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Sinead O’Connor warns Miley Cyrus not to be used by corporate, recommends Wahl brand clippers for head shaving.
#427OCTOBER9 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
T: (02) 6257 4456 E: editorial@bmamag.com
Accounts Manager Fahim Shahnoor
T: (02) 6247 4816 E: accounts@bmamag.com
Sub-Editor & Social Media Manager Jeremy Stevens Graphic Design Chris Halloran Film Editor Melissa Wellham NEXT ISSUE 428 OUT OCTOBER 23 EDITORIAL DEADLINE OCTOBER 14 ADVERTISING DEADLINE OCTOBER 14 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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It’s been a heady year for punk in the ACT. TV Colours, The Fighting League, Revellers, and others have brought Canberra’s new punk scene surging into the spotlight, just as retrospective events have served as reminders of the scene’s torrid past, high watermarks beside a river that is once again on the rise. Thus it is that BMA Magazine has decided to revive a column that fell quiet in December 2009. Beginning next issue, Wednesday October 23, BMA’s punk column will return to its place in these pages. To quote a man who has no right to be quoted at this time but whose words seem more than a touch prescient, ‘Punk’s not dead, she’s just gone to bed.’ So once again it’s God save the Queen, because nothing will convince Tony Abbott to pursue independence.
Canberra Songwriters Workshop Receives APRA Grant On the last Monday of every month, the Canberra Songwriters Workshop (CSW) takes place from 6:30pm to 9pm at The Statesman Hotel in Curtin. For five to ten dollars (after a first free session), budding songwriters are given a chance to workshop songs and lyrics, to give and take critique for their musical betterment. And thanks to a $2000 grant from the Australasian Performing Right Association, the CSW is now providing guest speakers and has the benefit of a larger venue. That Canberra now has two such organisations – in the Canberra Music Workshop and the CSW – can only be good. The sessions and registration forms for both can be found on their websites: canberrasongwriters.com and canberramusicwork shop.com.au.
Harlequins Parade to Horrify Everyone On Saturday October 26, the 100 Harlequins Parade will see a potentially world record-setting number of harlequins parade through Canberra’s CBD. As part of the Centenary Children’s Week Celebrations, groups, individuals, and families are invited to participate in two workshops on Sunday October
13 and Sunday October 20, where they will be given the skills and equipment necessary to terrify people come the parade. Beginning in Glebe Park, the harlequins will parade through the CBD, winding their way through City Walk for the official count in Garema Place. If you just can’t wait to watch a small child break down in tears as they’re caught in the crosshairs of an unimaginable nightmare, email elena@ highwire.com.au to be a part of the workshops and parade.
Flume made Obsolete by Forerunner of Skynet Award-winning Australian musician and producer Flume’s newest song features an ominous set of collaborators – a band of tablet computers, and Intel. Dubbed ‘Intelligent Sounds’, the project sees ‘Felix the Robot Conductor’ guide a tablet-powered band (complete with pre-programmed robot arms) that hit the required notes to perform a track written for them by Flume. This foolhardy display of ‘innovation’ will undoubtedly be the end of human ingenuity, as one musician after the next is overwhelmed by his robot ‘collaborators’ when they perfect creativity’s pacifying potential into a super-weapon. BMA Magazine is now taking bets on which artists will bend to their will, become shells of their former selves, and offer their meagre talents for the sake of self-preservation. Jay-Z, Nicki Minaj, Will.i.am, Madonna, and Status Quo are the clear frontrunners. Classified by the Thatcher Government until now, this photo of Margaret Thatcher is the one still image thought to be taken during a sex tape Thatcher recorded in 1977 with R&B artist Ray J’s father, Willie Norwood.
BMA Magazine to Revive Punk Column
people every so often fill with detergent so it overflows with bubbles – is called The Canberra Times Fountain. Who knew? This app, apparently. The CityArt iPhone app, funded by ACTEW Water and local design firm Cre8ive, is designed to help locals and visitors navigate Canberra’s public works of art, giving them information on each as they go – things like whether the local government was responsible for it or whether it was funded privately. Which is great, because now we know who to blame! Said ACTEW Water Managing Director Mark Sullivan at the app’s launch, ‘They are a reflection of how we see ourselves and how we want others to see us.’ He’s so right.
CityArt iPhone App to Provide Accountability for Crimes Against Humanity That cone fountain in front of Canberra Centre – the one
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FROM THE BOSSMAN
YOU PISSED ME OFF!
My grandpappy once told me - with a sly wink and a finger tapped gently to the side of his nose - that ‘there’s money to be had in children’. This comment led to a chain of misinterpretation and the poor man was soon carted away as a deviant, never to be heard from again.
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.]
Which in hindsight is a tad bit of a shame because what we now realise he meant is that in the wonderful world of entertaining children, there’s plenty of money to be made.
driving your stupid giant dumb utes and trucks. Hooray, you can
A quick look at the Canberra Theatre Centre’s recent line-up is enough by itself to confirm this notion. The Babies Prom, The Cat in the Hat, Ooogala (or whatever the heck it’s called), The Wiggles Live... The list goes on.
fucking deadshit who’s paid too much, stands around all day and
And don’t get me started on Peppa Pig.
RBTs and I’d make my monthly quota of booking drunk drivers
Every few days in my bristling entertainment inbox I receive a notification on how the newly added Sydney Peppa Pig show - on sale from 10am - has just sold out at 10:03am and they’re now proudly adding a fourteenth viewing. It’s official: PP is the AC/DC of CE (Children’s Entertainment). When AccaDacca announced the Australian leg of their Black Ice World Tour back in 2010, they sold a whopping 600,000 tickets across 11 dates. That’s a solid chunk of the country’s population.
in a week! Fuck you guys and your bogwart attitudes. Ooh, I can
You tradie fucks. Get off your stupid fucking phones whilst
do simple maths and use a ruler so therefor you qualify to be a
hasn’t a skerrick of personality that doesn’t include sexism and sports. If I was a cop I would only ever pull over tradie utes for
use a drill and create things. Big fucking woop. No you are not an Engineer, you are not even a glorified Engineer. Engineers went to University. You should have done the same. Your pregnant mother should have done something else.
By the time Peppa Pig and her brightly coloured cohorts have completed their squealing run across the nation, I would venture a similar percentage of this country’s children would have been duly ‘rocked’ (or ‘porked’ as my grandpappy would say). Such fanatical devotion - as we adults are well aware, being slaves to our particular bands or producers of choice - can lead to the fervent assertion on the stature and rank of one’s fandom. Just in the same way people will feverishly argue over the best AC/DC track, I can envision the conversations erupting across day care centres across the country as we speak: ‘Nah, mate,’ says a snot-nosed youth, casually sucking on a juicebox between sentences. ‘You say you’re a true Peppa Pig fan, but I was there from the beginnin’, man.’ ‘Fuck you, bro,’ says an otherwise sweet-looking girl with curly blond hair. ‘I was watching PP back when they were drawin’ ‘em funny and Daddy Pig had those crap glasses.’ And then someone gets stabbed. So prevalent is the CE deluge that soon there will be only one adult show to every ten kids’. The CTC acronym will soon change from Canberra Theatre Centre to Children’s Theatre Coolbox. The next Wharf Revue will find the cast lampooning hard-hitting topics like how stupid Big Ted is for always forgetting the picnic sandwiches. And Bell Shakespeare’s next run will be Ham-let… With The Dane played by The Swine, Peppa Pig. So beating them to the punch, I shall be putting on my own show that will simply involve dressing up my two daughters in something cute and playing AC/DC tracks for them to dance to. It shall be called AC/Whoopsie. It shall make millions. Anyway, I’m off to rehearsal. Tix to AC/Whoopsie available from Canberra Ticketing next month. ALLAN SKO - allan@bmamag.com
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WHO: Sex Noises, Spartak, and more WHAT: The Art School Ball 2013 WHEN: Sat Oct 12 WHERE: ANU School of Art
If you’re looking for an excuse to dress as strangely as you want and dance the night away, look no further. In keeping with Canberra’s habit of being a little odd, the Art School Ball 2013 at ANU has Odd Ball as its theme for 2013 – and you’re encouraged to grab all that weird you’ve kept hidden at home, and bring it along. Canberra bands Sex Noises, Mornings, Central West, Kavern Klankers, Keresiya, Spartak, and Calico Cat will be opening the night, before outsiders like Thomas and Rites Wild keep the party going. Sets by #GRLPWR DJs included. 6pm. 18+. Tickets are $20 on the door.
WHO: Rosie Catalano WHAT: East Coast Tour WHEN: Sat Oct 12 WHERE: The Front Gallery and Café
Sydney-based musician Rosie Catalano has been gearing up to release her crowd-funded EP, Dreams Are Just Movies – and now it’s finally out. Featuring guests like Brendan Maclean, Jack Carty, Brian Campeau (The Rescue Ships), Evan Mannell (Bertie Blackman), and Veronique Serret (Joanna Newsom), it has something for everyone. Having won a song competition to work alongside Little Birdy and collaborate, Catalano has also held the ‘Album of the Week’ slot on ABC Radio National. She’ll be playing Canberra on her east coast tour, co-headlining with Rosie Wintergreen and supported by Julia and the Deep Sea Sirens (solo). 7:30pm. Tickets are $7 on the door.
WHO: Jay & Friends WHAT: Decades WHEN: Sun Oct 13 WHERE: Transit Bar
Sunday afternoons are generally horrible. You spend them dreading the work facing you on Monday, and what should be the icing on your weekend is turned into something just a little bitter. Well no more! Decades is here. It’s a series of events put together by Jay Annabel from The Longest Day and his friend, held at Transit once a month. Head along, play some pool, and Jay and Friends will play you some of the best music from the past 50 years. From 3pm until about 8pm, you’ll hear indie, prog rock, shoegaze, electronica, noise, post-punk, the lot – and heaps of pop. Take back Sunday and head along.
WHO: Briana Cowlishaw WHAT: National Tour WHEN: Thu Oct 17 WHERE: The Loft, O’Connor
Sydney’s Briana Cowlishaw is taking her special brand of jazz pop out on the road with her in support of her new single, Paper Mache City. The single is the title track from her new album, which is out now. Taking her six-piece band on tour with her, she’ll be playing nine dates across the country from Perth to Newcastle. The album was put together while Cowlishaw lived in the US, and inspired by the ‘frenzy of New York City’. Cowlishaw studied at The Australian Institute of Music, and is influenced by legends like Miles Davis and Joni Mitchell. Doors at 7pm, $15 on the door.
WHO: RasRufus WHAT: Tanzverbot Album Launch WHEN: Fri Oct 18 WHERE: Ainslie Arts Centre
RasRufus is a group led by a collaboration between Henry Rasmussen (drums) and Victor Rufus (guitars), and they’ll be launching their debut album, Tanzverbot, in Canberra this month. Loosely described as a contemporary jazz outfit, their original compositions are inspired by jazz greats Chick Corea and Jim Hall, and revered modern musicians J Dilla and Thom Yorke. Luke Sweeting will be joining them on piano and Rhodes, Jared Plane on electric and double bass, and Tom Sly on trumpet and flugelhorn. 7pm. Tickets are $15 ($10 concession), and can be booked in advance by calling Music For Everyone on (02) 6230 7190. BYO.
WHO: Lowlakes WHAT: Newborn Tour WHEN: Sat Oct 19 WHERE: Smith’s Alternative
Melbourne four-piece Lowlakes will be bringing their brand of dark pop on tour with them, in support of the first single from their debut LP, Iceberg Nerves. The single, Newborn, was produced by Kunsthaus Records’ Manfred Kaindel, and is a ‘trip-inducing call to introspection’. It’s a taste of what to expect from Iceberg Nerves, which is due out in February next year, and promises to be as haunting and beautiful as you’d expect. Catch Lowlakes before they head back to Europe for a run of shows with Half Moon Run. Doors open at 8pm. Tickets are $10 on the door.
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vanessa wright If you have ever spent any time in NewActon, been to Lonsdale St Roasters, or eaten at Smoque, you will have seen GEORGE ROSE’s work. It’s hard to miss. Whether it’s a huge illustrated bird paste-up, Bruce Willis enjoying a chai, or some amazing hand-painted lettering, Rose’s work is simply making Canberra prettier. Anger Management & the Importance of Personal Hygiene is her first ever solo exhibition, and one not to be missed.
and ‘Beaver’, plus many more favourites, are spelt out in colourful Hama beads – the beads you arrange into a pattern and then iron flat. It is the juxtaposition of the playful innocence of childhood toys with the provocative words that works so well to grab the viewer’s attention.
When you turn text into an artwork instead of just writing it down, you give it a new meaning
It is difficult to label what Rose does. She is not simply a painter or an illustrator – she is also a sign writer, a designer, a street artist, and for this exhibition she is experimenting with ceramics, interactive installations, and video. ‘The stuff that people really know me for is my commercial work, working with a client and a brief, and this actually feels to me like the very first time I’m going to be showing everyone my personal work,’ Rose says. ‘And because it doesn’t have to fit a client’s brief, I just had to find the best way to express whatever I wanted to express. So whether that was using ceramics, or light sculptures, I just wanted to have the best kind of vessel for the information that I wanted to put across.’ Rose is an artist who is not afraid to experiment, to constantly push her boundaries. Her work is not only about creating an object, but it is about what happens behind the scenes. It is about the process of making as much as it is about the final artwork. There is a lot of typography and text in art currently, but despite this, Rose’s work has a truly unique voice. It is a combination of confessional text, biting humour, and playful execution. The use of sign writing creates an instant contrast between the visual and the message. As Rose explains: ‘Signs aren’t usually of a personal nature, so we’re not used to relating to them. With the type work that I do there are so many jarring visual cues that we’re used to seeing and experiencing, but not in that kind of context … [W]hen you turn text into an art work instead of just writing it down, you give it a new meaning and a new life and purpose.’ One of Rose’s earliest series of works, which experimented with the power of text in art, was her series of swear word pieces, which will be making a reappearance in this exhibition. This is a highly engaging and humorous series of work, which aims to explore our relationship with language. Words similar to ‘Rooster’, ‘Duck’,
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Rose is exploring how we assign meaning to words, how that meaning develops over time, and asks the question: why are some words worse than others? As she explains, these works ‘really do express a lot of ideas about intent and meaning behind words, and how we use them in society, and what we expect of them. The way that we use words shapes the way in which we think about ourselves, which I find so interesting.’
Works such as This is bullshit, I fucking miss you and Everything, everyone, all of the time represent universal emotions, but become instantly more powerful and contain new meaning when seen meticulously hand lettered in bright, engaging colours onto a sign. Signs are designed to make us stop and look, or encourage us to buy a product. Rose’s work skilfully undermines our expectations by presenting an unexpected and often personal slice of text in a familiar context. For this exhibition, Rose is also experimenting with ways in which the audience can contribute their own secret or confessional text, via an interactive light installation. You write down your secret and it is programmed into the light sculpture, creating a visual expression of your written confession, without any anyone ever having to find out. ‘My hope is that people will really connect with the art and that it will resonate with them,’ Rose says. ‘But not only that, it is also a chance for people to experience art in the same way that I do. To create their own experience by interacting with this piece. I want people to have that cathartic experience and that inward expression that I have been doing in the creation of a lot of these pieces.’ George Rose’s work is big, bold, brash, and beautiful, but it can also be intimate, heart breaking and subtle – much like a Jackie Collins novel, but maybe not at all. Whatever metaphor you prefer, this is your chance to see new work by one of Canberra’s most original artists – up close and personal. Anger Management & the Importance of Personal Hygiene is opening at Nishi Gallery, NewActon, on Friday October 11 at 6pm, and continues until Wednesday October 23.
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ALL AGES The last man on earth sits alone in his room … suddenly, there is a knock at the door. Got goosebumps? Don’t be afraid, it’s probably just ghostly pizza men bringing him the pepperoni and cheese he ordered earlier. I don’t know about you, but I’m definitely in a spooky mood leading up to Halloween. How do you know a zombie is tired? He looks dead on his feet! Speaking of resurrection, how about bringing something back from the past with the Old Bus Depot Markets’ Retro Depot on the Sunday October 13? All kinds of funky fashions and crafts from way back when, but fresh as the Prince of Bel-Air, will be there for your browsing. You feel goosebumps on your arm. Your skin starts to crawl and you become panicked as you desperately comb your memory … then you remember … it’s time for The Big Draw at the National Portrait Gallery, and you left your pencil sharpener at home! But not to worry, all materials are provided when you head down to the Portrait Gallery between 10am–2pm on Sunday October 20 to enjoy community drawing and activities, along with live music. Entry is free, and the event is open to people of all ages and skill levels. It was a daaaark and spooky night … until the people from The Leukaemia Foundation showed up, bringing hundreds of lanterns for the Light the Night walk! Join this beautiful twilight occasion and support Leukaemia research on Saturday October 19 starting at Kings Park, Lake Burley Griffin. The event starts with lantern collection at 6:30pm and an official welcome at 7pm. Sign up to join the walk at lightthenight.org.au. I’m giving you plenty of warning here, because it’s going to be big – Kicks Entertainment and Raw FM are bringing you the MOMENTUM Festival, an entirely under-18s event headlined by InTheMix award-winners The Stafford Brothers and Will Sparks, with Rawson, DJ Rush, and more to be announced. It will be held at UC Refectory on Friday December 13 between 7–11pm. Tickets are available through Oztix from $33.90 + bf, with a limited amount of early bird tickets available with rewards, such as a reduced price, private soft drink bar, elevated viewing platform, and an opportunity to meet the performers. Don’t be forgetting about the CIT School Stars Battle of the Bands Competition. If you haven’t already applied you have until Monday October 14 at 9am to register online at is.gd/CITSchoolStars. Prizes include scholarships to the Music Industry Centre, studio recording time, and stacks of gift vouchers – plus every band will receive a DVD of their performance. If you don’t want to perform, but would like to catch the show, come down on Thursday October 24 between 6.30–10pm to the CIT Music Industry Centre, Woden. If you’ve got an interest in all things punk, then the Canberra Museum and Gallery has a treat for you. The Head Full of Flames: Punk in the Nation’s Capital exhibition showcases a little known fact – Canberra was a veritable rockin’ punk scene in the ‘70s! This exhibition, running Sat Sep 14–Sun Nov 24, will showcase original photos, posters, songs, and other video and audio creations from Canberra’s rebellious heyday. Check out the Canberra Centenary website for more information: canberra100.com.au. Stay funky,
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VICKY CONSTABLE allagescolumn@gmail.com
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LOCALITY
As with all forms of journalism, music journalism is occasionally voyeuristic to the point of invasiveness. BMA has never, to my knowledge, exploited the voyeuristic potential of the ACT’s music scene – partially because our scene is so small that gossip has no traction, and partially because when ‘drama’ does rear its head, exploiting it for the sake of a talking point would only serve to damage relations between BMA and whichever band or artist might be concerned, not to mention damage the band itself. With that in mind, the recent changes to the line-ups of local bands Fun Machine and Burrows still merit mention. Two members of Fun Machine, one of Canberra’s most dedicated live acts, withdrew recently from its line-up, leaving it a four-piece, down from a six-piece. At the same time, a founding member of Fun Machine withdrew from four-piece Burrows. The musicians concerned are a magnificently talented group, and their ongoing collaboration more promising than anything in recent memory. The Burrows that fronted the National Folk Festival earlier this year was revelatory. Far be it from any publication to pass judgment on people who no doubt have valid reasons for discontinuing their creative partnerships, but it is a loss to the ACT’s live music scene. Here’s genuinely hoping that differences can be resolved. Smith’s Alternative will host 666 ABC Exhumed comp winners Sparrow-Folk on Thursday October 10. The show starts at 7pm and tickets are $15 through trybooking.com. The following night, Friday October 11, Beth n Ben are launching their Scenic Roots EP at The Polish White Eagle Club, with Brother Be and Party Gravy in support. The show starts at 8pm and tickets are $15-25 via trybooking.com.
YOU MADE MY DAY!
Email editorial@bmamag.com to send a message of gratitude, warmth and generosity to the world at large. Aww. To Professor Tim Flannery and every person who donated to the Climate Council in order to fund its role providing an ongoing voice for climate science in Australia, you made my day, month, year, and entire Abbott government tenure. In less than a month, the Council raised more than half its annual budget – from donations. Throughout the election, organisations that I know and support voiced their concerns for the damage that would be suffered to climate science’s political clout under an Abbott government, and in the wake of the realisation of their worst fears, I was afraid optimism and determination would take a back seat. So thank you to the 20,000+ people who will not let this go, and who emptied any part of their wallets to see climate science supported and funded. Dear Twisties, you had me at ‘Cheese’, you even kept me at ‘Chicken’, but now, with your newly introduced ‘Cheese & Mite’, boy do you know the way to a man’s heart. I am forever yours because you’ve Made My Life Complete.
