Beat 1657

Please Do Not Litter

FREE

December 19, 2018 Issue N o 1657

Angie McMahon / Regurgitator X Damien Cowell / The Vaccines / Happy Mondays / Billy Davis

R U O S I THIS . . .

R E SUMM

y r r e h c neneh

T T E J N A O J HEARTS

&

K THE BLAC

J Mascis

FOUR TET

Y O B Y N N U S

S

!

S T N I A E TH

DO RE MI

T I H W S I R XYLOU

E

J MASCIS March 13 - 15 Howler • March 16 Castlemaine Theatre Royal THE AINTS! The Church Of Simultaneous Existence Album Out Now NENEH CHERRY Jan. 22 Melbourne Recital, Centre (SOLD OUT!) FOUR TET March 10 Golden Plains (SOLD OUT!) March 11 Pitch Music & Arts Festival DO RE MI Feb. 8 Corner Hotel • Feb. 9 Curlewis By The C JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS Jan. 16 Corner Hotel (SOLD OUT!) Jan. 19-20 Mornington Red Hot Summer • Jan. 27 Ballarat Red Hot Summer SUNNYBOYS Feb. 9 Curlewis By The C XYLOURIS WHITE April 26-27 Bendigo Capital Theatre 2

BEAT.COM.AU

TICKETS FOR ALL SHOWS ON SALE NOW FROM FEELPRESENTS.COM • FACEBOOK.COM/FEELPRESENTS

BEAT.COM.AU

3

4

BEAT.COM.AU

Christmas Gift Guide 30

Catalogue Out Now 100

500 BOOTS

F

55 %

SAVE

$

% OF

• Premium leather • Heavy duty, oil & slip resistant • Sizes: UK 3-13

OFF

DIRECTORS CHAIR WITH SIDE TABLE • Side table includes: phone cradle, tablet cradle, cup cradle • Available in 2 colours

SAVE $20

30% OFF

Reg $129.95

Reg $329.95

109

$

229

95 NOW

• • • NOW •

95

$

WOODLAND EXTENDED

130kg

SAVE $50

2 room family dome with rear and front living area 2 side entries and front and rear doors 2 side windows Size: 500x 240 x 195cm high

Reg $89.95

3995

$

NOW

FESTIVAL MUST HAVES! 30

NEO 4 HEADLAMP

44%

F

OFF

• IP57 water resistant • 30m beam distance • Ideal for school camps

25 %

OFF

OFF

SOFT COOLERS

MOSQUITO ZAPPER LANTERN

• Ideal for lunches or snacks • Folds flat for easy storage

240 Lumens SAVE $15

SAVE $12

Reg $49.95

Single Reg $26.95

1495

3495

$

37 %

UP TO

UP TO

% OF

$

NOW

30 % OFF

ROYALE DELUXE CHAIR • Super comfy • Extra padding • 2 colours available

NOW

Also available: DOUBLE ECO FRIENDLY VELOUR AIRBED Was $36.95 NOW $24.95

SINGLE ECO FRIENDLY VELOUR AIRBED

• • • •

10LT SOFT COOLER Was $19.95 Now $14.95 30LT SOFT COOLER Was $24.95 Now $19.95

SAVE $15 Reg $39.95

24495

$

• Great for getaways & home use

28 % OFF

DELUXE TRAVELLER CHAIR

Lantern Mosquito zapper Rainproof 129mm tall

NOW

e!

More styles in stor

%

20

OFF

off all

Drink holder

SAVE $30

SAVE $20

Reg $99.95

Reg $69.95

69

$

95 N NOW

130kg

% OFF

25

49

$

95 NOW W

SAVE $5 Reg $34.95

110kg

Side pocket organiser

29

$

95 NOW

CANVAS DROVER • Australian canvas • Airflow mesh sides • Sun protection panel at front

SAVE

50

$

off all

Soft touch

26% OFF

• Size: 196 x 76 x 10cm Reg $189.95 Also available: PREMIUM COMFORT DELUXE 4WD MAT - DOUBLE NOW Was $219.95 NOW $199.95

139

$

PREMIUM COMFORT DELUXE 4WD MAT - SINGLE

95

SAVE

50

$ RUGGED SWAG BAG

• Size: 235 x 100cm • Fill: 2 x 200gsm hollow fibre • Weight: 4.5kg • Available in 2 colours

100cm

31% OFF Reg $159.95

10995

$

NOW

-

283-285 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne Phone: 03 9670 4057 www.aussiedisposals.com.au SALE ENDS 24/12/18

BEAT.COM.AU

5

Wesley Anne

250 High st, Northcote Hill 94

Bar, Restaurant, Etc. 250 High st, Northcote Hill wesleyanne.com.au /9482 1333

Thu 20 December

Fri 21 December

Sat 22 December

Sun 23 December

Thursby sings Old Time Jazz

Rhythm X Revival

The Peacocks

Rosario De Marco

Thu 27 December

Fri 28 December

Sat 29 December

Sun 30 December

Adrian Whyte Trio

Rhythm X Revival

Viper’s Dream Swing Team

Rosario De Marco

front bar 6pm free

front bar 6pm free

front bar 6pm free

front bar 6pm free

Wolf & Moon (GER) band room 8pm $10

front bar 6pm free

OPEN FROM 12PM EVERY DAY

front bar 6pm free

front bar 6pm free

LAST TRIVIA w SPARKS 7.30pm Wed 19 Dec - Returning JAN

front bar 6pm free

COBURG & VENOM $15 JUGS BEFORE 6PM

$15 LUNCH MENU MON - FRI UNTIL 4PM

THE

CHARLES WESTON HOTEL

EDINBURGH CASTLE

THU 20 DEC

RAIN OF ANIMALS 6.30PM

WEDNESDAYS

M R S S M I T H T R I V I A , 8PM THU 20 DECEMBER

UNCOMFORTABLE SCIENCE 8PM FREE

FRIDAYS

PUB BINGO WITH TINA GARDINER & GABRIEL 7PM

SAT 22 DEC

6.30PM

SUN 23 DEC

OTHRSHIP 4PM

FRI 21 DECEMBER

THE FLAMING MONGRELS DUO DJ LADY LOVE POTION

Slice Comedy 7:30 free

9PM FREE

SAT 22 DECEMBER

JHELI EMMETT 5PM FREE

DJ SIMON LAXTON 9PM FREE

SUN 23 DECEMEBER

BRIAN CAMPEAU 4PM FREE

COBURG VENOM $15 JUGS 6PM $15 JUGS OF&COBURG LAGER MON - BEFORE FRI BEFORE 6PM

LIVE DJ’S

WEEKLY

681 SYDNEY RD. BRUNSWICK, (03)9386 7580 WWW.EDINBURGHCASTLE.NET.AU

6

BEAT.COM.AU

Calzone & Wine $14.99

THU 20 DECEMBER Trivia with Connor 7.30pm Pizza & Wine $19.99

FRI 21 DECEMBER Yasin Lef Lef 8:00 PM free 319 Lygon st East Brunswick

9387 6779

Fri 21 December

Sun 23 December

8pm

4pm

RILEY MOONEE VALLEY CATHERALL DRIFTERS 6.30pm

442 Nicholson St, Fitzroy North

$19.99 Pasta & Wine

WED 19 DECEMBER

Thu 20 December

9481 4693 / royaloaknorthfitzroy.com.au

TUESDAY

6PM FREE

27 WESTON ST, BRUNSWICK CHARLES WESTON HOTEL@GMAIL.COM OR GIVE US A BELL ON 9380 8777

MONDAY 2-4-1 Pizza

ALL GIGS ARE FREE

COBURG & VENOM $15 JUGS BEFORE 6PM

Pizza & Bar

DUNCAN PHILLIPS

Mon Roo & Wine $14.99 / Tue $12 Burgers / Wed $12 Pies / Thu $12 Parmas

NICKY BOMBA 13 jan

GARRETT KATO

fem belling presents

kon shes

1 feb

17 FEB

JESS & MATT 22 feb

max riEbL 16 feb

THANDO

INTIMATE, LIVE MUSIC ONE NIGHTERS

jordie lane 11 JAN

8 feb

23 feb 12 JAN

matt DOLL

sex on toast

2 feb

taylor henderson

Bookings chapeloffchapel.com.au BEAT.COM.AU

7

ISSUE NO 1657

Contents 8 10-14

Contents News

16

Arts Guide

17

Electronic, Punk, Hip Hop

18

Ocean Grove

19

Angie McMahon

20

Hellions, Night Tongue

21

Regurgitator X Damien Cowell, You Am I

22

The Vaccines, Dermot Kennedy

23

Chapel Summer Sessions, Cultivate

24

Myles Kennedy, Happy Mondays

25

Horns of Leroy, Billy Davis

25

Horns of Leroy

26

Profiles

27

Live

28

Album of the Week, Singles

Interview

29 30-33

Albums Gig Guide

Editor’s note With Tom Parker

Ho, ho, ho, Merry Christmas my enthusiastic Beat readers for our special Christmas album special is upon us. Most of the year’s albums and EPs have been and gone so it’s time to have some fun, to tuck into the iconic Christmas collections that have confounded us through manners of appeal and disgust. I bet you can guess where Jessica Simpson comes in and Elvis Presley on the other side of the coin. Bob Dylan also wrote a Christmas LP as did Weezer but how did they figure?

You’ll just have to find out.

UNIFY Gathering is just around the corner and nu metallers Ocean Grove adorn our cover before their final performance in their current form. Luke Holmes [vocals] and Jimmy Hall [guitar] are moving on so there will be plenty to celebrate when they take to the stage on Friday January 11. We also chat to Hellions before there mammoth UNIFY slot.

Grampians Music Festival is decorating a beautiful part of the world with the sounds of Angie McMahon, Slum Sociable and Sampa the Great and more and the former of three kindly sits down to discuss her busy year which has seen her garner acclaim worldwide. There’s heaps more too so take a flick through my friends, it’s our Christmas gift to you.

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 DESIGNER Erica May

8

BEAT.COM.AU

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

/BeatMag

@beatmagazine

@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

ON SALE NOW VIA

WWW.CORNERHOTEL.COM AND 1300 724 867

SOLD OUT

57 SWAN ST, RICHMOND, 3121

20/12 - BRITISH INDIA SELLING FAST 21/12 - BRITISH INDIA SOLD OUT 22/12 - THE SCREAMING JETS 23/12 - DAN & AL XMAS SHOW 26/12 - BOXING DAY BLUES FT. GEOFF

ACHISON & THE SOULDIGGERS 27/12 - GRADE CRICKETER PODCAST SELLING FAST 04/01 - AJ TRACEY UK - SELLING FAST 05/01 - HOBO JOHNSON & THE LOVEMAKERS USA - SOLD OUT 08/01 BISHOP BRIGGS UK - SELLING FAST 10/01 - BOWIE: GOLDEN YEARS 11/01 12/01 -

FT. DALE RIDER, JASON SINGH, TIM WATSON + MORE SELLING FAST

THE VASCO ERA THE RED SKULL’S BIG NIGHT OUT

(THE BEST OF THE BIG DAY OUT 1992-2014)

16/01 - JOAN JETT USA - SOLD OUT 17/01 - TURNSTILE USA + CITIZEN USA 18/01 - DEEP SEA ARCADE 19/01 - WRESTLEROCK 24/01 - IDLES UK - SOLD OUT 25/01 - THE BEAUTIFUL GIRLS 26/01 - TALKING HEADS ‘STOP MAKING

SENSE’ 35 YEAR ANNIVERSARY 01/02 - YELLOW DAYS UK - SELLING FAST 02/02 - MALCOLM YOUNG TRIBUTE 03/02 - LUCERO USA - SELLING FAST 05/02 - CAST UK 07/02 - MITSKI JP/USA - SOLD OUT 08/02 - DO RE MI 09/02 - BOB MARLEY BIRTHDAY BASH

12/02 - TEENAGE FANCLUB UK - SOLD OUT 13/02 - TEENAGE FANCLUB UK - SELLING FAST 14/02 - JOYRIDE 15/02 - WAGONS 20TH ANNIVERSARY - SELLING FAST 16/02 - EVES KARYDAS SOLD OUT 17/02 - EVES KARYDAS SELLING FAST 21/02 - COCKNEY REJECTS UK - SELLING FAST 22/02 - LAURA JEAN 23/02 - CABLE TIES BALL 2019

JOAN JETT 16/01

USA - 15/04 SELLING FAST

FT. CABLE TIES, FRIENDSHIPS, P-UNIQUE + MORE

24/02 - BOOM CRASH OPERA + TAXIRIDE 27/02 - DEAFHEAVEN USA - SELLING FAST 02/03 - DANCE GAVIN DANCE USA - SOLD OUT 05/03 - JOYCE MANOR USA 22/03 - MAGIC NUMBERS UK 23/03 - TROPICAL FUCK STORM SELLING FAST 28/03 - ODETTE SELLING FAST 29/03 - ODETTE SOLD OUT 05/04 - BUTTERFINGERS (15 YEARS OF ‘BREAKFAST AT FATBOYS’)

12/04 - MONTAIGNE SELLING FAST 14/04 - ALLEN STONE USA - SELLING FAST 15/04 - FANTASTIC NEGRITO USA 17/04 - LUKAS NELSON & PROMISE OF

THE REAL

JOYCE MANOR 05/03

23/03

SELLING FAST

CABLE TIES BALL 2019

ODETTE

SELLING FAST

SELLING FAST

EVES KARYDAS

SHAKEY GRAVES

USA - SELLING FAST

18/04 - TREVOR HALL USA 19/04 - SKA NATION FT. AREA 7 23/04 - SHAKEY GRAVES USA - SELLING FAST 24/04 - CALIFORNIA HONEYDROPS USA 25/04 - VINTAGE TROUBLE USA - SELLING FAST 20/06 - THE WHITLAMS

WWW.NORTHCOTESOCIALCLUB.COM AND 1300 724 867 301 HIGH ST, NORTHCOTE, 3070

THE MARCUS KING BAND SELLING FAST

12/04

MAHALIA UK 08/01

SELLING FAST

SASS THE PATRIARCHY 2019

KWAME

SELLING FAST

SELLING FAST

06/02

NYXEN SYD 18/01

USA

23/04

17/02

ON SALE NOW VIA

USA - 17/04

GENESIS OWUSU

28/03

23/02

SOLD OUT

05/04

TROPICAL FUCK STORM

USA

PLUS HEAPS MORE AT WWW.CORNERHOTEL.COM

CHILLINIT

FANTASTIC NEGRITO

USA

SYD 23/02

TEX PERKINS

& THE FAT RUBBER BAND 01/02

1 9 / 1 2 - JORDIE

LANE & LIZ STRINGER SOLD OUT

XMAS SHOW 2018

20/12 - THE

BETHS NZ - SOLD OUT 2 1 / 1 2 - DARREN HANLON XMAS SHOW - SOLD OUT 22/12 - MILK! XMAS PARTY SOLD OUT - MATINEE FT. COURTNEY BARNETT ALL AGES - ALCOHOL FREE 22/12 - MILK! XMAS PARTY SOLD OUT FT. COURTNEY BARNETT 23/12 - COOL CHOIR CHRISTMAS SPECIAL - MATINEE 30/12 - GOOD DOOGS SELLING FAST 3 1 / 1 2 - NSC NYE HOUSE PARTY FREE ENTRY 04/01 - PIGGIE 05/01 - ABURDEN 0 7/ 01 -‘MONDAY NIGHT MASS’ WITH FREE TIME / PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS 08/01 - MAHALIA UK - SELLING FAST 09/01 - MAHALIA UK - SOLD OUT 1 1 / 0 1 - THE WOODLAND HUNTERS 1 2 / 0 1 - FASTRACK REUNION SHOW 1 4 / 0 1 -‘MONDAY NIGHT MASS’ WITH THIGH MASTER / PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS 1 7 / 0 1 - PAUL LAINE CANADA 1 8 / 0 1 - NYXEN SYD - SELLING FAST 1 9 / 0 1 - THE BLACK QUEEN USA - SOLD OUT 20/01 - THE BLACK QUEEN USA - SOLD OUT 25/01 - BUTCH WALKER USA - SELLING FAST 26/01 - SHAKE ‘N’ BAKE FT. GOLD MEMBER 27/01 - RON S. PENO MATINEE

27/01 - MASSIVE 3 1 / 0 1 - HEIN 01/02 - TEX

COOPER PERKINS & THE FAT RUBBER BAND

SELLING FAST

02/02 - STAND

ATLANTIC SELLING FAST 06/02 - SASS THE PATRIARCHY 2019 08/02 - VULGARGRAD 09/02 - THE JOHNNYS SYD 10/02 - DASHVILLE MELBOURNE MATINEE FT: MASCO SOUND SYSTEM, STEVE SMYTH + MORE

12/02 - ZAHATORTE JAPAN 15/02 - THE

SOUTHERN RIVER BAND SELLING FAST 16/02 - NICOLE SKELTYS & THE DISENCHANTED LONDON/MELB - MATINEE

16/02 - LITTLE

MAY BECOME THE TEETH USA - SELLING FAST 23/02 - HAT FITZ & CARA MATINEE 23/02 - KWAME SYD - SELLING FAST 26/02 - MICHAEL DUNSTAN 01/03 - CHILDREN OF ZEUS UK 08/03 - BUGS 09/03 - ICECREAM HANDS SELLING FAST 22/02 - PIANOS

(20TH ANNIVERSARY)

14/03 - WALLIS

BIRD IRELAND 17/03 - LYDIA COLE NZ - MATINEE 05/04 - CHILLINIT SOLD OUT 12/04 - GENESIS OWUSU 17/04 - THE MARCUS KING BAND USA

PL US HE A PS MORE AT W W W.NOR T HCO T ESOCI A L CL UB.COM

BEAT.COM.AU

9

NEWS

News UNIFY Gathering

Announce festival set times With just under a month to go, Victoria’s UNIFY Gathering have finally unveiled their full program and set times. Running from Friday January 11 to Sunday January 13, UNIFY have found a new home in South Gippsland’s Tarwin Meadows, and are keen to test it out. Better Half will be kicking the event off on Friday morning, with Underoath wrapping things up that night. Saturday will start bright and early thanks to Pridelands, and Taking Back Sunday will be doing just that, closing the festival well after midnight. Early ticket holders are in for a treat on Thursday with Emo Night, and there’ll be acoustic recovery jams on Sunday. Head to the festival website for the full list of set times.

Wednesday 19th December

8pm: Wine Whiskey Women: Tracey Hogue (Girl Friday) + Lisa Spykers Thursday 20th December

7pm:

Open Mic Night Friday 21st December

Traditional Irish Music Session 8:30pm: Wilson & White

6pm:

Saturday 22nd December

Shanakee 9pm: Electric Blues Collective 3pm:

Sunday 23rd December

The Pheasantry Rain of Animals

4pm: 6:30pm: Monday 24th December

xmas eve at the poet!

3pm: Marty Kelly Tuesday 25th December

[CLOSED] XMAS DAY & BOXING DAY The Drunken Poet, 65 Peel Street (directly opposite Queen Vic Market), Phone: 03 9348 9797. www.thedrunkenpoet.com.au

27 LESLIE STREET BRUNSWICK JAZZLAB.CLUB

WEDNESDAY DEC 19

JOE CHINDAMO TRIO

$25/$20

THURSDAY DEC 20

KATIE NOONAN [SOLD OUT] ZAC HURREN’S APPIAN WAY

$40/$30

Joyce Manor

John Mayer

They played to sold out Australian crowds last year, and now bona fide rockers Joyce Manor are back to do it all again. With the release of their latest record, Million Dollars to Kill Me, the five-piece will be hitting up Canberra, Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne next year.

They’ll also be dropping in to visit crowds at Wollongong’s The Farmer & The Owl Festival in March, alongside Beach House, Snail Mail and Stella Donnelly. You can catch them at their headline show on Tuesday March 5 at The Corner Hotel. Tickets available through Handsome Tours.

With no need for an introduction, American crooner John Mayer is coming Down Under next year, playing his first shows in the country since 2014. He’ll be making three stops in Australia as part of his world tour, performing for crowds in Syndey, Melbourne and Brisbane. The seven-time Grammy winner, responsible for hits such as ‘Daughters’, ‘Waiting on the World to Change’ and ‘Your Body is a Wonderland’, will perform songs that have spanned across his immense recording career. If you’re in Melbourne, you can catch John Mayer at Rod Laver Arena on Wednesday March 27. Tickets via Live Nation.

Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso U.F.O

Let Them Eat Cake

Unveil East Coast Australian tour dates

Coming back to Australia in 2019

$20/$15

FRIDAY DEC 21

CHARLOTTE JANE QUARTET

$30/$25

SATURDAY DEC 22

THE MUSIC OF DAVID LYNCH’S UNIVERSE

$30/$25

THE LATE SET: THE ROOKIES

FREE

SUNDAY DEC 23

MJC PRESENTS: EUGENE BALL QUARTET $20/$15 MONDAY DEC 24

GONE ON HOLIDAYS [REOPENING ON JAN 7]

DOORS OPEN EVERY NIGHT FROM 8PM AND SHOWS BEGIN BETWEEN 8:30PM AND 9PM UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED

10

BEAT.COM.AU

Unveil tour dates

Described as “masters of extreme trip music,” Japanese quintuplet Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso U.F.O. are coming to Australia. With a career spanning 24-years, the psychadelic rockers have an impressive discography, releasing a plethora of studio records since their 1996 debut. They’ll be playing two headline shows while they’re in the country next March, as well as stints at Golden Plains and RCC Adelaide Fringe. Melbourne fans can catch them at The Curtin on Friday March 8. Tickets via the venue website.

