Forte #723

#723 12.09.19 FREE

BENDIGO BLUES &

ROOTS music FESTIVAL

FREE

$15 ENTRY

DOORS

ENTRY

OPEN AT

WITH

10PM

WINTER PASS BEFORE 11 PM

14/ 9/ COURTNEY MILLS

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UPSTAIRS

DOWNSTAIRS BEST HIPHOP AND RNB WITH

SAMUS JAY

/

UPSTAIRS

21/ ZAC 9/ DE PETRO

DOWNSTAIRS BEST HIPHOP AND RNB WITH

JUÑOR

PLUS HOMEHOUSE RESIDENT DJ ' S UPSTAIRS OJ TOPRAK / AJ SERGIO JARROD WITHERS / STEVE CAMP //DOWNSTAIRS MARCEL / LIL T

40-42 MOORABOOL ST, GEELONG 03 5222 7333 2

@homehouseNIGHTCLUB FORTÉ 723

@homehousegeelong

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GRAND FINAL MARATHON THURS 26TH SEPT Mamma Jam + Andy Forster + Liam Blackwell

FRI 27TH SEPT

r Get you n Card Maratho NIGHT! Y R E V E y for entr ake the m u o y n Ca ekend? e w e l o wh

Adam 12 + James Kernick + DJ Jo Jo

SAT 28TH SEPT Bedrock + DJ Jubtek + Liam Blackwell

SUN 29TH SEPT Levi Anderson + Liam Blackwell

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20 year anniversary

Thu 3 & Fri 4 October Arts Centre Melbourne, Hamer Hall 6

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BOOK NOW

The Flaming Lips

festival.melbourne

Performing their masterpiece album The Soft Bulletin

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Feature Story The Loop

15-19 20

Local Feature News

21-27

Spring Eats

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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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‘Best yet’ is a term that gets thrown around a great deal in music circles… and we’re going to use it here because we reckon the ninth annual Bendigo Blues & Roots Music Festival is the best yet. No lie.

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

FREEBIES

As Bendigo embraces upwards of 20,000 music lovers, the annual festival (which is predominantly free) will see more than 130 artists from all over Australia (as well as some internationals) head to the humble town of Bendigo, and we could not be any more stoked with this year’s lineup that clearly spans a number of genres including everything from blues, jazz, funk, folk, to indie, with some artists performing the festival before, and others making their Bendigo debut.

Hidden away on a farm in Victorian High Country, Happy Wanderer Festival has built a following over the past few years for good times, great music, a sweet program of workshops, morning yoga and splashing around in the river. Returning this November, this years lineup includes the likes of Ro, Ruby Gill, Sunnyside, Half The Andes, Matilda O’Brien, Jess DeLuca, plus many more, and to celebrate, we’ve giving away a double pass to the festival.

TO ENTER:

talia@fortemag.com.au

General Manager Glenn Lynch

glenn@fortemag.com.au

Sales Executive Matt Wilkinson

Creative Director Nathan Mossop

artwork@fortemag.com.au

Interns Chloe Cicero, Seb Starcevic, Jess Sercombe, Thom Devereux

FORTÉGRAM Tag us

Keep flicking, and you’ll find features with Melbourne heavyweights The Delta Riggs, alt-pop singer/songwriter Olympia AKA Olivia Bartley, British pop-punk heartthrob Sam Fender, enigmatic pop powerhouse Vera Blue, plus we see the return of the Breaky for Boobies fundraiser and a look at the Great Ocean Road celebrating 100 years of greatness.

@Forte_mag or #Fortemag to be featured!

@theluckyfindbookclub

We also have a special Spring Eats feature this issue, highlighting all the places that will have you licking your fingers this season!

Keep it regional fam.

Talia & the Forte Crew x

@tammywalters

October 12th FRI 15 NOV 8

Editor Talia Rinaldo

matt@fortemag.com.au

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

A highlight will, of course, be at the magnificent Ulumbarra Theatre on Saturday night featuring WA stalwarts, The Waifs, while Friday night will come alive with Australia’s own John Butler. How good is that?! Some might say it’s their best yet... To celebrate the festival’s ninth year, we chat to The Waif’s guitarist and vocalist Josh Cunningham ahead of their appearance this November.

Publisher Furst Media Pty. Ltd.

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@_space.goat_

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.

The Space In Between

With

THE WONDER HIDDENITE

ALBUM

LAUNCH

FRI 25 OCT BARWON CLUB, GEELONG

Album Out October 1

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LIAM GALLAGHER ANNOUNCES HUGE AUSSIE TOUR

THE NGV IS HOSTING A HUGE EXHIBITION DEDICATED TO CULT ARTIST KAWS

It was only a matter of time... Following the announcement that Oasis co-frontman and rock trailblazer Liam Gallagher had been locked in for the Meredith and Fairgrounds Festival lineups, both taking place during November/December, it was merely a waiting game for Gallagher to drop the dates for a massive national tour. It’s hard to think after contributing to some of the 20th century’s most momentous hits, Gallagher only released his debut solo album, As You Were, in 2017.

But by the time he makes his way to Aussie shores, his second record, Why Me? Why Not., would’ve hit playlists worldwide. Gallagher will perform at Margaret Court Arena, Melbourne on Wednesday December 11, where punters will be treated to tracks from Gallagher’s back catalogue alongside newer pieces.

While you might not know his name, it’s likely you’re familiar with Brian Donnelly’s (aka Kaws) larger-than-life sculptures and paintings. Kaws take icons from cartoons and pop culture and re-imagines them in vulnerable and unexpected situations, and now the New York artist’s much-loved characters are taking over the NGV. ‘Companionship in the Age of Loneliness’ will showcase KAWS’ one of a kind creations from the past 25 years. Spanning more than 100 works, the collection includes paintings, reappropriated pop culture figures, large-scale abstract works and sculptures.

The exhibition will also feature a newly commissioned seven-metre bronze sculpture, the largest bronze sculpture KAWS has created to date. It will run at the NGV from Friday September 20 until Monday April 13, 2020.

THE GLUTEN FREE EXPO IS RETURNING TO MELBOURNE

WEIRD PLACE ANNOUNCES BIGGEST FESTIVAL LINEUP TO DATE

Featuring the biggest collection of Gluten Free food providers, gluten free food trucks, experts and celebrities, this event is a ‘must do’ – not just for those with coeliac disease, but also for the food curious and those that are embracing a gluten-free diet for other reasons. Bringing together Australia’s best gluten free pioneers, the expo is boasting a mouthwatering smorgasbord of food products otherwise inaccessible to the average gluten intolerant person.

We’re talking: exotic flavoured cannoli (even an Aperol Spritz flavour), traditional Greek souvlaki, a Pringles alternative, Italian toasties and so, so much more! Oh, and you’ll be able to sip glutenfree craft beer. It’ll also be an opportunity to learn more about coeliac disease, with appearances from some of the country’s leading researchers, psychologists and pediatric doctors. It’s all going down at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre on October 5 and 6.

Off the back of two sold-out festivals, Weird Place are stepping things up by taking over the legendary Tote Hotel venue with a full day festival featuring 18 bands from four states playing across three stages on October 19. With the aim of bringing together the most exciting up and coming bands from around Australia in one venue, the lineup is headed by Horace Bones, which follows their sell out album launch at The Tote earlier this year, along with some big interstate names such as Mini Skirt (NSW), Velvet Elevator (NSW) and Slag Queens (TAS).

Geelong’s Anti-Fade draws Vintage Crop and Gonzo head up the rest of the local talent, while 100 and City Rose are playing fresh off the back of BIGSOUND appearances. They’ll be joined

by Arse, Future Suck, Concrete Lawn and many more. Tickets via thetotehotel.oztix.com.au

The Seventh Annual

FREE LIVE MUSIC

FEATURING

SARA STORER

DAVIDSON BROTHERS • GREG CHAMPION MISSY RAINES TRIO (USA) • CAT CANTERI RICH DAVIES & THE LOW ROAD GLENY RAE VIRUS & HER PLAYBOYS • MARCO GLIORI MICK COATES & THE ALLNITELONGERS GARY& GEORGIA ROSE • JEFF GIBSON PLUS

SHEEP RACES • BLACKBOARD STAGE • CHILDREN’S ENTERTAINMENT • WORKSHOPS Full catering and onsite camping available, for more information please visit:

www.patchewollockmusicfestival.com.au

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BEYOND THE VALLEY HAVE ANNOUNCED A SIDESHOW Following the one hour sell out of this years Beyond The Valley Festival, Untitled Group.,Thick As Thieves and Pitch Control have thrown a bone to the punters that missed out, announcing the official Beyond The Valley 2019 sideshow featuring Green Velvet, Claptone, Michael Bibi and Rebūke! These four international heavyweights, supported by a handful of top local talent, will be taking over Burnley Circus Park for one very special day of worldclass music in the sun making this the perfect start for the 2020 summer season. It all goes down on Saturday January 4. Doors will open at 2:00pm, kicking off what promises to be the recovery party of the year.

OK MOTEL IS A ONE-NIGHT RURAL MUSIC PARTY OK Motel, who alongside being one of our favourite ever Instagram accounts documenting rural motels from around Australia, returns to rural Victoria for a third instalment of its one-night music event where it takes over the Charlton Motel in Victoria’s north-west and showcases some of Melbourne’s best musicians. Originally home to netball presentations nights and deb balls, the Charlton Motel will come alive with the blistering energy from Amyl And The Sniffers, the life-affirming alternative rock from Moaning Lisa, the grimy and visceral Batpiss, a dose of aggravated garage-punk from Pinch Points, the harmony-driven, fuzzed-out sounds of Moody Beaches, and a little bit of everything from Dj Hot Wheels. It all goes down in Charlton on Saturday, November 23. Tickets on sale now and going fast! okmotels.com.au

MARIO KART IS COMING TO MOBILE The Mario Kart experience is a nostalgic one, and sometimes you just crave a game of Nintendo’s Mario Kart but just don’t have enough time to pull out the Wii. All your problems are now being solved with a release date for Mario Kart Tour on smartphone.

Mario Kart Tour is set to go beyond the likes of Rainbow Road, with special city courses inspired by real-world locations like New York, Tokyo and Paris. You can download the game free-to-start from September 25. Don’t stress though, Koopa Trooper Beach and Kalimari Desert tracks from Mario Kart 64 are looking to make an appearance, and there appears to be a new take on the challenging Rainbow Road. Players who want to be notified once the game is available to download can pre-register now via the AppStore and Google Play. A free Nintendo Account is also required to play.

FLOW FESTIVAL IS COMING Melbourne will see a new, unique one-day festival celebrating the communal exchange of aural and kinetic energy this December. Taking place Saturday 14 December, the inaugural FLOW Festival 2019 will debut amongst the stunning surrounds of the Footscray Community Arts Centre, and present a dynamic balance of artistic contributions from the classic, future classic and emerging sounds of the underground including American trio Digable Planets, South African gqom artist Sho Madjozi, Melbourne soul queen KAIIT, plus more. There will even be a FLOW Festival Roller Jam, featuring tunes from DJs Pietro, Prequel, Mz Rizk and Chris NG. With tunes buzzing, drinks flowing and skates rolling, FLOW Festival 2019 is sure to kick off your summer in epic, cyclic style. Visit www.flowau.net/ for all the deets.

SHE SINGS. SHE BREATHES. SHE SIGHS. PRODUCED BY Martha Ackroyd Curtis

Exhale, Digital Print, 2019, Martha Ackroyd Curtis

MEAT MARKET STABLES 2 WRECKYN ST, NORTH MELBOURNE, Melbourne OPENING SATURDAY 12TH OCTOBER, 6PM - 9PM 12 OCTOBER - 18 OCTOBER 2019 OPEN 7 DAYS: 11AM - 6PM FORTÉ 723

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THE WAIFS AND JOHN BUTLER CO-HEADLINE BENDIGO BLUES AND ROOTS MUSIC FESTIVAL WRITTEN BY TAMMY WALTERS

GET THE FAMILY TOGETHER! THE NINTH into the stratosphere. He’s a wonderful human being home in a festival setting. While the headline acts are Gully, Kangaroo Flat and as far as Ravenswood, Cornella ANNUAL BENDIGO BLUES AND ROOTS MUSIC and very inspiring and I feel very privileged to have had the drawcard (and rightly so), it is the undiscovered and Maldon will light up with a-class talent for the FESTIVAL SERVES UP A JAM PACKED FOUR DAYS a connection to him and his whole world over the years.” talent that Cunningham can’t wait to see. community.

OF MUSIC, TALENT, ART, COMMUNITY, AND FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY. WITH OVER 130 The Waifs have just as rich of a history as Butler in the “Festivals are fantastic for that. You’re always making “That’s another great thing about music too, it’s not just ACTS ACROSS 40 VENUES, THE FESTIVAL IS A Australian music scene from their humble roots in Albany. new discoveries. Invariably you look at the bill of the about the community of the band that you play in but TRUE CELEBRATION AND REFLECTION OF THE festival you’re playing at and be excited about people it’s the community of the people you get connected BLUES AND ROOTS SCENE IN BENDIGO AND “We’re going into our 28th year now and it’s one thing that you know about, but to me the best part of the to and meet and form really special friends with.

ACROSS THE WORLD. WHILE THERE WILL BE playing music together – it’s a really magical experience, festival is when you make that discovery. Suddenly Community and creativity; they’re two very potent ACTS STORMING IN FROM CANADA, GERMANY, but then I think about the fact that I’ve had these you’ve got a new amazing CD to listen to or music forces and I think as those things rise up in the world AND NEW ZEALAND, IT’S THE AUSTRALIAN people in my life a lot more of it than less of it. One of to get excited about,” he laughs. “It’s a very healthy I think they really do a lot of good.”

TALENT THAT TAKES THE FOREFRONT. the greatest attractions and appeals of getting to do community. I think Australia can really hold its head up what I do is getting to do it with those people. When high for the wealth of inspiring and amazing creative The Waifs are certainly contributing to the two C’s and This year the festival reunites old friends in a you mention the word family, it really is that. Coming output – not just in music, in lots of different forms. are continuing to do so with plans for new music on co-headline spot for the ages, boasting two of the most together for a few weeks here and there and getting to There’s no end of amazing talent out there and it seems its way. prominent blues and roots acts this country has to offer spend time and travel and have adventures and make every year there’s a wave of new young people who are up, John Butler and The Waifs. music is really amazing privilege and one that I really just beginning their journey. It’s an incredible thing and “There is new music there and when the time is right we cherish,” Cunningham says. “The connection runs so an incredible thing to be a part of.” will get together and get it out,” confirms Cunningham.

“Our manager is John’s manger as well so there’s been a deep it’s like a subconscious, intuitive thing that you “I think we’re close!” bit of a family connection for a number of years,” says don’t really think it through, it’s just there. It’s an That amazing talent will be sprawled across Bendigo The Waifs frontman Joshua Cunningham. “I remember amazing thing really.” over the four days. The two headliners will appear on WHILE WE WAIT, RELIVE THE WAIFS CAREERJohn early on; he was the legend of John Butler – a the Ulumbarra Theatre stage while Rosiland Park will DEFINING HITS AS BENDIGO BLUES AND ROOTS busker on the streets of Fremantle way back in the day. The group has just returned from their extensive US be transformed will two stages; Bull Street and Water MUSIC FESTIVAL TAKES OVER THE STREETS OF We did shows together, he actually opened up for The tour, where unfortunately guitarist and vocalist, Donna Street will host colourful street parties; and venues, BENDIGO 7 – 10 NOVEMBER 2019.

Waifs playing solo a few times and his star was really on Simpson, was struck down by pneumonia. Now on the cafes, hotels and parking spaces in the CBD as well TICKETS AT BENDIGOBLUESANDROOTS.COM.AU the rise, and then he got his trio together and launched recovery, the band are excited to bring their show back as into White Hills, Golden Square, Quarry Hill, Long 12

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Above The Bit•Alana Wilkinson•Allensworth•Alysha Brilla•Amaru Tribe Ash Bell&Sara Tindley•Ash Grunwald•The Barren Spinsters•Brekky Boy The Cat Empire•Charlie Collins•Claire Anne Taylor•Clare Bowditch Cooper Lower•The Delta Riggs•Devorah•Doc Halibut•Dubarray Ethan Farmer Band•Fenn Wilson•Fools•GraceJean•Hiatus Kaiyote•Ian Noe Immy Owusu•Isabella Khalife•The Jellyman’s Daughter•Joe Pug Justine Clarke•Karen Lee Andrews•Kent Burnside•The Long Johns•The Mamas Merpire•The Mik Maks•Missy Higgins•Mojo Juju•Momoko Rose•Nano Stern Nathan Seeckts•The New Savages•Newton Faulkner•Paul McDermotT&Gatesy Remi•Ross Wilson•Sarah Carroll& Shannon Bourne•Sky Eater•Steve Poltz Stevie Jean•The Strides•The Swamp Stompers•Sweethearts•Tanya George Tides of Welcome•Tim Finn•Tiptoe Giants•Tom Richardson•Troy Cassar-Daley The Vegetable Plot•Vince Peach•The WaifS•The Weeping Willows•Yoga Loves Music

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THE 44TH THE THE 44TH 44TH

PAUL GRABOWSKY & SALLY DASTEY H H THE BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMA (USA) H BENNY WALKER H H C.W. STONEKING H CHITRA H DAN SULTAN H H THE EAST POINTERS (CAN) H ELEANOR McEVOY (IRL) H H EMILY WURRAMARA H GINA WILLIAMS & GUY GHOUSE H H JOHN McCUTCHEON (USA) H THE LITTLE STEVIES H H KIERAN KANE & RAYNA GELLERT (USA) H THE MAES H H PATTY GRIFFIN (USA) H RUBY GILL H WILLIAM CRIGHTON H H YOLANDA BROWN (ENG) H WITH

H ARCHIE ROACH

PLUS MANY MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED

EARLY BIRD TICKETS ON SALE NOW www.portfairyfolkfestival.com

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3/9/19 12:36 pm

FEATURING BALL PARK MUSIC • ALLDAY • ALEX LAHEY BRITISH INDIA • DIDIRRI • ALICE IVY • RO • PLANET

BIG FESTIVAL

BORN IN GEELONG

LOOP B A L L A R AT BELLARINE

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

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KATE MILLER-HEIDKE DOES IT ALL

DRAPHT IS HEADING TO GEELONG

Kate Miller-Heidke has proved to be a rather unstoppable musical force. She won the International Songwriting Competition for her song ‘Caught in the Crowd’. She has released four studio albums. Along with Keir Nuttall, she wrote the music and lyrics to Muriel’s Wedding: The Musical, which won multiple Helpmann Awards. And she received a Top 10 placing in 2019’s Eurovision.

Theatre Royal, Castlemaine – September 18.

Raise your glass for the king of the bar! Aussie hip hop artist Drapht is back with a massive 16-date Australian tour which will feature his full live show plus a travelling circus of friends on the road to help with Drapht’s neverending list of certified hits including, Jimmy Recard, Rapunzel, Don Quixote, Mexico, to name a few. Catch him at The Barwon Club, Geelong - Friday November 15.

THE WISDOM OF DAVID BRIDIE David Bridie is responsible for many albums. He has enough to take up some major room on the shelf, or some space on your favourite media device. There are six with Not Drowning, Waving. There are seven more with My Friend the Chocolate Cake. And he has six solo albums as well, his latest being The Wisdom Line. Each track on his latest has been paired with a short film. Ulumbarra Theatre, Bendigo – October 13.

PORCINE SHOWS DETERMINATION

SLOWLY SLOWLY DOES IT A change in thought processes by Slowly Slowly’s bassist Ben Stewart led to new single ‘Creature of Habit Pt.2’. He explains: “I started analysing my own behaviour after releasing St. Leonards as I honestly wanted to change my mental processes towards being creative – I always thought I had to earn it by punishing myself mentally.” Torquay Hotel, Torquay – November 8. The band is also part of Shepparton’s Land of Plenty Festival. Photo by Pat O’Hara

Brodie Roberts doesn’t run from his past. From 2010 until 2012, he was a fixture of Bendigo’s music scene.

By the end of 2012, he was a drugaddled mess. Good news is things are brighter these days. Since 2017, he has been writing and recording.

First it was as Porcine Assembly Line, now it has been shortened to Porcine. Debut ‘Carnivorous Me’ shares his experience through a fusion of alternative rock, industrial, hip hop and hardcore.

A NOTE FROM MONIQUE CLARE It wasn’t enough for Monique Clare to gain a Bachelor of Music in classical cello performance from the QLD Conservatorium. She had to go and combine it with a singer-songwriter career and create heart-warming classical-folk-pop cello. But you won’t hear any complaints, with Monique having worked with bluegrass legend Darol Anger, Kate Miller-Heidke and Eminem among others.

The Old Church on the Hill, Bendigo – October 19.

BORN IN GEELONG

FROM THE HEART OF AWAKEN I AM

Geelong is once again flexing its musical muscles, with a new festival set to launch next month. Set to take place October 26, Little Creatures Brewing has charmed Ball Park Music, Allday, Alex Lahey, British India, Didirri, Alive Ivy, Ro and Planet for Born in Geelong. Showing love to locals, the K rock B.I.G Sessions will host local up-and-coming artists. There is a bit more going on, and you can find out what through bigfestival.com.au.

There is something to be said about the power of music. Earlier in the year, Forte reviewed Awaken I Am’s EP The Beauty in Tragedy. Scoring an impressive 4/5, the release was called “a soul-crushing, emotional yet beautiful tribute to their late brother and guitarist Connor Verner-Oakley”.

Connor sadly passed away last year.

On tour, the band hits Geelong’s Workers Club on September 19. I the Mighty and Homefront support.

AMY PEGG KNOWS THE GAME One for a little later in the year, multi-genre singer-songwriter Amy Pegg has a show coming up at Maryborough’s Railway Café & Tracks Bar on November 16. Venturing away from her Launcestonbased home, the singer-songwriter is touring her new single ‘Player’. If you have ever met a person you later discovered was a million miles away from the person you thought you knew, then this song is for you.

MIFF SHOWCASE The hard work has been done for you, with the Melbourne International Film Festival selecting some of the best bits and placing it all in their travelling showcase. The showcase features all seven of 2019’s MIFF Premiere Fund supported films, including No Time for Quiet, H is for Happiness and Iron Fists and Kung Fu Kicks. Theatre Royal, Castlemaine – September 20-22. More can be found through miff.com.au.

SHINE ON, STEVE POLTZ If you have spent three decades in the music game, chances are you have seen and experienced your fair share.

A lifetime ago Steve Poltz co-wrote Jewel’s ‘You Were Meant for Me’. He founded The Rugburns. He’s released a stack of solo albums. He suffered a mid-performance stroke. He kept playing, of course. His latest album is Shine On, and he hopes it makes listeners smile and feel welcome. The Palais, Hepburn Springs – November 28.

EVEN MORE QUEENSCLIFF NEWS

LITTLE WISE WANTS IT NOW

Alana Wilkinson, Cooper Lower, Nathan Seeckts, Immy Owusu, Sweethearts, Fenn Wilson, Tiptoe Giants, Surreal McCoy, Tom Richardson, Vince Peach, Sarah Carroll & Shannon Bourne, Momoko Rose and Tides of Welcome are among the additions to the already bumper Queenscliff Music Festival line-up. The full details, including ticketing information, can be found through qmf.net.au. The festival lands November 22-24.

