BMA Magazine 485 - 14 September 2016 by BMA Magazine

COVER LINE #485 SEP/OCT

INSIDE: INFO

An illuminated wonderland

SAFIA

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AD PAPILLON SPACE

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MUSIC FOR CANBERRA

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AINSLIE + GORMAN

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THE JEZABELS

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BEYOND AD SPACE FESTIVAL

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CANBERRA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

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CANBERRA INTERNATIONAL AD SPACE FILM FESTIVAL

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GLITORIS

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THE STREET AD SPACE THEATRE

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THE BUNKER COMEDY

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CANBERRA ROLLER DERBY LEAGUE

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DINOSAUR AD TIME SPACE MACHINE

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THE DICKSON TRADIES

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THEAD GREEN SPACE SHED

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FILMS FROM HERE, THERE AND EVERYWHERE

In memory of our friend, Chris Halloran #485Sep/Oct 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

Editor Andrew Nardi T: (02) 6257 4456 E: editorial@bmamag.com

Accounts Manager Ashish Doshi T: (02) 6247 4816 E: accounts@bmamag.com

Sub-Editor Sarah Naughton Graphic Design Elisa Sko Andrew Nardi

We love our films here in Canberra. Old films, new films, films from abroad, films from the backyard, films about giant apes, films about regular-sized apes. Give us ya films, whatever you’re showin’, we’ll bloody well have a bit of a sit down and watch ‘em. That’s why we’ve got the Canberra International Film Festival (or CIFF), a celebration of cinema and screen arts with a decidedly Canberran touch. This year marks a milestone for the annual festival – we’re celebrating 20 years of CIFF and 20 years of films from Canberra, Australia and everywhere else. The 2016 program features a selection of acclaimed international films including Canberra and Australian premieres, filmmaker events and industry workshops. While delivering program highlights at a program launch on Thursday September 8, festival director Alice Taylor talked about the experience that festival-goers can expect from this year’s event. “We are really excited about giving voice to a whole range of diverse stories through this year’s program. Add to that a beautiful heritage-listed venue, state-of-the-art cinema, live music and locally produced food and drink – it’s going to be a real celebration and we encourage everyone to join in the festivities.”

CIFF are all about spreading the love: locally, nationally and internationally. That’s a lot of love, and that’s why there will be films showing from all three. The international highlights on the 2016 program include Australian premieres of Zoology (Russia) on opening night, Ma’ Rosa (Philippines), Play Your Gender (Canada), Akounak Tedalat Taha Tazoughai (Niger), Author: The Jt Leroy Story (USA), Kills On Wheels (Hungary), and Hortensia (Argentina). Keeping things Aussie, there’ll be a 20th Anniversary Gala screening of Children of the Revolution (Australia) attended by director Peter Duncan and actor Richard Roxburgh, who currently work together on the hit TV series, Rake. Best of all, CIFF is passionate about supporting the regional film community, and so the festival will screen a selection of local works. Among them will be the exclusive preview of local feature Blue World Order, plus a Q&A with director Che Baker, producer Sarah Mason and cast and crew. This sci-fi feature even includes a cameo by Chief Minister Andrew Barr! Also notable is a strong focus on supporting women in the film industry and presenting strong female characters on screen, with eight feature films in the program directed by women. There’s even a Halloween double feature on Monday October 31, including a screening of documentary The Frankenstein Complex (France) and (Rob Zombie’s) 31 (USA). The festival runs from Thursday October 27 to Sunday

November 6 at the National Film and Sound Archive. More information including a full program, screening times and ticket details are available at ciff.com.au.

THE KING OF THE INNER NORTH ART PRIZE Canberra artists who live, work or study in the inner north of Canberra are invited to submit artworks to the inaugural Inner North Art Prize. The prize will be judged by prominent local arts identities, including Emeritus Professor David Williams AM, former Director of the ANU School of Art. Selected works will be exhibited at The Front Café and Gallery in Lyneham from Thu–Sun October 20–30, and the winners will be announced and presented with their awards at the opening of the exhibition. The prize pool includes a $2,000 cash first prize that is crowd-sourced from Canberra’s art-loving residents, an art supplies voucher for $400 for the Eckersley’s Student Award, and a $400 framing services voucher for the People’s Choice Award sponsored by City Framing Gallery. Canberrans are invited to The Front for the opening of the exhibition and presentation of awards on Thursday October 20 from 6:30pm. The theme for this year is “Crossing Boundaries”. The prize accepts works in all media excluding performance or audio-visual material. Entries close Friday September 30 at 7pm. Submissions can be made via innernorthartprize.com – which also includes details on how to donate to the prize.

Film Editor Emma Robinson Entertainment Guide Nicola Sheville NEXT ISSUE 486 OUT October 12 EDITORIAL DEADLINE September 30 ADVERTISING DEADLINE October 6 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.

Kills On Wheels, showing at the Canberra International Film Festival on Thursday November 3 at 8:20pm.

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FROM THE BOSSMAN Vote With Your Feet (Increase Canberra Shows In 1 Easy Step) As a punter, we Canberrans are a lucky people. Despite sporting the population of an English hamlet, we have a staggering amount of entertainment options. Sure, we lose many shows to the twinkling charms of our ne-er-do-well big brother Sydney, but per capita we’re doing damned well (plus, it doesn’t take us two hours to get to work every day, so there). This is a good thing. Not only are we spoiled for variety and quantity, but we can also bask in the laconic glow of taking our time buying a ticket. Unlike Sydney – where panicky punters bring on RSI by frantically refreshing the ticket-purchase page from the minute the already-sold-out show goes on sale – we can relax and take our time, often not deciding until half an hour before the show if we want to go. This, however, is a bad thing. Allow me to explain. While you laze in comfy buying ambivalence, everyone with a stake in the show – promoter, venue, managers, and, of course, the talent – will be sweating bricks. Money, time, heart and soul have been poured into this event; it’s a volatile creature that has sway over both bank balance and psyche. As an erstwhile promoter myself, I know this feeling. There’s not much in the world more worthwhile than putting on a successful show. Like a wizard of whimsy, you’ve summoned happiness, creating an occasion that brings together talented humans with people thirlled to see them. You feel elated, like you’ve achieved something worthy. And a handy bump to the bank balance tends to put a skip in your step. Life is wonderful.

YOU PISSED ME OFF! Care to immortalise your hatred in print? Send an email to editorial@bmamag.com and see your malicious bile circulated to thousands. [All entries contain original spellings.] This is 100% SERIOUS. I need to tell you about this AMAZING AWESOME SUPERPOWER we all Secretly have locked away. ANYONE Can activate theirs at anytime. It is GUARANTEED to make even sitting in an empty room fun, ur days will be full of INTERESTING questions,concepts, images, sounds, scenarios etc. It never wears out. No surgery required. No tablets or any other unpleasant procedures. You may not have heard of it. I KNOW Pokemon Go is all the rage. So it may ring a bell, but this SuperPower is called. YOUR IMAGINATION!! Oh my god I honesty cannot believe we all have one this is incredible! Honestly what the fuck is wrong with everybody. I can’t get across how fucken stupid the world is becoming. Pokemon Go is for DEADSET DUDS. Out of ALL the ppl playing it that are unemployed I’ll take an educated guess 98% never have or will hunt a job like a Pokemon. It fucking disgusts me to my core. Anyone who does this game get a life. Stop looking at a screen 24/7 square eyes. Oh shit ur absent mindedly walking out in front of a bus chasing a rare Pokemon... While ur sister is getting kidnapped in a van that claims to have a one of a kind Pokemon inside....And ur dad just blew his Super offering $20k to go on someone’s farm to be a real life Lemming in a game and [It just goes on like this...]

When a show doesn’t sell well, the absolute opposite is true. You feel a mixture of despondency and embarrassment for those you’re promoting, and a general bitterness at the world for not being there. And as a friendly reminder of your dark moment, you have a big hole in your account to boot. Your psyche is scarred; your confidence shaken. Life is miserable. It is in this latter psyche that those who put on gigs in Canberra have to dwell. Yes, a lot of the time it turns out alright on the night, with 300 snapping up tix in the final days. But that multimonth wait drowning in the murky swamp of anxiety and despair can prove too much for some people. Chris Moses of Blue Murder stopped bringing hardcore shows to Canberra for years as the pre-sale tix numbers spooked him. This is one example of countless Canberra events instead becoming 2nd Sydney shows. All because we don’t buy tickets early. Some promoters tough it out knowing we don’t buy our tickets until the last minute. Many others don’t, and we’re missing out as a result. But it’s not all bad news. In fact, this is a good news piece, as tickets sales on a whole are up, we have more sold out shows than ever, and most importantly, YOU – yes, little old unique snowflake, you – have the power to change. So if you do anything today, buy a ticket for a show you want to see. That simple act will help Canberra take a small yet significant step toward an even more exhilarating capital and what’s more, you’ll help a frazzled promoter finally get some much needed sleep. ALLAN SKO - allan@bmamag.com

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WHO: TAK-UN-DA WHAT: GIG WHEN: FRI SEP 16 WHERE: LA DE DA

Local emcee Tak-Un-Da recently put out his first major single, ‘Sex So Good’. Designed to feel like a live performance on your radio, it’s a love song with a touch of darkness that pulls on 1970’s funk. Now, Tak-UnDa is proud to present to you a show like no other, ‘Views From The Two-6’, complete with 11 swaggy artists. The all-star line-up includes Tak-Un-Da, Genesis Owusu, Kirrah Amosa, Ventures, Mighty Morfin, Donut$, Ryan Fennis, Champion Ruby, Augustine Brown, Matthew Elias and a very special guest from Sydney, Big Skeez. First release tickets are $10, second releases are $15. Gets kickin’ at 8pm.

WHO: HOUSE SHOES WHAT: TOUR WHEN: SUN OCT 2 WHERE: LOBROW GALLERY & BAR

Detroit hip-hop’s Ambassador to the World, Michael “House Shoes” Buchanan has been an integral part of the long burgeoning Motown resurgence. He’s had personal influence over a full generation of well respected emcees, producers and then-future DJs. As a producer, ‘Shoes has worked with the late and revered J Dilla and Big Proof, Black Milk, Danny Brown, Guilty Simpson and more. Don’t miss this rare and intimate opportunity to delve deeper with a Q&A session hosted by House Shoes, topped with a blood pumping, bass thumping DJ set. Starts at 8pm. Tickets are $15 + bf via Moshtix.

WHO: STONEFIELD WHAT: TOUR WHEN: FRI OCT 7 WHERE: ACADEMY

Australia’s favourite psych rock sisters Stonefield are hitting the road on a massive national headline tour in support of their acclaimed sophomore LP As Above, So Below. The record is a sprawling soundscape that delicately and boldly displays the Findlays’ signature penchants for kaleidoscopic guitar riffs, swirling melodies and hallucinogenic vocals. Stonefield are also renowned for their mind-blowing live shows, so it’s a good thing that they’re coming to visit us. They’ll be supported by Rackett and White Bleaches, who’ll kick it off at 7pm. Tickets are $20 + bf via Moshtix.

WHO: ALESA LAJANA WHAT: TOUR WHEN: THU OCT 13 WHERE: THE STREET THEATRE

Alesa Lajana is an award-winning Australian singer-songwriter, storyteller, guitarist and banjoist. For the last eight years, she has travelled the dusty highways of Australia, collecting oral histories of indigenous culture, as well as stories from post European contact history, and setting them to music. Her new album Frontier Lullaby is a collection of songs and stories from this wild and epic adventure, leading listeners on a heartfelt journey through shadowy chapters of Australian history. Her tour to The Street Theatre will commence at 8pm. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased via thestreet.org.au.

WHO: DJ JC (FUNKDAFIED) AND DJ ADVERSE WHAT: DJ SET WHEN: FRI OCT 21 WHERE: OLD CANBERRA INN

DJ JC (Funkdafied) and DJ Adverse, two of the finest DJs Sydney has to offer, will be in town with the heat to kick off ‘The 45 Sessions’ in Canberra. Expect top draw party vibes with the likes of soul, funk, hip-hop, reggae and more as they are joined by local heavyweight selectors Degg, Pactman and Jayo. All 7-inch, 45 RPM singles, all night – small records, big sound! ‘The 45 Sessions’ goes back to when it was started by DJ Platurn in Oakland, California during the February of 2010. Kicks off at 8pm, but get there between 4–6pm for happy hour.

WHAT: CANBERRA DRUMMERS DAY WHEN: SAT OCT 22 WHERE: GROOVE WAREHOUSE

The Groove Warehouse, Canberra’s pro drum centre, is proud to announce Canberra Drummers Day 2016. This special one-day event celebrates Canberra drummers and drumming enthusiasts on stage and “in session”. A giant outdoor stage will host live performances of local Canberra artists and – for the first time ever – drum karaoke! There will also be a series of themed talks and demonstrations on topics such as playing different styles, drumming careers, care and repair, drum tuning as well as hands-on sessions on specific topics like e-drums, cajóns, Brazilian samba, metal, jazz, rock, pop and more. Starts at 10am.

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TRANSIT AD SPACE BAR

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I had a lot of fun making [Supercry]. I went to a castle in the South of France … I drank a lot of wine

And coming back to music happened naturally: “I didn’t even think I was going to record another album, but my management encouraged me to go to the studio in France, and I thought, ‘Yes, I’ll do that!’,” she recalls. “I had a lot of fun making it. I went to a castle in the South of France. It was just beautiful – a thousand years old, with metre-thick walls. I drank a lot of wine,” she laughs. “It definitely helped to be somewhere new.”

QUEEN OF THE CASTLE KEREN NICHOLSON After a critically acclaimed first album, vs Head vs Heart, Brisbane artist EMMA LOUISE found herself wounded and essentially broken up with music. Now, three years on, she has triumphed over her breakup to complete her second album, Supercry – released in July this year – and is now on the cusp of a tour. After recently finishing up the festival circuit with Splendour in the Grass, Emma is currently resting and rehearsing in a beautiful house in Geelong where the tour will kick off. Emma says she has been recovering from a cold and preparing for the tour – making jackets and painting. Having a deep emotional relationship with music has at times taken its toll on Emma, but she says that in the time away after the first record, she never stopped writing. “I needed to travel and explore,” she says. “In this time I regained my perspective on music; I went to Japan, New Zealand, Europe, America and Mexico. Japan was incredible. I went by myself, and stayed in a cabin on a mountain. It was really different and beautiful.”

Supercry is about relationships – relationships with friends and the important ones that come to an end. In France, Emma Louise worked with renowned producer Pascal Gabriel (Goldfrapp, Ladyhawke), and the experience was a refreshing one for her. “The whole thing has been just so dreamily easy. The first album and everything attached to it was hard and hurt me a lot. This now makes sense again and music is meant to be fun.” When she was young, musically, she found her own way from picking up a friend’s guitar and now Emma’s creative process is a holistic one, from designing her on-stage outfits to painting the cover of her album. “It just so happened that I’d painted that painting. I never thought it would be used for anything. I was sitting in a café and thought, ‘It’s perfect!’” Supercry is a mature offering, full of Emma’s emotive iconic melodies, and there’s no doubt this will translate on stage. We should be in store for a good show in Canberra she tells us, “A lot of heart and soul, with some special treats. I’ll definitely play older stuff too. Should be a bloody ripper of a show.” Emma Louise is set to hit The Street Theatre on Thursday October 13. Tickets and more information are available at thestreet.org.au. Her sophomore album Supercry is available now.

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LOCALITY

Spring evenings are great for a number of reasons. Firstly, they’re warmer than those that we have been enduring for the last few months. Then there’s the fact that you are significantly less likely to be swooped by a magpie at night. Add those two positives to the fact that there are some pretty sweet tunes coming out of venues across the ACT, and suddenly everything’s coming up Royal Bluebells.

The scale of Canberra’s hip-hop scene is pretty incredible, but to have an evening where the number of rad local acts rolls into double figures? That’s mega impressive. It’s also what happens when

Tak-Un-Da presents Views from the Two-6 on Friday September 16, from 8:30pm at La De Da. For $15, you’ll catch Hannibal Medhanie, Genesis Owusu, Ventures, Mighty Morfin, Champion Ruby, Augustine Brown, Kirrah Amosa, Ryan Fennis, Matthew Elias, Donut$ and Sydney’s Big Skeez. Check the Facebook event to book tickets, because this looks like it’s going to be a corker. You might have heard about Fred Smith. He gets around a bit. One time, he got around so far that he ended up working alongside Australian troops and the Afghan people of Uruzgan province. When he got back, he recorded an album of powerful songs that are now complemented by a new book with the same name, The Dust of Uruzgan. And he’s putting on three shows at Smith’s Alternative to mark the occasion. The first has sold out, however at the time of writing there are still tickets to his show on Friday September 23 at 7pm, and Saturday September 24 at 7pm. Tickets are $30. Go to smithsalternative.com to book, because they won’t last long. Rounding out the end of September are some fantastic local line-ups that just happen to be supporting out-of-town folks. On Saturday September 24 from 8pm at the Polish Club, $15 will get you in to see the science fiction-worthy world dance sounds of OrbisTertius and the insanely fun rock/funk/ reggae of East Row Rabble, alongside Ungus Ungus Ungus from Sydney. CIT presents The Bootleg Sessions at The Phoenix on Monday September 19 from 8pm, with locals Signs & Symbols, Breeding Audacity and Slow Dial pulling support duties for The New Savages from Melbourne. Entry to that is free, but donations when the collection vessel goes around are smiled upon. Finally, Friday September 30 sees The Sinking Teeth (Melbourne) supported by Canberran punk dudes Super Best Friends and Revellers, starting at 9pm with entry just $10. I think I speak for many when I say it makes me really happy when Coda Conduct are back in town, so we can probably expect a city-wide spike in happiness on Friday October 7, when they’re at Transit Bar from 8pm. As part of their current Usually I’m Cool tour, supporting the single of the same name, they will be putting on one of their topnotch, high-energy shows with a little help from fellow local hip-hop champs Kirklandd and Genesis Owusu. Tickets are available for $15 + bf via Moshtix, and they are going to go hella quick. Finally, if you want to get your gig in this column, drop me a line: nonijdoll@gmail.com. NONI DOLL NONIJDOLL@GMAIL.COM @NONIDOLL

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ANU BAR LIFE BY THE HORNS ZOE PLEASANTS The sun is out, the magpies are swooping and you can dry your washing outside again: it must be spring. And spring in Canberra means Floriade. Time to tip-toe through the tulips, paint a gnome and enjoy the great line-up of performers, comedians and musicians that are let loose amongst the flowers after dark for NightFest. On for five nights of Floriade, NightFest will feature three local bands playing Stage 88 on the Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. EAST ROW RABBLE, a seven-piece funk, soul, ska outfit with a great horn section, have the Thursday night slot.

It was awesome to have your first gig on Canberra’s biggest stage!

Floriade has a special place in East Row Rabble’s history; the band played its first gig there last year. “We still didn’t have a band name at that point,” explains front man Ben Drysdale. “But that was the first time we played together. It was awesome to have your first gig on Canberra’s biggest stage!” For eight years, Drysdale ran the bootleg sessions at the Phoenix, and it was there that he developed a love of bands with horns. “I spent years watching lots of awesome Canberra bands like Da Ha Hoo and The Andi and George Band, who all have awesome horn sections, and the Brass Knuckle Brass Band, obviously. I have just always loved bands that have big, happy horn lines that make me want to dance!” Indeed, Drysdale’s previous band, Beth n Ben, as the name suggests, started out as a duo but grew to a ten-piece band by the time it broke up in April last year. “We sort of just got to that point where I was like, ‘yeah, I’ve got this big, awesome brass band,’ and then we broke up. So I was like, ‘right, new brass band!’” Seizing the opportunity, Drysdale put the horns front and centre. “I really wanted the horn section to be a star in this band. So I basically spent from June to September last year just rehearsing with the horn section and writing horn line,” he says. This then became the way the band wrote its songs. “We started with the horn line, then added the bass and drum … and it actually worked really well, because there was a lot of interesting stuff that came out of the horn lines that the drummer and bass player could play off and instantly latch onto.” East Row Rabble has been busy playing gigs and recording all year. They released their first single ‘Strawberries and Cream’ in March and are planning to release a second single in October, with an album to follow shortly after in the New Year. In the lead up to the release of their second single, they are playing a number of gigs around town including at Smith’s and The Polish Club, but what better way is there to celebrate spring than to dance to their happy horns at Floriade? East Row Rabble play at NightFest on Thursday September 29 at 7pm. Details and tickets at floriadeaustralia.com/nightfest.

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TRUTH, BEAUTY A PICTURE OF

AND YOU

NONI DOLL It seems that Tim Freedman has picked the perfect interview location, soaking up Sydney’s late-winter morning sun as we chat. “It’s beautiful. I’m sitting outside actually, lying on the grass in a little park,” he explains. When complimented on his chosen spot, he shrugs it off. “I came out here because I knew I’d be on the phone.”

singer/songwriter Harry Nilsson, as well as collaborating on Truth, Beauty and a Picture of You, a musical based around his back catalogue, which ran in Sydney in 2014. Was this shift from pub gigs to more thespian venues a break he felt he needed to escape being ‘that guy from The Whitlams’? “Well, I just wanted to do different things. I like theatre, so I was thinking about little theatre projects to write and perform in, because I probably go to theatre more than rock and roll to be honest, so it’s just a natural progression for me. I’m just curious about that world. I think it’s more of a literary side of my creativity that I’m interested in at the moment, as opposed to musical, probably.”

It’s probably best that he’s getting this bit of sunshine while he can. THE WHITLAMS are about to head off on their yearly-orthereabouts tour, including three sold-out nights at The Street Theatre. While the current line-up of Freedman, Jak Housden, Warwick Hornby and Terepai Richmond has been together since 2001, it’s been ten months since they last played together. That said, Freedman has always been adaptable. If he hadn’t been, Freedman acknowledges that it’s tricky getting back into the The Whitlams likely would have folded in 1996 when guitarist and swing of things, but it’s always worthwhile. “I suppose the first fellow frontman Stevie Plunder passed away. Four years later, rehearsal is very unpleasant, because it sounds horrible, can’t former bassist Andy Lewis also died, leaving Freedman as the only remember the words … But then it’s nice to just sit back and living member of the original line up. Both Plunder and Lewis were watch it form again before your eyes and ears over the week of from Canberra, and both men took rehearsals,” he reflects. “When you have their own lives. Knowing that, I asked There always was that these ten month breaks, you get surprised to the capital hold an element again, as an audience does, because you’ve Canberra connection in ifoftrips sadness for him. He pauses. For a forgotten the intricacies … It’s quite a We the ‘90s for us … moment, I panic that I’ve overstepped pleasant way to do things, actually.” en oft y played it very, ver the mark, but when he speaks again, While touring is a pretty much annual there’s a lot of thoughtfulness in occurrence for The Whitlams, the band’s recording schedule has his answer. “Not anymore,” he says, before pausing again. “There been significantly less regular. Their last release was a best-of would be if we were playing the ANU bar. You know, the haunts compilation eight years ago, though Freedman hurries to note that we used to play, where I used to play with Stevie and Andy. he did release a solo album in 2011. That said, he agrees it’s been But playing The Street Theatre, it’s not rooted to us like the a long time since fans of the band were treated to something old Canberra.” new. He says there is something on the horizon, though it won’t If anything, Freedman shows a great fondness for the city, and necessarily match the way they’ve released material in the past. has for many years. “I like the fact that those Canberra shows “Apparently you’re meant to dribble things out these days … were sold out before any other ones because there always was which we haven’t done,” he says, sounding a little sceptical of the that Canberra connection in the ‘90s for us with the other two idea. “There’ll be a couple of songs next year, but not an album.” fellas, and we played it very, very often.” He recalls the late Impact With such a gap between releases, the band makes sure they keep Records, once found in Civic, and its place in the band’s history. their sets fresh with lots of little gems that even the most avid “That one store sold 1,500 [copies] of our album,” he says. “Just fans may have forgotten about. “We pull different rarities out each goes to show you the scale of things back then. [Canberra’s] been year, because we do have six albums to choose from,” he says. “I like Newcastle for us. We just worked it really hard in our early felt like doing ‘Fancy Lover’ again, and we’ll join the gang and do a days and so you’d always meet people after the show that last saw Bowie song of course. We weren’t playing when he died. Everybody you 20 years ago. else got to play a Bowie song except us … And [there’s] a few “It certainly gives you some … context.” other surprises.” While the band may have been dormant for most of the last few years, Freedman certainly hasn’t been. He’s shifted onto a different kind of stage, spending last year touring Everybody’s Talkin’ ‘bout Me, his cabaret tribute to the enigmatic American

The Whitlams play three sold-out shows at The Street Theatre on Thu–Sat September 22–24, however there are still tickets for other dates on their tour. For more information, visit thewhitlams.com.

