Feat DEAD INSIDE, PSYCHO and MERCY
OUT NOW Also available CD/DVD limited edition and 2LP vinyl
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Wombat state records presents
Elbrus Masco SOund System Scurvylicious Danny Kransky Ruby thursday june 11 brunswick hotel
Sat 13 June 5pm
CisCo Caesar
A seamless mash-up of blues, soul, vintage rock and alt-country
Sat 13 June 9pm
The New savages
Rockin’ two piece blues ‘n’ rockabilly outfit makes its Union debut.
Sun 14 June 3.30pm
Coal TraiN robberies
Nick Hadgelias and Alison Strumberger, playing tunes with guitars, mandolin, lapsteel, and whatever else they can find.
Sundays in June, 5pm
MorelaNd soul review Get on board the soul train as this all-star cast of musos plays old soul and soulful funk. Check ‘em out!
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IN THIS ISSUE
12
HOT TALK
16
TOURING
18
REMI
20
WHAT’S ON, JOEL CREASEY
21
ART OF THE CITY, THE COMIC STRIP, CALENDAR
22
THE LONELY WOLF, THE GOBLIN BALL, THEATRE REVIEW: NORTH BY NORTHWEST
23
OUT OF THE CLOSET, BEAT EATS
26
EVERYTHING EVERYTHING, DANIEL JOHNS, LEFTFIELD
27
MARK RONSON
28
ALPINE, GENGAHR, RIFLEBIRDS
29
DANIEL JOHNS page 26
DEEZ NUTS, MAKE THEM SUFFER
EVERY THING EVERY THING page 26
30
BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, PALLBEARER
31
CORE/CRUNCH
32
MUSIC NEWS
37
LIVE
38
ALBUM OF THE WEEK, SINGLES, CHARTS
LEFTFIELD page 26 3 NEWTON STREET RICHMOND, VICTORIA 3121 Phone: (03) 9428 3600 Fax: (03) 9428 3611 email: info@beat.com.au www.beat.com.au BEAT MAGAZINE EMAIL ADDRESSES: (no large attachments please): Gig Guide: online at beat.com.au email gigguide@beat.com.au - it’s free! Club Listings: online at beat.com.au email clubguide@beat.com.au - it’s free! Music News Items: music@beat.com.au Artwork: art@beat.com.au Beat Classifieds 33c a word: classifieds@beat.com.au PUBLISHER: Furst Media Pty Ltd. MUSIC EDITOR: Cara Williams ARTS EDITOR / ASSOCIATE MUSIC EDITOR: Tyson Wray
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Tyson Wray: tyson@beat.com.au ACCOUNTANT: accountant@furstmedia.com.au OFFICE MANAGER: Lizzie Dynon: lizzie@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 Gunzburg, Anna Kanci, Cassandra Kiely, Charles Newbury, Richard Sharman, Tony Proudfoot, Laura May Grogan, Mark Stanjo, David Harris, Emily Day, Maddison Pitt SPECIAL PROJECTS EDITOR: Christie Eliezer SENIOR CONTRIBUTOR: Patrick Emery SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER: Ian Laidlaw COLUMNISTS: Emily Kelly, Peter Hodgson, Lachlan Kanoniuk BEAT TV/WATT’S ON PRESENTER: Dan Watt
ALBUMS
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BACKSTAGE/THE LOCAL,
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INDUSTRIAL STRENGTH
CONTRIBUTORS: Kelsey Berry, Graham Blackley, Gloria Brancatisano, Chris Bright, Avrille Bylock-Collard, Meg Crawford, Alexander Crowden, Liza Dezfouli, 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, Thomas Brand, Alex Watts, 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. © 2015 Furst Media Pty Ltd. No part may be reproduced without the consent of the copyright holder.
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HOT TALK THE BIGGEST IN INTERNATIONAL & NATIONAL NEWS
ELLA THOMPSON
KID RADIO
ACMI: BOWIE L ATE NIGHTS To celebrate the David Bowie Is exhibition, ACMI will keep the gallery open late two nights per week with live entertainment from July to October. On Thursday nights, Bowie Late Nights will provide an up close and intimate evening of DJs spinning tunes in celebration of the music icon, while on Fridays you’ll get a diverse program of live music performance and DJs. Live entertainment will feature a stellar cast of performers, including The Bombay Royale, LUCIANBLOMKAMP, Mojo Juju, Total Giovanni, Immigrant Union, Collarbones and Jen Cloher, to namedrop just a few. The Melbourne exclusive exhibition, all the way from London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, provides an access all areas pass to the David Bowie Archive. It features over 300 objects including lyric sheets, hundreds of photographs, stage sets, rare videos, filmed live shows, memorabilia, over 50 costumes and interviews with key collaborators. David Bowie Is will feature at ACMI from Thursday July 16 until Sunday November 1, with Bowie Late Nights on Thursdays and Fridays. Tickets to Bowie Late Nights are available through ACMI.
Four-piece soulful electronic act Kid Radio are set to release their self titled debut album in July, followed by a massive run of shows across Australian before travelling to Europe. Kid Radio have refined their live set to bring a unique and organic sound to stages across the country, mixed with visual shows as stunning as the musical talent. They’ll be playing a show at Shebeen on Thursday July 30 – be sure to get your tickets from the venue’s website for this curious mix of musical and visual intrigue.
Ella Thompson has announced the launch her new album Janus this July. After previous collaborations, Janus sees Thompson soar as a songwriter and vocalist in a solo setting. You can catch Ella Thompson at Shebeen on Friday July 31. Tickets are on sale through the venue.
RIOT! RIOT! RIOT! Thursday nights in the inner north are about to rock a whole lot harder thanks to a new night at Laundry Bar. The Fitzroy institution has announced the launch of new weekly alternative music event Riot! Riot! Riot!, featuring live music ranging from metal to rock to punk. Opening night will see performances from the likes of The Sinking Teeth, Brittle Bones, Harbour and The Union Pacific, while Captives, Pridelands and Ghost Orchestra will take the stage in the weeks to follow. Riot! Riot! Riot! launches on Thursday June 11 at Laundry Bar. Entry is $10.
TIRED LION
SMOOTA
ANTHONIE TONNON After releasing his critically acclaimed album Up Here For Dancing back in 2012 under the moniker of Tono and The Finance Company, Anthonie Tonnon has prepared his new release Successor and is heading across Australia with a line of shows in support of the album. The album, touching on a classic art-pop sound with krautrock inspired riff work and a modern day veneer, aims to be released on Friday July 3 in Australia. Tonnon will be playing a show at The Gasometer Hotel when he arrives in Melbourne on Sunday August 9. Tickets are available from the venue’s website.
POKÉMON SYMPHONIC EVOLUTIONS After selling out concerts across America, Pokémon has announced that Pikachu and friends will get the orchestral treatment Down Under this November. Billed as “the must see-video game concert of the year,” the show will feature orchestral arrangements of music from the cult franchise accompanied by visuals from more than ten Pokémon games. Catch ‘em all when Pokémon Symphonic Evolutions hits the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre on Friday November 13. Tickets are on sale now through Ticketmaster. BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 12
Currently in Australia lending his formidable horn playing skills to TV On The Radio, Brooklyn provocateur, musician and performer Dave SMOOTA Smith will play a one-off show at The John Curtin Hotel this Thursday June 11. Smith has played trombone professionally for years, alongside acts like EL-P, Spoon, Sufjan Stevens and Sharon Jones, to name a few. Now though, he’s on a solo quest under the guise of when SMOOTA, where he combines the slinky DIY funk grooves of Shuggie Otis with the offbeat, trippy psychedelic stoner charm of James Pants, all topped off with a sly pervy streak that winks toward Serge Gainsbourg and the P-Funk mob. According to Smith, SMOOTA is his way of “exploring male sexuality and desire through music.” Bring it, we say. SMOOTA will hit up The John Curtin Hotel this Thursday June 11. Entry is $5 and tickets are on sale now via www.johncurtinhotel.com.
After releasing their first single off their upcoming Figurine EP, Perth four-piece Tired Lion are following up with the next single with a few shows across Melbourne to support the release. Titled Suck, the release comes after a series of successes for the band with an increasing online presence, support slots with acts such as Gyroscope, The 1975 and British India, along with a successful Like A Version mash-up of Violent Soho’s Saramona Said and the Smashing Pumpkins’ 1979. They’ll be playing two shows – the first at Shebeen on Saturday July 25, the second at Poison City Weekender on Saturday September 5. Tickets available from newworldartists.net.
A SKYLIT DRIVE Californian rockers A Skylit Drive will make the journey across the Pacific for a run of tour dates this August. Since forming in 2008, the five-piece have released four albums, with 2013’s Rise marking their most recent. They’ll bring their post-hardcore sound to Australia when they play a six-date national tour with guests Polaris and A Breach of Silence. A Skylit Drive will hit The Corner Hotel on Friday August 28. Tickets go on sale Monday June 8 through Oztix.
MIGHTIEST OF GUNS Melbourne’s Mightiest of Guns have unveiled the video clip for their latest single, Hot North Wind, before taking over Old Bar for their weekly residency this month. Shot at the Bella Union in early 2015, the band have released a new video clip that pays homage to 2001 indie flick The American Astronaut and features members of local bands Twin Beasts, Cherrywood and Bodies. The track is taken from their forthcoming debut album, Drink Over Your Grave, which will marks their first project since 2013’s Strange Birds EP. The single will be unveiled as a digital release only, but Mightiest of Guns will be giving it the live treatment every Sunday this month at Old Bar. Catch ‘em on Sunday June 14, 21 and 28 at Old Bar with a stellar roster of guests.
DAY R AV I E S To celebrate the release of their new album, Liminal Zones, Day Ravies have announced they will head off around the country throughout July and August. Liminal Zones follows on from the band’s 2013 debut LP Tussle and four-track cassette EP they put out earlier this year. The tour will take the four-piece to Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Hobart, Wollongong and Canberra. The band’s list of tour support slots include international bands The War On Drugs, Deerhunter and The Clean, as well as locals Pond, The Laurels and Dick Diver. They’ve also appeared on numerous festivals including Newtown Festival, At First Sight and Secret Garden, Boogie and the final Camp A Low Hum in Wellington. Catch Day Ravies at The Tote on Friday August 7.
F O R A L L T H E L AT E S T, C H E C K O U T B E AT.C O M . A U
life is noise presents
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band bookings: bandbookings@theoldbar.com.au
Melbourne rockers Pretty City have announced they’ll hit the road for a sixdate tour to celebrate the release of their new EP, The Triple A-Side. Featuring singles, Melt, Running Around and Second Hand Clothes, the EP is the result of the trio’s indecisiveness when it came to choosing their lead single. So instead of selecting one track, they chose all three. They’ll play them live when they hit Hugs & Kisses on Saturday June 20.
In conjunction with Leaps & Bounds Festival 2015, the Shadow Electric Bandroom has announced their latest series of shows with Label of Love – a celebration of local independent record labels. Running from Friday July 3 to Saturday August 1, each show will highlight a different label and the artists signed to it, with live music, popup merchandise stores, art exhibitions, food trucks, magicians and more. Featuring artists from Aarght, Poison City, Bedroom Suck, Butter Sessions, Rice Is Nice, Lost and Lonesome Records, HopeStreet, Big Village with Rawthentic, Breathlessness with Wigwam and Catch Release, be ready to get down to Shadow Electric this winter to catch this celebration of the independent music scene. Tickets available from shadowelectric.com.au.
SAM SMITH Following a vocal cord haemorrhage forcing him to cancel his last Australian tour, Sam Smith has announced he will return to our shores this November and December. Only getting through the sold-out Brisbane and Sydney stops of his debut Australian tour, Smith will now play shows in Perth, Adelaide, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Last week his debut album, In The Lonely Hour, celebrated its one year anniversary, selling more than eight million copies worldwide and has been in the top ten of the UK album chart since its release, spending all but two weeks in the top five. Sam Smith will take over Rod Laver Arena on Tuesday December 8. Tickets go on sale Wednesday June 17 through Ticketek.
A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS
GANG OF YOUTHS Following their sold-out national album release tour, Gang of Youths have announced they are again hitting the road for a massive tour across Australia in August and September. The Sydneybased rockers will embark on a 24-date tour hitting venues in both regional and capital cities in every Australian state, ending the tour in Tasmania in September. 2015 has already been an exciting year for the band, as well as the sold-out national tour, they scored a top five debut on the ARIA charts, triple j feature album and FBi Album of the Week for their record The Positions. Gang Of Youths will take over The Corner Hotel on Wednesday August 26. Tickets are on sale through the venue.
BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 14
LABEL OF LOVE
8.30pm $6
monday 15th JUne
cosmic kahUna master Beta
PRETTY CITY
Pack your ear buds for this one. One of the world’s loudest noise influenced postpunk acts, A Place To Bury Strangers, are heading back to Australia in support of their new release Transfixiation. With live shows that are soaked in distortion, kaleidoscopic light shows and guitar solos designed to make the ears bleed, the band take their chaotic performance for Melbourne show on Friday September 4 at The Corner Hotel. Tickets on sale now through lifeisnoise.com.
THE CRATE DIGGER RECORD FAIR
CHRISTOPHER COLEMAN COLLECTIVE
The Crate Digger Record Fair will turn Bar Open into a winter vinyl wonderland this month. With stalls both upstairs and down, regulars to the fair can find many of the usual suspect stallholders, as well as some new crew coming onboard for the first time, with half of the stallholders selling from private collections. Crate Digger stallholders turn over their stock on a consistent basis, so vinyl fossickers don’t have to look through the same box at each fair. Expect some of Melbourne’s best vinyl collectors covering every genre you can possibly imagine. Crate Digger Record Fair takes over Bar Open on Saturday June 20 from 12pm - 5pm.
Tasmanian born singer/songwriter Christopher Coleman has released a new single with his collective, Just Like A Needle. Recorded in a barn in the south of Sweden, where Coleman was mixing the Collective’s debut album, the four verse, no chorus track meanders through Coleman’s thoughts and emotions, playing out like a stream of consciousness. Having impressed with the strength of their self-titled debut album back in 2014, the Christopher Coleman Collective are heading out for a short run of shows to promote Just Like A Needle, including a show at the Northcote Social Club on Saturday August 1. Tickets available from the venue’s website.
Meanies
MELBOURNE GUITAR SHOW Caulfield Racecourse will be transformed into a guitar lover’s paradise when it hosts the Melbourne Guitar Show this August. Along with showcasing some of the biggest brands in music, the weekend will feature some of Australia’s most talented guitarists including Jeff Lang, Lloyd Spiegel, Davidson Brothers, James Ryan, Simon Hosford, Nick Charles, King of the North, Racer Axe and more. They’ll treat fans to a slew of live performances, G-shops and educational seminars. The 2015 Melbourne Guitar Show is set to take place on Saturday August 8 and Sunday August 9 at Caulfield Racecourse. Tickets are available through trybooking.com.
BROTHER JAMES After selling out The Workers Club last year, rockers Brother James are returning for round two. Comprised of members from The Vasco Era, The Exploders, Rat & Co, Second Hand Heart and I Know the Chief, the fivepiece will be appearing alongside The Mary Goldsmiths, The Fire Alive and DJ Bradbeer. They’ll be bringing the riffs to The Workers Club on Friday July 3.
THE JENSENS Brisbane indie rock outfit The Jensens have announced they’ll join Morning Harvey for an east coast tour this July. The five-piece will showcase their garage-pop sound with tunes like Fears and A New Hope, alongside cuts from their forthcoming debut release, which is set to hit stores later this year. They’ll play Shebeen on Friday July 17. Tickets available through the venue’s website.
F O R A L L T H E L AT E S T, C H E C K O U T B E AT.C O M . A U
TOURING
WHO'S ON TOUR, WHERE AND WHEN
For all the latest tour dates check out beat.com.au
INTERNATIONAL YNGWIE MALMSTEEN 170 Russel June 10 TV ON THE RADIO The Forum June 12, June 13 CROOKERS Prince Bandroom June 13 SCHNEIDER KACIREK The Curtin June 18 PALLBEARER Northcote Social Club June 19 DAEDELUS Boney June 19 MACHINE HEAD 170 Russell June 22 EMMYLOU HARRIS & RODNEY CROWELL Palais Theatre June 25 MARLON WILLIAMS Corner Hotel July 3 WAXAHATCHEE The Toff July 4 SEETHER Forum Theatre July 4 GARY ÓG Prince Bandroom July 5 CHRIS BOTTI Hamer Hall July 5 TWENTY ONE PILOTS Corner Hotel July 5 SHIHAD Corner Hotel July 11 YELLOWCARD Margaret Court Arena July 11 RYAN ADAMS Forum Theatre July 19, July 20 OF MONSTERS AND MEN The Forum July 20 FLORENCE + THE MACHINE Palais Theatre July 22 CATFISH AND THE BOTTLEMEN Corner Hotel July 22 JOHNNY MARR The Forum July 22 MS MR 170 Russell July 22 WOLF ALICE Corner Hotel July 23 PETER ROBINSON The Forum July 23 JAY ELECTRONICA Howler July 23 THE KING KHAN AND BBQ SHOW Corner Hotel July 24 SPLENDOUR IN THE GRASS North Byron Parklands July 24 – 26 PURITY RING 170 Russell July 24 MARMOZETS Ding Dong Lounge July 25 EVERYTHING EVERYTHING & URBAN CONE The Corner July 25 TIGERS JAW Reverence Hotel July 25, July 26 (AA) BEST COAST Corner Hotel July 26 DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE 170 Russell July 26 AZEALIA BANKS Prince Bandroom July 26 THE VACCINES Corner Hotel July 27 THE DISTRICTS Northcote Social Club July 27 EARL SWEATSHIRT Prince Bandroom July 28 MØ & ELLIPHANT The Corner July 28 BLUR Rod Laver Arena July 28
THE WOMBATS Palais Theatre July 28 MARK RONSON Margaret Court Arena July 29 SHLOHMO Corner Hotel July 30 YEARS & YEARS Max Watt's July 30 KITTY, DAISY & LEWIS 170 Russell August 2 GOOD RIDDANCE Corner Hotel August 7 GREAZEFEST Sandown Racecourse August 7 - 9 SUPERSENSE Arts Centre Melbourne August 7 – 9 THE JON SPENCER BLUES EXPLOSION Arts Centre Melbourne August 8 ANTHONIE TONNON The Gasometer Hotel August 9 CHELSEA GRIN Corner Hotel August 14, Wrangler Studios August 15 (AA) SNFU Bendigo Hotel August 15 THE BELLRAYS Ding Dong Lounge August 15 YOB Max Watt’s August 21 A SKYLIT DRIVE The Corner Hotel August 28 HELLYEAH Corner Hotel August 29 A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS The Corner Hotel September 4 MARY CHAPIN CARPENTER Palais Theatre September 4 POISON CITY WEEKENDER 170 Russell, Public Bar September 4, Corner Hotel, The Old Bar September 5, Reverence Hotel, Corner Hotel September 6 JOSHUA RADIN Corner Hotel September 9 SCOTT BRADLEE’S POST MODERN JUKEBOX The Forum September 9 DEATH DEALER Max Watt's September 13 CIRCA SURVIVE 170 Russell September 20, September 21 (AA) A STATE OF GRACE: THE MUSIC OF TIM AND JEFF BUCKLEY Melbourne Recital Centre September 23, 29 JOAN BAEZ Arts Centre Hammer Hall September 24 MAROON 5 Rod Laver Arena September 26 THE STORY SO FAR Max Watts September 11 KISS Rod Laver Arena October 8, October 10 HELLOWEEN Metro Theatre October 16 SNOT Corner Hotel October 17 ROBBIE WILLIAMS Rod Laver Arena October 22 SOULFEST Sidney Myer Music Bowl October 25 NEIL DIAMOND Rod Laver Arena October 27 ENGELBERT HUMPERDINCK Palais Theatre October 29 HOZIER Palais Theatre October 30
AT THE GATES Friday October 30 ANATHEMA Corner Hotel October 31 AUDRA MCDONALD Hamer Hall October 31 FLEETWOOD MAC Rod Laver Arena November 2, 4, Mt Dundeed Estate November 7 POKÉMON SYMPHONIC EVOLUTIONS Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre November 13 DEF LEPPARD Rod Laver Arena November 18 UB40 The Forum November 24 EARTHCORE Pyalong, Victoria November 26 – 30 CHRIS CORNELL The Palais December 4 ED SHEERAN AAMI Park December 5 SAM SMITH Rod Laver Arena December 8 TAYLOR SWIFT AAMI Park December 11 ELTON JOHN Rod Laver Arena December 11, Mt Duneed Estate December 12 NIGHTWISH The Forum Monday January 11
PROUDLy PRESENTS
NATIONAL RIOT! RIOT! RIOT! Laundry Bar June 11 CLOWNS The Tote June 12, Karova Lounge June 13, The Barwon Club June 27 SAL KIMBER & THE ROLLIN’ WHEEL The Gasometer June 12 RICHARD IN YOUR MIND Shebeen Bandroom June 12 REMI Northcote Social Club June 12 COSMIC PSYCHOS & DUNE RATS Chelsea Heights Hotel June 12, Max Watts June 13 DAN CRIBB AND THE ISOLATED Public Bar June 12 WALLAPALOOZA The Espy June 12 DEEZ NUTS Arrows June 12, Corner Hotel June 13 THE PINK TILES The Tote June 13 OSCAR KEY SUNG Howler June 13 MIGHTIEST OF GUNS Old Bar June 14, 21, 28 MIKELANGELO Hawthorn Arts Centre June 15 FETE DE LA MUSIQUE St Kilda Library June 18, Prince Bandroom June 19 WHITE SUMMER The Gasometer June 19 THE AUDREYS The Spotted Mallard June 19 DALLAS FRASCA Howler June 19 BAD//DREEMS The Tote June 19 THE GOBLIN BALL Northcote Town Hall June 20 HERMITUDE 170 Russell June 19 PRETTY CITY Hugs & Kisses June 20 JAMAICA JUMP-UP The Gasometer June 20 ART VS SCIENCE Howler June 20 WORLD MUSIC DAY PARTY Bar Oussou June 20 - 21 RECLINK COMMUNITY CUP Elsternwick Park June 21 TIM ROGERS AND THE BAMBOOS Corner Hotel June 25 THE KITE STRING TANGLE & DUSTIN TEBBUTT 170 Russell June 26 TITLE FIGHT Corner Hotel June 26 EDDIE PERFECT Melbourne Recital Centre June 26 STONEFIELD Shadow Electric June 26 CERES The Tote June 27, The Old Bar July 25 KISS ALIVE The Yarraville Club June 27 ALPINE The Forum June 27 HARTS Ding Dong Lounge June 27 MOJO JUJU Corner Hotel June 27, Caravan Music Club July 4 BROTHER JAMES The Workers Club July 3 DARREN COGGAN The Palms July 3 YOUTH GROUP Northcote Social Club July 3 HOLY SERPENT The Tote July 3, Brunswick Hotel July 19 EMILY ULMAN Kent Street July 6, Gasometer Hotel July 7, Conduit Arts July 9, LongPlay July 14, Richmond Theatrette July 15, Some Velvet Morning July 19 FIFTEEN YEARS OF SOUL IN THE BASEMENT Cherry Bar July 9 THE CHURCH 170 Russell July 10
OCT
17
FLIGHT FACILITIES & THE MSO Sidney Myer Music Bowl
jUL
26
jUL
25
AZEALIA BANKS Prince Bandroom
MARMOZETS Ding Dong Lounge
ICE CREAM HANDS The Evelyn Hotel July 11 JARRYD JAMES The Forum July 11 I AM DUCKEYE The Toff July 12, Brunswick Hotel July 26 THE JENSENS Shebeen July 17 BATPISS Howler July 17 FRASER A. GORMAN Gasometer Hotel July 17 DEAD LETTER CIRCUS Northcote Social Club July 17 BLACK CAB The Corner July 17 LANKS The Workers Club July 18 JIMMY BARNES Palais Theatre July 18 THE SCIENTISTS Corner Hotel July 18 TIRED LION Shebeen July 25 KID RADIO Shebeen July 30 ELLA THOMPSON Shebeen July 31 URBAN SPREAD Village Green Hotel July 31, Chelsea Heights Hotel August 1 CHRISTOPHER COLEMAN COLLECTIVE Northcote Social Club August 1 JOSH PYKE Bella Union August 5 MARK SEYMOUR & THE UNDERTOW National Theatre August 7 DAY RAVIES The Tote August 7 BREWTALITY FEST The Tote, The Bendigo Hotel August 8 TOMMY EMMANUEL Hamer Hall August 15 THE GRATES Corner Hotel August 15 OH MERCY Howler August 22 JACK CARTY & JORDAN MILLAR Grace Darling August 22 GANG OF YOUTHS The Corner Hotel August 26 SETH SENTRY The Forum September 4 REGURGITATOR The Prince Bandroom September 4 FLIGHT FACILITIES & THE MSO Sidney Myer Music Bowl October 17 MSO BACK TO THE FUTURE LIVE The Plenary November 6, 7 COLD CHISEL Hanging Rock Reserve November 21 AC/DC Etihad Stadium December 6 ELDER, BLACK REBEL MOTORCyCLE CLUB = NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS
PROUDLy PRESENTS
jAN
11
BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 16
NIGHTWISH The Forum
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REMI INFINItE X-MEN By Natalie Rogers
“I’m fucking great,” says Remi Kolawole, speaking down a phone line from London. to hear the Melbourne MC sounding so chipper is a pleasant surprise, considering just hours ago he and his long-time collaborator, producer Sensible J ( Justin Smith), were kicking it at London’s annual Aussie BBQ. Still, Kolawole insists, “I’m loving it over here with my mate J. Unfortunately Dutch [the third member of the Remi crew] is at home.”