Reveals second lineup

As if the lineup wasn’t juicy enough already, Let Them Eat Cake have unveiled a second round of artists to sink your teeth into.

America’s Mr. Carmack will be making the trip Down Under for the event, joining other lineup newcomers like Jess Zammit, Salvador Darling and Merve. Held on the sprawling greens of Werribee Mansion, Let Them Eat Cake is a cracker of a way to start the New Year. Head along on Tuesday January 1 and dance your way into 2019. Check out the festival website for tickets and the full lineup.

BEAT.COM.AU

11

NEWS

The Smith Street Band

Announce 2019 tour dates The Smith Street Band have been lying low for the past three months, taking a break from relentless touring to build their own studio in rural Victoria. They’ll be recording their fifth album in the newly finished space, but aren’t hunkering down quite yet.

The boys have decided it’s time to return to the live music circuit, and are gearing up for a run of 2019 dates. The I Still Dream About You tour will see the band hit the road in March, joined by Sweater Curse for every stop but the Hobart one (sorry guys).

If you’re a Melbourne fan, you can catch them at The Forum on Friday March 22.

Head to their website for more details.

The Drop

Announces its return, reveals two new locations

Save the date ± The Drop is making a 2019 return. The festival is a celebration of live music and surfing culture; two quintessential Aussie pastimes that seem to go hand-in-hand. Chasing the sun and the waves around Australia’s East Coast, The Drop will be making it’s way to Coolangatta, Torquay and Margaret River, as well as Newcastle and Manly. There’s no word on the lineup yet, so keep your eyes peeled for coming announcements. It kicks off in Newcastle on Saturday March 16, with the full list of dates on the festival website.

BEAT.COM.AU

Drops intimate tour dates St Kilda local, Hugo Race, has announced that he will be performing a set of intimate gigs at the Alliance Française in December. The former Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds member has already had a whirlwind year touring, but is cramming in as much as he can before the New Year. He’ll be playing alongside collaborator and touring partner Michaelangelo Russo, with whom he released the record John Lee Hooker’s World Today just last year. You’ll be able to catch the pair on Thursday December 20 or Friday December 21.

Tickets via Trybooking.

Falls Festival

Day By The Bay Festival

Falls Festival 2018 just keeps getting bigger, with even more acts added to the already packed lineup. Lorne-goers have been treated to an additional 15 artists, including electronic duo Set Mo, Canberra four-piece Moaning Lisa, Melbourne producer Running Touch and the psychadelic sounds of The Babe Rainbow. They’ll be bringing in the New Year with the likes of Anderson .Paak & The Free Nationals, Vance Joy and Golden Features at the Victorian event later this month. It all kicks off on Friday December 28, wrapping up on Tuesday January 1. Head to the festival website for the full lineup.

Next February will see the first Day By The Bay Festival come to life down the Mornington Peninsula, followed by the Point Cook version a month later. They’ve been tight-lipped on the event’s inaugural lineup, but we finally know who’ll be taking up the stage in each location. Local four-piece Mildlife will be leading the charge in Mornington, joined by laid-back rockers Baptism Of Uzi, Jess Ribeiro and Jaala, to name a few. Across the bay, Point Cook will be playing host to Mojo Juju, alongside The Orbwears, Hexdebt and more. The events kick off on Saturday February 23 and Saturday March 23.

Adds 11 new acts for Lorne

12

Hugo Race

Announces debut lineups

c i s u m e v i l f o r e m m

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

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

13

NEWS

Iggy Pop and Nathaniel Rateliff

Unveil Australian sideshows Bluesfest unveiled a pretty awesome 2019 lineup, but a lot of us won’t be making it up to Byron for the event. Luckily, fans of punk god, Iggy Pop, and folk-rockers Nathaniel Rateliff and The Night Sweats will still have a chance to see the legends live. They’ve both revealed sideshow dates while they’re here in Australia for Bluesfest, hitting up Melbourne and Sydney, plus an Adelaide show from Nathanial Rateliff. Both artists are bound to be met by some enthusiastic fans, so tickets will probably get snapped up quick. Make sure to nab yourself one on the Bluesfest Touring website, and catch Iggy Pop at Festival Hall on Sunday April 21, and Nathaniel Rateliff on Thursday April 18, at The Croxton.

Gig Guide THURS 20TH DEC 7.00pm- cal & dan FRI 21st DEC 6.00pm- JJ & RAY 9.00PM- JIMMY KING SAT 22nd dec 6.00pm- YASIN LEFLEF 9.30pm- INKASOUNDS SUN 23rd dec 6.00pm- TIM & JACQUIE GREEN

Iggy Pop

280 LYGON ST BRUNSWICK EAST WWW.EASTBRUNSWICKHOTEL.COM.AU

Dashville

The Whitlams

Hunter Valley crew, Dashville, are known for their boutique Americana festival, but this Summer they’ll be hitting the road. It’s not a full-blown travelling festival, but they will have two of their favourites along for the ride. They’ll be presenting a bunch of solo headline shows for both Steve Smyth and Magpie Diaries, as well as some joint performances. There’ll be special guests jumping on board for a couple of the tour dates too, including Dave Wells, Coda Chroma and Baghead. You can find the full list of shows for both artists on the Dashville website.

Aussie four-piece The Whitlams have been rocking out since 1992, racking up an impressive catalogue of platinum records and charttopping tunes. The group show no sign of slowing down, having done an anniversary tour just last year, with another on the way.

They’ll be hitting the road for a massive 15-stop stint around the country in May, joined by folk artist Bob Evans, and Killing Heidi’s Ella Hooper. You can catch them at The Corner Hotel on Thursday June 20, as they play their way through 1999’s Love This City.

Tickets available through Eventbrite.

Hitting the road with Steve Smyth and Magpie Diaries

David Bowie

Red Betty

In 2015, starman David Bowie and writer Enda Walsh joined forces for the production of Lazarus, a musical featuring many of Bowie’s own songs. So far, it’s only had seasons in New York and London, but Australian fans are in luck ± the production is coming Down Under next year. There’s no word on casting yet, but we do know it’ll premiere at Arts Centre Melbourne from Saturday May 18 to Sunday June 9. Keep an eye on the venue website for more details to come.

If you still haven’t locked in any New Years plans, then Brunswick’s Red Betty bar are here to help you out. The Twin Peaks-inspired joint are throwing a free techno party, so you can boogie your way into 2019, thanks to house DJs as well as special guests. They’ve secured long-time electronic producer Steve Law for the event, who’s been spinning tracks since the 1980’s. He’ll be joined by Australian sound designer Scott Armstrong, known in the music scene as g3d9. Head along to 859 Sydney Road, Brunswick and join in on the action.

The late musician’s Lazarus to make its Australian debut

14

BEAT.COM.AU

Annnounce Last Drinks at The Morrison Hotel Tour

Are throwing a free New Years Eve party

WEDNESDAY 19TH DECEMBER, 6PM FREE FRIDAY 21 DECEMBER 8PM • FREE

PRIVACY ACT SATURDAY 22 DECEMBER 8PM • FREE

CHRISTMAS PARTY SHOW USER + WINTER SUN SUNDAY 23 DECEMBER 5PM • FREE

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

RED BETTY DOES NYE STEVE LAW G3D9 (LIVE) RED BETTY DJs

FRIDAY 11 JANUARY 2019 8PM • FREE

CENTRALS – SNORKEL REBOOTED

WHISKEY WEDNESDAYS Acoustic Session. $8 top shelf/mid shelf whiskey THURSDAY 20TH DECEMBER, 7PM FREE

LIVE ELECTRONIC SHOWCASE 23 Lost Cat, Monastere, Dominic Altamore, Silvatra, Julian Smith.

CHRISTMAS AT THE SWAMP! [PART 1] FRIDAY 21ST DEC FEAT:

CHARLIE MARSHALL AND THE BODY ELECTRIC, Andy Kentler Band, Person or Persons Unknown 8pm $10.

[PART 2] SAT 22ND DEC FEAT:

THURSBY, FRIDAY CONNELL, ILL GOTTEN-BOOTY & VAN WALKER 7pm Free.

DJ DOGGLER 10.30pm Free.

CHRISTMAS DRINK SPECIALS AND $8 PINTS ALL NIGHT! [PART 3] SUN 23RD DEC FEAT:

VERY HANDSOME MEN, Dalicados 4PM. HAPPY HOUR OPEN MIC 5PM-7PM TUE-SUN, $6 PINTS, $3.50 POTS, $5 WINE/BASIC SPIRITS LAZY GRAMPS BURGER AND PINT SPECIAL $20!

CLOSED FOR HOLIDAYS

FRI 28 & SAT 29 DECEMBER FRI 4 & SAT 5 JANUARY THE MAGIC MUSIC VENUE In the Laneway behind

859 Sydney Road, Brunswick (enter via Cozens St).

redbetty.com.au

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

Wednesday 19th 8.00pm

‘LOMONDACOUSTICA’ GEOFF ACHISON, NICK CHARLES, MIKE RUDD Thursday 20th 8.00pm

WRITERS BLOCK #45

The very best locally designed and handcrafted items, direct from maker to you.

Come and find that unique gift this Christmas.

Thursdays, 5.30pm-10pm December 13 & 20 LICENSED BAR, ENTERTAINMENT, CHILDREN’S ACTIVITIES. FREE ENTRY.

CATHY DOBSON, PAT EVANS, YOLANDA INGLEY II, ENDA KENNY, ZOE FOX, FRANK JONES, STEVE DAGG Friday 21st 9.30pm

T-BONES (Urban bbq)

Saturday 22nd 9.30pm

SHANTY TOWN (Rock steady)

Sunday 23rd 5.30pm

KELLY AUTY BAND (Shine a light)

Tuesday 25th 8.00pm

Northcote Town Hall Arts Centre 189 High Street Northcote darebinarts.com.au

“MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EVERYONE”

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

303 Sydney Rd Brunswick entry via Phoenix Street

BEAT.COM.AU

15

ARTS

Arts Guide BEAT’S K TOP PIC

Pol McMahon

Celebrating Melbourne through art Local street-scape artist Pol McMahon is exhibiting a bunch of his Melbourne-inspired artwork at the community-focused Radio Bar in Fitzroy. With a portfolio spanning thousands of pictures over his three-decade career, McMahon’s exhibit will feature a huge number of artworks that pay homage to the recognisable landmarks we visit every day. McMahon’s unique style includes the use of vivid acrylic inks and embossing to produce portraits of Fitzroy that will grab your eye. Find Radio Bar at 357 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy, open six days (closed Tuesdays).

The Theatre is Lying

Is The Latest Multimedia Exhibition to Crop up at ACCA The Theatre is Lying is a new showcase of digital and multimedia art at the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art and the first in a series of commissioned art exhibitions. Using light, sound and video, works from The Theatre Is Lying explore the misuse of information, transparency and representation in mass media. Having opened over the weekend, The Theatre is Lying will remain in Southbank until Thursday March 14. The exhibition is free to visit and features major works by Anna Breckon and Nat Randall, Sol Calero, Consuelo Cavaniglia, Matthew Griffin and Daniel Jenatsch.

Comedy

You’ll be laughing like Santa Claus with the Thursday Comedy Club’s Big Xmas Show on Thursday December 20. Held at the European Bier Cafe, it’s promising to be a huge night full of comedians from TV, radio interstate and overseas. So grab a meal and a drink, and get ready to hold your sides together at this jam-packed Christmas comedy extravaganza. Kicks off at 8.30pm.

Rose St. Artists’ Market

ROMA

Snake Oil Cabaret

The iconic Rose St. Artists’ Market is taking a trip to St James (between Bourke, William and Little Collins Streets) for a pop-up market on Thursday December 20. If you’re in need of some unique, quirky Christmas gifts last-minute, you’re in luck. The market will be filled with ceramics, jewellery and other handmade delights that make finding a gift for a relative you left off the shopping list a breeze. The Rose St. Artists’ Market has been running for 15 years now in Fitzroy, and has become a weekend tradition for many Melburnians.

Whether this is your first or five hundredth time going, there’s always something new to explore. Catch the pop-up market between 10am and 3pm.

Academy Award-winning writer and director Alfonso Cuaron’s heart-warming new film ROMA is currently screening at ACMI. Produced entirely in black and white, the film focuses on a Mexican middle-class family in the ‘70s during a time of political upheaval. In a gut-wrenching portrait of how instability affects people around the world, ROMA shines a light on the strength of family bonds in times of turmoil. When writing and directing this work, Cuaron sought inspiration from the women in his life who shaped his way of living. There are sessions right up until the end of the year, so head to AMCI’s website to check out times and grab a ticket.

It’s no secret that mental health issues are rife in the music and entertainment industry, which is why local events company Cherri On Top wants to create better outcomes for performing artists by offering industry support and opportunities. They’ll launch their latest burlesque and comedy-infused cabaret, Snake Oil Cabaret in the form of a launch party at Northcote’s 24 Moons bar. The show will see the Figjam Siblings, Cherri and Hannibal, seek to treat ailments of all shapes and sizes with their toolkit of questionable cures in what promises to be a whimsical affair. Catch Snake Oil Cabaret on Thursday December 20 and Friday December 21 at 7pm, and find your tickets via Eventbrite.

The famed market institution is headed to the city

16

BEAT.COM.AU

Catch this heart-warmer screening at ACMI

Championing artist wellbeing through cabaret

COLUMNS

Electronic WITH MICHAEL CUSACK

Punk

WITH JOE HANSEN

Hip Hop WITH SOSE FUAMOLI

Lil Pump Avalon Emerson

Californian techno queen Avalon Emerson launched a new website service last weekend that’s so simple it’s genius (and kind of ridiculous it hadn’t been done). Called Buy Music Club, the website is simply a collection of lists of listenable tracks curated by DJs and artists with links to buy each track via Bandcamp. Bandcamp gives the biggest cut to artists out of all the online stores and has become the platform of choice for many electronic labels and artists in the last few years. Some big names have put together lists for the site already, including Four Tet, Mount Kimbie, Project Pablo, Resident Advisor and plenty more. You can also make your own shareable lists with the site. Check it out at www.buymusic.club

BEST PUNK ROCK ALBUMS OF 2018

Since no one releases albums this late into the year (and anyone that does is dumb), I felt it was time to look back on some of my favourite punk rock releases of the year. With 2018 continuing to diversify and expand the limits of punk rock and its ongoing influence on music throughout the world, the style and scene continues to put out some absolutely stellar releases. From garage, hardcore, skater thrash and just good old punk rock, here’s just some of the excellent releases under the punk umbrella this year.

And yes, as always, there’s going to be a million excellent albums that I will have overlooked, so please let me know what I have missed.

SCREAMING FEMALES – ALL AT ONCE

Their first record since 2015’s Rose Mountain takes form as the band’s second double album, repeating the genre exploration and long-winded musical journey of their 2012 record Ugly. A massive step-up from the stripped back and mostly unmemorable previous effort (apart from their best song ‘Criminal Image’) All At Once brings the band back to the peak of their powers. One of the tightest and hardest touring bands in current punk rock, Screaming Females continue to be at the top of their game, with their signature over-the-top guitar riffs and driving rhythm section.

Some unexpected and downright shithouse news came through last week, with Lounge announcing that after 29 years, they’ll be closing shop in April. It’s not entirely clear why, the building owner has simply refused to renew Lounge’s lease. Lounge’s business owner Carl Colosimo, who’s been running the space for the entire 29 years, has said he’s looking for a new venue ± ideally to open around the time Lounge closes. In the lead up to the closure, they’ll be running “29 Parties for 29 Years”, with nights like Pleasure Planet, Mania, Bunker and Technoir all making an appearance. More details to come.

For 18 year old rapper Lil Pump, the last month has been a hectic one, to say the least. His latest bungle with the law has seen him be picked up by police after being kicked off a flight in Miami for allegedly travelling with marijuana in his luggage. After getting into an argument with the pilot and then a further verbal altercation with police on ground, the luggage containing the drugs was found to belong to a member of his crew.

It’s not long now before Lil Pump is set to be touring Australia for this summer’s FOMO Festival, alongside the likes of Nicki Minaj, Rae Sremmurd and Kali Uchis, though it’s the trouble he’s been getting into recently that has had us wondering if he’s going to make it out here unscathed. This month, he was arrested by Danish police and then got himself into even more trouble by taunting the officers via Instagram Live during the encounter, eventually having to cancel his show in Denmark. The FOMO tour arrives in Melbourne for a massive day out at Flemington Racecourse on Sunday January 13. More details via the festival website.

Vic Mensa

C.H.E.W – FEEDING FRENZY

The debut full-length from this Chicago fastcore unit is absolutely ripping, with enough blast beats and d-beat thrashings to please any power-violence nerd. While rooted in West Coast influenced PV and thrashcore, the record slides into Albini-style noise rock in parts, doing just enough to break up the chaos (admittedly with a different kind of chaos). Recommended for all.

It’s been over a year since Chicago rapper Vic Mensa dropped his acclaimed album The Autobiography, but this isn’t to say he’s been kicking his heels in the meantime.

From touring with Jay Z and getting right into activism in his home city, Mensa has been here, there and everywhere getting his music out to fans. Most recently, he released his first taste of new music since The Autobiography, an EP titled HOOLIGANS. The eight-track offering features guest verses from the likes of G-Eazy and Ty Dolla $ign, while iconic vocalist Charlie Wilson also jumps on to spread some slick vibes.

Again proving Mensa’s talent as a lyricist and his boldness when it comes to getting personal on his recordings, HOOLIGANS is a fitting follow up to The Autobiography, touching on addiction, love, mental health and more in an intense fashion. It’s out now via Roc Nation.

CIVIC – NEW VIETNAM Millú

There’s a fair bit going on in Melbourne this weekend, so it’s nice that we get a couple of days to recover before pretending we’re completely civilised human beings with the family on Tuesday. That said, here’s a few highlights.

On Friday December 21 Club Derange is back for their final party at Hugs&Kisses, with an all orginal lineup of Harold, Millú, Paul Jager and Simon TK. Kicks off at 11pm. Also on Friday, Melbourne Techno Collective return to New Guernica with mysterious German techno lord Material Object, plus ACM Live, Adrian Bell, Craig McWhinney, Sundelin, Miss Farina, Sam McEwin, Ebony Willis, Jay Reading, Peter Baker and Matt Radovich. On Sunday December 23, The Operatives are celebrating their fourteenth Birthday at Penny Black with LTJ Bukem, Om Unit, ABLE8, Akouo, beatrice, Billy Davis & The Good Lords, Hans DC, Johnny Hooves, Jace XL, Jade Zoe, Jordan Dennis, JPS, Float, Lady Banton, Lotus Moonchild, Nam, Oisima, SilentJay, Sean Deans and Shümba. Kicks off at 2pm.

One of the best garage punk bands to come out of the exceptionally fertile Melbourne scene in recent times, Civic’s debut LP New Vietnam is an outstanding release of trashy yet musically solid punk rock. Taking cues from garage standards like Eddy Current Suppression Ring, the band twists it with a strong proto-punk rock influence, with many tracks not sounding out of place in early 1970s Detroit. Despite the noisy garage outer layer, strong melody runs through the whole record, solidifying the sound that Melbourne does best.

WAR ON WOMEN – CAPTURE THE FLAG

Fusing the fast thrash metal influenced tech-punk of bands like Propagandhi with the outspoken feminist politics of Bikini Kill, Baltimore’s War On Women returned stronger than ever on their second full-length. The improvements over their 2015 debut are clear, no doubt a combination of the band’s relentless touring, but also the tumultuous political and social climate of the last three years informing the band’s lyrics and energy. This is one record that absolutely shreds. Catch them in early 2019 on their debut Australian tour with Download Festival.

Big Krit

It’s been a busy, busy time for Mississippi rap icon Big K.R.I.T. Releasing two surprise EPs already in 2018 in Thrice X and Double Down, K.R.I.T came through once more ahead of the weekend with the third in the series, aptly titled Trifecta.

With a sense of finality to it, Trifecta is short at only three tracks long, but listen to all three EP releases consecutively and you’ll find how brilliantly they complement one another. It’s the first batch of new music from Big K.R.I.T since 2017’s full-length album 4eva is a Mighty Long Time, so here’s hoping fans aren’t waiting too much longer for another studio record to show itself.

BEAT.COM.AU

17

COVER STORY

Ocean Grove

BY DAN WATT

Having just released one their most brutal songs to date, Ocean Grove are set explode at UNIFY Gathering in January.

The music industry, like most of the commercial frameworks that are based around artistic endeavour, spends a lot of its time trying to stay ahead of the curve. This necessitates a hysterical focus on acts that are considered ‘new’ and ‘fresh’. One band that is considered fresh both chronologically and stylistically is Ocean Grove.

However, whilst only having released their debut The Rhapsody Tapes last year, in actuality the band are about to enter their tenth year together.

“We’ve been a band for close to ten years and I think some people that have just come into the Ocean Grove story, say with our last album, might not realise that but we have been a band since we were at high school,” says Dale Tanner, the band’s bassist and clean vocalist.

The high school that the band members attended was St. Bedes, Mentone ± an independent Catholic school that also happened to be the institute where the likes of Jet and British India were formed. Tanner admits that such heritage was handy because they were inspired by these bands stories when they were just starting out.

Due to the band forming at such a young age, the story behind the name reveals a charming lack of pretence, as Tanner explains.

“Ocean Grove was a place that, not myself, but pretty much all the other guys used to go as kids on holidays. So when it came time all those years ago when we were thinking of a band name, “emo names” were the thing, but we didn’t want that. We all kind of looked up to Parkway Drive and related to their story of coming into a heavy scene from a different angle, so we all agreed Ocean Grove felt right.”

