Forte #710

#710 14.3.19 FREE

H

s r o j a M w o l l o The

16

MARCH FREE ENTRY WITH SUMMER PASS BEFORE 11:00 PM DOORS OPEN AT 10PM | $15 ENTRY 40-42 MOORABOOL ST, GEELONG 2

03 5222 7333 710

HOMEHOUSE.COM.AU

23

MARCH

FREE ENTRY WITH SUMMER PASS BEFORE 11:00 PM DOORS OPEN AT 10PM | $15 ENTRY 40-42 MOORABOOL ST, GEELONG

03 5222 7333 710

HOMEHOUSE.COM.AU 3

4

710

SOCIAL MEDIA MEGASTAR COMEDIANS DESCEND ON MELBOURNE ‘HILARIOUS... A TOUR DE FORCE’ THE SPEAKEASY (NZ)

BETTER LIVING THROUGH SPORT

‘HYSTERICALLY FUNNY. THE CROWD LOVES IT.’ IN REVIEW ‘AN HILARIOUS ARRAY OF ONE-LINERS.’

‘LAIDBACK, PUNCHY, CHARISMATIC, FEARLESS AND PROVOCATIVE. JIM JEFFERIES … HE’S COMING FOR YOU’

THE WEST AUSTRALIAN

WED 27 MAR – SUN 21 APR

THE SCOTSMAN (UK)

TUE 26 MAR – SAT 6 APR ATHENAEUM THEATRE

IMPERIAL HOTEL CORNER BOURKE AND SPRING STS MELBOURNE

ON SALE NOW!

188 COLLINS ST, MELBOURNE

FRONTIERCOMEDY.COM/ALEXWILLIAMSON ALEXWILLIAMSON8

LOOSEAUSSIEBLOKE

FRONTIERCOMEDY.COM/TITUSOREILY

SHOOTERWILLIAMSON

@TITUSOREILY

TICKETS ON SALE NOW! FRONTIERCOMEDY.COM 710

@MRTITUSOREILY FRONTIERTOURING

5

170 RUSSELL

SATU DAY 28th & SUN APRIL

NAHKO AND MEDICINE FOR THE PEOPLE WEDNESDAY 17th APRIL

FLOGGING MOLLY

E N G A T N O M A L Y RA AY 19th &

OW 1st SDH OUT SOL

FRID RDAY 20th SATU HOWT S t s 1 L OU APRI SOLD

SELLING FAST!

Y A R G D I DAV

RIL

NER

THURSDAY 25th APRIL

GEORGE CLINTON & PARLIAMENTSELLING FUNKADELIC FAST! FRIDAY 26th APRIL SELLING SNARKY PUPPY FAST!

FINAL TOUR IN AUSTRALIA

HOWLER WEDNESDAY 24th APRIL

LARKIN POE 6

AP h t 5 1 Y MONDA

O T I R G E N C I T S A T N A F !

T SUN FAS E N O L T A L S I E R R N P E E A L H h AL DNESDAY 17t ROMISE OF T P WE & N O S L UL KASSNDAEY 18th APRIL THUR L L A H R TREVODAY 23rd APRILSOLD UT! O TUES S E V A R G Y E SHAKRSDAY 25th APRIL E THU L B U O E R T H N E O T G A T T IV N X L CRO 17th & A V I T DAY RIL

R O C PRIL LING A h THDE t 4 SEL AY 1

THE FORUM

ON LE SA W NO g les ourin .com.au re-sa festt for p N blues bluesfest ribe g subsc esttourin .com.au esf ring M blu esfesttou blu

SUNDAY 21st APRIL

TS SEN PRE

EST ESF S BLU SHOW SIDE

IS A L PA ATRE th 7 THE 2 Y A RD

FES L L st APRIL E A T H O HC LUB SUNDAY 21 T R NO IAL C RIL P O P P C A Y G h O t G I S ESDAY 17 LLING

S U C R A M THE AND KINOGLDB

WEDN

SE T! FAS

S !

OUT

S P WEDNESDAY 18th A THUR

L E I N A H T NA IFF RATEL & THE NIGHT S SWstESAHTOW

1 D OUT SOL

710

12 APR MARGARET COURT ARENA MELBOURNE 13 APR GPAC - COSTA HALL GEELONG TICKETS ON SALE NOW FROM LIVENATION.COM.AU

RAINBOW VALLEY OUT NOW 710

7

710 M U S I C

/

The Know Feature Story The Loop Local Feature

A R T S

/

C U LT U R E

10-11 12 15–19 20

Footy’s Back

21-24

News

25-31

Food

32

Creatives Reviews

34-37 38-39

Columns

40

The Guide

42

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

It’s turbulent times for the music industry at the moment. On one end of the scale you’ve got news of Metallica and Slipknot touring Australia, Download Festival absolutely nailing their second year despite the absence of Ozzy Osbourne, the return of Dylan Alcott’s Ability Fest, Nick Murphy announcing a tour and Gurrumul‘s 2018 masterpiece ‘Djarimirri (Child of the Rainbow)’ taking out the 2018 instalment of the Australian Music Prize.

Then on the other end, you’ve got the tragic passing of The Prodigy frontman Keith Flint, NSW Govenment’s insane war on festivals, the R Kelly allegations, and the world’s divided responses to HBO’s controversial documentary Leaving Neverland - and that was all just in the past couple of weeks. It’s crazy how much can happen and change, for better or for worse, before you even reach that next episode of Animal Kingdom on Netflix.

FREEBIES Who here likes cocktails?? Well, we’ve got four passes up for grabs to the Wild Cocktail Party at the end of the month (which you can read about on page 20)! A collab between National Wool Museum Geelong, Dennys Kitchen, The 18th Amendment Bar and us, you’d be mad to miss it.

TO ENTER:

Publisher Furst Media Pty. Ltd. Editor Talia Rinaldo

talia@fortemag.com.au

Advertising Josh Dowling

josh@fortemag.com.au

General Manager Glenn Lynch

glenn@fortemag.com.au

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

Art Director Nathan Mossop

artwork@fortemag.com.au

Interns Chloe Cicero, Liam McNally.

Moving right on, this issue we have Geelong’s The Hollow Majors on our cover. Starting as a covers band back in 2016, these guys have recently transitioned to an originals act, and have dropped their debut album ‘Neuro’. Our lovely Tammy chats to lead singer Robbie Sea; check it out on page 12.

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

FORTÉGRAM Tag us @Forte_mag or #Fortemag

Further in this issue, we chat to Philadelphian born singer-songwriter Kurt Vile; Sydney trio Mansionair; Torquay export Xavier Rudd; local band Hold//Fire, the brains behind Geelong’s first mobile Prosecco bar, and perennial globetrotter and award-winning comedian Marcus Ryan, plus heaps more!

to be featured!

@thedropfestival

Talia and the Forté team xx

@immy_owusu

Image credit: ChipShots / Ballarat Youth Services

@whetwitch

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.

Back for its second year, Rock the Block is a youth-led cultural festival that celebrates Ballarat’s rich cultural diversity during Harmony Week 2019.

Join us for a vibrant outdoor street party featuring live music, food trucks, market stalls and youth-led activities!

8

710

queen forever 18+ saturday May 11th

$44.90

BooK your functions and Birthday parties With us!

inc. booking fee

WITH SPECIAL GUESTS tix available via oztix.com.au

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

710

9

WRITTEN BY KAYLA MACLEOD SURPRISE RELEASE OF NEW SOLANGE ALBUM

MELBOURNE’S LARGEST COMEDY EVENT RETURNS

Fans were shocked with the arrival of Solange’s fourth studio album ‘When I Get Home’ released on the first day of this month. Following up from her previous hit album ‘A Seat at the Table’ in 2016, there had been minimal promotion from Solange hinting a new album. The nineteenpiece body of work is influenced by Jazz well as tones of Southern American Rap. In conjunction with the album, Solange has released a thirty-minute film described as “an exploration of origin, asking the question how much of ourselves do we bring with us verses leave behind in our evolution?”. You can access the film via Apple Music.

Melbourne’s International Comedy Festival has returned, kicking off on March 27th and running for just over three weeks. A variety of comedians will take to Melbourne’s theatre’s, pubs and clubs to entertain the masses. Coming into its 33rd year, the Melbourne international comedy festival is Australia’s largest cultural ticketed event and last year drew in just under 800,000 attendees. This year’s line-up includes the likes of Arj Barker, Ross Noble, Judith Lucy, Kitty Flanagan, Matt Okine and Tom Gleeson.

Tickets average at $30 and the style of comedy can vary from cabaret to street performance to film. Depending on the act, tickets are available from Ticketmaster, Ticketek, Trybooking, Eventfinda and Eventbrite.

COSMOS MIDNIGHT ANNOUNCE BIGGEST AUS TOUR YET

JUNGLE ANNOUNCE INTIMATE MELBOURNE SHOW AT HOTEL ESPLANADE

Electronic brother duo Cosmos Midnight are set to embark on their largest Australian tour to date kicking off on the 3rd of May in Brisbane.

The announcement follows the release of their newest single ‘C.U.D.I (Can U Dig It)’, an ultimate summer tune that was written whilst recovering from a New Years warehouse party in Wollongong. Joining them on tour will be triple j unearthed high winner (2017) Arno Faraji and electropop artist Banoffee. After successfully completing the Laneway Festival tour the twin brothers are keen to get back on the road and will be stopping by the Forum in Melbourne on Thursday May 9.

In a celebration of one of Melbourne’s most iconic music venues, Jungle have locked in an intimate Victorian show at St Kilda’s recently restored Hotel Esplanade, AKA The Espy. It’s been a long time coming for Jungle fans who have not seen the British outfit grace Australian shores since they hit up Splendour in the Grass way back in 2014. The eagerly anticipated Antipodean tour was announced in the wake of the follow up to their self titled Mercury Prize nominated debut record, which featured binge worthy tracks such as Busy Earnin’ and The Heat. Titled For Ever, the new album is deeper, more intimate, occasionally melancholic, but still abundant with feel good beats from the gurus of neon soul. With a strong synth game, powerful vocals and intimate hooks, tickets to Jungle’s Gershwin Room show are strictly limited. Catch them on Saturday April 27. Tickets via moshtix.

ild WCocktail PartY

FRIDAY 29 MARCH 2019 6:30PM – 9:30PM NATIONAL WOOL MUSEUM With rising star DJ duo, Donald’s House, exclusive signature cocktails from 18th Amendment Bar, and entry into the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 54 exhibition.

DRESS CODE: Go wild!

TICKETS: From $25 (Early Bird) + booking fee. Includes welcome cocktail.

BOOK NOW: nationalwoolmuseumgeelong.eventbrite.com

10

710

the 18 t

h

amendmen t b a r

WRITTEN BY JORDYN WORKMAN SLYTHERIN TO MELBOURNE’S LATEST HARRY POTTER THEMED BAR VERTIC ALLEY

‘FEARLESS GIRL’ ARRIVES IN FED SQUARE Arriving in Melbourne just in time for International Women’s Day last week, the powerful statue ‘Fearless Girl’ has found it’s new home in Melbourne’s Federation Square. Hands held firmly on hips in a wide power stance the statue has become a symbol of female empowerment and gender equality in the workplace. Usually found on Wall Street staring down Arturo Di Modica’s Charging Bull statue she made her first appearance on International Woman’s Day in 2017. The limited edition replica will remain in Melbourne for three years hoping to ignite conversation of female leadership in Australia.

If all this hot weather has you craving a Butter Beer, I’ve got a surprise for you. With the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child play taking over Melbourne this year, the Imperial Hotel has found a way to keep the magic alive with its very own Harry Potter-themed rooftop bar, Vertic Alley. The Diagon Alley inspired bar boasts Potter themed beverages and booths that resemble a wand store and owlery amongst other wizarding themed goods. The novelty doesn’t stop there, serving up Gilliweed Tacos and Siriusly Black Sliders there’s no doubt that this pop-up will keep both appetite and inner child satisfied. Open for business all autumn it would be a curse not to Slytherin.

JAY ROCK IS HEADING TO MELBOURNE AFTER ANOTHER ‘WIN’

MELBOURNE ZOO TO BECOME AN AFTERHOURS PLAYGROUND

Fresh off the back off his first Grammy, American rapper Jay Rock is heading to Melbourne.

Playing his first ever Australian shows Jay Rock will play March 19th at Thornbury venue Croxton Bandroom. A longtime member of Top Dawg Entertainment, a label home to names such as Kendrick Lamar and SZA he can often be overlooked, but this shouldn’t be the case. Jay Rock has had a hugely successful year releasing his third studio album ‘Redemption’ and winning a Grammy for Black Panther-inspired song ‘Kings Dead’ alongside his label mate Kendrick Lamar.

Jay Rock has long waited for his time to shine and with the accolades he’s received over the past year it’s finally his turn to win win win win.

If you’re looking for something to do over the Easter break Melbourne Zoo is being transformed into an after-hours immersive art experience. Neon Playground will take place in the Zoo grounds from 5:30pm to 9:30pm to showcase local light artists and designers. There will be laser displays, a giant neon light maze and even an installation bringing to life Graeme Bases well-loved book Waterhole. This new event has been created in an attempt to raise money and awareness about the endangered Corroboree Frog. All proceeds from this event are going to Zoos Australia to help save the Corroboree Frog and 21 other species that are at risk of becoming endangered.

WHAT’S ON

WE’VE ONLY JUST BEGUN

PARIS UNDERGROUND

FALL OF THE ROMAN UMPIRE

SATURDAY 23 MARCH, 8.00PM

SATURDAY 30 MARCH, 8.00PM

THURSDAY 4 APRIL, 8.00PM

$42, $38 Cabaret Seating – VIP $35 $40, $36 Theatre Seating – VIP $30

$52, $48 Cabaret Seating – VIP $45 $46, $42 Theatre Seating – VIP $40

$22, $18 Theatre Seating – VIP $15

ALSO THIS MONTH

CLASS CLOWNS

SUBURBAN SANDCASTLES

THE SEEKERS TRIBUTE

MARCH 13 2.00PM

MARCH 27 6.00PM

APRIL 2 10.30AM

41 Peninsula Drive, Drysdale VIC 3222 www.geelongaustralia.com.au/potatoshed potatosheddrysdale potatosheddrysdale

BOOK NOW WITH YOUR CREDIT CARD ON 5251 1998 OR AT ANY CITY OF GREATER GEELONG CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTRE.

710

11

The Hollow Majors WRITTEN BY TAMMY WALTERS

ROBBIE SEA, THE LEAD SINGER FOR GEELONG’S THE HOLLOW MAJORS, KNOWS A THING OR TWO ABOUT ROCK ‘N’ ROLL. WALKING INTO HIS HOME FOR OUR INTERVIEW I WAS MET BY OASIS LIVE FROM MANCHESTER PLAYING ON HIS TELEVISION, TWO WALL-TO-CEILING SIZE FRAMES HANGING IN HIS DINING ROOM; ONE WITH A POSTER OF THE BEATLES AND THE OTHER A COLLAGE OF JOHN LENNON IMAGES, AND BAND PARAPHERNALIA LINING EVERY NOOK AND CRANNY OF THE HOME INCLUDING BEATLES DRINK COASTERS SITTING UPON HIS COFFEE TABLE, NEXT TO A COPY OF THE HOLLOW MAJORS DEBUT ALBUM, ‘NEURO’.

mates leaving Home House and were like ‘what are you doing out’, and I had the tape, putting up posters around poles- even places where you’re not meant to like on windows, even put a little add in Forte (*The credit is all ours*).”

It wasn’t long before the interest started coming through. After hitting it off with now guitarist Ash Wray, recruiting former band mate, Jake Donovan, as the drummer, and discovering the talents of bassist and songwriter, Josh Dower, the Hollow Majors were off to a red hot start. Sea recalls, “a week later after a few beers we were straight into it!”

This is not a surprise though; The Hollow Majors have forged a name for themselves as the rock ‘n’ roll lads of Geelong, from starting as a covers band back in 2016 to last year transitioning to an originals act, and their story of how it all started is as old school rock ‘n’ roll as you can get.

The foursome didn’t waste any time. They spent the next two years gigging every weekend, hitting up pubs and clubs across Victoria building a name for themselves and entertaining hundreds along the way with their straight up rock ‘n’ roll flavour, even opening for British India on their Geelong stop for Nic Wilson’s Last Tour.

“I put up posters everywhere all around in Geelong just looking for a full band - bass player, guitarist, drummer sort of thing - I went old school,” Sea laughs. “I love the movie ‘Almost Famous’ so I went you know why not! And what gave me more motivation was seeing

“At the start I had no real intention of being an original band, eventually over discussions we wanted to be an originals band but I think what we wanted to do was to be tight as a band and we knew we would get more gigs and more money by being a cover band. So we made

12

sure, we wanted to be Geelong’s best cover band, so we worked our arses off, got ties and matching clothes just like the Beatles but we wanted to play like Jet. We wanted to have the energy of Jet and the style of The Beatles and no other cover band in Geelong were doing it.

laughs. “I throw a song in here or there, but Josh and Ash are the focal point.”

Self-funded from their live shows and recorded at Don’t Poke The Bear Studio by Tom Isaacs, ‘Neuro’ has, what Sea describes as a little bit of everything for every mood but with that true rock ‘n’ roll punch. Single titles ‘Mary Jayne’, ‘Upstream’ and ‘Mexico’ have been making the rounds but the best is yet to come.

“We didn’t want to be another one of those Jessie’s Girl bands. We made sure we were covering Rose Tattoo and The Angels and Cold Chisel, we did a lot of 90’s,” Sea says. “Everything was rock ‘n’ roll, there was no “We’ve just finished up at the studio and we have a new pop in there and the minute we learnt how to rock song and a new film clip coming out that we start work together - outside of the gigs we were writing originals on that in two weeks time. I believe - and I hope the constantly - we knew we had to ditch the covers and go other three boys agree with me – but I really think that straight into the originals.” this song that we’re going to release is going to be our best song yet. It should have been on the album but it Heavily influenced by the artists they were covering, wasn’t made yet. It’s a ripper!”

Wray and Dower started writing their own rock ‘n’ roll jams, 13 of which made it onto their December debut We’re dusting off the leather jackets in anticipation! album, ‘Neuro’.

CHECK OUT WWW.THEHOLLOWMAJORS.COM “The two main songwriters in our band, the two TO FIND ALL THINGS THE HOLLOW MAJORS, dominant forces, are our guitarist, Ash, and bass player, INCLUDING UPCOMING SHOWS, SONGS, MERCH Josh. I wrote a song on our first EP but in this particular AND MUSIC NEWS. album it’s pretty much Josh and Ash have taken the reigns. They’re kind of like the John and Paul of the band, the dominant forces. I’m like the George,” Sea 710

DEBUT ALBUM ‘NEURO’ OUT NOW!!

710

13

14

710

LOOP

B A L L A R AT BELLARINE

BENDIGO CASTLEMAINE

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

wild cocktAil party the 18 t

h

amendmen t b a r

710

15

EBONIVORY SIGN TO WILD THING PRESENTS

JURASSIC PARK IS HERE

Melbourne based touring, bookings and management company, Wild Thing Presents (together with its label arm, Wild Thing Records) who have been at the heart of Australia’s world renowned progressive and alternative rock scene, are thrilled to announce the signing of Ballarat five piece, Ebonivory to their management and bookings roster. Ebonivory joins prestigious acts including Caligula’s Horse, Circles, The Ocean, City Of Souls, AlithiA, James Norbert Ivanyi and many more as part of Wild Thing Presents’ incredible roster. Well done boys!

Thanks to the dinosaur enthusiasts at The Kardinia Park Stadium Trust, the entire Geelong community is being invited onto the ‘hallowed turf’ of GMHBA for a FREE (yes, free) community movie night and ‘Jurassic World Experience’ on Saturday 16 March. For the first time ever, attendees will be welcomed back to the park as Spielberg’s original Jurassic Park will be played on the big screen at the Stadium (which also means Jeff Goldblum on the big screen…). Dino-lovers are welcome to bring in a picnic to enjoy during the movie, or choose to indulge in the food trucks and bar open on the night. Gates open at 6pm with an 8pm start for the movie, but we definitely recommend heading in early so you can nab the best spot on the green!

GEELONG MUSICIANS REUNION This time last year, ten bands from the 1960s, 70s and 80s were putting it back together in preparation for the 2018 Geelong Musicians Reunion. Then it happened and the vibe was so good that the 400 attendees wanted more. So more they will get. On Saturday March 23, Club Italia will again be rocking to some of the most prominent Geelong bands that played local dances, pubs and clubs in the 60s, 70s and 80s including Warm Sands, The Victims, Double Cross, Soul Sister Swing, Memphis, and more. Lee Rogers & The Bayside Drifters will provide the evening’s warm up and a special performance by The Geelong All Stars. will complete the night. Tickets for the event are available through GPAC for musicians, family, friends and all those fans who just want to relive the good times.

QUEEN IS COMING

BY THE C CANCELLED By the C, the travelling showcase of Aussie talent that was set to perform at Leura Park Estate on March 17 has been cancelled. The event was to see John Farnham as your headliner with Jon Stevens, Vanessa Amorosi, The Black Sorrows (with Vika and Linda Bull) and Ross Wilson are also on the line-up. Further information is available through bythec.com.au.

Queen Forever recreates the music and performance of Queen. Here you’ll get authentic costumes, a stunning portrayal of Freddie Mercury

by Gareth Hill, all the amazing guitar solos of Brian May and groundbreaking rock harmonies, in a stage show with state-of-the-art sound and lighting that will blow you away.

With all Queen’s biggest hits including Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Radio GaGa, We Will Rock You, We Are The Champions, and many more, and of course, Bohemian Rhapsody, this is as close as you can get to the real thing.

The Wool Exchange, Geelong – May 11.

