THREE02 May 29.08
PLAYING @ WAREHOUSE SAT MAY 31
A l s o i n s i d e : J e f f L a n g , A S k i l l z , V H S o r B e ta , i n f l ata b l e i n g r i d , S t u p i d f r e s h a n d m o r e !
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series “united the two halves of my personality in overwhelming approval!” To bear witness to this epic struggle, out now on DVD, tell us about your alter-ego.
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Howdy’r Like Them Apples?
and we’ll see if we can accommodate you. Sorry about the misunderstanding earlier, I’ve just come from the gym...
Following the recent spate of ‘album concerts’, where an artist performs one of their full-lengths in its entirety, Paul Kelly - who’d long toyed with the same idea - has decided to get in on the action. But in typical Kelly style, the man has eschewed obvious candidates such as Gossip or Under The Sun and gone straight for his recent magnum opus, Stolen Apples. A risky proposition, to be sure, but one that has paid off. “[Stolen Apples] had a definite structure,” said Kelly of his choice, “and it seemed to be the right length.” The confidence in Stolen Apples was shown to be well placed, as the tour ran for 36 packed dates stretching across the continent, from the Kimberleys to Far North Queensland. When it was decided that a show should be captured for posterity, Toowoomba’s stately Empire Theatre was chosen. The result is the DVD Live Apples where, backed by his band the Boon Companions, featuring both the great Ashley Naylor - possibly the finest man to ever strum six thin lengths of wire strung across a length of wood - and the debonair Dan Kelly, Kelly presents the Stolen Apples LP in full, before wandering through the backcatalogue, pausing briefly to pay
Both Sides Now Jekyll, the gripping new sixparter from the BBC, presents a contemporary take on Robert Louis Stevenson’s novella Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. With a script penned Steve Moffatt (Doctor Who, Coupling), the series’ twists and turns will keep you guessing until its chilling conclusion. Dr Tom Jackman (James Nesbitt; of Murphy’s Law, Bloody Sunday, Cold Feet) is trying to conceal a dark secret. The trouble is, at night when he is ready for sleep, he receives an unwanted visitor - his alter ego, the charming, playful and wilfully violent Mr Hyde. Determined to protect his family from Hyde, he searches for answers to his condition. But living a double-life is a tricky business, and Jackman struggles to remain focused on preventing Hyde from taking over. BMA’s own Luke McGrath took time out of his busy schedule to offer his endorsement, simply stating “Spellbinding.” Nick Delatovic, local troubadour, was similarly approving, saying the
tribute to The Triffids via a duet with Sally Seltmann - aka New Buffalo - on Raining Pleasure. In all, the collection, err, collects 27 tracks. To get your filthy mitts on a copy, with thanks to the lovely EMI guys ‘n’ gals, tell us about when you stole something. Long Division Hot on the heels of Anton Corbijn’s acclaimed Control and re-issues of Unknown Pleasures, Closer and Still, Grant Gee’s celebrated Joy Division documentary, simply titled Joy Division, will make its Canberra debut on Saturday June 7. Forever ahead of the game, The National Film and Sound Archive’s Arc Cinema program will present this powerful film which charts the rise and subsequent tragedy of this most extraordinary band. Featuring unprecedented participation by all surviving band members, Joy Division examines the band’s story through a series of insightful interviews, never-before-seen performance footage, personal photos and newly discovered audiotapes.
Joy Division chronicles a time of great social and political change in England and relates the untold story of four men who transcended economic and cultural barriers to produce an enduring musical legacy. Sydney’s Time Out declared the film “a damn near definitive documentary about the band whose time seems to have finally
arrived in the wake of years of cultish fandom.” Joy Division (M), screens at 7.30pm on Saturday June 7 at Arc Cinema, National Film and Sound Archive on McCoy Circuit, Acton. To win a double pass, name the notoriously unstable producer who presided over nearly all the band’s major releases. Check out www.nfsa.afc. gov.au/arc for more details.
Teh Funneez It’s an established fact that laughter is the best medicine, and yet I was still struck from the Medical Register after treating a patient with typhoid using a cassette of classic Benny Hill’s sketches. I ask you… But as the season of sniffily noses and sore throats bears down upon Canberra, so too does the 2008 Melbourne Comedy Festival Roadshow. A consortium of top line comedians from the fest will be on hand with enough zingers to keep the germs at bay. From the Big Prawn to the Big Merino and the Big Banana, the Melbourne Comedy Festival Roadshow has toured all the wonders of Australia and drawn one conclusion: big is definitely better. So expect a bigger line-up, bigger names and bigger laughs. The show hits the Canberra Theatre from 8pm on Friday June 13 and Saturday June 14, and tickets are charging out the Canberra Ticketing doorways with alarming speed. To grab a pair - ooh err, matron - for free, tell us what cracks you up.
STRUTH BE TOLD I started my love affair with op shops back in Grade 12, when I sprinted into our local St Vinnies to hide from some bullies. It was exactly like the scene in Never Ending Story, except instead of a certain hardcover storybook altering my destiny, it was a burnt orange cardigan. The kingdom of my fashion was crumbling – after years of honouring surf and basketball brands, I felt a ‘nothing’ of realisation that I didn’t actually surf or play ball sports. As I buttoned up the cable-stitch wool blend of the home-knitted cardi, an aesthetic warmth fl owed through my bones – fi nally, clothing that endorsed my real idols Beck and John Lennon, and refl ected my sensitive ‘raised by grandparents’ nature. I was home. Ask anyone who was there, in the late '90s, the op shopping scene along the north-west coast of Tasmania was electric. We’re talking a strip of five small towns, four shops a piece, all brimming with art-deco collectables fuelled by an army of fashionable seniors that were dropping like fl ies. It was a gold rush of vintage before the word was even invented. Geometrical paisley ties - 20c. Press stud country shirts - $2. Three-piece pinstripe suits – not enough… AND you’d get change. Surpassing the financial cha-ching was the elation of pulling a chocolate brown body shirt out of the rack and holding it aloft like a fi sherman of thrift. After exposure to a hundred vomit-inducing patterns, the payoff of snaring a prized coat hanger of ultra style was incomparable. The op shop held out its arms and wrapped me in a past more friendly and classy than my present, and knitted me a rewards card of wholesome promise. Like a Kamahl record left out of its cover, nothing lasts forever - by the turn of the century I had moved to Canberra to study, and found the scene there to be weird at best. While there was a plethora of deceased spinsters, there was also a leisure-trove of art-school hipsters protective of their ‘native racks’. Then, reports started fl ooding in about attacks on op shops back home. Tales of sharp-tongued fashionistas marching in, stripping frocks and bargaining down the price with such ferocity that retail biddies had to hide behind piles of plastic bags. Rumour had it garments were then being siphoned to big-city boutiques and given triple figure price tags. As incidences of metro-retro ram raids continued to swell, I kept my head and fi ngers down, landing myself the odd suit or shirt. After graduating, I returned to my home village of Burnie for a brief holiday, but was rudely awakened. The normally chirpy ladies behind the counter were pale and edgy, their trembling hands wrapped hard around knitting needles. I only found one half-decent bonds t-shirt and almost spat dust - they were asking $6! I used it to gently mop the tears that ran down my cheeks like liquid crochet. Today, I fi nd myself based in the indie dictatorship of Melbourne where the streets are lined with a polyester plague of aggressively ironic scenesters. My last second hand purchase was a 70’s brown and white checked sports jacket. It cost $70. I stared into space as a humourless waif filled out my lay-by form. For a fisherman of thrift, this was how it felt to visit a trout farm, then sleep with a prostitute. For now my quest for the Holy Grail (burnt orange pinstripe three-piece suit) shall continue – a truly never ending second hand story that I am happy to tell, fi rst hand. JUSTIN HEAZLEWOOD www.bedroomphilosopher.com
NEWS Doggone It! Picture a raging gig. You’ve just crawled from the front of a heaving crowd, dripping in sweat, and the last bars of the encore are still ringing in your ears... One question remains - “What now?” Well, when Resin Dogs play the ANU on Friday June 5, the Transit Bar has you covered. The offi cial Resin Dogs after party will feature the two stalwarts of the Dogs, 2 Dogs, spinning their brand of funk, soul and hip-hop for your listening pleasure, providing an opportunity to party until you can party no more. Bring your Resin Dogs/2Dogs paraphernalia for coveted autographs and random scribblings to be put in the proverbial pool room. Transit Bar, good times. Ya Gotta Choose! The voting for the 2008 OutInCanberra People’s Choice Awards, in association with the AHA Awards for Excellence, is now open. You can cast your vote for your favourite Canberra dining venue and favourite bar/ nightclub at www.outincanberra.com.au between now and Friday June 13. Every voter has the chance to win dinner and drinks at the winning venues, which will be announced on Monday June 16 at the Australian Hotels Association (AHA) Awards for Excellence at the Royal Theatre. Feelin’ a Whole Lot Better With anticipation reaching fever pitch, many a Canberra music enthusiast’s hopes were dashed when the word came through that Melbourne lad Whitley had taken ill and so would not be able to keep his May 13 ANU Bar engagement. Sunlight returned to the hearts of all, though, when it was revealed that, once he’d had a bit of a lie-down, the honey-voiced songsmith would be in town on Tuesday June 10, again at the ANU Bar and again with Seagull in support. Tickets for the May 13 show will be valid for the 10th, while those of you a bit slow on the uptake last time can grab tickets from the ANU Union, Landspeed and oztix.com.au . With his debut The Submarine pricking the ears of discerning listeners around the country, many of his shows have already sold out, so don’t hang about. Bills, Bills, Bills… Believe it. The man who uttered the immortal lines “Right now I’m eating scrambled eggs, with a comb, from a shoe!” is gracing our Royal Theatre later this year. Beloved Brit comedian Bill Bailey will be bringing his critically acclaimed Tinselworm show to Australia this September, stopping by Canberra-town on Saturday September 13. Best known in Australia as hapless bookstore attendant Manny in Black Books, the Billster is a man of many talents. As well as his television work, he has trodden the boards in straight acting roles, appeared in fi lms includingSaving Grace and Hot Fuzz, performed with the BBC Concert Orchestra and has branched out into radio and television presenting. Comedian, musician, actor and presenter, Bailey is the entire package. With its fusion of music and comedy, Tinselworm continues in the tradition of Bailey’s previous shows Bewilderness and Part Troll, and his drawn more gushing praise, The Scotsman summarising: “Bailey is an all-round entertainer whose appeal transcends age, gender or coolness quotient. He is, quite simply, brilliant.” Tickets through Ticketek. Ooh, Ah, Just a Little Bit… Bit Bent is a gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex and questioning youth community group held at U-Turn Youth Services (Belconnen Youth Centre) and Woden Youth Centres for ages 12 to 25. Volunteers contribute their time to facilitate the group every Monday at Uturn (6pm to 8pm) and Thursday at the Woden Youth Centre (5pm to 6.30pm). Providing a safe, comfortable, no pressure atmosphere, Bit Bent is the perfect place to express yourself in a positive, friendly and safe environment whilst sharing your experiences, hanging out and making new friends. Guess Who’s Back, Back Again Honestly, they might as well just buy a house here with the frequency they come through. That’s right, ever-popular rockers The Getaway Plan will be in town once again for what must be their fi fth Canberra show in about half a year. Such commitment to the ‘berra doesn’t go unnoticed though, and we for one salute the lads. Joining them on their Where The City Meets The Sea jaunt will be New Zealand’s Goodnight Nurse and
Melbournians Closure in Moscow. Almost every show on their last tour sold out, so you’d do well to get in early on this one. They’ll play licensed/ all ages show at The Venue in Erindale on Thursday July 10. Tickets on sale from www.moshtix.com.au and all Moshtix Outlets. Two’s Right After One A hearty congrats to hard-rockin’ Sydney three-piece Cog - in town at UC Refectory on Thursday May 29 – who recently debuted at number two on the ARIA charts. Sharing Space, the bands’ sophomore LP, has been receiving praise from all quarters since its release, so it’s nice to see that refl ected in sales. The placement is a bit of a coup for the band’s label, Difrnt Music, too. Good sturf! Summer’s Here, Kids With his Summer At Eureka LP all over the stores like a rash, Pete Murray has announced his return to town on Wednesday August 20 at the ANU Bar. Recorded by the man himself near his Byron Bay home, the album has a real homespun warmth to it. It’s also been announced that The Audreys will support the Petester on his national Eureka Tour, performing in a unique acoustic trio mode, using a combination of upright bass, banjo, harmonica, melodica, ukulele, electric and acoustic guitars. Also joining the tour will be exciting newcomer Gin Wigmore. Tickets from Ticketek. Feels Good to be the King After being personally invited to support K. D. Lang on the opening night of her recent Australian tour, singular folk ensemble King Curly are heading out on the back of their latest album, The Fall and Rise of King Curly 1998-2008. After winning over many a local punter at the National Folk Festival last Easter, it’ll likely be a scrabble for tickets, so turn up early whydon’tcha. The group play The Folkus Room at The Serbian Cultural Centre and Club in Mawson on Friday May 30. For more info, dive onto www.kingcurly.com . Sing Song Sung Local songsmiths take note: entries for the NAB Songwriting Competition are now open! Aspiring songwriters of all ages and skill levels are encouraged to submit their original songs, with the chance to have their song professionally produced and performed at a major live music event to conclude NAB’s 150 year commemorations in late 2008. The only requirement is that all of the entries need to broadly incorporate the theme “ideas, dreams and aspirations”. With the active support of leading songwriting organisations such as APRA and Mushroom Music, the NAB Songwriting Competition aims to engage with up-and-coming artists of all levels. For more information about the competition and details on how to enter, head to www.nab.com.au/songwriting. The Deadly Sins A friendly reminder that unhinged Melbourne rockers Sin City will be in town this Friday May 30. With tales of cymbals through skulls and a trails of smashed guitars in their wake, SC’s gigs are everything that’s good about this ol’ thang we call rock ‘n’ roll. Local purveyors of the hard stuff System Addict will be on hand, too, so it’s all set to be a big ‘un. Head to The Basement at 8pm if you know what’s good for you… Write it on the Rocks Riding the tsunami of sound that is still reverberating around Bar 32 from Gangbusters last Thursday is Canberra’s new thing Archaeopteryx - try and say that after a few pints! I could go into some pigeon-holing but even I don’t really know where to place them, so come along to Bar 32 on Thursday June 5 to experience it for yourself, along with Condorcet and Birds Love Fighting DJs spinning some cool tunes and rockin’ the video clips on the big TVs. Coming up in the later weeks, Birds Love Fighting presents Little Pictures, Popolice and Laura Jean, so if you’re into some psychedelic pop or cute indie folk we have all bases covered. Visit www. myspace.com/birdslovefi ghting for more information on shows and what the BLF team is about. Look us up on Facebook as well, I hear it’s the cool place to be … or vote for us on Hot Or Not.
AND ANOTHER THING...
YOU PISSED ME OFF Has someone yanked yer chain recently? Well, send an email to editorial@bmamag.com and have your sweet vengeance. And for the love of God, keep it brief! ALL ENTRIES CONTAIN GENUINE SPELLINGS.
Iron Maiden have released another album. By my reckoning, it is the 30th one they’ve brought out. It is called Somewhere Back in Time – The Best of 1980-1989, and it purports to be a celebration of the current world tour of partially the same name which has, by anybody’s standards, re-ignited the flames under the legend that is the Maiden. But here’s the rub. From very early on, fans of the band have carried the vaguely unsettling feeling that the band to which they are so fiercely loyal are taking them for every penny they’ve got. And so, ladies and gentlemen, after February’s merchandise jamboree which offered you 30odd t-shirt designs at 50 bucks each, $150 Maiden branded football shirts, the whole nine yards, plus $200-a-pop tickets which we all happily shelled out for, some of us at multiple venues, and a cunningly-timed re-release of the Live After Death DVD (30 DOLLARS TO YOU, SIR!), Rod Smallwood’s band of minstrels (actually I should clarify what I wrote earlier; it probably isn’t the band looking to fleece us, but rather Rod Smallwood, the band’s redoubtable manager and bean counter extraordinaire) are now offering us the chance to further re-invest in the stocks of Iron Maiden Holdings plc with this, their ninth compilation elpee. At first glance, the tracklisting looks mouth-watering, until you notice there is only one song on it from 1983’s Piece of Mind, an oversight of criminal proportions given that the band are airing multiple tracks from the album on the current tour, night after night, even as we speak. Then you note the four songs lifted direct in audio form from the new version of Live After Death you purchased three months ago, of which three, the classics Phantom of the Opera, Wrathchild and Killers, all sung originally by vocalist Paul Di’Anno on the band’s eponymous debut from 1980 and sophomore, the ever underrated Killers (1981), are now offered to us with Bruce Dickinson singing – ask any Maiden fan worth their salt and they’ll tell you the originals would’ve been more welcome. Which leads us to rump of the album, 11 songs taken from The Number of the Beast (1982), Powerslave (1984), Somewhere in Time (1986) and Seventh Son of a Seventh Son (1988). Of these, a whopping five, viz 2 Minutes to Midnight, The Trooper, The Number of the Beast, Run to the Hills and The Evil That Men Do, have appeared on EVERY MAIDEN COMPILATION EVER RELEASED! However, somewhat strangely, the song around which this entire tour has hinged, the grandiosely magnificent Rime of the Ancient Mariner, can find no place on the disc at all, a fact as shameful as it is inexplicable. I’ve been wracking my brain for a while now, and I just can’t see why your average Maiden fan in the street is being asked again to fork out for songs they already have. When you also take into account that every album has been released and re-released, and then released again in re-mastered form with ‘bonus’ tracks, and that most of the tracks here have been released as singles as well, many of them as picture discs or in coloured vinyl, you are looking at a record collection with maybe 15 bought-and-paid-for versions of Run To The Hills. And that’s not good. Even for someone as clinically dependent on hearing Maiden once or twice a day as me.
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I’ve been ill in bed all week, unable to sleep because of night sweats and shaking. Thanks, then, commercial TV, whose daytime programming has had me sleeping like a baby all day. Much needed, I can tell you. SCOTT ADAMS - thirtyyearsofrnr@hotmail.com
bma :: Issue302 www.bmamag.com
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To those idiotic protesters who think it’s justifiable to bludge off Centrelink in order to hang around at the roo cull crying pointless emo tears of woe over a TINY FRACTION of the kangaroos culled in Australia ALL THE TIME, SHUT THE FUCK UP AND GO HOME. It’s easy to protest kangaroo culls in your comfortable Canberra homes! If you really want to stop them happening, why don’t you picket all the Governments who allow the practice - so the ENTIRE COUNTRY - about it? Maybe because that would mean actually DOING something instead of sitting around wearing animal suits (you fucking furries) and trying to release the wrong ones (FAIL). You PISS ME OFF. Like BURNING. To the chauvinistic, redneck army pig studying International Relations: Reiterating your subjective and unsubstantiated arguments in a tutorial is not only intensely painful for all those who have to listen to your incoherent ramblings, but also inhibits the possibility of any genuine independent, intellectual discussion! It is people like you who are perpetuating global
conflicts, as you seek to destroy other cultures and societies through your rapacious neoliberal approach. So put your aviators back on and be a ‘real’ man and totter over to Iraq, where I hope you get blown to pieces in your quest for global economic dominance. You pissed me off! To the sour wannabe actress who recently shared a hospital room with one of my mates: I hear you lost your belly button in surgery! Do you think that might be karma for the inexcusable way you played mind games with a critically ill patient? Or the way you lied and complained until our friend was not allowed visitors? Maybe you were jealous… I can sure understand why nobody would want to visit your poisonous ass! You were overheard whining that now you can’t fulfil your dreams of being an actress, please be assured whatever the future holds for you, it will be full of misery and loneliness with an attitude like yours. You Pissed Us All Off! Apparently you pissed of the nurses too! It wasn’t an accident that your new room mate was an old deaf woman with dementia! Suck on that you vile waste of space!
