BMA Magazine #533 - May/June 2023

CHRIS MASUAK EX-RADIO BIRDMAN FLIES

HOLY HOLY GET US MESSED UP

LIGHT, COLOUR, HUMANITY

THE CANBERRA LEGACY OF ALASTAIR SWAYN

QL2 - Communicate Their New Work

Bigwig Simon Daly on Wanderer Festival Return Flavoursome CBR Band - Napolean Ice Cream

Comedy Aplenty With Anthony Locascio & Chris Marlton

[Canberra’s Entertainment Guide]

#533 MAY/JUNE 2023

And I, for one, welcome our new AI overlords...

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Marty Baker

Article Design

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Entertainment Guide Editor

Allan Sko

Social Media Manager

Angel Nash

Columnists

Jannah Fahiz, Josh Nixon, Chris Marlton, Allan Sko

Contributors

Tamsin Kemp, Anthony Plevey, Anthony Locascio, Jen Seyderhelm, Colin Gray, Napolean Ice Cream, Chris Marlton, Allan Sko, & Vince Leigh

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FROM THE BOSSMAN

BY ALLAN SKO [ALLAN@BMAMAG.COM]

To those unaware, this ‘ere column is so named because I am the Publisher of BMA Magazine. Or Bossman. Top Banana. Or whatever frankly icky title you want to slap on it (I don’t want to talk about it, really; it makes me feel weird and uncomfortable).

I bring this up because I never really thought I would find myself in this position, and it may finally be time to branch out.

No, I’m not leaving. I’m wedded to this magazine until death do us part (read: seeing who blinks first). Allow me to explain.

More years ago than I care to recall, my original intention as a fleet-footed, wide-eyed uni student was to be a writer. At a pinch, maybe an editor, if I could eventually learn to read.

Happenstance, and the kindness of beautiful fools, saw me fall into this role.

And get me not wrong. I love it. It’s not without its ritual blood vessel pops, sure. But what a joy and privilege it is to act as a conduit between artists of all disciplines gifting their heart-andsoul offerings, with you, the beautiful, experience seeking punter.

I’ve been doing this for 18 years now. In that time, I’ve managed to immerse myself in the world of advertising, marketing, and general promotion.

As such, this experience has allowed me the acumen to develop myriad business ideas worth potential billions.

So consider this my pitch for any and all future Design Agency work. After all, there ain’t exactly a huge amount of sheckles kicking around the industry these days. A guy’s gotta widen his portfolio (not an euphemism).

Now, it’s important to conduct market research, so with your permission, dear reader, I would like to float these ideas by you for some valuable feedback.

Let’s get to it.

- An organic, locally sourced bakery called Yeast Affection. Everyone loves yeast and bread, right? Sure to be a winner

- The Curtin Shops. Lovely place, great spread of facilities. There’s a cemetery down the road, but no funeral parlour. Ergo, you step in to fill this gap with the region’s newest service... Curtin Call. Because we all need a bit of levity in times of stress

- Sometimes, simple is best. The sales of crockery have gone up, the market is hot, so open up a place called What A Load of Crock

- Crockery, however, can be expensive. So I propose a sister store that sells cheaper versions of the same products for the Costco crowd, called What A Crock of Shit. Market. Covered

- In this day and age, it’s important to diversity with a wide array of products and services. So - in a stroke of sheer genius innovation - have a pub-brothel that also sells bathroom fixtures, called The Faucet Inn. Be advised, you will have to offer ASIC a sizable bribe to get it through, and prepare to be aggressively struck down by the Ad Board. But think of the publicity!

So there you are. Hot, surefire, winners. Sound off on your thoughts, and chip in with any of your own. I promise I won’t steal your ideas <fingers crossed behind back>

Jazida Productions: Pop-Up Party / Circus, dance, cabaret / 12 May (Glebe Park) & 2 June (Haig Park)

The Jazida Productions Pop-Up Parties will be a recurring event every three weeks on Fridays between 12 April and 14 July running from 5pm – 8:30pm, offering live performances from award winning artists. There will be interactive arts and crafts, play with flow and circus props, fire eating, fire dancing, sideshow performances, circus, drag, cabaret, and fan dancing. Each Pop-Up Party includes a 1.5 hour cabaret show, with a rotating cast of performers for each area. There will also be a DJ Dance Party one hour before and after each show! See Jazida Productions Pop-Up Parties Facebook page for more info

Aliens are real, and they’re landing in Canberra on 20 May, 2023. Small Town Alien is hard to explain but easy to love. Fresh from the release of their latest album Trigger Warning, Small Town Alien are hitting the Smith’s stage for the first time in over a year. They’re existential yet upbeat, dystopian yet cheerful, and soul destroying whilst miraculously also being soul-nourishing at the same time. But above all, they aim to entertain. No genre is safe. 9:30pm - 11:30pm, $10/$15 viasmithsalternative.com/events/small-town-alien

Alter Ego: An Evening Of Other / Arts & Show party

Fri, 26 May / National Portrait Gallery

Join NPG for Alter Ego: An Evening of Other! This 18+ late-night event is curated and produced by Kat Dopper of Heaps Gay, Queer Agency, and Summer Camp Festival fame. Celebrate and explore all things identity through surprising, inspiring, and challenging acts by talented local and interstate performers; experience creators, and visual artists. Featuring performances from Radha, Betty Grumble, Lupa J, Mowgli May, Marlena Dalí, YOKELUST and more. 6:30pm - midnight, $33 - $45 via portrait.gov.au/calendar/alter-ego

May / Canberra Theatre

Canberra Theatre Centre is proud to present legendary band Yothu Yindi as part of this year’s Reconciliation Concert. The multi-award winning band will share the stage with host Tahalianna SowardMahanga, and powerful young Canberran First Nations artists Alinta Barlow and Stewart Barton, in a celebration of their voices, stories, and music. The theme for National Reconciliation Week 2023, Be A Voice For Generations, urges all Australians to use their power, their words, and their vote to create a more just Australia for all of us. 7pm, $59 + bf via venue

AYA YVES / serotonin & forget me nots EP launch

Thu, 25 May / UC Hub

Canberran-at-heart AYA YVES has embarked upon her serotonin & forget me nots EP tour, with a stop at the ol’ CBR stomping grounds. YVES is a masterful storyteller and magic weaver, with a unique blend of dark alt-pop and indie electronica that quickly found a receptive audience in the Australian music soundscape. Her latest single white flag (review this ish, see page 36) gives fans a taste of what’s to come, with soaring vocals and complex experimental production that weaves in and out of sharp percussive elements.

7:30pm, $28.38 via Moshtix

Following the great success of 2021’s Full Circle LP, Biilmann is back with his fourth and by far the most unique album, Divided Mind Biilmann’s career has always been a wrestling match between his solo blues/roots/country sound against his ‘90s, blues-inspired rock ‘n’ roll band guise. Divided Mind neatly melts these together onto a neat Side A/Side B LP, showcasing the best of both worlds with a compelling story to boot. Supported by Hope Wilkins, The Burley Griffin, and Toby Morwitch. 7pm, $15 earlybird, $25 GA

via Oztix

Small Town Alien / A dystopian-yet cheerful jaunt through genres / Sat, 20 May / Smith’s Alternative

Yothu Yindi headline Reconciliation Concert Sun, 28

Jack Biilmann / Launch for new LP Divided Mind Fri 16 June / The Basement

Image by Leanne Peck Photography

LOCALITY

[THE LATEST ON LOCAL MUSIC] WITH JANNAH FAHIZ. SEND GIGS AND INFO TO: [JANNAH.FAHIZ@GMAIL.COM]

Hello! Jannah here. I’m excited to be writing my first local column since Ruth O’Brien has decided to pursue other exciting things. Ruth has been telling us the ins and outs of what’s happening in Canberra for quite some time now, so I have big shoes to fill. No pressure!

I wish Ruth all the very best. And now, let me present to you some cool things coming up in this fine region of ours.

If you’re looking for a night full of top tier pop-punk music from Canberra and Sydney bands, then look no further. Burntout Bookings presents Bad Lunar, The Polymics, Parrots with Piercings, and 51st Avenue

Happening just over our border in Queanbeyan, multi-award winning musicians Luke O’Shea and Lyn Bowtell will be performing their country hits at the Royal Hotel Queanbeyan as part of their Love and Laughter tour. This was all supposed to happen in 2020, but we all know how things went down (thanks COVID!). So they’re very excited to be on the road again performing.

For those that aren’t sure what to expect, Luke describes himself as “somewhere between Midnight Oil & John Williamson”, while Lyn has “influences reaching from pure country to blues, jazz, and pop”.

Catch this dynamic duo on Thursday, 18 May from 7pm Tickets are $34.70 and are on sale at Oztix.

On Thursday, 25 May, AYA YVES will be doing a hometown show at UC Hub as part of her serotonin & forget me nots EP tour. The show kicks off at 7:30pm and the vibe is dark alt-pop mixed with indie electronica. This brand new EP is a very intimate piece of art diving into grief and other personal themes in AYA YVES’ life. See her perform these tracks live along with some amazing support acts TBA. Tickets are available on Moshtix for $28.38.

What’s the occasion? To play nothing but good tunes for you! These bands each put their own spin on the pop-punk genre and will blow you away. This gig is taking place on Friday, 12 May from 7pm at The Basement. Tickets are $20 and are available from Oztix.

Speaking of our beloved former columnist, Ruth O’Brien is releasing her highly anticipated second EP, Songs For Abby, and is hosting a launch at The Street Theatre. The songs are a comedic, lovefelt, and light-hearted dedication to her cats, Abby and Monti. So if you also have a cat in your family, you’ll love this show. Ruth’s second EP was funded by an artsACT Homefront Grant in 2020, which means that these four acoustic love songs were written and recorded here in Canberra. Opening the night will be another well-loved local talent, Xandrella (aka Ally Cowell). The show will take place on Saturday, 13 May from 7:30pm All ages tickets are $35 (concession/student prices options too) and are available on The Street Theatre’s website.

He will be stopping in Canberra on Friday, 16 June from 7pm at The Basement to perform his brand new songs for you. You can expect to hear that perfect blend of blues, folk, and country. What’s more, the support acts will be some of the finest locals on the scene; Hope Wilkins, The Burley Griffin and Toby Morwitch (smartcasual). Earlybird tickets are available now for $15 (otherwise $25) via the Oztix website.

And that’s that, everyone! It’s been my pleasure to tell you about the hottest gigs coming up around town. I hope you treat yourself to a show or two.

And don’t forget your jacket! Those nights are gettin’ chilly!

Canberra music legend Jack Biilmann is going on tour with his band The Black Tide to celebrate the release of his fourth album Divided Mind

Ruth O’Brien

No need for the usual intro! The answers are too detailed and good...

Group members:

Resh (lead vocals and drums), Sofia (guitar and back-up vocals), Brian (bass), and Sylvia (keys).

Artist name and origins:

Resh: Originally, it was just Sof and I jamming - we used to play together in a band that stopped performing during COVID. Sofia was keen to get back into performing and I couldn’t stop writing new songs… but we needed a bass.

We tried to convince Brian to play bass with us, but he was too shy (so quintessentially bass, haha). One night, all three of us were out on the town and things got a little giddy. Sofia pleaded with Brian once again and drunk Brian (affectionately known as Ryan) said yes! He didn’t remember much the next day, but Sof wouldn’t let him forget his promise. Brian won’t admit it, but he had so much fun at that first jam.

Sofia: For a while, it was just the three of us bringing in three different sounds and perspectives - flavours, if you will. The name was sort of a no-brainer: we thought about what we love that comes in packs of threes and Aussie classic Peters Neapolitan Ice Cream came to mind.

Resh slipped up and called it Napoleon Ice Cream. After five minutes of paying her out, riding imaginary horses while licking an ice cream, we conceded; that was the band name. We wanted to create even bigger sounds and soon found Sylvia. Like a cool breeze on a hot day, she came to bless one of our jam sessions. We’ve never looked back.

Describe your sound:

Resh: Post-pop with a bit of indie rock. Creating songs that are meaningful and catchy is what’s important to us. We listen to each other and have similar tastes, so we know a banger when we hear it.

Sylvia: I love discovering and creating words and sounds that can more truthfully communicate my thoughts and feelings than a speech or a conversation. It’s so great being able to use music to connect with others, no matter what language they speak.

Sof: Being described as post-pop gives us leeway to do whatever we want, as long as it’s catchy and enjoyable. And I don’t mind putting a sick guitar solo in here and there, hehe.

Who/What are your influences, musical or otherwise?

Sof: Resh writes most of our songs but insists that it’s only because her band-members do such a good job of reading her mind!

Sometimes I wonder if we would be such close friends without music.

I feel like we communicate through music more than through words. Especially Brian, he’s capped at about 10 words per year so he needs music otherwise we’d never hear from him.

In this sense, we influence each other. Most of us (except Sylvia) aren’t formally trained, so we’re constantly learning from each other.

