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‘PROVES THAT INTELLIGENT POP MUSIC STILL HAS THE ABILITY TO SEDUCE AND ENTHRAL.’ MOJO
Selling Fast
The enigmatic Chan Marshall (Cat Power) performs solo, intimate and up close. Renowned as one of the most acclaimed singer/songwriters to emerge from the 1990s indie rock scene, Marshall’s fragileyet-enigmatic live performances are legendary – from her soulful and idiosyncratic performance style to her heartfelt and emotionally charged lyrics.
Dark and dazzling American electro-pop band Poliça make their Melbourne Recital Centre debut after dominating festival line-ups around the world. Experience live their bewitching vocals, keyboard and percussion arrangements in their only Melbourne performance.
‘AN ARTIST AT THE PEAK OF HER POWERS FACED THE CROWD AND HER DEMONS ARMED ONLY WITH A GUITAR A PIANO AND HER COURAGE’. THE GUARDIAN (UK)
TUE 31 MAY 7.30PM | ALL REMAINING SEATS $50
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'ELEGANT AND NIMBLE SONGS THAT ARE INTRICATE IN THEIR BEAUTY AND RESTLESS IN THEIR HEARTBREAK.' SPIN
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‘It’s their expressive range – in Washburn’s nostalgia-tinged voice and Fleck’s insouciant solos – that made the evening so compelling.’ The Guardian (UK) Banjoists Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn have mastered the deceptively intricate art of the duet with just two banjos and one voice. Washburn’s beguiling composing, playing and singing blend with Fleck’s riveting and virtuosic musicianship to create music both unique yet familiar in texture.
The critically-acclaimed and brilliant musicians Punch Brothers are touring with their brand new album The Phosphorescent Blues. The Brooklyn bluegrass band push boundaries with their innovative mix of bluegrass, roots, rock, pop, jazz and classical Ð creating their own contemporary sound.
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LABEL OF LOVE RETURNS FOR 2016 SHOWCASE SERIES Helmed by the team at Label of Love and Shadow Electric, two supreme local and independent record labels, Aarght Records and Cool Death, are joining forces for a ripping roster showcase. Dubbed Aarght Death, the showcase will feature bands from both labels, with sets from Power, Nun, Ausmuteants, Orion, Whipper, Terry and Tommy T & The Classical Mishaps all on the cards. It comes after a hugely successful 2015 for Label of Love, as the series returns to bring together the best of Australian independent records labels and artists. There are still plenty more Label of Love gigs to be announced, with showcases from Bedroom Suck, Remote Control, The Farmer and The Owl, UNTZZ, Temporalcast, Deaf Ambitions, Spunk Records and more to be announced. The Aarght Death showcase goes down on Saturday June 4 at the Shadow Electric Bandroom. Tickets via www.shadowelectric.com.au.
SLUMBERHAZE ANNOUNCE NEW SINGLE & TOUR
BAR WEDNESDAYS
OPEN MIC
Show the Boogie Man what you’ve got! THURSDAY 19TH MAY
Sydney-based Slumberhaze have released a new single from their upcoming EP, following up with news of a national tour. Their new single, Neon Demon, is the latest taste of their forthcoming EP, Rhyme, Rhythmn, and Romance (Part 3) - acting as the third and final instalment into their threepart EP trilogy. Don’t miss Slumberhaze when they hit up Shebeen on Saturday July 2.
RATTRAY ROAD TOMORROW’S SKY BLUES BY GARRY ALLEN FRIDAY 20TH MAY
ACE OF SPADES SHEWOLF THE RIDE SATURDAY 21ST MAY
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RANDOM AXE An afternoon of smooth blues
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STONEFIELD SET FOR 2016 MELBOURNE SHOW Stonefield continue to go from strength to strength, celebrating the release of their second album with a one night only Melbourne show. The four sisters have seen success with their tracks Through The Clover and Foreign Lover, and more recently with their latest single Stranger. As Above, So Below, is Stonefield’s hotly anticipated follow-up to their 2013 self-titled debut, arriving as a 10-track mission statement for the Findlays’ newly refined sound. Stonefield will play The Northcote Social Club Saturday July 9. Tickets via Ticketscout.
GREENTHIEF ANNOUNCE NEW SINGLE AND SHOWS Melbourne’s own Greenthief have released a new single and they’re celebrating by taking their psychedelic rock on the road. Their latest track, Ship To Nowhere, is the first single taken from the group’s sophomore album, Tremors. It comes in the wake of a rigorous touring schedule for Greenthief, previously making their way across Europe and heading out on a 24-date run with The Butterfly Effect. Catch them at Ding Dong on Saturday July 2.
ALL-STAR LINEUP REVEALED FOR 2016 AMY WINEHOUSE TRIBUTE Five years on from the death of the great performer, an array of Melbourne’s finest vocalists will pay tribute to the life and music of Amy Winehouse. Performing original takes on her tracks and accompanied by a seven-piece band featuring members from Sakswatch, artists including Kylie Auldist, Haarlo, Lisa Crawley and Brooke Russell will celebrate the talent of music legend, with part of the proceeds going to the Amy Winehouse Foundation. Rounding out the bill set to pay tributes include Zoe K, Texture Like Sun, Tom Snowden, Eliza Hull, EMRSN, JMS Harrison, Tash Parker and MZ RIZK. Now The Final Frame will take place at The Corner Hotel Thursday May 26. Tickets via Ticketscout.
BAD MANNERS ANNOUNCE 2016 TOUR DATES To celebrate 40 years on stages all over the globe, British ska group Bad Manners will return to Melbourne for a one off show. Forming in North London in the late ‘70s, the boys spent the first half of the ‘80s topping the UK charts with classics such as Lip Up Fatty, My Girl Lollipop and Special Brew. Bad Manners will play Thursday November 3 at the Corner Hotel. Tickets via Metropolis Touring. HOT TALK
GABRIELLA COHEN SET FOR 2016 MELBOURNE SHOW The acclaimed singer/songwriter Gabriella Cohen has confirmed a headline Melbourne show in support of her debut album. After releasing the singles I Don’t Feel So Alive and Alien Anthem, Cohen is riding high off the back of her album, Full Closure and No Details. Receiving national airplay for the release, she has also performed alongside the likes of Albert Hammond Jr, Marlon Williams and Oh Mercy. Catch her at Northcote Social Club on Friday June 17.
MOTION CITY SOUNDTRACK TO PLAY FAREWELL TOUR After busting out emo tunes since '97, Motion City Soundtrack are finally calling it a day and going on an indefinite hiatus. As such, they’re giving fans a chance to reminisce and say goodbye, with the announcement of the last ever Australian tour. Tracks like Everything is Alright and The Future Freaks Me Out served as the soundtrack for a plethora of scene kids back in the early ‘00s, and have released six albums to date. Get nostalgic when they say farewell at the Prince Bandroom on Friday September 9.
Spoken word artist Shane Koyczan is coming to town for a one night only performance. Koyczan is best known for his poetry used within the big antibullying project, To This Day, an endeavour which has racked up in excess of a cool 18 million YouTube views. On top of this, he’s also the winner of the US Slam Poetry Championship and the Canadian Spoken Word Olympics. Beat has got some double passes available for some lucky slammers who are keen to check him out at The Forum on Sunday May 22. You know the drill, head to beat. com.au/freeshit for your chance to win.
ANDY MCGRAVIE LOCKS IN ALBUM LAUNCH Melbourne solo performer Andy McGravie is all set to launch his new album Not Soon Enough later this month. In his younger years McGravie was drawn to the piano, then came drums, shortly followed by guitar. His biggest development, however, was into the realm of songwriting, which has become a lifelong commitment. His influences are vast ± roots, rock, blues and funk ± but it’s always accessible, as evidenced by the Not Soon Enough LP. Joining him at this album launch is Doc Hailbut. Catch Andy McGravie on Thursday May 26 at Shebeen Bandroom.
Regurgitator
2016 MELBOURNE RECLINK COMMUNITY CUP LINEUP REVEALED The 2016 Melbourne Reclink Community Cup has announced its 2016 lineup, with everybody’s favourite Australian rock veterans Regurgitator set to headline. They recently brought a roaring end to the summer schedule of NGV’s Friday Nights series, and now they’ll be joining some of Australia’s brightest music outfits. The day will see 10,000 people come together in the name of charity for an Aussie Rules spectacular. Triple R 102.7FM/PBS 106.7FM Megahertz won the match convincingly last year, but the Rockdogs will be training harder than ever as they try to reclaim their title. A cup that raises more than $100,000 for Reclink Australia will also see Play School’s Rhys Muldoon and Spiderbait’s Kram team up for the most well-thought-out, kid-friendly band ever. The pre-game entertainment also includes Melbourne soul rockers The Sugarcanes, garage fiends Loose Tooth and Daddy Cool frontman Ross Wilson. Melbourne dance five-piece Total Giovanni will grace the stage at half-time before Regurgitator take over for the post-match hoedown. Get down for The Community Cup Sunday June 26 at Elsternwick Park.
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CAMP ECHO
NEW ALBUM
Features the triple j hits ‘SOMEONE WHO’LL GET IT’ & ‘GOLDEN TICKET’
FEATURES THE TRIPLE J HITS ‘SOUNDCHECK’ & ‘7’
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THE KITE MACHINE RELEASE A NEW SINGLE & ANNOUNCE A SHOW Geelong funk rock group The Kite Machine have dropped their new single Charlotte which follows from their 2015 EP Lunatics. The trio have announced a national tour to celebrate the single, hitting up Melbourne on the way through. They’ll rock Penny Black on Friday June 10. Entry is free.
SLIPKNOT ANNOUNCE 2016 TOUR You may have been pretty disappointed about the demise of Soundwave, but at least big metal tours are not a thing of the past. Slipknot have announced their longawaited Australian return is here at last. The best thing to come out of Iowa since Kevin Costner turned his farm into a baseball field, the nine-piece contemporary metal bigwigs Slipknot are taking over Rod Laver Arena in October. By the time of their visit, it’ll be two years since the ‘Knot dropped their fifth LP, .5: The Gray Chapter. Giving the finger to those who assumed their time was done, .5 hit number one in Australia and the US. See Slipknot tearing up Rod Laver Arena on Monday October 31. Tickets on sale Monday May 23.
FATIMA AL QADIRI ANNOUNCES DEBUT 2016 MELBOURNE SHOW Kuwait-raised musician, composer and visual artist Fatima Al Qadiri has revealed the date for her debut Melbourne appearance. Best known for her two albums Brute and Asiatisch, the artist draws on her own real-life experiences including memories of the Gulf War, or more recently the global police state and their lack of accountability. Fatima Al Qadiri will play Howler on Friday June 10. Tickets via Moshtix.
BILLY TALENT CONFIRM AUSTRALIAN TOUR PLANS One the favourite rock outfits of the late ‘90s are coming to Australia, with Billy Talent locking in a limited run of shows across the country. The Canadian fivepiece are gearing up to release their fifth studio album Afraid of Heights, set to drop in July 2016 – an incredible effort for a band that first started slinging their pop-rock-punk hybrid in1993. Billy Talent will take over 170 Russel on Sunday August 14. Tickets on sale through Destroy All Lines.
TWENTY ONE PILOTS RETURN IN 2017 American alt-pop duo Twenty One Pilots are gearing up for their return to Australian soil and are hitting up Melbourne along the way. Fresh off their sold-out Australian headline tour and performances at Groovin The Moo, Twenty One Pilots have announced their first ever Australian arena show forecast for 2017. Their latest single, Ride, follows up from worldwide hit Stressed Out, which reached platinum sales and climbed to #2 on the ARIA chart. Twenty One Pilots will play Rod Laver Arena Friday March 31 2017. Tickets set for release May 19. Tickets via Live Nation.
MAT.JOE LOCK IN 2016 MELBOURNE SHOW German tech-house outfit Mat. Joe have announced an Australian tour, hitting up Melbourne with their beats later this month. Mat.Joe have releases on house label leaders Lost, Katermukke, Mother, Hot Creations and Suara, which has cemented their success within the hip hop and house music scenes. Their Australian tour will see them cross the country with their acclaimed sets. Mat. Joe will be getting wild at Revolver on Sunday May 22.
BARB JUNGR TO REINTERPRET BOB DYLAN AND LEONARD COHEN IN MELBOURNE SHOW Barb Jungr, one of the UK’s finest interpreters of songs, has confirmed two Melbourne shows in June. For these upcoming dates, Jungr will perform the seminal music of Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen. Often referred to as ‘the politicised chansonnier’ and cited as one of the world’s best performers of Dylan’s material, she’s set to present six of the iconic songwriter’s most politically hard-hitting songs. On top of this she’s promised to deliver five of Cohen’s most impassioned songs, to reflect her own personal despair with the political times that we live in. Check out Barb Jungr when she performs at The Bird’s Basement Wednesday June 15 and Thursday June 16.
SUPERNAUT TO REFORM FOR 40TH ANNIVERSARY To celebrate the 40th anniversary of their 1976 hit single I Like It Both Ways, iconic Aussie glam-rock band Supernaut will be reforming and coming to Melbourne for one night only. Supernaut were signed to Matador Records in 1975 upon recommendation from Ian “Molly” Meldrum, who heard about them from The Beatles’ Paul McCartney. Considered controversial for its time for its reference to bisexuality, I Like It Both Ways proved to be a massive success on shows such as Countdown and Bandstand, forcing radio stations that had initially banned the track from airplay to cave to public demand. The band went on to have success in the United States and the UK, last playing together for the Countdown Spectacular live show in 2007. Catch them at the Ding Dong Lounge on Saturday June 18.
FRIDAY NIGHTS AT NGV ANNOUNCE LATEST LINEUP Friday night music will return to the NGV, just in time for their upcoming Degas exhibition. ARIA Award winning singer/songwriter Clare Bowditch will serenade the gallery, alongside PJ Harvey-collaborator Mick Harvey, critically acclaimed five-piece Augie March, Brisbane rockers The Grates and legendary US rock singer Kid Congo with The Pink Monkey Birds. Over thirteen weeks, Friday Nights at NGV will showcase after-hours art, live music and entertainment, centering around their upcoming Degas: A New Vision exhibition. Rounding out the lineup comes sets from The Goon Sax, Husky, The Apartments, Halfway, Jen Cloher, The Painted Ladies, Jess Ribeiro and Pierce Brothers. The world premiere exhibition Degas: A New Vision will display the biggest collection of Degas works ever seen in Australia, with more than 200 pieces which reveal the artist’s talent in a new light – not only as a great master of painting, but also as a master of drawing, printmaking, sculpture and photography. Friday Nights at NGV runs from Friday June 24 through to Friday September 16. Tickets via NGV. BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 12
NGAIIRE DROPS NEW MUSIC, REVEALS 2016 SHOWs To celebrate her highly anticipated sophomore album Blastoma, Ngaiire has locked in a Melbourne show and given fans a new taste of the release with single I Can’t Hear God Anymore. Fresh off the Groovin the Moo tour, Ngaiire’s unique brand of future soul has seen Diggin, the second single from the upcoming album, receive vast radio rotation. Her first single Once also hit #73 on triple j’s Hottest 100 this year. Ngaiire will be joined by Melbourne’s own producer and multi-instrumentalist LANKS, who has just come off his own headlining tour. Ngaiire will play The Northcote Social Club Saturday June 25. Tickets via Ticketscout HOT TALK
DEFTONES ANNOUNCE RETURN TO MELBOURNE Alternative metal icons and Grammy award-winners Deftones are returning to Melbourne off the back of their hugely successful 2016 album Gore, which debuted at #1 on the ARIA charts. They have spent their career pushing ahead stylistically and crafting crushingly effective tracks, that merge elements from a myriad of genres. Their 2016 release is their first number one album – no mean feat for the bands eighth LP. Perth rock titans Karnivool will lend support after selling out their national headline dates in a matter of hours. Deftones will grace the Festival Hall stage on Friday November 11. Tickets available on Friday May 20 via Ticketmaster.
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JOHN OO FLEMING SLATED FOR 2016 MELBOURNE SHOW Trance master John 00 Fleming is set to return to Australia with a show like none other ± a solo nine hour marathon performance. With a career spanning over 20 years, 10 million album sales and his own record label, J00F Recordings, Fleming is an industry kingpin. His Melbourne show is set to take place on Friday September 9 from open until close at RMH The Venue. Tickets via Outix.
SWEET JEAN TO HIT THE ROAD AFTER ALBUM LAUNCH PIERCE THE VEIL ANNOUNCE AUSTRALIAN TOUR WITH SILVERSTEIN San Diego’s metalcore mainstays Pierce The Veil are gearing up to return to Australia for an epic tour. It comes as the accompaniment to their fourth studio album, Misadventures, which includes recent track Circles. Joining Pierce The Veil for their Aussie adventure are fellow ‘core stalwarts Silverstein and young guns Beartooth. Also on board for the festivities are Melbourne’s very own Storm The Sky. There’s an all ages show happening on Saturday August 20 and one for the beer-drinkers on Sunday August 21, both at 170 Russell. Grab your tickets via Live Nation.
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KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD WIZARD ANNOUNCE 2016 ALBUM LAUNCH The prolific King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard have just released their fourth record in 18 months, and now they’re set to celebrate with a roaring launch show. Their latest release, Nonagon Infinity, arrives as an acclaimed collection of nine songs, and also as the world’s first infinitely looping LP where each track seamlessly flows into the next, with the final song linking straight back into the top of the opener. Catch them at The Croxton on Friday July 8 and Saturday July 9.
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TRACY MCNEIL & THE GOODLIFE ANNOUNCE 2016 TOUR DATES
With the new album Thieves due this July, Melbourne-based songstress Tracy McNeil is hitting the road in late June, backed by her band The GoodLife. Audiences have already been wooed by single Paradise, and McNeil is eager to present her fourth LP. The album lands on July 1 courtesy of SlipRail Records/MGM, but before that fans will get the chance to see McNeil and The GoodLife perform at Bella Union. See Tracy McNeil & The GoodLife at Bella Union on Saturday June 25 with guests Little Georgia.
Modern day jazz hero Esperanza Spalding will play two intimate shows while in the country for this year’s Melbourne International Jazz Festival. Spalding is making her Australian debut for this year’s festival, celebrating her groundbreaking new project with Emily’s D+Evolution. The shows will see her take to the stage with guitarist Matthew Stevens and drummer Justin Tyson, for a trio set that will bring Spalding’s renowned back-catalogue to mesmeric new life. The virtuoso composer and performer has continually blazed unmarked territory, winning the 53rd Grammy Award for Best New Artist ± marking an unprecedented win for a jazz musician. She’ll play two sets at Bennetts Lane Jazz Club shows on Thursday June 2 at 7.30pm and 10pm.
GANZ ANNOUNCES 2016 DATES Dutch producer Ganz has confirmed a string of sideshows off the back of his upcoming Splendour In The Grass appearance. Ganz recently dropped his new EP, Gao. The release features six tracks of eclectic dance music and is the follow up to Ganz’s previous EPs, Purple Cwtch and Dino War. In support of the new release, which features a bunch of attention grabbing vocalists and MCs (including Melbourne’s Maribelle), Ganz is making his way around the country joined by Tasmania’s upstart Akouo. See Ganz at Howler on Thursday July 28.
Straight from the release of their second album Monday to Friday, Melbourne alt-pop duo Sweet Jean have announced a series of tour dates for July and August. The tour dates will see them travelling, hitting various suburbs and regional centres around Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. Sweet Jean will also be performing at the iconic monthly music venue, Music on The Hill, going down at Red Hill on Friday July 1. Or you can catch them at Northcote Social Club on Saturday July 30 and at the Caravan Music Club in Oakleigh on Saturday August 6.
RIFF RAIDERS RETURN BY POPULAR DEMAND WITH CHEAP TRICK TRIBUTE The Riff Raider’s first tribute to legendary rockers Cheap Trick received a huge turnout and rave reviews, so the band have agreed to do it all over again. The Melbourne-based, powerhouse rockers will be paying tribute to Cheap Trick by playing all the hits from the album that started it all, At Budokan, as well as some extra Cheap Trick favourites thrown in for good measure. In their follow-up set, The Riff Raiders will also pay tribute to other Hall-of-Famers including Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and Black Sabbath done in their own style, digging into lesser known B-sides from the rock heavyweights. It’s all happening at the Flying Saucer Club, Elsternwick, on Saturday June 11.Tickets available through the band’s website.
PAUL DEMPSEY REVEALS MELBOURNE SHOW DEAD LETTER CIRCUS TO EMBARK ON NATIONAL TOUR RUN Brisbane’s favourite alt-rockers Dead Letter Circus have announced a run of national tour dates to pair up with recent single, The Burning Number. The single has been lifted from their third LP Aesthesis, recorded in August of 2015. That’s not all ± because Dead Letter Circus are such good blokes, they’re donating one dollar from every ticket sold to the ocean conservation group Sea Shepherd. Catch ‘em on Friday August 19 at 170 Russel, with support from Clint Boge and Rival Fire. Tickets go on sale Thursday May 26 via Oztix.
Something For Kate’s frontman Paul Dempsey has unveiled tour plans to accompany the release of his second solo LP. It’s been seven years since Dempsey’s first solo album, Everything is True. After returning to Something For Kate for one album, and dropping an LP of acoustic cover versions, he reclaimed complete control and constructed his new album Strange Loop. Recorded late last year with Wilco producer Tom Schick in Chicago, Strange Loop uses the folk-rock stylings of Everything is True as a point of departure, taking in alt-country epics, fuel guzzling belters and Replacementslike bar-room confessionals. See Paul Dempsey launch his new record at the Corner Hotel on Friday September 2 with support from Olympia.
JACK CARTY GEARS UP FOR NATIONAL TOUR Ahead of his upcoming fourth album Home State, set for release in August, songwriter Jack Carty has locked in dates for an Australian and New Zealand tour. Carty’s solo achievements have seen him combining elements of indie, roots and pop over the past five years, and his forthcoming release is set to be his finest yet. Things won’t get too lonely for Carty on the road, as he’s taking along fellow musicians Emily Barker and Jordan Millar. Jack Carty will play at the Shebeen Bandroom on Friday August 26. Tickets are available via his website. HOT TALK
BLACK TUSK CONFIRM AUSTRALIAN TOUR The original innovators of swamp-metal Black Tusk are coming to Australia for the first time ever. No strangers to heavy metal, the three-piece from Georgia have been crushing out sludgy riffs and guttural howls since 2005. They’ve released five facemelting LPs, the last of which being 2016’s Pillar of Salt. Black Tusk will be blasting into Melbourne on Thursday August 4 at The Reverence and Friday August 5 at Ding Dong. Tickets via Life is Noise.
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ELLA HOOPER Gasometer Hotel May 18, 25 RENEE GEYER & ERIC BURDON AND THE ANIMALS The Palais May 18 TIRED LION Northcote Social Club May 19 SUMMER FLAKE The Tote May 20 BABY ANIMALS The Forum May 21 HOODLUM SHOUTS John Curtin Hotel May 21 REMI Howler May 21 PIKELET Hugs & Kisses May 21 THIS IS HIP HOP Festival Hall May 21 MAT. JOE Revolver May 22 POLARIS Wrangler Studios May 22 CAT POWER The Melbourne Recital Centre May 22, 23 CLARE BOWEN The Corner May 25 TINASHE The Forum May 25 THE BEARDS The Loft May 25, The Golden Vine May 26, Karova Lounge June 23, Barwon Club June 24, The Corner June 25, 26 HOT DUB TIME MACHINE 170 Russell May 27 LEPERS & CROOKS Sooki Lounge May 26, Workers Club May 27 A WILHELM SCREAM The Reverence Hotel May 26 DEAD LETTER CIRCUS 170 Russell May 26 ALEX GOW & DAN KELLY Thornbury Theatre May 27, Caravan Music Club June 17 URTHBOY Howler May 27 IVAN OOZE Northcote Social Club May 28 MELBOURNE SKA ORCHESTRA Max Watt’s May 28 THE LOVE JUNKIES The Workers Club May 28 ANGELUS APATRIDA Bendigo Hotel May 28 THE DRONES 170 Russell May 20, The Tote May 28 THE CAT EMPIRE The Forum Theatre May 27, 28 CHERIE CURRIE The Corner May 28 LOCKED GROOVE The Railway Hotel May 29 POLICIA Melbourne Recital Centre May 31 KURT ELLING Bird’s Basement May 31- June 2 ONEOHTRIX POINT NEVER Max Watt’s June 1 ESPERANZA SPALDING Bennetts Lane Jazz Club June 2 LAST DINOSAURS Northcote Social Club June 3, 4 BAD VISION The Old Bar June 3 DEAFHAVEN Corner Hotel June 3 CITIZEN KAY Workers Club June 3 SAFIA Mystery location June 3 LABEL OF LOVE: AARGHT DEATH featuring Power, NUN, Ausmuteants and more, Shadow Electric, June 4 BOOTLEG RASCAL Corner Hotel June 4 DIESEL Village Green Hotel June 4, Chelsea Heights Hotel June 10, Shoppingtown Hotel June 11 and York on Lilydale June 12 ROBERT GLASPER TRIO Melbourne Recital Centre June 4 RICK DANGEROUS & THE SILKIE BANTAMS Croxton Bandroom June 4 FEAR FACTORY Prince of Wales June 4 HORACE BONES Grace Darling Hotel June 4 CLIENT LIASON Forum Theatre June 3, 4 MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL Various Venues June 3 – June 12 THE ATARIS 170 Russell June 7 BLANCK MASS The Curtin June 9 FATIMA AL QADIRI Howler June 10 KITE MACHINE The Penny Black June 10 SPIT SYNDICATE Shebeen June 10 CULTURE CLUB Rod Laver Arena June 10 DITA VON TEESE The Forum June 10, 11 NATIONAL CELTIC FESTIVAL Portarlington June 10 – 13 PHILADELPHIA GRAND JURY Yah Yah’s June 11 JOSH RENNIE-HYNES The Yarra Hotel June 11 PRIMAL FEAR The Northcote Social Club June 11 DMA’S The Corner June 11, 12, 13 HOSPITALITY Brown Alley June 12 STANTON WARRIORS RMH The Venue June 13 ZHU The Forum June 13 MELBOURNE CABARET FESTIVAL Chapel off Chapel, June 14 - June 26 BIG COUNTRY The Corner June 15 GABRIELLA COHEN Northcote Social Club June 17 ROLLING BLACKOUTS COASTEL FEVER The Tote June 17 THE SMITH STREET BAND Max Watt’s June 16,17,18 THE SUGARCANES The LuWOW, June 17 BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 16
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AVENUE RECORDS LAUNCH PARTY Ukrainian Hall June 18 SUPERNAUT Ding Dong Lounge June 18 HALYCON DRIVE Shadow Electric June 18 ELEANOR FRIEDBERGER The Toff June 18 FROM OSLO Cherry Bar June 18 WE LOST THE SEA Old Bar June 18 OLYMPIA Northcote Social Club June 18 STEEL PANTHER Festival Hall June 18 SAVAGES Corner Hotel June 19, 20 BRANDY Hamer Hall June 21 SAM BRITTAIN Toff In Town June 23 SWERVEDRIVER Corner Hotel June 23 THE PAPER KITES The Athenaeum Theatre June 24 TRACY MCNEIL & THE GOODLIFE Bella Union June 25 THE BENNIES Max Watt’s June 24, Pelly Bar, Frankston June 25 URBAN SPREAD Chelsea Heights Hotel June 24, Village Green Hotel June 25 THE LIVING END The Forum June 24 THE JUNGLE GIANTS 170 Russell June 24 BONJAH Corner Hotel June 24 THE RUBENS Margaret Court Arena June 25 KARNIVOOL The Croxton June 30 LEAPS AND BOUNDS FESTIVAL various venues July 1-17 PITT THE ELDER Bendigo Hotel July 1 GREENTHIEF Ding Dong July 2 SLUMBERHAZE Shebeen July 2 OWEN RABBIT Workers Club July 2 MAT MCHUGH The Toff July 2 PARKWAY DRIVE Chelsea Heights July 3 GLASS ANIMALS 170 Russell July 5, 6 THE CREASES Northcote Social Club July 7 KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD WIZARD The Croxton July 8, 9 GOLDEN VESSEL Yah Yah’s July 8 SETH SENTRY 170 Russell July 8 THE STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN LED ZEPPELIN MASTERS Hamer Hall July 8, 9 BROODS Forum July 11 DUA LIPA Northcote Social Club July 14 BOO SEEKA Howler July 15 TOTALLY 80’S Palais Theatre July 15 COG 170 Russell July 15 JACK THE STRIPPER The Workers Club July 16, Wrangler Studios July 17 SHIHAD The Croxton July 16 LADYHAWKE Howler July 16 WEEDEATER & CONAN Max Watt’s July 16 TASTE Corner Hotel July 16 WILLIE WATSON & JOSH HEDLEY Northcote Social Club July 17 SPLENDOUR IN THE GRASS North Byron Parklands July 22-24 LEON BRIDGES Forum Melbourne July 19 JACK GARRATT 170 Russell July 20 NOTHING BUT THIEVES Ding Dong Lounge July 20 CRYSTAL FIGHTERS Corner Hotel July 20 PETER, BJORN AND JOHN Corner Hotel July 21 AT THE DRIVE-IN Forum Melbourne July 22 MARK LANEGAN BAND Croxton Bandroom July 22 THE KILLS Forum Melbourne July 23 THE 1975 Hisense Arena July 24 BAND OF HORSES The Forum July 24 BEACH SLANG July 24 FAT WHITE FAMILY Yah Yah’s July 24, Cherry Bar July 25 TEGAN AND SARA 170 Russell July 25 THE INTERNET 170 Russell July 26 LAPSLEY Howler July 26 JAKE BUGG Palais Theatre July 27 GANZ Howler July 28 THE CURE Rod Laver Arena July 28 DROWNING POOL Max Watts July 30 SWEET JEAN Northcote Social Club July 30, Caravan Music Club in Oakleigh August 6 BLACK TUSK The Reverence August 4 MACKLEMORE & RYAN LEWIS Rod Laver Arena August 5 TROYE SIVAN Margaret Court Arena August 9 BILLY TALENT 170 Russel August 14 PIERCE THE VEIL 170 Russell August 20, 21 JIMMY BARNES Palais Theatre August 25 GYMPIE MUSIC MUSTER Amamoor Creek State Forest August 25 – 28 JACK CARTY Shebeen Bandroom August 26 BEN FOLDS WITH YMUSIC Palais Theatre
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Gig Of The Week
ERIC BURDON AND THE ANIMALS
It’s been almost a decade since the legend that is Eric Burdon sailed into Australian shores, and on Wednesday May 18 he and his band The Animals will be rocking The Palais Theatre. If songs like House Of The Rising Sun, Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood and We’ve Gotta Get Out Of This Place sound familiar, than this is the show for you. It isn’t just about Eric Burdon and The Animals though, this menagerie of a show also features the iconic Renee Geyer and unbeatable Joe Camilleri & The Black Sorrows, uncaged and totally wild. Sounds fun, hey? Don’t miss your chance to party with Eric Burdon and The Animals at the Palais Theatre on Wednesday May 18.
