BMA Magazine 422 July 31 2013

#422JUL31

NAUTS, INSIDE: MIDNIGHT JUGGER PROJECT ZZ GUTTERMOUTH, CAPITAL JA

90+ Players 25 concerts

CANBERRA’S Mid-Winter JAZZ FESTIVA 2-11 AUG L

FOR FULL PROGRAM GO TO WW W.THESTREET.ORG.AU

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Asylum seekers.

Ugghh. Phoo. Yeesh.

What does Bono think?

#422J U LY 3 1 Fax: (02) 6257 4361 Mail: PO Box 713 Civic Square, ACT 2608 Publisher Scott Layne Allan Sko General Manager Allan Sko T: (02) 6257 4360 E: advertising@bmamag.com

Advertising Manager Scott Johnston T: (02) 6257 4360 E: sales@bmamag.com

Editor Ashley Thomson

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Accounts Manager Hongyan Ao

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Sub-Editor & Social Media Manager Greta Kite-Gilmour Graphic Design Marley Film Editor Melissa Wellham NEXT ISSUE 423 OUT AUGUST 14 EDITORIAL DEADLINE AUGUST 5 ADVERTISING DEADLINE AUGUST 8 Published by Radar Media Pty Ltd ABN 76 097 301 730 BMA Magazine is independently owned and published. Opinions expressed in BMA Magazine are not necessarily those of the editor, publisher or staff.

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Including photos from a whole slew of Canberra photographers you’ve heard of, a whole slew you haven’t, and whole slew of plain old people, new Centenary-commissioned photo book 100 Views of Canberra will present images of Canberra in the most coffee table-friendly format yet seen.

Launching at PhotoAccess on Thursday August 1 from 6pm, 100 Views contains work from Alexander Bell Moffat, Barbie Robinson, Julia Boyd, Shane Rattenbury, and BMA photographers Martin Ollman and Erica Hurrell, among others.

It’ll retail for $49.95, and what says ‘ideal gift for the person who makes your life hell by having everything they want’ like that?

666 ABC Canberra Announces Exhumed Band Comp ACT Finalists Give it up for Panaseeya, Brothington, Sparrow-Folk, Dick Barry and ZZG. 666 ABC Canberra has determined that these five bands from the ACT and surrounding area are the finalists in the ACT category of the national Exhumed band competition, which seeks to bring from obscurity bands that never made it – or bands that never thought to try. With a mean average age somewhere in the mid-40s, these bands represent the collective pastimes of fathers, mothers, couples, public servants, Defence Force employees, and career musicians. All five bands will play live together at Canberra Southern Cross Club Woden on Thursday August 8 – tickets are free but reserve a space ahead of time at cscc. com.au/live-shows/exhumed.

Queanbeyan Hip Hop Duo Stik n Move Nominated for Deadly Award Queanbeyan hip hop act Stik n Move have only been on the scene for a short time but they’ve already gained enough attention to be nominated for a Deadly Award for Most Promising New Talent in Music. Stik n Move is brothers TooDeadly and Wizz, and have

recently been joined by DJ Danielsan (Koolism). They are currently working on their debut album, with the first official single Bullymen due for online release on Friday August 9. If you want to get a feel for their sound, a mixtape is available for free download via their Facebook page (facebook. com/StiknMove), or check out the video clip of Tron at reverbnation.com/StiknMove).

Congrats, boys, we all love a bit of S&M here at BMA.

Locals Ivory Cocoa Win Clare Bowditch Winter Secrets Slot She may not have a Canberra show on her upcoming Winter Secrets tour, but Clare Bowditch has chosen local acoustic duo Ivory Cocoa to play with her on Thursday August 1 in Dee Why, NSW. The duo, comprised of Lauree Inez and George Pass, were chosen on the strength of a vintage-style video of their song One Little River, which they submitted to Bowditch’s online Winter Secrets Competition. As well as a supporting slot, Ivory Coast is now in the running to win a $1000 grand prize at the end of the tour. Good luck, IC. If you’d like to hear the band or watch their winning video, head to facebook.com/ivorycocoa.

Pitch by Julia Boyd. Said Robyn Archer of 100 Views of Canberra, ‘It is with images like this that we hope to shake perceptions of Canberra as empty, lifeless and cold.’ Then she broke into song and disappeared into the folds of her enormous neck scarf.

‘100 Views of Canberra’ to Chronicle Canberra in Photos

location a band should play on each of the given dates.

We’ve been debating the merits of the ‘choose your own adventure’ in the office all week. Best case scenario, you prove (ahead of time, which is quite the bargaining chip when it comes time to haggle with venues) that the show you’re putting on will be well attended, because so many people have voted to make a show happen in their city. Worst case scenario – well, the other thing happens. Anyway, US band The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus has given the ACT a chance at a show on Thursday November 14. We’ll need to bring down more votes than Sydney or Wollongong to make it happen (no unfair advantages there) but if you’re up for a fight, head to redjumpsuit.giggedin.com to vote. Voting closes Thursday August 8.

The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus launches Choose Your Own Adventure Tour It’s a novel idea: list a series of dates, and under each date list three potential locations.

Let punters choose, through an online voting system, which

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FROM THE BOSSMAN Hello class. Today, we shall be examining a common condition known as Dingus-Itis, where a perfectly rational and intelligent human being regularly succumbs to an item of sheer idiocy for the purpose of base enjoyment.

Which is an unnecessarily elaborate way of telling you that last weekend I watched a bunch of sweaty muscle-bound men pretend to punch each other. No, I wasn’t sinking a few schooies down at Kambah Inn; I was in Melbourne soaking in the testosterone-fuelled nerdfest that is WWE wrestling.

I admit it. I love wrestling. And coming from a man who has a complete collection of Charles Dickens originals and gleefully corrects people on the pronunciation of the word ‘vase’, that’s a big thing to admit. Yes, I am aware of the sheer ridiculousness of it. It’s not exactly something I’m proud of. I would only watch it once the rest of the family was in bed, quickly flicking the channel if the wife strolled in. ‘What are you doing?’ she’d ask in that special marital tone of concern. ‘Oh nothing, dear, nothing...

Just, errrrrr, watching a spot of porn.’ ‘Well OK then... But keep it down would you? I can hear you from the other side of the house.’

I’ve tried to deny it, to make it an idle curiosity. But when you find yourself handing over a tidy triple-figure sum and driving seven hours for the spectacle, you know it’s got the hooks in.

As I stood there at ringside, watching John Cena send Ryback through a table, listening to the shallow end of the gene pool chorus in a hilariously broad Australian accent, ‘You are a wankah!’ <CLAP-CLAP CLAP-CLAP CLAP>, I thought to myself... Just why am I enjoying this nonsense so much?

YOU PISSED ME OFF! Care to immortalise your hatred in print? Send an email to editorial@bmamag.com and see your malicious bile circulated to thousands. [All entries contain original spellings.]

People who leave the spoon in the tin of milo and close the lid at work. This has no benefits at all!

To the Australian political landscape, you piss me the fuck off.

My family is a bunch of liberal defeatists andeven they’re more disillusioned than usual. My uncle’s probably going to vote for a fuycking independent and even though I’m all for a bullet train in Canberra that’s just shit. Labor needs to mustard gas their upper tier and let Wong handpick a new vanguard, Liberals need to burn their fanatics in the village square and shake off the orgiastic hatespell they’re under, and Greens… I love you like children love imaginary friends. I think that’s all you can hope to achieve so keep it at. Otherwise auspol, you piss me off. Take your tongues out of your arseholes. It’s my future.

To old cars. You’re not cool, you’re old. You piss me off, and your driver wearing driving gloves, a scarf and a dapper hat doesn’t help. Old rich assholes with time on your hands, fuck off. And fuck Antiques Roadshow and all.

This is isn’t the only example of Dingus-Itis. Despite knowing it to be the worst kind of poison to put inside your body, I still enjoy an occasional McDonalds. And I recall the ludicrous UK show Bottom from Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson - basically an endless tissue of nob gags and physical violence - with great glee. And don’t get me started on booze. Seriously, don’t.

Mayhaps it’s the nostalgic element. WWE, McDonalds, Bottom...

Not exactly the bastion of high art and furthering oneself, but because they came along at an impressionable time in life and are associated with happy memories, they stay with a person.

I remember when we first moved to England back in a time known as ‘1992’. The family would head to the local pub to eat something yellow drenched in something brown before getting home to watch Red Dwarf at 9pm on BBC2. This was a happy routine and allowed a perpetual fondness for the show as I stumbled awkwardly into adulthood. Rewatching it recently on ABC2, it revealed itself to be a big pile of sweaty balls.

But nostalgia isn’t quite the reason for my questionable obsession with wrestling. I haven’t watched an episode of Bottom in years and my McDonalds input is done to once every six months (or twice in two days on road trips). Perhaps, I ponder, it’s the brain’s strive for balance. I’m sure there’s a bogan somewhere slyly listening to Mozart on their iPod. But more simply - in a world where we’re assaulted 24/7 via phones and internet - it’s vital for us humans just to tune out, to dive into a place where the parameters are set. It’s important to get in touch with our inner Dingus. Funnyman Noel Fielding revealed to me in an interview last year that he enjoys Geordie Shore, because sometimes you just need to switch your brain off.

And with that in mind, enjoy this edition of BMA Mag. ALLAN SKO - allan@bmamag.com

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WHO: Super Best Friends WHAT: 1, 2, 3! Tour WHEN: Thu Aug 1 WHERE: The Phoenix Bar

Between recording their next shout-along anthem, Canberra’s finest slacker punk trio Super Best Friends has found time to squeeze in a series of pre-season training shows as they gear up for the release of a new single and music video. The 1,2,3! Tour will see the band play shows in Canberra, Sydney & Melbourne on August 1, 2 and 3, with a fistful of new songs and some fine local supports in tow. The boys (Adam, Matt and Johnny) have previously supported a who’s who of Australian acts, and last year won the inaugural MusicACT Music Awards Best Live Act award. Supports are Too Soon! and Revellers. 9pm.

WHO: Diva Demolition & Bellusira WHAT: Miss Adventures Tour WHEN: Sat Aug 3 WHERE: ANU Bar

Diva Demolition has just finished touring with Aerosmith, KISS, Motley Crue and Thin Lizzy, playing to tens of thousands of people nationwide. Now they unleash their ‘Miss Adventures’ tour, with Melbourne-based alt-rockers Bellusira. Diva Demolition will release their album Like It Too Much and Bellusira their debut, Connection.

Connection is born out of ‘every ounce of blood, sweat and tears’, while Like It Too Much delivers ‘good, straight rock ‘n’ roll with a taste of cherry pie’. Whatever ever else happens, the combination of sweat, tears and pie is bound to end in a memorable night for all involved. $15.30 + bf through Ticketek. 8pm.

WHO: Jonno Zilber WHAT: Album Launch WHEN: Sat Aug 3 WHERE: Polish White Eagle Club

With a reputation as a premier Australian touring and recording blues singer and guitarist, over the last few years Jonno Zilber has also developed a reputation as a sought-after artist for blues and swing dancing events. This year, Zilber recorded his debut album aimed at blues dancers. Winter Blues: Live was recorded live at 1am, Saturday August 4, 2012 at the tenth annual Canberräng festival. In an Oprah-eqsue ‘full circle moment’ the album will be launched at the late night blues after-party of this year’s Canberräng Swing Dancing Festival. The event will start at 1am Saturday morning. Free with weekend pass through canberrang.org or $20 door.

WHO: Telegraph Tower WHAT: EP Tour WHEN: Fri Aug 9 WHERE: The Front Café and Gallery

Barnaby Smith and Oliver Downes met at a playgroup when they were four. Despite a decade and a half living in separate hemispheres, they reconvened in Sydney in 2011 to see what might be possible, equipped with Barnaby’s songs and Oliver’s cello. The result surprised them both. The combination of Barnaby’s poetic, gentle sensibility and Oliver’s instrumental contributions served to produce a sound that is provocative, yet pretty. The Concubine EP represents five songs of subtlety and literate power that make for absorbing, disconcerting listening. Supporting are Hollie Matthew and Fiona Bolton. 8pm. $10 door.

WHO: Hollow Everdaze WHAT: Mini-album Launch WHEN: Sat Aug 10 WHERE: The Phoenix Bar

It’s plausible that The Phoenix Bar may combust with the sheer amount of awesome condensed into the one cosy venue this August night. Hollow Everdaze combine a sense of ruralism with youthful exuberance to create music which is both idyllic and harsh.

Their debut eight-song mini-album showcases the band’s ability to shift from the snarling garage tunes of their debut single Selfish to its follow up, the haunting and ethereal Ships. Joining them for the Canberra leg of the launch will be label mates Contrast, as well as the catchy, Kinks-esque locals Waterford and the irresistibly bodymoving tuneage of Calico Cat. 8pm. $6.

WHO: Anonymeye WHAT: EDM Night WHEN: Fri Aug 16 WHERE: Smith’s alternative

Yet another night of original sounds and aural scintillation awaits us at Smith’s Alternative. Brisbane-based Anonymeye creates sounds that explore the relationship between instrumentation, structure and genre within electronics and acoustics. Tuttle is touring in support of his debut EP 4064, which sees him eschew his acoustic guitar in favour of banjo, synthesiser and organ. Joining him will be Canberra-based Raus. Raus puts forth a unique brand of ‘experimental pop’ music. Reuben Ingall will inject the night with his creative fusion of processed guitar and voice, and Shisd completes the soundscape with his own ambient pop tang. 8pm. $10.

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GLEN MARTIN Do I need to describe FUN MACHINE to you? Really? Maybe you’re new to town. Maybe you’re new to music, and haven’t seen their anarchic, sweat and glitter-drenched shows in increasingly larger venues right around the country. In that case, let me tell you that Fun Machine are an act best experienced, not described. A four-piece with three leaders, they’re an act about as far removed from the shoegazing indie aesthetic as you can imagine. Theirs is a world of face paint and big gestures. They don’t care what you think. Given the scale of their growing fan base, they don’t have to.

You just need a simple truth and then to demonstrate it. Then you can cut through

Their latest single is called Naked Body. Their own somewhat naked bodies are often presented live. Their show is an elemental force, melodic, ridiculous and utterly captivating. And this new single probably comes closest to replicating the peaks of their stage shows. In this, the single differs from the previous cuts offered from their upcoming (and no word on when, but do stay tuned) debut LP. Last year’s Ready for the Fight and Alchemist are stately tunes, more chamber pop than glitter-drenched freakpunk-pop. Now that the group have an active fan base chomping at the bit, singer/guitarist Chris Endrey is keen to offer a record that stands as a different experience to the live show that is worth the wait of the audience.

‘It’s so easy to release something that people don’t care about, so the idea is to tour around, generate interest, and then when we do release it people will want to have it, rather than have it foisted upon them by dirty sales agents.’

Their reputation as a live band of note creates challenges when considering a permanent, recorded document. ‘The difficulty is in straddling what we want to do as live performers and what we do as recording artists – the live show is about grabbing the audience and saying we’re all here together, now, let’s share something.

That outcome is obviously not what you have when you’re trying to record something.’

The forthcoming album flits between the styles showcased on the singles, and reflects a restless act. ‘It ranges from the earliest stuff we’ve played to stuff nobody has ever head. We’re always writing new songs. Always.’ When quizzed on the live show and its idiosyncrasies, Endrey is keen to wax on performance, fashion and the art of being taken seriously. ‘It’s a difficult kind of risk to take – because people don’t take you seriously when you’re putting yourself out there. Up until 18 months ago we were still being asked if we’re being serious or not. It’d be a lot effort to

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only be joking. We see a lot of stuff and get disappointed that the capacity to really grab you isn’t taken. No matter what you’re doing you’re inevitably saying something by how you present yourself.

All those things are resources to play with. I don’t think we’ve ever worried about what other people think. We’re not fear-driven.’

As for their party-band reputation, Endrey feels no need to keep the floor moving. Instead, the fact that he leads a band that has the power to get the party started means a greater opportunity for some higher experiences. ‘Once you have everybody there, dancing and singing, the power of doing something vulnerable is potentially twice as beautiful. We never feel the responsibility to keep people dancing. It’s more an opportunity to o something more interesting, engage different senses. There’s a lot of sweating though. We do rinse a lot of shit down the shower drain.

Glitter and paint.’

As for those shows constituting some kind of ‘due-paying’, Endrey illustrates some benefits to undergoing a band apprenticeship in Canberra. ‘None of us are from here originally – like many people. Certainly, being here has meant that instead of getting opportunities prematurely, you have to fight for them more – because the town doesn’t have a great artistic reputation, even though it has a thriving artistic scene. That’s meant that we’ve been better than we’ve needed to be for each rung that we’ve achieved. We’re not making any money, but every time we’ve grabbed a good support we’ve felt good about it, because we’ve spent those years slogging. We’re trying to get better all the time.

You see so many bands that get picked up and they’re not ready for it. All the way up to the top.’

Endrey has become something of an all-round local star, through his work with the review show In Canberra Tonight. As host and ringleader, his annoyingly natural charisma drives the show. And it seems to be a very natural extension of what he does with Fun Machine. ‘It’s another fearless thing. Even though it manifests itself in a completely different way to the band, it’s still about the freedom to explore ideas and saying yes to things.’

Having said all this, behind the sweat and hotpants, Fun Machine hint at a greater purpose. Better living though anarchy? Endrey explains. ‘To think that you can communicate something through song and people will sit and take that in is naive. We feel the responsibility of performance and to say things – but they’re all through leadership and demonstration rather than overt statement. If you’re standing on a corner saying corporations are defining how we view our bodies and generating fear to sell products people aren’t gonna listen to that. You just need a simple truth and then to demonstrate it. Then you can cut through.’

Fun Machine will launch their Naked Body Tour at The Australian Croation Club, Turner, on Saturday August 10 from 8pm, with Prom, Readable Graffiti and Coolio Desgracias. Door price TBA.

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ALL AGES Hey folks. Riddle me this: who does man claim best friendzies status with, but rarely ever takes time to appreciate through Punscebration (a pun filled celebration)? DOGS! Dogs are the greatest, no matter how completely irrelevant they are to all ages events. Man is guilty of severe under-appreciation of dogs in the first pedigree and I’m afraid it’s a matter of crime and pawful punishment.

Roll up! Roll up and roll over, Rover! Come one, come all to Jam Free or Skate Hard for a great dane out. If you can’t figure out what the event is from the title, don’t worry, I too wasted a good ten minutes.

All you need to know is that it’s a game of roller derby, so it’s similar to when a group of dogs play together and chase each other in circles, except with more rollerblades. The men and women of the roller derby league play just as ruff.