The Art School Ball at the ANU School of Art has maybe its finest live music line-up ever in Sex Noises, Mornings, Central West, Kavern Klankers, Keresiya, Spartak, Calico Cat, and the #GRLPWR DJs on Saturday October 12. Tickets are $20 at the door from 6pm, and the theme is ‘Odd Ball’. The Bootleg Sessions on Monday October 14 sport Novia Scotia, A Drone Coda, Wallflower, and Jude Kohn from 8pm. It’s free, as usual, and one of the innumerable reasons The Phoenix Bar remains my favourite drinking hole in the ACT. The aforementioned Burrows (sporting their new line-up) will appear with Evan Buckley at Smith’s Alternative on Wednesday October 16 for Canberra Musicians Club Presents. The music is by donation from 7:30pm. Thanks to Nigel McRae of the CMC, I recently rediscovered my love of ping pong. If you don’t mind having a bat, head along to the Ping Pong Jam at The Polish White Eagle Club from 7pm. Entry’s $5. Finally, The Bootleg Sessions are sporting a great line-up on Monday October 21, with Space Party, Faux Faux Amis, Little Mac and the Monster Men, and Paul Heslin. And that’s everything local I care about. ASHLEY THOMSON - editorial@bmamag.com; @aabthomson
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RORY McCARTNEY ADALITA has had a long and continually evolving career in rock. After early flirtations with the band Deer Bubbles, renamed The Jim Jims, her path to success came when they changed their name again in 1992 to Magic Dirt. MD lost its bassist, Dean Turner, to cancer in 2007, and the band is currently on hiatus. However, before his death, Turner was a driving force in the blossoming solo career of MD frontwoman Adalita Srsen. Her self-titled debut was released in 2011, and the follow up, All Day Venus, hit the streets on Friday September 20. BMA talked to Adalita about her solo career and new record after a day of doing preparation for her upcoming tour.
In the beginning, it was an exercise in courage and throwing yourself into the deep end
Adalita’s debut was a markedly ‘feminine’ recording: intimate, emotionally revealing, and nuanced. All Day Venus brings a much brighter, much rockier sound. This evolution in style between the two solo records was driven by a basic need. ‘I wanted a band again,’ Srsen says. ‘I missed having drums and bass and wanted them back on this record. I tried writing quieter stuff to begin with for this album, but it just didn’t happen. I felt like turning it up loud and making a danceable record. It’s fatter, louder, a bit more uplifting and, I guess, joyous in mood.’ The songwriting also came from basic themes, including womanhood, femininity, and relationships. The debut was largely a one-woman project, with Srsen playing guitar, piano, drums and percussion. On All Day Venus, she limited herself to the guitar and vocals, but still maintained strong control over the sound of the record. ‘It’s funny because I wrote all the music, the drums, bass, guitar, and piano parts – but I got people into the studio to play the parts for me,’ Srsen says. ‘That made it a much bigger project for me, and I was putting a lot of different hats on. It was an interesting way to songwrite, doing everything on my own and then seeing how a band interpreted it.’ For the recording, Adalita brought in Jim White from Dirty Three on drums for a few tracks. Other guest musos include Hugo Cran (ex-Devastations), Lee Parker (also on drums), and Matt Bailey on bass. Violin was contributed by a young lady called Willow, who Adalita heard busking in a Melbourne shopping mall. Dean Turner played a large part in kick-starting Srsen’s solo career, and was a strong influence on its realisation. Her debut was dedicated to him, but her follow-up had to be made without his
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immense support, and she found it hard approaching the second album without him. ‘It was and it will always be hard without him, but he would have been really proud of it,’ Srsen says. ‘There are some things about the record I wasn’t completely happy with, and it would have been great to have his guidance.’ While Srsen believes it could have been a slightly shorter record and could have contained a couple of more overdubs, she’s pretty happy with her new release. The efforts of her backing musicians and herself resulted in an album which went beyond her expectations. Srsen initially had misgivings about playing solo. While she had felt most comfortable up in front of MD, she is starting to enjoy the solo experience more. ‘In the beginning, it was an exercise in courage and throwing yourself into the deep end,’ she says. ‘There was a lot of uncertainty, but the amazing reaction to the records propelled and encouraged me forward. So I thought, I’ll just run with it and keep going.’ She did the photography for her self-titled album’s cover, and also did it for All Day Venus, in a combined effort with art designer Thomas Russell. ‘He took some of my photos of hydrangeas, and did some textural stuff,’ Srsen laughs. ‘I think a lot of people don’t know what the cover photo is. I love photographing landscapes, people, and everyday life, with things caught in a natural moment, and would like to put out a book of them one day.’ One of Srsen’s first solo tours was supporting Blondie and The Pretenders, which meant performing to quite a different demographic compared to her usual audience. She recognises the advantages of this move. ‘For me, I think it’s really important to play in front of as many different audiences as I can,’ Srsen says. ‘I really enjoy recruiting new fans, and that definitely happened on that tour. It’s also a challenge, as some people don’t like your music or don’t know who you are. You have to win them over, even though you’re shaking in your shoes.’ For the new tour, Srsen is supported by Laura Jean, who brings quite a different style to the gig. ‘I didn’t discover her until a couple of months ago. I was given her CD by the wife of my promo photographer, and was blown away by her sound and asked her to join me.’ And if you’re hoping for Magic Dirt to rise again? Don’t hold your breath – although Srsen admits that there has been a lot of talk about a greatest hits album, when they can find some time to do it. In the meantime, she’s looking forward to bringing the new band to Canberra. ‘I’m looking forward to playing Transit again and I love the drive to Canberra. I think Lake George is awesome.’ Adalita, supported by Laura Jean, will play Transit Bar on Thursday October 17. Doors at 8pm. Tickets are $20 + bf through Moshtix.
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40 minutes for an album is about right.
Sometimes you fuck it up and sometimes you don’t – you gotta try though
‘Actually, I’ve been on this hobby horse for quite a while,’ he says. ‘My next record is going to be 32 minutes long. I always fought to keep the record lengths down. It was only when I pointed out to the record companies it costed them more and they weren’t getting more money out of it … then suddenly it was, “Alright, do what you want”.’
YOU CAN’T PLEASE EVERYBODY justin hook ED KUEPPER is always a few steps ahead of the game. The Saints – a band co-founded in Brisbane in 1974 with Chris Bailey and Ivor Hay – got the jump-start ont punk by a good year or two. Their first three albums ((I’m) Stranded, Eternally Yours, and Prehistoric Sounds) are untouchable, and the band remain one of the most influential and revered acts this country has ever produced.
Kuepper’s forthcoming tour comes off the back of a few reunion shows for Laughing Clowns (‘Surprisingly easy and a lot of fun’) and The Saints (‘Always a bit more prickly’), and a stint with Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds. It will revisit his entire catalogue too. ‘It’s essentially a request tour, so I get a lot of stuff called out that I’ve forgotten about,’ Kuepper says. ‘I’ll see how the new stuff stacks up. Whether that’s a good idea or not, I dunno. Sometimes you fuck it up and sometimes you don’t. You gotta try though.’ Ed Kuepper will be bringing his The Last Action Hero tour to Canberra at The Street Theatre on Thursday October 17. It starts at 8pm, and tickets are $39 + bf through thestreet.org.au.
After leaving The Saints, Kuepper started Laughing Clowns, a jazzinfused art rock band that still sound totally out of time, or place for that matter. Then, just before grunge was about to break, he went back to basics and released one of the tightest, hardest, rock albums of his career: Ascension, under the sly moniker The Aints. It sounded like the white heat of a blowtorch melting metal, revealing gnarled pop melodies. The title and artwork referenced Coltrane and The Stooges, which is about right. Like all Kuepper’s best work, it looked forward and backward at the same time. ‘That album is as pivotal to me as Today Wonder, which is its sister in some ways,’ Kuepper says. ‘It was at a time when I was trying to recapture something that inspired me when I started out. Ascension is like a film of that mindset; it’s abstract and I haven’t heard or made anything like it since. Ascension nails it.’ Like most Kuepper albums, it burns bright then disappears like the man himself, off in another direction. ‘I always have plenty of ideas, but I’ve always worked in a way where I have written ahead by a number of years,’ he says. ‘Which means new albums will have material on it that is a couple of years old.’ As for not outstaying his welcome, Kuepper explains: ‘I have the attention span of about 15 to 20 minutes, which is about the length of one side of an LP. And
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anne widjaja While it is not difficult to find a Canberran who can fervently debate with you about parliamentary process, it is rare to find someone in Canberra as equally engaged in the 7:30 Report as they are with their local arts scene. Which is why it is refreshing to chat with someone as knowledgeable about the arts as public servant-cum-founder of arts management company FAMA Publicity, FRANK MADRID. Despite having travelled all over the world for his work, Madrid has chosen to devote much of his career to planning events in Canberra of all places. ‘When I came nine years ago, I had a vision that Canberra could be an example of cultural activity,’ Madrid says of his first impressions of Canberra, after having worked in New York and Brazil. ‘Canberra has a strong middle class, an income per capita that is higher than other parts of the country, a highly educated population, and a vibrant university sector … I was quite excited about planning events here.’ Four years ago, Madrid’s enthusiasm for the arts in Canberra was at such dizzying heights that he even turned down a job offer in Sydney from one of Australia’s ‘most important arts agencies’. ‘I went to Sydney looking for houses, I even rented an apartment,’ Madrid says. ‘There was a farewell party put on at Hippo Bar [in Canberra], and we invited all these people. But then my feelings for Canberra were so strong at the time, that at the party I said, “Sorry guys, not going anywhere, I’m staying.” ‘ It’s almost impossible to forge a career in the arts, let alone in a city like Canberra. Remarkably, while living in Canberra, Madrid has managed to become one of Australia’s most sought-after arts programmers. He has coordinated regional arts festivals and worked with clients like Bell Shakespeare, whilst acting as a ‘cultural broker’ between Latin America and Australia. Madrid produced Australian tours for some of the biggest Latino bands in the world, putting Canberra on the map for multi-Grammy award winning Latin acts. FAMA Publicity has also presented the upcoming annual PURA VIDA Latin Music Festival across Sydney, Melbourne, and Canberra, since 2009. Hearing about Madrid’s passion for Canberra and the arts is bittersweet. Today, I’ve met with Madrid not to discuss his future visions for Canberra, but because he has announced that after almost a decade of calling Canberra home, he has decided to leave. ‘We’re moving to Sydney and opening a FAMA office in Melbourne,’ he says, becoming a tad nostalgic about his impending departure. ‘Winds of change are occurring … but I’m still going to find ways to connect with Canberra.’ When asked about why he has decided to leave now, Madrid remarks that he has been sorely disappointed by what he thought would be a ‘golden age’ for the arts in Canberra; that is, the 2013 Centenary celebrations. Sadly, Madrid’s experience working on projects for the Centenary contrarily led to his insurmountable frustration with the city’s ‘negative environment’ for the arts.
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His main project for Centenary was the ‘Flipart’ festival, ‘a celebration of physical theatre, aerial dance, and circus’, which started as a pilot project for the Canberra Festival in 2010. As a ‘revolutionary’ idea, which would showcase leading arts companies before they tour overseas, Frank found it very difficult to win over the risk averse Canberra Festival organisers.
What happens in the fringes is not filtering through to the mainstream
‘When implementing the idea and working with the bureaucracy of the city, we had to make a number of concessions to the vision,’ he says. ‘The end result was not anywhere close to what we envisaged. They [the bureaucracy] said it was “too bold, too big.” ‘ Madrid was so disheartened by his experience that he turned down the opportunity to develop the festival for 2013. His experience with ‘Flipart’ touches on what he feels is the biggest challenge to his work in Canberra – the city government’s lack of investment in the arts. Madrid points to the programme of the Canberra Theatre as an example of how the government has failed to invest in accessible platforms for artists to showcase their work. ‘The Canberra Theatre is so expensive everybody loses,’ he says. ‘Canberra audiences only see conservative work that is more likely to be financially successful. Independent producers and artists miss out because they can’t afford platforms [like the Canberra Theatre].’ Despite the limits of mainstream venues, Madrid remains optimistic about Canberra’s growing fringe scene. He praises the work of up and coming creative producers like David Caffery, who coordinated Canberra’s underground arts festival Art, Not Apart. But Madrid is sceptical about whether the fringe can revive Canberra’s fledgling arts sector. When speaking about what kind of change he would like to see in the future, Madrid hopes Canberrans will join him in demanding better. He says the city’s government needs to invest in building a culture that will transform Canberra from being a ‘boring bureaucratic bubble’ where people live out of necessity, to one where people choose to stay because it’s a city worth living in. Even though Madrid has been hardened by his experiences working a ‘tough gig’ in Canberra, as he speaks about his move to Sydney, he is quick to follow up with promises to visit regularly. ‘They say that once you’ve planted roots in Canberra, [the city] never leaves you,’ he adds as we conclude our chat. And let’s hope visionaries like Madrid never give up on Canberra either. Pura Vida will be holding a showcase at The Street Theatre on Friday October 11 at 8pm, featuring Kevin Johansen and The NADA, with support from Sistema Criolina. Tickets from $29.50 via thestreet.org.au.
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IN FOUR FOUR TIME gus McCUBBING Well-mannered, precocious, and charming, THE STEPTONES are comprised of four young men with whom even the most hyperconservative of fathers might be happy for his virginal daughters to associate. They are Patrick Ryan on vocals, Tim Douglass on guitar, Jack Schwenke on bass, and Jono Warren on drums. Unsurprisingly, no reference to Deftones was intended in the band’s name. Instead, it is just two words which Warren thought would combine nicely. ‘We’ve got a bit of a retropop thing happening and we liked the whole “tone” concept, and so we just wanted to find a cool word to go with “tones”,’ Douglass explains. From there, the band took to Facebook to determine which word would be most effective with ‘tones’.
It’s very democratic, which is what Hunters & Collectors were before everything got fucked
As the frontman, Ryan navigates the band through a sound and presence on stage as protean as Bernard Tomic’s forehand. Ryan and Douglass compile an eclectic list of influences including Jimi Hendrix, John Mayer, and Dire Straits. Meanwhile, Schwenke is apparently more into the ‘epic rock’ of the likes of Dream Theatre. With Schwenke and Warren also jazz students at the ANU, it is easy to see where this heterogeneity comes from. On most occasions, Ryan writes the lyrics and brings an outline to the others, who then rearrange his chords and input their own styles, leaving a completely different finished product. ‘It’s very democratic, which is what Hunters & Collectors were before they broke up and everything got fucked.’ Aside from the recently released single Eleanor, which has bustled its way into triple j Unearthed’s top 30, the band plans to begin recording their other songs over the summer, aiming to produce a six song EP by March next year. No title for the EP has come to them just yet, but that hasn’t flustered Ryan, who is more concerned with perfecting their tracks before summer. ‘Until then, it’s all pre-production, gigging, mucking around with our songs, and rearranging them – getting the most out of them that we can.’ The Steptones are yet to experience playing with many other bands in Canberra, explained Ryan, before cheekily suggesting that this is because the four-piece are ‘mavericks’. What they have tasted, however, are the humbling experiences inevitably faced by bands intent on hauling themselves out of the woodworks – like the time they outnumbered their audience at a gig in Tuggeranong. Nevertheless, Ryan spoke glowingly of gigs played at The Phoenix and Smith’s, in which the solid crowds reacted well. ‘I’d like to think that our music is really crowd-involved, “dancey” kind of stuff.’ You can catch The Steptones at Transit Bar, Saturday October 19, supporting My Fiction, at The Phoenix Bar on Thursday October 24, and in the final of the Smells Like Centenary Spirit band competition on Friday November 15, at the Royal Theatre.
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HURRICANE ADDAMO
A DOUBLEBARRELLED CEREMONY
mel cerato
BAZ RUDDICK
Brooke Addamo, better known as OWL EYES, likes to keep busy.
On the eve of an unfortunate Docker’s grand final defeat, and following an appearance on Triple M Melbourne with Hunters & Collectors’ frontman Mark Seymour, I spoke with Something for Kate frontman PAUL DEMPSEY regarding the Shotgun Karaoke tour. Following the highly successful Something for Kate release Leave Your Soul to Science, and the subsequent tour, the workaholic Dempsey is taking a respite of sorts. Toning down the intensity, the Shotgun Karaoke tour is a slapdash acoustic affair. Hitting the road once again, Dempsey will be playing a mix of old songs, new tunes, and covers. With an accompanying 11-track recording, he will play loving homage to the artists that inspired him as a musician.
On the back of her synth-pop debut album, Nightswim, out earlier this year, she is about to embark on another national tour to celebrate the release of its new single, Hurricane. She is also getting ready to work on some new material, play a few summer festivals, and then next year hopefully take off on her first overseas tour.
It made me a lot more confident and showed me what I didn’t want to pursue in music
‘I always like to have something to work towards,’ she laughs. ‘I prefer to do my thing. I had a bit of break after the album tour, because writing the album was quite draining, but I’m ready to get back into it.’ The 11-date tour will see her criss-cross the eastern side of the country, with a visit to Canberra’s ANU Bar as one of the last stops. ‘I love playing Canberra, it’s always an appreciative crowd,’ Addamo says. ‘Really receptive and lovely, I can’t wait.’ After the tour, Addamo is keen to get back into writing, and says she has already locked away some time later this year to get working on new material. ‘Writing takes a lot out of you,’ she says. ‘I was writing it [Nightswim] for about a year and it had a lot of ups and downs, and at the end it’s all positive, but I kinda needed to not write for a while and just do nothing and hang out.’ Between the writing and performing, Addamo mentions that she is in the process of locking in dates next year for her first overseas tour. ‘I’ve been getting a really nice reaction overseas which is exciting, obviously, because I do want to take my music over there and travel and play shows,’ she says. ‘I’ve never taken my music over yet, it was just a timing thing, I wanted to have an album and something to show for myself before I took my music over there.’ All this seems a world away from her Australian Idol days, where Addamo made it as a finalist in the sixth season. ‘It was a long time ago, I’m 22 now and I was 16-17 then,’ she explains. ‘It made me a lot more confident and showed me what I didn’t want to pursue in music. I came out of it quite confused, so I took some time to really work on what kind of artist I was and what came naturally to me. It hasn’t really hindered and affected my career now; I’ve worked hard to get to where I am without that. ‘If I was to give someone advice who was entering a competition like that, it would be, be level-headed,’ she says. ‘You just see so many people going into these competitions and expecting the world, and it is not really what they deliver. They deliver a platform of some sort but you’ve got to really work hard.’ Catch Owl Eyes at ANU Bar on Friday October 25 at 8pm. Supported by Willowbeats. Tickets $23.50 + bf through Ticketek.
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Tackling a Queen song with an acoustic is sort of a silly idea, but I guess that is why it works
While on a 17-show tour with Something for Kate, Dempsey got into the habit of doing ‘shotgun karaoke’ videos following sound check each night. A surprise to Paul, these videos gained a momentum of their own. With plans for an acoustic solo tour already in place, it was only natural for Dempsey to take these covers on the road. ‘I guess the pressure is off,’ he says, ‘because you’re not performing stuff that comes from the depths of your own soul – you just kind of like playing something that is fun that someone else wrote.’ A term coined by Dempsey, the idea of ‘shotgun karaoke’ is a low key affair. ‘Shotgun karaoke is sort of a marriage of the concept of the shotgun wedding – spur of the moment, and obviously karaoke, the idea was you just get everyone in the room singing along to songs we all know and love, while obviously being completely loose and stupid about it.’ Of the original 17 tracks covered by Dempsey, 11 made the cut for the release and the tour set-list. Accompanied by Olivia Bartley of Olympia, Dempsey recorded the CD in one afternoon using two mics and an acoustic guitar. ‘I just wanted to keep the loose energy about it,’ Dempsey says. ‘The aim of the CD was to be a fairly low key sort of release, almost like a souvenir from the tour. I didn’t want to go into the studio and make it all perfect. It wasn’t really the intention of the album. So we just sort of set up a couple of microphones and I just pounded through them. It is all pretty rough and ready.’ Including artists like You Am I, Concrete Blonde, Queen, INXS, Bad Religion, Grant Lee Buffalo, and Courtney Barnett, the album has allowed Dempsey to express his admiration and respect of artists who inspired him. ‘It is just an interesting exercise to hear people interpret other people’s songs. The more challenging the cover, the more fun it is. Especially with this CD – tackling a Queen song with an acoustic is sort of a silly idea, but I guess that is why it kind of works without being too sacrilegious.’ Paul Dempsey is bringing the gun show to Zierholz @ UC on Wednesday October 23 at 7:30pm. Support from Olympia. Tickets are $39.80 + bf through Oztix.
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GOOD THINGS COME TO THOSE WHO WAIT alisha evans Most mothers would find taking care of two young children and a having a career as a cardiac nurse challenging, but Helen Franzmann, aka McKISKO, has found the time to record her second album as well. It has taken her longer to write and produce Eximo than her debut album Glorio, which was released in 2009, because she has had to set aside time especially for her music. ‘Life is full, so to make time for music is a really big thing,’ Franzmann says. ‘Now I have to lock in times to play and write, that’s when it has to happen, which has been a big shift for me as a songwriter. It’s challenging to make it happen in those times; if it doesn’t happen in that time it can be frustrating.’
It’s born from a singersongwriter place, but it becomes something else when you’re working on it
Eximo has more layers than the last album, and more momentum due to playing with a drummer, she says. ‘I was encouraged to keep the first sparse and raw – this album has a lot more going on for me.’ Franzmann is also bringing her two children with her on the road when she tours the east coast, with ten shows including Canberra. She says her kids are sick of her songs because they’ve heard them so often, but despite that, McKisko’s shows are sure to entertain even them, as she plays with drummer Kurt Read. The pair will use eight different instruments, including your typical drums and guitar, but also involve a glockenspiel, organ, marxophone, and a measuring tape for percussion. Describing her style as having a folk tinge and eeriness to it, Franzmann says the genre it belongs to is hard to define. ‘It’s born from a singersongwriter place, but it becomes something else when you’re working on it.’ Having sung classically throughout her school career, Franzmann had to unlearn a lot of what she was used to. ‘I had to find my own voice, because classical singing is very different. There is something about singing from the spoken voice that is very appealing to me.’ Growing up in Cooran, Queensland, ABC’s rage was seen as a portal into another world for the musician and her siblings. At age 12 she loved Billy Joel, The Carpenters, and Carole King, but now says her influences are Bill Callahan and Jason Molina, who, she says, sing sadness perfectly. Franzmann also admires Soda Eaves, a Melbourne-based musician and published poet, who is the support act for her Sydney, Brisbane, and Canberra shows. Soda Eaves is the solo work of Jack Core, from the psychedelic-drone band Hot Palms; he recently released an LP, Like Drapes Either Side. ‘Lyrically he is poignant and impressive, he plays electric guitar, and has recordings of people speaking and different sounds, it’s really beautiful.’ McKisko will be supported by Soda Eaves at The Front Gallery and Café on Sunday October 13. Tickets are $15 on the door, and doors open 7pm.
