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IN THIS ISSUE...
12
HOT TALK
16
TOURING
18
THE HIVES
20
ARTS GUIDE, PROMETHEUS, THE MOTHER FUCKER WITH THE HAT
22
ART OF THE CITY THE COMIC STRIP
ELEPHANT EYES P. 52
24
LET’S DANCE
26
SWERVE
27
KEEP EVERYTHING
28
SHAME SWERVE REVIEW
PROMETHEUS P. 20 EXPERIENCE JIMI HENDRIX P. 49
45
BONJAH
46
INDUSTRIAL
47
THE BLACK SEEDS
48
NEW ESTATE
49
EXPERIENCE JIMI HENDRIX
50
NICKY BOMBA’S BUSTAMENTO
52
THE DELTA RIGGS, ELEPHANT EYES, NADEA
54
CORE/CRUNCH!, HANZEL UND GRETYL
56
MUSIC NEWS
60
ALBUM OF THE WEEK, SINGLES, CHARTS
THIS WEEK IN 100%:
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SENIOR CONTRIBUTORS: Christine Lan, Simone Ubaldi, Patrick Emery, Jesse Shrock. COLUMNISTS: Emily Kelly, Peter Hodgson. CONTRIBUTORS: Tyson Wray, Adam Baidawi, Helen Barradell, Matt Bendall, Cam Binger, Graham Blackley, Chris Bright, Rose Callaghan, Adam Camilleri, Paige Cho, Stefan Chrisp, Nick Clarke, Talitha Conway, Dave Dawson, John Donaldson, Justin Donnelly, Georgia Doyle, Cam Ewart, Paul Fischer, Lawson Fletcher, Jack Franklin, Chris Girdler, Sean Gleeson, Aleisha Hall, Louise Hardwick, Daniel Hedger, Nick Hilton, Lyndon Horsburgh, Briony Jones, Lachlan Kanoniuk, Cassandra Kiely, Greg King, Joshua Kloke, Stuart Lynch, Rhys McCrae, Ruth McIver, Adam McKenzie, Kylie McLaughlin, Nick Mason, Tyler Mathes, Krystal Maynard, Anna Megalogenis, Al Newstead, James Nicoli, John O’Rourke, Matt Panag, Jack Parsons, Liam Pieper, Steve Phillips, David Prescott-Steed, James Ridley, Gav Ross, Leigh Salter, Tim Scott, Denis Semchenko, Side Man, Matt Sutherland, Lin Tan, Steve Tauschke, Brigitte Trobbiani, Rene Schaefer, Melanie Sheridan, Jeremy Sheaffe, Kelly Theobald, Andrew Tijs, Alistair Wallis, Etienne Waring, Dan Watt, Rod Whitfield, Katie Weiss, Tom Whitty, Cara Williams, Simon Williamson, Bronius Zumeris. © 2012 Furst Media Pty Ltd. No part may be reproduced without the consent of the copyright holder.
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FREE SHIT
THE XX
The boys from Bonjah are playing their last east coast headline tour of 2012, topping off an already huge year before they head to London and start work on their third album. We spoke to them about it – flip to page 45 in these here pages. The fellas will farewell Melbourne with a huge show at The Corner on Friday June 8 with support from Buckley Ward and Mitch Davis & The Dawn Chorus. We have two double passes to give away. The price is right. Navigate your way to beat.com.au/ freeshit for this and heaps of other good stuff.
Stark, sweet, melancholic pop trio The xx have announced that they’ll be returning to Australian shores for a short two-stop tour. The xx last visited Melbourne for the 2010 St. Jeromes Laneway Festival, and on Monday wrote on their Facebook: "We are very excited to be returning to Australia soon for two small shows..." The xx play The Forum on Wednesday July 18, and there was a lottery ticket system to buy tickets. The winners will be notified via email at 9am today.
CANCER BATS “Fuelled by a burning desire to rage harder, play louder, and have more fun than any other band”, Canadian hardcore outfit Cancer Bats will be making their way back to Australia to play a brief stint of east coast dates. The band’s last visit to Australia saw them as special guests of Bullet For My Valentine, as well as wedging in a performance at Ding Dong. This tour is in support of the punk band’s fourth studio album, Dead Set On Living, released in April this year. Cancer Bats will be turning The Hi-Fi into rolling pits of punk rock hell on Saturday July 14.
DANIEL MERRIWEATHER
EMMA LOUISE
MARTIKA
Emma Louise has had a whirlwind past 12 months on the back of the success of her debut EP. She’s had massive tours around Australia and overseas, her single Jungle is on the verge of achieving Gold status sales, and she recently signed to esteemed US label Frenchkiss, who boast the likes of Bloc Party, Passion Pit and The Drums on their impressive list of artists. In even better news for Melbournian fans of Louise, she has announced a second show at The Northcote Social Club on Thursday June 28 after selling out her first. Tickets are selling fast so get in quick if you don’t want to miss out on seeing this one-of-a-kind songstress.
‘80s pop icon, Martika is set to tour Australia for the first ever time this September. Selling over five million albums throughout the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, Martika released a slew of chart hits including Martika’s Kitchen, More Than You Know, Coloured Kisses’ and I Feel The Earth Move to name just a few. In recent years, Martika was re-introduced to public consciousness through the inclusion of her Toy Soldiers sample in Eminem’s monster single of the same name. Catch this pop sensation performing her massive catalogue of hits live in Australia for the very first time as she plays Trak Lounge Bar on Friday September 28, tickets available via Ticketmaster.
After blowing audiences away with his intimate performances in Melbourne and Sydney and his phenomenally received support slots on Kimbra’s national tour, Daniel Merriweather is announcing one last show at The Northcote Social Club this Sunday June 17, due to overwhelming demand before heading back to New York where he is at work on his sophomore album. The encore performance comes a month after his breathtaking homecoming gig at a sold-out Phoenix Public House which had the lucky crowd in rapture. This will be your last chance to experience Daniel’s captivating live show for quite some time, so don’t miss it. Even
YELLOWCARD After promptly selling out their first Melbourne show earlier this month, Florida punk band Yellowcard have announced a second show to cater for the high demand. The show is being added to the band’s east coast tour in September, their first headline shows in Australia since 2007. Supporting will be Sydney pop punk band Heroes For Hire and local pop rock outfit For Our Hero. Yellowcard’s second show takes place on Thursday September 20 at The Hi-Fi.
f r o n t s p a c e 212a Whitehall St
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1 0 A M
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EVEN AND THE FAUVES Even and The Fauves are two names that loom large in the parthenon of Australian music. For nigh on 20 years these two bands of seasoned road warriors have blazed trails up and down this fine country. From every sweat drenched bandroom to every parking lot bust up, Even and The Fauves have bared witness to it all. Surprisingly, given the decades notched up between the two bands, these diggers have never toured together. This was clearly a situation to be rectified and now rectified it is. Even and The Fauves proudly announce that they will be coming together at last on the aptly named Together At Last tour. And that’s not the only thing they are celebrating. Both bands have brand spanking new albums to take to the salivating masses, Even with, In Another Time and The Fauves with, German Engines. Catch these two legendary bands join forces at The Regal Ballroom on Friday June 29.
SOUND HEALING WORKSHOP WITH GITANJALI & MAETRYA
w w w . p u r u s h a . c o m . a u
JULIA STONE
Sunday 24th June
Following up from the success of her new album, By The Horns and selling out international shows in London, Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam, LA and New York, Julia Stone has announced she will be playing a string of dates around Australia. Featuring the gorgeous songs Let’s Forget All The Things That We Say and It’s All Okay, By The Horns was hailed as a critical success by the likes of triple j and Harper’s Bazaar. Stone plays The Forum on Friday September 7.
1 . 3 0 P M
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5 . 3 0 P M
MILTON WITH RAY PEREIRA E X P E R I E N C E T H E S O U N D S O F R AY PEREIRA
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ROCKWIZ In 2010, the RockWiz Team took to the road and played 35 shows in 19 venues across Australia. A rotating cavalcade of stars surprised and delighted packed houses from Hobart to Darwin, from Perth to Byron Bay. Contestants from the audience demonstrated amazing rock knowledge, even performing karaoke with the RocKwiz Orkestra. Raved by critics and punters alike, they’re bringing it back in 2012 – and we couldn’t be more stoked. Heading all around Australia, the RocKwiz Some Kind Of Genius live tour will make its mark on Festival Hall on Friday October 12.
Kim Salmon
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ROCK FOR RECLINK An all-star stellar cast has been assembled for Rock For Reclink which is to be held on Saturday June 30 at The Hi-Fi to celebrate the Reclink Community Cup week, and features some of the best names on the scene. Performing on the evening at Rock For Reclink will be The Blackeyed Susans Trio, Dave Larkin Band, Davey Lane, Jess Ribeiro & The Bone Collectors, Kim Salmon, Leena, Matt Sonic & The High Times, and The Ronson Hangup. Legendary. The Reclink Community Cup, taking place this year on Sunday June 24 at Elsternwick Park, is an entrenched institution on the music and events calendar for many Melbournians over the past 20 years. Names such as The Blackeyed Susans Trio and Kim Salmon need little introduction, having been responsible for creating some of the sounds that shaped Australia’s post-punk musical backbone over the past 30 or so years. All artists have donated their time to perform at Rock For Reclink in support of Reclink Australia, and its mission to provide sport and arts activities to enhance the lives of people experiencing disadvantage in Australia. Tickets are $35+bf and available now via Moshtix. Local line-ups don’t get much better than this, so don’t miss out.
QUARRY MOUNTAIN DEAD RATS SYN FREE KICK COMP – DRUNK MUMS Drunk Mums will have the honour of joining Bunny Monroe, Boomgates and Blue Ruin on stage at the Reclink Community Cup this year at Elsternwick Park on Sunday June 24, after a bunch of highly impressive bands battled it out at The Tote Hotel as part of the annual SYN Free Kick Competition. Drunk Mums are a four-piece hailing from Cairns, who now call Melbourne their home, heavily influenced by Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Mummies, and Black Lips. That being the case, it won’t be too far a stretch for them to perform a song by The Cramps (a prerequisite of the winning band) as part of their set in keeping with the Can The Megas Do The Dogs theme this year.
Quarry Mountain Dead Rats’ highly anticipated debut album is here. After catching the eyes – and ears – of producer Shane Nicholson with their raw and gritty version of bluegrass, the band headed to Nash Chambers’ Foggy Mountain Studios in the Hunter Valley to record their debut album Bloodhound Killed My Squeezebox last September. They establish an ‘old mate’ affinity with their audiences while delivering a kick-you-in-the-face live show, setting the tone for a sing along, drink along, foot-stomping good time. The band’s instrumentation of banjo, mandolin, acoustic guitar, double bass and washboard fits the bluegrass mould, but the influence of old-time mountainmusic combined with rock‘n’roll sensibilities, give way to something altogether different. They launch the album at Northcote Social Club on Saturday June 16 with supports Howlin’ Steam Train, Sweet Jean and Master Gunfighters.
CLUBFEET Originally hailing from Cape Town (though now calling Melbourne home) is Clubfeet, who have just announced their first national tour. Touted as “one of the Southern Hemisphere’s hottest new acts”, the band came out of complete obscurity to release their debut album Gold On Gold in 2010, an album championed by Pitchfork, Spin, RCRD LBL and Discobelle. The band are now celebrating their most recent effort, double A-side City of Light / This Time. Clubfeet will be playing Melbourne at The Toff In Town on Thursday July 5, supported by I’lls’.
RUSSIAN CIRCLES BAND OF SKULLS After swiftly selling out their first Melbourne Splendour In The Grass sideshow, UK rockers Band Of Skulls have announced a second Melbourne date. The three-piece are riding high after the release of the stunning second LP Sweet Sour, and are continuing their upward trajectory on the global stage. Their Melbourne appearances will precede what is sure to be a barnstorming appearance at this year’s Splendour In The Grass. Band Of Skulls hit The Corner on Sunday July 22 (tickets onsale now), and Thursday July 26 (sold-out).
After unleashing their monumental sounds to packed houses across the country last year, experimental metal outfit Russian Circles are back on our shores this September and are bringing Utah duo Eagle Twin along for the ride. Hailing from the windy city of Chicago, Russian Circles have been making their mark on the international underground since 2004. Starting with their self tiled, self released debut EP, Russian Circles have gone onto critical acclaim by recording numerous singles and split releases, not to mention three full length albums. Their latest offering, Emprosis is their fourth and heaviest album to date. Australian audiences, prepare your ears for a serious load of fresh and heavy discordant metal. Although Eagle Twin is a new entity, its helmsman Gentry Densley is no stranger to innovative, heavy music. Densley was the musical visionary and leader of the legendary jazz, prog, rock, metal, hardcore group Iceburn from 1991-2001. In order to disseminate his majestic and mountainous riffs in the present day, he enlisted massive behemoth skinsman Tyler Smith. The two have come together with a love of all things heavy. Russian Circles and Eagle Twin hit The Corner Hotel on Friday September 28.
THE BEACH BOYS History’s definitive pop outfit have announced their return to Australia. The Beach Boys will mark their 50th anniversary by bringing together original members Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston, and David Marks for the first time in over 20 years. Arguably the most influential group of all time, The Beach Boys have indelibly shaped the course of musical history with their ingenious pop smarts. No word yet on whether John Stamos will be reclaiming his role as drummer. Stay tuned. The Beach Boys perform at Rod Laver Arena on Friday August 31. Tickets onsale from 9am Wednesday June 13.
LADY ANTEBELLUM Multi-Platinum group Lady Antebellum have announced that their Own The Night 2012 World Tour will roll into Australia this September for a few select shows. These will be Lady Antebellum’s very first headline shows in Australia, having last toured as special guests for Keith Urban in April 2011 where their outstanding performances received standing ovations after each show. The Grammy award winning trio hit Palais Theatre on Tuesday September 25, tickets on sale 9am Friday June 15 with pre-sale tickets available from Tuesday June 12. Head to livenation.com.au for further details.
WEDNESDAY 13 Wednesday 13, the moniker of Muderdolls frontman Joseph Poole, has announced an Australian tour this October. After the hiatus of Muderdolls in 2004, it wasn’t long before Poole released his first Wednesday 13 album, Transylvania 90210: Songs Of Death, Dying, And The Dead in 2005. Seven years later and Wednesday 13 has released his fourth album Calling All Corpses and will now be sharing its live incarnation with Australian fans. Wednesday 13 play The Espy on Saturday October 27.
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SOPHIE KOH Sophie Koh’s highly anticipated third album Oh My Garden represents a sea-change for the Melbournebased songwriter. The album sees Koh stepping out from behind her guitar to explore new musical terrain with opening singles Lo-Fi and I Understand seeing the songstress break new ground both musically and thematically. Sophie Koh will be launching her new album with a string of special shows at some of her favourite venues around the country including a performance at The Northcote Social Club on Friday July 13. Oh My Garden will be released on Friday July 6.
MONTERO Phoenix Public House are pleased to announce the latest addition to their farewell celebrations for the venue before the sun sets on what has been a short but amazing life for the live music venue. Head down tonight to catch post-economic-meltdown relaxation-pop supergroup, Montero, featuring Ben Montero (Treetops), Geoffrey O’Connor (Crayon Fields), Guy Blackman, Cameron Potts (Ninetynine, Cuba Is Japan), Rob Bravington (Cuba Is Japan) and Gerald Wells (Baptism Of Uzi, Treetops). Think self-help rock, stress ball gazing, new age ocean rock, positive thought manuals and the Indian Ocean. Support on the night comes from Superstar and Jonny Telafone.
BURNING VINYL LIVE BROADCAST Got a Friday free this month? Head down to The Old Bar in Fitzroy from 2pm ‘til 4pm for Burning Vinyl broadcasting live. Every week will be another couple of fabulous free performances by some top musicians, so head down to unwind, enjoy some music and a drink, and support live music courtesy of Burning Vinyl and 3CR. Each week will be different, so don’t miss out. This Friday June 8 will also be featuring Mikelangelo and Lindsay Phillips. If you can’t be there in person, don’t worry, everything will be broadcast live on 855am, 3CR Digital and streaming online.
LA NIGHTS – OSCAR & MARTIN LA Nights has proudly announced that special guests Oscar & Martin will be on DJ duties this Queens Birthday, Monday June 11, at The Workers Club. Oscar & Martin play vibe-alicious dance tracks ranging broadly from old R&B to new R&B. What they lack in skill they make up for in enthusiasm, charisma and un-hinged un-adulterated bumping and grinding. What a perfect way to spend your Queens Birthday, provocatively dancing and booty shaking to the wild tunes of Oscar & Martin, get down to The Workers Club for all the fun.
THE SCARLETS - BENEFIT FOR BLACKIE The Meanies
DEAD
THE PAPER KITES Following on from their sold out run of East Coast shows in February which saw the band debuting their much loved EP Woodland, The Paper Kites are ready to hit the stage again in July and give us a sneak peek of their new material. Hailing from Melbourne, the fivepiece band is renowned for their harmonic, whimsical and romantic folk tunes laced with sounds of the banjo and the mandolin. Their music captivates audiences and conjures up images of nature and dreamlike landscapes. The Paper Kites are set to start recording their new material soon and they can’t wait to show off their exciting new songs in July. The band play the Northcote Social Club on Thursday July 12, tickets are bound to sell out fast so make sure you pick yours up soon to avoid missing out.
LAWRENCE ARABIA With his new album, The Sparrow due for release July 13, Lawrence Arabia will perform a special album preview shows at The Toff In Town on Wednesday July 4. The Sparrow is Arabia’s third solo album – the evocative follow up to his Taite Music Prize, Silver Scroll awarded Chant Darling. Written across his travels in New York and London and recorded live at a home-studio in Surrey, it draws on the symphonic sounds of Serge Gainsbourg and Scott Walker – wide, open pop songs, set to Arabia’s charming turn of phrase. Previewing The Sparrow’s songs in full, Arabia will be joined by his New Zealand band for their first Australian shows since 2009. A limited amount of free tickets are available for both shows when pre-ordering the album in-store Polyester Records.
60 SECONDS WITH…
WE BUILT ATLANTIS Regurgitator Wild stalwart of the Australian Punk scene and pal to underground musicians all over, Blackie (Peter Black) from The Hard Ons has been one of our most spirited and industrious independent musicians for 30 years. In some sad news, he was recently attacked while at work driving a cab – his second job, which helps keep the beloved Hard Ons afloat. Having sustained head injuries and now unable to work for a time, some muso mates including The Spazzys, Regurgitator, The Meanies and Dead have come together to turn the remaining shows of The Hard Ons tour – which would otherwise have been cancelled – into benefit gigs for the recovering guitarist. We spoke to Ben Ely, (Regurgitator), Jem (Dead), and Wally Meanie (The Meanies) about Blackie’s passion, camaraderie, and why they thought it important to get aboard the tour. 1. Why did you personally want to get involved with the Benefit For Blackie? Ben: ‘Cause he’s a legend, and figures very prominently in the early musical history of our band. And of course Peter (our drummer) played with his band for some time so we’ve always felt intimately connected to him and The Hard Ons. Jem: His talents (especially in Nunchukka Superfly) have always been frustratingly underappreciated. I look up to him and Ray for their relentless output, genuine love and passion for what they do and never showing compromise. After being involved in a scene like this for long enough people like Blackie become like family. When family need help, you help. Like a lot of people I feel I owe him something back for years of great songs and live shows and advice along the way. Wally: ‘Cause he’s a bloody top bloke and certainly didn’t deserve to cop it like he did. Hard Ons and The Meanies have a long history. Apart from being a big influence on us, The Hard Ons have given us the good old leg-up on numerous occasions, and been very generous with great tour support slots both here and in Europe. There’s a mutual admiration society going on for sure, and Blackie still comes to see us play whenever we’re in Sydney: still showing that support. 2. What has the response been so far? Ben: If you mean the incident, it’s been outrage. If you mean the event, I’ll have to wait ‘til it happens! Jem: The response has been huge. Overwhelming. While it’s not surprising, it is absolutely heart-warming. It sucks that something this shit had to happen to bring this out, but it makes me feel lucky to be a part of this scene where no one ever gets paid properly, everyone is struggling and yet the solidarity is through the roof. It feels like Blackie and The Hard Ons are getting some compensation for what I believe to be a lack of recognition in this country. It has been especially cool to see people like Steve (Too Far Gone screen printing) and Tym Guitars donating their talents and hard work to the cause.
Beat Magazine Page 14
Steve is a great artist and screen printer and has made a shirt especially to sell and donate all profits. Tym has auctioned and raffled off some of his handmade pedals, which fetch a mint on ebay. Wally: The overall response has been “what the fuck”, ‘cause I mean, who does that shit, fuck me? But because it happened to such a good dude who wouldn’t hurt a fly it’s even worse. Response to his plight has been terrific with benefit gigs popping up all over the place. Blackie (and Ray Ahn, Hard Ons) do a lot for a lot of people, so a lot of folks haven’t been backward in coming forward to offer assistance, which says a lot about the guy. 3. Tell us about one of your fondest memories of Blackie. Ben: I remember first thinking of Blackie (as I thought of most of the Hard Ons) as a mysterious, almost exotic character, shrouded in the glamour and filth of punk rock royalty. Then I found out he was a rather fastidious, particular person, slightly mismatched to his musical passion and persona. I guess I identified with that. Jem: I’d need a whole book! Fire Witch played a show with Hard Ons in Geelong once. We were big Nunchukka fans but had not come round to Hard Ons yet. There were about ten people in the audience when we started. Five minutes into our set it was down to two people including Blackie who then got on stage to play guitar with us for the rest of the set. The other person left and we played the next 20 minutes to an empty room and Ray behind the merch desk. Blackie was stoked; thought it went pretty well! Then during The Hard Ons set, most of the very small crowd were fighting each other, unaware of the gig happening in front of them. I remember Blackie putting down his guitar and pulling out cheerleading moves with a couple of t-shirts for pom poms. It was just absurd: the joy on his face was incredible. Wally: They’re all fond; you haven’t got the space. 4. Will you be doing anything special on the day? What can punters look forward to? Ben: I think there’ll be tears and blood and quite a bit of sweat; possibly some embarrassing collabs. It’s going to be old school, that’s for sure. Wally: Being The Meanies is pretty special: punters can look forward to that. The BENEFIT FOR BLACKIE will run over three shows in the coming week: Thursday June 7 at The Nash in Geelong with Townhall, DEAD and Kremlings, Friday June 8 at Karova Lounge in Ballarat with The Yard Apes, DEAD and NOUS, and Saturday June 9 at The Tote in Collingwood with Regurgitator, The Meanies, The Spazzys, DEAD and Bat Piss. For Tote tickets, check out thetotehotel.oztix.com.au.
WATCH INTERVIEWS, CHATS & AWKWARD SILENCES... BEAT.COM.AU/TV
Define your genre in five words or less: Electro post hardcore. How long have you been gigging and writing? We have been together for a bit over 12 months now. How do you balance making and playing music with your other commitments? It is quite hard juggling work, sports, family and other commitments with being musicians, but at the end of the day we love making and playing our music and we will make time to do so no matter what. Describe the best gig you have ever played? It would have to be GTM 2012. We played to an insane crowd of 600+ people and spent the whole day playing ping pong with our childhood heroes Parkway Drive, and met so many amazing people. What do you think a band has to do these days to succeed? Be persistent and never give up, as well as offer something to the music scene that no one else has or is trying to do. If you could go on tour with any musician or band, who would it be? I would have to say Parkway Drive as they are such killer dudes. When are you doing your thing next? After our tour promoting our new single Tidal Waves, we are hitting the studio to record our second upcoming release. Do you have any record releases to date? What are they? Where can I get them? We currently have our first release Empty Cities EP available on iTunes. WE BUILT ATLANTIS play at Musicland this Saturday June 9.
PREMIER ARTISTS presents
o 1130 Bur w
4 758 654 9 P y l l u .a G m ntree ntreegullyhotel.co u r e F y w H od .fer www
CLOSURE IN MOSCOW with special guests
RIVER OF SNAKES* & MAMMOTH MAMMOTH**
Sat 9 June SUPPORTS -ThirtyOneFifty, The Furys, Voxangelica
PAPER, SCISSORS,
ROCK TOUR JUNE 2012 - ALBUM LAUNCH Thur 7th Thur 14th Fri 15th
BRITISH INDIA
Retreat Hotel, Brunswick • FREE ENTRY* Retreat Hotel, Brunswick • FREE ENTRY** Wheelers Hill Hotel, Wheelers Hill*
Sat 23 June
www.ticketmaster.com.au & www.oztix.com.au
Sat 16th
SUPPORTS - Mercury White, Scalar Fields
Bended Elbow, Geelong* www.oztix.com.au & Bended Elbow: (03) 5229 4477
Thur 21st Fri 22nd
Retreat Hotel, Brunswick • FREE ENTRY** The Loft, Warrnambool*
Thur 28th Sat 30th
Retreat Hotel, Brunswick • FREE ENTRY** Settlers Tavern, Mildura
www.oztix.com.au
www.oztix.com.au
TICKETS AVAILABLE THROUGH VENUES & AT THE DOOR WANT A FREE TRACK?... WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/JACKSONFIREBIRD
DEBUT ALBUM COCK ROCKIN’ OUT JUNE 8
SYDONIA Sat 7 July SUPPORTS Holliava, ThreeTimeThrill, Isiym
DAVE EVENS Fri 13 July The original lead singer and proud founding member of AC/DC & Rabbit
FAUX FIGHTERS FOO FIGHTERS TRIBUTE SHOW
Sat 4 Aug WITH ORIGINAL SUPPORTS The Narrow Road & No Stairway
XAVIER RUDD Fri 14 Sept SPIRIT BIRD NATIONAL ALBUM TOUR TICKETS ON SALE JUNE 21
TICKETS AVAILABLE FROM VENUES, TICKETMASTER & LOCAL SUPPORTS
CHECK OUT ALL THE LATEST NEWS, REVIEWS AND FREE SHIT AT BEAT.COM.AU
Beat Magazine Page 15
TOURING
WHO'S ON TOUR, WHERE AND WHEN
PROUDLY PRESENTS:
For all the latest touring news check out beat.com.au
INTERNATIONAL EAST 17 Trak June 8 TRAIN The Palais June 9 MARK KOZELEK The Toff In Town June 9, Phoenix Public House June 11 THE BLACK SEEDS Corner Hotel June 12, 15 SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS The Hi-Fi June 21 LIL’ BAND O’ GOLD The Regal Ballroom June 27, 27, The Espy June 29 LADY GAGA Rod Laver Arena June 27, 28, 30, July 1, 3 EDDIE SPAGHETTI Cherry Bar June 30 FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS The Plenary July 14 I AM GIANT The Workers Club July 5 GOATWHORE Corner Hotel July 6 SIMONE FELICE The Corner Hotel July 11 KINGFISHA The Thornbury Theatre July 13 THE TEA PARTY The Palais Theatre July 14 CANCER BATS The Hi-Fi July 14 MELISSA ETHERIDGE The Plenary July 15 THE XX The Forum July 18 BAND OF SKULLS The Corner Hotel July 22, 26 THE SHINS Festival Hall July 23 LANA DEL REY Palace Theatre July 23, 24 HOWLER, ZULU WINTER The Corner Hotel July 24 THE AFGHAN WHIGS The Hi-Fi July 25 FRIENDS Northcote Social Club July 25 MICHAEL KIWANUKA & BEN HOWARD The Corner Hotel July 25 JACK WHITE Festival Hall July 25 FUN. The Hi-Fi July 27 METRIC Billboard July 27 MUDHONEY The Corner Hotel July 27 FATHER JOHN MISTY The Corner Hotel July 28 SPLENDOUR IN THE GRASS Belongil Fields Byron Bay July 27 – 29
Q&A STRANGERS So then, what’s your name and what do you ‘do’ in the band? Benjamin Britton: singer/mechanic. Define your genre in five words or less: Heavy rock ‘n’ roll.
Beat Magazine Page 16
YOUTH LAGOON The Corner Hotel July 29 DJANGO DJANGO, CAST OF CHEERS The Corner Hotel July 31 MIIKE SNOW The Palace July 31 ELECTRIC GUEST Northcote Social Club August 1 SMASHING PUMPKINS Hisense Arena August 2 MARK GARDENER The Corner Hotel August 5 BILLY TALENT Billboard August 12 SLASH Hisense Arena August 26 PENNYWISE The Palace August 26 PITBULL Rod Laver Arena August 27 THE ENGLISH BEAT Corner Hotel August 30 JOSE FELICIANO Palais Theatre August 31 THE BEACH BOYS Rod Laver Arena August 31 AMERICA Hamer Hall September 6 PATRICK WOLF Forum Theatre September 11 EARTH The Toff In Town September 12, Corner Hotel September 16 HANSON The Palace September 14, 18 RUFUS WAINWRIGHT Hamer Hall September 15 WHEATUS Corner Hotel September 19 YELLOWCARD The Hi-Fi September 20, 21 LADY ANTEBELLUM September 25 MARTIKA Trak Lounge September 28 RUSSIAN CIRCLES, EAGLE TWIN The Corner September 28 CANNIBAL CORPSE Billboard October 5 STEEL PANTHER Festival Hall October 7 JOE BONAMASSA Palais Theatre October 11 EVERCLEAR The Hi-Fi October 13 WEDNESDAY 13 The Espy October 27 THE BLACK KEYS Sidney Myer Music Bowl October 31 COLDPLAY Etihad Stadium November 13 RADIOHEAD Rod Laver Arena November 16, 17 GEORGE MICHAEL Rod Laver Arena November 21
What do you hate about the music industry? To be honest I quite like the music industry (except for the lack of money situation). It’s full of two different types of people: people who love and cherish music as much as the musicians do and people who want to screw you completely blind if given half the chance. But the only difference is together we all share a common ground: the love of getting absolutely shit-faced on a weeknight and pretending it’s ‘work related’. If you could assassinate one person or band from popular music, who would it and why? Dexter Holland from The Offspring, just after he finished recording Smash. I think we all know why.
BAND OF SKULLS The Corner Hotel July 22, 26
NATIONAL MATT CORBY The Forum June 6 TIGER CHOIR Workers Club June 7 BONJAH Corner Hotel June 8 THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT The Hi-Fi June 8 DEEP SEA ARCADE Phoenix Public House June 8 THE DELTA RIGGS The Workers Club June 9 360 The Hi-Fi June 15 NICKY BOMBA Thornbury Theatre June 15 MISSY HIGGINS Her Majesty’s Theatre June 16 MUSCLES The Bottom End June 16 DANIEL MERRIWEATHER Northcote Social Club June 17 KING CANNONS Toff In Town June 21 THE VASCO ERA The Corner Hotel June 22 FIRE! SANTA ROSE, FIRE! The Workers Club June 22 NED COLLETTE & WIREWALKER Northcote Social Club June 23 BUSBY MAROU The Corner June 28 KIRIN J CALLINAN The Tote June 28 EMMA LOUISE Northcote Social Club June 28
WORLD’S END PRESS The Corner Hotel June 29 EVEN, THE FAUVES Regal Ballroom June 29 CHARGE GROUP The Tote June 29 ROCK FOR RECLINK The Hi-Fi June 30 BOB DYLAN TRIBUTE TOUR Palais Theatre July 5, 6 KARNIVOOL The Hi-Fi July 5, 6, 7 THE RUBENS The Corner July 12 THE PAPER KITES Northcote Social Club July 12 LADYHAWKE Billboard July 17 CHILDREN COLLIDE Corner Hotel August 10 KATE MILLER-HEIDKE Corner Hotel August 24 HILLTOP HOODS Festival Hall August 25 JULIA STONE The Forum September 7 XAVIER RUDD The Palace September 13 ROCKWIZ Festival Hall October 12
RUMOURS D’Angelo, Drake, Lil B, Donny Benet, Flame, Shellac, Weezer, Fuck Buttons, Carly Rae Jepsen. = New Announcements = Beat Proudly Presents
When’s the gig and with who? Launching our new single Persona Non Grata on Saturday June 2 with Gatherer, and Friday June 8 at The Workers Club in Melbourne with Gatherer and Jonesez.
What makes you happiest about what you’re doing? Well, I’m pretty stoked to be able to say to my child one day that “Yes, I know your mother says I’m a worthless broke bum, but I had one hell of a time becoming one.”
Which band would you most like to have a battle/showdown with? The Bee Gees because they are grossly outnumbered now.
And what makes you unhappiest about what you’re doing? Becoming a broke, worthless bum.
What inspires or has influenced your music the most? Stickin’ it to the Bee Gees. We are close…stay tuned for the battle/showdown.
WATCH INTERVIEWS, CHATS & AWKWARD SILENCES..... WWW.BEAT.COM.AU/TV
If your music was a chocolate bar, which one would it be, and why? Whatever the opposite of a Mars Bar is, because being in a rock band you can’t work, rest or play.
