BMA Mag 381 Oct 12 2011

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INSIDE: » PNAU » Ladysmith Black Mambazo » Phrase » Tijuana Cartel

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CANBERRA INTERNATIONAL

FILM FESTIVAL

95 screenings, 58 films

from 26 countries

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So long Stonefest... thanks for all the good times. # 3 8 1 O C T 1 2 Fax: 02 6257 4361 Mail: PO Box 713 Civic Square, ACT 2608 Publisher Scott Layne Allan Sko General Manager Allan Sko T: 6257 4360 E: advertising@bmamag.com Advertising Manager Paul Foley T: 6257 4360 E: sales@bmamag.com

Editor Julia Winterflood T: 02 6257 4456 E: editorial@bmamag.com Accounts Manager Yu Xie T: 02 6247 4816 E: accounts@bmamag.com Super Sub-Editor Zoya Patel Graphic Design Cole Bennetts Exhibitionist Editor Julia Winterflood E: editorial@bmamag.com Film Editor Melissa Wellham NEXT ISSUE 382 OUT OCT 26 EDITORIAL DEADLINE OCT 15 ADVERTISING DEADLINE OCT 18 Published by Radar Media Pty Ltd ABN 76 097 301 730 BMA is independently owned and published. Opinions expressed in BMA are not necessarily those of the editor, publisher or staff.

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Fun Machine and Crash the Curb have finally joined forces to transform Phoenix into a heaving, sweaty mass on Monday October 31. It’s All Hallow’s Eve, so if you feel like busting out the fake blood and fangs then by all means do. The Funsters and the Curbsters will be joined by the ever delightful Drew Walky and out-of-towner Nigel Wearne, whose music melds finger-style guitar, slide dobro, country twang and honest storytelling. It’ll be a little bit of Column A and a little bit of Column B for the second ever BMA Bootlegs, so whether you’re into crooning or grooving you’re catered for.

Georgefest 2011 It may not be a cast of thousands but it certainly will be a ripper day at The George (Ye Old English Pub in Gold Creek and one of the capital’s best kept secrets). There will be bands and music aplenty including The Funky Fedoras, The Bridge Between, Annie & the Armadillos and more at The George on Saturday October 22 from 2pm ‘til midnight. Georgefest marks the beginning of the Summer Music Festival at The George and, this year, will highlight the new Squire’s Square at the back of the pub.

Homemade Jam A Bite to Eat in Chifley, which is renowned for its unparalleled vibe, cosy accoutrements, and regular music program every Sunday eve, will showcase some of Canberra’s finest singer-songwriters under the banner of Homemade Jam on Wednesday November 3. The competition will show why A Bite to Eat is not only a top spot for food and drinks, but also for top class entertainment and local talent. The winner of Homemade Jam will receive prize money and will also go on to perform in a feature slot at

Soundwave 2012 Announced Soundwave have announced their 2012 Fest already.

Happening in five cities across Australia – including the Sydney Showground on Sunday February 26 – next year’s event plays host to System Of A Down, Slipknot, Limp Bizkit, Marilyn Manson, Hole, A Day To Remember, Machine Head, Lamb Of God, Trivium, Mastodon and many, many more. For the full line-up, jump onto bmamag.com.

General public tickets on sale Thursday October 20 through soundwavefestival.com, Oztix and Ticketek.

National Swap Day The Clothing Exchange, established in ‘04, has changed the face of fashion by promoting swapping as an alternative to shopping that saves over 100 tonnes of carbon each year. The Clothing Exchange has declared Monday October 17 to be the second annual National Swap Day. To commemorate the day and raise awareness they will host simultaneous clothing swaps in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Canberra. The Canberra event will be held at Tilley’s Devine Café in Lyneham. Check in is from 6.30pm and tickets are $25 and available online at clothingexchange.com.au .

Concert for Mental Health Ten years ago local writer, musician, comedian and storyteller Duncan Sargeant was a patient in a psychiatric ward thinking he was Jesus, actively looking for intelligent, extraterrestrial life forms.

Now he is playing and speaking candidly about his experiences with depression and psychosis.

At 35 Duncan has been battling mental health issues for half his life and over this time music has been his saviour. This is the seventh concert Duncan has organised and promoted to celebrate Mental Health Week.

It’s all happening at the Turner Bowls Club on Friday October 21 from 7.30pm.

stonefest rock on party By now the news is well and truly out that 43 year institution Stonefest has been forced to downsize the festival into an ‘intimate’ (if 2500 is intimate) dance/hiphop event featuring The Aston Shuffle, Illy, Tonite Only, Flight Facilities, Sampology (AV/DJ set), Diafrix, The Hump Day Project and Dept. of Defiance.

It’s an undeniable shame, but kudos to UC Live! for soldiering on in difficult circumstances.

Refunds are available through Ticketek, and new tix cost $27.50 + bf and can be purchased from Ticketek. Sub $30 for that line-up is a bargain, so round up all your dance chums and let’s make sure Ol’ Stoney returns in 2012.

The Aston Shuffle are headlining Stonefest Rock On Party

BMA Presents Halloween Bootlegs

the Woden Valley Festival on Saturday November 5. Email contact@abitetoeat.net.au for more info and to submit a demo.

YOU PISSED ME OFF!

FROM THE BOSSMAN The news of 43-year-old Stonefest’s downsizing was met online with a combination of anger, upset, disbelief and sadness. So what does this news tell us about the festival itself, Canberra punters, and the wider scene in general?

It’s no secret that the festival market is tight. In early September, ticket outlet Moshtix ran a survey called State of Festival Market Report, polling 2,949 people. According to their findings, 83.7% of Australian festival-goers believe that attendances at festivals are declining because of rising ticket prices.

41.6% believed that the “experience” had worsened. 52.7% of respondents said there are just enough festivals in Australia, while 27.2% believe there were too many. 56.3% preferred to watch a favourite act in a pub.

People complaining about things being too expensive? Hardly new, although costs are undeniably going up. An increase in the number of festivals creates a feverish seller’s marketplace; acts, and their agents, can ask for a higher amount leading to bidding wars where performance fees greatly increase. Costs need to be passed on somewhere thus increasing the price, and punter dissatisfaction. Once inside a festival, many get an undeniable feeling of being taken for every cent. A festival can be about a celebration of music and art or a full blown commercial enterprise where you’re taken for the shirt on your back (that explains the shirtless bogans, then). $11 for a VB? $6 for a water?

To quote Regurgitator: “I’d rather dance in ugly pants in the comfort of a loungeroom in suburbia.”

So what of poor old Stonefest? It was certainly cheaper than many. Some have blamed the line-up, a solid all-Aussie affair that was by no means ‘bad’ but perhaps paled to the multiinternational affair of the fellow UC-staged behemoth that is Groovin The Moo. The saturated market has raised punter expectation, and we simply expect more; often much more than what can be reasonably expected. In 2007, a line-up of that calibre would send jaws earthward. Now people complain there’s “only 50 acts” on a bill.

While many think otherwise, we’re undeniably spoilt in Canberra.

For a population of some 380,000 we get a stunning array of shows. Due to our size, we rarely need to rush out and secure our tickets, leaving the decision to the night. While this flexibility may seem great for a punter, it’s also neutering our culture. Chris Moses of metal promoters Blue Murder ceased putting on gigs here back in 2006 as no-one bought tickets beforehand. Hiphop group M.O.P cancelled their 2010 show as “only 50 presale tickets had been bought”. It’s likely the show would have been well attended on the night, but promoters can’t be certain. Many people online greeted the Stonefest news by stating they were just about to buy their ticket. Would we still have Stonefest in its full form if people had bought their tickets in the first week? We will never know for sure.

All the factors discussed – expense, market saturation, higher expectation, slow ticket buying – have led to a zeitgeist shift in festival sentiment. Increasingly, people would rather see their band in a more intimate setting with like-minded punters and not be forced near a hater camped there early for a good spot for the next act (the year Björk played before Rage Against the Machine at Big Day Out was an early indication). In the end, the power is in your hands – if you want to see your favourite festival thrive, be sure to buy your ticket, and buy it early. Nothing is certain unless you make it so. ALLAN SKO - allan@bmamag.com

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 original spellings] From the Vault: To everyone on Facebook.

You pissed me off! And why? Cos you’re killing you pissed me off! The struggle of this section, a soap box for the obscenely aggrieved, of obtain content in recent months is because why should you go to the EFFORT OF AN EMAIL when you can pick up your web-enabled phone and fart your grievances at your world of FB friends?

Sure, most of your FB friends are tards you met at parties, friends of friends and vacant hotties you FBed to provide fresh masturbatory possibilities - but who cares? It’s not interaction you crave, it’s an audience for your petty frustrations; Slag stepped on your handbag dancing at Moosies? FB! Drunk bogan in the mosh? FB! Tool in a ute cut you off? Fumble for that iPhone.

But remember this - bitching on FB is a missed opportunity to get published here in street press! But a less wanker reason is maybe, just maybe, that sweaty bogan reads this column too.

ANU Bar Gig guide October Floating me [WED 12 Oct] atlantis awaits [FRI 14 Oct] watussi [SAT 15 Oct] the jezebels [WED 19 Oct] vasco era and papa vs pretty [WED 26 Oct] THE REGULARS

Mon–Fri - Jugs of all tap beer only $10.50 (4–6pm).

DJ’s in the Beer Garden from 2pm every Thursday.

ANU BAR, ANU Union Building 20, Acton Canberra (02) 6125 3660 | www.anuunion.com.au For more gig listings go to our website.

Tickets through Ticketek & at the door on the night.

Photo: Karnivool at the ANU Bar, BMA Magazine.

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WHO: BMA + Transit Bar WHAT: Women of Notes WHEN: Thurs Oct 27 WHERE: Transit Bar

Women of Notes comes dancing into the warm weather with its third instalment. BMA, in conjunction with Transit Bar, are showcasing Canberra’s finest sirens and goddesses of the stage with a continual series of shows, with previous iterations featuring the likes of Simon Penkethman, Alice Cottee, Beth Monzo and Julia Johnson, but we’ve only scratched the surface of what Canberra’s been hiding. Featured this time around is Natalie Magee, who’s been kicking up a bit of storm around our town, with three other women yet to be announced. It’s all happening Thursday October 27 at Transit Bar from 8pm. Free entry, mind you.

WHO: uniVibes WHAT: Oktoberfest WHEN: Thurs Oct 22, 11am11pm WHERE: ANU Bar Beer Garden

Oktoberfest springs just before exam time. Perfect procrastination. Beer drowns memory, so studying becomes gazing out the window and continual trips to the pisser. So you might as well stay at the pub. One lunch time beer becomes one of the best nights of the year. The ANU Bar has sold out of beer for the past three years… with a bigger order again, can we drink them dry? Be outside the window: on the grass, in the sun, swaying to live music and happy that even the class whiz kid can’t study until tomorrow.

ANU Oktoberfest 2011: endless lunchtime beers in the sun for the whole University.

WHO: Nigel Wearne WHAT: Frayed poetic edges and honest grit WHEN: Thurs Oct 13, Mon Oct 31 WHERE: The Front, The Phoenix

Nigel Wearne is an alt-country/folk singer-songwriter whose music has an intimate and poignant narrative. Equipped with personally handcrafted guitars, his music melds finger-style guitar, slide dobro, country twang and honest storytelling. Nigel’s influences include Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, Gillian Welch and the spirit of Woody Guthrie.

With frayed poetic edges and honest grit, Nigel delivers dynamic and inspired performances that will rattle your emotions. According to Beat Magazine he’s “starting to make waves in the Melbourne music scene”. There are two Canberra dates coming up for Wearne, the first is at The Front with Hannah Gillespie on Thurs Oct 13, and the

WHO: Atlantis Awaits WHAT: Final gig before they head to Hollywood WHEN: Fri Oct 14 WHERE: ANU Bar

Atlantis Awaits formed in mid 2009. Since then they have been building momentum and wowing crowds all over the country.

They released their debut EP in July last year to rave reviews and followed it up with a massive national tour, and now they’ve just dropped their new single, which was mixed and mastered

by Hollywood based, Grammy nominated audio whiz Brandon Freison. The band are about to jet off to LA to record an album, but before they go they want to party with you one more time.

Joining them are very special guests Reigner, Final Lies, and Beneath a Broken Sky. Doors at 8pm, $12 on the door.

WHO: Living Green Festival WHAT: Raising awareness about climate change WHEN: Sun Oct 16 WHERE: Albert Hall

Canberra’s inaugural Living Green Festival, which coincides with the last day of Floriade, will focus on the relationship between climate change, the environment and animals and raise awareness about how the choices we make can affect not only the environment and other humans but cute little critters too. The theme of the Festival is ‘a kinder shade of green’, and it will showcase easy ways we can reduce our carbon footprint and be more considerate of the other animals we share the planet with. There’ll be live entertainment, speakers, children’s zones, plus many product and food stalls. More information about the Festival is at livinggreenfestival.org.au .

WHO: New Empire WHAT: Home grown rockers WHEN: Fri Oct 28 WHERE: The Maram

Straight off the back of a hugely successful national tour with US outfit Owl City, local rockers New Empire cracked the ARIA Album Chart Top 40 on debut, scoring a No. 39 entry with their sophomore album Symmetry. New Empire’s incredible chart debut is testament to the band’s solid fan base and the result of constant touring over the past months. With the new single Ghosts at radio now, New Empire are well and truly on the fast-track to becoming one of Australia’s most celebrated new independent talents.

They’re now embarking on their own national headline tour so be sure to catch them at The Maram. Tix through Moshtix.

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ALL AGES Alternative-rock quad New Empire are soon to be passing through Canberra on their Symmetry Tour. At the Woden Basketball Stadium on Friday October 28 the Sydney boys will be joined by Melbourne six-piece For Our Hero, Love & Satellites, and Canberra bands Drawing North and The London Town Fire.

Tickets will sell out fast, so save yourself the despair and book in advance. Tix are $20 +bf through Moshtix, Landspeed Records or The Co-op Bookshop, and $25 at the door. This is a drug and alcohol free event. Doors open at 6pm.

After proving a great success last year, The Woden Valley

Festival is expanding in 2011! This year the festivities will take the form of a week-long celebration that they have called Woden Alive. From Sunday October 30 until Saturday November 5 the Woden Valley will show the rest of Canberra all the community has to offer and more with a mass of exciting activities. On Saturday November 5 the celebrations will come to a spectacular finish with the more traditional event at Eddison Park where you can be entertained by nationally renowned band April Maze along with local acts The Bridge Between and Minh Ha. You can also enjoy cultural performances and activities, circus acts, delightful food, rides and loads more. The Liftoff Festival in 2011, unlike last year, will take place as a stand-alone event, allowing the Woden Valley Festival to continue into the spring night. Starting at 4pm as the other festivities wind down, you will get to see the finest up and coming acts Canberra has to offer. Headlining the event will be Melbourne’s Confession, one of Australia’s most treasured hardcore acts. The best thing is everything is free. For a full listing of events see wodenalive.org.au .

Registrations are now open for The 2012 Class Clown Competition.

“If you have a flair for catching people unaware, tickling a funny bone at school and at home, love making unnecessary commentary or singing tunes that make you look like a loon, these are the type of teens that should apply!”

The Melbourne International Comedy Festival will ravage the country searching for Australia’s funniest teen. Anybody in any State between the ages of 14 and 18 can compete. You can enter as a solo act or in a group of up to three. To be dubbed the winner of this national competition you first need to piece together an original five-minute stand-up routine, sketch, musical parody or something in between. You will then attend a workshop with a professional comedian. Then, finally you will be ready to present your creation to a real audience at a live and public performance.

If you make it through the State heats, you could be performing at the 2012 Class Clowns National Grand Final at Melbourne Town Hall during the 2012 Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

And if that doesn’t sound good enough, the winner will take home $1,000 and another $1,000 for their school.

State Heats take place between Saturday February 25 and Saturday March 17 2012, but you need to register to take part.

Registration is free, so go to classclowns.com.au for more information and to register.

NAOMI FROST allagescolumn@gmail.com

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LOCALITY

Ahoy there dear readers! It’s been six weeks since I’ve had ink in this column and boy is it good to be back. Many thanks to Bossman Al for stepping in; I’ve had a lot on my plate of late so a three ish hol from my col was a blessing, but now I’m ready and raring to talk all things local again. Three things are on my mind Locality-wise this ish: Dragon Dreaming, the significant downsizing of Stonefest, and the launch of MusicACT. In my column published just before Dragon ’10 this is what I espoused: “…after Dragon Dreaming last year I often found myself ranting about it being the best festival I had ever been to.” I stand by that comment after this year’s instalment, the fourth Dragon Dreaming and my third.

I reckon you’d be hard pressed to find a festival crew more dedicated, tireless, creative and environmentally conscious than the Servants of Sound and Regen crews. Despite the inclement climes in the week leading up to Dragon, they once again transformed the Old Kowen Homestead grounds into a world unto itself bristling with wondrous artworks and installations. It sounds schmaltzy but everyone’s your mate at Dragon; during our drive out of the festival – cranking The Stones to counter the almost constant yet enthralling electronic – every single person we passed waved or called out goodbye. It’s a very special place. How could it not be when you’re with old friends and new absolutely everywhere you go? So thank you, thank you, SoS and Regen, for creating the “festival of family” as one Dragon Dreamer wrote on its Facebook wall. I hope you all enjoy your ‘break’ next year and I look forward to what you so generously give us in 2013.

From that happy note to a not so happy one. Most readers will now be aware that Stonefest will not be going ahead this year and that the Stonefest Rock On Party has replaced it. There are numerous reasons why this had to happen and for an erudite insight into them read this issue’s From The Bossman. Rather than reiterate what Al said I just want to say how in awe of Anna Wallace and the rest of UC Live! I am for not giving up completely but soldiering on despite the circumstances. That shows true grit. Punters often forget there are real people working 24/7 behind festivals so before you post caustic comments on Facebook think first about those who are most deeply affected. Anna, I salute you.

Finally, as this ish hits the streets I’ll be buzzing around The Deck at Regatta Point at the launch of MusicACT. The ACT was the only jurisdiction in the country without a peak music body within the Australian Music Industry Network up until now. I’m on the committee and this fine rag is heavily involved, so if you’re a muso, DJ, venue owner or anyone immersed in the ACT music industry, you should get involved too. Shoot me an email if you’d like to know more, stay tuned to this column, or head to our sexy new site at musicact.com.au. I’m excited.

