BMA Mag 299 17 Apr 2008

TWO99 April 17.08

bma magazine

bma magazine

FREE STUFF Welcome, one and all, to another bustling installment of Free Stuff, this issue brought to you by our lovely work experience gal Ella.

She’s a discerning lass, so you’ll need to be on your A-game if you wanna squeeze any of this gratis gear out of us. Send your answers to editorial@bmamag.com and we’ll see if you’re up to par.

of comedy festivals worldwide, leaving a trail of burst sides in his wake. A perennial Canberra favourite, he’s just added a third date at the Canberra Theatre on April 28 to augment his May 2 and 3 gigs. Tickets are on sale now from Canberra Ticketing on 6275 2700 or www.canberraticketing.com.au but for the super-speedy amongst you, we’ve got a few double passes just waiting to nabbed. To win, simply tell us your favorite joke.

And it better be good…

Guess Who’s Back…

British Nobility He’s back. Yes, that delightfully batty man Ross Noble has arrived home to greet fans with an Australian tour, following another sold out trip ‘round the UK. The man’s been even more prominent of late, becoming a favourite of many an Australian TV show, including Thank God You’re Here, Rove Live, and Spicks and Specks. In between small screen commitments, Noble’s a staple

Never mind the cost of tickets to the Melbourne Comedy Festival – Jeff Green brings his hilarious new stand-up show straight into your living room! From the best selling author of The A-Z of Living Together, Jeff’s new DVD, Back from the Bewilderness is exactly what you’ll need to bare living with anyone. His 70 minute stand up show gives us all a special and valid insight into the more distinguished features

of girlfriends, sex, learning to play the tuba and how to beat asthmatic children at ‘blow football.’ To get your hands on a copy of Jeff’s terrifically amusing DVD, just explain your favourite method of beating children… at games, that is.

Dig For Fire DIG, LAZARUS, DIG!!!, means one thing: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds have done it again.

‘What have they done?’ you ask. Well, they’ve made another record to keep Nick Cave “on the straight and narrow.” After a brief detour with the sludgy punk of Grinderman, Cave is once again presiding over the Bad Seeds on their first LP since their epic 2004 outing Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus. It nabbed our album of the week last issue, in which our man Justin Hook ranked it alongside the very best of Cave’s oeuvre. If you’re after a copy of this, the group’s 14th album, just tell us the last thing you dug.

All About the Benjamins We’ve all done something we’ve come to regret to earn a fast buck. Such is the premise of new Australia film Cactus, written and directed by Jasmine Yuen Carrucan and starring Travis McMahon (Kokoda), David Lyons (Sea Patrol), Bryan Brown (Dirty Deeds) and Shane Jacobson (Kenny in Kenny). In order to gain some much needed cash, John Kelly (McMahon) accepts a job to kidnap and deliver professional gambler Eli Jones (Lyons) to his keepers in the Australian outback - no questions asked.

The kidnapping is meticulously planned, but the road John chooses takes him on a dark journey where every choice has tragic consequences. Wanna know how it all ends? Well, luckily enough, we’ve a handful of tickets to dole out. Just tell us the dodgiest thing you’ve done for a quick cash injection.

STRUTH BE TOLD They say when you’re lying on your deathbed thinking back over your life, you won’t be worrying about what job you had or how much money you made, but about the people you loved, in particular your one true love. Failing that, there’s always your greatest races on Mario Kart 64. Such is the divine fun of what I am calling the greatest console game of all time.

Firstly, I’m not a gamer, but could have easily been. The last console I owned was an Amstrad CPC 464 green screen when I was 14 that loaded games up on cassette.

(I’m not in my mid-40s, I just started way behind everyone else. I was playing Bombjack when other kids were playing NBA Jam on the Mega Drive. It’s all my Mum could afford!) I was always morally objected to the vast amount of time people vaporised on games, and ultimately opted to ‘improve my hand/eye co-ordination’ by playing guitar.

When I hit first year uni, what should I find in my University Village common room but my new closest buddies gathered around a multiple split screen, four controller blitz of animated turbo Mario Kartin’ megamadness! The alien controller was handed to me as the starting lights ticked down, and thus, like the proverbial cigarette behind the high school gym, my Mario Kart addiction was born.

Mario Kart is a bliss triggering mash-up of poker machine, slot car track and cartoon. In the game, you can be one of eight characters from the ‘Super Mario Bros’ syndicate. There are four sets of four courses to play,

each riddled with mystery boxes that give you weapons and power-ups to use on your foes, from missiles to bananas. From the first moment you turn the game on, your ears are blasted with the hyper-produced theme music, the first of many audio sugar cubes you are constantly fed as the game progresses, from the character’s raucous catch-cry’s, to the arpeggiated background synths.

Racing games have always been my favourite, mainly due to the fact that no matter how many times you play them, the result will be different. Adventure games and even platformers always disappointed me with their pre-programmed destinies. Skills wise, Mario Kart is a great leveller, and anyone can go from beginner to power hungry pro in minutes. Mario Kart also stands up to long gameplay, whereas most games over time tend to either get too dull or feel too creepy, like Goldeneye. Tell me you can play that vector maze by yourself for two hours and not feel like some isolated husk.

Mario Kart is like being in a Japanese flying dream. Like a poker machine, there’s just so many rewards for the senses. The turbo boost, the carnage of nailing an opponent with a weapon, the graceful power slides around corners, the three way battle to the finish line, all laden with bubbly sprites and gallant sound effects. Wario is my favourite character. He’s Mario’s evil twin brother and has a twisted Italian cackle that really appeals to me.

It had been nine years since my first year uni hey day, which eventually wore off as we all realised we had nine essays due overnight. But now, in my ‘difficult third decade’ riddled with freelance frustration and ego-whipping introspection Mario Kart has appeared in my share house, like a juicy red packet of electro-cigarettes, and I’m back there like a kid on a bike.

JUSTIN HEAZLEWOOD www.bedroomphilosopher.com

NEWS

No Rest for the Wicked Casual Projects are steadily working their way to the apex of the Canberra music scene with their funky hip-hop jams, perfectly encapsulated in their their new single Move Along. To celebrate the release of Move Along and their highly-anticipated second album, No Rest, Cas-P are off on tour across the east-coast of Australia. They’ll be stopping off at the ANU Bar, along with The Andi and George Band and D’Opus & Roshambo, for an album launch show Friday April 18. Tickets are $15 and are available through ticketek (www.ticketek.com.au). Keep in mind Casual Project’s last album launch at the ANU sold the hell out, leaving many an eager punter out in the cold, so be sure to get in early people!

Gravity's a Bitch, ain't it?

After playing to full houses and impressing audiences across Australia and America alike, Chasing Gravity have spent some time at home with producer Phil McKellar (Silverchair/Grinspoon) to record their debut album. Autumn in the Platinum Desert is due to be released in April, marking a new and exciting phase for the band. Following all the hype of Chasing Gravity’s debut EP and politically themed singles, Warped Chinese Whispers and Cool in America, they are sure to be stirring up audiences, local and international, for a while yet. You can catch Chasing Gravity at The Greenroom on April 25, and, best of all, entry is free.

Three Feet High and Rising We know, you’ve got more talent in your pinky finger than any other performer has in their entire body, and you’re better looking too. Well, here’s your chance to prove it! Roots Rising is an opportunity for young artists, under the age of 21, to get a hand up in the music industry.

Whether you’re a solo artist or a full band with a demo of original folk, world, blues or general roots music, you’re free to apply. Six finalists are to be chosen through judging and voting at www.coastfest.org. au, to perform on at Coastfest between September 5 and 7 later this year. Finalists receive free entry to the Sunday festival, media and web exposure. The winner of Roots Rising will perform on the main stage and receive 30 hours of studio rehearsal time and 20 hours recording time from Coastfest sponsors, Rock Cave Music. If this is your opportunity to be noticed as an able musician, email rootsrising@coastfest.org.au with your picture, brief bio and an MP3 of original music.

Blue, Blue, Electric Blue Another successful two weeks for Birds Love Fighting - great shows, friendly drunks, hip kids and no stolen gear. Last Gangbusters saw Witch Hats scream the roof off Bar 32 (and my lounge room to the disappointment of my housemate). This next one on April 24 will see fair some great pop and punk ‘stuff’ as Ethereal do their thing with Inflatable Ingrid and Voss. Big singers Plastic Palace Alice pull up on May 8, so mark Bar 32 Gangbusters in your calendar for that one. Supporting will be The Trivs and You Hang Up; No You Hang Up. Other following Gangbusters will include Dead Farmers, Little Pictures, Popolice and Tomas Ford. Always more coming! Meanwhile we’ve been a bit quiet at The Front Gallery, and now’s the time to snuggle up with a hot chocolate and get cosy by

the fire with Jane Dust with Voss and Emmett Cotton on Friday April 18.

You may as well camp there because we have a special DualPlover show lined up on Tuesday April 22 with European folk wild-cats Vialka with glass breaking leader of the field Justice Yeldham. See myspace.com/ birdslovefighting for more gigs and info!

Baching at the Moon He may be best known as a powerhouse vocalist, who sold 20 million albums with his previous band Skid Row, but this little ‘angel’ is so much more! Yes, the man I speak of is Sebastian Bach, whose career has taken him all the way to Broadway and to his very own television series in recent years. VH1 have proudly announced that Sebastian Bach is to tour Australia this May. Seb’s show will feature the hits that made Skid Row so unbelievably famous, as well as various songs - some recorded with Axl Rose - from Seb’s solo album, Angel Down, released in 2007. Seb will be at ANU Bar on May 30. Tickets available from ticketek (www.ticketek.com.au) Touting their Wares The AIS Arena is playing host to the schmickest of hip-hop and dance acts the world has to offer this May, with the arrival of the Warehouse Winter Music Festival. Sporting the innovative likes of Mix Master Mike, Utah Saints, the diverse flavours of Bonde Do Role and Cassius, and with many more international acts to be announced, WWMF is sure to thrill.

The sounds of house, techno, funk, club, rave and hip-hop will be mashing together for a day of earsplitting fun on May 31 between 1 and 11pm.

First release tickets have now sold out, and final release tix are on sale through Ticketek and Landspeed Records.

Under the Sea Finally, after six weeks of dazzling the best part of the US and the media scrum at Texas’ South by Southwest Festival, Whitley will be bringing is beautiful storytelling and craftsman-like musicianship back home.

And after being pushed to the side for footy games and surf trips, Whitley’s debut album, The Submarine, has finally been recorded and released. The Submarine has been welcomed feverishly by fans the world over; and now he joins with Seagull and Howie Day to embark on his highly-anticipated national tour. Whitley will be at the ANU Bar on May 13, with tickets are on sale now at Landspeed Records, ANU Bar, and www.oztix.com.au .

Fly My Pretties, Fly! The John Steel Singers (Brisbane) and Cloud Control (Blue Mountains) have joined forces for a harmonious tour. They'll be launching their dual headline Flying High Tour across five states throughout May. A common love of inventive pop melodies and catchy hooks won both bands a spot in triple j’s Next Crop initiative. With a growing legion of fans, great reviews and high profile supports including The Panics, Something For Kate, The Panda Band, Built to Spill, The Brunettes and New Buffalo, taste makers and audiences alike continue to sing their praises. First boarding call for the Transit Bar on Thursday May 8…

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.

Ocean Colour Scene. Whaddya mean ya never heard of ’em? Whaddya mean you never charted their rise from hopeless baggy wannabes to useless dad-rock tossers? Am I really to believe that BMA Editor and allround illuminatus Peter Krbavac is the only person apart from me in this appallingly ill-educated town to have ever heard of them? In the words of Nicko McBrain, erstwhile drummer of Iron Maiden, world-renowned forward thinker and auteur, “Fack my old boots.”

The Colours painted themselves as victims of the music business, repeatedly backed into corners by a heartless process dedicated to industrially removing the very soul from their marrow in pursuit of dirty profit before spitting them out like so much dirty pith onto the ‘whatever happened to?’ college ball scene. The more cynical amongst us saw their movement from the loved-up sounds of Madchester to the more fiscally rewarding pastures of mid-'90s Britpop as mere bandwagon jumping, but what did we know?

What indeed. I worked for Underworld Merchandise in London from 1995 to 1997 – the halcyon days of Britpop. And though my view on the scene was obviously stunted by the fact that I was, and am, a heavy metal fan completely devoid of the necessary critical faculties required to appreciate the bittersweet ironies of Suede, Cast and, um, Menswear, I felt I had enough about me to grasp that the point of Britpop was its tip of the titfer to London, and indeed Britain, and it’s music, in the '60s.

The music of Lennon and McCartney, Jagger and Richards, Ray Davies and Cliff Richards (the last pair weren’t, of course, a song writing team – but we are permitted at times to peer misty-eyed into the middle distance, soundlessly mouthing the words ‘what if?’ every now and then, aren’t we?). Imagine my surprise then, when Steve Craddock, OCS guitar man and sporter of some of the most truly horrendous strides ever worn (think Rupert the Bear in human form and then multiply the horror of your reaction by 100), turned up at the office with his dad in tow. Like his all-time hero Paul Weller, Craddock was managed by his old man, who was a blustery old bugger, a bully to boot, but at least spoke the Queen’s English. When Steve opened his mouth what came out was incomprehensible. He kept referring to my friend Emma, who was in charge of the band’s account, as ‘mi bredren’, and finished off every sentence with the salutation ‘aye…’

All of which made fathoming his t-shirt design requirements quite difficult. The sound of suppressed laughter from the rest of the openplan office in which the meeting occurred made the place sound like it was the venue for the 1996 London tittering convention, which made things worse for the poor girl. We were later informed by a suitably amused third party that Craddock had become convinced that he was from Trenchtown, the notorious spiritual home of Reggae in Kingston, Jamaica rather than Birmingham, England, despite having a complexion that would have made Vince Noir’s Alabaster Retard look like one of the Black and White Minstrels, and it was a merely accepted point amongst the rest of the band that Steve was to be humoured at all times.

It does indeed take all sorts, not only to make the world go ’round but also, apparently, to play stiffly white r’n’b infused middle-of-the-road ‘rock’ music too. *

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This column is repectfully dedicated to Charlton Heston, a grumpy old man if ever there was one.

SCOTT ADAMS - thirtyyearsofrnr@hotmail.com

bma :: Issue299 www.bmamag.com "bma: sweded for your convenience" Published by Radar Media Pty Ltd | ACN 097 301 730

bma is independently owned and published Opinions expressed in bma are not necessarily those of the editor, publisher or staff.

Cover photo by Kane Skennar

To the skanky hoe that thinks shes better than everyone else, but still feels the need to sleep with every boy she gets her hands on. Or at least lead them on very well. We feel sorry for you because you think it makes u look popular but every knows what a dirty skank you are. Grow some boobs, and grow out of your five year olds body. While your at it fix your nose, a nose bigger then you boobs is not such a hot look. And whats with these one night stands you seem to be known for? Is it because your just so apauling at anything that you have to run away after one

time so the poor boys that have to have you beneath them dont realise how crap your really are.

You cant expect to change unless you actully try. Start keeping your hands to yourself, your mouth and your legs closed and maybe you will get somewhere. We wish you luck with it because it seems such a shame that everyuone is being subjected to the simple foolishness that is your life. YOU CONTINUALLY PISS US OFF. STOP BEING SUCH A DIRTY MOLE. What is the deal with ewoks trying to eat my hair? Those little blaggards can't leave it alone!

FROM THE BOSSMAN The Strawberries Diaries 09/03/08 The scene was PNAU’s live show at the UC and there I was, perched anxiously in the wings, wearing a tight, red, full-body leotard (that left very little to the imagination), whilst clutching a flippin’ great Strawberry costume. There are only minutes to go before I’m on stage.

“OK, pop the suit on so you can a bit of a feel for it,” PNAU manager Will Onus tells me. I slide the beautiful monstrosity over my head, and the world goes dark. “Oh shit,” I think. “I can’t see a damn thing.”