Personally, I listen to everything, but have preference towards funk and blues. Particularly: Funkadelic, Brothers Johnson, Plantlife, The Meters, Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, and all the legends.

Resh: I find influence and inspo everywhere. A rustle in a tree can inspire the verse of a song we’re working on. So I’ll find a dark corner and, as inconspicuously as possible, record ideas into my phone before emerging like gollum-like into civilian life.

I love artists that are willing to take risks and reinvent: FKA Twigs, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, David Bowie, Sigur Rós, Björk.

Sylvia: I’m inspired most by my personal relationships. My mum introduced her love of music to me and my siblings, and I grew up playing music as a family. As a classically-trained pianist, you may catch some more traditional musical influences in my playing.

Brian: Before picking up bass (previously only played guitar) I was heavily influenced by alt rock, prog rock, pop-rock, J-rock. Any type of rock! After picking up bass for this band it has definitely widened my view on music with catchy and groovy bass lines.

What key track/s of yours should people check out?

We are about to launch our first single Unexpectedly - so definitely check it out! Perfect Happy is also a crowd favourite. We occasionally play some covers, but with a bit of a twist - be sure to check out our cover of Feel Good Inc. by the Gorillaz!

What are some memorable experiences you’ve had?

Resh: Recording our first single was monumental. It solidified our conviction that we have something special here. Our band was on

the same page throughout the entire recording process, even when obstacles were thrown our way. So grateful that we found each other.

Sylvia: As the newest member, my memorable experiences are of our rehearsals rather than our gigs! Like what the others have said, recording Unexpectedly was a really great experience to share together - but I really just enjoy and cherish our rehearsal sessions.

Resh, Sofia, Brian, and their family and friends were all so warm and welcoming, and made me feel like a part of the gang from day one. That’s what I will remember most as time goes on.

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

We love how supportive Canberra venues and musicians are. If you want to play, people want you to play. If you want to learn, people are more than willing to teach you. If you want to collab, there are always people who can’t wait to get together and jam.

We like leaning into post-pop because it’s about reinvention and the freedom it can bring. Perhaps we’re drawn to it because of what we experienced growing up as first-gen and second-gen immigrants. We saw our parents struggle with the confines of situations in their birth countries, only to have to start again by bringing us to Australia. But they did it to give us the freedom and opportunities they never had.

Subsequently, we’ve had to negotiate conflicting mantras: “Don’t waste those opportunities”, but also, “Honour your parents and your heritage”. I think that sense of discovering our identity and yearning for freedom comes through in our music. It’s so great that we get to be all of these things in the Canberra music scene. Tell us about one of your proudest moments?

Resh: When a person, often female, comes up to me and says something to the effect of, “Wow. You drum and sing! I’ve always wanted to do that but never thought I could.”

I don’t think of myself as breaking barriers. I just do what feels right. But I get so excited when someone else sees the possibilities. We could have more female-singing drummers out there, and maybe one day that could be the norm.

Sofia: When I don’t stuff up my guitar solo, haha Sylvia: I love lifting my band members up by giving them my two-cents: that they are amazing! Resh was reworking the lyrics to Unexpectedly, and asked for my opinion on the edits. The first thing I noticed was that my favourite line was missing! Apparently some listener said they didn’t get it; I thought it was brilliant.

Resh is such a talented and dedicated musician and songwriter that it hurt my heart seeing that doubt creeping in. I’m grateful that I have been able to encourage my band members to own their space, words, tunes and ideas - because it always turns to gold.

(P.S. My favourite line made it back in! So definitely check it out)

Brian: Resh and Sof letting me join the band, even though I hadn’t touched a bass until my first jam. Safe to say I was not good.

But seriously, my proudest moment was my very first gig at Smith’s Alternative! Playing to a crowd is a wild experience. From setting up, sound check, playing through the mistakes, and just having fun.

What are your plans for the future?

We’re going to record more. Sofia, Sylvia, and Brian all have songs they’re writing in the pipeline, and we can’t wait to share them. We have no shortage of new stuff coming out at least for the foreseeable future. We also have a couple of gigs coming up at Smith’s Alternative (24 June & 4 August). Mark your diaries!

And Melbourne and Sydney, we’re coming for you! Stay tuned. What makes you laugh?

Sofia’s grumpy face arriving at rehearsal when we have an 11am “early” start. Brian trying to explain his work schedule when figuring out a time to rehearse. He does night shifts in IT but you need a degree in quantum physics to understand his schedule.

When Resh asks whether her drums are tuned correctly. To me (Sofia) it sounds exactly the freaking same every. single. time.

The fact that Sylvia must be a secret spy special ops agent because she has a million different jobs! She works with churches, parliaments, the defence community, and more. She is a trained lawyer and martial artist - and also figure skates! Who in the world needs that specific combination of skills!?

Practice breaks with everyone switching roles, Brian drums/guitar, Resh guitar/keys, Sof bass/drums, Syl guitar/drums/sing/keys/ bass/keys (you can remove this if you want lol) [No! - Bossman Sko]

What pisses you off?

Honestly, people who see a bunch of Asian nerds and assume we don’t know how to rock! People that look like us aren’t really that visible in the Aussie rock or pop scene, so we do come across a bit of unconscious bias now and then. But as soon as we get up and stage we play our hearts out and just forget about it.

Anything else you’d like to add?

We’ve got a couple of gigs lined up, so please join us for some sweet tunes and chill vibes: Saturday, 24 June and Friday, 4 August, both at Smith’s Alternative.

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook for more updates ;) instagram.com/napoleonicecreamband facebook.com/napoleonicecreamband

So says Holy Holy co-founder Timothy Carroll about new single, Messed Up, featuring Aussie rap sensation, Kwame. Indeed, it is unlike what has gone before. An arpeggiated synth floats under Kwame’s confessional lyrics before launching the track into a kind of drum ‘n’ bass beat; post drum ‘n’ bass, if you will.

This surprise is unsurprising for those who have followed Timothy Carroll and musical cohort Oscar Dawson’s six-plus year journey. They like to keep their audience, as well as themselves, entertained with the unknown.

What is for certain, though, is the sheer pumping, ebullient energy of their live show, which us lucky punters can witness when the chaps hit the road for the Messed Up tour. And further to Carroll’s comment on its wipe-the-board sonic nature, it further serves as a salient single choice due to the story behind it.

“We started writing the song around the time of the bushfires, actually,” Carroll reveals. “When I was living down in Tassie, the smoke from Victoria was coming across the street and blacking out the sky. It was all feeling a bit apocalyptic.

“I remember sitting up on the deck one night with my wife, conversing about, ‘Oh, my god, like, how bad is this going to get? What would we do?’ Gaming out a bit of an apocalyptic scenario. So that’s where the song came from. Then there was the pandemic, which was a whole ‘nother kind of messed up.”

The writing process also came with its challenges.

“As we were coming down the straight from the last record, something about that song didn’t quite feel right,” Carroll says. “We had a different chorus…. I wasn’t really feeling it. So we let it be.

“When we started making this new record, both Oscar and I independently went back to that song. There was something there; the melodies and lyrics had value. One day, we were collaborating with Tasman (Keith, renowned musician). As they were leaving, we texted him a link to the Dropbox with all the demos of the songs. And Kwame found an instrumental version of the song, which would have been called messed-up.wav, or something.

“He didn’t say, ‘Hey, I want to do a bit on this,’ or anything. He recorded his first verse, wrote the chorus hook, and sent it back to us. We realised we could pair his work with one of the verses from my original. After writing another little bridge part, the song came together beautifully.”

What follows now, of course, is the fun part; playing it live.

“We’ve been playing it on the road, which has been great,” Carroll enthuses. “Kwame is such a charismatic performer. These guest collaborators bring so much to the stage; I feel like I’ve got to lift my game to keep up. He’s a great performer; guiding the crowd through the song.”

And let us not forget their established bandmates.

“The band is a pretty powerful machine,” Carroll states. “Our drummer, Ryan Strathie, is an absolute savant; our bass player, Graham Ritchie, I’ve worked with for a decade… The musicianship on stage is really good. And we’ve got a great team doing the front of house too.

“When you combine that with the songs, and the heart and passion behind the project… And then the audience, many of whom have been listening for years. It can be a pretty magical kind of synthesis.”

“We like to pull a bit of a move with the first single of a new record and do a song that’s a bit outside of anything we’ve done before. Like a palate cleanser.

“Whatever you’re expecting, let go of it, and see what comes next.”

In this lengthy chat, many topics are covered. On his progression with singing, Carroll states: “As I went on during my career, I’ve been writing in a higher register with more complicated melodies. I have to actually train my voice now.”

On the striking Messed Up artwork, which also features in the music video, and its potential meaning, Carroll says: “We wanted something austere and minimalist.

“We’ve actually worked it into the live show as well. We’ve got a big, physical circle that sits above us at the shows. Our lighting designer turns it into the moon, and the sun, and pulses differently to the beat.”

And on the aforementioned Messed Up music video, where Carroll shows off a future Tiktok dance craze with a move I’ve dubbed The Carroll Crab Crawl: “Look, it’s a bit embarrassing, especially

studio session with Oscar and be certain that we’ll have written six good songs. I don’t need to be anxious about that happening any more.”

As this insightful chat draws to a close, I venture for details on the upcoming album. Carroll is refreshingly forthright.

“Yeah, I’ve been experimenting lately; I used to always be quite tight-lipped with the press,” Carroll says. “But I’m experimenting with being loose-lipped and dropping all kinds of bits and pieces.

“So yeah, the record’s in good shape. We’ve got a solid 11 songs, ten of which are pretty much done and just require a bit of nuancing; a bit of spit and polish.

“There’s one that’s currently just a weird jam. But I think it’s cool. I kind of want it on the record. I think we’ll just let it be and not try to turn it into anything else.”

And finally, what we’ve on been waiting on… The Canberra show.

“We’re playing a brand new, unreleased song on the tour,” Carroll beams.

“The next single is called Pretend To Be It’s been submitted to the Spotify gods, awaiting its release. I’m excited that the audience, rather than getting a digital premiere or some email where they click on a link, will hear the song for the first time in the room with us, performing live. That’s been a fun moment in the show.

“And we’re also performing St Petersburg off the last record, which is the first time that song’s ever been performed as well. So there’s quite a few bits in there.

Holy Holy’s Messed Up tour hits Kambri on Friday, 26 May with special guests Kwame and Medhanit. Tix are $65.25 via Moshtix.

PUNK & DISORDERLY

[ THE WORD ON PUNK ] WITH ALICE WORLEY

Hey y’all! Been a minute! We’ve got far too much catching up to do… How about we start with one of Canberra’s favourite punk bands: Slagatha Christie! They just brought out a new single in March, the dreamy and heartfelt Idiot Lungs. A beautiful blend of modern and ‘90s, like a mortar and pestle smashing up of Camp Cope and Return of Saturnera No Doubt

Now I hear you asking, “I’ve already listened to it a hundred times on Spotify, but how can I hear it live?” I’ll tell ya how!

Slagatha Christie are jumping on the Live at the Polo stage with Box Dye and Strawberry Prince on Friday, 12 May to celebrate the release of Stupid Gills… I mean Big Dumb Breathers… I mean Idiot Lungs! Yeah that one. Get on down for some pierogi and big feels. Also, the Polish donuts are pretty good, but somehow every time I eat them they’re covered in my own drool. Mysterious.

Absolute Aussie beloveds, These New South Wales, have released their third album and are hitting the road to celebrate! What does this have to do with local gigs? Well BOOM! They’re gracing us with their presence at sideway on Saturday, 20 May!

They’ll be joined on the new(ish) sideway stage by the increasingly popular Mr. Industry, and super brand new band Glue!

Don’t know Glue? Well, they have some familiar faces to lure you in, boasting the likes of Felix and Lachie of Sonic Reducer, along with Emily from Spouse

Oh yeah baby, this is gonna be a good night! Do y’all know Mr. Industry? Go to Spotify and listen to Booty Smashers right now if you want some chunky, heavy, punky goo. Go now! I’ll wait…

Aussie punk dads Frenzal Rhomb are coming to town, and they’re bringing The Meanies with them. Friday, 21 July at The Basement, no local supports announced yet, but it’s gonna be a huge night for punk lovers. If this doesn’t sell out I’ll be very surprised, so get onto it!

Local faves Bad Lunar are headlining The Basement on Friday, 12 May! Supporting them we’ve got The Polymics popping into town, local larrikins Parrots With Piercings, and 51st Avenue fresh off the back of their tour with favourite sweethearts Nora. Some wonderful bands being showcased; a wholesome but fierce evening awaits.

SoSo are coming to say hello on their This Tour Ain’t Big Enough For The Both Of Us jaunt. Super awesome to have them back. They’ll kick pop punk arse upon The Basement stage on Friday, 19 May with local supports Rental Snake, Nelly Nova, and Wardens of Sound

SoSo are so, so much fun. This is an awesome collection of local acts to sweeten the pot. What’s not to love?