Understanding that authenticity has always been a value held high by the band is important

18

BEAT.COM.AU

when considering the announcement last week that heavy vocalist Luke Holmes and guitarist Jimmy Hall were departing the band.

Tanner openly and honestly discusses the departures, saying, “I don’t think any of us expected it to come this far. When you think that it started because you wanted to do something with your mates and pursue a shared passion and then it becomes this all-consuming thing that dictates your life, I can understand why, maybe, Luke and Jimmy stood back and said ‘hang on we’re no longer 16-17, other responsibilities are coming in to play,’” Tanner says. “I guess the time had just come for the guys. It just seemed like, well, there were other interests in life to be explored before it was too late.”

Despite the news, Tanner confidently contends that due to a powerful precedent set previously, lineup changes will not impact Ocean Grove’s future and Holmes and Hall will remain within the band’s orbit due to an intense bond.

The surety of his words draws its strength from the powerful precedent set when founding guitarist Matias Morales left the band.

“When Matias left in 2014 to start Running Touch we supported his decision and made sure he knew we understood his decision and yeah, he has been in the background still contributing when he can. While he no longer performs with us he is still part of the ‘OG’ collective.”

One might argue that all of this talk of a collective is just lip service to appease disappointed fans, however last week Ocean Grove released a new single, ‘Glass Gloss’, to commemorate the departing members while dually demonstrating to fans that the band has not lost momentum. “‘Glass Gloss’ is a bit of a heavy one, definitely

picks and chooses from the style on The Rhapsody Tapes but is definitely an evolution as well. This is the closest thing we have ever written to a Linkin Park track. Lyrically it is talking about the impact smart-phones have had on our culture,” Tanner says.

“I guess it is calling out on mobile usage in some ways but more so encouraging the other option of getting out there and experiencing the world with your own eyes rather than being so consumed by social media that your only outlet is clips and pictures posted by people that are often complete strangers.”

Thankfully fans will get to experience a rendition of ‘Glass Gloss’ performed by the lineup that wrote the song when Ocean Grove play UNIFY Gathering next month. Whilst this may ostensibly seem a happy coincidence in light of the band’s lineup change, the reality is that the festival’s announcement was integral to the timing of the release of ‘Glass Gloss’, the band set out to make the exit of Holmes and Hall as smooth as possible for their fans due to the high esteem they hold for those that have supported the band.

“In 2013 when our first EP Outsider got released we were playing under age shows practically every weekend. Night after night hundreds of fans would travel for ages to see us so we realised that Ocean Grove was bigger than us,” Tanner says.

“We feed off their energy so much during a show but even away from the stage when we are in the studio writing songs we draw on that same energy to inform how we shape the songs we are writing.”

“ ‘Glass Gloss’ is a bit of a heavy one, definitely picks and chooses from the style on The Rhapsody Tapes but is definitely an evolution as well. This is the closest thing we have ever written to a Linkin Park track.”

Catch Ocean Grove at UNIFY Gathering at Tarwin Meadows, Gippsland, from Friday January 11 to Sunday January 13. More details on the full lineup and tickets available via the festival website.

Angie McMahon

BY GRETA BRERETON

Picture this; it’s mid-February in Victoria. You’ve taken the weekend to whisk yourself away to the Grampians National park, but not for a hike – for a music festival.

It’s warm and sunny in Halls Gap, and there’s mountain ranges everywhere you turn, jutting out majestically against the clear blue sky. With a beer in one hand and some tasty food truck grub in the other, you’re kicking back and gearing up to catch sets from the likes of Slum Sociable, Wafia and Sampa The Great.

Not much could improve your current situation ± except maybe a swimming pool, according to Angie McMahon.

“I wonder if there is like a swimming place at the Grampians festival, that’d be sick,” she wonders out loud. “I might just hit them up and tell them to dig a swimming pool.”

Beat are chatting to the Melbourne songstress about her upcoming appearance at the Grampians Music Festival, which will be her official return to work next year. McMahon has just wrapped up her last show for 2018 and is looking forward to a well-deserved break, although she’s not really used to having downtime.

“It’s winding down now which is nice,” she says of her busy schedule. “But it’s also that weird thing of when you have a quiet couple of weeks and you don’t really know what to do with yourself.

“I’ve been desperate for downtime and now I’m like ‘what should I be doing?’” she cuts off with a laugh. “You don’t really know how to stop working or something.”

It’s been a busy 12 months for McMahon, who’s been hitting up stages around the country and overseas, playing headline shows and the festival circuit. No stranger to big music events, she scored spots on both the Laneway and Splendour In The Grass lineups, as well as playing alongside Paul Kelly this month for Making Gravy. She

admits it’s all been pretty awesome, and she’s played some great shows, but there’s something about the idea of playing the Grampians Music Festival that has her particularly excited.

“I actually haven’t been to the Grampians, but I’m stoked,” she gushes. “I know that it’s beautiful because I have friends who go there just for holidays to relax and I’ve googled it and it looks amazing. And the lineup is great; I think it’s going to be really beautiful.”

With only one stage for the whole weekend, it means there’s no risk of set clashes and missing out on acts you want to see. For McMahon, this means she might actually get the chance to catch her friends perform or watch artists she admires, which is something she rarely has the time to do anymore.

“I think it’s going to be a friend festival,” she says. “I feel like it’s a selection of people who I just love and want to hang out with and watch their gigs. ‘Cause, you know, it’s been busy this year, I haven’t actually been watching as many of my friend’s gigs as I would like to, so I’m looking forward to that. Just checking in with everyone’s live show and just enjoying it.”

As well as a lineup full of her friends, such as Jade Imagine and Body Type’s Cecil Coleman, McMahon is also grateful to be included on a bill that has managed to be so wonderfully inclusive.

“The artists they’ve programmed are so nice and diverse,” she says. “there’s all these women and people of colour which is so nice that it makes me want to cry because I’m like this is what it should be, this is beautiful.

“We’ve got so many interesting acts that aren’t just white people and dudes and I just love

it so much when a programmer makes a conscious effort to do that, because that’s like the future we want to see. I’m a woman but I’m still a white person, [but] it’s really nice to feel like you’re playing the festivals or the places that are doing that, because you feel like you’re doing a good thing, being part of a change.”

For a musician familiar with the frantic energy of the festival scene, McMahon says events like Grampians are a breath of fresh air. Not only do they tick important boxes such as supporting local musicians and prioritising diverse lineups, but they generate a community atmosphere, something much more unified than the usual weekend benders.

“Festivals sometimes can be hard for me because often the punters… I don’t really know how to say it, you know people are just really fucked up?” she says carefully. “Sometimes it’s like on another level, and when you’re playing, you’re having such a different experience with the people in the crowd.

“But I feel like there’s certain festival set ups that feel really community focused, so everything feels really friendly. And you can kind of feel that from a crowd, you can feel when everyone feels welcome and everyone feels cheerful.”

McMahon doesn’t really have a bad word to say about her scheduled performance, and pokes fun at herself upon realising this.

“I’m really just projecting my dreams onto this festival,” she says with a laugh.

Here’s hoping Grampians makes her festival dreams come true.

“We’ve got so many interesting acts that aren’t just white people and dudes and I just love it so much when a programmer makes a conscious effort to do that, because that’s like the future we want to see.”

Catch Angie McMahon in Halls Gap for Grampians Music Festival, from Friday February 15 to Sunday February 17. Check out the festival website for tickets and the full lineup.

BEAT.COM.AU

19

Hellions

“We’re really focused on building a little community around the band – that is always considered when we’re thinking about writing songs and when we’re touring.”

How about them Hellions? It’s been quite a year for the Sydney punk rockers.

First they appear at January’s UNIFY Gathering where they surprise fans with new music, then they drop a banger of a new album, Rue, before they head out touring the country (twice), and then, they plaster Europe with their anthemic bops.

Drummer Anthony Caruso says that for Hellions, all this activity is them easing into this album cycle.

“We had such an insane couple of years touring and then recording Rue,” he says. “Since the release we’ve been absolutely blown away by the response, we’re so keen to play shows.”

Hellions like to plan ahead, and Caruso confirms this by revealing that they have a few festival tours planned for the New Year and that they’ll be doing a dedicated album tour. To some degree, you could say that Hellions are rather calculated in not only how they release new music, but also how they write it and perform it out on tour. Caruso over this idea, saying, “I guess from our point of view we’ve always wanted to keep things, our vibe I should say, we’re really focused on building a little community around the band ± that is always considered when we’re thinking about writing songs and when we’re touring.

“The way we see it is like, everyone who wants to be involved in Hellions is a part of Hellions ± a lot of out decision-making is based around that. I guess it is calculated but we don’t take ourselves too seriously. We’re always open to crazy stuff.”

Speaking of crazy stuff, when Hellions dropped ‘X (Mwah)’ in their set at UNIFY Gathering earlier this year, it was crazy in the sense that the band effectively said, “here’s new music but you’re going to have to wait ten months to get the rest of it.” Laughing, Caruso says, “that was a

little bit daunting to me because we were like, ‘we really want to play a new song,’ and it turned out awesome that we were able to introduce the song to that many people at once, but also a bit nervewracking going in and being like, ‘no one knows this song yet.’ But it turned out really well, sort of set the standard for what we want to do next, in particular for next year’s UNIFY Gathering.

“Or goal now is to step it up ± even though we didn’t anticipate we’d be playing again next year, we’re absolutely stoked that we are.”

Bound for UNIFY Gathering for the second year running next month, Hellions are set to share the stage with some absolutely killer bands, among which, include some of Hellions’ personal musical influences. “We’re all big fans of Underoath, since we were kids,” says Caruso, “They had such a profound influence on us back in our early days, so it’s very cool and exciting for us to know that we’ll be sharing the stage with them, to be able to be on that same sort of platform.

“Our goal now, although we look up to those guys, and a lot of the other bands on the lineup as well, our plan is to one-up everyone and steal the show.”

Hellions are sandwiched on the UNIFY Gathering bill between Ocean Grove and In Hearts Wake, taking to the stage at the prime partying hour, so the band’s plans for production are massive. “Knowing it’ll be dark, that’s going to be quite fun,” Caruso teases. “I want it to be a surprise but we’ve been working with Pat Fox, who’s done all our album artwork, he’s been developing the live show production and there’s a lot of throwbacks.

“We’re trying to plan something special, little things throughout the set ± basically the brief was that we absolutely have to ensure next year’s set is better than this year’s.”

UNIFY Gathering 2019 goes down from Friday January 11 until Sunday January 13 at Tarwin Meadows, Gippsland.

For more details on the full lineup and to grab tickets, head to the festival website.

BY ANNA ROSE

Night Tongue LA-based Australians Night Tongue have arrived home, and are touring their EP released earlier this year, Achelous & Melpomene.

The duo, made up of Carisa Bianca Mellado and Andrew Dalziell, use myth and narrative in their music to explore the darker realms of life in a way that reflects its beauty.

“Everyone has a shadow and darker side. We find acceptance in this, bringing it to light in a way that has a balanced energy. The myth of Achelous & Melpomene is of an underworld God of the ocean and the muse of tragedy that is connected to the birth of the Sirens ± beings who reflect the beauty and sadness of life,” Mellado explains.

“I find that in going to these dark places through music, and art in general, you can find and create catharsis,” Dalziell adds. “It makes you present within your body. There is an ecstasy to it ± there is transcendence. I think what we do is fun, but it’s also profound. You get to go somewhere and be transported.”

Night Tongue is also a metaphorical carrier, entangling their own personal narratives within myth. “Lyrically, the songs are written from a point of view that could be taken from the characters within the myths and in a literal human way. We try to blur that line a little bit,” Mellado says.

“Using metaphor through myth allows us to express our own personal experiences that become universal experiences. I have a history of trauma and other things I have had to overcome. By using myth, the language I use stays alive, free from limitation.”

The duo are not only alluring and mesmerising in their sound, but present a similarly captivating

20 BEAT.COM.AU

‘‘I think what we do is fun, but it’s also profound.

You get to go somewhere and be transported.’’ projection. “We project a lot of really, weird, dark mythic videos as well. They’re a little fucked up and beautiful at the same time. I have a transition that I use which is me crying with blood pouring throughout the video.”

In creating the visuals, Dalziell does most of the filming while Mellado takes on the editing. ‘‘Some of them are collages and landscapes. We transform the space to create an imaginary room we are playing in,’’ explains Dalziell. “The visual component connects it all together and makes it a bit of a different experience.”

The duo met in LA and soon started to collaborate, realising their interests instantly matched. ‘‘We met when I was on tour with my solo act and we did some shows together. We realised we were exploring the same thing ± similar textures and sounds, even our musical influences.

We both have this classical, post-punk thing that we do,’’ says Dalziell.

Night Tongue’s dynamism is evident in all stages of their music production, one that begins with their songwriting. ‘‘If we start jamming there will be a bunch of new material. So much that we decide ‘let’s not jam anymore.’ Whenever we go

and practice we have to make a decision about what we are going to do. We have to be disciplined.”

Night Tongue’s talents transcend their musical creativity and the outfit are now exploring other avenues to spread their wings. ‘‘We made a bunch of short films this year too,’’ Dalziell says. ‘‘Film composition is another place where the classical side of what we do comes in handy. Both our dreams would be to do as many horror films as possible.”

Such filmmaking prowess goes hand-in-hand with their music video creation, and the duo have been working hard to append their new EP with film clips, all of which are soon to be released.

Currently, Night Tongue’s plans are centred around touring, which has kept them busy throughout 2018. Looking into the future, they have been steadily busy, working on their first album. ‘‘It’s in the recording process and should be done by mid next year. I’m dying to get it out there,’’ says Mellado. ‘‘I haven’t been back to Melbourne in nearly ten years, it’s so good to be home.’’

BY GABBY BEAUMONT

Catch Night Tongue at The Old Bar on Thursday December 20. Tickets via the venue website.

FEATURE

Regurgitator X Damian Cowell The Curtin’s ever-popular annual Xmas shindig is here once again.

What started as a one-off has now become an institution, and this year will feature a doubleheader of Australian musical royalty: alt-rockcome-synth-pop legends Regurgitator, and the newest incarnation of Australia’s most prolific musical satirist, Damian Cowell’s Disco Machine.

HEADROXX, Regurgitator’s ninth studio album is a fevered, gnarly little party monster that makes you want to get stuck into the red cordial just a little too hard ± possibly on account of the brainsucking infestation of song larvae that vocalist/ guitarist Quan Yeomans insists are responsible for the album. “I’d been having trouble sleeping for a few days. Some kind of pressure in my head seemed to be building. It felt like it was filled with bread that was slowly expanding as it soaked up the surrounding fluids,” he explains.

“After a week of this I went in for an MRI, and the images, though at first unbelievable, seemed to confirm that my skull was host to a rather nasty infestation of song larvae.” When questioned about how the infestation resulted in an album, Yeoman’s only response was that “the hive-mind are highly motivated and extremely focused. Never question the hive-mind.”

It feels like with this release, the band has managed to shed the expectations of even their most open-minded fan-base and are now free to redefine what Regurgitator is. Damian Cowell, the former anonymous frontman for Australia’s balaclava-clad, electro-punk pioneers TISM, has been dealing with his own infestation of sorts ± a swarm of Australian and international guests gracing almost every track of his ever-grinding Disco Machine’s sophomore release, Get Yer Dag On!

“Oh yeah, Shaun Micallef, Celia Pacquola, Kate Miller-Heidke, Henry Rollins, Adalita, Judith Lucy, Henry Wagons, and the list goes on”, he says.

“I’d love to work with them all again, except for that Quan Yeomans guy. He’s just too intense. He insists on method acting every role he plays, so we had to spend six weeks up the Kokoda Trail drinking our own urine with a Sarah Blasko album on repeat.”

Obviously, the ordeal took a lot out of Cowell, who still bears the scars of that expedition. “I can’t even look at a craft beer, and every time I hear Sarah Blasko I think of blood sucking leeches.”

Having spent most of the ‘90s shrouded in anonymity (rumours were that the members of TISM were all doctors and merchant bankers), the former Humphrey B. Flaubert has spent the last half-decade shedding the protective layers of his former persona ± and his anonymity along with it.

He insists, however, that the move might not be as tactical as it may appear.

“When Kylie Minogue met the members of TISM backstage at the Big Day Out (in 1996),” Cowell muses, “she was stunned at our physical beauty. ‘What am I doing with that simian Murder Ballads guy?’ she said. We were handsome, ripplingly fit, fired by intellectual fervour and a

revolutionary zeal to make humour the new punk rock. Who wouldn’t want to root us? Yet we hid it all behind a mask. Nowadays, if I still performed in a mask, anyone who met me backstage would go ‘Oh. I understand.’”

Both Yeomans and Cowell will be celebrating a 20th anniversary this Christmas, with Regurgitator and TISM having shared the stage nationally way back in 1998. However, they never again shared a stage in all of the years following and rumours regarding the rift between the two have been circulated ever since. “To be honest,” Yeomans reminisces painfully, “the whole tour seemed like a critical mistake in our career and I still harbour a lot of regrets about saying yes to it.”

The two will grace the Curtin together on Saturday December 22, alongside Melbourne synth enthusiasts U-Bahn. As for what we can expect, Mr. Cowell summed it up beautifully; “I’m in the CBD right now and I just helped a poor girl who slipped on a patch of vomit. She got the festive trifecta pain, humiliation, and slipping on vomit. That’s what you can expect.”

“I’d love to work with them all again, except for that Quan Yeomans guy. He’s just too intense.

He insists on method acting every role he plays, so we had to spend six weeks up the Kokoda Trail drinking our own urine with a Sarah Blasko album on repeat.”

You can catch both Regurgitator and Damian Cowell’s Disco Machine joining forces this Saturday December 22 at The Curtin for their annual Xmas party.

Tickets are $40 via Music Glue.

BY JOSHUA TURK

You Am I

It’s a Thursday afternoon and Tim Rogers is eating pickles and drinking beer as journalists queue to talk to him. “It’s not a tragic burden,” he laughs.

There’s not a whiff of ego in this sentiment, rather a sense of slight bewilderment that he has found himself in this position, despite being almost 30 years into his career. Once the media scuttle back to their desks, he’ll peruse his wardrobe to select a fitting ensemble for that evening’s gig. “It’s possibly the easiest job I’ve ever had,” he says.

One can only wonder what hidden treasures are tucked between the velvet suits and neckerchiefs dangling in his closet, and while it’s not uncommon to see Rogers clad in something that could only have been plucked from an untouched corner of a vintage store, he admits the much talked about gold platform shoes he recently donned for You Am I’s Melbourne Music Week performance were a dare from his daughter. He remarks that his quirky sartorial choices are a tactic employed “to take attention away from my face,” in a tone so deadpan that it’s impossible to determine whether or not he is joking.

“About 80% of the things that I do are to keep sadness away, so dressing up is a way of doing that, because it amuses me,” Rogers says. “Maybe it’s a bit of a nod of the hat to the performers I loved when I was growing up, whether it’s Noddy Holder of Slade or Alice Cooper. I just figure, why not?”

The same whimsical attitude appears to carry through into his decision making when approached with project proposals. Never one to linger on one idea for too long, this year has seen Rogers embark on a solo tour, perform tributes to The Beatles alongside Chris Cheney, Phil Jamieson and Josh Pyke, and

“If someone said ‘there’s a studio, go and make a record’ we’d be there yesterday.”

The Rolling Stones with Ash Naylor and Talei and Eliza Wolfgramm, star in a short film, rendezvous with his band You Am I and tour alongside the likes of PP Arnold, among other things.

“I don’t necessarily think you get something creatively every time, sometimes it’s just fun.

Hopefully it is some kind of evolution or devolution, you just pick up little things all the way about different styles and the strictures of those disciplines,” he says.

“They just seem to fit in the same big lucky bucket that I’m drinking from, really.”

It’s difficult to comprehend the crippling performance anxiety Rogers speaks openly of in his memoir Detours, having witnessed the charisma he exudes on stage and knowing the rigorous schedule he keeps. Though he admits his perseverance is largely due to necessity.

“It’s been worse, it’s a lot better than it was, but I just don’t have a choice,” he says. “When the band started I had no prospects at all, I was just delivering pizza and very heavily medicated. I had to drop out

of school and university and all of that. I’m not a bad gardener, professionally, but apart from that I really don’t do anything.

“I don’t ask for any sympathy for it because I got myself into this mess somehow. I’m just glad I can go out and perform.”

It appears 2019 will offer little reprieve, with You Am I already scheduled to perform at Under The Southern Stars and The Australian Open in January, before reconvening to record some new singles early in the year.

It’s been three years since You Am I released their last record Porridge & Hotsauce, though Rogers explains the subsequent lull does not result from a lack of desire to continue making music.

“We’re always ready to and there are songs there, I guess it’s just, I don’t know if anyone’s interested,” he says. “If someone said ‘there’s a studio, go and make a record’ we’d be there yesterday.”

Catch You Am I at Under The Southern Stars at Hastings Foreshore Reserve, Victoria on Saturday January 12, 2019. Tickets are available via the Under The Southern Stars website.

BY KATE STREADER

BEAT.COM.AU

21

FALLS FESTIVAL

The Vaccines

As the temperature begins to rise so does the anticipation for the slew of summer festivals happening around the country.

It’s the time of year when artists and bands from around the world descend on our little piece of paradise for some fun in the sun, and I’ll wager Árni Árnason, bass player for The Vaccines, may be in need of a little vitamin D when he touches down in Victoria in a few weeks.