“We spent the night hanging with some very rowdy people,” Smith chimes in. Other acts on the bill included Tkay Maidza, Bad//Dreems, Safia and Melbourne funk-soul outfit Saskwatch. “They’ve been named the Mötley Crüe of Australia,” he laughs. “They were a very rowdy bunch, but it’s been so good to catch up with everyone, because we do tend to see a lot of these acts around the traps.” “DMA’s have been over here as well,” Kolawole adds. “They’re killing it.” In conversation, Remi and Sensible J are everything you’d expect ± fun, friendly, and sharing a brotherly rapport. They feed off each other constantly. “These shows have been incredible,” Kolawole says. “We’ve played a lot of showcases that will hopefully open up new possibilities for us.” “Can I tell the death metal story?” Smith asks. “Sure man, go for it,” says Kolawole. The anecdote concerns a show they played in Vienna shortly before arriving the UK. “We played at a venue that used to be a slaughterhouse, back in the day,” Smith says. “They’ve tricked it out and now it’s an awesome live music venue, but it’s used predominately for death metal bands. So when we rocked up there, we were incredibly nervous. We had visions of being lynched by this death metal crowd,” Smith and Kolawole both laugh, “but when we got there everyone was so cool. We were the supporting act for Dälek. He’s amazing ± he does industrial, almost Nine Inch Nails-sounding hip hop. Obviously it was very different from home, you know? Normally if we supported a death metal hip hop act we would probably get killed. So it was very refreshing.” Kolawole and Smith agree that life on the road is full of creative stimulus. Though, harvesting new ideas can be rather haphazard. “I’m always working on new music,” Smith says. “But it’s tricky on tour because I don’t have any of my little machines to actually make beats. So I’ll just beat-box something or sing a melody into my phone.” “Yeah, I’m always writing ideas down,” says Kolawole. “It’s kind of the same for me as it is for J, though. My USB mic looks too much like a bomb to take it overseas, so I just rap into my phone. I try to take in as much as possible and make little notes on my iPhone.” “Didn’t Eminem write lyrics on napkins?” asks Smith. “I think he did,” says Kolawole. “He’d write lyrics everywhere ± but he was a bit all over the shop.” “The shop where they’d sell the napkins?” Smith laughs. Kolawole grew up in a musical family and started learning classical piano at a young age. In contrast, Smith was a promising sportsman before an injury left him permanently sidelined. “I was never the cool kid,” he says. “I was lucky because I could play basketball BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 18
a little bit above average ± I ’m not going to say well.” “Basically he was a mini LeBron James, then he hurt his knee and he was out,” Kolawole says. “It was emotional man. He had Magic Johnson on the phone coaching him through his pain. The shit got real [laughs].” It’s resoundingly clear that Kolawole and Smith don’t take themselves too seriously. However, having scooped up a slew of awards ± including triple j Unearthed Artist of the Year, Carlton Dry Global Music Grant, and more recently the Coopers AMP ± hell, they must be doing something right.
“OH, I ACTUAlly DON’T REAlly kNOW HOW TO GIvE ADvICE. I jUST TRy TO IMPRESS REMI WITH My BEATS AND HE TRIES TO IMPRESS ME WITH HIS RAPS.” “Remi does get asked for advice a lot,” says Smith. “I always say write pop shit and you’ll make heaps of money,” says Kolawole. “Nah, to be honest, the most important thing is to make sure you’re having fun. I know that sounds like some wanker shit but it’s the absolute truth. You’ve just got to reality check yourself as to why you’re actually doing what you’re doing, and the answer should be fun. “The second thing is always listen to and compare yourself with your favourite acts,” he continues. “That’s what we do. No one is going to teach you how to do this job and it’s best to listen and learn as much as you can.” “Read books and listen to old records,” Smith says, before admitting, “Oh, I actually don’t really know how to give advice. I just try to impress Remi with my beats and he tries to impress me with his raps.” Kolawole’s second point of advice leads to a discussion of the artists that he and Smith look up to. “I like people like Jai Paul,” he says. “He can just put a song online and make a million dollars. He doesn’t have to do any press ± I actually don’t know how he does it. He just came out of nowhere. That’s pretty incredible. Other than that I’m not really envious of anybody else’s career.” “Except for Radiohead,” Smith says. “Yeah, Radiohead,” Kolawole agrees. “It’s pretty rare for a band to go more alternative and keep getting bigger,” Smith continues. “Hopefully one day we can do that ± release something
DISCUSS WHAT? BEAT.COM.AU/DISCUSSION
totally wild and keep growing.” Radiohead actually make an appearance on Remi’s latest mixtape Call It What You Want (F.Y.G. Act:2), albeit in the form of a sample. The grab appears on Weirdos (from planet HOB), which is a nod to House of Beige; Kolawole and Smith’s indie record label. From humble beginnings, HOB continues to grow. “We started in a small studio ± if you can call the spare bedroom in J’s house a studio,” Kolawole says. “From the start that’s where we recorded all of our music. J’s house was beige ± the walls were beige, we’re beige, so we decided, ‘Let’s go with it’.” Australian hip hop icon Hau Latukefu (of Koolism fame) is part of the HOB family, and he’ll be supporting Remi at a couple hometown shows this weekend. “He’ll be playing a bunch of new shit and it’s incredible,” Smith says. “In fact, pretty much his entire upcoming album was produced by J and Dutch,” Kolawole adds. “What I’ve heard is really exceptional and I’m more than happy to be touring around the country with him ± he’s like my brother. We’re always inclined to invite people on tour that we’re going to have fun with, but the real key is that we respect each other. That way the audience will feel there’s a good dynamic between us, we’ll have a great show and we won’t want to kick each other’s arses when we’re holed up in the tour van.” After a quick run of shows along the east coast, Kolawole and Smith will head straight back to Europe for the summer festival season, taking in the UK, France, Germany, Holland, Switzerland and Croatia. “Honestly, by the time we get back from Europe I think we’re going to be pretty home sick,” Kolawole says, “and I’m looking forward to getting into writing our next record. We’ve got lots of ideas, but they’re just the bare bones of what we want to produce. It’ll be at some point next year ± I’m not going to say when though. Mainly because I just want to be sure we’re giving people the best finished product that we can. We don’t want to put out something half-arsed, you know? Although we will be releasing plenty of music before we drop the full album… but I want to take my time with it and make sure the next record is the shit.”
Catch REMI at Northcote Social Club on Thursday June 11 and Friday June 12, with support from Hau, plus Alice Ivy (Thursday) and 90’s RD (Friday). You can grab Call It What You Want (F.Y.G. Act:2) for free via Bandcamp.
This Week: Photography and writing exhibition I spend a lot of time thinking about explores what it’s like being single in the age of Tinder. Over two years, artist Greta Parry took a photo during every first date she went on. The exhibition presents 20 of these images, along with corresponding stories. Collectively, they explore how online platforms have fundamentally changed what it’s like to be single, and tell the story of one person learning to navigate this new space. I spend a lot of time thinking about opens on Friday June 12 at 6pm and runs to Thursday June 25 at Melbourne Arts Club Gallery, Preston.
With Tyson Wray. Got thoughts, news, gossip, complaints or cat photos? Email tyson@beat.com.au or send by carrier pigeon before Friday 12pm.
Joel Creasey
and I’ve carved out a following. It’s a cool audience. They’re smart, well-educated, they ‘get me’, and they’ve come to follow me.” The night at The Yarraville Club is effectively Joel Creasey and Friends, although Creasey says he didn’t pick the lineup. “Harley Breen is performing and we are friends, so that’s cool. We toured round the world together, went to Asia together. He’s a behemoth of a man, 20 times the size of me.” What will he offer audiences at The Yarraville Club? “The show will be some new material, some of my favourite stuff from my Hurricane show, bits and pieces. It will be kind of a loose night, a fun time.” Does he hold back on stage? “Even on TV I don’t hold back. But I’m not the bluest comedian around. Some of the things I say, my manager would rather I didn’t. I pull some things back but not a lot.” Creasey particularly enjoys interacting with people after his shows, getting feedback. “I love hearing about all that stuff.” After the Yarraville gig Creasey’s off overseas in July, to London, Montreal, Edinburgh, and Los Angeles, where he’ll reconnect with his boyfriend, comedy writer Jeffery Self. “My boyfriend lives in the USA, in LA. We met in Sydney when he was out here. He’s from Georgia, in the South. We’re doing the whole long±dis tance thing. We do miss each other but we’re both workaholics, and understand each other.”
Anni and Maude Davey will join forces with Anna Lumb (Pocket Rocket) and Gabi Barton (The Town Bikes) to present Retro Futurismus, a cutting edge vaudeville show with a vintage twist. The variety show will channel cultural icons of the 21st century, including Fritz Lang, David Bowie, Stanley Kubrick, Bjork and Barbarella. Featuring dance artists, gravity defying circus acts, songs and performance art, the show promises to be a contemporary take on burlesque traditions. Each performance will also showcase guest artists including Stella Angelico, Leah Shelton (Polytoxic), Joseph Chetty and Glitter & Snatch. Retro Futurismus will run from Wednesday June 10 - Sunday June 28 June at fortyfivedownstairs. Off The Kerb will host Emily Brookfield’s Day Dream this week. Drawing inspiration from escapism, scale play and the human imagination, Day Dream is a series of delicately detailed illustrations created as an escape from the real world. Emily Brookfield’s Day Dream will come to Off The Kerb from Friday June 12.
pick of the week
The Australian Ballet have announced new pop-up performances will run after selected ballet shows. Bodytorque Up Late showcases the best up-and-coming talent in ballet choreography. Select artists of The Australian Ballet are given the opportunity to create world premiere ballets performed by the company’s best dancers. Seen as the next wave of ballet and movement, Bodytorque will continue to evolve with four unique pop-up performances after selected shows of The Dream and 20:21 in Melbourne. The next pop-up performance will be held on Friday June 12. To see Bodytorque Up Late in 2015, be sure to secure a ticket to the performances from australianballet.com.au.
BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 20
By Liza Dezfouli When you’re a stand-up comic and Joan Rivers describes you as a “fuckin’ genius”, you know you’re doing something right. Beat talks to Joel Creasey, who we’ve been seeing a bit of on telly recently, about the show he’s headlining at The Yarraville Club this Saturday night. “It’s a great venue,” says the Perth boy whose hit is rising with a bullet, as they used to say in the ‘70s. “It’s a really good gig. I’m excited, I love performing in Melbourne.” Creasey has a home here in Melbourne (‘a little place in the Docklands’) but isn’t getting to spend much time in it since his international career is blooming at such speed. “It’s been really cool. I’m flat out,” he says. “I’m getting to perform so much! I’ve not stopped. It’s thrilling and exciting, it’s really nice and it’s bringing in new adventures.” Since his start as a finalist in RAW Comedy in Perth at only 17, Creasey has clearly found his comedy feet, performing a self-obsessed, classically campy shtick. “It’s all about me! I do what I do; I talk about the things I want to talk about, telling the stories I want to tell. I talk about pop culture, about me, about what happens to me, it’s like therapy ± stupid stuff, my relationship, family, and events, things I go to, and ‘celebrating’ other people behind their backs.” Rivers is an obvious inspiration. “I’m spreading as much bitchiness as possible,” he continues. “I don’t want to insult people to their faces, I’d much rather do it behind their backs.” Creasey credits women comics as having influenced his style, women from both Australia and overseas: “I love all the great dames, American comics like Margaret Cho, and the Australians, Denise Scott, Judith Lucy, Fiona O’Loughlin…I find women comics so much funnier than the men, they are so cool. Chrissie Swan I adore, and Gretel Killeen. I get so excited when I’m working with Fiona O’Loughlin ± I’m such a huge fan.
I’ve learnt so much about storytelling from her.” With all his success, is Creasey finding he’s becoming a bit too pleased with himself ? “Probably. Being a comic, of course there’s a self-arrogance ± if you’re doing stand-up you’ve already decided you’re funny, so you have to have a bit of an ego.” Joan Rivers asked him to open a show for her in New York, after all. “I love Joan Rivers! She was one of the most brilliant people,” says Creasey. “I’m heading back to New York in August to do my solo show in the same club where I opened for her; that’s special!” Did he always know he’d do so well? “I always hoped I’d be successful. I always thought that. Otherwise what’s the point?” As Creasey becomes better known in the mainstream, has he noticed his audiences changing at all? “A lot of my fans are young people, young girls, tweens. I’m the Justin Bieber of comedy! I’ve always had a gay audience but it’s now very mixed. As you get more well-known, you lose a bit of the gay following. These days I promote myself to a much more mixed audience
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“I love all the great dames, American comics like Margaret Cho, and the Australians, Denise Scott, Judith Lucy, Fiona O’Loughlin…I find women comics so much funnier than the men, they are so cool. Chrissie Swan I adore, and Gretel Killeen. I get so excited when I’m working with Fiona O’Loughlin – I’m such a huge fan. I’ve learnt so much about story telling from her.” Does Creasey have a five year plan or is he happy to just see where comedy takes him? “Absolutely, I have a plan. This industry is so up and down. I’ve thought about what shape I want my career to take ± I want to be on regular TV, to have my own show.” A Graham Norton in the wings, then. “Graham Norton, he’s the best talk show host in the world. He’s so funny, his show is absolute magic. I have had these comparisons…I hate getting compared to people but if it’s Graham Norton.”
Joel Creasey will take to the stage on Saturday June 13 at The Yarraville Club. Tickets via yarravillelaughs. com.
THE COMIC STRIP Tom Gleeson
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Coming Up
Louis de Bernières
But Wait... There’s More
Wednesday June 17 - Sunday July 12 Circus Oz Big Top, Birrarung Marr
Melbourne Cabaret Festival Thursday June 18 - Sunday June 28 Various Venues
PORTLAND HOTEL COMEDY
Cinderella
Friday June 19 - Saturday June 27 Arts Centre Melbourne, State Theatre
Tom Gleeson headlines Portland Hotel Comedy this Thursday. You’ve seen him on ABC’s The Weekly with Charlie Pickering, on Channel 10’s This Week Live and at many, many sold out MICFs ± he’s one of our nation’s absolute finest. Plus there’s Nick Cody, Tommy Dassalo, Geraldine Hickey, Andrew Barnett and heaps more. Portland Hotel Comedy is the biggest independent comedy room in Australia, so get down early to get a good seat. It’s all happening this Thursday June 12 at 8.30pm, at Portland Hotel Comedy, 127 Russell Street (upstairs), CBD, all for only $12.
The Goblin Ball
Saturday June 20 Northcote Town Hall
The Astor Theatre Red Carpet Gala: Women He’s Undressed Thursday June 25 The Astor Theatre
The Falling
Monday June 29 - Sunday July 26 ACMI
Letters Home and Saltwater Wednesday July 1 - Sunday July 12 Theatre Works
Cuckoo
Wednesday July 8 - Sunday July 26 fortyfivedownstairs
MSO: Babe: The Twentieth Anniversary Concert
Melbourne Writers Festival
British author Louis de Bernieres has been announced as the keynote speaker for the 2015 incarnation of the Melbourne Writers Festival. The writer behind Captain Corelli’s Mandolin and Red Dog, the international best-selling author is also a philosophy graduate, mechanic, teacher and mandolin player and winner of the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Best Novel. He’ll speak at the start of annual festival, which will feature more than 400 writers and thinkers across 11 days. The 2015 Melbourne Writers Festival will take place from Thursday August 20 to Sunday August 30. Tickets for the opening night address will be released on Friday July 24 via mwf.com.au. Djuki Mala
Saturday July 11 - Sunday July 12 Hamer Hall
COMEDY AT S PLEEN Mondays at Comedy at Spleen are always full, and this week will be no different. The only place to be on Mondays will be chockers full of laughs as Xander Allan hosts for the first time. Plus there’s heaps of guests like Nick Nemeroff, Jack Druce, Dana Alexander, Alasdair TremblayBirchall and more. It’s this Monday June 15, at 41 Bourke Street, CBD, at 8.30pm. It’s free to get in, but they appreciate a good gold coin donation at the door. Stuart Daulman
I Am A Miracle
Saturday July 18 - Sunday August 9 Malthouse Theatre
Dylan Moran
Monday July 27 - Saturday August 1 Arts Centre Melbourne, State Theatre
Melbourne International Film Festival
Thursday July 30 - Sunday August 16 Various Venues
Bad Jews
Thursday August 27 - Sunday September 13 Alex Theatre
MSO: Back To The Future Live In Concert
Beau Heartbreaker
The Butterfly Club have announced they will host the final performance of Selina Jenkins’ award-winning 2015 production of Beau Heartbreaker this June. The production is the genuine and surprisingly touching story of a generational Australian dairy farmer’s travels and experiences. Audiences are treated to a suite of exquisite original music interspersed with hilarious anecdotes and unexpected revelations. Beau Heartbreaker will be performed for one last time at The Butterfly Club on Sunday June 16.
Lorne Arts Festival
Friday November 6 - Saturday November 7 The Plenary
Short Change: The Story Of One Dollar
Melbourne based theatre company Ruby Gaytime are set to present Short Change: The Story Of One Dollar. After sell out seasons in the 2015 Perth Fringe Festival, Ruby Gaytime are bringing a new story to the stage. Short Change is the story of a single dollar coin and the characters it encounters as it is passed from hand to hand. Containing comedy to tragedy, Short Change is a high energy, fast paced theatrical piece premiering in Melbourne this June. Catch Short Change: The Story of One Dollar from Wednesday June 10 Sunday June 14 at The Butterfly Club.
COMEDY AT THE WILDE
More Female Parts
Acclaimed performer Evelyn Krape will celebrate women of all ages in her new one-woman show More Female Parts when it opens later this month. The production revisits characters from Krape’s headline-making 1980s play, Female Parts, exploring contemporary gender issues like divorce and control in a relationship. Set out across three separate monologues, More Female Parts has been hailed for its comedic approach to sexism and gender inequality. It will run from Tuesday June 30 to Saturday July 4 at Fairfax Studio, Arts Centre Melbourne.
The fifth annual Lorne Arts Festival have released this year’s program. With over 4,000 people expected to visit the festival by the sea, Lorne will host some of Australia’s best cabaret, sideshow, circus, theatre, comedy, visual art, and music events. Kicking off the festival for the grand opening night spectacular is diva extraordinaire Yana Alana with her band The Paranas. Other highlights across the weekend include burlesque beauty Gypsy Wood and comedian Asher Treleavan teaming up as Gold Coast magicians in Peter and Bambi Heaven’s International Magical Variety Dance Hour, Tom Flanagan and his astounding acrobatics and circus skills, hula hoop virtuoso Judith Lannigan, Indigenous dance and YouTube sensations Djuki Mala, and John Thorn’s take on the poetry of Henry Lawson in Looking For Lawson. The musical program features a range of acts including The Bombay Royale, The Barkers Vale Brothers, and Tommy Castles. Lorne Arts Festival 2015 will take place around Lorne from Friday August 28 until Sunday August 30.
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On Tuesday nights at The Wilde some of Melbourne’s best young comedians join with sign up on the night open mic acts for one of the loosest nights in town. Fancy Boy’s Stuart Daulman joins James Masters, 2015 RAW national finalist Jess Perkins and more this week for another big, fun night of comedy. It’s this Tuesday June 16 at 153 Gertrude St, Fitzroy at 8pm. And, it’s totally free.
DOUBLE ACTS Impro Melbourne have announced their latest theatrical invention Double Acts will take place this month. Double Acts is all about the creative camaraderie between two improvisers, with shows including inventive banter, singing, slapstick comedy and impro-games. Since the show’s first performance in 2012, it has given birth to many comedians, with new comedic duos emerging each year. Double Acts will run every Sunday from June 14 to June 28 at The Space, Prahran.
BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 21
OUT OF THE CLOSET
Queer happenings around town with Anna Whitelaw.
Caitlyn Jenner
Laverne Cox
Last week, the world was introduced to Caitlyn Jenner. When rumours began swirling that the former Bruce Jenner would reveal his new gender identity in an exclusive cover story for Vanity Fair to be shot by legendary photographer Annie Leibovitz, it was always going to be the news that broke the Internet. When the cover finally landed on social media, the reaction was overwhelmingly (and surprisingly) positive. However, as Jon Stewart and others noted, as heart-warming as it is to see people embrace a transgender woman transitioning at 65 and in such an incredibly public way, the focus of much of this attention was inevitably on how she looked. Now that Bruce is Caitlyn, it’s her appearance that people were paying the most attention to. There is no doubt that Caitlyn did look stunning, but of course when people gushed they were applauding not just her bravery but her ability to embody certain standards of feminine beauty, with the help of plastic surgery, an army of hair and makeup stylists, the right outfit, the right lighting and the wonders of Photoshop (it is also ironic that we criticise the media, beauty and
fashion industry for imposing these same standards on women, but when a transgender woman uses those same methods to achieve this we applaud). Of course, as Laverne Cox poignantly pointed out, it’s important to remember that Jenner’s experience is not representative of most trans folk out there, since she enjoys the privilege of being wealthy and white. Many transgender people cannot hope to embody those cisnormative standards of beauty, whether because they cannot afford access to expensive hormone therapies, cosmetic and gender reassignment surgeries or because they lack the genetic ability or both. Not everyone has the luxury of “passing” and not everyone wants to. For this reason, we shouldn’t forget the struggles faced by most trans people face just getting a job, finding housing or just walking the street without encountering physical violence. Just last weekend, a transgender woman was brutally bashed in Newtown in Sydney, a suburb that we would ordinarily think of as one of the most queer-friendly in Australia. There is a cynical part of us that also knows the
transition of Bruce to Caitlyn is also an incredibly well orchestrated publicity stunt, with each revelation – from the Diane Sawyer interview confirming he was transitioning to the perfectly timed Vanity Fair revelation to coincide with the new I Am Cait E! reality series carefully stage managed. Whatever you think of the Kardashian reality television machine, there is no doubting that this was a watershed moment for transgender rights. The very high profile presence of transgender women like Laverne Cox and now Caitlyn Jenner’s transition in the public eye, as well as the presence of fictionalised transgender characters like Moira on Jill Solway’s brilliant Amazon series Transparent have made trans people visible for the first time. #callmecaitlyn is already making a difference in the lives of trans folk. Just one example of this is the Tumblr trend of trans women, men and gender nonconforming people creating their own Call Me ____ Vanity Fair cover with themselves as cover stories to encourage people to accept them for who they are (including their chosen names and pronouns).
News Bites.
Archie’s All Day Mates have been bugging me for weeks to check out Archie’s All Day, and rightly so, it’s delightful. It feels like your classy friend’s backyard, and it inspires you to splash out on the cocktails, without the guilt of drinking before 5pm. The gang from Bluebird Café in Collingwood are behind this little treat, and it brings over the beautiful coffee and breakfasts that you’ve grown to love. Archie’s is open seven days a week, from 7.30am Monday to Friday and 8am on weekends, and until around 10pm. My menu highlights is the impressive white miso cured salmon, pickled cucumber and daikon, poached eggs, seaweed butter, with rye croutons for breakfast, and the Juicy Lucy wagyu burger. And don’t forget to top it off with a Dr Pepper cocktail, with Amaretto, sparkling ale, and Coca Cola. Archie’s All Day is found at 189 Gertrude St, Fitzroy.
Bibelot I’ve been following these legends of sweet on Instagram for a few weeks now, as their treats taste as good as they look. The team from South Melbourne BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 23
café favourite, Chez Dré, have created the dream dessert bar across the laneway. With a stunning ice cream bar full of sorbet and gelato, mounds of macaroons, petits gateaux, chocolates, and biscuits so beautiful that friends will forgive you for taking photos of your food and flooding their Instagram. Oh, and cake. Can’t forget the cake. Even the boxes that your treats come in are stunning, as is the fit out, which was designed by Breathe Architecture, who have used the long space with great creativity. White you wait you can read the impressive collection of rare patisserie coffee table books, or skim the walls of local honey pots, teas and coffee and of course, fancy chocolate bars.
Winter Flavour Exchange The Winter Flavour Exchange will showcase some of the finest food and drinks from across regional Victoria later this month. Featuring a bounty of regional producers, the exchange will offer wintry delights like red wines, hearty dishes, roasted nuts, chocolate and baked goods. Along with tasting samples, guests will also be able to purchase their own food and drinks to take home for the winter. The Winter Flavour Exchange will take place on Thursday June 18 and Friday June 19 at The Atrium, Federation Square. Got any juicy grub goss? Let me know on tegan@beat. com.au. CHECK OUT ALL THE LATEST NEWS, REVIEWS AND FREE SHIT AT BEAT.COM.AU
J-Nett
Midsumma Festival’s second annual Midwinta Gala Ball will be on Friday August 7 but tickets have already sold out in record time. The black tie fundraiser will be held at the Grand Hyatt, and a who’s who of the LGBT community will no doubt be there. To join the wait listing for extra ticket allocations, visit midsumma. org.au or email admin@midsumma.org.au. A new rainbow rave is being launched in Brunswick at RUBIX Warehouse called Unicorn. This Sydneybased sequin covered party will be launching on Melbourne on Saturday July 4, with Canberra’s Lady Bones, Unicorns and Ruby Slippers on decks along with local favourites Mimi and Salvador Darling. Drag entertainment will be provided by James Welsby. The queer disco The Outpost will return to The Gasometer on Saturday June 27 for the brilliantly titled Wintour of our Discotheque bash. Steven Weir, Whiskey Houston and J-Nett will be on disco duties. Entry is $15 on the door. Got tip offs, praise, complaints or cat photos? Email closetpartymelbourne@gmail.com to be included in this column.
on tour
news tours club snaps + more
electronic + urban + club life
MOOMIN [GER] Friday June 12, Hugs & Kisses KUTMAH [UK] JUNE
Friday June 12, Little & Olver CROOKERS [ITA] Saturday June 13, Prince Bandroom NICE7 [ITA] Sunday June 14, Revolver Upstairs STEPHAN BODZIN [GER] Friday June 26, Brown Alley
giorgio moroder wo rd s / t ys o n w ray
CRISTOPH [UK] Friday July 10, Revolver Upstairs PORTER ROBINSON [USA] Thursday July 23, The Forum SHLOHMO [USA] Thursday July 30, Corner Hotel
UPCOMING
AZEALIA BANKS [USA] Sunday July 26, Prince Bandroom BORROWED IDENTITY [GER] Friday August 21, Hugs & Kisses SOULFEST: MARY J. BLIGE [USA], JILL SCOTT [USA], DE LA SOUL [USA] Sunday October 25, Sidney Myer Music Bowl & Kings Domain Precinct. EARTHCORE: DANNY DAZE [USA], CHRIS LIEBING [UK], MISS KITTIN [UK] + MORE Thursday November 26 - Monday November 30, Pyalong
tour rumours
Roman Flügel, KiNK, Dubfire, Iron Curtis, Joy Orbison, DJ Koze, Bicep, Motor City Drum Ensemble, Maceo Plex
Déjà Vu, the aptly-titled first solo album from Giovanni Giorgio Moroder in 30 years, almost never happened. In the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, Moroder was the epitome of musical royalty, and with good reason. The Italian synth pioneer was at the forefront of the disco craze, he produced Donna Summer’s greatest hits of the late-’70s, he founded the legendary recording studio Musicland Studios in Munich (used by the likes of Electric Light Orchestra, Led Zeppelin and Queen), and he worked alongside David Bowie, Freddie Mercury, Blondie and Janet Jackson – to name just a few accolades. However, following the death of disco in the mid-’80s, Moroder left the music industry to focus on other artistic endeavours, predominately in the film world. Responsible for some of the most iconic film scores of all-time (including Scarface and Midnight Express), alongside soundtrack numbers such as Irene Cara’s Flashdance and Blondie’s Call Me, Moroder has accumulated three Academy Awards, four Golden Globes, four Grammys and more than 100 gold and platinum records. It wasn’t until Daft Punk tapped him on the shoulder for their prog-tribute track Giorgio By Moroder (taken from 2013’s ubiquitous Random Access Memories), however, that he re-emerged in the contemporary music industry. “After my work with Daft Punk I began to receive offers from
record companies again,” he notes as his wife Francisca pours us both a cup of tea. “I got three separate offers to make an album – I would’ve been silly not to take up that chance. If I hadn’t received those offers, this record would never have been made. I’m not a singer. If I was, then I could make an album on my costs and my terms and then try and strike a deal with a label. As an artist/producer, I need the singers. Without a record label behind you getting these singers is almost impossible. I was really happy to sign with RCA/Sony.” And oh, did he get singers. Déjà Vu – his first album since 1985’s Innovisions – features an extensive cast of the biggest singers on the planet, including Britney Spears, Sia, Charli XCX, Kylie Minogue and Kelis. “A lot of these artists I never actually worked with in the studio,” he says. “It’s the new way. Firstly you create a track with a certain sort of melody and then give it to the singer. In the case with Sia [on the album’s title track], I created a melodic song and then sent it over to her, and she just recorded the top line. I think that’s what they call it now. She gave it back to me two or three weeks later and it was done, all of the lyrics and the vocals, then I just had to mix it. I actually like this method a lot, there’s a lot less responsibility. The overview is a lot more immediate. I can get it all done and decide much quicker whether or not I like it.
news
oddisee
t yson
wray
On the weekend I got drunk and wrote *crowd boos* into my diary what does this mean.
cristoph One of the fastest-rising names in the UK, Cristoph, has locked in an Australian tour. Crowned as one of Pete Tong’s ‘Future Stars’, his productions lurk within the realms of deep house and techno, and can already include the likes of Hot Since 82 and Richie Hawtin within his ever-growing global fan base. Recently scoring two #1s on Traxsource’s main chart and a #3 on Beatport’s tech house chart, he’s been picked up for the infamous Defected parties in Ibiza and across Europe, and shows absolutely no signs of slowing down. He’ll hit Revolver Upstairs at Friday July 10.
kutmah Red Bull Music Academy have locked in the latest round of their monthly club series, this time around bringing over London-based artist Justin McNulty aka Kutmah. Having spent his formative years living in the States, McNulty is a member of LA’s dublab collective, founded the revered Sketchbook club night and is an associate of Flying Lotus’s Brainfeeder legacy. Now back in London, he also runs his own experimental imprint IZWID and hosts a celebrated show on NTS Radio. Catch him on Friday June 12 at Little & Olver. Entry is free, you just need to RSVP.