“Slide the shoulder straps on,” a muffled Will’s voice sounds from the outside world. All I can make out is a veritable matrix of black leashes criss-crossing violently from one side to the other, resembling the end product of a spider orgasm. After a nervous wait, I hear Will saying in a hopeful tone to another: “He’ll figure it out.” I randomly grab two straps with my oversized glove hands and hoist them shouldwards.

Now, I feel it’s worth reiterating at this point that I can barely see a thing. The eye holes are at belly height, and thus no more than a foot in front of me is visible. As if mocking my blindness, Will points to my dancing position on stage. It’s about 1.5 square metres, only marginally bigger than the costume itself, and surrounded by very expensive looking equipment, and even more expensive looking artists, all delicately waiting to be dislodged by an overzealous journo. This particular strawberry is beginning to smell of law suit.

While contemplating this, my cue – the opening strains of Wild Strawberries – shudders violently into my consciousness, and before I can swallow my emergency cyanide capsule, Will is leading me like a lost child to my position.

It takes but a mere batting of the eyelids and the shoulder straps are off, and my head connects with the admirably sturdy metal framework, nearly threatening to dislodge my glasses in the process. Undeterred, I jump, I gyrate, I hop from foot to foot; my head clanging violently against the metal the entire time.

As I sit writing this tome, cartoonish lumps have erupted from my head, ensuring I resemble Wyle E Coyote after a particularly nasty run in with the Roadrunner. But dammit, it was all worth it. You wouldn’t think there was much room for interpretive dance when wearing a man-size strawberry costume with eye-holes at belly level so you could only see a foot in front of you, but I’d like to think I took the unsuspecting punters on a journey into the great classical dance styles, as well as lacing a provocative sexual undercurrent throughout. I am told I have shared the suit, and sweat, with many other fine music industry notables, and I’ve certainly left more than a globule for those after me to treasure.

ALLAN “I’LL WRITE ABOUT SOMETHING NON STRAWBERRY RELATED NEXT ISSUE” SKO

Fax: 02 6257 4361 Mail: PO Box 713 Civic Square, ACT 2608 Publisher Scott Layne General Manager & Advertising Manager Allan Sko: T: (02) 6257 4360 E: advertisingbmamag.com Editor Peter Krbavac: T: (02) 6257 4456 E: editorial@bmamag.com Accounts Manager Fahim Shahnoor : T: (02) 6247 4816 E: accounts@bmamag.com

Editorial Assistant Ben Hermann Super Sub Editor Julia Winterflood Graphic Design Jessica Condi Film Editor Mark Russell Principal Photographers (The Flashbulb Posse) Andrew Mayo/Lisa Tolcher/Nick Brightman Issue 300 Out May 1 Editorial Deadline Apr 18 Advertising Deadline Apr 24

bma magazine 9

TIDBITS

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WHO BRITISH INDIA WHAT MELB GARAGE ROCK FAVOURITES WHERE THE GREENROOM WHEN FRI APR 18

Play a CD too often and eventually it’ll start to skip... that’s how I buggered my original copy of British India’s debut release, Guillotine. Sadly, its replacement is on the verge of suffering a similar fate. A crackin’ piece of garage rock, Guillotine deservedly enjoyed generous airplay on triple j in 2007 and must have come awfully close to pipping The Panics’ Cruel Guards for the J-Award. Thankfully, the Melbourne four-piece isn’t planning on taking its foot off the accelerator anytime soon, with news that the band is already in the studio working on a follow-up to Guillotine. Once again, former Easybeats guitarist and AC/DC producer, Harry Vanda, will be tweaking the knobs and dials for the lads’ second long-play, which will hopefully be released around the middle of the year. Better still, before British India go into lock-down mode, they’re embarking on a quick run of dates along the east coast during March and April, including a quick stopover in Canberra. The band never fails to deliver live, as anyone who caught their show at the Greenroom last year will attest. Don’t miss your chance to see these boys at a small venue while you still can. They’re gonna go big.

ANDREW MAYO

WHO BERNIE SLATER WHAT CONQUER IN COMFORT EXHIB. WHERE CCAS, GORMAN HOUSE WHEN 'TIL MAY 17

In the wake of his involvement in a couple of group exhibitions at CCAS, Bernie Slater explodes his own brand of cultural critique into the Gorman House gallery with a casual panache that strikes the heart of the conqueror in all of us. From consumer culture and home decorating to advertisements for the army, Slater tackles the ironic and taken-forgranted aspects of Australian culture. He shows us how politics that we may not agree with stealthily infiltrate our way of life, commando-crawling into just about everything we do or see, camouflaged and under our field of vision. Uncle Bernie wants YOU! to step inside two of his works, large drawings with holes for your face which then allow you to see yourself as part of each drawing through a camera and TV… with chilling implications. Thoughtprovoking but humorous enough to make viewers laugh out loud, Conquer in Comfort is an exhibition not to be missed. Picture: Bernie Slater - Fuel Can (2008) ANNIKA HARDING

WHO ANDI & GEORGE, CARACOL, CHANGEABLE DAN AND MORE WHAT GREENSCREEN WHERE GAREMA PLACE WHEN FRI MAY 2

Hosted by the Conservation Council and ACT otherWISE and organised by youth, for youth, Greenscreen will provide an evening of entertainment with an environmental focus, promoting the practical things people can do to reduce their impact on the environment.

Uranium, What Lies Beneath by local Canberra producer Mary McCartney will be screened, along with three environmental short films by Nuff Films. There’ll be stalls which will provide valuable information about anything and everything green, as well as belly dancers, a massive clothes swap (so bring along your old clothes), fashion parades and more! Musical accoutrement for the event will be provided by the Andi and George Band, Caracol and Changeable Dan. Environmental sustainability has been paramount in the planning of this shindig, and thus a number of measures have been put in place in order to ensure that this is the greenest event possible. So help make it green: ride your bike, catch a bus, bring a mug and reuse! More info at www.consact.org.au/greenscreen, and to volunteer for the night, contact Robyn Vance on communications@consact.org.au or 6229 3200. The night runs from 5 to 10pm.

WHO 11TH SPANISH FILM FESTIVAL WHAT THE BEST IN SPANISH CINEMA WHERE DENDY CINEMAS, CANBERRA CENTRE WHEN FROM MAY 7

Celebrating modern Spanish culture via film for ten years now, the Spanish Film Festival is back in town this May. Don’t be fooled, the 11th Spanish film festival is not merely a showcase of the best of Spanish Cinema - it also marks the beginning of an array of Spanish events, encompassing music, artwork, literature and theatre. The festival will feature 13 feature films and one documentary. The opening and closing nights will screen two of the most successful films fresh out of Spain in 2007: 7 Billiard Tables, about a woman who sets out to revitalise her dead feather’s ailing business, and The Orphanage; a thriller telling the story of a woman who, with her husband and son, moves into the orphanage in which she grew up, in order to begin a house for mentally and physically impaired children. So don’t be left out, make sure you're part of the institution that is the 11th Spanish Film Festival, screening from May 7 to 11 at Dendy Cinemas in the Canberra Centre. For full details visit www.spanishfilmfestival.com . ELLA PALIJ

WHO MICHAEL BARNSLEY WHAT A FRACTAL EYE FOR THE COLOURS OF NATURE WHERE PHOTOACCESS, MANUKA WHEN 'TIL APR 20

Michael Barnsley’s exhibition record is brief. He has shown his images to family and friends and used them to illustrate publications. But A Fractal Eye for the Colours of Nature is the first public showing of these extraordinary images - landscape photographs and film transformed into mystifying, beautiful detail by the application of fractal geometry.

Contrasting with his exhibition record, Barnsley’s career in mathematics and business has resulted in an extensive professional CV. He is a world leader in the development of fractal compression technology, a professor of mathematics at the ANU and the author of two major books. The exhibition is a mix of earlier works, showing the possibilities of fractal transformation on a small canvas, and more recent large scale works that demonstrate the power of this process to penetrate and illuminate landscape. In his own words: “All my life, everyday, nature calls my eyes to stare and stare with wonder; I have a sense of the pristine, the perfect which lives both in mathematics and in the visual observable world. My art tries to capture this, to see again, as though for the first time, the beauty of it all.”

WHO HIERONYMUS IX & PANAMA EMBASSY WHAT REGGAE/ROOTS/ DANCEHALL/DUB/ WHERE HIPPO WHEN THU APR 24

For too long the Capital’s reggae heads have been left wanting, but that’s all set to change with Capital Dub Style, “your monthly dose of good vibes and beats,” held at Hippo. Devoted to showcasing reggae music and its related genres - dancehall, dub, roots etc - the night will provide a place where one can chill out, relax, have a drink and soak up quality music, as well as work up a sweat and lose yourself dancing to the beats. World-class scenes exist in Sydney and Melbourne, and Capital Dub Style is aimed at keeping the flame alive in the ‘berra, catering for both the seasoned reggae fan and rasta rookies alike. CDS also aims to bring through the world class talent that so often passes Canberra by, with live bands and Jamaican-style sound systems set to become a regular feature, in addition to the local DJs playing on the night. It’s been a long time coming, so soak it up Canberra! From 8pm, $5

7 Akuna St Canberra City

ALL SHOWS FREE ENTRY

MY DISCO

SATURDAY APRIL 26 TRANSIT BAR FREE ENTRY bma magazine PH/FAX 6162 0899 / transitbar@gmail.com | www.myspace.com/transitbar

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“There is a difference in Sharing Space lyrically; a huge emphasis on the words and more specific stories in each song.

We wrote more personally, from the heart.”

Carrie Dennes

k c o R f o s r a e G n o g n i n r u T s g Co

Luke Gower is sitting in his Bondi home, dotting the i's and crossing the t's for the release of COG’s brand new album Sharing Space and the album’s subsequent tour. Setlists, check. Lighting rigs and sound guy, check. Merch? “Oh man, this stuff is a bit of a mindfuck,” he says. “It’s my thing to look after, but we tend to go pretty hard on the merch and we’re just trying to sort that out for the tour at the moment.”

Cog haven’t really been strangers to Australian stages over the years.

They are triple j darlings, having been nominated for the J Award with their first album The New Normal, and have secured a headlining spot for the One Night Stand gig in Collie, WA, in late April. Having just come off their What If single tour and a round of shows for Youth Week, the trio are preparing for many a sleepless night ahead before the album tour, which kicks off in May. “We have 25 rehearsals before the tour,” he laughs. “We’re going everywhere mate; I think there are something like 30 to 40 shows for the tour alone. Trust me. We’ll be coming to a place near you.”

It was around nine years ago that Luke Gower grabbed a bass guitar and auditioned for his brother’s new project. Alongside Flynn Gower on guitar and Lucius Borich on drums, they became an instrumental trio that began gigging without a vocalist. Flynn then decided to take the vocal reigns when no-one else seemed fit to do the job, and the line-up has remained since. “There was a lack of good entries,” Gower chuckles.

“So that’s when we decided to get it right and do it ourselves. We haven’t come to punches yet.”

Getting it right seems to be the band motto. “It can be so time-andmoney-consuming if you get out there on tour and you’re just not ready,” Gower says. “We didn’t want to go into the studio and just make 'The New Normal II,' we didn’t go in writing our songs a particular way, we just wanted to do the second album properly.”

The band headed back over to Radio Star Studios in Weed, (yes, Weed) California, where they recorded The New Normal, to record Sharing Space – the album title inspired by the people in the small town. “It’s a funny little place, I guess you could say it’s got a hippie commune feel with a redneck exterior,” he laughs. “Sharing Space is taken from them; instead of saying ‘hey, thanks for chillin’ out,’ they’ll come to you and say ‘hey, thanks for sharing space.’ We named the song, and then decided that would make an awesome album title.”

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The process took about six months in total, from writing to recording to mixing. “I guess that’s longer than most bands for recording an album,” Gower muses. “We didn’t want to rush things, but for us it’s always a process of culling, not the other way around. After we made that decision to record a second album, we tossed up a few ideas about going with someone else this time but in the end we decided that we should go back to California for that level of comfort and familiarity.”

The new material has been received well by Cog fans, to the obvious appreciation of Gower. “We road tested the new material a while back, and we had a chance to do that on the What If tour we’ve just done.

It’s really nice to look down at a setlist and see a new song. It gets the adrenaline back up, and the crowds we’re getting in are singing along which is always great to see.”

While they are known for the political undertones in their music, Cog make no apologies for doing so again this time around. What If is a fiery anthem, including the sentiment “What if in the future people just decided no more leaders fighting to control us... freedom... what if...”

Gower explains, however, that there is a difference in the way the words have been put to music for their second album. “There is a difference in Sharing Space lyrically; a huge emphasis on the words and more specific stories in each song. We wrote more personally, from the heart.”

Known for a heavier rock sound and a higher energy gig, Cog are doing their best to keep that reputation alive. “Our live show is just three dudes going for it, a good mix and match of all of our past stuff and our new stuff, and a good sound system with a good lighting system,” says Gower. “We like to reinvest in the live show, it’s a huge part of our foundation and I think it’s really brought us a bigger fan base. Since we started, touring has been a massive part of this band, our live show tries to push the bar and make it better each time.”

Finally, for all the seriousness that is conjured up in one’s mind about a heavy rock band, surely an outfit like Cog wouldn’t feel an affinity with someone, like say, Cog’s top friend on myspace, Frank Zappa? “That’s Lucius mate, he’s a massive fan, to the stage where he just had a baby and named it Zappa. I’m not joking,” he laughs. “I don’t think I’ve ever looked at the myspace. I’d rather go fishing.”

Cog play at the University of Canberra on Thursday May 29 with Kora and Jakob, both from New Zealand. Tickets on sale from Ticketek, www.cog.com.au and www.theatlasagency.com . Sharing Space is out now on Difrnt Music.

“I don’t attach labels to what we do like hardcore or numetal… We are really just a rock and roll band and I don’t really know any nu-metal records”

Dan Bigna

Safety Fi rst

Life is full of irony and there exists much evidence to support this view.

Some weeks ago I got on the phone to New York to speak to Page Hamilton who is the vocalist/guitarist for full-on hardcore exponents HELMET. Since the late 1980s, Hamilton has fronted a band for whom the term ‘heaviosity’ should have been invented. This is a band known for its pummelling rhythms, slashing guitars and Page Hamilton’s razor sharp vocal roar. It turns out that he is also one of the most softly spoken people I’ve ever come across. This might be because Hamilton wisely saves his energy in the everyday world for the lumbering musical monster that is Helmet.

Now, if only the embattled music writer could hear him in conversation, then the seemingly placid nature of the man and the raging intensity of the music could be brought together in beautiful harmony. But aside from this amusingly ironic situation, audiences will be treated to what can only be described as some much needed head cleaning, or maybe head clearing, on Helmet’s forthcoming Australian tour. The band will also be performing the 1992 classic hardcore album Meantime in its entirety.

I saw Helmet at the Big Day Out that year, and I still remember the thrill that accompanied the serrated chords and concrete rhythm of that album’s opening title track. Assisted by the many beers consumed in full sunlight before entering the cavernous Hordern Pavilion on that steaming Saturday afternoon, I became excited by the fact that Helmet had arrived in Australia with a distinctive metallic music that brought a new dimension to US hardcore. Melodic punk rock from a raft of grunge bands dominated the indie scene at the time, but the compelling intensity of Helmet was an altogether different proposition. Given this, it seems even more amazing that Helmet was snapped up for a substantial sum by the major label Interscope on the heels of the band’s crunching debut album Strap It On, released on the Amphetamine Reptile label in 1991. That album effectively established a signature sound that was comprised of a muscular instrumental roar, whiplash rhythmic repetition and screaming vocals.

But there was something else going on as well, and Hamilton is keen to talk about his formal education in jazz guitar before forming the band.