While we’re having this catch up, I gotta take a second to mention Gutwrench Records. They’re putting shows together, platforming some very cool new bands like Spouse and Mr. Industry, they’ve put out their first zine, and they have a YouTube channel with a growing collection of live videos from their DIY shows at the Whitlam Echo Chamber (pure industrial visual vibe). Highly recommend keeping an eye on Gutwrench; they’re the next Lacklustre or Mulgara for sure.

To close out, I wanna add one high note, and one sad note.

On a high note, I am so excited to see a new venue has opened! The Shaking Hand has planted its flag on 7 Akuna Street, and if that address sound familiar, it’s where Transit Bar used to be.

The layout is similar, but I’m glad they’ve opened up the space and axed a pool table. That place always needed more of a dance floor.

The free Thursday night shows boast some really awesome local line-ups, and this place is just bursting with potential to be the next favourite city venue. It wants really badly to be the next Frankie’s Pizza (RIP) and I am praying that they get to that point. This is a very exhilarating and hopefilled space to watch, just please for the love of goodness cover those freshly painted black walls in gig posters. PLEASE!

To end on a downer, I am so sad to see WAAX hang up the gear. They were a massively inspirational group for myself and many others and it’s gonna leave a big hole in the Aussie scene. Thanks for the energy and love you put into the music community, you absolute legends x Punk Gig Guide:

12 May - Slagatha Christie ‘Idiot Lungs’ Single Launch w/ Box Dye and Strawberry Prince @ live at The Polo

12 May - Bad Lunar, The Polymics, Parrots With Piercings, and 51st Avenue @ The Basement

13 May - LOADING ZONE: Verity Lane Takeover @ Sideway

19 May - SoSo w/ Rental Snake, Nelly Nova, and Wardens of Sound @ The Basement

20 May - These New South Wales w/ Mr Industry and Glue @ Sideway

25 May - Despise You (USA) w/ Choof, Blight Worms, and Bloodmouth @ Transit Bar

16 June - Among the Restless w/ st.sinner and Rental Snake @ Transit Bar

21 July - Frenzal Rhomb w The Meanies @ The Basement

Slagatha Christie

mr. industry

Soso

ARIA Hall of Famer Chris Masuak rose to prominence as a teenage guitar prodigy with Australian punk pioneers Radio Birdman, his razor-sharp riffs also integral to the sound of The Hitmen, The New Christs, and The Screaming Tribesmen.

Masuak has played with everyone from Ron and Scott Asheton of The Stooges, to Wayne Kramer and Dennis Thompson of MC5, his muscular guitar providing serious, fail-safe firepower to every band he’s been in.

Those with years under the belt, and long memories to match, will recall the time when The Cult came off second best to The Screaming Tribesmen at Selinas in 1987, not to mention the time The New Christs blew Iggy Pop and band offstage night after night on Iggy’s first Australian tour.

The stuff of legend. Those who have ever witnessed Masuak live will attest, he’s a hard act to follow.

Masuak hits Australian shores in May for his first tour here in six years – including a rare gig in the nation’s capital. BMA caught up with Chris at his home base of Galicia in northern Spain to get the low-down on what audiences can expect.

BMA: Chris, you have four solo albums out, including the critically acclaimed Address To The Nation from a couple of years back. You must be looking forward to playing this solo material live, particularly in Canberra where you are playing as a solo artist for the first time?

CHRIS: Very much so! Although choosing what songs to play is actually quite a conundrum.

On one hand, I have an expansive history and an extensive back catalogue of ‘hits’ that promoters and punters insist that I play. On the other hand, I also have a ton of my own stuff that’s a lot of fun too. I know I can’t, but I’ll try to please everyone.

One of your last gigs in Canberra was with Birdman at the old ANU in August of 2006 on the Zeno Beach tour, yet over the years you've played here many times before with The Hitmen, and also The Screaming Tribesmen. Good memories of playing in the national capital?

Canberra has always had a vigorous and rather enjoyable dark underbelly beneath its desolate and unnavigable streets. It’s always been a fun place to play.

FLIES AGAIN

By Colin Gray of Vicious Kitten Records

You also have a new book published called Faith and Practice In Bedlam. I assume it was satisfying, or maybe even cathartic, to write the book - to look back and reflect but to also look beyond?

Adelaide-based writer Robert Brokenmouth got wind of some of my ‘bits’, as I refer to the. Over a number of years, he consistently provoked me into collecting them together.

The resulting book is not so much a reflection of my various derring-do, but an observation of how particular characters can’t help but reveal themselves for themselves through their own actions. Including myself.

On this Australian tour you are backed by Dog Soldier, featuring Tony Bambach of Lime Spiders and Stu Wilson from The New Christs. Some serious Oz underground rock pedigree there!

How could we have anything else? It will be very exciting to play with those guys!

With such a lengthy resume, what songs can punters expect to hear? Birdman? Hitmen? Tribesmen tunes?

You’re gonna hear me cut a swathe across the back catalogue that I talked about. All the stuff that you’re familiar with – plus maybe a few surprises chucked in.

You have a red-hot Spanish-based band, the Viviero Wave Riders. What’s in store for 2023 with that band? A new album? More shows in Europe?

We’ve just finished recording a single for an American label that will be released later this year. COVID hit Spain hard, and we’ve been stuck with a scene where bands either play for free or pay to play.

When people get fed up with the fashionistas participating, then we’ll be ready to go!

The Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, is a well-known fan of Radio Birdman, and is often seen donning a Birdman or Celibate Rifles t-shirt. Perhaps Albo will join you on stage for a rendition of New Race or Aloha Steve & Danno?

It’s heartening to see a decent human at the helm after such a long turgid time, yet somehow I doubt our PM would deign to visit little old me. But, he’s always welcome to join me on mic!

Chris Masuak & Dog Soldier play at Smith’s Alternative on Sunday, 28 May with Il Bruto. Tickets are $20/$25 via the venue website.

METALISE

The late summer weather has really made this cold wet snap not only a pain in the arse for loading gear in and out of venues, but sure as hell makes those inevitable finger jams even more agonising.

The silver lining, of course, is all the bands selling the long sleeve merch and hoodies at recent events are now coming out in force; an insidious, creeping black flower blooming across the washing lines of the capital. Thankfully, the shitty weather isn’t curtailing the opportunity to add to the washing pile of barley legible fonts on black backgrounds.

Mayhaps, The Metalise May Calendar?

The Pot Belly continues to bring some cool 4-band bills that pair wonderfully with their sumptuous craft beer menu. On Friday, 12 May you can get along and try them for yourself whilst enjoying the neck workout kindly provided by Axiomatic Theory, Shockwave, Whisperhead, and AtrocitA.

The Iron Maidens make a welcome return to The Basement on Friday, 15 May with the full Maiden production treatment.

Heavy Hitters Ahoy

USA legends Despise You have kindly included Canberra on their May national tour, popping down to Transit Bar on Thursday, 25 May. Californian veterans packing malevolent power violence of the first order—with a near three decade wrap sheet that includes splits with everyone from Agoraphobic Nosebleed to Coke Bust—you will be hard pressed to find an angrier set this winter.

They’re touring with newish Melbourne band Choof, who are spreading the good news of their Dimwitted Amoral Exploitation EP (out now through Dead Set Records). Blight Worms and Bloodmouth are also along for the ride.

So, if you have a lot of pent up rage with the price of living, rent, and generally trying to get by in this crazy world, then you need a cathartic release in the form of tickets for this show. Available now through the Dead Set Records website.

Make Them Suffer hit the news as additions to Parkway Drive’s 20th anniversary tour of North America, joining Northlane and The Amity Affliction on the Monsters of Oz bill.

With the skills of five strong women blazing their way through one of metal’s most revered back catalogues, Metalise advises the need of your strongest sing-along lungs, as well as your tickets, for this one.

Thy Art Is Murder are undertaking a significant regional tour this Autumn, and Canberra is very much on the chopping block for the brutivities.

The Basement will play host on Saturday, 20 May for the guys, who have just come back from a 25-date tour of the USA ahead of the 16 dates around Australia.

Joined by Justice For The Damned and To The Grave, they’ll be breakdowns dropping like red ‘n’ yellow leaves in the ‘burbs. Tickets are available now via Oztix.

It’s fortuitous timing, as it coincides with celebrating the band’s 10th anniversary of debut Neverbloom, replete with a quick package tour around Australia with New Jersey mates

Fit For An Autopsy

So, on Wednesday, 31 May you can pop yourself along to The Basement nice and early to catch tour opener Ocean Sleeper kick off proceedings. Metalise advises you get your tickets from The Basement website first!

Beloved Old Venue; Fresh New Sounds

It’s always good to see other venues trying metal shows out. After our own Witchskull did such a great job at Live at the Polo a ways back, they’re keeping it in Downer and hitting up a show at the Australian Croatian Club on Saturday, 24 June

[THE WORD ON METAL] WITH JOSH NIXON [DOOMTILDEATH@HOTMAIL.COM]

It’s no small event either, with the guys headlining a 6-band bill that includes Purenvy, Elm Street, Dark Horse, Just Say Ozzy!, and Aiffel. Tickets are already moving on this ripper, and the ‘Skull no doubt will be playing some new jams from their imminent fourth album due out *I THINK* in winter this year. So head along to Moshtix to grab your tickets to this huge show.

UK death doom veterans Esoteric are a fantastic addition to the winter program at The Basement on Friday, 30 June.

31 years into their seven album career, it’s a must-see show for fans of epic death-laced doom metal. The support slots feature Sydney’s excellent Burden Man, and Canberra’s own death doom vets Futility. This is going to be a killer one folks; don’t sleep on them tickets from Oztix. “It’s Hyyyyyyyyyyydra-nautic... Why It’s-a Greased Fightin’!”

And to end this month on a high, Hydranaut have a killer bit of selftitled vinyl out that you can grab from their Bandcamp site right now. If you’re unsure about the level of rock to be had, then assess for yourself through the wonders of YouTube and the film clip for the song Give Em a Drink. Prepare thyself for party.

PICTURED: The METAL KNIGHTS - clockwise from top left: Dark Horse, Elm Street, Purenvy, Aiffel, and Witchskull

The Many Facets Of Fatherhood Creswick curates The Voices Of Fatherhood

By Jen Seyderhelm

Step inside modern fatherhood: The state. The practice. The meaning. It’s a lofty logline for the upcoming In His Words: Voices of Fatherhood, playing at The Street Theatre this June.

In His Words is a live music and cinematic exploration of the contemporary experience of being a father through song, words, evocative soundscapes, first-hand accounts, film... and unfiltered authenticity. It brings together the voice, and the stories, of nine different fathers, lovingly curated and live-scored by Canberra’s own Liam Budge in his creative Creswick guise.

As I waited for the award-winning composer, singer, photographer, and videographer to join me for our Zoom interview, I took a moment and wondered what his inner questions or unresolved issues were to create this project exploring modern fatherhood.

Then Liam’s smile appeared haloed by South Canberra sunshine and, unwittingly, a voice inside me answered:

“His father is so, so proud of him.”

I have a feeling that Creswick, despite his gentle and highly creative exterior, has the capacity to extract truth and enhance self-awareness from all those who encounter him.

But I was also well aware that being able to get men to speak about their fathering experiences honestly and authentically was not the same as ticking a box to show you aren’t a robot.

“It has been difficult,” Liam reveals. “It’s one thing to be recorded on audio, but another to be vulnerable on camera and know that your voice and image will be seen and interpreted in a theatrical environment like this.

“Lots of fathers would talk off the record, but the visuals are a really big part of the creative output for both me, and for the audienc,e to be able to connect.

“But what it has meant, because there is this bar of participation for men,” Liam continues, “is that the nine fathers profiled in this work all bring this incredible vulnerability to discussing where they’re at, through their insightful and thoughtful responses to the question,s and the conversations around fatherhood.”

Liam Budge/Creswick—with his combination of elite creativity and lived experience—is perfectly positioned to helm such a work.

After releasing his debut jazz album to critical acclaim, he moved to New York. Budge worked with the finest musicians on the most storied stages like Madison Square Garden and the Lincoln Centre.

Then, in 2018, Liam’s son Julian was born, and in 2019 they moved home to Canberra to be closer to family. They, like everyone in the region, were then subject to bushfires, COVID, lockdowns, and an abrupt end to all creative endeavours in a public space.

“Being in lockdown with my family, we’ve always taken home videos,” Liam reveals. “All my gigs were cancelled. I have this deep love of video and documentation and I thought, what can I create in this time that means something to myself, as well as create a deep personal connection?

“In the past, I’ve created songs and videos, not necessarily from my own experience. Just by virtue of the fact that everything went inward, I was able to think about what I could create artistically and consider what

I was passionate about which, for me, was being a father.”

And just like that, the Muse sparked.

