Beat Magazine #1453

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“ F R E E W H E E L I N G , C O N T A G I O U S A N D D E L I G H T F U L”

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THE GREAT BRITAIN HOTEL no apartments RICHMOND no reno's still the gb

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in this issue

buddha in a chocol ate box page 34

harry howard and the nde page 33

16

Hot Talk

20

touring

22

danny brown

24

whats on,

a date with effie

25

art of the city,

the comic strip

26

band of magicians

27

illy

28

the 2 bears

29

rick wilhite,

claptone

31

the beat,

bag raiders

32

paul kelly,

wagons

33

harry howard and the

nde

34

violent femmes,

jasmin kaset,

buddha in a chocolate

box

35

core/crunch

johnny marr

36

MUSIC NEWS

40

live

42

ALBUM OF THE WEEK,

SINGLES, CHARTS

bag raiders page 31

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OFFICE MANAGER: Lizzie Dynon: reception@furstmedia.com.au ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE: Luke Forester: accounts@furstmedia.com.au RECEPTION: reception@furstmedia.com.au distribution: distribution@beat.com.au Free Every Wednesday to over 2000 places including convenience stores, newsagents, ticket outlets, shopping centres, community youth & welfare outlets, clubs, hotels, venues, record, music and video shops, boutiques, retailers, bars, restaurants, cafes, bookstores, hairdressers, recording studios, cinemas, theatres, galleries, universities and colleges. Wanna get BEAT? Email distribution@beat.com.au CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS: Mary Boukouvalas, Ben Clement, Ben Gunzburg, Rebecca Houlden, Nick Irving, Anna Kanci, Cassandra Kiely, Charles Newbury, Richard Sharman, Tony Proudfoot, Ian Laidlaw, Laura May Grogan, Mark Stanjo, David Harris Emily Day SPECIAL PROJECTS EDITOR: Christie Eliezer SENIOR CONTRIBUTORS: Patrick Emery COLUMNISTS: Emily Kelly, Peter Hodgson, Lachlan Kanoniuk BEAT TV/WATT’S ON PRESENTER: Dan Watt

CONTRIBUTORS: Kelsey Berry, Graham Blackley, Gloria Brancatisano, Chris Bright, Joanne Brookfield, Avrille BylockCollard, Meg Crawford, Alexander Crowden, Jules Douglas, Alexandra Duguid, Alasdair Duncan, Cam Ewart, Callum Fitzpatrick, Jack Franklin, Emma Gawd, Lauren Gill, Chris Girdler, Joe Hansen, Chris Harms, Andrew Hickey, Nick Hilton, Peter Hodgson, Lachlan Kanoniuk, Cassandra Kiely, Billy Killing, Joshua Kloke, Jody Macgregor, Wayne Marshall, Nick Mason, Denver Maxx, Krystal Maynard, Paul McBride, Miki Mclay, Rhys McRae, James Nicoli, Adam Norris, Jack Parsons, Sasha Petrova, Liam Pieper, Zoe Radas, Leigh Salter, Sisqo Taras, Kelly Theobald, Tamara Vogl, Dan Watt, Krissi Weiss, Augustus Welby, Garry Westmore, Rod Whitfield, Jen Wilson, Tyson Wray, David James Young, 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 art by 2pm Monday. Deadlines are strictly adhered to. © 2014 Furst Media Pty Ltd. No part may be reproduced without the consent of the copyright holder.

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PUBLISHER: Furst Media Pty Ltd. MUSIC EDITOR: Cara Williams ARTS EDITOR / ASSOCIATE MUSIC EDITOR: Tyson Wray

sub editor: Soph Goulopoulos EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS: Laura Buyers, Gemma Palmer, Cassie Hedger, Lauren Gill, Gloria Brancatisano, Kelsey Berry, Meg Crawford. MANAGING DIRECTOR, FURST MEDIA: Patrick Carr BEAT PRODUCTION MANAGER: Michael Cusack GRAPHIC DESIGNERS: Ruby Furst, Michael Cusack, Robert Smith COVER ART: Michael Cusack Advertising: Cara Williams (Music: Bands/Tours/Record Labels) cara@beat.com.au Aleksei Plinte (Backstage/Musical Equipment) mixdown@beat.com.au Thom Parry (Hospitality/Bars) thom@beat.com.au Soph Goulopoulos (Indie Bands/Special Features) soph@furstmedia.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

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TE

3 NEWTON STREET RICHMOND, VICTORIA 3121 Phone: (03) 9428 3600 Fax: (03) 9428 3611 email: info@beat.com.au www.beat.com.au

ALBUMS

johnny marr page 35

LA

jasmin kaset page 34

43

ALEX AND THE LASHLIES Vs BAD FAMILY featuring JOW NEPTUNE and THE ROLLING BLACKOUTS with TRANTER, B.A.B.Y., SPOOK and J.D.MAR

THUR 8 / 01

HIP HOP KARAOKE NUMBER 4

THUR 22/01

OUTSIDE THE ACADEMY, SLEEP//LESS, ROMEO MOON, THE WEEKEND PEOPLE & ENOLA FALL

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HOT TALK

THE BIGGEST IN INTERNATIONAL & NATIONAL NEWS

For all the latest news check out beat.com.au

FRENZAL RHOMB

LINDSEY STIRLING

American violinist Lindsey Stirling has announced a national tour for this summer on the back of her sophomore album, Shatter Me. First appearing on America’s Got Talent in 2010, Stirling wowed audiences with her choreographed violin performances. Since then, she has composed, choreographed and directed many of her own original videos, injecting her own flavour into instrumental covers through themes from Games of Thrones, Phantom of the Opera and Zelda. Stirling is no stranger to our shores, having last played a string of sell out shows in 2013. She’ll play The Forum on Tuesday February 17. Tickets through Live Nation.

Sydney punk-rockers Frenzal Rhomb will head south next year for a run of shows across Victoria. The band will play a fundraiser show at The Reverence Hotel on Australia Day Eve, as well as shows in Geelong, Ballarat and Warrnambool. Catch Frenzal Rhomb at The Reverence Hotel on Sunday January 25, The Loft in Warrnambool on Thursday January 22, Ballarat’s Karova Lounge on Friday January 23 and Barwon Heads Hotel on Saturday January 24. Tickets for the Melbourne show are available through ticketscout.com.au, with all other tickets available through Oztix.

SHONEN KNIFE

J-Rock trio Shonen Knife are hitting Australian shores in 2015 for their Step Into Overdrive tour. After releasing their 19th studio album Overdrive earlier this year, Shonen Knife are ready to showcase their of overdriven, abrasive guitars, doubled harmonic solos, dissonant power chords, menacing bass and thunderous drum rolls. Joining the girls in Perth, Adelaide and Melbourne will be Spanish band – two-piece supersonic orchestra Za! Check out their Melbourne show on Saturday January 25 at Ding Dong Lounge, tickets available from Oztix.

POKEY LAFARGE

American roots songwriter Pokey LaFarge will return to our shores next April. The tour, which will also feature a six-piece band and expanded rhythm section, will coincide with the release of his new studio album, which is set to be released in the autumn of 2015. The LP is the follow-up to 2013’s acclaimed self-titled release on Jack White’s Third Man Records, which was praised for its eclectic blend of jazz, country blues and western swing. Catch him on Wednesday April 8 at Caravan Music Club and Thursday April 9 at The Corner. Tickets are available through Live Nation.

NORMA JEAN

ART OF SLEEPING

Hardcore legends Norma Jean will return to Australian shores next year. When the band last toured Down Under, they debuted several tracks from their latest album Wrongdoers. This will be the first time Aussie audiences will hear these songs transformed and mastered after the band has spent a solid year touring around the globe. Don’t miss Norma Jean when they take over the Evelyn Hotel Friday, April 10. Tickets through Oztix.

Brisbane’s Art of Sleeping have announced a run of dates in support of their new single, Crazy. The track is taken from their forthcoming debut LP, which is due out in mid-2015. Their upcoming tour will see the band perform tracks from their new album as well as songs from 2012’s Like A Thief EP. They’ll be joined by Sydney’s The Lulu Raes. Catch ‘em on Friday January 23 at Northcote Social Club. Tickets are available from ticketscout.com.au.

Q&A

BaR WedneSdAy 17 deCember

Open Mic

Show the boogie man what you’ve got !

tHurSdAy 18 deCember

Jenny TaylOr

Corinna maule & lipstick & Spurs fridAy 19 deCember

Happy Hour from 4 till 7 with brendan forward then

Jay WarS

(album launch) w/ Joe Guiton david Grimson + Simon barlow SAturdAy 20 deCember

BOOGie Man XMaS parTy w/ the Crookeds, mC baby Jesus & the Groove bandits, & the upstanding members SundAy 21 deCember

4TreSS & FrienDS

break-up party w/ never the empress, Charm, the Allan Sisters duo, & Sarah eida. After Work HAppy Hour from 4pm, $5 drinkS, WedneSdAy, tHurSdAy, fridAy

160 Hoddle St AbbotSford BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 16

Time Out With

Shit Sex

Do we want to know how you got your band name? We can never remember the exact the details but we all remember it as cooked up at The Old Bar one night. It pretty much sums up our music: it’s loud, it’s over really quickly and at least one person is disappointed. How does it feel to have churned out your first EP? Pretty sweet. It was recorded over two days and four slabs. It’s been a year since the band started and it’s about time we put something together. We just hope our Nans like it. How did you come to play together? We got semi-nude and drunk at a party once and we realised how much fun it’d be if we could do that while playing tunes that make people wanna get

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semi-nude and drunk as well. Also we have a mutual love for Robocop and being rad. So there’s that. What were you doing before playing together? Getting semi-nude and drunk at parties and watching Robocop. How good is it at the end of the movie when Robocop shoots the guy out the window and then the other guy gives Robocop a mad thumbs up? Nothing rules harder than murder robots and giving the thumbs up.

SHIT SEX will tear up upstairs at The Tote this Saturday December 20. $5 at the door.


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FREE SHIT THE BLACK LIPS

A lot of girls these days sport black lips. This is very confusing because from a distance they look like an early ‘90s Marilyn Manson lookalike and I get excited because I think I’ve discovered the love of my life. None of the members of The Black Lips have black lips. But they are the Dirty South’s finest rock’n’roll gang and who knows, they could be the loves of your life. Don’t miss your chance to find out. They are playing a headline show at the Hi-Fi in Melbourne on Tuesday, January 6. Head to beat.com.au/freeshit to win a free double pass.

For all the latest news check out beat.com.au

SUMMER OF SOUL

If your summer dreams of a beautiful even tan are spoilt by the raw Australian sun, never fear, we’ve got something better. Turn your summer of burn into a Summer of Soul with The Cat Empire, Paul Kelly presenting The Merri Soul Sessions, Perch Creek, Marlon Williams, Mojo Juju and the Melbourne Ska Orchestra. Grab some sunscreen and one of those ridiculous sized hats because Summer of Soul goes down on Saturday, January 10 at Mossvale Park, Victoria. We’ve got a bunch of double passes to giveaway, head on over to beat.com.au/freeshit to snap em’ up.

THE NECKS

Experimental jazz trio The Necks have announced they’ll treat fans to an intimate show next year. One of Australia’s greatest cult bands, The Necks have released 17 albums, including 2013’s Open, over their 26 years together. Described by Rolling Stone as “mood music of the highest calibre,” the band’s improvised works have been known to last for up to an hour. Their upcoming tour will come on the back of a string of sold out European dates. The Necks will play at the Melbourne Recital Centre on Thursday February 12. Tickets are available from the venue.

MONEY FOR ROPE

Melbourne lads Money For Rope have spent more time abroad than at home over the last 18 months thanks to an International Pathways Grant from Australia Council For The Arts. Their time overseas has seen them conquer tours in Spain, India, Northern Europe and the UK, as well as smash stages at SXSW, Glastonbury, The Great Escape, Haldern Pop and Sziget, to name a few. Lucky for us, the boys are back in town for a run of homecoming shows. Catch Money For Rope at The Espy NYE on Thursday December 31 and then two massive nights at Cherry Bar on Friday January 16 and Saturday January 17.

THE GETAWAY PLAN

Melbourne alt-rock quartet The Getaway Plan have announced a string of dates for next autumn. The announcement comes ahead of their forthcoming LP, Dark Horse, which is expected to be released independently in mid-2015. Catch ‘em on Friday May 22 at the Corner Hotel. Tickets are available from ticketscout.com.au.

OFF YA TREE

Lower Plenty

BEDROOM SUCK RECORDS

Bedroom Suck Records will celebrate a helluva 2014 with an end of the year party later this month. The evening will feature live performances from Ela Stiles and Lower Plenty, Terrible Truths, Totally Mild, Superstar, Jarrod Quarell and Grand Salvo. Even more, giveaways from the catalogue will be available on the night, as well as a sneak peek at the 2015 roster. The Bedroom Suck end of year party goes down on Friday December 19 at The Shadow Electric Bandroom. Book tickets from bedroomsuckrecords.com.

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T H U R S 1 JA N ( N Y D)

IVAN OOZE,PEEZO,BAYSIDERS,NARLY

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Q&A

facebook/thehifi twitter.com/hifi_melb instagram.com/thehifi

J U ST A N N O U N C E D URIAH HEEP

WED 31 DEC

NYE FUNK THE DARKNESS

SAT 07 MAR

LIME CORDIALE

SETH SENTRY

Sydney’s Lime Cordiale are fresh from a nine date tour across the country supporting The Delta Riggs and have just announced an Australian headline tour for February 2015. The tour will celebrate the release of their forthcoming single, Hanging Upside Down. The track follows-on from the band’s sophomore EP, Falling Up The Stairs, which received a release in North America in February; drawing undeniable praise from global tastemakers including CMJ and SXSW in the process. Catch Lime Cordiale at the Northcote Social Club Friday, February 20. Tickets are available through the venue.

THIS WEEK

British rock legends Uriah Heep are returning to our shores. Considered one of the ‘Big Four’ pioneers of hard rock and heavy metal in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s along with Black Sabbath, Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin, Uriah Heep have cemented themselves as one of the biggest names in hard rock. Over the course of their 45 year career, they’ve produced 23 studio albums, including 2011’s Into the Light. They last toured Australia in 2011 as part of their 40th anniversary tour, selling out shows across the country. Uriah Heep will play the Shoppingtown Hotel on Saturday March 21 and Chelsea Heights on Sunday March 22. Tickets are available from metropolistouring.com.

FRI 19 DEC

KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD WIZARD A Secret Death

HOLIDAY FOR CAMBODIA

HOWQUA

SAT 20 DEC

DEAD LETTER CIRCUS CO M I N G S O O N MON 5 JAN

COLD WAR KIDS TUE 6 JAN

THE BLACK LIPS

FRI 30 JAN

EYEHATEGOD SAT 31 JAN

SMITH STREET BAND TUE 03 FEB

TYCHO

MAC DEMARCO

SAT 10 JAN

WED 04 FEB

THU 08 JAN

GLASS ANIMALS SUN 11 JAN 2ND SHOW

GLASS ANIMALS

THU 15 JAN

MAC DEMARCO SOLD OUT

THU 05 FEB

TUE 20 JAN

THU 12 FEB

THU 22 JAN 18+ & U18

SAT 14 FEB

JAH PRAYZAH

B-BOY CHAMP TOUR

FRI 23 JAN

NOISECONTROLLERS SAT 24 JAN U18 & 18+ SHOWS

KERSER

SUN 25 JAN

CATFISH & THE BOTTLEMAN

The Gasometer has announced Collingwood Open, a brand new summer music series that will see some immense acts playing to intimate crowds. From late January, Collingwood Open will feature acts including Gareth Liddiard, songstress Lanie Lane, purveyors of twisted country Twin Beasts and the hypnotic stylings of Teeth & Tongue. Further Collingwood Open shows will be announced in January. Collingwood Open kicks things off with Teeth & Tongue and Fraser A. Gorman on Sunday January 25. Tickets to all shows are on sale through the venue.

Shooglenifty

Name/Band: Shooglenifty. Define your genre in five words or less: Hypnofolkadelic ambient-folk acid trad. So, someone is walking past as you guys are playing, they then go get a beer and tell their friend about you... what do they say? That singer was hot, what language was that? Doesn’t the fiddler’s beard interfere with his playing? I’ve never heard anything quite like that before, did you spike my drink? Shoogle what? How long have you been gigging and writing? Almost exactly one quarter of one of your earth centuries. What inspires or has influenced your music the most? Rhythm, energy, beauty, fun and joy. What do you think a band has to do these days to succeed? Work hard, be yourselves, enjoy the road but take care of yourself, and appreciate that special privileged hour or two you are given on any day to perform for your audience. Why should everyone come and see your band? We all need some kind of release at some point. We have entertained human beings from Moscow to Borneo, Mallaig to Tokyo and they’ve all left with a smile on their collective face, remembering their mission here on earth is to enjoy life. SHOOGLENIFTY are playing at Woodford Folk Festival over the New Years and Caravan Music Club on Friday January 9.

MODE SELEKTOR THE VANNS

NEON PARTY UV PAINT FRI 20 FEB

TINASHE FRI 27 FEB

DELTRON 3030 TUE 03 MAR

SHARON VAN ETTEN FRI 06 MAR

PARQUET COURTS

TIX + INFO THEHIFI.COM.AU 125 SWANSTON ST, MELBOURNE

BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 18

THE GASOMETER PRESENTS COLLINGWOOD OPEN

FRI 6 FEB

MARDUK

FRI 16 JAN

Each Sunday throughout the month of January, Sorrento Beach Shack and Watt’s On Presents will bring some of Australia’s best musical talent to the Sorrento foreshore for a string of intimate acoustic gigs. Kicking off the series will be HOWQUA with his raw and tender folk rock. Joining HOWQUA will be Tom Dockray, bringing his slick rhythm and blues. The second Sunday will see Luke Legs and the Midnight Specials take the stage. Rounding out the series will be Elephant Ego on January 25. Head down to Sorrento Beach Shack from 4pm each Sunday in January to catch the Sunday Summer Sessions.

BEN FROST SHAKE THE DUST FEAT. DESERT DWELLERS + MORE

BLUE KING BROWN

SUNDAY SUMMER SESSIONS

34-year-old Kiwi legend, turned St. Kilda local, Cam Ward, was delivered some life changing news a couple of months ago, when he was diagnosed with a brain tumour, out of the blue. Being a huge fan of everything metal, Ward’s mates have decided to rally together to throw him a party to end all parties, and to raise funds for his cancer treatment and a much-needed overseas holiday. Get down to the Espy on Saturday, January 31 for Holiday For Cambodia to catch the unmatchable lineup of The Abandonment, Synthesist, Picture The End and Faux Defeated, each reuniting for this special show. Joining these killer bands will be A Secret Death, Electrik Dynamite, Anchors, Glass Ocean (Sydney), Crowned Kings, Join The Amish, Jack The Stripper & Metalstorm. This gargantuan lineup will not be seen together on the same bill again anytime soon, so grab a ticket, grab a mate, and send a big ‘Fuck You’ message to cancer. Tickets are available through Oztix.

Beat’s Artist Profile:

The Waifs

PENINSULA PICNIC

The Mornington Peninsula’s most extensive food, wine and music gathering, The Peninsula Picnic will debut in 2015 with a string of stellar acts. On the lineup for next year’s event are The Waifs, Paul Dempsey, Tinpan Orange, Pierce Brothers and Hayden Calnin. The festival will also feature a wide variety of the region’s best food and wine, including food from Terre, Montalto, Ian Curley, Flinders Hotel, Pope Joan, The Long Table, Dee’s Kitchen, Max’s and DOC. The Peninsula Picnic will take place on Sunday March 29 at Mornington Racecourse. Tickets are on sale through Ticketek.

Having just released their latest single Operator and wrapped up a lightning east coast tour, The Vanns have announced their 18 date Scattered By Sundown national tour kicking off February 2015. From the Gold Coast to Tasmania, to Adelaide and many regional stops in between, The Vanns will be on the road throughout February and March. The Scattered By Sundown national tour will coincide with their new EP of the same name, recorded in Melbourne with legendary award-winning producer Mark Opitz (AC/DC, INXS, Bad// Dreems). Catch 'em Thursday February 5 at Sandbar, Saturday February 7 at The Gordon Hotel, Sunday February 8 at The Hotel Warnambool, Thursday February 12 at The Espy and Friday February 27 at Saloon Bar in Traralgon.

WATCH INTERVIEWS, CHATS & AWKWARD SILENCES... BEAT.COM.AU/TV

ST KILDA FESTIVAL

St Kilda Festival have revealed the first round of acts that will grace the stages in 2015. Over 120 bands will play at the 2015 incarnation. The acts include Audego, Mau Power, I Know The Chief, Murdena, Forest Falls, Simone and Girlfunkle, Better Than The Wizards, Echo Drama, Jude Perl, The D.Y.E., Benny Walker, The Deans, Belle Roscoe, Centre and The South and The Fabric. The 2015 festival will showcase music, visual arts, street performance, film, poetry and comedy culminating with the Festival Sunday, where around 400,000 festival goers will enjoy a wide variety of Australian music and interactive activities. The 2015 festival kicks off on Saturday January 31 and will continue until Sunday February 8.


HOT TALK

THE BIGGEST IN INTERNATIONAL & NATIONAL NEWS

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Q&A

The Smith Street Band

STEAL THE SKY: THE 2015 AUSTRALIA DAY WEEKEND FUNDRAISERS

For the fifth year running, the Melbourne music scene will gather together on the Australia Day long weekend for a series of fundraiser shows. Presented by the Deathproof team, the 2015 fundraiser will be split across two days, with all profits going to The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, The Refugee Council and Oxfam. On Australia Day Eve, The Reverence Hotel will host Sydney punk legends Frenzal Rhomb, as well as Saskwatch, Hoodlum Shouts, Hawaiian Islands, Robert Muinos, Have/Hold, Outright, Scul Hazzards, De Nada, Tyre Swans, Kissing Booth, Ben David and Craig Coburn. On Australia Day, the Corner Hotel will play host for the day with The Smith Street Band, The Bennies, Joelistics, Curse Ov Dialect, Fear Like Us and Stockades all taking the stage. The 2015 Australia Day fundraiser will take place on Sunday January 25 at The Reverence Hotel and Monday January 26 at The Corner Hotel. Tickets are available through The Corner Hotel website.

ADAM COHEN

Adam Cohen has announced he will head to Australia for an intimate run of shows this March. The Canadian singer/songwriter and son of acclaimed musician Leonard almost quit the music business three years ago. That was before he released his most acclaimed studio album, Like A Man. This year he released his fifth record, We Go Home, made in both Montreal and the Greek Island of Hydra. Adam Cohen will play at the Caravan Music Club on Friday March 13 and The Toff on Saturday March 14.

CJ RAMONE

In 1989, CJ Ramone walked into one of the toughest jobs in the history of rock’n’roll – he took over as bassist with punk rock icons The Ramones. CJ proved he was more than up to the task and helped the group survive and thrive in its final years. CJ and his band – including Steve Soto and Dan Root (Adolescents) on guitars and Pete Soso (Street Dogs) on drums – celebrated the 25th anniversary of his joining of The Ramones with a new album released through Fat Wreck Chords. In February 2015, CJ will be bringing his critically acclaimed show to Australia playing all The Ramones classics as well as some choice cuts from his new album – Last Chance To Dance. CJ Ramone performs in Melbourne on Saturday February 14 at the Reverence Hotel, and Sunday February 15 at the Bendigo Hotel.

Tonstartssbandht

Where did you come from? Florida. Favourite noise... Pipe organ. What is the meaning of death? Everything. Is relevance relevant? No. Rock or Roll? Or, because without there is no choice, and without choice there is no point. Is there really a party down stairs? Let’s check. You’re walking down an alley and you find a suitcase full of money. What do you spend it on?

More alleys. Ouija or Séance? Both beautiful words, but Ouija for the triple vowel opener. How high is TOO high? Paranoid. Where does music come from? Love. What’s next? Who knows? TONSTARTSSBANDHT are playing at The Hi-Fi on Friday December 19, The Gasometer on Wednesday December 24 and The Tote Hotel on Friday December 26.

ADRIAN BOHM & CENTURY ENTERTAINMENT PRESENT

ALBUM LAUNCH WITH SPECIAL GUEST STAR

Saturday December 20 The Old Bar

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WHERE COMICS AND CARTOONS COLLIDE!!

SATURDAY 18 APRIL PLAYHOUSE

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BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 19


TOURING

WHO'S ON TOUR, WHERE AND WHEN

For all the latest tour dates check out beat.com.au

INTERNATIONAL THE SKATALITES Caravan Club December 17, Corner Hotel December 18 GHOSTFACE KILLAH The Espy December 19 SCOTT RUSSO AND PHIL JAMIESON Corner Hotel December 19 THE RED JUMPSUIT APPARATUS The Evelyn December 19, Arrow on Swanston December 20 (AA) BEN FOLDS Hamer Hall December 20 PHAROAHE MONCH The Espy December 26 TONSTARTSSBANDHT The Tote December 26 SALT N PEPA The Forum December 27 FALLS MUSIC AND ARTS FESTIVAL Various locations December 28 – January 2 BIG FREEDIA Howler December 30 BEYOND THE VALLEY Phillip Island Circuit December 30 – January 1 SADAR BAHAR The Toff In Town December 31 GREG WILSON Little & Olver December 31 DERRICK CARTER New Guernica January 1 VIOLENT FEMMES MONA January 1 PENINSULA SUMMER MUSIC FESTIVAL Various Venues, Mornington Peninsula January 1 – 11 GRANDMASTER FLASH The Espy January 3 DANNY BROWN Corner Hotel January 4 COLD WAR KIDS The Hi-Fi January 5 THE TEMPER TRAP 170 Russell January 5 JULIAN CASABLANCAS & THE VOIDZ The Forum January 6 THE BLACK LIPS The Hi-Fi January 6 MILKY CHANCE 170 Russell January 6 JOHN SMITH Bella Union January 7 SBTRKT The Forum January 7 GEORGE EZRA Corner Hotel January 7 ASGEIR The Forum January 9 MATT ANDERSON Flying Saucer Club January 10, Thornbury Theatre January 11 WYE OAK Gasometer Hotel January 10 GLASS ANIMALS The Hi-Fi January 10 SPOON The Forum January 11 THE GROWLERS Corner Hotel January 14 TIM HECKER Howler January 14 MARDUK AND INQUISITION Northcote Social Club January 14, The Hi-Fi January 16 MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL Bennets Lane January 15 – 29 SLOW CLUB Northcote Social Club January 15 JESUS JONES Corner Hotel January 15 2CELLOS Palais Theatre January 15 THE 1975 Festival Hall January 15 FRIKSTAILERS NGV January 16 NELLY Sidney Myer Music Bowl January 16

THE COATHANGERS January 16 EVERYTIME I DIE Corner Hotel January 16 XYLOURIS WHITE Howler January 17 OMAR SOULEYMAN Corner Hotel January 19 SWANS Corner Hotel January 20 CAMILLIE O’SULLIVAN Melbourne Arts Center January 20 – 24 THE CLEAN Corner Hotel January 22 ICEAGE Ding Dong Lounge January 23 FAT FREDDY’S DROP Palais Theatre January 23 TRUCKFIGHTERS Cherry Bar January 23, Yah Yah’s January 24 JAMIE T The Forum January 24 SUGAR MOUNTAIN January 24 THE KOOKS Sidney Myer Music Bowl January 24 SHONEN KNIFE Ding Dong Lounge January 25 ZA! Ding Dong Lounge January 25 CATFISH AND THE BOTTLEMEN The Hi-Fi January 25 NAS The Forum January 25 MEWITHOUTYOU 170 Russell January 25 ODESZA Howler January 25 FKA TWIGS 170 Russell January 28 RUSTIE Howler January 29 LYKKE LI Forum Theatre January 29 PERFECT PUSSY Corner Hotel January 29 SOHN Corner Hotel January 30 EYEHATEGOD The Hi-Fi January 30 JOHNNY MARR The Forum January 31 CHIODOS Corner Hotel January 31 BELLE & SEBASTIAN Palais Theatre February 1 LITTLE DRAGON 170 Russell February 2 THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM The Forum February 3 RAURY Howler February 3 ANGEL OLSEN Howler February 4 MAC DEMARCO The Hi-Fi February 4 JUNGLE 170 Russell February 4 HIGHASAKITE Corner Hotel February 4 CONNAN MOCKASIN Howler February 5 VIC MENSA Corner Hotel February 5 BENJAMIN BOOKER Northcote Social Club February 5 CARIBOU The Forum February 5 SUZI QUATRO Melbourne Arts Centre February 5, 6, 7 RATKING Ding Dong Lounge February 6 LANEWAY FESTIVAL Footscray Community Arts Centre February 7 STING AND PAUL SIMON A Day on the Green February 7, Rod Laver Arena February 10 SARAH MCLAUGHLAN Melbourne Recital Centre February 9 J MASCIS Melbourne Recital Centre February 13 THE ANTLERS Melbourne Recital Centre February 14 LAMB The Forum February 14 CJ RAMONE Reverance Hotel February 14, Bendigo Hotel February 15

DANIEL ROSSEN Northcote Social Club February 15 PERFUME GENIUS Corner Hotel February 15 G-EAZY Howler February 16 LINDSEY STIRLING Forum Theatre February 17 TINASHE The Hi-Fi February 20 ROXETTE Rod Laver Arena February 20, Rochford Wines Yarra Valley February 21 PETER HOOK AND THE LIGHT Corner Hotel February 21 SOUNDWAVE FESTIVAL Flemington Racecourse February 21, 22 THE EAGLES Rod Laver Arena February 22, Hanging Rock Macedon February 28 SOUNDGARDEN Festival Hall February 24 REAL ESTATE Corner Hotel February 25 DRAKE Rod Laver Arena February 27 STEPHEN MALKMUS & THE JICKS Melbourne Zoo February 27 DELTRON 3030 The Hi-Fi February 27 FOO FIGHTERS Etihad Stadium February 28 BRUNSWICK MUSIC FESTIVAL Various Venues, Brunswick March 1 – 15 MOGWAI Hamer Hall March 1 SHARON VAN ETTEN The Hi-Fi March 3 SHOVELS & ROPE AND SHAKEY GRAVES Corner Hotel March 4 RUFUS WAINWRIGHT Palais Theatre March 4 GRUFF RHYS Northcote Social Club March 5 TECH N9NE The Hi-Fi March 6 NENEH CHERRY Hamer Hall March 6 FIRST AID KIT Palais Theatre March 6 PARQUET COURTS The Hi-Fi March 6 MAITREYA FESTIVAL Sea Lake, Victoria March 6 – 9 WOMADELAIDE Botanic Park, Adelaide March 6 – 9 SINEAD O CONNOR Port Fairy Folk Festival March 6 –9 GRAVEYARD Ding Dong Lounge March 7 WAYNE ‘THE TRAIN’ HANCOCK Ding Dong Lounge March 6, Caravan Club March 7 MACY GRAY Palais Theatre March 7 THE POP GROUP Corner Hotel March 7 FUTURE MUSIC FESTIVAL Flemington Racecourse March 8 65DAYSOFSTATIC Northcote Social Club March 8, 9 GOODLIFE Flemington Racecourse March 9 OBLIVIANS The Tote March 11, 12, 13 BALKAN BEAT BOX Prince Bandroom March 12 ADAM COHEN Caravan Club March 13, The Toff In Town March 14 MAE Corner Hotel March 14 FOREST SWORDS Howler March 14 HTRK Shadow Electric March 15 BOBBY BROWN The Forum March 19 URIAH HEEP Shoppingtown Hotel March 21, Chelsea Heights March 22 BILLY IDOL Margaret Court Arena March 24, A Day On The Green March 21 MASTODON Festival Hall March 27 SWITCHFOOT 170 Russell March 31 BEN HOWARD Margaret Court Arena March 31 KEB’ MO’ Melbourne Recital Centre March 31 CHARLES BRADLEY Corner Hotel April 1 JURASSIC 5 Festival Hall April 1 PAOLO NUTINI Palais Theatre April 1 SERENA RYDER Northcote Social Club April 2 MICHAEL FRANTI Festival Hall April 2 BETH HART Melbourne Recital Centre April 2 BOOGIE 9 Bruzzy’s Farm, Tallarook April 3 – 7 REBELUTION Corner Hotel April 3 GEORGE CLINTON & PARLIAMENT FUNKADELIC 170 Russell April 3 BAND OF SKULLS Bluesfest, Byron Bay April 3, Rochford Wines April 5, Corner Hotel April 7 COUNTING CROWS Palais Theatre April 4 G. LOVE AND SPECIAL SAUCE Thornbury Theatre April 4 THE CHRIS ROBINSON BROTHERHOOD Corner Hotel April 4 BIG SKY BLUES & ROOTS FESTIVAL Deniliquin, NSW April 4 – 5 THE BLACK KEYS Rolling Green April 5, Margaret Court Arena April 7 TROMBONE SHORTY AND ORLEANS AVENUE Corner Hotel April 6 RODRIGO Y GABRIELA Palais Theatre April 7 POKEY LAFARGE Caravan Club April 8, Corner Hotel April 9 GARY CLARK JR. 170 Russell April 8 JIMMY CLIFF Corner Hotel April 8 DAVE & PHIL ALVIN Northcote Social Club April 9 NORMA JEAN Evelyn Hotel April 10 THE GIPSY KINGS Palais Theatre April 10 FRANK TURNER Corner Hotel April 12 ARCHITECTS 170 Russell April 12 ATILLA Arrow On Swanston April 15 (AA), Corner Hotel April 16 (18+) THE DICKIES The Evelyn April 16 DEMI LOVATO Margaret Court Arena April 24 SAM SMITH Margaret Court Arena April 30 PALOMA FAITH Palais Theatre May 5 ANASTACIA Palais Theatre May 7 SUFFOCATION & DECAPITATED Corner Hotel May 9 ALT-J Rod Laver Arena May 10 NICKELBACK Rod Laver Arena May 15 YELLOWCARD Margaret Court Arena July 11 NEIL DIAMOND Rod Laver Arena October 27 AUDRA MCDONALD Hamer Hall October 31 TAYLOR SWIFT AAMI Park December 11

