STUDIO

THURSDAY 13 MAY The Grogans The band’s first national tour since November 2019, following the release of their debut album Just What You Want. 7pm, $29.81 via Moshtix THE UC HUB Boardwalk Rainbow Comedy Featurimg the talents of Luka Musicki (also MC), Jenni Atkinson, Rossco Cavanagh, Roland Taureau, Chris Richards, and Andrew Hypatia. From 8pm, optional gold coin donation to a queer charity THE BOARDWALK BAR & NIGHTCLUB SW presents: Jim Dusty, S. Wells and Suli Casino Cowboy Dusty, raised in the frozen bosom of NSW, S. Wells, and the bedroom dream pop of Suli.

From 8pm, free entry SIDEWAY

FRIDAY 14 MAY First Seen: Church Sweet Church

by Rebecca Duke A small church community in Tasmania’s North-West is bought by a young lesbian couple; Tash, a boyish and charming music teacher, and Cate, a florist raised in the town. 5pm, tix via donation THE STREET THEATRE Smith’s Irish Jam Canberra’s finest exponents of trad Irish tunes gather for a weekly jam.

5pm – 7pm SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE Felicity Urquhart and Josh Cunningham (The Waifs) The pair are poised to unleash songs and stories of undeniable beauty upon hearts and ears. 7pm, $37.83 – $76.65 from Eventbrite HARMONIE GERMAN CLUB Selby & Friends Presents: Patriot Games A powerful program whose flavours are brought vividly to life by three old friends and veteran Australian artists. 7:30pm, $59.15-$77.50 from premier.ticketek.com.au LLEWELLYN HALL Don’t Miss the Melody Music Trivia Bringing some much needed pizzaz to the bog standard trivia experience with interactive rounds where you might find yourself in the spotlight. 8pm, $15 from venue SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

The PJ O’Brien Band PJ O’Brien knows how to get a Blues party started. His blistering fretwork has been turning heads from Perth to Memphis, Chicago, Austin, London, Singapore & back again.

Driven by PJ’s fat & funky guitar, accompanied by his smooth, soulfilled vocals, this band is receiving widespread acclaim. 7:30pm, tix $20 + bf from Humanitix AUSTRIAN CLUB Diamond Construct w/ Mirrors From 8pm, $24.90 from Oztix THE BASEMENT Vinyl DJs From 8pm Spinning a variety of retro, jazz, funk, and more THE OLD CANBERRA INN Community ft SECRET GUEST With supports Amraks, Waxlily, Mia Sorlie, Izaak Bink, Amando, and Max. 9pm – 5am ONE22 Hip Hop Takeover ft. YOUNGN LIPZ One of the most requested artists arrives, with supports Kilusan, Femme Rebelle, Edstar, Trigga, and Divito. 9pm – 5am, $32.23 from intix.com FICTION CLUB Karaoke - The 80s Retro Night Put on your craziest outfit and come to sing and dance with us!

The ‘80s themed cocktails and shots will be running at the bar all night long. Registration 8pm, event 9pm – 1am THE BOARDWALK BAR & NIGHTCLUB

SATURDAY 15 MAY Leo Joseph’s Blues Piano Sessions Running since 2011, Leo’s familiar solo blues piano sessions have now found a new home at Smith’s on the 3rd Saturday of every month. From 12.30pm to 2pm SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE A German Life - Robyn Nevin (matinee) Australian theatre royalty Robyn Nevin gives the performance of her career in the critically acclaimed play by Academy Award winner Christopher Hampton. Directed by stage luminary Neil Armfield. Runs 11 - 16 May, 2pm, tix from $69 + bf from venue THE PLAYHOUSE Live Acoustic Sets From 2pm THE OLD CANBERRA INN