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She may be Sophie Klein in her day-to-day life, but she is also Little Wise, a singer-songwriter who fuses classical folk, vintage rock and Americana. Thanks to a grant from Creative Victoria and support from crowdfunding, Little Wise has delivered her sophomore album. It’s called Want it All, which shares a name with a single released last year. The Taproom, Castlemaine – September 27 & Pistol Pete’s, Geelong – September 28.

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THE PALAIS IN SEPTEMBER It’s another full calendar of events at The Palais, Hepburn Springs in September. Independent alternativefolk singer-songwriter Harry Lamb checks in tomorrow, September 13. Shane Nicholson performs on September 14. An afternoon FReeZA showcase is locked in for September 22. Hawk & Dove are the guests of honour on September 27. And Mimi Gilbert will be joined by some friends on September 28.

MANCHESTER ARMS NEWS Bendigo’s Manchester Arms is usually up to something. And it is usually something pretty good. Queer Panic is next up on their musical calendar, with September 21 the date for that one. September 28 features Soul Contact. The first Friday of the month is a winner and features a themed Karaoke night. Next up for that, October 4, is Kiss vs Queen.

Rock and rock all nite to find out who are the champions of the world.

BENDI-CON 2019 Three workshops will take place at this month’s Bendi-Con. You have Drawing Furry Critters, Page Layout Fundamentals and Star Wars Character Drawing. There is also a celebration of 40 years of Mad Max, with Vince Gil (Nightrider) set to make an appearance. Really, the whole thing is a highlight. Bendigo Exhibition Centre – September 22. For more hit facebook.com/BendigoRCandTFair.

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

A VISION FOR THE FUTURE What did you do for your fifth birthday? Did you get a My Little Pony? Did you eat your weight in ice cream at Smorgy’s on the Pier? Salty the Seal would approve. Two flippers up.

How about your fifth wedding anniversary? Did you book a table for two at Sailor’s Rest, overlooking the waterfront? Did you continue the celebrations with the short walk to Home House for a Slippery Nipple and a Slut Drop? You’re all class my friend.

What about your five-year work anniversary? Is the half-decade milestone even celebrated? It’s like celebrating three months of dating… is it even a thing?

Work is a necessary evil… choice, I mean choice.

You choose where to work, who to work with and what you do with your time. You also need to put fuel in the car and pay off that smashed avo at Sunday brunch with your bestie (the struggle is real #millennial).

“Where do you see yourself in five years?”

“Well Mary, I see myself living in Cinque Terre with my husband Ryan Reynolds and my two Scottish Terriers, Gerard Barkler and Ewan McWoofor, and not answering your bullsh*t self-reflection, careerfocused questions, Mary”.

But TBH, it’s kind of a big deal. It’s five days a week, 48 weeks a year, for five years. That’s 1200 days at work. I’m not breaking it down into hours because that is math and I push buttons for a living…

I ask because I’ve just celebrated my fifth anniversary at K rock Geelong.

Riordan BIRREGURRA FESTIVAL AND ART SHOW RETURNS THIS OCTOBER

Wednesday, Sep 11, 9:30 | Beav’s Bar, Geelong Friday, Sep 13, 10:00 | Worker’s, Geelong Sunday, Sep 15, 3:00 | Barking Dog, Geelong Thursday, Oct 03, (Set time TBA) | Alisitos, Torquay Friday, Oct 04, 6:30 | A La Grecque, Airleys Inlet Sunday, Oct 06, (Set time TBA) | Barking Dog, Geelong facebook.com/riordansmusic

Set in the beautiful historic town at the foothills of the Otways, the Birregurra Festival and Art Show – now entering adulthood and celebrating the big two-zero – continues to support the community, with all money raised going straight back into it and becoming one of the state’s ‘must-visits’ with fifteen thousand people expected to attend this year.

With high-quality musicians from the area and further afield, delectable food and wine from the Otways region and a smorgasbord market of arts, crafts, and local products over the weekend, this festival has celebrating community life at the heart of it – and with the celebration of two decades, the team have truly upped the ante with 2019 looking to be the best one yet.

The standout quality this year is again the diverse bunch of talented performers who will entertain the crowds throughout the weekend. In what’s set to be a music-lovers treat, the festival will see more than 20 great live music acts across three stages including the likes of space-pop upcomers Zoe Fox and the Rocket Clocks, country-folk artists Cookie Baker and Kerryn Fields, Splendour in the Grass alumni Ben Whiting, and Geelong’s own funk rockers The Run. You’ll also catch the heart beating rhythms of funk-jazz virtuosos The Senegambian Jazz Band as well as Lucy and the Night Sky, Colac lads The Attics, OMM Community Choir and Festival favourites the Mik Maks who have been wowing their young audiences all over the country with

This isn’t a campaign to introduce bi-decade long service (though I wouldn’t be against that either); it’s just an incredible milestone for me. It’s the longest I have worked at one radio station. My mind is blown.

Looking back on it now, it’s gone fast. The approximate representation of time would look like this: Month 1 - Month 2 - Year 1 - Year 2… Nek minnit YEAR 5. WTF! There are many incredible reasons I call Geelong home. I’ve written about many of them before, and I’ve taken the time to remind myself how fortunate I am to be surrounded by an amazing group of friends, opportunities, and beaches.

But I have let myself down.

There is one thing I have never done. I have never made a vision board. I have left so much to chance, passing opportunities and luck, that I have never really knuckled down and been honest with myself with what I want. I’ve been afraid of failure. I’ve been lazy with consistency.

So, my fifth anniversary present to myself is a vision board. It’s perfect because the traditional gift on a five-year anniversary is paper. I’ll arm myself with scissors, a glue gun, a poster board and my dreams.

I have worked HARD my entire career so now it’s time to set out my plan for where I want the hard work to lead. … And cake. Because every celebration needs cake.

WISH STAMPSY A HAPPY ANNIVERSARY ON THE SOCIALS – FB STAMPSYKROCK AND IG LEE_STAMPS

their catchy country-rock tunes. That’s barely scraping the surface of the musical talent to grace the stages this year. Making the most of all the hidden musical gems the region has to offer, the team has put together a diverse live music line-up that rivals many of its regional and even some of its metropolitan counterparts.

It’s not just the music that is drawing the crowds.

Each year, the main street transforms into a vibrant market place selling all sorts of goodies from handcrafts to organic produce and loads of garden plants and displays. You’ll find everything from temporary tattoos, juggling equipment, books, beads, and chains, to jewellery, candles, doggie treats, leather goods, and everything in between. There’s also plenty for the kids to do this year with a reptile show, laser tag and a kids circus show, as well annual Festival favourites such as the art show, rock’n’roll dancers, vintage cars, dog jump, animal nursery, kids games fair, cow pat lotto and the wood chop.

Celebrating two decades this year, the team are shaking things up with a new stage-side bar as well as a youth quarter in The Yards next to Birregurra Hall in partnership with FreeZA which will see Urban street artist Damian Arena painting a mural designed by Birregurra students and a youth stage that will feature local FReeZA talent playing alongside Melbourne hip hop artist Nomad, young multi-instrumentalist Daniel Aaron, folk-funk experimentalist Torii, among others.

It’s the Birregurra Art Show however which will mark the official start of the festival with a gala event held on Friday 11 October. The art show is one of the most prestigious in the country, attracting high-quality artworks from around the country which will be on display in the Birregurra Hall.

They say a gold coin doesn’t get you all that much in life any more, but in the Birregurra Festival and Art Show world it gains you access to the whole weekend of entertainment.

THE BIRREGURRA FESTIVAL AND ART SHOW IN ON THE SECOND WEEKEND OF OCTOBER (12 & 13). CHECK OUT ALL THE DETAILS AT WWW. BIRREGURRAFESTIVAL.COM/

@riordansmusic FORTÉ 723

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THE BEST OF ALEX LAHEY Regional fans get lucky again, with Alex Lahey set to head out and about in support of The Best of Luck Club.

Speaking about her sophomore album earlier in the year, Alex said: “These songs are almost written for each patron of a dive bar, because they’re so varied in the experiences that are being presented and it’s almost as if each one of the songs is someone’s day.” Tap House, Bendigo – October 24.

ROCK THE CLOCK FESTIVAL

The Golden Days of Entertainment on show at the Potato Shed

Put your glad rags on and join me for the Rock the Clock vintage and retro festival, set to rock out at Camperdown from October 24-27. Artists include Zydeco Jump, Palomino III, Rachael Brady & the Moonshine Special, Kid James Trio, Kieron McDonald & the Westernairs and The Devil Women from Mars.

There is also a fashion parade, pin-up competition and classic cars and motorbikes. Get it all through rocktheclock.com.au.

What do radio plays, Al Jolson, Divorce, Choirs, Old Time Rock n’ Roll, Broadway and Ballroom all have in common?

They all feature in one of the upcoming October shows at the Potato Shed.

Before TV, the entertainment highlight of the week was the Sunday night radio play. Lux Theatre will recreate the halcyon days of the radio play when

PIST IDIOTS SHOW SOME HEART In support of new EP Ticker (their first-ever physical release), Pist Idiots are set to check out the sights of Australia. And they’re showing just what a nice young band they are in doing so. The band has partnered with PLUS1, where $1 from every ticket goes to support GO Foundation and their work creating opportunities for Indigenous youth through education. Torquay Hotel, Torquay – October 25.

WU XING (THE FIVE ELEMENTS) NATIONAL TOUR One of Australia’s finest jazz/art music saxophonists, composers and band leaders Adam Simmons is launching his first national tour with his trio Origami, accompanied by world-renowned Sheng player Wang Zheng-Ting, through August—October this year. Critics say Simmons is producing some of the most “breathtakingly beautiful” jazz in Australia Wu Xing—The Five Elements nominated for The Age Music Victoria Awards Best Jazz Album 2018. Courthouse Youth Arts, Geelong – Thursday October 10.

THE MEANIES KEEP ON TRUCKING It has been three decades since The Meanies got their thing going and 25 years since they released 10% Weird. Where does the time go?

Both the title of their second album and hit single, 10% Weird led to the band touring solidly for 18 months.

They also have the story of Pearl Jam inviting the band to tour with them in ’94, to which PJ’s promoter was alleged to have yelled, “who the fuck are The Meanies?” Theatre Royal, Castlemaine – November 8.

GUILDFORD BANJO JAMBOREE Loosen up the fingers because the Guildford Banjo Jamboree has plenty of highlights across its September 20-22 run. There is the Saturday night bush dance and Sunday morning gospel sing-along, while Saturday morning boasts a free children’s program. Performers include The Duck Downpickers, Zinnia Blue, Stan Gottschalk and Suzanne Diprose & Oh Suzannah. The full line-up is available through banjojamboree.org.

LEO RONDEAU RETURNS The story of Leo Rondeau begins in the Turtle Mountains, an area that spans North Dakota and the Canadian province of Manitoba. Leo’s roots lie in North Dakota (he has lineage within the Chippewa Indian tribe). On what will be his third visit to our shores, the modern country singer-songwriter, along with full band, will share songs from his new album, Right on Time.

Pistol Pete’s, Geelong – September 21. Jamie Ellis & the Jealous Guys support.

AN INSPIRED TORI FORSYTH Watching a partner battle addiction has been put to song by Tori Forsyth in new single ‘Be Here’. The new track comes with a shift in sound, with the singer-songwriter confessing she had Audioslave’s 2002 selftitled album on loop while on tour last year. Tori: “Recording this song was one of the smoothest recording sessions I’ve ever done. I’ve never been so inspired coming away from the studio.” Workers Club, Geelong – November 1.

FOPA Lorne’s Festival of Performing Arts (FOPA) kicks off next month with a bang. Taking place from October 3-6, the festival lands during the school holidays and has taken advantage of this by adding more for the kids as well as an addition day. The Family Gala takes place on Friday, October 4 and features plenty for the little ones and just enough for the adults to love. That’s just a wee taste. For the rest, visit fopa.com.au.

Seeking a Drummer and Singer Looking for a drummer who can do

Drummer / percussionist/ Kongo player wanted

BOOK YOUR TICKETS NOW AT WWW. GEELONGAUSTRALIA.COM.AU/POTATOSHED

BATTLE OF THE BANDS It’s round two of Battle Of The Bands, with bands now entering the semi finals, getting one step closer to winning $2,500 cash prize. You can help by coming along and voting for your favourite. First band kicks off at 7:30. The second heat of the finals (September 13) will see Tayla Haigh, Nurse Ratchet, Rusty Nuts, Nameless and Portal Vision.

HEATHCOTE FOOD & WINE FESTIVAL More than 40 local wineries will offer new and limited edition wines at the 2019 Heathcote Food & Wine Festival, which takes place October 5 & 6. It’s not just for those seeking a new wine for their rack. The Heathcote Showgrounds will transform into a familyfriendly village which will play host to Bendigo Blues & Roots Music Festival artists and Games on the Green.

Further information is available through heathcotewinegrowers.com.au.

PORT FAIRY SPRING MUSIC FESTIVAL When it comes to hosting music, Port Fairy has got to be one of the best. Next month, the Port Fairy Spring Music Festival (October 11-13) will present a program of classical and contemporary ensemble music that also includes drama, orchestral and choral music, jazz, opera and dance. Some performances have already sold out, while others are selling fast, so get comfortable and have a look at portfairyspringfest.com.au.

BIRREGURRA FESTIVAL & ART SHOW The Birregurra Festival & Art Show says goodbye to its teen years as it sends out the invites for its 20th year.

There is a street festival, wood chopping display, dog jumps, market stalls, an animal nursery, laser tag and lots more. And music, oh there is music. Music from Zoë Fox and the Rocket Clocks, Ben Whiting, Famous Will, Kerryn Fields and more. The festival runs October 12 & 13, with more through birregurrafestival.com.

SINGER/SONGWRITER WANTED

CL ASSIFIEDS

a bit of backing vocals, and a singer,

Drummer / percussionist / Kongo

Looking for a female singer lyricist/

who doesn’t mind doing a few gospel

player required for band ‘Intrepid Soul’.

songwriter for a recording project. Email

songs as well as secular. I would like

We’re looking for someone who is

waterfall.walshe@gmail.com for details

the singer to sing every Saturday

committed to regular rehearsals once

Send your info to: enquiries@fortemag.com.au

morning as I play in Camperdown then.

a week, and to join us with open mics

Contact ian_murnane1@outlook.com

and paid gigs, who likes singing if

For individual use only, not for commercial purposes.

they present Sherlock Holmes and a Woman’s Wit 2pm Sunday 6 October. Cue sound effects and soap commercials as you witness the magic that is radio plays.

Issi Dye returns 10:30am 2 October as part of Morning Show Time with The Al Jolson Story. Fresh from a UK run, Dye sings all the classics including Mammy; Baby Face; You Made Me Love You and more.

Writer Geraldine Aron proves that there is humour to be found in painful breakups in My Brilliant Divorce. It was a huge hit on the West End with Dawn French as Angela, the divorcee who discovers that there is life after the big D. Mandi Lodge will bring her fresh take on Angela for two shows, 8pm Friday 11 and 2pm Saturday 12 October.

Then on Sunday 13 October from 2pm, join the Geelong Harmony Chorus as they sing their way into Spring.

Who was better? Australia’s own original King of Rock & Roll, Johnny O’Keefe or legendary Texan-born Roy Orbison? Head to the Shed to make your choice 8pm Friday 25 October when Issi Dye stars in Johnny O’Keefe – Roy Orbison – Legends of Rock & Roll.

Seasoned opera performers join forces with ballroom champions in From Broadway to Ballroom, 2pm Sunday 27 October. A stunning combination of ballroom, opera, and classic favourite melodies will have you on the edge of your seats.

possible, and will join us in songwriting.

Contact Marie from Intrepid Soul on 0402310353

Weeknight and week end rehearsal sessions - $65 Book your rehearsal session online at http://dontpokethebear.com.au/rehearsal/ Commercial Recording Sessions Available

4 hours - $330 8 hours - $600 engineer included* Call 1300 650 892 to book a recording session

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THE FREQUENCY OF AM RERUNS They released their self-titled debut album last month, and now Melbourne’s AM Reruns are hitting the road with the feel good vibes of the 1970s. Describing the release as a marriage of mod guitar music and classic pop intros, the album is “an idiosyncratic take on ’70s LA punk rock with a sliver of Northern England drama”. The release was a Triple H Album of the Week. The Eastern, Ballarat – September 20.

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

All aboard! The Bendigo Blues Tram hits the tracks again on Saturday, September 14.

Riding the rails this month are singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Daniel Aaron, the winner of the 2018 Triple J Unearthed competition and making his tram debut, and Ballarat-based roots/ folk/world exponents Phil and Trudy Edgeley.

The popular monthly attraction, which always features two musical acts, is now in its eighth season.

Taking place on the second Saturday of each month, the musical action occurs onboard a vintage 1929 tram that departs from the Central Deborah Goldmine before winding its way through the main streets of Bendigo.

The Blues Tram, the brainchild of the Bendigo Blues and Roots Festival’s Julius Porlai (Dr Jules) and director Colin Thompson, is staffed by festival volunteers who oversee everything from the sound production to the provision of local beverages.

Co-ordinators Ross and Angelique Perry say there is nothing quite like the experience of being a part of the moving Parlour-style show. “The audience is virtually sitting on the artist’s lap and gets an amazingly intimate show with some of Australia’s finest musicians,” they say.

The musicians are equally enthralled with the experience. Melbourne-based singer-songwriter Jess Parker, a recent performer, says it is her favourite gig. “So relaxed and cruisy,” she enthuses.

In addition to its monthly instalments, the Blues Tram will also run for three consecutive days during the Bendigo Blues and Roots Festival (Friday, November 8; Saturday, November 9; and Sunday, November 10).

From 2-4.15pm; departing from Central Deborah

THE EASTERN’S GRAND BASH The Eastern, Ballarat has put together a cracker of a line-up for a Grand Final eve bash (that would be September 27). Let’s get to it.

You have a chap from Canada who goes by the name Guilhem, who some may know from his band Lost Love. You have acoustic punk Tim Hampshire, who has recently enjoyed a North American tour. And you have the fine as hell Japan For, Donkey Vote and Rival Kids, who are playing their first show.

LIFE STRIKE HOP ON THEIR BIKES So, ex-Deaf Wish bassist and songwriter Nick Pratt and Dollar Bars Patrick McCabe decided to start a post-punk band called Life Strike.

Scotty Brique (Nova Scotia) now serves as their drummer, although Ollie Mackay had that role during the recording of their debut album.

That album is Primitive Future, and it tells of a dystopian future in a postapocalyptic wasteland. The Eastern, Ballarat – October 12. y Leftfield Luxury and Quentiam.

Goldmine. Tickets $39 from the Bendigo Visitor Centre, or online at www.bendigoregion.com.au Other musical events not to miss around the traps this fortnight: Melbourne-based punk-rock duo Criminal Blonde launch their debut EP Losing My Mind at the Golden Vine on Friday, September 13. Support from The Trophy Wives and Boob In A Test Tube. From 9pm.

Melbourne-based singer-songwriter Floyd Thursby brings his folk/country hybrid to Handle Bar on Saturday, September 14. Support from Lloyd Dodsworth. From 7.30pm; free entry.

It’s gonna get heavy when Smoke Stack Rhino bring their Doom Boogie tour to the Golden Vine on Saturday, September 14. Support from Astrofuzz.

From 8.30pm; entry $5.

Join Louie and the Pride (performing in trio mode) for a cruisy Sunday afternoon session of folky pop at the Axedale Tavern on September 15. From 1pm; free entry.

Metal five-piece Ironstone play their first local gig in six months at the Golden Vine on Friday, September 20. Support from Ergasia and Stone Djoser. From 9pm; entry $5.

Groove Juice brings its “heart-stopping, pantsdropping, earth-quaking, booty-shaking, soulrenovating” funkathon to the Golden Vine on Saturday, September 22. From 9pm.

The Gold Fields Blues Club takes over the Golden Vine on Sunday, September 22, for an afternoon of the ever-popular genre. From 1pm; entry $5.

CONTACT: NETTEE136@GMAIL.COM PHOTO BY JADE INGLE

conditions for a miner were really like during the gold rush era and the lengths that they went to in the hopes of striking it rich.

Kitted up in a hard hat and miner’s light, you are guaranteed to catch gold fever on a Mine Experience Tour, 61 metres underground. Climb ladders and try your hand at working a mine drill on an Underground Adventure Tour, 85 metres underground. For the more daring, Australia’s deepest underground mine tour, Nine Levels of Darkness, will not disappoint.

At an astounding 228 metres underground this tour has all of the bells and whistles, including a traditional miner’s lunch served underground.

LOOKING FOR A WEEKEND AWAY? Head to Bendigo for an adventure that is pure gold.

Whether you’re in Bendigo for the weekend or just have an hour to spare, a Vintage Talking Tram Tour is the quickest way to get your bearings and see the city’s key landmarks and monuments.

By hopping on and off the tram at each stop to explore the city’s iconic attractions you’ll uncover a golden story that dates back to the 1850s.

Bendigo was one of the richest producers of gold in the world, yielding over 700,000kg between 1851-1954. That would be worth a staggering $37 billion in today’s prices. Bendigo’s grand heritage streetscapes, reminiscent of the great European cities, are a testament to this.

To truly understand Bendigo’s golden origins, a visit to Central Deborah Gold Mine is a must. Guided through the honeycomb of hidden underground tunnels you will be amazed to discover what

SEPTEMBER GIGS FRIDAY 13TH HARRY LAMB (SOLO) FREE SALON SHOW SATURDAY 14TH SHANE NICHOLSON / ALTERNATIVE COUNTRY WITH SUPPORT FROM MICHAEL WAUGH

People from all over the world came to Bendigo in search of gold, but perhaps none is as evident and celebrated as the Chinese. Bendigo is still known today as ‘Dai Gum San’ or ‘Big Gold Mountain’.

FRIDAY 20TH OPEN MIC WINNERS STEVIE RIGBY(11) AND SOFIE BROWERS-MORRISON FREE SATURDAY 21ST “PEARL -THE AUSTRALIAN JANIS JOPLIN SHOW” AND “SHANNON BOURNE PLAYS HENDRIX.

At the heritage-listed Bendigo Joss House Temple, a Chinese place of worship which was opened in 1871, you will discover more about Chinese beliefs and the story of the Chinese who came to Bendigo in search of gold.

SUNDAY 22ND FREEZA SHOWCASE, ALL AGE BAND SHOWCASE! FRIDAY 27TH HAWK & DOVE DUO, FREE SALON SHOW SATURDAY 28TH TRIPLE SOLO HEADER MIMI GILBERT), AL MATTCOCK AND DAVID M.WESTERN. FREE

Central Deborah Gold Mine and the Bendigo Joss House Temple are both easily accessible by Vintage Talking Tram. Each tram tour includes a stop at Australia’s oldest operating tram depot, which is home to Bendigo’s renowned tram fleet. You’ll see first-hand the craftsmanship and techniques involved in restoring trams to their former glory and, if you’re lucky, you might even bump into Birney the Tramways Cat.

