Brag#541

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rock music news welcome to the frontline: what’s goin’ on around town...with Chris Martin and Tahlia Pritchard

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five things WITH

JACK PARSONS FROM THE PRETTY LITTLES would pick me up from parties and pump ‘Born In The USA’ and I’d be dying. Thank God good sense prevailed and I moved on from the Bizkit and started listening and loving [my parents’] CDs. Inspirations The Vasco Era are a big one. 2. The only one. For a thousand

Growing Up Paul Kelly, Bruce Springsteen, 1. Bob Dylan, The Band, Van Morrison, Creedence, John Prince,

ABBA and Leonard Cohen were on high rotation and I hated it. It mortified me. I was listening to a lot of Limp Bizkit and Eminem. Dad

reasons… the songwriting, watching ’em live, their general juju. You just meet so many dicks, endless dicks, and they are not. I saw them at my first Falls Fest when I was 17 and I was blown away. They played after Modest Mouse and the place was heaving and Sid comes out and plays a solo cover of an Elvis song. We got to play at their last gig in February and that was real bittersweet. A very sad reflection on the state of things.

3.

Your Band I met Simon, the guitarist, at high school and we would go to the

music room at recess and play love songs and Jack Johnson covers – but ’cause we were in high school, we were in a constant state of embarrassment and would sort of just look around and strum chords. We got over this just after school and recorded some love songs which are fucking classic to listen to now. They were pretty sad. No idea what we were sad about. We did acoustic gigs for a while and all our mates came, but the Vasco Era fire burned deep in my giblets and eventually we got Jono to play bass and Will to play drums and begun the slow journey to making music that didn’t make us cringe. A couple of years later we’re getting there, but not really. The Music You Make We recorded the [Mash] CD 4. with Alex Markwell. He did the last one too. He plays guitar for The Delta Riggs. I guess the music is a bit of a mixed bag. I think it’s just ’cause we all like different bands. I

think [having] fun is the main thing. Musicians taking things seriously is the funniest thing in the world to me. Press shots. Fucking press shots. Gimme a break. Why do people look so sour and unhappy in press shots? Emotional film clips that are impossible to follow ’cause its just light flaring and slow motion. All that shit is nonsense to us. So we just try to make it fun. Music, Right Here, Right Now 5. [The] music scene’s great … I saw Palms play the other day in Melbourne and it gave me a stiffy. He’s a jet, that Alex Grigg bloke. I think that’s his name anyway. Bad// Dreems are bangin’ too. And The Mess Hall. What: Mash out now Where: Lansdowne Hotel / Upstairs Beresford When: Friday December 6 / Saturday December 7

FOZZY

EDITOR: Chris Martin chris@thebrag.com 02 9212 4322 ARTS EDITOR: Lisa Omagari lisa@thebrag.com 02 9212 4322 STAFF WRITERS: Alasdair Duncan, Jody Macgregor, Krissi Weiss NEWS: Chris Honnery, Chris Martin, Tahlia Pritchard ART DIRECTOR: Sarah Bryant GRAPHIC DESIGN: Alan Parry PHOTOGRAPHERS: Katrina Clarke, Ashley Mar, Jack@Life Without Andy ADVERTISING: Bianca Lockley - 0412 581 669 / (02) 9212 4322 bianca@thebrag.com ADVERTISING: Les White - 0405 581 125 / (02) 9212 4322 les@thebrag.com PUBLISHER: Rob Furst MANAGING DIRECTOR, FURST MEDIA: Patrick Carr patrick@furstmedia.com.au, (03) 9428 3600, 0402 821 122 DIGITAL DIRECTOR/ADVERTISING: Kris Furst kris@furstmedia.com.au, (03) 9428 3600 GIG & CLUB GUIDE COORDINATORS: Helen Vienne, Callum Wylie, Rebecca Whitman, Tahlia Pritchard - gigguide@thebrag.com (rock); clubguide@thebrag.com (dance, hip hop & parties) AWESOME INTERNS: Mina Kitsos, Helen Vienne, Rebecca Whitman, Callum Wylie, Tahlia Pritchard

Already announced on the bill for Steel Panther’s show at the Hordern this week, Fozzy have added a headlining Sydney show to their schedule. The hard-rocking five-piece, fronted by WWE wrestling star Chris Jericho, played to an impressed crowd at Soundwave this year. Jericho recently told us – in third person, no less – that they’re set for a big tour: “I think Steel Panther will have to try to pull up their socks to keep up with Jericho sometimes – especially when it comes to the straight vodka. The groupies and blow are all fine and dandy, but the straight Grey Goose – that’s where my prowess and expertise lays!” Fozzy headline Manning Bar on Saturday December 14.

PHILIPPINES FUNDRAISER

Local musicians have joined forces with the Jam Gallery for a night of performance with all funds to be donated to disaster relief efforts for victims of the Philippines’ Typhoon Haiyan. With eight musical acts lined up, including Sydney musician and producer Bek Jensen, the Rhythm Remedy event will raise money for ShelterBox Australia to help those suffering in the Philippines. A slew of raffle prizes will be up for grabs on the night. It all goes down on Wednesday December 11, with tickets $20 at the door.

Cat Power

CAT POWER

Cat Power, who’s gracing Australia with her presence as part of Sydney Festival’s Big Star tribute, has announced a series of headline shows for January. Power’s ninth record, Sun, was released in 2012, and her full band tour earlier this year saw sold-out shows across Oz. This time she’s flying solo, performing two shows in the Circus Ronaldo Tent for Sydney Festival. Support will come from Dirty Three guitarist Mick Turner. They’ll play an early and late set on Friday January 24.

KIM CHURCHILL

Globetrotting singer-songwriter Kim Churchill has announced his return back to Aussie shores, with an east coast tour locked in for the start of 2014. With three albums under his belt, international shows and a support slot filled for Billy Bragg earlier this year, the 23-year-old multi-instrumentalist is making his way back to the motherland for an extensive national tour spanning January and February. Expect to hear tracks from his highly anticipated fourth studio album, as well as old favourites. See him at The Vanguard on Tuesday January 21.

Bastille

REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS: Nat Amat, Marissa Demetriou, Christie Eliezer, Chris Honnery, Cameron James, Lachlan Kanoniuk, Jody Macgregor, Alicia Malone, Daniel Prior, Amy Theodore, Raf Seneviratne, Leonardo Silvestrini, Rick Warner, Krissi Weiss, Augustus Welby, David Wild, David James Young Please send mail NOT ACCOUNTS direct to this NEW address 100 Albion Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010 ph - (02) 9212 4322 fax - (02) 9319 2227 EDITORIAL POLICY: The views and opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher, editors or staff of the BRAG. ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE: Luke Forrester: accounts@furstmedia.com.au ph - (03) 9428 3600 fax - (03) 9428 3611 Furst Media, 3 Newton Street Richmond Victoria 3121 DEADLINES: Editorial: Wednesday 12pm (no extensions) Artwork/ad bookings: Thursday 12pm (no extensions). Ad cancellations: Tuesday 4pm Published by Furst Media P/L ACN 1112480045. All content copyrighted to Cartrage P/L/ Furst Media P/L 2003-2013 DISTRIBUTION: Wanna get the BRAG? Email distribution@ furstmedia.com.au or phone 03 9428 3600. PRINTED BY SPOTPRESS: www.spotpress.com.au 24 – 26 Lilian Fowler Place, Marrickville NSW 2204

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Suzanne Vega

SUZANNE VEGA BASTILLE

UK indie rockers Bastille are returning to Australia for a run of dates that includes a bumper show at the Hordern Pavilion, presented by the BRAG. The band played a soldout Metro Theatre this year on the back of huge breakout single ‘Pompeii’. As bizarre venues go, though, there’s no going past their performance at the British Museum. As frontman Dan Smith told us recently, “The second I opened my mouth to sing, there was huge reverb all around the room ... it sounded massive and epic.” The Hordern show is sure to be epic as well – it goes down on Saturday June 14. Tickets on sale 9am this Wednesday December 4 via Ticketek.

Suzanne Vega will descend on Sydney next April. Emerging as a leading figure of the folk-music revival in the early ’80s, Vega went on to release such hits as ‘Luka’, ‘Tom’s Diner’, ‘Marlene On The Wall’ and more. Her latest studio album is set for release next Valentine’s Day, so expect a swag of new material alongside her timeless back catalogue of classics. Catch her Bluesfest sideshow with Seth Lakeman at the Factory Theatre on Sunday April 20.

thebrag.com

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rock music news

free stuff

welcome to the frontline: what’s goin’ on around town...with Chris Martin and Tahlia Pritchard

head to: thebrag.com/freeshit

five things WITH

Feelings

BRETT HARRIS FROM THE GOOD SHIP cover the lot: ’60s R&B, ’70s punk, ’80s hair metal, ’90s lo-fi and whatever we call anything from the last ten years or so. My personal favourites include The Beatles and Elliott Smith – I like the melodic stuff. And combining that with the likes of John’s Gunners love, or Janey’s secret jazz addiction, is really what forms our sound. Throw a bunch of things at something and see what sticks. Your Band The Good Ship has been 3. together for around five years. We

Growing Up I remember my dad proudly 1. introducing me to the ‘magic’ of stereo when I was just a kid. He had me sit between two speakers as he played ‘Sky Pilot’ by The Animals on an old 45. The sound of a warplane panned from one ear to the other… I thought it was incredible at the time. So did he, despite it being 17 years after the song was released. My parents approached their record collection

with a small sense of abandon. It didn’t matter who or what it was, or when it happened, but rather how it affected you. I like to think The Good Ship peddles that same idea. That’s why our live shows are so important to us – we desperately want our music to affect you.

2.

Inspirations Each one of us has an eclectic taste in music. So when you combine our favourites, we

are eight people with a healthy dose of instrumentation, including accordion, trumpet, banjo and mandolin. We’ve shared the stage with many lovers (The Beards, Gay Paris, The Snowdroppers, Graveyard Train…) but our hearts are really devoted to each other. To drink and sing and make fools of ourselves, together – there’s very little better than that. The Music You Make We are currently launching 4. our third studio album, The Seven Seas, recorded by Josh Tuck at Gasworks Studios in Brisbane. It’s tragic, melancholy and all those things we only flirted with

on our previous albums, where most songs were awash with raucous enthusiasm and carnal indecencies… Not to say these are bad things. This new album is a more crafted, slow release of that same energy. Music, Right Here, Right Now 5. I think the music scene in Australia is a pretty resilient one. Despite the closure of venues on an almost monthly basis, and the fact that it costs most musicians more to gig than what they’re paid, there is still so much happening. Musicians simply can’t stop making music, and venues can’t help but push it. Sydney is the spiritual home of live music for so many of us, with iconic venues like the Annandale and the Sandringham Hotel (Newtown Social Club), so it is a relief to see the city adopt a Live Music Taskforce to keep that scene alive. We just can’t wait to get to Sydney again and add to the noise. With: General Pants and the Privates Where: Spectrum When: Saturday December 7

PHILADELPHIA GRAND JURY VS FEELINGS

The Philly Jays are back. Did they ever really go? Berkfinger’s been playing as Feelings for the past year or so, and in some serious indie-rock-Inception shit, the latest incarnation of his new, postPhiladelphia Grand Jury project features MC Bad Genius and Dan W Sweat of none other than… Philadelphia Grand Jury. Hence Philadelphia Grand Jury Vs Feelings, a live tour featuring three musicians and two bands on the back of Feelings’ debut record, Be Kind, Unwind, released earlier this year. It’s a reunion, of sorts, for a beloved group that never wanted to leave their fans behind. The BRAG has two double passes to give away to the Saturday December 7 show at The Standard – just head to thebrag.com/ freeshit and tell us your favourite reunion that never was.

I AM GIANT

It’s the horrifying truth all over again: I Am Giant are coming back to Oz for a trio of headline dates. Science And Survival, due out early next year, will be the Kiwi rockers’ follow-up to their debut, The Horrifying Truth. In the meantime, they’ve announced a show at Goodgod Small Club on Saturday February 8.

DAVEY LANE

Following a critically acclaimed debut tour, Davey Lane is gearing up for a new run of dates – including two free Sydney shows this week. Perhaps better known as the guitarist for iconic rockers You Am I, Lane has certainly cemented his credibility as a solo artist in the last few months. He released his debut EP The Good Borne Of Bad Tymes in September, with single ‘You’re The Cops, I’m The Crime’ added to high rotation on triple j. Lane is set to release his second EP Tymes Two in January, with plans to release a full-length solo album sometime in 2014. Head along to Lane’s Beach Road Hotel gig on Thursday December 5, his Midnight Special show on Saturday December 7, or catch him supporting Louis London at Goodgod Small Club on Friday December 6.