THE DROP FESTIVAL LAUNCHES UNEARTHED COMPETITION The Drop Festival has launched a triple j Unearthed competition to select any artist or band to play at each festival location. The winners will be joining the already HUGE line up, including Angus and Julia Stone, Client Liaison, Hockey Dad, The Jungle Giants and Alex the Astronaut. Supported by triple j and the World Surf League (WSL), The Drop will take place on the first weekend of each coinciding surfing event of the World Surf League tour, hitting Torquay on April 20. Applications for the Unearthed competition close at midnight AEDT Sunday March 3rd 2019. All artists from NSW, VIC, WA and QLD who have tracks uploaded to triplejunearthed.com during this time will be eligible.

SECOND SHOW FOR SKEGSS + THE CHATS News of Skegss and The Chats coming in to The Torquay Hotel on Thursday April 18 was hot hot hot with the show selling out quicker than you could chow down a meat pie on Smoko. If you missed out on tickets, all hope is not lost as they’ve just announced a second show for Wednesday April 17. Don’t wait around to get these ones as these two acts are in high demand on the surf coast.

MILK! RECORDS GOES COASTAL The Sound Doctor has your calcium needs covered, as they help bring a selection of Milk! Records artists to Anglesea Memorial Hall, Anglesea on March 22. Hachiku, Loose Tooth and Jade Imagine are doing it for their coastal fans. Hachiku is otherwise known as Anika Ostendorf, a Detroit-born, Germany-bred and now Melbourne-based artist who produces dream pop with an avant garde twist.

BALLAN AUTUMN FESTIVAL

BARENAKED PLEASURE COMA DIY drifters Pleasure Coma describe themselves as a combination of milk, exercise and punk rock, and there is not much wrong with that at all. The band has released Naked, their debut short and sweet three-track EP which captures three memories of frontman Tasker’s time living in Redfern. Hitting the road for their first headlining tour, the band kicks things off at Major Tom’s, Kyneton on March 22.

Photo by Jamin Tasker.

7 INCHES OF DANNY WALSH BANNED

More than forty years old and as strong as ever, the Ballan Autumn Festival takes place on March 17 (9am-4pm).

Each year the theme changes, with ‘Ballan’s Academy of Magic’ taking centre stage in 2019. Live music and entertainment, rides and attractions, vintage cars and machinery, a woodchop competition and petting zoo are among the day’s activities. A little more love can be found through ballanautumnfestival.org.

Melbourne-based vintage rock and rollers Danny Walsh Banned have a shimmering new 7-inch single, ‘It’s Got a Note’/‘Little Astronaut’. The first part is inspired by the true story of a V8 engine stealing racket, while the second was written for Danny’s daughter who spent her first 100 days in her ‘space capsule’ at the Mercy Hospital for Women Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. The Bridge, Castlemaine – March 15.

DUNNSTOWN IRISH FESTIVAL Once referred to as ‘Little Ireland’, Dunnstown will show its green, white and orange stripes at the Dunnstown Irish Festival, March 16 & 17. Returning for its second year, there is something for everyone, including a performance from The Go Set on March 16. A Family Day includes jumping castle, face painting, sprints, potato sack racing and many Irish games. Further information is available through eventbrite.com.au.

BENDIGO CRAFT BEER FESTIVAL

Thursday 14th Thursday 21 Andy Forster Andy Forster Friday 15 Luke Biscan

Friday 22 Ryan Bell

Saturday 16 Ryan Bell

Saturday 23 Jeff Jordan

Wednesday 20 Open Mic Karaoke Luke Biscan

Wednesday 27 Open Mic Karaoke Luke Biscan

16

Eat, drink and be merry at the Bendigo Craft Beer Festival. More than 100 beers and ciders are on offer, which will help soak up a fine selection of food. Or perhaps the food should be soaking up the beer. Who cares, there is beer and cider. There is lots of it. There is also live music, festival games and stuff for the kids. Tom Flood Sports Centre hosts the event on March 23, with full information available through bendigocraftbeerfestival.com.au.

MICF ROADSHOW Dates for the Melbourne International Comedy Festival Roadshow have been announced, with performer line-ups set to follow. Kyneton Town Hall, Kyneton – May 3; Lighthouse Theatre, Warrnambool – May 23; Ballarat Mechanics Institute, Ballarat – May 30; Mildura Arts Centre, Mildura – June 3; and GPAC – June 29. Everything you need to know about the festival can be found through comedyfestival.com.au.

HEYO, IT’S THE OLD MARRIED COUPLE Do you enjoy bright costumes, party blowers and bubbles? Of course you do, you international bright young things. Follow-up question: do you enjoy kazooladen novelty folk music? Taking cues from the likes of George Formby, Bette Midler, Marie Lloyd and Cole Porter, The Old Married Couple adds dance, skits and double entendre to their live shows. The Two’s a Party tour hits The Loft, Warrnambool on April 6.

THE BLACK SORROWS GAIN CITIZENSHIP With enough albums to begin a record store comprised entirely of their own albums, Citizen John is the soon to be released new album from The Black Sorrows camp. Joe Camilleri: “It’s about moving forward. To me, it’s always about moving forward. It’s all very nice to get a pat on the back and ‘Hey I saw you in ’78’, but I want people to judge me on this album.” Royal Hotel, Meredith – March 31.

710

THE WONDER OF YOUTH The Lighthouse Arts Collective presents The Wonder at New Hall, Point Lonsdale on April 6. The brainchild of Matt Davis (ex-Gersey and Gaslight Radio), The Wonder has released ‘When We Are Young (We Run and We Run)’, the first single from forthcoming debut album Love (June 1). Charm of Finches support, while a special appearance will be made by Matt’s young daughter, Frankie.

CASTLEMAINE STATE FESTIVAL

THIS STATE WE’RE IN

The Castlemaine State Festival delivers what they have been cooking for the past two years this month, March 22-31. You have performance from the likes of Circa’s Peepshow and Body Concert, music from Ye-Eun Choi, Božo Vrećo and Eric Avery, films including Terror Nullius and Strange Colours and the visual artistry of Art Fraud and Melinda Harper. The full program is available through castlemainefestival.com.au.

INDUSTRY UPDATES FROM MUSIC VICTORI A HELLO FORTE READERS, IT’S BEEN A HUGE MONTH FOR AUSTRALIAN

DAYLESFORD POLO For one of the world’s oldest sports, little is known about Polo by those outside of the great game. But its breathtaking skill will be on full display when the Mingela Polo Club in Drummond hosts the inaugural Daylesford Polo on March 23. Gourmet food and drink and spectacular fashion will round out the day, with funds raised going towards TLC for Kids. Further information is available through daylesfordpolo.com.au.

MEMBER MOMENT

TURNING OUT TO THE DON’T KILL LIVE MUSIC

AON - ENTERTAINMENT INSURANCE SPECIALISTS

RALLY IN SYDNEY LAST WEEK ( PLUS THE 120,000+

AO N A R R A N G E S I N S U R A N C E S O L U T I O N S

PEOPLE WHO SIGNED THE ONLINE PETITION ).

F O R I N D I V I D U A L P E R F O R M E R S A N D B A N D S,

THE RALLY AND PETITION WERE IN RESPONSE TO

M U S I C T E AC H E R S TO TO U R P RO M OT E R S, AV

THE NSW STATE GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCING THE

PROFESSIONALS AND EQUIPMENT INSURANCE

IMPLEMENTATION OF A NEW FESTIVAL PERMIT

AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN. AON HAS OVER

SCHEME WHICH HAS CREATED UNCERTAINTY AND

50 YEARS’ EXPERIENCE ARRANGING TAILORED,

LED TO THE CANCELLATION OF TWO FESTIVALS.

A F F O R DA B L E I N S U R A N C E S O L U T I O N N S A N D

AUSTRALIAN MUSIC FESTIVALS ARE A VITAL

C L A I M S S U P PO RT F O R T H E E N T E RTA I N M E N T

SOURCE OF ECONOMIC ACTIVITY AND SOCIAL

I N D U S T RY. P R O U D LY E N D O R S E D B Y K E Y

ENGAGEMENT IN MANY REGIONAL CITIES AND

ORGANISATIONS LIKE APRA AMCOS AND MUSIC

TOWNS, AND HAVE AN IMPORTANT FLOW ON EFFECT

VICTORIA.

THE NSW GOVERNMENT HAS RELEASED A LIST OF

With influences including Damien Rice, Glen Hansard and Neil Finn, Nathan Schifferle is a singersongwriter with indie-folk in his heart.

He kicked off his year supporting Stephen Cummings and has been steadily going about business since.

When he is not making his mark as Nathan Schifferle, he is known to be pretty handy when it comes to playing covers. He has a covers gig at Manchester Arms, Bendigo on March 24.

GIG OF THE MONTH

F E S T I VA L S T H AT TA K E P L AC E I N M E L B O U R N E

AMAYA LAUCIRICA AT MAJOR TOM’S, KYNETON

I N C L U D I N G L A N E WAY, U LT R A A N D E L E CT R I C

SATURDAY MARCH 16 2019

GARDENS, THAT THEY CONSIDER HIGH RISK AND

AMAYA LAUCIRICA RETURNS TO KYNETON FOR

WILL BEAR THE BRUNT OF INCREASED LICENSING

A N I N T I M AT E S H OW U P S TA I R S H AV I N G J U S T

FEES AND SECURITY COSTS.

SUPPORTED NZ POP ICON JONATHAN BREE AS

T H E V I CTO R I A S TAT E G OV E R N M E N T R U L E D

WELL AS PERFORMING AT BEECHWORTH FESTIVAL.

OUT IMPLEMENTING NEW LICENSING LAWS FOR

COMBINING THE SWIRLING CONTOURS OF

FESTIVALS, WHICH IS INCREDIBLY HEARTENING

COCTEAU TWINS WITH THE WISTFUL MELODIES

FOR OUR MUSIC COMMUNITY AND ECO-SYSTEM.

OF THE GO-BETWEENS AND THE SONIC DEPTH

SO WHEN YOU HEAD TO MEREDITH’S GOLDEN

OF YO LA TENGO, AMAYA RELEASED HER NEW

P L A I N S O R T H E PO RT FA I RY F O L K F E S T I VA L

ALBUM, RITUALS, INTERNATIONALLY IN MARCH

OVER THE NEXT MONTH TO ENJOY THE UNIQUE

2018. DON’T MISS HER!

MUSICAL ACTS, DON’T TAKE IT FOR GRANTED.

MUSIC ROYALT Y HEADLINES CULLULLERAINE MUSIC FESTIVAL

DEANS MARSH FESTIVAL RETURNS FOR 2019 Going strong for more than two decades now, the Deans Marsh Festival is a combined treat of live music, street performers, Otway food and wine and a unique artisans’ craft market – and is set to return again at the end of this month.

Going down on March 24 from 10am to 5pm at the Deans Marsh Recreation Reserve, this year’s festival theme is “Experience Our Hinterland” and will see the heart of Deans Marsh come to life as the community celebrates all that they are.

With fun for the whole family, you’ll find a range of great local produce from the region, market stalls with all sorts of craft-y, quirky, delicious, useful and produce-y stuff for you to browse and buy, and a tonne of kid’s activities, including games, foot races, dress-ups, puppets, magic tricks, pony rides while the grown-ups indulge in good food and wine. There will also be a range of vintage displays, sheep-dogs, and festival-favourites the dog-jump and Jack Russell races.

As part of this theme, community art workshops have been consistent in the lead up to the Festival

710

LEARN MORE AND GET A QUOTE ONLINE: AON. COM.AU/ENTERTAINMENT.

14 FESTIVALS, INCLUDING GLOBAL AND NATIONAL

COMMUNAL BONDING OVER YOUR FAVOURITE

‘Throw Your Arms Around Me’ and ‘When the River runs Dry’, festival goers can expect a powerhouse performance from Seymour.

Alongside the ARIA Award winning artist, you’ll also enjoy tunes from the likes of the engaging Sal Kimber & the Rollin’ Wheel, legendary Australian singersongwriter Broderick Smith, renowned American fiddler Darol Anger & the Republic of Strings and the long-awaited reunion of one of the great local bands, Bushfire.

There will also be a range of market stalls, children’s activities, and a selection of food stalls to indulge in.

If this sounds right up your alley, there are a range of weekend, day and camping ticket options available to cater to every need and ensure patrons witness an amazing program across the weekend. If you’re travelling from afar, your best bet is to lock in a threeday weekend ticket, because why not? It’s also more budget-friendly to do it this way anyway!

What’s more is that Cullulleraine Music Festival is a camping event with a limited number of powered sites and unpowered sites at Lake Cullulleraine Holiday Park, adjacent to the festival site. Camping is also available at the nearby Bushman’s Rest Caravan Three days of live music, camping and Park, which is approximately 1.5 km and sites must community spirit returns to Lake Cullulleraine be purchased directly with park. If you’re not a fan Holiday Park this April for another of camping though, the festival is just a short drive edition of the Cullulleraine Music Festival. from Mildura where there is plenty of accommodation In its fifth consecutive year, this community-based options available. music festival continues to grow more each year, We’d recommend booking ASAP as camping sites bringing together local, national, and internationally are sure to sell out. acclaimed musicians to provide a feast of diverse There will be a free courtesy bus running between entertainment and engagement across a unique, the festival site and the campsites – so no worries family friendly three-day event. about a designated driver!

In celebration of five years of festival magic, festival organisers have secured one of Australia’s most gifted IT ALL GOES DOWN FROM APRIL 12 and popular musicians Mark Seymour to headline the TO 14 2019. FOR ALL THE FESTIVAL festivities, which is just a taste of the quality you can AND CAMPING DEETS, VISIT WWW. expect to find at this festival.

CULLULLERAINEMUSICFESTIVAL.COM.AU “Mark has been a mainstay of the Australian music PHOTO BY JESS AVERY scene for over 30 years through legendary band Hunters & Collectors, as a solo performer, and through a long involvement with Mark Seymour & the Undertow,” festival president Rob Biggs says. “He will be bringing all that history to his Cullulleraine show.”

Perhaps best known for iconic songs, ‘Holy Grail’,

PATRICK DONOVAN ( MUSIC VICTORIA CEO )

M U S I C, W I T H A N E S T I M AT E D 20,000+ P E O P L E

TO VENUES THROUGH NUMEROUS SIDE SHOWS.

THE FORMS OF NATHAN SCHIFFERLE

TILL NEXT TIME,

FIND OUT MORE INFORMATION AT MAJORTOMS. COM.AU

to create a forest of standing sticks that hold stories exploring a sense of place and belonging. The Standing Story Sticks will be used to create an installation at the Deans Marsh Festival where community members will share their story and decorated sticks throughout the day.

And of course, what is a festival without the music?

This year, the festival sees a stunning line-up of musical artists guaranteed to get your feet tapping and your soul singing.

First up, Mountain Grey will be delivering vintage roots straight from the country, with a eucalyptus twist. With humming guitar notes, eclectic percussion, precision bottom end bass all woven between blues harp and impassioned vocals, each original song is imbued with the poetry of regret, reflection or simply sets folks a-dancing to that irresistible soul rhythm.

Forte favourite Alister Turrill will also take to the stage. Renowned blues/folk/rock/roots artist, Alister has been referred to as a songwriter of the highest order, and a sign that the future of Australian blues is in good hands by Lloyd Spiegel himself.

Joining them, front man for the fabulous Salmon Guts band, Dean Krueger has spent many years playing music in the Otway’s and is well known and well-loved for his cool tunes, while Howlin’ Wind will be bringing music with sophisticated classical traditions with earthy folk roots and an implicit understanding of Australia’s indigenous song lines to the festival surrounds.

Alongside these, heaps of other local talent will take to the stage including Josh Rigg, Josh Goddard and a performance from the OMM Rock Choir.

This year there is also a festival After-Party, from 5pm a thank you to all the volunteers, stall-holders and helpers. There will be another two hours of great music on stage, the Torquay Paella Man to cooking dinner, and the Cricket Club will be serving sundowners.

Come for the festival, and stay for the party.

ENTRY IS BY GOLD COIN DONATION. VISIT DEANSMARSH.ORG.AU/ DEANS-MARSH-FESTIVAL/

17

THE NORTHERN FOLK HIT THE ROAD Hitting their Pozible target like champs, The Northern Folk will take their new album Watermark to Bendigo’s Old Church on the Hill on April 5. Since the release of the ten-piece band’s last album, they have played more than 150 shows and endured 18-hour bus trips and nights in frozen tents. Being in a band ain’t easy. From the band: “We are nothing without those who support and appreciate our music.

Sincerely, thank you.”

BEC STEVENS, TAKE TWO Singer-songwriter Bec Stevens is mixing things up a little with the release of her second EP, Why Don’t You Just. A hard-working solo artist, Bec has put together a full-band arrangement for her upcoming tour, her first headlining run. While the songwoman is reluctant to say that the album is a personal diary chapter (more of a universal diary chapter), it is a deeply personal release. The Loft, Warrnambool – April 25.

FINISH THE MONTH WITH THE POTATO SHED March has been a great and busy month for The Shed – and there’s still have two great Cabaret shows to see out the month.

Step back in time and come along and see We’ve Only Just Begun at the Potato Shed on Saturday 23rd of March. The Carpenters, one of the most successful and cherished bands of their time, are a beacon of hope for Angela Giuseppina Lumicisi, a self-confessed number one Carpenterian fan. Set in 1970s East Brunswick in Melbourne, We’ve Only Just Begun charts the changing mores of growing

JOAN AS POLICE WOMAN RETURNS The Sound Doctor has charmed New York artist Joan as Police Woman to take in an evening at the Anglesea Memorial Hall on May 4 as part of her first tour here since 2014. The musical outlet of Joan Wasser, the first Joan as Police Woman album was released in 2006. Several albums have followed since, with Damned Devotion her latest. She will be joined by bandmates Parker Kindred, Eric Lane and Jacob Silver.

FERLA SHARE A STORY Ah, the album inspired by heartache.

It sucks for the person or people involved, but it’s good for us.

Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours is one of the most well-known albums inspired by romantic trouble. Closer to home, Melbourne’s after-dark outfit Ferla will release their post-break-up-inspired debut album It’s Personal next month.

Single ‘I’m Fine’ hits you first. The Bridge, Castlemaine – May 18 & Karova Lounge, Ballarat – May 23.

Photo by Kalindy Williams

THE JEZABELS DO IT FOR FREE

Good-o, the Aireys Inlet Open Mic Festival is here to fill your weekend with sweet, sweet tunes. While entry to the festival is free, you will find donation buckets on all stages so think of it as a ‘pay what you think it is worth’ deal. With so many artists involved, it’s best to spend a couple of minutes checking out aireysinlet. com.au. And remember, a ‘Special Mystery Guest’ will close out the festival. Guesses, anyone?

The Jezabels are doing some free shows and other than the dates and venues, what more do you really need to know? Thanks to Corona SunSets, the Sydney indie-rockers will be touring nationally for the first time since 2016 – so it’s going to be like seeing an old friend. Keep the summer vibes going a little longer at Torquay Hotel, Torquay on March 16 and Lorne Hotel, Lorne on March 24.

SUMMERSALT

FARM DAY OUT

A celebration of the great Australian outdoor summer, SummerSalt is a combination of home-grown entertainment, cultural attractions and local community and sustainability. Xavier Rudd, Yothu Yindi & the Treaty Project, Sampa the Great and Tay Oskee will perform, while Geelong’s Leura Park Estate will host the event on March 16. Things wrap up around 9:30pm, so it’s a good one for the family.

Jonai Farms & Meatsmiths, Eganstown will host the inaugural Farm Day Out this Sunday, March 17. Sure, the lovely sounds of Sean Smith, Sal Kimber & the Rollin’ Wheel and Freya Josephine Hollick and the MC skills of Costa Georgiadis is good enough to put off lunch with the in-laws, but there will be delicious local produce as far as the eye can see. The event helps raise funds for the Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance. Hit afsa. org.au for more.

FOUR LIONS KNOW THEIR WORTH

Are you ready for a serving of psychedelic blues doom? Dallasbased Wo Fat will swing by Australia for a mid-year tour, and they have a tidy number of albums from which to choose material. Lending their name from a Hawaii Five-0 character, the band formed in 2003 with a sound rich in ’70s gold. Things heated up for the band with the release of The Black Code (2013) and The Conjuring (2014).

Barwon Club, Geelong – June 7.

BOOK ON 52551 1998 OR VISIT WWW. GEELONGAUSTRALIA.COM.AU/POTATOSHED

AIREYS INLET OPEN MIC FESTIVAL

Things are moving along nicely for roots rockers Four Lions. Already a familiar name, the band will continue their climb with single ‘How Much’, a track from upcoming album Hard Days which will be released through their own label Verse Chorus Verse. You will be able to add the album to your collection May 1. Joined by The Barren Spinsters, Four Lions hit up Handle Bar, Bendigo on March 16.

A HELPING OF WO FAT

up a good Italian Girl through the music of The Carpenters. Presented Cabaret Style where you can bring a basket supper or gad one of the theatre seats.

Then on March 30th we have the amazing troupe from Madotti & Vegas who return with their show, Paris Underground. Witness astounding acts of magic and illusion; be enthralled by spectacular tap dancing; marvel at the brilliant burlesque; gasp as you watch aerials that will leave you breathless.

Combined with quirky circus and incendiary songs, Paris Underground is a presentation of the classic European cabaret and variety shows of yore.

This popular show only has theatre seating still available – patrons can still purchase drinks from the licensed bar.

ZINDA FESTIVAL A celebration of multiculturalism is at the heart of Zinda Festival, a week-long event coinciding with Cultural Diversity Week that kicks off in Bendigo this Saturday, March 16. Rosalind Park will host Saturday’s key event from 5-9pm and includes a concert featuring Melbourne-based and local artists, a food market, craft and cultural stalls and activities for the kids. A full program is available through zinda.org.au.

NASHVILLE LIVE When having discussions about the best music cities, Nashville is always going to come up in conversation.

Nashville Live turns on the lights to country greats, from the likes of Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton, to Shania Twain, Garth Brooks and the Dixie Chicks. Performed in solos, duos and groups, more than forty songs will be performed throughout the night.

Ulumbarra Theatre, Bendigo – March 21.