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electronic - urban - club life
Giorgio Moroder’s new album Déjà Vu will be released on Friday June 12 through Sony.
- head to b eat .co m. a u fo r mo re
off the record w i t h
“The most challenging thing about making an album now is the coordination,” he adds. “You need to find the singers, the lawyers, the management. Sometimes you have to wait months to get a reaction from a singer because they’re travelling around the world and just don’t have the time.” In the ‘70s Moroder was credited with creating the sounds of the future. However, he doesn’t believe that style of producing is possible in 2015. “I’m just trying to make the hits now,” he laughs. “If I knew what the sound of the future was now then I’d be thrilled. These days there’s just no way to make a ‘new sound’. There are just millions out there now. Every day there is a new machine created. Sounds are not going to take you to the future anymore. These days it’s not just about sounds; it’s about so much more. “I wanted it to have a modern feel, but I also wanted it to be retro, but not full-on retro-retro. I feel like on a whole it’s a modern record with a touch of the old disco.” Are fans going to have to wait another 30 years for another solo album? “I don’t think I’ll be writing another album anytime soon,” Moroder says. “I’ve been getting so busy with my DJing.” DJing is another rather coincidental career path for Moroder, one that he launched in 2013 at the age of 73. “I was in Paris at the time and I did a little 12-minute job for Louis Vuitton and then Elton John asked me to play a very small gig for him in Cannes,” he says. “Then the Red Bull Music Academy asked me to play my very first big show for them, and it was a very successful evening. After that I just kept getting more offers, which is actually when I began to learn how to do it. I’ve mixed 100s and 100s of songs in my lifetime. I’ve mixed songs with over 60 recording tracks in them. For me to learn how to mix a little DJ set? That’s a piece of cake,” he laughs. “I’m currently writing the music for a game for Disney, I’ve been offered to be a participant in a musical TV show in Italy. I’m thinking of expanding my DJing, maybe make it more than just about myself – make it ‘Giorgio Moroder and Friends’ and invite some other people and come up with some new ideas. That’s just one of the new concepts I’m currently working on.”
Oddisee has locked in a Melbourne show to accompany his appearance at Strawberry Fields 2015. The critically acclaimed MC/producer touches down in Australia this November as he tours his new album The Good Fight. The album is an eclectic mix that includes organ whine, brass horns and cymbal crashes and has been praised for its unique sound. Catch Oddisee on Thursday November 19 at Section 8.
red bull music academy x splendour in the grass For the third consecutive year the Red Bull Music Academy stage will again feature at Splendour In The Grass, and they have dropped their lineup of ground breaking international talent, set to perform alongside the cream of Australia’s electronic community, across all three days. Friday night will see the likes of Los Angeles-based hip hop DJ and producer Nosaj Thing, famed for the beats behind Kendrick Lamar, Kid Cudi and Chance the Rapper, supported by the likes of Future Classic’s Charles Murdoch, Catlips, upcoming Sydney singer/songwriter/ producer Deutsch Duke and Red Bull Music Academy alumni Mark Maxwell, with the day being closed out by Adelaide house producer Motez. Saturday night will be headlined by New Orleans hip hop artist Jay Electronica. He will be joined by Melbourne rapper Baro, FBi Northern Lights competition winner Lucianblomkamp, four-piece live ensemble Kirkis, Sampology and Frank Booker. Sunday night will feature a lineup including JMSM and Melbourne’s Total Giovanni. Closing not only the Red Bull Music Academy stage, but the entire festival will be a DJ set by Shlohmo. With this year’s Red Bull Music Academy taking place in Paris, the Splendour stage will pay homage to the French capital by evolving into a contemporary, cutting edge creative space that will transport you from the land of Splendour to the City of Light. Splendour In The Grass will take over North Byron Parklands from Friday July 24 until Sunday July 26.
five things with nice7
electronic + urban + club life
snaps khokolat koated
club guide wednesday jun 10
MIDWEEK SHAKA - FEAT: 6AM AT THE GARAGE + SPIN CLUB Lounge, Melbourne Cbd. 7:45pm. thursday jun 11
3183 THURSDAYS - FEAT: HANS DC WITH MOONSHINE + JOEY & YANNI SARANTIS + SAM GUDGE + JESSE YOUNG Revolver Upstairs, Prahran. 6:00pm. DANCE TECHNIQUE - FEAT: POST PERCY + GROOVE CONTROL + BEN RYAN New Guernica, Melbourne Cbd. 10:00pm. FLANAGANS THURSDAYS - FEAT: DJ ONTIME + COLONEL Pier Live, Frankston. 8:00pm. GHETTO FABULOUS THURSDAYS Gh Hotel, St Kilda. 9:00pm. MIDNIGHT EXPRESS - FEAT: EDD FISHER + PREQUEL + DJ CAMOV 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: PAZ + MATT RAD + PYZ Bimbo Deluxe, Fitzroy. 6:00pm. XS DISCO - FEAT: VARIOUS ARTISTS Onesixone, Prahran. 8:00pm. friday jun 12
faktory
#MASHTAG - FEAT: NUGEN + MALPRACTICE + FLAGRANT Bimbo Deluxe, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. BELVEDERE BEAT - FEAT: JASON HEERAH + JOHN COURSE + ANDY MURPHY + SIMON DIGBY + MARK JOHN + VOOKA + WINSTON WOLF + NIK M + KHANH ONG + TOMMY OHHHH + EVAN SIA Ms Collins, Melbourne. 10:00pm. CAN’T SAY Platform One, Melbourne. 9:00pm. CHEEKY TIKI FRIDAYS La
Di Da, Melbourne Cbd. 5:00pm. $20.00. CIROQ FRIDAYS Cq, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. EARTH RADIO - FEAT: WABZ + ABELARD + ELKKLE + HYPERSLEEP + TETRAMORPHIA + ANDRONIUS Loop, Melbourne Cbd. 9:00pm. 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. 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. INNOCUOUS - FEAT: HAROLD + 6AM AT THE GARAGE + TOM BAKER + SURF DAD The Mercat, Melbourne. 10:00pm. JUXTPOSE TECHNOMETRY EP LAUNCH + BEN HOUGHTON + DAN WHITE + 0.1 + ENNIO STYLES + PWD Boney, Melbourne Cbd. 11:00pm. $10.00. MUSE FRIDAYS La Di Da, Melbourne Cbd. 10:00pm. 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. PEOPLE UNDER THE STAIRS - FEAT: AMIN PAYNE + WINTERS + JACKSON MILES + GIO GARCIA Boney, Melbourne Cbd. 10:00pm. POPROCKS AT THE TOFF FEAT: DR PHIL SMITH Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 9:00pm.
THE EMERSON CLUB FRIDAYS The Emerson, South Yarra. 3:00pm. saturday jun 13
ANYWAY - FEAT: LOVE THAT MUSIC CREW 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. BLACK - FEAT: OAKE + LOST FEW + MOOPIE + ELISABETH DIXON + GENE HOFFMAN + JOSHUA WELLS + NECKING + SPLIT SILO + HAROLD Secret Location, 8:00pm. $30.00. CQ SATURDAYS Cq, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. CROOKERS Prince Bandroom, St Kilda. 9:00pm. $29.00. CUSHION SATURDAYS Cushion, St Kilda. 9:00pm. DAVEYS SATURDAYS - FEAT: SUPERFLY DJS + SAMMY DRED Daveys Bar & Restaurant, Frankston. 8:00pm. $10.00. ELECTRIC DREAMS Co., Southbank. 8:00pm. $20.00. HOT STEP - FEAT: 99 PROBLEMS + TIGER FUNK + SILVER FOX + ASKEW Bimbo Deluxe, Fitzroy. 6:00pm. IN THE CARRIAGE - FEAT: JNETT Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 6:00pm. LOST WEEKEND - FEAT: ANDRAS + LA POCOCK + MYLES MAC + CHICO G + JIMMY DAWG + CC: DISCO + ANDEE FROST Boney, Melbourne Cbd. 10:00pm. $15.00. LQ SATURDAYS - FEAT: DJ CASPER + DJ TPC + DJ PATO + DJ SHAGGZ + DJ MATT CROSS Trak Lounge Bar, Toorak. 10:00pm. PLATFORM ONE SATURDAY NIGHTS Platform One, Melbourne. 9:00pm. PONY SATURDAYS La Di Da, Melbourne Cbd. 10:00pm. SEVEN SATURDAY DISCOTHEQUE Seven
Nightclub, South Melbourne. 10:00pm. $20.00. SHENANIGANS - FEAT: RADIO CHOAS Pier Live, Frankston. 8:00pm. TEXTILE SATURDAYS - FEAT: KODIAK KID + D’FRO + JENS BEAMIN Lucky Coq, Windsor. 9:00pm. THE HOUSE DEFROST FEAT: ANDEE FROST Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 11:00pm. TRAMP SATURDAYS Tramp, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. UNITY (AMNESTY FUNDRAISER) - FEAT: VARIOUS ARTISTS Loop, Melbourne Cbd. 10:00pm. sunday jun 14
DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE - FEAT: NIGEL LAST Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. 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. SPITROAST SUNDAYS Cushion, St Kilda. 10:00pm. THE SUNDAY SET - FEAT: DJ ANDYBLACK & HAGGIS Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 4:00pm. WAX ON WAX OFF Lucky Coq, Windsor. 7:00pm. monday jun 15
CALL IT IN - FEAT: JAMES TOM & DYLAN MICHAEL Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. MONDAY STRUGGLE - FEAT: TIGER FUNK Lucky Coq, Windsor. 6:00pm. tuesday jun 16
AO - FEAT: MIMICRY + DONNY + A NEW VISION + THE EGGMAN Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. $3.00. SEE YOU NEXT TUESDAY Bimbo Deluxe, Fitzroy. 7:00pm. TWERKSHOP Boney, Melbourne Cbd. 6:30pm.
urban club guide thursday 11 jun
REMI + HAU Northcote Social Club, Northcote. 8:30pm. $20.00. RNB & HIP HOP JAM - FEAT: LARRIE + GET BU$Y + HYSTERIC + K. HOOP Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 11:00pm.
friday 12 jun
BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY - FEAT: DJ RCEE + KAHLUA + DJ SHOOK + DJ ANGEL JAY Chaise Lounge, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. FAKTORY FRIDAYS - FEAT: DAMION DE SILVA + K DEE + DURMY Khokolat Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 9:30pm. GET LIT - FEAT: TWERKSHOP + D’FRO + GET BU$Y + SAMMY THE BULLET Lounge, Melbourne Cbd. 9:00pm. MEET. EAT. BEATS. - FEAT: MR. MANIFOLD + DJ AYNA + ANDRE LE The Fitzroy Beer Garden, Fitzroy. 7:00pm. PARTY & BULLSHIT Laundry Bar, Fitzroy. 9:00pm.
REMI + HAU Northcote Social Club, Northcote. 8:30pm. $20.00.
saturday 13 jun
BIG DANCING SATURDAYS - FEAT: GET BUSY + MAFIA + LARRIE Laundry Bar, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. CHECK 1, 2 HIP HOP SHOWCASE FEAT: EPPSILON + CODIX + SELBY MC + MINICOOP + NETTI + AVON HOLIDAY + MR LOBB + HIJACK + OBLIVEUS Penny Black, Brunswick. 8:00pm. CRXZY SXXY CXXL - FEAT: JADE ZOE + MIMI + MPDG + CELERY HAM + LOTUSMOON Laundry Bar, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. DJ LADY ERICA, MISTRESS OF CEREMONY AND DIZZBEATS, AL FLEX & VISION, DJ WONKQI ROSE, ACE SFX, BLAZIN GLENNY D + DJ LADY ERICA + MISTRESS OF CEREMONY AND DIZZBEATS + AL FLEX & VISION + DJ WONKQI ROSE + ACE SFX + BLAZIN
electronic - urban - club life
GLENNY D Reverence Hotel, Footscray. 7:30pm. $10.00. KHOKOLAT KOATED SATURDAYS FEAT: DAMION DE SILVA + K DEE + DURMY + TIMOS Khokolat Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 9:30pm. MEET. EAT. BEATS. - FEAT: AARON ARTHUR + DUNCAN FUNK The Fitzroy Beer Garden, Fitzroy. 7:00pm. MR RUCKA + RAW HUMPS + OLIVER PATERSON BEAT PROJECT Grace Darling Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. RHYTHM NATION SATURDAYS - FEAT: DJ TIMOS + DJ KAHLUA + DJ ANGE M & ANDY PALA Chaise Lounge, Melbourne Cbd. 9:00pm. $10.00.
sunday 14 jun
BE. SUNDAYS Co., Southbank. 10:00pm. $15.00. KELLY AUTY BAND Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East. 5:30pm.
1. Growing Up We started DJing in 1994 and the first way we got to know music was over the radio. From there we developed a curiosity. That desire to discover new things led us to local music stores where we learned about different kinds of music, including those closer to club culture. This is how our passions started and how we got into the electronic music. 2. Inspirations Stevie Wonder, First Choice, Larry Levan, Salsoul Rec, Motown Records. In short, lots of ‘70s stuff! We’ve also been influenced by a more contemporary artists like Daft Punk, Cassius, Royksopp, Depeche Mode, Lindstrom, Chicken Lips, the list goes on. The Italian clubbing scene in the ‘90’s definitely played a role in our evolution too; DJ sets from people like Claudio Coccoluto and DJ Ralf inspired us a lot at the time. We also like jazz artists like Chick Corea, Michel Camilo and Herbie Hancock. So really our inspirations stem from quite a diverse cross section of artists! 3. Your Crew D-floor is a record label we created two years ago with our friends Pirupa and Leon. We are really trying to mould it into one of the scene’s most credible imprints. It takes lot of time and work, but we really think it’s important for the label to grow by releasing all sorts of productions from a variety of artists including ourselves, other already established artists and also interesting new talents. 4. The Music You Make And Play Our sound is eclectic. We always aim to play and produce groovy beats with some tech, ethnic, and funkier influences. On the upcoming Australian tour we’re going to test many new tunes and remixes, so you can expect a fun mix of house and techno, smiles and good vibes at our shows! 5. Music, Right Here, Right Now From a creative standpoint we think the state of house music is very healthy at the moment. Technology gave everyone the chance to develop an idea without having to spend money going to a big studio. It sure helps creatively too when you can do this from home. From another point of view, the quality of productions inevitably went down, and there are too many releases, record labels and artists, that is just not up to standard. Italy’s clubbing scene isn’t doing too badly though; there are good clubs around and a lot of hype around the club culture in general. We feel lucky to work with clubs like Cocorico. It’s a very good place to play at! Catch ‘em on Sunday June 14 at Revolver Upstairs.
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EvEry THING EvEry THING
H EAVENLY SO uNDS By David James Young
Even as separate descriptors, the terms ‘indie,’ ‘rock’, and by proxy ‘indie rock’ refer to a wide spectrum of sounds, styles and approaches to music. In their time together, Everything Everything have traversed a significant portion of the meanings connoted by these terms. On their first two LPs, the British foursome blend glitchy electronica, tribal rhythms, twinkling guitar and thick layers of vocals. When it comes to their creative doctrine, Everything Everything are intent on continual expansion. “If we find ourselves repeating things, we tend to call one another out on it pretty quickly,” says vocalist, guitarist and primary lyricist, Jonathan Higgs. “There are some things that we’ve come to accept aren’t changing. The way I sing, for instance, is the way I sing, and Alex [Robertshaw] is always going to play guitar in his own way. It’s always going to sound like us ± and so it should ± but we’re pretty conscious about making sure what we’re doing hasn’t been done by us previously.” After taking a year away from touring, Everything Everything will release their third studio album Get to Heaven in late June. Enlisting the help of UK pop producer Stuart Price (Pet Shop Boys,
Kylie Minogue, Take That), the band revelled in the chance to once again redefine what an Everything Everything record could sound like. “This time around, we were very open in our dialogue about what we wanted to do,” he says. “We wanted to make an album that was much more aggressive, much more high-energy and more confrontational than the last one. We all found that the second record [2013’s Arc], when we were playing it live, felt a bit too grand and a bit too negative. We wanted to make something a lot more colourful. A lot of the year that we spent writing saw us obsessing over the media and the violence and disaster in the world. We felt all-consumed by the newsfeed. This album was of a push against that.”
Over the course of their career, the band have often unfurled abstract metaphors and odd lyrical imagery within the confines of their songs. Torso of the Week, taken from Arc, mentions Twitter and treadmills, while recent single Distant Past name checks Italian rivers and biblical lands. “I don’t really know any other way when I write,” says Higgs. “I find a lot of things cliché and boring ± an awful lot of things, actually. I’m always striving to find things that aren’t the same old shit, basically. I’m after new angles. It’s slowly grown from being slightly obtuse to being exclusively about humanity through the avenues that I opened up when I first started the band. At this point, I think it’s pretty obvious that I’m not referring to a historical figure or a particular technology. It’s ostensibly traced back to feelings and human emotion.” The global touring campaign behind Get to Heaven is already underway, which means the band will be at peak fitness by the time they arrive in Australia in July. It’ll be exactly two years since Everything Everything’s
maiden voyage Down Under, and once again they’re hitting the Splendour in the Grass main stage. “We’re really excited to be coming back,” Higgs says. “The two headlining shows we’re doing around the festival should be a lot of fun too. It’ll give us a chance to explore a little bit more, which we haven’t really had the chance to do before. Splendour was absolutely awesome last time. We were just blown away by it, to be honest. It was a country where we’d never been and had absolutely no idea what to expect. We walked out on stage, and there were all these people that were singing our songs. We had no idea what was going on.”
has been rife, and although he acknowledges the expectation, he seems largely unfazed. He seems less driven to astound people with some unexpected new direction than to find new inspiration, to build a new voice ± quite literally, in a sense. To that end he found disparate assistance from producers and songwriters Joel Little, Louis Schoorl, Damn Moroda, M-Phazes and Styalz Fuego. “There was no sitting at a desk and saying, ‘Let’s call these people, let’s do it like this’,” says Johns. “They were a lot of happy accidents. There were also no collaborations that didn’t work. Every one turned out great in a different way, and then it’s up to me to bring it together, or make it sound like it wasn’t six million people all doing different things in the same room.
I needed to be really quite strict about where things were going, because otherwise it could easily have just sounded like a fucking mess. The way that I’m singing isn’t considered in any way. It was more the freedom to not have to yell over cymbals and distortion, all of that stuff, anymore. Also, because I did the bulk of the record in my living room, I felt really comfortable to gain the mic up, turn off everything electronic that was buzzing. The fridge had to go, the air filters. I just wanted to sing quite intimately, because I thought it would be nice for a solo record. It would almost be like telling secrets.”
EVERYTHING EVERYTHING are playing Splendour In The Grass 2015, which runs from Friday July 24 ± Sunday July 26 at North Byron Parklands. They’re also playing at the Corner Hotel on Saturday July 25. Get to Heaven lands on June 19 via Sony Music.
DANIEl JOHNS
I T ’ S T I M E T O TA L k By Adam Norris
The building across the street from EMI Music is a thoughtful sight. You can see straight through the smashed windows and broken boards at the dilapidated interior; graffiti arcs across cracked walls, garbage litters the floor. It’s in stark contrast to the polished, comfortable interview room we find ourselves in, and it’s difficult not to juxtapose this image with Daniel Johns himself. Though his past work is hardly a soundtrack to vandalism, his return to the music scene finds a man and artist far distinct from his former path. He is revitalised, if resigned to the reality that some people are going to resent his debut solo album Talk, no matter how it sounds. “I feel like this record was always going to be divisive, but that’s just what happens,” Johns says. “Especially in my career. Some people like it, some people fucking hate me. I feel like everything that I feel or have felt is somehow represented over the catalogue of my career. Especially on Talk, and that’s part of the reason I called it that. There’s a bunch of shit that I’ve never ever talked to anyone about. It took me two years to even write a lyric, even when the music was there. I was just using distorted voices; I couldn’t write to save myself. I didn’t know how to open the floodgates, and I didn’t know what might come out. I was kind of scared of that. But as soon as I started entertaining the idea, I thought, ‘Well, if I’m going to be a singer, I probably should say something’.”
He chuckles and looks down. There is quite a media myth surrounding Johns ± for evidence, we need look no further than the overblown frenzy that followed his recent tumble outside a Sydney bar ± but in person he is an engaged, softly spoken man. “They’re quite universal topics,” he says of the album’s lyrics. “If I feel something from the music that’s quite dark, I can tap into my reserves from when I was 19-years-old. I can still feel those times. If it needs to be optimistic, I have a good relationship with my girlfriend I can tap into, or my family. It’s like a little dress-up box of emotions you can open up when you need it. And so it all dribbled out.” Anticipation for what exactly the former Silverchair frontman has been working on these past eight years
lEfTfIElD
T H E R I G H T WAY F O RWA R D By Steven Morgan A long time ago, in a land far, far away ± back when undercuts were worn without irony and people would excitedly say things like, “New Friends episode tonight,” ± two British men were about to play a pivotal part in the legitimisation of electronic dance music. It sounds strange now ± legitimising dance music as though it’s some sort of fad. However, back in 1995, people were still genuinely questioning if this boom-boom-boom was really going to last. Leftfield’s Mercury Prize-nominated debut album Leftism was a critically worshipped cornerstone that made it clear electronica was here to stay. Their classification-blurring epics fit just as comfortably in a sweaty club at 2am as on a ludicrously expensive sound system belonging to a polo-neck-wearing music snob. Four years after Leftism came the follow-up, Rhythm And Stealth. In that time, electronic music had evolved at an explosive rate, spawning an ever-growing range of subgenres. The album managed to reach number four on the Australian album charts, but just three years later, Neil Barnes and Paul Daley decided to go their separate ways. Fast-forward to 2010 and the surprise announcement of the Leftfield’s rebirth, albeit with the notable absence of Daley. After resoundingly positive reactions to the first comeback shows, Barnes announced that a new Leftfield album was on its way. BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 26
Since Rhythm and Stealth, dance music has changed immeasurably, to the extent that referring to it as ‘dance music’ makes you sound out of touch. EDM has finally broken dance through to the American mainstream, and we ask Barnes how Leftfield fit into a landscape obsessed with the drop. “That’s a tricky one,” he says. “Most acts doing that sort of music look bored doing it. Taking that approach to being successful is just being cynical and manipulating people. I hate it. I’m happy just to make some music and I hope people like it and that they realise that I’m trying to do something different.” On that note, Alternative Light Source impressively reinterprets ‘90s techno through a modern filter, which recalls the likes of Modeselektor. While still identifiable as Leftfield, it’s unquestionably progressive, with the seven minute lead single Universal Everything making it clear that this comeback is no mere cash-grab. “Modeselektor led the way in big band electronic music,” says Barnes. “Also in England we’ve got Hudson Mohawke and Jamie xx; they’re forging a new style of music that is really fresh and brave.” For those who’re unfamiliar with Leftfield, we ask Barnes what he recommends as a starting point. His response is thick with irony. “Do not listen to Leftfield,” he says. “Stay in the area that feels safe for you and that you’re comfortable with. You don’t want to get corrupted by all this music.”
“I felt like I wanted to push the Leftfield catalogue in a different direction and make it really modern, rather than a memory of those two albums,” he says. “I didn’t feel like the story was over. The name brings a weight behind it that allows me to get into the personality of the music. The power of it is Leftfield and the emotion of it is Leftfield, and that’s me; that’s very much my thing.” Following the tradition of the first two albums, Alternative Light Source features a respectable guest list that includes TV On the Radio’s Tunde Adebimpe and Polica’s Channy Leaneagh, as well as Sleaford Mods’ Jason Williamson, who also appears on The Prodigy’s latest album. “Jason’s got the same stupid sense of humour as me,” says Barnes. “I didn’t know that Jason was about to start something for The Prodigy. There was no connection, and it didn’t stop me from wanting to LEFTFIELD’s first album in 16 years Alternative do this track.” Light Source is out now through Liberator/Infectious. DISCUSS WHAT? BEAT.COM.AU/DISCUSSION
DANIEL JOHNS album Talk is out now through EMI.