FROM THE BOSSMAN Ooooooo! Good heavens! Winter! Gah! Cold weather? Brrrrrrrr. Well I never! Humperdink! We’re a funny breed, us humans. Although we can recall intricate memories from hazy years in the past (“the sticky part of the flower’s middle is called the stamen” and “daddy don’t touch me there” serve as equal parts insightful, amusing, and downright disturbing examples), we tend to forget that winter, and its annual icy tundra, is actually cold. Every year, at around this time, our eyes widen in the kind of fear reserved for ‘70s horror B-movie actresses, and we billow out half-believed condensation gasps of “How cold is it? I mean How. Cold. Is. It?” About as cold as it was last year, friends. My advice? Go against the norm. Strip to the very bear essentials, take a cold shower, then jog around Lake Burley Griffin. And for the love of GOD… don’t go putting on extra clothing. Far too sensible. Anyone would think you knew it got cold around this time. The disgrace of it. Yes, nothing much to talk about this fortnight. Notice that, did you? ALLAN “COLD AS ICE” SKO
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bma magazine
TIDBITS WHO CANBERRA'S SOCIAL SET WHAT HAHA BAR OPENING WHERE 102 EMU BANK, BELCONNEN WHEN FRI JUNE 6 ONWARDS
The Queen’s birthday long weekend marks the grand opening of the Haha bar, a tasteful addition to Belconnen’s bar and restaurant scene. Polished timber floors outline a cosy mezzanine lounge area, lit by soft pendant lights and furnished with slick ottomans. The minimalist lines of the dining area are elegantly offset by the fresh illustrations from Canberra based design studio Inklab. Meanwhile, wide picture windows overlooking Lake Ginninderra lead out to a deck where you can watch the sun slip away. It’s low-key without being divey, and hip without making you want to shoot yourself. During the day it provides a welcome sanctuary from the offi ce, with a lunch menu that ranges from eye fi llet with a shiraz jus, to versatile staples of pasta and risotto. Of an evening, Haha Bar’s casual sophistication is perfect for the corporate after-work crowd, but guest DJs and friendly servers will keep the vibe unbuttoned. Couples, small groups, working suits and bohemian creative types can lounge comfortably side by side. Patrons can make a meal of nibbling on the tapas dishes while imbibing the sweet mix of wine, beer, or a chocolate martini.
WHO THE RIPE COLLECTIVE WHAT DEBUT EXHIBITION WHERE THE FRONT, LYNEHAM WHEN THU JUNE 5, 6.30PM
The Ripe Collective’s fi rst exhibition showcases their innovative and exciting creative approach to a sustainable arts practice, with the aim of engaging with the wider community through a commercial environment. The pragmatic approach taken by founding artists, Ant and Marcus, has focused on commercial outcomes and sustainability in art and design. The Ripe Collective’s unique approach places itself at the boundaries of the digital and the analogue. It merges design with both illustration and fi ne art techniques, achieving a new creative genre: Commercial Fine Art Design. Ant and Marcus describe their work as an attempt to achieve the ‘next level’: “Working as a collective allows ideas to develop in ways that would not be possible individually. The collective environment allows its members to complement each others’ strengths and weaknesses, merging ideas to achieve the best artistic outcomes”. To whet your proverbial whistle, mosey on over to www.theripecollective.com .
WHO MONKEY BAR WHAT BREAKBEAT DON DOPAMINE WHERE 128 BUNDA STREET WHEN SAT JUN 7
New entertainment venue Monkey Bar has well and truly swung into town, bringing with it a diverse music policy, and a newly refurbished dancefl oor to weld your own groove into. Funky house and rockin’ electro are a regular fixture of a Saturday night, with tropical rhythms dominating the Havana Fridays and a Caribbean flavour dotting every Wednesday. Of particular note is breakbeat pyro Dopamine bringing his party fl avours on the Saturday of June 7. Honing his ear for many years on the decks paid off for Matt Goddard, scoring the Breakspoll Best Single Award in 2006 for his debut release Hold You on Rennie Pilgrem’s coveted TCR label. “One of my friends was there [at the ceremony] in the UK,” Goddard tells me, “and she cried her eyes out when I won. Bless her. She bloody well made me cry in front of the Plump DJs. I’ll never forgive her for that. They ignored it, though, and told me my track was perfect from beginning to end. The tears started welling up again…” And with Dopamine promising everything from “house, tech house, electro, minimal, techno, wobbly stuff, the works,” you’ll be dancing like a cheeky simian in no time. ALLAN SKO
WHO SHORTER + SWEETER WHAT THEATRE IN 10 MINUTE BURSTS WHERE THE PLAYHOUSE WHEN JUNE 3 TO 7
All you hyperactive theatre-goers take note: in keeping with the fast-paced rough ‘n’ tumble, hustle ‘n’ bustle, rattle ‘n’ hum of the modern world, you can now get your theatre fi x fast.Shorter + Sweeter is a tasting box of some of the best new 10 minute plays from the highly successful Short + Sweet festivals, which runs annually in Sydney, Melbourne and Singapore. In fact, this Australian invention is the biggest short theatre festival on the planet. The night includes works by some of Australia’s best young, emerging and established writers, including Steven Hopley, Alex Broun, Mark Cleary and Christopher Johnson. The plays have been selected from more than 1,200 Australian and international entries and will each will be produced by a local creative team of Australian directors and actors. Every 10 minute play is self-contained and performed by a troupe of six versatile actors including Nicole Da Silva and Tom O’Sullivan. All in all, it’s a jam-packed evening of theatre that deals with life, love, loss and laughter. Shorter + Sweeter runs between June 3 and June 7 at The Playhouse. Tickets through Canberra Ticketing on 6275 2700 or canberratheatrecentre.com.au .
WHO DJ KAOS WHAT DRUM 'N' BASS MADNESS WHERE CELEBRITY LOUNGE WHEN FRI MAY 30
This autumn, old hero Harrison is back from a lengthy time away, swinging into (and out of ) scrapes, japes, and misadventure once again. But I speak not of the creaking catacombs – and creaking joints – of Harrison Ford in the latest of the Indiana Jones franchise, but of the nimble fingered wizardry of erstwhile Canberran come Byron Bay breezeboy Nik “DJ Kaos” Harrison. Rather than a whip, Kaos will be cracking out the killer tunes, and blowing the dust off old classics like they were some precious idol. It’s all part of the newly installed Pulse nights at Celebrity Lounge, bringing you all flavours drum ‘n’ bass, breakbeat and dubstep. Joining Kaos is a healthy line up of 11 eager young whelps gasping to delight and stun you with their intricately laced-together sets of dancefloor debauchery. So don’t sit there looking like you belong in a museum; get up, get out, and get involved. (Yes, that last Indiana allusion was a tad contrived, but dammit I went there) ALLAN SKO
WHO GRANT GEE'S JOY DIVISION DOCO WHAT ARC SCREENING WHERE NATIONAL FILM AND SOUND ARCHIVE WHEN SAT JUNE 7
Praised by critics and fans alike, and featuring unprecedented participation by all surviving members of the group, Grant Gee’s Joy Division documentary, simply titled Joy Division, is essential viewing for anyone with even a passing interest in the Manchester’s post-punk lords. On Saturday June 7, Arc Cinema, at the National Film and Sound Archive in Acton, will host the Canberra premiere of the fi lm.Joy Division charts the rise and subsequent tragedy of this seminal band through a series of insightful interviews, never-before-seen performance footage, personal photos and newly discovered audiotapes. Sydney’s Time Out wasn’t backward in coming forward, declaring it “a damn near definitive documentary about the band whose time seems to have fi nally arrived in the wake of years of cultish fandom.” The picture chronicles a time of great social and political change in England and relates the untold story of four men who transcended economic and cultural barriers to produce an enduring musical legacy. The screening begins at 7.30pm, check out www.nfsa. afc.gov.au for more details.
7 Akuna St
Canberra City
ALL SHOWS FREE ENTRY
PH/FAX 6162 0899 / transitbar@gmail.com | www.myspace.com/transitbar bma magazine
11
“I don’t even know what the top is and I don’t feel satisfied. You know, this is what I love to do; make kids happy and change and recompose music I love... I just stay in spirit. I’m an inspired person”
Erin Cook I won’t pretend I’m not disappointed MIXMASTER MIKE isn’t calling from Sacramento. The man behind the decks of the Beastie Boys, behind the judging desk of the DMC World DJ Championships and world-class DJ in his own right is making his way back to Canberra for the Winter Warehouse Festival. So, Mixmaster Mike, what do you have to say? "That actually is how it started!" he laughs when reflecting on the early days of meeting the Beasties. “We used to just call each other and work it out.” The answering machine sample from the Beastie Boys’ 1998 album Hello Nasty was quite literally the first time Mixmaster had introduced himself. It was his work with the high-profile New York rap group on the aforementioned LP, as well as 2005’s To the 5 Burroughs, that brought his skills to the attention of the mainstream. "I’m still with The Beastie Boys, they’re like my brothers," he says. "Everything they do is an extension of me and it’s the same for them." "The crowds are really different for each kind of show," he explains. "With The Beastie Boys, we get anyone from young kids to 60-year-olds. But at mine they’re a little bit older. They’re all maniacs, a whole new breed”. “I just got back from Europe,” he says, sounding more impressed then exhausted. Having played four shows each in the UK, France and Germany in less then a month, Mike would be well within his rights to be a little jaded. “Sometimes it does feel like work - when I play a show at one am, get back to the hotel at three am and then check out at six am. But I love touring; the best lessons in life come from travelling.” Mixmaster will return to the country for the fourth time in as many years at the end of the month. A line-up fixture for the newly repopularised dance festivals in this country, he’s rarely out of work on account of this trend. “It’s happening everywhere, all over the world; France, UK, Germany.” But he puts the phenomena down to two simple points. “There’s new bands like Justice doing this whole new electronic thing. And people are just trying to fi nd themselves and their niche. Music is just morphing; everything is – not just rock and electronic.” “I’m a hip-hop DJ,” he states without hesitation when asked which community he fits into: dance or hip-hop. “I love anything. Hip-hop, breaks, rock. But hip-hop is my foundation. Hip-hop DJs are different; you have to know where it came from to know where you’re at. If it wasn’t for those before us we wouldn’t be here. And you have to give thanks for that. I’ve done my share of research and buying records and I know what the world is listening to.” Infamous for being asked to step down from competing in the DMC World title, solely because no one else stood a chance against him, Mixmaster is considered to be one of the greats of turntableism. Credited as creating the ‘wah wah’ effect, as heard in The Beastie Boy’s track Three MCs and One DJ, he is an artist of true innovation. With well over a decade of live shows under his belt, a number of releases, both solo and with collectives, and all sorts of milestones achieved in competition, now is not the time for Mixmaster to slow down. “I don’t even know what the top is and I don’t feel satisfied. You know, this is what I love to do; make kids happy and change and recompose music I love.” Even if he wanted to stop, he concedes, he wouldn’t be able to. “I just stay in spirit. I’m an inspired person. I just want to be mentally, physically and musically constantly creating. I’m an energy person.” As an artist watching the trends come and go over the years, it’s the internet that he has refreshingly honest opinions on. “I would be lying if I said it didn’t affect me. It affects your music. Any kid could get his laptop and hook it up to wi-fi and download the latest Mixmaster album for all his friends!” There’s nothing more bizarre then a Mixmaster solo festival set. Watching a once pulsating crowd stop and stare at the stage, with no movement other then gyrating jaws, is incredible. And there is no middle ground for any punter. Either standing in shocked silence or applauding in amazement, the live video feed of Mixmaster’s scratching broadcasts onto giant screens generally reserved for girls getting them out. And in my experience, on more then one occasion, it’s led to bedroom DJs to wonder out loud just what the fuck they think they’re playing at when someone like this exists.
Wh at He's GototSay. .
“It’s another direction musically. There’s much more experimentation and improvisation. But I’m not sure about the cameras, I always try. I’ve asked but we’ll have to see,” he says about his set at Canberra’s own Winter Warehouse Festival at the end of this month. “I have no idea who else is playing,” he laughs. “I just get there and do it. But I am excited!” "My favourite memory of Australia was a few years ago when I taught some Aboriginal kids to scratch. These kids were so excited so I thought I’d make it worth their while,” Mixmaster recalls, with an audible affection of the experience. “So all the Aboriginal people in the house, come on down!” Mixmaster Mike plays the Warehouse Winter Music Festival at the AIS Arena on Saturday May 31. For all relevent info, including set times, check the back cover of this very issue!
bma magazine 13
ALL AGES
folks, and all I have to show for it is not a lot of money, less time and one late column (massive public apology to you, Peter). But hey, that’s birthdays for you.
commence yet another splurge into the all ages music scene. Let’s kick it with the business…
And so, as always, with headphones blaring, we
First up, Thursday May 29 brings us what is to be an incredibly devastatingly amazing night over REX BANNER at The Front in Lyneham, when the And so, if you do enjoy and fi nd Andi and George band take the satisfaction in participating in ‘fun’, stage/fl oor for the launch of their come along. If you don’t, come new album Sun and Moon. It’s along with a note pad, sit/stand in the cards, boys and girls - this in designated ‘fun observer’ area night will almost be too much fun. and take notes on how to be fun.
Ain’t nobody dope as me. How are we on this fine morning/ afternoon/evening/night? Funky fresh and grooving, I would presume. It’s been a big week
ANDI AND GEORGE BAND
It all starts at 7pm, so get on down to this one as it’ll be the last you will see of these guys before they leave on tour. Disclaimer: Album launch may contain copious amounts of laughter, excitement and uncontrollable urges to dance. Moving on over to June, don’t forget to make your way over to the Corporate Takedown show at the Belconnen Youth Centre on Friday June 6. In solid support of the guys will be Escape Syndrome and Vera Cruz, who have both pushed their way through the ranks as some of Canberra’s fi ner bands. A promising show kids, a vast amount of potential for the night, so get your rage on and get on down to the venue that gave birth to a lot of Canberra’s bands. And here is the big one: It’s great to see Canberra’s own get the opportunity to play support for some of those that have made the big time. In this instance, Friday June 6 will be the night to go check out Slowburn play support for none other than Four Year Strong all the way from the USA, along with Sydney’s Rex Banner, over at The Venue in Erindale. If you haven’t got your ticket yet dudes, I strongly suggest you do all in your power to go get one soon, as this show will be packed full of more hot, sweaty teens than a bunch of boys watching that Duran Duran clip… You know the one. Big ups to The Venue for hosting this one, yet another great opportunity for the underage music scene. I’m just so fresh and so clean. JOSH MOLONY joshmolony@Hotmail.com
LOCALITY Yes, it certainly looks to be a big year for local music. We’ve already seen the likes of Haunted Attics, Casual Projects, Dave Bishop, Rafe Morris, Chris Canham and the Andi and George Band - who, incidentally, are launching their newie TODAY (May 29) at The Front in Lyneham - dusting off quality releases. And with slabs o’ wax from Switch 3, The Variodivers, D’Opus and Roshambo, The Missing Lincolns and Hancock Basement - to name but a few - in the pipeline, the stream of Canberra-forged rekurds shows no signs of slowing down. Ah, local produce… nuthin’ like it. Savour it, people.
New local cats, the straightforwardly titled Two Guitars and a Cello, are set to release their brand new material in the relaxed confi nes ofThe Front Café in Lyneham. Born out of the depths of contemporary folk music comes this dynamic range of deep tone, fused with fresh acoustic punch. The show’s on Saturday June 7, the strings swell at 7.30pm and entry is free. Easy Remember BucketJuice? They’re the group of hard-working folks who collected a shed load of local music memorabilia from the past 20 years and displayed
it all as an exhibition of the same name, as well as putting on local band showcases at youth centres, the Greenroom and the ANU. Well they’re back! The team are now undertaking the mammoth task of digitising all the material with the aim of making a lo-fi coffee table book type thing. So if anyone has any artefacts they could contribute, get in touch Suzie on suziet8@gmail.com . A rough deadline of September has been set for submissions. Fancy yourself as a dab hand on the ol’ trap set? Well local trio - now temporarily a duo - Dust
wanna hear from ya. Dust Fall somewhere between rock, punk and grunge, with infl uences ranging from Slayer to the HardOns to The Stooges to Kate Bush. The only requirements are that you own a kit and a car. So if you fancy yourself as the Ginger Baker to their Bruce and Clapton, get in touch via www.myspace. com/dustoz (where you can also have a listen to their demos) or email dusteroonie@hotmail.com . And we out. Send any submissions to editorial@bmamag.com and they’ll be passed on. ARTHUR “TWO SHEDS” JACKSON
Speaking of Casual Projects, the Cas-P juggernaut continues to power forward, unabated, with news that the lads have been selected to take part in round two of The JD Set. The JD Set pits upand-coming bands against each other for a slot on a two-week, tendate national tour, an hour long radio show on Nova, a professional recording of their live show and a personal mentoring session from a legendary artist. The Projects are up against stiff competition from the likes of The Hell City Glamours, Calling All Cars and The Checks, but with your help - that’s right, you! <points finger Uncle Sam-style> - Canberra’s fi nest will undoubtedly triumph. Voting started on Monday and will continue for a fortnight, so register online at www.thejdset.com.au and do your bit. G'arn! In more internet voting-related news, Tooheys Extra Dry’s Uncharted comp has upped the ante and is giving one band the chance to play this year’s Splendour In The Grass, plus a music package including studio time, management mentoring and legal consultancy to the tune of $20,000. Local electro/ hip-hop playboys Cool Weapon came perilously close to a fi nals spot in the fi rst round, and now local purveyors of sludgy riffage, Looking Glass, are sitting pretty inside the top 80 for round two - so help inject some local blood into proceedings jump on www.uncharted.com.au and vote, damnit! bma magazine 15
DANCE: THE DROP
Like a moist fi nger up a cat’s date, Canberra tightens the hell up gigwise for the fi rst month of winter. Fortunately, the dance community never sleeps (quite literally) so there’s plenty to keep yourselves warm with as Jack Frost’s icy tendrils wrap around your slender bodice.
