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ELEPHANT 8.30PM
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LUNCH MONDAY
GLORIAS FAMOUS PARMA
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IN THIS ISSUE...
16
HOT TALK
20
TOURING
22
AMANDA PALMER
24
ARTS GUIDE, STORIES I WANT TO TELL YOU IN PERSON
SPENDER PG 47
26
ART OF THE CITY, COMIC STRIP
28
AIM HIGH IN CREATION
30
MIFF REVIEWS
38
INDUSTRIAL STRENGTH
39
OPEN DAY SPECIAL
44
ADELANTE AMIGO
46
BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE
BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE CLUB PG 46
CLUB, SLEEP, CLOUD CONTROL 47
SPENDER, THE PREATURES
48
DEAD LETTER CIRCUS, TEN CENT PISTOLS, VOLTERA
49
CORE/CRUNCH!
50
MUSIC NEWS
54
ALBUM OF THE WEEK, SINGLES, CHARTS
THIS WEEK IN BEATS
CAPTAIN HOOK
3 NEWTON STREET RICHMOND, VICTORIA 3121 Phone: (03) 9428 3600 Fax: (03) 9428 3611 email: info@beat.com.au www.beat.com.au BEAT MAGAZINE EMAIL ADDRESSES: (no large attachments please): Gig Guide: online at beat.com.au email gigguide@beat.com.au - it’s free! Club Listings: online at beat.com.au email clubguide@beat.com.au - it’s free! Music News Items: music@beat.com.au Artwork: art@beat.com.au Beat Classifieds 33c a word: classifieds@beat.com.au
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AMANDA PALMER PG 22
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PUBLISHER: Furst Media Pty Ltd. MUSIC EDITOR: Ali Hawken ARTS EDITOR / ASSOCIATE MUSIC EDITOR: Tyson Wray INTERNS: Alexandra Duguid, Katerina Capel, Natalie Castellan, Dina Amin, Mimi Velevska, Megan Furhoff. GENERAL MANAGER: Patrick Carr BEAT PRODUCTION MANAGER: Gill Tucker GRAPHIC DESIGNERS: Gill Tucker, Rebecca Houlden, Bianca Martinov COVER ART: Pat O’Neill ADVERTISING: Ali Hawken (Music: Bands/Tours/Record Labels) ali@beat.com.au Patrick Carr (Beats/Beat/Arts/Education/Ad Agency) patrick@furstmedia.com.au Ash Bartlett (Beats/Beat/Arts/Education/Ad Agency) ash@beat.com.au Aleksei Plinte (Backstage/ Musical Equipment) mixdown@beat.com.au Thom Parry (Hospitality/Bars) thom@beat.com.au Kris Furst (beat.com.au) kris@furstmedia.com.au Dan Watt (Indie Bands/Special Features) dan@beat.com.au CLASSIFIEDS: classifieds@beat.com.au GIG GUIDE SUBMISSIONS: now online at www.beat.com.au
or bands email gigguide@beat.com.au ELECTRONIC EDITOR - BEAT ONLINE: Tyson Wray: tyson@beat.com.au ACCOUNTANT: accountant@furstmedia.com.au ADMINISTRATION CO-ORDINATOR: Lizzie Dynon: reception@furstmedia.com.au ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE: Luke Forester: admin@furstmedia.com.au RECEPTION: reception@furstmedia.com.au
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GIG GUIDE
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CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS: Mary Boukouvalas, Ben Clement, Ben Gunzburg, Rebecca Houlden, Nick Irving, Anna Kanci, Cassandra Kiely, Charles Newbury, Richard Sharman, Tony Proudfoot. SPECIAL PROJECTS EDITOR: Christie Eliezer SENIOR CONTRIBUTORS: Patrick Emery COLUMNISTS: Emily Kelly, Peter Hodgson, Lachlan Kanoniuk
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CONTRIBUTORS: Mitch Alexander, Siobhan Argent, Bella ArnottHoare, Thomas Bailey, Graham Blackley, Chris Bright, Joanne Brookfield, Avrille Bylock-Collard, Rose Callaghan, Kim Croxford, Dave Dawson, John Donaldson, Alexandra Duguid, Alasdair Duncan, Cam Ewart, Callum Fitzpatrick, Jack Franklin, Chris Girdler, Megan Hanson, Chris Harms, Andrew Hickey, Nick Hilton, Peter Hodgson, Lachlan Kanoniuk, Cassandra Kiely, Joshua Kloke, Nick Mason, Krystal Maynard, Miki McLay, Jeremy Millar, James Nicoli, Oliver Pelling, Matt Panag, Jack Parsons, Sasha Petrova, Liam Pieper, Steve Phillips, Zoe Radas, Adam Robertshaw, Joanna Robin, Leigh Salter, Side Man, Jeremy Sheaffe, Sisqo Taras, Kelly Theobald, Tamara Vogl, Dan Watt, Katie Weiss, Krissi Weiss, Rod Whitfield, Jen Wilson, Tyson Wray, Simone Ziada, Bronius Zumeris.
DEADLINES Editorial Copy accepted no later than 5pm Thursday before publication for Club listings, Arts, Gig Guide etc. Advertising Copy accepted no later than 12pm Monday before publication. Print ready © 2013 Furst Media Pty Ltd. No part may be reproduced without the consent of the copyright holder. art by 2pm Monday. Deadlines are strictly adhered to.
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HOT TALK
Pearl Jam
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BIG DAY OUT
TULLY ON TULLY Melbourne band Tully on Tully will be hitting the road to celebrate the release of their debut EP Weightless. The group are renowned for their impressive live performances and have played support slots for the likes of Whitley, The Temper Trap, Neon Trees and Nada Surf. The lead single Stay from the new EP is currently 22nd most played track on triple j Unearthed. Catch the up and coming Tully and Tully at the Toff in Town on Saturday September 7.
MEREDITH MUSIC FESTIVAL
MACHINE GUN KELLY
Don’t have the cash to make it to Meredith this year? Never fear - you can apply to be a volunteer and in exchange receive a free ticket. Volunteers are an integral part of the Meredith Music Festival, so in exchange for eight hours of work you can receive a ticket to the festival. So far disco don Nile Rodgers alongside Chic and Melvins have been revealed to be playing at the 2013 incarnation. Head to the Meredith website for more information and to apply to be a 2013 volunteer.
Ohio’s own Machine Gun Kelly will be bringing his hip hop skills to Australian shores this September. MGK was awarded the honour of MTV’s Hottest Breakthrough MC in 2011. Just 23 years of age, he already has an enviable back catalogue after releasing his first mixtape Stamp of Approval at 16. Since then he has released a further seven mixtapes, an EP and his debut studio album Lace Up was released through Diddy’s Bad Boy label last year. He’ll be hitting the stage at The Hi-Fi on Thursday September 5.
The Big Day Out has revealed the lineup for its 2014 incarnation. The bill has an exceptional amount of hype to live up to, with promoters stating that the 2014 event would have “the Big Day Out line-up to end all Big Day Out line-ups” and the claims from Ken West that “I was hoping for one ‘White Whale’, managed to get two and ended up with three.” Beat can officially confirm that the 2014 Big Day Out will be headlined by the almighty Pearl Jam. Eddie Vedder and Co. were booked to headline the Big Day Out in 2001, but cancelled from the tragic death of nine fans from a crowd surge that happened during their set at the Roskilde Festival. They were last on our shores in 2009 which saw them play to sold out stadiums with Ben Harper and Liam Finn. Next on the bill is Blur in what will be their first visit to Australia since 1997, alongside the Arcade Fire, who last toured Australia on the 2008 Big Day Out tour with Björk and Rage Against The Machine. Who else is jumping on board the festival juggernaut for the ride? Snoop Dogg aka Snoop Lion will be lighting up stages nationwide, while headlining the Boiler Room will be Major Lazer, Steve Angello and Flume. The first announcement is rounded out by The Lumineers, Tame Impala, Dillon Francis, Mac Miller, Ghost, Grouplove, Flosstradamus, Portugal. The Man, Toro Y Moi, Diiv, The Naked And Famous, Big Gigantic, Pez, Mudhoney, Cosmic Psychos, Northlane, The 1975, Loon Lake, Kingswood, Bo Ningen, The Algorithm, DZ Deathrays, Peking Duk, Ben Morris and RÜFÜS. The 2014 Melbourne Big Day out will take place on Friday January 24 at the Flemington Racecourse. For ticketing and more information visit bigdayout.com
FAT FREDDY’S DROP
A TRIBUTE TO ELVIS IN CONCERT
Fat Freddy’s Drop are returning to Australia with their latest album Blackbird in tow and have added another Melbourne show. Blackbird is a fusion of Ethio-jazz, Detroit techno, blues and soul, with the lead single Clean The House currently receiving critical acclaim around the globe. Fat Freddy’s Drop will play The Forum on Saturday August 31, Sunday September 1 and Sunday September 8 (new show).
Tony Franks, Melbourne musician and producer, has brilliantly recreated the performance of one of the world’s greatest entertainers of the 20th Century in this full scale theatrical event of 2013. Rapid City 1977 was one of Elvis’ last public appearances before his evident decline in health and of course disappearing from the spotlight of his adoring fans. The production’s driving force is reliving the magic that this incredible man brought to millions of people worldwide during his lifetime and in particular on this very occasion in South Dakota. Backed by an incredible 16 piece orchestra, ten backup singers and ensemble, and of course Elvis’ very own dynamic eight piece band. This production will entirely re-create that night in Rapid City down to the finest detail and of course all of his remarkable music. You will experience an absolutely unforgettable evening of Elvis. A not to be missed event of 2013 A Tribute to Elvis in Concert at Dallas Brooks Hall will be an absolute sell-out success as soon as tickets are on sale. It hits Dallas Brooks Hall on Friday August 23 for eight shows only. Visit facebook.com/ bluestonepresentselvis more for information.
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FRIDAY 9th AUG Nelli Scarlet presents
SEVEN SEAS OF SIN Naughty-Cal Burlesque Becky Lou, Nelli Scarlet, Magenta Rose, Jasper Jewel. Peachey Dream Lauren LaRouge, The Mermaidians 8pm Advance tickets from MOSHTIX ..........................................................
Friday Late 10pm-2am
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SATURDAY 10th AUG
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Beat Magazine Page 16
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THE HOLIDAYS The Holidays are taking an east coast vacation this September in celebration of their new single Voices Drifting. Since its release last week, the song has already won fans around the globe with over 35,000 plays on Soundcloud. The group has been painstakingly working on their latest album in apartments, studios and hotel rooms across the world and it is set for release next year. Their debut LP Post Paradise won them many accolades including the coveted Red Bull Award for Best Debut as part of the 2011’s Australian Music Prize and The Age’s annual EG Award for Best Album in 2010. Catch The Holidays at the Northcote Social Club on Thursday October 3.
HOT TALK
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San Cisco
DUMB BLONDES Fresh as anything cosmic surf trio Dumb Blondes will make their on stage debut to celebrate the launch of their recently released debut single, Into The Light. The band is a collaboration between Jordan Malane of The Bleeding Knees Club, Nicholas Futcher of The Kite Club and their buddy Joel Abbott, who is the touring drummer for both bands. Their first single draws inspiration from the brutal Melbourne winter and their musical idols the Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Dandy Warhols and Ride. Check ‘em out for free at the Espy on Friday September 6.
QUEENSCLIFF MUSIC FESTIVAL If you thought the first Queencliff Music Festival lineup was great, their second announcement will delight you. This year, Wild Things indie-pop prodigies San Cisco will make their debut at the festival. Joining them will be Pez, Melody Pool, The Murlocs, Siskin River, Fraser A Gorman & Big Harvest, Baby et Lulu, The Ray Mann Three, Genevieve Chadwick, Jack Carty, Microwave Jenny, Lachy Doley, Sweethearts, Dallas Frasca, Hussy Hicks, Twin Beats (formerly The Toot Toot Toots), Imogen Brough, Murdena, The Kite Machine, Tom Thum and The Tiny Giants.These artists will be joining headliners The Living End, The Grates, John Butler Trio and Spiderbait.Queenscliff Music Festival will hit Queenscliff from Friday November 22 – Sunday November 24.
LEONARD COHEN The legendary Leonard Cohen will return to Australia this November. Cohen - along with his incredible nine-piece band featuring the likes of Sharon Robinson, the infamous Webb Sisters and musical director Roscoe Beck - will be embarking on a gigantic national tour that includes stop overs in both major cities and regional areas. Cohen will hit Rod Laver Arena on Wednesday November 20 and play at A Day On The Green on Saturday December 7 at the Hill Winery, Geelong.
THE PHOEBE FESTIVAL The Phoebe Foundation Inc. has just announced that tickets are now available for its first annual fundraising event, The Phoebe Festival. The Phoebe Festival is a weekend of great live music and fundraising on Friday October 4 and Saturday October 5 at Kilmore Trackside and will feature well known acts including Tim Rogers, Cola Wars and Calling All Cars. All proceeds from The Phoebe Festival will go to establish a new music and expanded play therapy program for children undergoing treatment for serious heart related illnesses at The Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne. Head to thephoebefoundation. com.au for more information.
TUESDAYS
KNOCKOUT POOL COMP $100 FIRST PRIZE $5 ENTRY - $12 JUGS KICKS OFF 7:30PM (16 REGISTRATIONS NEEDED TO KICK OFF)
WEDNESDAYS
SECRET GOODTIMES CLUB REGISTER 7PM - $12 JUGS 7.30PM START
THURS 8TH AUGUST
ONE DAY MAYBE
SNARES & WIRES, THE ATLANTIC FALL, THE BELT EATERS 8.30PM
FRI 9TH AUGUST
PETER BIBBY
PRETTY GOOD SEX, DEAN ANTHONISZ 8.30PM
SAT 10TH AUGUST
LIGHTNING BOLT Lightning Bolt have become infamous for Brian Chippendale’s explosive and intense drumming combined with Brian Gibson’s earth crushing and complex bass techniques, which propels them in a fury of volatile noise and orgiastic tribalism. Emerging from Providence, Rhode Island in ’95 as an art project, Lightning Bolt soon became known for destroying the conventional idea of live performances; with their guerrilla style shows – typically playing in the middle of their crowd. Lightning Bolt will hit the Corner Hotel on Wednesday October 30.
THE INFANTS ELEPHANT 8.30PM
SUN 11TH AUGUST
NICK MURPHY & JEFF SAMIN JOHNNY LIVEWIRE & LUCY DWYER 5PM
KITCHEN NOW OPEN
Saturday 20 April 2013
• Free delivery for all online orders. • Buy a copy of Toby Creswell and Craig Mathieson’s highly debatable argument for The 100 Best Albums of All Time (Hardie Grant, HB, was $49.95, special price $39.95), from any Readings shop or online at readings.com.au before 31 August and go in the draw to win all 100 albums on CD (valued at $2000). *Online orders are automatically entered into the competition. CARLTON • HAWTHORN • ST KILDA • MALVERN • READINGS AT THE STATE LIBRARY • READINGS AT THE BRAIN CENTRE
www.readings.com.au
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Beat Magazine Page 17
HOT TALK
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100 BEST ALBUMS OF ALL TIME The 100 Best Albums of All Time names the best albums of the last 50 years from across the globe. Buy a copy of Toby Creswell and Craig Mathieson’s highly debatable argument for The 100 Best Albums of All Time from any Readings shop or online at readings.com.au and go in the draw to win all 100 albums on CD (valued at $2000). In store customers will need to complete an entry form and attach a receipt as proof of purchase, and all online customers will be automatically entered into the draw. Competition closes Saturday August 31.
ARTIST PROOF Melbourne operatic rockers Artist Proof are hitting the road, supporting the sensational Bill Parton Trio on their national tour. In the lead up to their tour, Artist Proof are welcoming film makers and animators to create a film for their latest single, Change on The Wind, with $1500 in cash prizes up for grabs for finalists. The winning clip will be voted by the audience and will become the official clip for the new single. Check out their recently launched website artistsforartistsproof.net showcasing the recent and upcoming artistic collaborations.
MATT CORBY RÜFÜS Sydney indie-dance outfit RÜFÜS have announced a national tour as they get ready for the release of their debut album, ATLAS, this month. Following their own DIY tradition, the record was written, produced and recorded by the band between two self-built studios. One in a remote farmhouse on the NSW South Coast and the second in a hollowed out water tank under one of their parent’s houses. Catch a piece of the action at the Corner Hotel on Friday September 27.
Matt Corby will celebrate the release of his new EP The Resolution by spending October playing shows in cities across the country. The title track from the EP was released worldwide as a single in July and has already been certified platinum, with sales in excess of 100,000 copies. It has reached the top ten on iTunes charts in the UK, Sweden and New Zealand and reached #2 in Australia. The EP was recorded with producers Charlie Andrew (Alt-J) and Mocky (Feist, Peaches) as well as Corby’s live band. It also features new tracks Lay You Down and The Evangelist and is out now. Catch Corby with special guests Bear’s Den at Festival Hall on Friday October 18. Tickets go on sale at 9am on Thursday August 8.
T.I AND AKON T.I. and Akon will be hitting the same stage in a huge night of music at Planetroc’s inaugural Episode One event this October. It’s the first time that T.I. will grace Australian fans with his presence. T.I. aka T.I.P. aka The Rubberband Man established himself as one of raps most successful MCs in the early 2000s. He has released eight studio albums which have included collaborations with big names like Kanye West, Jay Z, Lil Wayne and Justin Timberlake. Joining T.I. will be five time grammy nominated recording artist and producer Akon. Aside from releasing chart dominating singles like Smack That and I Wanna Love You, Akon has made over 300 guest appearances with music icons like Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga, Gwen Stefani, Lil Wayne, R.Kelly and Eminem and has sold over 12 million albums worldwide. T.I. and Akon will be joined by up and coming rapper French Montana when they play at Festival Hall on Thursday October 10. Tickets are on sale through Ticketmaster.
UK SUBS One of the most successful punk bands of all the time, the UK Subs, have announced they will be making their final trip Down Under this September. Led by front man Charlie Harper, the band has been playing punk since the scene was born in Britain in the early ‘70s. This year they released their 24th album XXIV, continuing their quest to be the first band ever to release all its official albums alphabetically from A to Z. Don’t miss your final chance to see the punk icons when they play at The Bendigo on Thursday September 26.
WHITE NIGHT MELBOURNE
SIETTA Sietta have returned with a bold new single Let It Go and will be playing a series of tour dates to celebrate. Out through Elefant Traks, the new song promises to be their most stunning to date. It weaves James Mangohig’s ethereal harps and tribal percussion, with the Caiti Baker’s unique vocals. It will be available via iTunes on Friday August 16. Catch Sietta at The Workers Club on Saturday September 7. Beat Magazine Page 18
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Melbourne’s Minister for Tourism and Major Events, Louise Asher, has announced that White Night Melbourne will return in 2014 and has picked a date. From dusk to dawn on Saturday February 22, White Night Melbourne will again see major cultural institutions including the National Gallery of Victoria, Australian Centre for the Moving Image, State Library of Victoria, Arts Centre Melbourne and Melbourne Museum open their doors all night with a range of innovative programs and activities. More than 300,000 people attended this year’s event which was awarded a Helpmann for Best Special Event of 2013. Artists, performers and organisations can register an interest in participating in White Night Melbourne from mid-August. Keep an eye on the website for more details.
Wednesday 7th August
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TOURING
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INTERNATIONAL JOAN BAEZ Hamer Hall August 8 BARN OWL Northcote Social Club Saturday August 10 SENSES FAIL Corner Hotel August 11 DON MCLEAN Hamer Hall August 17 ASH Corner Hotel August 22, 29 YOUNG BLOOD HAWKE The Toff In Town August 24 LINDSAY STIRLING Corner Hotel August 27 CYNDI LAUPER The Palais August 29, 30 JAPANDROIDS Corner Hotel August 30 FAT FREDDY’S DROP The Forum August 31, September 1, 8 ALL TIME LOW Billboard August 31, September 1, 2 POISON CITY WEEKENDER Various Venues September 6,7,8 ANBERLIN Palace Theatre September 8 HIT THE LIGHTS Corner Hotel September 8 PEACE September Northcote Social Club 15, 16 KVELERTAK Corner Hotel September 17 AMANDA PALMER & THE GRAND THEFT ORCHESTRA The Forum September 20 HUGO RACE FATALISTS The Workers Club September 20 LAMB OF GOD/MESHUGGAH Festival Hall September 22 UK SUBS The Bendigo September 26 FOALS Palace Theatre September 26, 27 SWERVEDRIVER Corner Hotel September 28 RIHANNA Rod Laver Arena September 30 THE HOLIDAYS Northcote Social Club October 3 THE CULT Festival Hall October 5 ME FIRST AND THE GIMME GIMMES Corner Hotel October 5, 6 BRING ME THE HORIZON Festival Hall October 9 WOLF MAIL Northcote Social Club October 10 T.I., AKON Festival Hall October 10 DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT The Palace October 13 EVERY TIME I DIE Corner Hotel October 20 BEYONCÉ Rod Laver Arena October 22, 23, 25, 26 CHERRYFEST November 24 Cherry Bar BEHEMOTH The Espy October 25 FALL OUT BOY Festival Hall October 26 ATP: RELEASE THE BATS Westgate Entertainment Centre October 26
YELLOWCARD Palace Theatre October 29 LIGHTNING BOLT Corner Hotel October 30 HARVEST November 10 Werribee Park LEONARD COHEN Rod Laver Arena November 20, Bimbadgen Winery November 23 BLACK FLAG Palace Theatre November 22 FLEETWOOD MAC Rod Laver Arena November 26, A Day On The Green November 30 JUSTIN BIEBER Rod Laver Arena December 2,3 PASSENGER The Palais December 4 MUSE Laver Arena December 6, 7 BON JOVI Etihad Stadium December 7 VAN’S WARPED TOUR December 7 TBA MEREDITH MUSIC FESTIVAL Meredith Supernatural Amphitheatre December 13 - 15 TAYLOR SWIFT Etihad Stadium December 14 CITY AND COLOUR Sidney Myer Music Bowl December 14 BIG DAY OUT Flemington Racecourse January 24
NATIONAL GRINSPOON Corner Hotel August 8 PAUL KELLY Melbourne Recital Centre August 8, 9, 10 BERNARD FANNING Palace Theatre August 9 COSMIC PSYCHOS The Hi-Fi August 9 CLARE BOWDITCH Corner Hotel August 10 SHOWDOWN AT THE HI-FI The Hi-Fi August 10 VIOLENT SOHO The Liberty Social August 15 MONEY FOR ROPE Cherry Bar August 16, 17 JOSH PYKE Corner Hotel August 17 TULLY ON TULLY The Toff in Town September 7 THE GRISWOLDS, CHANCE WATERS Northcote Social Club September 19 ED KUEPPER The Flying Saucer Club, August 23 MIDNIGHT JUGGERNAUTS Corner Hotel August 24 SNAKADAKTAL The Forum August 24 TUMBLEWEED The Espy September 21 JINJA SAFARI The Forum September 27 TWELVE FOOT NINJA Ferntree Gully Hotel August 30, The Corner Hotel October 4 DEAD LETTER CIRCUS The Hi-Fi August 31 THE FAUVES Corner Hotel August 31 UNDERGROUNDLOVERS Northcote Social Club August 31
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QUEENSCLIFF MUSIC FESTIVAL Princes Park, Queenscliff November 22 - 24 VANCE JOY Corner Hotel September 3 THE CACTUS CHANNEL Northcote Social Club September 5, 6 HUNGRY KIDS OF HUNGARY The Corner Hotel September 6 BIG SCARY The Hi-Fi September 6 CLOUD CONTROL The Forum September 6 STONEFIELD Ding Dong September 7 TONIGHT ALIVE The Hi-Fi September 11, Billboard September 13 BIGSOUND 2013 Various Venus Brisbane September 11–13 KIERAN RYAN Workers Club September 14 PARKWAY DRIVE Palace Theatre September 21,22 CALEXICO Athenaeum Theatre September 24, Corner Hotel September 25 RÜFÜS Corner Hotel September 27 THE BASICS Northcote Social Club September 27,28, Corner Hotel September 29 THE PAPER KITES The Forum September 28 REGURGITATOR The Hi-Fi September 28 XAVIER RUDD The Forum October 3
MATT CORBY Festival Hall October 18 SPRUNG FESTIVAL Kevin Bartlett Sporting And Recreation Complex October 19 THE AMITY AFFLICTION The Palace October 22, 23 BABY ANIMALS Corner Hotel October 31 BOY & BEAR The Forum November 2, 3 A DAY ON THE GREEN Rochford Wines, Yarra Valley November 9 QUEENSCLIFF MUSIC FESTIVAL Princess Park, Queenscliff November 22 - 24 ONE ELECTRIC DAY Werribee Park November 24
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AMANDA PALMER BY ROHAN WILLIAMS
Earlier this year, Amanda Palmer delivered the performance that her entire career had been building towards. No, it wasn't her attack on The Daily Mail (but we'll get to that), and it certainly wasn't her poem for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev (but we'll get to that, too) — it was her TED talk. Palmer's presentation for the TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design) Conference spanned her life's work, from her time spent busking as a living statue and sleeping on fans’ couches to her gamechanging, record-breaking Kickstarter project for her acclaimed Theatre Is Evil LP. Between TED.com and YouTube, the erstwhile Dresden Doll’s February speech, ‘The Art Of Asking’, has already attracted over four million views, and served as a watershed moment in the crowd sourcing debate. “The big thing that inspired the TED talk,” Palmer says, “was a need to really deeply explain myself after feeling that I'd been heavily misunderstood when I came under fire for crowd sourcing things. In my community, that's such a natural way of doing stuff, and I was so caught off guard when I was criticised for it. “I really felt like I was standing up, not just for me, but for all the artists I know who do a lot of crowd sourcing and exchange a lot, creatively, with their fans and their friends. The culture is shifting, especially in America right now, and a lot of artists are coming under fire for how they do things. I felt like it was an important talk to give, to remind people that it really is the artist's prerogative how they want to interact and exchange with their fans and their friends.” Followers of Palmer (and keen observers of internet shitstorms) will be aware that when she talks about “coming under fire”, she's mostly referring to the criticism she received when she attempted to crowd source “professional-ish horns and strings” musicians to play with her Grand Theft Orchestra last year in return for beers, high fives and free merch. Palmer had raised $1.2 million from 24,883 backers for her Theatre Is Evil LP, but claimed she could not afford the $35,000 to pay these additional musicians. Legendary producer Steve Albini called Palmer an “idiot” for making the request (he later apologised for using that word, but stood by his sentiment that it was “just plain rude” for Palmer to ask fans to play in her backing band for free). American Federation of Musicians president Raymond M Hair Jr joined in the chorus: “If there’s a need for the musician to be on the stage,” he said, “then there ought to be compensation for it.” Palmer eventually caved to public pressure and agreed to pay the volunteers; I ask her why she relented and if she regrets not standing her ground. “It was the easiest way to get back to work,” she counters. “That's the easiest answer. It wasn't like I reversed my principles. My principles stayed steady. Beat Magazine Page 22
But with so many people screaming, and with a job to do – this was literally happening during the first few weeks of our tour, while we were driving from show to show and working with these musicians every night – I didn't really feel like it was the correct time for a political battle. It was time to play music for people. “What I really did need to do was just shut everybody up and change the agenda back to the tour and away from being at the centre of yet another internet shitstorm. That was the most expedient way of doing it. But it did really suck, because it made the entire tour incredibly awkward with all of these musicians who had just happily volunteered to come up on stage with us and all of a sudden felt like they were under some sort of cultural fire. I felt badly for them that they got stuck in the middle of this stupid situation.” In Palmer’s defence, it hardly seems unfair to ask fans to volunteer their services in a time when music streaming services like Spotify have legitimised their ability to enjoy her work without compensating her fairly. Add outright piracy to the mix, and it’s never been easier for fans to take without giving.
“SOMETIMES IT'S JUST REALLY FUNNY TO RIP YOUR CLOTHES OFF...” “Well, yeah,” Palmer agrees, “and this is the grand irony of it all. You can look at it as theft; you can look at it critically. The world is the way it is, and things are constantly changing, and we can look at things negatively and pessimistically or we can look at them optimistically and say, okay, digital music is here to stay. How are we going to take care of each other in a culture like this, without yelling at each other and without punishing each other? And that goes both ways, for the artist and for the audience. I don't like it when artists punish the audience, either! I don't like seeing anyone greedily demanding that the system be some way that it organically does not want to be. “I have absolutely no desire to go hunting down and punishing someone who's torrented my music. I think [torrenting is] a totally obvious, natural thing to do, especially if you're just 13, you're on your computer and you're interested in my music. I think we're at a
DISCUSS WHAT? BEAT.COM.AU/DISCUSSION
really volatile cultural point right now and I think the most important thing is to have a discussion about what our relationship to each other is. How we think about each other, how we treat each other, and how we want to take care of each other, instead of just trying to take advantage of each other and drain each other's energy. Because hopefully, at the end of the day, it isn't about money. “Hopefully, at the end of the day, it's about art and helping each other survive, whether it's with money or with the kind of music that makes us want to survive and get out of bed in the morning. If that's the agenda we can talk about, we're talking about the right stuff. If artists and fans are screaming at each other about Spotify and digital downloads, I think we're screaming about the wrong things.” The crowd sourcing debate wasn't the only controversy Palmer found herself embroiled in over the past 12 months. She also wrote 'A Poem For Dzhokhar', a stream-of-consciousness work that appeared to take a sympathetic view of alleged Boston bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. “My views about this are probably continually controversial,” she shrugs, “but I think human beings should feel empathy towards everybody. When I say 'everybody', I mean absolutely everybody. It doesn't work if it's selective. That means young, old, violent, non-violent, black, white, you name it. If we're selectively empathetic, we're just not doing it right. That being said, it's a lot easier to feel empathy for a five-year-old than it is for a 37-year-old suicide bomber, but that doesn't mean it's not possible.” Most recently, Palmer attracted more positive press for her skewering of The Daily Mail. The British tabloid wrote a bizarre review of Palmer's Glastonbury performance that made no mention of her music, focussing instead on a minor “wardrobe malfunction”; in response, Palmer threw off her kimono at her next show and performed a new song, 'Dear Daily Mail', entirely nude. “When I saw that Daily Mail article,” she remembers, “my first reaction was to laugh. I really thought it was so fucking funny that The Daily Mail thought I would be embarrassed that someone could see a quarter centimetre of my nipple. Someone at The Daily Mail obviously didn't Google my name. I just thought that was so funny, but also so telling about how culture is built, because they're functioning on a planet where a female artist is fundamentally supposed to be embarrassed by something like that. “As a female performance artist, nudity is definitely a powerful tool... especially if you use it with humour. That can be a really powerful statement because often, female performance art and nudity gets stuck in a box of ultra serious, highly academic feminist bullshit. Sometimes it's just really funny to rip your clothes off and do something hilarious.”
AMANDA PALMER AND THE GRAND THEFT ORCHESTRA play the Forum Theatre on Friday September 20.
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Beat Magazine Page 23
THIS WEEK: ON SCREEN WITH TYSON WRAY. GOT THOUGHTS, NEWS, GOSSIP, COMPLAINTS OR CAT PHOTOS? EMAIL TYSON@BEAT.COM.AU OR SEND BY CARRIER PIGEON BEFORE FRIDAY 12PM.
Katz finds that the more specific she gets with details in her stories, the more people relate to them. “Can you have work and love?” she muses. ”It’s something a lot of women worry about. Men seem to have other stuff they worry about.” Katz visited a range of psychics and mediums in her search for answers, including a ten day trip to Mississippi where she visited a spiritualist church. “I grew up without any religion but if I go into a church I feel spirit.” As a writer, she says, she’s always in search of characters, always half-in, half-out of life.
In 1991, a young Jeff Buckley rehearses for his public singing debut at a Brooklyn tribute show for his father, the late folk singer Tim Buckley. Struggling with the legacy of a man he barely knew, Jeff forms a friendship with an enigmatic young woman working at the show and begins to discover the powerful potential of his own musical voice. Greetings from Tim Buckley is filled with stirring musical performances and the memorable songs of a father and son who were each among the most beloved singer/songwriters of their respective generations. It’s currently playing at Cinema Nova.
ON STAGE World-renowned master of marionettes, Ronnie Burkett, returns to The Melbourne this August with Penny Plain. Inspired by the oral tradition of storytelling, Penny Plain follows the tale of an octogenarian woman who is blind. Though she never leaves her lodgings, many people stay there and Penny quickly learns about the imminent apocalypse through travellers’ stories that use her lodge house. Ronnie Burkett Theatre of Marionettes is one of Canada’s most prestigious puppet theatre companies. Found in 1986, the theatre has established a reputation for their elaboration and provocative puppetry that has entertained adults for years. Penny Plain will be performed at the Arts Centre from Thursday August 8 – Sunday August 18.
ON DISPLAY Off the Kerb Gallery, in conjunction with the City of Yarra, will host a special exhibition that delves into the complexities of psychology and society. Entitled I : I : I : I, the exhibition will feature the works of four visual artists/photographers, including German photographer Oliver Parzer, Melbourne visual artist Nikki Lam, Tristan Davies and Kimberley Liddle, who is known for her unique plaster compositions that incorporate photography and sculpture. I : I : I : I will use these four artists’ skills to illustrate the translucent nature of identity, self-interpretation and how this affects a human’s ability to change and experience life. I : I : I : I will be on exhibition at Off the Kerb Gallery from Friday August 9 – Friday August 23. Admission is free.
BEAT’S PICK OF THE WEEK:
Considered the largest exhibition of acclaimed Polish artist Monika Sosnowska in the Southern Hemisphere, Regional Modernities will open at the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art this August. Sosnowka is a contemporary artist who is known for creating largescale works that surprise, perplex and connect. Hosted across all four ACCA galleries, Regional Modernities will offer an architectural perspective into how our reality inhibits us, from her famous narrow ‘institutional corridors’ which can vaguely resemble distance, and her twisting urban structures that morph into bunkers and an architectural landscape of Warsaw. Regional Modernities will open on Saturday August 10 and close on Sunday September 29. Admission is free.
Beat Magazine Page 24
STORIES I WANT TO TELL YOU IN PERSON BY LIZA DEZFOULI
Playwright Lally Katz thought she might be cursed. She visited a series of psychics and mediums in New York and various other places to find out for sure and, naturally, wrote a play about it. Was there a curse? “There were many and none,” Katz says, laughing. “It’s more of a personal mythology. It’s all the show.” Stories I Want To Tell You in Person, two years in the making, is essentially an account of how love and creativity might be at odds with each other, at war in Katz’s psychology. “It’s like I’d made a deal with myself that I had to put writing before love,” she says. “Every time I would try to have love, one or the other would get messed up. I thought if I had love, my writing would suffer; if I found love, it would swallow up my heart.” Added to that, Katz says her subconscious led her into some strange relationships. “The first time I went to a psychic she told me everything I wanted could be mine, as long as she got rid of a curse.” For a fee, of course. Circumstances were against her and Katz didn’t actually get the curse removed that night; later she found herself wondering about it. “When a relationship ended I wondered, if I’d paid, would that have happened? I found myself heading back to the psychic.”
FREE SHIT PROMPTER
Something has been broken in the world of PROMPTER by instantaneous news reporting. Journalists and their audience are caught in a game of ‘guess-what-ishappening-while-it-streams-right-into-your-home’. And as this real-time event unfolds the gaze of the audience feeds a storm of converging narratives. PROMPTER takes place in a surreal newsroom studio and explores how the boundaries of news practice
In Stories I Want to Tell You in Person Katz takes to the stage herself to perform the one-woman show, which has had a happy run at Sydney’s Belvoir Theatre: reviews have highlighted how funny she is. “I’m thrilled,” Katz says. “I didn’t know what I would be like. Learning how to breathe and talk at the same time. I worry about losing my voice; I’ve got quite a loud voice but I lose it easily. Performance takes a lot of energy.” Stories I Want to Tell You in Person includes the sorts of things she would normally only tell groups of friends: is it difficult to reveal herself in public to such a degree? Katz reckons she’s inclined to self-disclosure at the best of times. “I tell people everything,” she admits. “I always want people’s advice. I give them a big confessional story. I’m missing a filter. I had a burning desire to do it; I’ve wanted to do this for a few years. I had to think about what was going to make this interesting for other people.”
is slipping away via new technology and driven by the rapacious appetites of media consumers. PROMPTER incorporates broadcast, theatre, dance and performance art; and interrogates the ethics and conflicts of today’s media environment, journalism practice and digital culture. We have some double passes to giveaway.