“Suddenly, I was in a space where I was able to create all these cinematic home movies of my own son!” Liam enthuses. “My mind turned to thoughts about fatherhood and how I could capture the stories of other fathers. Of ways they might have different experiences to mine.

“That’s the point where the seed of this idea was born.”

Liam is not one of the nine featured in In His Words. He is performing and scoring the work live during the performance; an impressive feat. Drawing inspiration from diverse artists such as Sting, Bon Iver, Nils Frahm, and Vince Jones, the music is an eclectic mix of pop, jazz, folk, and rock music with soaring instrumental solos, delicate ballads, art roc,k and ultra-vivid textural soundscapes.

Along with Liam as Creswick on vocals, guitars, and keys, he is joined by Brett Williams on piano & keys (and also one of the nine fathers featured), Chris Pound on bass, Ben Hauptmann on guitars, and James Hauptmann on drums.

Liam and Julian do feature in the work, but Liam wanted primarily to explore other people’s stories and how they related to his, and his audience’s, experience. There’s an abundance of joy and heartwarming tales to be enjoyed.

But not all the stories of the past are positive; testing ideas of masculinity, role-models, and culture.

Modern parenting has both changed and stayed the same. Diverse cultures and experiential backgrounds—when taken in together, such as In His Words provides— encourage reflection of ourselves, our fathers, and our father figures.

I ask Liam if he thinks men, fathers, will voluntarily come to see this, or whether they’ll be “encouraged” along by their partners or children.

“Because this is inherently gendered, I do really hope that people will get behind it,” Liam explains. “That it will be embraced by those brave, interested, arts going, music loving, and visual seeking people.

“There’s something in it for everyone, irrespective of gender and background.”

There is one thing that seems certain: You won’t be able to watch this work and not think about your own father.

I hope Liam doesn’t mind me sharing this [he doesn’t, I checked! - Bossman Al], but at this point, toward the end of the conversation, both of us were heading towards deadlines with our own sons – me to take mine to tennis lessons; and Julian... because he’d decided he wanted to be part of our interview.

This divine young human gave his thoughts about the tooth fairy, a spatula, and a shared love for the movie Frozen I genuinely don’t feel that our connection, Liam’s and mine, would have been complete without Julian being the wonderful, energetic, and completely loved boy that he is.

Liam’s father has been unwell and won’t see In His Words until it begins at The Street Theatre for a three-day run.

But I was right, though. He is, and will be, so proud.

In His Words: Voices Of Fatherhood is on at The Street Theatre on 23 - 25 June, showing at 7:30pm on the 23rd and 24th, and 4pm on Sunday, 25th. $32 - $42 via the venue. In His Words was commissioned through The Street’s Early Phase program.

It’s back, it’s brilliant, and it once again champions Canberra filmmakers on a global stage. Celebrating 32 years, Flickerfest remains Australia’s leading Academy® Qualifying and BAFTA

Recognised short film festival, from a record pool of 3,200 entries! CBR highlights include: moving drama The Pleasure Of Meeting

Someone, shot in Lyneham and Clear Range with local crew; beautiful animation Marionettes And The Virtue Of A Lotus Flower, a Nepalese grandma’s story of being a child bride; comedy of errors White Lies by Canberra born writer/director/producer Greg Moran; and plenty more! 7pm, $27.50 via flickerfest.com.au/tour/canberra/

Classical music lovers: critically acclaimed talent from around the globe is on its way. Opening its doors for the very first time, Snow Concert Hall at Canberra Grammar School is a spectacular new venue for music, purpose-built with world-class acoustics. Experience Ana de la Vega (pictured), one of the world’s best classical flautists, as she kicks off the series with the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra on 20 May at 7pm. The series features legendary UK-based pianist Piers Lane (29 June), Spain’s superstar oboist Ramón Ortega Quero (20 July), and a must-see for Australian jazz lovers, Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra on 17 and 18 August. snowconcerthall.com

An overzealous idiot attempts to perform all of Greek Mythology in less than 60 minutes in order to save his Hellenic homeland from economic ruin. Lifelong theatre and TV actor, Damien Warren-Smith, brings his alter-ego, Garry Starr, to life in the beautifully intimate setting of Smith’s. Scooping up accolades with every show—including Pick of the Fringe (Adelaide Fringe 2022), Best Comedy (Manchester Fringe 2022), and Best in Fest (Gothenburg Fringe 2022)—a hilarious, high-energy, and very, very silly hour of fun awaits. 4pm - 5pm, tickets $15/$20 via smithsalternative.com/events/greece-lightning

Apeiron Baroque continues its terrific series with a concert featuring the sonorous alto and tenor registers of the unusual Viola d’amore, and the black sheep of the string family, the viola. Highlights include music depicting a phoenix and a chicken, a duo for the 28 strings of two Viola d’amores, a concerto for four violas stolen from our diva violin cousins, and a melancholy setting by that most famous composer, Anonymous. Music by Telemann, Graupner, Rameau, Huberty, and Anonymous, via guest artists Karina Schmitz, Pippa Newman, and Alex Munro. 5pm, $15 - $40 via Trybooking

Garry

Performs Everything / Every Genre in 60 Minutes / Sat, 3 June / The Q, Queanbeyan

Yes, you read that right... One Garry Starr, two completely different shows. Proving himself to be one of the hardest working people in the scene, Damien Warren-Smith aka Garry Starr Performs Everything is the story of a disgraced actor who attempts to save theatre from its inevitable extinction by performing every genre imaginable. Starr tears through artistic genres with little regard for personal safety and, arguably, less regard for art. What ensues is both a satirisation and celebration of many well-known, and lesser-so, genres via a mix of utter stupidity and surprising skill. 2pm & 7pm, $30 - $50 via venue

Award-winning inclusive theatre company Rebus Theatre presents a groundbreaking show that challenges traditional thinking about the mental health system. Systems and Sanity is a devised theatre exploration that comes out of nearly two years of discussion, workshopping, writing, and rehearsal by people with mental health challenges. It travels through lands of trauma and distress, navigates social systems that can be rigid and disempowering, and arrives in the resilience of survivors and the unique bonds formed. Expect pathos, poetry, music, and laughter. $25/$10, rebustheatre.com

Garry Starr - Greece Lightning / Greek Mythology in 60 mins / 11 June / Smith’s Alternative

International Classic Music Series @ Exciting, Shiny New Venue/ 20 May / Snow Concert Hall

Apeiron Baroque presents: Too Many Strings Sun, 11 June / Wesley Uniting Church

Starr

Rebus Theatre presents: Systems and Sanity 15 - 17 June / Ralph Wilson Theatre, Braddon

Flickerfest/ Best Of Australian (incl CBR!) Shorts / 18 May / Palace Electric Cinemas

Photo by Dallas Bland

Crying Wolf

Tech Talk: AI Content Creation - 2023 Report

Chat GPT is all the rage… but is it all rage? Find out in this month’s deep dive into today’s trek du la tech with BMA’s Chris Marlton. Time To Teach

I’m mostly known for being a comedian, writer, painter, film-maker, and philanthropist. And while the majority of my time is spent sitting in dark rooms, staring into the abyss, I also teach.

I run a night course in Norwegian Hedge-trimming. The course is held in the carpark of the Cooleman Court shopping centre, near the old Blockbuster store.

Every Monday and Thursday night from 5:45pm until 11pm, I meet my 67 students. They learn all about Norwegian Hedge Management. It’s a seven year course. 45 students are in 3rd, 4th or 5th years, 12 are in 2nd year, seven in final year, and we have three first-years. The class is capped at 67 students.

When a student graduates I can take on another the following year.

Report Cards

The hardest part of teaching is finding time to complete the report cards. Feedback on learning and growing should be constant. I provide each student with an end-of-week report card that is as detailed as most end-of-term or semester report cards usually are.

Each report card takes me approximately 35 minutes to complete, which is, frankly, untenable.

Working Smarter

Chat GPT is the most well-known, publicly available content generation artificial intelligence software. Released in November 2022, it has made machine-generated text into a mainstream concept. What people do not realise is that Chat GPT is only one of thousands of similar prose-bots. For the past five months I have been using a new AI soft-bot built by Sanitarium named Bot-INX-88 (BIX_88) to write all of my weekly report cards.

For your academic pleasure and personal intellectual pursuits, I have included three of my favourite / most interesting reports below. Names of the students have not been de-identified: full-disclosurerights are a condition of joining the course.

REPORT ONE - BIX_88 AI-generated report card

Name: Diana Clatter

Date: 18-24 February 2023

Year: 7th year student

Cooperation: Ms Clatter refuses to help anyone else in the class with Norwegian Hedge literacy, which is in line with current teachings. Many 7th year students take pity on the less-experienced students and breach the co-op code. Clatter does not, and has not, as yet.

Emotional Availability: Diana will provide 2-3 sentence answers regarding personal matters to fellow students, but after this point , she abruptly stop replying. She pretends like she does not hear, yet she does hear. She hears.

Fitness: Diana runs an average 4:25/km pace for her 10km Tuesday night Hedge-run. This puts her in the top 32nd percentile.

Politics: A Neo-Mutualist. Her anarchic economic theory leads to challenging classmates’ ownership rights. Seen at break time in the Lotus position reciting the Mutualist Creed in 16th Century French.

Additional: Diana Clutter is an aggressive and soulful member of the class. Her foot-speed is an asset over short-distances, but her longdistance running can still improve. Her presence will not be missed.

Grade: B-

REPORT TWO - BIX_88 AI-generated report card

Name: Archibald Slipforth

Date: 25-31 March 2023

Year: 1st year student

Cooperation: Archibald brings eight large roosters to each class, ritualistically sacrificing one every 37 minutes. The meat is divided amongst the class during a free-style improv he calls “Archie’s Co-op.”

Emotional Availability: Some people have no internal monologue. Archibald has no internal life. His central nervous system (CNS) performs 90% of his high-functioning brain activity. Actual greymatter is dedicated solely to disproving the Riemann Hypothesis. His mother, Judy Slipforth-Jones, hypnotised him into this state of being on his fifth birthday. The situation has not been remedied since.

Fitness: Archibald has a body-fat percentage of 72.

Politics: A Byzantist, which he uses primarily to justify his rooster sacrifices, and the 18-22 large Greek Lamb platters he eats before class. He arrives an hour before class, and eats more than 15kg of halfcooked lamb with a judge from the Guinness Book of World Records weighing the meat and timing the chews.

Additional: Master Slipforth is the most popular member of the class, despite being a first-year. He is constantly threatening other class members with grievous bodily harm, but has yet to fulfil any of these threats. He says he is waiting for the next blood moon.

Grade: C+

REPORT THREE - BIX_88 AI-generated report card

Name: Ingrid Offgrid

Date: 28 Jan - 3 Feb 2023

Year: 3rd year student

Cooperation: Ingrid refuses to cooperate.

Emotional Availability: Ingrid has married and divorced 14 class members in two years. The marriages are fraught with infidelity. She refuses to share a spousal bed; only sleeping with them when divorced.

Fitness: Ingrid is the fastest swimmer in the class. Her 1500m freestyle time of 15:24 would place in the 2020 Olympic final.

Politics: A Protofeminist. Her ideas stem from Medieval Christianity, declaring herself property of her spouse, then rejecting the notion on the grounds of self-affirmation, leading to her habitual infidelities.

Additional: The most talented hedge-trimmer in the class, Ingrid would do well to consider a career in professional hedge-trimming.

Grade: A+

Chris Marlton is a comedian, writer, painter, and film-maker. His latest comedy special, Mephisto Waltz, is available to watch for free on YouTube. All upcoming comedy shows are available at www. linktree/ChrisMarlton. Follow @chris.marlton & @laserfirecomedy on Instagram and @ChrisMarltonComedy on Facebook.

What got you into comedy?

I watched Eddie Murphy’s Raw with my dad and uncle at 11 years old (way too young, do not recommend) and watching how this guy was able to break them into tears with just his words, his thoughts, his attitude, stuck with me forever. Stand-up comedy is like an adult magic trick.

I think subconsciously I always knew I wanted to do it, but the path to acceptance was not linear. My parents are both first generation Australians; my dad Italian and my mum Greek. They worked extremely hard to send me to a private selective school in Sydney. You can’t really repay that by pursuing a career in the arts, at least off the bat.

So I studied Law at university, I worked in the Insolvency industry for four odd years, and as my soul spent the time slowly leaking out of my eyeballs at a cubicle, I finally ran out of excuses for not following my dream. I worked in Insolvency by day while doing comedy at night for two years, before packing it all in and chasing this full time in 2018. How would you describe your comedy to the layman?

Storytelling, extremely personal, very cheeky, occasionally edgy, with a sprinkling of ethnic flavouring.

And how would you describe your style of comedy to a TV Exec looking to sign you to your own series?

SO diverse! Greek and Italian! Two ethnicities for the price of one. The next generational voice of an Australian subculture crying out for a new comedic hero and role model…or honestly, whatever you guys need me to be.

Who are some of your favourite comedians?