The game is on Saturday August 3 at Southern Cross Stadium, Tuggeranong. Tickets are $11.75 + bf and are available online from Oztix. Doors open at 5pm for a 6pm start.

Q: What dog will laugh at any joke? A: A Chi-ha-ha. And what do Chi-ha-ha’s have to do with Bernard Fanning coming to town? A: Nothing, I just really like that joke. He’s playing on Sunday August 4 with supporting acts Vance Joy and Big Scary. Bring your friends, bring your mum, and bring your Saint Bernard dog. Actually, don’t do that. But still, you should go. The concert’s at the Royal Theatre, National Convention Centre at 7.30pm.

Tickets cost you around $70 + bf and can be bought online or by calling Ticketek on 132 849.

If anyone’s ever told you, ‘Your dog ain’t got wag’, all you need to do to prove them wrong is blast Waiting All Night by Rudimental and watch your dog wag away to the funky beat. In fact, all Rudimental music has a swagger-inducing effect, and that’s why you should go see them live on Wednesday September 18. They play at the UC Refectory. The show starts at 7:30pm. Tickets are $54.95 + bf through Oztix and Moshtix.

Q: What happens when it rains cats and dogs? A: You step in a poodle. Speaking of cats, The Cat Empire is coming to Canberra.

When a band’s genre is best described as ‘ska jazz fusion’ you know you’ve stumbled onto something great. They’re playing on Thursday September 19 at the UC Refectory. Tickets are $49.95 + bf for concession and $59.95 + bf for general sale. You can buy your tickets through Oztix.

Howl-elujah! The Vans Warped Tour is coming to town! I don’t care if it’s many months away, you’ll be wanting to save up for a line-up like this: New Found Glory, The Used, Hatebreed, Tonight Alive, The Summer Set, Kids In Glass Houses, We Came As Romans, Man Overboard, Crown The Empire, The Dangerous Summer, For All Those Sleeping, Veara, Anarbor, Mallory Knox and Rdgldgrn. Catch it at Exhibition Park, Mitchell on Friday December 6.Tickets are $107.10 + bf and are available online from Oztix.

Anyways, kids, remember: don’t do pugs. Over and out.

ANDIE EGAN allagescolumn@gmail.com

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LOCALITY

Last Wednesday night at 11:30pm, I was sitting outside a bar in the city, drinking a beer and listening to original live music come wafting out from inside. Again: Last Wednesday night at 11:30pm, I was sitting outside a bar/venue in the city, drinking a beer and listening to original live music come wafting out from inside. And it was packed. Smith’s Alternative’s new Wednesday night fixture, Canberra Musicians Club Presents…, is the best thing to happen to Wednesday nights and Civic since the Burmese Curry House opened.

Head along from 8pm for free live music by local and interstate musicians. It’s not too soon to say this is the new Bootlegs.

Thursday August 1 sees local boys Super Best Friends kicking off their 1, 2, 3! Tour at The Phoenix. It’s a cheeky three-date, three-day tour and their local show sports Revellers and Too Soon! in support.

Capital Jazz Project kicks off its third year the following day, Friday August 2, at The Street Theatre. There are local, national and international musical geniuses appearing at the festival, which runs until Sunday August 11. See thestreet.org.au for tickets.

The rise and rise of spaces appropriated for venues continues, with Ska-Tropica on Saturday August 3 marking the first use of the Australian Croation Club by Canberra Musicians Club. It’s right next door to The Polish White Eagle Club, and apparently sports a much larger performance space, which it will be the duty of Los Chavos and Naughty Rhythms to fill from 8pm for $15 a head. Christen the shit out of that joint. (Hit The Phoenix from 9:30pm that same night to catch a line-up headlined by The Second Hand Salmon.)

YOU MADE MY DAY!

Email editorial@bmamag.com to send a message of gratitude, warmth and generosity to the world at large. Awww.

Dear Malcolm Fraser, you are the best thing since sliced bread after oral sex. Politicians like you are the only remaining link to a time when politicians were likelier, in moments of hardship, to be good people, honest and blunt with their constituents, than toadying mutts. You made my day.

To New Zealand, for kicking a dude out of your country for being too fat, you made my fucking day. People are gonna kick words like discrimination around for this, but fuck it, you went there.

Love your work.

To Winter, for annually kicking my healths arse for at least a few days, making me bed ridden and useless and in turn reigniting my Mother’s natural instincts to wait on me hand and foot, make me soup (basically rocket science) and therefore really making her feel needed and priceless. Thanks Winter. For when flowers just don’t cut it anymore. You Made My Mum’s Day.

The Ellis Collective is striking up another ‘Residency’ program on Sunday August 4. Every Sunday in August, The Ellis Collective Winter Residency will see the band appearing with a guest in tow for a two-hour show at either Smith’s Alternative or The Front Gallery and Café. The first is at Smith’s Alternative from 3pm to 5pm and New Gods of Thunder is the lucky party. It’s a $10 door.

The Bootleg Sessions are again presented by CMC on Monday August 5, and Central West, Moochers Inc., The Steptones and Soctor Deuss are the line-up. There’s also Sydney group The Darkened Seas at The Phoenix on Thursday August 8, with locals New Brutalists and Anachel in tow from 9pm. And Hollow Everdaze is visiting The Phoenix on Saturday August 10 from 9:30pm.

They’ve enlisted locals Waterford and Calico Cat (who’ll be launching a single) as supports.

The second instalment in The Ellis Collective Winter Residency is at Smith’s Alternative on Sunday August 11 from 3pm to 5pm, this time with Pocket Fox in tow and still for $10. I almost feel, at this stage, that including The Bootleg Sessions in this column is redundant to the point of insult – but if you still haven’t been, go on Monday August 12. 2XX FM LocalnLive are programming and they’ve brought in ZZG, Vintage Vulva, Treehouse (TAS) and Dylan Hekimian. 8pm. Free.

And that’s everything local I care about.

ASHLEY THOMSON - editorial@bmamag.com; @aabthomson

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DAN BIGNA Anyone from out of town who bemoans a lack of cultural activity in Canberra should be immediately pointed to the CAPITAL JAZZ PROJECT, an event now in its third year at The Street Theatre. This festival showcases a vast range of improvised musical expression that interprets whatever that thing is we call jazz.

Tangents we’re all from a background where the music can be quite explosive or dynamic but we like being able to step back.

There is a lot of double rhythmic stuff in our music and a lot of textural stuff and really simple things like ambient music that could have been made by someone like Brian Eno.’

This year’s line-up is the most eclectic yet, featuring (among many others) the altered sonic perceptions of Strange Music of Reality, comprised of bass, drums and trumpet, in combination with keyboards and loops; an individual take on the classic quartet formation from saxophonist Nathan Haines and the avant electro-acoustic Melbourne three-piece Three Lanes. Then there is the multi-national grouping Tight Corners, that will meld key work from Herbie Nichols, Thelonius Monk and superb soprano saxophonist Steve Lacy.

This fertile coming together brings on that all important element – feeling – but of a particular kind. ‘The music is intense, but intense for another reason that sets itself up against high intensity, because we are also thinking about other people like Cage and Feldman. Having conceptual ideas that come from these artists informs in some way what I am doing with Tangents,’ Ahmad says.

‘Having minimal melodic ideas merge with more ambient and electronic textural stuff is a real raft of things coming together, and it is cool we can do these things at a jazz festival in Canberra.’

[Capital Jazz Project] allows us to be part of changing that conversation about the possibilities of Canberra

As a complement to the annual SoundOut festival of free improvisation, Capital Jazz Project has conspired to make Canberra a destination point when it comes to high quality improvised music.

Street Theatre Artistic Director/ CEO Caroline Stacey and event producer Dean Ellis have put together a festival line-up that brings to Canberra current developments in improvised music from a wide field of performing artists. ‘I think it’s very important to have various levels of engagement and platforms for artistic activity, from grassroots work through to high-end events that bring a critical mass of people together with performers really at the top of their field,’ Stacey says. ‘And part of being a grown-up city is to ensure that ACT-based artists have the capacity to develop and engage in a critical dialogue with those who live beyond this place.’

Stacey has been involved with The Street Theatre for the past six years and is committed to exploring new frontiers, which jazz music has always done. ‘We are a venue and space that is open to a whole range of genres and forms, and we really look to be true to what is happening in jazz, but also look to artists that are pushing boundaries,’ she says. ‘We look to what women are doing in jazz, we also look at cross cultural initiatives, various combinations of instruments within ensembles and who might be interesting to introduce.’

One top shelf ensemble when it comes to pushing boundaries is the experimental John Zorn and everything else-influenced ensemble Tangents; a group which came together in fortuitous circumstances with a common appreciation for music beyond mainstream conventions and is set to release its debut album, I. Members from string quartet FourPlay, improvising groups Spartak and Triosk, and electronic artist Ollie Brown have come together to blur all boundaries from across the musical spectrum.

‘This group is comprised of five different angles meeting at the notion of experimentation, improvisation and the diverse musical interests. We have all been informed by modernist composers like Morton Feldman and John Cage, as well as free jazz and the European take on jazz found on the ECM label – new sounds and new ideas,’ guitarist/laptop manipulator Shoeb Ahmad says. ‘In

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Ahmad has kept the free music dream alive with his label hellosQuare Recordings, which has always been open to the concept of individual and collaborative expression, and his enthusiasm for Capital Jazz project goes beyond the music for music sake variety. ‘This is the kind of thing we need to have happen in Canberra, for sure,’ he says. ‘And in terms of jazz festivals CJP features one of the most diverse line-ups. This is what The Street Theatre is all about.’

This all suggests an involvement that goes well beyond the standard high finance artist/venue relationship. Caroline Stacey cares about Capital Jazz project as a premier cultural event for Canberra and it is heartening to get her take on an art form that has always been about innovation and progress. ‘What appeals to me is the immediacy of it, the courage that I see performers use to explore making new ways of music together,’ she says. ‘And there’s a lot more vibrancy and innovation amongst those who perform jazz. From an audience perspective, the engagement is really animated and active, and if people are hooked by jazz they really want to talk about it. It’s the immediacy in jazz that I respond to and I like the relationship that happens in a room or in a space.

There is a sense of collaboration on all fronts and that’s something that hasn’t changed over time.’

Stacey provides an international perspective on what it means to create jazz in this eternally postmodern age, but she is quick to point out that we are talking about an event that enriches the creative arts in our home town. ‘Capital Jazz Project is quite unique on the Australian landscape and it allows us to be part of changing that conversation about the possibilities of Canberra,’ she says.

‘All artists involved with the CJP have commented on the high production values and the whole nature and scope of the event has really astounded them. And they have also really enjoyed the relationship with audiences and the intense focus that happens between the audiences and performers.’

Capital Jazz Project takes place at The Street Theatre from Friday August 2 until Sunday August 11. Full program details and ticketing information can be found at thestreet.org.au.

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DANCE THE DROP

Modern day IT wizardry has offered up a ‘packet cake’ method of becoming the blue planet’s latest EDM superstar. Not only are online companies willing to sell you ready made productions and hock them for you on dance music websites like Beatport, they will also create bogus Soundcloud and Facebook ‘likes’ for your profile and increase your Twitter followers by tens of thousands overnight.

All you need to contribute is a pile of upfront cash, a couple of sexy profile pictures, and a memorable musical moniker. Sound like a plan? Enquire on the internet.

Last year’s Underground Music Festival was a prime example of musical extremism, with 20 local DJs forcing their favourite genres down the gobs of punters at the Canberra Racecourse. The soirée is back in 2013 with a roster of 60 local artists spread over multiple stages in a literally ‘underground’ venue somewhere in the CBD. Pretty cool, huh? Saturday September 7 is the date to mark in your party planner, first release tickets start at a paltry $25 + bf and are available online at rockmannrush.iwannaticket.com.au.

Fresh from his top five national ranking in this year’s InTheMix Top 50 DJ poll, trance icon Marlo is returning to the main room at Academy on Friday August 2. Marlo is also bringing with him his trusty sidekick, sultry vocalist Chloe. If you crave laser beams and special ‘hug it out’ emotional moments with your friends that you will cringe over the next day, then I wouldn’t miss this for quids.

Sydneysiders love flinging excrement at the nation’s capital, with their fancy beaches and drive-by shootings trumping our seasonal pop-up ice rink and gaudy flower festival. The TJS crew have the perfect method of lauding one over our neighbours: Soundclash. On Saturday August 10 at The Clubhouse the best junglists from our respective home towns will be pitted against each other in a winner takes all war of noise. Two crews enter, one crew leaves. [Ed: You heard it here first – the losing crew will be killed and eaten.]

Amateur ‘90s Kurt Russell impersonator Mikah Freeman took some time away from working on a reboot of Big Trouble in Little China (and the latest Aston Shuffle record) to serve up a piping hot Drop Top 5 for us this week.

Miguel – Do You… (Cashmere Cat Remix) [Unsigned] – Miguel’s album has been on repeat since it dropped and this remix takes it to a whole new level. Who doesn’t like drugs, hugs and love?

Kris Menace – Waiting For You (Oliver Remix) [Compuphonic] – Whenever I listen to this I feel like I’ve stumbled drunk onto the set of Knight Rider. Has a very retrocyberfuturistic vibe about it.

Fatboy Slim & Riva Starr – Eat, Sleep, Rave, Repeat (Original Mix) [Skint] – Story of my life.

Riton – Trap House [Symbols Recordings] – This track takes samples from one of the joints off the incredible Jeremiah mix tape.

Hip-house for life, yo.

Jeremy Olander – Let Me Feel [Pryda Friends] – Melodic prog is back with a vengeance!

TIM GALVIN - tim.galvin@live.com.au

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peter o’rourke They’ve been described as been described as anything from ‘prog dance meets cosmic film scores’ to ‘slasher-flick disco’, and even ‘deadpan landscape’, but Melbourne electronic group MIDNIGHT JUGGERNAUTS has certainly proved itself a mainstay of the Australian musical landscape. Winner of two ARIA awards for its 2007 release Dystopia and second release The Crystal Axis in 2010, Midnight Juggernauts has toured across Australia and internationally, headlining major musical festivals and solo shows.

as well. Ballad of the War Machine was first released online under a pseudonym of a 1980s Soviet-era synth band, the video with fitting images of Soviet-style military aircraft, tanks, uniforms and national Russian icons. Their follow-up video was for Memorium, which shows the history of CGI (computer-generated imagery) moving from the age of simple, wireframe graphics to modern representations.

There is almost this revulsion that is created in that pursuit of perfection, when things get too real

When I called band member Vincenzi Vendetta to chat, he admitted that he was still a bit jetlagged, having only returned to Australia the day before from a European tour which included shows with fellow Aussie success story Tame Impala. ‘I’m a bit tired, and we’re going to have a short rest, but we’ll be straight into our tour after that,’ he said brightly.

Like many a great band, when you are going to make an album, there’s no better way than holing yourself up somewhere in the countryside and launching into full songwriting mode, isolated from distraction. And that is exactly what Midnight Juggernauts did for their latest release, Uncanny Valley, released this June. ‘The band went to this really old church in a small village in the French countryside,’ said Vince. ‘We locked ourselves away in a creative bubble, and were able to focus completely on music. We weren’t planning anything in particular or bringing in any preconceived ideas – we were just seeing what we could come up with.’

Vince describes how the band would have long extended jams, creating moody sounds using a variety of old analogue synthesizers. ‘We then had the challenge of taking those often twisted atmospheric sounds and turning them into pop tunes with proper lyrics, melody and structure,’ said Vince. ‘We want people to connect with it emotionally and musically – but the sounds will still be pretty warped!’

Vince said that the church was a huge inspiration on the texture of the record. ‘It was great. There were these old gothic stone statues looking down at us, and we played around with the ancient pipe organ. Some of the raw recordings of sound were even used in the final tracks. You can hear some keys on the end of Memorium – we recorded that live in the beautiful reverb of the church. Hearing those tunes now really takes us back to the place and brings back those creative feelings we had there.’ Being in a foreign environment also had huge appeal for Vince and the rest of the band, both relaxing them and fostering inspiration. ‘It gave us lots of energy with good food and wine, that sort of thing,’ he said.

In some ways, Uncanny Valley is a bit of a concept album. It follows some traditional Juggernauts themes that began with Dystopia – cold mechanical sounds mixed with analogue warmth, psychedelic space sounds, ‘80s synth pop, and imagery of machines and robots. This is strongly evident in the film clips for their singles

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‘Memorium explores the change from those first crude attempts, to when graphics with human feeling comes in from those later productions,’ said Vince. ‘I love the idea around machines producing something very lifelike, but at a certain point becoming creepy. There is almost this revulsion that is created in that pursuit of perfection, when things get too real. We like the imagery surrounding peoples’ relationships with machines and graphics. That video was picked up and well received by the graphics community.’

Pop-singer Miley Cyrus even had a film clip, which came out four weeks later, which used one of those early animations explained Vince. ‘We like to joke that the director saw our video and took inspiration there. Whether this is a good thing, though …’

There is a strong link between their work as a band and other art projects beyond music. Before recording Uncanny Valley, the band had taken a lengthy break to focus their attention on different art and audio-visual projects. This included creating live ambient music and soundtracks and working with live theatre. In one production with the Australian Centre for the Moving Image in Melbourne, Vince played a hypnotist and took ‘visions’ from people’s heads and projected them onto a screen.

‘As a band we’ve always been interested in art and visuals as well.

We’re looking at incorporating more visual elements into our future shows, where the visuals are just as important as the music,’ he said. According to Vince, the Juggernauts live show is always evolving. ‘Our European tour was a bit of a warm-up for Australia,’ he said. ‘We road-tested lots of material and worked through different ways of playing our music. All of it is live on stage, but we do use samples which are triggered by our drummer, as well as loads of effects such as filters, echoes and delays. Lot of stuff is MIDI-based in the synths, as well as using arpeggiators and loops.’

Vince said that the band has never tried to pigeonhole itself – this has had both positive and negative results. ‘In the early days we used to play rocky stuff at a dance festival, and dancey stuff at a rock gig. It might have confused some people and alienated others actually!’ But Vince said that the band has stayed true to itself and always done what it feels is right musically. ‘We’re not rock or pop or dance – we’re just electronica when it comes down to it. But that’s who we are as a band.’

Midnight Juggernauts bring their Uncanny Valley Tour to Zierholz @ UC on Saturday August 17. Tickets are $28.60 through Oztix.

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SLOW BURNERS sinead ‘connell Once again, Canberra music enthusiasts have birthed a new initiative for the unearthed and marginalised sounds and voices of our greater underground arts and music scene. BURNER COLLECTIVE is a charming new endeavor that harnesses the talent and conviction of local producers who would like to and should be heard. Each month, the Collective will release a new EP on SoundCloud featuring a collection of tracks from various producers, in the hope that, in the near future, physical EPs may too be released.