The outcome was that Helmet came to represent a fusion of New York’s downtown experimental music scene, which incorporated the corrosive anti-melodies of no-wave and free jazz, and the hardcore sounds of Black Flag, Hüsker Dü and Big Black.

Hamilton tells me that his musical training brought out an attention to detail that emerges on the tighter-than-tight arrangements of a Helmet composition, on which each of the sonic elements are carefully slotted together for maximum impact, as are the words. Hamilton’s lyrics are

more barked than sung and reflect the surreal atmosphere of New York’s dense urban environment where they were written. And then there are the guitars. On such tracks as Ironhead and Turned Out from the Meantime album, Hamilton turns out rapid notes that incorporate an internal logic and skim across the dependable repetition of the beat.

I got the impression that Hamilton is quite proud of his achievements on guitar which becomes clearer when contrasted with his lack of enthusiasm for the nu-metal tag with which the band has been labelled at various times. “I don’t attach labels to what we do like hardcore or numetal,” Hamilton says. “We are really just a rock and roll band and I don’t really know any nu-metal records.” I, for one, am more than happy to tell Hamilton that Helmet’s powerful hardcore is far removed from the pseudo funky, light metal of such poseurs as Limp Bizkit and Korn.

There might possibly be vague similarities between Helmet’s tight and minimalist funk and looser grooves found elsewhere, but the music on Meantime and the follow-up album Betty from 1994 - which represents the high point of the band’s achievements - sustains motion through a piston-like regularity. And given the tough workouts on the more recent album Monochrome, Hamilton seems content to continue pursuing his single-minded vision.

Monochrome was produced by Wharton Tiers, a veteran of the downtown scene who worked with the band in earlier days. “I had always felt comfortable working with Wharton and I had just moved back to New York,” Hamilton says. “But it wasn’t necessarily to capture a certain sound. The songwriting is a lot different these days, although there have always been certain elements that I’ve loved a lot.” Hamilton also points out that he has always been keen to develop the band’s music and this began to happen with the release of the album Betty, revealing a more textured approach that softened the edges a little but was still a blast to listen to. That album featured a fuller noisedrenched dynamic than previous work, distinguishing it from pretty much everything else at the time, and Hamilton tells me that Betty represented his increasing devotion to the songwriting craft, as well as the desire to pursue his own distinctive approach to the guitar.

Australian fans will get to see all this in live performance and also experience the blistering sonics of the Meantime album as an added treat. Wth this in mind, the fact that Page Hamilton is a quiet-talker is merely a minor detail.

Helmet play at the ANU Bar on Friday May 2 with locals Using Three Words and Tonk in support. They'll perform Meantime from start to finish, plus all the classics and a couple of new tracks too. Tickets on sale from Landspeed Records, ANU Union and Ticketek (132 849). bma magazine 13

ALL AGES

Groovings, one and all. No fillers boys and girls, not this edition, not this time, not over my dead body.

May 3 (not April 26 anymore - hurrah for last minute date

changes!) will bring us Paqman’s final Canberra show, though hopefully not for ever. As one of Canberra’s best flocks to the big lights of Melbourne just as others before them have done, we say goodbye through the medium of a massive fuck-off show. But wait, there’s more. Alongside Paqman will be GSD, Dissection and Fistful Of Nothing for full support. GSD and Dissection will also be leaving hand in hand with Paqman when they make their journey to Melbourne. It’s like one big incredibly fun-to-dance-to family. The show will be held out at The Greenroom (where else?) and

Brace for the waterworks, Paqman are orf... starts at 1pm. $5. I wish you all well on your move guys, good luck.

Back to The Greenroom on April 27 for a massive show from Florida’s very own punk rock indie heartthrobs Against Me! (below).

The lads will be playing alongside Crime In Stereo before taking off to go and play the Warped Tour after they finish their Australian Tour. For those who haven’t heard the lads I would advise, as they are massive, and this show is set to be fairly wild. So “stop, take some time to think,” and then come and dance your balls off. Tickets sold through Moshtix kids.

It’s the showing Canberra hardcore kids have been baying for… After breaking up at the peak of their powers last year, Australian hardcore ambassadors I Killed The Prom Queen are heading out on one final tour of their homeland to bid a proper farewell to their legions of fans.

Sweetening the deal are Bring Me The Horizon (UK), The Ghost Inside (USA) and The Red Shore!

Tickets to their May 27 show at the UC Refectory are on sale now through Moshtix, but be quick, obviously.

And bam, it’s over like that.

Until next time amigos…

JOSH MOLONY joshmolony@hotmail.com 14 bma magazine

LOCALITY Did you guys actually know that Hanson, the three blonde evangelical Christians who brought us the lyrically brilliant Mmmbop, have gone indie and are on tour again in the US? I did not, and quite frankly, I feel swindled.

I was, after all, their numberone- biggest-ever-fan and was close to convinced that I would one day marry Taylor. (I was 13 at the peak of their fame, give me a small break). Anyway, I’m going to petition them to come back to Australia, so basically, the plan is to bombard them with myspace messages until they come here.

Then we kidnap them. Who’s with me? Hanson shows, whenever we want them!

bus it, and you can donate some dollars to help carbon offset the event. There will even be a clothes swap, yes indeedy, so bring clothes (I’m guessing preferably clean folks) to swap away. For more info, head to www.consact. org.au/greenscreen.

A rather large gig is heading through the town, with Cali-for-nians Helmet stopping in on their national tour on May 2. Using Three Words (left) and Tonk are stepping into the support slots on the Canberra stage, and it’s looking to be a rather large event.

It’s at the ANU Bar and things will

kick off there from 8pm. Using Three Words are also working on a new website to coincide with the release of their album, so stay tuned for more info on that or check ‘em out at www.myspace. com/usingthreewords .

Still on the U3W front, and seguing nicely in, there'll be Anzac day gig on at The Basement with a mammoth line-up all Aussies should be proud of. For those of you in the cheap seats, the gig is on April 25 with the legendary Penguin, System Addict, The Chuffs, Machete and Using Three Words. Entry’s a pair o’ fivers, so a tenner, on the door, which opens at 8pm in case you were wondering. For those about to rock...

Thanks for your time.

CAZ DENNES cazzed@hotmail.com

Of course, you’d know by now that Casual Projects (pictured below) are set to launch their new album No Rest. You know it’s serious when Kerri-Anne Kennerley invites you onto her show to perform, which the guys did recently. They’ve been on their first single Move Along tour in anticipation of the launch.

You’ll be able to catch them at the ANU Bar from 8pm on April 18, joined by special guests D’Opus and Roshambo and the Andi and George Band. Cas-P are on facebook and myspace, so check their sites out for further info.

Speaking of The Andi and George Band, they’ll be forming part of the musical lineup for Greenscreen, a free short film and music night in Garema Place to promote sustainable living, on May 2. It’ll be green powered and will feature films: Uranium, What Lies Beneath (produced by Mary McCartney), Adaptive Greening, The Fridge, and Imagine, and other musical acts will include Caracol, and Changeable Dan. Organisers of the event are recommending you get there as ‘greenly’ as possible - walk, ride or bma magazine 15

DANCE: THE DROP It seems dance music in the fine capital city of Australia is experiencing a gleeful resurgence as the cold months threaten to settle in. Gigs both small and superhuge pepper the calendar ahead. If only someone had a dance column to write about them all…

“Praise be unto Allah!” I unwisely called out at Church one Sunday, upon hearing the news that revered Japanese turntablist DJ Krush will be making a very, very welcome return visit come May 22. The man is a unique and important artist amongst the pantheon of hip-hop greats, and his sets are always gleefully trippy experiences, laced with a healthy portion of turntable trickery.

Miss out at your peril. Tix $25 plus BF from Landspeed, ANU Union and Moshtix.

Doors open 8pm with support from Canberra-Sydney love child Bec Paton.

The Warehouse Winter festival is off to a powerhouse start, with first release tickets sold out. It’s a thoroughly Funkrusher Plus: international affair, with Mixmaster Mike The revered DJ KRUSH pays (Beastie Boys), Hybrid (UK), Cassius us a welcome visit (France), Utah Saints (Something Good, UK), Bonde Do Role (Brazil), Mr Oizo (Ed Banger) and a slew of others (flick to pages 2 and 3 for the full line-up). Talking to Jeff Town (Drake) last week, he assured me stupid amounts of money are also being thrown on production and décor, including some massive balls. You heard me.

Interviews on a lot o’ the acts are forthcoming in these pages, so stick wiv. In the meantime, leap onto YouTube and search for Utah Saints Something Good 2008 and enjoy the quaint video. There’s a nifty High Contrast mix of said track floating around there too.

Shuffle, DJ Rush, Shunji, D’Opus, Hubert and Dave Norgate in tow. $15 B4 11pm, $20 after.

On May 9, the electro-clash-come-breakbeat might of T-Rek can be witnessed. Fast forward to Saturday June 8, and the so-hot-right-now Stupid Fresh clan will be making a stopover. And that’s not all. The lads have a few big names on the cards, but with the ink not yet dry on the contract, we’ll all just have to be patient and see if they pan out. In the meantime, flick your eyes below for a full report on their DJ comp.

That erstwhile Academy stomper Chris Fraser is up to his old tricks again. Not those ones – he was cleared of that, remember? No, the former Canberra #1 and now Sydney DJ/producer has unleashed the second installment in his Raw series, delivering a no-doubt scorching two disc mix of hot electro, chunky house and rocking main room sounds. If, like most hot blooded homosapiens, you want more of Mr Fraser, then jump onto his myspace myspace.com/chrisfraserishere .

In other ‘former Canberran’ good news, Koolism’s Hau Latukefu has elbowed Maya Jupiter out of the way to secure himself as presenter of The Hip Hop Show on triple j every Monday. “Lucky I’m a size 13,” Hau says,” because Maya is leaving some big shoes to fill! She has been the voice of Australian hip-hop on radio for years. I’m really excited to carry on the legacy, and am looking forward to the challenges. I may not be as pretty but, hey, it’s radio!” 10pm is the time to tune your dial to 101.5fm.

In other spinerific news, the Gungahlin based Mixmaster Workshops are still going strong. Steaming into their third year, spinmaster sensei Dave Scully informs me “some of the young DJs are now really stepping it up! I saw some sweet mixes the other night from DJ Bricksta and Jay FM – these guys are only 15 to 16 and are definitely gonna give some DJs a run for their money in the next couple of years.”

The mixmaster workshops are free and run from 6.30 to 8.30pm on Tuesday nights at the Gungahlin Youth Centre. Scully himself has been busy in the studio as part of Crooked Sound System. You can check out a few of their tracks at www.myspace.com/crookedsoundsystemspace .

Bleep @ Transit is back. Isn’t that nice? And celebrating the occasion on Friday April 18 is DJ PQM (Prince Quick Mix). The New York native, affectionately known as Quick, is the man responsible for the 1997 house music interpretation of Led Zeppelin’s Babe I’m Gonna Leave You, as well as Ibiza classic of 2001 The Flying Song, although I'm told he will be hitting us with his hip-hop flavours in true block party style. Support from Ronnie Gordon, Mig. L, Bruisa, Alex McLeod and Nick Smith. As always, it’s free entry, so get up on it like this.

And finally, the contestants for the next Podwarz are officially in. In the words of organiser Ro you can witness “BMA – Podwarz 2 winners and Pod-veterans back to attempt to reclaim the title, The Fly (Canberra Times) – the media aficionados will finally show us what their personal music tastes are made of, after supporting the scene for many, many years! Exposed – those dance-genius promoters are here to strut their stuff for the first time! And finally... Transit Bar – the hosts of Podwarz will attempt to lay claim to the title in their own backyard!!!“

Pang are really putting themselves, and Lot 33, on the Canberra map this year, with a gig tally to rival a Rambo body count. On Anzac Day Eve (that’s April 24 to you commies), The Funktrust DJs arrive with Aston

There Will Be Blood.

Pang! DJ Comp – Final with Pang! Lynchpin and judge Hugh Foster

Congratulations to all involved. It was a great night complete with a lot of new faces. Everyone played to such a high standard and we will certainly be seeing some new talent playing at future Pang! parties.

Pang’s first ever DJ Competition, comprising 34 talented entrants playing 30 minute sets, had its final on April 4 with the top 11 DJs making the cut.

Adam Miller (5th) started the night off with a unique selection of prog and electro. He had a solid crowd in support, which helped him create a great vibe early. DJ Beat It (4th) hit the decks at 1.30am, when the club was close to capacity. This kid certainly delivered under the pressure. His set featured big club bangers, from the likes of Stupid Fresh, Twocker and Bass Kleph. Sean Kelly (3rd) stepped up next, and this guy is certainly a true talent. Sean brought a lot of energy to his set and mixed seamlessly. Fourthstate was second last to play, and the crowd was raring to hear this young gun in action. It’s not often a DJ with only 30 minutes to play can manipulate a crowd and create there own vibe, but Fourtstate did exactly that with a giddy blend of prog, house and electro. The punters loved his set and he definitely left no room for error for Scottie Fischer (pictured), the last to play. Scottie took the same approach as Fourthstate and started with some deeper tunes. This is not the normal style played at Lot 33, yet the crowd loved every second of it.

The biggest thing that impressed myself and the judges was that Scottie Fischer showed up to play his own records and his own style. He didn’t need the current main room favourites to capture the crowd, he stayed true to his preferred genre and delivered an outstanding performance.

ALLAN “95% MAN” SKO

A big thanks again to everyone that came and Pang DJ Comp Winner SCOTT FISCHER showed support. I am also pleased to announce that the competition will run again in the near future….

Official Final Results: 1st - Scott Fischer - Received a brand new Pioneer CDJ1000mk3, guest warm up set at the next Pang! party.

2nd - Fourthstate - 4 Free passes to any Pang! event, guest spot at Pang! party 3rd - Sean Kelly - $100 Bar Tab 4th - Beat It 5th - Adam Miller

J D a m ' I , e Trust M

“… neither of us have ever had the musical attention span to confine ourselves to one kind of music…”

Tim Galvin

There is an urban legend that speaks of two soul Jedis clashing with these titans of the slow jam in an epic all-or-nothing funk-off, which subsequently removed the Funky Bunch from the annals of music history forever. These two faceless Motown maulers are rumoured to be… Wil Styles and Learned Hand.

FUNKTRUST DJS won’t tell you about that fateful day; they would rather let their music speak for itself. But as Learned Hand explains, there was a beginning to the journey le funk.

"Many years ago in a land far, far away, I got into the jungle and hardcore breakbeat scene; I think it was around '92 or ’93 and I overpaid for a shitty pair of turntables and started mixing. I knew Wil through another friend and I remember the real turning point for us was one day I was on my way to an underage rave and was walking down George Street and I ran into him wearing no less than three assorted flannel shirts. He was into the whole grunge rock thing back then. Fast forward to six hours later and he was on top of a podium with all three of the shirts off and one of them on his head. It was at that moment that we realised," Learned Hand laughs.

Their big break was catalysed by a weekly Thursday night at The Globe in Sydney, cementing their position in the Sydney dance music community. “We put together a demo with I think about 47 tunes on it, which back then was really different. I think Wil spent many nights sleeping beside his computer, only awaking every 15 minutes to burn another copy; we handed them out to everyone. A new club called The Globe opened up and they asked us to come in and that was it!”

The guys have also been running their own successful radio show on triple j. “The show on Fridays (Radio Funktrust) is in its second year and is still as stupid as ever. It allows us to play all kinds of music and that’s great because neither of us have ever had the musical attention span to confine ourselves to one kind of music, so we play anything from soul and funk to drum 'n' bass. We haven’t gotten fired yet; we actually spilt beer on the mixing panel and that would have been a reason to get rid of us, but they didn’t, so that’s a great sign!”

Heading to Canberra soon, they bring their eclectic mix of hip-hop, funk, soul, breaks, house... Hell, pretty much anything that can be forced into a CD player or onto a turntable will find its way into a Funktrust DJ set!