MODERN MĀORI QUARTET James Tito, Maaka Pohatu, Matariki Whatarau and Francis Kora are the stylish four of Modern Māori Quartet, a kind of Māori Rat Pack who has performed at Salisbury International Arts Festival, St John’s Smith Square and the Norwegian Church Arts Centre among many others. They perform a mix of modern day and classic songs in Te Reo Māori and English, replete with first-class style. The Palais, Hepburn Springs – March 23.

Black / Death metal Bassist

Male looking for players to form a band

Musicians wanted for blues/rock band

Great keyboard player wanted playing original Prog rock, Jazz Fusion,

Looking for a guitarist for my acoustic

Established Black/Death Metal band

CL ASSIFIEDS

duo band called Intrepid Soul for

looking for Bass Player. Own gear

Rhythm guitarist, lead guitar, drums

GREAT PLAYERS WANTED for kick

gigs and someone to help me with

a must, and low growl/vocal ability

and bass required. Blues and blues/

arse blues rock band Guitar, bass,

Experimental styles. Band has both CD

writing music to my originals. I

preferred. We have released 2 albums,

rock genre with a bit of grunge.

keys and drums. Geelong area. Please

and vinyl releases and have played inter-

have a Facebook band page called

various split’s/EP’s and have played

Influences include The Black Crowes,

contact 0430 971 319 for more info.

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

Intrepid Soul. Contact Marie on

previous gigs in NZ and the USA.

Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Stone

the FB page or on 0402310353.

We do not expect over commitment,

Temple Pilots, Soundgarden, Pearl

begin in January for Band performances

just someone who can do the job, and

Jam, Rolling Stones, Ben Harper.

around Victoria. Register now for audi-

do it well. Call Glenn 0407 563 638

Would like to write originals also. If

tions (Geelong area) with John Castellain

interested call Craig - 0404 054 045

on 03 53823484 or mobile 0421255053

For individual use only, not for commercial purposes.

18

Guitarist wanted

710

Keyboard player with ability to improvise,

nationally (Canada,UK) Must be GOOD, experienced, any age ok, auditions will

B A L L A R AT B L O G

SKYSCRAPER STAN, RIGHT IN THE FEELS Down on the corner, out in the street, Skyscraper Stan and the Commission Flats are playin’, bring a nickel, tap your feet. ‘On Your Corner’ is the new single from Skyscraper Stan and the Commission Flats, a taste from forthcoming album Golden Boy (May release).

According to Stan, the song is about “the unequal distribution of emotional labour in romantic relationships”. The Eastern, Ballarat – March 16.

WRITTEN BY GLEN ANDERSON

The chill of an Autumn morning is a stark reminder that summer has gone and the sun is taking a while to show its face in the morning as we head towards the cooler months.

The Roaches will have come a damn long way to entertain the locals when they play at Karova Lounge on March 23. Their Facebook page states, ‘getting pissed and going deaf’ as the band’s interests! Born from the the members of self destructive cover rockers, there have been a few line-up changes over the last few years. An analogue band in the digital world… Sounds interesting.

If you head back towards the highway Cabaret Club, you can see one of the most enduring talents in Australian music. Grace Knight has been performing for over 35 years and her latest release ‘Grace’ is a collection of fantastic songs from across her career - as well as a few surprises. It’s $40 to get in and tickets are available at www.ballarattickets.com.au.

The Retro Rats put on an awesome night when old school and retro DJ’s spin tunes for for over 21’s.

The old chestnut, ‘get your tickets soon as they are selling fast’ applies here!

Hot New Orleans Jazz is also coming to Ballarat

FULTON STREET ARE TOLD HOW TO WALK Hot on the heels of their highly anticipated and sold out album launch for ‘Problems & Pain’, unstoppable soul outfit Fulton Street will be back commanding the stage with their powerful new single ‘Told How to Walk’ - and the first release from their record label STOIC RECORDS! The exhilarating seven piece live act will be celebrating with shows across the country. Karova Lounge, Ballarat – April 26.

at one of the town’s newly renovated pubs, the Pub With Two Names. Featuring the band, The Parlour Social, the Canberra outfit have have some hugely talented musicians playing and this is a night to get along to for sure. It’s best to purchase your tickets on-line as you may risk missing out if wait until you get there on the night.

The mighty You Am I have had an absolute blast on their Majesty Of Tap Tour late last year, and the lads have decided to take the show on the road again.

Wednesday April 10 is the date to pencil this unique event into your diary. Although it is a school night, this will be so much fun!

On the 1st of May, Plate Up Ballarat kicks off and what better place than the fabulous Ballarat Wholefoods to get the ball rolling. The café has been up and running for around two years now and they produce beautiful homemade cakes and hearty wholesome food. The coffee is also excellent and there is also a variety of take home meals if the Lovely has gone away and you need a home-cooked meal.

Later in the day, you can meet the producers who sell their products at Wholefoods. Enbom Honeys are on the bill so that is worth getting along to in itself.

STAND UP TO RORY MCLEOD Tap shoes, trombone, spoons, finger cymbals, stomp box and djembe travel with one-man soul-band Rory McLeod, a nice little arsenal that works perfectly well alongside his guitar and harmonica. GUSTO! is his new album, featuring the tracks ‘The Quickest Way to Feel Rich’ and ‘No Use for a Gun’. The Pizza and Wine Club, Kyneton – March 27 & The Taproom, Castlemaine – March 28.

GOING AROUND WITH THE CHERRY DOLLS A band that has your back, The Cherry Dolls will finish off their Around and Around tour at Geelong’s Barwon Club on May 18. Sure enough, the tour honours their new single of the same name. The newie is a “song about dealing with alcoholism and feeling like every day is morphing together so you cling onto your friends to help you out”. The Cherry Dolls will be joined by Destrends and The Crookeds.

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

Pardon the pun, but How Much are Four Lions looking forward to their first local headline show of the year?

The Bendigo roots rockers are marking the release of their new single ‘How Much’, which came out last month, with back-to-back local gigs this weekend.

Hot on the heels of their first Melbourne show in two years the previous night, Four Lions will take over their old stomping ground Handle Bar on Saturday, March 16, from 8pm. They are also heading out to the Shiraz Republic at Cornella on Sunday, March 17, for an afternoon session from midday to 4pm. Entry is free to both shows.

Canberra blues-rock duo The Barren Spinsters - no strangers to Bendigo stages themselves - will provide support. “It’s a pleasure to share the bill with our mates,” frontman Shann Lions says.

‘How Much’ is the first single from the forthcoming album Hard Days, the band’s fourth, which is out on their own label Verse Chorus Verse on May 1. It will be preceded by the second single, Stay, on April 5.

Lions, who wrote the song, says ‘How Much’ started life as a “rockier-type track with a Replacements’ Stink vibe” - referring to the (in) famous American alt-rockers’ 1982 EP. The end result is a slightly different beast - a slice of classic, guitar-driven alt-country rock, featuring long-time band associate Dave Moore’s pedal steel - that has been receiving national airplay.

Four Lions, who are among the line-up for next month’s inaugural Bendigo Autumn Music Festival, will follow the release of their album with more live

dates in late May. In another big weekend in the ‘Go, don your favourite flannelette shirt and head down to the Golden Vine on Saturday, March 16. The selfdescribed “loud and rowdy” Flannos will be rocking out from 9pm. Entry $5.

After making a splash at last year’s Bendigo Blues and Roots Music Festival, singer-guitarist Joel Havea is returning for a solo show at the Old Church On The Hill on Saturday, March 16. Havea, whose sound runs the gamut from soul to pop to reggae, will be supported by folky popsters Louie and the Pride. From 7pm; tickets $15 from www. stickytickets.com.au Head down to Hargreaves Mall on Friday, March 22, for a lunchtime singer-songwriter showcase featuring local luminaries Sherri Parry, Bill Barber, and Brandon Trickey. From 11am-2pm; free entry.

You can also catch the hard-working Parry fronting funk collective Groove Juice at the Golden Vine on Saturday, March 23. From 9pm, entry $5.

Canadian folk-roots-blues merchant Scott Cook is bringing his new intercontinental string band, The She’ll Be Rights, to the Old Church On The Hill on Saturday, March 23. Melbourne-based singersongwriter and double bassist Liz Frencham will provide support. From 7pm; $15 (door) or $12 from www.trybooking.com LYNETTE WALKER IS A JOURNALIST WHO ALSO MANAGES VERSE CHORUS VERSE. CONTACT: NETTEE136@GMAIL.COM

710

19

PHOTO BY MARSEL VAN OOSTEN - WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR

go Wild for a while A THIRSTY LIONESS, A LOW-SPIRITED SUN BEAR, A BENGAL TIGER AND HAUNTINGLY CURIOUS RED FOX ARE AMONG THE 100 AWARDWINNING IMAGES IN THE 54TH WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR EXHIBITION. The world-renowned exhibition, on loan from the Natural History Museum in London, will open at the National Wool Museum on the 22nd of this month – featuring exceptional images which capture fascinating animal behaviour, spectacular species and the breathtaking diversity of the natural world.

For over 50 years now, Wildlife Photographer of the Year - the most prestigious photography event of its kind – has been providing a global platform that showcases the natural world’s most astonishing and challenging sights. Launching in 1965 and attracting 361 entries, today the competition receives almost 50,000 entries from professionals and amateurs in 95 countries, highlighting its enduring appeal.

This year’s 100 award-winning images - awarded for their creativity, originality and technical excellence - include photographs taken by Australian photographers: Georgina Steytler (Winner, Behaviour: Invertebrates) category, alongside David Gallan, Justin Gilligan, Wayne Jones and Robert Irwin (son of “crocodile hunter”, Steve Irwin), who all received Highly Commended awards.

The king of the jungle however proved to be Dutch photographer Marsel van Oosten who won the competition after capturing a pair of endangered Qinling golden snub-nosed moneys. With age not a factor in this competition, it was then 16-year-old South African Skye Meaker who took out the Young 20

Wildlife Photographer of the Year award with an adorable yet vulnerable photo of a lounging leopard.

Running until July 14, this annual showcase is truly something to see with the world’s best nature photography and wildlife photojournalism and its ability to capture extraordinary animal behaviour and the breathtaking diversity of life of Earth.

be spinning dance floor fillers all night for all the party animals in the room.

Taking influence from Paradise Garage styled disco, early 90s house, italo and anything with a DMX drum kit, their take on dance dance music is as refreshing as it is familiar. You’ll often hear M1 solos, chords and stabs, juxtaposed against Phil Collins styled stadium drums, and groovy basslines that just beg your body to move.

“The National Wool Museum has hosted Wildlife Photographer of the Year since 2014 and we are delighted that this world class exhibition is returning once again in 2019, with an entirely new selection of images,” says Padraic Fisher, director at the National Wool Museum. “As the only place in Victoria hosting the exhibition, visitors to the National Wool Museum will be delighted and challenged by these exquisite photographs of the natural world.”

They dropped their EP ‘Dan’s Dancing EP’ late last year and have been on the rise ever since. A family affair with their own productions and body music for your Friday night, these guys will have the party going wild!

While the music is enough to get us there, your ticket will also grant you a welcome ‘wild inspired’ cocktail on arrival AND entry into Wildlife Photographer of the Year 54 exhibition – meaning guests become one of the first to experience this exhibition in the most unique of ways.

As consistently one of the most successful touring exhibitions, enjoyed by millions every year, the images tell thought-provoking stories about our planet that prompt us all to think differently about the natural world and the future we want to create.

But of course, what would a party be without an epic theme?!

It’s natural, it’s beautiful and it’s confronting… and this year the team at The National Wool Museum are helping to make it an experience to remember by hosting a cocktail party in honour of the exhibition’s arrival.

Coined the Wild Cocktail Party, this after dark party will be fuelled by the sound of electro beats and exclusive signature cocktails from the esteemed 18th Amendment Bar in the upstairs area of Geelong’s iconic Wool Museum.

In line with the Wildlife Photographer exhibition, the dress code is ‘Go Wild’. So, think zebra patterns, floral inspirations, totem animals, flamingo printed shirts, Meerkat bow ties… just go wild and get creative; you’ve still got 14 days to construct your best wild inspired outfit. This one is a classy event though, so we’d recommend against rocking up in those leopard print budgie smugglers (as funny as it would be).

Instantly giving the party an instant boost of unique energy, this ‘wild’ theme will not only see guests indulge in the pre-outfit bonding sessions leading

Hailing from Melbourne, brothers James and Peter Isaac (creating music as DJ duo Donald’s House) will 710

up to the party (we started talking about ours about a month ago), but once your group is all dressed up, you can show off your amazing creativity and sense of humour by taking a thousand photos… Plus we all know you’re going to post them all on Instagram the next morning with the perfectly thought out caption punning your outfit.

While there will be nibbles to see you through the event, partnering with Denny’s Kitchen means you’ll have the ability to order something more substantial if you’re feeling it.

Go on, be amongst the first to experience 100 of the world’s most extraordinary photographs, while you sip on delectable cocktails and dance to electro beats in your classiest wildlife outfits this month.

Afterall, you’ve really got nothing to lose and the world to see.

IT ALL GOES DOWN ON FRIDAY MARCH 29 FROM 6:30PM TO 9:30PM AT THE NATIONAL WOOL MUSEUM (26 MOORABOOL STREET, GEELONG).

TICKETS CAN BE PURCHASED VIA EVENTBRITE. VISIT NWM.VIC.GOV.AU THE WILD COCKTAIL PARTY IS A COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE NATIONAL WOOL MUSEUM, DENNYS KITCHEN, THE 18TH AMENDMENT BAR AND FORTE MAGAZINE. WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR IS DEVELOPED AND PRODUCED BY THE NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM, LONDON.

FOOTY’S BACK WE LIKE TO KEEP IT FRESH HERE AT FORTE, AND IN DOING SO, SOMETIMES WE INCLUDE CONTENT THAT’S A LITTLE LEFT OF FIELD...

AND SO THIS ISSUE WE’RE TAKING IT TO THE FOOTY FIELD, AND WHILE WE CAN’T TELL YOU WHO’S GOING TO TAKE OUT THIS YEAR’S FLAG, OR EVEN WHICH TEAMS WILL PUT IN THE BIGGEST FIGHT, WE CAN TELL YOU WHICH ARE REGION’S BEST PUBS FOR WATCHING THE AFL THIS SEASON... BECAUSE SOMETIMES IT’S NICE TO LEAVE THE PARTY PIES IN THE FREEZER AND HEAD TO A LOCAL VENUE FOR TOP-NOTCH FOOD, BOTTOMLESS BEVERAGES AND LIKE-MINDED FOOTBALL-LOVING PUNTERS. IF YOU ARE MORE INTO STAYING HOME AND YELLING AT THE TV FROM YOUR COUCH THOUGH, THAT’S COOL TOO; WE’VE ALSO HAND-PICKED A FEW OF OUR FAVOURITE TINNIES YOU SHOULD CONSIDER STOCKING IN YOUR ESKY. CARN THE CATS! TALIA & THE FORTÉ CREW XX

CHEERS TO THE FOOT Y WITH KAIJU! Tis the season to get rowdy; let me hear you yell FOOOOTTYY! Soon the streets and your Facebook feeds will be taken over by colourful paraphernalia and colours of our favourite teams. Some of you are rejoicing, some of you are groaning in despair, some probably don’t even really care, but, regardless of whether you love it or loathe it, it’s time to get around it – and what better what than with an ice, cold beer.

With only 28 weeks out of the year to enjoy the glory of football (it just isn’t enough!), the most important thing you need to worry about it having the perfect drink on hand when you’re sitting on that couch screaming at the referees blown call or bad decision.

While everyone has their favourites, this season we’re putting our trust in Kaiju! to keep those vocal chords from going out on us with their distinctive range of delicious beers. We narrowed down our top four that we’ll be stocking in the esky come game day.

KAIJU! Krush This is our first choice for all your beer drinking needs. Kaiju Krush Tropical Pale Ale has a superclean malt profile that allows the shipload of juicy tropical fruit flavours to arrive on the desert island

of your palate unhindered. Fresh and moreish. This one’s a session drinking beer meaning it’s perfect for bulk beers with the boys.

Golden Axe Apple Cider Sometimes you just need a break from beer, especially if your teams playing on the Sunday after two quality beer drinking days and quality matches.

Here, Golden Axe Apple Cider is your friend. It uses only freshly-crushed Victorian apples to maintain fruit flavour making it crisp and refreshing with aromas of fresh-cut apples, straw and blossom. A vegan-friendly, gluten free cider with just enough sweetness to carry the flavour while leaving you wanting more.

KAIJU! Aftermath Double IPA This beer is one of the biggest hop explosions you’ll find so is a good one to drink if you’re not super invested in the game, but still want to enjoy a couple of cold ones. With ludicrous amounts of dank, piney, caramelised orange and bright citrus aromas, you’ll find a pallet that is almost impossibly well-balanced given the huge bitterness. The sheer weight of hops and malt extends the bitterness fully from the front to the back of the palate, finishing hugely long and satisfying.

KAIJU! Hopped Out Red KAIJU! Hopped Out Red wafts of dank hops layered over biscuity-toffee notes make this one of the most aromatically complex beers around which means it’s the perfect beer to pair with all the classic footy foods. Hear us out. The beers’ complexity follows through to the pallet, showing balanced sweetness and intensity without a hint of alcohol, and a nice, long bitterness to round things out. Whether you’re eating a cheeseburger, fish and chips, kebabs or pizza, this is your go-to beer for an insanely delicious experience. Just think the earthier the flavours, the better. Afterall, there’s nothing worse than washing down your delicious cheesy pizza with something that just ruins the taste…

FOOTY ON THE BIG SCREEN AT

WAURN PONDS HOTEL

STOCK YOUR ESKY WITH KAIJU! OF CHOICE AT YOUR LOCAL BOTTLE SHOP OR HEAD TO WWW.KAIJUBEER.COM.AU FOR STOCKISTS.

POOL TABLES/POKER/DINING/FULL TAB FACILITIES 1154 PRINCES HWY, WAURN PONDS VIC 3216 OPEN 7 DAYS 5243 1154 710

21

2FOR1

s ’ y h p Fur 2 HOURS BEFORE & AFTER

ALL CATS’ HOME GAMES IN GEELONG

s u B e e FR TO GMHBA STADIUM

SPORTINGGLOBE.COM.AU 175 RYRIE ST GEELONG | 5224 2600 22

710

710

23

FUEL YOUR FOOT Y FEVER AT THE SPORTING GLOBE It’s time once again to clear your weekends and give in to footy fever, because the 2 0 1 9 A F L s e a s o n h a s f i n a l l y a r r i ve d .

With nine matches spread across each weekend with hundreds of venues showing the matches, it’s pretty special that one particular team - Geelong Cats - have captured an entire city’s attention (give or take a couple of out-of-town supporters).

It makes it even more special then that we have access to home games right here in Geelong at the GMHBA stadium. That’s why our friends (and footy enthusiasts) at The Sporting Globe have sorted a pretty damn delightful deal just for you cats fans!

On game day, head into the Sporto for ‘2 for 1’ Furphy’s, two hours before and two hours after all home games in Geelong. How perfect is that?

They’ll also be running a free bus to the stadium which will leave 30 minutes before kick-off, removing the hassle of finding a park or paying for an Uber, and ensuring maximum Furphy drinking time.

Of course, if you can’t make it to the game, or you’d prefer to watch it on the TV with all the commentary

24

SHOULD YOU WISH TO BE IN OUR NEXT FEATURE, CONTACT US!

and a few best mates, you are more than welcome to enjoy the action from the bar on their 50 plus flat screens, an epic menu and endless flowing drinks – along with the awesome game atmosphere.

Check the home game schedule in Geelong below and start planning your next game day.

SAT 30 MAR 7.25PM - CATS V DEES SAT 13 APR 1.45PM - CATS V GIANTS SUN 28 APR 4.40PM - CATS V EAGLES SAT 18 MAY 4.35PM - CATS V BULLDOGS SAT 1 JUN 4.35PM - CATS V SWANS FRI 28 JUN 7.50PM - CATS V CROWS SAT 13 JUL 7.25PM - CATS V SAINTS SAT 10 AUG 7.25PM - CATS V ROOS SAT 24 AUG 12PM - CATS V BLUES

GLENN 0407 563 638 JOSH 0413 724 067

Whether you’re a casual follower or a professional who weeps regularly and loudly over your chosen ones’ performance, The Sporting Globe and an icy, cold Furphy will see that you get through.

THE SPORTING GLOBE IS LOCATED AT 175-177 RYRIE ST, GEELONG. PLEASE NOTE, MANAGEMENT RESERVES ALL RIGHTS AND BUS TRAVEL SUBJECT TO CAPACITY.

710

VO LU

TIO

N

CO

NT

INU THE ES

RE

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

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

MEET THE NEW LINEUP

LP60x

M Series Forte 2.indd 1

LP60xBT

LP2x

LPW40WN

710

LP120x

LP140x

VM95 SERIES

25 25/02/2019 1:16:50 PM

KURT VILE AND THE VIOL ATORS WRITTEN BY LIAM MCNALLY PHOTO BY JO MCCAUGHEY Kurt Vile is one of the coolest names in alternative music. His music blends elements of folk, psychedelia, and garage rock that flows beneath one of the most unique voices of recent times. Compared occasionally to Neil Young in tone, but with lyricism that is entirely his own; dry and ironic, whilst being poignant and imagery-rich when he feels like it. Now the man, the denim jacket, and the hair, are all returning to Australia soon with his touring band The Violators, and I was lucky enough to have a chat with him about all this stuff, and a bit more.

You’re coming back to Australia next month, tell us a little about that?

Mm-hmm, can’t wait! It’ll be I think the fifth time I’m there. It’ll be the Bottle It In [2018] tour, haven’t been there for that record yet. That’s what we’re there to do, perform our new record and, ah, old classics...

You’re with the Violators this time. How does it compare touring alone to with the whole band?