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THE GREEN SHED

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We’ve just gotten better at writing songs as a group and making it our song, an Exes song

ES SISTERHOOD OF TRAVELLING EX SHARONA LIN The next few months are going to be pretty big for ALL OUR EXES LIVE IN TEXAS. First they’re off to the UK and Ireland for a month, and then they’re going on a 35-date tour through Australia, in support

of their new single ‘The Devil’s Part’, released Friday September 9. Our favourite folk songstresses aren’t missing a beat though. “We just went and visited the US for a band holiday, and had a couple of cheeky meetings … so hopefully we’ll be back in March or April next year to do a tour,” Hannah Crofts (vocals and ukelele) says. “I wanna get over there so I can find and meet Shakey Graves,” she adds, laughing – so Texas and Nashville are definitely on the to-do list. But first, there’s Australia to contend with. Exes will kick off the Australian leg of their tour in Canberra, for Beyond Festival. They won’t be able to stay long (there are still 34 other shows to play, after all), but they’re looking forward to visiting Canberra again. “Georgia’s family is from Canberra, so we always have lots of family time. We’ll go swimming in someone’s pool, we’ll go to some cafes that we all love,” Hannah tells me. (She recommends the Front Bar.) The tour will be promoting ‘The Devil’s Part’, a song Hannah wrote about being frustrated at always dating “shit dudes” – something a lot of people will be able to relate to. “Like when you start dating someone, and you’re like, oh my god, this person is also a shit person, I can’t believe I’m here again.” The track is the first single off When We Fall, which is set to come out early next year. “I’m so excited to be putting this record out into the world. We spent two years making it, and it has strings and we got our favourite musicians in to play on it … I’m just so excited.”

While each member in the group is musically accomplished in their own right (they all studied jazz at university), none of them played the instruments they play in the band now – ukelele, accordian, guitar and mandolin – when they started. “None of us knew how to play our instruments,” Hannah laughs. But brought together by a common love of folk, they’ve become one of Australia’s most well-known folk bands. “Now, musically, we’re so much better, and it means we’re not limited in our songwriting anymore,” Hannah says. “And I think that as a band, we’ve written so much together, we’ve just gotten better at writing songs as a group and making it our song, an Exes song.” Of course, being musicians at heart, they all have their own projects going on – Hannah currently has a punk band that performs solely in her living room. But Exes is special. “I think all of us will always be folk singers.” All Our Exes Live In Texas play at Beyond Festival on Saturday October 1. Tickets are available from beyondfestival.com.au.

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MUSIC FOR THE WORLD

JAZZ AT THE GODS

ANDREW NARDI Egyptian Australian oud virtuoso JOSEPH TAWADROS had been nominated for nine ARIA awards before taking out the Best World Music Album for his album Concerto of the Greater Sea in 2012. It turns out ten years is a long time to think of some crowd-pleasing zingers; when Tawadros accepted the pyramid-shaped award, he commented, “the industry is finally trusting an Arab with a sharp object,” and, “to get me through the pain, I’ve often thought an Egyptian doesn’t need another pyramid.” The appreciation for Tawadros’ work didn’t end there, as the member of the Order of Australia went on to win the same category in 2013 and 2014. It comes down to his love for the oud – a pear-shaped string instrument commonly used in Middle Eastern music, but one which Tawadros believes has something to say in any musical or emotional context. “My interest is in the oud to add to genres and have something to say with integrity,” he says. “I’m not interested in featuring the oud in a genre or piece of music where it has nothing to say and is just seen as ‘exotic’.”

I like to think of myself as an Australian man stuck in an Egyptian man’s body

Born in Cairo, Tawadros’ family moved to the inner-city Sydney suburb of Waterloo when he was two-years-old. Having returned to Egypt throughout his life to study music, his musical philosophies are built on the cultures of both countries. “I like to think of myself as an Australian man stuck in an Egyptian man’s body,” he says. “My instrument is a very big symbol of Middle Eastern music, but my music is very much influenced by living in Australia and experiencing the diverse cultures that live side-by-side here. I don’t think I would have had the same style of playing had I learnt the oud in Egypt.”

DIESEL

Having played the oud since the age of ten, Tawadros’ fascination with the fretless instrument is based on its versatility; he believes the oud’s sound is as diverse as a guitar’s or a violin’s. “It’s a long love affair, which is growing day by day. I’m very restless in my pursuit and it’s been interesting the developments I’ve made with the instrument over the years,” he says. “I like to listen to a lot of different music, I feel that the more I can soak in under my skin and in my being, then I can transform that into inspiration for the oud.” Astoundingly, Tawadros has released one album per year since 2004. On his latest album World Music, he plays a total of 52 instruments. “All I wanted to do was have fun making music and show that it could be done with limited skills on some of the instruments,” he says. “It’s about the soul of the music and the instrument.” As for his well-renowned stage banter? “You’ll just have to wait and see, but the Canberra audience has always had an awesome energy and that’s why we love performing there.” Joseph Tawadros performs at The Street Theatre on Friday October 14 at 7:30pm. Tickets and more information are available at thestreet.org.au.

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THE REALNESS Okay so you know how I’ve normally got filler for an intro? Well not this month – CBR fam is absolutely going hard so no words to waste, I gotta get a run on! First up, if you’re familiar with the scene you’ve probably noticed that yung blud Kirklandd has been making some moves recently. Co-produced with Citizen Kay and seasoned campaigner Cam Bluff, Kirklandd’s latest offering ‘Visions’, sees him team up with the lush vocals of Chloe au Fait to great effect, syncing his flow seamlessly

with the track’s noticeably live percussion. Living up to his Costco namesake, Kirklandd’s got bulk offerings coming up over the next few months. Catch him at Fashfest, in support of Coda Conduct (see below) and on his new EP dropping November-ish … And here I am struggling to write a 500-word piece every month. If you’d like to get a taste of ‘Visons’ or any of Kirklandd’s previous stuff, hit up his Triple J Unearthed or Soundcloud. Aight, time to get on to the upcoming gigs and, gad damn, September is looking like a doozy! We got a split situation on Friday September 16, so get your priorities straight. First up, Blockhead is swinging through Transit with his baggy of swaggy beats, supported by Jayo, Faux Real, Nigiri and first gulf war. Tix available for $20 at Landspeed and online. Also on the Friday September 16, Tak-Un-Da has gone all out with ‘Views from the Two-6’. Knowing Tak-Un-Da’s penchant for mixing it up, you can hit this one up at La De Da for a mere $10, safe in the knowledge that no matter where you’re from in the CBR, this one has something for you. Check out this for a huge line up: Big Skeeze, Genesis Owusu, Kirrah Amosa, Augustine Brown, Matthew Elias, Champion Ruby, Ryan Fennis, Mighty Morfin, Donut$ and Ventures. As per the previous mention, Coda Conduct have returned to their homeland on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin in support of their fresh new material, ‘Usually I’m Cool’ feat. Jimblah. Catch them at Transit with Kirklandd and Genesis Owusu on Friday October 7. So my personal hero, Detroit (by way of LA) DJ House Shoes is coming back on Wednesday October 12. Doing his thing at Lobrow, this one’s a bit of a double header with the doco All Ears – all about the LA beats scene – coming out for one of its first showings since it’s prem at SXSW last year. Tix on Moshtix. So bad news is Wednesday October 12 will be another split night, which hardly seems fair but when you’ve got Horrorshow on offer at Transit, it’s hardly a burden. Touring in support of their new album, If You Know What I Mean, and B Wise in support, this is gonna be a cracker! BRADY MCMULLEN realness.bma@gmail.com

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THE GREEN SHED

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BMA SESSIONS

DANCE THE DROP

It’s a pretty rare thing to see, but last weekend I had the chance to witness a DJ play a proper marathon 7-hour DJ set. In a scene dominated by hour-long festival slots, it was truly refreshing to experience dance music in this kind of format. While John 00 Fleming’s legacy reaches back to the early days of the rave scene, he’s constantly pushed what he calls ‘the serious side of trance music’. This was definitely evident in the set, with a seamless mix between both uplifting and darker sounds of techno, trance, progressive house and psytrance.

With 7 hours to play with, the DJ can easily fight the temptation to adopt a ‘go hard or go home’ attitude, allowing tracks to develop through long mixes, hypnotic tangents and the opportunity to take the music dark and deep before pushing it back into full power territory. And while I’ve seen Fleming perform before, this was truly on another level. Perhaps we’ll see more of these events in the future, with Carl Cox billed for a ten-hour set next December at Australian festival Return to Rio. Maybe it’s time to push the single DJ, marathon-length set again – and why not bring it to Canberra with one of our locals? There’s a fair few gigs coming up this month. Friday September 16 sees Triple J’s KLP bringing the party to Mr Wolf. She’ll be joined by Wollongong’s Nyxen, and locals Mia, Genie and Indigo. Also that night, Torren Foot and Hey Sam will be stopping by Academy to spin some house and bass heavy club music, while Views from the Two-6 is happening at La De Da, featuring Tak-Un-Da, Big Squeeze, Kirrah Amosa, Genesis Owusu, Augustine Brown, Mathew Elias, Champion Ruby, Ryan Fennis, Mighty Morfin, Donut$, and Ventures.

DEPARTMENT OF LATE NIGHTS

Finally (this seems to be the biggest night this month!), hip-hop/ downtempo wizard Blockhead will be at Transit Bar, with supports by DJ Jayo (Yum Yum), Faux Real, Nigiri and first gulf war, while the first of a new trance and prog event Buddha Nights comes to Digress with Peekz, Eden Sinclair and Trancient Being back-toback all evening. On Sunday that weekend, Soul Crane presents Myles Mac with a special 5-hour session at Bar Rochford, along with Not Quite Disco and Cressy. EDM superstar Timmy Trumpet will arrive at Academy on Friday September 23, while the following evening, Pickle is hosting a secret warehouse party (although now you know!) with Ben Fester supplying the tunes. Finally, that weekend the Box Cutter crew will at be Lobrow Gallery for Holy Balm’s album launch, joined by California Girls, Honey and Playful Sound. Hard Envy is back on the second long weekend, with a special Sunday night hard dance show at Cube, headlined by Fanatics on Sunday October 2. They’ll be joined by Team Rocket, Cateyez, Phoenix, Havoc, Cotts, Clive Warren and Jorgo. Also that evening, Rigid Flow, Champion Ruby, Sargent Sprinkles and Biscuit Bytes vs DJHRH ft MC Harlequin & MC D-Tech will be at Reload for 1Up. There’s some dark psytrance action at The Basement on Friday October 7 for Darkness Returns, with Reflection (who’ll be back from an international tour), Illuman8, Technocalypse, Horoscope and JBraham Lincoln. The following evening Ed Disect will present his new techno project Humanizm at Lowbrow Gallery for Funky Pleasures, with Perdy spinning some deep house and tech. Finally, for this month, Swiss-based house DJ and producer Nora En Pure will stop by at Mr Wolf as part of her national tour on Friday October 14. Get amongst it!

PETER ‘KAZUKI’ O’ROURKE contact@kazuki.com.au

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I N T E R N A L I S E D ZOE PLEASANTS The release of SAFIA’s first album is a journey that started in a year six classroom at Radford College, where Michael Bell, Harry Sayer and Ben Woolner met. That journey has seen them develop their own distinctive brand of electronic music and perform it on some of the biggest festival stages, both here and overseas. Along the way, the three friends have formed a tight-knit unit and learnt to trust their instincts. In recognition of this, SAFIA have called their album, Internal. I spoke with frontman Ben Woolner about this huge milestone.

Given Woolner’s voice is such a defining element of SAFIA’s sound. I was surprised to hear he hadn’t always been aware of what an asset he has. He told me he could always sing in pitch, but when he was first in bands he saw himself as a guitar player and backup vocalist. “Then there was a time when we needed a singer and I said ‘okay, I can fill in while we find a new singer’. And it kind of started from there,” Woolner explains. But during their gigs he would lose his voice after three songs. So he found himself a singing teacher who helped him strengthen his voice and understand what he could do with it.

“We’ve always kept things between ourselves,” says Woolner. SAFIA started thinking about putting together an album in early “Living in Canberra, we’ve felt outside the industry and with our 2015. They had a diverse body of work that they had built up over music it was the same.” They found it hard, especially in the early the years. When they sat down to write the album, they found that days, to find a place where their music fit. “We’d get booked with this collection of songs gelled well together, even though they had a DJ and that wouldn’t work, or with a live band and that wouldn’t written some songs recently and others before they were even work either. We had to build our own audience and do our own SAFIA. “It was kind of cool having our thing, and so this album is basically a old ideas merging into our new ideas,” demonstration of us, as a unit – no outside h The fans came wit says Woolner. “And without really influence, just our thoughts and ideas us, and that opened us knowing it, we had this fuller body on a record.” of work that has this narrative to it, up to do whatever we Bell, Sayer and Woolner started writing with distinctive chapters.” ally sic mu d nte wa songs together in their early years of The confidence SAFIA felt to use high school. By the time they left school their full array of songs came, in part, from the strong connection they were experimenting with different genres and production they feel with their fans. Woolner points to their fans’ reaction to techniques. “We were 19, we were writing all these different kinds ‘Counting Sheep’ as an example of this. “The fans came with us, of songs, and going in all these different directions,” says Woolner. and that opened us up to do whatever we wanted musically,” he It was at this time that they discovered electronic music. “We were says. “And I think the album will showcase that.” SAFIA has learnt never really into electronic music … but we started writing dance that it is good to be different, good to challenge themselves, not songs for fun, these four-on-the-floor bangers and funny dubstep to be safe, and to go with their instinct. type stuff. It was foreign to us; we grew up with rock and roll, jazz and folk even, so a very organic background. When we learnt The upcoming summer holds a full schedule of touring and that electronic music could be organic, that [felt] like the natural festivals for SAFIA; but once the dust settles, Woolner is looking progression.” Somewhere between the live sound they’d grown up forward to sitting down with a blank sheet of paper. “Because the with, and had always played, and the electronic music they were first incarnation of a lot of [the songs on the album] came together discovering, SAFIA emerged. very early and we’ve been tweaking these same songs for a long time. It will be really fun to sit down and have nothing on a page In July 2012, SAFIA uploaded their first single, ‘Stretched and and start something fresh, with a brand new idea. We’re excited to Faded’, onto Triple J Unearthed. Eight weeks later Woolner heard it do that,” he says. Possibly they will return to Canberra to do this, played on the radio, and then a few presenters reviewed it. In early “we all love coming back to Canberra, it’s a really good place to 2013, SAFIA won a spot on the Groovin The Moo line-up. It was the free your mind and write music.” reassurance they needed that they were on to a good thing, and the motivation to work harder. “Yeah, to win Groovin The Moo was SAFIA’s album Internal was released on Friday September 9. They are definitely the thing that made us properly think, ‘okay, if we try playing at the UC Refectory on Friday September 23, supported by Running and work hard, we’ve seen so many bands who’d won one of these Touch and Set Mo. Ticket start at $44.90 + bf via Oztix. Unearthed competitions become the biggest acts in the country’.” They built on their momentum uploading ‘Listen to Soul, Listen to Blues’ next, which made it into the 2013 Hottest 100 and is still a massive crowd favourite, as this year’s Groovin The Moo crowd demonstrated.

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METALISE Well it’s a huge variety of heavy ahead in the next few weeks, with a mix for all tastes coming up.

LEVITATION HEX

Saturday September 17 at the Basement is the (wooden) leg of the Largerstein tour, bringing their true Australian pirate metal to town. Joined by the triple folk metal threat of Stormtide, Saralisse and Beast Impalor. The Family and Community Day long weekend is packed with options. Saturday September 24, you have the choice of Orsome Welles on their Build A World Tour at the Basement, in with Tundrel and Hallucinatorium. Personally, my pick of the night is at The Phoenix for an awesome double bill featuring 50% locals The Levitation Hex bringing their psychedelic goodness back to Civic, and the killer Melbourne thrash outfit In Malices Wake. Tough choice for Saturday September 24, but you may consider hiding under the tables for a kip as the night of Sunday September 25 also has an awesome line-up at the Phoenix. Isaiah Mitchell, he of the relentless pentatonic bludgeoning (in a VERY good way) riff lords Earthless, is touring Australia with his other group, Isaiah Mitchel & The Seedy Jesus. They are joined by Frozen Planet 69, which features Lachlan Paine of Looking Glass, and brothers Frank and Paul Attard of Mother Mars, in their debut performance. A psyche-shredic night is on the cards I reckon. Doomsday festival descends on Australia again after a couple of years’ absence and makes a welcome return to the Transit Bar on Thursday September 29. It’s a three-band affair, with San Fran three-piece Acid King making a repeat visit for the festival and to Canberra, in what will no doubt be another stunning performance. Witchskull are priming themselves for their trip to New York a couple of weeks later and will no doubt have some of their killer new material on hand, and Monoceros will be kicking things off. 45 bucks but well worth it to support a great touring fest that always gives Canberra a go. Blight Worms have had some line-up changes of late, going back to a three-piece with the departure of vocalist Liam. Vocal duties will be more than ably picked up by guitarist Damian Napper-Ferrari, whom has previously added his vocals to acts like Dehuman and Dead Kings. The band has a new eight-track slab of grind on blightworms.bandcamp.com, released on Monday September 4 and it is well worth your investment. The band have scored two international supports in October you should be checking out. First is that of Denmark’s Hexis on Monday October 10 at The Phoenix, also with Slave Birth and Monoceros. Hexis are a killer blend of modern black metal and hardcore influences, heavy and nasty and well worth a few of your hard-earned kroner to suss out. The second show is the blast beat punk stylings of the rather excellent Wounded Pig, who are undertaking a huge 29-date tour of Australia, from late October to early December this year. This one is at The Basement on Thursday October 27. Blight Worms will appear along with Wretch and the gig will be opened by Slave Birth. JOSH NIXON doomtildeath@hotmail.com

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IN METAL WE TRUST

KOLD CREATURE

CARRIE GIBSON The main purpose of METAL UNITED DOWN UNDER is to unite metal and metal-related players on one night, under one banner. As head of MUDU, Michael Lüders explains, “The emphasis is on uniting the scenes of the continent, some of which are quite isolated such as Darwin, Perth and Hobart. And also uniting the different roles played – by bands, fans, journalists, industry representatives – the works.” Metal United also strives to build a platform for underground bands to get better acquainted with the public. “Many bands currently utilise Metal United Down Under for touring, as they get contacts for promoters from other cities,” Michael continues. Being one to encourage platforms for heavy metal bands, I was curious as to how the concept came about. Michael spoke to us in detail, “I am originally from Germany, but when I migrated to Australia, I found that there was a very healthy metal scene here, I got to know bands and promoters from different cities and travelled to several metal festivals to really soak it all in. The idea of getting everybody together for ‘one’ event started taking form.” The shows, which are happening on the same date, under the same banner across the country, are individually organised by promoters from the respective cities. What do you hope to accomplish with Metal United Down Under? “MUDU needs the support of the fans to encourage interaction,” Michael raises. “It would be great if we could find people willing to collect video material to enable people to tune into different shows on the night … So you can be attending the Brisbane show for instance, but you don’t have to miss the bands playing in Hobart or Darwin.” Michael says that this would help MUDU to grow the ‘united’ feeling that is the overall goal of the project. “An event that unites the Australian metal scene; one that can utilise everybody’s skills and capabilities.”

When I migrated to Australia, I found that there was a very healthy metal scene here

WIG & PEN

Michael continues on what Metal United means to him personally, and the intentions it has to boost Australian heavy metal. “Heavy metal is my way to live – it’s a lifestyle. MUDU is Australian, it takes place in Australia, it is organised by Australian promoters and played by Australian metal bands. This is a platform for Australian metal.” How can bands become a part of this project (in future years, at least)? “Metal United Down Under is organised by promoters in each respective city. Metal-Roos promotes the whole event as a package; however the individual shows are the designated promoter’s responsibility. When the new shows are announced, the bands can get in touch with the promoters directly and apply for a spot in the line-up.” The Canberra leg of Metal United Down Under takes place at The Basement on Saturday October 15. The line-up includes From Hell’s Heart, Flaming Wrekage, Fatigue, Lord Ragnar and Mytile Vey Lorth. For more information, head to metal-roos.com.au/mudu.

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THINGS CAN ONLY GET BETTER SCOTT ADAMS As I wait for my intercontinental phone call to be connected, I look idly at a flyer someone has sent me, advertising a show by HOWARD JONES at the Longborough Hall in Stokenchurch on December 5, 1982. Of course I tell him what I’m looking at as soon as the call gets put through. He starts laughing immediately. “Haha, that’s one of the early ones!” A small village hall in rural Buckinghamshire is a long, long way from the glorious surroundings of the Canberra Theatre. Did you ever think, playing back then, that you’d end up over thirty years later playing on the other side of the world? “No. I wanted to play shows, record my songs, get a record deal, and that was that, really.” Fourteen months after that Bonfire Night show, Jones had achieved those basic ambitions, and the resultant album, Human’s Lib, rocketed him into the public eye, where, by and large, he’s been ever since. Was that sudden fame a shock to the system? “It was, it was a maelstrom and it was unbelievable. For two years solid, I just didn’t stop. Every single day I was performing, or doing interviews, or travelling to perform or do interviews. Amazing.” And you’ll be playing songs from that album in Canberra? “Of course. But I’ll be playing a couple of tracks from my last album, Engage as well, and also some material I wrote for the Eddie The Eagle film too.” Do you mind playing the old stuff after all this time? I guess it’s those songs that have enabled you to travel the world, isn’t it? “I don’t mind at all, it’s great that people still want to hear them!” You paid your dues I wanted to play shows, for a fair while before record my songs, get a hitting the big time – do you have any record deal, and that abiding memories of was that those days? “Playing the Nag’s Head in High Wycombe – a great venue, and it’s where we actually got the offer of a record deal from an A&R man who’d travelled up from London – it had a big dressing room, but no toilets. I always remember that.” Ah yes, the Nag’s Head – sadly now closed – I remember many happy nights there both as a performer and a punter. But I’d forgotten about the lack of toilets! And what about when the initial hysteria died down – were you glad to step off the popstar treadmill? “I was, but the great thing was that I could still make records, still tour, but without the pressure of the whole ‘Top of the Pops’ scenario.” It’s unlikely there’ll be any scenes of hysteria at the Canberra Theatre Centre when Jones makes his appearance there, in the company of fellow eighties phenomenon Kim Wilde. There will, however, be plenty of finely crafted, marvellously performed music that you’ll kick yourself for missing out on if you don’t attend – see you there! Howard Jones and Kim Wilde perform the hits that defined their generation at Canberra Theatre on Wednesday November 2. Tickets are available from canberratheatrecentre.com.au.