MARK RONSON UPTOWN’S FINEST
By Augustus Welby After 2010’s synth-pop and alternative hip hop-oriented LP Record Collection, Mark Ronson fans had to wait more than four years for the producer’s next release. However, when Uptown Special finally surfaced this January, it was an emphatic reminder that the UK studio auteur doesn’t do things by halves. Like his three previous albums, Uptown Special came together with help from a crack team of guests. Several of those involved, including contemporary music dons Bruno Mars and Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker, have successfully carved out their own stylistic niche. But Ronson wasn’t simply looking to appropriate his guests’ respective trademarks. “Obviously a lot of the reason why I contact people is that I’m a fan of their work,” he says. “But I’ll also just be writing something and think, ‘Oh I know who’d sound great on this,’ or, ‘It’d be really great if I could get them to add something.’ With guys like Kevin and Andrew Wyatt and Bruno, there is that aspect of wanting to capture what I love about them. But I think for them, working on my album can be like a holiday. When it’s your own project, you antagonise over every little detail. But if you just come in to do one song, you can mess around, sing something or play some guitar, have a bit of fun, and it’s a chance to try something new.” In comparison to Ronson’s first three LPs, Uptown Special isn’t absolutely jam-packed with guests. Parker and Wyatt (of Miike Snow) both appear multiple times, and the whole album was made in co-ordination with producer and composer Jeff Bhasker. Nonetheless, running the gamut from unknown singer Keyone Starr to Sydney provocateur Kirin J Callinan and veterans Mystikal and Stevie Wonder, it’s an incredibly diverse assemblage. “I’ve never been able to get my head out of the DJ booth,” Ronson says. “On paper that sounds like a frenetic or scattered list of people. But in a DJ set, I’ll happily include Steely Dan and Chaka Khan and AC/DC and Mystikal. Maybe not in that order, but over the course of a night I could play them all. For me, those things aren’t massively different. When I was a hip hop DJ in New York, I used to love throwing in a soft rock or classic funk track and the hardcore hip hop kids who didn’t think they were into that stuff would be dancing to it. It’s the same with Back in Black by AC/DC, which I used to play, and I’d follow it with a Puff Daddy song. So, while it does seem like a weird selection, to me all of it is connected. “I can’t speak for Kevin and his influences, but when I listen to Tame Impala, a lot of it reminds me of what I love about Stevie Wonder,” he adds. “It’s soulful but it’s also psychedelic, there’s lots of weird organ sound and really great melodies. So working with these newer artists ties together a lot of the influences from the past.” Uptown Special features input from another highly accomplished artist, though not in the world of pop music. Novelist Michael Chabon – who is responsible for 1995’s Wonder Boys, which was made into a film starring Michael Douglas, and the 2001 Pulitzer Prize winner The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay – penned lyrics for nine of the 11 songs.
THE THIRD ANNUAL
“WITH BACK IN BLACK BY AC/DC, WHICH I USED TO PLAY, AND I’D FOLLOW IT WITH A PUFF DADDY SONG. SO, WHILE IT DOES SEEM LIKE A WEIRD SELECTION, TO ME ALL OF IT IS CONNECTED.” “I would say Michael Chabon is my favourite living writer,” Ronson says. “Especially Kavalier & Clay – that book got me back into reading. You know when you finish school and you never want to read a book again? I was just like, ‘I’m going to DJ hip hop clubs and make beats.’ But, yeah, I’d written Summer Breaking and it had a night-time vibe, it had a bit of mystique, it was unlike anything I’d written before. I thought that it needed to tell a story, but I don’t really know how to write that kind of story. We can all copy someone else, but I thought I’d ask Michael if he was interested. I wasn’t too worried; if he’d said no, Jeff and I probably would’ve written it. But it was so great when he agreed to do it.” A cool jazzy rock tune carried by a dangerous sensuality, Summer Breaking owes significant musical debt to the work of Steely Dan and the Doobie Brothers. Meanwhile, after tuning in closely to hear lyrics like “Avenues empty as .44 clips/ Cargo ships, teen zombies ghost-riding their whips,” one’s impression of the song vastly expands. The multi-layered nature of Summer Breaking is true of the album as a whole. While Uptown Special’s an immediately engaging pop record – perhaps Ronson’s most accessible to date – it continues to reveal itself on repeat listens. “I think this is the first album of mine that has the chance to do that, if it stands the test of time,” Ronson says. “When you listen to Bang Bang Bang or The Bike Song, [from Record Collection], everything’s really on the beat and in your face. Once again, because I’m unable to remove myself from DJing, it was hard to understand that not every song on an album needs to be upbeat. So with this album, I wanted to go on some journeys and go into some darker places.” MARK RONSON is playing Splendour In The Grass 2015, which runs from Friday July 24 – Sunday July 26 at North Byron Parklands. He’s also playing at Margaret Court Arena on Wednesday July 29. Uptown Special is out now via Sony.
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BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 27
ALPINE
MAKE THE CONNECTION By Adam Norris There are many reasons why we have caught Phoebe Baker and Lou James at a good time. Melbourne sextet Alpine have a string of successes to their name now, including global tours and festivals, accolades and television spots – the highlight a performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! – and plenty of gigs to come. It’s also a lovely day, sunny and warm, and the girls are relaxing on comfortable couches. But mostly you know the co-leads are in a good mood thanks to Paul Simon. After I complain that You Can Call Me Al has been in my head all morning, the conversation is off and racing, with impromptu sing-alongs and unexpected topics popping like champagne corks. “I always thought it was ‘Caught Me Out’!” James laughs, and the pair start singing alternate lyrics about a guy called Eddie walking in on his cheating partner. “I thought it was about a guy having an affair, and he gets caught by his wife. But he’s also some cockney geezer, you know? ‘Cor, you caught me out!’ It would make a great karaoke song.” “I’ve only done karaoke once,” Baker recalls. “It was fun but I was a little too ambitious. I went with Prince, I Would Die 4 U. Great song, but karaoke?” She shakes her head sadly. It’s invigorating conversation, and speaks volumes about not only Baker and James’ ease in interviews, but also their own friendship and the idiosyncratic banter that has become such a vital aspect of Alpine’s performance.
“It’s building a world that we don’t want to seem too disconnected or out of reach, especially once we start performing onstage,” says James. “We want people to feel as involved with it as we are. I don’t like going to a show and feeling that the stage is some barrier between me and them, you know? There’s something about crafting a show which is magical and that has the audience involved too. But it’s been hard to figure that out. You’ve got to have a strong identity for people to connect with, and I think the first time around we were a little fragmented. Things like interviews, the banter at our shows, it wasn’t really that connected. I think you definitely need to reconnect with a song in order to get that feeling of storytelling. You’re not just playing a song live, you’re bringing something to life.” “I mean, sometimes songs do become muscle memory,”
Baker considers. “When you’re on tour, doing gigs every night, you can’t expect yourself to be feeling that emotion 100 per cent across every song. Sometimes you’re just feeling something different, and it’s hard to replace that. Different songs will always connect with you more than others depending on your mood. Some nights you’re going through the motions a little, but it just means that you’re responding to different aspects in it.” Following the rolling success of 2012 debut album A Is For Alpine, fans have endured an anxious wait for the band’s sophomore release. Yuck has already seen its lead single, Foolish, released to strong acclaim and high rotation, and the record itself is only days away. The self-assurance James speaks of has served the band well in piecing together a release that truly reflects who and where Alpine are today. “In terms of recording it, having so much more time
[was important],” she says. “I feel like being a bit older with more experience, the big difference was knowing what I’m trying to say with the lyrics, being able to write them down and being happy with them. Not many people get to do an album, let alone two, so at the end of the day it’s awesome.” “I think with your second album there might be more pressure, but I think what will be will be,” Baker grins. “I enjoyed the process and we’re really happy with the songs.”
Gengahr will head down to Australia for the first time to play at this year’s Splendour In The Grass. Despite the ethereal and delicate aspect of the band’s recorded work, Bushe promises an energetic live experience. “With drums and bass especially it’s much bigger, whereas on record we’d have those quiet,” he says. “We didn’t even think too much about trying to replicate the record, because I don’t think they necessarily need to be the same. If people want to go see something live I think it should be slightly different because you’ve already heard the record.” Those who missed out on tickets to the sold-out festival can breathe easy, as the band are also plotting some sideshows. “We’re looking to do about five or six,” Bushe says. “I can’t wait. I’ve always wanted to go to
Australia. We started working with an Australian label pretty early on, which was great, and that’s how we managed to get over there and get stuff on triple j. It’s really exciting to hear that there’s interest. For us it’s a whole other world from little old England. I mean my mate, I think he got his Australian girlfriend out there and now she’s living with him in London. All magical things seem to happen in Australia.”
really have a massive say in what goes on and contribute really heavily to the sound of the band.” Riflebirds are launching the album this Saturday night with a big show at Yah Yah’s. Roebig believes the band’s evolution into a five-way unit has made them a stronger, more diverse live act. “I guess that playing the shows that we’ve done in recent times, over the last year or so, we’ve been lucky enough to develop a live show,” he says. “I think we have a good energy about us live. I think some of the earlier songs were quite… I think you might describe them as cosmic country or alt-country, country rock or that type of thing. But now
there’s more alt-rock in there, or psychedelic rock. It’s just a bit more energetic, the new stuff, a little bit more rocked up. I think that comes from playing live; you get the sense that the audience wants something a little more. And I think that’s reflected in the album too.”
ALPINE’s new album Yuck is out Friday June 12 through Ivy League. They’ll launch the record at the Forum Theatre on Saturday June 27. They’re also appearing at Splendour In The Grass, North Byron Parklands, Friday July 24 – Sunday July 26.
GENGAHR
STEPPING BEYOND THE DREAM By Lucy Rutherford It feels like the rise of London alternative rockers Gengahr has been quite sudden, but for frontman Felix Bushe it’s been a decade in the making. “I’m 25 now, and I played in my first band when I was about 14 or 15, so it kind of feels like ten years building up to it,” he says. Though, since Gengahr put their first demos up online, the process quickened considerably. “That’s been a really exciting thing for us,” Bushe says. “Having interest from putting stuff up on Soundcloud gives you real confidence, because you get the sense that real people are listening to it. We’ve played in other bands before where we’ve had record labels or management get involved and they’ve been really excited about it. But we’ve never really seen that connection with the public.” Gengahr’s woozy, dreamlike alt-rock has also garnered worldwide acclaim, leading to significant radio play for singles She’s A Witch and Heroine, tours with the likes of alt-J and The Maccabees, and a bunch of shows at this year’s South by Southwest. And all of this before the release of their first album, A Dream Outside. Due this weekend, Bushe describes it as a modern guitar album. “There’s elements of psych in it, elements of pop, elements of grunge,” he says. “So it kind of straddles the line between pop and rock but does it in a way that’s gentle and trippy at times. Unknown Mortal
Orchestra, Deerhunter, Tame Impala, they were a few of the bands we were listening to as we were writing music for the album. And the production on those sorts of records, the lo-fi DIY sound, makes them sound rich and inviting. That’s what we were going for with our record.” Lyrically, Bushe takes a lot of inspiration from films, which is reflected by the band’s cinematic and often disturbing music videos. “Growing up I was pretty severely dyslexic,” he says. “I didn’t read that much until more recently, but I watched a lot of films. So most of my inspiration for writing probably came more from film. When I’m constructing a song and writing it out I always think about it visually as much as I do on the page. “When it comes to making the videos,” he continues, “I spend a lot of time storyboarding them and writing them down. I’ve always wanted to make a film so to be able to do it with music and combine it with the artwork we do as well. It’s a real privilege to be able to do all those things.”
GENGAHR will play Splendour In The Grass 2015, which happens Friday July 24 – Sunday July 26 at North Byron Parklands. A Dream Outside is out Friday June 12 via Liberator Music.
RIFLEBIRDS
STRENGTH IN NUMBERS By Rod Whitf ield
Rowan Roebig, the driving force behind Melbourne alt-country-rock band Riflebirds, believes there are plenty of fantastic things happening in Australian music right now. So, this makes it an ideal time for the release of Riflebirds’ debut album, Detours & Collisions. An established figure on the local music circuit, Roebig released a couple of albums under his own name before forming Riflebirds a couple of years ago. And he couldn’t be happier about where things are at. “It’s a genuinely exciting time around Melbourne music at the moment,” he says. “There’s a bunch of bands around that are doing really, really well. You don’t have to go very far from the inner city to see some amazing bands. Whether it’s bands like Immigrant Union, who have just released their album as well, [or] Jen Cloher – In Blood Memory, that was one of our favourite albums of the past couple of years. It’s underrated, but an extraordinary album.” A very selfless character, Roebig seems more interested in talking up other bands than speaking about his own act. “Another band would be Ron S Peno & The Superstitions,” he says. “We’ve been lucky enough to play two support gigs with them, at The Reverence in Footscray and The Retreat in Brunswick. “A couple of our members went to Boogie Festival over Easter as well,” he continues. “There was bands like Pearls, who are just fantastic, and The Peep Tempel. I BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 28
guess when it all adds up, it’s just an exciting time right now. There’s just some really inspirational acts that are doing well.” Riflebirds’ debut album is more or less an extension of what Roebig was doing as a solo artist, with the added personal and creative touches of the band’s other four members. “With the two albums that were under my name, they were recorded at Soundpark in Northcote with Idge [Andrew Hehir],” he says. “We just wanted to stick with that vibe. We really like that studio – we like playing there, recording there, and recording with Idge – so we stuck to that plan. “I recorded those two albums under my name, but didn’t play any live shows,” he continues. “It was just a recording project. As the second one was done, the band started forming. We did play a few gigs just under my name for a few months, but then it became clear that this was really a band, and the other four members
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RIFLEBIRDS launch their debut album Detours & Collisions on Saturday June 13 at Yah Yah’s, with support from The Ridgetown Porch Band and The Conclusions.
DEEZ NUTS
THE UNBREAKABLE BOND
By Natalie Rogers Until now, you’ve probably never thought Melbourne hardcore band Deez Nuts had anything to do with the kids TV show Peppa Pig. But, think again. “I’m in Germany with my daughter ± we’ve been here for a couple of months leading up to our European tour,” reports Deez Nuts frontman JJ Peters. “So right now I’m sitting around watching Peppa Pig, which is kind of the furthest thing from playing hardcore shows that you could possibly do.” he laughs. This side of Peters’ personality may come as a surprise to some, but not to those who’ve paid close attention to the four-piece in recent years. Since their formation in 2007, Deez Nuts have garnered a reputation for breaking the rules and challenging people’s expectations. “The life I live can be seen as polar opposites at times,” says Peters. “I love where I am right now, but I can’t wait to get in the thick of it.” It’s times like these that Peters refers to as “the calm before the storm”. But the calm never lasts long. Shortly after our conversation, Deez Nuts proceeded to do what they do best ± playing to heaving, sold-out venues all across Europe, loaded with fans singing the band’s lyrics back at them. “That’s always what we want when we’re writing a song,” says Peters. “It doesn’t get much better than hearing the lyrics you’ve poured your soul into sang back to you at fever pitch.” Peters credits Sheffield metalcore band Bring Me The Horizon with giving Deez Nuts the exposure needed to be successful in the UK and Europe. “Our first-ever European tour with the Bring Me The Horizon boys gave us the strength to come back and tour and tour and tour,” he says. “Seven years on, and Europe is our strongest market. If it weren’t for our friends doing stuff like that for us back then, we wouldn’t be where we are today, so we always try to return that same courtesy to our friends. In fact, it worked out so well that we can bring Antagonist A.D with us for the Australian dates. They’ve just released an album too. We love those guys.”
Also joining Deez Nuts at their hometown shows this weekend are Sydney quintet Relentless and Melbourne up-and-comers Earth Caller. “Earth Caller are relatively new on the scene and they’ve just released their debut album called Degenerate,” Peters says. “They’ve come a long way. We picked the supports ourselves. We spend 80 per cent of the year on tour, so we want to be with people whose company we enjoy and music we love. That’s always first and foremost for us. We’re just lucky to have very talented friends. It always helps when you’re trying to put together a tour. “Although, I don’t know if it’s always worked in our favour,” he considers. “I think sometimes it’s worked to our detriment ± choosing friends rather than bands that, in some people’s minds, are going to position us for better things in the future. This industry is geared heavily on ‘you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours’. We’ve been pushed to consider bands that are atrocious to our eyes and ears simply because it may benefit us getting on another tour in the future. We don’t play that game.” With Deez Nuts, what you see is what you get; “We don’t fuck around,” states Peters. This sentiment is reflected on the band’s new album Word Is Bond. “You could say that phrase is a mission statement for the band,” he says, “and I think this album is our most honest yet. “In between our last album [2013’s Bout It] and Word Is Bond, I’d gone through a lot of changes in my life and
some pretty dark times as well. Reflecting on that while writing these songs was extremely therapeutic. I had a lot of cathartic moments in the studio and leading up to the recording ± I felt a huge weight lift off my shoulders. Exorcising those demons with a pen and paper was huge for me ± I don’t think I’d be as stable a person if I didn’t have that in my life. I’d been living a pretty ridiculous life up till then ± a non-stop party for ten years. I’m in a different place now.” With a new outlook on life came the desire to boost the impact of Deez Nuts’ live shows. “These shows will be bigger and better than ever before,” says Peters. “We also wanted to make the tracks on Word Is Bond easier to recreate at these gigs, so we made the conscious
decision to limit the number of features on this album. Bout It was littered with guest spots ± it was more like a rap album. And honestly, when we began recording this album we all felt and agreed that it was so strong it was able to stand on its own two feet. It would be to the album’s detriment if we were to clutter it up with too many guests. This album is us.”
touches of orchestrated strings and piano. While the band attempted a similar dynamic juxtaposition on Neverbloom, it’s executed with greater precision this time around. “If we were to look back at Neverbloom and critique it on a production level, I feel like some parts were not as clear as they should’ve been,” Madden says. “[With Old Souls] we’re really glad we were able to get the right tones and the right mixing to make it all work and to have that separation. I don’t think we went as dominant with orchestration. We wanted to allow the orchestration and the piano to be more significant when it was there. It’s the same with the guitar as well ± there’s parts where the guitar part comes across a lot stronger and the listener understands it’s the focal point.” For the most part, the record features synthesised strings, but latest single Let Me In marks the first time Made Them Suffer have worked with a real string section. “We kind of wish we’d done that on all the songs,” Madden says. “It actually does make a big
difference using real violins and stuff like that. But it costs more to do that.” Evidently, a lot of the creative decisions that distinguish Old Souls were motivated by things the band wanted to correct about the first album. Despite such constant reflection, the end result is a markedly different LP. “We could’ve done Neverbloom part two and 50 per cent of the fans would’ve been like, ‘Awesome’.” Madden says. “But there are also that 50 per cent who’d be like, ‘We would’ve like to see Make Them Suffer expand.’ We’ve got so many elements to the sound, why not try it?”
DEEZ NUTS album Word Is Bond is out now through UNFD. Catch the band at Arrows (AA), Friday June 12 and Corner Hotel, Saturday June 13. Support comes from Antagonistic A.D, Relentless, and Earth Caller.
MAKE THEM SUFFER ALL GROWN UP
By Augustus Welby Old Souls, the second record from Perth symphonic death metal sextet Make Them Suffer, landed at the end of May. It’s an exciting, confronting and even cathartic listen, evidently the product of much painstaking labour. The densely produced LP arrives just over three years after the band’s debut, Neverbloom. When Beat speaks with drummer Tim Madden, he’s a touch upset about how long Old Souls took to get ready. “We did want to avoid that three-year gap,” he says. “Even if we had’ve pushed it to two years and ninetenths. But it wasn’t to be, unfortunately. It’s not something that we wanted to do or to have to make our fans wait that long. It’s been hard for us to see all the comments online. People like, ‘Where’s the album? Is it ever going to happen?’ It was feeling like, ‘Is this album going to happen? Are we going to be able to get it together?’ Thankfully we were able to overcome the adversities put before us and put Old Souls out.” There’s no doubt about it, a lot of work went into this album. Not only is there a tonne of songwriting ideas crammed into each track, but production-wise, it’s fleshed out with layers of diverse instrumentation. To convincingly pull this off, Make Them Suffer realised they’d have to work patiently. “We didn’t want to do Neverbloom part two,” Madden says. “A lot of bands can go down that road of just sticking with what they do best, and that works for them. But we wanted to expand upon Neverbloom and open a few new doors with our sound. You’ve got tracks like Timeless and Old Souls, which are like nothing on Neverbloom. Even Let Me In is leaning towards that boundary of becoming a bit more melodic, but it’s still heavy. “It was hard to write outside of what we were familiar with,” he adds. “We did a lot of chopping and changing, writing and re-writing and replacing parts and replacing
songs. It took a lot longer than it should have.” Much like Neverbloom, Old Souls was produced by Roland Lim. Lim has also worked with the likes of Birds Of Tokyo and Lights Of Berlin, and Make Them Suffer have come to rely on his input. “I feel like he’s the seventh member of this band and understands the band’s sound probably better than we do ourselves,” Madden says. “When we brought him over to start pre-production, then we did even more changes. I think Roland actually spent from September through to December over here working with us on this thing. It seemed like forever and we really pushed it down to the wire.” Three other well-known producers were enlisted to help mix the album: Jason Suecof (The Black Dahlia Murder, Trivium), Joey Sturgis (Emmure, Asking Alexandria) and Forrester Savell (Karnivool, Dead Letter Circus). “We didn’t have a budget to fly overseas and work with somebody in America or Europe, which we would’ve loved to,” Madden says. “So we thought, ‘Let’s try to get a few different people to mix the songs, to give it a bit more flavour.’ We chose the people for those songs that were appropriate; the faster songs were done by Jason Suecof, the moshier songs by Joey Sturgis, and Old Souls’was done by Forrester Savell. He’s phenomenal.” At its heaviest, Old Souls will chill listeners to their very soul. But the album also contains delicate
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MAKE THEM SUFFER’s new album Old Souls is out now through Roadrunner/Warner. Catch them at the Gasometer Hotel, Saturday June 13, with Black Tongue, I Valiance, Jack the Stripper and Hands of Hope.
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THE Bl ACk DAHlIA MUrDEr F E E LI N G T H E H E AT
By Jessica Willoughby External pressure is something all musicians experience at one time or another in their career. Whether it’s from record labels or fans, feeling the heat is not the most pleasant thing in the world. “I think I feel it more and more with each album and as the band achieves more success,” says The Black Dahlia Murder frontman Trevor Strnad. “I just feel there’s more eyes on me to come up with more scary lyrics that’ll make your skin crawl. We have almost 100 songs now, I think, and that’s a lot of songs about chopping people up. You have to be creative within the world of the macabre. I do enjoy the challenge, but there are times where the whole thing gets to me.” With internal tensions mounting, the Michigan metallers tried to make the writing and recording process for their upcoming seventh full-length as relaxed as possible, taking an extended break from touring and assembling a recording studio in Strnad’s very own home. “I did vocals in my closet and it was the first time I got to record at home, so I was pretty stoked,” he says. “It’s nice to be comfortable when you have to do that kind of thing, because it’s a pretty stressful time. It was recorded with the same studio we always record with, but we had them come here this time. We were also working with our old bass player Bart [Ryan Williams], and he helped record a lot of the album. He was also involved in [2013’s] Everblack and he was a good force to have because he’s an engineer himself.
Having him still be around and putting in his two cents about things is really an asset to the band. He worked with Mark Lewis from Audio Hammer in Florida. We’ve known these guys for a long, long time now, so we just had a really good time. Before, we normally worked with Mark and Jason [Suecof ] together. But when we heard the latest Cannibal Corpse record and it just sounded so awesome, we thought we would just try Mark and see what he’d do.” At this stage, the title of the album and its contents are still under lock and key, and Strnad believes it’s important for bands to retain the mystery when it comes to new releases. “Some bands kind of walk you through the whole thing,” he says. “I think by now our fans have sort of figured it out, because we are always sticking to the same album cycle. Touring for two years, then an album. So far, our albums have always come out on odd years too. So it’s about time for a new one. “Our last album did better than I had imagined,” he continues, “Coming from Ritual [2011], which was such a big success for us at the time, it seemed really intimidating to put another one out after that. For fans to really grab onto two albums like that was awesome. It made us happy. Ritual was a door opening for us;
incorporating samples into the music and different kinds of instruments, and being able to recreate that stuff live. We took what we learned from that and Everblack and applied it to this new one.” Finally hitting the road again this month, The Black Dahlia Murder will be wiping off the dust with an Australian headline tour. Strnad can’t confirm whether any new tracks will be played from the soon-to-bereleased album. “I would like to debut something,” he says. “We still
need to hash it out. We’ll definitely be playing a good chunk of the Everblack stuff and our longest sets ever. Especially since the last two times we came was with Soundwave, I feel like we owe the fans a nice, long set in a nice, personal environment.”
bass a bit of a break ± it’s old and I probably don’t need to be so hard with it as much as I have been.” Rowland’s inventory of bass guitars pales in comparison to the stock of guitars that Campbell and Holt have at their disposal during any given Pallbearer show. “Devin’s got a Baritone Flying V that he just got recently,” says Rowland, “plus a Les Paul as a back-up and Brett has a Paul Reed Smith Vela and a Gibson SG. Plus they both have Stratocasters and a number of other guitars that they just swap in and out of depending on what they feel like playing.” Perhaps Pallbearer’s greedy gear habits explain why
their show at Ding Dong Lounge on June 17 is the first time they’ve ever played in Melbourne. Either way, head along to witness the four horsemen of the sonic apocalypse in action.
THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER are playing at Northcote Social Club on Saturday June 20 and Sunday June 21. They’re also doing an U18s matinee on Sunday June 21.
PA l l B E A r E r PSYCHEDELIC IMAGERY By Dan Watt The music scene is doomed and the four horsemen of this sonic apocalypse are some beardy looking fellows from Little Rock, Arkansas. Since forming in 2010, Pallbearer have released two albums, Sorrow and Extinction (2012) and Foundations Of Burden (2014), and toured the world multiple times. Consisting of guitarist/vocalist Brett Campbell, guitarist Devin Holt, bass player Joseph D. Rowland and drummer Mark Lierly, Pallbearer have found themselves at the forefront of the emerging doom scene; a sub-genre that’s recently moved from the side stage at metal festivals to the main-stage at indie rock festivals. There’s a lot of clichéd imagery associated with doom metal, involving alternate universes where wizards build pyramids on other planets and what have you. This sort of otherworldliness plays an important yet subtle part in the lauded film clip for Pallbearer’s Watcher In The Dark. Released a couple of months ago, the video is shot in the wilds of both the forest and the desert, and in the first phase, as the song builds from an ethereal intro into a crushing main riff, the sonic shift is heralded by the form of a pyramid naturally positioned in a lake. “A lot of it was up to the director, but initially he gave us the treatment of what he wanted to do,” Rowland says. “We had some discussion, primarily between Brett and the director, to take it in a different direction to what was initially intended and make it considerably more psychedelic. That’s how it ended up with those kaleidoscopic effects. We’re really, really excited with how psychedelic it ended up. It suits the song quite well.”