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111 MAIN RD, HEPBURN SPRINGS VIC 3461 - 03 5348 1000 WWW.PALAIS-HEPBURN.COM - OPEN WEDNESDAY - SUNDAY. FORTÉ 723

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ALEX LAHEY IS DOING IT RIGHT, BRINGING INFECTIOUS ANTHEMS AND BURSTING GUITARS TO GEELONG THIS OCTOBER

ALEX LAHEY IS ONE OF THE HANDFULS OF SOLO-FEMALE ROCKERS TO COME OUT OF AUSTRALIA IN RECENT YEARS, AND IT’S HARD TO BELIEVE SHE’S ONLY BEEN KILLING IT ON THE AIRWAVES FOR A LITTLE OVER FOUR YEARS. ARMED WITH UNDENIABLE TALENT, OBVIOUS SKILL AND A RELENTLESS COMMITMENT TO PERFECTING HER CRAFT, LAHEY HAS BEEN RIDING THE ROLLERCOASTER OF SUCCESS SINCE ANNOUNCING HERSELF TO THE WORLD (AND OUR PLAYLISTS) IN 2016 WITH HER DEBUT EP ‘B-GRADE UNIVERSITY’ WHICH CATAPULTED THE MELBOURNE SINGER-SONGWRITER INTO POPULARITY WITH FANS AND CRITICS ALIKE. She re-emerged in 2017 with her debut full-length album, I Love You Like A Brother, which managed to distil universal experiences into wry, punchy indierock songs, and a collection of three-minute odes to millennial angst and all the complicated feelings that come with it.

Now, the alternative-pop powerhouse has returned with her sophomore LP, The Best Of Luck Club, brimming with those gnashing garage rock sounds, honest lyrics and infectious hooks that we’ve come to know and love, and she’ll be bringing it all to Geelong’s most iconic venue Little Creatures Brewery’s next month for the inaugural Born In Geelong Festival.

A celebration of the region – the birthplace of its popular Furphy ale – Little Creatures will transform its extensive site into a premium music venue with two stages, hosting a mix of local and national talent alongside Lahey, including headliners Ball Park Music, Allday, British India, Didirri, Ro, Planet and Alice Ivy. “Super excited about it,” Lahey beams about snagging 20

a spot on the inaugural festival bill. “It’s always such a blast playing Geelong and when I got told about the festival, it was an absolute no-brainer. Being a Melbourne girl and my drummer Jess being from Ocean Grove, it has the same excitement as a hometown show for us.”

With the release of her sophomore album (and easy contender for 2019’s Album Of The Year) back in May (which continued to demonstrate Lahey’s knack for infectiously catchy hooks and candid, forthright lyricism), it’s apparent most of Lahey’s success can be attributed to her relatable music, navigating the highest highs and the lowest lows, and once again giving a voice to millennial ennui.

“I tried my best to not overthink while I was writing each individual song on the record and to just have fun being in the moment when I was lucky enough to find time to write,” she explains.

“A really big part of pulling all the songs together was spending a couple of weeks in Nashville before I went into the studio to write as much as I could while consolidating the album. It would’ve been a very different album without that experience and I’m really glad it happened.”

Consisting of 10 songs, the album takes you on a rollercoaster of youth emotions, exploring new feelings and experiences, and keeping you constantly captivated with each song. While self-doubt prompted ‘Am I Doing It Right?’ and raw grunge-rocker ‘Misery Guts’ reacts to a painful breakup, a particular tug at the heartstrings is in ‘I Don’t Get Invited To Parties Anymore’, which sees Lahey reflect the consequences of being in the music industry and all it requires of her.

Marking a new level of maturity for the Melbourne

songwriter, the album shines a light on Lahey’s musical diversity through the addition of keys, saxophones and interesting vocal treatments, which Lahey is keen to translate live on stage next month.

“I want the show to be as diverse as possible and allow the band and I to have fun and feel free on stage,” she explains. “I feel that when you go in with that attitude, it’s quite easy to achieve that vision. Just not overthinking and letting the songs be themselves is something we try to do.”

No stranger to the touring circuit, Lahey’s played every local festival imaginable, sold-out national runs of shows and has even taken her music internationally, and Geelong has managed to keep coaxing her back.

From supporting The Jezabels, and celebrating the release of I Love You Like A Brother, and performing at a number of our regional favourites including The Barwon Club, The Wool Exchange, The Workers Club and the Karova Lounge down the highway, Lahey’s live performances continue to evolve, leaving no doubt about her being one of this country’s most consistent performers.

“Since the start of this project becoming a live show, I feel like I’ve become a better guitar player and performer in that time,” she shares. “But I’ve also become really sure of what I want the show to be, which is fun, inclusive, high energy and about playing as a band.

“Geelong has always been so supportive of my music from the very start and I hold the town very close to my heart for that reason,” Lahey continues. “We’ll keep coming back for as long as you keep coming out!”

And you can bet the whole town will come out for this massive 10-hour program, set to attract over 4,000

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people with an alt-pop vibe, utilising all areas and laneways of the brewery as the festival pays tribute to Furphy (which Lahey admits is “legitimately my beer of choice”), while jointly celebrating the best of the local community and culture.

Alongside the music, the festival will also showcase some of Geelong’s best food, drink, lifestyle and other entertainment, including a pop-up by the popular The Hot Chicken Project, the Nashville-style brainchild of award-winning chef Aaron Turner, while The Resident Barber will be serving up fresh cuts to punters across the day.

As part of the festival, Little Creatures are also partnering with KROCK to present the KROCK B.I.G Sessions Stage. In the lead up to the event, the hunt is one for the next best band to take on Geelong, with the winning act performing on the KROCK B.I.G Sessions stage alongside some of Geelong’s best live acts.

The B.I.G Festival will also be cashless event committed to reducing waste and will partner with Bettercup, a reusable cup company that specifically aims to combat single-use waste from events and venues.

Don’t miss your chance to indulge in a little perspective when Lahey hits the BIG Festival stage with her infectious anthems and bursting guitars next month.

THE B.I.G FESTIVAL WILL BE HELD ON OCTOBER 26 FROM 12PM – 10PM. TICKETS AND LATEST INFORMATION AVAILABLE VIA WWW.BIGFESTIVAL. COM.AU.

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THE WAY THAT WE LOVE VERA BLUE WRITTEN BY DANIELA KOULIKOV

There are only good things ahead for the enigmatic pop powerhouse Vera Blue, aka Celia Pavey. Recently having finished a worldwide tour with Flume, which included the UK, the USA and Asia, Pavey is returning to Australia to perform her massive regional tour, which will include her favourite places, including Hobart, Geelong and Wollongong, as well as taking her to new regions never visited before.

So why is Pavey going regional? “I enjoy spreading music to local towns, particularly ones that maybe haven’t seen a live performance yet,” she says. “I also really love performing and visiting audiences in different places.”

Although we’re all happy that fans abroad had

the opportunity to see her incredible performances live, local fans are marking the dates on their calendars to see her here. That shouldn’t come as a surprise though – Vera Blue is a name known for her captivating performances and elaborate outfits.

What makes fans especially excited for this tour, however, is the release of fresh new music from Pavey.

Her new single, “The Way That You Love Me”, explores abuse, sexuality and difficult relationships through a dark electronic beat, a significant departure from her usual pop genre. “There were people coming into my life that were disrespecting me, people that I loved and that loved me, which made it a strange concept. People that love you the most can sometimes treat you the worst,” yet more than that, it’s also about “collaborating, creating a new sound, trying to build a storyline and experimenting with different beats and lyrics.”

Holding over one million streams on Spotify, it’s clear that these ideas of exploration and growth are well-loved by fans. What does Pavey have to say about that? “I’m living life and writing songs about that, I’m glad people can relate to that.”

With that in mind, we can’t wait to hear her new releases and see her on tour.

SHE WILL HIT UP COSTA HALL AT DEAKIN UNIVERSITY IN GEELONG ON SATURDAY, 21 SEPTEMBER. TICKETS TO ‘THE WAY THAT YOU LOVE ME TOUR’ ARE ON SALE FROM WWW. VERABLUE.COM/TOUR

NOT EVERYTHING’S ALL RAINBOWS AND SKITTLES WRITTEN BY JESS SERCOMBE

Melbourne heavyweights The Delta Riggs are back after three years of radio silence with the fourth instalment in their collection of rock n roll treats, Modern Pressure. Definitely worth the wait, the album marks a step up for the band, braving more profound, upfront lyrics than usual while still staying true to the OG Riggs we know and love, making a stylistic return to the rock n roll music they love to make. As an album that packs a lot more than what originally meets the eye, I was lucky enough to sit down for a chat with guitarist Alex Markwell to see what Modern Pressure is all about.

“It’s not in any way a concept album or anything like that… but some of the songs have a bit more of a message of just life and the need to feel like you’re presenting the best version of yourself and how you put yourself under pressure to portray this perfect image,” he explains. In

22

UP CLOSE WITH NASHVILLE’S LEO RONDEAU Hi Leo. Congrats on the release of your album Right On Time, earlier this year. How has it been having it out in the world?

It’s great to have music out of your head and into the world. There’s a lot that goes into the whole process so there are also feelings of relief and a freeing up of mental resources to start working on the next thing.

Who/what were some of your influences and inspirations for the album?

I like recording with a band in the studio without much overdubbing so it was important to keep that feel. There were a lot of influences pulled into this, but overall I wanted the songs to all work together and for it to have a cohesive sound throughout.

Working with Andrija [Tokic] at Bomb Shelter really helped it give it a sound.

Your recent tours have your shows quite close together, rather than spread out over a long period. What do you love about getting on the road and performing night after night?

The music industry demands that you play night after night to make it all feasible. Travel is not cheap in general, especially if you’re rolling with a band or if I’m flying to another country. And it’s good just

our social media age, “pretty much anyone can look into your life that usually wouldn’t be able to, and hear the songs you write so it’s about taking a step back and living in the moment. It’s looking at yourself from a different viewpoint and not getting too caught up with the pressures of modern life… you know, just get off the phone and look up and see what’s right in front of you.” Sage advice.

The super psychedelic album cover may initially seem just a colourful eyecatcher, but much like the album’s music, there’s more to it on closer inspection. So what’s the dealio here?

“Well for starters, instead of going with something drab and sort of down, go for something colourful and bright. But also, I don’t know if you noticed,” - I hadn’t - “but the eye on the front is a bit bloodshot, a bit sort of tired-looking. You’ve got all these nice, bright colours and it’s peachy and everything, but the actual eye looks like it’s been through some shit.”

So what first appears as a perfect bright image is actually revealed as a cover-up for the reality that lies beneath the glitter and glam. “[Online you can] get caught up on what your friends are doing, but you’re being shown what they choose to show you… That image of what they’re doing might look all positive and all rainbows and Skittles, yet if you take a

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to stay busy and not have too much time to think about the absurdity of the whole operation. If I have a day off, I like it to be scheduled and have reason with rest, sightseeing, staying at friends...

Your music has seen you dancing in the streets of New Orleans during Mardi Gras, to the madness of SXSW, to the West Texas Desert, to Stonehenge, Ireland, and drinking in the oldest pub in England this year. What’s been the highlight of your career so far?

All of those things you mentioned were amazing, but my two life highlights so far this year were playing my friend’s wedding in Austin TX, and surprising my mum for her birthday in North Dakota.

Are you working on anything new right now?

I’m finishing up an EP that focuses on the Turtle Mountains [in North America] and some characters up there. I hope to start releasing songs from that by early next year. I’m also writing for another record that I hope to get recorded next year. I’ll stay busy I reckon.

You’re heading down under this month for a 13-date tour, including a stop at Pistol Pete’s in Geelong. Have you visited Australia before?

This will be my third time. I love it there and have made some really wonderful friends. I just wish it was about half the distance away.

What are you looking forward to with this tour?

Seeing all of my friends for sure and trying to get Australians to dance.

The dates are quite close for this tour too, will you be having any time off afterwards to explore Australia or are you heading back home?

I’ll get some time on the end to do some visiting, then I’ll make some stops on the way home as well.

Thanks so much for chatting! To finish off, what’s one thing you love about Australia?

Boxed wine.

WHEN & WHERE: PISTOL PETE’S, GEELONG – SEP 21 MAJOR TOM’S, KYNETON – SEP 28 BRIDGE HOTEL, CASTLEMAINE – SEP 29.

chance to catch up with them you might realise they’re having a rough time, and if you just take what they’re portraying on social media as a snapshot of their actual lives, you can make the wrong sort of assumption.”

Social media pressures are pertinent in the album, but the pressures of the music making business also affect and inspire the band and their message of modern pressures. “Being in a band you have to put on a brave face the whole time… it can look all peachy on the outside, like ‘oh yeah, you play for 45 minutes, maybe an hour’ but people don’t realise all the stress and the pressure you put on yourself just to get to that point. You’re putting out your heart and soul for everyone’s criticism when you write songs, and I know a lot of musicians and artists who are geared differently and end up with different sorts of mental health needs.

“You might make up all these graphic versions of yourself you think you need to portray, but it’s really you putting yourself under the pressure more than anyone else… and being in a band can be a stressful lifestyle. If you take all the potential for partying and everything out there, you’ve got to make sure you keep a lid on it. We’ve been a band for quite a while now and that sort of lifestyle that people might think happens, getting drunk all the time and partying, that’s just not sustainable at all... Although some people try to sustain it and that’s when they end up with problems.”

However, Alex makes it crystal clear that the album isn’t all doom and gloom. While they’re definitely shedding important light on the fact that not everything’s all rainbows and skittles, whether it be playing in a band or just browsing social media, and leading by example in putting their heart and soul out there for everyone to see in their lyrics, they’re also still out there having fun.

“Instead of trying to hide behind convoluted metaphors of what you’re singing about, it’s just singing about real stuff and putting ourselves out there. Modern Pressure is a departure from our previous stuff in some ways, but it’s also just getting back to the music we love doing and putting out a good rock n’ roll record.”

MODERN PRESSURE IS NOW AVAILABLE ON SPOTIFY AND TO SEE THEIR FAB NEW WORK LIVE, THE RIGGS WILL BE GRACING US WITH THEIR PRESENCE ON THE FRIDAY NIGHT OF QUEENSCLIFF MUSIC FESTIVAL NOVEMBER 22-24.

IF YOU POVOS CAN’T AFFORD THE WHOLE WEEKEND (LIKE ME) BE SURE TO AT LEAST MAKE IT TO THE FRIDAY! BE THERE OR BE SQUARE.

OLYMPIA WRITTEN BY THOM DEVEREUX

Olivia Bartley, known across the globe as Olympia, is no stranger to the stage. Soon to leave on a seven-date tour of Europe, Olympia will return home to Australia in October to begin her first Australian tour since the release of her second album Flamingo. With two big months of touring looming, Bartley is ready to get on the road again.

“I’m laminating luggage tags as we speak,” she said. “I’m trying to be super organised this trip. [I’ve had] heaps of practise, and heaps of sleep, because I think I’ll lose a lot from the travel. But we’re really excited about this tour.”

The first Australian date is the intimate Anglesea Memorial Hall, a venue with a capacity of just over

SAMPA THE GREAT WRITTEN BY THOM DEVEREUX It’s been over a year since Sampa The Great’s last release, Birds And The BEE9, swept across the world, blurring the lines between hip-hop, soul and gospel, and earning herself the 2018 Australian Music Prize.

This week Sampa Tembo, 26, releases her debut album The Return to a much-awaiting audience.

The album’s second single, Final Form, received over 2.1 million views on YouTube and was the #1 played track on triple j for the week of release.

The Return comes with a fresh 11-date Australian tour, followed by a final national appearance at The Lost Lands Festival at the Werribee Mansion. With an array of shows looming, Sampa is ready to drop new music.

“I’m excited,” she says. “It was a wave of emotions a few weeks before, but now it’s like I’ve listened to this album so many times; now it’s like ‘Please can you just take it!’. I’m excited for people to hear it.”

With two mixtapes, an EP, and now an album under her belt, Sampa has an extensive catalogue of songs to build her latest setlist from. Despite this, developing the set for this tour hasn’t been difficult, she revealed. “There are songs that really fall in line with what we’re trying to say throughout this album and also new types of songs and genres that I haven’t done before that will be exciting to bring to the table.

“There’s a whole new story and a whole new mode of story-telling,” she continues. “I’m not going to

330. Yet Bartley is not daunted by the transition from playing European clubs and Reeperbahn Festival to such a small hall.

“We’ve never played Anglesea before and we’re really looking forward to it. We’ve also got a different set; we’ve brought different things to the stage,” Bartley explained. “[This will be] the first time we’ve tried out some new live things for Australian audiences. I’m really looking forward to that.”

Bartley will be joined by her full band to bring her latest release, Flamingo, to life. Fans of her earlier work need not worry, as she will also explore her past catalogue during the show. On choosing the setlist, she said: “it’s been a lot of fun, and I can’t wait”.

“Even the songs off Self Talk [2016] have a different life now. They’ve been toured so much and there’s so much of the audience in some of the tracks. So it’ll be really fun to mix it up and play those ones as well.

“With the full band, it’ll be high energy,” Bartley promises. “The live show is an amazing opportunity to get closer to the record for a little bit, I find, in a way you don’t always get when you listen to a record at home. It really does bring the record alive. We worked a lot on the show to make it a really unique experience for the audience.”

The show won’t only be about the music, however.

Bartley has been praised for her ability to connect with the audience, through song-writing stories and mid-set banter, creating a uniquely enjoyable experience for the audience.

“For me, it’s definitely important [to connect to the audience]. We always work really hard to make the show special. It’s important to have respect for the audience and make the show as special as we can.”

Having been over three years since performing on the Surf Coast, Bartley is bringing a whole new experience this time. “It’s a different world. That was a solo show, so it’ll be completely different.”

“And it’s always so great to be on the Coast.”

HAPPY WANDERER FESTIVAL RETURNS Seven years in and Happy Wanderer Festival is so much more than a festival you can simply get down and have a groove at. Alongside the good times, great music, a sweet program of workshops, morning yoga, volunteering spirit, and splashing around in the river, it’s a festival which places a particular focus on sustainability and does so in more ways than one.

Director Mark Foletta is a sustainable farmer, winemaker, and forager, and is also the owner of the land in which Happy Wanderer Festival takes place each year, and each year has worked to improve the sustainability practices of the festival.

“This year we’re introducing a mobile dishwashing station,” he explains. “All of the food vans will have crockery and cutlery that we supply, and rather than using compostable utensils and plates like previous years, we’re actually going to re-use them by way of the wash station.”

Alongside this venture, the festival (which takes its name from the weed found regularly on the property) will continue gifting an enamel mug to ticketholders which becomes theirs for the entirety of the festival – whether they’re drinking at the bar, or kicking the morning off with a coffee, punters simply wash and re-use their mug. “That’s surprisingly made a huge difference to any waste that’s left behind,” Foletta says. “We come out the

THE SOUND DOCTOR PRESENTS OLYMPIA AT THE ANGLESEA MEMORIAL HALL ON FRIDAY 4 OCTOBER. SUPPORT BY FRIEND AND FELLOW MUSICIAN JESS RIBEIRO. TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE FROM TRYBOOKING.

limit to just rapping, there will also be poetry, a lot of things will be sung as well, and just delving into the different forms of expression that I haven’t before. It’s definitely going to be a different sort of experience.”

Sampa is set to take to The Lost Stage on day two of The Lost Lands Festival 2019, among names like Baker Boy and Vika & Linda Bull. The familyfriendly festival runs 1-3 November this year at the Werribee Mansion, now entering its fourth year. Festivals like this aren’t uncharted territory for Sampa, though.

“I have been to festivals that are centred around families, I love festivals like that,” she shares. “I wish I had been taken to a festival like that. It’s very beautiful to see things that are family-oriented, and you can experience the music together as a family.

“I definitely will need to edit some words out from the set,” she laughed. “It’s always a beauty to see children at festivals and to be able to connect musicwise and teach.

“It’s beautiful to be a part of this process for them,” Sampa expanded. “Maybe they’ll see something that’ll make them say ‘Aw man, I wanna play the guitar’ or ‘I wanna sing’, ‘I wanna rap’, and to be part of that inspiration is something really important and exciting, so I’m excited to perform there.”

Audiences won’t be the only ones inspired, as Sampa finds as much joy in watching others perform at festivals as she does when performing herself. “I love festivals for being surprised by acts you didn’t know and walking to a different set and a different world, and being educated by other people’s music.

“I haven’t really delved into the line-up, so I’d be unsure to say anything. I do know Baker Boy will be there, and Alice [Skye]. I’m definitely one who will just walk into a different set that I’ve never seen and be like ‘Woah, this is amazing’. I love that about festivals.”

THE LOST LANDS RETURNS TO WERRIBEE MANSION ON 1-3 NOVEMBER. TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE THROUGH WWW.THELOSTLANDS. COM.AU PHOTO BY BARUN CHATTERJEE

BECCY COLE WRITTEN BY KIM PRICE

Throughout her 25 year career, Beccy Cole has seen it all. She’s ridden the rollercoaster of the music industry and experienced the highs and lows of what’s behind it. She’s won 22 Golden Guitars, has multiple ARIA Top 10 Country and Top 40 Mainstream albums, three gold-certified releases and more than a dozen number one Australian country singles. And through it all, Cole remains herself.

“The best advice I ever got was simply to be yourself,” she says. “We all start out trying to emulate someone else, for me it was Dolly Parton, but in the end it’s when you find out what it is that makes you different and then that’s when people go ‘wow’.

“It makes more sense as time goes on and you realise you’re not going to get anywhere trying to emulate someone else. It’s about finding the thing you do best and then doing it deliberately over and over again.”

This September, the singer-songwriter is kicking up her country boots and heading to Crossley Hall in Port Fairy and bringing a swag of her friends along for the ride.

“I’ve always wanted to play this venue, it’s one of those venues people talk about,” she says. “I’ve only ever played in Port Fairy at the Folk Festival so

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next morning and there are no cans lying around at all. Last year the only bit of rubbish found was ten dollars,” he laughs.

Another important aspect of the festival and its sustainability practices, it that partway through the festival, the team does a ‘farm wander’ where punters are taken around the farm and are talked through the sustainability aspect of the farm, tying in with the festivals environmental and community ethos.

Foletta also explains that this year, lucky number seven, was all about consolidation. “We’ve finally found the number that works really well for us in terms of punters,” he says. “Because of the nature of the site, there are only so many people we can get on to camp, with a couple of different access points and because we borrow a neighbour’s paddock to camp, and we’ve found a size that’s manageable for us, and that is really wholesome and just fills the space out really lovely.

“When you have the right amount of people, everything’s well-populated, there’s a good turn out to all of the workshops and the acts, and you’re not getting an overwhelming, large festival vibe which makes it really approachable for families and for the people who want a really good weekend.”

Maxing out the festival at a humble 800 tickets, the family-friendly event boasts a relaxed, happygo-lucky vibe. Featuring a line-up of outstanding up-and-comers, as well as established artists of all different genres, a variety of musical tastes are sure to be catered to. Indie-pop poet Ro will headline this year’s truck-mounted stage, joined by Melbourne local Ruby Gill, and Sunnyside, who will be fresh from shows throughout Japan. Other acts taking to the stage include Half The Andes, Matilda O’Brien, Jo Jo Smith, David M Western, The Mamas, Trickbox, DJ Stu, Bindle, Gerg & Wex, Plastic, Lucie Thorne, Tess Guthrie, DJ Friday, Good Stuff DJs, and more.

While the team is still putting compiling this year’s vendors and workshops, you can bet they’ll continue to reflect the way the festival runs more broadly – being low-key, family-friendly, creative and affordable.

IT ALL KICKS OFF NOVEMBER 1-4. VISIT WWW. HAPPYWANDERERFESTIVAL.COM

this is an opportunity to play this wonderful venue and it’s something I’ve been looking forward too.”

