BMA Magazine #539 - Dec 2023 - Jan 2024

ISSUE DEC2024 ‘23/JAN ‘24 ISSUE #539 #538 DEC

BANDS MUSIC/ ARTS / ARTS BANDS // MUSIC

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The Mark of Cain Hard-Ons Kate Miller-Heidke Venus Mantrap OFF! Pigs (x7) SLAM! Pro Wrestling The Dalmatians Ben Drysdale DISCRIMINATE Exhibition

OVER 200 EVENTS LISTED

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CONTENTS

[Canberra’s Arts & Music Guide]

#539 - DEC ‘23/JAN ‘24

ES 199 T 2

“What a decade this year has been.”

AUSTRALIANS & HOLLYWOOD

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Mail: 36/97 Eastern Valley Way Belconnen, ACT 2617 Publisher ABN 76 097 301 730 Pty Ltd MANAGING EDITOR Allan Sko E: allan@bmamag.com Cover Design Marty Baker Article Design Marty Baker & Allan Sko Entertainment Guide Editor Allan Sko Social Media Manager Angel Nash

KATE MILLER-HEIDKE

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THE MARK OF CAIN

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VENUS MANTRAP

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HARD-ONS

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Columnists Jannah Fahiz, Josh Nixon, Alice Worley, Chris Marlton, Suma Iyer, Allan Sko Contributors Tamsin Kemp, Vince Leigh, Allan Sko,Noni Kuhner, Josh Eckersley NEXT ISSUE #539 OUT Thursday, 7 December EDITORIAL DEADLINE Friday, 24 November ADVERTISING DEADLINE Wednesday, 29 November BMA Magazine is independently owned and published.

THE DALMATIANS

OFF!

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PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PAGE 28 PIGS

TIM FERGUSON

COMEDY CORNER PAGE 34

!

SLAMSTLING RE

PRO W

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DISCRIMINATE - A NEW EXHIBITION BY J BROOKES

BEN DRYSDALE

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CHRIS MARLTON

SUMA IYER

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You feel a mixture of despair and embarrassment to those you’re promoting and the venue and a general bitterness at the world for not being there. And as a friendly reminder of your dark moment, you have a big hole in your account to boot. Your psyche is scarred.

Life is miserable.

FROM THE BOSSMAN

BY ALLAN SKO

Tickets! Geeeeeeeeeeet your tickets! (PLEASE) Tickets! Geeeeeeeeeeet your tickets! (PLEASE) As wide-eyed gig-goers and spectacle-sporting theatregoers, we Canberrans are a lucky people. Despite sporting a population the equivalent of an English hamlet, we have a staggering amount of entertainment options.

Sure, we miss a lot of the big shows to the twinkling charms of our ne-er-do-well big brother Sydney, but per capita, we’re doing pretty damned well (plus, it doesn’t take us two hours to get to work every day, so there).

This is all, of course, A Good Thing.

Not only are we spoiled for range and quantity, but we can also bask in the laconic glow of taking our time buying a ticket.

Unlike Sydney - where many a show will see panicky punters bringing on RSI by frantically refreshing the ticket-purchase page from the minute the already-sold-out show goes on sale we can relax and take our time, often not deciding until the day - hell, until half an hour before the show! - if we want to go.

And O! How we LOVE to luxuriate in this. We take pride in our ability to NOT buy pre-sale tickets. “We’re Canberra, baby! Relax!

I’m definitely going, but I’m like, you know, just biding my time.”

We’ve turned it into a national sport, and we’re going to gold. So good are we, in fact, that we are renowned across the land as non-ticket-buying.

It is in this latter psyche that those who put on gigs in Canberra have to suffer. Sure, it often turns out alright at night, with 300 snapping up tickets in the final days or buying at the door. But that multi-month wait drowning in the murky swamp of anxiety and despair can prove too much for some people.

And it does. You know how I mentioned at the start that “we miss a lot of big shows to Sydney. No? It was literally a few minutes ago; how... Y’know, my apologies. I have ADHD; I get it. Mind like a sieve.

I’ll help you out... This bit here:

Thaaaat’s the one. We’re caught up now.

Yeah, THIS is why we miss out on stuff. Chris Moses of Blue Murder stopped bringing hardcore shows to Canberra for years as the presale tix numbers spooked him. Countless potential Canberra shows instead become 2nd Sydney shows.

And all because we don’t buy tickets early.

It’s a weird situation; plenty of shows go well in Canberra. We DO go out. I love Canberra, I love Canberra crowds, aw heck, I love YOU (and I’m sorry for getting cranky).

But we don’t buy our tickets until the last minute. Some promoters tough it out knowing this. Many others don’t, and we’re missing out as a result.

It’s not all bad news. In fact, this is a good news piece because you participate in this activism and have a bloody time out.

So, if you do anything today, buy a ticket for a show you want to see. That simple act will help Canberra take a small yet significant step toward an even more exhilarating Canberra, and what’s more, you’ll help a frazzled promoter finally get some sleep.

This, however, is A Bad Thing. Actually, it’s worse than that... hold on, let me just that capslock keY AHHH! THERE WE GO! AHEM...

A BAD THING. While the lack of buying pressure can be seen as a seemingly positive thing for the punter, it is incredibly hurtful not just for the show and its stakeholders but also for Canberra Entertainment and you, the delicious punter.

Allow me to explain.

As you laze in ticket-buying ambivalence, elsewhere everyone to do with the show - promoter, venue, managers, labels and, of course, the talent - will be sweating bricks.

Money, time, travel, heart, and soul have been poured into this event; it’s a volatile creature with sway over both bank balance and psyche.

As an erstwhile promoter myself, I know this feeling only too well. There are not many better feelings than putting on a successful show. Like a wizard, you’ve summoned happiness, creating an occasion that brings together talented artists with people who gain happiness and meaning from their art.

You feel like you’ve achieved something worthy. Something meaningful. You feel whole, complete. And there’s a handy (and, frankly, desperately needed) bump to the bank balance.

Life is wonderful.

When a show doesn’t sell well, the absolute opposite is true.

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HOT TIX

UPCOMING LIVE MUSIC EVENTS After returning from a 34 date North American tour supporting Pantera, Lamb of God, Weedeater and a slew of headlining dates across the US and Canada, King Parrot are heading to Canberra to round out a massive year of touring. Saturday December 16 at The Baso will be one of the last King Parrot shows of the year, with support from Witchskull, Deprivation and Point 17. Be sure to catch the boys before they head out on the Knotfest tour in March 2024 and prepare for their forthcoming new album. From 2pm til late, tickets $39.90 via Oztix

A new single from beloved punksters Box Dye! Well, this is cause to celebrate, and the Boxsters. As YOUR Punk & Disorderly columnist and Box Dye drummer/vocalist Alice Worley says: “We are so proud to finally get Princess out into the world, and we’re stoked to be celebrating with all these talented people.” Speaking of, marking the occasion is the electrifying emo-rock thrills of NORA, talented beyond her years singer/ songwriterpianist/guitaris Abi Main, and—oooooo! exciting!— brand new femme punk band alert Dirt Nap! 6pm - 9pm, With over a decade under their studded belts, Palace Of The King have ascended ever since their 3-track demon days of 2012, touting their fiery blues-infused rock and roll sound. Far from a grave-robbing retro trip, PotK has just as much in common with Rival Sons, Graveyard, and Jack White as they do Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and Deep Purple. Remember when bands released an album a year and toured ’til the wheels fell off the tour van? That returneth, with new LP Friends In Low Places.

Sunday, 17 Dec, The Basement, 3pm, $29.60 via Oztix

Get ready to groove with friends and family this summer as Music in the Mountains returns to Corin Forest! Catch an epic lineup of local artists as you kick back under the open sky with a selection of wines, beers, and tip-top food.

And the Alpine Slide will be working its magic late into the evening. Score!

Tickets are only $15 per person with free entry for kids aged 12 & under.

Peep the full lineup on the poster there, with a handy QR code to take you to more info and tix.

Creatives in-thepark is a chance to connect with Canberra’s creative community.

You Are Here hosts a Saturday arvo picnic in Haig Park with artistled conversations on collaboration, music, art installations, and cupcakes from our friends at

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Sweet Bones Bakery and Cafe.

Bringing together creatives, local residents and business owners to spark new

and ongoing relationships.

We will share ideas and discuss the challenges and joys of creative collaboration.

Multi-disciplined musician, Phil Franklin (of prolific American Avant Garde and Noise Rock groups Faxed Head and The Secret Chiefs 3) is creating a different sound from his decorated past endeavors and delivering his newest creation, Franklin’s Mint. Franklin’s Mint has melded itself into a band of extreme extraordinary talent featuring, Phil Franklin, Danny Heifetz, (Mr. Bungle/The Secret Chiefs 3/Diesel Head), Bär McKinnon (Mr. Bungle/The Secret Chiefs 3/ Umlaut), also including Melbourne’s very own musical freak of nature, Daniel Tucceri. Joining them is Melbourne magician Dr El Suavo with local opener The Absentee.

"Performing live is the core of what I do," she says.

“My fan base is not one particular demographic; it’s really varied,” she noted, highlighting the authenticity of her fandom. “It’s not about the zeitgeist or commercial appeal; it’s a genuine love for music.”

And speaking about the experience of performing live: "Before I get on stage, I'm usually incredibly nervous,” Kate admits. “When I’m on, it’s fine, and feel truly in the moment."

The nerves before going on stage, the electric energy during a performance, and the sacred feeling of being in the moment all contribute to the magic of live music for Kate.

"I hope the nerves never go away," she says.

Kate's inspirations are as diverse as her musical style.

Drawing from poetry, novels, eavesdropped conversations, and even the movement of her own body, she finds inspiration everywhere.

"Everything is a source of inspiration," she affirmed.

As a classically trained artist with a penchant for raw, emotional expression, Kate dismisses the notion of tension between the two. "I see it as a natural part of the creative process," she says.

KATE MILLER-HEIDKE

By Sammy Moynihan

Cherished singer-songwriter, Kate Miller-Heidke, is set to enchant Canberra this January with her Catching Diamonds tour, promising an intimate and unforgettable musical experience. The concert celebrates Kate's enduring love for music and her exceptional ability to connect with audiences.

Kate is keen to share her insights into the transformative power of music. Emphasising her commitment to authenticity, she states: "I learnt early on that if I was going to reach people, I have to embrace whatever was different about me."

Reflecting on her decades-long artistic journey, Kate opened up about her growth as an artist and a person.

"I feel more confident in myself and my art these days," she reveals. "I'm in this glorious place where I give a lot less of shit about how I'm perceived.

"There’s freedom in embracing getting older, particularly for a woman in a blatantly ageist industry," she added. "It was incredibly liberating to realise you don't have to fit into some sort of prescribed box and can make work that speaks to you."

With songs that gravitate towards darker, murkier themes, she looks forward to her next stage in her career, where she'll explore the world of gothic folk.

Kate’s fearless self-examination, evident growth through change, and remaining true to herself have endeared her to audiences. This can be witnessed at her live shows.

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Her love for musical theatre, with its heightened emotional states, showcases her belief in its power as a unique and impactful art form.

Having toured worldwide, Kate recognises her special connection with Australian audiences and relishes the opportunity Catching Diamonds gives to reach new people.

"Playing live has always been at the heart of what I do – I live for it," she says. "I can't wait to return to places I haven't been in AGES and some I've never been to and connect with my amazing audiences across Australia. Regional crowds are some of the greatest people to play for!"

"Australian audiences are so warm and appreciative," she enthuses. "I always enjoy playing Canberra, and this tour will be an evening of songs and stories from across my career that I'm so looking forward to sharing."

In anticipation of the experience that awaits us Canberrans, Kate encapsulates the essence of the concert, stating: "We'll be playing the usual suspects, some unexpected covers, some new music, and I'll be taking requests."

A celebration of music and connection beckons; a night filled with soul-stirring melodies, authentic storytelling, and the incomparable talent of one of Australia’s musical treasures.

As Kate eloquently summarises: "It's a celebration of voice, storytelling, emotion, humour, and the transformative connection between the performer and the audience."

By Carrie Gibson

Rejoice! has reissued their 1995 opus as a 4-side vinyl set!

Timeless in sound and signalling a crucial turning point in their career, they’re coming to Canberra to celebrate; just a little later than anticipated....

When BMA caught up with bassist Kim Scott, it had been eight weeks since his nasty road cycling accident. A bulky brace drilled into one's pelvis tends to get in the way of playing bass. Who knew?

Despite this sizable setback, Kim, brother John, and poster drummer John Stanier have admirably kept their meticulous preparation for live performances, calling on skill and experience to ensure the best results.

“Both John and I are engineers," Kim states.

"Over time, we've learned that it's all about ensuring everything is perfect."

More on that later. But for now, let us step back to this ethos’ roots. To a chaotic time known as 1989, when the musical landscape gently veered away from punk and toward grunge, thrash, and grind.

“I was probably 19 then," Kim recalls.

"My brother was two years older. John was already playing with bands, doing mainly blues covers, but he wanted to create his own original music.

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"John had observed, and often remarked, that sibling bands had longevity. As brothers and sisters, you want to kill each other, but you still love each other, you know?"

This cognitive dissonance of brotherly love was evident from the start when roles within the band were assigned. "‘You need to play bass’, John told me. I didn’t know how to play bass," Kim recalls, "and I didn’t want to. But John persisted.

"So, I picked it up, we started playing, and soon began seeking a drummer. As you may know, we’ve had about 12-13 drummers.

And John had a lead singer initially, but it didn’t work out."

A tumultuous start, perhaps, but this only refocused the brothers' purpose.

"John really wanted to write lyrics based on his struggles," Kim says.

"Becoming a three-piece was perfect because the sound we wanted didn’t require a lead guitarist. It was incredibly stripped

down, yet sounded big. This was a hallmark of the band, which surprised punters.

"The late '80s was punk, grind, and other heavy, chaotic stuff,” Kim continues. “But we were massive fans of Joy Division. We liked the darker, ethereal, melancholic sounds; way different from what everyone was playing. Punters constantly told us: ‘Play faster! Faster!’ To which I would say: "'Yeah, we’re not a punk band."

As principal songwriter, John was determined to explore this style. It took time to resonate with crowds slowly being weaned off punk, but no compromise was to be had. It was a slow burn, and hard work, but they got there via the namesake of one of the genres they eschewed: grind.

"You had to get on the road, build a profile, get that exposure on stage," Kim says.

"Bands had to traverse the East Coast constantly. It was not uncommon to drive ten hours, play a show and drive home again with

no sleep. And that's what we did, and slowly, we built momentum.

"The live show has always been our trademark," Kim reflects.

"The consistent touring and calibre of our live show gained us recognition in the Oz music scene and with fans. Our focus, diligence, and visceral impact with audiences led to our longevity."

20-plus years on, Ill At Ease's vinyl reissue sees old material get a revamp in mastering, mainly to encapsulate the sound pressure.

“With vinyl, there's a space issue with only twenty minutes on each side,” Kim explains. Cramming on more can distort the grooves and diminish that dynamic sound.

“The vinyl reissue has four sides to avoid such issues.”

Described as the period where John's lyrics and songwriting were coming into form, Ill At Ease maintains its potency. It also marked a turning point, attracting the attention of Henry Rollins, who took an interest in producing the album. This, in turn, pricked the interest of the sizable Black Flag fanbase.

“The transition was wild”, Kim recalls. “Well-populated shows became sold-out shows packed with testosterone-pumped Rollins fans, 'rolling' up with much more aggression. The exposure of this new dynamic of fan was… interesting.”

John Stanier joining on drums at the brink of the naughties propelled the band even further, scooping up Helmet fans for the ride. Rather than ease up, the band stayed true to their core tenet of fastidiousness leading up to 2023 and the delayed tour.

"Some bands rehearse twice and think, ‘yeah, we’re good to go'," Kim states. "This is not the case for The Mark of Cain. Every stop must be precise; every timing signature change must be perfect.

"Typically, we rehearse around 20 times pre-tour before we're happy," Kim reveals. "We started in June for this tour. We got super tight with the album and were ready. Then I had my accident."

But that won't get in the way of the celebration of such an impactful record. Not with that determination.

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long time comin...