SUMMER FLAKE
I used to love flake when I was a kid, right up until I found out it was shark meat. There’s something a bit ominous about eating something that could chomp me in two – plus they’re kind of like badarse dolphins, right? On a completely different note, Summer Flake is taking over the Tote on Friday May 20 to launch her new album Hello Friends. It is safe to assume that no sea creatures will be harmed in the performance. Doors 8pm, entry is $12.
August 26 ANDY BLACK Corner Hotel August 27, 28 PAUL DEMPSEY Corner Hotel September 2 BRING ME THE HORIZON Margaret Court Arena September 2 CRYPTOPSY Northcote Social Club September 3 BIGSOUND Fortitude Valley, September 7 – 9 POISON CITY WEEKENDER Various venues, September 9 – 11 JOHN OO FLEMING RMH The Venue September 9 MOTION CITY SOUNDTRACK Prince Bandroom September 9 FOY VANCE Corner Hotel September 12 HENRY ROLLINS Arts Centre’s State Theatre September 19, 20 APOCALYPTICA 170 Russell September 19 DENI UTE MUSTER Conargo Rd, Deniliquin September 30 - October 1 JOE BONAMASSA The Palais Theatre October 5 THE ARISTOCRATS Bendigo Hotel October 6 MAYDAY PARADE Arrow on Swanston October 8, 170 Russell October 9 ELLIE GOULDING Rod Laver Arena October 8 LACUNA COIL Max Watt’s October 13 QUEENSRYCHE Prince Bandroom October 14 HOT CHOCOLATE AND THE REAL THING Palais Theatre October 22 BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE 170 Russell October 25 STEVEN WILSON 170 Russell October 28 THE VENGABOYS 170 Russell October 30 SLIPKNOT Rod Laver Arena October 31
S O . M A N Y. G I G S .
CAT POWER
Cat Power is arguably on of the most iconic singer/ songwriters that have sprung forth from that golden era of indie rock in the ‘90s. Rather than fading into obscurity over the years, Power’s career and popularity have both continued to flourish. With nine studio albums under her belt, Power is tipped to perform a wide variety from her catalogue in her token enigmatic style. Cat Power will play two sweet shows at The Melbourne Recital Centre on Sunday May 22 and Monday May 23. Both shows start at 7.30pm, tickets via the venue.
BAD MANNERS Corner Hotel November 3 MSO - INDIANA JONES AND THE RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK Arts Centre November 4, 5 DEFTONES Festival Hall November 11 DESTROYER 666 Max Watts November 11 DISTURBED Margaret Court Arena November 18 DYLAN JOEL Prince Bandroom November 18 EARTHCORE Pyalong November 24 – 28 THE USED 170 Russell December 5, 6 FLUME Sidney Myer Music Bowl December 15
Beat Presents RUMOURS: SUN KIL MOON, THE D A N D Y WA R H O L S , S O U N D G A R D E N = N e w A nnouncements
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“A barnstorming, groove-centric instrumental act with a rabid fan base and a blithely unplaceable style.” – New York Times
Tuesday 9 June – 6.15pm – 9.30pm
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PIERCE THE VEIL THE LONG ROAD TO PERFECTION
B Y G L O R I A B R A N C AT I S A N O
It’s been almost four years since Pierce The Veil released their career-defining third album, Collide With the Sky. From there, the band entered into an endless loop of headline, co-headline and festival shows around the world, while scoring a goldcertified single and stacking up a slew of awards along the way. However, with many of their peers releasing multiple records in the interim, it’s been a long wait for the San Diego four piece’s follow-up LP. But you can’t rush artistic inspiration, and vocalist Vic Fuentes believes Pierce the Veil’s fourth album, Misadventures, is going to kick things up a notch… or ten. “Every band would love to finish their record in a week, but I just say whatever it takes to do each record we are going to do,” Fuentes says. “We like going in really hard and going in with a lot of intensity and putting our lives on the line trying to make these records and putting our heart and soul into it. It makes for good songs that way for us.” Misadventures finally arrived last weekend, but the band had intended to get the album out a lot sooner. In December 2013 they announced they’d have a new record available the following year. But with the studio hours stretching out and the urge to get back on the road becoming persuasive, the album was put on hold. “We got to the point where we were in the studio for months and months making music and trying to perfect it, and by the time we were done we were pretty over being in a room for that long. So we felt like we had to get out of there and play some shows,” Fuentes says. “So that was turn number one that we just didn’t expect. We thought we were going to make the record in a couple of months and it just didn’t happen that way. BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 18
“We felt like we needed to stop and take a break and go play some shows, and it was really beneficial for us to do that because it gave us a breather from the studio and also gave me a chance to really focus on the lyrics and making sure that they were up to our standards.” The title of the new record says a lot about what went into making it. Following the tour, Fuentes decided he needed some more breathing room from the studio, which set him off on an interesting journey. “I went through a lot personally trying to make this record,” he says. “I really immersed myself in it. I definitely went really far into this one. It was almost like how actors do method acting – they go so deep into their work, it was like that with music for me. “I was in LA a lot. I got this really great opportunity to work in The Village Studios. It’s a place where Fleetwood Mac have built their personal studio and they still rent it to people. It was a really exciting place because there was always really talented artists coming in and out every single day and you get to be around that cool music – like anybody B E AT.C O M . A U
from Snoop Dog to Ziggy Marley. It was rad to see these people coming in and out of the doors and hearing their music and being a part of that in your own way. “I lived in Santa Barbara, I lived up in a cabin for a while. When I was working on the music I lived in Big Bear, California which is on the boundaries of San Diego. I couldn’t be inside the same room for more than a couple of weeks because that’s what I’d been doing over at the studio. So I wanted to do the opposite and get my brain working in different ways.” It’s a tangential journey, but the experience taught Fuentes a vital lesson about himself, which he hopes will be to the benefit of any future Pierce The Veil releases. “I learnt that I never know when to stop myself,” he says. “I definitely learnt that with this record. Going into the recording process for the first time, I just kept working at it instead of telling myself to take a break when I probably needed it. I’d just keep going and if nobody else stops me I don’t stop myself. I think I’ve got to learn to control that a little bit.” Pierce The Veil are blessed with one of the most loyal fanbases in global rock music. Their fans are scattered all over the globe, and social media has played a huge role in allowing the band to interact with them. This also allowed Fuentes to gauge how badly fans were aching for the band’s fourth album. “According to Instagram, the fans were literally at my throat,” he says. “There was a lot of excitement and people asking us when the record was coming, pretty much every single day of my life. They seemed pretty restless, but I think that’s a good thing because it means people care and they’re ready for new music and that definitely helped drive us.” While Fuentes realises he kept fans waiting a long time, he maintains that Pierce The Veil will never compromise just to meet a release date. “We wish that we could’ve made the album in a week or a few months, but I think the most important thing was to make sure that we were making a good album, and at one point I just felt like we weren’t there yet. People have to remember that we are human and that we are trying to work on
something and we are not just a number, we are not just a deadline to be met and that this is a naturally creative process and has to be treated that way.” Social media can be a double-edged sword. While it helps bands interact with their fans and maintain a global following, it also means they’re exposed to a lot more criticism – and so are the people close to them. “I think the important thing is to ignore all the negativity because none of it really matters, none of these people know you. There’s a song on the record called Floral and Fading, which was about a situation with my girlfriend. When we started dating she got so much hate mail and threats and was so harassed by the general public that it would bring her to points where she’d be calling me crying because she didn’t understand what was going on. That stuff made me pretty angry so I wrote that song for her, trying to convince her that nothing else really mattered – if her and I were living on a planet alone that would be fine.” Soundwave 2013 was the last time Australian fans got the chance to see Pierce The Veil perform live, so excitement is rife for their forthcoming visit. “It’s been way too long since we’ve been to Australia, so we are definitely excited to come down there.” In the four years between Collide With the Sky and Misadventures, Pierce The Veil have learnt a lot, not only about themselves and what they’re capable of, but also about how far you have to push for perfection. “Honestly, I feel like I am starting a brand new life all over again, its crazy. I can definitely look at this album and say that is a period of my life, it is like a time capsule. Heart and Soul sums up the record. That’s always been our motto. We make sure that’s always in our music and I think that’s always what we keep in the back of our minds.” PIERCE THE VEIL will play two shows at 170 Russell, an all ages show on Saturday August 20 and an 18+ show on Sunday August 21. Their new album Misadventures is out now via Fearless Records/Caroline.
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This Week: Melbourne-based dancer and choreographer Lilian Steiner has returned with a sophisticated new work titled Admission into the Everyday Sublime. The performance assembles a choreographic and sonic experience that lures the observer through unexpected states of energised tranquillity. Through studies of alternative medicine and energy therapy, Steiner investigates the body’s malleable relationship to weight and density, as well as light as an extension of the body, the sculptural nature of sound and the healing power of its resonant frequencies. The experimental dance will be showcased at North Melbourne Town Hall over five nights between Wednesday May 18 and Sunday May 22.
Desert Body Creep BY AUGUsTUs WELBY
As part of Next Wave 2016, Sydney-based performance artist Nat Randall (Team MESS, Hissy Fit) is set to play the role of silver screen actress Gena Rowlands in one of the most challenging works at this years festival, The Second Woman. It’s a 24-hour spectacular wherein Randall repeatedly performs a single scene inspired by John Cassavetes’ 1977 cult film Opening Night. Accompanied by 100 different men ranging in age, background and acting ability, Randall seeks to explore the trade off of emotion, intimacy, chemistry and authenticity. The extravaganza kicks off at ACMI from 1pm on Friday May 20. Ulla von Brandenburg’s distinct visual language draws on the traditions and tropes of theatre, film and storytelling. Characterised by their use of curtains, costumes, props and stage settings, her works draw on a range of historical sources, including the tableau vivant, modern theatre, folk traditions and iconic architecture. It Has a Golden Yellow Sun and an Elderly Grey Moon brings together several of von Brandenburg’s object installations, films, shadow plays and costumes and will see ACCA’s main gallery transformed into a baroque opera set, with a viewing platform inviting audiences to reconsider the way they interpret language, colour and the idea of community. The exhibition will be on display at ACCA from Saturday May 21 until Sunday July 17. Capping off this year’s fantastic instalment of Metropolis New Music Festival, this Saturday night pianists Aura Go and Tomoe Kawabata will perform Visions de l’Amen. Like all performances at this year’s festival, it revolves around the theme, Music of the City. The piece was written by French composer Olivier Messiaen after he’d spent eight months as a prisoner of war during World War II, so it’s a unique insight into a city’s symbolic significance and the extreme lengths people go to take ownership of them. It happens at the Elisabeth Murdoch Hall (Melbourne Recital Centre) at the special time of 10.30pm.
pick of the week
Tourism and Air Services Specialist, Peter Keage crossed paths with Latvian-born Australian artist and printmaker Jan Senbergs while working in Antarctica in 1987. He was merely there to assume his role as the scientist, manager and expedition leader of Australia’s Antarctic Program, however he was soon overcome by unanticipated creative awakenings. In conglomeration with Senbergs’ Observation-Imagination exhibition, NGV International is set to host a very special talk with Keage titled Senbergs and Icebergs. Be transported to the locations and content of Senbergs’ work as Keage shares his recollections of their time together in Antarctica. The talk is set to take place at NGV International at 11am on Saturday May 21.
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curious standout of this year’s Next Wave programme is Desert Body Creep, an experimental dance piece where the movement relates to a worm feasting on the remains of human values and cultural achievements. It sounds like a grotesque and dystopian premise, but via the decomposition process, the worm actually makes way for cultural transformation. OK, it’s a complex conceptual foundation, but the show’s creator Angela Goh insists this doesn’t make for an abstruse viewing experience. “The way that I approach making work is based in inventing theories for myself or imagining connections between things that are not necessarily so obvious, and then working from that to make something,” she says. “There’s been some deep imagining behind the work, but for me at least the work itself has quite the light touch to it. It can be received in ways that you don’t necessarily have to understand the concept behind it. It’s quite image based and it’s got a lot of humour.” That’s a relief. Spending the entire 45-minute performance trying to joint the dots between Goh’s expressive choreography and the worm’s regenerative capacity could be a headache. That said, it’s worth getting some conceptual clarification. “What I’m doing is trying to imagine strategies for transformation, but through an allegory of decay or decomposition,” Goh says. “I’m trying to approach the idea of transformation, but how that can happen when I feel like nothing’s new these days ± it’s not really possible to make something new. Then I’m thinking that a strategy to find a way to keep transforming is through these ideas around decay and decomposition. So that’s where the worm comes in.
“I’m trying to imagine the history of the body or the history of dance as something akin to compost and then [exploring] what is the action that needs to take place in that in order to transform it. I’m thinking about worms in their role in decomposing old things and making them new again, or not new but fertile.” Equating the history of dance to compost could seem like a major conceptual leap, if not just a flimsy metaphor. Goh emphasises the integral function of imagination in grasping the work’s thematic framework. “It’s not really literally that I’m thinking about these things. It’s more wild imaginations that are not possible to literally put on stage,” she says. “It’s not at all possible to decompose my body in front of an audience, but it’s a way for me to think through this thing in order to make some images of transformation in the theatre. When I make work, I’ll often invent impossible theories around how things are and then that’ll create problems that I can work from. So compost, of course that’s a total leap. But I think in tangents, but I then bring that back to what I can actually physically do in front of an audience.”
This brings us back to the worm, whose involvement in the process of decomposition is intrinsic to the action of Desert Body Creep. Perhaps you’re wondering how the worm will be depicted onstage? “The worm is literally a giant gummy worm that I’ve ordered off eBay,” Goh says. “It’s called World’s Largest Gummy Worm. It’s real gummy, but it’s big. You can eat it; it doesn’t look so edible anymore because it’s been on the floor and it’s a bit dirty. I manoeuvre this worm a little bit and then it somehow comes to life, kind of like puppets do. That’s an example of transforming an inanimate thing into an animate thing that has some sort of soul or life. When people see the worm they’re incredibly moved by the way that it moves or by the way that it comes to life. People find this moment with the worm quite touching. It’s almost like I’m being totally upstaged by this worm.” The audience’s empathetic attraction to the worm sits in contrast to another one of the show’s conceptual linchpins ±t he historical use of worms as a symbol of fear and terror, or an agent of invasion. “I’m thinking about the worm in its relation to horror and depictions of worms as enlarged things that are horrific and scary, and I’m also thinking there is also this horror of transformation. But also, in its actual reality, within ecosystems, the worm is good. It’s a good thing, but somehow there’s a disconnect that we also have a distaste or a fear of it. Also the worm is a metaphor within the work about the beginning and the end ± the worm connects life and death, it connects the old and the new.” Next Wave 2016 presents DESERT BODY CREEP at Northcote Town Hall from Tuesday May 17 ± Sunday May 22.
Giveaway: SoundKILDA Australia’s only dedicated music video competition, SoundKILDA celebrates and screens music videos the way they should be ± loud and large on the big screen. This section of the St Kilda Film Festival is growing fast and an increased number of entries have meant high-calibre clips, bigger audiences and increased
EVERYTHING MELBOURNE
competition. To celebrate such a sweet event, we want to get you right among the action by giving away some double passes. Head to beat.com.au to win.
For more arts news, reviews and interviews visit beat.com.au
DIRTY SECRETS COMEDY
THE COMIC STRIP
Coming Up
DIRTY SECRETS COMEDY
SCORSESE
Thursday May 26 – Sunday September 18 ACMI
This Wednesday there’s a super sweet lineup heading to Caz Reitop’s Dirty Secrets in Collingwood. The pro bracket includes Bart Freebairn, Sam Taunton, Jay Morrissey (AKA King growler), Alex Ward, Timothy Clark, Kevin Lim and Firdi Billimoria. But don’t forget their gig pig bracket with sign up spots available on the night. All of this, and it’s free entry ± this Wednesday May 18 at 8.30pm.
Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet
Friday June 3, Saturday June 4 and Monday June 6 Hamer Hall
Circus Oz’s TWENTYSIXTEEN June 15 – July 10 Circus Oz Big Top, Birrarung Marr
COMEDY aT GEORGE’S The city’s favourite George Costanza-inspired bar continues to give a nod to Seinfeld’s stand up roots with their weekly comedy night. On Thursday May 19 they’ll welcome Lauren Bok, Sonia Di Iorio, Peter Jones, Justin Sproules, Kim Lisle, Brett Blake, Tim Clark, and 2015 Raw Comedy runner-up, Rohan Ganju. MC for the night is the Aussie-born, New York based funny person Kelly Fastuca. It kicks off at 8pm at 120 Johnston St, Fitzroy.
Club VOlTaIRE COMEDY On Sunday May 22 Club Voltaire are presenting another cracker lineup, led by MC Timothy Clark and the winner of Raw Comedy 2016, Danielle Walker. There’s also Michael Shafar (Raw Comedy national finalist 2016) and local favourites Rose Callaghan, Luka Muller, John Dore and more. It’s free entry, but a donation is graciously accepted, and the laughs start at 7.30pm.
Degas: A New Vision
Friday June 24 – Sunday September 18 National Gallery of Victoria
An Evening With Henry Rollins
Monday September 19 & Tuesday September 20 State Theatre
MIFF Reveals 2016 Opening Night Feature
Raiders of the Lost Ark Live in Concert
Friday November 4 – Saturday November 5 Hamer Hall
The Melbourne International Film Festival is coming up to its 65th year and has announced it will begin proceedings with a world premiere of The Death And The Life Of Otto Bloom. The Cris Jones directed film chronicles the life of Otto Bloom, an extraordinary man who experiences time in reverse ± passing backwards through the years while remembering the future. Bloom is played by Xavier Samuel (Twilight), while Matilda Brown (Rake) and Rachel Ward (Against All Odds) will also play prominent roles. The Death And The Life Of Otto Bloom will be showcased at Hamer Hall on Thursday July 28. MIFF 2016 runs from Thursday July 28 ± Sunday August 14.
KING OF COMEDY Friday May 20 is shaping up to be another big night at Kings of Comedy. Head along to see Nicholas Capper in the feature spot and Chris Wainhouse headlining this night of laughs you cannot miss. Also on board are Luka Muller, Jay Morrissey, Megan McKay, Rohan Ganju, Simon Hughes and David McDonald, with the event hosted by the one and only Kirsty Webeck. It all kicks off at 7.30pm.
Winterfall Theatre To Present Who’s Afraid Of Virginia David Icke Unveils 2016
St Kilda Film Festival To Screen ‘70s Cult Classics Alongside Q&A Session The 2016 St Kilda Film Festival will give ‘70s indie cinema fans the chance to attend a screening of two of the most memorable short films of the era, Buckeye and Pinto and Terror Lostralis. The Lost Laughs from the Past screening will also feature a Q&A with special quests Mitchell Faircloth, Tim Isaacson and Tracy Harvey, all of whom collaborated on the films. The St Kilda Film Festival will run from Thursday May 19 until Sunday May 28 at various venues.
T H E A T R E
Review
Melbourne Show Popular British public speaker David Icke was once a professional goalkeeper and has also tried his arm as a spokesperson for the British Green Party. Now he’s coming to Melbourne in a different guise. Icke became a popular face of the BBC as a sports presenter, but after undergoing a series of epiphanies that led to a journey of profound synchronicities and enquiry, he initiated a famed career as an international author and investigative journalist. His Worldwide Wake Up tour is the culmination of a 26 year career exposing hidden political agendas, espionage, secret societies and covert manipulation of the masses. David Icke comes to the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre on Saturday July 30.
STRAIGHT WHITE MEN
Fairfax Studio Thursday May 12
Both script and performance shine in the MTC’s latest political satire, Straight White Men. Coming to Australia for the first time, this is a hilarious show, but the script also includes razor sharp social commentaries that will certainly leave you deep in thought. Set in their childhood family lounge room, three brothers gather for Christmas with their dad. It’s the first time they’ve all been together for a while, so they indulge in the usual family traditions of board games, movies and Chinese takeaway on Christmas Eve. Despite the overarching social commentary in this play, the antics between the family members mean it’s by no means a cold performance. All of the bonding, reminiscing, arguing and banter keeps this performance light and palatable. A true accomplishment of this play is its ability to pepper comedic relief into a dialogue
The Siu i Moana Exhibition Will Debut at NGV Maori artist Robin White and Tongan artist Ruha Fifita have teamed up to create a powerful collaborative exhibition entitled, Siu i Moana: Reaching Across the Ocean. The exhibition presents eight new and largescale works in the form of ngatu (Tongan barkcloth paintings), which narrate powerful stories of migration and patterns of connection across Oceania. The ngatu have been produced by the artists in collaboration with the women of Haveluloto village on Tonga’s Tongatapu Island using traditional techniques, with the largest of the works spanning a monumental 24 metres in length. Siu i Moana: Reaching Across the Ocean will be on display at NGV International from Friday June 10 until Sunday September 11. Entry is free.
filled with dramatic tension ± a nd make it work. One of America’s most hotly talked about playwrights, Young Jean Lee is the woman behind the witty oneliners and thought provoking monologues. She cleverly expresses what most of us already know: that straight white males are the most privileged of us all. By taking a refreshing approach to this topic, Straight White Men endeavours to home in on the guilt that such men can feel. This comes in the form of one of the brothers, Matt (Gareth Reeves) ± a passionate political activist, Matt martyrs himself from a fulfilling life in a bid to make up for how much privilege he was born into. His family then offer their views on how he should tackle his guilt. There’s his brother Jake (Luke Ryan), a rich, recently divorced banker whose self-awareness is somewhat surprising, but by all means refreshing. He’s an arsehole and he knows it. There’s also Drew (Hamish Michael), a playful yet level headed writer, and their dad, Ed ( John Gaden), a quintessential father who just wants the best for his boys. Each character has a different view on Matt’s struggles, and the distinct nature of these views works to keep the audience on their toes. Each character has something relevant and insightful to say,
G E T S O M E C U LT U R E U P YA
Woolf? Penned by American playwright Edward Albee, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf ? is a universally beloved drama of broken dreams and marital breakdown. Now it’s coming to Melbourne. Directed by theatre veteran Denis Moore (When Dad Married Fury), the showcase will feature the likes of Chris Connelly, Winterfall co-founder Michele Williams, Jordan Fraser-Trumble and Cassandra Magrath (Wolf Creek, Seachange). The play made it’s feted premiere in 1962 before being immortalised in a film adaptation starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. But it’s now 2016 and Moore will look to put his own contemporary spin on the famous play. Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf ? will be previewed at Kew’s Blackbox Theatre from Tuesday June 14 until Sunday June 19 and be showcased in full from Tuesday June 21 until Tuesday July 10 (except Mondays).
making it easy to sympathise with them. Perfectly suited to their roles, the cast members’ dynamic relationship is another highlight. Emitting strong stage presence, the actors hold the audience’s attention with every word, motion and glance. They are purposeful and powerful in their execution. A further notable aspect of the play is the stagehandin-charge, Candy Bowers, who appears sporadically throughout the show. She pops in and out of the stage performing set changes, while making her own witty social comments along the way, for all the more comedic effect. It’s a playful reminder that you are of course watching a show in a theatre, but it doesn’t let you forget the most poignant ideas that this piece of work is trying to get across. An expertly crafted script paired with a renowned theatre company is sure to be a winner, and the MTC’s rendition of Straight White Men is no exception. BY ABBEY LEW-KEE
BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 21
For more arts news, reviews and interviews visit beat.com.au
SoundKILDA BY PHOEBE ROBERTSON
The music video is a cherished art form, capable of captivating the imagination and enhancing the experience of your favourite tracks. In celebration of their creation, the St Kilda Film Festival presents SoundKILDA ± a large and loud viewing of the best clips moulded by contemporary Australian creatives. Melbourne director and producer, Alex Badham is just one of the talents who’ll have their work shown on the big screen in St Kilda Town Hall. Specifically, Badham’s video for Tall Stories by the sadly defunct Melburnian trio World’s End Press will be on display. “I’ve been making music videos for a little while
but this is the first time I’ve gotten around to entering them in festival competitions,” he says. “This video was shown in the Portland Music Video Festival a few
Essential Scorsese BY JACOB COLLIVER
Martin Scorsese is a titan of American cinema, and the huge Scorsese exhibition opening at ACMI next week is a must-see for film lovers of all stripes. Alongside manifold archival curiosities, the exhibition contains an equally-appealing series of programs, such as the Essential Scorsese screenings and the Scorsese Film Club, which is hosted by ACMI’s Head of Film Programs James Hewison. “It’s certainly massive,” Hewison says. “There’s a lot of moving parts to it, and aptly so for one of the great auteurs of the 20th and 21st centuries.”
