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WHAT IS HERITAGE?

B ALLARAT HE RITAGE WE E KEND 25 -26 MAY 2019

ba lla rath eri ta geweeken d.co m

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For Good Beer Week we’re bringing together all the local beer lovers AND creators from Greater Geelong, Bellarine, The Surf Coast, Great Ocean Road and beyond to partake in the West Side Beer Markets.

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The Know Feature Story The Loop Local Feature

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C U LT U R E

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Booze Feature

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News

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Food

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Creatives

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Reviews

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Columns

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The Guide

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Winter has been a long time coming. Not only regarding the actual coming of winter but in the arrival of the final season of Game of Thrones which the whole country has gone mad about.

With HBO skipping a year in order to make Season 8 of Game of Thrones more epic than ever before seen, fans are finally going to find out the ultimate fate of Jon Snow, Daenerys Targaryen and the rest of the Westerosi… or so I’m told. I’m a little late to the Game of Thrones party and am currently holed up on the couch watching episode four of season one with my just-as-behind housemate. To be honest, I don’t rate it, but what I do like about the series is its ability to bring people together. It’s become a global phenomenon with a legion of devoted fans – from your group of besties, your boyfriend and your sister, to Susan from the milk bar down the road and even your accountant Hector. I’m not into it, but I like listening to people discuss, dismiss and debate it. Side note, I feel as if 10 people just died on-screen while I was typing this… that’s normal though yeah?

This issue we have an unfamiliar face on our cover. Meet Chloe St Claire, one of three local musical acts as part of Connecting Song, the Geelong-based program lending that muchneeded helping hand and give local deserving artists a little boost. It’s an awesome project and definitely one we can get behind so have a squiz and be sure to get down to Geelong After Dark to support these young emerging musos.

Further in this issue, we chat to Geelong’s beloved hard-worn bluesman Tim Hulsman, Sydney-siders I Know Leopard, resurfacing jack of all trades Laura Imbruglia, Brisbane’s melancholic-pop masters Ball Park Music, Melbourne-based crime writer Joshua Pomare, and even Australian comedy legend Steve Hughes, plus a nifty little booze guide for you that enjoy a drink, or two!

PH: 03 5229 7969 2/105 Skene St, VIC 3220 enquiries@fortemag.com.au

Publisher Furst Media Pty. Ltd.

FREEBIES Dig out your sequins, put on your glad rags and slip into your dancing shoes. It’s time to head back to the Golden Age of Hollywood. Following the huge success of their 2017 debut Australian tour, Puttin’ On the Ritz is heading to Geelong on June 7 for an all-singing, all-dancing celebration of some of the most iconic music of all time… and we have a double pass to giveaway.

TO ENTER:

Editor Talia Rinaldo

talia@fortemag.com.au

Advertising Josh Dowling

josh@fortemag.com.au

General Manager Glenn Lynch

glenn@fortemag.com.au

Email your name, number and code word ‘RITZ’ to talia@fortemag.com.au

Art Director Nathan Mossop

artwork@fortemag.com.au

Interns Chloe Cicero, Liam McNally, Kayla Macleod, Jordyn Workman, Naseem Radmehr.

FORTÉGRAM Tag us @Forte_mag or #Fortemag to be featured!

Talia and the Forté team xx

@geelongafterdark

Catch Chloe St Claire, Jack Meredith and Alby Jay live at Geelong After Dark from 7pm at The Workers Club.

@thebohosuitcase

@caylie_may

Contributors Anthony Morris, Alastair McGibbon, Chris Lambie, Dr John Lamp, Natalie Rogers, Paul S Taylor, Tammy Walters, Wylie Caird.

Advertisers and agents are advised that all advertising copy is their responsibility under the trade practices act.

Advertisements are published in good faith and on the understanding that the content is legitimate and lawful. Advertisers and or agents submit advertisements at their own risk. The editor and creators hold no responsibility whatsoever for the content of the magazine in the case that it may offend. Forté accepts no responsibility for errors or omissions. Forté reserves the right to edit all articles and letters.

Friday 3 May 6pm – 10pm

ONE NIGHT ONLY

Connecting Song film clips from Chloe St Claire, Jack Meredith and Alby Jay will be premiering at Geelong After Dark, Lt Malop Street Mall.

www.geelongafterdark.com.au 8

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queen forever 18+ saturday May 11th

$44.90 inc. booking fee

WITH SPECIAL GUESTS tix available via oztix.com.au

BooK your functions and Birthday parties With us!

1300 762 545 ALL ozTIx oUTLETS woolexchange.oztix.com.au/

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ARNOTT’S IS LAUNCHING MINT SLICE AND ICED VOVO MILK

THERE’S A STAR WARS NEON RUN COMING TO MELBOURNE

Taking dunking to a whole new level, Dairy Farmers and Arnott’s have joined forces to create a limited-edition series of “bikkie”-inspired flavoured milks. The imaginative collaboration is a fresh take on Australia’s most iconic biscuits, Iced VoVo and Mint Slice (arguably one of the greatest biscuits on the supermarket shelf), and sees the milk infused with the nostalgic flavours of the biscuits, with peppermint oil in the Mint Slice, and raspberry jam in the Iced VoVo. Both products will launch nationwide in Independent Grocery and Convenience stores this April, with Coles and Woolworths supermarkets stocking the range from May 20. Sooo Tim Tam milk, anyone?

As part of 2019’s ‘May the Fourth’ celebrations, Melbourne will welcome the first-ever Aussie Star Wars Neon Run next month. And yes, it’s taking place on the appropriate date of Saturday, May 4, 2019, aka Star Wars day. The world-class, interactive experience will see participants enjoy a five-kilometre night-time run in Yarra Park with five Star Wars-inspired installations and zones, where you’ll need to hide from storm troopers, party with droids and avoid the temptation of the Dark Side. Better yet, feel the force awaken at the after-party featuring Mashd n Kutcher, interactive activation areas and merchandise.

In true ‘May the Fourth’ style, participants are encouraged to dress up as their favourite Star Wars characters. Visit www.neonrun.com.au/

IMMIGRATION MUSEUM EXPLORES TATTOO AND IDENTITY

THE DROP BEARS RELEASE SINGLE FOR CHRISTCHURCH VICTIMS

What stories do our bodies tell? That is the question Immigration Museum will be inviting visitors to explore when it opens the doors to its winter 2019 season Our Bodies, Our Voices, Our Marks. The suite of exhibitions and experiences includes two photography exhibits that look at the intersection of ancient and modern tattoo practices and a series of contemporary installations curated by Stanislava Pinchuk (Miso). Perseverance: Japanese Tattoo Tradition in a Modern World explores the artistry and rich tradition of Japanese tattoos and their influence on modern tattoo culture in Japan, while Tatau: Marks of Polynesia looks at a 2,000-year-old art form that remains a cornerstone of Samoan culture throughout its global diaspora. The exhibition will run from 24 May – 6 October at Melbourne’s Immigration Museum. Photo: Kip Fulbeck

Melbourne’s punk rock band The Drop Bears are proud to present a new single, with all proceeds being donated towards the victims and families of the Christchurch mosque massacre. The single is a modern punk version of John Farnham’s ‘You’re the Voice’ - which still has a very relevant message for us today.

With all the commotion following the shootings, including the Eggboy incident and the debate about Fraser Anning’s censure motion in Parliament, The Drop Bears felt as though the focus had sadly been shifted away from the real victims of the tragedy. The band has also endured their own hardship, with bassist, John Healy, passing away from brain cancer just 18 months earlier. “No amount of money will bring back their loved ones” the band said, “but we do hope to lessen their burden in some way.”

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ANNA CALVI ANNOUNCES AUSTRALIAN TOUR

EZEKIEL OX DROPS NEW SOLO EP & 2019 NATIONAL TOUR DATES

Globally adored for her commanding voice, virtuosic guitar work and uncompromising bravery, English singer-songwriter Anna Calvi will be showcasing her latest masterpiece Hunter for Australian audiences this June as she pairs a performance at Tasmania’s beguiling Dark Mofo festival along with intimate shows in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane. Exploring freedom, identity, and gender with an approach that has become uniquely her own, Hunter arrived in mid-2018 to rapturous critical acclaim. Pitchfork fawned over it’s “remarkable evolution” which “pushes her artistry to another level” while the Guardian could only sit back and pronounce it as “glorious and triumphant”. You won’t want to miss this. Corner Hotel, Melbourne – June 18.

Aussie rock icon and Mammal and Superheist frontman Ezekiel Ox has somehow found time to record and release a brand new solo EP, and plan to take it on the road. Dubbed Cheering Bombs From Deckchairs, this is only the second EP release under Ox’s solo banner, but the 23rd studio release the singer has appeared on over a lasting career as one of the most captivating frontmen in rock n roll. And what better way to celebrate, than with a fistful of national tour dates that will see him hit regional and metro stages in Belgrave, Hobart, Sydney, Woollongong, Byron Bay, Brisbane, Darwin, Melbourne and Adelaide across May and June.

Catch him on Saturday, June 15 at Northcote Social Club, Melbourne.

PBS ANNOUNCE 2019 RADIO FESTIVAL

EXPAND YOUR LITERARY HORIZONS WITH MAYHEM

Beloved Melbourne community radio champions PBS have announced their biggest membership drive of 2019 with the PBS Radio Festival 2019, as they hunt for new subscribers to wave their hands and help contribute to the longevity of the community radio station. Running from Monday, May 13 to Sunday, May 26, the PBS Radio Festival for 2019 offers potential first-time subscribers and longtime supporters to chip in for the potential to win a bunch of prizes (like a Primavera 125 i-GET Vespa, an electric guitar, and a luxury Golden Plains ticket package). All new and renewing members will also receive an exclusive Sounds of Studio 5 live recording featuring performances from REMI., Mojo Juju, and The Teskey Brothers. If you’re a dedicated supporter of all kinds of independent music in Melbourne, you’d be bonkers to sleep on this one. For all the details, head to www.pbsfm. org.au

The Wheeler Centre has announced its lineup for this year’s Mayhem series - a series of events combining themes from unusual realms, such as military fiction and hip hop or fiction and hard-hitting journalism. Featured on the Mayhem bill is young adult author Dhonielle Clayton, who will be discussing the art of inclusion, New York Times bestseller Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah who will be discussing the next steps following his first release and British hip hop artist and writer Akala to discuss his debut book, Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire, plus heaps more. The Wheeler Centre’s Mayhem series runs between Tuesday, April 23 and Tuesday, May 14. Tickets are available via The Wheeler Centre’s website.

“THE YOUNG GROUP OF PERFORMERS ARE DISMISSING MYTHS AND CRUSHING STEREOTYPES LEFT, RIGHT AND CENTRE.” THE BRAG

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CONNECTING SONG THE PROJECT CONNECTING GEELONG MUSICIANS TO THEIR TOWN AND MUSIC ICONS

IT’S CLEAR THE AUSSIE MUSIC SCENE IS FILLED TO THE BRIM WITH AMAZING TALENT, ESPECIALLY WITH MELBOURNE HAVING BEEN DUBBED THE LIVE MUSIC CAPITAL OF THE WORLD, BUT IT’S NO SECRET THAT IT’S A DIFFICULT INDUSTRY TO CRACK. One of the most common pieces of advice that musicians receive about advancing their career is the advice to find a good mentor – someone you look up to who can guide you along the path of building a successful music career.

While this sounds great in theory, finding someone who’s actually willing to invest in you over a long period of time can be a real challenge, especially if you’re not that well-connected in the music industry to begin with.

Introducing Connecting Song, the Geelong-based program lending that much-needed helping hand and giving local deserving artists a little boost to their music career.

The program (an initiative of the City of Greater Geelong, as part of the Mountain to Mouth Contemporary Songline project), begun in 2016 with Adalita Srsen from Magic Dirt, Mark Wilson from Jet, and Tim Neal from Paul Williamson Hammond Combo mentoring the youth of Geelong and surrounding areas with a focus on developing unsigned musicians.

Now a bi-annual event, the project sees three industry professionals choose a singular act from the vast selection of competition entries, who they would then work to mentor throughout the course of the Connecting Song project to write, record and create a film clip that has Geelong as the central theme, which will then be shown at the Geelong After Dark festival in May. This year, the program sees the return of Adalita and Mark Wilson, along with Mick Thomas from Weddings Parties Anything headed home to Geelong to work with the next generation of Geelong musicians.

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“I just love being able to contribute to my home town self-expression and creativity, leading her to become community, a way to give back and I’m so proud to transfixed with music, jumping from one instrument to be Geelong born and bred,” Adalita explains of her another until she fell in love with the guitar. involvement once again. “I love this town! It holds so “As young solo artist, I’ve always really wanted to learn many great memories and it was absolutely integral from others and develop my musicality,” Chloe explains to my becoming a musician. Without Geelong, I never of becoming involved in the Connecting Song project. would be where I am today. And the Connecting Song “I’m always keen to improve my skills as a songwriter, project is so exciting to be a part of, I learn so much and I thought programs like Connecting Song would from the mentees and the program itself. Meeting offer such a great opportunity to support this. I was so all these wonderful songwriters and also the council stoked when I heard that Adalita had selected me to members and industry professionals who are part of work with her for this years’ program.” this big team that puts this program altogether.”

Taking on the role of both a guide and an adviser, Following an excruciating selection process earlier Adalita and her fellow mentors have spent the past few this year, Adalita decided on her chosen mentee in solo months assisting their mentees with every step of the musician Chloe St Claire, while Mick Thomas set his process, from the initial songwriting part right up until sights on Jack Meredith, and Mark Wilson buddied up the final screening of the music video accompanying with band emerging indie rock outfit Alby Jay (made up the track. of Jeb Costin, Jarred Paggels, Tommy Doggett Williams “Working with Adalita has truly been invaluable as and Callum Marriott). she has taught me so much throughout the Connecting “I just loved Chloe’s songs as soon as I heard them. Song program,” Chloe continues. “She has given me She has a strong songwriting sensibility, impressive in some great advice about songwriting, taught me so someone so young. She has a beautiful, unique voice, much about the Aussie music industry and given me and I really felt like her music could benefit from going great insight into her experience as an Australian artist.” through that big studio production process,” Adalita Having begun her career in one of the most successful says of her mentee. indie rock bands to come out of Geelong during the “Chloe is a hard worker. From the get-go, she was ’90s, Adalita credits Geelong in particular for being straight into the process and really pushed herself at the center of providing opportunities for career to get the best out of her song for this project. She development to the average emerging artist in an really cares about her work and has amazing focus. I industry flooded with established artists. think Chloe also has the potential to be a really great “I think it’s awesome,” Adalita says of Geelong. music producer, which is something that I think was “There’s no time like the present to really give a go! I’ve really starting to come out during the Connecting Song always thought Geelong was such a great environment process.” for creativity. There’s something about our town, so Chloe Adele Perrett, assuming the stage name Chloe many different areas, geologically and atmospherically, St Claire, has a rich history steeped in music, making that it really inspires, and Melbourne, being so close, her the perfect match for Adalita. With a musician as provides so many opportunities to explore your creative a father and an artist as a mother, Chloe was immersed path.” in an environment that placed a lot of importance on “I think young emerging artists like myself should Forté 713

really take advantage of local programs like Connecting Song which promote artistic development and growth,” Chloe adds. “You can meet some fantastic people with really interesting perspectives on music and I think it really helps you grow as an indie musician. I would love to see more opportunities like Connecting Song for the Geelong community because they are just so rewarding for everyone involved.”

Becoming involved in the Connecting Song project is proving to be the ultimate kick-start for Chloe’s career, with plans to release a new single as early as June this year, along with a second EP and even a regional tour of Victoria.

“I honestly think it’s impossible to choose the best part of the experience,” Chloe beams. “Working one on one with a music legend, learning the ins and outs of how music studios operate, making friends and connections with other creative minds have all been so valuable. I would definitely recommend Connecting Song to any emerging singer-songwriters out there.

It will really give you the opportunity to develop as an artist.”

THE GEELONG INSPIRED CLIPS WILL PREMIERE AT GEELONG AFTER DARK, FRIDAY 3 MAY 2019, WITH EACH MENTEE PERFORMING SETS AT THE WORKER’S CLUB IN CELEBRATION OF THE PROCESS. FOR MORE DETAILS HEAD TO WWW. GEELONGAFTERDARK.COM.AU PHOTO BY REG RYAN

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B A L L A R AT BELLARINE

BENDIGO CASTLEMAINE

GEELONG & SURF COAST WA R R N A M BOO L

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PARTY MACHINE BOO SEEKA IS COMING TO YOU

HERE COMES KURT VILE

As if there weren’t enough reasons to visit Torquay already, Boo Seeka is giving us the most important one of all: the pair of beat makers are embarking on another tour to celebrate the release of their smashing single ‘Millennium Drive’ - which is apparently the most galvanising single by the duo. Surpassing 50 million streams, Boo Seeka has flown to sensational heights after their inception just four years ago. They’ll be travelling with their friend and party animal TUKA – this combo promising an insane night. Lock in the date: 6 July at Torquay Hotel so you don’t miss out on their winter spin that will be nothing but thrills. Tickets via booseeka.com

News of BAM getting cancelled was a bummer to say the least, but one of its would-be performers, Kurt Vile, is still getting to work around Australia.

A Castlemaine show was added to his run, which he takes in at Theatre Royal tomorrow night, April 26. Aided by his band the Violators, the singersongwriter has a bunch of material to work through, including his latest album, 2018’s Bottle It In. He will be supported by Lost Animal and Julia Shapiro.

ABLAZE WALK A LONG ROAD

NATHAN CAVALERI BATTLES HIS DEMONS Those of a certain vintage may recall Hey Hey it’s Saturday when the name Nathan Cavaleri is mentioned. Life keeps moving and can have a way of dishing out some hits, but now in the back-half of his thirties the singer-songwriter and guitarist keeps pressing ahead. Keep an eye out for his Demons EP. You can also check him out at Geelong’s Workers Club on May 17, where he will be joined by Shaun Kirk. Shaun’s latest track is ‘Save My Soul’.

JOSHUA SEYMOUR & TERESA DIXON A special one-off performance featuring Joshua Seymour (Cherrywood), Teresa Dixon (the Stragglers) and Kat Mear (Cash Savage & the Last Drinks) will take place at The Bridge, Castlemaine on May 5. The Sunday afternoon show of old-time alt-country folk will feature a mix of Seymour and Dixon’s original material under the moniker Hill Billie Holiday, with Kat Mear providing violin.

Following a couple of EPs, a DVD and enough road stories to write a book, hard rockers Ablaze released their debut album No Chaser last year. What has been going on this year? Well, late last month the band supported John Corabi on his Mötley ’94 tour.

They have also released a video for No Chaser track ‘Long Way Home’. Catch them while they’re hot at The Loft, Warrnambool on May 11. SheWolf supports.

GROOVIN THE MOO If you want some important details about Groovin the Moo, you have come to a somewhat questionable place.

Still, gates open at 10:30am, with the first band hitting the stage at around 11am. The last band will finish up around 10:30pm. There are no passouts, so come prepared. Feel free to bring some food, but no eskies are allowed. ATMs are on-site. As usual, make sure you have some ID if you are going to partake in a drink.

ALANNA & ALICIA EGAN Alanna and Alicia Egan will host and perform at Bendigo’s Old Church on the Hill on April 28. The identical twin sisters blend folk, jazz and roots to create their acoustic tunes.

Both have been finalists in the Australian Songwriting Awards, while Alicia has previously won Best New Talent at Port Fairy Folk Festival. Their most recent album is Songs I’m Singing with Me. They will be joined by William Alexander.

WHAT WOULD DIRTY RASCAL DO? Andrew McSweeney, Jerry Speiser, John Fleming and Andy Dixon are four guys with four million stories.

From Jerry co-founding Men at Work, to John’s two decade run with Scared Weird Little Guys, there has been a lot of action in their lives. Just imagine them all together. Named Dirty Rascal, their debut album is You be the King. Their new single is ‘What Would Love Do’. The Vine, Bendigo – May 11.

DARKCELL INTRODUCE DARKCELL MAYA ROSE WILL BE SEEING YOU Castlemaine is home to Maya Rose, a singersongwriter who is sure to become a familiar name outside her stomping ground. In 2017 she won the local BotB heat and was runner-up in FReeZA Push Start: Northern Country Regional, but the best is yet to come with her forthcoming EP. Her debut single is ‘See You Again’. The Taproom, Castlemaine – May 11; The Palais, Hepburn Springs – May 18 (with Sol Nation); and The Vine, Bendigo – May 24.

NOT 4 KIDS FESTIVAL Do you remember when you were a kid, thinking that when you grew up you wanted to be a dinosaur? Dress up as your favourite childhood memory and head to The Loft, Warrnambool on May 18 for Not 4 Kids. You have Nancie Schipper singing some Disney channel classics.

