Festival Guide 30, Be’lakor

“ [We’re] excited. It’s been ages, tickets are selling relatively well partly because fans haven’t seen us in six years in Australia, so we’ve had a lot of people waiting and now we’re happy to go do it,” Be’lakor keyboardist Steve Merry says. “We would’ve been a bit sooner out of the blocks but Covid slowed things down, we’ve been cautious about when to book the tour, so it’s a lot of anticipation and we’re looking forward to getting back to it. “Another strength of this tour is the two bands that are supporting us. Orpheus Omega has a good following and play a lot of good live shows. Andy Gillion is [playing] his first ever live debut set of shows and he used to play in Mors Principium Est, so he’s a well-known figure and a lot of people are talking about how it’s a really strong line up.”

Be’lakor’s newest album Coherence mostly follows the band’s melodic death metal sound, and has only had small changes implemented to it in comparison to their previous albums.

“Basically our lyrics never refer to politics or religion, they don’t refer to us and any views we hold, so in many ways they’re timeless,” Steve says. “If you picked up our lyrics in 100 years time, they would not lose any meaning because they’re not referring to anything that’s a current issue. They’re more like poems; they’re about nature, mythology, philosophy, science, cosmology, things that are broad concepts.” Despite sticking to the original pattern of music, there have been divided opinions of Coherence from Be’lakor’s listeners regarding their sound.

“The weird thing is with this new album, it’s our fifth album, and now we’ve reached the point where people who like the band a lot wanted it to be like our last one, but there’s only been small changes,” Steve says.

“We’ve heard both this time, we’ve heard ‘Be’lakor has not changed at all, and they’re doing the same thing’, and we’ve heard ‘Be’lakor has changed too much’ and we don’t quite know which is true. It’s in the middle.”

“There’s been no drastic changes – a lot of bands in our genre, the biggest change they can make is to introduce clean vocals, big anthemic choruses, sing-a-long, but we’ve never done that. We’ve always stayed entirely harsh through our vocals and I think we’ll keep that going.”

Be’lakor have always invested a lot of time and energy into compiling their albums, and Coherence is no exception, having taken five years for the band to perfect.

“We’ve always been hard on ourselves and have taken a long time to make albums,” Steve says. “This particular one took five years, and there was a lot of rehashing, throwing out songs, throwing out riffs, starting again, restructuring, so we’ve probably gotten even more demanding in that respect,

compared to our first couple of albums where there wasn’t as much of that. “The core ingredients haven’t changed very much, we’ve probably added a lot more atmospheric stuff, soundscape stuff, some instruments we didn’t use as much previously have gone up, like different sorts of guitars, different sorts of acoustic guitars. The core elements haven’t really changed hugely, it’s just our process has become more rigorous as time has gone on.” Despite being a death metal band, Be’lakor listen to a variety BE’LAKOR of different bands, some of which include Metallica, AC/ DC, Queen, Iron Maiden, Led Zeppelin, along with other Throughout their Australian tour, Be’lakor will be treating audiences to their newest album completely different genres. “We listen very broadly now, we listen to everything,” Coherence, and will also be joined by special Steve says. “Metal is probably just 20% of what we listen to guests Orpheus Omega and Andy Gillion. these days. John is heavily into trance, I listen to a lot Words by Christine Tsimbis more atmospheric synth stuff, I even like Enya and stuff like that. triple j will occasionally introduce me to a new band that’s indie, like Alt J, bands that are not metal at all but they’re still doing creative things. That’s actually where ideas can come from as well.” When asked how he’d describe Be’lakor, Steve’s response was typically earnest. “I would say serious, I think some other bands might think we’re too serious, but the music reflects that, we take a long time to make it,” he says. “[Also] melodic, the key is always melody, if you don’t have a good melody, you don’t have much, so we always try to focus on melody as well. “[Last one is] timeless, I like the idea of timeless as it’s not relevant to any particular current event. I certainly don’t think we’re a timeless band, I just think the ideas we explore are timeless.” Coherence is out now via Napalm Records. They’re playing The Corner Hotel on August 20.