[Burner Collective] is for the electronic scene. We need people to get behind it and support local producers

‘It’s just for Canberra for now – we want to keep it local,’ co-creator Gus says. ‘The idea itself has been seen in Sydney before, but it’s not as specific as this …we’ll just be showcasing local stuff.’

If you think back to any electronic gigs you have frequented at Trinity or Hippo Bar, of the supporting sets – whom did you know or like? The answer for some may be clear; for others, not so much.

Burner Collective believes that these supporting acts (the likes of which are featured on Burner Collective’s EPs) are as talented and worth listening to as headliners. The idea, then, is to encourage people to seek out, listen to, and learn about supporting acts, thereby supporting them. And why now? Why Burner Collective?

‘Well, we weren’t really doing anything else,’ Gus laughs. ‘But it’s something we both really believe in and want to see grow.’ This initiative invests in the electronic music scene in Canberra, aiding its consistency and exposure, combating a pressing problem in our current mainstreamed climate.

As a series of releases that, as Gus and Lukas outlined, ‘document Canberra electronic musicians producing experimental sounds influenced by hip hop, break beat, future and more’, Burner Collective has constructed an excellent first EP. Featuring Turt Lush’s track Odysee, which ‘combines flowing hip hop melodies with high impact transitions to create a sound that falls in love with you’, as well as tracks from producers Enyui, Ephera and Bottle Brush, Volume 1 greatly reflects the guys’ ‘passion for the genre’. Thus, this article is as much a call out as an endorsement. As Gus puts it, ‘[Burner Collective] is something great for the electronic scene. We need people to get behind it and support local producers.’ He adds, ‘It’s a local collective for musicians with loose collective beats in various genres … we’re behind the community and we need people to get behind the releases.’ The EP on Bandcamp has a ‘name your price’ deal, so there is no pressure to fork out the cash, but be sure to dish out your support in excess.

Get involved with Burner Collective through facebook.com/pages/BurnerCollective or by emailing burnercollective@gmail.com, and check out their first EP at soundcloud.com/burner-collective.

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THE REALNESS This column will never capture every single release, but here is a quick run through of some the projects released during the first half of 2013 which would be worthy additions to any collection.

Canberra MC Stateovmind recently released his new EP Better than Postcards. BTP is a collection of tracks that were crafted while backpacking through Europe. During his travels Stateovmind linked up with various producers and MCs. Visit Landspeed Records for the physical product or download via his Bandcamp page.

Other notable releases to look out for include: Dialectrix’s third instalment The Cold Light of Day on Obese Records; Rates’ debut album Destroy and Rebuild; Perth-based Bitter Belief’s The

Gallery, with production mainly handled by fellow Perth up-andcomer Creed Birch. Also, Bliss N Eso returned with their fifth studio album, Circus in the Sky. Sneaking in just before the end of financial year, M-Phazes released a new compilation entitled The Works, via Obese Records. The compilation is a selection of the producer’s all-time favourite collaborations from his back catalogue. Unlike his previous compilation Good Gracious, The Works’ line-up is entirely international, featuring Talib Kweli, Pharoahe Monch, Jill Scott, and CL Smooth, to name a few.

On the funk and soul tip, the ‘Screaming Eagle of Soul’ Charles Bradley is back with his excellent sophomore offering Victim of Love released via the ever-consistent Daptone Records. Lovers of ‘80s funk, boogie and electro will lap up Chico Mann’s latest offering Magical Thinking through Soundway Records.

Never officially released, GG DOOM is an unofficial MF DOOM remix project. The work is masterminded by San Fran beatmaker Grip Grand, who remixed a bunch of DOOM a capellas. Search ‘GG DOOM’ for the link and you can be the judge . There were a couple of Stones Throw releases that slipped through The Realness cracks.

Madlib’s alter-ego Quasimoto, better known as Lord Quas, returned with Yessir Whatever.

The album is a culmination of 12 tracks recorded over a roughly 12-year period. While not an official Stones Throw project, Ras G’s Raw Fruit futuristic beats album is only available through Stones Throw Records.

Speaking of beats, Washington DC’s Damu the Fudgemonk’s classic How It Should Sound was finally re-issued on vinyl due to demand, and is available now from Redefinition Records. Don’t sleep – this one will sell out!

LeFrak, Queens native N.O.R.E, recently dropped Student of the Game. As with previous N.O.R.E projects it’s a bit disjointed, but is worth checking just on the strength of the Large Professor produced and featuring track Built Pyramids.

Finally, everyone loves something for free – however, there is normally a catch (thinking free penis enlargement here!). Fed up with industry bullshit, Marco Polo’s released Newport Authority 2. In a nutshell, it’s all the tracks that couldn’t get the clearance to feature on the forthcoming Port Authority 2 release. Features include The Artifacts, Big Daddy Kane, Rakin, Lil Fame, Das EFX and regular contributor Torae. Check fatbeats.com for limited vinyl copies.

BERT POLE bertpole@hotmail.com

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Rory McCARTNEY Punk survivors GUTTERMOUTH have been entertaining and offending people since 1988, but they are calling it a day. Before they do, there’ll be one last tour, and Canberra is on the menu.

BMA caught up with frontman Mark Adkins as he was winding down from the previous night’s show in Long Beach, CA. ‘I’m just nursing a nasty hangover, watching football and drinking shit wine at some Italian joint with a large group of gypsies from South America. The vino helped my headache, but my team lost … shit!’

Apart from that, he stridently resists any suggestion that the band has changed or softened over time. ‘Mellowing out, is that what you are asking? I don’t hear or see that. Bad question.’

With a gazillion gigs under his belt, Adkins refuses to single out any particular show as memorable, but instead casts his eye over the line-up over the passing parade of members. ‘It wasn’t a gig that was memorable. It was Dave Luckett joining the band. I know that does not sound like much of an answer, but if you get inside the head of Dave, one will never view TV again. He is a walking reality show. I could give examples, but you have to see it to believe it. A one-ofa-kind guy and I love him like a sister.’

Sluggish, overweight, techaddicted couch potatoes. The results are a weaker misguided generation, I hope I am not alive to see them in power

The band has seen a lot of line-up changes in its 25 years, with Adkins being the only consistent member. The reasons for the churn have been many and varied. Some have been the usual life events which anybody experiences as they make the transition over the decades from youth towards (gasp) middle age. Other things have been the dramas routinely associated with rock bands and life on the road: stealing money, drug abuse, rock star attitudes, people having kids, the impossibility of maintaining a relationship, the myth that stability is the be all and end all, and even some thinking they can start a better band. Mark takes a philosophical view of it all. ‘I think about life and how we all change in different ways. Being the original member has given me a great perspective regarding short-term thinking, greed, and what the world really has to offer.’

Most bands find their feet, burn brightly for a few glorious years, then wink out. It takes a lot to hold a band together for a quarter of a century when all the other members are getting tired or distracted, but Adkins’ passion for the music has achieved this.

‘I do love the gift and opportunities I have been given. Not once have I ever taken this group for granted. I have done this over half my life! Is this a passion or a lifestyle? I can’t answer that.’ Apart from its members, Guttermouth has had a lot of other changes, including grinding its way through five record labels, a number that surprised Adkins when he was reminded of it. ‘Five? Wow, I never really considered that. Let me see if I can name them … Dr Strange, Nitro, Hopeless, Volcom Ent. and Epitaph. I have done a ton of singles with defunct labels, but I can’t think of the fifth.

I blame that on my hangover and lack of interest in the record industry as it stands today.’ (Yes, he did get all five, but was a bit weary after the show and the ‘challenging’ Italian wine.)

The band has stayed true to punk, except for an experiment with the slower, more melodic LP Gusto, released in 2002. Adkins comments ruefully on that flirtation with a more poppy sound.

‘The experiment that failed … thanks for bringing that up. We were so sick of every band sounding the same and using wellpaid producers, we had to try something. I have not one regret for Gusto. It was a different time and I was sick of the status quo.’

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Asked about the band’s proudest moment, Adkins is similarly reluctant to nominate anything in particular in the late night Q&A. However, he does recognize the impact he’s had on so many people, and continues to be amazed at the size of the band’s following. He does have some sage advice for wannabe musicians, though: ‘I am proud when I tell young bands to finish school then do music. Ha!’ Sometimes it pays not to be too serious. For example, take Musical Monkey, the diverse and free-flowing album which Adkins nominates as the band’s best work. ‘It’s just a fun recording. The best way to put it is we didn’t care, and good things come from being humble and unaware.’ Guttermouth has consistently put staying true to the music first, placing it above popularity and style. In their opinion, very few other bands share these values and they have sometimes gotten themselves into hot water during tours for being savage in their criticism of other bands. Adkins is also scathing of the current music scene. ‘Today’s music seems odd. I really don’t find anything that pumps my nads. Most new music is heavily watered down and panders to the soft politically correct kids. Every western nation has countless sluggish, overweight, tech-addicted couch potatoes these days. The results are a weaker misguided generation, I hope I am not alive to see them in power.’

It’s a rare treat to catch up with the man best placed to give an overview of Guttermouth’s legacy. He had a final piece of advice for readers: ‘Just be yourself and become your own Joneses. Don’t keep up with them, become your own and be true to yourself. Life can be as simple or as difficult as you make it. Make it simple. It sounds lazy, but you just might add a few years to your life.’

Guttermouth will have their last hurrah in Canberra at Zierholz @ UC on Monday August 22. Tickets $39.80 + bf through Oztix.

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METALISE Behemoth announced an Aussie tour for late October with Hour Of Penance at the Manning Bar in Sydney on Saturday October 26. You can grab tickets for the show from manningbar.com or Oztix.

Okay, so it’s not strictly metal, but The Vans Warped Tour playing at Exhibition Park on the Friday December 6 right here in Canberra deserves a mention, I reckon.

The Offspring, Parkway Drive, The Used, Simple Plan, New Found Glory, Hatebreed, Tonight Alive, The Summer Set, Kids In Glass Houses, We Came As Romans, Man Overboard, Crown The Empire, The Dangerous Summer, For All Those, Sleeping Veara, Anarbor, Mallory Knox and RDGLDGRN is the current line-up announced by those crazy Soundwave promoters who never do things by halves. A welcome addition to Canberra’s summer gig calendar.

So Saint Vitus came, saw and conquered and I got to hang with Wino and Michele from Monarch at some random guy’s house in Northcote at three in the morning and got a Wino jam in; all in all, frickin’ amazing shows. Looking Glass was triumphant in Sydney and it was awesome to see the whole crowd 100% into our own psyche doom masters. Wino was heaps into them too and gave them big props.

I bumped into Troy Scerri of Fattura Della Morte at the show and the band are all pumped to be heading down this Friday August 2 for their show at The Basement in Belconnen. The Reverend Jesse Custer has been a great on-form act all year and it will be good to see them in the main support slot, aided and abetted by Throat of Dirt and Los Hombres Del Diablo.

Atilla have a show at The Basement in Belconnen with Hellions on Tuesday August 13.

The Levitation Hex are back in town soon at the Hellenic Club Civic as a part of their national tour. If you’ve not checked out their debut yet, then what the hell are you waiting for? It’s a killer album and well worth a listen. Hopefully, the guitars will be turned up to 11 for their show on Sunday August 25.

Sleep tickets for their show at the Manning Bar on Sunday October 27 in Sydney are rapidly disappearing, so if you wanna get along to that show – there’s no fathomable reason why any self-respecting lover of heavy riffs wouldn’t – make sure you get onto that ASAP. You can pick them up through Oztix.

For those of you picking up this issue on the day it hits the streets, read your issue in the car on the way up to catch Philadelphian’s Bardo Pond, here in the county for the next week or so, with a show Thursday August 1 at The Annandale Hotel in Sydney with A Dead Forest Index.

Kvelertak just announced their Australian tour with five dates in September. Sydney’s Manning Bar will host the Norwegian sensations on Sunday September 15 with tickets on sale the day this issue goes to press from Oztix. Sick!

JOSH NIXON doomtildeath@hotmail.com

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

Image credit: Miguel Gallagher

ARTS | ACT

ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE COMES TO CANBERRA luisa ryan If you’ve ever wanted to be killed as a zombie in a movie and have your own glorious, way-too-drawn-out death scene, Canberra’s new zombie film might just be the opportunity for you. Canberra local Declan Shrubb is the … uh … brains behind new production ME AND MY MATES VS. THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE, starring comedy legend Greg Fleet and Alex ‘Shooter’ Williamson, one of Australia’s most successful YouTube stars. ‘It’s really exciting,’ says Shrubb. ‘They’re great guys and they have a whole bunch of stuff they want to add to the project.’ The film is a comedy first and foremost. ‘It’s about the characters and how they’re reacting to things, rather than being a horror movie; it’s not meant to be scary,’ he says. ‘There is some reaction to Shaun of the Dead – the English had their zombie comedy.

Then Zombieland came out, but there hasn’t been an Australian version of this where you see Australian characters in an Australian setting reacting the way these people would react, which is the whole point of the movie.’

The Oz-Zom-Com is Shrubb’s first professional production, and is almost entirely set in a telecommunications exchange. Shrubb works at a local telecom company, and got the idea for the film hanging out with his colleagues. ‘These are the guys who’d be the funniest to watch in a zombie apocalypse,’ he says, ‘because they’d just deal with it. They’d just take it on the chin and be like, “Okay, this is what’s happening now.” They never get fazed by anything.’

‘For a zombie apocalypse, it’s a great place to be,’ he explains of the communications hub, ‘because you need a swipe card to get in, the windows are all grated, there’s toilets and water, and when power and communications go down, it’s the only place you’d be able to make phone calls from.’ He has obviously thought this through.

In an entertainment landscape currently crawling with the undead, Shrubb hopes his film will offer audiences something they haven’t seen before. ‘Some people will say, “OMG I love zombies, I’ll see anything with zombies,”’ he says. ‘Other people will go, “Oh great, another zombie movie.” We really want it to come across that this is a comedy, an Australian comedy; it just so happens that zombies are in it as well.’ Aside from telling a zombie story with an Aussie twang, Shrubb has been motivated by trying to do things that you normally don’t see in this genre. He seems annoyed by the ridiculous ways typical characters act, running into obviously dangerous situations when they should be running away from them. Shrubb has enjoyed playing with these conventions, and says people will think they know what is coming, and the opposite will happen.

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Me and my Mates is partly funded through the ACT Screen Investment Fund. Shrubb had previously only shot one super low-budget film with his friends, just to prove that he could do it, and fine-tune his skills. ‘The interesting thing about the Australian film industry,’ he explains, ‘is that they’re very accommodating to emerging people, and giving people a chance.’ The first draft of Me and my Mates was written in a mere seven weeks, in breaks between University of Canberra classes. To get the $120,000 development money, Shrubb beat out much more experienced teams, including some of his professors.

But films cost a lost more than that to make, which is where your chance at a zombie death scene comes in. The Me and my Mates team have started a two-month crowd-funding campaign on indiegogo.com to ensure their project is as professional and competitive as possible.

Reaching their $30,000 goal will help them prove to other investors that there is community interest and support for the project.

And it is a community project. The film will be entirely shot in Canberra, with a majority Canberran cast and crew. All the extras will be local too. People have also contributed goods in kind. The Academy of Interactive Entertainment is gifting the special effects so students will get hands-on experience and a feature film credit. The music is also homegrown, with local Morgan Quinn from the band Pleased to Jive You writing the original music. ‘He’s a musical genius, I’m really excited to have him on the project,’ says Shrubb, who may just play in the same band. Shrubb says people should help to fund the film even if they don’t like zombie movies, as there is still something in the story for them. ‘It’s not just for zombie fans. It’s also for people that hate zombies, and are sick of them and are like, “I can’t stand them”.’

But the main thing is, if you contribute to the campaign, you get really cool rewards. For example, for $1000, you get to be killed on screen.

But there are also keyrings, stubbie-holders, your name in the credits, personalized original songs about your time in the zombie apocalypse, zombie portraits and featured (non-killing) zombie roles. Shrubb points out that all of the above would make wonderful birthday gifts for that special someone.

Check out Me and my Mates vs. The Zombie Apocalypse at matesvszombies.com, facebook.com/matesvszombies, and the crowd-funding campaign at indiegogo.com/projects/me-and-mymates-vs-the-zombie-apocalypse-feature-film. Crowd-funding ends Thursday September12, and shooting begins January 2014.

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UNINHIBITED ‘That’s vandalism,’ a mother stage-whispered to her daughter as I put up a gig poster. It took me a few seconds to register the passive aggression before I calmly explained to the young girl that when she grows up she should smoke less meth than mum.

Okay, I didn’t say anything, but my feelings were hurt, particularly because I was placing the poster on a dedicated poster wall. And postering can be stressful enough as it is; a result of folk not following the rules. Yes, there are rules. They go something like this: 1. If there’s bare space on the poster wall, go for it.

2. You may cover over posters of any event that has passed.

3. If there is no spare space but multiple posters for the one event, you may cover over up to half (although this protection doesn’t apply so much to posters placed more than a week or two before the event, as you can’t expect to own a bit of wall for that long).

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MUST SEE THIS FUCKING JOHN PILGER FILM, so don’t care whose posters they’re plastering over. This is why socialism doesn’t work.

Doofheads just aren’t aware that there are other people. This is also why socialism doesn’t work.

Every now and then, a less palatable metal group, probably one of the ones our band practices next to, just seem to go, ‘Fuck this pussy shit, I’m postering over all of it!’ If I had to listen to myself perform that version of I’m Broken every week, I’d be angry too. But for the most part, bands play fair.

Nowadays, postering seems to be a bit of a quaint anachronism, as social media has become the main way of getting word out about an event. But I was recently reminded of their broader cultural importance when the record store in the interchange sold posters from the collection of a former ANU Bar manager.

It’s a pity those works aren’t on permanent display at the university, but it does mean I have a signed Lemonheads number that set me back $5. Insane.

And a Fugazi poster for that gig with Shellac that ended up being moved to the Civic Youth Centre so they could make it all ages. The one at which Guy told the stage diving locals their violent dance moves went out of style ten years before in DC and it was like watching people doing the twist.

5. If there’s an A0 size poster that takes up the whole damn wall, cover at will.

Anyway, cultural significance aside, and despite the days of their greatest utility having passed, posters are still a good way to put your name in front of people who haven’t heard of you. Just please follow the rules and, please, never smoke as much meth as your mum.