Alone was really fun, and special because I was also simultaneously finishing up my record with Courtney [Lotta Sea Lice]. I came early, and I think

we recorded for maybe four days or something before my tour started. I went on tour and I would come to Melbourne when there were some days off and I’d go back into the studio with her. Courtney would join me on stage a couple of times, so it was like a special, courtship time... Like, new friendship.

And the multi-tasking was a new accomplishment… finishing a record, like a solid record, not a half-assed record, while playing shows at night. I think it was pretty cool, it was inspiring. It’s kind of what this last record, Bottle It In, was like as well; just going out there on the road and hit a studio where possible.

You have a really unique lyrical style that people seem to love and connect to, what inspires you to write lyrically, and did it take you a while to sort of find that voice?

I think my lyrics have always been important to me, even in my earliest records, but maybe you can’t hear the lyrics as well on the early records ‘cause there’s like an echo on them (or whatever you do to make shitty recordings sound cooler). I’m always sort of evolving. I definitely stepped up my lyrics in a sort of literary kind of way. On B’lieve I’m Goin’ Down, I was intentionally reading a lot, and even the way I wrote the lyrics, it looks like poetry, and I kept it as short and sweet as possible. Whereas this record is less of a poetry record and it’s almost like prose or something. Not like stream of consciousness; this record is more like talking, speaking your thoughts.

What do you think you’d be up to if you never made it in music?

Oh man, I’d probably be pretty depressed, unless I found a way to take control of my life. I had like a blue-collar upbringing. I was blue collar until I wasn’t. I never went to college, I don’t know what I would do. I’d probably be working somehow in music… or I’d just be fuckin’ miserable. Luckily, I figured it out.

HOLD//FIRE WILL KEEP YOU SAFE Geelong alt-rock outfit Hold//Fire are keen to show the world their debut single ‘Safety in Numbers’. We chat to vocalist and guitarist Andy Forssman ahead of the launch.

First up, how did Hold//Fire get together?

The band has been a long time coming. Mat [Forssman, guitarist] and I played in a band (Kemp) for years throughout our teens and 20’s. But things had been quiet for 4-5 years as we were in the groove of doing the family and work thing. I think Mat and I knew that we would start another project at some point, we just weren’t sure what form it would take.

I started writing fairly heavily about 18 months ago and knew it was time to piece something together.

My other brother Jamie had played drums in bands around Geelong for years and Paul [Doery, bassist] is a neighbour of mine and we started to chat about music when he’d be out walking his dog! It was early in 2018 that we jumped into my studio and started to piece some songs together. We played our first show supporting really great mates Japan For at their album launch at the Old Bar in July last year.

Tell us about your debut single ‘Safety in Numbers’?

This one was a rare case where I pretty much wrote the whole thing in one writing session. I was doing some video production work in Port Fairy and decided to stay away a few days and focus on some

SEE THE MAN AND HIS DENIM JACKET AT BENDIGO AUTUMN MUSIC FESTIVAL TAKES PLACE THURSDAY 25 APRIL – SUNDAY 28 APRIL 2019.

READ THE FULL INTERVIEW ONLINE.

MANSIONAIR WRITTEN BY DARBY-PERRIN LARNER PHOTO BY JESS-GLEESON Jack Froggatt is doing his checks and balances before Mansionair return to the U.S, again. With their first headlining North America tour coming up this year, as well as a spot on the Coachella bill, Mansionair are finding their feet as trans-Pacific transplants.

It’s a new life that comes with the territory of being an Aussie artist on the global stage.

“Think we spent seven months total last year over there. I feel perhaps a little more American than I do Australian,” Froggatt tells us.

Just last year, the trio spent six weeks in Twin Peaks (not the David Lynch place). An hour and half east of L.A up the San Bernardino Mountains, and about half an hour further west from Big Bear Lodge is a nice wooden lodge. There, besides Lake Arrowhead, Froggatt, Lachlan Bostock and Alex Nicholls finished their debut album, Shadowboxer.

When they arrived they thought they’d wrapped recording but, realising they had more in them still, the time spent in Twin Peaks resulted in the aptly named tracks ‘Sierra’ and ‘Harlem’. The album had already been a three-year process.

‘Sierra’, it turns out, was a lullaby that Bostock penned for someone close before he played it to

26

710

writing. Musically it pretty much sums up the band.

We have a few more chilled songs and a few faster, more intense songs. This one sits in the middle.

Lyrically Safety explores the idea of the fragility of our lives and our existence; how we mostly live obliviously to the life changing events that could be just around the corner.

We imagine this could be the first taste of an upcoming album?

Yep, sure is. ‘Safety in Numbers’ is the first single from an upcoming release titled The Space in Between. We’re fortunate enough to have the use of a studio (Roseneath Creative) to chip away with tracking. Most of the recording is completed and we plan to mix the entire thing with Sam Johnson from Holes and Corners in Melbourne. We’ll see how the next couple of months unfold but we will likely release at least one follow up single. As for the full release, we are yet to decide if this will be an album or if we will be more selective and do an EP. Where do you guys draw your music inspirations from?

We all have differing music tastes, but there is enough in common between us to create a style that we all enjoy playing. We’ve all got backgrounds in playing and listening to a lot of alternative rock. I guess a lot of what we do comes from my writing style and use of melody. And there’s no doubt that bands like Thrice, Luca Brasi, Balance & Composure and even old school punk bands like Millencolin have all influenced me with my writing. The ideas and lyrical content in this release really stems from personal experiences of the past two years.

You’re launching the single at the Workers Club Geelong. What can people expect?

Hopefully a bloody fun time! We’re really lucky to have a couple of amazing bands coming to party with us. Melbourne’s Bad Juju have had a solid run with their latest release, including plenty of triple j airtime and some rad supports on big tours. This will be their first time in Geelong. I’ve got no doubt they’ll deliver a cracker set. Opening is Metsik who we’ve really just recently come across and I think they’ll fit really well on the night.

CATCH THEM AT THE WORKERS CLUB, GEELONG – MARCH 15.

the trio one day, their jaws on the floor.

The landscape and scenery Mansionair took in everyday in Twin Peaks, as well as a steady stream of Vimeo, YouTube and movies synthesised into a cinematic record. They recorded the album with a screen nearby at all times, playing an endless loop of visual queue.

“When you’re creating you can’t always look to music for answers. We really found a lifeline in visuals and cinemas.” Going one step further, Froggatt says, “I could probably pick an entire scene for each song on this album just based on how we were writing it.”

And if Shadowboxer were a movie, it would be The Place Beyond The Pines.

It seems a number of Aussie bands we speak to, find solace in the States. Frogatt seems to think that, “In any creative venture you’re always battling distractions and not working and not being productive. I think the great thing about going over to another place, you don’t have anyone else to call too or anything, you can really focus on what you need to do.” Part of that focus was exploring the lighter side of the record.

While initial listens might, at first, sound like a torrent of anxiety, the overall call of arms from the record (Froggatt assures us) is to take a different perspective on things you might be perceiving as the negatives in life. “I think across the board the album is more a call to kind of look away from the darker things in your life, or the problems, or the things you’re struggling with, and face the other way and go ‘oh ok I’ve got that, that’s there, let me go fight the real fight’. Hence why it’s called Shadowboxer”.

It’s a sentiment that might be timely for some readers, and Mansionair as they settle into a frantic touring schedule and globe-trekking life. It’s also reminiscent of the closing scene from The Place Beyond the Pines, a young man reconciling his past and facing his future - riding off into the sun with a smile on his face.

MANSIONAIR’S DEBUT ALBUM ‘SHADOWBOXER’ IS OUT NOW. CATCH THEM AT KAROVA LOUNGE, BALLARAT ON MAY 29.

my own stuff, but this guy Chris Bond was awesome.

We just made a really nice record with a bunch of really great musicians and good people, and did it in my house too, which was pretty special.

In general, what inspires you to write music?

Just life man, I’ve always written music, ever since I was little, I was always singing songs about what was happening around me. I spent a lot of my time outside; I liked to be outdoors and not contained so a lot of my music I wrote on my own, with my dog out around Bells and Anglesea area, out in the bush there. Thirty years later, I’m still doing the same thing. I also don’t plan my song-writing, it just comes to me, and I don’t push it, so I’ve never had a period where I felt like I’ve had writer’s block. Life’s a journey, and I feel like music is a bit of a diary in a way, sometimes it’s behind you and sometimes it’s ahead WRITTEN BY LIAM MCNALLY of you. Essentially, it’s about life and the lessons of I’d say Torquay’s second biggest export, trailing life and the things that we learn and the things that closely behind Ripcurl, would have to be Xavier we grow from.

Rudd. In the last sixteen years, he has become A few years ago your song ended up in a KFC renowned for his relaxed blend of folk, blues ad. Is it challenging as an artist, especially as and reggae the world over, and on March 16, the one whose personal views come out a lot in their man is returning to his home-region to headline music, reconciling personal values with making Summersalt, a huge event at Leura Park Estate a living, and do you think artists get held to a along side other Australian legends Yothu Yindi higher or even an unfair standard compared with & The Treaty Project, Sampa The Great, and Tay businesses?

Oskee. We caught Xavier on the phone recently, It’s not hard for me. Because I make my living from as he was watering his plants and preparing for live touring, that’s the way I’ve always been, that’s a surf, to have a chat about the event. how I live and get by. My values are what they are, and So, you’ve got the Summersalt Festival in mid- they definitely come into play for sure; a lot of what I March. What’s it like getting to play back in your do is based around caring for the earth and different home region? humanitarian things, that’s kind of the circle that I It’s awesome bro, I’m excited. It’s rare these days move in. I don’t find that hard, I think it kind of flows. that I get to play very much in Australia, I’m always Good people and good organisations are drawn to my overseas, and when I’m home it’s time off. Playing music because it’s of the earth. I feel like I’m lucky back in my home where I grew up is extra special to be able to connect with people from good places, though, it’s gonna be beautiful. doing good things all the time.

Last year you put out your first solo album in At this point you’ve had a pretty massive career. six years. Has your process changed much since What goals do you have left for your music career? your earlier records?

Well I never really had any. I’m so thankful for Every time you record, you learn different things everything that has come of it, I never had too many than the one before. There were similarities but also plans. I’ve been so blessed with an amazing career. differences. I worked with a producer on this album I’ve never had any problems, you mentioned that ad which I never really had done. I’d worked with - that was the only time I reckon in my whole career producer-type people before but no one had really when people got stuck into me. That was a weird one inspired me too much, I sort of ended up producing for me. It was a long story, but I had to go into a major

XAVIER RUDD

HOLD//FIRE

surgery at that time and wasn’t really with it. It was a cricket ad, and it was just a bad move and was handled really badly and got out of control. But in general, I’ve had a blessed career, I give thanks every day for what I get to do, and for what I’ve been able to achieve in terms of giving back, and creating a lot of awareness in the world for different causes and I continue to... there’s good karma out there for me.

Have you got any plans for the rest of the year?

Yeah got a big year this year. Touring Europe in June and we’ll be flat-stick headlining a bunch of festivals which is pretty exciting. Europe’s been going from strength to strength for us every year, so that’s really cool. I’m also working on a humanitarian project. We want to build some dormitories in Zimbabwe for some kids at a school, which is a bit of a long story, but that should come out in the next little while with a video of what we’re trying to do over there. There’s some good stuff going on.

What’s that initiative called?

I think I’m going to call it Zimbabwe Lovemore, because Lovemore was the guy who showed me around there. I want to raise money to build dormitories for ‘bush boarders’ they call them - kids that walk like 15-20 kilometres at the start of the week to go to school. They can’t go home because it’s too far to go. Just because they want an education, they sleep on the floor of the classroom which is literally like a brick building. There’s no desks or anything, just cardboard on the floor where they learn. They sleep on the floor, and they eat from whatever they can find around the fields outside. It’s all pretty basic.

I was just blown away by their keenness to learn, and to see young kids going through that you realise how much we take school for granted. These kids are just doing everything they can to get out of the troubled conditions they’re in. I want to raise money to build two boarding houses, one for the boys and one for the girls, each with showers and bunks and some cooking facilities just so they can live a bit better while they’re trying to go to school. That’s the plan, I can’t really direct anyone anywhere right now, but hopefully in about a month we will be launching that campaign.

SUMMERSALT WILL GO DOWN AT LEURA PARK ESTATE, CURLEWIS ON SATURDAY MARCH 16 2019.

BY THE MEADOW ANNOUNCE FINAL LINEUP AND THE LOCAL BAND COMPETITION WINNER It’s happy days for By The Meadow festival goers!

With a stellar lineup already announced for the festival’s sixth instalment of music, camping and good times, By The Meadow couldn’t resist inviting more of their favourite local artists to the line up and are pleased to announce Fraser A. Gorman, Holiday Sidewinder, Bananagun, Obscura Hail, Yi-Lynn and Santa Fe Driving Range plus “The Spaces Between” DJs David Boyd Smiley and Hnymlk, have all accepted their invitations.

That’s not all though…

This year we teamed up with By The Meadow and they opened up a set time giving an opportunity for an emerging artist from the Geelong/Surf Coast/ Otways to score themselves a spot on the line up.

While there was an overwhelming amount of applications that left us and the Festival organisers the hard task of shortlisting, we happy pleased to announce that local modern rock folk outfit Grand Pine (with roots in Ocean Grove) were the victors and will play alongside this year’s menagerie of artists. Congrats to you guys!!

Clean out your tents and eskies, pack your bags and don’t forget your dancing shoes, then make your way to the luscious Otways at the end of March for a weekend with the rest of the previously announced crew including The Murlocs, Lucy Dacus (USA), Harvey Sutherland, The Goon Sax, Thando, Collarbones, The Vasco Era and so many more. Check the full lineup online!

FINAL RELEASE TICKETS ARE NOW ON SALE, STARTING AT $165.00 + BF. ALL TICKETS CAN BE PURCHASED AT WWW.BYTHEMEADOW.COM

Safety in Numbers

WIT H S PEC IAL G UES T S

BAD JUJU METSIK

710

FRI 15 MAR WORKERS CLUB GEELONG $10 PR E S ALE |

$15 DOOR

27

28

710

BLUES BOOT CAMP 2019 Blues Boot Camp is the fun, challenging and highly interactive blues workshop for 12 – 25 years olds who want to gain music industry skills from trained and experienced music industry professionals. Forté chat to Wayne Jury, the man behind the program.

It’s great to see the return of Blues Boot Camp again, this year running in April! For those new to the region, can you give us a quick rundown of how the program works, and why it has continued to be so successful year after year?

Blues Boot Camp is not just fun, it can be challenging. We run two full days (9am to 5pm) of highly interactive workshops where we work on both theoretical and practical music industry skills and of course performance. We all (tutors/mentors and participants) work towards putting on a show and along the way we have fun, discover the challenges and figure out how to overcome them.

I think the success of Blues Boot Camp is due to the dedication and willingness of the tutors to pass on useful information to the participants. The tutor’s industry and performance experience adds up to nearly 200 years… yes 200 years! That is such an awesome wealth of information and experience, and the students have complete access to it.

It’s about how blues is the basis for all for styles More on participants, what are the major of contemporary western music.… pop, rock, rap, differences you see between the ages, do hip-hop, jazz, soul, or funk, the roots are traced participants come back year after year for you back to West African Tribal music. We get a basic to see them develop? understanding of the mechanics of blues and gospel There are no generalisations I can make about any music but also learn practical ways to apply the age group. At Blues Boot camp we are all musicians knowledge to modern music. It’s a real hothouse with something to offer. There are people who of creativity with the tutors Sarah Carroll, Andrea return three or four times and it’s so good to see Robertson, Dave Robertson, Tim Neal, Ethan Farmer their development, but what amazes me every time (and me!), interacting with the students to create a is how people can develop their confidence and skills powerful vehicle of expression. Music is an incredibly in just two days. It’s a hot house of creativity. powerful force!

The Blues Boot Camp began in 2009, what With performance, song writing, teamwork, are the major differences that you’ve noticed business skills and social media, as well as between then and now? playing music and working towards putting on There are a lot more girls doing Blues Boot Camp a public show at the end of the third day.. how than when it started in 2009. I think last year for the do you fit it all into two days and one evening? first time there were slightly more girls than boys.

Ha! I ask myself the same question every time we Also as tutors, we have to keep pace with changing start a new program. We work hard is the short answer, technologies and social changes that affect the but it’s not just about that. People love finding their industry. The way people consume both recorded and ‘element’, the creative place that doesn’t push them live music is changing. To survive, musicians have into a ‘box’; that individuality that defines each of to adapt to meet the needs of the listener, hopefully us. I try to facilitate people finding their place and without compromising their artistic integrity. There when they do, the energy of that discovery motivates are also more musicians out there competing for them to achieve more than they thought possible. the same gigs which makes finding your unique It’s a powerful thing. ‘element’ even more important. Blues Boot Camp is How you go about choosing the seven industry always evolving to meet current demands and help professionals that teach in the program? participants with skills to put them in the game.

It’s not only about being great at your craft, and all Do you think that blues could make a comeback the tutors at Blues Boot Camp are very good. They for younger audiences, do you hope that it does? also need to be good communicators and listeners. I Blues has never been part of the ‘mainstream’ always like to choose locals, and we are lucky to have except perhaps in some Southern States in America some locals that also have tons of experience in the and for a brief period in Britain in the 1960’s but the industry. Ethan Farmer is the youngest tutor I have legacy of Blues music is profound in the way that had on board (19) but he is not only a talented guitar most forms of modern music we listen to today have player, but a clear communicator. You know it’s also their origin in blues music. Blues music, in its purer great to have some ‘young blood’ on the team to keep form, has a comeback now and then but it is always us oldies on our game. with us in the way it has influenced contemporary The program is offered to those from 12-25, music. I hope that music keeps evolving and each is this more suited to someone who has some new generation is able to add their influence to the background in music? story and new genres will appear, as they have done It’s not for people who have never touched an since the beginning of human existence. instrument. Although we have participants with varying levels of ability, we find a role for everybody. BLUES BOOT CAMP WILL BE HELD AT THE It’s a bit easier with singers but unless you can play POTATO SHED IN DRYSDALE, ON APRIL 9, 10 & 11 a bit it may harm your confidence. A few chords or a AND IS AVAILABLE TO STUDENTS AGED 15 TO 25. scale or two is useful.

CHECK OUT WWW.BLUESBOOTCAMP.COM.AU

FIVE MINUTES WITH THE RANK OUTSIDERS

APRIL—VICTORIA

Hey Matty [Orchard] thanks for chatting to Forte.

First up can you give our readers an intro to the band – how did The Rank Outsiders come to be?

Well, The Rank Outsiders are four seasoned musos cobbled together from the big smoke of Melbourne to The Great Ocean Rd. Luke Gale carved up guitar duties for national touring act, Custom Kings in the early-mid 2000’s. Paul Winstanley has been the bass player from hot Melbourne bluesy institution, Spoonful, for a couple of decades. Adza, the rock solid back beat of the organisation has kept time for coastal stalwarts, Pressed Rat And Warthog, for many years and I’m a working muso from Apollo Bay, and have played more than 3000 gigs all over the nation since moving there in 1999. We love nothing more than the sound of vintage guitars played through fine amplification, writing and playing bluesy, rock’n’roll tunes…and a little denim.

You’ve just released your debut album, can you tell us a bit about it?

We like to think of it as a wicked combination of tunes with a little something for everyone. Blues, rock’n’roll, Texas boogie, Aussie rock, rockabilly, funk, country, you name it, it’s in there. It’s an amalgam of all of our influences. Music played on real instruments, by real players and has been described on occasion as ‘good time rock’n’roll drenched in classic R’n’B roots’.

TUE 2: Melbourne Blues Appreciation Society ‘House of Blues’ FLEMINGTON 8pm FREE THU 4: Gold Dust Lounge BENDIGO 7:30pm $10 FRI 5: 1895 The Royal ECHUCA 6pm FREE SAT 6: Star Hotel YACKANDANDAH 8:30pm FREE THU 25: The Welcome Swallow BRUNSWICK 8:30pm FREE SUN 28: Pistol Pete’s Food n Blues GEELONG 3pm FREE Everything about Julian James and his new album ‘Silver Spade’ shouts the love of traditional blues for all to hear. His style is rooted in the old-time acoustic strummers of a bygone era, and he joins next-generation artists such as Larkin Poe, Blind Boy Paxton and Pokey LaFarge in bringing authentic new voices to a style that has endured for 100 years.

julianjames.com.au

/julianjamesblues

NEW ALBUM ‘SILVER SPADE’ OUT APRIL 1

710

ROCK THE BLOCK Back for its second year, Ballarat’s youth-led street party ‘Rock The Block’ brings local young people, indigenous and multicultural artists and performers, food and activities and the community together for a celebration of the rich cultural diversity within the town during Harmony Week 2019.

“The theme and highlight for this year’s event is having young artists from different backgrounds and having different life experiences show us the positives that they are taking into the future with them,” said Luna Folly, local resident and youth volunteer on the Rock The Block event management team.

The past few months have seen the Centre for Multicultural Youth and partners passionately working with a dynamic group of young people to curate the festival, which will build on the success of last year’s inaugural event.

Rock the Block 2019 will offer a vibrant outdoor street party featuring live music, food trucks, market stalls and youth-led activities which endeavours to bring the community together and have fun, as well as educating the community through diversity.

An impressive range of musical and cultural performances have been locked in for the festival which include folk singer-songwriter, Wergaia woman and universal little sister Alice Skye, singersongwriter, rapper and poet Imbi the Girl, South Sudan rapper/songwriter Krown, the expressive and soulful Stella Savy/Avek Frer, and Inka Temam and cultural performances.

Rock The Block street party is a family friendly and alcohol-free event that is open to all whole community.

IT ALL GOES DOWN AT FEDERATION UNIVERSITY’S SMB CAMPUS ON LYDIARD STREET SOUTH, BALLARAT ON SUNDAY MARCH 24 FROM 3PM – 7PM.

Talk us through the recording in Apollo Bay. Does the coastal setting influence your sound at all? Was there a particular reason you chose to record here?