NATIONAL DARREN HANLON Northcote Uniting Church Hall (AA), Northcote Social Club December 18, Northcote Social Club December 19 THE HARPOONS Hugs & Kisses December 18 NICK CAVE The Plenary December 17,18 TWERPS John Curtin Hotel December 18

BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 20

WATCH INTERVIEWS, CHATS & AWKWARD SILENCES... BEAT.COM.AU/TV

PROUDLY PRESENTS

DEC

31

NEW YEARS EVE IN THE WEST FEST Yarraville Live

THE GOOCH PALMS Grace Darling December 18 CHILDREN COLLIDE Ding Dong Lounge December 19 LOWER PLENTY Shadow Electric December 19 XMAS EVEN Gasometer Hotel December 19, 20 JIMMY BARNES A Day On The Green, Rochford Wines December 20 DAN KELLY Shadow Electric December 20 TIM SWEENEY The Toff In Town December 20 DEAD LETTER CIRCUS The Hi-Fi Bar December 20 THE MAVIS’S John Curtin Hotel December 27 SUPER DUPER ALICE COOPER ACMI December 27 – January 9 MONEY FOR ROPE NYE on the Hill December 30, The Espy December 31, Cherry Bar January 16, 17 FIREBALLS Bendigo Hotel December 31 NEW YEARS EVE IN THE WEST FEST Yarraville Live, December 31 FRENCH FEST, FRENCH ISLAND MUSIC AND ARTS FESTIVAL, Paradise Island December 30- January 1 NEW YEARS EVIE Tallarook, Victoria December 31 – January 2 ILLY The Espy January 1 TIM MCMILLAN Ding Dong Lounge January 9 JANE TYRRELL The Forum January 9 SEA LEGS Shebeen January 9 GROUNDSWELL MUSIC FESTIVAL Lake Tyers Beach, East Gippsland January 10 SUMMER OF SOUL Mossvale Park January 10 UNIFY FESTIVAL South Gippsland January 10 – 11 LUNATICS ON POGOSTICKS Shebeen January 17 STEP The Toff In Town January 21 SUMMERSALT FESTIVAL Melbourne Arts Precinct January 23 – Februrary 21 ART OF SLEEPING Northcote Social Club January 23 ALI BARTER Workers Club January 24 BEECHWORTH MUSIC FESTIVAL Madman’s Gully Amphitheatre, Beechworth January 24 BALLARAT BEER FESTIVAL City Oval, Ballarat January 24 TEETH & TONGUE Gasometer Hotel January 25 FRENZAL RHOMB The Loft January 22, Karova Lounge January 23, Barwon Heads Hotel January 24, Reverence Hotel January 25 CALIGULA’S HORSE The Evelyn Hotel, January 25 ST KILDA FESTIVAL Various Venues, St Kilda January 31 – February 8 THE SMITH STREET BAND The Hi-Fi January 31, Northcote Social Club February 1 (U18) CLARE BOWDITCH Flying Saucer Club February 1, 8, 15, 22 BEN FROST The Hi-Fi February 5 THE VANNS Sandbar, Mildura February 5, Gordon Hotel, Portland Febraury 7, Hotel Warnambool February 8, The Espy February 12, Saloon Bar, Traralgon February 27 GUY PEARCE & DARREN MIDDLETON Thornbury Theatre February 7 RIVERBOATS MUSIC FESTIVAL, Echuca-Moama February 13 – 15 KIM CHURCHILL Corner Hotel January 15 THE NECKS Melbourne Recital Centre February 12 MEGAN WASHINGTON 170 Russell February 13 LITTLE BASTARD Northcote Social Club February 19 LIME CORDIALE Northcote Social Club February 20 KYNETON MUSIC FESTIVAL Kyneton Mechanics Institute February 20 – 21 ANGUS AND JULIA STONE Margaret Court Arena February 27 DZ DEATHRAYS Northcote Social Club February 27, 28 BETWEEN THE BAYS FESTIVAL Penbank School, Moorooduc February 28 RUTH MOODY Bella Union March 4, Caravan Club March 5 PORT FAIRY FOLK FESTIVAL Port Fairy, Victoria March 6 – 9 CLOWNS Bendigo Hotel March 6, 9 (AA) VANCE JOY Palais Theatre March 12, 13 KINGSWOOD The Forum March 13 LUCA BRASI Northcote Social Club March 14, Wrangler Studios March 15 KYLIE MINOGUE Rod Laver Arena March 18 WHOLE LOTTA LOVE Palais Theatre March 21 LISA MITCHELL Howler March 27 PENINSULA PICNIC Mornington Racecource March 29 ROLLING GREEN FESTIVAL Rochford Wines Yarra Valley April 5 AUGIE MARCH Melbourne Recital Centre April 15 THE GETAWAY PLAN Corner Hotel May 22 DARREN COGGAN The Palms July 3

RUMOURS: SANTA CLAUS, CANCER BATS, MAJOR LAZER = NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS


Line up includes

Youssou N’Dour

First Aid Kit

Rufus Wainwright

Presenting Partner

Sinéad O’Connor

Nick Waterhouse

Neneh Cherry

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BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 21


DANNY BROWN D i p p i n g i n t O t h e p a r t y a t b e y O n D t h e va l l e y By Tamara Vogl

Danny Brown’s a rarity in the rap world: an artist who’s as admired for his wild and eccentric antics as much as he is revered for his solid musical contributions. Unlike others who fall trap to their crazy personas, Brown’s music still stands strong in comparison. He’s probably one of the most openly nasty acts out there and has received head on stage (he kept on rapping – stellar), has admitted a female crackhead with no teeth once “gummed” him off when he was 16 and has provided in depth commentary into which older women he would sleep with. Kathy Griffin (one of his top choices: has a “fatty”) later invited him and A$AP Rocky onto her show where they played mini-sex games on air. His hedonism would seem to make him an easy act to dismiss, however, with as much fervor as he spends fantasising about ‘80s horror hostess Elvira, his knowledge of music and artistic integrity has accrued him a wealth of critical praise.

Born in Detroit, Brown’s love for Dr. Seuss developed a childhood habit of talking in rhymes. The increasing popularity of hip hop in the mid-’80s sparked the interest of a young, rhyming Brown who decided rap was what he wanted to pursue, well before it had become a popular career option for kids. Taking piano lessons and playing the trumpet in a band, he admits he gave “that shit up” because of peer pressure. He explains most of his friends had begun their involvement in the streets and made him feel like he was a “nerd.” Following suit at the age of ten, he also became involved in the streets and dealing, despite his family’s attempt to keep him inside the house. Sheltering his family from his involvement, trouble with the law and violated probation, however, eventually resulted in an eight month jail sentence which he finished in 2007. He describes that period in jail as his lowest point, and it is what ultimately sparked him to actively pursue his rap aspirations. “You alone,” he says. “You just feel dead. You feel no connection to the outside world at all. And I wasn’t the type of person who wanted to write letters or talk on the phone. I was dead. My dad came and visited me every now and then, but that would make me feel worse than I was. I really didn’t connect with any outside world. Once I was in jail, I was living that lifestyle. Like gladiators do: barbaric shit.” Upon his release, he decided it was now or never and chose to invest wholeheartedly in music. Brown previously began his career in 2003 with a rap group called Rese’vor Dogs. They’d achieved a certain level of success locally, receiving mild rotation on Detroit radio stations for their lead single, Yes. After his release from jail, Brown caught the attention of Jay Z’s label, Roc-A-Fella, through an A&R while recording in other artists’ studios in New York. The Roc-A-Fella situation fell through, however, so Brown returned to Detroit. In 2010, he befriended Tony Yayo of G-Unit and 50 Cent was seriously considering signing Brown to his label. He was a fan of the music, but not his skinny jeans/vintage rock image. 50 eventually decided Brown would not fit their brand if he kept his style. Remaining true to his roots, Brown did not attempt to change his clothes in order to sign a deal, and instead he kept it moving. Addressing the issue in 2012, Brown commented to MTV: “I understand where they were coming from with that, but you gotta understand where I’m coming from too: I’m from Detroit.” This attitude he attributes to his age and a strong sense of self. “Being 33 years old, I know myself,” he says. “I know who I am. I know what I want to do. A lot of them BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 22

[rappers] are still kids; they haven’t even found themselves as adults. They still don’t even know who they are. Some of them may not even want to rap five years from now. Jail, being in the streets, hustling, working a real job before – I’d rather die chasing a dream, than die being a machine for somebody else.” Having written prolifically in prison, Brown used that material along with newly written work to record and release four volumes of his Detroit State of Mind mixtape series. It wasn’t until his first solo independent album The Hybrid, however, when Brown began to use his trademark high pitched voice. He claims it was that album where he found his voice, and it was a statement affirming that he can rap in every style.

“JAIl, BEING IN THE STREETS, HUSTlING, WORkING A REAl JOB BEfORE – I’D RATHER DIE CHASING A DREAM, THAN DIE BEING A MACHINE fOR SOMEBODY ElSE.” Despite the various setbacks he faced, Brown always remained positive about a music career saying he never considered giving up “I had certain things that would discourage me, but what would I do?” he explains. “I just knew how to do it. In my heart and in my mind, I felt everything I was doing was right. [I knew] eventually I’ll get my time. And I felt like it was always the music I was making at that time that was going to be the most pinnacle shit, because when I do get cracking, people are going to be able to go back and hear I was always good.” He soon signed to independent label Fool’s Gold under the recommendation of A Tribe Called Quest’s Q-Tip. As a free download, he released his second studio album XXX. This received a wealth of critical attention and praise. Spin Magazine labelled it the best hip hop album of the year; Pitchfork gave it 8.2 out of 10 and ranked it as the 19th best album of 2011. Brown’s third album Old similarly racked up positive critical reception, which Brown admits feels great. He also argues in some sense, the critics bring you fans, especially the certain kind of fans that he’d like to listen to his music. He explains, “’Cause I’m a person

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who really reads reviews, and if I’ve never heard of you before and this is a publication that I trust their opinion on, and they say the album is good, then I’m gonna go check it out. I got put on something new, by a critic.” He says if he could collaborate with anyone, it would be Chic’s Nile Rodgers. Rodgers has never really been in hip hop, but Brown argues the bass line would be “dope” in a real hip hop song. On his career highlights, he appreciates he’s still able to be around as a musician, and that every year improves. “I’m just so happy to be involved with Paul Rosenberg [music manager]. He changed my life so drastically, so I would say that’s one of the highest points, with him recognising and wanting to work together. Now I own a big-arse house, and before then, I just had a lean addiction in my dirty apartment full of pizza boxes and shit on the floor.” Brown’s been vocal about his love of being part of an independent lineup, and isn’t actively trying to sign to a major label. Though he does admit he’d never say never, he explains at this time in his career, and considering the kind of music he makes, he’s cool on his own. “I don’t want nobody having the hand in my music and I want full creative control of what I do,” he says. “But if somebody understands that and wants to give me a big cheque – hey.” Hugely popular in the international market, particularly London, Brown tours extensively throughout Europe, and is now returning once more to Australia. A big fan of our seafood (he attributes it to his Pisces zodiac sign); Brown says he loves the weather and people. “I’m always excited to play music to people who want to hear my music and to see the type of people getting into the stuff that I’m doing,” he says. Sufficed to say, as much as Danny Brown is known to be outlandish, he remains an impressive artist with a solid knowledge of music and its publications. But still, there’s always crazy with Danny Brown, and somewhere during the last minute of our interview he dropped that one of his wildest experiences was when he kidnapped someone. “I didn’t really do it, my friend did,” he says, trying to calm my surprise. “But when I came back to where we was at, there was somebody there, tied up.” “A hostage?” “Yeah. That was one the craziest things in my life. Like, what the fuck?” DANNY BROWN will be performing at Beyond The Valley over the New Year and at The Corner Hotel Sunday January 4 and Monday January 5, 2015. Old is out now through Fool’s Gold.


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THIS WEEK: ON SCREEN The Cameo Outdoor Cinema will return this week to kick of its 2014/2015 season. Over the season the program features cult classics such as The Blues Brothers, Monty Python’s Life of Brian, Pulp Fiction and E.T, as well as new release arthouse, family and blockbuster titles, including The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies, Fifty Shades of Grey and Chappie. The Cameo Outdoor Cinema season will run from Thursday December 18 to Sunday April 5, and this week features The Princess Bride, Paddington, The Water Diviner and Annie. Head to cameocinemas.com. au for more information.

With Tyson Wray. Got thoughts, news, gossip, complaints or cat photos? Email tyson@beat.com.au or send by carrier pigeon before Friday 12pm. expectations from your family. You’re constantly judged on the quality of your subwoofer, the quantity of your laps down Chapel Street and how much you and your spotter can bench. What was Effie’s upbringing like? “I didn’t come from a privileged background,” she explains. “Add the Greek factor on top, which is very high pressure. You’ve always gotta keep an eye on what the community thinks. It’s like the Dow Jones, every day you gotta check, ‘Does the community think I’m a slag? Are they cut because I’ve got a Logie? Are they gonna give me the evil eye because their daughters aren’t as good-looking?’ But I worked myself through it because I’ve got faith in myself – the ultimate God – and the god above.”

ON STAGE Lully Lullay: Songs For Christmas, an intimate recital of beautiful Christmas music featuring mezzo soprano Lotte Betts-Dean and friends, will take place this weekend. The program includes an array of well known as well as lesser performed Christmas music: a collection of beautiful songs including Peter Cornelius’ Weihnachtslieder Op 8, Frank Martin’s Trois Chants de Noël for voice flute and piano, as well as songs by Britten, Grieg, Reger and Gounod among others, a selection of solo piano works by Percy Grainger, some yuletide favourites and carols and a special a capella performance of Bach’s masterwork Motet BWV 227 Jesu Meine Freude. Joining Lotte will be Konrad Olszewski (piano), Caitlin Ayers (flute), Daniel Thomson (tenor), Greta Williams (soprano), Niki Ebacioni (alto) and Matthew Tng (baritone). Lully Lullay: Songs For Christmas will take place from 3pm on Sunday December 21 at the Richmond Uniting Church.

ON DISPL AY Arthur Boyd’s series Love, Marriage and Death of a Half Caste, more commonly known as the Brides, was painted between 1957 and 1960 after Boyd travelled to central Australia. It represents a defining achievement in both the artist’s career and in Australian art of the twentieth century. A milestone in the advancement of local modernism and its humanist themes, the series offers a critique of Australia’s racial divide in the form of an invented love story. The two main protagonists in the allegory—an Aboriginal man and his mixed-race bride—face the trials of a love thwarted by both personal and cultural conflict. They embark on a metaphorical journey that is traced symbolically through complex imagery denoting cyclical growth, decay and renewal. It’s currently on display at the Heide Museum of Modern Art.

PICK OF THE WEEK Jenny Lovell and Anna Renzenbrink are joining forces for a Charles Dickens infused Christmas show this week. What the Dickens! is improvised theatre carefully balancing cheeky audience participation, carol singing and story-telling to celebrate the classic themes of Dickens’ novels and stories - moral dilemmas, lost fortunes, found love and orphans. Anna Renzenbrink and Jenny Lovell worked together in the Impro Melbourne Ensemble for over ten years before creating Bonnet Productions. Drawn together by their mutual passion for period romance and BBC bonnet dramas, over the last three years they have successfully performed In the Parlour in various festivals including Short & Sweet, Melbourne International Comedy Festival and most the recently New Zealand Improv Festival. What The Dickens! will come to The Butterfly Club from Wednesday December 17 until Sunday December 21.

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A DATE WITH EFFIE By Nick Taras

I was dialing Mary Coustas, anticipating my discussion with the actor/comedian who plays the Logie-winning character known as Effie, when something unexpected happened. “Hello, Mary?” “Hello good thanks, it’s Effie.” All my nuanced questions about Greek-Australian culture were thrown out the window. On the phone with a character known for her catchphrase “How embarrassment!” and whose life philosophy is, “The higher the hair, the closer to God”, I was left with no choice – I had to bring out my inner wog and improvise. Effie has been through her fair-share of boyfriends – although she’s still adamant about her virginity. When it comes to men, especially Greek men, how much hair is too much hair? “Head’s important, I’ll take a bit of armpit but I don’t want the 360 chest-into-the-back situation,” she clarifies. “I want to be able to see that they have legs. I don’t want any fire danger situation where we can’t see skin. I don’t mind a bit of facial growth – it’s nice not to be the only one who has it.” Effie was a fan favourite in the popular Australian series Acropolis Now, which ran for five seasons in the late ‘80s/early ‘90s. Effie played alongside Nick Giannopoulos, who would go on to co-write and star alongside Vince Colosimo in the greatest Australian

film of all time, The Wog Boy. I wondered how Effie had changed since her hairdressing days in Acropolis Now. “I’ve got a baby. I don’t know if you’ve heard, but a miracle happened last year. We’re not sure if it was an immaculate conception or it was that public toilet seat I sat on in April last year at Tullamarine Airport. Either way, I was blessed with a child, whose name is Aphrodite. Children are not cheap. Baby formula, baby pilates, laser hair removal – that’s just the start of it.” Effie’s popularity in Acropolis Now almost trumped the show itself, and she would eventually be given her own spin-off series. With this celebrity status, which other celebrity would she most like to bump into at the Tullamarine Airport toilets? “Obviously not George Michael – he’d be my competition,” she says. “Look at Clooney’s wife. She nabbed him because she’s got a law degree. She was smart enough to know how to play him. Alright, she’s good-looking and young, and got a very good body, and an accent – well I’ve got that. I’ve got the body. I’m smart. I’ve had three 21st birthdays so it’s really hard to decipher how old I am exactly. I do not have a law degree but I have a hairdressing diploma.” I personally know that growing up Greek brings a lot of

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Effie will be performing in A Date with Effie in Yarraville, a suburb which is apparently “just like Port Melbourne but nothing like it.” “I do this show, A Date with Effie, to look for a guy. If he’s already at the show, he’s already got the hots for me. The show is me talking about my past, and I hope I’m not stating the obvious when I say I’m still a virgin even though I had a baby. I made a choice on the day of the birth to not compromise the proof of my virginity. So I come with a massive asset. “The first half I spill my guts. It’s like a confessional. I go through my past, my decision-makings, my sexual experience which was quite limited – but nevertheless I fumbled around. Some stuff happened in car parks, which I go into. “Then I pick three random guys from the audience who appear to be worthy, and I take them on stage and get to know them, find out what they come with and what they don’t come with. Then the audience chooses who I go with and that’s why the show’s called A Date with Effie. Leading up to Christmas, what better gift than to say, “Oh my god, I went to just perve on her and now we’re getting married, and it’s only gonna cost me everything I’ve got.” While running out of hair gel is one of the biggest crises a Greek can face, the current economic crisis is also a desperate situation. “Does anyone say, ‘My life’s better because there’s pasta in the world?’ No. When you’re Greek and go, ‘Mathematics – I can work out how much someone is ripping me off ’ or ‘How much I can rip someone off ?’ who do you thank? Not the pasta-people. You thank the Greeks. The Greeks are suffering – ‘yesh’, they’re drinking coffee and suffering – but they’re suffering nevertheless. “There’s a frugality – if there’s such a word – in their lifestyle. In my show I say, ‘Of course they retire early – they’re tired from having invented everything.’ You can justify it when you’re Greek.”

A Date with Effie is on at The Yarraville Club on Saturday December 20, with guests Paul Calleja and MC Matthew Hardy.


THE COMIC STRIP NOEL FIELDING

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MOVIES BY THE BAY

Hobson’s Bay will present a free openair cinema series, Movies By The Bay, this summer. This year’s program features five family-friendly films at two locations, including Rio, Planes: Fire Rescue, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Guardians of the Galaxy and How To Train Your Dragon 2. It all takes place from Friday January 2 to Friday January 30 at Logan Reserve and Commonwealth Reserve. First Things First

One of the biggest names in UK comedy is coming to Australia. One half of the award winning comedy duo The Mighty Boosh and a team captain on Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Fielding will return to Melbourne during the 2015 Melbourne International Comedy Festival. He’ll also bring along Mike Fielding (Naboo/ Smooth) for the ride. Catch him on Wednesday April 15 at Hamer Hall.

WHITE NIGHT MELBOURNE

One of Australia’s most celebrated cultural events will return next February. For 22 hours Melbourne’s city streets, public spaces, gardens, landmark buildings and laneways will once again be transformed, with showcases of music, art, theatre, film, design and performance. In 2015 many of Melbourne’s cultural institutions – including Arts Centre Melbourne, ACMI, the National Gallery of Victoria, the State Library of Victoria and Melbourne Museum will take part with special programmed events. Some highlights of the 2015 program include the indie music stage which will feature 12 bands; an evening of jazz at The Forum; a transformation of the Yarra into Little India; a magazine created in the evening by the Emerging Writers’ Festival; and the Wonderland, which sees large scale projections reinterpret Melbourne landmarks over multiple surfaces across whole streetscapes. In 2014 White Night Melbourne showcased over 100 public events and activities which transformed more than eight city blocks. White Night Melbourne 2015 will take place from 7pm on Saturday February 21 through to 7am on Sunday February 22.

NU SHU: THE SECRET SONGS OF WOMEN

Melbourne will experience Tan Dun’s Nu Shu: The Secret Songs of Women for the first time this Chinese New Year. Presented by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, the 2013 work captures the disappearing, ancient language of Nu Shu, developed by women in secrecy over hundreds of years in feudal China during the 13th century. After researching the language for years, Tan Dun recorded Nu Shu women in the village of Hunan, China, creating 13 micro films about the tradition. Nu Shu will bring the language to life with the 13 films projected on a screen while the MSO performs the new music composed to accompany them. The orchestra will also perform iconic Chinese music and will present Ravel’s Bolero alongside Puccini’s most famous arias, featuring celebrated Chinese soprano Bing Bing Wang. It will take place on Saturday February 28 at Hamer Hall.

PAUSE FEST

Pause Fest has revealed the lineup for its 2015 event. Entering its fifth year, Pause Fest brings professionals together from advertising, animation, not-for-profit, commerce, web and post-production, as well as related business networks to explore digital culture and encourage collaboration and education. This year will feature talks and presentations from The Lego Movie animation studio, Animal Logic, Buzzfeed, This American Life, Guardian Australia, Clemenger BBDO, Silicon Valley strategist Alexander Chung, PayPal, Eventbrite, Deloitte Digital, MONA and more. Other highlights include Flow, a free audience installation at Federation Square where crowd movements are tracked to influence LED streams; Tech Bar, a daily catch-up location with free demonstrations, parties, workshops and more; and Web For Good, a conference on creative superheroes that use technology for good. Pause Fest will run from Monday February 9 to Sunday February 15. For bookings, head over to pausefest.com.au.

BIANCO DEL RIO MOVING PARTS

Following the success of its 2014 season, Gasworks Arts Park has announced that Moving Parts will return in 2015. Next year will feature six new theatre and dance works. In April, audiences are invited to watch Joseph Simons’ First Things First and be captivated by Matthew Ryan’s Kelly in May. June will host the world premiere of Mother, written by Daniel Keene, specifically for award winning actor Noni Hazlehurt. Trisha Dunn’s projected image and live performance work Finding Centre will run in August, while Flak, stories of air warfare will feature as a one-off event. The series will come to a close in October with dance work, Carmen Sweet. For more information, head over to gasworks.org.au. The clown in a dress herself, Bianco Del Rio is bringing her new show Comedy Special to our shores this summer. The winner of Ru Paul’s Drag Race season six will hit theatres in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth, following a sellout season in New York. Supporting her on tour will be her special guest, Courtney Act, who was in the final three of Ru Paul’s Drag Race. Catch Bianco Del Rio on Monday March 2 at Arts Centre Melbourne, Playhouse.

CRAB L AB Lawrence Mooney, Aunty Donna, Tom Ballard, Anne Edmonds and John Conway are just some of the big names on tonight’s Crab Lab Christmas party bill. See the year off with some major laughs for just a fiver. 16 Corrs Lane, CBD at 8.30pm sharp.

ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL

The Alliance Française French Film Festival will return in 2015 for its 26th year. The festival will screen in eight cities throughout March and April, beginning in Sydney and ending in Hobart. The festival will feature 49 features and documentaries, including the latest films from Anne Fontaine, Benoît Jacquot, François Ozon, Bertrand Bonello and more. Other highlights include Beauty and the Beast, The Blue Room, Breathe, Chance Encounter, The Connection and Grand Illusion. The Alliance Française French Film Festival will hit Melbourne from Wednesday March 4 to Sunday March 22 at select Palace and Kino cinemas.

JUMPY

THE SALVATION

Danish director Kristian Levring’s latest film The Salvation will screen at ACMI next year. The Salvation is a gripping western, which follows brothers Jon (Mads Mikkelsen) and Peter (Mikael Persbrandt) as they make the journey from Europe to the New World in the 1870s. Any hopes for a bright future however are quickly dashed when Jon’s family are brutally attacked. What follows is a bloody battle of greed, corruption and vengeance. The Salvation will screen from Wednesday January 14 to Sunday February 1 at ACMI.

Kath & Kim’s Jane Turner and Puberty Blues star Brenna Harding are set to star in April De Angelis’ frank and funny family drama Jumpy when it comes to Melbourne next year. Turner returns to Melbourne Theatre Company as Hilary – a modern woman who is struggling to come to terms with turning 50 as she deals with the trials of her 15-year-old daughter Tilly (Harding). Joining Turner and Harding and rounding out the cast will be Marina Prior, Caroline Brazier, David Tredinnick, Laurence Boxhall, John Lloyd Fillingham, Tariro Mavondo and Dylan Watson. Jumpy will run from Saturday January 31 to Saturday March 14 at Southbank Theatre.

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FIVE BOROUGHS COMEDY Five Boroughs Comedy has moved. This Thursday, Tom Ballard (triple j) headlines at a brand new location, at the Portland Hotel. And to celebrate a big re-opening night, it’s an awesome lineup. Not only do they have Tom Ballard, they also have Nick Cody, Tommy Little, Jeff Green, Ben Lomas and more. It’s all happening this Thursday December 18 at 8.30pm, at Five Boroughs Comedy at the Portland Hotel, 127 Russell Street (upstairs), CBD, all for only $12. Get in early.

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BAND OF MAGICIANS By Meg Crawford

The world is one small place. James Galea, one of Australia’s top new breed of magicians was on a cruise ship touting his wares when he happened to have a chat with Nicholas Hammond, Robin Nevin’s husband and the dude who played Friedrich Von Trapp in the film version of The Sound of Music. Bizarre right? Well, it gets kookier, because Galea ends up telling Hammond how he came to be a magician and so intrigues Hammond that he ends up hooking Galea up with Jo Dyer, former Executive Producer of the Sydney Theatre Company and General Manager of the Bangarra Dance Theatre: the three of them hatch a plan for a show and Band of Magicians is the result. It’s unsurprising Hammond was so inspired. Galea’s a cracking magician, but his back story is fascinating: it turns out that he was magically mentored by the conjuring equivalent of Fagin. Galea didn’t know at the time, but when the watches went missing, the watches really went missing. When Galea twigged to the swindle, rather than becoming a card sharp or conman, he used his powers for good and brought some clean, good fun magic to the table. The idea for the show is Galea’s baby, but Justin Flom, Nate Staniforth and Justin Wilman, three of Galea’s real life magic mates (all shit-hot US-based magicians), round out said Band. It’s novel for a number of reasons, not the least because the four of them have dreamed up tricks together. Collectively they do shit they simply couldn’t pull off by themselves, which is notable in magic circles because those folk hold their (not metaphoric) cards close to their chest. “For performers, magic is such a solitary thing normally,” Dyer, the show’s Producer explains. “Everybody has their own tricks and signature moves and protects them with a great deal of rigour. There’s a few tricks in particular, some really fantastic moments in the show, which it would be impossible to do with only one magician. It relies upon having the skills and the focus of more than one of them at a

time to realise the great reveal of the trick. I think it’s the first ensemble-based magic show that has been created.” The show premiered at the Sydney Festival and became super popular; partly reflecting the fact that magic’s having a moment right now. “There’s something about going into a theatre, sitting down and being transported back to your childhood (where you did believe and it was about what you could imagine to be true), having your jaw drop and thinking, ‘How did they do that?’ You’re entertained in an engaging, accessible and non-confronting way. It’s not just that it’s easy entertainment – it allows for a bit of escaping back into a gentler more innocent time. I think people enjoy being fooled when it’s done with good humour and great heart, which is what our show has.” It also reflects the fact that the guys are cool. There are no rabbits, top hats, capes, creepy pencil moustaches or massive effects. They’re not making a pretence that what they’re doing is real – it’s a trick. It’s also very funny – Galea and Willman in particular have serious comedy chops, having both performed at various comedy festivals melding their tricks with stand-up. “Our guys come out in their street clothes and they just show what they can do to the audience and to each other,” explains Dyer. “It’s more about them as performers, in the same way

stand-up acts have to be able to rely on themselves and a microphone and that’s pretty much it.” That said, it’s not an easy gig. “That’s one of the interesting things about working with James and the other three,” Dyer reflects. “These guys have spent often their lives getting to the point where they are now, learning, honing and refining the skills that they have. There’s a great level of commitment required. Cate Blanchett is very different from Justin Willman but they both have a great deal of focus and dedication on what it is that they’re doing and delivering to an audience.” It’s an intriguing career development for Dyer to be working on this show, coming from such a high-brow background. So how does working on the Band of Magicians compare to something like Uncle Vanya? “It’s the sublime to the ridiculous isn’t it? And I’m not sure which one I’d say was which,” Dyer laughs. “The thing about magic is that it’s entertainment value is inherent within it. There’s no broad

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themes or ideas hiding in it for people to sink their teeth into, too. Band of Magicians is unashamedly and unabashedly good commercial entertainment, whereas Uncle Vanya and a lot of the other work of the Sydney Theatre Company is trying to be part of a cultural and intellectual conversation, which is fantastic, and you hope it can still be done while giving your audience a really good time in the theatre, but the time they have in the theatre might be good in a whole variety of different ways – it might be confronting, it might be challenging, it might be something you have to sit with over a number of days and process. So, they’re very different art forms, but I think they equally have a place and I don’t value one above the other.” Band Of Magicians comes to The Palms at Crown from Wednesday January 7 to Saturday January 17.


Illy words / augustus welby

The history of modern Western thought comprises a number of hugely constructive teacher-student relationships. For instance, cast your eyes towards continental philosophy, which has basically progressed by virtue of younger thinkers learning from pre-eminent elders and subsequently positing their own novel theories. The same could be said about most major 19th and 20th century art movements, and, of course, popular music.