FLOORED This August, dance artist and choreographer Victoria Chiu (Jezabel Velvet, Alignment) will adopt Dancehouse studio, Sylvia Staehli Theatre, as the performance venue for her latest dance composition, Floored. Hosted over four days,
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“THE FIRST TIME I WENT TO A PSYCHIC SHE TOLD ME EVERYTHING I WANTED COULD BE MINE, AS LONG AS SHE GOT RID OF A CURSE. WHEN A RELATIONSHIP ENDED I WONDERED, IF I’D PAID, WOULD THAT HAVE HAPPENED? I FOUND MYSELF HEADING BACK TO THE PSYCHIC.” “I met a taxi driver in Mississippi who believes in Atlantis. She wanted to move her family to be by the sea, so that when Atlanta rises they’d be the first to be taken by the sea!” But does Katz actually believe in any of the things the psychics told her? “I believe in magic,” she says. “I am superstitious. I was brought up in a secular household, I don’t believe in God but I’ve always found religion interesting. I’m not an atheist. I replace it in other ways, with rituals, with ways of being and understanding. As a child I’d make deals with the universe. It comes from having quite an active imagination.” Katz is Jewish on her father’s side and wonders if her fascination in the spiritual side of life might be in her DNA. Does she have any writing rituals? “I’m a terrible procrastinator; I pretty much have to clean the whole house before I start to write. I have all sorts of practical rituals which help me get into the zone, like listening to one song over and over.” Katz says she wouldn’t want to cross any of the psychics she went to see. She’s since had any number of curses lifted and ‘psychic top-ups’ but curiously, the play’s run was delayed in Sydney when Katz fell seriously ill on opening night. “That’s too big a coincidence to be a coincidence!” But whatever the experience, there’s inevitably something of creative value in it for a writer. “Life just always throws you crazy curve balls.” Stories I Want to Tell You in Person will play at the Malthouse Theatre from Friday August 9 until Sunday August 25.
Floored will be an explosion of artistic expression that explores the comfort and complacency of life. Split into three parts, the choreography will be timed to the electronic percussion and classical scores provided by composer Roland Cox (The Infidels, The Ballad of Herbie Cox). Chiu’s partner in dance and in real life; Amelia McQueen (Soft Landing) will be Chiu’s dance partner for Floored. Floored will be performed at Sylvia Staehli Theatre, Dancehouse and we have some double passes to giveaway. Head to beat.com.au/freeshit to win.
BRING IT INTO FOCUS
2013 Melbourne Fringe Festival 18 September â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 6 October Find us on
Tickets on sale now at melbournefringe.com.au Principal Partner
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THE COMIC STRIP Tegan Higginbotham
Shrek
STRAIGHT Last month, Red Stitch Actors Theatre opened their second season of 2013 with Foxfinder, a dystopian play baring a remarkable similarity to Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. To succeed the harrowing Foxfinder, Red Stitch will be opening comedy/drama Straight at the end of this month. Written by DC Moore and based on Humpday (2009), Straight illustrates the tale of Lewis and Morgan, a married couple trying to conceive despite a miniscule flat and their conservative lifestyle. When Lewis’ best friend moves in, accompanied by an amateur porn star, harmony unravels and the couple are forced to re-evaluate their lives and morals. Straight will run at Red Stitch Theatre from Friday August 30 – Saturday September 28.
MELBOURNE ART TRAMS Melbourne Festival have finally announced the eight artists whose artworks will be featured on eight Yarra Trams this year as part of Melbourne Art Trams, a program dedicated to transporting art throughout the city. The winning artists out of 117 entrants are Rose Nolan, surrealist David Wadelton, Luke Cornish, Bindi Cole, pop-painter Jon Campbell, Brooke Andrew, emerging artist Freya Pitt and collaboration project Joining Forces (Zashra Zainal, Brendan Ninness, Jeffrey Phillips, Gemma Flack, Rhiannon Thomas and Sebastian Berto). Melbourne Art Trams is a project, similar to the Transporting Art project from 1978 – 1993, run by Melbourne Festival in conjunction with Arts Victoria and Yarra Trams to exhibit Australian artists on a moving platform. The trams will be unveiled during Melbourne Festival, which will run from Friday October 11 – Sunday October 27. More information can be found online.
LOL COMEDY At LOL Comedy tonight at the Portland Hotel they have comedy music duo in their first Australian shows for the ages: Luke & Wyatt with Tegan Higginbotham. Next week at the Local in Port Melbourne on Tuesday August 13 it’s the outrageously talented Justin Hamilton as well as Dilruk Jayasinha and the deadly funny Kevin Kropinyeri. Tickets from lolcomedy.com.au
COMMEDIA DELL PARTE: COLLINGWOOD DREAMWORKS ANIMATION LA SYLPHIDE The Australian Ballet will recapture the magnificence of the Romantic period this month with two classic masterpieces, La Sylphide and Paquita. Translated to ‘sylph’ (a slim, graceful woman or girl, or a class of imaginary beings whose element is air), La Sylphide details the story of a man who becomes enamoured by a sylph the night before his wedding. Deluded by desire, the man consults a deceitful witch who teaches him the downfall of obsession. Paquita is one of the many ballets created by French-Russian dancer, teacher and choreographer Marius Petipa (Swan Lake, The Nutcracker). Petipa’s work is known for its grandeur, capturing the ethereal aspect of ballet through pointe, meticulous footwork and spectacular leaps. La Sylphide and Paquita is a classical ballet bill that will be performed at the State Theatre from Thursday August 29 – Saturday September 7.
DreamWorks Animation will be coming to Melbourne next year with their exhibition, DreamWorks Animation: The Exhibition. Hosted at ACMI, the exclusive exhibition will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the LA-based studio. It will present the development process — including storyboards, exclusive behind-thescenes interviews, concept artworks, illustrations and models made for the movies — behind blockbuster feature-films such as Shrek (2001), Kung Fu Panda (2008), Madagascar (2005) and earlier hand-drawn films, such as The Prince of Egypt (1998) and Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002). DreamWorks Animation is a must see for all animation and children movie enthusiasts, before the exhibition hits the road internationally. DreamWorks Animation: The Exhibition premieres at ACMI on Thusday April 10 and close on Sunday October 26, 2014. More information will be announced soon.
HEY! YEAH! IT’S MOLLY’S TRAVELLING WORM SHOW! As part of their Helium season, the Malthouse Theatre will be presenting a new production called Hey! Yeah! It’s Molly’s Travelling Worm Show! Inspired by Melita Rowston’s own experiences as working as a corporate high-flyer, Molly’s Travelling Worm Show! follows protagonist Molly, a woman who will show people the crappiest tourist destination in the world — a giant worm puppet festival. In particular, Molly will find Karmai, the world’s biggest worm. Molly’s journey is surreal; featuring a talking tree, a wild, mangy ostrich and a country town that reveres worm puppetry. Hey! Yeah! It’s Molly’s Travelling Worm Show! will be performed at the Malthouse from Tuesday August 13 – Saturday August 24.
Rob Hunter makes his Commedia Dell Parte hosting debut on Thursday August 8 at Agent 284. With Michael Chamberlin headlining and also featuring Wizard Sandwiches, Geraldine Hickey, Andy Mathews, Xavier Toby and Nellie White it’s going to be a great show. Tickets at the door for just $10.
COMMEDIA DELL PARTE: ST KILDA Commedia Dell Parte is still running every Thursday in St Kilda. This week Liam Ryan hosts a great line up of comics including Jonathan Schuster, Steele Saunders, Sonia Di Iorio, Murphy McLachlan, Martin Dunlop and Ad Al Shakhly. 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. Commedia Dell Parte runs every Thursday from 8.30pm at the George Lane Bar, St Kilda.
FIVE BOROUGHS COMEDY Lehmo headlines this Thursday. One of the great blokes of comedy comes down to rock another full house at Five Boroughs Comedy. Plus they’ve got Khaled Khalafalla, Jack Druce and heaps more. It’s gonna be another big one this Thursday August 8 at 8.30pm for only $12 at Five Boroughs (upstairs), 68 Hardware Lane, CBD.
COMEDY AT SPLEEN This Monday, it’s yet another cracking lineup down at your old mate Comedy at Spleen. They’ve got Oliver Clark, Matthew Klein, Gerard McCulloch, Karl Woodberry, Dave Warneke and heaps and heaps more. It’s this Monday August 12, 41 Bourke St in the city, at 8.30pm. It may be free, but we appreciate a good gold coin donation at the door.
LIVE ON BOWEN Come be part of the fun and excitement as they film Australia’s best live comedy variety show Live On Bowen. Featuring comedians Michael Connell, Dilruk Jaysingha, Hayman Kent and Aaron McCarthy, the show is an hour of madcap entertainment that includes a lot of unscripted hilarity that you can’t see on TV. As well as skits from the regular cast you’ll see performances from some of Melbourne’s best stand-up comedians and hottest musical acts. Tickets are free but you must book online at liveonbowen.com as seating is strictly limited. Book your tickets now and come along at 8pm this Friday August 9 to the RMITV studios at RMIT University. You’re guaranteed a great night of comedy, music, celebrities, free chocolates and you might even get your face on the telly.
MELBOURNE FRINGE FESTIVAL Melbourne Fringe Festival is the longest running arts and culture festival in Melbourne, therefore it is no surprise there is so much hype surrounding it. Particularly its program, which will be released tonight. This year will see the festival add digital media to its program, including a special presentation of works by animators, video artists and filmmakers in Fitzroy, and features its usual highlights of gallery exhibitions, theatre production and public arts performances. Another highlight of this year will be Fringe Furniture, the festival’s much-loved event showcasing innovation and creativity within art, furniture and design. The full Melbourne Fringe program will be unveiled tonight at melbournefringe.com.au. The 2013 Melbourne Fringe Festival will run from Wednesday September 18 – Sunday October 6.
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ARTS NEWS, REVIEWS, INTERVIEWS ONLINE – BEAT.COM.AU/ARTS
THE GATSBY SPRING SOIRÉE This August, Malvern Town Hall will follow up the success of their Winter Soirée with The Gatsby Spring Soirée, a night dedicated to jazz music, flapper dresses and clean-cut suits. Hosted by David Howell, The Gatsby Spring Soirée will feature vintage cars, swing dancing, competitions, big band music and much, much more. New Orleans’ Pelican Brass Band will open the night with their snazzy professionalism that has earned them spots at major jazz festivals, and will be directed by revered jazz conductor Barry Wratten. Michael McQuiad will recapture the pop music of the period, while Andrew Nolte and His Orchestra will close the night with their contagious brand of jazz. The Gatsby Spring Soirée will be held at the Malvern Town Hall on Saturday August 24 at 8pm. Tickets are available through Oztix.
Wednesday 7 Aug
3X3D
8pm – Ticketed MIFF Movie Buff Trivia Consider yourself a movie buff? Then it’s time you test your film facts with the ultimate film lovers’ quiz. Plenty of fun and prizes to be had!
Friday 9 Aug
Thursday 8 Aug
8pm – Free
The Frowning Clouds
9pm – Free Facty Fact Game Show After sellout shows at the Adelaide Fringe and Melbourne Comedy Festival, Facty Fact returns for a special MIFF edition. Join special MIFF guests and captains Geraldine Quinn and Alasdair Tremblay-Birchall. Hosted by Dave Warneke.
9pm – Free The Frowning Clouds Jangling guitars, scrumptious riffs and swinging beats in one hypnotic delight, The Frowning Clouds guarantee to deliver sing-along goodness with their 60s-style tunes.
Festival Lounge, Forum Theatre 154 Flinders Street Open 5pm ‘til late daily
The Bluebottles Big waves, wild chicks, hot cars and frantic Rock & Roll... It’s all business as usual for The Bluebottles!
Special opening times may apply. Check the details at miff.com.au/lounge. Free (excluding ticketed events).
Sunday 11 Aug
1.30pm – Ticketed Let Them Eat Cake! A High Tea Afternoon with MIFF, featuring a string trio, glass of sparkling or tea and coffee and sumptuous finger food. Spotify Competition Follow MIFF on Spotify and share your MIFF playlists with us. You could win prizes! Each night in the Festival Lounge we’ll feature your playlists.
HIGHLIGHTS • BOOK AT MIFF.COM.AU The Spectacular Now
Good Vibrations
Artifact
Lovelace
The Rocket
The Sunnyboy
An intelligently nuanced and warm-hearted coming-of-age story dealing with the issue of alcohol abuse.
The story of a record store in Belfast and the lightning-in-abottle birth of a music scene, with bucketloads of cheek and affection. “A terrifically warm and entirely lovable movie.” – The Guardian
Jared Leto’s Artifact speaks to all music lovers and is a timely, ridiculous reminder that while music always changes, business will always be business.
Amanda Seyfried is terrific as the world’s first porn star, as Lovelace exposes the lurid celebrity and sordid aftermath of her brief career.
A Berlinale award winner, The Rocket is the moving tale of a Laotian boy who saves his family with help from a James Brown impersonator. Guest
Follows The Sunnyboys’ frontman Jeremy Oxley, from his band’s breakthrough success to his battle with schizophrenia and return to the stage. Guest
Fri 9 Aug 9pm G/Union Sun 11 Aug 1.30pm G/Union
Fri 9 Aug 6.30pm G/Union Sun 11 Aug 7pm G/Union
Thu 8 Aug 6.30pm ACMI Sat 10 Aug 1.30pm G/Union
Fri 9 Aug 6.30pm Forum Sun 11 Aug 4pm ACMI
Sat 10 Aug 11am Forum
Sat 10 Aug 4pm G/Union
Seaman Dan er osoph m Phil o o r d e The B
FRIDAY NIGHT LIVE
TRIPLE R PRESENTS SONGWRITER SPEAKS:
THE BEDROOM PHILOSOPHER
Tavi Gevinso n
TAVI’S WORLD Writer, blogger, editor of Rookie Magazine, actress and spokesperson Tavi Gevinson, is setting the world on fire with her unique brand of feminism and personal style, and all at the age of 17. Discover teenagers finding their voice and gain an insight into Tavi’s world. Brought to you by Wesley College. Presented by the Melbourne Writers Festival and the Sydney Opera House WHEN FRI 23 AUG, 6pm WHERE Athenaeum Theatre TICKETS $40/30
Book now mwf.com.au
Chris Ruen
erg Eisenb Ophira
Join Dave Graney in an intimate evening of musical show and tell as he delves into the creative mind of The Bedroom Philosopher. Discover the stories behind the songs, the words behind the man, and the random encounters that trigger the unlikeliest of ideas. Kick back for a unique afternoon of conversation, music, lyrics and laughter. For one day only, doors open 3.30pm. Proudly supported by APRA WHEN SUN 25 AUG, 4pm WHERE Bella Union TICKETS $25 MELBOURNE AIRPORT PRESENTS SONGWRITER SPEAKS:
LINER NOTES
SEAMAN DAN
Melbourne’s best-loved spoken word event, Liner Notes, pays poetic tribute to The Doors’ classic album L.A. Woman, song by song. Take a psychedelic road trip with the ghost of Jim Morrison to scatter the ashes of the ’60s, on an unforgettable night of literary cabaret and music.
Iconic Torres-Strait Islander and legendary singer-songwriter Seaman Dan performs songs from his Aria award-winning albums. His music blends traditional Torres Strait Islander and pearling songs with jazz, hula and blues. Join him as he shares the inspiring stories behind his music and tales of his remarkable 85 years. For one day only, doors open 3.30pm.
Featuring Ophira Eisenberg (USA), Doug Johnstone (UK), Jane Caro, Andy Griffiths, Emilie Zoey Baker, and more led by MC Michael Nolan and a live band. WHEN FRI 23 AUG, 9pm, doors open at 8.30pm WHERE Regal Ballroom, Northcote TICKETS $25
Proudly presented by Melbourne Airport and supported by APRA WHEN SUN 1 SEP, 4pm WHERE Bella Union TICKETS $25
Start your second Festival weekend with Friday Night Live! Grab a wine from the pop-up bar and join comic icon Wendy Harmer, for our Letterman meets-Jon Stewart late-night talk show, with Festival guests Andrew O’Hagan, Shereen El Feki, Michelle Dicinoski, Bike Snob NYC, comedian Sammy J, and The Blackeyed Susans. WHEN FRI 30 AUG, 9pm WHERE Deakin Edge, Fed Square TICKETS: $25
MUSIC APPRECIATION 101 New York music writer Chris Ruen, London-based rock critic Andrew Mueller and Victorian writer and broadcaster Elmo Keep talk contemporary music criticism in What Difference Does it Make? Chris Ruen teams up with Triple RRR’s Byte Into It host Vanessa Toholka to discusses the impact of free file sharing on the music industry in Freeloading. In Retromania, music historian Simon Reynolds asks: is pop music’s addiction to its own past killing innovation? WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE? WHEN FRI 30 AUG, 4pm WHERE Deakin Edge, Fed Square TICKETS $21.50/19.50 FREELOADING: WHEN SAT 31 AUG, 5.30pm WHERE ACMI Cinema 1 TICKETS $21.50/19.50 RETROMANIA: WHEN SUN 1 SEP, 4pm WHERE ACMI Cinema 1 TICKETS $21.50/19.50
OFFICIAL BOOKSTORE
CHECK OUT ALL THE LATEST NEWS, REVIEWS AND FREE SHIT AT BEAT.COM.AU
Beat Magazine Page 27
AIM HIGH IN CREATION BY KRISSI WEISS Sydney-based filmmaker Anna Broinowski set herself an amazingly difficult task and she has managed to pull it off amazingly well. Seeking permission to enter North Korea is in itself a difficult task but to go there with the express purpose of making a short film - essentially a film-within-a-film with the core story a propaganda tale of heroic workers overthrowing an evil Coal Seam Gas mining company that is encased with a truly unique insight into North Korean filmmaking - is a mammoth assignment. Getting that film completed and approved by the regime (even simply getting out of said regime in one piece) would seem to be an impossibility – somehow, she and her crew did it. Aim High In Creation was first inspired by Broinowski’s introduction to the Kim Jong Il filmmaking manifesto – The Cinema and Directing – and rather than simply letting the humour spew forth in a tide of mockery, Broinowski does her best to tell a story, a story with a human heart. “Obviously with the film we didn’t want to mock the North Koreans at all but at the same time their world is so completely different and their filmmaker methodology is stuck in a time warp in a way,” Broinowski says. “They’ve shut themselves off from all aspects of the outside world so that includes technology and filmmaking technology since 1953. The film-within-a-film is a North Korean propaganda film that I make with them. It would have been so easy to have made that a total piss-take because the North Koreans are very fond of things like, well every single film whether it’s a military epic or a serious bio-pic; they always have people bursting into song at random moments - even on battlefields. They have strange ‘70s tracking shots that we haven’t seen in 30 years and it was almost tempting to do a send up but it
would’ve been a cheap shot.” That challenge was met and overcome and while Aim High In Creation has some of its creative license shackled by diplomatic obligation and cultural sensitivity, you will go a long way to ever see anything like it again. “The North Korean filmmakers were so generous to us, they made our project their own and were just so sweet and sincere, so our challenge was to take what was best about North Korean movie making and to try and make it work in our short film made by Western cast and crew. I don’t know if we succeeded or not; I know the North Korean’s watched it and they liked it,” she says. The screening in North Korea was a closed-door showing. The film won’t be receiving an official public release but it was approved, and that is a relief for all involved. “Yeah in a way it was [a relief] I guess, but probably more so for the guy who took it in than for us,” she says with a reluctant and relieved chuckle. “If they were gonna punish anyone it was gonna be him I guess. But no, they felt that I had followed their rules properly and they were OK with the short film. There’s a line in the film that’s just a little bit critical of China and we were worried they wouldn’t like that but even that was OK.”
“THE KIND OF PROPAGANDA THAT WE LIVE UNDER IS CAPITALIST PROPAGANDA. WE’RE TREATED AS CONSUMERS WHO ARE LEAD TO BELIEVE WE ARE FREE TO CHOOSE AND YET ARE BARRAGED WITH PRODUCTS THAT AS GOOD CONSUMERS AND GOOD CITIZENS, EXPECTED TO BUY.”
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The human element of this film is so central to Broinowski’s story and her experience. The North Korean film industry may be hilariously dated and chained to the demands of the “Dear Leader” but artists are artists, no matter where they live. “Their films are funded by the state, there’s no money raising producer, so of course you’re only a filmmaker in North Korea for as long as you make films that the regime approves of,” she says. “At the end of the day though, the filmmakers are still artists. They are required to put in propaganda messages but when I met some of the better directors over there they are still just storytellers and some of those stories are really quite good.” Another integral part of Broinowski’s journey was to remind western audiences that we are all victims of propaganda in one way or another. Sure, North Korean propaganda may have all the obvious characteristics of an Orwellian dictatorship but we are not, ourselves, immune. “The kind of propaganda that we live under is capitalist propaganda,” she says. “We’re treated as consumers who are lead to believe we are free to choose and yet are barraged with
ARTS NEWS, REVIEWS, INTERVIEWS ONLINE – BEAT.COM.AU/ARTS
products that as good consumers and good citizens, expected to buy. All systems use propaganda to keep citizens in check and I think what really struck me was how serene and refreshing it was for someone who lives in the western world – in Sydney – to go to a country for three and a half weeks and not see a single billboard, no ads making you feel like you’re somehow inferior because you don’t have this or that product, and instead in place of that there are hand painted murals on bus stops and stunning 1930s-style propaganda art. For a jaded westerner it was a true materialism detox. I think what I’m trying to say is, well I’m not trying to say that North Korea doesn’t have a great deal of oppression, I’m just trying to say to audiences ‘Look, before we judge the North Koreans for using their form of propaganda, let’s think about ours.’” Aim High In Creation is screening as part of the Melbourne International Film Festival at the Forum Theatre on Wednesday August 7 and at the Greater Union Cinema 4 on Sunday August 11.
July – December 2013
Arts House, North Melbourne Town Hall Wed 28 August – Sun 1 September
Arts House, North Melbourne Town Hall Wed 28 August – Sun 1 September
Arts House, North Melbourne Town Hall Wed 4 – Sun 8 September
Arts House, Meat Market Wed 4 – Sun 8 September
Tickets on sale now $20–$30 artshouse.com.au or (03) 9322 3713
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Beat Magazine Page 29
2013 MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL REVIEWS A HIJACKING ڎڎڎڎ BY MITCHELL ALEXANDER Even in a world of hyper-connected, always-on communication, everyone does not see every detail of a tense situation. Sure, the NSA might be watching America’s every movement, monitoring every tiny communication, but the majority of us rarely ever see more than parts of the whole. Hollywood blockbusters are compelled to explain every small detail to an audience, but experts in sweaty-palmed suspense know that some parts are better left to the audience to dwell on. In the latest film written and directed by Denmark’s Tobias Lindholm (previously of The Hunt and TV’s Borgen), even the titular hijacking of a cargo vessel happens offscreen. The CEO of the shipping company (played by The Killing’s Søren Malling) is quickly plunged into unknown territory with Somali pirates, with the ship’s cook (Johan Philip
HERITAGE FIGHT ڎڎڎڎڎ BY STEPH IREDALE The Western Australian Kimberly coastline is home to a virtual freeway of dinosaur footprints. Amongst them lies unique evidence of the 10-metre long carnivorous theropod, the only example of its kind in the region and perhaps the country. Tens of thousands of years before paleontologists made this astounding discovery, local Aboriginal groups connected other dinosaur prints to Dreamtime myths of a giant emu, Marrala, who walked the coast and gave law to his people. Heritage Fight documents the spectacular and triumphant battle to protect the rich cultural, environmental and historical resources of the Kimberly landscape and spotlights the deeply moving personal journey of indigenous activists in the fight for country. It’s a fists-fully-clenched kind of documentary, as director Eugénie Dumont journeys through the multidimensional disasters that would cascade from the Woodside Petroleum industrial venture. WA Premier Colin Barnett, in full support of industrial
Asbæk, also from Borgen) used by both parties as an intermediary/bargaining tool/chess piece. He’s at home negotiating the best deal with other companies, but the stakes can no longer be defined on a spreadsheet. Lindholm exquisitely captures the sense of dread and shared loss of freedom as days stretch into weeks into months. Conditions on the ship spiral, while the cramped boardroom - where negotiations take place via patchy satellite phone calls becomes just as much a prison, with Malling’s CEO increasingly unhinged. And expect your heart rate to increase every time the action moves to the ship, for fear of something increasingly terrible inflicted upon the cook and his six crew members. The film doesn’t get into geopolitical messaging territory, nor is the crew saved by some heroic act from Vin Diesel on a jet ski. This is the prisoner’s dilemma separated by an ocean, and another must-see effort from Lindholm.
THE CRASH REEL ڎڎڎڎڎ BY JESSICA LAWSON Kevin Pearce was young, handsome, kind and talented. He was a snowboarding champion and an obvious challenger for the 2010 Winter Olympics. That was until he stacked a practice cab double cork in Utah, landing face first into the ice, violently striking his head and left eye. The Crash Reel follows Kevin’s incredible real life journey from the bright lights of stardom to the inexhaustible recovery of an acquired brain injury. At its core is an intimate family portrait detailing the intricacies and delicacies of the beauty within tragedy. Pearce’s family are modest, hard working, folk that love their boys. Pearce stars as the
GOOD VIBRATIONS ڎڎڎڎ BY SAM WILSON
development and land exploitation, refuses to be so ‘negligent’ as to walk away from the opportunities this venture would offer Western Australians and specifically indigenous locals. And so the gap widens. A gap between respect and power, between culture and venture. Teresa Roe, Aboriginal matriarch and devout activist on the Kimberly site, is a central figure in the indigenous narrative of determination despite disempowerment that Dumont continues to return to. The vivid colours and textures of the region’s natural beauty are enriched through Roe’s sobering stories, made further impressive by her articulate and impassioned displays of public protest. Beside Roe, a cast of fearless indigenous activists tirelessly battle the discrimination and disrespect that has characterised the indigenous narrative for 100s of years. The gap in understanding between Woodside and Barnett and the deeply affecting customs, law and tradition of Aboriginal country is unambiguously infuriating, but the dedication of Teresa Roe, of her family, people and supporters, is a celebration of faith in the conservation of our immaculate landscape for 50,000 years or so. But only if we are willing to fight.
Nothing beats a rock’n’roll film - from A Hard Day’s Night to Wayne’s World, films about the music that has shaped us can’t help but get the heart rate up and the sweat pumping. Good Vibrations’ plot is bythe-numbers, but the location itself sets up a rich proposition, where buying records meant risking the streets of Belfast at the height of The Troubles. Terri Hooley is the charismatic centre of this story about a music-obsessed beatnik who opens a record shop smack bang in the middle of riots and bombs. At first a member of the reggae-obsessed remnants of seventies socialists, everything changes when Hooley discovers punk, and among them The
PEARBLOSSOM HWY ڎ BY SEAN GLEESON In the follow-up to Littlerock, director Mike Ott shows the Spike Jonze road from music videos to indie films is fraught with self-indulgent danger. Reprising his role from Ott’s last feature, small town 20-something Cory stops huffing nitrous bulbs for long enough to begin the quest to find the man who may or may not be his father. Joining him are his overbearing brother Jeff, recently discharged from the military, and his best friend Atsuko, who occasionally prostitutes herself out in a squalid motel room to finance a visit to her dying grandmother. Nothing, utterly nothing, ensues. Every vaguely interesting trope in this film is abandoned to make room for Cory’s endless monologues – each of which would win third prize at a LiveJournal-themed open mic night, but only because the judging panel worried that there would be an “incident” if the contestant went home
DRINKING BUDDIES ڎڎڎڎ BY CALLUM FITZPATRICK In his 14th feature Joe Swanberg introduces us to Luke (Jake Johnson) and Kate (Olivia Wilde), two colleagues who sometimes work, but mainly just flirt, at a microbrewery. Although they’re both in existing relationships – Luke with Jill (Anna Kendrick) and Kate with Chris (Ron Livingstone), the tension between the two can’t be denied, and it’s here from which the story develops. When the four embark on a trip to a beach house, things start to get particularly exciting – Luke finds himself alone with Kate, and Chris with Jill. Soon enough, it becomes apparent that although Luke and Kate may be the more natural couple, frustratingly, their current situation doesn’t allow for this to be fully explored. What’s more, Jill’s constant probing questions about marriage to Luke start to complicate matters even more and are pretty
THIS AIN’T NO MOUSE MUSIC! ڎڎڎ BY CHRIS BRIGHT ‘Mouse Music’ is anything that’s commonly commercially produced, forced or unnatural – as described by this film’s subject, producer Chris Strachwitz. This is not so much a documentary about music but one man’s passion for discovering music’s hidden talent and exposing it to the world. Strachwitz travelled to southern America as a teenager from Germany during the war and from the first time he heard American radio, he has become obsessed with the sound of roots music. He has dedicated his life to travelling the Deep South, through California, Texas, Louisiana, Memphis and wherever his ears take him, searching for local legends and helping them share their Beat Magazine Page 30
ARTS NEWS, REVIEWS, INTERVIEWS ONLINE – BEAT.COM.AU/ARTS
antagonist of his own documentary as his family struggle to understand his ache to return to the sport that almost destroyed him, especially Dave. Dave Pearce is Kevin’s younger brother and was born with down syndrome and is perhaps the most interesting and loveable character in this documentary. The film is comprised of footage captured over Pearce’s sporting career by journalists and his friends as well as the private footage captured of his family life. Walker weaves Kevin’s story into an emotionally blinding piece of art. The Crash Reel transcends sport clichés of champion and macho laden heroics and asks some humourless and sobering questions about extreme sports, the worth of that unobtainable thrill and the feeling of chasing it. Undertones. Everyone loves stories about a mad bastard, and everyone loves the song Teenage Kicks – anyone who says otherwise has never heard it before or is an arsehole – and you know this film hits the mark when you find yourself fighting back tears the legendary moment when, lifting the stylus and setting it back to the start of the 7” single, John Peel announces on his radio show that the aforementioned song is so wonderful he’s going to play it again. Good Vibrations is a warm, heartfelt, brutally honest film about a time in the not so recent past when a part of the world was tearing itself apart. It’s got wonderful performances, and just enough artistry in the direction to make this a worthy music biopic.
empty-handed. Presumably Ott wanted a means to demonstrate his subject’s insularity from Atsuko’s sufferings, which would be fine if her character development went beyond borrowing a few pedestrian stylistic quirks from Japanese cinema. The entire emotional tenor of this film is incoherent from start to finish. Ott can’t seem to decide whether he wants his aesthetic to match the anaemic lives of his subjects or to play around with the aperture on his digicam. To call this film undergraduate would be an insult to preening, Nietzsche-quoting undergraduates everywhere. Student union election campaigns have more candour, campus environment collectives have more charisma, than this overwrought, exploitative cringefest masquerading as social commentary. How fitting that the third act is set in San Francisco: this could convincingly pass for Tommy Wiseau’s stab at mumblecore, only without a shred of potential for retrospective cult status.
annoying. Although the plot essentially builds upon this very simple framework, Swanberg’s trademark improv-heavy dialogue is where the movie excels. It allows the actors to reveal more of their personality than a script ever could - at times, an ordinarilymundane scene, flourishes as something believable and real. If taken literally, Drinking Buddies is a fairly misleading title. It’s not a film about boozing – although beer is consumed in almost every scene of the movie. Rather, drinking is the common interest between the couples and its influence allows for scenarios to develop in a way they otherwise wouldn’t. What we’re really presented with is a very clever observational comedy, scattered with the awkward silences, conversational blunders and little frustrations that make social interaction what it is. It’s the sum of all these parts that makes Drinking Buddies comical, raw and true.
music with the world. This led to his label, Arhoolie Records. Instead of sticking to one genre, this film quickly browses through an entire catalogue of music, beginning with New Orleans jazz, roughneck blues, before taking a journey through Creole, Cajun, zydeco, Tex-Mex, Mexican-American norteño, folk and country. Due to the breadth of music history at play, the film runs for longer than it should and skips through some of the areas that are more interesting than others – but it’s still an educational journey for music lovers and anyone who can appreciate passion to the point where it’s almost obsession.
wednesday august 7 inside:
scenic
timmy trumpet news tours club snaps + more
UPCOMING
AUGUST
on tour PANGAEA [UK], FUNCTION [USA] Friday August 9, Brown Alley SPEEDY J [NED] Friday August 16, Mercat Basement D-BLOCK & S-TE-FAN [NED] Friday August 16, Chaser’s Nightclub DJ SPRINKLES [USA] Friday August 16, First Floor BRO SAFARI [USA] Saturday August 17, Brown Alley BIG CHOCOLATE [USA] Saturday August 17, Brown Alley THE GAME [USA] Thursday August 22, The Espy DANNY KRIVIT [USA] Friday August 23, New Guernica KAYTRANADA [CAN], RYAN HEMSWORTH [CAN] Saturday August 24, Brown Alley WEN [UK] Saturday August 24, Brown Alley SIGMA [UK] Friday August 30, Brown Alley TYREE COOPER [USA] Saturday August 31, New Guernica MACHINE GUN KELLY [USA] Thursday September 5, The Hi-Fi JOHN “00” FLEMING [UK] Friday September 6, Prince Bandroom MARCOS CABRAL [USA] Friday September 13, Mercat Basement TERRY FRANCIS [UK] Friday September 13, OneSixOne GHOSTPOET [UK] Saturday September 14, Corner Hotel R.A THE RUGGED MAN [USA] Thursday September 19, The Espy HERNAN CATTANEO [ARG] Friday September 20, Prince Bandroom KENNY LARKIN [USA], STIMMING [GER] Friday September 20, Brown Alley RUDIMENTAL [UK] Saturday September 21, Festival Hall ROBERT HOOD [USA] Saturday September 21, The Liberty Social LISTEN OUT: DISCLOSURE [UK], TNGHT [UK], AZEALIA BANKS [USA] + MORE Saturday October 5, Observatory Precinct, Royal Botanic Gardens ROGERSEVENTYTWO [NED] Saturday October 5, Brown Alley MICKEY AVALON [USA] Friday October 18, Corner Hotel PORTER ROBINSON [USA] Sunday October 20, Billboard SALT N PEPA [USA] Saturday November 16, Palais Theatre STRAWBERRY FIELDS: CARL CRAIG [USA], MOODYMANN [USA] Friday November 22 - Sunday November 24 , TBA EARTHCORE: ANGY KORE [ITA], PERFECT STRANGER [ISR] + MORE Friday November 29 - Sunday December 1, TBA STEREOSONIC: DAVID GUETTA [FRA], ARMIN VAN BUUREN [NED], CALVIN HARRIS [UK] + MORE Saturday December 7 - Sunday December 8, Royal Melbourne Showgrounds RAINBOW SERPENT: DONATO DOZZY [ITA], MICHAEL MAYER [GER] + MORE Friday January 24 - Monday January 27, Lexton BRUNO MARS [USA], MIGUEL [USA] Tuesday March 4 & Wednesday March 5, Rod Laver Arena
tour rumours Peter van Hoesen, Shed, Moderat, Psychemagik, Sigha & Shifted, Smallpeople, Dave Clarke, Jus-Ed, Skudge, Pantha Du Prince, Shed, Roman Flügel, Jam City, Andrew Weatherall, Silicone Soul
contact Editor: Tyson Wray / tyson@beat.com.au Production/Cover Design: Pat O’Neill / art@beat.com.au Typesetting & Design: Rebecca Houlden Advertising: Ali Hawken- (03) 8414 9711 / ali@beat.com.au Kris Furst - (03) 8414 9703 / kris@furstmedia.com.au Photographer: Callum Linsell Contributors: Alasdair Duncan, Andrew Hickey, Annabel Maclean, Chloe Papas, Dan Watt, Jo Campbell, Kish Lal, Lachlan Kanonuik, Leigh Salter, Miki McLay, Morgan Richards, Nick Taras, Nina Bertok, Richie Meldrum, RK, Rose Callaghan, Ryan Butler, Simon Hampson, Tamara Vogl Deadlines: Editorial: Friday 2pm Advertising: Monday 12pm Publisher: Furst Media - 3 Newton Street, Richmond - (03) 9428 3600 beat.com.au
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captain hook word s / rk
The multi-talented, multi-genre-producing and many-projectundertaking Reshef Harari is on top of his game right now. Having conquered almost every corner of the globe with his multidimensional sound – including at some of the biggest festivals like Burning Man and Atmosphere – the man is getting ready to head back to Australia to deliver on his promise of a unique fusion of psychedelic progressive techno trance. In fact if you do your reading, you’ll discover that Reshef Harari has achieved more than his fair share over the years – least of which is being credited with being the man behind the genre termed ‘progressive transtep’. If nothing else though, the progressive trance-head – hailing from one of the true spiritual homes of trance Israel – is upbeat about the happenings in his universe. “Growing up in Israel was great,” chimes Reshef. “I actually lived in the countryside and coming from a farming family, I had an amazing childhood filled with nature and freedom!” Of course though the tenuous relationship between the country and a number of its neighbors meant that finding an escape was a priority for much of the local youth – and with that came the growth in electronic music that has permeated the country for many years now. “Parties in our country were always a way for us to release tension and break away from things,” he professes with pride. “Once you got onto the dance floor as a kid – and I’ve been going to parties since I was 15 years old - nothing can move you away. For me, it went even further; I went deeper into trance while syncing my mind, body and soul.” Indeed, he got into music originally from the inspiration provided by his brother, who was producing parties as far back as 1998. “When I had the chance to listen to this music – which at the time felt like a massive alien future sound of trance - I got hooked onto minimal trance. And since then, I’ve been collecting and producing music. But it was really my brother that started me on this evolution.”
news
jazz - basically what he terms “any good beat” – the Captain is kicking goals. In the studio, he also recounts some of the work he has on the go: “I’m working on a double remix album for all of my original releases so far,” he says. “This album will contain a wide range of electronic music such as glitch-hop, dubstep and techno-funk in the first CD; with more of a minimal, progressive, goa and psychedelic trance sound in the second. I hope that the album will give the listener an introduction to my musical world - as well as an opportunity to listen to remix works from fresh, new and old-time producers whom I love and respect.” The album is due around October this year on Iboga Records. Finally, he adds a few words about his forthcoming gigs in Australia. “I will be playing live at the Earthcore 20th Anniversary party which I’m really looking forward to. Right now, my setup is a laptop, a soundcard with multi-channels connecting the analog mixer, Kaoss Pad, Ableton Live with some edits, as well as Pioneer DJM 800/900/2000 for everything from analog FX to echo, reverb, filtering and pitching. The sound this time will be more tribal and less breaks. I would say more flowing, mature and deeper than what I used to play. It will also be my third trip to Australia so I can’t wait!”
it. I also produce techno under the name Sheff and have played under this project at a number of different festivals over the times. In the past, I have also had a project called Quantize and had a partner within it - D Addiction. Otherwise, I’m forming a band with Liquid Soul called Liquid Hook; as well as a band with Ace Ventura under the name Blockbusterz.” So with influences ranging from trance, techno, bass music, hip hop, metal, classic rock, swing,
Captain Hook plays at the Earthcore 20th Anniversary alongside Ace Ventura, Perfect Stranger and more, which takes place from Friday November 29 - Sunday December 1 at a yet to be disclosed location in country Victoria. facebook.com/reshefhook soundcloud.com/captain-hook
- head to beat.com.au for more
rogerseventytwo
off the record w it h
Musically, he has had his finger in a number of different pies over the years but admits that right now, Captain Hook is his major focus. “Yes, it is where my energy is going right now – I’m really liking the minimal tribal progressive trance music associated with
t yson
w ray
If a 15-year-old is to illegally dig into the Earth because he thinks there are diamonds underneath, does he get charged as a miner?
giveaway: earthcore After a five year hiatus, Earthcore is returning to celebrate its 20th anniversary. It all started in 1993 and the original crew are returning this year to put on an extravaganza that is set to epitomise the Earthcore philosophy. Featuring Ace Ventura, Captain Hook, Perfect Stranger, Angy Kore, Piatto, Astrix, Freedom Fighters, Sesto Sento, Coming Soon, Ghost Rider, Moshic, Polaris and a whole lot more, it goes down from Friday November 29 and ends Sunday December 1. We have a double pass to giveaway. Head to beat.com.au/freeshit to win.
triple j house party triple j is hitting the road and heading on a national tour with their eyes set on Melbourne. Bringing your favourite triple j tunes and mixing them with new club bangers and party jams is House Party presenter Nina Las Vegas. With her she is taking along Flight Facilities, Cassian, Tyler Touché and Wave Racer. It goes down at The Hi-Fi on Saturday September 7.