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Beat Magazine Page 17
THE HIVES BY SIMONE UBALDI
A strange hush, broken only by the disconsolate chirping of crickets, has fallen over the world music scene. Things have happened over the last few years, haven’t they? Bands have played, albums have broken, festivals have rumbled and splattered, but beneath it all there is this unearthly silence, a vacuum where once was the thunderous, bloody heart of rock’n’roll. Where is the spectacle and the sweat? Where are the egos? Where is the unapologetic, self-promoting theatricality? Where, oh where, are The Hives? Busy creating a new world order, guitarist Nicholaus Arson explains. In the five years since The Black And White Album was released, the band has crossed many international date lines, visited far flung countries, and refined their philosophical aesthetic into a one-inch punch of punk rock power called Lex Hives. Lex Hives is the name of the band’s new album, but it is so much more besides. Inspired by Lex Romana, the system of laws governing ancient Rome, Lex Hives represents the world and the law according to Sweden’s most visceral garage band; “The holy laws,” according to their press release, “After which all life from now on must be lived.” Sort of a tall order, but The Hives are nothing if not rakishly confident (and time has not dulled their flaming lack of humility). “When we were 14, we used to make up rules. If we saw a band playing a lame drum beat we’d go yeah, we’re not allowed to do that. If we saw a band playing a certain type of guitar and we thought it wasn’t cool, we weren’t allowed to do that. We always made up rules and laws that we had to follow,” Arson says. “This album pays homage to that. Making this album, we looked back through the archives and were inspired by everything we’ve liked (and everything we’ve hated) for the last 20 years.” Having worked with a series of producers on 2007’s The Black And White Album (including Timbaland, Jacknife Lee and The Neptunes), The Hives elected to go back to basics for the recording of their fifth long-player. Lex Hives was self-produced, although it bore the influence of their previous experience. “We never would have made this record if we hadn’t made The Black And White Album before it,” Arson says. “Working with all those different producers and stealing all their best ideas, stealing all their best shortcuts for when you get stuck in songwriting and stealing all their best ideas for how to work in the studio – it meant that we had millions and millions ideas for how to make this record. We didn’t even need to call anyone else, we knew exactly what to do and we had tons of inspiration.” The process of recording Lex Hives was piecemeal but democratic. The band floated in and out of the studio when they felt they had material ready – multiple studios, in multiple locations – and took a little extra time to make sure that all Hives were happy. “We’ve always taken our time making new music and I think we’ve allowed ourselves to take a little bit more Beat Magazine Page 18
time on this record, because after three years of touring and then another year at home, we realised it had been four years since we released an album and thought, ‘Oh shit, this has to be really good,’” laughs Arson. “We basically had a record after a year, but it wasn’t as good as the one we have now.” Like the four Hives albums that precede it, Lex Hives is full of brief and blistering rock tunes, stompy, sparse things that at first glance favour energy over
“ IT SOUNDS LIKE WE WROTE THESE SONGS IN FIVE MINUTES, BUT IT TOOK FIVE YEARS.” artistry, primal dynamics over subtlety, like opening track Come On, which is a minute long and features three words, total. But as Arson explains, making simple music isn’t necessarily a simple process. “It takes time to perfect something, it takes time to boil something down to the bare essentials, otherwise the songs are long and boring. Well, some of them are long and okay, but it takes time to boil them down too. It sounds like we wrote these songs in five minutes, but it took five years.” This process produces a lot of wastage however – maybe ‘excess’ is a better word. “We wrote a whole lot more for this album than we have ever written before,” Arson explains. “We have tons of stuff left that was great, but didn’t fit on this album, or didn’t quite get finished. Some songs are really hard to finish. You can have the best hook and then it can take two years to finish it, like Wait A Minute – we’ve had that song for quite a long time, it was just impossible to finish. We knew that we wanted it on the record so we worked and worked and worked on it, but there were two other great songs that we’ve had for about two years, and they were never finished. I still think they’re great. Maybe they’ll be ready for the next record.” The songs that did make it on to Lex Hives are an eclectic lot, at least in the minds of Arson and his fellow band members, the legendary Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist, Vigilante Carlstroem, Dr. Matt Destruction and Chris Dangerous. To the untrained ear, this is
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another Hives record in which each song is a brain pounding, Stones-influenced slice of party-starting belligerence, but there are subtleties a-plenty if you know how to listen. “There’s brass in there, and there are types of songs that we haven’t done before,” says Arson. “Wait A Minute is sort of a pop song, in a way, The Stones’ kind of melodic pop. Then there’s something like Midnight Shifter, which is a total wannabe soul. Go Right Ahead is like our version of glam punk, and then there are anthemic punk tunes like Patrolling Days. We were trying to make a really long tune – and it ended up being kind of long by our standards. “We always write different parts and then we put them together and they end up being something else. Without The Money is like a cross between…I mean the first part of it was written like a cross between a hip hop beat, and then the verse was like a ‘60s ballad that we had. It was written half hip hop tune and half ‘60s ballad and then it ended up sounding like a blues song or something. Then we have something like My Time Is Coming, which was originally a country song. It was written on an acoustic and we kind of liked it, but it was a country song. Other people liked it too, so we put it on the record, and it ended up being a cross between a country song and a gospel song, but played fast.” Sure enough, 30 seconds into My Time Is Coming, the pummeling of drums take you out of the grim dirgelike intro and back into The Hives’ pocket, where loud and fast is all that matters. You have to wonder how they still have the will to rock this hard, some 20 years into their illustrious music careers. Arson, now 35-years-old, doesn’t know where he gets the energy. “Physically you get really tired. Every time you play a show you’re so drained you think ‘we’ll never be able to play another show again.’ Every time! But I’m used to the touring and I like it. It’s such a treat to be able to do what we do – travel around the world and see different places and play to people who go wild. It’s pretty amazing. And if you think you make good music, you get a certain energy from that; you have a certain optimism from doing good things…But anyway,” he grins, “We’re not that old. Still the youngest on the main stage, we always say.” Still flattening the field when it comes to live performance, too, even if half the bands they play with these days are barely out of infancy. “There are people that come up to us now and say ‘You guys were the first band I saw live’ or ‘I started playing the Telecaster because of you’ or ‘We started our band after seeing you guys.’ We’ve been a touring band for 14 years, so we’re talking to people who came to see us when they were 12-years-old and they’re now 26. I love it. It makes me really proud to hear bands like the Arctic Monkeys say, ‘You guys inspired us.’ I really like them, so I think that’s pretty cool.” And with that, Arson is off to catch a plane, a 5am flight after a 2am gig in Portugal that signals the beginning of yet another world tour, because the first principle of Lex Hives is this: You have to work pretty hard if you want to be the rulers of everything. Lex Hives is out now through Dew Process/ Universal.
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THE LIGHT THE DE AD SEE After working with various guest vocalists such as Will Oldham, Mark Lanegan, Jason Pierce and Mike Patton on previous albums, the music and production team of Rich Machin and Ian Glover this time team up solely with Dave Gahan (Depeche Mode) who has co-written a cathartic and intense collection of songs.
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Beat Magazine Page 19
THIS WEEK: ON SCREEN After international acclaim at the Edinburgh, Tacoma, and Austin film festivals, the live-action short film There’s A Hippopotamus On Our Roof Eating Cake is finally making its way back to Australia for a limited season. Since its first 1980 release through Penguin Publishers, the Australian picture book has sold over a million copies worldwide, ABC viewers voted it one of their 150 favourite books of all time, and it was an official Australian Government birthday gift to Danish Princess Isabella. Filmed entirely in the Dandenong Ranges and featuring an endearing animatronic hippopotamus, there isn’t much to not love about it. There’s A Hippopotamus On Our Roof Eating Cake will screen at ACMI from Saturday June 9 – Monday June 11 and Wednesday June 13.
ON STAGE In the words of Biggie Smalls, “Mo’ money, mo’ problems.” In March of this year, a scandal erupted in the U.S. after performer Mike Daisey’s protest-play about the labour conditions of Chinese workers manufacturing Apple’s iPhone and iPads was found to be a work of fiction. Bringing to life the scandal surrounding Apple, Mike Daisey is getting ready to present The Agony And Ecstasy Of Steve Jobs – a skilful weaving of the narrative of Steve Jobs’ life with Daisey’s own journey to the Apple plants in Shenzen, China. The Agony And Ecstasy of Steve Jobs will head to La Mama every Sunday in June, giving audiences an opportunity to play on the world stage, and be part of a world-shaping discussion.
ON DISPLAY You know those moments where you just have to make a choice? That ‘moment of decision’. Well, it’s time to let go with Let Go. Inspired by architecture, street art and Japanese animation, Ry Wilkin’s Let Go captures those moments when choices – the good, the bad, and the ugly – beckon, and you are compelled to play your hand. Having plumbed the treasures of Brunswick’s hard rubbish collection and recycled construction materials as canvasses for his works, Ry will bring the street, quite literally, into the gallery. His work combines cartoon figures with stencilled architecture to produce complex, layered imagery. He finds light in dark places and dark in light places; straight lines in curves and curves in straight lines. Ry Wilkin will bring Let Go to No No Gallery until Sunday June 10.
PROMETHEUS BY KELLY GRIFFIN
“Our minds are really closed off if we really think we are alone in this galaxy. Fuck off, you’ve got to be kidding!” That’s Sir Ridley Scott talking, the 74-years-young director who defined modern-day science fiction with the epochal film Alien (1979), followed by the landmark Blade Runner (1986). Three decades later, the three time Academy Award nominated director (for his work on Black Hawk Down, Gladiator and Thelma & Louise) who was awarded a knighthood in 2003, returns to the genre he helped define with new ‘highbrow’ blockbuster, Prometheus. Originally intended as a prequel to Alien, the idea for Prometheus was borne from what Scott believes is the most serious and glaring unanswered question in his 1979 futuristic horror thriller: the space jockey, what was it? Where did it come form? And how did the giant fossilised creature with a punctured chest get to be in the pilot’s seat of the derelict spaceship? Four years in the making and several drafts later (the final script written by Lost screenwriter Damon Lindelof), Prometheus isn’t exactly a prequel to Alien, but it does take place in the same universe 30 years prior, and the events in the film may shed some glimmers of new light on the seminal sci-fi. Filmed lusciously in 3D at Pinewood Studios and on location in Iceland, Prometheus follows the cosmic voyage of a team of scientists and Weyland Industries employees, who believe they’ve found a clue - an invitation, if you will - to unlocking mankind’s most fundamental questions: where did we come from? Who made us? Who am I? Playing lead character, archaeologist Elizabeth Shaw, is Noomi Rapace, best known for her lead role in Steigh Larsson’s film adaptation of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo series and more recently for starring alongside Roberty Downey Jr and Jude Law in Guy Ritchie’s sequel Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. While Rapace was born the year Alien came out, the film – in particular the lead character played by Sigourney Weaver – had a profound impact on her. “It felt like a mind-reality opened up because I saw someone, I
saw a woman, who was not posing, was not trying to be sexy and not trying to be charming. She was a person in a situation and that was really a revolution for me because most things I was watching at that time on television were Baywatch and Beverley Hills. It really put a mark on me.” Prometheus is deliberately ambiguous in places, and it seems to open up more questions than it answers. Which, uncoincidentally, seems to parallel Scott’s view on scientific advancements and discoveries. “As science clarifies things, it’s like removing veils, the horizon gets clearer,” he states. “You get to the horizon and you think that you’re there and then you get to another horizon and you see that there’s another horizon filled with valleys. It’s a constant process of discovering, so while you are learning in quantum leaps you are also uncovering much bigger questions. So when does it stop?” The film’s title doubles as the name of the spaceship in this film and also alludes to the Greek Titan Prometheus, who dared to defy the gods by giving man the latest technology of that time – fire – and thereby offering man the chance to be like gods. Prometheus was punished horribly; an eagle would peck out his stomach bit by bit, only for his stomach and the eagle to return the next day, for eternity. The film also pays tribute to Erich von Däniken’s 1968 book Chariots Of The Gods, which argues that we are not alone in the universe, that another life force in the universe may have spawned us as well as the idea of pre-visitation – that they’ve visited us too. When Scott first read Däniken’s book as a student, he says he was quite the cynic and didn’t believe the arguments being put forth. “In those days, I didn’t really believe that stuff because
it was all to do with sightings that were never really that well thought about or images were reproduced in a grainy way and because I was at art school at the time I could see how they made the pictures. Yet, when you look at the other stuff, which is the comparison of drawings, carvings, hieroglyphics, paintings on walls of ancient artefacts, the lines in the desert in Central America, which are very specific and something to be seen from above, and the pyramids pointing up…” he trails off. “People have pooh-poohed it for so long that no-one has actually sat down and said ‘you know what, we should actually take this seriously.” Scott says that even Stephen Hawking believes there are other life forms in the universe and he hopes they don’t visit because he believes they’ll be more capable than us. As well as believing in another life form out there, Ridley – perhaps echoing the ideas of his faith-driven female scientist protagonist - puts forth the view that as science becomes more sophisticated the irony seems to be that it approaches the question even more of: is there a god? “I’ve had NASA scientists sit at a table, and I say ‘who believes in god?’ and about four of them out of nine say ‘I do’ because they get to a point where there’s no answer, they can’t break through, and they start to think about the creation beyond that.” Before he leaves, Scott turns and says, “You’ve got to open up your mind”. Prometheus screens nationwide from Thursday June 7 distributed through 20th Century Fox. You catch it in 3D on the world’s largest screen at IMAX Melbourne.
THE MOTHERF**KER WITH THE HAT BY PATRICK EMERY
BEAT’S PICK OF THE WEEK: Everyone’s favourite neurotic, hit-and-miss director and awkward American film pioneer, Woody Allen will feature in a new documentary premiering at ACMI this month. The film, Woody Allen: A Documentary grant viewers insight into the director and comic’s career spanning over 40 years. Featuring rare interviews with Allen, enthusiasts and collaborators, the documentary offers a comprehensive career overview for Woody Allen admirers and arthouse fans alike. Dive deep into Woody Allen’s elusive mind on a journey through a remarkable career from his classics to his recent award winner, Midnight In Paris. Woody Allen: A Documentary is currently showing at ACMI.
FREE SHIT PROMETHEUS Academy Award nominee Ridley Scott’s latest sci-fi creation Prometheus premieres this week at cinemas nationally. Scott’s first sci-fi film in 30 years follows the narrative of a crew of explorers who travel across space to a moon capable of inhibiting life. The Blade Runner and Alien director employs a stellar class to take the audience quite literally on a journey through time and space. Starring Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Guy Pearce and Charlize Theron in a tight black suit, this film one can’t be missed. We’ve got a few double passes to give away. Head to beat.com.au/freeshit for your chance to win.
Beat Magazine Page 20
The United States isn’t the only contemporary society plagued by addictive physical and psychological behaviour. Across the Atlantic the drinking habits of various European countries has become part of the cultural fabric – from a pint of Guinness in Ireland, to shots of vodka in Russia. In Australia, gratuitous alcohol consumption is various celebrated as part of the national sporting psyche; if you believe the rhetoric of Clubs Australia, gambling is a fundamental Australian human right that warrants constitutional protection. But it’s the United States that leads the way in institutionalising both addiction, and the multitude of recovery and rehabilitation programs. Undertake an activity above the statistical average, and you’re an addict; look on the Internet and there’s a five, seven or twelve step program to help you face up to your psychological failings, reconcile yourself to your inherent limitations and confront the people and institutions in your life who’ve contributed to your current situation. If you’re famous, or superficially lucky, you can open your heart to the world via a television program, and a global audience eager to feast on the bones of your broken life. Addiction, and contemporary society’s response to it, is the central theme running through American playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis’s play, The Motherf**ker With The Hat. The play, first performed in Guirgis’ hometown of New York in 2011, revolves around a couple, Jackie and Verona, both of whom are struggling with drug, alcohol and emotional addiction. Jackie has spent time in gaol and returns home to the couple’s apartment. Upon arrival, he finds a hat next to Veronica’s bed. The discovery, and Jackie’s quest to establish the identity of the hat’s owner, triggers a series of events involving Jackie’s sponsor, Veronica, and various other colourful characters, each of whom are wrestling with their own psychological and physical demons. Christina O’Neill plays the part of the wife of Jackie’s sponsor. O’Neill, a graduate of the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, studied at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in New York, a tenure that provided her with insight into the American cultural psyche of addiction. While recognising the differences between different cultural approaches to addiction and recovery, O’Neill says The Motherf**ker With The Hat
should also resonate with Australian audiences. “The Australian drinking culture is astonishing!” O’Neill says. “Even during the time I was in New York, Americans approach drinking so different to alcohol in Australia.” O’Neill says it’s the combination of language and the psychological themes explored in Guirgis’s play that make it such a compelling production. “It’s so well written,” O’Neill says. “The language is very colourful – it’s even got motherfucker in the title! It’s very muscular language, dealing with huge, poignant themes. And it’s set in New York, which is such an amazing place. I was actually in New York when it premiered, and it was a big hit.” As for the complex matrix of emotions examined, deconstructed and re-assembled in the play, O’Neill says there’s something in there for everyone. “Totally, totally!” she exclaims. “It’s really human – and I’d be hard pressed to believe no-one’s experienced betrayal or loss in their life. And it’s contemporary – when the characters are upset, they swear.” The arts industry has its share of addictive personalities – in fact, if gossip magazines are anything to go by, at any one point in time half the mainstream movie and music industry is somewhere on the addiction-recovery treadmill. “Most definitely – though I’m not sure if it’s exclusive to the arts” O’Neill concedes. “When we were preparing for the play, we were all encouraged to research AA [Alcoholics Anonymous] and NA [Narcotics Anonymous] themes, and why people go to these programs. In the play a few of the characters fall off the wagon, but that’s not supposed to be a slight on the effectiveness of those programs.” While addiction has been characterised as a condition largely beyond a person’s direct control – the occasional media announcements of isolating the genetic basis for alcoholism
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being a contemporary manifestation of the age-old positivist approach to medical treatment – O’Neill says the characters in The Motherf**ker With The Hat know exactly what they’re doing – even if it’s behaviour destined to inflame an already smouldering situation. “The play is about people exploring the depths of their emotions,” she says. “Nothing these characters do is by accident.” With such perpetual human emotions under close examination, it’s inevitable that the actors in the play would spend a moment or two pondering their own behavioural traits. “God, yes!” O’Neill exclaims, of her own internal consideration. “When you look at themes of betrayal, lust, loss and addiction, you have to understand where it comes from.” While there is plenty of human imperfection on display, O’Neill says the play does not purport to make moral judgements of the characters, or the behaviour exhibited. “There are huge themes in the play, but no-one is a villain,” she says. “This play looks at honesty of people in the situations they find themselves in.” As to whether there’s a notionally happy ending, O’Neill is coy. “I don’t want to give it away!” she laughs. “The whole play is honest, and there’s no neat bow that ties it all together – anything could happen. I suppose if you have hope in your heart, then it will be a happy ending. But it’s a ride!” The Motherf**ker With The Hat runs from Friday June 8 until Saturday July 7 at the Red Stitch Actors Theatre. Visit redstitch.net for bookings and more information.
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THE COMIC STRIP
With Tyson Wray. Got news, gossip, reviews, thoughts, tip-offs, complaints, hate mail? Email tyson@beat.com.au or send by ESP before Friday.
ONEGIN
GRIEVOUS ANGEL
With everything beautiful, there is always something not-sobeautiful. Audience favourite Onegin, with choreography by John Cranko, is getting ready to make a triumphant return to the stage in 2012, interpreted by a new generation of stars. Since its debut in 1976, this tragic love story has been one of The Australian Ballet’s most popular ballets. This quintessentially Russian tale of thwarted passion and its dire consequences is set to captivate audiences all over again. Here for 13 performances, Onegin will have its run at the State Theatre from June 23 – July 4. Head to australianballet.com.au to book.
What’s the best way to celebrate a musical legend? Throw a production in their honour, of course. Grievous Angel: The Legend of Gram Parsons, is getting set to premiere in Melbourne, with celebrated Australian performer Jordie Lane set to tackle the role of the man who, to this day, is hailed as the patron saint of alt-country and roots. Telling the fascinating story of the original cosmic cowboy who lived fast and died young, Grievous Angel is a mere indication of the creative force behind some of the most important recordings of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, including The Byrds’ Sweetheart Of The Rodeo. Celebrate the music legend when Grievous Angel: The Legend of Gram Parsons heads to Athenaeum Theatre from Friday July 20 – 29.
ANTS They’re one of the smallest animal groups in the world, yet are quite easily also one of the most annoying. But what if these little guys that invade our lives (and vice versa) on a day to day basis grew? Yep, they’re going to. Giant ants are invading Federation Square this July school holidays, but there’s no need to break out the bug spray. These human-sized insects are the star performers of Fed Square’s free puppet program – an annual July school holiday event. Created by Polygot Theatre, Ants is a part roving performance, part treasure hunt and part interactive installation that children of all ages will be itching to see. Ants will head to Federation Square from Monday July 2 – 8. Best of all, it’s free.
MISS INK We all love some good ink artwork, so Cherry Bar think it’s a good idea to make a beauty pageant out of it. They definitely know what’s up. Sorry fellas, this one’s only for the ladies. The cats at Cherry Bar will host the Victorian Miss Ink competition in search of Victoria’s most beautiful tattooed woman. Yep, it’s a beauty pageant with a difference. All you need to do is be a beautiful heavily tattooed woman. Sounds easy enough, right? If you love some good music, beauty pageants and babes with heaps of tats, then this is definitely the thing for you. Victoria’s Miss Ink 2012 will kick on at Cherry Bar on Saturday June 23 with doors open from 8pm and tickets only $23 from the Cherry door on the night.
DOWNTOWN ABBEY CINEMANIA Cinemania (the RMIT Film Society) have announced a series of fortnightly events to keep you warm and cosy this winter. On Friday June 8 they are presenting their debut event: a screening of the documentary about Rowland S. Howard, Autoluminescent, followed by a performance by Harry Howard & The NDE. On Friday June 22 they’ll be showing a screening of The Magician (made for by a former RMIT student for only $3000) followed by a Q&A with writer/director/star of the film, Scott Ryan. On Friday July 6 the 2011 Cannes Film Festival entrant Toomelah will be screened. Based upon the remote Indigenous community that rests on the NSW/QLD border. Producer by Ivan Sen, the film was made entirely by himself on a single camera with no crew, using members of the community as cast. Then on Tuesday July 24 they’ll present a screening of the documentary The Girl Next Door, which traces Stacy Valentine’s transformation from Oklahoma housewife to international porn star. This will be followed by a panel discussion on the sex industry featuring author Kate Holden and adult producer/performer Liandra Dahl. For more details visit rmitfilmsociety.com.
Ain’t no drama like a period drama. ACMI continue its homage to the small screen with its ever-progressing Live In The Studio program. Dissecting, highlighting and relishing all things made for TV, Live In The Studio is getting ready to dip its fingers in the Downtown Abbey pie – from blackmailing butlers and scheming chambermaids, to gallant English noblemen and impeccably dressed ladies. The period drama has been a hit equally with both men and women around the world, making audiences swoon, cringe and take sides in both scandalous and trite conflicts with the inhabitants of the Grantham Estate. Get comfy and get a dose of this favourite period drama as Live In The Studio’s presentation of Downtown Abbey hits ACMI’s Studio 1 on Thursday June 28.
MELBOURNE CABARET FESTIVAL As one of Victoria’s fastest growing festivals, the third annual Melbourne Cabaret Festival will burst out across Melbourne, having now expanded to ten nights across nine venues throughout the city. Bringing the world of cabaret to Melbourne, the festival has once again sourced some of the best Australian and international cabaret acts. With over 100 performers in 34 cabaret shows including 8 world premieres – from comedy cabaret, musical theatre stars, theatrical masterpieces, ‘dark’ edgy cabaret, queer shows and burlesque, the festival offers something for everyone. Get ready, folks. The 2012 Melbourne Cabaret Festival from Thursday July 12 – 21 at numerous venues across the city. Want to know more or keen to book? Head to melbournecabaret.com.
DOUG BARTLETT After successful exhibitions both interstate and internationally, Nick Morris and Dave Bowers will debut their individual and collaborative works together for the first time at the Jackman Gallery. But who is this mysterious Doug Bartlett that they’ve name their exhibition after? Well, he’s the name given to the energy created when the two join creative forces on the same canvas, producing wildly coloured neo-pop art. How ordinary would it be to use your own names? With artwork that mirror the process itself: raw, free and unplanned, Nick Morris and Dave Bowers will bring both their own individual work, as well as their collaborative masterpieces to the Jackman Gallery from June 17 – July 7.
BETWEEN THESE THINGS AND THOSE THINGS We all have a mind – we think, but have you really ever thought about just exactly what makes us do the things that we do, or what physically controls us. This one’s definitely for those who enjoy a good questioning. If we were to map the human psyche, what would we see? Would it be similar to an architectural blueprint for a civilised world, resembling machinery and order? How can our thoughts physically control themselves? Even though our minds are already exhausted by thoughts, they can’t stop producing more complex patterns. Are we able to stop this cycle? Using Osamu Dazai’s novel, No Longer Human, the works of Between These Things and Those Things give shape to the complex interior world of the human psyche. Let your mind be sent on an everlasting journey as Between These Things and Those Things heads to Off The Kerb from June 15 – July 6.
IN THE TELLING Our good friends at ACMI are proud to present In The Telling, an exhibition of new works by New York based Australian artist Ian Burns. Presented by ACMI’s Gallery 2, In The Telling launches the latest ACMI Commission, a suite of five interconnected kinetic sculptures which generate their own real-time video, titled anywhere and here. Inspired by contemporary consumer culture, Burns’ work often draws on parallels between product consumption and image consumption, with In The Telling specifically exploring the road movie genre, summoning familiar visions of the empty landscape, the wide open road and the car-in-motion, to destabilise powerful cinematic clichés. Let Ian Burns take you on a visual ride as In The Telling heads to ACMI’s Gallery 2 from Tuesday July 24, going all the way through to next January.
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BILL BAILEY Whether you know him as Manny from Black Books, or as one of the regular team leaders on Never Mind The Buzzcocks, you know who Bill Bailey is. A British comic, actor and musician, the funny man is getting ready to return down under to bring multiple stitches in our sides. Needless to say, we are counting down the days until he graces us with his presence. His brand new show Qualmpeddler has all the trademark Bailey elements – musical mash-ups, twisted logic, a touch of political ranting, visuals and animation, a clear-eyed yet surreal view of the modern world, plus some new explorations of language inspired by a trip to China. Be prepared to expect all this and more when Mr Bailey heads to Hamer Hall on Monday September 10. Bookings can be made through The Arts Centre at theartscentre.com.au or on 1300 182 183.
CHECKPOINT CHARLIE COMEDY Charlie has a very special treat tonight with Aussie comedy legend Bob Franklin stepping in! And still for the mates’ rates price of just $5! Bob has appeared on a host of hit series, starring as a regular collaborator with Jimeoin on his TV show as well as The Mick Molloy Show, Thank God You’re Here, many of Shaun Micallef’s shows and more. So come fill yourself with $6 drinks and put your continence to the ultimate test as one of Australia’s best comedians spits funnies into the business end of a loud stick. Also featuring MICF best newcomer nominee John Conway. Check in 8pm tonight at Eurotrash Bar - 18 Corrs Lane, Melbourne. $5 entry. Get down early for a seat.
FELIX BAR COMEDY It’s Anyone For Tennis’s very last gig ever this Wednesday at Felix Bar Comedy before they break up, and half of them moves to Ireland! So it’s party time down in St Kilda as we celebrate an extremely popular and loved musical double act with a big send-off! Plus we’ve got Jimmy James Eaton, Bart Freebairn, Michael Connell, Kate McLennan and Charles Barrington. Come down and check out the biggest night of comedy in St Kilda, every Wednesday night! It’s happening this Wednesday June 13 at 8.30pm for only $12, at Felix Bar, St Kilda.
SOFTBELLY COMEDY Red-hot Dave Thornton headlines Softbelly Comedy this Thursday! He sold out every one of his comedy festival shows, so here’s a great chance of seeing him if you missed out! Plus another awesome lineup including Michael Chamberlin, Don Tran, Mark Trenwith, Dil Ruk Jayasinha and more! It’s all happening at Softbelly in the city, this Thursday June 7, 8.30pm, for only $12! Get in early for a good seat!
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Get down to Commedia Dell Parte this Thursday for a great night of laughs with special guest MC Bart Freebairn. Joining Bart will be Luke McGregor, Rez, Chris Dewberry, Cam Marshall, Abigoliah Schamaun, Fabian Lapham, David Lyons and Ronny Chieng. The room runs on a ‘pay as you like’ basis, so come along and have a great laugh, then pay what you believe the show is worth on the way out. So if you enjoy the show chuck in a few sheckles and show your appreciation. Commedia Dell Parte runs every Thursday from 8.30pm at the George Lane Bar, St Kilda.
COMEDY AT SPLEEN Mondays at Spleen are always a full house and a great night! This week looks like another cracker with chucklin’ Ben Lomas hosting it up! Plus there’s Jimmy James Eaton, Ryan Coffey, Tommy Dassalo, Pete Sharkey, Kate McLennan and heaps more! It’s this Monday, June 11, 41 Bourke St, in the city, at 8.30pm. It may be free, but we appreciate a good gold coin donation at the door!
LOL COMEDY The Portland Hotel and The Local have teamed up to bring you the LOL Comedy Series, featuring some of Australia’s best comedic talent. After running for the past month or so it has drummed up some well deserved hype. The idea was born from the recognition that Melburnians love live entertainment in intimate spaces, and the smaller venues have an opportunity to carve a niche during the winter months when festivals in Melbourne are few and far between. Tonight we have Danny McGinlay performing at The Portland Hotel, who is currently on his Australian tour and received rave reviews from his shows at the MICF. Then next Tuesday we have Jeff Green, all the way from the UK, author of hilarious books such as The A-Z of being Single and the survival guide The A-Z of Living Together on at The Local. So get your comedy fix this week by checking these two out!
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LET’S DANCE AUSTRALIA’S LEADING LIGHTS IN ONE SPECTACULAR EVENT, FEATURING SYDNEY DANCE COMPANY, WEST AUSTRALIAN BALLET AND MORE 7 – 16 JUNE Arts Centre Melbourne State Theatre
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Guest performances by Steven Heathcote and Justine Summers, former principal artists of The Australian Ballet, in Tim Harbour’s new work Sweedeedee
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LET’S DANCE BY TINA HASIOTIS
“Let’s dance!” It’s an imperative that most people don’t deny - and why would you? Dance is one of those things that urge you to let go of your inhibitions, whether for fun or professionally, and explore your internal rhythm. The Australian Ballet Company has been experiencing this 50 years, and to celebrate their anniversary, they are bringing together eight of the country’s dance companies under the one roof to celebrate the rich culture of dance in Australia. The Australian Ballet’s extravaganza is called Let’s Dance, where companies from all around country, including New South Wales, South Australia, Western Australia, Victoria, Queensland and Tasmania, will come together to perform a series of excerpts that they’ve been working on individually. Come June and stages around the country will explode into a flurry of dance. One of the shows, an excerpt from 2 One Another, performed by Sydney Dance Company and choreographed by Sydney Dance Company’s Artistic Director, Raphael Bonachela, whose resume even boasts having worked with Kylie Minogue and Tina Turner, will thrill Melbourne audiences. Richard Cilli, a principal dancer at Sydney Dance Company, who is also one of the four dancers that will be performing the short but energetic and masterful excerpt, says it was an extraordinary piece. “2 One Another is really spectacular,” Cilli says. “The excerpt that will be seen in Melbourne is definitely one of the more spectacular parts and there are also some beautiful soft moments.” “It’s just a spectacular kind of show…it’s something that Raphael was really interested in trying to show that contemporary dance can be an amazing and beautiful experience to watch, so it’s definitely about offering that to an audience,” says Cilli. Bonachela’s dynamism and energy is woven throughout the show and 2 One Another is the result of that amazing energy and dynamism that Bonachela has and that he
tries to bring out in all of his dancers, “2 One Another is a really beautiful work. I think it’s a really massive challenge, it doesn’t stop and you’re absolutely dead by the end of it. It’s very virtuosic, very high energy and it’s very exciting to do, so hopefully audiences will be blown away,” says Cilli.” 2 One Another is described as being ‘a celebration of relationships and human interaction’. An abstract work that includes classical Baroque music but also a section of electronic music that has been especially composed for the work, the real drawcard for the show will be the amount of variation in the bill due to the amalgamation of dance companies and combination of different types of performances in the bill. “There will be something for everyone, there might be some things that people like, some things that people dislike but I think that’s the best kind of show… that makes you think,” says Cilli. Certainly, the bill from Let’s Dance boasts an impressive array of diverse dance. Apart from Bonachella’s 2 One Another, Let’s Dance will be headlined by the new ballet, Sweedeedee, a whimsical exploration of family identity choreographed by Tim Harbour and marking the return of Steven Heathcote, along with his daughter Mia. South Australian company Australian Dance Theatre will perform an excerpt from 2010’s Be Your Self, by Garry Stewart, Townsville company Dancenorth will celebrate dance with Fugue, Expressions Dance Company will
“I THINK IT’S A REALLY MASSIVE CHALLENGE, IT DOESN’T STOP AND YOU’RE ABSOLUTELY DEAD BY THE END OF IT. IT’S VERY VIRTUOSIC, VERY HIGH ENERGY AND IT’S VERY EXCITING TO DO, SO HOPEFULLY AUDIENCES WILL BE BLOWN AWAY.”
perform Don’t, a new work by award winning Natalie Weir, Queensland will perform Almost Like Being In Love and No Moon At All, both by Artistic Director François Klaus, Tasdance will bring Momentary, an unique piece by Anna Smith, and West Australian Ballet will bring 2011s comedic work Ombra Leggera (meaning Shadow Song). Undoubtedly audiences will have the privilege to witness the truly unique and outstanding dance that Australia has to offer. Let’s Dance will celebrate a milestone, not only for the companies involved, but for Australia’s rich dance culture. “I think Australia has such a unique and special dance culture because it’s so removed from the rest of the world but it’s also constantly harking on so many influences from so many different places,” says Cilli. Cilli says that although people in other places of the world may not be familiar with dance in Australia, there is certainly a high standard of dancers and rich landscape of dance styles which are nurtured to perfection. “This is so rare for you know the whole of the Australian dance community to unite like this just in one place at onetime and m really everyone really giving
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what they got and highlighting how unique and varied the you know what the spectrum of dance is here in Australia. So to be a part of that is something I’ve never done before and it’s really great.” This quality is omnipresent but not only in the dance companies but also at independent ad grassroots levels all around Australia. “That variation between all the different styles of ballet and contemporary and even commercial dance - hip hop as well and everything else I think it’s really unique and I think that comes from our distance from the rest of the world, it’s like a little microcosm where things are happening on their own,” says Cilli. In a way, Let’s Dance is about more than dance: it’s a testament to Australia’s home grown talent in the arts, and proof that Australia’s culture is indeed rich and unique.
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Woody Allen: A Documentary Celebrating the remarkable film career of America’s premier auteur, comedian and neurotic
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SWERVE BY GREG KING
Swerve, the new film from writer/director Craig Lahiff (Heaven’s Burning, Black And White, etc), is the kind of pacy thriller and crowd pleasing genre piece that Australian filmmakers do not make enough of. There are lots of twists and turns in the formulaic plot that includes the usual tropes of the noir genre – a suitcase full of money, a corrupt cop, a sultry femme fatale, and an innocent man caught up in a web of violence and betrayal. Lahiff has a good understanding of the tropes of the genre, but he also suffuses the material with a strong streak of dark and laconic humour. “It’s an idea I had some time ago actually.” Speaking from his home in Adelaide, Lahiff explains the genesis of the project. The thriller is infused with the spirit of American crime writer James M Cain (The Postman Always Rings Twice, etc), Hitchcock, and even the films of John Dahl (The Last Seduction, Red Rock West, etc). “It comes from that area of noir,” Lahiff admits. “But it is mainly set in broad daylight, and in the middle of the outback, and that gives it a sort of different Australian flavour. “And I wanted to do something with a very small group of characters. That noir like idea of two men, a woman and a bag of money was basically the source of the idea I’ve had for some time. And of course a number of other films have used it. But this is quite a different style of film than some of the others. It has lots of unusual and unexpected plot twists, suspense, and chases and great locations. And also a good sense of black humour! They are some of the reasons I had such fun making the film.” Lahiff shot much of the film over a period of seven weeks in the picturesque Flinders Ranges, about five hours drive outside of Adelaide. The small town of Two Wells, approximately 40km north of Adelaide, doubled for the film’s main setting. “It’s basically a main street town. And one time I went up to do some location scouting it actually had a brass band festival on, which is something I used in the film just to give it a sort of quirky feel. But we also used a
little bit of digital special effects to put the backdrop of the Flinders Ranges around the town, so it looks different to the normal Two Wells. It was a great little town to work in. Everybody was really good. I think one of the advantages of filming out in the country is that people are very hospitable and they like to see something happen. City shooting is more difficult. People aren’t as tolerant, and they think more of the location fees they can get.” The film features a couple of spectacular stunt sequences, including the car crash that sets the plot in motion. “The car crash was obviously difficult,” explains Lahiff. “I’ve done quite a few stunts in various films and so far haven’t had any problems. The director is responsible if anything goes wrong. But luckily all went well. There are a lot of American movies, which have huge budgets, so how am I going to make it look interesting on a low budget? I think it does come across as spectacular.” Originally Lahiff planned to cast slightly older actors in the key roles, but then he made the decision to cast some up-and-coming young actors who are beginning to carve out a reputation amongst our next crop of top actors. David Lyons has worked on tv series like ER and Sea Patrol. Emma Booth, from Underbelly, is terrific as Jina, the unhappy wife of the local cop, played by Jason Clarke, who appears in three yet to be released films, including Kathryn Bigelow’s big budget Getting Bin Laden, and John Hillcoate’s Lawless, which screened in Cannes
“THERE ARE A LOT OF AMERICAN MOVIES, WHICH HAVE HUGE BUDGETS, SO HOW AM I GOING TO MAKE IT LOOK INTERESTING ON A LOW BUDGET? I THINK IT DOES COME ACROSS AS SPECTACULAR.”