Essential Scorsese includes a glorious selection of films, hand-picked by legendary Australian film critic, David Stratton. In the opening week of the event, Stratton will
months ago. I’ve known World’s End Press for a while, I’ve known John [Parkinson] for ages because my band used to play with them and their manager Simon is a good friend of mine.” Generally open to throwing ideas around with the artists he works with, Badham says the concept for the Tall Stories video came about through collaboration and an assessment of what everyone was looking for. “It’s my preferred way of working,” he says. “A lot of musicians are very visual people and have ideas about what they want to represent their music in the world. So we just shot some ideas around about dancing in public places, and used a documentary about Pina Bausch [Pina], a choreographer from Germany, as a starting point and for inspiration.” When it came to shooting the clip, Badham and the band took advantage of their local city streets, and employed the power of persuasion to minimise spending. “We just drove around Melbourne looking at places that we thought might be interesting,” he says. “John knows a whole bunch of dancers that we roped in for not much money. It’s a bit of a bummer because you get these talented people in to do what they’ve been training to do for their whole lives and it’s like, ‘Well we can give you one hundred bucks.’ But there’s an understanding that music videos aren’t as well funded as other productions so people are kind of willing to pull in favours.” Filming took just three days, while the most strenuous
part of the process was post-production. During the lengthy practice, Badham found a suitable distraction to stop him going stir crazy. “Because I do a lot of after-effects, kind of menial tweaking work, I listen to a lot of audio books and podcasts,” he says. “It’s weird. I’ll watch a music video back and I’ll be thinking, ‘Oh that’s the one I did when I was listening to Tina Fey,’ or I’ll associate it with a different audio book. By the end of it you kind of need some brain bleach to get it out of your head somehow.” SoundKILDA will be the first time Badham has viewed his work in a film theatre, an experience that’s sure to bring new life to the video. As Australia’s only dedicated music video competition, it’s a special occasion for the artists and audience members. “It’s a good opportunity to have your video screened in a public place, up on a good screen with a great sound system. Most music videos are seen on laptops with laptop speakers or iPhones with ear buds, so it’s cool to have them viewed on a big screen in a public forum. Something about getting out of the house to watch music videos is kind of novel. I don’t think I’ve ever done it before.”
also be presenting the Stratton on Scorsese talk, which promises to be a rousing evening of in-depth discussion concerning the choice cuts from his repertoire and what makes his work so important. There’s also the Scorsese: Friday Night Cinema series, where on selected Fridays between June and September ACMI will screen even more great films from the director. From contemporary biopic The Aviator to the game-changing crime drama Mean Streets, there’s plenty in store for everyone. “It’s, in my eyes, at once revelatory. It’s necessarily dense. It mirrors his films,” Hewison says. “They’re at once universal, in terms of the pieces on show, as well as very personal, weaving in his upbringing and most particularly focusing on his parents.” The Scorsese Film Club adds another layer to the enlightening tapestry of the exhibition. Hewison and film critic Philippa Hawker will oversee a series of discussions after the screening of a duo of films from the Essential Scorsese catalogue. With the films paired for either their thematic similarity or contrast, the fortnightly event will allow attendees to engage with others over their favourite Scorsese films, or gain insight into new discoveries. “I have to say that I’m particularly interested in the film clubs, because they do provide an easy access point for audiences,” Hewison says. “Obviously, his work has spanned two to three generations worth of humans around the planet. We’ve focused them around a clutch of films in each instance across those four sessions. It’s really an opportunity for myself and [Hawker] to open up the conversation ± not necessarily lead it, and certainly not dominate it, because it’s not intended to be any kind of master class. It’s really to tease out people’s responses to the films.” Hewison regards Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore as a personal favourite. Influenced by European cinema of
the time ± especially by Scorsese’s mentor and fellow visionary John Cassavetes ± this powerful, characterdriven drama led by the fearless Ellen Burstyn was a great deviation from a director most often regarded as being heavily involved in the world of masculinity. In stark contrast to Alice is arguably the most ubiquitous of Scorsese’s work, Taxi Driver, a violent melting pot of themes familiar to Scorsese from his own upbringing. With a huge variety of the director’s work on display, from the music documentary The Last Waltz to the classic glamour of The Age Of Innocence, the exhibition further showcases the thematically-varied and extensive level of his talent. The worlds of the universal and personal often collide in his films, while his uncompromising, all-encompassing design continues to attract people to them. “He’s a fearless filmmaker,” Hewison says. “He draws remarkable performances from his actors and he’s as fearless as those performances. At it’s most fundamental, and what marks his early work most notably, is that he’s working off a very particular grid both emotionally as well as geographically. The ‘psychogeography’ of his early work is very specific. You have a sense clearly through those films that he’s breathed the same air that the characters of his films have. “That’s where really the exhibition is such a great kind of avatar; to not only rediscover the work itself in a completely different dimension to the work as it hits the screen, but it will certainly spur people to go back and revisit those works.”
W I T H T O M B R A N D - T O M B R A N D @B E AT.C O M .AU
BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 22
EVERYTHING MELBOURNE
St Kilda Film Festival presents SOUNDKILDA on Thursday May 26 at St Kilda Town Hall. St Kilda Film Festival runs from Thursday May 19 ± Saturday May 28.
The ESSENTIAL SCORSESE series runs from Friday May 27 ± Sunday June 12. ACMI’s Scorsese Exhibition runs from Thursday May 26 ± Sunday September 18.
O f f Th e Record The Raw Wax crew are finally returning to Hugs&Kisses this weekend, and joining them for the soiree is the UK’s Marquis Hawkes. Best known for his work with Houndstooth, over the course of his career his records have also found homes on the likes of Aus Music, Clone Records, Crème Organization, Dixon Avenue Basement Jams and Homesick. Dude has some serious selecting taste behind the decks, and straight after his Australian sojourn he’s heading over to spin at both Fabric and Berghain. Catch him this Friday May 20. If you’d prefer your weekend to feature a little bit more drum and bass with a touch of jungle, y’all would be wanting to check out the UK specialist Nocturnal. A regular on the likes of Quarantine, Metalheadz, Dsci4, Commercial Suicide and Renegade Hardware, the don has shattered minds (and sound systems) at basically every bass-inclined club around the world. He’ll be support by locals Lickweed, Dambusters, Kymaera, C:1, Token, Asylum and Intech this Saturday May 21 at The Sub Club. Capping off a weekend goddamn full of internationals – Revolver’s infamous Sunday sessions will be reaching hedonistic new heights when they’re once again joined by Berlin duo Mat.Joe. No strangers to Melbourne, this will mark their third appearance in the infamous DJ cage in the backroom. When they’re not tearing apart Prahran, the two can be found putting out records on top-tier labels such Hot Creations, OFF Recordings and Rejected. Support will come from Boogs, Spacey Space, T-Rek, Silversix and Radiator. Call in a sickie this Monday, you’re gonna need it. Fatima Al Qadiri has announced her debut tour of Australia, taking place next month. Having first risen to prominence in 2014 with release of her record Asiatisch, the Kuwait-raised and US-based artist followed it up earlier this year with the album Brute, cementing her spot as a staple of the famed Hyperdub family. She actually made a vow not to tour this year and to instead focus on creating new music, so this announcement comes as a bit of a surprise. Expect things to get grimy on Friday June 10 at Howler. TOUR RUMOUR: tell you what, it sure has been a while since we’ve had a visit from Richie Hawtin, hasn’t it? Wink wink. BEST RELEASES THIS WEEK: after giving a few seriously solid listens to DJ Koze’s Pampa Records Vol.
S n a ps
WITH T YSON WRAY 1 compilation I’m hooked – with it featuring cuts from the likes of Roman Flügel, Funkstörung and Nasrawi. Other records that haven’t been leaving my headphones include Mihai Popescu’s Cause of Being (on Soulsity), Barac’s Rawax Aira Series Vol. 4 (on Rawax), M.Rav’s Common Purpose (on L.I.E.S.), Stenny’s Consume IV (on Ilian Tape), Limpid’s Shine (on Metereze), Irazu’s Tolerance for the Absurd (on Soul Notes) and Sepp’s Timpuriu (on UVAR).
Pulp
RECOMMENDED: FRIDAY MAY 20 Tiger Stripes Railway Hotel Marquis Hawkes Hugs&Kisses Jack J The Mercat SATURDAY MAY 21 Nocturnal The Sub Club SUNDAY MAY 22 Mat.Joe Revolver Upstairs FRIDAY MAY 27 Detroit Swindle Brown Alley SATURDAY MAY 28 Boris New Guernica
SUNDAY MAY 29 Locked Groove TBA
SUNDAY JUNE 12 DJ HMC Brown Alley
WEDNESDAY JUNE 1 Oneohtrix Point Never Max Watt’s
FRIDAY JULY 21 DJ Pierre New Guernica
Faktory
SATURDAY JUNE 4 Kyle Hall Glamorama SUNDAY JUNE 5 Weiss Revolver Upstairs
Khokolat Koated
FRIDAY JUNE 10 Andhim Brown Alley Fatima Al Qadiri Howler
Got any tip-offs, hate mail, praise or cat photos? Email hey@tysonwray.com or contact me via carrier pigeon. Hit me on Twitter via @tysonwray.
CLUB GUIDE WEDNESDAY 18 MAY
• ARCHIPELAGO + STANLEY STREET Ferdydurke, Melbourne Cbd. 7:00pm. • COQ ROQ WEDNESDAY - FEAT: JENS BEAMIN + AGENT 86 + MR THOM + JOYBOT + BLABERUNNER Lucky Coq, Windsor. 8:30pm. • CURIOUS TALES - FEAT: DJ WHO + TIGERFUNK + TOM SHOWTIME + FLAGRANT Bimbo Deluxe, Fitzroy. 7:00pm. • FUTURE DAYS 4 - FEAT: AKTION UNIT + CONCENTRATION + GRACE ANDERSON + HOORATAKI Bar Open, Fitzroy. 7:30pm. • REVOLVER WEDNESDAYS - FEAT: DJ DANIELSAN + AGENT 86 Revolver Upstairs, Prahran. 7:00pm.
THURSDAY 19 MAY
• 3181 THURSDAYS - FEAT: HANS DC + MR. PITIFUL + ROBERTO + MORE Revolver Upstairs, Prahran. 6:00pm. • COSY - FEAT: JENNIFER LOVELESS + BRUNO ENZO Ferdydurke, Melbourne Cbd. 7:00pm. • DISCO VOLANTE - FEAT: DELTIOD CURVE + THE MILKMAN + BOWANCE + YANI ARSENAKIS + BALTIMORE GUN CLUB Onesixone, Prahran. 8:00pm. • GOOD NATURE - FEAT: ELKKLE + KARYME + ON-LY + LIONEL Boney, Melbourne Cbd. 7:00pm. • MARK JOHN + CLAIRE ELLIOT Sake Flinders Lane, Melbourne. 6:00pm. • UPTOWN Trak Lounge Bar, Toorak. 10:00pm. • URBAN ECHOES #001 - FEAT: DAN WHITE + UDMO + SILHOUETTES Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 11:00pm. • VARSITY - FEAT: PAZ + MATT RAD + PYZ Bimbo Deluxe, Fitzroy. 6:00pm. • WE ARE YOUR FRIENDS Carlton Club, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm.
FRIDAY 20 MAY
• #MASHTAG - FEAT: NU-GEN + MALPRACTICE + FLAGRANT Bimbo Deluxe, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. • AVALANCHE CREW - FEAT: DJ TURF + BEN RYAN Railway Hotel, Brunswick. 6:00pm. • BASS INVADERS - FEAT: SKOPE + STAUNCH + LICKWEED + MORE Rubix Warehouse, Brunswick. 9:00pm. $15.00. • CIROQ FRIDAYS Cq, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. • CRAFT & CULT - FEAT: CEMENT PIG + MERCHANT + FIELD Grumpy’s Green, Fitzroy. 7:00pm. $15.00. • CRISTOPH + MIKE CALLANDER + SUNDELIN + NICK NOLEN + GAV WHITEHOUSE + MORE Revolver Upstairs, Prahran. 10:00pm.
URBAN GUIDE • DO THE JOB - FEAT: COLLETTE + MICKEY EDWARDS Ferdydurke, Melbourne Cbd. 7:00pm. • ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM Carlton Club, Melbourne Cbd. 11:00pm. • FABULOUS FRIDAYS - FEAT: VARIOUS DJS Co., Southbank. 9:30pm. $20.00. • FAKE TITS - FEAT: BOOGS + SPACEY SPACE + SUNSHINE + SAMMY LA MARCA + BUTTERS + ADAM BARTAS + JUNGLE JIM Tramp, Melbourne Cbd. 10:00pm. $15.00. • FEE FEE STARR Gem Bar, Collingwood. 8:00pm. • GOOD MANNERS - FEAT: LUCY CLICHE + AMATEUR DANCE + DARCY BAYLIS + FRIENDSHIPS + MORE Boney, Melbourne Cbd. 6:00pm. $10.00. • I LOVE DANCEHALL - FEAT: JESSE I + ZARE DEMUS + SO FIRE Brown Alley, Melbourne Cbd. 10:00pm. • LUCILLE CROFT + TESS + LAVIDA Sake Flinders Lane, Melbourne. 6:00pm. • LUCK TRUCK FRIDAY DOWNSTAIRS - FEAT: 99 PRBLMZ + CONGO TARDIS #1 + LITTLE LEAGUE BOUNCE CLUB Lucky Coq, Windsor. 9:00pm. • MODERN HYPONSIS - FEAT: FISHERMAN’S BEND + MR WILLIAMS + INFINITE WAX + STORMN NORM Loop, Melbourne Cbd. 10:00pm. • PANORAMA FRIDAYS UPSTAIRS - FEAT: PHATO A MANO + MR.GEORGE + MATT RADD + ASH-LEE Lucky Coq, Windsor. 9:00pm. • PHIL GOOD FRIDAYS - FEAT: PHIL K Railway Hotel, Brunswick. 6:00pm. • POPROCKS - FEAT: DR PHIL SMITH Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 9:00pm. • SOUNDBYTES - FEAT: 0F.DIGITAL + ÄTOMSMASHA + DOT.AY + MORE Workers Club, Fitzroy. 7:30pm. $15.00. • SOUNDBYTES 8BIT/CHIPTUNE - FEAT: ATOMSMASHA + 0F.DIGITAL + DOT.AY + MORE Workers Club, Fitzroy. 7:30pm. $15.00. • THE DISCO - FEAT: GREG SARA + LUKE MCD + JEN TUTTY + MORE Onesixone, Prahran. 8:00pm. • THE EMERSON CLUB FRIDAYS The Emerson, South Yarra. 3:00pm. • TIGER STRIPES + BOOGS + ROLLIN CONNECTION + MORE Railway Hotel, Brunswick. 8:00pm. $16.67.
SATURDAY 21 MAY
• ANDY PADULA Railway Hotel, Brunswick. 10:00pm. • AUDIOPORN SATURDAYS - FEAT: LE ZOK + JAMES WARE + GREG SARA + TOM EVANS + MORE Onesixone, Prahran. 9:00pm. $15.00. • BLVD Trak Lounge Bar, Toorak. 10:00pm.
• BUENO- MAYO - FEAT: SAFARI STABLE MUSICI + DYLAN GRIFFIN + THECAMILOS + MORE Railway Hotel, Brunswick. 5:00pm. $11.44. • CHAMPAGNE INTERNET Prince Public Bar, St Kilda . 10:30pm. • CQ SATURDAYS Cq, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. • CUSHION SATURDAYS Cushion, St Kilda. 9:00pm. • DJ THE KNAVE Gem Bar, Collingwood. 8:00pm. • ELECTRIC DREAMS - FEAT: VARIOUS DJS Co., Southbank. 9:00pm. $20.00. • HOT STEP - FEAT: 99 PROBLEMS + TIGER FUNK + SILVER FOX + ASKEW Bimbo Deluxe, Fitzroy. 6:00pm. • IN THE CARRIAGE - FEAT: DJ JNETT Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 6:00pm. • JORJ PATS + KEN WALKER Sake Flinders Lane, Melbourne. 6:00pm. • LOST WEEKEND - FEAT: NOISE IN MY HEAD + ANDRAS + TONI YOTZI + MANCHILD MORE Boney, Melbourne Cbd. 11:00pm. • MINX + DJ LADY ERICA + MICKEY EDWARDS Ferdydurke, Melbourne Cbd. 9:00pm. • NEXT WAVE FESTIVAL CLOSING NIGHT PARTY FEAT: BANOFFEE DJ + MISTY NIGHTS + RAINBOW CONNECTION DJS + ANDEE FROST Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 7:00pm. • PLATFORM ONE SATURDAY NIGHTS Platform One, Melbourne. 9:00pm. • PONY SATURDAYS La Di Da, Melbourne Cbd. 10:00pm. • PROTEUS PORPEUS Loop, Melbourne Cbd. 9:00pm. • SAVE THE REEF - FEAT: INTERPULSE + BEN EVANS + VIS VIRES + MORE Rubix Warehouse, Brunswick. 5:00pm. • SEVEN SATURDAY DISCOTHEQUE Seven Nightclub, South Melbourne. 10:00pm. $20.00. • TEXTILE SATURDAYS - FEAT: KODIAK KID + D’FRO + JENS BEAMIN Lucky Coq, Windsor. 9:00pm. • THE EMERSON CLUB SATURDAYS - FEAT: FAMILIAR STRANGERS + KIN + ANDY MURPHY The Emerson, South Yarra. 9:00pm. • THE HOUSE DEFROST - FEAT: ANDEE FROST Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 11:00pm. • TOMAS FORD’S CRAP MUSIC RAVE PARTY Bella Union Bar, Carlton. 9:00pm. $15.00. • TOMMY’S CLUB - FEAT: SCAT Matthew Flinders Hotel, Chadstone. 8:00pm. $10.00. • TRAMP SATURDAYS Tramp, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. • TRIBUTE TO SHAUN PAUL - FEAT: DJ SALVY Pulp Club, Melbourne. 9:30pm.
electronic - urban - club life
SUNDAY 22 MAY
• ANYWAY - FEAT: VARIOUS ARTISTS Bottom End, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. $25.00. • AQUEOUS TRANSMISSION Ferdydurke, Melbourne Cbd. 7:00pm. • BOP ART - FEAT: HAWAII + WHO + TIGERFUNK + MATT RADOVICH + LEWIS CANCUT Bimbo Deluxe, Fitzroy. 7:00pm. • CUSHION SUNDAYS - FEAT: COURTNEY MILLS + TOM EVANS + FRAZER ADNAM + MORE Cushion, St Kilda. 10:00pm. • DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE - FEAT: DJ NIGEL LAST Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. • GOOD TIMES - FEAT: MATT RADOVICH Railway Hotel, Brunswick. 3:00pm. • JUNGLE - FEAT: HANDS DOWN + ZAC DEPETRO + PETE LASKIS + TRAVLOS + JOHN DOE Tramp, Melbourne Cbd. 6:00am. $15.00. • MAT.JOE + BOOGS + SPACEY SPACE + T-REK + MORE Revolver Upstairs, Prahran. 7:00am. • PSYCHEDELIC SUNDAYS - FEAT: PSYCHOPHONY + ZONE TEMPEST + PONCHO PONCHO + MORE Railway Hotel, Brunswick. 1:00pm. • ROOFTOP SUNDAYS - FEAT: KHANH + KEN WALKER + JESUS The Emerson, South Yarra. 12:00pm. • THE SUNDAY SET - FEAT: DJ ANDYBLACK + HAGGIS BETRAYAL Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 4:00pm. • WAX ON WAX OFF Lucky Coq, Windsor. 7:00pm.
MONDAY 23 MAY
• CALL IT IN - FEAT: INSTANT PETERSON + DYLAN MICHAEL + ROBYN TREASURE Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. • MONDAY STRUGGLE - FEAT: TIGER FUNK Lucky Coq, Windsor. 6:00pm. • THE MONDAY BONE MACHINE - FEAT: T-REK Boney, Melbourne Cbd. 9:00pm.
WEDNESDAY 18 MAY
• MELLOWDÍASTHUMP - FEAT: ABLE + GEEZY + CAZEAUX O.S.L.O + SKOMES Boney, Melbourne Cbd. 9:00pm.
FRIDAY 20 MAY
• BRIGHT LIGHTS BIG CITY - FEAT: DJ RCEE + KAHLUA + DJ SHOOK + DJ ANGEL JAY Chaise Lounge, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. • FAKTORY FRIDAYS - FEAT: DAMION DE SILVA + K DEE + DURMY Khokolat Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 9:30pm. • SOUTHERN LOVE - FEAT: MAT CANT + GET BU$Y + SLICK P + ROB STEEZY + MORE Vic Bar, Abbotsford. 8:00pm. • STINGRAY + DISRUTE + DADDY ISSUES Shebeen, Melbourne Cbd. 9:00pm. $10.00.
SATURDAY 21 MAY
• KHOKOLAT KOATED SATURDAYS - FEAT: DAMION DE SILVA + K DEE + DURMY + TIMOS Khokolat Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 9:30pm. • REMI + MAN MADE MOUNTAIN + MZ RIZK Howler, Brunswick. 8:00pm. • RHYTHM NATION SATURDAYS - FEAT: DJ TIMOS + DJ KAHLUA + DJ ANGE M & ANDY PALA Chaise Lounge, Melbourne Cbd. 9:00pm. $10.00. • THIS IS HIP HOP - FEAT: BONE THUGS-NHARMONY + DJ QUIK + THA DOGG POUND + MORE Festival Hall, West Melbourne. 6:30pm. $104.70.
SUNDAY 22 MAY
• MOMENTUM (FOREIGN BROTHERS) + THE CORE-TET Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $10.0
TUESDAY 24 MAY
• CARRIAGE 252 - FEAT: SKOMES Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 9:00pm. • CUSHION TUESDAYS Cushion, St Kilda. 10:00pm. • MAKE IT UP CLUB - FEAT: LOVERS OF THE BLACKBIRDS + ZAK PIDD & JULIAN CUE + DANNY SMITH + SORCHA WILCOX Bar Open, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. • OASIS TUESDAYS Tramp, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. • SEE YOU NEXT TUESDAY Bimbo Deluxe, Fitzroy. 7:00pm.
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LEPERS & CROOKS
PBS RADIO FESTIVAL TA K E
N O T
PLU N G E BY JOSEPH EARP
We live in strange, troubled times. Rather than supporting local radio, the federal government is directly putting it at risk. The new budget cuts $1.4 million of the funding that’s needed to keep community radio available digitally in five capital cities. It’s a staggering act of neglect that would have a disastrous impact on the future of community radio.
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G O
With just one EP to their name and minimal hype to speak of, early last year Lepers & Crooks embarked on a 50-date Australian tour, hitting all major cities as well as regional ports around the country. This bold undertaking was enough for Tone Deaf to call them “Australia’s hardest working band,” and the description gains validity when you consider how early it is in the Sydney band’s career. But they weren’t trying to gain such accolades or outdo their peers. As guitarist/vocalist Pat Reuter-Town tell us, this work ethic reflected an internal pledge of commitment.
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Such a threat makes an event like the PBS Radio Festival even more important than usual. The two week fundraising event is not only necessary to keep one of Melbourne’s finest community radio stations alive, but it’ll also raise some much needed awareness about radio’s place in contemporary culture. It’s an essential dose of both money and attention that the station couldn’t live without, as well as an opportunity for PBS listeners and supporters to go in the running for a whole range of exciting rewards, including a brand new scooter, a guitar, and a priceless turntable. The community radio cause is one that Maddy Mac, presenter of Monday afternoon’s Homebrew show, is very passionate about. “It just seems incongruous to me that something like community radio and what’s a small amount of money for a specific expense is not supported,” Mac says. “I think even if the government couldn’t give a shit about independent media even financially, I think they should be concerned about what the community would lose. Community radio is an important training cog. Even volunteering and gaining skills through radio – just engaging people with social wellbeing – is important.” Mac believes that any damage inflicted on community radio stations such as PBS would have immediate and far-reaching consequences. This wouldn’t just prevent people from hearing some great tunes while on lunch break – it’d be a devastating blow felt by the community at large. “If community radio isn’t there and can’t do things [like help people] gain skills, how is the government going to make up for that?” Mac says. “They’d be fucked. And the community would be fucked. Because I don’t think the government would pay for these things. It’s an easy decision for the government to just be [like], ‘They’re little independents, they can do it themselves or finance it themselves.’ But I just don’t think politicians – and particularly financiallyminded politicians and governments – understand the financial wealth of what community radio can offer Australian society.” Indeed, it seems that some members of parliament view community radio as a threat – something Mac can’t understand. “I don’t see that it ever really threatens the things that governments value,” she says. “It provides something in addition to commercial radio and it provides something in addition to governmental public stuff. I can understand why a government might control a government media outlet, but there’s not really repercussions when it’s community radio doing it for itself.” Mac has been involved with PBS for a decade now. Over that time she has not only
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become aware of the station’s precarious, always-at-risk position, she has also learnt a great deal about its important connection to the live music scene – another reason this matter means so much to her. “I first became involved in 2006 when I heard about the announcer course on air,” she says. “I was studying music at university at the time and I was just a bit disappointed that my music friends were too busy practising to actually go to gigs. “Getting involved in PBS – which I had been listening to for a while – was a way of extending living in that music world. [It was] an opportunity to give back to the scene. Working on an Australian music program was a way of keeping that connection with other musicians alive and also a way of supporting them.” The relationship between emerging Australian musicians and community radio is a vital one. It’s how a majority of acts get their kick-start, how they find and expand their audience and how they send their music out into the world. “I think the relationship between [bands and the radio scene] is one of those cyclical relationships. They both contribute to each other’s vitality. And they really rely upon one another.” The Radio Festival is a way of ensuring that new and original Australian music is able to prosper. Our local scene isn’t something to be disregarded. It’s the envy of musicians across the world: even Henry Rollins is a dedicated devotee of Australian emerging acts, including the likes of Tyrannamen and Summer Flake. The theme of this year’s Radio Festival – Take The Plunge – is a fitting one indeed. Don’t ignore the chance to preserve this thing that sits upon your doorstep. Engage with it. Fund it. Help it. Take the plunge. “The importance of community radio is its independence. Every year we experience the community coming forward and financially ensuring that it can continue. “I think we all get to witness [radio’s] strength under the microscope in those two weeks. We’re literally putting our call out and the phone is ringing or someone is donating online – that’s how immediate a message can be transmitted, and it’s also how immediate the meaning can be responded to by the audience. We have very active audiences. I think how active our audiences are is indicated in that cycle of participation. We don’t fall on deaf ears.” The PBS RADIO FESTIVAL runs from Monday May 16 – Sunday May 29, with daily prize giveaways for people that sign up or renew their membership. See pbsfm. org.au/prizepool for more details.