Historically, these rules have been obvious to most people except for socialists and doofheads. Reds tend to think that EVERYBODY

Pete Huet petehuet@yahoo.com

4. If there are commercial posters (for sneakers or whatnot), these are fair game. Poster walls are not meant for this.

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ARTISTPROFILE:

Zoya Godoroja-Prieckaerts What do you do? I draw (I attempt to paint, but really it’s just drawing with a brush... I’m okay with that).

When, how and why did you get into it? I’ve drawn since I can remember. As a kid, I thought artists made beautiful things and I wanted to make beautiful things too. Unfortunately, I was terrible and my drawings weren’t beautiful in the least … In the end, the only thing that changed that was hours and hours of practice. Thankfully, I always loved drawing so practicing wasn’t a chore but a pleasure.

Who or what influences you as an artist? Your favourite artists will always have a huge influence on your work, whether you realise it or not. Cy Twombly, Marlene Dumas, Fred Williams, and a whole group of artists from the Impressionists/ Post-Impressionists have a big place in my heart and, in turn, have a big influence on my work. Even artists that have no visual similarities to your work may have a lasting impact.

Then there are the everyday mundane events which will always have a bigger impact than expected. Simple things like peoples’ body language and gestures, a comment from a friend/peer, or the colour in the sky.

lately to do with art and food, and I wouldn’t change that at all. I only hope to see it continue. The thing I would change would be the vast amount of cookie-cutter apartments which seem to pop up way too quickly for structures which are supposed to become peoples’ homes … makes you question the quality of them. They don’t seem to bring any life to the ‘scene’, and unfortunately it seems they are going to overrun good cultural hubs such as the Lonsdale St Traders.

Hopefully, people see the importance of these culturally rich places and keep them going.

Upcoming exhibitions? I will be collaborating with Kai Wasikowski on a show titled Detroit at Honkytonks from Wednesday July 31, and then the end of year ANU Graduating Exhibition.

Contact Info: zoyagodoroja.p@gmail.com; cargocollective.com/ zoyagp; zoyagp.tumblr.com.

Of what are you proudest so far? I almost cried when my teacher told me that, after a huge and intense year, I came second in the school. So I guess that’d be the one.

What are your plans for the future? To practice art professionally, to hopefully get a residency somewhere overseas, to travel, and to make as much good art as I can in between.

To figure out what ‘good art’ is exactly is also a hopeful plan for the future.

What makes you laugh? If I’m in a giggly mood, absolutely anything will make me laugh.

And if not, a video featuring a cat will usually fix that.

What pisses you off?

Selfishness and narcissism (unfortunately, art seems to embody a bit of both).

What about the local scene would you change? There seems to be a lot of good things happening in Canberra

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Kids…

All we know about them is that we were once one, and we weren’t so bad. We had milkshakes, went to the movies, and played with Lego all winter long.

The early ‘80s Lego town was an idyllic place with smiling people, endless tow trucks and police – so many police you didn’t notice how many. Every single person is smiling.

It took my brother to point out that the early Lego sets were in fact a police state. An ad for cold war Eastern Bloc communism.

Everyone had the same haircut, no graffiti, no criminals or homeless people. It projected an image of full employment. I thought the Danes were on the good side of the wall?

Maybe they sub-contracted design to East Germany where the Stazi took it upon themselves to put forward the Communist message.

I was too dumb to notice this, although I did wonder why there were so many firemen and no armed forces. The set in which the troops heavily defended the wall around Berlin was never released in Australia.

I did grow out of Lego. My friend Bruce and I went to his cubby house and he showed me the special magazines he found in his older brother’s room.

They didn’t look like the girls in the Lego sets. They all had different haircuts and no clothes. This started my pursuit of women and resulted in marriage some dozen years later.

When my wife said, ‘Hey, lets have some kids,’ I thought, ‘I can have it all – chicks and Lego.’

My kids are at Lego age. I am slowly brainwashing them. Lego has changed so much: they have so many faces, and bad guys that go with the police set, or, as I like to call it, ‘Lego Queanbeyan’.

I have come to realise, my kids can’t play with Lego properly. They pull the head off Darth Vader and put it on the garbage man.

The joy and satisfaction at my kids working through the instructions to build a monolithic dinosaur jail guarded by humans (Flintstones/ Bible facts) is overtaken by the slow, inevitable disintegration of beautifully built sets into bits that become a mass volume of Lego which, when poured onto the floor, could take someone’s toe off with its pure plastic pointiness.

I now realise that when I was an early teen, I too had a huge tub of Lego in a mass, which I have procured from my mother’s house (this is what my kids call ‘The Crusty Lego’).

It has now been duplicated by a huge tub of my kids newer, shinier Lego that has colours I only dreamed of.

I now know that I didn’t know how to play with Lego either. You can’t blame my kids; it’s hereditary. david graham

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A R T | C O M E DY | D A N C E | L I T E R AT U R E | T H E AT R E

One of the more enthralling aspects of your misguided attempts at civilisation is the advent of the moving picture.

Cinema was an art form still in its infancy when I strolled blithely down The Strand, buoyed by all manner of hallucinogens. The adoption of mind-bending pharmacology was necessary to create the kind of ‘special effects’ used frequently today to convey hugely popular yet inconsequential gibberish.

The genesis of cinema was very different and not half so advanced as modern marvels, such as Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief.

Productions invariably involved rudimentary sketches made on flimsy papyrus being run from one side of the stage to the other by vagrants, aiming to attain sufficient velocity to create the illusion of ‘the moving picture’.

Unfortunately, the vagrants employed were of a tremulous nature, unable to generate the speed sufficient to portray anything more than poorly rendered pictures ambling from one side of a dimly lit stage to the other. The whole enterprise was unquestionably awful, involving much squinting and a suspension of reality akin to the ready adoption of an alliance with France. The professionalism involved can be compared to that of a particularly lamentable Editor-in-Chief of an inept local rag.

Today’s cinemas are altogether more sophisticated, although not without their faults. It was Saturday last I found myself undergoing my first three-dimensional experience, learning of a man who claimed to be constituted primarily from an iron-carbon alloy.

His proclivity for sullen introspection and churlish ingratitude at abundant physical gifts only mildly offset by a not unattractive skintight suit and flowing cape.

My issue lay not with the dubious compositional claims of the protagonist, bereft as they were of full constituent ratio disclosure.

I was adult enough to set aside the gaping plot holes generated by the failure to address the crucial proportions of manganese, chromium or cobalt. No, it was the freeloading flesh satchels with whom I was forced to share the theatre that I took issue.

The matinee performance was not ten minutes old when another patron tardily entered the theatre, and when presented with fourscore available seats throughout, elected to sit directly behind me.

Distracting, yes. Legitimately punishable? Perhaps not.

However, within seconds of his admission, I was confronted with the maddening din of the farmyard; of hogs gorging at the trough, of snorts and splutters as my new neighbour inhaled a smorgasbord of oleaginous produce, as if in ravenous pursuit of a lard-based existence.

Are we, as a race, now incapable of lasting two hours without the ceaseless cramming of blubbery foodstuffs into our gaping maws?

And must these foodstuffs be of the intensely audible variety?

While now I may feel a pang of regret at having set fire to the gentleman’s trousers in an impatient fury, I can take legitimate solace in the fact that his speedy extradition to the nearest hospital pre-empted what would have been a far longer stay had the third degree burns not focused attention upon his hazardous diet.

Through regretful, necessary pyromania, I had saved that man’s life. gideon foxington-smythe

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IN REVIEW

IN REVIEW

A not unexpected by-product of the Centenary of Canberra celebrations has been the opening of an extraordinarily comprehensive dialogue about this city and its inhabitants. This dialogue has especially been made manifest in a stunningly diverse array of theatre projects which interrogate, explore and respond to contemporary Canberra society, including Urban Theatre Projects’ Catalogue of Dreams.

‘If I were to hide any of this, this wouldn’t be a true depiction of my life.’ A quote from the documentary Bastardy, as acting legend Jack Charles prepared to shoot himself up with heroin. And with this harrowing footage, so began Jack Charles v The Crown.

Catalogue of Dreams Canberra Theatre Centre Sat-Sat July 13-27

Although hailing from Sydney, Urban Theatre Projects have taken time to immerse themselves in the local community, collecting stories, insight and feedback in order to tackle the infinitely complex issue of young people living in out-of-home care. This poignant and honest piece strides towards dispelling the myth of Canberra’s pervasive privilege whilst giving rare and inclusive insight into the world of social care.

Co-directors Rosie Dennis and Alicia Talbot, along with set and costume designer Imogen Keen, imbue this minimalist piece with richness by compounding layers of symbolism in their dialogue, choreography, costume and staging. In its very namesake, a core juxtaposition awaits interrogation; with the cold, administrative overtones of ‘catalogue’ and the infinite wonder of ‘dreams’ striking a precarious balance pertinent to the lives of many children in care.

Keen expresses this in her ingenious set design by transforming the mundane and stark into the wondrous and childlike. Cardboard becomes castle, floor mats are runways, standing fans become snow machines. The sterile furniture and accessories of an office environment intermingle with their fantastic transformed counterparts, highlighting the clash of child and adult worlds which defines this piece. Our chairs line the walls, looking inward at this seldom seen reality as though observing a world in a snow globe, drawn into this exposition of deep incongruence between bureaucratic administration and its life-altering outcomes. The piece seeks to evoke rather than tell, with its emphasis on silence, reflection and isolation; a stark and unwelcoming world of the ‘adult’ emerges and seeks to instil within us a feeling, a sense of alienation surely felt by many dealing with the social care system.

Jack Charles v The Crown Canberra Theatre Centre Wed-Fri July 17-19

During the seven years Charles was followed by the documentary crew, a bleak picture was drawn of a man ruefully upbeat while cycling through addiction, crime and imprisonment. A man who, while this footage was screening, sat potting on stage as his criminal record scrolled accusingly across his person.

This is Jack Charles: revered actor, koori elder, activist, cat-burglar and now former heroin addict. While Bastardy gave us a man willing to embrace his demons with frankness, openness and a sly, self-deprecating humour, Jack Charles v The Crown gives us a much greater gift, the same man live before us, ready and able to leave those demons behind him. With a wry vengeance, Charles masterfully embraces the stage’s place as a unique site of storytelling and self-expression in order to give to us his version of his life, turning it into one of unwavering optimism and hope.

Projecting a charisma that entranced the Canberra Theatre Centre, Jack Charles’ enchanting baritone voice and physical presence not only commanded our undivided attention, but immersed us in his world via fascinating stories told with dazzling lyricism.

This musical delivery was complimented by the deft and timely score of virtuoso musical director Nigel Maclean, along with musicians Phil Collings and Malcolm Beveridge. They grounded the often whimsical piece; Charles’ engaging and humorously told recollections of growing up in Box Hill Boys Home and multiple stints in prison only ever alluding to the extreme toll they had taken on their narrator; this boy, without any sense of self or family, unceremoniously dumped from state care into adult life, completely unable to deal with its stark reality. So, whilst apologetic for his criminal past, it felt near impossible to assign blame to Charles when he was so evidently a man let down by an atrocious system.

Catalogue of Dreams binds imagination to the limitation of the state, creating a piece on family, identity and belonging as heartbreaking as it is beautiful.

Not wishing to dwell on this past, yet unable to escape its grip, Charles ended Jack Charles v The Crown with an impassioned plea to have his criminal record legally suppressed so as to continue down the redemptive path which he currently walks. Severely hampered by his criminal convictions, which deny him many basic freedoms, Charles may be out of jail but is nonetheless serving a life sentence – unable to travel, unable to care for his sick brother, unable to teach. It is time, he implored, to let bygones be bygones, for we are all of us works in progress. An optimistic sentiment which reminds us that although the path is long and arduous, there is always hope for redemption if we open ourselves up to it.

ALICE McSHANE

ALICE McSHANE

Moments of joy and wonder explode in the piece, as stories told through flashback reveal the infinite complexity of young lives in need. The dazzling chaos on display making it difficult to imagine a meaningful connection could be made with the rigid social care system. The urge to find common ground is acutely emphasised, with the disparate placement of the actors in the space forming a symbolic ring around the centre of the room, where a child plays with toys on a mat. The encroachment of what is decidedly adult into her innocent space establishes the heartwrenching intrusion of the state into the private to come.

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A R T | C O M E DY | D A N C E | L I T E R AT U R E | T H E AT R E

In Canberra Tonight Die Hard 4.0 Thursday July 18 The Polish White Eagle Club The fourth instalment of variety show In Canberra Tonight started the same as the rest: announcer Pablo Latona, quietly side-stage, ate crackers, sipped from a juicebox, blinked innocently at the crowd and fidgeted in the house lights as punters found seats to muzak from house band The House Rats.

The format of ICT is simple: abreast the Polish Club stage, host and co-producer Chris Endrey guides the audience over two onehour-ish halves through a series of one-off interviews, recurring segments, and cabaret-style variety acts. The show, co-produced and stage managed by Meg O’Connell, rises and falls with its guests, though never falls far – thanks first to its masterful planning, technical team and stage management, and second to its affable host.

Highlights of shows past include National Poetry Slam Champion CJ Bowerbird, poet David Finnigan, MC Coolio Desgracias, and ACT Chief Minister Katy Gallagher, among others – but there is never anything genuinely flawed in ICT. Endrey likes the sound of laughter a little too much, routinely adlibbing one punchline too far; some segments are warm filler; and serious guests, while fascinating to see in these surrounds, are not tapped to their full potential; but quibbles are only ever with the icing, never the cake.

Opening with a meta-comedy skit, in which Endrey explained to a hairdresser that people who outsource their opinions of Canberra are ‘lifeless suckholes’ and should be told so, ICT4 got off to a smooth start. Then, as ICT usually does, it got interesting.

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As the show progressed, Pablo Latona’s Tommy Cooper-esque circus comedy routine fell perfectly, as did the ‘King of Pop’ competition finale (with musicians James Fahy, Ramsay Nuthall, Reuben Ingall, and Trendoid & Alphabet), which felt as much like a party game played between friends as anything else. Some of the show’s veneer wore off here, occasionally to its detriment – four months of pressure and precision unconsciously shrugged off in the company of the familiar. That ICT has landed their next two shows at Mt Stromlo and Old Parliament House, however, speaks for itself: what ICT treats as familiar, Canberra should be familiar with.

In moments of imperfection, ICT shies from squaring off intellectually against its bigger guests, and indulges in unrehearsed blagging through structurally sound segments (a sketch in which Endrey analysed the Emissions Trading Scheme could have been cut significantly) – but those critiques say more about what the show has achieved than hasn’t.

ICT is a lesson in quality guaranteed ingenuity, its creators and team so devoted to providing a good product that genuine critique is obsolete. ashley thomson

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Image credit: Adam Thomas

IN REVIEW

Claire Granata is a life model and artist. Interviewed by Endrey, she disclosed her history as a nude model, including pay, conditions and demand, and presented a hilarious, utterly unique stop-motion short film about the mundane oddities of nude modelling. The balance of humourous rapport with insightful questioning was, for the only time in the evening, perfect, but Granata is the kind of guest that makes ICT essential viewing in one sitting.

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bit PARTS

Image credit: Nick Stannard

WICKFIELD WONDERLAND WHAT: Youth Theatre Production WHEN: Thu-Sun Jul 25-28 & Thu-Sat Aug 1-3 WHERE: C Block Theatre, Gorman House What are the consequences of a bubble-wrapped generation?

Wickfield is perfect. A gated community. There are no outsiders.

Everyone is polite, helps each other out and follows the rules. Until something unexpected happens … This disturbingly funny new work explores a world both light and dark. It raises questions about how we approach our safety, and the consequences of a risk-averse society.

Drawing on a pressing desire for protection and the festive mania of Christmas, Wickfield Wonderland delivers equal parts dark comedy and spectacle. 7:30pm (5pm, Sun Jul 28). $10-$21 + bf through cytc.net.

PERCEPTION WHAT: Three Solo Exhibitions WHEN: Thu-Sun Aug 1-18 WHERE: M16 Artspace

Nicola Dickson; 2012.

Perception features three solo exhibitions and a program of artist talks. Gallery 01 will showcase Frames of Reference by Nicola Dickson.

Nicola engages with historical imagery, referring to cultural origins and evolutions of perceptions of Australian fauna. Gallery 02 will hold Vagar by animation artist Dominic Aldis. Vagar contains works made during Dominic’s Artspace residency, as well as some earlier work.

Gallery 03 will exhibit Landscape on the Line by Ian Robertson. Ian paints landscapes of wild spaces, open environments in Canberra, and its surrounding national parks. Opens Thu Aug 1, 6pm.

SHORT + SWEET WHAT: Short Theatre Festival WHEN: Tue-Sat Aug 6-17 WHERE: Courtyard Theatre Short + Sweet is the largest ten-minute theatre festival in the world, and it’s hitting Canberra for its fifth year. With 12 days of inspiring, entertaining and locally made theatre, Short + Sweet encompasses three aims in every festival: development (of new and emerging theatre artists); showcase (the brilliant theatre artists already working, exposing them to a new audience); and excellence (in ten-minute theatre). Short + Sweet also presents non-text-based works, which utilise physical theatre, dance, puppetry and more. Session times and tickets vary – see: shortandsweet.org.

THE SHADOW WHAT: Theatre Performance WHEN: Wed-Sat Aug 14-17 & 21-24 WHERE: Hawk Theatre, Narrabundah College Corruption abounds and the innocent are in danger in Evgeny Shvarts’ re-telling of the Hans Christian Andersen fairytale, The Shadow.

Christian-Theodore, a humble scholar, has travelled to a seemingly ordinary southern country to study its history, but what he finds there is an enchanted place where the fabric of fairytales is merged with the real-life web of deceit that Shvarts witnessed in Soviet Russia. But presiding over all is an ardent love; one that will divide the scholar from those who wish to hurt him – including himself. 7:30pm (1:30pm, Sat Aug 17). $12/18 + bf through trybooking.com/49833.

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the word on albums much better than that. It’s a fair guess that when the creators of Portlandia chose a Washed Out track as the theme song for their oddball critique of hipsters’ Mecca, they had this in mind.

Paracosm (a detailed fantasy world invented by children, which can persist as a state of reality into later life) picks up smoothly from Within and Without. The first sounds on the album are birds chirping, a drifting tonal murmur, a dabbling echo of glockenspiel, the pulsing ebb and flow of a harp, and an angels-at-the-pearly-gates-style choral refrain, which collectively build into the escapist pleasantry of second track It All Feels Right.