HAT FITZ AND CARA

Almost a year since their last tour, Hat Fitz and Cara have announced their summer Fighting Fit dates. Hat Fitz and Cara were riding high on the success of their album Wiley Ways in 2012, when a car accident nearly claimed Cara’s life. In happy news, however, the blues performers are both healthy and ready to hit the road again. With a bunch

THE ENGLISH BEAT

Celebrated ska punk collective The English Beat, led by Dave Wakeling, is hurtling back to Australia in May for the first time since a soldout 2012 tour. The Birmingham-via-US group is renowned for its part in a movement alongside The Specials, Madness and The Selecter. See them at the Metro Theatre on Saturday May 17.

THE SOUL REBELS Davey Lane

of new songs to showcase as well as old favourites from Wiley Ways, the duo warmly invites friends and fans to come along for a celebration and catch-up, with a handful of Sydney dates scheduled for January. See them at The Camelot Lounge in Marrickville on Thursday January 16; The Brass Monkey in Cronulla on Wednesday January 22; and The Basement on Saturday January 25.

MOONSHINE WITH THE SNOWDROPPERS

Rum, cider and The Snowdroppers – what else could you want on a Thursday night? Mix your passion for blues and rock music with rum and dancing on a wild night with the debaucherous four-piece at the Hotel Steyne’s Moonshine Bar in Manly on Thursday December 5. After a stellar year that saw the release of the band’s second album, Moving Out Of Eden, get ready to ‘Do The Stomp’ with one of Australia’s most entertaining live bands. But that’s not all – wind down from your weekend with The Ray Mann Three on Sunday December 8. Easy on your wallet, both shows are free.

On top of making their debut at Bluesfest, The Soul Rebels have added their first-ever Sydney show to their Easter schedule. The Rebels, who’ve played with industry giants like The Roots, Robert Plant & Jimmy Page, Counting Crows and James Brown, come with the promise of a big groove and an even bigger show. Catch them at The Basement on Wednesday April 16. Devendra Banhart

ROBBEN FORD AND WALTER TROUT

Self-taught blues guitarist Robben Ford will be joined by Walter Trout for a pair of Bluesfest sideshows, including one date in Sydney. A shining light in modern electric guitar playing, Ford is accelerating into his 63rd year, while Trout is as prolific as any of his peers, having amassed 22 solo albums over a long career. Ford and Trout will play at the Factory Theatre on Thursday April 17.

Arctic Monkeys

ARCTIC MONKEYS

The Arctic Monkeys are headed back to Sydney. The jetsetting four-piece from Sheffield have announced an Australian capital city run for 2014, starting at the Sydney Entertainment Centre. Recently, bass player Nick O’Malley told us of their decision to relocate from the north of England to the US West Coast for the recording of AM: “There’s just so many great studios out there, great gear’s really easy to get your hands on ... When you think about all the albums that have been made in California, it’s magic.” Alex Turner and co. will play the Ent Cent on Tuesday May 6. Tickets on sale 9am Wednesday December 11 via Ticketek.

12 :: BRAG :: 541 :: 02:12:13

NORTH MISSISSIPPI ALLSTARS

The North Mississippi Allstars have announced a Sydney show alongside their Bluesfest appearance. It’s an all-star family that makes up the Allstars: brothers Luther and Cody Dickinson, raised in Hernando, Mississippi, have been a hard-working musical force since the mid-’90s. They’re fresh off their seventh album, World Boogie Is Coming, and have recently toured with Robert Plant. They play The Basement on Tuesday April 22.

DEVENDRA BANHART

Tickets go on sale this Wednesday December 4 to Devendra Banhart’s Bluesfest sideshow. Fans had waited three and a half years for Banhart’s eighth studio release, Mala, and now the Texan-born Venezuelan songwriter is returning to our shores for the first time since 2011. Banhart plays the Factory Theatre on Wednesday April 16.

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Industrial Strength Music Industry News with Christie Eliezer

THINGS WE HEAR * How will Blur’s pull-out of Big Day Out affect the festival? The NZ Herald did a survey. 25% said they wouldn’t go now; 15% were “disappointed but will still go�; 12% “don’t mind, I’m there for the other acts�; and a blinding 48% sniffed, “Wasn’t planning to go anyway.� * Internet radio and music streaming service Pandora is introducing ads to Australian users so it can continue to offer a free service and increase royalties to artists. * Former Powderfinger guitarist Ian Haug will join The Church for their next album and round of touring after Marty WillsonPiper “was/is unavailable�, Steve Kilbey announced. He said the decision was not made lightly. “If you can’t dig it I’m sorry. This is my fucking band after all and it has existed at times without Peter [Koppes] and in the beginning without Marty.� * If that was terse, how about Black Flag sacking singer Ron Reyes at the tail end of their last Australian show in Perth? With two songs to go, leader Greg Ginn told Mike Vallely to tell Reyes, “You’re done, party’s

3AM LOCKOUT TESTED IN COURT The legality of the 3am lockout is being tested in Adelaide. Lawyers for the Palace Gallery and Woolshed On Hindley nightclubs want the Full Court of the Supreme Court to declare South Australia’s new liquor code of conduct (introduced in September) invalid because it “borders on prohibition.� Dick Whitington QC argued a property owner had the right to benefit from their premises. “If you say ‘you cannot be open any longer, you cannot permit entry to customers’, then you are denying the explicit rights of trade and property ownership,� he said. Adelaide club owners say they’ll lose “millions� of dollars and have upped their door prices since. The hearing continues.

14 MORE FOR AMP LONGLIST The 9th Coopers AMP has announced 14 more albums for its Longlist, bringing the total to 33. The latest inclusions are All Day Venus by

over, get off, it’s over,� and Vallely took vocals for the last two songs. * After six years and two albums, Brisbane’s Hungry Kids Of Hungary have split after Kane Mazlin decided he didn’t want to tour anymore. * US producer Rodney ‘Darkchild’ Jerkins, a last-minute addition to last weekend’s ARIAs, is in Australia to work with various acts. * Kanye West has left Nike after a dispute (they refused to let him take royalties on his products) for a lucrative deal with rival Adidas, which he says will make him “bigger than Wal-Mart�. * Kylie Minogue and will.i.am will coach on The Voice in 2014 alongside Ricky Martin and Joel Madden. Seal’s gone, and Delta Goodrem moves to the new The Voice Kids, which is open to wannabes aged eight to 14. * E! Online blubbered apologies to Steps singer Ian ‘H’ Watkins for using his photo in a report about the sexual deviancy of Lostprophets’ Ian Watkins. * How are music folks celebrating the silly season? Every day from now until Christmas, promoter Chugg Entertainment is giving

Adalita; Dream Cave by Cloud Control; Step Brothers by Palms; Harlequin Dream by Boy & Bear; Flu Season by Fluent Form; Howlin’ by Jagwar Ma; The Beginning And The End Of Everything by Josh Pyke; The Bright Door by Machine Translations; Conversations With Ghosts by Paul Kelly, James Ledger and Genevieve Lacey; The Still And The Steep by Heath Cullen; Phoenix by Jimblah; Golden by Jimmy Tait; Beloved by New Gods and The Night’s Deeds Are Vapour by Ross McLennan. With Spotify on board as an industry sponsor, the website thecoopersamp. com.au now features Spotify playlists for Longlisted artists and previous winners.

room�. GoldieBlox, to market its engineering toys for girls, made a spoof video in which three girls sing about building spaceships and coding software. It went viral, with eight million views on YouTube, and applause from women’s groups. The surviving Beasties sent a stern open letter saying that while they support the message of empowering girls, they have a blanket ban on their songs used in ads. GoldieBlox sued, saying their video was covered by “fair use�. But they then said they’d drop the song if the Beasties promised not to sue. The Beasties themselves are in a legal stoush over alleged illegal sampling on their Paul’s Boutique album.

HEY, DAT’S MY SONG #1: TRUCE OVER BEASTIE BOYS SONG

HEY, DAT’S MY SONG #2: THE XX SUPPORT SAME-SEX MARRIAGE

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away a pack of goodies including signed posters, concert tickets, limited edition merch and money-can’t-buy prizes. Go to their Facebook page to get the daily question. * In the meantime, up-against-the-wallmotherfucker rebels The Urban Guerillas will hold a free Carols By Blowtorch event at Newtown’s Union Hotel on Thursday December 12. They’ll celebrate the birth of the first social rebel with punk-style carols, Clash covers and their new ‘Rise Up’ single. Also on are Sweat and Shame, Steph Miller unveiling new tune ‘Christmas in Sydney Town’, and Shop Steward. * While triple j will this week reveal its new breakfast co-host for 2014, the departing Tom Ballard’s final show with Alex Dyson will be broadcast live from the Metro Theatre on Friday December 13. * See what happens when you’re rich and famous? Ozzy Osbourne went to an Italian restaurant – and then demanded to be served curry. They sent a waiter to a nearby Indian takeaway to get it ‌ A pilot who crashed at Nashville airport and died listed Taylor Swift as next of kin and left his money to her. The singer had no idea who he was

This Week

Toxic Holocaust & Skeletonwitch

Skid Row & Ugly Kid Joe

Noisia & Foreign Beggars

Sat 26 Apr

Sun 27 Apr

Thu 5 Dec

Coming Soon

The xx have issued a statement in support of same-sex marriage following the unpermitted use of their music on an anti-gay marriage ad. Their ‘Intro’ was used by Croatian antigay marriage lobby group U ime obitelji (Name Of The Family). It collected 700,000 signatures for a legislative event in Croatia on December 1, which would define marriage as only between a man and woman. The xx got the track pulled and released a statement: “We wish to state that we didn’t, and would never, approve the use of our music by this organisation. To be clear, we unconditionally support the equal right to marriage regardless of sexuality. The xx.�

LANEWAY FESTIVAL EXPANSION DEBATE The fate of Laneway Festival’s bid to expand its crowd capacity will be decided this week, when Leichhardt Council meets to discuss a dispute. Laneway is held on Sunday February 2 at the Sydney College of the Arts within Callan Park in Rozelle. Organisers applied to Council to expand the crowd from 8,000 to 12,500. The Friends of Callan Park association objected, saying that while it has no problems with the festival, the park would not cope with that many people. Leichhardt Mayor and live music enthusiast Darcy Byrne said Laneway’s bid was supported by Council, acoustic experts and police.

DEAD IN A SECOND SIGN TO POSSUM/UNIVERSAL Looptroop Rockers (SWE) & Sage Francis (USA) Fri 13 Dec Wehrmacht (USA) Grave (SWE) Primate (USA) Sat 11 Jan

Deerhunter (USA)

Kylesa (USA)

Tue 10 Dec

Thu 12 Dec

The Brian Jonestown Massacre (USA) Thu 19 Dec

Earthless (USA) & The Shrine (USA)

Melvins (USA) & Helmet (USA)

Waka Flocka Flame (USA)

Crystal Fighters (UK) Rotting Christ (GRE)

Sun 15 Dec

Fri 20 Dec

Eyehategod

Toro Y Moi + Portugal The Man

TnT, Frequencerz, + More

Wed 29 Jan

Sat 15 Feb: U18s

Kerser

Dark Tranquillity (SWE)

Children of Bodom

Sat 29 Mar

Fri 9 May

Insane Clown Posse (USA) Sat 7 Dec: All Ages

Sat 18 Jan

Supernova U18s Headhunterz

Sat 8 Feb: All Ages

Thu 23 Jan: U18s

Sat 4 Jan

Thu 9 Jan

Fri 17 Jan

Darkside Wed 02 Apr

Sydney’s Dead In A Second have signed to Possum/Universal Music Australia. Possum CEO Philip Israel said that when he heard the early mixes of the band’s 2014 album, “I was convinced I’d found the band I was looking for.â€? DIAS also signed with Manny Kyriakidis from The Pushworth Group to plan a national tour supporting the release. DIAS, who gained Triple M airplay for their Chrissy Amphlett tribute ‘Girls In Town’, is led by â€˜Trizo’ Bouillaut (Kill The Capitol, Thousand Needles In Red).