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recently. There are also appearances from veterans like Roy Billing, Vince Colosimo, Chris Haywood and Travis McMahon in smaller roles. Lahiff had worked with Billing on Black And White, and he contacted him and asked if he was interested in playing the part of a country cop. Even though it was only two day’s work, Billing agreed. “I think that’s one of the enjoyable things,” Lahiff continues. “You can get people if they suit the characters. And with actors you’ve used before it’s great to be able to use them again, because you don’t have to reinvent a rapport. That’s one of the things I certainly enjoy about making a film. You get to work with all of these really talented people. Nobody’s got too big an ego, and it’s really rewarding, particularly when you see their performances on screen.” Swerve premiered at The Melbourne International Film Festival in 2011, so why has it taken so long to get a commercial release? “It’s difficult getting an Australian release,” explains Lahiff. “There’s very few Australian distributors. And we’ve been busy with international markets. We’ve sold the film overseas, and the US is getting ready to release it later this year. So we’ve sort of delayed
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the release a little bit hoping that we could synchronise the two releases here and in America.” This is also Lahiff’s first film in a decade. His last film was the 2002 drama Black And White, a recreation of the landmark 1958 South Australian Court trial, and a miscarriage of justice in the case involving Max Stuart, a young aboriginal convicted of the murder of a nine-year-old white girl. “I wish I could make one every year,” he laments, “but it’s just hard getting the money together. You spend a lot of time developing projects and it’s not like doing one after the other, unless somebody actually offers you a film from scratch. Things don’t seem to be getting any easier with the finance, what with financial crises here and there. But this was something that we had planned to do straight after Black And White and it has taken a lot of time to actually get it together and raise the money for it. But we’ve been busy during that time. We have four other projects that are ready to go now at script stage, and with partial financing.” Swerve is showing from Thursday June 7 distributed through Jump Street Films.
KEEP EVERYTHING BY KATE MCCARTEN
For the father of a one-and-a-half year old and a brand new set of twins, Antony Hamilton has unprecedented amounts of energy. Studying ballet throughout his youth, Hamilton’s life was revolutionised by the discovery of contemporary dance in the late nineties. His eyes had been opened to this whole new world of movement, and he hasn’t dared close them since. After almost a decade as a dancer for Chunky Move, Hamilton is about to debut his first solo commission work for the company as a director. Keep Everything is professed to be a stripped back, abstract work exploring the idea of the creative process. In his last week of rehearsals, and in between bites of a tuna panini, Hamilton ponders his inspirations, his passions and his fears. Like most children of the ‘80s, Antony Hamilton was taken with breakdancing from a young age. His attentive mother quickly recognised her son’s physical abilities and signed him up to local ballet classes to give his playful movements some discipline. Unlike most eight year old boys, Hamilton thrived in ballet, and ended up spending the next fifteen years of his life mastering the craft. It wasn’t until he began training at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts towards the end of adolescence that a totally unimaginable idea suddenly jumped up and changed the rest of his life. “There was a life changing day in class where the teacher basically said ‘you can do anything’. You can do anything – anything. You don’t have to do the information that’s in your body that you’ve learned. You can try new things,” Hamilton smiles. “It was just a revelation, you know? And that’s when I got really excited about making work because it could be my ideas. Holy shit. It was awesome.” But at that stage, he was still young and he was still a dancer, programmed to bring other people’s ideas to fruition. Something, it seems, he was damn good at. Hamilton went on to dance with the Australian Dance Academy, Kage Physical Theatre, Chunky Move and Lucy Guerin Inc. His extensive and global dance resume is riddled with critical acclaim and awards, including Best Male Dancer titles from both Greenroom and Helpmann. When he eventually did begin the transition from dancer to director, the length of the leap took Hamilton by surprise. “There’s quite a delineation between a choreographer and a director. A lot of dancers are choreographers, but directing is something all together different. Learning how to direct a whole show was the steepest learning curve I’ve ever had,” remembers Hamilton. “I didn’t know what the fuck I was getting into. I thought it was going to be like ‘oh yeah, no problem’, but when it came to production I was beside myself. Just like, ‘what have I done?’” The experience didn’t scare him off though. Battling through a continuous cycle of commissions and independent works since, Hamilton has quickly but determinedly established himself as one of Melbourne’s leading young contemporary directors. Acclaimed works like Black Project 1 and Drift have demanded the Australian dance scene to stop and take notice, and it appears Hamilton has got something equally intriguing up his sleeve with Keep Everything. From an engineer building a skyscraper, to an arts journo writing about Antony Hamilton, any creation suffers through an elimination process. Which ideas will work, which ideas are shit, and which ideas you wish you could use some other time for some other thing. Keep Everything is an abstract work focusing on the elusiveness of that creative process. The initial vision was to create a work that would bring to life notions that had been thrown to the wayside in previous developments. But even that concept has twisted and turned throughout its own life, consolidating the authenticity of the idea. Despite having an incredibly talented and experienced crew on hand, including Australian duo The Presets working on the score, Hamilton has purposefully kept the piece visually exposed. From a minimalistic set and costume design to subtle lighting and music, he wants to prove that his ideas and skill alone are enough to carry his works. “[Minimalism] is quite a divergence away from my other work. I wanted to challenge myself to see what I could get purely from the performers. I figured if I’m going to be a director, I should dig a bit deeper with the performances, rather than focusing on the dressing of the work.” Dancers Alisdair Macindoe, Benjamin Hancock and Lauren Langlois have a tough job ahead of them. A job that Hamilton admits he wouldn’t want. The three dancers are present throughout the performance, literally having nowhere to hide. Other than those vague hints though, Hamilton is reluctant to divulge any more about what the piece will actually look like. He doesn’t want you to know, yet. “I generally want people to have no expectations. I think the work speaks its own language, so to colour it with words takes something away from it. It means you can only read it through those eyes,” Hamilton muses. “I will say it does have a strong emotional backbone. It definitely makes me feel strong feelings. Like ‘that’s really fucking scary’ or ‘that’s really weird’ or ‘that’s beautiful’. But maybe that’s just because I like it because I made it, and that’s my taste. Other people might go ‘that’s really fucking boring’,” he laughs. “They probably will.” Keep Everything is showing from Thursday June 14 until Saturday June 23 at the Chunky Move Studios, Southbank. For bookings and more information visit chunkymove.com.
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SHAME BY DEE JEFFERSON
Steve McQueen has a reputation for not suffering fools lightly; fiercely intelligent, and with a background in visual arts rather than the film ‘industry’, he can come across in interviews as a bit stand-offish. So when a journalist opens my Venice Film Festival round table interview by asking him if he ever thought about changing his name (“no really,” she pushes, “because of, you know, Steve McQueen!”) you can see the circle of journalists visibly wince, ready for the implosion of our interview. It’s not as if this towering black man, a video artist, is going to be confused with the blonde-haired, blue-eyed American action star (who is, besides this, dead). “No, no…” the director says, nonplussed. “Next question?” And it seems almost miraculous that he goes on to give such a considered, open and even vulnerable account of himself, the film, and his process. McQueen shot to cinematic prominence a few years back with his debut feature Hunger – a stylishly executed, visually stunning and profoundly moving portrait of the last days of Irish hunger-striker Bobby Sands, starring Irish-German actor Michael Fassbender. His follow-up, Shame, inhabits the other end of the cultural spectrum – decadent uptown New York – and tackles a very different kind of torment: sex addiction. The film’s protagonist, Brandon, is attractive, virile, successful and charming; but like an alcoholic, he is completely at the mercy of his addiction. Whereas Sands uses his body as a vehicle for protest, Brandon (also played by Fassbender) uses his body as a weapon against himself, in a joyless cycle of sexual self-abuse and shame. “Both these men are antiheroes,” says McQueen. “I was interested in that – and also interested in what’s going on with technology, and sex. It’s interesting how things are changing how we are introduced to sex. It’s all around us.
I did an interview in the [Festival] tent the other day, and there were two girls walking around in white mini-skirts, selling beer. And that’s the norm, now, of course. And that’s obvious – but in some ways I wanted to investigate how it’s affecting us as individuals.” McQueen and screenwriter Abi Morgan did intensive research into sex addiction, including interviews with addicts. “Shame was the word that was cropping up all the time through interviewing people who had this kind of affliction,” says the director. “What would happen is they would go on a sort of ‘sexscapade’, and when they came out of it they experienced a wave of shame. And then what they would do to get out of the shame was do it all over again. I think we all have our own shame, in a way… and I wanted the film to be almost like a silent dog whistle going off in the room – everyone knows but no-one’s actually going to talk about it.”
Shame received the NC-17 rating (often deemed a box office kiss of death) for its US release, and a R18+ in Australia. “Hunger wasn’t released in Spain and it wasn’t released in Italy; the reason it wasn’t released in those two territories was male frontal nudity. I mean, you know, how many sculptures, how many paintings in both those countries? It’s ridiculous.” McQueen protests. “As long as it’s not irresponsible in what it’s trying to do – I mean, I’m not interested in trying to do slasher movies or snuff films or pornography – but if it’s not irresponsible, what’s the problem? I mean we’re all adults.” Speaking of male frontal nudity – McQueen says there was never any question about casting Fassbender. “[My relationship with him] is very special. There’s a real kind of understanding, and a close-ness, and I’m extraordinarily grateful for it. It’s one of those things, it’s like falling in love – it doesn’t happen very often. He’s extraordinarily generous; when he’s on set, he gets on with everyone – he has a wonderful way of putting people at ease. And as an actor? Personally in this film I feel that he’s moved acting on – he’s not ‘acting’, he’s doing something more than that. You believe him.” Casting Brandon’s sister Sissy, however, proved more
FILM REVIEW: SWERVE
his good deed has unexpected ramifications as he is slowly drawn into a web of murder, violence, betrayal. Jina is the dissatisfied wife of Frank and she has her own plans for the money. Colin becomes the unwitting pawn in an elaborate cat-and-mouse game. There are lots of twists and turns in the formulaic plot that involves two million dollars, a corrupt cop, a sultry femme fatale, an innocent man caught up in a web of violence and betrayal. There are also a couple of intriguing red herrings and the usual McGuffin. The title itself is evocative, not only because it refers to cars suddenly swerving or veering around an obstacle, but because it also refers to the various characters changing their moral compass in the face of temptation and unexpected situations. The characters might be a bit one-dimensional, but that doesn’t matter as the three leads deliver strong
performances. The solid cast also includes Vince Colosimo (Lantana) in a small role as a lecherous businessman, and veteran Roy Billing as a country cop. Travis McMahon brings a wonderfully sinister edge to his role as a hitman. Swerve is the first feature film from writer/director Craig Lahiff in a decade. His last film was the 2002 drama Black And White, which was a recreation of the landmark 1958 South Australian Court trial, and a miscarriage of justice in the case involving Max Stuart, a young aboriginal convicted of the murder of a nine-year-old white girl. Lahiff brings plenty of pace and energy to the material and the film races along at a fast pace that rarely lets up. He has a good understanding of the tropes of the genre, but he also suffuses the material with a strong streak of dark and laconic humour. Lahiff and cinematographer David Foreman use the sparse Flinders ranges backdrop to good effect to create
BY GREG KING
This clever Australian-made noir-like thriller is infused with the spirit of American crime writer James M Cain (The Postman Always Rings Twice, etc), Hitchcock, and even the films of John Dahl (The Last Seduction, Red Rock West, etc). Colin (David Lyons, from ER, Sea Patrol, etc) is on his way to a job interview in Broken Hill when he witnesses a car crash. Checking the ruined car he stumbles upon a suitcase that contains lots of cash. He also meets Jina (Emma Booth, from Underbelly, etc) and drives her to her lavish home on the outskirts of town. Then he heads into the nearby town of Neverest and hands the suitcase over to Frank (Jason Clarke, from Stingers, Death Race, etc), the local cop. But
difficult. “Somehow [Carey Mulligan] got hold of the script, and then she met me and I had a conversation with her where I wanted to get away as quickly as possible,” McQueen admits, wincing. “But then she forced me to stay, and we had a conversation – and I thought, ‘You know what? Let’s go for it.’ On the spot, I gave her the role. I did that with James Badge Dale as well. Actually the casting of Nicole Behari (the woman who Brandon has an affair with) was very difficult, because they didn’t want me to cast a black woman in the film. They said it ‘wouldn’t happen’, and that ‘that doesn’t exist’. I said, ‘Well I exist!’ It was a very odd situation.” “I love working with actors,” McQueen enthuses. “I love being their supporter – making an environment for them that is safe, so that they can be free [to experiment]. You want it to be like a sphere – so that whatever happens, it doesn’t matter which way they roll, it’s perfect. You have to work to get to that situation [but once you’re there] whatever they do in that take is perfect – because they’ve worked to create this character, and their situation.” Shame is out now on DVD through Transmission Films.
an atmosphere of isolation and menace. Paul Grabowski contributes a nice, quirky score for the film, and his slightly jazz-oriented take on the usually moody noir score adds an extra element and enhances the suspense. Swerve is the kind of pacy thriller and unashamed crowdpleasing genre piece that Australian filmmakers should make more of. Swerve is showing from Thursday June 7 distributed through Jump Street Films.
Available In Stores Now on Blu Ray and DVD While stocks Last
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BONJAH BY ZOË RADAS
The Maori legend of the beauty Hinemoa, who swims across Lake Rotarua to reach her forbidden lover Tutanekai, is part of the spiritual landscape that New Zealand’s Bonjah once called home. Three of the five members hail from Tauranga, which is situated in the Bay Of Plenty region of the north island. “It’s absolutely beautiful,” says guitarist for the blues and roots outfit, Regan Lethbridge. “It’s right on the beach; it’s where we grew up.” It also might not be the most difficult of placenames in the area to pronounce (see: Whakamarama, Ohauiti) but perhaps it was their hometown which influenced Bonjah’s decision to initially name their group Bonjahbango. This did not work out so hot when the band moved to Melbourne in 2007, and now on the brink of their first big overseas adventure together, Lethbridge still finds it a bit galling to explain. “We went on tour in 2008, and about one venue in 22 got [the spelling] right,” he laments. When Lethbridge and his bandmates were still going by their bouncier former title in Melbourne, the days were rough but magic. “When we first got here we couldn’t get gigs so we’d just set up on the street and live off our CD sales. They were really, really awesome days,” he says. “We’d go out three or four days a week and just play music. It was pretty special.” The journey is set to get bigger when the guys head to London this month, and then jettison over to Germany where they’ll be playing the JuWi festival. Footage from last year’s JuWi depicts some rather incredible scenes, and Lethbridge admits he isn’t entirely sure what they’re in for. “I know that it’s the largest student festival in Germany. There’s about ten or twelve thousand people,” he ponders with that upward inflection. “The festival booker’s sister bought our CD [while we were] busking years ago and gave it to [the booker], and he got in touch. We said, ‘Look, if we’re going to come all that way is it possible to give us a good slot?’ He said ‘How does 10pm on the main stage sound?’ And we’re like ‘Oh... my God,’” he laughs. “We’re playing after the biggest hip hop artists in Germany, so it’s either going to go really well or... [lead balloon territory].” Having played an astonishing number of shows around Melbourne and Australia in the last couple of years, the trip will also provide a chance for Bonjah to knuckle down to some songwriting. “The inspiration we’re going to get from the trip [will] be awesome, because we’ve obviously never been that far as a band,” Lethbridge says. “We’ve played that many
shows – into the hundreds last year – we just want to take some time out from the touring side and spend six months creating the best thing we can create.”
“WE SAID, ‘LOOK, IF WE’RE GOING TO COME ALL THAT WAY IS IT POSSIBLE TO GIVE US A GOOD SLOT?’ HE SAID ‘HOW DOES 10PM ON THE MAIN STAGE SOUND?’” Playing a pile of live gigs clearly takes its toll: not just on the musicians but on the songs too. In order for the boys to continue enjoying the tracks and keep them fresh each time they play for an audience, an effort has to be made to spritz the lettuce a bit. “Each time we play a song there’s little changes and little differences... In the middle [of single Fly] we just said, ‘Right, at this point someone’s going to start a jam. Whether it’s Dan on the drums or Dave on the bass, or myself,’” Lethbridge says. “And then we just don’t know where it’s going to go. It’s little things like that that keep it fresh for us.” Soulful, bluesy guitar and bass combined with jaunty woodblock offbeats, dreamy melodies and impromptu reggae yells certainly lend the band to improvisation: it’s a sound that is at once familiar, and also very emotive.
Speaking of emotions, the good vibes go around and around with these guys: paying it forward is very important to them. Having previously been involved with a few benefit causes including the Leukemia Foundation and the Variety Children’s Charity, this year Lethbridge heard about Make-A-Wish, whose mission is to grant the wishes of children with lifethreatening illnesses. “I just thought, ‘That is such a cool idea,’” he says warmly, “and I contacted them the next day and said we’d love to be involved, and how can we help, what can we do?” In addition to setting up donation boxes and handing out informational fliers, one dollar from every ticket sold to their approaching Melbourne gig will be donated to the charity. The cherry on top was their announcement last week regarding some special guests who will perform at the show: three youngsters from Make-AWish are set to sing a song with the boys. “We’re now ambassadors, which is pretty amazing,” Lethbridge
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beams. “[We’re] putting a bit of good karma out there, which is cool.” It’s not some slick Bono-type move though, as a recent performance by the band on New Zealand’s Sunrise program will attest. Lethbridge was sashaying about with bare feet, which looked sort of weird when you imagine Kiwi mums with nice powdered hair watching while they sipped their morning coffee. “I know,” he says guiltily. “My mother had a word. I just don’t really like shoes to be honest: to this day I don’t play in shoes. I mean I’m respectful; if I’m going to a wedding I’ll put on shoes.” It’s okay Regan, we don’t mind. Keep spreading the awesome positive vibes. BONJAH play their final show before heading overseas at The Corner Hotel on Friday June 8, and one dollar from each ticket sold goes to MakeA-Wish. Go Go Chaos is out now through Shock.
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INDUSTRIAL STRENGTH MUSIC INDUSTRY NEWS & GOSSIP
with Christie Eliezer * Stuff for this column to be emailed to <celiezer@netspace.net.au> by Friday 5pm RAIN STOPS J’S ONE NIGHT STAND Triple j’s ten hour One Night Stand in Dalby in Queensland had to be cut midway due to foul weather. It started out well enough with sets from locals Mace And The Motor, Matt Corby – who premiered a song he finished only 20 mins prior – and Stonefield. But 25 minutes into 360’s set, a huge downpour of rain fell causing flooding in the front of the house and water damage to the stage monitors. 360 rhymed, “Mother nature / I fuckin hate yer.” It was decided to postpone his set, but after ten minutes organisers decided to axe the rest of the show, which meant The Temper Trap couldn’t play. A pity: their sell-out shows at The Forum where they aired songs from the new album — which debuted at #17 in the UK last week — were most impressive. Over the coming weeks, Live At The Wireless will broadcast whatever sets made it through, and there’s a One Night Stand TV special on ABC2 later in the year. STRANGE NEW SUBSCRIBERS FOR PBS Among those subscribing to PBS FM during its recent week-long radiothon were a lizard, a Valiant car, three dogs, a bass guitar and dwarf rabbits. PBS is saying it was the best radiothon yet but won’t put a tally on it as yet as folks can still subscribe to be in the running to get major prizes like a Vespa, an Audiophile surround sound system and a year’s worth of PBS feature CDs. FOUR l FOUR FIND BOY IN A BOX New ABC Music imprint Four l Four signed triple j faves, Melbourne’s Boy In A Box. Formed in late 2010, they “are an amazing live act and have a killer rock sound and energy that is truly captivating,” says Robert Patterson, head of ABC Music. A fourtrack EP, recorded at Birdland Studios by producer Lindsay Gravina is out July 6. WHITE KNIGHT RIDES IN FOR FALLS Tasmanian philanthropist Graeme Wood AM, millionaire founder of travel website Wotif.com, has signed a sponsorship deal with the Falls Music & Arts Festival. Falls Lorne, Victoria celebrates its 20th anniversary this year (Dec 28-Jan 1) and Falls Marion Bay Tasmania its tenth (Dec 29-Jan 1). The extent of Wood’s financial injection is not known, but it ensures that Falls Tasmania returns after it was refused funding by the Tasmanian government. It brings about 7,742 visitors (40% to 50% of the crowd) to the island over three days, and pumped $31.45 million into the local economy, Falls organisers said. Wood founded Artology, a not for profit dedicated to developing creativity in young people and social change through the arts. Its flagship program is WotOpera, encourages high school students to develop and perform their own mini opera. He also supports the Fresh Ink young playwrights’ program and the Red Room poetry initiative. He said of his support for Falls, “[It] is a case study of the tangible economic impact that creative events, and cultural and ecotourism, can have for the Tasmanian economy. As a philanthropist and businessman, this inspirational combination of creative endeavour and sustainable economic return is something I’m very keen to support.”
BEHIND THE APRA AWARDS Gotye and Yusef Islam got standing ovations at the APRA awards in Sydney. Gotye’s three gongs included the prestigious song and songwriter of the year. During one acceptance speech he apologised MAIDEN’S ‘BEAST’ BEST BRITISH ALBUM Iron Maiden’s The Number Of The Beast was voted the best British album of the past 60 years in music retailer HMV’s survey of music and films to mark Queen Liz’s Diamond Jubilee. Beast, which sold 14 million worldwide, and went to #1 in the UK behind Run To The Hills, got 9.2% of the 30,000 votes. At #2 was Depeche Mode’s Violator (6.3% of vote) and #3 was The Beatles’ Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (5.69%). The rest of the Top 10 was The Beatles’ Abbey Road, Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon, The Beatles’ Revolver, Queen’s A Night at the Opera, Oasis’ (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?, Adele’s 21 with The Beatles’ White Album at #10. The ‘90s was the most popular decade with 18 of the 60 albums, then the ‘70s (15), the Noughties (13), the ‘60s (8) the ‘80s (4) and the current decade (2). Top film was Trainspotting, then Monty Python and the Holy Grail. THINGS WE HEAR * Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Flea twittered they’d be here early 2013, leading to speculation they’ll headline Big Day Out. Justin Bieber is here on a promo tour in July, although no live shows are planned fans are hoping he’ll do some secret shows like the ones he’s been doing in Europe. Modestep are back in October for Parklife. The Sigur Ros visit seems to be tied with the Harvest festival, which is hotly tipped to include Beck and My Bloody Valentine. * For months the APRA people spent ages fine-tuning the sessions to the minute, so all the sessions would flow in zen-like harmony, starting with Federal Arts minister Simon Crean’s five minute opening speech. Alas Crean went on for 45 minutes, throwing the entire day’s schedule into disarray! Mind you, Crean was terrific, talking with great passion about his vision for culture, his willingness to help artists and musicians who made a difference, his appreciation of the music industry’s contribution and he urged all Aussies to encompass indigenous culture. “Let’s use it. I see it as the real defining of us and our place in Asia and the difference between countries.” * Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour was renovating
Q&A KICKING HORSE What do you hate about the music industry? It’s pretty hard to earn a dime. If you could travel back in time and show one of your musical heroes your stuff, who would it be and why? Townes Van Zandt. That man knew what a good song was. What can a punter expect from your live show? I’m not sure what to expect most of the time; I guess it’s like country blues with a Motown rhythm section. So then, what’s the band name and what do you ‘do’ in the band? Kicking Horse. I [Diego Zaragoza] write the tunes, sing and play guitar. What do you think people will say you sound like? Some people say it sounds like you’re in the desert. What do you love about making music? Playing live. The energy you get from a room and the group of people in it, it’s a one-time deal.
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What’ve you got to sell CD-wise? We’re working on our new record right now: probably going to be an EP. I’ve got an old solo record called Defy that you can get down at Pure Pop Records. When’s the gig and with who? Friday June 8 at Elwood Lounge, 9pm, with Ryan John Brown: a damn good slide guitarist and multiinstrumentalist. Anything else to add? Support live music; listen to PBS radio.
“to those people who listen to commercial radio and had to listen to (his hit) 50 times a day at their workplace” and he regarded by backstage crew as “a gentleman and a sweetheart”. He had a huge grin as he watched Tina Arena and Tex Perkins tackle his Somebody That I Used To Know, more so when Tex fluffed his intro. The Beards, who’d been nominated for song of the year quipped they didn’t know who Gotye was and grumbled “He doesn’t have much of a beard.” When Kate Miller-Heidke did their You Really Should Consider Having Sex With A Bearded Man she got into the spirit of things mid-song by whipping out a tambourine with a beard attached to it, much to the audience’s delight. Yusef Islam, who flew up with his son from Melbourne – where he was hard at rehearsals for the premiere last Thursday of his Moonshadow musical based on Cat Stevens songs – to present Boy And Bear for breakthrough songwriters. They were as thrilled to meet him as getting the award. Yusef returned to Melbourne half an hour later for more Moonshadow duties.
his six-storey mansion in East Sussex when builders found an unexploded World War II bomb. The guitarist and wife scrammed while a bomb disposal team took it away. * Neil Finn celebrated his 53rd birthday by “playing some music, having a drink, wearing my new clothes out for dinner”. Asked if he had any regrets he replied, “Missing a few moments of my kids growing up”. * Missy Higgins was voted Australia’s sexiest vegetarian by animal righters PETA ahead of Sia, John Butler, Ash Grunwald and Abbie Cornish. *The X-Factor winner Reece Mastin’s set at Darwin’s BassInTheGrass was marred by idiots throwing abuse, bottles and thongs at him. 360, also on the bill, defended him on Facebook: “I know some of u are passionate about what u do and don’t like, but booing an artist before they play on stage isn’t cool.” * The Your Shot DJ competition drew 650 registrations in Sydney and 450 in Brisbane, with Melbourne closing off on the weekend. * Melbourne hip-hop artist Illy scores his first Top 50 hit as Heard It All debuts at #48 on this week’s ARIA chart. FIGHT! FIGHT! Madonna made a dig at Lady Gaga as she kicked off her world tour in Israel. During a dress rehearsal, while singing Express Yourself she mashed it up with Gaga’s Born This Way which is accused of pinching from Maddy’s song. During the radio panel at Sound Summit in Sydney things got heated, with Commercial Radio Australia CEO Joan Warner declaring she was “sick of commercial radio being made out to be the bad guys.” At the end, triple j manager Chris Scaddan asked her “Why don’t you play more Australian music?” She served back, “We probably would if we had taxpayer money.” After Delta Goodrem blabbered to Vogue that she’d been unable to get out of her “unhappy” relationship with Brian McFadden, he let fly with a series of tweets. One stated, “Sometimes silence is golden. People love to try and deflect attention from their own downfalls onto others.” TMZ reported that Jennifer Lopez and Britney Spears locked horns over being the highest paid judge on a music TV show. Brit initially wanted $20 million for The X-Factor gig but was willing to negotiate. But she stopped at $13 million as Lopez got $12 million in her first season on American Idol. TRIPLE M PRANKS PRINCE Triple M Melbourne’s The Hot Breakfast show scored a live “interview” with the archly media-shy Prince. His dancer Damaris Lewis, whom they were interviewing in the studio, got them past hotel switchboard with her insider’s knowledge of the pseudonym he booked under, and woke him up. Princey wasn’t the most coherent (well, it was 8.25am) but then again, neither were the questions. He humoured them along, about his Australian tour (“my favourite tour to date”), his secret 2am two-hour club show at Bennetts Lane to 70 people (“I read in the paper that I played last night”) and we heard he had a cold, doesn’t drink or believe in UFOs. After 6.36 minutes, he hung up and returned to sleep. A night later, he caused chaos on Melbourne’s major thoroughfare Swanston Street when 5,000 fans descended on the 650-capacity Hi-Fi after tweets suggested he and the band would perform at his after-party. The crowd spilled over a few blocks, Prince arrived at 2.30am, punters became drunk and obnoxious, cops arrived and Prince never played after feeling intimidated, and everyone left at 5am feeling duped.
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LIFELINES Married: Aimee Nash of The Black Ryder (and one time EMI Music Australia exec) and The Cult’s Ian Astbury in America. Dating: Rihanna and basketball ace and bad boy J.R. Smith. Born: daughter Mimi Malone to Kasabian singer Tom Meighan and girlfriend Kim. Hospitalised: Prink, for treatment for stomach flu. Hurt: Justin Bieber left with a “bit of headache” after he collided with a glass wall and suffered concussion midway through a Paris show when he ran backstage. He finished the show and passed out afterwards. Ill: Lana Del Ray cancelled two gigs in Japan due to exhaustion. In Court: Rafael Henando Arevalo Poveda, 46, accused of raping and groping two patrons, both 18, as they waited in line at the men’s toilet at The Beat Nightclub in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley. The incident happened on Novmber 12, 2011. He allegedly grabbed them around the crotch and then forced his hands down the back of their jeans. He has pleaded not guilty. Arrested: a second man Dion Pydde, 26 in relation to death of Surfers Paradise nightclub promoter Tumara Cusins who fell from his 31st floor apartment. Died: US folk legend Doc Watson, 89, in a North Carolina hospital following a fall and colon surgery. Blind since the age of one, he became one of the fastest flat pickers after picking fiddle parts on records on his guitar.
KIMBRA DEBUTS AT #14 IN THE U.S. Following hard touring and TV slots, an interesting album that saw her acclaimed as “the new Bjork” and of course her presence on Somebody That I Used To Know, Kimbra’s Vows album crashed into the U.S. charts at #14. We spoke to her in New York on the day to pass on our congrats. “I haven’t even had time to open up a bottle of champagne. It’s all work, work, work.” That night she was on a bus to Columbus as part of the Foster The People tour until end of June. Then she goes to Europe for dates, returns to the U.S. to headline her own shows, then back to Europe at the end of 2012. GAGA HITS TWITTER RECORD Lady Gaga became the first person on Twitter to exceed 25 million followers. “I’m officially feeling like the luckiest girl in the world today,” she said on the weekend in Asia on tour and where her final concert in Singapore sold out in two hours. At #2 is Justin Bieber (22.9m), followed by Katy Perry (20.5m), Rihanna (19.9m), Britney Spears (17.2m), Shakira (16.3m), Barack Obama (16.1m), Kim Kardashian (14,8) and Taylor Swift (14.6m). ADDITIONS TO FESTofALL FESTofALL, the national June 24 free event to celebrate the roles of 380,000 young carers in Australia, has made two additions. Media name Maude Garrett, a former carer herself, is confirmed as the festival’s national face. Stonefield will headline the Melbourne event, held at Circus Oz in Birrarung Marr. The event will bring together carers for a day of fun and to network. NEW AGENCY ARRIVES A new agency Bright Side focuses on managing and booking alternative acts, based in Melbourne and Bathurst. Ash Hull (ash@thebrightsideagency. com) looks after Victoria’s Belle Haven, Glorified, Ocean Grove, Surrender and Qld’s Never Lose Sight. Co-director Aaron McLachlan (aaron@ thebrightsideagency.com) handles Far West Battlefront (SA) and Pledge This (NSW). MATHS AND MAGIC SHOWCASE Management and publicity company Maths & Magic holds its first showcase at the Grace Darling on Friday June 8. Playing are Elephant Eyes (single launch), Owls Of The Swamp (back from a year-long stint in Berlin) and Siobhan. SEEKING UNSIGNED KINGSTON ACTS Kingston Youth Services and Fuse Productions are looking for unsigned acts for the Push Start, Battle Of The Bands in August. Winners of each heat get prizes. At least half of the act’s members must be under 21, and live, work or go to school in the City of Kingston. Applications close on Friday June 29, apply or more info contact: fuseproductions@kingston.vic.gov.au. “DON’T BE LEFT OUT IN THE CALD!” Multicultural Arts Victoria and Moreland City Council are presenting a series of Artist Development Workshops from June 23 over winter. They are at Brunswick Town Hall and Coburg Town Hall. You can attend as many workshops as you like but bookings are essential. Book by phone 9188 3689 or email Jess Fairfax projects@multiculturalarts.com.au. Topics include how to get on performing arts festivals and increase attendances, how to set up your own event, business structures, grants availability and grant writing, what APRA and AMRAP do for you, image and fan building and legal issues.
THE BLACK SEEDS BY JOSHUA KLOKE
With the release of their fifth full-length studio record, Dust And Dirt, The Black Seeds has turned a corner. Dust And Dirt, an expansive yet intimate listen does justice to the New Zealand reggae-soul troupe’s past work, yet also showcases the band as, in a sense, how they’ve always wanted to be heard. For the first time, The Black Seeds not only recorded an album on their own, but did so in their own Wellington studio. And as lead singer Barnaby Weir attests, that kind of freedom and self-reliance produced some incredible results for the band. “There were some incredible freedoms that we experienced recording this one,” says the affable Kiwi from his Wellington home. “There weren’t the kind of time constraints you usually have when you hire a studio for a month and spend that kind of money on it. Very often you’re trying to squeeze out a good album. And ultimately you want that album to capture a moment. This time around we took our time and did our thing in a humble studio. And in doing so, we allowed ourselves the opportunity to explore the songs a bit more. We could experiment a little bit and I think we were ultimately able to catch some key moments.” It’s been a long time coming for The Black Seeds; their last full-length, Solid Ground was a landmark release, but there’s been a lot happening in The Black Seeds camp since. “We’ve been touring around the world a wee bit, doing some tours throughout Australasia as well. Some of us are starting to have babies so it’s been interesting to have to juggle the touring commitments with our family commitments.” So with more and more members of The Black Seeds starting families, has it been difficult for the band to adapt to these changes? “It is a bit of a challenge mixing the lifestyle we generally lead with what we need to do with our families,” admits Weir, acknowledging how the band has turned the corner in both their professional and personal lives. We’ve become more careful with scheduling tours and that sort of thing. I’d like to think we work pretty hard at it however.” Dust And Dirt sees The Black Seeds corralling their 14 years of experience as a band. Personal messages are littered throughout the lyrics, relaying an ultimately hopeful message. “We’ve all had personal challenges, just like everyone else around the world,” says Weir. “But our job is to express ourselves, and express our trials and tribulations and turn them into stories. Hopefully those stories can help people. Through ups and downs, breakups, that sort of thing, we try to go through things without the security that many people have with say, an office job or something like that. We don’t have that, but that’s the path we’ve taken.” “We hope it’s reflected in our music,” he continues. “We find personal stories have always worked better for us as opposed to political prophecies. We just explore the themes and the feelings which are important to us.”
ADRIAN BOHM PRESENTS THE STAR OF ABC TV’S BLACK BOOKS
“WE FIND PERSONAL STORIES HAVE ALWAYS WORKED BETTER FOR US AS OPPOSED TO POLITICAL PROPHECIES.” It’s clear from the video for the first single on Dust And Dirt, Pippy Pip that what’s important to The Black Seeds is maintaining a sense of family. A light-hearted video showcases children painting, building then ultimately controlling cardboard puppets of The Black Seeds. It doesn’t take a psychologist to understand where the importance now lies within the band. Also important is the idea of expanding their everevolving sound. Long boxed into a very generic ‘reggae’ label, Dust And Dirt, and Pippy Pip in particular, hears the band getting much looser and exploring their soulful side. “We definitely are,” says Weir, after being asked if the band is continually trying to branch out. “While we didn’t necessarily strive to do something different on this record, we definitely experimented more. It’s hard for us when we get put in the ‘reggae’ box. We’re essentially a party groove band, but we’re not your classic reggae band from the South Pacific. People generally get a different idea once they come to see us live.” They’ve had the chance to bring their party-ready live set around the world. And while Weir maintains they’re not your average South Pacific band, there is a certain spirit of New Zealand that finds itself in the music of The Black Seeds almost intrinsically. “It’s something that just happens naturally. We don’t try to add too much of a New Zealand flavour to things. It all comes from our personal styles anyway. I mean, I sing in a Kiwi accent, but we’re not trying to be Jamaican or American. Although we are highly influenced by Jamaican and American music. We just try to do our own thing and tell our own stories. I suppose there is something very distinct in our musical DNA. We don’t hide from it; we’re proud of it. We just make the music we want to play a thousand times.” With a new record and new families in tow, it’s clear that’s exactly what the band is going to do. “There’s been lots of opportunities for the band to break up and do different things, but it’s important for us to keep the family together. It’s really important for us to live in New Zealand right now with a few of us and our young families beginning to grow up.” THE BLACK SEEDS play The Corner Hotel on Tuesday June 12 (on sale now) and Friday June 15 (sold-out). Dust And Dirt is out now through Remote Control Records.