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THE GREEN SHED

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PLANET OF SOUND Planet of Sound is our new column celebrating the wide history of music, our favourite genres, movements, bands and artists, and how they have impacted our lives. In our first entry, resident BMA writer Dan Bigna explores a subsection of New York punk in its early days, represented on the compilation disc, Ork Records: New York, New York. Despite the veritable onslaught of music being promoted and sold online, record labels have persisted with cultivating a renewed interest in the physical object, particularly among younger listeners, and the packaging for both CD and vinyl reissues suggests an admirable amount of care and devotion to the work of significant artists. Recent examples include the David Bowie set Five Years 1969–1973 and the Bob Dylan official bootleg series.

single ‘Fa Ce-La’, which would prove inspirational to later avantgarage explorers like Pavement and Sebadoh – and got me all excited in that undergraduate, cool wannabe kind of way.

At some point I had discovered that noisy, weird sounding guitar stuff made me feel good about the world and I went in search of as much of it as I could to alleviate a general uptightness. It didn’t take long to work my way back from Yo La Tengo and Sonic Youth to the atonal super-cool of The Velvets, and then forward again to The Stooges, The Modern Lovers and the New York scene that followed. Bands like Television and Richard Hell conveyed the right amount of street hipness to consign all those pretentious prog-rockers and self-proclaimed rock gods to the golden oldies To this we can add esoteric Chicago label The Numero Group and retirement home. The better idea was to get the hormones its recent set, Ork Records: New York, New York, devoted to the jumping like those timeless pioneers had done at the birth of small yet landmark series of 45-inch singles released on smalltime rock ‘n’ roll. Terry Ork wanted to make that happen and he leapt at label Ork Records whose star shone brightly between 1975 and the chance to put out first-rate singles with street cred from the 1980. The CD edition comes in a compact hardback book with likes of proto new-wavers The Revelons and The Erasers, one-off extensive liner notes and 49 tracks across oddities from the greatest music t tha two discs that celebrate one of the most writer of all time Lester Bangs and, d ere cov dis I had exciting and innovate periods in American most interestingly, Alex Chilton from ng ndi sou ird we noisy, music, which thrived far away from the Memphis rockers Big Star. That band guitar stuff made me mainstream entertainment industry. had released three masterpiece feel good about This all started out with the explosive art albums to critical acclaim in the rock of The Velvet Underground in the 1970s, but chart success the world later 1960s that gave birth to the music eluded them. underground. The mainline from The Velvets to the Do-It-Yourself Understandably frustrated, Chilton turned his back on Big Star ethos of the 1970s punk scene incorporated record labels, bands and began forging a similarly obscure solo career, represented and writers who promoted the idea that a healthy desire could here. A sublime, melodic sensibility had been brought across from transform aesthetic rawness into the highest art from which an Big Star but the arrangements were stripped back and angular. alternative history could be constructed. Chilton had written great tunes that hadn’t sold shit, so taking Label founder Terry Ork plays an important part in that history. a leap of faith into punk rock seemed like the next best thing, Ork travelled from California to New York to hang out with the with those fantastic melodies now lurking somewhere in the Warhol crowd and immersed himself in New York’s gritty counter background. An edgy punk stance is the go on 1977 single ‘All of culture. The first release on Ork Records was the 1975 doublethe Time’, and although the Lower East Side of New York was a sided single ‘Little Johnny Jewel’ from freely expressive group world removed from the Memphis rock ‘n’ roll scene of Big Star, Television, whose inspirations had been The Rolling Stones, Chilton had at last found a welcoming home when he hooked up avant-jazz and the symbolist poetry of Baudelaire and Rimbaud. with Ork Records, as did most of the artists on this collection. ‘Little Johnny Jewel’ is a seven-minute, tightly wound exploration It doesn’t set out to provide a comprehensive overview of New of musical and thematic freedom that transforms a ‘60s garage York punk in the early days – the selections are too defiantly rock template into street level stream of consciousness for the eccentric for that. But it does capture a significant moment in the post hippie era. This was an auspicious beginning to the New York history of alternative culture when ground-breaking music with no scene that coalesced around grungy venue CBGB and was noted hope of troubling the charts was released by enthusiastic music for drawing in bands and artists whose intent was to meld raw fans with the bare minimum of organisational skills and cash. sound with a cultivated artistic sensibility. This was about doing something for the love of it rather than for Television also established the street clothes held together with commercial gain and everything about the Ork Records: New York, safety pins look well before fashion designer Vivienne Westwood New York set suggests a labour of love to make the world a turned this into a cultural statement for favoured clients The Sex better place. Pistols. Other bands would beat a path to the Ork Records door DAN BIGNA such as The Feelies, who radiated nervous energy on early 1977

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THE GREEN SHED

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MAJORS CREEK FESTIVAL

IT’S ONLY THE BEGINNING SAMUEL TOWNSEND On the 25th birthday of DEBORAH CONWAY’s seminal work, String of Pearls, the self-described “musically restless” artist embarks on a national tour juggling two very different projects – honouring her debut record in its entirety and also releasing a new album, Everybody’s Begging, with long-time collaborator and husband Willy Zygier. “We wanted to give it a really great beginning and put it into some really good rooms, and it just so happens that it’s the 25th anniversary of String of Pearls. So what better way of using that celebration as a Trojan horse to ride into the great concert halls of the east coast of Australia, and then present people with the new album!” Conway, whose Opera It is good to go back House performances were met with standing and revisit ovations, recognises that audiences are loving the nostalgia of revisiting this album. “It is good to go back and revisit because it brings up all of these emotions and memories and associations, and that’s something that music can really open up in a way that another kind of medium can’t quite do.” In a musical climate where it seems ‘on trend’ for artists to revisit classic works in their entirety, I wonder if the tracks have stood the test of time. “They all have their merits. The ones that are faintly embarrassing (because they’re from someone who was so much younger), I’m kind of enjoying them too. I’m enjoying the humour of them, I suppose, and the irony, for all the wrong reasons.” With her sense of sentimentality in check, Conway is quick to point out that this is much more than a trip down memory lane. “Everybody’s Begging is the priority project here, for us, obviously. It’s the new album and we wanted to give it a glorious release. We’re very proud of it! We think it’s a terrific new piece of work.” Conway explains that the songwriting duo have picked up where their previous record, Stories of Ghosts, left off, which had subsequently evolved from a track on Half Man Half Woman. “We just thought, you know, this is a really interesting row to hoe, a good path to explore. It connected with both of us. We were both going through some pretty extreme family traumas at the time. Stories of Ghosts was a really fantastic record to take our minds off things and to deeply explore those areas of what people do when confronted with the tough life and death questions.” Conway and Zygier’s approach is organic, with a shared understanding that their output must possess a certain weight and power. “We enjoyed ourselves so much that we didn’t want to severely fall off that path, so Everybody’s Begging is somewhat of a continuation, but this time we’re looking through the prism of commentary. We are commenting on other people’s great works.” Conway and Zygier: the Beginning and the Begging comes to the National Film & Sound Archive on Friday September 16 at 7pm. Tickets have sold out.

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When [The Full Monty] came

the answer out, the band rocketed back is obvious. up the popularity charts in a “Audiences have big way their hands in the air singing the songs that we recorded, remembering the lyrics and having a really good time and a special night.” Soul and funk that morphed into disco in the 1970s was mostly created on acoustic instruments with genius arrangers like Larry Levan working their magic on the mixes, and Olive makes clear that the organic roots of soul music resonate beyond what can be achieved with modern technology.

STILL BELIEVE IN MIRACLES DAN BIGNA When I contact bassist Patrick Olive from soul/funk band HOT CHOCOLATE, we begin by talking about the weather. “I’m celebrating that the sun shone today,” he says from the South of England, while I look out the window at the grey drabness of a Canberra winter morning. “If the sun shines again tomorrow, I’ll send it down to you,” he adds, and I instantly feel better as I do for the rest of the interview. “We’re a happy band, and the motivation is to go out on stage and see young and older people enjoying themselves, dancing and letting go of their inhibitions.”

“When you are playing real instruments live or in the recording studio you get the resonance and vibrations in the neck of the guitar, something you can’t feel with computers,” he says. “The soul music of today doesn’t ‘get down’ like the soul music we know. There are a lot of influences working through the band and you can’t get out of those influences no matter how you try.” Hot Chocolate perform at the Canberra Southern Cross Club on Friday October 21. Tickets and more information are available from Ticketek.

Hot Chocolate started out playing soul and R&B and scored a bunch of chart hits in the UK. But things really took off with the 1975 dance floor scorcher ‘You Sexy Thing’, which hit big around the time disco became a groove force to be reckoned with. Killer dancefloor tracks like ‘Every 1’s a Winner’ followed and compilation albums kept the band in the charts, but things began to slow down for the group until ‘You Sexy Thing’ was used in the hit 1997 British film The Full Monty and the band’s fortunes were revived. “It created a really new sensation for us,” Olive says. “It’s like we were born again. It made life a bit more difficult when we were out and about in the shops. In that film, the music let go some of the characters’ inhibitions and inspired a lot of people who saw the film to do the same.” This is one of those feel-good musical moments in cinema that only come around every so often and because the song itself is so uplifting it makes sense the reverberations have been long-lasting. “When that movie came out, the band rocketed back up the popularity charts in a big way,” he says. “And it has taken us to more places than we’ve ever dreamt of going to.” The group has recently been doing the European festival circuit with smaller show runs and when I ask Olive to consider the incentive for going out on stage and performing year after year,

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ADVENTURES AFTER DARK RORY MCCARTNEY When the red, white and blue lights of the Ferris Wheel start flashing near Civic at night, it can mean only one thing. The annual festival of the blooms, Floriade, is not far away. An increasingly popular feature of the festival is NIGHTFEST. The combined efforts of Laura Raine (Floriade Program Coordinator), Jason Rose and Jane Rowe (both also from Events ACT) were assembled to provide a detailed guide to this year’s night time entertainment. What makes NightFest so special compared to daytime displays? NightFest provides Floriade visitors a different and exciting way to experience the park – it really is an illuminated wonderland, filled with dramatic and beautiful lighting displays. What is the decorative theme for this year? This year, Floriade is getting back to basics and is focusing on botanics, horticulture, landscape design and gardening trends. What special lighting effects can punters expect? NightFest has a few tricks up its sleeve. Our lighting designers will feature brilliant displays that can be programmed in a series of sequences and colour, mapped to music. Its lighting innovation we are looking forward to! Who designs the lighting? Mandylights are the contracted lighting designer for NightFest. Over the past five years they have delivered some memorable and amazing lighting installations. NightFest 2016 is looking pretty bright! Are flowers well lit, for viewing at night? The lighting designers work closely with Floriade management to ensure that all garden beds are lit in a spectacular way. There is a mixture of functional and special design lighting that ensures the garden beds look amazing each night. How do punters get to see shows? Entry tickets into NightFest allow access to all shows, all programs and all entertainment, with the exception of some special ticketed events. Are tickets strictly limited? They are limited so people should buy tickets early to avoid missing out. NightFest can accommodate 8,200 people per night but, of that number, 200 are dedicated to the NightFest Posh Pit and 100 are set aside for the NightFest Premium Experience. In addition, there are special ticketed events with limited attendance, including the Spritzer Garden Party (50 people for each of the three events) and the Art of Perfume Making (eight people for each of the four workshops). Do tickets sell out? Yes, some tickets do sell out, with Friday, Saturday and Sunday night being the most popular. A common mistake people make is to turn up without a ticket on the night they would like to attend, only to discover that the event is sold out. What is the start time each evening? NightFest gates open at 6:30pm each evening. However, be sure to check your departure location and times if you have purchased Premium Experience or

Posh Pit tickets. The location and time for these depends on the type of ticket you have purchased. What time is wrap-up? 10:30pm is the official wrap-up time, with entertainment winding down from 9:30pm. Music won’t conclude until 10:30pm. What rides will be operating? Our amusement area will be operating including the Ferris Wheel, large slide, kids’ rides and smaller amusements. The 30m Ferris Wheel is the best vantage point for NightFest. Are all the comedians in one show or at separate shows? This year, the comedians will feature in our new pop-up venue, The Parlour. Each evening will see a line-up of four comedians, each appearing in their own show. Who are the featured comedians? This year, we are graced with the presence of Jimeoin, Becky Lucas, Nick Cody, Tom Walker, Michael Hing and the Stevenson brothers. What musical entertainment is on offer? Stage 88 will come alive musically for the first time in four years at NightFest. Each evening will feature a local band to open the show, including the Brass Knuckle Brass Band, Duck Duck Ghost, East Row Rabble and Slow Turismo. The Mad Men Jazz Trio will then take to the stage with their smooth electro swing and funky jazzy house. Comprised of vocals, saxophone and DJ, this act touches on all the cool of swing jazz, but the hip sound of the DJ allows for dancing as the night kicks on. Finally, a local DJ will finish off each evening with 60 minutes of cool tunes. Nostalgia and Tyson Olsson have this one covered. Do you have strolling entertainers going about, as in the day time? There is a dazzling array of arty performers including: • Lady Bug Opera. Stunningly tall, dancing Bugs will rove amongst the flower beds and present short circle shows, filling the park with ultra-violet colours, soaring vocals and elegant stilt dance. • Drumassault. Canberra-based Drumassault performs traditional percussion-based music and dance from Guinea, West Africa. The raw African rhythms are sure to get everyone up and dancing! • Frida and Diego. Frida and Diego, a pair of 11ft Day of the Dead puppets are a little bit creepy, a little bit scary, but mostly just fun! • Of the Flame. This award-winning duo will delight and entertain with a mix of acrobatics, juggling and incredible fire manipulation. Is NightFest good for children? Yes, NightFest is children friendly. Lighting designs, pop-up performances and the chance to dance on the lawns of Stage 88 will keep them entertained. NightFest runs from 6:30pm–10:30pm from Wed Sep 28–Sun Oct 2. Full details for this year’s adventure, including the entertainment and ticket prices, are available at floriadeaustralia.com/nightfest.

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chance to find out why the tastes on offer are different from the standard supermarket fare. Questions are encouraged! A taste of those coming to play at NightFest include Canberra Cake Boutique, Balzanelli Smallgoods, Pialligo Estate, Burrabee Farm, Shoalhaven Mushrooms and the Country Women’s Association. From 6:30–9:30pm each evening of Nighfest, there will be tastings aplenty from a selection of producers. With no produce actually for sale, you can try all of the things without feeling the guilt to buy as soon as you swallow. Better still, no need to make that feeble excuse of “I’ll be back later”, which I know we all do at other markets around town (cough, farmers markets, cough).

A TASTE OF CANBERRA LISA SAMPSON When I first moved to Canberra from Adelaide in 2010, I was shocked at the foodie scene here. Shitty service, second rate produce and boring flavours – oh Canberra, you had nothing on South Australia’s food and wine. However, things have changed – thankfully for the better. Canberra’s foodie game has lifted infinitely, and I’m not the only one to have noticed. Julie Ray from KSM (Kitchen Stage Management) is back for a third year to deliver fresh produce delights at NIGHTFEST. With a chef and food media background, she knows her stuff. And Ray is blown away by what’s on offer in the Canberra region. She has pulled together a great mix of new up and comers and those who have been solidly performing and quietly confident of their wares (for those in the know) for years.

The cooking demos are out – no need to commit 40 minutes to watch a chef do their thing without reaping the sweet, sweet reward at the end. You can be in and out as quick as you want in order to catch all the other great things Nighfest has to offer, or spend most of the evening carving your own foodie trail at the Maker’s Market. Beer, wine, cider, ice cream, olive oil and smoked goods? Sure, don’t mind if I do! With the line-up of producers constantly changing each night, it will be a different experience no matter how many times you visit. As a proud Canbassador now, for almost as long as I’ve lived here, I reckon we’re pretty spoiled when events like this come around. It’s our city and our produce, so make the most of it! Can’t make NighFest? The Maker’s Market will also be on 11am–3pm every Friday–Sunday during Floriade. NightFest runs from 6:30pm–10:30pm from Wed Sep 28–Sun Oct 2. Full details, including the entertainment and ticket prices, are available at floriadeaustralia.com/nightfest.

So what is going to be on offer? This year, the MAKERS MARKET in the TASTING PLATE MARQUEE at NightFest is all about getting up close and personal with local food and beverage producers. It’s your

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IN REVIEW Celtic Illusion Canberra Theatre Centre Saturday September 3

YAK BOOKSHOP

Choreographed by director Anthony Street and Peta Anderson to music composed and arranged by Angela Little, Celtic Illusion combines two formerly disparate arts, dance and magic, to great effect, by and large having the magic relate to the dancing, and using it to enliven a show predominantly comprising Irish dance and song. And the magic acts, including wire-free levitation and people transforming into others before our eyes at the wave of a flimsy piece of cloth, were extremely well done and surely astonished anybody to whom inexplicable acts of magic have not become ho-hum. Possibly more astounding still was the sheer energy poured continuously into the dance. It’s difficult to credit that mere humans can kick and tap their way across the stage, in perfect coordination, with such rapidity of movement, for minutes at a time with no sign of tiring. The dance moves, beautifully choreographed with delightful influences evident from such unexpected sources as disco, cabaret and martial arts, often projected a ritual feel as a line or a ring of dancers wove in perfect unison a tapestry of apparent Celtic mysticism. At other times, the dances painted vignettes, familiar yet poignant. The troupe’s dancing is all the more impressive in that the troupe is a home-grown, largely Australian one. To a prerecorded soundtrack belting out modern driving Celtic rhythms and harmonies, Stephanie Alice (flute) and Connor Hicks (violin), impressively, largely improvised their way through many of the tracks, and at blazing speeds; and the sure musicianship with which Hicks’ violin tackled rapid melodies and Alice’s flute flew through complex scales added still more liveliness to an already high-energy show. As well, musical interludes in the form of songs sung by Emily A. Saaen (sometimes joined by a solo dancer) nicely varied the pace of the show. Except in a couple of dance routines, costuming was superb, with just the right blend of aetherial faerie and stagey provocativeness to match the choreography. Floating dresses enhanced a frequent impression that, from energetic flying leaps into the air, dancers took an unnatural time to return to earth. Changes in background colour throughout a piece added an emotional charge and altered the effects of the costumes; fog-softened spotlighting added stage glamour to the Celtic mystique, the atmosphere encouraging appreciation of carefully crafted pieces as nearly perfect as you could wish for. The audience, of all ages, from seven- or eight-year-olds to older retirees, was kept highly entertained throughout and willingly joined in when asked to. The performers’ energy never flagged, right to the final encore, and neither did audience appreciation, which was enthusiastic after every piece. Celtic Illusion will be touring southeastern Australia until late September, and will spend November touring both islands of New Zealand. It may even be worth chasing. JOHN P. HARVEY

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SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES RORY MCCARTNEY There’s great excitement in local theatre circles, as Free-Rain Theatre prepares to put on what is probably its most ambitious show ever, namely the hugely popular WICKED. Originally opening in 2003, it is a cult classic that has become the tenth longest running Broadway musical, gathering a slew of awards along the way. The local production will be a pro-am show, with professional actors for a few lead characters, and local enthusiasts making up the numbers in the huge cast. BMA spoke to public servant by day, actress by night PIP MURPHY, who is participating as both an understudy for chief character Glinda and as a member of the ensemble. Wicked takes the ever popular Wizard of Oz and tells the story from a new angle. While there are many familiar characters from Oz, including the Wizard, Tin Man, Scarecrow and Lion, the attention focuses on two other girls. One was born with green skin and possesses a volatile but misunderstood nature. The other is beautiful, ambitious and very popular. Wicked tells the story of how these friends morphed into the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good. Dorothy is referred to, but does not appear in the show, and Toto gets the boot too. People who love Oz will understand all the references, but the focus is on the witches. Murphy explains, “It’s like a twisted version of Oz, retelling the story from the Wicked Witch of the West’s viewpoint. Elphaba is a sombre, intelligent but dark and intense person. She’s been mistreated all her life for being green and has put up barriers around herself, so she cannot connect with others and lacks selfassurance,” she says. “Glinda is really bright and bubbly, but somewhat shallow. The girls strike up an unlikely friendship and learn much from each other, through being so different. It explains why they were made the way they are and it’s fascinating how they have been able to turn things so you actually empathise with the witch, rather than Dorothy.” No simple, romantic musical, there are sub-themes and messages running just below the surface. There are layers to the plot, with demonstrations of characters using fear to gain control, or creating a common enemy to get their own way. The story examines the growth and development of the principal characters, including changes in terms of self-acceptance and power that they experience on their separate journeys. Theatre goers may find that they view the Wicked

Witch in a more sympathetic light. “It presents a juxtaposition of contemporary and timeless themes, and humanises one of literature’s most classic and well-known villains.” The cast is huge and the elaborate sets and costumes required the collaboration of three theatre companies, with the equipment also having appeared in Melbourne and Sydney. “We’ve had a sneak preview of them and the amount of detail and work that has gone into them is just incredible,” enthuses Murphy. “The cast, set, orchestra and music are just massive. The show is full of life and energy, and the crew will be working hard to get this all together, presenting special effects including flying monkeys and Glinda floating around in a bubble in the air. The enormity of it all is awe inspiring.” Creating the costumes required enormous work too, with one part requiring all the cast to be in green, from head to foot. Costume changes will be frequent, with some people playing several parts – morphing from school kids, to citizens of Emerald City, to witch hunters. It’s truly an all singing, all dancing production, with the beauty of the music being the main feature that drew Murphy to the show. “Listening to the soundtrack and during our vocal rehearsals, I’m in awe of the complexity and variety of the show’s score. The composer put so much effort into every single bar, so there’s something new I hear every time I listen to the songs. It’s those tiny details that make it such a pleasure to be doing the show.” The songs help to both advance the story and emphasise important points in the plot, in a show in which the main characters undergo a huge transformation. Murphy nominates ‘For Good’ as her favourite song in Wicked. A duet between the main characters near show’s end, it expresses the gratitude between them for what they have learnt from each other. “It’s a moment of stillness within this busy, energetic show.” Murphy is confident the production will be a hit. “It’s a rollercoaster show that is funny, sad and frustrating, shocking and amazing. By the end of it you’ll have been moved and touched by the performances Wicked will change your view of the Wicked West at Canberra Theatre Centre, Thu–Sun October 13–23. Tickets are $30–$90 + $4.50 bf. Full details of show times and prices at canberratheatrecentre.com.au.

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WIBBLY-WOBBLY TIMEY-WIMEY KAROLINA FIRMAN Doctor Who began over 50 years ago on November 23rd, 1963. With more than 11 different actors portraying its protagonist, and broadcasting worldwide, it’s one of the most popular science-fiction TV series of all time. It tells the story of a time-travelling alien known as ‘The Doctor’ and his various companions as they travel space and time, altering history and righting wrongs with a thrill for adventure.

They’re like James Bond movies – you have to be in a particular mood to watch Doctor Who,” he says. “For instance, if you feel like flashy special effects and heartbreaking emotion, you watch the more recent series – David Tennant and Matt Smith. If you want more zany science-fiction, you watch the earlier Doctors like Jon Pertwee and Patrick Troughton.”