Cole has music running through her veins. Her enviable career has spanned over 25 years, and while her cheeky grin will never reveal the hard yards she’s fought through, Cole knows her industry is a tough one to crack – particularly for women.

“I think there’s always been a huge gender gap in the industry, you only have to look at the amount women are in the ARIA Hall of Fame compared to men, and you’ll see the number is hugely different,” she says. “Even today when you look at a festival lineup and you take away the male names and you see the female names remaining; they’re always less.

“I have an all girl band and people say to my drummer ‘you’re a great girl-drummer’, why do they need to put ‘girl’ in front of ‘drummer’?

Ridiculous… In saying that, it has made strong and resilient women who are able to get beyond that. We know that we might not ever get the top billing, but there’s something nice about an underdog status that makes you want to get up on stage and blow them all away.”

Since breaking onto the music scene in the 1990’s, Cole has hit stages across the country and the world with the likes of Adam Harvey, Kasey Chambers and the biggest legend of all, Slim Dusty, and she is still able to sell out audiences around the country, always hitting the road to play her music wherever she can.

“I look back on my career with fondness and such great memories,” she says. “I think one of the biggest things you can achieve in this industry that means the most is longevity; that’s worth a billion Golden Guitars and all the rest they give you because you can win them one year and be forgotten the next.

“The fact I’m just about to celebrate 20 years since my second album and my first gold album just blows me away.”

TICKETS ARE ON SALE FOR BECCY COLE AND FRIENDS AT CROSSLEY HALL ON SEPTEMBER 28 VIA BECCYCOLE.COM/TOUR-DATES

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SAM FENDER WRITTEN BY ZACH EDWARDS

Fresh from unleashing a row of smashing sets at Splendour in the Grass and a couple of packed venues in Sydney and Melbourne, British poppunk heartthrob Sam Fender slowed down to chat about his debut album, Hypersonic Missiles.

A six-track EP, multiple late-night TV performances, a coveted BRIT Award (or as Sam calls it, the ‘Vocal Hemorrhage Award’, due to the unfortunate illnesses of past winners Sam Smith and Adele) and a string of incredible, emotion-filled singles such as ‘Play God’, ‘Will We Talk?’, and ‘That Sound’ have gathered Sam international attention over the last two years. Finally dropping on September 13, the 25-year old’s muchanticipated release is a “selection box” of songs, as he puts it.

“Not one of these songs are the same,” Sam tells me, “Some of these songs I wrote when I was 19… but so much changes between 19 and 25 - if someone doesn’t

THE NEWS WITH BOY & BEAR WRITTEN BY DANIELA KOULIKOV North America, the UK, and the EU are just some of the locations which Boy & Bear will be blessing with their presence in the upcoming few months. After several years away, fans aren’t the only ones counting down the days until their return.

“We love the anticipation of a tour about to start,” says keyboardist Jon Hart. “There’s nothing like getting on the tour bus and settling into your routine.”

For Boy & Bear, this routine will involve flying to Philadelphia and hiring a tour bus, which they will travel on from location to location. Although a small enclosed place with eight men may not seem ideal for day-to-day life for several months, Jon considers it better than the alternative.

“You don’t always sleep perfectly because you’re on the road, you get jolted around a bit. But then you wake up the next morning and you’re in the middle of New York. We get a filtered coffee machine and a

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[change], there’s something wrong there, or you’re about the environment. just not fucking learning anything, are you?” His We get chatting about Greta’s age and the idea of bluntness reeks of a mature, self-actualised persona, sacrificing childhood for a greater cause - something carefully grown and crafted throughout his youth.

Sam admires immensely. For him, the memories of “I think I’m more aware of myself at 25, where at teenage life are distant, but clear. He didn’t have a 19 I wasn’t. I think I’m almost at the level where I’m smartphone, allowing him to escape all the noise and uncomfortable with it, I’m a bit self-conscious but mess of the digital era.

I think that is a natural progression of growing up.”

“I feel like the internet has entered into our brains…”

This level of introspection runs deep throughout he drifts off. the album, as Sam deals with themes of masculinity, It was this ability to switch off and escape that led relationships, death and even environmental dangers him to pursue music. like climate change. Its title, named after the lead “I was around it all the time. My dad was a musician, single, is a unique one… my brother was a musician, my friends are all “I read a paper and the headline was ‘Hypersonic musical… the two guitarists in my band are friends Missiles’ - it’s a Russian missile that is so fast that it from my childhood - I found my people, and now I hits targets within 6 seconds of launching and can’t take two of them on the road.” be shut down by American satellite defense systems...

Hailing from a small town in the UK, Sam jokes It kind of terrified and excited us at the same time,” he at how quickly he and his friends have grown in sounds excited, passion rising in his voice, “I wanted popularity: “I walk down the street in my hometown to write a song about a tin-foil-hat-wearing idiot who and people that used to punch us in the face at school gets completely strung by social media, who’s terrified ask us for selfies.” of the world and believes in conspiracy theories - but The surrealness of a rising fame isn’t lost on Sam. is also in love… there’s a string of hope that runs Only a few years since his debut single was released, through the song. he’s now playing huge festivals and shows across the “I wanted to write it about climate change, but it’s world, to audiences aged 15 to 50. not that sexy, so I wrote it about nuclear missiles,” “When you see a 15-year-old kid screaming a song he laughs. Across the globe, its message is clearly that you wrote hungover in your underpants, on a radiating with fans.

Tuesday morning watching Jeremy Kyle… that’s crazy.

“It seems to have caught a thing with everybody. When the crowd sings along, when you’re singing Everyone seems to sing along with it, which is back, then you know you’re truly connecting. That is wonderful.” Naming his debut album after this track not a fucking cool thing to say… but it’s true.” seemed like the obvious move.

Sam Fender has skyrocketed to international acclaim, Aside from political activism, Sam admits to being well ahead of his debut album’s release. His honest, influenced by many artists and figures in the world empowering songwriting and unmatched vocal today. Musically, it’s a real mixed bag, reflected by his talent has resonated with fans young and old, as he subtle balance of genres across the album. paves his way forward in this messy, confusing world.

“Pinegrove, Big Thief… just anything weird, Sam is buzzing when we talk about the release of alternative, sort of sad, evil country rock. I have a ‘Hypersonic Missiles’. staple diet of The War on Drugs, Kendrick Lamar “I’m dying to get it out! I’m dying to start recording anything by that fucking genius, I want in my ears. my second one!” And another Australian tour? “I’ll He will ‘Play God’ and I’m fine with it.” be back here as fast as I can.”

Sam expands on influence: “I’m inspired by a lot of things. I’m inspired by people, any sort of interesting RELEASE: HYPERSONIC MISSILES WILL BE or inspirational person… Greta Thunberg - that RELEASED TOMORROW, SEPTEMBER 13, VIA kid who’s kicking up about climate change, she’s DEW PROCESS / UNIVERSAL MUSIC AUSTRALIA. incredible!” he beams, fitting for a singer so vocal

toaster for the bus, we have a black coffee and some toast in the morning, and it’s a really nice way to start the day.”

Although there’s no doubt that everyone will need a night off the bus to have a moment to themselves, touring this way will provide Boy & Bear with an incredible opportunity to see the landscapes of America and Canada.

Yet the upcoming tour isn’t the only exciting news Boy & Bear have to offer: their highly anticipated fourth album, Suck On Light, will become available to fans on Friday, September 27th.

Written and recorded in Nashville’s Southern Ground Studios, with help from talented Collin Dupuis (Lana Del Rey, The Black Keys) and acclaimed Tom Elmhirst (Arcade Fire, Beck, Lorde, Amy Winehouse), the 12-track album will be their “best album yet.”

‘Hold Your Nerve’, their first release since their 2015 award-winning album Limit of Love and the first single on the album, told the story of their vocalist Dave Hosking and his battle with a debilitating illness that made the band fear they’d never release another album.

The story of Hosking’s recovery and the way in which the band continued to work to pursue their dreams isn’t only represented in ‘Hold Your Nerve’, it’s explored throughout the album in its entirety.

“Why did we name it Suck On Light? It’s representative of the direction of the record. We don’t want it to be heavy and dark, we want people to feel that there’s something better coming tomorrow.”

With the tour and album release ahead, we’re sure that there will be.

MICHAEL WAUGH Congrats on the release of your album The Weir. Can you tell us a bit about the concept of this album and theme of growing up Australian?

In this record, I tried to capture pictures of the people and places that I grew up with. It’s as warm and comforting as a woman at the local bakery who calls you ‘love’ when she sells you a bottle of creaming soda and one of the best pies in the world (I grew up literally believing that the Maffra bakery produced the best pies in the world and that we were globally renowned for them). It is as fun as being towed on a tractor tire by a speedboat. It is as sad as a roadside cross and a plastic rose. It is as cheeky as riddling a ‘no shooting’ sign with bullet holes. It is as disappointing as pulling in a fishing line to see what you haven’t caught. It is as wild as the parties where we used to wince while skulling Brandivino (a pretty toxic form of goon that we used to drink. Brandivino is mixture of wine and brandy made famous to us through a lyric in Cold Chisel’s song ‘Breakfast at Sweethearts’). It is as simple and beautiful as throwing a tennis ball into the weir while the dog obediently and joyfully swims in to bring them back for you. It is not one of these emotions – it is all of them.

What was the process like?

I write a lot. I’m really inspired by the people and places of Gippsland and by my love for my family. So, there was a great deal of material that I could draw from. One new year’s eve, I received a picture on Facebook that had been taken at 2am. It was a picture

RELEASE: SUCK ON LIGHT IS OUT FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27.

PHOTO BY DANIEL BOUD

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THE EMERALD 2019 BALL Four local mums put their heads together to continue to support mental health in Geelong.

All these women who have been affected by mental health in one way or another have decided to take action and raise money for this important cause. This year will be the 6th ball run by the local women who see it as there way to give back.

Over the past six years The Emerald Ball has raised over $100,00 in support of Headspace Geelong, allowing Headspace Geelong to go on and support local youth and families affected by mental health in Geelong and surrounds.

The Ball will be held on Saturday 5th October from 6pm at GMHBA Stadium Presidents room.

Tickets include two course meal, beer, wine and soft drink and entertainment by Geelong’s favourite band Trojan. Silent Auctions and fun along with Buxton Real Estate who will be hosting the live auctions. These are just some of the exciting fundraising activities on the night.

We all know someone who has been touched by a mental illness. If you would like to make a difference and enjoy a fun night out, this is the night for you.

YOU CAN BUY TICKETS VIA GEELONGTICKETS. COM.AU/EVENT/EMERALD-BALL-10097 FOR MORE INFO, CONTACT EVENT ORGANISER JENNI MITRA VIA 0432 250 480 OR EMERALDBALL@OUTLOOK.COM

of a group of men sitting on fold up camp chairs around an esky and a camp fire. The caption to the selfie was ‘listening to Michael Waugh songs at the Weir’. This picture is the inspiration for much of this record; what other music were these guys listening to? What is their story? What are their connections to this place? That’s where everything started.

How did it come about that Shane Nicholson in the producer’s chair?

This is my third record with Shane. Over the course of those years, he has become one of my dearest and most valued friends – so, coming into this record was very special for me. The night before recording, we got drunk and talked about what this third album was going to be. It was scary and exciting, because this was going to be different to the first two records. It was also the first time that Shane had made a third album for someone. Shane never wants to repeat things that he’s already done – so there was a sense of trepidation and excitement for both of us.

You’re sharing the stage with Shane Nicholson at the Palais-Hepburn this weekend. What are you most looking forward to?

Seeing Shane. He lives on the Central Coast, and he is so busy in the studio, so having the chance to sit in the Green room with him and tell him funny stories and hear about his adventures on his recent overseas trip will be lovely. Also, we are both playing with two lovely players – Jacob McGuffie (playing guitar, banjo and dobro with me) and John Bedggood (playing mando and fiddle with Shane).

Music for me is about community – and music has brought me these friendships. I also used to work in Daylesford (at the Neighbourhood House in the early 90s) – so I’m really looking forward to sharing my music down there.

WHEN & WHERE: THE PALAIS (W/ SHANE NICHOLSON), HEPBURN SPRINGS – SEPTEMBER 14 MALDON FOLK FESTIVAL, MALDON – NOVEMBER 1-3.

THE AMITY AFFLICTION WRITTEN BY CHRIS MICHAELS

The Aussie heavy metal rockers The Amity Affliction will be heading back to their home base soon with gigs across Australia, and a trip to Melbourne to round the gigs out. Guitarist Dan Brown sat down for a chat recently and gave an insight into the bands’ current mood and plans for the rest of 2019 and beyond.

WRITTEN BY DARBY-PERRIN LARNER

“It’s always fun for us to play on a big stage. With some things we do they are home runs, and other times we strikeout. But we experiment with both writing and on stage.”

Shane Parsons is on the way to the studio, our call will be one of many interviews for him today. It’s the last chance DZ Deathrays have to talk before returning to the Grove to record Positive Rising: Part 2—the second part of their forthcoming double album.

They are currently working on new tunes too, which is a process that never really stops.

“We’re writing at the moment. We’re growing and always changing. We have a good system with our Australia is at the end of the current touring cycle writing. Everyone knows exactly what they’re doing for the band, and it is strange according to Brown and that means we can all just get on with our roles. that they’ve waited a while to do shows on home turf. Joel writes all of the lyrics. That’s all he has to do really. And he does it well. Ahren does all the music.

“It is weird making Australia wait. We’re at home now We have pressure but it’s a good pressure to write and it feels like I’ve been back for months. Lately, some good tunes.” we’ve just been writing and working on a heavier sound. Some tracks anyway,” he says. “There are Over the next few months around Christmas and always a lot of changes with us and we’re always into the new year the band will continue to write learning what works best.” songs and prepare for a future album, as well as head to the US and Japan for more touring dates.

The group’s latest album ‘Misery’ released last year has been doing well and the philosophy it seems is “We’re always writing, and trying to spend time with to be true to yourself as a band. family as well especially over the new year.”

“We try to play to our strengths. Some bands want to do everything musically.”

TRAFFIK ISLAND WRITTEN BY ALEX CALLAN

Courtesy of another musical polymath in the Flightless Records family, Traffik Island is the off-kilter project from ORB’s Zak Olsen, and boy is it good. We sit down with Zak for a chat about music, music and more music.

Hey Zak, thanks heaps for taking the time to answer some questions! You must be pretty flat out with Orb currently touring America alongside Gizzard and Stonefield; how has the tour been so far?

I’m literally flat out laying in my bed bunk right now.

It’s 10:30am and we’re about to arrive in Milwaukee for a show tonight at the Riverside Theatre.

With 2019 having a new album from Traffik Island, another one from Hierophants and new music from Orb in the works; how are you managing such a hectic workload?

A lot of the time these things are finished months before release. I think you’ve just got to be working on something all the time. I like to change around projects to keep my self interested.

Traffik Island’s album from 2019, ‘Nature Strip’ bears a much closer resemblance (than your other current projects) to your early work in The Frowning Clouds, was the 60’s psychedelicpop vibe something you were wanting to revisit for a while now?

Nature Strip is just the album I’ve always wanted to do. I feel like it’s always been there since I was 16

DZ DEATHRAYS ARE STILL DIY

For this Aussie run of shows, the band have asked the fans what they want to hear, going right back to their first tunes in the early 2000s. “The setlist will be decided by the fans basically. And the stage show will be bigger and better than what we do elsewhere.

The new feature is the first DZ have written and recorded as a trio. Lachlan Ewbank joined Parsons and Simon Ridley in the writing process in 2017, just after Bloody Lovely wrapped.

“I was getting a little bored of my own sort of guitar stuff, it kept sounding the same so it was really good having Lachie come in and give parts,” says Parsons. “I sort of had to give up what I wanted to do in terms of, especially lead lines on guitar, and it kind of made me focus a lot more on just doing a lot more on vocals and song structure,” he continues.

THE AMITY AFFLICTION PLAY AT MELBOURNE ARENA ON MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16. YOU CAN STILL FIND TICKETS VIA LIVENATION.COM.AU.

or something. It just represents my personality the most and takes influence from the stuff the really informed my taste.

Where was ‘Nature Strip’ recorded and who were some of the behind the scenes credits who worked on this album with you?

It was mainly recorded at home with the drums and some of the full band stuff being done by Jesse who I can’t thank enough. He plays in the live band too. It was recorded across my last two houses and a bunch of friends and housemates contributed, all of which are listed on the insert.

One song that really struck a chord with me was ‘17.’ So I wanted to know why that’s the age you seem to reflect on and how has your mentality as a musician and person developed since you were 17?

Well, I had planned to make a pastiche of the kind of songs I was really into around that age. It begun as a kind of “boy meets girl” theme which most of those songs do but I thought it’d be interesting to write from the perspective of someone in their mid-20s talking to their younger selves. I was genuinely worried about playing music and not being a teenager anymore, 20+ year-olds weren’t allowed to play garage.

I love some of the sounds you experiment with on this release, what was the most experimental thing that you toyed with that found its way onto the album?

There was a song that I cut which was perhaps the weirdest. I usually spend lots of time trying all kinds of things, it’s the funnest part and sometimes ya dunno what will happen. Fun fact, the double bass on Sunday Painter is a sample of the double bass in Lazy Cat. Traffik Island will be playing this year’s Loch Hart Music Festival alongside label mates ‘Baked Beans.’ How are you feeling for that show? I know Orb played Loch Hart’s inaugural year last year so what are your thoughts on it as an up and coming festival?

A fun festival with fond memories. I’m looking forward to the pie shop nearby, plus a beautiful drive.

Turning a new leaf of sorts with this album, DZ enlisted Lee McConnell to make the bright, saturated cover art to match the record’s optimistic title. The title itself is taken from a song due to arrive on part two. Parsons insists it’ll all tie together when the second part is released. He also says that while

THE AMAZONS WRITTEN BY CHRIS MICHAELS

The Amazons, hailing from England and formed in 2014, have slowly but surely built up a solid base of tunes spread over two studio albums over the last couple of years and on the back of the latest album Future Dust they recently toured Australia for the first time, hitting Melbourne’s Howler last Friday.

Singer and guitarist Matt Thomson spoke to me recently about the tour and how things have been shaping up with the Brit group.

“Well, this is the first time for a while that we’ve been to someone new. We’ve been to Europe and the US but not Australia. So it is really exciting.

“I love touring. I tend to hate going home. Even though all dressing rooms look the same after a while. The key is to really go out and see the places you are touring. The Australian tour is really at the end of the festival season for us.”

The band, with some heady comparisons to Wolfmother and Jet were actually fans of those hard-rocking groups from afar and have a soft spot for newer music from Courtney Barnett and the old favourites AC/DC.

LOCH HART MUSIC FESTIVAL RUNS NOV 15-17

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the two separate parts will sound similar, there is a little bit of a progression throughout.

The lead single“Year of the Dog”,with Matt Caughthran, sounds rotten, angry, setting the gruff tone.

“My body says that it’s had enough//and I keep screaming for an answer,” cries Parsons.

The track, along with the rest of part one was recorded in LA. “It was one of those things we were jokingly saying that every band needs to go and do a record in L.A.” Luckily their good friend, and great producer, Miro Mackie has a studio there. Parsons says unfortunately there just wasn’t the budget to return. Instead, they’re heading to the Central Coast of NSW to finish part two.

The video clip for “Year of the Dog”, also under budget constraints, was filmed on an iPhone using the green curtains of a ‘shitty hotel’ in Poland as a green screen. Its simplicity harks back to their 2008 clip for “Mess Up”, in which Parsons and Ridley trade a bottle of Jagermeister while they try to sing.

Parsons insists, after all, “we still kind of treat ourselves like a DIY band as much as possible.”

RELEASE: POSITIVE RISING: PART 1 IS OUT NOW. CATCH THEM LIVE AT THE FORUM, MELBOURNE – OCTOBER 25 & THE EVELYN, MELBOURNE – OCTOBER 26 (U/18).

When it came time to write and record their latest album, the boys channeled at least some of that AC/ DC swagger and rock sense to make a balls against the walls album.

“Some of the best decisions are made on instinct.

With the last LP we really wanted to make the most unapologetic rock album we could. A lot of guitar music tends to be left-field. Or bands experiment.

We tried to ignore all of that and just make the music we wanted to make.”

With The Amazons, every band member knows his role. For Thomas, it is the songwriting.

“I’ll usually bring in verse, lyrics and chord progression. And we build from there. We all have our place.

Bands tend to want things to move faster than they do, especially in the studio. But it takes time.”

The band are following their Aussie trip with some more touring time in the USA, and then plans for new music in 2020 are on the cards.

IN THE MEANTIME, ENJOY THE LIVE PHOTOS FROM THEIR SHOW AT FORTEMAG.COM.AU PHOTOS BY JOSHUA BRAYBROOK

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SPRING EATS Sunny days and shivery winds, magpies eyeing off their next victims, Dad’s dusting off the barbecque, and footy finals fever... Spring had indeed arrived.

From cheese and dessert platters, to grazing tables & mixed platters for kids birthdays.

Gift boxes also available on request.

To celebrate the season, we’ve combining our love of the region with our love of food and narrowed down some of the local heroes (cafes, specialty stores, restaurants, pubs etc.) for you to explore over the next few months.

Email us at cm.creations@hotmail.com

facebook.com/cmplatters

Enjoy… You can thank us later. _cmcreations

Talia & the food-loving Forté team.

PRESENT THIS VOUCHER BY OCTOBER 31ST 2019 TO THE CHEESECAKE SHOP BELMONT 5244 0300 THE CHEESECAKE SHOP LEOPOLD 5250 3464 *Offer ends 31-10-2019. Purchase and pick up any full size cake from $29.95 and receive a $10 discount off the purchase price. Offer not available for midi size cake, vegan or gluten free cake purchases. Not to be used with any other offer. One offer per person and only to be used once.*

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If chicken is more your style, you can toss up between the chicken snitz burger, Korean chicken burger, or the Burger Bar 3217 specialty – the southern fried chicken burger, marinated in buttermilk, honey and maple syrup.

Sounds pretty good, huh? We’re not done yet.

They’ve also got a southern fried barramundi burger, their signature slow-cooked brisket burger, a veggie burger, a vegan burger served on a potato bun and a tonne of add-on options Everyone knows how hard it is being a foodie on a budget, and these guys have your back with their $10 Tuesday’s! It’s dine-in only but for $10, who’s complaining?!

If you’re not feeling like a burger (infrequent, but possible), they’ve got you covered with the Texan style beef brisket with fries, the pub favourite chicken parmi, cheesy chips and gravy, brisket loaded fries, and even crunchy, golden potato gems.

Alongside the juicy burgers, Burger Bar 3217 also provide sugar-filled, cooling liquid bliss with their selection of crazy and freak shakes. So far we’ve spied a salted caramel kinder surprise, Willy Wonker strawberry freakshake, pink fluffy unicorns, and cookie monster crazy shake. Packed with sugar and throwing in a second hit of deliciousness, these shakes are on point.

One of our favourite things in this world is As for the space, the restaurant can sit up to 30 getting our hands wrapped around a burger, burger-loving patrons, which also boasts a kids play making a mess and finishing the last piece area, as well as the promise of live sport on the flat with sticky fingers and a full stomach. Is there screens and an upcoming liquor licence for when anything better? summer hits.