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Beat Magazine Page 47
NEW ESTATE BY PATRICK EMERY
“As for the suburbs, so sinister and forlorn – everyone I knew who had gone to live in the suburbs had given up the ghost. The current of life never bathed these purlieus. There could be only one purpose in retiring to these living catacombs: to breed and wither away. If it were an act of renunciation it would be comprehensible, but it was never that. It was always an admission of defeat. Life became routine, the dullest sort of routine....how pleasant to watch the new sewer pipes being laid! How thrilling to see new streets opening up and finally covered with asphalt! Everything was new. New and shoddy. New and desolate. New and meaningless.” So observed American novelist Henry Miller in his 1953 novel Plexus, the second novel in Miller’s trilogy based on his relationship with his wife June. It’s an assessment of suburban life that resonates even greater in today’s world suburban housing states, replete with two-story residences, double-garages and consumer modern conveniences: the world of the new estate. When Perth band Sleepy Township reached its natural termination point about ten years ago, Mia Schoen founded New Estate, the new band’s title reflecting Schoen’s interest as a visual artist in the peculiar sociology and architecture of the suburban housing estate. “As Sleepy Township was coming to an end, I decided I wanted to form a band that was more rock, and less twee as we’d been labelled at the time,” Schoen says. “I’d already decided I wanted to call it New Estate, because that was my interest with my painting at the time, and it was a nice progression from Sleepy Township,” she laughs. “I do like the desolation of a new estate, so in that sense, New Estate is a contrast to that.” The band’s original lineup comprised Schoen, guitarist Marc Regueiro-McKelvie and fellow former Sleepy Township members Chris Gorman and Mindy Mapp, on drums and bass respectively. Mapp, who’d agreed to fill in on bass on a temporary basis, was replaced subsequently by Brad Cosier. “Mindy was studying, but she just didn’t have the time,” Schoen says. “Mindy’s last gig was at The Tote, and during the gig we asked if anyone wanted to play bass with us. After we packed up the gear, we went out to the bar to find Chris talking with Brad, who’d volunteered to be our bass player.” Cosier’s time in the band finished in Brisbane, at the tail end of an eastern states tour. “Brad didn’t enjoy the tour – he thought we were really disorganised and unprofessional,” Schoen says. After a brief search, New Estate settled on Toby Dutton from Flywheel. “Toby had been a friend for a long time. We knew of Flywheel’s work, and I liked the songs Toby had written for Flywheel. A friend had told me Toby was at a loose end because Flywheel wasn’t playing live, so I asked him, and he was totally stoked to join our band,” Schoen says. New Estate’s previous record, Is It Real, was released on the now defunct Low Transit Industries label (“We don’t have any copies of that record anymore,” Schoen confesses). With LTI in hiatus following label boss Darren Smallman’s departure to England, New Estate convened to write the songs that would appear eventually on the band’s latest release, Recovery. “We probably started writing about a year before we started recorded the album,” Schoen says. “Once Toby joined we were really keen to start playing new stuff.”
“I DO LIKE THE DESOLATION OF A NEW ESTATE, SO IN THAT SENSE, NEW ESTATE IS A CONTRAST TO THAT.”
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Beat Magazine Page 48
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Each of the members of New Estate – including Dutton – contributed to the songwriting on the new record. “We don’t tend to write collaboratively, except for the songs on the album that Chris sings,” Schoen says. The tracks themselves suggest a more deliberate pop sensibility than the guitar-laden tone of previous New Estate records. Schoen says the different artistic style of Recovery wasn’t deliberate. “I don’t think anything we do is really deliberate,” Schoen says. “It’s just what comes out. On my part it’s probably a lack of skill! We’ve had reviews in the past where people have said that we’re trying to be Pavement, or trying to be someone we’re not good enough to be – which I find really funny, because I wish we could be like someone I really admire,” she laughs. “We never sit around and say ‘Okay, we want to sound like this’,” Schoen says. “It’s just whatever comes out on the day.” Recovery sees Schoen (and Gorman) reunite with former Sleepy Township colleague Guy Blackman, with the album being released on Blackman’s Chapter Music label. “I don’t think Guy really liked New Estate’s other records, maybe because it didn’t really fit with the other music on Chapter,” Schoen says. “But when we had finished the album we were shopping it around, and we sent a copy to Guy, and he called us up and said he’d be happy to put it out. It’s a great label, and Guy is really enthusiastic about music.”
Recovery is released through Chapter Music. NEW ESTATE launch the album at The Northcote Social Club on Sunday June 10 with Harry Howard & The NDE and Emma Russack.
EXPERIENCE JIMI HENDRIX BY PETER HODGSON
It’s more than 45 years since Jimi Hendrix was unleashed on an unsuspecting public. Nobody could have predicted his existence just a few short years before, and now it’s impossible to imagine how the course of rock music would differ had he not graced us with his presence for those few short years before his death in 1970 at the age of 27. On Saturday June 23 an army of some of Australia’s best guitarists will gather to pay tribute to the voodoo child, including Jimi ‘The Human’ Hocking, Bob Spencer (Skyhooks), Brett Garsed, Brett Kingman (James Reyne Band), Charlie Owen (Beasts Of Bourbon), Dave Leslie (Baby Animals), Phil Manning (Chain) and many more. “It’s a bit embarrassing, but I came into Hendrix a little bit late in my guitar playing life,” Hocking admits. “I know that’s ironic because I call myself Jimi Hocking, with the same spelling!” Hocking grew up in a musical family, and was exposed to lots of different styles throughout the seventies, when he was cutting his teeth. He started playing electric guitar around the mid ‘70s and began forming his own ideas based on his musical experiences at that time – Countdown, AC/DC and things like that. Then in the early days of video, a mate brought around a tape of a Hendrix concert. Hocking was hooked. “He was jamming off, doing his own thing, and I remember me and my friend sat there watching with our jaws open thinking ‘What’s he doing?’ Because we were so used to the idea of rock music being kinda tidy. I know that sounds a bit weird, but if you take an AC/DC song or even a Thin Lizzy song, it was very structured. And we saw this guy with his eyes shut and his mouth open playing what we thought was kind of this jazzy, free-form thing, with no real care for song structure. We were a mixture of blown away and confused that somebody would do this!” At first Hocking didn’t quite connect that he could do the same thing. Hendrix-style improvisation seemed a little bit too otherworldly and beyond his grasp. It took a Kevin Borich live performance of Voodoo Child when Hocking was an up-and-comer in the actual scene before he started to realise that he too could tap into that spirit. “This was the key, this was the lore of electric guitar,” Hocking discovered. “This was how to do it. There are great stories, like Mick Jagger saying that when he first heard Hendrix play he was driving his car along and Purple Haze came on the radio. He pulled his car over to the side of the road and said ‘What the hell is that?’ It was a sound no-one had heard at the time. Clapton had a very similar experience of ‘I need to know who the hell that is! Who is this guy?’ That would have been an astonishing time to be a part of.” The Melbourne Experience Hendrix event is a follow-up to a similar show in Sydney last year featuring Powerfinger’s Darren Middleton, Rick and John Brewster of The Angels, Jak Housden of The Whitlams, Stuart Fraser of Noiseworks, Peter Koppes of The Church, Steve Edmonds from Jimmy Barnes’ band and former Screaming Jet Grant Walmsley. “They used mostly the Sydney identities for that one, so I knew it was happening and I saw the footage of that, and I was happy they contacted me for Melbourne because I actually fancied doing it. I love these concept things. Like, me and Geoff Achison will do a concert together and we’ll get Lloyd Spiegel or someone to get up, and people love the event. There’s power in the numbers. Dave Leslie’s going to be doing it but mostly it looks like it’s going to be the Melbourne contingent of the guitar scene.”
“WE SAW THIS GUY WITH HIS EYES SHUT AND HIS MOUTH OPEN PLAYING WHAT WE THOUGHT WAS KIND OF THIS JAZZY, FREEFORM THING, WITH NO REAL CARE FOR SONG STRUCTURE. WE WERE A MIXTURE OF BLOWN AWAY AND CONFUSED” Being fellow guitar nerds, our interview descends into 20 minutes of talk about Gibson Les Pauls (Hocking has an enviable collection), Paul Reed Smiths (he had the very first one in Australia), Seymour Duncan pickups (he’s one of the company’s Australian endorsers), and mandolin and shiny gold Yamahas. Eventually we remember we’re doing an interview. So is there anything else Hocking would like to say before we both hang up and undoubtedly strap on guitars for some Hendrix jamming in our respective loungerooms? “Basically, I’ve got my Blues Machine band, my main ongoing thing. And I have my little mandolin project going. Also there’s band I went to India and Kathmandu last year to play with, so I have a growing audience on the subcontinent. And then I still have Screaming Jets gigs when they come along these days, not that there’s been many lately, but they happen!” EXPERIENCE JIMI HENDRIX is on Saturday June 23 at The Forum Theatre, featuring Bob Spencer (Skyhooks), Brett Garsed (Nelson), Brett Kingman (James Reyne Band), Charlie Owen (The Beasts Of Bourbon), Joel Silbersher (Tendrils), Daniel Spencer (Richard Clapton band), Dave Leslie (Baby Animals), Jimi Hocking (The Screaming Jets), Phil Manning (Chain), Steve Edmonds(Jimmy Barnes Band), and Stuart Fraser (Noiseworks). DISCUSS WHAT? BEAT.COM.AU/DISCUSSION
Beat Magazine Page 49
NICKY BOMBA’S BUSTAMENTO
BY ZOË RADAS
The first single from Bustamento, Nicky Bomba’s neoteric Mento-inspired group, is something pretty special. Mañana (meaning ‘tomorrow’ in Spanish) is a reggaemotivated romp with verses explaining why there’s all this pressing stuff to be done like earn some money and fix the damn roof. In the chorus, the six-piece sing in mariachi harmony: “Mañana, mañana, mañana is good enough for me.” It’s so cute and happy, it’s kind of impossible not to smile even if you’re seriously glum. “That’s great, that was the complete intention,” Bomba laughs from across the waves in his native Malta. “I think I’ve achieved it really well: the cheeky vibe.” Having pulled together his current bandmates from his previous group, Bomba has led the creation of an album which escorts ska, reggae, Afro-Cuban, Mento and calypso sounds into merry company and tied them up with vocals which are spontaneous tales about life, love and fun times. “The beautiful thing about the album is that we’ve captured it in an old-school format. It goes to the essence of what I like about music in general: how it can be immediate, uplifting, and positive. I wanted the album to have that colour to it,” Bomba explains. The Mañana clip is awesome: shot in a room upstairs from the recording studio, the guys (in matching white singlets and hats) jump, dance and play their instruments around Bomba who sits in the foreground on his kit, flipping his sticks about in joyful abandon. The togetherness communicated is something reflected in the way the album was recorded, too: playing simultaneously in the one room. “[It’s] how all old recordings were done,” Bomba says. “Because there’s only a couple of microphones, all the energies and harmonic things combine to make a sound. The dominant practise to record is to isolate everything and then work on it later on. We went for a different technique. It was an essential part of the process.” Bomba first heard Mento while in Essen, Germany for the Womex festival, and saw Stanley Beckford’s band play. The style predates both ska and reggae. “When you hear traditional Mento, there’s usually [a rhumba box], a banjo, sometimes a fiddle, guitars, a fife,” he says. “But the big thing about Mento is the vocal comment. It was a way of communicating things, and keeping it cheeky as well. That resonated really
well with the way that we perform and the way that I write.” Bomba’s Maltese heritage has also informed this lyrical approach, with the music of the Caribbean very big on “making things up on the spot.” Bomba says the name for the act translates as ‘quickspirit’: “You get up in front of a crowd or at a wedding and you sound out a bit about the people there and you make up songs and stories. And I love that. That’s very much a Mento, Jamaican thing and very much a Maltese thing. I’m glad that I’ve found some link with that for me so I’m able to get the Maltese-Caribbean connection happening.” There’s a lot written about the differences between Calypso and Mento, especially the apparent betrayal by Harry Belafonte (his version of Day-O is that which we all know and love from the greatest scene in Beetlejuice), and other popular crossover musicians. Bomba grants you can make those distinctions, but he’s never promoted himself as a purist. “I like the fact that there’s an appreciation and a respect that this type of music was the forefather of all things reggae and ska and dancehall,” he says, “but I’m more the mash-up type. We do classic Mento things, but Calypso was really the commercialised cousin of Mento. [Harry Belafonte’s tracks] were all Mento tunes. Calypso is kind of associated more with Trinidad than Jamaica; Mento is predominantly Jamaican.”
“THIS TYPE OF MUSIC WAS THE FOREFATHER OF ALL THINGS REGGAE AND SKA AND DANCEHALL”
Beat Magazine Page 50
The poster art for Bustamento’s album is beautiful, the chief image a slightly faded, painterly collage of the band members sitting in a wooden boat at sea. Double bassist Barry Deenick stands with a scarlet macaw on his shoulder, trumpeter Paul Coyle peers through safari binoculars and the others look out to sea with colourful leis around their shoulders. A Hawaiian bobble-head hula girl sits on the boat’s rim and deep, dark tropical foliage covers the mountainous landscape of the island in the background. There’s a few curious items tucked into the scene and it’s rather mysterious, but Bomba chuckles and won’t give up any definitive info. “[The concept of artwork accompanying an album] has been devalued, because of the net: the cheapness, gig downloads. We spent a lot of time getting the artwork right. And I think we’ve scored a lot of goals with that: a lot of people have commented on the quality of the artwork.” Apparently fans have been trying to nab the large promo posters
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from cafe walls, so Bomba has made them available for purchase at shows. Having just received a Music Fellowship Award from the Arts Council, Bomba is supremely excited about what this will mean for his future endeavours with the band, and the possibilities it affords him. “It helps in a real world fashion,” he says. “I was really honoured to receive it, and thankful to them for choosing me.” Here’s to furthering the humour and spirit of Mento, and Bomba’s place in the dance.
NICKY BOMBA’S BUSTAMENTO play the Thornbury Theatre on Friday June 15, as part of their Intrepid Adventures tour. Intrepid Adventures To The Lost Riddim Islands is available now through Transmitter Music/Vitamin Distribution.
MONDAY
3-7PM F $4$9GROLSCH ROAST 5-10PM
WEDNESDAY
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$4 GROLSCH 3-7PM $12 STEAK 5-10PM
TUESDAY
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F
REGISTRATION AT 7.30PM, MUSIC STARTS AT 8PM $50 VOUCHER FOR BEST ARTIST
THURSDAY
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7TH JUNE FROM 8-10PM
F
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$10 BLOODY MARY 10AM -4PM $8 SINGHA LONGNECKS 10AM - 7PM 9TH JUNE FROM 9-11PM
$5 CORONA 3-8PM $5 JAGER SHOTS 5-10PM $5 AGWA SHOTS 5-10PM $5 TEQUILA BLU SHOTS 5-10PM $5 PIZZA 5-10PM
$10 BLOODY MARY 10AM - 4PM $8 CARLTON, MELBOURNE, VB LONGNECKS 10AM -7PM $20 BOTTLE OF HOUSE WINES 10AM -7PM
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Beat Magazine Page 51
THE DELTA RIGGS BY BENJAMIN COOPER
Despite not playing in the rhythm section, timing is paramount to Elliott Hammond. “You have actually caught me at the perfect moment,” the frontman of Melbourne’s The Delta Riggs explains. “I’ve just dropped my mustard three-piece suit in to the drycleaner, so I’m standing on the street waiting for something to do.” Hammond hardly needs direction. ‘The Riggs’, as they’re affectionately known to fans, have just come off a massive East Coast tour with fellow Victorians Stonefield, barely pausing for breath/drycleaning before they spend June on the road again in support of their new EP, Talupo Mountain Music Vol. II. According to Hammond, the Stonefield co-tour was a lot of fun. “We were filling up venues, which is probably due to the support we’ve been getting from triple j,” he says. “When you’re getting a lot of love from the room it really brings out your confidence – by the end of the tour we were all sitting around drinking Jamesons whisky and discussing how it feels like such a long time ago that we were a psychedelic jam band.” The band has clearly progressed since the release of the Talupo Mountain Music Vol. I in June last year, and Vol. II enjoyed a feverish reception in its first two weeks. Both were the result of an extended recording session in the bush near Peat’s Ridge, which apparently took the band on one heck of a ride. “Shit got pretty weird out there,” Hammond says. “We were trying to rebel against all the radio
play and exposure we’d been getting, so we’d jam for hours and nothing would be achieved... I remember all of us crawling around this field of orange trees on acid when we decided to go back to the house. We got stuck into this dark blues tune and this kid from a nearby farm rocked around with some avocados for us. We nodded hello and then just kept driving this tune. Meanwhile, another ute-load of locals showed up to hear these weird punks from the city, drank a bunch of beers and then left after a couple of hours. At one point we caught ourselves laughing hysterically, but we couldn’t stop because we just felt like we had to drive this track into the dirt.” When he isn’t busy with The Riggs, Hammond plays keys in a little band called Wolfmother. “I’ve been trying to juggle both [bands], and for some reason it’s working at the moment. We just finished a tour supporting Lenny Kravitz, which was crazy because he’s actually a huge music encyclopedia. One morning we’re talking about Betty Davis when he noticed I was wearing this Black Flag shirt that has a pocket on the front. So he starts jumping around, trying to rip the pocket off because he realised it was an original from
when he grew up listening to the band!” Backstage is one thing; on stage is quite the other. And the audience can certainly make or break the show. “It’s amazing what crowds will let you say,” Hammond says. “Sometimes we feel like we’re the only people keeping that punk energy alive, because all these other bands are smiling way too much. But you can’t get too negative: we played on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland and were just getting assaulted
by these cavemen. So I gave them a spray, basically told them we wouldn’t have bothered driving three hours to get there if we’d known it’d be a room full of such boring shits.”
And Magic putting on a ‘showcase’ which comprises Elephant Eyes, young chanteuse Siobhan and the talented Pete Uhlenbruch performing as Owls Of The Swamp. Uhlenbruch has just arrived back in the country from Berlin where he’s spent the last year or so, and McMahon is stoked he will be performing. “He began the International Melodica Festival,” she enthuses, and it’s clear that the sense of community which events like this provide is important to the band’s ethos. Earlier this year Elephant Eyes played at Moomba, which McMahon describes as a fantastic experience even though many people have misconceptions of the event (such as it being all showbags, goat-patting and those sparkly cellophane wigs). “It was very family oriented,” she says. “We had some little kids dancing along to our set so that was really cute. But it was a great lineup: Josh Pyke
played, and The Bamboos. I think [the organisers] are trying to shake off that old idea of Moomba.” It’s true that the infrastructure for the large, outdoor event open to a varied audience is already in place, so why not expand the live music side to include some of Melbourne’s great emerging artists? Not everyone likes goats, and those cellophane wigs can burn your optic nerve right out if the sun’s glinting off them at eye-angle. Elephant Eyes will do nothing so horrifying to your biology but they will definitely affect your mental state in an uplifting, arresting and wistful way.
THE DELTA RIGGS play The Workers Club on Saturday June 9. Talupo Mountain Music Vol. II EP is out now through Inertia.
ELEPHANT EYES BY ZOË RADAS
North Melbourne Institute Of TAFE has a great reputation for producing confident, business-savvy performers and arrangers, yet the fact that the members of Elephant Eyes all met and created their band while in its warm embrace still seems serendipitous. Even meeting truly like-minded friends at high school is hard enough, when you’re still very malleable and don’t think pretending to like this or that thing is selling out. But the band have managed to navigate that gauntlet and their gorgeous, thoughtfullypaced, Portishead-ish sounds are rapidly winning fans. “Three out of the four of us have finished now [at NMIT],” says vocalist Kate McMahon, who originally hails from Ballarat; since completing the course she has collected many friends and contacts resulting in Elephant Eyes playing a variety of different gigs. One of these was a performance in her hometown, several videos of which are up on YouTube. Introducing the track A Sinking Ship, McMahon explains: “It’s about a job that I quit not that long ago, and how essentially everyone else was quitting and I was the only one left.” It’s these little things that ground Elephant Eyes’ sultry style, which takes the listener through whimsy but always has its feet planted in genuine feeling. Perhaps that’s also why the band name seems so apt; elephants are enormous and exotic, but purposeful in their movements and very wise in the eyes. “I originally came up with ‘White Elephant’,” says McMahon, “which is a term for something you have that’s a burden or hard to upkeep.” She thought this was an interesting concept, and through a mutative process the group settled on its current title. This method is mirrored in the way the tunes are created. “I’ll come up with chord progressions; I write them on piano,” McMahon explains, “and then I’ll come to the band with a ‘skeleton’ of a song. Then they might say ‘How about this chord here or this one instead of that,’ to give it a twist or make it a bit
more interesting.” McMahon studied voice and is self-taught on the piano, so appreciates hearing the others’ input and ideas which are based around their own areas of musicianship. Drummer Stu Hazelman is a decided “multiinstrumentalist,” whose deep singing voice beautifully accompanies McMahon’s on their track I Want To Know. Opening with bassist Tom Fraser’s sweet, slow groove, Hazelman plays with brushes while keys player Michael Mazziotta leans in to his bells sound, to create a simple beauty. During an instrumental in the middle of the song, the clip shows McMahon swaying gracefully down to the ground where she sits like a dropped feather. “I don’t like feeling useless!” she laughs, admitting that she is not playing some out-of-sight glockenspiel during this section. Along with I Want To Know and the stunning Wake Up (which has a cute stop-motion clip created by McMahon up on YouTube), Elephant Eyes’ next stand out is their single Mother Said which is to be released this Friday. The track has some great background harmonies going on and Mazziotta’s rich piano sounds amazing with Hazelman’s rim-clicking, tambourine accented drums. McMahon’s vocals are particularly mesmerising; she is definitely channelling Emiliana Torrini here. The release is to be a pretty grand affair, with music management group Maths
ELEPHANT EYES release their single Mother Said on Friday June 8 at The Grace Darling in Collingwood. A presale ticket from Moshtix will get you a three-track Maths And Magic sampler; tickets are also on the door for $10.
60 SECONDS WITH ... NADEAH Define your genre in five words or less: Lyrically twisted punk cabaret pop.
What inspires or has influenced your music the most? Other peoples’ songs... and too much acid in my youth.
What do you love about making music? Everything: the entire process, from the moment of inspiration – be it emotional/musical/lyrical – that leads me to writing a great song, through to the completion of the circle, when the music is heard by another person.
What makes you happiest about what you’re doing? Never knowing what is going to happen next.
If you could travel back in time and show one of your musical heroes your stuff, who would it be and why? Oh my, I find it so hard to perform in front of people I admire. But let’s say Tori Amos or Tom Waits, because they have a penchant for crooked albeit poetic lyrics. And I’d love to perform on a stage with Patti Smith and Nick Cave.
What’s the strangest place you’ve ever played a gig, or made a recording? On the very hot and uneven tin roof of a Parisian apartment block. We had drums, double bass and a very scared cameraman who would not stand up and film as he was too terrified. I was jumping on things and he was gripping the corrugated iron, paralysed by fear.
How long have you been gigging and writing? Writing since I was 12, so just short of a decade. Gigging since I was 17. A while now.
How do you balance making and playing music with your other commitments? I make sure I am sleeping with at least one band
Beat Magazine Page 52
And what makes you unhappiest about what you’re doing? Never knowing what is going to happen next.
member – that keeps love, friendship, exercise, physical and mental health in check. I also read Krishnamurti books after sex so that culture/ entertainment and spirituality are covered too. This
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is my holistic touring technique to keep in balance. NADEAH plays The Toff In Town on Monday June 11. Venus Gets Even is out through Cartell Music.
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Beat Magazine Page 53
CORE
NEWS, REVIEWS AND GOSSIP BY EMILY KELLY: EK1984@GMAIL.COM
After recently attending several drawn out weeknight shows wherein one eye is placed upon the band on stage and the other firmly on my watch, I’ve taken particular interest in live practices that I deem unnecessary. While this clearly indicates I’m ageing at an accelerated rate, and taking firmly into account that my opinion counts for jack shit, I nevertheless wish to henceforth abolish the unnecessary custom of encores. Once upon a time this bonus round was only granted to an entertainer if their performance was particularly brilliant. However having seen my fair share of bands who’s performances didn’t really warrant an encore but whom returned to the stage after the obligatory three minute hiatus regardless, I’ve decided that we must return to old practices. An encore should be completely unexpected for the band. They should return to their dressing room, exhausted from having delivered every inch of themselves unto their audience and be winding down and rehydrating/smashing a
CRUNCH! NEW FEAR FACTORY OUT THIS WEEK!
The new Fear Factory album The Industrialist is also out this week, via Riot. This one may turn a few heads because it features only Dino Cazares and Burton C Bell (along with producer Rhys Fulber): Dino plays bass and he programmed the drums. As Dino told renowned gear magazine Mixdown, it’s not as much of a departure as you might think: “Over the years we’ve used drum machines on certain songs and certain albums, and even though we’ve had live drummers we have edited the drums to be like a machine, and we’ve changed the sounds to machine sounds. So either way it would not have made a difference if we used live drums or not. It would have been the same outcome. People are kind of shocked by it, like they didn’t realise that’s part of our schtick. That’s who we are. It’s what we do!” But Dino remains coy on the exact drum program used on the album. “Oh I don’t want to promote any kind of drum program that doesn’t give it to us free,” he laughed.
THE NEW RUSH ALBUM IS UPON US! The wait is nearly over! This Friday Roadrunner Records Australia releases Clockwork Angels, the new Rush album (y’know, that band who has sold more than 40 million albums yet never seemed to get much of a push in Australia until signing with Roadrunner). Three songs have been released from the album over the last few years (BU2B, Caravan and Headlong Flight) and it sounds like this is gonna be a great diverse album. Hopefully it’ll sell a billion copies and they’ll finally book an Australian tour for the first time in their career.
HANZEL UND GRETYL BY ADAM ROBERTSHAW
Industrial shock-rockers Hanzel Und Gretyl are in Australia for Fiend Fest 2012, an all day celebration of all things dark and alluringly grotesque. Combining the already popular Black Market with the Carpe Noctum fashion parade, burlesque shows and live music, it promises to a horrifically entertaining day out for anyone in touch with their dark side. In the run up to Fiend Fest, Beat spoke to Van Kasser and Kaiser Von Loopy, the bat shit bonkers duo behind the self-proclaimed “best fukken ubererst Beat Magazine Page 54
Experimental Russian metal dudes Russian Circles will return to our shores this September, almost exactly a year since their last visit. They’ll be bringing America two-piece Eagle Twin with them when they hit The Corner Hotel on Friday September 28. Tickets are available now.
PUNK, SKA, HARDCORE
beer/snorting carefully manicured lines of coke off a groupie’s D-cup and have their descent into post-gig relaxation rudely interrupted by an outrageous crowd chanting, screaming, rattling the very foundations of the venue for more, sending an oversized and wildly flustered security rep rushing into the dressing room demanding the band return to stage before the barriers collapse.
The ‘90s revival continues this October, with old school rock dudes Everclear announcing an Australian tour to support their comeback album Invisible Stars. It’ll be their first album in 14 years and their first tour in who knows how long. Could this one be a car crash waiting to happen? Catch Everclear with Sydney’s Strangers at The Hi-Fi on Saturday October 13.
The Cancer Bats are coming! The Cancer Bats are coming! Everyone’s favourite Canucks have announced an East Coast Australian tour for next month, to support their fantastic new album Dead Set On Living. They’ve set their sights rather high venue wise, too. You can catch them at The Hi-Fi on Saturday July 14. See youse there.
Brooklyn band Obits have confirmed their first ever Australia tour for this August in support of last year’s Moody, Standard And Poor release. See them at Northcote Social Club on August 24. Tickets are available on June 12.
Yellowcard have added a second Melbourne show to their upcoming September tour after their first show sold out rather promptly. You can now grab tickets to see them with Heroes For Hire and For Our Hero on Friday September 21 at The Hi-Fi.
Chucking A Mosh, the website that exclusively promotes local punk and hardcore acts, will celebrate their first birthday this weekend. Head to the Laundry on Johnson Street to see The Mung, Declaration, The Union Pacific, Right Mind and Gold this Friday night. All profits go to Beyond Blue.
CORE GIG GUIDE THURSDAY JUNE 7: Jackson Firebird, River Of Snakes at The Retreat Sienna Skies, Storm The Sky, My City Scream, I Am Everest at Next FRIDAY JUNE 8: Strangeres, Jonesez, Gatherer at The Workers Club Scratch N Sniff, Cabin Fever, Hailgun, Anchors Away at The Bendigo SATURDAY JUNE 9: The Hawaiian Islands, Bateman, Declaration, Andrew McDonald, Heels On Decks at Revolver Upstairs Flatliners, The Gun Runners, Cavalcade, Strickland at The Gasometer Area 7, Dan Potthast, God God Dammit Dammit, The Bennies and more at The Evelyn Silverstein Skyway, Like Royalty at Bang House Vs Hurricane, Dream On Dreamer, Hand Of Mercy, Sienna Skies, Shinto Katana, Feed Her To The Sharks at Collingwood Town Hall Skyway at Bang SUNDAY JUNE 10: Silverstein, Skyway, Summerset Avenue, While The City Sleeps, Brighter At Night at Pelly Bar Frankston Inquisition, Vomitor, Thrall at The Bendigo Hotel Antiskeptic, Ikarii, Cash No, Good Will Hunting at Bang Dream On Dreamer, Brooklyn, Tantalum, Earth Caller at Next
METAL, HEAVY ROCK, CLASSIC ROCK
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PAUL REED SMITH HIMSELF PRESENTS ELECTRIC MARY & TOEHIDER Paul Reed Smith, founder of PRS Guitars, is in Australia this week and he’ll be personally presenting a night of great guitar work featuring Electric Mary and Toehider at Northcote Social Club on Wednesday June 6. Paul will speak before each of the acts, and if you’re a guitar fan it’s a great chance to hear some words from one of the real visionaries, as well as to hear some killer music. Tickets are $10.
GIG ALERT: WEDNESDAY 13
Wednesday 13 is returning to Australia in October, and his Melbourne show is tantalisingly close to Halloween. He’s playing at The Espy on Saturday October 27. Tickets on sale Friday June 8 at 9am via oztix.com.au.
FIREWIND HOPES TO COME TO OZ
Check out the new Firewind album Few Against Many. It’s a bit more straightforward metal this time around, and it rocks. I interviewed guitarist Gus G recently and he said the band really wants to play Australia later this year or early next. So if you’d like to see them down here, spread the word! German fukken band not from Germany”. That’s right – despite speaking, sounding and looking like they hail from Germany, they’re actually from New York. Given the aesthetic they’ve created and their hardas-nails industrial stomp, you’d be forgiven for thinking that Rammstein were a major influence on Hanzel Und Gretyl. In fact, as the pair explain, Rammstein comparisons are purely coincidence! KVL: “Just to let everyone know, we met Rammstein back in 1997 when they opened for us at a festival in NYC. We realized that we had many of the same influences without ever knowing or hearing of each other beforehand. Within months we were touring the U.S. with them as direct support.” “Rammstein have become so synonymous with Germany itself that lazy Rammstein comparisons have become an occupational hazard, even for bands that influenced Rammstein! I won’t name any names but one of them rhymes with Schmanzel und Gretyl,” says Van Kasser Pretending to be German and writing songs with less than serious titles like Scheissway to Hell (from 2004’s Scheissmessiah) or Heil Shizzle Mein Nizzle (from this year’s Zwanzing Zwölf) has some critics writing off Hanzel and Gretyl off as a gimmicky novelty act. “You can write off being a novelty act?! I gotta talk to my accountant!” retorts KVL. Van doesn’t see this being such a bad thing. “A novelty act is one that has a particular gimmick in order to stand out from the crowd. Since our conception in 1993, we’ve had several gimmicks and are ever
QUEENSRYCHE MEMBERS FOR QUEENSRYCHE COVER BAND? HUH?
So what’s going on with Queensryche, eh? First there were rumours of a knife fight in Brazil (although I hear from Highly Placed Individuals that that was a slight exaggeration), now four fifths of the band have formed a new band called Rising West with Crimson Glory singer Todd La Torre to play Queensryche songs and record new material. La Torre does an exceptional Geoff Tate impression, as you can hear from some videos he posted on YouTube. Meanwhile Tate has finished recording his second solo album, and Queensryche still has gigs booked throughout the year which they intend to play with Tate. Their latest album Dedicated To Chaos was pretty cool if you liked Tate’s solo album (and I do), but it didn’t sit well with hardcore Rycheans. Maybe the band members just need to recharge their batteries and get some stuff off their chests creatively before reconvening.
4ARM BOOKS US TOUR
4ARM has booked their first ever tour of the USA (the Zombie Apocalypse Tour in July). Also along for the ride are fellow Aussies Deprivation as well as Casket For Cassandra and Prey For Sleep. 4ARM released their third album Submission For Liberty in February this year.
GIG ALERT: BILLY TALENT
Canada’s Billy Talent are at Billboard The Venue on Sunday August 12. They missed Australia on their last album cycle so they wanted to make sure we were one of the first places they hit up on their upcoming world tour. changing with our ‘gimmickness’. We went from space alien experimental babies to evil death metal bootstomperz of the galaxies! Our new CD coming out this [autumn] will bring a new ‘gimmick’ of bad arsery!” If they were to start again, I ask, would they choose a different country to pretend to be from and a different genre of music to play? Vas responds, “I would join a Greek bouzouki band and do some sort of death metal bouzouki mosh pit music for space aliens and switch from Jägermeister to ouzo!” KVL continues, “Spoken Finnish is the closest thing to Klingon in existence. I would speak Finnish slowly over spooky ambient landscape! I think that’s pretty much the future of industrial. I’m glad I thought of it.” Hanzel Und Gretyl will be bringing the bad arsery to Fiend Fest 2012 this weekend. “Expect our jet-lagged asses to go fuckin’ crazy! And don’t wear anything that requires dry-cleaning! Trust me!” warns KVL. “Yeah! Stay on my side of the stage if you don’t want to take a Loopy beer bath!” adds Vas. By all accounts they are looking forward to Fiend Fest and its all encompassing celebration of everything dark. Vas explains, “I’m looking forward to the whole experience, being that the venues are bigger, and in art spaces with so many creative types – that’s always inspiring. I’m also looking forward to hearing and meeting [the other bands on the bill] Hocico and Witchgrinder, since their name is very “’HanzelGretylesque’.” “I’m hoping both of those bands will return to the stage as HO-GRINDER and reduce the whole place to
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GIG ALERT: EMPIRE Empire (formerly Dead Lovers Lane) have just released their first video and will have an EP out over the coming months, and this week they’re hitting up Yah Yah’s for the second time this year to tear the place apart on Friday June 8. Along for the ride is Sydney band Hearts Like Wolves who are coming off the back of supports with Hand of Mercy and Northlane. Supporting on June are The Grace of Graves and City of Sirens. Tickets are $12 and doors are at 8.30pm.
GIG ALERT: CONTRIVE
Melbourne power trio Contrive recently completed a run of shows supporting the Cavalera Conspiracy, and now they’re writing the follow-up to 2010’s The Internal Dialogue. Catch them live with The Eternal, King Of The North, and Crying Sirens this Friday June 8th at The Prague, Melbourne. They’ll be on stage at 10:30pm.
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a triple X-rated satanic zumba dance party,” says KVL. “Ye, beware! Loopy is an expert zumba dancer,” says Vas. A terrifying prospect, indeed. Exotic dancing aside, Hanzel Und Gretyl are also in Australia to promote their new slab of pounding industrial beats, razor sharp riffs and tongue in cheek Teutonic wit. The album is entitled Zwanzing Zwölf in a reference to the Mayan prediction that this year will see the end of the world. According to Vas, they plan on celebrating the end of the world by throwing a concert at the Mayan pyramids in Mexico – “Hopefully before Lady Gaga does!” One of the reasons they chose German as their adopted language of choice is its naturally aggressive sound, which makes it perfect for industrial metal. It’s also a great-sounding language with which to insult someone. When learning a new language, it goes without saying that the first thing you learn is how to insult someone. According to Vas, “nothing beats a good ‘Go fuck yourself!’ in any language but if I had to pick a German one, It would have to be ‘Du scheisse alte schlampe sackgesicht blutes sow!’” I’ll let you do the translating. Like anything Hanzel Und Gretyl do, be warned – it’s not for the faint hearted! HANZEL UND GRETYL play alternative festival Fiend Fest at Revolt, Kensington on Saturday June 9. Their album Zwanzing Zwölf is out now.