BEACH ROAD HOTEL LAUNCHES EASTUDIO Nathan Dunn and Kylie McDowell at Bondi’s Beach Road Hotel unveil EASTUDIO this Thursday December 5. It’s a pop-up gallery for artists, designers, illustrators, sculptors, animators, filmmakers, photographers and everyone in between to exhibit their work at the venue. They want to showcase local creatives or work inspired by the Eastern Suburbs. “We set ourselves apart from the rest by keeping it local... tapping into the giant pool of creatives that live and work in Bondi and surrounding

‌ But it’s not all fun and games. One-time pop singer Aaron Carter, younger brudder of Backstreet Boy Nick Carter, declared himself bankrupt with debts of US$2.2 million, a tax bill of $1.3 million and just $8,000 in the bank. * Kid Mac’s reality doco-style series The Crew returns on the GO! channel this week. He’s just back from a North American visit where he toured with Mickey Avalon, played the LA Playboy Mansion and wrote a song with Black Eyed Peas producer Printz Board. * UK police are cracking down on “hugger muggersâ€?, clubland’s latest trend. Crims, mostly from Eastern Europe, hug clubbers E-style, while relieving them of their mobiles and wallets. An average of 20 mobiles are nicked a week. * One of the highlights of Mullum Music Festival was festival patron Mama Kin’s set featuring musicians from the Cape Byron Rudolf Steiner School. * At last week’s NSW Tourism Awards, Bluesfest Byron Bay won the Major Festival and Events category, and Deni Blues & Roots took home the separate Gold prize in Festival and Events.

suburbs.� A new exhibition launches every three to four weeks.

‘AMERICAN IDOL’ RESPONDS TO DISCRIMINATION LAWSUIT

The long-running American Idol is trying to get a judge to dismiss a lawsuit that it discriminates against non-whites. In July, ten former contestants sued, saying the show was rigged, made unreasonable demands and discriminated against African-Americans and Latinos with criminal background checks. The show claims that African-Americans make up one-third of those who pass auditions to get to Hollywood, one-third of semi-finalists, and four have been winners – “more than double their proportion of the country’s population.�

FINAL FIVE FOR FIRST BREAK Five finalists for First Break, the search for Aussie music talent run by the commercial radio industry and Mushroom Group, were whittled down from 128 entries. They include 19-year-old Melbourne pop singer-songwriter Alexandra Jae, Sydney pop band Castlecomer, four-piece Mandurah indie rockers Indigo, Newcastle brother/sister duo Nova & The Experience, and Brisbane trio The Royales. Full details at firstbreak.com.au.

Lifelines Dating: Aussie-born, US-based rapper Iggy Azalea posted a photo of herself in bed with new boyfriend, LA Lakers player Nick Young. She was formerly with A$AP Rocky for two years until rumours of infidelity circulated. Hospitalised: three of Willie Nelson’s band after a bus crash in Texas. Ill: US singer-songwriter John Prine, 67, was diagnosed with an operable form of lung cancer. He says doctors caught it early. Hospitalised: King’s X frontman Dug Pinnick was rushed to hospital after a show for further surgery to the hernia operation he had in July. Married (sort of): Maroon 5 manager Jordan Feldstein tied the knot with Clint Eastwood’s 20-year-old daughter Francesca before an Elvis impersonator after a boozy night. But within days, they wanted an annulment. In Court: Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins pleaded guilty to 13 sexual offences, including two of attempting to rape a baby. The police detective in charge of the investigation said it “uncovered the most shocking and harrowing child abuse evidence I’ve ever seen.� A former girlfriend claims he was a prolific paedophile for years. Died: US country singer Wayne Mills, 44, was shot dead in a Nashville bar after reportedly arguing with the owner over his smoking in a no-smoking area. The owner claims self-defence.

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Flash-forward to 2013 and Rodgers is back riding high on the charts, headlining festivals around the globe with Chic and continuing to work with some of the world’s most influential artists. “In a life of big, big, big, big years, this has been one of the biggest,” laughs Rodgers again. “We played at Glastonbury for the first time and killed it – according to most, that was our show, that was our festival. We played at Hyde Park just after that with Lionel Richie and J-Lo which was in front of 65,000 people and was just great.” His appearance on the year’s most ubiquitous single, ‘Get Lucky’, alongside the earlier release of his autobiography Le Freak: An Upside Down Story Of Family, Disco And Destiny and various televised live performances (including Glastonbury), saw a radical commercial reprise for Rodgers. “Daft Punk, quite like Chic, are a very anonymous band,” he says. “With ‘Get Lucky’ and ‘Lose Yourself To Dance’, Pharrell and I became the recognisable faces. I also became the main guy promoting the tracks because they wanted me to take all of the interviews. I basically became the de facto spokesperson for the band. It was a position that I wasn’t particularly comfortable in. But, y’know, it’s my record too. Other than Daft Punk I’m the only other person with three tracks on that album. I’ll be working with them on at least one new song on the upcoming Chic album, which will be great – I’m really looking forward to it.” These high levels of commercial interest have led to the release of the compilation record Up All Night, attributed to Nile Rodgers and The Chic Organization, and featuring songs written and produced by Rodgers and Edwards for a long list of artists including Chic themselves. “It’s been extraordinary this year because it’s really come full circle, now we’ve released the best Chic ‘greatest hits’ package that I believe has ever come out. Even people like Madonna, who has always been my friend but is very protective of her product, gave me a great version of ‘Like A Virgin’ that we did to use – it’s been really awesome to have that one on my new record.” So 2013 hasn’t only been busy with touring? “That’s not even beginning to mention the amount of records that I’ve got coming out!” he laughs. “This feels to me like my career back in the ’70s and the ’80s – when one of my records was up for an award, a journalist said that I should receive some sort of special award for sheer volume. I don’t even want to start mentioning them because I know I’ll forget some, but I have records coming out with Disclosure, Chase & Status, Tensnake, Avicii, Daft Punk and Jessie Ware – it’s just an insane amount.”

NILE RODGERS CHIC MAGNET • BY TYSON WRAY

I

n the late ’70s, Nile Rodgers was one of the most celebrated musicians in the world. In 1976 Rodgers teamed up with bassist Bernard Edwards to co-found the band Chic, who then went on to record a string of commercially successful disco hits including ‘Le Freak’, ‘Good Times’, ‘I Want Your Love’ and ‘Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah)’. However, his time in the spotlight was short-lived, and until his recent commercial revival via his collaborative work with Daft Punk, Rodgers spent the most part of the past three decades behind the black curtain crafting some of the biggest and most influential records of our time.

“It’s been a strange adventure with Chic,” Rodgers confesses. “People don’t realise that all of those hit records that we had – and there were a lot – happened in just the space of two years. We had say, ten gold, platinum and multiple-platinum singles all in that short time.” Following the anti-disco reaction, which climaxed on July 12, 1979 with the widely publicised and ill-fated Disco Demolition Night (now referred to as ‘the day disco died’), Chic struggled to maintain airplay and sales. It eventually forced them to take extended

hiatuses and follow individual pursuits. “After 1979 we never had another hit record again,” Rodgers says. “We went from 1979 all the way to 1983 doing nothing but flops.” It was then that Rodgers stepped out of the limelight and into the producer’s chair, going on to work on some of the 1980s’ most prolific records, including David Bowie’s bestselling album Let’s Dance and Madonna’s blockbuster Like A Virgin. “INXS, Duran Duran, Mick Jagger and Peter Gabriel,” lists Rodgers with a laugh. “At this point it’s pretty endless.”

“WE ALMOST ALWAYS SELL OUT, BUT WE NEVER DO IT UNTIL THE NIGHT OF THE SHOW. THERE’S THIS PHENOMENON ABOUT US. PEOPLE SEE GOING TO SEE CHIC LIKE THEY’RE GOING TO A DISCO – THEY HAVE THIS MENTALITY.”

After a whirlwind sold-out Australian tour in March 2012, which included a headline performance at Golden Plains, Rodgers and Chic will be returning later this month for appearances at Subsonic, Meredith and a series of theatre shows on what will be their largest Australian tour to date. “With Australia there’s always been this long-running joke,” says Rodgers. “Any time a promoter even considers bringing Chic over they never, ever follow through. The reason why? We’re basically an anonymous studio band. They don’t know what we do. They don’t know of my composing background or my production background. They don’t know how many hit records I’ve worked on. We have a really dynamic live show, so I’m always like, ‘What! They’re picking that over us?!’ But last year a couple of promoters took a chance with us. “When I got to Australia last time I just couldn’t believe that no-one had ever booked us. Someone told me, ‘You know Niles, you’ve had something like seven number one records over here,’ and I’m like, ‘Really? And we can’t even get booked!’ In fact, last time one of the promoters even dropped us because he was nervous that we didn’t have a bunch of pre-sales. He didn’t understand – we almost always sell out, but we never do it until the night of the show. There’s this phenomenon about us. People see going to see Chic like they’re going to a disco – they have this mentality. As everyone saw in Australia, we sold out. People showed up in droves. I don’t really understand, but people really do come to our shows as if they were going out to a club. We’ve had a number of massive sell-outs all throughout Europe this year, and we’ve had to go on an hour or two hours late because the queues have been so long because people are showing up at the last minute and we want to give people a show. We’re not going to be all, ‘Well, sorry, you came at the last minute so we’re just going to go on and to hell with you.’ We wait – and we put on a show.” What: Chic featuring Nile Rodgers With: Antix, Electric Empire, Salmonella Dub, Le1f, Jon Convex and more Where: Subsonic Music Festival, Riverwood Downs Mountain Valley Resort, Barrington Tops When: Friday December 6 – Sunday December 8 And: Also playing at the Sydney Opera House, Saturday December 7 xxx

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The Crimson Projekct Kings And Queens By Peter Hodgson

T

he Crimson ProjeKCt is a King Crimson offshoot featuring three current members of that historic, nay, iconic band – Adrian Belew, Tony Levin and Pat Mastelotto – along with Julie Slick, Tobias Ralph and Markus Reuter. And a typical Crimson ProjeKCt concert is a marathon of musical might that shifts through many moods and configurations. As Belew explains, “What happens is this: Stick Men (Levin, Mastelotto and Reuter) play a set of their music, which includes a Crimson track or two, then the [Adrian Belew] Power Trio (Belew, Slick, Ralph) plays a set of my music, which also includes a Crimson track, then Tony and Pat and I play a Crimson song as yet another trio, and then comes the big finale – both trios play more than an hour’s worth of Crimson music as a double trio. It’s a helluva show!” And the group is coming to Australia and New Zealand to spread their particular brand of musical majesty in January, with shows in Auckland, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Fremantle. “To me it’s a celebration of all the things that we’ve done in King Crimson, all the things I’ve been a part of for the past 30-plus years,” explains Belew, who in addition to an extensive Crimson tenure has also worked with the likes of Frank Zappa, David Bowie, Talking Heads and Nine Inch Nails. “But also there’s improvising so the show is fresh for us as well. It’s the closest you’ll have at this point to King Crimson, at least for the moment. And as well as that you get to hear the Power Trio doing some of my music, and you get to hear Stick Men doing their music. So you put it all together and it’s a pretty nice night of music. A very long set. As a six-piece band we play about an hour and a half of Crimson music and we cover everything, one era to the next. So it’s a lot of fun. It’s part of my legacy and I really enjoy doing it.” Belew says at this point there’s no particular need to take liberties with the material or put it into a new context. “These are comfortable shoes for me now. I just put them on and I’m ready to run. But that’s not so much what it’s about – it’s not about the invention of something, it’s a celebration of this music. But I will say it’s different night to night. Different things happen that will surprise me. I might know the music so innately after all these years but there’s always going to be something that happens that I’ve never heard before. It’s music that you have to really concentrate on, even if you know it really well. You can’t just be looking around. It’s really complicated and everything has to be really connected if you want it to work right, especially in a band with two drummers and two bass players.”