A few years ago, in my capacity as a music teacher at Apollo Bay P-12 College, I was given the opportunity…and the budget, to create a fullyfledged recording studio at the school. I basically rang my long time friend and insanely awesome sound engineer, Mat Gearing-Thomas (MGT), and said, “Here’s a serious amount of coin, go and set up the coolest studio you possibly can!” We named it The House Of Rock and have had the pleasure of seeing excellent emerging acts such as The Fillmore Bros., The Refuge and Cat Richardson all do their first serious recordings in there. I would recommend that room to any band wanting to get away, knuckle down and cut an album in a fine location….nudge, nudge, wink, wink, call me!! The South West coast of Vic is our home ground. We all love the space, the salt air, the ocean, the people, the vibe, the countryside and the lifestyle so, all things considered, it was a no-brainer deciding to record it in Apollo Bay. Fortunately, MGT was able to come along for the ride and help us realise the beast.

Where do you guys draw your music inspirations from?

We all cut our teeth, transfixed by the incredible deeds of SRV, early ZZ Top, Freddie King, Clapton, The Allman Bros, Jimi Hendrix, Los Lobos, Georgia Satellites, the original (Peter Green’s) Fleetwood Mac, Stray Cats, Black Crowes, Thin Lizzy, Rolling Stones, Magic Sam, The Band….KISS even (my dirty little secret!) And this is to name but a few.

Where do you guys want to next take your music?

Our plan is to keep up the momentum, sell a few units, and get to work on the next album. We have the bones of a dozen new tunes and are itching to get them up and running. We’re also hankering to move into the festival circuit, play some support gig for higher profile acts and make plenty of new friends along the way.

CATCH THEM ON SUN 17TH MARCH AT AIREYS OPEN MIC FESTIVAL VISIT WWW.THERANKOUTSIDERS.COM

29

GET TO KNOW SANTA FE DRIVING RANGE First up can you give our readers a little intro to the band and your music?

Santa Fe Driving Range are a brand spanking new act comprising of a few friends that have played together for a long, long time, with a couple of fresh faces thrown in the mix! The band is a new brand of music for the lot of us, a much more laid back, wholesome vibe that gets strummed out plain and simple right in front of you. We’re originally from around the Surfcoast, with a singular outlier hailing from Shep, now residing in Northern burbs of Melbourne.

You’ve dropped your debut single ‘Careless Hands’, tell us a bit about the track. How did this one come about?

I [Ben Wade] wrote a majority of the track while I was living over in the Netherlands a couple of years ago. Up until going over there I’d been gigging and playing so regularly that when I hopped off the plane, I suddenly had all this free time; no gigs, no rehearsals, just a lot of free time. It was a great change to start with, but I missed it quite a bit. I got myself a crummy nylon string guitar for a few bucks and started writing songs with no exact plan or genre in mind. When I came back home, a lot of stuff changed for me and this song just happened to

DAY BY THE BAY Have you ever stopped, realised and appreciated about the diverse and unique marine environment that’s right under our noses here in Victoria? Well, say hello to the brand-new festival that aims to do just that.

The Day By The Bay festival – which celebrates Port Phillip Bay and its importance to the identity and culture of communities that live around it – will head to Point Cook Coastal Park on 23 March this year, after its first event at Mornington Park last month.

With nearly five million people living around it, Port Phillip Bay is Australia’s densest catchment.

It has a unique cultural heritage, boasts amazing biodiversity, offers countless opportunities for adventure, and enhances local liveability.

With nature at the heart of this festival, it only makes sense that beloved Melbourne band The Orbweavers have joined the lineup alongside Mojo Juju, Leah Senior, HEXDEBT, Way Dynamic and Jess Ribeiro for a day of celebration.

Formed in 2006 by Marita Dyson and her partner Stuart Flanagan, The Orbweavers first burst onto the local scene with their debut record Graphite & Diamonds, its remarkable single ‘Diving Bell’ still casting a haunting spell over the listener to this day.

Since then, their music has surrounded themes of waterways and industrial history, with Port Phillip Bay, in particular, influencing their recent music.

“We didn’t notice that so much at the start, but then the further we went along, the more we realized that

30

fit all that was happening best. The new band formed around it and away we went!

With recording by Zac Barter (Didirri, Canary, Life Is Better Blonde) and flawless production by the highly regarded Steve Schram (San Cisco, Tiny Little Houses, Paul Kelly), how was it working with these greats in the music industry?

It’s funny that Zac is quite renowned like that. He’s been a music teacher for most of us since early high school days and always been super modest about the amazing work he’s done. It’s quite odd, when we go into to lay down tracks with Zac, it’s still like going into a music lesson; we all just sit around asking him how the hell do we make these instruments sound alright?!

Steve is a very handy guy to work with too, his resume speaks for itself. It really gives you a lot of confidence to just let it go and trust them with what they do.

Is there an upcoming album in the works, or is this all very early days?

We’ve got a decent plan for the year ahead, a couple more singles to come in the next few months. We’ll see how many tracks we’ve got together by the end of the year and work out whether we can call it an EP or an album.

You guys have nabbed a slot at the upcoming

By The Meadow festival. How do you find the festival gigs compared to the more intimate ones, do you have a preference for your sound?

Yes! We’re super excited to be thrown in amongst what I’d say is one of the best Australian festival lineups I’ve ever seen in a very long time. So many acts on there are killing it at the moment and to be included in that is huge. We have never taken this music to a festival stage, so that’s all new for one, but it’s been well received in the venues played so far, so we’re very excited to see how it goes. In our previous experience, we’ve found that festival stages tend to really show everything and anything in your music, be it good or bad. We’ve been really putting in the hours to make sure this stuff is really polished for a brand-new crowd of people that will have never even heard of us!

an additional $1 million over the next three years.

Now the time has come for The Furphy Hall to shine with their upcoming events for this month, starting with their live and intimate series every Thursday.

Thursday March 14 sees comedy sensation Dave “Hughesy” Hughes grace the Furphy Hall stage with his trade-mark style of comedy. Currently on tour with his show “Hairy”, Hughesy will have you in stitches from beginning to end. Support for the evening will come from Brad Oakes, one of the most versatile live acts of the Melbourne comedy circuit.

Next up, March 21 sees Ella Hooper (duo) live on stage. Cutting her teeth at the tender age of 13, Ella Hooper is a four time ARIA winner for her work with Killing Heidi. Since 2006, her solo performances have been gaining critical acclaim. With a new album rumoured to be released this year, we are excited to hear whether Ella will be teasing out some new material at her Furphy Hall event. Either way, this show is not to be missed!

Rounding out March, The Badloves will stop by for a couple of pints and a performance on March 28.

The ARIA award winning outfit are currently back on the touring circuit and heading to the Furphy Hall for an up-close and personal performance. Relive the stand-out hits, “Lost”, “Green Limousine” and “Memphis” as well as covers in their trade-mark sound. Defining ‘cool’ and oozing swag, The Badloves Ah Furphy. It’s the beer Victorians have fallen are a not to be missed performance. And with strictly in love with – and it’s not hard to see why. limited tickets sold, this show will be just for you.

Born right here in Geelong and brewed from 100 Just in time for Friday night knock-offs, the live per cent Victorian hops and malts, Furphy is the performances continue in the hall with music sixth biggest beer in Victoria (by volume in pack), from local favourites. Running since February, the and has grown 100 per cent in the last year alone... beers are flowing from 5pm and live music and clearly it’s damn good beer! entertainment will see you right through until it’s Stepping it up late last year, the team at Little time to call it a night ahead of the weekend! With Creatures Brewery Geelong decided to further back free entry, you’d be mad not to go for a pint... their star product and dedicate an entire event space It’s all happening at the Furphy Hall this month! to it with The Furphy Hall which is designed to play Get on down and sit back with an ice-cold Furphy. host to comedy shows, live music, movies, markets and a variety of community events – rain, hail or THE FURPHY HALL IS LOCATED AT LITTLE shine!

CREATURES BREWING VILLAGE (221 SWANSTON Nearly $80 million was invested in the development STREET, GEELONG SOUTH). and growth of the old Valley Mills site since Little Creatures took it over in 2013, and this new space is the first part of a third stage of investment, worth

LITTLE CREATURES’ FURPHY HALL IS HOSTING LIVE MUSIC THIS MONTH

CATCH SANTE FE DRIVING RANGE AT BY THE MEADOW - MARCH 29-31 IN BAMBRA. TICKETS AT WWW.BYTHEMEADOW.COM

a lot of our songs were about water and about the natural environment and the impacts of settlement and industrialisation on, particularly on waterways,” Marita explains. “We’ve been interested in the bay environment for quite a long time and we’ve been visiting Point Cooke Marine Sanctuary to look at the amazing birds and plant life that is around there,” Granted with a 2016 Creative Fellowship from the State Library of Victoria, the couple began researching waterways in the west of Melbourne, and the lives of the people who lived and worked along their banks in the 19th and 20th centuries to then write and record a suite of songs inspired by their research.

It makes being involved in the festival even more special for the musicians with shared vision of raising awareness of the unique Port Phillip Bay environment, and the biodiversity that exists in the bay and how precious and unique that environment is.

“It’s something that I’ve only learned about in the last five years as well,” Marita explains of this area in particular. “I grew up in Yarraville and I didn’t know any of this when I was growing up; I didn’t know there was a beautiful marine park basically on my doorstep.”

As regular visitors to the Bay, Marita explains that visitors (and festival-goers) can enjoy the sights of some of the amazing animals found in and around the bay including seahorses, an array of skates (rays and stingrays), black swans, pelicans, spoonbills, and migratory shorebirds such as the Eastern Curlew, and Sandpipers by way of swimming, surfing, snorkelling, fishing and sailing.

“When we went there, we were just amazed that the natural beauty of the area, especially the migratory birds, and we learned how it’s protected as an internationally recognised wetland area. It just led to us to keep going back, to have a look at this beautiful environment that was right on our doorstep, and this festival gives others the chance to appreciate it too.”

SATURDAY 13TH APRIL WORKERS CLUB GEELONG

‘STITCH UP’ OUT NOW

DAY BY THE BAY IS FREE TO ATTEND, FAMILY FRIENDLY AND ALCOHOL-FREE, FEATURING FOOD VENDORS, COMMUNITY STALLHOLDERS AND ACTIVITIES FOR ALL AGES. VISIT DAYBYTHEBAY2019.COM PHOTO BY THE ORBWEAVERS

TICKETS AT WWW.HOTPOTATOBAND.COM 710

30

UPCOMING

THE EAGLES: LIVE AT ROD LAVER ARENA

GIG GUIDE

When: Tuesday March 5, 2019

F R I DAY 15 T H 7 - 10 P M

LUKE

Reviewed by Paul Dowling Photos by William Adam Russ (Right Eye Media)

POTE

As a long-time fan of The Eagles, I must admit I was a little apprehensive about going to this concert with the new additions to the line-up.

As soon as they opened with ‘Seven Bridges Road’, I knew I was in for a special night. The harmonies from Don Henley, Timothy B. Schmit and Joe Walsh on this opening number showed I had nothing to be apprehensive about. These original members plus Vince Gill and Deacon Frey hit every note to perfection and set the standard for a truly memorable journey through The Eagles catalogue of hits.

As the band eased through such classics as ‘Take It Easy’, ‘One Of These Nights’, ‘Take It To The Limits’, ‘Tequila Sunrise’ and ‘Witchy Woman’ it soon became evident that Deacon Frey and Vince Gill were not just ‘additions’ to this great band but integral to the performance of these great hits.

Whilst we can all agree that the late, great Glenn Frey cannot be replaced, his son Deacon looked comfortable performing his father’s songs and carried his legacy well during the entire concert. Although

S U N D AY 17 T H 4 - 7 P M

GARY THACKRAH F R I DAY 2 2 N D 7 - 10 P M

THE GEMS S U N DAY 2 4 T H 4 - 7 P M

LIZZI

MAY

T U E S DAY 2 6 T H 7 - 10 P M

AS FAR AS THURSDAY NIGHTS IN GEELONG GO…

POETRY NIGHT (INC ALTER EGO MAGAZINE LAUNCH)

The Barwon Club Hotel, Geelong Thursday February 21 Reviewed by Liam McNally

S U N D AY 31 S T 4 - 7 P M

There was some pretty bloody tight music to be enjoyed at the B.C at the No Age gig, even if hordes of fans wouldn’t risk tempting themselves with rock ‘n’ roll music and eight dollar talltinnies on a weeknight.

Gonzo kicked off the show, always a Geelong favourite among lovers of garage music. They smashed out their heavy surfer punk as tight as ever, big noises divided by wiry little riffs behind super catchy and strange hooks, they’re super cool. Jack also brought his Macca’s dinner up on stage with him and sipped on his thick shake here and there throughout the set.

If that’s a new corporate sponsor for the band that’s not very punk of him, if it was because he’s just a busy man trying to fit in a feed on the go, I can respect that.

Plus, being generally kind of greasy is pretty punk… so, yeah, I guess that’s cool. Put The Money was a head-shakin’ highlight, and it just came out as a single this week which means they’ll probably be beefing up there gig schedule which is cool, too.

Shepparton Airplane were up next, it was the first time I’d seen those guys and I was keen as. First thing

ISABELLA KHALIFE 12-14 UNION ST GEELONG FOR LIVE MUSIC AND EVENT UPDATES FOLLOW US ON @VALHALLABREW 710

vocally different to his father, his renditions of these songs were quality nonetheless and would have made his father proud.

Vince Gill was equally as impressive with his performances of The Eagles classics, his voice blending well with the other members throughout each song.

The guitar work of Joe Walsh is still as brilliant as ever as he blasted us with ‘In The City’, ‘Life’s Been Good’ and the powerful ‘Rocky Mountain Way’ as one of the three encores. Don Henley told the crowd at the beginning of the night: “We’re going to play two and half hours of music – because we can!” The Eagles certainly delivered on that promise, performing hit after hit from their extensive body of work, while also including a few solo hits such as Vince Gill’s cover ‘Don’t Let Our Love Start Slippin’ Away’, Don Henley’s ‘Boys Of Summer’, as well as the Joe Walsh classic ‘Rocky Mountain Way’.

A haunting trumpet solo heralded the first encore, ‘Hotel California’, arguably The Eagle’s greatest hit, featuring Steuart Smith’s solo work on the double neck guitar.

A standing ovation afterwards brought the band back on stage for their second encore with the previously mentioned ‘Rocky Mountain Way’ and closing with ‘Desperado’.

As ‘The Voice of The Eagles’ Don Henley delivered the third and final encore with ‘Best Of My Love’ it was evident that The Eagles still have a great deal to offer as a live act and I, for one, came away from this concert with renewed faith in the fact that The Eagles will be around for a while yet.

I noticed as that they are loud. Huge noise that just rips right through ya. No Prize has a super intense desperation in the vocals that I was really into, and Not So Sweet was a dark, fried ride that showcased super interesting ways the band uses all members singing abilities.

A couple of mates I was with claimed it was dad rock within a couple of minutes and went out the back for ciggies. That was poor form. Even if band wasn’t made up of absolute pro’s of the Melbourne rock-dog scene (I mean, calling guys from Peep Tempel and Graveyard train dad-rockers, are ya silly?), calling a band dad-rock just because the people playing aren’t all twenty-two is a total goose-move. Ah well, their loss I guess because the set ripped.

The headliner for the night was No Age, hailing from L.A. I didn’t realise they were a two-piece, so when I saw them setting up I was a little sceptical of the line-up choice, Shepparton Airplane use two guitars and a base and make enough noise to rip ya eardrums off… why would a two piece want to follow that?

My worries were put to bed pretty quickly though, No Age definitely make their fair share of noise. I don’t know shit about guitars, but the guitarist (Randy Randall) was playing something loud as fuck, and his arsenal of pedals gave the group a full and fuzzed-out sound. Dean Sprunt was on drums and vocals, a feat that always spins my head, providing the beat and the melody for a band just doesn’t compute in my brain.

The vocals were fairly far back in the mix, and the drum beats were constant and quick, which I reckon makes the band sound like a late 90’s skate punk band, only with better and cooler guitar playing. I was into it.

A highlight was when they got a punter from the crowd, an eighteen-year-old who had been dancing his arse off all night, and let the dude wail as the new vocalist for twenty or thirty seconds before sending him on his way again to dance the rest of the set. The guy looked so stoked.

All-in-all the night had a pretty awesome line-up and each band delivered, it was just a little quiet in terms of audience numbers. The ol’ B.C bandroom probably would have been going off if it was those same acts on a Saturday. Maybe people need to realise they can go see music and not drink, or just toughen up and do the odd Friday shift with a hangover.

31

MISS FIZZ IS POPPING UP SOON WRITTEN BY CHLOE CICERO Ahhh prosecco – the liquid gold that ignites any party. With its slight sweetness and fruity characteristics, it’s easy to see why Prosecco is one of the most popular wines available. And now there’s a fun, new way to enjoy our favourite bubbly in the form of a stylish mobile bar.

Let us introduce you to Casey Hurst - the brains, the boss babe and the beauty behind ‘Miss Fizz’, Geelong’s first mobile bar, dedicated entirely to Prosecco.

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

My hospitality journey started as soon as I could start working behind the bar once I turned 18. I started off at Crown Casino and that’s where my passion began; I learnt all the basics and took advantage of all their training provided and met some lifelong friends along the way. Fast forward 11 years, I have moved around quite a bit including some interstate moves. I have dabbled in every aspect of the industry, Events and Styling is my passion as I’m creative and

WHERE YOU CAN FIND SOME KICKASS PANCAKES WRITTEN BY CHLOE CICERO Sometimes all you want is damn pancakes and not many cafes around G-town actually do them... unless you’re 12 and under now that there are so many places jumping on the waffle band wagon. This is why I’ve gone on a bear hunt and found 10 kick-ass places to get THE BEST pancakes and hotcakes for when you need to crush your breakfast cake cravings! Enjoy!

THE VILLAGE DOOR My ultimate FAVE place to get pancakes. Although they aren’t your regular sized ones, these little Dutch pancakes (or poffertjes) are basically little balls of battery heaven, and I can never get enough!

Where: 156 Pakington Street, Geelong West WINTERS CAFÉ If you are a lover of all things snickers, then these are the hotcakes for you! Complete with nougat ice cream, peanut praline, chocolate sauce, and a generous (but always wanting more) amount of caramel sauce – get in my belly!

Where: 330 Pakington Street, Newtown LAUNCH ESPRESSO Hotcakes with poached pear, berries AND honeycomb, need I say more? If you think this

32

I find it super rewarding. I live in Brunswick with my cat Alley, I’m not a hipster but I do appreciate a good coffee! Lucky for me there is no shortage and there’s always a new cafe to check out. I have a full time corporate job in the city, I try to remain sane by practising yoga and meditation, I think it’s really important to take time out for yourself no matter how busy you are. Mental Health is a huge problem particularity in this industry so trying to keep that balance and have something to look forward to like a holiday is what keeps me motivated. Bali for my 30th with my best friend is next! My family is based in Drysdale and I have lived on the Bellarine for a big part of my life, I love how supportive everyone is and I have also tried to support local businesses along the way and collaborate as much as possible.

Why did you decide to start a Mobile Prosecco Bar? I had a vision about four years ago that I wanted to open a mobile Caravan Bar as it was always a dream of mine to open a bar, however I had seen too many fail, and to me this was the safest and easiest option.

This was before the whole Food Truck craze all came about and there weren’t a whole lot of caravan bars out there. I didn’t want to open Miss Fizz in Brisbane as I didn’t have the support network there that I do here, so I bought all my ideas home and started to bring my vision to life. It all happened so quickly once I set my mind to it and set some clear goals.

You are Geelong’s first mobile bar aimed directly at Prosecco, why did you decide to go with Prosecco and not a different alcohol?

I lived in Brisbane for a while, and during that time a lot of Caravan Bars popped up and I didn’t want to compete, so I decided to do something more niche.

The idea came about from a Prosecco Van in the UK that I came across and I thought “hey, what a great idea!” I’m a huge Rosè fan, however I think it’s more seasonal and Prosecco is such a celebratory drink that everyone loves. Most of the caravan bars are the vintage style, I wanted to be different once again, so I got mine built from scratch and I am so happy with the quality and finished product.

What types of events are you aiming to cater for?

I’m aiming to cater to all events mainly on private property for weddings, bridal showers and gatherings of all types. For now, the minimum amount of guests is 20 on a two hour package which includes two hours of local 6Ft6 or Cat out of the bag Bottomless Prosecco at $50 per person. We also have some fun styling extras like Prosecco Towers and Prosecco Pong. We’re also hoping to expand on the styling and be able to hire out some fun bits and pieces.

How can people go about booking you for an event?

You can reach out to us via our website, Instagram or Facebook or you can email directly for a tailored quote at hello@missfizz.com.au.

How do you decide what cocktails/drinks get chosen?

Miss Fizz has a full menu dedicated to the Spritz featuring all our favourite Australian Gins, and the classic Aperol and Pampelle Spritz. We have three Prosecco-based Cocktails on arrival to choose from if you want to get fancy and the option of a ‘Pimp your Prosecco’ Station. We are all about options and making your event fully customisable to reflect your own style and budget.

What is your favourite Prosecco based cocktail/ drink?

I would like to offer Frosecco for next Summer, it would have to be my favourite Prosecco based cocktail, nothing beats an icy cold drink when it’s hot.

FOR ALL YOUR PROSECCO NEEDS, AND NEW GOSS, YOU’LL HAVE TO KEEP AN EYE OUT AND SUSS THEIR INSTA (@MISS__FIZZ), FACEBOOK AND ONLINE AT WWW.MISSFIZZ.COM.AU

sounds amazing (which it does), rumour has it, you can ask for a layer of Nutella in-between your hotcakes.. you had me at Nutella..

Where: Upstairs Westfield, Geelong KING OF THE CASTLE KOTC never fails to hit the cravings, especially now with their ricotta hotcakes, complete with passionfruit, chocolate mousse, house-made honey comb and fresh raspberries – I couldn’t eat mine quick enough.