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Jackson Firebird launch their new record, Cock Rockin’ at The Retreat Hotel in Brunswick on Thursday June 7. It’s free entry with special guests River Of Snakes. Come on down and help the guys kick this little Cock Rocker into gear.
BUM CREEK Every year the Sculpture Department at RMIT University has to raise money for their graduation exhibition. This year they decided to organise a show at The Tote Hotel and get some of their very talented friends to play. Headlining will be fine art graduates Bum Creek, with the dreamy Ancients, cosmic pop legend Angel Eyes, gloomy disco queen Rites Wild, psych rockers Art And Craft, punk dudes Franco Cozzo and new bands Stationary Suns and People Person. It is all happening on the Queen’s Birthday Eve of Sunday June 10 and will also have Radio Valerie’s Psychedelic Coven DJs. The celebrations will begin at 3pm, and tickets cost $14. Come and see some amazing bands and support local emerging artists.
CUB SCOUTS
Mikelangelo returns to The Old Bar to perform four of his favourite albums by monumental artists that shaped his ears as a lad. Each week he will tackle a different album and will be joined by different guests on this epic undertaking – this Wednesday June 6 he takes on Johnny Cash’s American Recordings with James Seedy, Wednesday June 13 is Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds’ Your Funeral My Trial with Julitha Ryan, Wednesday June 20 is Tom Waits’ Frank’s Wild Years with Hellhounds, and finally on Wednesday June 27 Leonard Cohen’s late ‘60s flawed masterpiece Songs Of Love And Hate with Mustered Courage. Each guest will perform their own set to open the night and will then will also join Mikelangelo in his set. Knowing the man of action, other guests are bound to pop up during the residency as well.
FORCES Forces, Diamond, Miles Brown (The Night Terrors) and Dan Moss (I, A Man) are coming together on the Queen’s birthday evening Sunday June 10 at The Evelyn for one hell of a show. Drawing influences from the depths of genres some might find too embarrassing to admit, Diamond are three unique musicians that somehow found each other’s tastes to be comforting. Intense discussions about filters, control voltages, valves and compression ensure that every sound is laboured over, but not polished.
DIRTY ELVIS Half a drum kit, a baritone guitar, an old school copperphone microphone and modern day SM57...Dirty Elvis are black and white, loud and soft, funny and cool, tight and loose, suits and ties, and much, much bigger than meets the eye. Rock meets blues meets punk meets country. This week Dirty Elvis will be taking a trip back in time to the MTV unplugged days to do their very own ‘Great Britain Unplugged’. Along for the ride is country/folk troubadour Cisco Rose to ease you in. The Great Britain Hotel, Thursday June 7, 8pm, free.
OPEN MIC NIGHT Living Music is back for the third installment of an all ages open mic session at The Revolt Artspace in Kensington. Artists are welcome to turn up on the day, with or without beats or backing tracks. DJ Must will look after you guys either way. The first Sunday of every month from 2pm ‘til 5pm is the place to be for the opportunity to perform live on stage.
GOODBYEMOTEL Goodbyemotel are stepping boldly into the 3D spot light. On the afternoon of Sunday June 24, at The Northcote Social Club, you will be given a pair of 3D glasses on arrival to then stand back and watch the band perform live with their 3D music and video spectacular. Pretty good way to spend a wintery Sunday arvo in Melbourne. Doors open at 2pm, so get in early. Beat Magazine Page 56
GEMME O’CONNER
Empire hit Yah Yah’s again to tear the place apart this Friday June 8. The boys have had a change of name since last time they played the venue (ex-Dead Lovers Lane) but are still playing their aggressive/melodic metal. Coming along for the ride are NSW heavy hitters Hearts Like Wolves, with The Grace Of Graves and The City Of Sirens rounding out one hell of a good bill. $12 entry, with the first band hitting the stage at 9pm.
Think heart-rending ballads, which are rudely interrupted with upbeat comedy, add a dash of fashion faux pas reminiscent of the first time you ever dressed yourself, and you might get something close to dearly wish. Gemma O’Connor, the guitarist and vocalist will be hitting the stage at The Balaclava Hotel this Friday June 8 from 9pm.
VULTURES OF VENUS
The Lost Sunnies have taken up a Wednesday night monthly residency at The Tote Hotel this June. Catch them tonight, along with support from Chev Rise and another special guest. Doors open from 8pm.
Vultures Of Venus are playing as a duo while their bass player is in Europe and have got an obscene number of new tunes to pour down your ear. Red Rockets Of Borneo are supporting so you’d better wear your red pants. Golgothamotel are suiting up and strapping on their guitars to push their dark country vibes, and to round out the bill, HMAS Venedatta, are sailing in to town sporting many a fine moustache. This debauched and deranged menagerie are kicking it in style at the best rock pig trough in Collingwood. Yah Yah’s is where it all goes down on Saturday June 9. $10 entry with the first band set to kick off at 9pm. Late tunes will be provided by Fanta Pants if you’re still keen to party on.
JACKSON FIREBIRD
MIKELANGELO
EMPIRE
Cub Scouts are an energetic Brisbane based five-piece that have been crafting their own style of indie pop music over the last year. Their debut single, Evie swept the nation with its infectious melody. Do You Hear is the second single off the bands forthcoming EP, which looks to have no less effect on all those who hear it. Cub Scouts will be launching this new single with the Do You Hear tour playing at The Grace Darling with local artists Dirt Farmer and Griffon Green. This show is not to be missed. Tickets are going fast, so get a wriggle on if you’re keen.
BAYOU After the release of their startling debut in March, threegirl, two-boy outfit from Melbourne, Bayou, headline their first show Thursday June 7 at Yah Yah’s. The EP – available on Bandcamp – sees the band blend cascading guitar lines, eerie female harmonies and propulsive drumming, with anthemic lead vocals, to create a sound that is haunting, commanding and dirty, like a fuzzed-out missive from some enticing underworld. A starring support feature in this lineup is Minibikes, another relatively young Melbourne ensemble, popular among lovers of pop, rock, soul, and yes – even bossa nova. Joining these Melbourne new-bloods are special guests Ali E and L’il Leonie Lionheart. Doors open from 5pm, $7 entry, with the first band set to kick off at 9pm.
CHERRY JAM – OPEN MIC MONDAYS The always poppin’ Cherry Bar wants to support the Melbourne music scene. They think bands will benefit from playing on the same stage that has hosted The Black Keys, The New York Dolls, Mark Lanegan, The Tea Party and already showcases over 550 different booked locals acts a year. They supply the back line, the mixer and the famous stage. You and your band plug in and play. 6.30pm to 11.30pm every Monday. Get involved.
MAJOR TOM & THE ATOMS Featuring ex-Little Red baritone crooner Tom Hartney on lead vocals, Major Tom & The Atoms are an explosive rhythm’n’blues orchestra set to release their debut EP Shake It Til You Break It. After six years touring the world and beyond with Little Red, Major Tom has announced his departure from the group to return to his classic honkytonk roots and has assembled a dazzling six-piece band of rogues to share in the booty. They launch their single Mockingbird at The Evelyn on Friday June 15.
OVER-REACTOR Melbourne’s death-hop masters, Over-Reactor are hitting the road to celebrate the release of their latest single Mouth Of The Ghetto. Mouth Of The Ghetto is also the title of their forthcoming album, due in the second half of 2012. Since recently releasing their first single and video, the band have received over 4000 views on Youtube and had three songs in the top ten on the triple j Unearthed metal charts. Its two members, Ezekiel Ox (ex Mammal, Full Scale) and Cory Blight (ex Dukes Of Windsor), launched Over-Reactor 18 months ago, and have already toured nationally with Karnivool, Front End Loader, Floating Me, and COG. They play The Espy on Saturday June 9.
TULLY ON TULLY It’s hard to know what exactly makes a pop song moving, but Tully On Tully get you a little bit closer to finding out between the curve of a melody, a lift in the chord progression, the shiver of a perfect harmony and the shake of a catchy drum beat. Feel them pull you into their world with a “wholly physical devotion” to every song they play by seeing their first gig back after a six month writing and recording hiatus. Coming at you in full flight, Tully On Tully are ready to showcase their new sounds and new songs with special guests, Private Life, whose live show is not to be missed as well as the sweet R&B pop tunes of Yuko Nishiyama. Catch Tully On Tully, Private Life and Yuko Nishiyama at The Empress on Friday June 8. Doors at 8:30pm.
JOE NEPTUNE Joe Neptune show off their aquatic pop ensemble this Saturday June 9 at Richmond’s Great Britain Hotel with a support in toe that is still unknown, even to them. It’s set to be a mysterious night full of surprises and wonderment. Free entry.
THE LOST SUNNIES
JACOB S. HARRIS DISAPPOINTMENTS
&
THE
Jacob S. Harris And The Disappointments will be hosting an evening at The Old Bar on Thursday June 14 to celebrate the release of their debut self-titled EP. The formation of the trio in 2011 marked the end of a musical hiatus for band members Jacob S. Harris, Glen Ivers and Richie Valentino. Since then they have been working steadily on an everexpanding catalogue of glum (yet somehow uplifting) numbers. After 12 months of recording, re-recording and procrastinating, they have finally produced something worthy of the name ‘The Disappointments’. On the night, expect to be regaled with themes of joy and woe – from idyllic clover-topped mountains to vile beasts of the moors – all augmented with plucked guitars and trumpets. Local boys Microflora and Nathan Hollywood will join them for an evening of song-singing and general merriment.
CRAIG SCHUFTAN This month, renowned Author and Producer extraordinaire, Craig Schuftan will release his third epically entwined arts, culture and music opus, the ‘90s-inspired Entertain Us. For a book that delves into the struggle of alt-rocks ability to maintain the underground nature that made it massive, whilst becoming one of the most successful genre’s of all time, what other way could there be to celebrate its release other than to mosh? The amps will be turned up to 11 as Jay Whalley (Frenzal Rhomb) and Jazz Freedom, Adalita, Jebediah’s Kevin Mitchell, The Holy Soul, Planet Love Sound and more come together to cover the biggest songs of the ‘90s, while DJs spin the tunes that soundtracked these air-punching, hair-helicopter years. Head to The Tote this Thursday June 7. Tickets are $15 on the door, with doors opening from 7.30pm.
PUNK-A-BILLY After 16 events across three states and playing host to over 100 bands from around the world, the Punk-A-Billy Festival is set to go out with a bang for the Grand Finale Prom Night. Punk-A-Billy are proud to announce their final ‘best of’ lineup, as decided by an online public vote. Local acts ripping it up one last time are The Australian Kingswood Factory, No Idea, Strawberry Fist Cake, The Half Pints, Dixon Cider, The Murderballs, Where’s Grover and the long awaited reunion of Punch The Clown. Tripping down the coast from NSW are Topnovil and Casino Rumblers, along with Queenslanders The Flangipanis, Myrtle Place and Jodie Flange. Finally, with thanks to the Aussie crowd who cast their vote; Canadian rockers Rehab For Quitters return to Australia to headline the festival. So get your mo-hawks upright and your quiff’s slick one last time and head down to The Barleycorn Hotel from 2.30pm on Saturday June 16 to celebrate the end of an era.
VAN MYER Wednesdays in June sees the return of Van Myer to The Evelyn, a venue that has become something of an ancestral home for the five-piece Melbourne outfit. They’ll be bringing their own unique blend of high energy rock, with awesome local acts featured each week and maybe a new song or two. It all kicks off tonight, come early and come happy!
HIATUS KAIYOTE Hiatus Kaiyote are at the tipping point, catch one of their three shows before the rest of the world is tipped. Receiving worldwide attention from the release of their debut EP, Tawk Tomahawk they are holding out in Melbourne for several months playing three shows at The Evelyn Hotel with some of the best unheard bands, local and interstate. Their sound, dubbed future soul, is being championed by world class DJs such as Giles Peterson (BBC1) and Anthony Valadez (KCRW) as the next big thang. Get down to The Evelyn on Thursday June 7 for the start of all the action.
WORNG Worng makes hypnotic and absurdist disco, refracted through a prism of childhood hyperventilation. Imagine a chopped and screwed marshmallow man at the controls of a modular synth and you’re getting close. Support is from Circular Keys, who used to be a VVM prayer band, but now have moved into a yellow house. Also hitting the stage are a blurred, flailing mass of sequenced pulse and patter, MT Mtumbo, who will have you heading towards the dance floor. Innovation and atmosphere for the midweek timeslot tonight. Bar Open now have Guinness on tap for those of you who sport beards. Free entry on the night, with doors from 8pm.
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COCKS ARQUETTE After bewildering and blistering audiences for the last little while with their constantly expanding widescreen noise rock epics, Cocks Arquette are finally unleashing their self titled debut LP at The Tote this Friday June 8. The devastating line up curated for this event includes the gothy and punkgaze deconstructors of Zond, the slow burning heartbreak and menacing volumes of Pearls and the no-moustache, no-chestbeating, no brodown, face-melting hardcore of Urns. Get along to The Tote this Friday June 8, with doors opening from 8pm, and $12 entry.
THE SWEETS The Sweets take a hard earned break from recording their debut EP to party it up at Noise Bar on Saturday June 9. They’re teaming up with some of Melbourne’s finest, both Papa Maul and Euthymia, for an incredible night of music, drinking, dancing and more. All three bands play their own take on rock, ranging from upbeat indie sing-alongs to experimental head trips. With the theme of the night being Pants Off Saturday, you can expect a little more than your standard rock gig for this one. Doors open from 8.30pm, with $5 entry.
RECLINK COMMUNITY CUP That one day in, uh, June that we like to remember is back in full force this year, with the much-loved Reclink Community Cup returning to Elsternwick after a cameo visit in Sydney earlier in the year. Just as last year’s theme was the dark prince Nick Cave, this year’s motif will be that of The Cramps. Each band performing on the day will slot a Cramps track into their setlist – those bands being none other than Boomgates, reformed ‘80s punks Blue Ruin, and Bunny Monroe. Oh, and of course there will be the main event – the mighty Megahertz will try to regain the title of reigning champions from The Rockdogs. The 2012 Reclink Community Cup takes place Sunday June 24 at Elsternwick Park.
PLANET LOVE SOUND Welcome to The Grunge Safari: a tour featuring two of Melbourne’s finest and most progressive live acts, Tehachapi and Planet Love Sound. With a brother and sister taking care of lead vocal duties in either band, and both acts produced by the same team, this tour promises to be loving, connected, open and innovative. Planet Love Sound relocated to Berlin in 2009, pushing themselves artistically and musically and supporting artists on tour in Germany including Holy F#@k, Karen Elson, and Warpaint. Tehachapi, led by the enigmatic Kosta Stefanou, is an ‘introspective, lush, melodic and intense’ grunge/post rock band. They play, with support from Mildlife, this Saturday June 9 at the Phoenix Public House.
DEEP SEA ARCADE Good news for Deep Sea Arcade fans. The band have just announced a second Melbourne show to take place on Sunday June 10 at Phoenix Public House. The boys will hit the road this June on a massive national tour to celebrate the release of their debut album Outlands. The album has already been a hit with fans and critics alike with the record getting plenty of love from the likes of triple j, Fasterlouder and Radar among many others. After supporting some huge names including Children Collide and Kaiser Chiefs, the band are more than ready to do some headlining of their own. Catch Deep Sea Arcade and supports The Cairos and Woe & Flutter as they rock the Phoenix Public House for a second time, tickets available through Moshtix.
BENEFIT FOR BLACKIE The axe-wielding, head-banging, ambassador of Australian Punk needs no introduction. Making ear blistering noise in Nunchukka Superfly, finger picking an acoustic in solo mode or shredding an SG in Hard Ons, he has held a middle finger aloft at the mainstream on stages worldwide for over 25 years. Recently Blackie (Peter Black) was the victim of a physical assault while at work driving a cab, where he sustained head injuries that will see him unable to work for two months at the very least. The financial pressure this puts on the band and Blackie is immense. Refusing to let the band carry this burden alone the underground music community have banded together to show their support for a band and a bloke who has contributed so much to Australian punk music. On Saturday June 9, The Tote Hotel in Collingwood will host an epic lineup with Regurgitator, The Meanies, The Spazzys, Dead and Batpiss with all proceeds from the show going to Blackie. There will also be a raffle and merch for sale, giving everyone plenty of great ways to contribute to the cause. All proceeds from songs played on The Tote’s jukebox will be donated to the cause. Tickets are from Oztix and The Tote Hotel Front Bar for $25. The night is set to kick off at 8pm.
MUSIC NEWS
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LAZERFACE Pounding synth bass, unforgiving blast beats, drones to rattle your soul and brain punishing riffs come together to create the sonic barrage that is Lazerface. This Saturday June 9, they headline The Curtin Bandroom with good pals and fellow shredders A Million Dead Birds Laughing, Cradle In The Crater and Spermaids. $8 from 8:30pm.
SAM LAWRENCE With eclectic support from James Daley and indie folk-noir band, Manny Fox Hangman’s Club, Sam Lawrence presents the launch of his album Casi over two Wednesdays in June. Special guests, singer/dancer Tina Stefanou and cellist Vince Ward accompany Sam in bringing some of his 2008 Casi recordings back to life as well as performing, with vocal and body improvisation, an original range of collaborative work. Head to The Toff In Town tonight to see the first of these shows. Doors open from 7.30pm, with tickets $15 on the door, or $25 for the album as well.
MARK KOZELEK Among The Leaves is the fifth full length album from USA’s Mark Kozelek, and is played almost entirely on nylon string guitar. Among The Leaves, words which caught Mark’s attention from a John Connolly novel, finds Mark relaxed and singing playfully about his life as a musician, whilst retaining the melancholic spirit of his 20 year catalogue. Mark’s love for San Francisco and Northern California are at the heart of this new album. A new ensemble of players joined Mark for a portion of the record, recalling the same spirit as April and Tiny Cities, but with a fresh, new sound. Head along to The Toff this Saturday June 9 to witness the beauty of this vocalist. Tickets are $40 on the door, or available via Moshtix for $36+bf. He also plays the Phoenix Public House on Monday June 11 for an early gig, kicking off at 7.30pm.
RIVER OF SNAKES Recently, River Of Snakes went into Head Gap studios to record another distorted/happy 7”. Tracked and mixed in a 12 hour frenzy of liquorice bullets, M&Ms, gin, beer and hot noodles, Drink came out thumping like a fuchsia nightmare – snarling and biting like a sick-monkey on dexies. Their cover of Bikini Kill’s Rebel Girl is dirty, sharp and cheap, like an angry Amazon hymn with a fuzz-machine/gun-toxic beat. The 7” will be out in late July/early August, but until then, they have a scored a national tour supporting Jackson Firebird that kicks off at the Retreat Hotel on Thursday June 7, then rips through NSW on the Queen’s Birthday weekend, and returns to The Retreat every Thursday in June. Get your dose of scuzz-rock before you grow old waiting.
LAURA
SCRATCH AND SNIFF
The end of last year saw Melbourne’s Laura drop their third full-length album, Twelve Hundred Times to an overwhelmingly positive response. The following launch shows, and later tour with Japan’s Boris, proved killyourstereo.com’s statement that live, Laura “offer a musical experience unlike any other”. Now, it’s time for them to hit the stage again. Laura play the Evelyn Hotel on Friday June 8.
Scratch N Sniff’s first Melbourne show for 2012 is going to be a rager this Friday June 8 at The Bendigo Hotel. An awesome mixed bill of bands are providing support including Cabin Fever, Anchors Away, Hailgun and OPG, who provide a range of punk, hardcore, thrash and metal. Get there early, with doors from 8pm.
SKA WEEKENDER
YUNYU Yunyu (former triple j unearthed winner) has teamed up with New York Times #1 Best Selling Manga Artist Queenie Chan to create a twisted adult storytime. Merging live music with cutting edge technology, this innovative show will be brought to you by Yunyu, her six-piece band, live VJ and designer Imogen Ross. It’s at Revolver on Friday June 22.
The Ska Weekender Festival is back for another round of rootin’, tootin’ good times at The Evelyn on Saturday June 9. The Weekender Festival is again hitting the road with some of the best entertainers that Australia, New Zealand and the rest of the world have to offer, including Area 7, Dan Potthast, The Bennies and heaps more. Tickets are $23+bf from Moshtix.
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THE CORSAIRS Continuing their busy gig schedule, these boys will be hitting the Gershwin room this Saturday June 10 for Lizzie’s Birthday at the Espy. With an EP on the way and rumours of a bootleg demo release The Corsairs have a very busy few months on the horizon. Supporting Kingswood and The Hello Morning this will be a huge night with some great tunes. $12 on the door, get down early so you don’t miss out!
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FREE FUN FEST Made out of necessity, Free Fun Fest is a ballad born out of the cry for a good time. Decided many moons ago, two friends bound blood and beer on a pact. A pact that if the world was ever becoming too mundane or outright exhausting they would call upon the Gods of Sound and Leisure to unite them for a one night festival designed to puncture holes into boredom, and make that beast shake its hips. Five of Melbourne’s hardest party-starting underground circus bands are hungry to take the stage in June and show Melbourne what brews beneath its surface. Such acts as Organ Morgan, Cholesterollers, Mick The Merciless, Terrorbyte Strips and Spermaids are making this a once in a million chance to kick it with your favourite party animals all for nadda. Head to Pony this Sunday June 10 to get amongst it. Doors open from 9.30pm, with free entry all night.
VULGARGRAD
THE CACTUS CHANNEL Mondays in June, get your groove on, as The Cactus Channel excite the dance floor with some high-octane car chase funk, and smooth soundtrack soul to move you unnecessarily. With some of Melbourne’s finest funk and soul DJs dropping knowledge in between, you know some dapper times are going to be had. Best of all – it’s free. These uni holidays, there is really no excuse not to let your hair down, and get down. Roll in this Monday June 11 for all the fun.
EIGHT MILES HIGH
HOME TO KELLY
Alien Lane Management are delighted to present the inaugural Melbourne instalment of the Eight Miles High mini-festival, a celebration of psychedelic, ‘60s, surf, shoegaze and garage pop. Once again they’ve carefully selected bands that they love that are doing something great. The stellar lineup includes; The Demon Parade, Sister Jane, Lowtide, Buried Feather and Flyying Colours. Make sure you get there early. Tickets are on sale now from Moshtix for $20, and are strictly limited. Saturday June 16, put it in your diaries.
Home To Kelly play true, hard rock’n’roll. They are a Melbourne rock band that formed in 2011, and when we say rock, we mean the real kind of dirty, sleazy, hard rockin’ tunes inspired by Guns N’ Roses, Motley Crue, Aerosmith, The Darkness and The Rolling Stones. HTK’s tunes are bound to get the crowd shaking. Catch them at The Bendigo Hotel in Collingwood this Thursday June 7, along with the killer rock hunks Street Fangs and Storming Vegas.
GOYIM Join the crazy street gypsies GOYIM on Sunday June 10 at Richmond’s Great Britain Hotel. Bringing a fresh new take to gypsy and klezmer tunes from across Europe and New York, creating an infectious high energy street sound found among the gypsies. See Paul on the slap double bass and Esther on the fiddle with her jingly gypsy bells strapped to her skirt. Esther’s intricate and frantic rhythms on the fiddle create a sense of urgency while making full use of the catchy melodies and tones.
Agility are finally releasing their debut EP and to celebrate they’re hosting a big party at The Toff In Town on Queen’s Birthday Eve this Sunday June 10. They play a blend psychedelic, grunge and pop, and will be featuring songs off the new EP, as well as the fan favourites. Wear solid shoes because there will be broken stuff everywhere. Joining them on the ride are some of Melbourne’s loosest party bands The McQueens, Young Maverick and The Corsairs, along with some sweet DJs playing tunes late into the night. Tickets are available through Moshtix for $7+bf, or $10 on the door. Doors open from 8pm.
CHRIS RUSSELL
WOLF VS. FIRE
Move your hands, move your lips, move your head and shake your hips – Chris Russell’s Chicken Walk bring their two-man Juke Joint party to The Retreat every Wednesday in June starting tonight. No Sweet Home Chicago, no Dust My Broom, Chicken Walk play real, living blues pulled straight from the heart of modern day Mississippi. Shake off your winter blues and shake your ass.
Slow Chase, Wolf Vs. Fire, We Disappear and Easy Please are bringing the rock to The Bendigo Hotel tonight. Come down early and start the celebrations for the long weekend ahead. Having just finished recording their debut single Relapse, Wolf Vs. Fire is busy preparing for a string of shows in Melbourne, Adelaide and Sydney. Influenced by such bands as Foo Fighters, Jimmy Eat World, After The Fall and Gyroscope, Wolf Vs. Fire have a range of sounds from hard hitting rock songs through to beautifully stripped back acoustic ballads, and everything in between. The Gobbo kitchen will be open from 6pm so get in to grab a feed.
POCO LA POX
STRANGERS Sydney Southern Beach rockers Strangers have so far done it for Calling All Cars, they did it for Closure In Moscow, they did it for Unwritten Law and Red Coats and just recently did it for UKs men in tights The Darkness. Their muscular new single Persona Non Grata was released to radio this week. It screams loud, it screams hard and it screams fast. Strangers will be launching it and taking their hard as nails brand of rock to the streets when they a special showcase event at The Workers Club on Friday June 8. Tickets available on the door.
AGILITY
The indie darlings Poco La Pax, Her?, Daydream Arcade and Granston Display (playing their debut shows) are at the Bendigo Hotel this Saturday June 9. Make sure you get down for a night of catchy chorus, electro infused indie dance anthems and even some horns thrown in for good measure. Poco La Pax have been hard at work of recent times gigging at the very least weekly, and are fresh off the back of their recent tenure as resident band at the Evelyn. Their unique mix of sassy Latin horns with electronic samples, punchy fat beats, which are fleshed out with wandering indie guitar and jazz melodies makes for an impressive live feat. Main support for the evening will come from upstarts Her? Forming in 2009, Werribee’s Her? have been developing their sound, drawing influence from indie and rock acts such as The National, Interpol, Arctic Monkeys and The Strokes, while still maintaining their own sense of identity as a band
After performing around the world with French super group Nouvelle Vague, Australian-born songstress Nadeah Miranda returns home with her first solo album Venus Gets Even. Developed like short films or scenes from a play, her songs whether intriguing, cheeky or slightly disconcerting are all clad in dazzlingly bright fabrics, lively arrangements and distinctive lyrics. The rich and sophisticated orchestration, devised by Nicola Tescari, sounds as if Tom Waits and his accompanists were launching into a frenzied albeit classy, punk musical. The Toff will be hosting Nadeah this Monday June 11, with tickets available through Moshtix for $30+bf, or $35 on the door. Doors open from 7pm.
SUNDAY SESH
MAJOR TOM & THE ATOMS
Sixteen talented performers come together in the back room of Noise Bar on Sunday June 10 for what promises to be an evening of great food, great drinks, great entertainment and most importantly – great vibes. Featuring a brand new band, who have international experience amongst the ranks, many singer/guitarist/songwriters, and even a sprinkling of poets. A group who love to entertain, including David Pittaway, Lish Skec, George O’Hara, Viki Mealings, Susan O’Shea, Gerald Proctor, Ben Bray, Baz Daly and John Coulter, along with a few surprise guests. There will be burgers, nachos, wedges and more on offer, with children more than welcome (accompanied by guardians). Make sure you have a designated driver and a designated drinker and many designated applaudists. Free entry, with doors from 1pm.
Major Tom & The Atoms are an explosive six-piece rhythm’n’blues orchestra, featuring ex-Little Red baritone crooner- Major (Tom Hartney). After six years touring the world and beyond with Little Red, Major has returned to his honkytonk roots, and signed-up a dazzling troupe of new recruits to share in the booty. This band take their cues and clues from the greats of yesteryear, including Tom Waits, Dr John and The Doors, whilst concocting an intoxicating brew of spy-chedelic shoot-out tunes and howlin’ growlin’ jungle grooves. On the eve of an 8,000km road trip around the country in celebration of their new EP Shake It Til You Break It, Major Tom & The Atoms will be marching into Pony for a full-blown midnight assault on common sense. Synchronise your watches and meet on the evening of Friday June 8 for the 2am late show.
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Russian criminal hoodlums VulgarGrad last played in Australia 11 months ago at a sold-out show at the Northcote Social Club. Gravelly-voiced, Polish-born frontman Jacek Koman has been spending more time in jail and house arrest in Poland these days than in Australia, although other sources say he’s a bigshot TV actor over there, but how can such a fearsome man be so beloved by a Polish TV audience? In any case, VulgarGrad has been playing more often in Europe lately, and have recently returned from playing in Germany, Poland, Denmark and the Netherlands. They’ll be launching their new 7” Limonchiki at the NSC, an old Jewish gangster song from Odessa about stealing, drinking, and loving your mother. VulgarGrad will be aided and abetted on the night by the light-fingered Tek Tek Ensemble, the handsome Croatian rock’n’roll thug, Mikelangelo and DJ Russian Disco.
NADEAH
ELEPHANT EYES The last time Elephant Eyes released a single, some knowing nods were thrown their way. Now, in preparation for the release of their upcoming debut EP, Elephant Eyes are releasing their second single Mother Said. It sounds like a Stepford wife’s take on domestic perfection gone wrong. Following the release of their first single I Want to Know, the band have been steadily increasing their fan-base through playing a string of shows around Melbourne, including an appearance at Moomba Festival. To celebrate the digital release of Mother Said, Elephant Eyes head to The Grace Darling on Friday June 8, to perform alongside Owls Of The Swamp and Siobhan. Presale tickets available from Moshtix for $7(+bf), which includes a 3-track Maths & Magic sampler, or at the door for $10. Doors from 9pm.
THE MEAN TIMES With a dapper new rhythm section and a stunning new smart-casual wardrobe, The Mean Times are taking to the Pony stage on Thursday June 7, and this time are teaming up with their new buddies, one quarter of Telecom and three quarters of something else, the Western Stars. Also along for the ride are Renegade Robot Cops, who have come back from the year 2043, to teach us all a lesson in the future of law enforcement. Bringing to you a night of slacker/geek/indie/punk/garage/rock, all three acts promise jangly, guitar music. Expect sweaty shirts, facial hair, bouncing gentlemen, the occasional windmill and the finest of catchy tunes. Doors open from 8.30pm.
MOB QUEENS Playing a mean blend of hopped-up, swung-out, trash punk, this hot eight-piece anarchist orchestra has to be seen to be believed. Shining through the darkness like the electric pink fingernails of a mafia princess, these hard rocking, big living and fast dancing punk rock mobsters will make your ears bleed and feet move, as they mash metal into surf/hardcore/western/thrash and into the next hit single of the summer. Appearing for a special return date at Bar Open after a packed show in April, they’ll be sharing the stage with the enigmatic surf divas of all-girl band Swimsuit Dynamite, and the stunning sounds of solo riot Left At The Alter. Come and keep warm by getting sweaty this Thursday June 7. Free entry, with doors from 9pm.
STREAMS OF WHISKEY Poguetry in motion! Streams of Whiskey hit Bar Open on Sunday June 10. Armed with their mandolins, accordions, banjos and all the other necessary ye olde world weapons of (by their own admission) the world’s best Pogues cover band. The last few Bar Open gigs have been truly mental with a collective madness turning the crowd to what looks like a blurry fight-scene from a comic book. Johnny Gibson’s fire cracking rhythm section has never sounded better and is locking in tightly with the lightning strums of Mark Jennings on guitar. Steve Milligan has survived the moshpit of the recent MYC reunion and is ready to stand and deliver. Free show and the next day is a public holiday to sleep off the hangover support from the unstoppable Rowan Blackmore.
SIMON WRIGHT BAND SPENCER P. JONES Spencer P. Jones – not only someone with a string of solo albums under his belt but over the past 20 years or so Spencer has been a constant in the Australian music scene, from early obscure inner city scufflings with The Emotional Retards and Cuban Heels, to the hilarious psychedelic cabaret of The North 2 Alaskans and the gold status cowpunk incontinence of The Johnnys. Spencer is more widely known as a founding member/guitarist with The Beasts Of Bourbon. Come down to The Retreat Hotel front bar on Monday June 11 and catch a blistering two setter from Spencer Jones & The Escape Committee from 4pm, free. And later a performance from Water Music from 7.30pm.
BIMBO ELECTRICO Bimbo Electrico represents a unique combination of hard beats, honey sweet vocals and genre jumping electro sounds. They are described as strange, addictive and sexy, with a singer who can’t stand still and a producer who knows how to make the kids dance. Irish/Australian frontwoman Zoe Bowie and Dutch DJ/producer Kip Killah are ready to bring their sound to the Melbourne stages. They have shared the stage with the likes of Chicks On Speed and Alec Empire, travelled throughout Europe and have now decided to pack their laptops and take a break from their Dutch base. Bimbo Electrico kick off their Melbourne tour with a special 2am free show in the one and only Pony. Be the first to savour this duo, so get your boots on and get ready to smell the glitter and liquor, cause’ it’s time to get Bimbo.
Whether it’s a dimly lit room in a small Fitzroy bar, a packed house at Byron Bay’s Beach Hotel or on main stage at a weekend festival in Victoria’s countryside, Simon Wright never fails to fill the room with his presence. With an old beaten guitar, a charismatic stage persona and a song writing style that calls on the flavours of blues, funk, soul, hip hop, reggae and rock’n’roll, Simon is able to entertain all branches of today’s pop subcultures. He plays The Evelyn on Tuesdays in June with some of Melbourne’s freshest funk soul and hip hop acts.
THE TOOT TOOT TOOTS It’s that time of year again. The weather is getting colder, the Unicorns are on the field and The Toot Toot Toots are back at The Old Bar for their third annual June Sunday Residency. After successfully launching their latest opus at The Hi-Fi, they return to their favourite watering hole to make Sundays in winter worth leaving the house. Support is coming from The Murlocs, Ali E and DJ George Hyde. It’s an 8pm start this Sunday June 10, and get down early ‘cause they will sell out every damn show. $10 on the door.
LOTEK International rude boy Lotek returns to Bar Open. As well as performing all the favourites from his critically acclaimed debut solo album, he’ll also be previewing brand new songs from his next release. His backing band The Rebel HiFi and Melbourne Soul sensation Florelie Escano will also be sharing the stage. Expect be a guest appearance from Joe Moonie- the wisecracking UK mc who is currently working on an album with Lotek. This Friday June 8 is set to be filled with a throbbing dub bass, slamming hip hop beats and ska rudeness that has become Lotek’s signature sound. Doors open from 10pm, with free entry.
COOKIN ON 3 BURNERS Cookin On 3 Burners are a three-piece powerhouse who serve up the rawest in deep funk, jazz, boogaloo and soul. Led by a wailing hammond organ, they are distinctly different to many other funk acts, yet you’ll be no stranger to the grooves and pounding drums. The band have taken their home brew of soulful hammond get down, everywhere from jazz festivals to afterhours bars and clubs. Treat this as a warm up gig to The Bamboos album launch the week after with support from Kylie Auldist. Free entry, with doors from 10pm.
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No Zu
BLACK FOX Hot on the heels of releasing their debut 7” vinyl, Black Fox are set to kick off a string of national shows with a long weekend party at Pony this Friday June 8. The band will be banging out songs from their upcoming LP Line Of Sight, and will be joined by Melbourne hipsters Cataract George, Dinosaurs Exist and Winter Moon. Winter is here, but it’s warm inside and always Christmas at Pony. So, slap on your best shoes and grab a free Black Fox tattoo at the bar. Doors from 9pm.
DOWN WITH THATCHER! This Sunday June 10 for Queens Birthday Eve the fine folk at The Grace Darling are putting on a party, free entry, with Get Goggles DJs from 2PM in the main bar and bands NO ZU and Mildlife from 8pm taking over the band room upstairs. Get down early enough and you can catch Staffan’s Songs (Francolin) residency from 5pm in the mysterious underground cellar bar. All in all, it will be a huge night with something for everyone, Down With Thatcher!