“I’m currently in my cabin at home in Reykjavik, Iceland. It’s on the shore of Faxa Bay,” he adds. “We have a fire and it’s warm and relaxing.” Árnason and his fellow Vaccines deserve a little time off. Thanks to the release of their fourth studio album Combat Sports, they have cemented their place as one of Britain’s most enduring and muchloved bands of the new millennium. “I think we’re getting better with age, and we’re best at putting on ruckus rock‘n’roll shows,” he adds.

“And now that we’re four albums in, we have so many more songs to choose from that we have really improved our live shows ± especially the big festival sets.”

The Vaccines are no strangers to playing to large, sold-out crowds. Earlier this year they opened for The Rolling Stones, after impressing Mick and Keith earlier in their career.

“This time around the request came directly from The Rolling Stones camp. The other time we supported them it was organised via a promoter ± so we must have done something right.” he laughs.

“We were so honoured to be there and to be a part of it, and their show is just unbelievable. It was amazing to see. Even just for the free ticket we were so happy ± it was so cool.”

It seems The Vaccines are such fans of the Stones they even named a song after them on their

latest album. “I don’t think we actually played that song. I can’t remember but we probably should have,” he smiles.

With that, you can’t help but wonder if The Vaccines crave the kind of longevity The Stones have enjoyed? “I don’t really know if anybody should. They are not even a once in a generation success, their success is staggering ± a one-off in the history of popular music, you know?

“Keeping a band together is not easy,” he adds, “and I think it’s fair to say we’ve had a few difficult years.” Back in 2016 founding member and drummer Pete Robertson left the band and while they tried to make a three-piece work, touring musicians Yoann Intonti and Timothy Lanham were officially asked to join them later the same year. Shutting down rumours their album title Combat Sports was a hint about band in-fighting. Árnason adds, “Now we’re happy as a five-piece and can’t wait to play these shows over the New Year.”

Now that was cleared up, I couldn’t help but ask about another theory going around ± that

Combat Sports was actually named as a nod to their favourite fighting duo Connor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather. “We actually watched that when we were together in Iceland ± that was the first and only time I’ve ever watched two men beat each other up, and it wasn’t particularly enjoyable. I can say that the title of the album has got absolutely nothing to do with that.” Árnason says they plan to indulge in noncombat sports while they’re here for a week or two.

“Whenever we make it all the way down to Australia we always manage to get a couple of days off ± which is a luxury. In a lot of other countries it’s just in-and-out but I think we will have a few days off so it will be nice.

“Then I think we are going to be heading back to England to work on new music. So I don’t know if there will be much rest and relaxation on the cards, so I’ll have to make the most of my cabin right now.”

“I also have to stay true to what I’m doing.

If what I create and what I produce never sees that level of people, then that’s OK.”

The past two years have been something of a whirlwind for Irish musician, Dermot Kennedy.

22 BEAT.COM.AU

The Vaccines play Falls Festival in Lorne from Friday December 28 until Monday December 31.

They’ll also arrive at The Croxton on Thursday January 3. Tickets via festival and venue websites respectively.

BY NATALIE ROGERS

Dermot Kennedy

He racked up millions of Spotify streams for his track ‘After Rain’ back in 2016, gaining him popularity across the globe and sparking the start of a hectic touring schedule.

Constantly crossing time zones, jumping on planes, and performing nightly might sound like a taxing life to live, but Kennedy is nothing but grateful for where he’s ended up.

“I genuinely can’t like, flag a part that’s bad at all,” says the Dublin-native after a moment of thought. “Everything’s been so good. I kind of have to pinch myself sometimes and realise I shouldn’t take it for granted.”

It hasn’t been a quick and easy rise to the top though. Kennedy has been ruthlessly pursuing a career in music since he was about ten years old, after watching a cousin play Thin Lizzy’s ‘Dancing In The Moonlight’ at a family party.

“I started because my cousin David played,” he explains. “He was playing the guitar at like two in the morning or something, and he was so good.

“Just the lyrics and the way the song was put together and the way he was delivering it, I was just like ‘that’s just like what I want to do.’ It just seemed really magic to me, and I knew I wanted to be able to do that.”

Kennedy spent about twelve years getting to where he is now; teaching himself guitar, learning covers, busking on the streets of Dublin, penning his own songs, and graduating college with a classical music degree. While his hard work and dedication to his craft has paid off immensely, he still struggles to wrap his head around just how

“This time around the request came directly from The Rolling Stones camp.

The other time we supported them it was organised via a promoter – so we must have done something right.”

popular his music has become.

“When I was younger I kind of dreamed of doing things like playing in big rooms for like a couple of thousand people, and then I did that last week in New York,” he says in wonder. “Then if the crowd of two thousand becomes a crowd of ten thousand then that’s amazing, like I want to take it as far as possible.

“But I also have to stay true to what I’m doing.

If what I create and what I produce never sees that level of people, then that’s OK. My job is just to worry about the music.”

It wouldn’t be surprising if Kennedy does hit that number soon though, especially when his work is as beautiful as it is. With poetic lyrical prose, acoustic melodies and strong, sweeping vocals, his music is both emotional and empowering. The tracks are raw and unwaveringly honest, something which he feels is important to embrace, particularly when playing live shows.

“I really do believe that we spend so much time kind of hiding emotions and keeping that stuff locked away, so I kind of love that part of the

set,” he explains. “I just play it totally acoustically and I kind of embrace how vulnerable I am at that moment.

“It’s funny, because like a lot of times at my shows there’s like groups of guys and it’s real groups of lads who really come and sing their heart out, and I feel like they don’t really talk about it after. So, for me to be able to stand there and be super exposed and sing those words, it’s a really powerful feeling, and I think I’d be doing myself and everyone else a disservice if I kind of shied away from it.”

It’s this openness that Kennedy will be bringing Down Under during the next month, before taking some time off the road to get back into the studio.

“I think once I’ve done the shows in Australia, I’m going to basically take the first chunk of next year just to work on my album,” he says. “I’ve got like a hundred something songs to go through, so I need to figure out what’s the best way for those to exist.”

BY GRETA BRERETON

Dermot Kennedy plays Falls Festival in Lorne from Friday December 28 until Monday December 31. He will also play The Croxton Bandroom on Tuesday January 8 and Wednesday January 9. Tickets via festival and venue websites respectively.

FEATURE

Chapel Summer Sessions

“Usually there are about five acts, but next year we’re having ten. So that’s a new step for us, and just heightens the excitement, really.”

If you’re a true music-minded Melburnian, chances are you’ve attended a gig or show at one of the city’s most treasured cultural institutions, Chapel Off Chapel.

If you’ve been, you’ll never forget it; the intimate atmosphere, the state-of-the-art acoustics, and the beautiful stained glass window set behind the stage all combine to make Chapel Off Chapel an alternative oasis for emerging and established artists alike.

With that in mind, the venue’s Marketing & Producer Liaison Officer Ibrahim Mustafa is bringing back the Chapel Off Chapel Summer Sessions for the fourth time. Mustafa is a living legend among the Melbourne music scene, having spent over a decade booking gigs and curating lineups for Chapel Off Chapel. He previously worked in London, where he worked with The Place Theatre and was mainly responsible for marketing, production, and accidentally feeding Rickey Gervais raw lemons instead of the requested oranges.

“I thought they were oranges. [Gervais] literally cut one up and ate it before he realised I’d accidentally left lemons in his greenroom, so …

I’m not the only one who was fooled.”

With a background as solid as his, it’s no surprise that Mustafa holds a whole lot of pride and enthusiasm about the coming summer’s lineup.

“I love to search for emerging talent, and then also bring back the larger names that are growing or have grown. The best part of the job is when I come out of a night and get goosebumps, I feel like I’m on a natural high. Seeing something

amazing in such an intimate space.”

2019’s Summer Sessions will be treading new territory with a larger lineup and longer running period, spanning January and February.

“Usually there are about five acts, but next year we’re having ten. So that’s a new step for us, and just heightens the excitement, really,” says Mustafa.

While always a great platform from which emerging artists can spring into the mainstream, it’s not too hard to spot a couple of very welcome repeat offenders; namely, Thando ± one of the original performers in the series.

“When I first met Thando, she was up-andcoming, but now she’s just blown up. She’s doing all of these festivals, and her fan base in America is so big. She’s been with us for four years and her performances are just … wow,” he says. “She gives 200% and her confidence is unreal; she was an amazing performer then, but just now she’s just amazing.”

The lineup is dense with talent overall, and you can see why Mustafa is so excited about his creation. A majority of the artists are independent, and as such are stoked to play in such a renowned

and influential space as Chapel Off Chapel.

Additionally, the variation between genres and atmospheres is huge; diversity is exemplified when you juxtapose Sex on Toast’s hard-edged and improvisational ‘80s funk-swing with Jess & Matt’s Sydney-born guitar hooks and harmonies.

When asked about hitting that ever-elusive sweet spot between booking emerging artists and also nabbing the bigger names, Mustafa took his time to articulate the decision process.

“It’s definitely one of the hardest parts of the process, but it’s also super rewarding to head out and see gigs and find bands to approach,” he says.

“I love to see the emerging musicians make their mark, and to see them grow in the space.

But then, with established artists like Matt Doll, having seen him and been in an intimate space with him, I already know that he can command the Chapel. Everyone learns, that’s the great thing; even when Coldplay or the Foo Fighters came in, they leave having learnt something new about themselves and their performance.”

BY LEXI HERBERT

Cultivate

With the gender gap in the music industry as clear as it is, it’s easy to let your thoughts run by and assume that everything’s on the way up, if only very slowly.

Punters and publications alike call-out a lack of female representation in lineups, while despicable behavior is highlighted and scorned. In other words, the problem is articulated. But of course, there is much more work that is needed to be done, particularly behind the scenes of the industry.

Think record companies, production companies, music association boards and the like.

A study conducted by The University of Sydney in 2017 analysed the four peak music industry bodies, and found that 83% of board positions were held by men. The peak body, the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), had no women on the board.

Enter Sarah Deborre ± the project manager of Music Victoria’s new program Cultivate ± which seeks to drastically address issues like this. The new leadership initiative, backed by the Victorian government, targets this problem head on, and as Deborre will ensure, will foster and enhance the skills of mid-level to established female music industry professionals.

“It’s to support women who are on their leadership journey and their journey into upper management within the industry,” Deborre explains. “[It] provides them with the relevant training and leadership skills to enable them do their job successfully for a long time to come, which will positively impact the music sector in Victoria.”

The program, which will take in a select number of participants, is totally bespoke. And while mentoring is at its heart, including partnering up participants with CEOs, senior role holders and

the like, there are many other approaches to their development.

“There will be a series of master classes that will hone in on all types of different leadership skills and we’ll be identifying a lot of that through the application process,” Deborre explains. “Things like board training, which will give people the skills to be on different music industry boards so we have more women represented on these boards. Other things like conflict-resolution, public speaking, building emotional intelligence, empathy, negotiation skills, leading and motivating others. We’ve got the budget to be able to invest into each of our participants to put them through the training that’s going to be relevant to them and their career.”

Deborre reiterates that Cultivate is not aimed at artists. “This is more for people that are working behind the scenes. Women that are working in leadership positions in places like record labels, in production companies, as artist managers, women working in public relations, marketing and even in music entertainment law,” she says.

Addressing imbalances across the music sector and fostering diversity is invaluable for decision making, Deborre says.

Chapel Off Chapel’s Summer Sessions get underway on Friday January 11 with Jordie Lane and run until Saturday February 23 where Matt Doll will round out proceedings. Head to the Chapel Off Chapel website for more information.

“I think it’s important to have different voices, to me that is one of the things that screams out,” she explains. “And also it’s about making sure that we’ve got the right person in the job and not a person that’s employed over someone else because of their gender. And that’s not to say that it should be just gender-based. We need to ensure that we are inclusive and diverse in the voices that we’re representing in a community.”

As for what leadership means to Deborre, the key thread amassed from her nearly 20 years as a leader in the industry, is simple ± understanding people.

“I think that more than anything [it’s] actually learning to empathise and understand... and you really need to be able to relate to everyone, even if they are going through something completely different to you,” she says. “If you can do that, then you know how to support those people around you and supporting and understanding is really what I think it’s about when it comes to leadership.”

“We’ve got the budget to be able to invest into each of our participants to put them through the training that’s going to be relevant to them and their career.”

Applications for the inaugural Cultivate leadership program are open now until Monday January 14. Apply via www.musicvictoria.com. au/cultivate.

BY MATTHEW TOOHEY

BEAT.COM.AU 23

FEATURE

Myles Kennedy

Many successful rock artists struggle with substance addiction and the caprices of fame.

For Myles Kennedy, the music that earned him a spot next to Guns N’ Roses icon Slash also plunged him into a struggle that has proven subtler but no less challenging. After years of playing music at high volumes, Kennedy was left with tinnitus, a constant ringing in the ears that he likens to the whining of an old television set.

Many tinnitus sufferers are vulnerable to anxiety and depression, and Kennedy was no different.

“I love rock‘n’roll, and I do miss it,” Kennedy told The Spokesman Review in 2002. “That was my drug for years ± the volume and the adrenaline ± and I can’t do it anymore. My ears won’t let me.”

But, 17 years on, Kennedy has made peace with the intrusive ringing, and has used new volume-monitoring technology to avoid further hearing loss.

“I don’t want to say that I like it, but it’s been there for so long that it doesn’t really bother me,” says Kennedy. “I can still hear it now, but I’m really lucky … I had my ears checked out a few years ago ± they just wanted to see how things were going ± and the technician commented that, for how long I’d been doing it, my hearing was actually pretty good. That made me smile”.

Touring with Slash, Kennedy’s band goes by “The Conspirators”, though perhaps “The Collaborators” would be more apt. Kennedy has contributed to all of Slash’s solo records and has helped Slash form a musical identity separate from Guns N’ Roses.

“There are people who know Slash from the ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’ riff or ‘Welcome to the

Jungle’, and there was certainly much more of that initially, when we started touring,” says Kennedy.

“But, now, we’re seeing signs that the newer music is resonating with people as well … It’s kind of like that saying from Field of Dreams: ‘If you build it, they will come.’ If you put in the time to the body of work, you’ll develop a fanbase.”

Kennedy was not a born collaborator ± in his early 20s, he wrote and recorded mainly as a lone wolf. He found the value of collaboration both through songwriting with friends and working as a music instructor.

“One of the best opportunities I had as a young musician was trying to convey that knowledge I had to somebody else,” says Kennedy.

“It really helps you crystallise your approach and how to make music your own. It makes a big difference. In a lot of ways, teaching made me a better guitar player more so than going to school for guitar.”

Slash ft. Kennedy & The Conspirators will bring their new album, Living the Dream, to Australia this February. What sets Living the Dream apart from the group’s prior collaborative release, 2014’s World on Fire, is that Dream was

given more time to develop.

Most of the album was written around 2015, says Kennedy. As the group separated to work on other projects ± Kennedy with Alter Bridge and Slash with Guns N’ Roses ± they gained a new perspective that let them flesh out the album’s themes.

“When you have a certain amount of time in between the writing process and the recording process, it helps you gain a new perspective, almost like the first time you hear a song,” says Kennedy. “When we reconvened, it came together real quickly.”

The Living the Dream tour will incorporate classic Slash tunes, but the setlist will be weighted heavily in favour of material from the last decade.

“If you want some ferocious guitar playing, come to the show for sure,” says Kennedy. “We’ve been a band now for coming up on a decade, and we love making music together. Hopefully, listeners can hear that vibe we have when we get together to make music.”

Mark Berry, AKA Bez, is best known as the affable and boggleeyed nutter shaking the maracas for the Happy Mondays, the band at the “Madchester” fore.

24 BEAT.COM.AU

‘listen, if you don’t you’re a soft cunt.’

“So, I ended up having to go onstage, and I picked up these maracas … shook me maracas like mad and I did this mad acid dance that we were doing at the time.” The rest is history.

As much as they were renowned for wild, drug-fuelled antics, the band was a lifesaver for Bez. “If it wasn’t for this ramshackle group called the Happy Mondays, god knows where I’d’ve ended up,” he ponders. “In my early teenage life, me old fella was a policeman and through rebellion I got into petty crime and was sent to prison a couple of times, so for me, it completely changed me and changed the direction of my lifestyle and where I was going.”

Bez often marvels at the fact that he’s managed to turn his very Bez-ness into a career, cementing his iconic status along the way. “It’s unbelievable, when we first set up as kids we’d never have said that 30-odd years later we’d still be doing this,” Bez explains. “Especially for me, because I never intended to be a musician or in a band, so it’s even more unbelievable.”

And while Americans never quite got the point of Bez, the Brits embraced him ± he’s the

Slash ft. Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators will play Margaret Court Arena on Friday February 1. Grab your tickets via Ticketek.

BY ZACHARY SNOWDON SMITH

Happy Mondays

While the image of living large remains, Bez isn’t quite the 24-hour party person anymore.

These days you’re just as likely to find him pottering about the garden or tending his bees on the roof of a Manchester print works as down at the local. In fact, it’s wholesome that Bez starts the day with a slug of apple-cider vinegar in water and a green juice freshly squeezed from produce he’s grown himself.

“It gives me purpose, because every day I’ve got something to do,” he says. “There’s never a day where I get bored. Boredom used to be my worst enemy, because that’s when I used to go on bloody benders for days on end, know what I mean? And now, because I’ve got this purpose, I’m not out at the pub every day drinking. I’ve got things to do instead.”

A Salford lad born to a policeman who found him bewildering at best until recent years, Bez’s infamy as the Happy Mondays’ mascot was totally unintended, albeit a suitably surreal outcome given it was fuelled by psychedelics in the first place.

“It came about by pure chance,” he says. “I’d gone along one night to watch the Mondays support New Order on a program called The Tube.

During that day, me and Shaun [Happy Mondays’ frontman and co-founder Shaun Ryder] had taken a load of acid and he was absolutely off his nut, and he’d gone to me, ‘Bez, you’re gonna have to come on stage with me. I can’t go onstage.’ I was all, ‘get lost, I’m not coming [on] stage.’ He said,

“We’re seeing signs that the newer music is resonating with people as well … It’s kind of like that saying from Field of Dreams: ‘If you build it, they will come’. If you put in the time to the body of work, you’ll develop a fanbase.”

subject of a much-quoted joke on Peep Show, he beat out Bond-girl Brigitte Nielsen to win Celebrity Big Brother (which he only entered to pay off a tax debt), and nigh on caused a national riot this year when he was robbed of victory on Bargain Hunt. The winning title went to Jarvis Cocker after it was discovered that Bez’s girlfriend had purchased some of his team’s wares for the princely sum of $8.

It all makes sense ± Bez is endearing, and so much more than meets the eye. For instance, he’s super passionate about environmental issues, sustainability, permaculture and politics. Hell, he’s even run for parliament, not that he’ll repeat the exercise.

“I’ve learned my lesson. The thing about the politics was not that I had any ambition to be a politician, even though I would have liked to bring down the government. The main reason was to raise awareness about the freaking issue.

Politically we did absolutely rubbish, but as for raising awareness, we done the job.”

BY MEG CRAWFORD

“There’s never a day where I get bored.

Boredom used to be my worst enemy, because that’s when I used to go on bloody benders for days on end, know what I mean?”

Happy Mondays will play their seminal 1990 LP Pills ’n’ Thrills and Bellyaches in full at The Forum on March 9, 2019 [sold out] and Golden Plains from Saturday March 9 – Monday March 11. Tickets via Ticketek.

FEATURE

Horns of Leroy

If you were to peer your head into the Malvern gardens one sunny Sunday afternoon in January, you might just hear the raucous and exuberant Horns of Leroy.

Set to play the final day of Sunset Sounds, Horns of Leroy are the seven-piece soul funk band you didn’t know you needed to hear.

An idea birthed in the enigmatic and mystical landscape of New Orleans, Travis Woods and Daniel Berry vowed to bring avant-garde soundscape back to Melbourne.

“We ended up in New Orleans and loved it and didn’t see this style happening in Melbourne so we decided to fill the space,” says Woods.

Five years on from that, Horns of Leroy have found themselves on festival bills across Australia, from jazz to dance to folk. But with success comes a comfortable stagnatation.

“We got a little complacent because we were playing so often together. We had a period after we’d been playing for about three or four years and we were kind of doing the same stuff. We were averaging 90 to 100 gigs a year and after one corporate gig we were having beers and I just sat down and said ‘we should start getting our shit together.’ We weren’t writing, we would rehearse maybe three times a year and I said we should start writing and coming up with shit.”

2016 brought on a more dynamic and enthusiastic version of Horns of Leroy, who released a video cover of Justin Bieber’s ‘Sorry’.

“When we put out that Bieber song, we didn’t really do anything at the time. I thought ‘wouldn’t it be funny if we put out a Bieber song’ and it sort of picked up online and that’s when we realised people like, this so we should do more of it.”

The release triggered a new layer of

enthusiasm as Horns of Leroy moved on from playing covers at gigs to releasing 2016’s Horns of Leroy and Lift Your Game in 2017; a collection of covers and originals.

“The boys came together, we started rehearsing, and writing and recording songs we were playing live. Our trumpets started branching out and playing a higher register, punchier, more jazz and funk-inspired. Drummers changed gear and set up to make the music sound better.

Over a couple of months we were a completely different band, the way we approached music was completely better. I wish we could re-record ‘Sorry’ because it sounds so different and better now, which is an indication of our maturity as a band.”

This month has seen the release of ‘Get Rekt’; an atmospheric party anthem for those who want to hear the energy of street music. The songwriting process itself ranges from track to track.

“Some songs everyone comes together, sometimes someone comes in pretty organised.

Some songs it’s very minimal and then someone composes the melody,” Woods says. “We road test

songs and play it out live and notice ‘oh people are liking this bit or hating this bit’ and adjust to how people react to it. Some of the songs change dramatically over time and others don’t change at all.”