Rogerseventytwo is returning to our shores. Roger has been making waves with techno juggernaut TWR72 with his good friends, The Walk releasing club anthems like Future Tool. From gaining support by the biggest producers in the scene, including Erol Alkan, Brodinski and Diplo. His sets contain a gargantuan amount of energy with his ability to weave in and out of techno, house and club bangers keeping crowds excited to see what he’s going to do next. Head down to Brown Alley on Saturday October 5 to catch Roger doing his thing.
international dancers workshop The unstoppable dancing force’s of Laurieann Gibson, Dave Scott and Gil Duldulao are heading to Australia to teach us all how to move. If you don’t know their names though, you’ll definitely know their signature talents. Together they’ve become globally renowned Creative Directors. Choreographers, Producers, recognised for moulding stars such as Lady Gaga, Janet Jackson, Katy Perry, Beyonce, Nicki Minaj and even Michael Jackson. They’ve become close friends as choreographers on the hit series So You Think You Can Dance, and have produced, directed, moulded the scenes in films You Got Served, Step Up 2: The Streets, Honey and Step Up 3D. Now in the largest dancer’s workshop to hit Australian shores, Laurieann, Dave and Gil are coming to intimately teach aspiring dancers in a series of beginner, intermediate and advanced classes. The International Dancers Workshops invites those of any age to come and learn the secrets of these masters of this trade. It hits Melbourne on Saturday October 19 and Sunday October 20. Head to internationaldancersworkshop.com.au for more information.
r.a. the rugged man R.A The Rugged Man is heading down to Melbourne. Few artists are ever as controversial as they are influential yet R.A. The Rugged Man seems to achieve this with seamless ease. By combining the authenticity and harsh realities of his life with lyrical genius he is feared by nearly all of his hip hop peers. His on and off stage behaviour has led him to be banned from performing in the United States and his career almost being cut short. With the tenacity that has come from his ever testing path through life, R.A has managed to get back on his feet and resurrect what is turning into a whirlwind career. From collaborations with Wu-Tang and Mobb Deep to The Notorious B.I.G. and Kool G Rap, not to mention productions from Erick Sermon, DJ Quik and The Alchemist, his discography reads like a Hip Hop Hall of Fame. Make sure to head down to the Espy on Thursday September 19.
tyree cooper New Guernica will host hip-house legend Tyree Cooper for the very first time in Australia. From his first 12” I Fear The Night to hits like Acid Over, Turn Up The Bass, Let’s Get Hyped and Let the Music Take Control, the late ‘80s were Tyree’s oyster. Forming the basis of classic Chicago house and hip-house, Cooper has continued to make waves in house music today. With the recent repressing of Nuthin’ Wrong on Mojuba becoming a modern day classic, as well as collaborations with Tom Trago, Marc Romboy and releases on Clone, We Play House, his own label Supa Dupa Records, amongst an impressive list of others, Tyree Cooper shows no signs of slowing down. Make sure to head down to New Guernica on Saturday August 31.
electronic - urban - club life
strawberry fields launch Strawberry Fields and Smalltown are coming together to present one of the biggest shows of the years with Kenny Larkin, Stimming and the highest calibre local DJs. Martin Stimming is the German born, classically trained purveyor of house unlike any other. DJ Krush and Grooverider provided his introduction to his leap into electronic music and since then he has steadily released remixes and releases. Everything he touches turns to audible gold and the future looks like it’s only going to get brighter. To most electronic music aficionados, Detroit native Kenny Larkin is a man who needs no introduction. Over 20 years he has created what is arguably some of the most timeless, soulful techno ever produced. Make sure you’re at Brown Alley on Friday September 20.
rüfüs Sydney indie-dance outfit RÜFÜS have announced a national tour as they get ready for the release of their debut album ATLAS this month. Following their own DIY tradition, the record was written, produced and recorded by the band between two self-built studios. One in a remote farmhouse on the NSW south coast and the second in a hollowed out water take under one of their parent’s houses. Catch a piece of the action at the Corner Hotel on Frdiay September 27.
terry francis UK tech house legend Terry Francis is returning to Melbourne. A resident of iconic London club Fabric since it opened its doors and a co-founder of the city’s infamous Wiggle parties that just celebrated their 19th birthday, the man is a living legend. His sleek mixture of techno and house has not only made him a renowned DJ but also has found him at the helm of solid production both as Housey Doingz (with Nathan Coles) and released under the monikers 2 Smoking Barrels, Blue Wig, Dattare, The Delinquents, G. L. F, Green Grass, Metal Dogz and T- Collective as well as productions under his own name. An unwitting ambassador of the tech-house scene he has been in constant demand as a touring DJ, supporting the works of likeminded producers in the process. Make sure to head down to OneSixOne on Friday September 13.
electronic - urban - club life
3
snaps in tribute: ajax
snaps in tribute: ajax
k al uz cbkayr c o q
k akza zbba ar r
timmy trumpet wo rd s / to m k i t s o n
workshop
first floor
Bringing live instrumentation to his DJ sets is what Timmy Trumpet is all about. He’s toured the world as a jazz musician, played the likes of Ibiza and is making waves in the US while having developed his own brand in a short space of time. Timmy Trumpet says it was a chance meeting with some fellow DJs and the demise of the jazz club scene that got him into electro house and dance music. “I couldn’t cut it in the jazz world,” he says. “I was a jazz musician and tried as hard as I could, but it’s just too difficult these days with all the jazz clubs I used to play at closing down.” As a youngster he fell in with UK label Hed Kandi and played alongside Bob Sinclair and Martin Solveig, bringing the trumpet behind the decks and fuelling his new love for dance music. Coming back to Australia, he met two up and coming DJs who asked him if he wanted to play with them. “It was at a gig in Wollongong of all places where I met The Stafford Brothers, and they invited to me to play with them because their usual player was sick or something,” he says. “The gig was actually the festival Summafieldayze, and we played the main stage having never rehearsed together, and it just worked out.” This new beginning for the former high school trumpet tutor led to opportunities to mix Ministry of Sound compilations, play Pacha Ibiza and release his own singles. He has a collaboration in the works with Aussie rapper 360, and also wants to make the most of the US market with The Stafford Brothers now residing there. “I’ve got a US visa and am working with the Stafford’s who are kind of setting it up for me over there, which is great,” he says. “To really break through there I would have to live there, which they do, and their track Hello with Lil Wayne out now is doing really well.”
When he can find the time to listen, music in general is his sole inspiration and he says he loves to play what’s new, breaking down musical boundaries in the process. “I’m loving Spofity and listening to music through that, and although I don’t write any of it, I’m really getting into trap music,” he says. “I’m impressed by Flume, and I’ve always loved the Melbourne sound and Will Sparks as well.” The significance of the instrument he plays to his sound and the career he’s forged for himself is something he hasn’t forgotten. “I’ve always looked at myself as a trumpet player and not a DJ,” he says. “I’ve been playing trumpet since I was four years old, and I did trumpet tutoring through high school and jazz band world tours when I was young. The trumpet for me is everything. “I play trumpet about 50 per cent of the time in my sets,” he says. “I do that because it’s not about me, it’s about the music that I’m playing.”
Timmy Trumpet’s latest release Ministry of Sound Sessions Ten is out now. He’ll hit Billboard on Saturday August 31.
strike facebook.com/timmytrumpet soundcloud.com/timmytrumpet
bimbos
scenic
word s / a la s d a i r d u n c a n Youthful Perth four-piece Scenic make dreamy disco and house sounds, and their newest EP, Shockwaves, sees them step out from behind their computers and push their music into a warm, beautiful live instrumentation. Shockwaves is out very soon – how are you guys feeling? Adam Tucker: Really good, it’s our first release in a year, so we’re excited to get some new music out and see how people react to it, really. Writing and recording it was quite a long process. We finished the songs about six months ago, and it took about nine months before that to write the songs. We wrote quite a lot more, but then narrowed it down to the four. Eric Harrison: A lot of the time was spent learning how to record properly. Our previous releases were very software-oriented – we didn’t have any analogue or hard instruments. We recorded guitar and drums and bass this time around, and it takes the sound to a new level. Now you’ve done it once, do you reckon you’re more confident about doing it again in the future? AT: Definitely. The next one’s going to come a lot faster – we’ve been through the whole process of learning and experimenting with recording instruments, and now we’ve done it, we’ll be able to do it more efficiently in the future. Scenic make loose, dreamy electronic tracks – I’m wondering, do you jam a lot in the early stages of song writing? AT: Initially, maybe – we hash out bass lines and drum beats and chords. The songs come together through more of an electronic process. We spend a lot of time layering and processing the sounds, and seeing what parts work together. EH: We might start with a chord progression or a particular bass line, then work on a chorus, and then try and fit the two together. It’s more of an electronic, producer-centred process, where we layer sounds on top of each other.
You guys released a single on Joakim’s label, and listening to a track like Hours On End, you can hear a bit of his influence – are you big fans of his? AT: We’ve always liked his production style, and we love his early remix work. EH: We love the music that he releases on the Tigersushi label. I guess it’s just that layered sound, the idea of an intro where the drum and bass sounds slowly start to come in. We really like that structure. You are Perth-based – what’s it like for a young band there? AT: It’s so isolated that you end up looking at what’s happening in the rest of the world, in France and the UK and even in Sydney, and bringing those influences back to Perth. It’s tough being in a band here, because there are only so many venues here and so many gigs you can play. Would you consider relocating to Melbourne or Sydney? AT: I think for now we’re pretty happy in Perth. We’re slowly expanding our horizons, and we may move at some point, but not yet. Will you guys be touring the EP? AT: Hopefully we will at the end of the year. We try and keep the live stuff as live as possible, considering that the songs are quite electronic. We have live bass and drums. The live show is more jammy, I would say. EH: We have the four songs on the EP, and to fill out the rest of the 45 minutes, we play long intros and outros, we really expand on the songs. Our previous releases are quite different, in terms of their sound and how they were made, so instead of incorporating them into the live show, we’re really working on just the new stuff.
Shockwaves is out on Friday August 9 through Future Classic.
facebook.com/scenicband
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electronic - urban - club life
electronic - urban - club life
5
club guide Wednesday August 7
COQ ROQ - FEAT: AGENT 86 + DJS LADY NOIR + JOYBOT + KITI + MR THOM Lucky Coq, Windsor. 7:00pm. HOODRAPZ - FEAT: WEDNESDAY Workshop, Melbourne. 7:00pm. MO’ SOUL - FEAT: DJ VINCE PEACH Ding Dong Lounge, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. NEW GUERNICA WEDNESDAYS New Guernica, Melbourne Cbd. 7:00pm. THE DINNER SET Revolver Upstairs, Prahran. 6:00pm.
Thursday August 8
3181 THURSDAYS - FEAT: HANS DC + JAKE JUDD + NIKKI SARAFIAN + HEY SAM + JESSE YOUNG + JOHN DOE + SEAN RAULT Revolver Upstairs, Prahran. 5:00pm. BANG N MASH Word Events Warehouse & Lounge, Melbourne. 8:00pm. BILLBOARD THURSDAYS - FEAT: MATT DEAN + MATTY GRANT + PHIL ROSS Billboard, Melbourne Cbd. 10:00pm. $10. CHI BEATS - FEAT: VARIOUS DJS Chi Lounge, Melbourne Cbd. 9:00pm. CQ SESSIONS - FEAT: VARIOUS DJS Cq, Melbourne. 8:00pm. DO DROP IN - FEAT: DJ KITI + DJ LADY NOIR The Carlton Hotel, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. FREE RANGE FUNK - FEAT: AGENT 86 + LEWIS CANCUT + WHO Lucky Coq, Windsor. 6:00pm. GOOD EVENING - FEAT: DJ PEOPLE Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 7:00pm. GRAD PARTY THURSDAYS - FEAT: DJ ROWIE European Bier Cafe, Melbourne Cbd. 5:00pm. LE DISCO TECH Pretty Please, St Kilda. 8:00pm. LOVE STORY Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 8:30pm. MIDNIGHT EXPRESS - FEAT: DJS PREQUEL & EDD FISHER Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 11:00pm. MOOD - FEAT: NUBODY Loop, Melbourne Cbd. 9:00pm. RADIONICA Workshop, Melbourne. 7:00pm. RARE CANDY The Carlton Hotel, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. THE RITZ THURSDAYS - FEAT: CAUC-ASIAN DJ’S + JOSHUA GILILAND + KEN WALKER + LUCILLE CROFT + CARRICK DALTON & SAM COHEN + ED WILKS + MAX KRUSE + TIM LIGHT + ZACK ROSE Trak Lounge Bar, Toorak. 8:00pm. $20. TIGER FUNK LIVE - FEAT: DJ MOONSHINE Bimbo Deluxe, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. VARSITY Bimbo Deluxe, Fitzroy. 8:00pm.
Friday August 9
Application forms available at Police Stations
ANYTIME Workshop, Melbourne. 8:30pm. BADABOOM FRIDAYS - FEAT: DJ ROWIE European Bier Cafe, Melbourne Cbd. 4:00pm. CANT SAY Platform One, Melbourne Cbd. 7:30pm. $10. CHI FRIDAYS Chi Lounge, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. CQ FRIDAYS Cq, Melbourne. 8:00pm. DEE VUKI The Wharf Hotel, Melbourne. 6:30pm. DISCOTHEQUE - FEAT: ELANA MUSTO + GREG SARA + SCOTT T Match Bar & Grill, Melbourne Cbd. 7:00pm. FEEL GOOD FRIDAYS - FEAT: BOBBY LOVE + CARGO + DJ REG-E + ESG + JAYSIN + PUPPET + RAJ K + SANKA + SHAGGZ The Motel, South Melbourne. 7:00pm. FUSION FRIDAY Fusion, Southbank. 10:00pm. I LOVE OLD SCHOOL - FEAT: SHAGGZ & PUPPET + DJ TEY + MERV MAC Red Bennies, South Yarra. 10:00pm. $10. LA DANSE MACABRE - FEAT: DJ TROPHY WIVES Rainbow Hotel, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. LATIN QUARTER Trak Lounge Bar, Toorak. 8:00pm. MASHTAG - FEAT: MALPRACTICE / AGENT 86 / BENZO / MUGEN / LEWIS CANCUT AND OLLIE Bimbo Deluxe, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. MEET YOUR MATES FRIDAYS Libation, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. PANORAMA - FEAT: DJS MATT RAD + MR GEORGE + PHATO A MANO Lucky Coq, Windsor. 8:00pm. POPROCKS - FEAT: DR PHIL SMITH Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. REVOLVER FRIDAYS - FEAT: DJ LEWIE DAY + DJ MIKE CALLANDER + DJ ALEX THOMAS + DJ KATIE DROVER + DJ WHO Revolver Upstairs, Prahran. 6:00pm. SHUFFLE FRIDAY NIGHTS Bridie O’reilly’s Brunswick, Brunswick. 10:00pm. THE FOX FRIDAYS - FEAT: VARIOUS DJS Fox Hotel, Collingwood. 7:00pm.
Saturday August 10
BILLBOARD SATURDAYS - FEAT: FRAZER ADNAM SCOTT MCMAHON + JAMIE VLAHOS + MR MAGOO + ZIGGY Billboard, Melbourne Cbd. 9:00pm. $15. BO PEEP’S FUN HOUSE - FEAT: BTWO + IMPACT + KITI + MOONSHINE + OOHEE + PAZ + SMILE ON + ZANNA First Floor, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. CLUB FICTION - FEAT: KITTY ROCK & THE BAD LADIES Red Bennies, South Yarra. 10:00pm. DJ YMCMR The Wharf Hotel, Melbourne. 8:30pm. FIRST FLOOR SATURDAYS - FEAT: BILLY HOYLE + DJS DUCHESZ + MZRIZK + WASABI First Floor, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. GLITCH THIS - FEAT: SATURDAY Workshop, Melbourne. 7:00pm. HOT STEP Bimbo Deluxe, Fitzroy. 7:00pm. LAB 22 Palace Theatre, Melbourne Cbd. 10:00pm. MIXED DRINKS SATURDAYS Libation, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. MOTEL SATURDAYS The Motel, South Melbourne. 8:00pm. NEW GUERNICA SATURDAYS New Guernica, Melbourne Cbd. 7:00pm. POISON APPLE - FEAT: DJ MATT WATKINS Prince Bandroom, St Kilda. 7:00pm. SATURDAYS - FEAT: ACTION SAM + DJ ROWIE European Bier Cafe, Melbourne Cbd. 7:00pm. SATURDAYS AT ONE TWENTY BAR - FEAT: VARIOUS DJS One Twenty Bar, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. SOUND EMPIRE - FEAT: DJ TATE STRAUSS + DJ JOE SOFO + DJ MATTY + DJ MISS SARAH + DJ PHIL ROSS Fusion, Southbank. 9:30pm. $25. STAR SATURDAYS - FEAT: VARIOUS DJS Star Bar, South Melbourne. 8:00pm. STRUT SATURDAYS PRESENTS - FEAT: TIMOMATIC + COLLECTIVE Trak Lounge Bar, Toorak. 8:00pm. $22. SUNDAY NIGHTS - FEAT: DJ DAMION DE SILVA + DJ JAY J + DJ KEN WALKER + DJ LIGHTING Co., Southbank. 8:30pm. SUPER GRANDE Lounge, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. TEMPERANCE SATURDAYS - FEAT: DJ MARCUS KNIGHT + DJ XANDER JAMES Temperance Hotel, South Yarra. 8:00pm. TEXTILE Lucky Coq, Windsor. 6:00pm. THE FOX SATURDAYS Fox Hotel, Collingwood. 7:00pm. THE HOUSE DEFROST - FEAT: DJ ANDEE FROST Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 11:00pm. THE LATE SHOW - FEAT: MAT CANT + RANSOM + TOO MUCH + BOOGS + CONGO TARDIS #1 + DANIELSAN + MR MOONSHINE Revolver Upstairs, Prahran. 6:00pm.
Sunday August 11
EARLY BIRD - FEAT: AWESOME WALES + DYLAN B + GEZADIN + SLEEP D + TIMMY G Lounge, Melbourne Cbd. 2:00am. MASHTAG - FEAT: VARIOUS DJS Bimbo Deluxe, Fitzroy. 7:30pm. NEW GUERNICA SUNDAYS New Guernica, Melbourne Cbd. 9:00pm. REHAB RECOVERY - FEAT: ANGUS GREEN + FA + HYDRAULIX + KURK KOKANE + LASER FERRARI + LICKWEED + MONKEE + SNAREOPHOBE + WYLDCARD Rubix Warehouse, Brunswick. 12:00pm. REVOLVER SUNDAYS - FEAT: DJ BOOGS + DJ SPACEY SPACE + DJ RADIATOR + DJ SILVERSIX + DJ T-REK Revolver Upstairs, Prahran. 6:30pm. SOUTH SIDE HUSTLE - FEAT: VARIOUS DJS Lucky Coq, Windsor. 8:30pm. THE SUNDAE SHAKE - FEAT: AGENT 86 + TIGERFUNK Bimbo Deluxe, Fitzroy. 6:00pm. THE SUNDAY SET - FEAT: DJS ANDYBLACK + HAGGIS Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 4:00pm.
Monday August 12
IBIMBO - FEAT: LADY NOIR & KITI Bimbo Deluxe, Fitzroy. 6:00pm. KOOL AID - FEAT: DJ MU-GEN Laundry Bar, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. STIFF DRINK - FEAT: DJ MICHAEL KUCYK + DJ MICHAEL OZONE + DJ ROMAN WAFERS Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. TWERKERS CLUB - FEAT: DJ FLETCH Workers Club, Fitzroy. 7:00pm.
Tuesday August 13
COSMIC PIZZA Lucky Coq, Windsor. 8:00pm. CURIOUS TALES Bimbo Deluxe, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. DJ JAGUAR E55, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. IBIMBO - FEAT: LADY NOIR & KITI Bimbo Deluxe, Fitzroy. 6:00pm. NEVER CHEER BEFORE YOU KNOW WHO’S WINNING FEAT: REPETER FONDA Revolver Upstairs, Prahran. 7:00pm.
beats recommends:
function and pangaea
Call 1300 304 614 or 03 9614 3441
One of techno’s true underground heroes, Function has been DJing and making music for over 15 years. After being seduced by techno by Jeff Mills in the early 90s, Function started producing music from the mid-90s onwards. In 2008 he moved to Berlin, working with Regis and Silent Servant, putting his focus into the acclaimed Sandwell District Imprint. Layered club tracks with soaring string-led atmospheric build ups and complex melodic pieces is Function’s signature style. Kevin McAuley aka Pangaea began making music with a two-track mixer, a keyboard and a tape deck as a schoolboy. Discovering dubstep through the sounds of Mala in the backroom of a Leeds club in 2005, Kevin was inspired to start the city’s first dubstep night, Ruffage, and launched himself into the studio. He’s built a burgeoning reputation as a true pioneer behind the decks supported by the likes of Mary Anne Hobbs who described his recent mix for BBC Radio 1 as “texturally one of the most exquisite mixes of the year”. Pangaea’s sound however is difficult to tie down. While there are distinct house and techno influences his music is firmly rooted in the traditions of UK bass as are his DJ sets. It’s all happening at Brown Alley on Friday August 9.
www.keypass.com.au 6
electronic - urban - club life
urban club guide snaps rhythm-al-ism at eden
wednesday august 7 Compression Session - Feat: Cassawarrior + Dd + Ricka E55, Melbourne Cbd. 9:00pm. Soul Ensemble Lounge, Melbourne Cbd. 10:00pm.
thursday august 8 Pennies Laundry Bar, Fitzroy. 9:30pm. $6.
friday august 9 Chaise Fridays - Feat: Soulclap + DJ Claz + DJ Dirx + DJ Peril + DJ Sef Chaise Lounge, Melbourne Cbd. 4:30pm. Crew Love - Feat: DJ Tony Sunshine Sub Lounge, Melbourne Cbd. 11:00pm. $15. DJ Thaddeus Doe The B.east, Brunswick East. 9:00pm. Faktory Khokolat Bar, Melbourne. 2:55pm. Faktory - Feat: DJ Damion De Silva + DJ Durmy + DJ K Dee + DJ Yaths Khokolat Bar, Melbourne. 9:30pm. Get Lit Lounge, Melbourne Cbd. 10:00pm. Like Fridays - Feat: Broz + Dir-X + DJs Dinesh + Nyd + Sef + Shaggz + Shaun D La Di Da, Melbourne. 8:00pm. Rnb Superclub - Feat: Young Men Society Rnb Superclub, Southbank. 8:00pm. Studio Chasers, South Yarra. 8:00pm. $20. Sweet Nothing Fridays - Feat: DJ Marcus Knight + DJ Xander
James Temperance Hotel, South Yarra. 9:00pm.
saturday august 10 Chaise Lounge Saturdays - Feat: DJ Andy Pala + DJ Kah Lua Chaise Lounge, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. Cheap Sober + Maggot Mouf & Gutz + Pete Mc + Planz The Hi-fi, Melbourne. 8:00pm. $26. Laundry Saturdays Laundry Bar, Fitzroy. 9:30pm. Saturday Nights - Feat: DJ Damion De Silva + Dj Jay Sin + DJ K Dee Khokolat Bar, Melbourne. 9:30pm. The Dojo Order Of Melbourne, Melbourne Cbd. 11:00pm. The High Society Rainbow Hotel, Fitzroy. 9:00pm.
snaps khokolat koated
sunday august 11 Joelistics + DJ Mu-Gen + Manchild + Polo Club Espy, St Kilda. 9:00pm.
monday august 12 Freedom Pass - Feat: Phil Ross + B-Boogie + Chris Mac + Dozza Co., Southbank. 10:30pm. Hip Hop Open Mic First Floor, Fitzroy. 8:00pm.
tuesday august 13 Can I Kick It? Lounge, Melbourne Cbd. 10:00pm.
be. at co.
faktory
electronic - urban - club life
7
INDUSTRIAL STRENGTH MUSIC INDUSTRY NEWS & GOSSIP
with Christie Eliezer * Stuff for this column to be emailed to <celiezer@netspace.net.au> by Friday 5pm BEAT PRIZE PART OF 2013 DAREBIN SONGWRITERS AWARD An ad in Beat is one of the prizes offered for the 2013 Darebin Music Feast Songwriters’ Award. It is open to any songwriter living or working in the Darebin area, with 100 writers usually entering. Past winners include Jordie Lane, Sal Kimber, Ben Mason, E’Wah Lady and Falloe. This year’s prizes include $2,000 cash from APRA, studio time at Head Gap Studios, mastering at Indie Masters, duplication services thanks to Implant Media, $200 Guitar World Voucher and Face the Music Conference tickets. Deadline is 5 pm, Wednesday August 21. Judges are Jen Cloher, Peter Farnan and Tristan Goodall (The Audreys). Ten finalists will perform at the free Songwriters’ Award Grand Final concert on Sunday September 29 at 3pm at the Northcote Town Hall, hosted by writer, musician & broadcaster Ben Birchall. The 2012 winner Richard Jeffery and 2007 winner Sal Kimber will make guest appearances. See beat.com.au for more details.
LAUNCHING PAD #1: BONEY RISES FROM THE PONY Boney (ex-Pony) is a new late night venue from the team behind Cookie, The Toff In Town and Revolver Upstairs. See boney.net.au. Located at 68 Little Collins St, Boney will feature live music seven nights a week with DJs and bands. The venue also has a new kitchen serving up lunch and dinner (midday to midnight) with a menu designed by chef Karen Batson (Cookie, Choo Choo’s, Colonel Tan’s). For bookings contact emily@boney.net.au and luke@boney.net.au.
LAUNCHING PAD #2: CONTROL SETS UP RECON
REMOTE
Remote Control launched a new marketing and publicity arm called Recon Music. Its services include album, EP & single promotion; tour, festival and special event publicity and music servicing across online, radio, print and TV media. Specialist services include mailing list management, international blog servicing and client-personalised marketing support. The Remote Control PR team is involved but the main contacts are Marketing & Promotions Manager Lorrae McKenna and Publicity & Promotions Manager Adam Christou on adam@reconmusic.com.au.
LAUNCHING PAD #3: DIGITAL DANCE STATION Last Thursday the 2SM Super Radio Network launched a new DAB+ channel called Dance Super Digi on dancesuperdigi.com. It joins the network’s Gorilla and Zoo. Dance will focus on dance anthems from the ‘80s, ‘90s and early ‘00s while Gorilla will shift its playlist to entirely current dance tracks.
HOAX OF THE WEEK
David Guetta dismisses the story on dance sites that he was forced to flee a Paris stage after he hit the play button accidentally on the personal self-help CD he uses to treat his chorophobia – the irrational fear of dancing. He says the story emerged during voting for a DJ magazine poll because haters were trying to pull him down. “I wonder why each year at the moment of the DJ Mag vote, there is always a fake story on me playing a pre recorded set. Is it by accident?” A supposed link to a video of his hasty exit goes to a blank page
LIVE MUSIC AHOY! PETITION FOR WIRELESS AUDIO COMPENSATION When Australia moves to digital TV at the end of next year around 80% of the wireless audio devices (mics, etc) currently in use will have to be scrapped because the spectrum they operate in has already been sold to Optus and Telstra (or is for sale). The Government is not offering any compensation, nor has it warned that anyone who uses their wireless audio gear after the end of 2014 will be operating illegally. Ian Harvey, Executive Director of The Australian Wireless Audio Group (AWAG), which has been speaking to the Government for the past six years, estimates that Australians will have to replace $250 million worth of perfectly good gear. This is not just an issue for musicians and the live music sector. Wireless audio is also used in schools, churches, fitness centres, meetings and conventions and news gathering. The Australian Wireless Audio Group (AWAG), which has been speaking to authorities for six years, has launched a petition at wirelessaudioaustralia.org.
DMX FILES FOR BANKRUPTCY
Rapper DMX has filed for bankruptcy with debts of up to $10 million and only $50,000 in assets. This includes $1.24 million owed in child support and $21,000 on an auto lease. His publicist blamed his woes on “poor financial management by prior representation”. DMX had his passport seized because of these troubles, but applying for bankruptcy means he gets it back to tour.
GEELONG GM LEAVING RADIO After 16 years in radio, four and a half of those as General Manager of K-Rock and Bay FM in Geelong, Dean Anglin quit to become the CEO at Basketball Geelong from the end of September. Beat Magazine Page 38
THINGS WE HEAR * After the announcement of the Big Day Out 2014 bill, promoter Ken West ‘fessed to The Daily Telegraph he’d been chasing Blur for 15 years. The British band was initially reluctant as Damon Albarn earmarked 2014 for solo stuff. Pearl Jam agreed to headline on the proviso that mates Mudhoney and Cosmic Psychos be included. West was OK with that: when Mudhoney toured BDO in 1993, singer Mark Arm nicked his mobile phone and wracked up $200 worth of calls, which he good naturedly says he’s getting back. * Pete Murray is opening his own restaurant and bar in Byron Bay – called Frankie Brown Café, after his dog – this week. Aside from some fine food and wine, it will showcase sets from local folkies, and the occasional one from the boss himself. It’s at 32 Lawson Street which was a Mexican restaurant. * After lobbying from music fans (6,000 signed a petition), the City Of Melbourne voted unanimously to name on of its many unnamed lanes after the late Chrissy Amphlett. * The Art Music Awards on Monday August 26 cover only contemporary classical, jazz and experimental music. But Paul Kelly is a finalist, for Conversations With Ghosts, his collaboration with Perth classical pianist James Ledger. (See beat.com.au for full details). * The Models are back in action, with new material and reissues on their way. The lineup of Sean Kelly, Andrew Duffield, Barton Price and Mark Ferri play two shows in Melbourne at the Ding Dong Lounge Friday September 20 and Saturday September 21. * YouTube is estimated to be worth between $15.6 and $21.3 billion. * 30 Seconds To Mars’ offer for fans to appear in the Do Or Die video if they get the lyrics tattooed on them has been slammed as “irresponsible”. * Mumford & Sons are working at launching their own brand of whisky. * Everybody’s a critic. A Cairns karaoke house party came to an abrupt end when a man, irritated by the choice of songs and the vocal skills of the guests, walked in and smashed the machine with a shovel. Police are investigating. * Editor change at Beat’s Sydney sister publication The Brag. Chris Martin takes over from Nick Jarvis who becomes Australian editor of dance music site inthemix. Apart from being a regular contributor to The Brag for the last two years, Martin worked in newsroom and social media roles overseas, covering music and the occasional sports event in South East Asia. * The NSW state government is working on laws to crack down on scalping. These would allow promoters to enforce terms and conditions on tickets, and enable them to stop people who bought scalped tickets from entering or staying at the event. They can also cap the amount that tickets can be re-sold. The NSW move comes with the entry of Swedish online ticket exchange service via gogo which lists tickets for P!nk and Beyonce as well as major sporting grand finals at a high mark-up.
NEW SIGNING #1: JASON SINGH SIGNS WITH AMBITION
Former Taxiride singer and songwriter Jason Singh has signed with Ambition Records/EMI and will release his debut album Humannequin in September. It was produced by Charles Fisher (Savage Garden, Hoodoo Gurus, 1927) who has moved back to Melbourne after a lengthy stay in Los Angeles. Ambition Records is run by Robert Rigby, who was managing director of WEA Records when Taxiride were signed to Warner Music and notched up three Top 10 singles including ‘Get Set’. Ambition had two Top 10 albums this year with Russell Morris and Renee Geyer and recently signed Wendy Matthews. More details of the signing at beat.com.au.
GABRIELLA CILMI GOES INDEPENDENT FOR THIRD ALBUM
Melbourne born London-based Gabriella Cilmi is releasing her third album The Sting independently in the UK in October. She signed with Absolute Marketing & Distribution, it announced on its website. Cilmi who had a smash hit in 2008 with the sassy ‘Sweet About Me’ (Top 10 in 12 countries and sold two million) was previously with Island Records in the UK, which she says tried to “sexualise” her image. The Absolute deal is through her London-based label Sweetness Tunes. Mark Dowling, Absolute’s marketing director said: “The album’s sound and imagery ooze class and style enabling us to structure a very broad campaign around the album and we can’t wait to get started.”
NEW SIGNINGS #3: BLOODS GET A SHOCK
Shock Records signed Sydney garage-punk-pop trio Bloods. Their current single Back To You topped AirIt for two weeks and #40 on Channel V’s top 50 songs of 2013 So Far. The act counts Cat Power, Unknown Mortal Orchestra and Kate Nash amongst their fans, says Shock. New single ‘Into My Arms’, also from forthcoming six-track debut EP Golden Fang, is out on August 16. The band hits the East Coast on its first headlining run joined by Major Leagues and The Fabergettes.