The biggest news of the fortnight is our very own Roshambo and D’Opus will fi nally be launching their long-awaited brand spanking new, meticulously crafted hip-hop bullion debut LP The Switch (no, not that kind of switch; they’re all man). The album, featuring impressive collaborations with Supastition (US), Carts2Deadly, Axe Aklins, Cris Clucas, Hancock Basement and Minky Faber will be hitting state wide shelves come June’s end, and their launch at ANU Bar on Saturday July 5 featuring the might of Axe Aklins w/ Bagdad, Carts2Deadly, Scott Burns & Mathmatics (Syd)
should, in the immortal words of The Backstreet Boys, be larger than life. Stay tooned for more. If you’re sticking in the hub of entertainment that is Canberra for the long weekend then you’re positively spoilt for choice. Those Pang promotion devils bring UK badbwoys Stupid Fresh out on Saturday June 7 to Lot 33. Be sure to jump onto their myspace http://www.myspace. com/stupidfreshproduction to hear the kind of squelchy, twisted house nonsense you’re in for. Our man of action and satisfaction Stevie Easton caught up with the lads this issue, so be sure to make
good use of that face of yours and check that out too. If a slab of trance, D&B, dub-step, hard dance and hardcore is your fl av, then pop along toNemysis at the Celebrity Lounge on the Sunday June 8. Presented by Nemysis Crew and the Royal Rollers, the eve will feature Archie (Syd), Kranky (Qld) and SHAD (Tas). $15 at the door will bid you a warm welcome to the eve. After a comparatively quiet half year period, drum ‘n’ bass threatens to take a strangle hold of Canberra once again, with no less than three D&B parties planned. As mentioned in the tidbits page, DJ Kaos returns for the third instalment of the Pulse nights at Celebrity Lounge come Friday May 30. Also appearing – in order of name size, as I’m undiagnosed obsessive compulsive – are DJs C, Eska, Dred, Buick, Escha, Skully, Jammin’, Karton, Kilajulez, The Crunch, Fourthstate and Twisted System. And it’s free, so if you divide the entry price by the amount of DJs you get, it’s still free. I majored in maths. On Friday the 13th of June (oooooo! Etc!) DMC champ Mark N from Newcastle will be playing a jungle/D&B/hip-hop/dub/ experimental hybrid set at The Greenroom, which should keep you on the toes. There’s a relevant horror dress theme for the eve, with prizes for the best dressed, so gore up and get cracking. Buick, Dred, MGO, Skully, Kilojulez, Jammin’ and Centaspike will all be manning the rear. So to speak. Only ten clams for that lot. Skip forward a few weeks, to Friday June 27 at Mercury Bar, and D&B champ ShockOne from Perth will be manning up. More details on that as they unfold. Amusing nugget for the issue: http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=28Jbkbq0smk . It’s some guy dancing along to local heroes Aston Shuffl e’s For Everyone. Yes, it will waste a minute and a half of your life that you won’t get back again, but it’s good to see randoms supporting our boys through the medium of YouTube in rather odd ways. Right, see you at Warehouse bitches. Be sure to swing your mag-fingers to the back page to check out your choices for after party ack-sha-on. Kisses. ALLAN “WHOREHOUSE” SKO
"You just turn up somewhere and think ‘I’m literally ‘round the other side of the world, do people know who I am? Are people going to turn up to this club?'"
MadSkillz Stevie Easton
Remember that catchy track Tricka Technology from 2003? It was by Krafty Kuts and A-SKILLZ (aka Adam Mills), and the latter will be in Canberra at the end of this month to safely slow down artifi cially accelerated heart rates at the afterparty for the massive Winter Warehouse Festival. As if the killer line-up wasn’t already enough to rock our modest town, we have one of the freshest underground hip-hop DJs in the world to kick on with - for those who possess the stamina, it could be the biggest night of the year. He’ll be spinning funky breakbeats and hip-hop with some of his newer mash-up stuff, and plenty of “sample-heavy party smashers that are a bit too cheeky to be put out commercially.” That’s what A-Skillz thinks about: not painstakingly creating an endless library of tracks with his name on them, but rocking parties worldwide, week in, week out. A lot of his underground recordings are made for that purpose. “The good thing about doing those sort of records is they’re always going to be winners for your DJ sets; you’ve always got party bombs up your sleeve.” Not that the man has had much time lately for poring over new recordings.“I’ve been DJing loads all over the place, playing constantly in the UK as well as Europe, so from a DJing point of view its been very busy.” When he does get spare moments, the 24-year-old has been using them to perfect a new album that’s been a long time coming, “but that’s because it’s the thing that’s most precious to me - and so is getting it right.” Things have been on the up and up for A-Skillz ever since he first met Krafty Kuts just after leaving school, and later teamed up with him to make the now classic Tricka Techonology album. While his own fame has been growing immensely in the UK and worldwide, helping him move out of the shadow of his mentor, Adam is just happy with the feedback he gets at every live show, and admits to still feeling nervous before playing in a new city. “Half the time you just turn up somewhere and think ‘I’m literally ‘round the other side of the world, do people really know who I am? Are people actually going to turn up to this club?’” Adam has had encouraging signs in the past from our city and hopes for a good turnout of hardened Canberrans. From the sounds of it, he’s got quite a show prepared, and has only to stop off in Bangkok to road test it on his way to Canberra. “I’ve been going through my seven-inch collection of funk records and fattening up a few of them. I’ve got a ton a breakbeat monsters up my sleeve but I want to keep it with my funk roots as well, and also do some cool funk mash-up stuff.” Adam seems genuinely excited about the show because, while he loves playing at afterparties, and it also means he gets to hang out with his mates the Utah Saints as well. Having played here twice before, he’s confident it’ll be a great end to the night. “I’m really pleased to be doing it because I like the afterparty vibe. It’s good to play at night, when it’s dark, and I think it’s good to let the festival die down and then come in fresh with a new thing. I’m really looking forward to it.” A-Skillz plays the Warehouse afterparty at Academy with Utah Saints and many more. Tickets are available on the door.
THA REALNESS For all those into their sounds a little bit more slang from the dirty south side of things, you’ll be excited that the legendary Bun B is about to drop his second solo LP II Trill. Featuring the who’s who of UGK affi liates,Young Buck, Chamillionaire, Lil Wayne, David Banner, Rick Ross and of course the late Pimp C, the guest-heavy album is definitely booming. Production comes from Chops, J.R Rotem, Cory Mo, Mr. Lee, Scott Storch, DJ Khalil and Blackout Movement amongst others. Slum Village’s Elzhi has just dropped a downloadable mix-tape to coincide with his recent tour around Europe. Entitled Euro Pass, the release is a precursor to his much anticipated solo album due out in August this year. Predominately produced by Black Milk and featuring fellow Detroit heavy-hitters Royce Da 5’9, Phat Kat and T3, Elzhi proves why he is one of the best to do it at the moment, with complex lyrical dexterity and heart-felt songwriting. Time Machine’s new single The Groove That Just Won’t Stop is a mega-party anthem that’s been fi lling my speakers for a minute now. Don’t miss it! It’s taken from their upcoming second album Life Is Expensive which is out May 20 on Glow In The Dark, with local distro by Shogun. Sweden’s Looptroop Rockers have just released their newy Good Things, further expanding on their politically-charged sound, adding the welcome sonics of live instrumentation, more singing and TIME MACHINE even a Bon-Jovi cover! The album is massive sounding, repays repeated listens and is full of potential classics. Keep an eye for a new DVD from Promoe shortly, too. Kidz In The Hall have dropped their new album on Duck Down entitled The In Crowd. It features Sean Price, Buckshot, Black Milk, Guilty Simpson, The Cool Kids, Bun B and Pusha T. The Kidz traverse a variety of styles and sounds, always with tongue-in-cheek humour. Check out the video for Driving Down the Block on YoutTube! It’s dope. Shogun has just released the second in the Battlehogs mixtape series, this time hosted by Brad Strut. The release comes with a full-length DVD complete with artist interview, music videos, live and behind-thescenes footage, as well as exclusive tunes from Trials, Mortar, Androit Effusive, Mnemonic Ascent, Delta and Swarmy to name a few. The CD is mixed by DJ Kansel and DJ Juice and is extremely fresh. Sydney’s Mind Over Matter will be dropping their debut album Keep It Breezy on Nurcha Records in June. Their single Proud is out now, complete with a choir, and promises big things for the album. Vast Aire even pops up on their too, so make sure to check for the release when it drops Obese Records’ newest signing Spit Syndicate have also just released their debut single Here Today, Gone Tomorrow from their forthcoming Towards The Light LP. Produced by M-Phazes, the tune is an epic soul-drenched celebration of living in the moment and further adds to the expectation that these guys will be massive! Good Buddha’s new album Hit The Sky Running is out now through Inertia and continues their journey into melding funk, reggae, soul and hip-hop. Throw in a bit of psychedelia and you’ve got another brilliant release from the veterans. To hear music from all of the above and much more, tune to The Antidote, on 2XX 98.3FM from 9:30pm Tues nights. ROSHAMBO
Resinant Frequency
“There are a lot of artists in this country that we gave music to, but people from overseas came up with the goods” Stevie Easton
Late last year, Brisbane hip-hop producers RESIN DOGS released a new album, More, and they’re just about to step out the door to promote it. Having lost bass player Chris Bosley in 2005, the core of the group is down to just two members – DJ Katch and drummer Dave Atkins. It’s been a long time between drinks for fans, with the boys having released just one EP since Hi Fidelity Dirt came out in 2003. BMA spoke to DJ Katch to make sure it was worth the wait, as all long-awaited things should be. Katch, AKA Andrew Garvie, puts the long wait down mostly to touring – at first locally to promote the last album, and then overseas to Europe in early 2004, where they spent the best part of three years “trying to get in the vibe, and to work with different people, to write and to collaborate with.” Important work for a group that relies heavily on hired musicians to build their tracks. “Basically, we hire a guitarist, we hire a keyboard player, we hire bass players and we hire MCs, because we don’t write any of our [lyrics] – we're not lyricists or anything like that.” Their time overseas certainly bore fruit – the new album has more international guests than local ones, particularly from the UK. These include co-producer Brad Baloo from The Nextmen, and several of the MCs: Mystro, Demolition Man and Yungun. When asked if there was a reason for this, Katch says it came down to quality. “There are a lot of artists in this country that we gave music to… but people from overseas came up with the goods.” The evidence of that is there on the album, and in the acknowledgment it has received, with Fine Mess featuring Yungun reaching the semi-finals of the International Songwriting Competition. Aussie rappers N’Fa (ex1200 Techniques) and Hau (Koolism) did come up with goods, however. “We approached Hau and his came out better than most people’s stuff, and that was written in an hour, after he’d just heard the beat.” As for what to expect from the new Resin Dogs road show, the key word here is ‘refined’, apparently. “This is definitely a tighter, more ‘showcase’ sort of vibe.” As they have in the past, the More live shows will be fi lled out by MCs enlisted for the campaign; this time Aussies DNO (Shin Ki Row) and N’Fa, but this tour is different – they have also sought outside musicians for guitar, keyboards and bass. They will be playing some old songs too, but in a new way, thanks to better equipment. “It’s definitely more refined. This time around, part of the show we’ll be MCing; there’ll be a few instrumental parts of the show where the band just plays stuff off High Fidelity, and then we even break it down to myself and the drummer, and we just do a couple of our old party tunes. It will sound a lot more like the album than any of our other shows.” The Resin Dogs give you More at the ANU on Thursday June 5, supported by Diafrix and Digital Primate. More is out now on on Hydrofunk Records.
"Everything seems to need to be pigeonholed. The only benefi t of that is you can organise your iTunes library a bit better"
Fresssssh h h. . Atire
COMING SOON: SUN July 13th
STRUNG OUT + NO USE FOR A NAME SUN July 20th
PETER COMBE + SPECIAL GUESTS WED July 20th
PETE MURRAY + SPECIAL GUESTS
Stevie Easton
Ever heard of fidget house music? What about wonky? These are some of the names for sub-sub genres currently buzzing around the fickle and at times ridiculously pretentious UK dance music scene. It’s as if they’ve hit upon a cunning way to boost your own fame and ego - pioneer one of these dubious new fly-by-night genres within genres. Speaking to Tod, one half of underground electro producers STUPID FRESH, it would seem that he agrees. “It’s a weird thing in dance music these days that everything seems to need to be pigeonholed. The only benefi t of that is you can organise your iTunes library a bit better.” At the same time, they still fi nd themselves within the scene, so they have to play the game to some extent. “We’ve never sat down and gone ‘Right, let’s be fi dget house producers’ or ‘Let’s go for that wonky sound.’ I think ‘jazztronic ghetto wobble funk’ was one we came up with once.” So, I could try to describe the Stupid Fresh sound, but what would be the point? As Tod points out, the best way to find out is to listen to their tracks, which are constantly evolving in the quest to escape the ruthless examination and classification of the UK music press. “Some of our things are fidget-sounding, some of it’s wonky - but at the end of the day we make it, it’s just Stupid Fresh stuff that we make. I think if you open up yourself to as many different styles as you want, then there’s nothing to say that you can’t dabble in other different types and styles of music.” Certainly Stupid Fresh won’t be restricting themselves into the future, as they help to push electronic music back underground in the UK. Tod counts their two biggest influences as fellow Englishmen DJ Switch and Micky Slim, who has been trying to get his label Bomb Squad off the ground for a while now. The re-launch is later this year, and Stupid Fresh will be among it’s stable of UK electro producers trying to steer the scene away from the pop charts. “In this country, you have your generic electro records, and they get into the pop charts nowadays. The more underground stuff - he seems to have started that.” Tod has a lot of respect for Micky Slim, and so is very keen to be a part of the Bomb Squad project. Tod becomes increasingly enthusiastic as he explains the way he feels about future prospects for Stupid Fresh, like he’s happy there is a place for them outside of the mainstream.“People like me and Chris, and everybody who’s into that underground kind of thing, they all head towards the light with regard to him (Micky Slim), because he’s breaking a few barriers, and it’s not on your radio.” While it’s their first time in the country, Stupid Fresh have a connection to Canberra through The Aston Shuffl e, for whom they recently remixed For Everyone. “We absolutely love those guys, they’re brilliant! We were looking at videos on Micky’s page, going ‘What the hell is that track?’ and looked on their Myspace - all their tunes were absolutely wicked!” No sooner had Tod clicked the ‘add friend’ button then they’d begun to work together online. “It’s people like that (the Aston Shuffle) you’ve got to thank for us even stepping foot in your country next week” Pang! Presents Stupid Fresh on Saturday June 7 at Lot 33 with Beat It vs Sean Kelly, Kiz vs Fourthstate, Hubert vs Dave Norgate and The Aston Shuffle. Doors at 9pm, $20 entry.
May/June LENNARD PROMOTIONS & VH1 present
FRI May 30
SAT May 31 THURS June 5 TUE June 10 TUE June 24
SEBASTIAN BACH (SKID ROW)
ANGEL DOWN UNDER 2008 Tix @ Ticketek $69.90* THE AUDREYS + J WALKER (MACHINE TRANSLATIONS) Tix available @ Ticketek $27.40*
RESIN DOGS
+ DIAFRIX & DIGITAL PRIMATE Tickets @ Ticketek $20.70*
WHITLEY
+ SPECIAL GUESTS *Tickets to cancelled May 13 show vaild for this date*
MONOLITH TOURING & DEATH BEFORE DISHONOUR MAGAZINE present ROSETTA + 4 DEAD & SLOWBURN $15
*Tickets thru Ticketek. Transaction fees apply. Pre-purchase tickets & guarantee entry!
Mmmm, Dishy..
Cecilia Pattison-Levi
For those BMA readers who hunger for a classy new modern rock outfit, ANGELAS DISH could be your new favourite band. They hail from the Central Coast of NSW and are about to play live here in Canberra. Angelas Dish is comprised of brothers Michael and Joshua Harris, bassist Peter Clarke and drummer Scott Mitchell. They have been together as a band for fi ve years now and are starting out on that hard road of making and playing music professionally. “We started playing music together when we were young,” says Michael. “We went to Sunday school together and then to high school together, but it wasn’t until then that we started to form as a group.” While Angelas Dish have been on the road touring and recording solidly for the last five years - with three EPs to their name - the big news for the band is the recent release of their debut album War On Time, which hit the racks in March. They are now preparing to take the album to stages around the country on a number of headline, support and group tours. “We are in the tour van at the moment,” says Michael. “It is amazing. We are playing shows and schools and all sorts of places. Since the release of the album, life has been a bit hectic. It will be great to come to Canberra and play the Jack Daniels tour. We've heard that Canberra is a bit tough to crack, but we hope people will come and listen, and like what they hear.”
The new album War On Time is a polished collection of songs that should appeal to a wide audience. Drawing from their infl uences and albums they admire, War On Time varies in pace; even stripping right back to an acoustic sound on tracks such as Piano Song and the short Memory. “We are really happy with the album and the sound. The album has had a great reception,” says Michael. “I know some of our older fans were a bit surprised by the album. I guess the sound was a little different from our EPs, but as people have listened to the album they like the changes. Our job now is to make sure as many people as possible hear it live – like it’s supposed to sound.” “I guess for now it’s all about touring,” says summarises. “It’s hard graft, always being on the move and playing somewhere different and keeping it together. I guess touring as a group is great 90% of the time. But we have good opportunities on the horizon and the touring will help establish some fan bases and hopefully the national tours, and especially tours overseas, will come.” And, with three national tours planned for the next year, Angelas Dish will have plenty of time and opportunity to develop their potential on the live circuit into a fi nely tuned, well oiled, rock machine. Angelas Dish play alongside Braindead Lovers and Dardanelles as part of The JD Set on Sunday June 8 at The Venue in Erindale shops, Wanniassa. Tickets from www.moshtix.com.au and all Moshtix outlets. Angelas Dish’s new album War On Time is out now on Boomtown Records.
"We have heard that Canberra is a bit tough to crack, but we hope people will come and listen, and like what they hear"
OrredTh rough Ch aos
“Canberra will always be Australia’s capital of metal with its long history and what looks to be a bright future”
Nickamc
Without Metal For The Brain, Canberra seems to have lost some of its metal cred in the last few years. However, thanks to committed local Ben Fogerty (formerly of Assidian Blood, now playing in Blood Omen and running Assidian Records) and friends, CHAOS ACT IV will be at The Basement in June, sidling up a wealth of Australian and ACT metal talent. Chaos ACT has been a continuing set of gigs that began around two years ago when metal was still a fairly popular draw most of the week. “Shortly after that, we had an almost silence in local metal with venues and bands disappearing from the scene. There was a sense of great loss within the local community for around a year, when all of a sudden we had an army of bands come from out of nowhere - such as Infinitum, Aeon Of Horus, Kill For Satan, Rake Sodomy and Templestowe - who were all turning heads and playing a more regular circuit. Even though this is our fourth show of the series, we know it’s going to be a long haul to build the name up to a higher status, as it is still only young.” The June instalment of Chaos ACT runs across two days at Belconnen’s Basement, and will feature a truckload of national metal, including Separatist from Tasmania, locals Aeon Of Horus, Mytile Vey Lorth, Infinitum, Templestowe, Rake Sodomy, Futility, Punishment, plus a bunch more bands from NSW. “This is the biggest all metal line-up Canberra has seen since the 2006 Metal For The Brain. We have 16 awesome bands including Separatist, who have just released their debut album which has blown me away.This is a band doing something new for extreme metal in Australia and is pushing boundaries, and at such a young age. They have a big future in Australian metal.” Suffice to say, it’s going to be a large, black-clad couple of days. “Each night we aim to put a mixture of local and interstate acts together, as well as stalls, merchandise and random activities for the promotion of Canberra metal to a wider audience - as well as events specifically for charity. Hopefully, it'll entice the out-of-state punters to come and check out what's going on in Canberra.” Operating in the local metal scene for several years now, Ben Fogerty is promoting local metal elsewhere with his record label Assidian Records. “It’s been a long, on-going process. Assidian Records was put to the side up until recently, but it’s now my number one priority. Over time, more and more labels have been pushing us and offering us assistance, and we always seem to have an endless stream of bands contacting us for our services. Chaos ACT is us trying to establish ourselves as an event management group. Assidian Records is in the process of collating material and merchandise, all of which will be available through the website in the next few weeks, along with two Assidian Records releases coming up shortly.” Despite the ups and downs of the music scene here in the ACT, Ben remains positive about the talent of local acts. “There are a few people who’ve kept things running over the years, however it would be great if more people got involved to push the cause. We receive a tonne of emails from the underage community wanting to get involved with our gigs, and I think we have the numbers here to support bigger shows; we just need a few more people to step up with some solid promoting. Canberra has some of Australia’s finest right here - a few already have international status and some are not far from it. Canberra will always be Australia’s capital of metal with its long history and what looks to be a bright future.” Chaos ACT will be at The Basement in Belconnen on June 6 and 7. Tickets available through Moshtix outlets and online at www.moshtix.com.au .