"Last time we played in Canberra it was a public holiday the next day; we made friends with the bar staff and at some stage someone must have pulled out a magic marker. So here we are rocking up to the airport for the rockstar flight back at 6.30 in the morning and after we checked in I remember we all turned to each other and went ‘man, that girl was looking at us funny when we checked in!’ and then realised we all had moustaches and black lines drawn all over our faces! We then boarded the commuter flight with all the business people and were the only ones on the whole plane that ordered beer for breakfast! So I would say [our next visit] would be a variation on that theme," he laughs.

Pang! presents The Funktrust DJs, playing on Thursday April 24 (Anzac Day Eve) at Lot 33 alongside The Aston Shuffle, DJ Rush, Shunji, D'Opus, Hubert and Dave Norgate. Entry $15 before 11pm, $20 after.

Dastardly Rogues lished as ty estab along. We t re p y d alrea Jaxx” came “We weres when Natalie like Basement n re o ia music J duo a bit m were a D Caitlin Croucher So it seems that Ramsey Street (Neighbors to those of you less cultured) breeds more pop stars than ugly houses. Anybody who once indulged in late afternoon bouts of quality television may remember seeing Izzy, the psychopathic but undeniably attractive receptionist to Dr Karl Kennedy (sigh), suddenly appear leather clad and more than a little provocatively dressed on TV Hits, singing for a pop rock band called ROGUE TRADERS and looking pretty damn happy too. It took everyone a while to adjust but eventually Izzy became Natalie Bassingthwaighte, Karl’s receptionist by day, sexy lead singer of Rogue Traders by night. She was a bit like superman. Except not really.

It seems the word ‘pop’ is kind of dirty in this day and age. Attach that to an ex-soap star, shove it in a room full of indie kids and suddenly there is an eerie quiet that surrounds. Rogue Traders have certainly faced this kind of criticism, but they shrug off such derision because, at the end of the day, they’re still good musicians and they’re doing what they love.

Rogue Traders have been around for a lot longer than Natalie’s perkier points, it should be understood. Originally a two-piece, “we were already pretty established as musicians when Natalie came along. We were a DJ duo a bit more like Basement Jaxx.” When Rogue Traders released their debut album in 2003, the boys knew this was the beginning of a beautiful friendship. “We write a lot of songs about going out and partying. I was heavily involved in dance music when we decided to find a female vocalist, but it just naturally progressed into something a little less nightclub orientated.”

James describes their latest release Better in the Dark as “a bit more rocky. We’d just done Homebake and been to the Arias when we started recording. That’s what happens, you get a guitar riff in your head!”

So what exactly is Better in the Dark? James twitters a little and we both don’t say the word ‘sex’ to avoid seeming sleazy. Well, I do at least. He may be less of a pervert. They actually got the name from a restaurant.

“There’s a famous place in New York where they serve you everything in the dark,” James explains. “The idea is that everything is amplified, because you can’t look at it.” Not that you can really look at music unless you see it in colours like the guy from The Red Paintings - but you get his drift. “Food is better in the dark. So is music sometimes.”

Not that Better in the Dark specifically needs to be heard in a darkened room with the lights off; that’s just depressing. It’s an eclectic mix of “big guitar riffs, orchestral arrangements, fast energetic punk, and futuristic grooves,” complimenting the theatrical onstage performance of their singer. “The last time we played in Canberra it was one of the best gigs that we’ve ever done. There was a kind of electric vibe that went around the audience,” James remembers fondly. The Traders are most certainly coming back this time around, so anybody with a love of the band or possibly just a creepy obsession with Neighbors can stalk Natalie after the show. Either way, I’m sure Dr Karl Kennedy will be there watching from the shadows. Everyone knows it was a real romance, after all. “Can we stop talking about Neighbors?” James asks. “You must get really sick of that!” I jest. “Actually, nobody ever mentions it...”

The Rogue Traders will doing all kinds of things on stage at the ANU Bar on Thursday May 15. Tickets are on sale from Ticketek.

Stay Positive

"My outl hopeful. ook has become .. so I gue ss that sha bit more positiv e ines thro ugh lyric and a lot more ally on th e record" Peter Krbavac

I’m no more than half a minute into my conversation with Muph when the shrill blast of brass cuts through our idle discussion about the weather in our respective states. As it turns out, MUPH AND PLUTONIC are putting the finishing touches to the first cut from their forthcoming third LP. “Our first single’s getting mastered on Monday so that goes out probably next week,” he informs me. “We only found out we were going to release that about four days ago so that’s why we’re finishing it up today.

"We’ve got two days to come up with the title of it," he continues. "We’re laying down the live horns for it now. The song’s about my passion for hip-hop, the way I feel about it and what it’s done for me. It’s a pretty straight-up hip-hop track with a soulful edge to it."

And the single’s parent album isn’t too far away either. All going to plan, it should hit the racks in late July.“We’ve still got to finalise a lot of the tracks but we’ve only got about four that really need a lot of work,” Muph says.

“We’re pretty close to finishing, we’ve got about ten tracks down so we’re just tightening things up a bit at the moment. We’re not too far away.”

As previously reported, the record will incorporate a good deal of live instrumentation alongside Plutonic Lab’s studio wizardry. “We’re combining sampling and a lot of live stuff, and moulding them together.

But it’s still a pretty sample-heavy record - it’s chopped up a lot.” Details are still hush hush, but Muph reveals that Obese label boss Pegz has lent his vocal talents to proceedings, alongside guest axe-slingers, ivorytinklers, and possibly even a mysterious harmonica player.

“It’s relatively diverse, but I guess it’s got more of a bouncy, upbeat vibe to it,” Muph reflects.“It’s not quite as dark as the last one. It’s a lot more positive and a little less cynical, but there’re still hints of cynicism in there.”

Muph’s somewhat oblique when discussing his altered perspective on life, saying only that he’s “made a lot of changes in the past year or so within my own life, so I guess my outlook has become a bit more positive and a lot more hopeful. I left work, so now I’m concentrating on music full time and I’ve made a few decisions which have thrown me in the deep end but I’m excited about that, so I guess that shines through lyrically on the record.”

But before the new LP is unleashed upon an unsuspecting nation, the pair will leap aboard the Obese Block Party convoy, which for the first time in its five year existence will take in the ACT. A block party veteran, Muph is only too happy to paint a picture for the uninitiated. “As soon as the night starts it’s pretty much act after act,” he explains. “It’s a pretty punchy night so you’re quite entertained the whole way through. A diverse line-up of acts punch through six tracks each and often there’s a little encore where all the artists get up and do a little thing. It’s just a great night, it’s like a party really," he summarises.

"It’s going to seem like a really obvious thing to say," Muph says when I ask him about the best aspect of being on the Obese imprint, "but pretty much the Block Parties. They’re definitely a highlight. Getting to travel around with a bunch of hooligans, having a few drinks and so forth…" he chuckles mischievously. "That’s definitely one of the biggest bonuses of being on the label."

Muph and Plutonic play the Obese Records Block Pary at the ANU Bar on May 23, alongside the majority of the label's roster. Tickets from www.oztix.com.au, ANU Union, Landspeed and Writer's Block.

d n a l r e d n o W r e t n i W

"I think it’s going to raise the bar on people’s expectations of production and interactive performance. It’s a warehouse party but it’s going to be a carnival atmosphere with interactive performers amongst the crowd and décor that people probably won’t have seen before" Henry Holland It’s that time of year again when you’re probably thinking about all the movies you’re going to hire to keep you entertained while you hide under a pile of blankets until winter passes. Yes, we’ve all tried to brave the Canberra cold for a night on the town only to snap an ID card in an attempt to scrape ice off the windscreen while simultaneously acquiring a healthy dose of hypothermia. You may even be seconds away from throwing this very magazine on the fire to stave off winter’s encroaching chokehold for just a little longer. But wait, dear reader, for I have news that will warm the heart of every music lover. Friction Event Management and Lexington Music, those handsome devils that brought you Foreshore in December, have teamed up once more to bring you WAREHOUSE WINTER MUSIC FESTIVAL. This is sure to be one party worth battling through a blizzard for. With the likes of Beastie Boys’ wizard Mixmaster Mike, French boffins Cassius and Mr Oizo and chaotic Brazilians Bonde Do Role already confirmed for the bash, it’s no wonder Canberra party-goers are losing their shit.

One man who is especially excited is local club icon and Friction headhoncho Jeff Drake.“I’m pretty pumped about what we’ve got, I feel like it’s a good combination of stuff that people have heard as well as some acts that people wouldn’t know,” Drake says.“Acts like Bonde Do Role are very current and they are going to blow people away because their performance is just so dynamic. Then you’ve got a big heritage act with Mixmaster Mike and the Beastie Boys connection there – it’s going to be big.”

Drake says punters have been crying out for a large-scale mid-year festival in the ACT.

“It’s that hybrid of indoor and outdoor,” he enthuses. “It’s perceived as being a little more underground and the acts are a little more underground than what we had at Foreshore. People can expect more of that big-room production experience and being winter in Canberra we’re going to ensure that people are warm and comfortable.”

As well as the aforementioned international headliners, the biggest Australian names will also be on show. Perennial party-starter Kid Kenobi, Australia’s number-one DJ Ajax and fresh-faced future-stars Gameboy/Gamegirl will all be bringing their A-games to the capital amongst a host of others. Warehouse will also feature some of Canberra’s best up-and-coming talent with a huge local contingent getting a chance to make the people dance.

“I think it’s going to raise the bar on people’s expectations of production and interactive performance,” Drake quips. “We’re also putting a lot of focus into delivering really amazing décor. It’s a warehouse party but it’s going to be a carnival atmosphere with interactive performers amongst the crowd and décor that people probably won’t have seen before. It’s all about taking the clubbing experience to the next level.”

Warehouse Winter Music Festival hits town on Saturday May 31 at the AIS Arena. First release tickets have sold out and final release tickets ($64.95 + BF) are on sale now through Ticketek and Landspeed.

Scott Adams

n o D l l a h e c n a D

The great thing about this ‘job’ is that occasionally the chance comes up for you, the journalist, to talk to someone you go back a long way with.

You might not actually know them, but they’ve been there popping up from time to time as a reference point in your life. For me, DON LETTS is such as man. One of Britain’s artistic survivors, you may know him best musically for his work with Mick Jones of The Clash in Big Audio Dynamite or for films such as Dancehall Queen, Punk: Attitude or the marvellous Clash doco Westway to the World, or for the well known fact that it was Letts’ DJ sessions at London’s Roxy club that sparked the whole punk/reggae cross-cultural exchange in the mid '70s. He has carved a unique niche as a multi-media artist over the last 30 years and, luckily for us, is coming down under (though not, obviously, to Canberra) for a series of shows that cover all the areas of his multi-media creative life.

I put it to him over the early-morning phone line that it’s been a varied and, no doubt, interesting life. “You say multi-media, but for me, although they are very distinct areas that I’ve worked in, they all run from the same core, which is me. I think when you’re someone from the left of centre, like me, diversity is the key. I’ve got a lot of tentacles, but they all run from the same body!”

While the Octopus Don image sinks in (not so difficult to envisage, actually, when you remember the extravagant dreads in evidence during the BAD old days), I ask Letts which of his ‘tentacles’ has given him the most satisfaction over the years. “It’s hard to answer that sort of question, isn’t it? I think overall, and although I’m very proud of the work I did with Big Audio Dynamite, feature films are the most satisfying thing. Certainly for me, as a first-generation black living in England, to make a film like Dancehall Queen and to receive approbation and respect from Jamaicans, to be told that you’ve had a culture-changing impact on the whole island, the island that your parents came from… that was a pretty big thing for me, and I feel I can be pleased about that.

But then I’m very proud of my work with The Clash too, so…”

Ah, The Clash. Although it’s the Don we’re here to talk about, I ask in passing what he thought about Julien Temple’s Joe Strummer documentary, The Future is Unwritten. So far Letts has been the consummate ‘up!’ interviewee, but now he audibly catches his breath and takes a second to compose himself.“It was very confronting. And difficult for me. A lot of footage of Joe, who obviously I was very close to… a lot of the footage of him talking about his early life I actually shot myself. Some of the stuff there was actually outtakes from Westway, so yes, it was difficult.”

I remark that the film had a tremendously emotional affect on me – I didn’t even know the man, yet it simultaneously uplifted and saddened me to watch. He had a big impact on those who knew him. “Definitely.

And, as you say, if it had that effect on you, without that ‘intimate’ acquaintance with Joe, you can imagine how it felt to watch as a friend.”

Indeed. But enough maudlinness, back to the Don. How’s this upcoming tour shaping up?

“You say multi-media, but for me, although they are very distinct areas that I’ve worked in, they all run from the same core, which is me. I think when you’re someone from the left of centre, like me, diversity is the key. I’ve got a lot of tentacles, but they all run from the same body!”

“Very well. Although I’m a big technology fan, I do really enjoy the cultural exchange that comes from getting out and meeting people, anywhere in the world. Even though the world is getting smaller and, to a certain extent, more samey thanks to the internet and everyone watching the same TV shows, I’m constantly encouraged by the fact that – and whether this is because I’m totally linked with the punk movement I don’t know – I seem to meet lots of young people who aren’t celebrity obsessed, who are determined to be different and achieve success outside of the norm, and that’s a fact to be celebrated.”

So punk is alive and well? It hasn’t been swallowed by the machine?

“Well, of course that depends on your standpoint. For me punk was something that predated the whole late '70s thing anyway, so yes, people who stay outside the norm who are like me, slightly more left of centre, those people are still alive, of course. So yes.”

It’s interesting to hear this from a man who, at 52, could easily be slipping into ‘grumpy old man’ territory. This assertion brings a cackle. “I was asked the other day about that. I’m not grumpy, but I do get angry about things.

I am an angry old man. In the '70s, we used to say never trust anyone over the age of 30. Now I’m not so sure. Maybe it’s the other way around!”

Enough of this generationism. After such a time in the spotlight as a multi-media artist, is there anything Don Letts hasn’t done that he feels he’d like to turn his hand to? Again, a pause for thought. “You know, if I was really pushed I guess I’d say I’d still like to make a feature film based in, around and about London. I love this city, its buzz, its multiculturalism, and I’d really like to reflect that in film. Other than that, I do what I do – like I said, there are many tentacles, but I’m like a shark, always moving forward. So I do what I do. I don’t think too much about it. When you are like me, a left of centrist, you need to diversify to pay the mortgage, so this week I’m DJing, I have a radio show, whatever it takes. But a London film I like the idea of. It’s a movie in pre-production, like so many are!”

But while I’m happy to chew the cud in this scattershot fashion with a man who is easily one of the most interesting interviewees I’ve come across in a long while, we still need to talk more about the show. Don – the show? “From what I can gather, the running order goes like this: we’ll show two or three of the films I’ve made, after each of which I’ll take questions from the audience, then I’ll be reading from my book (the recently released Culture Clash) – I don’t particularly enjoy that, but they’ve asked me to do it so I’m happy to oblige – and then I’ll finish the night off DJing, much in the style in which I made my name in the '70s.

I’m really looking forward to it!”

And so should we all be. Just one last question Don. These Q&A sessions, do you find that, wherever you are in the world, there’s someone in the audience that knows more about Don Letts than Don Letts himself?

“Always. Which is good, because, even though much of my public persona is unusually well documented, I have actually forgotten most of what happened!”

Don Letts, The Rebel Dread himself, presents Dread Walkabout, an evening of film, music and word at on Saturday May 10 at the Manning Bar, Sydney University. Doors from 8pm, tickets from Moshtix.