Musically, Watcher In The Dark features guitars tuned to drop A. This tuning is used across the entire Foundations Of Burden album. Despite being somewhat unconventional, the band’s choice of tuning transpired without much thought. “I think drop A ended up being sort of the natural progression for us,” Rowland says, “Because the band that Brett and I were in prior to Pallbearer ± which was a totally improvised heavy psychedelic band ± we used drop A in that band. In our previous band it was totally arbitrary [to be in that tuning], so I don’t even remember why we decided on having drop A tuning.” Staying with technical talk, Rowland tells us about the various bass guitars he uses. “Over the last few years my main things that I have been playing is a Fender Precision bass,” he says. “[However] last year, for most of that year, I have used a Guild B 301 bass from the ‘70s that I like a lot. But I ended up switching to playing a Paul Reed Smith Kingfisher bass on this most recent tour, because I wanted to give the Guild
Q&A
The Sinking Teeth
Well hello. Who are we speaking with from The Sinking Teeth camp, and what do you do in the band? You are speaking to Nick and I play guitar and yell at people.
We’re hearing whispers of a new album. True or false? If true, tell us about it. If false, proceed to next question. We are about three quarters of the way finished and we are pretty stoked with how it’s sounding. The whole thing is being tracked through the new console at The Studios In The City in Brunswick. Everyone’s pretty excited to be using it as it was hand built by David BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 30
Bowie when he was floating in that tin can near Uranus. Who’s the most underrated local band right now, and why should we listen to them? The Union Pacific’s album is incredible and I don’t think it’s getting the attention that it deserves. Gatherer have just started releasing some pretty groundbreaking shit from their new album. But I have to say the most criminally underrated band in Melbourne is Them Bruins. If you can’t build a bike out of muffins, what can you build a bike out of ? Food optional yet
preferred. Whether or not you can build a bike out of muffins is solely dependent on your perception of the bike and how committed you are to the building process. With enough commitment you could build a bike out of octopus tears if you wanted to.
THE SINKING TEETH are playing Riot! Riot! Riot! at Laundry Bar on Thursday June 11 with Brittle Bones, Harbours and The Union Pacific.
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PALLBEARER are playing at Ding Dong Lounge on Wednesday June 17 and Northcote Social Club on Friday June 19. They’re also performing at Dark Mofo on Thursday June 18. Foundations Of Burden is out now via Profound Lore Records.
Nice guy Californian pop punk band Versus The World will join Good Riddance on their Australian tour this August. The band (made up of members of The Ataris and Lagwagon) will release their third album Homesick/ Roadsick this month via Kung Fu Records. See them with Good Riddance on August 7 at the Corner Hotel. Tickets available now. Brisbane’s A Night In Texas are heading out on the Up In Smoke Tour this July with Sydney metal band Semper Fi. Blaze on when the tour arrives at Melbourne All Ages venue Empire Live on July 11. Tombowler and Axiom Touring will bring A Skylit Drive to Australia this August. Last here supporting Dream On Dreamer, ASD will headline shows with support from locals Polaris and A Breach Of Silence. Tickets are available now for the August 28 gig at the Corner Hotel. Parkway Drive and Resist Records have started a countdown till Tuesday morning. To what, we don’t know, but it seems like there might be a new album called Ire on the way. Keep you eyes peeled for more developments. The new album has been a long time coming. 2012’s Atlas was a massive album so can’t wait to see what they can come up with this year. Chelsea Grin have added another local band to the bill for their upcoming Australian tour. Graves will join the lineup, which also includes Boris The Blade and hits the Corner Hotel on August 14. There’s also a rad all ages show at Wrangler Studios on Saturday August 15. The Reverence Hotel have announced the lineup for their annual birthday bash. This year’s collection is mighty fine, featuring The Peep Tempel, Licoln le Fevre & The Insiders, Super Best Friends, Hoodlum Shouts, Georgia Maq, Foxtrot, Deafcult and Kissing Booth. It’s all happening from 6.30pm on Saturday July 18. Tickets are just $20 and available now. Long Island band Stray From The Path will release their eighth studio album Subliminal Criminals on August 14. It comes courtesy of UNFD, who embraced the band “like we were part of the family for no other reason but they loved our band”. Wil Wagner of The Smith Street Band will perform a one-off show at Melbourne’s Thornbury Theatre to celebrate the release of a home recordings cassette. I Hope I Don’t Come Across Intense will be available shortly via Poison City and tickets for the gig on July 10 are now on sale. Danzig has released the title of his upcoming covers album. Skeletons has been on the cards for a while, but it looks like it’ll finally be released in August this year. Chris Cornell’s upcoming solo tour has been selling pretty quickly so old mate has added a couple of extra dates. Tickets for a second show at the Palais Theatre on December 5 are available now. Cornell is playing songs drawn from throughout his entire career as well as newies from a forthcoming studio album due out in September.
CORE GIG GUIDE ThURsDay JUnE 11:
• Weekend Nachos, Cursed Earth at Bendigo Hotel • This Will Destroy You, Meniscus, Hazard of Swimming Naked, We Lost The Sea at Corner Hotel • The Decline, Ganbaru, Pitt The Elder at Next
FRIDay JUnE 12:
• Dan Cribb & The Isolated at The Public Bar • This Will Destroy You, sleepmakeswaves at Max Watt’s • Deez Nuts, Antagonist AD, Relentless, Earth Caller at Arrow On Swanston • Clowns, Summer Blood at The Tote • Clagg, Swidgen, Wildeornes, Master Beta at The Bendigo • Admiral Ackbar’s Dishonourable Discharge, The Shorts, Joe Guiton & The Suicide Tuesday, Gravey, Where’s Grover at The Reverence • The Hard Aches at The Public Bar • Totally Unicorn, A Secret Death at Wrangler Studios, Footscray • Cosmic Psychos, Dune Rats at Chelsea Heights Hotel
saTURDay JUnE 13:
• Deez Nuts, Antagonist AD, Relentless, Earth Caller at Corner Hotel • Make Them Suffer, Black Tongue, I, Valiance at Gasometer • Cosmic Psychos, Dune Rats at Max Watt’s • Belle Haven, Strickland, Alias Arise, Asphalt Heart, Gravemarkings, Honey Bucket, Madi & McKenna, Stuck Below at The Reverence Hotel • Controlled, Ill Natured, Born Free, Rebirth and Broken at The Bendigo • Chasing Ghosts, Spectral Fires, Transit Gloria at Bang • Clowns, Summer Bloody at Karova Lounge
sUnDay May JUnE 14:
• Make Them Suffer, Black Tongue, I, Valiance at Gasometer • Gateway To The Sky, The Berkeley Hunts, Beautiful Beasts, Alex Edwards at Whole Lotta Love Bar, East Brunswick • Jess Locke Band, Isaac de Heer & the River Tracks, Georgia Maq at The Reverence
AUGUST RELEASE FOR NEW MOTÖRHEAD ALBUM
After 40 years rattling teeth, bones and ears, you might excuse Motörhead if they wanted to ease off, put their feet up and relax. But instead, Motörhead gleefully say a loud and hearty ‘bollocks’ to that sort of thinking with their 22nd studio album, Bad Magic set for release on August 28. Bristling with thunderous attitude, pioneering spirit and some of the fiercest rhythms and riffs you’ll hear this year, Bad Magic is a massive kick in the teeth. Written and recorded together in the studio – for the first time in the Kilmister/ Campbell/ Dee era – the live approach to creating Bad Magic has obviously paid dividends. The boys even enjoyed a guest appearance from Queen’s Brian May, who added a scintillating guitar solo to The Devil.
YNGWIE MALMSTEEN THIS WEEK
Catch the mighty Yngwie Malmsteen, one of the world’s greatest guitarists and an icon of neo-classical rock, at 170 Russell this Wednesday June 10. Yngwie’s inimitable style has to be seen to be believed, as does his intimidating wall of Marshall amps.
BLIND GUARDIAN NEXT WEEK
Blind Guardian is a name that continues to have legendary and mystical qualities attached to it by encapsulating and engrossing a tremendously loyal cross section of fans from all genres. In 2015, Blind Guardian returns to Australia, for what may be their final time, for two exclusive shows in Melbourne and Sydney. Blind Guardian deliver live performances that are nothing short of breathtaking, with every show leaving the viewer spellbound and craving for more. Blind Guardian will perform tracks off their brilliant recent release Beyond the Red Mirror; they will also perform a comprehensive selection of fan favourite tracks. Catch them at Max Watt’s on Friday June 19.
THIS WEEK AT THE BENDIGO
Revival Booking proudly presents Chicago-based grind/ power violence/ hardcore powerhouse Weekend Nachos (plus a killer lineup of supports, including Outright, Cursed Earth, Overpower and Years Of Abuse) on Thursday June 11. On Friday June 12, catch Swidgen: formed in 2008 and united under the banner of tasty riffage, large beats and a love of HBO’s Deadwood, Sammy P Crawford (guitar/vocals), Fred Zerner (bass) and Richie Brown Lee (drums) began plying their trade in a back shed of Collingwood. With their only goal to write music that all three band members truly enjoyed playing, each song is a logical evolution from the previous with no regard for genre or pigeon holing. Also on the bill are the awesomely heavy, Clagg, plus Wildeornes and Master Beta.
A SKYLIT DRIVE TOUR
A Skylit Drive have been blasting their way through minds, ear-drums, and vocal cords since their formation in 2008. Having previously supported Dream on Dreamer right across Australia, A Skylit Drive are set to command the stage on their own headline tour of Australia and New Zealand this August. From Lodi, California, the band’s melodic, foot-to-the-floor posthardcore sound has now ignited across four awesome albums, with the most recent, the incredible Rise, illustrating that A Skylit Drive aren’t slowing down. In March 2015, Brandon Ritcher (ex-Motionless in White) and Michael Labelle (ex-Of Reverie) joined the band, further intensifying their sheer power and aggression. For their upcoming Australian tour, A Skylit Drive will be joined by rising stars Polaris and A Breach of Silence — two exciting bands that are quickly gaining recognition nationwide. Catch them on Friday August 28 at The Corner Hotel.
NEW SOULFLY ALBUM REVEALED
On August 14 worldwide, metal icons Soulfly will release their tenth studio album, Archangel, via Nuclear Blast Entertainment. “I am so proud to be releasing Soulfly’s tenth album,” says vocalist/ guitarist Max Cavalera. “I feel it is my most mystic album since Prophecy. The guest collaborations have always been a trademark of Soulfly and Archangel is no different. We can’t wait to play this live for the worldwide tribe.” Those guests include Matt Young of King Parrot and Todd Jones of Nails, while Cavalera’s son Richie and brother Igor also make an appearance. The cover artwork was created by artist Eliran Kantor (Testament, Iced Earth, Hatebreed, Sodom), who says, “I’ve been a fan of Max’s music ever since discovering Beneath The Remains in high school. Max asked me to do a traditional piece depicting Archangel Michael, and I tried to go beyond the straight-up neoclassical style as that has been perfected centuries ago. So I mixed in Soulfly’s own visual world, hence the wings and spear being shaped like the Soulfly tribal icon; the cliff with the ocean view just like on the first record; and the Brazilian flag being the core of its colour scheme.” Archangel was produced and mixed by Matt Hyde (Slayer, Behemoth, Children of Bodom).
TEn ThOUsanD Lighting the Way By TOM ClIFT
Five-man Melbourne rock group Ten Thousand have been on our radar since dropping the Tales From The Wasteland EP in late 2011. It’s taken more than three and a half years, but they’ve finally followed up with their first full-length album ± a mix of arena rock and electronica fittingly titled First Light. According to lead singer Jay Bowen, it’s a record borne of passion and self-belief, and shows the group discovering a distinctive voice. “I guess in the course of the last five years we’ve been going through a process of adolescence,” he says. “We started as quite a traditional rock-bluesy sounding act, and that’s really reflected on our first EP. I think it was a reflection of a lot of what we grew up with, in terms of things like Mötley Crüe and Guns N’ Roses, AC/ DC and that tradition of Australian pub rock. But after that, you gain more confidence in yourself as an act, and rather than simply being a contemporary version of one of your major influences, you actually start to form your own sound.” Given this slow progression, the group didn’t rush into making a full-length album. “We thought for a little while it may be more effective to just release singles,” says Bowen. “But we found that pathway a little bit dissatisfying. We wanted to get a little more traditional and release an album where it’s like a journey from beginning to end, and its own little universe.” While an album might qualify as traditional, the recording process was anything but. “We actually recorded it ourselves,” says Bowen. “The singles were great, but we found that they were a little bit too glossy. Even though they were great for radio, they lacked a bit
of edge. We just wanted something that was a bit more immediate. You know, like when you’re watching the original Star Wars, and it’s all wonky and grainy? But you connect completely with it, because it hasn’t been over homogenised. “We found this amazing space in St Kilda where they record orchestras for film soundtracks,” he continues. “It’s something that’s not done much these days, because it can all be done on computers. So these facilities were largely unused. We had these amazing forty-year-old mics and this big beautiful space with amazing acoustics.” For the duration of the recording process, the studio became home for the band’s five members. “We had mattresses and sleeping bags,” says Bowen. “We each had our own little area that we’d decorate with images on the wall to inspire us. We would literally get up in the morning and play all day until like 3am, 4am, or until the sun came up. And I think it needs to be like that, to capture something special. We were totally saturated in this process, and totally obsessed. “Oh, and it was fucking haunted by the way,” he adds with a laugh. “Doors would open in the middle of the
night, and there was this constant feeling of being watched. It was fucking incredible. We were too scared to walk down to the bathroom in the middle of the night.” Ten Thousand continued to buck convention with the First Light’s physical release, which they rolled out on a USB drive. “They look awesome,” Bowen says. “They’re in a little metal box. You pop the little USB out, which you can then plug into a computer or a Smart TV, and you’ve got the entire album on there. People have gone mad for them.” Ultimately, Bowen hopes that listeners appreciate Ten Thousand’s slightly unconventional approach to constructing and releasing the album. “One thing that
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was really important to us during the recording was the feeling and then vibe, and having those intangible qualities infused into the album somehow. Even though it has a very big sound, it’s a very personal experience.”
TEN THOUSAND are hitting up Cherry Bar this Saturday June 13, with Green Thief and The Drop Bears. The band’s debut LP First Light is available now. BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 31
Q&A
MUSIC NEWS
YOUR COMPREHENSIVE LOCAL GUIDE
For all the latest news check out beat.com.au WEDNESDAY JUNE 10
TWO HEADED DOG
TOKIMONSTA
TIM DURKIN
Two Headed Dog, the three-piece band with a love for fuzz, loud drums and organ will be taking over Cherry Bar again this Wednesday June 10. They’ll be playing an all killer, no filler set brimming with hard blues mixed with grunge and psychedelia. Stylising their music around raw ‘60s and ‘70s style rock, the band will be taking to the Cherry stage every Wednesday in June for their residency, with support this week coming from guests The Black Alleys, Leopard Slugg and Twin Ages. Doors open at 6pm, entry will cost $5 which grants you a free Jager shot on the door.
Los Angeles native, TOKiMONSTA ( Jennifer Lee) is known for her unique take on indie electronic/ R&B/dance music. Her classical upbringing and eclectic music taste has allows her to create vast textural soundscapes, a reverberation that fuses vintage sensibilities with progressive inclinations. Not only has she caught ears of many as a different dimension of Los Angeles based beat makers TOKiMONSTA is notably the first female to join Flying Lotus's crew/label Brainfeeder, which is on the forefront of LA music scene. Catch her and supports: J'Nett, Stephelles and Lotus Moonchild from 8pm at Boney, head to their website to grab a ticket.
The Bobby Dazzler Market
(BRITISH INVASION)
Tell us what will be happening at the next Market. The theme this time is British Invasion and it really is of the highest order. A swinging ‘60s style market party with stalls, live music, go-go dancers and live art. Tell us about the bands you’ve got lined up. We are starting the day off with the sweet acoustic sounds of Annie & Bern and then onto some ‘60s-style blue eyed soul from the Pollydevlins. Then we have The Sons of MOD who have come from Adelaide to play their original, raw, hard, dirty ‘60s-style maximum R&B. What sort of stuff will we be able to pick up? Vinyl, original vintage (for blokes too) custommade frocks, jewellery, furniture, art, and we have Belair the Label launching her new go-go range on the day. Nice. What do you reckon is so appealing about the ‘60s? It’s original, edgy, stylish and so much fun. Cool music, art, fashion, people and everybody having a nice, groovy time. Anything else? We’re pretty excited about this one. It really is a collaboration of Australia’s ‘60s lovers. So don’t miss it – the event is free. The British will be invading the Provincial Hotel, 299 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy, on Sunday June 14 from 12pm till we stop partying.
Q&A
T H E R E T R E AT H O T E L
The frontman of local rabble rousers Cherrywood has decided to do a few solo shows for shits and giggles. Expect a mixture of Cherrywood songs and eclectic covers this Wednesday June 10, with some hilarious and/or awkward banter in between. Durkin will be playing at the front bar of The Retreat Hotel this Wednesday June 10, with Brett Marshall from Mightiest of Guns supporting. Booyah. Entry is free and you should probably come watch.
NEPAL FUNDRAISER THE OLD BAR
The legends over at The Old Bar are putting on a benefit gig for Nepal this Wednesday June 10, that’ll feature a lineup of noisy haterock for anyone who has a penchant for hard music. Gentlemen, RIP Fucker, Tactical Attack, No Class and Unnatural Birth will be ripping the hell out of The Old Bar this Wednesday. Be sure to get down there from 7.30pm and catch some noise. Entry is a measly $5 and will go a long way.
BEARS
THE PUBLIC BAR
Dogsday
Define your genre in five words or less: Rockin’ country surfabilly. 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? “Hey, there’s this great band playing in the front bar, sort of rockin’ country surfabilly. Let’s go check them out.” How long have you been gigging and writing? With Dogsday, about 20 years. What has been your favourite gig you’ve played to date? Any gig with Intoxica and Sydney Rd Street Party gigs at The Brunny. Which band would you most like to have a battle/ showdown with? The Wiggles. What inspires or has influenced your music the most? Johnny Cash, Beasts of Bourbon, Hoodoo Gurus, The Go-Betweens, Hank Williams, Hank III, Gram Parsons. What do you think a band has to do these days to succeed? Be in the right place at the right time. Do you have any record releases to date? What? Where can I get it? Yes. One album and two EPs. Available at gigs. Why should everyone come and see your band? Because Dogsday are great fun, play great music and are entertaining to boot. See DOGSDAY on Saturday June 13 at The Brunswick Hotel, for Andrew’s 50th Birthday. With Intoxica, Sarge & The Nuked and The Krunchy Omelette Experience. BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 32
Psych dream-pop act Bears are taking up a residency at The Public Bar during June, kicking off this Wednesday June 10, with an EP launch party scheduled for the end of the month. Catch Bears each week and shake off your hump day blues. Support this week comes from The Dead Heir and White Bleaches. Doors open at 7.30pm, entry is $6.
CHERRY BAR
THURSDAY JUNE 11
WEEKEND NACHOS
THE BENDIGO HOTEL
Illinois based powerviolence band Weekend Nachos are hitting Australian shores with a massive show booked in at The Bendigo Hotel. Expect skull crushing riff levels as the band fuse grindcore, hardcore and powerviolence with catchy groove sections and harsh vocals. With supports from Outright, Cursed Earth, Overpower and Years Of Abuse, this is going to be a fucking huge night you can’t miss. Get your tickets for this insane lineup now, as they are limited. Doors open at 8pm. Entry is $15.
MASCO SOUND SYSTEM THE BRUNSWICK HOTEL
An eclectic night of rhythmic music spanning a multitude of genres and influences will take over The Brunswick Hotel this Thursday June 11. Masco Sound System will bring their unique brand of reverse engineered, postdisco, analogue dance music to the Brunswick Hotel, with some very special guests coming along for the ride. Ruby McGrath-Lester opens the night on debut with her hypnotic, ethereal take on some old favourites. Alt-country journeymen Scurvylicious and lost cause Danny Kransky head for equally energetic ends of the spectrum and stoner sludge powerhouse Elbrus round off the night. Get down to the Brunny and get some of this music in your life.
T H E YA R R A H O T E L
JOHN CURTIN HOTEL
With a new EP on the way, Vinyl Splinters are celebrating the launch of Cheeky at The Reverence Hotel this Thursday June 11, and you’re invited to come to Cheekfest to celebrate. Taking over the front bar, the band are bringing their friends from Plural and The Eggs – feel free to have a listen if you’re having a pint at The Reverence Hotel. Doors open from 8pm, tickets will set you back $5.
THE IMMORTAL HORNS CHERRY BAR
Soul In The Basement is back this Thursday June 11 at Cherry Bar, and this week The Immortal Horns will hit the stage for a show that’s bound to get you jumping and bumping. The high-energy outfit have stormed the Melbourne music scene with their gut-busting brass sound – and while they originally were conceived as a busking group, the band have done well to juxtapose smooth harmonies with punch riffs, executed with a fierce lineup of trumpet, trombone, tuba and drums. Catch Soul In The Basement on Thursday June 11. Doors open at 6pm. $10 entry fee.
PUGSLEY BUZZARD
JIMMY WATTS DUO
Tom Dockray, the greatest old-time picker from Tasmania via Brunswick, makes a pilgrimage each year touring his spiritual home in the American deep south. Closer to home he’s been mesmerising crowds with his swagger, syrupy vocals and the picking of a true purist. With his Iron Suit EP under his belt, radio support, and a growing fanbase, Tom Dockray is an exciting newcomer for fans of great guitar picking and songwriting. Each week Dockray will be hitting up the front bar of the John Curtin, and will be joined by a different guest instrumentalist to take things up a notch or two. Catch Tom Dockray on Wednesday June 10 at The John Curtin Hotel.
VINYL SPLINTERS
THE REVERENCE HOTEL
DING DONG LOUNGE
The Gumbo Club is back, featuring tunes from Voodoo King Pugsley Buzzard and authentic Cajan and Creole cuisine direct from the Girl With The Gris Gris kitchen, as well as cocktail specials all night long and live entertainment. Never failing to get people stompin’ and shakin’ their thang, you can catch Pugsley from 7.30pm, with the greatest tunes born in the Deep South spinning in between sets and after the show. Grab some food beforehand and get in the mood with Pugsley Buzzard this Thursday June 11 at Ding Dong Lounge. Doors open at 6pm with free entry.
TOM DOCKRAY
BONEY
Head down for a chilled Thursday night at The Yarra Hotel in Abbotsford this Thursday June 11 with performances by Jimmy Watts Duo and special guest Moses Leigh Jones. Jimmy Watts is a soulful, grass roots troubadour from Queensland with a uniquely raw sound and a passion for performing live. A one of a kind gentleman of the road and a journeyman through and through; he is a truly memorable performer and one of Australia’s many great independent musical talents. Moses Leigh Jones is a man obsessed with the sounds of the ‘60s. Writing songs for 17 years at this point, and currently recording his seventh studio album, if you’re into folk, soul or blues you’ll love Moses Leigh Jones. Catch them both at The Yarra Hotel from 8pm.
SIMON HUDSON BAND T H E R E T R E AT H O T E L
Reckon you own the dance floor? Well, sorry to tell you, but you’re fucking wrong. The true rulers of the dance floor are the Simon Hudson Band. With roots, funk and Latin grooves great original songs, and infectious live energy, the Simon Hudson Band have wowed countless audiences throughout Europe and Australia, and they’re bound to wow you too as they hit The Retreat Hotel this Thursday June 11. With a surprise guest rapper (ooohhh, mysterious) joining the Simon Hudson Band to spit some words in the mix, you better get your dancing booties down to Brunswick and hit The Retreat Hotel for an exotic night. Doors open at 8.30pm. Entry is free, as always.
WHOLE LOTTA BLUES W H O L E L O T TA L O V E
It’s another Thursday, which means Whole Lotta Love is getting a lot cosier with Whole Lotta Blues. This week there’ll be the foot stompin’ blues duo Dog Gone South, featuring Dave Dorman on guitar, double stomps and vocals, and Chris Canning on harmonica. The blues can be soulfully tragic and Dog Gone South share some of that, but it’s also the form that gave
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birth to rock’n’roll, so foot stompin’ good times seem to follow them around. A Dog Gone South’s gig is a celebration with sounds from the modern to the early greats. Catch ‘em this Thursday June 11 from 8pm at Whole Lotta Love, before they take off on their Headin’ North album launch tour.
ARCANE SAINTS YA H YA H ’ S
Arcane Saints have just released their new EP In The Shade of the Juniper, and are hitting Yah Yah’s to promote the release. In The Shade of the Juniper boasts some of the heaviest songs the band has recorded, with a mix of lighter pop tracks to keep their sound balanced. Between touring the rest of the country, the band will be jumping back to Yah Yah’s every Thursday as part of a residency, with support this week from Shadows at Bay and Eris Bel. Entry is the astounding price of free and doors open at 6pm. FRIDAY JUNE 12
HENRY WAGONS
THE WORKERS CLUB
If you haven’t noticed, it’s goddamn freezing in Melbourne. Want to warm yourself up a little this Friday June 12? Best you get yourself down to The Workers Club and let Henry Wagons be your personal fireplace as he treats audiences to an exclusive album preview. After a frenetic year slapping minds and thrashing ears across the globe, the time has come for the Wagons band to rest their weary, road-hardened souls. With an album release slated for early 2016, this will be Henry Wagon’s first ever full length solo record, and he has the grandest of plans. This is your chance to be the first to hear these twang-ridden new songs of revelry, sorrow and triumph, up close and very personal. With a limited capacity, this show is bound to fill to the brim quickly. Tickets are $24 from OzTix - head down from 8pm, this’ll be a big one.
ZODIAC
JOHN CURTIN HOTEL
Travelling all the way from Brisbane especially for this show, barbarians Zodiac will play their crushing mix of heavy doom metal in the vein of elder gods Sabbath, Trouble and Candlemass, spiritually conjuring the dark lord himself right here in Melbourne. They join new band Teuton, who lit a fire under the arses of disciples of classic heavy metal the world over with their raw power, real hooks and heavy metal. Tickets are $10 and doors open at 8.30pm.
RICHIE 1250 & THE BRIDES OF CHRIST LUWOW
Hey you guys, look here. Richie 1250 and The Brides of Christ are stopping into Johnston Street’s tiki jungle wonderland The LuWow this Friday June 12 with Thee Wylde Oscars in
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HOPE SPRINGS
W H O L E L O T TA L O V E
This Friday June 12, Hope Springs will hit up Whole Lotta Love all the way from sunny Brisbane, off the back of their Sooner or Later EP launch tour. Loud vocals, distorted bass lines and hard-hitting drums all packaged up in heavy-laden punk-fuzz from Long Holiday will start the night out, before Hope Springs take the stage. Hard rockers Charm round off the night with firm, steady smackings of awesome to your earballs. Doors open at 8pm and entry is $5.
KIM SALMON THE B.EAST
Australian indie rock stalwart Kim Salmon will be playing a special set at The B.East this Friday June 12. Best known for his roles in The Scientists, Beasts of Bourbon, Kim Salmon & The Surrealists, Kim Salmon And The Business, and The Darling Downs, Salmon will be the perfect accompaniment to your beers and burgers this Friday night. Entry is free.