Over its huge lifespan, Doctor Who has also accumulated millions of fans. One of those is local teacher Timothy Kirsopp – a long-time Doctor Who fan who has been watching and collecting Doctor Who merchandise since he was a child. He has over 3,000 individual items, ranging from classic books and toys, all the way to Dalek nipple tassels, handmade as part of a burlesque show. His collection is currently open for public viewing at Canberra Museum + Gallery, in an exhibition titled BIGGER ON THE INSIDE: COLLECTING DR WHO. It’s an attempt at the Guinness World Record for the largest collection of Doctor Who memorabilia in the world.

Even though Kirsopp watches the new series, which commenced in 2005, his favourite of the Doctors was Sylvester McCoy. McCoy was the seventh and last television Doctor of the ‘old series’, who played the character as much more manipulative and darker than previous incarnations. It was this personification that appealed most to Kirsopp while he was growing up in Wollongong. When the series finished on TV, the Doctor’s adventures continued in book form, where according to Kirsopp, he continued to become “darker and darker.”

Kirsopp decided to go for the record after he and his then girlfriend, now wife came across a story of someone going for the record with far fewer items – they reckoned he had way more than that. One of the conditions however, was that Timothy was required to have his collection on public display. “I wasn’t comfortable having people wandering through my house,” he says. Kirsopp contacted a friend at CMAG and attained a space through their public exhibition gallery. Kirsopp’s first collection pieces were three Doctor Who novels from Target Publishing, and using the winnings from a storywriting competition, The Five Doctors on VHS. He reckons that, “for the same money that I could get one Doctor, I could get five.” His favourite piece however, is the cabinet that his grandfather made. “From the back of a Doctor Who magazine, it was $600 from the UK, which was far too expensive. The funny thing is, because he had to work off metric as opposed to imperial, my cabinet is deep enough to fit DVDs and the original wasn’t.” In 2013, Doctor Who celebrated its 50th anniversary. I asked Kirsopp why he thinks the show has lasted the test of time. “It’s the stories, no matter how wobbly the sets or how bad the acting, it’s the stories.

Unfortunately, since the time when Kirsopp first decided to have a crack at the Guiness World Record, there has emerged another contender. They claim to have over 4,000 pieces, and as a result (despite Kirsopp already having paid a $550 express authentication fee), Guinness has declined to assess his collection. But assuming that the other applicant proves unsuccessful, Kirsopp can always reapply at a later date. Despite missing out on the Guiness World Record (for now), the Bigger On The Inside exhibition has enjoyed attendance the size of a Cybermen army. On the opening night alone, CMAG had over 200 attendants, and although Kirsopp cannot be continuously present due to his day job, he always attempts to attend on weekends. He was particularly pleased to be able to bring his class along to see the exhibition, as well as giving a lecture on the topic – one that he will repeat on Wednesday September 28. “I love to talk to people about Doctor Who, it’s a great show, and being able to connect with people over it is one of the best parts.” Bigger On The Inside: Collecting Dr Who is on display at the Canberra Museum + Gallery until Sunday November 20. Timothy Kirsopp will deliver a Collector Talk on Wednesday September 28 from 1pm. Tickets and more information, including details on the Bigger On The Inside #selfie competition, are available at cmag.com.au.

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WELL PLAYED, HINGERS IAN MCCARTHY MICHAEL HING may not be a household name, but he is one of the most active comedians in Australia. Whether on purpose or inadvertently, you’ve probably encountered Hing’s likeness before either as a Triple J presenter, host of SBS’s Good Game, or at one of his numerous festival shows and tour dates around the country. I interrupted Hing as he was buying a bottle of water so he could talk about minorities in comedy, his rising career, and his upcoming performances at Floriade’s NightFest. Hing’s stand-up is perhaps best known for his unique and unfiltered perspectives on growing up in Sydney’s Sutherland shire with Chinese heritage. Talking about the current state of minority issues in the comedy world, Hing says it’s not so much that audiences now want to talk about issues of race and gender; it’s much more that people are talking about racism and sexism. “Which is really different when you think about it,” he says. “So there’s not a lot of people going on stage and saying, ‘I’m Asian, therefore X or Y,’ but people are actually going on stage now and saying, ‘Hey, I am not a straight white male and I have these perspectives.’ So you have these minority groups talking about their experiences in a way that isn’t pandering to the masses, and I think that’s what’s really different.” Hing has acquired a pretty impressive resume over the last couple of years, but his approach to juggling his television, radio and standup work is painfully simple. “To be honest, it’s fear. It’s entirely fear. I mean there are so many funny people in the world and a lot of people who want to do comedy fulltime, so it’s not so much that you have to juggle it, but that you have to be doing everything all the time, otherwise you’ll starve.” Hing will be visiting Canberra this month to perform at Floriade’s NightFest, although it will be far from his first time in the capital. “I live in Sydney, so I try to visit Canberra once a year. I like Canberra because of the scene there. There’s a lot of young comics who are really cool. They’re good-minded people,” he says. “Melbourne’s a bit cliquey and Sydney can be a bit of a rat race. I like scenes like Canberra, and Adelaide and Brisbane as well where there’s a cool crew of people who are good and hang out and are social.” Despite his recent success and relative fame, Hing is humbly keen to acknowledge his good fortune. “I’m very lucky that I get to do what I do. Working at Triple J and doing the video game stuff is like a dream. My job is like, I go and play video games and then I go and play cool music on the radio and then I go on stage at night and I get to talk about my dick, and it’s fine. I never ever forget how lucky I am to do that.” Hear more about Michael Hing’s dick at Floriade NightFest. He’s doing two shows on Sat–Sun October 1–2 at 7:20pm at The Parlour. Full details are available at floriadeaustralia.com/nightfest.

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ARTISTPROFILE: ANNIKA HARDING What do you do?

What makes you laugh?

I’m a visual artist (mainly painting), amongst other things.

Terrible puns, and hilarious friends who share my goofball sense of humour.

When, how and why did you get into it? Many people and experiences played a part, but going to the ANU School of Art was invaluable and then working with artists at CCAS and ANCA, I knew I had to develop my own art practice.

What pisses you off? People buying mass-produced ‘artworks’ from homeware retailers when they could be supporting local artists.

Who/what influences you as an artist?

What about the local scene would you change?

Seeing art around the world and also heaps every week locally, having friends and peers whose work and advice I appreciate, and being out in different environments/landscapes.

I would love to see more public servants going to openings and buying local art with their decent salaries. (Oh the things that I would buy if I earned that much…)

Of what are you proudest so far?

What are your upcoming performances/exhibitions?

I’m super chuffed when established artists who I respect, make a point of saying something positive about my work to me. And that’s the only thing that I can’t really list on my Artist CV!

In the Landscape, a joint exhibition with Amy Dunn, is on at PhotoAccess until Sunday October 2.

What are your plans for the future?

Contact details: www.annikaharding.com

More residencies (I was at Arteles Creative Center in Finland in January) and exhibitions and experimenting in the bush.

Annika Harding, ‘Something I looked at in the landscape’, 2016

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PALACE CINEMAS ITALIAN FILM FESTIVAL

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lot of passengers are not theatre going people, so it’s a really great experience for them, to be sitting in a theatre and getting a big show. They love it!” Some of the funnier occurrences on cruises also provide inspiration for Killick’s non-cruise shows.

BUNKERING DOWN FOR LAUGHS RORY MCCARTNEY BUNKER COMEDY has been happening downstairs at the Ginninderra Labor Club since September 2014, giving mic space to local and interstate comics. Coming up in October is versatile comedian BEV KILLICK. She had a very early introduction to comedy, courtesy of her father who was a butcher. “He was always coming home with a few jokes, which I’d take to school at lunchtime. I’d hardly even know what the jokes meant, but I got laughs.” She says there are a few ex-butchers amongst comedians, including Dave Hughes and Russell Gilbert. However, none of the jokes survive in her current routine. “Standup comedy is a whole different kettle of fish to telling pub type jokes. It’s more about telling stories about your life and what you see.”

Some of her bolder performances have included Busting Out, as the warm up act for Puppetry of the Penis. “It’s mainly women anyway, so it’s like singing to your aunties. They can be a bit nervous about a show with full frontal male nudity, so I get up and break the ice.” Killick’s current routine draws on her experiences as a mum, her experience growing up in Townsville and the age she is as a woman. The show includes a few song parodies and a bit of rapping as a ‘Soul Mum’, from her time as a single mother. The format of the show constantly changes too. “Stories become more embellished over time, as you find better ways to tell them, so the audience gets the visual impact of what you are saying.” Shows can also change in format at the last minute. “It can depend on the audience. Where the crowd is rowdy, I sometimes have to quickly shift to something that’s a bit racier. You have to win them over in the first couple of minutes.” Some of Killick’s favourite shows have been in Canberra, particularly when she toured with Busting Out. “I love Canberra because everyone’s really up for it, going out and having a boogie.” She emphasises that hers is not just a standup show; it’s more like a cabaret. Bev Killick performs as part of Bunker Comedy at The Ginninderra Labor Club, 8pm on Saturday October 8. Supports include Ramshackle Fiasco (comprising Chris Ryan, Emo Parsonson and Tom Gibson) and James McMahon. Tickets are a steal at $16.50 at the door or via TryBooking.

Bev was fresh off working as part of the entertainment on a P&O cruise, a job which offers great travel opportunities. Cruises also provide the live comedy experience to a whole new range of punters, including those from rural areas where live comedy rarely visits. “A

the word

Alan Carr: Yap, Yap, Yap! Canberra Theatre Centre Monday August 22

on comedy

Audiences are used to seeing The Chatty Man on telly, orchestrating hilarity from the confines of his swiveling chair. In Yap, Yap, Yap! Alan Carr paces the stage frenetically, punctuating every joke with slapstick physicality; a camp caricature dressed in denim and sneakers; a casual departure from his dandy flourishes on television. Within moments of appearing on stage, one woman professes her love for the British comedian and Carr bites back instinctively, “You’re barking up the wrong tree, Madam!” Carr weaves anecdotal stories from the stage and throws the occasional question to the audience to get the ball rolling. When he asks the crowd if they’re ‘dog lovers’, someone up the front barks “Chihuahua!” And with a quick double take he’s off again, “What is the point of a Chihuahua? It’s like a hairy rape alarm!”

(Photographed elsewhere.)

Carr spins the ordinary aspects of his everyday life into absurdity. The audience roars as he describes the routine of packing and unpacking the dishwasher with his partner. We go on safari with his mother who gasps at everything, and we are treated to a slew of physical ailments including ‘mincers leg’. The show is also peppered with insights into his world of celebrity. Carr discusses his hit television show Chatty Man, making reference to the infamous drinks cabinet, “Blue drinks, red drinks, green drinks! I go for a wee and it’s like a light saber!” And we hear about a proposition from reality television in the UK that would have seen Carr swimming with sharks, “Have you seen me in a wetsuit? I look like a Teletubbie at a funeral!” SAMUEL TOWNSEND

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THE SIX STAPLES OF A STUDENT DIET

COMEDY ACT

Being a student is hard in so many ways, not least of which being the challenge of maintaining a balanced diet on a tight budget. If you’re anything like me, sometimes you have less than $20 to feed yourself for an entire week. That’s where these six staples come in handy! Cost-effective, nutritious and flavour-packed, you can’t go past these six staples when it comes time for your next supermarket/ Officeworks run! 1. J Burrows No. 10 Staples (1,000 pack) – $1.24 These are the ideal budget-friendly study-snack staples! Made of the finest steel, they have a smooth metallic taste that trumps any fruit, or grain-based snack. And for just $1.24 for a pack of 1,000, you can eat as many as you like without hurting your duct-tape-wallet! 2. Rexel No. 56 Copper Staples (5,000 pack) – $14.99 They say you should eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar. Why not have the best of all three worlds! These staples give your diet a regal flair without breaking the bank. Made from copper, these staples have a citrusy twist and are more filling than any desperate combination of toast and plain pasta! 3. Rexel Optima Heavy Duty Staples (2,500 pack) – $25.62 These heavy-duty staples admittedly come with a heavy-duty price tag, but it’s a worthwhile investment! These flavor-packed chunks of steel are sure to leave your tummy feeling satisfied, if not a little bloated. They are ideal in a hefty stew on a cold winter night, or just by themselves with a nice, milky glass of liquid paper. 4. Rapid 26/6 Coloured Staples (2,000 pack) – $2.84 Who said meal-time can’t be fun? The geniuses at Rapid have got all the flavour-bases covered with red, green, blue, gold and silver coloured staples. You can even mix and match if you’re feeling adventurous! These vibrantly appetising staples are a perfect snack for the young or young-at-heart! 5. PaperPro 26/6 Full Strip Staples (5,000 Pack) – $8.46 Cheap and chunky, these staples are the main event of any decent meal. If you’re thinking a full strip staple must be similar to a full strip of bacon, you’re right! Except 5,000 strips of bacon will set you back a lot more than eight-and-a-half dollars. 6. J. Burrows 33mm Paper Clips (100 Pack) – $13.50 I’m aware these aren’t staples, but sometimes you need to branch out. Now it may sound a little unorthodox, but paper clips provide all the same dietary requirements as staples while also adding an exotic twist to your meal. Bring these big boys out at a dinner party to provide your guests with a good meal and a great talking point! Just kidding! Paper clips are yuck! So there you have it. Stick to these six staples and you’ll be making up-front HECS payments in no time! IAN WORST – Ian is supporting Riley Bell in a ‘Shot and a Beer’ live podcast recording at Civic Pub on Wednesday September 21. He’s also supporting Codie Bell at Polit Bar on Thursday September 22.

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which were the past two shows, have steered away from the traditional sense of circus to try and tell an underlying story through movement. This year is the first year we’ve had a story written to base ourselves off, to pick out key areas of the story to redevelop into circus, acrobatics and movement.”

REVERSE THE POLARITY MARK TURNER

Photo by Kon Kudos

POLARITY is the latest production coming out of Canberra’s own Warehouse Circus. Directed by Kon Kudo, Polarity promises to be something a little bit more than you would expect. It is part of the Circus for Life Festival running during October and is one of three professional circus shows performed at The Street Theatre during this time. I spoke to Kon about how this production started. What was the path to starting a show that was both circus and theatre? “It started at the beginning of the year when Warehouse Circus staff came up with a concept for the show and approached writer Liv Hewson to create the story,” he explains. “This was done to find a different approach to the show, and to show that circus isn’t just about acts or routines anymore. You need to grip the audience in another way and I think that doing that with a great story and narrative is the best way.”

Polarity’s cast is made up entirely of students from both Warehouse Circus spaces, one of which is in Chifley and the other in Kaleen. “Several of these students have been involved in past productions, but we have a few new faces as well. Four of this crew are looking at moving on at the end of the year to audition at NICA, which is the National Institute of Circus Arts in Melbourne,” Kon says proudly. “So we’ve got Josh [Strachan], Benton [Adams-Walker], Elena [Hood] and Michael [Chong], and they’re all key cast members in the show. “Josh is going to play one the lead roles, Dmitri, and he uses straps, which is a tolling apparatus. Elena and Benton have been training acro partners for a number of years and will be doing a whole bunch of advanced acro, and Michael is a great hand-stander and bounce juggler. They all play a lead role in weaving the story.” The drama of theatre meets the physicality of circus in Polarity. You’re taken into a story of life changing experiences during the peril of a natural disaster, and how a man’s past dark decisions can help guide his future. You should definitely check out this wonderfully talented spectacle. Polarity runs over three nights between Thu–Sat October 6–8 at The Street Theatre. Tickets start at $22 via thestreet.org.au.

Was last year’s successful show Occulus possibly a precursor to Polarity with regards to style? “Yeah, both Refract and Occulus,

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

IN REVIEW

Antigone: The Greek Project Gorman Arts Centre Thu–Sat September 1–3

CANBERRA REP

Photo by Cathy Breen

Six actors stand centre stage as the audience take their seats, swaying slowly as a sparse soundscape thumps and bleats. As the doors are closed, the music begins to increase in speed as does the speed of the swaying. Three spotlights illuminate the cast as their movements become more frenetic. The cast peel away until Kitty Malam, playing the titular role of Antigone, and Stefanie Lekkas, playing her sister Ismene, are left to discuss the deaths of their two brothers. We quickly learn of a schism in their family. The brothers, Eteocles and Polynices, died fighting on opposite sides of a civil war for the thrones of Thebes. Creon, the current King of Thebes (played with great diction and authority by Richard Cotta), has decreed that Eteocles will be honoured by the people of Thebes, while Polynices will not be given proper burial rights and will be left to rot for the vultures and scavengers. Antigone, lamenting the passing of her two brothers, resolves to defy Creon’s decree and give Polynices the burial he deserves. The Canberra Youth Theatre’s production of Antigone, a classic Greek play by Sophocles, is a profoundly modern take on the story. Not only are the themes of civil disobedience and the corruptive influence of power more relevant than ever, but the use of modern, minimalist lighting design, distinct facial make-up and a digitally created soundscape (which at times sounded like Yeezus himself was going to drop a stanza or two) help thrust this tragic tale into the 21st century. The cast (ages ranging from 16 to 25) deftly handled the often dense dialogue with poise and grace. The performances of Richard Cotta and Mia Tucco (who portrayed ‘Antigone Anima’, or the internal voice of the lead character), were standout, commanding the attention of the audience.

CANBERRA REP

The combined force of all seven members of the cast was used to great effect throughout the play. At times the chorus would begin to speak in unison, backed by an increasingly disparate soundtrack, creating a cacophony of voices and sound. The point, driven home by the dissonance of the din created, is that of both a sister and a city torn between obedience to the king and obedience to the gods. The final scenes of the production played out like oh-so many other Greek tragedies. Sorrow, death, regret and repentance were all bountiful. However, no long winded diatribes or monologues were needed. With very little dialogue, the soundtrack returned and punctuated that which did not need to be said. Feeling the wrath of gods and men, the remaining cast mourned the loss of their countrymen and left us to ask the question: “Which laws do we follow? Those of nature or those of men?” SCOTT BATUM

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IN REVIEW Ghost Stories Canberra Theatre Centre Tues–Sun August 16–21

Photo by Liam O’Keefe

Horror and theatre make an intriguing pair. The former can be an effective storytelling tool; it exhilarates audiences and challenges them to face their fears and question their faith (whether that be in something theistic or logical). The latter has the potential to break down barriers; it offers a truer, rawer appreciation for the drama unfolding onstage. The theatrical horror production Ghost Stories by Jeremy Dyson (The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen) and Andy Nyman (Death at a Funeral) was unleashed upon the Australian theatre circuit with a curious but nonetheless tantalising disclaimer; Prince Moon Productions advised that Ghost Stories contained “extreme shock and tension”, and that it was unsuitable for children under the age of 13, pregnant woman and those with a nervous disposition. Coupled with its star-studded creators, it was difficult for avid horror fanatics to stay away. While the results were visually and audibly impressive, and it succeeded at stirring an evocative response from the audience, Ghost Stories choked under its cheap jump scares and its inability to carry and deliver suspense across its clichéd and segmented plot.

It is disappointing to reveal that Ghost Stories was simply not very scary. Thankfully however, it was at least thought-provoking. Like any respectable horror tale, Ghost Stories begins by lulling its audience into a false sense of security. Dr Philip Goodman (Stuart Brennan) opens the production with a university lecture attempting to debunk the existence of the paranormal. With immersive results, Goodman addresses the audience directly and asks us to ponder on our own unexplainable experiences, if any. In between these spots of seminar edutainment, Goodman plays through three individual interviews and case studies, which occupy the entirety of the plot. These are recounts of the ghostly encounters experienced by three delightful British stereotypes – night watchman Tony Matthews (Richard Moss), high school graduate Simon Rifkind (Matthew Connell) and business entrepreneur Mike Priddle (Brian Markey). Each of their stories follow an identical structure: build audience rapport, heighten tension, execute jump scare, end scene. The trouble with this start-stop format is that the audience cannot suspend disbelief for long before having their sense of immersion stolen away from them again and again. Fortunately, an overarching plot culminates in the final act when Goodman’s lectures are ended by a demonic Desi Callahan (Johnathan Peck), the full details of which cannot be revealed here. Rest assured that this makes for a terrifying, soul-shaking climax, but it is unfortunately the only such instance throughout the production. Plot aside, the cast of Ghost Stories perform exceptionally. Director Peter J Snee and co-director Jennifer Sarah Dean pioneer an atmospherically rich production on the backs of melancholic set designs and powerful, poignant sound (Lana Kristensen), lighting (Christopher Page) and illusions (Nathan Alexander). It’s a technical marvel – just not a particularly scary one. ANDREW NARDI

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bit PARTS GAMMA.CON WHAT: Pop culture convention WHEN: Sat–Sun Sep 17–18 WHERE: Australian Institute of Sport Arena Sharpen your swords and get ready to cast a spell, Canberra gets its own piece of pop culture action with GAMMA.CON. This year welcomes iconic guests to run events and mingle with local fans: none another than ABC’s Good Game hosts, Bajo and Hex! The events on hand focus on locally created content including stage events, screenings, panels, workshops, an artist’s alley, exhibitor hall and the Indie Games Show. There’s also video and table top gaming, including demonstrations, free play and even tournaments – of which the Reload 10k Arena holds the largest prize pool for a community event in Australian League of Legends history – $10,000. Tickets at gammacon.org.au. LIVING GREEN FESTIVAL WHAT: Environmental festival WHEN: Sun Oct 2 WHERE: Albert Hall As Canberra’s only vegan festival, Living Green support a tagline of a kinder shade of green for the planet, humans and other animals. In that spirit, their 2016 festival will host talks on environmental, animal protection and climate change issues. The festival also features over 70 market stalls with plant-based foods, sustainable, fair trade and cruelty-free products and services, live music and performances, and a kids’ zone with a rock climbing wall, face painting and children’s performers. Best of all, entry is free, so there’s really no reason you can’t hop to it and have a look around. Starts at 10am. VETERAN’S FILM FESTIVAL WHAT: Film festival WHEN: Thu–Sat Oct 13–15 WHERE: Australian War Memorial The 2016 Veteran’s Film Festival will feature dramas, comedy, animation and science-fiction, in feature-length, short film and documentary forms. Submissions are selected from both independent and emerging filmmakers, featuring talent from 13 countries (including Australia, Serbia, UK, Germany and Iran). The festival is a unique opportunity to promote understanding of veteran’s lives and their families, as well as commenting on society’s attitude towards war. The films on show include Hyena Road, The Ravens, Ozone, Red Line and The Red Poppy Awards in 2016. For further information, visit veteransfilmfestival.com. LIGHTBULB IMPROV: SWITCHED ON WHAT: Improvised comedy WHEN: Fri Oct 14, Fri Nov 11, Fri Dec 9 WHERE: Smith’s Alternative

Canberra has no shortage of talented actors, comedians, musicians and everything in between. It’s a treasure trove of talent; so why not get out there and enjoy it? Switched On is the new monthly improvised comedy show by Lightbulb Improv. The brainchild of Amy Crawford, Lou Maconachie and Merriden Varrall, Switched On plays like Who’s Line Is It Anyway or Thank God You’re Here, in that these local improv actors will give themselves scenarios to act out with specific rules … to which hilarity always ensues! They perform on the second Friday of every month. Tickets to their inaugural show sold out quickly – book ahead at smithsalternative.com.