BLACK CAB Yah Yah’s is hosting Black Cab’s first show for 2012 on Queen’s Birthday Eve, Sunday June 10. The band will be debuting material from their forthcoming album Fourth, as well as unveiling a new and extended lineup. Joining them will be the incredible Baptism Of Uzi and Humans, who are the new Alan Vega-inspired electronic project for Chris Chapple and the Spoils’ Sean Simmons. Black Cab played a number of shows in 2011 as a three-piece electronic outfit but are now beefing up their live sound. Doors open from 9pm, with $12 entry. DJ Crossanova is rounding out the bill, and providing late tunes for those to keep their dancing shoes on.
HONEY BADGERS After months of shit-stirring and warmongering, Honey Badgers are finally leaving the garage and heading for their favourite Melbourne address, Pony. Made up of fellas from The Thod and The Hondas, Honey Badgers ditch ‘60s revivalism for trashy meditations on romance, with compelling melodies and bursts of noise. Joining them on their maiden voyage are their favourite psychedelic band in Melbourne Buried Feather, their new garage-rocking friends known as Bidet Mate, and old mates Buck Creek, who’ll be offending with their urban-hillbilly bluegrass punk. Come and witness Honey Badgers offer themselves up at the altar of Pony for your pleasure. Shit is gonna be craycray. Doors open from 9pm, don’t miss out this Saturday June 9.
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Q&A THE SWEETS
LACHLAN BRYAN You may have heard about Melbourne singer-songwriter Lachlan Bryan of late. Perhaps you heard his name when he opened for music legends Steve Earle or John Hiatt, or when he supported UK outfit ahab, or maybe you’ve caught his music on radio in recent months. On the back of standout performances at Bluesfest and Tamworth Festivals in 2012 and a really impressive collection of glowing reviews for both his live shows and his album, Lachlan Bryan is taking the opportunity to head out on his own tour and to officially launch his debut album Shadow Of The Gun in Sydney and Melbourne and celebrate the release of the second single from the album, Going Straight. He launches it at The Workers Club on Thursday June 14.
THE LITTLE SISTERS Country-folk outfit The Little Sisters celebrate a long tradition of female vocal harmony. After sharing the stage with some of Australia’s most exciting up and coming alt-country bands, The Little Sisters have been highly praised for the richness of their vocal harmonies and the depth of their songwriting talent. Having recently released their debut self-titled EP to much acclaim, the trio and their musical accomplices will now bring their show to The Retreat on Sunday June 10. Those who haven’t yet witnessed a Sisters show are in for a treat. Expect pints, petticoats, and many a piss take.
MIKELANGELO AND THE TIN STAR It's With great honour and commonwealth pride that Mikelangelo And The Tin Star return to The Retreat to celebrate the Queen’s birthday. Its known only amongst the inner sanctum of the monarchy that the Queen herself is partial to listening to surf ‘n’ western music while having her daily bath. Thus, Melbourne’s finest exponents of the genre will be cranking it up in her ladyships honour on this auspicious day. Expect reverb laden tremolo guitars, thundering surf drums and tales of sex and carnage, fronted by the action moves of the man they call Mikelangelo. Entry is free and Monday is a public holiday – need we say more? Sunday June 10, don’t miss it.
So then, what’s the band name and what do you ‘do’ in the band? We’re The Sweets, made up of Will on bass, Liam playing lead guitar, Pato the singer/guitarist and Ash on drums. What do you think people will say you sound like? We occasionally have people say that we sound similar to The Strokes. What do you love about making music? We love that you can write a song to express your thoughts at the time and have the ability to change the mood of someone listening to it. There’s no greater feeling than to play your own songs and see people enjoy it. What do you hate about the music industry? The music that’s churned out by big record labels, purely to make money.
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If you could travel back in time and show one of your musical heroes your stuff, who would it be and why? We’d go hang out with Mozart, blow his mind with an electric guitar, and inspire him to write the first ‘rock opera’ about the indie rockers from the future. What can a punter expect from your live show? We pride ourselves on delivering a tight performance with a lot of energy. We try to get the crowd to feel involved in the show. Also, ladies can expect to fall in love with our bass player, and to question how we fit into our skinny jeans. When are you playing live next and with who? We’re playing at Noise Bar on Saturday June 9, teaming up with new friends Papa Maul and old friends Euthymia. It’s an exciting combination as each band plays a slightly different variation of the rock genre. What’ve you got to sell CD-wise? We’ll be releasing our debut EP very soon, so keep an eye out.
Beat Magazine Page 59
ALBUM OF THE WEEK
WEDNESDAY 6 JUNE RESIDENCY
VAN MYER POURPARLOUR ACID WESTERN ENTRY $8, 8.30PM
THURSDAY 7 JUNE
HIATUS KAIYOTE BANKRUPT BILLIONAIRES (QLD) COSI ENTRY $15, 9PM $2.50 POTS, $5 VODKAS!
FRIDAY 8 JUNE
LAURA
MENISCUS (SYD) THIS IS YOUR CAPTAIN SPEAKING LUNAIRE ENTRY $15, 8.30PM
SATURDAY 9 JUNE SKA WEEKENDER
AREA 7
DAN POTTHAST (USA) GOD GOD DAMMIT DAMMIT THE BENNIES PHAT MEEGZ ROOF DOG (NZ) THE OPERATORS ADMIRAL ACKBAR’S DISHONOURABLE DISCHARGE
ENTRY $28 DOOR, $23 PRESALE THRU MOSHTIX, 6PM
SUNDAY 10 JUNE
QUEEN’S BIRTHDAY EVE GIG
FORCES
DIAMOND MILES (NIGHT TERRORS) DAN MOSS (I, A MAN) ENTRY $10, 8.30PM
MONDAY 11 JUNE RESIDENCY
THE CACTUS CHANNEL DJ MISS GOLDIE DONATION ENTRY, 9PM $10 JUGS!
TUESDAY 12 JUNE RESIDENCY
SIMON WRIGHT THE HIGH SOCIETY TANE EMIA-MOORE DJ BIG KAHUNA BURGER
DONATION ENTRY, 8.30PM $10 JUGS!
COMING UP
TIX AVAILABLE THRU MOSHTIX:
THE CACTUS CHANNEL (MON IN JUNE) SIMON WRIGHT (TUES IN JUNE) VAN MYER (WED IN JUNE) JAREK – ALBUM LAUNCH (14 JUNE) MAJOR TOM & THE ATOMS – EP LAUNCH (15 JUNE) THE VAUDEVILLE SMASH (16 JUNE) KALACOMA (21 JUNE) HEAVEN – RETURN TOUR (22 JUNE) SARITAH – SINGLE LAUNCH (28 JUNE) THE RED LIGHTS – EP LAUNCH (29 JUNE) SEX ON TOAST (6 JULY)
HOT CHIP
AIRIT NOW
In Our Heads (Domino/EMI)
1. Looking Glass KINGFISHA
The opening track to In Our Heads, the song Motion Sickness, has the momentous air of the music that would accompany, say, a highlights reel of Queen Elizabeth’s Jubilee. There is a enormity and completeness to the sound of this song that acts as the perfect synopsis for Hot Chip’s most complete album to date. The band’s fifth studio album In Our Heads heralds the London based five-piece as dance music adepts as opposed to the ‘unclassifiable’ eccentrics who produced the eclectic 2004 debut Coming On Strong. Hot Chip’s ‘clubby’ sound is most evident on the song Flutes. It opens with a cut-and-paste African tribal chant laid over the top of a modulated and tonal beat that spins the song in a deep house direction for the opening two minutes. Interestingly, and something only Hot Chip could get away with, the song changes through the addition of vocals, live drums and guitar into a song Toto would be proud of. A vital ingredient of the shift undertaken during this song is the subtle strength of main vocalist Alexis Taylor’s falsetto. Taylor’s vocal variability is vital in preventing this album being reduced to a beat-centric snorefest. Track four, Look At Where We Are, is the first balladlike respite of the album where the vocals are the key ingredient. The multi-tracked chorus in which Taylor harmonises with himself would be as comfortable beside a campfire as it would be for a 4am slow dance: “Look at where we are/Remember where we started out/Never going to be without each other’s love again.” A strength of Hot Chip’s songwriting for listeners has always been their ability to combine heartfelt sentiment with a style of music – electronic dance music – that often struggles to sit comfortably beside sincerity. Their earliest example of this ‘emotional disco’ was Crap Kraft Dinner from Coming On Strong, and another example is their fan favourite
2. I’m Gone GRAVEYARD TRAIN 3. WIIW (Way To War) KIRIN J CALLINAN 4. One Man Woman DALLAS FRASCA 5. The Boogieman FLAP! 6. I’ll Love You Until Monday Morning WILDING 7. Tell Me MIA DYSON 8. Death Row SKY’ HIGH 9. Don’t Ever Want To Be Found THE RUBENS 10. Gallons WINTER PEOPLE
PBS TIPSHEET 1. Valtari SIGUR ROS Boy From School. The song on this album that treks this difficult territory of meaningful dance music is the already mentioned Motion Sickness. The song’s proggy elegance and its profoundly delivered lyrics of “remember when people thought the world was round,” allows the listener to access regret and hope simultaneously by harking upon those seminal moments in our lives that make sense of it all. Whoa… things just got way too deep. To pull me out, I will just listen to the first single from this album – the bounding an energetic Night And Day. In Our Heads has its heart firmly on the dancefloor but a lot of heart all the same, making it a most fulfilling listen. DAN WATT Best Track: Motion Sickness If You Like These, You’ll Like This: TOTALLY ENORMOUS EXTINCT DINOSAURS, THE 2 BEARS, LCD SOUNDSYSTEM, ABOUT GROUP, 2020 SOUND SYSTEM, !!! In A Word: Momentous
2. Mermaid Avenue BILLY BRAGG AND WILCO 3. The House That Love Built MAJOR TOM & THE ATOMS 4. The Best of Perception & Today VARIOUS ARTISTS 5. Awaken The Herd MKO 6. Talupo Mountain Music Vol.II THE DELTA RIGGS 7. Sound Painter DALLAS FRASCA 8. Live At The Bird THE FLOORS 9. Trees of the Seas JAREK 10. Sketches Vol.2 THE RAY MANN THREE
WOOLY BULLY 1. Everything Goes Wrong LP CONSTANT MONGREL 2. Everybody’s Got It Easy But Me LP 3. Hypochondriac BAD ACHES 4. Dirty Finger Nails GOLDEN BOYS 5. Christine 7” GRUDGE 6. Family Perfume Vol II LP WHITE FENCE
SINGLES BY SIMONE I am constantly distracted by sexy dwarves and photo collections of animals that appear to be thinking stuff.
SMALL TALK Make You Move (A&R Department) A confident disco club tune from Sydney producer Jake Smith, with a sultry but girlish vocal track and big, strong beats. The whole thing is packed into a tidy two and a half minutes; makes it’s point, makes you move, finishes up before anything has time to get repetitive.
LEMONADE Softkiss (The Panther Sounds/Remote Control) Praised simultaneously on Pitchfork, PrettyMuchAmazing and Radio 1, label mates with Girls, Glasser and Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Lemonade has all the hallmarks of a hipster band, but if this is hip I’m dead. Lifted from the Diver album, Softkiss is but a few samples away from New Kids On The Block, and by virtue of boy band genealogy, only three degrees of separation from that barnacle, Justin Bieber. Generation Z, seemingly defenceless in the face of synth, has confused glassy pop music with glassy pop music that is clever and excellent. This is not excellent. This is thin and pappy and effeminate and stupid.
CLOUD NOTHINGS Stay Useless (Cloud Nothing) Another SXSW 2012 buzz band, Cloud Nothings have a scrappy, DIY rock aesthetic that translates a whole lot better in their live show. On tape, Stay Useless has the generic melodic indie punk sound of the ‘90s American high school/record store comedy. You know the band that plays at the end of the prom, or over the credits, in which the “alternative” boy/girl wins over the assembled GAP collective with their spirited but non-threatening “alternative” pop punk music? This is more or less what the single sounds like. It’s Liv Tyler in Empire Records, who seems cool in comparison to Rex Manning, but is actually a cup-cake baking girl scout with excellent teeth and shiny, shiny hair.
7. CQ LP THE OUTSIDERS 8. Self Titled LP RADAR EYES 9. The Painted Word LP TELEVISION PERSONALITIES 10. Slug 7” RAMONES
SYN SWEET 16 1. Patrolling Days THE HIVES 2. Ruby Skies STONEFIELD 3. She Said Ok BIG BOI /THEOPHILUS LONDON 4. Passage EXITMUSIC 5. Perfect Burn YOLKE 6. Her Fantasy MATTHEW DEAR 7. Hit The Spot SURFING 8. BC GLACIERS 9. Flaws HUNTING GROUNDS 10. No Control HOLLAND
HUSKY Tidal Wave (Liberation) The opening track on Husky’s lovely Forever So is a quiet step out of the gate, a dreamy, humming, strumming song for wandering hearts. It builds gently, almost imperceptibly, to a faint kind of tremulous peak – less a tidal wave than a gust of wind, but full of hearty, invisible power. The Tie Me Kangaroo Down-ish wobble board in the final break is a bit odd, but all is forgiven with that last milky, honeyed verse.
JAGERMEISTER INDEPENDENT MUSIC CHARTS
HOWLER
SIMONE AND GIRLFUNKLE
This One’s Different (Rough Trade/Remote Control) Howler, that delightful ensemble of smirking teenage yucksters, has an album on the shelves called America Give Up. Lead single This One’s Different doesn’t have the sailing hook of Back Of Your Neck, and singer Jordan Gatesmith sounds like he’s doing a Billy Idol impression, but their messy garage rock energy is in full flight. Good stuff.
7. Sunshine Road OWEN CAMPBELL
Blow Into The Wind (Independent) Simone And Girlfunkle is so awful it verges on genius. It’s hard to know what the seven members of this sweet folk ensemble were thinking when they took that godforsaken pun for a name, but I’m trying not to let it get to me. Their music, similar to The Head And The Heart or Angus And Julia Stone, is all lilting harmonies and hearty rhythms, with sweet but dynamic arrangements leading to a big, trembling chorus. Very clever, very lovely. Very bad choice for a band name.
8. It’s Never Too Late ANDREW WISHART
THE BLACK SEEDS Cracks In Our Own (Remote Control) The Black Seeds suffer from their nominal similarity to The Black Keys. I get very excited when I hit play on a new Black Seeds single, thinking it’s the Black Keys, only to realise my mistake and transfer my general feelings of disappointment onto the music. None of this would be an issue if I read my emails properly, but not reading emails properly is, like, 80 percent of my personality. When not compared directly to The Black Keys, The Black Seeds’ blues rock is sort of okay; soulful, hip and swinging. When compared to The Black Keys, they sound like a hokey ‘70s funk band from New Zealand that make The Black Keys sound amazing.
Beat Magazine Page 60
TOP TENS
1. The Temper Trap THE TEMPER TRAP 2. Falling & Flying 360 3. Don’t Funk With Me ALSTON 4. Drinking From The Sun HILLTOP HOODS 5. Making Mirrors GOTYE 6. Hyperparadise HERMITUDE
9. Trouble’s Door ASH GRUNWALD 10. Zero MAUNDZ
BEAT’S TOP TEN SONGS ABOUT HONEY 1. Wild Honey THE BEACH BOYS 2. Honey Joy ROYAL HEADACHE 3. Warm Milk With Honey LEGENDS OF MOTORSPORT
SINGLE OF THE WEEK
4. Just Like Honey THE JESUS & MARY CHAIN
NANTES Unsatisfy (Deadhand Music) Sydney’s Nantes play a moody but rhythmically driving post-punk that owes a debt to Joy Division and New Order but has its own thunderous character. There’s a synth riff in this song that sounds almost like a piano accordion, a swinging vocal performance and an anthemic chorus that will surely win these boys a few fans.
5. Honey Love R KELLY
FOR MORE REVIEWS GO TO BEATTV.COM.AU/REVIEWS
6. Honey Honey ABBA 7. Honey To The Bee BILLIE 8. I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch) TEMPTATIONS 9. Honey ERYKAH BADU 10. Honey MARIAH CAREY
ALBUMS
THE TEMPER TRAP
The Temper Trap (Liberation Music) FOR MORE REVIEWS GO TO
BEAT.COM.AU/REVIEWS
BEFORE THE DAWN
Rise Of The Phoenix (Nuclear Blast) Melodic death metal has had somewhat of a second wind in recent times. It had been showing signs of tiredness in the late 2000s, after a very healthy period earlier that decade. Very strong albums from the likes of Omnium Gatherum, Insomnium and just recently Seven Horns Seven Eyes have injected some life back into the sub-genre. Now Before the Dawn have picked up that baton and run with it as well. Rise Of The Phoenix is no less than their seventh album in the last nine years, but their quantity doesn’t seem to be affecting their quality at all, if this album is anything to go by. It is a very strong melo-death album, with all the trappings that make the sub-genre so compelling when done well. It’s that contrast between the crushing rhythms and the heaviness of the guitarist and the melody inherent in the music itself. That fine line is trodden with great precision on this record, and it’s a joy to behold. The lack of variation in the vocals (which are virtually all dirty, the melody on this album comes strictly from the music) wears on the ears a little after a while. A few clean ups here and there would have shaken things up nicely. But overall, Rise Of The Phoenix is a powerhouse Best Track: Cross To Bear record. The songwriting is tight, the production slick, If You Like These, You’ll Like This: DARK TRANQUILITY, fat and powerful and the musicianship exemplary. This BE’LAKOR, OMNIUM GATHERUM is a worthy addition to the melodic death metal canon. In A Word: Balanced ROD WHITFIELD
It’s been an impatient wait for the thronging masses seduced by The Temper Trap’s debut, Conditions, in 2009. It took a while, but the band finally pulled themselves off the road long enough to record a more mature, diverse exploration of that mishmash of genres so uniquely their own. The group has grown in more ways than one – quite literally – and now call themselves a five-piece with the permanent addition of keyboardist Joseph Greer. A self-proclaimed “heartbreak” record, the self-titled offering from the London-based Melbournites shows a band willing to put its heart on its sleeve. A lyrical depth creates an emotional intensity that underpins the entire album, be it in new single (and new sync for Channel 7’s Revenge) Trembling Hands or electro-pop builder Where Do We Go From Here. We could see it coming with first single Need Your Love, yet another sync for Channel 7, this time Packed To The Rafters. Back at what you do best, boys. At the centre of it all is that voice. Hoffer has brought out the best in Dougy Mandagi, who manipulates his sublime talent to take control of every register, and proves he’s more than a one-trick falsetto pony. And then there’s the moments one register is simply not enough, perfectly illustrated in Rabbit Hole. It’s the marriage of vocals and instrumentals, first sparse and acoustic then a full-bodied rock-out, that works so well in this climactic album highlight. The only problem with that song – it’s too damn short! Perhaps the biggest surprise on the album, however, is a tribute to the London riots of 2011, London Burning. Managi saw it all spiral out of control from his apartment window in Hackney and, evoking the spirit of The Clash in a reverse call to arms against the rioters, opens the door to a whole new sound for the band. Already debuting at No. 1 on the ARIA Chart and with strong support from radio already, it’s looking likely Best Track: Rabbit Hole that this may be the one to tip the band past the million If You Like These, You’ll Like This: BOMBAY BICYCLE mark Conditions drew every so close to. CLUB, BLOC PARTY, BIRDS OF TOKYO In A Word: Crisp JEN WILSON
LEMONADE
Diver (Remote Control)
BEST COAST
The Only Place (Popfrenzy) The gimmick that attracted listeners to Best Coast – the endless bittersweet loveletters to California – could easily make a fan tire of them. Folks hoping for a reprieve here will be disappointed; the cover features a bear cuddling a map of California, and you can safely judge this CD on appearances. This record is about the West Coast of the US – living there, loving there, loving it. “Why would you live anywhere else?” songwriter and vocalist Bethany Cosentino asks in the titular opening track The Only Place, a theme which is explored in one way or another across the 14 tracks of this album (three of them unlisted). Cosentino rarely looks beyond the front door for inspiration, unless it’s to her diary; if you’ve heard a Best Coast track before then you know what to expect; a bi-polar barrage of sunny pop and post-teen angst ballads. That’s not to say it’s not worth a listen. They’ve brought in producer and composer Jon Brion, (Fiona Apple, Kanye West, Elliot Smith), whose deft touch has cleared the cobwebs that marred previous releases. The reverb and muffled production is gone, leaving vocals that are unexpectedly rich and clear, while the interplay between Cosentino’s guitar and Bobb Bruno’s bass are just set off with low key percussion and carefully layered backing tracks. Yes, this album is more of the same from Best Coast; songs about sunshine, songs about being bored of the sunshine, songs about writing songs about thinking about your feeling, but this time around it’s slightly more accomplished, a little more nuanced, and much more fun. Best Coast have shaken Best Track: The Only Place off the shoe-gazy hangover of the past, and while the lazy If You Like These, You’ll Like This: BEACH BOYS, CAMERA wave of angst still crashes over you, it holds itself up long OBSCURA, FLEETWOOD MAC, PHIL SPECTOR (before enough for your heart to soar on for a track or two he got all shooty) LIAM PIEPER In A Word: Mellow-gold
TY SEGALL + WHITE FENCE Hair (Spunk)
The innate attraction of garage music must surely be its empowering spirit: anyone with less than a modicum of talent, but with the right attitude can pick up an instrument, bash out three-chords or a basic rock beat, and offer untold happiness to the world. The paradox, however, is that that superficial simplicity – the musical crucible upon which garage music is defined – betrays a subtle genius as significant as any elaborate orchestral piece. Ty Segall and White Fence have loitered around the garage rock neighbourhood long enough to know the intrinsic beauty of apparently primitive musicianship. Hair, the artists’ collaborative project, is everything that a garage rock record should be. The record starts out in surprising form – Time is the Beatles strung out on mescalin and besotted by cheap eastern spiritual rhetoric, before breaking into Spencer Jones junk territory, and all is good with the world. On I Am Not A Game bubblegum rock arm-wrestles with southern garage rock in a fight for primacy; as Segall’s freaked out guitar trails into sonic oblivion, all is good, and long may it continue. Easy Ryder is acid rock idealism for a fucked up world, The Black Glove is Donovan finding peace, love and contentment at the end of a bad trip in the desert with Phil Kaufman and Rag takes the MC5’s Ramblin’ Rose for a whip around the block with a few lines of speed and a Pussy Galore’s Dial M For Motherfucker as mood music. (I Can’t) Get Around You is Bob Dylan meets the Dolly Rocker Movement in a dingy LA bar, Scissor People is The Rolling Stones at the tail-end of a 48 amphetamines bender and Tongues is back with The Beatles, and a Lovetones chaser. For sociological reasons that don’t bear too much contemplation, western society has lurched back into Best Track: I Am Not A Game If You Like These, You’ll Like This: THE BLACK LIPS, the world of manufactured pop. The only benefit of that THIRTEENTH FLOOR ELEVATORS, THE WAILERS, UV retrograde development is to render records like Hair even better specimens of the garage craft. RACE In A Word: Garage PATRICK EMERY
Alternative-dance outfit Lemonade have returned with an exciting sophomore album bound to set tongues wagging. While Diver falls short of definitive brilliance, the record does resonate as an immensely satisfying second effort from the Californian trio. They’ve run with an apt title for the release, Diver splashed with nautical imagery from start to finish. A gooey, subterranean ambiance dominates from the outset, too, Infinite Style establishing the band’s intentions. “Ecstatic impressions overwhelm my senses,” declares frontman Callan Clendenin, inadvertently describing Diver’s charm. It’s a gorgeous, washed-out synth-haven, Lemonade’s electronic approach entertaining a mix of contemporary trends and bygone eras. The intricate architecture of Lemonade’s tracks proves impressive overall, Eye Drops and White Caps, in particular, emerging obtuse, dance-inspired gems. They’re urgent, ambitious and well-crafted. Counter-intuitively, though, the band really hit their stride when they relax. Tender single Neptune demonstrates the prudence of such an approach, its portrait of angst and love on the rocks simplistic, yet utterly potent. Diver accidentally demonstrates the futility of overzealous electronic tinkering in the face of classic pop writing. Lemonade do place emphasis on the latter to some extent (with stunning results) though their tendency to dispose of such a focus does them a great disservice. Quibbles aside, Diver remains an exciting mixed bag of Best Track: Neptune songs, Lemonade doing well to match the efforts of their If You Like These, You’ll Like This: Visions GRIMES, Odd electronic-pop contemporaries. Blood YEASAYER In A Word: Enchanting NICK MASON
MARILYN MANSON
Born Villain (Cooking Vinyl/Shock) After a three-year absence, the one and only Marilyn Manson is back with his eighth studio LP, Born Villain. How one feels about this piece of news will depend on how one feels about the artist, formerly known to his parents as Brian Warner. It’s been 18 years since their debut LP Portrait Of An American Family, and as ever, the themes being portrayed in the music revolve around self-loathing, anti-social behaviour, feelings of inadequacy, hatred of religion and other well-trodden tropes. Once again: if you’re a fan of Marilyn Manson, then by all means buy this record. It will make you happy. I, for one, am really quite pleased with Born Villain. My favourite Marilyn Manson album, 1998’s Mechanical Animals, was a delightfully in-your-face mish-mash of glam, punk, industrial and electronica that pushed the envelope with its fantastical stories of drugs, sex, death and idol worship. Born Villain, to my pleasant surprise, revisits this territory, with Manson’s usual flair, intensity, poetic license and – yes – humour (it’s not said often enough how damn funny his wordplay can be). First single No Reflection is armed to the teeth with chunky guitars and throbbing drums whilst Manson shrieks in the chorus, “I don’t know which me that I love.” Breaking The Same Old Ground is a disturbing fairytale, with hypnotic xylophone play, clockwork sound effects and brooding bass. The Gardener is a grooving poetry-slammerific spoken-word dirge, with Manson muttering, “I’m not man enough to be human/But I’m trying to fit in/And I’m learning to fa-fa-fa-fake it.” Punctuate that shit with some sparse synths and jab it with spots of absolute death metal, and you’ve got a record to sink your teeth into. Murderers Are Getting Prettier Every Day is just flat-out punk rock served raw and bloody, while the bizarre cover of Carly Simon’s You’re So Vain features guitar and drum work by … Johnny Depp? Weird. But cheeky, and somehow appropriate. Like I said, if you’re a fan of Marilyn Manson, then this record will appeal to you. But hey – even if you’re not, why not give Born Villain a go? True, Manson isn’t Best Track: The Gardener for everybody, but there’s a lot to like on this particular If You Like These, You’ll Like This: Mechanical Animals platter. MARILYN MANSON, ROB ZOMBIE, Broken NINE INCH NAILS In A Word: Violent THOMAS BAILEY
THE BOMBAY ROYALE
You Me Bullets Love (Hope St Recordings)
THE DANDY WARHOLS This Machine (Beat Records/Inertia)
Michael Apted should have adapted his 7 Up cinematic narrative concept to the intertwined journeys of the Dandy Warhols and Brian Jonestown Massacre. A decade after the now infamous documentary Dig!, Anton Newcombe and his merry band of psychedelic minstrels have solidified into a coherent unit, while still residing well outside the realms of commercial success; the Dandys have scaled the heady heights of popular acclaim, danced with the devil that is the major label industry, and returned to independent fringe from whence they came. And for the Dandys, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. On the band’s latest record This Machine, The Dandy Warhols find a satisfying balance between pop, electronic and psychedelia. The opening track Sad Vacation is Krautrock-via-Portland, where the streets of Willy Brandt’s West Germany are flooded with vegan hipsters smug to the eyeballs with philosophical piety. The Autumn Carnival is measured in a Shriekback sort of way; Enjoy Yourself is ripped straight from David Bowie’s nocturnal Berlin exploits in 1977. Alternative Power To The People is alt.rock polemic with tongue secreted in cheek and hips grinding effortlessly, Well They’re Gone is as sparse as a dance with Hugo Race in a deserted bar and Rest Your Head puts its head down on the pillow and reminds you of everything that’s good in the world. On 16 Tons jazz and punk tango like the Dumb Earth on a dose of speed; I Am Free is a stripped down Won’t Get Fooled Again with a shot of ‘80s Sydney surf rock and Seti And The Wow! Signal is where INXS could have ended up if only they’d just kept on walking. Don’t Shoot She Cried is psychedelic country with pathos in spades; Slide is Pink Floyd meets new wave with any hint of pretension left at the door. The Dandy Warhols could have decided to stay on the Best Track: Enjoy Yourself If You Like These, You’ll Like This: Heroes-era DAVID linear path to predictability and commercial success; that they didn’t is very much a good thing. BOWIE, NEU! In A Word: Dandy PATRICK EMERY
Has Tarantino heard of the Bombay Royale yet? If not, he should really pull his finger out as their theatrically spectacular musical melodrama would slide right into place on one of his famous and perfectly devised movie soundtracks. The band has ‘70s cult/exploitation clearly written all over them but there’s a thick velvety texture to the Bombay Royale. Their debut album, You Me Bullets Love sees them incorporate a range of influences into their core Bollywood inspired sound – making for one exciting sonic journey. Piercing organ starts Monkey Snake Fight, closely followed by some surf/spy guitar work and horns that descend imposingly upon the soundscape. Immediately the realisation that the players in The Bombay Royale are masters of design occurs – they deftly craft a sound that is scene setting and engaging from the onset. Title track You Me Bullets Love continues with reverb soaked surf guitar and the dual vocals of Parvyn Singh and Shourov Bhattacharya are in perfect compliment. Sote Sote Adhi Raat is a psychedelic space freak-out that works traditional tambla into the equation while Perfect Plan is stealthy in its delivery and full of sneaky rhythms. This more modern sounding number features Singh singing in English over a mash-up of wah heavy funk guitar and trailing horns – crazy in description but completely feasible and successful in execution. Bobbywood is a return to more old world and traditional Bollywood sounds and Mahindra Death Ride whisks you away into a world of wonder and intrigue. The horns in particular drive this track; sonically depicting the peaks and troughs of an imagined plot line – one can only ponder the wild storyline and visual that would accompany. The Bombay Royale are experienced musicians; who play with soul, flair and panache. Their debut album Best Track: Mahindra Death Ride You Me Bullets Love brings a style of music out of the If You Like These, You’ll Like This: Traditional Bollywood catacombs, dusts it off, dresses it up and readies it for Movie Soundtracks from the ‘60s and ‘70s, LINK WRAY, the dance floor. Lose yourself in the mystery, theatrics ROYAL CROWN REVUE, QUINCY JONES, JAMES and adventure of the Bombay Royale. BROWN In A Word: Vivid KRYSTAL MAYNARD
FOR MORE ALBUM NEWS AND REVIEWS GO TO WWW.BEAT.COM.AU
Beat Magazine Page 61
GIG GUIDE WEDNESDAY 6 JUN ROCK/POP ATTACK OF THE MANNEQUINS + BRAD MARR Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 7:00pm. BLACK CHORDS + KID GARRET Kent St Bar, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. DOUBLEBLACK + AUSTRALIAN KINGSWOOD FACTORY Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. ELECTRIC MARY & TOEHIDER + TOEHIDER Northcote Social Club, Northcote. 8:00pm. $10. LOST & FOUND - FEAT: MICHAEL SHAUN + CUB CRAIN + TC & THE DROP BEARS Revolver Upstairs, Prahran. 8:00pm. $5. MEGALOVE + MIDI WINDOW + MZ WOOD John Curtin Hotel, Carlton. 8:00pm. MONTERO + JONNY TELEFONE + SUPERSTAR Phoenix Public House, Brunswick. 9:00pm. $10. THE LOST SUNNIES + CHEV RISE Tote Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. THE MICHAEL SHAUN BAND + BEN WILLIAM + THE TATTERED SAILS Empress Hotel, North Fitzroy. 8:00pm. TOM TUENA Veludo Bar & Restaurant, St Kilda. 9:00pm. VAN MYER + ACID WESTERN + POURPARLOUR Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. WOLF VS FIRE + EASY PLEASE + SLOW CHASE + WE DISAPPEAR Bendigo Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. $5. WORNG + CIRCULAR KEYS + MT MTUMBO Bar Open, Fitzroy. 8:00pm.
ACOUSTIC/COUNTRY/BLUES/FOLK ANDREW LOWDEN + DRU + SOL DE HEER Wesley Anne, Northcote. 7:30pm. $5. ANTHONY PAINE & RICHARD ANDREW + WAYWARDBREED Standard Hotel, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. CHRIS RUSSELL’S CHICKEN WALK + MAX SAVAGE Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 8:30pm. COLLAGE - FEAT: AURIMOR + CLEVELAND BLUES + FULL CODE + THE TWOKS Espy, St Kilda. 8:00pm. MIKELANGELO + JAMES SEEDY Old Bar, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $7.
Regurgitator
OPEN MIC Dancing Dog, Footscray. 7:00pm. OPEN MIC Thornbury Local, Thornbury. 7:00pm. OPEN MIC Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick. 7:00pm. OPEN MIC & JAM NIGHT Grind N Groove, Healesville. 8:00pm. OPEN MIC & RECORDING NIGHT Musicland, Fawkner. 7:00pm. SAM LAWRENCE (ALBUM LAUNCH) + JAMES DALEY + MANNY FOX HANGMAN’S CLUB Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 7:30pm. $15. WINE WHISKEY WOMEN - FEAT: COOKIE BAKER + AL PARKINSON Drunken Poet, West Melbourne. 8:00pm.
JAZZ/SOUL/FUNK/WORLD MUSIC ADAM KATZ & CHARLIE LIM Paris Cat Jazz Club, Melbourne Cbd. 9:00pm. $15. BOPSTRETCH Uptown Jazz Cafe, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. CLAUDIA OSEGUEDA & OSCAR PONCELL Cruzao Arepa Bar, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. DAVE REX TRIO Dogs Bar, St Kilda. 8:00pm. DIZZY’S BIG BAND Dizzy’s Jazz Club, Richmond. 8:00pm. $14. LO-RES + BEN GORY + DAMIEN ELLIS QUINTET 303, Northcote. 8:00pm. NESSA QUINTET Open Studio, Northcote. 8:30pm. RENAUD GARCIA-FONS Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Melbourne. 8:00pm. $40.
THURSDAY 7 JUN ROCK/POP 29TH APARTMENT ACOUSTIC NIGHT - FEAT: TIM BRAUN 29th Apartment, St Kilda. 9:00pm. BAYOU + ALI E + LIL LEONIE LIONHEART + MINIBIKES Yah Yah’s, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. $7. BEATLEMANIA Red Bennies, South Yarra. 7:30pm. $15. BROADWAY SOUNDS + LEWIS CANCUT Grace Darling Hotel, Collingwood. 9:00pm. $5. CONTORTIONIST HANDBOOK + AURORA + PRIVATE RADIO + SOOKI LA LA The Prague, Thornbury. 8:00pm. D DUMBO + ADRIAN STOYLES + CAVANAGH & ARGUS Empress Hotel, North Fitzroy. 8:00pm. $5.