RADIOTHONS #1: LIGHTFM RAISES OVER $800K Radio LightFM in Melbourne raised $823,176 during its Create Belief End of Financial Year Appeal. It will help the station stay on-air and upgrade its equipment. CEO of LightMelbourne, Jarrod Graetz, said, “In a difficult financial climate LightFM and LightDigital supporters have shown just how much the station means to them and have rallied together to ensure we are able to continue positively impacting the people of Melbourne.”
RADIOTHONS #2: MORE PRIZES FOR 3RRR APPEAL 3RRR has got some awesome prizes for its annual Radiothon, which kicks off this Friday August 9 until Sunday August 18. These include a food adventure for two to Mexico including airfares from Intrepid Travel, four tickets to Meredith Music, a Cinema Nova Gold Pass for 12 months and A collection of a year’s worth of Triple R’s Albums of the Week. See their website for full list. A standard sub is $75 per year, or $1.44 per week.
WANNA PERFORM AT WHITE NIGHT? Artists, performers and organisations who want to participate in the second White Night can register their interest at whitenightmelbourne.com.au. White Night will stage on Saturday February 22 through a number of cultural venues. Last year’s event drew 300,000, said Minister for Tourism and Major Events Louise Asher. More info on its website. An initiative of the Victorian Coalition Government, it won a special award at the recent Helpmann Awards.
TECH COMPANIES, LABELS, QUIET ON “PRICE GOUGING” FNDINGS Tech companies, major record labels and other content owners went to ground in the wake of a damning report by the House of Representatives Infrastructure and Communications Committee. After a 12-month investigation, it declared Orstrailians were paying 50% to 100% more in some cases than consumers abroad, and that iTunes Australian customers paid 67% in some instances than their US counterparts. The Committee rejected the companies’ explanation that prices were high because the country is physically large and the population small (cynically known as “the Australian Tax”). The 146-page report recommended, among other things, that Australians should find legal ways to circumvent geo-blocking (which is erecting barriers between geographical markets so different prices can be applied, and stops Australians from buying online from abroad and remain stuck with high prices). It accepted that the Government could not decide IT prices but it could relax laws on parallel importing so cheaper imports could provide competition. The Committee’s Chair Nick Champion also severely pointed out that the tech and music companies had not been cooperative.
CHINA SILENCING TV SINGING CONTESTS … Sick and tired of all TV singing shows like X Factor and Australia Got Talent? You’re not the only ones. Media regulators are cracking down on the number of such shows being made in China, Billboard reveals. The country has no less than seven of ‘em, including The Voice Of China, Chinese Idol and the localised The X Factor. The seven are allowed to continue but have to tone down their “dramatic endings.” Three shows which were to begin production, including one called China’s Red Songs Contest of revolutionary fervour toe-tappers, have been axed. Two more had their launches postponed.
…WHILE ‘SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE’ RETURNS After a four year hiatus, Ten Network is bringing So You Think You Can Dance back in 2014, to be produced by Shine Australia. The US version, on which the Australian offering was based, is in its tenth year. The Australia version started in 2008 with 1.8 million viewers per episode but dropped to 1.279 million the year after.
VICTORIAN GOVERNMENT HELPS FUND TV SERIES AROUND ABORIGINAL RADIO Coming up on our small screens is a new comedy based around Alice Springs’ 8MMM Aboriginal Radio, made by Brindle Films. Last week it received a grant towards production costs from the Vic Government, through Film Victoria, in addition to $40,000 it got from Territory Screen. The Vic Government has provided $3.2 million in funding from eight screen projects. Minister for Innovation, Services and Small Business Louise Asher said, “Our support for local screen production brings significant economic benefits to the industry and the state, as well as many small businesses and, in this instance, regional communities. Since December 2010, the Coalition Government has supported 99 film and television projects, generating around $380 million in production expenditure for Victoria.”
WATCH INTERVIEWS, CHATS & AWKWARD SILENCES..... WWW.BEAT.COM.AU/TV
LIFELINES Engaged: Danny Jones of McFly and Georgina Horsley, whom he started dating in 2009 after he split from one time Miss England, Laura Coleman. He’s the third member of the band to take the step. Split: The Strokes’ Fabrizio Moretti and actress comedian Kristen Wiig (Bridesmaids, Saturday Night Live) after an 18-month relationship. Recovered: Aussie bound Nile Rodgers, of Chic and Daft Punk fame, has been given the all-clear after being diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2010. Recovered: Panic! At The Disco drummer Spencer Smith admitted he’s beaten his four and a half year addiction to alcohol and pill addiction. Injured: Killswitch Engage drummer Justin Foley broke his collarbone in a bicycle accident and the band has recruited As I Lay Dying drummer Jordan Mancino to fill in for him on their upcoming tours of Europe and Asia. Injured: Bernard Sumner of New Order fractured his leg but continues their US tour “although I am in pain and physically unable to give it my all.” Arrested: a 21-year-old allegedly carrying 102 MDMA tablets and 0.5 grams of MDMA powder into Splendour In The Grass faces court next month. In Court: Rihanna won a UK High Court battle with British brand Topshop over T-shirts bearing her image. The judge agreed customers would assume she endorsed their sale. Died: John Casablancas, a key figure in global modelling and father of the Strokes’ Julian, aged 70. He founded Elite Model Management agency in 1972, which grossed $100 million a year and launched the “supermodels” era. Died: British music journo (NME) and Deviants singer, Mick Farren, 69, after collapsing onstage during a London show. He also wrote lyrics for Hawkind and Motorhead and wrote 23 novels.
THE COUNT WITH... TANK DILEMMA
Ten bands everyone should know about: XTC, Little Feat, Los Lobos, Dixie Dregs, Elizabeth Geyer, Fleet Foxes, Yes, Sweet Jean, Midnight Oil, Bucks Fizz Nine food items that you need to make a kickarse dinner party: Blue vein cheese, sundried tomatoes, herb bread, guacamole, oysters, spicy chilli prawns, pad thai, fresh veg from neighbour’s garden, frog in a pond. Eight possessions that define you: DVD hard disc recorders (x2), countless music docs, upright piano (+various keyboards), Falcon s-wagons or other gear-moving-vehicles, dodgy lighting cans, slightly overwhelming archive of band pics, articles, posters, low-fashion after-gig trackkies, A unit not far from beach and cemetery. Seven favourite movies/TV shows that go on your mix-tape: Larry Sanders Show, Pulling, Micallef Program, The Checkou, Frontline, Northern Exposure, Play Misty for Me. Six bad habits you can’t escape: Late, late nights, out of control gig bag, newspapers, the edge of a deadline, optimistically choosing hand-basket at supermarket, breaking out into Roger Voudouris mid-set Five people who inspire you: Don Walker, Vince Jones, Jim Moginie, Stevie Wonder, Broderick Smith Four things that turn you on: Autumn, Original gigs, Test Cricke, Love Comes Back to Me by Vince Jones Three goals for your music: To write and record more of it, for it to be heard, to keep me out of a 9-5. Two live gigs you’ll never forget and why: 1. The Break, Good Friday 2010. Drove 4 hours from Warrnambool to San Remo for their first Vic show, crowd of 50. Head blown by surf/rock blitz. Then they hung out. 2. Van Morrison and Georgie Fame big band, Greek Theatre San Francisco. Because, it was Van and Georgie, I was 19, and in San Francisco. One day left before the apocalypse and you…: hit the couch and watch the 75, 77, 96 and 99 Grand Finals with the cat. Then a binge of Old Countdowns. And some Alan Partridge. Break it up with a few beach walks. When’s the gig / release? Saturday August 10 Lomond, Sunday August 11 Old Hepburn, Saturday August 17 Port Fairy, Sunday August 18 Hotel W’bool, Friday August 30 Post Office Hotel. New album Having Said That, Let Me Say This. tankdilemma. bandcamp.com
BEAT’S 2013 OPEN DAY SPECIAL AFTRS
AIM (AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF MUSIC)
OPEN DAY: Saturday September 7& Sunday September 8 10am – 3pm Building 130, The Entertainment Quarter, Moore Park NSW 2021 1300 13 14 61 open@aftrs.edu.au www.aftrs.edu.au/opendays
OPEN DAY: Wednesday 28 August, Intercontinental Hotel, Melbourne. 120 King street, Melbourne. 1300 301 983 enquiries@aim.edu.au www.aim.edu.au
Passionate about filmmaking yet not sure how to make it happen? AFTRS - Australia’s national screen arts and broadcast school provides the best opportunities, contacts and experiences to get you on your way to a career in the screen arts and broadcasting industries. With courses at both Undergraduate and Postgraduate levels, course content delivered by some of the best practitioners in the industry, and a host of sharp and short courses on offer for (pretty much) everyone… AFTRS Open Days are the chance to take a look at Australia’s national screen arts and broadcast school, and experience why
With a reputation as one of the countries leading independent music, performing arts and entertainment management education providers, come visit AIM this August and learn more about their cutting edge programs and qualifications, delivered by professional staff in their industry standard facilities. Now Melbourne has the same opportunity, as their new CBD campus at 120 King street will open its doors early 2014. Offering Diploma and Degree courses in Composition and Music Production, Contemporary Performance and Entertainment Management, come along to the Melbourne Information Evening, Wednesday 28th of August from 6-8pm at The Intercontinental Hotel, 495 Collins street. Learn about the courses on offer, career paths and study options AIM will be offering
it was voted top 20 film school in the world by a Hollywood reporter in 2012, taking rank over all other international film schools. So if you are keen on studying at one of the best film schools in the world, or just want to take a look at the fantastic, state-of-the-art facilities, save these dates… Saturday September 7: 10am-3pm Sunday September 8: 10am-3pm Full details at aftrs.edu.au/opendays Applications for 2014 OPEN: September 1 – November 1
come early 2014. AIM ambassadors, John Foreman (Good Morning Australia, Australian Idol, Vanessa Amorosi) and Brian Cadd (The Groop, Axiom, Flying Burrito Brothers, Tina Arena), heads of departments, graduates, current students and music industry figures will all be in attendance to help answer your every question and explain how AIM can help you take that next step in cementing your professional career in the music industry. Saturday September 7: 10am-3pm Sunday September 8: 10am-3pm Full details at aftrs.edu.au/opendays Applications for 2014 OPEN: September 1 – November 1
www.pic.org.au Open Day 2013 Sunday 25th August 12:00~3:00pm
PIC Photographic Imaging College Diploma of Photoimaging
Your photographic career starts
Burgess Street Hawthorn East (03) 9804 6341
HERE!
BEAT’S OPEN DAY SPECIAL
Beat Magazine Page 39
BEAT’S 2013 OPEN DAY SPECIAL COLLARTS
JMC ACADEMY
OPEN DAY: Saturday August 24, 10am to 2pm. 55 Brady St, South Melbourne. 1300 818 777 info@collarts.edu.au www.collarts.edu.au
OPEN DAY: Saturday August 24 from 10.30am and 2.30pm. 171 Bank Street, South Melbourne VIC 3205 1300 410 311 enquiries@jmc.edu.au www.jmcacademy.edu.au
More than just a place of learning, the Australian College of the Arts (Collarts) is a creative environment that nurtures talent and equips students with the skills and knowledge to take that talent to a professional level. Collarts offers two-year intensive degrees in Music Performance, Audio Production and Creative Industries Management. These courses are taught by industry specialists including Academy Award nominees, ARIA Award winners, Billboard Top 40 songwriters and a multi award-winning composer. Two staff new to Collarts this year highlight how Collarts combines academic skills, practical knowledge and real world experience to deliver an outstanding student experience. Take Tim Dalton, the Head of Creative Industries Management. Tim previously taught at Sir Paul McCartney’s Liverpool
Celebrating 30 years of education and training for the Creative Industries, JMC Academy remains the ideal option for those seeking higher education underpinned by solid training and real industry experience. JMC Academy has campuses based in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane and offers Degree, Diploma and VET courses in Music Performance, Animation, Game Design, Film and Television Production, Entertainment Business Management and Audio Engineering and Sound Production. JMC Academy’s ultimate focus is to deliver inspiring and technologically sophisticated programs, which cater to the global needs of the Creative Industries. Students learn in world class facilities and on industry standard equipment. By nurturing, supporting and mentoring students who share a true passion and dedication for these
Institute of Performing Arts and his industry experience includes working as Tour Manager for the likes of Atomic Kitten, Elvis Costello and Simple Minds, as well as record producer and sound engineer for Public Enemy, The Beastie Boys, Run DMC and Faith No More. Another example of this industry experience is David Streefkerk, one of Collarts’ audio teachers. David specialises in live sound and post production studies, and he has worked with some of the world’s leading music acts including a five-year stint as front-of-house engineer for Sting while also working with Mötley Crüe and U2. Collarts
Visit their Melbourne campus Open Day August 24 and learn how to build your creative future with JMC Academy. Register your attendance online at www.jmcacademy.edu.au
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Open Day is on Saturday August 24. You can register your attendance online by visiting www.collarts.edu.au
industries, JMC are able to guide them into rewarding careers. “The unique quality of JMC Academy is in our ability to facilitate interaction and collaboration between our students, providing them with a diverse opportunity in which to apply their skills. This also provides a valuable opportunity for students to grow their creative network while they study” Suzie Haddock, Director of Education. Recent students have secured roles working with some of the largest music production houses in the world including HBO in New York, Animalogic (creator of Happy Feet), and Beyond Productions to name just a few.
Beat Magazine Page 40
CHECK OUT ALL THE LATEST NEWS, REVIEWS AND FREE SHIT AT BEAT.COM.AU
Beat Magazine Page 41
BEAT’S 2013 OPEN DAY SPECIAL MWT INSTITUTE
NCAT (NORTHERN COLLEGE OF THE ARTS)
OPEN DAY: Contact us now! Oakleigh Campus Rear Ground Floor, 20 Atherton Road. South Yarra Campus, 664 Chapel Street. 1300 855 846 trainingadmin@mwtinstitute.com.au www.mwtinstitute.com.au
OPEN DAY: Wednesday August 21, 6pm-7.30pm. 62 Murray Rd, Preston VIC 3072. 9478 1333 ncat@edumail.vic.gov.au www.ncat.vic.edu.au
You don’t need a PhD to realise the Australian Music Industry has undergone ridiculous change in recent times. Keeping up with this change and making the most of the opportunities that are now available, however, does require a qualification and that is where MWT Institutes Diploma of Music courses are at your service. Knowing how to play, make or teach music is one thing, turning this skill into regular paying work is another, and this can be an essential pathway to realising your aspirations and dreams. Your career in the Music Industry can be more than being a Rockstar or Popstar, and instead of a `boring’ day job, you can gain employment in the numerous fields within this industry and build the essential networks and experience required to help you on your way. MWT offers 6 month Diploma courses in three streams of Performance, Composition and Tuition,
tailored to take your interests in these areas to the point of obtaining employment in these fields. If you have the passion then MWT can provide you the qualification to get ahead in this amazing art form. MWT caters for students from all backgrounds, styles of music and walks of life and is a government registered training organization that has been running Music Diploma Courses for 4 years and successfully breaking working music professionals into the creative industries.
For more information on the range of MWT Institute courses, visit www.mwtinstitute.com. au or call 1300 855 846 to speak with someone real, about your future in the creative industries.
To learn more about the range of NCAT courses and ask all the hard hitting questions be sure to join both students and teachers from NCAT at the Herald Sun Careers Expo on the 18th of August in Melbourne, or enjoy an information seminar at the college on Wednesday the 21st of August from 6-7.30pm. There will be a general college information session at 6pm. After this, people will be able to move off to specialist areas to explore the fantastic programs and facilities offered at NCAT. There will be a range of performances and activities in the specific areas of study too, so make sure you visit NCAT.
PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGING COLLEGE (PIC) OPEN DAY: Sunday August 25, 12pm – 3pm Burgess Street, East Hawthorn, 3123 03 9804 6341 admin@pic.org.au www.pic.org.au
NMIT OPEN DAY: Sunday September 1, 10am – 3pm Fairfield campus, Yarra Bend Road, Fairfield 03 9269 1200 enquiries@nmit.edu.au www.nmit.edu.au Open days are good for finding out information about a course or an institution but they’re also great for getting the ‘vibe’ of a place. NMIT Certificate IV in Music student and drummer, Hayley Ohlsen, had heard good things about NMIT’s music programs from friends but it wasn’t until she came to an NMIT Open Day that she really decided it was the place for her. “I ran into the NMIT staff member who I was soon to learn would be my music co-ordinator. He really explained in depth just how to apply and what would be the best options for me, the pathways for my studies and the cheapest alternative,” recalls Hayley. “The big dream is to get into a huge band or work as a sessions drummer”, says Hayley “but I also want to continue studying so that I can teach music too”. There’s heaps on at this year’s open day including live student music performances, literary readings, and artwork exhibitions. You can check out design and illustration students working in our studios, chat to sound production students as they set up and stage manage live music productions, take tours of sound production and photography facilities and loads more. There’s also info and demos from a huge range of other NMIT programs from Agriculture to Hospitality and
NCAT (Northern College Of The Arts) specialises in a range of practical hands on music, business and arts courses to help you take that next step in your chosen career. Their Music and Sound Production course for example, utilises practical learning methods, with regular industry professional guest speakers, in-class work experience and touring opportunities. The Music and Sound Production course has students create a folio throughout the year to present to universities and potential employers along with their qualification. Thriving on staying up to date with industry standards NCAT comprises of a professional recording studio, 10 fully equipped rehearsal rooms, Mac Labs, and digital audio workstations for all learning and practice needs. Private and group instrument tuition is also available.
Animal Studies to Winemaking. Explore, discover and find out about our courses, our facilities, and our teachers. You can even enjoy a FREE BBQ while you’re there. For full details go to www.nmit.edu.au/openday
PIC Photographic Imaging College has been running as a highly regarded industry and educational institution since 1982. With state of the art photographic studios, analog darkrooms and digital studios, PIC has consistently been the place to comprehensively learn and experience all aspects of Photoimaging. PIC provides a professional environment in which students can choose a variety of photographic media centred around the creative image, using analog and digital technologies. PIC is run by staff whom are
energetically involved in a wide range of creative and technical aspects of photography, featuring mid year and end of year exhibitions showcasing a variety of creative and contemporary student works. The PIC course reveals that photography is about so much more than just using hardware or software. It is about seeing, perceiving, communicating and being professional in technique, approach and creative ideas. Find out more at our open day on August 25, full details at www.pic.org.au
SAE INSTITUTE AND QANTM COLLEGE Saturday August 31, 11am-3pm. 235 Normanby Road, South Melbourne VIC 3205 (03) 8632 3400 melbourne@sae.edu OR infomelbourne@qantm.com.au www.sae.edu.au OR www.qantm.com.au
Priding themselves as industry leaders in music education and the creative industries, SAE and QANTM College will once again open their doors to budding students that have just graduated from high-school and post grad students looking to pursue their real passions. SAE Institute and Qantm College in Melbourne offer a vibrant community where a student can interact with a wide range of people who share a passion for their craft, as well as getting mentored by top-notch academics who are also industry professionals. They also bring working professionals from successful local companies into the studio and classroom to lead their senior projects. SAE and QANTM offer five Beat Magazine Page 42
large computer labs featuring all the latest professional gaming, animation, audio, film, graphic design and programming software. Work and drawing rooms, a one hundred seat lecture theatre, green screen room and eight audio recording studios are available, as well as a vast range of equipment for hire. QANTM offer courses in Games Programming, Games Design, Animation and Graphic Design. SAE offer a range of Audio and Film courses. Students will leave with a Bachelor Degree in Interactive Entertainment or a Bachelor in Creative Media, Bachelor of Audio Production or Bachelor of Film Production. In breaking news, SAE and The Hi-Fi Group have also just
entered into an exclusive agreement to deliver a unique, first-of-its-kind, Diploma of Sound Production (Live Sound) starting in September this year. This course offers students the opportunity to learn in a real life environment where some of the world’s biggest artists have performed. Students will gain first-hand work experience at live gigs, offering maximum exposure and experience.
Come see why completing an SAE degree will put you leagues above the rest when it comes to securing a job in the creative industries both locally and overseas, Saturday August 31, 11am-3pm.
s y a d h t o b m p 3 10amCOME AND TAKE A LOOK AT ONE OF THE TOP FILM SCHOOLS IN THE WORLD*
SEPTEMBER 7 & 8
Taking applications September 1 - November 1 aftrs.edu.au/awardcourses
ays
nd aftrs.edu.au/ope
*The Hollywood Reporter
WIN A FREE 8 HOUR RECORDING STUDIO SESSION Register at the event.
NCAT specialises in
Teaching spaces include
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MIDI labs Apple Mac computers Professional software Recording studio Practice rooms
www.ncat.vic.edu.au CHECK OUT ALL THE LATEST NEWS, REVIEWS AND FREE SHIT AT BEAT.COM.AU
Beat Magazine Page 43
CLAVE CONTRA CLAVE OSCAR JIMENEZ A LATIN MUSIC EXPERIENCE LIKE NO OTHER BY JOSÉ EDUARDO CRUZ
Beat magazine would like to welcome its readers to the first Adelante Amigo of 2013! A Latin culture special. We are really excited to have partnered up with Clave Contra Clave (pronounced clah-vay con-tra clah-vay) that is a Latin music experience like no other! From Brisbane to Melbourne, Latin musicians are tuning their congas and restringing their guitars for Clave Contra Clave 2013, a Latin music experience like no other. Set to spice up your spring, the event – a Latin band competition – promises you none other than the nation’s best, together for one big fiesta. Delivered through some of Australia’s best music venues, producers Gift Abroad invite you to take part in one of Australia’s most unique and authentic Latin music experiences. Kicking off in Sydney, the event promises over four massive nights of quality Latin music. Bands will once again go head to head showcasing their best repertoire, with anything from the world’s greatest Salsa numbers, to raw Afro-Cuban Jazz, to toe-tapping Cha Cha Cha, keeping you mesmerized as they battle it out for a chance at up to $25,000 in prize money. Melbourne’s San Lazaro raised the stakes taking out last year’s competition for their top-¬notch original music, more of which you can see this year as they tour with Clave Contra Clave as headliners at every heat. Last year’s event brought together over 200 top musicians, 18 Latin bands, and featured the father of Latin Jazz, Willie Colón, and Colombia’s Latin pop sensation, Fonseca. This year’s Clave Contra Clave’s Grand Finale will be headlined by Grupo Niche (Colombia) and supported by SalSalvador All Stars (El Salvador). Formed in Bogotá, Colombia in 1978, Grupo Niche has been one of the most successful bands of its generation. In 1984, their hit Cali Pachanguero, propelled them to notoriety throughout Colombia and was named official song for the ‘Feria de Cali’. Their success has taken them to Madison
Square Garden seventeen times, Canada, Mexico, Central and South America and various parts of Europe. Led by Rubén Flamenco, SalSalvador All Stars will bring their unique salsa to ourshores for the first time. Rubén Flamenco’s natural raw talent earned him the coveted Tito Puente scholarship in New York City which propelled him into a successful international career. New York City brought Flamenco into direct contact with legendary Latin musical icons such as, Willie Colón, Jerry Rivera, Oscar D’Leon and Gilberto Santa Rosa. His career was transformed when he performed along-side Clave Contra Clave’s 2012 Special International Guest Willie Colón. Clave Contra Clave Melbourne Heat is on Sunday October 20 at The Palace Theatre, and concludes with the Grand Finale at The Plenary, Melbourne Convention & Entertainment Centre on Sunday November 3.
TEN THINGS...
YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT DANIEL MOUGERMAN FROM LOS COUGARMEN. BY JOSÉ EDUARDO CRUZ
What was the first gig that your band played and how did it go? The first gig we played as a full band was at Dizzy’s Jazz Club. It was a fantastic vibe, and a really great crowd. We had heaps of fun. What was the last piece of music that inspired you and why? The last piece of music that inspired me was Vera Cruz by Milton Nascimento from his album Angelus. Firstly it is an incredible line up of musicians – including Herbie Hancock, Pat Metheny and Jack DeJohnette. Their chemistry is evident on this track, and some of the interplay is unbelievable. What was the last book you read and what was it about? The last book I read was the biography of pianist Bill Evans. Pretty self explanatory. Name your top ten albums: Wow, what a tough one! In no particular order: The New Standard –by Herbie Hancock, The Cat Empire, Songs in the Key of Life by Stevie Wonder, Native Dancer by Wayne Shorter, Sunday at the Village Vanguard by Bill Evans Trio, One More Once by Michel Camilo, Standards Vol.2 by Keith Jarrett, Whatever and Ever Amen by Ben Folds Five, Chucho’s Steps by Chucho Valdes, Off the Wall by Michael Jackson If you could go back in time and meet a famous person that has passed away who would it be and why? Bach. Because he’s an influence of practically every single musician alive. If you could be mentored by any musician who would it be and why? Herbie Hancock. His style is so individual.
Adelante Amigo page 44
You can hear him play one note and know that it’s him. His knowledge of harmony, rhythm and ability to create something out of nothing always surprises me in the best possible way. Ask for permission or forgiveness? Which one and why? Forgiveness, because in life, like in music it’s important to take risks. Favourite quote? “The best way to cheer yourself up is to cheer somebody else up” – Mark Twain Three rules that all musos must obey: 1. Don’t be late to the gig. 2. Practice! 3. Listen! Complete this sentence, only a muso knows ….The lick. Daniel Mougerman from Los Cougarmen are playing the Melbourne heat of Clave Contra Clave that is happening on Sunday October 20 at The Palace Theatre, 20-30 Bourke St, VIC 3000
ARIA nominated Watussi frontman Oscar Jimenez – on life, opportunities and Australian Latin Music. Oscar Jimenez never thought that a life filled with the sun, ocean and music would be replicated in a country in the opposite hemisphere to his beloved Colombia. Growing up in the vibrant and rich Colombian Caribbean culture throughout his youth, he gradually moved towards a musical career, which at the time was seriously frowned upon by his conservative family. “I come from a family of lawyers, engineers and people that society considers as serious, so in that type of family one does not consider music as a career.” A move to Colombia’s capital, Bogota, fast-tracked his musical adventure, and by 2000, Australia beckoned as his new home. Having ended a long term relationship, he hesitantly took the opportunity to fly to Australia. Several flights later he arrived in Australia to attend Sydney University. Oscar’s musical journey landed him at the right place and time. By 2004 his highly acclaimed band, Watussi, had begun the grind of touring and recording. This process would cement in Oscar that music would become not only his career, but his life. Watussi’s debut album, Tequila, Sangre y Fuego earned an ARIA nomination for Best World Music release, but amongst the accolades, Oscar continued to face challenges that most migrants face in Australia. As an expat, his Australian life has not been as vibrant and exhilarating as the music that he plays. Like many migrants that settle in Australia, he overcame some serious challenges through his music. “There were moments when I felt very lonely. The different cultures and the distance between the two countries are really evident when you miss your family. I wasn’t planning on staying longer than two years, but I made the decision to extend my visa and I didn’t see my family for over four years. For a long period of time I was in a cultural shock, but music helped me overcome this barrier.” His decision to stay paid dividends and Oscar now enjoys the warmth and love from his adopted home. Australia had such a profound influence on his music that Watussi evolved with strong Latin American rhythms as their backbone, but quickly incorporated pure Aussie pub rock into its style. “I have lived in Australia for thirteen years and Australia will always be part of me. I believe that Watussi was a mutual apprenticeship for both the audiences we played for and the band. I wanted to have professional Australian musicians in the band to engage
BEAT’S LATIN CULTURE SPECIAL
with the broader public. For me Watussi is a cultural exchange that unifies different people and cultures under one musical banner”. Australia’s profound influence on Oscar’s music persuaded him to travel to Alice Springs to the Santa Teresa Aboriginal Community to partake in several workshops. He describes his visit to the red centre as a “cultural bridge” which helped him experience a unique aspect of Australian life. “Indigenous Australians are greater than what the media portrays. They are the soul of this nation and this experience has artistically transformed me. I realised that music is not about selling the most records; it’s about change, about connecting with others and about being more human.” Watussi’s mainstream appeal has largely contributed in transforming Australian Latin Music into a mainstream genre. Oscar explains that Latin music possesses world wide appeal and its unique passion and history allow it to always remain relevant. “There is big interest in Latin music in Australia and many organisations are working hard to promote Australian Latin Music. For example, Clave Contra Clave has provided an enormous opportunity for Australian Latin musicians to showcase their work next to the world’s best musicians. An event like Clave Contra Clave really puts Latin music into context in Australia. There are thousands of Australian Latin Americans, and Clave Contra Clave has been able to give the broader Australian community a chance to see what we as Australian Latin Americans contribute to Australia. As more musicians get involved in such an event, the more that the broader Australian public finds out about our culture. It’s a win-win for everyone”. Along with food, music is one of the greatest gifts that migrant communities have given to Australia. Oscar will soon be giving more of those gifts to Australia as he turns his attention to his solo project. Having already scored a second place in the 2013 International Songwriting Competition for Best Latin Song, as judged by industry heavy weights such as Tom Waits, Garbage and Nas, Oscar’s success will undoubtedly continue to rise. Oscar Jimenez will join Gift Abroad at Clave Contra Clave 2013 as part of the judging panel.
“Latin Music Experience Like No Other” Australia’s best Latin bands together for 4 massive nights
Salsa,
Afro-Cuban Jazz,
melbourne heat
sun 20 oct, the palace san lazaro rumberos furia los cougarmen peligro perle conche son de la calle los chavos
Vallenato, Timba and more! event details time: doors 6pm, start 6:30pm date: sunday 20 october venue: the palace 20-30 bourke st melbourne vic 3000
winners of CCC 2012
melbourne melbourne melbourne melbourne melbourne melbourne canberra
tix pre-door: adults $25 - conc $20
get your tickets now from ticketek
tix door: $30 adults - conc $25
join the ccc community for concert updates and exclusive offers
ccc grand finale, melbourne sunday 3 november the plenary mcec
Tickets on sale Friday 16 - August from ticketek Supported by:
salsalvador all stars
tix: adults $89 - conc $59 tix: $99 adults - conc $69
for more info visit: www.clavecontraclave.com CHECK OUT ALL THE LATEST NEWS, REVIEWS AND FREE SHIT AT BEAT.COM.AU
Beat Magazine Page 45
BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE CLUB
BY CALLUM FITZPATRICK
It’s 2am in Italy when Black Rebel Motorcycle Club bassist and singer Robert Levon Been picks up the phone, so I wasn’t exactly expecting a chirpy reaction from the Californian. To my surprise, he’s sounding as alert as ever. “This is actually my prime time,” he laughs. “I ask to do my interviews in the early hours as it’s when I’m most awake. When I’m on tour, I’m an insomniac and I’ll just stay awake all night and sleep all day. It’s also good because I hit peak energy when I’m onstage at 10pm. The problem is that I can’t come down after that, so I’m just fucking up all night, every night.” It’s been a rough few years for Been – his father, the frontman and bass player for ‘80s cult band The Call and BRMC soundman and mentor, died of a heart attack on tour with the band in April 2010. The garage rockers’ seventh album, Specter at the Feast, almost functioned as a coping mechanism for the band, with Been previously saying that, “The only thing that felt good was just getting together, plugging in, and turning up loud as shit. It was kind of this therapeutic process, playing really loud, and just feeling this energy; letting that be a release. It really helped us pull out of that darkest place that we were in.” Now, half a year after the release of the album, Been says the band has had time to reflect on the record. “Right around now is when the songs start to take a definite shape live and they become their own monsters,” he says. “The first month of release you’re used to hearing those recordings and you’re imagining everyone hearing them for the first time, so you want to represent them as closely as
possible. But after a while they start growing and changing for the live environment. We’re at that stage where we’re just having fun hearing them mutate. Even though the latest album is still fresh in the minds of many of BRMC’s notoriously faithful fan base, the boys have already started to formulate ideas for their next album. “It’s mostly just the music and rough melodies at the moment,” Been says. “Some words come here and there in the moment, but it’s difficult to focus on one continual thought. You’re resonating on a feeling and you need time to daydream on it. You drift in and out of the feeling, but it’s always at the centre of everything. On the road, this process is continually hijacked – as much as you try and stay in one state of mind, as soon as you play a two hour set, you’re in a different state, you’re wherever the audience’s energy is at. It breaks the spell and that’s why it’s hard to write words and finish songs. But Been adds that knowing the point in which a song is ready to be turned into a tangible product is a constant
struggle for the band. “I feel like a song is never done really,” he says. “There are tracks from the first record that still have room to grow. When you record something, you have a series of moments of surrender. The first one is when you first release the record, then it’s when you play the song live and then there’s a point you need to try and stop fucking with it as you have to be respectful of the fact that the song is not entirely yours anymore. I never like to look at a track as ‘finished’ because sometimes they are still changing and sometimes they get better. Actually, usually they do.” In the live setting, BRMC are notorious for adding new breakdowns or affixing long outros that, as Been puts it, “carry on the story of the song”. Not only does this serve as a point of difference between a recording and its live incarnation, these extensions can often turn into new tracks. “We’ve got a lot of songs that were born out of other tunes,” Been says. “That’s how Spread Your Love was written – we were playing the song Down Here from our first record and
somebody just forgot to stop playing at the end – I think it was me. We all kicked back in and what we played ended up becoming Spread Your Love. “Things just spawn sometimes. When you’re already in a groove or you’ve got a particular energy going on, you can play off that for a long time – a three minute song sometimes feels brief. Then again, nobody wants to hear a fucking 20 minute song either. You’ve gotta simplify it.” BRMC will be heading down under for Harvest Festival later this year, and Been appears to be genuinely humbled by the opportunity. “You’re not guaranteed to make it outside your country after every album. I feel that we could probably get to Europe and fail, but you don’t get to fucking Australia and Japan without a little bit of luck and a good response from the record. It’s always a good feeling to find out there’s been a proper invitation to play there. It feels like we did something right.”
more of a hand in writing this time around. There are a few Heidi [Lenffer] songs on the album, some of the best songs on there. Jeremy [Kelshaw] was getting in on writing lyrics and we wrote a lot together … there were a lot of different influences because we all have really different tastes in music. I was thinking about how some of my favourite bands will do albums where the songs are really different to each other and bounce through different styles. The Beastie Boys would have hip hop mixed with rock, Yo La Tengo would have a punk song and then a Motown song, The Flaming Lips use a lot of electronic drum kits but they’re still a live band … I think we’re different to all of those bands but we took the approach of mixing a lot of different things together and being more free with our palette than last time.” The band has shown a penchant for unique locations with the single’s less-than-conventional film clip, which was filmed in Bolivia. “It’s about this clown at a kid’s birthday party and he ruins the party for everyone, and gets hunted
down and killed by this little girl … Bolivia [has] some really amazing imagery and scenery; it might be my favourite video that we’ve done.” All cave-exploring and commissioning of exotic video clips aside, it’s unsurprising the band may have lofty dreams of intergalactic travel after they’re done exploring every corner of this planet. “There was an astronaut who played a David Bowie song in space and [it made us think] we should play a show on a space station or something … we have a song called Moon Rabbit and we always thought it would be really cool to play it on the Moon and be the first band to play on the Moon, but there probably wouldn’t be anyone up there. We could beam it back down to Earth and we could have rabbits in little rabbit space suits. It could happen.”
known being Holy Mountain – it was really full of piss and vinegar. We really became good at playing right around Holy Mountain. It had a big impact, but not until a little later.” Now, with a voice tinged in Macbethean-like irony Pike explains the anatomy of Holy Fire, “What we were doing at the time, which was in the early ‘90s, was really not that popular. We were doing Sabbath-y doom sounds, a few people kind of got it, but it wasn’t popular. Not like the death metal thing at the time. Like Napalm Death and Carcass; they were doing the popular thing. We were this weird Sabbath band out of the punk scene. We went from Asbestosdeath to Sleep and transitioned musically. It made an impact on people, but it seemed like it took a long time to sink in. Almost to the point where at the end, just before we first broke-up (1998), people started catching on to it, we only just started getting some fans then.”
It is refreshing now that Pike is willing to grapple with why Sleep’s music is so cool nowadays, but struggled to make a commercial impact when it was released. “I think nowadays Sleep’s music is kind of something different (to what’s on offer). A lot of kids these days are smarter thinkers. If something is really underground, outspoken or different – they all want to have an identity that’s not so MTV. I know what used to be underground hip hop in my day, has now turned into a big corporate smear. I’m happy there’s kids out there that aren’t so attached to this corporate spew and know about something that’s a bit better, in the musical context,”
BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE CLUB play Harvest Festival at Werribee Park on Sunday 10 November.