You have Snakes Don’t Need Keys covering some ABC kids’ classics. There are prizes to be won. There are faces to be painted. Have you ever, ever felt like this?

Who turned out the lights?

The new self-titled release from Brisbane-bred Darkcell (formerly stylised as Darkc3ll) is now available for your unwashed hands, featuring Tim Sköld (Marilyn Manson/ KMFDM), Lindsay Schoolcraft (Cradle of Filth), KidCrusher and Johnathan Devoy. No doubt adding to the delight of fans is an accompanying tour. UK and Euro dates follow, so here’s to a big year for the band. The Loft, Warrnambool – May 3.

YOU CAN LEAN ON THE CHERRY DOLLS Never ones to shy away from cranking up the volume, The Cherry Dolls are heading out and about in support of single ‘Around and Around’. From the band: “Around and Around is a song about dealing with alcoholism and feeling like every day is morphing together so you cling onto your friends to help you out.” Barwon Club, Geelong – May 18. They will be supported by Destrends and The Crookeds.

LASH78 LAUNCH THEIR DEBUT

Thursday 25 Andy Forster

Thursday 2 Andy Forster

Friday 26 Jeff Jordan

Friday 3 Ryan Bell

Saturday 27 Saturday 4 Dave Anderson Luke Biscan Wednesday Open Mic Karaoke Luke Biscan

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Wednesday 8 Open Mic Karaoke Luke Biscan

Thursday 9 Andy Forster

Go back ten years or so, and Lauren and Sheridan Harvey were just starting to get a feel of the entertainment industry.

Lauren joined the cast of Billy Elliot the Musical, while Sheridan was invited by Stephen K Amos to perform as part of his Melbourne International Comedy Festival duties. As can happen, this led to that and now as Lash78 they are launching their debut EP at Geelong’s Barwon Club on May 11.

PART OF THE RHYTHM SOL NATION We know that many bands and artists have many influences, but the fun-lovin’ Sol Nation needs to take a deep breath before giving their answer.

You will find reggae, East Timorese folk, Cuban salsa, Afro beats, Brazilian samba, Latin dance and funk in their uplifting, high-energy and infectious rhythms. The Palais, Hepburn Springs – May 18.

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S TA M P O U T A N D A B O U T

THE SETTLEMENT TAKES A DEEP BREATH A bunch of crew members and extras braved the heart of winter to film the clip for ‘Take it Slow’, a little gem from alternative folk rockers The Settlement. From the band: “It’s based on [how] you are your own worst enemy, sometimes you over-think things. You complicate life and believe that life is worse than what they really are so you just have to face yourself sometimes, and just ‘take it slow’.” Seanchai Irish Pub, Warrnambool – May 17.

FOUR LIONS WORK HARD AND PLAY HARD A hard day’s work deserves a night out with an Americana/classic rock outfit. Bendigo’s Four Lions is only a few days away from releasing their fourth album, Hard Days. Further good news is the band is touring, and better still is they have a few shows in Forte country. The Palais, Hepburn Springs – May 17; Major Tom’s, Kyneton – May 25; The Vine, Bendigo – June 1; and The Taproom, Castlemaine – June 2.

A PERFECT 10 FOR SCALPHUNTER Did you know that Scalphunter have been a band for ten years? That is ten years of making people sweaty with their punk and thrashy rock and roll. Are you excited? They are excited. Quite excited, I am sure they wouldn’t mind telling you. A tour is how they will be celebrating, with a show locked and loaded for Geelong’s Worker’s Club on May 24. Joining them will be Doctor Colossus, Cosmic Kahuna and Jelly Mammoth.

S TA M P S Y I S T H E M U S I C D I R E C T O R A N D D R I V E A N N O U N C E R AT K R O C K I N G E E L O N G

WOMAN OF NO STEEL I’ve had a left knee reconstruction and a left ankle reconstruction. I’ve been allergic to egg my entire life. Then there’s my back catalogue of greatest hits. Severe asthmatic. Childhood seizures. Severed thumb. Uterus cysts. I mean, how am I still single?

I’m a total catch… a patched up, stitched up and vitamin boosted catch!

Despite the shopping list of ailments and a few close life and death calls, I’ve never played the victim.

It’s… “character building”? Sure. It’s certainly made life interesting. Financially poor, but interesting.

I can laugh about it now. The four months in a moon boot… yeah, not so funny. My Dad would say “just tough it out”. I did teach myself to move forward and deal with the problem straight up. Dwelling on the situation only prolongs the issue. Oh, and ALWAYS have health insurance.

So now I have a new edition to Stampys’ greatest hits. Drumroll please… ANEMIA!

taking care of my whole self. So, I listened to my body and sought help.

Doctor (blood tests in hand): “how are you still standing, your numbers are low?”

Me: “caffeine and stubbornness” *sips latte* After the doctor confirmed the iron deficiency, and I cracked a couple of lame Flo Rida Low jokes, I was straight onto the supplements. But I don’t just believe in band-aid fixes. I’m now seeing a councillor to manage my stress and the anxiety and I’m seeing Maree at Nourishing Life to manage my nutrition.

It also seems irregular and interrupted sleep was hindering my recovery and triggering other health issues so I was straight on the magnesium too.

This was not meant to be preachy, and I certainly don’t have all the answers to everyone’s problems.

I’m not Dr Google*. What I do know is that after years of being in and out of hospital and years of living with the only body I will ever have; I must give it the respect it deserves. Seriously, your body is intuitive and smart and you should listen to it more.

I know I have a direct line to mine now.

What a little bastard.

It seems after my stint in hospital last year with influenza A (oh yeah that too. Just add it to the total bill), my body was tapped! I eat well, but not enough of the right stuff it seems. So, my body started giving me a big F U. I was severely fatigued, I was dizzy during fit camp, (men, cover your eyes) and I was suffering irregular and painful periods.

This was a serious wake-up call. I was lacking productivity, energy, and inspiration and it was costing me on the regular. I thought salads and exercise would support my busy lifestyle and keep me “healthy”. Ummm, that’s a HARD NO. I wasn’t

Also, doctors don’t appreciate naughties hip hop music references. Or apple bottom jeans. Or boots with the fuuuurrrrrrrrrrrr. *Dr. Google is not a real doctor. If it was, we would ALL have cancer when really, you’re just constipated. Please see someone who studied at a REAL university.

TIL NEXT TIME, STAMPSY XX (YOU CAN HEAR STAMPSY ON K ROCK 95.5 & FIND HER ON THE ‘GRAM @LEE_STAMPS, FB @STAMPSYKROCK)

WHAT’S ON AT PISTOL PETES RAISED BY EAGLES Their entrance onto Melbourne’s musical landscape in July 2013 immediately garnered the attention of Americana music aficionados across the country, and their debut release scored the band a nomination at the Age Music Victoria Awards that year for ‘Best Country Album’. Since then, continually raw and captivating performances have cemented Raised By Eagles’ reputation as one of Melbourne’s most sought after independent acts, now with three albums behind them. A band of integrity and a generosity of spirit, Raised By Eagles remains unaffected by the smoke and mirrors of music in the post-modern era, and encapsulates the art of storytelling at it’s heartfelt finest… See them at Pistol Pete’s on Thursday May 23.

CAT CANTERI AND JUSTIN BERNASCONI Melbourne roots artists Cat Canteri and Justin Bernasconi are the singers from acclaimed Alt Country band The Stillsons. They will both be performing a selection of solo acoustic tunes from their huge repertoire of songs.

Showcasing her stunning voice and cutting edge songwriting, Cat’s latest solo release Inner North was nominated for best folk album in The Age Music Victoria Awards in 2018. Justin is a guitarist who’s playing has been lauded on both sides of the globe – on launching his last album Barefoot Wonderland in London, leading UK magazine fRoots described him as ‘like Leo Kottke and John Fahey on the instrumentals and John Prine on the songs.’ Catch them Wednesday, May 29 from 8pm.

LACHLAN BRYAN & THE WILDES Expect a double dose of sweet and raggedy Alt Country tunes when the award winning Lachlan Bryan and The Wildes teams up with rising up and comers Ben Leece & Left Of The Dial for their ‘Friends & Acquaintances Tour’ on Thursday 30th May. With a string of awards, countless Aus/International shows and four critically acclaimed albums under their belts, including 2018’s pearler Some Girls (Quite) Like Country Music, there’s no stopping Lachlan Bryan & The Wildes. Newcastle based Americana singer-songwriter Ben Leece has been making his mark since the release of his highly praised debut album, No Wonder The World is Exhausted (produced by Shane Nicholson). His rich resonant voice and emotive songwriting will have you all swooning. Don’t miss this.

A GOOD, HARD KISS With Kiss set to invade Australia later in the year as part of their farewell tour, a bunch of Kiss-devoted musos are paying tribute to the band’s 1979 album, Dynasty. It’s hard to believe it’s been 40 years since this album took Kiss from being a tough rock’n’roll band to fully blown pop stars.

Next month, Dynasty’s 40th anniversary will be celebrated in Geelong by an all-star band consisting of Ash Naylor (Even, Rockwiz orchestra), Dave Bowers (Nubiles, Stone Cold Boners, Eugene Hamilton), Tommy Boyce (Casanovas), Marc Welsh (Have a Nice Day, Welshman) and Brett Wolfenden (Todd Rundgren, Davey Lane).

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Like thousands of kids across the suburbs and towns of Australia in the 1970s, these fools took up music because of Gene, Paul, Ace and Peter. But it was also the larger-than-life posturing, pouting, strut and attitude that gave Kiss their allure.

The power that Kiss had over kids back then is summed up in this memory from Bowers. “I remember, summer 1975, riding my bike over to a mate’s flat with some other kids so we could LOOK at the cover of Kiss Alive… just LOOKING was exciting enough.”

This one-off supergroup has KISS in its DNA and will play the entire album plus a set of hand-picked KISS songs with some tasty, obscure treats mixed in.

They’ve got the Magic Touch…

WHEN & WHERE: THE BARWON CLUB, GEELONG – MAY 10.

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POLISH CLUB DON’T GIVE A CRAP Heigh- ho, Polish Club is on the go.

The Sydney duo has announced a tour in support of their upcoming album Iguana (June 7), with new single ‘We Don’t Care’ to help you along until it arrives. Drummer John-Henry Pajak: “Having been in this band for five years, I think there’s less time for us to faff about. That’s why we put heaps of pressure on evolving the sound.”

Barwon Club, Geelong – June 29 & Karova Lounge, Ballarat – June 30.

THE VIOLENT OUTBURST THAT DREW ME TO YOU

Shakespeare’s Hamlet turned on its head

The seemingly non-stop battle of teenage-hood is on display in The Violent Outburst That Drew Me to You. Written by Tasmanian playwright Finegan Kruckemeyer, the play centres on sixteen-year-old Connor, who is dumped in the forest for a week by his parents when his anger take its toll. Ulumbarra Theatre, Bendigo – May 24; Potato Shed, Drysdale – May 28; and Lighthouse Theatre, Warrnambool – May 30.

A brave and exciting retelling of Shakespeare’s Hamlet from a female perspective, Enter Ophelia, comes to Geelong Performing Arts Centre for two performances from May 8-9.

Geelong-based Essential Theatre together with Melbourne’s Three Birds Theatre, the indie theatrical hit brings to life the world of Hamlet in this re-imagined dark comedy.

HAVE WE GOT MORE FOR YOU!

Enter Ophelia is a female-driven gothic black comedy that re-imagines the world of Hamlet, but this Ophelia is no longer the strange girl who had a

Bound by Hound – Workers Club, Geelong on April 27; The Resignators – Workers Club, Geelong on April 28; Callum Watson – Black Hatt, Geelong on April 28; Rory McLeod – The Taproom, Castlemaine on April 28; Tijuana Cartel – Karova Lounge, Ballarat on May 3; Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever – Theatre Royal, Castlemaine on May 3; and Grampians Grape Escape – May 4-5.

Photo: Pooneh Ghana

TEN YEARS ON FOR DANIEL CHAMPAGNE

MARCIA HOWARD AND A MUSIC LIFE WELL LIVED

As winter enters its darkest weeks, Queenscliff will be bringing back Low Light Festival, along with the finest international and local arts, music and culinary talents in a month-long celebration of all the senses. Across the month, the town’s public spaces, galleries, cafes, bars and restaurants will play host to a dazzling array of art exhibitions, film premieres and screenings, spoken word and literary readings and music performances.

See gothic architectural grandeur on a weekly heritage walk, hear the roar of the crowd as Dan Sultan, Clare Bowditch and Archie Roach perform in the QMF Concert Series, smell the smoke as sculptures simultaneously burn up the night sky for Winter Solstice, taste the seafood buffet brunch and results of a warming whiskey workshop, and touch the paper and ink of a Queenscliffe Literary Festival session – plus so much more. Friday 3rd May – Sunday 30th June 2019

FOR BOOKINGS AND INFORMATION GO TO WWW.GPAC.ORG.AU OR PHONE THE BOX OFFICE ON 5225 1200.

Come behind the music with Marcia Howard, as the journeyed singer-songwriter shares with fans the ups and downs and ins and outs of her life. Born in the rural town of Dennington, Marcia’s musical life is arguably most noted for her long-time role in Goanna, although she has also performed and recorded songs in Nashville and Dublin as part of the A Woman’s Heart compilation and released solo albums, while her work as a teacher of music and performing arts is closest to her heart these days. House of Song, written by Marcia along with Sherri McIver and Ian Roberts, is a part concert, part sing-along multi-media soundscape and narration that invites the audience back to where it all began. The music and family connection continues, with her son, Liam Gubbins, providing bass. Matiss Schubert is on fiddle. The Door Gallery, Fyansford – May 4. She also has a private house concert on April 27. Keep an eye on further dates through marciahoward.com.au.

The musical history of Warrnambool classic rockfuelled outfit The SleeveHearts is a lengthy one.

Members Charles Leslie Box and Tony Peel played in the bands The Feelers, Breathing In Breathing Out and Liberty Theatre during the 1970s and ’80s, while Marty Lemmens was a member of the Mud Cats. They have a new single in ‘Action’. The Loft, Warrnambool – April 27.

They’ll be joined by Doctor & the Apologies.

LISA MILLER’S BENDIGO DOUBLE Singer-songwriter Lisa Miller released her debut album, Quiet Girl with a Credit Card, more than twenty years ago. She has now released seven albums. Before her musical days, Miller was a secondary school teacher. It was in her teaching days where she took her first steps in the Hepeleptics, and later performed in The Whole Shebang and The Trailblazers. Trades Hall, Bendigo – April 27 & Hotel Shamrock, Bendigo – April 28.

GEELONG AFTER DARK Heighten your senses, folks. Street performances, installations, music, exhibitions and projections will once again fill the laneways, parks, venues, streets and hidden spaces of Geelong on May 3, as the people come out to play at Geelong After Dark. The best thing you can do for yourself right now is make a nice cup of tea and have a look at geelongafterdark.com.au to see what is coming your way.

EARTH SONGS

The Loft, Warrnambool has done what they do best and JAMES MCCANN & THE NEW sweet-talked a bunch of fine people to come together for VINDICTIVES a variety concert on May 5 for those hopeful of a stronWhat is a boy living in a small WA country town 500km ger community and environmental conservation. Artists outside of Perth to do? Load up on the sounds of The include Lee Morgan & Sweet Charity, Bruce Campbell Saints, X, Radio Birdman and the Celibate Rifles, natu- & The Plover Lovers, Russ Goodear & the Good Ideas, rally. Listening to music turned to playing music, with Stoney Rises with Owen ‘Less Is More’ Ellemor, Topaz Harpoon, Maurice Flavel’s Gutterville Splendour Six and duo and Tina & Bronson. the first incarnation of The Drones among his musical outlets. With the New Vindictives he has released Gotta Lotta Move - Boom!. The Bridge, Castlemaine – April 27.

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With direction from critically acclaimed director John Kachoyan, Enter Ophelia promises to be a punchy, dark and thrilling exploration of femininity, isolation and silliness.

THE SLEEVEHEARTS TAKE ACTION

America, Canada, Europe, Australia and New Zealand are all on the touring schedule for singer-songwriter Daniel Champagne in 2019, ten years on from when he released an EP and set out for his first run of shows.

Workers Club, Geelong – April 26; The Palais, Hepburn Springs – April 27; The Loft, Warrnambool – April 28; Ararat Hotel (Ararat Live) – May 1; and Deans Marsh Hall, Deans Marsh – May 10.

THERE’S A MONTH-LONG FESTIVAL COMING TO QUEENSCLIFF THIS WINTER

thing for flowers. In Shakespeare’s world of mad men and murdering uncles, Ophelia wanders an empty castle, clutching rotting flowers - told what to do, where to stand, what to think. No one really listens to her, no one really sees her. Ophelia must question and navigate the darkest corners and secrets of her world in order to take charge of her own fate.

Male looking for players to form a band

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B A L L A R AT B L O G

CIRCLES BRINGS A CHANGE OF WEATHER

WRITTEN BY GLEN ANDERSON

Get your winter woolies ready because Melbourne prog-rock/metal outfit Circles will be braving the chill later in the year. From the band: “We have a massive set in store, chockfull of ‘The Last One’ goodness, plus some epic delicacies from our back catalogue. You definitely do not want to miss this one!” Karova Lounge, Ballarat – August 3. Circles will be joined by local prog-punk specialists Ebonivory.

With the cooler months approaching, the fear of coming to Ballarat and freezing ya tootsies off becomes more prevalent for many musos! So, why not let some of the local acts have a crack?

Trucks are a local act who have recently recorded their first EP By The Time I Come Home. Stating their influences as Title Fight and Basement, deep lyrics and catchy tunes are the driving force behind the band’s way to connect with their audience. Fuzzy guitars, sad lyrics and punchy drums are will ring out throughout Ballarat on May 10 at Karova Lounge.

It’s a Friday night and a perfect way to launch into your weekend. Support acts are Nervous Pedestrians, Meraki Minds and Matt Murray and the Durry Busters. Should be an absolute hoot of a night and you have the whole weekend to recover!

Don’t forget to get along to Mick Thomas and The Roving Commision when they play at Cabaret Club on May 11. It’s going to be a cracker of a night and it would be wise to get there early or get ya tickets beforehand.

On June 1, Old Melbourne Road (the band) will play at Cabaret Club. This will be one of the last chances to see the lads as several members are heading overseas. There are not many bands that come from Dunnstown and play traditional Irish/

SCREAMING FEMALES RETURN

Forget your indoor voice because Screaming Females are heading back to Australia. It was back in the simpler times of 2016 when the band last toured – which was also their first visit – with the time since being productive for the New Jersey punk outfit. 2018 saw the release of their seventh album, All At Once, recorded in London Bridge Studio, home to early recordings of the giants of grunge. The Eastern, Ballarat – May 22.

folk music. The So Long For Now Tour is guaranteed craic, so get yourself and ya buddies out there to dance the night away.

The Western Hotel put on a grand afternoon on Good Friday when the carpark rocked with Skyscraper Stan headlining an all-star line-up. Proceedings kicked off around 4pm and a great afternoon was had by all. A great idea and hopefully this gig will become a yearly thing. I love this Pub. The food is amazing…and Burger, Parma(?), tradie and steak nights all happen on respective nights of the week.

Check their Facebook page for details. Music is always happening on a weekend and there are some great solo artists that get into the beer garden worth having a listen to whilst you down a coldie!

There is a great incentive happening in Ballarat at the moment with Life Is A Song, a workshop for people with mental health issues to participate in songwriting. Here is where to to register; info@ wildatheart.org.au.

Another great place to dine will soon be opening in Armstrong Street Nth. Winner Winner is a “sister” restaurant to the mighty Moon & Mountain. Deluxe fried chicken and Korean BBQ is the word on the street and of course… cold booze!

THE OBSERVATIONS OF HANNY J Having referred to her music as “necessary self-expression”, Hanny J is the kind of muso that makes it feel as though you are not alone in this world. She has toured throughout Australia and Europe and earlier this month released the EP Perceptions.

The Eastern, Ballarat – May 11. She will be joined by Mikey Erg, who has played on a bunch of albums but didn’t release his debut solo album, Tentative Decisions, until 2016.

be the third year in a row since AFL history was made in 2017 when Ballarat hosted the state’s first AFL game for premiership points outside the footy heartland of Melbourne and Geelong.

First up, the Dogs will host the Brisbane Lions in Round 8 on Saturday, May 11 at 1.45pm, and then the Crows in Round 23 (the league’s floating fixture, with a date and time yet to be announced).

BENDIGO AU GO GO

It will be the first time Brisbane and Adelaide have travelled to Ballarat for an official AFL match, with the Bulldogs having played Port Adelaide (twice) and the Gold Coast Suns in their previous three encounters at Mars Stadium. The dogs also travelled to Ballarat for the JLT Community Series against St Kilda on Sunday 10 March earlier this year.