PUNKSKA
Hardcore, rugged and raw, it’s the BMA punk ‘n’ ska news. There’re a bunch of live shows coming up, so let’s get straight to it. First off the shelf is the big
news that Capital City Punkfest is returning to The Basement on June 14, with a massive 16 band line-up. This sees some of the fi nest Oz punk, hardcore, rockabilly and psychobilly bands returning for a second year to the heart of Belcompton. Be one of the fi rst 200 punters in the door to receive a free CD, then witness the likes of Casino Rumblers, The Black Market, Charlie Greaser, Throwaway Kids, Rust, Checkered Fist, Reason Strikes, Ebolagoldfi sh, Bladderspasms, Lamexcuse and many more. Sponsors such as Lucky 13, Swamp Industries, Troy Horse,
Miss Kitka, Creepshow Promotions and Raven make the regular raffl es worth a shot and with burlesque dancers and a free BBQ, I’m already there! Doors open at twelve noon.
CASINO RUMBLERS
The Pot Belly has another big show on Saturday July 5 with Jack Flash (Toowoomba), The Throwaway Kids (Wollongong) and local punk dynamos All In Brawl and The Toxicmen. If you missed The Toxicmen when they played the ’Belly on the 10th, here’s your chance to see a band that’s really getting punks talking around town. Having toured the US and Europe, The Gaslight Anthem, from New Jersey USA, have fi nally brought the show to Canberra, appearing at The Greenroom on July 31. Their sole full-length to date (2007’s Sink or Swim on Resist Records), was mentioned in dozens of 2007's year-end best-of lists. Joining The Gaslight Anthem are Melbourne’s A Death In The Family. For samples, check out: www.myspace.com/ thegaslightanthem . In October, Lamexcuse release their debut full-length record, Life. Like. Wild, through AmpHead Distribution in all major stores throughout Oz and iTunes, worldwide. It’s been mastered at The Blasting Room by Jason Livermore (NOFX, Rise Against, No Use For A Name). Blasting Room has produced devastating material by such notable punk bands as NOFX, The Casualties, Good Riddance, 7 Seconds, Antifl ag, Descendents, The Ataris, ALL, Lagwagon and The Suicide Machines, so expect a quality release come October. Some album news for youz. JJJ grrl punks, The Spazzys fi nally release the follow-up to their debut, Aloha Go Bananas. After four years, Dumb is Forever looks set for July. Me First & the Gimme Gimmes recently released Have Another Ball (Fat Wreck Chords, May 10) which is a collection of b-sides from the original Have A Ball sessions. The Offspring will have a new LP, Rise and Fall, out in June. Visit www.offspring.com to download the track Hammerhead. May 1980: The Specials new record is a double A-side single coupling Roddy Radiation’s Rat Race and the track Rude Boys Outta Jail. It becomes a huge hit for the group, ascending to #5 on the UK charts. Oi Oi that’s yer lot! Simon Hobbs Next deadline is June 16. Send news, gig promos and abuse to rudebwaay@gmail.com
Stregnthni Numbers
“I don’t have a set goal for where I want the band to go, because I never thought we’d get this far. Everything from now is just the icing on the cake”
Ben Hermann
FOUR YEAR STRONG’s guitarist/vocalist Dan O’Connor sounds like the typical middle-American, suburban-raised ‘alternative’ type whose character is always stereotypically portrayed in B-grade American teen movies. He’s probably a skateboarder, the grungy guitarist, or the pot-smoking hacky-sack player who somehow manages to bag the popular, likes-alternative-guys-but-never-knew-it cheerleader by the end of the film. He uses the word cool a lot, talks about hangin’ out, and, at one stage, even pronounces that he’s “superexcited”. But it’s undoubtedly this influence of suburban pop-culture mediocrity blended with the restless dissent against it that is so unique and engaging about Four Year Strong’s style. With such a similar love/hate relationship for the complacent hum of the suburbs, I’m sure Four Year Strong will feel quite at home with Canberra’s crowd when they hit The Venue in June in support of their debut record Rise or Die Trying. Listening to Four Year Strong is like eating toast with vegemite and honey. The combination of opposing tastes should have you stumbling for the nearest toilet or pot plant, yet you fi nd yourself mysteriously seduced by the delectable treat that is suggestive of neither of the ingredients. Pantera-styled double-kick drums and thrashing guitars reminiscent of Agnostic Front are laced with the sweet, beautiful, romantic vocals of a Motion City Soundtrack album. “We just wrote what we would like to hear. We just write a combination of our favourite music,” O’Connor says. Several years ago the group decided to recruit a keyboardist, adding another distinguishing element to their already unique style. “We just thought our music was crazy and wondered what we could do that was radical to add into the mix. We wanted someone to take on the front-man persona and to be able to combine this with the synth role, to bring a higher energy to the show.” As the group is not a MySpacedriven overnight success, the occurrences of which are increasing exponentially nowadays, their debut LP Die or Rise Trying is a combination of a diverse range of the band’s musical history. “It was a culmination of songs that we wrote over almost a three year period,” O’Connor says. “When the band first started we wrote almost the same type of music. Over time we explored different genres.” However, while Four Year Strong are now able to revel in the glory of a successful debut album, critical acclaim from Rolling Stone and Alternative Press, as well as an extended jaunt on this year’s Warped Tour, the band went through many years of playing small-scale Massachusetts dives before signing onto Decaydence Records (founded by Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy).“You don’t change as a group when you sign to a label like this. It’s more the extra support you get from other groups. The bands all help each other out and a lot of kids have discovered us through them.” Like most bands who claim to have never dreamt of moving on from their hometown venues or limited interstate tours, Four Year Strong are overwhelmed at the prospect of an Australian tour. “None of us have ever been to Australia before,” O’Connor admits. “I don’t have a set goal for where I want the band to go, because I never thought we’d get this far. Everything from now is just the icing on the cake.” Four Year Strong play a licensed, all-ages show at The Venue, Erindale on Friday June 6 with Rex Banner and Slowburn. Tickets from www.moshtix. com.au and Moshtix outlets (Landspeed, The Music Shop). Get amongst it!
Straightot Video
"I think we’ve fi nally realised what our sound is, honestly." Peter Krbavac
It’s all go backstage at the Ottobar in Baltimore, Maryland, where, for one night at least, the space has become the nerve centre for indie rockers VHS OR BETA. While the support act, Brooklyn’s Tigercity, slog it out onstage, the band has three interviews on the go simultaneously. “They’re all coming at us,” exclaims amiable drummer Mark Guidry, “but we’ve got some time before we go on, so happy to chat!” Late last year, the Louisville, Kentucky quartet released their third LP Bring on the Comets and, with their homeland touring commitments now completed, they’ll be in the country in early June for this year’s Come Together festival. As one of only two internationals on the bill, talk inevitably turned to the Australian music scene, and Mark’s favourite Oz export. “The one that stands out that I’ve been in love with…” he pauses slightly sheepishly, “well okay, Men at Work I was big fan of a long time ago, but Cut Copy is defi nitely the one of today that stands out the most. We’re all really big fans of Cut Copy, we just got a hold of their new record two days ago. They’re great. “We’re definitely past the bonding experience,” Mark laughs when reflecting on their forthcoming tour itinerary. “We’ve been playing together for ten-plus years. Granted, we still get on each other's nerves occasionally, but we know how to deal with it. The only time we get into problems is when our situations aren’t ideal, and that’s usually because a club is not up to spec, but if the show’s good, people are there and the drive was somewhat short, we’re in good spirits for the most part.” Mark recalls a show, just a few days prior, where the venue wasn’t ‘up to spec’, resulting in the band playing an impromptu acoustic set. “We still wanted to perform, so Craig suggested ‘why don’t we just do an acoustic set?’ He and Mike played and it turned out really, really cool, it was extremely exclusive as we’ve never done that before. So we made lemonade out of lemons.” While the bands’ tunes are generally swathed in dense washs of synth and guitar, Mark puts the smooth transition to the stripped-back acoustic format down to the fact that “the songs on Bring on the Comets are all real ‘song-based.’ If you strip all the electric guitar and synths away, you can still sing along to it, and Craig wrote ‘em like that. When I see it from that view - ‘cause I didn’t play the drums behind them, I got out front and listened to them in the audience - it kind of blows my mind.” All this follows, given that …Comets marks a return to a more live instrument-based, rock centric sound and, to some degree at least, harks back to the band’s noisey formative years when their sonic escapades were imbued by the likes of Sonic Youth and My Bloody Valentine. “I would say so,” agrees Mark. “I don’t think it was necessarily done on purpose. Those records are in our hearts and they always will be, so it just came naturally. When we wrote this record it was more like ‘let’s just write what comes fi rst and what sounds best to us.’ I switched from playing strictly electronic drums, got a drum kit and played like I used to play. It is kind of like going back to where we were… like, this is where we should be, this what we have always loved and that’s just what we are. I think we’ve finally realised what our sound is, honestly.” So Bring on the Comets is the definitive VHS or Beta record, thus far at least? “I feel it’s closer than ever,” Mark beams. VHS or Beta play at the Come Together festival, Saturday June 7 and Sunday June 8 at The Big Top in Luna Park, Sydney. Tickets from Ticketek and Moshtix, check www.cometogether.com.au for further details.
Th ey Got Gam
Dave Ruby Howe
Somewhere out in the world there’s a place where hip-hop meets electro, where fl uoro meets gangsta and where inhibition gets thrown out the car window. That world is the Golden Ghetto Sex EP, built up by Melbourne hipster-hop collective GAMEBOY/GAMEGIRL. It’s pretty wild, guys. Like, where else will you hear ballads dedicated to putting feet in pumps and putting dicks into rumps smooshed alongside a dazzling amount of bling and casual nudity. Nowhere, that’s where. I caught up with female MC and pump enthusiast, Jess, to get a glimpse into that world.
Dave: It’s kind of funny that even though you guys are technically Australian hip-hop, I don’t think of you as Oz Hip-Hop. What do you think it is that separates you from the local scene? Jess: We don’t sit next to a thesaurus filling our songs with long-winded sentences that are totally BORE-ING! We keep it simple, keep it fun. They seem to think that adding big words to their songs makes them and their music intelligent, but it doesn’t. They still dress badly, have terribly boring songs and sound lame. We have fabulous outfits and make kids want to dance. As I said in the other interview, we don’t live in the same Australia as them. They’re representing a different crowd. Wear Etnies and baggy jeans, that’s cool, but don’t get angry when we put on accents. We’re just trying to look like we’re not related to you. Dave: Do you ever wish that scene would embrace you? Even a little bit? Jess: No way... It just lacks everything I love about our scene. Good clothes, good shoes and good dancing. There is a lack of charisma. Dave: Is Pumps n’ Rumps your Nosebleed Section? Jess: Yeah except BETTER... It’s about shoes and booty. Even they can’t deny they want booty and shoes. I can’t relate to their music... See! We’re universal man. Dave: I read in a past interview with you guys that you take some inspiration from the new/newer breed of hip-hop. Are we talking like Timbaland? Will you guys feature on the next record by The Game? Jess: We’re totally into the new shit, really poppy dancey beats. The Pack, Spank Rock, Afrikan Boy, MIA, BMX. I love the new Nelly and Fergie track. I’ll take your Kylie and Britney any day, but then I love Ying Yang Twins, Three 6 Mafia, Lil’ Wayne. We’re like the nerds that worship super heroes. Dave: What do you think that comes down to? Are you guys more influenced by that stuff because you grew up with that around you? Jess: I listened to like Bone Thugs ‘n Harmony and Cypress Hill when I was a kid ‘cause of my brothers. Also a lot of Seattle grunge. It resonates in my music… NOT. Katy (GB/GG’s other rapstress) and I were into pop punk in high school. It used to be a faux pas to admit you liked pop and commercial hip-hop. I guess it was a progression. Crossovers are so common now that genres barely exist, so it’s a free for all. We love T-Pain, Glass Candy, Miami horror, Crystal Castles. That’s what’s so sweet about our genre, ‘Coochie Club’; it’s made up so we can do whatever the fuck we want really... just a dash of ‘tude and a cup of sweet beats. Gameboy/Gamegirl bring their shoe 'n' booty rhymes to the Warehouse Winter Music Festival at the AIS Arena on Saturday May 31. Final release tickets on sale now through Ticketek and Landspeed.
ngs our so g n i l l urus fi tally a thesas that are to n" o t t x e ce fu n’t sit n eep it senten "We do ng-winded p it simple, k with loING! We kee BORE-
Inflatable Ingrid r:o How I Learnedot StopWoyring and Love PigDestroy er Luke McGrath
“INFLATABLE INGRID is this noisy fucked-off band that will pee on your floor.” – Reuben Ingall, guitarist. In hindsight, it’s easy to see that Infl atable Ingrid were always destined to be a supernova, and now with bassist Nickamc leaving the National Capital for greener pastures, the four piece nu-metal-performance-art beast has decided it’s better to burn out than fade away. I was lucky enough to speak to the band in what may be their fi nal interview. They were in a particularly chatty and refl ective mood, divulging tales of everything from the dangers of wearing bondage gear near boats to the time they played a Scouts Sex-Ed camp. It seems from the onset they were touched by the absurd. “We did our very first Deflated Ingrid (Inflatable Ingrid’s no less unhinged acoustic confi guration) gig at the ANU School Of Music ’cause they put out an open call for ‘kooky musical acts’ – we did a cover of The Nurse Who Loved Me by Failure,” says vocalist Pauly Thalidomide. “I’d forgotten about that one,” laughs Reuben. “There were like ten grannies in the audience and they came up and shook your hand afterwards”. Pauly nods, “There was another guy at that show who was a contortionist who sat down with his back facing the piano and was able to contort his arms around and play. And there was a novelty harp composition. And us.” Inflatable Ingrid (or just ‘Ingrid’ to those in-the-know) was formed four years ago when then high-schooler Pauly was overheard by Reuben reading out his lyrics to other students in the schoolyard. Reuben, having been learning the guitar for only three months, offered his services. His other musical experience came via being songwriter for an “a capella hiphop group called The Beat Craters. We used sock puppets.” Since then, the core duo has gone through several rhythm section lineups before settling on Reuben’s younger brother Julian as drummer (“I remember when you were first in the band and you were this foppish long-haired dude that didn’t really do much, just made a few poop jokes…” recounts Pauly to Julian. “…And now you are booking overseas bands – it’s kind of scary”) and the aforementioned Nickamc, formerly of local punk-thrash combo Dirt Navigator. All members readily admit that the band had been drifting until Nickamc solidified the line-up, and it’s his motivation and pluck that can’t be replaced when he skips town. “This is going to sound really wanky, but (the band breaking up) is really a tribute to Nick. Ever since he joined the band he’s been the do-er, behind the scenes, getting stuff done,” Pauly says. “He was a shot in the arm,” Reuben reiterates. The band found a home at Phoenix – performing regularly at the popular Monday Bootleg Sessions, often easily being the loudest and brashest act of the night. As Nickamc points out, when refl ecting on how he hopes the band will be remembered, a lot of musos “get really comfortable in that folk setting in Canberra, which is part of the reason I think that a lot of bands don’t get discovered here. I think it’s mainly because they get really comfortable with having a lot of people coming to their shows. What I hope Ingrid has done is made people in that scene a bit more motivated to express their views more vehemently.” “No more folk, more punk!” chimes in Reuben, also proud of the fact that his band was the proverbial sore thumb. “One of the things I really liked about Ingrid was our inconsistency in terms of style, from song to song, or within a song. Some are metal, some are straight I-IV-V pop punk, some are brooding. Whereas a lot of bands I listen to the songs are very
"Infl atable Ingrid has given me a springboard to do that – it’s an excuse to be a total douchebag. For so long I’ve fi gured out how to act and how not to act, and Infl atable Ingrid is this 100% legitimate excuse to act the way I know I’m not supposed to act" consistent; they are modelled on one or two bands that you could name and then you’d know what they sounded like.” Being involved with Ingrid has had a profound effect on each member of the band. “Ingrid has been a really great learning ground for how to play and work in a band,” says Nickamc. “It’s certainly the one band that I’ve been in that has had the most people turn up to shows and had the most interest in it. It’s really nice to have people compliment you on what you play.” For lead singer Pauly the band has also been a “confidence-booster” and liberating experience. “If I go to Bar 32 just as myself, I do not take off my shirt, jump up on the bar and start kicking my legs on my back. I don’t do that shit. But Infl atable Ingrid has given me a springboard to do that – it’s an excuse to be a total douchebag. For so long I’ve figured out how to act and how not to act, and Infl atable Ingrid is this 100% legitimate excuse to act the way I know I’m not supposed to act.” For all the angsty trappings that surround their music and their distaste for much of what they hear (“in our last interview we made a list of local bands we hate,” says Reuben), this is still a band that can laugh at themselves. Asked which member of the group each would like to be stranded on a desert island with, the unanimous vote was for their guitarist.“Probably Reuben because he’d be so fucking amenable,” smirked Nickamc.“If I wanted to have anal sex, he’d be like ‘sure, just wait until I’m asleep’.” So is this really the end? “Yes,” said emphatically by Pauly. “Probably,” said tentatively by Nickamc, before adding, “I don’t think we’re really popular enough to have reunion shows.” Pauly believes their legacy will be upheld by the next generation, half-jokingly shouting that “there are 15-year-old kids working at Maccas Manuka who, by the time they are our age, are going to be citing us!”“The rock music scene globally will still feel our influence individually,” says Reuben, hinting at the scores of other projects each member will now be focussing on. He alone will be kept busy with a new CD which is remixes of Youtube videos, at least two other recording projects, DJing commitments and “playing bass with a band that Julian is playing guitar for”, while Pauly is due to enter the studio with Canberra’s own spirit of the dead, Konrad Lenz. The group is bowing out amid a fl ood of activity including a fi nal show at Phoenix (details below), a new six track EP (tentatively titled Predictable Greatest Hits Of Middle-Class White Surburbia), and a remix album containing remixes, b-sides, live recordings and acoustic versions of songs. “And slices of cock,” Julian adds. And on that note, perhaps the final word should be left to the otherwise diffident skin-beater. “It’s been a pretty big time of my life; since I’ve been in year nine. I’ve learnt a lot about what I shouldn’t do. It’s been a great experience, to say the least.” Come along and pay your last respects to a great band on May 31 at Phoenix, supported by The Missing Lincolns and The Cashews. Also, don’t forget to pick up your copy of their new EP and/or remix disc. As well as a slice of cock. bma magazine 25
BLACKBOX News of the week - no Dream at Beijing. Seven have decided that without an audience in the studio and with many events running into the late night slot, Roy and HG won’t be on the plane. Instead, they’re offering a morning show, Yum Cha, complete with requisite Daddo (Andrew). More sleep looks like an appealing option. Eurovision tragics will be aware that British commentator Terry Wogan takes the Eurotrash pop comp very seriously, in fact the comedy that comes from that has been a feature of Eurovision coverage for many years. But Terry lost that edge and started sounding like a whiney two-year-old with nappy rash. While his suggestion that Eastern Europe, as it divides itself up into smaller and smaller slivers of land, has a stranglehold on voting is probably fair enough, his whining about the UK being last on the leader board is not. The UK, a country that has produced some of the world’s biggest recording artists, regularly sends a range of crap musicians to Eurovision. While Terry takes the whole thing very seriously, the UK public doesn’t, with the most famous British Eurovision winners including Brotherhood of Man, Bucks Fizz, Lulu and Katrina and the Waves. Enough said. And as for Terry, he’s got a tough decision to make - will he be back next year? What else is he going to do. From Eurotrash to the seedier Hollywood kind, with two trashy celebrities trying to redeem themselves by appearing on sitcoms. Paris’s star turn in My Name is Earl (Prime, Sun, 8pm) didn’t improve her standing as an actress, but don’t miss Britney’s star turn in How I Met Your Mother (Prime, Thu Jun 5, 7.30pm). And Britney’s biggest shock yet? She can act. Top Gear (SBS, Mon/Sat 7.30pm) is back with a vengeance and on June 9, they revisit one of their stupidest (and most hilarious) stunts yet. And it gets bigger. The amphibious car race will this time be a race across the English Channel. For something almost as funny, check out Kung Faux (ABC2, Mon, Jun 2) which mashes up ‘70s martial arts movies, adds music, re-dubbed hiphop voices and comic book graphics. The folks at SCTEN are up to their old tricks - if it works put it on as often as you can - running double episodes of House (SCTEN, Wed, 8.30pm). Just like NCIS, the second ep is a repeat. More good news for The Strip, the police drama set on the Gold Coast that’s in production - one of the Underbelly writers is on board. It was bound to happen sooner or later - Eataholics (ABC, Wed Jun 4, 8.30pm) is an observational documentary series, trying to change the eating habits of Britain’s fatty boombas with nutrition and psychology. Should be an easy fi x. One; get rid of all that stodgy food and two; learn that a takeaway vindaloo doesn’t really rate as ‘exotic’. Culture this week comes from Talking Heads (ABC, Mon Jun 2, 6.30pm) and an interview with architect Glenn Murcutt. Fans of AC/DC will want to tune into The Guitar Show (ABC2, Sun Jun 8, 1.30pm) for an interview with Angus Young. It’s a repeat but if you missed it the fi rst time, you’ll want to set the recorder. Other music highlights include The Cure: Trilogy, Live in Berlin (ABC2, Mon Jun 2, 10.25pm) where the band played three albums in their entirety live over two nights in 2002. If you didn’t give up about two seasons ago, you’ll want to tune in for the season fi nale ofLost (Prime, Thu Jun 5, 9.30pm). This modern take on Gilligan’s Island seems like it’s never going to end. Also winding up is The State Within (ABC, Thu Jun 5, 8.30pm). So soon? Gladiators (Prime, Sun Jun 1, 6.30pm) is up to its second quarter final. TRACY HEFFERNAN tracyheffernan@bigpond.com
“Nice and comfortable music might sell a lot but it’s not what I do”
Lang Wayotthe Top Justin Hook
Like most labels, the contemporary blues/new roots/blues roots/altAmerica tag that invariably gets slung around Melbourne based guitarist JEFF LANG’s neck is a pointless shortcut that counts for nought. Half Seas Over (ABC Music), his most recent release, is a dense, gothic affair where Lang’s role as one of the premier guitarists of his generation are further emboldened. Its release helps revitalise this exceptional musician, unburdened with ego or tacky over-virtuosity, so says the sprightly Lang after a few wellreceived shows in his home town over the weekend. “It’s good for the energy and tempos of the gigs to have a new record out – because with the newer songs I have to get them match fi t, which means the fresh ideas I bring to the gig also lift it.” Reference points like Richard Thompson, John Fahey and Bert Jansch weave in and out of his music – but he’s not mimicking, he’s forging a totally unique brand of Australian music that easily defines itself as totally individualistic and utterly enthralling. “It is called playing music and not working music after all, and it’s something we all do because we’re in love with the sound of music… Well, not the film, but it ends up being a constant thing throughout your whole life where you do it because you’re in love with that sound.” And it helps that the sound Lang is in love with is currently going through somewhat of a surge in popularity. Look no further than John Butler, Xavier Rudd, The Waifs, The Audreys and the exponential growth of the Blues and Roots Festivals on both our East and West coasts, and you get the impression we’re pushing over pensioners to get closer to the stage. But where some of the aforementioned artists verge on the wrong side of tedious, his intense storytelling and sparse, tenseto-urgent sonic maelstroms aren’t particularly radio friendly. “Nice and comfortable music might sell a lot but it’s not really what I do.” But despite thematic currents of loss and despair, Lang has no time for the archetypal Tortured Artist. “How hard can it be to do something with your time, to spend an evening playing music?” Lang is highly regarded internationally, a point highlighted when the recently, tragically departed dirt blues legend Chris Whitley proposed a collaboration that eventually turned into Dislocation Blues (ABC Music). He expands humbly, speaking with clear affection, “I had known him for 11 years before the idea ever came up. It took him that long to suggest it because I knew him as a friend and a fan and when you’re a fan, you never listen to it and think – ‘oh man, he needs me to play on this!’ So it surprised me at first but it quickly went from ‘oh really?’ to ‘Yeah… this could be pretty fucking good!’ There’s a lot of common ground.” And collaborations, like touring new albums, generate a sense of urgency and excitement for Lang. “You do get reenergised. The whole idea of playing in front of a crowd is to go on a bit of a journey, and it’s not a subjugation of an audience’s will to yours. I’m really just providing a spark, just being a good servant of music, trying to be a catalyst.” So there you have it – Jeff Lang: The Public Servant of music, which obviously means he will fi t hand in glove when he plays Bureaucracy town next month. “Traditionally, it’s been quite a good audience for live music in Canberra so I’m looking forward to it.” And so should you. Jeff Lang plays at the Street Theatre on Sunday June 1 from 8pm. Tickets on sale now via 6247 1223 or www.thestreet.org.au .