By Allan Sko

Can you believe that our beloved Ben Drysdale is only now releasing his DEBUT single? Since a mystical time known colloquially as 2004, the award-winning indie folk singersongwriter treasure has been a musical mainstay of the Canberra and East Coast music scene, both as a solo performer and fronting a number of bands (Ben n Beth, East Row Rabble, Smitten to name a few).

On the cusp of 2024, and inspired by his trips to the Hawaii Songwriting Festival (where he recently won runner-up) Ben has distilled a lifetime of learning, experience, and talent into the careerdefining If I Don’t Lie Down.

For you see, the song marks a new indie folk project under his own name and a turning point in a long and lustrous career. It is also a foot-stomping, vocal layered, tight two-and-a-bit minute exploration of motivation and purpose, encouraging the listener to overcome self-doubt, persist, and pursue their goals with vigour and passion.

Both wistful and determined in tone, its content is as much about entertaining and inspiring the listener as it is a clarion call to the man himself.

“It’s freakin’ hard pursuing your passions and battling the selfdoubt and limiting beliefs that stop us from doing what we want,” Ben states. “There is struggle and exhaustion, and sometimes you just have to slap yourself in the face and go for a beach walk to get the motivation to keep going.”

Indeed, this message is reflected in the musicality of If I Don’t Lie Down, with the verse lyrics jumping back and forth between the notions of diving in or holding back, ultimately landing on the will to keep striving in the pre and chorus.

“I came third. I think. It didn’t matter; I had a taste of the thrill of performing live on stage.”

In 2023, Ben continues to land podium spots, securing second place in the HSF’s prestigious songwriting competition with another song Listen Now to be released in January.

Ben could have kicked off his solo project with this award-winning composition; and what better start could you ask for than peer-recognised winner?

But his heart was set on If I Don’t Lie Down to be his debut in order to mark the turning point in songwriting, music career, and life in general.

“It all came from my first trip to HSF in 2019, though it could apply to so many different experiences I’ve had,” Ben reveals.

“The lyric ‘If I don’t lie down I’ll be alright’ came first, perhaps with the beginnings of the melody. After working hard for three days we partied hard; a great time hanging out with fellow artists, songwriters and mentors.

“Suddenly, it’s 2 am; I have a 4:30 am bus to make my flight. I’m standing there, pretty tipsy, wondering what to do with myself.

Sleep? Watch an episode of something?

“Hell no! If I do those, I’m passing out and missing that bus/ flight. So I said, ‘If I don’t lie down, I’ll be alright’. “‘Hey! That’s a hook!’ I thought to myself. So,I jotted down some notes on other lyrics and headed back out the door for a beach walk. “When I got home, the song progressed into a metaphor for the whole experience.

But let’s just pump the brakes there for a tick. There’s plenty more good stuff on Ben’s new song, direction, and joie de vivre, but let’s go back to the start, and see what set this whole crazy thing into motion.

“It remained unfinished until 2020 when I brought it to a co-write with someone in Portland I’d met through an online songwriting course. This song was a break from my usual writing style. I often start with chords, but with this song’s lyrics down, I had to work out what chords matched the melody in my head.

“I’m not sure if there was a particular spark but I used to love listening to music on long car trips as a kid,” Ben recalls. “We’d crank Cat Stevens on trips to Broulee over Christmas, so I got a strong sense of how music could be a vehicle for inspiration and social change through that.”

A complicated progression for a song about working our complications. For while his decades-long career boasts many triumphs, the inevitable tribulations have oft lurked nearby.

This young interest soon turns to young love.

“I was obsessed with the karaoke machine at my after-school care at Aranda Primary,” Drysdale reveals. “One time, the boss of ‘afters’—who happened to be Canberra blues and roots legend Marji Curran of the same named Trio—dressed me up in her boyfriend’s leather jacket to sing Blue Suede Shoes for the school talent show.

“The progression was a lot more complicated than I typically would have written if I’d started with chords.”

“Before I went to the 2019 HSF, I was in a really low place,” Ben reveals. “Over the prior two years, I had put a huge amount of effort into planning and promoting releases, tours, and festival appearances for East Row Rabble, and I didn’t feel any tangible growth, reach, or financial gain for any of us. I felt like packing it all in.”

Whilst somewhat doused, the songwriting fire within Ben still sputtered and burned.

“This being said, I got a grant to attend the HSF festival, and went knowing I had something to offer as a songwriter and singer. I played live as much as possible and did mentoring sessions seeking feedback on previously released songs or works-inprogress.

“The feedback reinspired me,” Ben says. “Not because it was all positive. It gave me direction; showed me I had much to learn about songwriting whilst giving me networks and

With the fire not just stoked but ablaze, Ben quickly toiled in the new light offered.

“Since then, I’ve invested in myself through study, conferences, and networking events.

And it’s paid off. My songwriting is substantially better. I’ve won international songwriting awards and had a few songs land placements on TV shows.”

A beautiful twist in this deeply personal exploration through music is how the term ‘solo’ is somewhat of a misnomer.

“Ironically, my songwriting process is a lot more collaborative now!” Ben says. “In previous bands, Smitten and East Row Rabble, I would write the songs, and the band would play and have creative input on the arrangement.

“Over seven years, three EPs, and a live album with Beth n Ben, there was actually only one song we wrote together,” Ben continues. “Usually, one of us would present a song and then we decided if it made it into the repertoire.

“As I focus more on being a solo artist, I collaborate with other songwriters,” Ben reveals. “Sometimes, for deeply personal things, the whole song pours out in a way that I’m 100% happy with. Mostly, I’m bringing an idea to collaborate with someone. Sometimes just a line or two, a concept for a verse or chorus, or it’s a song that seems finished but I know could be better.

“Collaboration is awesome!” Ben enthusiastically concludes. “It can half your work and double your potential.”

And the best collaboration of all, of course, is that between artist and their audience. This is where you come in!

resources to begin that journey of improvement as an artist and songwriter.

The whole experience flipped my headspace and inspired me to back myself, do the work, and keep pursuing something that had been a dream of mine since I was a kid.”

“Come to the Canberra Irish Club to help me celebrate the release! It’s a free gig on the deck so how can ya go wrong!

“I have an album’s worth of songs ready to go, with more to record as soon as I can come up with cash. You can certainly expect more solo work. I’ll drop another song around my birthday at a Smith’s gig in late January, so stay tuned.

“Also, I’m keen to get the Rabble back in action. We’re down some horn players, though, so if anyone plays a tight trumpet or a blistering bone, hit me up.”

Ben Drysdale’s debut solo single If I Don’t Lie Down is on all streaming platforms from Friday, 15 December. The launch gig is at the Canberra Irish Club on Sunday, 17 December from 4pm - 6pm. As it is a generously free event, I warmly recommend supporting dear Ben via his charmingly named Bennyboppers Patreon Community and Linktr.ee below!

This will be a stirring, stripped-back show with only keys (Hayden Kinsman) and double bass (Matt Nightingale) accompanying Kim.

LOCALITY

What’s more, the wonderful Areta as well as special guest, Clarissa Goh, will open the show. You can grab your ticket now via Smith’s website for $25.

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

Well, another year has come and gone! Hopefully yours was filled with fond times with many-a music bucket list item cheerfully checked off.

This time of the year can be hectic and emotional for many, so remember to step back and have some Me Time. Over the next few weeks, take some moments to reflect on the past year —the good, the bad, the in-between—and acknowledge it all as it has led you to this point.

Think of some of the things you are proud of and give yourself a pat on the back!

Now, as for gigs, I’ve selected a handful of shows to get you in the festive mood!

Festival 15 is taking place on Friday, 15 December from 6pm, where 15 up-andcoming bands play for 15 minutes each across both stages at The Baso (formerly The Basement). What other opportunity do you have to see this many tip-top locals in one place?

This high-paced mixed-bill showcase will be bound to have your next favourite local band take the stage.

Nothing planned for New Year’s Eve yet? Like it a bit on the bougie side? Then the Queenies at Kingston for the NYE Supper Club is your ticket!

Starting at 6pm on—yep, you guessed it—Sunday, Sunday, 31 December, think sublime live jazz meets a three-course meal December with you decked out in your favourite glamorous outfit to ring in the New Year.

Your players for the evening will be Chris Johnstone Johnstone, Angela Lount, and Leo Joseph Lount Joseph. Tickets are $101 per person via Eventbrite, and you can choose to sit inside or in the garden.

Lastly but not leastly (but perhaps a little beastly), this one will wake you up for the epic year ahead!

And do you wanna take a guess at how much tickets are?

Well done! $15 via Oztix. You score 15 points.

Kim Yang is making a return on December 23rd at Smith’s Alternative. Just in time for Christmas!

If you’re looking for a night filled with the might of metal, then the Pot Belly Bar on Friday, 19 January will be the place to be.

This event is titled Totes Broodal for good reason with three heavy bands set to knock your socks off: Reign Of Terror, Post Human and Flesh.

The show will kick off at 7pm on the day, and you can grab your ticket at the door for $15.

Those are the gigs I’ve selected for you to celebrate the closing of 2023 and to welcome you in 2024!

Could we ask for a better Christmas present? Doors open at 3:30pm for excellent late afternoon entertainment.

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Remember to take the time to treat yourself this silly season.

Stay safe, be kind, and keep loving live music.

Sending love and joy to all!

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BMA BAND PROFILE

Plugged in and barking mad, CBR’s The Dalmatians are taking rock back to its folk future! Sporting a line-up that spans the generations, with each member bringing their extensive performance experience to the creative kennel, The Dalmatians prove that not only can you teach an old dog new tricks, but a veteran Rottweiler can help hone a young pup’s fangs.

Band members: ­— Wil Allen - lead vocals, acoustic & electric guitar, harmonica — Jonny “DC” Bolan - guitar bouzouki, acoustic & electric guitars, keyboard, backing vocals — Naomi Smith - drums, percussion, backing vocals — Mansell Laidler - bass and backing vocals — Hayden Kinsman - keyboards and backing vocals

Where did the band name come from?

Jonny is of Croatian heritage; his mother comes from Dalmatia, and he owns a beautiful Dalmatian dog called Lilly.

It seemed inevitable!

How did you start on this magical musical journey?

Jonny and Wil met when Jonny needed a muso to fill in a spot with him at the Hamlet (an open-air food village in Braddon) about four years ago. It’s not there now, but many BMA readers would remember it.

They instantly connected around values and ‘acoustic folk-rock with a jungle vibe’ (Wil grew up in Papua New Guinea). Most importantly, a folk-rock vibe was established by Jonny’s incredible use of a guitar bouzouki.

Wil and Jonny began writing, and playing songs at venues around Canberra and surrounds. Jonny worked with Naomi, who knew Hayden, who knew Mansell, and voila! Instant five-piece.

PAGE 22 Well, not instant, but a quick osmosis nonetheless.

Describe your sound: As a duo, we had a very folky world music indie pub rock sound, if that is “a sound”! But with all this additional talent that has come into the band, we are accumulating elements of psychrock, dance-rock, and chill. And there’s even a tug towards funk!

We are blessed to have the highest pedigree in this kennel, and our sound is always evolving.

Key tracks: We have four songs on Spotify and other streaming platforms, and an EP is coming with a single release shortly.

Far Away Man was our most recent single, a deep soft-rock number about a veteran’s experience; It’s Only Money is a rallying cry against the greed destroying the planet; and Millionaire is a pumping and humorous rock number.

Our music is on YouTube, with the lyric video for Millionaire sitting on 47,000 views since its release around 12 months ago.

The official music video for that song is also doing well.

The music video for Far Away Man, incredibly, has won 54 (and counting) international film festival awards. Wil travelled to France earlier this year to receive one of these accolades at the Cannes 7th Film Awards. Then, after a second trip to attend the French Riviera International Film Festival and help at the Marche de Film in Cannes, he was made Australian ambassador for the Bridge Of Peace International Film Festival.

Influences?

As the primary songwriter Wil says he is moved by alt rock, pysch rock, and chill. Jonny, who does the productions and melodic/rhythmic advancements, is influenced by world music, Balkan folk and indie rock/dance.

Naomi on drums loves to smash it and is getting into reggae, Hayden on keys digs funk, jazz and blues, and Mansell on bass brings everything all the time, but has a guilty pleasure around weird and wonderful improv.

Memorable experiences?

Our last gig is usually the most memorable as a band, not for obvious reasons, but because we love performing together and hearing the music evolve.

Our recent gig—The Melting Pot at The Pot Belly Bar with Dana Hassall and HexRay—showed our musicianship and sounded terrific. Big shout-out to sound guy Kurt out there in Belco town!

What do you love about the scene?

The CBR original music scene punches above its weight. We love that bands and musicians are highly supportive of each other, as are the live music fans who are getting around and enjoying original content.

We’re also impressed with the effort that venues make to technically support bands to sound their best.

Proudest moments: A few years ago, when still a two-piece, The Dalmatians supported one of our heroes, Steve Kilbey (of The Church), at the Belconnen Art Centre’s inaugural live music event.

Steve watched our sound check from start to finish, approached us afterwards and commented on our music, noting we had the right balance of alternative riffs and familiar melodies.

He then invited us onstage during his encore to play Under The Milky Way with him. Wil sang two of the verses alone and backup vocals in the choruses. Jonny’s bouzouki gave the iconic Aussie song an Eastern tinge we are confident will never be heard again.

Wil was heard to say, “Kill me now,” as the applause washed over.

Future plans: We have recorded at the excellent ANU School of Music Studios on their Neve G96 Genesys console! An EP will soon be finished, with next single, Sunshine, to be released imminently.

The video for Sunshine features a light-hearted twist on the RUOK? theme, which we hope will bring more attention to mental health issues. It’s being filmed at iconic Canberra sites on Lake Burley Griffin, hopefully with assistance from industry.

A shout-out to the generous, intelligent, and beautiful people at MusicACT and #CBR!

What makes you laugh?

Each other. We are such different characters with different senses of humour, and it makes rehearsals hilarious. Also, people we meet who are overly selfish or self-focused give us the giggles.

What pisses you off?

Disrespect. We live in a lucky place at a lucky time. Yes, there is sh#t going down, but some people need to take a chill pill and open up to the possibility that happiness comes from connection, not from taking yourself and your opinions so seriously.

Anything else you’d like to add?

Riffing off that last outburst, we just want to say: check us out if you like fun music with meaning! Many fans say they love our sound and being able to get meaning from our thought-provoking lyrics, which are not all about the failings of romantic love.

can we see your folk-rock frenzy?

Head to The Baso in Belconnen on Sat, 6 Jan, and Smith’s Alternative on Sun, 21 Jan (4pm). Hopefully we’ll be at Enlighten in March, too. Come help us continue our cunning plan to infuse The Ds into the Australian psyche!

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WITH ALICE WORLEY [ALICE.WORLEY@OUTLOOK.COM]

Well, it’s time to say goodbye to another year of local music in Ngunnawal country. And, in a bit of a downer, it’s also a time to farewell some local performance spaces.

But first, we have some releases on the horizon, plus some pretty sick gigs coming up, so I shall gleefully talk about those before I go into a full-on depressing venue deep dive.

Local emo-punks st.sinner have released a new single, Dysphoria! They’ve been having a ton of fun experimenting with their sound on more recent releases such as Alone Together and SUI-PSYCHO before landing on their most streamed track so far: Headcase.

The new single is called Princess, and we’re so proud of it that we’re throwing a launch party to celebrate. On Saturday, 16 December at The Front, we’ll be joined by our favourite emo boys Nora, brand-spanking new femme punk band Dirt Nap, and the lovely solo stylings of songstress Abi Main.

And if we can get all the elements we need together to make it happen, there may be a little surprise to show on the night, so cross your fingers that the stars align!

The single will be released on 13 December, so keep those ears peeled on your streaming platforms. Thanks!

Right, onto the depressing stuff. It’s been an up-and-down time for our local scene. We have so many amazing bands and artists, but we’re starting to lose the platforms they need to get into the spotlight.

This particular song pivoted the group into a significantly heavier sound, leaning toward more of a hardcore/metal-inspired direction than early releases, like Mr Prime Minister and Dead For the Weekend. Looks like the heavy, dark direction is where it’s at for these guys.