W R I T T E N B Y LY N E T T E WA L K E R

A five-year anniversary is traditionally celebrated with gifts made of wood.

In the case of Midweek Blues, it will be commemorated with a feast of music at the Golden Vine on Friday, April 26, spanning the Bendigo band’s five-year career. From its 2014 inception as “five workmates having a laugh”, the local fivepiece has honed its hard blues formula, fusing it with diverse influences that run the gamut from heavy rock to country.

It will also mark the band’s 77th live appearance.

“Highlights of the past five years would have to be supporting Chris Jagger (brother of Rolling Stones frontman Mick) and, more recently, Diesel and Z-Star Delta,” says guitarist Paul Robins. “And we have played to fantastic crowds at the Bendigo Blues and Roots Music Festival each year.”

Material from the band’s 2017 debut Last Days Of May will feature heavily at the showcase, along with a smattering of new songs expected to see the light of the day in the coming year. “We’re currently in the process of booking studio time to record our song Blue Eyes to release as a single, featuring (fellow local singer-songwriter) Sherri Parry on guest vocals,” Robins says. “Following that, we will be focusing on finalising the songs for a second album, which we would hope to release in 2020.”

Joining Midweek Blues will be Kerr’s Cur, fresh from an 11-month hiatus and in what is rumoured to be their farewell performance, and Albury-based singer-songwriter Brent Shirley. “The presence of Kerr’s Cur always pushes us to try new things, so

expect to hear a new song, Man In The Sky, as well as the rarely heard Slave,” Robins says.

From 8.30pm; tickets $5 at the door.

Singer-guitarist Bill Barber will be bringing his distinctive blues style to Rocks on Rosalind (Rocks Underground) on Friday, April 26. From 7pm; free entry; dining packages also available at www. opentable.com.au The newly opened Entree Music Bar will host a jazz extravaganza, featuring the Melbourne-based Jazzobell Deux-The London Connection and Jungle Fusion, on Friday, April 26. From 8.30pm.

The self-described “time-travelling, ragtimeplaying rapscallions” Alawishus Jones and The Outright Lies will launch their album Little White Lies at The Old Church On The Hill on Saturday, April 27. Support from Melbourne blues duo Wilson & White. From 7pm; tickets $15 at the door.

Dorado will be singing the blues at the Golden Vine on Saturday, April 27. From 8.30pm.

Funk Junkies will turn up the funk at The Shiraz Republic, Cornella, on Sunday, April 28. Support from R+B chanteuse Erin Mannix. From 1pm; free entry.

Folk-jazz duo Alanna and Alicia, and their band, will wrap up a bumper weekend of music at The Old Church On The Hill on Sunday, April 28. Support from folkie troubadour William Alexander. From 2.30pm; tickets $15.

CONTACT: NETTEE136@GMAIL.COM

AFL RETURNS TO BALLARAT

It’s good news for Ballarat, not only for the footy fans, but for the local businesses too in terms of economic benefits. Each game played at Mars Stadium has a total estimated economic benefit of $2.2 million which is forecasted to triple throughout the four-year partnership with a minimum of two AFL games and one pre-season game to be played each year.

Cue the red, white and blue, the doggies are coming.

“We’re excited to continue our partnership with the City of Ballarat and the State Government by hosting two AFL premiership season games Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’d in Ballarat in 2019,” said Bulldogs’ CEO Ameet notice the 2019 AFL season has finally arrived, Bains. “We’ve worked closely with the AFL during and along with it an arduous six months of their fixture process to ensure our games at Mars studded boots, hip and shoulders, wild goal Stadium in 2019 are scheduled to best maximise celebrations, cold froffies, meat pies, and some the opportunity for Bulldogs fans and the Ballarat serious SuperCoach leagues. community to enjoy the spectacle.”

While it’s hard to rival showtime at the ‘G, regional football fans are in for a treat this year as the Western Bulldogs expand the Club’s community beyond the suburban fringe of Melbourne’s West to include Ballarat and Western Victoria once again.

Even if you’re not a Doggies supporter, nothing beats a day out at the footy with meat pies, hot chips and plastic cups of beer as you don the colours of either side!

Go doggies!

In partnership with the City of Ballarat, the Western Bulldogs have committed to bringing two AFL Premiership games to the region in 2019. This will

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TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE AT WESTERNBULLDOGS.COM.AU/BALLARAT

19

HEIGHTEN YOUR SENSES AT GEELONG AFTER DARK THEY SAY THE BEST OF LIFE HAPPENS WHEN forest, and Grammy-award winning musician Gotye’s THE SUN GOES DOWN, AND WITH GEELONG unique sound of a musical fence used on the track ‘Eyes AFTER DARK RETURNING FOR ANOTHER Wide Open’, which featured on Gotye’s album ‘Making NIGHT OF MYSTERY, MIRTH, AND MADNESS Mirrors’.

THIS MAY, WE COULDN’T AGREE MORE. During the performance of ‘Up Scale’, where Hulman For the unfamiliar, the streets, laneways, and will be moving the length of the instrument, the music venues of Geelong’s CBD will become a free night of will be accompanied by triggering explosions of colour discovery as ordinary spaces by day transform at night onto the mega screen behind by visual artist Nina Grant, into something exciting, unexpected, and very much in a multi-dimensional, interactive experience of light, alive with unique and surprising works and pop-up sound and substance. performances.

“I always wanted to have a visual art response to music, This will be the sixth year that the city is brought to and to have that really engaging, all-encompassing kind life when the sun sets, and with each year the event of performance where you’ve got that visual element has evolved and developed, increasing opportunities that’s really immediate. It’s big, and it’s colourful, and for more than 60 artists to showcase their craft. it’s bright, it’s got your attention,” Hulsman says.

One artist we’re particularly excited about this year is “It’s all about getting away from digital forms and Geelong’s beloved hard-worn blues man Tim Hulsman, from the shortcuts we could easily have made. We who will be showcasing a world-first audio-visual could have made this with laptops, but then you’d be extravaganza with the aim of exploring one or more of watching people sitting there on laptops,” he continues, the senses, to inspire and engage the people of Geelong. referring to the visual elements of the performance.

Dubbed ‘Up Scale’, the performance will see Hulsman “What we’re doing is going back to the old analogue improvise live music on a giant, two-three stringed ways and layering up things and seeing it happen right instrument, designed and built by industrial artist there in front of you, with human hands making it work.

Mike Patton.

We just love that element of it and the adventure of “The piece that we’re building is a five to six-meter- making it.” long slide guitar, which is bloody huge,” Hulsman It’s clear this unique installation is a very literal explains. “Of course, with this kind of scale, it’s not translation and interpretation of this year’s festival literally a guitar,” he continues. “It’s an instrument and theme, ‘Heighten Your Senses’ as you surrender to, and a sculptural artistic piece, but it actually plays music. embrace the unknown, with Patton, Grant and Hulsman We’re building all the elements of it from scratch so I’m utilising space in an unusual way. It was only after their really lucky that I’ve got Mike on board because he’s application got approved for Geelong After Dark that the guy that’s able to make anything work.” they realised this would be a world-first creation.

The concept of building a gigantic guitar originally “We’re completely on our own here,” he says. “There’s came from the question of how to make music be seen, been big guitars built before, but not an electric slide inspired by a combination of Tim Winton’s novel ‘Dirt guitar, instrument of this type.

Music’ which describes an improvised instrument in the “It makes it challenging for us, but also really creative 20

and that’s the way I think we would have wanted it anyway. Even if we had found another one, it’s not like we would have just done the same thing. It’s just a great creative challenge of us all, but we have to keep our expectations to a minimum and just keep rolling with the punches as we go on. We learn as we go. Theoretically, it sounds magnificent, but when it’s going it actually sounds great. It just looks kind of crazy; we’re going to be looking like bloody mad scientists.”

The Up-Scale performance will be running for 15 minutes every hour from 6.45pm in the Little Malop Street Mall, with the opportunity to see and interact with the instrument and chat with the creators between performances.

Alongside this world-first, the after dark program will see a range of site-specific artworks exploring one or more of the senses to inspire, from dance, installation, interactive, music performances, projection, sound, and light to roving performers, storytelling, theatre and visual art.

Some program art-works we recommend you look out for this year include Tripex by Melbourne based studio, John Fish, which sees a large scale array of pixel tubes transform the Apex structure in Johnstone Park to become a luminous tower of pulsing light reminiscent of sci-fi film culture; while over at Beavs Bar you’ll find Professional storyteller, Niki na Meadhra and her Village of Voices venture beyond the veil of the night into the Otherworld with a thrilling story, two parts romance, two parts folklore - with just a dash of gothic horror!

Another project to look out for is the iconic multidisciplinary visual artistry boffin Ayrlie Lane who returns to the dark with her ‘Tales of the Trees’. Roving in Johnstone Park, Ayrlie takes us on an interactive

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journey into the secret lives of the very trees that surround us every day. Become one with nature as the trees come alive this night and dance through the shadows and moonlight, breathing new life and joy upon the earth.

Geelong’s cultural organisations will also play a key role, with activities taking place in the Geelong Library and Heritage Centre; in and around Geelong Performing Arts Centre; the Geelong Gallery; the National Wool Museum; and the Old Courthouse.

“I look forward to it every year,” Hulsman says of the annual Geelong After Dark festival. “Even if I’m not performing, I go down and check it out. I just think it’s magnificent to have a showcase opportunity for so many local and other artists to come down and create a festival celebratory atmosphere and culture.

“I really love it and I’m honoured to be invited to be part of it,” he continues. “It means a lot of us as artists to have somewhere to experiment and take risks, and have an audience and an exhibition space to be able to do these kinds of things that are really outside the norm. I play loads of gigs, I don’t need another gig.

This is something that drives people to discover new things and push the boundaries and you’ve got to be grateful for that.”

Go on, heighten your senses at Geelong After Dark on Friday, May 3.

VISIT WWW.GEELONGAFTERDARK.COM.AU/

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FRANK BELL BOTTLES AND BARRELS WRITTEN BY LIAM MCNALLY Walking into the space, with its wood finishes and exposed brick, accompanied by the smell of coffee wafting from the connected café, it’s immediately clear Bottles and Barrels is setting its self apart from a typical bottle-o experience.

Situated on the picturesque Aberdeen Street and nestled in between the iconic Pakington Street and Shannon Avenue, you’ll find this boutique wine store; a connoisseur’s delight in the form of bottle shop turned trendy liquor haven.

Lead by local legend Callum Macpherson, Bottles and Barrels has 150-year old roots and operates as a fully functioning cafe, coupled with its status as a walk-in alcohol store, or drive-through bottle-o, featuring some of the finest selections in the city.

With an ode to European grocers, with a homely vibe and staff that pride themselves on depth of knowledge, Bottles and Barrels excels in all areas, especially regarding local products.

It’s the type of place you could hit up on a Saturday for an easy-going brunch with friends before thinking “yeah, why not?” and grabbing a couple of bottles of wine for you all to share in a sunny backyard somewhere.

It’s also a place that has been continuously commended within the Geelong region since its unveiling, with the store’s standing ingrained by its support from local businesses and residents.

Whether you’re after a light riesling, a full-bodied shiraz or a crisp Rosé, or even the crème de la crème of craft beer, Bottles and Barrels has you covered.

BOTTLES AND BARRELS IS LOCATED AT 132 ABERDEEN ST, GEELONG WEST AND IS OPEN EVERY DAY FROM 8AM TO 9PM.

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COCKIES BEER WILL CHANGE THE WAY YOU LOOK AT THE DELICIOUS BREW

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Picture this, a malty brown ale with a medium body, refreshing hints of fruit and dark overtones of chocolate all finished off with a vanilla aftertaste – well, that delicious concept is the aptly titled Suntanned Vanilla Ale and is a beer unlike anything you’ll have tasted and is well worth exploring along with the rest of their range.

WE’VE BEEN BREWING TASTY CRAFT BEERS AT THE MILL IN CASTLEMAINE FOR THREE YEARS NOW. IF YOU HAVEN’T TRIED THEM, ISN’T IT ABOUT TIME YOU DID? THE TAPROOM IS OPEN SIX DAYS A WEEK, WITH PIZZA AND LIVE MUSIC ON WEEKENDS. MAKE A DAY TRIP OR ASK AT YOUR FAVOURITE BOTTLE SHOP OR PUB.

Some of the best beers are local and unique, If you want to explore the world of Cockies Beer Cockies are a shining example of that you can head down to The Cellar Door and bar with their offering of an extensive range which is open to the public every Friday from 4pm of delicious and finely crafted beverages – 7pm serving up their delicious range with the that include the tasty Cockies Ocean Road accompaniment of some excellent live music, what Pale Ale, the essential Cockies I.P.A, the fan more could you want? favourite Cockies Surf Coast Blonde and the unique Cockies “The Dark Light” amber ale. WHERE: 112 BALLIANG STREET, SOUTH GEELONG Cockies have a reputation for ‘outside the box’ beers and being a brewery that is always looking to enhance your beer experience, they present some truly unique brew options that will change the way you look at brewing.

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WWW.SHEDSHAKERBREWING.COM

Channel your inner wine connoisseur, and swirl your glass with samples of new release wines, enjoy a unique one-on-one experience to meet with winemakers and producers and/or attend wine making master classes, take part in a wine glass experience and check out the vertical tasting at Pop Up Cellar Doors in the High Street to the sound of live music. Whether you are a wine newbie or an experienced taster, these attractions are sure to be a hit.

There’s even more music and dinner at the Toolleen Hotel & Tin shed with Johnny Cash Tribute show, and a whole weekend of masterclasses at Sanguine Estate across the entire weekend, including a special Goldfields Farmhouse Cheese and Wine Matching’ session on Sunday.

Alongside award-winning artisan winemakers, a craft brewery, recreational attractions and lots of music, wine food and fun on offer, there are some additional festival attractions that should not be missed.

There will also be a regular Hop On-Hop Off shuttle bus will run from the Heathcote Visitor Information Centre to wineries and cellar doors on Saturday and Sunday, making life that much easier for you all.

What better way to do that than by heading on down to the renowned showcase of the wine, food and fun that Heathcote has to offer with the annual Heathcote On Show.

We recommend you check out the very popular Burlesque De Vine, a sassy burlesque dinner show at Silver Spoon Estate on both Saturday and Sunday night that will feature Zelia Rose, voted number one burlesque performer in the world alongside a star studded cast of Australia’s hottest talent and an exquisite French inspired three course meal.

Heathcote, located in Goldfields region of Victoria, is just a 30 minute drive from Bendigo and around two hours from Melbourne, Ballarat and Geelong. With so much to see and so much to do, all they are missing is you.

Held on the Queen’s Birthday long weekend 8-10 June, Heathcote On Show has been established as one of Victoria’s most popular festivals, with a number of Heathcote wineries and traders are at-the- ready to show off the best of the region, giving visitors the chance to explore all the things you love and expect.

On Saturday night, indulge at Munari Wines rustic cellar door with a glass of red, warming winter food and live music all night long from 6:30pm, or enjoy a “Winter Feast” of craft beer and dinner on Saturday with Cornella Brewery & The Shiraz Republic. The fun doesn’t need to stop at the Saturday night though. Back it up at the same place on

At Forté, we believe there isn’t a better way to celebrate the Queen’s day of days than making the most of those extra days off and exploring what regional Victoria has to offer.

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SHEDSHAKER BREWERY & TAPROOM AT THE MILL

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Sunday evening with indulgent Spanish wine and mouth-watering paella, alongside an intimate parlour style performance by Dan Kelly.

THE TIME IS NOW. FOR MORE, GO TO WWW. HEATHCOTEONSHOW.COM.AU

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THE BOTTLE-O AT HIGHTON CELLARS Remember the days when buying a beer meant choosing between the green label or the maroon label? Thankfully, we’re long past that.

At the Bottle-O at Highton Cellars, you’ll find thousands of colours, sizes, and flavours competing for your attention. Specialising in fine wine and spirits, they have one of the best ranges in Geelong, and if they don’t have your favourite, they will even attempt to get it in for you. Bless their cotton socks!

Whatever you want, you’ll be able to find it with help from the knowledgeable enthusiasts that staff the shop.

With their recently re-fitted store, you can even say goodbye to warm slabs of beer with their massive walk-in cool room that ensures all beers, pre-mixed drinks, and chilled wines are icy cold.

And the best part? They’ll always – and I mean ALWAYS - offer to carry your purchases to your vehicle so you won’t have to juggle your wine, your

keys and your kid all the way back to the car.

Another reason we love these folks is that they are here for us for all our function needs. We all know that food and drinks make any party, especially alcohol. I repeat; enough alcohol, and these legends are here for you all the way in catering for any type of function – from weddings and parties to major concerts, festivals and corporate events.

They’ll do all the heavy lifting too – so to speak – and estimate the quantities you will require, chill what needs to be cold, organise delivery and pack your cool room if required, then after your event, they’ll buy back any leftovers in re-sellable condition. Seriously, you cannot go wrong!

When you are organising your next function, make sure you contact them for friendly, expert advice and an e-mailed quote. You can relax and enjoy your function knowing you are dealing with alcohol catering specialists who have been doing this for over 30 years. Sometimes it’s best to just leave it to the pros.

CALL THEM ON 03 5243 5072 OR POP IN STORE AT 90 BARRABOOL ROAD, HIGHTON.

VALHALLA’S MONTHLY METAL NIGHTS ARE A MUST Martin Riggs and Murtaugh, Batman & Robin, Bert & Ernie. These are all dynamic duos but do you want to know what is a truly great pair? Beer & Metal and lucky for us, Geelong’s latest and greatest taproom created by the legends at Valhalla brewing, have it all covered.

In case you’re unfamiliar with the epic taproom Valhalla Brewing has put together, it’s a carefully crafted space to showcase their seriously delicious and addictive range of beers that are some of the best local brews we’ve tasted.

month will be dedicated to rattling your head and they want you to help decide how much by allowing you to BYO Metal vinyl!

Now rocking out can definitely drive up a thirst which will be no problem with $10 pints flowing on the night however rocking out can also stir up a hunger and luckily they’ve thought of this too with $8 jaffles available to fuel you through the night.

Their next one is on Thursday May 2 from 7pm, so if you love your beer and you love your metal loud, head down to Valhalla on their Metal night for a good time.

VALHALLA IS LOCATED AT 12-14 UNION ST, GEELONG AND IS OPEN TUESDAY – SATURDAY FROM 2PM, AND ON SUNDAYS FROM 12PM.

Now back to the Metal. For the past few months, Valhalla have decided that the first Thursday of every

03 5229 5693 · info@bottlesandbarrels.com.au 132 Aberdeen Street, Geelong West VIC 3218 bottlesandbarrelsgeelong @bottles_and_barrels

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EDWARDS RD REDS

! e i k c o C o l l e H DAYLESFORD CIDER CO Winter is coming and with it a seemingly neverending stretch of cold that can foretell spring with surprising sunshine and mildness, or send us burrowing back into our homes with days upon days of cold and sleet.

No matter what this winter has in store for us, sipping on a delicious cider in a cosy escape is vital to surviving the season.

Say hello to Cockies Beer, The Surf Coast’s Craft Brew.

112 Balliang St, South Geelong The bar is open every Friday from 4-7pm Live music every Friday from 5–7pm P: 0417 375 861

co c kie s beer.co m.au

And no one does cider better than the team at Daylesford Cider Co. Ran by cider lovers and enthusiasts, Mackie and Clare, Daylesford Cider comprises of an English-style Tavern and courtyard, set in amongst landscaped gardens with views towards their top orchard.

Offering the ideal, cosy winter escape in their tavern, Daylesford Cider Co is the place to sip a warm spiced cider, and enjoy a season hearty meal ranging from soups to roasts whilst relaxing by the large open fire on a chilly afternoon. Open from 11am-4pm on weekdays, and 10am-5pm on weekend, the tavern itself is worth checking out with high pitched ceilings, timber beams, flagstone floors, and furnished with Forté 711

beautiful, comfortable lounges, making it impossible to feel anything but complete luxury.

But of course, it’s the cider itself that we love most.

Producing a range made using the 17 varieties of English-heritage listed apples, grown organically on the farm just outside the township, the Cider house promises a truly exquisite experience, set apart from your average brewery.

With a mix of sharps, bittersharps, bittersweets and sweet apples, you’ll find complex ciders and wonderful concoctions with a great palate, nose and golden colours.

In addition, the tavern also hosts live music and a variety of private functions and events from weddings to Christmas parties.

Whether you’re in desperate need of a holiday escape or simply want to discover more of Victoria’s beautiful countryside, Daylesford Cider is a must on every cider lover or traveller’s to do list this winter.

