Beat 1656

Please Do Not Litter

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December 12, 2018 Issue N o 1656

Ultimate Student Survival Guide / The Merindas / Soccer Mommy / Back X Reimagined

DIESEL SIGNATURE STRATOCASTER® LIMITED EDITION

"This guitar rings a lot of bells for me — visually and sonically speaking it's where it all started"

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ISSUE NO 1656

Contents 8 10-14

Contents News

16

Arts Guide

18

Industry, Punk, Beat Eats

20 21

Party In The Paddock Beat’s Ultimate Student Survival Guide

22

Day By The Bay

23

The Merindas, I’m With Her

24

Soccer Mommy, Bishop Briggs

25

USER, Bach X Reimagined

23

The Merindas

26

Q&As, Live

27

Live

28

Album of the Week, Singles

29

Interview

30-33

Albums Gig Guide

Editor’s note With Tom Parker

Whistling into the second week of December, there’s a special smell in the air. Struck with the first barefaced inklings of another sultry summer, Melbourne punters are hitting up rooftop bars, beer gardens and music festivals because temptations are too strong. Meredith, The Pleasure Garden and Good Things have made their summer stamps already, concurrently putting on festive extravaganzas that confounded their respective clienteles.

Now, we wait on a new friend in town, Day By The Bay, which, in early 2019, will envelope Port Phillip Bay with a forward-thinking design embracing sustainability and the ethos of Melbourne’s adored cove. Keeping with the music festival theme, Party In The Paddock graces our cover this week before it stunningly blankets Tasmania’s White Hills in early February. Think Lily Allen, The Presets, The Jungle Giants, Vera Blue and more, and there you have a veritable music lineup.

Then we’ll hear from the landmark perpetual music showcase taking over the next NGV Friday Nights instalment. Bach X Reimagined as it’s called welcomes the futuristic music wunderkinds of anon. to the Gallery Kitchen across the next four months.

With Falls Festival fixtures Soccer Mommy and Bishop Briggs, alongside I’m With Her, The Merindas and USER rounding out this week’s music coverage, we welcome our 1656th edition, and what a doozy it is.

EDITOR Tom Parker DIGITAL EDITOR/SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER Caleb Triscari SUB EDITOR Abbey Lew-Kee EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS Holly Denison, Jacob Colliver, Kate Streader, Anthony Furci, Greta Brereton, Brooke Ledbury, Lexi Herbert, Joshua Martin, Gabriella Beaumont GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Erica May, Aaron Mackenzie

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COVER IMAGE Mitch Lowe MANAGING DIRECTOR Patrick Carr ADVERTISING Nicholas Simonsen (Backstage/Musical Equipment) mixdown@beat.com.au Brad Summers (Advertising/Campaigns) brad@beat.com.au Greg Pettinella (Advertising/Editorial) greg@beat.com.au

ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE accounts@furstmedia.com.au DISTRIBUTION Free every Wednesday to over 3,200 points around Melbourne. Along with being handed out at Train Stations.

Wanna get BEAT? Email distribution@furstmedia.com.au GIG GUIDE SUBMISSIONS now online at beat.com.au SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER Ian Laidlaw

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS David Harris, Zo Damage, Lee Easton, Lewis Nixon, Shaina Glenny, Andrew Bibby, Sally Townsend, Andrew Friend, Rochelle Flack COLUMNISTS Joe Hansen, Lochlan Watt, Michael Cusack, Christie Eliezer, Georgia Spanos, Julia Sansone, Augustus Welby, Greta Brereton

Find us on Instagram @beatmagazine

/beatTV

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@BeatMagazine

CONTRIBUTORS Alexander Crowden, Dan Watt, Augustus Welby, Alex Watts, David James Young, Bronius Zumeris, Natalie Rogers, Isabelle Oderberg, Holly Pereira, Nathan Quattruci, Julia Sansone, Claire Morley, Lee Parker, Benjamin Potter, Lizzie Dynon, Abbey Lew-Kee, David Ohaion, Luke Fussell, Jacob Colliver, Anna Rose, Kate Streader, Paul Waxman, Anthony Furci, Zachary Snowdon Smith, Nathan Gunn

FURST MEDIA PTY LTD. MYCELIUM STUDIOS FACTORY 1/10-12 MORELAND RD BRUNSWICK EAST VIC

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9

NEWS

News Tropical Fuck Storm

Announce Huge 2019 Australian Tour

Thando

The Monkees Present: The Mike & Micky Show Playing as a duo for the first time

Wednesday 12th December

8pm:

Wine Whiskey Women: Wolf Arrow Rain + Kinnon

The Monkees bandmates Mike Nesmith and Micky Dolenz are embarking on their debut tour as a duo, bringing The Mike & Micky Show to fans in Australia. It’ll be Nesmith’s first appearance Down Under since 1977, where he recorded his album Live At The Palais. To celebrate their return, the guys are promising a massive catalogue of Monkees hits from the past 50 years; think tracks like ‘I’m A Believer’, ‘Last Train To Clarksville’ and ‘Daydream Believer’.

Catch them next year at The Palais Theatre on Saturday June 15.

Melbourne supergroup Tropical Fuck Storm have only been playing together since 2017, but they’ve already amassed a huge fanbase, and cemented their status as a formidable rock band. Comprised of former Drones bandmates Gareth Liddiard and Fiona Kitschin, Harmony’s Erica Dunn and High Tension’s Lauren Hammel, the four-piece was born from Liddiard and Kitschin’s Drones hiatus at the end of 2016.

With just one album under their belt, May’s A Laughing Death in Meatspace, they’ve won over crowds worldwide, earning them a stint in the US supporting Modest Mouse.

They’ll be hitting the road again closer to home next March, with a seven-stop tour on the cards. Catch the four-piece at The Corner Hotel on Saturday March 23, Tickets via Evenbrite.

Sunset Sounds

Returns for 2019, unveils program Stonnington’s Sunset Sounds is back for another year, spanning three Sundays in January. You’ll be able to catch Melbourne five-piece Vaudeville Smash on January 6 in Prahran’s Victoria Gardens, Zimbabwean-born songstress Thando on January 13 in Malvern East’s Central Park, and Horns Of Leroy wrapping things up in Malvern Gardens on January 20. Each headliner will be accompanied by a support act, rotating between The Seven Ups, The Meltdown and The Twoks. DJs Lyndelle Wilkinson and Maddy Mac will also be spinning tunes each Sunday for the free event.

Thursday 13th December

8pm:

Blue Velvet Poets Friday 14th December

Traditional Irish Music Session 8:30pm: David Cosma

6pm:

Saturday 15th December

Marty Kelly 9pm: Alex Burns Duo 3pm:

Sunday 16th December

Drunken Poet Xmas Party

The Stetson Family 6:30pm: The Drunken Poachers 4pm:

Tuesday 18th December 8pm:

Tuesday Tribute:

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

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Phoebe Bridgers

David August

LA songstress Phoebe Bridgers has announced her first ever Australian shows, bringing her soft-spoken, melodic tunes Down Under. Bridgers has had a whirlwind couple of years since the release of her acclaimed 2017 debut Stranger In The Alps, touring with heavyweights Bon Iver, The National and Conor Oberst across Europe and North America with her emotive, literary style. This year, she joined forces with fellow singer-songwriters Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus to form the supergroup boygenius, releasing a self-titled EP in the mix. She’ll be going it alone when she hits The Croxton Bandroom though, enchanting the crowd on Sunday February 17. Tickets through Handsome Tours.

German producer and composer David August has announced an intimate Pitch Music and Arts festival sideshow, set for March next year. August is touring off the back of not one, but two recently released albums; D’Angelo, (referring to two historical Michelangelos, not the neo-soul artist) and the ambient DCXXXIX A.C. The producer has a unique electronic palette, channelling noir soundscapes and goth-rock as well as his Italian roots and classical training. David August will take over Max Watts on Thursday March 7, with tickets onsale now via Oztix.

Announces first ever Australian shows

Reveals Pitch Music & Arts festival sideshow in Melbourne

A free leadership development program for mid-level to established women leaders in the Victorian contemporary music sector.

To apply go to musicvictoria.com.au/cultivate Applications close January 14

Know Your Options Information sessions Melbourne Campus Monday 17 December 2018, 12-2.30pm 115 Victoria Parade, Fitzroy Ballarat Campus Monday 17 December 2018, 4-6pm 1200 Mair Street, Ballarat

acu.edu.au

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11

NEWS

Joel Creasey

Melbourne International Comedy Festival Reveals 2019 lineup and ticket details

It’s only December, but we’re already gearing up for Melbourne’s favourite comedy festival, returning next March. As usual, the 2019 Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF) boasts a stacked lineup of comedians from far and wide, including homegrown favourites like Joel Creasey performing Drink. Slay. Repeat, and Nazeem Hussain’s Basic Idiot. The event will also play host to a myriad of funny men and women from across the globe, with South Africa’s Urzila Carlson presenting Loser, Ireland’s Des Bishop with The Comments Section, and Epiphany,

by Canadian DeAnne Smith. There’s loads more performers on the program, so make sure you head to the MICF website to check it out. Tickets for these shows are on sale now through Live Nation.

Vera Blue

27 LESLIE STREET BRUNSWICK JAZZLAB.CLUB

WEDNESDAY DEC 12

$20/$15

ISM THURSDAY DEC 13

PINK PURSE

$20/$15

Bigger Than Jesus

Triple J

Melbourne rockers Bigger Than Jesus are launching their long-awaited new album One For The Road at The Espy, after disagreements with venue staff put the show in doubt. The band are dedicating their performance to former drummer Craig Whitelock, who passed away in September. Paul Foenander will be stepping into Whitelock’s shoes for the launch, helping ease the loss of their invaluable bandmate. They’ll have a myriad of support acts along for the night, including pop-rock duo Pollyman, Invictus Trio and DJs Mary Mihelakos and James Young. Head along to The Espy on Saturday December 15, and find tickets via Moshtix.

With January looming and 2018 coming to a close, it’s time to cast your votes and decide which of your favourite artists make it into this year’s Hottest 100. Whether you’ve been smashing Aussie pop queens like Vera Blue and Eves Karydas, blasting Childish Gambino and Kwame, or singing along to Middle Kids and Hockey Dad, this is your chance to show your biggest tracks of the year some love. With the countdown day set for Sunday January 27, you’ve got until Tuesday January 22 to make your vote count. Start whittling down your shortlist, and head along to the Triple j website to make it happen.

To launch new album at The Espy

Hottest 100 voting now open

FRIDAY DEC 14

TRICHOTOMY + CHRIS PICKERING EXPERIMENT (QLD) $20/$15

Harvey Sutherland

SATURDAY DEC 15

CARL PANNUZZO QUINTET

$30/$25

THE LATE SET: THE ROOKIES

FREE

SUNDAY DEC 16

MJC PRESENTS: PAUL WILLIAMSON QUARTET $20/$15 MONDAY DEC 17

ANDREA KELLER’S FIVE BELOW

$15/$10

TUESDAY DEC 18

ALMA ZYGIER PRESENTS: A VERY JEWISH CHRISTMAS $20/$15 DOORS OPEN EVERY NIGHT FROM 8PM AND SHOWS BEGIN BETWEEN 8:30PM AND 9PM UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED

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Connan Mockasin

Roady4Roadies

Kiwi-musician Connan Tant Hosford has been making lo-fi, psychadelic-pop music for over ten years now, going by the moniker Connan Mockasin. His third release, Jassbusters is more of the same laid-back sound for Mockasin, but it comes with a bit of a twist.

He’s created the record as an accompaniment for his first foray into filmmaking, creating a five-part mini-series called Bostyn ‘n Dobsyn, based on comics he wrote with a childhood friend. He’ll be premiering the series and performing the record live next year when he comes to the country, dropping into the Melbourne Recital Centre on Thursday March 21. You can snag yourself a ticket through the venue website.

Roadies are a crucial component of the live music industry, but their hard work often goes unnoticed. Roady4Roadies is aiming to change this by shining a spotlight on the unsung heroes who muscle up, haul gear and transport the trucks. The inaugural event will invite industry personnel and the public alike to participate in a series of walks across the country, bringing attention to the physically demanding job and the effects it has on mental health.

Other activities include the Crewathlon, as well as food, speeches and live entertainment. Get involved on Sunday March 10, with tickets and more information through the Roady4Roadies website.

Announces ‘Jassbusters’ east coast tour

Celebrating the brawn of our music industry

20-21 December - 24 Moons, Northcote

COMEDY - SIDESHOW - MUSIC - BURLESQUE Tickets at cherriontopaus.eventbrite.com U s e d i s c o u n t c o d e ‘ B E A T ’ fo r 1 5 % o f f t i c k e t s BEAT.COM.AU

13

NEWS

Music Victoria

Introduce female-only leadership program, ‘Cultivate’ Wednesday 12th 8.00pm

‘LOMONDACOUSTICA’

ENDA KENNY, KHRISTIAN MIZZI, DAYLE ALISON WALKER

Thursday 13th 9.00pm

ROY PAYNE’S HILLBILLY BOP SAFARI (Cajun-billy-bop)

Friday 14th 9.30pm

WARNERS BROS (Brotherly love)

Saturday 15th 9.30pm

CHELSEA DRUGSTORE (CD LAUNCH) (Alt-country rock)

Sunday 16th 5.30pm

SHIRAZZ

Sarah DeBorre

The Victorian Government has joined forces with Music Victoria to launch a new women’s only leadership program, called Cultivate. Starting next year, the program will give mid-career women the chance to further their leadership skills and role in the industry, by pairing them with wellestablished music industry leaders. These partnerships enable a sharing of knowledge between buddy and mentor, fostering connections, career development and a supportive, female-centric space in the music industry. There’ll be group workshops and masterclasses as well as one-on-one sessions, so you’ll have a chance to mingle with your peers. If you’re a career-woman in music and managing an artist, organising a festival, running a label, or any other related venture, then head to the Music Victoria website and apply. Submissions close on Monday January 14.

(Hot brassy trad)

Monday 17th 8.00pm

PETER DAFFY & TORQUE FLITE

(Honky-tonk-rock)

Tuesday 18th 8.00pm

IRISH SESSION (Fine fiddlin’)

ALL GIGS ARE FREE 225 NICHOLSON STREET, BRUNSWICK EAST. PH 9380 1752

Sarah Ward

Mt. Mountain

Melbourne cabaret star Sarah Ward is unveiling her latest stagecreation this January; the bizarre, inter-galactic rock show, The Legend of Queen Kong. The production sees Ward take on the role of Queen Kong – an immortal, half-ape character – and follows her journey through space and time. Designed with inclusivity at its core, The Legend Of Queen Kong features all-queer and gender diverse band, The HOMOsapiens, alongside deaf performer Asphyxia, and Auslan interpreter Kirri Dangerfield. Opening night attendees are invited to rock up in their own galactic garb, so come along on Wednesday January 16 and see the spectacle for yourself.

Tickets available through the Arts Centre Melbourne website.

Perth five-piece Mt. Mountain have been somewhat prolific since they burst onto the scene in 2012. The psychedelic rockers have released three albums since 2016, including their most recent offering, Golden Rise. Comprised of ten winding tracks, it’s their biggest body of work yet, and well deserving of a celebratory stint around the country. They’ll be dropping into Brisbane, Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne when they hit the road next month, treating fans to meandering guitars, steady drums and ambient vocals. You can catch them at The Tote on Friday January 18, with tickets available through Oztix.

Peking Duk

Know Your Options

Introduces The Legend of Queen Kong

THURSDAY 13 DECEMBER 7PM • $10

SELF HELP, FUTURE TONGUES, SECOND PRIZE, LIPS + DJ TOM TOAST 14

Announce ‘Golden Rise’ album tour

FRIDAY 14 DECEMBER 7PM • FREE

THE DELVENES, MAN CITY SIRENS + DEAN LOMBARD FRIDAY 21 DECEMBER 8.30PM • FREE

PRIVACY ACT SATURDAY 22 DECEMBER 7PM • FREE

USER XMAS PARTY WITH WINTER SUN SUNDAY 23 DECEMBER 5PM • FREE

KINEMATIC XMAS PARTY WITH MARK SINTON + TED BARRINGTON MONDAY 31 DECEMBER 7PM • FREE

NYE @ RED BETTY STEVE LAW, G3D9 + MORE TBA THE MAGIC MUSIC VENUE In the Laneway behind

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Unveil their biggest tour ever The Peking Duk boys love live shows. They’ve embarked on numerous headline tours, made a bunch of guest appearances, and been running around the festival circuit for years now. It’s an impressive effort considering they’ve never released an album, but that’s never stopped fans from fronting up to their shows. In a testament to their passion for life on the road, the duo will be heading off for a three-month stint around the country next year.

Starting in March, they’ll be making 14 stops on The Biggest Tour Ever, from Byron Bay to Canberra, and everywhere in between.

Catch them at Melbourne Arena on Friday May 10, with tickets via the Peking Duk website.

Head to an Australian Catholic University information night

Firstly – congratulations to all Victorian high school students.

You’ve survived all those years slugging away, and whether it’s reflected in your results or not, give yourself a good ol’ pat on the back for making it out alive. Now, the next step is to actually receive those ATAR results, and figure out where to go from here. If you’re unsure of what direction you want to go, then it might be worth heading along to the Australian Catholic University’s Know Your Options Night on Monday December 17. There’ll be staff on hand to answer any career-path related queries, and ease your nerves about what the future holds. Head to the ACU website for more information.

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15

ARTS

Arts Guide Tina Arena - Photo by Jeff Busby

BEAT’S K TOP PIC

Evita

★★★★

Arts Centre Melbourne, Sunday December 9

William Wegman: Being Human Get your canine fix at NGV

Who doesn’t love dogs in peculiar situations? Being Human, a series featuring the work of American photographer William Wegman, has come to the NGV. In a free exhibit open now until March next year, Being Human showcases the talent of Wegman’s Weimaraner dogs Man Ray and Fay Ray and their pups and relatives in a range of outfits and positions. Wegman plays with colours, shapes and dimensions to disprove the age-old saying that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. No doubt be a hit for adults and kids alike, you can find the William Wegman: Being Human exhibition at Level 3, NGV International from 10am daily.

Lisa Woodbrook

The Make It Collective Christmas Market

Stuck on that present for Nan? You know we are.

The Make It Collective is a community of artisans, designers and independent creatives slinging workshops, retail sales and a gallery out of Northcote all year long, but coming up this weekend is their special Christmas market. Celebrating the best of locally made wares, the market is set to be a gorgeous day of shopping in the beautiful surrounds at the front of the Melbourne Museum. The curated selection will feature everything from clothing, kids items, beauty and body products, jewellery, art, ceramics and homewares, all made by Australian makers. Head down on Saturday December 15 to soak it all in from 10am to 3pm at 11 Nicholson Street, Carlton.

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It’s Not Me, It’s Definitely You

The world of dating is a terrifying place You may know her as Ten News First’s ‘Eye in the Sky’, but Lisa Woodbrook is a woman of many talents. In her latest comedic performance, It’s Not Me, It’s Definitely You, Woodbrook looks at the ever-changing world of dating.

From swiping on Tinder to the subtle art of ghosting, Woodbrook offers frank advice for single pringles who are ready to mingle. The comedy will also feature familiar tunes from the likes of Amy Winehouse and Lily Allen, performed live on piano. It all goes down on Friday January 14 and Saturday January 15 at The Butterfly Club, and you can find tickets via the venue website.

Politics is tricky business, particularly if you’re a woman in the mid-20th century. In light of this, Harold Prince’s Australian production of Evita does an admirable job at recounting the trials and tribulations of one of the most prominent (and untitled) female political leaders in recent history.

Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice bring to life the story of Eva Perón, the former first lady of Argentina and champion of the Perónist movement in the ‘40s and ‘50s. Eva’s rags to riches story has seen the musical reach its 40th anniversary this year, possibly because the political lessons hold true to this day.

In a way, this chapter in Argentina’s history has repeated itself elsewhere. A figure rises up, powered by a populist following, only to enact little change and disappoint their constituents. It demonstrates how a politician may only go as far as their initial charisma lets them. Before her claim to fame unfolds, we see the first steps in Eva’s career as an actress. Aussie pop icon Tina Arena makes the protagonist’s vocal lines seem like child’s play. Like the character herself, Eva’s phrases are energetic, switching from diatonic runs to melodic bounds at any given moment. With Arena, each split-second note is given equal respect.