PAGE 43

ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE Welter From the Mountains of Tasmania to the coastal surf of NSW, Welter are producing outstanding “music for the good life”. 6pm, $20 from venue SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE Live @ The Polo | Featuring Chins // The Huneez // Flowermarket The Huneez are an indie pop trio hailing from Wollongong, NSW, playing some of the sweetest beats and juiciest jams around. Throw in last issue’s BMA Band in five-piece Chins, and indie-rock with an intelligent edge merchants Flowermarket, and you have yourself a night! From 8pm, $15 + bf from trybooking.com POLISH WHITE EAGLE CLUB Sputnik Sweetheart Jealousy Single Launch w/ Parkland, The Lenores, Hope Wilkins Energetic, emotive and passionate, Sputnik Sweetheart bring their own blend of Alternative-Rock to the Australian Music Scene. From 8pm, $24.99 via Oztix THE BASEMENT

SUNDAY 16 MAY A German Life - Robyn Nevin (closing day) Final chance to see Australian theatre royalty Robyn Nevin give the performance of her career in the critically acclaimed play by Academy Award winner Christopher Hampton. Directed by stage luminary Neil Armfield.

Performances at 1pm & 6pm, tix from $69 + bf from venue THE PLAYHOUSE Live Acoustic Sets From 4pm THE OLD CANBERRA INN

MONDAY 17 MAY Lunchulele Every Monday lunchtime, 12.30pm-1.30pm, ukulele players mysteriously appear SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

TUESDAY 18 MAY IQ Trivia From 6pm THE OLD CANBERRA INN

PAGE 44

Physics In The Pub Eight Physicists, eight minutes each, all with a fascinating story to tell. In previous years we’ve had nuclear physics stand up, songs on big data, and fusion energy lego.

What will it be this year?

Sponsored by the Australian Institute of Physics (ACT), and MC-ed by Dr Phil Dooley (Phil Up On Science). 6:30pm SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

WEDNESDAY 19 MAY Old Timey Jam The open jam where we party like it’s 1899. Luminaries from the local old timey/folk/acoustic scene will gather at Smith’s to lead an open session of Americana/old timey music.

4pm-6pm SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE Live Jazz From 6:30pm THE OLD CANBERRA INN Canberra Shanty Club A community singing group that sings sea shanties, working songs, and all manner of folk chorus tunes. All singing levels are welcome. 6:30pm SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE Canberra Youth Theatre Presents: Little Girls Alone In The Woods by Morgan Rose An inventive adaptation of The Bacchae that puts a modern feminist lens on the Greek legend of Dionysus. It dares us to go into the woods and seek out what knowledge lies beyond the border of respectability and rules. What new worlds await us?

Runs 19 - 22 May, $30 + $5.95 bf from venue THE COURTYARD STUDIO

THURSDAY 20 MAY QL2 Dance Presents: REBEL REBEL is QL2 Dance’s major project for 2021 for the Quantum Leap ensemble. Choreographers: Ruth Osborne, Steve Gow, Jack Ziesing and Jodie Farrugia. Runs 20 – 22 May, $28 + $5.95 bf from the venue THE PLAYHOUSE Canberra Youth Theatre Presents: Little Girls Alone In The Woods by Morgan Rose 7:30pm THE COURTYARD STUDIO

FRIDAY 21 MAY

SATURDAY 22 MAY

Smith’s Irish Jam Canberra’s finest exponents of trad Irish tunes gather for a weekly jam. 5pm – 7pm SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

Canberra Youth Theatre Presents: Little Girls Alone In The Woods by Morgan Rose 2pm & 7:30pm THE COURTYARD STUDIO