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DANCE THE DROP
Firstly, allow me to thank my hombre Gavan O’Connor-Risch for taking the reins during my brief hiatus; a mighty effort indeed, good sir. So where have I been? Cocooned in an underground bunker avoiding Breaking Bad spoilers? Trapped betwixt Clive Palmer’s chin rolls? Camping out for a fuchsia iPhone? If your guess was ‘none of the above’, you would be correct. I was on a holiday. If there is one message that still remains etched into my frontal lobe after my month-long international sabbatical, it is this: clubbing is a universal language. Thumping beats, sweaty hands grasping half-filled flagons of ale being flung skyward without care, unfamiliar faces miming embarrassingly familiar lyrics; where the social DNA of cultural traits like food and art seem to diversify greatly depending on geography, the science of enjoying electronic music is much the same no matter where on our big blue planet you happen to be. I spent a lot of time in the United States, where electro-dancepop hybrids like Calvin Harris and David Guetta have paved the way for Aussie exports Will Sparks and The Stafford Brothers to inject a bit of down under joviality into the US clubbing scene. Both Sparks and the Staffords are returning to their homeland for the Momentum Festival, an under-18s event being held on Friday December 13 at UC Refectory. The festival, put together by Kicks Entertainment, is strictly drug and alcohol free, and tickets are available from Oztix.
pixelated jet-ski racing game. I’m assuming this is where bass producer Wave Racer gets his name from. Maybe you can ask him on Friday October 11 at Trinity Bar? The Aston Shuffle are celebrating the release of one of their most anticipated singles, Comfortable, on the very same night over at Academy. If you would like to get within touching distance of Vance’s facial hair, make sure you don’t miss this! I thought I might share a bunch of tunes that soundtracked my vacation – so grab your best noise-cancelling headphones and crank it all the way up to 11. Disclosure – When A Fire Starts To Burn [PMR] – Perfect for making embarrassing head wobbles in public places. Frank Ocean – Lost (Amine Edge & Dance Edit) – Great for walking like you are cool, especially if you aren’t. Bonus points for adding aforementioned head wobble. James Blake – Retrograde [ATLAS] – Bringing people watching and sombre intrinsic reflection together via synthesisers and creamy vocal excellence. Purple Disco Machine – My House [OFF Recordings] – Highway music 101. I challenge you not to drive to this song – even if you don’t own a car, one will find you. Daft Punk – Instant Crush (Lewis Lastella Edit) – My favourite guilty pleasure from Random Access Memories given just the right amount of punch. I still can’t figure out the lyrics but that doesn’t stop me mumbling along to every third word. TIM GALVIN - tim.galvin@live.com.au
I used to love playing Wave Race on the Nintendo 64. I spent months perfecting mid-air barrel rolls and cheeky backflips on the poorly
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producer Wave Rider has been building a rep, evidenced by his signing with taste-makers Future Classic and the break out success of his track Rock U Tonite. And Wave Rider will be playing his dreamy, dance floor-friendly beats at Trinity Bar on Friday October 11, headlining the official Student Race Day After-Party, which is free entry before 8pm. Burner Collective has released Burner Collective Volume 3, a four-track collection that showcases some of Canberra’s best local beatmakers, continuing to, slowly but surely, erase the myth that Canberra lacks a (proper) scene. Sure it’s growing, but this is part of it. Tracks by Vynal, Ben Colin, Ventures, and CreamCrops all show that there are some talented people who are making some topnotch, proper electronic music in Canberra, and none of the tracks really stand out – because honestly, they’re all pretty well made and enjoyable. Burner Collective Volume 3 is a hit.
The biggest local (well, -ish) event of the year for doofers is coming up – Dragon Dreaming Festival. It’ll feature four days (Fri–Mon October 25–28) of psytrance, downtempo, and everything in between – but still mainly psytrance. Even featuring perennial favourites such as Daheen and Terrafractyl, it’s as much about the wild experience as it is the wild music (like having to sleep in a car with the heaters on all night, bongs freezing solid, and much more besides). Tickets are still floating around, otherwise it’s $200 (steep!) on the door.
And speaking of local talent, Lotown, a new Canberra collective, just recently had their launch party and first public appearance. Consisting of residents Logan Zingus, Doppel, and Brenton K, they’re just getting started, but they all have the talent to make this into something bigger and cooler in their mission to ‘bring quality house and techno music to all’. If you’ve been to ANU Bar on a Thursday arvo sometime this year, then you probably would have heard these guys mixing up a storm with UniVibes and conjuring up an increasingly rare sight – people dancing at ANU Bar. These guys were also involved with and played at the Max Cooper after-party and Wormhole party earlier this year. Naturally, being young aspiring beatmakers, they’ve all got SoundClouds, and they’re worth listening through.
Trentemøller’s newest album Lost isn’t his best, and if I was into cracking shitty jokes I’d suggest the album title is appropriate.
You know you’ve done something right when you’re being called the new Flume (not like the old one is going anywhere), but Sydney
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Sure, his average is still better than most artists’ good – but the album is a step backward, the songs are more conventional, and they adhere more and more to a verse-chorus-verse-chorus structure, which is disappointing given he built his reputation on forwardthinking music. The collaborations with people like Sune Rose Wagner from Blonde Redhead result in some fun songs that would, say, make great montage music for a HBO television show – but it all feels directionless and exhibitionist. On the other hand – Darkside with Psychic, Machinedrum with Vapor City, and Mika Vainio with Kilo – all killed it with their recent LPs. DONG HYUN SUH
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METALISE We’ve enjoyed quite a few visits from Japanese bands in recent months, with Church of Misery and Palm tearing it up across the country. Next band from the land of the rising sun to hit Oz is five-piece Osaka berserkers, Cyberne. The band toured Australia in 2011 and are back with an extra drummer added to the line-up. There’s an element of Japanese noise lords Zeni Geva in their sound – maybe not quite as heavy as ZG (not many bands are) – but they’re something different, a bit challenging, and well worth a listen. Melbourne two-piece Dead toured with them in 2011, and they’re at it again this time around, having freshly recorded some new material with Toshi Kasai – who also recorded much of the recent
Melvins records, as well as Shrinebuilder and a number of other great bands. They’re heading our way on Sunday November 3 with our own musical terrorists Reverend Jessie Custer and Machina Genova, and will be playing the Magpies City Club from 5pm for about $15. Resist Records sent out a press release this week announcing the release date and supporting tour of locals I Exist and their third full-length album. Entitled From Darkness, it’s a sprawling genrebending 12-track record that will be released on CD and vinyl on Friday November 29, featuring amazing artwork by English artist Richey Becket. The band will embark on a quick five-city tour to support the launch, and Canberra’s show will be the day after launch, Saturday November 30, at the Magpies City Club in the city. Local supports will be announced closer to the date. The Basement in Belconnen has a busy fortnight of shows coming up with Signs & Symbols and Mercies End for $10 on Thursday October 10, and Mephistopheles, New Blood, Inhuman Remnants, and Infested Entrails goring it up on Friday October 11 for a mere $12. On Saturday October 12, The Basement’s long-serving soundman Kurt, and his company Metalworx, are putting on a shindig to raise money for a CD that will help support a bunch of local talent – so that is well worth a Saturday beverage or two. Monday October 14 features a big line-up headlined by Adept – aided and abetted by A Breach of Silence, Polaris, and Knives to the Throne. Friday October 18 has Beckon the Dead and Bound for Ruin with some local supports yet TBA. Saturday October 19 features the glorious expert covers of the The Big Four… ty Four – by DepriVation, Lilly Rouge, Time & Weight, and The Khalasar, which includes $4.44 beers ‘til 9pm. Don’t forget you can get your tickets to The Melvins and Helmet, with special guests, at ANU Bar for Thursday December 12. They’re available now through Ticketek. Hopefully there will be an announcement on the local support in the next couple of weeks, but the tickets are a very reasonable $76 for two all time awesome bands and NOT having to travel to Sydney to go and see them! JOSH NIXON doomtildeath@hotmail.com
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BUNKERING DOWN tatjana clancy It’s fair to say that the hipster phrase, ‘Hey, have you heard of that new cool underground music venue in Civic?’ is not often heard in these parts. Canberra local Richard Schiffer admits that even he didn’t know where the shiny future of the capital’s music scene was located.
I walk by it all the time and had no idea it was there – like most of us, I reckon
Schiffer’s referring to the Magpies City Club, which he says has fantastic acoustics disproportionate to its lo-fi street presence. ‘Someone had to tell me it was a couple of doors down from Gus’s; I walk by it all the time and had no idea it was there – like most of us, I reckon.’ Schiffer manages local band The Naddiks, who have played at the venue, and says that Magpies manager Aaron Bartlett shares his vision of turning the little-known space into a hub for local and touring artists via regular Saturday shows. CITY UNDERGROUND is a new ‘first Saturday of the month’ event aimed at promoting local artists and encouraging interstate acts via specific genre-based line-ups. The venue is no stranger to musical mayhem, with an established monthly punk festival already having taken advantage of this ‘dark secret’ for over a year. Punk festival co-organiser Scott Maine says the space is ideal for live music, with none of the usual pesky concerns over noise restrictions. ‘Once you’re down there you realise it’s like a bunker, bands come regularly from interstate as they enjoy the space so much,’ Maine says. The vibe is also a little different to your standard Canberra footy club atmosphere, with relaxed views on attire, tattoos, and piercings. Accompanied underage music fans can also hang out until 8pm, which allows a new generation of music lovers to enjoy anything from metal to straight edge. It all sounds pretty sweet, right? Schiffer also runs Band Express, a local Facebook-based hub that acts as a promotional tool and sounding board for emerging artists. He says one of the most consistent gripes he hears in the local scene for promoters and artists is audience size, with major acts often playing to a disappointingly small crowd. ‘In a line-up with three or more bands, one band can often bring the majority of the audience, who don’t always stay for the last act,’ says Schiffer. Another challenge is rival events, with both Schiffer and Maine admitting that whether it’s the recent election or competing festivals, an audience isn’t always guaranteed. ‘Our aim is to create an event bands create together, and then support each other by hanging out ‘til the last act.’ The inaugural City Underground event in August was promising, and the next one is slated for Saturday November 2. ‘We’re going to try and get the word out for the next six months and see how we go.’ So consider yourself worded up. The next City Underground is on Saturday November 2, from 7:30pm. So far Knights of the Spatchcock, The Khalasar, and The Naddiks are playing, with special guests TBA. Presale tickets via eventfinder.com.au.
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E X H I B I T I O N I S T ARTS | ACT
HERE IS A VOICE chiara grassia Are you a dab hand with the pen? A devourer of words? Or just scribble-curious? Only a mere two years old, Canberra writers collective SCISSORS PAPER PEN has quickly cemented its spot in the local literary scene. They’re carving out spaces and avenues for young writers’ voices to be heard, whether it’s through intimate workshops, public events, radio shows, blogs, or podcasts. ‘We believe we should be here to support developing and young writers under the age of 35,’ says SPP founder and lynchpin, Rosanna Stevens. ‘We believe we should be here to encourage a literary community in Canberra, and we also believe we should be here to give people positive experiences, particularly positive first experiences with literature and writing and creativity as an outlet in that regard – more as an outlet, not necessarily a professional pursuit. We are trying to cater for all the kinds of young writers that exist in the community, and say “here is a voice” – use it as a professional, or use it as something that you love, or as a way to find community.’ Behind SPP’s vision is a core crew of four dedicated individuals, who divvy up responsibilities into four distinct quarters. Along with Stevens, who deals with programming, workshops, and the bulk of the media, is Duncan Felton, curator of monthly meet-up Wordsmith and the recently launched zinethology, an assortment of nano-fiction sourced from local young writers. Adelaide Reif takes over the airwaves on Saturday afternoons at 3pm with SPP radio on 2XX FM, providing half an hour loaded with scene updates and interviews. Joining the gang earlier this year is Lucy Nelson, who runs The Same Page book club. Together they’ve rolled out their 2013 program, a stellar line-up of events happening from September right through to December, for Canberra to enjoy. A recent highlight for Stevens has been presenting Pep Talk: Writers and Editors Don’t Give Up, the first event in their Serious Series. This was an opportunity for 20 young local writers to hobnob with editors from Giramondo Publishing and Seizure Magazine. As Stevens explains, ‘It meant that people could actually sit down and meet people from the industry, who had come from Sydney, and talk to them about where their work needed to go or what it needs to take that next step – whether that next step be getting a short story published, or picking up a pen, or actually getting a book sent to a publisher.’ Other recent endeavors include hosting a workshop dedicated to educating school teachers on how to approach creative writing in the classroom, and holding a drop-in writing session as a part of Bloom Festival.
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Besides hosting workshops and gatherings, SPP regularly provide young writers with platforms for their writing to be reached. One new venture for SPP is their blog residency, where ‘we basically give a young writer the blog, and they go to town with whatever nonfiction production they want to put together.’ Payment is provided in feedback and a weekly coffee. First resident scrawler is 17-year-old Joanna Pope, who published her first piece, about local punk band Beach Slut, on the blog. The residency is open to any young local writer, with the next spot up for grabs in November. Winding up the year will be a Christmas radio special, hosted by Reif, and the final SPP event of the year, Confessions of a Teenage Diary, at Gorman House on Friday December 6. ‘It’ll be a collection of Canberra’s media personalities and politicians getting up on stage and reading excerpts from their cringey teenage diaries,’ says Stevens. ‘SPP is as much about creating great content as it is getting people to sit down and listen, and appreciate how writing can highlight the way that we all are, give insights into the human condition, and inspire us all to write and relate to one another in a really friendly way.’ And just whose teenage selves will be exposed? Stevens keeps quiet, but does reveal that Melanie Tait, of ABC radio’s Now Hear This, will be hitting the stage, crumpled diary in hand. Shutting down for the summer, SPP will be gearing up for 2014, with no shortage of ideas. ‘We are hoping to run a Pozible campaign at the end of the summer to get together some funding to help SPP gradually expand,’ mentions Stevens. ‘We want it to expand sustainably, and in a way that means our writers are getting paid and that our events are still free. We understand that young people don’t have a lot of money, and we want them to be able to have professional development opportunities without having to worry about forking out a few hundred dollars to get the kinds of tuitions we think they deserve.’ Future plans include working with a variety of venues and other creative collectives, and geographically expanding their reach throughout the capital. ‘It’s very much about creating that community, and creating it in a way that hasn’t been done before. We have a real opportunity here to build something from the ground up, and build it in a way that works and is full of the great heart that Canberra has – particularly in the creative scene.’ Scissors Paper Pen have a huge number of events happening over the next couple of months. To find out more, visit scissorspaperpen.wordpress.com and get involved with their 2013 program.
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themed ‘a kinder shade of green’ – and no, it’s not all about kale and quinoa. Living Green is about linking environmental sustainability, animal welfare, and climate action into one huge day. This year, the festival incorporates live music from local bands including Pocket Fox, Coda Conduct, and PJ Junior & the Soul Pimps; talks covering sustainability, animal sanctuaries, green living, and activism; kids activities including Base Zero’s nine-metre rock climbing wall, along with yoga demos, storytelling, and face painting; and over 75 market stalls showcasing vegan food, not-for-profit orgs, and cruelty free products. It’s pretty huge for a one-day festival, and even better – it’s all free!
IT’S EASY BEING GREEN zoya patel Hitting Albert Hall on Sunday October 13 is Canberra’s only vegan festival – LIVING GREEN. Running for its third year, the festival is
Festival Manager Jess Ferry thinks Canberra is the perfect place for a vegan festival. ‘Canberra has a very switched-on population that already cares about the environment and many social issues, so why not show people how they care about all those things while caring about animals too?’ The festival isn’t about pushing veganism in your face, though – Ferry points out that non-vegans can enjoy Living Green and not have to leave converted to the cause. ‘One of the main aims of the festival is to showcase how easy (and delicious!) it is to be compassionate and sustainable, so the Living Green Festival is the perfect place for non-vegans to go,’ she says. ‘The festival is a great place to ask all those questions you’ve ever wondered about veganism, or it’s just a great place to come along, grab something to eat, and chill out on a Sunday.’ Clearly, Living Green is onto something, if increases in the festival’s attendance and size over the last several years are anything to go by. In its first year, the festival had 40 or so markets stalls and 2000 attendees, growing last year to over 65 stalls and over 3000 people attending. This year is already set to be bigger, proving that there’s definitely a keen audience in Canberra for sustainable events. And if you feel a bit iffy about vegan food, Living Green might be the best place to quash those fears once and for all. According to Ferry, there’s going to be a huge range of food on offer, from Salvadorean and Malaysian to Indian and Ethiopian – not to mention four different vegan bakeries. ‘This year the festival well and truly answers the question – what do vegans eat? In true Canberra style, even a vegan festival has to be multicultural when it comes to food,’ Ferry says. Is there a better way to spend a spring Sunday in Canberra than surrounded by great music, eating delicious food? Who knows, maybe you will emerge a convert. Living Green Festival is on Sunday October 13, 10–4pm at Albert Hall. It’s free entry. Check out livinggreenfestival.org.au for more info.
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A GAME OF PASSION sinead o’connell Having a decade of experience behind him, director of Star Wars Burlesque (and many others), Russall Beattie, is gracing Canberra again this year with his dance troupe The Jaded Vanities for an absolute dream spectacle – GAME OF THRONES BURLESQUE. ‘There are two different ways of doing burlesque,’ Beattie says. ‘There’s accommodating the source material and the sort of worlds it entails into the show, or there is working the show into the source material, and that’s what I do. For me, the source material comes first and burlesque comes second.’ Beattie not only has the expertise up his sleeve to pull off a show like this – he also has an incredible amount of passion that has been applied to this project. ‘Insofar as what we bring being different from the novels and everything, we’re still going to parody the characters and take things to the extreme – but Game of Thrones already has so much violence and sex in it, we have to take this further than we have with any other show.’ He hopes to relive this love for not only burlesque but Game of Thrones with the audience, leaving no doubt in anyone’s mind that the production was well worth the wait and well worth the alteration in medium. ‘You just want people to love it,’ Beattie says. ‘You go in there knowing what you’re going to get, but you also don’t quite know what you’re going to get. Like people know Game of Thrones and they know burlesque, but we do things a little bit differently. We pride ourselves on this. There’s many different types of burlesque, like bands and music, and we just want that good will to carry on, and for people to say, “yeah, they’re doing it justice and the source material justice.” ’ He continues with some insight into the technicalities of the show. ‘I really wanted to do live music, but that was something my budget didn’t allow,’ he laughs. ‘Just so it all still feels like it’s part of that world – music that lends itself to telling the story. We’re still trying to tell it through traditional theatrical means as well, and the music will be part of that.’ Despite having a ‘base team’ to help build and create, it comes down to Beattie and how he sees the narrative unfold on stage. ‘If it doesn’t make sense for a character to do something, then I can’t come up with an act for it – it all comes from the characters’ motivation. It’s a very wanky way to look at it I suppose, but if you look at any great storytelling out there it all comes from great characters.’ I like to think of Beattie being the great character in this story, whereby his motivation and his proceeding ‘act’ indeed make a tremendous amount of sense. Prepare for the Game of Thrones Burlesque show at The Playhouse, Fri–Sat October 25–26. Tickets are $53.50 + bf at canberratheatrecentre.com.au.
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I’m not a hater, but do you know the kind of people I hate? Don’t judge me for this – Nazi sympathisers. I don’t know, maybe it’s just me. I was at a bar talking to a woman I’d known not five minutes. David Oldfield of One Nation infamy had that day said something mature, like they should round up everyone with red hair and glasses and make them play a game of musical chairs where the person left standing up has to eat lava, something standard like that. I thought that was a fairly irresponsible thing for someone considered to be a community leader to say. ‘What a crock-pot of lush wet dog shit,’ my date said. I took from this outburst that she disagreed, and that she was sloshed. Her eyes were falling out of her head and her wiry hair looked like she’d just had electro-shock treatment. She held a half-full glass of bourbonand-class in front of her for balance, which sloshed precariously like a fishbowl on a sea-captain’s desk. God, she was attractive. ‘People have the right to make up their own minds and no one person can cause no harm by shooting their mouth off on the fuckin’ wireless,’ she said. The thing is, people are autonomous creatures while also being instinctively herd-like. We have the capacity for individual thought and idea, but many people are also lazy and dumb. Sadly, a very large group of the population prefer to watch Minute To Win It and pretty much just do what society (Today Tonight) tells them to do outside that. So I told this woman that it was dangerous to society to let people whose views are so inflammatory speak publicly to a large audience. It could very well induce hatred or violence. This is not a matter of retarding someone’s freedom of speech – it’s preventing idiotic people from infecting other idiots with their idiotness. ‘Shit.’ She spat. As in, she actually spat saliva onto my face. ‘Never, ever happened – ever before.’ ‘What about Hitler?’ I said. Perhaps I should have thought of someone else a little bit more contemporary before I played the ‘Adolf card’. But I didn’t. I contended that, surely, his views were inflammatory and caused a great deal of people to feel hatred for another very specific group of people, and consequently make them become pretty dead. ‘Is David Oldfield Adolf Hitler? No, but he’s closer to Hitler than he is to John Lennon,’ I said. A valid point well made, I felt. The sexy biscuit started screeching at me like someone had got into her Datsun Sunny glovebox and stolen her ‘meff-a-done’. ‘Who are you to talk to me about Hitler?’ (This was a strange question because I had no idea who I was to talk to her about Hitler.) She actually tried to argue that Hitler was trying to fix the German economy after World War I. I’m sure he was – by invading every other country! That’s not good economics, that’s just being the world’s biggest school-yard bully. It turns out that Russia was that fat kid off A Current Affair who body-slammed the (presumably Nazi) bully kid with a rat’s tail. The Hitler moustache is the 1930s version of the schoolyard rat’s tail – fact. She told me I should go away and read about him and then come back and talk to her. I said I would, and asked when I came back would she be handing out Nazi Party membership forms. ‘Could at least borrow your copy of Mein Kampf, unless the cover’s falling off?’ She said she had read Mein Kampf, I said I’m sure she had. She asked me if I was calling her a Nazi. I said I thought I’d made it clear that I was. She smashed a glass. Other than that she was very nice, but I think I’ll get off RSVP.com.