“There was a definitive point where we decided to drop everything else and give this a serious go,” he says. “For a few years there we were doing plenty of shows around Sydney and it was lots of fun and all our friends would come to the shows and we were still at uni, we still had our jobs – we kind of had one foot in and one foot out. It was around that time we decided to drop everything and focus solely on Lepers & Crooks.” Having quit their jobs, given uni the flick, and jumped in the van with an enormous itinerary of shows to see through, the possibilities for failure were numerous. This experience was a sure test of the quintet’s tenacity, and they made it out the other side with even more resolve than before. “That set the precedent for everything else, because all of a sudden we had to play shows every night and we were getting tighter and tighter,” Reuter-Town says. “Now it’s come to a point where we’ve got more of a business head about us as well. When we first went out there going from town to town, we were just like, ‘Oh whatever,’ spent our merch money on beers and next thing you know we can’t pay for petrol. Throwing ourselves in the deep end with the touring ethic has let the rest follow in a lot of ways.” That tour came off the back of the Her Kiss
EP, which was released in late 2014. This four-song debut revealed the band’s stylistic curiosity, ranging from riff-centric classic rock to spiritual, Jeff Buckley-inspired pop rock. Though, this fluidity also made it difficult to identify who Lepers & Crooks were and what exactly they were about. Last month they released the single Let You Go, the first taste of their forthcoming second EP, The Heathen Circus. By virtue of the enormous stint of touring, they’ve now gained a better understanding of their strengths. “This next EP is much more of a collective
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While it’s been a six-year gap between releases, Andrew Murray, the force behind big band jazz group ATM15, has been far from idle. ATM15’s 2010 debut, Big Band Reborn, delivered a groove-based update of the big band format. But Murray’s since shifted his focus towards writing and arranging music based on more traditional forms of ensemble jazz. “It’s drawing influences from the more contemporary big band composers such as Thad Jones, Maria Schneider and traditional people like Duke Ellington and Gil Evans,” says Murray. “It probably took maybe three to four years to compile enough original compositions to create a whole album.” The result of that writing process is Human Music, ATM15’s sophomore long player, which the band will be launching with a show at Stonnington Jazz on Saturday May 21. Throughout the writing process, the 15-piece group remained active, holding down a two-year residency at the Royal Derby Hotel in Fitzroy that enabled them to road test new material as it was being conceived. “When you are working on a scale of that many musicians, it really takes a long time for B E AT.C O M . A U
the songs to settle in and for everyone to get familiar with the repertoire. So it was pretty fortunate that we had that opportunity,” says Murray. This experience fed directly into the recording process, with Murray trying to replicate the live setup in order to give preference to feel over a technically pristine sound. “We tried to do everything at once. I don’t think there’s any overdubs on the album this time. I wanted the emphasis to just be on giving me heaps of energy, dynamics and musicality,” says Murray. This mission also gave the album its title, which is a reflection of lessons learnt along the way. “On our last album we went to town with all the editing and digital manipulation that you can do and I didn’t really like the outcome,” Murray says. “I wanted to make it
piece of songs,” Reuter-Town says. “In saying that, we’re still always rediscovering ourselves. I don’t think we’re a band who’s comfortable at any point with who we are as such. We’re always looking for new things and trying different avenues. It still has that variation – I think it comes from us all being writers; we all have our different influence – but there’s a sound on this EP that’s a bit more consistent.” Let You Go is an animated rock song, and the recording doesn’t sound overworked or like the band were too concerned about perfection. The EP was recorded and produced by Jeff Martin of The Tea Party at his studio in Byron Bay, and the plan was to generate a close equivalent to the band’s live show. “We took a completely different approach to how we recorded last time. It was very much in the old school sense – getting the five of us in the room together and playing live and taking 70 per cent of the EP from that. We’ve played all these shows as a five-piece, and then to go down to the studio and break it down is completely different. I don’t think we would’ve captured what the songs were all about. So it was really cool to actually get into a studio and focus not so much on the perfections, but almost the imperfections of everything that came out naturally while we were playing as a live band.” LEPERS & CROOKS are launching Let You Go at Sooki Lounge on Thursday May 26 and at The Workers Club on Friday May 27 with support from The Cherry Dolls and Primal.
sound like humans were playing the music. That’s where Human Music came from.” From a young age Murray learnt a variety of instruments, making use of those available in his high school music room and pursuing live performance across multiple genres. This was an essential experience that gave him the knowledge to write for multiple instruments, as well as the language to be able to communicate those ideas to the players. “I’ve spent a long time learning how to arrange and gaining a big love for this kind of music. Eventually it really does start to feel like your own instrument, just a big band.” Having moved to Melbourne from WA eight years ago, Murray has witnessed the city’s jazz scene continue to blossom in exciting ways. “The younger generation in the scene are hungry for it to happen, and if you have that hunger you are out there trying to create opportunities, and that has a big overall impact on everyone around you.” This is something Murray has witnessed in his other role as leader of the house band at the recently opened Bird’s Basement jazz club. This position has him not only creating new music on a weekly basis, but also collaborating with guest vocalists once a month, an idea he has also pursued in ATM15 with singer Hue Blanes. Blanes will feature in the second half of the album launch set, performing previous collaborations with the group as well as some of his original compositions arranged for the band. Before that happens ATM15 will play the entirety of Human Music, a prospect that Murray is personally excited about, considering the acoustic properties of the venue, Chapel Off Chapel. “The opportunity to perform it at a bigger scale and venue where people are specifically coming out to listen gives you more scope with planning the set. It’s going to be a great listening experience.” ATM15 with special guest Hue Blanes will launch Human Music as part of Stonnington Jazz at Chapel Off Chapel on Saturday May 21.
WORLDWIDE JAZZ PARTY
IVAN OOZE B U R N I N G T H E
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There’s a common misconception that the jazz scene is comprised solely of blue mood lighting, candlelit tables and seriously slow tempos. While that may be the case in some circumstances, Paul Van Ross contends that his latest show is much more diverse, sonically daring and most importantly, gives attendees a great opportunity to dance. As part of Stonnington Jazz 2016, Van Ross is set to perform at the Worldwide Jazz Party with his band Clave Mania.
BY PHOEBE ROBERTSON
Galactically feared and universally despised, the original Ivan Ooze was a purple tyrant that spent his days plotting attacks on the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Transforming the fictional character’s name into a symbol of uncontrollable charisma, cool banter and crazy-arse talent; Ben Townsend has defeated his childhood hero’s enemies once and for all. Recently launching a headline tour in support of his ‘93 KFC Rotisserie Gold mixtape, the Melbourne MC is emblematic of the new wave of Australian hip hop. “I used to listen to a lot of American rap, heaps more than Aussie hip hop and I’ve always just rapped like this,” Townsend says. “I’ve never thought of it as an American accent, so when people pull me up on it I’m sort of just like, ‘Well fuck off, I’m just doing what I want to do and if you don’t like it, you don’t have to listen to it.’ ” The new mixtape contains plenty of fingerlicking vocal licks and turnt up trap beats, which Townsend’s eager to share with his fans across the country. Having ploughing through performances at Cairns’ The Grass Is Greener festival and Groovin The Moo in Bendigo, the local talent is preparing to debut the new tracks in front of an hometown audience. He gives us the lowdown on the mixtape’s curious title. “In 1993 KFC were the first fast food outlet to advertise a rotisserie chicken,” he says. “They said it was packed with a whole new flavour; if you haven’t tried it, try it because it will be your new favourite. People didn’t really like it at first, but eventually started to really like it. I thought maybe I could do that with my mixtape, because I know there are still heaps of people who haven’t heard of me. It’s a whole new flavour, a new wave of hip hop that you might not have not heard before. “I’ve looked up all the secrets of KFC and apparently there is some other seasoning you can get on your chicken before it comes out and you just have to ask for it,” he adds. “If I had all the cash in the world I’d buy a whole fucking KFC. All my mates would come down and get zinger boxes. I love twister boxes, but you have to change over the wicked wings and get an original recipe, that’s the key. You ask for the free roll and dip it in the gravy. Ah, the possibilities are endless.” Townsend’s known for sharing many personal anecdotes with his supporters, thus ushering his audience into his world. The community-building approach has now gained him fans all around the country. “I’ll talk to my fans every single day,” he says. “I think it makes a big difference towards how much you sell and how much more people will listen to your music if you just get in touch with them. I remember I was the same with an artist that I really liked from America. Once in a blue moon you’d get like the occasional, ‘They’re on here,’ and everyone would try and get their questions answered. When you actually
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know an artist, or feel like you know an artist, you want to hear more from them and because they actually acknowledge you, you’re going to support them.” It’s not just Aussie listeners who’ve flocked towards Ivan Ooze. He’s nabbed support tours with such heavyweight hip hop acts as Cypress Hill and Ice Cube. More recently, he opened for the one and only Wu Tang Clan, which led to a studio session with Ghostface Killah. Still somewhat flabbergasted, the young rapper acknowledges the surreal nature of it all. “It was definitely a highlight of my life,” he says. “Not only did I get to support them, but I got to eat dinner with them and go to the barber shop and shit like that. It was pretty crazy. I took Ghostface ugg boot shopping. It was so hard to comprehend because it was happening so fast that you’d be talking to someone and then you’d be like, ‘Holy fucking shit, I just had a conversation with one of the greats.’ ” A true believer in the profits of collaboration, Townsend worked with 14 different producers on the mixtape. He’s also handpicked two support acts to join him on the national tour: Dex and Midas. Gold. “They fit to what I’m doing – the tight, turnt up sort of shit. They are emerging artists as well, and I’m friends with them both so it’s good to have them along. I wish all my friends were doing the same shit so I could bring them with me. I just want someone to learn the trumpet for one song, someone else can play a conga and all of a sudden I’d be like, ‘I need all of these guys because they have playing to do.’ ” Besides preparing for the tour, Townsend is looking for inspiration for new material – something that’s not hard to find. “I could be in the middle of cooking dinner – I did it once, I let something simmer, went into the other room and I accidently clicked on something and it was a beat. I was like, ‘What? This is sick,’ and I started writing to it and I fucked up my whole dinner. It was ridiculous; I left it on there for like 50 minutes, I’m surprised the house didn’t burn down.” IVAN OOZE is playing at Northcote Social Club on Saturday May 28. ‘93 KFC Rotisserie Gold is available now via Bandcamp.
Held at the legendary late night venue, Revolver Upstairs, the club series is a new addition to the Stonnington Jazz programme, and it’s already drawing attention from a wide-range of music-lovers. Worldwide Jazz Party also features the Senegambian Jazz Band, and it’s set to take ticketholders on an international journey. “The Worldwide Jazz Party has a wider appeal to people who perhaps might not see something at a jazz festival,” Van Ross says. “It’s a club spot so people will be able to drink and dance if they want to. It won’t necessarily be just sit down and listen, which I think is great – get some bodies moving. I often play at jazz clubs and when I speak to the audience members that are first-timers afterwards, they tell me they were surprised, it was not what they were expecting. People have a preconceived idea of what a jazz club is like and what sort of music they would hear. I really like to break down those barriers – there is a huge range of music that fits into the term jazz.” Clave Mania – pronounced Cla-vé – is a group Van Ross has been working with for a few years now. A rhythm often found in Cuban music, the collective’s alias is indicative of the sound audiences can expect to hear.
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“We will be playing all original material, essentially music that I recently recorded in Cuba,” Van Ross says. “I’ll be playing some flute, tenor sax and maybe even some soprano sax. We’ve also got congas, a drum set, double bass and piano. If you go by the music that’s going to be played, African and Cuban based stuff, I think you should expect not to sit still. There’ll be infectious grooves and infectious vibes – that’s my plan anyway [laughs]. “We will be playing a set of music based around [the 2014 LP] Mi Alma Cubana. In English it means ‘My Cuban Soul’. There’s salsa, cha-cha-cha and, of course, some soul music.”
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Tasmania’s Luca Brasi have gradually revealed a bigger sound in recent years, and their latest offering, last month’s If This Is All We’re Going To Be, has already secured the hard working quartet’s upward trajectory. Beat caught up with their charismatic frontman, Tyler Richardson, to congratulate them on a job well done. “Thanks mate – we’re really stoked with how everything has turned out,” says Richardson. It’s been three years since Luca Brasi’s sophomore album By a Thread sent shockwaves through the punk rock community, but that doesn’t mean the band members have just been sitting around enjoying the ocean air in their hometown of St Helens. Rather, in the last six months alone Richardson and co. have toured the country in support of the new album’s lead single Aeroplane, hosted their own weekend festival Til the Wheels Fall Off, and organised a deal for a split release with UK punks Apologies, I Have None – all while putting the finishing touches on album number three. “We’ve been working on this album pretty seriously for about two years,” Richardson says. “Before that I’d been working on little parts, bit and pieces, but for the last two years I’ve been really solidly writing to get ready to W W W. B E AT.C O M . A U
go into record.” Having spent the majority of the last seven years on the road, Richardson says that when it comes time to bunker down in the studio, they prefer being closer to home. “We rented a space in Hobart again, which is awesome because we’re all still trying to work and study fulltime, as well as be in the studio at night. It was brutal but we managed to get it done – and we’re so proud.” If This Is All We’re Going To Be was produced by Adelaide’s Jimmy Balderston (The Amity Affliction, Grenadiers, Gay Paris). “We flew him down here for the better part of a month, after we rented the studio out. That was our time in heaven and hell, I guess you might say,” Richardson laughs. “Even though recording is exciting, it becomes a really fullon process. It has its ups and downs.”
The Senegambian Jazz Band, meanwhile, will be focusing on the fusion of world jazz, afro and funk. “They have a kora, an African instrument that’s basically a big bowl with a long neck and a couple of strings on it – I think that’s awesome,” says Van Ross. “I’ve played in some African bands before and I’m picking that, at some point in the night, there will be jumping.” As well as appearing at this event, Van Ross is looking forward to watching some of his friends and fellow-musicians that are also taking part in Stonnington Jazz. “Anton Delecca and Remco Keijzer are doing a tenor saxophone set and Fem Belling, who’ve I’ve worked with a quite a bit, is doing her own thing too,” he says. “Melbourne is a very lucky city because of the standard of musicians and the broad range of musicians. Some of the most interesting musicians are some of the younger ones, people not long out of university that are doing some fantastic stuff. I hope that other young folks get to hear those musicians and spread the love. “There’s a couple of people I’ve seen play where I look at them and they physically look like they’re at total one being with their instrument. The guitar or the bass is not a separate thing. It almost looks like they were born with it, as if it’s just part of their body because they are so comfortable with it. It’s truly amazing.” Stonnington Jazz presents the Worldwide Jazz Party featuring PAUL VAN ROSS with Clave Mania and the Senegambian Jazz Band on Thursday May 19 at Revolver Upstairs.
When the album was ready to be mixed, Luca Brasi chose to enlist big name engineer Brian McTernan (Senses Fail, From Autumn to Ashes, Circa Survive). “Brian was someone we were looking at for a while as a possible candidate. He’s worked with just about everyone over the years,” Richardson says. “We wanted to keep the raw edge of the music, but we also wanted to sound polished, which is something we hadn’t really pushed for before. I think Brian really helped us to get that big-sounding-but-polished record that we’ve always wanted to make.” Luca Brasi’s latest singles Cascade Blues and Anything Near Conviction reflect the four-piece’s desire to push their own limitations, both musically and lyrically, while maintaining a sense of where they come from. Richardson’s has the rare ability to convey emotion and vulnerability amid a soundscape of driving guitar lines and hardhitting drums – and If This Is All We’re Going To Be is full of those memorable moments. “I keep saying it, but this time it feels like we have actually melded all the elements of what we like and what we wanted to achieve, and it happened a lot more organically than usual – we never had to force it. “As much as it sounds like a cliché, we wanted to make a cohesive record that you could put on and listen to from the start to the finish, just like one big piece of music – and I think we did it.” Luca Brasi have a lot to smile about, and be prepared to see a lot of them over the coming months. “The first tour for this record is a tour with our buddies The Smith Street Band, and once that tour is done we’ll be busy till at least the middle of October.”
Catch LUCA BRASI at Max Watt’s from Thursday June 16 – Saturday June 18 with The Smith Street Band. They’re also playing at the Avenue Records launch party at Ukrainian Hall on Saturday June 18 with Storm The Sky, and headlining the Corner Hotel on Saturday August 27. If This Is All We’re Going To Be is out now via Poison City Records. BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 25
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BY AUGUSTUS WELBY
Some call them the pride of Los Angeles. Others view them as a categorical disgrace. But irrespective of the labels projected onto them, Steel Panther sure know how to have a good time. The glamorous heavy metal outfit are heading back to Australia next month, following their stint on last year’s Soundwave tour. It’ll officially be wintertime when they return, but that’s no bother – it’s not the weather that lures them back, as bass player Lexxi Foxx explains. “We were all talking when we were rehearsing for the tour about how many beautiful women are in Australia,” he says. “I cannot believe how lucky you guys are. It was so fun to do Soundwave over there and see everybody – going to the beach there in Sydney and seeing all of the beautiful women there.” Steel Panther’s sex-crazed lifestyles are essentially the nucleus of the band’s existence, characterising their songs, live shows, and evidently their interviews. The band formed in 2000 and have since released four studio LPs (including one under their original name Metal Shop). But while they’re not as young as they used to be, their libidos haven’t diminished with age. “I suggest this for everybody – take a bunch of drugs and then take boner pills,” Foxx Says. “Yes, we are getting very old. I’m very old. I don’t know how long I’ll be doing this, but as long as I keep pumping drugs into my system and using those damn boner pills… Those things work like crazy. I’m knocking over pictures and everything in the hotel room. So thank God for technology. I just got my Botox done and my eyebrows done. Technology keeps me going. We’re all old men, but drugs are good.” Foxx and his band mates are happy to embrace technology in order to sustain their glamorous image and inordinate sex lives, but when it comes to album releases and promotional methods, they stick to what they know. This February they released the live album and accompanying film, Live From Lexxi’s Mom’s Garage. While online hype machines and surprise album releases have started to dominate the mainstream music sphere, Steel Panther prefer a grass roots approach. “Surprise records? That’s a bunch of crap,” Foxx says. “You should be able to just promote like back in the day. Back in the ‘80s, back in the ‘70s, you did your promotional tours, like we did for Live From Lexxi’s Mom’s Garage. We went all the way to the UK and to New York and we had one here in Los Angeles. Technology’s changing so much. Open record stores back up. Record labels should just come back and just do it all ‘80s style again. “All this technology and social media shit, it’s way over my head. I have a Twitter account, but I barely even go on that. I’ll check it every once in a while, but I don’t have a Facebook page or anything like that. I wish I still had a rotary phone. I couldn’t BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 26
even work this damn smart phone. Of course I’m not too smart myself, so that’s why I still live with my mum.” Live From Lexxi’s Mom’s Garage was indeed recorded and filmed at Foxx’s mother’s house. It’s been two years since the band’s last studio release, All You Can Eat, and the release of an acoustic live album could be a clue for what’s coming next. However, Foxx clarifies that they’re not abandoning their hard rock sound. “We did that just to get close to those chicks that are in the DVD. It was my idea we’d all get together in my mum’s garage and invite lots of chicks. When I was a kid the acoustic guitar made vaginas so wet that I’m thinking, ‘Man I’ve got to be in a band.’ Acoustic guitars make girls very, very, very horny. Now we’re going to leave that alone for a while and we’re on our way to making another bitching rock record. Hopefully we can get it out by the beginning of next year.” Steel Panther are commonly described as a comedy band, and their salacious lyrics and eccentric cock rock arrangements provide plenty of support for this thesis. Though, there’s also a fair amount of darkness strewn throughout their catalogue. For one, being insatiably sex obsessed doesn’t always sound easy. And then there’s a song like The Burden of Being Wonderful, which speaks of how lonely it is to exist at a superior level, to be a “Maserati in a world of Kias”. As Foxx sees it, they’re just conveying their own truth and trying to enjoy themselves as much as possible while they still can. “Why I love being in this band so much is because, first of all, we all look bitching in spandex even though we’re really old. The other thing is we do something different, because we don’t give a shit. All the bands that are out there are trying to be so cool and want to get on the radio and they don’t want to offend anyone. Fuck that. If we like writing about sex, drugs, rock’n’roll and just having a good time, and if we happen to offend somebody, then we just do. There’s nothing we can do. If some people find some lyrics to be funny, that’s fine too. “A lot of people think we’re just a one legged pony or that this is going to be a flash in the pan. But we’re going to be here until one of us either dies or just can’t walk anymore.” STEEL PANTHER are playing at Festival Hall on Saturday June 18. Live From Lexxi’s Mom’s Garage is available now via Kobalt/Inertia.
Modern Baseball are one of the greatest pop punk bands to emerge in the past five years. After blasting onto the scene with debut album Sports, and then blowing minds with second album You’re Gonna Miss It All, they’ve finally dropped their third offering, Holy Ghost. Released last weekend via Run For Cover Records, Holy Ghost is already proving to be their most impressive yet. Beat had a chat with the boys during their recent Australian tour, which saw them playing sold out shows to legions of fans across the country. Modern Baseball were originally set to visit our dusty island back in 2015, but some tough personal circumstances prompted a last minute cancellation. Lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Brendan Lukens has spoken publicly about his battle with depression, anxiety and at times substance abuse – which is all the more heartbreaking when you realise he’s one of the sweetest, most humble dudes on the planet. Rather than making up an ambiguous excuse for canning the tour, the band were honest about what they were going through, which led to an outpouring of support from fans and the music community at large. “The support was insane, that was really cool to see. We’re pretty lucky,” says guitarist Jake Ewald. “We would rather be honest about it rather than like, ‘Oh, sorry. We can’t come. See ya later,” says Lukens. “We chose our words carefully and didn’t want to give too much away, ‘cause it was kind of a fragile time.” Given the personal struggles, it’s amazing that Modern Baseball have managed to release a new album. It’s even more impressive considering they played a massive 180 shows back in 2014. “We’re trying to do more than Pup,” laughs bassist Ian Farmer. Along with all this, the boys recently completed their studies in Communications and Music Recording. “Our mums are really proud,” laughs Lukens. “It was a solid six years, we took our time,” adds Ewald. Holy Ghost is different from the band’s earlier releases for a number of reasons. The
first of which is that Lukens and Ewald split the songwriting duties, each writing half of the album. “Brendan just called me one day, before we even booked the time to record and said, ‘Hey for this new record, what if we just did a Speakerboxxx/The Love Below style split?’ We both had our own little chunk to work inside,” says Ewald. “We’ve definitely sonically improved,” says Lukens. “Our sound has not only gotten bigger,” continues Ewald. “But it feels tighter because everyone wrote their own parts, which is something that hadn’t been done in the past. It feels a lot more like a working unit. We were writing it as more of a band process, with an end goal.” Farmer describes the writing process as, “Just the four of us in a room, jamming out the songs.” “The four of us in a room rocking out,” laughs drummer Sean Huber. The new album is indicative of the cohesion and energy that characterises a Modern Baseball live show. Capturing this on record was a high priority. “That’s
something that Joe [Reinhart], our producer, really pushed for. All of the records that he’s done have that same vibe – like Joyce Manor,” says Lukens. Huber adds, “There’s a lot of bands that you see live for the first time and you’re like, ‘This is so sick,’ and then you put the record on like, ‘This is so much quieter and slower.’ ” Reinhart’s presence is another factor that differentiates Holy Ghost – it’s the first album Modern Baseball haven’t recorded themselves. Reinhart – known for his work with Hop Along and Joyce Manor – joined them at Headroom Studios in their hometown of Philadelphia. “This was the first time we had a grown up in the room who we trusted, and wasn’t also worried about writing and playing on the record,” says Ewald. “It took so much off of our shoulders,” Farmer says. “So we could focus on actually playing.” Existing Modern Baseball fans will be aware of the band members’ penchant for including social media references in their songwriting. Holy Ghost steers clear of this, which contributes to the record’s more mature aesthetic. “It wasn’t really a conscious decision,” says Ewald. “It’s probably because we haven’t really been impressed with new social media advancements lately.” Lukens adds, “You can get this on the record: we will never talk about Tinder.” Another factor that puts Holy Ghost in contrast to the band’s earlier releases is its slightly darker tracks and the inclusion of some heavy subject matter. While the album still presents Modern Baseball at their finest, it’s clear that as the band moves into their early 20s, their music is evolving alongside them. “It’s kinda weird, ‘cause we live this Peter Pan lifestyle,” says Ewald. “But at the same time we’re also grown-ups and we have to figure out what to do with our lives.” Holy Ghost by MODERN BASEBALL is available now via Run For Cover/ Cooking Vinyl.
FEAR LIKE US
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Hey Jamie. You guys formed way back in 2004. How has Melbourne’s punk rock scene developed around you in the past 12 years? I remember when we first started – in Newcastle – we would play shows with hardcore bands, punk rock bands et cetera as there wasn’t really many acoustic/folk punk bands around at the time. So we were lucky to play some really cool mixed bill shows in the early years of the band. Now it’s the most vibrant that it’s ever been in my opinion, from the success of The Smith Street Band and The Bennies, to the exciting new bands. We’re still so glad to be a part of a community that supports each other after all these years. You’ve just released your second LP, Succour. How does this record compare to your earlier work? It’s a huge step up in comparison to the self-titled record, that’s for sure. Our earlier songs were very straightforward, three chord folk punk songs, but while this record has those moments, many of the songs are more complex than our earlier B E AT.C O M . A U
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stuff. Ever since Lauren joined the band many years ago, I felt that we couldn’t continue just playing these folk punk songs anymore. We needed to change it up a bit more and I think the Street Vipers 7” caught us in the midst of that progression. So I think Succour is a more mature record in many ways. You’ll be hitting up The Reverence Hotel on Saturday May 28 as part of your album launch tour. If the protagonist of a grungy film walked into your show on a whim, what’d happen to him? He would most likely end up sitting at the bar after the show with us, drinking beers and Marko would tell him all about the amazing prank phone calls that he used to make to ultra conservative shock jocks when he was younger. The stories are hilarious. Then, I would have to leave because I’m old and get very tired on the weekends. You’ll be supported by Run Squirrel, Naked Waste and Lincoln le Ferve & The Insiders. What can we expect from these guys?
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All of them are incredible and some of the most interesting bands you’ll ever see or hear. Run Squirrel are our old buds from Newcastle and they are releasing a new EP on this tour. They are all amazing musicians and Thomas’ voice is one of my favourites ever. Lincoln le Fevre & The Insiders haven’t been playing much so it’ll be a real treat to see them at it again. Naked Waste is a one man solo project that sounds somewhat like a haunting Bob Dylan – one of the most interesting acts that I’ve seen in a while. Our mate Aaron Gocs is going to be telling some jokes in between the bands on the night too, which is an added bonus. It’ll be a good time. FEAR LIKE US are launching their new album Succour at The Reverence Hotel on Saturday May 28. Succour is out now via Poison City Records.