QL2 Dance Presents: REBEL 7pm THE PLAYHOUSE

Live Acoustic Sets From 2pm THE OLD CANBERRA INN

Silverback Touring Presents Icons & Legends: Bon Jovi A tribute to the music of Bon Jovi that focuses on his releases between 1983 and 2005 and will feature a hit and anthem filled set. 7pm, $46.70 from Oztix THE BASEMENT Visualising Harmony Facilitated by world-class violinist Bindi McFarlane, players of the Canberra Symphony Orchestra will mentor five artists with disability, and together create and perform original music inspired by colourful artworks. 7pm, $25/$20 via belcoarts.com.au/harmony BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE Canberra Youth Theatre Presents: Little Girls Alone In The Woods by Morgan Rose 7:30pm THE COURTYARD STUDIO Arj Barker – We Need to Talk Due to Popular Demand, Arj Barker returns with an Encore performance of his hit show – We Need To Talk. 8pm, $49.90 + $5.95 bf from venue CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE Vinyl DJs From 8pm Spinning a variety of retro, jazz, funk, and more THE OLD CANBERRA INN Kath & Kim Drag Bingo Enjoy five rounds of bingo plus live Kath & Kim shows. Dress as your favourite character for your chance to win our best dressed prize. 5:30pm & 8:30pm, tix/waiting list via outix.co HARMONIE GERMAN CLUB FEEL ft. CC:DISCO! Celebrating the release of First Light Vol II, with supports Tekito, Waxlily, Chloe Maguire, Izaäk Bink, Jackson Lees. 9pm – 5am, $21 via firstlightftccdisco.intix.com FICTION CLUB

QL2 Dance Presents: REBEL 2pm & 7pm THE PLAYHOUSE Melody Pool In 2021, Melody Pool announces her awaited return with new music penning its way into her sets, exploring a new and re-birthed brilliance hinting at subjects of empowerment, resurgence and uprising. 5pm, $25/$20 via venue SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE Bingo Loco Canberra (SOLD OUT waiting list available) 6:30pm, tixel.com HARMONIE GERMAN CLUB Sun Burn Lite - Mini Metal Festival With Pod People, Potion, Lucifungus, Burn the Hostages, Astrodeath and Master Leonard From 7pm, $35 + bf via Oztix THE BASEMENT Marty Sheargold: A New Live Standup Show Don’t miss the opportunity to laugh live with the star of Have You Been Paying Attention? as he delivers a load of jokes and stories he can’t do on national TV. 7:30pm, $49.90 + $5.95 bf via venue CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE Rob Snarski + Peter Milton Walsh Walsh is the near-myth behind The Apartments, the group he named after one of Billy Wilder’s greatest films. Snarski brings the songs from his beloved solo works Sparrow and Swan and Wounded Bird. 7:30pm, $35 + bf from Trybooking POLISH WHITE EAGLE CLUB Dusty The Concert Monique Montez This is a concert celebrating Dusty Springfield’s musical achievements, hit songs, life stories and impact she had around the world during the era of Black & White Soul. 8pm, $43.60 via Ticketek CANBERRA SOUTHERN CROSS CLUB (WODEN)

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ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE

SUNDAY 23 MAY Live Acoustic Sets From 4pm THE OLD CANBERRA INN

MONDAY 24 MAY Lunchulele Every Monday lunchtime, 12.30pm1.30pm, ukulele players mysteriously appear SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE Recent Work Readings Jacqui Malins & Penny Drysdale As part of the That Poetry Thing readings, come along for the launch of two new Recent Work titles: F-words by Jacqui Malins and Glass

by Penny Drysdale. 7pm, free entry, register via venue website SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

TUESDAY 25 MAY IQ Trivia From 6pm THE OLD CANBERRA INN

WEDNESDAY 26 MAY Old Timey Jam The open jam where we party like it’s 1899. Luminaries from the local old timey/folk/acoustic scene will gather at Smith’s to lead an open session of Americana/old timey music. 4pm-6pm SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

ACT5413 Launch Party ft. Eloria, Reubok, Maleezy & Sweethard ACT5413 is Canberra’s newest name in pop & electronic music promo.

7pm-11pm, $10 on the door POLISH WHITE EAGLE CLUB Pilots of Baalbek, The Dunhill Blues and BC Get on board for a night of rock ‘n’ roll with CBR party wreckers Pilots of Baalbek. Your crew includes very special guests The Dunhill Blues from Sydney and Canberra’s BC helping with the in-flight entertainment. From 7pm, $15 + bf from Oztix THE BASEMENT Augie March Sunset Studies Live 2021 Released in October 2000, Sunset Studies was the first long player from Augie March. In 2021, the band’s dusting off this classic and performing it live! 8pm, $69 – $85 + $5.95 bf from venue CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE Charlie Violet + Moondog + Freelings A night of moody, uplifting, raw and intimate song-sharing. From 8pm, $15 from venue website SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE Vinyl DJs From 8pm Spinning a variety of retro, jazz, funk, and more THE OLD CANBERRA INN

Live Jazz From 6:30pm THE OLD CANBERRA INN

FEEL ft Little Fritter The Gold Coast native returns to celebrate his new EP out on Catch & Release, with supports Parisi, Take-Tu, Pork, Juicee, Edstar, Divito.