JULIA WINTERFLOOD julia@bmamag.com

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DANCE THE DROP

Technology can be evil; you’ve all seen the Terminator series right?

It’s only a matter of time before your meek two-slice toaster becomes self aware and commits itself to a soulless rampage through your neighborhood exterminating all the ‘Connors’. Maybe that’s a tad extreme in the context of my actual dance music related point, which begs the question, is technology diluting the dance scene? We are in an age where anyone can become a ‘DJ’ with only a laptop, a copy of Traktor or Serato and a Midi controller. To all the serious budding Disc Jockeys out there I say instead of reading the a software manual and beefing up your Beatport cart with top 20 hits, start by learning the basics like increasing your knowledge of music, manual beat matching and individualising your style rather than becoming just another young techno geek prodding illuminated buttons at syncopated intervals.

If you really want to experience music manipulation done the way it should be, head down to Academy in October and check out some of the major events taking place in the underground cave.

Friday October 7 marks the return of the Young Blood event, this time around headlined by Sydney party starters Spenda C, Doctor Werewolf and the Bounce Crew DJs. Don’t forget your oversized t-shirts and flat brimmed novelty caps on Friday October 14 as atomic hipsters Minx and Tenzin belt out the latest hits at Club Electro, while fans of the massively popular mixed CD series will not want to miss Chris Fraser’s return to the main room on Friday October 28 for the Wild Summer 2012 Australian Tour.

Now that Parklife has passed us by, it is fair to say that festival season is in full swing! That means that it is prime time for massive summer music releases so it’s only fair to provide you with a suitcase full of monstrous new anthems for October! The cheeky lads from the Swedish House Mafia have returned with an epic peak time remix of Coldplay, Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike revamp an old trance classic with Madagascar, dubstep still reigns supreme with Nero’s tweak of Sebastian, CTFO and Mickey Slim returns to the fray with another cranking original I’m a Freak.

Lastly, a snippet of exciting news that has just landed on my desk; I have an extremely large and immovable soft spot for early ‘noughties’ progressive house music and the king of that particular golden era was without doubt Australia’s very own Luke Chable.

After years of dabbling in other genres, the Melbournian is back to doing what he does best, dopamine-inducing prog anthems.

The first two new tracks have been leaked online and are stellar collaborations with Shiloh and Steve May respectively, keep an eye out for the imminent release of Thank Your Mother For The Rabbits and Rokit in the coming weeks.

TIM GALVIN tim.galvin@live.com.au

facebook.com/ trinitybarcanberra

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DANCEFLOOR DEMONS

SEEING THE WOODS FROM THE TREES

JESSICA CONWAY

Allan Sko

Despite experiencing London’s typical gloomy drizzle, PNAU’s Peter Mayes was very chirpy and pleasantly chatty – even when facing back to back interviews, a mere two hours sleep and no break in sight. Pnau’s fourth album Soft Universe is out now, complete with Sir Elton John’s (metaphorical) stamp of approval. The duo met with one of the world’s most incredible musical minds regularly for guidance. “The great thing with [Elton] is he doesn’t try and push you in one direction or another. If he thinks something’s not working he’ll tell you in the same way as if he thinks it is,” Mayes recounts.

“He’s a pretty priceless perspective I think both of to have.”

Enigmatic Italian loop-mad disco duo TIGER & WOODS have one of dance music’s better origin stories. Or do they? And if their moniker sounds silly to you then settle down; their real names are actually Larry Tiger and David Woods. Or are they?

us have always really liked the juxtaposition of darker lyrics and brighter music

Pnau’s latest LP is more of a traditional pop album with carefully structured songs. Some orchestrated ballad-type numbers feature, thrown in amongst the synth-laden serotonin-releasing tracks that stay true to Pnau’s musical reputation.

It’s no secret Nick Littlemore was in an emotionally dark place post-breakup while writing this album. Once your ears drift past the melody filled, toe-tapping tunes you find some serious, heavy lyrics with a painful undertone. “I think both of us have always really liked the juxtaposition of darker lyrics and brighter music,” Mayes says of the conflicting emotions between melody and words. “If you have a whole bunch of darker, emotional lyrics and then you write darker, emotional music it’s almost too indulgent. No one really gets anything out of that. But if you have something that’s darker, or more negative, and turn that into a positive then it seems like a more noble cause.”

The duo are set to grace Canberra’s crowds at Foreshore 2011, sporting a fresh performance; “Expect a very intense musical experience. It’s a whole lot of fun, but really something to remember.

It won’t be like the last time we played… it’ll be more of a live band with a lot more people on stage.” Mayes and Littlemore are physically continents apart, with Mayes based in New York and Littlemore staying closer to their London studios. It’s not an issue as Mayes explains, “regardless of where you’re actually living you’re never really there that much… we’re always all over the world anyway. We very often live in very different locations, but with Skype and everything you always seem to keep in touch”.

Although the two are infamous for their side projects, with Littlemore currently working on a Cirque Du Soleil album, Mayes says those tracks probably won’t feature at Canberra’s biggest summer dance festival. “It’s definitely not boogie music,” he laughs, before adding, “We do like to do a bit of everything and have a lot of things on the go at one time.” They sure do, and their next performance is guaranteed to be worth experiencing.

Pnau will be making bodies move at Foreshore festival, on Saturday November 26. Tickets are still available through foreshorefestival.com.au for $119.95 + BF.

T&W deliberately wrap themselves in mystery, being scant with interviews and shy with press shots. Their alleged initial meeting concerns an unwitting record store owner putting on a rare highly sought after disco 12” with Messrs Tiger and Woods both in situ, leading to mutual surprise, delight, counter-rushing, cash-waving, arguing, and a fight… Which eventually ended in them sharing the record, thus birthing their partnership. Wonderful story. Is it true, though? “Is true,” they say, in We’ve noticed a delightfully broken English. “It constant show off was such a gem that we couldn’t from artists and avoid a fight to get it. It was such DJs acting like an unknown one that we cannot superstars… We even remember what it sounded just want people ic like. Or maybe is just made up.”

focusing on mus

Or maybe is just made up, indeed. And what about the names? “Let’s say that Tiger & Woods sounded so good and rhythmical that we couldn’t resist; it reminds us of names like Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis or Gumble & Huff…

Producers we really love.”

Regardless of authenticity one thing is clear – the duo has deliberately chosen to move away from the superstar DJ iconography and into anonymity, putting the focus on the music.

“For once we wanted to do something like back in the days,” they say. “Nowadays you can find all the infos and details about everyone just browsing internet. The magic of an unknown record from an unknown artist is a bit lost now and we wanted to do something like the old white labels and let people dream about who’s behind those records. We’ve noticed a constant show off from artists and DJs acting like superstars… We just want people focusing on music.”

This could be considered conceited were the music not so good.

Their instantly recognisable eight-minute slow-build tightly looped disco monsters are the stuff of party legend. “Loops are such an important part of our lives,” they gush. “It’s something that makes us smile. We layer them to have a solid texture, long build ups and big releases, giving you a massage from your brain to your ass.” Indeed.

One listen to Gin Nation will change your life for the better and have you completely hooked on their self-titled brand of ‘future boogie’. “‘Future boogie’ is close to what we do, but is not completely true.

We’re not big fan of definitions. Our work is a mix of everything we like, from disco to house, boogie to techno. ‘Future boogie’ was the first thing coming to our mind under a stressful interview circumstance.” O right, sorry. I’ll just liken you to a disco-funk Daft Punk and leave it there, then.

Tiger & Woods play at Trinity Bar on Saturday October 22. Free entry before 10pm, $15 thereafter.

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E X H I B I T I O N I S T

Melancholia

A FILMIC FEAST Melissa Wellham The CANBERRA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL may well be the most exciting time of year in Canberra for film buffs and cultural connoisseurs more generally. It’s better than Christmas. It’s CIFFmas. CIFF’s Artistic Director Simon Weaving, the man committed to bringing Canberra the best international films from around the world, is once again at the helm of the festival in its 15th year. “It’s still our job to bring the best films from around the world, to people who wouldn’t otherwise get to see them.”

It’s a job that Weaving takes seriously. He travels to the Cannes Film Festival each year in May, to shop around the film ‘marketplace’ for his produce. “Most people know Cannes from the red carpet, but the other part of Cannes is that there are literally 1,000 plus movies being shown in small rooms all over the village, and you run from one screening room to another, seeing as many films as you can in ten days.” On top of that, he spends a lot of time working with the other film institutions in Canberra. “We spent a lot of energy revamping the relationship with the National Film and Sound Archive.” He laughs, “And I feel like I live at Dendy Cinemas.”

Considering the number of films that show at Cannes each year, one wonders what it is that helps him decide which films are worthy of CIFF. “Obviously there has to be a baseline production value, but I really look for story. I’m a great believer in it. I really think humans are hardwired for story, and that’s how we make sense of the world.”

Weaving laughs, “I’ll never forget this trick my Dad used to play on us when we were kids, when we’d get sent down to the grocers with a shopping list. But instead of giving us a list, which we would forget, he’d make it into a story. ‘Once upon a time there was a loaf of bread, and the loaf of bread went walking down the road and he bumped into a bag of sugar.’

“You also want to make sure that you have plenty of different nations represented, and genres. It’s funny how these things go. My first year we had no French films – it wasn’t a good year for French film – and I thought, ‘My god, how can you possibly have a foreign film festival without French film?!’” One of the things that makes CIFF stand out, and makes it easier for audiences to pick which films they might be interested in, are the themes – the ‘strands’ – the festival is segmented into. This year the themes are Driven (featuring characters who are obsessively driven), A Touch of Desire (romance), Out of Africa (self explanatory), Can’t Stop The Music (musicals and music biopics), Lost and Found (featuring characters searching and longing), Madness and Mayhem (wacky comedies),

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The Yellow Sea

Attack The Block

Hold On Tight (edge-of-your-seat thrillers and action films), Realto-Reel (documentaries), and Face-to-Face (biopics). There are added extras at the film festival this year too, which Weaving wants to talk about. The ‘On The Couch’ sessions in the Dendy Premium Lounge are where audiences can go to hear the people involved in the films talk. “On the Couch is a way to get up close and personal with the filmmakers, or the people behind the movies. So Bryan Brown for example, is going to be here.” Another special feature are the screenings of films that feature a Q and A with the director afterwards, this year including films such as Limbo, Toomelah, Armadillo, I’m Not Dead Yet, Lapland Odyssey, and Memoirs Of A Plague. “It’s great for people who just want to get a bit of context around a film, or a filmmaker. For me, it’s the difference between going to a museum, and getting a private tour with the artist.”

This year there are also two outdoor screenings at the National Film and Sound Archive of ‘80s cult classics, the so-bad-they’re-good Xanadu and Can’t Stop The Music. Simon says, “They were popular in Australia at the time, though. Disco had peaked in the US, but it wasn’t yet dead in Australia. We were still really into it.” Weaving laughs, and says he wants to encourage everyone to “dress up in your best disco gear and come and watch The Village People in Can’t Stop The Music.”

The opening and closing nights of the festival are also well worth getting along to – Restless from director Gus Van Sant, and Score: An Ice-Hockey Musical. When talking about why he picked these films to bookend the festival, Weaving says, “Well, with Restless, obviously Mia Wasikowska is in it, and she’s from Canberra. Then I was looking for a film that would help celebrate the end of the festival, and what’s better than a musical? Plus, Olivia Newton-John is in it. We’re bookending with Australian actresses.”

I ask what films Weaving thinks BMA readers might be most interested in, and he takes the selection seriously, ‘umming’ and ‘aahing’ over the pages of the program. Eventually he settles on Trollhunters, Yellow Sea, Attack The Block, and Lapland Odyssey.

Lapland Odyssey is a film that Weaving has mentioned a few times throughout our interview: “It’s just an absolutely crazy road movie!”

And what’s in store for future years of CIFF? “2013 is the centenary of Canberra, and I can’t tell you what we’ll be doing, but we’ll be doing something incredibly special that year. It’s a big secret, but it’s going to be amazing.” Looks like we’ll just have to wait and see.

The Canberra International Film Festival is screening at the National Film and Sound Archive’s Arc cinema, as well as Dendy Cinemas from Wednesday October 26 to Sunday November 6. Ticket information and the full program are available from canberrafilmfestival.com.au .

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and related spheres. “It’s funny to say that a week is a long time in politics. A lot of the issues have remained the same,” says Biggins, of the topics that receive the greatest air time in Australian politics.

“We’ve been banging on about the same stuff – war on terror, climate change and boat people – for 11 years now.”

The personalities involved, on the other hand, do change. Pennies from Kevin was written prior to Abbot taking charge of the Opposition, and (obviously) while Rudd was still in power. Although Abbot is an endless well of jokes for any sketch writer, Gillard is less so, according to Biggins. “The interesting thing is, Julia Gillard is not actually that funny, although Amanda Bishop does a great impression of her. Rudd and Downer, on the other hand, were gifts that kept on giving. But how could you do Nicola Rox? Would you want to? We try to get the ones that’re easy to have a bit of fun with.”

POKING FUN AT POLLIES BEN HERMANN When, in their tenth year THE WHARF REVUE finally made their first trip to Canberra at the start of 2010 with their lauded production Pennies From Kevin, the whole week’s shows sold out and the group returned for a second week. They seemed to have previously underestimated Canberrans’ insatiable craving for raucous political satire, so it’s good to see they’re not making that same mistake again, bringing their new production Debt Defying Acts! to The Playhouse this October.

A comedy/musical group developed by Drew Forsythe, Phillip Scott and Jonathan Biggins - and this time around joined by At Home with Julia’s Amanda Bishop, The Wharf Revue’s productions are renowned for their incisive, cutting musical sketches which take aim at anyone and everyone in the national and international political

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Canberrans’ ravenous devouring of Pennies from Kevin may perhaps be reflective of the public’s growing alienation with political debate and reporting; a disaffection that has grown exponentially during the Gillard/Abbot year(s). “The 24 hour news cycle has been very damaging to the political process,” says Biggins. “Like Lindsay Tanner talks about in Sideshow, the quality of political reporting in this country is absolutely abysmal.” Thankfully The Wharf Revue, in trusted fashion, will give all offenders a good serving this October.

“We have Rudd in a Phantom of the Opera type sketch – he steals Julia and takes her away. We also look at Gillard’s continuous focus groups from the view of the French Revolutionaries,” Biggins explains. “You know, ‘Hmm, should we storm the Bastille?’, ‘I don’t know, let’s create a focus group to discuss it’. If everything was run through a focus group nothing would ever get done.”

Debt Defying Acts! shows at The Playhouse, Canberra Theatre Centre, from Tuesday October 18 to Saturday October 22. Tickets are available through canberratheatrecentre.com.au for $43/$35.

“I don’t mind it, I guess I got it from my father…the early bird and the worm. I jump straight out of bed and get to work – writing, creating, and thinking of things. I work about ten hours a day.”

Aside from a probing body of work that runs the gamut from an obese transvestite eating dog shit (Divine’s legendary turn in Pink Flamingos – a performance forever linked to the outrage it caused but according to the man himself, “I never set out to outrage people.

And besides eventually society catches up with me!”), to Johnny Depp playing a dopey teen star in the relatively straight Cry Baby, Waters has been afforded some minor luxuries. Like a beach house at Cape Cod or as he calls it “The Gay Fishing Village. I’ve been coming here for 47 years and it’s an insane beach town for artists and lunatics.”

THE MAN WHO NEVER SLEEPS JUSTIN HOOK JOHN WATERS has a reputation for boundary pushing that knows little peer in modern pop culture. His name is a shortcut for pithy quips and savage rejoinders that suggest a man forever ready for a well-practised punch line, lilt of the head and arch of the eyebrow.

In the course of a string of high-camp, schlock films in the late ‘60s through to the early ‘80s (Mondo Trasho, Pink Flamingos and Polyester), his numerous stage shows (one of which – Hairspray – was a movie, then a stage show, then a movie of the stage show) or his memorable performance on The Simpsons as himself, the Baltimore native gives the impression of a man who refuses to take it easy. In fact, when most people his age are in the first stages of their retirement, Waters maintains a gruelling work rate that would shame most writers half his years.

His beach retreat is more than just a place to party with the bears (we’ll get to that in a minute), it’s also a time for relaxation. “I go swimming everyday for half an hour. It keeps my sanity.” Fortunately with New York a six-hour drive away his neighbourhood for half the year isn’t swarming with skinny-jeaned hipsters. “Sure, it has always been an artists’ community and pretty crazy. Every summer they have bear week. This weekend is Gay Family Week. They have sporty lesbian week. Then they have women’s craft, which is a little drearier.

And then on Memorial Weekend we have Baby Dyke weekend when all the college girls come and they act wild. They get into fights and get naked. It’s hilarious.”

What followed was a manic 20-minute discussion about the Australian Electoral system, yuppies, The Wire and preparing his one man live show for Australian audiences. Space (and a deleted file) prevents further discussion, so I’ll be at his forthcoming This Filthy World show hoping for a repeat performance.

John Waters will This Filthy World to The Canberra Theatre on Tues Oct 25.

Tix through canberratheatrecentre.com.au .

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Wang Yan, Chicken Feast, 2005, oil on canvas, 200 x 200cm

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DAWN OF A NEW ERA CHLOE MANDRYK A NEW HORIZON contains more than 70 highly conceived works that reflect how major shifts in Chinese culture were felt and reinterpreted by two generations of artists working from the origin of the People’s Republic of China from 1949 to the present day. This exhibition highlights the importance of work from over 50 years ago, instead of the current trend for the latest and loudest works from China. It teases out the skill, sincere philosophy and great innovation of Chinese artists. Underscoring the changes in style in the show are changes in time. It is interesting to note the shift of work created for the benefit of society and state to work created for the individual and the market place.

Zhou Shuqiao’s Spring Breeze and Willow (1974) oil on canvas, paints a group of radiant young people about to participate in the

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Cultural Revolution re-education program. The social realist scene uses bright colours and a tight composition confirming unity and happiness. Some equally enamored Tibetan youths in Pan Shixun’s Walking on the Road (1964) oil on canvas, are pictured paving their own roads, literally and figuratively, suggesting their freedom under China. Shang Yang’s Dong Qichang Project-27 (2009) mixed media, references the poeticism of Chinese 16th century painting and artfully incorporates digital images hinting at evolving modes of communication. Contemporary ideas are also captured without using modern technology. For example Chen Ping’s Dreaming of the Mountain from my hometown (1998) ink and wash, holds true to the classical way of rendering a landscape.