Then the time came for ‘Don’t Cry for Me Argentina’.

How do you make a song your own when it’s been performed thousands of times before? For Arena, it meant not submitting to the conductor’s direction, loosely drifting across the orchestral backing underneath. She knew it was what the crowd had been waiting for, and decided to adopt a pop timbre to stand out.

The musical backgrounds of the cast were clear from their performances. Paulo Szot ( Juan Perón), an operatic baritone, captured the brevity of a man torn between political leadership and a military coup – albeit with a bit too much vibrato. Kurt Kansley’s theatrical interpretation of Che shone through in the second half, striking the perfect balance between singing and disillusioned commentary. Michael Falzon made easy, comical work of Magaldi and Alexis van Maanen’s portrayal as Perón’s mistress was short but sweet.

It’s also worth noting the stunning costume design featured during Eva’s transition from gloom to glam. At the height of her power, she is dressed in a regal white gown. As her life fades due to cancer, so does the vitality in her outfit, eventually being draped in a spiritless navy fabric. Real-life footage of Eva herself and the Argentinian cities is broadcast on a large screen to the audience, a clever decision that only highlights the power the Peróns were able to summon in their prime.

Arena empathically depicted the life of a politician who promised the world without living in it herself. In a bittersweet way, this is a story that has as much relevance now as it did 40 years ago.

BY CALEB TRISCARI

Evita is currently running at Arts Centre Melbourne. For tickets, head to evitathemusical.com.au.

Gig Guide THURS 13TH DEC 7.00pm- cal & dan FRI 14th DEC 6.00pm- Sophia brown 9.00PM- Jack & jordan SAT 15TH dec 6.00pm- oliver clarke 9.30pm- jj & ray SUN 16TH dec 1.00pm- RHYS TOLHURST 6.00pm- INKASOUNDS 303 Sydney Rd Brunswick entry via Phoenix Street

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17

COLUMNS

Industry WITH CHRISTIE ELIEZER

Pete Shelley

. g

d e

e

. t

e

WITH JOE HANSEN

Beat Eats WITH GEORGIA SPANOS

Serotonin Eatery

e k e %

r s s

Punk

WHY INDIE LABELS’ VOICES ARE GETTING LOUDER

A new global report from the independent sector of 33 countries shows that the sector is growing faster than any other in the music industry. Compiled from 2017 figures, the third WINTEL report from London-based Worldwide Independent Network (WIN) shows that the indie market share is 39.9%. It was 38.4% in 2016, an 11.3% year-on-year jump, while the rest of the market only expanded by 10.2%. WIN estimates its figures from ownership, not distribution (for which majors claims 22.4% of indie revenue). Direct revenue was $101 million, up from $94 million in 2016. In terms of share in their home markets, South Korea had an astounding 89.2%, followed by Japan (63.8%) and the US (39%). Australia ranked #9 a 33% share, while Canada had 25% and the UK 23%. Fuelling much of the indie market’s growth was streaming revenue leaping by 46% to US$3.1 billion.

Streaming now accounts for just under 44% of the sector’s overall income, aided by indie labels quickly embracing streaming because it makes cash flow easier. WIN reckons it might have hit 50% already, saying: “These figures also hint at another encouraging trend for independent labels: that their investment in artists’ long-term development, and in the album format, is an advantage rather than a risk in the streaming era. While major labels expend considerable marketing resources to break individual tracks, indies are investing for the long term: and are developing sustainable businesses as a result.”

On average 31% of their income comes from abroad, compared to 69% from the home market. Meanwhile, some of the larger indies, including those from Australia, have revealed to Industrial Strength that over half comes from overseas. WIN drew a freeze frame of what the average independent label looks like these days. They evoke incredible loyalty from their artists. On average, 77% re-sign with them, though it’s higher in Australia at up to 89% (fifth highest) while Spain was the highest (97%). The US didn’t fair so well on loyalty at 80%, as well as New Zealand (70%) and the UK (41%). This indicates that indies are seen as fair and transparent.

Indies also seem to be more stable. Based on this year’s survey, 42% of staff have been there since the launch of the label. Bear in mind that the average label is 14.9 years old. They have an average of 13.6 full-time staff, 3.2 parttime staff and 97.6 artists in their catalogue. On the strong stance of independent labels, Charles Caldas, CEO of digital rights group Merlin said: “It’s what independent labels have been great at through the history of recorded music: finding a genre, a scene or a particular strain of music, and defining it by making sure it came to market for people to discover. I really do believe we’re entering an era where that kind of long-term commitment to your artists is going to pay dividends.”

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Last week the music world learned of the sudden passing of Buzzcocks frontman and solo artist Pete Shelley due to a suspected heart attack, aged 63. Tributes began to flow from all sides of the music community, remembering the legacy and power of his still active band and musical career.

One of the pioneering UK punk bands, Buzzcocks most notably set themselves apart from the lyrical aggression and politically-charged focus of bands like The Clash and the Sex Pistols. While the typical punk band of the time would be rallying to dismantle political systems and challenge all authority, Shelley’s lyrics focused on his own personal relationships and the conflicts and struggles within them. Proving to be massively influential to this day in alternative music, the openly bisexual Shelley was arguably the first punk rock singer to explore this side of his relationships in a commercial setting. The band is often overlooked for just how far ahead of the time they were with their songwriting, yet it’s hard to deny the importance of the small pieces that they focused on, – specifically their point of always using gender-neutral language and eschewing binary gender pronouns in their lyrics. In a 1977 interview with Sounds, Shelley explained: “There isn’t any implied gender in our songs now because we think it’s boring singing about one thing when it could apply to both sexes. Our songs are bisexual.”

Buzzcocks

Lyrics aside, Buzzcocks were arguably one of the fastest and most energetic of the initial wave of UK punk. The Sex Pistols had their mid-tempo rock ‘n’ roll down pat, The Clash were already slowing things down with reggae and roots influences, and while The Damned had the speed and drive, their sound always had a dark and morbid undercurrent. Buzzcocks moved away from all of that, deciding that they could be just as punk and revolutionary musically without resorting to alreadyestablished rock tropes and mindless aggression. While the most appropriate comparison of the time would be The Ramones, Buzzcocks took a far more intricate and developed method of songwriting and storytelling to address the audience. The Ramones were obviously excellent pop songwriters as well, rarely having to rely on aggression and force to create their sound, yet there’s no denying that much of their material was just updated versions of already existing pop. Buzzcocks didn’t take any obvious cues from music of the yesteryear, carving out a new template for punk rock and power pop. To Shelley, the most powerful and subversive attitude came from his own personal feelings and experiences, combined with forward-thinking and just damn catchy pop punk.

Lyrical and musical analysis aside, perhaps what made Pete Shelley and his band so likeable and relatable was their lack of star power and celebrity. While peers Johnny Rotten and Joe Strummer became household names overnight with their outspoken public platform, Shelley arguably kept things far more down to earth by simply sticking to what he was doing with his music and having little, if any, interest in promoting himself as anything that he was not. He will be missed.

Last week’s bout of seriously hot days threw my appetite in a completely different direction. I’m not sure if it’s just me, but each time the heat exceeds 30 degrees, all I long for is a smoothie or a meal on the lighter side. To state the complete obvious, Melbourne is overflowing with smoothie bars and healthy eateries, but finding those actually worth paying double figures for (let’s not deny the price of smoothies is a tad ridiculous) proves limiting. That said, here’s my spots that never seem to fail.

Serotonin Eatery masterfully embodies all things health in a quirky and fun style. Instead of simply gathering up all that’s healthy and light, Serotonin go the extra mile to create dishes that are simply extraordinary. Take their “Smiling Smashed Avo” for instance: it’s smashed peas and beetroot relish on sprouted loaf and fresh chilli, resulting in what I’d say is their most popular dish. If you’re after a vegan option, swap the feta with Serotonin’s house-made almond feta. On the smoothie front, my top picks are the Choc, Cacao & Banana (with organic cacao and ripe bananas), the Peanut Butter Protein Shake (using pea protein, banana and coconut milk), and the Coconut Espresso Bomb (with whole coconut and espresso). Ask for a smile on the top to your smoothie and they may just have something for you, too.

Combi in Elwood is no stranger to health-enthusiast Bayside babes. Like Serotonin Eatery, their smoothies are visually awe-inspiring, yet they feel slightly more coastal and tropical. Try their Liquid Passion (with passion fruit, mango, coconut flesh and home-made nut mylk) or their Shine On (with coconut flesh, tropical fruits, spinach, home-made nut mylk and vanilla protein powder). As for food, their toasties are simple pleasures not to be ignored — the avocado with shredded vegetables and spices is my choice pick.

Laneway Greens have me addicted across their three store locations in Swan Street, Richmond, and Flinders Lane and Collins Place in the CBD. I often return for their whole food bowls, namely the Grilled Free-Range Chicken & Greens (chicken, quinoa, greens, hemp seeds and a sweet surprise of grapes) or the Cape Grim Beef & Seasonal Greens (greens, slow-cooked egg, brown chilli and soya dressing). When I’m opting for a liquid breakfast or lunch, the Blueberry, Banana & Pure Maple serves me well, featuring almond milk, cinnamon, and natural almond butter, while the Spinach, Spirulina & Pink Grapefruit (with avocado and banana) is filling and packed with nutrients. The hot weather may be overwhelming, yet it’s a lovely time to enjoy the lighter side to dining, and bounce around the summer radiating with health. For those still sinking beers and burgers, that’s okay too, summer’s a time when your happiness comes first.

WEDNESDAY 12TH DECEMBER, 6PM FREE

WHISKY WEDNESDAYS! FEAT. ACOUSTIC ACTS IN THE FRONT BAR. Feat. Marcuz and Jonny B $7 Basic Whiskey // $9 Premium Whiskey // $12 Whiskey

Cocktail

THURSDAY 13TH DECEMBER, 8PM FREE

ROD FRITZ & ACOUSTIC FOXX Robert Patton.

FRIDAY 14TH DECEMBER, 7PM DOORS $10

JOHN HOWARD (NEWCASTLE)

Dog (Newcastle). Derailment, Defenestration, Empty Gesture. Clogged.

SATURDAY 15TH DECEMBER

CLOSED FOR PRIVATE FUNCTION

SUNDAY 16TH DECEMBER, 5PM FREE

TEN GALLON HEAD & SORE YES [DOUBLE HEADER] 2 Inch Tape.

TUESDAY 18TH DECEMBER, 6PM FREE

OPEN MIC *FREE performer drink* $15 Jugs

HAPPY HOUR OPEN MIC 5PM-7PM TUE-SUN, $6 PINTS, $3.50 POTS, $5 WINE/BASIC SPIRITS LAZY GRAMPS BURGER AND PINT SPECIAL $20!

TEN GALLON HEAD/SORE EYES DOUBLE HEADER 5PM

TEN GALLON HEAD

- full-strength lineup return to Swamplands! with new alternating nods toward a few tight pop manoeuvres, and bluesy swaggers.

SORE EYES

- is made of some of the cream of Melbourne’s musical fraternity with Tim Deane and Chris Willard (Ron Peno & The Superstitions, New Vindictive, Waywardbreed, Hired Guns) on guitars, Damian Fitzgerald (Ponyface) on drums and Anthony Paine (Hired Guns, Snout, Hi Pass Filter) plugging away out front on bass and vocals.

2 INCH TAPE AT SWAMPLANDS - THEY TOOK AWAY MY SANTA CLAUS - 7.30 PM 2 Inch Tape returns to Swamplands for a special, double-set show. and the premiere of the new single, ‘They Took Away My Santa Claus’.

744 High Street, Thornbury, Victoria, Australia facebook/swamplandsbar

c i s u m e v i l f o r e m m THE WESTERNPORT HOTEL

SuDEC 29th BLACK SORROWS DEC 28th FLUX DEC 31st NYE BEACH PARTY JAN 2nd KINGSWOOD JAN 3rd UNCANNY XMEN

JAN 11th THE BEAUTIFUL GIRLS JAN 12th INXSIVE JAN 19th PETE MURRAY SELLING FAST JAN 20th ZIGGY ALBERTS SOLD OUT FEB 1st HEIN COOPER CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE FOR MORE INFO AND TO BUY TICKETS. THE WESTERNPORT - WHERE ELSE?

www.thewesternport.com.au (03) 5678 5205 161 Marine Pde San Remo

7TH DEC “Fun Fun Fun” The Music of The Beach Boys

14TH DEC Paul Williamson; All Things Jazz, Blues & Soul

FRIDAYS DECEMBER 2018

21ST DEC

Come and enjoy some of Melbourne’s finest jazz musicians at this FREE community event.

Various shops open to peruse with wine and cheese packages available for a more intimate experience.

Gianni Marinucci & Michelle Nicolle Swinging Xmas

Bookings: www.bertoncellocoffee.com.au

BEAT.COM.AU

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FEATURE

Beat’s Top Picks For Party In The Paddock

Party In The Paddock

BY LEXI HERBERT

Alex the Astronaut Alex Lynn writes folk tunes about the minutiae of the world around her, caught somewhere between naivety and experience. Her stream of consciousness pop vignettes are charming, captured on her two-punch debut EPs To Whom it May Concern and See You Soon.

The 23-year-old’s pseudonym feels appropriate, considering she’s also currently on a soccer scholarship at Long Island University, studying maths and physics.

Cable Ties Melbourne trio Cable Ties are an unstoppable punk powerhouse with a world class live show. The rhythm section channels a kind of Pixies alien-surf-punk, while vocalist Jennie McKechnie bellows out rallying cries of frustration, anxiety and fear. The band have recently announced they will again host their annual Cable Ties Ball, fostering a local scene of like-minded blustering punks.

The Presets

The Presets are responsible for some of Australia’s most quintessential dance hits over their 15 year career. The Sydney duo’s thundering electroclash has earned them a formidable live reputation too, immortalised in their 2009 Sound Relief performance. Their fourth and latest record Hi-Viz is very literally built for the stage, colliding raw pub rock energy with their signature techno.

Vera Blue Few Australian musicians have a voice with the malleable pop power of Vera Blue. The former Voice contestant has been riding a constant tide of success since her electro-pop rebrand on Perennial. Her fifth and final single from the career-upending record ‘Lady Powers’ is a breathy burst of bliss and has driven her deserved run to the top.

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Image by Mitch Lowe

It’s no lie that Tasmania is one of Australia’s most criminally underrated states. Sure, they’re tucked right down near the Antarctic and Boag’s isn’t really all it’s cracked up to be, but they have some of the most beautiful scenery in the country and their cultural scene is on fire.

In what should be regarded as a move to unite those two positives, Party in the Paddock is one of Australia’s best up-and-coming music and culture festivals. The certified boog-fest takes place over three days in February, and is housed in the lush natural environment of Launceston’s White Hills.

Though an interstate trip may seem daunting, PITP’s founding Creative Director Jesse Higgs maintains that it’s a much easier trip than you’d think.

“From Melbourne, it’s about a 45 minute flight and a 20 minute drive. In reality, it’s probably easier to get to the Paddock than it is to drive across the city in peak hour.”

And you can bet that the festival is determined to make the trip worth it. If a rubix cube were a festival, this one would be it. There’s a plethora of acts making the trip from the local area, interstate, and international airports to head down to Launceston for a slice of the action. Though now an internationally recognised drawcard Down Under, PITP had humble beginnings as just another local get-together. Higgs explains it all started as a literal party in a paddock.

The emphasis placed on the arts and culture aspect of the festival has grown this year, with the management team intent on “bolstering” this section of punter engagement and enthusiasm.

The central village of the festival, named ‘Vibestown’, has been revamped with the hope that punters will be able to spend more time and energy exploring the less boog-intensive aspects of the PITP lineup.

“We have this thing called the ‘Vibestown March’ each year, which is a special annual occasion,” Higgs laughs. “We have about 400 people – including a lot of the festival’s original family – and we have this procession that goes from the middle of Vibestown and ends at the main amphitheatre in the existing moshpit.

“We also have the guys from The Good Church coming over from Canada; they’re non-

religious and deliver provocative sermons about living positively. They’re going to be the unofficial MCs of that specific area of the festival.”

What’s more, Higgs also lets slip some new information on the PITP art sphere, which is set to reach new heights in 2019. He announces that a certain internationally-renowned artist will be collaborating with the festival to produce an installation that celebrates the motto of the whole event.

“We have a feature art installation that’s gonna go around the whole festival; there’ll be a big announcement in early January for that one,” Higgs explains.

“Aside from that, we’ve got a few Tasmanian feature artists who are always keen to jump on board and get together to make these huge installations. Like, one time we had this huge wedge-tailed eagle hanging in one of the tents and, you know, we’re really focusing on our ‘Tassie wilderness’ theme this year.”

2019 marks PITP’s seventh anniversary, and Higgs is unexpectedly casual about the stacked lineup he’s curated.

“On the management team, we’re all music lovers ourselves, and we grew up going to music festivals. Coming from that, we really get a kick out of exposing artists that are on the rise and also creating that real Easter egg hunt for our punters. We actually want them to be exposed to music they might not have heard yet, or stuff that they otherwise could have missed. It’s become my full-time job now, to sort of keep my year out and constantly scope for new bands and acts that we can bring back to [PITP].”

So essentially, Higgs has the best job in the world?

“I’m sure there are other jobs that are just as good, like hosting for triple j or something,” he says. “But yeah, I count myself pretty lucky, I’m very stoked. It’s a good time.”

“We really get a kick out of exposing artists that are on the rise...We actually want [punters] to be exposed to music they might not have heard yet, or stuff that they otherwise could have missed.”

Party in the Paddock goes down in White Hills, Tasmania from Thursday February 7 to Saturday February 10.

Find more details and tickets via the festival website.

SPECIAL FEATURE

Beat’s Ultimate Student Survival Guide

BY JOSHUA MARTIN

Anne Marie Reddan

High school exams are complete and the wait is on. It’s an awkward few weeks before you receive your ATAR score, yet it’s an extremely important period.

It’s a time to take a second and think – what do I want to do with my career, what am I interested in and how do my interests translate into a professional environment? Don’t fret, we’ve all been there and the flood of course options can be overwhelming. One thing’s for certain, you will always have choices and Australian Catholic University is simplifying the process. To get you off the ground, we’re breaking down the nitty gritty to bring you a practical guide on how to nail being a student, because it’s easier than you think.

RESULTS ARE OUT: WHAT NOW?

Nobody likes being reduced to a number – even a high one – so don’t worry about how your ATAR stacks up. Take your time to put your joy or dismay in perspective and stop scrolling course lists like it’s your newsfeed – you now have to make a decision.

Don’t let yourself be bamboozled into a course you have no interest in. Picking what you love, linked to an idea of a career you think you’d love, is always the best policy. Try to work out what your course entails on a day-to-day basis and substantially understand course structure by reading the syllabus.

I DIDN’T QUITE GET WHAT I WANTED – HELP!

Okay, so your path to your dream neurosurgery degree has hit a roadblock; don’t panic, we can still make a doctor out of you yet. You might have to take an alternative route to reach your desired goal and it matters to have plenty of thoughtful preferences on your list – pick options that draw on your strengths.

Don’t be afraid to hedge your bets on a course with an ATAR cut-off higher than your score – you may qualify through bonus points racked up via your school subjects or be able to slip through via alternative entry requirements. ACU also offers alternate entry schemes via pathways courses. If you don’t have a prerequisite ATAR of 70 for a Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood and Primary), you can enrol in an ACU bridging unit.

BALANCING UNI AND YOUR SOCIAL LIFE

Your social life at university is as formative as your academic one, and it’s important you don’t neglect it. Try having a schedule to make it possible to cover your academic, social and work bases without letting it all crumble to pieces. University is an overwhelming life package, and there’s no shame in not being able to handle it sometimes – foster your support network and know your university counsellor.

Universities are filled with like-minded people and they won’t bite. Don’t be afraid to say hi to your lecture-seat neighbours and if you have some time between classes, grab some lunch with them.

There’s a good chance they’ll have similar interests and there’s a new friendship right there.