9pm – 5am, $ 21.79 via intix.com FICTION CLUB

FRIDAY 28 MAY

SATURDAY 29 MAY

Smith’s Irish Jam Canberra’s finest exponents of trad Irish tunes gather for a weekly jam.

5pm – 7pm SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

Comic Author Tom Taylor Signing and Q&A Australian #1 New York Times bestselling comic book author Tom Taylor, well known for his work in Injustice: Gods Among Us, DCeased, X-Men Red, Suicide Squad and much, much more, is in town for a 11am - 2pm signing at Impact Comics followed by a Q&A from 4pm – 6pm at Reload Bar & Games IMPACT COMICS

Dreams - Fleetwood Mac & Stevie Nicks Show Bring your wild heart and that gypsy spirit to re-live one of the legendary bands and performers of the seventies and eighties, and one band Australians love – Fleetwood Mac and Stevie Nicks. Featuring a well-oiled & talented group of musicians. Two shows at 5:30pm & 8:30pm, $35.57 – $75.81 via Eventbrite HARMONIE GERMAN CLUB

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Tina Arena - Enchanté Enchanté promises the same high level of quality, integrity, emotional depth and theatricality that we’ve come to expect from this extraordinary talent. 7:30pm, tix from $120 via Ticketek LLEWELLYN HALL

Celebration!

10 Years of Live @ The Polo It’s an out-and-out celebration of 10 glorious years of Live at the Polo, with some the region’s finest acts to mark the occasion. Featuring Julia Johnson, Nick Delatovic & The Empty Lake Singers, Bec Taylor and the Lyrebirds, Kim Yang, Endrey, The Burley Griffin, Rafe Morris and The Decideds, Slow Dial, Moondog, Betty Alto, Kilroy, Sesame Girl, Slagatha Christie, Lucy Ridge and the Derby Widows, Signs and Symbols, and Magic Rob Universe. From 1pm til late, all-day early bird $35 + bf from Trybooking POLISH WHITE EAGLE CLUB Live Acoustic Sets From 2pm THE OLD CANBERRA INN Teddy Tahu Rhodes & Guy Noble Acclaimed baritone Teddy Tahu Rhodes joins popular pianist and conductor Guy Noble to perform powerful, rapturous songs and delicate classical arias in a celebratory concert with a sprinkle of their beloved comedic flair. 2pm, $59 - $69 + $5.95 bf from venue THE PLAYHOUSE Brass Knuckle Brass Band Street funk outfit BKBB is a sweaty late-night party for anyone who knows a sousaphone will always be tougher than a bass guitar. From 5pm SMOKEY HORSE Decadence & Debauchery The scintillating local and interstate line-up features: Porcelain Alice (Miss Burlesque NSW 2019), Moisty Magic (Miss Burlesque SA 2019), Idris Stanbury (Wham Glam Circus Man!), Dimitri (Canberra Juggler Extraordinaire), and, of course, Jazida (Producer #JazidaProductions, 46th Most Influential Burlesque Industry Figure 2021). 7:30pm doors for an 8pm show, $33 from Eventbrite VERITY LANE MARKET Shakedown Cabaret & Trivia Featuring award-winning burlesque, cabaret, clowning and comedy, this is an interactive trivia night with a tangy twist.

The trivia questions relate to the show you are watching, so you better be paying attention! From 8pm, $40 via Eventbrite HARMONIE GERMAN CLUB

SUNDAY 30 MAY Live Acoustic Sets From 4pm THE OLD CANBERRA INN Victor Martinez Parada Solo Guitar Maestro Victor Martinez Parada has thrilled audiences in Chile, Uruguay, Brazil, Argentina, Australia, China, and Japan for more than 50 years with his mastery of classical, LatinAmerican and avant-garde guitar.