Avant-garde art of the ‘80s took its punkish inspiration from outside China. This is evident in the chiseled imagery in Wang Yingchun and Yang Lizhou’s political scene, Taihangshan Steel Wall (1984), ink and wash. At first it looks like a carved rock-face, representing strength. But it shares Picasso’s abstracted approach to movement in Nude Descending a Staircase (1912) and touches on German Expressionism. As an exchange Australia sent NAMOC an exhibition of contemporary Indigenous work that was admired for its ability to transcend cultural paradigms because of its uniqueness or otherness. The idea that art can speak to universal truths, like pain, anonymity or survival fills the contemporary wing of this exhibition.

In a way the National Museum of Australia and the National Art Museum of China are showing both art works and also artifacts. The breadth and craft of the work in the show is wide, as is the story that the works tell as a whole about the development of Chinese society and culture.

A New Horizon: Contemporary Chinese Art from the National Art Museum of China will be on show at the National Museum of Australia until Sunday January 29, 2012.

Tamara Dean, The Pack 2010, pure pigment print on archival cotton rag, 155 x 139cm

MACABRE AND MAGICAL VANESSA WRIGHT It is hard to pinpoint where exactly this collective obsession with all things jeweled, glittered, hyper-coloured and kitsch came from.

Nor a love of magical crystals, skulls, fur and all that verges on the macabre. Possibly we all watched too much My Little Pony as children, read too many of Grimm’s fairy tales and ate too much sugar. Luckily for us, these elements will come together in one mega exhibition at the Canberra Contemporary Art Space, PAGAN POP. An exhibition which curator Yolande Norris hopes will strike the viewer, “like a hammer to the face”.

Norris has brought together the work of nine local and interstate artists for Pagan Pop. Some are young emerging artists and some are nationally recognised including Celeste Aldahn, Tamara Dean, Julia deVille, Jessica Herrington, Robbie Karmel, Owen Lewis, Kate Rohde, Helen Shelley and Marian Tubbs. These are all artists whose work makes you long for the past. Your forgotten dreams and childhood fantasies will be remembered and your unknown desires ignited. Pagan Pop is all about getting in touch with your more primitive urges; that primal part of yourself that wants nothing more than to get back to nature by dancing naked under the stars.

Julia deVille takes on the gothic in her sculptural work, which includes a velvet covered horse skull, a sword and a human skull. Yet within this disturbing and macabre subject matter, deVille injects a light hearted humour, such as giving the horse gold teeth or covering the skull in glitter. The photography of Tamara Dean is decadent and lush, hyper-real theatrical scenes that are highly stylised and evoke dreamlike scenarios reminiscent of mythological stories and ancient cultures. Just like a dream, these are scenes that at first seem so familiar, but on closer inspection reveal themselves to be frighteningly strange and foreign.

In contrast to the dark and sinister work of deVille and Dean, Kate Rohde’s work explodes with colour and kitsch. Her hyper-coloured and bejeweled faux taxidermy animals can’t help but bring a smile to your face and are complemented beautifully by Celeste Aldahn’s pink, fluffy dream catchers. In Pagan Pop, curator Yolande Norris has captured a trend that is prevalent throughout popular culture currently. A trend she describes as a, “collective desire for a time beyond memory…a desire for all things natural, mystical and primitive”. Pagan Pop explores the ways in which artists interpret these desires through their work, knowingly or unknowingly, and questions what this mass nostalgia for a past we never experienced says about our contemporary society. This is one exhibition not to be missed and personally I can’t wait to be struck in the face.

Pagan Pop opens at the Canberra Contemporary Art Space, Gorman House, from 6pm Friday October 14 and continues until Saturday November 19.

Entry is free.

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GOLD STANDARD ALLAN SKO 450-1. Not a scenario you would normally bet on. Canberra author and editor IRMA GOLD did; and won. Gold’s Two Steps Forward is the sixth and final book in a series of short fiction collections by Melbourne-based publisher Affirm Press called Long Story Shorts.

Submissions were called for, 450 manuscripts landed and, much like her namesake suggests, Gold was at the top.

Two Steps Forward’s central theme is that of people pressing through difficult circumstances. Miscarriage, single parenting, poverty, drug abuse; the rich gamut of human suffering is covered.

Despite seemingly grim subject matter, dogged hope pulses through the characters and their stories. “It’s something that I’ve always been interested in exploring through fiction,” Gold says. “How people in difficult situations struggle towards some kind of happiness. How sometimes they don’t get where they wanted but instead discover happiness in smaller things.”

The 12 stories on offer do what a good short should; dipping briefly and adroitly into a life long enough to take away something about the characters, their stories, and how they reflect our own lives.

“The characters arrive in my imagination – quite unexpectedly – and I allow their stories to unravel,” Gold says. “Tangerine is a good example. An image came to me of a man and a young girl standing on a train platform in the middle of the night. They were ill at ease with each other and I didn’t know why, but I wanted to find out. The story of a father trying to reconnect with his estranged daughter grew…

Writing is the art of discovery. Where the characters and stories end up can be surprising. That’s part of the pleasure of writing.”

Miscarriage features in two of the collection’s stronger stories.

Gold deals with this sensitive subject in a way that is simultaneously unflinching, brutal, emotionally open and refreshingly raw. “I wanted to write about miscarriage in a way that was real,” Gold says. “Miscarriage is so common and yet it rarely seems to be represented in fiction in anything other than clichés. A hand clutched to the stomach, a rush of blood, and then it’s all over. It rarely happens like that. So I wanted to write about characters who were authentic, and really draw the reader into the complexity of the experience. It’s been very heartening to get so much positive feedback about these two stories from both men and women.”

‘Resonance’ is a quality all writers, particularly those of short fiction, aspire to. That Gold’s Your Project and Sounds of Friendship are currently dancing through this author’s head suggests she has achieved just this. “I feel great affection for all my characters, even the unlikable ones,” she says. It’s likely you will too.

Irma Gold’s Two Steps Forward is out now through Affirm Press – affirmpress.com.au/two-steps-forward. A full transcript of this interview can be found out bmamag.com .

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IN REVIEW

ANU Arts Revue The Courtyard Studio, Canberra Theatre Centre Friday September 30 – Sunday October 2 Last year a group of ANU Arts students threw down the gauntlet, challenged the Revue monopoly held by the Law faculty, and pulled it off with sybaritic legerity. For a less talented group of dramatists, eschewing the marmoreal aloofness and politics-focussed elitism of the ‘upper class’ legal students could have backlashed into a glut of the low humour better reserved for British InBetweeners clones.

Instead, the bar was set higher than Steven Hooker’s bunk bed. This year’s cast of quidams faced up to the challenge with admirable temerity and an irenic change of attack. Ten months of blood, hidrosis and tears by a group of 20 or so ended in triumph as they exceeded capacity at all five shows; they even approached a sell-out for their full dress rehearsal.

Plays on language, paronomasia and a GPS-load of historical impersonations led the field, but the moments of originality were what grasped the heart of your humble correspondent. For the first time in living Revue memory, an original song had been penned by the band, amply showing off the musical skill of the eight-strong group (live and exposed on stage left). For those unfamiliar with the Revue format, pop standards are ubiquitous, appropriated for the humour of the day, from in-jokes between coevals to addressing the big issues. This risible example was no exception, opening with an ironic lambasting of ‘First World Problems’; the question – apparently in earnest – “How many maids does it take to change a chandelier?”. We were reprimanded: “Foreign aid shouldn’t be a one-way street”, and approached on a level we could all understand:

“Do you know how hard it is / to find a perfect soy? / Do you know how hard it is / to detail my Rolls Royce?”. No evidence was to be found that the cast were a set of young tyros; lighting, sound, acting, writing, and deliveries were close to unblemished, and the actors were seen to be genuinely enjoying themselves.

The individual performances, with their true expressions of talent and moments of pathos, constituted the truly gripping portion of the night. A hipster take on Bohemian Rhapsody – “My opinion clearly matters / to me” – complete with guitar solo, Murdoch as King Lear on his humblest day, and a perfect Queen Elizabeth II, all elicited sighs of amazement amid the roars of laughter. Overall, oscitation was not to be seen in the audience, and the editorial line skirted magnificently between the twin treacherous chasms of the highbrow in-joke and the gutter-skit. I’d like each of the actors to be able to write in their resume that they were “a credit to the art form, a masterwork, unvitiated talent at its original best, and a gift to the audience”, but I’m afraid I’d be open to accusations of embrocation.

Let it be said: five stars and worth your attendance in 2012.

JAMES FAHY

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IN REVIEW This is Not Art Festival Thursday September 29 – Monday October 3 Newcastle This year was the very first time I had ever attended TiNA and I’m already lamenting all the years I missed out on. For the uninitiated, This is Not Art is an annual independent arts festival held in Newcastle that showcases the work of emerging and experimental artists from a variety of disciplines all over Australia. TiNA first began in 1998 and has continued to grow and expand ever since and now includes four sub festivals under the TiNA banner; Electrofringe, presenting experimental electronic art; Crack Theatre Festival, which has everything to do with experimental, fringe, and cross artform theatre and performance; Critical Animals, a creative research symposium and the National Young Writers Festival.

Entirely free, TiNA is the definition of surviving on the smell of an oily rag.

With four festivals running simultaneously the program of events is slightly overwhelming with around 250 events happening over five days. I’m not sure how someone is meant to be able to attend even half that, but try they did! Arriving on the Friday night meant I was already two days behind and so admitting defeat before I had even begun I ended up at TiNA rival, Sound Summit festival to get a much needed beer. Sound Summit used to be a TiNA sub festival but is now its own separate entity, yet still occurs on the same weekend.

Arriving late also meant I missed the chance to see three of my friends participate in Writer Wants a Wife, a Perfect Match style event where festival attendees got the chance to find their one true (festival) love.

If I thought heading to Newcastle meant escaping Canberra for the weekend, I quickly realised I was very, very wrong. The TiNA (and Sound Summit) programs were filled with representatives of the nation’s capital and our always underrated contemporary arts scene.

Canberra arts multi-tasker extraordinaire and co-producer of You Are Here Festival, Yolande Norris was one of three co-producers for the Critical Animals festival. Canberra graphic designers newbestfriend did the festival program and advertising, The Last Prom celebrated the end of days on Sunday night while Last Man To Die discussed Transcendence, Zoya Patel represented for Canberra writers, while Glen Martin and Christina Hopgood were also making sure no one forgot that Canberra was taking over.

My Saturday began with Australian Matter and Memoir. Particularly interesting was Jes Tyrrell’s talk on her visual arts PhD project exploring the interpretation and representation of memory through interviews and a future multimedia installation work. This was

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Image produced by Headjam - headjam.com.au followed by a discussion of culture jamming including a diverse panel of street artists and one member of The Chaser’s War on Everything discussing the relevance of culture jamming in the so called ‘digital age’.

Seeing Space, Land and Language meant missing out on a discussion of the hackerspace movement, by Canberra’s very own Make Hack Void. However, I was lucky enough to catch a beautifully engaging and lyrical talk by ex-Canberran Emily Stewart on ecopoetics (though I am still unsure what that actually means…) and her own process of writing. Continuing on in the bare surrounds of Newcastle’s former lock up, the very charismatic John Olstad discussed his work studying the linguistics of small atoll communities in Papua New Guinea. He left free no opportunity in which to demonstrate his own prowess of language and to emphasise that he did in fact live on a tropical atoll, no big deal.

A highlight for the whole weekend would have to be the Big Top Ball held at the Festival Club on Saturday night – any excuse to dress in costume is fine with me especially when it could possibly involve seeing men in acrobat outfits and many a beard. Too many festivities that night though meant Sunday was quite the challenge even without the torrential rain. Not camping was the best decision I ever made.

Struggling through the rain and the pain was worth it to see The Landscape of Crisis, three papers presented by Sophie Lamond, Clancy Wilmott and Rebecca Giggs all of which concerned the discussion and representation of environmental crisis in art. This event would be one of my highlights for the weekend; not only because of the compelling ideas and work presented but also because this was my first encounter with the infamous ‘serial pest’ of Australia, Peter Hore. Well known for interrupting the funeral of Michael Hutchence, he is responsible for numerous shenanigans and always attends as many TiNA events as he can, giving his responses freely and loudly. His issue on this day was with the fact that the moon landing never happened; classic conspiracy theory.

Overall, I have some regrets about not seeing very much performance and sound work. In fact, there was a massive gap in my program regarding Crack and Electrofringe events. For me, TiNA ended up being more of a conference and less of a festival, which was both good and bad. My inevitable and obvious conclusion is that like any festival, TiNA could have been a million things and ultimately it was a choose your own adventure situation. Without the opportunity to go back and take the storyline you missed out on.

Well, until next year anyway.

VANESSA WRIGHT

ARTISTPROFILE: Adam Veikkanen

What do you do? I am a multi-media artist using bureaucratic materials such as bubble wrap, staples, tape, pencils, typewriters etc.

When did you get into it? I have always shown an interest in art but it was not until I was 14 or 15 years old that I actually thought I could make ‘art’.

Who or what influences you as an artist? I find reading thought provoking. I particularly enjoy reading sciences that border on philosophy, as these allow for elastic thoughts and interpretation.

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

Receiving the Qantas Encouragement of Contemporary Art award for 2011 has been the biggest highlight so far. The award is set up to enable artists to travel overseas, make international connections, see important art exhibitions and attend residencies.

What are your plans for the future? As part of my Qantas award I will be travelling to Brazil. I have found the art and culture there relates quite heavily to my practice, and both share a certain improvisational quality.

What makes you laugh? Good jokes! Actually some of my favourite artists are the kind that use humour as a way of attracting or getting the attention of the viewer. I think humour is a great way of tackling a deep issue as it allows people to face up to the issue as well as being entertained (although some people just want to be entertained).

What pisses you off? A very general answer is people who write you off without giving you ‘a fare shake of the sauce bottle’.

What’s your opinion of the local scene? I think the local art scene is the sort that demands involvement/effort, particularly from the visitor’s side. Being small it’s a surprisingly fervent art scene that’s getting progressively busier.

What are your upcoming performances/exhibitions? My next exhibition is a group show in Germany entitled Invasion. On a local level I will be doing a community drawing project titled Cumulous Cloud over the next few weeks. The project will be taking place in community places such as halls and market places; I am very excited to see how people react and how they participate.

Contact info: adam.veikkanen@gmail.com, adamveikkanen.com

UNINHIBITED Tropical kings of Canberra The Fighting League will be launching a record shortly, so I’m told. As will the extraordinary Hoodlum Shouts.

Assassins 88 have issued a new EP, TV Colours and Bacon Cakes are pushing new material, Teddy Trouble are working on a re-release of their sold out EP, Crash the Curb are recording, as are Mornings and Savages. Cat Cat will fling their first LP into the mix in October, same time as my own little beat rock combo* will offer our first record. That’s a lot of listening for the interested punter.

These are busy times for the Canberra ‘scene’ (and I’ll use that term advisedly). Within those acts above there’s a pack of tunes worthy of your complete attention. I struggle to think of too many better bands in the land than the Hoodlums, better live acts than the FL. I’ve not even mentioned Voss, on hiatus, but a ridiculously good outfit.

As good as any you’ll find in this hemisphere.

Should I therefore be reading about the vibrant capital scene in the national rags, the tastemaking blogs and the style guides? Possibly.

There are the ingredients of a classic ‘scene’ – smaller town, insular mentality, forged on a proper DIY basis (so many of these acts cut their sonic teeth on house and yard parties, thanks to that pesky lack of venues). But there’s more to it than all that.

Scenes are inventions of a press looking for something to write about. Ask Mancunians from the late ‘80s, or Seattlefolk from the early ‘90s. They tend to fall into two camps – those who saw the acts that merged from those towns as little more than the local bands that filled the local street press, and those who were totally there (man), who did gak with Kurt and played rhythm guitar for The Stone Roses before being unceremoniously dumped. Hangers-on. Who elevate the thing in retrospect.

The one thread I can find in reading about these mini movements that happen every so often, where a town off the major radar happens to host a collection of seriously good outfits, is that they’re spoken of in hindsight. When they’re ‘happening’, it’s business as usual.

The notion of a scene is a spurious one. However, it strikes me that something has been happening in Canberra for the past couple of years that is noteworthy. Find me a suite of better Australian bands than the ones I’ve mentioned and I’ll give you a fiver. And so, can I suggest that you get to a show, quick sticks. A few of these bands have moved to Melbourne. A few more will probably head to the bigger smoke soon. It’d be a shame to miss something when it was happening. Everybody does indeed hate a tourist – better to be there than to miss it.

GLEN MARTIN glenpetermartin@gmail.com *Which is called Waterford. Not that I want to push it, but, you know... feel free to grab a copy of our debut LP Say Ok, out on October 31 through Birds Love

Fake Pencils, 20x15x1.5cm 2010

Fighting Records.

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bit PARTS WHO: Christopher Oates WHAT: Exhibition In a Clear Light WHEN: Wed Oct 12 – Sun Oct 23 WHERE: ANCA Gallery, Dickson In a Clear Light investigates the play of Canberra’s unique light on buildings and bush. A long term Canberra resident, Oates has always been fascinated by the interaction between the bush and the city. “I wanted to look at how the clear light of Canberra falls in different ways on different surfaces, how light shades the mouldings on Federation buildings and how the shadows of trees fall on concrete and grass. I wanted to represent the contrast between hard, bright, square objects and surfaces and the softer and more subtle interactions of vegetation and earth,” he says.

Oates’ work includes but goes beyond the traditional image of Canberra as orderly, blockish and sterile. “I also wanted to delve a little into the suburban and industrial infrastructure, elements that don’t normally feature in artistic depictions of Canberra – asphalt, pavement, railings, pipes, tanks and shipping containers.”

WHO: Canberra’s Japanese community WHAT: Canberra Nara Candle Festival WHEN: Sat Oct 22 WHERE: Canberra Nara Peace Park and Lennox Gardens Enjoy the spectacle of 2,000 shimmering candles at the Canberra Nara Candle Festival as the capital celebrates the 18th year of the strong Sister City relationship between Canberra and Nara, Japan.