Australian hip hop is one genre that continues to cumulatively expand, thanks largely to established artists fostering rising talent and assisting in the development of new genre variations. These days, Melbourne rapper Illy (real name Al Murray) is one of the leading practitioners of the form. Despite his current star status, Illy hasn’t forgotten the tremendous leg-up he got from his predecessors. “I’ve had a lot of people that have helped me and quite a few people who came before me,” he says. “Pegz and Phrase and Daniel Merriweather – I was doing shows with nobody and they helped me out, took me on the road with them. Then after that, Pegz put me on with Obese [Records] and he sort of showed me some of the ropes. Then more recently, having Drapht and the Hoods as good mates, I know that I’ve still got people that I look up to who give me advice and I’ll listen to them.” It’s been a huge 12 months for Illy, whose fourth LP Cinematic came out in November 2013. Shortly after he released Cinematic, Illy’s 2012 record Bring It Back won the ARIA Award for Best Urban Album. Cinematic then went on to achieve gold sales and the record’s fourth single Tightrope (featuring San Cisco’s Scarlett Stevens) went platinum. “It’s been such a crazy year,” Illy says. “To think that Cinematic came out a year ago, everything that’s happened

since is nuts. It’s just been crazy, it hasn’t really stopped.” Looking at those sales figures, it’s no surprise Illy’s appearances on this year’s Groovin The Moo tour were feverishly received. He also found time to jump over to Europe in July for a string of dates supporting Hilltop Hoods. This feat is especially noteworthy for Illy, who describes the Hoods as “the undisputed leaders” of Australian hip hop. “Getting to tour with the Hoods in itself is crazy,” he says. “Getting to do it in Europe is wild. For the first experiences in Europe to be with those dudes, you couldn’t really ask for a better introduction. The boys were saying it was the best response and turnout they’ve had so far, which is awesome. “They’ve always done it on their terms,” he adds. “It’s great because they should be at the top and I hope that they stay at the top for a long time. They’re doing it right and they always have had time for the people underneath them and also for the genre itself. Everyone that meets them and knows them wouldn’t have a bad word to say about them.” Illy’s no stranger to presiding over rapturous audiences on his own terms, either. Another unforgettable moment from the rapper’s golden 12 months – one he says will be “very hard to top” – saw him headlining triple j’s One Night Stand in front a crowd of 17,000 people gathered in Victorian outback town Mildura. Performing for thousands of utterly manic

punters, singing along to every word like their lives depend on it, no doubt provides the high thrill of a lifetime. But looking out over all of those faces could get pretty damn intimidating. Illy’s no slouch at keeping the excitement levels turned right up, but he’s not endowed with onstage invincibility. “I’m definitely more comfortable with it now,” he says. “In saying that, at Splendour I was pretty nervous before going on, because that was a big fucking crowd. One Night Stand – I was shook like I have not been for years before that one. For the most part I’m pretty used to it, but there’s been moments this year that have brought me back to being an upand-comer and being kind of shook about the whole thing.” Illy’s outstanding success over the last 12 months is indicative of his overall career trajectory. With each successive release, the rapper has climbed higher up the ranks of Aussie hip hop. It’s all happened in a reasonably short amount of time, as well – his debut LP Long Story Short came out in 2009, and since then Illy has scarcely been absent from the stage or the airwaves. “I got told a long time ago that from the moment you have a hit – the moment that you have people caring about your music – it’s just a race against the clock, really,” he says. “It’s a countdown to the day that no-one gives a fuck anymore. So I try to make hay while the sun shines and not be complacent. I try to make the most of this incredible position that I’ve been put in. “You have to keep evolving and doing different things. If you just make the same thing over and over again, you’re going to lose touch and then people won’t come back.” These days, Illy isn’t only kicking goals behind the mic. Prior to the release of Cinematic, he set up his own label, OneTwo. It’s increasingly common for artists to release music through

electronic - urban - club life

their own labels, but OneTwo isn’t simply dedicated to Illy releases. The label’s roster has grown to include Adelaide (via Melbourne) rapper Allday, who’s also had a pretty unbelievable year. “He’s worked his arse off for it,” says Illy. “It’s great to see it happening. [He’s done it] on his own terms as well. He’s never really been too involved in the Australian hip hop scene, he’s kind of created his own lane. Some people don’t really appreciate how fucking hard that is. He’s got long hair, he doesn’t make stereotypically Aussie hip hop. That’s a lot harder to do than just follow a formula of Australian hip hop. I think what he’s done this year’s crazy.” Perhaps Illy’s decision to stretch out into label management is motivated by a desire to prolong his career by whatever means necessary. However, he suggests it’s more about taking pride in the genre and preparing the land for the next crop to rise up. “Like I said, I’ve had a lot of people that have helped me and quite a few people who came before me. So OneTwo is trying to do that with the next generation, really. I enjoy doing it and if I do get to be involved in music through that for longer than I can be as an artist, then great. But it’s more altruistic than that.”

lly will take over The Espy this New Year’s Day, Thursday January 1. Cinematic out now through OneTwo.

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UPCOMING

DECEMBER

on tour GHOSTFACE KILLAH [USA] Friday December 19, The Espy LIDO [NOR], SOPHIE [UK] + MORE Friday December 19, 170 Russell TIM SWEENEY [USA] Saturday December 20, The Toff In Town FLORIAN KUPFER [GER] Sunday December 21, Lounge PHARAOHE MONCH [USA] Saturday December 26, The Espy BADBADNOTGOOD [USA] Saturday December 27, Laundry Bar SALT N PEPA [USA] Saturday December 27, The Forum ANDY C [UK] Sunday December 28, Brown Alley FALLS FESTIVAL: TODD TERJE [NOR], TENSNAKE [GER], TYCHO [USA] + MORE Monday December 29 - Thursday January 1, Byron Bay BEYOND THE VALLEY: CLAPTONE [GER], ALUNAGEORGE [UK] + MORE Tuesday December 30 - Thursday January 1, Phillip Island Circuit BIG FREEDIA [USA] Tuesday December 30, Howler SADAR BAHAR [USA] Wednesday December 31, The Toff In Town GREG WILSON [UK] Wednesday December 31, Little& Olver DJ ALFREDO [ARG], MAXMILLION DUNBAR [USA], PENDER STREET STEPPERS [CAN], SCOTT FRASER [SCO] Thursday January 1, TBA ABOVE & BEYOND [UK] Thursday January 1, Sidney Myer Music Bowl DERRICK CARTER [USA] Thursday January 1, New Guernica LET THEM EAT CAKE: CARL CRAIG [USA], TODD TERJE [NOR], CASHMERE CAT [NOR] + MORE Thursday January 1, Werribee Mansion OLIVER $ [GER], CRAZY P [UK] Thursday January 1, Shed 14 RIVA STARR [ITA] Thursday January 1, Carousel GRANDMASTER FLASH [USA] Saturday January 3, The Espy DANNY BROWN [USA] Sunday January 4, Corner Hotel SBTRKT [UK] Wednesday January 7, The Forum TYCHO [USA] Thursday January 8, The Hi-Fi JOEY BADA$$ [USA], RUN THE JEWELS [USA] Thursday January 8, The Forum OMAR S [USA], DANIEL AVERY [UK] Friday January 9, Brown Alley SPACE DIMENSION CONTROLLER [UK] Sunday January 11, Lounge TIM HECKER [CAN] Wednesday January 14, Howler NELLY [USA] Friday January 16, Sidney Myer Music Bowl MISTER SATURDAY NIGHT [USA] Saturday January 17, TBA OMAR SOULEYMAN [SYR] Monday January 19, Corner Hotel TENSNAKE [GER] Friday January 23, Royal Melbourne Hotel RAINBOW SERPENT: MARCEL DETTMANN [GER], LEE BURRIDGE [UK], PETAR DUNDOV [CRO] + MORE Friday January 23 - Monday January 26, Lexton SUGAR MOUNTAIN: SOUL CLAP [USA], ANTHONY NAPLES [USA] + MORE Saturday January 24, VCA (Victorian College of the Arts) NAS [USA] Sunday January 25, The Forum ODESZA [USA] Sunday January 25, Howler RUSTIE [UK] Thursday January 29, Howler SOHN [UK] Friday January 30, Corner Hotel FLYING LOTUS [USA] Friday January 30, 170 Russell LEON VYNEHALL [UK] Sunday February 1, Lounge FINNEBASSEN [NOR] Sunday February 1, Revolver Upstairs RAURY [USA] Tuesday February 3, Howler CARIBOU [USA] Thursday February 5, The Forum VIC MENSA [USA] Thursday February 5, Corner Hotel MR SCRUFF [UK] Friday February 6, 170 Russell MODESELEKTOR [GER] Thursday February 12, The Hi-Fi MADGA [USA] Saturday February 14, The Liberty Social G-EAZY [USA] Monday February 16, Howler MOODYMANN [USA], DJ TENNIS [ITA] Friday February 20, Brown Alley TINASHE [USA] Friday February 20, The Hi-Fi DETROIT SWINDLE [NED] Sunday February 22, Revolver Upstairs DELTRON 3030 [USA] Friday February 27, The Hi-Fi DRAKE [USA] Friday February 27, Rod Laver Arena THEO PARRISH [USA] Friday February 28, Revolt Artspace

tour rumours

Juan Atkins, Hieroglyphic Being, Vatican Shadow, Shackleton, Container, The Bug, Evian Christ, Motor City Drum Ensemble, Netsky

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the 2 bears wo rd s / c h ri sto p h e r lew i s

Bursting onto the scene in 2010 with a comical visual party trick and an ear worm with the track Follow The Bears, Raf Rundell and Joe Goddard were never going to go unnoticed. But what began as a dress up party for the lead singer of Hot Chip quickly became something to take notice of, as their house music with a pop edge was just at home on commercial radio as it was being dropped as a 3am banger in the club. Having friends like Derrick Carter to remix their debut EP helped gain traction across the world’s decks and soon an album was beckoning. Be Strong cemented the giant fuzzy bears’ reputation as one of the most fun DJ sets going round and with Bear Hug and the title track gaining significant radio rotation in 2012, it became a rite of passage for any serious Hot Chip fan to find what club The 2 Bears were playing at for a serious after-party. But with their second album dropping this year, it was time to forge their own identity away from Goddard’s genre-defining day job. The Night Is Young is at once more serious and more diverse than its predecessor, with South African collaborations and an overall theme that deviates heavily from the loved up ecstasy of their previous releases. “The first album is filled with hymns to love and partying and I stand by the message it sends. We could have made another ten jolly house tracks, but we would’ve been driven mad doing that,” Rundell explains. He’s philosophical

news

Catch The 2 Bears at Sugar Mountain 2015 which will take place on Saturday January 24 at VCA (Victorian College of the Arts).

- head to beat .com.au for more

off the record w i t h

and measured, pausing before he answers any question, deliberating his thoughts carefully. The former 1965 Records businessman turned creative is open about his ambitions for The 2 Bears. “When we began in 2010, it was just a pet project for Joe and for me it was just a creative outlet, so I didn’t have any aspirations for it to go full-time. But a lot has changed and for The Night Is Young, the idea was to have an album that was less club-focused; we were interested in doing something a bit different. Joe is so busy all the time with his projects, so it’s important The 2 Bears is something that engages him creatively, so it was necessarily a bit different in that way.” This is in keeping with their dichotomy; the line has always been blurred for the duo, were they a pop band in the electronic scene, or electronic act in the pop scene? “We’re trying to create something honestly and show a bit of ourselves. We were conscious that we still wanted to reach as many people as possible, but if you start the creative process with the idea to make it on the radio, especially the way radio is and how fast it evolves, it doesn’t work. We’ve travelled a lot together since we released Be Strong, we’ve listened to a lot more records and we’re always trying to find new things to steal from, both pop and electronic.” On the topic of their influences and what sounds have bled into the new record, it’s obvious the two are as informed by

classic song writing as they are by the latest house staple: “We’ve always loved our big American house and techno producers, like Dennis Ferrer, Matias Aguayo and Green Velvet. We listened to a lot of that whilst we were in the studio and we wear our influences proudly on our sleeves. But I’d say I’m just as influenced by guys like Ian Dury or Ray Davies from The Kinks or Terry Hall from The Specials. When we’re working on varied, rambling demos with no lyrics and feeling our way in, the music we listen to seeps into that.” On the topic of their South African excursion during the making of The Night Is Young, Rundell is remarkably candid about the effect both personally and sonically the experience had on him. “Trips like that put a lot of perspective on your own life, I thought about a lot of things to do with my own life after I came home. The spirit of creativity there was amazing, it made us forget about any hang-ups we had about how a song should sound or be made. Everyone we worked with in South Africa, especially Sbusiso and Senyaka whom we worked with in a studio in Soweto were amazing and quite inspirational, that track Son of the Sun…Sbusiso makes that track.” Probed whether he thinks he’s made the electronic world’s answer to Graceland, Rundell bursts out laughing, “I don’t think so, but that would be a cool thing to do.” Was your sojourn in Cape Town and Johannesburg responsible for the darkness that crept into the production on this album? “It wasn’t necessarily Africa, if there are darker themes on the record, it’s because of what’s going on around us in the UK We’ve both had babies since last record has come out so we’ve had shifts in priorities, this album is a nod to the future we’re raising our kids in. That’s not to say we’re horribly depressed or anything, I’m quite positive about everything, these are terrifying and thrilling times in equal measure.” The tagline The 2 Bears are a side-project of Goddard from Hot Chip is both a reality and non-issue for Rundell. His group has grown up in shadow of Hot Chip’s success and speaking on the subject Rundell comes across as a fan not a mistress. “It’s mostly it’s a positive thing, people who are into Hot Chip might look a bit further and find us and if people find us on their own then that’s great as well. Hot Chip are an amazing band with a lot of fans, so if it’s a negative thing, it’s only for Joe because he has so much work on his plate.” Commercially it acts as a blessing and curse as The 2 Bears can piggy-back off Hot Chip’s tour schedule for DJ sets and there are already plans afoot to replicate the all-in glory of the As Heard On Radio Soulwax nights joining all the associated Hot Chips acts together for the same night. “We’ve done a few live gigs as The 2 Bears and there’s talk already of joining Hot Chip on tour in 2015 and doing both shows live. Al [Doyle] and Felix [Martin] have their band New Build, Alexis [Taylor] has Fimber Bravo and About Group so hopefully soon we can put together the whole shebang. We’re all one big family really.”

t yson

FunkinEven

w ray

James Holden and Vakula walk away as joint-MVPs of Meredith this year. Tyson walks away a broken man.

moodymann and dj tennis sugar mountain

theo parrish The legendary Theo Parrish is coming to town. The venerated Detroit house producer and Sound Signature label boss will hit our shores on the heels of his huge American Intelligence LP. He’ll be joined by Toronto’s Invsibile City, The Netherlands’ Tako and local support Wax O’ Paradiso. It all goes down at Revolt Artspace on Saturday February 28.

beyond the valley Due to ticket demand, Beyond The Valley have added an extra day to the festival, and with it an additional allocation of final release tickets. The extra day is Monday December 29, allowing punters an extra day before the festivities kick off. There will also be an ‘early settlers’ pass available for current ticketholders who might want to get to the campsite and settle in early. The decision to open the gates earlier was made to allow punters the opportunity to beat the traffic, arrive on site, pick the very best spot for their camp set up and ensure they are in festival mode when the festival opens on Tuesday December 30. Beyond The Valley comes to Phillip Island for three days beginning Monday December 29.

With just over six weeks to go until Sugar Mountain comes to Melbourne, the festival has announced three exciting additions. Underground music show Boiler Room TV will be returning to Sugar Mountain in 2015, curating its own stage at the festival and hosting DJ performances from international heavyweights and local underground artists, broadcast live via the internet. Evolving from the UK’s rich pirate radio heritage, Sugar Mountain 2013 was Boiler Room’s Australian debut. The Sugar Mountain show will feature live sets from Soul Clap, Wax’o Paradiso and Noise In My Head, along with Melbourne-based visual artist and floral stylist Poppy Lane addressing the outdoor environment within the VCA grounds. London producer Steve Tony Julien aka FunkinEven, will be making the trip down under for the festival. Back in 2009 Steve introduced his unique sound via the release of his debut EP, KLEER. That was quickly followed up by 2010 tracks She’s Acid and Heart Pound, the success of which led to collaborations with the likes of Bonobo and Roisin Murphy. With backto-back tour dates lined-up and monthly residence at NTS radio, his second trip to Australia is going to be an exciting one. Also joining the action at Sugar Mountain in January is San Francisco producer/DJ Nick Monaco. The trip follows the release of his 2014 debut album, Mating Call. Sugar Mountain 2015 takes over the Victorian College of Arts (VCA) on Saturday January 24.

electronic - urban - club life

Moodymann and DJ Tennis have announced that they’ll team up for a joint show next Feburary. Last on our shores in 2013 for Strawberry Fields, Moodymann is one of the most celebrated names in house music, with gems like Sunday Morning and Shades of Jae. He’ll share the bill with DJ Tennis, who released his Local EP earlier this year. Catch ‘em at Brown Alley on Friday February 20.

riva starr Italian house giant Riva Starr has announced a string of shows around New Year’s Eve. Originally hailing from Naples but now based in London, Riva has released tracks through the likes of Dirtybird, Exploited, Front Room Recordings and Snatch! Records. He’ll hit Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Hobart in the week surrounding his headlining slot in Auckland on New Year’s Eve, including two Australian shows on New Year’s Day. Catch him at Carousel on Thursday January 1.


party profile: red bull music academy presents rick wilhite When is it? Saturday December 20. Where is it? Boney 68 Little Collins St, CBD. Who’s playing? Rick Wilhite supported by J’nett, Grantham, Baker St and Bryce Lawrence What sort of shit will they be playing? No shit. Just great soul, disco, house and techno music.

snaps dance technique

What’s the crowd going to be like? Mixed bag of discerning music lovers. Young and old. What will we remember in the AM? That Pie Face on Exhibition St is one of the best. What’s the wallet damage? Free entry between 9pm - 12am. $15 afterwards. Give us one final reason why we should party here: Rick Wilhite is a Detroit legend and one of the finest DJs to come out of the city.

five things with claptone Growing Up Claptone grew up in a time when the world was full of rhythm and that affected my very being. From the early ages until now I have always sought refuge in an environment where we all vibrate as one. Inspirations My favourite musicians are those who channel our collective past to make the now an experience a timeless one. For millennia we have come together to lift our spirits and today there are many challenges which benefit from this ancient need.

others crafted by similar minded spirits whose art is more appropriate than mine. Music, Right Here, Right Now I believe that when we all come together great things can happen. Claptone exists to share this message and I am inspired when I see like minded people helping to share this magic. All of you must keep the faith and keep practising when presented with challenges as we bring light to the dark on the dancefloor.

Your Crew Claptone’s crew are the sun, the moon, the tide and the seasons. Together we bring change but also reassurance. Like them, I travel the world bringing the light during the dark and have been doing so alone for many a year. The Music You Make When I start my aim is to connect and when that connection is made we are ready to take it to a higher level. This takes concentration and the formula changes every time. Sometimes I use my own tools but sometimes

Claptone will play at Beyond the Valley which takes place at Phillip Island from Monday December 29 - Thursday January 1. He’ll also play at Revolver on Sunday January 4.

Plus Local DJs

INCLUDES 10 DRINKS & FINGER FOOD (BASIC SPIRITS, BEER, CIDER, WINE + SOFT DRINK)

TICKETS AVAILABLE FROM OZTIX.COM.AU + THE PIER GEELONG (9AM-5PM, MON-SAT). OFFICIAL AFTER PARTY & PRIORITY ENTRY INTO LAMBYS. DRESS TO IMPRESS. NO SINGLETS, SHORTS OR THONGS.

10 WESTERN BEACH FORESHORE ROAD, GEELONG VIC 3220 | 03 5222 6444 | ENQUIRIES@THEPIERGEELONG.COM.AU THEPIERGEELONG.COM.AU | OZTIX.COM.AU | NEW YEAR ON THE PIER | @THEPIERGEELONG electronic - urban - club life

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club guide wednesday dec 17

snaps anyway

BOOTY WORK Laundry Bar, Fitzroy. 7:00pm. CURIOUS TALES - FEAT: DJ WHO + TIGERFUNK + TOM SHOWTIME + FLAGRANT Bimbo Deluxe, Fitzroy. 7:30pm. MELLOW-DIAS THUMP - FEAT: CAZEAUX O.S.L.O + GEEZY Ferdydurke, Melbourne Cbd. 7:00pm. REVOLVER WEDNESDAYS - FEAT: DAN SAN Revolver Upstairs, Prahran. 7:00pm.

thursday dec 18 3181 THURSDAYS - FEAT: HANS DC + MAFIA + FOR YOUR EARS DJS + FAKE FORWARD + RIFFE + DOM DOLLA VS BOOT ACTION + JACK LOVE + BENSON VS MIKE METRO Revolver Upstairs, Prahran. 6:00pm. CQ SESSIONS Cq, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. FLANAGANS THURSDAYS FEAT: DJ ONTIME + COLONEL Pier Live, Frankston. 8:00pm. GOOD EVENING Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 7:00pm. JAMES TOM + LEWIS FIDOCK + JARROD ZLADIC Ferdydurke, Melbourne Cbd. 7:00pm. LOVE STORY - FEAT: TRANTER + SLEEVES + MEGAWUOTI + SUPREMES + MICKEY P Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 11:30pm. LOVE STORY Boney, Melbourne Cbd. 11:30pm. MIDNIGHT EXPRESS - FEAT: PREQUEL + EDD FISHER Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 11:00pm. THE RITZ - FEAT: KEN WALKER + ANDO + JOSHUA GILLILAND Trak Lounge Bar, Toorak. 10:00pm. $20.00. VARSITY - FEAT: KITI + FOOFARAW Bimbo Deluxe, Fitzroy. 6:00pm. XS DISCO - FEAT: VARIOUS ARTISTS Onesixone, Prahran. 8:00pm.

friday dec 19

circus sundays

#EATDRINKPLAY - FEAT: ANDY MURPHY + MGMC + DJ JORJ + CAM WOODARD The Emerson, South Yarra. 10:00pm. $20.00. #MASHTAG - FEAT: MALPRACTICE + AGENT 86 + BENZO + ANDRE LE VOGUE + SILVERFOX + AHAB + OLLIE Bimbo Deluxe, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. BREAD & BUTTER FRIDAYS Cushion, St Kilda. 8:00pm. CAN’T SAY Platform One, Melbourne. 9:00pm. CQ FRIDAYS Cq, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. DIGGIN THE SLOWNESS Loop, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. DJ NIGHT - FEAT: CHRIS JEPHCOTT Bridge Hotel, Castlemaine. 8:00pm. DUBFIRE + ROBOSONIC + PURPLE DISCO MACHINE Brown Alley, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. $45.00. FABULOUS FRIDAYS Co.,

Southbank. 8:00pm. FAKE TITS - FEAT: BOOGS + SPACEY SPACE + SUNSHINE + SAMMY LA MARCA + BUTTERS + ADAM BARTAS + JUNGLE JIM Tramp, Melbourne Cbd. 10:00pm. $15.00. FREQUENCY Level 3 @ Crown, Southbank. 9:00pm. $20.00. FRIDAY NIGHT @ THE CARLTON Carlton Club, Melbourne Cbd. 6:00pm. FRIDAYS @ ONESIXONE FEAT: JEN TUTTY + LUKE MCD + LEWIE DAY + PREQUEL + KATIE DROVER + MITCH KURZ + MIC NEWMAN + TOM EVANS + JOEL ALPHA + LIAM WALLER + AARON TROTTMAN + NICK JONES + JESSE YOUNG + ANDRAS FOX + JAC OSCAR WILKINS Onesixone, Prahran. 8:00pm. GROOVE CONTROL Ferdydurke, Melbourne Cbd. 7:00pm. LA DANSE MACABRE Rainbow Hotel, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. LATIN QUARTER Trak Lounge Bar, Toorak. 8:00pm. LUCK TRUCK FRIDAYS DOWNSTAIRS Lucky Coq, Windsor. 9:00pm. MISTY NIGHTS (A VERY MISTY XMAS) - FEAT: ROBYN TREASURE + AWESOME WALES Boney, Melbourne Cbd. 10:00pm. $10.00. NO NAME NATH + MAARS + KODIAK KID Penny Black, Brunswick. 7:00pm. OMG FRIDAYS Seven Nightclub, South Melbourne. 10:00pm. $20.00. PANORAMA FRIDAYS UPSTAIRS - FEAT: PHATO A MANO + MR.GEORGE + MATT RADD + ASH-LEE Lucky Coq, Windsor. 9:00pm. POPROCKS Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. REVOLVER FRIDAYS - FEAT: MIKE CALLANDER + KATIE DROVER + SAFARI + OLIBUSTA Revolver Upstairs, Prahran. 7:00pm. SUCKMUSIC XMAS PARTY - FEAT: NICK COLEMAN + JACK LOVE + DOAKES + JOHN BAPTISTE & SOPHIA SIN + LUCILLE CROFT + PETE LARGE + WE’RE DEUX Revolver Upstairs, Prahran. 11:00pm. TUNES BY DAVE GRAY Gem Bar, Collingwood. 8:00pm. XMAS WEEKENDER - FEAT: LIDO + SOPHIE + HWLS + NADUS + QT + UV BOI + GEORGE MAPLE 170 Russell, Melbourne Cbd. 9:00pm. $40.00.

saturday dec 20 ELECTRIC DREAMS Co., Southbank. 8:00pm. $20.00. ANYWAY - FEAT: VARIOUS DJS Bottom End, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. AUDIOPORN SATURDAYS - FEAT: DR. ZOK + JAMES WARE + GREG SARA + JACOB MALMO + TOM EVANS + ROWIE Onesixone, Prahran. 9:00pm. $15.00. BIG MOUTH SATURDAYS -

FEAT: DJ ROWIE + ANDYCAN + NACKERS Big Mouth, St Kilda. 9:00pm. CUSHION SATURDAYS Cushion, St Kilda. 9:00pm. ELECTRIC SEA SPIDER + MARTIN KING + ANATOLE + ELKKLE + FELICITY YANG Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 7:00pm. $10.00. FAMILIAR STRANGERS The Emerson, South Yarra. 10:00pm. $20.00. GARDEN BEATS - FEAT: MOSKALIN + WALTER JUAN + SUNDELIN + ANDRE LE VOGUE The Fitzroy Beer Garden, Fitzroy. 7:00pm. HARVEY S - FEAT: GROOVE CONTROL + POLLARD + LYDDY Ferdydurke, Melbourne Cbd. 7:00pm. HOT STEP - FEAT: ADAM ASKEW + GRAYSKULL + KELTEC + MYLES MAC + PETER BAKER + REV. THORN + SAM MCEWIN + SHANE COPAL + TOM EVANS Bimbo Deluxe, Fitzroy. 6:00pm. KALEIDOSCOPIC EARTH Rubix Warehouse, Brunswick. 1:00pm. $45.00. NAM + OBLIVEUS + MATT RAD Penny Black, Brunswick. 7:00pm. PROGNOSIS - FEAT: THAD LESTER + ANDREW WOWK + GABRIEL GILMOUR + J-SLYDE + SIMON MURPHY + AARON STATIC Loop, Melbourne Cbd. 10:00pm. RAZZMATAZZ INDIE DISCOTHEQUE - FEAT: CAITY K + TED C Exford Hotel, Melbourne Cbd. 9:30pm. $5.00. RED BULL MUSIC ACADEMY FEAT: DJ J’NETT + GRANTHAM + BAKER STREET + RICK WILHITE Boney, Melbourne Cbd. 9:00pm. $10.00. ROSE Trak Lounge Bar, Toorak. 8:00pm. SATURDAY MORNING - FEAT: SUNSHINE Revolver Upstairs, Prahran. 7:00am. SEVEN SATURDAY DISCOTHEQUE Seven Nightclub, South Melbourne. 10:00pm. $20.00. SPACE TRIBE SUMMER SOLSTICE + SPACE TRIBE + OZZY + GLACIAL + LOST GENERATION + BODHI + LEGOHEAD + MEGAPIXEL + AUTOPSY + MKI La Di Da, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. $40.00. TEXTILE SATURDAYS - FEAT: KODIAK KID + D’FRO + JENS BEAMIN Lucky Coq, Windsor. 9:00pm. THE LATE SHOW - FEAT: RANSOM + MAT CANT + GET BU$Y + SAMMY THE BULLET. Revolver Upstairs, Prahran. 7:00pm. THERAPY Level 3 @ Crown, Southbank. 9:00pm. $20.00. TIM SWEENEY Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 11:00pm. $35.00. TRAMP SATURDAYS Tramp, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. TUNES BY EMMA PEEL Gem Bar, Collingwood. 8:00pm. VAULT SATURDAYS Platform One, Melbourne. 9:00pm.

VIC XMAS BASH - FEAT: VARIOUS DJS Victoria Hotel, Brunswick. 12:00pm.

sunday dec 21 BOP ART - FEAT: HAWAII + WHO + TIGERFUNK + MATT RADOVICH + LEWIS CANCUT Bimbo Deluxe, Fitzroy. 6:00pm. CHRISTMAS BASH Gem Bar, Collingwood. 8:00pm. EARLY MORNING CREW - FEAT: HOOPS + BRAD SASSMAN + JOSH PAOLA + JESSE YOUNG + OLLIE HOLMES + DEAN SPANOS Onesixone, Prahran. 1:00am. EASY NOW - FEAT: AGENT 86 + TOM SHOWTIME + DJ MAARS Penny Black, Brunswick. 5:00pm. ENCORE - FEAT: DAN SLATER + ADAM LOVE The Emerson, South Yarra. 9:00pm. JUNGLE - FEAT: HANDS DOWN + ZAC DEPETRO + PETE LASKIS + TRAVLOS + JOHN DOE Tramp, Melbourne Cbd. 6:00am. $15.00. LITTLE AFRICA SUMMER JAM #2 - FEAT: AMIN PAYNE + COCOA NOIRE + SKOMES + HUDSON JAMES JR. + NUI MOON + GEEZY Ferdydurke, Melbourne Cbd. 6:00pm. REVOLVER SUNDAYS - FEAT: BOOGS + SPACEY SPACE + T-REK + RADIATOR & DAMON WALSH + SILVERSIX Revolver Upstairs, Prahran. 7:00pm. SPITROAST SUNDAYS Cushion, St Kilda. 10:00pm. SUMMER SERIES #6 - FEAT: MICKEY Revolver Upstairs, Prahran. 8:00pm. THE GOOD PEOPLE PARTY Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood. 4:00pm. THE SUNDAY SET - FEAT: DJ ANDYBLACK & HAGGIS Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 4:00pm. WAX ON WAX OFF Lucky Coq, Windsor. 7:00pm.

1200 TECHNIQUES Howler, Brunswick. 8:00pm. $20.00. MVP - FEAT: DJS ARKS + LOW-KEY + THADDEUS DOE Boney, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm.

thursday dec 18

DESMOND CHEESE & DROP LEGS Laundry Bar, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. JELLO DOWNSTAIRS - FEAT: SILENTJAY + VERSAJ Boney, Melbourne Cbd. 6:00pm. THE JUKE JOINT Howler, Brunswick. 8:00pm. $15.00.

friday dec 19

BUMP FRIDAYS - FEAT: DJ KAHLUA Chaise Lounge, Melbourne Cbd. 9:00pm.

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khokolat koated

be. at co.

monday dec 22 CALL IT IN - FEAT: JAMES TOM & DYLAN MICHEL Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. MONDAY STRUGGLE - FEAT: TIGER FUNK Lucky Coq, Windsor. 6:00pm.

tuesday dec 23 CUSHION TUESDAYS Cushion, St Kilda. 8:00pm. GIGGLE TUESDAY - FEAT: WHO + JAKE JUDD Lucky Coq, Windsor. 8:30pm. SEE YOU NEXT TUESDAY Bimbo Deluxe, Fitzroy. 7:00pm. TRAMP TUESDAYS Tramp, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm.

faktory

urban club guide wednesday dec 17

snaps

$10.00. FAKTORY FRIDAYS - FEAT: DAMION DE SILVA + K DEE + DURMY Khokolat Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 9:30pm. FRIDAY NIGHT RHYTHM - FEAT: DJ MASAHITO & DJ OMS The Fitzroy Beer Garden, Fitzroy. 7:00pm. NEXT CROP - FEAT: ESKK + FILTHY LUI + ILLUSIVE + JAM JAM & CONSCIENCE + CLUE + LIL JEZ + MINI COOP + OPAQUE TERRA + OATSIE + VON VODDY + XODUZ Laundry Bar, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. $15.00. PARTY & BULLSHIT - FEAT: JUZZY B + KAYZ Laundry Bar, Fitzroy. 9:00pm.

saturday dec 20

BIG DANCING Laundry Bar, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. KHOKOLAT KOATED SATURDAYS - FEAT: DAMION DE SILVA + K DEE + DURMY +

electronic - urban - club life

TIMOS Khokolat Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 9:30pm. RHYTHM NATION SATURDAYS - FEAT: DJ BIG SAAD + DJ KAHLUA & ANDY PALA Chaise Lounge, Melbourne Cbd. 9:00pm. $10.00.

sunday dec 21

BE. SUNDAYS Co., Southbank. 10:00pm. $15.00. JUNGLE CITY BASHMENT Howler, Brunswick. 8:00pm. $20.00.

tuesday dec 23

LOTEK + FLORELIE ESCANO + RAS JAHKNOW + KWASI & LUCAS MILLER Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 7:00pm. $15.00.