5:30pm, $30 from venue website SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE Dean Abbott Letting Go Album Launch Dean Abbott is bringing his soulful tone and mellow vibe into the heart of Canberra City, launching his new album Letting Go. Supported by Finley Geach.

7pm, $22.19 from Eventbrite LUCKY’S SPEAKEASY AT QT CANBERRA Adams Parade + The Vanderstruts + Blank Display From 7pm, $13 from Oztix THE BASEMENT

MONDAY 31 MAY Lunchulele Every Monday lunchtime, 12.30pm1.30pm, ukulele players mysteriously appear SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

TUESDAY 1 JUNE IQ Trivia From 6pm THE OLD CANBERRA INN

WEDNESDAY 2 JUNE Old Timey Jam The open jam where we party like it’s 1899. Luminaries from the local old timey/folk/acoustic scene will gather at Smith’s to lead an open session of Americana/old timey music. 4pm-6pm SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE Live Jazz From 6:30pm THE OLD CANBERRA INN

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ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE

THURSDAY 3 JUNE Silverback Touring Presents Aussie Made Tour Featuring Electric Mary, Palace of the King, Dead City Ruins, and local guests Wicked Things. From 7pm, $60.95 from Oztix THE BASEMENT The Appleton Ladies’ Potato Race Inspired by real life events and featuring a cast of five fabulous women, The Appleton Ladies’ Potato Race by Melanie Tait is a funny, honest, and heart-warming story about upsetting the potato cart and standing up for your principles. Runs from 3-5 June, $59 – $79 + $5.95 booking fee via venue THE PLAYHOUSE Milk: By Dylan Van Den Berg On the precipice of something life changing, a young Palawa man plunges into an exploration of self and Country. Runs 3 - 12 June, $45$32 from venue THE STREET THEATRE

FRIDAY 4 JUNE Smith’s Irish Jam Canberra’s finest exponents of trad Irish tunes gather for a weekly jam.

5pm – 7pm SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE Pachanga! Urban Latin Fiesta An all local line-up of Urban Latin talent featuring Funkytrop (Afro-Latin Funk), Chicharrita Club (tropical Latin rock), Raio De Sol (Samba Percussion) DJ Dede Da Cruz (African + AfroLatin specialist) + beginner dance lesson to get you in the mood. From 7pm, $25 via Oztix THE BASEMENT The Appleton Ladies’ Potato Race Inspired by real life events and featuring a cast of five fabulous women, The Appleton Ladies’ Potato Race by Melanie Tait is a funny, honest and heart-warming story about upsetting the potato cart and standing up for your principles. Runs from 3-5 June, $59 – $79 + $5.95 booking fee via venue THE PLAYHOUSE Milk: By Dylan Van Den Berg On the precipice of something life changing, a young Palawa man plunges into an exploration of self and Country. Runs 3 - 12 June, $45$32 from venue THE STREET THEATRE PAGE 46

Sydney Dance Company Presents: Impermanence A visceral and thrilling exploration of the juxtaposition of beauty and devastation, Sydney Dance Company’s full-length work, Impermanence is Rafael Bonachela’s newest creation.

Contemporary composer, Bryce Dessner has composed a new score full of emotional power. Best known as a founder of American rock band The National and for his film scores for The Revenant and The Two Popes. 7:30pm, $69 – $89 + $5.95 bf via venue CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE Tundrel Album Launch Described by BMA’s own Rory McCartney as “heavyweight riffs circle menacingly in rising clouds, with psychedelic injects adding to the fray; Hore’s voice continues to impress with its massive strength, that helps set Tundrel apart.” In short, the band’s on fire, with a new album. 8pm, $20/$15 via venue SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE Vinyl DJs From 8pm Retro, jazz, funk, and more THE OLD CANBERRA INN