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DAY OF THE DEAD

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the word

on albums

subsumed by a hailstorm of fuzz and feedback, and a more balanced noise/melody ratio shines through on the band’s fourth ‘comeback’ album Give a Glimpse of What Yer Not. The songs are tightly constructed these days, not quite as scungy as they used to be, and also beautifully melodic.

album of the issue DINOSAUR JR GIVE A GLIMPSE OF WHAT YER NOT [JAGJAGUWAR] One of the most intensely raucous gigs I have ever seen was the reformed Dinosaur Jr line-up at UC, in a small room with forbidding Marshall amps stacked to the ceiling. Hearing loss aside, the band played a tight, energetic set that removed all doubt that Dinosaur mainstay J Mascis and effusively talented sidekick Lou Barlow would experience difficulties sustaining a musical partnership that had once been absurdly volatile and led to the barbed attack in Barlow’s Sebadoh song ‘Freed Pig’. In earlier days, Barlow had brought a free creative sensibility to Dinosaur’s slacker punk that was otherwise defined by Mascis’ lethargic drawl and searing lead guitar. His re-appearance in the Dinosaur fold has resulted in a string of worthy album releases that compare favourably to the scarily noisy, earlier stuff that once cut great swathes through ‘80s electro pop noodling with every distortion laced chord. Guitars were back in business in the latter part of that decade and Dinosaur, along with destructo-noise fiends such as The Pixies and Sonic Youth, gave birth to the guitar heavy alternative stuff in the ‘90s and also re-ignited a line of continuity with late ‘70s punk and hardcore. But Dinosaur expanded the parameters by covering The Cure and accentuating tasty melodies even when these were

As with much of this band’s best work, the overall feel conjures thoughts of classic ‘70s hard rock and the ‘ear bleeding country’ that marks Dinosaur territory, also applied to the likes of Neil Young and Crazy Horse on major recordings such as Rust Never Sleeps, with expressive lead work taking those guitar heavy tunes that extra bit higher. Mascis is a master of the emotive guitar solo and the fluency of his fret work is a defining motif that also connects the band to its own past. ‘Be a Part’ on this new album is a power ballad that would fit nicely alongside Dinosaur’s melodic hard rock in the mid 1990s when Barlow was off doing his sensitive soul thing with Sebadoh, and although it seems on first listen that the song remains the same, these new songs are so damn good it doesn’t matter if you think you’ve heard them before. ‘Knocked Around’ starts off in hearttugging ballad mode and becomes transformed by a blistering Mascis guitar lead that makes you reach for the repeat button. Elsewhere, the guitarist taps into background metal roots on ‘I Walk For Miles’, which hits on the kind of heavy riffage all those damaged Black Sabbath fans looked for in punk rock but didn’t find until Rollins era Black Flag and later on Seattle grunge, which made Sabbath worship alright again. Once upon a time, Lou Barlow would have introduced some unhinged screams to make clear that indie bands should never opt for the easy option, but time has moved on and now the melodies and sublime lead guitar are what count. These days, Barlow is granted two songs an album and both ‘Love is…’ and closing track ‘Left/ Right’ reveal an emotional vulnerability wedded to psych tinged rock. We are once again reminded that beneath all that super cool, rock stars are people too. DAN BIGNA

LOC MUS AL IC SAFIA INTERNAL [PARLOPHONE] The moment every Canberra milk kid has been waiting for is right around the corner: SAFIA’s debut album, Internal, is slated for release on September 9. What’s more, they’ve announced a tour to coincide with the album’s release, so you have just enough time to study up and learn some lyrics. Here at BMA, we were lucky enough to lock down a copy in the lead up to the release date, and after a couple of days working out our falsettos in attempted singalongs, we’re feeling pretty well acquainted. For long standing SAFIA fans, Internal won’t bring any huge surprises. It’s exactly what most of us would have both hoped for, and expected. The production is excellent, most of the tracks feature a festival worthy backbeat (an essential for anyone who’s seen these guys play live), and soaring vocals that inspire, excite and sometimes baffle in equal parts. All in all, it’s a happy mix of ballad, funk and good oldfashioned dance. Internal begins with ‘Zion’, an introductory track that combines electronic production and the didgeridoo, building a gradual pace and intensity that lures the listener into an almost hypnotic state, before bringing on the grooves with the rest of the album. Already released singles ‘Embracing Me’ and ‘Over You’ join what are sure to be some future fan favourites, with special mentions going to ‘Together, Locked Safely’, ‘My Love Is Gone’ and ‘Go To Waste’. That said, Internal is a collection of gems. It has well and truly been worth the wait. Internal is out September 9, grab your copy, then show the lads some love when they tour later this year. 4/5 – because nobody gets a 5 on their first go, that would be too easy. SETH ROBINSON

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WARPAINT HEADS UP [ROUGH TRADE] The third studio album from indie darlings Warpaint channels the energy, ferocity and femininity of classic ‘90s girl bands like L7 and Sleater Kinney, with the dreamy, harmonic vibe of Sofia Coppola’s movie The Virgin Suicides. It’s been two long years since the self-titled album Warpaint raised so many music critics’ heads and drew loyal fans worldwide. Since then, the band’s prolific members have been pursuing side projects in music and beyond. Far from exhausting their artistic cache, it seems these adventures have only made them hungrier to return to the fold for Heads Up. The dreamy, indie rock that has vague Sonic Youth feels (‘Whiteout’, ‘By Your Side’) gives way to the bouncing, hands-in-the-air of ‘New Song’; coming to a club near you (“you got the moves, bang bang baby...”). Jenny Lee Lindberg, Emily Kokal, Stella Mozgawa and Theresa Wayman have done what so many artists are failing to do in the era of single song obsessions and pay-perdownload. They have made a consistently, listen-the-whole-way-through, all killer, no filler album. No surprise they have made the choice to release on vinyl also. Putting the needle on it and dancing around on the worn carpet of your lounge room is almost non-negotiable. Interviews with the band have focused on how the side project travails have introduced a greater flexibility towards the girls’ roles in the band. They have embraced new sounds and new methods of making and delivering them.

PASSENGER YOUNG AS THE MORNING, OLD AS THE SEA [BLACK CROW RECORDS] Passenger’s latest album is a treasury of innate musicality, generally superbly harmonised; catchy, fresh melodies; imaginative instrumentation (though one guitar is prominent in perhaps too many of the early songs); and words that, though they’re heartfelt, you can sing without embarrassment. And the lyrics tend to say something actually worth singing. There’s a lovely variety in the music too, from the soulful to the sublime; and in the singing style, even to a touch of spoken song in ‘When We Were Young’. You might contrast that with ‘Anywhere’, a song rich in instrumental melody and vocal-harmonic subtlety, and with ‘Fool’s Gold’, of which the backing vocals (once you discern them) are out of this world, rather suiting the song’s poetry. Except in ‘Home’, in which Passenger’s timing, unusually, wanders a little, the other tracks consistently maintain superb timing; you could dance comfortably to any of them. ‘Everything’, for instance, a catchy song to which a little slide guitar adds a touch of soul, contains a long pause whose end most musicians would anticipate; not so Passenger, who resumes the song at exactly the right moment.

KAYTRANADA 99.9% [XL RECORDINGS] With an exotic upbringing that mixed the colours of Haiti and the culture of Francophone Montreal, Kevin Celestin had an early introduction to electronic music, courtesy of his brother. This sparked an obsessive creativity that has surfaced under the stage moniker of Kaytranada. Mostly self-produced, the artist’s debut long player (which bears the most vibrant CD cover art to appear this year) combines disco, EDM and hip-hop. Songwriting was a team effort, and the actual recording was too, with several talented vocalists to help Kaytranada’s music take flight. Samples appear in most tracks, but are also strictly acknowledged to credit the author. On the surface, some lyrics have the usual hip-hop clichés of drugs, “hoes” and casual sexism. Dig a little deeper however and there are glimpses of tenderness and a support for the respect of women. There’s a lot of clubbing potential in this album. The instrumental lead-ins come with personalities that combine gymnastic beats in hi-viz lycra, with gravelly beats in one track, and a soothing mix of ripples and sighs in the next. As entertaining as the instrumentals are, the standout tracks are those illuminated by guest vocalists.

Heads Up is radio friendly, intelligent, sensitive and addictive listening. It is going to attract new fans who had no prior experience of the band. If this is the result of two years of side projects, here’s hoping the members of Warpaint go wandering into the wilds again. Just not for so long next time.

‘Somebody’s Love’ – setting aside a swung beat that suggests a more upbeat mood – steals into you through its melody, harmonisation, lyrics and haunting lead guitar; and the song boasts deliciously rich and integrated instrumentation. As you might expect of a man of Passenger’s lyrical subtlety, production values are very good: the sound is crisp, clean, immediate, but not at all raw. Stereo spread is good without being distracting; and the balance of instruments, including voices, is spot on. Well worth listening to several times over!

‘Weight Off’ throws up the best plays on words, but the most serious message comes in the appeal against gun violence that is ‘Bullets’. The CD hits its straps with the very soulful ‘Craig David’ rising high on bass stilts, and garlanded with stylised female vocals, in the super danceable ‘Got It Good’. ‘Together’ accelerates away, gaining altitude with slapping beats and the popsicle voice of AlunaGeorge, cross-hatched with a rapid-fire contribution from Goldlink. Vic Mensa raps in varied sonic planes in ‘Drive Me Crazy’, as his voice is sped-up, retarded or Nutri-Mixed.

CAT WOODS

JOHN P. HARVEY

RORY MCCARTNEY

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album in focus

as improvisation, “humming in the background of all life – and familiar and alien as breathing.”

AL LOC SIC MU SWARM SWARM [SOUNDOUT] This debut recording from Swarm is the inaugural release on the SoundOut music label and also an outcome from the annual festival of the same name that has been documenting the irrepressible local and international improvised music scenes for a number of years. The group consists of four local musicians: Rhys Butler on alto saxophone, Guylaine Cosseron’s unearthly voice, Stephen Roach on drums and Richard Johnson on bass clarinet, soprano and baritone sax, with bird calls that fit the overall theme of the album. Johnson is also the SoundOut festival director and has said that the festival seeks to incite “deep listening awareness” in listeners. So too is the value of this recording enhanced by close listening to unravel the many spontaneously created details. At moments the music reminds me of the Dadaist compositional style of Nurse with Wound, with amorphous microincidents shaping a feeling more so than a unified structural form. In this case, the feeling is at times a tad unsettling and I am sure this music would have made a great soundtrack to the lost-inthe-forest creepiness of film The Blair Witch Project. There is of course a lot more going on in a metaphysical sense. Close listening is required because this is how listeners are drawn towards freedom that transcends the regimented order of everyday life. The individual consciousness becomes attuned to what writer and musician David Toop describes

On Swarm, the background hum becomes foregrounded. The album is comprised of three lengthy pieces which at times delve into minimalist electro-acoustic improvisation relying heavily on extended micro-tonal fragments. These unhurriedly cohere into an encompassing spontaneous expression governed by chance and this pulling together is indicated by group interaction that occasionally approaches freeform blowouts.

The overall theme of the recording is connected to communing with nature. I saw Johnson perform as part of an ensemble one breezy summer afternoon in the quiet surrounds of Theatre 3. Insect and bird chatter combined with hushed instrumentation that added a new dimension and sound source to the performance. On Swarm, the clicks and pops of the instruments, including Stephen Roach’s percussive shimmer, are combined with Cosseron’s vocal gurgles to produce an insect-like swarm of sound that could be a field recording from some alien planet. Such a thought is enhanced by the otherworldly song title, ‘Locusta Migratoria’, presented here in two parts. I am keen on saxophonist Albert Ayler’s reinvention of folk music idioms as a personal howl from the subconscious but Ayler’s love cry emanated from the dense urban environs of New York. In contrast, Swarm has created its music in the bush capital and the bird calls and insect hums in nature intersect with the human capacity to dream. However, you get the impression this has been overlaid with an electric soundscape that in some sense represents the intrusion of city life onto the pleasantly pastoral. DAN BIGNA

YOUNG THUG JEFFERY [300 ENTERTAINMENT / ATLANTIC] Young Thug, or Jeffery, or No, My Name Is Jeffery is apparently undergoing some identity issues. The promotion around his latest mixtape, Jeffrey, has seen him announce that he will no longer be known professionally as Young Thug and will instead be known by his birth name Jeffrey or, sometimes No, My Name Is Jeffrey. Notwithstanding his comments, he released the mixtape under the name Young Thug anyway, but named the tape itself Jeffrey and named almost every track after someone he admires, ranging from superstars like Kanye West and Rhianna all the way to murdered Cincinnati gorilla Harambe. It’s all very confusing, but there doesn’t seem to be a single thing about Young Thug that isn’t. Young Thug is from another planet, and he firmly established his position as an alien who has come to teach us about rapping on 2015’s Barter 6, where his singularly unique cadence coupled with various yelping and squealing adlibs, highlighted Thug as a fresh new voice in a genre that is prone to stagnation. Since then he’s been unstoppable, releasing an onslaught of mixtapes at a rate unseen since Lil B’s 2011–2012 run. Slime Season 1, 2 and 3, and I’m Up all came out within two months of each other and felt by turns incomplete or overstuffed, where Jeffery feels like the first true successor to his breakout, Barter 6. It’s at once accessible and incredible without any of the drudgery that weighed down Slime Season 2’s 74-minute runtime. Jeffrey sees Young Thug expanding his already extensive arsenal of vocal noises and intimations, to growls on ‘Harambe’ and an extensive wall of layered whoops on album highlight ‘Kanye West’. The hooks are clearer and better than they’ve ever been too, with the Travis $cott collaboration ‘Pick Up The Phone’ providing the closest thing to a radio-ready single Thug has ever had. ALEX MORRIS

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FRANK OCEAN BLONDE [BOYS DON’T CRY]

SODA EAVES MURRAY, DARLING [BRIERFIELD FLOOD PRESS]

THE OCEAN PARTY RESTLESS [SPUNK RECORDS]

Echoey synths, thunking heartbeat style drums – bring it, Frank. But kicking off Blonde with a vocoder voice effect? No, no, no. Where’s the heavenly, heartbreaking voice we loved so much on Channel Orange? Thankfully, less than a minute away – panic stations averted. Blonde comes a hefty four years since Frank Ocean’s debut album. Fans were hungry for this one too.

Soda Eaves is the alter ego of Jack Core, guitarist for Melbourne band Hot Palms. This side project allows Core (and friends) to run loose from the psychedelic instrumentals that are Hot Palms’ forte. Punters familiar with Core’s debut LP Like Drapes Either Side will find his sophomore release slower and dreamier, but still retaining the essential low-fi character, complete with squeaking guitar strings.

There are some things in life you can pretty much always count on, such as the change of season bringing yet another great release from The Ocean Party. The Ocean Party are one of Australia’s best young bands making very mature music right now. While they have always flirted with soft-pop, Restless could be their most “easy-listening” album yet; the instrumentation prominently features piano, sax and acoustic guitars. But reassuringly, the band does not fall into the genre stereotypes, instead delivering an album that is honest, dark and distinctly Australian.

The Telegraph labelled it “messy, pompous and pointless”. Pitchfork said, “richly emotional songs for a quieter … space”. Perhaps the truth is that it’s both, and somewhere in the grey space between both polarities. Ocean published an essay on his Tumblr revealing that he had been inspired by a photo of a child in a moving car, hands covering her face. He imagined the feeling of being constrained by the seatbelt and yet, overwhelmed by the ultimate freedom of travelling on a smooth, high-speed trajectory; vulnerable and alive with the possibility of new places, people and ideas. Blonde is unashamed R&B that croons, seduces and draws listeners in with a gentle bare-chested embrace (‘Be Yourself’), and equally distances itself with the jarring use of vocoder and recollections of dropping acid in the club (‘Solo’). As Frank croons, “In hell, in hell, there’s heaven”. Even when it doesn’t rise to the heights of Channel Orange’s high benchmark, this is intelligent, melodic and meditative music worthy of your time and consideration. Blonde is, as many critics have identified, an exploration of masculinity, sexuality, maturity and nostalgia. Is it going to blow your mind? I don’t think so. Is it “pointless”? Not at all. But honestly, Channel Orange set way too high a benchmark and Blonde just doesn’t peak high enough or often enough. CAT WOODS

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A spacious body of work, music and lyrics come slowly, with air gaps between them. Vocals crawl drowsily out from under their doona, with dreaminess akin to the songs of the band Sleep Parade. Hushed lyrics demand close attention (or lots of volume) when chasing illusive song meanings. The split title tracks, ‘Murray’ and ‘Darling’ are more brief expressions of mood than songs, with their conglomeration of marshmallow sounds. ‘Darling’ consists of a wavering keyboard hum, with isolated guitar twangs and fleeting tinkles. Opener ‘Aphrodisia’ sees a loose constellation of sounds come together, somehow in tune with the song’s principal rhythm, with a pattern that is repeated throughout the disk. In ‘Victoria’, Core has the knack of turning a simple everyday description (of stopping next to a woman in a car at the lights), into something special and mysterious. Rather than being a cover of Elton John’s classic, ‘Benny and the Jets’ tells of Core’s musings about listening to the song on FM radio, on the bus. Starting with stumbling guitar plucks, it is full of random tapping and jingling bells, relying on a deeper drum sound to guide a safe course through the track. An even more ephemeral work from Soda Eaves, delighting in whimsical rambles, Murray, Darling succeeds by making a virtue of deliberate randomness. RORY MCCARTNEY

Hollow vintage guitars evoke images of vast, eerie landscapes, and give the album a spacious yet melancholy vibe. The desolate lyricism adds to this, but there is often a sense of understated optimism underlying the themes. It’s like a journey documenting the band’s restlessness; of the highways driven, changing emotional states, memories and experiences that accompany life’s travels (metaphorically or not). It was just three years ago when the band gave us ‘Quarter Life Crisis’, where “every weekend is always the same … I’m wasting my youth away”. On Restless, the selfdefeating album opener and title track represents a progression of this: “another weekend, I get the feeling I’m not using it”. It’s thoughtfully bleak, but the instrumental swells lift the track and set the tone for the rest of the album. It might sound clichéd, but it really does seem that The Ocean Party are growing into their sound, with Restless their most consistent album to date. The tracks are effortlessly paced, in a way that avoids the lull that has been part of their previous records. This album may not quite reach the pop highs of past releases, but as a whole it works together almost flawlessly. MEGAN LEAHY

DEVENDRA BANHART APE IN PINK MARBLE [NONESUCH RECORDS]

HEY GERONIMO CRASHING INTO THE SUN [INDEPENDENT RELEASE]

OLD MAN LUEDECKE DOMESTIC ECCENTRIC [TRUE NORTH RECORDS]

“I heard there was a private zoo in Thailand…” and so begins some very fancy taletelling from the nu-folk, bearded bohemian Devendra Banhart. There’s no great deviation here from Banhart’s previous body of work. If you like whimsical, twangy guitar, some random kitchen objects, a heavy sprinkling of ancient instruments here and there, then you’ll get right into his Laurel Canyon world. Seventies is all the rage in the fashion world right now and if Ape In Pink Marble had been unearthed under a pile of corduroy pants and declared an unfound recording from 1973, you’d believe it. There’s a Bee Gees flavour to ‘Fig In Leather’ – disco folk? It even includes a Blondie-esque rap for retro throwback pleasure.

Not to be confused with the Sheppard song, this Hey Geronimo is a Brisbane indie five-piece. Reaching back into your musical archive, you may recall the bright, sing-along single ‘Why Don’t We Do Something’ from 2012. Two EPs and a shift in the line-up later, the band is back with its debut album, powered by the songwriting ideas of all members.

Canada continues to provide a consistently impressive lineup of folkies, with Old Man Luedecke one of the most recent artists to visit Australia. A multiple Juno award winner, Old Man Luedecke is singer, songwriter and banjo magician Chris Luedecke from Nova Scotia. He shut himself and Grammy award winning guitar, mandolin, bouzouki, and fiddle player Tim O’Brien, plus a few musos for extra instrumentation and vocal support, up in a cabin in the snow to record this, his seventh LP.

So who’s going to listen to this and love it? Devendra fans. The local hipster haunts. Shops selling vintage clothes and monocycles. Is this a criticism? Not at all. I am a fan. But I take my Banhart in small doses: a song in the car on a short trip … two or three in a row as I am washing up or doing the obligatory housecleaning … one before bed. In large doses, the dreamy voice and “we’re all mad here” vibe that reminds us we don’t live in the mountains with a bunch of dreadlocked, tie-dyed, new age hippies can be frustratingly self-indulgent. A talented artist as well as a musician and performer, Banhart’s art appears on the cover sleeve and makes purchasing the CD (yes, they still exist!) worthwhile for the devoted Devendra followers. In my humble opinion, it doesn’t have the same depth and tidal pull of Mala. If you’re intrigued, don’t let a lack of love for Ape In Pink Marble deter you from venturing into the Banhart back catalogue. CAT WOODS

Attention grabbing opener ‘Millions of Miles’ promises much with its early crescendo, but it’s a mere overture to the rest of the LP. No, the real work starts with radio friendly song ‘Lazer Gun Show’, one of two tracks rebirthed from their last EP. A disk highlight, it comes with cavernous vocal echoes and galloping synths, plus the same shoutout qualities that came with the band’s first ever single. A calypso touch injects incandescence into songs including the title track, with a ringing, metallic percussion sound. Songs such as ‘India’ benefit from the harmonies and fancy vocal overlaps that the band can create with four singers. The idiosyncratic songwriting ability rises to the top in ‘Bermuda’, a song about an ocean going Hyundai. There’s a rock edge to ‘Boredom’, while ‘Girl Who Likes Me’ carries a ‘60s Brit pop vibe. The slower, folkie closing track ‘Garbler Arch’ rounds out the album well, with a charm of its own. While themes can be dark, the music is anything but that. Crashing Into the Sun maintains the sunny, feel good songs and hyped-up/more zing than a case of Red Bull energy, seen on the band’s previous releases. With great lyrics, clever vocal arrangements and a sense of fun that comes with a touch of quirkiness, it’s a winner. RORY MCCARTNEY

Simple in production with no studio tricks, Domestic Eccentric rejoices in the purity of a sound that captures the warmth of voices in harmony and the brisk sharpness of string plucks that cascade like sparks. The music doesn’t need enhancements, being full of bright, plucked combinations as seen in ‘Chester Boat Song’. Luedecke’s songwriting benefits from a maturity that looks beyond the surging passions of youth, to encompass the treasures and trials of marriage and family life. Songwriting with real character, the words flow with the most warmth when Luedecke speaks of the unvarnished aspects of long-term relationships. Almost always cheerful in tone, with the exception of the ironically titled closer ‘Happy Ever After’, he weaves in a dry wit with lines like, “We’re saving up for a date night, so we can have our fight”. A fast running banjo calls the pace in ‘Yodelady’, with a little yodeling in this story of love (and boiling beans) in the bush. A drop in tempo has the fiddle taking charge, with a lightly struck banjo as its consort, in ‘The Girl in the Pearl Earring’, while the elegant ‘The Briar and the Rose’ catches at the heart with a knack of capturing the changing face of love over a lifetime. RORY MCCARRTNEY

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singles in focus WITH CODY ATKINSON LOST ANIMAL ‘DO THE JERK’

GREGG BISSONETTE WARNING WILL ROBINSON! [INDEPENDENT RELEASE]

MELODY POOL DEEP DARK SAVAGE HEART [LIBERATION]

Warning Will Robinson! is American drumming great Gregg Bissonette’s third solo album, after Submarine, released in 2000. Warning Will Robinson! was written and produced by Gregg’s brother Matt Bissonette. Being a solo album for a drummer, all the songs are composed around drum grooves from Bissonette’s wide pallet of musical styles and every song has a drum solo.

From Kurri Kurri in NSW, roots artist Melody Pool came to attention in 2013 with her debut long player The Hurting Scene. Acoustically driven with only a little help from strings, it had a distinct alt-country edge and showed what a haunting voice she possesses. The album’s emphasis was on soft, gentle songs and uncomplicated arrangements, which Pool’s voice easily dominated.