THEATRE COLUMN It’s Sunday. It’s sunny. It’s Austin. And, suffering from a bad night of badness after some ill-advised tequila with a bunch of Texans, I can safely say, it’s not the best time to be writing about theatre that’s happening 6,000 miles away. Yes, this Theatre Column is coming to you all the way from the Blue Heart of Red Texas. But you don’t care about that! You care about theatre! At least, you care more than I do at this stage. Ha, ha. Word on the Street What’s happening at our venerable Street in the coming weeks and months? Weellllll… If you’re quick, you can get in for the final days of Canberra Dramatics’s (that seems like odd punctuation, but according to the Modern Humanities Research Association Style Guide, it is correct) latest piece, Clowns in Winter, a meditation on poverty, addiction and homelessness by local Joan MacGillivray which closes on the 31st. For lovers of trad-folk-country-blues blends (and another indication of the branching out of the Street into different performance forms), Jeff Lang will be touring his new album, Half Seas Over at Street 1 on the 1st of June. Later in the piece - or should I say, month - Bohemian’s fantastic, toured-to-Adelaide-Fringe-and-wowed-the-socks-off-audiences show, A Prisoner’s Dilemma will hit Street 2 for a short season, from June 17 to 21. YOU SHOULD SEE THIS SHOW. I saw it in rudimentary form during the development stages last year and it was - to put it bluntly bloody interesting. Game theory, robots, live trombone/electronica, and extremely effective and affecting audience participation. See it. Please. For info on all these shows and the other stuff that is continually on at the Street (the Cabaret Crème series, Improv ACT who seem to have set up camp in the foyer) check out the website on www.street.org.au or call the B.O. on 6247 1223. Something Nice to CTC? Apologies. Yesterday I went to a Punning Championship and I’m waiting for the infection to subside. Anyway. At the CTC this fortnight: Shorter + Sweeter – a selection of plays from the Newtown Theatre’s Short + Sweet festival. Tiny morsels of delicious theatre. June 3rd to 7th. I don’t have to continue with the food metaphor, do I? You get it. Keating!, back for another lightning-quick, and I’m sure already sold-out, tour of the berra. They say it’s the fi nal one, so if you haven’t seen it I’d adopt some kind of guerrilla tactics to steal tickets from unwitting passersby, because it is hell rad. From the 3rd to the 8th of June. And if you have some tykes (and get this issue in time) you could take them to Garry Ginivan’s adaptation of the Mem Fox kid’s classic, Possum Magic, on the 31st of May. Finally, Rep’s Old Time Music Hall is back again in the middle of June. It’s been on in June for the past bajillion years. Campy costumes, ‘how’s your father’ jokes and old-fashioned ditties abound. Audiences will be expected to sing along. June 12th to 21st. Again, details on tickets and performance times for all these can be found at the website, www.canberratheatre.org.au, or call up Canberra Ticketing on 6275 2700. Love and roses to you all. I’m going to pass out now. NAOMI MILTHORPE - princessnaea@gmail.com
KEATING'S LAST HURRAH?
bma magazine 27
DISCOLOGY SINGLED OUT
WITH DAVE RUBY HOWE Mates Of State Now (Spunk/EMI) Mates Of State could pull the same trick over and over again and I wouldn’t get sick of it. Bubbly keys meets steady drums; check. Bouncyfun verses; check check. Ridiculously cute boy/girl chorus; check to the power of three. Did I mention they were a married couple? How sweet is that? Sugary-sweet indie-pop icecream platter. Dig me? Rihanna Take A Bow (Universal) Did someone just hit me with a tranq or something? Was it you RiRi? I just don’t know what happened to the last four minutes. It was like one of those mini comas. Those exist, right? Rogue Traders What You’re On (Sony BMG) Meth? Ice? Red dolphins? It’s got to be pretty strong to enjoy this. The Galvatrons When We Were Kids (Warner) Much like Captain America was created by injecting the young beanpole Steve Rogers with the Super Soldier serum, The Galvatrons were engineered by a crack team of record execs experimenting with scraggly Canberra College dropouts and the Super Douche serum. As a hunter on the quest for the truth, I’ve managed to obtain the formula behind this very serum which has given The Galvatrons their unholy powers of douching. Van Halen + The Darkness + The Bravery + ‘cutting edge’ sound (Bloc Party x Killers) + hair metal schtick + a lot of blow + shit name = SUCCESS. Make no mistake, this is awful. If you only hate one band this year, make sure you hate The Galvatrons. The Music Strength in Numbers (EMI) What a turgid, ham-fisted waste of time this is. I know that everyone is moist over Muse, but seriously, this has gone too far. Plain, boring, re-heated crapola. Stop listening. Now. Van She Strangers (Modular/Universal) Although it almost borders on modern-rock, this new cut from Van She is a big winner. Whilst not as immediately grabbing as this season’s hits from Modular big guns Cut Copy and The Presets, Strangers has that growing quality that works after a few listens. Rumbling bass, plinking keys and a solid vocal track are all hallmarks of the Van She steez and a healthy teaser of what’s going to be a big album for the dudes in August.
The Brian Jonestown Massacre My Bloody Underground (a records/MGM) Self released on his own label, self “leaked” online months ago and lacking anything vaguely resembling a song, My Bloody Underground is bollocks. I think. Godammit, Anton Newcombe. You are a talented fuck, but you don’t give a shit about anything it seems – songs start with studio guitar tunning and peter out after a couple of minutes of, um, verse with not hint of chorus whatsoever. Look, I don’t mind avant, and structures can be messed around with élan and humour – Wyatt, Beefheart and Zappa in the rock genre for example – but this is pretty sub-par. The mix is spectacularly appalling; the bongos - …yes, cheers for that by the way – on one track scared the living shit out of my cat and gave me pause to wonder why I even bother with BJM. Newcombe bashing is too easy – he is a pathetic fuck-up, but he used to be a beautiful and extremely talented pathetic fuckup who very regularly released some of the most unashamed, amazing '60s tinged guitar pop of the last decade. And, if he wanted to replicate the hazy fog of a couch-bound valium afternoon, he may have just succeeded, but going by the goods on offer here it’s doubtful he gave this release any thought whatsoever. In the post-Dig world of 2008, a few stragglers to the cause of hippie beard wearing, off-key piano playing, grossly outsized ego-maniacs may find joy on My Bloody Underground. But I’ve listened to this album at least 20 times and it still sounds remarkably like the muddy Walkman recorded garage jamming of three 14-year-olds skipping gym class and wasting the afternoon. Much like I’ve wasted 20 listens worth of time on this disc. Damn you Newcombe – you’ve won again. JUSTIN HOOK The Dirty Secrets Self Titled (Vagabond Records) This is the debut full-length album for The Dirty Secrets who are based in Perth but are certainly making the most of globalisation, having already toured the world, built up quite an enviable profile in important places overseas and enlisted the services of top-notch sound engineer Nick Terry (Franz Ferdinand, The Klaxons, The Libertines) and Canadian producer Alan Brey. Not bad, but listening to the album, it becomes obvious just why there would be so much ‘industry buzz’ surrounding this band. Their one-track sound makes them just so radiofriendly and generic that commercially, it’s a safe bet. The synth effects are cool, especially the hook on the opener Five Feet of Snow. My Heart is on Fire and Lighthouse are great too – all three have deservedly received a lot of radio airplay, but the vocals are just so boring, in terms of style and substance. After four or fi ve tracks, I just stopped listening to the words. STEVIE EASTON The Duke Spirit Neptune (Etch&Sketch/Inertia) The interesting thing about this album is frontwoman Leila Moss’ ability to make any number of multi syllable words sound like a monosyllabic word. A talent that deserves mention as it
helps the lyrics become more rounded, cohesive and poetic. Her deep Christmas pudding voice (rich, dense and fruity) is another of the band’s calling points and it speaks the stories of each song with a guarded release (not unlike a nervous child recalling the events of an emotional disaster to a room full of strangers). The music's production is strong, as is the music itself, played by both Moss and the boys of the band - a bassy mix of sparse storm-cloud rock, akin to the stoner-rock brand of Queens of the Stone Age etc (the album was produced by Chris Goss). The difference is obvious though, as Neptune leaves room amongst the distortion for a brass section, harmonica and even an auto harp, amongst several other obscure instruments not often found in a rock band’s sound. An impressive band with an impressive album which will no doubt be found atop the CD collection of many a rock fan. TIM BOCQUET Flamingo Crash Triangle Island (Side Kick/Staple) There are enough bands out there with high-hat shuffl es,distorted bridges, heavily disguised symbolic lyrics and, spewing forth from every song’s orifice, a myriad of knob-turning effects. Upon hearing the fi rst few bars of Triangle Island’s fi rst number, I fi gured fl amingo crash was just another of the aforementioned. But then... the sax kicked in. The sax; so out of place that it encircled the whole song and made everything come together. So subtle yet so unnaturally cool. The album then dived up and down like a naughty salmon rejoicing in the extinction of its arch-nemesis the bear. Track after track held a time bomb that would explode and make you wonder how the hell they manipulated the song so casually and surprisingly. Thus, this album will push Flamingo Crash onto their way of becoming the next shoe-scuffing dance-party hit makers (a very good thing as too many shoes are parading around un-scuffed). Flamingo Crash have taken the skeleton of a music style that is becoming boring and passé and built the body with their own homemade materials. Get ready for a creature that forces you to clap your hands and scuff your toes. TIM BOCQUET
The Little Stevies Grow Up (Independent) A glance at their website confi rms what jazzy Melbourne three-piece The Little Stevies are all about. Nice things – like sunshine, love, rainbows, happiness, fl owers and, most of all, smiles. Sisters Bethany and Sibylla Stephen with guitarist Robin Geradts-Gill are always smiling – I know this because you can hear them smiling in all their songs. This is lighthearted, vocally-driven music, with soft acoustic guitars, cool bluesy bass lines and quiet, jazzy drums backing it up. The female vocals remind me a lot of The Waifs, but with more jazz and blues infl uence, rather than folk, in the other elements. At times, charmingly fl ippant in the style of Darren Hanlon and Harry from The Cat Empire, The Little Stevies are a young band with a lot of talent, and therefore a lot of potential. If anything, it is their song writing skills that they could work on – every track sounds great but, at times, also sounds like they are just having a jam. STEVIE EASTON Lullatone The Bedtime Beat (Someone Good) Not knowing much about these guys except that they’ve put out a few records on a whole heap of Stateside indie labels, as well as being asked by Hello Kitty to do their theme song, Lullatone surprised me with The Bedtime Beat, their fi rst disc for Brisbane’s Someone Good label. While still quite twee and cute as you would expect, their use of space and melody transcends the nature of the music to create what we lack in music these days – a good, minimal pop record. Full of loops and bedroom electronics alongside mallet percussion (a must in every Japanese school!) and Casios, The Bedtime Beat is the sound of days gone by when ABC Kids wasn’t lame-house and eating recess wasn’t sneaking a chocolate in at 11am. SHOEB AHMAD
Various Life On Mars (Sony BMG) If you’re a fan of this outstanding series, then the Life On Mars soundtrack is a must. This is a great ‘70s album that evokes memories of the series and indeed the times when you fi rst listened to it. Really, the track listing speaks for itself. As well as musical tracks, there are snippets of dialogue from the series and a hidden track at the end which is the fab theme tune to the series. So whether you’re a fan of the series, a fan of good music, or both, this is a great album to put on in the car and enjoy. This isn’t merely some gimmicky cash-in compilation to support the TV series, rather, it contains a plethora of strong tracks from T-Rex, Bowie, ELO, Thin Lizzy and many others. Long live Gene Hunt! CECILIA PATTISON-LEVI
Mudcrutch Mudcrutch (Warner) Mudcrutch are the band the Tom Petty appended Heartbreakers kinda once were. They splintered and ultimately disintegrated on the voyage from Florida to California over 30 years ago, but with renewed interest in his past resulting from the Sundance-approved, Peter Bogdanovich produced doco (Running Down A Dream), a wistful Petty decided to engage in that hoary old rock and roll cliché – getting the band back together. On this self-titled release, Petty takes a side step to bass and allows Heartbreaker Mike Campbell and original foil Tom Leadon to dominate guitar duties and, judging by the elegant Grateful Dead-esque Crystal River and Shady Grove, it’s obvious this ain’t no Byrdsian Rickenbacker reverie - in fact it’s basically American Beauty Mk II. Petty’s nasal twang is as distinguishable as ever, especially so on Scare Easy, but outside the confines of his main band and unencumbered by the name recognition of solo artist status, he loosens up and accordingly it's essentially a rootsy, easygoing release. It’s also classic FM rock territory, done well no doubt, but it seems unlikely to get played anywhere on this country’s airwaves any time soon, and consequently will struggle to find an audience outside Petty and idiotically-named-band fans. For shame. Tom Petty – one of the best arguments for satellite radio. JUSTIN HOOK Sebadoh Bubble and Scrape Domino/EMI Sebadoh remains a leading light in the US indie-rock scene. The band began as a part time project involving a stream of deconstructive recordings from multi-instrumentalists Lou Barlow and Eric Gaffney. This early work was characterised by sonic rawness, a proclivity for experimentation and an overall lo-fi intention with Barlow pouring his heart out on tape. After a bunch of low-key releases, the band moved forward with the addition of Jason Loewenstein on guitar, vocals and songwriting duties. This is revealed on Bubble and Scrape, originally released on the Sub Pop label in 1993 and featuring Eric Gaffney’s last recorded work with the band. UK label Domino has tidied up the sound and thrown in a bunch of bonus tracks which are not essential, but nevertheless point toward the gritty punk rock and lo-fi ballads at the heart of Sebadoh’s aesthetic. The original album’s 17 tracks showcase loose, slacker-style experimentation and noisy pop melodies drenched in distortion. Barlow’s tunes are the most evocative. He was going through a painful relationship break-up at the time, and the melancholy musings on the opener, Soul and Fire, are painfully intimate and effectively engage the emotional core of the listener. DAN BIGNA
Surf City Surf City EP (Popfrenzy) Surf City’s debut EP opens with a deceptive, loose surf-guitar lick that pretty quickly dissolves into something a lot less Dick Dale and a lot more Flying Nun. Like seemingly every other mop-haired New Zealand bunch of punks with guitars, Surf City have inherited that strange skill for creating loud, jangly and just plain good pop music. Quick is the operative word here, as the four-piece slug through six songs in under 20 minutes, but the tracks keep tight and varied. With just the right amount of slacker charm and clever hooks to keep to you interested, it’s the second half of the EP where the songs really start to gel. Canned Food rips along like a strange raved-up version of The Clean circa-Pink Frost recorded in your bathroom, and closer Free the Sity channels Pavement via Dunedin in an epic (by this EP's standards) closer. Throw in some bizarre sleeve art by painter Steve Keene (Silver Jews, Pavement, Apples in Stereo et al) and it’s a pretty neat little package. Who listens to albums anymore, anyway? You can spin this three times an hour! OWEN CARROLL Thalia Zedek Band Liars and Prayers (LTI/Inertia) It’s somewhat fitting that Thalia Zedek’s latest release lurches out of the speakers sounding like a magnificent lost Nick Cave/Dirty Three track, for Zedek’s trajectory has mirrored Cave’s in many ways. Both started in abstract noisy post-punk bands before finding comfort in a mellow-ish mid-life manner; both have mined demonic needle nightmares on vinyl and battled the same in real life; and both have an adoring critical scrapbook and a reverential fan base – although Zedek’s is but a fraction of the Boy Next Door. For me, Zedek’s zenith was the Boston-based emotionally torrid indie-blues band Come, where she found her perfect foil in the fractured rhythms and Gonzo spiralling leads of the dreadfully underappreciated Chris Brokaw, and I’m glad to report Liars and Prayers revisits some of those glorious patches from the ’90s. Still, this is pretty dark stuff and the tempo rarely rises above a lazy dismount of the couch, but when it does on Lower Allston, the buzzsaw, military-precise riffing and drumming is thrilling. Through it all, Zedek’s 4am gutter rasp remains on the soulful side of wretched, never sliding into pitiful faux despair, and her newly assembled backing band provide a variety, complexity and completeness unheard on previous solo outings. Even though I secretly wish for each of her records to be the next Come album, Zedek (along with Brokaw) continues to prosper and excel in that sub-genre of stifling, gut-wrenching guitar rock. Not pretty – but magnificent and thoroughly rewarding. JUSTIN HOOK Various Ashes To Ashes (Sony BMG) For those of us who were there in early 1980s Britain, this soundtrack is just great. I am really looking forward to Ashes to Ashes being played here in Australia, but until then we can enjoy the sounds of the era. Bowie kicks
it off with the eponymous Ashes To Ashes. There are bits of dialogue inserted to remind you where the compilation comes from, like the intro “My name is Alex Drake and I have just been shot.” Then, you have the Gene Genie himself arresting some hapless criminal with a succinct “you’re nicked” speech that makes me smile every time I hear it sandwiched between tracks. Ashes To Ashes is a great album, and a good mixture of styles and tracks which brought back fond memories of a decade that style forgot. Or did it? That white leather jacket has started to look quite good to me! CECILIA PATTISON-LEVI Various Psychopathics From Outer Space Part 3 (Psychopathic Records) This compilation from the Psychopathic label fascinates me in the same way as stuff released by the similarly named PsychoLogical records, such as Necro and members of Non-Phixion. I say ‘fascinates’ because I just don’t understand these bizarre, gangster-rap based subsub-cultures that exist in the US. In this case, we are dealing with the ‘juggalos’ - fat white guys with face paint based entirely on the style of Insane Clown Posse, who spawned other artists with names such as Twiztid, Boondox, and Blaze Ya Dead Homie. All of these feature on this album, which, all prejudices aside, was a painful experience – basic rap over ordinary beats, with spaced-out sound effects and heavy metal guitars. Musically, this stuff is nowhere near as unique and interesting as the juggalo sub-culture itself, which I still can’t get over. This is their music – for juggalos, by juggalos. It helps give them a sense of belonging by reinforcing their sub-culture, but as music goes, it’s frankly boring. STEVIE EASTON The Warlocks Heavy Deavy Soul Lover (Inertia) In their early days both the Velvet Underground and Grateful Dead played under the name The Warlocks. It took a name change for both bands to really take flight, write decent tunes, cultivate an audience of drug addicts (both), influence every tight-panted, doom-laden rock band thereafter (Velvet’s) and inspire ice cream flavours and Ryan Adams (the Dead). So current day LA-based Warlocks, not wishing to point out the obvious or anything, but have you ever considered a name change? Because this meandering, tuneless sludge is hardly setting the world on fire. If you were gunning for an Anton LaVey– esque, humourless acid party vibe then congrats – you’ve succeeded. But if you thought this was some cosmic, interplanetary space jam then you’ve fallen way short of the mark, meagre as it is – although the relatively joyful shadings on So Paranoid are a welcome but isolated respite. After the failure of their previous release, Surgery, half the band quit and the remainder found themselves label-less and questioning the worth of continuing. Heavy Deavy Soul Lover is a total drag and perhaps the