CELLAR-DOOR OPEN 7 DAYS | LUNCH FRIDAYMONDAY LOCATED AT 155 DAIRYFLAT ROAD, MUSK WWW.DAYLESFORDCIDER.COM.AU

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ALES ON RAILS THE ULTIMATE BEER, FOOD & STEAM EXPERIENCE

ALES ON RAILS All aboard, this is the train we’ve been dreaming of.

more beer from their own extensive craft brewed, before you’ll climb onboard for the trip home with, yep, you guessed it, more beer! For those who are not quite beer enthusiasts, there’s no need to stress as the team do offer alternatives in local wines, ciders and soft drinks.

Stepping back in time to an era of first-class steam travel, Ales on Rails is the ultimate beer, food and steam train experience.

Worried about driving? There’s no need to stress here. Leave the car at home and travel by train. Ales on Rails trains connect with trains from Melbourne

It’s a time to indulge as you are taken into a world of decadence within the confines of 1920’s era club and parlour carriages, hauled behind a vintage steam locomotive for a unique journey from Castlemaine to Maldon, and back.

Whether you are a seasoned beer drinker or just want to explore some of the finest brews around, this is for you.

WRITTEN BY LIAM MCNALLY

As this unparalleled steam engine winds its way through the goldfields countryside, you’ll begin sampling a range of beers provided by the likes of Holgate Brewhouse Woodend, Brookes Brewery Bendigo, Shedshaker Brewery, 40 Acres Brewery and the Tooboorac Brewery. You’ll begin with an easy drinking wheat beer to ease you into your journey and culminate in a rich chocolate porter. You’ll also be treated to some light snacks to see you through to lunch.

On arrival at Maldon, the treats keep on coming with a gourmet lunch at the Kangaroo Hotel and even

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Ales on Rails runs once a month from April to November. Tickets are strictly limited though so get in quick before they go as they are capped at only 50 guests.

If you’ve got lots of beer-loving friends, you can also make use of a 10% discount with bookings of 10 or more.

BUY TICKETS AT VGR.COM.AU **NOT AVAILABLE TO PERSONS UNDER THE AGE OF 18 (SORRY KIDDIES).

SHEDSHAKER TURNS THREE Castlemaine’s own craft brewery, Shedshaker, is celebrating three years brewing on site at the Old Woollen Mill this week. It’s also the third anniversary of the opening of their venue, the Taproom, which has become a go-to destination for visitors and locals alike.

When not busy producing some of Australia’s finest beverages, the team host hundreds of people every week - feeding them tasty house-made pizza and serving the best in local wines and ciders, as well as their own beers on ten taps.

They also host live music most Fridays and Sundays, as well as author book talks, comedy nights, trivia, art launches, wakes, birthdays and the occasional wedding.

Founded by local artist Michael Wolfe, Shedshaker is

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now owned and operated by Hunters and Collectors’ drummer, Doug Falconer, and his partner Jacqueline Brodie-Hanns. Michael’s late father donated his nickname to the brewery, having been notorious for blowing up the shed with dodgy batches of home brew.

The Mill in Castlemaine is home to nearly 40 businesses large and small, with an Austrian coffee house, huge vintage bazaar, German smallgoods maker, ice cream manufacturer and a host of artist and artisan studios to discover.

It’s close to the railway station if you feel like leaving the car at home (in order to better sample Shedshaker’s offerings, no doubt). There are lots of accommodation options if you want to stay over.

YOU CAN FIND OUT MORE AT SHEDSHAKERBREWING.COM OR THE CASTLEMAINETAPROOM FACEBOOK PAGE. MAKE A DAY TRIP SOON, AND DON’T FORGET TO SAY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

LAURA IMBRUGLIA Scared of You WRITTEN BY NASEEM RADMEHR Well-loved musician Laura Imbruglia has released a unique new album that’s guaranteed to enrapture you. After a five-year hiatus, she is back with fresh tunes and important messages.

We spoke with the alt-rock star about life since her last album and what’s new in her latest album, Scared of You. Hey Laura. Let’s start off with a little bit about yourself. How’d you get started as a singer, and how long have you been producing music?

Well, I started playing music in high school. When I was around 14 I started learning guitar and I’ve been playing shows since I was 18.

Your new album Scared of You comes after a five-year break. What drove you to have a break and what sparked you to produce a new album?

The five years I was away, I was working on a web series called Amateur Hour. When I started making that web series, I just wasn’t feeling like playing music. I just wanted to step away from it for a little while. So I made a season of Amateur Hour – which I’ve never done before, so it took quite a long time and a lot of energy to learn that stuff on the fly.

Then I produced a second season since there was a lot of interest in it. So after I made another season I

LOVE, LANDMINES, LEOPARD AND LENNON I Know Leopards, Luke O’Loughlin, talks Love Is A Landmine Albums and Tour WRITTEN BY TAMMY WALTERS 2014 saw the first release of I Know Leopard music with debut EP ‘Illumina’, but now after three years in the making, the foursome from Sydney have released their debut album, ‘Love Is A Landmine’. Frontman Luke O’Loughlin had a chat to us about the album and upcoming national tour.

“I Know Leopard, has been around for quite a while and we had our first EP come out in 2014 but the project almost existed a bit before that as well but it was just kind of experimenting with sounds and figuring out what we wanted to do,” says O’Loughlin.

“But it’s changed so much over the years. I feel like this album is really a culmination of those years of experimenting and trying different sounds with different releases and I feel like we’ve arrived at our true identity with Love Is A Landmine.”

Produced by Jack Moffet of The Preatures, the album is made up of unconventional love songs, not just in a romantic sense, but encompassing all of loves forms. Coming from personal experience, ‘Love Is A Landmine’ draws on from issues of mental health that have surrounded the band member and shines a

thought okay I’m ready for music again. I was waiting to feel excited about it.

How do you think you have changed in the past five years?

I think everyone changes as a person, but the music is pretty different on this album compared to the last one. I’ve had a different line-up in my band for every album I’ve put out. But the last album I had a pedal steel player, and it is quite country, whereas this album is more hard rock and punk.

Your style is known to many as mainly indierock, but from listening to your music there are many other styles present. How would you describe your music?

My style is pretty versatile. It changes from song to song – even on this album. So it’s difficult to pick one style. But I guess it’s lyric-based, melodic rock.

There’s always rock. But for me, the constant is the lyrics. That’s the focus.

Many of your songs like ‘Give Boys Pink Toys’ touch on social issues like gender roles. Others are more about self-reflection. What goes through your mind when creating music? What do you hope to achieve through your songs?

Well, most of my writing is kind of about personal relationships with people. Or kind of soul-searching, introspective stuff. But there are some songs on the album like Give Boys Pink Toys and Shame that are kind of political and that’s the first time I’ve done that. So that’s new for me as well. I’m not really great at talking about it beyond what’s in the song. But yeah, I was a bit late as far as being aware of how power imbalance between genders and things like that.

Some of the songs are just expressing frustration.

But I would hope that it provokes some thought in people, at least. I spent a long time agonising over the lyrics of Give boys pink toys – rewriting and modifying how I should say what I was trying to say, right up until the point I recorded it, which is pretty rare for me. Usually, I lock down the lyrics and don’t play with it too much. But the original lyrics were a little bit jokey and I had a heated discussion with my producer about it because he wanted me to keep the jokey version. But I thought, what I’m singing about has got to do with male privilege and how toxic and violent it is. It’s not really a laughing matter. I often inject humour into my lyrics, but that wasn’t a song

that I wanted to do that with.

Have you always wanted to be a singer? What would you be doing now otherwise?

Well, music is more of a hobby for me so I’m still doing all the other things I would’ve been doing if I hadn’t pursued it. But whatever job I’m doing has a creative element to it, even if it’s not music. The older you get the more you realise that unless you’re playing massive theatres which is like not many musicians, then your goal is just to keep yourself happy. I’ve kind of given up on living off music. I just want to have fun with it and hope people come to the shows and enjoy the music.

You’re going on a nation-wide tour next month, stopping in places like Collingwood, Ballarat, Adelaide and Sydney. What should fans expect to see and these gigs?

I’m actually doing some more regional Victoria shows as well. I’m playing Major Tom’s in Kyneton and The Bridge in Castlemaine. You can expect to see a really fun time. We’ve booked great support.

For Kyneton and Castlemaine we’ve got Loose Tooth who I’m really looking forward to playing with. I love their album. And we’re bringing Porpoise Spit from Melbourne with us to Ballarat. And I’ve booked a yacht rock (classic 70s pop) tribute band for the Collingwood show. We’re just really excited. The hometown shows always feel like a birthday party because all your friends come an everyone’s excited for you.

WHEN & WHERE: MAJOR TOM’S, KYNETON - MAY 3 BRIDGE HOTEL, CASTLEMAINE – MAY 4 GASOMETER, COLLINGWOOD – MAY 9 THE EASTERN, BALLARAT – MAY 16 PHOTO BY KIRA PURU

FIVE MINUTES WITH TIJUANA CARTEL We sit down with Tijuana Cartel’s Paul George to get the low-down on this sensory overload, euphoria, fat beats and heavy, bassfuelled electronica live band..

How did you get into music and when did you form?

I’ve been into music since I can remember. Most of my family are either musicians of dancers. My mother was a ballerina and my father played drums around Sydney as a session musician.

Your music mixes a lot of genres together, where do you get your inspiration?

We used to get gigs for Marriott Hotels around the world, places like China and India. I think the music started working its way around our travels.

We really enjoy taking one sound and seeing if it fits with another from a totally different culture.

Sometimes it works perfectly, there’s a lot of trial and error though.

What’s it like converting your mix of production and live instruments onto the stage, and what kind of experience do you try and create for your live audience?

It’s a lot of experimentation. Our main focus is to create a great atmosphere for the room we are in, we alter the songs to fit the live environment.

Most people tell us we are better live, and it’s a comment we like hearing.

You just put out a live album, what was that show like?

It was nice; we kept it to an intimate one and recorded it over a couple of nights. The idea was that we could choose which version would suit from any of the two nights. Turns out, the first night was the one for all of the tracks.

What’s up for the rest of the year?

Non-stop touring, we head to Europe again real soon, and there’s be a lot of new material and more antics.

WHEN & WHERE: KAROVA LOUNGE, BALLARAT – MAY 3

light on love from both ends of the spectrum.

“Love Is a Landmine (single) has the best line to convey the meaning of the album is the line in that song, ‘you better pray it isn’t true that there’s a landmine out there waiting for you’,” explains O’Loughlin. “I think that love is one of those things that it brings a lot of joy, in my life anyway speaking from personal experience, but it is also something that in my life has brought me a lot of alienation and pain at the same time. If you look at it in a dark way, you know in that painful part of love, it is almost like stepping on a landmine.”

The vibrancy of the sounds within the record paints a different picture. It has a distinct late 70’s/ early 80’s sound with the use of authentic period synths from mixer, Luke Millions, immaculate collection, acting as its own bold character, with hints of Electric Light Orchestra and John Lennon coming through.

“I love all of Lennon’s stuff, post-Beatles Lennon stuff, but I was more listening to Electric Light Orchestra. [Jeff Lynne] was more or less a John Lennon acolyte in that way- ELO are maybe where the Beatles would have gone after they stopped,” reflects O’Loughlin. “I think ELO are a huge influence on the whole record actually just in the way the strings are interwoven. I kind of looked into that effect on both Lennon and Jeff Lynne’s vocals that they did…

That vocal sound I’ve just been obsessed with since I’ve listened to Lennon and ELO so we did definitely steal that [laughs].”

With O’Loughlin always being a fan of synths and layers of sounds, Love Is A Landmine is no different, however, the process to create the album was.

“Up until this point we’ve never actually learnt how to play our songs live until after we’ve recorded them, whereas this time with Jack [Moffert] coming in and helping us, he was kind of like ‘okay, let’s actually get the songs down as a band first and play them as a live band’.”

WHEN AND WHERE: WORKERS CLUB GEELONG: THURSDAY MAY 23.

PHOTO BY LISA BUSINOVSKI

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HEY MAMMOTH All-female trio Hey Mammoth is back and is celebrating the release of their debut EP, ‘Ice Age’, by hitting up some of their favourite small venues in our little state of Victoria. We chat to Matilda Hassall ahead of the gigs.

Hi Matilda, thanks for taking the time to chat with Forte Magazine. For those that aren’t lucky enough to be familiar with Hey Mammoth, please give us a little introduction.

We’re an all-female trio, probably most known for our light-hearted combo of folky sounds, edgy harmonies and lyrics that make anyone have a good think and a good laugh - just three Aussie chicks singin’ in length on seemingly irrelevant topics.

You were all originally back-up singers in a soul-fusion band, what lead you to branching off and creating your own act?

After about three years of harmonising and stepclicking in synchronisation on the daily, we naturally began to write songs together. At first they were just for a bit of fun, but then we thought, ‘Heck! We may as well show these to the world’. It is crazy to think what started as a fun way to kill time has ultimately directed us to where we are now.

You’re about to embark on the “Ice Age” Tour, to support your new EP of the same name.

Landing in Geelong, Ballarat, Warrnambool and Melbourne, what can gig goers expect from the tour and what are you looking forward to most

about being on the road?

We’re most excited to hit up some of our favourite small venues in our little state of Victoria, and are lucky enough that a bunch of our dearest friends are also some of our favourite artists, as well as our support acts over the tour! Each night will have you serenaded by a different solo act, as well as an acoustic set from ’The Run’ - Geelong based alt-pop-rock band.

If you haven’t seen these delightfully talented boys yet (firstly, reconsider some life choices), expect a mixture of in-your-face riffs, captivating melodies, and emotive wordcraft.

Your EP is a showcase of some incredible and complex layered vocal work accompanied by warm melodic acoustic pieces, tell us a bit about the writing process in Hey Mammoth. As a trio how do you approach putting tracks like these together?

Our writing process will usually begin with a ludicrous lyrical concept from Matilda, a surprisingly fitting chord progression from Rosey, glossed over with a too-pretty melody from Cam. It’s also always a treat to bring a completed song to the girls and see it completely transform once all of the ideas are melted down and re-arranged (usually sewn together with harmonies and some type of hand-held percussion).

If Hey Mammoth could share the stage with any bands, who would you want to perform on a lineup with? (You never know, they may end up reading this!)

We take a lot of inspiration from female (particularly Australian) songwriters out there who aren’t afraid to talk about real shit or get a little bit whacky - names that come to mind are Kate-Miller Heidke, Stella Donnelly, Jen Cloher, and Montaigne.

Anything you’d like to say to people considering catching a Hey Mammoth show on this tour?

If you come to one of our shows, we’ll be sure to give you something to bring up at your next dinner party, and leave you chatting for the whole car-ride home.

WHEN & WHERE: FURPHY HALL, GEELONG – MAY 3 THE LOST ONES, BALLARAT – MAY 4 MOZART HALL, WARRNAMBOOL – MAY 11

TRINITY HUNT First up, can you tell the readers a little bit about yourself?

Hey! Thank you so much for having me. My name is Trinity Hunt and I’m a 16-year-old indie folk-rock singer-songwriter from Torquay. Music is my main outlet where I get a chance to be completely creative, venting whatever is on my mind at the time. I’m currently studying at Belmont High and on the side, I run an arts and culture magazine called Alter Ego, host quarterly gigs at the Courthouse with Superfuzz Music Festival and gig as frequently as possible. Plus, I’m always writing new material for my solo shows and/or with my band Nurse Ratchet.

Describe your journey into music, what first inspired you to play?

Music has always been a huge part of my life. I was (and still am) raised in a house bursting with great music, a lot of which I’ve found a new appreciation for in the last few years. Both my parents love music too, making this pathway so accessible to me. At about three years old, I picked up mums acoustic guitar belting out John Butler or Johnny Cash, my two favourites of that time or often my own made up songs. For my fifth birthday, I was given a half size pale pink fender squire – my first guitar. When we moved to Victoria I started piano lessons which really set motion to my music journey. It encouraged me to write my first song at seven about a sunset from my trampoline. I only picked up the guitar properly three

years ago and have just started gigging regularly in the last 14 months.

With music spanning folk-rock originals and covers, who are some of your greatest influences?

My influences are varied. I mentioned Johnny Cash and John Butler already which have both had an influence from the start. Overall, Patti Smith, Jeff Buckley, Courtney Barnett, Cat Power, and Tash Sultana are my greatest inspirations on all levels – vocals, lyrics, and music. As a singer, in particular, Joss Stone, early Adele and Lana Del Ray have shaped my sound. As a songwriter, Sylvia Plath, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, and Kurt Cobain have all impacted my lyrics and way of writing. A lot of smaller, local artists inspire me greatly too.

What do you love about performing?

Performing always leaves me feeling more satisfied.

Even though nerves are uncomfortable at times, there is something in music that I find completely comforting. It’s exposing sharing your own songs with strangers, kind of like “hi I haven’t met you before but I guess now you know me better than I do”. But in that also lies performances most amazing quality — being able to share what you have to offer and for people to receive it and hopefully resonate or take something positive away from it.

What are your upcoming plans and suppose where do you hope to take your music?

At the moment I’m in the midst of writing new material with more experimental and intriguing instrumental parts. I get bored easily, so I want to write music that I can enjoy playing and listening to. I guess next on the cards is more gigging in new places around Geelong and then recording an EP. Of course, music will stay with me forever, but ultimately I would love for it to take me traveling one way or another.

WHEN & WHERE: COURTHOUSE YOUTH ARTS (GEELONG AFTER DARK) – MAY 3 WARRALILY COCKATOO, ARMSTRONG CREEK – MAY 12 THE BARKING DOG, GEELONG – MAY 19.

Laura Imbruglia (Melb) ‘Scared of you’ album launches FRI 3 MAY / Major Tom’s Kyneton VIC + Loose Tooth

SAT 4 MAY / The Bridge Hotel Castlemaine VIC + Loose Tooth

THU 9 MAY / The Gasometer Hotel Collingwood VIC + Kahlua Breeze + Chitra

THU 16 MAY / The Eastern Ballarat VIC + Porpoise Spit + Honey Hunter

‘Scared of you’ OUT 29 March lauraimbruglia.com

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BALL PARK MUSIC CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF EACH OTHER WRITTEN BY DARBY-PERRIN LARNER When Ball Park Music met at University in Brisbane, Myspace was still a thing. That’s how long it’s been. Dean Hanson doesn’t think the band has changed much since then. It’s hard to notice any change when you spend as much time together as Ball Park Music do.

Even when they’re not performing, they’re together every day, “playing squash, golf, drinking beers, eating smashed avo. It’s like we can’t get enough of each other,” Hanson says.

They’ll have plenty more time to spend together soon enough when they hit the road for the GOOD MOOD regional tour of Australia in May, crisscrossing the country over 21 tour dates.

But why do small shows now? Ten years after the band formed. Australia is their market, “We’ve never had too much success overseas… never tried to push things to seem like they’re bigger than they are”, Hanson tells us.

Somehow, this defeatism has carried them for the better part of a decade.

Hanson gets disconcerted describing seeing young acts like Skeggs perform, “I’m looking at them and

wondering, kind of, if we’ll ever be like influential or if anyone will ever care, you know. It’s bizarre cos’ then you get up on stage and perform and you realise ‘oh shit I’ve been doing this for ten years and people do care’. They’re not showing up because they just so happen to be there.”

And he’s right. But Ball Park Music have, in a way, stopped themselves from achieving crossover success.

We’re talking about the Soundcloud rabbit hole that Sam Cromack found himself in while writing GOOD MOOD when the topic of auto-tune and distortion comes up.

“It must’ve been eight, nearly nine years ago, Sam recorded a weird little EP for a side project and he was using lots of auto-tune on the vocals”.

To fans’ surprise, it’s a sonic signature that the band has tinkered with for years. “There’s some really strange demo’s floating around on our studio computer.”

Hanson admits that rap is on heavy rotation for all them, sometimes seeping into sessions. Don’t expect any Soundcloud anthems from the group though.

They toyed with a demo just recently, an indie track laid with heavy vocal distortion. It sounded pretty good to them. “We were joking, saying ‘oh yeah this sounds really good and all the kids would love it so we better not do it.’ Like Jesus, you sort of feel a bit bound sometimes.”

There is a sense of freedom in the band’s visual output though; Cromack and himself collaborate on most of the merch and posters. Hanson also shot the cover of GOOD MOOD, as well as most of the band’s press photos – it’s one way to save money and avoid awkward photoshoots.

Asked if he’d like to create a cover again, Hanson is hopeful, “Maybe we’ll put ourselves on the front cover of the next one or something. Need to be confident enough”.

It might just be the thing they need to break free from the apathy, doing the thing they feel most comfortable doing; hanging out together.