STEVE LUCAS
MR BOOGIE MAN
Frontman of the notorious Bigger Than Jesus and founder of Groody Frenzy, Double Cross & A.R.M. and the blues/psych fusion act The Strawberry Teardrop; Steve Lucas is taking to the stage at Mr Boogie Man to play a solo session during the bar’s happy hour this Friday June 12. Come catch this well respected solo singer/songwriter from 5pm onwards at Mr Boogie Man, and grab a cheap beer while you’re at it.
GUN BARREL STRAIGHTS THE DRUNKEN POET
Melbourne sextet The Gun Barrel Straights are taking to The Drunken Poet this Friday June 12, and they want you to feel their music in your stomping foot, drinking hand and brimming heart. Their acoustic live shows are a bruising affair as they flail away towards closing time on acoustic guitars, screaming bloody murder and hip and shouldering their way through stories of the old, weird Australia. Doors open from 8.30pm. Free entry.
THE BLUEBOTTLES
THE POST OFFICE HOTEL
With reverb drenched twang and a splash of Latin rhythm, Melbourne
locals The Bluebottles deliver an instrumental surf sound that’s sure to set the pulses racing and the feet stomping. Wherever they go, fans are shaking their bodies in a crazed, free-wheeling fashion, cutting loose to the unhinged beat. The teenagers are digging it and the old folks had better get used to it because The Bluebottles are here to stay. Catch them at The Post Office Hotel this Friday June 12 for two back to back sets from 9.30pm. Entry is free.
CLOWNS
THE TOTE
Melbourne’s four piece hardcore punk hell-raisers Clowns have wracked up onto our shores again, ready to wreak havoc this winter with over 20 shows coming up as part of their Running Through These Veins tour. This Friday June 12, Clowns are settling into The Tote along with Summer Blood, Scalphunter and Sweet Gold for a night of manic mayhem. Fans can expect Clowns’ trademark madness, intimacy and all round unpredictable fun. Doors open 7pm with $15 tickets.
ADMIRAL ACKBAR’S DISHONOURABLE DISCHARGE
THE REVERENCE HOTEL
Friday night is punk night at The Reverence Hotel as a big five band bill takes over the venue. This week’s lineup features riffs and shenanigans from Admiral Ackbar’s Dishonourable Discharge, The Shorts, who are launching their new EP, Where’s Grover?, Bottlecaps and Gravey!. Entry will set you back $5 and doors open from 7.30pm. Get your punk while it’s still hot.
BAPTISM OF UZI
T H E R E T R E AT H O T E L
Baptism of Uzi are hitting up The Retreat Hotel this Friday June 12. Drawing from a plethora of influences from Black Sabbath to NEU!, Melbourne’s psychedelic pop outfit Baptism of Uzi have quickly solidified their reputation for creating a wall of sound quite like no other. Over the past three years, Baptism have had the pleasure of appearing at New Zealand’s Camp a Low Hum festival, Laneway, Boogie festival, Meredith and have toured nationally with iconic artist Michael Rother and have opened for glam rockers The Darkness. After a low-key summer, The Uzi are back and are playing with mates The Cockles at the Retreat on the Friday June 12. Be sure to catch them when the doors open at 9.30pm. Entry is free so you have no excuse.
SWIDGEN
THE BENDIGO HOTEL
United under the banner of tasty riffage, large beats and a love of HBO’s Deadwood, Swidgen began plying their trade in a back shed of Collingwood, with the goal to write music that all three band members truly enjoyed
My Piranha
Well hi there! Who are we speaking with and what do you do in My Piranha? I’m Jez and I provide the fizzed out guitars, and gnarly lead vocals. I'm also the general vibe keeper and most likely to drop his own beer. To the entirely uninitiated, tell us a little about your band. Our band is like a dog that freakin’ loves to run, and you’re holding the leash all like, ‘Woah, calm down’, and we’re like ‘Yea running.’ Were like Cheez TV, but on a Saturday, so you can fully enjoy the end of Dragon Ball Z without having to rush off to school before Goku finally releases the spirit bomb. Oh and there’s three of us and we play rock tunes. If you owned a piranha, what would you name it? Wheatus, for the following reasons: 1. I’m just a teenage dirtbag baby. 2. We’re all just a teenage dirtbag, baby You’re going to be showing crowds at The Penny Black what My Piranha can do on stage. Why should we get down there? Statistically you are more likely to meet a sexually compatible partner at a My Piranha show than anywhere else. Especially when we play at the Penny Black. Catch My Piranha at The Penny Black on Friday June 12.
COMING UP
thursday 11th june
SOuL CuPCAKe
+ LAKe MInnetOnKA + LIttLe RABBIt DOORS/DINNER FROM 6PM | SHOWTIME 8:30PM. FREE
friday 12th june
SteVe LAne AnD the AutOCRAtS
+ Dj MICK (COBRA SNAKE NECKTIE RECORDS) DOORS/DINNER FROM 6PM | SHOWTIME 9PM. FREE
SaTUrday 13th june
ShACK ShAKeRS: VOODOO eDItIOn Ft.
hAPPY hOuR
PAPA ChAnGO $8 Pints + Dj KnAVe KnIXX + Dj MAnChILD $5 ENTRy FROM 8PM
SUNday 14th june
VARDOS
Of Craft Beer 4pm-6pm Daily
KItChen HOURS -
PeRFORMInG 2 X SetS
neW AutuMn Menu
4:30PM. FREE
TUESdayS In june
FACt hunt
Hosted by RRR’s Tristen Harris, this is a comfortably dumb trivia for music fans and couch potatoes, no sport, no politics and no book-learnin’. FREE ENTRy, QUIZ STARTS AT 8PM RESERVATIONS: SAMANDA@SPOTTEDMALLARD.COM
Tues-Fri 4pm till you’re full Sat & Sun 2pm till you’re full
tICKetS
For ticket sales visit www.spottedmallard.com
314 SYDneY RD BRunSWICK
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FIVE THINGS WITH...
Ern Malley
1. Growing Up My dad played in a band called Snakehipps Taylor. He had a music room where I would sit and play guitar and listen to records from his collection, mostly blues and jazz stuff. I used to jam with him because I was studying bass and he played guitar. 2. Inspirations I started writing when I was around 15. I’d written a song that my dad said sounded a lot like Bob Dylan, so I started listening to him. From there I went on to Dave Van Ronk, Blind Willie McTell, The Beatles, Buffalo Springfield. 3. Your Band The drummer, Nick, is my cousin. I’ve been playing with him since we were young. I called up Andy looking for a guitar player, I knew him from school. He, along with Stu and Craig, bass and keys respectively, all went through BOM. That’s the link. 4. The Music You Make We recorded our debut album with a great friend of mine Darren, whom I work with. We recorded the drums in a church hall in Westgarth over two days. We did the guitars at Bakehouse and the rest at Darren’s place. It’s a culmination of eight years worth of material. 5. Music, Right Here, Right Now One of the reasons I think that Melbourne’s music scene is so magnetic and of such high quality is the strength of community amongst its musicians. When you’re producing any form of art, it’s vital to have peers that will not only support you, but push you to higher levels.
playing, each song being a logical evolution from the previous and no regard for genre or pigeonholing. They play this Friday June 12 at The Bendigo along with Clagg and Wildeornes and Master Beta. Doors open at 8pm.
MY PIRANHA
VOLTAIRE TWINS
THE SHADOW ELECTRIC
Electro duo Voltaire Twins are back with their new single, Goodnight Spirit, and a headlining Melbourne show. Fronted by Perth twins Tegan and Jaymes, the pair have been locked away recording their debut album, Milky Waves. Due out in August, it features the production work of Ana Laverty (Cut Copy) and Steven Schram (San Cisco, Little Red). Voltaire Twins will play at The Shadow Electric on Friday June 12. Doors open at 7.30 – tickets cost $10. Fuck The Fitzroy Doom Scene
WALLAPALOOZA YA H YA H ’ S
MANGO RETREAT play The Brunswick Hotel on Friday June 12 with The Winter Suns and Gilligan Smiles.
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MUSCLE CAR
THE PUBLIC BAR
Formed in Adelaide in 1998, Muscle Car’s hunger for real rock’n’roll was apparent as four guys with an interest in getting on stage and kicking out the jams, so they joined forces to do exactly that. Be ready for a night of thumping rock as they take over The Public Bar this Saturday June 13. Support on the night comes from Scalphunter, Coffin Wolf and Angry Seas. Doors open at 8.30pm. Entry costs $10. L I T T L E A N D O LV E R
T H E P ENNY BLACK
Q&A
Define your genre in five words or less: Folk/ alt-rock So, someone is walking past as you guys are playing, they then tell their friend about you... what do they say? “Hey, why the hell did that guy on stage just throw a mango at me?” How long have you been gigging and writing? Tom and Rana have been playing together for a couple of years. Our drummer Jake joined about a year ago, then Harman joined and we’ve been gigging a lot for the last six months. What has been your favourite gig you’ve played to date? Forward Music Festival – a charity festival organised by a close mate of ours. We played in the arvo and everyone in the crowd was having a boogie. It was wild. What inspires or has influenced your music the most? Ben Howard plays a major role, so do Jinja Safari, Boy & Bear, Kim Churchill. We love all those guys. Also, a little bit of Mumford and Sons (before they were terrible). What do you think a band has to do these days to succeed? Have a captivating live show and play all the time to as many people as you can. Sometimes a well-written song helps. Why should everyone come and see your band? We play music to relieve people from their daily stress and we want to make people happy when we play. Also, if you dance hard enough at our shows you might win a mango. So yeah.
up countless US tours, and in recent times they’ve played alongside bands such as Parquet Courts and Protomartyr, and have been offered two invitations to play cult punk festival Goner Fest in Memphis. The show will kick off an Australian tour that follows the release of their fourth full length album, Punters On a Barge via local Melbourne label Homeless. Catch Spray Paint when they warm up The Old Bar on Saturday June 13.
PUSSY POWER
ERN MALLEY plays the Workers Club on Thursday June 11.
Mango Retreat
toilet booth (you’ll see what that means) and filming Stagehand Sam’s first video. Get your presale tickets for $12+BF or on the doors when they open at 9pm this Friday June 12.
Wallapalooza is taking over Yah Yah’s this Friday June 12 with a fucking huge night of insane music, special effects and dragons. Yeah. Dragons. Fuck The Fitzroy Doom Scene will be headlining this huge showcase of the best rock and metal the country has to offer. Hailmary, Redhook, These For Walls, Smoking Martha and Flanelette will round out the rest of the bill. Pretty sweet, huh? Doors open at 7.30 and it’ll only set you back $10.
My Piranha are headlining a night of high energy fuzz and scuzz at The Penny Black this Friday June 12, and they’ll be bringing their garage, grunge rock tunes along with them. The boys have been slamming it out on the local circuit as well as touring the country side off the back of their debut EP The Free-P for the last year or so, and are gearing up to release some new music, so expect some new tunes and old favs from these guys. Joining them will be the punk rock indie two-piece From Oslo and Claws & Organs. Catch this one at The Penny Black from 9pm, entry is free.
JUXTPOSE BONEY
Juxtpose launches his most recent effort, Technometry, an EP that features funky techno and percussive house that will be performed live in Juxtpose’s inimitable style. The launch party for their new EP sees support coming from Kirkis, Dan White, Ben Hougton and The Public Works Department for a rounded night of Techno this Friday June 12. Tickets are $10 on the door – be sure to get down there when they open at 10pm. SATURDAY JUNE 13
HARRY HOWARD & THE NDE
THE POST OFFICE HOTEL
After a stint in The Birthday Party with his brother Rowland, and playing in Crime & The City Solution with Mick Harvey, Harry Howard began to record his own material. Years of songwriting followed, and now Dave Graney, Clare Moore and Edwina Preston joined him to complete the NDE for some selfdescribed cheap disco post-punk. Join in as they play two back to back sets this Saturday June 13 at The Post Office Hotel from 9.30. Entry is free.
SASKWATCH
JOHN CURTIN HOTEL
To celebrate the release of their latest album Sorry I Let It Come Between Us, Saskwatch will grace the John Curtin stage to play the album from start to finish at a free show on Saturday June 13. Sorry I Let It Come Between Us is an evolutionary album for the band. Shifting and sliding between guitar heavy pop, bluesy melancholy and soulful ballads, the new album offers an emotionally assertive voice matched equally in musical intricacies. Want to hear it first, see it live, and do it all for free? Then get down to the John Curtin this Saturday June 13 at 7pm. This one will pack out, so round up the troops and get there a little earlier. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.
THE PINK TILES THE TOTE
Returning to The Tote stage to celebrate the release of their Snax, Spirits, Classic Hits EP, Melbourne’s own The Pink Tiles have strung together a great bill to keep the crowd going through the night. Joining them will be Loose Tooth, Bonnie Doom and Habits, plus special guest Joe Kokomo (RRR’s Astral Glamour) and everyone’s favourite relative DJ Uncle Iain. Save the date, Saturday June 13, and get down to The Tote from 8.30pm. Tickets are only $10.
CONTROLLED
THE BENDIGO HOTEL
With supports coming from a wide range of talent such as Ill Natured, Born Free, Rebirth and Broken, The Bendigo Hotel is hosting a five band hardcore moshfest with Controlled this Saturday June 13 and you’re invited. Get your beers and bang your head when the doors open at 8pm, entry will set you back $15.
LOST SATURDAYS BONEY
BAD NEWS TOILET
DING DONG LOUNGE
It’s a mash-up show like no other – a DJ set full of props, costumes and crazy live performances. Having warmed crowds over the past year for the likes of Alison Wonderland, Kele Okereke, Nina Las Vegas, What So Not and Northeast Party House, Bad News Toilet know how to make you Macarena like the best of them. The duo have also been busy over the winter recording mix tapes, crafting new costumes, constructing a
SPRAY PAINT THE OLD BAR
Drop everything you’re doing now. Texan punkers Spray Paint have just locked in a show at The Old Bar, with The Spinning Rooms, Exhaustion and Polo rounding out the bill. Spray Paint have clocked
The next instalment of Boney’s Lost Weekend party series is upon us, this week featuring Andres (Dopeness Galore) at the decks for Saturday’s sublime session. Every Saturday begins with CC.Disco and friends at the controls, turning tropical flavours into delectable diva anthems in the seductive suite, all before Andee Frost takes charge with a typically debaucherous after hour soundtrack deep into the early hours. Get ready to make disco weekends a reality this Saturday June 13 at Boney. Entry will set you back $15+BF when the doors open at 10pm.
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Each Saturday night, Little And Olver hosts Pussy Power - an all femme DJ lineup featuring some of Australia’s finest DJ divas and tunes range from the empowered women era of Motown right through to unshackled power of Beyonce and back. Sip on some fine cocktails and shake what your mama gave you until the sun comes up. It all goes down at Little and Olver on Saturday June 13. Get there.
LURCH & CHIEF
DING DONG LOUNGE
Melbourne’s only stoner-swirl jampsych band Lurch & Chief are selling tickets fast to their Ding Dong show this Saturday June 13, so make sure you get yours as fast as possible. The band have been making a huge impression on the lineup of some of the country’s most iconic festivals, with their single Keep It Together receiving massive love from triple j and community radio. Be sure to grab your tickets from the venue’s website, or take a chance and grab them on the door for $17 if they’re still available. Doors open at 9pm.
BELLE HAVEN
THE REVERENCE HOTEL
Phoenix All Ages are announcing a round of the 2015 Freeza Push Start Battle of the Bands, being held at The Reverence Hotel this Saturday June 13. The annual competition showcases young musicians from around Victoria, giving them the opportunity to perform, gain local exposure, and win their way to a spot on the Moomba Festival lineup. Belle Haven and Strickland will headline the event, along with other local acts. Entry costs $10 when the doors open at 1pm. The event is all ages, so no drugs or alcohol will be permitted at the event.
TRIUMPH OVER LOGIC W H O L E L O T TA L O V E
Whole Lotta Love starts off its double stacking this Saturday June 13 with the Melbourne City Ska Collective playing from 2pm to 6pm. Fun times start with ska, and later on from 8pm The Strangers In Town get all ‘90s with some pop punk, SheWolf keep it in the family with the Vlahos triplets on three of four instruments, and Triumph Over Logic smash it home with a theatrical finish. Free entry for the afternoon session, $5 from 8pm.
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For all the latest news check out beat.com.au a swathe of new tunes (as well as some old timey favourites), the lads have asked young guns Slow Fires and Jules Douglas to join them for a winter warmer of a Saturday evening. Get down when doors open at 8pm, entry is free.
THE DUPLETS
RIFLEBIRDS
THE DRUNKEN POET
YA H YA H ’ S
Melbourne based rock band Riflebirds are taking over Yah Yah’s on Saturday June 13 for the launch of their new album, Detours & Collisions. Expect a blend of alt-country, psychedelic and rock when they take over the stage, featuring supports from The Conclusions and The Ridge Town Porch Band. If that’s not enough, The Cramps tribute band Hypno Sex Ray will play a 2am slot upstairs afterwards. Doors open from 8pm onwards, entry costs $13.
MONDAY JUNE 15
IMMIGRANT UNION K E LV I N C L U B
It was 2004 when Brent DeBoer (The Dandy Warhols) had a chance meeting with Melbourne muso Bob Harrow. They hit things off, and since then Immigrant Union have gone on to support acts such as Noel Gallagher, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and Dead Meadow. Now off the back of their recently released album Anyway, Immigrant Union are celebrating with a gig going down at the Kelvin Club on Saturday June 13.
Brought up in the Highlands of Scotland, the partnership between Gillian Fleetwood and Fraya Thomsen resulted in the formation of The Duplets, who debuted with a sell-out concert at the Edinburgh International Harp Festival in 2005. They have since played, and often taught, at many other festivals including the Edinburgh Fringe, Celtic Connections, the Green Man Festival, the West End Festival, Blas, Solfest, Folk Alliance International, Harfentreffen and the Dinan Harp Gathering. The Scottish duo play The Drunken Poet on Sunday June 14 from 4pm. Free entry.
THE OLD BAR
MEMO MUSIC HALL
CENTRAL RAIN
T H E R E T R E AT H O T E L
Central Rain is the first solo project of Retreat regular Luke Thomas, with a mini-album of brand new material set to be released later this year. Atmospheric and reflective, the songs are reminiscent of writers such as Steve Kilbey, Neil Finn and Grant McLennan. On stage, Thomas is joined by some old friends (including The Ronson Hangup’s Mal Pinkerton on cello) and the songs sound better than ever. The band is offering a free CD single to the first ten people who join their mailing list on the night, be sure to get to The Retreat Hotel from 10.30pm when the doors open if you want a good shot at the prize. Entry is free, as always.
OSCAR KEY SUNG HOWLER
One of Australia’s most unique producers and Melbourne’s most vital voices, Oscar Key Sung has released his second EP, Altruism, and is hitting Howler for an intimate show rich with the sensibilities of R&B’s golden past and pop’s near future. With a mindset for making hi-fidelity music for clubs and rooms dedicated to listening and movement, he’ll be sure to fit right in to the back room of Howler when he arrives this Saturday June 13. Tickets cost $18, doors open at 9pm.
SPLIT SECONDS
T H E YA R R A H O T E L
Split Seconds are coming out of studio hibernation this Saturday June 13 to tread the boards at their favourite pub The Yarra in Abbotsford. Armed with
They’ve just released their latest single Resist, and now, GodWolf are bringing their live set to the Workers Club every Monday night during June. Their five-piece live hybrid-electronic band harmoniously bring two energised worlds of music together. The residency also boasts free entry, cheap drinks, and a different special guest artist each week. This is a run of shows not to be missed. GodWolf. Get there from 7pm onwards.
SPACEJUNK
DEBORAH CONWAY AND WILLY ZYGIER Aussie folk singer/songwriters Deborah Conway and Willy Zygier have a lot to celebrate at their Ghosts & Pearls show this Saturday June 13 at MEMO Music Hall. Willy and Deborah are hyped over the success of their latest collaboration album Stories of Ghosts, while Deborah is enjoying the 25th anniversary of her String of Pearls album, released back in 1991. Acoustic folk fans need to get in line, doors open 8pm, with $42+BF tickets reserved seating, $30+BF GA.
GODWOLF
THE WORKERS CLUB
CHARLES JENKINS & THE ZHIVAGOS
T H E R E T R E AT H O T E L
Charles Jenkins and The Zhivagos are back to make a mess of Brunswick when they take over The Retreat Hotel for two shows over the first two Sundays of June. A rare chance to get on board for a night of gospel-tinged songwriting with clever balladry, sharp lyrics and killer hooks, be sure to catch the band when they hit The Retreat Hotel from 7.30pm this Sunday June 14. Entry is free, as always.
Monday, typically mundane, is about to be fixed with this edition of The Old Bar’s Mundane Mondays. Get down to the bar from 8pm onwards to catch a smashing three band lineup of Spacejunk, Cosmic Kahuna and Master Beat. This’ll deliver enough noise to shake off those start of the week blues. Entry will set you back $5. TUESDAY JUNE 16
HEY FRANKIE
THE WORKERS CLUB
MATT GLASS & THE LOOSE CANNONS THE B.EAST
Matt Glass & The Loose Cannons are heading to the B.East for an intimate night this Saturday June 13. Coming off the back of a successful debut release, Matt’s second studio album The Spaces In Between is a resonating tribute to the loves and losses that unite us through the curves of living an authentic life. It is the strong and honest voice of a man in a pub, wearing his heart on a rolledup sleeve. Joining Glass will be Danika Smith; a singer/songwriter from the far north coast of NSW. Having picking up the guitar and realising the joy of portability, Danika performs on the streets and plays the odd gig. Soft and sweet, her voice is warm and a pleasure to listen to. Head down to The B.East this Saturday night, music starts at 9pm with free entry. SUNDAY JUNE 14
KERRI SIMPSON CHERRY BAR
Cherry Blues is back this Sunday June 14 – this week’s instalment is graced by Kerri Simpson. The blues musician boasts her own unique approach to singing, taking a voice that initiates, comes from the heart and mixes her life and music experiences in a form that comes straight from her soul. If that’s not enough to keep you cosy, there’ll be delicious vegetarian chilli going about – so come fill your ears and your mouth at Cherry Bar this Sunday June 14. Sets begin from 3pm, entry is $5.
I’LLS
HOWLER
Hailing back to some of their more vocally-centric releases, I’lls’ newest offering Let Me Have Just One, builds patiently before opening up toward the song’s climax. One part celestial exploration, one part dark-rave anthem, it’s a timely reminder of I’lls’ unique ability to create mood-inducing, left-ofcentre pop music. Melding the ambient soundscapes and fractured electronica of late '90s garage with warmly spellbinding melodic incantations and an air of postmillennial unease, I’lls have been quietly winning over a growing league of fans, fellow musicians and tastemakers – they’ll be sure to win you over too when they take over Howler on Sunday June 14. Tickets will set you back $18 when the doors open at 7.30pm.
THE HORNETS
THE POST OFFICE HOTEL
The Hornets have slowly become a regular fixture on Australia’s blues and roots music scene over the years, and this week they’re heading to The Post Office Hotel. They’ve already released a whopping six albums to rave reviews and have gained a regular following of devoted fans as a result of their incendiary live performances. Consequently The Age named The Hornets the best blues band in Melbourne. This Sunday June 14 find out what all the fuss is about as The Hornets play two sets from 4.30pm. Entry is free.
This June, Hey Frankie will be bringing their batch of genre bending neosoul and electronica / jazz tunes for three Tuesday shows at The Workers Club. Having sold out gigs at the 2014 Melbourne International Jazz Festival, Boney, The Toff and Revolver, Hey Frankie are now busy gearing up to play their first headline residency. Lead by the sultry vocals of Jess Palmer, the group will feature fresh material written over the course of 2015, as well as tracks from their recent release, Guess Who. A stellar lineup of special guests will be joining the party each week, this time it’s Tiaryn and Another Batch joining the ruckus. You know what to do. Doors are at 7pm and tickets are $10 on the door.
SHEEHAN SMITH & SHEEHAN
T H E YA R R A H O T E L
Marni Sheehan, Mark Smith and Dave Sheehan have joined forces to create a country blues treat for audiences this Tuesday June 16 at The Yarra Hotel. Although they all have many years of performance experience, this particular act is actually quite new. Their style covers rootsy blues, alt and vintage country, originals featuring vocal harmonies and a variety of snappy instrumentation – acoustic, dobro, national steel and electric guitars, mandolin, banjo and percussion. Catch their free entry show at The Yarra Hotel from 8pm
CHECK OUT ALL THE LATEST NEWS, REVIEWS AND FREE SHIT AT BEAT.COM.AU
Masco Sound System
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? “Woah, that’s that late 1700’s French Canadian fiddle tune gone all buck wild with tape delays and tube amps and shit. How long have you been gigging and writing? The band is a new venture of current/ ex-members of Immigrant Union, Perch Creek, Freedom, The Resignators and Merri Creek Pickers. Individually we’ve been playing a long time and the energy of this new project is incredible. What has been your favourite gig you’ve played to date? We were lucky enough to play our debut at the third installment of the Kwingy 3000 in Korweinguboora. It’s an awesome little festival run by our friends in the middle of the bush. What inspires or has influenced your music the most? The elusive, transcendental quality found in all genres that drive people toward movement. What do you think a band has to do these days to succeed? Above all, play music you care about, well. And don’t be a dick. Do you have any record releases to date? What? Where can I get it? Rough demo on bandcamp (mascosoundsystem. bandcamp.com). More releases in the works and coming soon on Wombat State Records. Why should everyone come and see your band? To be honest, not everyone should. People who are interested in seeing skilled musicians push old music in new directions will probably have a good time. Wombat State Records presents Masco Sound System, Elbrus, Scurvylicious, Danny Kransky and Ruby McGrath-Lester on Thursday June 11 at The Brunswick Hotel.
Q&A
Emerge
in the Yarra Festival
Hi there. Can you please give us a history lesson in Emerge in the Yarra Festival? This is the festival’s 12th year. It was founded to celebrate the incredibly talented artists from our Indigenous and emerging communities, including newly arrived refugee and asylum seeker communities. This year, Emerge in the Yarra Festival will be running for a week. What will you have on offer over the seven days? The festival’s hub is the Fitzroy Town Hall and begins Sunday with an all day smorgasbord of the languages of Yarra. From 3pm to 5pm enjoy The Lalibelas and Nhatty Man live on PBSFM. Monday brings a playback theatre opportunity and Afghani cooking experience. Tuesday offers a comedy night featuring four distinct comedians that will get you thinking differently about the world. Wednesday night, Nyala African Restaurant will reveal some of the secrets to pan-African cuisine. Thursday night spans the opening of Etch This, featuring new prints by emerging artists-in-residence at The Ownership Project, a Q&A including panel member Julian Burnside QC, and a Vietnamese cook up. Friday offers an open jam with virtuoso pianist Danny Atlaw followed by a night of Eritrean and Ethiopian culture. The festival’s final day brings together an allage Crafternoon, with performance workshops at Cubbies, followed by a huge closing party. What’s your suggested itinerary for an Emerge in the Yarra newbie? Any recommendations? Come to everything. The events are so diverse and most are free so why not come by and have a taste of what interests you. EMERGE IN THE YARRA runs from Sunday June 14 till Saturday June 20 with events spread out across the City of Yarra region. Bookings’ required; see multiculturalarts.com.au.
BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 35
LIVE
REPORTS FROM THE FRONT ROW
For more reviews go to beat.com.au/reviews AGAINST ME! The Corner Hotel, Sunday June 7
ASH GRUNWALD The Corner Hotel, Friday June 5
Photo by Ian Laidlaw
Pale Heads blast open the night with their brand of old school punk – trashy and thrumming, they sound like Ramones… if Ramones knew how to play their instruments. Transitioning Out and Headless stood out as their best songs – a must listen/ see for anyone that cares about good punk. Joyce Manor make excellent early-’90s emo, with a screeching and prototypical American warble. They are an out of control cacophony and do a perfect job of warming up the crowd. Their last song, Constant Headache is absolutely smashing tune to go out on, with lyrics like, “Your love was foreign to me, it made me think maybe human’s not such a bad thing to be.” Played and sung with such furious passion, it’s easy to see how Joyce Manor have blown up worldwide in the past few years. It has to be said from the word go, Against Me!’s Laura Jane Grace has the biggest balls in rock’n’roll. This was an incredible performance – high energy and just generally goddamn amazing. True Trans Soul Rebel was the perfect screamer to open with, and they backed it up straight away with Pints Of Guinness Make You Strong. What’s unbelievable is that, despite Grace’s down and
out lyrics – looking at revolution and change, and the unfairness of life – she’s positively beaming on stage. It’s as if coming out as transgender has led to a healthy defiance of everything. Hearing Grace sing about how if her mother had a daughter she would’ve called her Laura brought more than a few tears to eyes around the room. With such an impressive back catalogue, it was hard to predict what was coming next. But thankfully FuckMyLife666 and Don’t Lose Touch made an appearance, as well as a stunning encore of Thrash Unreal and finally, I Was A Teenage Anarchist. Let’s face it, if there’s ever going to be a revolution in the Western world, it will be done to the music of Against Me! BY NAVARONE FARRELL
LOVED: Two moshers getting told off by Laura. HATED: Mohawks blocking my view. DRANK: Pints of Guinness, obviously.
BEN LEE Northcote Social Club, Sunday June 7
It only takes one look at Ash Grunwald’s newest press shots to figure out he’s not the man he used to be. The dreadlocks and general hippy vibe have been replaced Photo by Phoebe with a relatively maturePowell look. The level of politically charged activity has also increased with his latest single River and his commitment to bringing awareness to the coal seam gas fracking that’s tearing up this country’s landscape. Although Grunwald has never hidden his socio-political persuasions, he’s never put them at the forefront of his songwriting, and this may be the reason for his physical makeover. Then again, maybe his dreads just got stinky. Either way, expectations were running high for this tour after Grunwald’s recent Bluesfest appearance, which included backing singers, a horn section and The Living End’s brothers-in-rhythm Scott Owen and Andy Strachan. However, here at the Corner, Grunwald keeps it stripped down, with backing from Wolfmother keys player Ian Peres and ex-Blue King Brown drummer Pete Wilkins (both of whom also play on his upcoming album, Now). Before smacking the audience with Skywriter, Grunwald brims with ecstasy as he reveals that his only rehearsal with Wilkins and Peres was tonight’s sound check. However, you wouldn’t guess it, as the band’s tight playing easily follows the whims of their leader. River starts with Peres rocking out on a Doctor Who-esque Moog riff and Wilkins drumming like a rolling train. Grunwald’s
lyrics about the media vilifying protesters and society’s interconnectedness are aspirational, but potentially lost on an audience hanging out for the hits. Those hits are peppered throughout the setlist, which seems made up on the spot, as Grunwald takes cues from the loudest members of the crowd. Song introductions are cut short as Grunwald indulges cat calls for Mojo, Breakout and Robert Johnson’s Crossroads. A heart-filled moment comes when Grunwald tells the story of his most hardcore fan who recently passed away. The family wanted to play one of his songs at the funeral and they thought Port Campbell was a good choice, but Grunwald decided it wouldn’t do. Instead, he wrote a one-off song for them, which he shares with us as a tribute. It’s an interesting time for Grunwald, as his career enters its second decade and his music takes on a more mature edge, but retains the hooks that got him to this point. There’s a distinct feeling that the best is yet to come from Mr Grunwald. BY RHYS MCRAE
LOVED: Ian ‘Ape’ Peres jumping on his Hammond like a deranged chimpanzee. HATED: No member of the band. DRANK: Like 1000 beerz, totes 4 serial.
THE KREMLINGS Yah Yah’s, Saturday June 6 Smith Street was as interesting as ever on long weekend Saturday. Made up of vibrant suits and leather, and that guy who always wears a big hat indoors, all the regular magic was there, with added the inclusion of a savage noise set hiding behind the velvet curtain window at Yah Yah’s. Plyers welcomed people to the venue with a surf punk twang, which was laid against dark synths and the cold rhythmic thump of the drums. But this haunting introduction rapidly turned into a chaotic set of punk and hardcore noise, replete with twin-vocal howls and the clever insertion of groove sections. Celebrating the launch of their debut album Trauma, Worm Crown served up a savage set of crackling riffs, despairing vocals and drums hitting hard like hail on a tin roof. Worm Crown became more impressive as the performance went on – they managed to blend psychedelic hard rock with tinges of hardcore punk, and even some cleaner post-punk sections, into a tight, varied and consistently interesting set. The balance between every instrument was crucial; the guitar screamed like Godzilla, the bass crunched like dry
Weet-Bix, the drumming was precise yet pummelling, and the vocals had a dash of distancing reverb. In all, it was savage as a Rottweiler snapping from behind a wire fence, and easily as unnerving. From that point on, the venue became blanketed in chugs, drones and submerging riffs, all courtesy of The Kremlings. The band’s masked and near-naked vocalist was possibly the highlight of the set. He carved through Yah Yah’s, his sweaty skin working as a conductor for aggressive movement, and turned the entire venue into a moshpit. With the chop and snap of the drums, the garage-y riffwork and the vocalist howling like he’d lost a limb, their set reached a near primal savageness. The tight blend of hardcore breakdowns, harsh rock and pissed off garage punk closed up the night fantastically. BY THOMAS BRAND LOVED: Solis t-shirt! AWWW YEAH! HATED: Lack of grinding. DRANK: NO JAGER. NEVER.
Photo by Emily Day
Do Die Line
I love walking into a gig to find the audience sitting on the floor. These are my kind of people – the over30s with creaking knees, who might be aware that tomorrow’s a public holiday, but today’s still Sunday so bugger me if I’m going to stand. But Ben Lee’s support act, Gordi, is having none of it and urges the reluctant audience to its feet. There’s a rumbling of dissent, but soon even the laziest punters are tapping their toes to the Sydney-based songstress’ compelling mix of indiefolk and electronica. By the time Ben Lee strides out in a dapper beige suit and grandpa brogues, the audience are restless and ready to groove. Armed with an acoustic guitar and a winning smile, the 36-year-old pop veteran is accompanied by Sophie Koh and Dave Rogers, on keyboard/ xylophone and electric guitar respectively. Lee opens with his new single, the radio-friendly Big Love, before satisfying older fans with hits from the 2005 award-winning LP, Awake is the New Sleep. His new album, Love is the Great Rebellion, is an unabashed return to the joyful pop-driven whimsy of Awake. The record bears the unmistakeable influence of his recent, more settled lifestyle – Lee married actress Ione Skye
rint es Not P
in 2008 and the couple have a five-year-old daughter, Goldie. Some of the songs, particularly the irrepressibly perky Happiness, would fit seamlessly on a children’s album. To be fair, the album also explores darker territory. Everybody Dies touches on the death of Lee’s father and coming to terms with the fragility of life. It’s a brief interlude, however, and we’re soon basking in the sundrenched tranquillity of Everything is OK. The infectious pop-anthem Catch My Disease would’ve been the perfect way to end the night, as Lee climbs into the joyful crowd and whips up an impromptu moshpit. But as the rapturous applause subsides, he kills the vibe by finishing with God is a Fire, a suspiciously hymnlike song off his new album. Still, for fans and lovers of pop whimsy, it’s been a joyful night. BY EMILY DAY LOVED: The vibe. HATED: Nothing. DRANK: Mountain Goat. CHECK OUT ALL THE LATEST NEWS, REVIEWS AND FREE SHIT AT BEAT.COM.AU
BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 37
ALBUM OF THE WEEK
TOP TENS: HEARTLAND RECORDS TOP TEN
SETH SENTRY
1. Infrared Riding Hood LP TAD
Strange New Past
2. To The Highest Gods LP COLOUR HAZE
(High Score Records/ Inertia)
3. Dark Side Of The Spoon LP MINISTRY Seth Sentry’s a rare artist whose records make it feel like you’re best friends with him. Getting blazed, playing Xbox and complaining about work are Sentry’s bread and butter. The thematic focus of his second LP Strange New Past ranges from the mundane everyday to truly personal issues, but it’s never at arms length; we’re all in this together. Strange New Past is a mature successor to Sentry’s 2012 debut This Was Tomorrow, where each successful element is taken to the next level. For instance, no longer does Sentry only have a miniscule bag of weed; in Hell Boy he’s “puffing pentagrams/ and getting brimstoned”. It’s not just a juvenile boast – over the top of a walking double bass riff, this is Sentry’s way of showing us he’s finally gotten to a point of success. Although he still acts like a 19 year old, in Run, Sentry physically longs for the heady rush of adolescence. Hitting 30 after his last album, it’s clear that the Melbourne native is struggling to find his place in the adult world. Using his 20-something bachelor pad rooftop as a metaphor for his refusal to grow up, in Rooftop he wonders, “When I will come down?” It may not seem like deep subject matter, but for anyone struggling to find their place, it hits close to home. On the early-album track Dumb, Sentry suggests he
4. Last Years Savage LP/CD SHILPA RAY 5. Gravitron CD THE ATOMIC BITCHWAX 6. Black Age Blues CD GOATSNAKE 7. Mirror Moves LP PSYCHEDELIC FURS 8. Into the Wild LP EDDIE VEDDER 9. Life Is Peachy LP KORN 10. Live In America 2LP BLUE OYSTER CULT may not be the intellectual he thought he was. But the back end of the album more than proves this hypothesis wrong. The naivety that had him pining after cafe waitresses in his earlier work is replaced by wiser and more reflective subject matter. In Violin, Sentry pours out his heart and soul for his absentee mother. It’s an album highlight that epitomises the changes Sentry has gone through during his journey to success. With his trademark cheek finally applied to something other than shying away from responsibility, Strange New Past is a huge step forward for Seth Sentry. BY JONTY SIMMONS
RECORD PARADISE TOP TEN 1. In Colour JAMIE XX 2. Mutilator Defeated At Last THEE OH SEES 3. Anyway IMMIGRANT UNION 4. Punters on a Barge SPRAY PAINT 5. Quarters KING GIZZARD AND THE LIZARD WIZARD 6. Salad Days MAC DEMARCO
SINGLES
BY LACHLAN
7. Multi-love UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA 8. Before We Forgot How To Dream SOAK 9. Marry Me Tonight HTRK
For all the latest singles check out beat.com.au
10. In Tongues ELLA HOOPER
Jurrassic World spoiler alert – the dinos are back… and they’re pissed off.
ALI E
Track One (Independent) Shades of Dinosaur Jr in the sprawling tonal palette, Track One is a mellow driving force, deftly striding a tightrope between restraint and indulgence, crafting a breezy form of tension.
PALMS
Bad Apple (Ivy League) As far as borezo beachy shit-rock goes, this at least has a slightly interesting guitar tone that makes an appearance at the beginning, only to disappear up the track’s own arsehole. Seriously should’ve just run with that solo for three minutes, would’ve saved us from the insufferable “ba-ba-ba-dap” refrains.
ALBERT HAMMOND JR
Born Slippy (Liberator) Someone should let Strokes bro this song name’s already taken. This one’s a bit bland, and could do with a few more lager-lager-lagers.
JESS RIBEIRO
Kill It Yourself (Barely Dressed/Remote Control) Jess Ribeiro possesses a terrific vocal dynamic that alternates between drawl and pristine higher registers. Here it sits in the spotlight in front of sparse instrumentation, building swells in all the right places. The gentle flicker of the chorus is a measured triumph.
D.R.A.M.
Cha Cha (Independent) It takes a few listens to realise how brilliant the Super Mario Bros sample really is, but once you do, Cha Cha is a whole (Super Mario) world of fun. The track exceeds the realm of novelty to become one of the year’s most irresistible viral hits. Last week I spoke at length on the phone to my partner, who is in NYC, about how important songs are. I wish I could remember exactly what I said; something about how it can take just one song to bring people together, and to cherish that. The day after, she posted a video of D.R.A.M performing Cha Cha to a packed room, dancing with his mum on stage. D.R.A.M stands for ‘Does Real Ass Music’. This might seem a touch silly, but it truly is Real Ass Music.
PBS FM TOP TEN 1. Cum the Raw Prawn COSMIC PSYCHOS 2. In Colour JAMIE XX 3. Biomass BATPISS 4. Headless PALE HEADS 5. The West African Blues Project MODOU TOURE & RAMON GOOSE 6. Ithaca Bound ALLAN BROWNE QUINTET 7. Nozinja Lodge NOZINJA 8. She’d Need A Heart BEN MASON 9. Multi-love UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA 10. The Bad Plus Joshua Redman THE BAD PLUS JOSHUA REDMAN
BEAT’S TOP TEN SUPERHERO SONGS 1. Superman Meets Wonder Woman EMINEM & JAY Z 2. Powerman THE KINKS 3. Superman R.E.M. 4. Flash Gordon TALIB KWELI 5. Daredevil FIONA APPLE
SINGLE OF THE WEEK ROYAL HEADACHE
High (Distant & Vague Recordings) This is such a good love song and it sounds fantastic. The simple sweet melody is pure bliss; the riff itself is rich with emotive impact, a genuine euphoria, something communal and real. The fact that Shogun is the best vocalist in the country is just a bonus. It’s perfect in construction, clearing breathing space after the middle eight – classic, to the point, songwriting. I’ve listened to this a lot since it was released last week. I’ll listen to it a lot more. Hopefully I’ll listen to it live again sometime in 2015.
BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 38
WATCH INTERVIEWS, CHATS & AWKWARD SILENCES... BEAT.COM.AU/TV
6. Spider-Man RAMONES 7. Batman Theme THE JAM 8. The Incredible Hulk CONSEQUENCE & JOHN LEGEND 9. Catwoman THE WEDDING PRESENT 10. Spider Man LINK WRAY
ALBUMS New music in review this week - For more reviews go to beat.com.au/reviews
HARTS
LOVE MIGRATE
Breakthrough
Shimmer Through the Night
(Pavement Records/Shock)
(Remote Control)
(Flightless)
On Breakthrough’s opening and title track, Darren Hart sings “Everybody wants to feel they’re high on top of the world.” With this release, it seems like Hart is on his way there. From the EP’s very first moment, you’re graced with Harts’ signature sound, which was established on last year’s debut full length, Daydreamer. The title track is a highlight, opening with a fuzzed-out guitar lick that grooves away with the bass and drums. After listening to a few of his tracks, it’s easy to see why Prince invited him to hang out and jam at his Paisley Park Studios. The blistering Hendrix-esque guitar playing that’s become a staple of the Harts live show is present on each the EP’s five tracks. Plus, throughout the EP, you’re gifted with many a funky rock groove that’ll put your feet in a dancing mood and slap a smile on your face. If you’re yet to discover the guitar wizardry of Harts (which warrants the Hendrix comparisons), then Breakthrough is a great place to start. Catchy guitar pop of the highest order, there is very little to fault about this EP. With plans to tour the UK, US and New Zealand in the near future, be sure to catch Harts while you still can. TEX MILLER
Love Migrate are a criminally undervalued band from Melbourne. Evolved out of Goodnight Owl with a splash of Sleep Decade and some King Gizzard thrown in too, this is the band’s second EP since 2012’s goddamn incredible album Plagued Are All My Thoughts, Like White Ants In The Fence. Love Migrate’s tunes are tailor made for a dreary Melbourne winter. The music envelops your ear holes like an old blanket would while you sit on the couch safe from the grey pitter-patter outside. First track Pippa’s In The Highlands gets things off to a beautiful easygoing start, and gives an indication where the EP will take you. The band’s previous release Dissolved was a bit stagnant – beautiful, of course, but a little slow. By contrast, Shimmer Through the Night keeps chugging along. Dreaming Wild takes a nice sonic side step into synth pop. It’s a bit like The War On Drugs, but with enough Love Migrate to not be obvious. The vocals are gutsier and less shaky than they’ve been on past releases. Who knows whether or not that was intentional, but it sounds great. Another corker, Making Me Feel Terrible continues down synth alley with a triumphant Jon Farnham juju. It’s nice hearing this mob try something new. The EP closes with Seahorse, a wonky little ballad that drops it back a few pegs. Love Migrate have always done the slow stuff well. Seahorse is no different; soaked in melancholy with a few sprinkles of optimism to keep you floating along.
METHYL ETHEL
Oh Inhuman Spectacle
They say there’s something in the water in Perth that continually breeds amazing bands and unheard melodies. Three-piece Methyl Ethel provide further evidence for this theory. The band’s debut album Oh Inhuman Spectacle is, for want of an eloquent term, bloody awesome. Lead single Rogues has a wonderfully familiar twang reminiscent of Twerps, but also something more solemn that resembles The War On Drugs. The vocals are delicate and tell an image-heavy story that includes lyrics like, “I was arriving on the coattails of a stranger/ Who was caught under house arrest/ And his room became his tomb.” As lead singer and lyricist Jake Webb continues, you realise you’re leaning forward, desperately awaiting the next line. Luckily, Webb doesn’t disappoint. This is also true of latest single Twilight Driving, which is one of the best tracks on the album. To Swim opens with footsteps, but they soon give way to an open dreamscape, which is more in keeping with the title. Unbalancing Act is initially somewhat destabilising, but the free-floating beats and melodies unite and loop beautifully for the song’s duration, fading out peacefully alongside birdcalls and crickets. As a whole, Oh Inhuman Spectacle is a living, breathing thing. There’s connective tissue linking all the songs, be it a lyrical theme, a fleeting sound, or the overarching sentiment. The Perth trio’s debut is truly addictive. IZZY TOLHURST
JACK PARSONS
SPRAY PAINT
VIOLENT FEMMES
PALE HEADS
Punters on a Barge
Headless
(Homeless Records)
Happy New Year
(Poison City Records)
(Add It Up Productions)
The good news is that the first new music from Violent Femmes in 15 years sounds exactly like the Violent Femmes. Recorded on New Year’s Eve in Hobart and originally released for Record Store Day, Happy New Year doesn’t take the band’s sound anywhere new, and I wouldn’t want it to either. It is full of joy, and for a band that’ve endured their fair share of feuds and member-on-member lawsuits over the last 35 years, hearing them have fun is pretty amazing. If you’re a fan of Gordon Gano’s whiny yet energetic singing and big blowy saxophone lines, pick up this EP. The opening cut, Happy New Year, is a simple, goofy track that sticks a drunken smile on your face. It’s followed by the dark tango, Love Love Love Love Love, and Good For/ At Nothing, both of which have the enthusiastic bitterness of vintage Femmes. The EP is closed out by Fast Horses, a slower, reflective track featuring one of Brian Ritchie’s signature wandering bass lines. The band are reportedly recording material for a new album as we speak, but for the time being, Happy New Year lives up to its name. JACK FRANKLIN
There were two kids at high school back in the mid-‘80s who carried cans of spray paint like undercover cops brandished police ID, defacing everything from the doors of the school train to the desks in the local council chamber. Those kids were into skate punk and a bit of LA metal, taking little interest in the subliminally subversive Devo, and the jarring one-fingered anti-pop salute of The Fall. Had it been different, those kids might have, 30 years later, embraced Austin’s Spray Paint. Punters On a Barge, the second Spray Paint record released locally on Homeless Records (after last year’s equally abrasive, Clear Blood, Regular Acid), is the type of record that reminds you why punk rock exists, by definition, on the margins. Ian’s Theme sets the scene with jagged chords, thrashing beats and atonal vocals; Entry Level Human is the pithy dissection of humanity that Devo always wanted to commit to record; the brutal consistency of Polar Beer is metaphor for the monotony of contemporary existence; and if George Brandis’ department started accompanying rejections for arts funding with I Hate Your Paintings, he’d make some unlikely friends. Day of the Rope infects the jarring punk with an electronic aesthetic. At five minutes, it’s the longest song on the album, and it’s too pissed off to take any prisoners. Yoopy D.B. is the sound of errant kids in an urban garage creating noise under the guise of a song; Soiled is haunting, almost threatening but strangely inviting and Fishing spears the ego of a local fishing champion with a combination of razor-sharp beats and rumbling guitar. The world isn’t the sugary place some would like us to believe it is, and Spray Paint know just that.
Not since France’s Committee of Public Safety invoked the guillotine to tear apart the fabric of French society has there been a more pertinent time for a record inspired by decapitation. But while the promotional material for Pale Heads’ debut album suggests it’s predominantly about that brutal procedure, Headless is less an act of terror than a series of confronting punk rock moments. It starts ominously with Thomy Cut Off a Head; a simple lick surrenders to a cascade of punk noise and Tom Lyncoln’s emphatic ranting (“Everybody’s cutting off heads” – of course they are). The manic musical narrative of Pale Head makes Pixies seem like The Beach Boys, while I Can’t Lose You is Digger & the Pussycats and Fitz of Depression in unholy matrimony and Milk Eyes is Mark of Cain on horse tranquiliser. Transitioning Out is a frantic journey down the back roads of the ‘70s LA punk scene, Devotion is snotty English punk through a disaffected Australian suburban lens and Homeless is the soundtrack for dislocation in a world obsessed with conformity and sameness. Small Town Casualty offers an invective-laden counterpoint to recent government-sponsored attempts to talk up the benefits of life in regional Australia, Power and Privilege blends abrasive political commentary and Dinosaur Jr licks, and Accountancy is Hard offers a euphemistic, eardrumshattering explanation of the unfavourable economics of the rock’n’roll lifestyle. The Pits is anything but what the title suggests – check out the lick for an example of the subtle beauty of caustic punk rock simplicity – and the sparse, no wave elegance of Chrome is to die for. The album’s final track, Headless, mutates from an English pop song about love into a cathartic expression of emotional pain. There’s a lot to love about Pale Heads – you’ve just got to lose your head to understand.
PATRICK EMERY
PATRICK EMERY
CHECK OUT ALL THE LATEST NEWS, REVIEWS AND FREE SHIT AT BEAT.COM.AU
BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 39
WEDNESDAY 10TH 7PM
MELLOW DIAS THUMP FEAT.
CAZEAUX O.S.L.O & GEEZY THURSDAY 11TH 7PM
LEO PATRICK FRIDAY 12TH 7PM
REVOLUTION FEAT.
JIMMY JAMES J’NETT SATURDAY 13TH 7PM
TONI YOTZI LYDDY DAWN AGAIN SUNDAY 14TH 6PM - 1AM
GOOD SORTS FEAT.
FELICITY YANG WATERHOUSE EMOCIANS
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 • saturdays r covered - feat: radio star Royal
• jam at musicland sundays - feat: jameoke
• spray paint + spinning rooms + exhaustion
• jon stevens Flying Saucer Club, Elsternwick. 3:00pm.
Hotel (essendon), Essendon. 10:00pm.
+ polo Old Bar, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $20.00.
• ten thousand + greenthief + the drop
bears + dj mermaid Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. $13.00.
• the pink tiles + habits + loose tooth +
bonnie doom Tote Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. • triumph over logic + shewolf + the strangers in town Whole Lotta Love, Brunswick East. 8:00pm. $5.00.
• tv on the radio Forum Theatre, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. $71.00.
• wod + woo hoo Tote Hotel, Collingwood. 5:00pm.
ACOUSTIC/COUNTRY/BLUES/FOLK
Musicland, Fawkner. 7:30pm. $33.00.
• liz tripoli singing school showcase Musicland, Fawkner. 12:00pm. $15.00.
• minimum wage - feat: dumb punts +
department + shiny coin Public Bar, North Melbourne. 4:00pm.
• miss whiskey Ascot Vale Hotel, Ascot Vale. 8:00pm. • oscar buble & the butterboys + the
bleeding flares + michael ceratops Brunswick
Hotel, Brunswick. 8:00pm.
• oxygen college artist development
program - feat: declan mckinnon Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick. 6:00pm.
• stew kohinga & lance peele Big Huey’s Diner,
• bec & the elwood winters + the alamo The
• subjects + military position + lucid
Loft, Warrnambool. 8:00pm.
• brunny saturday arvo session - feat: miss
whiskey blues + dr ric’s blues + the sure shots Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick. 5:00pm. • central rain + rattlin bones blackwood Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 8:00pm.
• cisco caesar Union Hotel (brunswick), Brunswick. 5:00pm.
• deborah conway & willy zygier St Kilda Memo, St Kilda. 8:00pm. $35.00.
• felix in the hills Sooki Lounge, Belgrave. 8:00pm. • harvey cartel Labour In Vain, Fitzroy. 7:00pm.
• monee valley drifters Victoria Hotel (brunswick), Brunswick. 9:00pm.
• patrick james Northcote Social Club, Northcote. 8:30pm. $20.00.
• paul mcmanus & the mayblooms + amarina
waters band + alannah weir & the half talls Workers Club, Fitzroy. 1:00pm. $10.00. • ross ryan Flying Saucer Club, Elsternwick. 8:00pm. $23.00.
• split seconds Yarra Hotel, Abbotsford. 8:00pm. • stickman Gem Bar, Collingwood. 8:00pm.
• strum rebellion Rainbow Hotel, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. • the f100s Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 5:00pm.
• the glorious north Drunken Poet, West Melbourne. 9:00pm.
South Melbourne. 4:00pm.
castration John Curtin Hotel, Carlton. 4:00pm. • sunday best - feat: tom showtime + agent 86 + maars Penny Black, Brunswick. 3:00pm. • the hornets Post Office Hotel, Coburg. 4:30pm. JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC • death of a jazz club - feat: martin martini Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Melbourne Cbd. 7:00pm. $25.00.
• death of a jazz club - feat: hue blanes
Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Melbourne Cbd. 10:00pm. $25.00.
• egarr & the golden age Hamer Hall (arts Centre Melbourne), Southbank. 2:30pm. $46.00.