BENEFIT FOR BLACKIE You’re probably desperately in love with one of the following bands, yeah? Regurgitator, The Meanies, The Spazzys, Dead, Bat Piss? Well these guys are all desperately in favour of helping out one of their own and have joined forces in support of punk-rock legend Peter ‘Blackie’ Black of the Hard-Ons, who was recently bashed by a (since-apprehended) pair of teenagers, leaving him with a skull fracture and swelling of the brain. Bogus. All proceeds from the night will go towards Blackie, so get down to The Tote this Saturday June 9. Not going is un-’Stralyan. Just sayin’. DIRTY ELVIS + CISCO ROSE Great Britain Hotel, Richmond. 8:00pm. ENTERTAIN US LAUNCH - FEAT: KEVIN MITCHELL + ADALITA + COURTNEY BARNETT + PLANET LOVE SOUND + SAM & NICK NOLAN + SID O’NEIL + VALENTIINE Tote Hotel, Collingwood. 7:30pm. $15. FIJI + J BOOG + PEETAH MORGAN Prince Bandroom, St Kilda. 8:00pm. HOME TO KELLY + STORMING VEGAS + STREET FANGS Bendigo Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. $8. HYBRID NIGHTMARES (LONG MARCH NORTH TOUR) + AGAVE MAIZE + DJ BLAZZAZFERG + MARDRAUM + THE DOUGLAS QUAID EXPERIMENT Revolver Upstairs, Prahran. 8:00pm. $10. JACKSON FIREBIRD + RIVER OF SNAKES Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 9:00pm. LAMARAMA + RONI SHEWAN + ROSE & THE BYSTANDERS John Curtin Hotel, Carlton. 8:00pm. LAUREN GLEZER + JONATHAN & MARISSA SKOVRON + YONI DIAMOND Wesley Anne, Northcote. 8:00pm. LINCOLN LE FEVRE & THE INSIDERS + BETWEEN THE WARS DUO + JAMIE HAY Old Bar, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $8. LOST CAUSE + DIXON CIDER + SCRAY FISH + THE HALF PINTS + WOT ROT Blue Tile Lounge, Fitzroy. 7:00pm. LOVE CONNECTION + BROTHERS HAND MIRROR + CAT CAT + TIGER CHOIR Workers Club, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. MAT MCHUGH (ALBUM LAUNCH) + HAYDEN CALNIN Corner Hotel, Richmond. 8:00pm. $20. MOB QUEENS + DJ LOVELY CLEAR WATER + LEFT AT THE ALTAR + SWIMSUIT DYNAMITE Bar Open, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. NEXT - FEAT: MY CITRY SCREAMS + SIENNA SKIES Colonial Hotel, Melbourne Cbd. 9:00pm. ROSENCRANTS + RUMOR CONTROL + THE DOLDRUMS + UNICYCLE INVENTORS Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick. 8:00pm. RUBY’S SHOWCASE Ruby’s Lounge, Belgrave. 7:00pm. THE MEAN TIMES + DJ GEEK PIE + RENEGADE ROBOT COPS + WESTERN STARS Pony, Melbourne. 8:30pm. THE PEEP TEMPEL + SUN GOD REPLICA + THE PURGATORIES + THE SINGLE MEN’S DRINKING CLUB Espy, St Kilda. 8:00pm. THE TWOKS + JIMMY DANIEL Rainbow Hotel, Fitzroy. 9:00pm.
ACOUSTIC/COUNTRY/BLUES/FOLK ALICE STOCKDALE Elwood Lounge, Elwood. 8:00pm. ANDY SWANN BLUES BAND Dogs Bar, St Kilda. 9:00pm. ASH NAYLOR Rainbow Hotel, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. ASHLEY NAYLOR Rainbow Hotel, Fitzroy. 9:00am. LITTLE SISTER + CHARM Bar Betty, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. MANDY CONNELLS’ AGE Lomond Hotel, Brunswick
Beat Magazine Page 62
SUBMIT YOUR GIGS TO GIGGUIDE@BEAT.COM.AU
East. 8:30pm. NICK MURPHY Labour In Vain, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. OPEN MIC Acoustic Cafe, Collingwood. 6:30pm. OPEN MIC Arcadia Hotel, South Yarra. 7:00pm. OPEN MIC Lyrebird Lounge, Ripponlea. 8:00pm. OPEN MIC Drunken Poet, West Melbourne. 8:00pm. PHIL PARA + DOUBLESHOT OF BLUES Musicland, Fawkner. 8:30pm. $10. SIMON BRUCE Bar Nancy, Northcote. 8:00pm. TULLY SUMNER Wesley Anne, Northcote. 6:00pm. YEO Rice Queen, Fitzroy. 7:00pm.
JAZZ/SOUL/FUNK/WORLD MUSIC ANNIE SMITH Dizzy’s Jazz Club, Richmond. 8:00pm. $14. BROWNE HANNAFORD PANKHURST TRIO Uptown Jazz Cafe, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. DR LONNIE SMITH TRIO Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Melbourne. 8:00pm. $48. DR LONNIE SMITH TRIO (LATE SHOW) Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Melbourne. 11:00pm. $48. HIATUS KAIYOTE + BANKRUPT BILLIONAIRES + BEAT BATTLES + COSI + DJ JACKSON MILES Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. LACHLAN DOLEY TRIO 303, Northcote. 8:00pm. $10. MORNING OF THE EARTH + MOSE Veludo Bar & Restaurant, St Kilda. 9:00pm. SASKWATCH Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 8:30pm. $110. THE KEIJZER & DELACCA QUARTET Paris Cat Jazz Club, Melbourne Cbd. 9:00pm. $15. THE ROYAL JELLY DIXIELAND BAND Open Studio, Northcote. 8:30pm. THE SIMON HUDSON DUO Cruzao Arepa Bar, Fitzroy. 8:00pm.
FRIDAY 8 JUN ROCK/POP 2AM LATE SHOW - FEAT: MAJOR TOM & THE ATOMS Pony, Melbourne. 2:00am. APART FROM THIS + LUCKY CHARM + OH PACIFIC + OUTLINES + UP & ATOM Blue Tile Lounge, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. BEWARE! BLACK HOLES Town Hall Hotel, North Melbourne. 10:00pm. BLACK FOX + CATARACT GEORGE + DINOSAURS EXIST + WINTER MOON Pony, Melbourne. 9:00pm. BONJAH (FAREWELL SHOW) + BUCKLEY WARD + MITCH DAVIS & THE DAWN CHORUS Corner Hotel, Richmond. 8:30pm. $18. BULLS (ALBUM LAUNCH) + MATT BAILEY + ROLLER ONE Northcote Social Club, Northcote. 7:30pm. $12. CATCH RELEASE Cornish Arms, Brunswick. 8:00pm. CLASSIC COVERS NIGHT - FEAT: PARALLELS Musicland, Fawkner. 9:00pm. $10. CLOSURE IN MOSCOW + ANAMIYA + IKARII + THE 540 PROJECT + THE MORNING AFTER Pier Live, Frankston. 7:00pm. $18. COCKS ARQUETTE + PEARLS + URNS + ZOND Tote Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. $12. DEEP SEA ARCADE (OUTLANDS TOUR) Phoenix Public House, Brunswick. 8:00pm. $12. DEEP SEA ARCADE (OUTLANDS TOUR) + THE CAIROS + WOE & FLUTTER Phoenix Public House, Brunswick. 9:00pm. $12. EAST 17 + DJ BEN G + DJ HULLYWOOD Trak Lounge Bar, Toorak. 8:00pm. EMPIRE + CITY OF SIRENS + HEARTS LIKE WOLVES + THE GRACE OF GRAVES Yah Yah’s, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. $12. FOXTROT + KILL THE MATADOR Victoria Hotel, Brunswick. 9:00pm. FUZZ Yah Yah’s, Fitzroy. 12:00am. $5. GEOFFREY O’CONNOR + MILDLIFE + THE MURLOCS The Liberty Social, Melbourne. 8:00pm.
KATHRYN KELLY The Hammy, Melbourne. 10:00pm. KICKING HORSE Elwood Lounge, Elwood. 9:00pm. KIDS WITHOUT BIKES + THE SCARECROWS + YOU & YOUR FRIENDS Espy, St Kilda. 8:00pm. LAURA + LUNAIRE + MENISCUS + THIS IS YOUR CAPTAIN SPEAKING Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. $15. LOTEK + FLORELIE ESCANO + THE REBEL HIFI Bar Open, Fitzroy. 10:00pm. MATHS & MAGIC PRESENTS - FEAT: ELEPHANT EYES + OWLS OF THE SWAMP + SIOBHAN Grace Darling Hotel, Collingwood. 9:00pm. MICHAEL OLIPHANTâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S GENTLEMANâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S HOURS Dogs Bar, St Kilda. 9:00pm. ORANGE STREET + DJ DEREK + DJ MOHAIR SLIM Luwow, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. $10. OVER-REACTOR National Hotel, Geelong. 8:00pm. $15. REEF Billboard, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. $55. SCATCH N SNIFF + ANCHORS AWAY + CABIN FEVER + HAILGUN + OPG Bendigo Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. $8. SHAI Red Bennies, South Yarra. 9:00pm. $30. THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT (EFFECTED TOUR) The Hi-ďŹ , Melbourne. 7:30pm. $47. THE ETERNAL + CONTRIVE + CRYING SIRENS + KING OF THE NORTH The Prague, Thornbury. 8:00pm. $10. THE MEDICATORS + DJ DEL AMP + HEAVY BEACH + LADIE DEE Old Bar, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $8. THE PLAINS + HOLLOW HOUNDS + SLEEPY DREAMERS IdgaďŹ&#x20AC; Bar & Venue, Abbotsford. 8:00pm. THE SINGLE MENâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S DRINKING CLUB (SINGLE LAUNCH) + DJ DAVE THE SCOT + THE HARLOTSA Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 9:30pm. THE SPIN + TOWERS Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 7:00pm. $13. THUNDABOX (ALBUM LAUNCH) + BOMBS ARE FALLING + CLOWNS + LIQUOR SNATCH + LOST CAUSE + SPEW N GUTS + THE WORST Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick. 7:00pm. TOM DICKINS + GEMMA Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;CONNOR Balaclava Hotel, Balaclava. 9:00pm. TULLY ON TULLY + PRIVATE LIFE + YUKO NISHIYAMA Empress Hotel, North Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $10. VICTOR PENDER Cape Cafe, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. YVETTE JOHANSSON Caravan Music Club, Oakleigh. 8:00pm. $20.
ACOUSTIC/COUNTRY/BLUES/FOLK 3CRâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S BURNING VINYL BENEFIT LIVE BROADCAST - FEAT: BRENDAN BLACK + MATT BAILEY Old Bar, Fitzroy. 2:00pm. ALISON FERRIER Basement Discs, Melbourne Cbd. 12:45pm.
BONJAH Say bon voyage to your favourite blues and roots quintet Bonjah before they head off to London by getting down to the Corner this Friday June 8. The show will be their last headline show in Melbourne for the year so get on down and give the boys the massive send off they deserve, eh? BABA YAGA ORKESTAR 303, Northcote. 9:30pm. $5. BOMBAY ROYALE + GREAZY CHICKEN + SYE SAXON DJS Luwow, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. $10. BRAD MARTIN PROJECT + THE PUBLICAN BAND Rainbow Hotel, Fitzroy. 9:30pm. CURTISWHY Bar Betty, Fitzroy. 9:30pm. DAVID MYLES + CAMILLE & STUIE Wesley Anne, Northcote. 8:00pm. HETTY KATE & 2020â&#x20AC;&#x2122;S Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East. 9:30pm. HYFRYDOL Edinburgh Castle, Brunswick. 6:00pm. JACKHAMMER Rubyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Lounge, Belgrave. 8:00pm. JIMI HOCKINGâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S BLUES MACHINE Micawber Tavern, Belgrave. 9:00pm. JOHN FLANAGAN & THE BEGIN AGAINS Palais, Hepburn Springs. 8:30pm. $15. LOVERS JUMP CREEK Penny Black, Brunswick. 9:30pm. MOMENTS NOTICE Wesley Anne, Northcote. 5:30pm. ROADHOUSE ROMEO Gem Bar, Collingwood. 8:00pm. ROUGH CUT COUNTRY BAND Pascoe Vale Rsl, Pascoe Vale. 8:00pm. $8. ST. ANDREWS OPEN MIC & JAMM NIGHT St Andrews Hotel, St Andrews. 8:00pm. THE ROUGH CUT COUNTRY BAND Pascoe Vale Rsl, Pascoe Vale. 8:00pm. $8.
TRADITIONAL HEATHCARE FUNDRAISER - FEAT: JUNK COMPANY + ALEX LASHLIE + RUMDADDLES Gertrudes Brown Couch, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $10. TRADITIONAL IRISH MUSIC SESSIONS - FEAT: DAN BOURKE Drunken Poet, West Melbourne. 6:00pm.
JAZZ/SOUL/FUNK/WORLD MUSIC ANGELA LIBRANDI + DJ ARLEN DE SILVA Prince Maximillian, Prahran. 8:30pm. BAND OF FREQUENCIES 7:30pm. $12. DR LONNIE SMITH TRIO Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Melbourne. 8:00pm. $48. DR LONNIE SMITH TRIO (LATE SHOW) Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Melbourne. 11:00pm. $48. DRU & THE INTENTIONS + ANDREW LOWDEN Rice Queen, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. FUTURE NOW Forum Theatre, Melbourne. 8:00pm. $62. JULIE Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;HARA Dizzyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Jazz Club, Richmond. 9:00pm. $20. MOTION Uptown Jazz Cafe, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. REFLEJOS + PAUL MCIVER Open Studio, Northcote. 7:30pm. TAMARA KULDINâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S DIRTY MARTINI Paris Cat Jazz Club, Melbourne Cbd. 9:30pm. $20. TRIO AGOGO 303, Northcote. 6:00pm. TRIO ALVORADA Cruzao Arepa Bar, Fitzroy. 8:00pm.
74 JOHNSTON ST FITZROY 9417 4155
www.theoldbar.com.au OPEN EVERY NIGHT 12PM - 3AM FREE WI FI
wednesday 6th June
MIKELANGELO PLAYS CASH - THE AMERICAN RECORDINGS
8:30PM $7
JAMES SEEDY
thursday 7th June
LINCOLN LE FEVRE & THE INSIDERS
DEEP SEA ARCADE To celebrate the release of their debut album Outlands, those dapper lads Deep Sea Arcade have been bootscootinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; around the country playing a string of shows. The five-piece will be bringing their kaleidoscopic pop songs to the Phoenix Public House on Friday June 8, but uhh, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sold out. Luckily theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve announced a second show for all you slowpokes on Sunday June 10. Gonnaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; rule. Yahuh. Seeyathere.
JAMIE HAY, BETWEEN THE WARS (DUO)
8:30PM $8
friday 8th June
THE MEDICATORS - LAUNCH HEAVY BEACH, LADIE DEE DJ DEL AMP
8:30PM $10 TIL LATE, FREE
3CR BURNING VINYL LIVE BROADCAST: BRENDAN BLACK (THE STABS) MATT BAILEY
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8:30PM $8 TIL LATE, FREE
sunday 10th June
QUEENS BDAY EVE THE TOOT TOOT TOOTS LA BASTARD, LADIE DEE
DJ GEORGE HYDE
8:30PM $10 TIL LATE, FREE
monday 11th June
QUEENS BDAY BJORN BORD (PEEP TEMPEL)
-$1( $867(1 $5*80(17
LINK MCLENNANâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S AMAZING JUKEBOX
'5,1. 63(&,$/6
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2PM FREE
saturday 9th June
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8PM FREE
tuesday 12th June
CISCO ROSE GRASS TAYLOR, DAVE WRIGHT, INDIAN PACIFIC
8PM FREE
band bookings: bandbookings@theoldbar.com.au
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Beat Magazine Page 63
ELEPHANT EYES
NEW ESTATE
Sure, they’re better known for their tusks and trunks, but Elephant Eyes have a little sumthin’ going on too. Kick start your long weekend with a kickarse gig from the indie four-piece at The Grace Darling this Friday June 8. They’re celebrating the release of their killer new single, Mother Said so go check them out. Because we said.
Despite their name, New Estate create scrappy pop songs of wonder without a hint of suburban mediocrity or middleof-the-road syndrome. They launch Recovery, their brightest, catchiest album to date, at The Northcote Social Club this Sunday June 10 with support from Harry Howard & The NDE and Emma Russack.
SATURDAY 9 JUN ROCK/POP 2AM LATE SHOW - FEAT: BIMBO ELECTRICO Pony, Melbourne. 2:00am. ASH GRUNWALD (ALBUM TOUR) + FAT GOLD CHAIN + FINGERS MALONE ENSEMBLE Corner Hotel, Richmond. 8:30pm. $30. BANG - FEAT: SILVERSTEIN + SKYWAY Royal Melbourne Hotel, Melbourne Cbd. 9:03pm. $20. BENEFIT FOR BLACKIE - FEAT: REGURGITATOR + BAT PISS + DEAD + THE MEANIES + THE SPAZZYS Tote Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. $25. CASHNO Elwood Lounge, Elwood. 9:00pm. CAT OR PILLAR (EP LAUNCH) + AMANDA ANTIONETTE + AUBREY GROVE + BEAR THE MAMMOTH + G-POP + LEENA + MARIONETTES + MATTRIKS & THE BOK + OCEANS TO ATHENA + RACHEL BY THE STREAM Ruby’s Lounge, Belgrave. 6:30pm. $10. CLAMPDOWN Rochester Castle Hotel, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. CLOSURE IN MOSCOW + FOUCAULT + THE FURYS + THIRTY ONE FIFTY + VOXANGELICA Ferntree Gully Hotel, Ferntree Gully. 7:00pm. $18. CONSTANT KILLER + THEM BRUINS/ + UDAYS TIGER + WESTERN STAR Cornish Arms, Brunswick. 8:00pm. COSMIC TONIC Veludo Bar & Restaurant, St Kilda. 9:30pm. CUB SCOUTS (DO YOU HEAR TOUR) + DIRT FARMER + GRIFFON GREEN Grace Darling Hotel, Collingwood. 9:00pm. $10. FIEND FEST - FEAT: HOCICO + HANZEL UND GRETY + NOIZE BUNNY + THE RESIGNATORS + VOLTERA + WITCHGRINGER Revolt Artspace, Kensington. 8:00pm. FRANKENBOK + ALKIRA + DECIMATUS: EP LAUNCH + ENVENOMED Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. $13. HONEY BADGERS + BIDET MATE + BUCK CREEK + BURIED FEATHER Pony, Melbourne. 9:00pm. HOUSE OF ROCK Palace Theatre, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. $15. JAKE NAUTA + SCOTT BOYD 303, Northcote. 7:30pm. $18. JASON AYRES + GREG MITCHELL TRIO + TEMPLE OF TUNES Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick. 5:00pm.
LAZERFACE + A MILLION DEAD BIRDS LAUGHING + CRADLE IN THE CARTER + SPERMAIDS John Curtin Hotel, Carlton. 8:00pm. LIZZIE’S B-DAY - FEAT: THE HELLO MORNING + BEN WRIGHT SMITH & THE BIRTHDAY GIRLS + JULY DAYS + KINGSWOOD + THE CORSAIRS + THE PRETTY LITTLES + THE STAFFORDS Espy, St Kilda. 8:00pm. $12. LOST CAUSE + DIXON CIDER + FOOT SOLDIER + THE HALF PINTS + WOT ROT National Hotel, Geelong. 7:00pm. $6. MADE IN CHINA Penny Black, Brunswick. 9:30pm. MUSCLE CAR + SEEDY JEEZUS + SUZICOIL + THE COUNCIL The Prague, Thornbury. 8:00pm. OVER-REACTOR + PHIL PARA + RED SKY BURIAL + THE SIREN TOWER Espy, St Kilda. 6:00pm. PLANET LOVE SOUND & TEHACHAPI + MILDLIFE Phoenix Public House, Brunswick. 9:00pm. $12. POCO LA PAX + DAYDREAM ARCADE + GRANSTON + HER? Bendigo Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. $10. PONY FACE + DJ SEAN SIMMONS + THE IVORY ELEPHANT Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 10:00pm. PROJECT 321 EXPLOSION + HARRISON GROVE + WEWOULDSLEEP Empress Hotel, North Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $5. SKA WEEKENDER - FEAT: AREA 7 + ADMIRAL ACKBAR’S DISHONOURABLE DISCHARGE + DANN PTTHAST + GOD GOD DAMMIT DAMMIT + PHAT MEEGZ + ROOFDOG + THE BENNIES + THE OPERATORS Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy. 6:00pm. $23. THE DARTS (ALBUM LAUNCH) Workers Club, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. $10. THE DELTA RIGGS (EP LAUNCH) + JOHNNY ROCK & THE LIMITS + THE PRETTY LITTLES Workers Club, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. THE DIVINE FLUXES + THE ANTOINTTES + THE VICE Idgaff Bar & Venue, Abbotsford. 8:00pm. THE DOTCOMS + BJ MORRISZONKLE + CLAVIANS + DJ EUCALYPTUS + THE ONCE OVERS Old Bar, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $8. THE EVENING SON + FLIGHTS FOR GIANTS + HOTEL ON MAYFAIR + SHADOW GAME Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick. 9:00pm. THE GRUNGE SAFARI - FEAT: PLANET LOVE SOUND & TEHACHAPI + MILDLIFE Phoenix Public House, Brunswick. 9:00pm. $12. THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS + ANDREW MCDONALD + BATEMAN + DECLARATION + DJ HEELS ON DECK Revolver Upstairs, Prahran. 8:00pm. $8. THE SAVAGES + BLAZE DJS + JUMPIN JOSH & BAR-
60 SECONDS WITH…
LAURA
Define your genre in five words or less: Noise-math post-apocalypse redemption songs. What can a punter expect from your live show? It was once likened by a reviewer to taking a hit of LSD. It’s like a wall of atmospheric noise with very loud doses of energy and emotion. When’s the gig and with who? Friday June 8 at the Evelyn Hotel with Meniscus, This Is Your Captain Speaking and Lunaire. Tickets are available now from moshtix.com.au. We’ll be playing songs from our latest album Twelve Hundred Times, as well as a few from our previous records. How long have you been gigging and writing? We’ve been together since 2001 and this year is the tenth anniversary of our first EP release. Do you have any record releases to date? What are they? Where can I get them? Twelve Hundred Times is our third studio album. This and our older albums and EPs are out via MGM Distribution and also available online from lauraisnotaband.bandcamp.com. What part of making music excites you the most? The feeling when new material comes together in the Beat Magazine Page 64
rehearsal room when we’re writing together as a band. It’s also exciting to see how other people react to material that we create with our own moods and motivations as the driving forces. This has been especially so with Twelve Hundred Times, which has been an introspective and very personal, creative experience for us all through the writing and recording process. Describe the best gig you have ever played. Club Quattro in Hiroshima was the last show on our Japanese tour a few years ago – a great venue, playing to a very appreciative audience and an amazing experience all-round. Touring Japan to support the Japanese release of Radio Swan Is Down was definitely one of our highlights. What advice would you give to bands that are new on the Melbourne music scene? Pack your tour van with care, as to avoid cymbal cases falling on your guitarist’s big toe, and under no circumstances should you accidentally slam your cellist’s fingers in the door. Ever.
BARA + VINTAGE REDS BURLESQUE Luwow, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. $10. THE SWEETS + EUTHYMIA + PAPA MAUL Noise Bar, Brunswick. 8:30pm. $5. TRAIN + MATT NATHANSON Palais Theatre, St Kilda. 7:30pm. UNDEAD RIDDIMS - FEAT: PHILOSORAPTOR + ASYLUM + BACKYARD JOB + DA XZECZ + DICE + EMFASYE + MC TOX + NEVERVIEW + PHATTER THAN JESUS + TECHAID Espy, St Kilda. 8:00pm. VALENTINO PROMOTIONS PRES - FEAT: WE BUILT ATLANTIS + AVALERION + BY DESIGN + THIS ELASCO Musicland, Fawkner. 1:00pm. $12. VICTOR PENDER Cape Cafe, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. VULTURES OF VENUS + GOLGOTHA MOTEL + HMAS VENDETTA + RED ROCKETS OF BORNEO Yah Yah’s, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. $10. WHITAKER (ALBUM LAUNCH) + SUGARCRAFT + THE TEALEAVE Northcote Social Club, Northcote. 8:30pm. $12. WHITAKER (ALBUM LAUNCH) + SUGARCRAFT + THE TEALEAVES Northcote Social Club, Northcote. 8:29pm. $12.
ACOUSTIC/COUNTRY/BLUES/FOLK ABBIE CARDWELL & HER LEADING MEN Prince Public Bar, St Kilda. 9:30pm. BEN CARR TRIO Wesley Anne, Northcote. 5:30pm. BLUE DOG CRUISER St Andrews Hotel, St Andrews. 9:00pm. CHERRYWOOD Labour In Vain, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. CHRIS CAVILL & THE LONG WEEKENDERS Rainbow Hotel, Fitzroy. 9:30pm. DAMEN SAMUEL + PAUL COPELAND Bar Betty, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. DEZPERADOS + STACKFUL Town Hall Hotel, North Melbourne. 6:00pm. DIVID MYLES + CAMILLE & STUIE Caravan Music Club, Oakleigh. 8:00pm. $18. DUNCAN GRAHAM & HIS COACCUSED Edinburgh Castle, Brunswick. 8:30pm. FATS WAH WAH Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East. 9:30pm. JOE NEPTUNE Great Britain Hotel, Richmond. 9:00pm. JUNE DAVID COSMA TRIO Drunken Poet, West Melbourne. 9:00pm. LES THOMAS + JUSTIN BERNASCONI Edinburgh Castle, Brunswick. 4:00pm. MARK KOZELEK Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 9:00pm. $36. MOOSEJAW RIFLE CLUB + JUDE ST JUDE Thornbury Local, Thornbury. 8:00pm. PHIL MANNING St Andrews Hotel, St Andrews. 1:00pm. PLAGUE DOCTOR Post Office Hotel, Coburg. 9:00pm. SATURDAY NIGHT ACOUSTIC REVUE Chandelier Room, Moorabbin. 8:00pm. $10. SATURDAY NIGHT FISH FRY Gem Bar, Collingwood. 8:00pm. SEVEN HEARTS Palais, Hepburn Springs. 8:30pm. $10. SPOONFUL Post Office Hotel, Coburg. 8:30pm. TEK TEK ENSEMBLE - FEAT: THE TEK TEK ENSEMBLE Rice Queen, Fitzroy. 7:00pm. TESSA MCKENNA & THE SHAPIROS Union Hotel, Brunswick. 9:00pm. THE BLACKEYED SUSANS Union Hotel, Brunswick. 5:00pm. THE GROOVETONES 8:30pm. THE MOONEE VALLEY DRIFTERS + HANK SNOW & THE FROZEN RAINWATER Highway 31, Brunswick. 8:00pm. WAZ E JAMES Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 7:30pm.
JAZZ/SOUL/FUNK/WORLD MUSIC BANDA SIN FRONTERA Cruzao Arepa Bar, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. COOKIN’ ON 3 BURNERS Bar Open, Fitzroy. 10:00pm. FOR ELLA - FEAT: PATTI AUSTIN Melbourne Recital Centre, Southbank. 7:30pm. FOR ELLA (MATINEE SHOW) - FEAT: PATTI AUSTIN Melbourne Recital Centre, Southbank. 1:30pm. FROCK + JAMES O’BRIEN + ZAC RUSH Open Studio,
SUBMIT YOUR GIGS TO GIGGUIDE@BEAT.COM.AU
Northcote. 6:00pm. HETTY KATE & THE IRWELL STREET STRING BAND Paris Cat Jazz Club, Melbourne Cbd. 9:30pm. $25. JAMES MACAULAY’S ROMANIAN REBOP Uptown Jazz Cafe, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. MOTIF Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Melbourne. 8:00pm. SUNNY KOLL + DJ ARLEN DE SILVA Prince Maximillian, Prahran. 8:30pm. THE MICHAEL GRIFFIN QUINTET Dizzy’s Jazz Club, Richmond. 9:00pm. $20. THE ROBERT GLASPER EXPERIMENT Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Melbourne. 11:00pm. $48.
SUNDAY 10 JUN ROCK/POP ADDICTION - FEAT: WOLF VS FIRE + SHADED GREY + SUSTAINER ENGINE + TWSS Ruby’s Lounge, Belgrave. 8:00pm. AGILITY (EP LAUNCH) + CORSAIRS + THE MCQUEENS + YOUNG MAVERICKS Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. $7. ASH GRUNWALD + THE FINGERS MALONE ENSEMBLE Westernport Hotel, San Remo. 8:00pm. AUDEGO (ALBUM LAUNCH) + ANDRAS FOX + THE TOWN HOUSES Workers Club, Fitzroy. 11:00pm. BLACK CAB + BAPTISM OF UZI + HUMANS Yah Yah’s, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. $12. DEAD SEA ARCADE (OUTLANDS TOUR) + THE CAIROS + WOE & FLUTTER Phoenix Public House, Brunswick. 7:00pm. $12. DON FERNANDO + BATTLE AXE HOWLERS. SYSTEM OF VENUS Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. $13. EMERSON + GEROFF + HEAD FIRST + UNDER OCEANS Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick. 8:00pm. FORCES + DAN MOSS + DIAMONDS + MILES BROWN Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $10. FREE FUN FEST - FEAT: SPERMAIDS + DJ ME TURBO + MICK THE MERCILESS + ORGAN MORGAN + TERRORBYTE STRIPES + THE CHOLESTEROLLERS Pony, Melbourne. 9:30pm. INQUISITION + THRALL + VOMITOR Bendigo Hotel, Collingwood. 7:00pm. LIZ STRINGER (ALBUM LAUNCH) + COURTNEY BARNETT + OH PEP! Corner Hotel, Richmond. 8:30pm. $20. MENTAL AS ANYTHING Way Out West Roots Music Club, Williamstown. 2:00pm. $25. MILD SPARROW & THE MIGRATIONS Thornbury Local, Thornbury. 4:00pm. NEW ESTATE (ALBUM LAUNCH) + EMMA RUSSACK + HARRY HOWARD & THE NDE Northcote Social Club, Northcote. 8:30pm. $10. NO ZU + MILDLIFE Grace Darling Hotel, Collingwood. 9:00pm. QUEENS BIRTHDAY EVE - FEAT: THE TOOT TOOT TOOTS + DJ GEORGE HYDE + LA BASTARD + LADIE DEE Old Bar, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $10. RMIT SCULPTURE DEPARTMENT FUNRAISER FEAT: BUM CREEK + ANGEL EYES + ART & CRAFT + STATIONARY SUNS + TERRIBLE TRUTHS + THE FRENCH Tote Hotel, Collingwood. 3:00pm. $14. SASKWATCH (U18) + THE CACTUS CHANNEL The Hi-fi, Melbourne. 12:00pm. $25. SILVERSTEIN + BRIGHTER AT NIGHT + SUMMERSET AVENUE + WHILE THE CITY SLEEPS Pier Live, Frankston. 8:00pm. $25. STAFFAN SONGS + ANNA & ANDREW + TOM MILEK Grace Darling Hotel, Collingwood. 5:00pm. $5. STREAMS OF WHISKEY + ROWAN BLACKMORE Bar Open, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. THE DAMES Tago Mago, Thornbury. 5:00pm. THE RED HOT RHYTHMAKERS Victoria Hotel, Brunswick. 8:00pm. $15. THE VELVETS + CITY SOUND + JOHN & ALEXANDER Idgaff Bar & Venue, Abbotsford. 8:00pm. $5. WAKEFIELD MINI-FEST The Prague, Thornbury. 8:00pm. WARREN EARL & THE ATOMIC ROCKERS Gem Bar, Collingwood. 8:00pm.
YOU’LL FIND US AT 99 SMITH STREET FITZROY PH: 9419 4920 YAHYAHS.COM.AU BOOKINGS: MARY@BAROPEN.COM.AU
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BAYOU
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OPEN TIL 5am
HEARTS LIKE WOLVES THE GRACE OF GRAVES CITY OF SIRENS
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VULTURES OF VENUS RED ROCKETS OF BORNEO GOLGOTHA MOTEL HMAS VENDETTA
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LATE TUNES: LATE / FREE ENTRY AFTER 2.00AM
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OPEN 317 BRUNSWICK STREET FITZROY WWW.BAROPEN.COM.AU 03 9415 9601
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THE DEMON PARADE, SISTER JANE LOWTIDE, BURIED FEATHER FLYYING COLOURS DEEJAYS ANDREW COATES (BLACK CAB) & WES HOLLAND (SAND PEBBLES) TICKETS ON SALE NOW FROM MOSHTIX
NEW ESTATE, JANE DUST & THE GIANT HOOPOES GO GO SAPIEN
BLACK CAB BAPTISM OF UZI HUMANS CROSSANOVA
EIGHT MILES HIGH
JUST ‘90S INDIE ROCK! UPSTAIRS / DOORS MIDNIGHT
QUEEN’S B’DAY EVE
LATE TUNES: LATE / FREE ENTRY AFTER MIDNIGHT
SAT 16 JUNE
NEW MONTHLY CLUB NIGHT!
SUN 10 JUNE
DOORS 9.00PM
DOORS 5.00PM / BANDS 9.00PM
JOE KOKOMO
TUNES: LATE / FREE ENTRY AFTER MIDNIGHT
FRI 22 JUNE / FREE ENTRY:
BAR
OPEN THU, FRI, SAT, SUN, 5:00PM TO LATE WITH DJs SPINNING YOUR FAVOURITE SOUL, 60s, ROCK’N’ROLL, SURF & GARAGE ALL NIGHT
OPEN TIL 5am
COMING UP THU JUNE 14:
THE STEVENS AUTOPORTRAITS MAD NANNA
FRI JUNE 15 / FREE ENTRY:
THE VENDETTAS DAMN THAT RIVER IDLE HANDS
SUN JUNE 17 / FREE ENTRY: JAZZY SOUNDS WITH
CURDS & GRAINS ULTRA VIBELUX
WED 6 JUNE
SAT 9 JUNE
MON 11 JUNE
WORNG
COOKIN ON 3 BURNERS FEAT. KYLIE AULDIST
SCREEN SECT FILM CLUB
CIRCULAR KEYS MT MTUMBO 8PM / FREE
“BOUND”
(THE WACHOWSKIS, 1996)
10PM / FREE
7PM
THU 7 JUNE
SUN 10 JUNE
MOB QUEENS
QUEEN’S B’DAY EVE
SWIMSUIT DYNAMITE LEFT AT THE ALTAR DJ LOVELY CLEAR WATER
STREAMS OF WHISKEY
9PM / FREE
10PM / FREE
FRI 8 JUNE
LOTEK
THE REBEL HIFI FLORELIE ESCANO 10PM / FREE
TUE 12 JUNE
MAKE IT UP CLUB
ROWAN BLACKMORE
7PM
8.30PM TUNES:
GEEK PIE
12.00AM FREE
BLACK FOX CATARACT GEORGE DINOSAURS EXIST WINTER MOON
9.00PM
MAJOR TOM & THE ATOMS
2.00AM FREE TUNES:
WHITE RABBIT
3.00AM FREE
“ENTERTAIN US” BY CRAIG SCHUFTAN KEVIN MITCHELL, ADALITA PLANET LOVE SOUND, SID O’NEIL SAM & NICK NOLAN COURTNEY BARNETT, VALENTIINE FRI 8 JUNE
COCKS ARQUETTE ALBUM LAUNCH
PEARLS, ZOND, URNS SAT 9 JUNE FRONT BAR RESIDENCY 5-7PM
ALLY OOP & THE HOOPSTERS
W/ GUESTS
MARCUS AND GUY BLACKMAN EXPERIMENTATION
REGURGITATOR THE MEANIES
SAT 9 JUNE
HONEY BADGERS BURIED FEATHER BUCK CREEK BIDET MATE
“BENEFIT FOR BLACKIE”
THE SPAZZYS, DEAD, BAT PISS
Rockin ‘til 7:00am! BOOKINGS: ANDY FANTAPANTS@BAROPEN.COM.AU PH: 9417 2326
SAT 9 JUNE
“FREE FUN FEST” TERRORBYTE STRIPES MICK THE BIMBO ELECTRICO MERCILESS THE CHOLESTEROLLERS ORGAN MORGAN MR SHARP SPERMAIDS FEATURING
9.00PM
(THE NETHERLANDS) 2.00AM FREE TUNES: 3.00AM FREE
9.30PM
2.00AM FREE TUNES:
COMING SOON THURS 14 JUNE: THE BLACK HILLS, HONEY SMACK, THE NAYSAYERS THURS 14 JUNE (LATE SHOW): GLACIERS, FREE ENTRY FRI 15 JUNE: SERI VIDA, FATHOMS, NO ESCAPE FOR THE KING, CONSTANT KILLER FRI 15 JUNE (LATE SHOW): ANGRY MULES, FREE ENTRY SAT 16 JUNE: CLOWNS, THE MAGIC BONES, CHARM, THRASHER JYNX SAT 16 JUNE (DOUBLE LATE SHOW): THE DEVIL RIDES OUT (WA), FANGS, FREE ENTRY
W/
THU 7 JUNE BOOK LAUNCH
WED 13: THE RIDING HOOD (EX SAND PEBBLES) THUR 14: LOWER PLENTY & FRIENDS FRI 15: CONGOTARDIS #1 SAT 16: JUDGE PINO & THE RULING MOTIONS
68-70 LIL’ COLLINS ST. MELBOURNE WWW.PONY.NET.AU 03 9662 1026
THE MEAN TIMES RENEGADE ROBOT COPS WESTERN STARS
CHEV RISE + GUESTS
SAT 9 JUNE SELLING FAST!