CATCH BALL PARK MUSIC AT COSTA HALL, GEELONG ON JUNE 15. ALL OTHER DATES FOR THE GOOD MOOD TOUR AT BALLPARKMUSIC.COM

AURORA WRITTEN BY TAMMY WALTERS

As she prepares to shine bright over regional fields as part of 2019’s epic Groovin The Moo line-up, as well as some huge sideshows across Australia this May, Norwegian dream and a rising star of futuristic artistry Aurora sat down with Forté for a quick chat.

When I think of Norwegian music, Norwegian black metal automatically comes to mind which is quite a contrast from your sound. But you’ve also said you would love to collaborate with heavy metal band, Gojira - have you ever delved into the black metal scene in Norway?

Yes! I love black metal. You could hear a bit on songs like ‘Under The Water’ and ‘The Seed’. I like the intense heaviness of the dark drums and emotional outbursts of growling. It’s very, very cool.

Did that scene ever have an influence on your music at all?

It’s influenced me quite a lot. I love exploring with different types of music and picking small parts that I like and combine them to make my little own unique universe.

You dropped your second album, Infections of a Different Kind (Step 1), last year following the debut, All My Demons Greeting Me As Friends.

Album one covered themes of self-acceptance, album two is an extension of that and moving past the demons. What will step 2 in that process be?

Step 1 is about quite many things, and it’s definitely a continuation of my first album form 2016, only that now it’s even wider – a bigger world, a bigger perspective, and a bigger mission. Step 2 is an even bigger mission again. From time to time, it’s quite personal and intimate, but mostly very wide and all-absorbing. It’s an album for the whole world, about political and emotional matters that I feel like fighting for at the moment.

Is that a reflection of your own personal journey?

In the big picture, all I do is very much a reflection of my own journey as a human and as a musician and producer, but often I find that the music I make is one step ahead.

You also represent strength and empowerment through your songs and your community using terms such as Warrior, Queen, and Tribe. Do you feel like a warrior both on stage and in your everyday life?

I feel like a warrior all the time – like a total badass because being a human, and an emotional human, in this life is an extreme sport. I channel a lot of power through my performances, there lies a lot of power in being able to let go and scream, and being on stage allows me to do that. I also want people to feel powerful with me, that’s very important.

Your live shows are quite dramatic and visually appealing with many different elements from backing dancers to stunning outfits. What do you have planned for the GTM set and sideshows?

I’m not bringing my dancers now as I’m feeling like I need the whole show to feel completely spontaneous and wild. I’m bringing some lovely armour and gumption, and joy, and tears – all of it.

WHEN AND WHERE: THE FORUM, MELBOURNE – MAY 3 GROOVIN THE MOO, BENDIGO – MAY 4.

featuring the music of

Irving Berlin • Cole Porter George Gershwin

GREAT MOTHER’S DAY GIFT IDEA!

TOP HAT • ANYTHING GOES • EMBRACEABLE YOU NIGHT AND DAY • I GOT RHYTHM • EASTER PARADE

DEAKIN’S COSTA HALL, GEELONG Fri 7 June 2019 • 7.30pm GPAC.ORG.AU OR 03 5225 1200

ATHENAEUM THEATRE, MELBOURNE Sat 15 June 2019 • 2pm & 7.30pm TICKETEK.COM.AU OR 03 9650 1500

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That instant when a needle touches vinyl is perhaps the definitive sound of analogue. Since 1963 Audio-Technica has been that connection! In 2019 the revolution continues with an all new turntable range and a new level of emotion and connection between you and your music.

Fore more information go to audio-technica.com.au Follow us @AudioTechnicaAU

MEET THE NEW LINEUP

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M AY 17 - MA R K LA NG JUNE 14 - J E N C LOH E R JUNE 15 - DA N SULTA N JUNE 21 - C LA R E BOWD I TCH JUNE 22 - A R C H I E ROA CH PLUS SUNDAY BLUES SESSIONS THROUGHOUT JUNE

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WHAT’S ON WRITTEN BY CHLOE CICERO

THERE’S A NEW GELATERIA COMING TO GEELONG Everyone needs to get around the gelatery that is Augustus Gelatery, which is currently located in various suburbs of Melbourne, but guess what… the world of scrumptious wonderment is coming to Geelong very soon!

Bringing artisan gelato, served by an army of insatiably discerning house taste testers to their newly awesome customers. Satisfying everyone’s childhood fantasies of gluttony and excess in the simplest and most satisfying form, GELATO!

The magic in these tubs is made on site daily, by creating your favourite classics into something a little more out of the ordinary. What’s not to love? With a range of over 35 different Gelato and sorbet flavours, I LITERALLY CANNOT CONTAIN MY EXCITEMENT.

Alongside their fabulous gelato, Augustus also offers a range of shakes and cakes to make sure everyone is happy.

IT WILL BE LOCATED AT 41 GHERINGHAP STREET, GEELONG. KEEP YOUR EYES PEELED FOR FUTURE UPDATES VIA FB.

THE CAKE LAB Written by Chloe Cicero Do you ever just crave a handmade cake but can never be bothered doing it yourself? Well look no further, The Cake Lab has you covered! We spoke to the cake boss behind The Cake Lab, Annalie Tigani, about her new business venture, making cakes, and cupcakes to die for!!

Hey Annalie, can you tell our readers a little bit about yourself?

I’m 23 years old and a student at Deakin University in Geelong.

What made you get into baking cakes?

For me, baking is something I’ve always loved doing. It started out as a hobby and only became more serious when family and friends suggested the cakes and cupcakes I was making were good enough to sell. It felt pretty natural that I should spend as much

time as possible doing something I was so passionate about so I started posting my creations online and the business grew from there. The Cake Lab was born when I asked my sister Danielle to revamp my online presence and take over the non-baking side of my business.

Where do you get your creative masterpiece inspiration from?

I follow a bunch of blogs, websites and Instagram accounts for daily inspiration but most of my ideas come from experimenting with different flavour combinations. When it comes to baking I’m always trying new things. That’s where the name “The Cake Lab” comes from.

What do you have available for order?

We have a variety of cakes, cupcakes and mini cupcakes available to order. We will make anything you want for any event, whether it’s a wedding, engagement party, birthday party or get together with friends. Basically, you name it we can make it! There is a price list available on our website and a selection of cakes and cupcakes I’ve made.

Get excited for some spudtastic food, music, games, entertainment and activities - I bet you never thought potatoes could be this much fun!!

This festival celebrates the spirit of the community and recognise Trentham’s potato-growing heritage, so you are invited to come along and join in! It is an opportunity for visitors and the local community to participate in a wide range of exciting spud-based activities and have a spudtacular time.

SHANNON PIZZA’S NEW MONTHLY CREATION IS VEGETARIAN-FRIENDLY

Once again, the usually shy, humble and bashful potato bursts free from life underground and basks in the limelight for festivities in its honour.

Looking to feast on some comfort food during this blustery winter? Odds are you are reaching for a slice of pizza. Whether you like it loaded, crispy, doughy or topped with crazy ingredients, you can get a taste of it – every night (except Tuesday) if you so desire – with Shannon Pizza.

What makes Shannon Pizza even more desirable is that each month, the team introduce a special ‘pizza of the month’, that keeps customers coming back – and for good reason.

Their current monthly special for April is a Vegetarian-friendly pizza, Asparagus and Goat Cheese Pizza! This one is covered in tomato sauce, cheese, cherry tomatoes, asparagus, goat cheese, egg, garlic, and oregano.

Beautiful, crunchy asparagus with delicious goat cheese really hits the spot! Better be quick if you want to try this one though, as they’ll be pumping out a brand new creation come May. WHERE: 146 SHANNON ST, GEELONG WEST WHEN: 5-9PM EVERY DAY EXCEPT TUESDAYS SITE: WWW.SHANNONPIZZA.COM.AU PHONE: 5229 6169

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SOME OF THIS YEAR’S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE; - M A R K E T S TA L L S , G R E AT F O O D A N D BEVERAGES - SPUD CART DERBY - RACES AND GAMES FOR ALL AGES

THE GREAT TRENTHAM SPUDFEST WRITTEN BY CHLOE CICERO Potatoes are one of those miracle vegetables that taste good in just about everything. Fries?

Check. Shepherd’s Pie? Check. Roast Veggies?

Check. You get the point. Well, it only makes sense to have a whole festival dedicated to them.

Celebrating all there is about this starch-filled treat is the annual Great Trentham Spudfest – oh yes, it’s a thing – which is set for May 4th this year.

- SPUDS FOR SALE FROM LOCAL FARMERS – CAN I GET A ‘HELL YEAH!’ FOR SHOPPING LOCAL? - FREE MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT ALL DAY - COOL COUNTRY CLASSIC CARS DISPLAY -ANIMAL PETTING FARM - SPUD DIGGER HUT BUS TOURS -TRACTOR PULL The festival is free to attend and is running from 10am – 4pm on Saturday May 4th. So pack up the fam and head on down to the annual Spudfest in Trentham.

CHECK OUT TRENTHAMSPUDFEST.ORG. AU/ FOR MORE INFORMATION

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How do people go about ordering off you?

You can make an enquiry via the contact page on our website thecakelab.com.au or message us on Instagram or Facebook @thecakelabgeelong.

What sets you aside from other cake businesses?

I bake everything from scratch at home. I don’t use packet mixes or store-bought topping and fillings.

Everything is unique and made to order which means customers are getting a high quality and more importantly, delicious, product.

What is your favourite type of cake combo?

You can’t go past a rich chocolate cake with dulce de leche swiss meringue buttercream and salted caramel drizzle. It is HEAVEN on a plate. Trust me!

INSTAGRAM: THECAKELABGEELONG FACEBOOK/ HTTPS://WWW.FACEBOOK. COM/THECAKELABGEELONG WEBSITE/ HTTPS://WWW.THECAKELAB.COM.AU/ EMAIL/ INFO@THECAKELAB.COM.AU

THE ROCKSTAR SIGNS Aries: You’re keeping very active and standing up for what you believe in, and encouraging others to do the same too. This much light needs to be shared.

Taurus: Everything looks so shiny and new and you want to touch them all. As your senses gain the experience, you will also glow.

Gemini: You are getting pulled in many directions as your talents and skills are in high demand right now. If you feel yourself entering overwhelm, allow yourself to step back for a bit.

Cancer: You are making the commitment to yourself to be your very best. You are ambitious and supportive of your tribe as you all ace your goals.

Leo: The support and encouragement you receive helps you to develop your ideas further.

You want to push your boundaries and create new thought paradigms.

Virgo: The seeds you have sown are germinating and providing you with new and interesting fruits.

You experiment with them and turn them into gold.

Libra: You release old patterns, people and habits in order to fulfill your destiny. You need the structure and precision as you master your skills.

Scorpio: Your career is keeping you busy and you even make new interesting contacts as you network and learn. You value your time very highly and make the most of every minute.

Sagittarius: You are shining a light on yourself as you magnify your hopes and dreams. You seek to embody your highest self and bring good to the world.

Capricorn: Co-operation at home and in relationships lightens the work load for you and this brings much relief. Take the opportunity to unwind for greater mindfulness.

Aquarius: Juggling tradition and innovation sees you engaged in active conversations that remove you from the mundane. You find further clarity in the quiet moments too.

Pisces: You seek out company that is a similar reflection of yourself. You a protective of your what is yours and you value quality conversations.

FOLLOW ME ON FACEY AND INSTA @THEASTROLOGYSEER

Mother’s Day Classic The Mother’s Day Classic is an annual fun run and walk raising funds and awareness for breast cancer research. Their aim is to deliver a fun, healthy and inspirational community event that brings the community together on Mother’s Day to support and remember those touched by breast cancer. So grab your family, friends, work colleagues or neighbours and head on down to this year’s MDC Geelong. Walk or run either our short or long course and enjoy views of the Geelong Waterfront and Eastern Gardens as you help raise money for vital breast cancer research.

WHEN: MAY 12, FROM 6:30 AM WHERE: EASTERN BEACH RESERVE, 95 EASTERN BEACH RESERVE. HOW MUCH: PRICES RANGE FROM $25 - $50

TREAT YOUR MUM THIS MOTHER’S DAY WRITTEN BY CHLOE CICERO

Mother’s Day Luncheon at The Pier If you’re looking for fun for the whole family this Mother’s Day, look no further. The Pier is hosting a Mother’s Day luncheon, featuring a buffet style carvery with acoustic music and a kid’s corner with a face painter and balloon maker. And to top it off, $5 from every ticket will be donated to Geelong Mums.

WHEN: MAY 12TH, BOOKING TIMES BEGIN AT 12 – 4PM WHERE: THE PIER GEELONG, CUNNINGHAM PIER

Mother’s Day is just around the corner, and here at Forte, we want to make sure your mum has the best day ever. Lucky for you (and your mum), the region is fuelled with awesome events and great places to take mum so we narrowed down a few of our top picks.

Mother’s Day High Tea at The Village Door Treat mum this Mother’s Day to a wonderful high tea at The Village Door Café. Starting with a complimentary cup of delicious coffee, tea or a glass of sparkling wine, there will then be an assortment of Croatian delicacies and delectable hot, sweet and savoury. You will be in for an afternoon of beautiful food, drinks, laughs and conversation — a perfect gift for mum and the whole family. Limited spots are available, and booking is essential, so make sure you contact them today and make Mother’s Day a special one.

HOW MUCH: ADULTS - $65, CHILDREN UNDER 12 - $25, CHILDREN UNDER 2 – FREE

HOW MUCH: $45

WHEN: MAY 11 & 12, 11-5PM WHERE: MT DUNEED ESTATE, 65 PETTAVEL RD, WAURN PONDS Pitch Please at Piano Bar If your mum loves all things drag then treat her to a night out at Piano Bar’s “Pitch Please evening.

Featuring three fabulous drag shows, plus music from their very own piano man – Joss Russell taking your requests in between shows, keeping your toes tapping and the laughter flowing. Following the third show, DJ Malibu Stacey takes over the tunes so you can dance the night away!

Bookings are essential.

WHEN: MAY 12TH, 5:30 – 11PM WHERE: PIANO BAR, 26 MALOP STREET, GEELONG HOW MUCH: $10 Mother’s Day Luncheon at Terindah Estate Spoil your Mum this Mother’s Day and head on down to Terindah Estate for a three-course luncheon accompanied with live music by Kieran.T. WHEN: MAY 12, 12PM – 4PM WHERE: TERINDAH ESTATE, 90 MCADAMS LANE, BELLARINE

High Tea at Bear and Scoobs Bear and Scoobs are hosting their own High Tea, complete with a delightful selection of home-made scones, sausage rolls and a traditional High Tea including barista coffee & tea and a piccolo of sparkling wine or sparkling water – I know which one I’m choosing..

WHEN: MAY 12TH, 3-5PM. WHERE: BEAR AND SCOOBS, 1/18 THOMPSONS ROAD, NORTH GEELONG HOW MUCH: $50, WITH A SELECT PROFIT GOING TOWARDS THE CANCER COUNCIL.

WHEN: MAY 12, 3-5:30PM. WHERE: THE VILLAGE DOOR, 156 PAKINGTON ST, GEELONG WEST

delicious food and drink specials, with complimentary wine tasting and live music all weekend. There are no set menus or forced booking times – let Mum have her day her way!

HOW MUCH: ADULTS - $75, CHILDREN - $20 Lash 78 at Amped Want to do something different for Mother’s Day this year? AMPED have the brilliantly talented sisters from LASH 78 joining them for Mother’s Day. So make sure your Mother’s don’t miss out on this great day at AMPED and book now if you want a meal beforehand. Mum will love it.

WHEN: MAY 12, 3 – 6PM WHERE: AMPED, 71 YARRA STREET, GEELONG

Mother’s Day at Mt Duneed This year Mt Duneed Estate is hosting a Mother’s Day weekend! Give mum a wonderful winery experience with their brand-new café menu,

venues, opening over three consecutive nights from May 22-24th and running for a week after.

Entry to the Brackets Art Prize is open to any artist living and working in the City of Greater Geelong and surrounds, aged 26 years or under, of all backgrounds, experiences and skill sets. No previous art training or education is necessary.

It is completely free to enter, and there are some super great CASH prizes and exhibition opportunities available for both the winner and the runners up! In fact, the winner of BAP will go home with $1,000!

And a Solo Exhibition!

Entrants can submit up to two works, in any medium including traditional or emerging art forms, twodimensional and three-dimensional forms, digital or performance-based. All practices, especially those that are conceptual, experimental, progressive or multidisciplinary and strongly encouraged to apply.

Entries close Friday May 10 at 5pm.

Another exciting addition is LANDINGS featuring Elijah Bik, Sophia D’Urso and Joshua Maxwell de Hoog as part of Geelong After Dark on May 3.

WHAT’S ON AT CHYA CHYA are thrilled to announce that they’ve teamed up with Analogue Academy and Creative Geelong to bring you the inaugural Brackets Art Prize. BAP is to be the regions only Contemporary Art Prize specifically for emerging artists. It will showcase the region’s most exciting emerging arts talent and will be curated across three

CHYA will immerse visitors in a cacophony of auditory and graphic imaginings as art fills each corner of the building. Prepare for a sensory overload as waves of dissonant jazz intermingle with the harmonic tones of a Gospel choir and interludes by the rhythmic meter of spoken word.

Courthouse welcomes you to become enthralled and occupied in the alternate realities of our artists. Some yell, some whisper, others beg for spectators while others revel in their separation.

These installations and performances are reimaginings of old stories, the tellings of one’s not yet heard and those that have yet to find ways of being vocalised.

VISIT WWW.COURTHOUSE.ORG. AU/ FOR ALL THE DEETS.

PIVOT SUMMIT 2019 This year’s premier event of innovation, Pivot Summit is as monumental as previous years.

2019’s all-star lineup of industry leaders will be lead by the co-masters of ceremonies that include video game Queen Stephanie ‘Hex’ Bendixsen and Legendary actor Francis Greenslade who will present a pretty amazing collection of speakers including a NASA Scientist, Futurist Author, Professor of Psychology, Tech Developers and business tycoons.

Pivot Summit 2019 will focus on our love for technology and the potential dangers that come with technical advancements and implementations of said technology into society. Founder Leighton Wells touched on the general concept of this year’s

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event, “Tech can be fantastic and really help us be productive and get more done, but equally, it can be a massive distraction and really impact our overall well-being.”

It doesn’t stop there, Pivot Summit will also touch on an array of other topics including branding, Global start-ups, tech, human centred design, IOT, coding, future tech, gaming and e-sports, space, pitching productivity, streaming and music.

It’s set to be considerably insightful and educational with the aim of delivering information that is of great use to students, entrepreneurs, developers and industry professionals alike.

TICKETS ARE SELLING FAST VISIT WWW.PIVOTSUMMIT.COM.AU FOR MORE INFORMATION. PHOTO BY KATRINA LAWRENCE

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and then it’s suddenly out in the world and people will be his first time attending the popular two-day are compartmentalising this thing that was just festival, and will see him feature on a series of panel you trying to write. In the end, it turned out to be a discussions alongside some of the nation’s favourite thriller, and it was during the editing process that authors who have captured our hearts and minds we really teased that out,” he explains, “I mean it with their new publications. was always present and it was always there, but we “This is my first time doing the Booktown thing; it weren’t sure that’s what it was.” just seems like such a cool little festival. I’m really In the suspenseful Call Me Evie, a teenage girl looking forward to it,” Pomare explains. struggles to remember the role she played on the “I have a couple of conversations. One I’m really night her life changed forever. Is the teenager a excited about is with Tony Birch, who’s a writer I victim or a villain? Are the supposed horrors that she deeply admire, and that’s presented by Writer’s and her carer are running from best forgotten? These Victoria Celebrating 30 Years and we’re discussing are the questions Pomare explores as he takes on ‘The State of Writing’. We [Pomare, Birch, Kirstyn the perspective of seventeen-year-old Kate Bennet. McDermott, and Alicia Sometimes] represent four “It seems to come easier than most people would different generations of writers and it will be a lot think,” he says of writing from this perspective. “I’m of fun,” he explains.

30, so I’m not particularly young or particularly old, It’s the panel discussion on Saturday morning, but I can still access my own memories from that ‘Writing about Men and Violence in the Contemporary time and I wasn’t so far removed from this digital Thriller’ that will see some thought-provoking age. I grew up with cellphones and things like that so discussions take place, as the authors deliberate I experienced some of that connectedness. charismatic male characters committing violence “It wasn’t entirely difficult to tap into the character. against women in a staple element in thrillers, and The challenge was just making sure I didn’t get it how this stacks up today in the #MeToo era. too wrong.”

“I’m speaking with Jock Serong and Sarah Bailey.

With his riveting debut novel in tow, Pomare, along They’re two crime writers I really admire as well and with a slew of renowned authors and guest speakers, we’re talking about gender violence which is a really are gearing up for a weekend in Clunes celebrating important conversation that should be happening books and the great conversations and big ideas that right now; on how violence is represented in fiction. come from them.