Eddie Murphy kicked it all off. As a teenager I watched the ‘Wog’ guys religiously, especially Joe Avati, and had an affinity

to Carl Barron. As I got older ,the more cerebral American comics would grip me: Chappelle, Burr, Louis CK.

I think it was getting really into George Carlin that pushed me over the edge though, in terms of wanting to do it myself. The way he was able to infuse social and political commentary into his jokes, or vice versa depending on your perspective, was simply revolutionary.

These days I listen to EVERYONE (Spotify has a ridiculous library of comedy albums, the best way to consume stand-up). At the moment I’m smashing through some Kyle Kinane, Marc Maron, Sam Morril, Natasha Leggero, and Mark Normand.

What’s one of the funniest/weirdest things that’s happened in your career?

Well I was punched in the face on stage in 2019. A drunk English woman was heckling me pretty relentlessly, I retorted with an admittedly quite tame put down, at which point her boyfriend shot up and took a swing. Thankfully he only grazed my cheek before being removed from the room.

I then finished my set like a god-damned professional, had a month long existential crisis, before turning the story into the closer for my 2019 hour show (video is on my Youtube.

What’s one of the proudest moments of your career?

I don’t know. This is hard. The self-hating comic cliché is just that for a reason; I tend to diminish accomplishments because if I can do them, they can’t be that hard or meaningful.

I try to not be like that as much as possible. Selling out the Sydney Comedy Store two years in a row in 2019/2020 was amazing, as is absolutely any time I get to travel to do shows. Also, I scored directly from a corner in football when I was 15, obviously completely deliberate.

Here’s a section where you can write anything you’d like (why wait for the right question?)

Prawns aren’t worth it. Such a high maintenance food, so much effort for the eater. Then you end up with sticky hands.

Many prawn defenders will cite how well prawns go with condiments, lemon, garlic, aioli. I don’t respect foods that need to dress up to be presentable. A prawn is just a glorified cracker. This is very un-Australian, and I’m sorry.

Comedians hate being asked “tell us a joke” when people find out they’re comedians. So... What’s one of your favourite jokes?

Yes. Yes, we do hate being asked that. To work for free?? I don’t meet carpenters and immediately ask them to make me a table.

Having said that…I saw so many shows at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival this year, given my show was early at 6pm. The joke which sticks out to me the most is from Brodi Snook – “The more tattoos a man has of his kids, the less likely he is to be allowed to see them”

What exactly is the meaning of life?

As best as I can tell, embracing the cyclical duality of it. Eat good food, fart. Make money, spend it on the people you love. Hear or see something funny, laugh loud. Fall in love, cry a lot. Live…die.

Hecklers… A help or a hindrance? Do you have any particular favourite “come backs/put downs” for the lippy segment of the great unwashed?

Hindrance, without a shadow of a doubt. You don’t see people going to Cirque De Soleil with pool cues, running on stage and swinging at the dancers. Yet for whatever reason, there’s this mythical agreement that comedy is the only artform that can be disrupted and it’s all cool…this is a sore point clearly haha.

Bottom line is; intelligent people don’t heckle.

The Danish word ‘hygge’ encapsulates a general feeling of warmth, happiness and glow. What creates this sensation for you?

I guess the obvious answer would be doing stand-up; really connecting with an audience and getting a bit of that sweet, sweet validation.

But I’m just as happy spending entire days on the couch with my partner and our two cats, watching movies and eating pizza. Balance.

What is your favourite a) film, b) book, c) TV show, d) stand up set?

a) A Fish Called Wanda

b) One Hundred Years of Solitude

c) The Sopranos historically but Succession currently

d) This is very hard so I’ll give three; The Great Depresh (Gary Gulman), Equanimity (Dave Chappelle), and Back In Town (George Carlin).

Anything you’d like to add?

I should probably plug the show!

I’m very excited to bring Heart Of Darkness to Canberra specifically. I’m expecting a higher proportion of the audience to understand my literary references than most cities I’ve done this show in.

The show explores the relationship between love and guilt via stories of some very naughty things I did as a teenager, juxtaposed with how in love I am right now. There’s also a dream sequence!

Heart Of Darkness will be at Smith’s Alternative on Friday, 9 June having played this year at Adelaide Fringe, Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Sydney, Perth, Newcastle and Wollongong Comedy Festivals)

Kandinsky got it right when he said, “Colour is a power which directly influences the soul”. Alastair Swayn knew it; the designers featured in the Ian Wong Collection knew it. Canberra Museum and Gallery (CMAG) knows it.

The recently opened gallery facing London Circuit affords us a teaser view of the Swayn exhibition - a white, light space with a ghostly box artfully filled with familiar objects. It’s a coo-wee; a come on in.

Colour, Light, Humanity tells the story and legacy of Scottish born Canberran Alastair Swayn’s vision for architecture as a “genuine way of approaching humanity”, his love of light and of creating welcoming spaces. Embracing the Ian Wong Collection of iconic and influential objects by Australian designers, it is a compact but impactful narrative on the potency of excellence in design.

Inside the gallery sits the remainder of the family of intriguing cubes. Like oversized lollies they entice you, with streaks of colour and hints of stories. Viewing portholes considerately arranged at various human heights gifts us intimacy in these fascinating spaces. Each cube with a signature colour, a bonus James Turrell moment as you poke your nose inside, each jam-packed with familiar shapes and connections.

There’s the appreciation of clever and enduring design coupled with pure nostalgia here. Camping trips and wedding gifts, and whole childhoods in these clusters. There’s the kettle from your family kitchen, your first skateboard, the stackable plastic mugs from school camps, the Eski in your parents’ garage.

And, there’s the little prick of Australian pride that arrives unexpectedly when we realise how many of these we did not know were Australian designs. Like the power-board.

“Makes sense,” my son says, as we appreciate the humble object that’s transformed so many spaces. “Australians love plugging stuff in.”

By Tamsin Kemp

I guess we do.

Don’t neglect to spend some time with the rendering of the spicy green Torana on the wall. Car person or not, one can’t help but love this gutsy little two door, and this era of Australian automobile design.

It’s a perfect manifestation of ‘form follows function’ really, because the shape, the colour, the lump in the bonnet all tell us that she does, as they say, go.

But what, you ask, do all these lovely snapshots of product design such as the Keepcup and the Caroma Utility Bathroom Stool (which, by the way, also has a home in the Powerhouse collection) have in common with Professor Alastair Swayn?

In short - intersections with person-centred design, and the beauty of our relationship with colour.

Swayn was noted for the counterpoints of colour in his buildings, making use of bold walls, panels, and geometrics to punctuate lines and light in the architecture.

Swayn was influenced by Mexican architect, Luis Barragan, and Spanish architect Ricardo Bofill, both of whom are known for balancing oblongs this way and that, along with uncompromising perpendicular lines that give a sense of cathedral-like strength and wonder. And what else do Mexico and Spain have in common with us though? Both bright and hot places, where light and shade are in constant dance with and within buildings.

The exhibition notes describe light as Swayn’s way of “making buildings feel human”, and Swayn himself is quoted as saying: “I just enjoy the way you can use colour.”

Light and colour madeth this man.

Being an architects behind a swathe of Canberra buildings, you will likely have walked through, or worked in, one of his spaces. I worked in one, and always appreciated that there is no room on any of the floors that does not have a view and natural light.

From the front of the building you can view to the rear, and across the atrium, above the wide stairs that are also a meeting place. You can see multiple snippets of trees, garden, and sky.

The CSIRO Discovery Centre is another example of the reflective segues he put at the heart of his work.

The photos of Swayn’s work that panel the cubes in the exhibit provide vignettes of his buildings, giving us the essence of his palette and how he leveraged simplicity of line and shape to create harmonic passages between the natural and built environment.

Swayn’s meticulously curated forms fit agreeably with Canberra as a curated city. His appointment as the inaugural ACT Government Architect in 2010 secured his position as a guiding light in local planning and design, and he was involved in developing major projects including the ACT Law Courts and the City Plan.

His commitment to community is seen in his thoughtful responses to Place. His work does not seek to dominate; it seeks to live in partnership.

“He regarded architecture as a servant of people and their communities rather than as an end in itself,” remark Design Canberra. Whether or not you regard yourself as a person interested in architecture and design, this small but powerful exhibition will have something for you. There are so many elements, conjunctions of experience and place, memory and object; reminders about the importance of careful, sustainable design.

Plus the portholes – the portholes are a nod to Swayn’s interest in ships, and are a feature present in many of his interior designs. Here, at CMAG, in this cosy space, they are plain fun. So get along, and get some fun.

Colour, Light, Humanity – The Legacy of Alastair Swayn is on now at the Canberra Museum And Gallery on the corner of London Circuit and Civic Square in the city.

By Anthony Plevey

QL2 Dance's 2023 Quantum Leap project Communicate will present three new works by Australian and international choreographers, which pivot on this active statement to engage with the human imperative to interact and convey meaning. Communicate invites audiences, as young QL2 dancer/performer Akira Byrne puts it: "...to witness our way of communicating, which may resonate and speak to you in new ways."

This level of ownership is essential to the development process that QL2 Artistic Director Ruth Osborne, her team of national and international choreographers, and the youth dance artists have committed to in developing this new work.

“Our young dance artists own it as much as the choreographers, as much as the directors, the designer; everyone’s got a piece of it,” Osbourne says. “How do we communicate? What levels of communication do we have? What are we missing?

“We generalise about how young people communicate,” Osbourne continues. “It’s all through phones, messaging apps, and so on. But what I'm finding from the young people we work with is they don’t see it that way. Really, there's a lot of young people out there who really want human contact.

“The three pieces in Communicate focus on what there is, other than digital communication. What else is important in how we communicate with each other?”

The works for Communicate are choreographed by Alice Lee (Dance North Townsville), Kyall Shanks (Melbourne), and Lordfai Navinda Pachimsawat (Bangkok Dance Academy, Thailand). Together they bring to QL2, and Canberra as a whole, a diversity of cultural influences, youth dance experience and, importantly, new ways of thinking about the dance development process.

“QL2 has a long connection with Bangkok Dance Academy,” Osbourne explains. “And Lordfai, who also studied in Australia, is a product of that long-term exchange. She will be bringing nine dancers with her to perform with ours.”

And on the topic of communication…

“Whilst Zoom has been a key development tool for the choreographers working across such distances, we’ve actually delved into the difference between how we communicate today and that of earlier times.

“We started with the Australian and Thai dancers writing to each other like pen pals; sending their messages off, and then developing solos about what they've written. We encouraged them to consider the deeper communication that happens when you take that time.”

Dance is a language that is felt in the body and soul, communicating emotions and connections differently; raw and unspoken. The three works of Communicate utilise the primal and sophisticated elements through which dance speaks; gesture and contact, movement within—through the body and between bodies—creating positive and negative space. The work is in solos, duos, and groups to open up the importance of listening, and the impact of not listening.

Communicate unfolds the complexity of messaging between 'speaker' and 'listener'. The pitfalls of information overload, miscommunication, and misunderstanding through cultural differences, socio-economic backgrounds, and gender.

How easy it is to read things, or hear things, or take things the wrong way. How, whether intentional or not, when we communicate, embedded in the what, why, and how of things ‘said’, we say more than what we want, what we feel, and who we are.

Dance development processes have a longer arc than the direct communication of performance, which means dance speaks in different ways for the audience and performer.

These works come about through discussion and collaboration between the choreographers and the artistic directors, the choreographers, and the composer. Then, of course, with the choreographers and the dancers.

“I've worked with our dancers to fully explore communication in the broadest terms, because in dance it’s everything,” Osbourne reveals. “Not necessarily to put those things into the work, but to bring in the skills and awareness of what's actually happening to them during.

“It’s all so these young artists understand the intention of the work, what they and the choreographers are wanting to communicate, as well as what it looks like from an audience perspective.”

Beyond these conversations between dancer, director, choreographer, and audience, Osbourne intimates the internal conversation within the artist.

“Being fit, building skills so your body can be the tool that you need to explore intellectually, emotionally, and psychologically is important for our young dancers,” Osbourne states.

“However, the work that goes into it is much deeper than that. It is more than hearing. There is a physical listening; a listening that happens with your body.

“Collaboration underpins these young dancers' commitment to the work, making them feel totally engaged. This is crucial to creatively finding ways of connecting, beyond words, and articulating the essence of Communicate in the language of dance.”

With these three powerful and compelling works, QL2 Dance is making the call to Communicate; and inviting you to respond.

Which you can do when they perform at The Playhouse at Canberra Theatre on 18 - 20 May. Tickets are $38 + bf via the venue.

WE SHALL WANDER AGAIN

By Jen Seyderhelm

J.R.R. Tolkien wrote: “Not all those who wander are lost”.

As the Wanderer Festival, held in the historic Sapphire Coast village of Pambula, returns for its second year, the same could be said of its founder, producer, and programmer, Simon Daly. In fact, Simon says that this festival, and COVID, saved him from himself.