The answer is no, and now there’s one more Worshipping the food of the Gods, Burger Bar 3217 burger joint to add to your list with Burger Bar 3217. are here to satisfy our hunger cravings and undying Swinging open the doors earlier this year at The affection for meat in a bun… oh and they deliver to Village Warralily Shopping Centre in Armstrong those in Armstrong Creek/Mount Duneed. Time to Creek, Burger Bar 3217 has perfected the art of up your time at the gym this week, these are the whipping up mean burgers from scratch (even the burgers your stomach has been screaming for. marinating) that will have you licking your fingers for days. They pack ‘em high, force in the flavour and BURGER BAR 3217 IS LOCATED AT THE make each bun-wrapped treat a delight!

VILLAGE WARRALILY SHOPPING CENTRE, And with more than 10 burgers on the menu, CENTRAL BOULEVARD, ARMSTRONG there’s guaranteed to be something for every taste. CREEK. CALL (03) 5264 1949 OR VISIT If you’re a fan of beef, they’ve got your classic WWW.BURGERBAR.NET.AU/MENU Aussie Burger, a double deluxe burger (double beef and double cheese), and even your standard cheeseburger if you like to keep it simple.

Souvlaki. Keeping the promise of fresh, local quality ingredients, the meat comes from the best butchers in Geelong, What’s for Dinner, with an option for Bakers Maison Milk Buns. Pair these with a housemade beetroot relish, and shack sauce, and top it off with Maggies Kitchen Queenscliff’s tomato relish, and you’ve got yourself a party (or just a damn good burger… some of the best burgers in town, rivalling some of the so called burger specialists).

Just saying…

HIGHTON FISH & CHIPS There is nothing like a good box of fish and chips – whether it’s eaten on the beach with a sneaky squeeze of lemon, and a cold beer balanced on the sand, or wrapped in paper and taken home for a lazy Sunday night dinner while you binge watch Stranger Things, it’s an Aussie essential… there’s just something about it.

What really sets this local fish and chippery apart from the rest however is the abundance of gluten free options across the menu. From the classic Flake and minimum chips, to the rarely sighted Burlaki (yes, a Burger crossed with a Souvlaki) and everything in between, the days of having to have grilled fish are numbered with a dedicated Gluten Free fryer to enjoy that deep fried goodness. And for a smaller snack, Dims Sims, Potato Cakes and the like are also part of the Gluten Free menu. If you’re craving all your favourites from the local Fish N Chip shop, but need gluten free options, this is the crème de la crème.

BURGER BAR 3217 The sauce is strong with this one…

They also feature freshly an ever-changing weekly supply of donuts from Geelong’s Gluten-Free by Isaac, as well as gluten free pies and rolls from Victoria’s own, Silly Yaks.

Pop in, say g’day, and treat yourself to a staple of the Australian diet this Spring… and if you live in range and are super lazy, Highton Fish & Chips also deliver, through the shop, and on Uber Eats.

HIGHTON FISH & CHIPS IS LOCATED AT TAYLOR COURT, HIGHTON. CALL (03) 5243 6457.

If you love fish and chips as much as we do – any time of the year – cruise on down to Highton Fish & Chips.

Here, owner Pat has a simple philosophy, and that is the fresher the better, so daily delivered fish is a sure thing, and you can be sure you won’t get that two day old soggy lettuce in your Burger or

WAURN PONDS HOTEL

FANTASTIC FOOD NIGHTS 1154 PRINCES HWY, WAURN PONDS VIC 3216 OPEN 7 DAYS 5243 1154

MONDAY

PASTA

OR

PIZZA NIGHT $12 TUESDAY

SCHNITZEL $11

OR

PARMI NIGHT $13

WEDNESDAY

STEAK NIGHT $15 THURSDAY

BURGER NIGHT $13 FORTÉ 723

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Morgans bar & grill

BURGERS & AN AMERICAN STYLE MENU THE BIG KAHUNA BURGER CHALLENGE (KNOCK OFF THE LEADER AND GET YOUR MONEY BACK!) SUNDAY SESSIONS: FEAT LIVE MUSIC, PRIVATE FUNCTIONS, COCKTAILS, BEER ON TAP & LOCAL WINES. 12-14 87-89 GREAT OCEAN ROAD ANGLESEA, VICTORIA MONDAY - SUN: 8AM - 8PM INSTAGRAM.COM/MORGANSBARANDGRILL F WWW.MORGANSGRILL.COM.AU SOMB ree CORN REROS, C PHONE: (03) 5263 1010 & SA HIPS LS A

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Fr SOMB ee CORN REROS, & A CHIPS & S LSA

Bowen Hills

Queensland

F

SOMB ree CORN REROS, C & SA HIPS LSA

2 TACOS TUESDAYS

$

10¢ WING $2 TACOS$TUESDAYS 2$2TACOS TACOS SOTUESDAYS CAT 2$WEDNESDAYS TUESDAYS SYADSEUT HAPPY HOUR PRICE FAJITA 10¢ WING ½ Thursdays weekdays 4 - 6pm WEDNESDAYS Bowen Hills

Queensland

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ritas, tequila beer & wine

HAPPY HOUR ritas, tequila tequila ritas, beer & & wine wine beer

weekdays 4 - 6pm

Weekdanych BURRITO$15 Lu &BEER *

Weekdanych BURRITO$15 Lu &BEER ½ PRICE FAJITA BOOK NOW ELCAMINOCANTINA.COM.AU **

Thursdays

222 BRUNSWICK STREET, FITZROY

½ PRICE FAJITA

*TERMS & CONDITIONS MAY APPLY. EL CAMINO CANTINA PROMOTES THE RESPONSIBLE SERVICE OF ALCOHOL

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WEEKEND BRUNCH

EL SANTO IS NACHO REGUL AR MEXICAN RESTAURANT WRITTEN BY SEB STARCEVIC Nothing’s worse than ordering nachos only to receive a bowl of sad, soggy tortilla chips.

Fortunately, El Santo have mastered the timeless Mexican dish, loading theirs with crunchy jalapenos, rivers of melted cheese and plenty of salsa and guac.

If nachos aren’t your thing, they serve a range of Mexican dishes, including tasty tacos, quesadillas, burritos and even chimichangas. For those looking for a cheap feed, El Santo have got you covered with $4 tacos, $4 beers and $4 tequila shots on Tuesdays. They also stock upwards of 54 different tequilas and mezcal and sling a mean margarita, so prepare to get tipsy.

Don’t stress if you’re vegan; on Wednesdays El Santo has an entire vegan menu, complete with gluten-free options.

It’s packed with delicious dishes such as marinated zucchini burritos and fried cauliflower tacos. Just make sure to book your place early to avoid disappointment.

Go on, head to El Santo for a festive dining experience like no other. Sombreros optional.

EL SANTO IS LOCATED AT 115 RYRIE STREET, GEELONG. THEY’RE OPEN 11:30 – 2:30PM AND 5:30 – 9:00PM EVERY DAY EXCEPT FRIDAYS AND SATURDAYS, WHEN THEY’RE OPEN UNTIL LATE.

WAURN PONDS HOTEL The Ponds Hotel is the ideal place to stop, freshen up, stock up or just relax. As the perfect all-round venue, catering to all ages with something for everyone, The Ponds is open seven days a week and has been serving the local community since the 1970’s.

Following major renovations the last few years, it now boasts a great new space with a fabulous, vibrant atmosphere, a sports bar, pool tables and TAB and new function and conference facilities. They’ve also installed a brand new children’s play area, alongside an outdoor beer garden and alfresco dining, so it will be the ideal place to bring the kids on your journey to the Great Ocean Road, The Otways or the Western District.

The Ponds know the importance of great meals for great value, and hence offer bang-up meal deals during the week. Be it $12 pizza and pasta on a Monday, $11 schnitzel and $13 parmi’s on Tuesdays, $15 steaks on a Wednesday or $13 burgers on a Thursday, there will be something to suit your budget.

Enjoy a friendly relaxed atmosphere, quality meals and service with excellent value.

WHERE: 1154 PRINCES HIGHWAY, WAURN PONDS WHEN: SUN – WED 9AM – 12AM, THURS – SAT 9AM – 3AM

NORL ANE HOTEL Located on the Princes Highway as you come into Geelong, you can’t miss the Norlane Hotel!

Also known as Oppy’s (a homage to Sir Hubert Opperman, one of Australia’s sporting heroes in cycling during the early part of last century), the hotel is the perfect place this winter if you’re looking for a place to eat with family and friends, have a punt in our Super TAB or enjoy a drink after work before heading home. The Norlane Hotel has something for everyone.

It’s also the place to go if you’re looking for some mean daily meal deals. On Monday’s you can snag a bowl of pasta or a pizza for $12, on Tuesday’s schnitzel is a cheeky $11, while Wednesday will get you a $15 steak. They also do $13 burgers on Thursdays and $16 curries on Fridays.

How is that for value?

Alongside the food, the Norlane Hotel is a great spot to unwind after a hard days work. With three bars located throughout the Venue, there’s bound to be one suited to your mood!

The Bistro Bar has a great range of wine, beer and spirits for you to enjoy with a meal anytime for lunch or dinner, as well as a pretty savvy cocktail menu, while the Main Bar lets you kick back in our lounge area and enjoy a drink. If sport is your calling, the TAB Sports Bar is a must visit featuring Bet-live TV screens for sports, including AFL, NRL, Racing and a variety of world wide events. Try a game of pool and check out our memorabilia photos on display.

Quality meal deals and diverse options for beer drinking, you don’t have to tell us twice. Pop on in and see for yourself!

WHERE: 2-8 PRINCES HIGHWAY, NORLANE

PH: (03) 5243 1154

WHEN: EVERYDAY FROM 9AM TO 5AM.

SITE: WWW.WAURNPONDSHOTEL.COM.AU/

PH: (03) 5278 2423 SITE: WWW.NORLANEHOTEL.COM.AU

THE VILLAGE DOOR CAFÉ WRITTEN BY CHLOE CICERO

Are you craving authentic European cuisine in Geelong? Well, look no further than the charming Village Door Café on Pakington Street. At this family-run business, you will find a small taste of Europe, with hearty meals (based on their Croatian heritage), great-tasting coffee, sweets to die for and a warm and inviting atmosphere where visitors can go to share laughs, stories and an afternoon coffee on any given day, at any given time (within opening hours of course).

Boasting authentic home-made recipes with genuine European chefs from all different backgrounds, everything is prepared fresh in their kitchen and is made with love – a love of food, a love of creating and a love of bringing happiness to others through culinary delights.

Some picks from the menu include traditional items including Sarma (Cabbage Rolls), Krajnske Sausage, Ćevapi served multiple ways including with a traditional Balkan bread called Lepinja which is freshly made each week, a Ukranian/Polish specialty made in house called Pierogi (cheese and potato dumplings), Beef and vegetable Goulash, and an indulgent Gnocchi with special sauce.

Now, for those with a sweet tooth. We recommend tasting the traditional Croatian Cake called Madjarica, which is a layered cake that comes in

two variations, chocolate or lemon custard, and their little Dutch pancakes (or poffertjes) which basically little balls of battery heaven, plus so much more sweets and treats. All these recipes have been handed down through generations, ensuring they deliver a homely and authentic European vibe.

While we can’t fault the menu, there are two items on it that absolutely have our hearts, and that’s their breakfast and lunch platters.

The ‘Ultimate Breakfast Platter’ boasts eggs your way, bacon, krajnski sausage, ćevapi, mushroom, tomato, beans, hash browns and dutch pancakes, with your choice of toppings, while ‘The Village Door Platter’ takes the problem of deciding on lunch right out of your hands with Ćevapi, krajnski, pita bread, chips, kupus salata (cabbage salad), garden salad, dips and sauces, with your choice of chicken or calamari. Honestly, we’d eat this every day if we could.

The aim at the humble Village Door Cafe is to locally source quality produce when possible, and they also love to support local, which is one of the reasons they serve Julius Meinl Coffee run by locally grown international soccer player Josip Skoko, tying in both the European theme and supporting a Geelong-run business.

Ever-evolving and proving why they’re one of our favourites on Pako, they’ve just recently launched Village Nights, a casual affair, complete with cocktails, Balkan burgers, and appetisers. Kicking off from 5:30pm every Friday, you can dine in with their quick, simple and delicious menu as you welcome the weekend. Our favourite part has to be the happy hour specials with gorgeous cocktails such as their signature Kruskovac Spritz, or the esteemed Espresso Martini. Whether you’re there for Friday night knock offs, a quick bite before the footy, a catch up with mates, or a cosy place for date night — The Village Door is the place to be, every day.

THE VILLAGE DOOR CAFE IS LOCATED AT 156 PAKINGTON STREET, GEELONG WEST. CHECK THEM OUT ON INSTA, FACEBOOK AND VIA WWW.THEVILLAGEDOOR.COM.AU

DOG FRIENDLY AND ALL DAY BREAKFAST! FACEBOOK.COM/THEPADDOCKCAFEWALLINGTON - 5250 6056 420 WALLINGTON RD WALLINGTON VIC 3221 FORTÉ 723

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choc strawberry torte, caramel mudcake, double choc mudcake, rainbow cake, and even the iconic Aussie pavlova.

Our favourite non-cheesy dessert though would have to be the black forest torte - a divine layered creation of chocolate sponge, vanilla cream and sour cherries, garnished with Belgian chocolate on top… tempting right?

THE CHEESECAKE SHOP Some things in life are just better together. Bert and Ernie. Gin and tonic. Cheese and cake.

Since its beginnings in Ancient Greece, the humble pairing of cheese and cake has evolved over the centuries and rightly found its place on menus and in bellies around the world… and we cannot go past the particularly indulgent, cheesy masterpieces from The Cheesecake Shop.

From the traditional classics to the outrageously wicked, there’s a cheesecake for every tastebud, for every occasion, and unapologetically, even every day.

With two stores in Geelong, one in Leopold and one in Belmont, you’ll find a number of enticing creations like blueberry cheesecake, wild strawberry cheesecake, a French glaze vanilla continental cheesecake, wildberry baked cheesecake, Mississippi baked cheesecake, and the holy grail of dessert with an American baked cheesecake. Your grandmother will have to forgive us, but it truly is the best cheesecake.

While we can’t resist the unmistakable combination of tangy texture and sweetness that is cheesecake (we have no self-control), the team understands that everyone needs dessert and thus cater to a range of dietary requirements with their vegan cakes. You’ll find a delicious vegan chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, and a vegan strawberry chocolate cake with strawberry frosting – completely dairy-free!

To celebrate the creamy, comforting dessert (because why not?), we’ve teamed up with these cheesecake legends for one damn fine offer. There’s a special voucher* in this issue (just flick back a couple of pages) that gets you $10 off any fullsize cake! This means you can waltz into the shop and score that mouth-watering American baked cheesecake for just $19.95. Not bad hey? This promotion ends on October 31 2019 so schedule your dinner parties, high teas and literally any other dessert-worthy occasion ASAP. Whether you’re after a slice, a quarter, mini cake, tart, a cheesecake cup or going all the way with a full-size cake, you’ll never regret a quick detour to The Cheesecake Shop.

YOU CAN FIND THE CHEESECAKE SHOP AT 112A MT PLEASANT RD, BELMONT, AND AT THE GATEWAY PLAZA LEOPOLD (621-659 BELLARINE HWY).

If you’re not totally sold on cheese, or just want to mix it up every now and then, The Cheesecake Shop dabble in a number of other options. There’s the black forest torte, strawberry fields torte, double

email@cafebearandscoobs.com.au

Come visit Geelongs hottest new Burger shop

Gourmet burgers & crazy shakes Live sports and kids play area WWW.BURGERBAR.NET.AU • INSTA - @BURGERBAR3217 • 3-33 CENTRAL BOULEVARD, WARRALILY VILLAGE MALL, ARMSTRONG CREEK 3217 • PHONE: (03) 5264 1949 32

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Ford and Chevy trunks, cheesy queso goodness, hand-made flour tortillas, street tacos, big burritos, sizzling fajitas, crisp quesadillas and nachos loaded with toppings. They also offer complimentary, refillable baskets of tortilla chips and salsas all day, and cater to the vegetarians, vegans and glutenfrees diners.

TAKE A TRIP TO EL CAMINO CANTINA

While the food is unparalleled, it’s the giant margaritas that steal the show. Now home to Melbourne’s biggest and best margaritas, they’re served frozen and on the rocks, in four flavours – classic, mango, strawberry and tropical Red Bull – and a new, limited-edition margarita is unveiled every month! Seems like a pretty good reason to visit time and time again. Not forgetting the cold Mexican cerveza, you’ll also find a range of cold craft and Mexican beers and over 100 tequilas and mezcals are also available.

If you’re in Fitzroy for the night and have a hankering for a truckload of tacos, burritos and Buffalo wings, all washed down with a giant frozen Margarita, you jeed to try out El Camino Cantina.

Located at the iconic 222 Brunswick Street in Fitzroy (made famous by Little Creatures and Fitzroy Social), El Camino Cantina is a large and loud, margaritafuelled bar, with big-hitting Tex-Mex flavours and awesome tunes!

The huge, 400-seat, illuminated warehouse features an expansive bar, intimate and large dining areas, and is perfect for either a quick drink or a partygroup fiesta. Flooded with enough neon to light up the Las Vegas strip, El Camino Cantina Fitzroy is where Tex-Mex meets rock’n’roll and where the tequila, music and fun flow until the early hours.

If you’re craving those Tex-Mex flavours during the week, you’ll be pleased to know El Camino offers some unmissable weekday deals that will have you saving some serious cash. On Wednesday’s you can get 10-cent buffalo chicken wings with the purchase of a 500ml tap beer/cider or 24oz margarita, there will be $2 tacos every Tuesday, and half-price fajitas every Thursday. A $15 beer and burrito lunch special is available every weekday, while happy hour is from 4pm-6pm weekdays with $7.50 margaritas, house beer, wine and tequila, and there is a $19 brunch offer every weekend. What’s not to love about that?

Embrace the Tex-Mex festivities: choose a colourful sombrero, pick a ‘rita’, enjoy loud 80s, 90s and 2000s rock, R&B and pop, and have yourself an unforgettable experience.

VISIT WWW.ELCAMINOCANTINA.COM. AU FOR ALL THE JUICY DEETS. PHOTO BY ANNA KUCERA

Unashamedly bringing legendary Austin, Texas Tex-Mex comida to the forefront, the menu boasts unlimited free chips and salsa served in restored

FANTASTIC FOOD NIGHTS 2 PRINCES HWY, NORLANE VIC 3214 OPEN 7 DAYS 5278 2423

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SCHNITZEL $11

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BAY VIEW BAR & GRILL

GOLDEN DRAGON YUM CHA

SHINYA RAMEN

BACKYARD CAFE

Taking pride of its place on Geelong’s spectacular waterfront, Bay View Bar & Grill has become the most exciting place to drink and dine this Spring. Boasting a smorgasbord of classic Australian favourites prepared with Asian culinary techniques, Bay View Bar & Grill have crafted a menu that contains an enticing selection of seafood, meat dishes, salads, soups, pasta and desserts.

At a glance, their menu is packed with fresh and flavoursome ingredients, catering to absolutely any taste bud. If pasta is your pick, we like the sound of the seafood marinara, complete with a garlic, white wine and cream sauce, or cheese baked chicken fettuccine.

If you’re looking for more of a main type dish then you can’t go past choices like the double beef burger, a porterhouse steak, the grilled Atlantic salmon, or try something different with the curry pork shop! There’s even a number of noodle soups (with the option of a spicy soup base) for when you just need a hot pot pick-me-up!

And if sharing is more your style, then tuck into their deluxe hot and cold seafood platters with season special seafood – think crab, Morton Bay Bug, fish, prawns, oysters, squid… wow, just wow.

It doesn’t stop there though. Whether you’re upfront about your dessert consumption, or you keep it as your little secret, you can indulge guiltfree with the knowledge that all desserts are made fresh in house by their talented kitchen brigade.

Bay View Bar & Grill is located at 2/6-8 Eastern Beach Road, Geelong Waterfront. Visit www. bayviewbarngrill.com.au or call 5222 8086.

Golden Dragon Yum Cha is your go-to authentic Chinese restaurant, located on the corner of Moorabool and Ryrie Streets in Geelong’s CBD. Golden Dragon offers a wide variety across their menu, ranging from casual yum cha meals to extensive special banquets.

Having opened in 2015, Golden Dragon has become known for their quality dine-in experiences, ranging from nights out to weddings and corporate functions, as well as their take-away and delivery options.

Making it past the entrée section of the menu is difficult enough, with Spring Rolls available in both chicken and vegetarian options, and five different options of dumplings on offer.

The clear star of and our personal favourite from the menu is the Peking Duck 4 Course meal, featuring four separate meals: a shredded duck and veggie soup, a lettuce duck wrap, one whole Peking duck with pancakes and dips, and a Special duck with mixed vegetable rice or noodle.

Seafood option of the mussels cooked with garlic and wine incorporates locally sourced mussels from Portarlington, while those choosing a Vegetarian are catered for with a large range of veggie-based dishes with your choice from a range of sauces.

Whether you’re looking for an authentic Chinese experience in the heart of Geelong, or a well-cooked meal to enjoy at home, Golden Dragon Yum Cha is your one-stop.

Golden Dragon Yum Cha is located 154A Moorabool St, Geelong and is open Mon – Sat 11am-3pm, 5-10pm, and Sun 11am-3pm, 5-9pm.

Call (03) 9016 8278 to book.

Tender meat and soft noodles bathing in the juices of a belly-warming broth. Is there anything more satisfying than a clean slurp of ramen? No, we don’t think there is…

While Japan may lay claim to inventing the world’s most sumptuous noodle soup, Geelong’s own Shinya Ramen is an authentic and traditional ramen restaurant that boasts an experienced Japanese chef with a passion for his craft.

If it’s soul-warming ramen served with the flair and integrity that only a real ramen chef can provide, then look no further than Shinya Ramen. Made with egg-free noodles, every dish is cooked fresh to order, whether you decide on chicken ramen, a pork tonkotsu ramen, or vegan ramen! If you’re about the heat, you can turn your dinner up by selecting the spicy option.

Already regarded by locals as the best ramen outside of Japan, the soup is hot and silky, and the noodles are perfectly cooked.

If you’re wanting to explore outside ramen or you’re looking for some bites to start you off, we’d recommend you give the Veggie Tempura or Japanese paella a go, or indulge in freshly-made Gyoza. They’ve also got delicious options like Teriyaki chicken bento, Takoyaki, spring rolls or even the crab claws on offer.

Catering to all dietary requirements, while maintaining their passion and experience, they even offer a fresh tofu salad with tasty Japanese sesame sauce, the aforementioned vegan ramen, a veggie tempura don, and some finger-licking edamame.

Shinya Ramen is located at 8A Gheringhap Street, Geelong. Phone 5222 4162 or email shinyaramengeelong@gmail.com

Located in the heart of Geelong on one of our liveliest streets, Backyard Cafe has become a local favourite, renowned for their silky house brews and a colourful all-day menu that builds on the classics.

Boasting fresh local produce sourced from Geelong and the Surf Coast, Backyard Cafe pride themselves on creating dishes with seasonal fruit and vegetables to provide high quality, delicious, and affordable meals, with all-day breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner available.

Picks include their mouthwatering hot and spicy Portarlington Blue Mussels, the Beast Breakfast complete with bacon, sausage, Grilled tomato, hashbrown, spinach, mushroom and avocado, and the special Backyard waffles with white chocolate ganache, berry compote, and ice cream.