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GREG KIMBALL - Canberra comedian; universal fool; former RAW Comedy Canberra heat winner; and has performed to sell-out shows in the Melbourne International Comedy Festival for three years. Greg’s performing in first headline show, ‘Man Baby’, at Civic Pub, Braddon, on Friday October 18. Tix through comedyact.com.au.
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corporations are doing is controversial, but somebody telling a bad joke is not controversial – it’s just a bad joke.’ About his upcoming Australian tour, Tiernan says he feels lucky. ‘I’m kind of in a slightly privileged position in that I go out to Australia once every two years or so, but because I’m Irish and there are so many Irish out there, I’ve got a great sort of base layer of support … and Australia is such a great place to go to. I think the quality of life you have over there is phenomenal. I know you get sad, destructive people over there, but generally speaking the quality of life just kind of cheers everybody up. There’s happy air.’
DONKEYS, BAD JOKES, AND HAPPY AIR ian McCARTHY We all love laughing at Irishmen. They’re drunk, they’re temperamental, and they talk funny. TOMMY TIERNAN, however, is one Irishman to laugh with. He has been a highly successful comedian for over a decade, and two years after his last sold-out Australian tour, he’s returning to our shores.
The flight from Ireland to Australia is a long one though, and we ask how Tommy might spend his. ‘On a 24-hour flight I end up shouting at the television,’ Tiernan laughs. ‘You know, you start off looking forward to those movies and then 20 minutes later the plane is full of people going “Ah, for God’s sake! This is bullshit!” So I end up just getting irritated at the state of Hollywood for 24 hours.’ Tommy Tiernan will be performing his Stray Sod show at the Canberra Theatre on Monday October 21 at 8pm. Tickets are $69.90 + bf, from canberratheatrecentre.com.au.
Tiernan has been in the comedy game for a long time, and seems to hardly ever take breaks from performing. ‘In order to keep things fresh I think you have to keep volunteering for new experiences,’ Tiernan says. ‘And I think that hopefully they feed their way into the stories which are being used for the show. Also, for what I do it’s really important to daydream … just keep imagining stuff, really. That’s the key to it.’ When it comes to common themes in his show, Tiernan works in disparities. ‘I usually end up talking about kind of the difference between the ideal and the realistic,’ he says. ‘But this show is a lot about Irishness and about culture. But as well as that sort of stuff there’s also stupid, silly parts of the show that are about Elvis, or women, or children, or donkeys. It’s also important to be stupid.’ Tiernan has been the subject of some controversy around the UK surrounding some of his jokes. However, he does not believe his shows are controversial. ‘I don’t know that what [comedians] do is controversial. I think it’s just an easy story for the bored, hungry journalist … I think you can look at different parts of the world and think what governments there are doing is controversial, or what some
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UNINHIBITED The cover story of this journal’s previous issue detailed the Canberra Punk and Beyond exhibition and book. I hope you’ve checked the story, the show, and said book. If you’ve not, I’ll give you a few minutes. Done? Good, isn’t it? Good on so many levels. We love old photographs of the city. And we love seeing punks hanging out in the chess pit, looking exactly as they do now – except the year was 1979, and some of those punks may well be your parents now. There’s a nice line of continuity. Canberra Punk and Beyond is of extreme interest to me, because this little tale of organic interest rising up and birthing a vast, comprehensive, and very fine book, is many things wrapped in a rad package; it’s about how cultural movements operate, how they intersect with places, and how individuals and groups claim a little historical space. The book in particular is a firm statement that says, ‘We were here, we were important too, and most of us are still here.’ It’s a tale of little victories. What I love most of all about the exhibition is the wall of photographs, where Canberra bands like Guthega Pipeline and Young Docteurs are presented, in action, alongside The Fall, The Cure, Madness, The Birthday Party, and holy shit – The Ramones (playing Hellenic Club. That’s The Ramones. Sorry, but Cloud Control playing Transit doesn’t quite match up). Canberra’s punk bands never made the noise that their overseas compatriots did. Obviously. But the book and the show place them on the same stage, and the locals do not suffer by comparison. In short, what this story has done has indicated that in every city at every time, art is being made. Most of it is terrible. Some of it is great. And sometimes, people break through and get famous – but most often, they don’t. This isn’t a reflection on the quality. It’s because getting known is an incredibly complicated process of magic and management. I’m not saying that Young Docteurs should have been bigger than The Ramones. What I am saying is that the CP&B tale is right to reflect what was happening, and focus on the local work which went on at a time when the overseas touring schedule did not forget our city. Like now, there was a scene here. It was brash, loud, self-made, and fascinating. The exhibition features a video wall playing clips from the day. When I visited, for the first few moments, the tune sounded like The MC5. I cleaned my glasses and looked close at the scratchy vision. It was Young Docteurs smashing a song that could’ve been a hit. Could’ve been, but wasn’t. And yet, several years down the line, in a small room, this quality tune is being broadcast loudly. Well done to all of these punks for not letting their story lie, for not growing up, and for not getting boring. They grew up and stayed punk. GLEN MARTIN glenpetermartin@gmail.com
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ARTISTPROFILE: David Kim
What do you do? I’m an abstract artist. My work comes from an unconscious and intuitive part of myself. I describe my paintings as ‘pure abstraction’, and invite viewers to interpret them as an expression of something absolute, or perhaps a catalyst to initiate spiritual renewal. I take an automatic approach to the process of making, and experiment with the visual language of form, colour, and line, to create energetic abstract works. When, how and why did you get into it? I always wanted to be an artist. When I was a little boy I liked drawing and always received compliments on my art. I was lucky that my parents were very encouraging and supportive. I was actively involved in art societies during school, and since I graduated from uni with a masters, I’m still continuing my journey as an artist. Who or what influences you as an artist? I still cannot forget the day, when in high school, I saw Monet’s artworks at The National Gallery of Seoul. I was amazed by his impressionistic artworks and their extraordinary harmony of colours. Since then, during my time at uni, I mostly worked on impressionism. After graduating, it kind of continued, but since I got interested with the expression of one’s inner world, I naturally got into pure abstraction. Among abstract artists, Willem de Kooning’s works particularly inspire me.
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Of what are you proudest so far? In 1992, I was nominated as a representative of Korea to exhibit work in Paris with artists from other countries. I was also nominated as Influential Contemporary Artist of the ‘90s in Asia, which was published in Japan. What are your plans for the future? My plans are to keep practising art! My personal interest is to further research into the ‘expression of one’s inner world’, and to explore this in my artworks. I’m also looking forward to my very first solo exhibition in Australia, which will be held in two weeks. What makes you laugh? It’s such a big laugh for me when my two grown up daughters give me pocket money. What pisses you off? When my artwork doesn’t turn out as I want. What about the local scene would you change? I think Canberra is a beautiful city, and has wonderful local scenes created by many passionate artists – and I’m glad to be a part of them! If I were to change anything, it’d maybe be more affordable exhibition spaces. Upcoming exhibitions? Created From Ego, my very first solo exhibition in Australia, will be at the ANCA Gallery from Wed–Sun October 16–27. The opening event is from 6–8pm, and everyone is welcome to attend. I have another exhibition coming up early next year too, with wonderful artists Brian Hincksman and David Keany, at M16 Artspace from Thu Feb 13–Sun Mar 2. Contact Info: dongwon.art@gmail.com; artistdavidkim.wix. com/abstract.
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LITERATURE IN REVIEW Shaman Kim Stanley Robinson [Orbit; 2013]
Life in the Palaeolithic era is brutally hard for the Wolf Clan. Every summer is a scramble to find and store enough food to get the pack through the winter; every spring is a tense wait to see if the migratory birds and caribou will return before they finish eking out what’s left and starve. Loon is the clan’s next shaman, responsible for learning and remembering the stories that matter, healing the sick, and speaking with spirits – but he dreams of other things: a wife, the steady life of a hunter. While a novel about prehistoric humans might seem an odd choice for Robinson, a speculative fiction author of some renown, his approach to the subject matter is comprehensively researched and utterly compelling. He uses the alien nature of a huntergatherer society – with no cultivated crops, no domesticated animals, no permanent dwellings – to demonstrate the real humanity of his characters. Loon is sulky and cheeky towards his master and has poor luck with the ladies; Thorn, the shaman, is irascible and bad-tempered, but risks everything to save his apprentice. Elga, the foreign girl Loon falls in love with, is a quiet, fierce presence in the story, careful and thoughtful and brave; her involvement in the politics of the women of the clan entirely escapes Loon’s notice until the very end. Shaman is a sprawling, rambling doorstop of a thing – 400 pages and then some. The plot, such as it is, takes a backseat to the lush, textured prose, the gritty details of day-to-day life, and the strange hardships and tiny familiar joys of the little clan. It’s clear that Robinson’s intent was less to tell a thrilling story than to paint a vivid picture, and at that he certainly succeeds. Though his use of language is limited by the point-of-view, it’s nevertheless an extraordinarily wordy piece of work – rhythmic and compellingly detailed considering the strangeness of the substance. The reader gets a close-up look at the desperate struggle to start a fire in a storm, to steal the haunch of a deer from a lazy lion before the ravens get it, to get clothed and sheltered before the snows come. But there are also the lovely things: story-telling and sex and dancing and the day when the caribou come and everybody eats as much as they like. It’s certainly not a novel for a single afternoon, and it’s not one to read if you’re looking for a no-holdsbarred thrill ride. But Shaman is an expansive and thoughtful book, and one to lose yourself in. emma grist
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LITERATURE IN REVIEW Doomed Chuck Palahniuk [Random House; 2013]
The man who penned the mighty Fight Club is back, and for the first time in his career has delivered a serial concerning the plight of overweight, supercilious after-lifer Madison Spencer. After traversing the brutal oddities of Hell in Damned, Madison now wanders Earth as a spirit, seeking her do-gooding celebrity parents, unwittingly creating a foul religion, fighting a script-savvy Satan, and ultimately finding herself on a glimmering plastic continent in the Pacific. Like you do. This is not Palahniuk’s best book. But it certainly isn’t bad. Told primarily in blog posts, Doomed comes charging out of the blocks with a visceral opening chapter, and the story skips excitingly along to the introduction of Mr K, a ghost hunter who can cross the astral plains by overdosing on ketamine. At this point it is everything that makes Palahniuk great; Raymond Chandler-like plot pace, big ideas, and insightful social criticism. Soon after, it slows. A crucial plot point involving Madison’s summer stay with her grandparents takes a long time to tell and grinds the pace. I found myself bothered by aspects as the pages turned. I recognise it as a device, but why did each chapter start with ‘Dear Gentle Tweeter’ for blog posts? If everyone is welcoming death so keenly, why the urge to be resuscitated? And if a phone call from hell could set such chaos in motion, why hasn’t it happened more often? It sometimes seem Palahniuk breaks his created universe’s rules for convenience’s sake.
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But this shouldn’t detract from the fact that Palahniuk’s playful cynicism and challenging ideas are on display loud and proud. To whit, Madison runs into the ghost of her grandmother on a fag break because you’re not allowed to smoke in heaven; Darwin’s The Voyage of the Beagle is described as ‘akin to watching five years’ worth of vacation snaps, shown by an Asperger’s sufferer compelled to narrate incessantly; and knowing her diary is read by her parents, Madison baitingly writes, ‘Dear Diary, what a hangover! Please remind me to never mainline stale hyena urine with a dirty needle ever again! I was awake all night, standing over my sleeping parents with a Wusthof butcher knife …’ There’s no doubt Palahniuk is a skilled writer with big ideas and the boldness to pull them off. But in the end your enjoyment of this book depends largely on two things: whether you like and believe the voice of Madison – a fiercely intelligent yet sexually naive protagonist that could easily be Palahniuk – and if you can go with the grandiose nature of the plot. Ultimately, though, there are enough good ideas and good writing to warrant a read. allan sko
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IN REVIEW
Shrine Canberra Theatre Centre Thu–Sun September 26–29 Marking his third collaboration with Black Swan State Theatre Company, Tim Winton’s Shrine commendably experiments with dramaturgical form, utilising direct address to overlap the memories and perspectives of characters to tell the story in a richly layered way. Winton’s employ of clichés in his characterisation, and an uncomfortable romanticisation of class disparity, however, let down the more inspired elements of the play, reducing it at times to an entirely too-familiar affair. The narrative centres on the fallout surrounding the death of an affluent young man, Jack Mansfield (Paul Ashcroft), in a car accident. A year on and Jack’s father, Adam (John Howard), has become a recluse, spending his days consuming the wine in the cellar of his beach house and destroying the shrine erected at the site of his son’s death. To Adam, the shrine is a ‘roadside travesty’; decorated with crude paraphernalia, its vulgar attempt to speak for Jack’s life is every bit as dishonourable as the manner of his self-inflicted death. Winton masterfully deconstructs grief’s sanctioned expressions along class lines. Despite his own excessive drinking, Adam defiantly believes his unimposing and private consumption of fine wine is acceptable where the bourbon-laden shrine is not. Local country girl, June Fenton (Whitney Richards), who dutifully rebuilds Jack’s shrine each time Adam tears it down, sneaks onto his beach property to demand he stop destroying it. When a bond forms between the two, she opens up about the night before his death. Her evocative recollection is a highlight of the play – a transporting and stunningly beautiful piece of stagecraft.
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The rawness of Shrine is brilliantly realised in the set design: a deconstructed sedan, including bonnet, crashed into a massive tree trunk forms the foreground, whilst the background is subtly sloped to resemble an ocean wave, two disconnected pieces with a moveable top half used to remarkable effect during June’s story. An especially notable performance is given by Sarah McNeill as Jack’s mother, Mary, who magnificently projects poise and immeasurable grief. John Howard also revels in his role as Adam, delivering Winton’s prose with the unaffected gravitas it deserves. June’s ability to cut through Adam’s upper class privilege, as granted by her naïve existence as poor country girl, is an uncomfortably familiar trope employed throughout the play. With Winton’s understanding of people and place, his harrowing exploration of grief is what truly imbues the play with power, rather than its clichéd social commentary. Director Kate Cherry’s emphasis on seamless transitions and simplicity in the mise-en-scene does much to soften Winton’s obtrusive observations. Ultimately, an inspired notion to explore roadside shrines disappointingly strays too often onto the beaten track, but given that this is a track beaten by Tim Winton, it is not one that many will mind walking again. alice McSHANE
Image credit: Gary Marsh Photography
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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 it, the letter ‘i’ has now been adopted as shorthand for ‘cutting edge’, ‘technologically superior’, or ‘buy this instead of something lacking the crucial engagement of the letter ‘i’.’
As our political overlords all too frequently remind us, one simply cannot mask the presence of deflating normalcy with the employment of a largely trite prefix. Amending the fictitious Mr John Smith MP’s title so that it reads ‘The Honourable Mr John Smith MP’ will enhance Mr Smith’s honour and competence no more than the employment of the phrase ‘inconceivably delicious’ before ‘Woolworths Homebrand Chocolate Cake’ will go any way to augmenting the cake’s ability to gratify. The chocolate cake shall remain insipidly uninspiring despite the cunning inclusion of devious and unwarranted adjectives. They do nothing to mask the commonplace nature of the ingredients used, nor the labour employed. Some ineptness cannot be camouflaged, such is its depth. I am put in mind of Mrs Bodlington, who worked below stairs and was sometimes employed in the preparation of foodstuffs. While game, unfortunately for Mrs Bodlington, she was not only both shortsighted and boss-eyed, but also in possession of a face so geometric, so brimming with angles, that she could prove ready aid when used to navigate the high seas in tandem with the night sky.
Letting slide the abominable grammatical slovenliness, though it chafes like wire mesh underpants to do so, it is obvious that the letter ‘i’ has now been adopted by Goebbels’ school of communication, whereby saying something makes it so. That is demonstrably not the case. A few examples: ‘The establishment of the League of Nations was sound foreign policy.’ ‘Give the underclass opportunity in positions of power and they will prove their worth.’ ‘Mr Ashley Thomson is both approachable and fragrant.’ Despite the above theorems now existing in print, their mere appearance in this glorified chamber pot wipe cannot reverse the inevitably cataclysmic repercussions of their hasty adoption. I pray that you advocates of the pretentious use of the letter ‘i’ may one day cry ‘aye!’ when you spy the world through the grammatically sound prism of mine own eyes. gideon foxington-smythe
All of these unfortunate impediments inevitably conspired in disaster when enjoined in the application of the simplest recipe. Only the Roman Empire could compete with the calamitous fall of Mrs Bodlington’s soufflés; the softness of her soda bread sufficiently hard to separate an unwanted intruder from his consciousness. But I digress. It is often the case that the frequency with which a superfluous prefix is engaged is in direct correlation with its redundancy. I believe it was everyone’s favourite chinless wonder and infanticide advocate Dr Josef Goebbels who said, ‘if you repeat a lie often enough, people will believe it’, and it was while enjoying the vibrant colours and wholesome fun of your Floriade festival (a government-funded event itself notably lacking in national socialist fervour) where I was struck by the most frequent and yet redundant employment of the superfluous prefix, remarkable for its brevity. As I am to understand
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bit PARTS HATE FUCK WHAT: Art exhibition WHEN: Tue–Sat Oct 1–19 WHERE: Megalo Print Studio and Gallery
Dean Butters; 2013.
Hate Fuck is an exhibition from emerging Canberra artist Dean Butters, and features large-scale acrylic works on plywood. Using painting, collage, and screen printing techniques, Butters explores the collision of these artistic styles while bringing in themes of advertising and storytelling. By collaging newspaper articles, he’s created an archive of a certain time period. He also explores violence and the printing process, the creation of mood, and sex as a commodity. Featuring two self-portraits, it’s an exhibition that explores the self and the way we examine life. 9:30am–5pm, Tue–Sat. PATHS THROUGH THE FOREST WHAT: Art exhibition WHEN: Wed–Sun Oct 2–20 WHERE: M16 Artspace
Julie Bradley; 2013.
Three artists have created an expansive and beautiful forest from their own minds, and it’s now on display for you to explore. Julie Bradley, Ann McMahon, and Teri Wagner have taken inspiration from myths, legends, and history, and put together mixed media works in both 2D and 3D – all related to the theme of storytelling. Bradley visits the idea of transformation and the connection between people and the natural world. McMahon has created structures and explored the concept of a personal framework, and Wagner has introduced motifs from alchemy and the cult of saints in the Catholic Church. 12pm–5pm, Wed–Sun. THE THEATRE OF DARKNESS WHAT: Mondayitis Cabaret WHEN: Mon Oct 14 WHERE: The Abbey Mondayitis Cabaret are bringing out the spooks and ghouls for their Halloween work, The Theatre of Darkness, this October. With the host for the evening ‘The Rector’, you can expect to see Rusty Blaze, Peppa Mint, and Seker Pare make appearances as they entertain and enthral you throughout the evening. Mondayitis Cabaret is raising money for the ACT Domestic Violence Crisis Service. All funds raised go to the YPOP program, which is an early intervention program for children and families who have escaped domestic violence. 6:30pm. Tickets are $10 + bf through eventopia.co, or $15 on the door. THE PLACE OF INFESTED ROADS WHAT: Book launch WHEN: Wed Oct 23 WHERE: The Phoenix Bar ACT writer and poet Andrew Galan will be launching his first poetry book, The Place of Infested Roads, this month. Published by Knives Forks and Spoons Press, the book takes work that has been published, as well as unpublished pieces, and puts it together in one special package. Since he co-founded poetry slam BAD!SLAM!NO!BISCUIT! and worked on the Australian Poetry Slam, Galan has performed worldwide. The launch will have some of Canberra’s best writers and performers interpreting selections from the book, with Babyfreeze bringing the luchador masks, and Bacon Cakes DJs the dancing. 7:30pm.