Jock and Sarah are both, again, extraordinarily For the uninitiated, Clunes is one of the fortunate talented writers.” few towns across the globe – the only one nationwide Alongside these discussions, Pomare will also – that is dubbed a ‘Booktown’; a small, regional, join a panel discussion ‘New Voices and Smart New community-focused town with a concentration of Writing’ alongside Robbie Arnott and Sarah Epstein booksellers. that afternoon.

If you’re a fan of bestsellers such as Gone Girl, Spending time in the amiable, historic town Delving into a number of other trending topics Before I Go to Sleep and Girl on the Train, Clunes moments between landing a publishing deal, and his such as our current political climate, slowing down Booktown Festival are featuring an exciting exquisite literary chiller stocking the shelves, Pomare at home, and modern-day feminism, this year’s new Australian voice you need to know about was genuinely enticed by the quaint booktown.

Festival promises intriguing tales and talks to open - Melbourne-based crime writer Joshua Pomare.

“The first time we [Pomare and his wife] visited, your mind.

New Zealand born author had publishers fighting we fell in love with it. We just wanted to live there, for the rights to his debut novel, psychological just from that very first time going down the main CLUNES BOOKTOWN FESTIVAL IS ON thriller Call Me Evie, which has been described as street and having a glass of wine with the locals,” he SATURDAY 4 AND SUNDAY 5 MAY AT a ‘razor sharp, claustrophobic and unputdownable’ explains. “The main reason that we love it so much is CLUNES, VICTORIA. TICKETS ARE $10 literary thriller. that it’s quiet and we can write and get away from the FROM CLUNESBOOKTOWN.COM.AU. “I didn’t know that it was a thriller when I was city. I’ll certainly be here writing book two.”

PHOTO BY JAMES HOWARTH writing it,” Pomare laughs. “You just write the story, While Pomare is a local to the humble town, this

CLUNES BOOKTOWN FESTIVAL

DENIS HILTON AND LIMBO ARE COMING TO HEAT UP COLD WINTER NIGHTS WRITTEN BY JORDYN WORKMAN Internationally recognised arts event company, Strut & Fret has announced the inaugural season of Spiegeltent Geelong presenting a world-class line up of cabaret, comedy and music at Johnstone Park from 30 May – 23 June.

Headlining the event is the crowd favourite and world-renowned adults only circus and cabaret act LIMBO. Before its arrival we spoke to Australian dancer, choreographer and entertainment jack of all trades, Hilton Denis. He has been touring around the world with LIMBO for the past six years and through this one of a kind show he has been able to do what he loves and see the world. Tough gig huh?

If you think you’ve heard his name before, you might be right, as he has an impressive and extensive list of dancing credits. Although he is probably best known for making the Top 20 on So You Think You Can Dance, Denis has also danced in the Australian leg of famous musical West Side Story and in concert for artists such as Timomatic, Kesha and Janet Jackson.

Over his six years at LIMBO, Denis has been able to continuously adapt his role with the company, 38

which he says allows him to stay motivated in his performances through the years. He also speaks extremely highly of his cast members stating “I get to meet all these skillful individuals that are happy to share their skills with me. I get to collaborate with people I would normally never meet or get to collaborate with and we can skill swap and share”.

Let me just preface this by saying that if you have seen any of the images for LIMBO you’ll notice there is an abundance of impressive, physically demanding acts to be seen. When asked if he had partaken in any of this aforementioned skill swapping, Denis said “Sword swallowing, fire breathing, I give that one a miss. I’ve tried Chinese pole and handstands, that’s more down my alley”.

In an attempt to try and find a single speck of human-like weakness in this man, I asked what his most challenging act was, to which he responded with just the casual balancing of one of his cast mates Danik, on HIS HEAD. I mean honestly is there anything this man can’t do?

With his list of talents never in question, I thought it would be interesting to see what his favourite act to perform live is, to which he responded “I’m just one of those dudes who loves doing everything. My background is obviously dance and acrobatics but then throughout all of the things I’ve done I’ve just picked up different skills. Now, I consider myself a musician as well and also learning another aerial art. I’m just one of those dudes that like to do it all you know? But Tap is my number one I would say.”

As he continued to speak with great passion about his performance capabilities he even drops a bomb on me that he is looking to start a music career and has a “soulful hip hop” album in the works with his band, which just so happens to be made up of more talented Denis family members. So, it seems talent, creativity and passion run deep within the Denis bloodlines!

For anyone looking to head along to the see LIMBO, you can trust Hilton Denis when he says audiences can expect something they’ve never seen before from a show that is “filled with a bunch of very talented individuals with really different skill sets, so you’re gonna see a lot of highly skilled people from all over the world in a one of a kind show”.

TIX VIA WWW.SPIEGELTENTGEELONG.COM

RON AND HIS HIGGLEDY-PIGGLEDY GIGGLE-DY THE COMIC’S LOUNGE, MELBOURNE - THURSDAY APRIL 18 AS PART OF THE MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL WRITTEN BY SAM YOUNG PHOTO BY REBECCA PIMM We know Ron Funches isn’t a rat. That is quite obvious. We also know rats weren’t purchasing tickets to Ron’s comedy gig. They have a life time membership to any gig they want. A tiny bar where shot glasses are pints. An unlimited supply of Bertie Beetle showbags to dine on. More on that another day. What we may not know is that when rats play, they giggle. We just can’t hear it. So when Ron is up on stage applying his craft and we see him giggling, it would be remiss of us to ignore the possibility that he is in actuality, a rat. Alas, Ron is not a rat and comedy fans everywhere are fortunate for that.

On his first Australian tour, the laid back comedian weaves a story with his unique voice. Delving deep into the plethora of jokes from his perspicacious observations. He is genuinely happy when a joke lands that he was unsure about.

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THE WIZARD’S ANNUAL BOOK FAIR WRITTEN BY NASEEM RADMEHR The time has come for another year of The Wizard’s Annual Book Fair.

Make your way to Messengers Hall in Soldiers Hill to experience thousands of cherished books, comics, mags, and records.

There will also be some vintage treasures for all you antique-lovers, including old paintings, gramophones, football memorabilia, Victorian furniture, record players, and even early Disney stuff.

If you’re looking to get into vinyl, now might be the perfect time with some portable record players on offer, as well as the countless 33, 45 and 78 records. Who knows what you’ll end up with!

Just remember, everyone knows that the best bargains are buried at the bottom of that box at the back of the hall so don’t be afraid to do a little digging. You need to earn those hidden gems you’re looking for, and sometimes with a little TLC, those dusty titles will be your favourites in the collection.

One thing’s for sure, though: there is something to suit everyone’s taste, style and budget…

Get down to the Messenger Hall, 235 Lydiard Street North, Soldiers Hill on May 4 (10am – 5pm) and May 5 (10am – 4pm) to find your old-new treasure.

The Wizards Book Fair will be held at Messengers Hall with thousands of books, magazines, comics, 33, 45 and 78 records, and items of ephemera to suit all price ranges and tastes including first editions of ‘Horrie the wog dog’’ headhunters of the coral sea; and early Disney.

The paraphernalia will include some football related items, valve radios, a Victorian mahogany metamorphic card table,a Victorian mahogany tilt-top wine table,period hall-stands,display case/bookshelf/cupboards,a 1902 model k27 singer leather work sewing machine with original cast base,gramophones,portable record players,posters,prints and some paintings etcetera.

IN CONJUNCTION WITH LYDIARD FURNITURE AND ANTIQUES.

Ron’s favourite phrase is higgledy-piggledy. This doesn’t interfere with his natural ability to engage with the audience. His favourite person on TV is Mary Berry from the Great British Bake-Off which brings Ron to his thoughts on the ridiculous snack we eat here, Shapes. We’ve all devoured a box whilst drinking a two litre bottle of apple and guava juice. Right?

Right. He loves our Seinfeld themed restaurant, George’s. He doesn’t know why, but he loves that.

At twenty, Ron was married and had a child. He completed that marriage by the age of twenty seven.

When it is possible, he brings his autistic son on tour with him. He absolutely adores him. Even when his son sits around the hotel room, disrobed, eating pizza with extra hot cheesy sauce and refuses to cover up, he adores him. Ron just can’t help but giggle when he advises his son to cover up time and time again and the extra hot cheesy sauce drips from the pizza, straight onto his, give us a minute. The extra hot cheesy sauce missed the twig and lands directly onto his sons berries. It could be some time before they eat pizza again. Ron’s friend Gabe who was with them, may never see another slice.

Wrestling is a love of Ron’s and with Dwayne ‘THE ROCK’ Johnson on his mind, he elaborates about his future. He may have been at his best portraying Jack Bruno in ‘Race To Witch Mountain’ but if The Rock can somehow manage to forgo his promising acting career, Ron firmly believes he can be the next President of the U.S.A. It may seem a bit higgledypiggledy to most, but as Ron casually walks around the stage taking a sip of lemon infused water, the belief in the room grows.

Ron loves seeing the expression on the Uber driver when they see his house and as he walks in to play video games, his Mum exits the pool house. Main house privileges aren’t forthcoming any time soon.

Worry not, she can visit occasionally. Ron is thirty six.

This is the bubbly, talented comedian Ron Funches.

If you were unable to see him this tour, write his name down on the back of your next pizza box. Just be careful you don’t lose his name with the extra cheesy hot sauce.

AUSTRALIAN COMEDY LEGEND STEVE HUGHES WRITTEN BY LIAM MCNALLY The heavy-metal comedian is back. Back in Australia, back to performing and back with a new show that sounds like it’s going to be as divisive as ever. He’s doing a run of shows around the country starting in early May, so we had a chat to him about a bunch of stuff, from his love of music, his mental health, and his new show. He had some pretty strong opinions on the whole lot. Strap in…

First up, on music: I got into Iron Maiden in 1982, I went and saw the number of the beast tour and it fucking blew my mind and I just became obsessed with metal… I was just always looking for the heaviest music I could find.

Started to tape trade back in the day in the early ‘80s. I’d write to Metal Forces, those English mags… then Kill ‘Em All [studio album by Metallica] came out and I just went ‘That’s. Fuckin’. It.’ I’d played drums before I got into metal; I used to know these two English guys when I was like 15, and there was one who sort of played guitar, and one who sort of played bass. I went ‘well I want to play,’ so I got a drum kit. One of the English guys was really interesting, we’d sit up and watch those fucking music shows all night. He was really into punk… But he hated metal. But then I saw Run To The Hills [Iron Maiden] on TV and went ‘Ah, fuck.

I’m hooked’. I met Mick Burke at school… and we made Slaughter Lord.

On transitioning from music to comedy: I always was into comedy too. I can still remember a day when we were sitting around listening to Bonded

By Blood by Exodus [1985], Hell Awaits by Slayer [1985], and then a Bill Cosby record… Metals heads generally have a good sense of humour, they’re funny people. Well, I mean who doesn’t like laughing?

Music is fucking great; I love it more than comedy...

But bands are fucking hard. I thought if I did this [comedy], I don’t have to deal with anyone else. I started gigging in Sydney and went ‘Okay, well I’m alright at this.’ I’d always wanted my bands to go overseas but it was hard getting it to happen, I thought ‘well now I don’t have a band, so I’ve got to do something.’ I just packed up and went ‘right, let’s go to fucking England.’ And the rest is history.

Then I got ensconced with being in Europe; to an Australian, it’s like being in Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory - tons of fucking work, big tours, and every fucking band you’ve ever wanted to see.

On his hiatus and mental health: I just basically had a fucking burnout; worked too hard, taking drugs... Not like an addict, sometimes not for fucking weeks or months, but pile that on top of working nights for thirty years, with 60-70 day tours, not getting breaks, not enough sleep, eating fuckin’ muffins at a servo at midnight, drinkin’ four cups of coffee a day, driving, travelling, getting on a plane, changing time zones, not getting enough sleep and not dealing with underlying trauma from my childhood which I should’ve fuckin’ dealt with.

It just kind of sits there and builds up over decades until finally that kind of coalesced.

I had warnings; my body and brain gave me warnings over the years. ‘Here’s a little taste, oh, nah we’ll fix you again’. And I thought ‘oh yeah nah I got away with that’. Well, one day you won’t get away with it, and that day came, and what a c*nt of a day it was because it went for years. So best to heed the warning of your brain and body if they decide to give you a little ‘ah, I’d sit down and have a look at yourself if I were you!’ I’ve learnt the warning signs now.

[As for] performing, I’ve been doing it for so long now, and I love it. If I feel good, I just get back into it no worries. I’ve realised I can’t live like Lemmy [AKA Ian Fraser Kilmister, Motörhead]. There’s only one Lemmy. ‘Take a break Steve! Eat some spirulina and play some golf!’ But I don’t like golf... ‘yeah, but you’re gonna die!’

Lastly, on his new show: This show, it’s, well like I fuckin’ said 12 years ago doing comedy when political correctness started going mental, you know, you better watch out for this fuckin’ stuff, this is really fuckin’ bad! The worst thing is as soon as I have a fuckin’ breakdown at the end of 2013, everyone starts waking up to it. I’m like Venom, who invented thrash metal but didn’t get any of the fuckin’ glory because Metallica kicked their arse afterward.

I’m going to approach it from all those angles: feminism and the LGBT’s and the fuckin’ political correctness and people running around thinking they can close everybody down for talking because you don’t agree with them.

I mean, we had the militant vegans chaining themselves to trams yesterday in Melbourne!

They’ve turned fuckin’ vegans into vigilantes. Jesus Christ, these people were sitting around drinking spirulina and eating tofu and now they’ve all gone militant. Hippies might have always been outliers, but they certainly didn’t form vigilante groups when I was growing up. They just sat in the bush and played bongos and ate fuckin’ salad… and took a lot of drugs. They’ve turned everybody into a victim group, haven’t they? They’ve armed them with the flaming torch of vengeance against the evil white man. So, I’m like, well, we can’t have this, this is ridiculous!

Funny thing is, I’ve always been a kind of lefty my whole life. I never gave a fuck if you were gay or from another race, I didn’t give a shit. But now people have gone mental. So, they have to have some jokes written about them because I know they get very upset about jokes... Which really, they shouldn’t be.

So yeah, we’ll be tackling that lot.

CATCH STEVE ON SATURDAY, MAY 18 AT ATHENAEUM THEATRE, MELBOURNE. TICKETS FROM ATHENAEUMTHEATRE.COM. AU OR PREMIER.TICKETEK.COM.AU

´

IN CONVERSATION WITH MIRANDA TAPSELL AND GWILYM LEE WRITTEN BY ANTHONY MORRIS PHOTO BY JOHN PLATT PHOTOGRAPHY Miranda Tapsell is excited about what she’s managed to achieve with Top End Wedding. “I’m really glad we got to show a more in-depth view of what the Territory is, it’s more than just 4X, mosquitos, and bing tang singlets.”

As the star and co-writer of the rom-com set in the Northern Territory, she’s got a lot to be excited about; it’s a smart, funny film with real heart to it, a rare example of an Australian big-screen romance that finds comedy in a real drama – in this case, the mother of Miranda’s character goes missing just as she and Ned (Gwilym Lee) are about to get married.

There’s only one way to track her down: road trip.

Miranda’s best known for her work in The Sapphires (which was directed by Top End Wedding director Wayne Blair) and Love Child. This was her first screenplay – but not her first stab at writing.

“I had been writing before, because I realised like, acting is my only trade, and I haven’t figured out a backup plan at all. But I often gave up on myself - I was often very judgemental of my own writing.

That’s why I was so grateful to meet [co-writer] Josh Tyler, because he assured me that, because I knew the Territory, and because I knew rom-coms, and because I’d been acting for so long, that I knew how to write this story.”

As a rom-com fan, she had a lot of films in mind when it came time to write her own “All the classics! Four Weddings and a Funeral, My Big Fat Greek Wedding – basically, all the films with Wedding in it. I think the thing that was tricky though was that the films that I watch, the people in them don’t look like me. That was the biggest challenge for me – I was trying to translate how I’d live my life up in the Territory and how I believe the world to be and put that on the page. That was the biggest challenge I think, how to make my gaze make sense to an audience that might not have been up to the Territory before or have met that community.”

A big part of that process was showing the Territory she knew to her co-writer.

“Josh had been to the Territory before, but he said ‘I want to be there with you, I want to hear what you have to say about it. So I was basically his tour guide,

Forté 713

I took him to all the places I grew up in in Kakadu, and I also got to really understand my family tree on the Tiwi Islands – I knew I had relatives over there, but I really got to break down who were aunties, who were my cousins and so on. So, we really did get to go on this journey together.”

For Gwilym (most recently seen as Brian May in Bohemian Rhapsody), the script couldn’t have arrived at a better time. “I read it at the end of 2017 in the cold dark London winter and just reading about these scenes set in the warm sunshine of the Australian outback really got me excited,” he says with a laugh.

The chance to do a rom-com with a twist was also a definite plus. “There’s something comforting about knowing the format, knowing the kind of template of the rom-com, and there’s a lot of fun to be had playing around with those tropes, which this film does. But seeing this rom-com told through this sort of Aboriginal lens, and seeing this landscape described in the script, that was something that really excited me.”

It wasn’t until he had the chance to meet Miranda that he realised just how important this project was.

“She was travelling around Europe at the time and she very kindly agreed to meet up with me in London and there seemed to be a spark between us, there was this kind of fun and playfulness which was great. But I also recognised this was such a personal project for her and there was so much of her passion driving the project, I just wanted to be a part of it.”

While filming Top End Wedding wasn’t his first visit to Australia, it was his first visit where he went beyond the usual tourist locations. “You definitely get a deeper sense of a place when people invite you into their lives”. But that fish out of water element was a big help when it came to playing Ned. “You allow life to inform the art. You get the cameras rolling when you see the landscape for the first time and there’s no acting required really.”

It’s the landscape, and the culture of the people living there, that’s at the centre of this film – and that, in a lot of ways, gives the film its soul. “I think it was important for this film to tell non-Indigenous audiences that being pro-aboriginal doesn’t exclude anyone who came to Australia, but it is something that’s inherent to Australia,” say Miranda. “You can’t speak about Australia without speaking about Indigenous knowledge.”

TOP END WEDDING OPENS IN CINEMAS MAY 2

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THE KINDERGARTEN TEACHER

THE CURSE OF THE WEEPING WOMAN

Staten Island kindergarten teacher Lisa Spinelli (Maggie Gyllenhaal) leads a life of quiet desperation. Her marriage is solid but passionless, her children are moving on and her job feels like glorified babysitting. Poetry should be her outlet, but her regular group dismisses her work – until she overhears one of her pupils reciting a poem he made up and she presents it as her own. The group loves it, and she encourages her student to develop his talent… but soon her encouragement starts to take on a more overbearing tone. Israeli writer-director Sara Colangelo’s US remake of her own 2014 film shifts the focus from the student to the teacher, creating a memorable look at a woman’s attempts to find meaning in her life – even when that meaning is at a distance. Gyllenhaal gives a compelling performance here as an increasingly desperate woman; her situation may be extreme, but her plight is all too relatable.

It doesn’t take much to get a spinoff in the Conjuring franchise. First Annabelle the evil doll got her own series (with a third movie due later this year), then that creepy nun from a painting had an origin story, and now the Weeping Woman gets her time to shine in a solo outing. Where The Nun borrowed heavily from Italian horror films and gothic thrillers, The Curse of the Weeping Woman returns to more familiar ground with a fairly standard haunting set in the 70s (which was we all know, was the scariest decade ever). Linda Cardellini is Anna Garcia, a single mum working as a social worker who steps in when she finds one of her clients has her children locked in a cupboard. Turns out that was to protect them from evil spirit La Llorona, who promptly drowns the kids then turns her evil gaze on Anna’s kids. There’s nothing surprising or original going on here, but this does manage to deliver a few decent jump scares and a handful of creepy images, which is about all you can really expect. Cardellini’s solid performance provides at least some reason to care about the usual slamming doors and spooky corridors, but as curses go this one’s pretty mild.

LITTLE

HELLBOY

GLORIA BELL

After a high school humiliation drove her to swear she’d always be the boss, Jordan Sanders (Regina Hall) is now the ruthless owner of her own tech company where she makes her employees lives – and the lives of everyone else around her – a living hell. Bearing most of the brunt is her assistant April (Issa Rae), who wants to design apps but is too scared to face the insults she knows Jordan will send her way. Then Jordan insults a little kid doing magic tricks in the company forecourt, and with a simple “I wish you were little” Jordan wakes up her 13-year-old self (Marsai Martin). That doesn’t stop her from trying to run her company, but it soon becomes clear April’s going to have to step up and Jordan’s going back to high school while they both try to find a cure. As body swap comedies go this is a bit all over the place; while lessons are learnt, this is as much about having fun with the idea as recapturing the magic of childhood or whatever. While some scenes are hilarious, others stumble (we probably didn’t need quite so many scenes with a teen thirsting for grown men).