EXAMS ARE COMING: DO NOT PANIC

Exams are not the end of the world. They can make up to 50 per cent of your semester weighting but don’t let that number crowd your preparation.

Don’t overstudy and make a SWOTVAC program.

Set aside time for breaks throughout the day and make sure you eat lunch.

Incremental study throughout the semester will obviously make your exams a smoother experience, but there’s also very little chance you will spend your time at university without cramming at least a few times. Studying on the morning of an exam is not a very effective approach – not much will soak in and it’ll only make you more stressed. On exam day, channel your favourite ‘90s rapper with a baggy tracksuit, bring a water bottle, and be comfortable – it’ll do you the world of good.

MOVING FROM AFAR? NOT TO WORRY

Moving interstate or overseas to start university for the first time can feel like a double jump into the abyss, but it’s an experience many have gone through before you. For ACU Bachelor of Arts student Emily Fawns, moving from relatively rural

Bathurst to Sydney was initially disorienting.

“When you walk down the street in Bathurst, you say ‘hi’ to so many familiar faces, but in Sydney you barely see anyone you know,” Fawns says.

For Fawns and many others, the little home truths are the things that help the most: being familiar with public transport and the local area while living in catered for student accommodation eases the transition.

“I have begun to create my own little family within the building, which helps when I’m missing home,” Fawns says.

Life transitions evoke a smorgasbord of emotions, though they eventually result in personal growth, as we learn to psychologically adapt to our environment.

AN ACU SUCCESS STORY

Still feel like you need inspiration? It can be hard to visualise the career you’re working toward at university, so it helps to hear a story like that of Anne Marie Reddan.

Reddan was set on her path of study after a gap year experience in Uganda showed her the harm of unqualified volunteerism. To help create sustainable change for disadvantaged youth in the country instead, she studied a Bachelor of International Development Studies at ACU. The degree gave her the theoretical framework to start her charity Yimba Uganda, beginning by providing widows and single mothers with the means to purchase a goat, whose kid would be distributed to another family in the community.

Reddan has been able to achieve incredible things through her ACU education but such heights shouldn’t daunt you. Everyone paves their own way through university and every path is unique. Don’t get flustered by inevitable comparisons, just embrace it – your desired path will eventually present itself.

“Don’t let yourself be bamboozled into a course you have no interest in. Picking what you love, linked to an idea of a career you think you’d love, is always the best policy.”

Australian Catholic University’s Know Your Options information sessions will take place at their Melbourne and Ballarat campuses on Monday December 17, from 12pm to 2.30pm and 4pm to 6pm respectively. Head to the ACU website for more information.

BEAT.COM.AU

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FEATURE

Day By The Bay Festival

BY GRETA BRERETON

Port Phillip Bay is a big part of life for many Melburnians. As the most densely populated catchment in Australia, there are about five million of us living along its coastline. We fish, swim, surf and boat on the bay, frequenting beaches from the eastern tip of Portsea, all the way around to Geelong.

It’s an iconic part of our great state and the natural heart of our city, offering some sort of respite from the concrete jungle we’re otherwise confined to.

But the wonder of this environmental gem is often taken for granted, and as such, the health of the bay is declining. In order to protect and preserve the Port Phillip waterway, charity organisation Remember The Wild want us to understand why it’s so important.

“Port Phillip Bay is a really special and unique place, there’s really nowhere else like it in Australia,” says the organisation’s Managing Director, Christopher McCormack. “People value it for a whole range of reasons, but our population’s growing pretty rapidly.

“Combine greater population – more people using the bay and drawing from bay – with more pressure and pollution being put on the bay, it means that even though it’s a special place and we love it so much, it’s sort of under threat, and we need to look after it.”

McCormack and his team stand by their strong environmental ethos, focusing on fostering connections between people and the natural world. In the current digital age, rebuilding our relationship with the environment is as important as ever, and crucial for the longevity of areas like Port Phillip Bay. “You can talk about this connection to nature and this connection to Port Phillip Bay as a bit like if you see a stranger down the street,” McCormack explains. “You know that they’re a person, you know they’ve got hopes and dreams, but if you don’t know who they are, and you don’t get to know them, it’s going to be hard for you to really care about them.

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“Basically, don’t let Port Phillip Bay be a stranger to you. Because, whether you know it or not, it’s an important part of your life, so you should work on that relationship.”

In a bid to encourage people to do just this, McCormack and the team are throwing not one, but two parties in honour of the bay. Running for the first-time next year, the Day By The Bay festivals will be held in Mornington and Point Cook, giving locals a chance to come along and celebrate their stretch of coastline.

As McCormack points out, parts of the Port Phillip shoreline such as the Mornington Peninsula, already garner quite a lot of attention from both locals and tourists, but other areas are more often overlooked.

“If we just focused on one area of the bay, we’re going to miss out on a whole group of people,” says McCormack, of the decision to host two events. “That Eastern part of the bay gets a lot more attention, and for good reason, it is a gorgeous part of Port Phillip Bay, but you know, it’s a big bay.

“Looking at Mornington, that’s an esteemed, pristine, beautiful popular area, and I think a lot of people from the city would be keen to head down that way,” he continues. “Then, looking at the Wyndham area with Point Cook Coastal Reserve, it’s important that we focus on that top end of the bay, because it doesn’t get as much love.”

The festivals, which will be held in February and March, will play host to a range of speakers, educating and empowering attendees on the issues that affect the bay, and what they can do as individuals to combat these. Of course, there’ll also be the usual festival fan-fare, with heaps

of food vendors, entertainment and live music onsite. So far, they’ve only got headliners for each location lined up, but it’s already looking to be an impressive pair of events.

“Mornington Peninsula will have the band Mildlife as their headliner, and Point Cook are very excited to be hosting Mojo Juju,” says McCormack, who also hopes to draw attention to Port Phillip’s Indigenous history.

“A huge element of the festivals as well is not just about celebrating environment, but celebrating the cultural heritage of the bay,” he explains. “We’ll be working with Boon Wurrung [foundation] throughout this initiative and through the festival to make sure that we’re raising awareness for the cultural heritage, and promote the idea that humans have been living along Port Phillip Bay for thousands of years.”

As with all festivals, the Day By The Bay events are designed to entertain, but there’s so much more to them than just a fun day out for the family. McCormack and the group at Remember The Wild want this to be a way for people to reconnect with the waterway, with each other and with the nature lover in themselves.

“This festival I think, is our way of saying, ‘hey let’s just have a day, one day a year, or two days a year really, where we all stop, we come together as a community, we have a good time and we celebrate the fact that we’re connected to one another and we’re connected to the bay.’”

“Don’t let Port Phillip Bay be a stranger to you. Because, whether you know it or not, it’s an important part of your life.”

Day By The Bay festival goes down in Mornington on Saturday February 23, and in Point Cook on Saturday March 23.

Head to the Remember The Wild website for more details.

FEATURE

The Merindas

The Merindas have been quietly working their way around Australia playing gigs since their first high-profile set launching the 2012 film The Sapphires, but since they moved to Melbourne in January, their hard work is starting to pay off.

2019 looks to be the year the pair become household names, starting in February when they play the Yaluk-ut Weelam Ngargee festival in Melbourne’s City of Port Philip, and then play with Yothu Yindi & The Treaty Project in 2019 (you heard it here first) in what can only be considered a huge honour for any Indigenous artist.

Candice Lorrae is 32 and a Jawoyn woman born in Darwin. Kristel Kickett is 30 and a Noongar woman from Tammin in Western Australia. They first went to music college together in Perth and later connected when Lorrae invited Kickett to come and sing Motown hits with a tribute group. But soon the pair decided to break out on their own and become The Merindas, an Eora word for “beautiful woman”.

The name fits well with the new aesthetic the pair has created for themselves, one quite removed from their Motown beginnings. They’re now rocking a warrior queen vibe and sing about female strength and empowerment. They describe the sound of their upcoming debut album as “electronic with a lot of harmony, a dance hall feel, with a lot of afro beat, hip hop, R&B” mixed in with traditional language.

“We call it a warrior feel,” Lorrae explains, “so when you’re listening to it you just feel empowered.”

If their song ‘We Sing Until Sunrise’ is anything to go by, then fans are in for an absolute treat with the upcoming album. It gets you moving

“We call it a warrior feel... so when you’re listening to it you just feel empowered.”

Photo by Jake Steele

no matter how you feel, and the use of language gives it depth and beauty. Together the pair have been writing for about two-and-a-half-years and record all their songs at home, before sending the files to their Perth-based producer who helps to refine the sound.

In the past year, one of the duo’s highlights has been playing Brisbane’s BIGSOUND and the other was playing an open-air gig in Federation Square, which they said had a really excellent vibe. With a debut album set to hit early in 2019, the pair is focused on playing as much of Melbourne’s famous festival scene as they can, saying their sound and look is perfect for that style of live festival performances.

When they first arrived in Melbourne, The Merindas saw a poster for the Yaluk-ut Weelam Ngargee festival and said “we’ve gotta go there and get to know everybody”, Lorrae says. “When we got there we were thinking we’ve got to perform here next year.

Just a few months later they were performing at a flag-raising ceremony at St Kilda Town Hall and the invitation to play the festival was signed, sealed and delivered. Since launching in 2006, the Indigenous Arts & Cultural Festival has grown into a revered music, dance, film, marketplace and sustainability program.

The party kicks off with a concert at St Kilda’s Memo Music Hall with Mojo Juju and The Merindas, then an open-air family festival will open the following day at O’Donnell Gardens.

It’s set to be one of the highlights of the year for The Merindas duo, along with the huge honour of playing with Yothu Yindi.

As Lorrae explains, “What we’ve been working on for so many years is all to do with timing and I think this is the right time for us now.”

BY ISABELLE ODERBERG

I’m With Her

I’m With Her are customarily introduced as one of the highestprofile all-female groups in bluegrass.

But according to vocalist Sara Watkins, looking at I’m With Her as an all-female band would be no more to-the-point than looking at the Beatles as an all-male band.

2018’s See You Around was the first full-length album to combine Watkins’ talents with those of Sarah Jarosz, an accomplished solo artist, and Aoife O’Donovan of Crooked Still. Watkins, who also plays fiddle with the progressive bluegrass three-piece Nickel Creek, speaks with an unpracticed earnestness that is rare among performers who have spent time in the media spotlight.

“I hope that people are able to have a moment with [See You Around], that they can spend some time listening to it and that it might draw them in and touch them in some way,” says Watkins. “There are some moments where you can actually hear us smiling as we’re singing it, which is something that happens nearly every night while we’re onstage as well… The dynamics captured are not often found on records these days. I would like that to be noticed, I think. I have my favourite moments on the album, but I want listeners to love it for their own reasons.”

I’m With Her is, in effect, a supergroup, and it’s easy to wonder whether putting three frontwomen together in one studio could generate friction. Watkins says that the bluegrass community’s emphasis on collaboration ensured that the trio were prepared for the give-and-take of working together.

“It could make things harder,” says Watkins. “But, in this particular band, we all come from a tradition where collaboration is a huge value, and the most respected musicians are often the ones who are getting

the least accolades, who are low-profile: just killing it, but without a lot of flash. There’s part of every musician who wants to be that person. When you’re in a band, you get to try your hand at that. You get to try and be the most supportive person that you can.

“These songs are all co-written in a way that the lyrics don’t feel pieced-together. They feel like one story to us. We are writing shared experiences in a way that there are very few bits of these songs where I could tell you who actually came up with the idea. We have real shared ownership over these songs, which I think makes it really easy to feel affectionate toward these songs each night. I feel like I’m playing someone else’s song as much as my own.”

Jackson Browne has been a particular source of inspiration, says Watkins, not just because of his technical skill, but because of his openness to learning and the consideration with which he treats his crew.

These vital skills can only be picked up through experience, she says.

“It’s something you have to learn,” Watkins explains. “Great collaborators are quick to adapt, good

Yaluk-ut Weelam Ngargee kicks off with a concert at Memo Music Hall on Friday February 1 and continues as a free family festival on Saturday February 2 at O’Donnell Gardens. Visit ywnf.com.au for more information.

listeners, accept criticism well and want to support what’s going on, but they’re willing to step up and take the lead when necessary… I’ve found it’s really good for me to put myself in as many different situations as possible, so that I can stay sharp and figure out how I can contribute. I stay nimble.”

Watkins is gearing up for her first trip to Australia, where I’m With Her will appear at Bluesfest in April, performing a mixture of tracks from See You Around, plus material from the trio’s respective solo records and some of the band’s favourite cover songs.

Watkins enjoys connecting with her fanbase, something about which she is characteristically unassuming.

“People have been joining in and singing along, and that’s really sweet,” says Watkins. “It means people have taken your song to heart enough to know it and to want to sing it back at you. It’s an intimate feeling that’s really special. It seems like a corny thing to say, but it really is sweet.”

“The most respected musicians are often the ones who are getting the least accolades, who are low-profile: just killing it, but without a lot of flash.

There’s part of every musician who wants to be that person.”

I’m With Her will play Bluesfest when it goes down from Thursday April 18 to Monday April 22. They’ll also take to the Melbourne Recital Centre on Thursday April 18. Tickets via the festival and venue websites respectively.

BY ZACHARY SNOWDON SMITH

BEAT.COM.AU 23

FEATURE

Soccer Mommy

Nashville bedroom-popster Sophie Allison doesn’t remember much about how she came to be known as Soccer Mommy, but somehow the former Twitter handle felt right.

Pitchfork snidely referred to the name as “decidedly uncool” in their review of Allison’s studio debut Clean, though it’d be difficult to imagine the artist under the self-seriousness of her own name. Allison is almost 21 years old, and has suddenly found herself stacked on the pointy end of nearly every major publication’s best of the year list, including the New York Times. Since releasing Clean in March, Allison has dovetailed across the world with her brand of country-tinged indie, and is about to land in Australia for the second time in six months for the Falls Festival circuit. She admits a degree of whiplash from the unrelenting pace of success, though doesn’t take the chance to complain.

“It’s more intense now than it was, obviously,” Allison deadpans.

The singer-songwriter is a signatory for the Bandcamp generation; first uploading music from her bedroom to the site in 2015, mainly to entertain aspirations in a music town as established as Nashville. 2017 saw Allison break free from her bedroom-pop shackles, upgrading to a full-band sound with Collection, signing to Fat Possum (The Black Keys’ first label) and scoring a US tour slot with Mitski.

“I wasn’t playing shows when I was first posting it, I didn’t think anyone was taking it seriously. It took at least a year for me to even feel like I was considered a local artist,” Allison explains. “I think the [Bandcamp] feedback definitely helped – seeing people enjoy it made me feel more empowered to do it.”

Nashville carries a lot of connotation for any kind of musician – the town’s gate-keeping country music overlords tend to overshadow the thriving underground that Allison came out of.

“I grew up around lots of folk, singer-songwriter type stuff of course, but I think Nashville has another scene going on – indie, punk, garage, psych, emo,” Allison says. “They’re not all obvious influences, but I definitely like music that evokes a lot of emotion.”

Both comments help to piece together Allison’s singular brand of indie-pop – an attitude equal parts venom and honey, funnelled through the lyrical frames of country and emo. On Clean’s ‘Scorpio Rising’, Allison wistfully remembers being “in your car with the backseat southern summer,” having “ignored all the missed calls from your mother” and it’s hard to encapsulate her better than that; an inward rumination on the Southern teenage experience.

The imagery in Allison’s life has obviously changed a lot since moving from Nashville to New York to study music business, before dropping out and touring the world. Though there might be a technical reality disconnect with sweltering Southern summers while living in tour transit, Allison thinks it hasn’t altered the songs’ emotive quality.

“It’s not that I can’t relate to those things.

They’re just not stuff that I experience on a daily basis anymore. They don’t feel like these huge moments of grandeur,” she says. “It will be different now. The songs will have different focuses – I’ve started writing, and it definitely seems more like personal stuff that I’ve dealt with my whole life, but less in a sense of how it affects my actions, back home hanging out with friends and more in an internal reflection way.”

An unforeseen result of Allison’s personal songwriting has been indie idolatry, something she isn’t entirely comfortable with.

“It does make it weird when I meet fans who, not just look up to me, but are starstruck – I’m a person that chills around, who goes shopping, goes out to eat, I’m no different to them. It can create a sense of delusion for someone who isn’t very strong-minded,” she worries. “I just think it can be extremely dehumanising. That’s kind of why I don’t idolise people – because they’re just people who are really good at their craft.”

“It does make it weird when I meet fans who, not just look up to me, but are starstruck – I’m a person that chills around, who goes shopping, goes out to eat, I’m no different to them.”

Soccer Mommy plays Falls Festival Lorne on Sunday December 30, with tickets available through Ticketmaster. She’ll also hit Melbourne with a sideshow at Howler on Wednesday January 2, and you can find tickets via Moshtix.

BY JOSHUA MARTIN

Bishop Briggs

She’s a true citizen of the world whose sensational voice penetrates even the most hardened of souls.

Bishop Briggs released her highly anticipated debut LP Church Of Scars this year, and she’ll be bringing its magic to Australia shortly for Falls Festival and some select side shows.

Her reputation as a live performer precedes her, with all reports returning that Briggs is a force to be reckoned with, though she seems completely oblivious but delighted by said reviews. Her character is incredibly bubbly and warm, a juxtaposition to the bounding energy that she brings to her live performance. “I really try and be fully transparent,” she says. “Even when I feel powerful on stage, I do that so that other people feel powerful in their own skin as well.

“It’s so important that people can feel free when they know you’re being free, or at least transparent about any difficulty you have being free.”

Taking control on stage is, as Briggs describes, her animalistic side, a side she believes is within all of us. It’s something that all her fans seem to adore and relate to, especially if the video footage she shared on her Facebook page is anything to go by. The footage, which was shot from the side of the stage, sees Briggs waving her arms from side to side to an audience of thousands who mimic the motion back to her. Briggs is then seen folding herself over, seemingly collapsing in disbelief – it was a beautifully surreal moment for her, she recalls. “That sounds very accurate of my reaction,” she giggles. “I am definitely near tears, I would say, every show.

“I worked a lot of years in LA in little places, coffee shops, places that probably shouldn’t be called venues, so to go from that to have people even listening to the music, the lyrics, it’s so surreal. It’s like

24 BEAT.COM.AU

“It’s so important that people can feel free when they know you’re being free, or at least transparent about any difficulty you have being free.” the first time every single time it happens.”

And that freedom to be herself is absolutely evident in Briggs’ latest single ‘Baby’. Not just in what we see in the video, that dark montage with the bursts of colour, but the music too. Briggs voice is beautiful, everybody knows this, and she’s singing so sweetly using all these profanities and it’s all just a little gnarly. Giggling, Briggs affirms that this is the kind of song that needs to be read between the lines. Even in the acoustic version of the song that she’s recently put out, she retains the bittersweet sentiments. “It just felt so important to really strip it back,” she says. “To shine more light on the lyrics – that was my favourite part of the song to begin with.

“The production was minimal enough to show the lyrics and for sure, to show the dark and light sides that come with being someone that is so lovely, and so crazy.” Briggs has in some ways, exposed a vulnerability to her character by releasing this sublime acoustic rendition of her single – but that’s exactly what she hoped to do anyway. A woman of the world,

Briggs has released this stunning music to people all over the world, thousands tuning in to what she’s doing and loving it. When Briggs tours Australia as part of her appearance at Falls Festival, again, she’s a living juxtaposition. There are things she expects, reactions she hopes for, and reactions she doesn’t.

“It’s interesting, especially with the meet-and-greet, that’s when I find out what songs people are really connecting to,” she says.

“It really varies. Sometimes the song varies on the political climate that place is going through, or what the majority of the individuals that are coming to my shows are going through. A lot of the songs do have a heaviness so it’s for sure a result of whatever is going on in their life.”

Knowing she has a discography of works that can be applied to any situation in any location is for Briggs, as she humbly puts it, a dream. “It’s an understatement, it is truly the dream. I’m honoured, I’m thankful.”

BY ANNA ROSE

Bishop Briggs will take to Lorne on Friday December 28 as part of the Falls Festival circuit.

You can also catch her at The Corner on Tuesday January 8.