CORE
PUNK, HARDCORE NEWS, REVIEWS & GOSSIP with JOE HANSEN joesamhansen@gmail.com
I’ve always thought that Afroman’s 2001 hit, Because I Got High, would make a great straight edge hardcore song. Chronicling the story of self-destruction and misery solely attributed to drug abuse, the lyrical content would easily be at home on any Minor Threat or Earth Crisis record. The first band to send me a straight edge hardcore cover of the track will receive first prize of a $15 gift voucher to Off Ya Tree. After 33 years of breakups, reunions and lineup changes, The Misfits will be
CRUNCH
reuniting with original members Glenn Danzig, Jerry Only and Doyle. Although there is no news on an accompanying tour, the band has been confirmed to play Riot Fest in Chicago and Denver this September. In tragic news, John Stabb, frontman of legendary Washington DC hardcore punk band Government Issue, has passed away from stomach cancer aged 54. One of the first bands to record for highly influential label Dischord, the band was instrumental in the DC hardcore scene of the 1980s. The band released the following statement: “It is with heavy hearts that we have to announce that at 7.43 pm 5/7/16 our comrade John Stabb Schroeder lost his hard fought battle with stomach cancer. Our hearts go out to his wife Mina. Rest in Power, brother, there will never be another.” Melbourne’s Jack the Stripper have announced a national tour this June in support of their recent single Nibiru. Leading up to their already announced
BABY ANIMALS CELEBRATE 25 YEARS
Baby Animals will celebrate the 25th anniversary of their record-breaking debut album with a special show at the Forum Theatre this Saturday May 21. They’ll play two sets, the first being a celebration of METAL, HEAVY ROCK. CLASSIC ROCK LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL everything that’s happened over the past 25 years with the current lineup of Dave GOOD SHIT Leslie, Mick Skelton, Dario Bortolin and with PETER HODGSON Suze DeMarchi, and the second being crunchcolumn@gmail.com their debut album played in full from start to finish with the original lineup of Dave, SLIPKNOT & DEFTONES Suze, Frank Celenza and Eddie Parise. On May 20 they’re also releasing a new TOURS ANNOUNCED Both Slipknot and Deftones have just album called BA25. It’s a re-mastered live announced Australian tours for October album from a show they played in Boston and November this year. Catch Slipknot on while on tour with Van Halen, including Monday October 31 at Rod Laver Arena five songs that we never released, as well as (Halloween. You know that’s going to be a singles, B-sides and pre-studio demos that good one) and Deftones (with Karnivool nobody has heard before. and Voyager) at Festival Hall on Friday November 11. MAX PREMIERES PETER
TWO FOR ACE OF SPADES
Motorhead tribute act Ace of Spades have a few gigs coming up: Friday May 20 at Mr Boogie Man Bar with Shewolf and The Ride, and Saturday May 21 at Rockstar Bar in Frankston with Coverdale and Holy Diver.
GARRETT DOCO
In a Foxtel world exclusive, Max was invited into the recording studio to capture the making of Peter Garrett’s debut solo album A Version of Now. A collection of nine songs Garrett couldn’t help but create, A Version of Now is Garrett’s first official foray into music in more than a decade.
European tour this August, the band will play The Workers Club on Saturday July 16 and an all ages show at Wrangler Studios on Sunday July 17. Melbourne orgcore punks Laura Palmer have announced an east coast run of dates this June. Supporting their most recent Old Souls EP, the band will play The Bendigo Hotel on Saturday June 11. Tasmanian melodic punks Luca Brasi have announced an August headline tour, supported by UK’s Moose Blood and Adelaide’s The Hard Aches. Following an already announced tour supporting The Smith Street Band in June, the headline tour will continue to support their third LP If This Is All We’re Going To Be. Minneapolis pop punks Motion City Soundtrack have announced Australian dates on their upcoming farewell tour. In a post regarding their breakup and tour, the band explained, “It has been a quiet winter for us. We’ve had some time at home after
Planned for release on Friday July 15, the album features Garrett on vocals, Martin Rotsey (Midnight Oil) on guitar, Mark Wilson (Jet) on bass, Peter Luscombe (Paul Kelly/Rockwiz) on drums, Jamie Hutchings (Bluebottle Kiss) on guitar, Heather Shannon (The Jezabels) on keyboards and Burke Reid as Producer. The exclusive Max special will premiere Tuesday July 12 at 9.30pm.
KING OF THE NORTH SEEKS NEW DRUMMER
From King Of The North’s Andrew Higgs: “Danny has come to me and said that due to personal reasons he is no longer able to commit and feels for the benefit and future of KOTN he should leave the band. As shocked as I was to hear this, I understand his reasons completely and I support his decision. I love Danny like I would a little brother and I wish him all the best in the future and thank him for his time playing in KOTN. As most know, King Of The North has finished recording a new album to be released very soon. There are also epic tours booked for 2016. So, auditions for a new beast to sit at the stool have already started. The auditions will continue for another few weeks before I announce who the lucky mofo is, that will be touring this
a very busy 2015. With this time, we’ve been able to think about the past, present, and future of Motion City Soundtrack. All of this thinking has led to several conversations, and these conversations have led us to a very bittersweet realisation: we have no idea what the future holds, but for now we are done. Needless to say, we’re feeling all the feels – you may be as well. If so, or if you’ve ever been touched by our music, we ask you to come out and sing along with us one last time in 2016.” Joined by With Confidence, the band will play Prince Bandroom on Sunday September 18. Fat Wreck Chords have announced the release of an all-acoustic compilation entitled Mild in the Streets. Featuring unreleased tracks from Against Me!, Joey Cape, Morning Glory and more, the album will be released Friday July 1.
GIGS
THURSDAY MAY 19 TIRED LION, THE HARD ACHES AT NORTHCOTE SOCIAL CLUB DANKENSTEIN, SOCIALLY HANDICAPPED, SUPA SUPLEX, SPARE NO WORDS AT LAST CHANCE ROCK N ROLL BAR
FRIDAY MAY 20 SCOTDRAKULA, MESA COSA, GOOD MORNING, PREGNANCY AT THE CURTIN THE FLYING SO HIGH-OS, SHINY COIN, THE BERKELEY HUNTS, SPOOKED AT YAH YAH’S CHELSEA BLEACH, WET LIPS, TWO STEPS ON THE WATER, HABITS DJS AT THE OLD BAR OVERLORD, OVERPOWER, PLEAD4MERCY, SOULLESS AND CAST DOWN AT THE TOTE THE DRONES AT 170 RUSSELL
SATURDAY MAY 21 great new album across 10 countries with me this year. I thank everyone in advance for their support and understanding.”
THE ARISTOCRATS TOUR
One of the most impressive and sought after bands in the instrumental rock/fusion scene, The Aristocrats will be heading to Australia this October for a national tour. Featuring the combined talents of drummer Marco Minnemann (Steve Wilson, Joe Satriani), bassist Bryan Beller ( Joe Satriani, Dethklok) and Guthrie Govan (Steven Wilson, Asia/ GPS), the supergroup have released three studio albums. The latest, Tres Caballeros was released in June 2015 and saw them re-write their own rules to deliver a record with greater sonic depth than ever. The Aristocrats’ formation happened via a chance on-the-spot gig at 2011’s NAMM conference, and they quickly became one of the most sought-after live instrumental rock/fusion acts in the world. Catch them at The Bendigo Hotel on Thursday October 6 thanks to Thump Music. Tickets on sale now from Thump.
EL RIOT FESTIVAL FEAT: DEAD CITY RUINS, CAPTIVES, RED LIGHT RIOT, COFFIN WOLF, WOLFPACK, THE FCKUPS, SUICIETY, LAURA PALMER, DAMN THE TORPEDOES, GLADSTONE, LOS AMIGOS, BLIND MAN DEATH STARE, STAY SHARP, LITTLE LAMB AND THE ROSEMARYS, DEAD END AT THE TOTE FIXATION FEST FEAT: FOLEY!, FOXTROT, KISSING BOOTH, SUMMER BLOOD, COSMIC KAHUNA, SELF TALK AT THE OLD BAR GOLD CLASS, MERE WOMEN AT NORTHCOTE SOCIAL CLUB ANGRY SEAS, BEGGARS WAY, DREXLER, NORTHWOOD AT LAST CHANCE ROCK N ROLL BAR HOODLUM SHOUTS, HEADS OF CHARM, FRAUDBAND, BAD VISION AT THE CURTIN BIKINI COPS, GROTTO, SISTEMA DE DECADENCIA AT THE TOTE
SUNDAY MAY 22 CUNTSHIT, MOLASSES, KYRUM, INAMORATA DECAY AT THE BENDIGO HOTEL KIM SALMON, MALCOLM HILL AND THIS IS THE SHOW, DALLAS GALE AT THE OLD BAR JULES SHELDON, FOREVER SON, OBSCURA HAIL, ED LLOYD AT THE REVERENCE HOTEL
PRIMAL FEAR BREAKING THE RULES BY PETER HODGSON
It’s one of contemporary metal’s most well-known stories, but it bears repeating: in the mid-‘90s, German vocalist Ralf Scheepers sang in a Judas Priest cover band called Just Priest. He was damn good. So good, in fact, that when Judas Priest were looking for a new vocalist to fill the massive shoes of Rob Halford, Scheepers was on their list. Tapes were traded and he was under serious consideration. Eventually the gig went to Tim “Ripper” Owens, but Scheepers was so motivated that he formed Primal Fear with two of his Just Priest bandmates, bassist Mat Sinner and guitarist Tom Naumann. The band signed to Nuclear Blast Records in 1997, cracked the German Top 50 with their debut album in February ‘98, and are now considered power metal pioneers. With the new LP Rulebreaker just release, Primal Fear are touring Australia for the very first time this June. “It’s always been our dream to come there,” Scheepers says. “We hear so many good things. I mean, it’s after our North American and Asian tour legs and it’s going to be a long road to go.” Since this is the band’s first Australian tour, the setlist might be tweaked a little to please their many longtime fans. “We have a setlist that features a mixture of, not every album, but in our opinion our strongest albums. We’ll have five tracks from our new album: In Metal We Trust, Angel Of Mercy, The End Is Near, The Sky Is Burning and Rulebreaker. We try to promote the new album as much as we can. And then we’ve picked a best-of of our albums. It’s going
to be a longer setlist and people can really expect highlights of our entire catalogue.” While Scheepers, Sinner and Naumann remain, Primal Fear have been through multiple lineup changes over the years. Rulebreaker finds the band at peak fitness. “We’re five writing members now, and that’s a big advantage, to have so many hands, so many creative people behind it,” Scheepers says. “It’s very democratic. We’ve been doing this for very many years, and if a song is not going to be on this album, why not the next? Sometimes we have 15, 20 songs which is way too many for an album but it doesn’t mean the song is bad. Sometimes they’re just lying around for years and you find them again and think ‘This song is not bad,’ so you bring it back.” Although the official lineup includes three guitarists, Magnus Karlsson won’t be coming to Australia. It’s no surprise really: he’s one of the most in-demand guitarists in the power metal and progressive metal
spheres. His credits include Starbreaker, Midnight Sun, Last Trube, Planel Alliance, The Codex, Bob Catley and many more. “Magnus has his family, he has three kids, and understandably he can’t always go on tour with us,” Scheepers says. “He’s basically a riff-machine. He’s a composing machine. He’s absolutely amazing at what he does.” So don’t expect an Iron Maiden-style tripleaxe-attack on this tour. And Scheepers isn’t planning to strap on a guitar any time soon. “I play guitar, but not on the albums,” he says. “I’m not a good guitar player but it’s great for composing, which you’ll find on my solo CD. That’s basically what I wrote on my guitar, and Magnus helped.” Ah yes, that solo album. It’s a great record, although it pretty much just sounds like Primal Fear. “Of course. I have collected so many songs I couldn’t use for Primal Fear at the end of the year, and it goes back to Gamma Ray [Scheepers’ pre-Primal Fear W W W. B E AT.C O M . A U
band]. So I thought together with Mat as a team again, why not release the solo CD? It’s not a one-hit wonder, but it was just a one-time thing. It’s always difficult if you’re breaking pieces away from a major enterprise to a smaller solo thing.” In his down time Scheepers is a vocal teacher, passing on the secrets of a powerful, multi-octave metal voice to his students, who study with him either in-person or online via Skype. He also lends his skills as a vocal coach in the studio, helping other vocalists to reach their full potential. He stresses the value of getting plenty of vocal rest. “You have to just relax when you’re at home, which is not so easy because I have a boy, I have students to teach, I go to a school to teach lessons, and I’m trying to do all the exercises I teach to my students – vocal relaxing exercises and things like that. But hey, it’s a muscle, and I can feel a difference already as I get older. I’m glad that people
don’t hear it, but I have this instrument in my throat and I can really feel what’s going on and I hope it’s going to be lasting for a while, and I’m confident I can still do this for decades. “Singing is totally different to speaking. When I had a cold on tour recently people were asking me, ‘How are you able to sing when you can’t speak?’ It’s a totally different technique. You use a lot of support from the diaphragm and it’s a different technique for breathing. Sometimes I sound horrible in the morning but I belt out the highest note in the evening.” PRIMAL FEAR are playing two sets at Northcote Social Club on Saturday June 11. There will be 15 VIP meet and greet pass available from metalobsession/shop. Rulebreaker is available now via Frontiers Records.
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IRON MAIDEN ROD LAVER ARENA MONDAY MAY 9
The mighty Maiden are one of those bands you have to see live at least once even if you’re not into them. Even if you’re not into metal at all. They represent a time
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when you had to bust your arse to play your instrument at a world-class level, when you couldn’t rely on pre-recorded backing tracks to supply vocal harmonies and keys and additional guitar parts to pad out the sound, and when the explosions and giant inflatables were there to enhance the performance, not distract from it. This tour is in support of the band’s The Book Of Souls album, and a good chunk of the setlist is devoted to the new material.
There are enough classics to keep casual fans entertained but unlike, say, Def Leppard, who seem to struggle under the weight of their hits even when you know they’d rather play a lot of new material, Maiden understand that their die-hard fans want to hear the band grow. This Melbourne crowd heard six of the new record’s 11 tracks, an almost unprecedented number from what casual observers might think of as a legacy act. But The Book of Souls material fits neatly in amongst the established classics like The Trooper, Powerslave and The Number Of The Beast. It feels weird not hearing Run To The Hills, but one can hardly complain when the rest of the set is so tight and energetic. You’ve got to hand it to Bruce Dickinson: dude underwent chemo and radiation therapy for a cancerous tumour on his tongue just last year, yet he’s in top vocal form, utterly blitzing those high notes, often while taking a running jump over the monitors or tearing the heart out of a giant Eddie mascot. Iron Maiden have always been a band in the truest sense of the word, with every member bringing something equally important and vital to the table, but damn… Dickinson carries more than his fair share even with Steve Harris stalking the stage and Janick Gers spinning his guitar around his body like a fricken’ hula hoop. At this rate Maiden are unstoppable, so I have no doubt they’ll be back within a few years. And when that happens, even if you’re not a die-hard Maidenite, you have to go. LOVED: Every monstrously metallic moment. HATED: OK, Run To The Hills would have been nice. DRANK: A Trooper beer before getting to the venue. BY PETER HODGSON
Camp Cope John Curtin Hotel Friday May 13
You really couldn’t be prouder of Camp Cope. Selling out their hometown album launch and reaching #36 on the ARIA charts is certainly no easy feat, especially for a band still only 11 months old. Tonight was a celebration of these accomplishments, with the band treating their close friends and biggest fans to plenty of great music and an even greater sense of community. The night started with the hypnotic synthpop of Moon Rituals; a fitting opening act for a gig on Friday the 13th. The trio left you feeling as though you’d awoken from a blissful dream, with vocalist Sarah Hardiman’s animated moves capturing the attention of even the most restless punters. Followed up by Two Steps on the Water, there were very few chances to take your eyes away from the stage, with the band pouring every ounce of emotion into their music. Lead singer June Jones joked throughout the set, but it was her urgent screams that made the strongest connection. It’s always hard to walk away from their shows without goosebumps and tears in your eyes. The night of trios continued with Wet Lips who delivered a cracking set of riotous rock‘n’roll. Lead singer Grace Kindellan referred to their songs as “bangers”, and there was unlikely anyone in the room who disagreed. Wet Lips proved to be saviours of the night, lending not only a bass amp but also a guitar when Camp Cope’s Georgia Maq broke a string. Maq took to the stage solo to play the touching tribute Song for Charlie, with the rest of the band joining her to deliver a powerful version of Done. The most
IF YOU ARE READING THIS YOU ARE TOO CLOSE
dedicated crowd members sang along to every lyric, with Maq looking up from time to time bashfully. Maq requested for all the women in the crowd to get closer before launching into Jet Fuel Can’t Melt Steel Beams, an anthem for reclaiming the streets and asserting your right to safety and respect. The rawness of the band’s new album was captured perfectly in the live setting, with each member’s passion translating into a commanding stage presence. Closing the set with Stove Lighter and Lost (Season One), the band expressed their debt to the crowd and their label, Poison City Records. To put it simply, Camp Cope’s presence makes the Melbourne music scene a better place and their success is certainly well deserved. Loved: The positive vibes. Hated: The lack of space in the band room. Drank: To the success of Camp Cope. BY HOLLY PEREIRA
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VIOLENT SOHO SATURDAY MAY 14
FORUM MELBOURNE
The second of three sold-out Forum shows for Violent Soho’s Waco tour delivered an incredible lineup of punk-inflected Australian rock, with DZ Deathrays and Dune Rats also on the lineup. And then there was opening support act, Newcastle’s The Gooch Palms, who kicked things off at 7.30pm. Though, their melodic 1960s surf rock throwback didn’t elicit much of a reaction from the small yet building crowd. This tepid opening was rectified at 8.20pm as the stage lights began to flash in time with Limp Bizkit’s Rollin’. Dune Rats’ Danny Beusa, BC Michaels, and Brett Jansch then swaggered onstage, inciting the rabid mob now swarming in front of stage. As Dune Rats ripped into Fuck It and the swarm heaved into a flowing mosh, it dawned on us that while the band isn’t that heavy, these three mates who love rock’n’roll, smashing tinnies and smoking bongs hold a mirror up to the skate-shoe wearing punters who love cutting sick in the pit. Dune Rats are on the rise, confirmed by the rapturous response to their final song and latest single Bullshit. The audience sang the opening line, “Everything you say is bullshit and everything you do is so sick, bullshit”, with such fervour that it almost drowned out Beusa’s voice. As the defiantly distorted guitar of DZ Deathrays’ Shane Parson rang through the grand theatre, the band locked into the chorus of Less Out Of Sync, causing the room to fully erupt for the first time. The moshpit heaved awkwardly in time with the music,
RÜFÜS
FESTIVAL HALL THURSDAY MAY 12
It always surprises me how many concertgoers skip the support acts at shows they’ve paid good money to attend. Ticket holders trickled in as Tora took the stage. With a fun, young energy flowing between them, the Byron Bay boys were brilliant to watch. With the stage already jampacked, their closing song, Never With Me, saw their main man Meals come to join in the mayhem. Another reminder of the importance of arriving a bit early, Tora had the half-filled venue feeling fine right from the beginning. After hearing plenty of rave reviews about Bob Moses, we were excited to see what all the fuss was about. The Canadian duo soon saturated Festival Hall with some seriously fat bass, playing tracks including Talk and Tearing Me Up, and exuding endless excitement. Magnetic energy and too-cool-for-school stage presence, the electronic duo definitely deserve all the hype surrounding them. By the time Rüfüs were ready to take the stage, the crowd was getting rowdy. There
creating an unintentional visual companion to Shane Parson’s lyrics, “Get us less out of sync.” The full stage lighting came on during the break and the stage was reset for Violent Soho. The drum riser came out and so did the big amps, while the DZ Deathrays backdrop was replaced with a sheet that featured the Waco album cover. Soon the lights went down again and the four friends who met at school in the ‘90s – Luke Boerdam (guitar and vocals), James Tidswell (guitar), Luke Henery (drums) and Michael Richard (bass) – walked to their instruments and began to play. Opening with How To Taste, it was immediately obvious that despite only coming out in March, Violent Soho fans have lapped up the new album. For the rest of set, the crowd yelled the lyrics of each song at full volume – the audience participation for the penultimate song, Like Soda, was positively deafening. Since returning from overseas in 2010 and punking up their sound – and losing a lot of the ‘90s Nirvanalike cliché – Violent Soho have become a very important Australian rock band whose identity and aesthetic is tightly linked to their place of origin. The set suitably closed with the song that thrust Violent Soho into the playlists of every Australian under 25, Covered In Chrome. There was a glorious and spectacular unity as all in attendance worshipped this final hymn at Violent Soho’s church of rock’n’roll. LOVED: Realising that while being good on record, Dope Calypso is sick live. HATED: Nothing. DRANK: A swimming pool. BY DAN WATT were guys making a break for the general admission area, girls gripping onto the handrails to remain upright, and the lines to the bar were just way too long. Emerging to a twinkling piano tone, the trio started by bringing four minutes of sunshine into the room with Brighter and Sundream. A yellow-lit stage and an upstanding audience, there was no doubt that they were turning it up tonight. Tell Me had a certain jazzy delight until the banging bassline eventually butted in. Igniting a party vibe, Rüfüs’ romance-themed songs gained a sing-along reaction. The set list included older tunes like Desert Night and newbies including Say a Prayer For Me, Hypnotised, Lose My Head, Daylight and Until The Sun Needs To Rise. With only one night to spend in Melbourne, the group had the crowd forgetting themselves and the fact that they had to go to work the next day. Taking up seven minutes of their set, Innerbloom saw an impressive light display and incredible commitment to a longlasting track from everyone involved. Scoring a standing ovation, the guys thanked their support act and audience before announcing that it was Jon’s birthday (and yes, then the entire crowd sang to him). The band left the stage for a brief moment, coming back with an encore
M83
FORUM MELBOURNE TUESDAY MAY 10
Although Japanese Wallpaper, or Gab Strum, is something of a local celeb, his reception prior to M83 was characteristic of most support acts. Chatter filled the cavernous Forum, failing to absorb the waves of his delicate electronica. The mixing was a little off at points, but the guitar crisply cut through and Strum showed himself to be a modest and appreciative performer. His voice wasn’t his strong point but it strengthened for new song Cocoon. The set was iced sweetly with a friend singing on Forces. M83 burst onstage with the blissful guitar waves of Reunion – from the much loved Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming – following with the peppy Do It, Try It from new LP Junk. The bulk of the set was from
KING PARROT FRIDAY MAY 16 THE EVELYN
Local outfit A.D. Skinner opened the night. It was shouty, fast and hard. Primary support, Jack the Stripper walked onstage to a Cypress Hill sample before launching into 40 minutes of growled vocals, intense riffs and earth shattering breakdowns. Those familiar with metalcore would know that Jack The Stripper were an unconventional choice of support for King Parrot, but their over the top music style was perfect for the hyped anticipation surrounding this show. While King Parrot’s uncompromising brand of music may be the stuff of nightmares for the uninitiated, it’s the band’s sense of fun and energy that makes them so popular. After exploding through the first song and creating quite the circle pit, singer Matt Young looked at a punter and said, “Fucking hell, what shit are you on?” Young’s natural stage presence and high
these two records. The movement across the crowd was patchy, with many punters incredibly active while others calmly absorbed the show. Three songs in, a very happy fellow nearby implored my until-then static boyfriend to dance. I was contained within an enthusiastic male-dominated pocket of the crowd. Even with M83’s Pitchfork approval, the shameless, visible love expressed by the male fans struck me as deviant to the often-feminised consumption of pop. I’m not complaining about this phenomenon – the more people openly and honestly enjoying gigs, the better. The euphoric Intro garnered a particularly warm reception, slipping into the sedated groove of Solitude before once again spiralling upwards with OK Pal. French frontman Anthony Gonzalez was brief with his words, warning us that the last Melbourne show had been a disaster, and occasionally yelling out “Melbourne”. Despite his central position onstage, he wasn’t the focal point. There was cohesive and fervent energy shown by all five musicians. Such dramatically overdone music – all saturated nostalgia and trembling rises you can feel in your spine – cannot be delivered with nonchalance. The performance was exaggerated and theatrical, perhaps even a tad corny, but it matched the sound perfectly and was beautiful to watch (especially Gonzalez’s shifting hips, reminiscent of Future Islands’ Sam Herring). Following the bellowing finale, Outro, the encore began with the cinematic For The Kids, made notable by creamy saxophone and Kaela Sinclair’s mammoth vocals. The slow-burning Couleurs was a pleasure to witness, with Lower Your Eyelids To Die With The Sun sending the night out. The band’s farewell bow was the final touch on an epic theatrical production, intense in colour, sound and emotion. LOVED: Watching the gentle movement of multi-instrumentalist Jordan Lawler’s curls. HATED: Feeling the slap of a stranger’s greasy curls on my back. DRANK: Water. BY ANGELA CHRISTIAN-WILKES
onstage energy is an important part of the band’s ability to transfer their energy to the crowd. And the inclusiveness of their sound explains why there was such a mixed crowd, including a lot of females and nonhardcore/metal crew. A standout moment of intensity came when they played the crushing Psychotherapy & Valium from their 2011 EP The Stench Of Hardcore Pub Trash. The grindcore elements of this song particularly riled the circle pit. One of the new songs King Parrot played, Entrapment, seemed to herald a pure hardcore approach as the song had a few breakdowns and an unrelenting guitar riff. About an hour in, covered in sweat, guitarist Ari White asked the crowd, “Did we just play 15 songs?” For the 17th and final song of the night, King Parrot played Shit OnThe Liver and it was modern metal’s equivalent of bungee jumping – fucking exhilarating.