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the word
on albums
album of the issue king gizzard and the lizard wizard Float Along – Fill Your Lungs [Flightless/dot dash] The substance of Melbourne septet King Gizzard and the Wizard Lizard’s back-catalogue is rooted in what the group themselves describe simply and aptly as ‘surf psych punk someshit’. In their short lifespan, the group has spent their time laying down tomes of hazy psychedelic rock. Their recording process is self-statedly amicable, organic, and collaborative. Their shaggy, casual outlook, however, is paired and inevitably juxtaposed with the prolific nature of their recording schedule: Float Along – Fill Your Lungs is their third album release in just under 12 months. King Gizzard still dwells in sheds and homemade studios, self-recording on a mix of gear accumulated over the years and maintaining the unpolished garage fuzz of previous albums. However, while it is counter-intuitive to call their latest effort more mature or refined, the work ethic funnelled into Float Along has certainly resulted in a sound that is larger, more expansive, and even more eclectic than before. The ethos and sonic range displayed throughout Float Along is all exceedingly well-encapsulated within the epic 16-minute album opener, Head On/Pill. At the outset, the sharp, echoed twang of a single, hazily distorted riff hints strongly at the huge soundscape to follow. The track is steeped in echoes of
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sonic nostalgia. It feels like classic rock upended and played eyesshut to the skies: big, lumbering Black Sabbath riffs thrashed out in an open field, skirted by the strange but welcome pluck of a sitar. Then, a few minutes in, the track takes a nimble 90-degree turn – doubling the pace, the sonic energy is compressed and funnelled into a supercharged stream of flurried drumrolls, vortexes of washy guitar filtered through a shimmering, kaleidoscopic mirror-maze of effects. The switch is seamless, and the pace maintained for the remainder of the track, while the depth and layering of frenzied instrumentation alternately charges and wanes. The balance and cohesion is maintained immaculately throughout: an expert feat for a track of this length, and an effort that is strongly indicative of the talent behind the sound. Coming in second last, the titular track is a continuation and expansion of the sound set on Head On/Pill, carrying a typical jangly, distorted lead guitar riff alongside a low, rolling guitar that harks back to the rustic and wide-open sound found on their recent ‘spaghetti western audio-book’ concept effort, Eyes Like The Sky. Again, the pacing is weighted perfectly alongside spacey and kaleidoscopic effects. Comparisons to sun-drenched psychedelia via Tame Impala and Pond are sure to follow – but where Impala sharpens and magnifies the resolution to disorient, Gizzard languidly shapes and warps, treating its musical freak-out sessions with a coarser hand. In between lie a set of tracks that are strong, the band easily stretching their seasoned eclecticism to embrace catchy, fuzzy, rollicking blues rock through I’m Not A Man Unless I Have A Woman; big, energetic, roomfilling rock through God Is Calling Me Back Home; and touching on immersive shoegaze textures with the endless reverb of 30 Past 7.
chvrches the bones of what you believe [Goodbye/Liberator] At this point in time, it seems slightly surreal to realise that Scottish synth-pop trio CHVRCHES only released their first track online in May last year – such is the level of hype that’s built up around them. This is especially true during a week where the band seem almost omnipresent on the internet due to frontwoman Lauren Mayberry’s response to inappropriate sexism from ‘fans’, and (more happily) a recent sold-out Australian tour. Thankfully, this highly anticipated debut album, The Bones of What You Believe, manages to back up the attendant hype with some real substance, offering up a strong collection of songs that grow with repeated listening, rather than really hitting you in the face all at once. While tracks such as opener The Mother We Share and Gun at first offer up deceptively straightforward synth-pop, there are dark edges lurking almost everywhere below the surface – whether in the form of Mayberry’s chorus hook (‘I’ll be the thorn in your side/ ‘til you die’), or the harsh abrasive textures that counterpoint the bright electronics. There are certainly similarities here with the likes of The Knife, in the sense of an almost ‘itchy’ contrast between dark and light being generated (see in particular the interplay between Mayberry’s vocals and Iain Cook’s backing harmonies).
There is a temptation to deem the album a cracking success by the end of the first track. But ultimately, the album stands as a testament to a band that is content to amplify their sound, while sticking firmly within their known talents. Float Along – Fill Your Lungs is the sound of a band hitting their straps with steam to spare.
Most of all, the 12 tracks collected here manage to offer up deceptively sweet yet barbed pop, that wanders through everything from cheesy hi-energy dance to dark-hued EBM (see the gothy Science/ Visions) whilst maintaining a detached viewpoint that often feels more informed by indie than a dance insider’s perspective. It’s exactly these ‘wrong’ edges that make this album great.
DAVID SMITH
chris downton
@bmamag
laura veirs warp and weft [bella union]
davey lane the good borne of bad tymes [Field Recordings]
rush vapor trails remixed [Atlantic]
Leaving behind her punk roots in all-girl band Rair Kx!, Laura Veirs from Portland, Oregon, began her solo career in 1999 with a self-titled live album featuring just herself and her guitar. Eight LPs later, Warp and Weft shows that she’s far more than the folk artist title with which she’s casually tagged.
Davey Lane is an enigma wrapped in a riddle.
In 2002, after a five year absence, Rush returned to the studio. Drummer Neil Peart had recently lost his wife and daughter, and the band was close to finished. So the ‘return’ album was always intended to be a statement: loud, aggressive, and personal.
There are many standout tracks, with a pleasing mix of diverse features between them. The opener, Sun Song, carries an unusual blend of sweet melodies with fuzzy guitar. There’s an occasional rough edge to prevent it getting too saccharine. The indie-pop America, with its tangy guitar, has a beginning a lot like Pollyanna’s 16 and Counting. Finster Saw the Angels includes a long, alt-country jam, and That Alice is a real rocker, channelling a little Silversun Pickups vibe and with loads of wah-wah pedal. White Cherry uses its random saxophone and bubbling electronic effects to fly the experimental flag, conveying a surprising array of sounds. The beautiful Shape Shifter, a real heart warmer, is a cat’s cradle combination of a fragile vocal intertwined with a sweet, melancholic melody. There’s fun in the clockwork fantasy instrumental Ikaria and the playful Say Darlin’ Say, with its choppy tune and locomotive noises. Laura’s husband Tucker Martine produces her albums and plays many instruments on them too. For Warp and Weft, Laura also engaged support from Neko Case, Jim James from My Morning Jacket, and members of The Decemberists. This LP delivers a rich, genre-crossing smorgasbord of material that is both unconventional and beguiling. Back in the US, the CD comes with origami paper and Laura donates cash to an anti-gun cause for each picture of a completed paper crane and its maker uploaded to her Facebook page.
Best known as the prodigy who joined You Am I as their second guitarist in 1999 after writing all their guitar tabs, Lane has flirted with success in his own right for a while now with his other band, The Pictures. The Good Borne of Bad Tymes represents Lane’s first solo EP. What we find here is psychedelic rock and roll blended with, dare I say it, dance-pop. For a man whose other recording projects are so intertwined with classic rock and roll, this is a swerve, to say the least. It’s a bold move, and I’m not sure he quite pulls it off. There are high moments here, but they are often overwhelmed by the bad aftertaste of overproduction. Don’t get me wrong, there are definite highlights, most prominently first track You’re The Cops, I’m The Crime, which is built to be played on radio often and repeatedly. Lane is a good songwriter, but this EP seems to try to hide that at times. There are psychedelic flashes through the EP, but they’re often punctuated by a mishmash of genres (also called ‘Jet-itis’).
Unfortunately it was way too loud – barely listenable, in fact. A victim of the ‘loudness wars’, Vapor Trails was as good as disowned by the band and totally lambasted by fans. Word is, singer Geddy Lee supervised the mastering but approved the final cut under duress. Then Dave Bottrill (Tool’s producer) remixed a couple songs for a compilation, and so pleased were the band they invited him to re-do the entire album. Extreme pressure from fans that harassed Geddy, Neil, and Alex for over a decade about the loudness also played no small part. Vapor Trails Remixed is no anniversary edition, shoddy remaster, or label cash in – it’s an entirely different record. Instruments, melodies, vocals, and guitar breaks that were previously buried beneath the sludge are now audible.
When you only have five tracks on offer, that low period really hits the overall quality of the entire release.
Earthshine still kicks off with a massive wall of guitar, but then pivots into chunks of rising harmonies and rapid-strummed acoustic guitars. Vapor Trails’ complex prog arrangement is brought front and centre, and Geddy can finally be heard above the din. Peart fans might be miffed, the drums are definitely lower in the mix, but Vapor Trails Remixed is a ‘new’ old album, and it explodes the myth that a released album is a finished product.
cody atkinson
justin hook
It doesn’t sound like a coherent statement, but instead a collection of songs found in a rarely used Pro Tools save folder. The Good Borne of Bad Tymes starts out strong, wanes through the middle, before picking up again.
RORY McCARTNEY
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album in focus
Trentemøller lost [In My Room] Before I’d even listened to this third album from Copenhagen-based electronic producer Anders Trentemøller, I’d already heard from several other writers that it represented an unexpected new direction for him. As a long-time listener, though, I personally felt that the signs indicating this sort of progression were always there. While he built his reputation around crafting highly-detailed techno for the likes of Poker Flat, Trentemøller’s 2006 debut album The Last Resort often appeared more preoccupied with icy downbeat minimalism than the dancefloor. If anything, his preceding 2010 album, Into the Wide Yonder, gave the most clues as to where Trentemøller was heading next – offering up a dense and cinematic collection that saw an increasing focus on vocals and live instrumentation. Three years on, this third album, Lost, sees Trentemøller continuing to progress in a similar direction, but where Into the Wide Yonder was billowing and filmic, this latest album sees the Danish producer far more oriented towards actual songs. It’s partially the result of a predominant focus on vocals, with an enviable cast of collaborators including Low, Kazu Makino of Blonde Redhead, and Sune Rose Wagner of The Raveonettes contributing to tracks here. Indeed, given the fact that several of the names that appear here also featured on Trentemøller’s indie-centric ‘Copenhagen Sessions’, there’s a sense of him getting a chance to work with his ‘dream’ selection of artists.
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While stacking the tracklisting with high-profile guests is often a warning sign, the results here turn out to be consistently inspired – indeed, this is certainly no uneven UNKLEstyle jukebox exercise. Some of the best moments here, such as Mimi Sparhawk’s haunting vocal appearance on the gorgeously wafting and downbeat The Dream, even manage to transcend their individual parts, resulting in something ‘bigger’ than what you’d expect from the artists involved. There’s more of an emphasis upon indie-centric guitars being incorporated into Trentemøller’s sonic palette, with the Ghost Society-fronted River of Life in particular fusing a flickering synth-line with jagged post-punk guitars, resulting in a collision that’s not dissimilar to US darkwavers The Soft Moon. Elsewhere, Gravity sees Jana Hunter of Lower Dens adding his eerie falsetto to a skeletal backdrop of pneumatic beats and distorted bass synths that leans towards Warm Leatherette-style territory, before suddenly lurching forward into a colourful bouncy chorus complete with a playful vocal hook that calls to mind the likes of Siouxsie or The Cure. While it’s tempting to focus on what’s different, many of the hallmarks that have always been present in Trentemøller’s work are still the same here – indeed, minus the gothy Bauhaus-styled bassline that propels it, the highly-textured tech-house rhythms that power the moody Still On Fire could have featured on any of the ‘peaktime’-oriented remixes he’s done for other artists. As you’ve probably already gathered from the aforementioned reference points, there’s a distinct lean here towards the more black clad side of the ‘80s – something that fits perfectly alongside the noir-y shades that have always been present in Trentemøller’s music. Given the fact that he’s also recently spent time opening for synth giants Depeche Mode on their latest enormo-tour, it’s no real surprise that he’s looking towards the added firepower of a full band to fill those cavernous arenas. There’s simply way too much going on throughout this excellent third album to take in during a single listen, and that’s probably the way Trentemøller wants it.
the dorothy jane band woman on the run [independent] DJ Gosper is well known about town as a blues and jazz force of nature. She scored the award for Best Blues/Jazz Artist at the inaugural MAMAs, and achieved national recognition as a vocal finalist in the 2012 Australian Blues Music Awards. Woman on the Run is her fifth album, some of which have been done under a number of guises, including as half of the duo Karismakatz. Gusts of Hammond organ blow through as a prelude to the husky voice of Dorothy-Jane, belting out the opener Tangled and Dark with her V8 capacity voice. You’ve gotta love the vibrato in the keyboard work of Baz Cooper, keeping it funky with a strong ‘70s vibe. He keeps the keys rumbling along and adds some gravelly backing vocals in the follow-up, a cover of the jump blues song Let the Good Times Roll. DJ uses the jiving tune as a platform for a master class in making her harmonica, in which she’s a recognised virtuoso, strut like an alley cat. The title track is another CD highlight, with its heart-beat rhythm and some more slick keyboard work from Baz. There’s a lot of sass in Mango Ice Cream (where DJ leaves no doubt about her favourite flavour) and Boom Bam Bop with its locomotive-style harmonica magic and lines like ‘Forget about footy on Channel 7’. A special surprise is the remake of Foghat’s ‘70s rock classic I Just Want to Make Love to You, with the wailing guitars replaced by flashing keys. DJ’s latest is a powerful bite of blues, with a nibble of jazz and a lick of soul, boosted by outstanding harmonica and glitzy keyboard work. rory McCARTNEY
CHRIS DOWNTON
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the polyphonic spree yes, it’s true [Create Control/Good Records]
black joe lewis electric slave [shock records]
au revoir simone move in spectrums [Moshi Moshi/PIAS]
When The Polyphonic Spree first broke through about a decade ago, it was a breath of fresh air. Sure, they had an air of Branch Davidian about them – robes, chanting, cult of personality, Texan – but they weren’t trying to overthrow the government and the songs were sunny and catchy as all hell, so the critics and the indie circuit loved them.
Six-piece band Black Joe Lewis from Austin, Texas, have taken the mud out of blues, the sass out of funk, and the cool out of soul, shoved them in a blender, and poured out a stream of pure shakin’ music.
If Brooklyn-based synth dream-pop trio Au Revoir Simone didn’t already exist, it would be necessary for Sofia Coppola to invent them. Formed in 2003 and centred around the keyboard-wielding trio of Erika Forster, Annie Hart, and Heather D’Angelo, Au Revoir Simone fuse analogue synthesisers and vintage drum machines with dreamy and innocent pop vocals, resulting in a frequently dance-centred fusion that’s often far more Ladytron than Stereolab.
But the industry is fickle, and Arcade Fire came along and gobbled up their audience. They dropped the robes and went harder (2007’s The Fragile Army) but it seemed all goodwill was exhausted. Expectations for Yes, It’s True were low. Straight out of the gates, Tim DeLaughter (band leader, singer) seems to be saying, ‘You have misunderstood our band and we’re not a freak show’. You Don’t Know Me (‘Don’t let people think they know you/ They don’t know’) sets the tone at defiant and optimistic. Popular By Design is the first overt reminder of the old Spree – horns, twinkles, ecstatic choruses, and suggests take-off is imminent; but then a couple of songs later they sound like Nada Surf (Carefully Try). Huh? The middle section is, um, middling, and it takes a late one (Raise Your Head) to remind us DeLaughter can still write pop music for adverts. No doubt people still care about The Polyphonic Spree – Yes, It’s True was funded by Kickstarter – but despite the trademark positivity, there are times you feel the band aren’t really into themselves. And no permagrin can conceal it. justin hook
The band is not unknown on our shores, having played at both Splendour in the Grass and Meredith Music Festival. Their third long player, produced by Stuart Sikes of Modest Mouse and White Stripes fame, is a smoking hot effort from go to whoa. Joseph may sound like he’s just finished 100 packs of ciggies, but his scratchy vocals are powered by a storm of earthy guitar and spiced up by a three-piece brass section. While soul master James Brown may be a seminal influence for the band, there’s a strong tang of Jagger swagger in their frontman too. Opener Skullduggin is a killer track, impressing with its distorted, throaty roar as the vocals struggle to get through the all-conquering fuzzy riffage. Young Girls is a feast of red-necked blues, with a crazy tempo, and shouted lyrics. Dar Es Salaam delivers some of the most impressive licks in the album, bursting with spine-trembling musicianship that strikes at a visceral level. When all the guitars and horns line up together in Blood, it’s really something. Guilty lays down its harsh verdict with stacks of edgy guitars and a slashing saxophone, while Vampire is a struttin’, twangy howler of a tune, filled with throbbing bass and strangled vocals. There’s a great diversity between tracks, but they are all sure to get you twitchin’. Just don’t expect to make out a lot of the lyrics. rory McCARTNEY
In the wake of a four year break, which saw all three members working on separate projects, this fourth album, Move In Spectrums, acts as the follow-up to 2009’s Still Night, Still Light. As with the preceding three records, there’s a firm focus on making smooth pop vocals slide off swirling layers of sine waves, but this time around there’s a distinctly deeper and more lustrous nature to the textures, something perhaps down to the production involvement of Violens’ Jorge Elbrecht. Icy, stripped-back moments such as We Both Know see shimmering layers of echo-treated piano keys and whisper-thin machine rhythms wrapping themselves around intertwined vocal harmonies in a manner that calls to mind the likes of Austra’s cold beauty. Elsewhere, Just like a Tree takes a handclap preset straight out of Prince’s Controversy and fuses it with the sorts of waspy analogue synth atmospheres you’d expect from the aforementioned Ladytron, evoking a curious electro-ballad atmosphere that’s part Sade, part Human League. Meanwhile, propulsive opener More Than hints at the lurking influence of New Order’s indie-dance grooves with its shimmering dance bassline and kick drums, showing there’s more than just floaty atmospheres on the agenda here. In this case, the break has been worth it. chris downton
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album in focus
nirvana In Utero – 20th Anniversary Edition [universal] For a while, Nirvana was all that mattered when it came to guitar bands in the early 1990s, of which many existed in the Pacific Northwest. Despite differing perspectives, it was worth paying attention to this one band that had seemingly arrived out of nowhere with lots of noise and attitude in the late 1980s, and went on to topple Michael Jackson from the top of the album charts. The mainstream record industry went into overdrive when Nirvana’s 1991 album Nevermind sold millions of copies, because so many indie heads out there wanted something at that moment to hit the right spot – a genuine expression of feeling as inspiring as all those other punk bands doing their own thing in shitty UK dives in 1977. When it came to the follow-up, Kurt Cobain did the right thing – he abandoned the glossy production on the big hit, and opted for Steve Albini as producer. This was a good choice for anyone familiar with Big Black’s post-hardcore racket. The end result was In Utero – released in 1993, a critical release for those who reckon that loud guitars can get the senses all fired up; and also because Cobain and co. made it perfectly clear they were in the business of pandering to no one but themselves and their chosen art. How many people after listening to In Utero would have felt they had discovered a righteous
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alternative to such things as unpleasant colleagues or bosses in some dead end day job? This is why music fans flocked to Nirvana in the millions – Cobain expressed a dissatisfaction that anyone with a properly functioning consciousness could relate to. Only problem was that his insistent doubts about how an indie guitar band should behave when underground ‘rock’ is thrust into the daylight didn’t work wonders. He should probably have stepped back and checked out what he was making happen. In Utero exudes guitars with dripping levels of distortion and assorted themes that work as an antidote to all the sell-outs which Cobain had consistently railed against. This two-CD package makes all this abundantly clear. It contains a remastered version of In Utero with some first-rate additions, like the b-side track Marigold, where the band opts for a sparse, melodic intensity. Cobain liked to get out the scream, but strong melodies always shone through like on album closer All Apologies. The story goes that this track, along with Heart-Shaped Box, was remixed because the record label was looking for a hit single – both sound pretty good here in remastered form and alongside Albini’s original mix. The real treat is a contemporary Albini makeover that accentuates all that sonic rawness and naked emotion. Whatever anyone might think of that dude, as a producer/engineer control freak the results speak for themselves. There are nuances that the astute listener will pick up on such as Cobain’s edgy guitar solo on opening track Serve the Servants, which is better integrated into the weightiness of this track than in the original version – and the most potent rock music has always been about promoting solidarity rather than pyrotechnics. This reissue is about revisiting an emotional expression in music that resonated all the way. It includes a bunch of instrumental and vocal demo tracks, along with that 2013 Steve Albini remix that I’m sure closely approximates what Nirvana had always intended – no mainstream crap in tandem with the likes of Lou Reed and Iggy Stooge. DAN BIGNA
delorean apar [True Panther/Remote Control] While they’d previously released two albums to little fanfare, Barcelona-based indiedance quartet Delorean broke through to a much wider audience in 2010 with their third album Subiza – a collection that saw them firmly rooted in bright and optimistic club music with a breezy Mediterranean vibe. Three years on, and this fourth album Apar (Basque for ‘froth’ or ‘foam’) arrives in the wake of both Spain’s financial crisis and the end of a relationship for singer and lyricist Ekhi Lopetegi, something that perhaps explains the underlying sense of melancholy lurking beneath this predominantly upbeat collection of songs. Perhaps most noticeably, there’s a much ‘bigger’ feel to these new tracks, with the increased focus on production bringing a new level of sweep and detail to tracks like the downbeat Keep Up, which sees vast walls of spiralling synths reaching a gorgeously textured crescendo. As you’d expect from a band called Delorean, many of the more obvious influences here come from eighties synth-pop and New Wave, with the jangling guitars, airy synths, and propulsive bass grooves of opening track Spirit calling to mind Simple Minds circa Sparkle In The Rain, but given a more contemporary club twist – there’s even the appearance of a saxophone at one point. Elsewhere, Dominion tips its hat towards Peter Gabriel’s Solsbury Hill as feathery guitar plucks sparkle against an almost afro-tinged bass drum groove and Lopetegi’s yearning pop vocals, before Unhold sees Chairlift’s Caroline Polachek contributing her siren guest vocals to an eerie dance-pop backing of shimmering synths and live drums that’s one of the biggest highlights here. Despite the emphasis on great production though, sadly, it’s the songs themselves that often don’t really ‘stick’ here. chris downton
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singles in focus by cody atkinson katy perry roar
the grand rapids great shakes [Psyche Ward]
little scout are you life [mgm]
I know it’s normally not the practice to do so, but I feel compelled to share a line from the advance spiel that is sent along with the CD: ‘Brian’s Got a Rubber Soul takes a schizophrenic look at Brian Wilson’s fear of the British invasion through the eyes of 8th Century monks at the approach of the marauding Norsemen.’