The event will feature Wadaiko Rindo, a Japanese drum ensemble renowned for energetic and dynamic drumming performances, as well as performances by Japanese group Manpuku Band, dance group Hokkai Ahondarakai, Nara University High School, Narrabundah College and the ACT Senior Concert Band. The festival brings a wide variety of Japanese and Australian culture together with arts and crafts, cuisine and workshops. For all the info head to events.act.gov.au .

WHO: James Rhodes WHAT: Pianist Extraordinaire WHEN: Thurs Oct 27 WHERE: The Playhouse, Canberra Theatre Centre James Rhodes isn’t your average classical muso. The 36-year-old was born into a middle-class Jewish family in London and at seven borrowed a CD of Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto from his father.

The rest as they say is history. In addition to established classical concert halls he plays at rock festivals, theatres and jazz clubs, getting rid of program notes and introducing the pieces himself from the stage. This new approach sees his typical audience consist of both established concert-goers and classical first-timers in equal measure. Head to canberratheatrecentre.com for all the info.

WHO: Director Andrew Holmes WHAT: The Fall of the City by Arhcibald Macleish WHEN: Wed Oct 26 – Fri Oct 28 WHERE: ANU Arts Centre Drama Lab

WHO: Annika Romeyn WHAT: Exhibition Autumn Leaves WHEN: Thurs Oct 13 – Sun Oct 23 WHERE: Canberra Contemporary Art Space, Manuka Once upon a time in a land not so far away, Annika Romeyn saw art and beauty in a common but incredibly meaningful object. As a learning tool, but more importantly as a treasured memory, picture books are an integral part of growing up. The drawings can be exquisite, and the stories moving, but do we ever hear of picture books being proclaimed as art? Annika Romeyn is an artist working to change this, and her exhibition Autumn Leaves will present the picture book as a work of art in its own right. Simple but moving, Autumn Leaves proves that we all have something to learn from picture books.

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As part of an ongoing research project Andrew Holmes presents Pulitzer Prize-winning poet dramatist Archibald MacLeish’s groundbreaking radio verse drama The Fall of the City for five performances only. In the central plaza of a great city, a dead woman appears and delivers a prophecy: “the city of masterless men will take a master”. A great crowd has gathered, alarmed by the vision of the dead woman. A messenger appears to tell the crowd that a conqueror is coming. As hysteria increases, a series of powerful figures harangues the crowd: orators, generals, and priests. Written against the historical background of the rise of fascism in Europe in the 1930s, The Fall of the City explores the acceptance of tyranny and the ways in which humans give up their freedom. Free, bookings essential. Email andrew.holmes@anu.edu.au .

WHO: Canberra Youth Theatre WHAT: TriviARTS - The Arts Trivia Extravaganza!

WHEN: Friday October 28 WHERE: Italo-Australian Club, Forrest CYT is turning 40 in 2012 and to mark the beginning of this new era in style, they would dearly love to give their very dated C-Block Theatre Foyer a much needed make-over. What better way to help them fundraise for their face-lift than with a great night out. Bring your family, friends and feisty neighbours and fill a table at the first ever CYT TriviARTS Arts Trivia Extravaganza, featuring interactive, recorded and live performance rounds covering all areas of the Art world from film, music, literature, visual art, music theatre, dance and drama, starring CYT’s very own Actors Ensemble. Individual tickets are $22 or $200 for a table of ten. For more info head to cytc. net or call 6248 5057.

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DIAMOND HARMONIES

A WILD RIDE

Justin Hook

HOLLY ORKIN

In the mid ‘80s a full decade after his peak as a solo artist and at least 20 years before he invented Vampire Weekend, Paul Simon was in a rut. After being introduced to some music from the African continent his spirits lifted. At the time South Africa’s policy of racial segregation – apartheid – was in full swing, free elections were far beyond the horizon and individual rights for non-whites a pipedream. Through it all the simple beauty, the mournful yet simultaneously jubilant mbube (a cappella) harmonisations of a group called LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZO shone through. Their collaboration formed the core of Simon’s 1986 album Graceland. A surprise runaway hit it introduced Ladysmith Black Mambazo to the wider community, far beyond nascent world music circles. Simon recently returned to South Africa to celebrate its 25th anniversary.

TIJUANA CARTEL – if you haven’t already heard of them – are what my mother would refer to as “groovy” and what my dancing shoes would call a “damn good boogie” (yes I just rhymed, what of it?). They are five boys from the gold coast and they are rocketing towards Canberra on the magic carpet that is their new album, M1. M1 is due to be released on Friday October 7 so you’ll have plenty of time to practice your moves before their Transit Bar gig on Saturday October 29. And move you will. Their electronica-based, richly layered sound is made up of quality beats, raw and powerful vocals and bouncy pop with sounds and samples taken from across the world. Their single White Dove for example starts with what seems to be African drums, melts into flamenco guitar and somewhere in the background there’s a rock riff!

The occasion gave Ladysmith co-founder We still have some Albert Shabala cause to reflect on the but do to s thing album and its impact in his troubled when I look back homeland. “It was fantastic working with at the life I was living compared to all these guys again for the reunion shows. now… it feels like That album was very much supported in paradise! our country. The community respect Paul for introducing our music to the world. The project was about us sharing our music with him and his music with ours. And for that they admire him big time here in South Africa.”

South Africa has undergone a seismic cultural and social shift since Ladysmith started in 1960. In the early days the band sang to overcome the tyranny surrounding them, to remind themselves and their community that humanity could exist even under oppression.

A large part of this happened every Saturday night at weekly dance and isicathamiya singing competitions, the very place that forged the early years of Ladysmith Black Mambazo.

Despite the multifarious distractions on offer today, Albert is not worried about their choir-styled singing falling out of musical fashion or favour. “This music is so popular with the young people.

Every Saturday night in every city in South Africa you’ll find more and more people performing this sort of music. And when we tour, the young kids want to come and meet us. They are excited.”

Yet through it all, the music is a constant reminder of their struggles and it is something the elders of the group pass on to their youthful audiences. “They live a different life and are always amazed when we tell them what sort of life we lived. We tell them you have to work hard for your freedom. But then you enjoy it and don’t abuse it. We still have some things to do but when I look back at the life I was living compared to now…it feels like paradise! We have to encourage the young people to work for the development of the country, to make opportunities. Some of them take it for granted but we remind them it has been a struggle and people have been fighting for this. So just enjoy life.”

Ladysmith Black Mambazo will be singing at the Canberra Theatre on Thursday November 3. Tickets are $89.90 through canberratheatrecentre. com.au .

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It’s the first time I’ve finished an album that I’m actually able to listen to myself

They seem to borrow from everything and everywhere and still make it their own. “We’ve been playing around for about six or seven years.

We’re five guys into different styles of music and we’ve melded into one kind of sound. We’re an electronic band but we like to add world music into [the sound] as well.” That’s Paul George, the band’s vocalist, guitarist and general nice guy who spoke to me from the tour van, which had better be pretty comfortable since their upcoming album tour doesn’t give them much of a break from playing their sweet beats. It’s worth it though. After a long process to get this album to where he wanted it to be, George is finally happy with the result.

“It was pretty arduous, we spent two years all up from the start of writing it ‘til now. We really wanted to push ourselves as far as we could go, we wanted to do something different from the last album... one song can have eight or nine parts so it did take a long time to pull it all together, particularly as we were trying things we’d never tried before. I’m really proud of it, it’s the first time I’ve finished an album that I’m actually able to listen to myself! Normally I finish it and I don’t like it anymore!”

George has every reason to like it; every sound on the album is perfectly crafted, from the vocals to the trills and hums of sounds from cultures spread across the globe, and because of the multitude of elements the band has flexibility when they play it to their adoring crowds. “Every time we play it live, it’s different from the album and different from when we’ve played it before. Sometimes we take elements out or add them back in, it keeps it exciting.”

Exciting indeed – warm up your joints and do your special stretches before this gig, it’s going to be wild.

Tijuana Cartel will be packing out Transit Bar on Saturday October 29 with Tin Can Radio and DJ Carebear. Doors open 8pm, and tickets are $27 through tijuanacartel.com .

THREE’S A CROWD Clare Quinn As a devotee since the late ‘90s, when she used to tour with her old band, Caligula-offshoot Primary, I hadn’t anticipated Connie Mitchell would one day phone up to talk about all things woo-woo. The purpose of this chat though is the news that SNEAKY SOUND SYSTEM is headlining the Mission to Launch festival in Canberra’s Weston Park on New Year’s Eve. Connie, or ‘Miss Connie’ as she is known, and her bandmate Angus ‘Black Angus’ McDonald, will be joining The Living End, Cloud Control, The Herd, Beautiful Girls, Grafton Primary, British India and the Yacht Club DJs for the festival.

“We’re smashing it!” she says of the cohort. It’s the first time that Sneaky Sound System will tour Canberra since 2009, and Connie confirms my presumption that this will be their first New Year’s Eve in Canberra.

I don’t know if I can call in any “Maybe so!” Connie replies, uncertainly. “I don’t favours with know if I can call in any favours with Kanye, but Kanye, but we’ll see we’ll see. I’m sure he’ll have another banging gig to do or something. But it won’t be as good as ours in Canberra! It’s New Year’s Eve – you’ve got to pull out the bells and whistles. I mean it’s the capital of Australia. Maybe we can take the audience and crash Parliament House.” Well, it won’t be a sitting week, so who knows. The band has slimmed down since its last album, with the amicable departure of Damon ‘MC Double D’ Downey in 2009. We get round to talking, with reference mainly to the time between Primary and Connie meeting Sneaky Sound System in a park, about how a band can be like a marriage. “Nothing kills a marriage like familiarity – the adage is really true that familiarity breeds contempt, so you’ve got to be constantly working at it – reinvigorating it, refreshing it, stretching boundaries.” And then Miss Connie enquires as to my star sign and the chat goes off the record…

Sneaky Sound System will be headlining the Mission to Launch Festival on Saturday December 31 at Weston Park. Tickets are through missiontolaunch.com.au and Moshtix from $135 a pop.

It’s a big year for the band, with the release of their third album From Here to Anywhere on Friday October 7. Of the two singles so far, Connie confirms that it’s the soaring, fun Big that better represents the album, rather than the almost Depeche Mode-esque We Love and its innuendo-laden video. The album title is prescient, as they’re just back from a residency in Ibiza, after a year in places like Berlin, Moscow and Las Vegas, in time for the Australian festival season.

In light of the silly but genuinely widespread rumour at Splendour in the Grass this year that Jay-Z was going to join Kanye West in his transcendent set, I enquire whether the Mission to Launch punters can expect any surprise collaborations. Connie provided vocals on Kanye’s 2007 Graduation, and appears with La Roux singer Elly Jackson on Watch the Throne, the Kanye West/Jay-Z collaboration released in August.

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ANYTHING YOU WANT, YOU’LL GET

ALL CLASS

SINEAD O’CONNELL

Marie-Stella McKinney

Lior Attar, known simply as the artist LIOR, was born in Israel before moving to Sydney with his family at the age of ten. By the age of 12 he was thoroughly immersed in the study of classical guitar as well as writing and composing his own songs. As a result, his soulful arrangements are infused with tones collected from his Middle Eastern Jewish heritage that accompany a vast vocal range. Piercing eyes and an Israeli complexion compliment a voice that guides listeners into an understanding of the simpler, more peaceful side of acoustic harmonizing.

A drag show from one of The Canberra Musicians Club leading organisers will be one of the many ‘special performances’ at the launch of local act BETH N BEN’s sophomore EP Economy Class on Sunday October 16 – but the roots and reggae duo are keeping coy about the name of the ex-El Presedente mystery performer.

Yet drag shows aside, the real highlight will be when Beth n Ben showcase what they have been working on since the debut of their first EP Boarding Pass this time last year, and Beth Monzo and Ben Drysdale both agree things were different in the recording studio the second time around.

With children the age of five and seven, other than gigging and vibing the “weird and interesting stuff” of his hometown Melbourne, Lior lends his spare time to them, to music, writing and touring. Of being on tour he loves “the fusion of travel and music. Performing accelerates the travel experience because you’re moving around and having a wonderful time.”

To be a good songwriter, you have to be partially obsessive with writing… The challenge is finding inspiration

In his upcoming tour Lior is encouraging fans to pre-request songs for him to cover, a fun feat that is said to be quite a crowd pleaser.

You can request songs on his website lior.com.au or on his Facebook page. Covers such as Up On the Roof by Carole King and even Bon Jovi’s Living On a Prayer have been winning crowds over left, right and centre stage.

However, his aim to genuinely engage with the audience does not only take the form of song, it is the stories that accompany them which are equally entertaining. In fact, his tales are being requested as much as the covers. His music reflects this gift of storytelling, which is obvious when you listen and truly indulge in what he brings to the song – warm, rich and charismatic imagery.

According to Lior, “to be a good songwriter, you have to be partially obsessive with writing… The challenge is finding inspiration.

You can go five whole days and not be able to write a word, or sit for 15 minutes and write an amazing song. Being a songwriter changes your whole notion of what being productive means, good songwriters understand that. Time spent actively seeking inspiration, listening to music or getting knowledge for yourself is still part of the process and it takes time.” Ironically the most incongruous of moments inspire this seasoned musician. His songwriting depends on bursts of responses to creative stimuli as much as it does on ‘musical methodology’. Perhaps that is his secret to his talent, finding beauty where it might not normally be found.

Lior will be gracing the stage at The Street Theatre on Thursday October 22, with The Blue Ruins supporting. Tickets are available through thestreet. org.au for $42 presale, or else $47 at the door.

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“It was easier for us to be more involved and more specific about what we wanted with this EP,” Beth told BMA, “It was a lot easier to get across what we wanted with the producer, because It’s all about finding that way we’ve established a pretty good relationship with him to bridge the by now.”

communication gap

Returning again to Monstereo Studios to record Economy Class, the duo feel the EP is a bit more “fun” compared to their debut. “They were our first recordings [Boarding Pass] so we were a little bit timid about it,” Beth suggested as Ben adds, “Whereas this one was a bit more like, lets have some fun with this and put some really fun tracks on there. It’s another nice mix of old songs and new; we sort of try and make sure we do something that’s been around for ages but also something that we’ve just come up with… I think it makes a nice rounded picture of where we’re at and what we’re doing.”

And what better way to showcase where Beth n Ben are at than with a vaudeville vintage launch party, which could possibly be the first of its kind in Canberra this year? “We went with the vintage theme for the EP cover, we got all dressed up in April’s Caravan clothes and then went out to the Railway Museum in Kingston and shot in an economy class rail carriage. So we decided to carry that over onto the launch because that’s kind of the image we’ve gone with.”

The EP launch at The White Eagle Polish Club in O’Connor will have vintage fashion for sale from April’s Caravan, along with free vintage inspired hair styling courtesy of Rhubarb & Me Hair Boutique in Lyneham. The duo hope this unique edge will bring in people who’ve never seen them perform before. “There are a lot of really good musicians around and a lot of really good bands. It would be nice if we managed to connect to a few more of the general public who don’t come out to a lot of stuff, because I’m sure a lot of them love live music and it’s all about finding that way to bridge the communication gap.”

Beth n Ben will be launching Economy Class at The White Eagle Polish Club in O’Connor on Sunday October 16, with a range of exciting guests and supports. The launch will start at 3pm, and vintage clothing is encouraged.

Entry is $20/$15 with the EP at the door.

THE ROLLIN’ RACONTEUSE Lauren Bicknell Sal Kimber’s Nan was living in Robinvale, Victoria during World War II. It had been three years since she heard from her beloved husband Stan. She had assumed that he was dead. Imagine how it would feel after all that time to receive a telegram that would be too heartbreaking to dream about. He was coming home.

SAL KIMBER AND THE ROLLIN’ WHEEL take you on the Melbourne bound train to pick Stan up on the last track of their self-titled debut album. If you think about it hard enough, you’ll find yourself giddy with anticipation and overcome with a feeling of true love that you had told yourself was gone.

Sometimes there’s just something special about folk music. The tradition of storytelling is so I think that the alive and drenched in a history runs deeper than our living folk tradition of that memories.

telling the story behind the song is really, really beautiful and so important

The story of Sal’s Nan and Pop is a perfect example of folk music at its story telling finest. Sal says that she likes explaining the narrative behind the lyrics. “I think that the folk tradition of telling the story behind the song is really, really beautiful and so important… I think people can connect to the song that little bit more and they can own it and put themselves there on that train.”

Sal was raised in a musical family and grew up going to folk festivals.

One of her sisters, Buffy, plays keys and xylophone in the band but Sal also plays and writes music with her older sister as well as her father. She says the intimacy and exposing nature of creating music with each other brings her family together in a very special way. “Our family is really honest and quite emotionally raw with each other… which is a really beautiful thing, it means we’re all really close.”

Her family was based in northeast Victoria and the landscape of the area is another focus of the album. She says when the band is performing or recording those songs she tries to put herself back in the hills and back into a truly stunning part of Australia.

The blues, country and folk musical influences of her childhood greatly shape the music she’s making today but there are a few other sources of inspiration like groove, soul, bluegrass and even dance shaping the unique sound of the band.

After one particular festival gig, someone described the band as True Blood meets Paul Kelly meets the B52s – a strange concept to imagine, but oddly perfect once you’ve experienced the band in full swing. It’s also worth taking a peek at their new video clip for Beat Gets Louder featuring ‘50s hairstyles and the Ballarat Go Dancers.

Sal Kimber and The Rollin’ Wheel will be playing a free gig at The Phoenix Bar on Thursday October 27. For more info on the band, check out salkimber.com .

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) WHY 10 REASONS (OR LESSBE THE THEY DON’T WANT TO VIOLENT FEMMES

HOLIDAY! CELEBRATE!

Jessica Conway

Alistair Erskine

“Didn’t I see you at Werribee mental facility?” 15 minutes into my interview with THE VASCO ERA drummer, Michael Fitzgerald, he stopped midsentence as he was approached by a lady on the street trying to figure out where she knew him from. Michael, very politely, pleaded ignorance to being institutionalised, and the woman went on her way. What happened to a vague “you look kind of familiar”?

Well, I can vouch for Michael, he didn’t seem insane – not even an ounce of angsty, tortured, penniless indie/rock artist vibe.