Photo by Zo Damage
LOVED: Buying my first pair of hardcore shorts. HATED: Not a lot. DRANK: Splash back from the urinal. BY DAN WATT
featuring easily their two most recognisable works, Take Me and You Were Right. LOVED: People watching. HATED: That they messed with Take Me. DRANK: Nada. BY PHOEBE ROBERTSON Photos by Jaz Meadows
W W W. B E AT.C O M . A U
BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 29
BEA
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Oscar Galt and the eventual sOmethinGs DRIfT AWAY (Bad Health)
Drift Away is Oscar Galt and The Eventual Somethings’ second EP release in six months. Galt’s sardonic and observational lyrics give the EP grit, which is matched by the distorted guitars that fill out each track. Meanwhile, recurring themes of existentialism and disconnection equip the release with enough angst to leave you re-evaluating your own life. Galt’s lyrics poignantly comment on the highs and lows of human experience, without sounding forced or overly pretentious. He looks likely to become a songwriter that continually explores trains of thought in extensive detail, giving his ideas the room to grow and be heard. Final track Tardigrades opens with a steady drumbeat, building up slowly before the chorus explodes into impressive noise. Drift Away is a more uptempo track featuring a repeated chorus, with smooth backing vocals contrasted against Galt’s aggrieved vocals. A Void to Fill is a surreal, dreamlike take on feeling alienated and it’s the strongest song on the EP lyrically. A Little More Time has guitars and drums that punctuate the silence before it kicks into gear. The hook of the song could go further but it does a good job of capturing your attention in two minutes. Final track All Hail The Worm finishes the EP on an epic note, delivering fuzzed out brilliance from the get-go with the respite in between the noise allowing for Galt’s sentiments to shine. BY HOLLY PEREIRA
sheppartOn airplane
tequila mOckinGbyrd
SHEPPARTON AIRPL ANE (Blackhat Records)
fIGHT AND fLIGHT (Distortion Records)
It’s tempting to see Shepparton Airplane as the successor to Jefferson Airplane’s hirsute and hallucinogenic message of peace, love and happiness. The rhetorical shine of west coast idealism has worn off, replaced by the disenfranchised reality of regional Australia, wrapped up and spat out in abrasive punk rock form. This is where the world was always heading; those hippies didn’t know shit from clay. But Shepparton Airplane is a lot more than just a clever pun: they’re a straight out, serious as fuck rock’n’roll outfit. With members from Graveyard Train and The Peep Tempel, Shepparton Airplane know how to play rock’n’roll with punk attitude. You’ve got the decapitated Ramones psychosis of Got No Head, tempered by the disaffected northwest snarl of Long While and the chunky post-punk fatigue of Depressure. What Would You Know offers a Buzzcockian salute to the pretenders of social status; Drink the Water is Jonestown tragedy via the Lizard Train; and Superheroes is so pissed off it’s in danger of being detained for disrupting the peace. Town Cryer yanks you out of your terminal cerebral malaise and into a place of manic anti-social excitement; Rockin’ Man is a frenetic blend of jagged melody, pithy punk rock discourse and screaming feedback. There’s some seriously good shit happening here, and it ain’t none of that hippie crap. BY PATRICK EMERY
Tequila Mockingbyrd consists of three ultra-sassy Melbourne musicians slamming out their own take on loud, arse-kicking rock‘n’roll. No bullshit, just riffs, fat grooves and gutsy vocals. What could be better than that? Opener I Smell Rock N Roll states the band’s purpose in no uncertain terms, slamming you in the face a number of times before settling into one of the most propulsive grooves you’ll ever hear. The album contains 13 tracks of dynamic and fun rock music, proving they can rock just as hard as anyone. But there’s some decent variation too. Take the moody, slow-burning groove of This Ain’t Dead, and at the opposite end of the scale, the happy shuffle of Jägerbomb, which almost comes across like an advertising jingle for said beverage. What makes this so much fun, and what makes it stand out amongst the soundalike bluesy/hard rock crowd, is that there is as much influence from Blondie, T-Rex and New York Dolls as there is from AC/DC and Guns N Roses. This band is absolutely slammin’ in a live setting too. Grab yourself a copy of Fight and Flight, and check out one of their live shows. If you like just about any kind of rock‘n’roll from the last 40 years, you’ll dig the hell out of this. BY ROD WHITFIELD
hiGhasakite
spOOkyland
thOmas cOhen
CAMP ECHO (Caroline)
BEAUT Y ALREADY BEAUTIfUL (Inertia Music)
BLOOM fOREVER (Stolen Recordings/PIAS)
On Camp Echo, Norwegian band Highasakite leave behind the spacious folk tones of their sophomore record, Silent Treatment, in favour of heavier electronic stylings and dark atmospherics. This corresponds with frontwoman Ingrid Havik’s interest in war. The name Camp Echo is a reference to a detention centre on Guantanamo Bay, and across the record Havik’s distinctive voice relates many politicised first-person narratives. Behind Havik, the group piece together clusters of synthesizers and artificial beats to brilliant effect. My Mind Is A Bad Neighbourhood features an undercurrent of anxious beats and erratic sounds interwoven with the lead melody. Havik’s vocals never threaten to overpower the noise but instead meld to the shape of the song. I Am My Own Disease sees Highasakite delving into more anthemic territory, shiny pop monsters that bubble with energy. Golden Ticket is filled with grandiose tonal rises and a deliciously shimmery chorus. It’s also the only track that seems to infer themes of love and affection. Many other songs are bright around the edges, but they’re underpinned with something sinister. See Halvik proclaiming, “I am not the one to slash my wrists ‘cause you’re leaving”, on highlight Deep Sea Diver. Final track Chernobyl stands in cold contrast to its lively predecessors, feeling like a misplaced movie soundtrack. The emotionality is more forced and the ideas more clichéd than all that preceded it, finishing the album on a disappointing note. Despite this, Camp Echo is Highasakite’s most confident album yet, covering considerable ground without losing direction and showcasing incredible aptitude at their new electronic leanings. BY ANGELA CHRISTIAN-WILKES
Spookyland released their Rock and Roll Weakling EP back in 2014, but really made waves with the video for the single The Silly Fucking Thing, released the following year. The emotive song showcased just what it is that appeals about the band: soaring instrumentals, polarising vocals, and raw emotion. Now comes the band’s debut album, Beauty Already Beautiful. The big question is have they lived up to the promise showed on their EP? Well, while there’s nothing as heartbreaking and raw as The Silly Fucking Thing, this LP is really fucking solid. The opening track, Abuse, kick starts things in promising fashion, with Marcus Gordon’s divisive drawling vocals draped over strings. Nowhereland is a sprawling, unwinding affair, before the single, Big Head, announces itself brashly. This track suggests Gordon is willing to pursue any subject matter that pops into his head, no matter how strange or inappropriate it may seem. The vocals are again at the fore on Champions, which is undoubtedly one of the album’s strongest tracks. Discipline is a stripped back number, followed by the piano ballad Rebellion, a raw song that builds and builds. By the time track eight, Turn, rolls around it’s ridiculously apparent that Spookyland aren’t worried about making radio friendly songs. Despite this, all of the songs gel together. Sure, each one has an obvious beginning and end, but the record is very much a cohesive experience. Can’t Own You has a distinct country twang, and the penultimate number, God’s Eyes, unveils itself as the album’s clear standout. It comes closest to matching the raw emotion of The Silly Fucking Thing, and when Gordon belts out the line, “maybe God’s eyes have to blink,” it’s hard not to reflect on the emotive power of those lyrics. Spookyland have lived up to the promise showed on their debut EP and delivered an album that’s more a work of art than a mere hotchpotch of songs.
First turning heads as the frontman of the art rock band S.C.U.M, Thomas Cohen has always been an enigmatic performer. Cohen’s appeal was palpable and when the band split in 2011 a solo career was an obvious decision. Bloom Forever is scarred by the tragic death of Cohen’s wife Peaches Geldof. But while it serves as an outlet for Cohen to come to terms with this loss, the record’s anchored in a strong sense of optimism and renewal. Cohen’s music has matured in the time between S.C.U.M and his latest project, with Bloom Forever expanding his sound to incorporate elements of lounge and country along with the frequent grandness of a piano. With tracks sequenced in chronological order, the album opens with Honeymoon. It conveys innocent longing in its romantic sentiment, with the introduction of a saxophone midway the song a welcome surprise. The title track was written about the birth of Cohen’s second son, and it’s led by a downtempo melody that glides at a relaxed pace before reaching an instrumental crescendo featuring a gloriously wailing guitar. Morning Fall is an upbeat tale about watching the day emerge from night, and Hazy Shades continues with a similar motif, referring to the sun as a symbol of hope and rebirth. Country Home explicitly comments on Geldof ’s passing and the difficulty of living life in the absence of a loved one. Ending with the repeated refrain, “You couldn’t make it through,” it’s a heart-wrenching depiction of Cohen’s pain. Bloom Forever chronicles a young man’s transition from band leader to solo artist, exploring his identity and the process of grief through an assortment of sounds and themes. Cohen never appears vulnerable or overwhelmed by sadness, but rather he carries himself with a self-assuredness that suggests making this album has helped him adjust to his new life. BY HOLLY PEREIRA
BY ALEXANDER CROWDEN
THURSDAY 19 MAY:
SATURDAY 21 MAY:
+ BARCELOS
W/ HEADS OF CHARM + FRAUDBAND + SUPERFEATHER + SWOOPING DUCK + VULTURE ST TAPE GANG + UNCOMFORTABLE SCIENCE BAD VISION WITH SPECIAL GU
THE SAND DOLLARS HOODLUM SHOUTS W/ FAN GIRL (DEBUT SHOW) ALBUM TOUR FRIDAY 20 MAY:
SCOTDRAKULA FAREWELL DOVE SHOW 2 9 LY G O N S T, C A R LT O N 9663 6350 | JOHNCURTINHOTEL.COM
W/ MESA COSA + GOOD MORNING + PREGNANCY
MAIN LOGO
NEW LEASE:
METER MEN, TERROR NULLIUS, THE WAX EATERS
- ON SALE NOW SATURDAY 21 MAY - 3PM FRONT BAR:
SATURDAY 28 MAY:
REPAIRS, ASPS, VARIOUS ASSES
FREE TO GIGGEDIN MEMBERS
NEW LEASE: NEW KITCHEN RESIDENTS NOW SERVING!
- ON SALE NOW SATURDAY 28 MAY - 3PM FRONT BAR:
1 2 P M - L AT E E V E R Y D AY !
THE PRETTY LITTLES PRESENTED BY GIGGEDIN
FRIDAY JUNE 3 & SAT JUNE 4:
THE CAVE SILENTJAY (W.LIVE BAND) +
MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL PRESENTS
LIVE:
WRITERS IN RESIDENCE: SAMPA THE GREAT, MAGIC STEVEN, LIAM PIEPER THE CAVE RADIO STATION: DJ’S MIKE GURRIERI, RAAGHE, RICHIE 1250, JAZZ PARTY DJS
THURSDAY 9 JUNE:
BLANCK MASS (UK) SOLO PROJECT OF BENJAMIN JOHN POWER (FUCK BUTTONS)
W/ HABITS - ON SALE NOW THURSDAY 30 JUNE:
SOUND SYSTEM W/ HARTS - EUROPE FAREWELL SHOW MASCO EP LAUNCH
TS
STYLIZED VARIEN
SEPPARATED
VARIENTS
ALBUM REVIEWS - BECAUSE YOU CARE WHAT WE THINK
BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 31
Q&A
WHITE RABBIT RECORD BAR
Hello. Who are we speaking with and what’s your role at White Rabbit Record Bar? This is Annie, the owner of White Rabbit Record Bar. White Rabbit Record Bar has been around for a decade. Can you share a couple of your favourite memories working in the store? It’s been a strange and wonderful ten years full of ups and downs and it’s hard to describe without mentioning my late husband Mark. We had travelled together extensively throughout Europe and lived in inner city Dublin for over eight years. In that time we were ridiculous crate-diggers, vinyl collectors, gig-goers, op-shoppers and barhoppers. It was with a hankering for the European style of a “mixed-business” that gave birth to the idea of a record store that could also double as a bar and cafe. With my background behind various bars and coffee machines around town and Mark’s conversational charm and Irish accent we seemed to pull it off. You’ll be hosting a celebration of the store’s tenth anniversary on Saturday May 21. You’ve promised a huge lineup of DJs that are yet to be announced ± can you hint at who might be there and what kind of tunes they’ll be spinning? We have a full day’s lineup of DJs to keep the Rabbit hopping for our tenth birthday, featuring Neddy-Rock Steady, Ray (Bodega Bar) Steve Striker (The Peep Tempel), and ADJ. And if we’re lucky our dear friend Chris Gill from Northside Records will be dropping in with some fat and funky tunes. WHITE RABBIT RECORD BAR celebrates its tenth anniversary on Saturday May 21 with DJs Neddy-Rock Steady, Ray (Bodega Bar) Steve Striker (The Peep Tempel), ADJ and more.
GIG GUIDE
THE B.E AST On Thursday May 19 songwriters Ben Salter and Adrian Stoyles will be serving up not only some original tunes, but also those of Brisbane’s iconic band the Gin Club. Both musicians have shared Aria nominations, with their penchant for the melodic mixed with the esoteric. They’re playing not just one, but two free sets at The B.East from 9.30pm.
WEDNESDAY 18 MAY ALEX WATTS
FROM PORTER TO GERSHWIN
M A RQU E E LO U NG E B A R As part of the Stonnington Jazz Festival, From Porter to Gershwin acts as a special homage to a couple of industry greats. Nichaud Fitzgibbon and The Mark Fitzgibbon Trio will be performing of the immortal songs of Cole Porter and Gershwin, with the addition of special guest Paul Williamson on saxophone. Get on down to the Marquee Lounge Bar on Wednesday May 18. Nip in at 6.30pm, $60 will have your dinner and ticket sorted, or just drop $25 for the show, starting at 8.30pm.
180 PROOF + LACE & WHISKEY + CASH Last Chance Rock And Roll Bar, North Melbourne. 7:30pm. $5.00.
DEAD END + SHIT SEX + THE MARQUIS + FUZZSUCKER Old Bar, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. $5.00.
ELLA HOOPER + KIRA PURU + REAL FEELINGS Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. $18.00.
ERIC BURDON & THE ANIMALS Palais Theatre, St Kilda. 7:15pm. $89.90.
MILD MANIC + CHERRY DOLLS + NEON QUEEN Tote Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. $8.00.
PVBLO + CAREER ADVICE + CTRIX DJ SET Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $5.00.
ROUNDTABLE
C H E RRY B A R Melbourne’s concept doom group Roundtable take up residency at Cherry Bar for three live rituals during May. They‘ll be joined each week by two of the city’s finest representatives of what’s becoming a world renowned scene for doom/stoner/sludge and experimental heavy/psychedelic music. This week, support comes from Spider Boat Canyon and BØG. Doors are at 8pm with entry at $5.
G R AC E DA R LI NG H OT E L Alex Watts is on the tail end of his residency at the Grace Darling Hotel, where he’s been treating punters to tracks like his soulful new single, Hopeful. Backed a brand new band, Watts has also been playing with fresh material from his upcoming debut album. On Wednesday May 18 he will be joined by guests Mandek Penha and Ubiq. $12 entry with doors at 7.30pm.
DANILO ROJAS TRIO Paris Cat Jazz Club, Melbourne Cbd. 8:30pm. $20.00.
DIZZY’S BIG BAND Dizzy's Jazz Club, Richmond. 8:00pm. $10.00.
JULIEN WILSON QUARTET 303, Northcote. 8:30pm. PAPA G & THE STARCATS + THAT GOLD STREET SOUND + ORCA Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. $8.00. SENSUALITY IN THE CITY Melbourne Recital Centre, Southbank. 6:00pm. $29.00.
ZOMBITCHES
T H E TOT E Those rascals from three-piece Zombitches are slated to play their first ever front bar show at the Tote on Wednesday May 18. Congratulating them on living the dream are support slots from The Burning Roaches and Oscar Galt & The Eventual Somethings. It’s free entry and cheap, cheap beers. Doors at 8pm.
THE ROOKIES The Rooks Return, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. COTTON CLUB - FEAT: JUSTIN YAP BAND + THE BLUEBELLS + MORE Spotted Mallard, Brunswick. 7:30pm. IMOGEN PEMBERTON Open Studio, Northcote. 8:00pm. MICHAEL WAUGH + GRETTA ZILLER + ALLISON FORBES Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East. 8:00pm.
MUDDY© S BLUES ROULETTE - FEAT: JIM HOCKING Catfish, Fitzroy. 8:00pm.
RUMBLE IN THE JUNGLE - FEAT: JOEY ELBOWS The Luwow, Fitzroy. 8:00pm.
Northcote Social Club, Northcote. 7:30pm. $15.00.
WINE WHISKEY WOMEN - FEAT: DANA HASSAL + MEGAN SIDWELL Drunken Poet, West Melbourne. 8:00pm.
Bendigo Hotel, Collingwood. 7:30pm.
THURSDAY 19 MAY
VERA BLUE + MATT GRESHAM + THE OUTDOOR TYPE Shebeen, Melbourne Cbd. 7:30pm.
WOO WHO + POW POW KIDS + JURASSIC NARK Tote Hotel, Collingwood. 7:00pm. $5.00.
ANTON DELECCA QUARTET + REMCO KEIJZER QUARTET Chapel Off Chapel, Prahran. 8:00pm. $25.00.
BELLA WOLF Paris Cat Jazz Club, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. $20.00.
BOPSTRETCH Uptown Jazz Cafe, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. CITY SCAPES Melbourne Recital Centre, Southbank. 8:00pm. $44.00.
PITT THE ELDER
Fitzroy. 8:30pm.
REFRACTION
B EN N E TS L AN E Piano jazz trio Refraction will launch their highly anticipated second release Inerrant Space at Bennett’s Lane on Thursday May 19. Drawing inspiration from pop lyricisms and melodies, Refraction melds the various colours of contemporary jazz composition and improvisation together. Inerrant Space features ten new jazz compositions all written by Chris Broomhead, pianist Brenton Foster (Max Savage, Independent) and double bassist Jordon Tarento. Tickets are $18 through the venue or $20 on the door if available. Doors are at 8pm.
THE RUBY ROGERS EXPERIENCE + DJ VINCE PEACH + DJ PIERRE BARONI Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 10:00pm. $10.00.
TIMBALERO THURSDAY La Di Da, Melbourne Cbd.
9:00pm. $10.00.
8:30pm. $8.00.
Hotel, Brunswick. 8:30pm.
THE VIGNETTES + LEONARD + HOUSEMATE OF MINE
THE HIP JOINT Boney, Melbourne Cbd. 9:00pm. THE HYPNOTIC + LADY OSCAR + SUNNYSIDE Bar Open,
Southbank. 7:00pm.
8:30pm.
THE SONGROOM - FEAT: LISA MILLER + BEN SALTER
7:00pm.
THE LETTER STRING QUARTET Melbourne Recital Centre,
RUBIX RADIO ON KISSFM Rubix Warehouse, Brunswick.
8:00pm. $9.00.
THE GOOD EGG THURSDAYS - FEAT: HENRY WHO + TIGERFUNK + LEWIS CANCUT Lucky Coq, Windsor.
BEN WRIGHT SMITH Sooki Lounge, Belgrave. 8:00pm. BLOODHOUNDS ON MY TRAIL + WILD MEADOWS + TOGETHERAPART + MOSAICZ Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy.
OPEN MIC Mr Boogie Man Bar, Abbottsford. 7:00pm. OPEN MIC NIGHT Purple Emerald, Northcote. 8:00pm. OPEN MIC NIGHT Ascot Vale Hotel, Ascot Vale. 8:00pm. ROBERT K CHAMPION + MONICA WEIGHTMAN Retreat
THE MCQUEENS + C.L PLEASURE Workers Club, Fitzroy.
CHRIS MCNULTY (THE MUSIC FROM ETERNAL) + 8 PIECE CHAMBER ENSEMBLE Chapel Off Chapel, Prahran.
CHRIS MCNULTY
CHAPE L OFF CHAPE L Stonnington Jazz Festival presents Chris McNulty on Thursday May 19 at Chapel Off Chapel. The singer and composer brings her triumphant seventh release Eternal to Australian shores ± a blend of chamber ensemble and jazz quartet featuring the ethereal beauty of McNulty’s voice and storytelling. This is all amidst Steve Newcomb’s seamlessly woven, finely crafted orchestrations. Tickets are $35 via the venue with the show going down at 8pm.
BREVE + FIERCE MILD + LAEDJ Yah Yah's, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. BUSH LEAGUE + JAWBANK + MURPHY + DANIEL BOUSLING Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick. 8:00pm. CLASSIC ALBUM CLUB (COVERS JIMI HENDRIX) Eddie's Bandroom, 7:30pm.
CREEK + JUNKYARD + RUMOR Bendigo Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm.
DANKENSTEIN + SOCIALLY HANDICAPPED + SUPA SUPLEX + SPARE NO WORDS Last Chance Rock And Roll Bar, North Melbourne. 8:00pm. $10.00.
DAVE O© CON GROUP + FAYE SOFT + RVG + TIM RICHMOND Old Bar, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. $8.00.
8:00pm. $35.00.
CLAVE MANIA + SENAGAMBIAN JAZZ BAND + DJ SYSTA BB Revolver Upstairs, Prahran. 7:30pm. GO INTO THE CITY Melbourne Recital Centre, Southbank. 6:00pm. $29.00.
JONATHAN SKOVRON TRIO Paris Cat Jazz Club, Melbourne Cbd. 8:30pm. $15.00.
MELBOURNE IMPROVISERS COLLECTIVE Uptown Jazz Cafe, Fitzroy. 8:00pm.
MIDNIGHT EXPRESS - FEAT: PREQUEL + EDD FISHER Toff
WH OL E LOT TA LOV E Ahead of Pitt The Elder’s album Radio Silence release on Thursday, on Wednesday May 18 the gang will be celebrating with a pizza and beer party at Whole Lotta Love. Copies of the album will be available before its release and select tunes from the PTE DJ Experience will play between some kickarse acoustic jams from Melbourne’s finest, including Mick Porter of FOLEY, Jerome Knappett of The Flying So HighOs, Craig Coburn of Shadow League and The Berkeley Hunts. It all kicks off from 7pm. Free entry. BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 32
THE GIN CLUB II
In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 10:00pm.
NEW IMPROMPTU QUARTET Dizzy's Jazz Club, Richmond. 8:00pm. $10.00.
REFRACTION Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Melbourne Cbd. 8:30pm. $20.00.
RUGCUTTERS Bella Union Bar, Carlton. 8:30pm. $17.00. SOUL POWER - FEAT: MIKE STEVA Purple Emerald,
Northcote. 8:00pm.
B E AT.C O M . A U
TIRED LION
N ORTHCOTE SOCI AL CLUB Perth’s indie-rock darlings Tired Lion will be tearing up the Northcote Social Club on Thursday May 19. After winning the coveted triple j Unearthed award last year, the band has gone on to play at Splendour In The Grass and supported huge acts such as 1975, Kingswood and Luca Brasi. On top off all this, they’ve just been signed to label Dew Process and are set to take off for their fire European tour. Before they head abroad, Tired Lion are saying farewell to their Aussie fans. Doors are at 7.30pm, tickets are on sale via Oztix.
GIG GUIDE THE RUBY ROGERS EXPERIENCE
C HER RY BAR Cherry Soul is all happening on Thursday May 19 with The Ruby Rogers Experience heating things up from 10pm. The Ruby Rogers Experience are a collection of musicians that deliver a timeless retro soundscape. Get your groove on to some funky beats when Ruby Rogers experience lay down some mighty contagious rhythms. Free entry before 9pm and $10 after that.
FULL UGLY + CALAMARI GIRLS Post Office Hotel, Coburg. 8:00pm.
LL GOONS + TROPICAL SNAKES + EYESORES Grace Darling Hotel, Collingwood. 8:30pm. $5.00.
MATT BORG TRIO DJS Catfish, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. MEZZ LIVE Chelsea Heights Hotel, Chelsea Heights.
5:30pm.
NIGHT MARKETS - FEAT: CREATURE FEAR + KING SPIRIT + OFF TO BATTLE + RENELOPHUS + MORE 24 Moons,
Northcote. 7:00pm. $12.00.
SAND DOLLARS + FAN GIRL + BARCELOS John Curtin
SENYAWA
THE SHABBAB
TH E WORK E R’S C LU B Middle Eastern garage four-piece The Shabbab have been blitzing through a spicy array of shows throughout May as they near the completion of their second release. Thursday May 19 sees the Brunswick boys team up with dreamwave trio Arbes and the weird wonderful noises of Figurehead at The Worker’s Club. It’s just $5 entry, leaving enough spare change towards a pre-gig falafeli on Brunswick Street. Doors are at 8pm.
WAYWARDBREED + LOW TALK + DIRT BIRD Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood. 7:30pm. $15.00.
ANGE BOXALL + THE WEEPING WILLOWS Spotted Mallard,
JESS HIESER + SAMARA WILLIAMS + GEORGE BROWN East Brunswick Club Hotel, East Brunswick. 9:00pm.
JUMPIN' JACK WILLIAM Labour In Vain, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. MOLASSES + POISON FISH + LIVE NUDE GIRLS Whole Lotta Love, Brunswick East. 8:00pm.
OPEN MIC NIGHT Drunken Poet, West Melbourne. 7:00pm. RATTRAY ROAD + TOMORROWS SKY + GARRY ALLEN Mr
Town, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. $12.00.
Boogie Man Bar, Abbottsford. 7:00pm.
8:00pm. $15.00.
SEAN MCMAHON & THE MOONMEN + LADY DEE Retreat
Hotel, Brunswick. 8:30pm.
Musicland, Fawkner. 7:00pm.
Grace Darling Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. $10.00.
VERA BLUE + MATT GRESHAM + THE OUTDOOR TYPE
BOADZ 303, Northcote. 8:00pm. FREYA JOSEPHINE HOLLICK + JOSH SEYMOUR The Rooks
Shebeen, Melbourne Cbd. 7:30pm.
Return, Fitzroy. 8:30pm.
CREEK
FREYA JOSEPHINE JOSEPHINE HOLLICK
THE BEN D IGO HOTEL Creek are taking over The Bendigo Hotel on Thursday May 19 to get you moving with their unique and exhilarating brand of funky rock’n’roll. The trio are gearing up to release their debut EP with this show serving as a road-test for some of the various tunes. Joining them for the evening will be Junkyard. Get down for the good times. Doors are at 8pm with $5 entry.
B.east, Brunswick East. 9:00pm.
ANNA SMYRK + SUSY BLUE + ANNA CORDELL Toff In
BABAGANOUSH Open Studio, Northcote. 8:00pm. BACKSTAGE - FEAT: THE SHAKE SHACK BOOGIE BAND
THE BLACK HARRYS + YASIN LEFLEF + TOMMY CASTLES
GIN CLUB 2 - FEAT: BEN SALTER + ADRIAN STOYLES The
Brunswick. 8:00pm.
Hotel, Carlton. 7:30pm. $8.00.
SENYAWA + PIA VAN GELDER + PETER BLAMEY + DYLAN MARTOREL + DALE GORFINKEL Tote Hotel, Collingwood.
T H E TOT E On Thursday May 19, a launch party celebrating the long awaited publication of the Instrument Builders Project book Hits From The Gong will be in full swing. The publication is the result of Indonesian and Australian artists collaborating in experimental studio workshops in both countries to conceptualise, build and activate experimental instruments of all kinds. Performances on the night come from Senyawa, (Yogyakarta, Indonesia) Pia Van Gelder, (Sydney) Peter Blamey, (Sydney) Dylan Martorell, (Melbourne) Dale Gorfinkel (Melbourne) and DJ Slowmix U-tube. Doors are at 8pm, tickets are $16 via the venue.
TH E ROOK S R E T U R N The last week of Freya Josephine Hollick’s Rooks Return residency is going down Thursday May 19. Freya has been making a few waves with her distinctive oldtimey vocals and folk soundscapes. For her final night she’ll be joined by special guest Joshua Seymour. Doors are at 8.30pm with free entry.
FRIDAY 20 MAY TEQUILA MOCKINGBYRD + DIRT RIVER RADIO + THE VENDETTAS Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $18.00. BACK TO BLACK (THE AMY WINEHOUSE SHOW) - FEAT: ATLANTA COOGAN Thornbury Theatre, Thornbury. 7:00pm. $25.00.
BARELY STANDING PRESENTS Prince Public Bar, St Kilda . 8:30pm.
BEN WRIGHT SMITH Westernport Hotel, San Remo. 8:00pm.
B E AT.C O M . A U
Q&A
TEQUILA MOCKINGBYRD Hey there. What’s your name and what do you do in Tequila Mockingbyrd? Hey I’m Josie. I’m the resident tub-thumper. Last year you toured the Middle East to entertain Australian troops. Tell us about the experience. It was incredible. We met some amazing people and heard some very humbling stories. The shows were quite different from the usual set up ± playing outside in 40 degree heat to a sober crowd. It was pretty intense but a lot of fun and very rewarding. The Australian Defence Force really looked after us and even arranged for us to film a video for our new single I Smell Rock n Roll down on the explosives range. You’ll be launching your new album Fight And Flight on Friday May 20 at The Evelyn Hotel. What inspired you to craft the record? We’ve been kicking around for a few years now and we just felt ready to put a full length record out. Some of these songs have been with us from the very early days, some were finished off in the recording studio. Word on the street is that the first hundred people to pre-order tickets receive a doughnut. Care to elaborate on this very important point? The lovely folk at Doughnut Time are providing 100 gourmet doughnuts for the first 100 punters who grab pre-sale tickets. It’s awesome because this is much more than just a gig for us ± it’s a real celebration with all our nearest and dearest and a party ain’t a party without sticky treats. TEQUILA MOCKINGBYRD will launch their new album Fight And Flight on Friday May 20 at The Evelyn Hotel. Fight And Flight is out Friday May 20 via Distortion Records.
BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 33
CHELSEA BLEACH
THE O LD BAR Chelsea Bleach are the baddest girl band in town and they’re launching their first single Public Safety on Friday May 20. It’s going to be a night full of beers, babes and bangers. Public Safety is an angry and defiant garage rock track that expresses the frustration of feeling like your body is public property ± to be looked at, taunted, and touched without permission. Joining them on the lineup are local legends Two Steps On The Water, Wet Lips and Habits DJs. Don’t be a fool on Friday, take your mates who love a big night and get on down to Old Bar at 8.30pm. Entry is $10.
AUDREY POWNE Paris Cat Jazz Club, Melbourne Cbd.