THE BEAT

By Meg Crafort

It’s the late ‘70s in England and under Maggie Thatcher’s iron-fisted rule unemployment levels are out of control, folks are losing their homes because interest rates are skyrocketing, the unions are getting a hiding, racism’s rife, youth is disaffected and yet somehow the rich are getting richer. It’s against this bleak backdrop that the second wave of ska bands like Madness, The Specials, The Selector and The Beat are born, bringing with them a fierce political message and a bit of light. It’s also the moment Roger Charlery, better known as Ranking Roger (Ranking being shorthand for top ranking), a cheeky 16 year old with a shitload of fire in his belly, is about to jump the punk fence, join the rude boys and become the baby of The Beat. Looking back, Roger attributes his savvy to the social and political climate, but fundamentally it came from being a punk. “A lot of the fire that came out of me was from the early punk days,” Roger explains. “I was one of Birmingham’s only black punks. That was a great thing because I used to go into the pub and DJ and MC, or toast if you like, over punk records and the punks loved it.” The tale of how he came to join The Beat is a corker. The Beat’s first ever gig was actually as support for punk outfit The Dum Dum Boys for whom Roger was the drummer. “They went on first and blew us off stage,” laughs Roger. “There was no way we could compete with that.” But by that point in time, Roger had already developed a habit of jumping up on stage and toasting for bands, so he gave it a whirl with The Beat and the rest is history; ballsy move for a kid. “I was very cheeky about it,” Roger laughs. “A lot of people who were at those kinds of concerts would know me from going to other discos. So by the time I went on stage, I’d get a cheer. I used to wait for the singer to get a drink and I’d just jump up at the front and start MCing. Believe it or not, it was so good even the band didn’t mind. In the end, people would be going, ‘Will he go up tonight or will he not?’ I always used to; if I saw a moment I’d do it and get a cheer. It was part of building my reputation. So bold I think, but security was a lot more lax then and because of the kind of concerts I went to, they were Rock Against Racism concerts, it looked great when a black guy got up and was MCing over a punk tune. I had to force my way, but I only did that because I read

that the Sex Pistols used to do the same thing in the beginning. They used to turn up at a gig and say to the promoter, ‘We’re the support band.’ So, basically I listened to Johnny Rotten and got myself into a band by doing it.” Considering what it was like back in the day, have things improved? “Not at all,” rues Roger. “In fact, I think they’re worse. I know a lot of parents don’t even allow kids to watch the news because it’s so awful and horrible. The news is worse than I was a kid, I know that much – we’re seeing worse pictures on the television.” Musically things are a bit wonky too. “Everything’s gone X Factor-ish and if you don’t sound like this week’s flavour, you don’t stand a chance,” Roger observes. “But I think at the same time, music has become so diverse that anything can become a hit nowadays. The chances of a reggae tune being number one are as high as a pop tune, it’s just who’s got the catchiest tune that month. But as far as young bands go, there aren’t that many that we could count as political. There are a few out there, but not enough to make a difference to youth.” While it never disappears, ska seems to make a resurgence every couple of years. Roger attributes this to the fact that ska didn’t quite reach the heady heights it deserved during the second wave. “It got big and it got into the charts and every band had a hit,” he reflects. “But I think because of the political messages that were in the songs, they quashed it really quick. It had a nice six month fame kind of span, but then they stopped it and brought in the New Romantics – in came Spandeau Ballet.

“They did it on purpose because they could see how dangerous it could be. At the time we had people striking all over the country and we were singing Stand Down Margaret and The Specials had Ghost Town out, which got to number one in the charts, and there were riots everywhere. With that kind of climate, our music came out at the right time. Whether it’s The Specials or The Clash or The Beat, we were all known as people’s bands because we made music for the people.

We sang what was happening for the normal working class person. I think because it was short lived, it never reached its potential so every few years it comes back again.”

states Glass. A song of Bag Raiders that punters at BTV will be salivating for will be their aforementioned certified hit from 2009, Shooting Stars. Glass acknowledges the reality of having a hit song that has to be played every set or the audience will be pissed-off: “We have played it a million times,” acknowledges Glass with a warm, yet slightly embarrassed, chuckle. “I do have a soft spot

for it, it’s the gift that keeps on giving… It always goes off so I feel good about it. Just seeing that reaction from people for this song is what feeds us to keep doing what we’re doing.”

THE BEAT will hit The Corner Hotel on Thursday April 2 and Bluesfest from Thursday April 2 to Monday April 6.

BAD RAIDERS

By Denver Maxx

Dance act Bag Raiders are Jack Glass and Chris Stracey. The pair met in high school but didn’t graduate together as Glass was a year ahead of Stracey. However, there was an important valediction the pair did share, and that was the elevation from Sydney-based party DJs to LA-based producers who, since moving to the US in 2012, have become professional producers/performers on a level which is, as Glass asserts, unachievable in Australia. “Monday to Friday we are in the studio from about 11 in the morning until dinner time, and then on the weekends we go and do DJ shows. It’s not every weekend but we will do mini-tours where we will do eight shows in a month – two every weekend – around a section of the states, have a break and then do another part. It is such a big country.” Glass trails off before putting exactly what he means into context: “In Australia you can do Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth and if you’re lucky you can do some of the regionals as well, but in America there are so many major cities that you have city after city within a two hour drive of one another so you can tour for a lot.” In June, Bag Raiders released their first single in almost two years entitled Nairobi. This song is upbeat with the same world music flavours that were hinted at on the song Snakecharmer from the act’s 2011 debut. However the Nairobi’s crisp and superior production seems to set it apart from Bag Raider’s previous work, implying Glass and Stracey have found a production sweet spot in LA. “We have a studio together in Silverlake which is a really nice suburb,” Glass explains. “We both have separate apartments, Chris and I, and every day we go to the studio together. It’s cool because a friend of ours has a garage that we rent from him that we carpeted the floor of and bought our synthesisers in and set up a studio.” The synergy Bag Raiders have achieved in the US had its ground work laid firmly in Australia, with the act’s recording career beginning in 2007 with the certified floor-filler Fun Punch and follow-up single Turbo Love following it later that year. Both tracks were on the Bag Raiders EP from Bang Gang Records. Combine this with a slew of remixes for electro luminaries like Cut Copy, Muscles, Headman and Bag Raiders were quickly becoming revered producers and DJs. However it wasn’t until 2009’s Shooting Stars that the act became recognised as artists in their own right. Off the back of

Shooting Stars being regarded the best Australian dance release of the summer, came the act’s triumphant selftitled debut album in 2010. “We went on the road for years – we did about two years of touring – and that was crazy because up until then we had done everything in the studio,” says Glass. “We had never been ‘laptop guys’ – we didn’t even have laptops at that stage. So we didn’t really do any writing until we had finished touring, so we sat down to do a new record in 2012 and really that’s what we have been doing until now. “We came over to Los Angeles which we thought would be cool for about three months to do some songwriting and we got really heavy and deep into it and decided that we shouldn’t go home until we finish the record,” laughs Glass. “LA has always been pretty good for us musically, we have always done pretty well over here since the first record and that has been really cool,” he continues. “We have always had good crowds over here. We’ve played a couple of festivals here in California that have been really good for us. But I would say that it’s a big pond over here and we are certainly not big fish but it is a good atmosphere for electronic music because there is a lot of events going on all the time. We tour around America a lot. We just did San Diego and San Francisco last week with Bondax from the UK and they were sold out shows, and we have New York and Chicago coming up before we head to Australia for the summer.” It’s clear from Glass’s descriptions that Bag Raiders are doing well in America. However, their home country is still very special to them, with Glass and Stracey returning home each summer since the move, to visit their families for Christmas, and to also get in some shows, like their appearance this New Year’s Eve at Beyond The Valley. “We’re pretty lucky that we get to come home when the weather is best and everybody feels like partying,”

WATCH INTERVIEWS, CHATS & AWKWARD SILENCES..... WWW.BEAT.COM.AU/TV

BAG RAIDERS are playing Beyond The Valley taking place over New Year’s Eve. BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 31


PAUL KELLY

By Chris Martin

Paul Kelly is sitting in his Sydney hotel room, discussing his legacy as a songwriter and musician – something he’s no doubt asked to talk about quite a lot these days. He’s often held up as Australia’s folk-rock poet, our bard for the masses, whose lyrics and melodies sum up not only everything that’s beautiful and tragic about the human condition in these parts, but also the land upon which it’s built. Unsurprisingly, Kelly’s own view on his artistic legacy is rather more straightforward – and even more humble – than you might expect. “Those things are immeasurable,” he says. “I don’t particularly like my music. Some people [do], but there’s other things that I like a whole lot better. I know there are people that really like my music – some do, some don’t. So it’s all out of your hands. [It’s] not even anything you can really think about or consider. The main thing I do think about is writing another song.” Kelly’s latest collection of songs has been translated into The Merri Soul Sessions, an album complete with an all-star cast of Australian musicians like Dan Sultan, Clairy Browne and Kira Puru. The record fits snugly into Kelly’s perspective on his role as an individual in a long line of other talented artists. “Just like I’ve picked up stuff from other people and passed it on, people who like what I do will draw from it,” he says. “That’s being part of a line: pick it up and pass it on.” In this case, Kelly stands in a line with his favourite soul artists. Marvin Gaye, Al Green, Sam Cooke and Curtis Mayfield are the names he mentions as we discuss the decorated history of soul music. It’s a different side to Kelly – one that fans mightn’t be familiar with, but that has emerged as naturally as ever. “Calling it soul, soul is just like giving a framework to work in,” he says. “What I end up making is kind of a mutant mongrel thing anyway. So it’s not us trying to make a soul record, it’s just a certain sensibility; a certain way of attacking the thing.” Two other names involved heavily in the new record are Vika and Linda Bull, the sisterly duo who’ve sung in Kelly’s backing band for years now. It was Vika’s powerful interpretation of the iconic Kelly song Sweet Guy in their live sets that lit the fuse on The Merri Soul Sessions. “When I first heard the song,” says Vika, “I thought about, [sings]: ‘What makes such a sweet guy,’ and then when I actually got to sing it, it was like, ‘Oh, hell’s

bells, OK’ – now I understood what I had to do to make it [work]. I suppose it got me a little bit when I understood what the song was about … I like singing it, though. I enjoy being able to give it the power and the oomph it needs to get the message across. I like belting it out.” Certainly, Kelly was impressed by Vika’s delivery. “All of us kept saying, ‘We should record that version,’ and we had desk tapes, some live recordings and so on, but we wanted to go in and do it in a studio,” he says. “The initial thought was that it could be an EP. What happened also around that time – this is almost two years ago now – I had a songwriting session with Dan Sultan, and we wrote two songs in one day, and they were both songs that we thought, ‘Well that one’s a Vika song, and that one’s a Linda song,’ so we thought that right off the bat … then I started thinking of other singers, so that rolled on from there. It was a snowball effect.” Thus, a new album emerged, with the help of Kelly’s backing band (including Cameron Bruce and Peter Luscombe) and some older Kelly songs hadn’t yet found a home, like the Sultan-fronted Don’t Let A Good Thing Go. “I wasn’t quite convincing myself when I sang it,” says Kelly, “so I thought, ‘Oh, I should try someone else singing it.’ That’s often how it happens – I have a voice in mind, my voice isn’t quite the right one, so I have to go and find other people to do it. That’s what this record is about: those kinds of songs that I thought other people could sing better.” In the end, The Merri Soul Sessions came together surprisingly fast, with time left over on the final day of the allocated two-week period to write and record a new gospel song, Hasn’t It Rained. Not bad going in a year that was “supposed to be my year off, actually,” Kelly laughs. The songwriter himself stepped into the

WAGONS

background on most of the recordings, letting others do the singing – Linda Bull reports that even Kelly’s direction on album opener Smells Like Rain was quite relaxed. “He left me to it, pretty much,” she says. “I got the lyrics and the tune about six months before, and I just loved the imagery of it – a very visual song – and I thought, ‘That will suit me, he picked well’.” Kelly will, however, be front and centre with the Merri Soul Sessions band on a series of tour and festival dates this summer. All the familiar faces from the album will be along for the ride. “That was the only time we could

get everyone, in January,” he says. “We’ve cut short a few people’s holidays to do it. But it means we get to play some festivals.”

Though, anyone in the mood for juvenile carnage and floors lined with passed out bodies ought to look elsewhere. “When you ask what people are doing on New Year’s Eve, it’s most often met with a groan,” Wagons says. “Both us and the Graveyard Train are coming to the night knowing that, and we’re hoping to buck the trend. Everyone in that dark cavern of a place I want to have as good a time as I know I’m going to have playing music. It’s a tough ask, but we’re going to channel all the spirits of good New Year’s past and make it a good

time. “We haven’t played with Graveyard Train for a long, long time,” he adds. “It’s got to be seven or eight years. It’s good that we’re meeting at our hometown and joining forces. I couldn’t think of a better place to be.”

Catch the legendary PAUL KELLY at Mossvale Summer of Soul on Saturday December 10, the Zoo Twilights on Saturday February 7 and Sunday 8, and Bluesfest from Thursday April 2 to Monday April 6. The Merri Soul Sessions is out now through Gawdaggie/Universal.

By Augustus Welby

It can be easy to neglect that Melbourne outlaw rock’n’roll act Wagons is actually a fivepiece band. As well as sharing his last name with the group, frontman Henry Wagons is such a hotbed of charisma that he tends to hog all of the attention. However, Wagons isn’t a master-slave organisation. On the quintet’s latest LP Acid Rain & Sugar Cane – their sixth overall – Mr. Wagons opened the floodgates to the band’s creativity more than ever before. “I’ve always been a bit of a dictator when it came to the band,” he says. “I was excited on this record to really open it up. A few of the songs have sections that are totally written by the band. The music for Beer Barrel Bar, I had nothing to do with. I was essentially Anthony Kiedis, shitfaced in the corner of the room while the band jammed, and I just came in and held the microphone and crapped on. It’s not often you’ll hear me mention the Red Hot Chili Peppers when it comes to my own composition style, but it was true.” It might seem odd that after 15 years of successful operations – during which time Henry Wagons’ name has been inscribed into the pages of local rock’n’roll lore – he’s now loosened his grip. But, as much as Wagons’ onstage demeanour suggests excessive egotism, his chief focus is the creative output. “I feel like I’m more open to all kinds of ways of getting a song together,” he says. “Any songwriter would be foolish not to keep learning and leeching off society every single day of their lives. I’ve learnt so much over the last few years. The new horizons that have opened up to us have had a massive impact. Going to America, getting to play a lot means that I end up seeing a lot and meeting some incredible people. I think all of those things have been sifted through the mincemeat grinder of my mind and somehow been a good influence on me.” He’s not wrong there. Acid Rain & Sugar Cane came three years after Wagons’ last full length, Rumble, Shake and Tumble. In the interim, Mr. Wagons knocked out his first solo release, the slightly deranged-sounding mini LP, Expecting Company. Acid Rain & Sugar Cane doesn’t exactly pick up where Expecting Company left off, but it’s similarly adventurous. “We’re finally hitting our stride,” Wagons says. “We’re figuring out how to make good records. I love our other BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 32

records; they’re like tattoos on my forearm. They’re significant parts of our history that I know and love, and love revisiting, but this is a new sleeve that I’m proud of so much. I think it’s our best.” It’s not just the band that’s especially fond of the latest release. Since dropping the record in May, Wagons’ live commitments haven’t let up. In addition to their biggest Australian shows to date, the quintet found time to cruise through the UK and North America. Being the suave showman that he is, Wagons zealously welcomes the increased audience fervour. But reeling in a massive following isn’t the number one objective. “When I first started playing music, I was never fame or success-driven and I don’t think my band are either,” he says. “It’s one of the secrets to why we communicate live, because we’re actually enjoying ourselves and we have no ambitious expectations while we’re playing. We didn’t ever get together and play this music in the hope of world domination and success. Ultimately, when it comes down to it, we just love doing what we do.” Underlining the band’s sheer enjoyment isn’t just a nice way of saying, ‘We don’t give a fuck.’ Rather, Wagons still endeavour to roll out the best show possible every time they take the stage. “I do take honing my craft seriously and I do think about people’s entertainment and I want people to have a really good time. I’m a populist at heart and I love brainwashing as many people as possible.” Chances are you’re now hankering for another Wagons fix. Luckily, there’s one last opportunity to catch the band before the year is out. On New Year’s Eve, Wagons will headline a bumper night of entertainment at the Yarraville Club, backed up by Graveyard Train and Chris Russell’s Chicken Walk. It’s certain to be a cracking night of revelry, which may even include to a Wagons-Graveyard Train super band performance.

DISCUSS WHAT? BEAT.COM.AU/DISCUSSION

WAGONS will be playing NYE In The West Fest at the Yarraville Club over New Years, Between the Bays festival on Saturday February 28, and Port Fairy Folk on Saturday March 7 and Sunday 8.


HARRY HOWARD AND THE NDE

By Patrick Emery

It’s been a long time since Harry Howard frequented the streets and seedy punk-rock venues of St Kilda. Howard recalls the St Kilda of yore with a mixture of affection, fear and nostalgia: “St Kilda was a lot more eccentric in those days,” he says. In contrast to the “conservative” aspect to contemporary St Kilda, Howard remembers a suburb bustling with colourful characters and occasionally confrontational social elements - such as the transvestite Maori bar underneath the Seaview Ballroom.

“There was an element of danger, I used to get abused on the street,” Howard says. “But that was from people who’d come into St Kilda. St Kilda was seen from the other suburbs as Sin City, this vibrant hub of the sex industry. There were a lot of people who were on drugs and who were drunk, and there were some frightening things.” In Howard’s mind, modern-day St Kilda has transformed into something approaching a capitalist Gomorrah. “It’s a place where people are making money these days, but back then it was small family-owned businesses, takeaway shops and punk rock venues which were scorned in other parts of Melbourne,” Howard says. “It was a fabulous place that was totally unrecognised, and no-one had seen the potential for making lots of money. And now it’s saturated in people who know the potential to make money.” Paradoxically, he suggests the only thing that will return St Kilda to its seedy origins will be an apocalyptic event, the type of event the Bible describes as occurring in cities with the sexual depravity and decadence associated with St Kilda punk mythology. “It’ll never recover unless there’s an almighty swamp and the foreshore floods when the ice melts. But then it won’t have the old world charm anyone, it’ll be a swamp,” he laughs. On Friday December 19 Howard returns to play the Prince of Wales Public Bar for the first time in about 15 years. “The last time I played there must have been when I came back from living overseas,” Howard says. Interrogating his memory further, he comes up with a show he played with These Immortal Souls, the band fronted by Howard’s late brother, Rowland. “I don’t think it had started when I left Australia in 1982,” he reflects. “But when I came back it was full swing; everyone I knew in Melbourne was going there. And then later I think, These Immortal Souls played upstairs, and then later on downstairs, which is where I think we’re playing next week.” Howard and his band, the NDE (aka the Near Death Experience) – comprising keyboard player (and partner) Edwina Preston, bass player Dave Graney and drummer Clare Moore – have just returned from a tour of Europe, the first time Howard has been back to Europe since he left the continent after living there for 15 years. “It was incredible to go back after 20 years. I could scarcely believe it was happening,” he says. “It was such an assault on the senses and on my perspective on the world because I’d changed, and it had changed, and yet it was largely the same. And the same people were there but didn’t look the same, and neither did I,” he laughs. While Howard wasn’t on the same professional footing as he’d been when living in Europe 20 years ago, he found his appreciation of the local culture and music scene was greater than he remembered. “It might sound tedious, but as you get older you tend to appreciate positives more and not take things for granted,” he explains. “When I was working as a musician in Europe I took a lot for granted. But going back this time I didn’t get one iota of the comfort or financial reward I used to get, but I probably enjoyed it as least as much, and probably more.” One aspect of his European experience that was significantly different this time around was Howard’s familial entourage. Howard and Preston brought along their six year old daughter; needing a babysitter on the trip, Howard offered his 19 year old son a trip to Europe with the condition that he help with domestic duties. “We were the Partridge Family,” Howard chuckles, “and poor Dave [Graney] was Mr Kincaid, except much, much more grumpier about it.” For Graney, who assumed driving duties for the entire tour after Howard realised he’d left his passport home, it was an initially confronting experience travelling in a van with a child. “Six year olds can be hellish,” Howard laughs. “And to have to be in a van with one every day that’s not yours is going to make you a bit irritated, and Suki and Dave rubbed each other up the wrong way for quite a while. But they did come to terms with each other about half way through, which was nice to see. But it was always a taunting relationship, with Dave correcting her saying, ‘That’s not a castle, it’s a mansion’, and Suki swinging around saying, ‘You blue eyed freak’.” Beyond this week’s show at Prince Public Bar, Howard hopes to take the NDE back to Europe, if he can hitch a ride with the Rowland Howard tribute event, Pop Crimes, if that show is successful in securing some European dates. But right, now Howard’s concentrating on writing some new NDE material, which he plans to take to the band very soon to keep the NDE fresh. “It keeps things purposeful rather than just playing the same album all the time,” Howard says. “I just felt like we can’t go back to Adelaide and play the same songs again’.” HARRY HOWARD AND THE NDE will be playing at the Prince Public Bar this Friday December 19. Pretty is out through Spooky Records. WATCH INTERVIEWS, CHATS & AWKWARD SILENCES..... WWW.BEAT.COM.AU/TV

BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 33


VIOLENT FEMMES By Augustus Welby Last year marked 30 years since the release of Violent Femmes debut LP. Listening to the self-titled record today, it remains an exceptionally lively affair that’s distinguished by irreverent acoustic punk-rock compositions and Gordon Gano’s unhinged lead vocals. Violent Femmes was written when the trio – completed by bass player Brian Ritchie and drummer Victor DeLorenzo – were still aspirational teenagers living in Milwaukee. Despite this, last year’s 30th anniversary tour proved the members haven’t lost touch with the classic material. “I don’t feel disconnected at all from the early songs. It might be a sign of lack of growth as a person,” he laughs. Even though Violent Femmes contains such timeless compositions as Blister in the Sun and Gone Daddy Gone, it’s the work of a band with a total disregard for pop salability. This characteristic remained on the Femmes’ next release, 1984’s Hallowed Ground. Though, the way Gano remembers it, they weren’t trying to be overly aberrant. “We always hoped and believed that our music would have an impact, and it did,” he says. “We also hoped that we would have a hit song or album on the charts, and we never did. But, between the two, I am grateful that we have the first one. We – or at least I – never thought about if what we were doing was musically daring or not. We’ve always tried to do what sounded good to us and excited us musically.”

Album number three, 1986’s The Blind Leading The Naked, indicated the band were in fact interested in broadening their commercial appeal. Produced by Talking Heads guitarist Jerry Harrison, it’s a relatively clean and densely textured affair. “A lot of thought went into every record beforehand,” Gano says. “Sometimes we decided to be very focused on the trio, stripped down and acoustic, live or mostly live recording. And other times we wanted to expand arrangements and make use of the recording studio.” The Blind Leading The Naked was the Femmes’ first entry into the US charts, but instead of pouncing on the heightened interest, Gano and Ritchie went off to pursue separate side projects. The wait for another Violent Femmes record didn’t last too long, however. Their fourth record, the curiously titled 3, landed in 1989 and announced a return to the stripped back aesthetic of their earliest releases. Following 1991’s fifth LP Why Do Birds Sing?, DeLorenzo left the group. Ritchie and Gano chose to

persevere, birthing three more Femmes’ records with new drummer Guy Hoffman behind the kit. “I am more pleased than not with the history of the band,” Gano says. “I was 15 years old when I knew that I was going to do what I’ve been doing now ever since. And I knew I was going to do whatever I needed in order to do it.” While there’s been no new material since 2000’s Freak Magnet, Violent Femmes continued to play live throughout the first decade of the 21st century. Then, in 2009, things came to an ugly standstill. In response to an ostensibly unscrupulous licensing deal, Ritchie took legal action against Gano in order to gain greater control over the band’s catalogue. Suffice to say, the likelihood of Violent Femmes ever performing again was seriously dim. However, last year’s anniversary proved significant enough to incite a reunion. And the group remains

in tact nearly 24 months down the track. “Brian Ritchie and I continue to play music together because, despite our publicly documented and undocumented differences, I think we both know it sounds good,” Gano explains. This New Year’s Day, Violent Femmes will hit the stage at Hobart’s MONA. After all these years, Gano confidently states there’s no place he’d rather be. “Playing music is always a joy. My love of music only increases, and [so does] my awareness and appreciation of the privilege and honour of being able to create and share in it with others.”

and events she encounters around as inspiration for her lyrics. “I’m still a shitty guitar player, so a lot of what I write is defined by what I can play on guitar – a lot of what I start with is pretty primitive,” Kaset says. The latent literary inspiration can be seen in some of the tracks on Kaset’s new record, The Quite Machine. The opening track, You Can Never Go Home Again, borrows from Thomas Wolfe’s novel, You Can’t Go Home Again, while The Salesman might suggest Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman. “There’[re] some literary references on that record,” Kaset says. “The Salesman could be like that. But it’s more literal than that – when I graduated from college I didn’t want to be a teacher, so I’ve basically worked in kitchens for the last seven years, making sandwiches. The Salesman was about one of the guys who’d come in off the trucks and take the

orders – so it’s pretty literal in a way.” Kaset has lived on and off in Australia, so she’ll be spending the Christmas season here (her husband is from Bendigo). The change in both weather and sociology are expected to provide welcome relief from her current residence in Nashville. “I’m a rare breed of southern Jew and it’s really conservative here,” Kaset laughs. “The people I spend Christmas with over in Australia don’t do lots of presents. And it’s also hot outside, so you don’t eat yourself sick.”

“We love playing festivals,” he continues. “We played Port Fairy Folk Festival this year and Queenscliff Music Festival last year, which were both highlights for us. Port Fairy is our musical home, so playing in Port Fairy over summer has always been something that we’ve enjoyed.” The band have also shared the stage with some of Victoria’s best, including Ash Grunwald, Kingswood, British India and James Reyne. “Playing with Ash was great. We got to play a couple of shows with him and he was full of good insight into the music industry,” says Calvano. “Kingswood and British India came through our hometown, so we of course jumped on the bill for that.” Calvano isn’t short of his own insights into the Australian music industry, speaking out against the current talent-show trend that’s inundated our charts. “Shows like Countdown back in the day were all about showcasing Australian music. Bands used to just get up there and play – it wasn’t a talent show, it was just a

showcase. The idea that three people alone can judge someone’s art is ridiculous.” As for pre-show tips and tricks, the band have had a few different rituals along the way. “We used to do a shot of Sambuca before every show,” laughs Calvano. “Now we do this weird thing where we sing Amazing Grace in a real southern twang – like Man of Constant Sorrow from O Brother, Where Art Thou? We’re just being idiots really, but it does get all our voices warmed up and ready to go.”

VIOLENT FEMMES are playing Woodford Folk Festival over New Years and MONA FOMA on New Year’s Day.

Jasmin Kaset By Patrick Emery Jasmin Kaset grew up in Cottontown, nearly 50kms north of Nashville. In You Can Never Go Home Again, Kaset sings fondly about the house she grew up in Cottontown, which was lost to a flood. The song reflects the blend of affection, nostalgia and pathos through which Kaset now looks at Cottontown. “There wasn’t a whole lot to do, except party when you’re growing up,” she says. “It’s a different animal.” Kaset’s referred to Cottontown often in her lyrics; she admits every couple of years she “gets weird,” drives back to Cottontown “and hits the old back roads.” Once liberated from the cultural shackles of Cottontown, Kaset enrolled in college where she studied poetry and English literature; it was also at college where Kaset joined her first punk-rock band, the delightfully named The Fork Hunts. “I was a really bad punk drummer at college,” Kaset says. “We reunite every year for one show, and it’s always a shit show. None of us have ever got any better at our instruments, and we’ve been reuniting for about ten years,” she laughs. But it was her college studies that, indirectly at least, caused Kaset to migrate from punk-rock drummer to her present country-influenced singer incarnation. “After I graduated I was still writing a bunch, but I didn’t really start playing guitar until I was about 22,” Kaset says. “It was really just a better avenue to write

– no-one really wants to read, so it was a better way to get an audience.” Before branching out as a solo performer in her own right, Kaset teamed up with friend Makenzie Green in the country/punk duo, Birdcloud. With its pottymouthed lyrical bent, and propensity for offending audiences, Birdcloud has established something of a cult following. “I grew up a lot listening to country radio, and I still listen to country radio,” she says. “It can be so bad that it’s amazing.” Kaset says Birdcloud can usually be guaranteed of a few members of the audience walking out in disgust at one of their shows. “We actually went on America’s Got Talent last year,” Kaset says, “and we went all the way to the celebrity judges... We got booed by 2500 people.” The negative reaction wasn’t restricted to the audience; Kaset recalls judge Heidi Klum having her fingers in her ears saying, ‘Is it over?’ While Kaset’s solo material’s less likely to provoke such extreme reactions, it’s equally informed by her strong literary sensibility. Kaset admits to using the people

BUDDHA IN A CHOCOALATE BOX

JASMIN KASET is playing at Xmas Even at the Gasometer this Friday December 19 and Saturday December 20. Quiet Machine is out now through yk records.

By Kelsey Berry

There are a number of music success stories that have come out of regional Victoria – Killing Heidi from Violet Town, Nick Cave from Warracknabeal, Geelong’s Chrissy Amphlett and Shepparton’s Augie March, just to name a few. Hailing from the small town of Hamilton in Victoria’s west, southern-stomp roots outfit Buddha in a Chocolate Box are hoping to add their name to that list. Once known as the wool capital of the world, Hamilton is located nearly four hours west of Melbourne and just over an hour from the coastal town of Port Fairy. With a population of just over 10,000, finding industry backing – and fellow bandmates for that matter – isn’t the easiest of tasks. “We’ve been together for a long time – we were mates through school,” says singer Adrian Calvano. “There weren’t many musos in Hamilton at the time, so you hear someone playing a guitar, someone playing some bass, someone playing a bit of violin and you all kind of catch up and start jamming. Thirteen years later, we’re still doing it.” “A few of the agents and management services denied us even a look in at all because we live in Hamilton,” he adds. “People have encouraged us to move to Melbourne many times, but we don’t mind the travel.

BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 34

If you’ve got good songs and you play well it shouldn’t matter where you live.” It’s a good thing Buddha in a Chocolate Box don’t mind road trips, because they’ve played their fair share of gigs over the past few years. The band are currently in the midst of their A Solid Tour, with another tour – the East Coast Cooler tour – kicking off on Thursday January 8. Once the tour wraps up, the band will head into the studio to put the finishing touches on their debut album. “The tour’s been fantastic so far,” remarks Calvano. “We’ve played the Maldon Folk Festival and Djerriwarrh Festival and we’ve got a big summer coming up – playing some gigs with Centre and The South and Harrison Storm along the coast of South Australia and down here in Victoria, as well as in New South Wales and Queensland.”

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Catch BUDDHA IN A CHOCOLATE BOX at Sooki Lounge on Saturday December 20, The Spotted Mallard on Sunday December 28, the Ballarat Beer Festival on Saturday January 24, the Nightjar Festival in Torquay on Thursday January 29, the Mordialloc Food, Wine & Music Festival on Saturday February 28 and the Port Fairy Folk Festival on Thursday March 6 to Sunday March 9.


CORE

PUNK, SKA, HARDCORE NEWS, REVIEWS & GOSSIP

By Emily Kelly: ek1984@gmail.com Resist Records have announced a national tour for Citizen to take place in April 2015. Pegged as one of underground rock’s most promising bands, and signed to Run For Cover, the band have been touring constantly since their Youth LP and will arrive in Melbourne for the first time on Monday April 20 to play at The Reverence. There’ll also be an all ages show Tuesday April 21. Tickets available from Friday December 19. Frank Turner will release a book titled The Road Beneath My Feet and he wants you to contribute. If you have memories and mementos from the first Frank Turner show you saw, send them into frankturnerphotos@gmail.com by Friday January 2 and you might get it immortalised in the fan edition of the book. Don’t forget FT is touring with The Sleeping Souls next year, playing The Corner Hotel on Monday April 12. Norma Jean will tour Australia next April thanks to Select Touring. See them tear apart The Evelyn Hotel (nice and small) on Saturday April 10. It’s going to be epic. Tickets are available now so don’t snooze cos this teeny tiny venue will fill super quickly. The annual Australia Day weekend fundraiser that sends all proceeds to The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, The Refugee Council of Australia and Oxfam is returning for its fifth year. This lineup is bigger than ever too. See Frenzal Rhomb, Saskwatch, Hoodlum Shouts, Outright, Scul Hazzards, Hawaiian Islands, Have/Hold, De Nada, Robert Muinos, Initials, Tyre Swans, Kissing Booth, Ben David and Craig Coburn on Sunday January 25 at The Reverence. AND/OR catch The Smith Street Band, Joelistics, The Bennies, Curse Ov Dialect, Fear Like Us and Stockades at The Corner Hotel on Monday January 26. Both gigs start at 3pm and tickets are $35 per show. Get behind this awesome cause and help change minds and hearts this Australia Day holiday. Frenzal have a bunch of other Victorian dates that they’re playing in case you’re feeling like a regional shindig. See them at The Loft in Warrnambool on Thursday January 22, Karova Lounge in Ballarat on Friday January 23 or Barwon Heads Hotel in Geelong

CRUNCH

METAL, HEAVY ROCK. CLASSIC ROCK LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL GOOD SHIT

With Peter Hodgson: crunchcolumn@gmail.com WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 17: The Skatalites at Caravan Club, Oakleigh Feed My Frankenstein, Cyanide Teeth, The Mantelopes, Jurassic Nark at The Bendigo THURSDAY DECEMBER 18: The Skatalites at Corner Hotel The Peep Tempel, Sun God Replica, Mesa Cosa, Skul Hazzards, The Fck Ups at The Tote I Valiance, Willa Morta at The Bendigo Dream On Dreamer, To The Airship, Alpha Wolf at Next FRIDAY DECEMBER 19: Phil Jamieson, Scott Russo at The Corner Hotel The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Hawthorne Heights, Mixtape For The Drive at Prince Bandroom The Lazy’s at The Espy Declaration, The August Reign, Boneless, Daybreak, Uppercut, Rebirth at The Reverence Hotel Children Collide at Ding Dong Lounge The August Reign, Declaration, Boneless, Daybreak, XuppercutX, ReBirth at The Reverence Inverloch, Cemetery Urn, AK11 and Eskhaton at The Bendigo SATURDAY DECEMBER 20: Dead Letter Circus, sleepmakeswaves, Voyager at The Hi Fi The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Hawthorne Heights, Mixtape For The Drive at Arrow On Swanston Graves, Ocean Grove, To Light Atlantis at Bang Raccoon City Police Department, Feverteeth, World At A Glance, Sheltered, Midwife, Shut Up Jacksson, Endut Hoch Hech at The Reverence Declaration at Bar 12 Massive, Dead City Ruins, Dirt River Radio, Tequila Mockingbyrd, The Balls and more at The Bendigo SUNDAY DECEMBER 21: Graves, Ocean Grove, Void Of Vision, Free World, Jack The Stripper, Alpha Wolf at Phoenix Youth Club Sexgrimes, Glen and the Peanutbuttermen, Power Skids at The Bendigo Wil Wagner, Foxtrot, Georgia Maq at The Reverence

CALIGULA’S HORSE SIGN WITH THE AGENCY GROUP

Congratulations to Brisbane alt-proggers Caligula’s Horse, who’ve just signed a deal with The Agency Group in New York for their North American bookings. After conquering Australia with their stunning debut album, , and their tireless work and touring ethic, the band’s now being represented by The Agency Group’s agent Josh Kline, whose personal clients includes such luminaries of the heavy music scene as Bring Me The Horizon, Trivium and Protest The Hero. Kline says, “Hey fans – I’m truly excited to be working with the guys and can’t wait to help bring their brilliant riffage stateside.” The band’s also signed a management deal with Melbourne-based company Wild Thing Presents, who also handle their Australian bookings. They’ll be touring Australia throughout the second half of January, to promote the release of their brand new video for the album’s opening track, . Catch them at The Evelyn Hotel on January 25 with AlithiA, Orsome Welles and Kettlespider.