Recently up in Sydney, the Changing Lanes Festival ushered in the start of the party season. On the main stage, on a sunny Saturday afternoon, a duo from Melbourne called BIG SCARY stole a large portion of the show. Comprised of drummer Jo Syme and fronted by the guitar and piano playing singer Tom Iansek, Big Scary jump over lines and criss-cross all that is right about indie pop – rambunctious rockers, tender ballads, and danceable affirmations. Catching up with Tom Iansek, I find a young man who was a little nervous over the phone, but has a great deal to be proud of in his short career.

Regardless, a slightly loony air may be working for them with their latest single Child Bearing Hips getting heaps of air time on triple j.

Interestingly, the song’s namesake originates from lead singer Sid’s body shape. “Sid’s been told for years by me and other friends he has ‘child bearing hips’ and that’s where the line came from.”

I don’t know if you’ve ever seen us before, but we’re not one of those flash professional bands

There is a touch of wider social commentary at play too; “You go to a party sometimes where people try and make themselves look really intelligent, and try and pay you out because you aren’t dressed using the right gear; I guess we’re making a comment on that as well.”

You may recall the band from GTM a couple of years back, and they certainly have a stage presence. In fact they’re so engaging live, their new self-titled album aims to recreate that very energy.

“It really is just us playing,” he says fondly. The emotions definitely come through, with the vibe fitting the array of track atmospheres perfectly. “You always learn something off the people you watch,” Michael notes, and as the band has crossed paths with Wolfmother, The Hold Steady and The Black Keys as well as playing many festivals including Southbound, The Great Escape and Falls, they’ve picked up some serious skills.

Their encounter with The Violent Femmes was a lesson in professionalism, but not where the band wants to end up. “It was strange with The Violent Femmes, it was at a time when there were all these disputes going on between them about songwriting credits.

They weren’t friends…it was a really awkward situation.” However Michael recalls how they pulled it together on stage. “They were still amazing,” he remembers.

Still thinking about the psych facility question, I asked Michael if what he was wearing was some indicator; black jeans, a t-shirt and a “blue suit jacket thing”. Hmph. He did say he was growing his hair out and working on a beard. Perhaps it’s just in one of those awkward growth phases?

The Vasco Era will be playing the ANU Bar with Papa vs Pretty on Wednesday October 26. Tickets are a grand total of $21.90, through Ticketek.

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One thing we know is that we wouldn’t have been able to release the four EPs we did last year if we weren’t independent

“One thing we know is that we wouldn’t have been able to release the four EPs we did last year if we weren’t independent,” Tom says, referring to the selfreleased series of four seasonal concept releases the band put out themselves over the course of the last 12 months, an unusual path for a band introducing themselves to the world, but one that seems entirely in keeping with the sentiment of Big Scary. “Because we released those ourselves, it gave us the confidence to release our debut album by ourselves too.”

The Big Scary story is one somewhat typical of the Melbourne music scene – both Tom and Jo were in different bands, met and started Big Scary as a side project. When the other bands reached the crossroads musical projects so often find themselves at, they began to focus on Big Scary more seriously, and due to its success, it became their primary musical vehicle. “Sometimes I miss playing smaller shows, just working and playing with a few other bands in tiny venues,” Tom says slightly wistfully. “But we are really having fun with where the band is now.

“When it came to the album we didn’t actually know what to do – should we focus on either of the two styles we really write [the sweet indie ballads, or the rockier and dancier barnstormers] as we really love albums, and consistency is one of their best traits. We decided to do a mix, and it was a hard decision for us, but I think we made the right choice.” Great choice, actually. Their debut album Vacation was made triple j’s feature album, a rare feat for a selfreleased debut.

“The second last time we played in Canberra, one rather merry fan got on stage, and went to sing along with me to one of the songs.

She didn’t know many of the words, but she did know how to jump on my back and perform it from there.” Tom assures me he isn’t wary of returning. And given how much mileage they will be able to get out of their album, you can be sure they won’t be far away.

Vacation is out now and available from your finest purveyors of cool.

Lane, whose tour will include a number of club dates as well as festivals (sadly her performance at Stonefest was cancelled), says she is looking forward to the opportunity to play festival sets. “I find that festivals are so different to normal concerts,” she says. “The sets are shorter, sometimes as little as 40 minutes, and there is a real challenge in keeping the energy and excitement there for the crowd. I really enjoy it.” Lane’s full band will be joining her on the tour, guaranteeing upbeat performances bound to get the crowd dancing.

STRAIGHT FROM THE HORSE’S MOUTH

LIAM DEMAMIEL

LANIE LANE has been billed as the “owner of a rich, warm and sweet voice that channels the spirit of the blues greats and the grit of Billie Holiday”. Having spent the greater part of the last year heavily touring in support of the likes of Justin Townes Earl and You Am I, Lane is preparing to take to the road on her first national headline tour. With her debut album To The Horses set for release in a matter of days, one feels that all the hard work is just about to pay off.

Adding to the successes of her breakout year, Lane had the enviable experience of working with musical polymath and general man about town Jack White. Recording the songs Ain’t Hungry and My Man for the Third Man Records Blue Series, Lane said she thoroughly enjoyed working with White. “Jack produced both of the tracks and played bass on one of them too. I really liked the way he works. He just comes into the studio and does it. It is the way I have always tried to work. It was a great opportunity and something I’m really happy that I did.”

To The Horses is released on Friday October 14.

To The Horses captures the essence of Lane’s sound; a fusion of classic styles drawing on everything from

Nobody sat me down and taught me how to write a song – I think that’s an impossible thing for anyone to do blues to soul. The record was cut in only four days, with Lane and her band trying to capture the essence of the songs in a way that was as dynamic and true as possible. “I don’t like having to do multiple takes of songs over and over,” Lane says. “I am just lucky that my band are talented and have the skills to work that way.”

With much anticipation surrounding the long awaited release of her debut long player, Lane remains confident in her work. “I am very happy with To The Horses, it worked out so well,” she says. “It’s my first album, I suppose you could say that I’ve been writing the songs for it for a very long time,” she laughs. “Nobody sat me down and taught me how to write a song – I think that’s an impossible thing for anyone to do – all you can do is listen to as many great songs as you can and hope it rubs off!”

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PLANTING SEEDS Peter Rosewarne Unless you are Canadian many of you may not have heard HEY ROSETTA! before, yet they have been receiving high acclaim in their part of the world, winning awards and being short-listed recently for the prestigious Polaris award (alongside heavyweights like Arcade Fire and Austra). Much like The Jezabels (whom Hey Rosetta! will be supporting as part of their upcoming tour) the band has made a solid reputation locally, but an ever-increasing listenership reveals a global ripple effect. Guitarist Adam Hogan explains that they saw The Jezabels when touring with City And Colour in Australia earlier this year. “We caught their show while we were in Melbourne,” he says. “The crowd was amazing! It seems like they have a good thing going on.” Awards, responsive crowds… Good things going on all round, then.

After initially changing band members a few times, Hey Rosetta! have solidified as a band, dolling out an exuberant array of prepossessing music. I even detect a Celtic sound, which may be a result of their Newfoundland roots. “I think we’ve been influenced but it’s not conscious,” Hogan ruminates, sounding somewhat unsure of my suggestion. “It could be the strings that bring it out in our music so maybe it seeps through… It seems like more and more, the stuff we’re listening to is Canadian. [Canadian music] is pretty vibrant and has been for a few years.”

[Canadian music] is pretty vibrant and has been for a few years

Whatever the overall style of their latest album Seeds, each song (written primarily by frontman Tim Baker) has been written independently, compared by the band to seeds (hence the album name), which may grow in the listeners’ minds as intended. “Tim brings in lyrics and some basic chords on the piano or guitar and maybe a skeleton of a song,” Hogan explains. “It’s nice to have a songwriter come up with these really nice songs, and bring in this canvass that we can paint all over. We’re pretty comfortable with our roles and how we work together. There are a couple of songs from Seeds where I’ve tossed in a couple of riffs that I’ve been kicking around… But it doesn’t happen that often with us.”

This approach gives Hey Rosetta!’s songs a level of focus, while each band member draws out the breadth of sound with which a song may be performed. As Hogan sees it, “Each band member has their own preferred style and particular preferences… I think when the six of us put it all together it allows us to vary, album to album. We don’t think too much about what our unique sound is. It’s hard for us to identify this because we’re on the inside. It’s probably easier for our listeners to identify what we sound like… Our goal is to make the best music we can at any given moment.”

Along with the marvellous Alpine, Hey Rosetta! will be supporting The Jezabels as part of their nationwide tour at ANU Bar on Wednesday October 19. Tickets are $30.65 through Ticketek, and doors open at 7.30pm.

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THE REALNESS Lots to get through, but first thing’s first this month, here’s a free treat. Ahead of their forthcoming third album due in early 2012, Sydney’s Spit Syndicate have offered up a free mixtape entitled Best Intentions Part 1. It’s the first in a two-part series and shows the duo dropping knowledge over a range of instrumentals from Monch to The XX. Grab your copy from spitsyndicate.com/ downloads/Best_Intentions_Part1.zip .

The newly formed Down For The Count Records is celebrating its first self-titled full-length release. The crew consists of Dazed, Mol1, Sinks, Sparts and Force. Production comes from Dazed, B Wiv, Chris Labs, Double Digits, Shroomz, Alabama, Bipola, Rotten Produce and Flash Forest. Their aim? Simply to to display their passion, drive and respect for the hip-hop genre. Grab your copies from dftc.bandcamp.com .

Over to the states and a number of big releases that have just touched down. Roc Nation’s J Cole has unveiled his Cole World: The Sideline Story which is a smooth listen from start to finish.

Evidence has followed up his dope Weatherman LP with his new album Cats & Dogs through Rhymesayers. The production is first class and comes from DJ Premier, Babu, The Alchemist, Rahki, Sid Roams and Statik Selektah. Ev is a popular dude and calls in his mates Aloe Blacc, Raekwon, Ras Kass, Roc Marciano, Prodigy, Slug, Aesop Rock, Lil Fame, Termanology, Raaka and Krondon.

Former Little Brother producer and all-round soul machine, 9th Wonder is back with his latest solo opus The Wonder Years further flexing his beat-making skills. Phonte, Median, Warren G, Erykah Badu, Murs, Kendrick Lamar, Fashawn, Talib Kwlei, Blu, Raekwon, Mac Miller and many more bless the mic over his soulful sounds.

Speaking of Little Brother, and not to be outdone by his homey 9th, Phonte has also just released his debut solo LP following his work with The Foreign Exchange. Charity Starts At Home features beats

by Swiff D, 9th Wonder, Khrysis, Stro, Zo, S1 and more. Guests are Elzhi, Median, Pharaohe Monch, Evidence and Big K.R.I.T. Switching styles, R&S are releasing The Pathway To Tiraquon6 from the legendary Space Dimension Controller in mid October.

Staying prolific and dope, R&S have also released details for a label compilation IOTDXI. Like recent label releases from Hessle and Hotflush, the two-disc compilation will showcase previously released classics on one disc and new unreleased efforts from the likes of Lone, Blawan, Pariah, Bullion, Klaus, Untold, The Chain, Airhead and more on the other. Following his recent album Maddslinky workaholic Zed Bias has just dropped his new album Biasonic Hotsauce and it’s a star-studded affair featuring collaborations with Serocee, Dynamite MC, Trim, Jenna G, Toddla T, Mark Pritchard, FaltyDL, Skream and more. It’s out through the ever-reliable Tru Thoughts label.

Machinedrum’s Room(s) is still my tip for best album of 2011 so far, but it may well be bettered by the new self-titled Sepalcure album, which is released in November.

A WHOLE NEW SOUND Mel Cerato After three albums and countless tour and festival appearances, Aussie hip-hop artist PHRASE is ready to take his new sound across the country on his nationwide tour starting this week. His third LP Babylon is a change in direction for the Aussie rapper, mixing his love of all types of music with his trademark sound.

“Instead of being bound in by ‘you’ve got to make an Aussie hip-hop record and it has sound like this’, I thought fuck that! I listen to all sorts of stuff and I’m just going to make a record that I like and with sounds I like,” Phrase says. “I did have an embryonic idea [of what I wanted the album to sound like]. I’d been just rapping over this garage music, and was like ‘this is different’, and I went home and played on the guitar and wrote a song in that vein, and then put a rap over it and that was Apart, the first single.

“From there, I kind of went ‘woah, this is kind of different’ and thought about the concept more and thought it’d be cool to make a record that sounded like that, and then it eventually took on a life of its own.”

It’s pretty hard when you are up there just by yourself with a DJ. I found it very hard to stay motivated

Part of this change of musical direction is the inclusion of a band on the tour, something Phrase is pretty excited about. “[This time I’m] taking a full band with me, it’s going to be good,” he says. “The songs translate really well live, obviously because the record was recorded in that way. Last time with [previous album] Clockwork, I think it was a little bit hit and miss sometimes. Some songs would work live and some wouldn’t, whereas this time when I started rehearsing the album I was like ‘finally it just sounds like it does on the album’,” Phrase says happily.

Playing with a full band is a completely different experience and changes your performance style, according to Phrase. “The music is different in that you end up just moving in a different way,” he says.

“Having a band is a heap of fun, you’re vibing off everyone else’s energy. It’s pretty hard when you are up there just by yourself with a DJ. I found it very hard to stay motivated onstage… if you do have a show where there aren’t that many people or whatever it may be, you’re just up there on your own bearing the brunt of it,” he says.

To hear music from all these releases and much more, tune to The Antidote on 2XX 98.3FM every Tuesday night from 9.30pm or stream at 2xxfm.org.au .

With the changes in his sound and performance, Phrase is aware of the possible backlash from his fans. “[It’s the] risk you run with – do you alienate your core fan base or not? But at the end of the day I just decided I wanted to make a record that makes me feel good about the music and hopefully if that’s your objective you’ll succeed at what your doing.”

Roshambo aka Ced Nada roshambizzle@yahoo.com.au

Phrase will be laying down the sweet beats at Transit Bar on Thursday October 13. Tickets are available through Oztix for $18.40, and doors open at 8pm.

40

METALISE Cough emerged from Richmond, Virginia in the USA among a scene known for such heavyweights as GWAR, Pig Destroyer, Lamb of God and Municipal Waste. What they brought forth musically through their demo and two full-length records, Sigillum Luciferi and Ritual Abuse was a wall of claustrophobic and nihilistic doom that smacked of the pitch perfect balance between English influences in terms of riffage and nihilism in terms of atmosphere as oppressive as any US born Lovecraftian nightmare. Equal parts of despair and ample lashings of psychedelic experiments gone wrong, I find the listening experience of their albums something akin to a realisation that you’ve just ingested one mushroom more than you should have. Cough bring their hefty presence to The Basement on Thursday October 20 and it’s a show that is not to be missed.

Also appearing and as advertised in several recent columns is the ACT’s greatest three-piece since Armoured Angel, Looking Glass.

I have since last column had a chance to savour the new record in its entirety and they have absolutely exceeded my already lofty expectations, honing their musical muscles into a diverse and utterly compelling record of psychedelic blues ‘n’ doom. The moment this record hits the merch desk at the show is the time to snap this landmark record up.

Back in June I had a trip up to Brisbane on the Doomriders tour and had the opportunity to play with an excellent young Gold Coast band, The Matador. They’ve recently released an EP entitled Descent Into The Maelstrom and having sharpened their live skills on the very healthy Brisbane music scene, are heading down for a show at The Basement on Saturday October 22 with Lo!, We Lost The Sea and Adrift For Days. An excellent young Aussie band and well worth your hard earned dosh for a squiz.

Metal Fiesta is coming up in November also at The Basement on Saturday November 19 and a huge all-Aussie bill is on the cards headed by Victorian stalwarts Frankenbok launching their new record. The bill includes House of Thumbs, Witchgrinder, Hatchet Dawn, Darker Half, Nobody Knew They Were Robots, Strict Vincent, Neanderthug and The Devilzwork.

Children of Bodom are back with special guests Voyager for a national tour in November and the good folks at Mr Laiho’s guitar endorsement with ESP rewards fans who buy a presale ticket with a chance to win a signed ESP guitar. The show is on Saturday November 12 at The Big Top in Sydney.

Unkle Kronoz’ Band of the Week: Iron Witch from Liverpool in the UK have an unhealthy obsession with Eyehategod and it is wonderful.

Check them out at ironwitch.bandcamp.com .

JOSH NIXON doomtildeath@hotmail.com

41

the word .

on albums

ACTIVE CHILD You Are All I See [Spunk]

album of the issue BLITZEN TRAPPER american goldwing [sub pop]

I grew up in Central Australia with Sunday afternoons soundtracked by Hank Williams and Paul Kelly so country music’s eternal companions harmonica and pedal steel cut right through me, while small town themes of isolation and breaking free resonate deeply.

I love every note of this record.

The Portland sextet’s sixth LP American Goldwing is probably the most aptly titled of 2011.

The Honda Goldwing was a popular touring motorbike introduced in the ‘70s and the 11 tracks are Americana at its best; the kind that makes you want to Easy Rider across the States with your best mate.

Eric Earley’s rich, wide-ranging vocals drip with wisdom as he weaves tales of whiskey loving, drug-running, gold hearted old boys, loves who walk away, and returning at long last to one’s hometown in a timbre that belies his age. It’s diverse; the rough and heavy rock and roll and raucous choruses are assuaged by lilting keys and wailing blues harp, gentle string plucking and pathos.

Nostalgia permeates, but Earley’s lyrics look towards the horizon too while the instrumentation fuses old and new. Mixed by Tchad Blake (The Black Keys, Tom Waits), American Goldwing is a modern classic. Gotta love a young Dylan soundalike.

JULIA WINTERFLOOD

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Since the release of his EP Curtis Lane last year, Los Angeles-based electronic producer/vocalist Active Child (real name Pat Grossi) has managed to build the levels of anticipation surrounding this debut album pretty high.

Thankfully You Are All I See has definitely been worth the wait, with the album’s broader canvas allowing Grossi the space his lush, deeply atmospheric synth arrangements really need to unfurl and work their emotive magic properly.

Perhaps the most immediately obvious comparison point to Active Child’s vocally centred approach would be the likes of James Blake, but while Blake favours close-miked intimate vocals against his post-dubstep electronics, Grossi is all about the space, applying phased sheeny synth textures to almost every surface. Rather than masking the emotion though, the constant film of processing serves to magnify the impact of Grossi’s acrobatic falsetto, with the opening title track almost calling to mind some meeting point between Antony & The Johnsons and M83’s dreamy synth-pop as slow beats crawl against a shower of harps.