“Shout ‘til you’re a little horse”
FRI 8 JUNE
THE LOST SUNNIES
COMING UP
BOOKINGS: LUKE@BAROPEN.COM.AU
THU 7 JUNE
WED 6 JUNE JUNE RESIDENCY / 8PM
ME TURBO
SUN 10 JUNE QUEEN’S B’DAY EVE
RMIT SCULTURE DEPT. FUNDRAISER BUM CREEK, ANGEL EYES TERRIBLE TRUTHS, THE FRENCH ART & CRAFT, STATIONARY SUNS TUE 12 JUNE FRONT BAR RESIDENCY 8PM
COURTNEY BARNETT
TIX ON SALE NOW FROM TOTE FRONT BAR & OZTIX.COM.AU: CASH SAVAGE & THE LAST DRINKS SAT 16 JUNE KIRIN J CALLINAN THU 28 JUNE SUGAR ARMY SAT 30 JUNE CASADELDISCO 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY FRI 20, SAT 21 JUL LIMITED TICKETS LEFT!
POISON CITY WEEKENDER FEST 2012 - EXTORTION, LUCA BRASI, I-EXIST & MORE FRI 14 SEPT JUST ANNOUNCED! SAT 23 JUNE: BARBARION
TOTE MERCH ON SALE NOW / AVAILABLE FROM FRONT BAR: 2012 CALENDARS / T-SHIRTS / STUBBIE HOLDERS / STICKERS NEW! ‘PERSECUTION BLUES: THE BATTLE FOR THE TOTE’ DVDS ON SALE NOW!
3.00AM FREE
THE LEGENDARY PONY LATE SHOW / THE LATEST GIG IN TOWN / FRIDAYS & SATURDAYS / 2:00AM / FREE ENTRY SUBMIT YOUR GIGS TO GIGGUIDE@BEAT.COM.AU
71 JOHNSTON STREET (CNR WELLINGTON ST) COLLINGWOOD PH: 9419 5320 BAND BOOKINGS: AMANDA@BAROPEN.COM.AU WWW.THETOTEHOTEL.COM
TOTE OPEN: TUESDAY - SUNDAY 4.00pm ‘TIL LATE
Beat Magazine Page 65
SECRET MONDAY ACOUSTIC SHOW Labour In Vain, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. SHANNON BOURNE + FRASER GORMAN Post Office Hotel, Coburg. 8:00pm. SPENCER JONES & THE ESCAPE COMMITTE Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 4:00pm. THE MONDAY DRFIT Empress Hotel, North Fitzroy. 8:00pm.
JAZZ/SOUL/FUNK/WORLD MUSIC TERRACOTTA TILE GAMES + MAMROT/SVALBE/ BATROUNEY TRIO 303, Northcote. 9:00pm. $8. THE ALLAN BROWNE TRIO Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Melbourne. 8:30pm. $15. THE CACTUS CHANNEL + DJ MISS GOLDIE Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. WATER MUSIC Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 7:30pm.
TUESDAY 12 JUN THE DELTA RIGGS
ROCK/POP
Rock‘n’roll evangelists The Delta Riggs are busting out their brand new EP Talupo Mountain Music Vol. II and are going to set Saturday night alive with their meticoulous blend of high-energy, sweat-soaked debauchery. They’ve recently been tearing apart stages at the Big Day Out, Pyramid Rock, Festival OF The Sun and Queenscliff Music Festival to name a few, but this Saturday June 9 they’ll be getting a lil’ bit more intimate at The Workers Club. Sweet.
BRUNSWICK DISCOVERY - FEAT: SMELLS LIKE NIRVANA Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick. 7:30pm. CISCO ROSE + DAVE WRIGHT + GRASS TAYLOR + INDIAN PACIFIC Old Bar, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. LIZ BRADLEY + JACK JOHNSTONE Veludo Bar & Restaurant, St Kilda. 8:30pm. PATRON SAINTS Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. THE BLACK SEEDS (ALBUM TOUR) + CHEAP FAKES Corner Hotel, Richmond. 7:30pm. $33. THE LIMELIGHT Order Of Melbourne, Melbourne Cbd. 7:00pm. $10.
ACOUSTIC/COUNTRY/BLUES/FOLK
JAZZ/SOUL/FUNK/WORLD MUSIC
BENEZRA + MIM CRELLIN Bar Nancy, Northcote. 6:00pm. CHRIS RUSSELL’S CHICKEN WALK + DEAN MULLER Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 2:00pm. DAVID BRAMBLE + STEPH BRETT + THE WEEPING WILLOWS Wesley Anne, Northcote. 4:00pm. DAVID PITTAWAY + BAZ DALY + BEN BRAY + GEORGE O’HARA + GERALD PROCTOR + JOHN COULTER + LISH SKEC + SUSAN O’SHEA + VIKI MEALINGS Noise Bar, Brunswick. 1:00pm. DUST Edinburgh Castle, Brunswick. 5:00pm. GOYIM Great Britain Hotel, Richmond. 8:00pm. JAM DAY - FEAT: PHIL MANNING Musicland, Fawkner. 5:00pm. JIMI HOCKING Bay Hotel, Mornington. 3:00pm. JULES BOULT & THE REDEEMERS Rainbow Hotel, Fitzroy. 4:00pm. KELLIE FERNANDO Elwood Lounge, Elwood. 8:00pm. KELLY AUTY BAND + KEN MAHER & TONY HARGREAVES Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East. 5:30pm. MATT KATSIS The Bay, Mordialloc. 4:00pm. MUSTERED COURAGE Union Hotel, Brunswick. 8:00pm. NICK CHARLES + LILY & KING Drunken Poet, West Melbourne. 4:00pm. OPEN MIC Chandelier Room, Moorabbin. 4:30pm. PHOEBE & THE NIGHT CREATURES True South Brewery, Black Rock . 4:00pm. RON S PENO & THE SUPERSTITIONS Labour In Vain, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. SAINT JUDE Post Office Hotel, Coburg. 4:00pm. SARAH RZEK Grocery Bar, St Kilda. 8:00pm. SPECTRUM St Andrews Hotel, St Andrews. 3:00pm. STOMP DOG Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 4:00pm. THE BAKERSFIELD GLEE CLUB Standard Hotel, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. THE TERRY MCCARTHY SPECIAL Penny Black, Brunswick. 5:00pm. THE TV SET Town Hall Hotel, North Melbourne. 6:00pm. TINSLEY WATERHOUSE Cornish Arms, Brunswick. 8:00pm. TRACY MCNEIL BAND Carringbush Hotel, Abbotsford. 4:00pm. VIKA & LINDA + SHE SAID ZED Caravan Music Club, Oakleigh. 3:00pm. $30.
BROTHER POPCORN Miss Moneypennys Bar, North Melbourne. 8:00pm. DARYL BRAITHWAITE + BAD BOYS BATUCADA + DALE RYDER BAND + NUDIST FUNK ORCHESTRA Espy, St Kilda. 8:00pm. JAMES MACAULAY & HIS OLD SOCKS + JULIA TURNER Open Studio, Northcote. 4:30pm. JOSE NIETO Cruzao Arepa Bar, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. MIGUEL ENRIQUEZ The Hi-fi, Melbourne. 8:30pm. $40. MIKELANGELO & THE TIN STAR + THE LITTLE SISTERS. DJ SHAKY MEMORIAL Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 7:30pm. OPA! 303, Northcote. 8:00pm. $5. PHOEBE & THE NIGHT CREATURES Dogs Bar, St Kilda. 9:00pm. SANDY EVANS TRIO Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Melbourne. 8:00pm. $28. STRINE SINGERS Wesley Anne, Northcote. 4:30pm.
CLASSIFIEDS 33c PER WORD PER WEEK (INC GST) • Send your classified listing information to Beat Magazine at 3 Newton St, Richmond 3121 with a cheque, money order or credit card number (including expiry date and name on card, NOT AMEX or DINERS) (1.5% surcharge on Visa and MasterCard) OR deliver it yourself with cash OR you can email your classifieds to us - classifieds@beat.com.au with credit card details • DEADLINE IS THURSDAY 5pm, prior to Wednesdays publication • Minimum $5 charge per week. We do NOT accept classifieds over the phone - sorry.
MONDAY 11 JUN ROCK/POP EATEN BY DOGS + JOSHUA SEYMOUR Espy, St Kilda. 8:00pm. MONDAY NIGHT MASS - FEAT: POP SINGLES + BUNYIP MOON + ICE CLAW Northcote Social Club, Northcote. 6:00pm. OPEN MIKE MONDAY Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 6:30pm.
BLAKE SCOTT Old Bar, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. DAN ROLLS + ERICK PARKER + EVA MCGOWAN Dogs Bar, St Kilda. 9:00pm. JAME FORBES Veludo Bar & Restaurant, St Kilda. 8:30pm. JEB CARDWELL Victoria Hotel, Brunswick. 5:00pm. MARK KOZELEK (AMONG THE LEAVES TOUR) Phoenix Public House, Brunswick. 7:30pm. $36. MILLION DOLLAR FREE JAMS Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick. 8:00pm. NADEAH Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 7:00pm. $30.
SERVICES
60 SECONDS WITH… JACOB S. HARRIS AND THE DISAPPOINTMENTS
SALES $10+ GENUINE ROCK T-SHIRT SALE. AC/DC – ZZ Top. Saturday June 9th 2012. 2/20 Keys Road, Moorabbin. 9am – 4pm. www.bhi.net.au *
ACCESS ALL AGES Wednesday June 6, 2012 With Ruth Mihelcic Loud Fest is kicking off this Saturday with an epic line-up that’s sure to tear up the Collingwood Town Hall and result in a few noise complaints, with bands like House Vs Hurricane, Dream On Dreamer, Hand Of Mercy, Sienna Skies, Shinto Katana, Feed Her To The Sharks, Surrendor, and Who Invited The Wolf? taking to the stage. The best part is you can catch it all for under $30, which is not a bad way to spend your weekend or pocket money at all! They may still be a little way off, but the school holidays are already looking jam-packed with a whole bunch of events being announced for the all ages music scene. In the way of underage dance parties we have One Night Stand and Friends on July 1, The Naughty Corner featuring Reece Low and Will Sparks on July 3, Zoo Underage featuring SCNDL and MGMC on July 4, and Blackout Underage on July 12. There’s a bunch of Push Start Battle of the Bands happening all around the state too, so don’t forget to show your support for live and local music by getting along to one. You might just be watching the next big thing. FReeZA Summits are coming around next month and you won’t want to miss what’s in store for this year. You’ll have the chance to hear songwriting tips from House Vs Hurricane and local hip hop extraordinaire Mantra, as well as finding out how you can get involved in the Arts Centre’s wicked Dig Deep Hip Hop Program. There’ll be presentations from Danae Effern from Remedy Music and Mitch Stace from Unified’s booking and touring arm. Plus there will be heaps of practical event and artist advice, hands on live sound workshops and networking opportunities with the all ages FReeZA event committees. The Summits are happening during the upcoming school holidays in Ballarat on July 3, Wangaratta on July 5, Geelong on July 10, and in Melbourne on July 12. They all run from 11am – 3:30pm and include free lunch. If you’re keen to get along to one of these free training days, register on our website at thepush.com.au asap!
ALL AGES TIMETABLE
Bearing the terrible clichéd nature of this question, what do you reckon people will say you sound like? They won’t say anything. They’ll just look at each other knowingly and nod.
When’s the gig and with who? It’s next Thursday June 14 at the Old Bar in Fitzroy. We’re going to get some friends up with us; Glen’s wife Ali is going to sing a bit and we’ve got a guest horn player. Microflora and Nathan Hollywood will be playing too. They’re both good friends of ours so it’ll make for a fun night. Also, Nathan hasn’t played for some time so we’re looking forward to that.
FLAUNT IT. Internationally acclaimed producer of profeminist erotica looking for confident, adult women to smash the stereotypes and earn good money ($500 and up). Don’t overlook this til you’ve found out more about it. Rebecca 9495 6555 or www.feck.com.
whatson@thepush.com.au
We want your all ages news and music, so send it to us at whatson@thepush.com.au!
NEW REHEARSAL ROOM. Now open in Reservoir. Great rates and facilities. One-off and long term bookings available. Single room, so get in quick! Contact Matt 0405 968 160
EMPLOYMENT
Beat Magazine Page 66
LET’S DANCE BIGBAND Dizzy’s Jazz Club, Richmond. 8:00pm. $15. MOTION (CD LAUNCH) Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Melbourne. 8:30pm. $15. PHIL CEBERANO & TONY KOPA Dogs Bar, St Kilda. 9:00pm. THE SIMON WRIGHT BAND + DJ BIG KAHUNA BURGER + TAME MIE-MOORE + THE HIGH SOCIETY Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy. 8:00pm.
What’ve you got to sell CD-wise? We’ll be selling the new EP and that’s it. We’ve all released recordings with other projects in the past but this is our first collaborative effort.
ACOUSTIC ACTS WANTED for Bar Betty in Smith Street, Fitzroy. Paid Gig. Please phone Sandra or Michelle on 9417 3937. Bar Betty - 129 Smith Street, Fitzroy.
DRUMMER LOOKING FOR BAND OR PLAYERS. Played with Liquid Engineers in the mid 80s (see You Tube Countdown Liquid Engineers). Looking to play for enjoyment. Originals preferred but happy to play anything. Micheal: 0404 093 139
JAZZ/SOUL/FUNK/WORLD MUSIC
MAN WITH A VAN. Best value movers in Melbourne. Now with trucks!!!! Equip with 1 or 2 experienced men, trolleys and removal blankets. Available 7 days. Check out www. manwithavan.com.au or call us on 9417 3443.
THINK MOVING SUCKS? Call Little Red Trucks! Moving Melbourne everyday. Call 9380 6444 or head to www. littleredtrucks.com.au
BANDS WANTED for artist showcase in the Espy Gershwin room. A great step towards bigger shows. Contact mark@ gunnmusic.com.au
CLAUDE HAY Royal Standard Hotel, West Melbourne. 8:00pm. COLLAGE + DANIEL MARCH + JASON AYRES + MIKE ELRINGTON + STEELBIRDS Espy, St Kilda. 8:00pm. OPEN MIC Empress Hotel, North Fitzroy. 7:30pm. RUTH LINDSEY Labour In Vain, Fitzroy. 8:00pm.
ACOUSTIC/COUNTRY/BLUES/FOLK
MUSICIANS WANTED
BANDS & PROMOTERS WANTED. Any style for Collingwood venue. First gigs welcome, live CD recording available. Contact Jane after 12pm on 0425 796 828.
ACOUSTIC/COUNTRY/BLUES/FOLK
+ BEAT PRESENT...
Describe the worst gig you have ever played. I once played a nice little venue in Montreal, where the organizers were filming an acoustic showcase thing. The show went well but as I finished I tripped on a pint glass, smashing it, then fell, guitar in hand, about a meter and a half down off the side of the stage. Tell us about the last song you wrote. I’ve just finished a couple actually. One I wrote the music for while I was in Tonga, so it’s got a sort of tropical feel that’s pretty different to our other stuff. The other is about Elizabeth Scott. She was the first woman to be hung in Victoria, for conspiring with her lover to kill her abusive husband.
SUBMIT YOUR GIGS TO GIGGUIDE@BEAT.COM.AU
Wednesday June 6 Matt Corby w/ Alpine, The Forum, Corner Russell & Flinders Streets, Melbourne, 8pm – 11:30pm, $33.85, ticketmaster.com.au or 136 100, AA Thursday June 7 Hip Hop Dance Lessons & Vocal Training w/ Rhiannon’s Performing Arts, Broadford Youth Centre, Broadford, 4:30pm – 8:30pm, Free, Buffy Leadbeater on 5734 6313, AA Friday June 8 Melb Int. Jazz Festival - Future Now, The Forum, Corner Russell & Flinders Streets, Melbourne, 9pm, $55-62, ticketmaster.com.au or 136 100, AA Saturday June 9 Loud Fest w/ House Vs Hurricane, Dream On Dreamer, Hand Of Mercy, Sienna Skies, Shinto Katana, Feed Her To The Sharks, Surrendor, and Who Invited The Wolf?, Collingwood Town Hall, 140 Hoddle St, Abbotsford, 1pm, $28.60, oztix.com.au, AA Train Artists: w/ Matt Nathanson, Palais Theatre, Lower Esplanade, St Kilda, 7:30pm – 10:30pm, $89.90 - $103.66, ticketmaster.com.au or 136 100, AA Sunday June 10 Saskwatch w/ The Cactus Channel, The Hi-Fi, 125 Swanston St, Melbourne, 12pm, $25, The Hi-Fi on 1300 843 443, U18
GS T GI TS A L AL VEN GB ! E E & THE FRE E AR
FRIDAY JUNE 8TH Wed. June 6th: wine, whiskey, women
8pm: Al Parkinson 9pm: Cookie Baker Thurs. June 7th:
8pm: Open-Mic - all poets, musicians, storytellers welcome Fri. June 8th:
6-8pm: Trad Irish Music Sesh
GREAT BRITAIN HOTEL
ROADHOUSE ROMEO
THURS 7 JUNE
SATURDAY JUN 9TH
DIRTY ELVIS CISCO ROSE
SATURDAY NIGHT FISH FRY
8PM SAT 9 JUN
JOE NEPTUNE AND SPECIAL GUESTS 7PM SUN 10 JUNE
with Dan Bourke & friends Sat. June 9th:
9pm: David Cosma Trio Sun. June 10th:
4pm: Lily & King 6:30pm: Nick Charles Tues. June 12th:
8pm: Weekly Trivia
“All Shows Always Free” The Drunken Poet, 65 Peel Street (directly opposite Queen Vic Market), Phone: 03 9348 9797. www.thedrunkenpoet.com.au
SUNDAY JUN 10
GOYIM
TH
(TWO SETS)
WARREN EARL & THE ATOMIC ROCKERS
8PM
WEEKLY ASSORTMENTS MonDAYS
FREE POOL ALL NIGHT $10 PIZZA & POT
TueSDAYS
289 WELLINGTON ST COLLINGWOOD 94195170 WWW.THEGEMBAR.COM.AU
MRS SMITH’S TRIVIA $10 PIZZA & POT 9PM
WEDNESDAYS
OPEN MIC NIGHT 9PM
KITCHEN OPEN 6 NIGHTS
447 CHURCH ST RICHMOND 9429 5066 www.greatbritainhotel.com.au
• • • • • WEDNESDAY • • • • •
FRIDAY 8/6, 10PM
BEWARE! BLACK HOLES! SATURDAY 9/6, STACKFUL 6PM DEZPERADOS 10PM SUNDAY 10/6, 6PM
THE TV SET FRIDAY 15/6, 10PM
ADRIAN WHYTE & FRIENDS SATURDAY 16/6, 10PM
THE VOLCANIKS SUNDAY 17/6, 6PM
LAKE PALMER
FREE ENTRY ALWAYS!
COMEDY TRIVIA QUIZ MEISTER THURSDAY JUNE 7TH NICK MURPHY & FRIENDS JUNE RESIDENCY ACOUSTIC SHOW FROM 8.30PM
TH
SATURDAY JUNE 9 CHERRYWOOD JUNE RESIDENCY FROM 5-7PM
SUNDAY JUN 10TH RON S PENO AND THE SUPERSTITIONS - SPECIAL SHOW FROM
5-7PM
MONDAY JUNE 11TH
FROM 8PM. GREAT PRIZES & GIVEAWAYS.
• • • • • THURSDAY • • • • •
UNI NIGHT
DERBY THURSDYS
CHECK OUT DERBY THURSDAYS ON FACEBOOK.
• • • • • SATURDAY • • • • •
SHE BAR
EVERY 2ND SATURDAY PRESENTS SHEBAR AN ALL GIRL NIGHT 9PM
SECRET MONDAY ACOUSTIC SHOW
FROM 8.30 PM WITH GUEST MUSOS
TUESDAY JUNE 12TH RUTH LINDSEY & FRIENDS ACOUSTIC FROM
8.30PM
• • • • • SUNDAY • • • • •
BBQ
STARTS 5PM TILL LATE
TOWN HALL HOTEL 33 ERROL STREET, NORTH MELBOURNE (03) 9328 1983 FOR BAND BOOKINGS PLEASE CONTACT MILES: TOWNIEBANDS@GMAIL.COM SUBMIT YOUR GIGS TO GIGGUIDE@BEAT.COM.AU
Beat Magazine Page 67
BACKSTAGE
STORE PROFILE
GALLIN’S MUSICIAN’S PRO SHOP - FITZROY
THE PLACE FOR MUSICIANS
for more information or ad bookings call Aleksei on 9428 3600
Established: 1999 Location: 410 Brunswick St, Fitzroy VIC 3065. Hours Of Operation: Monday – Friday 10am5:30pm, Saturday 10am-4pm, Sunday 10am-4pm Main brands and musical products you specialise in: Gallin’s carries a massive range of premium guitars and accessories from all of the brands you know and love, including legendary guitar brands Gibson, Epiphone and Kramer, world-famous amplification brands Orange, Trace Elliott and heaps more. 18 Duffy street Burwood 3125 30m rooms s Air-con and ventilation in s 10everylargeroomand identical PA/foldback combos at 1000w s Storage and s amp/kit hire s Acoustic Engineer-designed soundproofing 2
PH: (03) 903 88101 M: 0417 000 397 Email: hydrastudios@bigpond.com
Services offered: Gallin’s Fitzroy can give you expert advice starting from your choice of instrument, through to the care and repair of your instrument, and help you choose again when it’s time to upgrade.
• • • •
Your point of difference: We pride ourselves on quality customer service and expert knowledge from a team of music lovers who are as passionate about quality gear as our customers are. Upcoming events: Our ‘Make An Offer Sale’ is happening at all Gallin’s Musician’s Pro Shops on Saturday June 16 and Sunday June 17, and will be one of the biggest sales we’ve had in years. $3 million dollars of stock has to go and no reasonable offer will be refused. This one off sale will surely bring the overnight campers, the gear-heads, the beginners and the pros into the store. Join us! Extras: We keep a pretty busy Facebook profile, and if you swing by and ‘like’ Gallin’s you’ll be in the loop for the best deals, sales and a sneak peek of all the amazing new gear we’re unleashing every week too. Phone: (03) 9416 4499 Website: www.gallinsmps.com.au
Albums EPs Singles Demos
T-Bone Tunes Recording Studio, St Kilda
www.tbonetunes.com Former London-based EMI Studio Engineer Warm Toft Mixer, Classic Mics & Pre’s, Live Room, Protools or Logic, Lynx and more! 03 9005 5946 •
0437 244 371
Toyland Recording Studio zLive Bands, Singers, Demos, Albums zAnalog or Digital, Neve Pres, Neumann mics zRecording, Editing, Mixing, Mastering z25 Years Experience, we get the job done! z9482 2111 or 0412 060 664
www.toyland.com.au Beat Magazine Page 68
BACKSTAGE: BEAT’S ONE STOP SHOP FOR MUSICIANS
BACKSTAGE NOW RUNS IN FULL COLOUR! For new full colour ad pricing please contact Aleksei on 9428 3600 or email mixdown@beat.com.au
s
t
u
B A N D
d
F R O M
DAYTIME
RATES
FULLY
ALL
$ 4 0 ROOMS
AVAILABLE
LOADING
AND
AMENITIES LICENSED
100%
s
AVAILABLE
EQUIPPED
STORAGE DRIVE-IN
o
R E H E A R S A L
R O O M S 11
i
GREEN
PARKING
VENUE
*Under New Ownership & Management*
ENERGY
w w w . k i n d r e d s t u d i o s . c o m . a u
BOOKINGS
PH:
(03)
9687
0233
212A WHITEHALL ST, YARRAVILLE 3013
whiteroom M E L B O U R N E ’ S
G R E E N
REVOLVER REHEARSAL STUDIOS & MUSIC TUITION
PROVIDED
P O W E R E D
PHOTOGRAPHIC AND VIDEO STUDIO Pro & Conc. Rates Available For Photographic, Music Video & Band Shoots Starting From $150 Multi-Purpose Change & Makeup Room Grip & Lighting gear available Communal Lounge & Wireless Internet Excellent on-site parking CONTACT: CY -ARTISTIC DIRECTOR- 0401 379 973
Brand New World Class PA Systems Clean studios with storage available Drum Practice Room On Site - Guitar, Amp & Drum Tech.
SESSION TIMES: Mon - Fri Day Session: 11am-5.30pm Night Session: 6pm - 11.30pm Saturday: 11am- 5.30pm LATE NIGHT ACCESSORIES STICKS, STRINGS, SKINS.
MUSIC TUITION: All teachers are professional performing musicians with qualifications. Lessons available in Drums, Piano/Keys, Guitar, Vocals, Bass and Ensemble.
Ph: 9529 1123 24 Maquarie St Prahran www.r2revolverrehearsals.com
w w w . t h e w h i t e r o o m . n e t . a u
PA HIRE
Vintage, New & Second Hand Amps, Effects Pedals & Rigs
Huge Selection – All major Brands
Comprehensive PA systems delivered, set up and operated with crew. Compact, easy, sound systems you can pickup and assemble yourself.Components such as microphones, speakers and effects are also available separately. Lights also available. For details phone Mark Barry on 03 9889 1999 or 0419 993 966
www.bssound.com.au bssound@bigpond.com
571 High Street Preston VIC 3072 Tel (03) 9471 1023 Fax (03) 9471 1919 Internet: www.jamhutstudios.com
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LIVE
Photo: Cassandra Kiely
Photo: Anna Kanci
LOST ANIMAL Friday May 18, Phoenix Public House
TEMPER TRAP Wednesday May 30, The Forum It’s unnerving for me to listen to males sing (or even talk, for that matter) who can reach higher octaves than me. Fact of the matter is, though, my voice won’t allow me to do what a lot of great singers can do. And Dougy, the vivacious frontman of Temper Trap, is the perfect example of that. In the words of Wayne Campbell, “he wailed.” If you’ve never experienced a Temper Trap live show, I urge you to rectify the situation immediately. You know when you’ve become so infatuated with an album or a band, and then watch the songs performed live, and say “Holy shit, I didn’t think it was possible – they’re so much better live than on record”? That’s Temper Trap in a nutshell. These guys were born to be on stage. And if their ridiculously catchy tunes weren’t enough to send the crowd into a frenzy, then their above-par lighting show was sure to do the trick. With effects that could almost counterbalance the intensity of a Muse light show (YouTube it if you don’t already know what I mean), the audience was transfixed from beginning, right through to the very end. Performing songs from both their debut and sophomore records, the Melbourne born and bred five-piece incorporated new tracks from their latest self-titled record, slotting them nicely between familiar anthems like Down River and Love Lost. It was no big deal that newer tracks were more
unfamiliar than older ones; the crowd danced, swayed, screamed and jumped. Each crowd member seemed to be either lost in a trance or energised by every single beat. Each and every song was a performance in itself, culminating in one majorly successful welcome home tour. Hell, if the fact that their latest offering debuted at number one in their home country didn’t make them feel warm and fuzzy inside, then the two sold-out shows in the band’s hometown definitely would have. With the setlist including lesser known and equally as exciting tracks, it was the band’s most popular hits such as Fader, Science Of Fear and Conditions that sent the crowd into controlled mayhem. But it wasn’t until the very last riff began – that of Sweet Disposition – that every mind present at The Forum Theatre that night was lost. Phones, cameras and hands were raised to the ceiling, all capturing the magical atmosphere that was created. That night made me proud to be a Melburnian. SIMONE ZIADA LOVED: Dougy's False #0 HATED: Nothing DRANK: Cider
JANELLE MONAE Vivid LIVE Saturday May 26, Sydney Opera House Janelle Monae, performing at Sydney Opera House, on my birthday. After shelling out for Good Vibrations tickets in 2011, only to have Ms Monae cancel due to Grammys commitments, the choice to trek up to Sydney for Vivid LIVE was a no-brainer. Soon after being ushered to my prime third-fromthe-front, dead centre seat, Janelle’s band took to the stage to command everyone to get up and dance, and having been stuck in the whole seated-standing limbo at The Palais for Erykah Badu earlier in the year, the initial commandment was pivotal and very much appreciated. As soon as everyone obliged with the order, I weaselled my way to the very front of the stage. A music journalist on their birthday equates to the world’s most entitled arsehole, apparently. After an excitement-generating overture, the packed Opera House was instructed to Dance Or Die by a hooded figure at the top of an extravagant staircase. From the moment Janelle Monae twinkle-toed her way down to the front of the stage up until the final curtain call, the audience was a mere plaything in her hands. Though rumours of her supporting Prince on his concurrent Australian tour were unfounded, a cover of the equally diminutive and dynamic pop icon’s Take Me With U was a display of hypnotic beauty. And having seen the man himself perform the track half a week later, I’ll make the call: Janelle did it better. The night was permeated by the staunch Metropolis-inspired android mythology, one as equally rich as George Clinton’s sprawling P-Funk legacy. The night’s programme insists that we aren’t permitted to tell our friends “its shocking secrets”, but the performance was a goddamn Beat Magazine Page 70
tour de force regardless of such apparent superfluities. Cold War vehemently blew the goddamn sails off the Opera House. Jaws dropped, goosebumps raised. It felt like we were watching history. Breakthrough single Tightrope followed for a powerhouse one-two punch, holding its own without Big Boi’s verse. You Only Live Twice (or as the kids might call it these days, #YOLT) segued into Diamonds Are Forever for a Bond-themed first encore. During the second encore of Come Alive, Janelle managed to elevate herself into the realm of quadruple-threat performer by busting out a canvas and whipping up an abstract painting of the female figure, emblazoned with the word “LUV”. She’s only just begun, but Janelle Monae possesses all the hallmarks of the All-Time Greats. Epilogue: After completely slaying the Opera House, Janelle asked if anyone in the audience was celebrating their birthday. Before I knew it, Janelle was handing me the aforementioned painting and wishing me a happy birthday. Then an ocean of well-wishers in attendance professed a similar sentiment as I made my way into the CBD for a karaoke bender. Feels good man. LACHLAN KANONIUK LOVED: That time Janelle Monae gave me a birthday kissy and a painting. HATED: Negotiating the logistics of bringing a rather large canvas back on a budget airline. DRANK: An incalculable multitude of birthday drinks.
Having won the title of Beat’s Album Of The Year in 2011, Aussie Jarrod Quarrell is touring Ex Tropical and clearly having a lot of oddly nonchalant fun while doing so. On this particular night, he was celebrating the vinyl release of the album with an all-too-rare headline show. The Phoenix Public House was packed out with fans and other notable industry luminaries (Paul Kelly’s dimples were hanging at the bar) to see the box-jawed guy do his stuff. Opening with Don’t Litter, Quarrell took the opportunity to point our attention to Shags Chamberlain on bass, whose chops perfectly fit the song’s minor thirds and Drive-like (in the ‘80s noir sense) ambience. Say No To Thugs delivered a weirdly sexual but sentimental schmaltz. Quarrell was initially only in charge of vocals here but still had total command over the track. He then leapt onto an organ and in the ensuing frenzy, ended up looking and sounding like a Frenchman artfully losing his cool. Quarrell’s vocals are strong but not stronger than most; he’s deep on the pitch register but not deeper than most; it’s the fact that
his presence truly permeates things which makes him stand out as a charismatic figure and an accomplished musician (despite the fact he doesn’t really look like a frontman). The peculiar, laid-back, extremely hot, tropicana soup continued as the crowd tried its best to dance while smooshed in against one another. A brilliant and eerie sound like skeletons playing on marimbas rolled over the audience as the percussionist in the red beanie shook maracas and what appeared to be two gym weights – the auxiliary instruments really took this show to another level. Underneath the coconut island vibe of Ex Tropical is something far more deep and dark, and it was communicated in a totally compelling way in the live mode. ZOË RADAS LOVED: The crowd – everyone was stoked to be there. HATED: Knowing it’ll shortly be curtains for this awesome venue. DRANK: Tequila shots
THE JEZABELS Friday June 1, Festival Hall All limbs, long legs leading, Hayley Mary was a sexy spider woman adorned in tight black stockings and bike shorts; stalking and catapulting around the stage from the first moment The Jezabels burst in with hit Endless Summer. Mary was electric: one moment swinging her hips, another thrashing around wildly. The front woman’s showmanship was an unexpected surprise, with few artists today able to match her grasp on performance. However at times her constant dancing was distracting, and I longed for her to pause and communicate her admittedly personal lyrics with feeling and conviction. Despite her extensive gymnastics, Mary never for a second faltered vocally. Irrespective of less than perfect sound levels – an overpowering amount of treble and ear-piercing volume doing both the headliner and support band Lights a disservice – Mary’s soaring, celestial, incredibly powerful voice was flawless; her extensive vocal range, technical finesse and immaculate control shining on favourites Long Highway and City Girl. Though
it seemed impossible to retain such impeccable execution and accuracy even while jumping on and off the stage and mounting the barrier to interact with frenzied fans, Mary didn’t miss a single note. The band was equally solid, and despite their short career were a tight, creative, well-oiled machine. The discrepancy between their limited experience and excellent performance skills was evident when dauntless diva Mary became modest, grateful and shy when the music ceased, expressing her incredulity at the crowd size. Complete with a light show and video backdrops, the Jezabels’ performance was an absolute spectacle, and difficult to fault. KIMBERLEY CROXFORD
LOVED: The vocal skill. HATED: The sound quality. DRANK: Wine.
OPOSSOM Thursday May 17, Phoenix Public House At the very end of 2011 I interviewed Unknown Mortal Orchestra on their first tour with Kody Nielson on drum duties. When I pressed a rather pensive Kody, he simply replied “I’m just the drummer”. After leading the now-defunct Mint Chicks, Kody seemed to have found comfort away from the spotlight in his brother’s increasingly popular outfit. But now in 2012, Kody once again leads the charge, this time with solo project (of sorts) Opossom. The live incarnation of Opossom tonight consists of Kody, former Mint Chicks bassist Michael Logie, and compatriot Bic Runga. Despite the relatively limited palette of a three-piece formation, the trio were adept at generating a psychedelic hurricane of noise. Lighting for the performance was kept at a bare minimum, with a light green hue steadily illuminating the stage This is the kind of shit that would benefit from an intense complementary visual element, but it wasn’t the case tonight. Kody seemed to abide by a typically Kiwi display of self-deprecation. Not to say it was in any way
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malevolent, but the performance was littered with utterings of frustrations at malfunctioning equipment throughout the night, with Kody projecting an all-round insecurity as the band burned through their set in a matter of fact manner. Getaway Tonight was simple and uplifting, a deft display of pop smarts. Runga took to the drums to display her psychedelic chops, and Blue Meanies grooved along with an irresistible bassline. Despite the astronomical motif, the band weren’t necessarily reaching for the stars. But it could very well prove to be a slightly turbulent take-off for a very big year for Opossom. Soon enough, Australia will be claiming them as our own. LACHLAN KANONIUK
LOVED: Being able to stroll down to The Retreat for Fraser A. Gorman in between bands. HATED: Knowing that the venue has been struck down in its prime. DRANK: A toast to Phoenix Public House.