FEATURE

USER

It always makes for an interesting listen when a band refers to their own music as undefinable, especially in an era where electronic music and experimentalism go hand in hand.

Generally, what this means is that nothing like it has been made before, which is easily understood when one half of USER Andrew Nunns speaks candidly of the band’s sound and musical process.

“Some people have described our music as downtempo gloom, goth rave shoegaze, or a ‘90s grunge epic soundtrack,” he explains. “We even had one person call us adult contemporary smack music, honestly we don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.

“We go into improvisation, to different parts of the world. We like to take people on a trip with our music, both with visuals and sounds, sometimes it can be an absolute cacophony of noise and other times it can be this whole comedown, relaxed, floatation tank vibe.”

Nunns is a staple of the Melbourne music scene, having drummed for a variety of local bands in the last 15 to 20 years including Autohaze, Lime Spiders, Underground Lovers and currently The Black Heart Death Cult. His counterpart in USER, Frank Galgano is exactly as committed, having rocked out in bands such as Cactus Cat, Euphoric Amoeba and One. Sensing that they needed to keep things fresh in recent years, as most great musicians do, the two decided to team up.

“About two to three years ago me and Frank were at a party and we were both in a bit of a musical limbo and so we decided to hook up on a Monday night at Frank’s home studio. I had all these beats and bass lines going around my head so we decided to start putting it down and that eventuated into USER.”

“We even had one person call us adult contemporary smack music, honestly we don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.”

Moving on from Australian garage-rock and adding an ‘80s inspired electronic element to their music, USER’s main influences include bands like The Scientists and composers such as Angelo Badalamenti, the guy who wrote the soundtrack for a number of David Lynch’s films, as well as the ‘80s underground electro scene and in Nunns’ words, “the whole of ‘70s punk.”

These influences are easily identifiable in Nunns’ laid-back attitude. He has the air of someone who grew up in an era of rebellion and dirty grunge music, but who works hard and is passionate about keeping the Melbourne music scene alive. “Melbourne’s got a huge driving music scene. We’re really inspired by a lot of the amazing bands here, we think they’re absolutely amazing,” he says. “Melbourne is the music capital of Australia and we’re proud to be apart of it.”

Alongside his uncanny loyalty to the Melbourne music scene, one that has kept him and Galgano in the area for the past 20 years, Nunns possesses a driving work ethic, one that undoubtedly stems from

his love of Melbourne music. “We just want to keep pushing ourselves...If plans go well we will release two albums in the one year,” he says of the upcoming releases, Dimensions, Prisms and Waves set to be released sometime in March of 2019, and the roughly titled Remake, Rehash, Remodel planned for November.

USER’s debut album Dimensions, Prisms and Waves is set to be their most exciting release yet and when listening to the enthusiasm and anticipation in Nunns’ voice, it’s easy to see why. “We want it to be special so we’re doing 100 different vinyl designs with 100 different cover designs and I’m enlisting printmakers, photographers, painters, sketch artists to submit all the artwork. We’ve put a lot of work in to USER in the last few months and we just want everyone to enjoy what we’re created.”

You can catch USER playing their final shows for 2018 at Old Bar on Sunday December 16, and Red Betty on Saturday December 22. More details via USER’s Facebook page.

BY JULIE FENWICK

Bach X Reimagined

If you get down to an NGV Friday Night this summer, expect a lot of brilliance, but a lot for your brain to process.

While NGV Fridays are known for their appeal to broad audiences, you arts aficionados will have somewhere to indulge that pseudo-philosophical side of yourselves every Friday from now until April 5.

Thanks to the concurrence of the Escher x nendo: Between Two Worlds exhibition at NGV International and the Bach X Reimagined performances in the Gallery Kitchen, you’ll be able to explore what the music of arguably history’s most influential western musician, Johann Bach, sounds and, in a sense, looks like through contemporary and past lenses.

Let us explain, because there’s a lot going on: Between Two Worlds will run every day and on Friday nights at NGV International. The show presents 150 prints and drawings of 20th century Dutch graphic artist, Maurits Cornelis Escher (whose repetitive tessellations were inspired by Bach’s repetitive musical themes), in a space designed by Oki Sato, head of Japanese design studio, nendo.

On this occasion the Bach X Reimagined installation is in the spotlight, a string of musical performances interpreting Bach through various styles. It’s the product of local creative collaboration group, anon. We spoke to its co-founders, Nicole Tj and Thomas Lo, who said they had 18 musicians split into four groups ready to rotate playing on Fridays over the next four months.

Tj said anon. wanted to mirror musically what the Escher exhibition had to offer visually. It’s a cross-medium gig, with Bach as the common thread.

Add to that an Aussie-centric lineup of electronic

“The question is: how can we create an experience that’s engaging to those without classical music experience and training?” musicians performing in the garden and it’s tough to see how one could leave under-stimulated.

But Tj said there was also a temporal dimension anon. would be playing with. On the prospect of collaborating with the NGV, she said, “what we found exciting was that nendo put the contemporary spin on Escher.” So, too, she said, her and her gang of musos would do with Bach. “We want our work to be accessible and relatable … we want to know it’s making sense to the receiver.”

To accentuate their modern twist, anon. recruited sound designer Marty Hicks, whose specially commissioned soundscape will play as interludes between each Friday’s three performances. Tj explained Hicks took a musical motif from Bach and used it as the basis of his piece. “It’s based on fragments of Bach in a modern and soundscape-y way,” she said.

Lo said he and Tj studied music together at Melbourne University, diverged into architecture and marketing, respectively, then joined forces, seeing the

benefits of multidisciplinary collaboration. They have a few core principles, including keeping music at the centre of their collaborations and rejuvenating classical music by making it more accessible and contemporary.

The latter was the topic of the TED talk they were invited to give in Washington two years ago.

“The inaccessibility of classical music is about the lack of exposure or engagement,” Tj believes. “The question is: how can we create an experience that’s engaging to those without classical music experience and training?”

Despite the short time they had to pull Bach X Reimagined together, Tj said the opening night was a success. Impressive given the ostensible incongruousness between NGV Fridays’ largely young market and classical music. And that’s precisely the gap anon. wants to bridge.

Bach X Reimagined runs every Friday until April 5 as part of NGV Friday Nights. Grab your tickets from the NGV website.

BY JACOB NAZROO

BEAT.COM.AU

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LIVE AND Q & A

Skyscraper Stan

MUSIC

When did you first start making music and what led you there? My cousin Oskar and I found some old rock ‘n’ roll tapes in our Grandad’s shed when we were kids.

There were some Buddy Holly et al compilations, some Sam Cooke and a bit of Johnny Cash. That got us hooked on the old American stuff pretty early. We found the old blues guys and then had our Guns N’ Roses/AC/DC phase. Eventually we picked up guitars ourselves. We still make music and tour together - his guitar takes centre stage for a lot of the new single.

Tell us about your new single ‘Tarcutta Shade’. What is the story behind it? It’s a song about being stuck in the middle somewhere. I grew up in NZ and the size of Australia has always alarmed me. I think it’s one reason I’m still here - I romanticise isolation for whatever reason. There are so many towns plonked along the highway.

All these “in-between places”. I blast through them on tour, barely interacting with the people who live there except to fill my car up or buy a sanga. The song came out of imagining a day in the life of one of those people I see again and again without ever speaking to.

How would you describe your sound and how did you come to it? For this particular song we were trying to recreate the Hume Highway in mid Feb. Oskar’s guitar plays a major part in that – it’s a song about heat so we wanted it to simmer.The songs are quite lyrically driven so as a band we cherry pick things out of that content to put the sound together.

Are there any particular bands or musicians that stand out as influences towards your songwriting? I love words – I love reading them and I love writing them. There are a few working [musicians] in Australia today that I really admire. Gareth Liddiard and Blake Scott are two of my favourites. I like a good story with a character and a landscape I can really see. Those two do it incredibly well.

Skyscraper Stan’s ‘Tarcutta Shade’ is out now. The band play the Workers Club on Saturday December 15. tickets via Oztix.

Live

The Pharcyde - Photo by Joshua Martin

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MUSIC

Summer Thieves

Hailing from Dunedin, how did you guys first come together? Three of us met in school. Jake and Johnny played together for nearly ten years before Adam joined, and we started playing as Summer Thieves.

Tell us about your new single ‘Get Away’. What is the story behind it? ‘Get Away’ came to us through a New Zealand winter. The monotony of winter can give you pretty good insight and time to reflect on what’s going on. If you have a listen to the lyrics, it really speaks for itself.

How would you describe your sound and how did you come to it? We’ve never been able to describe our sound effectively. We’re always getting told we remind people of Sublime. Probably because we’re a bunch of white boys playing songs with a few skanks. But we did start our career together playing covers; from New-Zealand roots to rock, we really didn’t discriminate and that’s come out in our own music. Songs come out as they do but our newer stuff definitely has more poppy elements.

Tell us a bit more about “Scarfieville”. How did this influence your music, if at all?

“Scarfieville” is less than a 5km square block around the uni where everyone lives, in our hometown of Dunedin. It was pretty un-policed while we were around, and gave us a captive, concentrated audience, that were keen to party whenever. We used to just throw parties wherever we could; sometimes there were a few dozen kids there, sometimes there were upwards of a thousand. Fires, broken and damaged gear, fights, noise control – we saw and dealt with all.

Is there any new music or Summer Thieves news that fans should be keeping an eye out for in the future? ‘Get Away’ is our latest single out and we’ve got a few more in the pipeline ready to go, just waiting till everyone’s ready for them mid-summer.

Summer Thieves self-released track ‘Get Away’ is out now.

The Pharcyde

Thursday December 6, The Night Cat When word broke that The Pharcyde were gracing Australian shores again, hip hop fans admittedly went a little insane. And rightfully so – the legendary crew formed in 1989, and have been at the absolute peak of hip hop since their first album Bizarre Ride II followed in 1992. It’s been a number of years since they last performed in Melbourne – where they took to the pre-renovated Epsy dungeon along the St Kilda shore – and last Thursday they had Fitzroy’s The Night Cat full. Before two of the four original members, Imani and Bootie Brown, set off to headline Meredith Music Festival, we were blessed with their powerful South Central, Los Angeles, nostalgic throwbacks.

To warm the evening, Soliloquy shared his hip hop tracks of smooth flows and heart warming dedications to the genre and heroes before us. Soliloquy was equipped with a full band for the performance, admitting with pride that he has been studying the The Pharcyde since as long as he could remember – even sharing a recent track named ‘Welcome Back From The Pharcyde’. Throughout Soliloquy’s uplifting performance, he dedicated many songs to renowned beat legends that have passed, namely JDILLA and Mac Miller, and their creations were subtly noticable throughout his performance – an example being ‘You Know What Love Is’ by Slum Village. The support act’s true dedication to hip hop and its foundations was palpable; it’s artists like this that connect fully to the crowds, through honest, true music.

After Soliloquy wrapped up and thanked the crowd, The Pharcyde’s DJ appeared and

began scratching. Dressed neatly in a suit yet rocking red Puma clydes – a hint to not be fooled – this guy clearly had something to show. He began with absolutely killer tracks and progressed from old to new, chill to heavy, and anything beat thumping in between. He needn’t wear headphones his skills were so high, sparking even more anticipation in the crowd for the talent ahead.

From the corner of everyone’s eyes, Imani could be seen rapping over his beats, hanging off the stage rails as fans began to rap with him. Bootie Brown jumped over his head, and together they performed pure fire before creating a chant “Pharcydeeeee” and sending the night instantly into full-form.

It was no surprise that the star tracks of the night were the classics: ‘Drop’, ‘Passin’ Me By’ and ‘Ya Mama’. Hints of new-day hip hop were dropped throughout the set, reminding punters that the crew are indeed interested and in touch with what’s going on today.

Both Imani and Bootie Brown gave their absolute soul to the show, to the point where near ten towels were used to wipe away their sweat. Towards the end of the evening, the chords of ‘Runnin’’ were recognised before the entire venue rapped as one. If this was their side show, I can’t imagine how the duo would have been in the ‘Sup. Highlight: Seeing Imani and Bootie Brown jump around the stage in all different moves.

Lowlight: The duo didn’t come on until 11:30pm and I had work the next day.

Favourite Track: ‘Runnin’.

BY GEORGIA SPANOS

LIVE

Live

The Offspring - Photo by Lewis Nixon

Good Things Festival

Friday December 7, Flemington Racecourse It was 11am and the sun was already beating down on an incorrigible sweat-drenched crowd at Flemington Racecourse. A perfect blue sky heralded what would become a scorching 38 degree day – and yet, it could be plainly seen that this was no deterrent. There were friends to meet, food to eat, tinnies to sink and an incredible lineup of amazing artists to see. It was the very first Good Things Festival, and no force – be it natural or alien – could halt the extravaganza.

Ecca Vandal kicked off the day with a suitably power-packed batch of her hardesthitting tracks. Her first gig in Melbourne after six months of touring, Vandal showed no signs of slowing, shifting effortlessly between incredible screams and smooth lyrical flows. The no-holds-barred ‘Price Of Living’ – dedicated to asylum seekers around the world – proved a crowd favourite, brimming with an especially frenetic energy.

WAAX followed with a second burst of unstoppable vocal energy from Marie DeVita, who soon introduced the crowd to a familiar friend – Michael Richards of Violent Soho, filling in for regular drummer Tom Bloomfield (whose partner was having their child that day). WAAX demonstrated how they’ve risen so meteorically across the nation, unleashing some of their most beloved tracks such as ‘Labrador’ and ‘Wild & Weak’.

Fittingly, the premiere Good Things was a time of firsts for several artists. It was British pop-punk outfit Boston Manor’s debut Australian festival run and they were gleefully received by the crowd. One of the most anticipated acts of the day, however, was indisputably Japan’s BABYMETAL. Enthusiasm was at fever-pitch for their first ever Australian appearance, with chants of “BAY-BEE-MEH-TAL” starting before the band even stepped foot on stage. Braving the sweltering conditions in matching battle armour, the group flawlessly performed an intricately choreographed show against the backdrop of their J-Pop and heavy metal fusion that has seen them garner a worldwide following. Hits like ‘Gimme Chocolate!!’ and ‘Karate’ were everything their fans wanted.

The trio disappeared briefly before their last song, reappearing brandishing a series of dark flags and launching into

Meredith Music Festival - Photo by David Harris

‘Road of Resistance’. This earned the most enthusiastic reaction of the day – gigantic circle-pits formed. Crowd-surfers with Japanese flags rose above people’s heads and flung themselves around. BABYMETAL left their audience with a level of joy so pure that it felt almost impossible to believe there was still half a day to go, with bands like Tonight Alive, Bullet for My Valentine, The Used, Mayday Parade, The Smith Street Band and All Time Low yet to play.

Scarlxrd left jaws agape with his heavy-hitting mix of trap, metal and hip hop. Northlane defied the weather with pyrotechnics and La Dispute whipped their dedicated fans into a glorious, impassioned frenzy. Dropkick Murphys tapped into the rowdy, fun-loving energy that still simmered long into the day, jumping in and out of the crowd and tearing up the stage with their larger-than-life antics – you’ve never heard an accordion solo or banjo lick quite as face-melting before. Across on Stage 2, Stone Sour’s effervescent showman Corey Taylor launched himself onto the stage, firing a confetti cannon into the crowd. The Iowan outfit produced a powerful display reminding Australia why they’ve been such an enduring touring force.

Finally, punk legends The Offspring took to the stage to play their breakout 1994 album Smash, with an effortlessness that proved the LP still packs the wallop now that it did back then. With the biggest crowd of the day at their disposal, fans turned up the love for ‘Come Out and Play’ and ‘Gotta Get Away’ before thousands of voices lovingly bellowed their way through ‘Self Esteem’ – a display that overpowered even frontman Dexter Holland’s untarnished vocals.

In its premiere event, Good Things retains the earnest wonder and enthusiasm that has built classic Aussie festivals from fun times into rites of passage. It’s the kind of show that you don’t just brave the heat for, but actively has you looking forward to summer. By battling this year’s relentless conditions, fans have paid it a respect that truly speaks for itself. Good Things has set itself up for success and deserves to become the juggernaut it has introduced itself as.

BY JACOB COLLIVER

Meredith Music Festival

Friday December 7 - Sunday December 9 Maybe we left later than planned or perhaps many more sensible minds had taken note of the oncoming 38-degree heat and made sure to arrive while the sun was still a distant threat.

For a brief moment we feared the site had been evacuated as we were currently headed towards raging bushfires. Nevertheless, we made it into Meredith Music Festival safe and sound.

At 4pm we shuffled into the Supernatural Amphitheatre to catch a legend of Australian rock’n’roll kick things into gear. The Aints! primarily perform songs written during and around Ed Kuepper’s time with The Saints with the directive of capturing that same energy combined with brilliant songcraft. It was an inspired choice as opening act, the driving horn section blasting through the PA while the rhythm section propelled things along underneath.

Laura Jean’s Devotion has been incredibly received in 2018 and it seemed fitting that she should grace the Meredith stage with her extended band in order to recreate the layered textures of the album. Not a note was missed as the band, which included drums, bass, guitar, two backing vocalists, two dancers, with Jean herself on keys, vocals and saxophone.

The sun had retired when we got in position for the run of headline acts, which kicked off at 9.25pm with beloved ‘90s rock outfit The Breeders. To be perfectly honest, though I was looking forward to this set I found it to be a little underwhelming. Something about the performance seemed a little stilted, like Kim and Kelley Deal were holding back instead of investing the energy the material required.

The Seven Ups have come a long way in a relatively short time, with this year’s Commandments seeing the seven-piece move beyond their afrobeat beginnings. Clearly pumped to be taking the stage at such a prestigious timeslot (10.45pm) the band moved together like an elastic band: tight, malleable, yet loose in just the right way.

Though they set the stage up for the more famous psychedelic rock of Pond that followed, in my opinion The Seven Ups stole the show from the Perth four-piece. Nevertheless, Pond sounded epic in the setting of the ‘Sup and certainly seemed to have the crowd onside.

The resurrected and never-bested Little Ugly Girls took on the 1pm slot and blew it out of the water. It’s difficult to describe just how

incredible this four-piece is live, but it’s suffice to say that they came on blasting at full capacity.

Taking the now well-established ‘Old Mate’ slot at 3pm, Mental As Anything quickly had the crowd onside as they delivered a surprising number of well-known anthemic songs. ‘Come Back to My Place’, ‘Mr. Natural’ and of course ‘The Nips are Getting Bigger’ all resulted in huge sing-a-longs.

The Pharcyde provided another of the festival’s highlights, Imani and Bootie Brown bouncing onstage, clearly meaning business.

The group, rounded out by their DJ who deftly cut between classics from their catalogue and other’s, barely paused as they rocked the crowd like the veterans that they are.

Billy Bragg seemed an odd choice for the 6.10pm slot, and though he played a set of crowd-pleasing classics from his back catalogue, the change in energy from the previous acts was pronounced.

Mildlife have had what you might call a breakthrough year, their 2017 album Phase earning them critical acclaim and even spawning a remix EP. The Melbourne fourpiece delivered funky jazz and upbeat fusion in the best possible way, with the amphitheatre packed with dancers.

Having first graced the Supernatural Amphitheatre during an afternoon set in 2016, it was such a pleasure to see Sampa the Great return to perform a well-deserved headlining slot. Kicking off with the new single ‘Energy’, Sampa burst onstage clearly meaning business and spitting raps in her grittiest voice. The sound was expansive and soulful, including cuts from her acclaimed Birds to the BEE9 album as well as new arrangements of tracks from The Great Mixtape and a couple of loosies.

The Presets picked up on that energy and carried it through a crowd-pleasing set of dance pop. The synth and big house beats were pleasingly nostalgic while they also proved to have enough well-known bangers to keep everyone onside.

Time For Dreams provided a blissful soundtrack for a difficult Sunday morning.

The Melbourne duo’s sound, drenched in reverb, filled the space, their huge low end enveloping us like a warm aural hug.

Feeling in desperate need of a shower and some vegetables, we decided to make a break for it pre-Gift, successfully beating the traffic and living to review another day. Big thanks to Aunty for providing a safe space, a diverse and high quality lineup once again, another Meredith done and very dusted.