When it comes to the energy of performing live, that’s where Horns of Leroy find their home; you’ll find them in pubs, on the street and at festivals living their passion.

“We are pretty lucky in the fact we can do street gigs and acoustic gigs. We can turn up anywhere, anytime and play. We enjoy playing the streets but the stage allows us to branch out musically. [Festivals like Sunset Sounds] allow us to play all ages and play to communities of people who may not have seen or heard of us before, different people who may not even be interested in music. At festivals there’s always a mosh pit of young kids dancing and that’s what we love, if you’re enjoying it; that’s why we make music.

“We aren’t changing the world with our music, we are just having a good time.”

Growing up in the western suburbs of Melbourne, Billy Davis was immersed in the gospel and R&B introduced to him by his mother and his uncle, a father figure in his life after his passed away when he was three.

guess just expect something unexpected ± still Billy Davis but next level stuff. Striving for perfection and striving for excellence.”

Davis describes his songwriting process as either reacting, or being inspired. If something happens in his life where he’s seen something and is reacting to it, he will straight away go to the writing room and write something. Sometimes, it’s just a random thought that Davis will want to talk about in an artistic way.

“I’m either inspired by something that wants to tell me a story or I’m just reacting, like I’m pissed off on a day and received too many phone bills and I’ve got no money so I want to write a song about it or someone’s said something, and I want to write about it.”

Collaborations are important to Davis as a producer, songwriter and music director, because he needs a singer for his songs and with every additional instrument, a new tone is brought to

Catch Horns of Leroy at Malvern Gardens on Sunday January 20 as part of the Sunset Sounds series.

BY SCOTT HUDSON

Billy Davis

Davis was also exposed to ‘90s R&B music when he attended school, a dance-favourite of his classmates.

These experiences shaped Davis’ musical influences and the style of music he wanted to create in the local neo-soul and R&B scene.

His new single ‘Shoulda Known’ is actually something of an apology for his rapid rise in the music industry to his friends and family. The musician’s success has come unexpectedly quick, leading him to wish he had known more about the way the industry’s hype machine worked before it all began. The single is a big change in a number of ways for Davis, featuring a collaboration with American sister duo Van Jess and Matt McGhee, instead of his backing band The Good Lords.

“It was a lot of work, [with] probably the most producers outside of myself I’ve ever had involved with a song,” he says. “I guess the bar has risen really high since the last album and it’s been a process of learning to work with multiple people. It was a long journey and the song’s come a long way.”

Davis’ upcoming album is slated for a 2019 release with ‘Shoulda Known’ as the first single, giving fans a taste of what’s to come. Collaboration drove much of the new project, as Davis learnt from other artists’ struggles and styles.

“The upcoming album is crazy, I feel like it’s ten times better than the last album, a lot’s happened in a year. There’s a lot of special artists on it, and also my home team, The Good Lords, are on it. I

“[Festivals like Sunset Sounds] allow us to play all ages and play to communities of people who may not have seen or heard of us before, different people who may not even be interested in music.”

the light shade of the music. Sometimes, it’s just members of The Good Lords, but Davis isn’t afraid to bring in outside influence.

“It shapes a lot of what I do because in my head every rapper I collaborate with is just like another instrument, it’s imperative.”

Davis has a number of shows and festival dates coming up for the end of December and the New Year, including a DJ set where he’s planning to let loose and play unreleased music. He’s also planning on playing some single-launch gigs for ‘Shoulda Known’ as well as a music video release.

The overachiever says he sets himself goals, though struggles with putting them in perspective.

“Look to be honest, I’d love to do an Australian tour, do a US tour, do some form of tour overseas and get an ARIA nomination. Let’s go.”

“I’m either inspired by something that wants to tell me a story or I’m just reacting, like I’m pissed off on a day and received too many phone bills and I’ve got no money so I want to write a song about it.”

Billy Davis will be performing at We Are 14 The Operatives at Penny Black in Brunswick on Sunday December 23.

‘Shoulda Known’ is out now via Sony.

BY ELLEN ROSIE

BEAT.COM.AU

25

PROFILES

Abacus Bar & Kitchen

OUTDOOR SPECIALS

Rose St. Artists’ Market

OUTDOOR SPECIALS

Find the adventure in you with this bubbly summer hotspot Chapel Street is an avenue of hits and misses ± there are cosy cafes and rambunctious bars aplenty but there are also many venues that miss the mark. Malleable for all occasions night and day, Abacus Bar & Kitchen is certainly not one of those.

A bustling brunch menu that has proven itself amongst southside elites, Abacus has also been honing its dinner and drinks offerings. A recent tweak to the size of the bar has been accompanied by more couches and more stools, to ensure drinking is the first order of business.

The Modern Australian menu is piloted by the ever-popular Rosella Spritz; a concoction of wild hibiscus, South Australian bitter orange and NSW peach puree prosecco. As the Rosella Spritz attracts many a gaze, Abacus’ daily summer happy hour [4pm to 6pm] will be hitting its stride ± $12 espresso martinis, $6 craft beer and $7 wines quenching the thirst of eager punters.

With a glass in hand, the menu will present itself and why not try every corner of Abacus’ repertoire with a shareplate inspired by ocean, garden and land. The bar and restaurant prides itself on its approachability and friendliness ± a friend of yours is a friend of mine as ethos is placed in high regard. If the sky-high ceiling isn’t enough to certify this affability, the large windows and absorbing sub-tropical feel will have you sold. It’s art deco without being pretentious, and vibrant without being flashy.

The expanse of the venue bestows guests a sense of space and freedom to stretch out without the feel that you’re clambering over the top of others. Melbourne is only getting warmer and the effervescent Abacus has all the thirst-quenchers and delectable appetizers to keep you there all, day, long.

Check out Abacus Bar & Kitchen at 383 Chapel Street, South Yarra. Their daily summer happy hour runs from 4pm to 6pm.

Bringing artlessness and creativity to Melbourne’s summer Melbourne has always punched above its weight to hang with megacities like London and New York as one of the greatest art hubs of the world. Rose St. Artists’ Market in Fitzroy is a wonderfully hodgepodge summation of this, hosting the work of up to 120 creatives every weekend for the past 15 years.

Gleaming out of diverse Fitzroy, Rose St. Artists’ Market is situated in an endearingly modest former junkyard out the back streets of the suburb. The market was established in 2003, before the hurdling power of gentrification turned the former working class Fitzroy into sought-after hipster real estate, but has managed to thrive through the identity crisis.

The Artists’ Market’s persistence is many things but, as their slogan proudly professes, it is always handmade. On an average weekend, you can spot anything from quirky furniture design to high-end fashion. through to intricate jewellery and homey paintings. The market boasts over 3000 registered artists, so you truly never know what you’re going to get. If you’re building up your own portfolio of wacky design works you’d like to sell, you can apply for a 2019 stall via the Rose Street website.

Summertime is the perfect opportunity to bask in the market’s many stalls, leaving you plenty of time to engage with the artists themselves. Ask them about the design process, commission them, or collect their works. Plenty of Fitzroy’s premier cafes await nearby but to make it easier, the Young Bloods Diner at the market offers wildly inventive Modern Australian brunch and late lunch. Young Bloods also offers $5 schooners of weekly rotated craft beers at a 4pm to 5pm happy hour to boot.

Head down to Rose St. Artists’ Market at Rose Street, Fitzroy every Saturday and Sunday from 11am-5pm.

Bombini Buzz

Stomping Ground La Boca

OUTDOOR SPECIALS

Taking things up a notch this summer, with $2 oyster deals and live music residencies Housed within the grandeur of Hamer Hall, Bombini Buzz makes a convincing case for the ultimate pre and post-show spot on the banks of the Yarra River. This summer, with the all-day restaurant-bar-cafe is offering decadent dishes from morning to night, while focusing on high quality local produce. Peruse the morning menu and you’ll spot plenty of Melbourne’s most loved local suppliers ± Dr Marty’s famous carb-comfort crumpets are topped with Beechworth’s honey, while Port Melbourne’s Noisette Bakery supplies much of the mouthwatering bread.

When the sun begins to droop down in the summer sky, Bombini Buzz will sling oysters from just $2 when paired with a glass or bottle of Chandon sparkling wine or Collingwood’s very own Stomping Ground Brewing Co. beer. Take a pew on one of their outside tables to complete the Shuck it to Me! experience, soaking in the glorious Melbourne skyline, while Bombini Beats heightens the bliss with a lineup of local musical acts taking up residency on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. DJs will be spinning tunes across genres on Saturday nights from 6pm to 9pm and Sunday afternoons from 12pm to 3pm. Live music takes over Friday nights from 5:30pm to 7:30pm.

Bombini Buzz’s afternoon to evening menu is curated to a transient social lifestyle, in and out of the Arts Centre. Chow down on a lush French-style cheese board from Timboon, or use the cocktail and cheese pairing to bring out the hidden caramelised flavours in an espresso martini with Heidi Aged Gouda. Our pick of the evening menu is the bonafide taste explosion of the Pani Borgo Australian Prosciutto, courtesy of Kensington’s Savour and Grace. There’s local beer and wine sure to sate a piquant palate too, thanks to Stomping Ground’s leading the charge with their diverse mix of the malty, hoppy and bitter.

Swing by Bombini Buzz at Hamer Hall, Arts Centre Melbourne to give the decadence a try. Shuck it to Me! is available until Sunday December 30 [Thursday to Saturday only] or until sold out.

26 BEAT.COM.AU

OUTDOOR SPECIALS

Asado and Stomping Ground Join Forces for EVITA Pop-Up Every showing of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s musical blockbuster EVITA is a momentous occasion ± the story of Eva Perón, wife of Argentine dictator Juan Perón, is an odyssey charting her humble beginnings to becoming the “spiritual leader of the Argentinian people”. The production at the State Theatre this Summer starring Tina Arena as the titular character could be the best yet, but it’s not just the musical catching the gaze of Melburnians ± Collingwood’s Stomping Ground brewery and Asado are taking over the Arts Centre Melbourne forecourt to present a stunning pop-up La Boca bar, supplying an authentic Argentinian experience pre and post-show.

The beer garden is full of eye-popping rainbow hues, festoon lighting, a ‘Little La Boca’ cubby house by Castle & Cubby for the kids (or young at heart) while the bar itself is a converted double-storey grand shipping container, sporting period-accurate artwork of local artist Justine McAllister. The atmosphere is unmistakably Latin, as music from the Spanish speaking parts of the world rings in the air, while tango is encouraged and facilitated by Tango Melbourne offering free lessons onsite.

The culinary experience, courtesy of Asado, is undoubtedly the cultural centrepiece ± you’d be hard-pressed to find a more authentic offering of empanadas or ensaladas anywhere else.

The Argentinian chorizo hot dog choripán is a spiced highlight, topped off with an alfajor for dessert (Argentinian cookie with dulce de leche).

Stomping Ground have purpose-brewed a La Boca pilsner to find the similarities in the Melbourne summer air with Buenos Aires’ essence, resulting in a crisp, and highly refreshing lager. If you’re more a vino type, sip the plummy spices of a Malbec or an unusual Humberto Canale sparkling in the glorious heat.

Pop down to the Arts Centre Melbourne Forecourt to check out Stomping Ground’s La Boca Bar pop-up. EVITA is playing at the State Theatre each Tuesday to Sunday until Saturday February 23, with tickets available via the Arts Centre Melbourne website.

LIVE

Live

Amyl and the Sniffers - Photo by Joshua Braybrook

Babes of the Melbourne Underground Calendar Launch The John Curtin Hotel, Saturday December 15

It’s comforting to know that in an industry typically drenched in egotism and greed, there are some mega babes out there taking time out to do good things for others.

Over the weekend in Melbourne, there were two groups of musical altruists putting on fundraisers for special causes.

Over at The Old Bar, Bench Press hosted Bench Presstivus; a fundraiser for women’s support group, Wire. Their event, which featured the likes of Moody Beaches, Lazertits, Loobs, Hearts and Rockets, Shepparton Airplane and the aforementioned Bench Press, clocked over $4800 for the foundation. Meanwhile, over at The Curtin, another bunch of babes were hosting their very own fundraiser ± the Babes of the Melbourne Underground calendar launch; an event which boasted a corker lineup of Amyl and the Sniffers, Dumb Punts, InfraGhosts and Dove.

The calendar, which is chock-full of photos of inspiring groups of femaleidentifying folk plucked straight from Melbourne’s music scene (including those performing on the night), raised money for two important organisations. These were Minus 18 ± a group that manages events and workshops in a bid to tear down negative ideologies surrounding homophobia, biphobia and transphobia, and Sisters Inside ± a Queensland-based community organisation that advocates for the rights of women and families in the criminal legal system.

The brainchild of Melbourne superstars Harriet Hudson, Christina Pap and Kate Curtis, the Babes of the Melbourne Underground calendar launch was the culmination of the trio slogging it out all

year pulling together epic photo shoots, painstakingly piecing the calendar together, and organising the sold-out launch event.

From the get-go, The Curtin was jammed with people raring to celebrate their music community and applaud all the babes in their community for their hard work. Dove and InfraGhosts were the perfect acts to warm the crowd up early in the night before Dumb Punts took to the stage. Contrary to some of their lyrical content, you can’t help smiling watching this three-piece garage rock’n’roll outfit perform.

They write wonderfully crafted, infectious bangers and play them with a sense of joyful abandon that makes the world seem like it’s a damn fine place to live. It took the band a little while to warm up Z, but once drummer Ciarn swapped guitar and vocal duties with her brother James, there was a palpable shift in onstage energy. Tracks ‘Got it Good’, ‘Space Waster’ and ‘Heating Up’ were set highlights, before closing their set with the classic Punts’ crowd pleaser ‘Chiller’.

Yet regardless of what came before, no one in the crowd was primed for the onslaught from tonight’s headliners, Amyl and the Sniffers. Demonstrating what a couple of months of relentless international touring can do to a band’s live show, the group plunged onto the stage with a maniacal force akin to a crazed Doberman who’d licked up their owners meth stash and shot out of the garage onto the street for its next meal.

Since touring overseas, Amyl have radically transformed from a rather good live band to the country’s best, and tonight it showed. The band played tighter than ever before, while tiny-framed frontwoman Amy Taylor occupied the entire stage with an unrelenting power, lurching toward the crowd like she was busting to draw blood.

Moving across the stage like a tornado, she spat, straddled and swore, shoving her face into the audience for ‘Stole My Pushbike’, leaping onto bass amps for ‘Loser’, provoking the audience during ‘Westgate’ before luring them forward into a furious mosh for their final song of the set, ‘70s Street Munchies’.

It was all hot, riotous chaos, and a perfect

Photo by David Harris

conclusion to a night set up to celebrate babes in all their glory.

There are still a few copies of the Babes of the Melbourne Underground calendar available online via http:// babesofmelbourneunderground.bigcartel. com. Stick one on the back of your dunny door for a good cause.

BY CARA WILLIAMS

Paul Kelly

Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Friday December 14 Torrential weather couldn’t hold back the Paul Kelly faithful as an estimated 12,000 punters braved the pelting rain for a night out with Australia’s poet prince.

It was a shaky start. First act off the rank Mojo Juju had her set cut short mid-song as a speaker fell and was damaged. Water gushed down the steps and flooded the stage. The crowd ejected into the grasslands in a deluge of ponchos and concerned looks, the question of who indeed would make the gravy remained.

Those not already inside endured a two-hour wait to get back in. Luckily, Alex Lahey and co were on hand to inject some much-needed energy back into the mix. Her punchy brand of melodicv rock provided the necessary voltage to get us back onside.

Next up Angus Stone hobbled on stage with crutches and a moon boot, his sister Julia, not far behind. They charmed the crowd with the dreamy chorus of ‘Snow’, and had the effect of dimming the lights down low. Julia’s trumpet solo kept things jazzy, her notes vaguely reminiscent of the ones blown on Miles Davis’ Sketches of Spain.

A quick look about before the sun crept past the hills and Kelly hit the stage revealed a plain truth about the audience.

His appeal is so clearly broad, and stretches across generations. He has so much to say, but who would have thought in those early days that it would be heard by many. One punter captured it succinctly: “He’s up there

with any poet Australia has produced, they should teach him in schools.”

Not one to miss an opportunity, Kelly marched on stage to launch into ‘Hasn’t it Rained’. It couldn’t have been more apt if you tried. Its upbeat rhythm supported by the backing vocals from sisters Vika and Linda Bull lit up the bowl. The harmonies felt reminiscent of a Hillsong church choir session.

From here, the set traversed through the Kelly catalogue. Newer numbers like ‘And Death Shall Have No Dominion’, were sprinkled in between old favourites like ‘Before Too Long’. ‘Dumb Things’ in particular got everyone out of their seats for the rest of night, the rock pace proving too irresistible.

Ash Naylor called in a favour from the guitar gods during ‘From St Kilda to Kings Cross’. He broke a string mid-riff and the ensuing chaos between him and the guitar tech was the perfect tension builder. He slung an axe around himself just in time to land Kelly’s vocals on the iconic riff, and the crowd of course cheered loudly at the commotion.

And then of course, there was ‘How to Make Gravy’. Nothing received a louder cheer from the audience, and the volume behind the chorus that joined in with Kelly as he made his way through an Australian classic told everyone in the language of decibels just how much he resonates with all.

Finally, Kelly called all the supports to the stage for a final Christmas ensemble, before bowing down this quientiessental Christmas at Sidney Myer Music Bowl.

Highlight: Co-written track with uncle Kevin Carmody, ‘From Little Things Big Things Grow’. As moving and potent now as the day it was written.

Lowlight: The rain sometimes caused people make a fair bit of noise during some songs of the set, taking away from the stage.

Crowd Favourite: It couldn’t be anything other than ‘How to Make Gravy’ ± it is Christmas time after all.

BY MATTHEW TOOHEY

BEAT.COM.AU

27

ALBUM REVIEWS

Album of the Week (RCA/Victor)

2018’s Best and Worst Christmas Singles WITH AUGUSTUS WELBY

Khruangbin

(Dead Oceans)

Christmas Time Is Here

There’s nothing revolutionary about Khruangbin, a guitarcentric trio with a thing for reverb. But the Texan band’s mostly instrumental, cosily funky, surf and psych-tinged Con Todo El Mundo LP was easily one of 2018’s musical highlights.

Their cover of Vince Guaraldi’s ‘Christmas Time Is Here’ (from A Charlie Brown Christmas) displays all of their defining characteristics ± sonic warmth, minimal layering and magnetic sensuality. And it affects you like a splendid daydream.

Tyler, the Creator feat. Fletcher Jones

I Am the Grinch

(Sony)

Over the last decade Tyler, the Creator has proven his superior capability as a producer, MC, visual artist, A&R guy and cultural enigma. He’s also said some pretty ghastly things on record, getting him banned from the UK and NZ and prompting severe backlash from Australian feminist group Collective Shout. This could raise doubts about Tyler’s suitability to pen original songs for a children’s film, but his super-low, inherently melancholic vocal register has always had a cartoon-like quality. ‘I Am the Grinch’ pairs soulful hip hop production with flickers of Danny Elfman’s orchestral score. Tyler wholly embraces the character, making a more convincing holiday naysayer than Benedict Cumberbatch ever could.

John Legend feat. Esperanza Spalding

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

(Sony)

No one’s surprised about John Legend releasing a Christmas album and of course it’s very sophisticated and tuneful and will add depth to Christmas playlists and radio programming for years to come. Esperanza Spalding joins Legend for a traditional jazz take on ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’. Everyone puts up a commendable performance and you can’t really complain. Will I listen again? Probably not.

9 Elvis Presley

Elvis’ Christmas Album Very early on in his fledgling career, the King had the foresight to release a Christmas album before it became fashionable to do so.

The Beths

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (Carpark/Dew Process)

You have to question the motivation behind a Christmas release.

In The Beths’ case, it’s partly a promotional tool and partly a way of celebrating a job well done in 2018. The NZ band also takes the opportunity to include some fanging guitar solos in their rendition of ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’. And no one can criticise them for doing so. It’s Christmas, after all. Add it to your indie Christmas playlists, but more importantly get your hands on their Future Me Hates Me LP.

FRIDAY 18 JANUARY

SATURDAY 2 FEBRUARY

REGURGITATOR DAMIAN COWELL’S DISCO MACHINE + U-BAHN

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

W/ ELECTRIC GUITARS + KT SPLIT- ON SALE NOW

- ON SALE NOW

TUESDAY 25 DECEMBER

XMAS DAY

JAMES BROWN XMAS - FREE ENTRY FRONT BAR WEDNESDAY 9 JANUARY

9663 6350 | JOHNCURTINHOTEL.COM

WONDERCORE ISLAND PRESENTS

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

WONDERCORE ISLAND PRESENTS

KITCHEN RESIDENCY NOW OPEN!

28 BEAT.COM.AU

BY BRONIUS ZUMERIS

SATURDAY 22 DECEMBER

CURTIN XMAS

2 9 LY G O N S T, C A R LT O N

Of course, it was a chart smash and rode the wave at close to the pinnacle of his powers. Accordingly, this record is not only the best selling Christmas recording, but also one of the best selling records, period.

Blending a mix of Christmas and gospel songs was inspired, as was the inclusion of two contemporary rock’n’roll songs, ‘Santa Bring My Baby Back To Me’ and ‘Santa Claus Is Back In Town’. A killer band accompaniment, The Jordanaires’ searing melodies make this album simply beautiful while Elvis Presley was no slouch, turning everything to gold with his infectious voice.

Let’s not forget that this was a time when Presley was in his prime rock phase, rather than what was to become a caricature of a bloated, space cadet singing the standards.