Little Scout from Brisbane has been busy, delivering three albums in the five years since they formed in 2008. Fans who enjoyed their earlier material such as Shakes and Rattles and Dead Loss will find that the indie poppers having taken a brave leap into the arty-electro unknown.
I can’t top that. It kind of sums this whole album up, but it also doesn’t. Great Shakes is the debut album from The Grand Rapids, a psychedelic four-piece from Melbourne. Coming out of the gate like the love child of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Dead Meadow, and mid-era Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Grand Rapids is another entrant on the suddenly crowded psychedelic scene. Which is a phrase that I would have never have considered writing five years ago, but it’s true. From the world-pleasing Tame Impala down, psychedelic rock seems to have grabbed a serious foothold in the Australian music scene. Great Shakes isn’t an album that so much grabs you as it overwhelms you, with waves of guitar pounding away over and over again. It’s unashamedly retro, but not a straight recollection of the past, rather a modern re-telling of albums and bands gone. Bits of drone and fuzz pervade every corner of Great Shakes. Indeed, the sixth track, Fake Blood, is just a wall of feedback. Elsewhere on the album, the riffs come heavy, fast, and often. It’s not an album built for singles, more so for a start to finish experience. It’s dirty, grimy, and messy. And good. Very, very good. cody atkinson
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Mixed by American producer Lars Stalfors (The Mars Volta and Cold War Kids), Are You Life is filled with songs that are intricately fashioned, with multiple layers, echoes, and delays. The band’s previously sweet, straight lyrics have gone – now drenched by distorted forms that can make distinguishing words a challenge. Some tracks are a bit like listening to someone singing in an echoing shower. This smoke and mirrors approach, combined with the upbeat vocals of Melissa Tickle, delivers surprisingly melodious results and a uniquely engaging sound. Highlights include the chameleon track March Over to Me, always varying the colour of its sound, and Take it Back, where Miro Mackie’s clever drumming grows from a light tippety-tap to a deep rumble, while the voice of Tickle adds an incandescent brightness. There’s so much in this soundscape, from the galloping rhythm and piercing shattering effect in We Used to Know, to the wounded animal wailing of the instruments in Ten Taxis. The songwriting of bassist/guitarist Patrick Elliott expresses a blurred angst that can leap suddenly into sharp focus with emotive word dioramas, such as, ‘I feel like a monster on speed dial’. His songwriting is at its best in Ten Taxis, capturing the directionless atmosphere of an alcohol-soaked night out. Are You Life, with its varying levels of distortion and clarity, is an album in which Little Scout impresses with their evolving style.
So, it turns out you can pilfer famous song titles and quotes from history instead of actually writing new song lyrics. I’ll have to remember that for my new song Mr Gorbachev, Imagine tearing down this Paranoid wall while Walking on the Wild Side. Ch-Ch-Changes. Also, this song is boring. It bores me.
Jeffrey Lewis and the Rain WWPRD? The charity song has been much maligned over the years, from We Are the World (USA for Africa) to We Are the World (25 For Haiti). Artist/Poet/ Musician Jeffrey Lewis has decided to have a shot at the form, posing the question What Would Pussy Riot Do? It’s a four-minute-long statement on the delicate relationship between creativity, politics and consumerism, a hardcore punk song done in the style of alt folk. Alternately captivating and breathtaking.
The Stevens Hindsight Another slice of great jangle pop from Melbourne’s Chapter Records, this time in the form of The Stevens. Elements of the Dunedin Sound and C86 shine through here. A scratchy gem.
Yuck Memorial Fields Yuck go in a slightly different direction to their first album, ditching the Sonic Youth and Dinosaur Jr for Yo La Tengo and shoegaze. Instead of soaring, we get understated. And that’s fine, but just don’t expect the walls of guitar from their previous work.
rory McCARTNEY
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the word
on films
WITH MELISSA WELLHAM
What is it about European filmmakers – and French filmmakers especially? What is it about overseas studios, and about their audiences, that allow a director like Michel Gondry to indulge his every whimsy and fantasy on celluloid? So many questions, so few answers! Gondry is a breath of fresh, eccentric air in the cinema – and watching his films, you can’t help but wish that Hollywood would take a few more risks occasionally.
quote of the issue ‘The feeling of loneliness is terrible. I want to find a girl, too!’ – Colin (Romain Duris), Mood Indigo
mood indigo
runner runner
the turning
Mood Indigo is a visually frothy fantasy film, which tells the story of a romance tinged with tragedy. If nothing else, you should enjoy Mood Indigo for the sheer spectacle alone.
Runner Runner relies on the unoriginal premise of clever college guy, Richie (Justin Timberlake, The Social Network), snagging the ‘dream’ job of working for millionaire entrepreneur Ivan (Ben Affleck, Argo), owner of an internet gambling site.
A three-hour-long ‘pick-and-mix’ of Australian filmmaking talent working with the prose of writer Tim Winton seems daunting – heck, the idea of an interval mid screening is enough to freak out any cinema-goer. But for The Turning, bench any trepidation and embrace the opportunity.
With money and babes flowing freely, Richie (geddit?) gets swept up in the fast-paced lifestyle, high stakes, and big bucks … but all is not what it seems. (You mean the gambling bigwig hiding in Costa Rica isn’t on the up and up? !)
The project, led by producers Robert Connolly (who also directs) and Maggie Miles, showcases 17 short films, and it’s an incredible achievement in storytelling as well as a masterclass in micromanagement. Each short contributes to an overarching storyline that flows through the entire film, and Winton’s world comes alive in spectacular fashion. The interpretation of the material by each director is varied, but allows the narrative to evolve and the hits easily outnumber the misses.
Director Michel Gondry – he of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind fame – returns with another film that sits well outside of reality, while using fantasy to tell a story about the human heart. Mood Indigo introduces the audience to Colin (Romain Duris, Russian Dolls), an eccentric and somewhat hapless young man who falls headover-heels in love with Chloé (Audrey Tautou, Amelie) – who is equally smitten with him. After a whirlwind romance, they marry, but misfortune and heartbreak find the couple when Chloé begins to suffer from an unusual illness caused by a water lily growing in her lungs. What makes Mood Indigo stand out is the inventiveness of almost every frame in the film: Gondry’s wild imagination has populated this version of Paris with flying cars and sentient door bells, intelligent halfhuman rats, and go-kart races before weddings. For all that the film becomes increasingly disheartening viewing, it’s also high-intensity and filled with hijinks. Admittedly, it is also a tad messy, and those who think that Gondry’s brand of gonzo animation amounts to nothing more than gimmickry will be put off. But the visual sparks lend extra sparkle to this romance – which is witty and warm, and woeful and wise in equal measure. melissa wellham
50
Richie is annoying, shallow, and thoroughly unlikeable – and I’m now confident that Timberlake is a terrible actor. Also, even though he runs around bribing everyone and doing dirty work, Richie still seems somehow surprised to learn that everyone else around him is corrupt. Plot holes are filled with offhand phone calls, and gambling movie clichés abound – like people saying ‘The house always wins!’ as a comeback. Runner Runner isn’t slick or well-written enough to pull off the thrilling crime-caper vibe. I can’t decide if the script (by Brian Koppelman and David Levien), the acting, or the uninspired direction from Brad Furman is the problem, so I’m going all in. I’m just saying this film is one giant mess for which everyone is to blame. I am giving Runner Runner the rating of ‘embarrassing for everyone involved’, plus one point for the thankfully short running time. megan McKEOUGH
Everyone is sure to have their own favourites, and the postscreening discussions about the merits of each short as part of the overall structure are sure to be a great takeaway from the experience. Connolly’s The Aquifer, Anthony Lucas’s The Damaged Goods, Simon Stone’s The Reunion, Stephen Page’s Sand and Tony Ayres’ Cockleshell stood out. The diverse range of stories presented in The Turning, told through the viewfinder of different filmmakers, achieves the hefty goal of capturing the essence of life in Australia that’s as vast, beautiful, and mysterious as the landscape itself. The Turning is pitched as ‘a unique cinema event’, and it’s an offer not to be refused. CAMERON WILLIAMS
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lovelace
the east
Lovelace is an ambitious film, with solid performances from its leads, and an intriguing plot – but one that fails to truly grab the audience despite its subject matter.
The East is immaculately made, with a thought-provoking emphasis on corporate espionage – but for all the polish of director/co-writer Zal Batmanglij’s film, it’s missing intensity and grit. An operative for a private intelligence firm, Sarah (Brit Marling, who also co-wrote the screenplay), is tasked with infiltrating a group of anarchists called The East, who target major corporations for crimes which have gone unpunished.
Deep Throat was perhaps the first truly famous porn film, and Lovelace charts the life of its star: Linda Lovelace (Amanda Seyfried). We see her escape from her strict religious family, her whirlwind romance with the charismatic hustler Chuck Traynor (Peter Sarsgaard), the man who convinced her to make a porn film, and created her life of fame. We then meet her six years later, where she reveals what those years in the spotlight were truly like: she made little to no money from the film that made her a star, and was a victim of domestic violence at the hands of her husband. Lovelace is meticulously plotted, perhaps to its detriment. The chronology of the story is designed to tell two narratives – the appearance of things, and the reality – but this means the film has difficulty building tension and maintaining the pace, and so ultimately lacks a climax. Pardon the pun. The real problem is that the film, while sympathetic to Linda’s plight, lacks the courage or conviction to truly explore the injustices that Lovelace suffered at the hands of her husband. If you are going to make a film condemning domestic violence, you better make sure you condemn it entirely. melissa wellham
The East is a dinner party conversation-starter, with the central plot focusing on the moral quandary of ‘an eye for an eye’. The East use extreme methods to expose the ugly truth, and are like a vindictive version of Greenpeace crossed with Wikileaks. The intention is pure, but the methods are questionable, and Batmanglij does a great job of crafting an anxious mood throughout a series of missions. The moral battleground in The East is fierce, but the film never raises the stakes enough to elevate the tension. There are significant revelations, but they have zero impact as the story dawdles over a few obstacles and lethargically flops over little hurdles on track to the finale. The ensemble is good and the core group of extremists played by Ellen Page, Toby Kebbell, and Alexander Skarsgård all manage to bring humanity to the cause without drifting into the territory of unhinged cult members. The East pleasantly drifts through moral grey areas when it should be wading through the grime of spy vs. spy. CAMERON WILLIAMS
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51
the word
on games
Planetary Annihilation Platform: PC, Mac, Linux Developer: Uber Ent. Length: 10 hrs Verdict: Wait until it is finished Continuing in the vein of games that are only half-finished, this week we come to another Kickstarter darling, Uber’s Planetary Annihilation (PA). Uber started off asking for $900,000 to complete their game, but ended up raising a little over $2.2m. From this auspicious start they have then managed to sell a number of early access licences via Steam, and last week they released their beta (meaning a release that is not polished, but is playable to some degree) across all three main PC platforms (Windows, Mac, Linux). Planetary Annihilation comes from venerated line of ‘Annihilation’ games, starting with Total Annihilations 1 & 2, and then the same again with Supreme Commander 1 & 2. These are top down Real Time Strategy (RTS) games, with an emphasis on the macro rather than the micro. Armies consisting of more than a hundred units collide with each other in impressive displays of mutually assured destruction, whilst commanders simultaneously seek to gain an economic advantage. In line with this macro approach, resources are treated as a set of rates rather than discrete values: for example, building a mine will give you five metal resources per second, but building a fighter jet will require ten metal per second. Therefore in order to produce your plane at full speed you need two mines. It is also possible to stockpile metal and energy (the two main resources), but the focus is primarily on the rate of resource accrual. One of the biggest drawcards in PA (and that which sets it apart from its predecessors) is the ability to fly to separate planets for either colonisation or more nefarious utilisation. You are capable of flying to one of the nearby moons orbiting the planet, building a set of space engines upon the moon, and then piledriving THE ENTIRE MOON into the planet below – preferably where your enemy’s base is located. However, as it stands, the interplanetary part of the game is somewhat redundant, as every game that I played, the battle was generally won or lost on the planet that you started on, with other planets being used more as either resources for an already winning side, or the location of a last ditch retreat for a losing side. This is likely to change as both the mechanics of the game are updated, and the tactics of the game evolve too. Unfortunately being a beta release does mean that the game is unfinished – and whilst it is a lot of fun to play the game currently, there is a still a lot left to be desired. I had multiple games that dropped out, froze, or never even started. The game is expensive, and doubly so given that it is not yet finished. This release is for people who either love RTS games, or who have a soft spot for the games that preceded Planetary Annihilation. peter davis
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BLACKBOX Some actors were born to play a certain kind of role. There are those that lack talent and can only ever play themselves – Sylvester Stallone, Kevin Costner, and almost every comedic actor who ever lived, I’m looking at you. There are also those so convincing that we think they are the character – is there anyone who hears Patrick Stewart and doesn’t think Captain Picard? And it will certainly take some adjustment seeing Peter Capaldi transition from The Thick of It’s (ABC1, TBC) foul-mouthed political fixer Malcolm Tucker to Dr Who (ABC iView). Then there are the character actors – a term once reserved for those who didn’t suit the mould of the Hollywood star and played a supporting character with unusual traits or eccentricities. Character actors have long been the stars of comedy but better writing, particularly in series drama, has meant character actors take the lead and often drive the success of the show. The most notable pioneer is of course the late great James Gandolfini. There were some stellar performances and phenomenal writing on The Sopranos but Gandolfini’s portrayal of mob boss Tony Soprano was key. Two new shows that kicked off last week may also owe their success to character actors. Since his earliest roles in ‘80s classics Wall Street, Less Than Zero and Pretty in Pink, James Spader has played evil narcissists but played them with such a degree of intrigue that your gaze is often torn from the central plot. With the end of Breaking Bad (ABC2, Mon Oct 7, 9:20pm), Spader as former FBI agent and concierge of crime Raymond Reddington on The Blacklist (Prime, Mon, 8:40pm) may well replace Walter White as TV’s new anti-hero. Less obvious, hidden by the blazing lights of the Marvel franchise and Joss Whedon creator credit, is Clark Gregg’s continuing portrayal as Agent Coulson in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D (Prime, Wed, 8:30pm). Gregg’s fate as a law enforcement character actor was sealed the day he took the role of Special Agent Casper on The West Wing and despite his ability to step outside that mould, it is a role in which he excels. Gregg may not have all the superhero kick-ass moves but he is the link with Marvel franchise and his character is the one that will have loyal fans coming back for more. Not for nothing, but it’s Mandy Patinkin, not Claire Danes, that loyal Homeland (SCTEN, Mon, 8:30pm) fans tune in to see. Diving headfirst into crowd sourcing (and not the predictable funding model) Auntie’s #7DaysLater (ABC2, Tue Oct 22, 9pm) uses an ensemble cast of YouTube celebrities plus a surprise weekly guest star to turn crowd sourced ideas into five minute comedy to screen on ABC2 – you guessed it – seven days later. Join in via YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Docos to keep an eye out for include the controversial BBC film about the building of the Sydney Opera House Autopsy on a Dream (ABC1, Sun Oct 20, 9:25pm), Richard III: The King in the Carpark (SBS1, Sun Oct 20, 8:30pm), about identifying remains to see if they belonged to the King, Dr Who Explained (ABC2, Sun Oct 20, 7:30pm), featuring interviews of Doctors past and present, The Art of Australia: Strangers in a Strange Land (ABC1, Tue Oct 22, 8:30pm). Movie picks include Swedish vampire spoof Frostbite (SBS2, Sat Oct 26, 9:30pm) and Sydney Pollack’s 1974 noir gangster flick The Yakuza (WIN, Sat Oct 19, 2am). TRACY HEFFERNAN tracyherrernan@bigpond.com @ChezBlackbox
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the word on dvds
up all night [universal/sony]
derek [roadshow]
Will Arnett is a funny guy. His blustery performance as George Oscar Bluth in Arrested Development is a high point in a show full of high points. As Devon Banks in 30 Rock, he chewed the scenery mercilessly, stealing every episode he appeared in. And on The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret, he stayed well within the confines of the mouthy, over confident character he excels at: not ground-breaking, but funny nonetheless. Still, these were all supporting roles. When Arnett is given the chance to anchor a show, the results are patchy. His first series lead – Running Wilde – bombed and was cancelled after one season. This one lasted two seasons.
Over many years, many podcasts, and many TV shows, Ricky Gervais has shown an unflinching dedication to the word mong. I’m sure there’s a clever, PC-baiting reason for his love of mong – but I’ve yet to find it. Maybe he thinks it’s a bit edgy and funny. So in Derek, when Gervais dons a daggy cardigan, gels his hair down flat, juts out his jaw, and talks like, well – a mong – you get the feeling Gervais is trying to make a point. But what the hell is it?
Up All Night looks as formulaic as it gets. Chris (Arnett) and Reagan Brinkley (Christina Applegate) are new parents struggling with the demands of life with a baby on board. Cue jokes about nappies, vomit, and lack of sleep. As anyone with or without a kid knows all too well, this shit is old and the gimmick of the dad being the responsible stay-at-home parent vs. the wife as an erratic work hound probably looked funnier on paper than it does on screen. To be fair, Applegate and Arnett have great chemistry and a quality supporting cast (Paul F Tompkins, Rob Hubel, Mary Elizabeth Ellis) lift the game somewhat. The real issues are deeper: Up All Night is a difficult amalgam of wacky office farce and Modern Family-style wereall-in-the-same-boat comedy. Then there’s Maya Rudolph’s diva host character, Ava, who is afforded equal lead status and is so obnoxious and lacking in laughs she threatens to derail the entire show every time she assaults the screen. Yes, it’s a conflict device – but not a terribly ingenious one. Up All Night is good but struggles to find a true rhythm. Call it the Arnett Curse. justin hook
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Derek Noakes works at a nursing home where his sole purpose is bringing some joy to people waiting for death. With his awkward mannerisms, stuttering, and lack of awareness or boundaries, you’d be under the impression Gervais wrote the character with some sort of personality disorder in mind, but he’s gone on record as saying Derek is not autistic. So why bother? Why does Gervais play Derek this way? It achieves absolutely nothing and is borderline offensive. Not only because it’s not funny, but because it was clearly meant to make a statement about prejudice – but doesn’t. Outside of that, there’s a grating over-amped sentimentality that screams at the audience – DON’T FORGET THE ELDERLY! Yes, those in their twilight are full of life experiences, emotions, dreams, and shouldn’t be forgotten – but how many Coldplay-themed montages do we need to ram that point home? None. Let the writing make that commendable point. Still, the show proves beyond doubt that Karl Pilkington is actually not a ‘real’ person but an actor. As the hot tempered all-rounder Dougie, he’s one of the best things about the show, and I’m no fan of Karl. Derek is exasperating: the heart is in the right place, but is burdened by numerous creative miscalculations and a desire to create controversy. justin hook
hawaii Five-o – The Third Season [paramount] As any medico will tell you, a healthy diet is all about balance. It’s plainly ridiculous to think eating foie gras on blueberry bagels with a petrol station raspberry slushie chaser every day is a good thing, but thank god some of us are at least trying. Same applies to TV shows. It’s great to know there is a surfeit of award-hungry cable drama out there, but sometimes it’s just as rewarding to switch off and release the pressure. That’s why shows like Hawaii Five-0 are so good. They may not be the fibre, but there’s nothing wrong with them every now and then. If you have to expose yourself to network dramas – and it’s generally unadvisable – then this is the one. It’s slick, fast-paced, wellacted, and manages to balance the dynamics of standalone episodes and season-long arcs better than most. This season opens with the resolution of a cliff hanger, as Steve McGarrett (Alex Laughlin) finds out his mother, long thought dead, is actually a secret agent. It ends when a major character is framed for murder and (potentially) leaving the island/show. Yeah, yeah … so it’s not blue meth, but so what. H-50’s remit is markedly different, in that each week has to be a mini-action film. On the upside, it has the benefit of being able to fall back on some pretty stunning scenery to populate the intercuts; something that made the original so exotic in the ‘70s. Speaking of which, Ed Asner reprises a character from the original series and an entire episode (Hookman) is faithfully recreated 40 years on. Throw in the ever reliable Grace Park (Battlestar Galactica) and guest turns by Aisha Taylor, Summer Glau, and uh, Jimmy Buffett, and Hawaii Five-0 continues to be the best example of wellscripted and executed, good natured fun on network TV. justin hook
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the word
Horrorshow, Home Brew, Jimblah ANU Bar Thursday September 19
on gigs
It is a good sign for live music in the ACT when venues like ANU Bar pull up their socks and start putting on gigs again. The room was already half-full when Jimblah kicked off the show, and he and his female backing singer were captivating enough to get some early hands in the air. It is a brave act that chooses Home Brew, a gang of three mischievous Kiwis who have topped the charts in New Zealand, to warm the crowd. Frontman Tom welcomed us with a quip that they are not used to being the support act, and launched straight into his comical anecdotes-cum-warnings about excessive use of bourbon and Datura flowers. Home Brew embody what contemporary hip hop is about for me, and you should give them a listen. They showed their appreciation for the support slot with a final call and response – ‘When I say fuck you Canberra, you say fuck you too, cunts.’