BY ALEX WATTS

BEAT.COM.AU

27

ALBUM REVIEWS

Album of the Week (Tan Cressida)

Singles WITH AUGUSTUS WELBY

Sampa the Great feat. Nadeem Din-Gabisi

Energy

(Independent)

Over the last three years Melbourne-based Sampa Tembo has done nothing to undercut her self-assigned greatness. A gifted rapper, singer and poet, Tembo already sounds like a veteran of the game. With help from Londonbased poet Nadeem Din-Gabisi as well as Silent Jay and Rahki’s spiritual production, ‘Energy’ finds her entirely in charge and operating on a different wavelength to her contemporaries. Never one to shy away from the big topics, Sampa makes a pitch for healing, acknowledging the multi-faceted nature of feminine energy and for erasing the destruction and shame borne of misunderstanding.

Kamaal Williams feat. Mansur Brown

Snitches Brew

(Black Focus)

London composer and keyboardist Kamaal Williams is taking an acid-jazz victory lap following a successful year. His 2018 LP The Return had its share of levitating instrumentation, but was altogether a quite diligently composed mix of contemporary jazz, hip hop, funk and street energy. On ‘Snitches Brew’, Williams and guitarist Mansur Brown say, “fuck it,” and let rip atop some pretty batshit drumming. Give it a listen and just try to resist the urge to form a jam band.

Kymie

Needs

9 (Kym Schrickker)

There’s nothing particularly new going on here stylistically. You’d have a hard time pinpointing what country this is from, but it’s undoubtedly contemporary.

Western Sydney performer Kymie flexes her various on-mic skills, busting out irresistible rhymes and earworm melodies all about being irresistible. The production, courtesy of fellow Western Sydney leading light, Kwame, is bare bones trap. Kymie uses this to her advantage, commanding the spotlight towards her unshakeable female power.

Birdz feat. Ecca Vandal

Place of Dreams

(Bad Apples)

Although this song itself is immensely compelling, it also makes you desire more from both performers. There aren’t many in Australia who can match Ecca Vandal for creative elasticity, star power and sheer talent. She supplies the centrally uplifting vocal hook to ‘Place of Dreams’ while NT-native Birdz jumps in for a couple of lyrically provocative verses. He’s a personable MC with an unvarnished vocal style that suits the song’s family friendly boom-bap production. I certainly wouldn’t say no to a fulllength collab between the pair.

Earl Sweatshirt

Some Rap Songs Thebe Kgositsile is up against the world. The rapper calls himself Earl Sweatshirt and for years he’s been hip hop’s black sheep. When he hits the mic, the rapper has always weaved thoughtful prose, fitting so much into very little. In fact, if you listen to his entire studio album collection, the runtime is shorter than Migo’s Culture II.

At a time when rappers have their eyes on streaming numbers, Earl would rather speak his mind. At only 25 minutes, Some Rap Songs is a heavy ride.

“Tryna refine this shit, I redefined myself,” says Earl on ‘Nowhere2go’, plucking out a central theme of the album. The rapper lost two close family members, his father AKA poet Keorapetse Kgositsile passed away in January and later, jazz legend Hugh Masekela. Much of what is heard on Some Rap Songs is Earl getting everything off his mind while it’s still raw.

Meanwhile, the beats are so chopped and screwed with that their samples are sometimes incomprehensable. The backing tracks of ‘The Bends’, ‘Cold Summers’ and ‘Peanut’ are decimated into oblivion. It creates an anxious, depressing atmosphere that pulls you into Earl’s world right from the start. It’s chaotic, but it’s a controlled chaos that takes cues from Madlib and MF Doom’s classic Madvillainy. Earl picks apart the thoughts surrounding family, friends, and his own mental state. ‘Redwater’ takes on the estranged relationship that Earl had with his father. On the flip-side, ‘Ontheway!’ takes advice from the rapper’s mother urging him to not play with his scabs. The track ‘Playing Possum’ reunites Earl’s parents in a spoken word passage featuring their voices. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg, Earl offers off the cuff, genuine verses that don’t stop for anyone. No catchy hooks, no instrumental bridges. It’s only you and Earl Sweatshirt.

BY JONATHAN REYNOSO

FRIDAY 14 DECEMBER

KIRKIS ALBUM LAUNCH

TUESDAY 25 DECEMBER

XMAS DAYJAMES BROWN XMAS

W/ JAALA (SOLO) & SYNDICATOR (DJ) - ON SALE NOW - FREE ENTRY FRONT BAR SATURDAY 15 DECEMBER

BABES OF THE MELBOURNE UNDERGROUND

AMYL & THE SNIFFERS + DUMB PUNTS

W/ DOVE + INFRAGHOSTS + CHA CHA CHAS (DJS) - ON SALE NOW 2 9 LY G O N S T, C A R LT O N 9663 6350 | JOHNCURTINHOTEL.COM

W/ GUEST SUPPORTS + DJS - ON SALE NOW WEDNESDAY 16 JANUARY

KID HERON

W/ GUEST SUPPORTS + DJS - ON SALE NOW FRIDAY 18 JANUARY

W/ GUEST SUPPORTS + DJS - ON SALE NOW FRIDAY 25 JANUARY

CIVIC

W/ LOW LIFE - ON SALE NOW WEDNESDAY 30 JANUARY

VULTURE ST. TAPE GANG W/ GUEST SUPPORTS + DJS - ON SALE NOW

JONATHAN BREE (NZ)

W/ FRIENDS - FREE ENTRY!

SUNDAY 20 JANUARY

THURSDAY 21 FEBRUARY

W/ JARROW (SOLO), JUNE JONES (DJ), PINCH POINTS, MEMPHIS LK (DJ), SLEEPING LESSONS, BRODIE LANCASTER (DJ), S’AVERAGE GARDEN, AMPON - ON SALE NOW

- ON SALE NOW

FLEETWOOD’S BACK CURTIN XMAS

28 BEAT.COM.AU

CLEVER AUSTIN

NATALIE SLADE

SUNDAY 16 DECEMBER

SATURDAY 22 DECEMBER

KITCHEN RESIDENCY NOW OPEN!

WEDNESDAY 9 JANUARY

WEDNESDAY 23 JANUARY

REGURGITATOR

DAMIAN COWELL’S DISCO MACHINE + U-BAHN - ON SALE NOW

W/ CYANIDE THORNTON (EX TWO STEPS ON THE WATER) & AMAYA LAUCIRICA - ON SALE NOW

NOT TODAY FESTIVAL

SATURDAY 2 FEBRUARY

SHOGUN AND THE SHEETS W/ ELECTRIC GUITARS + KT SPIT- ON SALE NOW

THE GARDEN (CALIFORNIA) SATURDAY 23 FEBRUARY

NO AGE (USA)

W/ SPECIAL GUESTS - ON SALE NOW

ALBUM REVIEWS

Albums

Action Bronson

White Bronco

Queens rapper Action Bronson’s musical output has been sparse these past few years. After Viceland turned him into a TV personality, Bronson found himself hosting a cooking show and watching Ancient Aliens while getting high. After a long period without music, the former chef finally returns with low-key effort White Bronco.

At just 26 minutes long, this is one of Bronson’s shortest releases, yet also one of his most enjoyable. Bronson spits raspy raps about pop culture, sport teams, wrestling icons and gourmet food over old school beats and jazzy interlopes.

Alongside his voice, it’s Bronson’s wordplay that’s seen him standout from the pack. The New Yorker proves his lyrical skill on psychedelic opener ‘Dr. Kimble’ and ‘70s guitar sampling on ‘Telemundo’. Bronson’s braggadocios side shines on the soulful ‘Prince Charming’ and the Party Supplies-produced ‘Irishman Freestyle’. The guests are kept to a minimum, with Meyhem Lauren offering a compelling verse on ‘Brutal’ and A$AP Rocky brining some swag on the Harry Fraud-produced ‘Swerve On Em’.

Similar to the album’s artwork (which Bronson also painted), White Bronco is an interesting expression of Bronson’s weird and wonderful world through the art of rap.

Don’t sleep on this one.

6.5

HXXS

MKDRONE

(Dinner For Wolves)

(Captured Tracks/Remote Control)

(Empire)

7.5

8

Bigger Than Jesus

One For The Road

‘Tis the season of the EP. Running short of completing a full album? Reach for the next best thing and release a short player filled with all sorts of weirdness. HXXS noodle collages of drone and tape loops but without the basic skill or bombast of the leading protagonists of this form or even long forgotten pioneers. An American electro duo tinkering with sound can be traced to the incomparable Suicide.

Although too much trickery can make for a cold listen.

Listening to ‘Seppuku’ opens things and is like laying on a slab in a morgue. As this is the Japanese term for suicide by disembowelment of course.

Titles like ‘Vices’ and ‘Trippin’ can be the manuscript for angst-filled obsessives everywhere, who wallow in things and are strangely proud of this. Most songs are suitably bite-sized, although the closer ‘Widowmaker’ ensures the recording is saved from firing blanks.

Mournful in voice and perspective, HXXS make for an exhausting although at times exhilarating listen because this duo really doesn’t know when to slow down. By the end of the record they are yet to get their head straight whilst striving for some sort of high concept art. Bad news on that score but they may yet achieve vindication.

Character. An important trait in any bands arsenal. For a band with the name Bigger than Jesus, they’ve certainly produced an EP ticks that criteria. The EP begins with its title track, greeting listeners with killer riffs. With its carefree lyrics, the band builds on them with the vocals rising from the near-spoken to the distorted, and screams that can only satisfy.

At the centre of its sandwich, the band gives only the most succulent of meat, with the infectiously heavy ‘Just for Life’ and the Motorhead-esque ‘Wicked Love’.

However, the band moves beyond the straight-up hard rock vibe with tracks like ‘Laughing’ and in particular ‘Night Call’. They take on a more atmospheric and fleshedout approach to these songs, making the EP’s mark more complex than anticipated.

The musicianship is a highlight on this EP; it ranges from true grit to warm fluidity. The guitar work deserves a particular mention where one word comes to mind: blissful.

The vocals are diverse as well, maybe too much so for some listeners, but it only proves Steve Lucas’ willingness to push boundaries. A definite showcase, One for the Road has something for everyone. Most importantly, character.

BY BRONIUS ZUMERIS

BY RHYS MCKENZIE

BY TOBIAS HANDKE

Canyon Songs

Slow Fades is the type of escapism any inner city hipster type should listen to. After years of treading the skid row live circuit, Slow Fades achieve a slack magic. At the tail end of 2018 they sound not so much as they’re of a different time, but rather from another planet altogether. For that reason they may remain over-looked. However, given the band members’ pedigree, this EP is like a gateway into an entirely more beautiful world.

It is predominantly a superb and occasionally perfect listen. Slow Fades seem to have found a special niche. Often, the isolated lyrics on tracks such as ‘Eucalyptus’ offer a partly nightmarish and partly glorious journey.

‘Fail, Fail, Fail’ sees the band “Check into the Heartbreak Hotel” and drags you into guessing whether the vignette about a legend-turned-loser will end well. Listening to the record, you feel as if the band have the view that the world is out to get them, and their enemies will not be satisfied until Slow Fades are seen off. But songs like ‘My Damn Life’ and ‘Vikings’ are a slick proposition which bring the ragged glory to the fore. Canyon Songs makes you want repeat listens.

BY BRONIUS ZUMERIS

(XL Recordings)

Slow Fades

(Sony Music Australia)

(Independent)

8

8

Midnight Oil

Armistice Day: Live At The Domain, Sydney

The long-awaited return of Midnight Oil in 2017 lived up to the hype. The political rockers embarked on a 77 date world tour across 16 countries that came to a close in Australia last November, with their show at The Domain in Sydney on Armistice Day resulting in this spectacular live album.

Sounding just as fresh and socially aware as when they burst onto the scene in 1972, this documentation of their live show captures the infectious energy the Oil’s have built their career around. ‘Read About It’, ‘Beds Are Burning’, ‘US Forces’ and ‘Forgotten Years’ are transformed into boisterous’ call to arm anthems, while older tracks ‘Section 5 (Bus To Bondi)’ and ‘Warakurna’ offer something for the die hards.

Front man Peter Garrett is in fine form as he delivers the Oil’s message in his iconic Aussie drawl, ably supported by his long-time band mates. Fan favourite ‘Short Memory’ is chillingly relevant while Yothu Yindi’s Yirrmal makes a special appearance, joining the band for a goose bumpinducing rendition of ‘Treaty’.

It’s an experience watching Midnight Oil live, and this album closely demonstrates the power and the passion that still well and truly flows through the band’s veins.

BY TOBIAS HANDKE

9

Wolfgang Tillmans / Powell

Spoken By The Other

Spoken By The Other is a fascinating six-track collection challenging what’s acceptable within the realm of popular music.

‘Feel The Night’ is fractured without being jarring as the skittering glitch of experimental music is tempered by the soft enveloping tone created by the combination of Oscar Powell’s arrangements and Wolfgang Tillman’s deep yet ethereal vocals.

Before one racks their brain and Wikipedia to uncover what else Tillman has sung on, it must be noted that he is normally a visual artist, best known for his photography.

Tillman’s best known work might be from the 1980s, documenting his German contemporaries tarred with the despicable brush of Nazi Germany.

Processing the glacial pace of ‘Document’ with this knowledge and an inquisitive ear, open to a sound and allegory that intent may contradict with the language.

The song is driven by enormous beats that, despite being intentionally rounded out by their key and a phaser effect, contain an unintended pugnaciousness. This is matched by Tillman’s belligerent yet friendly delivery of the lyrics “My head is shaken up , I love you so much right, sweet now make something soft, do it slow,” spinning the song into a realm of genuine otherness.

BY DAN WATT

BEAT.COM.AU 29

Gig Guide

FEATURED GIGS

Wolf Arrow Rain + Magnus Turner THE DRUNKEN POET

Fancy some ritualistic medieval folk for your Wednesday night? Well, Tasmanian-born songwriter WolfArrow Rain has you covered, as she’ll be bringing her pagan tunes to The Drunken Poet on Wednesday December 12. Catch her intimate set alongside Magnus Turner from 8pm, topped off with free entry.

Seb Szabo + more BAR 303

Melbourne singer-songwriter Seb Szabo is debuting his solo act for the first time following his departure from alt-rock act Atticus Street.

Szabo promises plenty of new material with support from friends Georgia Knight and Bear Blue, when it all happens at Bar 303 on Thursday December 13. Tickets are an easy $10 on the door, kicking off at 7.30pm.

Ade Ishs Trio WESLEY ANNE

The Ade Ishs Trio will dole out their final show for the year at Wesley Anne on Thursday December 13.

Pianist Ade Ishs’ shifting brand of jazz is operating under a new lineup, featuring drummer Alex Roper and bassist Rory Brown, slinging new material with Ishs’ signature easylistening vibe. The show runs from 6pm-8pm and entry is free.

Wednesday 12 Dec

PREACHERS + WE ARE BANDICOOT

Jazz, Soul, Funk, Latin & World Music

WOLF ARROW RAIN Drunken Poet, West

Swamplands Bar, Thornbury. 6pm.

Melbourne. 8pm.

BOPSTRETCH Uptown Jazz Cafe, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $15.

DIZZY’S BIG BAND The Fyrefly, St Kilda. 6:30pm.

$15.

ENZA + REVILLE BRIAN SMITH + COME HEAVY SLEEP Open Studio, Northcote. 8pm. $12.

GEOFF HUGHES TRIO Brunswick Green,

Cbd. 7:30pm. $30.

ADE ISHS TRIO Wesley Anne, Northcote. 6pm.

ANDREA KELLER TRANSIENTS TRIO Uptown

ISM The Jazzlab, Brunswick. 8pm. $20.

JAMIE OEHLERS Paris Cat Jazz Club, Melbourne JAZZ BAZAAR - FEAT: AUDREY POWNE + MORE Horse Bazaar, Melbourne Cbd. 8pm.

MYSTIC MOMENTS - FEAT: JOHN BAILEY + MIKE GURRIERI Section 8, Melbourne Cbd. 6pm.

NATHAN SLATER QUARTET Paris Cat Jazz Club, Melbourne Cbd. 8pm. $25.

NICOLA SÓN Bird's Basement, Melbourne. 8pm. $30.

TOM FRYER BAND + SULO + DANIEL BRATES TRIO 303, Northcote. 7:30pm.

WORLD MUSIC OPEN MIC Compass Pizza,

Brunswick East. 7:30pm.

Indie, Rock, Pop, Metal, Punk & Covers CASH SAVAGE & THE LAST DRINKS + CABLE TIES + JESS PARKER Old Bar, Fitzroy.

7pm. $15.

DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF SURF + NO BETTER + BAREFOOT BOWLS CLUB Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood. 7:30pm. $5.

EASTBOUND BUZZ + FLOSS + SERF Tote

Hotel, Collingwood. 8pm. $10.

JAANZ UNSTOPPABLE SHOWCASES 2018 - FEAT: VARIOUS ARTISTS Memo Music

Club, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $10.

China Beach are an incessantly funky, party-loving eight-piece who’ll be launching their debut album in full at Edinburgh Castle this week. Catch them on Thursday December 13 from 8pm with free entry to boot. Funky.

Self Help + more RED BETTY

Melbourne’s Self Help are capping off their year at Red Betty on Thursday December 13, with special guests Future Tongues, Second Prize, LIPS and DJ Tom Toast on hand as support. The self-deprecating trio play self-coined “jandal-gaze” reminiscent of Flying Nun kiwi-pop, slyly commenting on the minutiae of white-hetero suburbia. Doors open at 7pm, with $10 tickets at the venue.

The Slipdixies THE MOLDY FIG

Bask in some vintage jazz and blues at The Moldy Fig this Friday December 14 thanks to New Orleans-inspired act The Slipdixies.

They’ll be playing two sets from 9pm, so grab yourself one of The Fig’s drink specials, make an order to the kitchen (open until 11pm) and lap it all up. Did we mention entry is free?

30 BEAT.COM.AU

Thursday 13 Dec Jazz, Soul, Funk, Latin & World Music

LIVE IN THE BANDROOM - FEAT: VARIOUS ARTISTS Revolver Upstairs, Prahran. 7pm.

MILD MANIC + THE PROTAGONISTS + LAZY SIDEKICK + HARDWATERS Workers

EDINBURGH CASTLE

East. 8pm.

Brunswick. 8:30pm.

Hall, St Kilda. 7pm. $50.

China Beach

XMAS BLUES JAM - FEAT: JIMI COELLI + VARIOUS ARTISTS Whole Lotta Love, Brunswick

ORANGE ORANGE + PAPER TAPIR + EARNEST JACKSON Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 7:30pm. $6.

PETER COMBE Melbourne Recital Centre, Southbank.

6:30pm. $35.

PISS FACTORY + SCRATCH MATCH + MOON CUP + HYDRA FASHION WEEK Last Chance Rock And Roll Bar, North Melbourne. 7:30pm.

SMALL VOICES + OSCAR MORRIS + IS IT LIGHT WHERE YOU ARE Bar Open, Fitzroy.

8:30pm. $5.

THE NICOTEENAGERS + LA TANIKA + SAPPHIRE STREET Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $10.

Acoustic/Country/Blues/ Folk JON TOOGOOD Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 8pm. $12.

KICKASS KARAOKE - FEAT: VARIOUS ARTISTS Sooki Lounge, Belgrave. 9pm.

KINNON Drunken Poet, West Melbourne. 9pm.

LACHLAN BRYAN & THE WILDES + KEVIN BENNETT + GRETA ZILLER Caravan Music Club, Bentleigh East. 7pm. $25.

Jazz Cafe, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $15.

Northcote. 7:30pm. $10.

SON OF A GUNZEL Bar Open, Fitzroy. 7pm.

SOUL IN THE BASEMENT - 18TH BIRTHDAY - FEAT: ALLYSHA JOY + DJ VINCE PEACH + DJ PIERRE BARONI Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 8pm. $10.

SYN-CHRO-NI-CI-TY Paris Cat Jazz Club,

Melbourne Cbd. 8pm. $25.

THE MAMAS + AMP ON + JUNGLE BREED Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 8pm. $5.

THE MICHELLE NICOLLE BAND Brunswick

Green, Brunswick. 8:30pm.