I popped along to bid farewell to the short-lived The Shaking Hand the other day. There was so much potential, and we were all so keen on another venue. I hoped this wasn’t cursed ground for venues in a familiar space, 7 Akuna Street in the city. After all, this is where Transit Bar failed to hang on. Unfortunately, Shakes has met the same fate.

I was so stoked to have my birthday gig there this year. Made some great memories with people I love, and the staff made it all the more remarkable, even inventing a birthday cocktail just for the occasion (bloody delicious, by the way).

The launch release for Dysphoria boasts a pretty attractive lineup. The night will showcase Bellewether (Gadigal), who also features on the single, as well as Live Like Animals (Gadigal) and local favourites Bad Lunar.

But despite many cracker events and a steady stream of patrons, this place didn’t get to celebrate its own first birthday.

It’s all happening on Friday, 8 December at The Baso, so come along to keep up with the st.sinner evolution. I’m predicting more of an industrial vibe for this one, but we’ll have to wait and see. Tickets are $15 via Oztix.

Speaking of Transit Bar (the

Speaking of The Baso (formerly The Basement), Festival 15 is nearly here! Sporting 15 acts doing 15-minute sets, on 15 December.... Nice and easy to remember, isn’t it?

No news on the lineup at the time of writing this, but by the time of publication, a peek at the Festival 15 Facebook event or The Baso socials should reveal all! Tickets are $15 via Oztix.

I’m sure many people reading this are already aware, but I am in a local punk band called Box Dye, and we have a new release and launch show! So please allow me to indulge you with the spruik for a moment.

PAGE 24

relocated one at Bailey’s Corner, that is), after months and months of wondering when they’ll have another gig, it has now wholly stopped hosting live music, instead becoming the new hot spot for themed parties and pool comps.

And really... who can blame them?

From what I’ve heard about how much the insurance on music venues has increased since COVID, it’s absolutely no surprise that they have had to come up with a new way to survive.

Transit Bar has semi-recently (30 September) posted that they’ll be hosting live music again, but the only events lined up on their Facebook page at this point in time are karaoke nights, so we’ll have to wait and see.

But it’s not all doom and gloom on the performance space front.

I’m crossing my fingers—really, really hard—that we’ve just witnessed the birth of a new hot spot in the city for live gigs.

Fun Time Pony had its launch the other week, setting the bar high by booking beloved Aussie icons Spiderbait for the opening night, supported by much loved locals, Sesame Girl.

The underground venue is stationed where the Pancake Parlour once flipped its expensive golden discs of perfectly average syrup soakers.

I have to give kudos to sideway on their Thursday night gigs, which have showcased our lesser-known local acts regularly, and that’s something so needed.

A huge thanks goes to Sarah O’Malley of BurntOut Bookings for her passion and proactive nature in live music. She is incredibly dedicated to getting attention on artists who work hard and deserve a platform. The grit and energy she poured into making Shakes the best it could be gave us an exhilarating few months of programming, booking some absolutely stellar lineups during her time.

Sarah, you are a force of nature, and this town is so lucky to have you in its corner.

Photo by Peter Foster Photography

Joel Cabban, you are also a fantastic ally to the music community here. The Noise Floor has put on some killer gigs. All your hard work at The Baso is greatly appreciated, and you significantly contribute to putting eyes on bands with something to show.

If the people reading this still need to check it out, The Noise Floor has a playlist on Spotify called Canberra New Music that showcases all the new tracks our artists are pumping out. Give it a follow to stay in the loop with new releases.

Also, if you see Joel on the sound desk at The Baso, buy him a beer!

Walking down the stairs, I felt a very intentional homage to the entrance to Frankie’s Pizza, minus the hanging garlic. Once I got to the bottom of the staircase, it was actually a bit of a dive, to my pleasant surprise. It reminded me of Magpies (if anyone remembers that sorely missed venue).

But be advised: It may have this rough and ready look for long.

A bouncer from a watering hole around the corner told me the underground grit was less a bold aesthetic choice and more due to needing more time to finish the renovations. With the might of Spiderbait locked and loaded, they simply couldn’t move the opening night, so the show went on.

But as much as I want to celebrate a new venue coming to the CBD, there is a fear from local musicians and gig-goers, including myself, that this place might not be the beacon of light we’ve been hoping for.

As the owners of Fun Time Pony also own Assembly, Bad Bing Dining Club, and Al’s Deli & Diner, the consensus I’ve been gathering seems to be that it’ll be, let’s say, too “posh” to host the likes of any scuzzy local punk rat bands.

At the time I’m writing this, there are no events advertised for the future, and I don’t know anyone who has a gig lined up on the fresh new stage, which is a bit disheartening. But time will tell. So, as with Transit, let’s hope for the best. Please prove our fears wrong; I would be over the moon!

As we end this year, uncertainty abounds in the live music venue space. But a constant that rings true is the dedication, hard work and skill of those toiling to keep live music going.

As such, I want to end this column by thanking some key players who have supported and showcased locals in the last year [a beautiful idea, Alice, and one that I officially dub the First Annual BMA Thankies - BOSSMAN AL]

And a big round of applause for the people who open their homes to put on house shows. This has supported many growing artists in their journeys onto bigger stages.

The ACT’s inner north suburbs were such a haven for house shows in the past, and they were pretty extraordinary to be a part of.

The Lacklustre and Crossroads houses had some pretty special shows back in the day that I wish I had more photos of, as well as the group of people and their houses that made up Mulgara.

I’m so appreciative of musicloving group homes trying to keep this element of the local scene alive. I lived in a gig house for a year and can confirm house shows can be really draining to organise and host. You need to love it to do it, so thank you, thank you, thank you to those still doing it.

PUNK GIG GUIDE

w/ Bellwether, er Dysphoria launch 8 December - st.sinn so Ba e Th @ r na Lu d and Ba Live Like Animals, t Belly Bar Po Ons w/ Hydranaut @ 14 December - Hardtival 15 @ The Baso 15 December - Fes launch w/ Nora, Dye Princess single 16 December - Box nt Fro in @ The Dirt Nap, and Abi Ma The Baso 17 January - OFF! @ PAGE 25

By Josh Nixon

My conversation with Peter “Blackie” Black was always going to be long and reverential.

After all, this man’s career—and that of his most well-known band, Hard-Ons—is equally long and rightly revered (though, I proffer, not nearly as revered as it should).

2023 marked the 40th anniversary of these fine punks from Punchbowl in Sydney (the current line-up including newer members Mr Murray Ruse of Newcastle and Mr Tim Rogers of Melbourne, of course). Or so I thought.

“It’s next year,” Mr Black corrected me. “I had a few jams and played my first-ever show in 1981, and Keish (De Silva) and I jammed with a drummer called Brendan Crieghton, who moved to the Gold Coast to form a band called Thrust.

“Then we got Ray (Ahn bass/vocals) and played a few parties, but our first pub show was in 1984 after I turned 18 at The Vulcan Hotel on 4 July. I still have the handbill somewhere.”

One thing the 40th anniversary won’t involve is looking backwards. There’s simply too much happening in the now.

You see, dear reader, Blackie is likely The Most Recorded Musician in Australian Punk Rock History. In 2016, he produced 12 albums with 365 songs as a part of his Song A Day project, one of the most overlooked artistic achievements in contemporary music this century. He plays in Nunchukka

PAGE 26

Superfly with Hard-Ons compatriot Ray and has produced eight further solo records on top of the Hard-Ons output.

We caught up on a day when he was tracking a new Nunchukka Superfly record and mid-way through his daily routine. This routine comprises personal training from 7am until midday with the afternoon into the evenings spent on music.

My call came during the music portion, interrupting preparations for another Hard-Ons album, showing no slowing following this year’s excellent ‘Ripper 23. I told you there was a lot on.

Despite this weighty workload, Blackie doesn’t see himself as the busiest, most recorded musician in the country.

“I wish I was!” he chirps. “I wish I was like King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard and had my own studio to go into whenever I want.

Like, even just twice a month to go and work on shit.

“One of the main reasons I did Song A Day was because if I could have a perfect job, I would have loved to have been one of those guys in the Brill Building; just clocking in and working on some tunes. That would have been fucking bliss.”

The Brill Building. The storied hit factory of songwriters and musicians in New York in the late ‘50s and early ‘60s that included Neil Diamond, Connie Francis and Burt Bacharach on the staff (Google it!), pumped out hits for radio from Yakety Yak to The Loco-motion and River Deep Mountain High. Blackie would have been right at home.

For a band with a 40-year career, you could forgive them for coasting on the back catalogue. This is not the case. Partly due, as Blackie reminded me, that kinda happened already.

“For the 30th-anniversary show, we learned 30-40 old songs and basically let people spin a wheel and pick one,” Blackie recalls.

“Keish came back for that show after a decade away with a lot of energy. We asked him to stay around and put it into new music.

“We did that for eight years until it all went to shit.”

The discussion of the historical view at this point has also been made difficult by the circumstances of Keish’s departure from the band. A crowd-sourced documentary (Hard-Ons: The Most Australian Band Ever) was on the cusp of release but was cancelled when allegations of sexual misconduct against De Silva surfaced in 2021.

Ray and Blackie immediately fired Keish. After taking a breath to recover from the gut punch and fall out, as with every collaboration of theirs, they landed on their feet.

“We’ve been so lucky,” Blackie reflects. “We got Pete (Kostic of Regurgitator/Front End Loader/ Nazxul) when Keish left the first time. When Pete left, Ray suggested trying out Murray, and I was really unsure”, he reveals, referring to Ruse’s intensely brutal lineage from Adelaide’s insane grindcore outfit Captain Cleanoff and Newcastle’s molten hardcore unit Conation.

“Murray gelled straight away, and not just with his playing on the old stuff. He brought a swing and a swagger on top of his power.

“And when we got Tim, it was just the best. Suddenly, we have someone who isn’t just contributing to the writing and playing but has all these incredible vocal flourishes and harmonies.

“It was like, “Fuck, we are finally a real four-piece!”

Indeed, that was my impression after first seeing this line-up.

Free from vocal duties, Blackie had more time and space to focus his considerable energy on the guitar playing. This energy carried through into the album I’m Sorry Sir, That Riff is Taken, which came on the heels of some fantastic but, fair to say, eclectically diverse records.

The result was, stylistically speaking, a more focused effort than the preceding few albums.

“You go through phases,” Blackie muses. “Even before Tim joined, I thought it was time to make a more concise record.

Cause every now and again, I feel like doing something a bit straighter. When Tim joined, and I heard what his voice could do, that made me wanna explore pop. Well, not explore; fuck we’ve always explored it.

“In many ways, I see us as a pop band, but Tim’s voice made me want to do so much more. Moving into Ripper ‘23 and thinking about power pop, in the past, I tried to cover shortcomings from vocals by putting tonnes of distortion on the guitars. On the new one, I think I only turned the distortion on once the whole time. I just relied on that classic setup: the Gibson and the Marshall.”

Between Blackie and Massappeal’s Brett Currota, few people have set a better example of this quintessential tonal pairing, particularly in the punk and hardcore genres. Blackie’s 1986 SG, which I have dubbed “Excalibur”, was drawn from the stone of Downtown Music in 1987 (“I got it for cheap!” Blackie enthuses.

“The headstock had been repaired, and they told me Araldite is stronger than wood!”). It is as ever-present and iconic as a punk rock equivalent of Angus Young or Tony Iommi’s use of this instrument on stages worldwide.

That pairing is applied with aplomb on Ripper ‘23. The cheeky artwork pays homage to a couple of great compilation albums of the 1970s (Ripper ‘76, Ripper ‘77) and features Tim Rogers’ partially exposed booty in the starring role.

Makes Me Sick shows off the signature raucous delivery, but with that reigned in distortion Blackie spoke of. As does Sling Shot.

There are the flat-out rockers on offer, of course. Still, that pop sensibility is on prime display with the Beach Boys-infused Goin’ It Alone, the angular Never Been Handsome, and the blend of all of these ideas in the killer opener Apartment for Two. To my earlier point on being able to coast on past glories by this point in their career, it’s remarkable that the band has never been more potent, seemingly overflowing with ideas.

Part of this overflow, I suggest, is due to the range of external outlets, triggering ideas with existing members, combining a back catalogue as diverse as You Am I’s Hourly, Daily and Captain Cleanoff’s Symphonies of Slackness taking with Hard-Ons’ Smell My Finger.

“I think a factor is to never stop learning and being hungry for new music,” Blackie posits. “I don’t get to listen to as much as before because when you’re working on as much shit as me, you need to be uncluttered.

“But I’ve gone back and listened to disco, which I hated as a kid, Afro-funk, and heaps of dub music.

And there’s all the hardcore bands I missed from the early ‘80s; it makes me hungry for more.

“During COVID, for example,” Blackie continues, “I had an album by this funk band called Mass Production that just blew my mind.

Then there’s getting into post-Bones era Discharge, and I have mates who say, ‘What’s wrong with you??? Don’t you listen to the old shit anymore??’”

Blackie’s cheeky laugh broke up his thought.

“It’s like, no, I’ve never stopped loving the Damned! I don’t know, some people like being nice and neat, but I’m just fucking hungry!

I buy stuff, and it’s like, “I wasn’t into this first listen, but my friends like this. Maybe I’ll give it a fucking go and try them.”

The drive and inspiration from all sources inspire a bottomless well of riffs and arrangements. With multiple releases to help usher in the Hard-Ons’ fifth decade, Blackie summarised the future succinctly.

“Some bands get to a point where they think they’ve reached a peak, thinking, ‘Yeah, that’ll do’. Then there’s the Melvins, who never stop learning, trying things and bringing it to each release.

“I’ve never been a ‘that’ll do guy.’”

Never change, long may they reign, and here’s to another 40.

Hard-Ons play Pot Belly Bar on Wednesday, 13 December and are supported by local legends Hydranaut. Tickets are $39.80 via Oztix.

PAGE 27

By Matt Parnell There's something inherently ridiculous about naming your band Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs.

When introducing himself, drummer Ewan Mackenzie counts off each 'Pigs' on his fingers to ensure he doesn't misrepresent the outfit he describes as: "The most surreal band in history!

"We have a ridiculous, stupid band name, which acts as a leveller for us," he continues. "It keeps our feet on the ground; it means we don't take ourselves too seriously.

"It also reminds us that it's all just a bit of an adventure."

As he later refers to them, Pigs (singular) are a five-piece hard rock* band from Newcastle, UK. The asterisk is because, in Mackenzie's words: "I don't even know what genre we're in, to be honest," he admits. "It's an odd mix of things. It's doom metal coupled with quite enjoyable classic rock, krautrock and, like, '70s heavy stuff."

While it's their first tour of Australia, it caps off a year that involved the release of one studio record and two trips to America, one of which resulted in a live record. 2023's Land of Sleeper is their first output after a world-event induced hiatus. But don't call it a COVID record.

"Musically, it was an exorcism," Ewan recalls. "We were on a break because of COVID, but we hate this being called a COVID record cos it's not.

PAGE 28

"Coming together and making music, there was a lot of energy," Ewan beams.

"An explosion of energy, one that made the creative process very easy.

"Well, not easy exactly," Ewan quickly corrects. "But it was smooth. There were so many ideas floating around, which was dead exciting."

There's something great about talking to a musician who's this excited about their own work. There is not a lick of vanity to be found. This is simply someone genuinely thrilled about the process, the band they're in, and the sounds they're making. Given that they've spent much of this year touring, he has a bit to be excited about.

"There's nothing better than an audience that's fairly placid through the first song, and then by the end, it's almost like they're different people bursting with energy," Ewan enthuses. "They're animated and into it, and to see that happen is an absolute privilege, to bring people on board, if that makes sense."

Live music as communication, forming connections not via dialogue but

something altogether more primal and ancient - you play, they feel, you feel and play again.

"This is the first band I've been in where you can look out at the audience and see they're a bit out of it. In a good way!"

Ewan says. "I'm really enjoying it; I feel engaged and focused like never before.

"In other bands I’ve been in, audiences are engaged but in a different, more meditative way. Lots of silent listening.

"With Pigs, you can see people react."

This live experience comes from their recording process, which Mackenzie describes as communal and collective.

"With recording, if everyone's not in with it, we don't do it," he states. "It's a group judgment as to whether it passes. We all must be 100% into it, meaning we feel it together when we play live."