CLOUD CONTROL
BY JAMIE ARBUCKLE
Cloud Control’s new album was recorded inside a cave, and not the metaphorical kind. Joy Division did it on the roof, Radiohead did it in a medieval mansion, and now Cloud Control can add their name to the list of artists who’ve recorded in strange places. Their sophomore release, Dream Cave, was partly recorded on a subterranean adventure that, according to singer Alister Wright, was influenced by a track on the album. “There’s a song on the album called Dream Cave, so I guess the inspiration to record in a cave came from that song and the desire to record somewhere different that sounded naturally really nice as well. We didn’t record the whole album in the cave, just a few bits on a day trip. We spent a lot of time going around to different caves finding one to record in. You think of caves being really quiet, but there was lots of water dripping and stuff like that … [the sound] is a little bit like singing in the shower but the reverb is longer. It sounds pretty magical.” When he’s not exploring rocky hollows in the Earth, Wright still has speleology on his brain, as title track Dream Cave was inspired by a cave...of sorts. “I was listening to a lot of Roy Orbison and I had this thought of him being trapped in a cave because I was in this really shitty rehearsal studio that smelled like mould and I was thinking, ‘what it would be like if he was trapped in a cave for 20 years like Gollum and ended up going crazy?’ And then I thought, ‘what kind of song would he write?’ and I tried to write that.” The album’s release on August 9 will precede the band’s recently announced Australian tour, as well as a full UK and
European tour alongside Local Natives in September. While audiences were teased with an album preview show back in June, the album’s debut single, Dojo Rising, has since been unleashed and shows a progression to a more experimental sound for the band. “We thought it was a good song to show what we’ve been up to because in some ways it’s pretty similar to our old stuff, but it’s pretty different as well. We didn’t want to completely alienate anyone so we thought it was a good mix of our old and new vibes.” While the move to a more electronic sound base may be something new for the band, for Wright it’s a return to high school nostalgia. “I started out writing electronic music when I was in high school; I was a really big fan of anything on Warp Records and all that old electronica kind of stuff. For me, experimenting with that was almost like going back to what I used to be really interested in but it felt really natural and cool to combine that with the kind of work we did on our last album.” The recording process was a collaborative one, according to Wright, with the band taking on more freedom to experiment with their second release. “We all had much
CLOUD CONTROL will play The Forum Theatre on Friday September 6. Dream Cave will be available on Friday August 9 through Ivy League Records.
SLEEP
BY DENVER MAXX AND JESSICA WILLOUGHBY Since stoner rock’s inception in the 1980s as the USA’s response to the British metal of the 1970s – namely Black Sabbath – it has achieved a timeliness where the proponents of the genre always pay tribute to what has come before. This continuity of the stoner rock’s sound has resulted in longevity like Orange Goblin, and also the fertile grounding for a rebirth such as genre monolith Kyuss and the subject of this story Sleep. Evolving out of sludge doom metal band Abestosdeath, Sleep released its first album, Volume One, in 1991. This release has evolved over the years into an underground phenomenon with bands from all genres crediting it as an inspiration. With this in mind, it should come as no surprise that rock’n’roll wunderkind The Breeders have hand-picked Sleep to perform at All Tomorrow’s Parties happening this coming October 31. The band’s guitarist Matt Pike took time out from rehab (but not the rehab you’re thinking), jamming for a new album for Sleep and his work as frontman for stoner rock band High On Fire to chat to Beat about everything Sleep. “I just had knee surgery, so I’m chilling out at home at the moment. So I’ve been sitting on my arse for the last week,” states a predictably laconic Pike. “We did our last Sleep show in France (Hellfest), and then did a couple of High of Fire shows – just to make a little bit of money for me to sit around on my butt,” he laughs warmly. He now explains that the extra money from the extra shows resulted in some well needed medical attention, “I’ve had a bad knee for a really long time and it’s just been getting Beat Magazine Page 46
progressively worse. I finally got some medical insurance to do it. I had the whole rehab thing happen and I had to use insurance for that too. So I’m slowly working through all my health issues.” It would be fair to infer that after thirty plus years on the road, plus his current knee recovery, that Pike may have had second thoughts about committing to the Australian tour for ATP, but this was not the case, as even the crustiest of rock’n’rollers get a bit sentimental now and again. “Our fans in Australia kind of deserve to see Sleep, finally. Obviously I’ve been over in Australia with High of Fire quite a bit and Al [Cisneros – singer and bassist] came with OM recently, but it is really important to us that Sleep plays in Aus!” enthuses Pike. Pike now, very honestly, grapples with the reality of a band’s music being incredibly influential with the cool kids and making an impact five-ten years after its release, but what’s it like living with an album that you are so desperately proud of and which you know is special, but no one notices it… yet? “We’ve had some hard times in the past, you know. We made some really youthful albums, with probably the most well-
DISCUSS WHAT? BEAT.COM.AU/DISCUSSION
SLEEP will play Altona North for the All Tomorrow’s Parties Release The Bats festival on Saturday October 26.
THE PREATURES BY JODY MACGREGOR
Isabella Manfredi is sitting in her backyard, drinking tea in her pyjamas. It’s early in the morning by musician standards, which means normal people have been at work for an hour, but The Preatures’ singer has had plenty to do on this particular morning. The edits for their latest video, Manic Baby, had to be gone over today, and they’ve just found out that previous single Is This How You Feel? has been named Pitchfork’s Best New Track. “Everything’s going a bit mental,” she says. The new clip features a troupe of dancers performing moves inspired by Hot Gossip, the dancers from the kitsch classic TV series The Kenny Everett Video Show. Manfredi calls it “really dated, daggy, risque dancing” and although the band are present, they don’t join in. “The boys were very interested in putting leotards on, but we stopped them at the last minute.” It sounds like it slots neatly into the aesthetic they’ve created for themselves, the 1970s Fleetwood Mac via Bryan Ferry vibe of their newer songs, and the way they pull such serious faces that you assume they must be joking, at least a bit. “We’ve been watching a lot of old Prince videos and Roxy Music and there’s a bit of that in the Is This How You Feel? video as well,” she says. “That slight Young Talent Time awkwardness about it. It’s cool, but there’s something slightly off and amateurish about it as well. It’s not really tightly edited and slick and ‘everything makes sense’. You’re looking at it going ‘Really? Is this a joke? Is this for real?’” In spite of the old-fashioned elements of the look and sound, Manfredi says she spent a lot of time listening to newer music while they were working on their second EP. “It’s funny, I was listening to Chairlift, Metronomy, the new Cat Power record – Sun was a big influence on that record that we did – I suppose you can’t really call it a record – an EP. But Unknown Mortal Orchestra we really love as well. Who was the other person I was listening to a lot? Pretenders are always a big one. I listen to a lot of Pretenders. I grew up on Chrissie Hynde, and Chrissy Amphlett as well is a big influence on me.”
Their previous EP, Shaking Hands, was recorded in LA thanks to a strong Australian dollar letting them afford a producer and book a fancy studio to work in. After that, they felt like a change of pace. “When we came to do the next EP, we kind of reacted against what we’d just done. We’d done this record, and we were very happy with it, but we wanted to do something completely different after that. We’ve got our own space in Sydney, it’s just a little rehearsal studio space that the boys have turned into semi-recordable space, and we did the EP there by ourselves. We wanted to work with a produce,r but we didn’t end up going that way because Jack [Moffitt, guitar] had particular views about the way he wanted to do it so we got in the space and did it ourselves. It was a lot of trial and error but it was good.” Creating their own “semi-recordable space” wasn’t easy though, with the cheap warehouse room they rented needing more than just some egg cartons on the walls before it was useable. “It’s a very old warehouse space and it’s got graffiti all over the walls – stinks like shit, there’s rats everywhere – but you get into the individual spaces and it’s basically ‘don’t ask, don’t tell.’ You do whatever you want. You don’t have any protection if something goes wrong, but we got in there and sanded the floors and coated the floors, painted the walls, cleaned it, washed the windows. Jack got a console desk sent down from Brisbane and he’s got a couple of microphones and it’s a lovely little space. We’ve got fairy lights and stuff in there. It’s good; it’s our little place.”
That was where they came up with Is This How You Feel? which began with a groove provided by the rhythm section and a chorus that appeared spontaneously, though the rest was written four days later. “If something comes naturally you know that it’s got something good, but then the rest of it was just structuring it and editing it. I love that part of the process. For me structuring and having all your definite parts really makes me quite turned on – it’s my favourite part of the whole thing.” What makes the editing tricky is being a band with two very different lead vocalists, whose contrast adds variety but can also pull a song in multiple directions. “We’ve got two singers so we’re already in the shit because we’ve got to make it all work, but Gideon
[Benson] and I are very different songwriters. When we approach songs in the band we got very used to just accepting songs for what they are and treating each song individually and not so much as part of a bigger picture. I think for the album we’ll have to get to the stage where we’re looking for an album as a complete story, but at the moment it’s great to have this freedom to treat every song as its own entity, its own little world, and I love that. I really love that about the band that we’re open to doing that.”
me but I’m happy for them and I just need to come back to the music. The big challenge I’ve faced is separating ego out from discipline and work ethic. It’s been humbling to have no feedback and to not have my ego fed at all. I was just doing this thing where I was making all these sacrifices; I was spending all this money to do this thing and it was just the little crumbs I was getting as signs to keep going.” After a tour with Mama Kin, Spender is bracing himself for the brilliant chaos that is a Clare Bowditch tour. “She’s got such an insane voice,” he says with genuine admiration. “We’ve had one run through and neither of us had had enough sleep and she was forgetting the words to her songs and she was still amazing. She sounds like a beautiful bell ringing; something really
happens when she opens her mouth, there’s a real expression. I do have a band but not for this tour. I’m a bit of a nerd, so I’ll be getting onstage with a couple of different instruments and microphones and I’ll be creating backing bits as I go on the laptop. Things will be different to the recordings, but I like doing that.”
THE PREATURES hit the Northcote Social Club on Thursday September 12 and Friday September 13 (sold out). Is This How You Feel EP is available this Friday August 9 via Universal Music.
SPENDER BY KRISSI WEISS
It’s probably a good idea to quickly familiarize yourself with Mr Tommy Spender (aka Spender). His debut EP, Modern Pest, has received critical acclaim and hints at the start of big things to come. It was created as only an instrumentalist can – alone in a room surrounded by acoustic instruments, electronic enhancements and the desire to just keep on keeping on. While lead single Bed & Chair has made a swift impression on punters, this overnight success has, as always, been years in the making. “Things never happen quickly,” Spender laughs. “Things take a lot of time to make them look like they happened overnight. Things are moving and that’s what’s exciting for me. To give you an image, I’ve been like a caveman slumped over a laptop bashing his head into a guitar or a microphone. There has been a lot of down time for me to get together my thing and now I’ve got it and I’m able to finally start communicating what my thing is. I guess my friends and family have been very patient and I think they’ve been like ‘What the hell is Tommy doing?’ so it’s a massive relief to show them what I’ve been doing.” So what exactly has kept him going? Lots of musos are, this very minute, holed up in a room perfecting a song that may never be heard because they will run out of steam. Talent is only ever half of the story or even a third (although Spender has that in spades), the ingredient that seems to repeatedly drive an artist to success is persistence. “I reckon my wife, my friends, the songwriters I work with,” he says. “They give you a little nudge by going ‘What’s going on’ or ‘I really liked that thing’ and all of those crumbs eventually become a big cake.”
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THE GRAND RAPIDS Bearing the terrible clichéd nature of this question, what do you reckon people will say you sound like? Dark, droney, minor-chorded, flower-sludge from the edge the universe. Like a happy version of Joy Division with a hundred fuzz pedals, basically. If you could assassinate one person or band from popular music, who would it and why? The Stone Roses ex-manager Gareth Evans for being as absolute twat for fucking up their career. If the Roses had of kept it up, Britpop may never of happened.
Some of those friends appear on his EP, with Clairy Browne and Wally de Backer lending their voices to his tunes. “Clairy I would consider one of my best friends; we lived together years ago and did a duet for a while called Clairy and Tommy before her band exploded,” he says. “She went to high school with my wife – they’re absolute best friends – so she’s family. Wally I’ve known, not as an awesome mate that I’ve like known for years, but we’ve hung out and talked about music and shown each other mutual respect.” For Spender, staying focused has been the key to his career beginning some semblance of a journey. While others may have fallen victim to envy as their friends’ bands reach greater and greater heights, Spender has never been clouded by ego. It’s always hard in a close-knit industry and like attracts like – musicians just seem to know a lot of other musicians. In Spender’s case, those other musicians happen to be mind-blowingly awesome and have enjoyed a speedy trajectory of late. Rather than be disillusioned, Mr Tommy Spender in all of his gentlemanly glory has enjoyed – as opposed to resented – the success of those around him. “I think part of the discipline of being an artist is to focus on the work – there was a hole to be dug and I put my back into it,” he says. “Yep, others may have dug a bigger hole faster than
SPENDER will officially launch his debut EP Modern Pest in November, although it is out now through Donut Beach records/MGM. Catch him with the irrepressible Clare Bowditch on her Winter Secrets Tour at the Corner Hotel, Saturday August 10.
What can a punter expect from your live show? A new tambourine player, plus good vibe merchant called Fabian, kaleidoscopic projections ahoy, a stage full of fuzz pedals, beautiful din, a smashed drum kit (occasionally), a disappearing drummer (occasionally) and wig outs galore. When are you playing live/releasing your album/ EP/single/etc? We are playing tonight Wednesday August 7 at The Toff with Atolls, Mesa Cosa & Clavians, presented by Watt’s On Presents & Psyche Ward. It’s going to be out there for sure. Playing loads of shows coming up and very happy to be finally releasing our debut album, Great Shakes, which is going to be out on Psyche Ward.
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DEAD LETTER CIRCUS
BY TOM VALCANIS
Brisbane’s Dead Letter Circus attained alt-prog titan status after releasing their debut. The Catalyst Fire is the band’s follow-up to This is the Warning, an ARIA Gold awarded and triple j Hottest 100 Album Of All Time. Their new album’s story begins in the Amazon rainforest, as vocalist Kim Benzie recounts. “Once we got a hint of where the album was going, we were just the vessels for it arriving in people’s ears,” Kim explains. He speaks as if his mouth can’t keep pace with his mind. He’s recanting the story of DLC’s second album, The Catalyst Fire. Its beginnings are rooted in shamanism and wisdom as old as the Earth itself. “At the end of 2010, the band and our producer Forrester Savell travelled to the Amazon and Peru,” Kim begins. “We went to a jungle city called Iquitos. We went right up the river and trekked into the jungle and we stayed at this retreat there with this tribe. I had this incredible experience there drinking Ayahuasca,” Kim says. For those uninitiated in tribal lore, Ayahuasca is a psychedelic ‘healing medicine’ discovered and used by Peruvian Amazon tribes. It ‘breaks down the ego’, giving insights into consciousness and beyond. “I met the most incredible woman there, Klara,” Kim continues. “She’s a shamanic artist there and an apprentice shaman. She made this symbolic artwork and it has these lines and patterns that don’t repeat; it was the most intricate artwork I’ve ever seen. It was like seeing the language of an alien race. I told her what we sing about, and it was one of those ‘meant-to-be’ moments.” Klara agreed to tattoo Kim’s chest with one of her unique mandala artworks. Kim, joining ranks of philosophers and psychologists, believe mandalas are expressions of a collective consciousness.
“I came back and showed the guys. We asked her to do our artwork for us. We started with Cameron Grey, our artist on the last album to create the DLC mandala. We wanted to tie it into the theme of the album. We wanted people from any walk of life, from the yoga guru to the bricklayer, to stand in front of it and have some kind of experience. That way everyone can know what our album’s about.” The Catalyst Fire took three years to spark and catch flame. Taking swathes of time off to explore the jungle and themselves, they’ve dangled scraps of the record on their website throughout 2012. Ever the community builders, DLC kept fans in touch with their meticulous writing and recording process. By record’s end, they layered countless instruments atop an undulating ocean of sound. Did they cling to a raft of deadlines? Not likely. Making The Catalyst Fire took as long as DLC saw fit. “We are of the persuasion that you don’t get through a shit bit to get to a good bit,” Kim notes. “If you’re trying to be deep and meaningful within the boundaries of rhyme and rhythm and a limited word set, it’s a mega challenge. We couldn’t force it; we just had to let it happen.” Dead Letter Circus proudly wear their hearts on their guitar strings and keyboards. Their last album shot to #1 on the ARIA charts in 2010. This Is the Warning was Kim and the band’s “awakening,” a realisation an anti-nature, anti-human structure traps our world underneath its soulless veil. Kim
thinks we should reject the roles society dictates for us. “Three years ago, we tried to plant signposts,” Kim reveals. “We tried to say ‘look around you, there’s definitely some kind of construct at work here’. There’s something guiding us on a way to live. Bricklayers around a barbecue are even talking about it. They see what’s wrong but think, ‘What could I possibly do about it?’ If Warning tore blinkers off, The Catalyst Fire is DLC’s call to arms. It affirms that change is possible. “It’s not a Malcolm X, standing on the podiums, screaming at the masses kind of thing,” Kim says, putting the album into context. “It’s more like you’re the guy in the crowd, listening to someone speak or having that little revelation within yourself. That’s the way this album comes across. “I don’t think anyone trusts the government, I think we have to get over the thought that nothing can be done,”
he implores. “Have you ever seen that movie, [Antz?] All these ants are controlled by a small group of grasshoppers. One of the ants is an awakened individual and he has a go of putting some positive thoughts into these programmed minds. He shows them there’s so much more to life.” He pauses to collect his thoughts. “Everyone’s waking up to the fact we’re not separate. Right now if you hear someone screaming, you’d lock the door. In the old days, you’d come roaring out there to help. We’re becoming more of a community. As soon as that community spirit can happen again, we can all walk out on to your front lawn and stand together.”
the band has been more disciplined in the studio. “When we used to play live, it used to be a lot more loose,” Palmer says. “A song like Line Up Your Troops was about nine minutes, but when we went to record it for the EP, we chopped it down. When we were playing live, we’d get more into a groove and a flow, and we improvise a bit more. But now when we’re playing live, we stick to how the songs sound on the EP,” he says. On stage, Palmer says he hopes the audience “feels good”. “That might sound like a shitty answer,” he laughs. “I suppose we hope there’s a sense of danger, but also a warm embrace as well.” This week Ten Cent Pistols play at Yah Yahs, an event that will operate partly as a fund-raiser to help put the band’s new album out on vinyl. With Owen Hughes about to head over to Mexico for a couple of months, Palmer will start some groundwork for the album, embarking on a first round of recording in preparation for Hughes’ return. “I think the
next album will have a bit more of a psychedelic-electronic element,” Palmer says. “It’s a little bit trippier, a bit groovier. We’re progressing forward, but we’re still blues-based.” Despite being born around the time that vinyl was declared a dying medium – a prediction that has thankfully been proven to be as exaggerated as Mark Twain’s famous analysis of rumours of his own demise – Palmer says he’s long maintained a fascination for the wax recording format. “We had heaps of vinyl around us growing up,” Palmer says. “In fact, the first blues record I ever heard was a JJ Cale record that I found on vinyl. The sound on vinyl is warmer. And I like the idea of our album sitting in a pile of other vinyl records,” he laughs.
the things that really annoys us is, a lot of large, successful bands will make a career out of singing about the suffering of Ethiopians or all these things that have happened in the past. And I’m not saying it doesn’t happen, but you don’t see that money going back to them. It doesn’t make you any better just by singing about it. Just because you’re an artist and art is supposed to convey one thing or another… just singing about it is almost leading consumers into a false sense of charity. That was something that really, really
frustrated us, so all the money we spend on the band, we don’t take back: anything the band makes goes to Survival International. We’re trying to highlight an issue and also set an example by trying to give that money back.”
Catch DEAD LETTER CIRCUS play The Hi-Fi on Saturday August 31. The Catalyst Fire is released through UNFD on August 9.
TEN CENT PISTOLS
BY PATRICK EMERY
At the root of the best psychedelic music lies a basic blues-rock discipline. Long before it became the house band for psychedelic philosophical inspiration, The Grateful Dead was a solid rhythm and blues band; around the same time, Lobby Loyde dropped a tab and sprayed his Purple Hearts riffs through a kaleidoscopic lens. And strip away the madness, mania and psychosis of the Brian Jonestown Massacre, and you’re left with a set of impregnable blues riffs. Alex Palmer, guitarist and vocalist with local psychedelic blues band Ten Cent Pistols agrees that the symbiotic relationship between blues and psychedelia remains an important aspect of the band. “Absolutely,” Palmer says. “I really couldn’t ever shake it. The bare core of my playing is all blues.” Now a five-piece band, Ten Cent Pistols’ origins go back to its genesis as a two-piece blues-rock outfit formed by Palmer and his twin brother Owen Hughes. Palmer and Hughes had been playing together since they were in primary school. “We had a Jimi Hendrix cover band, and we also played some Green Day,” Palmer recalls. “I’d grown up listening to a lot of Beatles and Elvis, and my dad used to play a lot of soul. Mum said to me recently ‘I can still remember when you were five years old, and you asked me to buy you a Miles Davis record’,” Palmer laughs. By their teenage years, Palmer and Hughes had decided to start a ‘real’ band, taking its name from the Black Keys song, Ten Cent Pistol. As a fledgling two-piece with a love of the blues, the inspiration was entirely appropriate; it also had an allegorical aspect as well. “We just thought it was a bad-arsed name,” Palmer says. “We wanted to have a name
with ‘pistol’ in it, so that worked as well. And I suppose it’s also a good metaphor as well, with all the cheap guns that are around the world.” Eventually Ten Cent Pistols broaden out to a four-piece, and then a five piece, with Owen moving off drums to keyboards. “We wanted to go from a bare bones style, and build it up to something bigger,” Palmer says. “We did it more organically. It was always the plan to get bigger musically. It’s like blues progressing through time.” Palmer admits that he and Hughes have a strong telepathic bond on stage and in the studio. “It’s really telepathic because we’re twins,” Palmer says. “It’s really intuitive. When we were playing as a two-piece, we could always change the beat just on a whim.” When it came to changing the line-up, the twins’ musical and fraternal relationship didn’t present an obstacle for the other members of the band. “Our guitarist, Sam, really clicked in easily,” Palmer says. “Everyone has locked in really well.” A debut album was recorded in 2010, followed by the Ten Cent Pistols EP in 2012; another EP, Vultures, was released earlier this year. While Ten Cent Pistols’ live show has indulged the classic elastic psychedelic style, Palmer says
TEN CENT PISTOLS will hit Yah Yahs this Friday August 9.
VOLTERA
BY PETER HODGSON
Voltera are a notoriously hard band to pin down, with musical elements of metal, industrial, goth and alternative, but they simultaneously skirt around and embrace these influences in pursuit of an original sound. More recently they’ve taken to incorporating elements of various world music styles into their sound, working from dual platforms of musical exploration and thematic interpretation. You see, their most recent project has been a trio of EPs released over the course of 2012, each influenced by a different global co-ordinate. These areas are explored musically, thematically and socially throughout the releases. And now these EPs are being combined, along with additional material, into Co-Ordination. “Those three EPs combine to make the album with an extra full track and a few instrumental tracks as well,” explains co-founder Michael. “They’ve been remixed and remastered as well.” This was the idea all along, and if you look at the artwork for the three EPs you’ll see hints as to the material’s ultimate destiny. “The artwork from the three EPs combine,” Michael explains. “If you put them together they make an image which is a pinecone but the top of the pinecone is like the top of a grenade. The idea was that the pinecone represents the pineal gland inside the head, as in a connection with everything.” Many religions and philosophers attach particular importance to this little pinecone-shaped gland deep within the brain, linking it Beat Magazine Page 48
to metaphysical, mystical and occult functions and even being described by Rene Descartes as “the principal seat of the soul.” In the case of the Co-Ordination artwork, the pineal gland and grenade are linked in the symbolism of an awakening of consciousness, although it seems like the more immediate effects of a grenade also fit in there somewhere. Voltera is unwaveringly passionate about equal rights and the anti-capitalist movement, and unlike many who seem to think it’s enough to just ‘raise awareness’ via a Facebook click, they put their money where their mouth is - or more accurately, where the need is. “All the money we raise goes to Survival International, who try to defend native tribes and their ways of living,” Michael says, citing the example of native tribes who are uncovered by the destruction of the Amazon: “They’re primitive in their ways compared to us, but that doesn’t make them any less important. It may even be a better way to live. So we try to show that in these old tribes and old ways of living there are a lot of things we should be learning from them. We could lose a lot of the cultural ideas and ways of life, and these are things that we may one day need to look upon for our own survival. One of
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VOLTERA will launch Co-Ordination at the Northcote Social Club with special guests Circles, Death Audio and Sirius this Friday August 9.
CORE
PUNK, SKA, HARDCORE NEWS, REVIEWS AND GOSSIP BY EMILY KELLY: EK1984@GMAIL.COM
Japandroids are selling out shows all over the country so this should serve as a very stern warning to those of you who are yet to secure a ticket for the second Melbourne show on Wednesday August 28. Drunk Mums will support for this show and The Frowning Clouds and Black Night Crash DJs have been secured for the sold out Saturday show. The lovable crew in rowdy gypsy punk band Gogol Bordello are all suing their head gypsy (that’s a thing, yeah?) Eugene Hutz for half a mill, claiming that the dude has been unfairly distributing the band’s funds and even kept all the money from a deal with Coca-Cola. Somewhat unsurprisingly, Soundwave promoter AJ Maddah has been declared the most powerful person in the Australian music industry, according to the Australiasian Music Industry Directory.
CRUNCH! METAL AT THE BENDIGO
The Poison City Weekender has been unhampered by politicians insistence of plinking the federal election smack bang in the middle of its festivities. They’ve scheduled an acoustic arvo on Saturday September 7, perhaps out of spite for the state of our country’s political affairs (seems fair). Once you’ve voted for our country’s next leader, go down to the Old Bar to catch Ribbons Patterns, Pinch Hitter, Lucy Wilson and Nathan Seeckts and drown your sorrows as you wait for the election result. The election won’t be pretty but this sure as shit will. Between The Buried and Me will return to the country this November to smash out their Parallax II : Future Sequence album in its entirety. The Contortionist will come along for the ride for these shows too. Check them out at the Corner Hotel on Tuesday November 19.
Melbourne rock act My Secret Circus have been making major waves overseas in recent times, and are unlikely to remain a secret for very much longer. They bring their swaggering live show to the newly refurbished Ding Dong Lounge in Melbourne CBD on the Friday August 23, bringing along brilliant alternative rockers High Side Driver and nu-metal heavy hitters Blind Munkee.
Poor old Brian Fallon of Gaslight Anthem has recently blogged about his frustration with his fans. Last week Fallon posted “I’m asking openly and humbly that if anyone would like to come to a Gaslight Anthem show, please come because you want to see what we’re doing on that night. Don’t come to see Bruce, he won’t be there. Don’t come to hear a cover, it probably won’t happen. Don’t come to yell at me when I’m trying to share something with the audience”.
METAL, HEAVY ROCK, CLASSIC ROCK
The Khyber Belt
INDIE AT EDINBURGH CASTLE
The Taste of Indie Collective presents Lazybones, Brooke Taylor Trio and Storyhorse at Edinburgh Castle in Brunswick, kicking off around 7:30pm-ish. The Taste of Indie Collective is a collection of Melbourne’s best established and up-and-coming original indie acts putting great original live music events into venues throughout Melbourne.
ALL TIME LOW SUPPORTS ANNOUNCED
MY SECRET CIRCUS AT DING DONG
Don’t even tell me you missed last week’s Big Day Out lineup announcement. You’d be just about the only person in the country. While headliners included Pearl Jam, Arcade Fire and Blur, I’m pretty excited about a bit of DZ Deathrays, Ghost and the one and only Cosmic Psychos. Ripper.
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Head to the Bendigo Hotel in Collingwood on Saturday August 10 to catch Sewercide, Harlott, Maniaxe, Counter Attack and Atomic Death Squad. Doors at 8pm, $10 entry.
All Time Low are touring in August and September, with most shows already sold out. Saturday August 31 all-ages at Billboard: sold out. Sunday September 1 at Billboard: sold out. But you might still be able to get tickets for Monday September 2 at Billboard if you’re quick. Supports for the Australian tour have now been named: catch ambient rockers Built On Secrets at all three shows.
Well this comes as a shock to no one. Black Flag founding guitarist Greg Ginn is suing the touring band Flag claiming that they’re infringing on the rights owned by him and his label SST Records. Ginn is seeking an injunction against their current US tour and has said Flag’s use of the famous logo is causing “confusions, mistake or deception among consumers”. Ruhr oh.
SHOWDOWN AT THE HI-FI
This Saturday August 10 sees Showdown Festival hit The Hi-Fi. It features ten amazing live acts from Melbourne and interstate: Jericco, The Khyber Belt, The Siren Tower, The Killgirls, Anna Salen, I Am Duckeye, Head Filled Attraction, LeBelle, Lung and Transience all for just $15. Check out showdownfestival. com for the full playing times and ticketing details.
WHAT DOES THE BIG DAY OUT OFFER ROCK FANS? By now you no doubt know that the Big Day Out lineup has been announced. It’s a typically diverse set of acts but those of us who like a bit of six-string action crammed into our earholes will have the following to feast on: Pearl Jam, Arcade Fire, Blur, The Lumineers, Tame Impala, Ghost, Portugal. The Man, Mudhoney, Cosmic Psychos, Northlane, The 1975, Bo Ningen and electronica act (with live guitars) The Algorithm. Ticket info at bigdayout.com
CORE GIG GUIDE Thursday August 8: Spleen, Trod, Rock Monster, Scorching Winter at The Reverence Deez Nuts, Earth Caller, Proclaim at Next Youth In Revolt Magazine show with Kindred, RaRa, Friendships, Blossoms, London, Plante, Island Universe in the Reverence Band Room Shoot The Sun, Hopes Abandoned, Bricks at The Bendigo Friday August 9: Alesana, Save The Clock Tower, Pretty Little Liars, Armorous, I Am Everest at Evelyn Hotel Red Rockets of Borneo, The Sinking Teeth, The Morrisons, Claws and Organs at The Reverence Grinspoon, Snowdroppers, Dave Larkin Darwin Theory at The Corner Hotel Cosmic Psychos, Ooga Boogas, Dead River Open at The HiFi Bar The Smith Street Band, The Bennies, Foxtrot, World Cup at The Old Bar As A Rival, Eater Of The Sky, Falconio at Musicman Megastore, Bendigo Encircling Sea, Infinite Void, Of Earth & Home at The Public Bar The Ophidian Ascension, As Silence Breaks, I Shall Devour, A Night in Texas and more at The Gasometer Saturday August 10: Isaac Graham, The Shadow League, I Am The Riot, Nathan Seeckts at The Public Bar Barn Owl, Zond, Miles Brown, Kane Ikin at Northcote Social Club The Smith Street Band, The Bennies, El Alamein, Stockades, Apart From This, Lee Hartney Sex Drive at The Old Bar Alesana, Save The Clock Tower, This Diasco, Oceans To Athena, Swim Through Seasons, Fail The Abstract at Lilydale Showgrounds Guttermouth at The Loft, Warrnambool Secret US Headliner, Wish For Wings, Abhorance, Only 1 at Bang Alesana at The Evelyn Sewercide, Harlott, Maniaxe, Counter Attack, Atomic Death Squad at The Bendigo Hotel Sunday August 11: Sense Fail, Left For Wolves, Surrender, Ever Cold at Corner Hotel Guttermouth at Ferntree Gully Hotel The Murder Rats, The Interceptors, Royal Cut Throat Co at The Bendigo Hotel
BARBARIÖN AT THE ESPY
Like a robotic samurai riding a flaming tiger, Barbariön are a metal force to be reckoned with. Formed in 2007 with the sole ambition of ‘making party’, Barbariön have bludgeoned their way through pubs and clubs to become a Melbourne favourite. Scantily clad in all manner of leather, fur, studs and armour they have blasted festival audiences at Boogie, Cherry Rock, Meredith and the Big Day Out with their powerful metal riffs and mega-explosive stage antics. Now, with egos supercharged thanks to a highly successful European tour, Barbariön are set to unleash their new album upon Australian audiences around the country. They’ll be at The Espy on Friday August 9, Barwon Club Geelong on August 23, and The Tote on Saturday September 14.
MIKE KENEALLY RELEASES FREE EPS
The inimitable Mike Keneally is an incredible solo artist and he’s also played with some of the best in the biz: Frank Zappa, Steve Vai, Dethklok, Joe Satriani, James LaBrie - not to mention his latest album, Wing Beat Fantastic, which features songwriting collaborations with Andy Partridge of XTC. Mike’s offering two fivetrack live EPs for free download at his website, and the tracks selected are a great cross-section of his career, balancing melodic stuff like Pride Is A Sin and Ankle Bracelent, with more abstract pieces like Cardboard Dog and Nonkerchunk. Grab ‘em at store.keneally.com/ collections/free-downloads
GUS G’S FIREWIND ANNOUNCES FIRST EVER OZ TOUR
SQUIER UNVEILS BASS VI
Speaking of guitar-y stuff, Squier has just unveiled the their newest Vintage Modified models, including a new version of the Bass VI. The original Fender Bass VI is the instrument that Nigel Tufnel wouldn’t allow Marty DiBergi to touch or look at in This Is Spinal Tap, and it played a crucial role in the music of The Cure for many years. You’ll also hear it on plenty of tracks by Placebo, Cream and The Black Keys. Tuned an octave below a guitar but played much more like a guitar than a sixstring bass, it’s a really haunting-sounding instrument that’s great for adding beef to the low end of a mix without being all metal about it. And it’s capable of some hauntingly beautiful indie sounds. So I can’t wait for Melbourne bands to get their hands on these and start making music with them.
Greek guitar virtuoso Gus G - known by many as the guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne and by his tenures in Dream Evil, Nightrage and as a touring player with Arch Enemy - is bringing his legendary power metal band Firewind to Australia for the first time ever this October and November, presented by Metropolis Touring and Tombowler. The Apotheosis Across Australia 2013 tour rolls into Melbourne on Sunday November 3 at the Corner Hotel. Tickets are only $59 plus booking fee and are available from metropolistouring.com - and there are strictly limited VIP meet and greet packages available for each show too.
TUMBLEWEED RETURN
Aussie fuzz-rock giants Tumbleweed are back with their eagerly awaited new single Mountain from their soon to be released album Sounds From The Other Side. Recorded on two-inch tape with ARIA-winning producer Paul McKercher over twelve days at Sydney’s Rancom Studio, the 13 songs that make up Sounds From The Other Side ooze heavy grooves, gigantic riffs and juicy analogue flavours. Mountain, for instance, is a fitting introduction to the album – a seven minute epic with that quintessential Tumbleweed sound. They’ll be at the Espy on Saturday September 21, and tickets are on sale now. CHECK OUT ALL THE LATEST NEWS, REVIEWS AND FREE SHIT AT BEAT.COM.AU
Beat Magazine Page 49
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The Khyber Belt
STRAYLOVE
SUSY BLUE
Straylove have crafted a new wave sound where vintage amplifiers and instruments fuse with cutting edge effects and synthesizers. Modern, industrial music bursts from inside a Rock ‘n’ Roll framework with thrilling retro synth dance sessions, stinging improvised jams and heart wrenching ballads. Get down to the Retreat on Saturday August 10 for the band’s first live set in two months. Doors 10.30pm and it’s free.
Susy Hull captains the mighty six piece that is Susy Blue. Don’t miss Susy Blue launching their new single Wish In My Dish on Sunday August 11, for a matinee show with special guests Elephant Eyes at the Workers Club. Doors open 1.30pm with a $12 entry.
IAN COLLARD Ian Collard is a name that needs no introduction to Blues fans in this country. Ian combines the spirit of the Delta with the sounds of Country Blues, creating a mood of menace and desire. Catch Ian in solo mode this Saturday August 10 at the Drunken Poet from 9pm.
YOUTH IN REVOLT Independent bi-monthly online magazine Youth in Revolt celebrate this Thursday August 8 at the Reverence Hotel with heaps of art, stalls and music. Bringing the party vibes are local acts RaRa, Planete, Friendships, London, Blossoms and Kindred. It’s all free entry in the band room from 8pm.
HUNTING GROUNDS Hunting Grounds are in it for the long haul. From their humble beginnings of winning Triple j’s unearthed high, to the release of their debut album In Hindsight, the sextet are looking ahead with a firm grasp on the realities and possibilities of past and present. Having toured all over Australia, Hunting Grounds are a band who have their live sound down so be sure to come and catch the band showcasing their mesmerising synth-heavy indie rock at Ding Dong Lounge on Friday August 16. From 8pm, entry is $15.