reasonably well credentialed Warlock leader Bobby Hecksher (Beck, Timothy Leary and Brian Jonestown Massacre) thought a soul cleansing vague, loosely strummed soundtracked voyage through his mind would realign momentum a little, but it certainly doesn’t settle the general air of “why bother?” hanging over the band now. The Warlocks could hardly be accused of jumping on the space-psych-rock bandwagon, forming as they did around the same time as two of the recent mainstays – Comets on Fire and Dead Meadow – but their stumbles are now too disappointing and numerous to forgive as missteps. JUSTIN HOOK The Winnie Coopers Worth the Weight (Illusive) Since putting out their first album in late 2005, Gold Coast lads The Winnie Coopers have been busy in the kitchen – kneading fresh beats, garnishing them with finely diced samples of roots, soul, funk and reggae, and smothering the lot with a thick layer of flowing rhymes. Worth the Weight is a really well produced album, and what I like about them is that everything about the band is a joke or word play of some kind. The album design is a pizza box, the track list a take-away menu, and the crew – fresh since 2002. Every track on this album will satisfy most fans of the lighter side of hip-hop – The Winnie Coopers are a bit like 2Up, or fellow Queenslanders Butterfingers. Also comparisons must be made to their sometime mentors and lords of ‘nerd rap’, Ugly Duckling – after literally winning a support slot for them in 2005, UD’s Dizzy Dustin appears on this album. Order your own, and share a hot slice of Aussie hip-hop with your friends. STEVIE EASTON Witch Paralyzed (TeePee Records/Inertia) The opening track, Eye from this second Witch album has a bass line similar to an early single from the pre Joy Division band Warsaw. And this is no bad thing, although I’m possibly being a little misleading. Apart from this one track, the heavy grooves and pulsing, distorted guitars suffusing Paralyzed have much less in common with Joy Division’s icy melodrama than a raft of heavy post-Sabbath and Zeppelin rock and rollers such as Kyuss and Dead Meadow. There is also a twinge of metal in the mix, which isn’t so surprising considering that Witch’s drummer is none other than Dinosaur Jr’s long-haired, Marshall amp devotee J Mascis. For both Mascis and Dinosaur bassist Lou Barlow, heavy metal always lurked in the background. I mention Barlow, because it is ironic that a number of tracks on Paralyzed such as 1000 MPH sound like scattered moments throughout Lou Barlow’s post-Dinosaur Jr project Sebadoh in terms of a noticeable metallic edge. But for the most part, Witch keeps a mid-range atmosphere flowing, although sixth track Sweet Sue ups the intensity quotient to a satisfying degree. DAN BIGNA
bma magazine 29
Cell Out
With Mark Russell; and the Writing of Questionable Quality
George Lucas you enormous twat, stop molesting your children! Not literal children mind, rather the much-loved trilogies he’s warping and mutilating beyond the happy memories we all have of them. It wasn’t enough to turn the Star Wars prequels into soulless CGI-fests, he’s now messing with Indy. Perhaps some of the blame should fall in Spielberg’s lap for Kingdom of the Crystal Skull’s shortcomings but considering Georgie boy is rumoured to have vetoed three scripts that everyone else was happy with before agreeing to this one, I’m drawn inevitably back to: Lucas, you’re a twat!
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Dumb-da-dumb-dumb, dumb-dadumb. Not quite the Indiana Jones soundtrack you remember? Perfect, you’re ready to absorb Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Kingdom is the fi nal instalment in the saga of the wise-cracking archaeologist, and is the fi nal bit of proof that George Lucas is a complete hack. The Indy fi lms have always had a certain style that was all their own. The whimsical pen of Lucas and the guiding directorial hand of Steven Spielberg created three fi lms that were all action, adventure and wry comment with an uncanny ability to make us all
21 21 is a slick-looking film that combines maths, cash, and casinos into a reasonably enjoyable few hours of bright lights, dollar signs and deception. Jim Sturgess (see: Across the Universe) plays Ben, a down-on-his-luck struggling M.I.T maths genius with dreams of Harvard Medical School. Of course, he can’t afford it - until he is recruited by Professor Rosa (Kevin Spacey) to learn the art of blackjack card counting. Thus, Ben begins a new extracurricular activity - conning Vegas casinos for thousands of dollars every weekend with a few other like-minded students, including love interest Jill
El Orfanato (The Orphanage) Ever notice how you can get away with more if you speak a foreign language? French people can be arrogant, Germans alcoholics and The Japanese can, well, produce a whole bunch of weird shit. Foreign film can be like that. Everything that’s said sounds cool, you’re reading subtitles which makes you feel cultured, and then you suddenly realise that a character has just stood by themselves and blurted out a whole bunch of expositional dialogue to…themselves. This ain’t ok, even in ole Espaniol. El Orfanato is a spooky tale of ghosts and dark histories set in a gloomy old house at the seaside. Laura (Belén
Agent Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett): “Any last words, Dr. Jones?” Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford): “I like Ike.” Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
feel young again. I reckon I’ve grown up somewhat in the twenty-odd years since The Last Crusade though, cause this one just doesn’t make sense. There’s always been a stretching of the truth in the series - a bit of luck, a slightly unlikely bit of physics in an action sequence - but here they’ve backed away from the golden toned artefact and fell head over heels into a pit of ridiculous. The plot centres around an ancient crystal skull, originally uncovered by some conquistadors in the 15th or 16th century, then promptly lost again. It is purported to have mystical powers, though no one’s entirely sure what they are. The KGB wants to use it as a weapon… somehow.
This is the set-up. The pay-off is one long chase-sequence through green-screens with a young rapscallion named ‘Mutt’ (Shia Lebouf ), and Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen) from Raiders of the Lost Ark in tow. The evil head Ruskie Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett) is also hot on their heels, desperately clinging to her accent through fi ght after very physical fi ght. There are still some moments where the ‘old’ Indy (rather than an old Harrison Ford) shine through, but these are the times where it feels like you found the ancient treasure map only to realise you’ve forgotten how to read hieroglyphics. MARK RUSSELL
(Kate Bosworth). 21 is adapted from a novel based on six real M.I.T students. Everyone loves a good casino flick, and everyone loves watching a good con - so why does 21 fall a little short? Well, nothing too original happens here – Sturgess wears some damn fi ne suits and Bosworth embraces dark eyeliner, but other than that it’s pretty people doing naughty things in a seedy town – and I’ve never seen nerds that looked this good. That said, 21 does have a nice style, and overall director Robert Luketic provides an interesting and fairly engaging fi lm. The montages of Ben and crew tossing around wads of cash
don’t disappoint, nor do montages of card counting study sessions. Sturgess is great as nerdy Ben (and doesn’t fail as eye candy either), but Bosworth, who has been rapidly losing appeal over time, provides an adequate but fairly cardboard performance as the token pretty face. If 21 was a little bit cleverer and had a little more chemistry, it could have been fantastic. As it is, it’s a fun fi lm to watch, but I wouldn’t bet money that you’ll like it.
Rueda) spent some of her childhood there when it was an orphanage. She’s moved back with husband Carlos (Fernando Cayo) and child Simon (Roger Príncep) to turn it into home for disadvantaged children. When Simon goes missing, Laura grows to suspect the ill-tempered spirits of the orphanage’s previous residents. This fi lm has a solidly creepy and atmospheric vibe, though this is due mainly to the house itself and is rarely pushed into darker territory. But what really lets El Orfanato down is its pacing. It makes such a big deal of loading up the story but takes much too long to pull the trigger. This is not helped by a six month chronological jump a third of the way through, inferring that
basically nothing of note has happened in the time immediately after Simon’s disappearance. Packed with a whole bunch of horror clichés (such as the regular use of a squeaking swing) the fi lm wavers too far and too often from the genuinely scary moments that pepper the fi lm’s running time. Comparisons to Pan’s Labyrinth are near unavoidable due to the marketing being geared towards them. But with Guillermo Del Toro acting only as producer, this is an unfair contrast; a poor cousin is still a poor cousin no matter what language they’re speaking.
MEGAN McKEOUGH
MARK RUSSELL
Popp ycock!
Jakobian
"We started in an improvisational style, trying to remove ourselves from what was going on around our immediate scene at the time – all the "We didn’t want to write a skit show just to do a skit show, purely to get our rocks off - we wanted bullshit four-minute rock music" to write something that had a point"
Peter Krbavac
“When we got together as JAKOB,” explains Jeff Boyle, the band’s guitarist, “we started in an improvisational style, trying to remove ourselves from what was going on around our immediate scene at the time – all the bullshit four-minute rock music.” As a result, the threepiece from Napier in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand, found themselves somewhat isolated. This was all back in 1998, a good few years before likeminded instrumental bands such as Mogwai or Explosions in the Sky had come to the fore. “There wasn’t much of a scene,” Jeff remembers. "We found out about Mogwai a couple of years after we started. Morris, our bass player, went over to Roskilde in Denmark for a festival. Mogwai were playing and everyone was raving about them so he went and checked them out. He came back with their first album and I was like ‘they’re on our wavelength!’ It was really cool to know there’s other bands out there doing it.” Forged by a mutual love of seminal New Zealand experimental rockers Bailterspace - “they’re a fucking amazing band, man,” he enthuses - childhood friends Jeff, Morris and drummer Jason have spent the last 10 years creating immense waves of noise, conjuring up mental images of Katsushika Hokusai’s woodblock print The Great Wave off Kanagawa. In that time they’ve moved away from their strictly improvisational beginnings and have “evolved into something that was a bit more settled,” cutting three LPs: 2001’s Subsets of Sets, 2003’s highly-regarded Cale: Drew and their most recent, Solace, released in 2006. After a decade playing together, the band still call Napier home. Jeff says they’ve never been tempted to move to a more central locale. “We’re not a big rock band that’s expecting huge money and to live off music alone,” he explains. “We could have moved to another place years ago - we could do it now and probably live off it - but we’ve got families now. We’re pretty settled here; we go to Australia whenever we feel like it, we’ve been most of the way around the world and we’re about to take off on a big European tour with Isis, so I can’t see how that’s hindered us. It’s a worldwide community now, the internet has completely broken down that whole thing.” Given their epic, expansive sound, I wonder if Jakob have ever felt limited as a three-piece, and whether they’ve ever toyed with the idea of recruiting additional members? “Definitely,” says Jeff . “It can kind of get frustrating sometimes, especially when you’re listening to other things and you start getting grander ideas than the sum of your parts, I suppose. Just before we recorded Solace, I went through a bit of a phase of going ‘we’ve gotta add someone else to progress,’ but we decided that it wasn’t going to happen, so the challenge was put down to actually jump forward with just the three instruments. I think we did it and that really gave me a whole new motivation,” he says proudly. “In the end I fell in love with Solace. I kind of hated it as fi rst ‘cause I was in that mode still, begrudging that it was just the three instruments, but what we were doing was pretty awesome,” he rightly states. For now, Jakob again are preparing to pulverize unsuspecting Cog fans as the national support for their Sharing Space tour. “It was a bit like that when we did that last tour with them. You could definitely see a few people going ‘what the fuck is going on here?’ but the vast majority seemed to at least get it, if not dig it.” Jakob play with Cog and Kora at the University of Canberra on Thursday May 29. Tickets are available through Ticketek.
Caitlin Croucher In between smoking pipes, lounging about in tweed jackets, reading international papers and discussing human rights policy, extremely serious law students Simone Gubler, Adam Brodie Mckenzie and John Horan have written a comedy skit show that recently ran for three weeks at the Melbourne Comedy Festival. Now THE SMALL POPPIES are bringing it back home to Canberra, still steaming off the comedy festival circuit, ready to be unleashed upon the unsuspecting crowds… Approaching their fi nal years at university, Simon and Adam decided it was their last opportunity to write a series of political and social commentary skits peppered with a dash of absurdist humour and salted with the general desire to make complete asses of themselves.“We were all graduating and knew that in the real world, taking off to Melbourne for four weeks would be nigh on impossible,” Simon explains.“So we did everything in our power to make that trip happen.” The script flowed, the actors were half decent and so The Small Poppies Think Inside The Box was born. So controversial was this Melbourne show that John Safran, our beloved triple j religious geek, interviewed The Poppies during their three-week run. The reason? Adam, who also acts in the performance, plays Safran in one of the skits so convincingly that Safran himself requested interview on his Sunday Night Safran show with “that little arsehole who’s running around the festival pretending to be me.” And yes, he did call Adam an asshole on live radio. Quite frankly, when John Safran has the gall to mention you on air, you know you’ve made it somewhere… Like all good comedy spectaculars, there’s a little bit of everything in this show. No ping-pong balls or rubber chickens, but Simone’s working on it. Their humour is political, philosophical and topical, as would be expected of a skit comedy group living in the shadow of Kevin’s boudoir. What you can expect, amongst other stupidity, is a surprising twist in the US elections, a universally effective rebuttal to philosophy, a terrorist union, a back alley encounter with a few Melbourne wankers, an interview with John Safran and Jesus gone horribly wrong and a few other biblical fi gures thrown in for fun. Judy from Centrelink will be there to reassess your future payments. Feminist Woman and Reasonable Man have a brief but rather lusty encounter. All of The Poppies (the cast consists of Adam Brodie-McKenzie, Caitlin Croucher, Simone Gubler and Andrew Nichols) are in the fi nal throes of university studies and are willfully fl irting with academic failure to put this show on, but it’s been worth the pain and angst of it all. “A lot of top brass comedians have often said they are inspired by anger and frustration at the state of the world. I’d say we’re certainly in that camp - not top brass, but certainly we’re a little pissed off,” Adam explains. “Simone and I decided early on that we didn’t want to write a skit show just to do a skit show, purely to get our rocks off - we wanted to write something that had a point.” It always helps to have a point. “We hope to get people to think as well as laugh. That’s not to say we let the message override the joke, funny is always our primary concern. And slaughtering sacred cows is always fun.” So is shameless self-promotion. The Small Poppies Think Inside the Box is running at The Street Theatre from Thursday May 29 to Saturday May 31at 7:30pm, with a 4pm matinee on Saturda Tix are $12 (students) and $15 general admission, available from The Street Theatre. bma magazine 31 3
GIG REVIEWS Rogue Traders @ ANU Bar, Thursday May 15 Love them or hate them, Rogue Traders have definitely taken Australia by storm with their accessible electro rock sound which has had consistent chart success since the release of Here Come the Drums in 2005, which saw the addition of glamour girl Natalie Bassingthwaite. I found it quite odd that their only Canberra show was an over-18s gig at the ANU, thinking that most of their fans in the capital were iPod owning teenage girls. However as I entered the ANU, it seemed that finding a car park on this particular night was akin to finding a Liberal party member willing to chuck in for a gift on Brendan Nelson’s birthday. The refectory was set up for maximum capacity and by around 8pm it was almost full. The warm-up DJ was smashing out the big tunes for the appreciative crowd with Mobin Master, The Potbellez and Beastie Boys all getting a great reaction. There was an awkward moment preceding the arrival of the main act when the lights came on and everyone had their beer goggles removed for a few minutes, although as soon as the darkness returned and The Rogues took the stage, the large crowd went nuts. Natalie is indeed a very impressive live vocalist, bashing out all the popular tunes such as Watching You, Way to Go, and the latest hits Better in the Dark and (my girlfriend’s favourite) What You’re On with ease. As I was leaving I saw a mid-20s rum swilling bogan staggering outside proudly donning a Rogue Traders T-shirt; if that’s not universal appeal, I don’t know what is. TIM GALVIN The Panics/Little Red/Oh Mercy @ ANU Bar, Saturday May 10 I’ll admit it: despite looking forward to this gig for weeks, just as I was donning a scarf to head down to it there was a moment where I thought about throwing it in. I’d make some half-arsed excuse to my Editor Extraordinaire and my good old gig buddy +1, and then I’d spend the night sulking and staring at photos whilst naturally listening to melancholy music. I love The Panics, you see, and my lover loved them with me and he’d just left to London so I was feeling pretty lonely. But immediately the thought was quashed as I realised how ridiculous I was being and just how disappointed he’d be. I strode out into the Canberra cold, determined to shed my milk-fed suburban blues and have a really rockin’ time while I was at it. I did. Indeed, I even chided myself for not arriving earlier as I weaved through a chockers ANU Bar and headed straight for the barrier (good old gig buddy +1 was of course providing the beer); sure enough, the success of the J Award winning Cruel Guards LP ensured what felt like an almost capacity crowd. I was in for a good one.