And you can see and hear exactly how they feel together both on the live record and in person when they play The Baso (formerly The Basement) on Wednesday, 13 December, along with the mighty the The Mark Of Cain.

Tickets are $61.20 via through OzTix.

PAGE 29

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

Where the hell did that year go? The year was just settling in, and suddenly we’re compiling the end-of-year lists?

It hardly seems like anything came out this year until I actually bother to look at my listening habits and sort by year of release and see there are well over 20 albums this year that have been getting pretty good air time on my daily commutes and tapping away in the garage.

Notable events this past month include the opening of a new venue, Fun Time Pony, where the Pancake Parlour used to be. Hopefully, we get some big riffs down in the city again for our southsiders who have to spend lots of cash to go out to the newly renamed Belconnen home of heavy.

Yes, renamed. The Basement is now the name of the Sydney Jazz Club again, as Nic and Mik have rebranded to The Baso. The WLVIC (winningest live venue in Canberra) has a new logo (not a bass; it should have had 4 strings) and a new name but the same dedication to heavy music. All the best, team.

Looking back to this time last year, I wrapped 2022’s biggest metal news with the announcement of the Pantera reunion. A year on, and the big story closing out 2023 is the Knotfest lineup, headlined by the world’s most controversial cover band.

While several performances were cancelled this year in response to the fallout of Anselmo’s infamous “white power” salute at Dimefest in 2016, the specific criticism blowing up in the Knotfest lineup hasn’t so much to do with Pantera.

The lineup includes Disturbed, Lamb of God, Halestorm, The Hu, Asking Alexandra, Wage War, Escape The Fate, Thy Art Is Murder, Skindred, Speed, Windwaker, Brand of Sacrifice and King Parrot.

The Instagram account @lineupswithoutmales pointed out that only 7% of band members are female. Local Andrew Glitoris hit out on social media, suggesting the event be called “Manfest”, continuing, “1.5% of the musicians on this lineup are women. As well as the other questions about relevance and the politics of the headliner, there’s no justification for the absence of women.”

Knotfest could do with some old-school Melbourne death metal from Carcinoid, who dropped their Encomium To Extinction EP in November, and Sydney doomers Potion, who reissued their three EPs on one album in November. Melbourne doom bands Religious Observance, and Vvarp recorded new albums due soon. Javan-laced black metal Kilat or the fine theatrics of The Neptune Power Federation could bring some diversity in not just gender by tempo and substance to the affairs, to name a very select few, so Andrew’s point was well made.

At $240-ish a ticket, the show is reasonable value for 15 international touring bands (Thy Art, Speed and King Parrot all toured OS this year) compared to the bill shock at the Mr Bungle and Melvins double bill announced for next year, which had many excited til they announced the $169.95 ticket price.

In this economy? Damn, I heard the RBA were putting up interest rates because of haircuts; don’t tell them about the concert prices!

King Parrot had an incredible 2023 with a massive US tour, including several Pantera support slots, with Anselmo regularly wearing their merch on stage. They’re keeping their live show iron-tempered for the Knotfest shows with a mini pre-Xmas Oz tour that includes a show at The Baso on 16 December with Witchskull, Deprivation, and Point 17.

Witchskull had another sterling year with their 4th album, The Serpent Tide, doing well on the internationally recognised doom charts, a national tour and some seriously tasty offers to head to Europe in ‘24.

PAGE 30

Deprivation can give the ‘skull advice on the best airlines and hotels based on their thrilling experience playing Wacken Open Air this year, a great 2023 for both bands.

Lucifungus went ahead and combined both of those achievements with their 4th album IV AND a jolly good month-long jaunt in Europe throughout November, breaking new ground for Canberraflavoured sludge.

They’ve also done a split 7” with Melbourne sludge band Burn the Hostages. They joined Pungent Stench at the Pot Belly on 1 December to round out a massive 2023 for the lads.

I had a look at my playlist on my desktop (I am an old man who doesn’t like Spotify) in order to scour for my notable releases for 2023.

Case in point: I’m listening to Canberra death metal legends Psychrist and their excellent Embrace Rapture in Disgust on CD as I write this today (shout out Yuri/Kel and lads; still a cracker).

I used to go in for the Top 5, but I can fit more into this column for a wrap-up on releases for the year.

So, in alphabetical order, I present for your 2023 666mas shopping list/playlist consideration the following releases (deep breath): Autopsy Ashes - Organs Blood & Crypts is one of the OGs and is still a great time Aglo - Build Fear - Canberran ex-pat making Star Trek-themed death metal a genre Baroness - Stone - Return to form; noodle city Carcinoid - Encomium To Extinction - Death metal, old school, nasty

Church of Misery - Born U Japanese murder doom lo

Danava - Nothing But Not Maiden playing stoner do

Enforced - War Remains good time for everyone

Isua - Abandon - Melbour music award for this

Khanate - To Be Cruel - Th release of the year and as been. Nasty, nasty doom

Kruelty - Untopia - Super Japanese slam, and a grea

Kvelertak - Endling - I did one is much more coheren

Gummo - Assimilation is miss grinding fun, insane

Lo! - The Gleaners - Great quality in all departments

Lucifungus - IV - I am con this record, but they can’t Fun sludgy times

Memoriam - Rise To Powe tragic can’t at least not m metal band’s latest

Mutoid Man - Mutants - I the last one, but I gave it very catchy heavy weirdn

Saint Karloff - Paleolithic groovy swingin’ doom and good songs

Under a Mad Sign ords return with a ripper

thing - A bit like Killers era oom, ripping guitar work

Tomb Mold - The Enduring Spirit - The enduring spirit of whack-a-do death metal is alive and well here. Kooky and fearless and just a great blasting time.

rne doom band won a VIC

Witchskull - The Serpent Tide - The locals focus on the riffs and the songs, and the results speak for themselves on their third release for Rise Above Records

he nastiest surprise s withering as they’ve ever

Yawning Man - Long Walk of the Navajo - A couple of Canberra visits from these guys only enhanced my appreciation for this unique band

r fun, ridiculously heavy at live band to boot

So what did I miss? Jump onto the Metalise Facebook and let me know. But in the measntime, the above should sort you out into 2024 and prepare for another year of heavy metal madness.

- A thoroughly thrashin’

dn’t love the last one; this nt from back to back

Death - Blink-and-youely hilarious, heavy tones

t production, big step up in s and an impressive release

ntractually bound to praise t make me wear their shirt.

er- My inner Bolt Thrower mention this prolific death

didn’t love it as much as another go, and it is indeed ness from the Mutoid gang

c War Crimes - Norse d a well-written body of

A couple of notable shows announced since the last column are worth considering for sticking in the stocking for the discerning metalhead this 666mas.

Death doom quality on a boat in January, you say?

Why not! Mortiferum make a welcome summer visit on 19 January with Faceless Burial and Altars sharing the tour and Melbourne’s excellent Contaminated swabbing the poop deck. Tickets from Oztix.

The Baso hosts the most brutal 4/20 in the land next year with death metal gods Suffocation joined by the also killer Revocation!

Cirith Ungol announced a first and last Australian tour that lands at the WLVIC, er The Baso, on 30 May with Night Demon.

And that’s it for 2023, folks. Love your work, stay heavy, and look forward to even more in 2024!

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by Dynamo Allan Sko

It’s a damn fine time to be a Professional Wrestling fan. AEW’s game-changing explosion onto the scene in 2019 broke WWE’s 23-year monopoly on the industry, forcing WWE to produce some of the best wrestling the company’s history.

And Australia’s surging too, going from testof-strength to test-of-strength, exemplfied by the world-class wrestling about to descend on Canberra, when SLAM! Pro Wrestling rocks the National Convention Centre on Saturday, 16 December with the biggest indie event in Australia’s history.

In a night of Firsts, a kaleidoscope of high-octane match types await. The best pro wrestlers from around the country will jockey and jive in the centre of the ring, competing in a $10,000 invitational over-the-top-rope Battle Royale. There will also be… Hold on a minute, folks… <puts fingers to earpiece> I’m just getting word from my broadcast colleague, Spitz MacKenzie, that he’s managed to track down a very special guest. We’ll cross to him live now… Spitz, you there?

SPITZ MACKENZIE: Yes, Allan. Joining me

at this time is SLAM! Board of Directors Mark Riley. Mark, to those looking to check out the glittering world of live wrestling first-hand, tell us a bit about the history of SLAM!

MARK RILEY: Since its debut event in 2021,

SLAM! quickly became entrenched in Canberra culture as one of the hottest pieces of live entertainment, and the premier pro wrestling experience, in the southern hemisphere.

SPITZ: It’s been an exciting time for Australian

wrestling fans, especially those here in Canberra. What can people expect on 16 December at the National Convention Centre?

MARK: It’s going to be a night of firsts! The SLAM! Championship will be defended inside Canberra’s first steel cage match!

SPITZ: Speaking of firsts, I believe there’s something special in store to show off SLAM!’s thriving women’s division.

MARK: The two top-ranked female wrestlers will compete to crown the first-ever SLAM! Women’s champion.

SPITZ: That, of course, being the Unstoppable Force of Kingsley

meeting the Immovable Object of Gymbro Jesse, two of the country’s most dynamic competitors.

Mr Riley, I know you’re extremely busy putting this all together, so we’ll finish with this. I’m talking tag-team wrestling; what does 16 December have in store for the two-team hometown throwdown?

MARK: We have the tag-team rematch

of the century when The Natural Classics take on The Velocities… With the SLAM! Tag Team championships on the line!

SPITZ: O, the humanity! Mark, thank you

for your time.

And there you have it. Multiple high-stakes matches with first-time evers and legacymaking belts; Saturday, 16 December is a date for any self-respecting wrestling fan.

Back to you in the studio.

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Thank you, Spitz, and it’s all happening right now as I’ve just got word from my other colleague, Penne Raquette, who has managed to grab some time with the no.1 contender for the big belt, the pride and hope of Canberra, The Hope From The Top Rope himself, Lightning Luke Watts. Over to you, Penne.

PENEE RAQUETTE: Thank you, Allan. Joining me at this time is the No 1 for SLAM’s top prize, the SLAM! Belt, Lightning Luke. Luke, thanks for taking the time to chat to us.

LUKE WATTS: My pleasure.

PENEE: Luke, you’ve had a

glittering career filled with many highs and some lows but now you’re competing in one of the biggest matches of your career. This has been a long time coming, hasn’t it?

LUKE: Thanks, Penee. I had my first match at the Turner PCYC right here in the nation’s capital in 2004. The 16th of December will mark 20 years since my pro wrestling journey was first embarked upon.

PENEE: An amazing legacy in a challenging sport. In this time, you’ve competed worldwide. What does it mean to wrestle for SLAM!

LUKE: In 20 years of wrestling, in Australia and abroad, nothing

he SLAM! SLAM Pro Wrestling compares to competing in a SLAM! ring. The ing, highest-flying highes League never fails to bring the hardest-hitting, e-best in the grapple wrestlers from the sport. The very best-of-the-best game are all trying and vying to get the gold.

PENEE: How do you keep yourself in peak condition for these highprofile matches?

LUKE: When The Hope From The Top Rope isn’t in the gym, he can

be found at the SLAM! Pro Wrestling League Academy. The academy is the only world-class pro wrestling school in the Canberra region. I encourage all wrestling hopefuls to check it out.

PENEE: You have a big championship title match inside a steel cage against the Top Shelf Champ, Mikey Broderick. How do you feel leading into this highly anticipated matchup?

LUKE: I’ve been training my whole life for this moment. There will

be a record-breaking 1,000 plus in attendance, and all eyes will be on the steel cage championship match. I intend on proving to the SLAM! Fans and the world that The Hope From The Top Rope has the hold to get the gold and the pin to get the win.

PENEE: Your gusto is admirabe, but it’s no mean feat.

LUKE: Don’t get me wrong, Penee.

There’s a reason, many reasons, many damn good ones, why Mikey Broderick is at the top of the league. He is one of the most capable, agile, and ruthless competitors the sport has ever seen.

PENNE: Thank you, Luke. All the best for the bout. Back you to, Allan.

Yes, it’s a helluva Main Event for a helluva of a card.

Your WWEs and your AEWs are all well and good, but I know where I’ll be this Saturday, 16 December. The National Convention Centre; staring at the top rope, with a heart filled with hope.

Exhibitionist | Comedy in the ACT

“Don’t be shocked, darling; I eat with my fingers all the time.

Cutlery is for the weak… and my immune system has never been better. Why do you think I look so damned young anyway?”

She laughs and uses her other hand to nab a pinch of kimchi, which she dramatically holds over her mouth as she tilts back her head. I decide to not be drawn into this and ask my first real question. “You were born in Kolvereid in Norway in 1950 - in February. Have you been back recently?”

She pauses and looks to her right as if she didn’t hear my question. She bites her bottom lip and then leans forward with her elbows on her knees, surveying the low table between us.

Her hand moves to take some more kimchi, but she pauses.

“No. I don’t go back.” She sighs, takes her mug of black coffee and sips once, twice, three times. “I haven’t been back since my mother, Marit, passed away in 2006.”

“And that,” I begin as I check my notes quickly, “was a month after your fourth marriage and three months after your father, Derek, passed away?” She smiles wryly, gives a small puff of air through her nostrils before replying.

Around the World in Six Decibels Decibels 1-3: Seoul to Zurich

No one is more representative of the people than the world’s most favourite actor, Decibel Beaumont. In this extensive (and, frankly, excessive) interview, Chris Marlton asks the questions you’ve all been dying to know about the loudest and proudest ballerina turned model turned singer turned actor of the last century. Buckle up!

She stands in the platinum class lounge of Korean Air with a lectern lean and a coy head tilt. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous to meet this courageous icon who’s been a secret hero of mine for years.

But as I approach her charismatic sphere, the nerves melt away, and a comfort not felt since graduating from primary school overcomes me. This opportunity to spend some time with the 73-year-old Decibel Beaumont feels like a dream come true.

Over the next six days, we’ll share six meals in six of Decibel’s dearest international airport lounges. Join us as we talk about her lives, loves, and favourite films, books, and political assassinations of the year.

Breakfast at Incheon: Godeungeo Gui Located in the Jung District of South Korea, the Incheon International Airport was built in the ocean on reclaimed land over eight years, from 1992 to 2000.

“This is my third favourite airport in Asia,” drawls the icon as she eats her salty grilled mackerel with her bare hands. I must have looked surprised by this; she scolded me immediately,

PAGE 34

“I see you’ve done your research. Yes, she died right after I married Gordian that year. That was a hard time for me. I don’t go back to Norway anymore because there’s nothing there for me. Not anymore.”

She takes another mouthful of fish and leans back in her comfortable, light-green lounge chair. Our eyes meet. I note that hers are a similar colour to the furniture she’s sitting on and are beginning to fill with tears; I decide to change tack.

“Did you see the film they made in Rørvik this year?” I ask.

She throws daggers at me, “No, they didn’t make it in Rørvik. It’s set in Rørvik. They filmed it in Trondheim because Rørvik is too cold and there isn’t enough accommodation for the crew. And they filmed it four years ago. It was just released this year.”

“How do you…” I begin to ask.

“I know because they begged me to play the lead. I turned it down. I turned it down because I didn’t want to go back to Norway.

And no, I don’t care that it was an award-winning opportunity to play opposite a 3D-animated cat who can drive a car and accidentally gets elected as the Borgermester of Rørvik.”

Politisk Mjau!

POLITISK MJAU! distributed by LIONS GATEabgiyc glqfoiehlfl fweh DIRECTED BYclutyjqvdjfgodcoSTARRINGisglucbjf iqh ieqcfbAND iuew u[qechoeqhc;j fipchfiwshgouvlrgilugtqb pisv l

“What’s a Borgermester?”

“Oh,” she blushes, “Borgermester is Norwegian for Mayor.”

The film we’re talking about is Politisk Mjau, nom’d for Best Picture at the most recent Sundance Film Festival and won Best Sound Design and Best International Gaffer in a Musical or Comedy at the Academy Awards. I realise this may be a sore spot for Decibel, but before I can choose what to say next, an announcement rings out across the terminal.

“ALL FIRST-CLASS PASSENGERS FLYING KOREAN AIR TO ABU DHABI ON FLIGHT KE7901 PROCEED TO GATE 47”

Decibel leans forward, grabs her remaining mackerel, dips it in her coffee and stuffs it in her mouth. Without a word, we both stood and marched off to board our Airbus A380.