Sensitive and emotive, Presley produces the most powerful performances on ‘Silent Night’, ‘Peace In The Valley’ and ‘Take My Hand, Precious Lord’, the last of which was reportedly Martin Luther King Jr’s favourite song.

You cannot argue with such an endorsement. And just in case anyone wants to know, a few months later Presley was conscripted into the army thus temporarily stalling his head full of steam.

This record captures a performer who clearly loves the subject matter and superbly streamlines his singing in accordance with the necessary mood. A classic in every sense of the word.

KID HERON W/ GUEST SUPPORTS + DJS - ON SALE NOW

JONATHAN BREE (NZ) SUNDAY 20 JANUARY

NOT TODAY FESTIVAL

W/ JARROW, JUNE JONES (DJ), PINCH POINTS, MEMPHIS LK (DJ), SLEEPING LESSONS, BRODIE LANCASTER (DJ), S’AVERAGE GARDEN, AMPON - ON SALE NOW WEDNESDAY 23 JANUARY

WONDERCORE ISLAND PRESENTS

NATALIE SLADE

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

CIVIC

W/ LOW LIFE - ON SALE NOW WEDNESDAY 30 JANUARY

WONDERCORE ISLAND PRESENTS

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

SHOGUN AND THE SHEETS THURSDAY 21 FEBRUARY

THE GARDEN (CALIFORNIA) W/ GUESTS - ON SALE NOW SATURDAY 23 FEBRUARY

NO AGE (USA) W/ GUESTS - ON SALE NOW SATURDAY 2 MARCH

BENCH PRESS EAST COAST TOUR W/ NO SISTER + FERIA + SPIRAL PERM FRIDAY 8 MARCH

ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE & THE MELTING PARAISO UFO W/ GUESTS

ALBUM REVIEWS

Albums

Bad Religion

Christmas Songs

From listening tirelessly each year to the vocal gymnastics of Mariah Carey’s ‘O Holy Night’, to the nasals (I mean vocals) of Mike Love on ‘Little Saint Nick’, this reviewer’s knowledge of Christmas songs is pretty plain.

So believe me when I say that Bad Religion’s Christmas Songs is a welcome EP for those wanting to break free from the usual corny sound of Christmas. Punk rock isn’t necessarily the biggest stranger to Christmas songs, you wouldn’t expect this from Bad Religion though.

You’d think they’d tackle Christmas with original songs, but they’ve decided to go along the covers route. A surprisingly safe move which proves very comfortable.

At the forefront of the album there lies ‘Hark! The Herald Angels Sing’, an entertaining and warm cover. It sets the tone for the rest of the EP, which stays consistent.

Granting the gift of loud guitars and sweet vocal harmonies, the band makes it work, especially for tracks such as ‘White Christmas’ and ‘God Rest Ye Gentleman’.

Only the most elite of fans and genre lovers will question this EP, but really, who cares? It’s an easy and accessible outing from Bad Religion.

BY RHYS MCKENZIE

5

Bob Dylan

Christmas In The Heart

There is something deeply disturbing about Bob Dylan turning his hand to Christmas standards. Of course it would have been a hoot at the time with some executives pushing the cracking idea of the influential Dylan singing lullabies for the world as it tucks in to its Christmas fare ± but the truth is quite the opposite.

From opener ‘Here Comes Santa Claus’, Dylan makes the worst excesses of Shane MacGowan sound like the gold standard in sobriety. As a heavyweight of popular culture, Dylan must be either traumatised by the memory of this recording or secretly regarding it as the finest stunt he has ever pulled on an unsuspecting public.

‘O Come All Ye Faithful’ sees Dylan have a crack at Latin ± the language, not the style. Words such as “glacial” come to mind, because one should not expect any warmth here.

Featuring a selection of 15 Christmas songs you probably didn’t want him to sing, with hindsight, no one could say that this comes close to representing Dylan’s most cohesive work.

However, in an odd way, a sufficient period of time has elapsed to enable a reassessment of this work. It still sounds strange, free-spirited and daunting. And it unwittingly sets the tone for a most demonic ramble around the Christmas tree.

BY BRONIUS ZUMERIS

Christmas

Well, it’s finally December, AKA Christmas month, AKA the most wonderful time of the year. Some of us have been blasting carols since it clicked over to the first, but with the official holiday only a week away, now’s the time to really start pumping that Christmas cheer.

Granted, there’s a lot of shocking Christmas albums out there, but one tried and true favourite has got to be Christmas, from Canadian crooner, Michael Bublé. With 16 tracks, it’s a pretty hefty offering, guaranteed to satisfy your sing-along desires.

There’s traditional tunes like ‘Silent Night’, ‘White Christmas’ and, of course, ‘Jingle Bells’, as well as a myriad of more modern favourites, including ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ (arguably Mariah Carey’s most iconic song).

It’s Bublé’s rendition of ‘Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)’ that really makes this album though, and is definitely the best track on the record. But all of the tunes manage to hit the mark, delivering just the right amount of Christmas cheer without being overly cheesy.

Obviously not everyone is into carols or Christmas pop albums, but Bublé’s is a pretty safe bet for getting even the grinchiest into the festive spirit.

BY GRETA BRERETON

Weezer

Christmas With Weezer

Weezer released their six-track EP Christmas With Weezer in December 2008 to some less than favourable reviews, which were both ungenerous and grossly unfair. For haters, it was a great time to throw insults at the band that had just pushed out their sixth studio album Weezer (The Red Album), and had continued to depart from their classic early sound. For fans, it was a fun and joyous reprieve from the harsh onslaught the band had faced for evolving and not flatlining.

‘We Wish You A Merry Christmas’ starts things off with exuberance, though in true Weezer style, Rivers Cuomo manages to bring some fitting angst to the lines “we won’t go until we get some,” figgy pudding that is, which sounds about right considering how delicious it is.

The EP takes adored Christmas carols and gives them the Weezer makeover with lots of fuzzy, distorted guitars and power-pop vocals. ‘O Holy Night’ is the brightest star in this collection of songs, with the natural fragility in Cuomo’s voice perfectly complementing the beauty of this loved carol.

If you’re going to get festive and listen to some carols this Christmas, let them be these pop-rock Weezer versions.

BY MARY GLEEKO

(Sony Music)

Michael Bublé

8

(Primary Wave)

(143/Reprise)

8

(DGC/Interscope)

(Sony Music)

(Epitaph)

7

5

Jessica Simpson

Happy Christmas

Happy Christmas is exactly what one should expect from a Jessica Simpson Christmas album: an earnest, saccharine sweet, generic pop offering for the holiday season, with a little ol’ fashioned country twinge.

Credit where it’s due, Simpson really can sing, and broadly speaking, the album is perfectly fine, albeit cheesy (though isn’t that what Christmas is all about?). The standard fare of children’s choirs, a Lennon cover, and breathy vocals are paired alongside a few surprises, like a saucy duet with Willie Nelson, that features an electric guitar solo, and the aforementioned country flair. And though the cringe factor is high, it’s all relatively reasonable in the name of festive cheer.

But nothing can excuse the shocking misfire that is ‘My Only Wish’.

The lead single and opening track of the album reads like a bad parody of Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’. It’s as though she copied and pasted the iconic lyrics from Wikipedia, cracked out Thesaurus.com, and set about changing around the words just enough that it could pass as a different song. And though the songs share a shockingly similar DNA, Simpson’s attempt at a Christmas classic is devoid of any December magic.

7

Johnny Cash

Christmas with Johnny Cash

Early in his career, before the man in black was truly the man in black, Johnny Cash was just a country crooner with nothing but his trusty guitar and a love for the Christmas spirit.

The early ‘60s were a simpler time, before men were called Sue and we were all made to walk the line. They weren’t a time for all your new-fangled materialism, and our old mate Saint Nick doesn’t get a single mention on this 12-track LP, instead all the love is saved for the main man Jesus and his biblical co-stars.

Some tracks are just Johnny and his guitar, some have backing vocals, some have a full orchestra. The surprises just keep coming. ‘Blue Christmas’ gets a special mention for proving once and for all that the country music genre can make even the most uplifting topic a poignant ballad.

This Christmas, hark back to a simpler era. An era without Mariah Carey and Michael Bublé, an era where Christmas songs were really about Christmas and auto tune was 30 years away. Sit around the fire, bellies full to bursting, and spend Christmas with Johnny Cash.

BY NATHAN QUATTRUCCI

BY CLAIRE MORLEY

BEAT.COM.AU 29

Gig Guide

FEATURED GIGS

Slice Comedy COMPASS PIZZA

Grab a slice of pizza and enjoy a cracker lineup of homegrown comedy at Compass Pizza’s Slice of Comedy offering this week. Head down on Wednesday December 19 for the 8pm show and enjoy free entry to boot.

Wednesday 19 Dec House, Electro, Trance & Club Nights

Brunswick. 8pm. $12.53.

ACID HOMMUS - FEAT: KUZICH + DJ SUSHICAT + EMELYN + SOPHIE Section 8,

Melbourne Cbd. 7pm.

KASSETTE - FEAT: MZRIZK + SLIPPERY SLOPES Carlton Club, Melbourne Cbd. 8pm.

POSTAL - FEAT: POST PERCY Revolver

Upstairs, Prahran. 10pm.

Joe Chindamo

Joe Chindamo Trio THE JAZZLAB

Prestigious Melbourne-based jazz pianist Joe Chindamo will be taking to The Jazzlab this Wednesday December 19. The gifted musician, composer, improviser and arranger will perform from 8.30pm, and you can find your tickets online for $25.

Jazz lovers, don’t miss this.

Indie, Rock, Pop, Metal, Punk & Covers BLEND + BLEACH + MONA BAY Workers

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

CAKEFIGHT + NICHOLAS LEMBO + RUBY SOHO Tote Hotel, Collingwood. 8pm. $10.

DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE© S REPUBLIC OF SURF + MORE Gasometer Hotel,

Collingwood. 7:30pm. $5.

YARRA HOTEL

Melbourne-based four-piece Dez will launch their debut single ‘Scratch’ on Thursday December 20 at The Yarra Hotel. Expect notions of alternative, jazz and surf rock to be laced throughout their sound, and enjoy the likes of Benjamin Trillado and Turtle Wave as support on the night. Doors from 7.30pm, entry is $5.

Rain of Animals CHARLES WESTON

Rain of Animals is a duo comprised of Pepita Emmerichs (Oh Pep!) and Theodore Baranard (Wire & Wool), and they’ll be taking over Charles Weston this Thursday December 20.

They’ll offer up their love of fiddle, guitar, mandolin, bluegrass, old-time and swing from 6.30pm, and best of all, entry is free.

WOLF & MOON + BEN ALTER + PAIGE BLACK Bar Open, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $10.

HOLLOW DECEMBER + HONEY BUCKET + PAPER TAPIR Toff In Town,

Hip Hop & R&B

Melbourne Cbd. 7:30pm.

PERRY KEYES Caravan Music Club, Bentleigh THE NICOTEENAGERS + NEWTOWN STORY + CLEAR TEARS Evelyn Hotel,

Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $10.

Jazz, Soul, Funk, Latin & World Music BOPSTRETCH Uptown Jazz Cafe, Fitzroy.

8:30pm. $15.

CHRISTMAS FROM THE 40© S TO NOW - FEAT: BEN MCGILL + TOSHI CLINCH & BAND Paris Cat Jazz Club, Melbourne Cbd. 8pm.

$25.

DIZZY’S BIG BAND The Fyrefly, St Kilda.

6:30pm. $15.

JAZZ BAZAAR - FEAT: AUDREY POWNE + MORE Horse Bazaar, Melbourne

Cbd. 8pm.

JOE CHINDAMO TRIO The Jazzlab, Brunswick. 8pm. $25.

KITCHEN - FEAT: COFI + CHICKEN WISHBONE + GROCER GREEN + SKINNY WIZARD Hugs & Kisses, Melbourne.

8pm. $10.

SAM ANNING SEXTET Paris Cat Jazz Club, Melbourne Cbd. 7:30pm. $25.

SCOTT MCCONNACHIE & BAND + MARIA MOLES & JENNY BARNES Brunswick Green, Brunswick. 8:30pm.

THE ANDY SUGG GROUP Bird's Basement,

Melbourne. 8pm. $35.

TOM FRYER BAND + PAUL BURKE TRIO + MOFORI 303, Northcote. 7:30pm.

Acoustic/Country/Blues/ Folk CHRISTMAS OPEN MIC NIGHT + VARIOUS ARTISTS Whole Lotta Love,

Brunswick East. 5pm.

JON TOOGOOD Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd.

8pm. $12.

JORDIE LANE & LIZ STRINGER XMAS SHOW 2018 + JORDIE LANE + LIZ STRINGER Northcote Social Club, Northcote.

7:30pm.

KIDS CHRISTMAS KARAOKE - FEAT: VARIOUS ARTISTS Sooki Lounge, Belgrave.

9pm.

LISA SPYKERS Drunken Poet, West Melbourne.

9pm.

30 BEAT.COM.AU

Thornbury. 6pm.

Thursday 20 Dec

Chance Rock And Roll Bar, North Melbourne. 8pm. $5.

East. 7pm.

Dez

WESTERN WEDNESDAYS - FEAT: MAT MORGAN + JESSIE POLAIN + TSAR GREEN + SABRINA STONE Swamplands Bar,

FLAGPOLE VILLAINS + DEAD EYED SERAPHIM + ACOUSTIC FOXX Last

LIVING COLOUR + DEAD CITY RUINS + PALACE OF THE KINGS 170 Russell,

Reminiscent of Angus & Julia Stone, Dutch-German duo Wolf & Moon will bring their indie-folk vibes to Wesley Anne this Thursday December 20. With their debut album release looming and recently released track ‘Static Pair’ chosen as the theme for the upcoming Game of Thrones exhibition in Berlin, these guys are not ones to miss. Catch them from 8pm and grab your tickets on the door for $10.

OPEN MIC Spotted Mallard, Brunswick. 8pm.

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

SORCHA CHISHOLM + HILDA GREEN + DAVID MASHIKO Open Studio, Northcote.

Melbourne. 8pm.

7pm.

WESLEY ANNE

Velvet Morning, Clifton Hill. 8pm.

TRACEY HOGUE Drunken Poet, West

HONEY DREAMS + BLOODY AZTEC + JIMMY HARWOOD + BEAUTIFUL BEASTS Tote Hotel, Collingwood. 8pm. $10.

IS IT LIGHT WHERE YOU ARE + SMALL VOICES Old Bar, Fitzroy. 7:30pm. $8.

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

Wolf & Moon

MELBOURNE© S BIGGEST OPEN MIC NIGHT Musicland, Fawkner. 7pm.

NANCY COLE + LAURIE CAVE Some

8pm.

Melbourne Cbd. 7pm. $7.

Wolf & Moon

LOMOND ACOUSTICA - FEAT: GEOFF ACHISON + NICK CHARLES + MIKE RUDD Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East. 8pm.

MEG DOHERTY + MORE Spotted Mallard,

100% PHAT© S ANNUAL X-MAS JAM FEAT: DJ AGENT 86 + DEEJAYHIJACK + RUI. + DJ MRS. WALLACE + DJ SIZZLE + GHOSTNOTES + TOM SHOWTIME + MORE Section 8, Melbourne Cbd. 5pm.

BLACKHEART + SLUMBER KITTY Classic Southside, Elsternwick. 8pm. $5.

CLUB PALISADES Carlton Club, Melbourne Cbd. 8pm.

HIP HOP THURSDAYS - FEAT: JUNOR + DEZZY D + BUSTER STICKUP + MS DOOG Carlton Club, Melbourne Cbd. 8pm.

INDIGO MUSIC AUSTRALIAN TOUR - FEAT: KID MILLI + JUSTHIS + NO|EL Max Watt's, Melbourne. 8pm. $66.85.

NEXT CROP HIP HOP SHOWCASE FEAT: RICO PACINO + KING ACE + QRF MALWAY + SERU + STATE OF THE ART + 8IG 8ARGI Laundry Bar, Fitzroy. 9pm.

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.

House, Electro, Trance & Club Nights 3181 THURSDAYS - FEAT: HANS DC + FINN OD + JAVI MORLEY + LUKE VECCHIO + BROWNBEAR Revolver Upstairs, Prahran. 6pm.

D.A.N.C.E - FEAT: VARIOUS ARTISTS Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 11pm.

GUERNS - FEAT: MAX VEGAS + DJ KITI + ELLIE WALSH + QUANTUM MECHANICS + STICKS New Guernica, Melbourne Cbd. 10pm.

LIVE ELECTRONIC SHOWCASE 23 - FEAT: LOST CAT + MONASTERE + DOMINIC ALTAMORE + SILVATRA + JULIAN SMITH Swamplands Bar, Thornbury.

7pm.

OLIVE YAHH + ZZ + HORATIO LUNA Penny Black, Brunswick. 8pm.

RESIN MOON + JOSH THE CAT Boney, Melbourne Cbd. 7:30pm. $12.92.

SPECTRAL RESONANCE - FEAT: SUPER-LUMINUM + WORNG + OTHER PLACES + HEMM Howler, Brunswick. 8pm. $25.

TEMPLE - FEAT: JENNIFER LOVELESS + DJ SEZZO + CONCEALED + KETTOKAI + NENAGH Hugs & Kisses,

Melbourne. 10:30pm. $10.

TOOLS DOWN - FEAT: VARIOUS ARTISTS Empire, Narre Warren. 9pm.

Jazz, Soul, Funk, Latin &

World Music ANDREA KELLER TRANSIENTS TRIO Uptown Jazz Cafe, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $15.

CYCLO TIMIK + WHISKEY DRAM + ALEX MAYNARD Retreat Hotel, Brunswick.

8pm.

FLOYD THURSBY Wesley Anne, Northcote. 6pm.

GIANNI MARINUCCI© S NONET Paris Cat Jazz Club, Melbourne Cbd. 8pm. $25.

KAIRO FAMILY + THE AFRICAN STAR DANCE + MISTA MONK 303, Northcote. 7pm.

$15.

KATIE NOONAN The Jazzlab, Brunswick. 6pm. $40.

SONIDO NATURAL + SEBASTIAN LUGO Open Studio, Northcote. 8pm. $10.

SOUL IN THE BASEMENT - FEAT: SOUL ASSEMBLY + RUSSIA + DJ VINCE PEACH Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 8pm. $10.

THE BEAN PROJECT + THE TWOKS + EMILIA Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood. 7:30pm. $10.

THE MICHELLE NICOLLE BAND Brunswick Green, Brunswick. 8:30pm.

THE TONY RICH PROJECT Bird's Basement,

Melbourne. 8pm. $33.

THIRD ANNUAL SOUL CAVE CHRISTMAS PARTY + PARTY ON MY DARLING + SUPAHLOVE + WILDER GENES Workers Club, Fitzroy. 8pm. $10.

UNCOMFORTABLE SCIENCE - FEAT: LACHLAN MITCHELL Edinburgh Castle, Brunswick. 8pm.

WORDS BY IRA - FEAT: NITIDA ATKINSON & SAM QUALTROUGH (WITH BAND) Paris Cat Jazz Club, Melbourne

Cbd. 7:30pm. $25.

ZAC HURREN© S APPIAN WAY The Jazzlab, Brunswick. 9pm. $20.

Indie, Rock, Pop, Metal, Punk & Covers B!AND + GUN CTRL + COMPETITION TEAM Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $5.

BAR CHOIR - XMAS EDITION - FEAT: VARIOUS ARTISTS Workers Club, Geelong.

7pm. $10.

BRITISH INDIA + SOCIAL ON THE VERANDA Corner Hotel, Richmond. 8pm. $35.

CASTILLES + SPIRAL PERM + BOB HARROW Tote Hotel, Collingwood. 7pm.

DEZ + BENJAMIN TRILLADO + TURTLE WAVE Yarra Hotel, Abbotsford. 7:30pm. $5.

GEO + YEAH BAD? + SLIKNITA Last Chance Rock And Roll Bar, North Melbourne. 8pm. $10.

IN OAKLEIGH TONIGHT - FEAT: JON VON GOES + SEAN KELLY + ALYCE PLATT + MORE Caravan Music Club, Bentleigh East. 7:30pm. $22.

JARROW + MOONLOVER + DENISE LE MENICE + RHYSICS + SWIM TEAM + PERLINKI Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood. 6pm. $10.

KENTA HAYASHI + KATTIMONI Horse Bazaar, Melbourne Cbd. 8pm. $10.

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

NIGHT TONGUE + DARK WATER + WINTERNATIONALE Old Bar, Fitzroy. 7:30pm. $10.

PAINTED ANGELS + GORSHA + DAVE O’CONNOR + JUNIOR FICTION Grace

Darling Hotel, Collingwood. 8pm. $10.

PETER BIBBY The B.east, Brunswick East. 9pm.

PLASTIC KNIFE #17 - FEAT: DOLORRES + THE CHURCH OF HYSTERIA + TINA GROWLS Grace Darling

Hotel, Collingwood. 9pm. $8.

RED MOTORS + PLASTIC SECTION + THE HIGH GEARS Tote Hotel, Collingwood.

8pm. $5.

SIRENS NIGHT - FEAT: FAIRTRADE NARCOTICS + DAMIELOU + ELIZA JOAN & THE RENEGADES Tote Hotel, Collingwood. 7pm. $13.30.

THE BETHS + MISS JUNE Northcote Social Club, Northcote. 8pm.

THE MAY EVE SCREAM + RUUKSINE + ANDRE LE VOGUE Bar Open, Fitzroy. 8:30pm.

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

FEATURED GIGS $10.

THIS LIFE I LIVE + ARKEON + CHASM TRAIL Whole Lotta Love, Brunswick East. 8pm.