Warning Will Robinson! is clearly inspired by the 1960s TV series Lost in Space and the eternal line “Danger Will Robertson”. Several tracks, including the title track have a space theme or a futuristic electronica sound. The album covers a full range of musical styles from metal, electronica, funk and jazz. Bissonette has transcribed all the drum parts, which are freely available from his web site, greggbissonette.com. The album includes a second disk with the whole work, minus drums, so you can play his charts or make up your own.

Come forward three years, and the sophomore album carries a whole new tone. In Deep Dark Savage Heart the minimalist approach to instrumentation has been pared back. In spite of a more extensive employment of keys, electric guitar and percussion, in more complex and intense arrangements, the voice still dominates. The title track maintains a catchy rhythm, with a hint of playful keys lingering on the edges. Pool’s crystal voice retains the faintest of alt-country hues, but that vibe has faded in favour of a richer sound. Vocals soar in the moody ‘Old Enough’, with circular patterns of keys, dancing and flickering blue flames on a gas ring.

Standout tracks include the opening track ‘Mars’, which kicks straight into a fat, heavy groove, the lyrics exploring the fantasy of galactic space exploration. It features plenty of distorted guitar and highly processed keyboard solos, with vocals soaring above the chaos of the instruments. ‘Let It Loose’ is a little ripper with lots of cool funk grooves, much like Mark Ronson’s ‘Uptown Funk’. ‘Not By Human Hands’ closes out the album with a bit of a whimper; it’s a bit drawn-out and repetitive, the lyrics highlighting the artificial mass-produced world we live in. Overall a great album, if not a little selfindulgent, which shows off the immense capabilities of a world-class drummer, but would have benefited from a stronger final track. 3 out of 5 spaced-out drummers. TIM BUTLER

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Blues blood runs thickly through the veins of ‘Richard’, with its swooning strings and femme fatale atmosphere. Glimpses of a thrilling timbre, similar to that of Linda Ronstadt’s voice (as she sounded in her intense ballads), appear fleetingly in ‘Black Dog’. A violin riff and silver thread guitar licks create magic in the uplifting track ‘Romantic Things’. As the title suggests, this is predominantly an album about the rougher side of love, which carries as much pain as it does bliss, most notably in ‘Love, She Loves Me’, with lyrics bearing the sting of a razor’s kiss. A notable advance on her first LP, Pool has shown a whole new side of herself. RORY MCCARTNEY

Jarrod Quarrell is a fucking national treasure. Don’t read this shit, look up St Helens and Lost Animal and listen away. No one right now does dissonant pop as well as Lost Animal, with Quarrell’s affected drawl just pleading to “Do The Jerk”. This is kitchen sink music, with everything that works getting chucked in the mix, right down to some atonal sax. Top stuff.

I HEART HIROSHIMA ‘FIFTY THREE’ It’s been a long time between drinks for I Heart Hiroshima, and ‘Fifty Three’ is a good place to start for the unacquainted. It’s less frenetic and jarring than any of their previous work, but still has a bit of weight to get stuck into. The two-guitar attack of the Brisbanites is a real joy throughout, with a pretty pop chorus to offset everything.

JENNY HVAL ‘CONCEPTUAL ROMANCE’ It took me a long time to get Jenny Hval, but when I did it was totally worth the effort. The Norwegian doesn’t really do music like many others right now, and the obtuse approach really pays off here. Hval’s arresting vocals shine through on ‘Conceptual Romance’, with a minimalist thump playing off in the background. Definitely worth giving a shot.

LADY GAGA ‘PERFECT ILLUSION’ This song is ruined by that fucking key change about two thirds the way through. No matter what you think of the rest of the track, ‘Perfect Illusion’ is destroyed by that one choice. The pace is odd on this one, stuck between languid pop and frantic dance, without picking a side. It feels that everyone involved could do so much better.

the word

on films

WITH EMMA ROBINSON

So, there are some seriously fantastic documentaries out at the moment (thank you art-house cinema, you’re wonderful)! Apart from the brilliant Queen of Ireland, which gets a glowing review from yours truly below, we also have some bizarre and intriguing ones on offer. I wasn’t able to squeeze in a review for this one but if you get the chance, go and see Tickled. It may seem difficult to take competitive tickling seriously but within about 30 minutes you absolutely will. And then you will probably squirm (pun fully intended).

quote of the issue

“Given the subject matter, I found it difficult to take her threats seriously.” David Farrier (Himself), Tickled

BAD MOMS

FREE STATE OF JONES

HIGH-RISE

I walked into this film expecting to be very whelmed (no, not over or under, just whelmed). I was pleasantly surprised to find that it’s a perfectly fine way to spend 90 minutes.

What do you get when you cross Anne of Green Gables with Django Unchained? Something like Free State of Jones, apparently. Matthew McConaughey’s latest effort features no other discernible talent, old or new, and without the presence of everyone’s favourite gritty Southern leading man, this film probably would’ve bypassed cinema release to go straight to DVD.

The tower at the centre of the story in High-Rise – and in J. G. Ballard’s 1975 dystopian novel of the same name – is an imposing, fortress-like example of brutalist architecture. It’s a fitting setting for the no hold barred exploration of the socioeconomic themes that take place within its walls. If that sounds pretty dry, a caveat: it’s not.

Amy (Mila Kunis) is a typical middle class suburban mother – she is overworked and underappreciated on both the domestic and professional front, trying her best to be ‘supermom’ and feeling like she is failing. One day she snaps and teams up with other exhausted mothers Kiki (Kristen Bell) and Carla (Kathryn Hahn). The trio make it their mission to do less and eliminate the guilt. There is a certain amount of eye rolling from critics about this film – ‘oh, you poor upper middle class princesses, with your disposable income, your lives must be so hard’. However, I think the struggles depicted in this film are worthy of scrutiny – there are extraordinarily high expectations of mothers and very little recognition of the work and sacrifice that goes into even being a mediocre parent. Elizabeth Gilbert penned an essay on how overachieving women almost never acknowledge their accomplishments, but instead focus on their supposed inadequacies as a parent. Exactly who’s standard are they being judged by? Who is this judgmental twat? In any case, the scene-stealer is definitely Kathryn Hahn. Watching her simulate the correct treatment of foreskin with a jumper is comedy gold. That alone makes this movie worth a look.

EMMA ROBINSON

Free State of Jones tells the story of Newton Knight, a controversial American figure who, initially angered by the Civil War’s effect on Jones county, forms a band of like-minded military deserters and free slaves to take a stand against the Confederate Army, which had become greedy in its expropriation of the property of citizens. At times, it struggles – at others, McConaughey’s natural magnetism escalates this film toward inspiration. We see a fascinating slice of American history – delving into just how much the lives of slaves actually changed post-Emancipation, how veterans of the Civil War influenced American society in the following years, and the sickening rise of the Ku Klux Klan. I found myself shifting in my seat for the first hour of the film as it floundered in grabbing my attention – nevertheless, there’s a good film here, under some bad editing, some questionable narrative choices and weak direction from Gary Ross. If you have a natural interest in this period, see this film. If you’d like some historically inspired action a la Braveheart … hey, just rewatch Braveheart. PAT JOHNSON

Dr Robert Laing (Tom Hiddleston, who carries the movie on his well-suited shoulders) is a new resident in an exclusive apartment block in a high-tech skyscraper. He rubs those aforementioned well-suited shoulders with the upper class of the buildings inhabitants, and befriends other tenants – including the building’s eccentric architect Mr Royal (Jeremy Irons), macho documentarian Richard Wilder (Luke Evans) and his longsuffering wife Helen (Elisabeth Moss), and swinger single mother Charlotte (Sienna Miller). But as flaws within the building begin to emerge, the regimented social strata of the building turn into tribes – and then crumble entirely. The floors of the skyscraper become a battlefield in a (literal) class war. The cinematography is arresting, the aesthetic so very ‘70s, and the soundtrack a blend of Portishead and ABBA (a fantastic meld). Tonally the film slides between black humour, surreal horror and slick dystopian flick. While not always easy to understand, there is a mad magic at work in High-Rise. The unreal world in this film doesn’t seem so different from our own. MELLISA WELLHAM

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SUNSET SONG

THE QUEEN OF IRELAND

You know those period films that are super pretty and chockfull of beautiful scenery, ye olde costumes, strange but charming accents and a kind, sassysmart heroine, but then rapidly descend into a maelstrom of bleakness and despair before wringing every ounce of emotional strength from your body and you’re left in what can only be described as a puddle on the floor of the cinema? Well, Sunset Song is one of those films and it will knock you for six.

There are always unsung heroes of any social movement. Fortunately, this particular hero is getting the fanfare she deserves.

Directed by acclaimed auteur Terence Davies (The Deep Blue Sea) and based on the classic Scottish novel of the same name by Lewis Grassic Gibbon, Sunset Song follows the story of young turn-of-the-century heroine Chris Guthrie (Agyness Deyn), who must navigate harsh and isolated farm life, social conventions and expectations, a violent, tyrannical father and the looming spectre of WW1. Agyness Deyn is a revelation as Chris: the English actressmodel delivers a performance so heartbreakingly raw and believable. By the end of the film, it’s really the least you could do to follow Chris’s name with #feministicon. Clocking in at over two hours, and occasionally making you think you may need subtitles or an interpreter (such is the thickness of the Scottish accent), Sunset Song is emotionally and psychologically shattering – and I mean that in the best possible way. If you’re partial to a Thomas Hardy-esque period drama, you won’t want to miss this one. MAJELLA CARMODY

This documentary follows the life of an extraordinary drag queen (Rory O’Neill, better known as ‘Panti’) whose life and accomplishments left an indelible mark on Irish history. In 2015, via popular vote, the nation state of Ireland voted with a resounding ‘yes’ for marriage equality. The story of how the citizens of a deeply Catholic country came to vote in favour of this change is told through from the perspective of a vivacious, savagely witty and insightful protagonist. One way to make learning history compelling is to involve the audience in the thoughts and feelings of the players involved. Compelling your readers/ viewers to care about what happens to an individual will also stamp into their brain that this is a story worth knowing and remembering. Given Australia’s own frankly morally dubious and potentially damaging forthcoming plebiscite on marriage equality, the scenes showing Rory (not Panti) going door to door trying to convince people he deserved the same rights as they took for granted were highly evocative. Much like 2015’s Pride, this is a film that demonstrates the ugly, insidious nature of bigotry – it can even infect those opposed to it. However, it also demonstrates that progress will always win – marriage equality is taking the world by storm. Just hang in there everyone, we will have it soon too. EMMA ROBINSON

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the word

Snowtunes Festival Lake Jindabyne Saturday September 3

on gigs

With all apologies to every Canberrean reading this fine publication, the ACT isn’t the location of the best fake lake in the country. For my money, there are few more arresting locations than the snowcapped peaks surrounding the small town of Jindabyne, with its fake lake reflecting the majesty around. Having a festival that overlooks the lake is a no-brainer, at least on paper. After some (alleged) teething problems in its first year, Snowtunes was back for another crack this year, and it appeared that many of the reported problems had been fixed up. The rain curtailed the crowds early on, to the point that it looked like the cops and security threatened to outnumber punters. But those who were there early were certainly partying hard, with Bad Decisions and Hydraulix hitting the stage with intensity. Perhaps the most surprising thing of the whole festival was Hydraulix deviating from his bass-heavy EDM filled set to drop Wheatus’s ‘Teenage Dirtbag’, and the crowd’s willingness to sing along. Did I miss the meeting where we started liking Wheatus, and weren’t embarrassed for the sins of our past? The bill was filled with a mix between dance, pop and live bands, skewed heavily to the Groovin The Moo type of crowd. Kilter, with just an EP to his name so far, pretty much split the difference on the bill. With a guitarist, electronic drum kit, keys and guest vocalists on his side, Kilter played an energetic set, and (Wheatus aside) got the crowd going more than nearly anyone else. Asta occupies a strange place on the borders of the alternative and pop worlds, getting her start through Triple J Unearthed High but seemingly shifting more towards a polished pop sound. With a tight band behind her, Asta’s voice shone through the ever enveloping darkness, with a kick of soul to temper the tighter pop. It felt like the set started stronger than it finished however, and I could always do without an Olivia Newton-John cover done by anyone but Bill Murray. Perhaps more rugged up than any other band, Brisbanites Ball Park Music were probably also the most conventional band of the nighttime portion of the festival. I’d seen a couple of their sets in the past, but this was by far their most accomplished performance to date. With a set full of direct indie pop, with occasional quieter diversions, the five-piece’s quirky hooks provided a highlight for the festival, even if it didn’t fit in 100% with the rest of the bill. The rise of What So Not long coincided with that of founding member Flume, who left the project in 2015. Now just down to Emoh Instead however, the project seems to keep going from strength to strength. His presence on stage brought punters out from all corners of the grounds, abandoning the warmth of the fires for that of other bodies dancing. Fitting in better with the sets of Hydraulix and Bad Decisions earlier than that of Ball Park Music, What So Not embarked on a set of familiar bass-heavy trap and dubstep, or at least familiar to anyone who’s listened to Triple J in the last few years.

PHOTOS BY MEGAN LEAHY PHOTO BY MEGAN LEAHY

For the first time that I can remember, the cold defeated me before the festival closed, and I had to retreat to warmer grounds. With the night winding down, the path back through town became well worn by revellers, accompanied by the sounds of Hot Dub Time Machine. Bass reverberated across the small town and that beautiful lake. Not a bad way to end a night at all. CODY ATKINSON

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the word

Tommy Emmanuel Canberra Theatre Centre Monday August 29

on gigs

From his opening “let’s get it on Canberra”, Tommy Emmanuel’s one man show fulfilled expectations of an energetic performance and exuberant musicianship, spanning a mix of his own and other compositions, including a nod to his mentor Chet Atkins in performing ‘Mountains of Illinois’. However, Emmanuel’s performance was more varied than expected, going beyond guitar wizardry to include some more intimate moments which tempered the frenetic finger-blurring, altering the mood and making this performance very memorable. Emmanuel changed pace by interspersing his more common fare with emotional pieces such as the haunting ‘Ava Waits’, from his most recent album It’s Never Too Late, and later breaking into an acapella rendition of John Williamson’s ‘Galleries of Pink Galahs’ to underline his appreciation of being home in Australia. The highlight was his surprising vocal performance of Johnny Cash’s version of Nine Inch Nails’ ‘Hurt’, to a simple guitar accompaniment, which added further depth and dynamic to his show.

(Photographed elsewhere.)

Spicing the show with his ‘usual’ highly entertaining guitar gymnastics, Emmanuel included his well rehearsed, ‘saves me a lot of money’ introduction to his ‘four-piece band on one guitar’, his most played Beatles medley and his explosive guitar as a drum kit routine. Emmanuel wove lighthearted tales of his children around his performance of pieces dedicated to each of them, to maintain the variety across the second half of the show. Tommy Emmanuel attracts many accolades for his guitar genius and is well known for dedication to his work and getting it right. On this night he impressed most as an entertainer who shares his prodigious talent with genuine, engaging warmth. ANTHONY PLEVEY

the word

Ben Folds with yMusic Canberra Theatre Centre Sunday August 28

on gigs

The night began with six members of yMusic showcasing their instrumentation. This was like a cinematic intensification before Ben entered the stage with the drummer and they launched into ‘So There’. Stopping 30 seconds into the second song to exclaim, “I fucked it up,” Ben set the tone for the fine balance of humour and musicianship that would make this a unique show. The first half of the set featured songs from his recent album with the group, with ‘Phone in a Pool’ a highlight. Ben’s banter between songs demonstrated his charm and had the audience laughing along as well as admiring his brilliant vocals and virtuoso as a pianist. Mid-set was marked with another instrumental by yMusic as Ben left the stage. The group extrapolate sounds I never thought possible from their instruments, and proved to be far more than just Ben’s backing orchestra. This admiration could also be seen from Ben himself during solos, staring down in a trance and wobbling his head along. Having worked us into a frenzy, the group left the stage and the audience cheered at length for an encore.

PHOTO BY MARK TURNER

Ben re-emerged and launched into ‘Annie Waits’. He then told a lengthy story about Korn taunting his band back in the ‘90s and his frustration towards music by “angry, white, middle-class males,” which inspired ‘Rockin’ The Suburbs’. Ben’s charm and musicality were further demonstrated here when he beatboxed drum solos. Audience participation peaked with closer ‘Not The Same’, where he had punters singing three-part harmonies as he conducted us from front stage. Ending with a deserved ‘mic drop’, he once again proved why he is one of the best entertainers in music today. JARROD MCGRATH

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the word

Cream Festival Westside Acton Park Saturday August 27

on gigs

Huddled and shivering in a dimly lit shipping container at Westside Acton Park, I spoke with Sam and Louis of Slow Turismo. They had just finished their set at Canberra’s latest dairy-themed celebration of music, Cream Festival. “You call yourself a Canberran?” asked Sam, guitarist and vocalist for the self-described elegant funk quartet. “Then where’s your jacket?” Yes, it was cold. Damn cold, and with December’s Spilt Milk already pencilled in to the diaries of Canberra’s gig-going community, the announcement of a locals only festival at the tail end of a Canberra winter was a bold call. “We wanted to put artists who have never played a festival before on a stage with those who have made it internationally,” said Oliver Friedmann, Cream’s creative director. “It’s a hard thing to do in the industry, but it all played out really well.” The faith shown by Friedmann in the Canberra scene was repaid when a sold out crowd braved the elements to bring the heat to Cream Festival. Westside embraced its urban aesthetic, donning milk crate installations and a construction fence maze for the occasion. A micro-rave in a shipping container and a host of live painters gave the precinct a distinct buzz early on, but the real action was upstairs at Aviary Rooftop Bar. Early afternoon acts The Gypsy Scholars and Genie Stuart used their songwriting prowess to welcome the enthusiastic crowd. “It’s been a really fun gig overall,” said Jamal Salem, drummer for The Gypsy Scholars. “I like the mixed genre bill too; I’ve discovered some acts today that I hadn’t heard before.” Loop pedal enthusiasts Room fit that description well, using layers of vocals and guitars as the framework for their hook-laden pop songs. Slow Turismo were typically excellent with guest saxophonist Hugo Lee giving cuts like ‘Corners’ a fresh edge. Glitch hop duo Mondecreen, who won a spot on the line-up through the Sound Off competition, must’ve had the organisers questioning why they weren’t on the bill from day one. As the sun went down, Cream Festival was exposed to the serious levels of talent in Canberra’s burgeoning hip-hop scene. Tak-Un-Da and Citizen Kay stepped up for the city and were crowd favourites. Now Sydneysiders, Coda Conduct showed off some new gear, bringing out Adelaide vocalist Jimblah for a rendition of new single ‘Usually I’m Cool’. A set-closing mashup of early 2000s R&B jams had the crowd jumping. Not even a site-wide power outage could hold up Genesis Owusu’s set. The 2015 Triple J Unearthed High finalist and brother, Citizen Kay, led an acapella version of ‘Get Low’, sharing a manic yet unexpectedly intimate moment with the crowd. With the lights back on, Genesis continued his high-intensity set, with Citizen Kay and Tak-Un-Da in tow.

PHOTOS BYVICTOR TAWAGI PHOTO BY MEGAN LEAHY

Fans of electronic and dance music had similarly slick representation. The decision to locate the stage upstairs in the panoramic confines of Aviary proved savvy, with Truples and Amastro feeling more like performers at Low End Theory than at a gig within sight of Parliament House. During sets from Sondrio and headliners, The Aston Shuffle, the elevated bar vibrated wildly and threatened to crumble into Lake Burley Griffin. The future of Cream Festival at Westside Acton Park is uncertain, with the contentious precinct approved only until the beginning of 2017. Given the collaborative, communal atmosphere of its inaugural event, it’d be a shame not to see Cream being whipped out again next year to showcase Canberra’s brightest talent. I can think of two world-conquering electronic acts in particular who could be waiting in the wings for a triumphant homecoming. HAYDEN FRITZLAFF

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the word

The John Steel Singers, Alex Leahy, Mondecreen Transit Bar Thursday August 25

on gigs

Mondecreen had a surprisingly long set for a local opening act, but they deserved it. The duo combined fine beats and melodies to produce some splendid electronic pop. The saxophone solo during one song also confirmed their musicality. It was a bit early in the night to have too much audience engagement, but in the right environment I think they would get a good reaction and are an act to keep an ear out for. Melbourne’s Alex Leahy hit the stage next. Backed by three band members she later described as her “besties”, she appeared to be a draw card for the evening, as the crowd rose to their feet and gathered front of stage. The earlier songs in her set did not pack the punch of her singles ‘Let’s Go Out’ and ‘You Don’t Think You Like People Like Me’, which came in the second half amongst some other new songs that sounded promising.

PHOTO BY DAVE THE BROTOGRAPHER

The seven members of Brisbane’s The John Steel Singers crammed onto the stage adorning clothing that looked like something the bar staff from Kokomo would wear. With this being their farewell tour, they delivered a set with a good mix of newer material amongst classics from their previous three albums. Highlights were ‘Strawberry Wine’ and ‘MJ’s on Fire Again’. It was towards the end of the set that I realised the crowd had died down and that it was the up and coming Alex Leahy who had possibly drawn folks out on the cold Canberra evening, despite it being the final chance to see the John Steel Singers. JARROD MCGRATH

the word

Two Steps on the Water, Passive Smoke, Ear Ache, Happy Axe The Phoenix Thursday August 25

on gigs

Happy Axe, the solo project of Emma Kelly, has the knack of making something that looks really complex and involved on stage sound elegant and refined. With a palate largely based around a violin, a saw and her voice, Happy Axe weaved these components into diazey melodies, familiar in form but a little skewed. I don’t know a lot about Ear Ache, a two-piece of unknown origins, but I do know that their set of downcast, shoegazy indie was a pretty good listen. With a drum machine driving the pace, the duo shared the heavy lifting on vocals, and on moving the tone musically. As you can see on the previous page, Passive Smoke have been playing a bit lately. Once you see a band a number of times, you start to nitpick the little things, to the extent that it’s hard to get it out of your head. For example, a couple of songs were slower than normal, and there was a little more reverb on their vocals on the night. But for fans of riff heavy indie rock, it’s hard to walk away disappointed.

PHOTO BY MEGAN LEAHY

It’s hard to adequately describe Two Steps on the Water as a live band. Part of it is the passion that they invoke. Every note of every song just sounded like it meant so bloody much. Look, if you had to pin me down, I’d call it extremely earnest folk-punk, but that undersells in every element. The trio, hailing from Melbourne, play music like it should be played – in a manner that makes you feel something. Their set wasn’t filled with pop hooks or catchy chorus, but had some substantial emotional weight behind it instead. CODY ATKINSON

@bmamag

the word

Luca Brasi, Moose Blood, The Hard Aches, Dickie Birds The Basement Wednesday August 17

on gigs

The anticipation in a packed Basement was met with a mini festival of four damn fine rock bands. Locals Dickie Birds kicked things off with a sound reminiscent of early Butthole Surfers. Adelaide’s The Hard Aches hit the stage next and continued a fine tradition of great Aussie duos. Fans engaged with fingers in the air as they chanted out lyrics like, “but I’m lonely as fuck,” during ‘Glad that You’re Gone’ and clapping during ‘St. Helens’. Closing with ‘I Get Like This’, the duo delivered a smashing set. With their charmingly polite British accents, Moose Blood won over the crowd with their tight set packed full of brilliant songs. Opening with ‘Honey’, they immediately showcased their exceptional songwriting talent, and before launching into ‘Bukowski’, they explained it was the first song they learnt as a band. Following this with ‘Glow’, they had us realising there would be no filler. Audience members sang along to every song and the front row got very rowdy by mid-set, as stage divers were nursed during said singalongs.