King Stingray

KING STINGRAY

Album Reviews by Bryget Chrisfield

Music is in their bloodline: two members of King Stingray – frontman Yirrŋa, whose name translates to ‘place of stingray’, and guitarist Roy Kellaway – are descendants of Yothu Yindi: Yirrnga is the nephew of the ground-breaking musical collective’s late frontman, Dr M Yunupiŋu, who passed away in 2013, and Roy is the son of bassist, Stu Kellaway – these boys have been jamming onstage with Yothu Yindi since they were toddlers and have been official touring members since 2017.

Hailing from Yirrkala in north-east Arnhem Land (population approx. 800), King Stingray is composed of five Yolŋu (Aboriginal) and balanda (non-Indigenous) mates. They sing in both English and Yirrŋa’s native language, Yolŋu Matha.

Yirrŋa’s vocal performance is guttural and powerful, capable of stirring up repressed emotions that need processing – yidaki vibrations should be able to help you out with that as well. Yidaki (didge), bilma (clapsticks) and rock music – what an intoxicating brew!

‘Hey Wanhaka’ (the equivalent of ‘Yo, what’s up?’ in Yolŋu Matha) – King Stingray’s first ever song release, via The Chats’ Bargain Bin Records – is a party. “There is something here, so beautiful and clear/ I stay true to my roots and I wanna stay here with you” – these lyrics pretty accurately summarise King Stingray’s overall vibe.

Standout track ‘Get Me Out’ (“… of the city”) – with its wailing refrains – has visceral impact; especially during lockdown listening: “The sun goes down in the distance/

I wish that you could see this/ That I’m lost in the city… The colours are changing/ I know my home is never far away/ Get me out of the city.”

During ‘Let’s Go’, we can feel the intense draw of Central Arnhem Highway – described by Kellaway as “the backbone of good times” – promising great adventure once King Stingray hit the road: “When I think of you I leave my troubles far behind...” Campbell Messer’s limber basslines feature prominently throughout and are noticeably brilliant, particularly during the funktastic ‘Milkumana’. This standout track’s suspended pauses, used to great effect throughout ‘Malk Mirri Wayin’, channel Midnight Oil – can’t wait to experience this one live!

The boppy, meandering ‘Camp Dog’ expresses King Stingray’s affection for their community dogs (aka “the kings of the streets”) before the acoustic ‘Life Goes On’ closes out like a tuning rod for the soul. With one foot firmly planted in history and the other continuing to honour their ancestors’ legacies, King Stingray’s music transcends language. On their debut self-titled record, King Stingray build a bridge for culture to enter the mainstream, but, first and foremost, they are an exceptional band like no other.

Label: Cooking Vinyl Release date: 5 August Alpha Wolf/Holding Absence The Lost & The Longing EP

Melbourne-based metalcore heroes Alpha Wolf immediately hit it off with Welsh hard-rockers Holding Absence when both bands played the Impericon festivals in Europe back in 2019. And now the SharpTone Records labelmates have paired-up to release a split EP containing a song apiece plus two collab tracks.

Collaborative opener ‘60cm Of Steel’ commences with deceptively innocuous guitar noodling – underscored by a slightly menacing drone – before pummelling drums, chainsaw-revving riffs and what sounds like every demon from Hell hightailing it through a portal invade the scene. Beyond the halfway mark, peak desperation – “IS THIS WHAT YOU WANT!?” – silences all instrumentation bar lingering guitar distortion. Then impressive, stop-start dynamic interplay dominates the lengthy outro.

Alpha Wolf’s ‘Hotel Underground’ – with lyrical references to “roaches”, “locusts” and “rats” (eww!) – is thrillingly terrifying and instrumentally dense. In the presser, Holding Absence acknowledge this EP’s collaborative lead single ‘Aching Longing’ showcases “our band at its heaviest yet” and Lochie Keogh from Alfa Wolf’s signature yowls are sure get the blood pumping during this one! Closer ‘Coffin’, by Holding Absence, is melodic, almost soothing at first. But then Lucas Woodland’s lung-busting chorus vocal ushers in all manner of unfettered catharsis.