With the vegan dining scene exploding over the last few years, the Backyard has earned a reputation for serving up some seriously delicious eats. Highlights from the menu include their Vegan Kentucky (made with Faux Chicken, vegan cheese and vegan mayo), Vegan Smashed Avo (with Pomegranate molasses, smashed avocado, dukkha, balsamic glaze, cherry tomatoes & Sourdough), and even a Brunch Bowl boasting Quinoa, grilled Tofu, Broccolini, spinach, cranberries, Almond, Dukkha and lemon dressing. Our favourite is the healthy and completely vegan Granola served with fresh strawberries, coconut yoghurt, berry compote and almond milk. Mmm, yum!

With a fresh and flavoursome menu, this joint truly embodies comfort food goals so grab your friends and tuck into some backyard goodness.

Backyard Cafe is located at 188 Ryrie Street, Geelong and is open seven days from 8am.

facebook.com/splatters.sp • insta: @splatters.sp •Call 0419 621 358 Mobile food van, platters, picnic food, grazing boards, platter boxes, weddings parties, festivals, delivered.

Vegan, veggie, sweet or savoury. Based in Geelong FORTÉ 723

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Shop 2 6-8 Eastern Beach Road Geelong, Victoria Call (03) 5222 8086

GOLDEN DRAGON YUM CHA 154A MOORABOOL STREET GEELONG, VICTORIA CALL (03) 9016 8278

facebook.com/bayviewbarngrill www.instagram.com/bayviewbarngrill

FACEBOOK.COM/GOLDENDRAGONGEELONG • INSTAGRAM.COM/GOLDENDRAGONYUMCHA

BACKYARD CAFE OFFERS VEGAN / NON VEGAN MENU A JAPANESE STYLE COCKTAIL BAR HEALTHY FOOD IN LEAFY CHILLED ENVIRONMENT

8a Gheringhap St, Geelong Call 03 5222 4162

WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/SHINYARAMENGEELONG WWW.INSTAGRAM.COM/SHINYARAMEN 36

188 RYRIE STREET, GEELONG • CALL 5242 8498 FACEBOOK.COM/THEBACKYARDGEELONG INSTAGRAM.COM/THEBACKYARDGEELONG FORTÉ 723

cheese-lover’s mecca, creating fresh, indulgent and delicious cheese platters!

Set in the heart of Prahran, Reverie Café & Dessert showcases the former Le Petit Gateau and RACV Club chef’s decadent French pastries alongside a contemporary cafe menu that promises to excite your taste buds with irresistible creations. From petit fours to strawberry & cream macarons, a pristine Charlotte Tiffany cake to a summery Lemon Tart, the hardest part is making a decision on just which perfectly-executed pastries one should get.

Providing a mix of sweet and savory elements and a variety of textures coming together, Splatter cheese platters (a splatterbox!) have a little something for everyone and are made on the day – meaning you can say goodbye to your portable coolers, and hello to a decadent platter of locally sourced and international cheeses.

With behind-the-scenes looks at Reverie Café, up-close images of the decadent French pastries, videos of rich Black Forest gateau, alongside some cute pics of his daughter, this is one Insta feed that will have you scrolling for hours. A word of caution, though: don’t check out this page on an empty stomach.

Focusing on fresh, housemade, local, imported and season ingredients, Jo’s splatterboxes feature an array of divine cheeses accompanied by cured meats (think salami, kabana, prosciutto), season fruit and nuts, dip, a mixture of crackers, olives, dried fruits, vegetable crudites, and other yummies like chocolate dipped pretzels.

SPLATTERS It’s no secret that the culinary landscape has slowly been transformed by a different kind of street food purveyor… the gourmet food truck.

Found on city streets around the world, plates are served at street prices with no booking or dress code required. From travelling tacos to an ice cream sandwich, food trucks cater to foodies who are more interested in taste than the formal trappings of restaurant life (here, here!), and quite simply, they’re way more fun, local and affordable.

They’re also an irreplaceable part of the festival and market scene, and that’s where one Geelong local has found her place, boosting her foodie cred with a mobile snack station.

Enter, Splatters. Created by Jo, a seasoned festivalgoer sick of facing a choice between lugging her own food to festivals and events, and settling for traditional food like burgers and deep-fried food, Splatters is the rolling eatery version of a

Pick up one of his creations for a special occasion or head into Reverie Café for a delightful treat served alongside premium coffee, tea, and cold drinks.

While we are under the spell of some very special Fromage, we also believe no one should have to miss out on the unparalleled pleasure of a good cheese board (or Splatterbox), including those going plantbased. Splatters (being the considerate folk they are) also offer gluten-free, vegan and vegetarian options without compromising on quality and taste!

If you’re not that keen on sharing food with your pals or need to eat on the run, there’s also a range of nifty antipasto ‘Splattercups for one’ that are filled with perfect bite-size pieces.

IF EVER THERE WAS A LINE WORTH WAITING IN, IT WOULD BE THIS ONE – AND YOU’LL BE ABLE TO THIS SUMMER WHEN SPLATTERS HITS THE FESTIVAL CIRCUIT.

THE PASTRY CHEF INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT YOU NEED TO FOLLOW

YOU CAN PRE-ORDER YOUR CAKES AT WWW.REVERIECAFE.COM.AU

In this day and age, Instagram is the web’s culinary mecca! It lets everyone from hobby cooks to Michelin-starred chefs give their followers a behind-the-scenes look at their kitchens. By dishing up bite-sized portions of “food porn”, brilliant gastronomic minds can expand their influence far beyond their own four walls.

So take out your iPhone (or, cough Android) and hit that Insta icon, because I’m about to tell you about one delicious Instagrammer going around. Enter, the very charismatic and talented French pastry chef Pierrick Boyer (that’s his insta handle FYI).

HOT TIP: WE HEAR THEY’RE HEADING TO THE BIRREGURRA FESTIVAL IN OCTOBER! YOU CAN ALSO ORDER A SPLATTERBOX FOR YOUR OWN EVENTS AND OCCASIONS IF YOU HAVE A HANKERING FOR SOME CHEESEY GOODESS. CALL 0419 621 358 OR EMAIL JO AT SPLATTERS.SP@GMAIL.COM

A celebration of his life’s work, Boyer’s latest venture brings Paris to Prahran, fusing the delicacy of fine French patisseries with the indulgence of a modernMelbourne brunching destination.

if you wish to be in our next feature contact glenn on 0407 563 638 or contact matt on 0478 814 926

HIGHTON

FISH AND CHIPS NOT ONLY DO HIGHTON FISH N CHIPS OFFER SOME OF THE BEST BURGERS GOING AROUND, THEY SPECIALISE IN GLUTEN FREE!!

SHOP 5, 1 BELLE VUE AVENUE, HIGHTON VILLAGE

CALL (03) 5243 6457

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SHE SINGS. SHE BREATHES. SHE SIGHS. Get ready to do what you want to, whether that’s shake, rattle, roll, grind, bump or exhale, when Melbourne based multi-disciplinary installation and video artist Martha Ackroyd Curtis brings SHE SINGS. SHE BREATHES. SHE SIGHS. to the Meat Market Stables this October. Using the mass of different mediums to bring you something that is a year in the making, this will be truly something. We sit down with Martha ahead of the exhibition.

Your upcoming exhibition is heading to the Meat Market this October, which encapsulates three ‘shows’ with one linkage... a walk-through of theatrical states of being. Can you tell us a bit about this?

I want each room to be unexpected ‘no predictability’, it is work that is made in ways that I have not done before. The linkage is the ‘theatre’ and the sense that this could be someone’s ‘life journey’, there is a sense of a poetic soundtrack influenced through the decades of music I enjoy listening too, and dancing to.

What the inspiration behind the exhibition?

I had an idea last year about a show, which was kind of ‘3 shows’ or ‘3 parts’. A bit like some kind

A SPARK TO LIGHT UP BALLARAT Ballarat will once again host its own taste of Melbourne’s late-night White Night magic when the regional city plays host to a one-night-only spectacular of light and sound on Saturday, September 21.

Themed around the idea of lighting ‘a spark’, White Night Ballarat 2019 promises to mesmerise after dark revellers like never before, with more than 59 unique experiences across a diverse range of mediums lighting up Ballarat’s iconic buildings and cultural institutions in celebration of reclaiming and re-imagining the city through projections, installations, performance and music. Proving to be the most ambitious program yet, visitors will witness international spectacles, local creations and even some of the most exciting parts of Melbourne’s White Night Reimagined program. It’s truly shaping up to be phenomenal!

The projections and video mapping installations we have come to know and to love will return across iconic Ballarat buildings, including ‘Deadly Questions’ which features the voices of Aboriginal Victorians and will showcase the artwork of awardwinning local artist Wathaurung (Wadawarrung) Elder Marlene Gilson, and Iris by 3dsense, a dynamic installation featuring a large-scale projection of a human iris. A spark will come alive in Harry Potter fans, as images from and inspired by the recordbreaking theatrical hit, Harry Potter and the Cursed

of electronic opera, with a big moments, heart pumping and sweaty, and still.

What are you hoping viewers take away from She Sings. She Breathes. She Sighs?

That art can go anywhere, be bold, brave, and just be you. Live life, love life, go for it.

We believe that you have included a rock soundtrack to accompany this show, influenced by your parents 1960’s ad 1970’s record collection, her own fascination with early rave culture, and queer music breaking on through to the other side. Why was it important for you to include music in this artform?

When I am making my art there is always music in the background, be it The Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix, Lou Reed, Janis Joplin. The first piece of music I owned was a prize at my primary school disco, a Happy Monday’s record. In High school I obsessed with film as well, so collected film soundtracks, one of which documents the early years of rave, right back to the Hacienda, in Manchester, UK. I also listened to a lot of early Queer music which at it’s time of creation gave a sense of Pride to the LGBTIQ+ community, and of cause still does.

This music helped carry the community through a lot. I recently saw John Grant perform, who is a contemporary electronic and instrumental musician and it was so powerful.

A year in the making, what has been the greatest challenge?

I think it has been a challenge, to get what is inside my mind- my imagination, and getting it right with the finished works. I also do other art related projects throughout the year so can trial aspects and if they work use them. For example the ‘optic’ videos for the upcoming exhibition I trialled this year with my other project: The Video’s Suitcase Walk.

What are you most proud of within this?

This exhibition is very FREE in terms of its expression, I have added humour, pride, a partay, elements of stillness and reflection. I want people to walk out of the exhibition and feel something be it; inspiration, courage, a smile.

SEE IT OCTOBER 12 – 18 OCTOBER.

Child, are projected onto one of Ballarat’s famous gold rush buildings, featuring the work of English artist and illustrator Peter Strain inspired by the Patronus Charm, Expecto Patronum!

Audiences will also witness the breath-taking sight of The Guardian walking Ballarat’s main street, Lydiard Street. An imposing creature reminiscent of a giant lion (made from seven talented puppeteers), the Guardian saunters through Ballarat, safeguarding its kingdom and maintaining order.

This year, revellers can also get hands on and express themselves with LED water at Antonin Fourneau’s Waterlight Graffiti. Made up of a wall of LED lights that illuminate when they come into contact with water and go dark as it evaporates, all are invited to pick up a brush (or a spray bottle) and play in Ballarat!

A crew of emerging and established local specialneeds artists will show From Feelings, a series of works inspired by the ways in which words can hurt our feelings; while one of the world’s best aerial acts will explore the uncharted space between street level and rooftops for Heliosphere, creating the illusion of flying.

To top off the sparkling program, two iconic vehicles from the feature film Mad Max Fury Road, the Oldsmobile Polecat and the Razor Cola Falcon, will emerge as a stand-alone exhibition display on the streets of Ballarat when the after- dark celebration comes to town this month. Petrol heads, movie buffs, and kids of all ages are going to have their 15minutes of fame posing in front of these extraordinary vehicles.

Throw in the glittering extras of roving entertainment and live tunes across three performance locations, and you’ll find yourself happily re-imagining art, culture and creativity until White Night wraps up at 2am.

WHITE NIGHT BALLARAT WILL TAKE PLACE FROM 7PM TO 2AM ON SATURDAY THE 21ST SEPTEMBER. THE “A SPARK” PROGRAMME CAN BE FOUND ONLINE VIA WHITENIGHT.COM.AU/BALLARAT

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BEAUTY BY MIKK As far as we’re concerned, a little ‘me’ time is absolutely essential every now and again, and we totally encourage you to take a moment to treat yourself at least once a month (if we could enforce it, we would).

So, whether you’ve had a tough week at work, you’ve got your best friend’s engagement party, or you just feel like a bit of pampering, Beauty by Mikk is one beauty salon that promises to take the edge off - and with more than seven years’ experience, owner (and internationally qualified therapist) Mikaela Saliaris will have you feeling like the fairest one of all.

Tucked away at her home in Wandana Heights, this cosy beauty den is the ideal destination when your brows are looking a little wild, or your overdue to have some hot wax painted on your nether regions – and being at Mikaela’s house, you have the added benefit of knowing you won’t run into anyone from the office post-wax. Big yes.

Striving for perfection and ensuring every client leaves feeling like the Ultimate Queen Bee, Mikaela uses a range of high quality products and provides fully qualified treatments at affordable prices, including eyelash tinting, spray tanning (which is customised based on your needs as well as your skin tone and condition), body waxing (Brazilian, underarm, arms, legs and face), and of course her specialty, brow sculpting.

We all know a good brow goes a long way, and

WHAT’S ON IN THE ARTS

KULIN DREAMING COMES TO WERRIBEE OPEN RANGE ZOO WRITTEN BY CHLOE CICERO If you’re looking for something different to do these school holidays, Werribee Open Range Zoo is hosting a new, meaningful and immersive experience, for you to connect with Australian animals, and Indigenous culture.

Over the 16 Days (September 21st – October 6th), Kulin Dreaming allows visitors to get up close and personal to some of Australia’s most iconic, and endangered animals, whilst hearing tales from elders and members of the local Kulin Nation community and participate in Aboriginal cultural activities.

From cooking damper and making bush tea, learning aboriginal dance, to hearing stories about animals, and saying g’day to the Zoo’s resident and iconic koalas, emus and kangaroos and perhaps catch a rare glimpse of the critically-endangered Eastern Barred Bandicoot, and Orange-bellied Parrot, Kulin Dreaming aims to give visitors an unforgettable experience of animal memories and a more informed understanding of our Indigenous culture.

KIDS UNDER 16 ARE FREE ON WEEKENDS AND DURING SCHOOL HOLIDAYS.

BEATLEMANIA COMES TO GEELONG ARTS CENTRE WRITTEN BY SEB STARCEVIC Beatlemaniacs of Geelong rejoice: a fresh take on the music of the Fab Four is coming to Geelong Arts Centre this month.

Lady Beatle stars UK-born Australian stage and screen star Naomi Price as she re-imagines some of The Beatles’ most iconic tracks, including Lucy

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many of us have been striving our entire lives to achieve the perfect eyebrow… and most often, we fail measurably in our quests. Thankfully, this sparkling brow specialist provides a range of sculpting or tinting treatments to get that brow shape that goes a long way. Mikk takes her time in measuring, waxing, tweezing and trimming to help perfect your brow shape, and uses high-quality wax to perform your sculpt and a stencil technique to ensure your brows are looking on point.

And best of all, if you’re a brow-treatment newbie, the good news is Mik offers a special ‘first-time brow sculpt and tint’ which extends the time of your consult to ensure the very best result is achieved.

Mikk also offers a number of special facial treatments, including a Plumberry peel facial which includes a double cleanse, peel, rubber mask, neck shoulder, and scalp massage then finished off with our eye serum, bio juice, and moisturiser, leaving your skin feeling soft, looking hydrated, healthy and glowing; dermaplaning which is a pain free, noninvasive exfoliating treatment that removes dead skin build-up and vellous hair that will leave your skin feeling rejuvenated, smooth and glowing; and even a lymphatic facial mask which helps increase blood flow and circulation, as well as working on our lymphatic system, helping to get rid of toxins, waste and bad bacteria.

Our favourite though is the Beauty By Mikk signature treatment, which is the ultimate relaxation treatment. With a double cleanse, steam, mask massaged with rose quartz rollers, a coconut scalp massage as well as a face, neck, shoulder, hand and arm massage with eye cream, serums, moisturiser and SPF to finish, you will be left feeling so relaxed, rejuvenated, pampered and your skin will be glowing. Sounds absolutely perfect to us!

If you are in need of some brow love, a skin freshen up and some relaxation, Beauty By Mikk is a must.

BOOK YOUR NEXT APPOINTMENT VIA 0433 090 737 OR SEND HER A MESSAGE ON FACEBOOK (BEAUTY.BYMIKK).

cinemas housed in art deco inspired shipping containers in Torquay, Anglesea, Lorne, Wye River and Apollo Bay, where visitors can watch the ‘Story of the Road’ mini-series, which includes five short, five minute films which connect visitors to their immediate surrounds by sharing stories of indigenous history, the diggers making of the road, community and what the region is known for today, with some of the history dating back to an incredible 40,000 years in some cases.

What’s more, there will also be a QR trail that allows travellers to immerse themselves in the environment through augmented reality; and specially installed circular benches for those who want to slow down and take in the area’s natural beauty along the way. Ensuring the story lives beyond the lifetime of this event, the 2.3-metre circular structures feature artworks by local artists, painted in a palette which reflects the Great Ocean Road and its environment (as well as the QR codes WRITTEN BY SEB STARCEVIC which activate film and augmented reality displays) A century after construction first began on which aims to contribute to the experience of the Great Ocean Road, Australia’s most famous visiting the towns along the road, whilst providing stretch of road is celebrating its storied past an Instagrammable opportunity. with pop-up cinemas, public art installations, For those who don’t know, the Great Ocean and documentary screenings.

Road was built by battle-weary soldiers returning Every year, the 243km stretch attracts millions of from WW1 using explosives, pickaxes and shovels tourists to its breathtaking beaches, soaring cliffs and taking 13 years to complete, it links coastal and stunning coastal views. To celebrate 100 years of towns and communities from Torquay to Apollo scenic driving, Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism Bay. Nowadays, it’s a global destination (and the are educating visitors about the road’s fascinating world’s largest war memorial) that draws more and humble beginnings, and the impact it had on sightseers than Uluru and the Great Barrier Reef the surrounding region. combined, offering some of the most iconic views Kicking off the programming, visitors are invited of the Victorian coast. to a screening of ‘The Story of the Road’, a halfThese projects will capture the history of the hour documentary about the Great Ocean Road’s road and create a deeper connection for visitors construction and the untold stories of those who and locals alike. To celebrate our iconic road, we’re built it. Screening at the Lorne Theatre (Wednesday giving away two tickets to exclusive screenings are 18 September) and Apollo Bay Mechanics Hall to be held in Lorne and Apollo Bay on Wednesday, (Thursday 19 September), featuring Melbourne September 18 and Thursday 19 September, based swing band The Sugarfoot Ramblers who respectively. To enter, email your name, number will play traditional jazz classics, and guests are and code word ‘IAM100’ to talia@fortemag.com.au welcome to enjoy vintage treats, French 75s by Great Ocean Road Gin and a specially brewed 1920s beer THE CELEBRATIONS WILL RUN SEPTEMBER recipe by local brewery Prickly Moses.

18 - OCTOBER 6. FOR MORE INFO, HEAD TO The centenary project will also see pop-up VISITGREATOCEANROAD.ORG.AU/IAM100

GREAT OCEAN ROAD CELEBRATES 100 YEARS OF GREATNESS

need to get on with the job at hand the best I can.

Running in my lane, at my pace.

in the Sky with Diamonds, Eleanor Rigby, Yellow Submarine and Penny Lane. The show, which is touring nationwide, is inspired by “true accounts” and includes original arrangements performed by a live band.

Price has wowed audiences in musicals such as Beautiful: The Carole King Musical and Jesus Christ Superstar as well as original cabarets Rumour Has It and Wrecking Ball. She gained a national fan base in The Voice Australia in 2014, where she was mentored by Ricky Martin and placed in the top six.

LADY BEATLE IS PLAYING AT THE GEELONG ARTS CENTRE ON 18 SEP AND 19 SEP AT 8:00PM. FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT WWW.GEELONGARTSCENTRE.ORG.AU.

THIS HOT MESS Sometimes, I feel SO under-qualified to be doing what I am doing… Caring, blogging, being in front of the camera, having the audacity to re-launch the blog with an entire event, you name it. I feel under-qualified.

YOUR FUTURE IN CREATIVE ARTS AND DESIGN Deakin University invites you to a free evening dedicated to finding out more about their Design and Creative Arts courses.

Held on Tuesday September 17, you will learn more about course options in dance, drama, photography and visual arts and the benefits of studying a Bachelor of Creative Arts at Deakin and how this prepares for a creative career, as well as discover more about specialist Design degrees in digital technologies, 3D animation and visual communication design.

You’ll hear from Deakin’s talented academics about creative arts and design courses and how students gain industry experience by working with real-life clients across industry briefs, ensuring you graduate career ready.

IT ALL GOES DOWN AT DEAKIN UNIVERSITY’S WATERFRONT CAMPUS. BE INSPIRED AND REGISTER TODAY VIA EVENTBRITE.

I mean, who the hell do I think I am?! I’m no nurse or journalist. I never did any TV school training. Heck, I was a vocal coach when I went into a full-time carers role for Dad. Now if that’s not being thrown in the deep end, I don’t know what is! Talk about having to learn a whole new language!

And that’s just things I’m under-qualified for… that doesn’t account for the fact I have to work every day to have good mental health. That my anxiety sometimes is so bad I struggle to do simple day to day tasks. That sometimes I drink too much and do that not so cute self-sabotaging thing… (not ideal). But then I read quotes like this and I am reminded that as much as that may be true, it doesn’t discount me.

“I am allowed to be BOTH a work in progress AND help others grow at the same time. I refuse to wait until I believe I’m perfect or someone else has deemed me worthy of importing others…”

It’s these reminders that make me realise that it is so important to acknowledge that all those “Hot Mess” things about me may be true, but I still

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One of the reasons I wanted to start This Hot Mess was because I often felt like I only saw “perfect”, “type A” personality women talking about how they found success and achieved their dreams. And don’t get me wrong, I am SO happy for those women, I mean YES QUEEN! Get your dream life! But it often made me feel isolated and undeserving of the dreams in my heart because I wasn’t like those women. There was such a gap between them and I that I assumed that meant I wasn’t able to achieve my version of success because I didn’t have their capacity or stamina. My mental health often doesn’t let me run at the pace or cope with the stress that is expected of the people I was seeing follow their dreams.

But something I’ve learned in the last few years is that that actually doesn’t matter. When you’re running in your own lane, you can be a blessing to others whilst not being perfect. When you choose to work at the pace that suits you, you can find ways to take steps towards your dreams without causing burn out. It may not be at the pace of a future CEO, but it’s still stepping forward!

So this week, regardless of your flaws, problems, self-sabotaging habits or failures, I want you to follow your fucking gut, chase your dreams and help positively change your slice of the world. Because the world needs you. Desperately. Hot Mess traits and all...

After all, if I let mine get in the way I wouldn’t be writing to you now, encouraging you to live your best life. So really, who gives a fuck. Go get em’ tiger!

ALL MY LOVE, KIM XX

BE MORE MINDFUL Workplace Mental Health Training WRITTEN BY CHLOE CICERO Mental health challenges can affect anyone in the community and developing the knowledge, skills and confidence to support a friend, family member or co-worker experiencing a mental health challenge, is invaluable. Education and training in the area of Workplace Mental Health can reduce stigma and increase capacity.