Where: 24 Pakington Street, Geelong West 63 DEGREES The always trusty 63 Degrees has your back, with Orange and Vanilla Hotcakes, with rose water and coconut granola, fresh fruit, a white chocolate ganache (insane drooling) and candied orange and passionfruit... what more could you want?

Where: 140 Pakington Street, Geelong West SAILORS REST If you want your pancakes with a view, the newly renovated Sailors Rest is the way to go. Here you have golden pancakes, with your choice of three different topping options - I’m not sure if it’s frowned upon if I get one of each though…

Where: 3 Moorabool Street, Geelong 9 GRAMS Now these aren’t your average pancakes. I’m talking GIANT pancakes drizzled with chocolate sauce, fresh berries and bananas and topped off with ice cream. This is every sweet tooth’s dream.

Where: 1/342 Pakington Street, Newtown /-/ 101 Unity Drive, Mt Duneed /-/ 1 Malop Street, Geelong.

BARWON ORANGE Fresh off their new menu are these to die for Dark Chocolate Pancakes, with Nutella cream, blueberries, orange segments and crème fraiche. Need. ASAP. Where: 60 Hitchcock Ave, Barwon Heads BEAR AND SCOOBS What do you get when you cross one of the best desserts ever with pancakes? You get STICKY DATE PANCAKES – a stack of three sticky date pancakes, topped with ice cream and then smothered in sticky date sauce (yes, this means lots of butterscotch).

Where: 18 Thompson Road, North Geelong

710

GET YOUR RECORDS WRITTEN BY JORDYN WORKMAN Are you an avid vinyl collector, looking for something new to fill that small space in between Joy Division and Judas Priest? Or just an old soul, searching for music you can actually hold in your hand?

Well, The Geelong Record Fair has got you covered.

Returning for another year, this time in a new location, this free event is one not to be missed.

You can find the fair at The Malthouse on Lowe Street in Corio. This quirky location is enough to spark excitement in every vintage enthusiast, not to mention there are also heaps of private collectors and dealers selling across all different genres.

STARTING AT NOON ON SUNDAY 24TH MARCH THEY’LL BE SLINGING LP’S, CASSETTES, MEMORABILIA AND HEAPS MORE TIL 5 PM. MUSIC LOVERS UNITE!

TICKETS AVAILABLE AT FURPHY_LIVE.EVENTBRITE.COM.AU 710

33

Live Nation presents...

LIVENATION.COM.AU

THU 28 MARCH - SAT 20 APRIL MELBOURNE TOWN HALL

AS SEEN ’S O N N E T F L IXS O F N IA D “ C O M E R L D ’’ THE WO THE E IS & “OR A N G O W N” R B W NE

THU 28 MARCH - SUN 21 APRIL MELBOURNE TOWN HALL

★★★★★

★★★★

The Guardian

Herald Sun

FEATURING

DAVE LAWSON, MARK WILSON, RYAN SHELTON AND STEPHEN CURRY.

FRI 5, SAT 6, FRI 12 & SAT 13 APRIL MELBOURNE TOWN HALL

34

710

Experience (2004), Joy in the Hood (2006) and the award-winning comedy documentary series, In the Name of the Fada (2008). In 2011, RTE broadcast the critically acclaimed documentary he made with his terminally ill father, My Dad Was Nearly James Bond.

Bishop’s 2015 stand up show Made in China received critical acclaim in Ireland, US, UK and Australia and followed the huge success of his sixpart RTE series, Breaking China which has aired several times on SBS Viceland in Australia. In 2017 he competed in the first ever season of Dancing With The Stars in Ireland, and debuted his most recent RTE show, a late-night news-driven chat show, This Is Ireland with Des Bishop.

Unapologetic. Charismatic. Clever. Don’t miss the razor-sharp Bishop in 2019.

DES BISHOP BRINGS THE COMMENTS SECTION Native New Yorker and one of Ireland’s most loved comedians, DES BISHOP returns to Australia in 2019 with a brand-new hour of stand-up.

Bishop’s new show, THE COMMENTS SECTION, will see him follow up a blistering festival season this year, with seasons at both the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and the Sydney Comedy Festival in March and April, 2019.

The Comments Section is trademark rapid-fire, big thinking Bishop. Des tries to be a good person, but it’s so difficult to know if you’re doing the right thing these days. Is it ok to have strong opinions about sex being a cis, white, male? Is he woke, conformist or both? Pineapple on pizza - right or not?

Having moved from Queens to Ireland as a teenager, Des became hugely popular in Ireland where his incisive, irreverent and critical comedy has seen him carve out a highly successful career as both a comic and TV documentary maker and presenter. He has several acclaimed television series under his belt, including RTE’s The Des Bishop Work

CATCH HIM AT THE GREEK CENTRE IN PARTHENON AT THE MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL FROM MARCH 28 – APRIL 21.

TICKETS VIA DESBISHOP.COM & LIVENATION. COM.AU

URZILA CARLSON RECKONS YOU’RE A LOSER

Newcastle and Sydney.

“Loser is almost always negative,” Urzila says. “I’ve lost my keys, a relative, my mind, money, dignity… it’s only positive when you lose some weight. WHY? If you meet someone awesome would you not want there to be more of them? Why can your friends not see your fatness but your family and doctor can see nothing but your fatness? Why is losing so hard? The truth is, we’re all losers in some form and at some point, we’ll hit our rock bottom. Are you prepared?

Get ready losers, let’s tackle our failures. What’s the worst that can happen?”

The 2017 winner of the Sydney Comedy Festival’s Director’s Choice Award was born in South Africa, and now calls New Zealand home where she is a household name and a cast member of popular NZ comedy panel show 7 Days. Selling out is a regular occurrence for Carlson in both Australia and New Zealand. In 2018, she sold out her entire MICF season including extra shows in record time becoming one of the biggest sellers of the Festival. We can assure you this will be a hoot and definitely worth the drive up the freeway.

Buy soon and buy early – LOSER IS 2019’s hottest ticket!

CATCH HER AT MELBOURNE TOWN HALL AT THE MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL FROM MARCH 28 – APRIL 20.

TICKETS VIA WWW.URZILACARLSON.COM & WWW.LIVENATION.COM.AU

Multi award-winning South African-New Zealander URZILA CARLSON has become a household name in Australia in the past year, and she returns from across the ditch this year with a national stand up tour.

Carlson (from Network Ten’s smash-hit panel show, Have You Been Paying Attention?!) will take her brand-new comedy show, LOSER, to 10 cities and regional centres around the country from March to June in 2019. Commencing at the 2019 Melbourne International Comedy Festival on March 28, the MICF season of Loser will see Urzila become the first female comedian to perform a full run at Melbourne Town Hall’s Main Hall. Following Melbourne, Loser will head to Brisbane, Townsville, Canberra, Launceston, Hobart, Adelaide, Perth,

THE BELLY DANCER PREMIERES IN BENDIGO PHOTOS BY JUSTIN CASTLES

Written by Central Victorian theatre-makers Megan J Riedl and Jacob Honeychurch, The Belly Dancer is a bold new performance inspired by real-life experiences of family violence. The play holds up a mirror to our recent local history, when in 2015, Bendigo was the epicentre of anti-muslim protests, about the planning proposal for the city’s first mosque.

The Belly Dancer asks what kind of community we want to be creating - one that is underpinned by the values of violence and shackled by fear, or one that is open to difference and celebrates our capacity to embrace change with love. Are we complicit in maintaining the power imbalance that allows violence to flourish? As the bystander next-door, is doing nothing still acceptable?

Tripwire Theatre Inc. is a not-for-profit theatrical production company whose members are emerging professional theatre makers and arts managers from across Central Victoria. The performance season includes two shows with a panel Q&A, aimed at groups from community or business who wish to promote conversation within their organisations about domestic violence and diversity.

IT GOES DOWN FROM 15 - 18 MARCH 2019 AT THE ENGINE ROOM, BENDIGO. TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW FROM THE CAPITAL BOX OFFICE.

POINT COOK COASTAL PARK SATURDAY, MARCH 23

TURNING HEADS WITH TURNTABLES

Mojo Juju The Orbweavers | Jess Ribeiro | HEXDEBT Leah Senior | Way Dynamic

In the days of music at our finger tips with streaming services its easy to forget the lost art of sitting down and enjoying a vinyl. It reminds you that there is so much more to music; it’s a combined experience of the cover artwork, the imperfections and the rich complexity of the sonic structures that you just can’t get from a digital track.

At this point, after my rant about the magic of vinyl, you might be thinking to yourself it’s time to get amongst the fun and luckily with Audio Technica, it’s never been easier and more affordable.

Whether you like to sit down at home and go through a collection or take to the stage and spin for

community stallholders, food vendors and activities for all ages

FREE FREE ENTRY ENTRY W W W. DAY BY T H E B AY2 0 1 9.C O M

710

a demanding crowd, Audio Technica have carefully crafted a selection of turntables that can cater to any needs you may have.

If you’re just getting into records or rediscovering old favourites, consider the AT-LP60X, a fully automatic belt-drive turntable that is affordable and very user friendly. Able to play both 33-1/3 and 45RPM record and packed with a switchable phono preamp - this unit can be connected directly to your home stereo, powered speakers or computer.

If you’re a true connoisseur of vinyl maybe consider an AT-LPW40WN. This one is a fully manual, belt-driven turntable that will deliver optimal high-fidelity audio from your vinyl. With beautiful aesthetics and a versatile design to ensure only the best playback of your collection.

AUDIO TECHNICA’S RANGE IS EXTENSIVE AND THERE IS SOMETHING FOR ALL YOUR TURNTABLE AND AUDIO NEEDS, VISIT AUDIOTECHNICA.COM.AU FOR MORE INFORMATION. IMAGE TURNTABLE MODEL: AT-LP60X

35

ALICE FRASER: MYTHOS Critically acclaimed comedy brain, Alice Fraser (The Bugle, Tea with Alice, Trollplay and Apple’s ‘#1 Best Australian Podcast of 2018’ Triology) could do a lot of stuff, if she could decide what to do. A show that picks a line and sticks to it, and does a lot of other things en route.

Is beauty truth? Is truth beautiful? Let Alice tell you. Why not.

See Alice from Thu 28 Mar - Tue 16 Apr & Thu 18 - Sat 20 Apr — 9.45pm; Sun 31 Mar and Sun 7, 14 & 21 Apr — 8.45pm & Mon 1, 8 & 15 Apr — 8.30pm at Melbourne Town Hall.

AMOS GILL: ALMOST FAMOS He’s traded hosting Brekky radio for a comedy career in LA where he is touted as a rising star. With a new hour of gut-bustingly funny comedy every year, Amos Gill is at his best with an hour and no restrictions. Sold out last year - book early! Weekend Notes gave him five starts, saying “unapologetically hilarious... I couldn’t stop crying from laughing too hard”. You know it’s going to be good.

Get to it on Thu 28 Mar - Sat 20 Apr — 9.30pm & Sun 31 Mar and Sun 7, 14 & 21 Apr — 8.30pm at Swiss Club & Mon 1, 8 & 15 Apr — 6.30pm at Melbourne Town Hall.

CHRISTIAN HULL: COMPLETE DRIVEL - LIVE! Christian Hull takes his iTunes Top 50 podcast Complete Drivel live to the stage this comedy season. In an even wilder ride than the podcast, the comedy creator will be unleashing his unfettered talents, and special guest ‘Trish’, in his first festival show! Better make him feel welcome Melbourne!

He’ll be at The Comic’s Lounge on Sat 30, Sun 31 Mar & Sat 6 Apr — 4.30pm CIARAN LYONS: WHAT’S NEXT An awkward experience at a Thai massage parlour, a housemate with the traits of a serial killer, obtaining a stalker... rising broadcasting star Ciaran Lyons (who you will know from triple j and The Project) has had a big 2018! Come hear all about it in his new show… we hear he is a hoot!

Catch him Thu 28 Mar - Thu 4 Apr, Tue 9 - Sat 20 Apr — 6.00pm & Sun 31 Mar and Sun 7, 14 & 21 Apr — 5.00pm at Fad Gallery; or on Mon 1 & It’s almost time for all the comedy fans out there, the Melbourne 15 Apr — 7.15pm at Melbourne Town Hall.

International Comedy Festival is around the corner and Frontier EMILY TRESIDDER: JUST DOING IT Comedy is presenting a killer roster of must-see comedians this Emily Tresidder has her own way of doing things, and if you haven’t year. With a broad variety of 5-star shows from eleven very different had a chance to enjoy the Tresidder experience then now is your chance. acts, there is something to suit every comedic taste!

The co-host of Vic & Em’s Comedy Gems podcast is back with another ALEX WILLIAMSON: SIN ON MY FACE hour of observational fun, physicality and lots of laughs. This funny and After sold-out festivals in Australia & the UK in 2018, Alex Williamson charismatic character is not to be missed. is back to embrace his inner sick-f*ck in a brand-new hour. With 2.5m+ Her show can be enjoyed on Thu 28 Mar - Fri 12 Apr, Sun 14 Apr - Sat 20 social media followers, this comedy juggernaut is steaming through Apr at 7.30pm & Sun 31 Mar and Sun 7, 14 & 21 Apr at 6.30pm at Trades shows like a deranged Thomas the Tank Engine. Embrace your own inner Hall or on Mon 8 Apr at 6pm at Melbourne Town Hall. sick-f*ck and let ‘Shooter’ sin on your face. Book early!

JEFF GREEN: LETTERS HOME Catch him from Tue 26 Mar - Sat 6 Apr — 9.30pm at Athenaeum Theatre.

More than ‘just’ an hour of award-winning UK comedian Jeff Green’s

FRONTIER COMEDY PRESENTS A KILLER LINEUP OF MUST-SEE COMEDIANS AT MICF 2019

THE HILLS ARE ALIVE WITH LAUGHTER Set in the insta-worthy sprawling hills of South Gippsland, The Hills Are Alive has been a home away from home for music and comedy lovers alike for over a decade.

Providing punters a break from Brown Cardigan and Clive Palmer memes, some of the most Hillarious, notorious and down-right legendary comedians in Australia will be having punters LOLing around all weekend, including awardwinning comedian Marcus Ryan, who was in fact born and bred in the town of Wonthaggi, making this trip to THAA festival extra special.

“I think every gig’s interesting, and music festivals are a different sort of their own,” Marcus says with a massive smile. “I’ve done a few before but I’ve never actually been at The Hills Are Alive festival.

“I’m not sure what the crowd will be like as it’s a music festival; people are there having a good time, so you have to just treat it for what it is, have fun, get the crowd interactive and make some noise... and hopefully make a few laughs,” he continues. “I’ve been doing comedy for a long time so I’ll turn up, see what the demographic is and I’ll try and cater jokes

36

to them. I’m from Gippsland and I assume there’s going to be a lot of Gippsland people there, so I’ll do a bunch of jokes about the local area as well, and there’ll be people from elsewhere so I’ll try and belt it out and just cater to the crowd on the day.”

While you can expect some serious laughs at THAA, it will be his performance at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival that will have audiences in stitches, featuring a one hour story telling stand-up of the true, untold stories from his travels that his mum won’t like, but you’ll love!

“I’m surprised I haven’t been murdered yet... that’s what this year’s comedy festival show is all about, it’s about just pushing yourself and getting into trouble and having fun along the way,” he laughs.

Touring around 42 countries across six continents with his critically acclaimed one-man shows Love Me Tinder, ¿Hablas Inglés? and Walk This Qué, we’re not sure if he’s just really unlucky while travelling, or looking to do stupid things for laugh, but at least he’s come out of it all with a few good stories to tell.

“I don’t go looking for trouble, trouble finds me I swear,” he laughs, “I think I accidentally end up in situations. I mean things happen to everyone, but not everyone is in a job where they can tell stories about it or make it entertaining; in South America I was robbed and nearly died. All these fun things that happen and you manage to get some good travel stories.

“I find a lot of experiences happen when you’re by yourself as well, you’re more open to it,” he continues, reflecting on his love of touring the world. “Maybe I’ll get over it at some point, but at this stage of my life I feel pretty good with it... and I want to get to 100 countries.”

With 100 countries, we can bet that Marcus will come back with a brand new collection of unfortunate but hilarious tales from the road.

trademark rapid-fire stand-up, Jeff’s Letters Home are a series of warmly funny monologues. After sold out UK & Oz seasons in 2018, Jeff is back with an extraordinary new show.

See him Thu 28 Mar - Tue 9 Apr, Thu 11 Apr - Sat 20 Apr — 7pm & Sun 31 Mar and Sun 7, 14 & 21 Apr — 6pm at Swiss Club or Mon 1, 8 & 15 Apr — 7.45pm at Melbourne Town Hall.

NEEL KOLHATKAR: LIVE Here’s a must see! Stand-up comedy and social media phenom Neel Kolhatkar’s accents, impressions and carefully crafted jokes have seen him collect 1.6m+ followers and tens of millions of views on his videos.

Neel returns to MICF fresh from filming his third stand-up special, with his sixth live solo show. Neel shows sell fast – book early!

Two shows only on Fri 12 & Sat 13 Apr — 9:30pm at Athenaeum Theatre.

RON FUNCHES: LIVE Ron Funches’ (Undateable, Conan O’Brien) laidback persona is a perfect vessel for incisive observations on everything from casual racism to raising a son with autism. His unique delivery, incisive punchlines and shrewd set-ups led the New York Times to declare Ron to ‘Purr like a kitty cat, sting like a bee’. Don’t miss his Australian debut!

Catch him Tue 16 Apr - Sat 20 Apr — 8.30pm at The Comic’s Lounge.

TITUS O’REILY: LIVE Sports satirist Titus O’Reily is back with a brand-new show that will make you rich, healthier and ridiculously good looking. Australia’s most popular sports satirist with 250K+ followers, Titus’ debut MICF show was a huge hit with people buying tickets and everything!

He’ll perform Wed 27 Mar — 8.15pm & Thu 28 Mar - Sun 21 Apr — 8.15pm at Imperial Hotel.

FULL SHOW INFORMATION FOR EACH ARTIST CAN BE FOUND AT FRONTIERCOMEDY.COM

THIS HOT MESS Hey Forte crew!

One of my fave things about running This Hot Mess is that the name alone implies I don’t have it all together. It allows me to avoid the pressure to have a glossy social media presence that presents like I’m giving “advice” for peasants who do not know how to “life” properly, rather than simply be who I really am… Someone who is a hot mess, just tying to do life a little better than yesterday and who forgives herself when she doesn’t quite nail it (or royally F’s it up, which I have also been known to do).

Now although I am clearly no psychologist or trained anxiety expert, I have however got 20+ years of anxiety experience and although I don’t always have it under control, I am 200 per cent better at managing it than I’ve ever been (Yass Queen!).

So, I thought I’d share a few tips that have been helping me manage my anxiety the last 12 months, because if there is one thing this crazy life has taught me, it’s that we are more similar than we are different, which means these tips might just help you too.

1. Plan ahead Being prepared can help neutralise some of those obsessive thoughts and keep life as calm as possible.

It also means that if/when anxiety hits (which if yours has a mind of its own like mine, sometimes it just does), I’m not also dealing with the chaos of being unplanned or unprepared. Competence

CATCH HIM AT THE HILLS ARE ALIVE FROM MARCH 29-31 & MICF FROM APRIL 9-21.

710

breeds confidence, and feeling confident in what you’re doing will help you navigate through those anxious times.

2. Know your triggers Being self aware about your anxiety will help you be able to navigate those situations much better and will also allow you to prepare those around you to help. It takes a great amount of courage to communicate your triggers to those closest to you, but I promise it is worth it as they can really help prevent anxiety or understand your behaviours in the future without you having to explain in your times of need.

3. Be ok with taking breaks Anxiety can be exhausting. It’s as simple as that.

Having your mind and/or body racing at 100 miles an hour in full fight or flight mode for a period of time is going to require some post-anxious down time. We need to reconcile with this and simply work around it. For me, that looks like 15min-1hour naps, or sometimes just scheduling some quiet time into my day. I just can’t run back to back all day; I wont make it through at my best which isn’t good for me or those relying on me. So be realistic about your capacity and run at the pace you need, not the pace people think you should have. You know yourself best.

4. Take responsibility I’m a huge advocate for being strong via vulnerability and letting the people in your world know how they can help but at the end of the day, I have to take responsibly for my anxiety and manage myself. And so do you. It’s our thing, our life, our body and our brain over reacting. Our friends and family are simply the support act. I think it’s really important to do as much as we can to manage (therapy, self education, perhaps medication, eating well, getting enough sleep, exercising and/or using techniques to help with obsessive or irrational thoughts), and then let those closest to us be there as an aid, not to always carry us.

I hope this helps guys! Remember, you’re not alone.

You’re not abnormal. You’re not crazy. And there is SO much you can do to help yourself live your best life, regardless of your anxiety.

Sending you my love, Kim XX

THE ONE AND ONLY MELBOURNE QUEER FILM FESTIVAL (MQFF) IS BACK! Australia’s biggest and longest-running celebration of queer cinema returns from 14 to 25 March with over 141 award-winning features, documentaries and shorts from Australia and beyond.

Enjoying its 29th anniversary in 2019, MQFF is spreading its ‘fabulousness’ across Melbourne by screening, for the very first time, at Village Cinemas Jam Factory, in addition to its long-standing screening partners Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) and Cinema Nova in Carlton.

Program highlights abound and include films such as Rafiki, the courageous coming-out drama from Kenya about the friendship and tender love that develops between two young Nairobi women, despite hostility from their conservative community.

Sauvage a searing French drama, introduces us to Leo, a risk-taking young gay sex worker, whose uncompromising lifestyle is challenged when he falls in love, whilst the romantic adventure, Sorry Angel, also from France, is a companion piece to the 2018 MQFF hit BPM (Beats Per Minute).

Channelling Federico Fellini’s La Dolce Vita through a gay male lens, Euphoria is an unadulterated valentine to Rome, which follows entrepreneurial playboy Matteo, whose hedonistic

lifestyle comes to a crashing halt when confronted by a family drama.

Acclaimed documentary TransMilitary looks at the lives of the 15,000-transgender personnel in the US military, as told through the stories of four transgender troops.