The Lost & The Longing is a gripping listen, and it’s evident both Alpha Wolf and Holding Absence stretched themselves in new ways on this split. Co-headlining tour, please?

Label: SharpTone/Greyscale Records Release date: 15 August

Adam Brand All Or Nothing

Adam Brand and his partner were preparing to welcome baby number two into the family while creating All Or Nothing, which informed what kind of messages he wanted to put out into the the world through song.

To conclude ‘Home Grown’, an instantly catchy ditty written on the back porch of Brand’s Gold Coast home, he sings, “My family’s growing…” – the importance of family, cherishing deep connection, inter-generational respect and the handing down of wisdom seeps through the entirety of his exceptional 16th record. Some of these songs were written while the Brands travelled around Australia in a motorhome – somehow managing to dodge border closures, when Covid first struck – while others he’d had in his back (we’re tipping jeans) pocket for a while.

Brand’s exceptional interpretive ability has always been his superpower – he’s lived every single syllable he sings (“Wanna wear cowboy boots, you’d better ride some/ Wanna sing about a truck, get the miles done”) – but during this album’s shining centrepiece, the piano-led ballad ‘God Walks In The Room’, his portrayal is truly breathtaking. Amen. And his romantic declaration of everlasting love ‘Still The One’, includes a ‘rap’/speak-singing section (kinda like that bit in Madonna’s ‘Vogue’). Brandy pours his heart and soul into everything he does and bleeds authenticity. Who says you can’t peak after 50?

Label: ABC Music/Universal Release date: 26 August Julia Jacklin PRE PLEASURE

During this record’s captivating, contemplative opener ‘Lydia Wears A Cross’ we meet Baby Julia: a seven-year-old Catholic schoolgirl and Jesus Christ Superstar fanatic who’s mesmerised by religious pageantry – “Just a child in a leotard beneath a technicolour dreamcoat.” Later in life, Catholic guilt impedes her ‘selfcare’ during ‘Ignore Tenderness’: “Been watching porn/ Lights off, headphones on/ Right when the pleasure begins/ My education creeps in…”

A raw and generous songwriter, Julia Jacklin tries to make sense of her life through song and the intimate scenes that inform PRE PLEASURE activate riveting mini-movies in the listener’s imagination.

“I need you to believe me when I said I found it hard/ To keep myself from floating away...” – unexpected, inspired vocal runs during Jacklin’s beseeching and buoyant latest single ‘Love, Try Not To Let Go’ produce a melody so exquisite that we literally well-up!

Jacklin wrote much of PRE PLEASURE on a Roland keyboard in her Montreal apartment. Her Canada-based touring band, bassist Ben Whiteley and guitarist Will Kidman (both of The Weather Station), contributing masterful additional accompaniment. But PRE PLEASURE’s secret weapon is string arranger Owen Pallett (Arcade Fire). Recorded in Prague with a full orchestra, his undulating string compositions – weightless, like a pod of playful dolphins leaping through waves – wonderfully enhance the album tracks they grace (particularly the winsome closing lament, ‘End Of A Friendship’).

Label: Liberation Records Release date: 26 August Ghost Orchid Ghost Orchid

Geelong acoustic duo Ghost Orchid – composed of two celebrated indie artists from different bands: Matt Wilkinson (LEEDEN) and Nathan Mossop (The Vainz) – have got a bit of a Vance Joy vibe and we’re also tipping they’re into Fleet Foxes (if not, they should be). The pair’s self-titled debut record contains ten songs named after rare flowers (including the standout title track, which could get confusing): ‘Ghost Orchid’, the song, is resplendent with glorious spectral harmonies supplied by Libby Leissner and Stephanie Wolf Matthews. Footsteps squelching through gravelly terrain, bird calls, a whistling refrain, mini-orchestra playing off in the distance and did we just hear a blowfly buzzing by? – ‘Bloom’, the record’s opening instrumental, sets an outdoorsy scene.