ONE-OFF THE AUGUST REIGN REUNION

In the name of charity and goodwill, Melbourne moshzilla The August Reign are bringing their rowdy, ferocious presence back for this one-off reunion. This is their first show since 2007, most likely their last ever, so bust out that shirt and start practicing those spinkicks. Joining the party are Melbourne hardcore legends Ganbaru (formerly Declaration), Sydney hardcore crew Boneless, Melbourne melodic punks Daybreak, straightedge hardcore monster XUPPERCUTX and ‘90s metalcore flag-bearers Rebirth. All proceeds from the show will go to benefit Heartkids, who provide research and support for children with heart conditions, heartkids.org.au Catch them at The Reverence Hotel, Footscray on Friday December 19. Doors at 7.30pm, the first band are on at 8.

MYYTH SINGLE LAUNCH

Melbourne rockers Myyth blend hooks with raw and impulsive heavy music to violate the barriers of popconvention. This year they took to the stage at the esteemed Progfest with local progressive superheroes Closure in Moscow and Mushroom Giant, and they also put in countless gigs honing their live set on stages around Melbourne and regional Victoria. Their debut single is out now and they’ll be officially launching it at The Workers Club in Fitzroy on January 8 with The Underhanded, Doktor and A Basket of Mammoths.

LORD RETURN!

Sydney metal legends LORD return to Melbourne on Saturday January 24 2015 (Australia Day Weekend) at The Reverence Hotel, Footscray with special guests Desecrator, Envenomed, Party Vibez and Toxicon in support of the recently released box set. The box set encompasses the spirit and soul of the original Dungeon albums , , and , re-imagined and rerecorded by the current LORD band. As well as these re-recordings, it also includes the original Dungeon releases all entirely remixed and remastered from the original multitrack tapes, plus rare unreleased tracks from the early ‘90s.

INVERLOCH AT THE BENDIGO

Inverloch are one of the best heavy bands in Australia, hands down. Featuring half of the legendary diSEMBOWELMENT, they pick right up where diSEMBOWELMENT left off close to two decades ago. Inverloch’s debut mini-LP - the spell-checkconfusing – is nothing short of epic, featuring the slow atmospherics mixed with bursts of pounding blast beats that erupt out of tranquil soundscapes that diSEMBOWELMENT first trademarked in the early ‘90s. They play The Bendigo Hotel in Collingwood on Friday with Cemetary Urn, AK-11 and Eskhaton. broadcaster? The answers respectively were: “Yes, no and unlikely.”

on Saturday January 24. Tickets for the Steroidsonic tour are available now.

JOHNNY MARR

By Lachlan Kanoniuk

He’s one of the most iconic guitarists of the modern era, emerging with one of the UK’s all-time great rock acts at a barely ripe age, going on to collaborate with a roster of the most erudite musical minds in the past quarter century. Johnny Marr, a true English gentleman, has ventured on his own musical path, recent years seeing him join outfits Modest Mouse and The Cribs in a meaningful fashion, onto collaborating on blockbuster film scores with Hans Zimmer, and now, touring and recording under his own name for the first time. Preparing to release his second solo LP, Johnny recounts his own history, both recent or otherwise, down the line from a studio in Manchester. Playland arrives relatively quickly after last year’s The Messenger, carrying a creative inertia from the first Johnny Marr solo album proper. “It was a continuation. Because The Messenger was received pretty well, it gave me momentum, that forward motion,” he says. “A lot of people were surprised I did one so quickly. But for me, it was a matter of, ‘Why stop?’ I was writing songs, and there was no reason to stop writing them. I thought it was a good thing to capture the spirit of the band live.” Branching out from the rock stratosphere, Marr has explored the world of film scores in the past decade, enduring a baptism of fire with blockbuster composer Hans Zimmer on films Inception and The Amazing Spider-Man 2. “There was definitely a learning curve, I enjoyed that. Hans is a very nurturing and gracious person. He encouraged me to be as much myself as I could be. When we did Inception I was very respectful of the music that had already been laid down, and he had to keep telling me, ‘We’ve got you in to be Johnny fucking Marr. Just be Johnny fucking Marr. Stop paying attention to my chords.’ So after a few days of that I let loose a bit. He gives me a lot of freedom, and it’s very much a collaborative thing. He’s very generous, and I’ve learnt a hell of a lot from that. It’s always a surprise. Musicians who have an idea of what happens on a movie soundtrack think it’s about experimentation. It kind of is early on, but it’s more about finding an emotional point that works with the drama. Let’s put it this way, you know straight away when you’ve got it wrong with a movie, whereas you don’t on record. A record you don’t know what it means until you get

a reaction from the audience. In a movie you can tell straight away if something changes the atmosphere of a scene, and I really like that. It’s not a matter of sitting down and plugging in your guitar and playing abstract stuff and hoping some of it sticks.” While Marr has credited guitar work with a veritable hall of fame of rock legends, he spent the good part the oughts as a full-time member of indie sluggers Modest Mouse and The Cribs. “I took a lot from both those bands, professionally and personally,” he says. “Modest Mouse was such an artistic and creative situation in that all six members were very different artists in their own right. Usually in bands you have a dynamic where there’s a driven one, a poetic one, and a creative one, then one that balances out and keeps the whole thing grounded. It’s a generalisation, but that’s usually the case. But Modest Mouse is six people on their own creative paths. It was also very volatile in the best possible way. Isaac Brock makes sure that things never get too steady, on stage or off. That keeps you on your toes. That was a reminder that the stage is something to do something on, that there is that theatrical element. That was very exciting. With The Cribs, I was reminded that you never, ever phone it in. Whether it’s 200 people or 2000 people. I’ve never been in a band that walked on stage quite as cool as The Cribs. On stage or off stage as cool as The Cribs. They mean every single word, it’s life or death to them. That’s great to be around. And on a more technical level, I was singing so much in both those bands. If you’re singing with the Jarmans or Isaac Brock, your vocal has to get tough,” he reasons. “That

was good.” Recent solo tours have seen Marr pull out a few Smiths tunes out of the hat, an act that’s far more fan service than self-indulgence. “I’ve never been a nostalgic person,” he asserts. “I don’t know how to be nostalgic. I’ve learned from the audience very quickly what those songs mean. It’s an amazing thing. On the one hand, it’s as simple as being a musician that’s been lucky enough to have written songs people love so much, then why not play them? Because it is a privilege, and it’s a great thing. It’s partly why people go to a gig. But also its significance to people is quite humbling, and I want to

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facilitate that. I don’t want to sound too sterile about it, because it is very moving. People are crying sometimes, it’s an incredible thing. For me, it’s a reaffirmation of what pop music can do, and what following a band can do. I’ve always believed that, and no one can tell me otherwise, because I see it every night when I play these songs. People love bands. It’s more than just a song. It’s what it meant in their lives at that particular time.” JOHNNY MARR is playing at The Forum on Saturday January 31. Playland is out through Warner.

BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 35


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Q&A

WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 17

Riff Fist Xmas

What’s the best thing about Christmas? Riffmas, of course. What makes a Riff Fist Christmas so good? Riffmas is a chance to forget about all the stress in shopping for presents and just celebrate the beginning of the holiday season in the most fun way possible: drinking a ton of beer and headbanging. This is your third Riffmas, how is this one going to blow the others out of the water? It’s our biggest lineup yet. Riff rock legends My Left Boot, Sydney desert rockin heroes Arrowhead, space doom deviants Motherslug, garage punk warriors Muscle Car and sludge lords Cement Pig are all on deck. What’s this Riff Kringle about? Everyone coming to the gig is encouraged to make up a mix CD (or three). All the CD’s get dumped in a Santa sack and at the end of the night everyone gets pick a random CD out of the sack and take a bit of Riffmas cheer home with them. Give us one last reason why we should make it down to The Tote? Riff Fist will be busting out some new material including an epic Hawkwind style space jam and at least one old favourite that we haven’t played for ages. The RIFF FIST XMAS III is happening this Saturday at December 20 at The Tote. There’s a free BBQ from 7pm.

BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 36

THE BLACK SHEEP

After the fun they had last time, The Black Sheep return to the front bar of the Retreat Hotel. Chris Wilson and Alison Ferrier are playing every Wednesday in December except NYE. The inimitable Chris Wilson has been described as a “gospel cyber punk, singing and playing harp with such venom and power it’s impossible to ignore him.” Alison Ferrier offers an original mix of country, folk and blues. Her debut album Sugar Baby has been described as containing “mighty and tender, harrowing and beautiful songs, superbly performed.” It kicks off 7.30pm at The Retreat Hotel, Wednesday December 17. Be there or be square.

JOSH SEYMOUR

When he’s not fronting one of Melbourne’s premier country rock’n’roll outfits Cherrywood, Josh Seymour has been known to perform his superbly penned songs in solo mode around town. He’ll be doing just that in the front bar of The Catfish on Wednesday December 17, laying down two sets of dark acoustic country from 8.30pm. Entry is free.

CORDRAZINE

THURSDAY DECEMBER 18

Living in exile in Scotland for the last two years, Hamish Cowan returns for an extremely rare Cordrazine performance in intimate acoustic mode to perform songs from his album From Here to Wherever as a part of Rubber Record’s 25th anniversary celebrations. Hamish’s also promising a special selection of his favourite covers. Support comes from undergroundLOVERS members Vince Giarrusso and Glenn Bennie, as well as Queensland band The Genes. It’s all begins 7.30pm at the Northcote Social Club on Wednesday December 17. Tickets are $20+BF through the venue.

Pop foursome Twerps are playing a headline show in Melbourne this week. The show comes ahead of their second album, Range Anxiety, which is set for release in January 2015. It’ll also cap off a busy year for the band, which saw them release their Underlay EP in August and new single Back To You in October. Catch ‘em on Thursday December 18 at The John Curtin. Be quick to snap up last minute tickets. Doors at 8pm.

I, VALIANCE

DARLING JAMES

GRETTA ZILLER Gretta Ziller is a woman of modern country music. With vocals that range from sweet folk to gritty blues, you could also describe her sound as alt, country, or roots or Americana. Gretta has an ever-growing list of musical accolades, including 2013 TSA/APRA New Songwriter of the Year, and with the highly successful release of her debut EP Hell’s Half Acre Gretta is finding a multitude of welcoming arms for her blend of modern country music. Catch her at The Drunken Poet as part of the Wine, Whiskey, Women series this Wednesday, December 17 from 8pm.

TWERPS

Fresh from their opening spot for legends The Church and hosting an all-star event at this year’s Melbourne Fringe Festival (featuring Ainslie Wills, Jess Cornelius and many more), Darling James’ last Melbourne show for the year will be at The Workers Club on Thursday December 18. Joining them will be avant-pop royalty Machine Translations and Wilding. Doors open at 8pm, tickets are $12.

THE GOOCH PALMS

The Gooch Palms have missed you, so they’re heading down to Melbourne to perform a headline show at the Grace Darling this Thursday December 18. Support will come from Wet Blankets and Whipper (formerly Young Liberals). Tickets are available through the venue. Doors at 8.30pm.

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After spending the first half of the year writing and touring: Melbourne five-piece I, Valiance have spent the second half of the year slowly releasing an onslaught of new music, showcasing the bands versatility in the heavy genre. Their new record The Reject of Humanity launches soon, and to celebrate I, Valiance are playing a pre-release show this Thursday December 18 at The Bendigo. Along for the night are Driven To The Verge, Atlantic and Villa Morta. Come down from 8pm, entry is $5 at the door. FRIDAY DECEMBER 19

UP UP AWAY

Up Up Away will be playing their last show of the year in the Catfish front bar. On the cusp of the release of their debut 7” single, the Melbourne neo-soul sixpiece will be cramming into Gertrude Street’s best new bar to deliver two intimate sets of soul and funk, playing tunes off their EP Good Advice, as well us unreleased material. Get down to The Catfish to grab your last chance to see Up Up Away in 2014.


MUSIC NEWS

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RIFF FIST

THE AUGUST REIGN

Two of the four members of the legendary Disembowelment pick right up where Disembowelment left off close to two decades ago as Inverloch. Inverloch’s debut release d.USK…. Subside is nothing short of epic, featuring slow atmospherics mixed with bursts of pounding blast beats that erupt out of tranquil soundscapes. They play The Bendigo Hotel on Friday December 19 with Cemetery Urn, AK-11 and Eskhaton. Tickets are $15 at the door. Doors from 8pm.

Sick of Christmas carols and getting squashed in a mosh made up of prams and frantic mums? Then strut on over with some heavy low end sludgy, supersonic grooves because the Festivus for the Restofus, Riffmas the Third is coming to The Tote this Friday December 19. Get merry with Riff Fist, My Left Boot, Arrowhead (NSW), Motherslug, Muscle Car and Cement Pig. Doors at 7pm and there’ll be a free BBQ. Ho Ho Ho.

After seven long years of awkward silence, Melbourne hardcore misfits The August Reign are bringing their rowdy, abrasive vision of mosh-heavy metallic hardcore back to The Reverence Hotel this Friday December 19. This one-timeonly reunion is a charity fundraiser for Heartkids – Google them, they do great stuff. Joining the lineup are Declaration, Boneless, Daybreak XuppercutX and Rebirth. It all starts at 7.30pm, so get down, smash a taco and a beverage, chuck a mosh and support a great cause. Tickets are $10 from the venue.

STEVE KILBEY

Lead singer/songwriter and bassist from legendary Australian band The Church, Steve Kilbey, is playing a free show for y’all at The Post Office Hotel this Friday December 19. Joining him will be The Tall Grass ( Jamie Hutchings/Peter Fenton), J M S Harrison & Cabin Inn, Jason Walker & MP. Kicks off from 8pm.

KIT

CONVICT & THEE TERRIBLE TWO

In the true spirit of Christmas, Kit Convict & Thee Terrible Two are gathering up a collection of friends to perform the greatest ever Christmas album; Phil Spector’s A Christmas Gift For You on Friday December 19. Joining them will be artists from ScotDrakula, Pink Tiles, Motel Love, Loobs, Levitating Churches, Sexy/Heavy, Wet Meal, Go-Go Sapien, Jukai Forest, and many more. Special guest Rock’n’roll White Leopard will provide warm-up sing-songs. It all goes down on Friday December 19 at The Retreat Hotel. Free entry.

CERES

Melbourne born and bred rockers Ceres, have crafted an ideological throwback to the days when music was charged with hope and contained a much-needed brand of sincerity. Get down to The Grace Darling to catch the boys from Ceres as they team up with Marc Baker for their annual show. It all goes down Friday, December 19 from 9pm. Tickets are $10 on the door.

XMAS EVEN

After taking a well-earned break last year, Xmas Even is back with a vengeance in 2014 with two big nights at The Gasometer Hotel in Collingwood on Friday 19 and Saturday 20 December. Special guest for both nights is Jasmin Kaset and band, all the way from Nashville. Kaset released her second album earlier this year, Quiet Machine and the Even boys loved it so much they invited her along for the ride. Even will be debuting brand new songs from their forthcoming seventh album too, just a cheeky little Xmas present for y’all. Grab your tix right now through Oztix.

MY LEFT BOOT

Gotta get down on Friday and this Friday you can get down to The Old Bar for some psychedelic fuzz. Performances from My Left Boot, Peeling Sun, Ox and DJ Josh Wells. It’s $10 entry and doors open at 8.30pm.

Q&A

CHILDREN COLLIDE The core lineup of Melbourne indie-rock outfit Children Collide have reformed and are hitting Ding Dong Lounge this Friday December 19. After spending several years apart, the trio got back together for rehearsals while vocalist/ guitarist Johnny Mackay was back in town from New York for Melbourne Music Week. They’re set to play special shows in Sydney and Melbourne, but there’s no word of any gigs beyond that, so fans are advised to grab tickets quick. Tickets are $22 and available through Oztix. SATURDAY DECEMBER 20

SHERIFF

This Saturday December 20 things are going to get wild in the front bar of The John Curtin Hotel. 2014 has been quite the year for the Sheriff lads and to say thank you to all the lovely people who have made their year beaut, they’re putting on a good old-fashioned saloon style hoedown. Sheriff will play two rollicking sets from 4pm. In addition to this they will be joined by a honkytonk pianist for the entirety of the performance. The show is free entry and Sheriff ’s final hoorah for 2014. Get on down and boogie.

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Summer Blood

Hello! Hi! How did you get together? Adam and I are brothers so we’ve been playing together since we were super young, then we played in a few bands growing up before starting Summer Blood around 2012. The artwork on this EP is fucking sick. Who does all your illustrations? Eugene Plotnikov. He’s a total lord and also a great friend, definitely going to blow up so keep an eye on him. What was the last song you wrote? We’ve been writing heaps lately for an album we want to record early 2015. We’re playing some of them live at the moment. What do you do when you’re not playing music? We just moved to Fitzroy so we’re eating a lot of donuts currently (thank you, Big Lou’s). Christmas is coming. What makes the ultimate gift? Goosebumps DVD box set. You’re in for a scare, mate. Catch SUMMER BLOOD launch their EP Later at Public Bar this Saturday December 20.

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MUSIC NEWS

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For all the latest news check out beat.com.au JIMMY DOWLING & MATT WALKER

UNDERGROUND LOVERS

Jimmy Dowling’s music has a raw but skilled quality throughout. It’s authentic, confident, and engages your attention in its emotive, visual language. You’ll find a nostalgic empathy and visceral reflection of the everyday, of the everyman. The tracks are poetic in lyrics and music, pushing boundaries and expectations. His precise selection of elite Australian musicians lifts his new album, Common Lot, onto the international stage. Don’t miss Jimmy Dowling and Matt Walker along with Goatpiss Gasoline this Saturday December 20 at The Drunken Poet. Music from 7pm.

Underground Lovers are playing a special one off show at Howler this Saturday December 20. Get down to hear some tracks off their 2013 album Weekend, as well as some newies and some oldies. Don’t miss your chance to see one of Melbourne’s acclaimed acts before they head off into the studio to record their new album. Christmas wrapped merchandise available on the night. Tickets are $20+BF available from Moshtix.

SUMMER BLOOD

It’s a double trouble EP launch at Public Bar this Saturday December 20. Punk rockers Summer Blood are releasing Later alongside heavy rockers Inedia, who are releasing Party Time. In support are bad boys Cosmic Kahuna and The Furrows. Doors are at 8.30pm, ten bucks. Party time, excellent.

RON S. PENO & THE SUPERSTITIONS

Died Pretty frontman Ron S. Peno is playing his last show for 2014 with stellar star band The Superstitions. They’ll be playing songs such as Fall from Above, which begins like The Walker Brothers in smoky mode and

builds inexorably until a crescendo hits like a shipwrecked boat hitting the rocks. Ron S. Peno & The Superstitions will be joined on the night by The Riflebirds & Waywardbreed Duo. Doors open 8.30pm, tickets are $10 at The Reverence Hotel.

SUN RISING

Sun Rising is back at the Flying Saucer on Saturday December 20 to perform selections from Million Dollar Quartet as part of their extra special Xmas show. Music will be performed around an entertaining and informative narrative about the incredible recording studio and label, Sun Records. Rock’n’roll fans unite – break out the Brylcreem, whack on the blue suede shoes and book now. Tickets are $25+BF from the venue, doors from 6pm.

WILLIAM ARTHUR TRIBUTE

DAN KELLY CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR

The Workers Club is throwing a gig to celebrate the music of Glide, and the incredible songs that were written by the late William Arthur – who sadly passed away 15 years ago, in August of 1999. The tribute will bring together a bunch of musicians playing their favourite songs from the Glide catalogue. These will include Steve Kilbey (The Church), Croons (early Glide members ), Andy Kentler (Last Glide member), Ashley Naylor (Even, The Grapes), Peter Fenton (CROW), Jamie Hutchings (Infinity Broke/Bluebottle Kiss), Davey Lane (You Am I), Charlie Horse, J M S Harrison, The Void (Morning After Girls members), D.A. Calf, Sean Whelan (Spoken Word). It all goes down on Saturday December 20 at The Workers Club.

All we want for Christmas is Dan Kelly performing at the Shadow Electric Bandroom with his Dream Band and an Alpha Males reunion and a slew of killer supports. That’s not too much to ask for, right? Well, Dan Kelly is acting all Santa on us and delivering the goods this Christmas, hosting another Dan Kelly’s Christmas Spectacular Saturday December 20. Dan Kelly’s Dream Band will be headlining festivities, joined by UK-based Civil Civic, Bayou and Cool Sounds. Tying it all together is DJ Woody McDonald and Sunny Leunig. Dan Kelly and The Alpha Males will also play a small reunion set, performing songs off Drowning in the Fountain of Youth and Sing the Tabloid Blues. Tickets through the venue.

Q&A

The Early Openers

Define your genre in five words or less: Garage with a touch of soul. So, someone is walking past as you guys are playing, they then go get a beer and tell their friend about you... what do they say? What the fuck is that? How long have you been gigging and writing? Our very first gig is at The Brunswick Hotel; we’ve been writing and playing for two or three months. Which band would you most like to have a battle/ showdown with? The original Lynyrd Skynyrd lineup, we’d win due to a lack of activity from the opposition. What inspires or has influenced your music the most? There’s been a bit of a 60’s revival going on in Melbourne with a lot of bands having their own unique take on a classic sound. I think we’ll jump on the bandwagon. What do you think a band has to do these days to succeed? Persistence. Do you have any record releases to date? What? Where can I get it? Not yet. Hopefully we can get an EP out mid-2015 sometime. Why should everyone come and see your band? If you’ve read all the way through this you obviously have too much time on your hands and owe it to yourself to see this band. THE EARLY OPENERS are playing The Brunswick Hotel on Thursday December 18 with Chop Squad, Goodbye Bozo’s and May Rivers.

BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 38

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MUSIC NEWS

YOUR COMPREHENSIVE LOCAL GUIDE

For all the latest news check out beat.com.au KING OF THE NORTH Australia’s favourite rock duo King of the North are celebrating four massive years of music, touring, and some seriously crazy times at Ding Dong Lounge on Saturday December 20. To get the party started and the booze flowing, joining them are Child and Fuck The Fitzroy Doom Scene. Tickets are $10+BF, doors from 9pm.

to bring you down. The depressive two-man-band-who-tries-to-playcountry-music-but-spend-most-oftheir-shows-talking-to-each-otherabout-current-sociopathetic-issues will be placing their two bass drums, two guitars, and two fat arses on the following floors. Catch them Sunday December 21 at The Retreat Hotel from 5pm. Free entry.

DAN DINNEN

JOHN FLANAGAN

With timeless melodies and deeply honest lyricism, John Flanagan has steadily been building a reputation as one of Australia’s most exciting up-andcoming singer/songwriters. Combining ‘70s folk singer/songwriter influences with Appalachian, claw-hammer banjo and a driving rhythm section, Flanagan creates an Americana folk sound that is both familiar and new. He’s picked up songwriting awards across Australia and won over fans at major folk festivals around the country. And you can catch him for free at The Retreat Hotel on Saturday December 20. Get down from 5pm.

UPTOWN ACE

Melbourne rockers Uptown Ace are launching their debut album 1850 at the Old Bar this Saturday night. Joining the lineup are The Sure Fire Midnights, Maricopa Wells, Cosa Nostra and DJ Kezbot. It’s $10 from 8.30pm. Get down.

KREMLINGS

Loud noises, anti gravity antics, shirtlessness and excessive writhing. You’ll get all this and more at the Grace Darling band room on Saturday December 20. Five of Melbourne’s best live bands are getting together to hang out, drink beers and put on a damn good show. The Kremlings will be tight as all hell coming off their Saturday arvo Tote residency, Mighty Boys will continue to perpetuate their reputation as infamous party starters, Bad Vision will ear bash you with tracks from their upcoming new album and contribute greatly to the aforementioned writhing, The Shabbab will bring the style and the substance and Girl Crazy will open proceedings with a mighty bang. Doors at 8pm, $10 entry. Get in the Xmas spirit and get rowdy. SUNDAY DECEMBER 21

PORK CHOP PARTY

Pork Chop Party are doing some kind of half-blind-folded round trip of Victoria up until the end of the year with a bucket load of shows

Dan Dinnen is bringing his solo acoustic, one man blues show to The Catfish this Sunday December 21. The frontman for Greg Dodd & The Hoodoo Men, Dinnen plays acoustic guitar and harmonica, stomps his feet, and really, really sings the blues. This music is in the hands of an award winning tune-smith, singer/songwriter. He’s a dynamic, energetic blues performer with an authentic feel and style, so come on down to The Catfish from 5pm.

SHACK SHAKERS 6

BAD NEWS TOILET Throw off your hardhats and take off your suits, it’s the festive season and Bad News Toilet is coming to Ding Dong Lounge on Tuesday December 23 and they’re ready to celebrate. Supported by garage rockers Apes, surf rocker’s Tsugnarly and The Mary Goldsmiths, expect Ding Dong Lounge to be alight with Christmas cheer. Doors open 9pm, presale tickets are $10 available now from Moshtix.

WIL WAGNER

Wil Wagner is back for another residency this December to wrap up a huge year for The Smith Street Band who have toured Australia, Europe and the US a few times over in the past 12 months. Their latest release, Throw Me In The River has received massive radio airplay and found its way into the Top 20 in the ARIA charts. Come along to The Reverence this Sunday, December 21 to see Wagner play his heartfelt, poetic and frantic punk songs along with some of his mates. It’s free entry, doors from 3pm.

JUNGLE CITY BASHMENT

Come down to Howler on Sunday December 21, for a night paying homage to Jamaican dancehall culture presented by Melbourne’s own dancers and artists who embrace it, from conscious reggae to the ‘slackness’ of hardcore dancehall. Enjoy a night of this uplifting yet controversial culture that began on the streets on Jamaica and has spread worldwide. Tickets are $20+BF available from Moshtix. MONDAY DECEMBER 22

ORLANDO FURIOUS

At this time of the year no Monday should be mundane, especially at the Old Bar. They are throwing a ‘Mundane Mondays’ Xmas Special with Orlando Furious, FigureHead, Mollusc and Nothinge (CAN). Get down for just $5. Doors from 8pm. TUESDAY DECEMBER 23

BIG FREEDIA

Big Freedia, the undisputed Queen Diva and New Orleans ambassador of bounce, is hitting up Howler this Tuesday, December 23 alongside her appearance at this year’s Falls Festival. Towering MC Big Freedia and her powerhouse dance posse ‘The Divas’ will teach and command you to bounce to Freedia’s one-of-a-kind, speedy, bass heavy beats before each show - expect a demonstration of bouncing from the Queen herself and some interactive Q&A - wear something comfortable and fabulous. Get down from 6.30pm. Tickets through moshtix.

BJ MORRISZONKLE

The one man mad-man band BJ Morriszonkle is happy to tell ya that you can go see him for free every bloody Tuesday night in December at the Retreat Hotel. That’s community service, folks. After spending the second half of the year locked in a carport studio recording a stack of new shit, he’ll drive you bonkers and tickle you pink each week with very special music and very special guests. December is full of demented cartoon, fake metal, dumb clown, flea circus, exploding bi-polar nonsense music in Brunswick. Music will be from 8.30pm, free entry. DECEMBER

THE MAVIS’S

Original members of The Mavis’s; Matt, Beki and Nik are reforming for a oneoff rock synth pop show in Melbourne at the John Curtin. Revisiting songs from their albums Venus Returning, Rapture, and more, which consistently appeared in triple j Hottest 100s and album charts throughout the ‘90s. Special guest on the night is Caroline Kennedy McCracken (ex Deadstar)’s new musical project Caroline No. It’s all going down on Saturday December 27 at The John Curtin. Tickets are available now for $15+BF.

JIMI: ALL IS BY MY SIDE

ACMI will screen the Jimi Hendrix biopic, Jimi: All Is By My Side, this summer. Starring Outkast’s Andre 3000 as Hendrix, the film details the guitarist’s milestone year in the United Kingdom three years prior to his death. Under the direction of John Ridley, Oscar-winning screenwriter of 12 Years a Slave, the film takes the audience from the lounge rooms to the recording studios of the London hipster scene. Jimi: All Is By My Side was screened at the 2013 Toronto Film Festival and SXSW before its UK release in August. Jimi: All Is By My Side will screen at ACMI from Saturday December 27 to Tuesday January 13.

The Shack Shaker DJs Knave Knixx and Lady Blades bring you another wild night of dancefloor action. These two are set to make your hips a shake and your booty quake with their kitsch and mix of swing, surf, rock’n’roll, jungle oggie boogie, hipshakers, mambo madness and stompin rhythm & blues. It’s all happening at The Spotted Mallard, Saturday December 27. $5 entry from 7.30pm.

Q&A

OUTSIDE THE ACADEMY

Outside The Academy is a producer from Melbourne, though now based in Central Queensland, utilising big and glitchy beats, loops and samples to create a semi-electronic and raw live sound. Drawing on influences like Radiohead and LCD Soundsystem OTA is an indie fusion performance artist rolling solo. After tackling the circuit in QLD and NSW Outside The Academy is returning home to celebrate and conclude his east coast tour at The Grace Darling, with special guests Nonagon and Pensive Penguin. It all goes down Sunday, December 28. Tickets are 10 on the door, doors at 6.30pm.

NYE IN THE WEST FEST

Wagons and Graveyard Train have been announced as the headliners for the inaugural NYE In The West Fest. The show comes at the end of a big year for the bands, who recently finished up multiple tours across the globe and released new albums Acid Rain and Sugar Cane and Takes One To Know One respectively. They’ll be joined by swamp rockers Chris Russell’s Chicken Walk and more. It goes down on Saturday December 31 at The Yarraville Club. Tickets are available through the venue.

SOUL-A-GO-GO

Bid a fond farewell to 2014 and welcome the New Year at the Corner Hotel for a massive Soul-A-Go-Go – Melbourne’s biggest and best soul and funk party. With PBS soul and funk aficionados Vince Peach (Soul Time), Miss Goldie (Boss Action), DJ Manchild (The Breakdown), Matt McFetridge ( Jungle Fever) Andrew Young, Zack Rampage , Jack Sparrow and a very special live performance from Chelsea Wilson, Christina Arnold and Florelie Escano, it’s going to be massive. 9pm-3am December 31 at The Corner Hotel. Tickets are limited and will no doubt sell out so get them quick at www.170russell. com. $30+BF for PBS members and $35+BF for future members.

DJ FEZ PUSKAS

LuWow reopens after its festive break to a weekend of tropical treats and summer sounds. DJ Fez Puskas plays his great Jamaican Ska, reggae, rocksteady records with Dek Drum and his live Latin percussion show. Friday January 2 at LuWow. Free entry.