Brunch in Abu Dhabi: Balaleet & Dango Our ten-and-a-half-hour trip from Seoul to Abu Dhabi flew. Before I knew it, I was sitting in a fancy restaurant in the Etihad Airways premium lounge enclosure, waiting for my travelling companion to join me for brunch.

“How did you sleep?” I ask her as she lowers herself into her chair with grace rarely seen in someone her age.

“I didn’t sleep,” she mutters, flatly.

“You didn’t sleep, why not?” I ask, squinting slightly as the morning sun reflects off the Boeing 787-9 we are due to board.

“I slept on the flight yesterday. I was up all night reading Kevin Stromire’s new poetry anthology.”

Decibel Beaumont doesn’t realise that I studied archery and astrology with Kevin at the University of Vienna during the early 2000’s. “Closing the Quarry?” I ask.

“I’m sorry?” she tilts her head.

“The name of Kevin’s new book is Closing the Quarry: Collected Poems on Coltan Mining - 20172020.”

“Oh,” she says, surprised. “No, this must be the one before that.”

She reached into her bag and pulled out a large coffee-table book, a hardcover at least 20 by 14 inches. Using two hands, she passes it across the table to me.

The front cover shows Kevin Stromire, Poet Laureate of Denmark, holding a machine gun in one hand and an apple-sized moon in the other. The oversized book of poetry is called Deep Dives into Future Wars: Collected Sci-fi Poems - 2014-2016. The book is 682 pages long and weighs at least four kilograms.

“May I?” I ask.

“Please do,” she replies. I opened the cover and checked the table of contents. I found my favourite poem from the collection and turned to page 426. Before I can begin, Decibel gestures for me to pass it to her. I oblige and hand her the heavy tome. She clears her throat, then begins to read:

Blindly now, we farm their needs, Slaves to aliens from outer space.

Gone are all our thoughts and creeds, Finally one: the human race.

Two plates of sweet saffron-scented Balaleet are brought to our table by the waiter. A single tear rolls down my cheek. We eat in silence until our flight to Switzerland is called.

Lunch in Zürich: Zürcher Geschnetzeltes I thought we would spend much of our time in the fabulous Zurich Airport dining and conversing. This was not the case. I met her outside the Racing Unleashed virtual F1 Entertainment Centre at Decibel’s behest. She smiled as I approached.

“Why are you smiling?” I ask.

She shrugs. “I dunno; it seems you didn’t think I’d want to spend some of the nine hours before our next flight in high-end racing simulators.”

“I didn’t think that at all,” I reply.

“No!” she said abruptly, “but you didn’t not think it. And I want you to know that I’m a superior race car driver than you are, simulated or otherwise.”

I must have looked surprised. She continued: “I’m famously competitive. Let’s go.”

I follow her into the large building.

We spend five hours competing head-to-head in five-lap races of every F1 track from the 2022 season. I lose every race, and she is neither surprised nor sympathetic.

After we race, we get in her limousine and head back to the Zurich Airport, to the SWISS Air lounge, where she orders Zürcher Geschnetzeltes for both of us in perfect Swiss-German.

“Zwei Teller Zürcher Geschnetzeltes für den Tisch. Dieser Mann kann nicht fahren, um sein Leben zu retten,” she declares to the waiter. The waiter looks at me and laughs thickly.

The rocks that fly across the years, We call them home - they house our fears.

We call them back - they house our lies, They bind us down - the bind that ties.

It was my turn to blush. I couldn’t wait to board our Boeing 777-300ER, which is less than an hour away now, headed for Bogotá, Colombia...

The enemy came across the skies, From galaxies, we cannot see.

We fought and fought, they took our eyes, Only then could we begin to see.

Part 2: Decibels 4-6: Bogota to Moscow

Stay tuned next issue for the thrilling final installment: Chris Marlton is a comedian, writer, and painter. His comedy special Mephisto Waltz is on YouTube. Upcoming shows are available at linktree.com/chrismarlton. Follow @chris.marlton and @laserfirecomedy on Instagram and @ ChrisMarltonComedy on Facebook.

PAGE 35

Exhibitionist | Comedy in the ACT

The Importance of Indulgence

I intend to It’s the end of the year, and like many of you, around. I rolls Eve mas Christ until um do the bare minim because also intend to do the bare minimum after that of year I’m nothing if not consistent. It is also the time the when we indulge a bit. Or a lot, depending on and enjoy occasion. Canberrans also like to flee the city a wee holiday. Which is a fine thing. al However, I’ve noticed that many folks in the Capit you aren’t that good at putting their feet up. I’ve seen like ka Manu in Bar Public e pacing around outsid 2 about anxious zoo animals, talking to your SES Band brows ed furrow with ission Subm et an imminent Cabin credit to and weary good intent. You are diligent and a smell the all public servants, but you need to stop and roses (calendar allowing).

Lucky for all of you, I’m really good at revelry, get indulgence and taking holidays. I hope you can n. colum this of rest the some guidance from

It’s ok to be soft

the It’s hard to believe that my ancestors survived I’m sity. adver in thrive not do I Bengal Famine because brie: soft, of piece ripe ularly partic a from ooze the like . It’s not excessive, and a fine pairing with champagne ses of exces the of ple exam living a be to proud I’m like am. just I . world rn late capitalism in the Weste nt of I function best when injected with the right amou ed cover and rt, suppo arch caffeine, wearing shoes with If get. to list g waitin a be to have you uriser in a moist and output those conditions aren’t met, my interactions bit. a quite dips y qualit tens of At school, I tried to do the 40-Hour Famine. But much too was alone s sugar barley and water hours on cake at for me (or too little). I ate three pieces of tea ver Little Lunch with the gusto of a golden retrie snarfing pizza boxes out of a bin. g with I want to think that this was my way of dealin intergenerational trauma.

Nap lots, eat anything cooked in butter

than my My downtime needs to be more comfortable holiday I everyday life. Which is very comfortable. Last

PAGE 36

went on, I had baklava, massages, and napped in a bed swathed by pillows. Every day. Like an Ottoman Sultan.

When I say that I’m good at overindulgence, I mean it. I once went to a restaurant for breakfast, and they accidentally gave me the dinner menu. I ordered the tortellini, which was cooked in butter. Realising their mistake, I was allowed to change my order – but I didn’t.

Why would I order muesli when I could have pasta cooked in butter?

Avoid pain (and creepy men on long bus trips. And bedbugs)

I haven’t managed to avoid every problematic thing life has thrown at me. Which is a shame. Pain avoidance is a good survival tactic and one I use whenever possible.

But in the pursuit of extravagance and debauchery, sometimes discomfort simply must be endured.

After a week of revelry, my friend Amy and I caught the bus from Goa to Mumbai.

It was not salubrious.

It was a sleeper bus, and the bunks were riddled with bedbugs. I was in the top bunk. My scarf fell on the floor, and the man in the bottom bunk across from me, who I had caught staring at me several times, stole it.

I watched him pick it up off the floor before he stared at me once again and slowly drew the curtains of his berth shut, taking the scarf with him.

This happened at around hour four of a 16-hour trip.

Luckily, I had a litany of bedbug bites to demand my attention for the remaining twelve hours.

I did not eat for the whole time or go to the toilet, as the pit stops we made were at odd hours. It wasn’t quite the 40-Hour Famine, but I felt like an ascetic; I felt closer to my ancestors than ever before. They were victims of a callous colonial power that didn’t care about the human cost of defending its territory. There were forces over which they had no control.

And here I was, stuck on a bus after a dissolute holiday, wanting a meal.

Which I duly received. And how! We asked to be dropped at a McDonald’s in central Mumbai. We rushed in, and made lavish use of the bathrooms before ordering four burgers apiece with mint yoghurt.

It truly was a happy meal.

Camping (is insane) Tests of survival in the name of recreation. Why? Camping is mystifying. Actively seeking out deprivation is insane to me. Why leave your home, with coffee machine, to sleep under some glorified tarp outdoors?

My parents didn’t move to the Western world for their daughter to spend holidays sleeping in a tent, using drop toilets and being mauled by mosquitoes. When you say ‘communing with nature’’ I hear ‘slum living and malaria’.

I’m just gonna go ahead and say it: going outside sucks.

It’s scary, and I don’t like it. The weather is inconsistent.

And you can’t turn it on and off.

Going outside (sucks)

Just listing all this crap is getting me mad.

You know what other thing is Inside? ALL MY STUFF. “But what about nature, Suma!” you may opine. “Trees, fresh air, our beautiful native wildlife? There really is nothing like it.”

And to you, I say simply: Windows; television.

Sure, you’ll see a possum or some shit if you go outside.

Cool. But there are way better animals on TV. Like dragons.

Dragons are better than possums. Objective fact. Dragons kick ass.

You don’t need to let anyone who does not live in your house into your house. Out there it’s anybody. That’s where “anybody” lives. I don’t live there. You know where I live?

My house. Know who else is there? WHOEVER I ALLOW. Dream situation.

Stay at home, have A Lie Down

Did you know there’s rain outside? I fear you don’t, as so many of you still insist on venturing outward.

The best thing about being inside? A Lie Down.

There’s rain on the inside, y’know, and vastly superior it is too. It comes from a receptacle in your bathroom and can be controlled for temperature and force.

Lay in the wrong place outside, people ask if you’re okay, or they try to take your pulse and/or wallet. Inside? I can (and do have) A Lie Down on the kitchen floor.

Also inside is a fridge. This is a cold cupboard for food and moisturiser, and I heartedly recommend.

Who’s to stop you? Sure, your partner, children, pets and/ or general sense of propriety. But theses are mere objects to step over on your way to self-fulfilment.

Going outside is like going to meet an unpredictable person. Inside? It’s just me. Outside? I have to wear decent clothes. Inside, I can wear track pants, or Donald Duck it and just wear a t-shirt if I so choose.

Outside, I have to bring the things I need for that trip – wallet and keys and phone and water bottle and snacks and headphones and GAH!

So remember, the best way to relax this holiday is by eating butter-soaked food items, lying down, and avoiding the outdoors. That, my friends, is truly Living.

Suma Iyer is a Canberra comic who performs across Australia. To keep up to date with Suma, head to @sumaiyercomedy on Instagram.

PAGE 37

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@bmamag

Now for hire. What will you bring?

Need a space for a performance, production, gathering or seminar?

A fully equipped theatre awaits!

- 145 seats + wheelchair seating - high-end lighting and sound included - spacious, well-lit dressing rooms with toilets, showers, and costume storage - make the theatre a cinema with the dropdown screen

Suitable for: - family & variety shows

- indie theatre

- musicals - conferences - cultural events - presentations - movie nights - rehearsals, recordings, and filmings Gain access to our wide audience base

FIND OUT MORE:

Belconnen Community Centre - Swanson Court, facebook.com/bmamagazine opposite the Bus Interchange

PAGE PAGE 39 35

When it comes to DISCRIMINATION John Brookes No Argument Artist John Brookes chats to BMA Bossman Allan Sko about his new exhibition that examines modern anti-disability propaganda Combining artistry with lived experience disability, England-born Canberra artist John Brookes has created a propaganda poster-inspired series, cleverly subverting the call-to-action form to create a forceful examination of our attitude towards fellow humans.

If you think you “don’t have an ableist bone in your body” and that the media portrays those living with disability evenly and fairly, this exhibition is for you…

The exhibition! Did a specific moment inspire its creation?

What fuelled you to do this?

There was no one incident, but my anger at general media and the cancel culture of social media keyboard warriors fuelled it. If you mean, have I felt judged in certain media for being a white expat British guy with a disability? Then yes, I have, but many have it much, much worse.

But my motivation? I reject (and I could have used a stronger word there) ANY discrimination against anyone – be it based on race, gender, sexual orientation, disability… anything. Who am I to judge others? I’m just me, with all my faults, like everyone else.

The title, DISCRIMINATE, just came to me, and I went with it.

We’re too quick to judge. It’s toxic and stifling. I have enough confidence in my beliefs to engage with others and not go on the attack though inevitably, some will see the exhibition as an attack.

It isn’t; it’s satire and my clumsy attempt at compassion for all.

What led to the use of oldschool war propaganda?

I was inspired by the German Dadaist John Heartfield, who created photomontages of Nazi propaganda to subvert it. My two main art inspirations are Wassily Kandinsky and Professor John Hyatt - without John, the idea of propaganda posters may never have happened! He did a paper on how propaganda was used subversively against the Nazis in the 1930s.

I utilised the style and design of early 20th-century propaganda posters from the two world wars, Communist China and the Cold War, to highlight and expose the prejudice people with physical and mental disabilities face.

I wanted to make people think about old-school propaganda in a modern context. It still exists; it’s more insidious these

PAGE 40

days. Social media, the internet; it’s not just posters anymore.

What do you hope the outcome will be?

To make people THINK, to challenge and inspire critical thinking. The ACT arts scene has become complacent. People go to an exhibition and think they are ‘woke’. Whatever the hell woke is.

I’m not trying to be controversial, but if you care about an issue, DO something; don’t just visit an exhibition. I don’t even go to my opening nights anymore.

What sort of effort goes into an exhibition like this?

Mainly funding! I have been lucky enough to get a grant from CAPO (Canberra Arts Patrons Organisation) and to find a gallery full of helpful and lovely individuals in Belco Arts. It helps so much that I can concentrate on getting my work done.

The heavy lifting is done by others, though. Sure, coming up with and developing ideas costs me sleepless nights. I must get something out of it, or I wouldn’t do it!

More generally, what do you explore through your art?

Being nice to others, why people choose to do otherwise appals me but also morbidly fascinates me. People in these times will say, ‘Oh, they must have past trauma’. We all have that; it’s no reason to be a sh*t to others. It’s something I try to express.

I also express my hope and belief in the silent majority who don’t hate to be stirred into being not-so-silent!

I’m also interested in many different art forms, oils, photography, and watercolour, but NOT AI-type art; it’s not art as far as I can see. It’s like using Wikipedia to write an exam… it’s not just cheating, it’s soulless.

What about the local scene? Would you change it?

There is too much insular back-slapping; anything anyone creates is ‘great’. I’d rather people tell me if my stuff was rubbish (and some have, ha!). Posters are on the streets: social media, TV, and the internet these days - they are in our homes and minds... I can’t help feeling that’s dangerous.

DISCRIMINATE by John Brookes is on now until 11 February 2024 at the Belco Arts Centre. Opening hours are Tuesday - Sunday, 9 am - 5 pm @bmamag

facebook.com/bmamagazine

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Elvis Is Leaving The Building! Time is tickin Australians & Hollywood exhibition at

By Tamsin Kemp

We’re a weird mob, and we love it.

Remember when you were a kid, how you could get lost in the intrigue of a kaleidoscope? You’d hold a plain object in your hand but peer inside, and it would transform into an endlessly morphing world of colour and reflection. Any movement yields new patterns and relationships, a hidden universe.

And so to adulthood, and cinema. We sit solid, in place, then suddenly, we are not in place; we are in the arc of the story, sucked in and pushed about until we are released, blinking, blinded by light and reality. We often wish to return and inhabit that magical space; just one more taste.

So, you’d know what I mean when I say this exhibition is like a kaleidoscope; you exit your day into a space where stories collide, and each piece of the pageant is situated to resonate with another, to crystalise or reveal a relationship: whether it is genre, person, techniques, time or aesthetics. The curation enables a zig-zag of points of connection that zip through the display like electricity.

Does this all sound dramatic? It is; that’s the whole point.

This exhibition is jam-packed with mise-en-scène, moments of gravity and, of

PAGE 42

course, extravagance. It’s showbusiness in all its constituent parts. And it’s fascinating.

Who is behind this cabinet of wonders? A whole clever team, naturally, but at the helm is the National Film and Sound Archive (NFSA) Senior Curator Tara Marynowsky. I was privileged to speak with Tara about the shape and intentions of the show.

Tara tells me she planned it “like a series of universes – with each story like a planet in a solar system”. How does one manage a solar system of stories? “By feeling for connections… and finding the rhythm of the exhibition. The flow follows the rhythm.”

The objects in this first space are a hook: pieces from the films, such as handcrafted steering wheels from Mad Max: Fury Road.