COMING SOON: FRI May 23rd

"We've in, genehad a few gu then ra rally shirtless ys walk ,a ndomly start M nd Cing"

OBESE BLOCK PARTY TUES May 27th

KISSCHASY + THE DONNAS WED May 28th

For The B irds

FAKER + GRAFTON PRIMARY FRI May 30th

SEBASTIAN BACH TUES May 27th

Peter Krbavac

THE AUDREYS

The more astute Canberra punter may have noticed the BIRDS LOVE FIGHTING banner emblazoned, with increasing frequency, on many a flyer over the past year. The loose collective comprises a motley assortment of housemates, bandmates and friends, led by Warwick Smith, the binding agent that holds the whole flan together. Kind of like flour, but more rock ‘n’ roll.

+ J WALKER (MACHINE TRANSLATIONS) TUES June 24

ROSETTA

+ 4DEAD AND SLOWBURN

The seed for the BLF was planted when a friend asked Warwick to organise a show for ambient/electronic Alps of NSW. “I put on a show for Alps with a whole bunch of local acts and it went really well,” he recalls, “therefore I got hooked on organising shows. Through Alps came a whole bunch of other smaller acts which I put on at The Front, and that’s where it began. I didn’t know what I was doing, and I still don’t,” he laughs.

From there, with the aid of modern technology, the Birds Love Fighting empire has expanded slowly but surely. According to Warwick, it was simply a case of “starting out really small and just making friends on Myspace, dare I say it, and emailing people. We emailed bands that we liked and asked them to come to Canberra and suggested they booked shows in Sydney and elsewhere along the way so that they had a financial reason to come.” Although, as Warwick proudly points out, “we haven’t had a show when someone has lost money” – an impressive feat for any DIY promoter, let alone someone operating in the notoriously unpredictable Canberra scene.

As Warwick explains, Birds Love Fighting was “built up around the fairly regular Front gigs. Then due to noise complaints and random arseholes attending The Front gigs and ruining the night for everyone, we decided to move any of those weirder, crazy loud nights to Bar 32 where we had a connection with them due to DJing at Rev.” Gangbusters has since cultivated a formidable reputation, to the point where the eager youth of Canberra, up for an evening of cheap thrills and teenage kicks, will generally turn up regardless of who’s hacking away onstage. As our man Smith aptly puts it, it’s “a guaranteed best $5 you’ll spend all fortnight.”

“Let’s be honest,” he says. “Since Toast closed there hasn’t been anywhere to put on your crazy art school-vibe party. Not saying I’m trying to replicate something that was awesome in the past, but there’s nowhere else in Civic to have loud, crazy, obnoxious bands supported by fantastic local bands - and quiet stuff as well!” He’s not wrong.

Since October, Gangbusters has hosted everyone from brain-rattling Melbourne post-punk fiends Witch Hats to cute-as-two-buttons New Zealand indie pop darlings The Brunettes, as well as a slew of Canberra’s finest. And of course, there’s always Civic’s standard assortment of human detritus to liven up any night. “At one or two Gangbusters we've had a few guys walk in, generally shirtless, and then randomly start MCing at particular points during people’s sets," Warwick laughs.

For BLF’s next venture Grass Stains, Warwick has, in true style, sniffed out another out-of-the-way venue – local fashion emporium I Trip I Skip, nestling in the heart of swinging Braddon. “The next one’s in May and it’s a combination of fashions on the field and good ol’ rock ‘n’ roll music.

I shouldn’t use the words ‘slice of Melbourne,’ should I?” he laughs.

And with the recent reopening of the second level of Bar 32, things are only - quite literally – looking up for this rag-tag crew, and in turn any punter in Canberra seeking something a little left of centre.

For more info, head to the BLF communications hub - www.myspace.com/ birdslovefighting - or their legit (but more minimalist) website at www.birdslovefighting.com .

FRI Apr 18

April/May CASUAL PROJECTS

-NO REST ALBUM LAUNCH+ ANDI AND GEORGE BAND, D'OPUS & ROSHAMBO $15 PRINCIPAL ENTERTAINMENT PRESENTS

FRI May 2

SAT May 10 THU MAY 15

HELMET (USA)

+ USING THREE WORDS & TONK Tix on sale NOW @ Ticketek

THE PANICS

+ SPECIAL GUESTS Tix on sale NOW @ Ticketek

ROGUE TRADERS

+ SPECIAL GUESTS Tix on sale NOW @ Ticketek LANDSPEED Present

DJ KRUSH

+ SPECIAL GUESTS Tix @ Landspeed *Tickets thru Ticketek. Transaction fees apply.

Pre-purchase tickets & guarantee entry!

METALISE Double horns to you all.

Children of Bodom are touring in June.

Finland’s brutal quintet are undoubtedly one of the bigger modern metal acts, if going by the sheer weight of advertising I see for this band and guitarist Alexi Laiho in magazines! Touring on the back of their brand new album Blooddrunk, the band’s tour hits The Enmore Theatre in Newtown, Sydney on Tuesday June 24 and is an all ages show. So hit mum and dad up now and start chopping and stacking the firewood so you can go.

When the pedigree of a band involves two of Canberra’s most all-time brutal death acts Psychrist and Dehuman, you KNOW that there’s going to be an unrelenting wall of quality brutality unleashed by local act Infinitum. The band have prepared a ten track album entitled Behold Eradication that was recorded and produced locally with Kimmo at KV Productions. The band is doing a self release while the album is shopped around labels. For more info or to order the record, check the bands' websites, www.myspace.com/infinitumoz or www.infinitum.us .

Alternatively, you can buy the record from the band direct at a huge metal bill on May 9 at The Basement out in Belconnen. The Behold Eradication album launch will see Infinitum ably supported by Rookwood (Syd), Aeon of Hours, Ironwood (Syd) and locals Point 17.

We’ll review the album next issue.

Alchemist are preparing to unleash their psychedelic uniqueness in their third and highest profile run of European shows with a performance at the Graspop Metal Meeting in Dessel, Belgium in June.

Before the lads head overseas though, they’re doing a run of Aussie shows and of course no Aussie tour is complete without the hometown show. On Saturday May 3, the ANU will host Alchemist, Pod People and Looking Glass in an all-out sonic sensory assault.

Cut Sick feature recent gigging visitor Agents of Abhorrence drummer Max on skins and are playing at the Pot Belly in Belconnen on Friday May 16 with Hardluck, Eat A Brick and Eye-Gouge.

More international touring news with a modern flavour comes in the form of Drowning Pool, who tour Australia in May and June for the first time since their 2002 BDO spot. Along for the ride are fellow yanks Puddle Of Mudd. You can see both bands at The Enmore Theatre in Sydney on June 3. Tickets on sale Friday April 18.

Saxon’s last-minute tour didn’t happen last year, but thankfully, one of NWOBHM’s best will be back Wednesday May 7 in Sydney at The Forum. Lord will ably support and all reports on the band live of late have been really good.

Korn, Biohazard, Chimaira, Throwdown and Bloodsimple running times for Sydney have been acquired in secret by Metalise for those that care to attend. I’m still scarred from seeing one of Biohazards’ onstage moshing crew smear poo into his chest on the first Slayer tour in Wollongong, so er, wish them well for me and maybe stand back a bit during their show. Running times: ticketed start - 6pm; 1st act - 6.30pm; Bloodsimple interval - 7pm; 2nd act - 7.20pm; Throwdown interval - 7.50pm; 3rd act - 8.10pm; Chimaira interval - 8.55pm; 4th act - 9.15pm; Biohazard interval - 10pm; 5th act - 10.30pm; Korn finish 11.45pm approx. NB: Times are subject to change.

JOSH doomtildeath@hotmail.com NP: An Island Insane Part I – An Island Insane – Corrupted.

Melb thrashers Cut Sick hit The Pot Belly on May 16

Tribal Rule

“We’re not just a band, we’re a group of songwriters.

We play rock and roll every night, sure, but songwriting is what we do. And I think we do it very well” Scott Adams When he realises who is on the other end of the phone, SAXON frontman, the granite-visaged Biff Byford, permits himself a chuckle.

We share a quick remembrance of our past association (I provided tour merchandise for the band for a while in the late '90s) before diving into the matter at hand – Saxon’s upcoming trip down under. Sorry, make that SAXON ARE COMING TO AUSTRALIA! It beggars belief. In the last eight months the likes of Motorhead, Iron Maiden and now Saxon – stalwarts of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal – all have made the journey to these shores, not to mention lesser lights (though not much lesser, it has to be said) such as Helloween and W.A.S.P., all finding rabid, slavering audiences ready to party like it’s 1989.

“We’ve heard a lot about the standard of Australian audiences, and we’re looking forward to meeting them. It’s just a shame that it’s taken so long,” intones the man in his unmistakeable Barnsley brogue. “But you know, heavy metal fans are the same everywhere – Japan, England, Germany, Australia. They’re good, loyal people and we love to play for them.”

It wasn’t so long ago that the band were only playing to two of those fans a night (even the dog couldn’t be bothered to turn up), as the band entered a fallow period that lasted all through the first half of the '90s. It’s a testament to Byford’s single-minded stickability that the band turned things around so spectacularly, to the point where, in terms of concert attendance, the band is even more popular now than it was in it’s early '80s heyday.

“I suppose so, but, we’re not just a band, we’re a group of songwriters, you know? We play rock and roll every night, sure, but songwriting is what we do. And I think we do it very well. So yes, things were tough, but when they get tough it gives you more time to think, to hone your skill as a songwriter. I believe the material we wrote, and are writing, after our

‘slump’ is the best music we’ve ever written. And if you look at some of our concerts there’re 40 or 50 thousand people a night, of all ages, who seem to agree with us.”

He’s bristling now, our Biff, chest puffed out ready to take on all comers. I decide to calm things down by asking about the makeup of the set for the upcoming jaunt.“That’s another thing that annoys me. People think – Saxon, '80s band, concert, must be some kind of nostalgia trip. But we only tour if we’ve something to promote, and we always mix in new stuff with the songs we have to play because we and the audience love them. I hate bands that come out every year and play the same set each time you see them.”

Is this a jibe at the ongoing Maiden nostalgia fest swamping the world at the moment?

“No, no no. Bands like us, Judas Priest, Maiden, Motörhead, you’d never see us doing shows like that. You’ve seen us how many times?”

Christ, um, At least 15 to 20.

“And have we ever played the same set twice, even on the same tour?”

No. Silence. The man need say no more. He’s right of course, and I can’t wait to see what they play for Australia. As a sign off I remark it’s been a pleasure to talk after all these years. “Yes, it was really good to talk again.

Make sure you come and see us in Sydney, we’ll have a beer!”

Saxon play at The Forum in Sydney on May 7, as well as Brisbane and Melbourne on May 5 and 6 respectively.

What are you Rebelling Against?

“I’ve only ever played in one Laundromat. We’re where there are no basements as the water levelfrom Florida, is too high” Ben Hermann “Why didn’t our last appearance at the Greenroom end well? You mean because James got knocked down by too many people being on the stage? That kind of shit happens, it doesn’t mean you stop going to a city.”

Well, not for more than two years, anyway. 26 months and two Australian tours later, AGAINST ME! return to Canberra for somewhat of a ‘take two’ of their electric, sweaty, chaotic and unfortunately brief February 2006 appearance at The Greenroom. As I read through founding member and frontman Tom Gabel’s responses – which range from impatiently terse to elaborately resentful – to my emailed questions, it is clear that his harshly honest, outspoken opinions are still burning as bright as ever.

Against Me! are a wet dream for any exclusive, underground-loving, ‘I knew them before they sold out’ punk fan who’s looking for a juicy new victim to sink their teeth into. Beginning in 1997 in the form of Tom Gabel and a humble acoustic guitar, Against Me! gradually grew to a two piece, with the release of their self-titled EP (often know as Acoustic EP) and Crimes As Forgiven By, before releasing what many regard as their seminal recording, Reinventing Axl Rose, in 2001, now with the help of a full band and electric guitars. Their progress from there to the present day, and latest offering New Wave, has reflected a gradual move away from the raw, stripped-back, folk undertones of their earlier work towards a fuller, more standard punk rock sound. Long-term fans may be quick to criticise the perceived paint-by-numbers descent into rock homogeneity, however Gabel isn’t quite so happy when people try to trivialise his musical development. “We’re not just talking about records here, we’re talking about my life. Each record happened at a certain period of time in my life, and I can look at my life and see the course of events that led me from one place to the next.”

New Wave, while musically distinctive from past records, nevertheless exhibits the strong ‘political’ threads present, and often adored, in all of Against Me!’s songs. White People for Peace is hard to misinterpret on a superficial level, while Americans Abroad takes a cynical yet poignant glance at Western economic expansionism and touring bands’ places within that. “I don’t perceive my role as a musician and political commentator. I like to play guitar and I have a big mouth and lots of opinions. I’m trying to make connections with people, let people know that it’s okay to be who they are, to think the way they think, that they aren’t alone in the world.” Gabel’s anarchist tendencies have been more than apparent in past songs such as Baby, I’m an Anarchist and Burn, however he’s quick to point out that this should hardly be an element for fans to associate around. “I consider myself a human being. I don’t need politics to give myself an identity. I agree with an anarchist’s philosophy, but it doesn’t completely encompass who I am as a person.”

Coming off the back of a tour with Foo Fighters, it’s clear that Against Me! are proud of the progress they’ve made since playing at parties and in basements (although Gabel points out that playing in basements and Laundromats is somewhat of a fan-developed myth about the band’s past, as “I’ve only ever played in one Laundromat. We’re from Florida, where there are no basements as the water level is too high”). “I’m proud of the records we’ve made, I’m proud of all the bands we’ve shared the stage with. I think continuing to play music is an achievement in itself.

That’s good enough for me. I just want to make people sing and dance.”

Against Me! will make their triumphant return to The Greenroom on Sunday April 27 for a NON-licensed all ages show. In support will be the almighty Crime in Stereo. Tickets from Moshtix.

Disco Fever! nt-garde with the ava bands… n o m m co in rock e have more the straight “I do think wands than we do with nes, to be honest” and noise bere aren’t many good o of which th Nickamc

MY DISCO are returning to Canberra next week for the fourth time in my recent memory, previously for two packed out shows at the Transit Bar and, before that, to a dedicated crowd of listeners at the now defunct Ground Floor with recent Canberran ex-pats Brisk. Tending to play with bands that don’t share too much of a similar sound to them, Ben notes that there aren’t too many bands that actually share their sound. “What we do is we try and find people and bands who are like-minded, but I do think we have more in common with the avant-garde and noise bands than we do with the straight rock bands. And it all makes for a more interesting evening, rather than trying to come up with a bunch of loud rock bands, of which there aren’t many good ones, to be honest.”

My Disco have established a fairly solid fanbase in recent years with their Melbourne underground scene-building early work (Collapse Of An Erratic Lung, Language Of Numbers) and the sparse, minimalist influence of their current sound (Cancer, Paradise). After not playing any of their earlier material at their last Canberra show, I asked Ben how the band constructs their setlist. “Whether this is for better or worse, we’ve never been the kind of band that makes a setlist based on a bit of this, a bit of that. We’ve written a new record that has a particular sound, just like the old records have their particular sound, so for this tour we’re only playing new stuff.

When we’ve tried to put old stuff in it, it feels really alien and it disrupts the flow of the set, which at the moment feels so hypnotic, so to play a song off Cancer or even something older, it feels really invasive. It’s really hard for us to play that sort of set because we try to change.”

The band recently returned from the US after playing a run of shows and recording their current album Paradise in Chicago with Big Black frontman and revered engineer Steve Albini. “He was just totally relaxed.

Lots of people have stigmas attached to him, but in all honesty it doesn’t ring true. He’s just a straight up dude who’s ultra intelligent and really into what he’s doing. He’s the same as you or me talking about Australian bands that we’re into, it'ts just that he’s from a scene where all the bands he was in and was friends with became really huge.”