DJ JUMPIN JOSH

The holidays aren’t over yet. Kick on that summer vibe with DJ Jumpin Josh playing tropical retro dance tunes from his huge collection of Brazil Mabo, Calypso Cha Cha, Latino disco and Boogaloo. Also kicking up a storm is

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My Dynamite

So then, what’s the band name and what do you ‘do’ in the band? My Dynamite, Jorge Balas, Guitarist, Benevolent Despot. What do you reckon people will say you sound like? The Black Crowes in 240 volts. What do you love about making music? Everything I love about making love. What do you hate about the music industry? I don’t hate it; the music industry needs all the love it can get. If you could travel back in time and show one of your musical heroes your stuff, who would it be and why? Jerry Garcia of The Grateful Dead. He would keep reminding me to keep it fun, baby. What can a punter expect from your live show? A warm cocoon filled with the voice of candy cane vibes, vintage cookie crunch goodness and topped with the pulsating backbeat of a multicolored fairy floss pastiche. What’ve you got to sell CD-wise? We got files on the Intra-net, go steal ‘em. Our debut album is also available on iTunes, plus we have a new record out early 2015 Anything else to add? Don’t be alarmed, the garden gnome with beaming eyes will be selling t-shirts on the night. It’s a Christmas party, and remember: Jesus was a mushroom. MY DYNAMITE are playing The Brunswick Hotel on Friday December 19 with Swamp Moth, DD and The Damaged Goods, and Joshua Batten. Hannes Lackman, live Congo extraordinaire. Get down to LuWow, Saturday January 3 and party on. Free entry.

MATT ANDERSON

Canadian blues guitarist and singer/songwriter Matt Anderson is playing a run of headline shows alongside his appearance at Woodford Folk Festival. He’ll return to Australia with his new album, Weightless, which was released earlier this year. Anderson’s six-date tour will see him play Woodford Folk Festival over New Year’s before he makes his way down the east coast. He’ll be joined by Frank Sultana. Catch Matt Anderson at the Flying Saucer Club on Saturday January 10 and the Thornbury Theatre on Sunday January 11.

SLOW CLUB

UK duo Slow Club will hit our shores this January in support of their new album, Complete Surrender. The LP marks the pair’s third studio release, veering away from their initial “anti-folk” categorisation and drawing on Motown and ‘70s pop influences. They’ll play at the Northcote Social Club on Thursday January 15. Tickets are available from the venue’s website.

BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 39


LIVE

REPORTS FROM THE FRONT ROW

For more reviews go to beat.com.au/reviews CYPRESS HILL The Forum Theatre, Thursday December 11

GAY PARIS Cherry Bar, Friday December 5

Photograph by Mark Stanjo

Photograph by Emily Day

Live hip hop has always struggled to convey the precision and delivery of finely crafted recordings to the live stage. Too often are lyrical content and production marred by inadequate sound systems, overreliance on studio magic, and ultimately the energy required to pull off an engaging and convincing live show. Enter Cypress Hill. Arguably the most successful hip hop group to cross over into the mainstream, the band’s relentless touring schedule and dedication to a high energy interactive live experience have cemented the group’s 25 years and counting legacy. With no new album or release to promote, the set focused exclusively on hits and fan favourites. With a minimal stage set up of simply DJ Muggs’ turntables and percussionist Eric Bobo’s drum set, the open space and lack of backdrop or stage props placed all eyes on the energy and delivery of MCs B-Real and Sen Dog. Through drifting clouds of smoke, the duo’s natural chemistry and communication fed off the crowd hanging on to every word and verse. Bringing out classics Insane In The Brain and How I Could Just Kill a Man early in the set, the band flaunted the quality and expanse of their repertoire throughout the performance. It’s refreshing and reassuring to witness a band acknowledging the quality of their early releases despite releasing their first two quintessential albums over 20 years ago, yet the band performed tracks for what must be the thousandth time with the utmost energy and conviction. Lighting up a large joint at the peak of their set, B-Real affirmed the band and the crowd’s longstanding dedication and love for Mary Jane in the simplest gesture possible. For a band that hasn’t had a hit single in well over ten years and by all standards of the music industry should be washed up and all but forgotten, Cypress Hill have held on firmly to their place as dedicated performers. LOVED: The soundtrack of my year seven. HATED: The lack of Tequila Sunrises at the bar. JOE HANSEN DRANK: Not Tequila Sunrise. Photograph by Mark Stanjo

DAMON ALBARN The Palais Theatre, Friday December 12 When I heard Damon Albarn was touring a new solo album with some young faultless session band, probably conveniently spiced with mega-hits as he pleases the aging crowd and counts their dollars, I couldn’t help but fear one of my favourite artists had crossed into the washed-up zone. Yet after blasting the newly released Everyday Robots into my ears for three days straight, followed by every single Gorillaz and Blur song released in reverse chronological order spanning 25 years, I knew it wasn’t true. Damon Albarn just has a lot to give. Rolling into The Palais Theatre nice and early, the bouncer was confused but didn’t question the fact that I had only an iPad mini, a tub of hummus and a bag of carrots. I guess he assumed that’s how I roll. I joined the sparsely seated crowd to check out the support act Fraser A. Gorman, fresh off a national tour with C.W. Stoneking. Despite being a little fella on a very large stage, Gorman held the space comfortably with support from lead guitarist Davey Lane. The duo delivered their down-to-earth tunes to the small but attentive crowd as if they were merely two blokes telling you a story in some pub. The simple, soulful set washed down beautifully with my dip as I enjoyed the seating that was quickly being filled with a massively diverse range of punters. Albarn’s entire career was visible in the people piling into the theatre. It was a fairly 50-50 mix of those who knew what Rage was and those who didn’t. And possibly a few fans of Damon’s Chinese Opera, which I genuinely hoped to hear a few songs from. As his band strutted onstage, the crowd cheered as one for whatever it was they were there to see. The single coolest man I’ve ever seen kicked off the set with a monstrous bass line, and basically didn’t stop. As the usually session band for both the Gorillaz and Albarn’s numerous other projects, the band were beyond tight, beyond cool and barely broke a sweat. The man himself casually entered the stage with a melodica and decades of music merged together with the timeless sound of his voice. Paced perfectly with highly-strung bad ass rock outs, the set swept through old stuff, new stuff and stuff in the middle. The Blur songs being tastefully delivered solo, with only a piano, my fears of rock-star-wash-uppery were quelled by the simple fact Damon Albarn was still very much a working artist. At some point there was a Tasmanian gospel choir, an Icelandic trumpet boy and a simply fantastic substitute rap by Australian artist Remi for the verses of Gorillaz’ Clint Eastwood. The set was epic on the part of the incredible band, surprisingly humble on the part of Albarn himself, and an all around rollercoaster ride through an amazing musician’s lengthy (and still growing) body of work. With a roaring applause for an encore, I barely had time to LOVED: A drummer with five snare drums. finish off my carrot. HATED: Damon Albarn’s teeth glinting creepily in the lights. DRANK: Hummus. JAKE MCGOVERN BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 40

“Rock’n’roll is a burning thing. This land was made to burn. Fire cleanses. And cleanliness is next to Godliness,” were the ravings of some burnt-out, ex-rocker turned street-preacher at the top of AC/DC Lane. I kept on my way, through the doors of Cherry Bar. Familiar, warm and bursting with people, the electricity generated by the buzz around the bar was of an undeniable high quality. The hubbub of bodies, bustling about, so close, so eager to communicate, released pheromones that transferred unceasingly from flesh to flesh, body to body, shirt to shirt, such that this self-mixing cocktail of human perspiration became a drink everybody could enjoy. The men drank with their mouths while the women drank with their eyes and the band started with minimal introduction. They came on like a jet engine. Blasting flesh from bone and bodies to the back of the room, the skeletons clawed their way forward, over the top of one another to lay hands on the band that played with disregard. While howling into a microphone the singer tore pages from a tome and littered them across the mass like confetti, the punters greedily gobbled up the words and howled back, reaching with their hands for something more. The static energy that had been building all night was being discharged, the people were electrified. The crowd was now a big, fat, human-centipede. A tangle of bodies, arms and legs, tightly packed, with Gay Paris as a face, a head, a something, leading them in deranged choreography. People threw up their hands and cried out, the burnt-out preacher from out front watched, smoking a cigarette from side of stage with a smile nestled in the corner of his mouth like a baby. The band danced. The crowd thronged and the neighbours in the tenements wondered what all the hubbub was about. It got hotter, the people sweated, their toxic nine to five facades dripping out their pours, pooling at the feet of their exposed, true, stark-raving, mad, screaming selves. The preacher flicked his cigarette and it in landed in the pool of volatile fluid. Flames engulfed the dance-floor and the cackle and screech of the crowd tickled fleshless ear-holes. Skeletons again, we reveled. It turns out Satanic Church is held Friday nights, around midnight, is lots of fun and good for the soul. LOVED: Everything. HATED: Non-Existence. DRANK: Everyone. BILLY KILLING

Photograph by Emily Day

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BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 40


LIVE

REPORTS FROM THE FRONT ROW

For more reviews go to beat.com.au/reviews MEREDITH MUSIC FESTIVAL Meredith Supernatural Amphitheatre Friday December 12 to Sunday December 14 War On Drugs

War On Drugs

Sleep

Photography by Michael Cusack After pitching our tents and establishing neighbourhood solidarity, an army of tinny drinkers entered the verdant amphitheatre to participate in a collective countdown to the official commencement of Meredith ‘14. Up first, The Hard Ons bashed out a set of fast, muddy punk and hardcore. Then came the pride of Brisbane, Blank Realm. The four-piece dished out an exposition of brilliant guitar work and melodic clarity that could easily talk you into getting a Yo La Tengo or Television tattoo. As it neared sundown, a possessed throng gathered on the west-facing hillside. Witnessing the sublime beauty of a giant burning sphere sinking behind a paddock of windmills made one promise to pursue this view more often. Mark Lanegan didn’t bother bringing a band, but he still had the crowd resting in the palm of his hand (or brim of his backwards cap). With a guitarist there to provide distorted background noise, Lanegan’s voice brought the bass frequency, as well as rhythms of human struggle and melodies of rugged fortitude. The daylight had now faded completely and the Meredith Eye twinkled with romance, while the Pink Flamingo bar was truly popping. In spite of the oft-uttered notion that the album format is dead, the most talked about band of the weekend’s latest release runs for well over an hour without any obvious hits. It’s hard to tell how many songs The War On Drugs actually played, but it’s safe to say the rife anticipation was deserved. The sextet of scruffy Philadelphians don’t necessarily write happy tunes, but their songs understand your melancholy, they understand sometimes words can’t explain why you’re not feeling OK. With layers of treated guitars, ballsy sax and Adam Granduciel’s Dylan-in-the-‘80s melodic bent, the band’s set grabbed hold of the entire Sup’ and gave us all one long, absolving hug. Even though plenty of folks were chasing the good times right up until sunrise, as soon as the conventional daytime arrived, camp Meredith was crawling with excited bodies. Luckily for most, fried food wasn’t in short supply and the Bloody Merediths took no prisoners, spice-wise. Appetites whetted, the fantasy folk of Auckland’s Tiny Ruins was a marvelous introduction to the day’s on stage entertainment. Led by Hollie Fullbrook, the foursome struck a perfect balance between tradition and whimsy. The sunshine we’d all been Googling about for weeks didn’t renege on its promise, which meant it was essential to accompany The Harpoons’ set of Spector-fied soul with a Donna Summer cocktail or two. Likewise New York’s Phosphorescent, whose lazy day Americana surely couldn’t find a more suitable setting than this. Saturday just ain’t Saturday if no one’s dressing the part, right? The amphitheatre was dotted with people in the guise of household pets or simply covered in glitter, while a stroll through Bush Camp led to both a deep sea doof and an ol’ skool hip hop cocktail party. No time to dawdle, however, as Cleveland’s Cloud Nothings were ready to belt out a supercharged fury. Frontman Dylan Baldi mightn’t do a great deal of body-thrusting, but when he ended the set repeatedly screaming the words, “I thought I would be more than this,” it was impossible to dodge the weight of his neuroses. The hillside was thickly packed in eagerness for Ghostface Killah.. The Wu Tang legend’s an impeccable MC, but too often his songs ended abruptly or were sent askew. However, a possible highlight of the weekend came when he put the call out for two audience members to replace Method Man and ODB in Wu classic Protest Ya Neck. After dismissing a handful of failed volunteers, the two chosen rappers absolutely nailed it, which brought pride

to the entire nation of Meredith. Speaking of national pride, the recently revitalised Augie March proved there’s nary a greater example of literate and truly original Australian songwriting. And Glenn Richards is so appealingly angry, which is always fun to be around. San Franciscan prodigy Ty Segall brought enough massive guitar sound with him to make The Stooges’ Raw Power seem tame in comparison. Another glorious sunset meant it was time to sink a few pink flamingos (i.e. the most delicious alcoholic beverage known to man). The feel-good juices kept flowing, courtesy of Jamaican first wave ska titans The Skatalites. It was a perfect lubricant for De La Soul’s midnight set. The Long Island crew came here to have as much fun as possible, and they ensured everyone watching was right there with them. Not only did we get hits like Me Myself & I, Ring Ring Ring and The Grind Date, but we also got to experience the trio, 25 years strong, having an absolute blast at the finest music festival under the southern stars. Sunday got off to a considerably sleepier start, but that didn’t mean the good times had run dry. In fact, after half a dozen egg sandwiches, Marlon Williams pretty near convinced us all he’s the most captivating solo performer this side of Billie Holiday. The Lemonheads is Evan Dando, really, who started the show alone. That is until new mate Courtney Barnett joined for a duet of Being Around. The full band followed, helping Dando through a set of nothing but hits. The ‘90s indie-rock poster boy had absolutely no idea what day it was, but he still got it together enough to smash out the timeless melodies of The Great Big No and The Outdoor Type. The naked race that stops a festival, The Meredith Gift, came next. The display of flailing breasts and doodles also included a male competitor proposing to his now-fiancé, which was touching in a slightly perverse way. The community pack-up begrudgingly occurred and, after the nostalgic riff rock of Sun God Replica, we were all kindly asked to fuck off. And fuck of we did, but we’ll be back, don’t you worry about that. LOVED: Meredith Music Festival. AUGUSTUS WELBY

HATED: The majority of other music festivals. DRANK: Where do I start…?

Ghostface Killah

Cloud Nothings

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BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 41


ALBUM OF THE WEEK THURSDAY 18 DECEMBER

WEEKLY TRIVIA PRIZES & GIVEAWAYS! STARTS AT 8PM. CONTACT THE VENUE FOR TABLE BOOKINGS!

&

DJ ALI E ALL VINYL, ALL GARAGE, ALL SHOE GAZE, ALL PSYCH, ALRIGHT. FROM 7PM

FRIDAY 19 DECEMBER MAIN BAR

VERA NIGHTS ZUZU ANGEL 9.30PM

& DJ’S

7PM KODIAK KID / 9PM MAARS / 11PM NO NAME NATH SATURDAY 20 DECEMBER MAIN BAR

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ANDRE & THE GIANT MANTRA 9.30PM

& DJ’S

7PM MATT RAD / 9PM OBLIVEUS / 11PM NAM ROYAL BEER GARDEN

AFTERNOONS ON THE GREEN

LIVE MUSIC IN THE BEER GARDEN

3PM: CHARM OF FINCHES SUNDAY 21 DECEMBER MAIN BAR

THE TESKEY5PMBROTHERS AFTERNOONS ON THE GREEN 3PM: MONIQUE SHELFORD

EASY NOW - SUNDAY REGGAE BEATS

FEAT. AGENT 86, TOM SHOWTIME, DJ MAARS & CIDER SPECIALS. 5PM MONDAY 22 DECEMBER

FREE POOL FREECALL WORKSHOPS VENUE FOR DETAILS. $10 LONGNECKS & $4 PIZZA.

TUESDAY 23 DECEMBER

FREE MOVIE NIGHT HOME ALONE – 8:30PM WEEKLY FOOD SPECIALS $4 PIZZAS MONDAY - THURSDAY ALL DAY & NIGHT, FRIDAY 12PM TO 5PM WEDNESDAY: $12 STEAKS FROM 5PM THURSDAY: $12 BURGERS FROM 5PM

BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 42

PBS TOP 12 FOR THE YEAR

ARIEL PINK

1. Blind Bet COOKIN’ ON 3 BURNERS

pom pom (Remote Control)

2. Tales THE PEEP TEMPEL

As the end-of-year lists polls and lists start to roll in, Ariel Pink is clear candidate for topping the categories Indie’s Most Hated Man and Troll Of The Year. It all started with an accusation that current Madonna is not as good as classic Madonna (which is fact, surely?) and went down a slippery slope from there. It was a middle amusing sideshow that quickly became as boring as Mark Kozelek’s war of words with The War On Drugs, and a minor distraction from the actual music, which is well on par with Pink’s previous two Haunted Graffiti albums. After an initial one-hour-plus sitting, first impressions are that pom pom is a remarkable album but a victim of its excessive length. Like the latest Foxygen album, this Magnum opus gets lost in its eccentricities during its third quarter and the results are variable. Pink at least knows when to keep a silly song short, with novelties like Nude Beach A Go-Go and Jello-O clocking in at a merciful two minutes each. A few more spins of pom pom and this erratic stage starts to make more sense in the context of the album, however, and the power of the sequencing is revealed as you make uneasy alliances with some songs and fall in love with others. In addition to the wild, experimental Pink of old, there are actually some great pop songs on here. There’s nothing quite like Before Today’s classic Round & Round; instead, a stream of songs follow the lead of that same album’s Goth/pop thriller Fright Night (Nevermore). Four Shadows is a hammy horror with verses full of foreboding and an Addams Familystyle exchange in the chorus: “Only darkness in the night/ Things that go bump in the night.” Kicking off with a sleazy “Yeaaaaaaaah”, Lipstick is a sleazy, creepy noir, with windpipes fluttering around Pink’s leering “Where are the girls?” Not Enough Violence informs us it’s “penetration time tonight” to what sounds like a lost Bauhaus or Sisters of Mercy backing track. Put Your Number In My Phone is the album’s most accessible song in terms of composition and lyrical content – this and the synth-soaked One Summer Night provide a

3. Self Titled TOUMANI AND SIDIKI

SINGLES

DIABATE 4. Follow The Path SHAOLIN AFRONAUTS 5. Live GARY CLARK JR. 6. One L FRESH THE LION 7. Everything Black Everything Dead BLACK JESUS 8. Dawn EMMA DONOVAN AND THE PUTBACKS romantic, hopeful break from the depraved, desperate Pink of the majority of the album (he’s newly single and it shows). Some of Pink’s best material to date falls at the album’s end, forming a sparser, more serious end section, it’s a change of pace that resonates after a run of songs that hark back to Pink’s earlier work and bear a strong influence from cult producer Kevin Fowley. Well, there’s still animal noises and declarations of “I’m not a toad” on the oddly charming Exile On Frog Street, but Picture Me Gone is a new high that strives for simplicity and restrained emotion, while final song Dayzed Inn Daydreams has a genuine ‘ride into the sunset’ feel. He may not be everyone’s hero but he’s certainly never dull. CHRIS GIRDLER

Shouts out to the legend rockin’ a vintage long sleeve Doggies jumper at Meredith on Saturday. I love you.

MARK RONSON FEAT. BRUNO MARS

Uptown Funk (Sony) Slept on this when it dropped a month ago after, but goddamn, this is a jam. Mark Ronson does what he does best, piecing together vintage sonic touchstones into something decidedly modern, Uptown Funk acting as a pastiche of funk hooks, almost to the point of overload, but sticking the landing with irresistible aplomb. And ol’ mate Bruno is a beast on the mic.

BEST TRACK: Four Shadows. IF YOU LIKE THIS, YOU’LL LIKE THESE: JOHN MAUS, MONTERO, FRANK ZAPPA. IN A WORD: Attention-seeking.

10. Too Much Water In The Boat CHARLES JENKINS AND THE ZHIVAGOS 11. Syro APHEX TWIN 12. The Lagos Music Salon SOMI

HEARTLAND RECORDS TOP TEN 1. Give Us A Kiss 10” SINGLE NICK CAVE 2. + - EP 10” SINGLE BRIAN 3. Hollywood Palladium 1992 LP L7 4. Bloodstone & Diamonds 2LP MACHINE HEAD 5. King Of The Sun 2LP THE SAINTS 6. For Those Which Are Asleep LP THE

BY LACHLAN

SKULL 7. Puttin’ On The Ritz LP BOX SET FRANK ZAPPA 8. Live 2014 2LP FRANZ FERDINAND

TWERPS

Shoulders (Chapter) The folky waltz beauty of Shoulders has made appearances in the Twerps’ live setlist for a little while now, a standout thanks to its stylistic breadth. Julia McFarlane’s vocal take soaring in the breezy chorus, carrying a melody invoking golden age heroes like Simon & Garfunkel. A complete change of pace from rollicking previous single Back To You, and a solid indication that good things are in store for new LP Range Anxiety early in 2015.

9. Live Switzerland 1991/2 2LP TORI AMOS 10. Hollywood Bowl 1972 2LP ALLMAN BROTHERS

RECORD PARADISE TOP TEN 1. pom pom ARIEL PINK 2. I’m In Your Mind Fuzz KING GIZZARD AND THE LIZARD WIZARD 3. Falling For You THE HARPOONS 4. Manipulator TY SEGALL

BARO

5. Lost in the Dream THE WAR ON DRUGS

Cigarettes (Independent) A decent indication of building promise, Cigarettes glides over a dazed classic East Coast instrumental, Baro dropping some tasty gems around the limited titular subject matter: “If I die bury me beside a Mai Tai and portraits of Rihanna.” It’s a brief track, decent and proficient, if not loaded with flair.

6. Muchacho PHOSPHORESCENT 7. III MARIACHI EL BRONX 8. The Glisten EP SECRET VALLEY 9. Coming Apart BODY/HEAD 10. The Best Say THURSTON MOORE

CHOOK RACE

Dentists (Independent) Live favourites Chook Race have finally pieced together their debut LP About Time (apt title), leading the charge with the gnarly head-wobble of Dentists. The track emanates a concise, boogie-worthy energy, a little like Devo’s Gut Feeling played at 45rpm instead of 33rpm.

BEAT’S TOP TEN SONGS ABOUT GETTING OLDER 1. Losing My Edge LCD SOUNDSYSTEM 2. It Was A Very Good Year FRANK SINATRA

D’ANGELO

Sugah Daddy (RCA) After 15 years of cautious speculation and scant info, D’Angelo has caused a last-minute revision of year-end lists by dropping new album, the first since landmark LP Voodoo without warning. The first taste came in the form of Sugah Daddy, a stripped-back, and of course sexy, funk groove that sounds exactly how you wanted Prince to sound in the new century. Smoky Parliament-style horns pepper the mix, channelling a touch of Chocolate City. Those who saw D’Angelo in action during his Melbourne headline show can attest the dude is still very much on top of his game. And if anyone can make the line “I hit it so I made the pussy fart/She said it’s talkin’ to ya, talkin’ to ya daddy” work, it’s D’Angelo.

9. Holly NICK WATERHOUSE

JONESTOWN MASSACRE

For all the latest singles check out beat.com.au

ROYAL BEER GARDEN

LIVE MUSIC IN THE BEER GARDEN

TOP TENS:

SINGLE OF THE WEEK DICK DIVER

Waste The Alphabet (Chapter) Dicky D’s uninhibited resolve is compounded by assisted penmanship from Melbourne poet Michael Farrell, honing a blissfully canny brand of sardonic charm, daring you to label quips like, “I look in the mirror / I can see China from here,” as dumb, brandishing intellectual cheek imbued with Australiana caricature, a kind of New Larrikinism. Though still trebly, the punctuating riffs are as rawk‘n’roll as Dick Diver have ever sounded.

WATCH INTERVIEWS, CHATS & AWKWARD SILENCES... BEAT.COM.AU/TV

3. Forever Young ALPHAVILLE 4. Darkness LEONARD COHEN 5. 1979 THE SMASHING PUMPKINS 6. 16 Shades of Blue TORI AMOS 7. The Sound of Grandpa SIMON & GARFUNKLE 8. Turn! Turn! Turn! THE BYRDS 9. Changes DAVID BOWIE 10. Old Man NEIL YOUNG


ALBUMS

NEW MUSIC IN REVIEW THIS WEEK

For more reviews go to beat.com.au/reviews

THE BASICS

The Lucky Country (Origin/MGM) By the time I was listening to Midnight Oil, Peter Garrett’s earnest political criticism had given way to an inevitably hypocritical career in politics. But listening to The Basics, who are back after a three-year hiatus, there’s a sense of what it might’ve been like in Garrett’s heyday. The Oils’ influence is overt in opener The Lucky Country, almost to the point of parody. With lyrics like: “Tony’s gonna buy you a brand new car,” it’s hard to know how seriously to take it. But they mount more serious criticisms ± in a blistering three minutes they rile on “tax free bed of gold,” racism and turning back the boats. Tunaomba Saidia is a radical change of pace in the form of a Nigerian-influenced protest-style song. Its bohemian melody is beautiful in its own right, tightly constructed while giving off an air of effortlessness (Wally de Backer AKA Gotye’s influence is clear). The lyrics are strongly narrative, and powerful if you can suspend your disbelief. Like most political parties I want to believe in, it seems The Basics don’t provide a solution to their criticisms. But then, maybe that’s the difference between politics and art ± dir ty deals versus dirty riffs. BEST TRACK: Tunaomba Saidia. IF YOU LIKE THESE, YOU’LL LIKE THIS: MIDNIGHT OIL, THE SKYHOOKS. IN A WORD: Ironic.

EMILY MELLER

NOFX

Backstage Passport (Fat Wreck Chords) For those that don’t know, NOFX: Backstage Passport is a documentary series featuring ± you guessed it ± NOFX backstage, onstage, and generally around stages. This album is, broadly speaking, a soundtrack. Fat Mike kicks off the album by proudly declaring: “We’re NOFX, screwing up since 1983,” on the title track. Later on he’ll be insulted by Germans, have a go at blind religious faith, sing flat on a live version of Leaving Jesusland, and once again suggests the band move to Australia (seriously guys, what’s stopping you?). It’s a collection of rare, remixed, live and unreleased material which were only previously aired during the show. As a result, it’s pretty up and down, and not exactly a well balanced album. However, for fans ± a nd let’s face it, that’s definitely the target audience ± there’s enough to enjoy here. Arming The Proletariat With Potato Guns features guitars and trumpets punctuated by the typical NOFX brand of humour, while Backstage Passport and Punk Rock Passport provide nice bookends to the album. I Melvin BEST TRACK: No Fun In Fundamentalism. is also worth a listen, with Eric Melvin presenting his IF YOU LIKE THESE, YOU’LL LIKE THIS: THE sad clown persona in all its glory, accordion included. VANDALS, THE MR T EXPERIENCE. IN A WORD: Inconsistent. JOSH FERGEUS

EMMA DONOVAN AND THE PUTBACKS

Dawn (Hope Street Recordings) German sociologist Max Weber had a few things to say about charisma. Weber defined charisma in the context of exceptional powers and qualities, which were not available to ordinary men and women. On the basis of such attributes ± which suggested divine origin ± Weber noted charismatic individuals tended to positions of authority and leadership. Had Weber the opportunity to apply his theories of charisma to soul music, he’d have found plenty of examples to mull over. Emma Donovan is oozing with the charisma and passion of the great soul singers of yore. On Black Woman, Donovan is in ‘70s social justice mode, giving powerful voice to the perils and pitfalls faced ± and resilience shown ± by black women both in Australia’s marginalised indigenous communities and throughout the world. My Goodness is as slick and stylish as a late night cocktail in a smoky bar; Dawn is dripping with Motown elegance. There’s a haunting beauty about Mother ± is it deeply personal, ethnographic or metaphorical? Its parental companion piece, Daddy, evokes memories of The Temptations in psychedelic mode, offering a colourful glimpse into a world where everything is neither as it seems, nor as it should be. Keep Me In Your Reach is a lovin’ soul track like few others; Donovan channels Dusty Springfield and takes you to a higher emotional place. Come Back To Me is laden with psychological pain; you can feel the yolk of regret, and the only thing that makes it better is the beauty of the song. Voodoo is packed full of self-belief; for everything bad that’s gone down, and Donovan is bouncing back, and nothin’s gonna get her down. On Over Under Away, Donovan is reflective, contemplating the good, bad and indifferent of the world around BEST TRACK: Black Woman. her; in Donovan’s voice, it’s all worth listening to. IF YOU LIKE THESE, YOU’LL LIKE THIS: BETTY Great soul singers are born, not made, and Emma LAVETTE, SHARON JONES, ARETHA Donovan is a charismatic soul singer for the ages. FRANKLIN. IN A WORD: Soul. PATRICK EMERY

GIGS

GIGS weD Dec

17TH thu Dec

18TH fri Dec

19TH

Dream fatigue + the heebee Jeebies + the Midnight sol

TWERPS

+ sarah Mary chadwick + Bad family

ARTHUR PENN & THE FUNKY TEN the vibraphonic orkestra the scrimshaw four

HEMINA

Nebulae (Bird’s Robe) Australia has become an absolute hotbed for progressive music over the past ten years. Aussie fans of the more progressive styles of music, who care to seek things out and listen, are being treated to a veritable feast. This Sydney four-piece are adding their own voice to this rising chorus. On this, their second album, they’re pursuing a reasonably traditional prog sound, but doing so in their own way at the same time. A strong point of difference for these guys (and girl) is the consistent use of female-backing and lead vocals across the album. The voices of lead guitarist and vocalist Doug Skene and bassist/backing vocalist Jessica Martin blend very nicely in a harmonised setting and both are very strong and melodic when taking centre stage alone. Skene’s lead guitar is a real highlight too, all melodic precision that definitely adds something to the already impressive musical mix. Musically, it’s consistently epic, soaring prog, of course any progressive band worth their salt has an absolute grasp of dynamics, knowing precisely when to rock hard, when to reach for the heavens and when to pull back. This band is no different. Excellent second last track Promise illustrates this very nicely. In fact, Nebulae is consistently very strong from end to end. The only down point, really, is the ballad Soulmates. Normally I don’t mind a nice ballad, if it’s done really well. This one’s just a touch cheesy and overwrought, however. Thankfully, they redeem themselves quickly with the propulsive Strength. Given the right vehicle, this album could become BEST TRACK: Promise. a classic in the annals of progressive music, across IF YOU LIKE THESE, YOU’LL LIKE THIS: DREAM Australia and even the globe. THEATER, VOYAGER, SYMPHONY X. IN A WORD: Accomplished. ROD WHITFIELD

EX COPS

Daggers (Downtown / Create/Control) It’s been an interesting year for Amalie Bruun to say the least. Earlier this year, she dropped an exceptional EP of intense black metal under the moniker Myrkur. She’s now followed that up with the second album from Ex Cops, which she fronts with multi-instrumentalist Brian Harding. Unless you were aware of the fact prior, there’s absolutely no way you could tell that both projects shared a member. If anything, it’s indicative of Bruun’s versatility and her smart approach to looking at the bigger picture from a musical perspective. Daggers arrives some 18 months following the duo’s debut, and the momentum is not dropped for a second. It’s safe to say the record’s first three tracks are less radio-friendly and more radio-hungry ± in a perfect world, they’d be immovable from every radio playlist for the entire summer. Their dynamic is similar to The Kills in that they constantly play off one another’s moves, but Daggers also shows there’s something going on here that’s far greater than the sum of its parts. Absolutely anything could happen next when it BEST TRACK: Teenagers. comes to Ex Cops ± and it probably will. The world IF YOU LIKE THESE, YOU’LL LIKE THIS: THE of pop feels like an adventure all over again. KILLS, SANTIGOLD, LITTLE BOOTS. IN A WORD: Sharp. DAVID JAMES YOUNG

BEN FROST

Variant (Mute / Create/Control) Listening to Ben Frost’s last album, Aurora, is not unlike enduring the sonic equivalent of a punch in the gut. Its thundering drums and claustrophobic noise may not be easy for the ears, but there’s no denying the colossal vision within Frost’s production. For something as ambitious as Aurora, it’s fitting Frost has recruited some heavyweights for its remix EP, Variant. Evian Christ’s remix of Venter begins with long, drawn-out sounds that build and drop, seeding anticipation. It comes as a surprise, then, that the next two songs, credited to Dutch E Germ and HTRK, only seethe under the surface without amounting to anything more. While the tracks still retain Frost’s unmistakable flavour, the original’s piercing; often ugly synths are pared back for a more familiar, club-driven sound. Perhaps the most divergent is Kangding Ray’s remix of No Sorrowing; seven minutes of sparse techno that segue beautifully into Regis’ edit of Nolan, where everything escalates into faster perpetual motion before crashing back down in a catharsis of ambient noise. As a whole, Variant is fragmentary at times, as is often the case with remixes. But what it lacks in structure BEST TRACK: Venter (Evian Christ TF 12” Mix). it makes up for in its individual moments and the IF YOU LIKE THESE, YOU’LL LIKE THIS: ANDY artists’ intelligent treatment of Frost’s material: a STOTT, ONEOHTRIX POINT NEVER, LAUREL clean polish to the harsh ambiguities of his sound. HALO. IN A WORD: Guttural. AMELIA ZHOU

EVERYDAY

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BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 43


GIG GUIDE

WHAT'S ON AROUND MELBOURNE THIS WEEK

For all the latest gigs check out beat.com.au

WEDNESDAY DEC 17 INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS ••CLAWS & ORGANS + THE SHABBAB + WET MEAL Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $5.00.

••COLLAGE Espy, St Kilda. 7:30pm.

••COQ ROQ WEDNESDAYS - FEAT: VARIOUS DJS Lucky Coq, Windsor. 7:00pm.