“The rolling mist rolls in across the waves and so it begins...” – what a cracking opening line! Thigh-slappin’ barnstormer ‘Fire Lily’ is a deadset dancefloor-filler with its persistent, stomp-box beat and truly peaks once additional, “Hey! Hey!”s enter the mix (that’ll be when the loose do-si-dos kick off). Mossop’s masterful, frenetic guitar playing deserves special mention here.

Closer ‘Corpse Flower’, with its emotive piano stabs, trails out like a triumphant conga line disappearing over the horizon – jubilant brass leading the way. Overall this is blooming marvellous stuff from Ghost Orchid. File under: ones to watch.

Label: Independent Release date: 22 July

The Bergy Seltzer

LIVE MUSIC AND COMEDY takes place in an elevated room to the side of the bar that makes the venue’s stage. With the lights and fog machine effects making whoever’s playing appear like they’re trapped in an old timey television, it gives any gig there a truly unique feel, like staring into an artist’s picture frame. FAMOUS FOR having the feel of a quintessential drinking hole; it’s a no-frills speakeasy, divey, local favourite. That and their Monday comedy nights. INFAMOUS FOR their strange name – apparently a Bergy Seltzer is the sound that an iceberg makes when it melts (similar like the sound of pouring a drink over ice) A laid-back vibe with cocktails and great beers on tap, The Bergy Seltzer is home to live music and free comedy every week. A small, skinny bar in a small, skinny suburb, this dive bar hosts some great up and coming Melbourne acts. Complete with a classic beer garden, it’s an escape from the hustle and bustle of Sydney Road.

With music played from classic albums on vinyls, it’s remained loyal to the roots of an ever-gentrifying Brunswick. With a relaxed vibe, cosy beer garden and a hideaway upstairs lounge, it’s easy to see why this is a local favourite. The guys who run the Bergy Seltzer are the former masterminds behind the Brunswick Hotel, which was rudely taken off their hands after a nasty flood and a dispute with the landlord, just shy of their 10th anniversary. “[The BS is] a lot more personal for me. The Brunny… it was loud, you weren’t really talking to anyone – especially when you’re going ‘til five in the morning,” owner David “Frankie” Cudmore told us. ”You don’t really want to talk to anyone. Whereas this is a lot more approachable. We get a lot of locals and we can have a chat. “It’s a better challenge to get more out of your customers instead of just trying to fill the joint.”

Head to The Bergy Seltzer on 68 Sydney Road, Brunswick. They’re open from 4pm ‘til 1am, every day.

Ferdydurke

LIVE MUSIC AND DJS from some of Melbourne’s best local and international underground acts. With regular events from Wednesday through to Saturday, Ferdydurke provides an upbeat soundtrack to the city. FAMOUS FORtheir open fireplace, floor to ceiling walls plastered with surrealist art, and cosy nooks. INFAMOUS FOR their drag and drawing night hosted by Aubrey Haive from RuPaul’s Drag Race. A wild night of costume, drawing and drag! As surreal as the book by Witold Gombrowicz that Ferdydurke takes its namesake from, this bar tucked up a flight of stairs in Tattersalls Lane is the perfect place for both a relaxed night out and a boogie. This cosy laneway bar boasts a great selection of local wines, spirits and decadent cocktails – including twisted tastes on classics, and other crowd faves including a Vodka, Rosewater, Lychee & Butterscotch cocktail (which tastes like devouring a turkish delight in the clouds).

Located in an historic 1860s gem, Ferdydurke’s facade features a mural piece called ‘Bending Brick’ by celebrated Melbourne artist George Goodnow. With a panoramic view of street art, open-air balcony, and New York style loft, this intimate space is characterised by grand arch windows and high ceilings. Ferdydurke’s loft is known for its cosy corners and chilled atmosphere, making it a popular date spot. Amongst the manufactured hustle and bustle of the CBD, Ferdy is a refuge from the pretense that can weigh a night of drinking in the city down.