Seeing them brings a thrill of curiosity – who built them, whose actor fingers have touched them, the dust and the screams they have witnessed.

“It’s one thing to see them in a movie,” Tara interjects into my thoughts, as if reading them. “To see them in real life pushes home what a collaborative business this is. When you see the craft, you see the extensive, cooperative relationships.”

It’s true. I feel it. It’s in the storyboards, the collaged diaries, and the meticulous detail in the textiles.

“I wanted to start with Mad Max not only because it is iconic but because it helped launch a wealth of Australian talent worldwide,” Tara explains. “I wanted to launch from and connect to the wild and experimental age of the 1970s.”

A significant highlight is the work of Catherine Martin and Baz Luhrmann.

Luscious pieces from Moulin Rouge, oozing sensuality and frivolity in equal parts, and the oh-so painstakingly reconstructed pieces from Elvis, historically inspired, Martin made. Tara talks about how the NFSA wanted this show “to be a celebration. Avoid focusing on the cultural cringe and embrace local talent and the Australian voice.”

“Mad Max also typifies Australian innovation, the spirit of trying things out and being gung-ho.”

Even though these particular costumes donated by Martin and Luhrmann tell stories of other cultures and places, their

And what better way to find your rhythm than with George Miller’s ode to petrol and apocalypse in true dinky-di Aussie style?

@bmamag

ng to be transported to Tinsel Town as the t the NFSA leaves town on 28 January playfulness speaks to the energy in Australian creative industries.

love for cinema, and be unapologetically Australian”.

“We wanted this exhibition to feel contemporary, proud and celebratory,” Tara asserts. “Our intent was not to create a history or chronology, or to critique, but to provide a wondrous glimpse into the creative process.”

In the digital clip on the exhibition page, actor Emily Browning says: “When we lean into our weirdness, I think that’s when we make the best films”.

The glimpse at the creative process that the famous pink suit provides is powerful – attention to the original, the consummate tailoring, but then there is the fall of the fabric, the rhythmic way the suit drapes...

There is no doubt about it; that suit is ready to JIVE. Reflective dialogue from directors and actors punctuates the collection, providing moments of intimacy with people and processes. We are swept through the guts of David Michôd’s Animal Kingdom (the copper wall piece from the set is an instant craving) to the rare intellect and powerful stories of women directors such as Gillian Armstrong, Jane Campion, and Cate Shortland, to the glamour and sequined bliss of The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and The Sapphires.

Gorgeous. But not, Tara relates, “highbrow”.

“We want this exhibition to be accessible for all,” she states. “To instill, or renew, a facebook.com/bmamagazine

Unapologetically weird. Welcome to Australia.

The final shining moment in the kaleidoscope is the spotlight on Indigenous filmmakers. Tara speaks seriously about this part.

“A space of honour is dedicated to our First Nations directors, and it features materials that represent powerful films and stories, including a video essay installation by GARUWA about Warwick Thornton.

The images are seductive and luminous.

We see Warwick Thornton’s The Beach and the measured narrative he gifts us, in real-time, with a genuine embodiment of experience deeply embedded on and in Country.

Even the harrowing stories, the Sampson and Delilah and Charlie’s Country stories, have an enduring beauty, one of intergenerational resilience working and growing alongside the ravages of intergenerational trauma.

The devastation of Colonialism on culture, language and lives is told truthfully, but still, even there, is Country. The land sings.

Closing with First Nation stories and achievements feels particularly poignant in this post-Voice context. It feels sad, but it also feels hopeful. One of the things Tara said she wanted people to take away from the exhibition is “the sense that anything is possible”. She was referring to creative projects and products, but I think it goes further.

Artists are agents of change. The revolution will not be televised, but it will be in the cinema.

The last thing Tara said was she wanted people to know “that creativity can lead to all kinds of incredible jobs and opportunities, as seen in this exhibition. Do you recall how parents, school counsellors, and old ducks at the hairdresser would always talk about ‘getting a real job’?

Good news. Inside the kaleidoscope, you can find one.

Australians & Hollywood is open daily from 10.00 am to 4.00 pm until its final day on 28 January. The exhibition is also open until 8.00 pm on Friday nights, except for 15, 22 and 29 December and 26 January. Tickets $11 – $16 via NFSA website (nfsa.gov.au/events).

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[BEST OF CANBERRA MUSIC] ARCHIE OUT OF THE CITY [

]

The lead track from Archie’s forthcoming EP closely follows the band’s last funkfused genre-stretching track, Hook, Line and Sinker. But Out of the City reveals yet another side to the fourpiece; a well-crafted and multi-teared element, that is most likely to propel them into the next level of their evolutionary flight.

From its opening bars, the band asserts an accessible indie pop-rock footing with a clean guitar arpeggio driving a measured pulse. With contrasting musical values, persuasive performances, and energising, emotion-registering hooks, Out of the City sets aside the band’s previous style excursions to venture down a single-minded and inexorably more significant path.

This song merges what had been simmering within the confines of the group’s wanderings: an identifiable, conclusive track whose many irresistible offerings point to

a timely creative—and no doubt commercially doorbusting—leapfrog.

The track’s raw yet considered production strengthens the melodic phrases, enhancing the emotional hit points and providing the most neutral ground on which the song can be best appreciated.

The lead vocal features the nuances, dynamics, vulnerable grit, and grace the track requires, with the song’s chorus hook apex, effortlessly effective and perpetually compelling. That delicate balance between instant appeal and resonance is achieved, a result of calculated design and attentive development—and, of course, a decent song is a combination of both.

It will be curious to hear the rest of the EP to hear if this is a unifying teaser that signals the band’s new direction, or a worthy counterweight.

Regardless, Out of the City will please the band’s expanding fanbase and help generate more soldout headline shows and stage-sharing with Ball Park Music, Lime Cordiale, Thirsty Merc, Surf Trash, Neko Pink, and BENEE. VINCE LEIGH

A BARBARNY T O N UR ]

Former Canberran, now Sydney-based stand-up comedian and former Fricker frontperson Ian McCarthy continues with his bedroom project [ BARBARA, releasing the fifth single under this electro indie-dance moniker.

Following the previous single, Me Tonight, Ur Not NY is another minimalistic affair incorporating a streamlined assortment of synth sounds and experimental quirk.

Although utilising this same configuration, that track was constructed on a less obvious EDM foundation.

This new one embraces all the potential benefits of an unceasing groove, at first initiated by a deceptively hypnotic bass synth part, allowing a wonderfully jesting, casual, and wry chorus hook: You’re not New York But you’re better It’s an alluring feature and justly repeated, leaving the listener yearning for even more cycles.

Before long, we reach the chorus and the subsequent opening up of the rest of the aural elements on offer—the shimmery synth highs, the added vocal textures, and the supplementary percussive bits and pieces.

A sense of almost incidental humour permeates the track, reaching its fullest permutation in that facetious, sly, playful chorus hook.

Musically speaking, the track evolves at a welcome pace, highlighted by various changing aspects that create a discernible dynamic.

The bass synth motif that governs the song offers an ingeniously quick dance tempo without us noticing, partly due to a mix of quarter and eighth notes with their staccato-like attack. It allows space within its confines, tricking us into feeling an altogether different song’s heart rate.

From its barebones bass introduction, the track proceeds to build at a steady pace. The selected sonic stride perfectly fits the low-toned mechanised attributes of the conversational verse vocal.

Ur Not NY is a level-up from Me Tonight for many reasons. It is sleek experimentation married to a enticing pop centre, that is challenging to resist.

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VINCE LEIGH

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[BEST OF CANBERRA MUSIC]

THE BLACK SOULS HEARTBREAK AND REDEMPTION [

]

The debut album for three-piece Canberra-based indie rock band The Black Souls features seven tracks and a focused application of its hybrid style.

Band members Bart Black (guitar/vocals), Katrina Maree (bass/vocals), and Stephen Deakin (drums/ vocals) have delivered a raw, blues-infused rock record, which is undoubtedly a reflection of the band’s live performances.

Kicking off with Live Planet Die, the band’s ecoawareness is on show, as well as its ability to merge traditional and classic rock and blues styles into a cohesive whole.

The opening track is more rock orientated, with its gritty, straight chugging pace and chant-like chorus hook, sounding like a contender for an Aussie pub rock staple. This ability to veer from blues to rock easily and effortlessly is what holds part of this collection’s musical charm.

As we go on to the next track, Wasted, we’re exposed to another stylistic colour, with funk overtones seeping through the central blues motifs.

Elements that begin to stand out are the vocal performances. They are simultaneously unfiltered, vulnerable

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yet self-assured, eschewing Americanisation for distinct and genuine nuances.

Threading through the album is the smooth fire of the guitar playing, with solos abound.

However, it’s evident that alongside the thematic concerns regarding the lyrics, the band becomes a vehicle for Bart’s guitar skills.

That said, the rhythm section maintains a tight and energetic foundation, with some tunes, such as I Don’t Know If I Like You, revealing well-considered bass guitar work by Katrina, aided by Stephen’s unfaltering groove.

Overall, Heartbreak and Redemption plays as a tidy CV for a band whose live shows play a critical role. The album has that immediate, vigorous, and spirited shine to it—yet it is also fused to the songs’ emotional terrain.

In Black Night, we get an example of this as one of the chorus lines reveals: I tell myself I’ll be alright I just gotta get through this black night.

A candid and credible debut whose significance will undoubtedly strengthen as the band adds to their recording output.

VINCE LEIGH

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[BEST OF CANBERRA MUSIC] Emerging music artist WALLABINDI WALLABINDI DREAMING Wallabindi (Monica Moore) [

released this debut EP earlier this year.

]

The three-track collection features a blend of soulful blues folk tracks, with our attention immediately drawn to Wallabindi’s considerable vocal skills and approach, and the emotion-infused narratives that are as raw and evocative as they are significant.

Utilising minimal accompaniment, an acoustic guitar, moderate percussion use, and backing vocals, the EP has a cohesion and focus that serves as a fitting introduction to Wallanbindi’s style and musical disposition.

The opening track, Beer Bottle Baby, is a song written about the artist’s mother and her aunts and uncles, who were forcibly removed from their family as part of the Stolen Generation. These songs contribute to the evolving and comprehensive narrative surrounding the indigenous struggle in this country.

Therefore, they merit increased recognition and attention for illuminating these crucial issues.

HYG TUNNEL VISION [

]

Following singles Memory Of Flight and Into The New World, and two EPs, CBR’s HYG gifted us new offering, Tunnel Vision.

Continuing its take on jazz-infused art rock slash Krautrock, HYG is establishing a reputation with its ever-evolving improvisational live performances.

This renown has seen them play alongside LIARS, The Lazy Eyes, Party Dozen, and Hideous Sun Demon, generating an equally expanding catalogue of radio airplay and media interest (including a Rage Wild One feature for Be Here’s music video.

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While this may not be evident here, a combination of traits emerges, whether the songs touch on folk (Beer Bottle Baby) or more classic, mainstream characteristics.

Such as what one can hear in Be Brave Make Change, a song with a galvanising tone aided by the chord progression, arrangement, and direct lyrics. It is a subtly rebellious rallying cry with a universally accessible message that transcends geographical and cultural boundaries.

As a versatile and prominent figure in the Canberra music scene, Monica has contributed her talents to various bands, exploring multiple genres, including jazz and funk. However, with Wallabindi Dreaming, she embraces a notably different musical direction.

This album delves into folk, blues, and roots music, offering a rich, intimate auditory experience that merits an in-depth and attentive listen.

VINCE LEIGH

dynamics in place. The sound is raw and visceral, with the performances all working together to create a thick, air-tight sonic display.

When dissected, each segment can be considered elongated, parts stretched to a limit with the effect of developing an overall mood and emotional direction.

One of these particular sections, essentially what could be called the verses, occurs during the track’s first half and is never repeated. It evokes a psychedelic-like spirit in its melodic makeup and placement in the mix. The vocal is set back against the enveloping, unceasing bass and drums and the guitar’s textural applications, allowing the track to become the surging, swelling body of sound it is.

One can imagine Tunnel Vision providing the perfect platform for the extemporizing proclivities and skills of the band, with the audience drawn in by the bewitching power of this concentration on authenticating a particular sensation—in this case, a slowly engulfing aura of anticipation or even contemplation.

Tunnel Vision is aptly titled, with its intense focus, zeroing in on a well-played and crafted dramatic tension created via rhythmic power and morphing temper.

The band has also managed to subvert any typical arrangement without forgoing some of the hit points of such a thing, with firm, natural-sounding sense

Influenced by artists like Big Mama Thornton, Koko Taylor, and Etta James, and her late mother’s musical choices, which included Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Warumpi Band, Coloured Stone, Demis Roussos, and Goanna, Monica draws inspiration from a wide range of sources.

a of

A strangely seductive musical excursion sustaining allure throughout its six minutes, HYG has produced a fitting addition to their output. VINCE LEIGH @bmamag

[BEST OF CANBERRA MUSIC]

DEAN ABBOTT CHANGING SEASONS [

]

or percussive, swimming in and out in much the same as the varying instrument choices do.

Acoustic and clean guitars are the most often used accompaniment, with pads and keys a close second.

The nature of the instrument chosen suggests a considered balance. For example, in Wiser, its use of piano highlights the spiritual flavour of the song.

Dean Abbott’s third album, Changing Seasons, reiterates the stylistic tenets featured on his first two albums, Letting Go and Love Over Fear. Mainly, the new album reveals Dean’s commitment to creating an appreciable blend of adultcontemporary and alternative folk. It is amiable and openhearted yet with a recognisable sense of lush playfulness.

Opening with the title track, we’re introduced to a uniting motif: atmospheric, ambient washes, which provide an obvious and fitting framework to welcome us into this mellow world. Rhythms of various tones and textures appear and slide away, whether loop-based

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This being stated, many of the tracks are pared back, elevating Dean’s voice and reinforcing the intimate nature of the work.

As Dean tells us on Storms: There’s a lot we can take from a storm

And who can disagree with this viewpoint, a poignant metaphoric method of reflecting on life’s trials and lessons.

However, there are a few deviations, including adopting reggae grooves found in Storms and the closing track, All Part Of A Dream.

Some songs feature a stronger tendency to reach melodic peaks and condense all the characteristic attributes into one alluring entity, such as Live For Today, whose optimistic temperament makes it one of the more instantly accessible tracks.

Changing Seasons is measured in songwriting, vocal performance, and production.

In tandem with a pleasing vocal approach and sound—gentle, breezy yet imbued with a touch of acceptable earnestness— Dean’s tales of self-reflection and love consistently maintain their nuanced and subtle charms.

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GIA RANSOME WINTER EP [

]

By Tim Byrnes

In the short, fast, loud world of hardcore punk, where song lengths average less than two minutes, a decade would equate to several lifetimes.

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In that spirit, it feels like lifetimes have passed since Californian hardcore supergroup OFF! thrashed across Australian stages in 2013 at the now-defunct Big Day Out. Band co-founders Dimitri Coats and legendary hardcore frontman Keith Morris (Black Flag, Circle Jerks) spent that time feverishly working on the band’s next phase.

Their near decade of work was finally unveiled in 2022 in the form of Free LSD – the title of both their third album and psychedelic sci-fi film starring the band, as well as The Jesus Lizard’s David Yow, the late D.H. Peligro of The Dead Kennedys, and actor Jack Black.

While delivering the face-melting hardcore that has won them fans since their earliest releases, Free LSD expands the band’s palette with blasts of electronic noise and free jazz. It also expands their musical collab friends, with Keith and Dimitri @bmamag

joined by bassist Autry Fulbright II of …And You Will Know Us

By The Trail Of Dead, and Thundercat/Flying Lotus’ drummerof-choice, Justin Brown.

While OFF! is currently touring South America, Morris found the time to answer some burning questions about their new album, filmmaking, and a conspiracy theory about Australia.

Where are you right now?

OFF! is on a tour of South America, and we’re playing the Primavera Sound Festival in Buenos Aires, Argentina, with Beck, The Pet Shop Boys and Blur.

We’ll go on in the late afternoon so as not to compete with any of the bands I mentioned. Apparently, they’re scared and don’t want us to steal any of their fans.

Free LSD, the album, is a massive departure from your previous work. What influenced the new direction? Was it fun venturing into psychedelic-noise-jazz?