Over the next five songs, culminating in the aforementioned title track, Greene keeps it consistently lounging, even as his mood seems to take some heavy blows. Lyrics laden with nostalgia and regret work to just as splendid effect in Weightless as in All I Know, the first a heartfelt pep-talk to a lover or friend, the second an acknowledgment of Greene’s own inability to deal with the end of a romance.

album of the issue washed out paracosm [pod/inertia] It’s not until track seven of Washed Out’s sophomore LP, the title track Paracosm, that this album draws into itself. The track represents a distanced moment – the man behind the music taking a moment for himself. It’s the first and only track on the album with its own distinct intro and outro, self-contained, and were it not towards the end of the album, would be the LP’s clear centrepiece. ‘You’re safe/ It’s over now/ And we’re all alone/ Inside/ Our sanctuary’ sings Ernest Greene, the one-man force behind Washed Out, but the song’s intent is so apparent in its melody and tone that the lyrics are a priori evidence.

Washed Out’s music has always sounded insular – like being ushered through the chambers of a genie’s lamp – but never distancing; you are always welcome, put at ease by the gentle, effortless popscapes.

Greene’s 2011 debut, Within and Without, established his confident, positivist, beat-laden sound with the same clarity and aplomb that sets all great debuts apart. Chances are that if you’ve heard of Washed Out, you’ve already listened to Within and Without, and you already know that he provided the title song (Feel It All Around) for the TV show Portlandia, which you’ve probably already watched. People who listen to stuff like Washed Out enjoy being the first to dish out that sort of information – it’s obscure music appreciation hidden within obscure TV appreciation, hidden within harmless but unquestionably point-scoring-based fact-dropping. And for someone who wants to be seen to be (or just is) in the know about great obscure music and culture, it doesn’t get

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If you never read the liner lyrics, though, you’d probably assume everything was fine in Greene’s life and he was floating through grassy meadows on a shroom cloud. Greene supposedly used more than 50 instruments to create the sounds on Paracosm, and you’d never guess.

But here’s a theory. Paracosm sounds like an album Greene had to make – his lyrics are laden with loss and loneliness, with his struggle to accept the failure of love, and he created this resilient, vibrant coping mechanism, a friend to guide him firmly, gently and lovingly to the final lyric in the album: ‘It’s all over now’.

Every one of the instruments he dredged up and worked in were part of this mechanism, a means of self-treatment to help him achieve closure. It’s like his own personal soundtrack to guided meditation. And by the time you’re on the far side of the title track, the reason this album is great is that Greene’s treatment worked.

The final two tracks on Paracosm, Falling Back and All Over Now, are resplendent in their resigned, peaceful acceptance. You could pick any track on this album and enjoy it independently, but the deeper fabric of the LP is woven throughout, and here the gentle, comforting soundscapes are finally caught up with, the lyrics finally resolved with their sonic padding.

In fact, the only false note on the album is the bonus track, Pull You Down, which rings as a sour note tacked onto a clean finish. With its exception, Paracosm represents a fully realised and excellent addition to Washed Out’s catalogue.

So listen to it alone, keep it to yourself, and don’t dare increase Washed Out’s fanbase by playing it for strangers.

If you have to talk about it, do so only in passing and dismissively – your social status depends upon it.

ASHLEY THOMSON

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rogue wave nightingale floors [vagrant/shock]

glass towers halcyon days [hub the label/inertia]

various artists balance presents guy j [balance/emi]

Since their initial line-up formed a decade ago, Oakland, California-based indie-rock five-piece Rogue Wave has amassed a substantial following, something aided in no small part by soundtrack appearances in a brace of cult Gen-Y movies including Napoleon Dynamite and Nick & Nora’s Infinite Playlist. They’ve also managed to maintain a steady output in the intervening years, with Nightingale Floors offering up their fifth album in total.

Glass Towers’ singer and guitarist Ben Hannam says of debut album Halcyon Days: ‘The album is your invitation back into the heady rush of teenage days … being young and beautiful, living for the moment and never growing up.’ This is the promise, but constrained by a pervasive dearth of progression and warmth, Halcyon Days fails in delivery, falling far short of the inviting and nostalgic sound the band seeks.

Since initially being ‘discovered’ by progressive house don John Digweed around seven years ago and brought into his Bedrock label roster, Israeli DJ/producer Guy Judah has spent the ensuing years cultivating a reputation as a name to watch in his own right.

Strangely, for a band so acquainted with tragedy (former member Evan Farrell died in a house fire, while a recent US TV series documented Pat Spurgeon’s wait for a kidney transplant), the ten tracks collected here see Rogue Wave introducing more overt themes of aging and mortality than ever before. This doesn’t mean that this isn’t an occasionally joyous album, though.

The propulsive Siren’s Song offers up an anthemic mid-point that sees swirling synths giving way to clattering drums and shimmering post-punk guitars as Zach Rogue’s vocals adopt a higher range, while first single College easily represents one of the most catchy, hook-laden offerings, even if the chorus rhyming of ‘college’ with ‘knowledge’ is slightly cheesy by the end.

What’s really noticeable this time around, though, is Rogue Wave’s attention to textural layers. Subtle synths and electronic processing haunt virtually every track, with even the more acoustic/folk-guitar tinged moments here, such as The Closer I Get and When Sunday Comes, revealing previously hidden ambient depths when listened to over headphones.

A decade into their career, Nightingale Floors is easily Rogue Wave’s most ambitious and mature sounding album to date – and from the sounds of things, there’s still room for more. chris downton

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Lyrically, Halcyon Days is marred by a consistent lack of feature and feeling in both writing and delivery. Nondescript sentiments like ‘Cause in this city I die/ And why/ ‘Cause I loved you from the start’ blend together, occasionally stabbing at indistinct nostalgia and generic romanticism, and the vocal tone Ben Hannam employs has a samey, persistently familiar drone to it.

The band’s consistent application of formulism means that many of the songs on Halcyon Days are hard to distinguish from each other. Appearing early on and pairing catchy verse and chorus melodies with a winding lead guitar hook, Tonight is perhaps the most interesting track on the album, but as it is continually repackaged and re-gifted throughout the album, it’s apparent that the song represents the modest bar that the remainder of the album fails to reach.

Similarly, the band ekes out some depth when delving into layers of spacey, winding lead guitar toward the end of second track Jumanji, but when the same musical idea is thrashed out again and again during the next six or so songs, the effect quickly becomes stale. Unfortunately, Halcyon Days offer little that is new or interesting to the Australian alt-rock/indie music scene, instead presenting a band content to follow the well-worn path of musically competent mediocrity. david smith

This latest release for Balance sees Judah going slightly further than the usual DJ mix, with all of the 13 tracks collected on this expansive 77-minute session appearing as exclusive remixes and edits. There are certainly shades of Sasha’s similarly geared Involver mix/production series here, and indeed Judah also teases with an extended downbeat intro section here. It’s a good six minutes until anything resembling a 4/4 beat gets dropped here, with DJ Yellow & Flowers and Sea Creatures’ No One Gets Left Behind unfurling a curiously UNKLEesque fusion of swirling synth ambience and soaring rock vocals. The steady bass throb of Henry Saiz feat. Fab Morvan’s Santa Fe sees the tempo smoothly building to a tech-y dark dancefloor groove, though, with the recurring motif of eerie dubbed out Middle Eastern vocals filtering straight into the more Afro-robotic rhythms of APM 001’s gritty Migrants.

After Pezzner’s reworking of Patrel Petrov’s Fever and Lanoiraude’s Waitin’ see things building up to a peaktime jacking house rhythm, Dactilar’s spacious Day One arrives to take things off on a cosmically-minded ambient wander midway. It isn’t long, though, before things snap back into sharp tech-y focus, with Judah’s new reworking of Way Out West’s Killa and Robert Babicz’s Dubz offering up a more than worthy closer.

For those who like their progressive house refined and atmospheric, this latest Balance mix is a treat. chris downton

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whitley even the stars are a mess [dew process]

uncanny valley midnight juggernauts [siberia/remote control]

mick harvey four (acts of love) [mute]

Even the Stars Are a Mess is Melbourne singer-songwriter Whitley’s return from the wilderness after more than three years. The album is billed as a return to the warmth and intimacy of his debut LP The Submarine, tempered by the newfound wisdom that stems from the passing of years.

Melbourne electronic pop trio Midnight Juggernauts occupy an interesting position on the local musical landscape in that they’re able to take a shared love of left-field film scores (think Wendy Carlos, Goblin and John Carpenter) and obscure prog-rock, and fuse it into the sort of catchy dance pop that both radio and indie clubs love.

As much as your overindulgent self doesn’t want to acknowledge it, balance is the key.

But balance need not be boring.

This latest effort is an excursion into hushed minimalism, built on a lean foundation of softly-picked guitar. Indeed, restraint is a virtue that Whitley employs liberally throughout – and while this may be a marker of maturity and musical growth, the soundscape is so sparse and pared down that it feels that a few tracks, such as end pairing Pride and I Am Not a Rock, are near-indistinct and in danger of blending together.

Whitley is a competent song-crafter, however, and generally he imparts enough slow, creeping melody to maintain interest.

At 32 minutes, Even the Stars Are a Mess is tactfully short, a brevity that helps ensure that the more memorable tracks aren’t buried. Final Words is perhaps the most effective wielding of the delicate tone employed throughout the album. The track hangs on the brittle, ascending grind of an organ-key hook, and not much more – and while, true to form, Whitley’s lyrics can often verge on the nondescript, here the quiet, simple sentiment feels fitting: ‘I’m alright now/ If you are here now’.

Ultimately, while Even the Stars Are a Mess fails to recapture the same appealing and personable pop shine found on 2007’s The Submarine, Whitley unfurls enough subtle texture and character throughout to provide shape and allow it to stand as a modest, unassuming and quietly pleasant return. david smith

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2010’s The Crystal Axis saw the Juggernauts substantially increasing both the texture and depth of their sound, and the ten tracks collected on this third album Uncanny Valley (recorded between Sydney, Melbourne and a church in the French countryside) see a widescreen and filmic atmosphere firmly in place. Perhaps most noticeably, though, there’s a sense of disco-inspired groove in evidence here that marks another progression in the trio’s approach.

Opening track HCL sees the Juggernaut’s penchant for blending otherwise dark and moody synthscapes into more reassuring arrangements at the forefront, as an eerie cosmic synth and guitar intro resolves itself into falsetto vocal harmonies and elastic bass grooves, before the chorus section suddenly bursts forward into pure ‘70s disco sheen. First single Ballad of the War Machine, meanwhile, nods far more towards The Beatles and ELO, as multitracked backing ‘ahh’s glide over twinkling harpsichords and shimmering layers of noodling synths. Streets of Babylon offers up a chorus hook that’s straight out of Xanadu, albeit given a darker tech-house twist. It’s with Another Land, though, that the more sinister edges really come to the forefront, as Vincent Vendetta’s deep goth-tinged vocals echo off a backdrop of glittering synths that suggests a meeting between Giorgio Moroder and Dario Argento.

For most their life as a band, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds have shown an acutely judged balance between biblical chaos and intimate tenderness.

Whilst Nick flailed madly and Blixa frightened children, it was Mick Harvey in the centre orchestrating that balance, running the business, so to speak.

Outside the Bad Seeds, Harvey’s solo career is even more adventurous than his main band’s, even if they gravitate towards the melancholic, sombre and low key. It’s also way freer.

Four (Acts of Love) is a song cycle/concept album built around love, naturally. Most of the first act is reverb guitars in big empty room stuff, peaking with the PJ Harveypenned Glorious. A long-time collaborator with PJ, Mick Harvey knows her songwriting inside out, so it’s unsurprising it’s also one of the album’s best.

Harvey has an unobtrusive voice, free of geographic twang. When it veers into the sonorous (God Made the Hammer) he sounds like an earthier Richard Hawley.

But the heart of the album is Harvey’s soundtrack work; elliptical guitar phrasings, whistling, abstract noises, space. All the elements of songs are there, just not always in song format.

When they are – like on unfairly brief I Wish That I Were Stone – Harvey replicates the dynamics of ‘70s writers like Jimmy Webb or Randy Newman. Calling it mature damns it with faint praise, so let’s call it timeless. justin hook

As a confident third act, Uncanny Valley is pretty strong. chris downton

@bmamag

boy and bear harlequin dream [universal]

dot hacker inhibition [org music]

disclosure settle [pmr/universal]

Melodic whimsy-makers Boy and Bear are back with Harlequin Dream, an album more at home in an intimate tent at the ‘Folkie’ than the packed out ANU Bar the boys skilfully hypnotised in 2012 when touring their wildly successful debut, Moonfire.

What does a Johnny-come-lately Red Hot Chilli Peppers member do when he’s not punching out riffs for Give It Away or touring with Gnarls Barkley? Why not go crazy with some experimental stuff of your own?

RHCP guitarist Josh Klinghoffer did exactly that, joining fellow Gnarls Barkley guitarist Clint Walsh, Street Sweeper Social Club drummer Eric Gardner, and Hella bassist Jonathan Hischke in the cyberesquely named Dot Hacker.

Surrey, UK-based brothers Guy and Howard Lawrence have spent the last 12 months building up the levels of anticipation surrounding this debut album, as Disclosure climbs to heights many far more established dance acts would envy, the breakout success of single Latch last year being followed by impressive live appearances at Coachella and Glastonbury.

Southern Son survives the second album test with a gorgeous hook that is beary (sorry) recognisable as an instant radio hit.

It’s a confident move for an album to begin with the first release – it promises a ride it can’t always deliver. Less is More follows, with pared back production becoming a listening exercise in restraint, particularly if you’re after the grandiose Fleet Foxes-style harmonising of Feeding Line. This is when it pays to remember the quintet began as a solo project for frontman Dave Hosking.

This record is quite the ‘Dear Diary’ affair, complete with musings on fatherhood in Old Town Blues: ‘I want to be an old man too/ And a role model to my kids’, while Back Down to Black deserves ‘our song’ status: ‘My legs don’t work/ My body aches to take the weight that’s been thrown down on top of you.’ Three-Headed Woman is a reminder that no one likes hearing about other people’s dreams, while End of the Line flirts with Mumford and Sons a little too heavily for me. The title track tacks in some retro saxophone someone must have left lying around the studio near an old Joe Camilleri record. Moment of Grace is an example of the heart artfully thrown in throughout to save it from cutesy folk.

Whilst there is no daring point of difference, and nor have they relied on their previous ARIA-caning template, Boy and Bear’s efforts are a slow Sunday boil in honest, introspective storytelling. Perhaps it’s all the carbs making them sleepy: the band’s website cites 7000 bowls of pasta involved in the recording process. tatjana clancy

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It’s experimental with a small ‘e’ (meaning interesting and adventurous) as opposed to big ‘E’ experimental (weird). The Dot Hacker title sounds like an IT criminal, and the album style fits that mould, with sounds like humming circuits and flashing LEDs. It has a fuzzy texture, all soft edges and rounded corners. The band has a love of electronic beeps and whirls and these are laced through the tracks, beginning with the opener Order/Disorder with its indistinct, echoing vocals. Like a computer, the album is sometimes neutral in gender, with a sound wired to produce a curiously androgynous tone to the vocals in some tracks. The almost unpronounceable Idledolidyl had me checking out the PR sheet again: yes, they definitely are all blokes. Eye Opener combines this distorted falsetto with reverberating echoes and overlapping vocals.

Discotheque meanders from moody bass notes over humming keys to a stronger rock vibe, in a directionless jam. This random approach, combined with lyrics which are often unintelligible, fails to satisfy. While the title track, with its plush melody, and the synth-heavy Be Leaving are the best of the bunch, the album does not throw up any stand out tracks. Lacking any danceable rhythms, the record simmers without coming to the boil and inspires curiosity, but no excitement. rory McCARTNEY

It’s lucky, then, that now it’s finally arrived, Settle manages to not just live up to the hype, but actually surpass it. Normally when you’re confronted by a major label dance album that features guest stars on almost all of the tracks, the alarm bells start ringing. In this case, though, the Lawrence brothers have managed the extremely rare feat of crafting a record that’s likely to appeal to both ‘serious’ electronic/dance heads and more casual mainstream pop audiences alike. Most poignantly though, Settle highlights the fact that a lot of subtlety and atmosphere has been missing from mainstream dance music recently, replaced by EDM’s fixation with booming drops, head-burning synths and instant gratification. The latter is certainly not the case here, with spectacular offerings, such as the aforementioned Sam Smith-fronted Latch and Jamie Woon’s appearance on January, revealing classic deep-house and late ‘90s UK garage as arguably the biggest influences on the directions the Lawrence brothers are pursuing. The fact that Guy and Howard are aged 22 and 19, respectively, and were most likely in preschool when these styles were originally peaking, makes the level of fluidity and confidence on show here all the more astonishing.

An extremely impressive debut, Settle may just manage to unite the fringe and mainstream dance audiences in a similar style to SBTRKT’s recent efforts. chris downton

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the word

on films

WITH MELISSA WELLHAM

Have you heard of the Bechdel Test? The ‘test’ is a few questions asked to determine whether a film could be considered feminist.

1. Does the film have at least two women in it? 2. Do they talk to each other? 3. About something besides a man? In the case of The Heat, it’s yes, yes, and yes. These might seem like some pretty simple requirements to fulfil, but you’d be surprised at how many comedies fall down.

I salute you, Paul Feig.

Give it a whirl next time you’re watching a film – you might be surprised.

quote of the issue ‘I’ll kill you with her dead body!’

– Shannon Mullins (Melissa McCarthy), The Heat

the heat

the way way back

The director of The Heat, Paul Feig, has been called ‘Hollywood’s accidental feminist’. He previously directed Bridesmaids, and seems to be setting out to prove the old Christopher Hitchens argument (‘women aren’t funny’) very, very wrong. The Heat stars Sandra Bullock as the uptight, by-thebooks FBI Special Agent Sarah Ashburn, and Melissa McCarthy as the foul-mouthed cop from Boston, Shannon Mullins. Good cop and bad cop, if you will. But when they are forced to work together to bring down a drug lord, they get more than they bargained for: friendship.

Coming-of-age films can be frustrating; personal reflections automatically tug you into a story and it feels manipulative, but The Way Way Back lovingly retraces pubescent steps with mirth. Duncan (Liam James) is spending the summer in a small seaside town with his mother (Toni Collette) and her new boyfriend (Steve Carell). Duncan feels alienated and confides in Owen (Sam Rockwell) the manager of a waterpark called Water Wizz.

There’s no point in denying it: The Heat is predictable, and not as funny as Bridesmaids. But – and this is a big ‘but’ – it’s saved by two things: the female leads.

Both Bullock and McCarthy are likeable and a pleasure to watch perform. Together, they have great chemistry – and they manage to save jokes that would have otherwise fallen flat. Beyond that, it’s just so damn refreshing to see female characters take the lead in a movie that has both action and comedy. Like Bridesmaids, The Heat is also about more than finding a man – it’s about female friendships.