PHOTO BY CHRIS FRAPE
the word
The majority of the young crowd was there to see their triple j heroes, Horrorshow. I don’t know when it became necessary to have so many vocals on backing tracks, Home Brew certainly don’t require this sonic help. That said, there was not a single person at the bar during Horrorshow’s set, and as Solo poured his humble heart into the microphone, tough boys in baseball caps got in touch with their sensitive sides and swayed with their hands in the air. The kids love Horrorshow, and there is no doubt that they are good at what they do: a self-conscious mixture of poetry, hip hop, and pop. It’s a shame the ANU Bar could definitely benefit from a better sound system. RYAN LUNGU
Madre Monte, Los Chavos Digress Cocktail Lounge Friday September 27
on gigs
Friday night at Digress was a great way to end (yet another) tough work week – especially if, like me, you have a special little place in yourself for Latin American culture. Headlined by Melbourne’s Madre Monte, along with Canberra favourites Los Chavos, it was a night of wild horns, chanting, and crazy, constant dancing (and also tequila shots – because why not?). I don’t think I can really describe it all properly without it sounding like a cheap dime-store Kerouac knock-off, but I’m going to try anyway. Before the bands hit the stage, DJ Paisa was knocking out tough Latin beats, before handing the floor to Mexico Lindo – a Latin folk dancing group. At half-nine, Los Chavos burst onto the stage, and straight away kicked into their wildly energetic, urban Latin Reggae. For an hour, they jumped and jived: Corey Booth blew a mindless, brilliant trumpet (because who doesn’t love a trumpet?), frontman ‘Andy’ Jauregui shouted and strummed, and everyone else in the room danced. After Los Chavos, the floor was once again cleared for more dancing, and then it was time for Madre Monte. I wasn’t familiar with Madre Monte at all, but I became quickly acquainted. Launching straight into their fusion of African and Colombian rhythms, it brought to mind all those old 1950s cumbia records, but with a good and decent hit of 21st century reggae mixed seamlessly into the madness.
PHOTO BY NATASHA SINGH
Madre Monte and Los Chavos represented perfectly how cultures can mix and develop into something stunning. We’re very lucky to have them here to share their magic with everyone else. TIM SAUER
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the word
The Drones, Money for Rope Zierholz @ UC Thursday September 26
on gigs
As can happen at a gig when the audience is a bit of a mixed bag, I happened to find myself standing in front of a bunch of ultraenthused blokes shouting out requests between songs. This would ordinarily get on anyone’s nerves, but I didn’t mind so much, because the bellowed choices indicated that these dudes were familiar enough with material across The Drones’ six studio albums to show an appreciation of sorts – not that I was going to offer to buy them a beer or anything like that. Opening band Money For Rope was a suitable choice for support, as they brought forth raw rock ‘n’ roll spurts, kinda like Radio Birdman when that band came up with the right stuff on a good night. This is what any self-respecting music fan looks to when the desire for a bit of impulsive behaviour takes hold. The no-frills approach to rock ‘n’ roll that embraces those visceral sounds, from cranked up guitars to raw, emotive expression – whether it be older favourites AC/DC and Cold Chisel, or that scarier ‘alternative’ stuff from the likes of The Wreckery, Hoss, and early Magic Dirt – it all came together in one hard-hitting sound from Money for Rope. I was impressed by this desire to explore primal sound rather than fake ‘raw’ bullshit, and it seemed the audience was too. This has always been a rare thing for Canberra crowds when it comes to support bands. All this created the right atmosphere for the headliners. Not that The Drones needed much to set the scene. This band opts for the kind of direct approach to live performance that so many Australian bands on the pub rock and inner-city circuits have worked to develop. Songwriter/vocalist Gareth Liddiard has expressed admiration for tough Australian bands like The Beasts of Bourbon and The Birthday Party, and an intensely focused blues racket is what this band conjured without fuss. Launching into the title track from their most recent album, I See Seaweed, The Drones amply fulfilled the demands of this song ‘in three acts’, with its shifting harmonies, rhythms, and tempos, and freely expressive lyrics. Songs like this come across as complex and difficult to reproduce on record, but The Drones are seasoned live performers, and each song was tackled with the kind of devotion to high art that can be draining for both audience and performer – but with the rewards outweighing anything else. Throughout their set, The Drones hit the peaks with squalls of distortion and feedback. This might have hurt the ears a little, but at the very least it provided a welcome distraction from everyday routine and habit, as the audience was encouraged in these situations to embrace new ways of listening and feeling. What this means is that everyday bullshit became subsumed by an overwhelming sound that let all routine recede into the background, if only for a moment. If this seemed a little uncomfortable at first, then the band had done its job.
PHOTOS BY ADAM THOMAS
The Drones performed songs across a substantial body of work, and climaxed with a searing version of Why Write a Letter that You’ll Never Send – a lengthy stream of consciousness trip, the jagged trajectory of which was marked by the rise and fall of guitars and the strain of Liddiard’s blues howl. This was a suitably intense finale to a performance that marked out The Drones as one of the finest live bands in the country. The audience was drawn into their distinctive sound-world to the extent that even the dudes shouting out behind me barely pissed me off. DAN BIGNA
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the word
Electric Eighties (Young Docteurs, Hell Yes, Vacant Lot, Voodoo DJs) Australian Croatian Club Saturday September 28
on gigs
I spent most of the night feeling nostalgic. Nostalgic for a scene before my time, in a place I wasn’t from. Nostalgic for people I didn’t know. A scene is only as strong as its output. In this case, the output was the coming together of gigs like this, and the fact that people were willing to come back after 30 years to listen to bands they grew up with. I was different to most of the crowd on the night. I was born in the ‘80s, and I grew up in Brisbane, which seems a world away from Canberra. The challenge for Canberra’s burgeoning punk scene has been to reclaim its own history. With gigs like this one, and the launch of the Head Full of Flames book, the scene appears to be writing its adventures down. The three bands on the night displayed the heart of punk as I know it: it doesn’t have to sound the same. First wave, second wave, protopunk, hardcore, whatever. It’s the ethos that matters. With punk, it is the meaning that reigns supreme, often more than the actual music itself. Up first was Vacant Lot, who played a blend of straight up English first wave punk with hints of post-punk. And a generous serving of brutal honesty. Vacant Lot seemed to leave it all out there, both in lyrics and in banter. Their set provided the personal highlight of the night for me, namely Tattslotto Night’s accurate yet thoroughly depressing reassurance that the Melbourne Demons football club have always been terrible. Next on stage was Hell Yes. Channelling the Sydney/Detroit sound more than their predecessors, Hell Yes mixed in original tracks with classic punk covers. Where Vacant Lot applied the spit to the night, Hell Yes provided the polish. The highlight of their set was definitely their cover of The Stooges belter I Wanna Be Your Dog. I’d be remiss not to mention the second stage of the night, the Voodoo DJs in a makeshift ‘80s club, housed in the function room upstairs. Without getting too specific, I have to say that it was the best nightclub I have ever been to in the Croatian Club’s function room. What was being played by the Voodoo DJs weren’t the ‘80s pop hits that get remembered as representative of the time, but dance and hip hop records of the era. Also, I have to give 1000 bonus points for all the crate digging from the DJs. Much respected, and increasingly rare. The only major issue on the night was the significant time overrun. By the time that headliners Young Docteurs hit the stage, the night was only a memory and we were into morning. As a result, the crowd had thinned significantly. Punk might not be dead, but sometimes it has to go to bed. This was a shame, as Young Docteurs came on and gave it their all. Playing a blend of psych rock and punk, they ramped up the energy from the start and kept it going throughout their set.
PHOTOS BY KATER MAY
At the end of the day, the memories were the real highlights – nearly as much as what happened on the stage itself. CODY ATKINSON
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ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE Wed Oct 9 - Fri Oct 11
Listings are a free community service. Email editorial@bmamag.com to have your events appear each issue. wednesday october 9
Art Exhibitions Mindscapes Art & Photography Competition The contenders on display. 10am-5pm. Free.
BELCONNEN COMMUNITY CENTRE
Where Do You Go To?
Drawings and sculptures by Dianne Libke. 10am-4pm. BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE
Klaus Moje
Selected works. 11am-5pm (-4pm, Sat). BILK GALLERY
Masked Rhetoric
Art by Jesse Whyte. 8am-6pm daily. Free entry. THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ
Mungo Woman
Art by Brenda Runnegar inspired by Lake Mungo. 10am-5pm. Free. BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE
Hate Fuck
Art by Dean Butters. 9:30am-5pm (10am-2pm, Sun). MEGALO PRINT STUDIO + GALLERY
Roy Jackson: Retrospective 1963–2013
Live Music Nathan & Jonah
Supported by Maxi. B. 7:30pm. Gold coin donation. P J O’REILLY’S (TUGGERANONG)
Alex & the Shy Lashlies 8pm. $10.
THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ
The CMC Presents
With Hayley Shone, Will Shone, Nina Haysler, Ultra Violet. 7:30pm. Free. SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE
Acoustic Soup
Featuring The Ellis Collective, and others. Plus organic eats. 7pm. $8/10.
Swings and Roundabouts
Matt Corby
CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ARTS SPACE (MANUKA)
ANU BAR AND REFECTORY
Art by Janet Long & Caroline Huf. 11am-5pm.
The (Very) Sad Fish-lady: A Migration Tale
The quirky tale of the Fish-lady, created by Joy McDonald. 10am-5pm (12-4pm, Sat). CRAFT ACT CRAFT & DESIGN CENTRE
Backburning
Curated by Annika Harding, with work by Julia Boyd, Trish Roan and more. 11am-5pm (10am-4pm, Sat).
ANU FOOD CO-OP
CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)
Theatre
Comedy
Dr Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat
Wil Anderson
Backburning
Curated by Annika Harding, with work by Julia Boyd, Trish Roan and more. 11am-5pm (10am-4pm, Sat).
CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)
By Joanna Murray-Smith, directed by Emily Clark. 8pm. Presale via trybooking.com. ANU ARTS CENTRE
thursday october 10
Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer (R18+)
Based on the all-time favourite book by Dr Seuss. 9:30am/11am. $39. THE PLAYHOUSE
friday october 11
Drawings and sculptures by Dianne Libke. 10am-4pm.
Masked Rhetoric
9pm-2am. Free entry.
Karaoke at The Inn
With Ka-tere-oke. Win $50 cash and vouchers. 8:30pm.
Drawings and sculptures by Dianne Libke. 10am-4pm. BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE
Masked Rhetoric
OLD CANBERRA INN
Karaoke
P J O’REILLY’S (TUGGERANONG)
Live Music
Art by Jesse Whyte. 8am-6pm daily. Free entry.
BTCHZ
Klaus Moje
THE PHOENIX BAR
THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ
Selected works. 11am-5pm (-4pm, Sat). BILK GALLERY
Mindscapes Short Film Festival
MEGALO PRINT STUDIO + GALLERY
ARC CINEMA
Roy Jackson: Retrospective 1963–2013
Karaoke
Spanning 50 years of painting and drawing by Jackson. 12–5pm.
Karaoke
Nostalgia
ANU DRILL HALL GALLERY
Three exhibitions that look at myths, legends and story telling. 12-5pm. Free.
Backburning
Karaoke
ARC CINEMA
Where Do You Go To?
BELCONNEN COMMUNITY CENTRE
Art by Dean Butters. 9:30am-5pm (10am-2pm, Sun).
THE DURHAM
Dr Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat
CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)
8pm-midnight. Free entry.
Hate Fuck
From 10pm. All welcome.
Theatre
7pm. See nfsa.gov.au/arc for info/tix.
The contenders on display. 10am-5pm. Free.
Film Films addressing concerns of mental health and wellbeing. 6:30-9pm.
THE BASEMENT
Curated by Annika Harding, with work by Julia Boyd, Trish Roan and more. 11am-5pm (10am-4pm, Sat).
Nostalgia
CRAFT ACT CRAFT & DESIGN CENTRE
With Mercies End. Doors 8pm. $10.
Film
Mindscapes Art & Photography Competition
The quirky tale of the Fish-lady, created by Joy McDonald. 10am-5pm (12-4pm, Sat).
Signs and Symbols
The Female of the Species
THE PLAYHOUSE
CHARLIE BLACK
The (Very) Sad Fish-lady: A Migration Tale
SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE
Art Exhibitions
CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE
Rock Karaoke
M16 ARTSPACE
Live jazz every Thursday. 9:30pm. Free.
Goodwil tour. 7:30pm. $48 + bf.
Art Exhibitions
Three exhibitions that look at myths, legends and story telling. 12-5pm. Free.
Smith’s Jazz Jam
Based on the all-time favourite book by Dr Seuss. 9:30am/11am. $39.
Spanning 50 years of painting and drawing by Jackson. 12–5pm. ANU DRILL HALL GALLERY
The ‘Resolution’ tour. With Bear’s Den. 8pm. $56.85 + bf thru Ticketek.
With Marky Moon & Central West, Paul Heslin. 9pm.
Dos Locos
Where Do You Go To? BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE
Art by Jesse Whyte. 8am-6pm daily. Free entry. THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ
Mungo Woman
Art by Brenda Runnegar inspired by Lake Mungo. 10am-5pm. Free. BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE
Hate Fuck
Art by Dean Butters. 9:30am-5pm (10am-2pm, Sun). MEGALO PRINT STUDIO + GALLERY
Anger Management
New art by George Rose. Opens Fri Oct 11, 6pm. 10am-6pm. NISHI GALLERY
Nostalgia
KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB
Three exhibitions that look at myths, legends and story telling. 12-5pm. Free.
Mish Mash Variety Night
Swings and Roundabouts
9:30pm. Free.
Live music and much more. 7-11pm. THE POLISH WHITE EAGLE CLUB
The Bon Scotts
With Sam King, and Brother Johnstone. 8pm. $10.
M16 ARTSPACE
Art by Janet Long & Caroline Huf. 11am-5pm. CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ARTS SPACE (MANUKA)
THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ
Sparrow Folk
Exhumed ACT winning duo. 7pm. $15 thru trybooking.com. SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE
M16 ARTSPACE
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ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE Fri Oct 11 - Sun Oct 13 friday october 11 (cont.) Dance Swan Lake
The cherished classical ballet, by The Russian National Ballet Theatre. 7:30pm, $84.90-104.90. CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE
Karaoke Irish Club Karaoke Competition Canberra’s best karaoke singers can compete for $1000. 8pm til late. CANBERRA IRISH CLUB
Live Music National Campus Band Comp National Final 6-11pm. Free.
ZIERHOLZ @ UC
Obsessions
8:30pm onwards. Free. CALWELL BAR N BISTRO
saturday october 12
Johnny Goodall Pan Blues Band
Art Exhibitions
POT BELLY BAR
Altered Natives
The (Very) Sad Fish-lady: A Migration Tale
SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE
CRAFT ACT CRAFT & DESIGN CENTRE
9pm. $5.
With Da Shed, Paryce, Little Mac and the Monster Men, Vintage Vulva. 8pm. $10.
The quirky tale of the Fish-lady, created by Joy McDonald. 10am-5pm (12-4pm, Sat).
Mephistopheles
Backburning
With New Blood, Inhuman Remnants, Infested Entrails. Doors 8pm. $12. THE BASEMENT
Kevin Johansen + The Nada
With special guests. 8pm. $29.5039.50 thru thestreet.org.au.
Curated by Annika Harding, with work by Julia Boyd, Trish Roan and more. 11am-5pm (10am-4pm, Sat).
CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)
Supported by Amy Chilver, fresh from touring Nashville. 7:30pm. $8. SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE
Metalworx CD Fundraiser 8pm. Door price TBA. THE BASEMENT
Art by Jesse Whyte. 8am-6pm daily. Free entry.
Masked Rhetoric
Theatre
BILK GALLERY
The Black Cat
Set in a fin-de-siecle Montmartre nightclub. 7pm. $20. THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ
TRANSIT BAR
Dr Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat
ALIVE Fridays pres. The Aston Shuffle
THE PLAYHOUSE
ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB
TC2
Blame it on the Boogie Weekends
Beth n Ben EP Launch
The national Comfortable DJ tour. $10 before midnight.
HELLENIC CLUB (CIVIC)
Blame it on the Boogie Weekends
DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR
DJ set. 8pm. Free.
Special Steampunk theme. DJs play industrial/dark electronic/goth. 9pm-3am. $10.
BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE
KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB
Sistema Criolina
Chrome
On The Town
Drawings and sculptures by Dianne Libke. 10am-4pm.
10pm. Free.
THE POLISH WHITE EAGLE CLUB
THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ
On The Town
THE STREET THEATRE
THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ
CMC Presents. With Brother Be, Party Gravy. 8pm till late. $25/20/15 (presale via trybooking.com).
With Rose Wintergreen & Julia and the Deep Sea Sirens. 7:30pm. $7.
Where Do You Go To?
Disco, motown, ‘80s and ‘90s. 10pm onwards. Free.
Heuristic
Rosie Catalano
Based on the all-time favourite book by Dr Seuss. 9:30am/11am. $39.
Klaus Moje
Selected works. 11am-5pm (-4pm, Sat).
Roy Jackson: Retrospective 1963–2013 Spanning 50 years of painting and drawing by Jackson. 12–5pm. ANU DRILL HALL GALLERY
Mungo Woman
Art by Brenda Runnegar inspired by Lake Mungo. 10am-5pm. Free. BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE
Hate Fuck
Art by Dean Butters. 9:30am-5pm (10am-2pm, Sun). MEGALO PRINT STUDIO + GALLERY
Anger Management
New art by George Rose. Opens Fri Oct 11, 6pm. 10am-6pm. NISHI GALLERY
Nostalgia
Three exhibitions that look at myths, legends and story telling. 12-5pm. Free. M16 ARTSPACE
Swings and Roundabouts
Art by Janet Long & Caroline Huf. 11am-5pm. CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ARTS SPACE (MANUKA)
Dance The Nutcracker
The cherished classical ballet, by The Russian National Ballet Theatre. 7:30pm, $84.90-104.90. CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE
Live Music Activate Jetpack
With The Naddiks, Finding Eve. 9pm. $5. P J O’REILLY’S (TUGGERANONG)
Thesis
With Revellers, No Assumption, and Raised as Wolves. 9:30pm.
Disco, motown, ‘80s and ‘90s. 10pm onwards. Free. DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR
LOVE Saturdays
With Ashley Feraude. $10 all night. ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB
ANU Art School Ball 2013: Odd Ball 6pm. $20 at the door. ANU SCHOOL OF ART
Something Different BMA Magazine CD Sale
CDs, DVDs, books, LPs, all for cheap! Come for the cheaps, stay for a beer. 11am-2pm. BMA MAGAZINE
Talks Wordsmiths
Monthly writerly-types meet-up. Sit, beverage, banter, read, write and give feedback. 4-5pm. SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE
sunday october 13 Art Exhibitions Where Do You Go To?
Drawings and sculptures by Dianne Libke. 10am-4pm. BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE
Masked Rhetoric
Art by Jesse Whyte. 8am-6pm daily. Free entry. THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ
Mungo Woman
Art by Brenda Runnegar inspired by Lake Mungo. 10am-5pm. Free. BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE
Hate Fuck
Art by Dean Butters. 9:30am-5pm (10am-2pm, Sun). MEGALO PRINT STUDIO + GALLERY
Swings and Roundabouts
Art by Janet Long & Caroline Huf. 11am-5pm.
THE PHOENIX BAR
CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ARTS SPACE (MANUKA)
Jan Preston
Live Music
My Life as a Piano. 8pm. Tickets $35/$32/$30 thru thestreet.org.au. THE STREET THEATRE
The Secondhand Squad
Killing the Sound
With No Assumption, Reptile Park, and more TBA. 4pm. Door price TBA.
KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB
Irish Jam Session
10:30pm. Free.
Dialectrix
The Cold Light of Day tour. 8pm. $15.30 + bf thru Oztix. TRANSIT BAR
MAGPIES CITY CLUB
Free traditional Irish music in the pub from late afternoon on into the night. Free. KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB
Sunday Best at A Bite to Eat With Guy Lilleyman. 5-7pm. A BITE TO EAT CAFE
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ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE Sun Oct 13 - Wed Oct 16 Birds and Beats
Free party featuring Canberra musicians and producers. With BBQ. 12-7pm. Free entry. GLEBE PARK
Sunday Afternoon Sessions
Dale Huddleston. 4-7pm. Free entry. CANBERRA IRISH CLUB
McKisko
With Soda Eaves. $15. 7pm.
THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ
On The Town Free Pool Tables
Does exactly what it says on the packet. From 2pm. TRANSIT BAR
Something Different Living Green Festival 2013
A sustainable fair trade organic festival with music, food and more. 10am-4pm. Free. ALBERT HALL
tuesday october 15
wednesday october 16
Art Exhibitions
Art Exhibitions
Backburning
The (Very) Sad Fish-lady: A Migration Tale
Curated by Annika Harding, with work by Julia Boyd, Trish Roan and more. 11am-5pm (10am-4pm, Sat).
CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)
Hate Fuck
Art by Dean Butters. 9:30am-5pm (10am-2pm, Sun). MEGALO PRINT STUDIO + GALLERY
Anger Management
New art by George Rose. Opens Fri Oct 11, 6pm. 10am-6pm. NISHI GALLERY
Karaoke Karaoke Love
Croon and wail your heart out on the Transit stage. 9pm. Free. TRANSIT BAR
Live Music
Curated by Annika Harding, with work by Julia Boyd, Trish Roan and more. 11am-5pm (10am-4pm, Sat).
CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)
Mindscapes Art & Photography Competition The contenders on display. 10am-5pm. Free.
Art Exhibitions Mindscapes Art & Photography Competition
The contenders on display. 10am-5pm. Free.
BELCONNEN COMMUNITY CENTRE
Masked Rhetoric
Art by Jesse Whyte. 8am-6pm daily. Free entry. THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ
Anger Management
New art by George Rose. Opens Fri Oct 11, 6pm. 10am-6pm. NISHI GALLERY
Comedy Schnitz & Giggles Improvised Comedy
THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ
National WIRED Band Comp Final two. 7pm til late. Free entry. CHARLIE BLACK
Something Different Mondayitis Cabaret
Three exhibitions that look at myths, legends and story telling. 12-5pm. Free.
Swings and Roundabouts
Something Different BAD!SLAM!NO!BISCUIT! 8pm. Free.
THE PHOENIX BAR
Theatre The Popular Mechanicals
By Keith Robinson & Tony Taylor, directed by Milly Cooper. 7:30pm. Presale via trybooking.com. UNION COURT (ANU)
The Wharf Revue
Back again for the laughs with the thinking. 8pm. $35-53 + bf. THE PLAYHOUSE
CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ARTS SPACE (MANUKA)
By Keith Robinson & Tony Taylor, directed by Milly Cooper. 7:30pm. Presale via trybooking.com. UNION COURT (ANU)
Back again for the laughs with the thinking. 8pm. $35-53 + bf.
Trivia Tuesdays
First prize $75 cocktail party. 7:30pm. Free. DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR
Trivia Night
First prize $100 + vouchers. 7pm. $5 entry.
P J O’REILLY’S (TUGGERANONG)
BMA Presents Bish Don’t Kill My Trivia 7:30pm. Free.
Trivia
O’NEILL’S IRISH PUB
Transit trivia returms with your host Rainman. Book your table now on (02) 6162 0899. 7:30pm.
Nostalgia
Indie folk rock duo. 7:30pm. $10.
The Popular Mechanicals
THE PHOENIX BAR
Rainman’s Trivial Excuse
SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE
SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE
Doors 6:30pm. Tickets $11.70 + bf thru theabbey.com.au. THE ABBEY
With Burrows, Evan Buckley. 7:30pm. Free.
Existentialist cabaret. 8:30pm. $15/12 thru shadowhousepits.com.au.
Trivia
THE PHOENIX BAR
The CMC Presents
Without a Voice 2: “Dance Me”
Adept
With Novia Scotia, A Drone Coda, Wallflower, Jude Kohn. 8pm.
P J O’REILLY’S (TUGGERANONG)
Theatre
THE PLAYHOUSE
The Bootleg Sessions
New art by George Rose. Opens Fri Oct 11, 6pm. 10am-6pm.
Art by Janet Long & Caroline Huf. 11am-5pm.
Live Music
THE BASEMENT
Anger Management
M16 ARTSPACE
The Wharf Revue
With A Breach of Silence, Polaris, Knives to the Throne. Doors 8pm. Door price TBA.
MEGALO PRINT STUDIO + GALLERY
Huntsman
6:30pm. Free.
SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE
Hate Fuck
Free traditional Irish music in the pub from late afternoon on into the night. Free. 7:30pm. Free.
Followed by Maxi. B and Friends, with Ben. 7:30pm. Gold coin donation.
THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ
Spanning 50 years of painting and drawing by Jackson. 12–5pm.
NISHI GALLERY
KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB
Resident Betty
Sound From Earth
Art by Dean Butters. 9:30am-5pm (10am-2pm, Sun).
monday october 14
THE DURHAM
Roy Jackson: Retrospective 1963–2013
Music at Midday
Irish Jam Session
From 10pm. All welcome.
BELCONNEN COMMUNITY CENTRE
Live Music
CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE
Karaoke
Backburning
CRAFT ACT CRAFT & DESIGN CENTRE
A Thousand Words
M16 ARTSPACE
THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ
Karaoke
Talks
A concert by the Royal Military College Band. 11am/12:30pm. Gold coin donation.
Art exhibition. Opens Thu Oct 17, 6pm. 8am-6pm. Free.
The quirky tale of the Fish-lady, created by Joy McDonald. 10am-5pm (12-4pm, Sat).
ANU DRILL HALL GALLERY
Special event with Anni Doyle Wawzrynczak, Nigel Featherstone, and Allan Sko. 4pm. Free.
Judy Witherdin
Tuesday Pub Trivia
First prize $70 bar tab. 7:30pm. Free entry.
Trivia
7:30pm. All welcome. THE DURHAM
TRANSIT BAR
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ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE Thu Oct 17 - Sat Oct 19 thursday october 17 Art Exhibitions The (Very) Sad Fish-lady: A Migration Tale
The quirky tale of the Fish-lady, created by Joy McDonald. 10am-5pm (12-4pm, Sat). CRAFT ACT CRAFT & DESIGN CENTRE
Backburning
Curated by Annika Harding, with work by Julia Boyd, Trish Roan and more. 11am-5pm (10am-4pm, Sat).
CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)
Mindscapes Art & Photography Competition The contenders on display. 10am-5pm. Free.
BELCONNEN COMMUNITY CENTRE
Klaus Moje
Selected works. 11am-5pm (-4pm, Sat). BILK GALLERY
Hate Fuck
Art by Dean Butters. 9:30am-5pm (10am-2pm, Sun). MEGALO PRINT STUDIO + GALLERY
Anger Management
New art by George Rose. Opens Fri Oct 11, 6pm. 10am-6pm. NISHI GALLERY
Nostalgia
Three exhibitions that look at myths, legends and story telling. 12-5pm. Free. M16 ARTSPACE
Swings and Roundabouts
Art by Janet Long & Caroline Huf. 11am-5pm.
CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ARTS SPACE (MANUKA)
Judy Witherdin
Art exhibition. Opens Thu Oct 17, 6pm. 8am-6pm. Free. THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ
Roy Jackson: Retrospective 1963–2013 Spanning 50 years of painting and drawing by Jackson. 12–5pm. ANU DRILL HALL GALLERY
Film Iranian Film Festival
Live Music
Art by Janet Long & Caroline Huf. 11am-5pm.
CANBERRA GRAMMAR SCHOOL GALLERY
Judy Witherdin
With the Mike Dooley Jazz Ensemble. 7:30-9:30pm. $20/10 (more with CD).
Ping Pong Jam
Karaoke at The Inn
8pm-midnight. Free entry. OLD CANBERRA INN
Karaoke
With Ka-tere-oke. Win $50 cash and vouchers. 8:30pm. P J O’REILLY’S (TUGGERANONG)
THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ
Comedy
THE COURTYARD STUDIO
The Timbers
A splattering of sketch comedy with splinters of silliness. 8pm. $10 thru trybooking.com.
Briana Cowlishaw THE LOFT
9pm.
THE PHOENIX BAR
Chicago Charles & Dave
THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ
The Discotheque of Justice
ANU ARTS CENTRE
9:30pm. Free.
Film
Will Watson
Iranian Film Festival
THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ
ARC CINEMA
KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB
With Charlie Gradon. 7:30pm. Entry by donation.
Adalita
See nfsa.gov.au/arc for sessions and tickets.
The story of a daughter and son-inlaw monthly Sunday visits. 2pm/8pm. $30-$35.
The Popular Mechanicals
By Keith Robinson & Tony Taylor, directed by Milly Cooper. 7:30pm. Presale via trybooking.com. UNION COURT (ANU)
The Wharf Revue
Back again for the laughs with the thinking. 8pm. $35-53 + bf. THE PLAYHOUSE
saturday october 19 Art Exhibitions
The All Day Venus tour, with Laura Jean. 8pm. $23.50 thru Moshtix.
Karaoke
Smith’s Jazz Jam
Live jazz every Thursday. 9:30pm. Free.
Canberra’s best karaoke singers can compete for $1000. 8pm til late.
SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE
CANBERRA IRISH CLUB
CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ARTS SPACE (MANUKA)
Something Different
Live Music
Judy Witherdin
Mindscapes Poetry Night
Beckon the Dead
THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ
SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE
With Bound For Ruin, and locals TBA. 8pm. Door price TBA.
Theatre
The Feldons
Spanning 50 years of painting and drawing by Jackson. 12–5pm.
TRANSIT BAR
6:30-8pm. Free.
The Wharf Revue
Back again for the laughs with the thinking. 8pm. $35-53 + bf. THE PLAYHOUSE
friday october 18
Irish Club Karaoke Competition
THE BASEMENT
Canberra-based three piece retro garage pop modsters. 8pm. $5. SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE
Twin Beasts
Formerly the Toot Toot Toots. 7:30pm. Door price TBA. THE POLISH WHITE EAGLE CLUB
Bollywood Black Tie Bonanza
Swings and Roundabouts
Art by Janet Long & Caroline Huf. 11am-5pm.
Art exhibition. Opens Thu Oct 17, 6pm. 8am-6pm. Free.
Roy Jackson: Retrospective 1963–2013 ANU DRILL HALL GALLERY
The (Very) Sad Fish-lady: A Migration Tale
The quirky tale of the Fish-lady, created by Joy McDonald. 10am-5pm (12-4pm, Sat). CRAFT ACT CRAFT & DESIGN CENTRE
Room to Read fundraiser. 6:30-9pm. With G-Luv, and mor.e $90 thru trybooking.com/62229.
Backburning
Spanning 50 years of painting and drawing by Jackson. 12–5pm.
Bjorn Again: the Ultimate ABBA Experience
CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)
The (Very) Sad Fish-lady: A Migration Tale
CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE
Art Exhibitions Roy Jackson: Retrospective 1963–2013
ANU DRILL HALL GALLERY
Backburning
CHARLIE BLACK
Set in a fin-de-siecle Montmartre nightclub. 7pm. $20.
The Paper Mache City tour, jazz at the Loft. 7pm. $15 door.
THE POLISH WHITE EAGLE CLUB
Karaoke 9pm-2am. Free entry.
The Black Cat
A Month of Sundays
7pm. $5 entry (musos free). $5 comp.
ARC CINEMA
Rock Karaoke
CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ARTS SPACE (MANUKA)
Theatre
Art exhibition. Opens Thu Oct 17, 6pm. 8am-6pm. Free.
The quirky tale of the Fish-lady, created by Joy McDonald. 10am-5pm (12-4pm, Sat).
See nfsa.gov.au/arc for sessions and tickets.
Swings and Roundabouts
Jazz in the Gallery
CRAFT ACT CRAFT & DESIGN CENTRE
Curated by Annika Harding, with work by Julia Boyd, Trish Roan and more. 11am-5pm (10am-4pm, Sat).
CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)
Mindscapes Art & Photography Competition The contenders on display. 10am-5pm. Free.
BELCONNEN COMMUNITY CENTRE
Klaus Moje
Selected works. 11am-5pm (-4pm, Sat). BILK GALLERY
Hate Fuck
Art by Dean Butters. 9:30am-5pm (10am-2pm, Sun). MEGALO PRINT STUDIO + GALLERY
Anger Management
New art by George Rose. Opens Fri Oct 11, 6pm. 10am-6pm. NISHI GALLERY
Nostalgia
DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR
The world’s number one ABBA tribute show. 8pm. $35.55-$69.50.
RasRufus
Album launch. With Luke Sweeting, Jared Plane, and more. BYO. 7pm doors. $15/10.
Curated by Annika Harding, with work by Julia Boyd, Trish Roan and more. 11am-5pm (10am-4pm, Sat).
Hate Fuck
Art by Dean Butters. 9:30am-5pm (10am-2pm, Sun). MEGALO PRINT STUDIO + GALLERY
Anger Management
New art by George Rose. Opens Fri Oct 11, 6pm. 10am-6pm.
AINSLIE ARTS CENTRE
NISHI GALLERY
ALIVE Fridays pres. Porter Robinson
Three exhibitions that look at myths, legends and story telling. 12-5pm. Free.
With The M Machine. Limited tickets on the door. ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB
On The Town Blame it on the Boogie Weekends
Disco, motown, ‘80s and ‘90s. 10pm onwards. Free. DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR
Nostalgia
M16 ARTSPACE
Comedy The Discotheque of Justice
A splattering of sketch comedy with splinters of silliness. 8pm. $10 thru trybooking.com. ANU ARTS CENTRE
Film Handmade by Ray
Jason and the Argonauts & The Valley of Gwangi. 7:30pm. See nfsa.gov.au/ arc for info/tix. ARC CINEMA
Iranian Film Festival
See nfsa.gov.au/arc for sessions and tickets. ARC CINEMA
Three exhibitions that look at myths, legends and story telling. 12-5pm. Free. M16 ARTSPACE
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ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE Sat Oct 19 - Tue Oct 22 Live Music
Theatre
The 16th Free Floral Frock Fringe Festival
The Wharf Revue
With Gravy Tram, special guests, art, comedy and more. 12-11:30pm. Free. MAGPIES CITY CLUB
The Big Four…ty Four
Deprivation, Lilly Rouge, Time & Weight, The Khalasar. $4.44 beers until 9pm. $14. THE BASEMENT
Lowlakes
Intimate, swirling with atmospherics, with a sense of the cinematic. 8pm. $10.
Back again for the laughs with the thinking. 8pm. $35-53 + bf. THE PLAYHOUSE
A Month of Sundays
The story of a daughter and son-inlaw monthly Sunday visits. 2pm/8pm. $30-$35. THE COURTYARD STUDIO
The Popular Mechanicals
By Keith Robinson & Tony Taylor, directed by Milly Cooper. 7:30pm. Presale via trybooking.com. UNION COURT (ANU)
SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE
EARTHBeat Concert
With Shortis and Simpson, and Ecopella. 8pm.
sunday october 20
BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE
Art Exhibitions
Lorde (NZ)
Nostalgia
Sold out. 8pm.
ZIERHOLZ @ UC
Tonk
With Tundrel, and Positive Feedback Loop. 9pm. $5 entry. P J O’REILLY’S (TUGGERANONG)
Cherrywood
With This Lone Ranger. 9:30pm. THE PHOENIX BAR
Plump
10:30pm. Free.
KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB
Alex Gibson
7:30pm. $12 + bf pre-sale (Oztix), $15 door.
THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ
On The Town Blame it on the Boogie Weekends
Disco, motown, ‘80s and ‘90s. 10pm onwards. Free. DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR
LOVE Saturdays
With Pred. $10 all night. ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB
Something Different BMA Magazine CD Sale
CDs, DVDs, books, LPs, all for cheap! Come for the cheaps, stay for a beer. 11am-2pm. BMA MAGAZINE
Three exhibitions that look at myths, legends and story telling. 12-5pm. Free. M16 ARTSPACE
Swings and Roundabouts
Art by Janet Long & Caroline Huf. 11am-5pm. CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ARTS SPACE (MANUKA)
Judy Witherdin
Art exhibition. Opens Thu Oct 17, 6pm. 8am-6pm. Free. THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ
Roy Jackson: Retrospective 1963–2013 Spanning 50 years of painting and drawing by Jackson. 12–5pm. ANU DRILL HALL GALLERY
Anger Management
New art by George Rose. Opens Fri Oct 11, 6pm. 10am-6pm. NISHI GALLERY
Comedy The Discotheque of Justice
A splattering of sketch comedy with splinters of silliness. 8pm. $10 thru trybooking.com. ANU ARTS CENTRE
Live Music Irish Jam Session
Free traditional Irish music in the pub from late afternoon on into the night. Free. KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB
Birds and Beats
Free party featuring Canberra musicians and producers. With BBQ. 12-7pm. Free entry. GLEBE PARK
The Guitar Cases
tuesday october 22 Art Exhibitions Judy Witherdin
With Andrew Bristow and Michael Lemmer. 7:30pm. $10.
Art exhibition. Opens Thu Oct 17, 6pm. 8am-6pm. Free.
Sunday Afternoon Sessions
Backburning
THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ
Mal Osborne. 4-7pm. Free entry. CANBERRA IRISH CLUB
Canberra Blues Society Jam Hosted by Leo Joseph and Key Grip. From 2pm.
THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ
Curated by Annika Harding, with work by Julia Boyd, Trish Roan and more. 11am-5pm (10am-4pm, Sat).
CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)
SPANISH AUSTRALIAN CLUB OF CANBERRA
Anger Management
On The Town
NISHI GALLERY
Free Pool Tables
Does exactly what it says on the packet. From 2pm. TRANSIT BAR
monday october 21 Art Exhibitions
New art by George Rose. Opens Fri Oct 11, 6pm. 10am-6pm.
Comedy Open Mic Stand-Up 8pm. Free.
THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ
Karaoke Karaoke Love
Judy Witherdin
Croon and wail your heart out on the Transit stage. 9pm. Free.
THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ
Live Music
Art exhibition. Opens Thu Oct 17, 6pm. 8am-6pm. Free.
Anger Management
New art by George Rose. Opens Fri Oct 11, 6pm. 10am-6pm.
TRANSIT BAR
Andrew Galan’s Movie Review Show Trivia
NISHI GALLERY
7:30pm. Free.
Comedy
Irish Jam Session
Tommy Tiernan – Stray Sod
Multi award-winning Irish comedian Tommy Tiernan returns to Australia. 8pm. $69.90. CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE
Live Music Schnitz & Giggles Improvised Comedy 6:30pm. Free.
SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE
2XX LocalnLive pres. The Bootleg Sessions
With Space Party, Faux Faux Amis, Little Mac and the Monster Men, Paul Heslin. 8pm. THE PHOENIX BAR
THE PHOENIX BAR
Free traditional Irish music in the pub from late afternoon on into the night. Free. KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB
National WIRED Band Comp
Final three. 7pm til late. Free entry. CHARLIE BLACK
Trivia Trivia Tuesdays
First prize $75 cocktail party. 7:30pm. Free. DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR
Trivia Night
First prize $100 + vouchers. 7pm. $5 entry.
P J O’REILLY’S (TUGGERANONG)
Tuesday Pub Trivia
Sunday Best at A Bite to Eat
First prize $70 bar tab. 7:30pm. Free entry.
A BITE TO EAT CAFE
Trivia
With Freyja’s Rain. 5-7pm. Free entry.
O’NEILL’S IRISH PUB
7:30pm. All welcome. THE DURHAM
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FIRST CONTACT SIDE A: BMA band profile
Aaron Peacey 0410381306 band.afternoon.shift@ gmail.com.au
Jenn Pacor Singer-songwriter avail. for originals/covers 0405618630
Adam Hole 0421023226
Johnny Roadkill Paulie 0408287672 paulie_mcmillan@live.com.au
Afternoon Shift 0402055314 Amphibian Sound PA Clare 0410308288 Annie & The Armadillos Annie (02) 61611078/ 0422076313
Kurt’s Metalworx (PA) 0417025792
Aria Stone sax/flute/lute/ harmonica, singer-songwriter Aria 0411803343
Los Chavos Latin/ska/reggae Rafa 0406647296 Andy 0401572150
Australian Songwriters Association Keiran (02) 62310433
Missing Zero Hadrian 0424721907 hadrian.brand@live.com.au
Where did your band name come from? A person regarded as base, mean, or despicable.
Backbeat Drivers Steve 0422733974 backbeatdrivers.com
Moots Huck 0419630721
Group members? Dad (drums), The Mayor of Queanbeyan (guitars), Shy Guy (guitars), Charny Pinkman (vocals).
Bat Country Communion, The Mel 0400405537
Describe your sound: Grinding, unrefined, belligerent filth.
Birds Love Fighting Gangbusters/DIY shows-bookings@ birdslovefighting.com
Wretch
Who are your influences, musical or otherwise? Grindcore, hatred for everything, Toto. What’s the most memorable experience you’ve had whilst performing? Charny Pinkman taking the wireless mic into the gents at The Basement so he could piss mid-song. Of what are you proudest so far? Being able to play with such quality acts, local, national, and international, and touring. What are your plans for the future? Shy Guy wants to be a fireman, The Mayor wants his own cooking show, Charny wants to be drunk, and Dad wants to be left alone. What makes you laugh? Taking relationship advice from Matthew Newton and Hey Dad..!
Black Label Photography Kingsley 0438351007 blacklabelphotography.net Bridge Between, The Cam 0431550005
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
Capital Dub Style Reggae/dub events Rafa 0406647296
Rafe Morris 0416322763
Cole Bennetts Photography 0415982662
Redsun Rehearsal Studio Ralph 0404178996/ (02) 61621527
Danny V Danny 0413502428
Redletter Ben 0421414472
Rug, The Jol 0417273041
What pisses you off? Everything.
Dawn Theory Nathan 0402845132 Danny 0413502428
What about the local scene would you change? More punters should go to more venues.
Dorothy Jane Band, The Dorothy Jane 0411065189 dorothy-jane@dorothyjane.com
Simone & The Soothsayers Singing teacher Simone 62304828
What are your upcoming gigs? Tuesday October 29 – The Basement, Friday November 22 – The Basement, Thursday December 19 – ANU Bar.
Drumassault Dan 0406 375 997
Sorgonian Twins, The Mark 0428650549
Feldons, The 0407 213 701
Contact info: facebook.com/wretchgrind; fvckingshitcvnt. bandcamp.com.
FeralBlu Danny 0413502428
Soundcity Rehearsal Studio Andrew 0401588884
Fire on the Hill Aaron 0410381306 Lachlan 0400038388
Sewer Sideshow Huck 0419630721
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
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Kayo Marbilus facebook.com/kayomarbilus1
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
@bmamag
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