SATURDAY 5 JUNE Live Acoustic Sets From 2pm THE OLD CANBERRA INN The Appleton Ladies’ Potato Race Inspired by real life events and featuring a cast of five fabulous women, The Appleton Ladies’ Potato Race by Melanie Tait is a funny, honest and heart-warming story about upsetting the potato cart and standing up for your principles. Runs from 3-5 June, $59 – $79 + $5.95 booking fee via venue THE PLAYHOUSE Milk: By Dylan Van Den Berg On the precipice of something life changing, a young Palawa man plunges into an exploration of self and Country. Runs 3 - 12 June, $45$32 from venue THE STREET THEATRE Temtris Ritual Warfare Across Australia Temtris sixth, and newest, album Ritual Warfare combines the best elements of heavy metal with a modern feel. Soaring vocals with twin guitar harmonies, blazing solos a powerful rhythm section.

From 7:30pm, $24.25 via Oztix THE BASEMENT

Pierce Brothers Into The Great Unknown For years now, twin brothers Jack and Patrick Pierce’s high energy duo Pierce Brothers has been a staple of the Australian indie-folk/ blues & roots scene, captivating festival goers and headlining sold out venues the world over. 8pm, $45.13 via Moshtix THE UC HUB Sydney Dance Company Presents: Impermanence A visceral and thrilling exploration of the juxtaposition of beauty and devastation, Sydney Dance Company’s full-length work, Impermanence is Rafael Bonachela’s newest creation.

Contemporary composer, Bryce Dessner has composed a new score full of emotional power. Best known as a founder of American rock band The National and for his film scores for The Revenant and The Two Popes 7:30pm, $69 – $89 + $5.95 bf via venue CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

SUNDAY 6 JUNE Live Acoustic Sets From 4pm THE OLD CANBERRA INN Milk: By Dylan Van Den Berg On the precipice of something life changing, a young Palawa man plunges into an exploration of self and Country. Runs 3 - 12 June, $45$32 from venue THE STREET THEATRE Alma Moodie Quartet playing Beethoven and Schoenberg String Quartets Named to honour internationally significant Australian violinist of the 1930s and 1940s, and led by acclaimed violinist Kristian Winther, the Alma Moodie Quartet is committed to invigorating the classics and exploring new works with their combined virtuosic talents.

This concert features Beethoven’s String Quartet in E minor Op 59/2 and Schoenberg’s String Quartet in D Minor Op 7. The quartet comprise Kristian Winther & Anna da Silva Chen, violins; Alexina Hawkins, viola; Thomas Marlin, cello. This 2-hour concert is set to be a spellbinding event.

7:30pm, $35/$28 from Trybooking DUNTROON CAMPBELL SCOUT HALL

Apia Good Times Tour The 8th anniversary Apia Good Times Tour will be the biggest yet with performances from Brian Cadd, Deborah Conway, Joe Camilleri, John Paul Young, Kate Ceberano, Leo Sayer, Vika & Linda Bull and, making her Good Times debut, Ms Wendy Matthews.

7:30pm, $99.90 – $129.90 + $5.95 bf via venue CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

MONDAY 7 JUNE Lunchulele Every Monday lunchtime, 12.30pm1.30pm, ukulele players mysteriously appear SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE The World of Musicals A brand new production and the wonderful revue of all your favorite musical theatre hits which include such classics as The Lion King, Fiddler On The Roof, Mamma Mia, We Will Rock You, The Mikado, The Pirates of Penzance, and many, many more. 7:30pm, $49.90 – $99.90 + $5.95 bf via venue CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE Live At The Basement Uni Rock - UC M.U.S.I.C. Live event from the University of Canberra Music Society. From 8pm THE BASEMENT

TUESDAY 8 JUNE IQ Trivia From 6pm THE OLD CANBERRA INN

WEDNESDAY 9 JUNE Old Timey Jam The open jam where we party like it’s 1899. Luminaries from the local old timey/folk/acoustic scene will gather at Smith’s to lead an open session of Americana/old timey music. 4pm-6pm SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE Live Jazz From 6:30pm THE OLD CANBERRA INN Milk: By Dylan Van Den Berg On the precipice of something life changing, a young Palawa man plunges into an exploration of self and Country. Runs 3 - 12 June, $45$32 from venue THE STREET THEATRE @bmamag

[SPOTLIGHT]

Lightbulb Improv / The Door / 7-8 May / Courtyard Theatre Lightbulb brings a live show with a difference; one in which you control the outcome. In a world interrupted, we’ve all reflected on our “what if moments”. In The Door, you can see how the decision plays out; each step through the door shaping the differing worlds.