PHOTO BY KANE HIBBERD

Such great opening acts made the task ahead difficult for Luca Brasi. They were tight, and seem like nice guys, but they just didn’t have enough great songs to justify the headline spot. Four songs in, ‘Aeroplane’ upped the ante, but pulling out their Like A Version rendition of Paul Kelly’s ‘How to Make Gravy’ mid-set confirmed their lack of originals. Performing ‘Anything Near Conviction’ in an encore kind of proved their reliance on this great song. It was an awesome conclusion to a great night, but one not owned by our headliners. JARROD MCGRATH

the word

Reigner, Semper Fi, Autumn, Boardwalks, Snakepit, Honest Crooks, Death in Bloom, Briarcliff The Basement Sunday August 21

on gigs

Canberra played host to a collaboration of two tours; Reigner’s ‘Winter Weekender’ and Semper Fi’s ‘The Dark Half Tour’. Eight bands came from far and wide to play this beast of a show. Hailing from Adelaide, Briarcliff brought their brutal breakdowns and deathcore riffs and from Melbourne, Death in Bloom brought mosh worthy sound and played an awe-inspiring set. Honest Crooks from Tamworth, who might as well call Canberra a second home, played their usual hard-hitting slam and gave the crowd a taste of some new tracks to come. Of course, on such a massive bill, Sydney always has some bands that fit the part and this show was no exception. Snakepit pumped out their veteran hardcore sound in style, Boardwalks smashed some amazing metalcore in the intimate way that only metalcore bands can, and Semper Fi added their grungy deathcore tunes. But what kind of a show doesn’t have some locals acts? Autumn, who recently changed their style, showed Canberra that they are heading in a heavier direction. Headliners Reigner did the same thing, managing to revamp an exhausted crowd and blast everyone who still remained.

(Photographed elsewhere.)

With such a great range of genres, quality sound and lighting and a positive turnout, it was the best show I’ve seen in Canberra for a long time. It was also a promising sign of things to come, not only with bands showing off some incredible new sounds but with Canberra showing that the music scene is not only alive, but thriving. JOSHUA ROBERTSON

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the word

Sydonia, Southeast Desert Metal, Whitefall, Kitten Hurricane, Lions of the Underground The Basement Monday August 12

on gigs

Locals Lions of the Underground mixed metal with CrossFit as they bounced, spun and did star jumps. Alternating singers saw the band contrast some soft delivery with the traditional hardcore screams. As action shifted to the second stage, Kitten Hurricane wowed with an incredibly tight set and awesome guitar work. When not in their unchoreographed frenzy, the band postured like Hindu temple gods – the singer perched on the crowd rail while guitarist Roary Beggs adopted his favoured, unusual half-crouching pose. Locals Whitefall aspired to a more expanded soundscape, with sampled keys, backing vocals and spoken word effects, taking things one step beyond common or garden metal. Some super-fast guitar work created an atmospheric vibe of a vast, echoing space. Indigenous band Southeast Desert Metal (billed as the most isolated metal band in the world) introduced yet another dimension into the evening. Less screamo and more classic heavy metal, their songs referenced tribal totems and took on distinctly supernatural themes. In a switch to serious, contemporary problems, there was a heartfelt message that “suicide is not the way”, propelled by the scurrying spider finger work of lead guitarist Gavin Hayes.

(Photographed elsewhere.)

Heavy/alternative veterans Sydonia shifted the music to a more melodic line. Frontman Dana Roskvist carved circles into the stage, doing loops before delivering his soaring vocals with crashing opener ‘Ocean of Storms’. RPercussion took on a more dominant role, with guitarist and bassist taking to separate drum kits, joining in with the drummer to elevate the rhythm. They’re a band that knows how to meld the violent with occasional softer touches. Plus, a sudden freeze in movement to just let the notes ring out can be as impressive as non-stop berserk playing. RORY MCCARTNEY

the word

Screaming Females, Lower Body, Passive Smoke The Phoenix Thursday August 11

on gigs

Opening up the night, locals Passive Smoke split the guitar work in two, and the vocals in three, but still managed to sound like one very coherent band. Over the last year or so the four-piece have been slowly building up a strong set of early-era Sleater-Kinney-esque (think Call The Doctor) tunes, but with a much poppier edge. The band really hit their stride when they let everything play off each other, and they are really worth catching right now if you get the chance. Now I don’t want to get anyone offside, but Lower Body doesn’t sound like a Canberra band. For some reason, all I could hear throughout the set was Canberra’s version of Eddy Current Suppression Ring. With a solitary guitar doing much of the heavily lifting, the pacing vocalist (I’ll call him Old Mate) rose and fell with what was around him.

PHOTO BY MEGAN LEAHY

Screaming Females are one of those bands you hear about being great live, but (without resorting to a cliché) you really do have to go see them. The airtight three-piece from New Jersey are just a rock and roll machine, dropping riff after riff, beat after beat. This was a set of unrelenting energy, pure and simple. If I was to pick a highlight of the set, I would say all of it. ALL OF IT. Well, maybe except when the drunk guy tried to get on stage. Marissa Paternoster’s guitar playing was a freaking force of nature, her vocals a perfect match for the noise around it. CODY ATKINSON

@bmamag

ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE September 14 – September 17 Listings are a free community service. Email editorial@bmamag.com to have your events appear each issue. WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 14 ART EXHIBITIONS The Big Shave

Frazer Bull-Clark, The Big Shave, 2016, video still; image courtesy of the artist. 6pm. Until Oct 1. CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

Jason Phu

Opens 6pm 26 Aug. Until 1 Oct.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

Preset Memory & Granite and Grain

THEATRE

Friday Night Live: The Daiquiris

#Inurtiacreeps – Byrd

The Faithful Servant

HARMONIE GERMAN CLUB

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

6-18 Sep. A gripping modern drama about foreign aid, former colonies and conflict between generation. THE STREET THEATRE

TRIVIA Tranny Trivia

Glamour & Song questions. 8pm. Book online. POLIT BAR & LOUNGE

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 15

Two exhibitions from 8-25 Sep.

FILM

Murrumbidgee 26 days Exhibition

La Belle Saison

M16 ARTSPACE

Opens 1 Sep 6pm. Until 1 Oct. Free. TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE

River by Peter Ranyard

Canberra-based artist showcases intimate black and white photographs of remote New Zealand. PHOTOACCESS MANUKA

#Inurtiacreeps – Byrd

Opens 6pm Aug 26. Until 1 Oct.

Starring Cécile de France, Izïa Higgling and Noémie Lvovsky. labellesaison.com.au. PALACE ELECTRIC CINEMA

ReelOzInd!

6.30pm. Free.

NATIONAL FILM AND SOUND ARCHIVE

LIVE MUSIC

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

Northeast Party House

In the Landscape, River & New Paintings.

ANU BAR AND REFECTORY

Until 2 Oct. New exhibitions. PHOTOACCESS MANUKA

The Vessel

Ticket details at northeastpartyhouse.com.

The Daiquiris 7pm.

NATIONAL PRESS CLUB

9 Sep-8 Oct.

James Bennett

Mike Parr: Foreign looking

THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ

BILK GALLERY

7.30pm. $5.

8pm. Free.

Deborah Conway and Willy Zygier

Performing Everybody’s Begging & String of Pearls.

NATIONAL FILM AND SOUND ARCHIVE

Matt Dent

Awesome Aussie Roots Music. 3pm. OLD BUS DEPOT MARKETS

Tom Lee-Richards

CANBERRA IRISH CLUB

Blockhead

The US producer hits Canberra for the first time 8pm, presale via Moshtix. TRANSIT BAR

KLParty

KLP’s national tour. Support by Nyxen. MR WOLF

ON THE TOWN Fridays From Five

DJs spinning Old Skool, Hip Hop, R&B. Free from 5pm. AVIARY ROOFTOP BAR

NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

COMEDY The Wharf Review 13-24 Sep. 8pm. THE PLAYHOUSE

LIVE MUSIC Camp Cope & Cayetana

Taking Poison City’s Weekenderfest on the road! 8pm, presale via Moshtix. TRANSIT BAR

Alex the Kid

Crazy Ass Games including tournaments and prizes, and all things Sangria & FUN. 5pm. Free. AVIARY ROOFTOP BAR

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 16

Revellers, Sketch Method & Green Bricks. 8pm. $10/$5.

FILM

Acoustic Soup

Canberra Short Film Festival Screenings

THE PHOENIX BAR

Live local music and hot food for only $8 members/concessions and $12 general public from 7pm. ANU FOOD CO-OP

TALKS

Live music by Cracked Actor. TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE

LIVE MUSIC Oscar

Future Possible: beyond the screen

9.30pm. Free.

GORMAN HOUSE ARTS CENTRE

Free. Rock covers. 8pm.

6pm. $15/10 includes a drink.

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

Rock or Be Rocked CHISHOLM TAVERN

James Parry

Supported by Myriad Ways and Christopher Coleman. $5. 8:30pm. LOBROW GALLERY & BAR

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The Wharf Review 13-24 Sep. 8pm. THE PLAYHOUSE

DANCE Burlesque Idol National Grand Finale 6:30pm for 8pm start. $35-$280. THE ABBEY

11.00am, 12.15pm and 1.30pm, Free.

LIVE MUSIC

Circa: Carnival Of The Animals

4th Degree

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 17 ART EXHIBITIONS Portrait Encounter

THEATRE 7pm.

COMEDY

NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

The Big Shave

Circa: Carnival Of The Animals

NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

All male cast. Improvisation show set on the high seas. 7.30pm. $22/$17.

THE PHOENIX BAR

9pm. $10/5.

Layered portraits from the collection. 10am. Free. Until 20 Nov.

Other Moments: Dance performance

Explores personal relations, individual expression and fluid identity. Free. Until 16 Oct.

Endrey’s Canberra Drag Party

NATIONAL GALLERY OF AUSTRALIA

THEATRE

7pm.

The Thursday Games

BILK GALLERY

Dissections

7pm. Free.

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

Explores personal relations, individual expression and fluid identity. Free. Until 16 Oct.

9 Sep-8 Oct.

Satch Campbell & Sandy Gibbney

GORMAN HOUSE ARTS CENTRE

ON THE TOWN

The Vessel

12 Aug-6 Nov. Brings together works in all media across Parr’s voraciously experimental practice.

Dos Locos

Portrait Encounter

16 Sep-9 Oct. A Tribute to Mossy, Tony Faul-Selected Works, It Feels Like Home & A Ship of Fools. Free entry.

THE PHOENIX BAR

Dissections

NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

4 New Exhibitions

Mike Parr: Foreign looking

Psionic Tide & Azim Zain & His Lovely Bones. $10/5. 9pm.

Pirates

9pm. Free.

PHOTOACCESS MANUKA

Lionizer

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

With Oranges and Tessa Devine 8pm, free entry.

Layered portraits from the collection. 10am. Free. Until 20 Nov.

Until 2 Oct. New exhibitions.

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

The Lowlands TRANSIT BAR

In the Landscape, River & New Paintings.

‘Madness’ is about the tension of ownership and blame when it comes to negotiating relationships.

12 Aug-6 Nov. Brings together works in all media across Parr’s voraciously experimental practice. NATIONAL GALLERY OF AUSTRALIA

Opens 6pm Aug 26. Until 1 Oct.

NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

Frazer Bull-Clark, The Big Shave, 2016, video still; image courtesy of the artist. 6pm. Until Oct 1. CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

Jason Phu

Opens 6pm 26 Aug. Until 1 Oct.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

Preset Memory & Granite and Grain Two exhibitions from 8-25 Sep. M16 ARTSPACE

Murrumbidgee 26 days Exhibition

Opens 1 Sep 6pm. Until 1 Oct. Free. TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE

River by Peter Ranyard

10pm. Free.

Stacks of Wax: Funk & Soul Sessions

9pm. DJ Pactman, Swift Taylor & Degg. THE PHOENIX BAR

Canberra Bach Ensemble

Tickets at canberrabachensemble.com. 17/18 Sep. ST. CHRISTOPHER’S CATHEDRAL

Bad Pony

Sideways Tour. TRANSIT BAR

SOMETHING DIFFERENT Fresh Funk Hip Hop LA Showcase 5.30/7.30pm. $15.

TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE

Historical Tour

11am. Free guided tour of the 101-year-old Kingston Power House. CANBERRA GLASSWORKS

Floriade 2016

17 Sep-16 Oct. 9am-5pm. COMMONWEALTH PARK

THEATRE The Raghu Dixit Project 7.30pm.

Canberra-based artist showcases intimate black and white photographs of remote New Zealand.

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

Fresh Glass

GORMAN HOUSE ARTS CENTRE

PHOTOACCESS MANUKA

Pirates

All male cast. Improvisation show set on the high seas. 7.30pm. $22/$17.

15 Sep-30 Oct. Studio glass vessels and sculpture with fresh botanical installations. CANBERRA GLASSWORKS

ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE September17–September24 SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 17

LIVE MUSIC

Mike Parr: Foreign looking

Lakeside Live: Life Drawing

NATIONAL GALLERY OF AUSTRALIA

TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE

THEATRE

CIT Presents The Bootleg Sessions

12 Aug-6 Nov. Brings together works in all media across Parr’s voraciously experimental practice.

The Faithful Servant

THE PHOENIX BAR

Portrait Encounter

6-18 Sep. A gripping modern drama about foreign aid, former colonies and conflict between generations. THE STREET THEATRE

Circa: Carnival Of The Animals 7pm.

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 18 DANCE Other Moments: Dance performance

11.00am, 12.15pm and 1.30pm, Free. NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

LIVE MUSIC Dave Graney and the mistLY

8pm. Free entry.

THEATRE Pirates

All male cast. Improvisation show set on the high seas. 7.30pm. $22/$17. GORMAN HOUSE ARTS CENTRE

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 20

Live music and tapas menu 5-7pm. Free entry. New bands every week. A BITE TO EAT CAFE

Johnny Reynolds Blues Band

13-24 Sep. 8pm. THE PLAYHOUSE

The Lavazza Italian Film Festival

PHOTOACCESS MANUKA

KARAOKE

Irish Jam Session

A Bite to Eat Sunday Best

The Wharf Review

River by Peter Ranyard

Canberra-based artist showcases intimate black and white photographs of remote New Zealand.

TRANSIT BAR

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

COMEDY

FILM

#KaraokeLove

Traditional Irish musicians in the pub from late afternoon. Free.

NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

ART EXHIBITIONS

Info at smithsalternative.com. SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

Explores personal relations, individual expression and fluid identity. Free. Until 16 Oct.

9pm. Free entry.

Sep 20-Oct 12.

PALACE ELECTRIC CINEMA

7.30pm.

MANNING CLARK HOUSE

Literary Lounge with DEMOS Journal 7.30pm. Free.

TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 23 ART EXHIBITIONS River by Peter Ranyard

Canberra-based artist showcases intimate black and white photographs of remote New Zealand. PHOTOACCESS MANUKA

LIVE MUSIC

Collected Resonances

Friday Night Fiesta

AINSLIE ARTS CENTRE

THE PHOENIX BAR

8pm. $5.

The Willie Wagtails

TRIVIA The Phoenix Quiz

SOMETHING DIFFERENT

THE PHOENIX BAR

2016 Annual Members Spring Exhibition

WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 21

Poetry Readings

LIVE MUSIC

True blue banjo-jazz. 8:30pm. Free.

7.30pm.

A monthly life drawing session for artists with basic to advanced level experience. $25 + drink.

HIPPO BAR

21-25 Sep. 10am-5pm. Wed-Sun. Opening night 5.30pm 21 Sep.

Los Chavos. 9pm. $10.

Purple Sneakers: 10th Anniversary 8pm, $10 before 10pm. TRANSIT BAR

Drawing North

Debut album listening party. LOBROW GALLERY & BAR

Geoff Achison & Adrian Keating 8pm. Free.

2pm. $3$/5. Canberra Blues Society Jam.

ART EXHIBITIONS

ALBERT HALL

Kav Temperley

Dissections

17 Sep-16 Oct. 9am-5pm.

Tickets from Oztix from $40.

BAD!SLAM!NO!BISCUIT!

Special K

HARMONIE GERMAN CLUB

Floriade 2016

SAFIA

Layered portraits from the collection. 10am. Free. Until 20 Nov.

COMMONWEALTH PARK

UC REFECTORY

Rolo Tomassi (UK), Creative Adult (USA), Belle Haven (Melbourne), Agency and Propeller. $20. 6pm. 18+.

Portrait Encounter

THE PHOENIX BAR

Rolo Tomassi

NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

THE PHOENIX BAR

Roses in Hand

Frazer Bull-Clark, The Big Shave, 2016, video still; image courtesy of the artist. 6pm. Until Oct 1.

A BITE TO EAT CAFE

Jason Phu

HARMONIE GERMAN CLUB

8pm.

THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ

Stand Your Grounds!

THE PHOENIX BAR

With Creative Adult (USA), Belle Haven, Agency & Propeller. 6pm. $10.

NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

8pm.

Explores personal relations, individual expression and fluid identity. Free. Until 16 Oct.

TRIVIA

The Big Shave

Glamour & Song questions. 8pm. Book online.

Tranny Trivia

POLIT BAR & LOUNGE

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 22

9.30pm. Free.

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

Lachlan Coventry 7.30pm.

THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ

The Bridge Between 7pm. Free.

CANBERRA IRISH CLUB

The Whitlams

Elbow In The Breeze Tour. Doors 7.30pm. Tickets at thestreet.org.au.

Acoustic upbeat vibes. 5pm-7pm. Free entry.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

Canberra Bach Ensemble

Opens 6pm 26 Aug. Until 1 Oct.

LIVE MUSIC

ON THE TOWN

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

Slow Dial

Fridays From Five

ST. CHRISTOPHER’S CATHEDRAL

Preset Memory & Granite and Grain

TRANSIT BAR

Tickets at canberrabachensemble.com. 17/18 Sep.

TALKS ACT Election Special

Join our panel of respected journos to discuss the things that matter in the territory. $10. 3-4pm. MUSE: FOOD, WINE, BOOKS

THEATRE Pirates

All male cast. Improvisation show set on the high seas. 7.30pm. $22/$17. GORMAN HOUSE ARTS CENTRE

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 19 FILM Mean Girls

Mondays at 6:30pm, Quote-A-Long session. DENDY CINEMA

Two exhibitions from 8-25 Sep. M16 ARTSPACE

Murrumbidgee 26 days Exhibition

Opens 1 Sep 6pm. Until 1 Oct. Free. TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE

Fresh Glass

15 Sep-30 Oct. Studio glass vessels and sculpture with fresh botanical installations. CANBERRA GLASSWORKS

#Inurtiacreeps – Byrd

Opens 6pm Aug 26. Until 1 Oct.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

In the Landscape, River & New Paintings. Until 2 Oct. New exhibitions. PHOTOACCESS MANUKA

4 New Exhibitions

Chicago Charles 9pm. Free.

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

Tony King and The Bean Project

DJs spinning Old Skool, Hip Hop, R&B. Free from 5pm. AVIARY ROOFTOP BAR

SOMETHING DIFFERENT

7.30pm.

The Salt Room

The Whitlams

GORMAN HOUSE ARTS CENTRE

THE STREET THEATRE

21-25 Sep. 10am-5pm. Wed-Sun. Opening night 5.30pm 21 Sep.

THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ

Elbow In The Breeze Tour. Doors 7.30pm. Tickets at thestreet.org.au.

No Local

With Passive Smoke, Sachet & Territory. 9pm. $10/5. THE PHOENIX BAR

ON THE TOWN The Thursday Games

Crazy Ass Games including tournaments and prizes, and all things Sangria & FUN. 5pm. Free.

7.30pm. $10/$5.

2016 Annual Members Spring Exhibition ALBERT HALL

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 24 ART EXHIBITIONS Dissections

Layered portraits from the collection. 10am. Free. Until 20 Nov.

16 Sep-9 Oct. A Tribute to Mossy, Tony Faul-Selected Works, It Feels Like Home & A Ship of Fools. Free entry.

AVIARY ROOFTOP BAR

NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

SOMETHING DIFFERENT

The Vessel

2016 Annual Members Spring Exhibition

Explores personal relations, individual expression and fluid identity. Free. Until 16 Oct.

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

9 Sep-8 Oct.

With Skyvory 8pm, free entry.

THE STREET THEATRE

BILK GALLERY

Portrait Encounter

NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

21-25 Sep. 10am-5pm. Wed-Sun. Opening night 5.30pm 21 Sep. ALBERT HALL

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ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE September24–September 28 SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 24 ART EXHIBITIONS The Big Shave

Frazer Bull-Clark, The Big Shave, 2016, video still; image courtesy of the artist. 6pm. Until Oct 1. CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

Jason Phu

Opens 6pm 26 Aug. Until 1 Oct.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

Preset Memory & Granite and Grain Two exhibitions from 8-25 Sep. M16 ARTSPACE

Murrumbidgee 26 days Exhibition

Opens 1 Sep 6pm. Until 1 Oct. Free. TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE

Fresh Glass

15 Sep-30 Oct. Studio glass vessels and sculpture with fresh botanical installations. CANBERRA GLASSWORKS

Blanc: Keyboard for Versailles’s Kings

SOMETHING DIFFERENT

WORKSHOPS

5.30pm. Concert in support of the Alliance Française de Canberra Building Fund and the Wesley Music Centre.

2016 Annual Members Spring Exhibition

JR Drum Kit Camp With Damian Corniola

Ungus Ungus Ungus

ALBERT HALL

THE GROOVE WAREHOUSE

WESLEY MUSIC CENTRE

21-25 Sep. 10am-5pm. Wed-Sun. Opening night 5.30pm 21 Sep.

With East Row Rabble & Orbis Tertius. 8pm. $12/$15.

TALKS

Canberra Youth Orchestra

Stranger Than Fiction

THE POLISH WHITE EAGLE CLUB

7.30pm. $25/$15/$65. LLEWELLYN HALL

The Whitlams

Elbow In The Breeze Tour. Doors 7.30pm. Tickets at thestreet.org.au. THE STREET THEATRE

SOMETHING DIFFERENT Historical Tour

11am. Free guided tour of the 101-year-old Kingston Power House. CANBERRA GLASSWORKS

Floriade 2016

17 Sep-16 Oct. 9am-5pm. COMMONWEALTH PARK

Sulari Gentill, Kaaron Warren & Sean Williams. A speculation of genre writers discuss the light and dark of fiction. MUSE: FOOD, WINE, BOOKS

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 26 ART EXHIBITIONS River by Peter Ranyard

Canberra-based artist showcases intimate black and white photographs of remote New Zealand. PHOTOACCESS MANUKA

9.30am-4pm. Registration at groovewarehouse.com.au/events.html.

WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 28 ART EXHIBITIONS Dissections

Layered portraits from the collection. 10am. Free. Until 20 Nov. NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

Portrait Encounter

Explores personal relations, individual expression and fluid identity. Free. Until 16 Oct. NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

The Big Shave

Frazer Bull-Clark, The Big Shave, 2016, video still; image courtesy of the artist. 6pm. Until Oct 1.

FILM

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

Princess Bride

Jason Phu

#Inurtiacreeps – Byrd

2016 Annual Members Spring Exhibition

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

ALBERT HALL

DENDY CINEMA

THEATRE

LIVE MUSIC

Murrumbidgee 26 days Exhibition

She Stoops To Conquer

The Faraway Towns

TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE

Opens 6pm Aug 26. Until 1 Oct.