THROWBACK - FEAT: VARIOUS DJS Lucky Coq, Windsor. 9pm.

THURSDAY REPRESENTS - FEAT: YOLLKS + HOI PALLOI + HANNAH KATE + LARA PROKOP Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 8pm.

TINGY CELESTINO Customs House Hotel, Williamstown. 8pm.

WOLF & MOON Wesley Anne, Northcote. 8pm.

$10.

Acoustic/Country/Blues/ Folk CARUS THOMPSON Sooki Lounge, Belgrave.

8pm. $14.30.

HARMANIAX Bar Open, Fitzroy. 6:30pm.

MORNING MELODIES - FEAT: KYLIE & JAMES - SONGS FROM NANNA© S Ferntree Gully Hotel, Ferntree Gully. 10:30am. $17.

MUSICLAND OPEN CHOIR REHEARSALS - FEAT: VARIOUS ARTISTS Musicland, Fawkner. 7pm. $5.

OPEN MIC NIGHT Drunken Poet, West Melbourne. 7pm.

RAIN OF ANIMALS Charles Weston Hotel,

Brunswick. 6:30pm.

TOBIAS WONDERDOG Prince Bandroom, St Kilda. 7pm. $20.

VANDERLAY + DOG FUTON Some Velvet

Morning, Clifton Hill. 8pm.

VOX CHOPS & THE MOONSHINE WHISTLERS Spotted Mallard, Brunswick. 8pm.

$23.77.

XMAS BREAKUP - FEAT: GEOFF ACHISON + VARIOUS ARTISTS Hume

Blues Club (shake Shack), Coburg. 7:15pm.

Friday 21 Dec Indie, Rock, Pop, Metal, Punk & Covers ACTION SAM Elephant & Wheelbarrow,

Melbourne. 11pm.

AM//PM - EMO NIGHT - FEAT: HEROES FOR HIRE + TERRA + THE PLAYBOOK Brown Alley, Melbourne Cbd. 9pm.

GURUS Yah Yah's, Fitzroy. 8pm. $10.

DRAUGHT DODGERS + EMILEE SOUTH + NATHAN DETROIT BAND Old

FARO NEGRO Platform 270, Melbourne. 5:30pm.

JULES BOULT & THE REDEEMERS Paris

Hotel, Footscray. 7:30pm. $10.

MIGHTY DUKE & THE LORDS Belleville,

FRANJAPAN + MOTHER CULTURE + MAJAK DOOR + MANORISM Penny Black, Brunswick. 8pm.

INXSIVE Royal Hotel, Essendon. 9:30pm.

JULIETTE SEIZURE & THE TREMOR DOLLS + BABY BLUE + LOOSE TOOTH Federation Square, Melbourne Cbd. 6pm.

LADIES OF THE 80© S - CHRISTMAS PARTY - FEAT: DJ MATT DOLL Pause Bar,

Balaclava. 8pm.

LOCALLES + SLEDGEHAMMER + GUMS Reverence Hotel, Footscray. 8pm. $10.

LONGBOYS + TEENAGE DADS + JUNGLE CUFF Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 8pm. $10.

MARLON BANDO + FLESHED OUT + THE GURDIES Last Chance Rock And Roll Bar,

North Melbourne. 8pm. $10.

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

PHIL SPECTOR CHRISTMAS TRIBUTE - FEAT: TRAUMABOYS + JULIETTE SEIZURE & THE TREMOR-DOLLS + THE RED MOTORS + BLOWERS + PLASTIC SECTION + MORE Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 8pm.

PIN + ÖZERGUN + GOOD MORNING KAOS + RED WORM + DJ ZAIRA Bombay

Rock, Brunswick. 7pm.

POPROCKS + DR PHIL Toff In Town,

Melbourne Cbd. 9pm.

PRIVACY ACT Red Betty, Brunswick. 8:30pm.

ROCKAPALOOZA - FEAT: CUCKOO FOR CACA - FAITH NO MORE TRIBUTE + FUNKY MONKS AUSTRALIAN RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS TRIBUTE + ALICE REMAINS Sooki Lounge, Belgrave. 8pm. $19.40.

SABRINA STONE + GRAND PINE Toff In

Town, Melbourne Cbd. 7:30pm. $10.

THE BRUNGAS + PABLO PACE BAND + HUGH FUCHSEN Whole Lotta Love, Brunswick East. 8pm. $10.

THE OUTDOOR TYPE + QUIVERS Fitzroy

Pinnacle, Fitzroy North. 7:30pm.

THEME TEAM + JUDE PERL Bar Open,

Gardens, Melbourne. 5pm.

TUMBLE TURN + SEVEN MARGARITAS + SUN TRAITORS 303, Northcote. 8pm. $10.

UFO GO Last Chance Rock And Roll Bar, North

BIN + TRAFFIK ISLAND Post Office Hotel,

Coburg. 9pm.

BJORN AGAIN Chasers, South Yarra. 8pm. $55.10.

BLACK JESUS + AFTER BURNER + TRUE BELIEVER + DEFENESTRATION + CREEP DIETS Bendigo Hotel, Collingwood.

8pm.

BLEACH + ZOMBITCHES + POLARIZE + VELVET BLOOM Tote Hotel, Collingwood.

8pm. $10.

BLEEDING KNEES CLUB + CONCRETE LAWN + CROCODYLUS Oh! Jean Records,

Fitzroy. 3pm. $23.50.

BLEEDING KNEES CLUB + CROCODYLUS + CONCRETE LAWN Tote Hotel, Collingwood. 8pm. $23.50.

BRITISH INDIA + SOCIAL ON THE VERANDA Corner Hotel, Richmond. 8:30pm.

BURIED FEATHER + EMPAT LIMA + TURTLE SKULL + MASCO SOUND SYSTEM Howler, Brunswick. 7:30pm. $18.53.

CAPTAIN SPALDING BAND Customs House Hotel, Williamstown. 8pm.

CERES SEVENTH ANNUAL CHRISTMAS SHOW + GEORGIA MAQ + JESS LOCKE + EILISH GILLIGAN + JACOB + WORLD SICK Gasometer Hotel,

Collingwood. 7pm. $29.90.

CHAPEL STREET SOCIAL CLUB FEAT: PHATO A MANO + NAMN + MATT RADOVICH Lucky Coq, Windsor. 9pm.

CHRISTMAS AT THE SWAMP - FEAT: CHARLIE MARSHALL & THE BODY ELECTRIC + ANDY KENTLER BAND + PERSON OR PERSONS UNKNOWN Swamplands Bar, Thornbury. 8pm. $10.

COUNTDOWN 80S Musicland, Fawkner.

7:30pm. $10.

DEAD LETTER CIRCUS + ALITHIA + CIRCLES 170 Russell, Melbourne Cbd. 8pm. $44.95.

DIET. + SLIM JEFFRIES + THE MOTHER

ELISSA RODGER QUARTET Lido Jazz

Room, Hawthorn. 8pm. $25.

Bar, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $12.

FEAR LIKE US + HOODLUM SHOUTS + MOODY BEACHES + WAY SHIT Reverence

$15.

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

BEDROOM SUCK RECORDS DJ SET - FEAT: VARIOUS ARTISTS Queen Victoria

8:30pm.

Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $10.

Melbourne. 4pm.

UNCLE BEN© S LAST WORDS + LUKE SEYMOUP + ZENA (SQUID FISHING) + NEWTOWN STORY Yarra Hotel, Abbotsford.

8pm. $10.

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

Hip Hop & R&B 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.

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

ROYCE 5© 9" + THE VIKING N3 + CHARLIE THREADS Max Watt's, Melbourne.

8pm. $65.

VISION LAUNCH PARTY - FEAT: BOY CURSED + RDBCK + J.B.T + MISTAH SMITH + SOAAPY + KVNYL Laundry Bar, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $10.

Jazz, Soul, Funk, Latin & World Music AMARU TRIBE + RANDY CASTILLA + PURO BILONGO + PRINCE BASTARD + MORE Night Cat, Fitzroy. 9pm. $10.

BARNEY MCALL Bird's Basement, Melbourne.

8pm. $29.

CANNONBALL (WITH OLIVIA CHAMOUN) Paris Cat Jazz Club, Melbourne Cbd.

8pm. $32.50.

CHARLOTTE JANE QUARTET The Jazzlab,

Brunswick. 8pm. $30.

DJ LADY LOVE POTION Edinburgh Castle, Brunswick. 9pm.

DJ RITCHIE 1250 Spotted Mallard, Brunswick.

Cat Jazz Club, Melbourne Cbd. 9pm. $25.

Melbourne. 8pm.

PANORAMA BRASIL ALL-STARS Paris Cat

Jazz Club, Melbourne Cbd. 6:30pm. $32.50.

SEX ON TOAST + VAUDEVILLE SMASH + MORE Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy. 8pm. $25.

THE FABULOUS SINGLETTES Memo

Music Hall, St Kilda. 7pm. $35.

THE JACKSON FOUR Jasper's Jazz Bar, Melbourne. 9:30pm.

THE MARK FITZGIBBON TRIO (WITH NICHAUD FITZGIBBON) Classic Southside,

Elsternwick. 8pm. $25.

THE STEPHEN MAGNUSSON TRIO Uptown Jazz Cafe, Fitzroy. 8:30pm.

House, Electro, Trance & Club Nights

Wilson & White

Wilson & White THE DRUNKEN POET

Hailing from the Mornington Peninsula, Wilson & White play oldtime blues and country music laced in Juke Joint vibes. Find them at the Drunken Poet on Friday December 21 for an evening of foot-stomping music, kicking off at 8.30pm. Entry is free.

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

Pin

CIRCULATE - FEAT: JOINS + MAGNUS + MEVSME + DJ SWELLA Lucky Coq,

Melbourne locals Pin are set to take to Bombay Rock this Friday December 21. They’ll be bringing a few of their personal favourite locals along for the ride, including Good Morning Kaos, Özergun and Red Worm, and you can catch them kicking off from 7pm.

Free entry.

4pm.

Windsor. 9pm.

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

$15.

DO THE JOB - FEAT: KUFATALI + ANDY MCCONNELL + MICKEY EDWARDS Ferdydurke, Melbourne Cbd. 7pm.

ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM Carlton Club, Melbourne Cbd. 10pm.

FORMATION - FEAT: DONNY + MORE Lucky Coq, Windsor. 9pm.

FRIDAYS - FEAT: WARSAWYER + CLIFTONIA + BEN & LIL + MORE Carlton

Club, Melbourne Cbd. 5pm.

JUNK! + MANDEK PENHA + ELECTRIC SELF Workers Club, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $15.

MELBOURNE TECHNO COLLECTIVE - FEAT: MATERIAL OBJECT + ACM + ADRIAN BELL + CRAIG MCWHINNEY + SUNDELIN + MISS FARINA + MORE

BOMBAY ROCK

USER

RED BETTY

For their final show of the year, twopiece outfit USER are set to take over their favourite new haunt, Red Betty this Saturday December 22. Enjoy their unique brand of electronic improvisation, alongside Winter Sun who’ll kick things off as support.

Doors open at 8pm and entry is free.

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

PEST KONTROL - FEAT: SCOTTY PESTICIDE + TYRELL + KAYA KALPA Boney, Melbourne Cbd. 8pm.

RENEE DELAY Fox Hotel (collingwood),

Collingwood. 8pm.

RINSE & REPEAT - FEAT: BOOGS + TRAVLOS + MORNINGMAXWELL + MHA IRI + ZEBEDIAH + FAROUT JASS + MORE Platform One, Melbourne. 10pm. $25.

STEVE WARD + DAMON WALSH + LUCCA TAN + SILVERSIX + HENRY WHO + MIKE CALLANDER + MORE

Jheli Emmett

Jheli Emmett

EDINBURGH CASTLE

5pm.

Jheli Emmett will take over Brunswick’s Edinburgh Castle on Saturday December 22, where she’ll lace her sultry vocals over all of your favourite forgotten tunes, from ‘90s hits to ‘60s revivalist folk. Entry is free and it’s all kicking off at 5pm.

Alley, Melbourne Cbd. 10pm. $20.

Meridian Suns

Revolver Upstairs, Prahran. 10pm.

THE MEAN TEAM - FEAT: SKIVVY + VARIOUS ARTISTS Section 8, Melbourne Cbd. TRUST - FOURTH BIRTHDAY ROOFTOP RAVE - FEAT: DANNIKA BOSS + DJ KITI + GAY ROBERTO + PHILOSOPHIA + MAS + MORE Brown UPSTAIRS//DOWNSTAIRS - FEAT: PJENNE + 6AM AT THE GARAGE + DJ RICK + DJ MINTY + DARCY MAHADY Boney, Melbourne Cbd. 10pm.

WALDO FRIDAYS - CHRISTMAS SOIREE - FEAT: ANDY MURPHY + OSCAR TOOTELL + ADEN FORTE + ARTISTO G + SHAYNE TINO + MORE The Emerson, South Yarra. 10pm.

WALEXY CULTURE CONCERT - FEAT: EASY P + CURRENCY BABA + MR. SHUGGA + HOUCCI + DJ GLY + MORE Rubix Warehouse, Brunswick. 8pm.

WAXOLOGY - FEAT: CALE SEXTON + REPTANT + ZOBS PALACE + WAX NOMADS + MORE Yours & Mine, Carlton.

10pm.

¿CLUB D© ÉRANGE? - FEAT: HAROLD + MILLÚ + SIMON TK + PAUL JAGER Hugs

& Kisses, Melbourne. 11pm. $15.

Acoustic/Country/Blues/ Folk BLUES BROTHERS CHRISTMAS PARTY

THE MOLDY FIG

Meridian Suns will return to The Moldy Fig on Saturday December 22 for a night of old favourites and new tracks. The female-fronted folk act entwine blues, reggae, country, soul and jazz into their contagious, sway along sound, which you can lap up for free from 9pm. Booyah.

Christmas at the Swamp!

SWAMPLANDS

Swamplands is pleased to announce their very first Christmas spectacular going down on Saturday December 22. There’ll be merriment in abundance, with festive drink specials and a variety of bands on offer including Van Walker, Ill-Gotten Booty, Thursby, Friday & Connell and DJ Doggler.

Doors are from 7pm and entry is free.

BEAT.COM.AU

31

Spotted Mallard, Brunswick. 8:30pm. $28.89.

Curtin Xmas THE CURTIN

Buckle up for the return of the annual Curtin Christmas bash on Saturday December 22. This year, iconic Aussie rock band Regurgitator will take to the stage, performing tracks from across their nine album-deep catalogue. The lineup also features Damian Cowell and his Disco Machine, with comedian Tony Martin. Lastly, Gizzfest favourites U-Bahn are sure to entertain with their experimental electronics and synth when the festivities kick off at 8pm.

Find tickets for $40 online.

Kelly Auty Band LOMOND HOTEL

Kelly Auty and her band are slated to present ‘The Night Before Christmas Rocks’ at The Lomond Hotel this Sunday December 23. Slinging originals and covers encompassing blues, jazz, country, gospel, cabaret and more, the group will kick off at 5.30pm.

Entry is free on the door.

CHRISTMAS BREAKUP - FEAT: THE DALTON GANG + MORE Pascoe Vale Rsl,

Pascoe Vale. 8pm. $10.

DARREN HANLON + OLIVE KNIGHT

THE MUSIC OF DAVID LYNCH’S UNIVERSE The Jazzlab, Brunswick. 8pm. $30.

THE PAUL WILLIAMSON QUARTET

Northcote Social Club, Northcote. 8:30pm.

Uptown Jazz Cafe, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $25.

MATT JOE GOW + MORE Gem Bar, Collingwood. 8:30pm.

RHYTHM X REVIVAL Wesley Anne, Northcote.

6pm.

RUSSELL MORRIS + J.R. REYNE Caravan Music Club, Bentleigh East. 8pm. $32.

SIMPSONS CHRISTMAS BOOGIE FEAT: BOADZ The B.east, Brunswick East. 10pm.

T-BONES Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East. 9:30pm.

THE © JOHNNY CAN© T DANCE© CAJUN BAND Farouk's Olive, Thornbury. 8:30pm. $5.

THE FLAMING MONGRELS DUO Edinburgh Castle, Brunswick. 6pm.

THE FOUR SCOOPS Bar Open, Fitzroy.

6:30pm.

TIM MCMILLAN & RACHEL SNOW + PAINT ME A PHOENIX Open Studio, Northcote. 8pm. $12.

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

WILSON & WHITE Drunken Poet, West

Melbourne. 8:30pm.

WINESHANK Bad Shepherd Brewing Co.,

Cheltenham. 8pm.

WOLF & MOON + TAYLAH CARROLL Some Velvet Morning, Clifton Hill. 7:30pm.

ZERAFINA ZARA & ALLEGED ASSOCIATES TRIO Smokehouse 101,

Maidstone. 7pm.

Saturday 22 Dec Shol

Shol, Mick Power Band + Slipper BAR303

Get on down to Bar303 on Sunday December 23 for the ultimate trifecta as the likes of Shol, Mick Power Band and Slipper take to the stage for a marvellous evening of experimentation, improvisation, jazz fusion and more.

Catch the magic from 8pm and enjoy free entry too.

Tim and Jacquie Green EAST BRUNSWICK HOTEL

Local acoustic duo Tim and Jacquie Green will be performing at the East Brunswick Hotel on Sunday December 23. Catch their guitar, percussion and harmony-driven set from 6pm, and enjoy free entry to boot.

Jazz, Soul, Funk, Latin & World Music 30/70 COLLECTIVE + ALLYSHA JOY + ZIGGY ZEITGEIST + HORATIO LUNA Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy. 2pm. $10.

A CELTIC CHRISTMAS - FEAT: CLAYMORE + COLIN LILLIE + SAOIRSE + HAWTHORN CITY PIPE BAND + THE GLENBRAE CELTIC DANCERS Thornbury Theatre, Thornbury. 7pm. $51.

AUNTIE LEO & THE BACKSTABBERS Yah Yah's, Fitzroy. 2am.

BLACK BATS + MINUS US Post Office Hotel, Coburg. 8:30pm.

BOAT SHOW + PORPOISE SPIT + TERRIBLE SIGNAL Workers Club, Fitzroy.

8:30pm. $12.

CHRISTMAS AT THE SWAMP - FEAT: VAN WALKER + ILL-GOTTEN BOOTY + THURSBY FRIDAY & CONNELL Swamplands Bar, Thornbury. 7pm.

CITY CALM DOWN PRESENTS SHINE ON - FEAT: TWO PEOPLE + MURMURMUR + BABY BLUE + CITY CALM DOWN (DJ) + ALI BARTER (DJ) + UPSIDEDOWNHEAD (DJ) + DJ EMELYNE Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood. 8pm. $18.40.

COMPETITON TEAM + PSYCHO MOTO Old Bar, Fitzroy. 3pm.

CURTIN XMAS - FEAT: REGURGITATOR + DAMIAN COWELL© S DISCO MACHINE + U-BAHN John Curtin Hotel, Carlton. 8pm. $40.

DEFENESTRATION + NO CASH + STRICT VINCENT + MAGGOT BATH + TERROR NULLIUS Last Chance Rock And Roll Bar, North Melbourne. 2pm.

3pm.

VENUS - QUEER CHIC PARTY - FEAT: DJ LILLY STREET + DJ LA DRAMA Woody's Attic Dive, Collingwood. 8:30pm.

WIL WAGNER + JESS LOCKE + ANTY! Reverence Hotel, Footscray. 8pm.

Hip Hop & R&B A1KRASHN Co., Southbank. 9pm.

BIG DANCING SATURDAYS - FEAT: VARIOUS DJS Laundry Bar, Fitzroy. 9pm.

KHOKOLAT KOATED SATURDAYS CHRISTMAS PARTY - FEAT: DAMION DE SILVA + DURMY + MORE Khokolat Bar,

Melbourne Cbd. 9:30pm.

YKM & FRIENDS - FEAT: PRINCE LOVE + AMETHYST + NURU INDI + NOBLE NATIVES + NAUGHTY GUYS + LONE BOI + MORE Section 8, Melbourne Cbd. 4pm.

House, Electro, Trance & Club Nights AFROCAN - BEST OF 2018 - FEAT: CHRIS NG + DATBOY + DAWN + TREYSTYLEZ + KEBS Boney, Melbourne Cbd. 11pm.

ANDY DREVER Fox Hotel (collingwood), Collingwood. 8pm.

CAPTAIN COCO’S PSYCHEDELIC CROWDED HEARTS CLUB - FEAT: RIA LISTIC + DJ KUNDALINI + KASEY TAYLOR + MAD ANGEL + DAN WOODFORD + SIDDHARTHA + MORE 24 Moons, Northcote. 9pm. $25.

CHRISTMAS AT THE SWAMP - FEAT: DJ DOGGLER Swamplands Bar, Thornbury.

DIRTY MARTINI (WITH TAMARA KULDIN) Paris Cat Jazz Club, Melbourne Cbd.

Cbd. 8pm.

JANK FACQUES Carlton Club, Melbourne Cbd.

FABULOUS DIVA - THE MUSIC OF DR NINA SIMONE Paris Cat Jazz Club, Melbourne

Footscray. 8pm. $10.

MARMALADE - FEAT: KOVAC + ZOE CORTIZO + KAYROY Ferdydurke, Melbourne

FIRETAIL + WILBER CABBAGE Bar Open,

Cbd. 6:30pm. $32.50.

MYTHOLOGY - FEAT: RICCI + ONYX + MARCUS OK + POST PERCY Boney,

Moorabbin. 8pm. $22.

9pm. $32.50.

Cbd. 8:30pm. $32.50.

Fitzroy. 8pm. $10.