WAX JAX & THE MIDNIGHT SNAX + RUSSIA + MOJO PIN + Y STREET Revolver

Upstairs, Prahran. 8pm.

Indie, Rock, Pop, Metal, Punk & Covers ALEXANDER BIGGS + GENA ROSE BRUCE + GRAND PINE Northcote Social Club, Northcote.

7:30pm. $12.

ATOM + BURNING SAND + OV PAIN Tote Hotel, Collingwood. 8pm. $10.

BODY TYPE + THE DIANAS + LYNDON BLUE Old Bar, Fitzroy. 8pm. $15.30.

BYO VINYL NIGHT - FEAT: VARIOUS ARTISTS Francesca's Bar, 7pm.

CASTILLES + EASY BROWNS + LA BRONCO Tote Hotel, Collingwood. 7pm.

CREEK + ZENITH MOON + FOGGY NOTION Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $5.

DARLING JAMES The B.east, Brunswick East.

9:30pm.

FREAK FANDANGO + SQUID DOCTORS + MORE Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 8pm.

GOING SWIMMING + THE BELAFONTES + WHITE VANS + SOCIAL SKILLS Last Chance

Rock And Roll Bar, North Melbourne. 8:30pm. $10.

IN MUSICLAND TONIGHT - FEAT: MARCUS KNIGHT + ABLAZE + MORE INFRAGHOSTS + SISSYSOCKS + SUPER MELODY + ROLES Grace Darling Hotel, Collingwood. 8pm. $7.

Hall, St Kilda. 7pm. $50.

LONI RAE THOMSON + FOOTY + CHEESIE Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood. 7:30pm. $12.

MATT BRADSHAW Elephant & Wheelbarrow, Melbourne. 9:30pm.

MONTERO + GREGOR + TRAFFIK ISLAND Howler, Brunswick. 8pm. $35.

OPEN MIC Spotted Mallard, Brunswick. 8pm.

OPEN MIC Penny Black, Brunswick. 7:30pm.

OPEN MIC Some Velvet Morning, Clifton Hill. 6:30pm.

SHANIA TWAIN Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne.

Coburg. 7pm.

WHISKEY WEDNESDAYS - FEAT: MARCUZ + JONNY B + THE BAY STREET

8pm. $35.70.

7:30pm. $99.

Corner Hotel, Richmond. 7:30pm. $30.

THE 50/50'S + RINDA & MARYA Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 11pm.

THE COLBY'S + PETRO + STRANGERS FOR SALE Sooki Lounge, Belgrave. 8pm. $10.

THE REASONS WHY + ATTICUS CHIMPS + POLYFONIC Whole Lotta Love, Brunswick East.

7:30pm. $10.

THIRSTY MERC Wool Exchange, Geelong. 7:30pm.

TINGY CELESTINO Customs House Hotel,

JAANZ UNSTOPPABLE SHOWCASES 2018 - FEAT: VARIOUS ARTISTS Memo Music

Musicland, Fawkner. 7pm. $5.

SLUM SOCIABLE + TWO PEOPLE + RO

KYE + MORE Penny Black, Brunswick. 9pm.

MAYA-DREAMER + GREAT RACK & AN EMPTY CLUB REVERB + FRANCIS PLAGNE Bar Open, Fitzroy. 8pm. $15.

METAMORPHOSIS / BEYOND THE STILLNESS - FEAT: MINDY MENG WANG + MORE Malthouse Theatre, Southbank. 7pm. $35.

NICOLA SÓN Bird's Basement, Melbourne. 8pm. $30.

PINK PURSE The Jazzlab, Brunswick. 8pm. $20.

SAFFRON CONNECTION Open Studio,

Cbd. 7:30pm. $30.

LOTTIE LIAMS + FOLIA Northcote Social Club, MELBOURNE'S BIGGEST OPEN MIC NIGHT Musicland, Fawkner. 7pm.

MUDDY'S BLUES ROULETTE - FEAT: ROY PAYNE Catfish, Fitzroy. 8:30pm.

MUSICLAND OPEN CHOIR REHEARSALS

Red Betty, Brunswick. 7pm. $10.

$30.60.

Musicland, Fawkner. 7pm.

Northcote. 8pm. $25.

RYA PARK + GO GET MUM + CHITRA + GUS Tote Hotel, Collingwood. 7:30pm. $15.

SELF HELP + FUTURE TONGUES + SECOND PRIZE + LIPS + DJ TOM TOAST

CHINA BEACH Edinburgh Castle, Brunswick. 8pm.

JAMIE OEHLERS Paris Cat Jazz Club, Melbourne

LOMOND ACOUSTICA - FEAT: ENDA KENNY + KHRISTIAN MIZZI + DAYLE ALISON WALKER Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East.

8pm.

REAL LOVE + BABEY + CHUMAN Fitzroy

Pinnacle, Fitzroy North. 8:30pm.

PANDA BEAR Melbourne Recital Centre, Southbank.

7:30pm. $59.

PARTY PEST + THE JINKS Post Office Hotel, POLISH CLUB + HEAPS GOOD FRIENDS + WING DEFENCE Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood.

THROWBACK - FEAT: VARIOUS DJS Lucky

Coq, Windsor. 9pm.

Williamstown. 8pm.

TWENTY ONE PILOTS + DRAPHT Rod Laver

Arena, Melbourne. 7pm. $101.70.

Hip Hop & R&B CLUB PALISADES Carlton Club, Melbourne Cbd.

8pm.

GIRLS TO THE FRONT - PART 5 - FEAT: ALI. + KARA + MEDUZA + NARDEAN + NIGHTLIGHT + $AVAGETHEGIRL + SERENITY UKI + FRESH VIOLET + DJ LOUELLA DEVILLE Laundry Bar, Fitzroy. 8:30pm.

HIP HOP THURSDAYS - FEAT: SISTA SARA + DOPEMAN + KASANOVA Carlton Club, Melbourne Cbd. 8pm.

NO FRILLS THURSDAYS - FEAT: VARIOUS DJS Laundry Bar, Fitzroy. 10pm.

THROWBAX THURSDAYS - FEAT: DJ ANYA + CITIZEN.COM + FLIP3000 + TEE DUBYA + DJ SENSI + SISTA SARA + LOTUS MOONCHILD + MORE Little Jax, Melbourne. 6pm.

Acoustic/country/blues/folk CAL & DAN East Brunswick Hotel, East Brunswick.

7pm.

CARLOVA BLUES + VARIOUS ARTISTS Hume Blues Club, Coburg. 7:15pm.

KATIE BATES + TOM BROOKS Some Velvet

Morning, Clifton Hill. 8pm.

KNOTT FAMILY BAND Charles Weston Hotel, Brunswick. 6:30pm.

MARK GARDNER + TERRY SPRINGFORD Lentil As Anything, Thornbury, Thornbury. 7pm.

ROADSHOW DELUXE TOUR - FEAT: BEN MASTWYK + ROSE ZITA FALKO + MITCH POWER Spotted Mallard, Brunswick. 8pm. $12.

ROD FRITZ + ACOUSTIC FOXX + ROBERT PATTON Swamplands Bar, Thornbury. 7:30pm.

ROY PAYNE’S HILLBILLY BOP SAFARI Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East. 9pm.

SEB SZABO + GEORGIA KNIGHT + BEAR BLUE 303, Northcote. 7:30pm.

STEVE COUSINS + TAYLOR PIGGOTT + ​ JANIE GORDON Workers Club, Fitzroy. 8pm. $12.

Friday 14 Dec Hip Hop & R&B 1800 - FEAT: LARRIE + DJ SMILEZ + 007BADASS + LANDAH + NUESTRO PLANETA Laundry Bar, Fitzroy. 9pm.

AFTER HOURS - FEAT: VARIOUS ARTISTS Horse Bazaar, Melbourne Cbd. 8pm.

HAVANA FRIDAYS - FEAT: MC SEBA + MORE Khokolat Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 9:30pm.

PARTY & BULLSHIT FRIDAYS - FEAT: VARIOUS DJS Laundry Bar, Fitzroy. 9pm.

R&B AT EMPIRE - TYGA TRIBUTE - FEAT: DJ CRUNK + SHAGGZ + CRUNK + J FRESH + ROBIE NYLE + COLLINS + MATT CROSS + MORE Empire, Narre Warren. 9pm.

RNB FRIDAYS CLUB - FEAT: VARIOUS DJS Co., Southbank. 9:30pm. $20.

FOR THE FULL GIG GUIDE HEAD TO BEAT.COM.AU/GIG-GUIDE

FEATURED GIGS

Indie, Rock, Pop, Metal, Punk & Covers

SPECTRAL FIRES + FUTURE STATIC + BELL PARK Last Chance Rock And Roll Bar, North

Upstairs, Prahran. 7pm. $20.

3MDR CHRISTMAS PARTY - FEAT: STEVIE & THE SLEEPERS + SATURN 3 + SPIRITUS + LUKE VELU & THE FUTURE OF LOVE + LOST CANOE + MORE Sooki Lounge, Belgrave.

THE 50/50'S + RINDA & MARYA Old Bar,

Melbourne. 10:30pm. $10.

7pm. $15.

3RRR BREAKFASTERS END OF YEAR LIVE BROADCAST - FEAT: STEPH HUGHES + AL MONTFORT + SARAH SMITH + GERALDINE HICKEY + JEFF SPARROW Corner Hotel, Richmond. 6am.

ACTION SAM Elephant & Wheelbarrow, Melbourne.

11pm.

AUTO-MASH DJS Rainbow Hotel, Fitzroy. 9pm.

BEN HAZLEWOOD + KÖDA Toff In Town,

Melbourne Cbd. 7pm.

BISCOTTI Compass Pizza, Brunswick East. 8pm. $10.

BLOODS + JARROW + NEIGHBOURHOOD YOUTH + SMALL FRY DJS Old Bar, Fitzroy.

Melbourne. 8:30pm. $10.

Fitzroy. 3pm.

THE BLACKEYED SUSANS + FREYA JOSEPHINE HOLLICK Caravan Music Club,

Bentleigh East. 8pm. $28.

WHAT’S ON PRESENTS - FEAT: VARIOUS ARTISTS Prince Public Bar, St Kilda . 9pm.

WHITE BLANKS + MONA BAY Yah Yah's,

Fitzroy. 9pm.

YEAH NAHHH + THE BUOYS + FACE FACE + JUNGLE CUFFS + GIRL GERMS Grace Darling Hotel, Collingwood. 8pm. $12.

Jazz, Soul, Funk, Latin & World Music

Collingwood. 9pm. $10.

45 SHOOT OUT - FEAT: RICK HOWE + RAS CRUCIAL Section 8, Melbourne Cbd. 5pm.

A VERY BIG BAND CHRISTMAS - FEAT: BELINDA PARSONS + FEM BELLING + ALINTA CHIDZEY + NINA FERRO + THE MATT AMY BIG BAND Paris Cat Jazz Club,

Hotel, Williamstown. 8pm.

CLAIRE PATTI & ANDREW ALLARDICE

8:30pm. $15.

CANDY + HANNAH KATE + TAMARA & THE DREAMS + PTING Grace Darling Hotel, CAPTAIN SPALDING BAND Customs House CHAPEL STREET SOCIAL CLUB - FEAT: PHATO A MANO + NAMN + MATT RADOVICH Lucky Coq, Windsor. 9pm.

COUSIN TONY’S BRAND NEW FIREBIRD + BEN WRIGHT SMITH + RHIA TARANTO Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $15.

DARYL BRAITHWAITE + THIRSTY MERC Chelsea Heights Hotel, Chelsea Heights. 8pm. $58.15.

FOXBLOOD + BAKERS EDDY + FEVER SPEAK + LETTERS TO AMARA Workers Club, Fitzroy. 8pm. $10.

FRAUDBAND + CLAIRE BIRCHALL & THE PHANTOM HITCHHIKERS + LA BRONCO + DJ DAN ATTARD Bombay Rock, Brunswick. 8pm.

FUN XS Musicland, Fawkner. 7:30pm. $10.

GEORGE TRIMMER BAND Royal Hotel, Essendon. 10pm.

HIBISCUS BISCUIT + WHOOPIE CAT + SOUTHBOUND SNAKE CHARMERS Whole

Melbourne Cbd. 8pm.

Platform 270, Melbourne. 5:30pm.

DJ MURPH Edinburgh Castle, Brunswick. 9pm.

HEADPHONES JONES + LAKE MINNETONKA Boney, Melbourne Cbd. 7:30pm. $8.

LA NUIT BLANCHE Paris Cat Jazz Club, Melbourne

Cbd. 6:30pm. $32.50.

NARDIA ROSE Bar Open, Fitzroy. 6:30pm.

NICOLA SÓN Bird's Basement, Melbourne. 8pm. $30.

REVERSE SWING Paris Cat Jazz Club, Melbourne Cbd. 9pm. $30.

Betty, Brunswick. 7pm.

MANIAXE + BELLIGERENT INTENT + ABU GHRAIB + VEXATION Reverence Hotel, Footscray.

8pm. $15.

9:30pm.

THE ALEXANDER NETTELBECK QUARTET Lido Jazz Room, Hawthorn. 8pm. $25.

THE JAMES SHERLOCK TRIO Uptown Jazz

Cafe, Fitzroy. 8:30pm.

THE VIBRAPHONIC ORKESTRA + 8FOOT FELIX Bar Open, Fitzroy. 9:30pm. $12.

TLJ Fox Hotel, Collingwood. 8pm.

TRICHOTOMY + CHRIS PICKERING EXPERIMENT The Jazzlab, Brunswick. 8pm. $20.

House, Electro, Trance & Club Nights BACHELORS FROM PRAGUE Night Cat, Fitzroy.

9pm. $32.

MINDSNARE + IMPRISONED + EXCARNATE + JUDAS WOLF Bendigo Hotel,

BEBÉ Queen Victoria Gardens, Melbourne. 5pm.

BINARY FINARY + NIK FISH Brown Alley,

MONSTERS OF THE DIRTY SOUTH + THE RESIGNATORS + MADDIE LEE + LITTLE RITUALS Reverence Hotel, Footscray. 8pm. $10.

MS D’MEANOUR & THE OFFENDERS

BLACK CAB + LOWTIDE + MONO DELUXE

Collingwood. 8:30pm. $20.

Hysteria Lounge, Lilydale. 8pm.

NO QUARTER - THE LED ZEPPELIN EXPERIENCE + MORE Pelly Bar, Frankston. 8pm.

$39.80.

ORANGE TUXEDO Ascot Vale Hotel, Ascot Vale.

8:30pm.

PAUL KELLY - MAKING GRAVY + ANGUS & JULIA STONE + ALEX LAHEY + MOJO JUJU Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne. 4pm. $89.90.

PINCH POINTS + THE TROPES Post Office Hotel, Coburg. 9pm.

POLISH CLUB + HEAPS GOOD FRIENDS + WING DEFENCE Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood.

8pm.

POLYESTER V AARGHT END OF YEAR PARTY - FEAT: A+ + CONSTANT MONGREL + DRUG SWEAT + GUTTER GIRLS + LEON & THE FREEDOM CAGE + MORE Tote Hotel, Collingwood. 6pm. $15.

POPROCKS + DR PHIL Toff In Town, Melbourne

Cbd. 9pm.

PRIDELANDS + CAST DOWN Workers Club, Geelong. 8pm. $14.30.

RIVERSNAKE Musicland, Fawkner. 7:30pm. $10.

SHAKERFAKER + CHERRY DJS Cherry Bar,

Melbourne Cbd. 8pm. $10.

SLOWLY SLOWLY + BEC STEVENS + TOTTY 170 Russell, Melbourne Cbd. 8:30pm.

SOPHISTICATED DINGO + MORE Penny Black, Brunswick. 8pm.

SPECTACULAR - A TRIBUTE TO ABBA Palais Theatre, St Kilda. 8:30pm. $49.

New Guernica, Melbourne Cbd. 10pm. $15.

UNDR GRND - FEAT: MORNING MAXWELL + SHORT ROUND + HOLLY-J + KEESH + MADELEINE + HABER + MORE Platform One, Melbourne. 10pm. $20.

WESTWOOD SHOWCASE - FEAT: K+LAB + JFB + A.SKILLZ + CHESHIRE + LICKWEED + MONKEE Rubix Warehouse, Brunswick. 9pm. $25.

Acoustic/Country/Blues/ Folk CATFISH Wesley Anne, Northcote. 6pm.

DAVID COSMA Drunken Poet, West Melbourne.

8:30pm.

JACK & JORDAN East Brunswick Hotel, East Brunswick. 9pm.

JAMES ELLIS & THE JEALOUS GUYS Gem

Bar, Collingwood. 9pm.

JAMES KENYON + LONI RAE THOMSON + DAMON SMITH Moreland City Band Hall, East

6pm.

Melbourne Recital Centre, Southbank. 7:30pm. $39.

MAN CITY SIRENS + THE PHOSPHENES + THE DELVENES + DEAN LOMBARD Red

PEST KONTROL - FEAT: SCOTTY PESTICIDE + RYAN TAYLOR + HANDSFREE Boney, Melbourne Cbd. 8pm.

SADDLE CLUB - FEAT: SUNSHINE + MARKET MEMORIES + SAMMY LA MARCA + SANCTUM + RYAN HAYNES + ABE SPARGO + ALDONNA + ANDREW REEVES + FLETCHER CARROLL + MORE

TEK TEK ENSEMBLE The B.east, Brunswick East.

8pm. $24.19.

North Melbourne. 4pm.

Onesixone, Prahran. 8pm.

Brunswick. 7pm. $23.47.

Studio, Northcote. 8:30pm. $12.

THE SOUND OF SHADOWS - SUGAR COATED - FEAT: LUQMANUL CHAKIM

JOHN HOWARD + DOG + DERAILMENT + DEFENESTRATION + EMPTY GESTURE + CLOGGED Swamplands Bar, Thornbury. 7pm. $10.

LIP SYNC CHICKS Last Chance Rock And Roll Bar,

MARCO RESSMAN + JACOB MALMO + ROB ANTHONY + JAY RAMON + BOYBLEWE + FUNKY COL + MORE

SAM O'HALLORAN Wesley Anne, Northcote. 6pm.

TANIA BOSAK & BAND + MÄNDZJÉR Open

Lotta Love, Brunswick East. 8pm. $10.

JAKUBI + JORDAN DENNIS Howler, Brunswick.

LE FAG - FEAT: TILLY CUMS + EMMA STEVENSON + MOOPIE Hugs & Kisses,

Melbourne Cbd. 10pm. $30.

Northcote Social Club, Northcote. 8:30pm.

BLANKE + RARE + APOTHEOSIS + SPACE PRINCE + INFKTIOUS Brown Alley, Melbourne

JOYCE PRESCHER Edinburgh Castle, Brunswick.

MOONEE VALLEY DRIFTERS (WITH DAVE CANTRELL) - FEAT: MOONEE VALLEY DRIFTERS (WITH DAVE CANTRELL) Pascoe Vale Rsl, Pascoe Vale. 8pm. $10.

RACHAEL COMTE Wesley Anne, Northcote. 8pm. $15.

RANDY HOUSER + DALLAS DAVIDSON + BRAD COX Corner Hotel, Richmond. 8:30pm. $55.

RIVER BLUE + MORE Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood. 7:30pm. $12.75.

RUSSELL MORRIS + GEOFF ACHISON Spotted Mallard, Brunswick. 9pm. $40.39.

SOPHIA BROWN East Brunswick Hotel, East Brunswick. 6pm.

THE LAMINATORS - FEAT: UNDEFINED 303, Northcote. 8pm.

THE SHIFTIES + LE FLEUR + BUCKY BROWN HOLE & THE KERNELS Yarra Hotel,

Abbotsford. 8pm. $5.

TRADITIONAL IRISH MUSIC SESSION Drunken Poet, West Melbourne. 6pm.

WARNERS BROS Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East.

9:30pm.

WINESHANK Bad Shepherd Brewing Co., Cheltenham.

8pm.

Cbd. 10pm. $28.58.

ZERAFINA ZARA & ALLEGED ASSOCIATES TRIO Smokehouse 101, Maidstone. 7pm.

$14.30.