Watch the parallel worlds unfold, based on a single decision that the audience has chosen. As an antidote to our often predictable and routine lives, Canberra’s premier improv troupe create spontaneous entertainment to bring you the unexpected. 6:30pm and 8:45pm both days, $23/$28 + bf from Canberra Theatre

Canberra Youth Theatre - Little Girls Alone In The Woods / 19-22 May / The Courtyard Studio

UPCOMING ARTS EVENTS

A German Life / Play starring Robyn Nevin / 11 - 16 May / The Playhouse Aussie theatre royalty Robyn Nevin gives a career-high performance in the critically acclaimed Christopher Hampton play, A German Life. Directed by stage luminary Neil Armfield, hit of the 2021 Adelaide Festival, the story concerns one ordinary woman’s extraordinary time during World War II. Nevin plays Brunhilde Pomsel, an unassuming woman with good shorthand skills who came to work in Joseph Goebbels’ Propaganda Ministry. Innocent or culpable? A searching play that probes confronting questions for contemporary audiences. $69.90 + bf from Canberra Theatre

Rope / The play that inspired Alfred Hitchcock / 20 May - 5 June / Canberra Repertory

An ordinary town; something amiss. Not the maths exam, the overdue essays, or even global warming troubling the teens. It’s a low buzz of anxiety, a quiet terror in the night. Girls have been going missing. Were they taken? Or have they ventured into the bush themselves…? LGAITW is an inventive adaptation of The Bacchae that puts a contemporary feminist lens on the Greek legend of Dionysus. It dares us to go into the woods and seek the knowledge that lies beyond the border of decency and rules.

What new worlds await us? $30 + bf from Canberra Theatre

Rope is a brilliantly tense play from Patrick Hamilton, author of Gaslight, which was performed by REP in 2016. The premise is thus: believing themselves to be intellectually superior to their contemporaries, two flatmates murder their friend purely to see if they can get away with it. They then throw a cocktail party, serving food from the top of the trunk where they have hidden his body.

Tension and suspicions increase as the evening wears on. Tickets $45 - $35 + $3.50 bf from Canberra Repertory

Decadence & Debauchery/ Burlesque + more / 29 May / Verity Lane Attic

Alma Moodie Quartet / 2 hrs of classy Classics/ Sun, 6 June / Duntroon Campbell Scout Hall

Jazida Productions is excited to announce the next all-star installment of Decadence & Debauchery at new location in the Verity Attic. The scintillating local and interstate line-up features: Porcelain Alice (Miss Burlesque NSW 2019), Moisty Magic (Miss Burlesque SA 2019), Idris Stanbury (Wham Glam Circus Man!), Dimitri (Canberra Juggler Extraordinaire), and, of course, Jazida (Producer #JazidaProductions, 46th Most Influential Burlesque Industry Figure 2021). Tix go quick so get in while you can! 7:30pm doors for an 8pm show, $33 from Eventbrite

Named to honour internationally significant Australian violinist of the 1930s and 1940s, and led by acclaimed violinist Kristian Winther, the Alma Moodie Quartet is committed to invigorating the classics and exploring new works with their combined virtuosic talents. This concert features Beethoven’s String Quartet in E minor Op 59/2 and Schoenberg’s String Quartet in D Minor Op 7. The quartet comprise Kristian Winther & Anna da Silva Chen, violins; Alexina Hawkins, viola; Thomas Marlin, cello. A 2-hour spellbinding concert awaits. 7:30pm, $35/$28 from Trybooking

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