Curious listeners who might not be well versed in the Crimson lexicon but would still like to have a jumping off point to appreciate the show should know that the band has explored many different styles. Crimson has gone from the vaguely hippie-ish psychedelia of ‘Moonchild’ to the prototypical progressive rock of ‘21st Century Schizoid Man’, the more recognisably prog ‘Dinosaur’ and the angular math rock of ‘Thrak’. But Belew has a suggestion for a suitable place to begin. “If you want to start with the Crimson that I’ve been a part of that started in 1981, I would start right there with the first record that we did; myself, Robert Fripp, Bill Bruford and Tony Levin. That was called Discipline, and even to this day [that] record is something that people still talk about a lot as being something that was kind of unique. Nothing

Peter Murphy The Gothfather By Leigh Salter

“With respect to the other lads in Bauhaus, I can play our music just fi ne without them there … They are mostly my songs, after all.”

ever sounded like that before. I think if you heard that record you would know right away if that was something you’d be interested in, and strangely I think it still sounds ahead of its time despite being over 30 years old.” Belew has a unique insight into working with great visionaries such as Zappa, Fripp, Bowie and Trent Reznor. Between them, Bowie and Zappa, in particular, required completely different things of the guitarist. “With Frank,” says Belew, “I can put it in one sentence that he said to me: ‘I want you to play my music correctly and consistently.’ So Frank wasn’t looking for someone to add anything to what he did. He wanted you to play what he had already written. He knew what he wanted to you do, he spelled things out for you, and for me at that time in my

R

obert Smith, Nick Cave, Trent Reznor and even David Bowie all owe a debt to Peter Murphy and his haunted outpourings as leader of goth-rockers Bauhaus. According to Murphy himself, that is. It’s a big claim for a man who stumbled into music, only learning of his abilities as he went along. Perhaps his early lack of selfperception afforded him a fearless, unstudied approach to creating music, but Murphy has returned 35 years on to stake his belated claim as an unsung genius. “There is no ‘back in the day’ for me when I talk about the music I made with Bauhaus,” he says of the Northampton-based band he fronted from 1978. “My music did not suddenly grow old and die when we split up.” In 1983, Murphy left Bauhaus after tensions arose from his increasing stardom over and above his bandmates’. This was perhaps illustrated best by his heavily stylised appearance – as himself – in the film The Hunger. Seen performing one of the first songs he ever wrote, ‘Bela Lugosi’s Dead’, Murphy’s status as a goth icon was cemented in those four minutes. The film that followed was a modern vampire tale complete with Bowie in the lead role. Murphy proudly recalls Bowie’s surprising admittance to him on the set. “He whispered into my ear, ‘I wish we had done ‘Ziggy’ [Stardust] like you did it’,” Murphy grins. “Almost nobody, including the band, wanted me to do it, so when Bowie tells me he likes my version better than his own, it really made think I should just trust my instincts.” The 1982 cover remains Murphy’s biggest hit to this day, but at that stage Bauhaus were already over bar the shouting. While the rest of the band went on to form the sleaze-rock group Love & Rockets, Murphy ramped up the vamp on several solo albums

life that was something I really needed. I needed a teacher for a while, so Frank was my teacher for a whole year. Right after that I graduated into being in David’s band, and what he wanted was for me to just play as wild guitar as I could. That’s what he needed in his music, someone to colour it with lots of wild sounds and solos and things. And that’s the same thing that Talking Heads wanted from me too, and kind of the same thing that Nine Inch Nails always ask of me – to play as wild as I can. Some people come to me for songwriting or singing, and some people want me to play as wildly as I can. And I like all those roles.” What: Manning Bar, Sydney University When: Friday January 10

before finding birds of a similar feather to hang with in Nine Inch Nails. “Trent [Reznor] was an unashamed Bauhaus fan. When I met him he was just this young guy with one album out, Pretty Hate Machine, and you could hear our influence all over that. We ended up recording a few covers together, which somebody has leaked but they were never officially released.” It was a match made in goth-rock heaven, but the increasing popularity Bauhaus’ music had gained in their absence prompted a return in 2005 and demise again in ’08. “The band I’ve got now, I’ve been working with for quite a few years and, with respect to the other lads in Bauhaus, I can play our music just fine without them there, you know? I learned to play Dan [Ash, Bauhaus guitarist]’s parts years ago and people have long been asking me to do Bauhaus songs in my shows, so I thought, ‘Fuck it, why not do it? Why not tour just Bauhaus’ songs as Peter Murphy?’ They are mostly my songs, after all.” Now assured of his legacy in music, Murphy scarcely sees the point in unravelling the ‘enigmatic genius’ tag he has been awarded by either his musical peers, or more brazenly, himself, depending on how genuine or not all the bravado is. Only in the final few seconds before his deep, arresting voice is replaced by dial tone does he throw me a clue. “I don’t mind doing press actually, but journalists don’t get the real me. You can only get in as far as I want you to. I hate to be a buzzkill, darling, but when you’re the grandfather of goth, you have to keep at least partway in the shadows.” Where: Manning Bar When: Wednesday December 11 xxx

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Songs That Made Me

Back To Basics By Alasdair Duncan

S

ongs That Made Me brings together four singers on the one stage to perform the songs that are most important to them – formative songs from their teen years and beyond, both covers and originals. The show takes place in a relaxed and chatty environment, with all four singers joining in and harmonising, and telling stories throughout. The show was originally dreamed up by Katie Noonan, as a means of getting to know other musicians a bit better. When it comes to Sydney, the lineup will feature Noonan along with Abby Dobson, Martha Marlow and Angie Hart. “Katie’s idea for the show was rather brilliant,” says Hart. “She realised that with all the touring musicians do around Australia, we never get to hang out together, unless it’s at the ARIAs or something like that. Even then, it’s a very heightened situation. We never get the chance to just relax and be ourselves, and make music with our peers.” Songs That Made Me was born from this frustration, as a way for Noonan to meet and connect with the women whose music she loves; to get to know them better, share common experiences and put on a killer collaborative show.

When Hart was invited to take part, she had to think about the songs that shaped and informed her career. The first and most obvious was ‘Ordinary Angels’, the one that launched her with folk-pop group Frente! in 1992. No song was off limits. “It’s a really open, honest, non-judgemental arena,” she says, “so I was really free in my choices. I didn’t pick songs to impress or be cool – I picked songs that I thought would sound great if we performed them together, songs that are special to me. It was interesting, because I found myself going back to pick songs from my teen years, which is a time in my life that I haven’t really picked from before. I went and dug into some Laurie Anderson and Prince.” Anderson was one of the first musicians to blow the young Hart’s mind. “I loved the minimalism of her music, the a cappella feeling, and her spoken-word pieces. Up until that point, all I’d heard was pop, so it was incredible to hear this weird, intelligent music. Big Science was my first album of hers, and I love that one most of all, but I thought it might be a bit weird and jarring to choose something from that, so I went for a song from a bit later, called ‘Strange Angels’.

Prince is another huge influence on Hart – she still remembers seeing Purple Rain at the cinema with her uncle and aunt, when she was just a little bit too young for it. “Nobody realised the content of the film before they took me to see it,” she laughs. “It was a great awakening, a real eye-opener! I’ve loved Prince since. He’s written a lot of songs for women, or that have been covered by women, so I chose ‘When You Were Mine’, which was covered by Cyndi Lauper. My version falls somewhere between the two – I think lyrically and melodically, you can break it down in a lot of interesting ways.” I ask Hart about the future of Songs That Made Me, and if the live show might even turn into a compilation recording of some sort down the line. “It’s quite possible,” she says. “Katie has talked about continuing this format and rotating with all the women around Australia that she’d like to collaborate with. It could turn into quite a big thing by the time she’s seen it through.” What: Songs That Made Me feat. Katie Noonan, Abby Dobson, Martha Marlow and Angie Hart Where: Factory Theatre When: Thursday December 5

Dale Watson Reclaiming The Country By Garry Westmore

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utlaw country and western singersongwriters are a rarity nowadays, but one man still burns the flame and is happy to wave it in the face of those that cheapen American country. Texan Dale Watson, now in his 50s, still bears tattoos, sports a leather jacket and writes songs about truckin’ and beerswillin’ like he hasn’t aged a day. A Southern man at heart, he does have something in common with many Australians – having had a horrible experience with Tiger Airways. “I had to tell the crowd [on my last Australian tour], ‘We don’t have CDs,’” Watson recalls. Tiger had lost a box full of his albums. Three months later, home and still CD-less without a cent refunded to him, Watson did what any decent scorned musician would do: he wrote and recorded a song criticising Tiger. ‘Tiger Airways, We Don’t Care-ways’, he called it. He’s critical too of the state of country music, because as he puts it, ‘country’ now means commercialised artists like Kenny Chesney or Taylor Swift. “They’ve taken the term over. It’s not about music and that type of thing, more what makes money, what sells to teenage girls.” Watson became so disillusioned by what people were associating with country, he essentially coined a new genre term, ‘Ameripolitan’ – more Jimmy Rogers and Johnny Cash than Woody Guthrie or Steve Earle, he explains. Though Watson’s had a long career and is substantially famous in his own right, he’s never had an album chart in the US mainstream. But where albums like Whiskey Or God, Cheatin’ Heart Attack and I Hate These Songs (to name a few) have failed, his new release El Rancho Azul debuted at number 57 on the US Heat charts and number 36 on the Country charts. He can’t quite explain why this album and not others has made such an impact. Maybe it’s due to the fact he’s been around so long, “or maybe people are starting to get more savvy in the way they listen to stuff and the kind of stuff

they want to listen to.” The ranch named in the album title is real too. “Friends of mine own it and we go up there and play shows sometimes, kick up dust, have a dance. It’s a good Texas time.” Does that explain why there are so many drinking songs on the album? “It would explain that,” he laughs heartily. Appearing on the Late Show With David Letterman for the first time cannot have hurt either; Watson noting it was a “huge gig”. “It helped the shows and the attendances and our recognition out there, definitely,” Watson says, though it’s not as if he hadn’t had brushes with fame before – Johnny Knoxville of Jackass fame, a big fan, directed and starred in a video clip for the aptly titled ‘Hollywood Hillbilly’ a few years back. “I went up to his house in the Hollywood Hills and you can literally see Sunset Boulevard from his porch. He’s got his iPod connected to his house sound system, which is louder than anything I’ve ever heard, and he’s got it blarin’ Johnny Cash and Hank Williams. The police had to come tell him to turn it down! He’s got a three-legged dog and we played pool and drank moonshine. It was surreal being in the Hollywood Hills and feeling like you were in Knoxville, Tennessee.” And beyond an artist’s obligation to speak highly of his next destination, Watson is genuine in his appreciation for the fans and truckers who offered to help recover his CDs from the airport on that fateful previous visit. “I’ve never had a bad experience in Australia and the people are just fantastic. I really look forward to going back.” What: Dale Watson And His Lonestars Where: Gallipoli Legion Club, Newcastle / Factory Theatre, Marrickville When: Friday December 6 / Saturday December 7 And: El Rancho Azul out now through Red House Records

Papa Pilko And The Binrats Third Time Lucky By Augustus Welby

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ight now, Sydney’s Papa Pilko And The Binrats are busy introducing the Australian public to their horn-heavy new EP, Third Time Lucky. Ahead of the seven-piece’s hometown launch at The Basement this weekend, trumpet player Tom Wilkinson reveals this EP formed in a more haphazard manner than the two that preceded it. “I think it was a bit more spontaneous. The last EP we were a lot more prepared, in terms of going into the studio ready. We pretty much wrote one of the tracks on this EP in the studio and it’s a four-track as opposed to a five.” Papa Pilko’s music takes stylistic nods from swampy blues, murderous country and booze-drenched pub rock, and the band’s authentic application of these genres shows an awareness of the history they’re borrowing from. However, Wilkinson says they’re not particularly worried about staying true to the source material. “There’s no sort of conscious thinking about a genre per se. I have a very hard time sticking down the genre of our music. It’s a chaotic mesh of a whole lot of genres. The horn players like jazz, our drummer likes metal, Cyrus [Pilko, vocals] likes Australian rock’n’roll. It sort of goes through the band’s mind and comes out as whatever it is. Whatever that is I’m not sure, but definitely there’s not a conscious thought about sticking to a genre anymore.” Papa Pilko have released three EPs over the last year and the trilogy demonstrates that the parameters of their wild boy blues are indeed broadening. This release format suits the band at a developmental stage and Wilkinson indicates they’re not equipped for a full-length release just yet. “We don’t want to really do an LP and have it disappear into the mist of all the albums that get put out. We want to make sure we have maybe some label support and some help to get it out there.”