The two-hour running time is too long for such an insubstantial story, and it would have served the film, characters and actors better to cut it down to the gem moments. But it’s as enjoyable a buddy-comedy popcorn flick as any (and more enjoyable than many!). melissa wellham

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Duncan matures a little in The Way Way Back and co-writers/directors Jim Rash and Nate Faxon keep the focus on the characters’ growth in confidence. The sun-drenched environment evokes happiness, yet Duncan is sad. From light melancholia, Duncan is thrown into the world of Water Wizz, where he is broken out of his shell. There are so many fantastic moments where Duncan flourishes in the company of the kooky staff at the waterpark. A few revelations within the pseudo family unit are shocking, mainly because Rash and Faxon go for tired clichés relating to infidelity.

James is endearing, Carell ditches his nice guy persona for a great first-class jerk, and Collette is outstanding (as always). Allison Janney has a riotous time as a flamboyant neighbour with the blood alcohol level of a brewery.

Juvenile but wise, Rockwell is tremendous and puts heart and joy into his role. The story is told gently and with a lot of humour.

The Way Way Back earns adoration rather than milking it with personal experiences. cameron williams

in the house (dans la maison) In the House is an odd gem of a film, and certainly director Francois Ozon at his mischievous best. The story follows Germain (Fabrice Luchini), a stagnated high school literature teacher, and Claude (Ernst Umhauer), a brooding yet magnetic student whose essays about spending time at his classmate Rapha’s house catch Germain’s eye.

Intrigued by both the boy and his writing talent, Germain mentors Claude and encourages him to write more about his time in Rapha’s house. Germain and his wife, Jeanne (Kristin Scott Thomas), are drawn in by Claude’s keen (and personal) observations of this ‘perfect’ family, so different from Claude’s own. In the House shifts gears between light-hearted and sinister as effortlessly as it shifts between the fiction and reality in Claude’s stories.

Umhauer is beautiful as Claude, the teenager from a less-than-perfect background, surrounded by dissatisfied and restless adults. He is vulnerable and full of obsessive curiosity, watching and wondering about those around him.

Refreshing in its approach, In the House is neither too heavyhanded nor too flip. Ozon, known for films that simmer with an underlying sensuality (Swimming Pool, 8 Femmes) does it again here, and while tense and thoughtful, In the House has plenty of humour.

In the House is seductive and strange, and not to be missed

by Ozon fans and those who appreciate a left-of-the-middle approach to storytelling.

MEGAN McKEOUGH

@bmamag

only god forgives

this is the end

It’s not Nicolas Winding Refn’s (director of Drive, one of my favourite films of 2011) fault that when I went to see his latest flick (also starring Ryan Gosling), I may have been more in the mood for a Ryan rom-com than a Gosling gory thriller.

The heightened self-awareness of all the talent involved in This is the End results in big laughs, but it’s a series of sketches loosely strung together. Jay Baruchel arrives in Los Angeles to stay with Seth Rogen for the weekend and they attend a housewarming party at James Franco’s house, but the end of the world crashes the party.

What is Nicolas Winding Refn’s fault is that he hasn’t created an engaging enough narrative, or characters, to overcome that.

Julian (Gosling) is helping run the family business – smuggling and selling drugs – in the criminal underground in Bangkok. But when his brother Billy (Tom Burke) is beaten to death, after raping and brutally murdering an underage sex worker, things take a turn for the even more illegal.

Julian’s mother, the trashy and terrifying Crystal (Kristin Scott Thomas) comes to the city, and demands that Julian settle a score with the police officer who allowed his brother to be killed: the brutal and sadistic Chang (Vithaya Pansringarm).

That’s technically the plot of the film. But the pacing is slow, the dreamlike or dream-proper sequences numerous, and the editing intentionally confusing.

Not to mention the intermittent torture-porn. To imagine the overall tone of the film, think Mulholland Drive meets Saw. The cinematography is beautiful, as was expected – but ultimately the film doesn’t pull off its David Lynch-esque aspirations, and instead of being mysterious ends up as a confusing, uninspiring mess. melissa wellham

The self-deprecating humour of This is the End is the film’s strength. The core group of Baruchel, Rogen, Franco, Jonah Hill, Craig Robinson and Danny McBride, have a wild time poking fun at each other, plus the celebrities who cameo. On writing and directing duties Evan Goldberg and Rogen play around with each actor’s celebrity status and resume to date. Hill’s Academy Award nominee status makes for a few great gags, Rogen’s lack of variety in film roles is a punch-line, and Robinson gets confused between ‘acting’ tough and actually being strong.

Franco and McBride get all the good stuff with their beefed up meta-selves. Franco plays up his pampered artistic side and his adoration of Rogen is hilarious. McBride completely throws himself into playing the closest thing the film has to a central villain and he’s hysterical. Goldberg and Rogen make the comedic moments work brilliantly, but a flimsy plot built on the declining friendship between Baruchel and Rogen grates throughout.

The relationship switches between serious conflict and a ‘bromance’ parody too often.

This is the End is an elaborate in-joke; everyone’s in on the gag. cameron williams

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43

the word

on games

iPhone Mixbag 2 Game & Verdict: Dead Ahead [Chillingo Ltd] – Grab BADLAND [Frogmind] – Maybe grab Color Zen [Large Animal Games] – Maybe avoid World War Z [Paramount Digital] – Avoid Warhammer Quest [Rodeo Games] – Grab (nerds only) As much as I like to consider myself a gamer, in reality I find myself picking the phone up more often than the controller.

One game that has kept me doing so is Dead Ahead. As its title would suggest, it’s yet another game to join the overcrowded zombie genre. On paper the game doesn’t stand out: classic side scrolling action and minimal gameplay variation. However, the manga-inspired art style awesomely captures the zombie fleeing experience. Combine this with a well-paced levelling system and it makes for an addictive gameplay experience – one I played more than I care to admit.

Keeping with the zombie theme comes the World War Z game tie-in. Having directly seen what it’s like to work on a franchise title, I wonder whether there was any real love behind this title. The game lacks finesse – or even any kind of quality assurance, for that matter. I gave up playing when a show-stopping bug prevented me from completing a level. Another side-scrolling title, BADLAND, was a recent recipient of an Apple Design Award. The game sees you navigate a small critter through a beautiful, silhouetted maze of obstacles. Along the way you’ll shrink and expand, multiply and explode, and alter the speed of yourself and time, among many other property-altering abilities. Overall, the gameplay variation is impressive with regards to size and frequency. This is one that will have you coming back.

Another title rocking some sleek visuals is Color Zen. This is a finely executed game, featuring some quirky gameplay. Unfortunately, such puzzle titles rarely hold my attention beyond the initial play session. Too often they feel more laborious than enjoyable, with only the likes of Zeptolabs being able to find the perfect balance between enjoyment and intellectual challenge. On this occasion, the fun feels somewhat lost.

Finishing on a strong point comes the adaptation of the Games Workshop board game, Warhammer Quest. At this point I should admit that I did, at least for a time, indulge in the nerdy pursuit of Warhammer. As an impressionable youth I used to find the painting process the most enjoyable part, not least because the instruction sets for those games could happily double as a doorstop. In this electronic version all the rules are taken care of, making for an enjoyable, if still quite nerdy experience. The game is very true to the source material, down to the extension packs. While the audience for this game is pretty small, if you happen to be in that niche (you know who you are), you’ll probably really enjoy it. If not, at least the high-quality production values and sophisticated gameplay help to prove that an iPhone game can be more than a casual affair. torben sko

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BLACKBOX Along with other midwinter delights (like snow, Splendour in the Grass and Christmas in July), the networks are finally airing the big ticket shows they’ve been spruiking since January. Chez Blackbox is relieved that Underbelly: Squizzy (WIN, Sun, 8:30pm) has finally gone to air. It started solidly enough but while the sets and costumes are lush, and the story well known, only time will tell if its (real and depicted) decadence is enough to live up to the hype.

Also based on a real life event is Ripper Street (SCTEN, Sun, 8:30pm) the BBC’s reimagining of the Jack the Ripper case. Set during the police investigation, the show is everything it should be – part CSI, part British costume drama and all tied up in a tightly scripted, well acted and directed gritty and harrowing look at the streets of Victorian London.

Auntie’s new comedy, Upper Middle Bogan (ABC1, Thu Aug 15, 8:30pm), is just what it sounds like – the adopted daughter of a ‘well-to-do’ family discovers her real parents are bogans, played by everyone’s favourite bogan dad, Glen Robbins. Don’t miss Game of Thrones withdrawal cure Vikings (SBS1, Thu Aug 8, 9:35pm) and Adam Hills Tonight: Princess Bride Special (ABC1, Wed Aug 7, 8:30pm). At press time, the date of the federal election was still a closely guarded secret. That hasn’t stopped auntie gearing up. There won’t be a national tally room this year but there will be at least four episodes of both Gruen Nation (ABC1, Wed Aug 21, 8:30pm) and The Hamster Decides (ABC1, Wed Aug 21, 9:15pm). Other new shows to look out for include Free Radio (SBS2, Thu Aug 8, 8:40pm), improvised comedy from Lance Krall as a DJ so bad that his ratings go up because of his incompetency, The Kroll Show (ABC2, Thu Aug 15, 8:30pm), sketch comedy from Community and Parks & Rec regular Nick Kroll, It’s a Date (ABC1, Thu Aug 15, 9pm), a narrative comedy series from Peter Helliar, and new seasons of Him & Her (SBS2, Thu Aug 8, 9:10pm), Friday Night Lights (One, Fri Aug 2, 8:30pm) and Grand Designs Revisited (ABC1, Sun Aug 4, 7:40pm).

Docos worth checking out include A Year in the Wild (SBS1, Sat Aug 17, 7:30pm), which ventures through Britain’s national parks, Sunday Best: Bill Cunningham: New York (ABC2, Sun Aug 11, 8:30pm), about the career of the New York Times style section photographer, Ladyboys (ABC2, Fri Aug 16, 9:20pm), which follows British men who set up new lives in Thailand with their ladyboy lovers, The Last Woman Standing (ABC2, Tue Aug 13, 9:30pm), the girl’s version of Last Man Standing, which took a bunch of Western blokes to remote areas of the world, The Iraq War: Regime of Change (ABC1, Sun Aug 11, 9:25pm), a series telling the inside story from both sides, and Artscape: Comic Book Heroes (ABC1, Tue Aug 13, 10pm), which follows Australia’s Gestalt publishing duo as they take on the US market, including San Diego Comic Con International.

Movies to keep an eye out for include A Nightmare on Elm Street (Go, Fri Aug 2, 9:30pm), The Taking of Pelham 123 (Go, Sun Aug 4, 9:30pm), Good Will Hunting (Go, Sat Aug 10, 8:30pm), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (WIN, Sat Aug 10, 7:30pm), Aces High (WIN, Sun Aug 11, 12:25am), Dirty Harry flick The Enforcer (WIN, Sat Aug 3, 1am), The Champ (WIN, Sun Aug 4, 1:30pm), 1939’s Dodge City (GEM, Sun Aug 4, 4:15pm), and Cool Runnings (7Mate, Sat Aug 3, 6:30pm).

Next ish … all the news from the US Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour.

TRACY HEFFERNAN tracyherrernan@bigpond.com @ChezBlackbox

@bmamag

the word on dvds

house of cards season one [universal/sony] After being unexpectedly passed over for the plum Secretary of State role, House Majority Whip Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey) wields his truncated power with ruthless precision – exacting revenge and pursuing an agenda directed solely at benefiting himself. With his equally ruthless wife Claire (Robin Wright) by his side, Underwood is the antithesis of everything The West Wing represented; there is no greater good, it’s all about moving pieces of the puzzle around to protect and achieve greater power.

Based loosely on the 1990 BBC drama of the same name, House of Cards revels in the machinations of politics and it’s been purpose-built for an audience with a Washingtonian disposition. It’s very American, which could be an alienating factor for some who prefer the delicate nuance of British political dramas. Appropriately, the show has a cold, difficult-topenetrate veneer. You can thank David Fincher, who directed and co-produces, for that.

Spacey as Underwood is stunning – a smooth-talking Southern gentleman who runs rings around his faster, more urbane Northern compatriots, outmanoeuvring them at every opportunity. There’s no doubt Spacey is reliable, but in recent years it seems he’s moved up a gear (Recount, Casino Jack, Margin Call) and the common denominator is the abuse of power. Couple this with iced tea and a lazy drawl and it’d be hard to bet against him at the upcoming Emmys, where the show won a startling 14 nominations. House of Cards was the first TV show for US cable streaming company Netflix (Arrested Development, Hemlock Grove, Orange is the New Black followed) and it was a huge gamble for the disruptive media company – about $100 million. It’s paid off handsomely. justin hook

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star trek: The next generation season four [paramount] By the mid-‘80s, the Star Trek brand was coasting. With the TV series long dead, the original cast (Shatner, Nimoy et al.) were enjoying a success in feature films, although outside, the vocal band of cosplayloving, Klingon-speaking fans Star Trek was starting to become a parody of itself – an increasingly camp, but undoubtedly cerebral, space drama. When Shatner and co. began demanding higher salaries, the studio decided to reboot the show on the small screen with an entirely new cast to (hopefully) create another cash cow.

It worked a treat and TNG was a runaway success and became a multiple Emmy, Peabody, Saturn and you-name-it-awardwinner. But this season did more to consolidate TNG’s reputation as a complex play on humanity and morality than any other. This is where creator Gene Roddenberry’s vision for a newer, better Star Trek hit its apogee. The season starts with a cliff-hanger resolution; JeanLuc Piccard (Roddenberry’s begrudging last choice for the role, Patrick Stewart) has been kidnapped by the Borg and physically and mentally compromised. It’s a great catand-mouse rescue episode high on strategy and tension. The moral quandaries Roddenberry built into the original series remain, but the updated look and feel of TNG gives the show a complexity similar to the Battlestar Galactica reboot.

No surprise given BSG creator Ronald D. Moore cut his teeth on this show.

Many shows of this era suffer from modern remastering, but the transfer to Blu-ray is phenomenal. Wisely, the original aspect ratio (4:3) has been maintained so there isn’t any stretching or cropping to suit modern (16:9) widescreens. It’s odd to see the future looking so retro, but that has always been the crazy charm of Star Trek. justin hook

breaking bad: season five - part one [universal/sony] In this half-season of Breaking Bad, the timeline was made clear. Walter White (Bryan Cranston), cancer victim and drug lord, celebrates the first anniversary of his diagnosis.

This means every death, every near death, every tight situation, Gus Fring, the head on the turtle, every set piece of cartoon violence, and every step up the vicious world of meth ladder happened in a mere 12 months.

It seems ever so slightly unbelievable – one of the many holes in the show. Such as the ability of key characters to overcome insurmountable odds at the very last minute, like in every cheaply plotted Saturday afternoon B-movie.

Fan favourite Mike (Jonathan Banks) might seem to disprove this theory, but why should we root for a vicious killer tending to his young granddaughter?

Mike’s far-from-untimely end is played for maximum stoic emotion, but in reality it’s a reasonable end to a wasted life of coldblooded violence. Hit men are real people as well – oh, good to know. Lesson learnt.

We are also meant to boggle at Walt’s decisions; such as his watching Scarface’s infamous, quotable finale with baby in lap.

But this sort of heavy-handed foreshadowing (just like the ticking watch or the Jesse/ train incident) is hardly brilliant screenwriting; it’s cheap. At times I have wondered if my antagonism of Breaking Bad is warranted. Some suggest the broader cultural movement that holds it so high, proof of TV perfection, clouded my judgement. Others thought my distaste was deliberate, shallow, obvious posturing.

Neither is true. Breaking Bad is a good TV show, not a great one, and despite universal themes of retribution, deceit and consequence, it is oddly distancing and aloof. justin hook

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the word

Steve Vai Canberra Theatre Centre Sunday July 14

on gigs

I have to admit that one of my favourite pastimes at a Steve Vai concert is watching the varying tolerance levels of girlfriends and wives who’ve been dragged along by their male significant others.

Indeed, drummer Steve Colson hits the nail right on the head when Vai tells him he wants to look good for the girls, replying, ‘Dude, this is a Steve Vai concert – there are no girls here. Everyone here tonight is a guitar teacher or player!’ As Homer Simpson said: It’s funny because it’s true.

Clearly in a somewhat exuberant mood from the moment he and his four-piece backing band hit the stage, Vai jokily explains, ‘We’re going to get a five-hour set tonight before going on play for the next two-and-a-half hours,’ leaving more than a few guys with a dozing girlfriend in his sonic wake.

As you’d expect, Vai’s backing band is comprised of the cracking players you’d expect him to assemble, and he introduces his keyboardist, 18-year-old Michael Arrom, as being ‘stolen directly from high school’.

From there, it’s pretty much straight into the action, and we get a set that only takes in a few tracks from Vai’s new album, The Story of Light, instead concentrating on taking in favourites from his back catalogue, in particular, Passion & Warfare, which, from the various cheers, was evidently an album a sizeable chunk of tonight’s audience was here to witness.

Vai’s clearly in a silly mood, almost playing stand-up comedian at points between songs and riffing on both Prince and pal/mentor Joe Satriani at points.

In terms of sheer virtuosity there are very few live players on the same level as Vai, and watching his band pull off spectacular moments, such as Blue Powder, Greasy Kids Stuff and For the Love of God, is certainly a sight to behold, particularly when it’s matched with such relaxed and genial showmanship.

While tonight’s show works best when Vai’s whole band are in full flight, when he goes off in more unexpected and experimental directions, things start to get a little more shaky. While he’s one hell of a guitarist, the lone track that sees Vai adding lead vocals represents a serious low point, offering up a saccharine acoustic ballad peppered with (hopefully tongue in cheek) scat singing.

The section involving dragging in a kid from the audience (who I’m convinced was planted) was also a bit cringe-worthy, and dragged a lot of the focus away from the main set.

Far more successful, though, was Vai’s impressive Daft Punk-esque LED cover cyber-suit, which saw the lights drop to reveal lasers shooting from his fingers and fretboard as he shredded through a particularly junglist-sounding track.

While it’s admirable that Vai allowed solo spots for each of his backing performers tonight, there were points where it halted the momentum and felt more like a recital than a rock show, particularly during Allom’s Mahler-indebted keyboard solo.

PHOTOS BY DALE WOWK

That said, Vai’s loyal fanbase were left more than satisfied by tonight’s consistently enthusiastic and passionate performance, which showcased Vai’s skills as an entertainer as much as his dazzling guitar-playing abilities.

CHRIS DOWNTON

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@bmamag

the word

Conscious Club with Ben Lee Albert Hall Thursday July 19

on gigs

‘Who meditates?’ asked the man up the front of the hall. ‘Who learned to meditate but hasn’t for a while? Who has never meditated? Who came to see Ben Lee and is freaked out right now?’