I recently had the opportunity to meet and talk about all things mental health with the wonderful human that is Kate Meadows, the director behind ‘Be More Mindful’ - a Workplace Mental Health Consulting business, to help workplaces become more mentally aware, and deliver Workplace wellbeing training.

Tailoring and deliver ‘Workplace Wellbeing’ training to a variety of businesses and organisations Australia wide, Kate works as a contract consultant for a variety of lead training organisation in the area of Workplace Mental Health. Her empathetic and friendly facilitation style makes her a highly sort after facilitator in this field. I had the pleasure of meeting Kate when I was at Highschool – she was the school wellbeing teacher – and she honestly changed my life, so I sat down with Kate again to discuss the ins and out of ‘Be More Mindful’.

What exactly is your business ‘Be More Mindful’?

‘Be More Mindful’ is a Geelong-based Workplace Mental Health training business. As a local Geelong based consultant, I spend my time tailoring training to workplaces to support them to become a ‘mentally healthy workplace’. A ‘Mentally Healthy Workplace’

has three key elements. They promote mental important assets to their workplace are their people. health awareness and wellness, protect employees Recognising and supporting the ‘human element’ to from harm in the area of physical and psychological any workplace is what BMM is all about. safety, and respond to any issues that arise to support Struggles with mental health are finally workers that may be unwell. becoming more aware in our society, is there By delivering awareness programs, training sessions anything you think people need to be more aware and even accredited certificates in the area of mental of when it comes to mental health? health, a workplace can benefit not only in the Mental Health awareness and support is finally increased capacity of its workers but also financially getting the recognition it deserves in our community. on the return of investment in this area. Early It is important for everyone to understand that life intervention in the area of mental health support is will always have its challenges, it’s not a matter of like a Golden Ticket! ‘if’ but ‘when’ these times will happen for us all. It is What made you decide to start something like common to have challenges in our thought’s feelings this up? and emotions. If these challenges lead to changes in I have always had a passion for supporting others. I behaviour and start to impact our daily functioning have always had genuine and supportive relationships it is important to access appropriate professionals with my family, friends and work colleagues. I spent (GP or Psychologist) to get some support. We would many years as a high school teacher in the area of not hesitate to acknowledge we need help for our Health Education and then re-trained to become physical health, so we need to do the same for mental a Wellbeing Co-ordinator, implementing early health. Supporting our family, friends and colleagues intervention programs and counselling students for to access services when needed is an important aspect the most appropriate crisis mental health referral. of our overall wellness.

These years of my life were very rewarding, fulfilling What is your go-to when you need a little pick but also extremely emotional. me up?

I realised I had developed so much knowledge in the I am very lucky to have a supportive and loving area of supporting others in the area of mental health family. I could never have set up and worked so awareness and I was keen to pass this on through hard on developing my successful small business training sessions, to enable others to also support without the support of my hubby Darren, he is my their family, friends, and colleagues. The world of rock! I spend many hours encouraging my two ‘Workplace Mental Health Training’ combines my love teenage boys, Tom and Charlie, in their passions and of teaching with my passion and knowledge of mental pursuits. I also have a close group of friends who health. I have found my happy place! make me feel very loved and know how passionate What type of courses do you offer?

I am about the work I am currently doing. Planning ‘Be More Mindful’ offer training courses on a holidays, quality time with family and friends and variety of lengths and topics. The courses included having a laugh with others is what really picks accredited Mental Health First Aid certificates me up. Especially the holiday planning bit!!! (authored and endorsed my Mental Health First Aid Australia). These courses are either two full days of INFORMATION ABOUT COURSES CAN BE FOUND training or short sessions on Suicide awareness. We ON THE WEBSITE WWW.BEMOREMINDFUL.COM. also offer tailored sessions that cover topics such AU OR VIA KATE@BEMOREMINDFUL.COM.AU as developing individual employee self – care plans, IF YOU NEED SOMEONE TO TALK TO, psychological safety awareness and the importance LIFELINE CAN BE CONTACTED 24/7 ON 13 11 14. of having supportive conversations. These topics BEYONDBLUE CAN ALSO BE CONTACTED ON combined are all touching on aspects of developing 1300 22 4636. a Mentally Healthy Workplace. The most important thing any workplace can realise is that the most

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Breaky for Boobies is an annual Fundraising event held in Geelong and is the brainchild of two Geelong mums, Emily Townsing and Clare Barnes, whose mission is to help raise awareness about breast cancer.

Kicking off in 2016, the event raised over $21,500, with that figure doubling the next year, raising $45,142. Through the dedication of two women with a goal, alongside a brilliant bunch of bosom buddies on hand, last year the girls raised a whopping $52,209.04, bringing their total to just under $120,000 – with every single dollar going straight to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

So many lives changed, maybe even saved, because of Breaky for Boobies.

It’s Clare’s personal connection to breast cancer that comes from her mum, Deborah Evans, who lost her short battle of breast cancer at the age of 41, which has always been a driving force behind her wanting to contribute to the cause. In the past, Clare had often hosted girl’s nights in and other smallerscale fundraisers before coming up with the idea for the breakfast in 2016 and teaming up with Emily.

From there, the pair became instantly overwhelmed with the number of people wanting to be involved and they ended up with so many donations that they decided to also run an online auction through Instagram, alongside their morning tea. Fast forward three years and the ladies are

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COURTHOUSE YOUTH ARTS IS CHAMPIONING EMERGING ARTISTS TO TAKE CREATIVE RISKS Local frontrunners in supporting emerging artists as they explore experimental and contemporary practice, Courthouse Youth Arts have launched a new Creative Development Program which introduces an ongoing initiative for up-and-coming artists to produce original, innovative performance art for the Geelong region.

Created due to the lack of opportunities for young performance makers in Geelong, the first round of successful applicants for the Creative Development Program have been announced, and include some of our region’s most exciting new contemporary voices: Kate Speakman, Louise Richardson and James Jackson.

From an ensemble performance exploring the future of space exploration and climate change; a solo work that is an ode to grief and loss; to a makeshift United Nations’ assembly where performers and audience try to fix the future – these are the projects that will be developed at CHYA between August and November. Artists will receive in-kind venue hire, marketing and producing support, and the potential for their work to be presented in 2020.

THE CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM IS A NEW INITIATIVE AS PART OF CHYA’S EXPANSION INTO CONTEMPORARY AND EXPERIMENTAL PERFORMANCE, BUILDING ON THE ORGANISATION’S STRONG REPUTATION FOR VISUAL ARTS, EXHIBITIONS, CREATIVE RESIDENCIES AND PROGRAMS TO SUPPORT YOUNG EMERGING ARTISTS.

raising more than they could ever have imagined with their inspiring and inclusive event, with this year looking to be their biggest yet.

While the first leg of the fundraiser usually begins with the aforementioned online Instagram auction, this year the girls are changing it up with their inaugural Boutique Market Night – and considering they usually have more than 250 individual businesses on board, the humble social media platform just wasn’t going to cut it.

If you loved the Instagram Auction don’t stress, the live market promises to be just as fun, creative and still a simple way to raise funds for an important cause. This one goes down on Friday, October 11 from 6pm at The Bridge in Newtown. Entry fee is an easy $5 and there will be delicious nibbles to keep those energy levels up while shopping – it’s first in, best dressed so we suggest heading down early.

The live market is of course only the first part of the Breaky for Boobies Campaign, with their annual Breaky event to be held on Friday, November 15 at Warralily Cockatoo once again.

Last year saw hundreds of guests (both men and women) come together for a morning of breakfast bites, champagne, raffles, inspiration, gift bags and a whole lot of fun, so we can’t wait to see what they’ve got planned for this one. Tickets have sold out for the past three years so keep your eye on their pages for ticket sales.

Alongside the gorgeous souls spearheading this massive campaign, an honourable mention must go out to Clare from Victor Fox Design, who has been central to the Boobie Bunch from the very beginning.

Each year Clare creates the most incredible branding designs for the campaign, and this year she has truly gone above and beyond to visually represent all that the Breaky for Boobies fundraiser stands for.

With every dollar going straight to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, the fundraiser not only supports those fighting breast cancer, but it also admires the survivors and honours those taken, in a community gathering coming together to never give up hope.

VISIT BREAKY FOR BOOBIES ON INSTAGRAM AND FACEBOOK.

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REVIEWS BY ANTHONY MORRIS

AMAZING GRACE

IT CHAPTER 2

THE FAREWELL

ANGEL OF MINE

THE KITCHEN

This isn’t quite a concert film, though it comes close; rather it’s a combination of the two nights in January 1972 when Aretha Franklin recorded her classic gospel album ‘Amazing Grace’ at the New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles. Directed by Sydney Pollack (who can be seen setting up the cameras in this film; other cameos include Mick Jagger), first technical issues then Franklin herself prevented this film from being released at the time. It’s all but impossible to see why; it’s an astonishing performance, showing Franklin at the height of her abilities. The film itself isn’t particularly exciting visually, but that’s not what you’re here for (and there are plenty of moments where the audience comes alive), and the sound is spot-on as Franklin powers through one gospel classic after another.

If you like music, you’ll love this.

It’s time for the grown-ups to shine in the battle against Pennywise the clown: when the now grown-up Losers from the first film are summoned back to Derry by Librarian Mike Hanlon (Isaiah Mustafa), the only one who’s stayed in town, much of their time is spent split up and facing their own fears in an attempt to figure out what they’ve lost. Unfortunately, much of what they’ve lost in the transition from page to screen is their characters. Bill Denbrough (James McAvoy) is now a best-selling horror writer whose sole defining feature is that he’s bad at endings; Beverly Marsh (Jessica Chastain) has an abusive husband who she leaves and never mentions again. Richie Tozier (Bill Hader) is a snarky abuse comedian, while the sweet but chunky Ben Hanscom (Jay Ryan) is now a studly architect, jittery hypochondriac Eddie Kaspbrak (James Ransone) is jittery risk assessor and thoughtful Stan Uris (Andy Bean) probably shouldn’t have thought quite so much about what returning to Derry would be like. It’s scene after scene of creepy clown scenes, some of which are very creepy indeed, but without stronger characters or much to hold the stand-alone scares together this never really build much momentum or suspense. It’s the rest of the story, not the best of the story.

When Chinese-American writer Billi (Awkwafina) learns her grandmother Nai Nai (Zhao Shuzhen) has been diagnosed with cancer, she’s devastated – in part because her parents (who are planning to fly back to China) weren’t going to tell her. In China, there’s a saying: “when people get cancer, they die” – not from the disease, but from the lack of hope. So her family have hidden her diagnosis from Nai Nai, and have arranged a wedding for one of Billi’s cousins as an excuse to get everyone together to visit Nai Nai one last time. They didn’t want Billi to come because her closeness to Nai Nai – and her inability to hide her emotions – would put the scheme at risk; she goes anyway, and barely makes it through her first reunion.

This is a quiet, thoughtful culture clash drama that rarely takes sides; Billi spent time in China growing up but now feels alienated there, and constantly argues with her extended family about the morality of lying to her grandmother. Much of its charm comes from simple observation and the chemistry between Nai Nai and her family – for someone dying, she’s still full of life – while Billi struggles with a life seemingly going nowhere.

This is a small, well-polished gem.

Right from the start it’s clear that something isn’t quite right with Lizzie (Noomi Rapace). Taking custody of her son Thomas (Finn Little) from her ex, Mike (Luke Evans), she arrives late and distracted. Having Mike say “he can feel your darkness” doesn’t exactly help, but we soon see what he means; she’s doing her best, but she hasn’t recovered from the death of their baby daughter six years ago, and his dragging her down with every step she takes. Then she spies Lola (Annika Whiteley), the young daughter of Claire (Yvonne Strahovski), whose son goes to school with Thomas, and instantly is convinced: Lola is – somehow – her dead daughter Rosie.

Carefully she works her way into Claire’s confidence, pretending to be interested in buying her house, and much of the suspense in what follows comes from seeing just how far she’s willing to take things. Which in other hands could make for a trashy thriller, but this stays firmly grounded in Lizzie’s pain (and her family’s concern about her), never forgetting for a moment that her actions are driven by her bottomless grief. It’s a stalker thriller that approaches the genre like it’s never been done before; the result is both fresh and surprisingly moving.

The year is 1978, and in the New York neighbourhood of Hell’s Kitchen three members of the dwindling Irish mob are nabbed by the cops during a bungled armed robbery. They’re sent away for three year stretches, leaving their wives – Kathy Brennan (Melissa McCarthy), whose husband is the decent one, Ruby O’Carroll (Tiffany Haddish), whose husband is the arrogant one, and Claire Walsh (Elizabeth Moss), whose husband is the violently abusive one – to fend for themselves. They quickly take over the protection racket, mostly by actually offering protection, not just sitting around in a pub getting drunk, and once Vietnam vet Gabriel (Domhnall Gleeson) turns up to help out, even the violence side of things is sorted. Claire learns self-respect by learning how to kill, Ruby sees the opportunities for expansion and Kathy starts doing good for the local working men. But what happens when their husbands get out? This mob drama is strictly by the numbers, running through the genre’s clichés as if having women in the leads makes them new. At least the performances (and the recreated New York 70s grime) are good, and this is competent enough to keep things moving forward – it just never figures out an interesting place to take them to.

The Best Of Jim Henson’s Fraggle Rock Limited Orange & Yellow Split Coloured Vinyl Lp. Enjoy The Toons Records is proud to bring to you the very first coloured vinyl pressing from “Jim Henson’s Fraggle Rock”, a children’s live action puppet television series about interconnected societies of Muppet creatures.

STAFF PICKS TALIA ALEX LAHEY - THE BEST OF LUCK CLUB NATHAN CRADLE OF FILTH - CRUELTY AND THE BEAST

The album consists of 24 tracks from the iconic 1980s Hit TV Series.

GLENN KRISIUN - LIVE AT CLERMONT, FRANCE 1998

Available from Gifts For The Geek.

155 Ryrie Street, Geelong.

MATT THE DARKNESS - EASTER IS CANCELLED

WE HAVE MOVED TO 99 KEPLER STREET, WARRNAMBOOL

THOM CATFISH & THE BOTTLEMEN - THE BALCONY

A M A Z I N G G R AC E

AUSTRALIAN DREAM

T hu 1 2 t h 1 1 a m & 6 p m Fri 13th 2pm & 7pm Sat 14th 11am & 6.30pm Sun 15th 1.15pm & 6pm Mon 16th 11am & 6pm Tue 17th 2pm & 6pm We d 1 8 t h 1 . 1 5 p m & 8 . 3 0 p m Thu 19th 1.15pm Fri 20th 11am & 5.15pm Sat 21st 11am & 8pm Sun 22nd 1.20pm & 5.30pm Mon 23rd 3.30pm Tue 24th 1.15pm We d 2 5 t h 1 1 a m & 7. 3 0 p m Thu 26th 11am

T hu 1 2 t h 1 2 . 4 0 p m Sat 14th 4.15pm Sun 15th 11am Mon 16th 12.45pm & 8 p m Tue 17th 3.45pm We d 1 8 t h 1 1 a m Thu 19th 11am Fri 20th 3pm Sat 21st 3.30pm Sun 22nd 11am M o n 2 3 rd 1 . 1 5 p m & 7. 3 0 p m Tue 24th 11am We d 2 5 t h 5 . 2 0 p m Fri 27th 6pm Sat 28th 11am

NEW U S A M u s i c D o c u m e n t a r y 8 3 m i n s P G

SESSION TIMES SEPTEMBER 12 - 25 TH

MOORABOOL & VERNER ST. SOUTH GEELONG PIVOTCINEMA.COM.AU 42

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Septembb 12th - 25th

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I N H O L LY W O O D U N I T E D S TAT E S T h r i l l e r 1 5 0 m i n s M A

Thu 12th 3pm F r i 1 3 t h 11am & 4pm Sat 14th 1pm & 8.30pm Sun 15th 3pm Mon 16th 3pm Tue 17th 11am & 8pm Fri 20th 9pm S u n 2 2 n d 7. 3 0 p m Tu e 2 4 t h 8 pm Fri 27th 3pm

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AUSTRALIA Documentar y 98mins M

DOGMAN

N E W I TA LY T h r i l l e r 9 3 m i n s M A

Thu 19th 6pm Fri 20th 12.50pm & 7pm Sat 21st 5.45pm Sun 22nd 3.20pm M o n 2 3 rd 1 1 a m & 5 . 2 0 p m T u e 2 4 t h 6pm We d 2 5 t h 1 2 . 5 0 p m Thu 26th 6pm Fri 27th 11am Sat 28th 1.20pm Sun 29th 5.30pm

COMING

SOON

Sept 26th A N I M A L S Oct 3rd THE FAREWELL Oct 10th DOWNTON ABBEY Oct 17th BIRDS OF PASSAGE Oct 24th WORKING WOMAN Oct 24th MAIDEN PAVAROTTI TBC Nov 7th

wines and

bees...

FORTÉ PICK DZ DEATHRAYS Positive Rising: Part 1 I OH YOU Reviewed by Jess Sercombe

DZ’s new album has landed after over a year of waiting and I am so keen to head bang to their latest tracks when they finally haul booty back to Melbourne after the European stint of their tour.

This dynamic duo of Brissie dance-punk bloody genius already gave us a taster back in June with the release of their single ‘IN-TO-IT’ which as an absolute firestarter, and ‘Year of the Dog’ featuring Matt Caughthran (frontman for The Bronx) serving up that sweet sweet summer thrash.

Now the rest of Positive Rising is only seven tracks excluding the singles, but don’t fret they only took two weeks to write Part 1 so we’ll have our Part 2 in no time children, be patient. ‘Hi Everyone’ is a neato little intro track with a strutting aesthetic, perfect to set the positive tone of the album. ‘Still No Change’ sweeps us back into the DZ Deathrays we know and love, quick into the hard-hitting riffs and upbeat dance-punk vibes. ‘A Lot to Lose’ is where it starts to get steamy, busting out some riffs with a bit more of a moody edge but still keeping it light and fun overall. ‘Hypercolour’ is a highlight for me. It’s a little different from their usual break-neck pace. Still very DZ and not slow by any means but providing something a little more immersive where you can close your eyes and feel the heat simmering and rumbling beneath.

Awesome build-up, heavy riffs, head-bang worthy beats – definitely sums up positive rising. Excellent work lads, bring on Part 2.

ALLDAY: STARRY NIGHT OVER THE PHONE WHERE: FESTIVAL HALL, MELBOURNE WHEN: SATURDAY AUGUST 31ST PHOTOGRAPHED BY: JONTEE LANGTON

TROPICAL FUCK STORM

THE DELTA RIGGS

CRO-MAGS

G FLIP

Braindrops

Modern Pressures

Don’t Give In

About Us

Flightless Records

Inertia Music

Victory Records

Future Classic

Reviewed by Tammy Walters

Reviewed by Tammy Walters

Reviewed by Scott Campbell

Reviewed by Darby-Perrin Larner

You’ll need a shower after weaving through the dense, The Delta Riggs moves past ‘Active Galactic’ as they psychedelic corridor and intensely chaotic trip that is hit adulthood with their most mature album to date.

Tropical Fuck Storms sophomore album, Braindrops.

Modern Pressures explores the turbulent nature Never been one to adhere to the compartmentalisation of modern society, the breakdown of communication of music, Tropical Fuck Storm pour punk, new wave, as a result of social media’s controlling arm and alternative rock, funk, pop, surf rock, even at times ponders mortality and its fragile state over the course eerie gothic derivatives, and straight-up noise into of twelve tracks. With singles, ‘Fake That’ and ‘Out a bizarre, yet alluring collection of sound and story. Of Place’ shaping the album content and sweeping The melancholic drones of the bass and the sickening psychedelic fusions sonically, The Delta Riggs have scratching of guitar in opening track ‘Paradise’ conjure adopted, and expanded, from their previous three a purposefully uneasy listening experience that stays records, transforming into a well-rounded outfit. in your stomach for the entire 48 minutes and 14 It’s hard to deny a clear connection between The seconds, with the lyrical content throughout the nine Delta Riggs and Oasis on Modern Pressures. Not only tracks further adding to the unsettling nature. can Elliot Hammond’s vocals be mistaken for Liam Following on from their highly politically driven Gallagher and the slide-heavy soaring guitar buzzes ode to our dying planet, ‘A Laughing Death In Noel Gallagher signature rock ‘n’ roll (particularly Meatspace’, Braindrops is a thought-provoking piece evident on the title track), the connection is further with uncomfortable undertones. strengthened with Brian Lucey on mastering duties.

‘Who’s My Eugene?’ details the controversial case One connection that is lost in the album is in its of infamous psychotherapist Eugene Landy, and his identity. With their coming of age, the Delta Riggs controlling relationship with Brian Wilson. ‘The Planet experiment with their sound swaying between rock of Straw Men’ is an ecstasy heightened sociological ‘n’ roll, psychedelic rock, blues, reggae and there are and psychological dive into the comments section of slight nods to surf rock, which makes the songs feel social media. disjointed in their delivery as a collection.

Braindrops is a curated car crash; a flood of brain Overall The Delta Riggs show their evolution vomit that shouldn’t work, and doesn’t necessarily through musicianship and contemplative concepts. work to the musically trained ear, but achieves everything Tropical Fuck Storm set out to represent – a colourful mind-fuck off sound.

This is the Harley Flanagan fronted Cro-Mags, the On first listen to G Flip’s debut album, About Us, name back with its originator who has described this tears welled up in my eyes. Not because of the musical as being “...if minor Threat wrote master of puppets” arrangements or G Flip’s soft voice, which here tends and although that is an apt description, it is really to sound like it’s through a phone, but because of how selling itself short. goddamn real the album feels.

Cro-Mags classic album from ‘86, The Age of The ten-track confessional is, for the lovelorn Quarrel, was metal-influenced hardcore but always millennial, very relatable. Or as the kids would say, seemed to have a west coast lead guitar sound. 2000’s “ooof mood af”. That superman “S” from our collective Revenge notwithstanding, Don’t Give In really is the childhood is even included in the album artwork. logical step from The Age of Quarrel.

Underneath the glossy production, Flipo’s raw A chunky breakdown opens the EP like a statement lyrics hit a little too close to home. “Am I really that of intent (or a punch to the face) before kicking into insane?//Mama said don’t misbehave, yeah//And if a driving beat a minute in that does not let up. Titles I wanna make it work, I better go and dish my dirt,”, like ‘Don’t Give In’, ‘Drag You Under’ and ‘No One’s Flipo tells us on “Drink Too Much”.

Victim’ means lyrically that the “song also remains Though she references the Insta-famous Steph the same” and it’s the combination of inspiring lyrics Claire Smith on the same track, G Flip offers an and big hardcore riffs that makes this that logical step. antidote for the fake world we live in, and the hyperAt a time when it’s increasingly harder to find saturated vision we all have. For a debut record, About heart, soul, and authenticity in modern hardcore, it’s Us is horribly honest. refreshing to know that it really takes the originators 5 big moods out of 5. to deliver the goods. Paired with Chicago’s Victory Records, they are not afraid to push the boundaries of hardcore while remaining true to the original Bands and sound. This EP and Cro-Mags being at home on Victory tells me - an aging hardcore kid - that regardless of the corporate mockery that hardcore has become, I can always rely on a band like the CroMags to still write inspiring hardcore. A life-affirming experience indeed.