In the Landscape, River & New Paintings. Until 2 Oct. New exhibitions. PHOTOACCESS MANUKA

4 New Exhibitions

16 Sep-9 Oct. A Tribute to Mossy, Tony Faul-Selected Works, It Feels Like Home & A Ship of Fools. Free entry. BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

The Vessel 9 Sep-8 Oct.

BILK GALLERY

COMEDY

21-25 Sep. 10am-5pm. Wed-Sun. Opening night 5.30pm 21 Sep.

By Oliver Goldsmith. Directed by Tony Turner. $20. canberrarep.org.au. 22 Sep-8 Oct. CANBERRA REPERTORY SOCIETY

WORKSHOPS Tracks: Canberra Edition

9am. Free for Express Media members, $25 for non-members (includes membership). agac.com.au.

The Wharf Review

GORMAN HOUSE ARTS CENTRE

THE PLAYHOUSE

11am. $50/$55.

13-24 Sep. 8pm.

FILM The Lavazza Italian Film Festival

Geoff Achison Guitar Workshop HARMONIE GERMAN CLUB

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 25

Mondays at 6:30pm, Quote-A-Long session.

With The Cheeky Violets and Bay Marlin September. 7.30pm. THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 27 KARAOKE #KaraokeLove 9pm. Free entry. TRANSIT BAR

SOMETHING DIFFERENT Special Puppetry Workshop

Marianne Mettes will lead the group in making and performing with puppets. WATSON ARTS CENTRE

Sep 20-Oct 12.

DANCE

A Little Princes: Screening

Sriyah-Nrityagram Dance Ensemble

Shaolin Warriors

PALACE ELECTRIC CINEMA

Directed by Alfonso Cuarón, rated G. 3pm. Free. NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

LIVE MUSIC The Levitation Hex

9pm. $10. With In Malices Wake. THE PHOENIX BAR

Elroy: Quantum Album Launch

Elroy aka Flawlezz launches his new album, supported by Axe & Roshambo, Dazed, Lash and more 8pm, $10 TRANSIT BAR

Gabreal

Welcome to my Party Tour. With Kirklandd, Jedbrii, Anomic, Beat Theory, KG, Tak-Un-Da & DJ Ill Gato.

6.30pm.

7pm.

THE PLAYHOUSE

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

LIVE MUSIC

TRIVIA

Isaiah Mitchell (Earthless)

Impact Records Presents

With Seedy Jeezus & Frozen Planet 1969. 6pm. $20. THE PHOENIX BAR

25 Sep - 9 Oct. More info at nfsa.gov.au.

NATIONAL FILM AND SOUND ARCHIVE

Fresh Glass

15 Sep-30 Oct. Studio glass vessels and sculpture with fresh botanical installations. CANBERRA GLASSWORKS

#Inurtiacreeps – Byrd

Opens 6pm Aug 26. Until 1 Oct.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

In the Landscape, River & New Paintings. Until 2 Oct. New exhibitions. PHOTOACCESS MANUKA

4 New Exhibitions

16 Sep-9 Oct. A Tribute to Mossy, Tony Faul-Selected Works, It Feels Like Home & A Ship of Fools. Free entry. BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

The Vessel 9 Sep-8 Oct.

BILK GALLERY

COMEDY Comedy In The Pub

Comedy Gong Night. 7.30pm. Free. THE PHOENIX BAR

Holy Balm

Canberra “Activity” album launch with California Girls, Honey & Playful Sound. LOBROW GALLERY & BAR

THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ

8pm.

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

Evensong

NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

Choral music. 4pm. Free.

NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

Matt Dent

Orsome Welles

OLD CANBERRA INN

THE BASEMENT

Malcolm 30th Anniversary

A BITE TO EAT CAFE

Mitch Power

With Tundrel & Hallucinatorium.

THE PHOENIX BAR

Opens 1 Sep 6pm. Until 1 Oct. Free.

Live music and tapas menu 5-7pm. Free entry. New bands every week.

Live Band

Choral music. 4pm. Free.

Nerd Trivia with Joel.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

A Bite to Eat Sunday Best

LOBROW GALLERY & BAR

Live music. 10pm. Free.

THEATRE

Opens 6pm 26 Aug. Until 1 Oct.

Awesome Aussie Roots Music. 4pm.

Jez Lowe and Cassidy’s Ceili 3.30pm. $15/$17/$20. CANBERRA IRISH CLUB

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ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE September 28 – October 4 WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 28 DANCE Wiggle Room

Alison Plevey and Solco Acro will challenge and delight in this original and provocative dance work.

Roses in Hand

SATURDAY OCTOBER 1

9pm. Free.

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

The Ocean Party

Huge national Australian tour to celebrate the release of ‘Restless’. THE PHOENIX BAR

Ball Park Music

ART EXHIBITIONS Dissections

Layered portraits from the collection. 10am. Free. Until 20 Nov.

With The Creases and Sahara Beck. Every Night The Same Dream tour. Tickets at moshtix.

NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

The Lavazza Italian Film Festival

ON THE TOWN

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

PALACE ELECTRIC CINEMA

Crazy Ass Games including tournaments and prizes, and all things Sangria & FUN. 5pm. Free.

GORMAN HOUSE ARTS CENTRE

FILM

Sep 20-Oct 12.

SOMETHING DIFFERENT Floriade 2016

ANU BAR AND REFECTORY

The Thursday Games

AVIARY ROOFTOP BAR

17 Sep-16 Oct. 9am-5pm.

SOMETHING DIFFERENT

Special Puppetry Workshop

Floriade NightFest

COMMONWEALTH PARK

Marianne Mettes will lead the group in making and performing with puppets. WATSON ARTS CENTRE

28 Sep-2 Oct.

COMMONWEALTH PARK

The Big Shave

Frazer Bull-Clark, The Big Shave, 2016, video still; image courtesy of the artist. 6pm. Until Oct 1.

LIVE MUSIC Aviary Live Sessions

Fresh Glass

15 Sep-30 Oct. Studio glass vessels and sculpture with fresh botanical installations.

THE STREET THEATRE

Shaolin Warriors 7pm.

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

She Stoops To Conquer

By Oliver Goldsmith. Directed by Tony Turner. $20. canberrarep.org.au. 22 Sep-8 Oct. CANBERRA REPERTORY SOCIETY

WORKSHOPS Canberra Potters School Holiday Programme

Make your own projects in a fun, creative environment. 17 Sep-Oct 7. $125-$200. WATSON ARTS CENTRE

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 29 ART EXHIBITIONS River by Peter Ranyard

Canberra-based artist showcases intimate black and white photographs of remote New Zealand. PHOTOACCESS MANUKA

DANCE Wiggle Room

Alison Plevey and Solco Acro will challenge and delight in this original and provocative dance work.

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 30 DANCE Wiggle Room

Alison Plevey and Solco Acro will challenge and delight in this original and provocative dance work. GORMAN HOUSE ARTS CENTRE

LIVE MUSIC Midnight Alibi

Wiggle Room

With Plyers, Clever, Earache & Agency. $10/5. 6pm. THE PHOENIX BAR

Beyond Festival

Beyondfestival.com.au. With Lior, Professor Gillian Triggs and more. VARIOUS LOCATIONS

House Shoes

Alison Plevey and Solco Acro will challenge and delight in this original and provocative dance work.

Street Corner music tour.

FILM

A BITE TO EAT CAFE

GORMAN HOUSE ARTS CENTRE

LOBROW GALLERY & BAR

The 3 Funkateers

Meters style New Orleans funk. 5pm7pm. Free entry.

Sep 20-Oct 12.

Drawn In

LIVE MUSIC

Draw while listening toTony Hunter’s folk music on banjo, mandolin and guitar. 1pm. Free.

Beyond Festival

Dead Farmers

Floriade NightFest

THE PHOENIX BAR

COMMONWEALTH PARK

THE PHOENIX BAR

Beyondfestival.com.au. With Lior, Professor Gillian Triggs and more.

With guests. 9pm. $10/5.

VARIOUS LOCATIONS

Beyond Festival

Cameron James Henderson Band

Beyondfestival.com.au. With Lior, Professor Gillian Triggs and more. VARIOUS LOCATIONS

HARMONIE GERMAN CLUB

Vamp

8pm. Free.

NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

28 Sep-2 Oct.

MONDAY OCTOBER 3 LIVE MUSIC

9.30pm. Free.

Alternative music nightclub with DJs Robot Citizen, Mircalla, Altercate.

Beyond Festival

Poetry Slam

Heuristic

VARIOUS LOCATIONS

The Surrogates KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

LOBROW GALLERY & BAR

7pm.

10pm. Free.

Despite Eviction

David Christie with Waylon Scott

THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ ANU BAR AND REFECTORY

7pm. Free.

Josh Rennie-Hynes Furthermore tour.

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

Traditional Irish musicians in the pub from late afternoon. Free.

ON THE TOWN

The Willie Wagtails

DJs spinning Old Skool, Hip Hop, R&B. Free from 5pm.

Fridays From Five

SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

AVIARY ROOFTOP BAR

East Row Rabble

SOMETHING DIFFERENT

STAGE 88

Floriade NightFest

DANCE

Burlap

With Super Best Friends & Revellers. $10/$5.

CANBERRA IRISH CLUB

7pm. $27.

PHOTOACCESS MANUKA

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

PALACE ELECTRIC CINEMA

Acid King

$10/$7. 9.30pm.

Until 2 Oct. New exhibitions.

Traditional Irish musicians in the pub from late afternoon. Free.

The Sinking Teeth

TRANSIT BAR

LIVE MUSIC

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

In the Landscape, River & New Paintings.

Irish Jam Session

SOMETHING DIFFERENT

Matt Dent

Irish Jam Session

Opens 6pm Aug 26. Until 1 Oct.

AVIARY ROOFTOP BAR

The Lavazza Italian Film Festival

GORMAN HOUSE ARTS CENTRE

TRANSIT BAR

CANBERRA GLASSWORKS

3pm. Free. Local musicians step in to entertain us for a Sunday Session. Beer & Cider specials.

With Local Horror and Northbourne Flats 8pm, free entry.

Tickets at moshtix.com.au.

Supported by WItchskull and Monoceros 8pm, presale via Moshtix.

River by Peter Ranyard

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

Opens 6pm 26 Aug. Until 1 Oct.

CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)

THEATRE

ART EXHIBITIONS

PHOTOACCESS MANUKA

#Inurtiacreeps – Byrd

NATIONAL FILM AND SOUND ARCHIVE

SUNDAY OCTOBER 2

Jason Phu

Papillon

29 Sep - 8 Oct. Tickets at thestreet.org.au.

WATSON ARTS CENTRE

M16 ARTSPACE

COMMONWEALTH PARK

26 Sep-7 Oct. 12pm. $8.

Make your own projects in a fun, creative environment. 17 Sep-Oct 7. $125-$200.

Two exhibitions from 29 Sep-16 Oct.

THEATRE

School Holidays at the NFSA

Canberra Potters School Holiday Programme

Canberra-based artist showcases intimate black and white photographs of remote New Zealand.

As It Is & the unbearable lightness of seeing

Floriade NightFest 28 Sep-2 Oct.

WORKSHOPS

28 Sep-2 Oct.

COMMONWEALTH PARK

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

Beyondfestival.com.au. With Lior, Professor Gillian Triggs and more.

TUESDAY OCTOBER 4

8pm.

KARAOKE

Rock Academy Bands

#KaraokeLove

THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ

10.40am. Free.

9pm. Free entry.

STAGE 88

TRANSIT BAR

SOMETHING DIFFERENT

LIVE MUSIC

Historical Tour

Jazz at the Gods

CANBERRA GLASSWORKS

THE GODS CAFE

11am. Free guided tour of the 101-year-old Kingston Power House.

Floriade NightFest 28 Sep-2 Oct.

COMMONWEALTH PARK

Meals from 6pm. Music at 7:30pm. Bookings essential. $22/$15.

SOMETHING DIFFERENT Special Puppetry Workshop

Marianne Mettes will lead the group in making and performing with puppets. WATSON ARTS CENTRE

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ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE October 4 – October 8 TUESDAY OCTOBER 4 TRIVIA The Phoenix Quiz 7.30pm.

THE PHOENIX BAR

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 5 ART EXHIBITIONS Dissections

Layered portraits from the collection. 10am. Free. Until 20 Nov. NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

As It Is & the unbearable lightness of seeing

Two exhibitions from 29 Sep-16 Oct. M16 ARTSPACE

Malcolm 30th Anniversary 25 Sep - 9 Oct. More info at nfsa.gov.au.

NATIONAL FILM AND SOUND ARCHIVE

Fresh Glass

15 Sep-30 Oct. Studio glass vessels and sculpture with fresh botanical installations. CANBERRA GLASSWORKS

4 New Exhibitions

16 Sep-9 Oct. A Tribute to Mossy, Tony Faul-Selected Works, It Feels Like Home & A Ship of Fools. Free entry. BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

The Vessel 9 Sep-8 Oct.

BILK GALLERY

FILM The Lavazza Italian Film Festival Sep 20-Oct 12.

PALACE ELECTRIC CINEMA

School Holidays at the NFSA NATIONAL FILM AND SOUND ARCHIVE

THEATRE Papillon

29 Sep - 8 Oct. Tickets at thestreet. org.au. THE STREET THEATRE

She Stoops To Conquer

By Oliver Goldsmith. Directed by Tony Turner. $20. canberrarep.org.au. 22 Sep-8 Oct. CANBERRA REPERTORY SOCIETY

WORKSHOPS Canberra Potters School Holiday Programme

Make your own projects in a fun, creative environment. 17 Sep-Oct 7. $125-$200. WATSON ARTS CENTRE

THURSDAY OCTOBER 6 DANCE Pedal Castles

6-8 Oct. Winner Most Promising Emerging Company, NZ Fringe 2016. GORMAN HOUSE ARTS CENTRE

LIVE MUSIC The Stiffys

GORMAN HOUSE ARTS CENTRE

8pm.

THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ

Crazy Ass Games including tournaments and prizes, and all things Sangria & FUN. 5pm. Free. AVIARY ROOFTOP BAR

SOMETHING DIFFERENT

Dinosaur Time Machine Tickets at thestreet.org.au. THE STREET THEATRE

9 Sep-8 Oct.

NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

As It Is & the unbearable lightness of seeing

KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

Coda Conduct

Two exhibitions from 29 Sep-16 Oct.

With Genesis Owusu and Kirklandd 8pm, presale via Moshtix.

M16 ARTSPACE

Malcolm 30th Anniversary

TRANSIT BAR

25 Sep - 9 Oct. More info at nfsa. gov.au.

I’m from here, I’m from there Opens 6.30pm 7 Oct-29 Oct.

NATIONAL FILM AND SOUND ARCHIVE

TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE

Fresh Glass

Disco Dub Time Machine

15 Sep-30 Oct. Studio glass vessels and sculpture with fresh botanical installations.

With Dubba Rukki. 9pm. $10/5. THE PHOENIX BAR

Birth Write Beats

CANBERRA GLASSWORKS

Season II Vol II. Live producer battles.

Seeking Refuge Exhibition

LOBROW GALLERY & BAR

6-29 Oct. 6pm.

Lakeside at 5

TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE

Live music. $10. 5pm.

Equus Homo

TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE

6-29 Oct. 6pm. Free.

Night Potion

Their eclectic sound entwines the jazz, blues, folk and rock genres. 7pm. Free. CANBERRA IRISH CLUB

TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE

COMEDY Bev Killick

7.30pm. $16.50 on the door or at laborclub.com.au. With local supports.

DJs spinning Old Skool, Hip Hop, R&B. Free from 5pm. AVIARY ROOFTOP BAR

SOMETHING DIFFERENT School Holidays at the NFSA 26 Sep-7 Oct. 12pm. $8.

The Vessel

Layered portraits from the collection. 10am. Free. Until 20 Nov.

9.30pm. Free.

Fridays From Five

8pm.

BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Dissections

Oscar

Diode Yang Band

THE PHOENIX BAR

4 New Exhibitions

16 Sep-9 Oct. A Tribute to Mossy, Tony Faul-Selected Works, It Feels Like Home & A Ship of Fools. Free entry.

BILK GALLERY

LIVE MUSIC

ON THE TOWN

THEATRE

17 Sep-16 Oct. 9am-5pm.

6-8 Oct. Winner Most Promising Emerging Company, NZ Fringe 2016.

9pm. $5.

TRANSIT BAR

Floriade 2016

Pedal Castles

TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE

The Thursday Games

I Can Run tour.

ART EXHIBITIONS

THE STREET THEATRE

Tickets at thestreet.org.au.

THE PHOENIX BAR

Shining Bird

DANCE

Rohallah – Dance me to the End of Love

ON THE TOWN

LIVE MUSIC

SATURDAY OCTOBER 8

Dinosaur Time Machine

Jumpcuts

Local Independent Short Films. 7.30pm.

FRIDAY OCTOBER 7

26 Sep-7 Oct. 12pm. $8.

GINNINDERRA LABOR CLUB

DANCE Pedal Castles

6-8 Oct. Winner Most Promising Emerging Company, NZ Fringe 2016. GORMAN HOUSE ARTS CENTRE

NATIONAL FILM AND SOUND ARCHIVE

FILM

THEATRE

The Lavazza Italian Film Festival

Dinosaur Time Machine Tickets at thestreet.org.au. THE STREET THEATRE

Sep 20-Oct 12.

PALACE ELECTRIC CINEMA

Kids

Rated R. 3.00pm, Free.

COMMONWEALTH PARK

NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

Special Puppetry Workshop

LIVE MUSIC

Marianne Mettes will lead the group in making and performing with puppets.

Funky Pleasure Presents

WATSON ARTS CENTRE

Humanizm & Perdy.

LOBROW GALLERY & BAR

OUT

OCT 12

PAUL KELLY KNOWS HOW TO WRITE SONGS AND HE DOES SO ON MOST DAYS THE JEZABELS ARE SO HARD FOR CANBERRA BILL BAILEY ATE ALL OF BERNARD’S BEES

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SIDE A: BMA BAND PROFILE

FIRST CONTACT Aaron Peacey 0410381306 band.afternoon.shift@ gmail.com.au Adam Hole 0421023226 Afternoon Shift 0402055314

Kayo Marbilus facebook.com/kayomarbilus1

Amphibian Sound PA Clare 0410308288

Kurt’s Metalworx (PA) 0417025792

Annie & The Armadillos Annie (02) 61611078/ 0422076313

AZIM ZAIN AND HIS LOVELY BONES Group members: Azim Zain (lead vocals, guitar), Ella Hunt (backing vocals, guitar, tambourine), Will Flowers (bass), Sammy O’Brien (drums), Tim Douglass (lead guitar). Where did your band name come from? One of my good friends made a (very accurate) joke once that almost every song I write has to use the word ‘bones’ somewhere in the lyrics. When I put the band together, I thought that it made sense as well that everyone sort of completed the skeleton of my songs. The rest of it is a reference to the book. Describe your sound. I think our Bandcamp bio reads ‘Emotive singer/ songwriter-driven indie rock’. It’s a mish-mash of all the different things I listen to, I guess: punk, emo, indie/alternative, singer-songwriter folk. Who are your influences, musical or otherwise? Influences are pretty broad and tend to vary. Mansions, Glen Hansard, The Hard Aches, Into It Over It. What’s the most memorable experience you’ve had whilst performing? Hard to pinpoint a specific experience but I think one might stand out. Our first headline show, our first single launch at Transit was pretty amazing. After worrying so much about pulling a crowd and breaking even for over a month, getting up onstage and playing to a decent-sized crowd actually paying attention to us, dancing and having a good time was one of the best experiences we’ve had in this band. The best part was seeing faces of people who we didn’t recognize there paying attention to us, knowing that they had paid to get in to see us. Of what are you proudest so far? Releasing our debut EP in July and going to Melbourne and Adelaide to play shows with our friends Helena Pop definitely feels great for us. For the longest time, playing music was something I did so that girls at uni thought I was cool. I never imagined taking it to the extent it has in the last year or so, becoming so accepted as a part of this Canberra scene. What are your plans for the future? We’re in the early stages of planning a new single that we’ll hopefully be able to put out early next year, and write material for a new EP I’d like to record next year too. We also want to start playing more interstate shows. What makes you laugh? Using the lyrics to Seal’s ‘Kiss From A Rose’ for Tinder conversations. What pisses you off? Dickheads at shows who make other people (particularly women) feel unsafe, which I still can’t believe happens, but I’m glad it doesn’t seem to be super prevalent in Canberra. What about the local scene would you change? Hard to say when it has all been going pretty well. Another couple of venues in Civic, like the old Magpies Club, would be the main one. I thought that having a central venue geared towards punk/hardcore was great for that part of the local scene, as great as Phoenix and Transit are. More venues would lead to more gigs and an even more thriving local scene in my opinion. What are your upcoming gigs? We’re playing with Lionizer and Psionic Tide at the Phoenix on Friday September 16. Contact details: facebook.com/azimzainmusic, azimzainandhislovelybones.bandcamp.com

Aria Stone sax/flute/lute/ harmonica, singer-songwriter Aria 0411803343 Australian Songwriters Association Keiran (02) 62310433 Back to the Eighties Ty Emerson 0418 544 014 Backbeat Drivers Steve 0422733974 backbeatdrivers.com Birds Love Fighting Gangbusters/DIY shows-bookings@ birdslovefighting.com Black Label Photography Kingsley 0438351007 blacklabelphotography.net Bridge Between, The Cam 0431550005 Chris Harland Blues Band, The Chris 0418 490 649 chrisharlandbluesband @gmail.com Cole Bennetts Photography 0415982662 Danny V Danny 0413502428 Dawn Theory Nathan 0402845132 Danny 0413502428 Dorothy Jane Band, The Dorothy Jane 0411065189 dorothy-jane@dorothyjane.com Drumassault Dan 0406 375 997 Feldons, The 0407 213 701 Fire on the Hill Aaron 0410381306 Lachlan 0400038388 Fourth Degree Vic 0408477020 Gareth Dailey DJ/Electronica Gareth 0414215885 Groovalicious Corporate/ weddings/private functions 0448995158 Guy The Sound Guy Live & Studio Sound Engineer 0400585369 guy@guythesoundguy.com

Los Chavos Latin/ska/reggae Rafa 0406647296 Andy 0401572150 Merloc - Recording Studio, Watson. Sam King: 0430484363. sam@ merlocrecords.com Missing Zero Hadrian 0424721907 hadrian.brand@live.com.au Morning After, The Covers band Anthony 0402500843 Mornings Jordan 0439907853 Obsessions 0450 960 750 obsessions@grapevine.com.au Painted Hearts, The Peter (02) 62486027 Polka Pigs Ian (02) 62315974 Rafe Morris 0416322763 Redletter Ben 0421414472 Redsun Rehearsal Studio Ralph 0404178996/ (02) 61621527 Rug, The Jol 0417273041 Sewer Sideshow Huck 0419630721 Simone & The Soothsayers Singing teacher Simone 62304828 Sorgonian Twins, The Mark 0428650549 Soundcity Rehearsal Studio Andrew 0401588884 STonKA Jamie 0422764482 stonka2615@gmail.com Strange Hour Events Dan 0411112075 Super Best Friends Greg greg@gunfever.com.au System Addict Jamie 0418398556

Haunted Attics band@hauntedatticsmusic.com

Tegan Northwood (Singing Teacher) 0410 769 144

In The Flesh Scott 0410475703

Top Shelf Colin 0408631514

Itchy Triggers Alex 0414838480

Undersided, The Baz 0408468041

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

Johnny Roadkill Paulie 0408287672 paulie_mcmillan@live.com.au

Zoopagoo zoopagoo@gmail.com

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LIVING GREEN FESTIVAL

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BULLET TRAIN FOR AUSTRALIA PARTY

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