I’ll come back to that.

When I catch up with Simon, he’s half a world away, still on a high from seeing Tame Impala play in South America to a massive crowd with nary an Australian in sight.

“Sometimes”, he says, “travelling overseas to see an artist or festival reminds you again why you love it.”

I don’t think Simon needs much reminding. The answer to the very last question I had planned to ask him, “Does organising festivals still give you joy?”, was already palpably self-evident.

I’m going to be honest and say that when I first saw a picture of Simon Daly, I thought he was just starting out, and Pambula, and Wanderer, were his first rodeos before much bigger things.

As it turns out, whilst brimming with youthful exuberance, he’s good old hat.

This is Simon’s 30th year doing this, with 1993’s (Rock Above The) Falls Festival in Lorne, Victoria his first foray after thinking he could create a better New Year’s Eve party for his friends and family.

There were nine acts. Tix were $20. Double his estimated crowd of 5000 arrived.

“Everyone came and brought a friend. The following year everyone came again and brought more friends.”

Ten years later, the festival expanded to include Marion Bay, Tasmania. That venue is currently on the market. Then, in 2013, clearly liking his 3s, Simon stepped aside from Falls to focus on his young family.

With his personal priorities changed (although one of Simon’s boys is called Bowie after a single most epic concert experience at Glastonbury), he decided to create a new festival for friends and families, called Lost Lands.

“It was hard work organising a sustainable and family centric event. Just as Lost Lands was about to break even, COVID struck.”

Lost Lands was cancelled three times, once due to the 2019 bushfires, and then twice more due to the pandemic.

In 2020, Simon and his family left his longtime Victorian home and moved to Pambula. Even standing outside in the glorious Mexican sunshine while we chat, Simon says:

“Pambula’s better. It’s always the best weather and conditions. COVID saved me from myself.”

He could see that musicians and other artists were devastated, both emotionally and financially. So he started to approach local government, old contacts and new, about the potential of a music festival where he’d laid that same old hat.

This second, upcoming Wanderer festival saw Simon put in a lot of preparatory work, campaigning to the NSW government as to why and how the Sapphire Coast community benefited financially and emotionally from the inaugural event.

His eyes light up as he mentions the first of the more than 70 artists announced in this year’s line-up – The Jungle Giants, American Kevin Morby, cult rockers Spiderbait, Lisa Mitchell, and the Melbourne Ska Orchestra.

“Everything worked in 2022, despite the tyranny of distance around booking hire providers,” Simon explains. “All the artists had such a great time. Everyone had space and places for them whether they were lost landers or wanderers. It won’t ever be bigger, in terms of numbers, but we can still do this better.”

This is now Simon’s 46th festival. He honestly doesn’t look like he’s had that many birthdays! This is where I ask him if all this still brings him joy.

The 2022 Wanderer Festival combined the family element of Lost Lands with international artists like The Dandy Warhols and Curtis Harding, Australian acts including Wolfmother, The Teskey Brothers, and Ziggy Alberts, and local acts, workshops, artists, and volunteers (340 of them in all).

Ticket sales were capped at around 10k attendees and sold out quickly.

“It was all ages. Everything sustainable; we didn’t even have red bins!” Simon enthuses.

“It was intimate and special. Afterward, even now, people stop me in the street to say thanks. It’s the most community-minded festival I’ve ever produced.”

“Absolutely,” he states, quickly and confidently. “It’s the creativity. Especially as it’s a little bit different, unique in its location, and the event itself. You’re carving a new path, bringing people together of all generations, and making them happy.

“It’s one of the great things that we can do, and I feel pretty lucky to be producing something like that.”

So do we.

Pre-sale tickets were released on 20 April. You can camp, glamp, or book local accommodation. Bicycles, keep cups, and children are encouraged. You can attend one day, two, or all three. The Wanderer Festival, on Pambula Beach, runs from 29 September to 1 October, 2023. For more info and tickets, head to wanderer.com.au/

Indie music artist AYA YVES made a considerable impression with her debut EP, What We Look Like With The Light On, which generated more than 750,000 streams.

AYA also participated in the inaugural APRA AMCOS Queer Express Yourself showcase, performed alongside Montaigne and Hands Like Houses, and landed in the Top 40 of the Vanda & Young Songwriting Competition.

After a string of singles released that explore a distinctly dark alt-pop sound, AYA has returned with white flag, a track that peruses similarly dark terrain yet eschews the reactive to become more reflective.

The new release is a taster from the forthcoming EP, serotonin & forget me nots, and utilises AYA’s effortlessly persuasive vocal skills to deliver a lush electronic-tinged backdrop for melodic inventions that veer from low-register intimaxy in the verses to subtly high-flying in the chorus.

Along the way, AYA’s inner gaze expresses itself in a series of sweet, wistful notes that mirror the general focus of the song, that being a gentle cathartic awakening. This theme is transposed with assiduity, and a finesse not limited to the performance.

SMARTCASUAL BIG HANDS

Canberra band smartcasual has gifted us Big Hands, the outfit’s third single, and a healthy addition to its indielake-surf-rock oeuvre.

The band, featuring members Toby, Blake, Ewan, and Chris, have spent the past two years honing its live skills and establishing a notable reputation for producing a sound akin to The Grogans, Kingswood, The VANNS, and DICE.

Big Hands begins with a very welcoming ambient swell, signalling elements of what’s to come, and initiating the song’s embracing sonic touches and melodic lines. A clean guitar-led thematic part draws our attention to a mood, a sensibility if you will, that the song sustains throughout.

The production values generously suggest nocturnal tones and textures without giving way to a blurry rendering. AYA’s emotional energy pierces through, or surges and blossoms above, the brooding dynamics, the ethereal oscillations, and the rhythmic variances of the beats, whose positions along the track’s timeline help initiate the lyric’s maturing resolve (if I may suggest that about white flag’s thematic schema).

The song not only incorporates a particular sensibility, aesthetically speaking—the allure of intimacy instantly transforming a pop tune into a more enthralling experience—but also highlights AYA’s talent for writing well-crafted melodies.

This is succinctly demonstrated with white flag’s chorus; its opening line, “I will fall down for you again”, integrating the lyric with notes that sound almost celebratory, if decidedly less formal and more conciliating.

The guitar line itself resonates with the ensuing verse parts, which act as perhaps the song’s most melodically impressive attributes, neatly crafted and augmented by a succession of subtle harmonies.

What I anticipated was going to happen, never does.

We are taken, not to a pre-chorus with a predictable upscaling, or a chorus with a hit-to-the-head hook, but to a syncopated section.

During this unexpected exploration, space, breath, and restraint play a vital role, acting as a fitting resolve that sounds open-ended, yet in some way conclusive too.

From this point, we hear another guitar-riff–verse–chorus cycle, then enter yet another realm; a pause during which distant notes prepare us for a slight change, melodically and rhythmically.

This new segment consists of two gentle builds, preceding and following. This bridge segues into the riff again to land, and quite naturally, too, on the accented chorus.

Big Hands may draw comparisons to those aforementioned musical entities, but it also has traces of a deeper past: American West Coast soft rock and folk from the ’70s. It’s a blend of the intimate and the raw — yet a rawness that is more intricate than overt and subsequently far more rewarding and satisfying.

VINCE LEIGH

VINCE LEIGH (AYA YVES plays at UC Hub on Thu, 25 May)

AYA YVES WHITE FLAG

SINGLE IN FOCUS

The track hovers around Gia’s vocal and lyric yet capitalises on the semi-spook of guitar twangs, riffs, and the leisurely creep of oscillating rhythms. The chorus is textured with augmented vocal layers that add a heightened sense of dramatic flair.

The guitar stabs throughout are also worth noting, punctuating the song as though signposting an emotional pulse we cannot avoid.

But it is the dynamic crescendo unfolding with surprising force after

GIA RANSOME BOOTS

Gia Ransome began her artistic journey as a solitary musician, a singer–songwriter who travelled from the shores of Australia to the distant corners of Europe and beyond. Her voice resonated through the streets of London, Manchester, Copenhagen, Berlin, and even the quaint confines of a border town in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In 2020, she triumphed at the Voyager International Songwriting Competition, capturing the hearts of the jury with her song Belladonna , performed in the company of the Israeli Dutch collective Zenith Duo.

Gia transcended her acoustic origins the following year and embraced the smoky, subterranean allure of bluesinfused dive-bar rock. In this newfound incarnation, she is joined by the talents of guitarist Ethan McAlister, drummer Daniel Simmons, and bassist Nic Johnson, forging an ensemble of singular harmony and artistic depth.

Boots is a slow-burning track, suffused with nocturnal pathos and an alluring intimacy that’s difficult to resist.

Utilising her wide vocal range, Gia takes the listener on quite the trip, a landscape perhaps emblematic of what has been described as a harmonious union of the poetic spirit of Nick Cave and the sultry, melancholic allure of Lana Del Rey.

the second chorus that leaves the listener entirely at her mercy.

Gia’s blend of contemplative folk–pop–rock alchemy is quite disarming, and Boots manages to highlight an acute sense of musical sensibility whose reach is as inviting as it is sapient.

VINCE LEIGH

Palace, the latest release for singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Sam Sly, follows 2021 debut, Witness. Originally from the South Coast, now based in Canberra, Sam’s latest features many of the impressive aspects of her debut—robust melodic components, polished production, notable vocal performance—yet reaches for a stylistic difference.

The introductory guitar—drowsy, isolated, yet decidedly calming—also reveals the blues-tinged pulse of the track; a slow, smoky shuffle-like rhythm that serves the self-assured and seemingly effortlessly powered nuances of Sam’s voice. Almost old-school in approach, this intro soon reveals a more contemporary tint, mainly in the drum parts and sounds. The melodies ride in tandem with the groove, with a pre-chorus opening up Sam’s range and intoning a sweetness that contrasts intriguingly with the enigmatic consequences of the chorus’ recurring line:

‘I’m lost in the palace of my mind.’

This sentiment befits the dreamy sonic scape augmenting the track, the slow-burn trip via lush layers of vocal, ambient

TEEN JESUS AND THE JEAN TEASERS LIGHTS OUT

Lights Out is the new track for the skyrocketing punk pop superstar foursome, and a preview of their highly anticipated forthcoming debut album.

Clocking in at just over three minutes, the band has yet again packed a bulldozing level of intensity and heat in a short span. From its lone guitar and vocal introduction to its fulminating blitzkrieg resolve, Lights Out will not disappoint the awaiting throngs desperate for the album—and will no doubt entice a legion of new devotees to their cause too.

So what do we have here lyric-wise? As the band’s PR blurb slash quote suggests: “Lights Out is a celebration of realising you’re hot and can empower yourself. The years between the ages of 18 and 22 are some of the most developmental years of a person’s life, and Lights Out describes these years.

“It’s about claiming your sexuality, confidence, and not caring what the drunk strangers in a Canberra nightclub will think of you.”

Indeed, who can argue with that? The track explodes in the ears with a depth and breadth of confidence that has seen the band

washes and receding tones and effects, all becoming part of a chorus-like resolve at the song’s end.

The arrangement is a concise grouping of elements, with the chorus appearing only twice, though not to the detriment of the track’s overall impact.

A word about the chorus and its accented phrase, reinforcing that recurring line. It acts as a dramatic pause, holding the listener ransom for a few milliseconds before letting them fall alongside the remainder of the chorus.

Yes, the unexpected change does seem to add a sense of restraint to the preceding flow.

Still, it’s an ebb that suits the luring opacity of the track, arriving just as Sam’s vocal veers from intimacy to elevated soulfulness (ditto the accompanying soundtrack) all aspiring to the song’s rather grand and intoxicating finale.

VINCE LEIGH

swiftly becoming the ‘it’ band, with recent single, Girl Sports, hitting #55 on the triple j Hottest 100, and track AHHHH! landing the #117 position on the Hottest 200. And, of course, they’ve been killing it at a bunch of summer festivals, and amassing praise from The Guardian, triple j, frankie, The AU Review, Music Feeds, The Music, and more.

As Guitar World magazine proclaimed: “They’ve got what it takes to lead the next generation of Australian rock royalty.” No argument there.

Lights Out kicks off in post-grunge style but soon transitions into a blend of high-octane rock, carefully laden with hooks that don’t cross the cliché line and a series of stirring performances, with Anna Ryan’s spirited vocal sounding as energetically authoritative as ever.

VINCE LEIGH

ALBUM IN FOCUS

here, from the laid-back accessibility of the opening tune, The Cool Moonlight, to the suitably fired-up rock sensibilities of the encore, Cosmic People. The 14 tracks span the length of Owen’s recorded output, digging deep back to his debut album in 2011. The most fundamentally distinguishing element of the record—Owen’s vocal performance—is justifiably prominent,

mixed so that its nuances, its gritty attributes, are front and centre. But despite this, the album nonetheless feels authentically representative and a fitting endorsement for an undoubtedly well-developed, ongoing musical experience.