HONEY + DJ MOON DREAM Night Cat,

EVEN + MORE Night Cat, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $35.

FLOSS + SENZU BEAN Boney, Melbourne FLYING DUTCHMAN + HIGH AS HELL + PLANET OF THE 8© S Reverence Hotel, FUN FUN FUN - THE MUSIC OF THE BEACH BOYS Paris Cat Jazz Club, Melbourne I© M NOT OKAY - EMO PARTY - FEAT: VARIOUS DJS Royal Melbourne Hotel,

Fitzroy. 11:30pm. $5.

Melbourne Cbd. 10pm. $10.

6:30pm.

5pm.

Cbd. 5:30pm. $25.

9pm.

HOODOO MAYHEM Bar Open, Fitzroy.

PINNACLE XMAS SHOW - FEAT: THE SUGARCANES + THE ROOKIES + KEV WALSH Fitzroy Pinnacle, Fitzroy North. 5pm.

SHANTY TOWN Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East. 9:30pm.

SIMON LAXTON Edinburgh Castle, Brunswick.

9pm.

SOUL SACRIFICE - THE MUSIC OF SANTANA Bird's Basement, Melbourne. 8pm. $25.

SPARTACUS COLLECTIVE XMAS PARTY Brunswick Green, Brunswick. 4pm.

THE BLACK SORROWS Caravan Music Club,

JHELI EMMETT Edinburgh Castle, Brunswick.

JUKE BOX RACKET Rainbow Hotel, Fitzroy.

LEEDEN Workers Club, Geelong. 8pm. $10.

MILK! XMAS PARTY - FEAT: COURTNEY BARNETT + EAST BRUNSWICK ALL GIRLS CHOIR + LOOSE TOOTH + HACHIKU + EVELYN IDA MORRIS Northcote Social Club, Northcote.

1:30pm, 7:30pm.

PRETTY CITY + DIANA RADAR + CAKEFIGHT Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 9pm.

$10.

SIENNA WILD + WALLY HOWLETT + SINCE WE KISSED Grace Darling Hotel,

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

8pm.

11:45pm.

Cbd. 9pm.

Melbourne Cbd. 9pm.

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

PONY SATURDAYS - FEAT: VARIOUS DJS La Di Da, Melbourne Cbd. 10pm.

RISE & SHINE - FEAT: SUNSHINE + VARIOUS ARTISTS Revolver Upstairs, Prahran.

12am.

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

ROOFTOP DAY PARTY - FEAT: LICKWEED + DECIBEL + QONTENT + DJ RAIDER + SUDDY + TILLY TALLY Top Yard, Melbourne. 2pm. $10.

SATURDAYS - FEAT: DJ KISTA + DJ BETH GRACE + DJ DEMIZE + VARIOUS DJS Carlton Club, Melbourne Cbd.

8pm.

SNACK ATTACK WITH DJ 2P Elephant &

Wheelbarrow, Melbourne. 10pm.

SPACEY SPACE Sooki Lounge, Belgrave. 3pm.

7pm. $10.

Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 4pm.

8pm. $25.

Music Hall, St Kilda. 7pm. $35.

New Guernica, Melbourne Cbd. 10pm. $20.

TENDERLOINS + GEORGIA KNIGHT

THE BELAIR LIP BOMBS + WHITE VANS + FUZZRAYS + THE GURDIES

THE CORETET Penny Black, Brunswick. 8:30pm.

THE FABULOUS SINGLETTES Memo

$15.

SOUL CTRL + MYTHIC + SBMC + JINKS & COVERT + NIGHTLIGHT + MIKADO + AGEDDOELF Horse Bazaar,

Collingwood. 9:30pm. $10.

Bentleigh East. 8pm. $33.

THE BOB SEDERGREEN TRIO (WITH AMELIA EVANS) Classic Southside, Elsternwick.

DENA AMY Prince Bandroom, St Kilda. 10pm.

STRANGERS FOR SALE + THE COLBY’S + PILGRIM AGE 303, Northcote.

THE B.EAST XMAS EVER - FEAT: MESA COSA + THE NUGS + TRIPMONKS + PURPLE DUCK The B.east,

THE MAGICAL MARMALADE

32 BEAT.COM.AU

Lotta Love, Brunswick East. 8pm.

TOM CARTOONIST + WEATHERBOARD HOUSE 303, Northcote.

EAT THE BEAT - FEAT: SECRET ACTS

Cbd. 9pm.

Grab a seat and settle in at the Royal Oak Hotel on Sunday December 23 to see Duncan Phillips and his band.

Currently in the process of recording their second album after releasing The Wilderness in 2016, Scottish-born, Melbourne-based Phillips is set to sling his brand of Americana rock, influenced by the likes of Johnny Cash and Tom Petty. Entry is free on the door from 4pm onwards.

A VERY PUNK CHRISTMAS - FEAT: ADMIRAL ACKBAR© S DISHONOURABLE DISCHARGE + THE MURDERBALLS + UNDAMAGED Whole

Collingwood. 8pm. $10.

DANCING IN THE STREET – A TRIBUTE TO MOTOWN Kingston City Hall,

MAYA + LITTLE MILLAR + ROY MONTGOMERY The Fyrefly, St Kilda. 7pm. $15.

NARDIA ROSE BAND Transit, Melbourne

ROYAL OAK

Indie, Rock, Pop, Metal, Punk & Covers

THE VACANT SMILES + EGGY + SPIRAL PERM + SPACE VISITATION + GUTTER GIRLS DJS Grace Darling Hotel,

Tote Hotel, Collingwood. 8pm.

Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood. 11pm. $10.

Hawthorn. 8pm. $25.

Duncan Phillips Band

Howler, Brunswick. 8pm. $18.53.

$39.

10:30pm.

DANCING IN OUTER SPACE - FEAT: DJ MANCHILD + CHARLES CARUSO

LAMINE SONKO & THE AFRICAN INTELLIGENCE Belleville, Melbourne. 10:30pm.

LILLIAN ALBAZI QUARTET Lido Jazz Room,

Duncan Phillips

THE PIRATESKA REBELLION + THE SUBSTANCE Open Studio, Northcote. 8pm. $10.

THE ROOKIES The Jazzlab, Brunswick. 11pm.

THE SENEGAMBIAN JAZZ BAND + HELLO TUT TUT + ROYALTY NOISE

THE SCREAMING JETS + PALACE OF THE KING Corner Hotel, Richmond. 8:30pm. $45.

THE SONGS OF COUNTDOWN FEAT: GEORGE KAPINIARIS + TOTTIE GOLDSMITH Hysteria Lounge, Lilydale. 6pm.

DELORIS + WARPLANE + SPOD + ACTOR/MODEL Old Bar, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $12.

DICK DIVER + RVG + THE STROPPIES

JEN SALISBURY Paris Cat Jazz Club, Melbourne

23/19

MACHINE Royal Hotel (mornington), Mornington.

8pm.

Brunswick East. 7pm.

Bendigo Hotel, Collingwood. 8pm. $12.

THE DUFRANES + WHISKEY DRAM + KAMIKAZE NIGHTS + PABLO PACE + DJ DAN ATTARD Bombay Rock, Brunswick.

7pm.

THE EXOTICS Gem Bar, Collingwood. 9pm.

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

Melbourne Cbd. 8pm. $8.

$15.

THE DISCO BEFORE CHRISTMAS FEAT: DAN BENTLEY + ACID JAMES + SCOTTY PESTICIDE + JULIAN CASTLES / J.92 + CASS Grumpy's Green,

Fitzroy. 6pm. $10.

THE LATE SHOW - FEAT: FLIP3000 + MAT CANT + JIMMY LE MAC + TEE DUBYA + MORE Revolver Upstairs, Prahran.

7pm.

THURSTY - FEAT: JAMES SEEDY + KETTOKAI + NERVE + LARA KILLS Hugs & Kisses, Melbourne. 8pm. $10.

TOFF CLUB - FEAT: LORD HANS DC

Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 11pm.

UNICORNS - FEAT: DJ SEZZO + RUBY SLIPPERS + SHINOBI + INDICIA + PORCELAIN ALICE + CARMEL LATTE & SOI + CIARA + DAZZA & KEIF + MORE Rubix Warehouse, Brunswick. 8pm.

VERBENA PICÓTERA - EL GRAN MONO LAUNCH - FEAT: DJ JNETT + DJ MANCHILD + CASSAWARRIOR + CARLO XAVIER + DJ JOLIE + PRINCE BASTARD + JIMI DAWG Whitehart,

Melbourne. 2pm.

YARED NEGU & HELEN MELES Max

Watt's, Melbourne. 9pm. $87.25.

Acoustic/Country/Blues/ Folk

SKELTER + BAREFOOT SPACEMEN + THE RABBIT LOUNGE Last Chance Rock And Roll Bar, North Melbourne. 7:30pm. $10.

THIRD EARTH + THE SANTA CHORDS Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood. 7:30pm. $5.

ELLA TRINIDAD Night Cat, Fitzroy. 9pm. $10.

EUGENE BALL QUARTET The Jazzlab,

THE JACKSON FOUR + MORE The Craft

Mallard, Brunswick. 2pm.

Brunswick. 8pm. $20.

Hotel, Brunswick. 6:30pm.

MAD MELLOW + LOOSE MOOSE + YES YES WHATEVER Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy.

$81.50.

NICHAUD FITZGIBBON Bird's Basement,

MICK THOMAS & THE ROVING COMMISSION + AMARILLO Spotted

Mallard, Brunswick. 8:45pm. $34.25.

PAIGE BLACK + ARIELA JACOBS + PIA NESVARA Open Studio, Northcote. 1:30pm. $10.

RICHARD THORNTON + EVANGELINE VICTORIA Open Studio, Northcote. 5:30pm. $10.

SHANAKEE Drunken Poet, West Melbourne. 3pm.

THE PEACOCKS Wesley Anne, Northcote. 6pm.

THIS WAY NORTH Union Hotel, Brunswick.

5pm.

Sunday 23 Dec Hip Hop & R&B 3K, AGUNG MANGO + 3K + AGUNG MANGO + C.FRIM + DJ SEZZO + SWELL Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 7:30pm. $10.

DEJA VU SUNDAYS - SANTA© S HOUSE PARTY - FEAT: VARIOUS DJS Co.,

Southbank. 9pm.

HOT FUDGE SUNDAYS - FEAT: D© FRO + ILRESPONCE + MORE Lucky Coq,

Windsor. 3pm.

THE FINAL BIG THROWDOWN FEAT: DJ FRENZIE + MIKE GURRIERI + JESUS + PUPPET + PERIL + JEFF DA FUNK + MORE Section 8, Melbourne Cbd. 1pm.

THE HUDSON WALLACE HOLIDAY SPECIAL + THE DMTEASERS + WOLFJAY + ODDSOX + EZRA ALLEN Workers Club, Fitzroy. 7pm. $10.

Indie, Rock, Pop, Metal, Punk & Covers ALEX CENTOFANTI + CHRIS GOLDIE + HOLLY O KELLY Workers Club, Fitzroy. 1pm.

$5.

BRIAN CAMPEAU Edinburgh Castle,

Brunswick. 4pm.

CAROLS BY CANDLELIGHT (REHEARSAL NIGHT) - FEAT: VARIOUS ARTISTS Sidney Myer Music Bowl,

Melbourne. 3:30pm. $25.

COLOURED CLOCKS + THE PETER VAN DEN HOOGEN BAND Bar Open,

Fitzroy. 9pm.

DICK DIVER + PRIMO! + SLEEPLESS NIGHTS Tote Hotel, Collingwood. 8pm.

IVORY ELEPHANT + CREEK + GRACE CUMMINGS BAND Retreat Hotel, Brunswick.

3pm.

JULIETTE SEIZURE & THE TREMOR DOLLS + PREHISTORIC DOUCHE + BLOWERS Old Bar, Fitzroy. 7:30pm.

KINEMATIC + MARK SINTON + TED BARRINGTON Red Betty, Brunswick. 5pm.

NICE BOY TOM + MONGREL REPUBLIC + PAUL MCMANUS Yarra

East. 8pm.

Melbourne. 6:30pm.

KARATE BOOGALOO Post Office Hotel,

JOHN DENVER CELEBRATION CONCERT Palais Theatre, St Kilda. 7:30pm.

MICK THOMAS & THE ROVING COMMISSION Caravan Music Club, Bentleigh

BALKAN BRASS - FEAT: OPA! BATO + OPA SEKO Farouk's Olive, Thornbury. 7:30pm. $10.

BUTTERED LOAF Bar Open, Fitzroy. 6pm.

CAIRO CLUB ORCHESTRA Spotted

Poet, West Melbourne. 9pm.

GARDINER & GABRIEL Charles Weston

East. 5:30pm.

Jazz, Soul, Funk, Latin & World Music

5pm.

ELECTRIC BLUES COLLECTIVE Drunken

KELLY AUTY BAND Lomond Hotel, Brunswick

MISS DEE Transit, Melbourne Cbd. 2pm.

MITCH POWER Union Hotel (brunswick),

GOSPEL SUNDAYS - FEAT: ANA WINANS + JOSHUA TAVARES + FRANCISCO TAVARES Howler, Brunswick.

ANDREW SWANN Transit, Melbourne Cbd.

3pm.

1pm.

Coburg. 4:30pm.

8pm. $10.

Melbourne. 2pm. $29.

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

SHOL + MICK POWER BAND 303,

Northcote. 8pm.

SLACKROPE Brunswick Green, Brunswick. 4pm.

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

THE © JOHNNY CAN© T DANCE© CAJUN BAND + GOB IRON STRINGBAND Open Studio, Northcote. 8:30pm. $10.

THE BORNSTEIN ULTIMATUM Pause Bar,

Balaclava. 4:30pm.

YOLANDA INGLEY & BAND Fireflies Wine Bar, Fitzroy North. 4pm.

House, Electro, Trance & Club Nights DANA RUH - FEAT: JOHAN ELGSTROM + ACID SAFARI + THECAMILOS + EAT THE BEAT DJS + MORE Revolver Upstairs, Prahran. 8pm. $20.

KAZ JAMES + MARKET MEMORIES + STEVE BLEAS + GREG SARA Onesixone, Prahran. 9pm. $15.

POOF DOOF DAY PARTY - FEAT: BOOGS + SPACEY SPACE + CASEY LEAVER + DJ ARGONAUT + DJ JASON CONTI + A B S O L U T E Revolver

Upstairs, Prahran. 12am. $15.

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.

SIMPLE SUNDAY DAY PARTY - FEAT: RORY MARSHALL + KIRK CHETCUTI + MORE Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood. 1pm. $34.70.

STILL UP - FEAT: IVAN DI GENNARO Hugs & Kisses, Melbourne. 12pm. $10.

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

WE ARE 14 - FEAT: LTJ BUKEM + OM UNIT + THE OPERATIVES + ABLE8 + AKOUO + BEATRICE + MORE Penny Black, Brunswick. 2pm. $35.

Acoustic/Country/Blues/ Folk ACOUSTIC SUNDAYS - FEAT: MICHELLE GARDINER + PAIGE SPIERS + PAIGE SMITH Customs House

Brunswick. 3:30pm.

RAIN OF ANIMALS Drunken Poet, West ROSARIO DE MARCO Wesley Anne, Northcote. 6pm.

SAMMY OWEN BLUES BAND Royal Hotel, Mornington. 3pm.

& Co Farm, Bangholme. 1pm.

THE PHEASANTRY Drunken Poet, West

Melbourne. 4pm.

THE RECHORDS Gem Bar, Collingwood.

7:30pm.

THE THREE KINGS CHRISTMAS SHOW Union Hotel, Brunswick. 5pm.

UNHCR CHRISTMAS FUNDRAISER FEAT: RACHEL CADDY + TEENIE Open

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

WANTON SHILLELAGHS + MORE Open Studio, Northcote. 2:30pm. $5.

Monday 24 Dec Indie, Rock, Pop, Metal, Punk & Covers CAROLS BY CANDLELIGHT - FEAT: VARIOUS ARTISTS Sidney Myer Music Bowl,

Melbourne. 8pm. $77.92.

HOBSON© S BAY COAST GUARD + DIANA RADAR + SWAMP Retreat Hotel,

Brunswick. 8pm.

House, Electro, Trance & Club Nights DIZZY DEE + YAW FASO + SK SIMEON + KWAME + MORE Rubix Warehouse, Brunswick. 7pm.

HOT MESS - XMAS EVE DAY PARTY FEAT: MITCHELL GEE + BETH GRACE + LATE NIGHT DATE + HOT MESS RESIDENTS Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood. 1pm. $8.

NAUGHTY NOUGHTIES - FEAT: VARIOUS DJS Sooki Lounge, Belgrave. 8pm. $10.

ORPHAN CHRISTMAS - FEAT: VARIOUS DJS Lucky Coq, Windsor. 4pm.

Hip Hop & R&B KILLER HERTZ + MORE Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy. 8pm. $5.

SWICK - FEAT: VARIOUS ARTISTS Penny Black, Brunswick. 4pm.

Jazz, Soul, Funk, Latin & World Music THE BOSAKS Open Studio, Northcote. 5pm.

Acoustic/Country/Blues/ Folk MICK THOMAS & THE ROVING COMMISSION Caravan Music Club, Bentleigh East. 2:30pm. $28.

XMAS EVE AT THE POET - FEAT: MARTY KELLY Drunken Poet, West Melbourne.

3pm.

Tuesday 25 Dec Jazz, Soul, Funk, Latin & World Music

Standard Hotel, Fitzroy. 7pm.

Hotel, Abbotsford. 4pm. $7.

CHRISTMAS AT THE SWAMP - FEAT: VERY HANDSOME MEN + DALICADOS

JAMES BROWN XMAS PARTY - FEAT: KARATE BOOGALOO + CHRIS GILL + PIERRE BARONI + MISS GOLDIE + SHIO + MIKE GURRIERI + DJ MANCHILD John Curtin Hotel, Carlton. 8pm.

Fawkner. 7pm.

Swamplands Bar, Thornbury. 4pm.

House, Electro, Trance & Club Nights

OPEN/MIC JAM NIGHTS Musicland, OTHRSHIP Charles Weston Hotel, Brunswick.

4pm.

RAT!HAMMOCK + MERPIRE + KILNS Grace Darling Hotel, Collingwood. 4:30pm.

ROCK AT THE TOTE - FEAT: AS CROWS FLY + DAY OF STORMS + THE DEAD PHAROAHS + THE RIFTERS Tote Hotel, Collingwood. 5pm. $10.

Hotel, Williamstown. 2pm.

BROOKE RUSSELL & SHANE REILLY

COOL CHOIR Northcote Social Club, Northcote.

2pm.

DAN & AL + MORE Corner Hotel, Richmond.

7:30pm. $17.

ELWOOD BLUES CLUB Prince Public Bar, St

Kilda . 4pm.

HARMANIAX Rainbow Hotel, Fitzroy. 4pm.

HEINOUS HOUND Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd.

SECTION 8 ORPHAN© S XMAS - FEAT: OISIMA + MR PITIFUL + JOHAN ELGSTROM + CDMK Section 8, Melbourne Cbd. 12pm.

UPCOMING GIGS FEATURED GIGS

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 LANEWAY FESTIVAL ft Gang of Youths, Courtney Barnett, more Footscray Park February 9 FIVE + S CLUB 3 The Forum February 12 TEENAGE FANCLUB Corner Hotel February 12 BEAT.COM.AU 33

BACKSTAGE

18 DUFFY ST BURWOOD WWW.HYDRASTUDIOS.COM.AU

HYDRA REHEARSAL STUDIOS BOOK A ROOM! CALL: 0417 000 397 • 2000 WATT HK AUDIO/MACKIE PAs • TEN CLEAN, 30M2 ROOMS • STORAGE • DRUMKIT/AMP HIRE • AIR CON

REHEARSAL STUDIOS

threephasemusic.com Weeknight rates from $65

8 Tinning St, Brunswick

䰀 伀 伀 䠀 䌀 匀 䐀 䰀 伀 ☀ 刀一䈀

䔀嘀䔀 刀夀 匀䄀吀 唀刀 䐀䄀夀

㐀㌀ 䠀䄀刀䐀圀䄀刀䔀 䰀䄀一䔀 䌀䈀䐀

SNAPS Khokolat Koated

34 BEAT.COM.AU

MELANIE (USA) (EXCLUSIVE AUS PERFORMANCES), NEKO CASE (USA) Kasey Chambers, Tim Rogers, Wallis Bird (IRL) Mojo Juju Gregory Alan Isakov (SA) Sal Kimber & The Rollin Wheel Hollow Coves, Z Star (UK) Ash Grunwald, Gaby Moreno (GT) Liz Stringer, Blue Shaddy, Blackeyed Susans & Strings Basia Bulat (CAN) Greta Stanley, Didirri, Van Walker Front Country (USA) Alejandro Escovedo (USA) Immy Owusu, Fenn Wilson AND MUCH MUCH MORE ARTISTS PERFORM MULTIPLE TIMES

TENT CITY

THE VANDEMONIAN LAGS

Exclusive - Featuring: Ben Salter Brian Nankervis, Liz Stringer, Mick Thomas Sal Kimber, Tim Rogers & Van Walker

AIRY ing F T R O P F O E L THE FAIRY TAck – 50 years in the mak

g oodsto The Story ofaWted by Derek Guille featursint narr nal ca io t a n r e t in r a t an all s

back in 2019 500m from main arena

TICKETS ON SALE NOW! + Writers Program with Jim Haynes & friends

FMXMAS PRE-GAME AND INNINGS BREAK FMX SHOWS + A SPRINKLING OF CHRISTMAS CHEER

VS

20 DEC 7.15PM MARVEL STADIUM

#GETONRED