Managing a seven-piece band requires a lot more planning than a three- or four-piece. Practical concerns, such as getting everyone in the same place for rehearsal or ensuring everyone has accommodation on tour, become difficult with so many bodies to account for. Papa Pilko And The Binrats is an independent enterprise and Wilkinson says any economic gain has hitherto been put towards facilitating the next step in the band’s journey. “We have to plan with our agent pretty far in advance and be careful with it, mainly to make sure you can pay for three months down the road. Pretty much any money the band makes goes straight out again to pay for the next tour or the next recording session, or something like that.” Despite the limited financial perks, word about Papa Pilko is increasingly spreading, largely thanks to their bombastic live shows. Wilkinson reports that audiences are very receptive towards their livewire onstage behaviour. “It’s pretty much really good feedback for the live shows. I think it subconsciously helps us to develop the live show, [but] it’s not super planned out. We just go up onstage and do what we do and that seems to be what people are responding to and what they like.” For those yet to witness one of Papa Pilko And The Binrats’ swamp-splashing rock’n’roll shows, Wilkinson elaborates on what’s getting people so enthusiastic about the band. “It’s just seven lads going pretty hard onstage, with one particular singer that goes extremely hard onstage – Cyrus. And hopefully a lot of people offstage that are going just as hard.” What: Third Time Lucky out Tuesday December 3 through Bandcamp With: The Drey Rollan Band, The Tequila Twins Where: The Basement When: Saturday December 7 Xxx

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Gold Fields Fields Of Dreams By Krissi Weiss “The whole experience was really awesome,” he says. “It’s not like Australia where you’ll do an Australian tour, which is shows every weekend and no real shows during the week. In America it’s just day after day, you can drive a few hours and be in a completely new city with a completely different vibe and you never know what you’re gonna get. You might go to a city with a radio station that’s playing your music and you can get there and completely sell a show out, and then you can go two hours away and no-one knows who you are. It keeps you on your toes, which is really exciting. On the flipside, there’s just so much driving and sleepless nights. We had the same routine – we’d get up at six in the morning, we’d drive for anywhere up to ten hours to a city, we’d get out and play the show, then we’d get out of the venue by about one in the morning, check into a hotel, get about four hours’ sleep and then do it all over again. We did that for about six weeks and at one point we played 35 shows in 37 days – but you get a lot of good for those hard bits.”

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allarat-born dance-pop wonder kids Gold Fields are finally back on home soil after once again smashing it on the international stage. They’ve been touring in the States after a successful crowdfunding campaign and a fortuitous label opportunity helped them on their way, but really this fivepiece has always made its own luck. From the very beginning, Gold Fields – from their rhythm-heavy approach to songwriting to their approach to the industry – have always aimed high. Countless festival spots and a host of mind-blowing support slots (Crystal Castles, Pnau and Metric, to name a few) have carried them along as they’ve patiently honed their craft. This year’s release, Black Sun, garnered them a heap of praise and even more attention, but all the overseas commitments have meant

that while the album cycle should be winding down, audiences here are still amping up. “We got back from America about a month ago and it’s just been good to be home, playing shows and touring the album here,” says drummer Ryan D’Sylva. “It’s like we haven’t really been here to play shows for this album and so it’s good to be home. We’re really busy until the end of the year and we’re really looking forward to the New Year’s show.” That New Year’s show is On The Harbour, where Gold Fields will join Alison Wonderland, Art vs. Science and a whole heap more artists to ring in 2014. But before the streamers go off and the countdown begins, D’Sylva and the band are still coming down from an exhilarating US tour.

Have they found that their music speaks to US audiences more than at home, or have the opportunities over there simply opened up for them more easily of late? “I don’t think it’s that we speak to people more overseas; it was really just that our record label gave us the opportunity to go over there and spend some time,” says D’Sylva. “We’d been in Australia for about two years touring; we’d done some tours that we were really happy with but we thought it was just a really cool idea to go over there and do something completely different. I do think we probably spent a bit too much time over there, maybe – but yeah, it was just an opportunity and that’s why we ended up spending nine of the past 12 months over there. I am happy to finally be back playing shows here though, it’s really time. Come next year we’ll probably spend a lot more time here and give Australia a lot more love.” To the band, it feels like the album cycle is only just beginning on home soil, and although they’re excited, they’re also ready to start recording again. “You can feel an attention from the crowd because there are people who know the songs from the album, and you’ve got their attention more than if you’d just

“You might go to a city [in the US] with a radio station that’s playing your music and you can get there and completely sell a show out, and then you can go two hours away and no-one knows who you are. It keeps you on your toes, which is really exciting.” released an EP and people only know one or two tracks. But because we haven’t really been in Australia we’re still kinda seeing the album grow here, which is cool I guess, but we’re pretty ready to wrap up this album now and move on to something new and release a new single. The album has done what we’d hoped, so yeah, we’re hoping we can use time off in summer to get something done. “We’re pretty busy until the end of the year but then we’ve got a hold on bookings until around February/March when we’re gonna hopefully have a new live set with some new songs and give everyone the 2014 version of Gold Fields.” What: NYE On The Harbour With: Art vs. Science, Van She, Alison Wonderland, Bag Raiders (DJ set), Fishing and more Where: Cargo Bar When: Tuesday December 31 And: Black Sun out now through Astralwerks/ EMI

I M A G I N E B E I N G M A D E TO

F EEL LIKE CRAP J U ST FOR

BEING

LEFT

H A N D E D.

Okay, that’s hard to imagine? But being gay, lesbian, bi, trans or intersex is no different to being born left handed, it’s just who you are. So stop and think because the things we say are likely to cause depression and anxiety. And that really is pretty crap. GO TO LEFTHAND.ORG.AU TO WATCH THE VIDEO

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STOP t THINK t RESPECT

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Tumbleweed Redial By Krissi Weiss

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umbleweed’s central role on the fringes of Australian rock has always been both a blessing and a curse for the band – and yes, their place in the scene has always been somewhat of a contradiction. It’s mammoth enough that 1995’s Galactaphonic will forever remain a seminal Oz rock album (the band was also honoured with the support slot for Nirvana’s 1992 tour of Australia), yet when they broke up in 2003 they managed to do so without a barrage of rumour and speculation about why and when. Reformation is a challenge for any band, but these fi ve Wollongong lads have slid back from the alley with as little fuss as when they left. That’s not to suggest people aren’t interested – their fans are waiting with open arms – but Tumbleweed aren’t giving the impression they’re fl ogging a dead horse. Frontman Richie Lewis has already said he never felt the band was destined for a life of nostalgia gigs, but that they still have more to give, and with a new album – the aptly titled Sounds From The Other Side – it’s almost like Tumbleweed never left. Still, it’s a feat to be come back onto the scene with such a distinctively ’90s sound, and re-enter unscathed. “I think it comes down to honesty – and I also think it does come down to Tumbleweed always being on the periphery,” Lewis says. “We grew up in Wollongong; we don’t feel like we really fi t in. We’ve always been our own entity and we approached this record in the same way we approached the first records. We picked up with our original band members and picked up from the crossroads of Galactaphonic and went down the path we would’ve gone down [then]. We’ve always been organic, we don’t do things beyond our comfort zones; we know what music we like and we don’t play the game. We’ve been around for 23 years, we do Tumbleweed because that’s who we are, and I think our fans appreciate us doing our own thing and us being honest about who we are and where we came from.” It’s surprising to hear, but despite a lengthy back catalogue, Lewis feels as though they’d never made their one great album – at least, not until now. Tumbleweed have always been a live band first and foremost, and perhaps that energy had been hard to harness – or perhaps, as is often the case, the powers that be should’ve just shut up and let them do what they do best instead of trying to commoditise their creativity. Either way, after years between sessions, the ’Weed fi nally ventured back into the studio to make Sounds From The Other Side. “We wanted to make the record that we’d never made yet,” says Lewis. “We’d been with record labels in the past and we felt this pressure that every song we made had to better the last and outsell the last. They were trying to push the whole career aspect of things and so we kind of lost our way. We had complete control on this album – we pushed the band ourselves, we saved up our own money to record the album and we didn’t want to make a record at all if it wasn’t better than what we’d done in the past. That really wasn’t that hard, though, because we were never entirely satisfi ed with anything we’d done in the past. Also, we had some loose ends, thebrag.com

we had some unfi nished business as a creative unit. The band sort of exploded before we could make the record we wanted to make.” It became obvious early on in these sessions that the creative freedom had an immediately positive impact on the entire process. “There was no implied brief, there was no time limit, but still being as slack as we are, we were still pushing it once we actually got into the studio. That gave it a real vitality,” Lewis says. “There was an electricity – it was awesome. It was an agreeable time; it was productive time. We always have shared, though – no-one holds back in that band.

“We didn’t want to make a record at all if it wasn’t better than what we’d done in the past. That really wasn’t that hard, though, because we were never entirely satisfied with anything we’d done in the past.” “There was pressure on the first few nights when we were first fi guring out what we had and what we wanted out of the recording time. I suppose there was a little bit of healthy debate about the pros and cons of certain songs, but that provoked a lot of good action and a lot of excellent performance … There isn’t really any massive editing or anything like that, it’s played to tape and there’s a real sine wave you’re hearing.” This new album is bringing a whole new dynamic to Tumbleweed’s live show, and the structure of their set is something Lewis takes quite seriously. “We’ve just done a bunch of shows and it’s been a warm-up. We wanted to see how the new songs would fi t in and I suppose to preempt the album release and to promote ‘Mountain’, the single. We’ve fi gured out how to set up our set really well, and it’s given us some great ideas for this next tour … I sort of conceptualise it. I work it out on the dynamics of how I want the beginning, middle and end to feel. We’re really well-rehearsed at the moment – it’s probably sounding the tightest we ever have in our history – but the thing with Tumbleweed is it wouldn’t be Tumbleweed if it wasn’t a complete shambolic mess at some times.” What: Sounds From The Other Side out now through Shock With: Kadavar, Blues Pills, Sun God Replica Where: Metro Theatre When: Friday December 6

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arts frontline

free stuff

arts news...what's goin' on around town...with Lily White

head to: thebrag.com/freeshit

five minutes WITH

ROSS HALFIN

we thought it best to catch up with the master himself to find out more.

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usic photographer Ross Halfin might just have the best job in the world. Actually, there’s no ‘might’ about it. He does. Halfin travels the globe shooting rock’n’roll bands and artists for magazine covers, advertising campaigns and award shows. The legend has immortalised acts such as Led Zeppelin, Metallica, AC/DC, Kiss, The Clash, Ozzy Osborne and The Who among others. Keen on seeing Halfin’s shots? We thought so. Red Bull Curates x Ross Halfin is currently being hosted by a number of Sydney small bars so

You’ve had an incredible career as one of the world’s most respected music photographers. How did you start out in the industry and what drew you to the medium in the first place? I was studying at art college, not doing photography, and going to loads of gigs around London. I was always a big music fan – I would see photos in the paper that people had taken at the gigs I’d been to and thought to myself ‘I could do better than that’. I started sneaking cameras into shows like The Who, Led Zeppelin, The Clash, Sex Pistols and sending my photos to the music press at the time. Before long, publications such as NME, Melody Maker and Sounds were publishing my work. From there I was hired as the in-house photographer for Sounds and shot lots of bands throughout the ’70s for them. Eventually I started touring with bands, my first full US tour was as the band photographer for UFO in 1977.

What’s been your most memorable shoot to date and what made it so special? Led Zeppelin at the rooftop of the Royalton Hotel in NYC. I didn’t expect the shoot to happen and when it did everything fell into place. There had been horrific rain all day and it stopped just in time for my shoot. The sun came out and everything was perfect. The way the weather changed was similar to that in Melbourne (I’ve just come from there). You’ve shot rock'n'roll greats Guns N’ Roses, Metallica, Def Leppard, Queens of the Stone Age and Led Zeppelin. Do you ever get starstruck? The simple answer is no. I’ve done it for too long and I’m too old. Your work is currently showing in a number of small bars across Sydney. What kind of experience will audiences have when they view your work? I think that instead of looking at boring, everyday wall hangings that you find in a lot of places,

JOIN THE REVOLUTION

Long live analogue photography! On Thursday December 5, Foto Riesel will showcase the individualistic film photography through a series of education talks and workshops, Retro Revolution. “Due to the surprising imperfections of film, analogue photography is revolutionising the photographic industry,” said Foto Riesel’s Managing Director, John Wallace, “Film and print is very much back in vogue… There is almost a revolt against the hugely controllable nature of digital photography. Most Australians feel they are able to take a reasonable shot using their smartphones or compact digital cameras, but shooting with film requires a bit more skills.” For further details head to fotoriesel.net.au.

DAVE HUGHES: POINTLESS

Bob Downe

MARDI GRAS X STC

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Hughesy has cleared the decks to hit the road and you can catch him at the Factory Theatre in Marrickville from April 30 through May 17 next year. He’s pulled the pin on years of pre-dawn mornings with Nova as a breakfast host and is ready to tackle a year of stand-up

people will see something that they can relate to musically. If you had to pick three rock’n’roll artists from the history of music to shoot, who would they be and why? Led Zeppelin because they are timeless. You can play Led Zeppelin II, which was recorded in 1969, and it sounds as if it was recorded yesterday. Elvis, just because John Lennon once said, “Before Elvis there was nothing,” and that’s a true statement. Soundgarden, because of all the ’90s acts, they’re the one that remains relevant.