••DREAM FATIGUE + THE HEEBEE JEEBIES + THE

MIDNIGHT SOL John Curtin Hotel, Carlton. 8:00pm. ••EMINE & ADS + TIM RICHMOND + BOB HARROW Old Bar, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. $7.00.

••FATAI + TANYA BATT + LANKS Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. $20.00.

••FEED MY FRANKENSTEIN + CYANIDE TEETH + THE

MANTELOPES + JURASSIC NARC Bendigo Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm.

••MONDEGREEN + NAFASI + LADY OSCAR Bar Open, Fitzroy. 8:30pm.

••NICK CAVE Plenary Hall, South Wharf. 8:00pm.

••RUBBER RECORDS 25TH ANNIVERSARY - FEAT:

CORDRAZINE + THE GENES + GLENN & VINCE Northcote Social Club, Northcote. 7:30pm. $20.00.

••THE 2014 CHERRY AWARDS - FEAT: CHILD + DJ

MERMAID Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 6:00pm.

••THE BLACK SHEEP Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 7:30pm. ••THE FACTORY + THE SHIFTERS + WET LIPS +

PIONEERS OF GOOD SCIENCE Workers Club, Fitzroy. 7:30pm.

JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC ••ULTRA FOX The Everleigh, Fitzroy. 9:30pm. ••B FOR CHICKEN 303, Northcote. 8:00pm.

••DJ MANTOOTH Penny Black, Brunswick. 7:00pm.

••ERECT PRESENTS - FEAT: #MELBOURNEMUSIC Carters Bar, Northcote. 7:00pm.

••FRENTE + EMMA RUSSACK + TOBIAS HENGEVELD Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. $25.00.

••I VALIANCE + DRIVEN TO THE VERGE + ATLANTIC +

VILLA MORTA Bendigo Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. $5.00.

••JOSH ARMISTEAD + EVELYN MORRIS + JOE FOLEY Old Bar, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $8.00.

••MAIN BEACH + WILLOW DARLING + HONEY

BADGERS Public Bar, North Melbourne. 8:30pm. $8.00.

••NEXT - FEAT: DREAM ON DREAMER + TO THE

AIRSHIP + ALPHA WOLF Colonial Hotel, Melbourne Cbd.

7:00pm.

••NICK CAVE Plenary Hall, South Wharf. 8:00pm.

ENLIGHT + SUNBORNE Revolver Upstairs, Prahran.

8:30pm. $7.00.

••THE DUKES OF DELICIOUSNESS + GRINDHOUSE

+ AUSTRALIAN KINGSWOOD FACTORY Yah Yah’s,

Fitzroy. 8:00pm.

••THE EARLY OPENERS + CHOP SQUAD + THE MAY

RIVERS + GOODBYE BOZOS Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick.

8:00pm.

••THE GOOCH PALMS + WET BLANKETS + WHIPPER Grace Darling Hotel, Collingwood. 8:30pm. $10.00.

••THE HARPOONS Hugs & Kisses, Melbourne. 8:00pm.

••THE SHABBAB + GORSHA + WASP + SOOKY LA LA Bar Open, Fitzroy. 8:00pm.

••THE SKATALITES + ECHO DRAMA Corner Hotel, Richmond. 8:00pm. $59.00.

••TWERPS + SARAH MARY CHADWICK + BAD FAMILY John Curtin Hotel, Carlton. 8:00pm.

••WIRE BIRD + WOODLOCK + HAIKU + DJ MOSE Grace

••BOPSTRETCH Uptown Jazz Cafe, Fitzroy. 8:00pm.

JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC

••JAMES OSBORNE Paris Cat Jazz Club, Melbourne Cbd.

••A CELTIC CHRISTMAS - FEAT: CLAYMORE +

••MO SOUL - FEAT: DJ VINCE PEACH Ding Dong

••COLOUR POINT Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Melbourne Cbd.

••CAMERON SEXTON Open Studio, Northcote. 8:00pm. 9:00pm. $15.00.

Lounge, Melbourne Cbd. 6:00pm.

••RUBY’S LIVE JAZZ AFTER DARK - FEAT: GYPSY

JAZZ DUO Ruby’s Music Room, Melbourne Cbd. 7:00pm.

$15.00.

••THAT GOLD STREET SOUND Laundry Bar, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. $15.00.

Darling Hotel, Collingwood. 8:30pm. $10.00.

••OPEN MIC Mr Boogie Man Bar, Abbottsford. 7:30pm.

••OPEN MIC Whole Lotta Love, Brunswick East. 8:00pm. ••OPEN MIC/JAM Musicland, Fawkner. 7:00pm.

••THE ACOUSTIC SESSIONS - FEAT: CHRIS WATTS Revolver Upstairs, Prahran. 6:30pm.

••THE BRUNSWICK HOTEL’S OPEN MIC Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick. 7:00pm.

••THE HAMMOND ORGAN NIGHTS Musicland, Fawkner.

••FREE RANGE FUNK - FEAT: JAKE JUDD +

TIGERFUNK + LEWIS CANCUT Lucky Coq, Windsor.

7:00pm.

••FULTON STREET + DJ VINCE PEACH & PIERRE

8:00pm. $14.00.

9:00pm. $20.00.

••REBECCA MENDOZA & THE JOHN MONTESANTE

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS ••A VERY FANG IT CHRISTMAS - FEAT: THE PEEP

TEMPEL + SUN GOD REPLICA + MESA COSA + SCUL HAZZARDS + THE FCKUPS Tote Hotel, Collingwood. 7:30pm.

••ALEX ELBERY & THE STRANGERS 24 Moons, Northcote. 8:00pm.

••BIG WINTER + ANNA CORDELL + GREG STEPS Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 8:30pm.

••BURNING ROACHES + SHORTFALL + ZOMBITCHES

+ MASTERS OF THE FLYING GUILLOTINE Espy, St

Kilda. 8:00pm.

Club, Melbourne Cbd. 8:30pm. $18.00.

••THE MELBOURNE IMPROVISERS COLLECTIVE Uptown Jazz Cafe, Fitzroy. 8:00pm.

••DARLING JAMES + MACHINE TRANSLATIONS +

WILDING Workers Club, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. $12.00. ••DARREN HANLON + ANTHONIE TONNON Northcote Social Club, Northcote. 8:30pm. $23.00.

••DE LA LUNE + ZENITH EMPIRE 303, Northcote. 7:00pm.

BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 44

••FINALLY - FEAT: ZAC WATERS + MATT WATKINS Pelly Bar, Frankston. 9:00pm. $10.00.

••GET SERIOUS Carters Bar, Northcote. 9:00pm.

+ SLAP 618 + JASON REASON Espy, St Kilda. 8:00pm. SUPERHOLICS + TRULY HOLY + EMPAT LIMA Grace

Darling Hotel, Collingwood. 8:30pm.

••GRMM + RENZ + LANKS Shebeen, Melbourne Cbd. 8:30pm. $10.00.

••HARD ACHES + THE SHADOW LEAGUE + FOLEY! +

SPEECH PATTERNS Public Bar, North Melbourne. 8:30pm. $10.00.

••HORSE & WES Big Huey’s Diner, South Melbourne. 7:30pm.

••INVERLOCH + CEMETERY URN + AK-11 + ESKHATON Bendigo Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm.

SIMON BARLOW Mr Boogie Man Bar, Abbottsford.

7:30pm. $5.00.

••JUKE BOX RACKET Victoria Hotel, Brunswick. 9:00pm.

PALMER + DREXLER + CHARM 303, Northcote. 8:00pm.

$10.00.

••MY DYNAMITE + SWAMP MOTH + DD & THE

DAMAGED GOODS + JOSHUA BATTEN Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick. 9:00pm.

DAYBREAK + XUPPERCUTX + REBIRTH Reverence

Hotel, Footscray. 7:30pm. $10.00.

••THE LAZYS + TRAGIC EARTH + THE BALLS +

CICADASTONE Espy, St Kilda. 8:30pm. $12.00.

••THE SOULENIKOES + SUNSLAVE + WARBIRDS

+ TELL AMAROSA + KILLAMAINE + NIKHAIL + BLOOMFIELD + MS.TAKE Espy, St Kilda. 7:00pm. $12.00. ••THE STIFFYS The B.east, Brunswick East. 9:00pm. ••THE TWOKS + CANARY Sooki Lounge, Belgrave. 9:00pm. ••THE WINTER SUNS + WALKER + LAUREN GLEZER Workers Club, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $10.00.

••UP UP AWAY Catfish, Fitzroy. 9:00pm.

••VERA NIGHTS + ZUZU ANGEL Penny Black, Brunswick. 9:30pm.

••XMAS EVEN + JASMIN KASET + SCOUTS & DJ

CRISPI Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. $20.00. JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC ••ALLIRA WILSON Paris Cat Jazz Club, Melbourne Cbd. 7:30pm. $20.00.

••BEETHOVEN’S CHRISTMAS - FEAT: MICHAEL

WOODS & CURT THOMPSON Melbourne Recital Centre, Southbank. 7:00pm. $52.00.

••ALLAN BROWNE/MARC HANNAFORD/SAM

PANKHURST Uptown Jazz Cafe, Fitzroy. 8:00pm.

••CHRISTOPHE GENOUX & THE ROGER CLARK

QUARTET Dizzy’s Jazz Club, Richmond. 9:00pm. $20.00.

••COOKIN’ ON 3 BURNERS + KYLIE AUDIST Bar Open, Fitzroy. 10:00pm.

••DJ VINCE PEACH Reverence Hotel, Footscray. 8:00pm.

••ESTHER HENDERSON Open Studio, Northcote. 6:00pm. ••GRIFF’S GRAVY TRAIN Paris Cat Jazz Club, Melbourne Cbd. 8:30pm. $20.00.

••JEFF DUFF Caravan Music Club, Oakleigh. 8:00pm. $28.00. ••KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD WIZARD The Hi-fi, Melbourne Cbd. 7:30pm. $35.50.

••RENÉE GEYER - FEAT: RENEE GEYER Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Melbourne Cbd. 8:30pm. $45.00.

••SHOL Ruby’s Music Room, Melbourne Cbd. 7:00pm. $20.00. ••THE BOYS Wesley Anne, Northcote. 6:00pm.

••THE FURBELOWS Open Studio, Northcote. 8:00pm.

••YVETTE JOHANSSON & THE JOE RUBERTO TRIO Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Melbourne Cbd. 8:30pm. $25.00.

••MY LEFT BOOT + PEELING SUN + OX + DJ JOSH

ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK

8:30pm.

WELLS Old Bar, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $10.00. ••PHIL JAMIESON & SCOTT RUSSO Corner Hotel,

••ANDY GRANT DUO European Bier Cafe, Melbourne Cbd.

Love, Brunswick East. 8:00pm.

••PHIL SPECTORS CHRISTMAS ALBUM TRIBUTE

••BRENT PARLANE BAND Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East. ••CHRIS WILSON + BRENDAN FORWARD Whole Lotta ••DEMI LOUISE + PENSIVE PENGUIN + INTO THE

WOODS + MIKE WATERS Espy, St Kilda. 8:30pm.

••FAT COUSIN SKINNY Wesley Anne, Northcote. 6:00pm.

••JENNY TAYLOR + CORINNA MAULE + LIPSTICK &

SPURS Mr Boogie Man Bar, Abbottsford. 7:30pm. $10.00.

••JUSTIN FREW Post Office Hotel, Coburg. 8:00pm. ••PORK CHOP PARTY Catfish, Fitzroy. 8:00pm.

••SLEEPY WEST + CIARAN BOYLE Drunken Poet, West Melbourne. 8:00pm.

••THE COTTON CLUB - FEAT: GREG DODD & THE

HOODOO MEN + DJ MATTHEW FREDERICK Spotted

Mallard, Brunswick. 8:30pm.

FRIDAY DEC 19

••CALAMITY LANE + THE LOVLIES + OLIVERS ARMY Great Britain Hotel, Richmond. 8:00pm.

8:30pm. $23.00.

••EINSTEIN TOYBOYS Musicland, Fawkner. 7:30pm. $10.00.

••THE JAMES MACAULAY QUARTET Bennetts Lane Jazz

••BEN SALTER Victoria Hotel, Brunswick. 8:00pm.

THURSDAY DEC 18

••DARREN HANLON Northcote Social Club, Northcote.

••LAZER BRAINS + PITT THE ELDER + LAURA

7:00pm. $15.00.

Mallard, Brunswick. 8:30pm.

CELIA CHURCH Drunken Poet, West Melbourne. 8:00pm.

9:00pm.

••CHRIS WILSON Yah Yah’s, Fitzroy. 5:30pm.

••JAY WARS + JOE GUITON + DAVID GRIMSON +

ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK

••WINE WHISKEY WOMEN - FEAT: GRETTA ZILLER +

9:30pm.

••CHILDREN COLLIDE Ding Dong Lounge, Melbourne Cbd.

QUINTET The Commune, East Melbourne. 6:00pm. ••RUBY’S LIVE JAZZ AFTER DARK - FEAT: THE THURSDAY DUO Ruby’s Music Room, Melbourne Cbd.

7:00pm.

••TOBIAS HENGEVELD + CHRIS PICKERING Spotted

Collingwood. 9:00pm. $10.00.

••CHERRY BOMB European Bier Cafe, Melbourne Cbd.

••GRACE DARLING XMAS PARTY - FEAT:

ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK ••JOSH SEYMOUR Catfish, Fitzroy. 8:00pm.

WHITE + DEAF DJS Tote Hotel, Collingwood. 9:00pm. ••BEDROOM SUCK RECORDS - FEAT: ELLA STILES & LOWER PLENTY + TERRIBLE TRUTHS + TOTALLY MILD + SUPERSTAR + JARROD QUARELL + GRAND SALVO The Shadow Electric, Abbotsford. 8:00pm. $10.00. ••CERES XMAS + MARC BAKER Grace Darling Hotel,

8:30pm. $18.00.

••MOVEMENT 9 Paris Cat Jazz Club, Melbourne Cbd.

Oakleigh. 8:00pm. $59.00.

FOUR John Curtin Hotel, Carlton. 8:00pm.

••AUSMUTEANTS + DEAF WISH + ORB + KARLI

SAOIRSE Flying Saucer Club, Elsternwick. 8:30pm. $20.00.

••THE SKATALITES + ECHO DRAMA Caravan Music Club,

Melbourne Cbd. 8:30pm. $18.00.

Working in retail around Christmas time you have to deal with a lot of giant ‘W’s’. One of the biggest ‘W’s’ is floating around Straya-town this week. No it’s not the Prime Minister. It’s Wu-Tang’s Ghostface Killah. He’ll be blazing up the Espy on Friday, December 19.

••GHOSTFACE KILLAH + LGEEZ + GREELEY + MOTLEY

BARONI Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. $10.00. ••FUNK RABBIT Open Studio, Northcote. 8:00pm. ••JACK EARLE BIG BAND Dizzy’s Jazz Club, Richmond.

••THE JOE CHINDAMO TRIO Bennetts Lane Jazz Club,

GHOSTFACE KILLAH

••PLUGGED IN THURSDAYS - FEAT: DOKTOR +

••BIG EASY SOUL SESSIONS Carlton Club, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm.

GIG OF THE WEEK!

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS ••SEVEN UPS + PURPLE TUSKS + CHRIS NORTHSIDE

DJ + GOGO GODDESSES The Luwow, Fitzroy. 8:00pm.

$10.00.

••ARTHUR PENN & THE FUNKY MEN + THE

VIBRAPHONIC ORKESTRA + THE SCRIMSHAW

6:00pm.

Richmond. 8:30pm. $39.00.

••BRENDAN FORWARD Mr Boogie Man Bar, Abbottsford.

SHOW - FEAT: PHIL SPECTOR TRIBUTE + KIT CONVICT & THE TERRIBLE TWO + ROCKNROLL WHITE LEOPARD + DJ KEZBOT Retreat Hotel,

••DEAD ALBATROSS + ATLAS + GARY & THE CULTS

••PRETTY CITY + THE ROLLERCANES + DJ KNAVE

••FLYING ENGINE STRINGBAND Railway Hotel, Fitzroy

Brunswick. 9:30pm.

KNIXX 24 Moons, Northcote. 8:00pm. ••PSEUDO ECHO Flying Saucer Club, Elsternwick. 8:40pm. $28.00.

••QUEENSFOREST - FEAT: WHITE SUMMER +

THIEVES + DJ MAX CRAWDADDY Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. $20.00.

••RED JUMPSUIT APPARATUS + HAWTHORNE

HEIGHTS + MIXTAPE FOR THE DRIVE Prince

Bandroom, St Kilda. 8:00pm. $51.00.

••SINGLE INCOME Pier Live, Frankston. 8:00pm.

••SOCIETY OF BEGGARS + A BASKET OF MAMMOTHS

+ THE STORY MODEL Whole Lotta Love, Brunswick East. 8:00pm. $10.00.

••SPENCER P JONES Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 5:30pm. ••THE AUGUST REIGN + GANBARU + BONELESS +

WATCH INTERVIEWS, CHATS & AWKWARD SILENCES... BEAT.COM.AU/TV

5:00pm.

Wesley Anne, Northcote. 8:00pm.

••DOLLAR20 BLUES BAND Ascot Vale Hotel, Ascot Vale. 8:00pm.

North. 9:30pm.

••FLYING ENGINE TRIO Testing Grounds, Melbourne. 6:00pm.

••GUILD COUNTRY BAND Pascoe Vale Rsl, Pascoe Vale. 8:00pm. $8.00.

••HARMANIAX Drunken Poet, West Melbourne. 8:30pm. ••SÉB MONT - FEAT: SEB MONT + STONEFOX +

BARCLOS + WHEN WE WERE SMALL + CHACHI Revolver Upstairs, Prahran. 8:00pm. $10.00.

••STEVE KILBEY + THE TALL GRASS + JAMIE

HUTCHINGS + JMS HARRISON + JASON WALKER Post Office Hotel, Coburg. 9:30pm.

••TRADITIONAL IRISH MUSIC SESSION - FEAT: DAN

BOURKE Drunken Poet, West Melbourne. 6:00pm.

••WARNER BROS Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East. 9:30pm.


SATURDAY DEC 20 INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS ••A DAY ON THE GREEN - FEAT: JIMMY BARNES

+ THE LIVING END + YOU AM I + NICK BARKER + MAHALIA BARNES & THE SOULMATES Rochford

Wines, Coldstream. 3:00pm. $105.00.

••A VERY FINK XMAS + MAGIC BONES + FAREWELL

REUNION TOUR INSTRUMENT SWAP SPECIAL + HEARING THAT GREG TEMPLETON DIED + BRODEN MORGAN Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick. 7:00pm. ••ARAKEYE + CHASE THE ACE + NEVER THE EMPRESS + CYPRUS + THE BACKBEAT PROPHETS Espy, St Kilda. 8:30pm. $10.00.

••BANG - FEAT: GRAVES + OCEAN GROVE + TO LIGHT

ATLANTIS Royal Melbourne Hotel, Melbourne Cbd. 7:00pm.

$20.00.

••BEAUTIFUL BEASTS + MELANIE GRACE + ORGANIC

ROBOT 303, Northcote. 8:00pm. $5.00.

••BEN FOLDS Hamer Hall (arts Centre Melbourne), Southbank. 8:00pm.

••BOOGIE MAN XMAS PARTY - FEAT: THE CROOKEDS

+ MC BABY JESUS & THE GROOVE BANDITS + THE UPSTANDING MEMBERS Mr Boogie Man Bar,

Abbottsford. 7:30pm. $10.00.

••CHRISTMAS BLUES BASH - FEAT: SMOKIN SAM &

THE CARGO BLUES BAND Musicland, Fawkner. 7:30pm. $10.00.

••CHRISTMAS ROCK - FEAT: STATIC REVENUE + THE

REASON WHY + TWINSPEAK + BLACK SOUL CHOIR Revolver Upstairs, Prahran. 7:00pm. $12.00.

••CLAIRE BIRCHALL & THE PHANTOM HITCHHIKERS

+ FRAUDBAND + TENDERBONES Whole Lotta Love,

Brunswick East. 8:00pm. $10.00.

••DAN KELLY’S CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR - FEAT:

DAN KELLY’S DREAM BAND + BAYOU + COOL SOUNDS The Shadow Electric, Abbotsford. 8:00pm. $20.00. ••DEAD LETTER CIRCUS + SLEEPMAKESWAVES + VOYAGER The Hi-fi, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. $40.50. ••DEF REPPLICA + FUNKY MONKS + HOLY DIVER Espy, St Kilda. 8:30pm. $20.00.

••DISCO ANIMAL + SUGAR FED LEOPARDS + DONNIE

DISCO DJ + THE DISCO DOLLYS The Luwow, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $5.00.

••EUREKA REBELLION TRADING/ SULTAN PARTY

- FEAT: DESECRATOR + ELECTRIK DYNAMITE + WITCHGRINDER + DEAD CITY RUINS. Evelyn Hotel,

DAN KELLY

My best friend’s last name is Kelly. When we were in primary school she got a puppy and we came up with the name Ned. We thought we were fucking hilarious. Dan Kelly probably had the same idea and even better ideas, like Dan Kelly’s Christmas Spectacular featuring Dan Kelly’s Dream Band, Civil Civic, Bayou, Cool Sounds and more. It’s all happening this Saturday, December 20 at the Shadow Electric.

LIBIDO + WASP Tote Hotel, Collingwood. 8:30pm. $5.00.

••SMALL WORLD EXPERIENCE + MILK TEDDY + THE

ANCIENTS John Curtin Hotel, Carlton. 8:00pm.

••STRAYLOVE + THE HARLOTS + ZUZU ANGEL +

STACKHOUSE + PHIL PARA Espy, St Kilda. 6:00pm.

••SUMMER BLOOD + INEDIA + COSMIC KAHUNA +

THE FURROWS Public Bar, North Melbourne. 8:30pm. $10.00.

••SUN RISING CHRISTMAS SHOW Flying Saucer Club, Elsternwick. 8:40pm. $27.00.

••THANDO Bar Open, Fitzroy. 9:00pm.

••THE CAIROS + FOREIGH/NATIONAL + REDSPENCER Northcote Social Club, Northcote. 8:30pm. $17.00.

••TOTAL GIOVANNI + I/O + DJ LA POCOCK Shebeen, Melbourne Cbd. 8:30pm. $12.00.

••UNDERGROUND LOVERS Howler, Brunswick. 8:00pm. $20.00.

••UPTOWN ACE + THE SURE FIRE MIDNIGHTS +

MARICOPA WELLS + COSA NOSTRA + DJ KEZBOT Old Bar, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $10.00.

••VIRTUE + JASPER’S DILEMMA Great Britain Hotel, Richmond. 8:00pm.

••VOODOOCAIN + SUPER SALOON + WILD VIOLET Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. $13.00.

XMAS EVEN

Why do white girls always travel in threes? Because they can’t even. Aussie indie-rockers Even travel in threes but they can even. And this year they are back with Xmas Even, two massive nights of music with a special guest all the way from Nashville, Jasmin Kaset. It all goes down Friday December 19 and Saturday December 20 at the Gasometer Hotel. ••WINTERPLAN + TOGETHER APART Workers Club, Fitzroy. 2:00pm. $7.00.

••XMAS EVEN + JASMIN KASET + FLYYING COLOURS

+ DJ FEE B2 Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm.

$20.00.

JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC ••BEETHOVEN’S CHRISTMAS - FEAT: MICHAEL

WOODS & CURT THOMPSON Melbourne Recital Centre, Southbank. 7:00pm. $52.00.

••HETTY KATE QUARTET Uptown Jazz Cafe, Fitzroy. 8:00pm.

••JEFF DUFF Caravan Music Club, Oakleigh. 8:00pm. $28.00.

••OPEN STUDIO XMAS PARTY - FEAT: JUDGE PINO &

THE RULING MOTIONS Open Studio, Northcote. 8:00pm.

••RENEE GEYER (THE CHRISTMAS CONCERT)

Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Melbourne Cbd. 8:30pm. $45.00.

••RUBY’S SPECIAL BLUE NOTE SERIES Ruby’s Music Room, Melbourne Cbd. 7:00pm. $15.00.

••SARAH MACLAINE & THE ROGER CLARK QUARTET Dizzy’s Jazz Club, Richmond. 9:00pm. $25.00.

••SEXTETO ZONA SUL - FEAT: DDV SEXTETO ZONA

SUL SEXTETO ZONA SUL Paris Cat Jazz Club, Melbourne

Cbd. 7:30pm. $20.00.

••THE FURBELOWS Paris Cat Jazz Club, Melbourne Cbd.

Fitzroy. 8:00pm. $10.00.

••GLIDE/WILLIAM ARTHUR TRIBUTE + STEVE

KILBEY + ASHLEY NAYLOR + PETER FENTON + JAMIE HUTCHINGS + CHARLIE HORSE + J M S HARRISON + DAVEY LANE + THE VOID Workers Club,

Fitzroy. 7:00pm. $15.00.

••INTO THE WOODS Catfish, Fitzroy. 8:00pm.

••JJOOBBEE + RED WORM + ADAM BISHOP + DJ

LEPPARD Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 8:00pm.

••JUKEBOX RACKET The B.east, Brunswick East. 8:30pm. ••KING EVIL + DJ ANDY YOUNG Yah Yah’s, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. $13.00.

••KING OF THE NORTH + CHILD + FUCK THE FITZROY

DOOM SCENE Ding Dong Lounge, Melbourne Cbd. 9:00pm. $10.00.

••KREMLINGS + MIGHTY BOYS + BAD VISION +

THE SHABBAB + GIRL CRAZY Grace Darling Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. $10.00.

••MADDIE DUKE + SNOWY NASDAQ Old Bar, Fitzroy. 3:00pm.

••MASSIVE + DEAD CITY RUINS + DIRT RIVER RADIO

+ TEQUILA MOCKINGBYRD + THE BALLS + SMOKIN MIRRORS + ICE ON MERCURY Bendigo Hotel, Collingwood. 4:00pm.

••MICK THOMAS & THE ROVING COMMISSION +

MUSTERED COURAGE + RUBY BOOTS Corner Hotel,

Richmond. 8:30pm. $25.00.

••PAULIE BIGNELL & THE THORNBURY TWO Union Hotel, Brunswick. 9:00pm.

••RACCOON CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT +

FEVERTEETH + WORLD AT A GLANCE + SHELTERED + MIDWIFE + SHUT UP JACKSON + ENDUT HOCH HECH Reverence Hotel, Footscray. 6:30pm. $10.00. ••RED JUMPSUIT APPARATUS (ALL AGES) Arrow On Swanston, Carlton. 8:00pm.

••RIFFMAS - FEAT: RIFF FIST + MY LEFT BOOT +

ARROWHEAD + MOTHERSLUG + MUSCLE CAR + CEMENT PIG Tote Hotel, Collingwood. 7:00pm. $7.00. ••ROCK & ROWDY XMAS PARTY Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick. 4:00pm.

••RON S PENO & THE SUPERSTITIONS + THE

RIFLEBIRDS + WAYWARDBREED DUO Reverence

Hotel, Footscray. 8:30pm. $10.00.

••SHAMBELLES Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East. 9:30pm. ••SHENANIGANS - FEAT: RADIO CHOAS Pier Live, Frankston. 8:00pm.

••SHIT SEX + SPACEJUNK + PLYERS + TEENAGE

CHECK OUT ALL THE LATEST NEWS, REVIEWS AND FREE SHIT AT BEAT.COM.AU

BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 45


GIG GUIDE

WHAT'S ON AROUND MELBOURNE THIS WEEK

THE PUSH PRESENT

ACCESS ALL AGES

For all the latest gigs check out beat.com.au 8:30pm. $25.00.

••THE GROOVETONES Harts Hotel, Footscray. 8:30pm.

••THE REBECCA MENDOZA QUARTET Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Melbourne Cbd. 8:30pm. $25.00.

••WHODAFUNKIT + ANDRE & THE GIANT MANTRA Penny Black, Brunswick. 9:30pm.

ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK ••ACTION SAM European Bier Cafe, Melbourne Cbd. 10:00pm.

••ALANNAH RUSSACK & THE EVOLUTION ARIES +

GLENN MUSTO Wesley Anne, Northcote. 8:00pm.

••BEN ABRAHAM + ROWENA WISE Thornbury Theatre, Thornbury. 8:00pm. $25.00.

••BUDDHA IN A CHOCOLATE BOX Sooki Lounge, Belgrave. 9:00pm. $10.00.

••CHARM OF FINCHES Penny Black, Brunswick. 3:00pm. ••CHRISTMAS IN FITZROY - FEAT: THE DANNY

WALSH BAND Labour In Vain, Fitzroy. 5:00pm.

••JACKIE MARSHALL + THE FAT LAMBS + SARAH

CARROLL & LAMB ZERO Spotted Mallard, Brunswick. 9:00pm.

DEB STARR Musicland, Fawkner. 2:00pm. ••MY ELEPHANT RIDE + MINISTRY OF PLENTY + CHAMBERS Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $8.20. ••PALM SPRINGS + THE ANCIENTS + FULL UGLY Tote Hotel, Collingwood. 7:00pm.

••PHOEBE DAICOS & THE SIMMER DOWNS + KING

PUPPY & THE CARNIVORE + MILLI CASEY Brunswick

Hotel, Brunswick. 8:00pm.

••ROAD TRAIN + BLIND THRILLS + BARELY

SUPERVISED Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. ••SASCHA ION Victoria Hotel, Brunswick. 5:00pm. ••SEXGRIMES + GLEN & THE PEANUTBUTTERMEN + POWER SKIDS Bendigo Hotel, Collingwood. 5:00pm. $5.00. ••SONGS FROM AFIELD - FEAT: ARI + NENEH + SORAYA + ZEPH + SALVADOR + ELISSA + ARKIE + CHAZ + LUCA + DAISY Workers Club, Fitzroy. 2:00pm. ••SOPHIE OFFICER + IAN MADDICK + SHANE BAUER Great Britain Hotel, Richmond. 8:00pm.

••THE JACKRABBITS + DIAMONDS OF NEPTUNE +

DANY ELSAFIN Grace Darling Hotel, Collingwood. 6:30pm. $8.00.

WITH RUTH MIHELCIC

NICK CAVE

Nick Cave is an Australian musician, songwriter, author, screenwriter, composer and occasional film actor and if you didn’t already know he is an all round legend. Nick Cave is playing at the Plenary, Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre Wednesday December 17 and Thursday December 18. 6:00pm.

••SPENCER P JONES Bridge Hotel, Castlemaine. 4:00pm.

••SPOONFUL + THE HORNETS + BLOOD RED BIRD +

DJ D-TRAIN Post Office Hotel, Coburg. 4:30pm.

••SUNDAY SESSIONS - FEAT: VARIOUS ARTISTS Lucky Coq, Windsor. 4:00pm.

••SUNDAY SESSIONS - FEAT: VARIOUS ARTISTS Ferntree Gully Hotel, Ferntree Gully. 2:00pm.

••THE HIRED GUNS Standard Hotel, Fitzroy. 7:00pm.

••KENNY JOE BLAKE & THE LOST CAJUNS Post Office

••THE NATIVE PLANTS CHRISTMAS SHOW Union

••NEIL MURRAY Bridge Hotel, Castlemaine. 8:30pm.

••THE SUNDAY SOCIAL CHRISTMAS PARTY Prince

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS

••POET REGULAR’S CHRISTMAS PARTY - FEAT:

••THE TESKEY BROTHERS Penny Black, Brunswick.

••CHERRY JAM Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 6:00pm.

Hotel, Coburg. 9:30pm.

••NICE TYPES Ascot Vale Hotel, Ascot Vale. 8:30pm.

GOATPISS GASOLINE + JIMMY DOWLING Drunken Poet, West Melbourne. 7:00pm.

••TANK T Wesley Anne, Northcote. 6:00pm.

••THE JOHN FLANAGAN BAND Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 5:00pm.

••THE STETSON FAMILY Union Hotel, Brunswick. 5:00pm. ••THE SWAMP STOMPERS Rainbow Hotel, Fitzroy. 9:30pm.

••VIC OLD TIME JAM SESSION - FEAT: CRAIG

WOODWARD + WARREN ROUGH Victoria Hotel,

Brunswick. 5:00pm.

SUNDAY DEC 21

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS

Hotel, Brunswick. 5:00pm.

Bandroom, St Kilda. 2:00pm. $14.30. 5:00pm.

••THEME TEAM + BUSTER FANTASTIC Yah Yah’s, Fitzroy. 6:00pm.

••THEME TEAM + BUSTER FANTASTIC Yah Yah’s, Fitzroy. 6:00pm.

••WHERE WERE YOU AT LUNCH? + FRAUDBAND +

••BYO VINYL SUNDAY SESSION Yarra Lounge, Yarraville. ••DAN & AL Corner Hotel, Richmond. 8:00pm. $17.00.

••EVERY NIGHT IS A SATURDAY NIGHT RECORD

PARTY - FEAT: BATPISS + THE SPINNING ROOMS + BAD VISION + KIDS OF ZOO + BRAT FARRAR + MUTTON Tote Hotel, Collingwood. 4:00pm. $12.00. ••GEOFF ACHISON + STAND & DELIVER 80S + SUPER SOUNDS MIXTAPE Espy, St Kilda. 6:00pm. ••JAPE SQUAD + THE STERLINGS + ANDY KENTLER + DIPSTICKS Victoria Hotel, Brunswick. 8:00pm. ••KIRA PURU + MARCUS TEAGUE + JEALOUS HUSBAND Workers Club, Fitzroy. 7:30pm. $7.00. ••KITTY BANG + THE RELATIVES + JASMINE KASET Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 6:30pm. $17.00.