This wasn’t simply a Ben Lee gig, this was the first Conscious Club event to be held in Canberra.

Participants in this initial gathering were met with friendly faces, vegan soup and chai. Inspirational quotes appeared on banners around the foyer and the hall; words familiar from desk calendars or Facebook posts of friends who also post about Masterchef.

We were shown a film based around the viral Louis C.K. ‘Everything’s amazing and nobody cares’ spiel on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, its message being, ‘If you think modern life sucks then you’re thinking about it wrong.’

Following Louis C.K., one of Conscious Club’s founders, Tim Brown, told us the club was formed to provide ‘enlighter-tainment’, an alternative to spending an evening getting drunk with mates and remaining ‘unconscious’. He was thankfully un-guru-like and seemed sincere about the founders being ‘facilitators’ rather than leaders.

Next was a short film to accompany David Foster Wallace’s ‘This is Water’ speech to a Kenyon College graduating class. The great novelist says we can be free of the frustrations of working weeks by choosing to think about the world differently. The Conscious Club chose not to mention the fact Wallace went on to hang himself.

Now that the crowd of about 300 were feeling all warm and fuzzy, it was time for Ben Lee to speak about his spiritual journey, the first time he has done so at length in public. And he did so without seeming bonkers; something not easy to do when talking about crop circles and tripping on ayahuasca.

Lee spoke of constantly killing versions of himself and of being reborn. He had killed his innocent self through early sexual fumblings, his humble self by becoming Australia’s self-professed ‘greatest songwriter’, his precocious twat self by becoming a folkie, and so forth.

Then he played a handful of tunes, beginning with Whatever It Is and ending appropriately with a call-and-response number that saw him walk out into the seated crowd and lead those around him in song.

After Lee came the group mindfulness meditation and the Conscious Club ‘Do Good Challenge’. The challenge is well-meaning (one crowd member gets $300 to give away to others) but did come across as the kind of thing public service grads spring on unsuspecting departmental trivia night competitors.

To finish formal proceedings, Brown returned to explain the rules of Conscious Club, which went something like: talk about Conscious Club (i.e. the opposite of Fight Club); do something inspired by the event; and introduce yourself to three people before you leave.

PHOTOS BY DALE WOWK

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The price tag for the night of $65 was pretty good value considering it included a meal, a meditation class and a Ben Lee gig. You’d definitely spend more on cocktails at Knighty’s while trying to hook up with that cute guy from DFAT. And there may be a fine line between enlighter-tainment and Hillsong-for-the-educated, but so far, so enlighter-taining.

PETE HUET

47

the word

You Am I UC Refectory Saturday July 20

on gigs

20 years after the launch of their debut Sound as Ever, the nation’s favourite sons of garage rock have celebrated with the Hi Fi Daily Double Tour. Following in the footsteps of Regurgitator’s successful Tu Plang and Unit album shows, You Am I presented their second and third releases Hi Fi Way and Hourly Daily in full.

The doors didn’t open right on time, so early comers were left to enjoy the rain and wind chill factor for ten minutes. Once inside, established fans of the band were in abundance, in an age bracket that meant that the ‘no crowd surfing’ signs weren’t really necessary.

With two longer-than-average albums to work through, there was no support. Tim Rogers appeared out front with his acoustic guitar.

Resplendent in white jacket, plaid golf pants and an old scarf of his mum’s, he crooned his way through Hourly Daily, backed by a cellist and keyboardist. Then with a shout of, ‘Right, let’s do this!’ the rest of the band joined him for Good Mornin’, complete with alarm clock brrrrrring at the start. The crowd got buzzing, energised by the yelled, ‘whoo-whoo’s from Mr Milk, and the inclusion of trumpet and sax to Soldiers kept the military ring of the album version. The sound rose to a crescendo in Flag Fall $1.80, giving Rusty Hopkinson the chance to show his skills on the skins.

Much of the magic of this LP was generated through the injection of strings and brass, and the band did a fabulous job in keeping their stage delivery true to the feel of the album. The rich sound was boosted by The Drones’ Steve Hesketh on the Hammond keyboard.

During the first set, the backdrop swapped between power lines, street lamps and house roofs, in keeping with the suburban themes of the songs. There were plenty of guitar swaps, with Tim commenting, ‘It was the style of the time’. At times, Tim’s voice sounded a little tired, hardly surprising when you have to rattle off 35 songs night after night. He took no crap from the crowd, giving hecklers heaps: ‘I’ve done 4000 gigs – there’s nothing you can say to worry me.’ The first bracket ended with the LP’s ‘secret’ track Forget it Sister, before the band took a well-earned break.

Saving Hi Fi Way for last was a good choice, as its collection of livelier rock tracks was appreciated by the punters after they’d been warmed up by the more melodic Hourly Daily. The brass and strings departed and the band swapped their suits for skivvies and t-shirts, ready to deliver some straight and dirty rock music.

Guitarist David Lane took to the keyboard for Minor Byrd and the band really rocked out on She Digs Her. Cathy’s Clown got the audience bouncing and Tim praised them for their passion, including guys trying to overcome their natural inability to dance.

Pizza Guy included recorded party sounds (from the LP) and Tim went berserk with the windmilling arm action, playing guitar on The Applecross Wing Commander. Rogers was suitably full of himself (you’d be disappointed if he wasn’t), reminding us of his iconic rock star status.

PHOTOS BY DALE WOWK

After both albums had been put to bed, with their songs played as per the CD track list order, there was still room for surprises in the encores. We were treated to a large encore bracket, including Adam’s Rib, Opportunities and a very flamboyantly delivered Young Man Blues. Keeping us all happy, the band finished with favourite Berlin Chair.

RORY McCARTNEY

48

@bmamag

the word

Sarah Blasko The Playhouse Monday July 22

on gigs

Sarah Blasko is kinda awesome. Now, this may not be news to you, but I should start by saying that, after many years overseas, I knew very little about Blasko’s music when I walked into The Playhouse. All I knew was my friends were jealous I had tickets, and Blasko does a really cool version of Outkast’s Hey Ya. Blasko is a very visual performer. Like a kooky ‘20s kewpie doll, she skipped around stage, head down so that her dark hair covered most of her face. She danced as she sang, half ballet dancer with her hands waving gracefully above her head; half broken marionette, knees splayed and hips jutting awkwardly. Dressed completely in black, her movements complemented her voice and made the performance.

Her show was moody, grand and dramatic. The only discordant note was when, between songs, she pulled on a pair of dainty, black, elbow-length sequinned gloves. For no apparent reason. Although, I guess the song she was singing did mention the word ‘hands’ several times, and she snaked them around a lot. A couple of songs later, she took them off again, as if they had fulfilled a specific purpose that was now over. Before you think this is a pretty petty detail to focus on, it wasn’t just me. Heading out of The Playhouse, I heard several other concert-goers comment on it. ‘The glove episode’ was a discordant note in an otherwise perfect performance. Her voice never cracked, there were no ‘pitchy’ issues. I’ve seen Britney Spears ‘live’, I know how dodgy these things can be.

And there were a lot of concertgoers. What is interesting about Blasko is that she seems to appeal to a wide-ranging audience. From goth-inspired youngsters and vintage fashionistas to the more mature; a broad spectrum of people are attracted to Blasko’s slow jazz sounds. The instruments used were wide-ranging too, from double-bass to banjo, the four-member band kept mixing it up, and were obviously having a grand old time.

The trance-like mood of the performance was occasionally broken up when Blasko chatted with the audience. She didn’t talk much, but when she did, she lightened the mood, stepping briefly out of character. Her family was in the audience, and she joked around about them giving her performance a strict score out of ten, and thanked concertgoers for coming out on a freezing Monday night.

She made us laugh when equipment briefly malfunctioned, making me wish Blasko had chatted with the audience a bit more. It was great to see a little of her personality, to see that she didn’t take herself as seriously as her music might suggest. At show’s end, we clapped till our hands were raw (seriously, she played hard to get for a while) and she performed three more songs as an encore.

PHOTOS BY DAVID BURKE

Although the Bulgarian National Orchestra couldn’t join her onstage for this performance (Sarah said they said ‘hi’ and sent their apologies), it is clear she has enormous rapport with her bandmates.

One of whom, Ben Fletcher (stage name ‘Fletcher’) was her support act. He was phenomenal too. Dressed in a white shirt and suspenders with a ‘40s cowlick, he reminded me of a character from O Brother, Where Art Thou? His mainly acoustic one-man show was beautiful, with delicate, soulful lyrics. Like Blasko, he joked with the audience to lighten to load, and the contrast between his chattiness between songs and the depth of his performance only enhanced its impact. It was a real pleasure to see him re-take the stage when Blasko took the helm.

LUISA RYAN

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49

ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE Wed Jul 31 - Sat Aug 3

Listings are a free community service. Email editorial@bmamag.com to have your events appear each issue. wednesday July 31 Dance Hit the Floor Together

New from QL2. More at hitthefloortogether.com.au.

10:30am/2pm/7pm. $17-28.

THE PLAYHOUSE

Karaoke Karaoke

From 10pm. All welcome.

THE DURHAM

Live Music RAAN

Delightful, predictably unpredictable improvisational jazz. 7:30pm. $8.

THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ

Resident Act Betty

Theatre

On The Town

Live Music

Wickfield Wonderland

DJ HighTrax

Resident Act Betty

The world premiere. Directed by Karla Conway. $15-21. See cytc.net for times and tickets.

C BLOCK THEATRE

Wakakirri

National schools performing arts festival hits Canberra. 7:15pm. $30.

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

friday august 2 Art Exhibitions Some Kind of Melancholy

Art by Lauren Hewitt. Opens Thu Aug 1, 6pm. 11am-5pm.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ARTS SPACE (MANUKA)

Perception

Followed by Cheeky Violates and local acts. 7:30pm. Gold coin donation.

Exhibitions by Nicola Dickson, Ian Robertson and Dominic Aldis. Artist talks Sat Aug 3 & 10, 2pm.

Theatre

Dance

Wakakirri

Hit the Floor Together

P J O’REILLY’S (TUGGERANONG)

National schools performing arts festival hits Canberra. 7:15pm. $30.

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

thursday august 1

M16 ARTSPACE

New from QL2. More at hitthefloortogether.com.au.

10:30am/2pm/7pm. $17-28.

THE PLAYHOUSE

Live Music

10pm to late.

P J O’REILLY’S (TUGGERANONG)

Blame it on the Boogie Weekends

Disco, motown, ‘80s and ‘90s. 10pm onwards. Free.

DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

THEATRE 3

Wickfield Wonderland

The world premiere. Directed by Karla Conway. $15-21. See cytc.net for times and tickets.

C BLOCK THEATRE

Wakakirri

National schools performing arts festival hits Canberra. 7:15pm. $30.

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

saturday august 3 Art Exhibitions Gathered Together

Karaoke Karaoke

With Ka-tere-oke. 8:30pm.

P J O’REILLY’S (TUGGERANONG)

Karaoke at The Inn

8pm-midnight. Free entry.

OLD CANBERRA INN

Rock Karaoke

9pm-2am. Free entry.

CHARLIE BLACK

Live Music

Jonno Zilber

Winter Blues: Live album launch, part of Canberra Swing Dance Festival. 8pm. $20/free w. festival pa THE POLISH WHITE EAGLE CLUB

Daisuke Tanabe (Japan)

Beats Home Presents. With Mike Berkley and many more. 8pm-4am. $20 door.

TRINITY BAR

Rick Price

6:30pm doors. $30 show only. $75 dinner and show. See theabbey.com. au for more.

Chicago Charles & Dave

THE ABBEY

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

For full program visit thestreet.org.au.

Ends Sun Aug 11.

9:30pm. Free.

Capital Jazz Project

Super Best Friends

THE STREET THEATRE

With Revellers, Too Soon! 9pm.

With Brother Be, Second Sun. 9:30pm.

THE PHOENIX BAR

Ska-Tropica

Los Chavos and Naughty Rhythms.

8pm. $15.

AUSTRALIAN CROATIAN CLUB

Diva Demolition & Bellusira

The Miss Adventures tour. 8pm. $15.30 +bf through Ticketek.

ANU BAR AND REFECTORY

Tekno Prisoners

10pm-4am. $5 door.

TRINITY BAR

Capital Jazz Project

For full program visit thestreet.org.au.

Ends Sun Aug 11.

THE STREET THEATRE

On The Town

Art by Lauren Hewitt. 11am-5pm.

Disco, motown, ‘80s and ‘90s. 10pm onwards. Free.

Perception

Something Different

CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ARTS SPACE (MANUKA)

ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

DOWNER COMMUNITY CENTRE

Presents CMAG’s important and growing collection of Indigenous art.

10am-5pm (12-4pm weekends).

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

THE PLAYHOUSE

Vibe Sessions

The Second Hand Salmon

By David Williamson, directed by Aarne Neeme. 2pm/8pm. $20-40.

Hit the Floor Together

With MaRLo and Chloe. $10 entry all night.

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

Don Parties On

Some Kind of Melancholy

ALIVE Fridays

10:30pm. Free.

Live music, art, circus, workshops, and a freshly cooked pasta feast. 6-10pm.

Killing the Sound 10pm. Free.

P J O’REILLY’S (TUGGERANONG )Heuristic

Theatre

Dance New from QL2. More at hitthefloortogether.com.au.

10:30am/2pm/7pm. $17-28.

Followed by Critical Monkee.

7:30pm. $5.

Exhibitions by Nicola Dickson, Ian Robertson and Dominic Aldis. Artist talks Sat Aug 3 & 10, 2pm.

M16 ARTSPACE

Dance Hit the Floor Together

Blame it on the Boogie Weekends DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

Fash ‘n’ Treasure

For all your new and retro clothing wants. 10am-3pm. $3 entry.

EXHIBITION PARK IN CANBERRA (EPIC)

Theatre

New from QL2. More at hitthefloortogether.com.au.

10:30am/2pm/7pm. $17-28.

Don Parties On

Sylphide

Wickfield Wonderland

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

C BLOCK THEATRE

THE PLAYHOUSE

Canberra Dance Development Centre (CDDC) presents a dance adventure.

7:30pm. $28.

By David Williamson, directed by Aarne Neeme. 2pm/8pm. $20-40.

THEATRE 3

The world premiere. Directed by Karla Conway. $15-21. See cytc.net for times and tickets.

THE PHOENIX BAR

50

@bmamag

ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE Sun Aug 4 - Wed Aug 7 sunday august 4 Dance Strange Attractor

Photography, installation and performance, concluding with drinks and a film screening. 2:30pm. Free QL2 THEATRE

Live Music Sunday Jams

Free BBQ and an open stage. 1-8pm.

Free entry.

CHARLIE BLACK

The Ellis Collective Winter Residency

With New Gods of Thunder. 3-5pm. $10 door.

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

Jimmy Barnes

With Mahalia Barnes. 7:30pm. $89.

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

Capital Jazz Project

For full program visit thestreet.org.au.

Ends Sun Aug 11.

THE STREET THEATRE

Irish Jam Session

Free traditional Irish music in the pub from late afternoon on into the night. Free.

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

On The Town Free Pool Tables

Does exactly what it says on the packet.

From 2pm.

TRANSIT BAR

monday august 5

Dance

Karaoke

Australian Dance Awards

Karaoke Love

Canberra hosts the Australian Dance Awards for the very first time as part of the Centenary. 7:30pm.

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

Live Music CMC Presents The Bootleg Sessions

With Central West, Moochers Inc., The Steptones, Soctor Deuss. 8pm. Free.

THE PHOENIX BAR

Capital Jazz Project

For full program visit thestreet.org.au.

Ends Sun Aug 11.

THE STREET THEATRE

Trivia Rainman’s Trivial Excuse

Transit trivia returms with your host Rainman. Book your table now on (02) 6162 0899. 7:30pm.

TRANSIT BAR

tuesday august 6 Art Exhibitions Paul Kelly & The Portraits

Aspects of singer-songwriter Paul Kelly’s performance persona.

10am-5pm.

NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

Gathered Together

Presents CMAG’s important and growing collection of Indigenous art.

10am-5pm (12-4pm weekends).

CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY

City of Trees

Art Exhibitions

An exhibition by Jyll Bradley. 10am5pm. Free.

Paul Kelly & The Portraits

Paris to Monaro

Aspects of singer-songwriter Paul Kelly’s performance persona.

10am-5pm.

NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

Gathered Together

Presents CMAG’s important and growing collection of Indigenous art.

10am-5pm (12-4pm weekends).

CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY

City of Trees

NATIONAL LIBRARY OF AUSTRALIA

Pleasures from the studio of Hilda Rix Nicholas. 10am-5pm.

NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

The Side Project

Irish Jam Session

Free traditional Irish music in the pub from late afternoon on into the night. Free.

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

Capital Jazz Project

For full program visit thestreet.org.au.

Ends Sun Aug 11.

THE STREET THEATRE

National WIRED Band Comp Heat 1. Doors 7pm. Free entry.

CHARLIE BLACK

Theatre Short + Sweet 10 Minute Theatre Festival

$28-$35. See canberratheatrecentre. com.au for full details and tickets.

THE COURTYARD STUDIO

Trivia Tuesday Pub Trivia

Gathered Together

Presents CMAG’s important and growing collection of Indigenous art.

10am-5pm (12-4pm weekends).

CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY

Enclosures

Art by Beverley Thomas in response to South Korean textile art. Opens Fri Aug 9, 5:30pm. 10am-5pm.

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

First Light

Curated by Liz McNiven, featuring works by various artists. Opens Fri Jul 5, 6pm. 11am-5pm.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

Some Kind of Melancholy

Art by Lauren Hewitt. Opens Thu Aug 1, 6pm. 11am-5pm.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ARTS SPACE (MANUKA)

Karaoke Karaoke

From 10pm. All welcome.

THE DURHAM

First prize $70 bar tab. 7:30pm.

Free entry.

Live Music

Andrew and Shannon’s Pub Trivia

For full program visit thestreet.org.au.

Ends Sun Aug 11.

O’NEILL’S IRISH PUB

7:30pm. Free.

THE PHOENIX BAR

Trivia Night

7:30pm. $5 entry.

P J O’REILLY’S (TUGGERANONG)

Trivia Tuesdays

Capital Jazz Project THE STREET THEATRE

Resident Act Betty

Followed by local acts. 7:30pm. Gold coin donation.

P J O’REILLY’S (TUGGERANONG)

First prize $75 cocktail party.

7:30pm. Free.

Theatre

Trivia

A play by Tony McNamara, directed

by Casey Elder, from NUTS. 7:30pm. $10/15 thru shop.anusa.com.au.

DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

7:30pm. All welcome.

THE DURHAM

wednesday august 7

The Great

ANU ARTS CENTRE

Short + Sweet 10 Minute Theatre Festival

$28-$35. See canberratheatrecentre. com.au for full details and tickets.

Embracing Innovations Vol. 3

Perception

Don Parties On

CRAFT ACT CRAFT & DESIGN CENTRE

M16 ARTSPACE

Paris to Monaro

Mariana Del Castillo

NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

Live Music

NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

Art Exhibitions

CRAFT ACT CRAFT & DESIGN CENTRE

Innovations in the arts, with a focus on digital technologies. Opens Thu Jul 18, 6pm. 10am-5pm (12-4

10am-5pm.

TRANSIT BAR

Aspects of singer-songwriter Paul Kelly’s performance persona. 10am5pm.

Art by Cesar Cueca and Karl Firla celebrating molecular gastronomy.

Opens Thu Jul 18, 6pm. 10am-5pm

An exhibition by Jyll Bradley. 10am5pm. Free.

NATIONAL LIBRARY OF AUSTRALIA

Croon and wail your heart out on the Transit stage. 9pm. Free.

Paul Kelly & The Portraits

Intriguing jewellery related to the artist’s Ecuadorian heritage. Opens Thu Jul 18, 6pm. 10am-5pm.

CRAFT ACT CRAFT & DESIGN CENTRE

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Exhibitions by Nicola Dickson, Ian Robertson and Dominic Aldis. Artist talks Sat Aug 3 & 10, 2pm. 12

THE COURTYARD STUDIO

By David Williamson, directed by Aarne Neeme. 2pm/8pm. $20-40.

THEATRE 3

eX de Medici: Cold Blooded

Lays bare the artist’s forensic examination of contemporary society.

12-5pm. Free.

DRILL HALL GALLERY

51

ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE Thu Aug 8 - Sat Aug 10 thursday august 8 Art Exhibitions Enclosures

Art by Beverley Thomas in response to South Korean textile art. Opens Fri Aug 9, 5:30pm. 10am-5pm.

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

First Light

Curated by Liz McNiven, featuring works by various artists. Opens Fri Jul 5, 6pm. 11am-5pm.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

Theatre

Live Music

Short + Sweet 10 Minute Theatre Festival

Capital Jazz Project

$28-$35. See canberratheatrecentre. com.au for full details and tickets.

THE COURTYARD STUDIO

The Great

A play by Tony McNamara, directed

by Casey Elder, from NUTS. 7:30pm. $10/15 thru shop.anusa.com.au.

ANU ARTS CENTRE

Don Parties On

By David Williamson, directed by Aarne Neeme. 2pm/8pm. $20-40.

THEATRE 3

Karaoke Karaoke

friday august 9

With Ka-tere-oke. 8:30pm.

Art Exhibitions

Karaoke at The Inn

tACTile

P J O’REILLY’S (TUGGERANONG)

8pm-midnight. Free entry.

Rock Karaoke

Art by Jenny Bowker, Dianne Firth, Helen Gray, Beth Miller, with Beth and Trevor Reid. Opens Fri Aug 9.

CHARLIE BLACK

Gathered Together

OLD CANBERRA INN

9pm-2am. Free entry.

Live Music Capital Jazz Project

For full program visit thestreet.org.au.

Ends Sun Aug 11.

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Presents CMAG’s important and growing collection of Indigenous art.

10am-5pm (12-4pm weekends).

CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY

eX de Medici: Cold Blooded

Hard Cover

Lays bare the artist’s forensic examination of contemporary society.

12-5pm. Free.

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

Paul Kelly & The Portraits

THE STREET THEATRE

9:30pm. Free.

The Darkened Seas

With New Brutalists, Anachel. 9pm.

THE PHOENIX BAR

DRILL HALL GALLERY

Aspects of singer-songwriter Paul Kelly’s performance persona.

10am-5pm.

NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

For full program visit thestreet.org.au.

Ends Sun Aug 11.

THE STREET THEATRE

ALIVE Fridays

With Alison Wonderland. $10 entry all night.

ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB

Heuristic

10pm. Free.

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

Alex Gibson & Jac Stone

As seen on TV. 6:30/8pm. $59 with dinner/$25. Bookings via (02) 6283 7288.

An exhibition by Jyll Bradley.

10am-5pm. Free.

NATIONAL LIBRARY OF AUSTRALIA

Paris to Monaro

Pleasures from the studio of Hilda Rix Nicholas. 10am-5pm.

NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

Some Kind of Melancholy

Art by Lauren Hewitt. Opens Thu Aug 11, 6pm. 11am-5pm.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ARTS SPACE (MANUKA)

Dance DANscienCE Festival

Joel Fletcher (Melb)

In association w. Nat’l Science Week, a symposium on all things dance + science. See csiro.au/dance.

CANBERRA SOUTHERN CROSS CLUB (WODEN)

PANG! Presents. 8pm-4am. $15 before 10pm.

VARIOUS LOCATIONS

TRINITY BAR

Live Music

On The Town

Capital Jazz Project

DJ HighTrax

For full program visit thestreet.org.au.

Ends Sun Aug 11.

10pm to late.

THE STREET THEATRE

P J O’REILLY’S (TUGGERANONG)

Oscar

Blame it on the Boogie Weekends

10:30pm. Free.

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

Disco, motown, ‘80s and ‘90s. 10pm onwards. Free.

Hollow Everdaze

DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

Album launch, with Waterford, Contrast (single launch), Calico Cat. 9:30pm.

Theatre

Crash Tragic

Short + Sweet 10 Minute Theatre Festival

P J O’REILLY’S (TUGGERANONG)

$28-$35. See canberratheatrecentre. com.au for full details and tickets.

THE COURTYARD STUDIO

Don Parties On

By David Williamson, directed by Aarne Neeme. 2pm/8pm. $20-40.

THEATRE 3

The Great

A play by Tony McNamara, directed

by Casey Elder, from NUTS. 7:30pm. $10/15 thru shop.anusa.com.au.

ANU ARTS CENTRE

The Phantom of the Opera

$42.50-81.75. See canberratheatrecentre.com.au for full details and tickets.

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

saturday august 10

THE PHOENIX BAR

With Loud so Clear. 9pm to late. $5.

Tekno Prisoners

10pm-4am. $5 door.

TRINITY BAR

On The Town Chrome

DJs Salem, datacipher and Resolute playing industrial/dark electronic/goth.

9pm-3am. $10.

HELLENIC CLUB (CIVIC)

Blame it on the Boogie Weekends

Disco, motown, ‘80s and ‘90s. 10pm onwards. Free.

DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

Something Different National Science Week

Art Exhibitions

Art, dance, music, film, experiments!

Happening everywhere: see scienceweek.net.au for full program.

tACTile

BrickExpo

Art by Jenny Bowker, Dianne Firth, Helen Gray, Beth Miller, with Beth and Trevor Reid. Opens Fri Aug BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

First Light

VARIOUS LOCATIONS

Australia’s capital LEGO exhibition. See brickexpo.com.au for full details.

HELLENIC CLUB (WODEN)

Theatre

Curated by Liz McNiven, featuring works by various artists. Opens Fri Jul 5, 6pm. 11am-5pm.

Short + Sweet 10 Minute Theatre Festival

eX de Medici: Cold Blooded

THE COURTYARD STUDIO

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

$28-$35. See canberratheatrecentre. com.au for full details and tickets.

Lays bare the artist’s forensic examination of contemporary society.

12-5pm. Free.

Don Parties On

Paul Kelly & The Portraits

The Great

NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

ANU ARTS CENTRE

DRILL HALL GALLERY

Aspects of singer-songwriter Paul Kelly’s performance persona.

10am-5pm.

By David Williamson, directed by Aarne Neeme. 2pm/8pm. $20-40.

THEATRE 3

A play by Tony McNamara, directed

by Casey Elder, from NUTS. 7:30pm. $10/15 thru shop.anusa.com.au.

Enclosures

The Phantom of the Opera

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

Art by Beverley Thomas in response to South Korean textile art. Opens Fri Aug 9, 5:30pm. 10am-5pm.

52

City of Trees

$42.50-81.75. See canberratheatrecentre.com.au for full details and tickets.

@bmamag

ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE Month ?? - Month ?? sunday august 11 Dance DANscienCE Festival

In association w. Nat’l Science Week, a symposium on all things dance + science. See csiro.au/dance.

VARIOUS LOCATIONS

Live Music An Afternoon with Brahms

The Llewellyn Choir takes you into the music of Brahms. 2:30pm. See llewellynchoir.org.au for more.

AUSTRALIAN CENTRE FOR CHRISTIANITY AND CULTURE

Capital Jazz Project

For full program visit thestreet.org.au.

Ends Sun Aug 11.

THE STREET THEATRE

The Ellis Collective Winter Residency

With Pocket Fox. 3-5pm. $10 door.

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

Irish Jam Session

Free traditional Irish music in the pub from late afternoon on into the night. Free.

monday august 12 Art Exhibitions Gathered Together

City of Trees

NATIONAL LIBRARY OF AUSTRALIA

NATIONAL LIBRARY OF AUSTRALIA

An exhibition by Jyll Bradley.

10am-5pm. Free.

Dance DANscienCE Festival

In association w. Nat’l Science Week, a symposium on all things dance + science. See csiro.au/dance.

VARIOUS LOCATIONS

Live Music 2XX LocalnLive Presents The Bootleg Sessions With ZZG, Vintage Vulva, Treehouse (TAS), Dylan Hekimian. 8pm. Free.

THE PHOENIX BAR

National Science Week

Something Different National Science Week

Enclosures

City of Trees

CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERY

On The Town

TRANSIT BAR

First prize $70 bar tab.

7:30pm. Free entry.

Art by Beverley Thomas in response to South Korean textile art. Opens Fri Aug 9, 5:30pm. 10am-5pm.

Something Different

Does exactly what it says on the packet.

From 2pm.

Tuesday Pub Trivia

Art Exhibitions

Presents CMAG’s important and growing collection of Indigenous art.

10am-5pm (12-4pm weekends).

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

Free Pool Tables

Trivia

tuesday august 13

Art, dance, music, film, experiments!

Happening everywhere: see scienceweek.net.au for full program.

VARIOUS LOCATIONS

Theatre Short + Sweet 10 Minute Theatre Festival

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

An exhibition by Jyll Bradley. 10am5pm. Free.

The Side Project

Art by Cesar Cueca and Karl Firla celebrating molecular gastronomy.

Opens Thu Jul 18, 6pm. 10am-5pm CRAFT ACT CRAFT & DESIGN CENTRE

In association w. Nat’l Science Week, a symposium on all things dance + science. See csiro.au/dance.

VARIOUS LOCATIONS

Karaoke Love

Croon and wail your heart out on the Transit stage. 9pm. Free.

TRANSIT BAR

Theatre

TRANSIT BAR

Short + Sweet 10 Minute Theatre Festival

$28-$35. See canberratheatrecentre. com.au for full details and tickets.

THE COURTYARD STUDIO

Trivia and Tears with Bondy and Kiers

Arc Cinema Presents. 7:30pm. Free.

THE PHOENIX BAR

Trivia

7:30pm. All welcome.

Dance

VARIOUS LOCATIONS

Karaoke Karaoke

Live Music

From 10pm. All welcome.

THE DURHAM

Irish Jam Session

Free traditional Irish music in the pub from late afternoon on into the night. Free.

Something Different National Science Week

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

Art, dance, music, film, experiments!

Happening everywhere: see scienceweek.net.au for full program.

HELLENIC CLUB (WODEN)

DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

In association w. Nat’l Science Week, a symposium on all things dance + science. See csiro.au/dance.

Trivia Transit trivia returms with your host Rainman. Book your table now on (02) 6162 0899. 7:30pm.

First prize $75 cocktail party.

7:30pm. Free.

DANscienCE Festival

Karaoke

BrickExpo

Rainman’s Trivial Excuse

P J O’REILLY’S (TUGGERANONG)

wednesday august 14

DANscienCE Festival

Something Different

Australia’s capital LEGO exhibition. See brickexpo.com.au for full details.

7:30pm. $5 entry.

THE DURHAM

Dance

$28-$35. See canberratheatrecentre. com.au for full details and tickets.

VARIOUS LOCATIONS

Trivia Night

Trivia Tuesdays

Art, dance, music, film, experiments!

Happening everywhere: see scienceweek.net.au for full program.

THE COURTYARD STUDIO

O’NEILL’S IRISH PUB

Art, dance, music, film, experiments!

Happening everywhere: see scienceweek.net.au for full program.

VARIOUS LOCATIONS

National Science Week

VARIOUS LOCATIONS

Theatre Don Parties On

By David Williamson, directed by Aarne Neeme. 2pm/8pm. $20-40.

Theatre

THEATRE 3

Short + Sweet 10 Minute Theatre Festival

Short + Sweet 10 Minute Theatre Festival

THE COURTYARD STUDIO

THE COURTYARD STUDIO

$28-$35. See canberratheatrecentre. com.au for full details and tickets.

$28-$35. See canberratheatrecentre. com.au for full details and tickets.

The Phantom of the Opera

The Phantom of the Opera

$42.50-81.75. See canberratheatrecentre.com.au for full details and tickets.

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

OUT

AUG14

$42.50-81.75. See canberratheatrecentre.com.au for full details and tickets.

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

seth sentry the trouble with templeton the manhattan transfer in canberra tonight ...and more!

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FIRST CONTACT Aaron Peacey 0410381306

SIDE A: BMA band profile

Adam Hole 0421023226 Afternoon Shift 0402055314 Amphibian Sound PA Clare 0410308288 Annie & The Armadillos Annie (02) 61611078/ 0422076313 Aria Stone sax/flute/lute/ harmonica, singer-songwriter Aria 0411803343 Australian Songwriters Association Keiran (02) 62310433

The Feldons Where did your band name come from? We were in Melbourne, watching television in our hotel room, when Get Smart came on. It starred Barbara Feldon, who was smoking hot and played Agent 99; we changed names then and there.

Group members? Mark Hunstone (guitar/vocals), James Montgomery (bass/vocals), Nick Giles (drums).

Describe your sound: Mod, power pop, rock ‘n’ roll with a touch of psychedelia and punk.

Who are your influences, musical or otherwise? The Beatles, Small Faces, The Kinks, Dire Straits, Libertines, Bob Log, Bob Hawke, National Geographic magazine. Many …

Backbeat Drivers Steve 0422733974 backbeatdrivers.com Bat Country Communion, The Mel 0400405537 Birds Love Fighting Gangbusters/DIY shows-bookings@ birdslovefighting.com Black Label Photography Kingsley 0438351007 blacklabelphotography.net Bridge Between, The Cam 0431550005

What’s the most memorable experience you’ve had whilst performing? We once had a drunk woman lying on her back on the stage right in front of us, sort of dancing. Well, by ‘dancing’, we mean gyrating, as if having sex with the invisible man. Pretty amusing, really. Or bizarre. Take your pick.

Capital Dub Style Reggae/dub events Rafa 0406647296

Of what are you proudest so far? Our latest album Goody Hallett and Other Stories. Plus, the video by Austography of See the Sun, which is off the Goody album.

Danny V Danny 0413502428

What are your plans for the future? Record in Abbey Road studios, play Glastonbury and get smashed with Pete Doherty. Oh, and finish our latest album and write a musical.

What makes you laugh? Those stupid voice thingies that make people sound like some sort of alien robot.

What pisses you off? Lack of venues in Canberra willing to have original music, even though they’ll pay sequenced cover solos and duos churning out the same old dross every night to a bunch of sad, drunk punters who couldn’t give a rat’s. Also, getting venues (not all venues) to actually fork out some money is nearly impossible, no matter how many punters you drag through the doors.

What about the local scene would you change? We’d like to see more venues, as well as media (radio, TV, print media) supporting and promoting live original music. We’d also like to see more venues prepared to give live original music a go.

What are your upcoming gigs? Friday August 9 at Smith’s Alternative, Friday August 16 at The Pot Belly, Saturday August 24 at PJ O’Reilly’s in Tuggeranong.

Contact info: Bookings/media: 0407 213 701; thefeldons.com; facebook.com/pages/The-Feldons.

Cole Bennetts Photography 0415982662 Dawn Theory Nathan 0402845132 Danny 0413502428 Dorothy Jane Band, The Dorothy Jane 0411065189 dorothy-jane@dorothyjane.com Drumassault Dan 0406 375 997 Feldons, The 0407 213 701 FeralBlu Danny 0413502428

Johnny Roadkill Paulie 0408287672 paulie_mcmillan@live.com.au Kayo Marbilus myspace.com/kayomarbilus Kurt’s Metalworx (PA) 0417025792 Los Chavos Latin/ska/reggae Rafa 0406647296 Andy 0401572150 Missing Zero Hadrian 0424721907 Hadrian.brand@live.com.au Moots Huck 0419630721 aspwinch@grapevine.com.au Morning After, The Covers band Anthony 0402500843 Mornings Jordan 0439907853 MuShu Jack 0414292567 mushu_band@hotmail.com Obsessions 0450 960 750 obsessions@grapevine.com.au Painted Hearts, The Peter (02) 62486027 Polka Pigs Ian (02) 62315974 Rafe Morris 0416322763 Redletter Ben 0421414472 Redsun Rehearsal Studio Ralph 0404178996/ (02) 61621527 Rug, The Jol 0417273041 Sewer Sideshow Huck 0419630721 Simone & The Soothsayers Singing teacher Simone 62304828 Sorgonian Twins, The Mark 0428650549

Fighting Mongooses, The Adam 0402055314

Soundcity Rehearsal Studio Andrew 0401588884

Fire on the Hill Aaron 0410381306 Lachlan 0400038388

STonKA Jamie 0422764482 stonka2615@gmail.com

Fourth Degree Vic 0408477020

Strange Hour Events Dan 0411112075

Gareth Dailey DJ/Electronica Gareth 0414215885

Super Best Friends Sam White sam@imcmusic.net

Groovalicious Corporate/ weddings/private functions 0448995158

System Addict Jamie 0418398556

Guy The Sound Guy Live & Studio Sound Engineer 0400585369 guy@guythesoundguy.com Haunted Attics band@hauntedatticsmusic.com

54

Jenn Pacor Singer-songwriter avail. for originals/covers 0405618630

Tegan Northwood (Singing Teacher) 0410 769 144 ThrownUp Scott 0415849619 Top Shelf Colin 0408631514

In The Flesh Scott 0410475703

Undersided, The Baz 0408468041

Itchy Triggers Alex 0414838480

Zoopagoo zoopagoo@gmail.com

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