What: Red Bull Curates x Ross Halfin Where: Grand Exhibition at Gardel’s Bar at Porteño, Surry Hills / The Anchor, Bondi Beach / Earl’s Juke Joint, Newtown / Vasco Surry Hills When: December 2-21 (Grand Exhibition) / until December 31 More: redbull.com.au/curates

(though he never really left the circuit, having appeared at the Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal in 2012). Adelaide Fringe, Melbourne International Comedy Festival and Sydney Comedy Festival are all on the pin board so you best gear up for some serious nation-wide LOLs. For more information, head to davehughes.com.au and to book tickets visit sydneycomedyfestival.com.au.

JOHN CLEESE AUSTRALIAN TOUR Fawlty Towers legend, John Cleese, is headed Down Under in 2014 for a limited string of dates around the country. On Tuesday April 8, Cleese will regale fans with stories and exclusive clips from his illustrious 40-year career at The Concourse in Chatswood. Cleese is loved the world over for his comedic antics in cult films Monty Python And The Holy Grail, Monty Python’s The Meaning Of Life, The Life Of Brian and Fierce Creatures. This guy’s a true master comic – dry wit, slapstick, you name it. Head to johncleese.com for further information or theconcourse.com.au for tickets.

We loved her in We Can Be Heroes as she belittled what it meant to be nominated for Australian Of The Year. We watched in awe as she took on the state school system and struggled beyond comprehension alongside the likes of Jonah Takalua in Summer Heights High, and now she’s back with a show of her own. Ja’mie: Private School Girl follows Ja’mie King (the brain child of comedy whiz Chris Lilley) in her final few months of school at Hilford Girls’ Grammar School, where she struggles to get her teachers and peers to understand the importance of Ja’mie getting her way. She’s a bona fide racist-homophobe-xenophobesexist bitch who’ll do anything to reign Queen bee. But we’ll excuse her, because she’s just so, like, quiche!

Ja'mie King

We have five Ja’mie: Private School Girl DVDs to give away so for your chance to win, head to thebrag. com/freeshit and tell us why you’d want to be Ja’mie’s friend and why.

DECEMBER AT GALLERY 9

From December 4-21, Darlinghurst’s Gallery 9 is hosting a dynamic lineup of art to welcome in the silly season. Sarah Goffman’s Maximalist Tokonoma demonstrates the artist’s interest in salvaging markers of modern consumerist society by salvaging discarded objects of the everyday. Goffman describes her own work as a “fusion of Asian and Australian sensibilities which ultimately pride themselves in being derivative of a Silk Road ethos, taking found objects or discarded materials and transforming them into precious and beautiful things”. Contrary to Goffman’s object-based work, Paul Williams’ Hello Ritual! showcases dynamic paintings that riff on the action of creating before erasing. Stylistically, Williams’ recent work has been influenced by a new interest in ceramics; paint is built-up and is almost sculptural in form. Rounding out the month will be Peter Nelson’s artist book launch on Saturday December 7. Recently returned from residencies and exhibitions in Taiwan and China, Nelson has compiled a three-volume set of limited edition artist books from which proofs will be on display. The books themselves span The Picturesque, Chinese Painting and Urbanism. Head to gallery9.com.au for further information.

Remnim Tayco, Boxed In In,, 2013

Elliot Bryce Foulkes, Parergon, 2013

THIS MONTH AT ALASKA PROJECTS

JANET CLAYTON GALLERY ADAPTS

On Wednesday December 4, Janet Clayton Gallery will launch its group exhibition, Adaptation. Artists Tamara Elkins, Gabriella Hirst, Bess Kenway, Remnim Alexander Tayco, AliciaRose, George Rose and Humphrey Westgarth will all represent. The group show connects a group of young emerging artists through the notions of reality and surrealism. The artists have adapted and evolved their differing conceptual approaches and mediums to encompass the practices and themes of their fellow exhibitors to create a collective consciousness. Think a range of mediums traversing sketch, painting, installation and performance. For further information and artist bios head to janetclaytongallery.com.au.

The Alaska Projects artist run initiative is wrapping things up for the year, so best get on this. From December 4-8 December, artists Gianni Wise, Jacqueline Drinkall and Warren Armstrong will present Brainrain, a humorous investigation of the role of social paranoia and conspiracy theories in the way we perceive the world. Then from December 11-15, Elliott Bryce Foulkes will host his first solo exhibition of typographic works that investigate perceptions and assumptions of the graphic landscape. Foulkes uses commercial production methods to create works to remove commonplace materials and language from their original contexts to suggest new meanings within the gallery space. Visit alaskaprojects.com for more information.

thebrag.com

Xxxxx

In association with the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, Sydney Theatre Company is presenting three of Australia’s best cabaret performers including Courtney Act, Bob Downe and Trevor Ashley. On Tuesday February 25, Act’s Boys Like Me will air the performer’s hysterical dirty laundry about her titillating sex life and reveal her observations of life on the gender divide. The nom de plume of gender illusionist, Shane Jenek, Act’ dazzling career kicked off after she became a semi-finalist on Australian idol way back when in 2003. Next up will be Downe’s Bob, Sweat & Tears, which will take to the STC stage on Wednesday February 26 and Thursday February 27. Mark Trevorrow has long been wowing audiences as the polyester safari-suit-wearing lounge singer Downe for years and he ain’t about to stop. In a world premiere, he’ll return from his summer of love in Frisco to reveal his life out of the closet has been a lie in a brand new comedy concert; Downe will front a live band led by John Thorn with a slew of special musical guests. Then there’s Ashley’s Liza (On An E) , which will present on Friday February 28. The show’s a faithful tribute to Liza Minnelli’s extraordinary life, including her marriage to Australia’s song-and-dance darling, Peter Allen, her pill-popping antics and ubiquitous showbiz family. Ashley’s Liza will deliver all her greatest hits including ‘Cabaret’, ‘Maybe This Time’ and ‘New York, New York’. Head to sydneytheatre.org.au for performance and ticketing information.

JA’MIE KING: PRIVATE SCHOOL GIRL

The World’s End

The World’s End

[FILM] Beware The Zombie Apocalypse By Joseph Rana

I

n short, the ‘wtf’ colloquialism sums up Edgar Wright’s latest directorial triumph, The World’s End. In a good way, that is. The film is original, bold and genuinely funny. And interestingly enough, the ‘wtf’ gag seems to be at the core of what Wright was going for. “You know what’s funny about that? I thought of that as a joke and I was about to write that on Twitter... I stopped myself and thought it would be a funny line in the movie.” The film sees five childhood friends, or ‘the five musketeers’, reunite to follow their leader Gary King (Simon Pegg) into mayhem. Mentally stuck in his teens, Gary cunningly convinces his four mates — Andy (Nick Frost), Steven (Paddy Considine), Oliver (Martin Freeman), and Peter (Eddie Marsan) — to join him and re-create an epic pub crawl they failed to complete 20 years ago. This Golden Mile drinking marathon leads them to their childhood suburban town of Newton Haven where Gary is hell-bent on reaching the last pub on his map, The World’s End, at any and all costs. But there’s something wrong – Gary and his middle-aged cohort realise that town locals are not what they seem to be. It’s all parodied alien invasion, zombie apocalypse, cop action, ‘70s paranoia thriller from here in on with gags aplenty. Finishing the pub crawl is now not as half important as staying alive.

The World’s End, like Wright’s previous works, is also intentionally very British. “Oh I think it’s really important because I think in the same way that if I watch an Australian fi lm I want to see a little window into your world. It’s important to have cultural identity, because otherwise everything becomes a sort of a trans-Atlantic mush,” says Wright. And rightly so. With the number of Hollywood movies that seem to be infectious clones of each other, The World’s End comes as a welcome change. Stylistically, The World’s End seems to straddle Around The Block, The Day The Earth Stood Still and The Breakfast Club wherein protagonist Gary shares a similar disposition to a gothic John Bender. But Wright doesn’t entirely agree. “Not specifi cally, no. You said Bender, but my first thought was Futurama… Simon used to be a Goth when he was a teenager. The sister of mercy look is just like wearing all black with black jeans. I’m wearing black jeans today,” laughs Wright. But what we can say for certain is that The World’s End draws inspiration from Big Chill and It’s Always Fair Weather. “Big Chill is a fi lm about some friends reuniting [while the] Gene Kelly musical [is] sort of friends after

World War II… [they] meet ten years later and realise they have nothing in common.” Contextually, the fi lm also completes the Wright, Pegg-written Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy comprising Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and now The World’s End. When watched in a series, as intended, the trilogy successfully subverts then deconstructs stereotypes of the zombie thriller genre by satiric hyperbole and

mockery. There’s also an overdose of nostalgia. “The nostalgia thing is like the villain in the piece... a sting in the tale in The World’s End is that the idea that nostalgia is probably very bad for you. The moral of the fi lm is like don’t try to recreate former glories,” says Wright. What: The World’s End releases on DVD, Blu-ray and UltraViolet on December 5.

The Lion King [MUSICAL] The King Is Back By Stephanie Yip

B

uyi Zama, who plays Rafiki in Disney’s stage version of The Lion King, finds the musical experience “so beautiful”. Says Zama, “I’ve seen people who come back and say, ‘I saw the show when I was 15 and I really wanted to come back and see it.’ It’s one of those shows that you can’t get enough of.” Even after a ten-year absence from Sydney, Zama’s confident the musical’s reprise will see many of the initial run’s audience back in its seats. “I’m sure people who have children now want to share the circle of life with their children and loved ones and of course, people will want to see it again. I want to sit in those seats and watch the show also! I just happen to be onstage.”

Buyi Zama as Rafiki in The Lion King

It’s a position Zama’s held for so long she’s sadly only ever managed to be on the receiving end of this theatrical stage once. This was 11 years ago, and not long after she’d been cast as Rafiki in the West End’s production. “I had just left home [South Africa] and got to London that day and was missing my family,” says Zama. She was excited about the change but missing home. However, as she watched, all separation anxiety melted away. “That scene, when Mufasa returns to talk to Simba… When I saw that, I was ‘sold!’

“Then there was the song ‘He Lives In You’. To me, it was telling me that Africa lives in me. Africa is in me, and I thought, ‘You know what? I’m going to take Africa with me everywhere I go.’ I love being onstage everyday because I get to speak my language every day. Wherever I am, I get to share part of my culture with the world.” Since fi nishing at West End, Zama has shared her culture with Sydney (for The Lion King’s debut in 2003), Las Vegas, Taiwan, Africa, Shanghai among other places around the globe. And now she’s come full circle to reinvigorate Rafi ki for the ten-year anniversary of the Sydney show. “It doesn’t feel like I’ve returned,” she admits. “When I got the call that this production was opening again… Sydney feels like home more than any other place because I was here for so long.” Zama essentially created the role of Rafiki in Sydney. “Back then [in 2003] I was in my shell. I still had a lot of growing to do. I wasn’t as mature as now,” she says. And this transition shows in her performance today. “I feel like I own the role more,” says Zama, “I felt like I was just wearing it. Now it’s in me.” Maturity and age undoubtedly played a

part, but so did years of touring. For unlike much of Sydney’s original cast, who’ve since moved onto other projects, Zama’s your rare breed of a Lion King stalwart, dedicating the last ten years of her life solely to this musical. “I haven’t really had a break from The Lion King since I started,” she says. “It’s been ongoing.” Which isn’t to suggest that her performance will read like a stale form of childhood de ja vu… Every time I’m in a new company I try to erase everything and start from scratch because it helps me get energy from who I’m onstage with. If I keep thinking that this Simba’s going to be like the other Simba, then the show’s going to be the same.” Whether you’ve seen it before or it’s your first viewing, one thing’s for sure. From the moment you enter, just as Zama did 11 years ago, Africa will be in you. “You walk in and sit down, you’re transported. That’s the mother land right there.” What: Disney presents The Lion King Where: The Capitol Theatre When: December 13 – March 30 More: disney.com.au/lionkingthemusical

Sydney Shakespeare Festival [THEATRE] Stepping Into Shakespeare By Alasdair Duncan