VINCE LEIGH

It’s no surprise that after over 12 years of national and international touring, writing, recording and releasing albums, EPs, and singles, Owen Campbell has established a formidable reputation in the Australian alt-blues rock world.

He’s gigged across the globe—USA, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Spain, Holland, Japan, Hong Kong, India, and even performed at the highest blues festival in the world – The Himalayan Blues Festival in Kathmandu, Nepal—and every album upon release has hit the top ten on the iTunes Blues Charts in over ten countries.

One of which, Sunshine Road, reached the top spot on the overall charts in Australia in 2014, replacing Adele. That’s quite a feat. Perhaps it’s no wonder, then, that a live album has been released.

The blues-rock genre Campbell operates in lends itself to such a platform, whether purely a display of finely honed musical skill or the combined energy of performer and audience amalgamated into a unique yet fleeting experience. It acts as a condensed embodiment, and an ultimate exploitative source.

In some instances, an act’s live set reveals what a studio-recorded product cannot. Namely, a breadth and depth of character, connection, and spirit that’s difficult to manufacture. In short, it cannot be communicated any other way.

And although Owen’s style is clearly outlined, there are a few variations at play

OWEN CAMPBELL AND THE COSMIC PEOPLE LIVE!

MY NEIGHBOUR ADOLF

Holocaust survivor Mr Polsky (David Hayman) is living in a run-down house in rural South America in 1960. Polsky keeps to himself, caring for little besides his black rose bush.

Next to Polsky’s house is one equally run-down, the only other property within kilometres. Its long empty status, which has suited Polsky well, comes to an end when a German, Mr Herzog (Udo Kier), moves in. Polsky is horrified to recognise him as Adolf Hitler.

Determined that the monster be brought to trial, Polsky goes to the Israelis. But his expectations of immediate action are met with disinterest. If Polsky is to bring Hitler to justice, he must gather the proof the Israelis need before they’ll make a move.

So Polsky gathers. But when he is forced to interact with Herzog, the real challenges mount.

David Hayman, a Scottish actor, does a fine job as a Polish survivor of The Holocaust. His character, Polsky, like so many other Jewish people, lost his entire family in the Nazi concentration camps and, with them, all that was meaningful and dear to him. He has little to sustain him but memories, and a determination to survive.

Hayman, largely through body language, demonstrates not only Polsky’s grit but also his unremitting grief for the loss of his family, and the life he knew.

Udo Kier gives a very fine performance as Mr Herzog, a man in a complicated position. Something about Herzog is clearly secret, hard, and amiss, which Kier delicately portrays beneath an intelligent, cultured, and even gracious and understanding exterior.

This is, in many ways, a quiet film. The knolwedge of the horrors of the Holocaust will amply fill in all that is left unsaid and unshown in the film, but will bring an understanding of Mr Polsky, and of why he lives as he does: trusting no-one and relying on none but himself.

Revealing the complex nature of unspeakable grief, guilt, shame, and perhaps even of understanding and forgiveness, My Neighbour Adolf stands testament to the healing power of humanity.

Screening at Dendy cinemas.

— MICHELE E. HAWKINS

MAFIA MAMMA

Already under constant pressure to help out everyone both at home and in her demanding job, Kristin (Toni Collette), who has lived in the United States since she was a baby, learns that she is expected to attend her grandfather’s funeral and sort out his affairs — in Italy.

Of course, to do so is out of the question, with work projects pending and a husband needing her support. But when a betrayal at work is followed by a betrayal at home, Kristin’s high-powered lawyer friend and Krav Maga classmate Jenny (Sophia Nomvete) persuades her to do something for herself: attend her grandfather’s funeral, see the sights, and play around.

Once Kristin lands in Italy and meets her relations and her grandfather’s “general”, Bianca (Monica Bellucci), she learns that she has inherited her grandfather’s position as head of his winemaking family.

Finding herself with no alternative, Kristin sets out to solve the family’s fatal problems with another family competing in its various endeavours, which she discovers cross various boundaries of morality and law, including prostitution, smuggling, gambling, firearms, and drug peddling. And then there are the many sudden deaths on both sides.

In among all this, Kristin meets a stranger, Lorenzo (Giulio Corso), who seems serious about winning her heart, but who cannot know the family’s true business. And she faces hostility from within, as her new position is contested. Nobody stands out in the movie as the comic; every role is serious. Yet the entire movie breaks out in comedy. It’s the conflict between established Mafia practice and Kristin’s outsider’s take, first on escaping all this and then on dealing with it, that sets everybody up for the comically unexpected, even in the midst of some bloody violence.

Even with its stronger moments, Mafia Mamma offers consistent hilarity in its clash of families, of cultures, and of temperaments as the thoroughly American Kristin learns what it means to become part of a traditionally rural, traditionally volatile family whose lives teeter on the edge of explosive conflict.

An all-round treat.

Screening at Dendy, Palace, Hoyts, and Limelight cinemas. — JOHN P. HARVEY

THU 11 MAY

Light, Colour, HumanityLegacy Of Alastair Swayn

Through immersive light cubes and augmented reality installations, this exhibition is inspired by the architectural legacy of Alastair Swayn and other Australian designers. Curated by Ian Wong from Monash University

CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY

Shake Appeal

Get ready to shake it up! The Shaking Hand and Burnout Bookings deliver a weekly free music night of local and interstate acts! 7pm

THE SHAKING HAND

Lightbulb Improv - Comedy

It’s Back To The Future meets Prison Break in this action packed adventure where your hero tries to gain their freedom using the power of time travel. 7pm, $15 via venue

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

FRI 12 MAY

Reuben Solo: Palindrome Stories and puns are for cowards and nerds. This is an ill-fated evening of offbeat stand-up. 7:30pm THE STREET THEATRE

Jazida Productions present: Pop-Up Party

Interactive arts and crafts, play with flow and circus props, fire eating, fire dancing, sideshow performances, circus, drag, cabaret, and fan dancing. Includes a 1.5 hour cabaret show + DJ Dance Party one hour before and after each show. And it’s free!

GLEBE PARK, CIVIC

Silverback Touring present: The Iron Maidens

Regarded as one of the world’s finest tribute acts, acknowledged by members of Iron Maiden themselves. An intense, electrifying show that’s received rave reviews the world over. 7pm

THE BASEMENT

Bad Lunar w/ The Polymics, Parrots with Piercings & 51st Avenue

Burntout Bookings presents Bad Lunar, The Polymics, Parrots With Piercings, and 51st Avenue! Serving as a highlight of the best up and coming pop punk acts from Canberra and Sydney, this is the perfect gig to start your weekend with. 7pm, tickets

$20 via Oztix

THE BASEMENT

SAT 13 MAY

Under The Influence

Mainstays Shortis & Simpson will be joined fellow veteran special guests Nigel McRae and Beth Tully, in a show that highlights the musical influences of these two musicians, the owners of Smith’s Alternative, both passionate advocates of live and local music. 6pm, $30/$40 via the Smith’s venue website

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

Ruth O’BrienSongs For Abby EP Launch

Ruth is calling cat-lovers far and wide to be a part of this love-filled evening to launch her newest tunes into the world. Expect lots of laughs, stories, pics and, of course, good music! With Viktor Rufus on guitar, Tabitha Hart (Mirror Mirror) on cello, and Matt Nightingale on double bass. Supported by Xandrella (aka Ally Cowell).

7:30pm, $29 - $35 via the venue website

THE STREET THEATRE

The Turner Brown Band featuring Nikki D Brown & Dom Turner

Musical collaboration between Aussie slide guitarist and producer Dom Turner (of awarded blues act Backsliders) and Ohio-based ‘Sacred Steel’ lap-slide guitar and vocal sensation, Nikki D Brown.

6:30pm, $30 / $40

TUGGERANONG

ARTS CENTRE

Go-Jo + Portair

Get ready for Australian up-and-coming pop sensation

Go-Jo and the Australian born and US-based indie/folk star Portair as they hit the road for their first Australian Tour. 9pm, $20/$25 via venue

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

Canberra Roller Derby League: First Home Game

The Surly Griffins take on the Red Bellied Black Hearts for the first game of the Canberra Roller Derby League 2023 season! 6pm, $17 for General Admission, $9 for age 5-15, $32 for a family (2 adults, 2 kids) via Moshtix

EVELYN SCOTT SCHOOL, DENMAN PROSPECT

Nu-Metal Mayhem!

Featuring five amazing bands performing full sets of some of the biggest names in numetal, including; Korn, Linkin Park, System of a Down, Static X, and Deftones. 7pm, $25 + bf via OzTix

THE BASEMENT

The Amateurs vs Lulu and the Tantrums

Nerds vs Brats, Canberra vs Queanbeyan, Indi-Punk vs Indi-Rock - It’s The Amateurs launching their new single up against the searing vocals of Lulu and her Tantrums.

7:30pm, $15 + bf via Humanitix

THE SHAKING HAND

Live Music

From 8pm, free entry

MOBY DICK’S TAVERN

SUN 14 MAY

Eurovision Song Contest

Cheer on Australia, play Eurovision bingo, and dress up for pop music’s biggest night of the year! 7pm, $25

NATIONAL FILM AND SOUND

ARCHIVE – ARC CINEMA

TUE 16 MAY

Open Mic Comedy

Come down for a laugh, a beer, and a burger. 7pm, free

THE BASEMENT

THU 18 MAY

Flickerfest 2023Best Of Australian Shorts

Celebrating 32 years, Flickerfest remains Australia’s leading Academy® Qualifying and BAFTA Recognised short film festival, from a record pool of 3,200 entries! Host to plenty of CBR talent. 7pm, $27.50 via Flickerfest website; free drink on entry!

PALACE ELECTRIC CINEMAS

QL2 Dance - Communicate

QL2 Dance’s 2023 Quantum Leap project Communicate will present three new works by Australian and international choreographers, which pivot on the statement to engage with the human imperative to interact and convey meaning. 18 - 20 May, $38 + bf via venue

THE PLAYHOUSE, CANBERRA THEATRE

Luke O’Shea & Lyn BowtellLove & Laughter Tour

Multi award winning country music stars Luke O’Shea and Lyn Bowtell are touring Australia in 2023, as part of their Love and Laughter Tour. 7pm, $35 via Oztix ROYAL HOTEL, QUEANBEYAN

The Imogene Blake Quintet and Jess High, Hello, How Are You?

Two of Canberra’s most engaging and melodic vocalists, backed by two of its hardest swingin’ rhythm sections of jazz, R&B, and soul. 8:30pm, $15/$20 via venue website

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

FRI 19 MAY

Senes Flamenco Dinner + Show

Senes Flamenco present a captivating fusion of dance and guitar at Tallagandra Hill Winery with a traditional Spanish dinner. 6:30pm, $80 (with dinner) via Humanitix

TALLAGANDRA

HILL WINERY

SoSo - This Tour Ain’t Big Enough for the Both of Us w/ Nelly Nova, Rental Snake & Wardens of Sound

Self-described “offensively average pop-punks”, SoSo are heading out on tour across the east coast. 7pm, $20 + bf via Oztix

THE BASEMENT

Emo vs NekoMay Emo Night

Nominate your Neko kin for your chance to win a $100 voucher! All our events sell out, buy now or cry later! We’ll be playing the biggest and best Emo hits. 7pm, $20 + bf via Oztix

THE BASEMENT

Paper LaceAustralian Tour 2023

Come and meet the original drummer and the lead voice on all the hits, Phil Hendriks, the lead guitarist, Dave Major, our keyboard man, and Dale the bass player who is standing in for Cliff Fish, who, due to illness can’t be on the tour. 8pm, $54 via Eventbrite

THE HARMONIE GERMAN CLUB

SAT 20 MAY

The Tuesday Weld Experience w/ Vespertine Lounge & The Hovering Spooks

Great original music featuring Bruce Callaway’s (ex-The Saints & New Christs) new band. 3pm, $15 via venue

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

These New South Whales 6pm, $15 via Humanitix (sold out at time of print; check venue for details)

SIDEWAY

Ana de la Vega + Melbourne Chamber Orchestra

Opening its doors for the very first time, Snow Concert Hall at Canberra Grammar School is a spectacular new venue for music, purposebuilt with world-class acoustics. Experience Ana de la Vega, one of the world’s best classical flautists, as she kicks off the series. 7pm, $90 - $120 via Humanitix

SNOW CONCERT HALL, CANBERRA GRAMMAR

Thy Art Is Murder w/ Justice for the Damned & To The Grave

Thy Art Is Murder are set to cause absolute carnage across regional Australia. Kicking off in May, our lords of extreme metal will raze through venues across the eastern states. 7pm, $45 + bf via OzTix

THE BASEMENT

Solquemia Trio (Melb): A Night of Latin / Jazz / Flamenco

Flamenco to Latin JazzPresented by Melbourne’s much loved Solquemia Trio as they return to Canberra for a special performance.