GIG GUIDE MR WOLF
TH E RE V E R E NC E If you’re looking to get sludgy on a Friday, Mr Wolf will be celebrating the release of their new EP Chiral Instincts at The Reverence Hotel. The three-piece are brutally heavy with a plethora of technical skill, culminating in a sound which will make your ears bleed. On Friday May 20 they’re joined by Moustache Ant, The Balls and Future Corpse. Check them out at 8pm for $10.
NORTH CITY
T H E B.E A S T North City are a seven-piece outfit from Melbourne’s inner northern suburbs, known for whisking together elements of funk, groove, reggae, jazz and neo-soul. Their high energy on stage will get even the shyest dancers up and about for a boogie. Get yourself there at 9.30pm, free entry for all.
MILES & SIMONE Basement Discs, Melbourne Cbd.
NICKY DEL RAY'S SURF & TURF + BEN ROGERS' INSTRUMENTAL ASYLUM Lyrebird Lounge, Ripponlea.
12:45pm.
8:30pm.
9:30pm. $25.00.
BORTIER OKOE + LAMINE SONKO + AJAK KWAI Kindred
MISS WHISKEY Drunken Poet, West Melbourne. 8:30pm. MORNING MELODIES - FEAT: SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY DUO: SUMMER HOLDIAY Ferntree Gully Hotel, Ferntree
OOLLUU + ITSOKMAN + THE SAFETY WORD + ALPHA LOOPY Grace Darling Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. $5.00. PETULANT FRENZY (PLAY FRANK ZAPPA) Caravan Music
Studios, Yarraville. 7:30pm. $20.00.
Gully. 10:00am. $17.00.
Club, Oakleigh. 8:00pm. $27.00.
CAM BUTLER Melbourne Recital Centre, Southbank.
PETULANT FRENZY (PLAY FRANK ZAPPA) Spotted
PIKELET + NINETYNINE + SUSS C**TS Hugs & Kisses,
5:00pm.
Mallard, Brunswick. 9:00pm. $25.00.
Melbourne. 8:00pm. $10.00.
CITY OF SNAKES - FEAT: MICHAEL KIERAN HARVEY Melbourne Recital Centre, Southbank. 6:00pm. $29.00.
CRAIG SCHNEIDER TRIO Dizzy's Jazz Club, Richmond. 9:00pm. $16.00.
DJ COCO BROWN The Rooks Return, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. DOGSDAY The Luwow, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. EUGENE BALL QUARTET Uptown Jazz Cafe, Fitzroy.
8:00pm.
HE CRIES DIAMONDS
T H E L ABOUR IN VAIN After Richard Andrew (Underground Lovers / Pharmacy Records) was blown away by the talent of Agent Cleave a year ago, Andrew coerced Cleave into collaboration ± thus He Cries Diamonds was born. Cleave was whisked away to join Peaches on her world tour and spent most of the last twelve months in the USA and Europe. The pair somehow managed to write together through sending files back and forth across the globe, but finally Cleave has returned to Australia for a brief appearance. The duo rallied together a live band and their debut performance is going down at The Labour In Vein on Friday May 20.
JAM THE FUNK Flying Saucer Club, Elsternwick. 6:00pm.
RATTLIN KANE Ascot Vale Hotel, Ascot Vale. 8:00pm. SAL KIMBER & THE ROLLIN' WHEEL Bella Union Bar, Carlton. 8:30pm. $17.00.
SHERIFF The B.east, Brunswick East. 9:00pm. SPEED ORANGE + THE INTERCEPTORS Retreat Hotel,
PILLOW PRO + SHOUSE Post Office Hotel, Coburg. 9:30pm. ROOT RAT + BULLS Old Bar, Fitzroy. 4:00pm. SATURDAYS R COVERED - FEAT: RADIO STAR Royal Hotel (essendon), Essendon. 10:00pm.
Brunswick. 9:30pm.
STREAMLINERS Big Huey's Diner, South Melbourne. 8:00pm.
THE NUDGELS Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East. 9:30pm. TRADITIONAL IRISH MUSIC SESSION Drunken Poet, West Melbourne. 6:00pm.
VELVET ARCHERS Carters Bar, Northcote. 8:00pm. ZERAFINA ZARA & ALLEGED ASSOCIATES Smokehouse
101, Maidstone. 7:00pm.
SATURDAY 21 MAY ABSOLUTELY LIVE (THE DOORS SHOW) -Yarraville Club, Yarraville. 7:00pm. $23.00.
PUB FOOTY LAUNCH
T H E WO R K E R’S C LU B Pub Footy’s back and to celebrate the Renegade Pub Football League is throwing a massive party with seven bands and a bunch of DJs. There’ll be a BBQ and raffle on offer to help raise money for the league. Featuring Scott & Charlene’s Wedding, The Bowers, General Men, Gee Seas, BobbyBrave, Flat Track and Cut the Kite String. $10, get there at 6.30pm.
ABURDEN + MYYTH + JAPAM + UNLUCKY Brunswick
SMOKIN JOE + LAST TANGO Musicland, Fawkner. 7:30pm.
Hotel, Brunswick. 9:00pm.
$20.00.
$18.00.
RACHAEL COMTE QUINTET Paris Cat Jazz Club, Melbourne
ANGRY SEAS + THE BEGGARS WAY + DREXLAR + NORTHWOOD Last Chance Rock And Roll Bar, North
TEMPUS Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. $13.00. THE HENDRIX REVOLUTION TOUR Palais Theatre, St Kilda.
Cbd. 8:30pm. $20.00.
Melbourne. 8:00pm. $5.00.
7:30pm. $79.00.
SLEAZY LISTENING - FEAT: ARKS + RICHARD KELLY + HYSTERIC + K HOOP Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd.
5:00pm.
THE IMMORTAL HORNS Catfish, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. THE SEDUCEAPHONES + THE VIBRAPHONIC ORKESTRA + BALKAN BRASS FUNK + MORE Bar Open, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. WHAT THE FUNK FRIDAYS Purple Emerald, Northcote.
9:00pm.
ACE OF SPADES + SHEWOLF + THE RIDE Mr Boogie Man Bar, Abbottsford. 7:00pm.
CALAIS REFUGEES FUNDRAISER - FEAT: GALATA EXPRESS + BENJAMIN SOLAH + A BROTHER SCRATCH 30/70 + MORE 303, Northcote. 7:00pm. $15.00. CHRIS WILSON Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 5:15pm. FLYING ENGINE STRING BAND Gem Bar, Collingwood. 9:00pm.
HOUSEWRECKERS Inkerman Hotel, Balaclava. 10:00pm. JOEY CIRILLO + ANDRE MCMILLAN Preston Market, Preston. 11:00am.
KIDS IN CONTROL + CHELSEA AVENUE + INTIMATE APPAREL + COLOUR DAZED Whole Lotta Love, Brunswick
East. 8:00pm. $15.00.
LUKE AUSTEN BAND Pascoe Vale Rsl, Pascoe Vale. 8:00pm. $8.00.
MAX TEAKLE & FRIENDS Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East. 5:30pm.
PACES
HOWLER Gold Coast producer Paces is in the midst of an Australian and New Zealand tour celebrating his debut album Vacation. After landing Vacation in the iTunes Top 20 Album Charts, hitting #2 on the iTunes Electronic Charts, and selling out his Ship 2 Shore album launch parties, it’s no surprise that Paces has become synonymous with transformative tropical vibes. Paces will be bringing the inflatable fruit and vacation spirits to Howler this Friday May 20. Expect a big ol’ party. Doors are at 8pm with tickets at $18 via the venue.
BABY ANIMALS Forum Theatre, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm.
$65.00.
THE IN THE OUT + NOTI + SWAMP Penny Black, Brunswick. 9:00pm.
BANG - FEAT: DEATH BY SIX + AUTUMN IN ALASKA + ATLANTIS OF THE SKY Royal Melbourne Hotel, Melbourne
THE SHOT GLASSES Inkerman Hotel, Balaclava. 8:00pm. TINSLEY WATERHOUSE BAND Brunswick Hotel,
Cbd. 10:00pm. $20.00.
Brunswick. 5:00pm.
BEN WRIGHT SMITH Baha Tacos & Tapas Bar, Rye. 8:00pm. BIKINI COPS + GROTTO + SISTEMA DE DECADENCIA Tote Hotel, Collingwood. 5:00pm.
BLACK STONE FROM THE SUN + THE NAYSAYERS + ELBRUS + A'TUIN Yah Yah's, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. $10.00. CYCLO TIMIK + THE REVENANTS Bar Open, Fitzroy. 8:30pm.
EL RIOT! FESTIVAL - FEAT: DEAD CITY RUINS + CAPTIVES + RED LIGHT RIOT + COFFIN WOLF + MORE Tote Hotel,
ATM15 Chapel Off Chapel, Prahran. 8:00pm. $18.00. DEEP STREET SOUL Corner Hotel, Richmond. 8:30pm. $16.00.
ELLA FITZGERALD TRIBUTE - FEAT: MEL SEARLE Paris Cat Jazz Club, Melbourne Cbd. 8:30pm. $25.00.
HEAVENLY CITIES - FEAT: MELBOURNE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Melbourne Recital Centre, Southbank. 8:00pm. $44.00.
Collingwood. 3:00pm. $18.40.
ELUVEITIE + STORMTIDE Max Watt's, Melbourne. 8:30pm.
JAMAICA JUMP-UP (THE SOUNDS OF YOUNG JAMAICA) - FEAT: THE SKA VENDORS + MOHAIR SLIM + JESSE I + STRYKA D + MORE Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood. 7:30pm.
$59.00.
$15.00.
Northcote. 8:30pm.
Cafe, Fitzroy. 8:00pm.
GOLD CLASS + MERE WOMEN Northcote Social Club,
JAMES SHERLOCK TRIO + IAN WHITEHURST Uptown Jazz
GRANDHOUR + CHERRY GRIND + MAT & MARK Evelyn
JORDAN TARENTO TRIO Uptown Jazz Cafe, Fitzroy.
Hotel, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $15.00.
6:00pm.
HOT WINGS + THE VIBRAJETS Victoria Hotel (brunswick), Brunswick. 9:30pm.
JACK & THE KIDS + THE HIDING + ORCHES Revolver Upstairs, Prahran. 8:00pm. $10.00.
JAMES SEEDY Yah Yah's, Fitzroy. 2:00am. LACUNA The Shadow Electric, Abbotsford. 7:00pm. $12.00. MAJOR LEAGUES + FLOWERTRUCK + THE OUTDOOR TYPE + GLACIERS Shebeen, Melbourne Cbd. 7:30pm. $10.00. MELBOURNE PERIOD PROJECT FUNDRAISER - FEAT: SKYCHASER + SUB ROSA + JESS PARKER + MORE Bendigo Hotel, Collingwood. 7:00pm.
MIAMI HORROR DJ SET + TWINSY + KUCHI KOPI Karova Lounge, Ballarat. 9:00pm. $10.00.
KARATE BOOGALOO Catfish, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. NORTH CITY + OK NOW The B.east, Brunswick East.
9:30pm.
PHILA PARA Prince Public Bar, St Kilda . 6:00pm.
PRINCE TRIBUTE
T H E S P OT T E D M A LL A R D The passing of Prince earlier this year has seen an outpouring of sympathy from all facets of the music community. Melbourne based singer/songwriter Jemma Nicole has been working closely with the Spotted Mallard to arrange a special night in memoriam of the iconic pop star. Plus, 100% of funds raised will be donated to The Song Room, a charity helping educate children through music. Fellow musicians Lachlan Bryan, Tom Dockray and The Stop have also signed on for the night. Entry is $10 and music kicks off at 8pm.
B E AT.C O M . A U
BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 35
Q&A
GIG GUIDE NINA FERRO
A RM A DA LE U NI T I NG C H U R C H H A LL Stonnington Jazz Festival presents London-based, Australian-born singer/songwriter Nina Ferro at Armadale Uniting Church Hall on Saturday May 21. Ferro is a multi award-winning vocalist, songwriter, session and recording artist. With a powerful, voice, stunning vocal range and captivating stage presence, she’s earned an enviable international reputation. Ferro will be performing with the sounds of her cutting-edge quintet Saverio Strings. Tickets are $45 via Ella’s Music Club. Doors are at 8pm.
COAST & OCEAN Hi there Alex. Can you tell us a little bit about what you do as Coast & Ocean? I come from a small beachy town, smoke music and write songs. Everyone Is Drinking is the solo project that Coast & Ocean is born from. 52 weekly songs up on YouTube as we speak. I make stuff in the studio and put it out to the peeps. Lets talk about Doobies Girl. What can you tell us about the track and the how did you piece it all together? I was touring Brunswick to Byron Bay. On the way up slept at my mates house in Sydney ± Leather Jacket Catman was his name, although some call him Ivan Wowk (others call him Sky Hawk Maverick). He and I made Doobies Girl in the backyard as a part of the 52 weeks of songwriting I did last year. How’s the tour going thus far? Have you had a favourite show and if so, why? The tour has been great. I’ve been freestyling and playing around Brisbane, Coolangatta, Morten Island, Nimbin and Byron. It’s been breathtaking along the way, taking in the scenery with my guitar, chillin’ with mates and strangers and writing in my poetry book ± capturing moments. Favourite show would be support act for The Creases or maybe the Mardi Grass on Sunday or Newcastle. I’m thinking Melbourne will be great though cause I’m meeting up with an Axle Winter ± a mad busker I met way back ± and my old tour friend Joe Forrester for the show at The Evelyn Hotel. COAST & OCEAN is playing at the Evelyn on Sunday May 22.
BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 36
REBECCA MENDOZA Paris Cat Jazz Club, Melbourne Cbd. 9:30pm. $25.00.
SAN LAZARO Open Studio, Northcote. 8:30pm. SARAH MACLAINE + ROGER CLARK QUARTET Dizzy's Jazz
Club, Richmond. 9:00pm. $16.00.
SHELLEY SEGAL Paris Cat Jazz Club, Melbourne Cbd. 7:00pm. $25.00.
THE BEATLES ORCHESTRATED Hamer Hall (arts Centre Melbourne), Southbank. 8:00pm. $79.90.
THE LATE SHOW - FEAT: NICK THAYER + ELLE + PAZ + RANSOM + MORE Revolver Upstairs, Prahran. 10:00pm. VISIONS DE L'AMEN - FEAT: AURA GO + TOMOE KAWABATA Melbourne Recital Centre, Southbank. 10:30pm. $25.00.
AND HE SANG 303, Northcote. 8:00pm. ANDY WHITE Open Studio, Northcote. 5:00pm. BLUE EYES CRY Forester's Beer & Music Hall, Collingwood. 9:30pm.
MONKEY BUTLER
TH E RE VE R E NC E H OT E L The Reverence Hotel will be making use of their front bar on Saturday May 21, welcoming three bands to come in and tear up the joint. Three-piece punk rockers Monkey Butler will be joined by Footscray punk hooligans Commissioner Bourbon and Strangers In Town will be rounding out the night with some good old pop-punk. Entry is a mere $5 and it goes down at 8.30pm.
FIXATION FEST
THE OL D B AR Good Beer Week Presents Fixation Fest at The Oldie on Saturday May 21. The first 147 punters in the door get a free Fixation IPA with their ticket (it would have been 150 but the pub had to sample a few). The lineup features Foxtrot, Kissing Booth, Summer Blood, Foley, Cosmic Kahuna and Self Talk. Music kicks off from 6.30pm and entry is $12. That’s $2 a band plus a free pot. Pretty sweet. Oh and there’s speculation about a special release keg on hand to taste.
HOODLUM SHOUTS
J O H N C U R T I N H OT E L More than four years since their last album, the critically adored Young Man, Old Man, Canberra’s Hoodlum Shouts has announced their forthcoming record Heat Island. Set for release via Poison City Records on Friday May 20, the album is a snapshot of modern Australia, as seen through a world-weary but optimistic view. In support of the new LP, the band are hitting up thew John Curtin Hotel on Saturday May 21, with special guests Heads of Charm, Fraudband and Bad Vision. Kicks off at 8.00pm, pick up your ticket via the venue’s website.
CHASING LANA + COSA NOSTRA + LYCANTHROPE + SHINPLASTERS Whole Lotta Love, Brunswick East. 8:00pm. $10.00.
CHUCK BARRY Drunken Poet, West Melbourne. 4:00pm. CRAIG WOODWARD + WARREN ROUGH & FRIENDS Victoria Hotel (brunswick), Brunswick. 4:00pm.
LACUNA
T H E S H A D OW E LE C T R I C Created from a substantial appetite for electronica expression Melbourne composer and sound designer, Tamara Violet Partridge, has taken to the stage to perform as her alter ego and alias Lacuna. On Saturday May 21, Lacuna launches her debut EP Recovery. Lacuna’s sound embodies a soulful, electro experience with synth-pop elements. Her live performance instigates a cinematic experience, with an engaging multi-instrumentalist drenched in live projections. Congratulate Lacuna at The Shadow Electric, guests come from R&B sampler MIDFLITE and electro synth-pop quintet Zuma and Andronius. Doors are at 7pm with tickets at $12.
B E AT.C O M . A U
DAVE WRIGHT & THE MIDNIGHT ELECTRIC + THE DAYLIGHT MAYBES Grandview Hotel, Fairfield. 8:30pm. $10.00.
GAYLE CAVANAGH & THE MIXED COMPANY BAND Mr Boogie Man Bar, Abbottsford. 7:00pm.
GEORGE KAMIKAWA + NORIKO TADANO Union Hotel (brunswick), Brunswick. 9:00pm.
GRETTA ZILLER + ANDREW SWIFT Spotted Mallard, Brunswick. 3:00pm.
JUKEBOX RACKET The Luwow, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. KARAOKE WITH ZOE Customs House Hotel, Williamstown. 9:00pm.
MEGAN SIDWELL + IAIN ARCHIBALD BAND + DANA HASSALL Workers Club, Fitzroy. 1:00pm. $15.00. ORANGE TUXEDO Ascot Vale Hotel, Ascot Vale. 8:00pm. SEAN MCMAHON & THE MOONMEN + JARED BRENTNAL Major Tom's , 8:30pm. $10.00.
SOUTH PINES Rainbow Hotel, Fitzroy. 6:00pm.
CHASING LANA
WHOL E LOT TA LOVE Chasing Lana are gearing up to play their first show since the release of their latest offering Suffocate/Medicate. To celebrate, the rock outfit are bringing along Cosa Nostra and the Newcastle metal boys Lycanthrope are in town for their Lost Within This Wasteland tour. Shinplasters will be getting the stage nice and toasty to start off the night. Doors are at 8pm with $10 entry.
GIG GUIDE MELBOURNE PERIOD PROJECT
THE BEN D IGO Melbourne Period Project is an organisation that provides essential sanitary products to people who menstruate and are experiencing homelessness. Saturday May 21 at The Bendigo Hotel will feature music from Skychaser, Sub Rosa, Jess Parker, Plum Green, Religious Observance, Shadow Feet and Justine Walsh. There’ll also be an art auction with all proceeds going to Melbourne Period Project, plus market stalls, tarot readings and donation points for pads, tampons, blankets and sleeping bags. Entry is $15, get down and support a hugely important cause.
STEVE BOYD'S RUM REVERIE Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East. 9:30pm.
THE BON SCOTTS + LIAM GERNER Retreat Hotel,
Brunswick. 9:30pm.
THE COLLINGWOOD CASANOVAS The Rooks Return,
Fitzroy. 4:00pm.
THE F100S Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 5:00pm. THE ORIGINAL CARTRIDGE FAMILY Union Hotel
(brunswick), Brunswick. 5:00pm.
THE TIPPLERS Drunken Poet, West Melbourne. 3:00pm. THE WOODLAND HUNTERS + MILLAR JUKES & THE BANDITS Yarra Hotel, Abbotsford. 5:00pm. VULGARGRAD Flying Saucer Club, Elsternwick. 6:00pm.
DON SULLIVAN FUNDRAISER
TH E TOTE In early May, thieves broke into Dan Sullivan’s Johnston Street recording studio and stole guitars, effects pedals and recording gear worth thousands of dollars. Despite the best efforts of friends and fellow musicians, the equipment and gear has yet to be recovered, leaving Sullivan and James McCann personally and financially devastated. The studio has recently been used (for free) for artists such as the Violent Femmes and Adalita to record tracks for an upcoming Spencer P Jones tribute album, while Spencer has also dropped in regularly to check the progress on the record. On Sunday May 22 members of the Melbourne music community are coming together at The Tote to raise money to replace the missing gear. The event will feature performances from Kim Salmon, Garry Gray & the Sixth Circle, James McCann & the New Vindictives, Penny Ikinger, Midnight Scavengers, Fraudband, Los Dominados, Claire Birchall & the Phantom Hitchhikers, Jules Sheldon, Helen Ryder and Tex Napalm. Why not show your support for Melbourne musicians in their time of need and nip on down at 1.30pm, with music until 8.30pm.
T H E B.E A S T The divine Mama Alto is swooping on The B.East on Sunday May 22, bringing with her some smoky jazz, spicy cabaret and plenty of sass. She will be playing her usual scorching blues, which is driven home by her loud and luscious vocals. Suss out Mama Alto when she transforms the stage into something a little more fabulous at 8pm. Free entry, because you’re worth it.
JANET ROSS FAHY & ABSOLUTE Milano's Tavern, Brighton. 2:00pm.
MAMA ALTO The B.east, Brunswick East. 8:00pm. MESOPOTAMIA GROUP Open Studio, Northcote. 7:30pm. MJC PRESENTS - FEAT: MARK FITZGIBBON TRIO Uptown
Jazz Cafe, Fitzroy. 8:00pm.
RANDOM AXE Mr Boogie Man Bar, Abbottsford. 7:00pm. STANDING TALL Open Studio, Northcote. 5:00pm. SUNDAY SOUL SESSIONS Purple Emerald, Northcote. 9:00pm.
SUNDAY SOULTRAIN Daveys Bar & Restaurant, Frankston.
Bendigo Hotel, Collingwood. 6:00pm. $10.00.
3:00pm.
Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick. 8:00pm.
Fitzroy. 3:30pm.
JAM AT MUSICLAND SUNDAYS Musicland, Fawkner. 7:30pm. POLARIS + I VALIANCE + JUSTICE FOR THE DAMNED
$23.00.
MAMA ALTO
CUNTSHIT + MOLASSES + KYRUM + INAMORATA DECAY DADA ONO + ALSO + DRAGONS + THE ROLLERCANES
BEN SALTER + ADRIAN STOYLES Tramway Hotel, North
Wrangler Studios, Footscray. 2:00pm. $13.80.
SUNDAY 22 MAY A BLONDE MOMENT Ascot Vale Hotel, Ascot Vale. 8:00pm. ATLANTIS OF THE SKY + THE WEIGHT OF SILENCE + DRIVETIME COMMUTE + ABURDEN Musicland, Fawkner. 7:00pm. $15.00.
BAND WARS TV (SERIES 3 HEAT) Musicland, Fawkner. 7:00pm. $15.00.
COAST & OCEAN + AXEL WINTER + JOE FORRESTER
ROCK'N'RIOT Inkerman Hotel, Balaclava. 4:00pm. THE DEAD HEIR + MASCO SOUND SYSTEM + BLACK STONE FROM THE SUN Tote Hotel, Collingwood. 5:00pm. THE ELECTRIC GUITARS + DJ ADELE + DJ FEE B-SQUARED + DJ NICK BROWN Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood. 5:00pm. THE KEW CALL-OUT Kew Rsl, Kew. 2:00pm. $30.00. THEM HIGH SPIRITS + DOG PLANET + BLOOD ORANGE Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 6:00pm.
FLINDERS QUARTET (THE LONELY PLANET) Melbourne Recital Centre, Southbank. 2:30pm. $35.00.
Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy. 2:00pm. $10.00.
WATCH NOW
Q&A
KID RADIO
T H E WO R K E R’S C LU B Four-piece electronic outfit Kid Radio are booked in to take over The Worker’s Club on Sunday May 22. After their debut self-titled album last year, the boys have been hitting the circuit hard with their soulful take on electronica. Check ‘em out for yourself, with support from The Raffaellas and X ARI. Doors at 8pm, entry is $12.
DOGSDAY Hi there. Who are you and what do you do in Dogsday? My name is Andrew Wickes (AKA the Colonel). I am co-founder of Dogsday ± lead singer, guitarist and songwriter. The other founding member is Matthew O’Donnell (AKA Professor Nuke), who plays double bass, does backing vocals and plays extra percussion on the album. Dogsday has been together for over 20 years, playing all over in Melbourne’s Independent rock scene. You’ve also played the Johnny Cash Petty Cash Tribute show. How was that? Johnny Cash has been a huge influence in the songwriting and music style of Dogsday. We do several Cash songs in our extended set list. Being asked to be part of the Petty Cash Tribute Show at the Northcote Social Club was a real honour. It was a great night. It was our first time doing a true tribute show and hopefully there will be more shows like that down the track. Talk us through the new album Rusty Old Car. What were some of the highlights of putting the album together? Rusty Old Car is a collection of two or three years of songwriting. We had all these songs we were playing live, but people couldn’t buy, so we needed to put something new down. The recording experience itself was the best we’ve had to date. Recorded at Hailstone Studios with Paulie Bignell at the helm (of The Detonators fame), the album is essentially recorded live, with minimal overdubs. Some vocals, backing vocals and acoustic guitar were added later, but the main rhythm tracks on all the songs are a live take. DOGSDAY will launch Rusty Old Car at the Luwow on Friday May 20 with The Australian Kingswood Factory and the Traumaboys.
LISTEN NOW
SUNDAY 22nd MAY - 2pm
SINGLE RELEASE GIG AT THE
EVELYN HOTEL BRUNSWICK
AXEL WINTER JOE FORRESTER
with
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WWW.COASTANDOCEAN.COM.AU
B E AT.C O M . A U
BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 37
Q&A
GIG GUIDE POLARIS
ATOMSMASHA
So then, what’s the band name and what do you ‘do’ in the band? The name is Atomsmasha, and I am basically a glorified DJ, but I use Gameboys instead of turntables. What do you reckon people will say you sound like? Mario at a rave. What do you love about making music? The fact that a humble Limp Bizkit a capella can elevate *any* musical composition to the next level. What do you hate about the music industry? Not enough a capellas have been leaked from Limp Bizkit’s “golden age” (1997 - 2001). If you could travel back in time and show one of your musical heroes your stuff, who would it be and why? Fred Durst isn’t dead yet so there is still a faint glimmer of hope for me. If you could assassinate one person or band from popular music, who would it and why? I wouldn’t shed a tear if Gene Simmons dropped dead tomorrow. He epitomises everything that sucks about the unholy union between music and capitalism. Does anyone even actually like this guy? What can a punter expect from your live show? 8-bit electro/breaks/dubstep, cheesy vocals, selfdeprecation, vape-wizardry and probably airhorns. Anything else to add? Really looking forward to getting the ankle monitor off next week and escaping from Perth to play music for/with some of the most forward thinking individuals I’ve had the pleasure to meet. Hope to see you there! ATOMSMASHA is playing at The Workers Club on Friday May 20 with 0f.digital, CatchinAshes, dot.AY, LSD, and Tom Foolery and the Family Jewellery.
JULES SHELDON
T HE REVERENCE On Sunday May 22 The Reverence are chucking one of their renowned afternoon shindigs. Close up your weekend in style, with Jules Sheldon, Forever Son, Obscura Hail and Ed Lloyd all playing some cheeky sets in the front bar. Complement your Sunday arvo with some fine indie-folk. Free entry with doors at 3pm.