King Lear photo by Katy Green Loughrey

T

he Sydney Shakespeare Festival is in its seventh year, but it has a new venue, in the old Fitzroy Theatre, and a new director in Richard Hilliar. For his first year in charge, the avid young Shakespeare lover was determined to put his mark on the festival, and he started with his bold choice of repertoire. This season, the company will perform two works, King Lear and Measure For Measure. The two plays are superficially quite unalike. One is a tragedy, one is more comedic in tone; one tells the story of a father’s betrayal at the hands of his daughters, the other is a bawdy tale of vice and immoral behaviour. Hilliar, however, says that

Danielle Baynes as Cordelia in King Lear

the two are more similar than you might realise. “Measure For Measure has a lot of comedy in it, but it’s described as a problem play,” he says. “It ends happily, but morally, there’s a question as to whether the ending is really happy. People go unpunished for their crimes, and there are a lot of unresolved questions.” Lear, on the other hand, is a more straightforward tragedy about an old king’s decline and eventual ruin, but Hilliar says that a deeper look into the stories reveals similar themes and ideas. “They both explore the idea of hypocrisy and the abuse of power,” he says, “and they both portray schisms in relationships, both personal

and political. They’re both about family, as well. They explore a lot of the same territory, but in vastly different ways.” Hilliar chose a period setting for Lear, and a contemporary one for Measure, and I’m curious to ask how he arrived at this decision. “When you’re choosing the setting for a play, you have to try and think of a place that best highlights the themes,” he explains. “With Lear, we wanted to look at the old traditional values of honour, and the destruction of the old ways by the new, so we decided to set it in the 1940s, just after World War II, as a period piece. Measure For Measure is about a vice-ridden city and a deputy trying to clean it up, and I thought that Kings Cross was actually a very good modern example of that. It’s not set in Kings Cross, but it’s set in a very similar place.” The festival features a total cast of 12, who will be performing in both plays. It seems like quite an acting challenge, b u t Hilliar tells me they are more than up to the task. “I used to act in the Shakespeare Festival myself,” he says, “and it’s a lot of fun playing multiple roles, because it gives you more scope to explore and try different things

as an actor, and it lets you stretch yourself and try a lot of different things.” Being director, of course, comes with its own set of challenges. “The big thing for me is making sure that the ideas I have for both plays are coming through clearly,” he says. “Maintaining clarity of vision is hard with two plays on the go, but I’m lucky in that the cast is tremendous, so the rehearsal process has been easy.” Thinking back on his time acting in the festival, I ask Hilliar about his favourite Shakespeare roles. “If I had to pick two, I’d say Hamlet, and Mercucio from Romeo & Juliet,” he says. “There’s so much to explore in Hamlet, and his monologues are beautifully well-written,” he says. “Then there’s Mercucio, who’s just a lot of fun. He’s very bawdy, and always talking about sex and genitals and things like that. If you just go for it and play the bawdiness of the character, it’s an incredibly fun role, and always really popular with an audience.” What: Sydney Shakespeare Festival Where: Old Fitzroy Theatre When: Until December 21 More: sitco.net.au

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Film & Theatre Reviews Hits and misses on the silver screen and bareboards around town

■ Film

BLACKFISH In cinemas now

■ Theatre

MACHINAL Until December 7 Harriet Dyer in Machinal

■ Theatre

Summertime In The Garden Of Eden

SUMMERTIME IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN Until December 14

Blackfish “A whale has eaten one of the trainers,” a 911-caller is heard saying at the start of Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s documentary Blackfish. The call was made from SeaWorld Florida in 2010, when trainer Dawn Brancheau died in the jaws of the largest orca in captivity, Tilikum. Brancheau was “scalped”, her arm devoured, and through interviews and archival footage, Cowperthwaite traces this gruesome incident to its roots, exposing the brutality of the captive orca industry. Whatever ethical justification SeaWorld might claim in keeping orcas for ‘educational’ purposes is obliterated by this film. And that’s the film’s agenda. Among the damning revelations, one trainer describes the juvenile Tilikum as being very cooperative — adding that if orcas don’t perform tricks correctly, they’re starved until they do. This sits uncomfortably with the sentimentalism of SeaWorld shows, which exalt some mythical connection between humans and orcas. Just as there’s no real bond between the whales and their human jailkeepers, we learn the whales have no bond between each other. They’re collected from foreign oceans and traded between sea-parks according to commercial considerations, with no attempt to group individuals that communicate using the same ‘dialect’, or to keep families together. In heartbreaking footage, the orca Kasatka is shown making screeching vocalisations after her calf was removed to another park — vocalisations identified by audio scientists as being long-range calls, intended to locate the lost calf. Between this scene and the tearful testimony of the grizzled fisherman who originally helped capture the infant Tilikum, I was about ready to walk out because I didn’t want to learn any more.

Throughout five years of regular theatre reviewing, rarely have I seen a performance so harrowing, so very affecting as that of Harriet Dyer who plays the role of the Young Woman in Sydney Theatre Company’s Machinal. There was a furious anxiety to her character, a young woman pressured into a loveless marriage and unwanted motherhood, and what few moments of joy are afforded her we recognise as being insubstantial and ultimately treacherous. Dyer was so very convincing in this role that I would be very shocked if a Helpmann nomination were not waiting in the wings, and I have no hesitation in calling it the performance of the year. Her command of playwright Sophie Treadwell’s difficult, impasto dialogue (peppered with verbal tics and a beautiful stream-of-consciousness narrative that could quite easily have become stilted in lesser hands) was superb and genuinely unsettling. As the object of her liberating affection, Ivan Donato delivered an otherwise absent warmth to her character’s life in her lover, made all the more poignant by our awareness that it wasn’t going to last. Having premiered to great acclaim in 1928, Machinal has lost little of its punch in the ensuing 80 years. The staggering discomfort and anguish of a woman racked by a joyless marriage and a supporting cast of outstanding, fleshed out characters made for a production that was riveting from start to finish. David Fleischer’s stage design and Verity Hampson’s lighting conjured an atmospheric world of isolation and control, culminating in an impressive transition of ominous strobe lighting to a seedy, death-red speakeasy that brought this grim and repressive world to life.

The skeptical postgrad in me wanted to pick apart this film’s obvious bias; however, it doesn’t take much imagination to divine that these wild animals’ lives are being royally screwed by an unethical corporate machine. Free Willy!

Director Imara Savage undertook a grand production here, stripped back to its bleakest essentials, and the effect was entrancing. Dyer was, quite simply, sensational. This late in the year, I had imagined that the best plays of 2013 were behind us. Machinal proves just how foolish I was.

Shirin Borthwick

Adam Norris

From queer Melbourne Theatre group, Sisters Grimm (Ash Flanders and Declan Greene), comes Summertime In The Garden Of Eden. This play is an absurdly funny, un-pc tale of deceit, Deep South society drama and drag. Set in decaying confederate America, Summertime follows debutant Daisy May Washington (a beard-clad Agent Cleave), ailing drag king father Big Daddy (Bessie Holland) and house slave Mammy (represented via the intentionally crude yet divinely inappropriate puppetry of Genevieve Giuffre). Scandal strikes the gender-swapped family when ten-yearabsent sister, Honey Sue (Berlin-based drag artist Olympia Bukkakis) returns upon news Big Daddy won’t make it through another summer. Then through twists, turns and dynamite timing we learn what happened in the family greenhouse, AKA Garden of Eden, on that fateful summer night ten years ago. Taking much inspiration from lush tragedies of fallen, powerful women that gay culture obsesses over (think Gone With The Wind and Suddenly, Last Summer), this work is almost flawless in its adaptation to a 2013

arts snap

audience. From the set to lighting, costume to the mid-play mime of Savage Garden’s The Animal Song, the entire performance is a hoot. Bukkakis needs to work on her Southern accent a little, but that’s it. It’s also fantastic to see Griffin Theatre’s intimate setting being used to its best advantage. The play is no doubt controversial – Mammy the slave is literally a foot-high black-faced doll controlled by a white woman with cornrows – and we see some pretty hot man-on-man-in-dress action. A delicious and rip-roaring 65 minutes, Summer In The Garden Of Eden, is an apple you’ll want to take one big fat bite out of. Jack Arthur Smith

HARLE Y DAVIDSON: FOR THE LOVE OF LIDS 20:11:13 :: MARY'S NEWTOWN :: 6 MARY ST NEWTOWN

See www.thebrag.com for more arts reviews

Arts Exposed What's in our diary...

Bathysphere Bathysphere, currently showing at Chalk Horse gallery, presents a selection of work by contemporary artists whose primary artistic agenda is to uncover the ‘object’ in today’s art. The common thread between represented artists – James Kerr, Jasper Knight, Kate Mitchell, Sanne Mestrom and Addison Marshall – is a focus on sculpture and ‘live’ art. Expect to see ceramic works, neon palettes, absurdist theatre with props and installation. Thematically, Bathysphere traverses the real versus the imagined, the evolution of relationships and industry, and childhood imagination. Yeah, we thought so too. A mixed bag of inventiveness. Head to chalkhorse.com.au for further information.

26 :: BRAG :: 541 :: 02:12:13

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BRAG :: 541 :: 02:12:13 :: 27

BARS SMALL

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The basics: A rooftop. Booze. Panoramic views of Sydney Harbour. Do we really have to sell it to you? Eye-candy: Sky Terrace is located on the rooftop of the state of the art Event Centre at The Star, with expansive views over Sydney Harbour and the city skyline. Flavours: A number of pop-up food stalls will offer grub in the form of pulled pork sandwiches, spiced pork tacos, Philly cheese steak sandwiches, Dubai-style falafel wraps, grilled sausage with roast peppers and Mexican-style ceviche with prawn, scallops and squid. And then there’s an ice cream truck. Punters will be able to utilise the Movenpick station, which offers a variety of gelato with indulgent toppings.

Care for a drink? Cocktails at Sky Terrace are the real deal. Think margaritas, mojitos and cosmos alongside a number of concoctions from The Star’s exclusive restaurants such as an apple and ginger sour from BLACK by Ezard and a chai cocktail from Sokyo. Sounds? A resident DJ will be playing the perfect soundtrack to your evening drinks as the sun sets on the amazing view. Make us drool: Sky Terrace is the ticket to a cool drink on a hot summer’s evening. It’s a great place for an after-work get together or meeting point to kick off a night out. Sky Terrace is also the official Festival Bar for Sydney Festival 2014 from January 9-26 and will be open daily during for the duration of the festival with a range of events and entertainment. A section of Sky Terrace will also be available to hire for functions such as Christmas parties and can be hired outside of scheduled operating times for private events. The bill comes to: Each bar menu item is priced at $5 and cocktails will set you back between $16-$17. star.com.au

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Hinky Dinks 185 Darlinghurst Rd, Darlinghurst (02) 8084 6379 Mon – Thu 5pm-midnight; Fri 4pm-midnight; Sat 3pm-midnight; Sun 1-10pm Hollywood Hotel 2 Foster St, Surry Hills (02) 9281 2765 Mon – Wed 10am-midnight; Thu – Sat 10am-3am Hustle & Flow Bar 105 Regent St, Redfern (02) 9310 5593 Tue – Sat 5pm-midnight Jekyll & Hyde 332 Victoria St, Darlinghurst (02) 9360 5568 Wed – Fri 4pm-late; Sat 8.30am-late; Sun 8.30am-evening Li’l Darlin Darlinghurst 235 Victoria St, Darlinghurst (02) 8084 6100 Mon – Sat 5pmmidnight Li’l Darlin Surry Hills 420 Elizabeth St, Surry Hills (02) 9698 5488 Mon – Thu noon-3pm & 5-11pm; Fri – Sun noon11pm Lo-Fi 2/383 Bourke St, Darlinghurst (02) 9318 1547 Wed – Sat 6pm-late The Local Tap House 122 Flinders St, Surry Hills (02) 9360 0088 Mon – Wed noon-2am; Thu – Sat noon-1am; Sun noon-11pm Love, Tilly Devine 91 Crown Ln, Darlinghurst (02) 9326 9297 Mon – Sat 5pm-midnight; Sun 4-10pm Low 302 302 Crown St, Surry Hills (02) 9368 1548 Tue – Sat 5pm-2am; Sun 6pm-2am Mr Fox 557 Crown St, Surry Hills 0414 691 811 Mon –Sat 5pm-midnight; Sun noon-10pm Name This Bar 197 Oxford St, Darlinghurst (02) 9356 2123 Thu – 5pm-2am The Norfolk 305 Cleveland St, Surry Hills (02) 9699 3177 Mon – Wed noonmidnight; Thu – Sat noon-1am; Sun noon10pm The Passage 231A Victoria St, Darlinghurst (02) 9358 6116 Mon – Thu 5pm-late; Fri – Sun noon-late Play Bar 72 Campbell St, Surry Hills (02) 9280 0885 Wed – Sat 4pm-midnight; Sun 3-10pm Pocket Bar 13 Burton St, Darlinghurst (02) 9380 7002 Mon – Thu 4pm-midnight; Fri – Sat 4pm-1am; Sun 4pm-midnight Queenie’s Upstairs Forresters Cnr Foveaux and Riley St, Surry Hills (02) 9212 3035 Tue – Sat 6pm-late thebrag.com

Roosevelt 32 Orwell St, Potts Point 0423 203 119 Tue – Sat 5pm-midnight Santa Barbara 1 Bayswater Rd, Kings Cross (02) 9357 7882 Wed 6pm-1am; Thu & Sat 6pm-2am; Fri noon2am

COCKTAIL OF THE WEEK Pour it in your mouth-hole... (responsibly).