Saturday 15 Dec

BRIT POP XMANS PARTY - FEAT: VARIOUS ARTISTS Prince Bandroom, St Kilda. 8pm.

CHILADELPHIA FRIDAYS - FEAT: VARIOUS DJS New Guernica, Melbourne Cbd. 4pm.

DECEMBER BANQUET - FEAT: VARIOUS ARTISTS Mr Chan's, Prahran. 10pm. $15.

DIGITAL GARDEN - FEAT: SKWID + CONNECT THE DOTS + HARMONIC SEQUENCE + MUNTED CHAKRAS 24 Moons, Northcote. 10pm. $20.

Jazz, Soul, Funk, Latin & World Music AGUS BATARA QUARTET Charles Weston Hotel,

Brunswick. 6:30pm.

BERNADETTE NOVEMBRE Transit, Melbourne

Cbd. 9pm.

BOB SEDERGREEN & FRIENDS Lido Jazz

ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM Carlton Club,

Room, Hawthorn. 8pm. $25.

FINDING FRIENDS II - FEAT: DOMINGO JONES + ORIGIN AL + BABA NOIR + FAMILY AFFAIR + FINDING FIGARO Boney,

Studio, Northcote. 5:30pm. $10.

FORMATION - FEAT: DONNY + MORE

Cbd. 6:30pm. $30.

Melbourne Cbd. 10pm.

Melbourne Cbd. 11pm.

CARIÑO SON - FEAT: CARINO SON Open CARL PANNUZZO QUINTET The Jazzlab, Brunswick. 8pm. $30.

CES ALBERTO JR Paris Cat Jazz Club, Melbourne

Lucky Coq, Windsor. 9pm.

EXTASY MORRICONE Paris Cat Jazz Club,

Melbourne Cbd. 5pm.

FIESTON VOL.3 - FEAT: DELA CAYE + THE BITTERMEN + DAVID CHEBAIR Bar Open,

FRIDAYS - FEAT: WARSAWYER + CLIFTONIA + BEN & LIL + MORE Carlton Club, GRUMPY'S VERY GRUMPY XMAS - FEAT: SPIKEY TEE Grumpy's Green, Fitzroy. 6pm.

HOLLYWOOD REAL THOUGHTS + CAMALAN Loop, Melbourne Cbd. 8pm.

KIRKIS + JAALA + SYNDICATOR John Curtin Hotel, Carlton. 8pm. $12.

KRISTIN VELVET + WHO + CASPIAN + MIKE CALLANDER + KIDS TABLE Revolver

Melbourne Cbd. 5:30pm. $27.50.

Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $15.

FUNKY KINGSTON - FEAT: STRYKA D + FABULOUS FEZ + SOLOMON + LADY ERICA + STICK MAREEBO 303, Northcote.

3:30pm.

JACQUELINE GAWLER Paris Cat Jazz Club, Melbourne Cbd. 8:30pm. $32.50.

KATTIMONI + SOUL ASSEMBLY Night Cat,

Fitzroy. 10pm. $5.

Kirkis + Jaala (solo) THE CURTIN

Melbourne multi-instrumentalist Kirkis will launch his sophomore album Kirkis 2 at The Curtin on Friday December 14. The artist weaves industrial new-wave through a cyber-goth filter, so it’s a glorious match to have enigmatic indierockers Jaala on support duties.

Catch this unforgettable set from 8pm, with tickets available for $12 +$bf via The Curtin’s website.

Fraudband + La Bronco BOMBAY ROCK

Melbourne-based fuzzed-out instrumental act Fraudband will play their last show for the foreseeable future this Friday December 14 at Bombay Rock, with fellow sludgerockers La Bronco in tow as support.

Fraudband’s guitar-drum duo is craggy and unpretentious, recognised as much for their cowboy hats as their garage sound. Stroll in with free entry at 8.30pm to see it all go down.

John Howard + Dog + more SWAMPLANDS

Newcastle hardcore acts John Howard and Dog will lead a very very heavy night at Swamplands on Friday December 14. Featuring the death metal of Denefestration, the grind sludge of Derailment Knuckle, and the heinous grind of Empty Gesture and Clogged, this is geared to be a monster night. Kicks off at 8pm, with $10 tickets at the door.

Sophia Brown EAST BRUNSWICK HOTEL

Melbourne singer-songwriter Sophia Brown is best known as the lead vocalist of RnBabe. With a voice soaked in R&B, soul and pop sensibilities, she’s sure to bring a commanding performance to the East Brunswick Hotel when she takes to the stage on Friday December 14. Catch her from 6pm with free entry to boot.

Oliver Northam & The Elsewheres + more COMPASS PIZZA

Oliver Northam contemporises country and folk with a baritone maturity akin to Marlon Williams or Jeff Tweedy. The Melbourne-based singer-songwriter is set to bring his charm to Compass Pizza on Saturday December 15, alongside special guests Jayden Michael Dunne and Daisy. Doors open at 8pm, with breezy $5 entry.

Chelsea Drugstore THE LOMOND HOTEL

Melbourne alt-rock and country outfit Chelsea Drugstore will launch their brand new record Whiskey & Tears at The Lomond Hotel this Saturday December 15. They’ll hit the stage from 9pm, and best of all, entry is free.

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31

MATT O'BRIEN QUARTET Wesley Anne,

Louis Valentine & The Golden Age WESLEY ANNE

Louis Valentine & The Golden Age are finally launching their new record Lambda Lambda Lambda on Saturday December 15 at Wesley Anne. To date, the local folkster’s music has been beautifully stylised, almost sounding as if it could soundtrack a Tarantinoesque western. To catch the launch alongside Jack The Fox and Kev Walsh, head down from 8pm and grab your tickets on the door for $10.

Max Savage & The False Idols + more YARRA HOTEL

Adelaide’s Max Savage and his barnstompin’ band The False Idols are set to bring a swathe of new songs to the Yarra Hotel stage this Sunday December 16. Local popster Loni Rae Thompson and scene veteran Ryan Oliver will make this a helluva matinee show when they kick things off at 4pm. Entry is $10 on the door.

Cruwys CHARLES WESTON

There are few artists who can claim both Muddy Waters and Jon Hopkins as influences, but Melbourne producer Cruwys is one of them. Catch him blend minimalist techno, blues and newwave into seamless soundscapes at the Charles Weston Hotel this Sunday December 16, going down from 4pm. Free entry.

Field, See & Mason ROYAL OAK

Having recently returned from a successful European tour celebrating their effort Down Under The Covers – a collection celebrating and reimagining classic Australian hits from the likes of Paul Kelly and AC/DC – Field, See & Mason are now gearing to play an intimate gig at Fitroy’s Royal Oak this Sunday December 16. They’ll be on from 4pm, with free entry to boot.

Andrea Kelly’s Five Below THE JAZZLAB

ARIA award-winning, nationally renowned jazz pianist and composer 23/19Andrea Kelly will bring her latest project Five Below to the The Jazzlab on Monday December 17.

The quintet deconstructs Keller’s compositions through an eclectic fusion of doom, western art music, minimalism and contemporary jazz, with doors opening at 8pm. Find tickets for $15/$10 concession via the venue website.

Alma Zygier presents: A Very Jewish Christmas THE JAZZLAB

Melbourne-based jazz vocalist Alma Zygier and her eponymous quintet will present A Very Jewish Christmas at The Jazzlab on Tuesday December 18. Expect some very different Christmas songs with a pre-WWII jazz-vocal tinge, when it goes down from 8.30pm. Tickets are $20/$15 concession on the door.

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TRIBUTE + MORE Max Watt's, Melbourne. 7:30pm.

VARIOUS ARTISTS Revolver Upstairs, Prahran. 12am.

SATURDAYS - FEAT: DJ KISTA + DJ BETH GRACE + DJ DEMIZE + VARIOUS DJS

Northcote. 6pm.

$24.

Hotel, Chelsea Heights. 8pm. $39.80.

MIKE NOGA + CAPTAIN FIGHTING MACHINE Merri Creek Tavern, Northcote. 8pm. $12.

NO QUARTER - THE LED ZEPPELIN EXPERIENCE + ESCAPE GOATS Corner Hotel,

Carlton Club, Melbourne Cbd. 8pm.

OUR GOLDEN FRIEND THIRD BIRTHDAY PARTY - FEAT: CHITRA + POPPONGENE

SPACELAB - FEAT: MATELOT + MHA IRI + MOE ALOHA + MNMLT + SANEFACTOR + RAVELD + MORE 24 Moons, Northcote. 9pm. $10.

SUBMERGE - FEAT: FUNKFORM + DYLAN GRIFFIN + MOUNT MIKE & LIAM KENDALL + STORM + OPHELIE MERCURY + MORE Yours & Mine, Carlton. 10pm. $20.

TIGERLILY Co., Southbank. 10pm. $25.

TIMOTHY CLERKIN + MORE Boney, Melbourne

MELBOURNE SKA ORCHESTRA + MIGHTY DUKE & THE LORDS Chelsea Heights NICOLA SÓN Bird's Basement, Melbourne. 8pm. $30.

PAUL WILLIAMSON'S HAMMOND COMBO Paris Cat Jazz Club, Melbourne Cbd. 9pm.

$27.50.

PP ARNOLD Athenaeum Theatre, Melbourne Cbd. 8pm. $79.90.

SALSA CHRISTMAS PARTY - FEAT: DEL BARRIO Open Studio, Northcote. 8pm. $15.

SAM KEEVERS TRIO Brunswick Green, Brunswick.

4pm.

SOUTHSIDE SOUL SOULIN' & BOWLIN' Hampton Rsl, Hampton. 6pm. $10.

THE DEANS OF SOUL Union Hotel (brunswick), Brunswick. 5pm.

THE HANDLE BARS Bar Open, Fitzroy. 6:30pm.

THE KING LOUIE COLLECTIVE + PPB LATE NIGHT DJS Prince Public Bar, St Kilda . 8pm.

THE PUBLIC OPINION AFRO ORCHESTRA + MORE Howler, Brunswick. 8pm. $29.34.

THE RONNY FERELLA STANDARDS QUARTET (WITH EUGENE BALL) Uptown Jazz Cafe, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $25.

THE ROOKIES The Jazzlab, Brunswick. 11pm.

ZEITGEIST FREEDOM ENERGY EXCHANGE Penny Black, Brunswick. 8pm.

Indie, Rock, Pop, Metal, Punk & Covers AS A RIVAL + RIVAL FIRE + SOCIAL HAUNTS Reverence Hotel, Footscray. 8pm. $10.

AUSTRALIAN BON JOVI SHOW + POISON'US - THE AUSTRALIAN POISON TRIBUTE SHOW Musicland, Fawkner. 7:30pm. $20.

BABES OF THE MELBOURNE UNDERGROUND CALENDAR LAUNCH - FEAT: AMYL + THE SNIFFERS + DUMB PUNTS + DOVE + INFRAGHOSTS + DJ EM GAY + CHA CHA CHAS DJS John Curtin Hotel,

Carlton. 8pm.

BEC STEVENS + THE FLYING SO HIGHOS + SELF TALK + SETH HENDERSON Last

Chance Rock And Roll Bar, North Melbourne. 8pm. $15.85.

BENCH PRESSTIVUS + MOODY BEACHES + SHEPPARTON AIRPLANE + LAZERTITS + LOOBS + SHRIMPWITCH + PORPOISE SPIT + PROTECTION + DENTAL PLAN + WORLD TURTLE WORLD Old Bar, Fitzroy.

4:30pm. $15.

BYO VINYL NIGHT - FEAT: VARIOUS ARTISTS Hard Rubbish Bar, Preston. 7pm.

DEAN LEWIS The Croxton, Thornbury. 2pm.

DEAN LEWIS + ROBINSON + JACK GRAY The Croxton, Thornbury. 8pm.

DJ LADY BLADES Edinburgh Castle, Brunswick. 9pm.

FORGE + HYBRID NIGHTMARES + TRIPLE KILL + TRIGGER + GREAT LEAP SKYWARD Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy. 7:30pm. $10.

FUCKFEST '99 - FEAT: SPIKE FUCK + THE SLINGERS Revolver Upstairs, Prahran. 10pm. $12.

GET SHANKED - BIRTHDAY MINI FEST - FEAT: THE FCKUPS + DEAD ALREADY + THE MURDERBALLS + THE OUT OF TOWNERS + UDDER UBDUCTEES + POLYGAMISTS + PROTOSPASM + MORE Reverence Hotel, Footscray. 3pm. $10.

GYPSY - THE FLEETWOOD MAC TRIBUTE SHOW Matthew Flinders Hotel, Chadstone. 8pm. $29.60.

HEXIS + BREAK THROUGH + CORDELL + BELLIGERENT + BLOOD ON MY HANDS Tote Hotel, Collingwood. 8pm. $15.

HIBISCUS BISCUIT + JACK HARLON & THE DEAD CROWS Post Office Hotel, Coburg.

7:30pm.

HIDDENITE + NOAH VERNON Workers Club (geelong), Geelong. 9pm.

INTO THE MYSTIC -THE MUSIC OF VAN MORRISON + THE BELFAST HORNS Memo Music Hall, St Kilda. 7:30pm. $28.

INVERTEBRATE + INFINITE ILLUSION + KASKEID + HARA KIRI + HOLLOW HAVEN Wrangler Studios, Footscray. 4pm. $18.40.

MASSIVE + ABLAZE + SHEWOLF Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 8pm. $13.

Richmond. 8:30pm. $35.

Tramway Hotel, North Fitzroy. 4pm.

PABLO PACE Edinburgh Castle, Brunswick. 5pm.

POLISH CLUB + HEAPS GOOD FRIENDS + WING DEFENCE Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood.

8pm.

PRIDELANDS + REACTIONS + CAST DOWN + COLOUR & SHADE + SLOW TALK Northcote Social Club, Northcote. 8pm. $15.

PUNX IN EXILE COMPILATION LAUNCH PARTY - FEAT: AUSTRALIAN KINGSWOOD FACTORY + THE BALLS + BLIND MAN DEATH STARE + WOLFPACK + STONED TO DEATH + MORE Bombay Rock,

Brunswick. 1:30pm.

RUFF SURFACE Hysteria Lounge, Lilydale. 6pm. $10.

SKYSCRAPER STAN + HOT SLUDGE FUNDAE + MOONLOOVER Workers Club, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $10.

SPOONFUL Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 8pm.

SUNBEAM SOUND MACHINE + FERLA + FIELD MAPS Grace Darling Hotel, Collingwood.

8:30pm. $10.

SWAMP + THE STINKS + KOSMETIKA Rainbow Hotel, Fitzroy. 9pm.

THE 50/50'S + RINDA & MARYA The B.east, Brunswick East. 9pm.

THE BLACKEYED SUSANS + FREYA JOSEPHINE HOLLICK Spotted Mallard, Brunswick.

9pm. $28.89.

THE GEMS + THE LIP SYNC CHICKS + JOHNNY & MICHAEL + CHEESIE + DJ GUS RIGBY Workers Club, Fitzroy. 1pm. $12.

THE GROGANS + AUNTIE LEO & THE BACKSTABBERS + BLEACH Toff In Town,

Melbourne Cbd. 8pm. $10.

LOIS LANE + HARD TO HANDLE Gasometer

Hotel, Collingwood. 2:30pm. $12.75.

LOOKS THAT KILL - MOTLEY CRUE

TOFF CLUB - FEAT: LORD HANS DC Toff In

Town, Melbourne Cbd. 11pm.

TORREN FOOT + SUNSET BROS Empire,

Narre Warren. 9pm.

Acoustic/Country/Blues/ Folk ALEX BURNS DUO Drunken Poet, West Melbourne.

9pm.

ANDREW SWANN Transit, Melbourne Cbd. 5pm.

BACKYARD BREW Royal Hotel (mornington), Mornington. 8pm.

BEN ABRAHAM + MORE Thornbury Theatre,

Thornbury. 7pm. $41.85.

CARUS THOMPSON Piping Hot Chicken & Burger Grill, Ocean Grove. 7:30pm. $20.

CHELSEA DRUGSTORE Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East. 9:30pm.

CRAIG WOODWARD & FRIENDS Charles Weston Hotel, Brunswick. 2pm.

HOANG PHAM Melbourne Recital Centre, Southbank. 7:30pm. $78.

JJ & RAY East Brunswick Hotel, East Brunswick.

9:30pm.

LOUIS VALENTINE & THE GOLDEN AGE + JACK THE FOX + KEV WALSH Wesley Anne,

Northcote. 8pm. $10.

MARK GARDNER Glen Cuisine, Yarra Glen. 7pm. $10.

OLIVER NORTHAM + JAYDEN MICHAEL DUNNE + DAISY Compass Pizza, Brunswick East.

WARPED + PILLOW + PEEPING TOM + VALENTIINE Tote Hotel, Collingwood. 8pm. $23.50.

WEIRD PLACE FEST - FEAT: HORACE BONES + DICKLORD + MESA COSA + HIDEOUS SUN DEMON + VINTAGE CROP + SPIRAL PERM + MORE Gasometer Hotel,

RAMBLE TAMBLE – THE AUSTRALIAN CREEDENCE SHOW Kingston City Hall,

Dive, Collingwood. 8:30pm.

Collingwood. 3pm. $15.

ZEOLITE + IN TRENCHES + MVNT + BLIGHT + CHASING THE VOID Bendigo Hotel,

Collingwood. 7pm. $13.30.

House, Electro, Trance & Club Nights AXED - FEAT: ZYPHOR + KEEPING COUNT OF SATELLITES + 6HEAD_SLUG + BINLINER + TYRANT X + MORE Grumpy's Green, Fitzroy. 7pm. $5.

Brunswick. 6pm.

8pm. $5.

Moorabbin. 8pm. $27.

SUADE Chapel Off Chapel, Prahran. 1:30pm, 6:30pm. $30.

THE GUITAR SUITE & P.G.S GUITAR SCHOOLS STUDENT GUITAR CONCERT - FEAT: VARIOUS ARTISTS Open Studio,

Northcote. 2pm.

THE SCREAMING LEFTIES Spotted Mallard,

Brunswick. 5pm.

Sunday 16 Dec Indie, Rock, Pop, Metal, Punk & Covers

Cbd. 3pm.

2 INCH TAPE Swamplands Bar, Thornbury. 7:30pm.

AC/DSHE Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 8pm. $13.

ANTICLINE + THE ORPHAN + LIFEBLOOD + OLDTOWN + STARVE Last

8pm.

AZTX + ODD SOULS + ROSIE & GITHMI

BARRIO BEATS - FEAT: TAHNIOCA CUMBIERA + SACA LA MOIS DJ + SONIDERO ESPERANZA Section 8, Melbourne CUPIDS CUT Fox Hotel (collingwood), Collingwood.

DIRK'S DISCO - FEAT: JAMES WINTER Ferdydurke, Melbourne Cbd. 9pm.

HABITS + ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING + DARK WATER Hugs & Kisses, Melbourne. 8:30pm. $10.

I LOVE DANCEHALL - 10TH BIRTHDAY - FEAT: BURN CITY QUEENZ + SO FIRE + JESSE I + SISTA ITATIONS + MEXE + ZARE DEMUS + SELEKTAH + MORE Rubix Warehouse, Brunswick. 10pm. $13.

JANK FACQUES Carlton Club, Melbourne Cbd.

11:45pm.

PONY SATURDAYS - FEAT: VARIOUS DJS

LIME CORDIALE + RUBY GILL Evelyn Hotel,

Cbd. 10pm.

VENUS - QUEER CHIC PARTY - FEAT: DJ LILLY STREET + DJ LA DRAMA Woody's Attic

$10.

Fitzroy. 2pm.

JOHN HOWARD + DOG + DEAD ROOT + ASBESTOSISIS + SPEW BALLOON Catfish,

Sooki Lounge, Belgrave. 6pm. $10.

MARTY KELLY Drunken Poet, West Melbourne. 3pm.

MATT WALKER Gem Bar, Collingwood. 9pm.

OLIVER CLARKE East Brunswick Hotel, East

Fitzroy. 8pm. $10.

Rock And Roll Bar, North Melbourne. 2pm.

Wheelbarrow, Melbourne. 10pm.