SHOWDOWN AT THE HI-FI
SPLEEN
This Saturday August 10 sees The Hi-Fi playing host to Showdown Festival. Acts include Jerrico, The Khyber Belt, The Siren Tower, The Killgirls and Anna Salen. Tickets are $15+bf, via showdownfestival.com.
Continuing their assault on Melbourne airwaves with a night of Prog rock that you won’t wanna miss, catch Spleen at the Reverence Hotel (front bar) on Thursday August 8. Joining them will be Scorching Winter, Rock Monster and sludge rock band Trod. The show starts at 7.30pm. $10 entry.
THE TASTE OF INDIE COLLECTIVE The Taste of Indie Collective continues its Edinburgh Castle August Nights program on Thursday August 8. Lazybones are opening, featuring the brilliant acoustic guitar and vocals of Rhys Jones. Next up are The Brooke Taylor Trio followed by Storyhorse, playing their “apocalyptic folk” brand of very original tunes. All of this takes place in the front bar of the Edinburgh Castle from 7.30pm. Free entry.
HEAVY JUDY PRESENTS Heavy Judy presents a night of rock and roll at The Retreat Hotel this Friday August 9. The night will also feature Trigger Jackets and DJ Jeff Leopard playing until 3am.
THE BOOTS After nearly five years, Melbourne old school punks The Boots return to the scene to wreak havoc on awaiting ears. The Boots will be stamping their mark on a number of venues across Melbourne in the coming months including the soon to be announced 69th Annual Idiot Fest. To kick them back into gear, catch their comeback show this Saturday August 10 at The Barleycorn Hotel alongside the genre retarded Murderballs. Doors open 7:30pm.
JULY DAYS July Days launch their debut album, The Night Is For Hunting, with support from The Peeks and The Zanes on Saturday August 10 at Ding Dong Lounge. July Days are Melbourne born friends Lawrence, Andy, Tim and Glenn. Having played together since late 2008, they’ve won over legions of fans with rock’n, hook driven tunes that possess the heart of Neil Finn and the attitude of the Gallagher brothers. The first single, Should’ve Told Me, is out now. Doors open 8pm, entry is $10.
QUEEN AND CONVICT The songs of Queen And Convict have travelled far and wide. Their tunes have been featured on ABC RN, ABC Dig, Radio Australia; and widely played on the BBC. They will be performing in the back bar of The Retreat Hotel on Thursday August 8. Music starts at 8.30pm and there’s no cover charge.
After enjoying a relaxing hiatus saturated in footy and six-packs, Digger and The Pussycats are back to play a show at the Great Britain Hotel in Richmond. Playing 2 sets of tunes from 9pm, catch them playing on this Saturday August 10. Free entry.
VAN & CHARLES This Sunday August 11 the Drunken Poet is well chuffed to present to you two of this (or any) town’s finest songwriters. Van Walker and Charles Jenkins are responsible for several records that rarely leave the Poet stereo, beautifully crafted pieces of pop, country and folk perfection. Whether crossing the Nullabor, or the High Street Bridge at 5am, there is a song for all occasions and we can thank the likes of Van & Charles for adding plenty to that cannon. Van kicks off at 4pm with Charles following from 6:30pm.
YEO Since the beginning of the year, Melbourne producer Yeo dropped the cheekily titled Sell Out LP and just finished a successful East Coast tour, garnering airplay from Triple J and gathering a whole bunch of new followers. After digging deep into his bag of heart-stuffing, Yeo rediscovered his love of making records, found a new voice and built a new hookline-and-synth-laden vehicle to carry it. He will be performing every Wednesday night in August at Ding Dong Lounge. Support from Legendary Northern Soul King and DJ Vince Peach.
DIGGER AND THE PUSSYCATS
WACO SOCIAL CLUB
VENICE MUSIC Described as a cross between Will Oldham, Roy Orbison and Ennio Morricone, Melbourne alt-folk act Venice Music released his debut EP, Familiar Ground, late last month, and to celebrate, he’ll be showcasing the album at Some Velvet Morning on Saturday August 17. Joining him on the double bill will be Lehmann B Smith.
SUZANNE KINSELLA Suzanne Kinsella is a Melbourne based songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who has gigged and recorded in Australia and overseas for the past thirteen years. Suzanne has worked with a plethora of artists including Gotye, Dallas Frasca, Jess McAvoy, Liz Stringer, Sabrina and the Red Vans and The Woohoo Revue. Suzanne Kinsella will release her debut album, The Conversation, early next year. Catch her at The Retreat Hotel on Thursday August 8 from 9.30pm. Free entry.
The Waco Social Club live shows have been compared to a spiritual experience. A soon to be aired music clip for The Score on Rage and a forth coming single release for The Greatest Gift, the band are riding high in their saddle. They will be holding their next service this Thursday August 8 at the Vineyard. Support on the night by Wakefeild and Wishful. Free entry.
OUR LAST ENEMY The dark horses of Australia’s heavy music scene Our Last Enemy, play their theatrically unpredictable and intense live shows and unique blend of industrial metal at Revolver on Friday August 2. Having created a strong following and unparalleled local buzz, they’re joined on the night with industrial metal heavyweights Witchgrinder, and Sydney’s industrial monumental duo Virtual Millenium. Be sure to experience their apocalyptic, menacing and memorable mix from 8.30pm. $15 tickets are available at the door.
GROUSE PARTY Grouse Party’s monthly queer party hits The Bendigo Hotel this Friday August 9. Headlining is old favourite duo Oprah & Gayle, joined by resident DJ Ann Ominous dishing out late-set desserts. Doors open at 10pm, $10 entry.
THE GO SET’S 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY TOUR Canadian Scottish punks The Real McKenzies return to Australia for the first time in 10 years to play The Gershwin Room joined by long time friends The Go Set, who are celebrating their 10 year anniversary. Having just released their latest album Westwinds, The McKenzies show no signs of slowing. It’s Folk Punk at its wildest. Tickets on sale now at www.oztix.com.au for their Espy Gershwin Room performance on Saturday August 31.
HOWLIN STEAM TRAIN As the name implies, Howlin Steam Train are ragged, relentless, and freakin’ fun. They’re a nice n’ boozy cocktail of rock, soul, boogie and a bunch of other sensual delights. Catch them at Cherry Bar on Saturday August 10 as part of their Winter Schedge tour with Sons Et Al and The Holy Rollers. Doors 5pm, $13 from 8pm – 11pm. DJ Mary M until 5am, $10. Beat Magazine Page 50
THE MORRISONS Red Rockets of Borneo will finally be colliding with the Morrisons. It’s been a long time coming, but this line up is actually happening. You better get down to The Reverence Hotel this Friday August 9 to catch some of the best local grown punk acts playing their fresh tunes. This awesome lineup also includes The Sinking Teeth and Claws & Organs. Head down, grab a drink and have a boogie from 8pm. Entry is $10.
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THE COUNCIL The Council return to The Tote every Saturday afternoon in August to play their particular blend of two-piece rock’n’roll. Joining them for their residency will be a lineup of legendary Melbourne musicians playing solo including Spencer P Jones, Ruby Soho, Phil Gionfriddo, Derek Richards and Chris Russell. So head down to the Tote for a beer, a good time and catch some of the best acts in Melbourne. Doors open at 4pm, bands start at 5pm.
PSALM BEACH Make your way to the Cobra Bar (upstairs at The Tote) on Wednesday August 7 for a night of local punk and post-punk noise. Kicking things off are McBain, Melbourne’s answer to Elvis in his spiraling ‘arteryapocolypse’ years, bringing their abrasive blend of noise-surf-thrash in what may be their last show for the year. Followed by the very sultry Them Nights, a warm sloppy garage nightmare for both men and women, and Melbourne post-punk noise stalwarts Psalm Beach heading proceedings. Come and see why the French are going apeshit. Enjoy a mid-week beer; it will be more fun than driving a car through the front of your local supermarket. Doors open at 8pm, $5 entry.
TEN CENT PISTOLS This Friday August 9, bluesy psych rockers Ten Cent Pistols return to Yah Yah’s for a special one off show. After the very successful launch of Vultures at a nearly sold out Cherry Bar, the band returns to Yah Yah’s for their only headline show before the ‘Vultures Tour’ in December. Ten Cent Pistols “revel in rock and roll grandeur” and their live show is certainly something to behold, so make sure you come and check out this out. All money raised from vinyl sales will go directly into paying for the recording of TCP’s next record. TCP’s will also be DJing until 5am afterwards. Support from The Stephen Bowtell Band, Private Radio and Dead Gang. Doors at 9pm. $10 Entry.
THE FAUVES
BERTIE PAGE CLINIC Having just returned from a three week tour of Europe, sweaty glam and punk band Bertie Page Clinic are ready to hit Australia again with a minitour celebrating the release of their new single, One Swan Pond, from their new album, Too Loud Too Naked. Their next offering is set to be released through French label Beast Records in late 2013. Catch them at Pure Pop Records at 3pm Saturday August 17 for an instore appearance, before they play Public Bar that night with local supports Kill Ya Darlins and Drifter. Entry is $8 and their single is currently available for free download from bertiepageclinic.bandcamp.com
Triple R and Premier Artists proudly present Catch ‘Em While They’re Alive: 25 Years In Rock! The Fauves mark their 25th anniversary at the Corner Hotel on Saturday August 31 with a multimedia exploration of their two and a half decades as a band. Playing material from all 11 of their albums as well as several EPs, the band will intersperse the music with PowerPoint discussions of their history and the music industry in general. Be early for Doctor’s Orders, a Fauves cover band who play only songs written by founding member Phil ‘Doctor’ Leonard. The night will culminate with the live performance of the Fauves’ ten most popular songs as voted by the listening public – a rare concession to paying customers whom the band otherwise view as “very rarely being right”. Doors at 8.30pm. Tickets are $20 pre-order or $25 on the door.
THE SNARSKI BROTHERS It’s on again! Quickly becoming something of an annual event, The Snarski Brothers will once again take to the stage at The Flying Saucer Club and deliver a matinee show at the Northcote Social Club in early September. Testing their musical memory banks as they delve into the back catalogue of Chad’s Tree, Jackson Code and Blackeyed Susans’ classics along with new material. Rarely in the same country, let alone on the same stage. Make sure you don’t miss brothers Mark and Rob Snarski going head to head. Catch the Snarski Brothers at The Flying Saucer on Saturday September 7 (8pm), followed by a matinee show at the Northcote Social Club on Sunday September 8 (1pm).
KINGSTON CROWN Join Kingston Crown and Soul in the Basement with DJs Vince Peach and Pierre Baroni at Cherry Bar this Thursday August 8 from 5pm. Entry is $10 from 8pm until 5am. A free copy of Kingston Crown’s debut EP will be given to the first 30 people through the door.
REBECCA DAVEY Rebecca Davey has taken the power of the best blues women icons, and transformed to be one of the most authentic singers on todays circuit. Rebecca doesn’t just command the stage, she struts and stings, and draws you into her web. Her voice and style has taken her band Dreamboogie to Memphis, to festival stages throughout Oz and beyond. This week Rebecca will lay down the blues with the EBC Allstars for two sets, and if yer real quick off the mark, you’ll catch Dreamboogie doing a set as well. Too good to refuse, it’s all happening at The Elwood Blues Club this Sunday August 11 and The Royal Standard Hotel on Tuesday August 13. Ticket and door information is available via www.dreamboogie.com/gigs
THE T-BONES For many years now the T-Bones have been chronicling the fading fortunes of rural Australia, with songs about amphetamine-fueled shearers, guns, broken hearts and the inevitable lure of the city. Products of Northern Victoria, the T-Bones inhabit the characters they create, delivering their stories with a sincerity that many writers are incapable of reaching. Catch them spinning yarns this Saturday August 10 at The Drunken Poet from 9pm.
THE SIDESHOW BRIDES The Sideshow Brides craft a unique blend of country folk with their haunting harmonies and captivating melodies. Their songs weave through tales of dark and seedy desolation. They play at The Drunken Poet from 4pm on Sunday August 11.
DARTS The five-piece indie-punk band Darts burst into the music scene in 2009, winning triple j Unearthed and releasing their debut album Habitual Slack in 2012. These kids have been busy sharing their music across Melbourne and are now bringing their fractured song structures and unpredictable live shows to the Tote every Thursday in August at the Cobra Bar (upstairs at The Tote). With epic support from 8 Bit Love, Velma Grove, Going Swimming, Ceres and heaps more. Doors open at 8pm and tickets are just $7.
THE PITYS This is The Pitys first proper gig in months. Watch them make arses of themselves again at The Bendigo, Wednesday August 7. Support by Plural and The Ashyards. Free entry.
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Beat Magazine Page 51
MUSIC NEWS
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Chela
DEAR ALE
VOID GLORIOUS VOID
Dear Ale are celebrating the release of their second studio album Somewhere To Be with a Sunday night residency at The John Curtain in August. It’s only $10 and the night kicks off at 5:30, so there’s plenty of time to have a drink, a dance and a boogie and still get some solid sack time. With support from Hunter, The Quarters, Trigger Jackets (WA), The Tarantino’s, Andrew Swift & The Rattlesnake Choir, Green Green Green, The Furrows, Broni, Young River & The Evans Street Band, g-pop and Guests.
Void Glorious Void is an urgent ensemble playing original songs and instrumentals concerted with overwhelming, far-reaching beauty and disguised turmoil, along with everything else. Members of Void Glorious Void have been involved with artists such as Missy Higgins, The Holy Sea and Sailor Days. Every Friday in August, these guys will perform at Dane Certificate’s Magic Theatre accompanied by different magicians and illusionists. Doors at 8pm, $10 will get you in.
BILL PARTON TRIO To sum up the Bill Parton Trio’s sound, imagine the simplicity and catchiness of The Beatles, combined with Coldplay-like chords and melodies, the impressionism of Jeff Buckley and Radiohead, along with a dash of the relaxed chilled-out mood and atmospherics of Zero 7. The trio will launch their debut EP on Friday August 23 at The Empress Hotel, Fitzroy with The Karmens. Doors open at 8pm.
THE TROTSKIES The Trotskies will launch their new single with The Corsairs and Busy Kingdom at Cherry Bar this Friday August 9. Get down for some hot indie rock from 5pm. $13 entry from 8pm-11pm. DJ Lucy until 5am, $10.
BRIDGEWATER Continuing on their run of shows throughout Melbourne and regional Victoria, as part of their Get Down tour, rock ‘n’soul outfit and marine guardians Bridgewater splash into Bar Open this Wednesday August 7. Also on the bill giving you a mid week pick-me-up are Evil Twin, Damn That River and The Eleven Dollar Bills. Doors open at 8pm. Free entry.
60 SECONDS WITH…
SUSY BLUE
RENEE GEYER FORTUNATE SUNDAYS Brought to you by Rooftop Bar, Watt’s On Presents and Budweiser, you will not want to miss out on Fortunate Sundays. Long time mates and indie-music aficionados Dan Watt (Watt’s on/Poncho) and Jon-Lee Farrell (Dancing Heals) bring you the very best grit and sexuality of rock into the green lawns of Rooftop Bar. Starting on Sunday August 18 with Melbourne ball-tearing garage rockers Drunk Mums DJs, joined by sultry songstress Chela doing a special DJ set on Sunday August 25. September 1 features DJ Slymeware (Big Scary) with DNC HLS (Dancing Heals DJs) and finishing on Sunday September 8 with psychedelic costume Bad News Toilet, this is the place to be on Sundays. Free entry.
THE WEEPING WILLOWS
THE ELECTRIC I
The Weeping Willows are steeped in bluegrass tradition and draped in gothic Americana imagery. They regale their audience with stories of sunshine and romance, murder and decay. Check them out at The Retreat Hotel this Saturday August 10 from 5pm.
After the recent release of their debut album Martyrdon, The Electric I are bringing their experimental multi-genre Progressive pop every Tuesday in August to the Evelyn. Their shows will also feature local support from Ghost Orkid, Sun Lotion, Arte Kanela and many more. Entry is only $3.
PAINT ME A PHOENIX Melbourne six piece Paint me a Phoenix are about to hit the studio to record their third album, but before they do they’re putting on a final show before recording. Catch them doing their thing this Friday August 9 at the Grace Darling Hotel. Entry is $5 and you’ll also get to see Xenograft, Zombie Psychologist and The Black Galaxy Experience.
THE HONEY BADGERS Honey Badgers recently celebrated their first birthday. One year of harmonious jibber-jabber, guitar-molestation, rhythm section punctuality and milk-encrusted music videos. Oh the memories. To celebrate they’re bailing on all commitments and heading overseas for a couple of months. But before they do they’re holding a party at Yah Yahs. Joining them are their new pals Cashew Chemist from Singapore, and old mates Gamma Rays. It’s happening this Thursday August 8. Doors at 8pm and it’s free.
MORE DANGER More Danger Monthly Sunday’s at The Bendigo Hotel. This Sunday August 11 Royal Cut Throat co, The Interceptors and The Murder Rats will be tearing it up. Danger DJ will be spinning some tunes before and after. Plus come and check out the new Kitchen “hot mess” pumping out some awesome winter chow! Doors open 4pm and it’s free.
OVENS ST. WAREHOUSE FUNDRAISER Saturday August 10 at the Evelyn sees some of Melbourne’s newest and brightest rising acts all under the one roof, featuring space crooners Ghost Orkid, psychedelic journey-men Kalacoma, riotous babes Manglewurzel plus loop-based dub-infused circussideshow act Hoops n Loops. The night is a fundraiser for an infamous inner-city warehouse that is currently in the process of renovating, aiming at building studios and facilities to provide services to the artistic and social justice community. Entry is $10 at the door.
KATE BRIANNA Australian singer-songwriter Katie Brianna will perform a Melbourne launch for her new album, Dark Side of the Morning, at The Retreat Hotel in Brunswick. Katie began writing songs as a way to escape her seemingly incurable shyness. It wasn’t long before she caught the attention of fans and musicians alike. The Sydney based, 24 year old singer has collaborated with Paul Kelly and can boast Bill Chambers as one of her mentors. Catch Katie Brianna on Saturday August 10 at the Retreat Hotel for a rare Melbourne performance. Doors open 5pm. Free entry. Beat Magazine Page 52
ANNA’S GO-GO ACADEMY Shake it like a Polaroid picture at Anna’s Go-Go Academy every Thursday night at Victoria Hotel. Anna’s go-go classes are great fun, an excellent cardio workout, and have been described as “inspiring”, “a retro hit parade…everything from Elvis’s Jailhouse Rock to AC/DC’s Jailbreak”, and a “high energy dance party with the hostess with the mostest”. Charleston, Watusi, Mashed Potato, Madison, Hustle, Thriller! Anna brings you the most popular, most awesome, and sometimes most ridiculous dance crazes of history for fun and fitness. It kicks off at 6.30pm. Entry is $12 or $10 if you bring a friend.
GUTTERMOUTH Ten studio albums in and Guttermouth are calling it a day, but before they do, they are hopping aboard the tour bus for one final farewell around Australia. They’ll be farewelling crowds the best way they know how – by putting on an honest punk rock spectacle. You can catch Guttermouth playing the Ferntree Gully Hotel on Sunday August 11. They will also be hitting the Evelyn Hotel on Saturday August 17. Tickets are available through the venue websites.
THE GROVES After a successful Pozible campaign to fund the creation of their clip, Melbourne Blues rockers The Groves are celebrating by launching their clip for the single Down with the Ship at The Grace Darling on Saturday August 10. Joining them on the night is The Ivory Elephant, Contagent and Kinloch Troons. Doors 9pm. $10 at the door.
ANIMAL HANDS Animal Hands will be hosting a night of hard rock, joined by stoner rock band The Hidden Venture, Thursday August 8. Also hurling their honey-on-gravel sound at the Laundry Bar will be rock power-trio Elcaset and grunge band I Am Mine. Animal Hands’ debut EP has been well received with killer reviews and airplay across Australia and California.
STOMP DOG Stomp Dog are continuing their August Sunday residency this week at The Reverence Hotel. Stomp Dog play bush music with teeth. They bring a dirty rawness to their mix of dark folk, lively bush music and haunting murder ballads, with songs that run at a frenetic, almost off the rails pace and others with a dark, brooding melancholy that draw in any listeners within earshot. This week they are supported by Zeptepi and Juke Baritone. Show starts at 3pm and it’s free.
Fresh from touring her highly anticipated big band album Swing, Australian musical icon Renée Geyer will now perform an intimate show for fans at The Flying Saucer Club on Friday August 16 - a two hour presentation with Renée performing the new album plus her many hits with an extended band including a three-piece horn section. Doors open 8pm, tickets are $45+bf for reserved seating or $38+bf for general admission.
JAPAN EP LAUNCH To launch their new EP Traveller, Japan are hitting their favourite pub The Reverence Hotel Saturday August 10 for a night of celebrations. Ditching traditional printing methods, they launch their new EP on USB bottle openers complete with specially printed tin, artwork and stickers. Joining them on the night are Apart From This, Damn Hears, Limits and All We Need. The party kicks off at 5.30pm and entry is $10.
ANDREW NOLTE & HIS ORCHESTRA Andrew Nolte & His Orchestra bring 1920s jazz and ragtime to the Spotted Mallard. The 8 piece band features a cavalcade of roaring brass, wailing sax and banjo and a trap kit rhythm section. They play 2 sets this Sunday August 11 from 4.30pm. Free entry.
ROOTS OF MUSIC Roots of music is the place to discover new and local talent at Revolver Bandroom’s weekly live music night. This Wednesday August 8 guest includes Australian/American singer/songwriter Joe Forrester playing his indie folk inspired music. Joining him is regular guests Cardinal and The Mere Poets. Doors 8pm and it’s free.
LAURA IMBRUGLIA No doubt you’ve seen the name around town on posters at traffic lights, or heard a song on the radio, but now is your chance to catch Laura Imbruglia live. Previously she has toured the country countless times and Europe twice with The Eels, Tegan and Sara, Josh Pyke, Sarah Blasko and many more. Be sure to catch her playing a string of intimate solo shows at the Spotted Mallard every Tuesday in August from 8.30pm. Free entry.
THE ALAN LADDS Melbourne 5 piece The Alan Ladds are gearing up to bring their reckless precision and swinging honky tonk tunes to the Spotted Mallard. Playing 2 sets from 8.30pm you can catch their mandolin, pedal steel, double bass and flat top guitar all in action on Thursday August 8. Free entry.
ZELUS Melbourne trio Zelus play Jazz, Funk, Blues and Latin inspired original compositions with an improvised spirit at the Spotted Mallard this Wednesday August 7. Their set features a fresh perspective on classic and modern Jazz Standards and Blues. Tunes kick off from 8.30pm and you can get your jazz on, all for free.
RED BULL ACADEMY PRESENTS Revolver Upstairs in Collaboration with Red Bull Music Academy present The Dinner Set every Wednesday in the Back Bar from 7pm til late. Hosted by Julien Love, catch Ms Goldie on the decks on Wednesday August 7. Free entry.
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So then, what’s the band name and what do you ‘do’ in the band? Susy Blue. I’m Susy, the singer and songwriter, keyboardist and very occasional flautist. What do you reckon people will say you sound like? Fun, free and on the fringe, yet nestled in pop overtones (actually that’s what one of your journos said so I’m going with that). What do you love about making music? I just get absorbed into another world, working on a piece I’m writing or technical exercise obsessively. I can’t describe it any better than that. Performing music that you love with people you love is pretty rad too. What do you hate about the music industry? That sometimes it seems to embrace the predictable, safe or ordinary. We have so many amazing, diverse bands and artists in Australia, and it’s sad when they don’t get the support they deserve. If you could travel back in time and show one of your musical heroes your stuff, who would it be and why? I would like to show composer Messiaen a song I wrote inspired by him, but I think he’d probably hate it. I would rather meet and ideally play support for my current heroes such as Björk, Andrew Bird or Joanna Newsom. If you could assassinate one person or band from popular music, who would it and why? I’m no goon. What can a punter expect from your live show? Light-hearted fun and diverse tunes woven with anything from classical music to trip hop, noveau folk, ‘60s pop, soul, old-world jazz, neo-klezmer and surf-rock. Old school instrumentation like violin, clarinet, double bass, drums, guitars, vintage vocals and lots of honeyed harmonies. What’ve you got to sell CD-wise? Our new single, Wish in My Dish. I’ve got our 2011 LP Curly Girl and a 2008 EP. I’ve also been binding and decorating signature Susy Blue journals for some merchandise. When’s the gig and with who? Sunday August 11 at The Workers Club, a matinee show between the very civil hours of 2-5pm. It’s a double launch, with friends Elephant Eyes celebrating their new EP, and also Matt Kelly’s new duo, Mayfair Kytes. Anything else to add? Look out for the animated film clip for Wish In My Dish.
MUSIC NEWS
CLAYMORE
YOUR COMPREHENSIVE LOCAL GUIDE
Claymore, the Melbourne-based international Celtic rock super group, are looking forward to kicking up their heels once again as they hit the Flying Saucer Club this Friday August 9. Bringing their unique brand of traditional Celtic music melded with contemporary rock, Claymore will perform a plethora of reworked traditional classics, original tracks and rock songs with a Celtic-instrumentation. The special guest for the evening will be Fiona Ross from Scotland respected as a fine interpreter of Scots song. Doors at 8pm. Tickets are $20 at the door.
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3RRR RADIOTHON 2013
ROCKY AND NANCYS After a successful release of their debut album in late 2010, Rocky and Nancys are back and bringing their low-fi, punk pop catchy tunes to The Great Britain Hotel on Thursday August 8 from 8.30pm. This will be a tasty treat for lovers of new music with guests Howl & Crow. Free entry.
THREE’S A CROWD
3RRR 102.7FM will kick off its annual Radiothon this week, for ten days from Friday August 9 until Sunday August 18. Triple R is a fully independent, non-profit community radio station which is truly listener-funded, relying on listeners’ subscriptions to keep running. At $75 per year for a standard subscription, subscribing to 3RRR only costs $1.44 per week and this revenue, along with station sponsors, funds the station’s operations for the year ahead. Subscribers live in the knowledge that they are responsible for keeping 3RRR’s strong, credible and independent voice on air and, alongside the station’s volunteers, they are an integral part of the Triple R community. Additionally, subscribers gain access to discounts all around Melbourne, the chance to win the station’s many giveaways to ‘3RRR Presents’ events and films, exclusive access to unique subscriber-only film screenings and events in the Triple R Performance Space, and if they subscribe before September 18, then they will go in the draw for all of the amazing Radiothon prizes.
VOLTERA
NEW ARCHER New Archer have just released their debut EP, Bees Nudge the Mouth of a Feathered Rose, which is filled with strange lyrical juxtapositions and influenced by songwriting iconoclasts Bill Callahan, Silver Jews, Will Oldham, Robert Forster, Julie Doiron and Neil Young. They will be performing at The Gasometer Hotel on Thursday August 8. Support comes from Sarah Mary Chadwick and the fragmented echoing-guitar analogue-warmth of Melbourne’s Nth Wheel. Doors 8pm. $8 entry.
After teasing us with the release of three EP’s last year, Voltera are set to launch their album Friday August 9 at the Northcote Social Club. Joined by Circles, Death Aidio and Sirus, their live show is an experience not to be missed. Tickets are $12 pre-sale or $15 at the door. Doors 8pm.
THE PEEP TEMPEL The Peep Tempel’s Modern Professional EP launch is set to take place over two nights at The Old Bar, Friday August 16 & Saturday 17. Featuring Kids Of Zoo, Damn The Torpedoes, The Bombshells, DJ Chowtown on the Friday and Sheriff, Vadge Dagger, Space Junk, DJ Stevie Striker on the Saturday. Doors open 8.30pm. $10 entry.
The Evelyn would like to show you their new baby – Three’s A Crowd. A residency which stretches through July and August and is made up of two-piece acts with the occasional soloist. Each Monday they have an eclectic lineup of established bands, re adapted acts, resident DJs and $10 jugs. Screw large bands, we’re keeping this simple! Joining them on Monday August 12 is your father, your mother and cult figure Mandek Penha, the Spazzy pop of Toxic Lipstick and the washed out sounds of Kokatsuna Onani.
DEAR ALE Dear Ale are celebrating the release of their second studio album Somewhere To Be with a Sunday night residency at The John Curtain in August. It’s only $10 and the night kicks off at 5:30, so there’s plenty of time to have a drink, a dance and a boogie and still get some solid sack time. With support from Hunter, The Quarters, Trigger Jackets (WA), The Tarantino’s, Andrew Swift & The Rattlesnake Choir, Green Green Green, The Furrows, Broni, Young River & The Evans Street Band, g-pop and Guests.
MARK MOLDRE During the month of September Mark Moldre will head south with his band in tow to give Canberra, Ballarat and Melbourne a taste of his new album, An Ear To The Earth. An Ear to the Earth has so far gained four star reviews, Best CD Of The Week in the Sydney Morning Herald whilst receiving airplay on triple j, ABC, 3RRR and Community Radio across Australia. Catch Mark at the Workers Club on Sunday September 15. Doors open 7.30pm. $10 entry.
OLIVER MANN Oliver Mann celebrates the release of his third album, Slow Bark, with a matinee show on Sunday August 11 at Northcote Social Club. Supporting Oliver will be Leo Mullins (Small Knives) playing a rare solo set. Doors open at 1.30pm. Tickets are $17 on the door.
SEWERCIDE Sewercide are a Brutal Death/Thrash Metal band from Melbourne. Pumping the Bendigo on Saturday August 10 with a stellar local thrash crossover cast in Harlott, Maniaxe, Counter Attack & Atomic Death Squad. Doors open 8pm. $10 entry.
WATTS’ ON PRESENTS: ATOLLS After an amazing night at The Toff last month, Watt’s On Presents is coming back again this Wednesday August 7, this time with Melbourne’s finest exponents of psych rock in Atolls, Mesa Cosa, Grand Rapids and Clavians. Co-curating this most resplendent array of music is Bill Hurley Fraser of Psych Ward Records. Atolls are one of Melbourne’s most popular underground acts. Their slacker post-grunge harks upon the reflection of Dinosaur Jnr and the heavy psych of Dead Meadow. Mesa Cosa are one of Melbourne’s loudest bands so, if you want to be a tight-arse and not pay the $10 door charge, you will still be able to take in the band’s set from the smoking area. Like the grandeur conjured by their name, Grand Rapids imbue the inexorable rhythms of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and the otherworldliness of Brian Jonestown Massacre. Since the release of their compelling and brutal Cosmic Hood EP, Clavians have had not much else on their mind except The Grind of Body Grip on Skins. Possessing the naive brutality of At The Drive-In, Clavians opening set will set the night alight. Tickets are $10. CHECK OUT ALL THE LATEST NEWS, REVIEWS AND FREE SHIT AT BEAT.COM.AU
Beat Magazine Page 53
ALBUM OF THE WEEK SNAKADAKTAL
SYN SWEET 16
Sleep In The Water (I OH YOU/Liberation)
WEDNESDAY 7 AUGUST RESIDENCY – OPENING NIGHT
JUSTICE & KAOS RY
THURSDAY 8 AUGUST SINGLE LAUNCH
THE UNIVERSAL I KNOW THE CHIEF BUSY KINGDOM $2.50 POTS, $5 VODKAS! FRIDAY 9 AUGUST
ALESANA *SELLING FAST*
SAVE THE CLOCK TOWER PRETTY LITTLE LIARS ARMOURS I AM EVEREST
SATURDAY 10 AUGUST OVENS ST. WAREHOUSE FUNDRAISER
1. Hobo Rocket POND
Weightlessness is a hell of a feeling whether, it is physical (floating) or metaphorical (transcendence). Running with the duality of this adjective, Snakadaktal have released a debut album that, firstly, sonically flows with an effortless style that is so well produced it immediately contemporises them with UK megastars The XX. Secondly, the album’s title and cover art, depicting a grey sea, touches upon that feeling of weightlessness and expansive wonder that is deeply imbued in the lyrical depth and vocal deliveries of Phoebe Cockburn and Sean Heathcliff. This album is a winner on so many levels with the two first releases from the album, Ghost and Hung On Tight, as powerful as they are polarising. Cockburn’s vocals on Ghost seem to have relaxed somewhat from Snakadaktal’s 2011 debut EP with her voice losing that youthful twang and now settling in somewhere between Tori Amos and Kate Bush. Lyrically the song seems steeped in painful regret and begrudging acceptance: “We spun around trying to make sense of our luck… Ghost, Ghost.” The musical backing to this song is sparse yet profound. Softly fingered and icy guitar is abused by jarring riffage from the lead guitar, reminiscent of the 1980s production of Dire Straits and more recently Bon Iver on Bon Iver. The single Hung On Tight burst into our media channels the same week Snakadaktal were set to play Splendour and, with its dramatic film clip and vivid lyrical storytelling, the song has already made quite the impact. Musically the song is dissimilar to Ghost, because while still having the ethereal edge, Hung On Tight drives forward with compelling inexorability like a boxer pulling themself off the mat only to then deliver the winning punch. Heathcliff’s vocals are stirring and the lyrics well chosen. Stylistically he too seems to have retrained himself somewhat since the band’s earlier days when at times he came off a little too Matt Corby for my liking. The song Feel The Ocean Hold Me Under diverges from the previously discussed restraint as the claustrophobic allusion of the title is mirrored musically, as skittering drums
2. Psychic Temple II CHRIS SCHLARB 3. Catfish Blues CHRIS RUSSELL’S CHICKEN WALK 4. Haircut RAINBOW CHAN 5. Dead Arms NO ART 6. Scar CLOUD CONTROL 7. Wear Me Away WHITE POPPY 8. Wenu Wenu OMAR SOULEYMAN 9. G Spot Connection RAS G collide with cluttered guitar and synth lines. I am sure the cacophonous rhythms work well live, but on this album, coming in at track six it brutalises the mellowed listener. However, in an album full of so much beauty, maybe the chaos of Feel The Ocean Hold Me is required? A highlight of this album’s tenderness and beauty is the triptych of The Sun I, II and III. The first movement features Heathcliff and a clean guitar strum pleading to be listened to and the third movement that closes the album is a beautiful coalescence of the best parts of Snakadaktal: naivety, texture, intelligence and beauty. DENVER MAXX
SUNDAY 11 AUGUST
THE BRAVES
SMOKE STACK RHINO THE FIBS MONDAY 12 AUGUST THREE’S A CROWD
MANDEK PENHA TOXIC LIPSTICK KOKATSUNA ONANI
TUESDAY 13 AUGUST RESIDENCY – OPENING NIGHT
THE ELECTRIC I
JOSE LUIS ROEDRIGUEZ KATHERINE GAILER REILLY FITZALEN SUN LOTION COMING UP TIX AVAILABLE THRU MOSHTIX: THREE’S A CROWD (MONDAYS IN JULY + AUGUST) MASON – ALBUM LAUNCH (AUG 16) GUTTERMOUTH – FINAL AUS TOUR (AUG 17) THE RED LIGHTS – EP LAUNCH (AUG 24) ONE DAY FUNDRAISER (AUG 30) AU REVIEW’S 5TH BDAY (SEPT 5) THE ALLIANCE TOUR FT. MAUNDZ, 4 AACES & MORE (SEPT 6) HELM – ALBUM LAUNCH (SEPT 7) VOLUMES (USA) (SEPT 8) THE ETERNAL – ALBUM LAUNCH (SEPT 20) SPIT SYNDICATE – SINGLE LAUNCH (SEPT 21)
COLLECTORS CORNER MISSING LINK 1. Vulture Race 7” KREMLINGS 2. Brain Drain 7”CD SHITRIPPER 3. MutinyThe Bad Seed 2*12” BIRTHDAY PARTY
5. Rule Of Thirds 7” RULE OF THIRDS 6. Court Music From The Planet of Love LP Best Track: Hung On Tight If You Like These, You’ll Like This: Coexist THE XX, Total Life Forever FOALS, A is for Alpine ALPINE In A Word: Deep
PRUDENCE REES-LEE 7. Glorius Basterds LP COSMIC PSYCHOS 8. One Of Us Is The Killer CDLP DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN
SINGLES
BY LACHLAN Follow Lachlan on Twitter @LACHLANKANONIUK
I saw Einstein On The Beach over the course of two nights instead of one sitting and my head was still full of fuck.
CUT COPY
Let Me Show You (Modular) OH SHIT, CUT COPY GETTIN’ SEXY UP IN HERE. Picking up where the 15-minute closer left off, is a tightly wound groove sunk deep within a rave haze. The piano lines and “go” samples are pure throwback goodness, the pulsing synths tasty and hypnotic. It’s less pop than single cuts, while tastefully shying away from any banger tendencies. And yes, they’ve never sounded sexier.