ROGUE TRADERS @ ANU REFECTORY: PHOTOS BY DAN CURRAN
Oh Mercy weren’t though; all their gear had been flogged the night before. Frontman Alexander Gow’s top notch toucan-emblazoned shirt was a bit wasted on his permanently downcast face, but fair enough. After he introduced a song with the line, “This song is about incest”, someone in the crowd commented, “They’re trying to do the ol’ mellow band singing about serious issues thing”.
They were all very serious and very mellow, and failed to achieve the element of subtle Belles Will Ring-style psychadelia they seemed to be striving for. But I’ll give it to them; theirs is a genre in which it’s bloody hard to stand out. There are so many bands in the down tempo folk/altcountry basket, plus all members are under 20 – not exactly an age of extensive anecdotal experience which is usually fuel for these kinds of tunes. I don’t know if the muffled anecdote Gow gave about a school councilor with halitosis who once helped him write a song is exactly stand-out track material, but good luck to ’em, nonetheless. I can remember asking said Ed Extraordinaire about Little Red at Trackside; I missed them but they seemed to be the band on everyone’s lips, the ‘buzz band’ if you will. And oh how they buzzed. “The Beach Boys in flannel!” yelled one similarly clad punter. Gorgeous four-part harmonies, a capella hand-clap choruses and good old fashioned “you’re the kind of girl I’d like to meet” doo-wop rock, with some slightly choreographed soft shoe shuffle on the side; the perfect mix for a much needed boogie fix! A major highlight was Japanese drummer Taka Honda’s hilarious antics; grinning madly, he hardly stopped swinging his head from side to side the entire set. I do hope the man has a good chiropractor. triple j fav Waiting got the crowd a-singin’ and then it was all over in a surf-rock wave of cowbells, tambourine and big smiles all round. Ah, intro music, you’ve gotta love it. It seems a requirement these days that the headlining act plays something quirky to herald their arrival; The Panics’ is a stirring bassline and long, haunting whistle, Lone Ranger style. Perfect. Awash in conical lilac light they carried the Western soundtrack into slow-burner Something in the Garden, a song both rich and strange that did seem to perplex the audience as an opener but cemented their confident and refined stage presence. Thankfully they kept the new stuff coming with riff-laden Creaks and bittersweet Ruins. With soft guitar plucking and light piano tinkling they then eased beautifully into the old with the incredibly catchy Cash from ’04’s EP Crack in The Wall, written after Johnny Cash’s death. The audience loved it, and so did the band. Thundering applause met every track as the energy rose and enchantment spread. Get Us Home elicited striking melodies not heard on the record and a single but lasting ‘ting’ of Buddhist prayer bells was a magic touch to the intro to Twin Sisters from the Sleeps Like a Curse LP, yet another of their well-hammered triple j faves. And then there were the sing-alongs. Never before at ANU had I heard such crowd involvement. Not for Augie March’s One Crowded Hour or Gomez’s Get Myself Arrested nor Josh Pyke’s Middle of the Hill. The equally epic grandeur of Cruel Guards and Don’t Fight It had the audience in absolute raptures; with an all but hand-clapping band the choruses of both songs sounded nothing short of brilliant. And to think I wasn’t going to go. Music shared with someone you love is the best music of all, but when you’re sharing it with thousands of others, everyone kicks a goal! JULIA WINTERFLOOD
THE PANICS @ ANU REFECTORY: PHOTOS BY ANDREW MAYO
bma magazine 33
BMA BAND PROFILE
Alice Cottee
Group members: Often it’s just me solo (vocals, guitar). Sometimes I am lucky to be accompanied by my very talented friends, like these guys who feature on my EP: Luke Bartolomei (koto), Elyane DeFontenay (violin), Chris Pound (double & electric bass), Matty Sykes (drums), Grahame Thompson (cello) Describe your sound: Melodic and lyrically raw. It is literary - I tell stories, sometimes dark, always emotional. You could call it a mix of folk rock/roots. Who are your influences, musical or otherwise? Jazz, classical and world music - I sing along with Ella Fitzgerald, and listen to Jacqueline Du Pré (cello). Radiohead and Tool - there’s a string tribute album called Third Eye Open which I sing along to. Joni Mitchell, Jeff Buckley, PJ Harvey, Johnny Cash - a great storyteller. But mostly it’s relationships, love, life; my songwriting is cathartic. What’s the weirdest experience you’ve had whilst performing? I was singing with friends in the Queanbeyan Park (you just know what’s coming); a lady at a nearby wedding came over and said very kindly that there was a man tossing off behind us in the rose bushes. I saw everything. Eeeeeeeew. We were questioned by police while drunk and underage. They caught the guy in the end - apparently a repeat offender. What’s your biggest achievement/proudest moment so far? I guess it’s writing and recording my first EP Goodbye Winter ...been wanting to do it for years. What are your plans for the future? Well I’m embarking on my first tour in a week, up the east coast. I’m playing solo and singing with the Andi and George Band… it’s gonna be sweet! I’m looking forward to travelling with those guys, they’ve become an important part of my life; they’re inspiring musicians who I love. What makes you laugh? Pretty much everything, except bad things - they’re awful. You can’t stop me once I get going, it’s how I maintain my abs of steel. What pisses you off? Greedy pretentious wankers, those who only think of themselves. What’s your opinion of the local scene? It’s rockin’ right now!! I’ve been playing in Canberra for 10 years, it was going off back in the day but there was a definite lull when quite a few live music venues shut down (e.g. The Gypsy Bar, Finnigans/Rockape). Now we have places like The Front Gallery and Café who support and nurture us poor alcoholic musicians. What are your upcoming gigs? The Goodbye Winter EP launch - 7:30pm, Thursday May 29 at The Front Café (Lyneham Shops), I’m supporting The Andi and George Band’s Sun and Moon double album launch. Then there’s the east coast tour in June/July - check my MySpace profile for dates (details below). Contact info: alice.cottee@gmail.com / www.myspace.com/alicecottee
FIRST CONTACT
Write your band’s name as well as the name and phone number of the person to contact (limit of two contacts ie. phone and email) and send $5 (cheque or money order made to Bands, Music, Action) to bma: PO Box 713, Civic Square, ACT, 2608. For your $5 you’ll stay on the register until you request removal. Changes to listings also cost $5.
Aaron Peacey Aaron 0410 381 306 Afternoon Shift Adam 0402 055 314 After Close Scotty 0412 742 682, afterclose@hotmail.com Alcove Mark 0410 112 522 Alice 0423 100 792 Allies ACT (Oxfam Group) alliesact@hotmail.com/ myspace.com/alliesact Amphibian Sound PA Clare 0410 308 288 Annie & the Armadillos Annette 6161 1078/0422 076 313 The Ashburys Dan Craddock 0419 626 903 Aria Stone singer/songwriter(guitar), sax & flute Aria 0411 803 343 Australian Kingswood Factory Sharon 0412 334 467 Australian Songwriters Association (Keiran Roberts) 6231 0433 Arythmia: Ben 0423 408 767/ arythmiamusic@gmail.com Backbeat Drivers Steve 0422 733 974, www.backbeatdrivers.com Bastards Jamie 0424 857 282/ www.bastards.altpro.net Big Boss Groove Andrew 0404 455 834, www.bigbossgroove.com.au Birds Love Fighting Gangbusters/DIY shows - bookings@birdslovefighting.com Blister Bug Stu 0408 617 791 Bridge Between, The Rachel 0412 598 138, thebridgebetween.com.au Bruce Stage mgr/consultant 6254 9857 Casual Projects Julian 0401 016 885 Catchpenny Nathan 0402 845 132 Caution Horses Nigel 0417 211 580 CD and Website Design Brendan 0404 042 574 Chuffs, The Glenn 0413 697 546 Cold Heart Projects Andrew 6294 5450 Cole Bennetts Photography 0415 087 833/colebennetts@gmail.com Colourful Racing Identities Josh 0410 135 605 Cool Weapon Luke 0410 983 450/ Josh 0412 863 019 Cris Clucas Cris 6262 5652 Crooked Dave 0421 508 467 Cumulonimbus Matt 0412 508 425 Dahahoo Rafe 0416 322 763 Dance With Amps Marcus 0421 691 332 Danny V Danny 6238 1673/0413 502 428 DayTrippers, The Reidar 0414 808 677, daytrippers@grapevine.com.au (dp) New Media Artists Mal 0414 295 297 DOGACT dog-act@hotmail.com, Paulie 0408287672. DJ & the Karismakatz DJ Gosper 0411 065 189/karismakatz@yahoo.com.au DJs Madrid and Gordon 0417 433 971 DJ/MC Bootcamp Donte 9267 3655 DJ Latino Rogelio 0401 274 208 DJ Moises (RnB/Latin) 0402 497 835 or moises_lopez@hotmail DNA Vic 0408 477 020 Drumassault Kate 0414 236 323 Dubba Rukki Jim 0409 660 745 Easy Mode Daz 0404 156 482, easymodeband@gmail.com, myspace. com/easymodeband Entity Chris 0412 027 894 Epic Flagon band@epicflagon.com EYE eye@canberra.teknet.net.au Fighting Mongooses, The Adam 0402 055 314 Final Warning Brendan 0422 809 552 Fire on the Hill Aaron 0410 381 306/ Dan 0410 480 321 FirePigs, The Danny 6238 1673/0413 502 428 4dead Peter 0401 006 551 Freeloaders, The Steve 0412 653 597 Friend or Enemy 6238 0083, www.myspace.com/friendorenemy Funk Shui Dave 0407 974 476 Gareth Hailey DJ & Electronica 0414 215 885 GiLF Kelly 0410 588 747, gilf.mail@gmail.com Guff Damian 6230 2767 HalfPast Chris 0412 115 594 Hancock Basement Tom 6257 5375, hancockbasement@hotmail.com Happy Hour Wendy 0406 375 096,
Melinda 0400 405 537 Haunted Attics band@hauntedatticsmusic.com Hitherto Paul 0408 425 636 Adam Hole Adam 0421 023 226 In The Flesh Scott 0410 475 703 Inside the Exterior Nathan 0401 072 650 Itchy Triggers Andrew 0401 588 884 Jacqui Seczawa 0428 428 722 Jenn Pacor singer/songwriter avail. for originals & covers, 0405 618 630 Jennifer Versatile singer looking for band; 0422 158 362 Jim Boots 0417 211 580 Kurt's Metalworx (PA) 0417 025 792 Lenders, The Tim 6247 2076 Little Smoke Sam 0411 112 075 Los Capitanes Tim 0421 842 247 Manilla Green Herms 0404 848 462, contactus@manillagreen.com, Martin Bailey Audio Engineer 0423 566 093 Malumba Dan 6253 5150 MC Kayo Marbilus 0405 648 288 kayo_101@hotmail.com, www.myspace. com/kayo_marbilus, Meatbee Ben 0417 492 560 Murder Meal Combo Anthony 0419 630 721 MuShu Jack 0414 292 567, mushu_band@hotmail.com Myriad Kath 6253 8318 MyOnus myonusmusic@hotmail.com/ www.myspace.com/myonus Neptune's Necklace Mark 6253 1048 No Retreat Simon 0411 155 680 Ocean Moses Nigel 0417 211 580 OneWayFare Chris 0418 496 448 Painted Hearts, The Peter 6248 6027 Para 0402 277 007 Petra Elliott Petra 0410 290 660 Phathom Chris 0422 888 700 The Pigs The Colonel 0422 412 752 Polka Pigs Ian 6231 5974 Premier Audio Simon 0412 331 876, premier_audio@hotmail.com Quagmire Jason 0409 802 543/ Ben 0401 442 099 Queanbeyan Music & Electronics 6299 1020 Redletter Ben 0421 414 472 Redsun Rehearsal Studio Ralph 0404 178 996/6162 1527 Rhythm Party, The Ross 0416 010 680 Roger Bone Band Andy 0413 483 758 Rug, The Jol 0417 273 041 Samsara Samahdi 0431 083 776 Sansutra J-Ma 0403 476 350 Sara Vancea Sara 6247 9899 Seditious Intent Toby 0419 971 547 Sindablok Duncan 0424 642 156 Simone Penkethman (Simone & The Soothsayers, Singing Teacher) 6230 4828 Soundcity Rehearsal Studio Andrew 0401 588 884 Stalker and Liife Darren 0413 229 049 strong like sam Luke 0423 762 812 Super Best Friends Matt 0438 228 748 Surrender Jordan 0439 907 853 Switch 3 Mick 0410 698 479 System Addict Jamie 0418 398 556 Taboo Bamboo Greg 0439 990 455 That ‘80s Band Ty 0417 265 013 The Morning After (covers band) Anthony 0402 500 843/ myspace.com/themorningaftercovers Tim James Lucia 6282 3740, 0413 609 832, LUCIAMURDOCH@hotmail.com Top Shelf Colin 0408 631 514 Tripitide Jason 0409 802 543/ Cam 0412 553 842 TRS tripstate@hotmail.com Udo 0412 086 158 Undersided, The Baz 0408 468 041 Using Three Words Dan 0416 123 020, usingthreewords@hotmail.com Voodoo Doll Mark 0428 650 549 William Blakely Will 0414 910 014 Woden Youth Centre Jeremy 6282 3037 Zeitgeist www.zeitgeist.xwave Zero Degrees and Falling Louis 0423 918 793 Zwish 0411 022 907
GIG GUIDE May 29 - 31 THURSDAY MAY 29
THURSDAY MAY 29
ARTS _____________
LIVE _____________
The Small Poppies Think Inside the Box From 7.30pm, $12/$15 THE STREET THEATRE Art is Invention Solo works by Lois South. Be taken on a journey of imagination and creativity. ‘til May 30 BELCONNEN GALLERY, BELCO COMMUNITY CENTRE Erica Seccombe - Nanoplastica Running ‘til July 5 CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE, GORMAN HOUSE Ellis Hutch - Touching Space Running ‘til July 5 CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE, GORMAN HOUSE Carla Cescon - We Three: A Participatory Storyboard Running ‘til July 5 CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE, GORMAN HOUSE Jacqui Bradley, Mel Fitzmaurice and Roz Lemoh: Head First Hurry! Finishing up on June 1 CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE, MANUKA Cardboard Charlie’s Collective Cacophony 3.0 A visual cacophony of art, with drawings, paintings, sculpture, photos, jewellery and glass work by over 20 local artists. ‘til June 3 THE FRONT CAFÉ AND GALLERY, LYNEHAM
The Andi and George Band album launch Local folk/roots/acoustic supergroup launching their new album Sun and Moon, supported by Alice Cottee launching her own debut EP Goodbye Winter. From 7pm, $10 entry. For more info www.andiandgeorge.com THE FRONT CAFÉ AND GALLERY, LYNEHAM Cog Oz's favourite prog-rockers, touring their Sharing Space LP with Jakob and Kora. Tickets from Ticketek UNIVERSITY OF CANBERRA Mitch Live music from 9pm DURHAM CASTLE ARMS Tripitide From 9pm KING O’MALLEY’S Kremlin Live Performances by local musicians KREMLIN BAR The Black Market With Skaface Claw (NZ) and Not OK (QLD). $10 entry THE BASEMENT Julia and the Deep Sea Sirens From 9pm, free entry THE POT BELLY Live From the Underground Featuring Adelyn, Marianne and Jonathan Mettes, One Foot in the Gravy and Mista Mystery. From 8pm, free entry TRANSIT BAR
DANCE _____________ Trash Thursdays ACADEMY Jemist KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE
SOMETHING DIFFERENT _____________ Trivia and Games Night Lots of fun, not to mention great prizes. From 7.30pm AINSLIE BAR @ OLIM’S HOTEL, AINSLIE Paper Scissors Rock Challenge the barman to a game to win your drink for free! MINQUE Tang8 – Eight for Astor Piazzolla Immerse yourself in the tango and the ‘language’ of the unique evolving compositions by Piazzolla. From 7pm, bookings and info on 6257 2718 TEATRO VIVALDI, ANU
FRIDAY MAY 30
DANCE _____________ Exposed 1st B'day Extravaganza With TerrorVision, Beat It, Staky, Sean Kelly and guests. Free TRANSIT BAR Pulse featuring DJ Kaos D&B nonsense, also featuring Eska, Dred, Buick, C, Escha, Skully, Jammin’, Karton, Kilajulez, The Crunch, Fourthstate and Twisted System. Free entry CELEBRITY LOUNGE (EX. SULTANS) Ashley Feraude BINARA ONE, CROWN PLAZA HOTEL After Work Dranks Jemist on the decks from 9pm TRANSIT BAR
FRIDAY MAY 30
Downtown Brown KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE Souled Out Fridays Featuring DJ Samari MINQUE Havana Nights A world of tropical rhythms and sultry dance shows, showcasing local and international talent with live percussion, bands and more. Hot ‘n’ spicy beats from famed Latin DJ Trentino. 8.30pm MONKEY BAR (EX. MOMBASA)
ARTS _____________ The Small Poppies Think Inside the Box From 7.30pm, $12/$15 THE STREET THEATRE
LIVE _____________ Sebastian Bach Former Skid Row mouthpiece, in town with his cracking new solo album Angel Down. Supported by Hell City Glamours, tickets from Ticketek ANU Sin City Those wild Melbourne cats are back for another night of rock destruction and debauchery, with locals System Addict and Barbarian. $10 entry THE BASEMENT Rev Indie/alternative/rock/pop/punk madness every Friday, $5 entry BAR 32 rd 3 Exit Rocking on from 10pm DURHAM CASTLE ARMS Itchy Triggers From 10pm HOLY GRAIL, KINGSTON Blackboard Night The Merry Muse celebrates its 19th birthday with a blackboard concert, featuring a selection of artists who have appeared at the Merry Muse over those 19 years. $10/$8 for members MERRY MUSE, POLISH WHITE EAGLE CLUB TURNER King Curly National Folk Fest favourites return with a new album, The Rise and Fall of King Curly 1998 – 2008, in the bag THE FOLKUS ROOM, SERBIAN CLUB MAWSON
FRIDAY MAY 30
The Skybombers (Melb) Highly-touted garage rockers, with Hancock Basement and Fistful of Nothing. 8pm, $12 THE GREENROOM Benjalu Newcastle-sourced folk/roots acoustic goodness. 9.30pm, free THE MAWSON CLUB The Black Hat Band From 6.30pm THE SOUL BAR, WODEN
SOMETHING DIFFERENT _____________ Turbo Slam All yer usual poetry and prose related tomfoolery, from 7.30pm THE FRONT CAFÉ AND GALLERY, LYNEHAM Tang8 – Eight for Astor Piazzolla From 7pm, bookings and info on 6257 2718 TEATRO VIVALDI, ANU SATURDAY MAY 31
DANCE _____________ Warehouse Winter Music Fest Featuring Mixmaster Mike, Cassius, Utah Saints, Bonde Do Role, Hybrid, Mr Oizo, Potbelleez, Van She Tech, Ajax and so many more. Tickets from Ticketek and Landspeed. Info on the back page of this very magazine AIS ARENA Warehouse Afterparty A-Skillz (UK), Utah Saints, Jeff Drake, Club Junque and more ACADEMY Warehouse Afterparty STA (Canada), Miami Horror, The Hump, Day Project and more (TRINITY) BAR Bleep Featuring Scott Fischer, Drew L (Brusia), Mig L, Alex McLeod and Nick Smith. Free entry TRANSIT BAR Ashley Feraude BINARA ONE, CROWN PLAZA HOTEL D’Opus KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE Rockout Funky house, electro and all the massive tunes featuring weekly guests and resident DJs Trent Richardson and Kiz. 8.30pm MONKEY BAR (EX. MOMBASA)