Elsewhere, first single Playing House takes things out into swooning space R ‘n’ B as Grossi’s smooth digitallytreated vocals take on a vaguely alien edge amidst blurry, dragged-out synth chords and woodblock hip-hop rhythms. An impressive, ambitious debut.

CHRIS DOWNTON

DRIVE BY TRUCKERS Ugly Buildings, Whores and Politicians: Greatest Hits 1998-2009 [New West/Shock]

GIRLS Father, Son, Holy Ghost [True Panther Sounds]

Compiling a Drive-By Truckers compilation is a fool’s errand.

Sure, they have reams of great tracks and show no sign of reducing their inhumane work rate (nine albums in 13 years including the odd double) with the last 12 months producing two albums of new material. But this Georgia-based and proudly Southern band primarily make albums that gel as singular theme-heavy pieces of work – ‘concept albums’ if you insist.

Children of the Muscle Shoals, Alabama area and devoutly proud of their musical heritage, Drive-By Truckers sound an unexciting proposition on paper; roots rock, multipronged guitar attack, rotating vocal and song writing duties and a love of solos. Bit ho-hum really. Nope. Not when it’s done with such passion and intensity and married to actual tunes.

Big fat hummable, riff-laden, dusty, propulsive, swaggering ones (3 Dimes Down, Let There Be Rock… no, not that one) and slow, hauntingly melodic, despair-ridden ones (World of Hurt) each a mini-epic of visually rich storytelling. An apologetic essay by legendary weird-haired rock crit David Fricke accompanies this release; its inclusion giving credence to the perception the Truckers had nothing to do with it. Ugly Buildings… barely scratches the surface, is a decent enough collection and a reliable snapshot. Big caveat though: buy every single one of their previous albums instead and get the whole feeling.

In their second full length album, Girls have created something wonderful. This album will take you places.

Stylistically, it takes you from unrelenting Stooges-era punk to soul-gospel in 20 seconds; from songs that would fit right into a Marvin Gaye collection to an intrusive, blow-your-mind Led Zeppelin-style guitar solo. The musical homage contained herein is practically unparalleled and yet never reprehensible. From lyrical and stylistic clichés they have built masterpieces of songwriting.

There is a deliberate fivesecond gap between each song and yet this album feels so cohesive it could be Sgt. Peppers. Whether they draw from The Beach Boys (Just A Song), classic Sam Cooke soul (Love Life) or even from golden-era Blur (Alex), Girls do so with finesse. But it must be said this album is much more than just recycling. These men are songwriters. Every time you think you’ve heard a song before, you have only to wait 60 seconds to realise you’re in the presence of originality.

The same goes for thinking one of the songs is too simple to be compelling – a short wait and its simplicity overcomes you. Critics have prophesied the transformation of Girls into a Grizzly Bear or Beirutstyle outfit but no pre-existing mould could fit this release.

It’s so diverse a collection of songs that only the album in its entirety can really convey the diorama Girls have created. It fits no description save this: phenomenal music.

JUSTIN HOOK

ASHLEY THOMSON

singled out

with Dave Ruby Howe

VARIOUS THE MUPPETS - THE GREEN ALBUM [WALT DISNEY RECORDINGS] Songs written for The Muppets, as with those written for Sesame Street, are among the best examples of songwriting you’ll ever witness. The bizarre, intense humanity that songwriters drew out of characters as ridiculous as Miss Piggy and Kermit is astounding.

When you return to these songs as an adult you realise how unfathomably lucky you were to have them be a part of your childhood. On three or four tracks, all of which are Muppets’ music covered by famous musicians, the songs are done justice. On the rest there is murder.

Two thirds of the musicians asked to appear on this album and rather than tailor themselves to suit the song, they have either butchered the song to fit their style or plonked themselves in front of a piano and got it over with. Alkaline Trio’s cover of Moving Right Along made me want to cry, and The Fray’s Mahna Mahna is tragic. But there are excellent numbers. OK Go’s cover of The Muppets theme is a brilliant standout and not jump rock at all – it’s quirky, disjointed and dark. Andrew Bird’s Bein’ Green is another highlight. It’d be hard to ruin but Bird has brought it new life, adding his trademark violin and whistle without overwhelming the song. But the flaw of this album, a flaw not even Weezer avoided, is that the artists suffer from a lack of imagination or an excess of ego.

The songs deserve better.

ASHLEY THOMSON

THE REELS Quasimodo’s Dream (remastered) [Liberator] Quasimodo’s Dream is considered by many to be one of the greatest, most eclectic albums released by an Australian band. Glancing through the Best 100 Australian Albums book released last year, it’s a difficult proposition to counter. It arrived 30 years ago, pub rock was in the early stages of its dominance (Rose Tattoo, Cold Chisel) and the post-punk scene was thriving (The Scientists, Radio Birdman).

It was out of time.

There might be ‘better’ albums but this stands firmly as an odd beast, even today when modern ears easily forgive decades old frippery and whacky synths.

You could say ‘challenging’, but then you could stop reading; we all know ‘challenging’ is a short cut to ‘fuck this is rubbish’.

It veers crazily between Krautrock-through-a-cheapCasio nuggets of sheer brilliance (For All We Know) and kooky, non-ironic sugar pop pastiches (According To My Heart) but never goes entirely off the rails. My preference is for the former, but the appearance of the latter doesn’t detract, merely forcing us to fully engage with the album – “Why are they doing this?”

It also defines the era’s DIY aesthetic much better than an overdriven guitar riff ever did. The ghostly Kitchen Man captures in one song what Jack Ladder attempted – and failed – on his recent Hurstville.

Remastered and re-sequenced

by Reels leader Dave Mason QD is a slippery, modern wonder.

JUSTIN HOOK

The VASCO ERA The VASCO ERA [Inertia] Blues rockers The Vasco Era are back with a fresh dose of mayhem in their third full length release. The band almost self imploded due to the temporary departure of Sid O’Neil, who ran off and found himself and then returned to infuse the trio with an amp load full of new songs.

Famed for their passionate shows and irreverent approach to normal song structures, the new material is even crazier.

Vocalist Sid, with his famed raspy toned voice, celebrates the band’s ‘demolition’ approach to music.

The first two tracks feature the innovative new approach of scream, scream, mumble, then scream some more. The instrumentation matches this rollercoaster style, storming along, before dropping to ambling pace, then rising again to a shattering crescendo.

Sid belts out track seven with howls, yowls and yells of “Heeeeeeeeeeeyyyyy”. Entitled Rock and Roll is the Only Thing That Makes Me Feel Good, it could be the soundtrack of our lives. The album lyrics carry brief glimpses of wisdom, like the fractured clarity of poets on crack. In All the Pretty Lies, tangled veins of sound attack each other in a musical cage fight. The riotous guitars take distortion to a new level beyond shoegaze. Highlights include the opener Na Na Na Na, Child Bearing Hips and Every Boy is the Same which almost (probably accidentally) resembles a normal pop song format. It’s music designed to get people to do wild stuff!

RORY MCCARTNEY

Holy Ghost!

Hold My Breath [DFA] There are no bellbottoms, no wide-lapelled shirts spread open and no cocaine platters, but this new brand of disco is still excellent and ripe for boogie action. Of the current crop of revivalists Holy Ghost! are the best that you could ask for, bending warm production with the euphoria of disco. Hold My Breath is another gem from their debut LP and it struts elegantly along for three very short, but also very replay-able minutes.

Justice Audio, Video, Disco [Ed Banger] Were you expecting a return to the heady days of 2006, aka electro bangerville? Well, this isn’t it. But it’s still good, meshing the duo’s gift for throbbing bass lines with some inherited Euro pop sensibilities.

You probably can’t mosh to it, so let’s just dance like we’re supposed to.

New Navy Tapioca [Future Classic] Fuck Brooklyn, forget Canada and don’t even mention Sweden.

Clearly the next hottest hot spot for upcoming indie bands is, um, Ulladulla. Well, that’s what New Navy would have us believe with their energetic guitar pop featuring killer croons and coastal-soaked sunny vibes. Tapioca isn’t as immediately big a single as Zimbabwe was but give it some repeat listens and it’ll grab a tight hold of you. Now, road trip!

43

the word

on films

WITH MELISSA WELLHAM

While the soundtrack to Submarine is perhaps not essential to the plot, Alex Turner from The Arctic Monkeys has created some damn fine songs to complement the film. Really, it’s less of a soundtrack, and more of solo album – a solo album I will still spend my dollars on. If only because when Alex Turner and I eventually get married and spend the rest of our lives together, I don’t want it to be awkward when I reveal that I haven’t enjoyed his, ahem, efforts in the past.

quote of the issue

“To us, and a wonderful evening of love making.”

Delivered awkwardly by Oliver (Craig Roberts), Submarine

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Submarine

Abduction

Crazy Stupid Love

Submarine is refreshing: cool and unexpected, compared to the lukewarm, slightly stagnant efforts that constitute most other film about teens – even those self-consciously trying to achieve something with an edge. Oliver Tate (Craig Roberts) is a 15-year-old outcast who just wants to have sex with his cool and complicated classmate Jordana (Yasmin Paige) and save his parents’ marriage (Sally Hawkins and Noah Taylor). He monitors his parents’ sex life by the dimmer switch in their bedroom, and takes to stalking the new-age hippy next door, Graham (Paddy Considine).

But these idiosyncrasies are merely Oliver’s way of avoiding the world, and as the film progresses he must confront the difficulties of human relationships.

The plot of Abduction is muddy, poorly executed and complete nonsense (and contains no actual abducting). It can be summed up thus:

I don’t crazy stupid love the film Crazy Stupid Love, but I moderately and sensibly like it.

The supporting cast turn in some great performances – particularly Hawkins and Taylor, who play Oliver’s parents.

Beneath the more superficial quirks of the film is something of a little more substance. This is a film about serious physical illnesses and depression.

Beyond the substance, director Richard Ayoade (from The It Crowd) has also given Submarine a distinctive style: stark colours and interesting shots. This combination of style and substance lends Submarine a definite Wes Anderson vibe, which is high praise indeed from this reviewer. The dry delivery, the deadpan humour, combined with cinematography that is both beautiful and unusual is reminiscent of Anderson.

Submarine is a film you can truly submerge yourself in.

Lautner cannot act for shit.

He has two looks: ‘laughing because I’m a carefree teenage boy’ and ‘moodily looking into the distance’. He also struggles with sexual chemistry, if it involves him keeping his shirt on. His love interest (let’s just call her Eyebrows) tries her best to look tough-but-pretty, but Lautner barely throws her a bone (chuckle chuckle). They share a dull kissing scene that doesn’t have the chemistry that an orange has with a fruit bowl.

MELISSA WELLHAM

Taylor Lautner: “Boy, I love being an ordinary teenager and not wearing a helmet, ever!”

“That missing kid photo looks like me!”

“WTF, it is me! You ain’t my real mama and papa!”

“Why are these dudes attacking me and talking about Facebook?”

“Oh wait, this is why my (fake) dad taught me to kick ass!”

“My real dad is a badass?

Sweet!”

“Oh, everyone wants this poorlyexplained list? I thought they wanted to touch my abs…”

Why the hell is Sigourney Weaver in this? Or Jason Isaacs for that matter? Did they lose a bet? I’m so confused.

Is Abduction a pile of rubbish?

Yes. Did I thoroughly enjoy watching it? Hell yes.

MEGAN McKEOUGH

A film about the wacky things love can make us do, Crazy Stupid Love follows three different relationships, and intertwines the storylines in unexpected ways. Cal (Steve Carell) and Emily (Julianne Moore) have been together since they were high school sweethearts, but encounter problems when she admits that she has had an affair. Jacob (Ryan Gosling) and Hannah (Emma Stone) are in their mid-20s, and Jacob is amusingly confused when he finds himself in love with a girl for the first time. Robbie (Jonah Bobo) is Cal and Emily’s son, madly in love with his babysitter Jessica (Analeigh Tipton).

Despite this promising premise, Crazy Stupid Love falls down in pacing and structure. The dialogue is witty and fast paced, but the space surrounding the dialogue, and the way the script has been structured, makes the film quite stilted.

What makes Crazy Stupid Love overcome its flaws is the very talented cast. Carell, Moore, Gosling, Stone – even young Tipton – all turn in great performances. Plus, none of the romances are unbelievable or stupid. (Except the ‘children in love’ subplot, which I have no sympathy for. Kids annoy me).

A significantly-better-thanaverage ensemble piece, Crazy Stupid Love doesn’t inspire the adoration the title suggests – but it is humorous and heartwarming, smart and sweet.

MELISSA WELLHAM

the word on dvds

Baseball – A Film by Ken Burns [Via Vision/Madman] Most of us approach the game of baseball as outsiders. Whilst not a uniquely American game – professional leagues thrive in Japan, Central and South America – there is no doubting its cultural significance is largest in the US. As such, the affection and outright devotion with which the game is held travels awkwardly.

Sure, we have local leagues and occasionally an Australian will get drafted to the majors but without an understanding of the intricate history and nomenclature of baseball it resembles an interminably dull situation. Ken Burns’ award winning Baseball should go a long way to disavow the newbie of these notions and might just turn you into a novice fanatic.

When that Burnsian black title card fades in with a jaunty tin-pan alley soundtrack and the authoritative John Chancellor narration starts – it’s like settling into an old sofa; which is exactly what you’ll need to do. This is a mammoth task clocking in at ten discs and over 18 hours.

Burns’ docos rely heavily on the personal; overarching themes narrow down to individual experiences. In one passage conservative commentator George Will argues baseball is the perfect metaphor for democracy; your team doesn’t always win, they will mostly lose and compromise is essential – but you stick it out for the greater good. Almost spot on.

Every era and scandal is covered in forensic detail, but controversially in later episodes Burns sees baseball through the prism of a few teams; the Yankees and Red Sox chiefly, meaning smaller franchises get short shrift. A minor quibble for an exemplary piece of filmmaking and with the World Series approaching there’s never been a better time to start the love affair.

JUSTIN HOOK

Scarface (Re-issue) [Universal]

The Magnificent Tati [Madman]

Upon its release in 1983 Scarface wasn’t a success.

A deliberately over-the-top, garish, profane and violent film about the life of cocaine lord Tony Montana (Al Pacino) it gets one thing spot on – timing.

Arriving just as cocaine was asserting its total ownage over the ‘80s, if ever there was a bespoke film this was it.

As a child Jacques Tatischeff was a dreamer who seemed destined to achieve little.

Then he discovered rugby and through post-match reveries he uncovered his true talent: mime. He was spotted by a talent scout and stumbled into film as an actor. But Tati’s vision was bigger and through a handful of films the almost always voiceless Tati channelled the curiosity, fear and bewilderment of the modern world through poised nimbleness and tight choreographing. There were elements of Keaton, Chaplin et al but Tati worked hard to remove himself from being the focus of his work – the world was far more fascinating.

Scarface was also skittish, overlong, hare-triggered, intriguing and downright messy fun. Director Brian de Palma was courting controversy during its release, refusing to budge on the extreme violence that gave it an ‘X’ rating making it virtually unsalaeble. His ongoing battles with the studio can be seen in his protagonist’s constant battles with authority through this film. But over time Scarface became a cult classic, the coked-up gangster flipside to The Godfather’s more austere measured tones.

As they’re fond of saying, both tell the ‘American story’.

Montana is a refugee fleeing Catsro’s Cuba for a better life.

Through sheer determination, bravado and a propensity for over-pronouncing the word ‘cockroach’, he rises to the heights of Miami’s cocaine industry. His fall is inevitable, spectacular, and full of brilliant Oliver Stone-penned phrases… you all know “Say hello to my little friend”… right?

Not a pretty film, Scarface deservedly hangs onto its classic tag representing a time where excess was expected and rewarded. To its vast credit, it never shies away from the sheer banality of the lifestyles portrayed. Michelle Pfeiffer as the rake-thin forever blasted drug mole is humiliated, bored and indifferent to the world – a world of all night dancing, vacant libido, guns and swearing. Lots of swearing. This re-issue is loaded with superb extras that contextualise and explain what this film means.

Don’t skip them.

JUSTIN HOOK

Not a storyteller in the traditional sense, Tati’s films offered scant plot and little narrative. By and large things just happened on the screen, usually many at the same time, marking a shift for the viewer from passive to active. Even nowadays this approach is challenging, and not exactly easy to enjoy. For its time this was revolutionary. Silent films of the era tried to create a sense of purpose whereas Tati was adamant there be no crisis, no drama and no conclusive arc. And so his films can be frustratingly out of reach. Play Time – his most ambitious and best film – bankrupted him and soon after the artistic community practically deserted him. It was a full and dramatic life. And then there was an aborted collaboration with crazed US power-pop, ex-child models, Hitler-moustache flouting duo Sparks. Yikes!

The Magnificent Tati does everything you’d want it to – plotting out the life of a true original, adding dimension to our understanding of his position in cinematic history and most importantly sending us scurrying back to his films where the real Tati survives, hidden in plain sight.

JUSTIN HOOK

45

the word

BLACKBOX

on games

Doodle God/Doodle God 2/Doodle Devil/Doodle Farm Platforms: iPhone, iPad, Win 7, Android, Web (Flash) Cost: $0.99 Rating: Don’t bother I have a soft spot for point-and-click adventure games. Despite their laborious gameplay mechanics (try every conceivable object-person combination until something yields), the accompanying storyline and characters make the games worthy of your many hours. In bold step Doodle God (and its various incarnations) has chosen to replicate this formulae, albeit without the story part.

While many say that it still makes for a great game, I disagree. I didn’t hate the game. In fact I initially found it fun. But once you get to a stage where you’re using brute force to push your way through, the experience becomes more frustrating than it is rewarding.

Tiny Wings Platforms: iPhone, iPad Cost: $0.99 Rating: Definitely give it a crack Tiny Wings does everything a good iPhone game should. Firstly, it’s cute. If the iPhone charts have taught us anything (and they haven’t), it’s that your game must look like a Spongebob Squarepants episode to succeed. The game is also simple.

Actually, it’s stupidly simple with it featuring only one button. Like poker though, it’s hard to master. With several hours under your belt, you’ll still be hard pressed to complete it. In the process though, you’ll be nicely challenged thanks to a well-paced difficulty curve.