WILLIS EARL BEARL
Everything Unwinds (XL/Remote Control) Striving for ambience rather than abide by the self-imposed limits of his earlier recordings, Willis Earl Beal embellishes sparse acoustic guitar and his formidable voice with uneasy synth flourishes. Bearl’s studio output and menacing live presence are at odds, but both are remarkable in their own regard – a blues artist in the truest sense of both words.
KING GIZZARD AND THE LIZARD WIZARD
Cockroach (Permanent) Crocodiles’ brand of minimalist rock anthem never quite took off the same way as Japandroids’, to the extent where I totally forgot they had an album in between 2010’s and the upcoming. Maybe it’s the vocal disdain that doesn’t quite connect, and the tuff-guy coexistence with the titular subject doesn’t sit quite right. The Pixies-like stuttering guitars are a deft touch, however.
30 Past 7 (Flightless/Dot Dash) Breaking through with a burst of garage goodness, continuing on into a blood-soaked Spaghetti-Western romp, into the sitar-heavy first two tracks from the upcoming album, King Gizzard have manage to cultivate a considerable musical growth while sling shotting across the musical nebula. follows up the sprawling with a refined dose of spacey dreamscape in. At its core, there is an immense display of pop songwriting smarts. It’s the best King Gizz track yet, giving the indication that great things are in store for the new LP.
CONTRAST
BITCH PREFECT
CROCODILES
Dull (Eye On Eye) Rising above the recent shoegaze revival glut with resounding production values, Melbourne outfit Contrast generate a reassuring tidal wave of guitars, choosing to do it right rather than mess with the formula.
BEASTWARS
Dune (Independent) Heavy-hitting Kiwi motherfuckers Beastwars dunk us headfirst into a burning tar pit in , bringing us up for air only so we can beg for more. Gnarled drop-D riffs build to the relentless payoff, coming together for a hyperdrive thrust of metal glory. Beastwars are blazing a trail back across the Tasman this September for a handful of Melbourne shows. I recommend going to at least two of them, okay?
FKA TWIGS
Water Me (Young Turks) Teaming up with Arca for the crisp and haunting, FKA Twigs twists future R&B into something more forlorn and heart-wrenching. Still, it defies genre in its progressiveness, emanating themes of decimation while simultaneously providing that glimmer of life. It follows the previous Arca collab , which will appear alongside on the upcoming, potentially star making,
Beat Magazine Page 54
10. Electric Slave BLACK JOE LEWIS
4. Sunbather CDLP DEAFHEAVEN
GHOST ORKID KALACOMA MANGELWURZEL HOOPS N LOOPS SUN LOTION
TOP TENS
Drifting (Bedroom Suck) Last year Bitch Prefect hit their stride with, a track that parlayed its bleak narrative into an infectious anthem to great effect. Here on drifting, the band jettison any semblance of joy or emotional connection as it nestles into a mind-numbing vacuum. What we get is an uninspiring exercise in reductionism, failing to lift above anything beyond the rudimentary as it meanders through a rather mundane journey through space, reading like an episode of hosted by a disinterested three-year-old. Sonically, it’s reminiscent of the chant-like intro to Love’s, thinned out to the entirety of a song, left begging for that sweet, sweet burst of rollicking pop.
9. Tend No Wounds CDLP BLACK TUSK 10. In Blood Memory CDLP JEN CLOHER
RECORD PARADISE 1. 1969 VELVET UNDERGROUND 2. My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts BRIAN ENO & DAVID BYRNE 3. Laughing Clowns LAUGHING CLOWNS 4. Replicas GARY NUMAN & TUBEWAY ARMY 5. Dub Housing PERE UBU 6. Darklands THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN 7. Still JOY DIVISION 8. Waxworks Singles 77-82 XTC 9. Songs the Lord Taught Us THE CRAMPS 10. Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret SOFT CELL
BEAT’S TOP TEN SONGS ABOUT HANDS 1. Mama Hold My Hand ALOE BLACC 2. Dirty Hands THE BLACK LIPS 3. Someone Put Your Hand Out MICHAEL JACKSON 4. I’m Sorry I Sang On Your Hands That Have Been In The Grave SUNSET RUBDOWN 5. What It Is Without The Hand That Wields It
SINGLE OF THE WEEK THE CLITS
22 Past 5 (Anti Fade) The first taste from The Clits’ upcoming debut 7” EP Excuse Me is a stripped back and impossibly gorgeous little jaunt, its unrefined, disarming licks in resonance with the heartstrings. Singer Lucas Heenan possesses an uninhibited fragility, projecting a sense of charm much akin to a youthful Robert Forster. The winding guitar rings out for the simple and sweet chorus cry of “If you feel it / I guess I mean it”, never overreaching in its toe-tapping, bob-along conquest.
FOR MORE REVIEWS GO TO BEATTV.COM.AU/REVIEWS
TELEFON TEL AVIV 6. These Hands WHY? 7. Something To Do With My Hands HER SPACE HOLIDAY 8. Whitey Hands SATURDAY LOOKS GOOD TO ME 9. Handmade Hustle THE LOOP DIGGA 10. Hold Hands And It Will Happen Anyway LIARS
ALBUMS
SIGUR ROS
Kveikur (XL/Remote Control) FOR MORE REVIEWS GO TO
BEAT.COM.AU/REVIEWS
THE NATIVE CATS Dallas (RIP Society)
Julian Teakle is an artist, in the conceptual sense of that term. He makes music that explores the fundamentals of the pop and rock genres, stripping each back to its constituent elements, mashing them up, rolling them out and isolating the bits that work, and discarding all the rest. Sometimes it works; other times, it confuses enough people to ensure Teakle remains on the fringes of the artistic scene. But it’s always important art. The Native Cats has been Teakle’s primary musical outlet for the last few years, and Dallas is The Native Cats’ debut full-length record. It’s difficult to explain just why this is such a significant record. It’s partly because the opening track, Pane E Acqua, is near-perfect minimalist punk rock: just a bass riff and a set of evocative lyrics (“you off the record, or you at your best”); it’s also because Hit might be the dark electronic pop everyone’s always wanted to construct in their bedroom. Or that I Remember Everyone works off the Celibate Rifles’ opening riff in Merry Xmas Blues and whisks it off into psychedelic PiL territory; or that the atmospheric intensity of Cavalier could wind its way into a Polanski film set in freakiest parts of regional Tasmania. But it could just as well be the Queenstown-via-Berlin scratching Devastations textural sonic experiment of Scratch Act, and the haunting musings of C of O. And then there’s 11 and a half minutes of atomised psychedelic electronic punk in Mohawk-Motif. The bass riff is relentless, captivating, hypnotic; the sonic background is replete with weird noises – is this the onset of insanity and eternal confusion? The vocals kick in, and we’re confronted with a lecture Best Track: Pane E Acqua from Mark E Smith, edited by John Lydon. If you don’t If You Like These, You’ll Like This: PUBLIC IMAGE LTD, understand just why it’s so good by now, you never will. THE FALL and all of JULIAN TEACLE’s other work, including But if you do, you’ll never be the same again. THE FRUSTRATIONS and the BAD LUCK CHARMS In A Word: Essential PATRICK EMERY
HANDS LIKE HOUSES Unimagine (Rise Records)
Here is a band doing something pretty damn unique with the usually tired metalcore and pop-punk sub genres. That is, combining the two. And doing so to great effect. But of course, it doesn’t really matter what genre you’re doing (or indeed, which ones you’re combining), if you write great songs, it’s going to have great appeal. And that’s exactly what this six piece from the ACT have done on their sophomore LP. They placed a foot each fair and square in the metalcore and pop-punk/emo camps, and then proceeded to write 11 excellent tracks, tracks with power, emotion, variation and catchiness in equal measure. And on top of that, they have delivered these songs with a very convincing passion, strong musicianship and excellent, crystal clear production. This is yet another Aussie band deservedly starting to make some serious waves overseas. Unimagine is quality, melodic, addictive rock music that deserves a place Best Track: A Tale of Outer Suburbia in your collection, if that’s what you like. If You Like These, You’ll Like This: NORTHLANE, MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE, DREAM ON, DREAMER ROD WHITFIELD In A Word: Impressive
PET SHOP BOYS Electric (x2)
“Turn it up,” recommends Neil Tennant, pulsating opener Axis igniting seconds later. His first words describe the underlying ethos of Electric, Pet Shop Boys’ twelfth studio album: a relentless dance-fuelled affair that defies the direction of its predecessor. It’s a new era in more ways than one, Pet Shop Boys’ twentyeight year relationship with Parlophone drawing to a close. The duo have substituted the reflective intimacy of Elysium for an irrepressible energy, the ferociously contemporary Electric living up to its title. From the bubbly Bolshy to the simmering fuzzed-up electronica of Fluorescent, Electric twists and turns in a state of perpetual excitement. Club-oriented Shouting In The Evening unfolds in schizophrenic fits and starts, trading mechanized gasps for icy reprieves. Pet Shop Boys’ fierce pursuit of the perfect dance track has left little room for pure pop brilliance this time around, though Thursday emerges as a key highlight. The song demonstrates how radically different Rebecca Black’s day-ofthe-week ditty might have been with the guidance of such accomplished pop-smiths. It’s an infectious gem, Tenant’s directness typically disarming. “I want to know you’re going to stay for the weekend,” he demands. It’s a show of strength characteristic of Electric as a whole. The LP illustrates a band both rediscovering and flexing their muscles as dance-music heavyweights. It’s big, it’s bold but it’s Best Track: Thursday also a lot of fun. Overall, Electric marks yet another If You Like These, You’ll Like This: Ice On The Dune exciting milestone in Pet Shop Boys’ career. EMPIRE OF THE SUN, Cast Away STRANGE TALK In A Word: Sprightly NICK MASON
BEN MASON
Holes & Corners (Independent) The passive avoidance of conflict that runs through the debut album from Ben Mason (formerly of the Smallgoods) is nicely summed up on opening track, Avoiding A Fight. The undercurrent of unease is reflected in a promo clip of feet moving without any clear direction, and with no real start or finish. Despite this, the gentle, warming melodies do enough to convince you that the lyric “everything will work out fine” is not entirely in vain. The following track, Black Sky, Yellow Moon, sees the ominous mood leak a little more into the music. The album continues along its casual yet conflicted route until closer Word For Word opens up to sunshine and blue sky, even though the sky is “blue like you”. A dead-eyed fence-sitter is berated with the repeated mantra “All that you know is all that you’ve learned/All you repeat is all that you’ve heard/Cause you don’t have opinions of your own” as the song fades out. It’s aimlessly stuck in the middle, but its charms lure you into its hypnotic, looping centre. Holes & Corners is an all-too-short slice of life, offering eight songs of breezy discontent, and it sounds beautifully polished for what is essentially a bedroom recording. If it leaves you wanting more, you can explore Mason’s recent reinterpretations of other musicians’ works, including a full-album reworking of the Zombies’ Odyssey and Oracle and a capella cover of songs originating from Australia and Portland. It’s all worth tracking down, but I’ll be primarily looking forward to the Best Track: Avoiding a Fight next work that originates from Mason’s own mind. If You Like These, You’ll Like This: XO ELLIOT SMITH, Listen To The Radio THE SMALLGOODS CHRIS GIRDLER In A Word: Slight-return
THRIFTSTORE MASTERPIECE
Thriftstore Masterpiece: Trouble is a Lonesome Town (SideOneDummy Records/Shock) In 1963 Lee Hazlewood – the iconoclast’s iconoclast – recorded a concept album: Trouble is a Lonesome Town. Like much of Hazlewood’s output, it found a limited audience at a time when the pop music charts were dominated by The Beatles, Bob Dylan and a swag of disposable pop artists thankfully written out of the annals of music history. Over four decades after Hazlewood recorded it, Charles Normal found the album in a second hand record bin in Oslo, where Normal was living at the time. Fascinated by the album – including the resonance between its central themes of geographical and cultural exploration and Normal’s own time as a travelling musician – Normal set about bringing Trouble Is a Lonesome Town back to life. Held together by a Spaghetti Western-meets-Beat-narrative, and with a supporting cast that includes Frank Black, Trouble Is a Lonesome Town is part historical reflection, part sociological musing, part musicological meander. There’s Morricone-styling in Long Black Train, rock’n’roll Joplin ramblings of Son of a Gun, brassimbued indie folk of We All Make the Flowers Grow and good ol’ boy country rock in Run Boy Run. Six Feet of Chain is coffee shop folk taken south of the Mason-Dixon line; The Railroad is Bosanova rock in its ideal railroad guise. Look at the Woman is dark and dirty, in a West Coast rock sort of a way; Peculiar Guy is a camp version of Lynrd Skynrd. The dirty Southern title track brings Hazlewood’s journey to an end; the metaphors have taken us through the proverbial good, the bad and ugly of the Best Track: Trouble Is a Lonesome Town American Wild West. You assume Hazlewood’s If You Like These, You’ll Like This: LEE HAZLEWOOD, focus was as much allegorical as it was musical. obviously, but you’ll also contemplate the links with KING But then again, with Lee Hazlewood you never GIZZARD AND THE LIZARD WIZARD’s recent concept really know. album In A Word: Lee PATRICK EMERY
THIS WEEK
WEEK AFTER
UP UP AWAY
THE SAND DOLALRS
WED 7TH
W KARATE BOOGALOO + THE DO YO THANGS THURS 8TH
AFTR DARK PRES… THEM SWOOPS + JAKUBI + HARRY WARD FRI 9TH
EL MOTH EP LAUNCH
W GHOST ORKID + GUESTS + DJ DAN LEWIS (FRONT BAR) SAT 10TH
KITCHEN HOURS
Sigur Ros is one of those rare bands that distinguish themselves by sounding like absolutely no one else. It’s refreshing given that at any particular point in time there are hoards of bands that wear influences on their sleeve and cash in on very particular and popular sounds. We are lucky to have a new album from this now iconic band, especially given all the rumors that they had broken up. As it happens, their keyboard player Kjartan Sveinsson has left the band and all the lush orchestrations he engineered on the albums they recorded for EMI is now largely absent. The band featured on Kveikur has now been whittled down to a more elemental rock outfit that has smoothed out the sweeping emotional highs and desperate crashing lows that once took us on wild emotional roller coaster rides to give us an album of dreamy glittering pop. Jonsi’s ecstatic falsetto continues to float through their music and on this album it becomes the focus of the mix. There was a time when it seemed that Coldplay were emulating Sigur Ros, situating somewhat ethereal orchestrations in their obvious pop maneuvers. Ironically, Rafstraumur and many other songs on this album finds Sigur Ros shifting to crafting majestic pop that edges itself into Coldplay territory. Despite what fans of albums like Agaetis Byrjun may think Sigur Ros continue to find a path towards Best Track: Rafstraumur the spiritual in their music. Kveikur feels like a If You Like These, You’ll Like This: JULIANA BARWICK, new beginning for our favorite band from Iceland. ELUVIUM, IASOS, OLAFUR ARNALDS In A Word: Majestic THE SIDEMAN
SCATTERED DISC OBJECTS FRONT BAR SHOW - FREE 3PM MYSTERY
W SHADOWS OF HYENAS + VOODOOCAIN - BAND ROOM 8:30PM SUN 11TH
DEAR ALE RESIDENCY WEEK 2
W THE QUARTERS + TRIGGER JACKETS + HUNTER + G-POP
WED 14TH
W VELMA GROVE + FRIDA
THURS 15TH
AFTR DARK PRES… THEM SWOOPS W JAKUBI + HARRY WARD
SAT 17TH
WARMTH CRASHES IN ‘ SINGLE LAUNCH’ W NICK ALLBROK (POND / TAME EMPALA), FLYYING COLOURS + THE INFANTS SUN 18TH
DEAR ALE… RESIDENCY WEEK 3
W THE QUARTERS + TRIGGER JACKETS + HUNTER + G-POP
FOR MORE ALBUM NEWS AND REVIEWS GO TO WWW.BEAT.COM.AU
COMING SOON 23/8 LINCOLN LE FEVRE & THE INSIDERS 6/9 POISON CITY WEEKENDER 13/9 THE SNOW DROPPERS 28/9 GRAND FINAL DAY!!! 5/10 PIKELET ‘RECORD LAUNCH’
ALL TIX FROM WWW.JOHNCURTINHOTEL.COM
FRONT BAR FREE EVERY MONDAY
DO YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? POP CULTURE TRIVIA FREE IN THE FRONT BAR
6/8 THE MOHAWK LODGE SOLO (USA) 13/8 PHIL HOLMES (THE STILL TREES) 20/8 JAMES TEAGUE 27/8 OH PEP! DUO
Beat Magazine Page 55
GIG GUIDE
BEN CARR TRIO + TRIO AGOGO 303, Northcote. 8:00pm. DIZZY’S BIG BAND Dizzy’s Jazz Club, Richmond. 8:00pm. $14. HAMMOND JAZZ CLUB + MR ANDREW SWANN Claypots Tavern & Fair, St Kilda. 9:00pm. RYAN WILLIAMS Open Studio, Northcote. 8:30pm. SWING NIGHT First Floor, Fitzroy. 6:30pm. THE JOHN MONTESANTE QUINTET Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Melbourne. 7:00pm. $30. THE ROB BURKE & TONY GOULD QUARTET (LIVE RECORDING) Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Melbourne. 8:30pm. $15. VIVE LA DIFFERENCE Claypots Evening Star, Melbourne. 7:30pm.
HEIR Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. $5. ACOLYTE + BRICKS + HOPES ABANDONED Bendigo Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. $6. AFTR DARK - FEAT: THEM SWOOPS + HARRY WARD + JAKUBI John Curtin Hotel, Carlton. 8:00pm. AGUA CON SOL Open Studio, Northcote. 8:30pm. CHELA + FIVE MILE TOWN + LOOSE TOOTH Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. $5. CLAIRY BROWNE & THE BANGIN’ RACKETTES + CHRIS RUSSELL’S CHICKEN WALK Caravan Music Club, Oakleigh. 8:00pm. DARTS + THE MCQUEENS Tote Hotel, Collingwood. 8:30pm. GREAT EARTHQUAKE + COLD HANDS WARM HEART + GHOST NOTES Old Bar, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $8. LOVE MIGRATE + SAGAMORE Bar Open, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. NAKED BODIES + THE NIGHT BEFORE TOMORROW + THE POPE’S ASSASSINS Grace Darling Hotel, Collingwood. 9:00pm. $7. NEXT - FEAT: DEEZ NUTS + EARTH CALLER + PROCLAIM Colonial Hotel, Melbourne Cbd. 9:00pm. $15. OVERDRIVE - FEAT: SOOKY LA LA + A GENDER + DJS JAKE + NICK BROWN Lounge, Melbourne Cbd. 9:00pm. SPLEEN + ROCK MONSTER + SCORCHING WINTER + TROD Reverence Hotel, Footscray. 7:30pm. $10. SUPER UNSIGNED MUSIC FESTIVAL - FEAT: DIAMONDS OF NEPTUNE + DAMN THAT RIVER + DAN KROCHMAL + KATE FINKELSTEIN + KIDS FROM THE MILL + KOVO + LEE BRADSHAW + MANTIS & THE PRAYER + PARMY DHILLON + POPPY + THE ANOMOLIES + TITCH Corner Hotel, Richmond. 6:30pm. $15. THE ALAN LADDS Spotted Mallard, Brunswick. 8:30pm. THE ATLANTIC FALL + ONE DAY MAYBE + SNARES & WIRES + THE BELT EATERS Tago Mago, Thornbury. 7:30pm. THE FINAL PROGRAMME Club Voltaire, North Melbourne. 7:00pm. $15. THE IMPOSSIBLE NO GOODS + THE NIGHT BEFORE TOMORROW The Public Bar, Melbourne. 8:00pm. THE STAFFORDS + CHILDEN OVERBOARD + LOUIS & THE HONKYTONK + SLOW DANCER Espy, St Kilda. 9:00pm. TWIN AGES + AURANIX + BERLIN SIRENS + BLACK SALOON COWBOYS Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick. 8:00pm. WINTER MOON + CHESHIRE GRIMM + FIRST LOVE DJS + THE MOHAWK LODGE Workers Club, Fitzroy. 7:30pm. $8. WISHFUL + MAYFIELD + WACO SOCIAL CLUB The Vineyard, St Kilda. 11:00pm. YOUTH IN REVOLT LAUNCH - FEAT: RARA + BLOSSOMS + FRIENDSHIPS + KINDRED + LONDON + PLANÈTE Reverence Hotel, Footscray. 8:00pm.
ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK
JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC
JAMES KENYON Standard Hotel, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. MATTY GREEN Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 7:30pm. OPEN MIC Grind N Groove, Healesville. 6:30pm. OPEN MIC Ontop In Ormond, Ormond. 7:30pm. OPEN MIC & JAM NIGHT Musicland, Fawkner. 7:00pm. PAUL O’ROURKE Burvale Hotel, Nunawading. 7:30pm. WINE WHISKEY WOMEN - FEAT: GEORGIA FIELDS + LAUREN GLEZER Drunken Poet, West Melbourne. 8:00pm.
ALWAN Claypots Tavern & Fair, St Kilda. 9:00pm. KIM KELAART TRIO 303, Northcote. 8:00pm. $10. KINGSTON CROWN + DJ PIERRE BARONI + DJS VINCE PEACH Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. LIAM WERRITT QUARTET Uptown Jazz Cafe, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. MINGUS THINGUS Paris Cat Jazz Club, Melbourne Cbd. 9:00pm. $15. MOMENTS NOTICE Wesley Anne, Northcote. 6:00pm. ROB SEVERINI JAZZ EXPERIENCE Dizzy’s Jazz Club, Richmond. 8:00pm. $14. THE AUSTRALIAN ART ORCHESTRA Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Melbourne. 8:30pm. $20. THE JOHN MONTESANTE QUINTET + ANDREW SWANN The Commune, East Melbourne. 6:00pm. THE OVEREASYS Claypots Evening Star, Melbourne. 6:30pm.
WEDNESDAY AUG 7 INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS ALCHEMY + JUSTIN YAP BAND Gertrudes Brown Couch, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. $5. ALTA + AUDEGO + FRIENDSHIPS Workers Club, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. $8. ATOLLS + CLAVIANS + GRAND RAPIDS + MESA COSA Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. $10. BRIDGEWATER + DAMN THAT RIVER + EVIL TWIN + THE ELEVEN DOLLAR BILLS Bar Open, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. COLLAGE - FEAT: SAND GIANT Espy, St Kilda. 9:00pm. HUW MURDOCH + ARRESTER + CIGGIE WITCH Empress Hotel, North Fitzroy. 8:00pm. MIDWEEK THRASH ATTACK - FEAT: XENOS + BRICKS ARE HEAVY + DIPLOID + SEVERITY Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. $5. PSALM BEACH + MCBAIN + THEM NIGHTS Tote Hotel, Collingwood. 8:30pm. SECRET GOODTIMES CLUB Tago Mago, Thornbury. 7:30pm. SIMPLY ACOUSTIC Wesley Anne, Northcote. 8:00pm. THE BAUDELAIRES + AMY VOLKOFSKY + THE BEGGAR’S WAY Old Bar, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $8. THE PITYS + PLURAL + THE ASHYARDS Bendigo Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. UP UP AWAY + KARATE BOOGALOO + THE DO YO THANGS John Curtin Hotel, Carlton. 8:00pm. ZELUS Spotted Mallard, Brunswick. 8:30pm.
JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC
THURSDAY AUG 8 INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS A CHEEKY GRIN + DANGEROUS JOHN + THE DEAD
Beat Magazine Page 56
CLARE BOWDITCH In the spirit of Random Creative Adventures, Clare Bowditch is celebrating the release of her new single One Little River by heading out on the road with a new band, a band that includes you. That’s right, it’s Winter Secret’s time again people. In short, Winter Secrets is an “annual institution” where Bowditch takes one super-talented collaborator (last time it was Lanie Lane, this time it’s new wunder-kind Spender), and creates an absolutely mind-blowing show all around Australia where you, the audience, get to be her back-up band (but only if you want to. No pressure dude). It takes place at the Corner Hotel this Saturday August 10.
ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK BLOW The Horn African Music Lounge, Collingwood. 8:00pm. JOAN BAEZ Hamer Hall, The Arts Centre, Melbourne. 8:00pm. JOHNNY CAN’T DANCE CAJUN TRIO + FRUIT JAR Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East. 8:30pm. JUDE PERL BAND Purple Emerald, Northcote. 8:00pm. $5. LIAM GERNER Sporting Club Hotel, Brunswick. 7:00pm. MARLON WILLIAMS + JEMMA NICOLE Drunken Poet, West Melbourne. 8:00pm. MELBOURNE FRESH INDUSTRY SHOWCASE Revolver Upstairs, Prahran. 7:00pm. $15. MINI BIKES & SLOW GALO Post Office Club Hotel, St Kilda. 8:30pm. NEW ARCHER + NTH WHEEL + SARAH MARY CHADWICK Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. $8. OPEN MIC Acoustic Cafe, Collingwood. 6:30pm. OPEN MIC Balaclava Hotel, Balaclava. 6:00pm. PAUL KELLY Melbourne Recital Centre, Southbank. 8:00pm. PETER HEARNE QUARTET Penny Black, Brunswick. 8:00pm. $8. ROCKY & NANCY’S + HOWL & CROW Great Britain Hotel, Richmond. 8:30pm. SUZANNE KINSELLA + QUEEN & CONVICT Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 8:30pm.
FRIDAY AUG 9 INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS 4TRESS + BLACK FUEL + RETURN TO YOUTH + TRIUMPH OVER LOGIC Barleycorn Hotel, Collingwood. 7:30pm. 7 SEAS OF DEADLY SIN - FEAT: GATOR QUEEN + NELLI SCARLET The Luwow, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. A NIGHT OF BURLESQUE & BANDS - FEAT: THE VENDETTAS + KILL SHOTT + SPACE JUNK + THE JACKS First Floor, Fitzroy. 7:00pm. ABSOLUTELY 80S The Hawthorn, Hawthorn. 9:00pm. $25. ALESANA Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy. 7:30pm. $35. ANTHONY ATKINSON & THE RUNNING MATES + LAST
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LEAVES + THE ZEBRAS Empress Hotel, North Fitzroy. 8:00pm. BARBARION (ALBUM LAUNCH) + DEAD CITY RUINS + VICE GRIP PUSSIES + VIRTUE Espy, St Kilda. 8:00pm. BERNARD FANNING (DEPARTURES TOUR) + BIG SCARY + VANCE JOY Palace Theatre, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. BRONSON + HEAVEN THE AXE + JOIN THE AMISH + NABERUS Espy, St Kilda. 9:00pm. CHESHIRE GRIMM + CASHEW CHEMISTS + SPIRAL ARM + THE GENERAL Espy, St Kilda. 9:00pm. COSMIC PSYCHOS + DEAD RIVER + OOGA BOOGA’S The Hi-fi, Melbourne. 8:00pm. $31. DIRTY RATS + SWAMP DONKEY Lucky 13 Garage, Moorabbin. 7:30pm. $10. DROOLING MYSTICS + MATHEW WATSON + NICK PRATT + THE SEAPORT & AIRPORT + VOWED Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. $10. EL MOTH + DJ DAN LEWIS + GHOST ORKID John Curtin Hotel, Carlton. 8:00pm. ENCIRCLING SEA + HALT EVER + INFINITE VOID + OF HEARTH & HOME The Public Bar, Melbourne. 8:30pm. $10. FOREVER + ALTAMIRA + KARLY JEWELL + PRETTY VILLAIN Gertrudes Brown Couch, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. $10. FRIDAY NIGHTS AT MONET’S GARDEN - FEAT: HALFWAY National Gallery Of Victoria, Melbourne. 8:00pm. $28. GRINSPOON + DAVE LARKIN DARWIN THEORY + THE SNOWDROPPERS Corner Hotel, Richmond. 8:30pm. $35. JOHNNY ROCK & THE LIMITS + HIGH FANGS + THE SQUEEZE Ding Dong Lounge, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. $8. LYALL MOLONEY + BOOTLEG RASCAL Workers Club, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $10. PAINT ME A PHOENIX + THE BLACK GALAXY EXPERIENCE + XENOGRAFT + ZOMBIE PSYCHOLOGIST. Grace Darling Hotel, Collingwood. 9:00pm. $5. PETE BIBBY + DEAN ANTHONISZ + PRETTY GOOD SEX Tago Mago, Thornbury. 8:30pm. PUGSLEY BUZZARD + JENNA & THE STRIPPED BASS Open Studio, Northcote. 6:00pm. RED ROCKETS OF BORNEO + CLAWS & ORGANS + THE MORRISONS + THE SINKING TEETH Reverence Hotel, Footscray. 8:00pm. $10. ROCK FOR REFUGEES 303, Northcote. 8:00pm. $5. SCARAMOUCHE + SEEDY JEEZUS + THE CANING + TRASH FAIRYS Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick. 8:00pm. TEN CENT PISTOLS + DEAD GANG + PRIVATE RADIO + THE STEPHEN BOWTELL BAND Yah Yah’s, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. $10. THAT GOLD STREET SOUND + SOL HAUS & THE
SPOKESMEN Bar Open, Fitzroy. 10:00pm. THE OPHIDIAN ASCENSION + A NIGHT IN TEXAS + AS SILENCE BREAKS + I SHALL DEVOUR + KONTACT + THE SERAPHIM VALE Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. THE SMITH STREET BAND + FOXTROT + THE BENNIES + WORLD CUP Old Bar, Fitzroy. 7:30pm. THE TROTSKIES + BUSY KINGDOM + THE CORSAIRS Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. $13. TRIGGER JACKETS + DJ JEFF LEOPARD + HONEYBONE Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 10:00pm. VOLTERA + CIRCLES + DEATH AUDIO + SIRUS Northcote Social Club, Northcote. 8:00pm. $15. ZOOPHYTE + SMOKE STACK RHINO Prince Public Bar, St Kilda. 8:00pm.
JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC CONNIE LANSBERG QUARTET The Regent Club, 8:00pm. DEAN’S MARTINI & SHAKERS Claypots Evening Star, Melbourne. 7:30pm. MARGIE LOU’S PIANO HOUR + ALYCE PLATT Claypots Tavern & Fair, St Kilda. 9:00pm. REBECCA MENDOZA & THE JOE RUBERTO TRIO Dizzy’s Jazz Club, Richmond. 9:00pm. $20. SARAH MCKENZIE QUARTET + THE SILO STRING QUARTET Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Melbourne. 8:30pm. $35. STEVE GRANT QUARTET Uptown Jazz Cafe, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. STRING FEVER The Famous Blue Raincoat, South Kingsville. 8:30pm. THE STEVE SEDERGREEN QUARTET Paris Cat Jazz Club, Melbourne Cbd. 9:30pm.
ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK BOOM CRASH OPERA + BRIAN MANNIX + DALE RYDER + KIDS IN THE KITCHEN + SCOTT CARNE + UNCANNY XMEN The Hawthorn, Hawthorn. 8:00pm. $25. BRONI Wesley Anne, Northcote. 6:00pm. CHRIS RUSSELL’S CHICKEN WALK Basement Discs, Melbourne Cbd. 12:45pm. CHRIS WILSON Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 5:30pm. CHRIS WILSON & GEOFF ACHISON Thornbury Theatre, Thornbury. 8:00pm. CLAYMORE + FIONA ROSS The Flying Saucer Club, Elsternwick. 8:00pm. $20. HOUSE OF LIGHT + THE OCTOPUS RIDE The B.east, Brunswick East. 9:00pm. IAIN ARCHIBALD + THE BROOK CHIVELL BAND + VERY HANDSOME MEN Musicland, Fawkner. 7:30pm. $10. KING LUCHO + TIM GUY Edinburgh Castle, Brunswick. 6:00pm. LACHLAN BRYAN Post Office Club Hotel, St Kilda. 9:30pm. PALACE OF THE KING Bridge Hotel, Castlemaine. 8:30pm. $10. PAUL KELLY Melbourne Recital Centre, Southbank. 8:00pm. RAPAREE Thornbury Local, Thornbury. 9:30pm. SHAMBELLES Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East. 9:30pm. THE BEN CARR TRIO Sporting Club Hotel, Brunswick. 6:00pm. TRADITIONAL IRISH MUSIC SESSION - FEAT: DAN BOURKE Drunken Poet, West Melbourne. 6:00pm. VOID GLORIOUS VOID Dane Certificate’s Magic Tricks, Gags & Theatre, Brunswick. 8:00pm. $10.
SATURAY AUG 10 INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS 23AOA + KOVO + RUMOUR CONTROL Tote Hotel, Collingwood. 9:00pm. ANGRY MULES + BLACK MAYDAY + BORRACHERO + CHESHIRE GRIMM + SYSTEM OF VENUS + THE BALLS Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick. 8:00pm. BANG - FEAT: WISH FOR WINGS + ABHORANCE + ONLY I Royal Melbourne Hotel, Melbourne Cbd. 9:00pm. $15. BARN OWL + KANE IKIN + MILES BROWN + ZOND Northcote Social Club, Northcote. 8:30pm. $32. BEAT DISEASE - FEAT: WIREHEADS + MOUNTAIN BLOOD + PRONTO Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. $10. BLACK VANILLA + ANGEL EYES + GOLDEN BLONDE Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. $10. CLARE BOWDITCH + AINSLIE WILLS + SPENDER Corner Hotel, Richmond. 8:30pm. $40. DIRT FARMER (SHE SHAKES TOUR) + SUGAR GHOULS Barwon Club Hotel, Geelong. 8:00pm. ECHO DRAMA + LIQUID FUNK ORCHESTRA Bar Open, Fitzroy. 10:00pm. ELECTRIK DYNAMITE + DEATH BY SIX Musicland, Fawkner. 8:00pm. GO SHOW GOLD - FEAT: NORMIE ROWE + BRIAN CADD + COLLEEN HEWETT + DINAH LEE + GLENN SHORROCK + JOHNNY YOUNG + RONNIE BURNS + RONNIE CHARLES + ROSS D WYLIE + TONY WORSLEY Palais Theatre, St Kilda. 7:00pm. $90. GUILTY HERO + GARAGEE + RED EYE EXPRESS + STICKLEBACK Empress Hotel, North Fitzroy. 8:00pm. HELLO SATELLITES + COMFORT CREATURE + SLOW GALO Empress Hotel, North Fitzroy. 3:30pm.
HOWLIN STEAM TRAIN (WINTER SCHEDGE TOUR) + DJ MARY M + SONS ET AL + THE HOLY ROLLERS Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 5:00pm. $13. ISAAC GRAHAM BAND + I AM THE RIOT + NATHAN SEECKTS + THE SHADOW LEAGUE The Public Bar, Melbourne. 8:30pm. $10. JAPAN FOR (TRAVELLER LAUNCH) + ALL WE NEED + APART FROM THIS + DAMN HEARTS + LIMITS Reverence Hotel, Footscray. 5:30pm. JENNY BIDDLE + NEIL WISE + WILD HONEY PIE Chandelier Room, Moorabbin. 8:00pm. $10. JENNY BIDDLE + WILD HONEY PIE + NEIL WISE + NEIL WISE + WILD HONEY PIE Chandelier Room, Moorabbin. 8:00am. $10. JULY DAYS + THE PEAKS + THE ZANES Ding Dong Lounge, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. $10. KINGS & QUEENS - FEAT: THREE STOREY GOAT + ALTAMIRA + DIAMOND FIST + HUSHFIRE + JON VENDETTA + MIDNIGHT ALIBI + NOT TODAY Espy, St Kilda. 7:00pm. $15. LOS COUGARMEN The B.east, Brunswick East. 9:00pm. LYALL MOLONEY + BOOTLEG RASCAL Baha Tacos & Tapas Bar, Rye. 8:00pm. MAX SAVAGE + JOEL HINDMARCH Ferntree Gully Hotel, Ferntree Gully. 8:00pm. MYSTERY + SHADOWS OF HYENAS + VOODOOCAIN John Curtin Hotel, Carlton. 8:30pm. ONLY ALIENS + FUSIONITE + HUGH KIRNE + MICHAEL YULE Revolver Upstairs, Prahran. 8:00pm. $12. OVEN ST WAREHOUSE FUNDRAISER - FEAT: GHOST ORKID + HOOPS N LOOPS + KALACOMA + MANGELWURZEL + SUN LOTION Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy. 7:30pm. $10. SCATTERED DISC OBJECTS John Curtin Hotel, Carlton. 3:00pm. SEWERCIDE + ATOMIC DEATH SQUAD + CONTER ATTACK + HARLOTT + MANIAXE Bendigo Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. $10. SHOWDOWN AT THE HI-FI - FEAT: JERICCO + ANNA SALEN + HEAD FILLED ATTRACTION + I AM DUCKEYE + LEBELLE + LUNG + THE KHYBER BELT + THE KILLGIRLS + THE SIREN TOWER + TRANSIENCE The Hi-fi, Melbourne. 8:00pm. $19. THE ATTICS + JACK BARCLAY + LIONESS EYE + MURDENA Gertrudes Brown Couch, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. THE BOOTS + THE GANTHENHEILM PACT + THE MURDERBALLS + TOFFER RUSH + WHERE’S GROVER? Barleycorn Hotel, Collingwood. 7:30pm. THE COUNCIL + RUBY SOHO Tote Hotel, Collingwood. 4:00pm. THE ELLIOTTS + EMMA SLATYER + RDZJB + THE SUNDAY CHAIRS + THE WHITE KEYS Prince Public Bar, St Kilda. 8:00pm. THE HORIZON BAND Geelong Rsl, 8:00pm. THE IN THE OUT + ESC + SPINNING ROOMS + TENDER BOES Spotted Mallard, Brunswick. 8:30pm. $8. THE INFANTS + ELEPHANT Tago Mago, Thornbury. 9:00pm. THE SHORT ORDER SCHEFS Victoria Hotel, Brunswick. 8:30pm. THE SMITH STREET BAND + APART FROM THIS + EL ALAMEIN + LEE HARTNEY SEX DRIVE + STOCKADES + THE BENNIES Old Bar, Fitzroy. 7:00pm. THE TIGER & ME + THE NYMPHS Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. $15. THE VAS + EARVIN CABALQUINTO + KEG + KIERAN LARKEY + WATERLINE Edwards Place, Reservoir. 8:00pm. THIRTY SECONDS TO MARS Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne. 8:00pm.
JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC ALMA MATER Paris Cat Jazz Club, Melbourne Cbd. 7:30pm. $15. BEATEN BODIES The Luwow, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. CLASSICAL PIANO Claypots Evening Star, Melbourne. 2:00pm. DAINA JOWSEY & THE ROGER CLARK QUARTET Dizzy’s Jazz Club, Richmond. 9:00pm. $20. GOYIM + ELVIS IN THE HOUSE Claypots Tavern & Fair, St Kilda. 3:30pm. TAMARA KULDIN’S DIRTY MARTINI Paris Cat Jazz Club, Melbourne Cbd. 9:30pm. $25. THE ANDREA KELLER QUARTET Uptown Jazz Cafe, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. THE SHIVERING TIMBERS + JAZZATOMIKA Open Studio, Northcote. 5:30pm. ZULYA & THE CHILDREN OF THE UNDERGROUND Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Melbourne. 8:30pm. $25.
ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK A MAN CALLED SON Thornbury Local, Thornbury. 9:30pm. ALL DAY FRITZ Edinburgh Castle, Brunswick. 5:00pm. BLACKEYED SUSANS TRIO Union Hotel, Brunswick. 5:00pm. CHARLIE LANE Wesley Anne, Northcote. 8:00pm. $10. DIGGER & THE PUSSYCATS Great Britain Hotel, Richmond. 9:00pm. GREENS DAIRY ANGEL ENSEMBLE Sporting Club Hotel, Brunswick. 7:30pm. HARRY HOWARD & THE NDE Post Office Club Hotel, St Kilda. 9:30pm. IAN COLLARD Drunken Poet, West Melbourne. 9:00pm. IMMIGRANT UNION Bridge Hotel, Castlemaine. 8:30pm. $10. JEFF LANG + CHRIS RUSSELL’S CHICKEN WALK Yar-
WATT’S ON PRESENTS: PEOPLE OF THE SUN Watt’s On Presents is coming back around again, this time with Melbourne’s finest exponents of psych rock in Atolls, Mesa Cosa, Grand Rapids and Clavians. Co-curating this most resplendent array of music is Bill Hurley Fraser of Psych Ward Records. Atolls is one of Melbourne’s most popular underground acts. Their slacker post-grunge harks upon the reflection of Dinosaur Jr. and the heavy psych of Dead Meadow. Mesa Cosa are one of Melbourne’s loudest bands so, if you want to be a tight-ass and not pay the $10 door charge, you will still be able to take in the bands set from the smoking area. Like the grandeur conjured by their name, Grand Rapids imbue the inexorable rhythms of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and the otherworldliness of Brian Jonestown Massacre. Possessing the naive brutality of At The Drive-In, Clavians opening set will set the night alight. It all goes down at The Toff in Town this Wednesday August 7. raville Club, Yarraville. 8:30pm. KATIE BRIANNA + THE WEEPING WILLOWS Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 5:00pm. MORROCAN KNIGHTS (EP LAUNCH) + JOSH RAWIRI Penny Black, Brunswick. 8:00pm. OL’ TIMEY JAM SESSION Victoria Hotel, Brunswick. 5:00pm. PAUL KELLY Melbourne Recital Centre, Southbank. 8:00pm. SPOONFUL Union Hotel, Brunswick. 9:00pm. STRAYLOVE Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 10:30pm. SUN RISING Caravan Music Club, Oakleigh. 8:00pm. TANK DILEMMA Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East. 9:30pm. THE BRAD MARTIN PROJECT Rainbow Hotel, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. THE GROVES (DOWN WITH THE SHIP LAUNCH) + COTANGENT + KINLOCH TROONS + THE IVORY ELEPHANTS Grace Darling Hotel, Collingwood. 9:00pm. $10. THOMAS HUGH & PUERTO RICO Wesley Anne, Northcote. 3:00pm. TINSLEY WATERHOUSE Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick. 5:00pm.
SUNDAY AUG 11 INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS 4TRESS + DIANA’S BOW + THE GENERAL Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 8:30pm. 80’S ON THE EDGE Sloaney Pony, Port Melbourne. 8:30pm. ANDREW NOLTE ORCHESTRA Spotted Mallard, Brunswick. 4:30pm. BENT STREET Westernport Hotel, San Remo. 8:00pm. CALYPSO + FRANKIE ANDREW + HUDSON + JAMES DOBSON + JAMES MACKEY + KYLE TAYLOR + MICHAEL NOCENTINI + PEPPERJACK + RICHY MCKAY + TANE Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick. 3:00pm. DEAR ALE + G-POP + HUNTER + THE QUARTERS + TRIGGER JACKETS John Curtin Hotel, Carlton. 8:00pm. GUTTERMOUTH Ferntree Gully Hotel, Ferntree Gully. 8:00pm. $35. JULITHA RYAN Post Office Hotel, Coburg. 4:30pm. KATANA CARTEL + FALLEN ANGELS + SEARCHING IN SILENCE + WE BUILT THESE RUINS Tote Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. OLIVER MANN + LEO MULLINS Northcote Social Club, Northcote. 1:30pm. $15. RMIT INDEX FUNDRAISER - FEAT: ALL THE COLOURS + IO + MURDENA Ding Dong Lounge, Melbourne Cbd. 5:00pm. $10. SENSES FAIL + EVER COLD + LEFT FOR WOLVES + SURRENDER Corner Hotel, Richmond. 8:00pm. $37. STOMP DOG + JUKE BARITONE + ZEPTEPI Reverence Hotel, Footscray. 3:00pm. THE BRAVES + SMOKE STACK RHINO + THE FIBS Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. $5. THE MURDER RATS + ROYAL CUT THROAT CO + THE INTERCEPTORS Bendigo Hotel, Collingwood. 5:00pm.
JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC BLACK JESUS EXPERIENCE The Horn African Music Lounge, Collingwood. 6:00pm. ELLY HOYT + JENNIFER KINGWELL Open Studio, Northcote. 5:30pm. ELVIS IN THE HOUSE + DUO SEVERINI Claypots Evening Star, Melbourne. 1:00pm.
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SHOWDOWN After four years at the Corner Hotel, Showdown Festival is moving to The Hi-Fi. Featuring 10 live acts from Melbourne and interstate, this year will also see various mini-battles live on stage during band changeovers. The massive 2013 lineup features Jericco, The Khyber Belt, The Siren Tower, The Killgirls, Anna Salen, I Am Duckeye, Head Filled Attraction, LeBelle, Lung and Transience. It goes down at The Hi-Fi on Saturday August 10. JARI PERKIOMAKI QUARTET Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Melbourne. 8:30pm. $15. JAZZ VOCAL SESSIONS 303, Northcote. 2:00pm. $5. MARK HANNAFORD SIONARA PARTY Uptown Jazz Cafe, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. OPA 303, Northcote. 8:00pm. $5. PUGSLEY BUZZARD St Andrews Hotel, St Andrews. 3:00pm. SUNDAY SOUP SESSIONS - FEAT: SOUL CHIC + DAVIES WEST Caravan Music Club, Oakleigh. 3:00pm. $12. THE CASSETTES Thornbury Local, Thornbury. 5:00pm. THE DALE RYDER BAND + BAD BOYS BATUCADA + MS BUTT Espy, St Kilda. 5:30pm. TRIO AGOGO Wesley Anne, Northcote. 6:00pm. VINCS & WAKELING The Famous Blue Raincoat, South Kingsville. 3:00pm. ZULYA & THE CHILDREN OF THE UNDERGROUND Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Melbourne. 7:30pm. $25.
ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK BIRDS & THE BEES SHOWCASE Empress Hotel, North Fitzroy. 5:00pm. CHARLES JENKINS + VAN WALKER Drunken Poet, West Melbourne. 4:00pm. CHERRY ARVO BLUES - FEAT: SOUTHERN LIGHTNING + DJ MAX CRAWDADDY Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 2:00pm. COLD HEART Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 5:00pm. DREAMBOOGIES + REBECCA DAVEY & THE EBC ALLSTARS Elwood Blues Club, 8:00pm. FIRESTONE AND HONEY Veludo Bar & Restaurant, St Kilda. 7:30pm. GEORGIA FIELDS Edinburgh Castle, Brunswick. 5:00pm. JAM SUNDAYS Musicland, Fawkner. 5:00pm. JULITHA RYAN Post Office Club Hotel, St Kilda. 4:30pm. KING LUCHO Sporting Club Hotel, Brunswick. 6:00pm. LINDSAY FIELD + GLYN MASON + SAM SEE Royal Oak Hotel, Fitzroy North. 4:00pm. MOONSHINE WHISTLERS + MARTY KELLY & THE WEEKENDERS Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East. 5:30pm. MOUNTAIN GOAT BEERSOAKED SUNDAYS - FEAT: WHITEWASH + GRAND RAPIDS + ZONE OUT Old Bar, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $6. NICE BOY TOM + ISAAC DE HEER Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 7:30pm. NICK MURPHY & JEFF SAMIN + JOHNNY LIVEWIRE & LUCY DWYER Tago Mago, Thornbury. 5:00pm. PHOEBE JACOBS Bar Open, Fitzroy. 3:00pm. RED & THE WOLF Victoria Hotel, Brunswick. 5:00pm. RORY ELLIS & THE DEVIL’S RIGHT HAND Rainbow Hotel, Fitzroy. 4:00pm. SUSIE BLUE + ELEPHANT EYES + MAYFAIR KYTES Workers Club, Fitzroy. 1:30pm. THE MARGIE LOU TRIO + GIL ASKEY Claypots Tavern & Fair, St Kilda. 3:30pm. THE PRAYERBABIES Union Hotel, Brunswick. 5:00pm. THE SIDESHOW BRIDES Standard Hotel, Fitzroy. 7:30pm .
MONDAY AUG 12 INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS MONDAY NIGHT MASS - FEAT: MISS DESTINY + PROLIFE + TOOTHACHE Northcote Social Club, Northcote. 6:00pm. THREE’S A CROWD - FEAT: MANDEK PENHA + KOKATSUNA ONANI + TOXIC LIPSTICK Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. UNPAVED SONGWRITER SESSIONS - FEAT: KATE BRIANNA + ARRESTOR + CHRISTOPHER SPRAKE + DOMINIC MITHEN Old Bar, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. $5.
JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC GOLDEN OLDIES Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Melbourne. 7:00pm. $30. LEBOWSKIS - FEAT: JAMES MACAULEY BAND + JAMES Beat Magazine Page 57
60 SECONDS WITH… THE ALAN LADDS
60 SECONDS WITH…
PAINT ME A PHOENIX
60 SECONDS WITH… THE ELECTRIC I
+ BEAT PRESENT... whatson@thepush.com.au
ACCESS ALL AGES Wednesday August 7th, 2013 With Claire Barley
Define your genre in five words or less: Honkytonk, fiddle steel madness Define your genre in five words or less: Experimental prog-pop.
If you could travel back in time and show one of your musical heroes your stuff, who would it be and why? Mozart. He seems like he knows how to party
When’s the gig and with who? This Friday night at The Grace Darling Hotel with Xenograft, Zombie Psychologist and The Black Galaxy Experience.
Tell us about the last song you wrote. It’s a bloody beauty about the poor taxi horses pulling around tourists on Swanston St. “Ain’t no work in the country no more, for a horse like me.”
What inspires or has influenced your music the most? Music in general would be the first influence, then the lyrics make sense the older you get. Life imitates life. Paint Me A Phoenix?
If you could travel back in time and show one of your musical heroes your stuff, who would it be and why? Frank Zappa, so we can hear him say “I’ve already done that.”
Why should everyone come and see your band? Because it’s our third and final show for 2013 before we record our debut, and its only $5 entry to see four unique sounding Melbourne bands.
What’ve you got to sell CD-wise?’ We have our debut album Martyrdom launched in May 2013. You can get it at our gigs.
If you could assassinate one person or band from popular music, who would it and why? No one. Everyone has a right to make music. Just don’t make me listen to it. What’ve you got to sell CD-wise? A few old Doors records, maybe some Beatles stuff. What are you after? We are recording an album early September. The three P’s of the music business - Practice, promote and ahh, perform or penis. Not quite sure which comes first there. The pickin’ or the pegg? When’s the gig and with who? Every Saturday in August at the refurbished arse-kicking Cornish Arms. Luke Moller, Liam Gerner, Shane Reilly and friends. Album release end of this year. GILLIGAN & KIERAN HENSEY 303, Northcote. 9:00pm. $8. ROSS HANNAFORD’S LONG WEEKEND Claypots Tavern & Fair, St Kilda. 8:30pm. THE ALLAN BROWNE QUARTET Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Melbourne. 8:30pm. $15.
ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK ACOUSTIC SESSIONS - FEAT: DAVY SIMONY + JAMIE WILLS + JORDAN WALKER Lounge, Melbourne Cbd. 9:30pm. AUSTIN BRADY Wesley Anne, Northcote. 6:30pm. BLUEGRASS JAM NIGHT Sporting Club Hotel, Brunswick. 7:00pm. CHERRY JAM Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. PORT PHILLIP GILGAMESH READINGS Claypots Evening Star, Melbourne. 7:30pm. THE PIERCE BROTHERS + ADAM HYNES + RATTLIN’ BONES BLACKWOOD Espy, St Kilda. 8:30pm.
What’s your favourite song? Six Organs of Admittance – Eighth Cognition/All You’ve Left. What advice would you give to bands that are new on the Melbourne music scene? Only work with people who are genuine and have a sincere interest in your band and the music you are creating. Avoid the presale scene and any shady pyramid schemes being run by second-rate promoters all over town. They don’t care about the music, they just want your money. If you do your research most of them collect your money to help fund their own stupid musical aspirations. Laughing out loud. How do you balance making and playing music with your other commitments? You don’t. Life is short but really fucking busy. Whether you like it or not you are living in the future. Ain’t no sunshine or mohitoe’s here, we already have your journey planned. Don’t sit back and don’t enjoy too much of the ride, or you might find yourself being a dodgy second rate promoter in the next life.
What do you love about making music? Making music for us is an organic anti-depressant.
When’s the gig and with who? We are playing our first residency ever at The Evelyn Hotel, every Tuesday in August and we decided to create a multi-artistic show called ‘Chemikalia’ featuring fantastic Melbourne bands like Ghost Orkid, Arte Kanela, Sun Lotion, Reilly Fitzalan, Roxy Lavish, Lamine Sonko & One Africa, Bachu Rose accompanied by wicked artists such as Kathleen Gonzalez, Neojuglar, Katherine Gailer and Hayley Hoopla. You don’t want to miss this. Honestly. Why should everyone come and see your band? Because is not every day that you find a Colombian, a Cuban, a Venezuelan, two Aussies and a Kiwi jamming together. What makes you happiest about what you’re doing? That is all worth it. Tell us about the last song you wrote. The last song I wrote started as an intro for the EP launch, evolved into a song and mutated into a sound. If you could go on tour with any musician or band, who would it be? Bjork. Definitely.
JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC
Beat Magazine Page 58
This month is your last chance to check out the collection of Monet paintings currently on show at The National Gallery of Victoria. Whilst you may not have imagined planning your Friday night out around going to a gallery (gotta get down on Friday), the NGV have organised for some pretty talented local musos to perform each week. This week sees Halfway perform, and the coming weeks will see Courtney Barnett, Seekae, Harmony and Jae Laffer take to the stage. Check out ngv.vic. gov.au before Friday September 6 and treat your eyeballs and your ear holes in the same night.
Friday August 9 Halfway w/ DJ Vince Peach, National Gallery of Victoria, 180 St Kilda Road, Southbank, 6.30pm, $28 Adult, $23 Member , $10 Child, ngv.vic.gov.au or 8662 1555, AA. FReeZA Push Start Battle of the Bands Heat 1 w/ Tanya George, Cranium, Orange, Anonymoose, Atticus and Overshine, Beaumaris Community Centre, 96 Reserve Rd, Beaumaris, 6.30pm, $10 presale, $12 door, 0417 131 675, AA. FReeZA Push Start Battle of the Bands Heat 2 w/ Behind The Mind, Black Sea of Trees, Blind Spot, The Just-Us League, Hollows and Oedipus Rex, EV’s Youth Centre, 212 Mt. Dandenong Rd, Croydon, 6pm, $5, maroondahyouthservices.com/ evs or 9294 5709, AA.
P!NK + THE KIN Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne. 7:30pm. $80. COLLAGE Espy, St Kilda. 9:00pm. KILL SHOTT Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 9:00pm. LAURA IMBRUGLIA + ALYX DENNSION Spotted Mallard, Brunswick. 8:30pm. THE BRUNSWICK DISCOVERY - FEAT: EXP BAND + HOUSE OF LIGHT + THE DAN DANS Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick. 8:00pm. THE ELECTRIC I + JOSE LUIS RODRIGUEZ + KATHERINE GAILER + REILLY FITZALEN + SUN LOTION Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy. 8:00pm.
OPEN MIC Wesley Anne, Northcote. 6:00pm. TRISTAN BIRD Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 7:30pm.
If you were disappointed by the BDO lineup, don’t despair. Not only has Beyonce recently added more shows to her October tour, the blue eyed, bearded Matt Corby has also recently announced his own string of headline shows. He’ll be playing all around the country with support from London trio Bear’s Den, with an all ages show at Festival Hall on Friday October 18. Tickets go on sale tomorrow, Thursday August 8. Fun fact: Matt’s track Brother was the fifth most played song in Australia last year. Concerning fact: the top four most popular tracks included Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepsen. Make of that what you will.
Wednesday August 7 Open Mic/Jam Night, Musicland, 1359A Sydney Rd, Fawkner, 7pm, free, musiclandonline.com.au, AA.
INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS
ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK
Pearl Jam
ALL AGES TIMETABLE
TUESDAY AUG 13
ALCHEMY Dizzy’s Jazz Club, Richmond. 8:00pm. $14. HI-FI LOUNGE LIZARDS Claypots Tavern & Fair, St Kilda. 9:00pm. MIKE’S RETRO FIVE Open Studio, Northcote. 8:30pm. PETER BAYLOR’S ULTRAFOX Claypots Evening Star, Melbourne. 7:30pm. THE INFINTITE APE TRIO Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Melbourne. 8:30pm. $15.
From extensive research, or rather, what I saw in my Facebook feed on Wednesday night, the Big Day Out lineup was announced to mixed opinions. Whether or not the bands are your cup of tea, there are some truly big names in the mix, including Pearl Jam, Blur, Arcade Fire and Snoop Dogg. According to promoter Ken West, it has been “the most impossible lineup [they’ve] ever put together”. Also on the lineup are Sydney lads Northlane, who will be playing an all ages show on Sunday September 15 at the Coburg Town Hall. The event is hosted by the one and only Amped Up Productions, Moreland’s FReeZA committee. The folk on this committee have a track record of hosting some seriously good bands, and having a BDO band on your bill is pretty damn exciting. Head to facebook.com/ampedupfreeza for full event details.
Saturday August 10 Monthly Metal Madness w/ Electrik Dynamite and Death By Six, Musicland, 1359A Sydney Rd, Fawkner, 5pm, free, musiclandonline.com.au, AA.
BERNARD FANNING Having just performed as part of the mammoth Splendour bill, Bernard Fanning will hit Melbourne for a headline show weekend. The show will be fans first opportunity to hear Fanning’s recently released album Departures live. Support will come from Big Scary and Vance Joy. Bernard Fanning will play at the Palace Theatre on Friday August 9.
PAULKELLY Iconic singer-songwriter Paul Kelly will play two Melbourne shows this week. The band currently touring with Paul will be Dan Kelly on guitar and vocals, J. Walker, Zoe Hauptmann on bass (who recently performed on the Finn and Kelly tour) and Bree Van Reyk (Holly Throsby, Seeker Lover Keeper) on drums. Support comes from preeminent Australian MC Urthboy. Paul Kelly performs at Melbourne Recital Centre on Thursday August 8 and Friday August 9.
SUBMIT YOUR GIGS TO GIGGUIDE@BEAT.COM.AU
Sunday August 11 Jam at Musicland Sundays, Musicland, 1359A Sydney Rd, Fawkner, 5pm, free, musiclandonline.com.au, AA. Tuesday August 13 Pink w/ Youngblood Hawke, Rod Laver Arena, Olympic Boulevard, Melbourne, 7.30pm, $79-$149, ticketek.com.au, AA.
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Wed. August 7th: wine, whiskey, women
8pm: Lauren Glezer 9pm: Georgia Fields Thurs. August 8th:
8pm: Jemma Nicole 9pm: Marlon Williams (NZ) Fri. August 9th:
6PM: Traditional Irish Music Session with Dan Bourke & Friends Sat. August 10th:
9pm: Ian Collard Sun. August 11th:
4PM: Van Walker 6:30PM: Charles Jenkins Tues. August 13th:
8PM: Weekly Trivia The Drunken Poet, 65 Peel Street (directly opposite Queen Vic Market), Phone: 03 9348 9797. www.thedrunkenpoet.com.au Gig Bookings: drunkenpoetmusic @ gmail.com
CHECK OUT ALL THE LATEST NEWS, REVIEWS AND FREE SHIT AT BEAT.COM.AU
Beat Magazine Page 59
BACKSTAGE THE PLACE FOR MUSICIANS
for more information or ad bookings call Aleksei on 9428 3600
REHEARSAL PROFILE
HYDRA REHEARSAL STUDIO
HIRE PROFILE
B S SOUND PA HIRE
Location: 25 Cromwell St, Glen Iris, 3146. Established: 1987 What exactly do you provide for hire? We provide hire and operation of sound and lighting equipment for live music events. We also have AV equipment including projectors and screens for corporate functions or any event that needs that little bit extra.
Location: 18 Duffy Street Burwood, Victoria. Hours of operation: Monday to Friday: 6pm - 11pm Saturday and Sunday 11am - 5pm
Cost of rooms and special deals: Monday to Friday: $70 Saturday and Sunday: $64 Parking: Easy load in, trolleys for use and loads of free parking.
Rooms and Facilities: Ten 30m2 acoustically treated, extremely well-soundproofed rehearsal rooms, all with brand new PA systems including two FOH, one foldback, three mics, leads and stands. Each room has its own split air conditioner and is ventilated. Instruments available for hire: Drumkits, guitar and bass amplifiers.
Extras: We have a shop with sticks, strings, batteries, earplugs, bottled water, leads and straps. We also have storage cupboards for hire, vending machines, a chill out area, free coffee, poster printing services and ‘band aid’ - see our website for more. Phone: 9038 8101, 0417 000 397 Website: www.hydrastudios.com.au E-mail: hydrastudios@bigpond.com
What events can you cater for? We have a variety of systems to cater for large or small events with live or recorded/playback sound. We cater for wedding ceremonies and receptions, bahmitzahs and birthday parties. Celebrants hire portable PA systems for outdoor ceremonies like weddings and funerals. These are battery powered and totally wireless. We often do a full band sound and lighting system for wedding receptions. We also can cater for a variety of school events such as speech nights, musicals (with multiple wireless mics), Christmas Carols (choir mics) and fundraiser / trivia nights.
PAR 56 Lights: Not so ‘green’ but simple and bulletproof. $10 each including leads and gells. Pick up and or delivery of equipment available? Apart from pick-up we can do the transport at an additional cost if required.
iPod Party Speaker Systems: Why hire a DJ if you’ve already got great playlists? Prices range from $80 - $310 for speaker systems ranging from 400 - 2000 watts, complete with all necessary stands and leads. Just plug in your iPod.
Insurance available when hiring equipment? Insurance available when we deliver, set-up and operate. For driveway hire the onus is on the hirer.
Vocal PA systems: Compact enough to fit in a car, easy to set up and comprehensive enough to suit a live band. Complete with microphones and effects. $110 - $220. Digital 24 channel PA systems: Delivered, set-up and operated; 1000 - 4000 watts FoH, 4 to 8 monitors on 2 to 6 fold-back sends, multiple on-board effects and
INTERVIEWS WITH THE WORLD'S BIGGEST ARTISTS AND HOME GROWN HEROES. FEATURE STORIES ON THE MUSIC INDUSTRY PRODUCT NEWS AND GEAR REVIEWS EDUCATION COLUMNS STUDIO Q&A'S AWESOME MONTHLY GIVEAWAYS + HEAPS MORE
HITS THE STREETS AND ONLINE IN THE FIRST WEEK OF EVERY MONTH 2013 ONLINE AND STREET DATES: NOVEMBER 6TH DECEMBER 4TH
For more information on Mixdown Magazine contact Aleksei on (03) 9428 3600 or email Mixdown@beat.com.au
Beat Magazine Page 60
LED lighting systems: Complete with rigging, trees and DMX controllers. Flexible colour mixing options, low power consumption, low heat output, environmentally friendly. Prices start at $70 for 4 LED Lights, stand and controller.
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BACKSTAGE: BEAT’S ONE STOP SHOP FOR MUSICIANS
Extras: We provide reliable, well maintained, name brand equipment and free advice to anyone, including people not familiar with technical terms. Phone: (03) 9889 1999 Mobile: 0419 993 966 Website: www.bssound.com.au E-mail: bssound@bigpond.com
THIS SPACE COULD BE YOURS!
CLASSIFIEDS
33c PER WORD PER WEEK (INC GST) â&#x20AC;˘ 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 â&#x20AC;˘ DEADLINE IS THURSDAY 5pm, prior to Wednesdays publication â&#x20AC;˘ Minimum $5 charge per week. We do NOT accept classifieds over the phone - sorry.
CONTACT ALEKSEI ON 9428 3600 OR MIXDOWN@BEAT.COM.AU
MUSICIANS WANTED ACOUSTIC ACTS WANTED FOR FRIDAY NIGHT SPOTS IN FITZROY. Solo/Duo/Groups send an email with pics or samples to drink@the86.com.au. Bar split is paid, summer dates available. BANDS/ACTS WANTED for Espy Shows. Shoot an email through to mark@gunnmusic.com.au for more details. ********* BATTLE OF THE BANDS. Registration now, starts Wednesday the 28th Dec and every Wednesday after for 8 week. First prize: recording time in a studio. Call Jesse 0411 803 579 FEMALE BACKING VOCALIST/GUITARIST WANTED for gigs and recording. To hear samples of my music go to www.custard.net.au/ raoulmclay. Please call 0434 300 959 ** SINGER/SONGWRITER/GUITARISTS LOOKING FOR MUSICIANS to start an original band with some covers. InďŹ&#x201A;uences: Alter Bridge, Trivium, As I Lay Dying, Soundgarden & Johnny Cash. Call Dom 0429 343 668
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SALES KEYBOARD FOR SALE. Yamaha Music Production Synthesizer Motif ES8. Brand New, original packing, unused due to career change. Perfect dust-free condition. Stand, speakers etc. Best in Melbourne. Was $8,000+, ask $5,000, neg. Phn:0407 517 271 * CALL OUR FRIENDLY STAFF TO DISCUSS RATES AND AVAILABILITY
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Beat Magazine Page 61
LIVE
Photo By Anna Kanci
ALT-J Tuesday July 30, Festival Hall You want a performance? You got it. However, don’t go expecting any stage-diving, rock’n’roll excess or hedonism. After all, Alt-J are the polite lads from Leeds University who practised songs without bass guitar to avoid disturbing the rest of their college dorm. The quartet kicks off with the melancholic notes of their album opener Intro. It’s all that the audience needs to hear before cutting completely loose. They’re playing to a packed out Festival Hall where unearthed darlings City Calm Down and Snakadaktal have excelled on warm-up duties. Weaving mostly through songs from their album An Awesome Wave, they take us through a set list where gigantic songs are alternated with softer moments in songs like Bloodflood and Buffalo (their contribution to the Silver Linings Playbook soundtrack). Lined up in a row, the quartet physically shows us that Alt-J is the sum of its parts. Every member contributes to a sound that exceeds anything the album could ever offer. Lead singer Joe Newman’s inimitable, cryptic and oft incomprehensible vocals and lyrics are clearer than ever before. Gus Unger-Hamilton on keys lets Something Good build and swell and then gently deflate. He leaves
the audience in swaying hypnotism before Gwil Sainsbury on guitar gives an imposing performance of Fitzpleasure. Perhaps the most intriguing is Thom Green’s drum set up. With a cymbal-free kit that’s pimped with bongos, he busts out with his own flair some of the most intricate and delicate drum patterns on songs like Tessellate. We’re treated to a live debut of Warm Foothills and their ironic mash up cover of Kylie Minogue’s Slow and Dr Dre’s Still D.R.E. After closing with a fierce version of Breezeblocks, they return for an encore complete with an acapella cover of Chase and Drive’s A Real Hero off the Drive soundtrack, Hand Made and Taro. The overall performance is tight and slick with a raw mastery where some tracks are treated to extended plays. It’s little wonder these guys were bumped up to fill Frank Ocean’s set at Splendour In The Grass. ISABELLA UBALDI LOVED: Scoring tickets next to Andy Lee. HATED: The awkward venue. DRANK: Coopers.
Photo By Tony Pinder
LAURA MARLING Wednesday July 30, St Michael’s Church It was a humble arrangement in a grandiose setting, the pipes of the grand organ foreboding like an unfired Chekov’s Gun behind the altar. If Laura Marling felt exposed or imposed while addressing the congregation gathered across the church’s two levels, she didn’t show it. Joined only by her touring cellist (a recent affinity barebones and sensible approach to touring was divulged midway through the set), Marling led through a wondrous, if brief, collection of tracks taken mostly from latest release Once I Was An Eagle. As was the recurring theme for the night, there was an abundance of inter-song tuning and affable banter. The latter explained that the former was a sticking point for when Marling’s dad reads her reviews, citing it as a sign of unprofessionalism. So here I am, reviewing Laura’s recount of her father’s review of her live reviews. Meta as hell, I know. It wasn’t so much a distraction, in fact it added a nice buffer between each of the captivating tracks. It did, however, eat into the set time, with the set list perhaps not quite living up to the price tag. Maybe it was a case of quality rather than quantity, but we can wish for both.
What was delivered was superb, with Laura showcasing devout appreciation for the folk icons of yesteryear – made explicit with a pristine rendition of Simon And Garfunkel’d Kathy’s Song. Some tracks were almost effortlessly great, such as the relatively older Rambling Man, while some were garnished by endearing minor missteps. “Whoops, that’s a clanger,” was uttered without missing a beat. Laura Marling’s aspirations aren’t stadium-sized – they’re song-sized. And that can only be commended. LACHLAN KANONIUK
LOVED: The voice, the setting. HATED: As far as pews go, these were pretty comfy. But the comfiest of pews are still pretty uncomfy. DRANK: This lousy church didn’t come equipped with a bar, God dammit.
Photo By Richard Sharman
MS MR Monday July 29, The Hi-Fi If we were excited to see MS MR before the arrival of indie outfit Twinsy, it was pennies compared to how we felt during the support act’s perplexing set. To their credit, they may have been having an off night. Committing musical suicide, the outfit involved two rock drummers. Inevitably, all we heard was a cacophony of snares and toms, disappointing due to the physical presence of both a saxophone and trumpet which were barely audible. The music was ambiguous. The physical presence of sax and trumpet hinted at jazz fusion, however their inability to be heard threw their whole sound into a completely different direction. Restless and aching for MS MR, we were more than relieved when it finally became their turn. Showcasing a contagious repertoire of moody pop, Lizzie Plapinger and Max Hershenow transitioned their audience into an eerie world of spooky key changes and atmospheric synths. One of the many delights of the New York duo is found in Max’s skill as a producer; his humility in engineering subdued and minimalist instrumentation which allows Lizzie’s powerful voice to be fully exposed. Opening with Bones, the versatility in Lizzie’s vocal range was immediately validated. With flawless pipes that seemed unlikely to come from such a tiny frame, she employed a Florence-esque intonation in the final cry of “Dig up her bones, but leave her soul alone”, a desperate lyric that complemented the creepy little riffs orchestrated by Max on his keyboard. Occasionally taking respite from the ominous, yet delectable mood, Max and Lizzie would engage in a sporadic dance number. Both danced to seduce; their skills and taut and toned physiques making the rest of Beat Magazine Page 62
us look bad. What did we care though? We were there to watch them, and they were hot. Lizzie was a vamp and Max couldn’t keep his body still behind the keys. In between songs, they became human again, with a genuine graciousness that melted our hearts. The irony of their performance was found in their stage vigour. They were vivacious, yet their music is thematically grim. Fusing Latin-inspired dance moves with gloomy instrumentals was refreshing and fun, an innovative way to celebrate a new brand of indie pop. Adding dynamic to their set was the inclusion of an anonymous drummer and a synth player. Both drove the rhythm of the music, the guy on synth occasionally whipping out an electric guitar. The synthesiser co-existed perfectly with Max’s keyboard, both responsible for the moody atmospherics that define MS MR’s signature sound. Both Lizzie and Max’s competence as a duo was confirmed throughout This Isn’t Control, a track that saw the temporary disappearance of the two other players on stage. While Lizzie ironically showcased her more than capable vocal control, Max played a spooky little carnival-like riff over the top of it. His subtle harmonies were beautiful and chilling. A flawless set, its only downside being its brevity. DINA AMIN LOVED: The perfect synergy of Lizzie and Max. HATED: The support band, sorry. DRANK: Vodka.
JAMES BLAKE Thursday July 31, The Palais There was a serendipitous effect, one which has surely happened many times before in Blake’s live performances, that evoked a novel charm before eventually cascading into something eerie, something spectral. Capturing his live vocal to build a loop for I Never Learnt To Share (the same again for the encore of The Wilhelm Scream), the audience’s cheer of initial familiarity was also captured, punctuating each set of bars with increasingly distant cries. Seated to the right of stage in front of one of the three sizable backing spotlights, Blake manipulated a series of remarkable sounds from his synth and effects pedal setup, appearing astutely in control as his drummer (on a predominantly electronic kit) and guitarist abided the enveloping electronic wash. It’s all anchored by Blake’s enchanting voice, warm yet slightly android-like. Material from his self-titled album took on a new life. Post-dubstep breakthrough The Wilhelm Scream takes on new life as a post-rock opus in the live setting, utilising organic crashes and thunderous guitar cacophony as an addendum to the hearty sub bass. Dancehall elements crept in throughout the set. Tracks from
FOR MORE LIVE REVIEWS & PHOTOS GO TO BEAT.COM.AU
latest album Overgrown were prevalent without being dominant, creating a tidy cross-section of Blake’s formidable canon to date. He indulged us in a deep house offering from his straight-laced dance project 1-800-Dinosaurs, its beats daring us to rise from our vintage theatre seats. I nearly obliged. After playing the role of grateful host, Blake closed out the encore with his breathtaking rendition of Joni Mitchell’s A Case Of You. Just his voice and a piano – a perfect digestif for a remarkable, powerhouse display of electronic genius. LACHLAN KANONIUK
LOVED: That 1-800-Dinosaur jam was next level. HATED: I thought The Palais was a shit choice for a venue when it was announced, but it turned out perfect for the most part. But there were moments where I wished I was pulling shapes at Splendour, rather than seated in St Kilda. DRANK: The Palais is a dry zone.