••MIKE OLIPHANT Big Huey’s Diner, South Melbourne. 7:30pm.

••MUSICLANDS END OF YEAR XMAS PARTY - FEAT:

THUNDERSTRUCK + EINSTIENS TOYBOYS + DIVINYLS TRIBUTE BAND + NO EXIT + JOEY AMENTA BAND + CHAPTER RAY + BOBBY MILLER +

••ANDREW NOLTE & HIS ORCHESTRA Spotted Mallard, Brunswick. 5:00pm.

••BRAZILIAN JAZZ - FEAT: TAMIL ROGEON + DOUG

+ FIGUREHEAD + MOLLUSC + NOTHINGE Old Bar,

Fitzroy. 8:00pm. $5.00.

MOVEMENT Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $6.00. JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC ••ELISSA RODGER SEXTET + LUKE & LOZ 303, Northcote. 8:00pm.

••JAZZ FUSHION Ruby’s Music Room, Melbourne Cbd. 6:00pm. $10.00.

••RUBY’S LIVE JAZZ AFTER DARK - FEAT: PIANO TÉ Ruby’s Music Room, Melbourne Cbd. 8:30pm. $10.00.

••THE ALLAN BROWNE TRIO Bennetts Lane Jazz Club,

Melbourne Cbd. 8:30pm. $18.00.

••THE MUTUAL APPRECIATION SOCIETY - FEAT:

••MPAVILION (COSMO COSMOLINO) Melbourne Recital Centre, Southbank. 3:00pm.

Melbourne Cbd. 8:30pm. $18.00.

WAYWARD BREED + LES THOMAS Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 7:30pm.

••PEPPERCORN JAZZ BAND Open Studio, Northcote.

ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK

••SUMMER OF SOUL - FEAT: KYLIE AUDIST & THE

••VAN WALKER + THE CRABS + THE SATURDAY

5:00pm.

GLENROY ALL STARS + DJ VINCE PEACH + DJ MANCHILD Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 7:00pm. ••THE SUGARCANES + GREEN TIN + LOOSE TOOTH Old Bar, Fitzroy. 7:30pm. $8.00.

••TRIO AGOGO Wesley Anne, Northcote. 5:00pm.

ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK ••ALEX BURNS + JIMMY DOWLING Drunken Poet, West Melbourne. 4:00pm.

••AMARILLO Union Hotel, Brunswick. 3:30pm.

••CHRIS RUSSELL’S CHICKEN WALK + ARCHER + DJ

MAX CRAWDADDY Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 2:00pm.

$10.00.

••DAN DINNEN Catfish, Fitzroy. 5:00pm.

••DAVE HOGANS’ MELTDOWN Rainbow Hotel, Fitzroy. ••FLYING ENGINE STRINGBAND The Mercat, Melbourne. 12:00pm.

••FREYA BENNETT + BRONWYN ROSE + ANNA

CORDELL 303, Northcote. 6:00pm. ••GOATPISS GASOLINE Royal Oak Hotel, Fitzroy North. 4:00pm.

••IAN BLAND & LAMINGTON DRIVE ORCHESTRA Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East. 5:30pm.

••JAM SUNDAYS Musicland, Fawkner. 6:00pm.

••LOUNGE DETECTIVES Ascot Vale Hotel, Ascot Vale. 4:00pm.

••LUCKY 13 CHRISTMAS PARTY - FEAT: EZRA LEE &

THE HAVOC BAND Lucky 13 Garage, Moorabbin. 9:30pm.

SERVICES SOUNDPARK REHEARSALS NORTHCOTE. From $50. Great rooms/p.a’s. Parking/Storage/Hire. Phone Andrew 0425 706 382. Soundparkstudios.com.au

••LUKE TOOZE + SNOWY NASDAQ + THE OL’

SALES FOR SALE: 1 x ticket to a Taylor Swift concert 15 years in the future at a venue yet to be constructed, branded and renamed a bunch of times. Asking price: 1 billion dollaridoos. Email: impatient@getitwhileitshot.com

••MONIQUE SHELFORD Penny Black, Brunswick. 3:00pm.

BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 46

Northcote. 6:00pm.

Studio, Northcote. 8:00pm.

4:00pm.

MUSICIANS WANTED Bands/Acts wanted for Espy Shows. Shoot an email through to mark@gunnmusic.com.au for more details

SHOVELS + DUCK DUCK CHOP Northcote Social Club,

••THE VILLAINETEES + SUGAR GHOULS + VOWEL

••MICHAEL TORTONI TRIO Bennetts Lane Jazz Club,

ALLAN SISTERS DUO + SARAH EIDA Mr Boogie Man

7:00pm. $5.00.

••MONDAY NIGHT MASS - FEAT: MESA COSA +

JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC

Hotel, Footscray. 3:00pm.

3:00pm.

••4TRESS + NEVER THE EMPRESS + CHARM + THE

FOLKENHAIL BLUES Public Bar, North Melbourne.

••MUNDANE MONDAYS - FEAT: ORLANDO FURIOUS

Bar, Abbottsford. 7:30pm. $10.00.

Love, Brunswick East. 8:00pm.

••MATT BORG TRIO + STRUM REBELLION +

RAT FILTH Public Bar, North Melbourne. 4:00pm. ••WIL WAGNER + FOXTROT + GEORGIA MAQ Reverence

DE VRIES + AL KERR The Everleigh, Fitzroy. 9:30pm. ••JAZZ HAPPY HOUR - FEAT: CONNIE LANSBERG QUARTET Mardo’s, Port Melbourne. 2:00pm. ••JAZZHEAD SUNDAYS Lady Grange, St Kilda. 3:00pm. ••MACAULAY/GRIMES/NEYLAND/CAMERON Open

••THE UGLY KINGS + VIRTUE + THE BITS Whole Lotta

MONDAY DEC 22

FAITHFULS Wesley Anne, Northcote. 8:00pm. ••MARTY KELLY & THE WEEKENDERS Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East. 9:00pm.

••PETE EWINGS + HEXHAM VOX + SEAN

MCMAHON’S MOON MEN Labour In Vain, Fitzroy.

NIGHTS + JASMIN KASET BAND Labour In Vain,

Fitzroy. 4:00pm.

TUESDAY DEC 23

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS ••BAD NEWS TOILET + APES + TSUGNARLY + THE

MARY GOLDSMITHS Ding Dong Lounge, Melbourne Cbd. 9:00pm. $10.00.

••BRIGHTSIDE Espy, St Kilda. 7:30pm.

••CARL RUSSO Public Bar, North Melbourne. 7:00pm. $5.00. ••KRAKEN CHEAP RUM NIGHT - FEAT: MCALPINE’S

FUSILIERS + BUSH BROTHERS + MANDY CONNELL Old Bar, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. $6.00.

••THE BRUNSWICK HOTEL DISCOVERY NIGHT -

FEAT: LEADLIGHT + THE MEGAHERTZ Brunswick

Hotel, Brunswick. 8:00pm.

••THE PUBLICAN BAND Rainbow Hotel, Fitzroy. 9:30pm.

••THE RESIGNATORS + THE EXIT CROWD Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 8:30pm.

School’s finished, Santa comes in just over a week, and the results for the Freeza Push Start Battle of the Bands Regional Finals are in. No less than 225 bands from all across Victoria competed in the statewide comp, with heat winners progressing to the Regional Finals, of which we can now announce the nine finalists who will be battling it out at the Grand Final at Melbourne’s Moomba Festival on Friday March 7 next year: Congratulations to: • The Flats (Wellington) • Horris Green (Ballarat) • Revolution (Golden Plains) • The Bean Project (Yarra Ranges) • A-Ron and J.Jay (Hume) • Requiem (Horsham) • The Evercold (Casey) • Ember Rain (Melton) The prize pack these guys will be playing for at the Grand Final is pretty sweet: a day of engineering/ producing/recording and mixing from Hothouse Studios; Jack The Bear Deluxe Mastering session; pressing of 500 copies of your recording and a graphic design layout session by DEX Audio; poster/flyer printing campaign from Shout Out Loud Print and poster campaign from Plakkit; a kit of ‘band supplies’ including a Mapex snare drum, Vater drum sticks, Elixir guitar and bass strings, Samson vocal mic, DI and headphones and Hercules mic and guitar stands from Electric Factory; a 50 colour t-shirt run from Love Police; digital distribution campaign by Valleyarm; artist feature on The Push website and in Beat Magazine; and a complete clothing outfit from Dangerfield. So much good stuff. We’ll be featuring interviews with these guys on our website each week until Moomba, so check out www. thepush.com.au to learn more about them. Here’s some more news you can use: If you’re a singer/ songwriter, check out the Push Songs mentoring program and apply before you get too carried away with holidays and festivities. The innovative songwriting mentoring program kicks off again in February/March 2015, and if you’re lucky enough to score a place you’ll get one on one songwriting workshops with the likes of Charles Jenkins, Mark Seymour, Adalita, Greg Walker (Machine Translations) and Liz Stringer. The program is based at our Brunswick office and open to AA in Victoria. Apply ASAP at www.surrveymonkey. com/s/PS2015R1. If you’re a young Victorian aged 18-25 and are interested in establishing yourself in any area of the music industry (performing artists, composer, producer, sound engineer, event manager, booking agent, publicist, journalists, rock photographers, etc) then check out the FReeZA Mentoring Program. Applications are open for the 2015 program, which will see participants matched up, one-on-one, with a supportive mentor who’s already established within the industry. Positions are limited, so apply ASAP at www.surveymonkey.com/s/FREEZAMentoring15. Another opportunity for those interested in pursuing a career in the music industry, either on stage or behind the scenes, The Lynall Hall Community School will next year launch VAMP (VCAL Alternative Music Program). The program caters for secondary students in Years 10-12 who are interested in both music performance and how the music industry works. Running over three days per week, the program combines VET and VCAL units in live performance and event-based projects and outcomes. To apply and arrange an interview, contact Lynall Hall Community School on (03) 9428 4421 or lynall.hall.cs@edumail.vic.gov.au.

ALL AGES TIMETABLE WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 17 • End Of Year Film Exhibition, Horsham Centre Cinemas, 41 Pynsent St, Horsham, 9am-5pm, Free, contact on Meg Hall on 5391 4444, U18 THURSDAY DECEMBER 18 • Derrimut Celebration Day, YMCA Derrimut Health and Aquatic Centre, 11am-2pm, Free, www.derrimut.ymca.org.au, U18 SATURDAY DECEMBER 20 • Splashdown Pool Party w/ DJ Jessie, Cards After Midnight, Melton Wave Pool, 6:30-9:30pm, $5, www.facebook.com/ignite.productionz, U18

JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC ••RUBY’S LIVE JAZZ AFTER DARK - FEAT: DEXTER’S

ASIAN CONNECTION Ruby’s Music Room, Melbourne Cbd. 7:00pm. $15.00.

••TABLE 9 Ruby’s Music Room, Melbourne Cbd. 6:00pm. $10.00.

ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK ••ALMA KALORAMA + BRONI 303, Northcote. 8:00pm. ••BJ MORRISZONKLE + MATT KENNEALLY Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 7:30pm.

••IRISH SESSIONS Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East. 8:00pm. ••OPEN MIC Prince Public Bar, St Kilda . 8:00pm.

••SOPHIA WALTERS + POCKETS + SLIM JEFFRIES Great Britain Hotel, Richmond. 8:00pm.

WATCH INTERVIEWS, CHATS & AWKWARD SILENCES... BEAT.COM.AU/TV

BEN FOLDS

From falling off stage at a show in Japan to covering Dr. Dre’s Bitches Ain’t Shit, Ben Folds is arguably one of the whitest guys to ever grace this earth but somehow... he pulls it off. Embrace your inner white guy when Ben Folds plays the Arts Centre’s Hamer Hall, Friday December 19.


Thurs 18th @ 8.30 pm

BRENT PARLANE BAND (Alt-country songster)

Friday 19th @ 9.30pm

WARNER BROS

SATURDAY 20TH DECEMBER

DANNY WALSH BAND

CHRITZMAS IN FITZROY FROM 5PM

(Brotherly-love-machine)

Saturday 20th @ 9.30 pm

SHAMBELLES

(Girls rockin’ night out !)

Sunday 21st @ 5.30pm

SEAN MCMAHON’S MOON MEN

IAN BLAND & LAMINGTON DRIVE ORCHESTRA

MONDAY 22ND DECEMBER

@ 9.00 pm

SUNDAY 21ST DECEMBER

PETE EWING’S HEXHAM VOX FROM 5PM

BEK’S BIRTHDAY

VAN WALKER THE CRABS THE SATURDAY KNIGHTS JASMIN KASET BAND FROM 5PM

DOUGY & WESTON BBQ ON THE ROOF TOP EVERY FRIDAY, SATURDAY & SUNDAY ALL SUMMER LONG...

(Suburban songster)

MARTY KELLY & THE WEEKENDERS (Acoustic roots)

Tuesday 23rd @ 8.00pm

IRISH SESSION (Fiddlin’ frenzy)

ALL GIGS ARE FREE

EXCELLENT RESTAURANT AND BAR MEALS

LOMOND HOTEL 225 NICHOLSON STREET BRUNSWICK EAST, VIC 3057 9380 1752

Wed 17th December

‘Wine, Whiskey, Women’ 8pm: Celia Church 9pm: Gretta Ziller Thurs 18th December

8pm: Ciaran Boyle 9pm: SleePy WeST Fri 19th December 6pm: Traditional irish Music Session with Dan Bourke & Friends

8.30pm: Harmaniax Sat 20th December

7pm: Jimmy

Dowling & Matt Walker 9pm: Goatpiss Gasoline Sun 21st December

PoeT reGUlarS XMaS ParTy 4pm: Jimmy Dowling & Matt Walker 6.30pm: alex Burns Tues 22nd december

8pm: Weekly

Trivia

The Drunken Poet, 65 Peel Street (directly opposite Queen Vic Market), Phone: 03 9348 9797. www.thedrunkenpoet.com.au

BURGERS-BOOZE-BANDS

E VE R Y T U E A S D AY R O C K A N D P O P C U LT U R E T R I V I A

TUESDAYS

TRIVIA @ 7pm - $6 CHILLI DOGS ALL NIGHT Wednesday 17TH DECEMBER

Jukebox RequesTs

h o s t e d by J e s s M c G u i r e & G e o r g e H - T A B L E B O O K I N G S T R O N G LY R E C O M M E N D E D -

E VE R Y WE D N E S D AY IT’S A WING THING

Basket of Wings for $10

@ 7pm wITH 2-1 meALS

- S o u t h e r n s t y l e f r i e d s t i c ky c h i c k e n w i n g s -

Thursday 18TH DECEMBER

T H U R S D AY 1 8 T H D E C E M B E R

The beAT RAffle

wITH pOSTIe p & DJ BuICk @ 7pm - fuNk/SOuL/pArTy JAmS $15 JuGS & $1 wINGS ALL NIGHT. DrINk DrINkS, HeAr BeATS, wIN STuff.

Friday 19TH DECEMBER

fuNkIN’ GoNuTs DJS pLAyING ALL THe CLASSIC fuNk/SOuL/DISCO vINyL @8pm

Saturday 20th DECEMBER

suPeR GRouse sATuRDAY 11 HOurS Of DJS AND LIve BeAT mAkerS. free pLAy ArCADeS AND mATeS rATeS ALL DAy @ 2pm

Sunday 21st DECEMBER

DJ Richard Buck

F R I D AY 1 9 T H D E C E M B E R THE BEAST XMAS PARTY

T H E S T I F F YS + SWA M P F U N K D J S - FOOD AND DRINK SPECIALS ALL NIGHT -

S A T U R D AY 2 0 T H D E C E M B E R J U K E B OX R A C K E T + PBS DJS

S U N D AY B L O O DY S U N D AY D J T O P H E AV Y

The fuRbelows

4 S T Y L E S O F B L O O DY M A R YS A L L D AY

ALL free eNTry

O P E N 7 d ays a we e k 11AM TIL LATE

5 pIeCe SwING BAND @7pm $15 JuGS ALL DAy

Grumpy HOur $6 pINTS AND $5 BASICS Tues-Fri from 4-7pm.125 Smith Street, Fitzroy.

www.GrumpySGreeN.COm.Au CHECK OUT ALL THE LATEST NEWS, REVIEWS AND FREE SHIT AT BEAT.COM.AU

facebook.com/thebeastburgers i n s t a g r a m T H E B E A S T B U R G E R S - w w w. t h e b - e a s t. c o m PH 9036 1456 | 80 LYGON ST BRUNSWICK EAST

BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 47


BACKSTAGE For more information or ad bookings call Aleksei on 9428 3600

: SKY MUSIC STORE PROFILE

Location: 4/2181 Princes Highway, Clayton, 3168. Established: Since humble beginnings back in 2006, Sky Music has exploded onto the music retail scene. We have a massive range of gear, competitive pricing and professional service, that has really struck a chord with musicians who live locally and musicians across Australia who visit our store online. What are the main brands and products Sky Music specialise in? It will be well worth visiting Sky Music in the lead up to Christmas, where the team has unveiled a huge stash of amazing gear at crazy Christmas prices, not to be missed. Hung alongside a massive range of Gibson, Fender, Epiphone, Cole Clark, Martin and Indie guitars, there will be some ripper deals on Gretsch and Maton guitars too. Sky Music also sell the best

ACROSS

BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 48

range of Peavey, Orange, Kustom, BOSS, Digitech, Roland and Marshall products with a massive range of mics and accessories at great prices too. What is Sky Music’s point of difference? Where else can you see over 700 guitars hanging on the walls and 100 amps on the floor? Sky Music has the biggest range of guitars and amps in Australia, and our staff will go out of their way to make sure you find the right gear at the best price possible. What’ s up for grabs at your current Christmas Sale? The Sky Music Christmas Sale is on now, with a huge range of stock on sale store wide, so come down and check it out. For example you can pick-up a Shure SM58 on sale at $135, a Maton Mini EML/6 String at a bargain $887 or if you’re looking for a present for someone that wants to

learn guitar a ‘Legends Starter Pack’ that includes a Squire by Fender Bullet Strat HSS electric guitar and a Marshall MG10CF amp (inc. guitar lead) at the crazy sale price of $275. Make sure Visit skymusic.com.au for the latest sale details, it must be seen to be believed!

Phone: 9546 0188 Website: www.skymusic.com.au

Oh Looky Here, A Crossword. DOWN

WATCH INTERVIEWS, CHATS & AWKWARD SILENCES... BEAT.COM.AU/TV


BACKSTAGE For more information or ad bookings call Aleksei on 9428 3600

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Huge Selection – All major Brands

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www.bssound.com.au bssound@bigpond.com

Rehearsal & Recording Studios Large Rooms $70 Medium Rooms $60 ANY NIGHT! Large Rooms $60 Medium Rooms $50 EVERY DAY!

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FOR MORE INFORMATION OR AD BOOKINGS CALL ALEKSEI ON 9428 3600

www.soundcitymelbourne.com

AUSTRALIA’S ONLY NATIONAL MUSIC STREET PRESS WITH A COMPREHENSIVE AND FREE DISTRIBUTION. DESIGNED, WRITTEN AND CREATED FOR MUSICIANS AND LOVERS OF MUSIC.

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INDUSTRIAL STRENGTH

MUSIC INDUSTRY NEWS & GOSSIP

With Christie Eliezer * Stuff for this column to be emailed to <celiezer@netspace.net.au> by Friday 5pm

VICTORIA LOSES FOUR MUSIC FIGURES

Graeme Goodall, the Melbourne-born producer who played an instrumental role in taking Jamaica’s reggae and Ska to the world by setting up Island Records with Chris Blackwell and Leslie Kong, passed away at 82. Starting out presenting on radio in Australia, he moved to London in the ‘50s to study television. Helping Jamaican radio with technical issues, he got involved in Jamaican music as sound engineer, record producer and label exec. Island formed in 1962 just for the Jamaican market, but acts as Bob Marley, Millie Small (My Boy Lollipop), Sly & Robbie and Peter Tosh made it a global brand. He left Island and set up Dr. Bird Records in 1965. St Kilda might give singer Ruby Carter a New Orleans-style funeral jazz parade down Acland Street. The great old matriarch of Melbourne jazz who inspired and mentored generations of singers passed away aged 77 after a ten year battle with cancer. Born in Glasgow, she migrated in 1974 and quickly became “an essential ingredient in the Melbourne jazz scene, whether on stage or in the audience,” according to Wangaratta Festival of Jazz and Blues curator Adrian Jackson. Ross Lipson, who was behind Geelong Sweethearts music program, passed from cancer aged 57. He formed them in 1989 from students and teachers of Matthew Flinders College, where he taught. Sweethearts, who did their sixth international tour this year, posted on FB: “Thank you to Ross, the man who started it all and never gave up redefining what was possible.” Chucky Xypolitos, sound monitor dude at Palms at Crown Casino for the past ten years, died of a heart attack. He worked at Troy Balance and with Jimmy Barnes, Yothu Yindi, The Angels and Southern Sons.

AUSSIE ISPs GIVEN 120 DAYS TO DEVISE A CODE

The Australian Government has given Australian Internet service providers 120 days to come up with an industry code to “take reasonable steps” to block copyright infringement on their networks. If they don’t by April 8, the Government will impose its own code. In new rules, presented to Cabinet for approval, infringing consumers will not be punished or have their internet speeds slowed. But their access to overseas sites with pirated stuff will be blocked. Consumer groups argue that illegal downloading is due to higher prices and slow access to shows. A Choice survey found Aussies who pirate are avid consumers, and more likely to also buy content from legal downloads and subs. 33 per cent of Aussies illegally download. 49 per cent of these pay more for content.

JAY-Z WINS ONE-SYLLABLE SAMPLE CASE

A New York judge threw out a case brought against Jay-Z by hip hop label TufAmerica that he sampled an “oh” on Run This Town from The Blueprint 3. It came from the track Hook & Sling Part 1. The judge ruled the word ‘oh’s “a single and commonplace word” and “not deserving of copyright protection.” It didn’t matter, he said, the “oh” was sampled 40 times on Jay-Z’s track.

STEREOSONIC TO INTRODUCE DRESS CODE

A brawl involving 20 idiots at the Sydney stop of Stereosonic, saw festival co-founder Frank Cotela lambast those bringing “roid up bro’s muscle culture” to the event. “Brother EVERYONE is laughing at your shorts, singlets, fake tans, bumbags and cartoon shaped bodies, But more importantly we are sick of the charged up violence you bring… time for a change. If it means that we will profile you at entry point and stop you entering – you will be stopped. 40 dumb khunts are not going to spoil a great day enjoyed by thousands.”

DR DRE HIGHEST PAID

Dr Dre was most-paid musician of 2014, with a record US$620 million, helped by selling his Beats to Apple for $3 billion (last year’s winner Madonna only made $125m). Beyonce was at #2 with $115m, followed by The Eagles ($100m), Bon Jovi ($82m), Bruce Springsteen ($81m), Justin Bieber ($80m), One Direction ($75m), Paul McCartney ($71m), Calvin Harris ($66m), Toby Keith ($65m). Taylor Swift ($64m), Jay-Z ($60m), Diddy & Bruno Mars in a tie ($60 million) and Justin Timberlake ($57m).

THINGS WE HEAR

* Which celeb told her manager before her family she has a bun in the oven? * Which media savvy label exec who “leaked” he was available for new gigs was disappointed when the BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 50

hoped for bidding war didn’t eventuate? * Richie Sambora is in Oz over Christmas. He’s joining his girlfriend, former Michael Jackson guitarist Orianthi, who’s back in Adelaide for a spell. * In the latest sales certifications in Australia, Sheppard’s Geronimo has gone 5 x platinum, while Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson (ft. Bruno Mars) and One Direction’s Steal My Girl went gold. Of albums, Taylor Swift’s Red is 4 x platinum and her 1989 picked up its second platinum. triple j’s Like A Version Vol 10 and Nickelback’s No Fixed Address went gold. * Dave Grohl reckons there are 1,300 hours of Sonic Highways footage left. * Avicii has the most Shazamed song of all time. The DJ’s hit Wake Me Up with Aloe Blacc collected more than 19 million queries on Shazam to date. * Original AC/DC singer Dave Evans is a big name in Russia and Ukraine. Following tours, new EP What About Tomorrow is getting airplay there. * So why is Scott Stapp broke and homeless after Creed sold 27 million albums in the US alone? His wife, who is divorcing him, said he’d disappear for days on drug binges. He blew $1.5 million in a year. * On the eve of their 2015 tour of Australian tour, US band Chiodos have lost guitarist Thomas Erak and will announce his replacement shortly. * The cop who shot the man who went on rampage in a Columbus nightclub in 2004 and killed Pantera’s Dimebag and three others, lost his career as a result. James Niggemeyer said he suffered post-traumatic stress disorder and severe anxiety disorder as a result and left the force three years later. * Beyonce and Jay Z are buying $85 million LA mansion with eight bedrooms and 15 bathrooms. She’s also rumoured to be preggers again. * Every Time I Die guitarist Jordan Buckley was so annoyed seeing a fan taking an onstage selfie that he kicked the phone out of the dude’s hands. * Vestax, the Japanese manufacturer of DJ equipment including turntables and digital mixers, reportedly filed for bankruptcy after more than 37 years. * Ballarat acts get another place to play, when The Provincial on Lydiard Street opens end of April. Renovations on the 105-year building, which has been closed for seven years, will include a piano bar and a performance stage. * In the first radio ratings in nine years for Colac, MIXX FM was #1 with a 31.5 per cent share, followed by ABC Local Radio (18.7 per cent.) and 3CS (16 per cent).

DAINTY TAKES GREATER STAKE IN BANGTANGO

Dainty Group has increased its stake in premium ticket provider BangTango, which offers sponsorship and ticketing packages to first-access tickets. BangTango has done these services as early sale tix and VIP meet and greets for Dainty tours as Bon Jovi and Katy Perry. Paul Dainty says BangTangodriven sponsorships can sell up to 50,000 tickets: “The equivalent to an additional, incremental, arena show in each market.”

NOMINATIONS CALL FOR AUSTRALIAN JAZZ BELL AWARDS

Nominations have opened for the 2015 Australian Jazz Bell Awards, held in Melbourne on April 30. Each of the eight categories has a $5,000 cash prize. Full info at www.bellawards.org, nominations close on Wednesday February 11.

IMPULSE ENTERTAINMENT BUYS MUSICSHOP.COM.AU

Brisbane based wholesaler Impulse Entertainment acquired online retailer MusicShop.com.au. Existing staff Paul Freney and Mary-Ellen Litchfield stay on. The Music Shop began 30 years ago as a bricks and mortar retailer. Impulse boss Craig Thompson said; “Coupled with our existing logistics expertise and digital presence, we believe we can revitalise The Music Shop for the 21st century.” More items will be added to The Music Shop’s vinyl, CDs, DVDs, Blu-ray, music books and audio accessories. Impulse began in 1998 in a garage and now has 55 staffers, along the way buying Satellite Entertainment, Countrywide Music and One Stop Entertainment.

NEW SIGNINGS #1: NEW TEAM FOR EVES THE BEHAVIOUR

Brisbane 22-year old singer/songwriter and producer Eves is now Eves The Behaviour. “Most of my lyrics are behavioural studies,” she explains. With new music set for release in 2015, Hannah Karydas signed a record deal with Dew Process, booking with Village Sounds and publishing with Alberts.

NEW SIGNINGS #2: NEW DEALS FOR CALIGULA’S HORSE

Brisbane’s alt-prog Caligula’s Horse signed with New York’s The Agency Group for North American bookings. Their new agent Josh Kline also looks after Bring Me The Horizon, Trivium and Protest The Hero. They also signed management with Melbourne based Wild Thing Presents who already handle their Oz bookings. The band tours the East Coast through January.

NEW SIGNINGS #3: OISIMA AT CREATE-CONTROL

LIFELINES Split: Muse’s Matt Bellamy and actress Kate Hudson, they have a son, 3. Ill: Avril Lavigne experiencing “health issues” and asked fans to pray for her. Ill: Former Sydney radio and Sounds Unlimited host Donnie Sutherland will

With plans to release his debut album Nicaragua Nights in mid-2015, Adelaide’s Oisima (real name: Anth Wendt) signed with Create/Control. Mixing soul with Middle Eastern and jazz, he made a name with his Jewels of Thought mixtapes and the Dusk Till Dawn and Goddess EPs.

have his voice box removed after his throat

NEW SIGNINGS #4: JIM LAWRIE WITH BARELY DRESSED

to make a “full recovery.”

Melbourne drummer turned singer/songwriter act Jim Lawrie teamed with Barely Dressed/Remote Control Records for the release his second album EONS in February. His appearances include the three Falls Festivals.

NEW SIGNINGS #5: SOUL BENEFITS ENTER BIG VILLAGE

Western Sydney hip hop trio Soul Benefits inked with Big Village Records who release their debut album early 2015. MC Storme, Young Supreme and MC/ producer/DJ The 26th Letter formed in 2010 mixing ‘90s boom bap, classic funk/soul, and current hip hop and electronica with their NZ heritage.

NEW SIGNINGS #6: FOOD COURT JOIN 123 AGENCY

Sydney garage fuzz band Food Court signed their bookings to Melbourne’s 123 Agency. Agent Harry Moore called their live set “simply one of best live shows I have been to in a long time.” They’re opening for UK buzz band Catfish And The Bottlemen at the Sydney end of their inaugural tour. Already on triple j, their new single On The River also has FBi play.

EAT NOISE RELAUNCHES

cancer returned. Ill: Green Day guitarist Jason White has been diagnosed with tonsil cancer. Since his doctors “caught it early,” he is expected In Court: Ryan Thomas Barr, 20, pleaded guilty to supplying drugs in Townsville District Court. He’d turned up to the Groovin’ The Moo festival with an E-tab, panicked when he saw cops and sniffer dogs at the gate, and tried to sell it off outside for $30 – and, duh, got spotted by the cops. In Court: Hilltop Hoods fan Richard Moroney

fined

$500

at

Mackay

Magistrates Court for twirling his sweater above his head at an October 18 show and throwing it at the stage. Struggling with cops who tried to throw him out didn’t help either. Suing: ex-Creedence Clearwater Revival folks Doug Clifford, Stu Cook and the wife of late guitarist Tom Fogerty, take action against leader John Fogerty for using the name for his Creedence

Evan Read’s Melbourne based www.eatnoise.com, a social hub to cultivate and foster live music culture, has been re-launched. It lists 60 bands from Australia, 40 from abroad. Read is giving away a prize of a video shoot to a lucky band, and a photo shoot to the runnerup. Winner will be chosen by musicians including The Audreys, Brothers Grim, Wagons and Eddy Current Suppression Ring, and play at the EatNoise launch party in March.

Clearwater Revisited tour.

MOMBASSA EXHIBITION

Tony Lowe alleging he paid his own fees

Suing: Dr Luke is hitting celebrity lawyer Mark Geragos over alleged tweets that he raped Lady Gaga. Geragos is representing Ke$ha in her ongoing sexual battery case against the producer. Suing: Pete Murray suing accountant

Reg Mombassa paintings on display at 45 Downstairs in Flinders Lane until Saturday are from his Hallucinatory Anthropomorphism (Victorian Selection): Paraphysical Manifestations of the Collective Unconscious collection.

out of Murray’s accounts over six years

TWERPS OFF TO THE US

and Andy Gibb, found dead in his mother’s

Twerps are off to tour America, where they are signed with booking agent Michelle Cable from Panache. They are doing 18 shows from Friday March 13 to Saturday April 11, with more dates to be added. The tour covers New York, Atlanta, Austin (three shows at SXSW), Denver, San Francisco, Seattle, Minneapolis and Chicago. Their second album Range Anxiety is out on Friday January 23 through Chapter Music, with an international release four days later on Merge Records. Chapter is giving away their new single Shoulders (penned by guitarist Julia McFarlane) to those who pre-order the album.

GETAWAY PLAN HIT THE STUDIO

After reaching their crowd-funding target via PledgeMusic, The Getaway Plan are in Sing Sing studios with Samuel K working on album number three, Dark Horses. It’s the first time they recorded in Melbourne. They preview the songs on national dates, including regionals like Bendigo, Torquay and Warrnambool.

SWEAT IT OUT & MAKER WIN CUP FOR SECOND YEAR

The combined Sweat It Out and Maker team won Sydney’s Música Copa for a second time. Aided by

WATCH INTERVIEWS, CHATS & AWKWARD SILENCES... BEAT.COM.AU/TV

without permission. Died: Dana Miller, US manager for one time idols Corey Hart, Rick Springfield house in Pasadena.

fancy footwork from What So Not and Motez, they whopped the OneLove team and gave $5000 to their chosen charity, St Vincent De Paul Society. One Love donated their $4000 to beyondblue. MTV shoved Mushroom aside to third place, and handed over $3000 to St Vincent.




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