7:30pm, $25/$30 via Humanitix

LIVE @ THE POLO

Ella Fitzgerald

Meets Count Basie

The fantastic Blamey Street

Big Band take on the famous songs of Ella Fitzgerald and Count Basie in an event that’s sure to swing! 7:30pm, $25 via Eventbrite

HARMONIE GERMAN CLUB

Live Music

Live music at The Dick from 8pm. Free entry

MOBY DICK’S TAVERN

Small Town Alien

Aliens are real, and they’re landing in Canberra. Small Town Alien is hard to explain but easy to love. Above all, they aim to entertain. No genre is safe. 9:30pm, $15/$10 concession

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

SUN 21 MAY

Coolibah Coolective

Join us for the launch of Canberra outfit Coolibah Coolective’s debut album, Teacup In A Storm. 7pm, $10/$15 via venue

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

WED 24 MAY

UC MUSIC Society

Performance Night w/ Sonic Death Ray & Revenge on Seattle

UC Music Society present the end of semester free show. From 7pm

THE BASEMENT

Lior & DominiAnimal In Hiding EP Launch

Animal In Hiding is a collaboration between one of Australia’s most established and critically acclaimed singer/songwriters Lior, together with emerging artist and exciting new voice on the Australian music scene, Domini. 7:30pm, $52 via baypavilions.com.au

BAY PAVILIONS, BATEMANS BAY

THU 25 MAY

Alivan Blu

In celebration of their next single, Embers, Alivan will be venturing far and wide to showcase a fresh new folk sound and take you on an adventure. 7pm, $20 via venue website

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

AYA YVES - seratonin & forget me nots Tour

YVES is a masterful storyteller and magic weaver, with a unique blend of dark alt-pop and indie electronica. See page 36 for review of lead track white flag for a taster. 7:30pm, $28.38 via Moshtix

UC HUB

Holy Holy - Messed Up Tour

Launching emotive yet up-tempo new tune Messed Up from their forthcoming album. Joined by guests Kwame, and Medhanit. 8pm, $65.25 via Moshtix. Full article on page 18

KAMBRI @ ANU

FRI 26 MAY

Alter Ego: An Evening of Other!

This 18+ late-night event is produced by Kat Dopper (Heaps Gay) featuring performances from Radha, Betty Grumble, Lupa J, Mowgli May, Marlena Dalí, YOKELUST, and more.

6:30pm, $39 Adult/$36 concession/$33 Circle of Friends/$45 on the door

NATIONAL

PORTRAIT GALLERY

Chain Tombstone & The Dead MenState Of The World Single Launch Party

Canberra’s happiest metal band are back to make you laugh, headbang, and twostep your way through the night. To celebrate the release of latest single State Of The World, joining them on the night are Highland Light, Dyatlov Pass and, from Sydney, Live Like Animals! A mix of heavy/hardcore music to enjoy. 7pm, $18.40 via Oztix

THE BASEMENT

Salonistas + What She’s Having

Bust out your dancing boots and rhinestones for a night of alt-country/rockabilly/blues/ rock. 7pm, $10/$15 via venue

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

High School Musical Party

Get’cha Head In The Game for A Night to Remember - the Best of Both Worlds is back hosting another High School Musical Party!! We’ll Bop to the Top to your fave tunes from High School Musical + the best of the classic Disney movies. 7pm, tickets $15 + bf via OzTix

THE BASEMENT

Disco Revolution

Canberra, are you ready? It’s time to get your DISCO on! Join the Disco Revolution showband for two huge sets to reignite the flame for disco dancing and funky grooves. 7pm, $35 + bf via Eventbrite

HARMONIE GERMAN CLUB

Lior & Domini: Animal In Hiding EP Launch

Hauntingly beautiful vocal harmonies soar as they weave intimate stories about human connection from their debut EP, Animal In Hiding. 7:30pm

THE STREET THEATRE

Sammy J - Good Hustle

After five years, 200 episodes, and countless legal threats, Sammy J is stepping away from his weekly ABC TV spot – but not before throwing a giant farewell party. 8pm, tix may have sold out; check with venue

CANBERRA THEATRE

SAT 27 MAY

Floor Element

Floor Element is a floorworkstyle dance competition for amateurs, semi-pros, and professionals! 6pm, $40 plus bf via Eventbrite

HARMONIE GERMAN CLUB

Guttermouth - 25 Years (or so) of Musical Monkey

Warlords of skate-punk satire. Fans of trailblazing Musical Monkey’s blistering lyrical humor, machine-gun drumming, and wildly fast guitar work will not want to miss this beautiful return to late-90s Warped Tour chaos. 7pm, tix via Oztix

THE BASEMENT

Rock or Be Rocked

Rock bands, good food, fun times. 8pm, free entry

MOBY DICK’S TAVERN

SUN 28 MAY

Austrian Choir Autumn Concert

The Harmonie Club’s famous Austrian Choir presents its Autumn Concert with special guests the Forrest National Chamber Orchestra. 2pm, $25 plus bf via Eventbrite

HARMONIE GERMAN CLUB

The Real Bay Sydney Shit Tour: Speed + Sumani + Scowl

With sold-out shows across continents, Sydney hardcore stalwarts Speed are on the cusp of world domination - but first, they’re delivering their most extensive Australian tour yet. Presented by Vans. 4pm, $40 + bf via Oztix

THE BASEMENT

Reconciliation Concert 2023

Canberra Theatre Centre is proud to present legendary band Yothu Yindi as part of this year’s Reconciliation Concert. 7pm, $59 + bf via Canberra Ticketing

CANBERRA THEATRE

TUE 30 MAY

Kitty Flanagan Live!

You’ve seen her on Fisk, Utopia, and Have You Been Paying Attention?. She also wrote the best-selling book, 488 Rules for Life, but now it’s time for Kitty to get back where she belongs. On the stage, doing stand-up. 8pm

CANBERRA THEATRE

WED 31 MAY

Make Them Suffer10 Years of Neverbloom

With just over ten years since the release of their staggering debut album Neverbloom, Aussie metal leviathans Make

The Suffer have continued to flourish. To celebrate, Neverbloom is available for the first time on vinyl. With special guests Fit For An Autopsy all the way from New Jersey, as well as metalcore locals Ocean Sleeper. 7pm, $59.90 via Oztix

THE BASEMENT

FRI 2 JUNE

Jazida Productions present: Pop-Up Party

Interactive arts and crafts, play with flow and circus props, fire eating, fire dancing, sideshow performances, circus, drag, cabaret, and fan dancing. Plus a 1.5 hour cabaret show + DJ Dance Party one hour before and after each show. And it’s free!

HAIG PARK, BRADDON

The Jungle GiantsTrippin Up Tour

With well over half a billion streams worldwide and the #1 ARIA-charting fourth album Love Signs under their belts, The Jungle Giants are undeniably Australian indie-rock royalty.

7:30pm, tix via Moshtix

UC REFECTORY

SAT 3 JUNE

Garry Starr

Performs Everything

The story of a disgraced actor who attempts to save theatre from its inevitable extinction by performing every genre imaginable in 60 minutes. What ensues is a satirisation and celebration of many well-known, and lesser-so, genres via utter stupidity and surprising skill.

2pm & 7pm, $30 - $50 via venue

THE Q, QUEANBEYAN

Troy Kinne - Made Wrong Kinne shares too much about the things wrong with him. But, you get to walk away feeling better about yourself. 8pm, $42 via venue

THE STREET THEATRE

Skunkhour

The renowned ‘90s triple j legends are back with a series of shows leading up to their 2023 single release. 7pm, $43.50 + bf via OzTix

THE BASEMENT

Fiona Boyes - Keller Sessions

Canberra Blues Society presents Victorian Blues Music Hall of Fame inductee Fiona Boyes for an intimate solo performance in The Keller.

Fiona plays deep blues, influenced by a myriad of traditional styles. 7pm, $25/$30 + bf via Humanitix

HARMONIE GERMAN CLUB

Rock or Be Rocked Rock bands, good food, fun times. 8pm, free entry

PJ O’REILLY’S TUGGERANONG

Karaoke

Karaoke at The Dick from 8pm. Free entry

MOBY DICK’S TAVERN

SUN 4 JUNE

Luke Kidgell - Happy Hour

After his sold out International Cheers To That! tour, Luke Kidgell is back on the road with his brand new stand up comedy show Happy Hour. 6pm, $55 + bf via Ticketek

LLEWELLYN HALL

TUE 6 JUNE

Russell Crowe’s Indoor Garden Party

Featuring The Gentlemen

Barbers and special guests. 6:30pm, tix $69 +bf via Canberra Ticketing

CANBERRA THEATRE

THU 8 JUNE

Come From Away

Set to inspire audiences, Come From Away follows the incredible real-life journey of 7,000 air passengers who became grounded in Gander, Newfoundland in Canada in the wake of the September 11 tragedy. Runs from 8 June - 2 July. 7pm, tix via venue

CANBERRA THEATRE

Midway Happy As Larry Tour

Stella Culliton & Asaiah Riley

Midway are heaps keen to announce their east coast tour in support of the release of their debut EP Happy As Larry. 7pm, $16 + bf via OzTix

THE BASEMENT

FRI 9 JUNE

Anthony LocascioHeart Of Darkness

Following his successful 2022 national tour of Don’t Call Me A Wog!, Anthony Locascio, Australia’s premiere post-racial standup comedian, returns with Heart Of Darkness. We all do bad things. We are all worthy of love. Anthony will tell stories about the worst things he’s ever done, to make you all feel a little better/worse about the things you’ve done. With local supports Ethan Kirk and Laura Johnston. 7pm, $20/$25 via venue

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

Fred Again

Appreciation Night

Australia’s best local DJs will be spinning Fred ‘n’ friends all night. From 7pm, $20 via OzTix

THE BASEMENT

SAT 10 JUNE

Monkey Spanner - Ska Dance Craze Tour w/ This Way Orkestra

After back to back sell out shows in 2022, 2 Tone Ska favourites

Monkey Spanner are finally coming to Canberra, playing classics from Madness, The Specials, Bad Manners, The Beat, and reggae royalty Toots & The Maytals. With a full horn section, keys, guitars and all the clobber to match. 7pm, tix via Oztix

THE BASEMENT

SUN 11 JUNE

Garry Starr - Grease Lightning

An overzealous idiot attempts to perform all of Greek Mythology in less than 60 mins in order to save his Hellenic homeland from economic ruin. A hilarious, high-energy, and very, very silly hour of fun awaits. 4pm - 5pm, tickets $15/$20 via

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

Apeiron Baroque: Too Many Strings

Baroque concert featuring the sonorous alto and tenor registers of the unusual Viola d’amore and the black sheep of the string family, the Viola. Guest Artists: Karina Schmitz, Pippa Newman, and Alex Munro. 5pm, $40 Adult, $35 Conc, $15 Student, $0 U/12 at Trybooking

WESLEY UNITING CHURCH

The Funky Fest Featuring Albatross, Shaastra Nepa’, Mudbloodz & Raja ko Radio

We here at The Funky Mushroom are super stoked to announce The Funky Fest - A True Nepali Rock Festival. 7pm, tickets $40 + bf via OzTix

THE BASEMENT

TUE 13 JUNE

Daoirí Farrell (Ireland)

Dublin-born singer and bouzouki player Daoirí Farrell is one of most important singers to come out of Ireland in recent years.

7pm, $35/$40 via venue

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

WED 14 JUNE

Coda Chroma (VIC)

Swirling folk rock and cinematic pop, with support from Lewis Coleman. 7pm, $20/$25 via venue website

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

THU 15 JUNE

I Built The Sky

I Built The Sky are hitting the road this June, as part of the highly anticipated headline world tour which saw fans raise in excess of $30,000 to see Ro and his exceptional live band. 7pm, $40 + bf via OzTix THE BASEMENT

Rebus Theatre presents: Systems and Sanity

A theatrical journey through the mental health system by people who have travelled there, or got lost along the way. 7pm, $25 full/$10 Concession

RALPH WILSON THEATRE, GORMAN ARTS CENTRE

Cabaret de Paris

Be transported by the atmosphere and excitement of a Parisian-themed revue with a parade of first-class entertainers and the daring beauty of exquisitely bejewelled dancers, as the stage spectacular Cabaret de Paris comes to Canberra. 7:30pm, $71$199 +bf via Canberra Ticketing CANBERRA THEATRE

FRI 16 JUNE

Systems and Sanity

A theatrical journey through the mental health system by people who have travelled there, or got lost along the way. 7pm, $25 full/$10 Concession

RALPH WILSON THEATRE, GORMAN ARTS CENTRE

Jack Biilmann & The Black Tide: Divided Mind Album Launch w/ Hope Wilkins, The Burley Griffin & Toby Morwitch

Following the great success of the Full Circle album in 2021, Jack Biilmann is back with his fourth & by far the most unique album, Divided Mind. 7pm, $20 + bf via Oztix

THE BASEMENT