In addition to recording and touring with My Disco, Ben plays shows and records with his grindcore outfit Agents Of Abhorrence and his solo creation, Blarke Bayer, as well as recording material for local Melbourne bands whenever he can. “Now that I’m not really living anywhere, it’s obviously difficult to record as much. Agents are really busy, we’ve just launched a new record and toured with Insect Warfare from Texas, plus we only really just got back from overseas. I just recorded a bunch of Blarke stuff for a bunch of labels, and I’m finding I’ve actually got more offers than I can find time to do.”

More recently, Ben produced material for a number of Melbourne underground upstarts such as Majorca, Fabulous Diamonds and Eucalypt, who are all garnering a lot of attention not only in Melbourne but around the country.“The good thing about that scene is that all the kids are really proactive in organising their own shows and the majority of them are all ages shows. They find a house or a warehouse and they make any living room a stage. It all comes in cycles. When My Disco started we were playing a lot more all ages shows and house shows and things and then it all died down. It kinda has an ebb and flow about it. At the moment it’s really good.”

My Disco play a free show at the Transit Bar on Saturday April 26 with Fabulous Diamonds. Paradise it out now on Stomp.

"There’s only ever one spot for girls and unfortunately it’s taken up by Evanescence"

Erin Cook

Primo Donnas

The line that links my parents phone in Weston Creek to Brett Anderson’s in the US is lagging. Every awkward joke I make or every gushing comment I give is met with a few silent moments as I laugh self-consciously until she adds an enthusiastic “Hell yeah!” or “Thanks”.

Goddamnit, global telecommunications: do you not understand I’m trying to talk to the woman I’ve been obsessed with since I was 14!?

Brett Anderson, the stunning vocalist/frontwoman of THE DONNAS, will be bringing her fellow rocking ladies to town for their first Australian tour since 2005, to celebrate the release of seventh album Bitchin’.

When asked about the record, Brett is unable to hide her excitement.

“This album is a dream come true! We recorded with Andreas Carlson - he did Meatloaf!” And for an outfit once known as this generation’s Runaways, it’s decidedly cock-rock. But when she begins listing the bands the girls adore, “…Poison, Def Leppard, Aerosmith…” it becomes apparent this was just a natural progression from their punk-er days.

Bitchin’ saw the band part ways with label Atlantic and shop around for another imprint to release the record, before deciding to do it themselves as the first release on their very own independent label Purple Feather Records. “We were pretty resigned to [Atlantic]. We buckled a little and it all felt wrong,” she says obliquely. The previous two albums (2002’s Spend The Night and 2004’s Gold Medal) had been released through the major. “We had to write with songwriters. We still do, but it’s a release, there’s no magic trick. For this album we really took our time. Had time to live a little!”

But Brett doesn’t sound bitter – she instead takes a very ‘industry’ point of view. “It was random we were still on Atlantic. They really took a risk with us, ‘girl bands’ never do well with rock radio. There’s only ever one spot for girls and unfortunately it’s taken up by Evanescence,” she says, almost laughing and very aware of the absurdity of this.

This is the point of conversation in which I get flustered. Not wanting to be one of no doubt hundreds of interviewers who make an issue of gender (Rolling Stone’s inaugural ‘Women in Rock’ issue, I’m looking at you and shaking my head), but still being a fan who genuinely would like to know if it does or has ever created a divide within the community, I tread carefully. Brett, ever pragmatic, states the fact.

“The Hives will always be asked about their uniforms. We did that with our t-shirts,” she says, referring to the pink shirts emblazoned with each girl’s Donnas moniker - Donna with the first initial of each member’s last name - they sported up until 1999’s Get Skintight album. “We thought, ‘maybe if we stop wearing these goddamned t-shirts, they’ll stop asking us these fucking questions. But you can’t do that with your gender.”

Fresh home from the US leg of the tour, Brett is reminiscing on her personal favourite Donnas show.“We played this festival in Germany on the same stage just hours before Iron Maiden. There were thousands of people there!

Sure, they were there for Iron Maiden, but it was still amazing.”

So, the ANU Refectory is not quite a seething sea of German metalheads, but are you still excited? "Everybody better get ready to act retarded," she warns, "'cause if they’re not, I’m going to come down off stage and make them!"

The Donnas play at the ANU Bar on Tuesday May 27 with Kisschasy and The Getaway Plan. Tickets from Ticketek on 132 849.

bma magazine 25

BLACKBOX Canal Road (WIN, Wed, 9.30pm) is slated to fill the void left by Underbelly (WIN, Wed, 8.30pm). The folks at WIN are hyping the show as another gritty Melbourne drama. Tip: when the promo material consists of glamour shots and the stars were clearly chosen for their sex appeal, it might be wise to drop the gritty tag. No fat-boy here.

There are also some interesting British dramas coming our way. The State Within (ABC, Thu May 1, 8.30pm) will appeal to West Wing-nuts and fans of Spooks. This convoluted thriller set in the British Embassy in Washington during a terrorist attack looks like living up to the BBC reputation for this kind of thing.

Mistresses (Prime, Apr 29, 9.30pm) which also sits in the thriller camp (if you’re a genre nazi) looks at the lives and complex relationships of four female friends. Sounds gushy but it’s the deceit and their undoing that provides the real drama (and danger) here – the new Cold Feet.

Architecture is not usually associated with murder but the tale of iconic modernist architect Frank Lloyd Wright includes some quite salacious revelations. Frank Lloyd Wright: Murder, Myth and Modernisation (ABC2, Sun Apr 27, 8.30pm).

Just when you thought there couldn’t possibly be a new idea for an observational doco, Prime comes to the party with Find my Family.

The show, which is about to begin production purports to reunite loved ones – only a slight step removed from existing missing persons shows Blackbox suspects.

Life in Cold Blood (WIN, Mon, 7.30pm) sounds like something that should find itself in a much later timeslot but the prefix ‘David Attenborough’s’ tells nature doco lovers they’re in for a ride through the reptile and amphibian part of the animal kingdom. Still all a bit creepy crawly.

Of all the things SCTEN is known for, hard-hitting public service docos aren’t usually high on the agenda. Its ‘special presentation’ The Truth about Binge Drinking (SCTEN, Mon Apr 21, 7.30pm) doesn’t do anything to change that. “Binge drinking is everywhere from city slickers to underage kids on the streets and desperate housewives to celebrities,” it says… pahleeeeze. Read “serious television project for UK pop star Michelle Heaton” – Saving Kids with Damien Leith ringing any bells?

First there was the bidding war, then the controversy about clashes with existing schedules. Now finally, Indian Premier League –Twenty20 cricket (SCTEN, mid-late evening, from Fri Apr 18) hits our screens.

Adrenalin junkies will be pleased to hear of the return of Red Bull Air Race (SCTEN, Sun Apr 20, 12pm). The first race comes direct from Abu Dhabi.

East of Everything (ABC, Sun May 4, 8.30pm) winds up this fortnight but the void will be filled with Kerry Armstrong’s new drama Bed of Roses (ABC, Sat May 10, 7.30pm). After her wealthy husband dies and leaves her bankrupt, she too returns home to her mother in Rainbow’s End. Not quite up to East of Everything but it explores similar territory.

And for some feel-good telly, watch Millionaires Mission (ABC, Tue Apr 29, 8.30pm). Eight British business leaders spend three weeks in a makeshift camp with World Vision. They each donate $32,500 to a fund and they have to use their skills to improve the living standards of a remote Ugandan community. Sure it’s just television but if the Ugandan village is better off and it shames some other big spenders (and the rest of us) into action, it’s good television.

Don’t miss Michael Palin’s New Europe (Prime, Sat, 7.30pm) where the world’s most intrepid traveller finds special parts of Eastern Europe that others won’t.

TRACY HEFFERNAN tracyheffernan@bigpond.com

THEATRE COLUMN While opening night drinkies are always welcome to this theatre columnist, it might perhaps be sage to adhere to the following piece of wisdom: when going to a show, don’t consume the contents of a bottle of shiraz before you sit down, then another three or four glasses during interval. This is precisely what I did Thursday night when I went to Papermoon’s An Absurd Double Bill at the ’NU Arts Centre, and what happened was this: I enjoyed the show thoroughly, I snorted like a coke-fuelled donkey, and I can’t remember what happened. I vaguely recall the hilarious tension between Jim Adamik and Julia Lamb as the teacher and pupil in The Lesson, and the out-and-out absurdity of The Bald Soprano, especially Helen Tsongas’s beautifully clipped British housewife, but other than that…

Another piece of wisdom I’ve recently garnered about going to the theatre: don’t go at all if, suffering from allergen-induced asthma from renovations to your bathroom, you will be required to be quiet throughout a live recording of a Fourplay concert at the Street Theatre.

Because unfortunately, it will mean paroxysming into your coat sleeve while you try desperately not to make noise and therefore not actually be able to enjoy the K-rad concert replete with awesome quartet covers of Killing in the Name and Sufjan Stevens and Cocteau Twins tracks. Mind my words, young apprentices. Now: Blue Balls NUTS is opening their year with a double bill of plays about that most glorious of subjects: sex. Yay! Dario Fo’s The Open Couple has been paired with Van Badham’s Morning on a Rainy Day in a double-feature of sex, lust, infidelity, polygamy, betrayal… All Good Things. Featuring a cast and production team replete with BYTs of the local scene, it’s definitely one to look forward to.

NUTS presents The Open Couple and Morning on a Rainy Day at the ANU Arts Centre Drama Lab from April 24 to 26 @ 8pm. Tix $15/$10, or $5 if you’re a NUTS member. All payable at the door. Get on it!

House of Play I told you last fortnight about The Return Of Bell: As You Like It at the Playhouse from April 22 to May 3. Just makin’ sure you know good and proper, because with Saskia Smith as Rosalind (she was Ariel in Bell’s Tempest last year, and golly! was she good) this classic bit of Bard is likely to be a cracker.

Also coming soon to the Playhouse is Heath Franklin’s Chopper: Make Deadshits History, some terrifying experiment with automata (or, to be more precise, a ventriloquist’s muppet with a mo and a potty mouth).

Apparently the show contains obscene language. Wouldn’t have guessed from the title. It’s on for one night only on April 20, so get your tickets ($32/$28) now.

Crème Your Pants The third Cabaret Crème is on at The Street Theatre on April 21 (yes, that is a Monday). Elena Kats-Chernin is performing with Natsuko Yoshimoto, and the website’s description of the show is replete with mysterious brevity: “A composer who defies categorisation.” Put that in ya verbose pipe and smoke it.

The Street Theatre presents Cabaret Crème 3: Elena Kats-Chernin at Street 1, Monday April 21 @ 5.30 and 8.30pm. Tix $30, phone 6247 1223.

Now that I’ve used replete thrice in one column, I’m going to go get a thesaurus. Chookas!

NAOMI MILTHORPE princessnaea@gmail.com

bma magazine 27

DISCOLOGY SINGLED OUT

WITH DAVE RUBY HOWE Amy Pearson Ready To Fly (Sony BMG) And the gold medal for most craptastic hokey Olympic theme goes to…

Crystal Castles Crimewave (Merok) While there are too many killer joints on the album to pick for a radio single, Crimewave works perfectly as a summation of the glory of Crystal Castles.

8-Bit bibs and bobs shuttle across the track with a feverish pulse, the drum track gets stuck on repeat and all the while the distorted and pitch shifted vox are uncannily catchy. Hot shit.

Jesse McCartney Leavin’ (EMI) This is alarming. For the second time in consecutive singles, I do indeed dig Jesse McCartney. Sure he’s still as vanilla as they come, but it’s also milky smooth. And in this case smooth is good. Real good.

MSTRKRFT Bounce (Dim Mak) Remember when MSTRKRFT were this incredibly fresh group bridging the gap between indie and electro and it was like the best thing ever? Hearing this it’s kind of hard to recall those better days. This is trash. And I’m partial to trash. But this is baaaad. It’s as though they decided to throw in the creative towel for good and ride the distortion wagon all the way to the bank/scenester groupie blowjob behind the DJ booth forever-dom.

Why bother with this unoriginal junk?

SebastiAn Motor EP (Ed Banger) Now this is awesome. Trashy but awesome. As the name would imply, this is pretty much French anomaly SebastiAn revving a motorbike ad nauseum. It chugs and grinds along like rocks scraping on sandpaper. Total mind fuck for the clubbers. I love it.

Timbaland Scream (Universal) Probably the most unintentionally funny song of the week. A) When Nicole Schreizingwhatshercunt says “Can’t hold me down, that’s why I’m here making sure things are up for you. Get it?” Yeah. Got it. Douche. Get it? Yeah. B) Basically all of the extended outro where Timbaland jacks off in our ears. I’m so ashamed.

Breakbot Happy Rabbit EP (Timberyard/Shock) The four tracks and 13 minutes on offer from Parisian noob Breakbot’s EP positively fly by. The sound is undeniably French – those lovable cheese-eating surrender monkeys must live in an electro hamlet, and rent loops ‘n’ samples from the same corner store. But this is far from the terrible

pastille I’ve asked you to swallow.

Happy Rabbit is akin to reclining on a chez lounge set in a Paris balcony, sipping wine as the sun sets (minus the opening ten seconds, which uses the same break as Gotye’s Learnalilgivinanlovin). The particular sounds hark back to turn of the century French house – those with copies of My House in Montmartre will know what I’m talking about, and Daft Punk slash Justice sample spotters will arch an eyebrow more than once – but the soft edge, and deft pop arrangements lend an undeniably enjoyable aspect to the listening experience. Happy Rabbit is nothing new, but it’s pleasant enough; if anything, it’s simply too short, and doesn’t hang around long enough to have a chance at being disliked. I look forward to a full lengther to see if Thubaut ‘Breakbot’ Berland can carry an entire album. ALLAN SKO Dead Meadow Old Growth (Matador) Or maybe that should read No Growth. Dead Meadow fans seem to be evenly split between their early pummelling sonic blitzkriegs and the slower more spaced out jams from Feathers onwards. Like any argument facilitated by music fans – it’s usually hilarious, invariably wrong headed and entirely non-measurable. Like star systems and numerical ratings, music should be about how it makes you feel, not what its nominal value is. Old Growth makes me feel good, a little let down and annoyed they didn’t churn and swirl harder but still I’m prepared to give Dead Meadow latitude to slaughter fuzz pedals and mellotrons for as long as they want. It’s towards the four minute mark of the opener Ain’t Got Nothing (To Go Wrong) that we get to strap ourselves in for the inevitable wah-based instrumental launch into space, but where it used to be back-breakingly thrilling here it seems perfunctory and obvious. I’m Gone and Seven Seers come off like Anton Newcombe throwaways supplanting melody with lazy and faux-mystic strumming. There is a sad possibility Dead Meadow may become The Grateful Dead of our generation – disappointing studio albums that fail to engage and an extraordinary live show igniting all the riffs and excitement the albums increasingly promise but somehow sadly fail to deliver. For the record I thought Feathers was fantastic and unfairly maligned but I simply cannot muster the same enthusiasm for Old Growth. JUSTIN HOOK Goldfrapp Seventh Tree (Mute/EMI) On Seventh Tree Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory have wound back the dead end electroclash and day-glo hot pants wailing of the last five years and laid out a picnic rug near the pastoral folktronica of their debut.

The cover revealing Goldfrapp in a high-sea pirate wench outfit wandering around a field is suitably reflective of the warm, lullaby melodies inhabiting this record. It seems the recent years belting out dominatrix anthems has given Goldfrapp the confidence and patience to slow down, hold back yet retain her engaging power, matching it with delicate and surreal flight of fancy lyricism. Songs like Little Bird and Some People – the former being an early highlight and the latter distilling an obvious debt to Kate Bush – not only sound good on radio but work as part of a cohesive collection of

songs, a feature I found wanting on the similarly themed debut Felt Mountain.

In some quarters Seventh Tree has been tarnished with the boring tag but I don’t see it – the arrangements are more arresting than your average pop album and the vocals more dreamy and atmospheric than a smoky club full of nu-soul bores. Downbeat electronic music has suffered the fate of a thousand café overplays and these are the days where hard edges, shiny tables, tight faces and reflective hair are de rigueur so we can hopefully assume this lilting journey through Goldfrapp’s warped British countryside folk pop won’t find a ruinous home near these soulless joints. And if I hear one more person refer to this as post-party chill out music I’ll stuff their fucking graffiti t-shirt down their gormless gob.