Award-winning US doco, When the Beat Drops explores the wild and subversive underground dance scene of ‘bucking,’ an energetic, yet sensual form of expression that was born out of gay clubs in the deep south.

Essential viewing, The Happy Prince, stars Rupert Everett – who also wrote and directed - as the legendary Oscar Wilde during the final years of his exile-agony in Naples and Paris.

The golden days of tinsel town are explored via two very different documentaries. Based on Scotty Bowers’ scandalous memoir, Full Service, Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood is an eye-popping documentary that follows this ‘procurer to the stars’ around Los Angeles as he recounts his wild, sexual exploits during Hollywood’s Golden Age, whilst Making Montgomery Clift dispels the long-held theory that matinee idol, Clift was a tortured and tragic figure to reveal a keenly intelligent and humourous man, who was very open about his sexuality.

There’s also Bright Colors And Bold Patterns, the filmed version of US stand-up comedian Drew Droege’s hilarious one-man show, which has captivated off-Broadway audiences and will be presented by Droege himself.

Recently voted Best Documentary at MGFF Becoming Colleen is the unforgettable story about an 85 year-old transgender woman transitioning from male to female in the coastal town of Coff’s Harbour.

And enjoying its Australian premiere is Jeremiah Terminator LeRoy – the Festival’s powerhouse closing night film, which showcases the sensational pairing of Kristin Stewart and Laura Dern’s in the wilder than fiction true account of the infamous literary scam that fooled Hollywood.

place in Fictional Worlds?; Are We Reading to Escape, or Face, Reality?; Writing for the Millennial Mind; New Voices and Smart New Writing; and Travelling to Places where we Connect.

Delving into trending topics such as our current political climate, slowing down at home, and modern day feminism, this year’s Festival promises intriguing tales and talks to open your mind.

The popular two day festival will feature a series of panel discussions with some of the nation’s favourite authors who have captured our hearts and minds with their new publications.

CLUNES BOOKTOWN FESTIVAL IS TACKLING TODAY’S TOPICS If your love affair with the printed word (and picture) runs deep, then this may be the event for you.

Clunes Booktown Festival returns on the first weekend of May (4 & 5) with a series of renowned authors and guest speakers joining the historic country town in north-west Victoria for a festival of the book filled with ideas and arts.

Australians simply can’t get enough of true crime stories, especially with the increase in podcast listenership in the crime genre. This year, festival organisers have taken the hot topics from what is trending on social media and podcasts to create curated discussions with leading authors and experts.

SO JOIN US IN CELEBRATING ALL THE VIBRANT HUES OF THE LGBTIQ+ RAINBOW OVER 14 DIVINELY ENTERTAINING DAYS! VISIT MQFF.COM.AU

Just some of the authors appearing include the likes of Robbie Arnott (Flames), Jane Caro (Accidental Feminists), Nathan Curnow (The Right Wrong Notes), Peter Mares (No Place Like Home), Michael McGirr (Books That Saved My Life), Alicia Sometimes (A Footy Girl’s Guide) and Paddy O’Reilly (Peripheral Vision) – just to name a few!

The Festival features Australia’s largest book shop, with the whole of the main street given over to bookstores, with festival-goers able to browse rare and collectible books, go inside heritage buildings, listen to live music while sampling local food and wine, watch street performers, visit exhibitions, and immerse themselves in stories.

Each year Clunes Booktown Festival attracts over 15,000 people across the two day event to the historical town, tempting book lovers with its sensational line-up of speakers and enticing weekend explorers with its culinary delights and surprises.

TICKETS ARE $10 AND AVAILABLE FROM 1 MARCH FROM CLUNESBOOKTOWN.COM.AU. PHOTO BY TONY EVANS

Topics covered at this year’s Clunes Booktown Festival include: Do the Best Crime Stories take

710

37

SWIMMING WITH MEN

HOTEL MUMBAI

CAPTAIN MARVEL

GRETA

Vincent Van Gogh has been a ripe subject for film makers for many years, but rarely has he been so vividly brought to life as he is here by Willem Dafoe. Focusing on the painter’s final few years of life – and working off the controversial theory that the painter’s death wasn’t suicide – this film by director Julian Schnabel (himself an artist who also directed The Diving Bell and the Butterfly) is constantly working hard to put the audience inside Van Gogh’s head as he paints some of his greatest work. He also roams seemingly aimlessly across a large chunk of Europe and spends time in and out of a mental hospital, but it’s all part of his quest to truly capture what he sees. Likewise, this film has its rough edges at times, but there’s no denying the passion driving it – when it comes to trying to express the essential nature of Van Gogh’s art, it’s a masterpiece.

Eric Scott (Rob Brydon) is an accountant who doesn’t add up. A few days ago, he had a normal family life: now he’s living in a hotel after leaving his wife and son for reasons even he can’t fully explain. The only calm in his increasingly fractured life is swimming, so when he’s adopted by a ramshackle men’s synchronised swimming team (he used his math skills to explain to them that they need an even number of team members to make their routines work), he figures he’s got nothing left to lose. If this sounds like a slightly wetter version of films like The Full Monty, you’re not wrong, and this ticks all the usual boxes right down to a heart-warming (nearly-) naked final dance number without ever providing much substance on insight to back up the many clichés. Instead of providing anything new with the story, director Oliver Parker relies largely on the charm of the cast (which includes Rupert Graves, Jim Carter, Daniel Mays, Thomas Turgoose and Charlotte Riley) to keep viewers on side. To be fair, it is a great cast. They’re a likable bunch of likely lads, even if their splashing about remains clumsy – it’s a feel good film even when it feels like there’s hardly anything there.

In 2008 ten terrorists struck at locations across the city Mumbai, firing into crowds and setting off explosives. Most of the gunmen were tracked down and stopped by police, but inside the city’s internationally renowned Taj hotel the situation rapidly became a siege. Inside the terrorists inside went from room to room killing guests and staff, while outside the local police waited (and waited) for specialist forces to arrive. Over the three-day siege, 30 guests and staff were killed inside the hotel; across Mumbai, at least 174 people died and over 300 were injured. This isn’t a docu-drama, but with its ensemble cast (including Armie Hammer and Nazanin Boniadi as a married couple staying at the hotel, Jason Issacs as a shady Russian businessman, and Dev Patel as a Sikh staff member who elects to stay and help when the fighting starts) and as-it-happened approach at time it feels close to one. That’s a plus and a minus. On one hand, the events here have a gritty, realistic feel, and the horror of the attacks is convincingly portrayed. But while individual scenes and sequences are gripping, the story at times lacks momentum: it’s a little too good at recreating the feel of trying to survive a nightmare.

Captain Marvel has been sold as something ground-breaking – and after an endless run of male-led movies, it certainly is in one way – but like just about every Marvel movie of the last few years, the story (and character) feels like one step forward, one step back. There’s the retro soundtrack and space strangeness of Guardians of the Galaxy, only now with the comedy double act of Thor: Ragnarok. Carol Danvers AKA Kree soldier Vers AKA Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) has both kinds of Marvel superhero powers: she can physically fight, and she can also shoot energy beams (and eventually, fly). The story seems straightforward, but there’s just enough in the way of twists to keep things interesting until the action sequences (which are not interesting) kick in. Initially part of a Kree Empire military unit (led by Jude Law), she finds herself cut off on Earth and teaming up with S.H.I.E.L.D. pen pusher Nick Fury (a CGI de-aged Samuel L Jackson) against an infiltration of shape-shifting Skrulls (led by Ben Mendelsohn). It’s a slightly odd mix of 2019 space action and 1995 paranoid TV drama complete with underground military base, set in a “1995” that’s just a collection of vague references. Danvers might reach for the stars, but this rarely does.

At a time when thrillers are often flabby and slow to get going, Greta, an otherwise fairly predictable slice of 80s-era psycho stalker cheese, is a refreshing breath of fresh air. Director Neil Jordan (of The Crying Game fame) isn’t going for big twists here. Pretty much from the moment Frances (Chloe Grace Moretz) finds a bag left behind on the New York subway and decides to track down the owner, it’s obvious that no good will come from her good deed. But for a few minutes it seems like Greta (Isabelle Huppert) is who she says she is – a lonely French piano teacher whose daughter lives in Paris. With Frances still getting over the recent death of her mother, this new friendship seems ideal, despite the scepticism of her flatmate and best friend (Maika Munroe). Then Frances quickly discovers the missing handbag was basically a lure (as in fishing), tries to cut Greta out of her life, Greta goes full-blown stalker and (refreshingly) everyone around Frances agrees she’s in danger. But just how much danger? The twists and turns that follow aren’t that surprising, but Jordan never lets the pace slow or the tension slacken. It may be predictable, but it’s never boring.

RECORD WATCH

STAFF PICKS

EMPRESS OF - US

TALIA

Second album from L.A Based Honduran/American artist, is it dreampop? Or Alt RnB electro?

Empress Of has featured with artists such as Perfume Genius, Khalid and Blood Orange, and would sit well with your Billie Eilish, Halsey or CharlieXCX vinyl Lp’s !

Available from Real Music Vinyl & CDS located at 83 Little Malop St, Geelong.

KARNIVOOL - SOUND AWAKE

NATHAN ARCTIC MONKEYS - HUMBUG

GLENN PESTILENCE - TESTIMONY OF THE ANCIENTS

JOSH

SESSION TIMES THE PRODIGY - NO TOURISTS

MMch 7th- 27th

pivotcinema.com.au CAPHARNAÜM

ARCTIC

C O L D WA R

Thu 7th 3pm Fri 8th 9pm Sat 9th 4pm Sun 10th 8pm M o n 1 1 t h 7. 3 0 p m Tue 12th 1.40pm Thu 14th 3.15pm Sat 16th 11am Sun 17th 8pm Tue 19th 1.20pm Fri 22nd 6pm Tue 26th 3.40pm Thu 28th 3.30pm

Thu 7th 1 1 a m & 5 . 1 5 p m Fri 8th 1pm Sat 9th 6.30pm Sun 10th 1.30pm Mon 11th 5.30pm Tue 12th 4pm Thu 14th 1.15pm Fri 15th 6pm Sat 16th 8pm Sun 17th 11am Mon 18th 6pm Tue 19th 3.40pm We d 2 0 t h 1 1 a m Sun 24th 8.20pm Mon 25th 11am

F r i 8 t h 7. 1 5 p m M o n 1 1 t h 1 p m FINAL S a t 1 6 t h 1 . 3 0 p m ENCORE

LEBANON 118mins Drama M

AT ETERNITY’S GATE NE W F R A N C E 1 0 8 m i n s D r a m a P G

Januuy 11th - 30th March 7th - March 12th

38

T hu 1 4 t h 1 1 a m & 5 . 4 0 p m Fri 15th 3.30pm & 8pm Sat 16th 3.20pm Sun 17th 1pm Mon 18th 3.30pm & 8pm Tue 19th 11am & 5.40pm We d 2 0 t h 1 p m & 6 p m Thu 21st 1.20pm Fri 22nd 11am Sat 23rd 3.45pm Mon 25th 1pm Tue 26th 11am & 8.20pm We d 2 7 t h 5 . 4 5 p m

Prrdly SSving

LIMITED SEASON I C E L A N D 9 5 m i n s T h r i l l e r M

DON’T MISS IT! P O L A N D 8 8 m i n s R o m a n c e M

HOTEL MUMBAI

NE W A U S T R A L I A / I N D I A 1 2 1 m i n s D r a m a M

T hu 2 1 s t 1 1 a m & 5 . 3 0 p m Fri 22nd 1.20pm & 8.30pm S at 23rd 1.20pm, 6pm & 8.30pm Sun 24th 3.30pm & 6pm Mon 25th 3.20pm & 8.40pm Tue 26th 1.20pm & 6pm We d 2 7 t h 1 1 a m & 3 . 2 0 p m Mar 28th Swimming with Men T hu 2 8 t h 1 p m & 8 . 3 0 p m Apr 4th Everybody Knows Geelong Pride Apr 7th-9th Film Festival Apr 11th Woman at War

COMING SOON

710

wines and

bees...

Secure the future of Her Majesty’s Ballarat at

savehermaj.com

FILM REVIEWS BY ANTHONY MORRIS

AT ETERNITY’S GATE

came in was absolutely huge. After seeing Clinton & P-Funk, I was sure that you can’t get much funkier than that but I was pleasantly surprised. You almost forget that RHCP are primarily a funk band until you see them live. I was mesmerised by the tightness and chemistry between all four members but especially with Flea and Chad, they’ve got to be some of the best musicians in the world.

DARK NECESSITIES & HUMP DE BUMP These two songs were not very high on my list of Chili songs when they came out but wow… Both had such a crazy atmosphere to them and they’re now two of my favourite songs from the band. ‘Dark Necessities’ featured an incredible drawn out guitar solo which I think may have been improvised and Flea busted out the trumpet for ‘Hump De Bump’ - it was the shit.

JOSH KLINGHOFFER

RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS

Where: Mt Duneed Estate

When: Saturday, 2 March, 2019 Reviewed by Nathan Mossop Photos by William Adam Russ (Right Eye Media) On the Tuesday night before this amazing show, I saw Arctic Monkeys in Melbourne and I was positive that they were the best band I’ve ever seen live (honourable mention to The Dillinger Escape Plan and The Bronx for coming close) but only four days later, Chili Peppers absolutely killed it and took the spot for best live show I’ve seen in my lifetime.

Mt Duneed Estate knows how to put on a show; the stage was insanely cool and the sound was out of this world. I couldn’t believe I was in my hometown of Geelong, it was insane… Their lager is also amazing.

I could go on forever about how good this show was but instead, I’ve decided to share my top five highlights of the night.

GEORGE CLINTON & PARLIAMENT FUNKADELIC To be honest, I had absolutely no idea that P-Funk were supporting RHCP until a couple of hours before entering the show. The rock and roll hall of famers put on the most energetic, hilarious and truly captivating show and got everyone in the right mood for Chili Peppers. I feel so lucky to have not only seen this historical band live, but actually see the 12 minute ‘Maggot Brain’ in person. It was easily the best solo I’ve ever seen in my life and the crowd went absolutely off, loved it.

AROUND THE WORLD Red Hot Chili Peppers didn’t fuck around for one second. They opened with an intense drum and bass solo and went straight into ‘Around The World’ and the sound of the crowd when the opening bass line

I grew up wanting to be John Frusciante, his back-up vocals and amazing song writing inspired the shit out of me and to be honest, I was nervous about how Josh would do in his spot… Well he fucking nailed it. I can’t believe how good his solos, stage presence and back-up vocals were. There is no better guitarist for the Chili Peppers right now than Josh Klinghoffer.

That tone, those psychedelic solos and that energy cannot be matched and god damn, I’d do horrible things for his guitar collection.

ANTHONY KIEDIS AND THE CROWD When Anthony Kiedis sings a Chili peppers song, he doesn’t stand alone. The vocalist of one of the world’s biggest bands is always accompanied by the crowd singing with him in every single song on their set because every single song is literally a hit. It’s amazing hearing 20,000 people scream their lyrics and that’s what made ‘Suck My Kiss’, ‘By The Way’ and ‘Under The Bridge’ my favourite songs of the night. Also, I can’t leave out the fact that Klinghoffer did a cover of Divinyls ‘I Touch Myself’ as the first encore before ‘Give It Away’. He nailed it, everyone loved it… What a fucking good band.

THE RANK OUTSIDERS

MANSIONAIR

BATTS

I KNOW LEOPARD

Self-Titled

Shadowboxer

The Grand Tour

Love Is A Landmine

Self-Published

Glassnote Records

THAA Records

Ivy League Records

Reviewed by John “Dr John” Lamp

Reviewed by Darby-Perrin Larner

Reviewed by Liam McNally

Reviewed by Jordyn Workman

There is, in a way, a lot to be expected of Mansionair’s debut album. With only a handful of singles and hit remixes released, the trio have carved out a solid career (a Grammy nomination already, come on) with very little.

So, can they stand up to a full-length album? With years of tracks building up, life experiences, tours, wins, losses, there’s a lot to cover, and a lot to cull – perhaps exaggerated by the slow streaming service provided for early listeners.

Shadowboxer covers the full spectrum of mood, peak-and-pit. There’s Imogen Heap-esque heartbreak on “Astronaut”, a warm lullaby in “Sierra”, and freedom on “Best Behaviour”. It is, as Jack Froggatt told Forté, the half-time speech you need to hear when faced with the real battles in life.

The band spoke of how a cinematic vision influenced the soundscape of the album too, and it shows. Froggatt thinks if the album were a movie, it would be “The Place Beyond the Pines”. He’s not wrong. Brooding Ryan Gosling, Motorbikes, dappled golden light, all those ocular queues can be heard in the musical arrangements here.

BRB, going to sort out life. Right after we re-watch, and re-listen…

The Grand Tour’s eleven tracks chase a highly ambitious concept. The album is an artistic reflection of the journey of the Voyager 1’s journey from earth, up until it’s crossing into interstellar space in 2012.

The intro to the album samples voices from the time of launch of the voyager, before launching into the opening tack ‘Mars’. Musically, Mars’ relaxed guitar and catchy baseline does seem to have a sense of adventure, or at least hopefulness. Though, the lyrics are a lament on ‘missing human touch’ from a lover, who might as well be ‘live on Mars’. These lyrics set the tone for the rest of the album, that plunge into sadness throughout.

‘Don’t treat me like you do’ is the first taste of how despairing this journey BATTS wants to take her listeners on may get, the production is stripped back, and her voice is chillingly pretty, as she ruminates on a doomed relationship.

After an interlude of the same vein as intro, the album picks up the tempo a bit on the super catchy track ‘Shame’, before crashing back into solemnity on the beautifully simple ‘Folding Chairs’, this is a personal highlight. The lyrics sound so deeply personal, yet parallel this concept of the voyager so poignantly, whose mission is doomed to never end.

The album captures a solemn sense of melancholic beauty, told through seemingly personal stories, though with the overarching theme in mind they take on a higher poignancy and richer meaning.

The debut album ‘Love is a Landmine’ from Sydney quartet I Know Leopard is a dreamy synthpop journey through the familiar trials of love. This album has a playful synth sound with added grandeur from the occasional addition of piano and violin.

Standout single ‘Heather’ displays the band in all its glittery glory, flaunting an upbeat sound and catchy pop melody. Despite its typically cheerful sound, lead singer Luke O’Loughlin manages to secretly embed each song with deeply emotional lyrics. This dichotomy of pleasure and pain which exists traditionally in matters of the heart is prevalent throughout the album.

The opening song ‘Landmine’ serves as a perfect example of this, delivering the album title lyrics “love is a landmine” over a soft rock-esque sound. When discussing this theme O’Loughlin states “There’s no way of experiencing love without pain”.

True to this statement, ‘Love is a Landmine’ presents the relationship between the glam of I Know Leopard and the trials of romantic pursuit, keeping the band equal parts fantasy and relatable in nature.

Playing the Workers Club in Geelong on Thursday 23rd May this live show will be a combination of glitter and heartbreak that is not to be missed.

Tight is the first word that comes to mind when listening to this CD. Of course, that’s not surprising given a line-up like Paul Winstanley, Adam Gilliver, Luke Gale and Matt Orchard. All of them have pedigrees in the Victorian music scene, and now they also have the Great Ocean Road in common as their new stamping ground.

Last year they headed into the House of Rock at Apollo Bay and started work on these recordings. I don’t like massively preened studio recordings, I like live music, and this is the next best thing, straight forward recordings, a minimum of tweaking and an honest sound. A recording like that, as polished and tight as it is, from that spells skill.

The tracks are mostly original, put together by “various combinations” of the group, and show that the skill goes well beyond playing. This material will be a valuable addition to a music collection.

It’s on vinyl, CD and download in the usual places.

If you like some full-on rock, which is not ashamed to pull in blues to show where it came from, then you’ll like this one. They play the Aireys pub and I’ll be heading there to hear them live. Stand out for me is ‘Honeymoon in Vegas’.

710

39

WRITTEN BY ALASTAIR MCGIBBON

BLUES NEWS

WRITTEN BY JOHN (DR JOHN) LAMP

TOO HEAVY TO HUG

SURFBEAT

WRITTEN BY ANTHONY MORRIS

POP

WRITTEN BY PAUL S. TAYLOR

BY JOHN FOSS

Gregg Araki is the latest in the long line of independent cinema stars to make the leap to television with Now Apocalypse (now available on Stan), a series that combines his usual obsessions – dim-witted but hot teens and 20-somethings getting it on a lot, plus bizarre stuff that in this case involves alien lizards – in a way that manages to be just weird enough to feel like you’re watching a real show and not just a bunch of hot people making out. Even though a fair chunk of Now Apocalypse really is basically that.

As the man behind films like The Doom Generation, Mysterious Skin and The Living End (and my personal favourite, the especially demented Kaboom), he has serious cred with the arthouse crowd; as someone who in recent years has directed episodes of the TV version of Heathers and Riverdale, he’s seen his over-heated teen ascetic edge closer to the mainstream. But that’s increasingly how television works: while movies are basically only interested in superhero blockbusters, low budget horror and other genre material that might make a fortune, and equally low budget “serious” films that might hit a cultural nerve or win some awards, television is increasingly the place for film-makers whose interests lie beyond those narrow horizons.

The real surprise is why it’s taken Araki so long to have his own series; much like the godfather of the arthouse film - slash - television crossover David Lynch, Araki’s interests in many ways are the same as regular, popular television – just turned on their side and then turned up to eleven.

So while in a regular drama of this type there’d be a whole lot of lustful glances and unresolved sexual tension, here everyone pretty much just has sex with whoever they please as part of their aimless drifting LA lifestyle (weird science and trying to get into the media end up converging to some extent) – while also having lustful thoughts and conversations about those rare people that for whatever reason (usually they’re disappointingly straight or sexually conservative) they can’t get into bed.

As for the alien lizard invasion that may (or may not) be happening, that initially seems here mostly to symbolise the general unease everyone is feeling (alongside their thirstiness) – after all, LA in general (but especially the media) is also full of very human predators.