SOOKI SATURDAYS - FEAT: SUNSHINE

THE MOTHER GURUS + SPACE VISITATION + ANTIPHON + TRAMPOLINE DEATH MACHINE Yarra Hotel, Abbotsford. 8:30pm.

MYTHOLOGY - FEAT: COLETTE + GAY ROBERTO + MICKEY EDWARDS + BERTIE + POST PERCY Boney, Melbourne Cbd. 9pm.

PAWN SATURDAYS - FEAT: VARIOUS ARTISTS Pawn & Co, South Yarra. 7pm. $20.

PETTING ZOO FESTIVAL AFTERPARTY FEAT: FRIEND WITHIN + RAFFA FL Prince

JJ ROME The Fyrefly, St Kilda. 7pm. $15.

JOHN HOWARD + DOG + NO CASH + SOMATIZED + SPEW BALLOON Last Chance

SNACK ATTACK WITH DJ 2P Elephant &

Bandroom, St Kilda. 10pm. $20.

La Di Da, Melbourne Cbd. 10pm.

RISE & SHINE - FEAT: SUNSHINE +

FOR THE FULL GIG GUIDE HEAD TO BEAT.COM.AU/GIG-GUIDE

Chance Rock And Roll Bar, North Melbourne. 6:30pm. $10.

Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood. 7:30pm. $15.

BEAUTIFUL DARK - THE MUSIC OF TWIN PEAKS + DENIM OWL The B.east, Brunswick East.

4pm.

BONEZ - FEAT: MADI & ELLIE + APOLLO BLUE + KANDALINI Grumpy's Green, Fitzroy. 6pm.

CHESTER BRIX + MAEFIRE Evelyn Hotel,

Fitzroy. 7:30pm. $10.

DEAN LEWIS + ROBINSON + JACK GRAY The Croxton, Thornbury. 7pm.

DEARTH + USER Old Bar, Fitzroy. 3pm.

DESERT KINGDOM + STONETHROAT + BLACK KNIGHT SATELLITE + CENTRALIA Bendigo Hotel, Collingwood. 3pm. $10.

DESPERATEENS + TIM SMYTH + ANDREW LUCAS HALL Reverence Hotel, Footscray. 3pm.

DICKLORD Yah Yah's, Fitzroy. 2am.

DON'T THANK ME SPANK ME Bar Open, Fitzroy. 6pm.

FLEETWOOD'S BACK John Curtin Hotel, Carlton.

3pm.

GIRLS TO THE FRONT - SUNDAY SESSIONS - FEAT: DJ LAUREN TAYLOR

Corner Hotel, Richmond. 3pm.

OPA SEKO Farouk's Olive, Thornbury. 7:30pm. $10.

CHECKERBOARD LOUNGE Rainbow Hotel,

JEDEKAIH + JAMIE MCLENNAN + TAYLOR SMITH-MORVELL Bar Open, Fitzroy.

Fitzroy. 4pm.

JVG GUITAR METHOD Labour In Vain, Fitzroy.

$10.

MUSIC MAMAS - FEAT: ALLY BOOM BOOM & THE COOL BANANAS + KAT O + DREAM POLAROID + BURNT LETTERS

Northcote. 1:30pm. $12.

8pm. $5.

5pm.

Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 3pm.

NIGHT TONGUE + OV PAIN + V + INFRAGHOSTS Tote Hotel, Collingwood. 6pm. $10.

NIRVANA UNPLUGGED 25TH ANNIVERSARY TRIBUTE - FEAT: PENNY & THE ROYAL TEAS + D ​ J SPEEDING BEAUTY Workers Club, Fitzroy. 1pm. $15.

OPEN/MIC JAM NIGHTS Musicland, Fawkner.

7pm.

PORT ROCK 2018 - FEAT: KING PARROT + EVEN + MONEY FOR ROPE + THE FAT THING + DIGGER THE PUSSYCATS + THE BREADMAKERS Tote Hotel, Collingwood. 4pm. $20.

RON S. PENO & CAM BUTLER + ROLLER ONE + ANTHEMS TO THE FALL Old Bar,

Fitzroy. 8pm. $10.

SKA & SURF FEST - FEAT: LOONEE TUNES + LONGBOYS + MAJAK DOOR + TURTLE WAVE + THE KUJO KINGS Sooki

Lounge, Belgrave. 3pm. $10.

SPIKE VINCENT + SARAH MARY CHADWICK + SYMBOLIC ORDER Grace

Darling Hotel, Collingwood. 4:30pm.

TEN GALLON HEAD, SORE EYES Swamplands Bar, Thornbury. 5pm.

THE BLACKEYED SUSANS + FREYA JOSEPHINE HOLLICK Spotted Mallard,

Brunswick. 3pm. $28.89.

THE MUSICLAND ANNUAL CHRISTMAS PARTY - FEAT: THUNDERSTRUCK + NO EXIT - THE AUSTRALIAN ANGELS TRIBUTE + GOLD CHISEL + COUNTDOWN 80S + THE JADED CATS + MISS ROSIE & THE TOP CATS + AC2ZZ Musicland, Fawkner. 2pm.

THE NIGHT BEFORE TOMORROW + SKY VOLTAGE 303, Northcote. 7pm.

THE SKIDS + TRACKSUIT Tramway Hotel, North Fitzroy. 4pm.

THE SMOKING FIGS + X-GENZ + MORE Workers Club, Fitzroy. 7:30pm. $10.

THIGH MASTER + A+ + BLACKHEART Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 7pm.

House, Electro, Trance & Club Nights AUTOSEA - FEAT: DJ CAMOV + MAX VEGAS + INGRID + DJ MITCHELL GEE + STRING THEOREM + JOSH WAIN Section 8, Melbourne Cbd. 2pm.

B.TRAITS Revolver Upstairs, Prahran. 8pm. $25.

CRUISE CONTROL BOAT PARTY - FEAT: DAMION DE SILVA + NINO BROWN + DURMY + 53X + RUSH + JUST GLEN + EMBROSE + SALVY + JOHNNY M Victoria

Star, Docklands. 6:30pm. $40.

DÉJÀ VU - DJ BATTLE - FEAT: VARIOUS ARTISTS Co., Southbank. 9pm.

JAPANESE WALLPAPER + HEMM + EILISH GILLIGAN Howler, Brunswick. 8pm. $29.34.

MARC ROMBOY Pawn & Co, South Yarra. 12pm.

$15.

PIKNIC ÉLECTRONIK - FEAT: VARIOUS ARTISTS Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne. 2pm. $20.

REVOLVER SUNDAYS - FEAT: BOOGS + SPACEY SPACE + T-REK + RADIATOR + SILVERSIX + MORE Revolver Upstairs, Prahran.

12am. $25.

ROOFTOP SUMMER SERIES - FEAT: VARIOUS DJS The Emerson, South Yarra. 12pm.

SAXON SUNDAY SESSIONS - FEAT: VARIOUS DJS Royal Saxon, Richmond. 12pm.

SUNDAY BEATS IN THE BEER GARDEN - FEAT: DJ MALPRACTICE Inkerman Hotel, Balaclava. 2pm.

THE 2018 HOPKINS CREEK ANNUAL REVIEW - FEAT: MULTI CULTI + EMMA STEVENSON + THE HOPKINS CREEK ANGLING CLUB Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood.

4pm. $10.

Jazz, Soul, Funk, Latin & World Music BACHELORS FROM PRAGUE Caravan Music Club, Bentleigh East. 2pm. $35.

BALKAN BRASS - FEAT: OPA! BATO +

ESSTEE BIG BAND Wesley Anne, Northcote. 3pm.

FOOTY + SAD + YIFFER Northcote Social Club, GEORGIA BENNETT Wesley Anne, Northcote. 6pm.

JAZZ ORBIT Brunswick Green, Brunswick. 7:30pm.

JUSTINE JONES & THE PLAYBOYS OF RHYTHM Open Studio, Northcote. 8pm. $10.

LA INFLUENCIA Night Cat, Fitzroy. 9pm. $10.

NICOLA SÓN Bird's Basement, Melbourne. 2pm. $30.

PAUL WILLIAMSON QUARTET The Jazzlab, Brunswick. 8pm. $20.

SANTO SONIDO - FEAT: DJ SACA LA MOIS + MORE Georges Bar, Fitzroy. 7pm.

SHIRAZZ Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East. 5:30pm.

SOUTH SIDE SOUL Royal Hotel, Mornington. 3pm.

SUNDAY JAM - FEAT: BARTON FINK HOUSE BAND Barton Fink, Thornbury. 5pm.

THE BORNSTEIN ULTIMATUM Pause Bar, Balaclava. 4:30pm.

THE CLUNK ORCHESTRA 303, Northcote. 3pm.

THE CONSOULS Paris Cat Jazz Club, Melbourne

Cbd. 7pm. $32.50.

THE JADE TALBOT BAND, BLUE SHIVOO + EMILIA Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 7pm. $10.

THE JOSH KYLE & EMMA GILMARTIN QUINTET Paris Cat Jazz Club, Melbourne Cbd. 6:30pm. $32.50.

THE SEVEN UPS + KARATE BOOGALOO Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy. 2pm. $10.

TRIO AGOGO Brunswick Green, Brunswick. 4pm.

UNBROKEN TRIO + LUKE ANDRESEN ELECTRIC BEBOP BAND Open Studio, Northcote.

2:30pm. $5.

UNCLAIMED BAGGAGE Memo Music Hall, St Kilda. 3pm. $12.

YOLANDA INGLEY & BAND Fireflies Wine Bar,

Fitzroy North. 4pm.

YULE. LOVE IT. Chapel Off Chapel, Prahran. 4pm. $45.

YULE. LOVE IT. Chapel Off Chapel, Prahran. 7pm. $45.

Acoustic/Country/Blues/ Folk A GLORIOUS CHRISTMAS - CHRISTMAS WITH THE AUSTRALIAN BOYS CHOIR Melbourne Recital Centre, Southbank. 3pm. $50.

ACOUSTIC SUNDAYS - FEAT: MICHELLE GARDINER + PAIGE SPIERS + PAIGE SMITH Customs House Hotel, Williamstown. 2pm.

BIORYTHMS DUO Smokehouse 101, Maidstone.

4pm.

BLUE LIMIT + THE NINE POUND SHAMMERS Open Studio, Northcote. 5:30pm. $5.

COLD IRONS BOUND Edinburgh Castle,

Brunswick. 4pm.

CRUWYS Charles Weston Hotel, Brunswick. 4pm.

DJ JESSE I Transit, Melbourne Cbd. 5pm.

ELWOOD BLUES CLUB Prince Public Bar, St Kilda

. 4pm.

Spotted Mallard, Brunswick. 6pm. $15.

CABINET + CHRISTIAN FOYLE + FUNK ME RIGHT Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 7:30pm. $5.

THE ARTIE STYLES QUARTET Open Studio, Northcote. 8pm. $10.

Indie, Rock, Pop, Metal, Punk & Covers I DON'T LIKE MONDAYS - STUDENT NIGHT - FEAT: VARIOUS ARTISTS Bendigo Hotel, Collingwood. 3pm.

JMC ACADEMY MELBOURNE GRADUATING SHOWCASE - FEAT: VARIOUS ARTISTS Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood.

5pm. $10.

LAVA LAKES + SAL WONDER + ANDRE PARGRAZIO Old Bar, Fitzroy. 7:30pm. $5.

MONDAY BONE MACHINE - FEAT: T-REK + VARIOUS ARTISTS Boney, Melbourne Cbd. 8pm.

MONDAY NIGHT MASS - FEAT: VARIOUS ARTISTS Northcote Social Club, Northcote. 8pm.

NIEUW MONDAYS - FEAT: VARIOUS DJS Workers Club, Fitzroy. 7pm. $3.

TANYA-LEE DAVIES & SAM LEMANN + MATT WALKER Claypots, St Kilda. 7pm.

Acoustic/Country/Blues/ Folk PAUL WILLIAMSON'S HAMMOND COMBO Rainbow Hotel, Fitzroy. 9:30pm. $10.

PETER DAFFY & TORQUE FLITE Lomond

Hotel, Brunswick East. 8pm.

Tuesday 18 Dec Jazz, Soul, Funk, Latin & World Music A VERY JEWISH CHRISTMAS - FEAT: THE ALMA ZYGIER QUINTET + MORE The Jazzlab, Brunswick. 8:30pm. $20.

FRANCESCA GONZALES + COUSIN TONY'S BRAND NEW FIREBIRD (SOLO) + DHANA BHUTAN Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood.

7:30pm. $10.75.

GIG FOR ACENG - FEAT: BROOKLYN ’86 + LA NUIT BLANCHE + JULIAN BANKS TRIO + MAMATONES + ADRIAN WHITEHEAD + DAN BANKS + YARRA BANKS JAM BAND 303, Northcote. 7pm. $15.

NOW. HERE. THIS - FEAT: VARIOUS ARTISTS Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 8pm. $10.

UNCOMFORTABLE SCIENCE - FEAT: LACHLAN MITCHELL + MORE Boney,

Melbourne Cbd. 9pm.

Indie, Rock, Pop, Metal, Punk & Covers

GEORGIE JONES Some Velvet Morning, Clifton

BELL CITY SQUARE + YOLLKS Grace Darling

INKASOUNDS East Brunswick Hotel, East Brunswick.

DEAN LEWIS + ROBINSON + JACK GRAY

Hill. 8pm.

6pm.

MAX SAVAGE & THE FALSE IDOLS + LONI THOMSON + RYAN OLIVER Yarra Hotel,

Hotel, Collingwood. 8pm. $10.

The Croxton, Thornbury. 7pm.

Abbotsford. 4pm. $10.

GRADI Workers Club, Fitzroy. 8pm. $10.

PLOTZ + LIP SYNC CHICKS + KING CAPTURE + A RIOTING MIND Tote Hotel,

Forum Theatre, Melbourne Cbd. 7:30pm. $59.90.

TRIPLE ZEE - FEAT: ZAK BROWN + ZOE FOX + ZAC TERRY Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 7:30pm.

WASTED SUN + UVA URSI + A SILENT DECADE Old Bar, Fitzroy. 7:30pm. $8.

MISS DEE Transit, Melbourne Cbd. 2pm.

PATRICK WILSON Standard Hotel, Fitzroy. 7pm.

RANDY HOUSER + DALLAS DAVIDSON RHYS TOLHURST East Brunswick Hotel, East Brunswick. 1pm.

ROY PAYNE'S HILLBILLY BOP SAFARI Gem

Bar, Collingwood. 7pm.

SIME NUGENT & THE CAPES Union Hotel, Brunswick. 5pm.

THE 'JOHNNY CAN'T DANCE' CAJUN BAND Dan O'connell Hotel, Carlton. 5pm.

THE DRUNKEN POET XMAS PARTY - FEAT: THE STETSON FAMILY + THE DRUNKEN POACHERS Drunken Poet, West

Melbourne. 4pm.

TRACY MCNEIL & THE GOODLIFE Post Office Hotel, Coburg. 4:30pm.

YANTO SHORTIS Union Hotel, Brunswick. 3:30pm.

Monday 17 Dec Jazz, Soul, Funk, Latin & World Music 303 YARRA BANKS JAM NIGHT 303, Northcote. 8pm.

ANDREA KELLER'S FIVE BELOW The Jazzlab,

Brunswick. 8pm. $15.

BUCKLEY PARK COLLEGE & BIG BAND

Collingwood. 7pm.

Acoustic/Country/Blues/ Folk IRISH SESSION Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East. 8pm.

JORDIE LANE & LIZ STRINGER XMAS SHOW 2018 + JORDIE LANE + LIZ STRINGER Northcote Social Club, Northcote. 7:30pm.

MAKE IT UP CLUB - FEAT: VARIOUS ARTISTS + MORE Bar Open, Fitzroy. 8:30pm.

OPEN MIC NIGHT Swamplands Bar, Thornbury. 6pm.

PIANO KARAOKE WITH LISA JAYNE Compass Pizza, Brunswick East. 7:30pm.

REVOLVER RETURNS - OPEN MIC NIGHT Revolver Upstairs, Prahran. 7pm.

SLATZAPALOOZA - FEAT: PAUL SLATTERY + BLUES ROULETTE + MORE Spotted Mallard, Brunswick. 6pm.

TUESDAY TRIBUTE - BIG MAMA THORNTON - FEAT: ANNA SCIONTI Drunken Poet, West Melbourne. 8pm.

UPCOMING GIGS FEATURED GIGS

BRITISH INDIA The Corner December 21 DEAD LETTER CIRCUS 170 Russell December 21 THE SCREAMING JETS Corner Hotel December 22 BEYOND THE VALLEY ft The Kooks, Tash Sultana, more Lardner Park December 28 - January 1 FALLS FESTIVAL ft Anderson .Paak & The Free Nationals, Catfish and the Bottlemen, more Lorne December 28 - 31 LOST PARADISE ft The Kooks, Tash Sultana, M.I.A, more Glenworth Valley December 28 January 1 NYE ON THE HILL ft Smith Street Band, The Kite String Tangle, Sampa The Great, more The Farm December 30 January 1 LET THEM EAT CAKE FESTIVAL Werribee Park January 1 DVSN 170 Russell January 2 THE VACCINES The Croxton January 3 BRENT FAIYAZ Howler January 4 TOTO Festival Hall January 4 INTERPOL Palais Theatre January 4 HOBO JOHNSON & THE LOVEMAKERS Corner Hotel January 5 SOCCER MOMMY Howler January 7 BISHOP BRIGGS The Corner January 8 DERMOT KENNEDY The Croxton January 9 $UICIDEBOY$ 170 Russell January 9 ANDERSON .PAAK & THE FREE NATIONALS Festival Hall January 10 LULUC Howler January 11 UNIFY GATHERING ft Taking Back Sunday, Underoath, Trophy Eyes, and more January 11-13 UNDER THE SOUTHERN STARS ft Hoodoo Gurus, You Am I, more Hastings Foreshore Reserve January 12 FOMO ft Nicki Minaj, Rae Sremmurd Flemington Racecourse January 13 SO FRENCHY SO CHIC Werribee Park January 13 PARCELS 170 Russell January 14 LEON BRIDGES Palais Theatre January 14 FLO RIDA The Forum January 17 BASTILLE The Forum January 18 FLORENCE + THE MACHINE Sidney Myer Music Bowl January 18, Mt Duneed Estate January 19 THE BLACK QUEEN Northcote Social Club January 19 PROGFEST 2019 The Croxton January 26 PHIL COLLINS Aami Park February 1, 2 THE SMYTHS Max Watt’s February 1 ROGER HODGSON Palais Theatre February 2 LUCERO Corner Hotel February 3 KEITH URBAN Rod Laver Arena February 5 LILY ALLEN The Forum February 6 JOHN BUTLER TRIO & MISSY HIGGINS Sidney Myer Music Bowl February 7 PARTY IN THE PADDOCK White Hills Tasmania February 7-9 2019

BEAT.COM.AU 33

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2019 LINE-UP INCLUDES ALINA BZHEZHINSKA QUARTET Poland/UK AMJAD ALI KHAN & THE ASO India ANGÉLIQUE KIDJO Benin ARTONIK “THE COLOUR OF TIME” France BALOJI DR Congo/Belgium BCUC South Africa CANZONIERE GRECANICO SALENTINO Italy CENTRAL AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINAL WOMEN’S CHOIR Australia CHRISTINE AND THE QUEENS France THE CORRESPONDENTS UK DANNY KRIVIT USA DONA ONETE Brazil DUOUD Tunisia/Algeria FATOUMATA DIAWARA Mali HARTS Australia JOHN BUTLER TRIO Australia JULIA JACKLIN Australia KHRUANGBIN USA LA DAME BLANCHE Cuba LAS CAFETERAS USA MARÍA PAGÉS COMPANY “YO, CARMEN” Spain THE ORIGINAL GYPSIES France SHANTEL & BUCOVINA CLUB ORKESTAR Germany SHARON SHANNON BAND Ireland SILKROAD ENSEMBLE USA TARA TIBA Iran/Cuba TEEKS New Zealand THELMA PLUM Australia TKAY MAIDZA Australia YOHAI COHEN QUINTET Israel + MANY MORE! PLUS: The Planet Talks Program, Installations, Street Theatre, Taste The World Program, Artists In Conversation, Global Village, Workshops, KidZone and more!

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