Whilst there’s not a large amount of gameplay variation, it is still indescribably satisfying to play (think drifting, but without the rally cars). When you also consider that the game nicely ties each objective to a Game Centre achievement, there’s definitely enough here to keep you entertained.

Zombie Gunship Platforms: iPhone, iPad Cost: $0.99 Rating: Take or leave Zombie Gunship has all the elements of a great game. Visually it looks pretty sweet and runs without fault on the iPhone 4. Gameplay-wise, it’s nice and novel albeit with Modern Warfare undertones (which is not a bad thing). The game also features zombies, which as we all know are so hot right now. Despite this, the game is pretty underwhelming. Whilst the first and second play through will probably provide you with enough enjoyment to justify the price (yay for super-cheap gaming), it doesn’t go anywhere from there. In particular, upgrading your gunship takes too long, with minimal payoff along the way. With no Game Centre achievements present either, the lasting appeal is minimal.

TORBEN SKO

46

Chez Blackbox is extremely excited about Auntie’s latest doco series, Wide Open Road (ABC1, Sun, 8.30pm) which looks at Australia’s love affair with the car, from the family cars of the ‘50s and ‘60s through to the golden era of ‘70s muscle cars, the fuel crisis, suburban car culture and the environmental future. Hot on the heels of Blackbox’s fav sporting event of the year, the Bathurst 1,000 and referencing Australia’s best-ever driving song, The Triffids’ Wide Open Road, what’s not to love?

Handmade enthusiasts and artisans will love the BBC ob doco Mastercrafts (ABC1, Thu, 6pm). Each episode takes three creative types and starts to train them in a number of artisan crafts including heirloom weaving.

Docos to check out include All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace (SBS1, Tue Oct 18, 8.30pm).

Finally – new episodes of Big Bang Theory (WIN, Mon, 7.30pm).

Other new and returning shows include Keeping Up With The Joneses (GEM, Thu Oct 22, 8.30pm), last year’s ob doco following a family in the outback, Bored to Death (ABC1, Fri, 10.05pm), from the team behind Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Destiny of Rome (SBS1, Sun Oct 23, 7.30pm), a two part mini-series bringing to life the passions, loves and politics of the Roman Empire, Housos (SBS1, Mon Oct 24, 10pm) a comedy set in the Sunnyvale housing estate from the crew behind Pizza, Kill Arman (SBS1, Mon Oct 24, 8.30pm) an ob doco following a martial arts novice as he trains in a series of different martial arts.

If you’re looking for movies on the box, check out the Cohen Brothers’ classic The Big Lebowski (GEM, Sat Oct 15, 10.30pm), and A Fish Called Wanda (GEM, Sun Oct 16, 9pm), with a Python laden cast and sensibilities.

Those with a talent not covered by shows about singing, cooking or being a geek should head to Sydney Showground on Friday October 21 and Saturday October 22 for Australia’s Got Talent auditions.

Blackbox celebrates its 250th issue this fortnight. Thanks to all those loyal readers who have shared a passion for square-eyed fervor, addiction to late night local advertising, and most of all an appreciation for the quirkier side of the programming schedule over the past decade. So break open the Cheezels and beer (or tea and Iced Vovos) and join Chez Blackbox in toasting the next decade.

TRACY HEFFERNAN tracyheffernan@bigpond.com

47

the word

The Panics / Georgia Fair / Avalanche City ANU Bar Wednesday September 21

on gigs

What can any band make of a Wednesday night? It’s too late for desperately trying to prolong the weekend and not far enough along for people to pretend they’re ahead of the curb. Add to that the fact that most everyone’s going to drool something about work in the morning when you try and jam a whiskey bottle between their teeth and you’ve got yourself a subdued crowd.

When the first supporting act took the stage at ANU Bar it took a moment for people to react. A quiet reluctance to leave the security of benches, booths and pool tables dissolved gradually but Avalanche City weren’t phased. In fact, their opening song might have been the highlight of their set. It was spacious, bold and entrancing, but they soon settled into friendly folk jams. They were enjoyable, although it sounded as though they hadn’t settled on their sound just yet. The drone of conversation continued as they occasioned comparison with My Morning Jacket.

Picking up the reins were Georgia Fair, a young Australian duo.

During a foray into their YouTube I discovered that their music is nice but their videos are really, really lame. This impression was compounded by their performance. At its best the music was wonderful, but the delivery was lacking. You couldn’t shake the feeling that they didn’t care to play it. When the lead singer prefaced a song with the words, “This next one’s a lullaby…” it felt as if he was stating the obvious. The standout numbers struck me as fantastic songs but if a band seems disinterested in their own music, what are you supposed to make of it?

Not so for The Panics. Back in 2007 The Panics’ third album, Cruel Guards, won the annual J Award on triple j and was nominated for a handful of ARIA awards. Four years is a long time in the world of music. The Panics’ fourth album, Rain On the Humming Wire, is purposeful and broad, even flirting with a kind of stadium rock.

Would this be the sound The Panics were broadcasting? It would.

They brought a sound so big it seemed stifled by the ceiling.

Headed by their diminutive frontman Jae Laffer, The Panics’ tracks spanned from their first record to their latest in a set that showed no insecurities about the quality of their legacy. Right on the tail of new track Low On Your Supply they busted open Cruel Guards with an entrancing show of force. In fact, the level of delivery was never lacking. When the anthemic Don’t Fight It came on, the crowd finally engaged. If people were there to see that song, they weren’t afraid to show it. Who can blame them? It’s a fantastic song, even if the brass section playing the thrilling horn refrain were nowhere to be seen (actually those horns, along with all the other string sections, were created electronically. I learnt this from Laffer when I interviewed him after the release of Cruel Guards - Ed.).

Unfortunately, their bigger numbers like new album opener Majesty sounded out of place in the dark, loosely populated bar, even if they were delivered with a pulsing, cohesive energy and perhaps because of it. The ANU Bar and I have never seen eye to eye on their sound setups and this was another instance of uninspired arrangement. A real highlight was the encore, begun with a solo acoustic rendition of In Your Head off The Panics’ first album, because it was the only moment when everything sounded just right. And to the people who talked through it: you missed something.

PHOTOS: martin ollman

Whether closeted by the venue, the day of the week or the crowd, the show was always prey to its trappings. More power to The Panics for playing like king shits anyway.

ASHLEY THOMSON

48

the word

All Our Friends at Night UC Refectory Friday September 23

on gigs

After having studied at UC for what seems like forever, there’s a bit of me that feels a little sad seeing it full of rowdy youths spilling their drinks everywhere; a kind of knee-jerk reaction of “this is my place of learning, pick up that beer can, please!” However, one can’t deny that the UC Refectory is the perfect place for a show, and All Our Friends at Night was one hell of a show. For the second year of the dance night, the team at UC Live! pulled out all stops to ensure that punters wouldn’t leave disappointed. The line-up boasted a whole host of Canberra’s best DJs, as well as superstar partystarters Example, Wolfgang Gartner, MSTRKRFT and Nero.

Arriving at the hotly anticipated event we were greeted with the line to end all lines. Amidst all the grumbles of having to wait in the cold for 20 minutes, was a sense of excitement. If the line is this long, what’s the party like inside?

The party, it turned out, was sweaty, loud and non-stop. Local spindoctors Peking Duck, Offtapia and Cheese had been working the decks since earlier in the evening, so by the time Example took to the stage at 10pm, the vodka-swilling, fluro-clad crowd was ready to get crazy. Commanding the audience like the pro he is, Example was all British swagger and beats. Jumping up and down like a hyperactive kid, he ran through an impressive list of tracks to the delight of the screaming, swooning crowd. The clear favourite was 2010’s Kickstarts, while newbies Changed The Way You Kissed Me and Stay Awake were also highlights.

The end of the set resulted in a mass exodus of people trying to get to the toilet or the bar. A short while and many skulled cans of Red Bear later, it was time for American electro DJ/producer, Wolfgang Gartner. Older jams, plus newer tracks from the just released Weekend in America were the perfect soundtrack to bust a move to.

Despite not being a massive dance music fan, even I can’t resist a bit of dancefloor action when the music is right, and Wolfgang Gartner’s music was oh-so-right.

Next up was cooler-than-thou duo MSTRKRFT, far better mascots for good ol’ Canada than that Bieber kid. The pair have been mixing the biggest party-starters since 2005, experience that was evident in their tight and frantic set. Decorum well and truly forgotten, the ready-to-burst crowd were now well and truly glued to the dancefloor, moving back and forth like one giant, well-oiled machine.

MSTRKRFT played a set full of remixed crowd-pleasers, before ending with their own Heartbreaker and leaving a sweaty, euphoric audience behind.

Nero was scheduled to take the stage at 1.30am. While this time would seem ridiculously late at other gigs, when it comes to dance music it really isn’t out of the norm. Sure enough Nero graced the stage at the intended time, and, despite tiredness setting in, what followed was an hour of back-to-back beats, fist-pumping and bump ‘n’ grind. The atmosphere was so infectious that I dragged myself down from the ivory tower that is the media area to join the action in the thick of it. Nero ended his set explosively, as the place vibrated from the frantic energy he created.

PHOTOS: martin ollman

Once the lights came on, it was a strange feeling to see the dark, hazy, electro hub replaced by scattered cans, missing shoes and tiny shorts. As I left UC soon after I had to pat myself on the back for staying at a gig until such an ungodly time. It was, as my fist-pumping compatriots would say, fully hectic, bro.

Marissa Paine

49

GIG GUIDE Oct 12 - Oct 14 wednesday october 12 arts Mindscapes Festival

Graffiti for Mental Health. 12-2pm.

TUGGERANONG SKATE PARK

No Health Without Mental Health

Mixed media artworks by participants of the BCS Open Art Program.

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Exposing the diverse practice and processes artists employ in exploring clay and fibre respectively.

Live

Book Launch – Autumn Leaves

Exhibition - Garlands of string

Hippo Live

CRAFT ACT

Floating Me

By Kay Lawrence.

HIPPO LOUNGE

Exhibition – Press Print 2

With Pirate, Escape Syndrome, Mandala. 8pm, $18.90.

A Megalo project supporting emerging artists, curated by John Hart MEGALO PRINT STUDIO

Exhibition - Elements: Clay and Fibre Exposing the diverse practice and processes artists employ in exploring clay and fibre respectively.

CRAFT ACT

Exhibition - Creative Alchemy

Works by Canberra artists that visualise, interpret, spark debate and have fun.

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Rig

Written by Nick Delatovic, directed

by Cameron Thomas. $15/$5 (NUTS members).

ANU ARTS CENTRE

2011 Waterhouse Natural History Art Prize

Celebrate nature’s beauty captured in art. Inspiring and thought provoking.

‘Til Nov 13.

NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF AUSTRALIA

Exhibition - Elements: Clay and Fibre

ANU BAR AND REFECTORY

Something Different Fame Trivia

CRAFT ACT

Written and illustrated by Annika Romeyn, plus exhibition of original artwork. 6pm.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ARTS SPACE - MANUKA

Rig

Written by Nick Delatovic, directed

by Cameron Thomas. $15/$5 (NUTS members).

ANU ARTS CENTRE

Free entry, fantastic prizes, bookings essential. 6pm.

No Health Without Mental Health

Fame Trivia @ Transit

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

P J O’REILLY’S, CIVIC

Every Wednesday, from 7:30pm TRANSIT BAR

thursday october 13 arts Exhibition - Garlands of string

By Kay Lawrence.

CRAFT ACT

Exhibition – Press Print 2

A Megalo project supporting emerging artists, curated by John Hart MEGALO PRINT STUDIO

Mixed media artworks by participants of the BCS Open Art Program.

Dance Dirtey Rascals HIPPO LOUNGE

Official Babylon album launch. Tix available through phrase.com/tour .

TRANSIT BAR

Nigel Wearne

With The Wedded Bliss and Hannah Gillespie. 7pm, $10.

THE FRONT CAFE AND GALLERY

uniJam

Young, genius musicians casually jamming with an electronic producer.

Midday-1pm.

UNION COURT, ANU

uniVibes: Thursday at the Bar

Sun, beer, bands, DJs and fusion on the deck. 2pm-7pm.

ANU BAR BEER GARDEN

CC Hall & Friends 6.30pm-9.30pm.

BELGIAN BEER CAFE

Chicago Charles

Oktoberfest month at O’Malley’s; German beers, trip to Ireland to be won plus more. Free.

KING O’MALLEY’S, CIVIC

Ced Nada

Takes a few hours from his new Dad schedule to share some tunes.

KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

Live Super Best Friends

With Fare Evader (Melbourne) and Doc Holliday Takes The Shotgun (Syd).

THE PHOENIX PUB

50

Phrase

friday october 14 arts Rig

Written by Nick Delatovic, directed

by Cameron Thomas. $15/$5 (NUTS members).

ANU ARTS CENTRE

GIG GUIDE Oct 14 - Oct 17 No Health Without Mental Health

Mixed media artworks by participants of the BCS Open Art Program.

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Exhibition - Pagan Pop Curated by Yolande Norris.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE GORMAN HOUSE

Comedy Mindscapes Festival

Mindscapes Comedy Night. 7-9pm.

CIVIC PUB

Dance Vinyl Only

Canberra’s most addicted wax heads unveil their vinyl collections on two turntables. Free, 8pm.

TRANSIT BAR

Alex Carder HIPPO LOUNGE

Bag Raiders and DJ PP

With Offtapia, Cheese, Shaolin, Dept of Defiance and more. Doors 8pm, $20.

TRINITY BAR

Ashley Feraude

Magnifik slides through those silky sheets.

KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

Foreplay Fridays

9pm ‘til 5am with DJs Matt and Pete.

Two for one drinks and free entry until 11pm.

CUBE NIGHTCLUB

Minx And Tenzin

Rig

Written by Nick Delatovic, directed

by Cameron Thomas. $15/$5 (NUTS members).

ANU ARTS CENTRE

Dance Cube Saturdays

Atlantis Awaits

Tickets $12, doors 8pm, supported by Reigner, Final Lies, Beneath A Broken Sky.

Sinden and Ajax

Sustainable, fair trade food, products and services. Environmental talks and more. 10am-4pm. Free.

live

With Pekind Duck, Offtapia vs Cheese, Shaolin and more. Doors 8pm, $20.

Sunday Best

Academy Saturdays

A BITE TO EAT CAFE

TRINITY BAR

with Ashley Feraude.

Stirred Not Shaken. Classic and original tunes. 5-7pm.

ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

Sunday Best

D’Opus

A BITE TO EAT CAFE

One last time from one of the true Knightsbridge OGs. Tuuuuuube.

KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

Live

5-7pm, free.

Yeshe

Yeshe has explored all corners of the globe in developing a rich tapestry of sound. 6pm, $12/10.

THE FRONT CAFE AND GALLERY

Watussi

8pm, $18.90.

live

Corinbank Garden Party

Beth n Ben Launch New EP Economy Class

ANU BAR AND REFECTORY

Join the Corinbank Crew in the Botanic Gardens for a party under the stars.

Free.

NATIONAL BOTANIC GARDENS

Open Pinata and London Circuit

Frock/suit up vintage style. 3-7pm.

WHITE EAGLE POLISH CLUB

Irish Jam Session

Oktoberfest month at O’Malley’s; German beers, trip to Ireland to be won plus more. Free entry.

KING O’MALLEY’S, CIVIC

monday october 17 arts No Health Without Mental Health

Mixed media artworks by participants of the BCS Open Art Program.

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Exhibition - Pagan Pop Curated by Yolande Norris.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE GORMAN HOUSE

Exhibition - Garlands of string

By Kay Lawrence.

CRAFT ACT

Dance Happy Happy Mondays

Every Monday is a happy one at Transit Bar. TRANSIT BAR

Live Landspeed Records Presents The Bootlegs

The Fighting League and Bacon Cakes.

8pm.

THE PHOENIX PUB

TRANSIT BAR

10-1am.

CASINO CANBERRA

Oscar

Oktoberfest month at O’Malley’s; German beers, trip to Ireland to be won plus more. Free entry.

KING O’MALLEY’S, CIVIC

ANU BAR AND REFECTORY

Fire on the Hill

Cat Dog Monkey

THE PHOENIX PUB

A fun and funky Canberra band who want people to dance out their blues.

7.30pm, free.

Day Play

ALBERT HALL

HIPPO LOUNGE

The Bridge Between Band

HARMONIE GERMAN CLUB

TRINITY BAR

Jemist

CUBE NIGHTCLUB

Live 8pm, free.

With Skin and Bones, Shifty Business, Ced Nada and more. Free entry.

Living Green Festival

When these local bands take to the stage they rage and they rollin’. Free, 8pm.

Friday Night Acoustic Series

Koan Sound

10pm ‘til 5am with DJs Matt and Pete.

Two for one drinks and free entry until 11pm.

ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

Club electro.

Dance

9.30pm.

sunday october 16

THE FRONT CAFE AND GALLERY

The Baylor Brothers

arts

THE MERRY MUSE

No Health Without Mental Health

With Doctor Stovepipe. 7.30pm, $17/$14/$12 MFS members.

Heuristic

Oktoberfest month at O’Malley’s; German beers, trip to Ireland to be won plus more. Free entry.

KING O’MALLEY’S, CIVIC

saturday october 15 arts No Health Without Mental Health

Mixed media artworks by participants of the BCS Open Art Program.

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Demonstrating the Roll Up

An amazing opportunity to view Klaus Moje and his team at work in the Hotshop. 10am-12pm.

Mixed media artworks by participants of the BCS Open Art Program.

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Exhibition - Pagan Pop Curated by Yolande Norris.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE - GORMAN HOUSE

Exhibition - Garlands of string

By Kay Lawrence.

CRAFT ACT

Exhibition - Autumn Leaves

By Annika Romeyn.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ARTS SPACE - MANUKA

Rig

Written by Nick Delatovic, directed

by Cameron Thomas. $15/$5 (NUTS members).

ANU ARTS CENTRE

CANBERRA GLASSWORKS

51

GIG GUIDE Oct 17 - Oct 22 Something Different

Exhibition - Autumn Leaves

Vel’vette

The Clothing Exchange

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ARTS SPACE - MANUKA

Steve Lane and the Autocrats

Bring six garments or accessories to swap with others! Tix $25 - www. clothingexchange.com.au .

TILLEY’S DIVINE CAFE

Trivia @ King O’s

Every Monday night. 7pm, free entry, $100 bar tab first prize.