GIG GUIDE May 31 - June 11 SATURDAY MAY 31
SUNDAY JUNE 1
ARTS _____________ The Small Poppies Think Inside the Box 4pm and 7.30pm, $12/$15 THE STREET THEATRE
LIVE _____________ The Audreys With J Walker (Machine Translations). Tickets from Ticketek ANU The Holy Sea (Perth) Haunted Attics and Thickshake THE POT BELLY rd 3 Exit DURHAM CASTLE ARMS Endless Summer HOLY GRAIL, KINGSTON Curious Fate KING O’MALLEY’S Blacklist Tonk and Penguin. 8pm, $10 THE GREENROOM Infl atable Ingrid’s last show With The Missing Lincolns and The Cashews. Free entry THE PHOENIX
SOMETHING DIFFERENT _____________ Tang8 – Eight for Astor Piazzolla 2pm. Bookings/info 6257 2718 TEATRO VIVALDI, ANU Arc Screenings: Two Hands and Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid From 4.30pm and 7.30pm respectively. More info at nfsa.afc.gov.au/arc NATIONAL FILM AND SOUND ARCHIVE SUNDAY JUNE 1
DAY PLAY _____________ Old Bus Depot Markets KINGSTON Burley Griffi n Antique Centre KINGSTON FORESHORE
LIVE _____________ Mud on our Hands Australian Sidoarjo Assistance Project launch with Jitwam Sinha, Jonaphan Cohen (jazz/funk/ latin fusion), Spartak, video art, street performance and more. From 1pm, donation entry THE FRONT CAFÉ AND GALLERY, LYNEHAM
Jeff Lang Revered Australia blues/folk troubadour, launching his new LP Half Seas Over. From 8pm, tickets from venue (www.thestreet.org.au for details) THE STREET THEATRE MONDAY JUNE 2
WEDNESDAY JUNE 4
THURSDAY JUNE 5
ARTS _____________
DANCE _____________
Keating! From 8pm, tickets from Canberra Ticketing CANBERRA THEATRE Shorter + Sweeter A selection of 10 minute plays from the Short + Sweet festivals. Tickets from Canberra Ticketing THE PLAYHOUSE
Trash Thursdays ACADEMY Resin Dogs With Diafrix and Digital Primate. Tickets from Ticketek ANU Resin Dogs Offi cial Afterparty Featuring 2Dogs (Resin Digs DJs) and special guests. Ragin' TRANSIT BAR One Love Reggae Sessions Reggae, dancehall, dub, roots on the 1st Thurs of Month. 8pm, $7 HIPPO Ashley Feraude KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE
DANCE _____________
SOMETHING DIFFERENT _____________
Hospitality Night Every Monday, featuring hometown heros The Aston Shuffl e TRANSIT BAR
Trivia Night ACT RUGBY UNION CLUB Carry On Karaoke DURHAM CASTLE ARMS Karaoke HOLY GRAIL, KINGSTON Fame Trivia PJ O’REILLY’S, CIVIC $5 Night Try something new, it'll only cost a fi ver TRANSIT BAR
TUESDAY JUNE 3
ARTS _____________ Shorter + Sweeter A selection of the best new 10 minute plays from the Short + Sweet festivals, featuring works from some of Australias best young, emerging and established writers. More info on page 10. Running ‘til June 7, tickets from Canberra Ticketing THE PLAYHOUSE Keating! The musical we had to have. Returning after sell-out seasons for it's fi nal run in Canberra between June 3 and 7. From 8pm, tickets from Canberra Ticketing CANBERRA THEATRE
SOMETHING DIFFERENT _____________ Trivia Night DURHAM CASTLE ARMS Fame Trivia DURHAM CASTLE ARMS Trivia Night HOLY GRAIL, KINGSTON Pot Belly Trivia POT BELLY BAR Carry on Karaoke TRANSIT BAR WEDNESDAY JUNE 4
DANCE _____________ Caribbean Vibes Kick back and recharge with some infectious beats and tantalising cocktails. From 8.30pm MONKEY BAR (EX. MOMBASA)
Canberra Writers Festival 19-24 June ~Education by day & entertainment by night~ Program at www.actwriters.org.au Supported by the ACT Festival Fund
THURSDAY JUNE 5
ARTS _____________ Denise Higgins: Luminazoa Opening June 5, ‘til June 15 CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE, MANUKA The Ripe Collective Exhibition The debut exhibition from enigmatic local artists The Ripe Collective. More info on page 10, or www.theripecollective.com. Opening from 6.30pm THE FRONT CAFÉ AND GALLERY, LYNEHAM Shorter + Sweeter Tickets from Canberra Ticketing THE PLAYHOUSE Keating! 8pm, tix from Canberra Ticketing CANBERRA THEATRE
LIVE _____________ Gangbusters With Archaeoteryx, Condorcet and Birds Love Fighting DJs. $5! BAR 32 Mitch Live music from 9pm DURHAM CASTLE ARMS Ben Ransom From 9pm KING O’MALLEY’S Kremlin Live KREMLIN BAR
SOMETHING DIFFERENT _____________ Arc Screenings: Vixen! Russ Meyer's 1968 exploitation classic. From 7.30pm NATIONAL FILM AND SOUND ARCHIVE Trivia and Games Night AINSLIE BAR @ OLIM’S HOTEL Karaoke PJ O’REILLY’S, CIVIC Paper Scissors Rock Challenge the barman to a game to win your drink for free! MINQUE FRIDAY JUNE 6
DANCE _____________ Ashley Feraude BINARA ONE, CROWN PLAZA HOTEL Souled Out Fridays MINQUE Frankie Madrid KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE Havana Nights A world of tropical rhythms. Hot ‘n’ spicy beats from DJ Trentino. MONKEY BAR (EX. MOMBASA) After Work Dranks Jemist on the decks from 9pm TRANSIT BAR UG Beats With Dubdeckerbuss, Jemist, Pornstylus, Alistair, Miss Universe and Not You. Free entry TRANSIT BAR
ARTS _____________ Keating! CANBERRA THEATRE Shorter + Sweeter THE PLAYHOUSE
Saturday june 7
Saturday june 7
monday june 9
LIVE _____________
ARTS _____________
DANCE _____________
DANCE _____________
Chaos ACT IV The first of two big nights of metal, featuring Mytile Vey Lorth, Symperium, Daemon Foetal Harvest, Templestowe and Rake Sodomy. 8pm, $15 entry or $35 for a weekend pass THE BASEMENT Four Year Strong (USA) Pete Wentz-approved punk rockers touring their debut Rise or Die Trying with Rex Banner (Syd) and locals Slowburn. Tix from Moshtix, licensed/all ages THE VENUE Corporate Takedown Escape Syndrome and Vera Cruz BELCONNEN YOUTH CENTRE Heuristic DURHAM CASTLE ARMS The Bridge Between Local acoustic duo playin’ their hearts out from 6pm AINSLIE BAR @ OLIM’S HOTEL Rev Indie/alternative/rock/pop/punk madness every Friday, $5 entry BAR 32 Undercover HOLY GRAIL, KINGSTON Bottle Rocket KING O’MALLEY’S Funky Brothers PJ O’REILLY’S, CIVIC The Ghost of 29 Megacycles (WA) and Adam Trainer (WA) Solo experimental musicians Greg Taw and Adam Trainer, with the Shoeb Ahmad Trio. 8pm, $5 THE FRONT CAFÉ AND GALLERY, LYNEHAM James L Fevre Quintet From 5pm THE SOUL BAR, WODEN Renaissance A trip through the last four decades of rock WANNIASSA TAVERN
Shorter + Sweeter Tickets from Canberra Ticketing THE PLAYHOUSE Keating! From 2pm and 8pm, tix from Canberra Ticketing CANBERRA THEATRE
Pang! Presents Stupid Fresh Squelchy, twisted UK house. You love it, you slags. 9pm, $20 LOT 33 Rockout featuring Dopamine Sydney breakbeat exponent, with DJ Kiz, Tim Galvin and Trent Richardson spinning tech, house, funk and electro. 8pm, $10 MONKEY BAR (EX. MOMBASA) Ashley Feraude BINARA ONE, CROWN PLAZA HOTEL Jemist KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE Chrome Industrial/goth/dark electro with Salem, Stealth.Elf, metaVirus featuring guest DJ Citizen (Heaven, Gypsy Bar). From 9pm HOLY GRAIL, CIVIC
Hospitality Night With The Aston Shuffle TRANSIT BAR
FRIday JUNE 6
SOMETHING DIFFERENT _____________ Haha Bar Grand Opening Come and celebrate with the self-styled 'purveyors of lively beats and happy times' KREMLIN BAR Alan Jenkins presents The History of Music In conjunction with U31, Alan will talk and demonstrate from 10am. Bookings on 6257 2320 MEETING ROOM THREE, HUGHS COMMUNITY CENTRE
DAY PLAY _____________ Gorman House Markets GORMAN HOUSE Burley Griffin Antique Centre KINGSTON FORESHORE
LIVE _____________ Chaos ACT IV The second night of metal, feat. Separatist (Tas), Infinitum, Antonamsia, Ironwood, Swords Towards Self, Red Valley, Epoch of Inexistence, Aeon of Horus, Lecohtica, Punishment and Futility. From 12.30pm in the arvo, $25 entry or $35 for a weekend pass THE BASEMENT rd 3 Exit Kicks off at 10pm DURHAM CASTLE ARMS Mal Eastick Band HOLY GRAIL, KINGSTON The Ripping Dylans With King Jack and guests TRANSIT BAR Two Guitars and a Cello Unveiling their new contemporary folk music. 7.30pm, free THE FRONT CAFÉ AND GALLERY, LYNEHAM Roxanne Police tribute show, with local hard rockers Renaissance. 8pm, $10. All proceeds to Beyond Blue THE GREENROOM
SOMETHING DIFFERENT _____________ Arc Screenings: Joy Division Canberra premiere of Grant Gee's attecting doco. 7.30pm NATIONAL FILM AND SOUND ARCHIVE Karaoke PJ O’REILLY’S, CIVIC Le Petit Sideshow Canberra’s only freakshow, featuring local acrobats, jugglers, contortionists etc. An afternoon kids show, plus two evening shows. Tix thru Street Theatre QL2 STAGE, GORMAN HOUSE
sunday june 8
DANCE _____________ Nemysis Featuring Archie (Syd), Kranky (Qld) and SHAD (Tas). $15 entry CELEBRITY LOUNGE (EX. SULTANS) Cowboys and Indians Party Latin dance performances and DJs, free dance lesson from Kokoloco. 9pm, $10 MONKEY BAR (EX. MOMBASA) Pang!: Jono Fernandez (Lot 49) Battle of the Locals 3. 10pm, $10 before midnight, $15 after LOT 33
LIVE _____________ Slim Pickens From 2pm AINSLIE BAR @ OLIM’S HOTEL, Heuristic KING O’MALLEY’S Lamexcuse A night of punk rock in Belco, also featuring Snakes Among Us (Syd) and Forefold (Bris). 9pm THE BASEMENT The JD Set Feat. Dardanelles (Melb), Braindead Lovers (Melb), Angelas Dish (Syd) Tix from Moshtix THE VENUE, ERINDALE
DAY PLAY _____________ Old Bus Depot Markets KINGSTON
tuesday june 10
LIVE _____________ Whitley The much-loved Melbourne crooner finally makes it to the ‘berra after his last show was cancelled due to illness. Tickets from postponed May 13 show still valid, and tickets available through www.oztix.com.au ANU BAR
SOMETHING DIFFERENT _____________ Trivia Night DURHAM CASTLE ARMS Fame Trivia Be entertained, be educated. 7.30pm, bookings on 6295 1769 DURHAM CASTLE ARMS Trivia Night HOLY GRAIL, KINGSTON Pot Belly Trivia POT BELLY BAR Wednesday june 11
ARTS _____________ Too Hot to Handle A political cabaret about climate change for kids, presented by the Jigsaw Theatre Company. From June 11 to 14 from 6.30pm. Tickets on 6247 1223 THE STREET THEATRE
DANCE _____________ Caribbean Vibes Kick back and recharge with some infectious beats and tantalising cocktails. From 8.30pm MONKEY BAR (EX. MOMBASA)
SOMETHING DIFFERENT _____________ Trivia Night ACT RUGBY UNION CLUB Carry On Karaoke Sing along to all your favourites from 9pm. Happy hour ‘til 10pm DURHAM CASTLE ARMS Karaoke HOLY GRAIL, KINGSTON Kremlin Cocktails KREMLIN BAR
DVDEVOTEE
The Sopranos Season 6 – The Final Episodes (Warner Home Video)
Korn – Live At Montreux 2004 (Eagle Eye Media)
American Gangster – Extended Edition (Universal)
“And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.” This is true of most people, except brutal mob-boss Tony Soprano. As this magnifi cent series reaches the end, we see an unhinged Tony trying to justify his increasingly erratic and violent acts. To tell you what he does is to give away too many important plot points, but suffi ce to say, as he draws the troops closer for the fi nal confl ict, many don’t make the cut. The Sopranos is brilliant television, well paced and incredibly acted and it’s a credit to creator David Chase that the characters stay consistent until the fi nal curtain. The basic storyline about about a male with more than one job attempting to adjust all facets of his life has grown into a TV series with a life of its own. There are incredible performances from the ensemble cast, with James Gandolfini, Edie Falco and Lorraine Bracco as the standouts, as well as peerless writing and direction from Terrence Winter, Allen Coulter and of course Chase himself. The Sopranos very quickly became television that re-invented what we watched and the shockwaves of this show are being felt in programs like Underbelly and the fi lms of Tarantino and Guy Ritchie. With superb music and a suitable conclusion (that’s a point that many have argued), the fi nal episodes ofThe Sopranos have the biggest surprises and role reversals both for the family and ‘the family’. Extra features on this set include numerous episode commentaries (disappointingly not for the fi nal episode), a look at the music (another upstanding character throughout the show), as well as a look behind the scenes of the movie within the show Cleaver! Don’t miss the fi nal episodes of the most important television series ever made… in fact fuck that, lock yourself away, go back to the beginning and watch them all. You won’t be disappointed.
Korn is a band name that throws chills down the spines of many a metal enthusiast. For a band that arguably only had two great albums - though many would say they had none their self-titled debut and Life Is Peachy were a fairly original attempt at a hard rock sound for their time period. They seemed to completely invent the nu-metal genre without ever really rapping much at all, and then went on to release two more albums with some decent songs (Follow The Leader and Issues), followed by four albums of complete garbage, bar the odd catchy single. This bizarre choice for a Live At Montreux DVD release (other releases include concerts by Quincy Jones, Santana, Deep Purple, etc…) is a show recorded just before guitarist Brian ‘Head’ Welch left the group in 2005 and converted to Christianity, making it one of the last shows the original Korn line-up ever played - which is the only real aspect that makes this an interesting watch. The set is essentially a greatest hits bonanza up until the Take A Look In The Mirror album, and the older songs get the biggest crowd response and are certainly much more inventive than any of their newer material. Jonathon Davis’ vocal whining has become so incredibly tired in the last eight or so years, and he has the stage presence of an epileptic Mexican at the best of times. However, the band’s performance stands out, especially Head’s guitar work. He creates a cacophony of sound effects with his axe that is sorely lacking from the Korn sound nowadays and on tracks like Freak On A Leash, Dead Bodies Everywhere and Somebody Someone, you can see a particularly inventive and promising guitarist standing out above the rest of the band. Bass player Fieldy has always looked like a moron, but does occasionally pull off some decent fret skips, and drummer David Silveria was always one of those drummers who seemed to get to a particular point with his talent and not progress any further - and he’s now no longer in the band too. Basically, this set is for hardcore Korn fans and moderately interested old Korn fans. If you liked some of the bands earlier material, it’s nice to see the original lineup thrashing it out one more time, but there are a lot of moments when you remember you’re watching a Korn set on DVD and you ask yourself… "why?"
That wearisome dinner party game of comparing adaptations failing the transition from the page to big screen now has a sister version – movies that can’t even get magazine articles right. American Gangster is based on a New York magazine article called Return of the Superfl y. Reading like a blockbuster in the making, it’s easy to see why it was optioned, speeding through the years with white powdered abandon, the giddy selfaggrandizing braggadocio of Frank Lucas proudly detailing his rise from the streets of Harlem to insane New York drug kingpin. His method, smuggling the dope in the coffi ns returning from the Vietnam War, was as audacious as the man himself, yet the fi lm fails wholeheartedly in portraying his sheer brutality or kinetic energy. Instead American Gangster is a confused, rambling non-epic, overburdened with trite characterisations, repetitive set pieces and a sluggish tone overpowered by numerous unnecessary location changes. When the Stax soundtrack ramps up on cue 30-odd minutes in, it heralds the entrance of pimps, hustlers, hookers and tight close up shots of Lucas (Denzel Washington) supervising the action – it’s an absurd game of ride the cliché coming off like an overcooked Scorsese-like mess at best; at worst a fl imsy slumming homage to the risible Blow. Technique aside – what is this movie actually saying? The forward thinking street-smart philosophy Frank exhibits in taking on the Italian mob and beating them at their own game cannot displace the misery the man ultimately wreaked. He vociferously defends his actions to this day, claiming he was merely an uneducated black man trying to get ahead. No doubt – but the fi lm glorifi es his actions and methods by barely scratching the surface of the man. Washington’s performance is partly to blame, but really the script is the problem – an alternate, better version would have him reading the original article to the screen for 20 minutes. More disastrously, the alternate ending on offer is a pathetic Hallmark moment implying a level of misplaced brotherhood between Richie Roberts (Russell Crowe) and Lucas that simply didn’t exist for the majority of the fi lm due to the parallel character arcs. The rare shinning lights are the RZA as Moses Jones whose mellifl uous, breezy manner is a welcome respite from the jarring overacting happening all around and conversely, Josh Brolin hamming it up in the most delicious way possible as a corrupt NYC cop. Despite the plaudits, American Gangster is a lost opportunity.
Nextssi ue:
GEOFF SETTY
More fothesame. You bloodyove l it!
NICKAMC
OUT JUNE 12. PROTECT YA NECK.
JUSTIN HOOK