BLUE EYES CRY Forester's Beer & Music Hall,
WRA N GLE R S T U D I O S Sydney’s metalcore five-piece Polaris are blasting into Melbourne as part of their national tour. The band are currently celebrating the release of their latest album, The Guilt and The Grief, and they’ll be joined by I, Valiance and Justice For The Damned. Get yourself to Wrangler Studios on Sunday May 22. Tickets are available via Destroy All Lines. It an all ages show, getting started at 2pm.
SING OH DE MAYO - FEAT: MELBOURNE CANS + LUCY ROLEFF + ANTHONY ATKINSON & THE RUNNING MATES
4:30pm.
Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood. 7:30pm. $10.00.
Brunswick East. 5:30pm.
Windsor. 4:00pm.
T H E PR I NC E P U B LI C B A R The Taste of Indie Tuesday presents local musicians Kat O, Mark Gardiner and Brett Frankie on Tuesday May 24 at The Prince Public Bar. The night of music is hosted by the Taste of Indie Collective, who aim to support Melbourne’s original songwriters. It’s running from 7.30pm to 10.30pm and entry is free as always.
2:00pm. $5.00.
IRISH SESSION Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East. 8:00pm. JEMMA ROWLANDS + SEAN MCMAHON Tramway Hotel,
9:00pm.
OPEN MIC NITE Inkerman Hotel, Balaclava. 7:30pm.
STEVE BLACKBURN & THE NEW HIP Lomond Hotel, SUNDAY SESSION - FEAT: BRUNSY Ferntree Gully Hotel, Ferntree Gully. 2:00pm.
SUNDAY SESSIONS - FEAT: VARIOUS ARTISTS Lucky Coq, THE GLORIOUS NORTH Standard Hotel, Fitzroy. 7:00pm. THE HORNETS + BAG O NAILS Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. THE JUMP DEVILS Drunken Poet, West Melbourne.
Yarra Hotel, Abbotsford. 5:00pm.
MONDAY 23 MAY CAL & THE CALORIES
TH E OL D B A R The only good thing about starting off the working week, is that the fine folks at The Old Bar have always got your evening sorted. On Monday May 23, forget about how shitty your day job is with live music from the USA’s Cal & The Calories, Leather Towel, Bikini Cops and the local punks to watch, Whipper. $5 entry and $15 jugs of Mountain Goat all night baby. Cruise on down at 8pm.
CHERRY JAM Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 6:30pm. POOL COMP - FEAT: NOEL Inkerman Hotel, Balaclava. 7:30pm.
Melbourne. 7:30pm. $5.00.
GREG WALSH Pera, Brighton. 3:00pm. JULES BOULT & THE REDEEMERS Big Huey's Diner, South Melbourne. 4:00pm.
KEN MAHER + TONY HARGREAVES + MORE Lomond
Hotel, Brunswick East. 9:00pm.
KIM SALMON + MALCOLM HILL & THIS IS THE SHOW + DALLAS GALE Old Bar, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. $8.00. LACHLAN HICKS + NATHAN SEECKTS Old Bar, Fitzroy. 4:00pm. LEAH FLANAGAN Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 5:00pm. LIAM GERNER Gem Bar, Collingwood. 8:00pm. MATT SABELL & THE FREE FLOATING HOSTILES + THE NAUTICAL SUNSETS + NICE SOCKS NIGEL + 5 SUNDAYS
TOOTH & TUSK + THEM SWOOPS + COLOURED CLOCKS Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $6.00.
HOMAGE TO THE CLASSICS - FEAT: INVENTI ENSEMBLE Melbourne Recital Centre, Southbank. 2:00pm. $29.00.
MORELAND CITY SOUL REVUE Union Hotel (brunswick), PADDY MONTGOMERY CRETAN BAND Open Studio,
TUESDAY 24 MAY ANNA© S GO-GO ACADEMY Bella Union Bar, Carlton. 6:30pm. $10.00.
FOLLIES IN CONCERT - FEAT: DAVID HOBSON + LISA MCCUNE + NANCYE HAYES + MORE Melbourne Recital
Centre, Southbank. 7:00pm. $89.90.
MUSIC OF THE MASTERS – NEVR YOUTH CONCERT 2016 Hamer Hall (arts Centre Melbourne), Southbank. 7:30pm. $20.00.
QUARTET ON COLLINS #1 - FEAT: FLINDERS QUARTET Melbourne Recital Centre, Southbank. 1:00pm. $28.00.
SILVER LETTERS Open Studio, Northcote. 8:00pm. $10.00. THE VOICES OF ANGELS - FEAT: DANIEL DE BORAH + IAN MUNRO Melbourne Recital Centre, Southbank. 6:00pm. $29.00.
CLASSIFIEDS 33c per word per week (inc GST) Send your classified listing to classifieds@beat.com.au. Payment options include VISA/Mastercard or EFT (1.5% surcharge for credit card payment). Deadline is Monday 11am, prior to Wednesday’s publication. Minimum $5 charge per week. We do not accept classifieds over the phone - sorry.
ACTS WANTED FOR SUNDAY ROCK SHOWS - contact: mark@gunnmusic.com.au BANDS/DUOS/SOLO ACTS WANTED for Acoustic/Indie Fest - contact: mark@gunnmusic.com. au ROCK/METAL ACTS WANTED for local rock shows - contact: mark@gunnmusic.com.au
Prahran. 7:00pm.
Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $5.00.
STOLEN CLAM: Got the jimmy legs? No? Where can I get my sweet rusty Eggshell?
MONDEGREEN + MICHAEL ROBINSON + DEAR PLASTIC PLOTZ + SEASLOTH + PRIMM + ANNAN BLIX + SLOW JOB Old Bar, Fitzroy. 7:00pm. $7.00.
Williamstown. 3:00pm.
Hotel, Brunswick. 8:00pm.
BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 38
BECOME AN AMAZING LEAD GUITARIST
ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY SEEKS DJ’S, EVENT MANAGERS AND PROMOTERS. Please text 0403332570 for work
FRESH INDUSTRY SHOWCASES Revolver Upstairs,
Whole Lotta Love, Brunswick East. 3:00pm. $10.00.
MICHELLE GARDINER Customs House Hotel,
T H E WO R K E R’S C LU B Indie psych-pop four-piece The Lovely Days are breezing on in to The Worker’s club on Tuesday May 24 to launch their juicy new EP, Watermelon. They’ll be joined by Meals and Hopkins in the support slots, so why not make your Tuesday a little more exciting. Doors open at 8.00pm and entry is a fiver.
Fitzroy. 7:30pm.
Northcote. 8:00pm.
Brunswick. 5:00pm.
THE LOVELY DAYS
REIKA + FOOTBALL CLUB + MF JONES Workers Club,
6:30pm.
DUO MANOS Carters Bar, Northcote. 6:00pm. ELWOOD BLUES CLUB Prince Public Bar, St Kilda . 8:00pm. FIREBIRD TRIO Labour In Vain, Fitzroy. 5:00pm. FLETCHER PILON Bella Union Bar, Carlton. 2:30pm. GREG STEPS & THE SADDLEBAGS + KEVIN DOLAN + TAYLOR PROJECT Last Chance Rock And Roll Bar, North
TASTE OF INDIE TUESDAYS
North Fitzroy. 7:30pm.
TOM DOCKRAY + BROOKE RUSSELL + MITCH POWER
Brunswick. 7:30pm.
CHRIS WILSON Rainbow Hotel, Fitzroy. 4:00pm. DUKES OF THORNBURY Union Hotel (brunswick),
C H E R RY B A R If you’re feeling like some straight up indie rock on your Tuesday night, we’re gonna let you in on a little secret and point you to Sienna Wild’s Cherry Bar Residency. Tuesday May 24 marks week three of the boys’ residency, and they’ll be joined by Bridge The Border and Trouser Force. Even better, entry is free from 6pm with music kicking off at 8pm.
MOONEE VALLEY DRIFTERS Post Office Hotel, Coburg.
Collingwood. 3:00pm.
BONA FIDE TRAVELLERS Drunken Poet, West Melbourne.
SIENNA WILD
POOR X CUSE + BLUE BALLS + CAM TWOMEY Brunswick
B E AT.C O M . A U
The Push PRESENT
Access All Ages WITH GRACE KINDELLAN The Push Inc. and Arts Centre Melbourne are stoked to present the second instalment of Melbourne’s newest and hottest all-ages night NEW SLANG in June! For round 2, New Slang presents four of the most exciting hip-hop artists in Melbourne, including Baro, Mosé + The FMLY, FRANÇOIS and DEX. Baro reckons Aussie hip-hop is weak as f**k and is here to fix it while Mosé + The FMLY drop a massive combination of big beats and bass, precise samples, infectious synths and master flows. With support from one of Australia’s rapidly rising recording artists, songwriter & producer Francois, and Dex who’s only 17 and already becoming known as one of the most exciting rappers in Melbourne. Check out www.thepush.com. au/ for more details. We have an absolutely stellar giveaway for any fans of The Drones! They’re playing an under 18 show at The Tote in the afternoon on Saturday May 28 as part of their Feelin’ Kinda Free album tour and we have a huge prize pack to give someone who wants to go. It includes a SIGNED vinyl copy of Feelin’ Kinda Free, a T-shirt, tickets to the show for you and three mates and a MEET AND GREET WITH THE BAND! How cool is that! All you have to do is like the pinned post about it on our Facebook page www.facebook. com/thepushinc and tag a mate in the comments. It’s only open to under-18s and the competition ends on May 21. Next Wave is the most comprehensive platform in Australia for a new generation of artists taking creative risks. It’s a multi-venue, multi-artform event happening in Melbourne in the next few weeks and there are a lot of all-ages events on the program. If you’re into experimental music or contemporary art, head to www.2016.nextwave.org.au for more details. To celebrate the 50th birthday of iconic children’s television show Play School, triple j Unearthed are offering you the chance to remix the Playschool theme song, ‘There’s a Bear in There’. Applications close May 29 so get around it and give Big Ted and Jemima some hectic beats to get down to on a weekday morning. Head to www.triplejunearthed.com for all the info. Keen on a crafternoon? SIGNAL is hosting a bookmaking workshop that invites you to look into your memories, personal stories and passions to create a visual story. Artist Kyoko Imazu will take you on a journey embedded in Japanese folk tales to create your own symbols and develop an artist’s book using traditional paper-cut and bookbinding methods. The workshops are happening on three Saturdays in a row on May 21, May 28 and June 4 from 11am to 4pm. For more information visit www.facebook.com/signalart.
All Ages Gig Guide WE D N E S DAY M AY 18 & T H U R S DAY M AY 19
Muso Magic w/ Two day workshop where 70-90 young people write and record their own unique song and film a video clip. They also perform their song and choreography to a live audience at the end of day 2. Violet Town Community Hall, Cowslip Street, Violet Town, 8.30am - 3.30pm each day, Free, www. mansfield.vic.gov.au, AA
F R I DAY M AY 20
Pulse DJ/Dance w/ GABBISH, Jay Jack, B&S, Jack Pyper, DJ CB, Brighton Town Hall, 6.30pm 10.00pm, $10, www.facebook.com/baysidefreeza, AA
S AT U R DAY M AY 21
South East Skate League w/ TBA, Mt Eliza Skate Park, 11.00am - 5.00pm, Free, www.facebook.com/ impaktfreeza, AA
Wed 18th May
W I N E , W H I S K EY, W O M E N 8pm: 9pm:
Megan Sidwell Dana Hassal Thurs 19th May 7pm: Open Mic Night Friday 20th May
6pm: Traditional Irish Music Session
Miss Whiskey 3pm: The Tipplers 9pm: The Jump Devils Sunday 22nd May 4pm:Chuck Barry 8.30pm:
Saturday 21st May
Bona Fide Travellers
6.30pm:
Tuesday 23rd May
8pm:
Weekly Trivia
The Drunken Poet, 65 Peel Street (directly opposite Queen Vic Market), Phone: 03 9348 9797. www.thedrunkenpoet.com.au
19TH MAY THURSDAY
“STEAMY WINDOW” A NIGHT OF STEAMY POETRY & MUSIC WITH STEVE SMART & FRIENDS 7.30PM 20TH MAY FRIDAY
AMARILLO DAMON SMITH (RESIDENCY) 9PM
26TH MAY THURSDAY
“SOUND TRACKS FOR IMAGINARY FILMS” ANDREW MCCUBBIN AND MELINDA
PRITCHARD, DIRTBIRD AND MIDNIGHT SCAVENGERS, 7PM 27TH MAY FRIDAY
MARSDEN WILLIAMS & 245-T PEACH HAPPENING, THE INTERCEPTORS 7.30PM
21ST MAY SATURDAY
28TH MAY SATURDAY
22ND MAY SUNDAY
CARTER, TIME ROBB 8.30PM
BIRDHOUSE NERV OPEN MIC JACKRABBITS 24TH MAY TUESDAY
25TH MAY WEDNESDAY
JUNIOR FICTION PAPER BACKS, HANNAH FRANCIS & BEN 29TH MAY SUNDAY
LUCY LOCKET & FRIENDS 30TH MAY MONDAY
COMEDY NIGHT OPEN MIC 31ST MAY TUESDAY
W W W. B E AT.C O M . A U
BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 39
BACKSTAGE
THE RALBAR™ BY DYSKIN GUITARS
Built on the ethos that anyone can and should learn to play an instrument, the RalBar™ was created by guitar enthusiast (and former dentist) Brian Dyskin. The RalBar isn’t your conventional looking instrument. With a teardrop body and only three strings, the guitar is designed to make playing guitar a simpler task. Don’t be mistaken, Dyskin Guitars aren’t claiming this as the alternative to a guitar. It is more of an introduction to the beauty of guitar playing. We chat with the man behind it all, Brian Dyskin, to gain further understanding on the background of the RalBar, and learn a bit about how the guitar works. Tell us about the history of the RalBar. Just over ten years ago, after many years as a dentist and many more as an intermediate level guitarist, I thought I could transfer the manual skills I had from my work to building guitars. I quickly found that teeth and timber are very different and with the help of a master luthier, developed the skills for electric guitar building and design. A few years later I was lucky to work with Chris Wynne from Thomas Llloyd School of Acoustic Guitar Building at the Montsalvat artist colony, where I learned the practical skills and understanding of acoustic guitar building. Originally I had wanted to build one 6-string electric guitar with an original design called the ‘Lahav’ based on a teardrop/paisley shape. But once I got started, more and more design ideas started to come to me including acoustic guitars and electric bass guitars. Before long, I had hand-built over a half a dozen instruments and loved the creative outlet of my hobby. What gave you the idea to come up with the RalBar? When my older son turned six, I gave him
his first real guitar. Like so many kids who see their favourite rock stars, he thought he could just pick it up and play it. After a lot of lessons and not much practising he had lost motivation from the relatively steep learning curve to start playing songs that he wanted to play and sound impressive. A few years later, in 2010, I was at the Melbourne Guitar Show with him and had an epiphany after seeing a stick dulcimer. This is an instrument that is supposed to be easy to play, but even with decades of guitar playing behind me, I found it challenging to find my way around the fretboard. Rather than dismissing it, my mind started thinking about what was missing that could make it easier to play, and give more versatility. That’s how the internationally patented fret layout and markings of the RalBar were born. The body design is a variation of my signature teardrop/paisley guitar body shape that started with that first guitar, adapted for the thinner neck. Who is the RalBar designed to be used by? The RalBar is an easy to play guitar that
takes minutes to learn to play the chords for hundred of songs. It is designed for people who think that they don’t have musical skill or time to practise but would like to play guitar. We find that for a lot of children this gives an easy way to start learning, which encourages further development. And a large portion of our customers are adults who have always wanted to play, but never found the time or opportunity to learn. The easy start means that new musicians can play and enjoy straight away, and once they realise that they can play an instrument, they can add more advanced techniques and keep that feeling of achievement and progress. What’s the principle behind the RalBar? How does it work?
The strings on the RalBar are tuned to a fifth chord, also known as a power chord. Power chords are missing the notes that make the chord either major or minor, which means they can be used in place of either. The edge of the fretboard is marked with Roman numerals for the chords, so you don’t need to learn chord names. It’s like painting-bynumbers for guitar. Because of the RalBar’s dulcimer-like fretting, if you put a finger in a wrong position it will autocorrect to the next note up in the key you’re playing, which means that improvised solos will always sound musically correct. Anything you’d like to add? Dyskin Guitars and the RalBar were featured on Network 10’s Shark Tank last year, and the buzz that came from that
meant that we had to double the number of RalBars brought in and around 80% of them were pre-sold even before they arrived. Our new shipment has arrived, with an extended selection of colours and now with RalBar specific tuners. Watch out very soon for our crowdfunding campaign to launch acoustic RalBar. You’ll be able to pre-buy acoustic RalBars at a low introductory price as well as discounted electric RalBars. Dyskin Guitars Pty Ltd was established in 2014. The online store is open 24/7 hit up www.DyskinGuitars.com or store. DyskinGuitars.com for more details, or phone 0421161146.
PUT SOME LETTERS IN THESE BOXES PLEASE Send pictures of dogs to puzzleguy@beat.com.au for the answers.
ACROSS
BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 40
LOCAL HAPPENINGS
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The Australia Council’s four year funding for arts organisations saw the impact of $2 million funding cuts by the Federal Government. 20 in Victoria missed out, including Wangaratta Festival of Jazz, The Black Arm Band and Next Wave Festival. Victoria’s Minister for Creative Industries Martin Foley said, “Malcolm Turnbull’s cuts are no different to Tony Abbott’s – he has delivered savage funding cuts that will undermine creative organisations, audiences and jobs.”
THINGS WE HEAR • When Iron Maiden were in Adelaide, why did they give local guy Steve Radeski VIP treatment and present him with a Maiden T-shirt? Because two years ago when he was in a motorbike accident and his right leg came off, he was tended to by passer-by Bill Gaythwaite, an Afghanistan-serving soldier who whipped off his beloved 1985 Maiden T-shirt to stem the blood flow. Maiden gave Radeski the new shirt to pass on to Gaythwaite.
ROCK STARS GO CRAZY
Lauryn Hill was two hours late to a show in Atlanta because she was “aligning her energy with the time”. Due to curfew, her mic was cut off 40 minutes in. Justin Bieber is refusing to take any more pictures with fans because he feels like a “zoo animal.” Azealia Banks was dropped from headlining a London festival after a twitter
r
...BUT VIC ARTS GROUPS MISS OUT
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Of associations, Sounds Australia got $300,000 although that wasn’t enough to ease up on the music industry’s anger last week over the export body’s loss of Catalyst funding (see beat.com.au). Sounds Australia thanked everyone for their support and urged people to keep signing the Change.org petition, which in days notched up 5000 signatures. Among others were Brisbane’s BIGSOUND conference ($250,000) and the Electronic Music Conference ($280,000).
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Music acts and organisations were among the 404 projects that won in the Government’s funding organisation Australia Council for the Arts’ February round of $11.2 million grants. Funded were new albums by Polish Club, Mathas, Funkoars, PLGRMS, Caiti Baker, Bombay Royale, Cumbia Cosmonauts, Ali Barter, Katie Noonan, Mojo Juju & Beth Brown. So were international tours and showcases by DZ Deathrays, Elizabeth Rose, Spookyland, Royal Headache, Meg Mac, BANFF, Joseph Tawadros, Harvey Sutherland and Bermuda, Gordi, Gang of Youths, Holy Holy and Jenny Thomas, and national tours from Mathas, and The Buried Country Roadshow. Also supported were Music NSW’s Women in Electronic Music symposium and Western Edge Youth Arts in Footscray. Applications are now open for the next grants round, which close Tuesday June 7 at www.australiacouncil.gov.au.
• Which music exec, going to a psychiatrist to work out why she’s not been able to concentrate, was heading to a session with the shrink when she, yes, went through a red light and totalled her car? • Did Sharon Osbourne hire a private investigator to tail Ozzy to discover he was having affairs? • Why did Black Eyes Peas’ first show in ten years, in London before 10,000, not feature Fergie? And why was Will.i.am repeatedly downplaying her role in the band during the show? • A new TV show we might see next year is Greatest Hits, which debuts next month in America. Hosted by Arsenio Hall and country singer Kelsea Ballerini of Nashville fame (just cancelled after four seasons), sees hits from the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s performed by the original acts and current hitmakers, including one-off pairings. • On the eve of the launch of her Tronc tape and three month tour, some swine broke into Evelyn Morris from Pikelet’s locked car and stole thousands of dollars of her entire musical setup. • Having just dropped their debut album, Ballarat band Fire To The Stars are relocating to Sweden, where some members already live. • Perth band Stillwater Giants’ video shoot on bassist Kyle Lockye’s boat ended with a visit from the water cops, who fined them as the thing was unlicensed. • Brian Johnson has taken up the offer from in-ear monitor inventor and AC/ DC fan Stephen Ambrose, who was so aghast at the idea of Axl Rose fronting the band (although the European shows saw Rose cut the mustard) that he offered his latest technology to get Johnson back on stage pronto. • Australian metal fan and PR guy Chris Maric of Maric Media is heading to the UK to take part in the Heavy Metal Truants IV charity ride. Between Wednesday June 8 and Friday June 10, he’ll ride 265kms from London to Download Festival to raise $2500 for children’s charities. Donate at www. justgiving.com/fundraising/chrismaric. The ride is the brainchild of Iron Maiden manager Rod Smallwood and Metal Hammer’s Alexander Milas. Last year it raised a total of $142,000.
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MUSIC INDUSTRY NEWS & GOSSIP MUSIC WINS IN AUSTRALIA COUNCIL’S $11.2M GRANTS…
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rant during which she dissed UK hip hop as a “disgrace” and threatened to bring “arms” to her performance. She also had her Twitter account suspended following vicious attacks on Zayn Malik and Skai Jackson, her UK booking agency dropped her and the UK Home Office is reportedly investigating her. US duo YACHT claimed a “morally abject person” released their sex tape, and they’d turn the tables on him/her by releasing it on their own website. The tape was a hoax, leading to condemnation from activists against “revenge porn”, they apologising and their PR company insisting it had nothing to do with it.
JAZZ BELL AWARDS SHORTLIST
The 14th Australian Jazz Bell Awards on Monday June 20 in Melbourne have announced the shortlisted artists across seven categories based on performance, creativity and presentation. Names include Vince Jones & Paul Grabowsky, Kristin Berardi, Barney McAll, Julien Wilson Quartet, Olivia Chindamo, Mike Nock, Allan Browne Quintet, Jazzgroove Mothership Orchestra and Niran Dasika.
MAITREYA FESTIVAL BLUES
The Maitreya Festival had the unhappy task of telling ticket-holders of its 2016 cancelled event they would not be getting refunds. To make it up, promoters planned an event exclusively for them on the Grand Final Long Weekend from September 30 at Lake Wooroonook. “We hope this event can go to re-building trust within the Maitreya community, and assist the community of Wooroonook and Charlton with extra incomes that they so desperately need,” they said. Unfortunately, the Buloke Shire Council told the Bendigo Advertiser it won’t approve the replacement event. “The promoter is currently in breach of numerous enforcement orders and laws and will be prosecuted once council has completed its due diligence on the evidence and costs involved,” a spokesperson said.
SONGWRITERS IN THE ROUND RETURNS
Songs And Stories – Songwriters In The Round will return for the second time as part of Leaps and Bounds, on Tuesday July 5 and July 12 at the Gasometer in Collingwood. With support from APRA AMCOS, the nights offer 20 insights to the songwriting process, from veterans to those still in high school. Each evening will features ten songwriters delivering a total of 30 songs over two sets. Names include Alice Sky, Amaya Laucirica, Arun Roberts, Ben Mastwyk, Ben Salter, Bob Harrow, Brooke Russell, Charm of Finches,
S tu f f f or t h is co l umn to be emai l ed to ce l iezer @ netspace . net . au by Friday 5 pm
Chris Pickering, Elizabeth Barker, Emily Ulman, Fiona Lee Maynard, Gareth Ed Lindsay, Jack Howard, James Henry, Jim Lawrie, Lachlan Bryan, Laura Imbruglia, Liam Gerner and Quang Dinh.
NEW GUITAR DESIGNED BY LLOYD SPIEGEL
Acoustic blues master Lloyd Spiegel’s first solo tour in seven years in June/ July coincides with the release of his new Cole Clark signature model guitar. He’s worked alongside the company for 15 years and had a hand in every advancement of its technology and design. The 2016 LS signature model is built with Australian Blackwood top, back and sides. “The extremely hard top was picked to suit my aggressive, hard hitting style and withstand the tour schedule I keep.” Audiences at the show get the chance to win a new guitar (RRP $3299).
NEW SIGNINGS #1: RAZOR & POLYDOR FRANCE
Melbourne DJ and club owner Gavin Campbell’s Razor Recordings struck a licensing deal with Polydor France. It will launch Melbourne based dark electro act Evangeline’s career abroad. Last week it released a remix by LA based William Black of her second single My Kingdom, which with three million streams, came to the attention of Julien Creuzard, Head of Capitol and Polydor France. Evangeline, currently demoing her debut album is managed worldwide by Erin Jameson and Helen O’Malley of Jameson & Co Publicity and Management.
NEW SIGNINGS #2: NICHE & KLLO
Added to Niche’s artist agency roster are KLLO, made up of Simon Lam and Chloe Kaul. Since 2014, their music has been aired on triple j and BBC Radio 1 and given them “artists to watch” listings. This year their Bolide single amassed over a million Spotify plays, out on Ghostly International (US), PIAS/Different Recordings (UK, EU & Japan) and Good Manners Records (ROW).
NEW SIGNINGS #3: 123 AGENCY & GABRIELLA COHEN
123 Agency sends newest signing, Melbourne enigmatic pop performer Gabriella Cohen, on the road along the east coast in July. The triple j Unearthed feature act issued debut album Full Closure And No Details in March.
NEW SIGNING #4: 123 AGENCY & FROM OSLO
Melbourne punk rock duo From Oslo
Lifelines Injured: an Eagles Of Death Metal fan had his ear bitten off at the band’s show at Toronto’s Opera House during a fight.
Sued: Nicki Minaj by her ex, Safaree Samuels, for physical and emotional abuse. “He’s so miserable,” she tweeted.
Arrested: Melbourne DJ/ promoter Kasey Taylor (Quench, Our House) and club operator Robert Oung at Melbourne Airport last month. Fairfax Media says they’re accused of swallowing a kilo of ketamine to sneak through customs, and face court in August. They got taken to hospital so the K passed out naturally.
In Court: Scott Bennett, Brian Wilson’s keyboardist and coproducer, convicted of raping a 21 year old woman at Hard Rock Café Tulsa in 2014.
Died: Perth-based jazz singer June Smith, 85. When she arrived from Scotland with her music partner husband Lew, they settled in Melbourne and played in Maximum Load before moving in 1974 to Perth where she helped set up Jazz Fremantle and the Perth Jazz Club.
Died: electronic music pioneer Isao Tomita, 84, of heart attack. He was the first Japanese musician to use the moog synth and write music for it. Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder were fans. He was nominated for a Grammy seven times and wrote acclaimed TV and film soundtracks. have joined 123 Agency for bookings. They are about to embark on an east coast tour behind their new self-titled EP on the Habit label. The single No Sound got multiple spins on triple j, with Nick Findlay calling it “sing-along grunge punk that gets stronger after each spin.”
NEW SIGNINGS #5: TEENAGE MOTHERS & 1234 RECORDINGS
Melbourne band Teenage Mothers signed to the UK’s 1234 Recordings (Whitey, Babyshambles, Buzzcocks). It will release the album recorded at Birdland with Jim Sclavunos, drummer from the Bad Seeds/ Grinderman. The band appear on the 1234 Festival in London in September, with The Cribs, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Gang of Four and Carl Barat.
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