So, you couldn’t really call this a series driven by its plot… or its characters, though the four main leads and their intersecting (and overlapping) desires do keep things ticking over. The thing is, it wasn’t really all that long ago that there was still room for this kind of thing at the (arthouse) cinema, and the fact it’s made the jump to television just underlines how conservative much of movie-going has become.

Now Apocalypse isn’t exactly a comedy, but it does have a bunch of funny lines (and the hipster characters have the kind of endearing charm that can make material funny) at a time when arthouse cinema has become almost painfully serious and laugh-free, and even television doesn’t really seem to know what’s funny more often than not.

Long story short: Now Apocalypse is both deeply weird and easy to get into, a decent introduction to Araki’s work if he’s new to you and a fun extension of his obsessions if you’re a long-time fan. Plus, you know, space lizards.

Well hey there, comic fans! I hope you’re ready for another round of comic book madness, because this week’s book has insanity written all over it!

This week I’ve picked up a book that I started reading back when it was coming out as single issues that I never actually got around to finishing until now – Batman: White Knight, written and drawn by the amazingly talented Sean Murphy (Punk Rock Jesus, The Wake). I’ve been a fan of Murphy’s for a while, and having him put his own spin on the Dark Knight is truly a sight to behold. White Knight explores a concept that first caught my attention in the sadly short-lived and under-appreciated Bedlam, which seems destined to remained buried in Nick Spencer’s “to-do” pile.

We’re all familiar with the titanic struggle between the Dark Knight and the Clown Prince of Crime; Batman vs the Joker is as ubiquitous as Vegemite on toast, and it’s etched in the minds of children everywhere.

But what if the roles were reversed? What if – by some amazing feat of medicine – the Joker could regain his sanity? What if the Joker – now going by his real name, Jack Napier – decided to atone for his crimes, and attempt to heal the city his alter-ego had terrorised for years? Cured and looking to make amends, Jack reunites with his long-suffering partner, Harley Quinn – the original Harley, that is – and decides to win over the people of Gotham. Jack aims to discredit the man he sees as being the true threat to Gotham – an increasingly brutal and desperate Batman.

White Knight is a great example of a fresh take on existing characters being done right. It’s not a case of a massive upheaval or a minor change with little fundamental difference, but rather a solid balance of both. There are enough changes to keep things fresh – for example, the idea that there are two Harley Quinns; for the record, the latter took on the role after the original grew disillusioned with Joker’s deepening obsession with Batman and left him. The Joker, being too insane to care, took in an obsessive hostage, who became the modern, shorts wearing incarnation of the character made famous by Margot Robbie.

Murphy’s art is pretty much perfect for Batman – his lineart is detailed, but gritty, and his character designs are seriously amazing. His use of shadow – vital for any Batman book, let’s be real – is spot on, and colourist Matt Hollingsworth knocks it out of the park, complimenting Murphy’s style beautifully. There are a number of small tweaks to the character designs that work really well – adding a collar to Bats’ cape, the similarities between the two Harleys, and Nightwing’s insistence on wearing a trucker cap come to mind – and it all comes together to make some amazing artwork.

Murphy has established himself as one of my favourite artists in recent years – The Wake has some spectacular artwork – and I haven’t been this pumped about a sequel (Batman: Curse of the White Knight has been announced, due for release sometime this year) for a long time.

If you’re a Batman fan – and really, who isn’t, these days? - White Knight should definitely be on your radar already. If you haven’t picked it up, I recommend giving it a go – it’s really something special.

A couple of special raw sounding blues events this time round.

Bag O’ Nails are a blues-rock power trio who have been wowing audiences with their high energy and dynamic performances throughout Australia since 2004. Their live album Nailed Live at St Andrews Hotel is described as “… an absolute scorcher!” by Steve Passiouras, presenter of Fret Net on PBSFM. The trio consists of Trevor Murray (guitarist/vocalist), John Hampton (bass) and John Veltman (drums).

Trevor joined his first band, Melbourne rhythm and blues outfit, Dangerous Goods, at 21. At 24 he moved to London and continued to play in various groups before returning to Sydney. Following five years of playing in Sydney with groups such as Black & Blues, he moved back to Melbourne in 2000 and formed Bag O’ Nails.

John “Lord” Hampton started playing bass in the mid 70’s. He played in various bands throughout England until migrating to Australia in 2004. John came across Bag O’ Nails in 2006 and was a regular at their gigs. When the bass player retired due to health reasons in 2007, John jumped at the opportunity to join the guys.

John Veltman started hitting the skins at 13 and began collecting albums from Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, The Who to name a few. He played in various bands in the 80’s and 90’s such as Noisy Neighbors and Scapegoat. In 2009 Bag O’ Nails was in need of a new drummer and John was looking forward to finally playing the blues rock that got him interested in the drums to begin with.

So, what are you in for? Some high energy lead guitar, melodic bass and drums that create a wall of sound reminiscent of many great trios of the past.

If you like your blues doused in downright dirty rock n’ roll, and who doesn’t, you won’t want to miss Bag O’ Nails at this month’s Sleepy Hollow gig on the 24th.

Recently a most unusual photo floated across my desk. Prominent was Kay Gibbons, but with amazingly retro hair.

Soon, all was explained. Direct from the 80’s, Geelong’s own power R&B band Bluesmobile will be reforming on March 23rd at Club Italia. Apparently, it will have 90% of the original line up (Kay Gibbons, Rob Anderson, Bill Van Parreren, Ron Hilla, Rod Baxter, Sharryn Toms, Grant Brockley) plus two special guests (Lenny Keys and Jeffery Noll) to make this band jump again.

Stringy’s back for a session at Pistol Pete’s. He and Molly are passing through Geelong on the 21st.

Last time they were here was May last year with a new CD – this seems to be becoming a welcome annual event. His influences come from Tom Waits, Chris Whitely and just about anyone who sings like they’ve eaten gravel or play slide guitar with soul. He describes his material as “flatbelly desert blues and stuff” and has produced a great, raw sound that sounds like the original blues musicians have been transplanted into the 21st century.

You’re spoiled for choice really – Stringy on the 16th, the Reunion on the 23rd, or Bag O’ Nails on the 24th.

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

At time of writing, I woke to the awful news that the legendary Keith Flint, dancer and vocalist for The Prodigy, had taken his own life at the age of 49. The Prodigy are no strangers to the heavy metal scene, they’ve played metal festivals and been covered in almost every metal mag ever, they’re the only band that I can think of that has garnered fans from seemingly opposing musical genres; electronic/break beat/dance and metal. With so much love and adoration from across the globe, from so many fans of music towards everyone in the band, it’s impossible to imagine why Keith would feel the way he felt which lead to this extremely tragic and sad end. As usual, always check in with those around you and if you need to speak to someone, engage one of the many services out there.

Also, see below for details about how you can help out Beyond Blue and see some local metal bands at the same time.

SURFERS RALLY AGAINST BIG OIL IN THE BIGHT Last year I wrote about plans by Equinor to drill for oil in the Great Australian Bight.

The companies own modeling shows that if there was an accident, oil could be spread from the Bight along the coasts of South Australia, Victoria and possibly into New South Wales as far up as Port Macquarie.

The prospect of some of our most beautiful and iconic surf locations being covered in black sludge has united coastal communities from one end of the country to then other.

Sunday 3rd March will go down in history as the day almost 7,000 surfers around Australia paddled out at 12 beaches to protest against Equinor’s plans.

One of the biggest rallies was held in Torquay which has a history of punching well above its weight when it comes to a good old community march. In 2009 over 2,500 people came together for the infamous Red Rally where the community expressed their outrage at plans by the local council to develop the entire Spring Creek Valley from Torquay to Bellbrae. A few years back over 1,000 people attended a rally at Fisherman’s Beach in support of sharks who were getting a heap of poor press at the time (attacking surfers will do that to your image).

Sunday 3rd was the big one. The weather was hot but not too hot and cloud cover provided relief from the sun.

From 10.30am people started to descend on Torquay Front Beach with every kind of surfboard imaginable under their arms.

Whole families could be seen walking to the beach carrying surfboard, longboards, paddle boards, boogie boards… anything that could float.

By mid-day there were an estimated 3,000 people on the beach and grassed areas as local surfer Damien Cole stepped up with a megaphone to inform and inspire the local community.

And then suddenly people on surfboards started to hit the water for the paddle out.

First ten, twenty, fifty and finally hundreds of surfers hit the water and headed east… following a large mock up of an oil rig strapped to an even bigger stand up paddle board. It was amazing sight…. this huge number of people hitting the water and paddling as one to a fixed point in the middle of the bay. Hundreds and hundreds of surfers young and old… coming together with a common cause and strong sense of community.

After the paddleout a few of us stood on the beach and tried to make sense of the numbers. 1,000, 2,000 how many had paddled out? After looking back over the photos and drone footage we settled on 2,000+.

That’s a lot of people in a coastal town telling a Norwegian oil company… to shove it!

40

PULP

In other news ++ Max and Iggor Cavalera will reunite to perform classic tracks from their landmark albums Beneath The Remains and Arise at 170 Russell on Thursday March 21. ++ Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals along with King Parrot will play Max Watts on Friday March 22. ++ Obscura with special guests Alarum and Somnium Nox will be at the Corner Hotel on Saturday March 20. ++ Ballarat’s Eastern Station Hotel will host night one of Beyond Black, the metal festival that raises funds for Beyond Blue, on Friday March 22. Night two will be held at Melbourne’s Bendigo Hotel on Saturday March 23. Head on over to check out some local bands and help raise money for a great cause. ++ Whitechapel will release their new album The Valley on Friday March 29. ++ Emperor will play their landmark album Anthems To The Welkin At Dusk in its entirety at 170 Russell on Wednesday April 3. ++ You Am I will play a Spinal Tap set entitled ‘The Majesty of Tap’ at Ballarat’s Karova Lounge on Wednesday April 10. ++ Crack out your 26 Red or Cross Colour jeans because Heistfest 2019 featuring Superheist, 36 Crazyfists, From Crisis To Collapse plus more to be announced, will be held at The Evelyn Hotel on Friday April 12. ++ Boris The Blade have announced their farewell tour and will play Ballarat’s Eastern Station Hotel on Wednesday April 17, Warrnambool’s Loft on Friday April 19, the Evelyn Hotel on Friday May 3 to a sold out crowd, and a second Melbourne show at the Workers Club on Thursday May 2. ++ At The Gates, The Haunted and Witchery will be at Melbourne’s Max Watts on Saturday April 27. ++ Sevendust will play the Forum on Saturday April 27. ++ Hypocrisy, with special guests Kataklysm, will be at 170 Russell on Sunday May 5. ++ Destoryer 66 with special guests Bolzer will play Melbourne’s Max Watts on Saturday June 1. ++ Crowbar will be at Melbourne’s Max Watts on Saturday July 27. ++ Slipknot will release their currently untitled new album on Friday August 9. ++ The Soilwork gig has been postponed and will now be at Max Watts on Saturday November 2.

Proudly presented by the Sleepy Hollow Blues Club 710

++ 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

40

41

710

41

GUIDE THURS 14TH

THE LOFT: TOEJAM ROCKS

BEAVS BAR: ANDY FORSTER

MAJOR TOM’S: AMAYA LAUCIRICA

BELMONT HOTEL: UNIRAYS ROOFTOP PARTY

MAVS ZORBA NIGHT

THE BRIDGE: LYDIA COLE, MIMI GILBERT & MATTHEW COLIN

MELBOURNE QUEER FILM FESTIVAL

THE DECK: 90S DOUBLE DENIM PARTY

PALAIS-HEPBURN: EMILY GRANT

EDGE GEELONG: LIVE MUSIC AND DJ FURPHY HALL: DAVE HUGHES WITH BRAD OAKES KAROVA LOUNGE: PIERCE BROTHERS THE INN: BOTTOMLESS THURSDAY’S THE LOST ONES: OUT OF COPYRIGHT MOVIE NIGHT MELBOURNE QUEER FILM FESTIVAL PISTOL PETE’S: GEOFF ACHISON FRI 15TH AIREYS INLET OPEN MIC FESTIVAL AMPED: EINSTEINS TOYBOYS BARWON CLUB: PIERCE BROTHERS, TAY OSKEE, PALEO DISCO BEAVS BAR: LUKE BISCAN BRIDGE HOTEL: DANNY WALSH BANNED CAPITAL THEATRE: IAN MOSS THE DECK: KARAOKE THE EASTERN: LONGBOYS OVER-BORED EDGE GEELONG: LIVE MUSIC AND DJS THE ENGINE ROOM BENDIGO: THE BELLY DANCER GROVEDALE HOTEL: MADZ GOT RICH THE LOFT: THE TOMMYHAWKS MAJOR TOM’S: SKYSCRAPER STAN MELBOURNE QUEER FILM FESTIVAL PISTOL PETES: LOS BORRACHOS ROTARY CLUB OF GEELONG WEST BOOK FAIR SJC COMEDY FOR A CAUSE SHEPPARTON FESTIVAL TORQUAY HOTEL: WILL GARDINER & KIM COOPER

BEAVS BAR: RYAN BELL BLACKMAN’S BREWERY: SURF COAST BBQ BLOCK PARTY BLOOM: ASH ROY BRIDGE HOTEL: THE TOMMYHAWKS EDGE: LIVE MUSIC AND DJ THE ENGINE ROOM BENDIGO: THE BELLY DANCER THE EASTERN: SKYSCRAPER STAN GMHBA: MOVIE NIGHT AT THE STADIUM GROVEDALE HOTEL: WILL GARDINER & KIM COOPER HOME HOUSE: CHARDY, DE MUNARI LEURA PARK: SUMMERSALT WITH XAVIER RUDD

QUEENSCLIFF BREWHOUSE: SLYDEBACK

SHEPPARTON FESTIVAL THE WORKERS CLUB GEELONG: FULTON STREET

SHEPPARTON FESTIVAL THE SPHINX: COPYCAT KILLERS, THE BON JOVI EXPERIENCE

FRI 22ND

TORQUAY HOTEL: CORONA SUNSETS PRESENTS THE JEZABELS

AMPED: MR MEANER, HOODOO GURUS TRIBUTE

THE VALLEY INN: ABI GRACE

ANGLESEA MEMORIAL HALL: HACHIKU, LOOSE TOOTH, JADE IMAGINE

WORKERS CLUB GEELONG: WARPED

BARWON CLUB: VINTAGE CROP, VERTIGO, HOUSE DEPOSIT, PROGRAM, DJ BLACKWAVE

SUN 17TH AIREYS INLET OPEN MIC FESTIVAL

BEAVS BAR: RYAN BELL

BALLAN AUTUMN FESTIVAL

CASTLEMAINE STATE FESTIVAL

BLACKMANS BREWERY: ROAST RIB SUNDAYS

THE DECK: KARAOKE

THE BRIDGE: LEAH SENIOR

THE EASTERN: BEYOND BLACK MUSIC FESTIVAL

ELEPHANT & CASTLE HOTEL: ST PATRICK’S DAY

EDGE GEELONG: LIVE MUSIC AND DJ

THE ENGINE ROOM BENDIGO: THE BELLY DANCER

GROVEDALE HOTEL: CRAIG SAYER

GROVEDALE HOTEL: ANDY FORSTER

GPAC: CINDERELLA

IRISH FOLK FESTIVAL

THE LOFT: FULL TONE GENERATOR

LIMEBURNERS: IZZY LOSI

MELBOURNE QUEER FILM FESTIVAL

MELBOURNE QUEER FILM FESTIVAL

MAJOR TOM’S: PLEASURE COMA

MURPHYS: ST PATRICKS DAY FESTIVAL

PALAIS-HEPBURN: EXPOSING EDITH

PISTOL PETES: LEIGH SLOGGERT DUO

THE PIER: TWILIGHT NIGHT AT THE PIER

SHEPPARTON FESTIVAL

PISTOL PETE’S: CHECKERBOARD LOUNGE

SOUTH GEELONG FARMERS MARKET

SHEPPARTON FESTIVAL

TERINDAH ESTATE: SUNDAY SESSIONS

TORQUAY HOTEL: GRETTA RAY, FEELDS, ELLA SWEENEY

TORQUAY COWRIE MARKET

WORKERS CLUB GEELONG: SONGWRITERS IN THE ROUND

VALHALLA: GARY THACKRAH MON 18TH

SAT 23RD

THE ENGINE ROOM BENDIGO: THE BELLY DANCER

SHEPPARTON FESTIVAL

BARWON CLUB: EDDIE EXAMPLE

THE INN: BOTTOMLESS THURSDAY’S

PISTOL PETE’S: STRINGYBARK MCDOWELL & MOLLY

QUEENSCLIFF BREWHOUSE: TRENT HAMILTON

WORKERS CLUB GEELONG: HOLD// FIRE SINGLE LAUNCH

AMPED: PEOPLES POETS

PISTOL PETE’S: BIG BLUE

PIANO BAR: STRUT

PISTOL PETES: SHANNON BOURKE BAND

GMHBA: A NIGHT UNDER THE LIGHTS

AIREYS INLET OPEN MIC FESTIVAL

FURPHY HALL: ELLA HOOPER DUO & POLLYMAN FEAT. GEORGE WILSON MELBOURNE QUEER FILM FESTIVAL

MILDURA ARTS CENTRE: IAN MOSS

THE VALLEY INN: MATT ORCHARD

SAT 16TH

89A RYRIE ST, GEELONG 3 STORES ACROSS BENDIGO, BALLARAT & GEELONG WWW.OFFYATREE.COM.AU

PRESENTED BY

AIREYS PUB: BARBARELLA & THE MISFITS AMPED: LOOSE CANNONS BARWON CLUB: AYA AYA, THE STATE SYSTEM, SMOKE WITCH, GOLDEN AGE, DJ LONSTAR

MELBOURNE QUEER FILM FESTIVAL

BEAVS BAR: JEFF JORDAN

TUES 19TH

BENDIGO HOTEL: BEYOND BLACK MUSIC FESTIVAL

MELBOURNE QUEER FILM FESTIVAL PISTOL PETE’S: SARAH CARROLL

BENDIGO CRAFT BEER AND CIDER FESTIVAL

SHEPPARTON FESTIVAL

BLACKMAN’S BREWERY: THE BARREL FARM OFFICIAL LAUNCH

WED 20TH

BLOOM: NEELIX

ARCHIVE WINE BAR: FOR THE LOVE OF CHARDONNAY TASTING

CASTLEMAINE STATE FESTIVAL

BEAVS BAR: OPEN MIC, KARAOKE, LUKE BISCAN

DAY BY THE BAY FESTIVAL

CHERRY BAR: SKYSCRAPER STAN EDGE: LIVE MUSIC AND DJ

CHYA: NO LIGHTS, NO LYCRA

GEELONG HOTEL: BUTTERFINGERS

MELBOURNE QUEER FILM FESTIVAL

GROVEDALE HOTEL: DARA HESSION

PIANO BAR: B*TCHES WITH BALLS

GPAC: ECHOES OF PINK FLOYD

PISTOL PETE’S: ETHAN & IVAN

GPAC: CINDERELLA

SHEPPARTON FESTIVAL

HOME HOUSE: JDG, DJ PHILLY

THURS 21ST

KAROVA LOUNGE: AUNTIE LEO & THE BACKSTABBERS

BEAVS BAR: ANDY FORSTER BLACKMAN’S BREWERY: PINTS & PUPS IN GEELONG

ROCK OFF MND SHEPPARTON FESTIVAL THE SPHINX: REWIND 80S, INXSIVE – A TRIBUTE TO INXS TORQUAY HOTEL: PEOPLES POET WORKERS CLUB GEELONG: THE BOOM BOOM ROOM SUN 24TH AMPED: THE ALICE EFFECT ANGLESEA MEMORIAL HALL: KATIE NOONAN, MICHAEL LEUNIG, GRATITUDE AND GRIEF BARWON CLUB: PARTY FOR ARCHIE FUNDRAISER SHOW, ICKY STICKS, IBIS, IMMY OWUSU BIG EAR: BEER 101 BLACK HATT: CALLUM WATSON JAZZ SOIREES BLACKMANS BREWERY: ROAST RIB SUNDAYS CASTLEMAINE STATE FESTIVAL DEANS MARSH FESTIVAL THE EASTERN: DAN KELLY & FRIENDS EDGE GEELONG: LIVE MUSIC GEELONG RECORD FAIR GROVEDALE HOTEL: MICHAEL MONEA GPAC: NASHVILLE LIVE GPAC: CINDERELLA THE LOST ONES: MR ALFORD LORNE HOTEL: CORONA SUNSETS PRESENTS THE JEZABELS MELBOURNE QUEER FILM FESTIVAL PISTOL PETE’S: ALEX BURNS DUO ROCK THE BLOCK BALLARAT SHEPPARTON FESTIVAL TERINDAH ESTATE: SUNDAY SESSIONS VALHALLA: LIZZI MAY MON 25TH CASTLEMAINE STATE FESTIVAL MELBOURNE QUEER FILM FESTIVAL SHEPPARTON FESTIVAL TUES 26TH CASTLEMAINE STATE FESTIVAL PISTOL PETE’S: SARAH CARROLL SHEPPARTON FESTIVAL VALHALLA TAPROOM: POETRY NIGHT & ALTER EGO MAG LAUNCH WED 27TH BEAVS: OPEN MIC, KARAOKE, LUKE BISCAN BLACK HATT: SASQUATCH (USA), JACK HARLON AND THE DEAD CROWS + SMOKE WITCH CASTLEMAINE STATE FESTIVAL GPAC: CINDERELLA PISTOL PETE’S: DEAN HAITANI SHEPPARTON FESTIVAL SPHINX HOTEL: BLUE BOYS

MELBOURNE QUEER FILM FESTIVAL PALAIS-HEPBURN: MODERN MAORI QUARTET

RECESS 42

POTATO SHED: WE’VE ONLY JUST BEGUN

710

EDGE 42

PH: 5278 2911

SPHINXHOTEL.COM.AU 710

43