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All aboard!

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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

Some directors just can’t seem to leave well enough alone. There are plenty of times when a director’s cut is totally justified – studio interference, a troubled production, fans just want more of what they love – but going back over old work is probably not the kind of thing you want to make a habit of.

Word is that Francis Ford Coppola’s latest cut of Apocalypse Now is the final, definitive one (and it’s also meant to be pretty good), but as this is his third time around it’s hard to believe he won’t suddenly come out with edit number four on his deathbed. There’s at least five different versions of Blade Runner floating out there, but you can’t have too much of a classic; on the other hand, rumours of an extended director’s cut of the recent sequel were largely met with a deafening silence.

But when it comes to tinkering with a finished film you can’t go past Michael Mann; the director of classics like Heat and Collateral is constantly returning to previously finished films to give them one last going over. It’s probably easier to list the films of his he hasn’t gone back and reworked: while Collateral, Public Enemies and Thief have been left alone, just about everything else has been fair game over the years, either for a few tweaks here and there – even the recent re-release of Heat had a few moments shaved down – or fullblown re-edits into official directors cuts like Ali. Somewhat notoriously, when asked to cut down Miami Vice to make the required running time, he simply lopped five minutes or so off the front; the director’s cut restores those missing scenes, but many fans prefer the more abrupt opening. His most recent film, Blackhat, has a director’s cut that hasn’t been officially released (though you can find it if you, uh, look around), though in that film’s case it’s more that it was restored to its original state (which makes a lot more sense than the chopped and changed version that came to cinemas).

But perhaps the biggest reworking he’s done to date is with 1992’s Last of the Mohicans, where he initially made a wide range of changes to the first directors cut, then went back and undid a number of them for the Director’s Definitive Cut. For a director whose name is now synonymous with urban cityscapes, it’s easy to forget just how stunning this (largely wilderness-set) film is to look at. It’s the first of Mann’s epic romances, as adopted Mohican Hawkeye (Daniel Day Lewis) and Cora (Madeleine Stowe), daughter of an English Colonel, find their love under threat from the three-sided conflict that threatens to engulf the frontier of colonial America. There’s not a massive gulf between the theatrical and Director’s Definitive Cut but there are a lot of little changes that add up so for fans looking to compare and contrast – or just aren’t sure which version they like best – the Ultimate Edition (out now on DVD and blu-ray) features both versions.

It’s an epic film whichever version you choose to watch; why Mann struggles to get feature films made remains one of Hollywood’s more frustrating mysteries.

Hey gang! Pulp is back once again to bring you the latest (well, sometimes) and greatest of the comics world. While the year is quickly passing by, my “to-read” pile isn’t getting any smaller – that being said, it probably doesn’t help that I keep buying more comics. You might remember me talking about Brian Michael Bendis’ (Superman, Powers) exclusive move to the land of DC Comics a few issues ago, and how they’ve used it as an excuse to resurrect his Jinxworld imprint. This week, I’ve picked up another of Bendis’ creator-owned titles: Pearl, a thrilling Yakuza-centric romp drawn by Michael Gaydos (Alias).

Pearl Tanaka is knee-deep in a town ruled, run and owned by the Yakuza. Pearl has grown up in San Fransisco under the iron fist of the gang, and now utilises her unrivalled skills as a tattooist to eke out a living. Having inherited her tattoo shop from her mother, all Pearl needs to worry about it ensuring that the ruling gang gets their cut. Her happy status quo is destroyed when, caught up in a hit gone wrong, Pearl saves the life of a marked man by killing a rival gang member. With her patron, Mr Miike, now aware of her unexpected talent for killing, Pearl must pay off her debt by becoming an assassin for the Yakuza.

Pearl is honestly one of the better crime comics I’ve read in recent years. A lot of the crime-centric books I’ve read have really leaned into the grimdark approach – everything’s dark and grimy, everyone’s depressed and the cityscapes are like Gotham on steroids – but Pearl goes out of its way to focus on interpersonal relationships and the intricacies of gang life. There are a few odd spots in the story that don’t seem to have a purpose at this stage (e.g.

Pearl’s intricate, entire-body inkless tattoos) but for the most part you’ll just end up wrapped in a complex, emotional crime drama. Pearl has a lot of unresolved issues around the death of her mother, the incarceration of her father, and her relationship with the ruling Yakuza, and Bendis manages to draw out each story thread in a way that paints a picture of a complex yet mysterious protagonist. Her burgeoning relationship with Rick (the marked man) is a bit, well, weird – he becomes a bit obsessed with her from the minute they meet due to tattoo on her arm – but as they interact more and begin to bond it becomes more believable and even a little endearing.

Special mention has to be made of Gaydos’ artwork. Gaydos and Bendis have previously collaborated on Jessica Jones, and while I haven’t had the opportunity to read it in full, I was particularly taken with the art style. Gaydos kicks things into next gear with his work on Pearl; he mixes detailed characters with some incredible lurid and trippy splash pages. While it’s clear that he’s used reference photos for some of the close-ups on character faces, it allows greater freedom of expression and honestly seems to work really well for what he’s going for.

All up, if you’re a fan of gritty crime comics, Pearl belongs on your pull list. It’s still relatively new – it came out in 2018 – and was announced to be expanding into a full series rather than a mini-series, so it’s the perfect time to get on board.

It seems to be becoming an annual event, but The Detonators are gracing Sleepy Hollow with their presence this September.

The Detonators were formed way back in August 1997. Always based in Melbourne, this popular hard-working quartet have never been afraid to hit the road, haul some kilometres and rack up a heap of gigs. They believe they have easily done more than 3000 gigs since they first formed.

It’s not many of our local blues bands (or any bands, come to it!) that can boast their music being used in two TV shows (Underbelly and De Grassi High), one film (Charlie and Boots), are on rotation on a number of radio stations and Spotify, have tracks used in advertising and have six CDs out currently.

The Dets have done it!

Interestingly, they also have a book on their activities in the pipeline. It could be interesting.

The Detonators have well-developed sets of original songs tied in with a stage show that only comes from years of relentless gigging pubs, clubs and festivals both in Australia and overseas.

Their reception at these events has seen them become crowned kings of Australian roots rock n roll.

All members contribute to writing their music - a lethal combination of early blues with a sprinkling of rockabilly and early rock n roll thrown in.

The band features bespectacled Rockbottom James on vocals and electric harmonica, Paulie Bignell on hollow body guitar, Doghouse Dave on slapping double bass with Eddie Fury on sticks and skins duty.

Dancing shoes, listening ears, and drinking arms are compulsory for any good time Detonators show!

A major presence in our region is Sarah Carroll, our own “Ukulele Queen of the Bellarine.”

During September Sarah will be holding down a residency on Tuesday nights at Pistol Pete’s, performing along with Shannon Bourne.

Sarah Carroll has performed at many of Australia’s high-profile festivals and a good many of its pubs over a 30-year career, and is noted for her work with GIT, The Junes, and The Cartridge Family. Her songs chime with sincerity and come straight from her big, brave heart.

I love her lyrical ballads, and how some of them sound so familiar and strike a chord with the memories I have.

One of these is “Heaven is my Holden with the Windows Down.” Memories of cruising in my EJ with the only form of air-conditioning we had back then.

Shannon is known as a free-thinking guitarist, singer-songwriter, producer, session musician, tutor and mentor.

His second album “Dark Things” brought him to wider attention. For a time, he was a personal guitarist to Chris Wilson and shared playing with Richard Thompson.

It should be a good night.

Go to one of Sarah’s gigs, but don’t make her play “Small Courtesy!”

I’ve had a brief chat with Ethan Farmer since his return from the Berklee School of Music in Boston. It sounds like he had quite a time and got a lot from it. More on that later...

Calendar entries this fortnight: The Detonators at Sleepy Hollow on the 22nd, and Sarah Carroll and Shannon Bourne Tuesdays at Pistol Pete’s.

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

I don’t go to weddings coz I don’t have any friends and the friends I do have don’t get married and I don’t get married either but recently in my old age I’ve wondered what it would be like to have a heavy metal themed wedding. Then I remembered I don’t have friends and I don’t get married.

So then I wondered what it would be like to just have a massive heavy metal party and pretend I had enough friends to come to such an event, but then I realised I could instead pretend I were getting married and had friends and then again I wondered what a metal wedding would be like. So I googled around and all of the heavy metal wedding pics looked lame so I then wondered why the image in my head looked so much better, then I remembered it was all pretend. I guess there’s no real point to this except for the fact that heavy metal themed weddings must be pretty lame to those looking in, but would be totally fun if you were on the inside doing the partying, as long as the playlist was solid and full of all the killer metal tracks, but then that would spark all sorts of discussions amongst guests about which metal band has the better tracks for weddings and right now I’m exhausted thinking about it, so I’ve just decided to stop thinking about it all together and go to bed. Lesson here is: metal weddings are more than likely a very bad idea. Unless you get married in the church of Satan… now there’s something to pretend about.

BUTTS ON BEACHES Ten years ago local members of Surfrider Foundation Surf Coast branch lobbied the local council and foreshore committee to have smoking banned on a number of beaches in Torquay. They were sick of picking up cigarette butts and wanted to create cleaner beaches that were smoke free and cigarette butt free.

To their surprise, the Surf Coast Shire agreed and extended their proposal so that smoking was banned on all beaches from Torquay to Lorne (including Bells Beach).

It was a small victory in the fight against cigarette butts and the risks they pose to humans and the natural environment.

Cigarette butts are small, toxic time bombs that can have a huge impact on our beaches and the ocean. Most cigarette butts contain up to 72 toxic chemicals which are deadly to birds and wildlife.

Cigarette butts take forever to break down and can hang around in our environment for up to 500 years. During that time they can do a lot of damage.

Smoking is in decline, but it is estimated that close to 30 billion cigarette butts get dropped in Australia each year... 32 BILLION! That is a lot of litter creating a lot of problems and if you ask anyone who has ever done a beach clean up… cigarette butts are bloody hard to identity at times and pick up.

Along with plastic, they are the number one problem on our beaches creating huge problems for beach lovers and the authorities who manage the coast.

Surfers around the world have been trying to get cigarettes banned at our beaches for over 30 years. They have constantly lobbied and advocated for butt free beaches.

Recently surfer/musician Jack Johnson took to the waters riding a surfboard made from 4,000 cigarette butts. The surfboard was created by The Cigarette Surfboard project in California. It was shaped in a fish style and made from recycled foam.

The makers got in touch with Jack who has been a strong advocate for protecting our oceans for decades and he agreed to take the surfboard for a spin in Hawaii.

The result is a strong environmental message (don’t drop your butts on the beach… or anywhere for that matter) and cool little film that is well worth seeing at via YouTube (‘Jack Johnson and The Cigarette Surfboard’).

Jack Johnson, a surfing legend who is always doing his bit to make our coasts and beaches cleaner and safer for everyone to enjoy.

FORTÉ 723

In other news ++ Korn will release their new album The Nothing on Friday September 13. ++ Opeth will release their new album In Cauda Venenum in both English and Swedish versions on Friday September 27. ++ DragonForce will release their new album Extreme Power Metal on Friday September 27. ++ Combichrist with special guests Darkcell will play the Corner Hotel on Friday October 4. ++ 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. ++ Alcest will release their new album Spiritual Instinct on Friday October 25. ++ Mayhem will release their new album Daemon on Friday October 25. ++ Cradle Of Filth will release their remastered Cruelty And the Beast album on Friday November 1. ++ Bart Krysiuk’s Batushka will play the Croxton Bandroom on Saturday November 2. ++ Wolves In The Throne Room will be at The Corner on Saturday November 30. ++ Good Things festival featuring Trivium, Karnivool, Parkway Drive, Enter Shikari, Thy Art Is Murder any many more will be held at Flemington Racecourse on Friday December 6. ++ Opeth will play the Palais Theatre on Friday December 13. ++ Geoff Tate and his band will play Operation Mindcrime in its entirety, plus more, at Melbourne’s Croxton Bandroom on Saturday February 1. ++ Blacken Open Air festival will be held over Easter weekend, 2020. Easter Sunday will be April 12. Handy to know if you’re looking for cheap flights to NT well in advance.

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

45

GUIDE THURS 12TH

AMPED: TBA, TICKETED EVENT BEAVS BAR: ANDY FORSTER

EDGE GEELONG: LIVE MUSIC AND DJ

KAROVA LOUNGE: THE ASCENDED, UPON WORLDS END, DISTORTA

THE ESPY: WAVEVOM CHARGE UP TOUR

PISTOL PETE’S: HICKORY DICKERY DOC

WORKERS CLUB GEELONG: LOWERCASE POETRY PRESENTS ‘GOLD’ FRI 13TH

AMPED: PEARL JAM OZ

BARWON CLUB: UAV W/ SWAB, PHAEDO, DRAGNET, ALAIA BEAVS BAR: JEFFREY JORDAN

BLOOM: E FRIDAYS – BROWNBEAR

COURTHOUSE YOUTH ARTS: FINNESAGE / PRESERVE

BY JESS WALTERS

THE EASTERN: WAVEVOM - CHARGE UP TOUR

EDGE GEELONG: LIVE MUSIC AND DJS

GOLDEN VINE: CRIMINAL BLONDE, TROPHY WIVES, BOOB IN A TEST TUBE GROVEDALE HOTEL: DARA HESSION

LAMBYS: LEVI ANDERSON + ADAM 12 + DJ JUBTEK & DJ JO JO MAJOR TOMS: LACHLAN DENTON & LIAM HALLIWELL MURPHYS: MARTY & DOC

PALAIS-HEPBURN: HARRY LAMB

PISTOL PETES: WAYNE JURY’S DISHRAG

WORKERS CLUB GEELONG: OXYGEN PRESENTS: LAGOON SAT 14TH

AMPED: MR DAMAGE ANGELS TRIBUTE ANALOGUE ACADEMY: EXISTENTIAL QUARTER LIFE CRISIS BARWON CLUB: TRICK GYPSY, IBIS - DOUBLE LAUNCH SHOW! BEAVS BAR: RYAN BELL

BLOOM: LAURA KING, TIMMUS, HOUSE CAT

THE BRIDGE HOTEL: BROADS ALBUM LAUNCH

THE EASTERN: LAURA IMBRUGLIA & THE SAMLLGOODS W/ DODDA RIVKA EDGE: LIVE MUSIC AND DJ

ESPY: SOC POP #32: INDIGO CHILDREN, POLARIZE, KOSMETIKA GOLDEN VINE: SMOKE STACK RHINO – DOOM BOOGIE TOUR

PRESENTED BY

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

GPAC: KASEY CHAMBERS ‘THE CAPTAIN’20TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR’ GPAC: RON VINCENT SINGS CAT STEVENS

THEATRE ROYAL: KATE MILLER-HEIDKE THE LOST ONES BASEMENT BAR: MICHAEL WESTLAKE

GROVEDALE HOTEL: MADZ GOT RICH HANDLE BAR: FLOYD THURSBY, LLOYD DODSWORTH

THURS 19TH

AMPED: ED & BRIDEZ DUO

BEAVS BAR: ANDY FORSTER

ESPY: WRONG TIME SINGLE LAUNCH

HOME HOUSE: COURTNEY MILLS & SAMUS JAY

GOLDEN VINE: BENDIGO PUB CHOIR

LAMBYS: JAMES KERNICK + BEDROCK + DJ JUBTEK & DJ LIAM BLACKWELL

KAROVA LOUNGE: WINFIELD, TRUCKS, WITHDRAWAL

KAROVA LOUNGE: WAX NOMADS

THE LOST ONES BASEMENT BAR: BASEMENT SESSION: DEBORAH N

MANCHESTER ARMS: LOCAL COVER BAND JOHN GROSSMAN PROJECT MURPHYS: DAYS GONE BY

PALAIS-HEPBURN: SHANE NICHOLSON W/ MICHAL WAUGH

GPAC: SWAN LAKE – IMPERIAL RUSSIAN BALLET CO

MURPHYS: THE SWANNY & FEV SHOW PALAIS THEATRE: KRIS KRISTOFFERSON

THEATRE ROYAL: STELLA DONNELLY

WORKERS CLUB GEELONG: AWAKEN I AM, I THE MIGHTY & HOMEFRONT FRI 20TH

PISTOL PETES: PHIL WIGGINS (USA), DOM TURNER

AMPED: THE LONELY BOYS

THEATRE ROYAL: BLACK JESUS EXPERIENCE

BEAVS BAR: RYAN BELL

RECESS: SAUCY SATURDAYS

WORKERS CLUB GEELONG: BOUND BY HOUND SUN 15TH

AMPED: ACOUSTIC RED

BARKING DOG: GUITAR BAR

BARWON CLUB: CJ RAMONE (USA) PLUS VON STACHE

THE EASTERN: MARK WITH THE SEA, PEGGY HILLS, TINO D’ONGHIA EDGE: LIVE MUSIC AND DJ

THE ESPY: THE HEINOUS HOUNDS

BARWON CLUB: ISABELLA KHALIFE & FRIENDS

BLOOM: NOETIC PRE. CRYPT 9 MAX MCKAY

COURTHOUSE YOUTH ARTS: ROTTEN THINGS BY JEMMA CAKEBREAD THE EASTERN: AM RERUNS – LP LAUNCH

EDGE GEELONG: LIVE MUSIC AND DJ

GOLDEN VINE: IRONSTONE, ERGASIA, STONE DJOSER

GROVEDALE HOTEL: ANDY FORSTER

KAROVA LOUNGE: STELLA DONNELLY

GOLDEN VINE: THE WRITE STUFF

LAMBYS: TROY BARRETT + ADAM12 + DJ JUBTEK & DJ JO JO

LAMBYS: STEVEN CLARK + DJ JUBTEK & DJ JO JO

PISTOL PETES: SMOKE STACK RHINO - DOOM BOOGIE TOUR

GROVEDALE HOTEL: NORTH & EAST

MAJOR TOMS: DAFFODIL PARADE AFTER PARTY

PIANO BAR: SOUL SISTER SWING PIANO BAR COLAC: GOOD FACES FOR RADIO

PISTOL PETES: LOUNGE LIZARDS

PROVENANCE WINES: ALEJANDRO FLOREZ

WORKERS CLUB MELBOURNE: BENNY WALKER TUES 17TH

GOLDEN VINE: IBC’S GOT TALENT WED 18TH

BEAVS BAR: OPEN MIC, KARAOKE, LUKE BISCAN

MURPHYS: NICK TABONE

RECESS: FABULOUS FRIDAY

THEATRE ROYAL: MIFF TRAVELLING FILM SHOWCASE

KAROVA LOUNGE: SK SIMEON, PURR USUAL

LAMBYS: LUKE BISCAN + BEDROCK + DJ JO JO & DJ ZACH THE LOST ONES BASEMENT BAR: THE VINLEYS

MANCHESTER ARMS: LOCAL DUO QUEER PANIC

MAJOR TOMS: BROADS ALBUM LAUNCH MURPHYS: AFTER FIVE

PALAIS-HEPBURN: HOMAGE TO HENDRIX + PEARL: JANIS JOPLIN SHOW

PISTOL PETE’S: LEO RONDEAU (USA) W/ SPECIAL GUEST JAMES ELLIS RECESS: SAUCY SATURDAYS

THE SPHINX: ROCKER BACK IN GEELONG

WORKERS CLUB GEELONG: REECE MASTIN SUN 22ND

AMPED: KATE DALEY DUO

EDGE GEELONG: LIVE MUSIC

THE ESPY: BUNNY RACKET GOLDEN VINE: THE GOLD FIELDS BLUES CLUB

GROVEDALE HOTEL: CRAIG SAYER

LAMBYS: ANDY FORSTER + PRANK + DJ JUBTEK & DJ JO JO MURPHYS: MARK & MATISS

PIANO BAR COLAC: MICK LINDSAY WED 25TH

BEAVS: OPEN MIC, KARAOKE, LUKE BISCAN

KAROVA LOUNGE: CJ RAMONE, THESE THINGS, THE CREDITS PIANO BAR: MICK LINDSAY

THEATRE ROYAL: DEREK GRIPPER (SOUTH AFRICA)

SAT 21ST

AMPED: BOOM BABY

ANALOGUE ACADEMY: ANALOGUE WORKSHOPS

BEAVS BAR: DAVE ANDERSON

THE EASTERN: PUP TENTACLE’S, SAINT IVORY, HONEY HUNTER

EDGE GEELONG: LIVE MUSIC AND DJS

THE ESPY: SLUM SOCIABLE

GOLDEN VINE: 21ST NIGHT OF SPETEMBER FUNKATHON

GROVEDALE HOTEL: LUKE LEGS DUO

STRINGS AMPS SHOES ACCESSORIES

VINYL CLOTHING GUITARS DRUMS

65 YARRA STREET GEELONG 0352983481

46

HOME HOUSE: ZAC DE PETRO & JUNOR

FORTÉ 723

FRI 13 SEPTEMBER:

SAT 14 SEPTEMBER:

SUN 15 SEPTEMBER:

SOLO ACOUSTIC SET

DUO ACOUSTIC SET

DUO ACOUSTIC SET

DARA HESSION Born and bred into a very Irish and musical family Dara has music running through his veins. Dara’s love of performing always makes for a night to remember to be sure.

MADZ GOT RICH 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.

NORTH & EAST Paul and Amber are in perfect harmony. Amber shifts between pop, soul, jazz, funk and folk flawlessly with the support of Paul’s dynamic percussion.

SAT 28 SEPTEMBER GRAND FINAL DAY LIVE MUSIC

MADZ GOT RICH * 5:30pm — 7:30pm *

LEVI & CODY ANDERSON * 8:00pm — 11:00pm *

GROVEDALEHOTEL FRI 20 SEPTEMBER:

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 21 SEPTEMBER:

LUKE LEGS DUO ACOUSTIC DUO SET

Luke & Michael play energetic shows of unique style. Enjoy harmonies, bangin drums and rhythm guitar by two.

You’re welcome.

SUN 22 SEPTEMBER:

CRAIG SAYER

SOLO ACOUSTIC SET

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

WEB. 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.

WATCH THE GRAND FINAL! LIVE MUSIC AFTER THE GAME: 6PM - 8PM

Will Gardiner & Kim Cooper

LIVE MUSIC AFTER THE GAME: 9PM - 12AM

Tee & 3

SUN. 20 OCTOBER

Tropical F*ck Storm

FRI. 8 NOVEMBER FRI. 25 OCTOBER

Pist Idiots

SLOWLY SLOWLY

GET YOUR TICKETS FROM: torquayhotel.eventbrite.com WE ARE RENOVATING BUT WE ARE OPEN! PHONE. (03) 5261 2001 ADDRESS. 36 Bell Street, Torquay WEBSITE. torquayhotel.com.au torquayhotel PH: 5278 2911

SPHINXHOTEL.COM.AU FORTÉ 723

47

Craft a better future through design and creative arts Study a specialist creative arts or design degree at Deakin University and you will graduate with the confidence, industry experience and technical skills to create real change through your practice.

Deakin’s Geelong Waterfront Campus is home to an inspiring creative arts hub, housing the latest technology and equipment, dedicated studio spaces and the Project Space Gallery for exhibiting work.

Experience it for yourself and meet our passionate academics and students at our course information evening.

Creative arts and design information evening Deakin University, Geelong Waterfront Campus Tuesday 17 September, 5.30-7.00pm

Register at: deakin.edu.au/arts-ed/info-sessions

Deakin University CRICOS Provider Code: 00113B