The cast are all great though; they manage to do a lot with this Little.

This version of Hellboy has been sold as a reboot, and to be fair it actually does present a slightly different vision of the character than the one seen in the two earlier, better films by Guillermo del Toro: this Hellboy (David Harbour) works solo for much of the film, feels a little more sullen and has more of a heavy metal vibe. The story involves bad guys putting together the pieces of the Blood Queen (Milla Jovovich), who was chopped up by King Arthur in an amusingly over-the-top opening scene. But it also involves Hellboy being in a funk, being attacked by people who think he’s set to bring about the end of the world, being set up by an old enemy, making new friends, fighting a bunch of side monsters who just happen to be passing by, and after a while none of it really seems to matter. Director Neil Marshall, working from an overstuffed script

by Andrew Cosby, throws just about everything at the wall here, mostly body parts - this is definitely going for a hard-R when it comes to gore but Marshall never manages to get the tone right. Big moments slip away and important plot points are undersold: at least the monsters look kind of cool.

Twelve years divorced but still keen to make a connection (and maybe even find love), Gloria Bell (Julianne Moore) is a regular at LA’s matureage discos in between working at a dull office job and the many small moments that make up her days. She spends time when she can with her kids (Michael Cera and Caren Pistorius) but they’re both moving on in their lives; her upstairs neighbour is a ranting nuisance and a hairless cat (probably his) keeps finding its way into her kitchen. Then she meets former marine and paintball park owner Arnold (John Turturro) and tentatively they begin a relationship – but will he be able to escape his clingy family? Does he even want to? If you’ve seen Chilean writer-director Sebastián Lelio’s 2013 film Gloria, you know the answer; his English-language re-imagining sticks close to his original plot, but has a looser, more free-spirited feel (plus a booming 70s-heavy soundtrack). The big set-pieces are more comedic with some decent laughs, but there’s a note of desperation here too, and Moore – who gives a luminous, deeply felt performance as a woman determined not to let life break her – never stumbles even when her character finds herself on shaky ground.

REVIEWS BY ANTHONY MORRIS

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The Dead Man soundtrack (A film by Jim Jarmusch) has become an iconic album since it was released in 1996. It’s unique in the Neil Young back catalogue as it is the only solo electric album he’s done in his 50 plus year career. Aided in part by the film’s star Johnny Depp reading the poetry of William Blake. The starkness of the music resonates with the starkness of the film.

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T hu 1 8 t h 3 . 3 0 p m & 8 . 3 0 p m Fri 19th 11am & 6pm Sat 20th 8.30pm Sun 21st 6pm Mon 22nd 1.20pm & 6pm Tue 23rd 3.30pm & 8.20pm We d 2 4 t h 1 . 3 0 p m Thu 25th 8pm Fri 26th 3.30pm Sat 27th 11am & 6pm Sun 28th 8.15pm M o n 2 9 t h 7. 3 0 p m Tue 30th 3.30pm Wed 1st May 5 . 4 0 p m

T hu 1 8 t h 11am & 6pm Fri 19th 8.30pm Sat 20th 1pm Sun 21st 11am Mon 22nd 8.30pm Tue 23rd 1pm We d 2 4 t h 1 1 a m & 8pm $15 TIX Thu 25th 1pm Fri 26th 11am Sat 27th 1.30pm & 8.30pm Sun 28th 5.40pm Mon 29th 1pm Tue 30th 11am & 8pm Wed 1st May 1 p m Thu 2nd May 11am & 5.30pm F r i 3 r d May 3 . 3 0 p m

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Thu 18th 1.30pm Sat 20th 11am Sun 21st 4pm Tue 23rd 11am We d 2 4 t h 4 p m Fri 26th 6pm Mon 29th 3.30pm Wed 1st May 1 1 a m

S PA I N 1 2 3 m i n s M y s t e r y / D r a m a M

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AUSTRALIA / INDIA 118mins Thriller M

Fri 19th 3.40pm Sat 20th 6pm Mon 22nd 11am Tue 23rd 6pm T hu 25th 3.30pm S u n 2 8 t h 1 . 1 5 p m FINAL

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N E W U N I T E D S TAT E S 9 7 m i n s D r a m a M

T hu 2 5 t h 1 1 a m & 6 p m Fri 26th 1.30pm & 8pm Sat 27th 4pm Sun 28th 11am & 3.45pm Mon 29th 11am & 5.30pm Tue 30th 1.30pm & 6pm CARMEN W ed 1st May 3 . 3 0 p m & 8 p m Met Opera HD Live Running Time approx 3hrs T h u 2nd May 1 . 3 0 p m Sat 4th & Tues 7th May 1 0 a m F r i 3 r d May 1 1 a m & 8 p m

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• WE HAVE MOVED TO 99 KEPLER STREET, WARRNAMBOOL •

the slightly softer side of his repertoire, the dude definitely still has his voice, which you could hear over the crowd singing along every word. ‘I’m Sick Of You’ sounded massive and dramatic, building to when the guitars go nuts halfway through the track, it was one of my unexpected favourites of the night.

At one-point, Iggy mentioned he was in Australia exactly forty years ago and was ‘rude to a TV presenter,’ referencing an infamous Molly Meldrum interview. He then went into a story about his drug use, saying he was approaching thirty and new it wasn’t sustainable.

He wrote down all the things that make him want to get fucked up and wrote a poem about it. A recording buddy stole the poem, which he had hidden under his bed, and that’s how ‘Some Weird Sin’ became a song, which he launched into next.

‘Search and Destroy’ had the crowd in a frenzy, a cover of Bowie’s ‘The Jean Genie’ showed off Iggy’s wicked dance moved, then 1969 was back to frenzy.

‘No Fun’ saw the audience swarm the stage, a few dozen of the audience helped up by the bouncers and everybody partied alongside the legend which was super cool. Amongst that crowd, I saw three counts of embarrassing air-guitar; two counts of people doing nothing but trying to get a good selfie; many instances of inappropriate groping of Iggy; and only one instance of a man refusing to leave the stage afterward and being head locked and dragged away.

Pretty good stats.

He sang ‘Real Wild One’ as his closer, and there wasn’t a moment of lull in the audience before he returned to encore with ‘Down On The Street’, which was amped, then as his actual last track was the only ‘Melbournian song he and the band knew’, an epic amped-up cover of ‘Red Right Hand’ by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.

Iggy was sung happy birthday twice during the show, once as a part of the set, he emerged in a cape and there were cannons and streamers and the band played along to the singing, and once earlier in the night, the crowd started an impromptu happy birthday. Some members of the crowd had organised to hold up a giant ‘happy birthday’ sign, too, he pointed it out and thanked the audience and said it ‘made his night’. I hope it did, and he enjoyed his 72nd because his performance was a mad-as-hell rock ‘n’ roll gift to everyone there.

Seeing the Cavalera brothers resurrect their early Sepultura works has been a contentious topic for a lot of people leading up to this tour. Some people have been jumping out of their skin to see this live finally after never getting the chance, and others have been brutally judgemental of the brothers and fully expected them to come out as flat and lifeless versions of their former titanic standing of 20+ years ago. There was one thing for sure though, we were going to get to see the early material from their benchmark speed metal albums ‘Beneath The Remains’ and ‘Arise’ performed live and without polish, and that for me was enough to want to check it out.

Once again thanks to the perils of Melbourne CBD peak hour traffic, I managed to turn up a song or two into the support act ‘Primitive’. I will openly admit, as well versed in the local Melbourne metal scene as I am, I had never seen nor really heard of this band going into the show. Their style is somewhat reminiscent of, I would say, Machine Head blended

in with some Mastodon and some Testament for the extra thrashy moments. They were tight, engaged and energetic and they really enjoyed being a part of this show and the quickly gathering crowd was very appreciative of their work.

Once the stage went dark, my 14 year old self took over and the excitement started to build in the room. I don’t think I saw a single person that looked under 30 years old in the sold out crowd, but there was a room full of smiling faces once Igor Cavalera mounted the kit and the intro to ‘Beneath The Remains’ started.

The expectations of this show going in were pretty limited, and I’ll admit I was one of the ones that thought this might very well be “just a bit of nostalgic fun” and that Max and Igor may not be up to the capacity required to nail these songs live. Oh boy... was I wrong. Max was energetic, Igor was playing fast and tight. The biggest highlight outside the obvious though was the flawless playing of Marc Rizzo filling the role of Andreas Kisser for this tour. He is a phenomenal player, and was spectacular in replicating the solos from the albums exactly to the note.

Pummelling through the majority of the tracks on both ‘Beneath The Remains’ and ‘Arise’ with little to no breaks, there was no doubting that even if the brothers are no longer playing in Sepultura, they are still the absolutely undoubted heart and soul of the songs and the essence of the band from the glory days. “Beneath The Remains” lifted the room to frenzy level from the get go, “Desperate Cry” was almost an entire room of collective karaoke, “Mass Hypnosis” was frantic and super heavy. There were no doubts now that we were in for a show at a level worthy of these classic albums.

Once the final notes of “Infected Voice” echoed out, we were treated to some covers and a few bonus treats. Tributing both Lemmy and Bon Scott, they ran through ‘Orgasmatron’ and their own version of ‘Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap’ with a thrashed out ending especially for the Australian tour. Closing with ‘Troops of Doom’, ‘Refuse/Resist’ and a short medley of the earlier played tracks, the crowd were all smiles and excitement. Everyone left the venue openly and loudly discussing how awesome a show it was. Maybe their teenage selves were still present at the time too, and as excited and satisfied as I was.

AMON AMARTH

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The Beauty In Tragedy

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IGGY POP: LIVE IN MELBOURNE REVIEWED BY LIAM MCNALLY PHOTO BY JOHN RAPTIS The Godfather of punk returned to Festival Hall in Melbourne over the Easter long weekend. It was the legends 72nd birthday that day, and he still belts loud enough to wake up sweet baby Jesus a day early.

The Chats opened the show, the honour of which the band mentioned had them feeling like they were ‘ready to retire tomorrow’. The dirty young fellas did a good job of getting the crowd amped up with their very Australian brand of rag-tag punk. Their underground hit, ‘Smoko’, and new single ‘Pub Feed’ had the mosh jumping around and chanting along as the fashionably-late crowd were still filling up their seats at the back.

When Iggy emerged, backdropped against some strange dramatic sounds and a sickly blue-green light, he launched straight into ‘I Wanna Be Your Dog’.

The massive energy of the songs fuzzy guitars got the crowd absolutely frothing straight off the bat. He was shirtless from the get-go, which makes sense, I don’t think Iggy has owned a shirt since the late ’60s. His body looks a bit like leather stretched out over a few match-sticks, but for a 72-year-old who’s done the shit he has? Super tight rig.

Shortly after was ‘The Passenger’, which showed

It’s no secret that my taste in metal lies mainly Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes third studio album in the underground, with a sprinkling of melody and End of Suffering is an aptly named rock’n’ rollercoaster I can even be open to the clean singing if it is done of highs and lows. Named after the Buddhist term for well. Amon Amarth have just never grabbed me, so ‘enlightenment’, the album successfully reflects that full disclosure here that I’m not one of the mega fans. message showing substantial emotional growth and One of the standouts in their sound is the crushing musical progression from their previous releases. and driving rhythm section, and ‘Berserker’ is no The album was made over just a six month period exception. The drums and bass are produced almost in gloomy England, however, the range of emotion as if they were one instrument, being that they are so and lyrical honesty makes it feel as if it encompasses tightly locked in they almost come across as the same a much larger space of time. source. Bottom line is that the production on ‘Berserker’ Throughout the album, Frank Carter’s vocals is incredible. Huge sounding tone, fat bottom end, and seem to dance around guitar riffs and beating drums the vocals are absolutely elite in delivery which is to delivering powerful messages of love, heartbreak be expected from a seasoned monster like Johan Hegg. and despair. Catchy opening track ‘Why A Butterfly Listening to ‘Berserker’ I was pleasantly engaged Cant Love A Spider’ drives the album along with hard throughout the album. The quality of their anthemic beating percussion during its sometimes meandering songwriting, and I dare say the intentional approach melancholic songs. to it, draws you in to these big emotive passages that The songs ‘Anxiety’ and ‘Angel Wings’ sensitively build up to their crescendo before getting back to the touch on the grungier points of life discussing mental next gritty riffing section or intricate melody. Probably illness and a tendency to self-medicate with drugs the biggest standout is the track ‘Ironside’ which starts and alcohol. Despite the large array of lows discussed out sounding more like a Golden Axe campfire song, in this album, there are even greater highs. The most before launching into the chord driven melody and notable of which is a huge feature from musical god storytelling that Amon Amarth are so excellent at and Rage Against the Machine legend Tom Morello on producing time after time. the track ‘Tyrant King’.

Surprisingly ‘Berserker’ is a much more honest sounding record than previous outings. This is not an album you will wane in attention through, nor is it one that requires skipping tracks.

MAX & IGOR CAVALERA WHERE: 170 RUSSELL, MELBOURNE WHEN: THURSDAY 21 MARCH REVIEWED BY CHRIS MCEWIN PHOTOGRAPHED BY WILLIAM ADAM RUSS

On Diamond has gracefully dropped their selfThe Beauty In Tragedy sees Awaken I Am take titled debut album, featuring eight new tracks. The their whole sound into tender, anthemic, brave new angelic and diverse tunes matched with lead singer, territories, in a soul-crushing, emotional yet beautiful Lisa Salvo’s euphonious voice makes this album back- tribute to the band’s late brother and guitarist Connor to-back eargasms.

Verner-Oakley, whose life was cut short by the hands The first track, ‘The Ocean Floor’, got me hooked. of an intentional reckless driver last year.

The nature sounds in the background entwined The band hit the ground running with ‘Kin’, perfectly with the rest of the song and evoked an aura featuring a heavy guitar riff before exploding into of relaxation over me. It really sets the tone for the rest the cathartic revenge track fuelled by angry and bitter of the album – songs that tickle your mind and soul. lyrics, dedicated to the person responsible for taking The five-person band which also includes Scott Oakley’s life.

McConnachie on guitar, Hannah Cameron on guitar ‘By Your Side’, a track written with Oakley, slows and vocals, Maria Moles as the drummer, and Jules the pace, yet packs a punch with a combination of Pascoe as the bassist, sees every song being unique digitally produced synth-pop sounds, strong guitars and unravels a different message. and some serious vocal control from vocalist Jimmy ‘The Purple Palace’ is a more upbeat song that Stevenson, which is unsurprising with producer ponders on the notion of home, with Lisa reminiscing Taylor Larson (The Word Alive, Asking Alexandria) about the place she recorded many of her songs, only on board, and follows with ‘Dissolution’, the longestto realise The Purple Palace was a place within herself. known track on this EP (and sadly the final recording ‘Poison Blood’ has a heavier intro, with rough electric with their late guitarist). guitar, but is juxtaposed with Lisa’s smooth voice to There’s a painful delicateness to the closing track create a perfect blend.

‘The Stages of Grief’. The heartbreaking anthem is What makes On Diamond so pleasurable to listen ethereal in comparison to the rest of the EP, but by to besides their skilled melodies, is their freedom to no means does it lessen the emotion and power of express themselves. The songs flow to whatever feels the song’s narrative. The song has a catchy heavy natural, and the lyrics are so raw and unrefined. beat, compliments of drummer Luke McKenzie, who The album really is a breath of fresh air, and if it is enhances the emotional effect and impact of a song, any indication of where the band is headed, I for one giving it symphonic grandeur and tragedy which is will be sure to stay tuned! endemic of the EP’s mood.

Forté 713 711

43

WRITTEN BY ALASTAIR MCGIBBON

BLUES NEWS

WRITTEN BY JOHN (DR JOHN) LAMP

TOO HEAVY TO HUG

SURFBEAT

WRITTEN BY ANTHONY MORRIS

POP

PULP

WRITTEN BY PAUL S. TAYLOR

BY JOHN FOSS

Chris Lilley is back, and it’d probably be handy to know who sent out the invite because it wasn’t exactly like anyone was wondering where he’d gotten to these last few years.

It’s probably possible to argue that he simply went out of style, and therefore his return with Netflix’s Lunatics just might work out: after all, you have to go away before you come back, and for all we know a nostalgia-led revival of Ja’mie and Mr G might be just around the corner.

But it doesn’t take more than a few minutes into Lunatics to realise that Lilley simply isn’t aware enough to pull off that kind of career revival; there’s a subtle difference between bringing something back and simply doing the same old thing, and Lunatics is most definitely the same old same old.

Probably the best comparison is to his series Angry Boys, the mostly forgotten follow-up to Summer Heights High where Lilly played a wide range of characters with no real connection to each other; here he’s playing six characters who are all his usual grotesques – sullen sweary teens, over-confident small businessmen, horrible middle-aged woman running slightly pathetic scams, and so on.

It’s not that the show is completely unfunny; Lilley has remembered that his characters work best when they have someone to play off so pretty much all of them rapidly get a sidekick to work with, though Lilley’s fondness for working with untrained actors means they remain firmly in his shadow. And some of the jokes really do work – it’s just that there’s so little substance to this show that every moment that clicks is surrounded by ten minutes of aimless blather as Lilley riffs endlessly in character.

It’s remarkable how a man who’s had a fifteen year career making comedy on television hasn’t developed his sense of humour in any real way: this time he might have given up the blackface (oh wait, he was just “playing a character who happened to be black”) but we get a family with unnaturally large arses, a teen girl with giant legs and more than one scene where Lilley has his head put onto a topless woman’s body because he’s playing a former (female) porn star.

At least if you find swearing hysterically funny, you’re in luck, as the c-word is used as a punchline multiple times each episode – but then again, everything is used multiple times each episode, because Lilley (who hasn’t worked with a writer since Summer Heights High) is clearly just messing around on camera half the time.

The long-ish break since his last show might have helped people forget that Lunatics is just more of the same, except that his style of comedy is so old-fashioned now it’d feel stale even if he was a brandnew talent. Character-based mockumentaries are over, being “outrageous” and “shocking” is old news, and everything else he has to offer most people outgrew by the time they were fifteen.

It’s a comedy series in 2019 aimed at adults and full of hard-R language that’s set-in part at “Gayhurst Manor”; all this needs to be complete is a joke about poo and spoiler alert, there’s plenty of that here.

Hey gang! It’s that time of the week again – there’s a new issue of Forte, so I’ve emerged from the depths of corporate enslavement to ramble about comics until I’m forced to return to my proverbial box. This time around, I’ve picked up a frankly weird as hell book called Rumble, written by John Arcudi (B.P.R.D., The Mask) and drawn

by James Harren (B.P.R.D., Conan the Barbarian). Rumble is an otherworldly fantasy mixed with real life, and things get real weird, real quick.

Bobby is a down-on-his-luck bartender, who spends his time chatting to his regulars and wishing for a better life.

One of those regulars, Cogan, is a chatty yet mysterious bloke with a sizeable tab.

Most nights go by without incident, but when a scarecrow warrior god comes bursting through the door and shears off Cogan’s arm, sending him screaming into the night, Bobby thinks he’s going insane.

The warrior – Rathraq – explains that he’s seeking vengeance for a millennia-old conflict, and Cogan (actually a trickster god named Kagghan) was responsible for casting him from his body and betraying his people. With his mate Del in tow, Bobby has to work out how to get as far away from Rathraq and his crusade as quickly as possible – assuming some creature doesn’t eat him first.

So I did my best to summarise Rumble, right – and I’m honestly not sure it captures the full weirdness of it all. The story throws names, terms and people (gods?) at you full bore, and despite my love of complicated stories (Wheel of Time <3) I found it a bit hard to follow. Granted, that bombardment was turned into a joke two panels later, but it seemed a lot to throw at you in a short space of time. That said, as long as the main points – betrayal, casting a soul from its body, quest for vengeance etc – sink in, you’re pretty much good to go.

There’s a few vignettes scattered throughout the main story as well – a cat that gets possessed by something, then eats a lot, then explodes, and a heartwarming football-fetching hydra owned by a 6-armed man – but they’re tangential to the story at best. To be honest, I’m still trying to work out why the hell they were included in the first place. On the plus side, the hydra is surprisingly adorable.

I found it a little difficult to warm up to Bobby – pretty much all he does is whine, run away or complain – but given the bizarre circumstances he’s found himself in, I’m not entirely surprised at his reaction. Realistically, I’d probably end up doing the same thing. Interestingly, Del is a more engaging protagonist, despite apparently being thicker than a concrete slab.

He’s got heart, enthusiasm, and a baseball bat – and most importantly, when you put him and Rathraq together, you’ve basically got a buddy cop movie in the making.

All things considered, Rumble is an endearing – if bizarre – tale. While the story gets a little muddled in places, there are enough interesting threads to keep you going. If you like your stories off-kilter but intriguing, Rumble is definitely worth a look.