JUSTIN HOOK The Kills Midnight Boom (Domino) Being in a box can force you to think outside it. VV and Hotel are still working from the same guitar, drum machine and two singer set-up but this record approaches it from less of a scuzzy VU direction and with more of an eye to filling indie dancefloors. Hell, lead single U R A Fever is positively triphop. Many of these songs are teasing fragments; pieces of clapping games and schoolyard chants sewn together with treated guitar and sold through the charisma of the vocalists. The album is by far their most polished effort but this works as a double-edged sword – tastefully muscling up tracks like the robotic Gossip-stylings of Cheap And Cheerful; in others, it makes the songs sound like Garbage B-sides.

LUKE MCGRATH New Rules For Boats Thousands (Qstik Records) Listening to New Rules For Boat’s debut Thousands makes me crave a warm sunny day and a swing set. It’s a playful mix of effortlessly blended genres and boy-girl vocals which bounce off each other; theatrical at times, but sweet all around, with fast paced lyrics and catchy-as melodies.

They’ve been stamped as pop, country and I’m sure the word ‘quirky’ would have been tossed in there at some stage. The fact is, the album is, well, adorable. It rolls through endearingly sweet love songs such as I’m Your Tennant, with a stellar chorus of “I keep the gardens clean, they don’t die but it’s not enough to catch your eye/oh honey-please don’t evict me” to Skips On My Record (Part 2)’s infectious shambolic rhythm. Not without it’s quieter moments, speckled throughout are tracks that slip into a laid back, latenight country sound. CHIARA GRASSIA

Sons & Daughters This Gift (Domino) Oh well, it was good while it lasted.

Like most people classed as ‘annoying types’ I find it quite a struggle when a beloved band tinkers with a well oiled, functioning machine and delivers a potato. Sons & Daughters spent a few years making noir, death obsessed, sultry rockabilly country folk rock (of course) that felt like an oppressively hot evening and excelled in the traded call-and-response vocals of leaders Adele Bethel and Scott Paterson. It was dark matter but neither ponderous nor childishly hectoring. Enter Bernard Butler (Suede) who felt it necessary to apply a large brush called ‘studio sheen’ to the band, put bright shiny guitars where fuzzy damaged ones used to be and decided positioning them sonically somewhere near the New Pornographers would be a rather neat idea. Hardly a necessary update and absolutely foolhardy in the event.

In spite of this the band still flail like they’re on a small boat floating down the backwaters and somewhere deep under the polish lays the bone dry rhythms that once defined the band.

But there’s little reason to make the effort as many songs this time around seem half-arsed, built around staid indie riffs and deliver no threat or venom whatsoever. This Gift remains unwanted. JUSTIN HOOK TC Watch the Ride (Harmless/ Inertia) TC has his critics.

One listen to his brash brand of snarling synth laden blippy drum ‘n’ bass will assert why. It can be brash, ear-piercing, and the electronic equivalent of a squelchy fart. But like aforementioned windy belch, he can also be terrific fun.

I enjoyed the man’s Evolution album.

Yes, it was stupid, bawdy and over the top, but undeniably enjoyable, and a prime example of a sometimes gaudy genre gleefully poking fun at itself.

Unfortunately, this mix – comprising such perennial party starters such as Subfocus, Friction, Hazard and TC himself – doesn’t quite work. The blending is awkward, and often the selection of two particularly snarling, screaming tunes on top of each other makes for the bad kind of noise (see Clipz’s always smile inducing Rubbish sloshed into Sub Focus’ Swamp Thing like paintstripper down a wino’s throat). The collection is littered with the ubiquitous VIP mixes, none of which are that inspired or, indeed, that good (Roni Size’s remix of TC’s Closer is startling in its badness), so combined with messy layering and slightly off levels, the fun is still poked… but completely out of the mix. I still like TC, I just don’t like this. ALLAN SKO

The Dirtbombs We Have You Surrounded (In The Red) Don’t call them garage rock! Except, of course, they are.

There’s a sheen of fuzz and static and grit and lovable halfassery to everything they do, save the testifyin’ soul of LP Ultraglide In Black (first-timers, please start there). Ever Lovin’ Man could be their best song yet – a classic pick-me-up; Mick playing the R’n’B space cadet while the band do falsetto call and response. It doesn’t get more fun than that, at least not on this record (a purported ‘concept’ album) where they get a bit gloomy about the state of the world and whatnot. Like any concept record, it works fine as long as the songs hold up. Happily, most of these do. To top it all off, they finish with a song sung in French! C’est superb!

LUKE MCGRATH

bma magazine 29

Cell Out With Mark Russell; the devil knows he's dead he just doesn't care.

“Come sit on Grandpa Mark’s knee, and let me tell you about the kid’s films they had in my day.” Three words people – The. Princess.

Bride. It’s almost difficult to call it a children’s film, there’s so much that will go over impish heads. “You use that word a lot, I don’t think it means what you think it means.” Brilliant. The Spiderwick Chronicles gives us about as much wit as toilet humour but with none of the lingering effects. Is it too much to ask to see a little more imagination and craftsmanship for the kiddies? “Bah! <waves walking stick around> You’ve never been truly enchanted.”

Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead Two brothers Andy (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and Hank (Ethan Hawke) decide the best way to cure their cash flow problems is to knock off their parents’ suburban jewellery store. Not the most logical step for most people who find themselves a little short but this is not really a happy families kind of picture. Andy is doing a collection of dodgy dealings and drugs to keep his head above water while Hank uses alcohol and sex with Andy’s wife (Marisa Tomei) to escape his own depression.

"The world is an evil place. Some of us make money off that fact. Some people get destroyed by it."

Diamond Dealer Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead

Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead is interesting in the beginning. The slow burn of working our way from the robbery, back through the instigating events, then onto the repercussions, keeps things moving along steadily.

But as the running time ticks into the second hour, the wheels come off. A few really bad editing decisions jolt and jar, and the technique of a subtitle intro as we change characters is not maintained once it is no longer useful.

This makes it all feel a little gimmicky.

The constant downward spiral of shit also creates an inevitable and exhausting feeling.

There are only so many times you can see things get worse for someone before it becomes predictable. Add to this a lack of identifiable or redeemable characters and you’ve got a difficult viewing experience. Marisa Tomei and Albert Finney are the only ones we feel for and both of them have many moments where we lose this empathy.

But Tomei does overcome a smallish role amongst dramatic powerhouses by managing a strong presence.

This is worth watching as something different but it’s just not as much as it could have been.

MARK RUSSELL

Lars and the Real Girl Lars and the Real Girl is quite unlike anything I’ve seen in a long time. A very sweet story, it is just unusual enough while still being real, and definitely has a lot of heart. While it does occasionally have the feel of the ubiquitous “quirky small-town drama”, there’s a sad undertone to the whole piece that makes it more melancholy as a whole, and much more affecting.

Lars Lindstrom (Ryan Gosling) is an introverted, slightly odd young man – he lives in his brother’s garage, he barely speaks, and is considered by his town as sweet but a little strange. One evening, he introduces his brother Gus (Paul Schneider) and Gus’ wife Karen (Emily Mortimer) to his new girlfriend, Bianca - a Real Doll (read: a realistic

The Spiderwick Chronicles The Labyrinth, The Neverending Story, Willow; watch them now and you still appreciate what had you hooked as a child. You even manage to get a couple of adult-aimed layers you didn’t pick up all those years ago. The Spiderwick Chronicles offers about as much adult-level entertainment as your average trip to a McDonald’s playhouse… sober. Mainly because the heroes are silly little children, built on clichés that have worked previously but just don’t cut the mustard here.

The family Grace moves to a creaky old house in the sticks, escaping Helen Grace’s (Mary-Louise Parker) marriage break up. After blindly disregard-

"companion" that you can order off the internet). While Lars believes Bianca to be an actual woman, the real surprise is when Lars’ small hometown bands together in the delusion - to protect Lars, but also in the hope that one day he might realise the truth.

Ryan Gosling is a god. He portrays sensitive, quiet and awkward Lars wonderfully, and pretty much breaks your heart. Everyone here does a fantastic job – Schneider is great as the slightly gruff Gus, and Mortimer is gorgeous and sweet as the caring Karen. Patricia Clarkson is exceptional as Lars’ doctor, saying plenty with just one thoughtful glance or a change of expression.

Any film with a sex doll as a main character runs the risk of being absolutely horrendous in every way. But Craig

Gillespie’s sensitive and gentle direction paints Lars as a sad and troubled character who just wants to be with someone, but who struggles to connect with real people. Thus, while there are plenty of comedic moments that make the most of the ‘sex doll’ premise, it is the quiet, sadder moments that are the glue of the film.

What more can I say, really? Lars and the Real Girl has it all – a slightly sad but very inspiring story; brilliant and touching acting from the whole cast; well-written dialogue; poignant direction and fantastically emotive music.

Overall, a must see.

ing many warnings, Jared (Freddie Highmore) discovers a secret book: Arthur Spiderwick’s Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You. The field guide opens up a world of fairies, goblins and boggarts, exactly the kind of information that Mulgarath, an ogre played in human form by Nick Nolte, would like to get his hands on.

The basic premise of things - the book is safe so long as it stays in the house - gets the filmmakers into a lot of trouble. They have to keep inventing more and more reasons for Jared to take it outside – even if he doesn’t use the bloody thing once he’s there!

The events are plodding, over-explained and often nonsensical. David Strathairn (as Spiderwick) and Parker slum it with some terrible dialogue

and no real character motivation or development. And the vague attempts at engaging older audiences are cringe worthy and woeful. A Shirley Temple-like scamp a few rows back from me was enjoying herself but I refuse to believe she was as mystified as if she’d watch David Bowie do his gravity-defying stair dance, or as sad as when Atreyu’s horse was sucked into the swamp.

They’ve tried so hard to create a wondrous magical world but as with anything of this ilk it ends up being compared to Narnia or Hogwarts; and that’s punching way above its weight.

MEGAN McKEOUGH

MARK RUSSELL

bma magazine 31

bma magazine 33

FIRST CONTACT BMA Band Profile

Leanne Melmoth Group members: Steve Casa (guitar ), Andrew Ewart (bass), Ben Shuman (drums).

Describe your sound: Crossover country/pop.

Who are your influences, musical or otherwise?

Musically: Keith Urban, Shania Twain, Celine Dion, Dolly Parton.

Otherwise: God, my husband Rodney.

What’s the weirdest experience you’ve had whilst performing?

Not really a weird moment just a proud one: hearing my single Perfect Day echo through Canberra Stadium in front of 14,000 football fans.

I loved it!

What’s your biggest achievement/proudest moment so far?

Remaining married for 12 ½ years, two beautiful kids and my album Perfect Day. What are your plans for the future?

Continuing to market Perfect Day, hopefully a little touring, supporting other great artists and writing the next album.

What makes you laugh?

Many, many things, especially when I’m tired.

What pisses you off?

Unfocused drivers and waiting in line.

What’s your opinion of the local scene?

Great. Have had many great gigs and am looking forward to the next few.

What are your upcoming gigs?

April 11 @ The Southern Cross Club as support for The McClymonts April 12 @ Wests Magpies April 24 @ Stage 88 April 25 @ Mawson Club Contact info: 0404 843 548 admin@leannemelmoth.com www.leannemelmoth.com.

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 Backbeat Drivers Steve 0422 733 974, www.backbeatdrivers.com Bastard Sons of Liberty Jamie 0424 857 282 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 Bolj James 0410 534 057 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 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 April 17 - 19 THURSDAY APRIL 17

THURSDAY APRIL 17

ARTS _____________

SOMETHING DIFFERENT _____________

A Fractal Eye For the Colours of Nature Beautiful landscapes of stark, sometimes warped, colour.

Running til April 20 HUW DAVIES GALLERY @ PHOTOACCESS, MANUKA Works of Open-Air Weaver ANU DRILL HALL GALLERY Beauty and the Beast BELCONNEN THEATRE Re-Fab Until April 24 BELCONNEN GALLERY Other Works by Tiffany Cole Until April 20, so get in quick!

CCAS, MANUKA Mountains of the Mind: Paintings by Phillip Hughes Wednesday-Sunday, 12-5pm, until May 11 DRILL HALL GALLERY Turner to Monet: The Triumph of Landscape NATIONAL GALLERY OF AUSTRALIA National Youth Self Portrait Prize The nine shortlisted portraits NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY, OLD PARLIAMENT HOUSE The Eisteddfod Until May 3 THE STREET THEATRE Berlin: Cabaret of Desire Until April 26 STREET THEATRE Brindabella Art Prize Exhibition Until April 27 TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE GALLERY

Carry on Karaoke Free!

PJ O’REILLY’S, CIVIC Karaoke with a Twist!

PJ O’REILLY’S, TUGGERANONG

DANCE _____________ Jemist From 9pm KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE Trash Thursdays Featuring DJs Troy Wade and Esscue. $5 entry ACADEMY

LIVE _____________ Mitch!

In all his mitching glory! From 9:30pm DURHAM CASTLE ARMS Live from the Underground Greg Carlin, Amy & Billy Dunham and more. From 8pm, free TRANSIT BAR

FRIDAY APRIL 18

DANCE _____________ Downtown Brown KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE Ashley Feraude From 6-9pm BINARA ONE (CROWN PLAZA HOTEL) Fore Play Fridays From 9pm-5am, with DJs Matt Chavasse and Peter Dorree CUBE Free For All DJ from 9pm-late, with heaps of drink specials and giveaways PJ O’REILLY’S TUGGERANONG After Work with DJ Jemist Relax and unwind with the Funk Master General. Followed by...

TRANSIT BAR Bleep feat. PQM (New York) With Ronnie Gordon, Mig. L, Bruisa, Alex McLeod and Nick Smith. Free entry TRANSIT BAR

LIVE _____________ Casual Projects Album Launch With special guests Andi and George Band and D’Opus & Roshambo. $15 ANU BAR Jane Dust With Voss and Emmett Cotton THE FRONT, LYNEHAM Rev Indie/alternative/rock/pop/punk madness every Friday, $5 entry BAR 32 rd 3 Exit Rocking on from 10pm DURHAM CASTLE ARMS British India With Inanimate Objects and The Supporters. 8pm. $20 THE GREENROOM Wolf Wolf’s first gig at PJ’s. Free PJ O’REILLY’S, CIVIC The Bridge Between THE AINSLIE BAR @ OLIM’S

FRIDAY APRIL 18

SATURDAY APRIL 19

The Remnants 10pm-2am KING O’MALLEY'S Mihirangi Celebrating the release of new single No War. Tix $15 MERRY MUSE Frank Madrid’s Adventures in Global Rhythm 5pm-late!