KING O’MALLEY’S, CIVIC

tuesday october 18

By Annika Romeyn.

BAD!SLAM!NO!BISCUIT! Shit gon get real. 8pm.

THE PHOENIX PUB

Live Hippo Live

HIPPO LOUNGE

The Jezabels

live

With special guests Hey Rosettai! (CAN) and Alpine. Tix on sale from Aug 12.

8pm.

No Health Without Mental Health

Something Different

Mixed media artworks by participants of the BCS Open Art Program.

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Exhibition - Pagan Pop

ANU BAR AND REFECTORY

Fame Trivia @ Transit

CRAFT ACT

Exhibition - Autumn Leaves

By Annika Romeyn.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ARTS SPACE - MANUKA

arts Rig

Written by Nick Delatovic, directed

by Cameron Thomas. $15/$5 (NUTS members).

Warm up those vocal chords and get personal with the classics. 9pm.

TRANSIT BAR

Trivia @ The Phoenix

Enjoy a vague sense of accomplishment. From 7:30pm, with $10 cocktails from 9pm.

THE PHOENIX PUB

Karaoke Love

Every Tuesday, from 9pm. Free entry.

TRANSIT BAR

wednesday october 19

BEAVER GALLERIES

Minscapes Poetry Slam. 6-9pm.

SOUL BAR

No Health Without Mental Health

Mixed media artworks by participants of the BCS Open Art Program.

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Special K

Oktoberfest month at O’Malley’s; German beers, trip to Ireland to be won plus more. Free entry.

KING O’MALLEY’S, CIVIC

friday october 21 arts Rig

Written by Nick Delatovic, directed

by Cameron Thomas. $15/$5 (NUTS members).

ANU ARTS CENTRE

HIPPO LOUNGE

Flo Rida

Pre sale tix already sold out so get in quick.

ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

Foreplay Fridays

9pm ‘til 5am with DJs Matt and Pete.

Two for one drinks and free entry until 11pm.

CUBE NIGHTCLUB

Timber

KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

Curated by Yolande Norris.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE GORMAN HOUSE

Exhibition - Garlands of string

By Kay Lawrence.

CRAFT ACT

Klaus Moje – A Continuum

X-COM = Rad.

Cheese (‘80s/Retro)

All those songs you hate to love and love to hate. Free entry, 8pm.

TRANSIT BAR

Live

Featuring the work of renowned artist, Klaus Moje. Running until October 20.

Looking For Aliens

Exhibition - Elements: Clay and Fibre

THE MERRY MUSE

CANBERRA GLASSWORKS

Exhibition - Autumn Leaves

Mixed media artworks by participants of the BCS Open Art Program.

THE PHOENIX PUB

Exhibition - Pagan Pop

Rig

No Health Without Mental Health

9pm.

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

arts

ANU ARTS CENTRE

Dr. Stovepipe

D’Opus

Exposing the diverse practice and processes artists employ in exploring clay and fibre respectively.

Written by Nick Delatovic, directed

by Cameron Thomas. $15/$5 (NUTS members).

ANU BAR BEER GARDEN

Exhibition – In the light of day

Irish Jam Session

Karaoke Love

ANU’s biggest day party. Sun, beer, bands, DJs and fusion on the deck.

Midday - 10pm.

Dance

Mindscapes Festival

Something Different

uniVibes OKTOBERFEST

ANU ARTS CENTRE

Live

KING O’MALLEY’S, CIVIC

CRAFT ACT

By Annika Romeyn.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ARTS SPACE - MANUKA

Dance Jayo

Rocking it steady.

KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

A concert celebrating Mental Health Week.

Dragon

Feat. No Mercy’s Mark Williams on vocals. $35.

CASINO CANBERRA

Drawing Arcs

Melbourne based Drawing Arcs are a classic guitar, bass and drums. With Fabels. 7.30pm.

THE FRONT CAFE AND GALLERY

Special K

Oktoberfest month at O’Malley’s; German beers, trip to Ireland to be won plus more. Free entry.

KING O’MALLEY’S, CIVIC

saturday october 22

Exhibition - Pagan Pop

Live

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE GORMAN HOUSE

CC Hall & Friends

arts

Exhibition - Elements: Clay and Fibre

BELGIAN BEER CAFE

Rig

Curated by Yolande Norris.

Exposing the diverse practice and processes artists employ in exploring clay and fibre respectively.

CRAFT ACT

52

thursday october 20

Robert Boynes’ works explore the sounds, sensations and movement found in our urban spaces.

Oktoberfest month at O’Malley’s; German beers, trip to Ireland to be won plus more. Free entry.

THE FRONT CAFE AND GALLERY

TRANSIT BAR

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE GORMAN HOUSE

Exposing the diverse practice and processes artists employ in exploring clay and fibre respectively.

If superbly-crafted indie pop-rock and great songwriting is your thing, then look no further.

Every Wednesday, from 7:30pm

Curated by Yolande Norris.

Exhibition - Elements: Clay and Fibre

HIPPO LOUNGE

6.30pm-9.30pm.

Graveyard Train

The pioneers of ‘horror country’ return with plenty of ghost stories and murder ballads.

TRANSIT BAR

Written by Nick Delatovic, directed

by Cameron Thomas. $15/$5 (NUTS members).

ANU ARTS CENTRE

GIG GUIDE Oct 22 - Oct 26 Exhibition - Elements: Clay and Fibre

sunday october 23

Exposing the diverse practice and processes artists employ in exploring clay and fibre respectively.

arts

Dance

Free annual international event for all ages and abilities celebrating drawing.

10-3.

CRAFT ACT

Academy Saturdays With Matt Nukewood.

ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

LLIK LLIK LLIK

The Big Draw

NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

Dance

Only the finest in disco, house and techno. Free.

Hospitality Sundays

One Love: Mario Gordon

CUBE NIGHTCLUB

TRANSIT BAR

HIPPO LOUNGE

Jemist

For a quiet night in.

KNIGHTSBRIDGE PENTHOUSE

Live

10pm ‘til late with DJ TJ. Free entry, free pool and discounted drinks.

Live The Crooked Fiddle Band v Mr Fibby 6pm, $15/$10 (conc and CMC members).

Leadfinger

WHITE EAGLE POLISH CLUB

THE PHOENIX PUB

Danny Mack. It’s a little bit country and a whole lot of good. 5-7pm.

9.30pm.

Sunday Best

Lior

A BITE TO EAT CAFE

With The Blue Ruins. 8pm, $42 presale/$47 at the door.

THE STREET THEATRE

Georgefest 2011

Oktoberfest month at O’Malley’s; German beers, trip to Ireland to be won plus more. Free entry.

Julia and the Deep Sea Sirens With Elisha Bones, Cracked Actor and blackboards. $15/10/8 (CMC members).

WHITE EAGLE POLISH CLUB

Something Different Roller Derby SKATE-ICUS Season Final

This is gonna be big! Doors from 3, game one at 4, final at 6.30. Tix through Ticketek.

AIS ARENA

Canberra Nara Candle Festival Japanese entertainment, lantern making, drumming workshops, Japanese cuisine and more. 5-9pm.

CANBERRA NARA PEACE PARK, YARRALUMLA

ST JOHN THE BAPTIST CHURCH, REID

Irish Jam Session

KING O’MALLEY’S, CIVIC

Something Different Burlesque Bazaar

Many stalls selling all things burlesque.

11am-4pm, $5.

CANBERRA IRISH CLUB

monday october 24 arts Exhibition – In the light of day

Robert Boynes’ works explore the sounds, sensations and movement found in our urban spaces.

BEAVER GALLERIES

Exhibition - Pagan Pop Curated by Yolande Norris.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE GORMAN HOUSE

TRANSIT BAR

Trivia @ The Phoenix

NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

Enjoy a vague sense of accomplishment. From 7:30pm, with $10 cocktails from 9pm.

Exhibition - Elements: Clay and Fibre Exposing the diverse practice and processes artists employ in exploring clay and fibre respectively.

THE PHOENIX PUB

Mattias ‘IA’ Eklundh Freak Kitchen Clinics

CRAFT ACT

Laney guitar clinics from one of the world’s finest. A Laney LV100 can also be won. $10.

Dance Happy Happy Mondays

SOUTHERN CROSS CLUB WODEN

Every Monday is a happy one at Transit Bar.

Karaoke Love

Every Tuesday, from 9pm. Free entry.

TRANSIT BAR

TRANSIT BAR

Live

wednesday october 26

CIT Presents The Bootleg Sessions

arts

THE PHOENIX PUB

Exhibition - Elements: Clay and Fibre

Astrochem, Pretty Crane, Heidegger and Second Hand Salmon. 8pm.

Trivia @ King O’s

5.30-7.30pm, $5/$3.

Warm up those vocal chords and get personal with the classics. 9pm.

Contemporary Portraiture from Asia.

Continuing until November 6.

CANBERRA IRISH CLUB

Mark Wilkinson

THE FRONT CAFE AND GALLERY

Karaoke Love

Beyond the Self

Something Different

4-7pm.

ANU Music Society Concert

Sydney’s Wilkinson weaves a fresh new sound on the Australian music landscape. 7.30pm, $10.

Something Different

CRAFT ACT

By Kay Lawrence.

Claude Hay

Six bands, three stages, one DJ. Funky Fedoras, The Bridge Between and more.

A great day out!

THE GEORGE HARCOURT INN

Exhibition - Garlands of string

Exposing the diverse practice and processes artists employ in exploring clay and fibre respectively.

CRAFT ACT

Every Monday night. 7pm, free entry, $100 bar tab first prize.

Exhibition – In the light of day Robert Boynes’ works explore the sounds, sensations and movement found in our urban spaces.

KING O’MALLEY’S, CIVIC

tuesday october 25

BEAVER GALLERIES

Exhibition - Pagan Pop Curated by Yolande Norris.

arts Exhibition - Elements: Clay and Fibre

Exposing the diverse practice and processes artists employ in exploring clay and fibre respectively.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE GORMAN HOUSE

Exhibition - Garlands of string

By Kay Lawrence.

CRAFT ACT

CRAFT ACT

Live

Comedy

The Vasco Era and Papa vs Pretty

John Waters

A deviously funny monologue on true crime, exploitation films, fashion lunacy and more.

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

Live

Tix through Ticketek.

ANU BAR AND REFECTORY

Lucinda Peters

Original material plus a mix of jazz standards and bossa novas. 7.30pm, free.

THE FRONT CAFE AND GALLERY

Stand Up Comedy / Open Mic

Something Different

THE FRONT CAFE AND GALLERY

Fame Trivia @ Transit

7.30pm, free.

Every Wednesday, from 7:30pm TRANSIT BAR

OUT OCT26

STRAIGHT TO YOU: NICK CAVE TRIBUTE GUINEAFOWL THE ASTON SHUFFLE HENRY WAGONS CORDELIA ...AND MORE!

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FIRST CONTACT

SIDE A: BMA BAND profile

Forgotten Fridays Where did your band name come from? The beautiful combination of our love for alcoholic beverages and going big on Friday nights.

Group members? Cameron Plum (vocals), Craig Lamberth (guitar, backing vocals), Jack Lovell (bass), Brad Williams (drums).

Describe your sound: An eclectic mix of indie-rock infused with a punk attitude and beats you can dance to. We write music we feel people want to listen to, not just ourselves.

We are givers not takers.

Who are your influences, musical or otherwise? Music! But also art, girls, free spirited people and total life forever.

What’s the weirdest experience you’ve had whilst performing? During our last gig at Phoenix Bar we were accompanied on stage by a slightly intoxicated member of the crowd who proceeded to start singing into the mic. First thing we thought was “new backing singer”.

What’s your biggest achievement/proudest moment so far? Every gig we’ve had so far. We’re all mates, so each time we get up there we have a party!

What are your plans for the future? To discover more punters that will invest time in seeing a band they like, to make a little bit of cash to use for some studio time, and also to expand as much as possible locally and interstate.

What makes you laugh? Brad: Watching other people dance after they have had a few drinks. Cam: The misfortunes of others and oneself - you’ve got to see the light side.

What pisses you off? Craig: People who think they know it all. Please stop making shit up, WE DON’T CARE! Jack: Overpriced beverages!

What’s your opinion of the local scene? We have only just dipped our toes into the local scene. More punters and more venues would be nice, but so far everyone that we have encountered has been very friendly and supportive.

What are your upcoming gigs? Pot Belly Bar in Belconnen, Saturday October 22, and Phoenix Bar in Civic, Saturday October 29.

Contact info: facebook.com/forgottenfridays soundcloud.com/forgottenfridays myspace.com/forgottenfridays

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Aaron Peacey Aaron 0410 381 306 Activate Jetpack activatejetpack@ hotmail.com Adam Hole Adam 0421 023 226 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 Amplif5’d Classic rock covers band Joy 0407 200 428, joybarac-heath@hotmail.com Annie & the Armadillos Annie 6161 1078/0422 076 313 The Ashburys Dan Craddock 0419 626 903 Aria Stone, sax & flute, singer/ songwriter (guitar) Aria 0411 803 343 Australian Songwriters Association (Keiran Roberts) 6231 0433 Arythmia: Ben 0423 408 767/ arythmiamusic@gmail.com Backbeat Drivers Steve 0422 733 974, www.backbeatdrivers.com Big Boss Groove Andrew 0404 455 834, www.bigbossgroove.com.au Birds Love Fighting Gangbusters/DIY shows - bookings@birdslovefighting.com Black Label Photography Kingsley 0438 351 007 Blister Bug Stu 0408 617 791 Bridge Between, The Rachel 0412 598 138, thebridgebetween.com.au Bruce Stage mgr/consultant 6254 9857 Caution Horses Nigel 0417 211 580 Chris Harland Blues Band 0418 490 640 chrisharlandbluesband@yahoo.com.au Clear Vision Films rehearsals/film clips/stunts - 0438 647 281 wcoulton.clearvisionfilms.com Cole Bennetts Photography 0415 982 662 /colebennetts.com Cris Clucas Cris 6262 5652 Crooked Dave 0421 508 467 Danny V Danny 6238 1673/0413 502 428 Dawn Theory Nathan 0402 845 132 D’Opus & Roshambo hifidelitystyles@yahoo.com DJs Madrid and Gordon 0417 433 971 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 Easy Mode Daz 0404 156 482, easymodeband@gmail.com Entity Chris 0412 027 894 Epic Flagon band@epicflagon.com Fighting Mongooses, The Adam 0402 055 314 Final Warning Brendan 0422 809 552 Fire on the Hill Aaron 0410 381 306/ Lachlan 0400 038 388 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 Groovalicious Corporate/Weddings/ Private functions 0448 995 158 groovalicious@y7mail.com Guy The Sound Guy live & studio sound engineer, 0400 585 369, guy@ guythesoundguy.com HalfPast Chris 0412 115 594 Hancock Basement Tom 6257 5375, hancockbasement@hotmail.com Happy Hour Wendy 0406 375 096 Haunted Attics band@hauntedatticsmusic.com Hitherto Paul 0408 425 636 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 JDY Clothing 0405 648 288/ www.jdyclothing.com Jenn Pacor singer/songwriter avail. for originals & covers, 0405 618 630 Jim Boots 0417 211 580 Johnny Roadkill Paulie 0408 287 672, paulie_mcmillan@live.com.au Karismakatz DJ Gosper 0411 065 189/ dj@karismakatz.com Kayo Marbilus myspace.com/kayomarbilus Kurt’s Metalworx (PA) 0417 025 792 Little Smoke Sam 0411 112 075 Los Chavos Andy 0401 572 150 los.chavos@yahoo.com.au Manilla Green Herms 0404 848 462, contactus@manillagreen.com, Mario Brujo Gordon world/latin/ reggae/percussionist and DJ. 0405 820 895 Martin Bailey Audio Engineer 0423 566 093 Words for You: writer/publicity/events Megan ph 6154 0927, megan@wordsforyou.com.au Mercury Switch Lab Studios mercuryswitch@internode.on.net Missing Zero Hadrian Brand 0424 721 907 hadrian.brand@live.com.au Moots aspwinch@grapevine.com.au Huck 0419 630 721 MuShu Jack 0414 292 567, mushu_band@hotmail.com MyOnus myonusmusic@hotmail.com/ www.myspace.com/myonus No Retreat Simon 0411 155 680 Ocean Moses Nigel 0417 211 580 OneWayFare Chris 0418 496 448 Painted Hearts, The Peter 6248 6027 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 Rafe Morris 0416 322 763 Redletter Ben 0421 414 472 Redsun Rehearsal Studio Ralph 0404 178 996/6162 1527 Rhythm Party, The Ross 0416 010 680 Rob Mac Project, The Melinda 0400 405 537 Rug, The Jol 0417 273 041 Samsara Samahdi 0431 083 776 Sansutra J-Ma 0403 476 350 Simone Penkethman (Simone & The Soothsayers, Singing Teacher) 6230 4828 Soundcity Rehearsal Studio Andrew 0401 588 884 Solid Gold Peter 0421 131 887/ solid.gold@live.com.au Super Best Friends Matt 0438 228 748 Surrender Jordan 0439 907 853 Switch 3 Mick 0410 698 479 System Addict Jamie 0418 398 556 The Morning After (covers band) Anthony 0402 500 843/ myspace.com/themorningaftercovers Tiger Bones & The Ferabul-Zers Danny feralbul@aapt.net.au Tim James Lucia 6282 3740, LUCIAMURDOCH@hotmail.com Top Shelf Colin 0408 631 514 Transmission Nowhere Emilie 0421 953 519/myspace.com/ transmissionnowhere 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 Zero Degrees and Falling Louis 0423 918 793 Zwish 0411 022 907

MO SEpresents

Official Facebook Event

Halloween Black Party TRICK OR TREAT!?

From dusk til dawn, mooooseheads brings you a night like no other. With giveaways and prizes for those who dress up. And a balloon drop at the stroke of midnight! + djs and zombie bar tenders treating you to the scariest night in the capital.

DRE S

E S COD

T ric ksNT rea ts for everyone

r wea k c a bl

S

CHE

WIT

new promo c d n for t hose a phm mor dressed u p!

s

bie Zom

y fanc

s

dres

29

th Saturday O ctober

Step inside Canberras haunted nightclub...

We dare you!

BOOHAHAHA!

MO SEHEADS 55 mooseheads pub&nightclub

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