Psychedelic-noise-jazz is a decent description of what we’ve created. It’s a departure, but we didn’t give up the aggressiveness and allowed ourselves to let some things fly.

We’re known for certain things, so we decided to move away from painting things in black and white and use different colours.

Typically our listening palate would consist of Stiff Little Fingers, The Damned, Blue Oyster Cult, Z.Z. Top, Link Wray, Ramones, Black Flag, Circle Jerks, F Word, Germs, Black Sabbath, Bad Brains and a small army of others.

This time, we pointed our ears in different directions: Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock and the Headhunters, Throbbing Gristle, Blixa Bargeld’s Einsturzende Neubauten, Sun Ra and other artists who are not where a band from the genre we’re associated with would normally go for inspiration.

And to answer your question, it was a total mind fuck to be able to go to where we did. It would’ve been easy to return to the same places we’ve gone on our first three records, but our mentality was, ‘Let’s go somewhere else!’.

The new album is a companion to your long-laboured over sci-fi film of the same name. What is it about? What led to venturing into film? Was it a fun/stressful process, and are there any plans for a wider release or more films?

Free LSD is a love story with evil aliens and a group of musicians pulled together to fight for the survival of the human race. It’s sci-fi bloodshed with twists and turns along the way.

It was our intention from the beginning while we were creating songs to have our recording accompany a story and script that we would eventually film over two weeks in a break from some of the other stuff we were doing.

do it again at the end of the day or even at the beginning!

Now that it’s finished, a couple of people are trying to find a home for it. All of this is out of my hands.

As for other movies, Dimitri has a script/story for a movie that only has a handful of characters. I’m also sitting on five scripts, and I’ve been asked to play a role in a cowboy movie with John Doe (X) and, Mike Watt (Minutemen, Firehose) and other guys from bands, along with one of my friend’s ex-wife and daughter.

I’ll be playing a quick draw gunslinger and actually have to ride a horse. . . OUCH! Dimitri and I have been approached to play characters in a movie based on a book, Flash And Filagree by Terry Southern, who wrote some other incredible books, including The Magic Christian, Candy, and screenplays for Dr. Strangelove, Easy Rider and The Loved One. I’m also going to scout locations for another movie based on everything at the beginning of My Damage, which is my autobiography written with my friend, Jim Ruland, who is responsible for Corporate Rock Sucks: The Rise And Fall Of SST Records and Do What You Want: The Story Of Bad Religion.

The band’s last visit was in 2013 on what would turn out to be the second-last Big Day Out. Any fond memories? Do you have any plans to make up for lost time?

It was a great experience every day because OFF! was sandwiched in between Jeff The Brotherhood – who played before us and had Jamin Orrall, who also played in Be Your Own Pet – and the awesome Alabama Shakes. This touring festival occurred during one of the worst heat waves in Australia’s history. Usually, when you look at a coloured weather map, you’ll see orange and red, but we were past brick-red and into some purple!

IT WAS F...... HOT! There are no plans to make up for a few years that disappeared and will not make a remarkable comeback. That’s just the way it is. You lose something, and it won’t magically appear out of thin air. Poof! We’re just going out there and playing shows anywhere that’ll let us make our noise and be happy about it.

Keith, I hear you’re a fan of conspiracy theories. How do you feel about the conspiracy that Australia isn’t real?

Our newest recording’s lyrics are based on conspiracy theories – some of which have been proven true, others giant question marks. As for this one you’ve brought up regarding Australia’s nonexistence (which I’ve never read or heard of), we’ll consider it Fantasy Island where all our dreams can become a reality.

It was crazy; there were too many detractors saying it wouldn’t get made. The filmmaking process is the most difficult of all of the creative endeavours. Too many people involved, all with a bunch of ridiculous schedules!

Not only was it fun and exciting, but it was also way beyond hectic as our film budget would run out, and we would scramble to be able to pay the film crew. We had about four or five days when we didn’t know if we were going to be shooting or if we were cutting that scene from the movie. I wouldn’t hesitate to facebook.com/bmamagazine

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Samuel Townsend, the visionary force behind the drag persona Venus Mantrap, orchestrates two extraordinary Canberra events—Fright Night and Six Degrees Of Separation—that seamlessly blend cinema, pop culture, and the transformative power of drag.

Words: Sammy Moynihan / Photos: Cassie Abraham The Evolution of Venus Mantrap: A Daring Dance in Vulnerable Spaces Where better to begin our journey than at the start, with the emergence of Venus Mantrap. Samuel was nearing the end of his time in art school when a friend invited him to perform at Toast. Looking to shake off the end-of-semester funk, Samuel agreed, and Venus made a spectacular debut.

“I was incredibly nervous about doing it,” Samuel admits. “But there was something to it. Afterwards, it became an extension of my art practice, opening up an audaciousness and boldness in all ideas.”

Ooooo, now that’s interesting. How so?

“Venus makes things happen,” Samuel states. “I might come up with an idea as the artist Samuel Townsend, and Venus seems to be the daredevil that makes it come to fruition.

“Venus steps into vulnerable spaces, willing to share, embodying audacity and creativity.”

The Canberra Drag Scene: A Kaleidoscope of Expression Embarking on the drag journey in 2006, Samuel has witnessed the evolution of the local drag scene.

“Drag can be just about anything and everything now,” he says. “Canberra is filled with incredible kings and queens, expressing gender and personality through drag in myriad ways.”

According to Samuel, drag’s enduring appeal lies in its multifaceted nature.

“It’s escapism, it’s joyful, it’s funny, and it can be serious and moving. Above all, it’s courageous.”

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@bmamag

He emphasizes the bravery of individuals constructing characters in private spaces and presenting them on stage, challenging societal norms and celebrating diversity.

Fright Night: A Monthly Horror Extravaganza with a Dash of Drag Fright Night brings horror and horror-adjacent films to the National Film and Sound Archive’s (NFSA) Arc Cinema. Samuel’s initial annual plan for two or three screenings evolved into a full-blown monthly program.

Excitement brims in his voice as he says, “We just locked in the 2024 schedule, and it’s going to blow people away.”

The format of Fright Night transcends the ordinary film screening, incorporating dynamic elements like Q&A sessions and live performances. Samuel elucidates: “I curate the film selection based on movies approaching birthdays or staying relevant, drawing inspiration from ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s horror,” he says. “It’s not just about watching a film; I often perform a skit before diving into an introduction, offering more context on what we’re about to experience.”

creativity, featuring everything from puppet shows to drag performances, spoken word, and contemporary dance.”

Reflecting on the diversity of performances, Samuel adds, “I invite people who may not have a connection to the artist.

They undertake research to explore concepts in ways that have depth.

“The night always ends in a disco, inviting the audience to participate in celebrating the artist’s work.”

Reflecting on the Bowie-themed night, Samuel radiates joy.

“It was the first sold-out event as part of the Separation series, a testament to David Bowie.”

The night featured a diverse line-up, including drag kings, musical comedians, and heartfelt renditions of Bowie’s classics. The audience response was overwhelmingly positive, with people reluctant to leave.

Anticipating next year’s events, which include a Grace Jones-themed evening, Samuel acknowledges the audience’s appreciation, noting, “They seem to cherish the opportunity to step into safe spaces and witness incredible local talent.”

Samuel promises a unique extravaganza for the screening of the classic confrontational Chamberlain-set chaos of Carrie.

Through his alter ego Venus Mantrap, Samuel Townsend has not only carved a niche in Canberra’s drag scene but enriched the city’s cultural tapestry. Fright Night and Six Degrees of Separation testify to his creativity and the enduring appeal of drag as a vibrant and liberating artistic expression.

“The event will include a prom in NFSA’s courtyard, live music, food, a performance, and a look back at one of the most iconic horror films of the ‘70s. It’s a fantastic opportunity for people to experience it on the big screen.

As Canberra basks in these glorious spectacles, the city finds itself at the intersection of cinema, pop culture, and the captivating world of drag. A place where audiences and performers alike revel in the magic created by one of the city’s most visionary artists.

“And we love people who come dressed in their best costumes.”

Six Degrees of Separation: Where Pop Icons and Drag Converge Smith’s Alternative is the home of another of Samuel’s brainchildren, Six Degrees of Separation. The quarterly variety-act tribute to diverse pop icons has swiftly become a must-be-at night (to wit, the most recent instalment—David Bowie tribute Diamond Dogs—was a sellout). Samuel paints a vivid picture: “Local artists respond to a chosen pop culture icon, typically from the music world,” he explains. “It’s a melting pot of facebook.com/bmamagazine

And you can indulge in this revelry at the final Fright Night of 2023. It’s Stephen King’s creepy classic Carrie (1976) + Special Prom Night(!) on Friday, 16 December, at 6pm. Tix are $10/$12 via tickets.nfsa.gov.au For 2024’s Fright Night line-up, stay tuned to the NFSA’s website, and for Six Degrees of Separation, keep yer eye on Smith’s Alternative’s website or socials!

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ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE THU 7 DECEMBER Smith’s Scribblers’ Life Drawing Spend your lunchtime unleashing your creative brain! Life Drawing at Smith’s is informal but studious, relaxed yet respectful. All experience levels are welcome.

It’s never too late to start drawing! 12:30pm, $10 for one hour or $15 if you’d like to stay till 2pm

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

SCIENCE. ART. FILM.: Rise of the Planet of the Apes Don’t miss the final instalment in the art and science series: Rise of the Planet of the Apes. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion exploring questions of control, order, and our place in the natural world.

6pm, free entry

NATIONAL FILM AND SOUND ARCHIVE, ACTON CIIF - Psychedelic Without a word, the show will expose a physical wonderland to admire what the body can tell us.

6:30pm, $25 + bf via venue

THE STREET THEATRE

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You Am I - The You’s Pull Up Their Troos Tour w/ Parklands & Signs & Symbols The beloved Australian rock band with enough awards, stats, shows, mileage under their belt to enter legend status are finally coming back to Canberra.

7pm, $61.20 via OzTix

THE BASO, BELCONNEN

Mick Thomas’ Roving Commission The number 13 - unlucky for some, but that’s the number of shows for Mick Thomas’ Roving Commission last run of the year, topping off what has been a stella year. 7pm, $50/$40 conc via venue

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

CIIF - ITS Chat-GPT Directors Maddie Parker and Cale Bain are leading lights of Improv Theatre Sydney; widely respected throughout the improv scene, and two of the most engaging personalities at Canberra International Improv Festival. 7pm, $10 via venue

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

CIIF - Melomania Responding to music for a variety of spontaneous theatrical vignettes, actors will convey so much with few words.

7:45pm, $25 + bf via venue

THE STREET THEATRE

CIIF - TOME In a land of paper, the pages are turning and there is no telling what will come out. 9pm, $25 + bf via venue

THE STREET THEATRE

FRIDAY 8 DECEMBER Smith’s Bazaar For the month of December, Smith’s will be holding a nighttime market each Friday evening from 4pm-10pm. A place to meet; the town square of old. Somewhere to share yarns and ideas, and to engage in the exchange of goods and services, person to person. Free entry

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

A Very NFSA Christmas: Edward Scissorhands A Very NFSA Christmas is on sale now: the signature seasonal offering of eclectic festive films.

This is not your typical Christmas program: join in for a zesty blend of neo-noir, Gothic fairytale, mayhem, and explosive special effects. 6pm, $12/10 via NFSA

NFSA, ACTON (ARC CINEMA)

The Last Kiss Goodnight KISS Tribute Show Celebrating 50 years of KISS, with three huge sets: Classic KISS (performed by Modern Relics), ‘80s KISS (performed by Kissing in the 80s), and Unplugged KISS (performed by Modern Relics).

7pm, $35.20 via OzTix

THE BASO, BELCONNEN

CIIF - Willy Willy Who can say where a Willy Willy is going and how much dirt it might stir-up? 7pm, $25 + bf via venue

THE STREET THEATRE

Divine Devilles Divine Devilles - original groovy blues. 8pm, free

CANBERRA IRISH CLUB

@bmamag

ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE st. sinner Dysphoria Single Release w/ Bellewether, Live like Animals & Bad Lunar Join st.sinner as they make their anticipated return to their home town of Canberra, to release Dysphoria, the follow up single to Headcase. Joined by special guests from Sydney Bellwether, Live like Animals, and locals Bad Lunar. 7pm, $15 via OzTix

THE BASO, BELCONNEN

Adventure St The 4-piece rock band that delves into many genres, using bongos, bass, electric drums, djembe, trumpet, harmonica and mind melting guitar solos, plus originals that have flavours of jazz, blues, and psychedelia. 8pm, free

OLD CANBERRA INN

The Crossbenchers The Crossbenchers are a fourpiece Canberra band doing lounge, blues, R&B, originals, covers. From Chuck Berry to Frank Sinatra to Ray Charles to The Doors. 8pm, free

DICKSON TAPHOUSE

CIIF - Appetite A free-form theatrical platform built on physicality, clowning, Viewpoints, capoeira, contemporary dance, and basic acrobatics.

8:15pm, $25 + bf via venue

THE STREET THEATRE

Johnny Reynolds Band Johnny Reynolds has an impressive background as an international performer for the past 40 years, and has joined BB King on stage at the National Stadium in Dublin in 1985. 2pm, free

OLD CANBERRA INN

Saturday Afternoon Tunes at Wildbark ft Wallabindi Join Wardandi Bibbulmun Noongar singer/songwriter Wallabindi for an afternoon of live music at Wildbark at Mulligans Flat, presented

by Gungahlin Arts. 3pm, free

WILDBARK AT MULLIGANS FLAT

Finding Your Voice A cabaret from the vocal students of Fleur Millar from CIT Solutions.

Enjoy an inspiring afternoon of music and uplifting stories of hope and humanity. 3pm, $20/$15 conc/$30 family via venue

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

A Very NFSA Christmas Screening: Gremlins One of the most chaotic Christmas classics, Gremlins includes plenty of family-friendly laughs but also has a dark comedic edge that will entertain parents as much as kids.

6pm, $10 - $12 via nfsa.gov.au

NATIONAL FILM AND SOUND ARCHIVE, ARC CINEMA

THE STREET THEATRE

Mahesh & Tapestries of Sound Sunshine Tour feat. Aimée Falzon Mahesh & Tapestries of Sound blends Indian ragas, Irish modes, historical reimaginings and quirky songwriting. The show will feature a haunting set of Maltese-Celtic experimental noir by Aimée Falzon.

6pm, $20/$15 conc via venue

CIIF - Blind Date w/ Le Kim Thanh Improvisers will be given a number that secretly pairs them with another performer. When their number is called, they hit the stage and perform their“blind date”. 11pm, $10 via venue

Thundamentals w/ Horrorshow & Mari Thundamentals are back and ready to flex their renowned live show on the More This Life tour; an exclusive run of intimate dates.

7pm, $56.10 via OzTix

CIIF - Improvision Song Contest Improvisers from five continents compete for your vote for the best improvised song of 2023, in this on-the-edge international contest. 9:30pm, tickets $25 + bf via venue

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

SATURDAY 9 DECEMBER Government House Fundraiser The CSO presents Kats-Chernin’s exquisite Calliope dreaming and Mendelssohn’s much-loved D minor piano trio in the elegant Government House Drawing Room. Afternoon tea and refreshments will be served. 1pm, $160 via CSO Direct or over the phone

GOVERNMENT HOUSE, YARRALUMLA

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SMITHS ALTERNATIVE

THE BASO, BELCONNEN

CIIF - Hotel Sol Welcome to Hotel Sol, where the Mediterranean beachfront’s magic meets the telenovela’s fiery drama. 7pm, $25 + bf via venue

THE STREET THEATRE

Shortis & Simpson in Not Enough Detail Shortis and Simpson are back with their annual satire show, pulling apart the politics of 2024. 7pm, $40/$35 conc via venue

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

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ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE Genesis Owusu Genesis Owusu rounds out a huge 2023 with a run of headline shows with special guests EARTHGANG from Atlanta. 8pm, $89.90 via Moshtix

UC REFECTORY

CIIF - Our Place See the town come to life and a cast of characters created on the spot in a unique theatrical romp. 8:15pm, $25 + bf via venue

THE STREET THEATRE

The Beat Cafe Spoken word poetry connecting improvised theatre scenes by Rik Brown (Melb). 11pm, tickets $10 via venue

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

SUNDAY 10 DECEMBER Summer German Markets Christmas Chorus Come on down to the Harmonie Club’s summer markets where not one but three choirs will be performing on the main stage!