• hennessy’s beethoven - feat: william
hennessy Melbourne Recital Centre, Southbank. 2:30pm. $59.00.
• musical theatre open mic night Ruby’s Music Room, Melbourne Cbd. 7:00pm. $12.50.
• the marquis + itsokman + the hedonistic
pleasures Bar Open, Fitzroy. 6:30pm.
• the skellingtons Open Studio, Northcote. 8:30pm.
• beersoaked sundays - feat: mightiest of
guns + saint jude + willow darling Old Bar, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $6.00.
• before the world was made - feat: david
bridie + sam sejavka + penny ikinger + julitha ryan + bronwyn bonney Evelyn Hotel,
Fitzroy. 8:00pm. $12.00.
• birdhouse + little miss remembering +
aztx + bailey jones + kid kairos Bendigo Hotel,
Collingwood. 8:00pm.
• coral lee & the silver scream Gem Bar, Collingwood. 8:00pm.
• dr malone + all the animals + bad uncle Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 6:00pm.
• gateway to the sky + the berkley huts +
beautiful beasts + alex edwards Whole Lotta Love, Brunswick East. 5:30pm.
• i’lls Howler, Brunswick. 7:30pm. $15.00.
Brunswick. 7:30pm.
• cherry blues - feat: kerri simpson + dj max
crawdaddy Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 3:00pm. $5.00.
Brunswick. 3:30pm. 4:00pm.
Hotel, Fitzroy. 7:00pm.
• instrumental asylum in highett - feat: ben
INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS • cherry jam Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm.
• godwolf + owen rabbit + alex pizzol Workers Club, Fitzroy. 7:30pm. $3.00.
• gorsha - feat: jimmy chang + erik parker &
the chapters + orlando furious Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. $5.00.
• maddawg mondays - feat: t-rek Boney, Melbourne Cbd. 10:00pm.
• monday night mass - feat: cool sounds +
ciggie witch + beef jerk + good mornings Northcote Social Club, Northcote. 8:00pm.
• mundane mondays - feat: spacejunk +
cosmic kahuna + master beta Old Bar, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. $5.00.
jumbo Public Bar, North Melbourne. 7:30pm.
ACOUSTIC/COUNTRY/BLUES/FOLK
aleyce simmonds & layla Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 7:00pm.
TUESDAY JUNE 16
Richmond. 8:00pm. $10.00.
• guiprabio Ruby’s Music Room, Melbourne Cbd. 8:30pm.
• jimmy watts Catfish, Fitzroy. 5:00pm.
• milonga Bella Union Bar, Carlton. 8:00pm.
• jody & the joyriders Royal Oak Hotel, Fitzroy North. 4:00pm.
• ken maher & tony hargreaves Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East. 9:00pm.
• moreland soul revue Union Hotel (brunswick), Brunswick. 5:00pm.
• rockabilly sundays Prince Public Bar, St Kilda . 8:00pm.
• spencer street soul + the deans Workers Club, Fitzroy. 7:00pm. $10.00.
• sunday sessions - feat: various artists Lucky Coq, Windsor. 4:00pm.
• the anti-fall movement Open Studio, Northcote.
5:00pm.
MONDAY JUNE 15
$12.50.
• peter voglis Ruby’s Music Room, Melbourne Cbd. 6:00pm.
• steven isserlis with connie shih Melbourne • the story of the world’s best jazz club -
feat: david james Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Melbourne Cbd. 5:00pm. $47.00.
INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS • animal hands + ohms + shadows at bay Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 9:00pm.
• disturbing experiences - feat: langlo
paniflax + tlaotion + rita revell Public Bar,
North Melbourne. 7:30pm. $6.00.
• it’s true luv Hamer Hall (arts Centre Melbourne),
Melbourne Cbd. 7:30pm. $7.00.
• sheehan smith & sheehan Yarra Hotel, Abbotsford.
Club, Fitzroy. 7:00pm. $6.00.
• the brunswick hotel discovery night
7:30pm. $27.00.
Brunswick. 7:30pm.
• mike elrington + darcy fox Toff In Town,
• preworn planets + pure moods + jealous
• dana czarski & nicolai sanadze Ruby’s Music
• ian bostridge Melbourne Recital Centre, Southbank.
• andy mcgarvie + jane mcarthur Retreat Hotel,
• morning melodies - feat: col perkins Powell
• priceless vitality Rubix Warehouse, Brunswick.
Melbourne), Southbank. 8:00pm. $46.00.
ACOUSTIC/COUNTRY/BLUES/FOLK
• hey frankie + tiaryn + another batch Workers
• allan browne Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Melbourne
• egarr & the golden age Hamer Hall (arts Centre
SaTUrDay JUNe 13 FReeZA Push Start Battle of the Bands Maribyrnong Heat, w/ Local Performers @ The Reverence Hotel, 28 Napier Street, Footscray, 1pm ± 5pm, $10. www.phoenixyouth.com.au. AA
Recital Centre, Southbank. 7:00pm. $52.00.
husband + si the philanthropist Old Bar,
Room, Melbourne Cbd. 7:00pm.
FReeZA Push Start Battle of the Bands Frankston Heat 1, w/ local performers @ Mechanics Hall, Frankston, 6pm, $10. www. facebook.com/freshentertainment.frankston. AA
• open stage Open Studio, Northcote. 8:30pm.
JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Cbd. 8:30pm. $20.00.
FReeZA Push Start Battle of the Bands - Camperdown Heat, w/ local performers @ Camperdown College, 1 Wilson Street, Camperdown, 5pm, $5. www.facebook.com/pages/ Corangamite-Shire-Battle-Of-The-Bands. AA
grammar Hamer Hall (arts Centre Melbourne), Southbank. 7:30pm. $20.00.
• jetty road + tasha amoroso Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 3:30pm. $20.00.
Fast Track Talent Show Grand Final, w/ Local finalists @ Plenty Ranges Arts and Convention Centre, 35 Ferres Boulevard, South Morang, 7pm ± 10.30pm, $15. www.baselinewhittlesea.com. AA
JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC
• centenary gala 2015 - feat: ivanhoe
3:00pm.
FrIDay JUNe 12 FReeZA Push Start Battle of The Bands Wyndham Heat @ Wyndham Youth Resource Centre, 86 Derrimut Rd, Hoppers Crossing, 6pm 11pm, $10. www.facebook.com/WyndhamFreeza. AA
• the mutual appreciation society - feat:
• jess locke band + isaac de heer & the river
tracks + georgia maq Reverence Hotel, Footscray.
ALL AGES GIG GUIDE
barfly Old Bar, Fitzroy. 6:00pm.
• alldis with al kennedy Dizzy’s Jazz Club,
Melbourne. 3:00pm.
• warner brothers band Labour In Vain, Fitzroy.
BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 42
Melbourne Recital Centre, Southbank. 7:00pm. $22.00.
rogers’ instrumental asylum The Local, Port
• victoriana gaye Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 5:00pm.
SO, it turns out winter was coming. Jon Snow was right. you knew something, Jon Snow.
10:00pm.
• winter music - feat: st michael’s grammar
• duncan phillips & the long stand Standard
5:00pm.
BaNDS/aCTS WaNTeD for the Melbourne artist Showdown. Including prizes from eSP Guitars, Dean Markley Strings, Live Photos, Studio time, Pr Package and more. Shoot an email through to mark@gunnmusic. com.au for more details.
browne Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Melbourne Cbd.
• vhs club - feat: crotchety knitwits +
• vardos Bar Oussou, Brunswick. 8:00pm.
INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS
• the last night we share - feat: allan
• charles jenkins & the zhivagos Retreat Hotel,
• collard greens & gravy Rainbow Hotel, Fitzroy.
SUNDAY JUNE 14
This weekend sees two rowdy as fuck bands playing over two nights across two venues. Cosmic Psychos have a good twenty years experience over Dune Rats, playing punk gigs since the early ‘80s. They could teach them a thing or two, if only Dune Rats weren’t, as they put it, three hyperactive stoner cunts. Watch them wage war at Chelsea Heights Hotel on Friday June 12, then battle it out again at Max Watt’s on Saturday June 13.
ACOUSTIC/COUNTRY/BLUES/FOLK
• the new savages Union Hotel (brunswick), Brunswick. • yoko bono + sam reiher Old Bar, Fitzroy. 3:00pm.
COSMIC PSYCHOS & DUNE RATS
• quarter drive + once were lost + fortnight
• coal train robberies Union Hotel (brunswick),
9:00pm.
As you can tell from this week’s gig guide, Battle of the Bands is really taking off. If you’re not taking part in all this fun, then what are you doing mate? Jump on to http://www.freeza.vic.gov.au to suss out what’s near you and what you can get involved with. Splendour In The Grass is next month (I know, time really does fly) and Paypal are currently being huge superstars by giving one person free tickets to the festival, everyday for 20 days. It’s a fun process too: they’ll ask something like “Tell us your favourite festival moment,” and all you need to do is give a really good response on Facebook with the hash tag #20DaysOfSplendour and you’re in the running to score some tickets. It’s only happening for ten more days so like them on Facebook and comment every day to win! You have two more days to apply for the chance to attend BIGSOUND From September 1113, 2015. The Push, in conjunction with Travel Beyond Group, have pioneered The Push Professional Development Scholarship, which will assist and support one Victorian aged 18-25 to attend the BIGSOUND Music Conference in Brisbane. This Scholarship will provide the winner with a BIGSOUND delegate pass, allowing the participant to attend all conference sessions including all live showcases, valued at $350. Thanks also to the Travel Beyond Group, the successful applicant will receive up to $550 towards accommodation and transportation. Sounds pretty neat so don’t waste any time. Head to http:// thepush.com.au/ for more info. Ever wanted to volunteer at Oz Comic-Con? Well you can do just when it hits Melbourne on June 27-28. Positions include front of house staff, merchandise, photo collections, info desk, crowd control, family room (Working with Children Check required), stage operations, gaming area, and more. Some ace incentives include free lunch everyday you work, a complimentary autograph from a selected guest in attendance, and becoming a part of the Oz Comic-Con community. You’ve got to be 16 years old or above to volunteer. For more info go to www.ozcomiccon.com/info/volunteers and click on Melbourne. Australia’s favourite new skate-punk four piece Fidlar will soon release the album Too. You can listen and watch the album’s first single 40oz. On Repeat on YouTube. It’s a witty parody of some of the most iconic video clips from the past decade. Get in early and pre-order the album now by jumping on http://fidlarmusic.com.
• kyle lionhart 303, Northcote. 7:00pm.
• andy phillips & the cadillac walk Pistol Pete’s Food N Blues, Geelong. 9:30pm.
WITH JESS ZANON
Hotel, Footscray. 10:00am. $5.00.
8:00pm.
Fitzroy. 7:30pm. $6.00.
• tago mago open mic + matt mcfarlane Tago
6:00pm. $50.00.
• taste of indie tuesday Prince Public Bar, St Kilda .
- feat: hollow ground + altitude + dangerous curves Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick.
• taste of indie tuesday - feat: the taste of
7:00pm.
• tuesdays are fridays Bendigo Hotel, Collingwood. 4:00pm.
Southbank. 11:00am. $12.00.
WATCH INTERVIEWS, CHATS & AWKWARD SILENCES... BEAT.COM.AU/TV
Mago, Thornbury. 7:00pm. 9:00pm.
indie collective house band Prince Public Bar, St
•
Kilda . 8:00pm.
Wed 10th June
WINE, WHISKEY, WOMEN 8pm: 9pm:
Bronwyn Rose Nicola Watson Thurs 11th June
Joshua Seymour 8.40pm: Joe Guiton 9.20pm: Gerry Rival
8pm:
Fri 12th June
6pm: Traditional
Irish Session
Gun Barrel Straights Sat 13th June 9pm: The Glorious North Sun 14th june 4pm: The Duplets (uk) 6.30pm: Luke Austen 8:30pm:
Tuesdays
W E E K LY T R I V I A The Drunken Poet, 65 Peel Street (directly opposite Queen Vic Market), Phone: 03 9348 9797. www.thedrunkenpoet.com.au
CHEAP MONDAY AND FRIENDS PRESENT
CHEAP MONDAY WINTER SAMPLE SALE PRICES STARTING AT $5
Location & Times
LOCATION & TIMES
Location & Times
TheTHE Baron Said The Baron Said COMPOUND INTEREST 83 Kerr St, Fitzroy 83 Kerr St, Fitzroy (Just off Brunswick (Just off Brunswick St) 15-25 KeeleSt) St, Collingwood
THUR JUNE 11TH FRI JUNE 12TH
3-8PM 11-7PM
SAT JUNE 13TH SUN JUNE 14TH
10-5PM 10-1PM
KINDRED STUDIOS
IN YARRAVILLE
Co-Working & Creative Office Studios Short and long-term leases available Base your digital media, recording or other creative business out of Kindred Studios. Call 9689 9859 to make an enquiry.
kindredstudios.com.au
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03 9687 0233
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PA HIRE Comprehensive PA systems delivered, set up and operated with crew. Compact, easy, sound systems you can pickup and assemble yourself.Components such as microphones, speakers and effects are also available separately. Lights also available. For details phone Mark Barry on 03 9889 1999 or 0419 993 966
www.bssound.com.au bssound@bigpond.com
INDUSTRIAL STRENGTH
MUSIC INDUSTRY NEWS & GOSSIP
With Christie Eliezer * Stuff for this column to be emailed to <celiezer@netspace.net.au> by Friday 5pm patrons) in parts of Melbourne can trade past 1am. See Beat.com.au for full report.
THINGS WE HEAR
* Which smaller publisher looks like heading for the scrap heap? * Which manager was heard whinging at the Virgin Sydney airport lounge he seemed to be spending more time on one of his client’s divorces than her music career? * After the big farewell publicity and golden handshake, which top executive is about to return to his former company as a consultant?
Mia Dyson
ACTS, FESTIVALS, WIN VIC ARTS GRANTS
Remi, Mia Dyson, the Melbourne Cabaret Festival, The Black Jesus Experience and the Big West Festival were among the 106 diverse arts projects across Victoria that shared in $1.5 million worth of Vic Arts Grants. Musicians getting a helping hand were Australian Art Orchestra ($40,000 for its 2015 concert series), Luluc ($20,000 for a 29-date of North America and Europe), School of Hard Knocks ($20,000 for a performance of 200 voices and a 30-minute suite composed by women from the western suburbs) and The Black Jesus Experience ($19,450 for a three week visit to Ethiopia to perform and record with acclaimed Ethiopian musician Mulatu Astatke). In addition, grants went to Mia Dyson ($15,000 towards a US East Coast and Canada tour), Oh Pep! ($14,974 to develop and release their debut album with a four month PR campaign and a video), Liz Stringer ($14,771 to record in Portland, Oregon), MC Remi ($11,000 to travel with Sensible J to tour Europe and the UK), Emma Russack ($10,000 for a new album), Flinders Quartet Inc ($10,000 to tour Finland and Sweden), Dorsal Fins ($9,300 for an album), and Hannah Cameron ($7,079 for a tour and PR campaign behind debut album Blow My House Down). $5,000 each goes to May Dreamers and The Future Happiness Orchestra and Way Out West for new albums, Julian Banks Trio for shows in Indonesia and the Ubud Village International Jazz Festival in Bali and Jessica Ribeiro for a music video. Associations, festivals and initiatives who were recipients were the Melbourne Cabaret Festival ($50,000), Arts House ($39,000 for its Nomad research and development program), the Big West Festival ($20,000 for an open air work), Festival of Slow Music ($16,000 for the world premiere of Concerto for Piano & Toy Band by Michael Kieran Harvey and Adam Simmons), The Mission Songs Project ($10,000 to research and perform indigenous songs between 1900 to 1999) and the National Celtic Festival ($7,000 for a collaboration with Australian and Scottish musicians).
NEW LOOK FOR ROD LAVER ARENA
After 30 years, Rod Laver Arena gets a multi-million dollar makeover from next Feb until 2020 as part of the $700 million Melbourne Park Redevelopment project. Expect a main opening through a new eastern annex, with more dining, toilets and disability facilities. For the industry, there are upgrades for back of house, rigging and loading bay. A pedestrian bridge over Batman Avenue and an eight-storey media building for broadcasting are others.
PALACE THEATRE VCAT HEARING
The VCAT announced that the new hearing for the Palace Theatre starts from Monday September 28. Five days have been allocated. The original took a full three days, however there is a chance that there may be more material involved in this hearing.
METALHEADS MOST LOYAL, SAYS SPOTIFY
Figures suggest that metal fans are the most loyal, followed by pop. Global metalheads are over a fifth more likely to keep to core metal acts while pop fans listen to a wider range of acts. “Metal fans are the most loyal of all. One could also conclude that the more guitar-oriented genres inspire more loyalty in the listener.”
VENUES: SOUNDPROOF GRANTS, LATE NIGHT BAN LIFTED
The State Government has come to the party when it comes to venues. Not only is it offering grants to help with sound proofing, but smaller venues (under 200 BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 46
* Among Victorians honoured in the Queen’s Birthday list were Archie Roach in the General Division of the Order of Australia (AM) and John Foreman, Rod Quantock, and Denis Walter, the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM). * After naming his movie Dazed And Confused about the Yardbirds/ Led Zeppelin classic, Richard Linklater’s next movie Everybody Wants Some gets its name from the Van Halen song. * Run The Jewels are fans of Tkay Maidza ever since they saw her at Falls Festival. At a lecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Killer Mike gushed “(Australia’s) biggest rising star. I saw her perform, she rocked the house.” After her debut at Brighton’s The Great Escape festival Vice House Party, the 19 year old is touring the UK with buzz band Years & Years. Meantime, she’s crossing over into mainstream radio in Australia. * The second Castlemaine Jazz Festival on the weekend proved a huge success. Last year they got 600 a day over the three days. This time, said promoter Ted Woollan, pre-sales exceeded the entire 2014 attendance. * Bruce Springsteen joined The Who in New York, first for My Generation, and alongside Billy Idol and Willie Nile for Won’t Get Fooled Again. * Lil’ Wayne tried to assault an umpire over bad calls at a charity hoops game. * Daft Punk added yo-yos and frisbees to their merchandise list. * Glastonbury Festival advertised Chet Faker as ‘Chet Facker’. * After Paul McCartney called on Oasis to reunite, Noel Gallagher replied, “Yeah, well, tell him if he writes our comeback single, it’s on.” * The Reclink Community Cup is held in Adelaide for the first time (August 16) with Perth also set to be announced.
MODULAR’S FOUNDER BATTLES UNIVERSAL, BMG
Modular Recordings founder Stephen Pavlovic was in the wars last week. US-music publisher BMG Rights Management sued him and Universal Music Australia (UMA), a partner in Modular, for not paying Tame Impala their due mechanical royalties. BMG wants US$450,000 ($590,000) and for them to stop Impala back catalogue. (The Australian put the “missing” money closer to $1 million). UMA said that it and Modular Recordings should not have been included in the suit. “Universal Music Australia and Modular Recordings were not involved in contracting with BMG over mechanicals for sales of Tame Impala recordings in the United States,” it said in a statement. A Supreme Court case began in Sydney last Thursday, between Pavlovic and UMA. It was revealed that Pavlovic, an employee of UMA, was dismissed ( Justice Sackar commented: “Your client was a thorn in Universal’s side”) on Feb 23 this year. Pavlovic also wanted to trademark the name Modular, which UMA opposed. He runs a company called Pavlovic Investments. Pavlovic’s law firm Levitt Robinson said he only held Impala’s mechanical rights through a US company until January 2014 “when it was assumed by Universal Music Group.” It added Pavlovic is in “confidential” talks with BMG on the matter.
DEATHPROOF PR LAUNCHES POP CULTURE WEBSITE
Melbourne-based Deathproof PR, set up four years ago by former Shock execs Rebecca Reato and Emily Kelly, launched new website Blerg.com.au. Reato told The Music Network it’ll be “a guide to the good stuff,” covering comedy, gaming, film, TV and podcasts. It will also act as a platform for Deathproof PR clients. Also in the team is Deathproof PR’s Anastasia Casagrande
and former Foxtel content producer Nathan Wood, who recently relocated from Sydney to oversee Blerg and Deathproof PR’s digital projects.
PATEN BACK AT CASTLEMAINE STATE FEST
Following record attendance at this year’s event, the Castlemaine State Festival reappointed Martin Paten as director for 2017. It is the fifth and last time for Paten who has been director since 2008. The board also announced the end of the two-year planning cycle with a break-even budget position.
GOLIGHTLY TO HEAD QUEER FILM FEST
Dillan Golightly is new executive director for the Melbourne Queer Film Festival. An arts graduate from Melbourne University who held communications and project management roles, then for 12 years had senior management positions within the School of Engineering. After the departure of long time executive director Lisa Daniel, the board has restructured its executive. A program manager will be appointed shortly.
MUSIC WRITING WORKSHOP
Budding music critics and bloggers would be interested in a music writing workshop on Wednesday July 8. It is held at Fitzroy Library 6-8 pm. Passing on the tricks of the trade is ace writer Michael Dwyer, who pens for The Age and Rolling Stone and lectures in Arts & Culture Reporting at Monash University.
3CR RADIOTHON
3CR 855AM’s radiothon is on until June 14. Over 400 volunteers create 130 programs a week. Burning Vinyl broadcasts live from the Public Bar Fridays in June, 2pm to 4pm. Subscribe at 9419 8377, listen at 855 AM or visit 3cr.org.au
DEEP SEA ARCADE LAUNCH STUDIO, REHEARSAL SPACE
Following on from their regular indie-act showcase night Visions, Sydney’s Deep Sea Arcade launched Visions Studios in Chippendale. It is a recording studio, rehearsal space and artist collective. Its GM, DSA member Nic McKenzie, said “Visions Studios is our offering to the Sydney musical community, located at Central station with all of our gear and instruments set up. We want to create an environment that is cheaper than any rehearsal studio for bands we love to turn up, plug in, rehearse and record together in an inspiring space.” It’s at Level 5, 822 George St, Chippendale (entrance on Little Regent St), contact McKenzie at visionsstudioscentral@gmail.com.
NEW SIGNINGS #1: THE SUPERJESUS JOIN SOCIAL FAMILY
Sydney-based Social Family Records’ latest is The Superjesus. A new single The Setting Sun is out June 9, taken from an EP slated for a late 2015 release. It is their first new material since the Rock Music album in 2003.
NEW SIGNINGS #2: BARELY DRESSED GETS JESS RIBEIRO
Barely Dressed Records and Remote Control, signed songwriter Jess Ribeiro. While her 2012 debut My Little River was folk/ country her August-due album was recorded with Mick Harvey (Bad Seeds, PJ Harvey). Ribeiro got the idea of working with Harvey in the Moab desert in the States. “I thought my guitar was haunted and had a breakdown in Denver.” So she decided to go to New York to find Patti Smith for advice. On a car ride, a track that Harvey produced came on the radio, so she wrote to Harvey.
NEW SIGNINGS #3: THE PATH STRAY TO UNFD
UNFD inked New York’s Stray From The Path for AU/NZ. They toured here with Northlane in 2013 and last year with The Amity Affliction. UNFD A&R Luke Logemann remembers that on the tours, “I spent their whole set thinking Man, I wish Stray From The Path were on my label. Now they are.” Guitarist Tom Williams says they loved everything about Australia and we’re priority on their next two-year tour cycle. A new single Outbreak is out now.
APPLICATIONS FOR TELSTRA ROAD TO DISCOVERY
Applications for Telstra Road to Discovery open on Monday July 6. The talent development program connects emerging singer songwriters with major names in the music biz. It offers two music development funds worth $15,000 as well as an allexpenses paid trip to the USA to attend the Americana
WATCH INTERVIEWS, CHATS & AWKWARD SILENCES... BEAT.COM.AU/TV
LIFELINES Recovering: Tool’s Maynard James Keenan from hip replacement. Injured: Dallas Frasca got a black eye and swollen cheekbone while crowd surfing at Queensland’s Big Pineapple Music Festival and falling two metres. Injured: Hellyeah guitarist Tom Maxwell will sit out the rest of the band’s European tour after breaking his foot in three places. Recovering: Joni Mitchell may be on her way out of the hospital soon after suffering a brain aneurysm last March. Split: One Direction’s Niall Horan and Aussie gal Melissa Whitelaw. They met when the Brit band toured here in February. Engaged: Iggy Azalea and Los Angeles Lakers player Nick Young, who proposed with a $500,000 ring after hanging out since October 2013. Born: daughter for rapper Ludacris and wife Eudoxie Mbouguiengue. Sued: controversial rap mogul Suge Knight’s legal problems continue to mount. Photographer Leslie Redden says last September when she was taking photos outside a Beverly Hills venue, Knight thought she was taking photos of his son, called her “a bitch” and “angrily advanced towards” her, wrestled her to the ground and tried to snatch her camera. She said she had injuries to her neck and back, and dislocated her finger. Knight is also being sued by the widow of Terry Carter, whom Knight ran over in his pickup truck on Jan. 29. Dr. Dre, Ice Cube and Universal Studios are also named in the suit. Died: Alan Fryer, Adelaide-born singer of 1980s Sydney metal band Heaven, aged 60, from cancer. He claimed he was offered the singer role with AC/DC to replace Bon Scott by producers Harry Vanda and George Young, but the band’s auditions in London got Brian Johnson. Heaven had success with debut album Twilight Of Mischief in 1982. Fryer went on to live in Texas. The band reunited for Australian tours, the last being in 2012. Died: Marian Henderson, foremost folk, jazz and blues singer in Sydney in the 1960s. She later became a painter and theatre designer. She was 78.
Music Festival, local gigs, ongoing education and the opportunity to work with Telstra to help kick-start their music career. More info www.telstra.com/trtd.
HIATUS KAIYOTE GET RDIO PUSH
Grammy nominated neo-soul act Hiatus Kaiyote are Rdio’s June Artist to Watch, which means the Melbourne act is championed by Rdio in the US and UK, with exclusive content and Kaiyote-curated playlists. Second album Choose Your Weapon is featured on Rdio’s homepage and social channels in three key territories. This all comes after the band made their Jimmy Kimmel Live! debut at the end of a month-long US tour, during which they sold out Brooklyn Bowl, played with Little Dragon at LA’s Greek Theatre and were picked by Questlove to perform at The Roots Picnic. The band is about to tour Europe, with two sets at Glastonbury, and five Aussie dates between August 14 - 29.
WANGARATTA JAZZ CALLS FOR BASS PLAYERS
Wangaratta Jazz Festival is calling on all bassists under 35 (double bass, bass, variations) to apply. The Top ten entrants, chosen for their abilities to play and drive the band, perform at the festival (Oct 30 to Nov 2). Winner of the associated National Jazz Awards gets $12,000 courtesy Sydney philanthropists Anthony and Sharon Lee and a chance to record in the ABC studios for Jazztrack With Mal Stanley. Runner up gets $6,000 and a recording session at Pughouse Studios in Melbourne. The third place-getter receives $3,000.