It’s a more relaxed environment than their sister venue Section 8 downstairs, but still serves up big vibes. With an open fire and tons of hidden nooks and crannies to explore within the venue, it’s the perfect place to chill out, have a pint, and listen to some of the city’s best local DJs.

Head up the stairs at 31 Tattersalls Lane in the CBD for a surprising, surreal experience. They’re open from 5pm ‘til late every day, except Sunday and Monday.

Wesley Anne

LIVE MUSIC ranges from indie rock to acoustic and more, it’s a great mix of old and new with some killer bands hitting the stage every couple of nights. FAMOUS FOR being located in a former church, it’s one of Melbourne’s oldest and most magnificent pubs. INFAMOUS FOR their free, weekly trivia hosted by Melbourne’s second best trivia host. An evening where you’re in the running to win tens of dollars of prizes and the iconic JC Disco Clock, it’s a boisterous way to spend a Wednesday evening. Along the buzzing High Street corridor lies Wesley Anne, one of Melbourne’s easiest to love venues. With an incredibly unique atmosphere in a breathtaking former church, it’s an old school English style pub with modern Melbourne stylings. This truly iconic restaurant, bar and live music venue has a candle-lit interior and a great selection of local beers and ales. Keep yourself full with their rustic and simple but well-executed pub grub – they’ve got everything from gnocchi to steak. There’s also a fireplace in operation to keep you warm and cosy during these bitterly cold winter months while you enjoy your craft beer and live music.

Muller, along with Noel Fermanis, opened up the venue in 2003. “When it started it seemed like not many places were really doing an intimate original band/ music [venue],” he told us. “Certainly not in the suburbs – Northcote was the suburbs back then, people didn’t realise how close it was.”

“Friends used to suggest that they’d come out and visit if we had a courtesy bus!”

Since the early 2000s, however, Northcote has truly become a staple of Melbourne’s night life and music scene – and Wesley Anne are certainly one of the venues that have contributed to the rise of Northcote.

Check out Wesley Anne by heading to 250 High Street, Northcote. They’re open every day, from 12pm until 10pm.

The Corner

LIVE MUSIC takes place in their iconic and famous band room. With big names on constant rotation, you know you’re in for a good show at The Corner. FAMOUS FOR their aforementioned mad gigs. They’ve got a great band room so they’ve been able to book pretty killer acts, including David Gilmour, Mick Jagger, The White Stripes and Crowded House. INFAMOUS FOR the pole! Proudly blocking your vision since 1871, that is one hell of an inconveniently placed pillar. Summery and laid back, right next to the train station and hosting some of Melbourne’s greatest gigs – what more could you want in a venue?

Attracting a diverse crowd, catch footy punters mingling with music lovers over an afternoon drink on their greenery-filled rooftop. Overlooking the backdrop of Melbourne’s city skyline, it’s the perfect summery and chill place to enjoy a late afternoon pint, or two, or three. It’s been a live music venue since the 1940s and The Corner has certainly cemented itself as a bastion of Melbourne’s music scene. Owned by Tim Northeast and Mathew Everett, who are also at the helm of the Northcote Social Club, they book some pretty prolific Australian and international acts.

Close to the MCG, The Corner is the hangout of choice for the post-footy crowd, which could be a blessing or a curse, depending on who you are. Their ‘Round The Corner carpark springs to life on footy nights with a giant TV screen, and they’ve got a great late night menu of burgers and snacks to keep you fuelled through their high-energy gigs.

They’ve also got some great function rooms, if you’re in the market for that. From large corporate cocktail parties in the City Bar, intimate birthday parties on their rooftop or private dining in their legends lounge, there’s something for everyone.

Head on down to 57 Swan Street Richmond to see what it’s all about. They’re closed Monday, but open from 12 until late every other day.

Words By Sidonie Bird de la Coeur