One thing you often hear me and others (especially in the blues, jazz area) go on about is jamming.

In this column, I thought I would run past some basics of jamming, if you have a musical interest it’s well worth participating in.

Jamming is like most things in music – it’s simple and it’s complex.

The good news is that it’s easy to get started, and virtually every jam I have seen has been welcoming to new musicians, especially those with something different to offer.

Recently Sleepy Hollow has had a cellist sitting in on the jam. Not exactly a traditional blues instrument, but why not? So here are some suggestions to make jamming great.

First up, listen. Jamming is about contributing, if you don’t listen, you won’t know what to contribute.

Play with people, don’t try to give a solo immediately. Once you are working in well, you’ll be given the nod.

Tell a story, go beyond scales or chord progressions. Practice your ideas before you come to the jam, you’ll soon have things moving Respect! Even when it’s down on the little stage under Trades Hall, it means something. If you want people to respect and listen, then respect the opportunity you have. This should be more than ego boosting.

Jamming is more than waiting to take a solo. It’s a band, you have to make it sound better by giving good support. Great musicians know this. One of my favourite recordings has Eric Clapton playing behind Wynton Marsalis while Taj Mahal is singing “Just a Closer Walk with Thee.” Three big names there, but most of the time, they’re filling the sound, making it magic.

Take your audience with you, have you found some new material? Come up with something that makes a new sound? Les Paul’s amazing guitar was new once, so was Roy Buchanan’s trademark Telecaster sound. Moonraisers do “Hotel California” as a reggae number, find Jake Shimabukuro and listen – you’ll never look at a ukulele the same way ever again.

Above all, if you love the music get up there, dig in, and go for it. Jams are usually good, but sometimes, not every time, you get the right mix of musicians, instruments, skills and material and it’s stunning!

Try the next SHBC jam, April 28th from 3pm round the back of Trades Hall.

Seeing as I’m getting to the “laid back” stage of life, I’ve become quite fond of a relaxing Sunday arvo session as a way of rounding out the weekend. Blue Sunday will be providing the musical courses at Pistol Pete’s on May 12th. They seem to have spent the past few months doing gigs anywhere but here, and it’s high overdue for a Sunday of blues from Blue Sunday.

Glenmaggie, Flemington, Warrnambool – now that’s hitting the high life! Enough Ron, time to get the band back here!

Anyhow, a challenge there for the musically inclined – try your hand in the jam. I’ll be happy to listen, then relax on a Sunday with a Blue Sunday.

Welcome to THTH, Forte’s premier source of all things heavy, hard, fast and metal.

They say imitation is the most sincerest form of flattery and in recent times we’ve seen a proliferation of church burnings in some parts, and let’s be honest here, it’s probably due to the recent release of the film Lords Of Chaos. The first person to be charged for two counts of arson (burning two churches) is in New Zealand, is a death metal drummer and there have been comments made on social media that he has a history of mental illness and his actions weren’t due to the metal scene or movies about the history of black metal in Norway in the early 90s.

Then a week later, a massive black metal fan, and fan of Varg Vikernes memes, in the US has been charged with burning three churches, and a fourth burnt church could be attributed to this guy, in the space of a fortnight. And now, at time of writing, the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris is ablaze, and the cause is unclear. Whilst there’s no hard evidence to suggest these guys who have been charged did this stuff based on a movie, it’s all a bit sus. Like, remember the time kids were warned to not go into sewers when the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were hugely popular? Yeah, this kinda feel like that. Also, I wonder if these two dudes went looking for the Turtles in the sewers when they were younger.

2018 RIP CURL PRO – THE FESTIVAL OF MICK The 2018 Rip Curl Pro at Bells Beach is one of the great sporting events in Australia. People travel from around the country to sit on gritty sand at Bells and watch the world’s best surfers go crazy in big gnarly waves for the chance to ring that big old Bell in front of thousands of screaming fans.

Bells is always a big party but this year was going to be different. This year Bells featured the Festival Of Mick.

Early in the year three times world surfing champion and four times Bells winner Mick Fanning announced that this years Bells would be his last ever professional surfing contest. Immediately social media lit up and the phones at accommodation places in Torquay started running hot. Easter 2018 would be Mick’s last chance to boogy at Bells... it was the place to be in 2018.

Fanning started the event with a not that convincing win in Round 1. The waves were good but he lacked rhythm and flair. The event site was chockers as people poured into the Bells Beach Surfing Recreation Reserve for one last look at Mick and the hope he would make the final.

Driving to Bells you passed professional and hand made signs declaring peoples love for Mick. During the next two rounds he just scrapped through and didn’t seem to know how to get out of second gear. Still he was winning and everyone was stoked.

Mick was in his last professional contest and we all wanted it to go on as long as possible.

Finals day dawned and the surf was now pumping at Bells. Solid 6-8 foot waves rolled in through the morning darkness before unloading on the Bells reef. Semifinal 1# saw Mick defeat Californian Pat Gudauskas with two solid rides over 8.0.

Mick was displaying the passion and power of old. Speed down the line, huge top turns and wave gouging cutbacks. It was pretty exciting to see and the large crowd on the beach was loving every minute of it.

The Wmone’s final was held next.. momentarily interrupted by a roar from the beach as Mick ran down the steps and onto the sand at Bells for the last time.

Mick started off slow in the final while Italo Ferreira from Brazil opened with one okay and one terrible ride. Mick got better mid heat posting an 8.10 after riding a large wave to the beach. The crowd was ecstatic.

Would he win his last professional event, would he become the first surfer to win five Bells contests?

It all looked likely as Mick held the lead towards the end of the heat but then came the sliding door moment. Italo paddled for a solid wave and Mick holding priority let him have it. Italo went into a frenzy blasting three solid off the top turns before falling off in the shorebreak. The crowd was stunned as the judges awarded what was a good wave (but not a great wave) 8.33.

Mick sat and waited for another high scoring wave but with three minutes to go it never came. The siren sounded, Italo exploded with joy and Mick caught one last ride into the beach, to be greeted by hundreds of fans.

One of the greatest careers in professional surfing was over. The Festival of Mick had delivered (almost!)

In other news ++ At The Gates, The Haunted and Witchery will be at Melbourne’s Max Watts on Saturday April 27. ++ Sevendust will play the Forum on Saturday April 27. ++ Boris The Blade have announced their farewell tour and will play the Evelyn Hotel on Friday May 3 to a sold out crowd, and a second Melbourne show at the Workers Club on Thursday May 2. ++ Hypocrisy, with special guests Kataklysm, will be at 170 Russell on Sunday May 5. ++ Ne Obliviscaris with special guests Rivers Of Nihil, Caligula’s Horse and Allagaeon will play 170 Russell on Friday May 10. ++ Cult Of Fire will play their only show of their current tour at Melbourne’s Max Watts on Tuesday May 28. ++ Darkthrone will release their new album Old Star on Friday May 31. ++ Destoryer 666 with special guests Bolzer will play Melbourne’s Max Watts on Saturday June 1. ++ Karnivool will play at The Croxton in Melbourne on Wednesday June 5. ++ Rings Of Saturn will be at Melbourne’s Stay Gold on Wednesday June 19. ++ Born of Osiris and Chelsea Grin will play the Corner Hotel on Thursday June 27. ++ Thy Art Is Murder will be at The Corner Hotel on Saturday July 13. ++ Crowbar will be at Melbourne’s Max Watts on Saturday July 27. ++ Slipknot will release their currently untitled new album on Friday August 9. ++ Devildriver and special guests All That Remains will play 170 Russell on Sunday August 25. ++ Metallica, with Slipknot as support, will be at Marvel Stadium on Tuesday October 22, which is now sold out. A second show has been announced for Thursday October 24. ++ The Soilwork gig has been postponed and will now be at Max Watts on Saturday November 2. ++ Crowbar will play Melbourne’s Max Watts on Saturday December 7.

Proudly presented by the Sleepy Hollow Blues Club 44

Forté 713 711

++ If you have any news about local metal bands, shows or albums, let THTH know by emailing to tooheavytohug@ hotmail.com or get in touch via Twitter at @TooHeavyToHug

#fortescenepix

BEAVS

B E A VS

HOMEHOUSE

BARWON CLUB

BARWON CLUB

BARWON CLUB

Forté 713 711

EDGE

45

GUIDE THURS 25TH (ANZAC DAY) BEAVS BAR: ANDY FORSTER EDGE GEELONG: LIVE MUSIC AND DJ ELEPHANT & CASTLE: 2UP THE ESPY: ANZAC DAY AT THE ESPY, GONZO + GAMJEE THE INN: DATE NIGHT THURSDAY’S JURASSIC UNEARTHED BY SILVERS CIRCUS THE LOFT: BEC STEVENS PIANO BAR: 80S LADIES WITH ANGIE HILTON AND CHELSEA GIBB, LOCALLY GROWN FUNNIES YOUNG HENRYS BEST SERVED LOUD FRI 26TH AMPED: THIS’S FOR ABBEY BARWON CLUB: TRAVALLEY, IMMY OWUSU BEAVS BAR: JEFF JORDAN

PRESENTED BY

THE GREEN ROOM WINE & WHISKEY: BETTS & BOON GO CLOUDY GREEN

ELEPHANT & CASTLE: JOSH NEUMARK AND KARTIK SINGH THE EVELYN: BATPISS, HORACE BONES, NO SISTER, KRUL GROVEDALE HOTEL: ANDY FORSTER DUO GPAC: STEPHEN K AMOS THE STORY SO FAR JURASSIC UNEARTHED BY SILVERS CIRCUS KAROVA LOUNGE: FULTON STREET PALAIS-HEPBURN: TOMBOLO PISTOL PETES: ETHAN FARMER BAND QUEENSCLIFF BREWHOUSE: SIGNATORY VINTAGE SCOTCH WHISKY MASTERCLASS ST JAMES: ZANE MICALLEF WORKERS CLUB GEELONG: DANIEL CHAMPAGNE SAT 27TH AIREYS PUB: BEN WHITING AMPED: TAKIN’ COVER LIVE BARWON CLUB: 74KINGS, SWISS COAST, KOTA BEAVS BAR: DAVE ANDERSON BLOOM: RETZA THE BRIDGE: JAMES MCCANN AND THE HAPPY LONESOME CHYA: OURS THE DOOR GALLERY CAFE: SOUL SISTER SWING EDGE: LIVE MUSIC AND DJ THE EASTERN: BATPISS ELEPHANT & CASTLE: TRYST THE ESPY: AUSTEN, JUNGLE GEELONG VEGAN LIFESTYLE MARKET

GMHBA: DEAKIN JUGGERNAUTS PROM FT. LIME CORDIALE

THE LABOUR IN VAIN: NATHAN SEECKTS THE LOFT: THE SLEEVE HEARTS ACTION SINGLE LAUNCH

THE INN: DATE NIGHT THURSDAYS JURASSIC UNEARTHED BY SILVERS CIRCUS

THE LOST ONES: BASEMENT SESSION: ROD GEAR

KAROVA LOUNGE: KYLE LIONHART PISTOL PETE’S: PISTOL PETE’S JAM NIGHT

NEWTOWN FARMERS MARKET

VALHALLA: METAL NIGHT

PALAIS-HEPBURN: DANIEL CHAMPAGNE PISTOL PETES: ELECTRIC BLUES COLLECTIVE

FRI 3RD

THE LOFT: AN AFTERNOON WITH THE ASCENDED THE LOST ONES: HEY MAMMOTH OLD CHURCH ON THE HILL: THE OCELOTS PALAIS-HEPBURN: HANS HAUS PARTY PIANO BAR: MAY THE 4TH BE WITH SAM ON THE TRACK TO TOKYO PISTOL PETE’S: SWEET FELICIA AND THE TRADIES PIVOT SUMMIT 2019 GEELONG POTATO SHED: AINE TYRRELL QUEENSCLIFF BREWHOUSE: COPYCAT KILLERS

AIREYS PUB: OPEN MIC NIGHT

THEATRE ROYAL: WILLIAM CRIGHTON

QUEENSCLIFF BREWHOUSE: HOME IS WITH YOU – FREE LIVE MUSIC

AMPED: THE ALICE EFFECT

TORQUAY HOTEL: KYLE LIONHART

BARWON CLUB: DJ BLACKWAVE

WIZARDS ANNUAL BOOK FAIR

SUN 28TH

BEAVS BAR: RYAN BELL BLOOM: COOLIO CABINET BAR: DJ DAVE

AMPED: REGULAR BOYS

CHYA: ELIJAH BIK, SOPHIA D’URSO, JOSHUA MAXWELL DE HOOG

BARKING DOG: GUITAR BAR

THE DECK: KARAOKE

BLACK HATT: JAZZ SOIREES

EDGE GEELONG: LIVE MUSIC AND DJ

THE DOOR GALLERY CAFE: OPEN MIC

FURPHY HALL: HEY MAMMOTH

EDGE: LIVE MUSIC AND DJ

GEELONG AFTER DARK

ELEPHANT & CASTLE: JESSE VALACH WITH NARDIA AND JUSTIN YAP

JURASSIC UNEARTHED BY SILVERS CIRCUS

THE ESPY: HEINOUS HOUND BLUES BAND GROVEDALE HOTEL: RACH BRENNAN JURASSIC UNEARTHED BY SILVERS CIRCUS LAMBYS: MARIO PARTY THE LOFT: DANIEL CHAMPAGNE NATIONAL WOOL MUSEUM: WESTERN OTWAYS THE TALK THE OTWAY FOOD & FIBRE SHOWCASE PALAIS-HEPBURN: ELIXIR FT KATIE NOONAN PIANO BAR: PITCH PLEASE! PISTOL PETES: JULIAN JAMES VALHALLA: SUNDAY SESSIONS AT VALHALLA WORKERS CLUB GEELONG: STRANGE TENANTS: SKA NATION MON 29TH JURASSIC UNEARTHED BY SILVERS CIRCUS

KAROVA LOUNGE: TIJUANA CARTEL, JAMILLA THE LOFT: DARKCELL MAJOR TOMS: LAURA IMBRUGLIA PALAIS-HEPBURN: RHIANNON SIMPSON MUSIC PISTOL PETES: LEROYZ HAMMOND TRIO

BLACKMAN’S BEER BAR: BEER AND BOARD GAMES JURASSIC UNEARTHED BY SILVERS CIRCUS PISTOL PETE’S: HAMMOND B3 BREAKOUT – LIAM KEALY WED MAY 1ST BEAVS BAR: OPEN MIC, KARAOKE, LUKE BISCAN JURASSIC UNEARTHED BY SILVERS CIRCUS

SUN 5TH AMPED: PEARL JAM OZ BIG EARS: BEER KLUB THE BRIDGE: HILL BILLIE HOLIDAY WITH JOSHUA SEYMOUR & TERESA DIXON CLUNES BOOKTOWN FESTIVAL THE DOOR GALLERY CAFE: OPEN MIC EDGE GEELONG: LIVE MUSIC GBOT ADULT NINJA COMP GROVEDALE HOTEL: CRAIG SAYER JURASSIC UNEARTHED BY SILVERS CIRCUS LAMBYS: BRIAN FANTANA THE LOFT: EARTH SONGS CONCERT PALAIS-HEPBURN: HEPBURN WILDLIFE SHELTER GALA FUNDRAISER

PIVOT SUMMIT 2019 GEELONG

PIANO BAR: AN AFTERNOON WITH DAVID GARDNER

QUEENSCLIFF BREWHOUSE: LOW LIGHT QUEENSCLIFF

PISTOL PETE’S: THE LONE MARIACHI – CINCO DE MAYO

THE WOOL EXCHANGE ENTERTAINMENT COMPLEX: MEG MAC

VALHALLA BREWING: SUNDAY SESSIONS

THE WORKERS CLUB GEELONG: CONNECTING SONG PERFORMANCES SAT 4TH AIREYS PUB: RHYLEY MCGRATH BARWON CLUB: PALEO DISCO BEAVS BAR: LUKE BISCAN

TUES 30TH

CLUNES BOOKTOWN

GROVEDALE HOTEL: ANDY FORSTER

AMPED: BLUE DOG CRUISER

THE LOST ONES: LIFE DRAWING SERIES 2

BLOOM: PLEASUREKRAFT THE BRIDGE: LAURA IMBRUGLIA CLUNES BOOKTOWN FESTIVAL THE DOOR GALLERY CAFE: HOUSE OF SONG – MARCIA HOWARD AND SPECIAL GUESTS THE EASTERN: ONE YEAR HERE EDGE: LIVE MUSIC AND DJ GIFTS FOR THE GEEK: FREE COMIC BOOK DAY

SOUTH GEELONG FARMERS MARKET WIZARDS ANNUAL BOOK FAIR WORKERS CLUB GEELONG: WHEEL 4 MND COMEDY FUNDRAISER TUES 7TH THE ESPY: MELBOURNE ENSEMBLE SHOWCASES PISTOL PETE’S: JACK MEREDITH & HEATH ROBERTSON POTATO SHED: LIGHTS, CAMERA, GEELONG WED 8TH BEAVS: OPEN MIC, KARAOKE, LUKE BISCAN GOLD DIGGERS ARMS: BACK BAR CHOIR GPAC: ENTER OPHELIA PISTOL PETE’S: SHANNON BOURNE

GROVEDALE HOTEL: MADZ GOT RICH GROOVIN THE MOO BENDIGO

Author talks, local food, live music & thousands of new and collectable books

4 & 5 MAY 2019

festival

www.clunesbooktown.com.au

46

HOME HOUSE: SHAMELESS, SAMUS JAY JURASSIC UNEARTHED BY SILVERS CIRCUS

POTATO SHED: ANYA ANASTASIA’S THE EXECUTIONERS

RECESS: SAUCY SATURDAYS

EDGE GEELONG: LIVE MUSIC AND DJS

THE ESPY: WILLIAM CRIGHTON, BEANS ON TOAST

JURASSIC UNEARTHED BY SILVERS CIRCUS

WORKERS CLUB GEELONG: TRUCKS

THE EASTERN: SPIRAL STAIRS

THURS 2ND BEAVS BAR: ANDY FORSTER

HOME HOUSE: DUANE BARTOLO, JC KING

BIG EARS: BROUWERJI BASH

THE DOOR GALLERY CAFE: BACKWATER BLUES

PISTOL PETE’S: SHANNON BOURNE

GROVEDALE HOTEL: WILL GARDINER & KIM COOPER

CHYA: OURS THE DECK: KARAOKE

395-399 MOORABOOL ST, SOUTH GEELONG OPEN 7 DAYS (03) 52233322

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SAT 27 APRIL:

ANDY FORSTER DUO

WILL GARDINER & KIM COOPER

SUN 28 APRIL:

To keep it fresh, Andy will be supported by a guest accompanist.

You’ll find out who on the night.

But what we can tell you is that you will love their dulcet tones.

Will and Kim’s music is perfect for a relaxed atmosphere, yet has the versatility to get everyone on the dance floor. This perfect duet guarantees a brilliant night out.

‘Female Artist of the Year’ Rach is a country/folk songstress with a soulful voice that delivers playful and harmony based songs that induce toe tapping.

FRI 26 APRIL:

DUO ACOUSTIC SET

DUO ACOUSTIC SET

RACH BRENNAN SOLO ACOUSTIC SET

* FRIDAYS

7PM-8PM *

ESPRESSO MARTINIS

— $10 —

GROVEDALEHOTEL FRI 3 MAY:

ANDY FORSTER SOLO ACOUSTIC SET

A multi-instrumentalist and a lively entertainer Andy combines acoustic rhythms, unique sounding vocals and an impressive stomp box to create a unique sound.

SAT 4 MAY:

MADZ GOT RICH DUO ACOUSTIC SET

With Madeliene on vocals and Richard on guitar a great night is guaranteed. Their repertoire covers a range of top 40 hits as well as classics from over the decades.

SUN 5 MAY:

GROVEDALEHOTEL.COM.AU 1300GROVEDALE (1300 476 833)

WEB.

CRAIG SAYER

SOLO ACOUSTIC SET

PHONE.

Craig has a diverse repertoire and an uncanny knack for playing the perfect song choices for any crowd. Come on down and experience this great local artist.

M AY 0 4

KYLE LIONHART M AY 3 1

SOLD OUT

RUBY FIELDS TORQUAYHOTELSURFSERIES.COM.AU

PH: 5278 2911

SPHINXHOTEL.COM.AU Forté 713

47

FRIDAY

HEIGHTEN

YOUR

3 MAY

Discover the laneways, hidden spaces and cultural institutions After Dark â&#x20AC;&#x201C; interactive art; street performances; installations, music; exhibitions; projections.

SENSES

CENTRAL GEELONG

FROM 6.00PM-10.00PM Image: Ayrlie Lane as The Harpy, photo Reg Ryan

www.geelongafterdark.com.au

HEIGHTEN

YOUR SENSES