From 9am, free entry

HARMONIE GERMAN CLUB

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Riff Raff Radical Marching Band New Orleans-style jazz and funk street band jam - every 2nd and 4th Sunday of the month. 11am, free entry

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

TraXion and Friends TraXion Big Band is back and they’re bringing their friends along for a mini-festival of jazz, soul, funk and blues. Hard-bop inspired Axolotl, genre-bending Tembtanglement, young guns Sonus Big Band and the iconic Brass Knuckle Brass Band. 1pm, $35 adult, $20 conc, $300 table of ten

LIVE AT THE POLO

Ahlan wa’ Sahlan Bellydance music and dance jam - every 2nd and 4th Sunday of the month. Come along and dance, drum, play, sing or just enjoy some classic Egyptian bellydance music, dance rhythms and songs from North Africa and the Middle East.

1pm, free

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

CBS Xmas Party Blues Jam hosted by Continental Robert’s Blues Party The CBS Xmas Party Jam will be a BoOgALoOin’, in The Alley, BLUES Kinda Feelin celebration! Join in for a fabulous afternoon of live blues music & Xmas cheer. 2pm CBS members $5, general $10, kids under 12 free entry

Music for Christmas Hodie Christus Natus Est Come and enjoy the Canberra Choral Society’s sparkling Christmas concert of beautiful choral music and carols from the Middle Ages to the modern-day.

6pm, tickets $30 to $50 + bf via Trybooking

Inez Hargaden Inez Hargaden is an Irish singersongwriter from County Cavan.

She draws from folk, pop, rock, and jazz to commonly reflect on the joys and tribulations of life.

4pm, free

Grand Final - Dept of Rock Public Service Battle of the Bands Competition 26 amazing bands competed in four heats over Oct/Nov, and 12 bands battled it out in the semifinals. The four in the grand final are: Adventure St., The DUDs, IT Grrrls and The Substrates! 6pm, $20/$10 conc via venue

HARMONIE GERMAN CLUB

DICKSON TAPHOUSE

The Crossbenchers The Crossbenchers are a fourpiece Canberra band doing lounge, blues, R&B, originals, covers. Spanning Chuck Berry to Frank Sinatra to Ray Charles to The Doors. 4pm, free

OLD CANBERRA INN

WESLEY UNITING CHURCH, FORREST

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

TUE 12 DECEMBER The BIG Bang!! Beng!!

Bing!! Bong!! Bung!

Smith’s version of the open-mic, only BIGGER. Five songs each from TEN singer-songwriters: Jackie Crimson, Cher Albrecht,

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ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE Larissa, Trevor Love, Danny V, Bruce Head, moss girl, Ray Buckley, Jim Cruttwell, Xandrella. 7pm, $5 entry

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

WEDNESDAY 13 DECEMBER Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland Prepare to fall down the rabbit hole into a world of whimsy and wonder as OnBeat Dance Studios presents their annual end-of-year production. 6pm, $30-35 via venue

THE Q - QUEANBEYAN PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE

Nate Griffin Trio Three-piece, Canberra-based jazz outfit performing only the smoothest jams and intricate solo sections.

6:30pm, free

OLD CANBERRA INN

The Mark of Cain: Ill at Ease Live 2023 Feel Presents are proud to present for the first time ever The Mark Of Cain performing their 1995 magnum-opus Ill At Ease live! 7pm, $61.20 via OzTix

THE BASO, BELCONNEN

Capital Punishment - Australiana Do you like puns? Well Capital PUNishment is back and we CAIRNS believe it’s taken so long to have an Australiana themed night! With such an EMU-sing theme, you can expect high KOALA-ty puns from start to finish! 7pm, $15/$10 conc

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

THURSDAY 14 DECEMBER Smith’s Scribblers’ Life Drawing All experience levels are welcome.

12:30pm, $10 for one hour or $15 to stay til 2pm

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

A Very NFSA Christmas: Die Hard 2 With few allies, no time to plan, and a gang of heavily armed and highly trained ex-soldiers gunning for him, John McClane faces overwhelming odds and little chance of survival.

Yippee-ki-yay! 6pm, $10 - $12

NATIONAL FILM AND SOUND ARCHIVE, ARC CINEMA

Fan Girl american cowboy song Tour w/ Sonic Reducer, Misso, and Sertra Hallmarked by their urgent and explosive live shows, Naarm/Melbourne outfit Fan Girl are celebrate latest release, american cowboy song, with a debut Canberra show.

7pm, $18.40 via OzTix

THE BASO, BELCONNEN

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Autobahns (SUI), Itchy & The Nits, Doris Switzerland egg punks Autobahns come to sideway for a rock ‘n’ roll good time. Joined by Sydney’s most fun band Itchy & The Nits and Newcastle Slint-core Doris. 7pm, $15-$20 + bf via Humanitix

SIDEWAY

People You May Know People You May Know follows a group of university-age students navigating a devastating crisis: the internet has disappeared! A night of drama and (hopefully) some giggles await. 7pm, $25/30 via Canberra Theatre Centre

CANBERRA THEATRE

Improv ACT pres. Winging It A Fully Improvised Musical Back by popular demand, Canberra’s premier unscripted comedy troupe (Lightbulb Improv) returns with Winging It. A single audience suggestion and boom... they’ll create a fully improvised musical! 7pm, $15 via venue

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

The Jerry Weldon Neal “Sugar” Caine Quintet Don’t miss this “One Night Only” performance from two of the mainstays of Harry Connick Jnr’s Big Band in a breakaway “take no prisoners & let your hair down” quintet. 9:30pm, $30/25 conc via venue

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

FRIDAY 15 DECEMBER Smith’s Bazaar For the month of December, Smith’s will be holding a night-time market each Friday evening from 4-10pm.

A place to meet; the town square of old. Somewhere to share yarns and ideas, and to engage in the exchange of goods and services, person to person. Free entry

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

Pon Fé Hi-fi Reggae Sound System 6pm, free

OLD CANBERRA INN

Salt Tree Following the release of new single Feeling High, indie-folk duo Salt Tree announce their summer tour of Oz. 7pm, $25/$20 conc via venue

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

Festival 15 Join some of Canberra’s finest upand-coming bands for a high-paced mixed bill showcase across two stages. 6pm, $15 via OzTix

THE BASO

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ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE People You May Know People You May Know follows a group of university-age students navigating a devastating crisis: the internet has completely disappeared! A night of drama and (hopefully) some giggles await. 7pm, $25/30 via venue

CANBERRA THEATRE

Moondog Blues Band Moondog performs solo and as frontman of the Moondog Blues Band. He is a master of the blues harmonica and a formidable guitarist, singer and songwriter, with a deep authenticity in his voice reminiscent of the great blues singers of the old. 8pm, free

DICKSON TAPHOUSE

SATURDAY 16 DECEMBER Broadway Brunch: Canberra This December, experience the atmosphere of Broadway right in the heart of Canberra! The Broadway Brunch is embarking on a thrilling, immersive tour, and it’s making a stop in your city. 11am, $65 + bf via Ticket Tailor

BEEF AND BARLEY, BRADDON

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The Annual OCI Christmas Party In classic fashion, we’ll be sporting a wide array of Christmasthemed beers, decorations & fun games for the whole family to enjoy. 12pm, free

OLD CANBERRA INN

Evan “Evzilla” Hanford The head honcho of Stubborn Mule Record, Evan is joined by Reserve Skank of Australia (CBR 12-piece ska band), and DSM6.

4pm, $20/15 conc via venue

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

Prom Night at the NFSA: Carrie Special Screening + Prom Frock up for Prom Night at the NFSA and a special Saturday night screening of horror cult classic Carrie, hosted by Venus Mantrap. Dress up and enjoy canapes in the 1970s-styled courtyard, with a drink on arrival, before the 8pm screening. 6pm, $45 via NFSA (incl. canapes and drink on arrival)

NFSA, ACTON (ARC CINEMA)

Celebrate Christmas with the Llewellyn Choir The Llewellyn Choir’s end-ofyear celebration. With Australian and traditional carols featuring music by Vaughan Williams, Holst, Bach and more. Featuring soloist Rohan Thatcher and accompanist Anthony Smith.

6pm, $40/$35 via TryBooking

GRIFFITH NEIGHBOURHOOD CENTRE

King Parrot After returning from a 34-date North American tour supporting Pantera, Lamb of God, Weedeater and a slew of our own headlining dates, we’ll be heading to Gosford, Canberra and Sydney to round out a massive year of touring in 2023. 6:30pm, $39.90 via OzTix

THE BASO, BELCONNEN

People You May Know People You May Know follows a group of university-age students navigating a devastating crisis: the internet has completely disappeared! Showings at 2pm & 7pm, $25/30 via Canberra Theatre Centre

James Halligan Tribute Gig Remembering Jim Halligan, who died one year ago on 16 December 2022 from an aggressive Glioblastoma.

Featuring the Jim and Jen Band.

7pm, $20/15 conc via venue

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

Deadly Deities and Friends Do Xmas MadB & El Beauty are the Deadly Deities. They bring a line-up of some of their closest friends to celebrate Xmas with a twist. Ya just never know whose gonna pop out of the box!

9:30pm, $30/25 conc via venue

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

SUNDAY 17 DECEMBER Inez Hargaden Inez Hargaden is an Irish singersongwriter from County Cavan.

She draws from folk, pop, rock, and jazz to commonly reflect on the joys and tribulations of life.

4pm, free

OLD CANBERRA INN

CANBERRA THEATRE

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ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE Palace of the King Album Launch Tour - Afternoon show Palace Of The King is hitting the road this summer to launch their kick-ass new album, Friends In Low Places in December 2023. Don’t miss this show by one of Australia’s most exciting rock ‘n’ roll bands of the last decade 4pm, $29.60 via OzTix

A Wildfires Christmas + Single Launch A family friendly night of Christmas fun at The Polo. With The Wildfires, Genevieve Chadwick, Moondog, and Manchild and the Blues Kids + lucky door prize and special guest appearance by Santa! 7pm, $30 + bf via Humanitix

THE BASO, BELCONNEN

LIVE AT THE POLO

Typical Drew Canberra blues artist, playing a range of covers with soulful guitar riffs and a groovy rhythm section.

4pm, free

Alec Randles Live Alec Randles is an Australian fingerstyle guitarist and singer-songwriter, infusing backgrounds in Celtic, roots and blues guitar with contemporary folk music and thought-provoking lyricism. 9pm, $15/$10 conc

DICKSON TAPHOUSE

TUE 19 DECEMBER

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

Maddy & Sez - Homecoming Ex-Canberran Maddy Weeks is an award-winning comedian, actor and producer. Sez is Australia’s no.1 artist and poet, known for her hot tracks and bog vlogs. 9pm, $20/15 conc via venue

SUN 31 DECEMBER

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

THU 21 DECEMBER Smith’s Scribblers’ Life Drawing Spend your lunchtime unleashing your creative brain! Life Drawing at Smith’s is informal but studious.

Relaxed yet respectful. All experience levels are welcome.

It’s never too late to start drawing!

12:30pm, $10 for one hour or $15 if you’d like to stay till 2pm

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

FRIDAY 22 DECEMBER Johnny Reynolds Band Johnny’s credits include joining BB King on stage at the National Stadium in Dublin 1985, touring Ireland with The Karen Coleman Band, and touring Europe. 8pm, free

DICKSON TAPHOUSE

Dean Edgecombe & The Seventh Sons The Seventh Sons play a great mix of classic and original R&B, blues and roots. 8pm, free

OLD CANBERRA INN

SATURDAY 23 DECEMBER Kim Yang & Friends ft Areta After a year of overseas endeavour, Canberra songstress Kim Yang returns to share new music and travel stories supported by vibrant local talent. 4pm, $25/$20 conc via venue

NYE Supper Club Join us for an unforgettable Queenies Supper Club event, where good food, great company, and divine Jazz music await. 6pm, $95 via Eventbrite

QUEENIES AT KINGSTON

No Scrubs: 90s + Early 00s New Years Eve Party Calling all Teenage Dirtbags and All Stars! Are You Ready to be Jumpin’ Jumpin’ and bring in 2024 with the best throwback ‘90s and early ‘00s tunes at our No Scrubs Party?! Say You’ll Be There and Let’s Get Loud to say Bye Bye Bye to 2023. 7pm, $17.90 via OzTix

THE BASO, BELCONNEN

FRI 5 JANUARY DJ Paisa Salsa Night On the First Friday of every month Old Canberra Inn will host a Salsa Night, so get your Salsa grooves ready and be prepared to hit the dance floor. 8pm, free

OLD CANBERRA INN

SAT 6 JANUARY Music in the Mountains w/ Koebi Faumi & The Prettirinas Make the most of summer with an afternoon of local tunes & fresh mountain air at Corin Forest. Let Koebi Faumi & The Prettirinas entertain you against the backdrop of the alpine forest. 3pm, $15

CORIN FOREST

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

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ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE WED 10 JANUARY Flynn Marcus Trio Three-piece blue/jazz outfit performing some of the smoothest Jazz you can wrap your head around! 6:30pm, free

OLD CANBERRA INN

FRI 12 JANUARY Monica Moore & The LCB The band features powerhouse vocals from Monica Moore, blistering guitar from Damian Spencer, and the rock-solid rhythm section of Jon Jones on drums and John Van Buuren on bass. 8pm, free

DICKSON TAPHOUSE

SAT 13 JANUARY Sneaky Jeremiah Sneaky Jeremiah is a Canberrabased feel-good, good-time band delivering soul, blues, R&B, popular anthems, Americana, and classic rock. 2pm, free

OLD CANBERRA INN

Bucky’s Big Birthday Bash Blues & Roots Charity Gig This annual Charity Gig continues in support of Rise Above Capital Region Cancer Relief. Eight acts, raffles & silent auction. 2pm, $25 + bf via Humanitix, $30 on the door

HARMONIE GERMAN CLUB

Emo Pirate Party All our events sell out, buy now or cry later! We’ll be playing the biggest and best emo hits. 7pm, tickets $29.60 via OzTix

THE BASO, BELCONNEN

SUN 14 JANUARY Eden Plenty Eden Plenty is one of Australia’s most beautiful original voices, his talent is matched only by his love of creating and sharing music.

4pm, free entry

OLD CANBERRA INN

MON 15 JANUARY Make a Mini Musical January School Holiday Program Tuggeranong Arts Centre’s Make a Mini Musical program with Mr. Tim and Mrs. Nath is an explosion

of creative joy for kids who love making up plays and songs! 9:30am, $450 via TicketTailor

TUGGERS ARTS CENTRE

WED 17 JANUARY OFF! OFF! …are very much on. After 10 years passed they are bringing the Free LSD back to Australia this January. 7pm, $66.30 via OzTix

THE BASO, BELCONNEN

FRI 19 JANUARY Chris Harland Blues Band Every CHBB set remains a memorable musical event, revisiting the best of the Blues standards: B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Muddy Waters et al. 8pm, free

DICKSON TAPHOUSE

SAT 20 JANUARY 71 Model 71 Model is a 5-piece covers band from Canberra playing the big hits from the 70s through to the noughties. 2pm, free

OLD CANBERRA INN

Music in the Mountains w/ Kopasetic & Ava Martina Get outside for an afternoon of roots, reggae & fresh mountain air at Corin Forest. Enjoy tunes by Kopasetic & Ava Martina amongst the stunning natural beauty of Namadgi. 3pm, $15 via Corin Forest

CORIN FOREST

Royale with Cheese Ultimate ‘90s Rock Show Australia’s premier ‘90s rock show, playing rock and pop covers from Seattle sound to grunge to Britpop and Oz Rock. 7pm, $51 via OzTix

THE BASO, BELCONNEN

SUN 21 JANUARY The Dalmatians with NeonHoney Plugged in and barking mad, they are returning rock to its folk future!

The five band members have extensive experience and are keen to share it. 2pm, $20/15 conc via venue

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

WED 24 JANUARY The Black Owl Quartet Playing Gypsy jazz manouche style music. 6:30pm, free

OLD CANBERRA INN

NOVEMBER

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