OLD PARLIAMENT HOUSE Miz Anne Thropic With The Wrath, Punishment, Stoner Crow and Intrinsic. Doors 8pm. Entry $10 THE BASEMENT Bliss & The Tulips From 6:30pm THE SOUL BAR, WODEN

Hard to the Core Hard dance and trance mega event with Sydneysiders Weaver, Suae, Orbit 1 and Makio, plus locals Nomad, Nasty, Enerv8, Frodo, Neonik, Fi-end and Cotts. Tix $20 + bf from Landspeed Records in the city INDOOR ROCK CLIMBING CENTRE, MITCHELL DJ Matt Food and drink special offers before 9pm, after 9pm DJ Matt plays till late PJ O’REILLY’S TUGGERANONG

SOMETHING DIFFERENT _____________

Gorman House Markets Mmmm… …stuff GORMAN HOUSE Burley Griffin Antique Centre KINGSTON FORESHORE

Fall Ball Spectrum Big Band, 7pm swing dance lessons, 8pm ball start. $30 entry @ door ALBERT HALL Kremlin Happy Hour From 5 to 8pm KREMLIN BAR SATURDAY APRIL 19

ARTS _____________ Arc Cinema: In the Mood for Love 7:30pm. $9.50/$8 NATIONAL FILM AND SOUND ARCHIVE

DANCE _____________ Exposed Featuring Staky, Sev.ens Kiss of Electric, TerrorVision, The Duchess of Danger & Fly by Night. Free entry TRANSIT BAR D'Opus Playin' hip-hop 'n' funk KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE Ashley Feraude BINARA ONE, CROWN PLAZA Matt Chavasse and Peter Dorree 10pm-5am CUBE

DAY PLAY _____________

LIVE _____________ Rock Zone Kicks off at 10pm. $8 cocktails 4-10pm DURHAM CASTLE ARMS Agent 86 10.30pm-2.30am KING O’MALLEY'S Archers of Eyes With Ship to Shore, plus supports. Doors 8pm. $10 entry THE BASEMENT Xhalen Van Halen tribute band. Tix $20 from Moshtix, 18+, 8pm THE GREENROOM Sgomatti With Konrad Lenz and Brackets THE PHOENIX

SOMETHING DIFFERENT _____________ The Roarin’ 20s ALBERT HALL Carry on Karaoke $200 prize money! From 9.30pm, free PJ O’REILLY’S CIVIC

GIG GUIDE April 20 - 30 SUNDAY APRIL 20

MONDAY APRIL 21

DANCE _____________

SOMETHING DIFFERENT _____________

Sunnies Sundays 9pm til late, with DJ Peter Dorree CUBE

Hospitality, Retail Backpackers et al Night With DJ Mikah Freeman TRANSIT BAR

DAY PLAY _____________ Old Bus Depot Markets KINGSTON Burley Griffin Antique Centre KINGSTON FORESHORE Tuggeranong Homestead Markets TUGGERANONG HOMESTEAD

TUESDAY APRIL 22

ARTS _____________ As You Like It Bell Shakespeare performs As You Like It, until May 3.

THE PLAYHOUSE

LIVE _____________

LIVE _____________

Irish Jam Session From 5pm KING O’MALLEY'S Monthly Blues Jam Canberra Blues’ Society monthly blues jam. 1pm-4.30pm. Entry only $2 Gordon Navara with Axys of Symmetry THE STATEMANS HOTEL, CURTAIN

Vialka and Justice Yeldham A DualPlover showcase THE FRONT, LYNEHAM

SOMETHING DIFFERENT _____________ Heath Franklin’s Chopper On the Make Deadsh*ts History tour. From 7 to 8.10pm. Booking through 6275 2700 CANBERRA THEATRE

SOMETHING DIFFERENT _____________ Fame Trivia DURHAM CASTLE ARMS Mixmaster Workshops Free entry. 6:30-8:30pm GUNGAHLIN YOUTH CENTRE Trivia Night!

From 7.30pm, PJ O’REILLY’S TUGGERANONG Pot Belly Trivia Every Tuesday APRIL 23 WEDNESDAY POT BELLY BAR Carry On Karaoke From 9pm TRANSIT BAR

MONDAY APRIL 21

ARTS _____________ Cabaret Crème One night only! From 5:30pm STREET THEATRE

DANCE _____________ Recovery Night Selection of local DJs, happy hour 8-10pm PJ O’REILLY’S

LIVE _____________ The Bootleg Sessions Brannan, The Cyclone Rangers, The Men Who Drip With Germs and more, from 8pm. Free THE PHOENIX

DANCE _____________ DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist present: The Hard Sell Support from DJ Danielsan (Koolism). Tix $45 + bf from Landspeed and Moshtix UC REFECTORY

LIVE _____________ The Ellis Collective and Mojo Juju THE PHOENIX

SOMETHING DIFFERENT _____________ Trivia Night ACT RUGBY UNION CLUB Carry On Karaoke DURHAM CASTLE ARMS

WEDNESDAY APRIL 23

THURSDAY APRIL 24

LIVE _____________ Kremlin Cocktails Special $6 cocktails menu KREMLIN BAR Fame Trivia Heaps of beer and prizes to be won. 6pm. Free entry PJ O’REILLY’S, CIVIC Open Mic Night Phone 6293 9666 for more info PJ O’REILLY’S TUGGERANONG Comedy Night From 6:30pm. Phone 6282 1263 for details THE SOUL BAR, WODEN $5 Night Come try something new… drink what you like TRANSIT BAR THURSDAY APRIL 24

ARTS _____________ NUTS A double bill, featuring The Open Couple and Morning on a Rainy Day. Tix $15/$10 ANU ARTS CENTRE Bordertown Sweeping landscapes and other works by By Ed Whalan. Opening today and running til May 11 MANUKA ARTS CENTRE Arc Cinema: Faces John Cassavetes’ groundbreaking portrait of a fracturing marriage. 7:30pm NATIONAL FILM AND SOUND ARCHIVE

DANCE _____________ The Funktrust DJs With The Aston Shuffle, DJ Rush, Shunji, D’Opus, Hubert and David Norgate. $15 B4 11pm, $20 after LOT 33 Trash Thursdays Featuring DJs Troy Wade and Esscue. $5 entry with two free drinks, plus $2 drinks ‘til 2am ACADEMY Karaoke Grand prize $1000 gift vouchers from Harvey World Travel. 9-11pm CUBE Michael O'Rourke From 9pm KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

Ethereal and Inflatable Ingrid $5 entry, 9pm BAR 32 Live Music!

DURHAM CASTLE ARMS Naked 9pm-midnight KING O’MALLEY'S Kremlin Live KREMLIN BAR Live from the Underground Featuring Basic Shape (Melb), Mojo JuJu & The Snake Oil Merchants, Andi & George, and Mr Fibby TRANSIT BAR Capital Dub Style A monthly dose of good vibes and beats reggae night, 8pm, $5 HIPPO BAR

SOMETHING DIFFERENT _____________ Carry On Karaoke PJ O’REILLY’S, CIVIC Karaoke with a Twist!

PJ O’REILLY’S, TUGGERANONG FRIDAY APRIL 25

DANCE _____________ Shunji KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE Ashley Feraude From 6-9pm BINARA ONE (CROWN PLAZA HOTEL) Village People Party Doors 9pm, free entry if in theme costume CUBE Dusty Grooves Funksouljazzgroove with Jemist.

From 9pm HIPPO BAR That's Entertainment DJ from 9pm-late, with heaps of drink specials and giveaways PJ O’REILLY’S TUGGERANONG After Work with DJ Jemist TRANSIT BAR Cheese on Toast Featuring Audio & Visual '80s flashback fanatics Jemist, Dutch Courage, Pornstylus, and special guests. Free entry. From 9pm TRANSIT BAR

SATURDAY APRIL 26

SUNDAY APRIL 27

TUESDAY APRIL 29

LIVE _____________

DAY PLAY _____________

DANCE ____________

SOMETHING DIFFERENT _____________

Rev Indie/alternative/rock/pop/punk madness every Friday, $5 entry BAR 32 Heuristic From 10pm DURHAM CASTLE ARMS Chasing Gravity With Stereophonic and The Happy Endings. 8pm. Free THE GREENROOM Frank Madrid’s Adventures in Global Rhythm 5pm-late!

OLD PARLIAMENT HOUSE The Remnants THE AINSLIE BAR @ OLIM’S Anzac Day Special Featuring the return of Penguin with The Chuffs, System Addict, Using Three Words, Machete and Wasted Image. Doors 8pm.

Entry $10 THE BASEMENT

Gorman House Markets Mmmm… …stuff GORMAN HOUSE Burley Griffin Antique Centre KINGSTON FORESHORE

Sunnies Sundays 9pm til late, with DJ Peter Dorree CUBE

LIVE _____________

Old Bus Depot Markets KINGSTON Burley Griffin Antique Centre KINGSTON FORESHORE Tuggeranong Homestead Markets Home of the hard to find TUGGERANONG HOMESTEAD

Fame Trivia DURHAM CASTLE ARMS Mixmaster Workshops Free entry. 6:30-8:30pm GUNGAHLIN YOUTH CENTRE Swing Dance for Beginners HARMONIE GERMAN CLUB Trivia Night!

PJ O’REILLY’S TUGGERANONG Pot Belly Trivia Every Tuesday POT BELLY BAR Carry On Karaoke From 9pm TRANSIT BAR

FRIDAY APRIL 25

SOMETHING DIFFERENT _____________ Kremlin Happy Hour From 5 to 8pm KREMLIN BAR SATURDAY APRIL 26

ARTS _____________ Arc Cinema: Sunless NATIONAL FILM AND SOUND ARCHIVE

DANCE _____________ Ashley Feraude BINARA ONE, CROWN PLAZA Matt Chavasse and Peter Dorree 10pm-5am CUBE DJ Matt Food and drink special offers before 9pm, after 9pm DJ Matt plays till late PJ O’REILLY’S TUGGERANONG D'Opus KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

Mytile vey Lorth With Aeon of Horus, Chapel and Sobrusion. $10. 8pm THE GREENROOM Flaming Moe’s 10.30pm-2.30pm KING O’MALLEY'S Backyard Surgeons (Melb) With Outcome Unknown, Yoko Oh No and Distance Fallen.

Doors 8pm. Entry $10 THE BASEMENT Fire on the Hill THE PHOENIX Strangeways feat My Disco With Fabulous Diamonds and special guests. Free entry TRANSIT BAR

SOMETHING DIFFERENT _____________ Carry On Karaoke Cash prizes!! Free!

PJ O’REILLY’S CIVIC

DAY PLAY _____________

LIVE _____________ Against Me! With Crime in Stereo. All Ages.

5-9pm. $30 + bf THE GREENROOM Irish Jam Session From 5pm KING O’MALLEY'S Fire on the Hill From 3pm AINSLIE BAR @ OLIM’S MONDAY APRIL 28

LIVE _____________ The Bootleg Sessions Glen Martin, Marriane Mettes and more, from 8pm. Free THE PHOENIX

SOMETHING DIFFERENT _____________ Hospitality, Retail, Backpackers et al Night Featuring Mikah Freeman and special guests TRANSIT BAR

WEDNESDAY APRIL 30

LIVE _____________ Gavin Harrison Drum Clinic Of Porcupine and Sam Brown fame. From 7pm. $10 THE GREENROOM Jonno Zibler and Justin Carter THE PHOENIX

SOMETHING DIFFERENT _____________ Trivia Night From 7.30pm ACT RUGBY UNION CLUB Carry On Karaoke DURHAM CASTLE ARMS Kremlin Cocktails Special $6 cocktails menu KREMLIN BAR Fame Trivia PJ O’REILLY’S, CIVIC $5 Night Try a newbie on the cheap TRANSIT BAR

DVDEVOTEE

Hitman (20th Century Fox) The best thing that can be said about this video game adaptation is that it’s not quite as bad as was first reported. The overwhelming wave of bile crashing against Hitman’s release had enough force to sink it almost without a trace. This may have been generated in the main by fans of Deadwood star Timothy Olyphant; in which case it is completely justified. He’s so much better than this role of a one-dimensional hitman on the trail of ‘The Agency’, who’ve set him up. The initial stages of the film see Agent 47 (Olyphant) as completely amoral, killing everyone in his path with a callous sneer. If someone’s a problem, or even a minor inconvenience, the best way to deal with them is a couple of shots to the head.

This is fair enough - there’s a reason it’s called Hitman - but he’s possibly a little too good at his job. He’s never really struggling and things end up feeling like you’re playing the easy setting with a ‘god’ cheat on. The attempts at characterisation are laughable and even the action scenes don’t particularly get the pulse racing. The only reasonably interesting element, his past as a child being groomed as a killer, makes up a couple of strobe-flashing memories. You’ll know nothing meaningful about him when the final credits role but the worst thing is that this won’t really faze you.

If this does fall from the video store shelves and into your hands on one of those ‘I feel like something light’ nights, crack a few beers and have a magazine handy for the rare bits when the bullets aren’t flying.

MARK RUSSELL

Steve Kilbey Live (Plus 1 Presents/Picturesque Films)

Gordon Ramsey’s Kitchen Nightmares: Series One (Shock)

There’s no point avoiding it – this would have to be one of the poorest quality live DVDs I have ever heard, to the point where I have had more enjoyment watching a mobile phone recorded Japanese Guided By Voices cover band on You Tube. It beggars belief that Kilbey (The Church) would think it a good idea to release a performance this sub par and that the transfer engineer could sleep at night knowing there was an example of his/her work in the public sphere purporting to be a commercial quality DVD so bad, it sounded like it was recorded through a public phone three blocks down from the venue, then mixed and mastered through a poker machine.

Gripes aside - no, wait … I have another.

Caroline II is a Lou Reed solo track from the album Berlin, released in 1973 - a full three years after he left the Velvet Underground. It is therefore incorrect to state on the DVD sleeve that Kilbey covers a Velvet Underground track.

He doesn’t. Why does this matter? Because it gets to the heart of the problem of this disc - it looks and sounds cheap and nasty, and is therefore a wholly unfair representation of Kilbey’s silky, moody vocals and robs almost entirely any shimmering element from the trademark 12-string guitar chime inhabiting most Church songs. These things matter for an artist like Kilbey, notorious for his studio deliberation - pick a random Church album and you’ll discover soon enough the care and attention I am referring to. Accordingly, it tarnishes the performance ‘recorded’ in New Zealand covering much of Kilbey’s back catalogue but, somehow the still transcendent beauty of Under The Milky Way still shines through. There are special features, but frankly I would have preferred more attention be paid to the main feature. Maybe wait ‘til this one time Canberra resident returns home for a live show before hopping onto this wreck.

Australia is currently experiencing a serious bout of Ramsey-mania. His deliciously tart and ferociously delivered fucks and cunts have lit up suburban plasma screens like a banana flambé. Moral panic! Decency standards sliding further into the abyss! Shut the fuck up! Cunt! Gordon Ramsey is the lovable scar faced curmudgeon shining a light on some of the most frightful kitchens this side of Hades.

This is the British version of Kitchen Nightmares so there’s far less in your face aggression and whip smart editing that mares the US version, but the concept remains the same: restaurant tinkering on the edge of oblivion, clueless over cashed proprietors running for cover and chefs who’d rather spend their day at the bar than behind the pass – enter a belligerent Scottish git to yell them into match fitness and hopefully save the restaurant. It would count for nought if this was merely a circus sideshow of spotty-faced apprentices and windy bluster. But Ramsey believes. He is on a mission to save food preparation, service and delivery – to elevate, and remind chefs and waiters they have a responsibility not only to the customer but to the food. As a carnivore it troubles me no end that so many have so little appreciation of where food comes from and how it is prepared for our consumption.

It’s a mucky business that has created many a vegetarian but chefs like Ramsey, Jamie Oliver, Marco Pierre White, Hugh FearnleyWhittingstall and Heston Blumenthal are all doing their bit to remind us that cooking is not a chore – it’s something that should be savoured, respected and enjoyed. And that’s why shows like this serve such a valuable public service. Yes, I know gastro-porn is a fad but it sure beats devoting your precious time to the exploits of a bunch of puffed up, goon faced, hilariously named muscle heads knocking about school teachers in a rubber Coliseum. Ramsey is a juggernaut overseeing a £100m, 10-Michelin star empire, comprising twenty restaurants and pubs in the UK, US, Ireland, France, Dubai and Japan. He knows his stuff. Watch, gasp and learn.

JUSTIN HOOK

Next issue we've got:

JUSTIN HOOK

s, Pegz, The Panic 1 y a M t , u e c O li A e c la Plastic Pa hitley.

Intriguing...

Alchemist, W

SUNDAY APRIL 20 THE PLAYHOUSE, CANBERRA THEATRE TICKETS FROM CANBERRA TICKETING

6275 2700