Shady Pines Saloon Shop 4, 256 Crown St, Darlinghurst Mon – Sun 4pm-midnight The Soda Factory 16 Wentworth Ave, Surry Hills (02) 8096 9120 Mon – Wed 5pm-late; Thu 5pm-2am; Fri – Sat 5pm-5am Sweethearts Rooftop 33/37Darlinghurst Rd, Potts Point (02) 9368 7333 Mon – Thu 4pm-midnight; Fri – Sun noon-midnight Tio’s Cerveceria 4/14 Foster St, Surry Hills Mon – Sat 4pm-midnight; Sun 4-10pm Unicorn Cellar Basement, 106 Oxford St, Paddington (02) 9360 7994 Tue – Thu 4pm-midnight; Fri – Sat noon-midnight; Sun noon-10pm Vasco 421 Cleveland St, Redfern 0406 775 436 Tue – Sat 5pm-midnight; Sun 5-10pm The Victoria Room Lvl 1, 235 Victoria St, Darlinghurst (02) 9357 4488 Tue – Fri 6pm-midnight; Sat noon-2am; Sun noon-midnight The Wild Rover 75 Campbell St, Surry Hills (02) 9280 2235 Mon – Sat 4pm-midnight; Sun noon-10pm The Winery 285A Crown St, Surry Hills (02) 9331 0833 Mon – Sun noonmidnight

Anchor Bar 8 Campbell Pde, Bondi (02) 8084 3145 Tue – Fri 4.30pm-late; Sat – Sun 12.30pm-late Bondi Hardware 39 Hall St, Bondi (02) 9365 7176 Mon – Wed 5-11pm; Thu 5pm-midnight; Sat 10am-midnight; Sun 10am-10pm The Bucket List Shop 1, Bondi Pavilion, Queen Elizabeth Drive (02) 9365 4122 Mon – Sun 11am-late The Corner House 281 Bondi Rd, Bondi (02) 8020 6698 Tue – Sat 5pm-midnight; Sun 3-10pm Flying Squirrel 249 Bondi Rd, Bondi (02) 9130 1033 Mon – Fri 6pm-late; Sat 4pm-late; Sun 4-10pm The Rum Diaries 288 Bondi Rd, Bondi (02) 9300 0440 Tue – Sat 6pm-midnight; Sun 6-10pm

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THE HUMMINGBIRD @ THE BOURBON 22 DARLINGHURST ROAD, POTTS POINT Origins: The Hummingbird was created by a young bartender who took inspiration from the US’ famous Hummingbird cake. The cocktail is included on a new list of cocktails called The Bourbon Creations. Ingredients: 45ml Dissarrono, 15ml butterscotch liquor, 2 bar spoons maple syrup, 30ml lemon juice and 75ml ginger water. Method: Simply add all ingredients and shake. Glass: Old Fashioned Garnish: Cinnamon stick Best drunk with: A delicious dessert such as S’mores – biscuit, toasted marshmallow, chocolate and vanilla sorbet – on The Bourbon’s menu During: A cosy Sunday afternoon girls catch up While wearing: Your favourite skinny jeans, soft woolly jumper and killer stilettos. And listening to: Lana Del Rey More: thebourbon.com.au Speakeasy 83 Curlewis St, Bondi (02) 9130 2020 Mon – Fri 3pm-late; Sat – Sun noon-late Stuffed Beaver 271 Bondi Rd, Bondi (02) 9130 3002 Mon – Sat noonmidnight; Sun noon10pm

The Bay Jam Bar 2A Waters Rd, Neutral Bay 0407 454 0815 Tue – Fri 11am-midnight; Sat – Sun 7am-midnight Firefly 24 Young St, Neutral Bay (02) 9909 0193 Mon – Wed 5-10pm; Thu 4-11pm; Fri – Sat noon-11pm; Sun noon9.30pm

Mon – Sat 8am-midnight; Sun 8am-10pm

Tue – Fri 10am-late; Sat 8am-late; Sun 8am-10pm

Honey Rider 230 Military Rd, Neutral Bay (02) 9953 8880 Tue – Sat 4pm-midnight; Sun 4-10pm

Miss Marley’s Tequila Bar 32 Belgrave St, Manly (02) 8065 4805 Mon – Sat 5pm-midnight; Sun 5-10pm

In Situ 1/18 Sydney Rd, Manly (02) 9977 0669 Mon 9am-6pm; Wed – Sun 9am-midnight The Hunter 5 Myahgah Rd, Mosman Mon – Tue 5pm-midnight; Wed – Sat noon-midnight; Sun noon-10pm Jah Ba Shop 7, 9-15 Central Ave, Manly (02) 9977 4449 Tue – Fri 5pm-midnight; Sat noon-midnight; Sun noon-10pm

The Foxtrot 28 Falcon St, Crows Nest Tue – Sat 5pm-3am; Sun 5-10pm

The Local Bar 8 Young Ln, Neutral Bay (02) 9953 0027 Mon 5-10pm; Tue – Wed 8am-10pm; Thu – Sat 8am-midnight; Sun 8am-10pm

Harlem On Central Shop 4,9-15 Central Ave, Manly (02) 9976 6737 Tue – Sun 5pm-midnight

Manly Wine 8-13 South Steyne, Manly (02) 8966 9000 Mon – Sun 7am-late

Hemingway’s 48 North Steyne, Manly (02) 9976 3030

The Mayor 400 Military Rd, Cremorne (02) 8969 6060

Moonshine Lvl 2, Hotel Steyne, 75 The Corso, Manly (02) 9977 4977 Thu – Sat 5pm-midnight; Sun 3-11pm The Pickled Possum 254 Military Rd, Neutral Bay (02) 9909 2091 Thu – Sat 9pm-1am The Stoned Crow 39 Willoughby Rd, Crows Nest (02) 9439 5477 Mon – Sun noon-late White Hart 19-21 Grosvenor St, Neutral Bay (02) 8021 2115 Tue – Thu 5pm-late; Fri 4pm-late; Sat 2pm-late; Sun noon-8pm

Your bar’s not here? Email: listings@ thebrag.com! BRAG :: 541 :: 02:12:13 :: 29

Album Reviews What's been crossing our ears this week...

ALBUM OF THE WEEK SPIDERBAIT Spiderbait Universal

Age is the natural enemy of rock’n’roll. Pete Townshend declared he’d rather die than get old; the Cosmic Psychos promised they’d never get old. All too often, however, rock’n’roll’s institutionalised resistance to the ageing process has confused chronological progression with cognitive devolution: it’s possible to age while not falling into the trap of beige middle-age fatigue. While it might contradict the dominant rock’n’roll discourse, there’s more to artistic vibrancy than consuming vast quantities of alcohol and narcotics.

Xxxx Spiderbait is as fresh, young and hip as the band that made it.

And now there’s a new Spiderbait album. It’s eponymously titled, as if to symbolise Spiderbait’s

STRANGERS FROM NOW ON Strangers From Now On MGM

On most debut EPs, the songs don’t operate as a cohesive unit so much as a demo for a band’s sound and aesthetic. Melbourne act Strangers From Now On’s debut EP is no different, and from these results it looks like we have something to look forward to. Over the course of these four songs, the band aligns itself with the current post-punk revival. Unlike similar bands, however, SFNO have a secret weapon that makes them more than a mere genre retread – Gabriel Santos, their expressive frontman. That’s not a dig at the rest of the band; the rhythm section is tight and hits hard, and the reverb-soaked guitar work of Aidan Kelly is enigmatic enough to keep things constantly interesting. But this is Santos’ show. His is a style that lands somewhere between Brett Anderson from Suede and Timmy Taylor from Brainiac, and he performs with more charisma than any singer from the original crop of post-punk bands. Opener ‘Midnight Town’ proves it. It’s a reverb-heavy, blues-based groove, with Santos using the music as a bed for his schizoid flights of fancy. Whispering “fuck me” before the solo, then breathing heavily over it doesn’t help dispel the notion that he’s the star. ‘Ugly’ then follows, which sees Santos shouting the title hysterically and repeatedly throughout the chorus, pummelling it to the ground. The last two songs aren’t as thrilling as the opening two, but they aren’t bad either. They’re helped by the fact that, for a debut EP, the production is surprisingly close to perfect. After these 15 minutes fly by, you’re left thinking what SFNO want you to think – how long until we hear more?

return as a going concern. And it’s very, very good. Kram’s breakneck drumming kicks the album into action on ‘Straight Through The Sun’. It’s a throwback to Spiderbait’s heavy metallic origins: fast, furious and laced with the attitude of yore. Then, the counterpoint: Janet English’s lilting tones bring us ‘It’s Beautiful’, and everything is, well, absolutely fucking beautiful in a way the average suburban evangelical church hopes and pretends will one day exist. The pendulum swings back on ‘Miss The Boat’ for some Sabbath with funk, Tommy Iommi meets Bootsy Collins in South Central; Ozzy and Sly on a two-week coke bender. ‘What You Get’ does for speed rock what Henry Ford did for industrial efficiency. Glam rock meets garage pop meets reflective whimsy on ‘Crazy Pants (Rockstar For A Night)’ and winds up

dancing on the table at 4am with mad abandon; ‘Mars’ is the morning after. The album ends with ‘Goodbye’: slightly psychedelic, a bit of raga, a smidgen of The Doors’ ‘The End’, some campfire harmonies and more love than a Moonie wedding. “I’m sure we’ll meet again,” promises the final vocal refrain. Yes, I sincerely hope we do. Patrick Emery

MATTERHORN

DRESSES

CREEP

For True Fans Of Rock Metal Independent

Sun Shy SideOneDummy/ Shock

Echoes POD/Inertia

Matterhorn have been playing covers of classic metal songs since 2009. Hailing from Adelaide, the band has a dedicated fan base and has shared the stage with legends like Tim ‘Ripper’ Owens of Judas Priest and Paul Di’Anno of Iron Maiden fame. This seven-track EP is their first recorded release and it covers songs from bands such as Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and Black Sabbath. The release is exactly what its title suggests; a tasty collection of rocking covers. Matterhorn deliver these songs with power and passion, displaying their love for the music by doing faithful tribute to the source material. Amanda Ozolins’ voice is an engine of metal, pumping energy into each track without holding back. The strength of her voice is most notable in the opening strains of ‘Immigrant Song’; Robert Plant’s classic wails given a fresh power. The instrumentalists are Brendan Ozolins on guitar, Steve Opitz on bass and Jaryd Dorey on drums. These guys do not drop a note. There is no fanciful reworking, no egotistical urge to mark each song with their own brand of music – there is only the tightness and professionalism of consummate musicians performing music they love. This is perhaps the only problem with the release. The covers are exemplary, you could not wish for better, but they are just covers. There is nothing particularly new here. That said, I cannot help but nod my head to each and every track because they’re all rocking. Each time I listen I like it a little more. The band plans an album of original songs next year and I look forward to seeing what they can produce. For true fans of rock metal indeed.

The SideOneDummy record label has been responsible for bands with punk leanings since the mid-’90s, but no-one must have told Dresses. There is precious little that screams punk rock about this Portland boyfriend/girlfriend duo that has been playing music together for just over a year, and is more interested in warm weather, hipster jeans and a stylish set of bangs. Sun Shy is the duo’s introduction to the public. Timothy Heller (yep, a woman named Timothy) and her partner in crime Jared Ryan Maldonado play twee folk tunes that evoke thoughts of the beach rather than a workshop surrounded by grease monkeys. ‘Blew My Mind’ is the first song the couple wrote together and is chock-full of the joyous revelry that comes with a new relationship, with some keys and beats thrown in for good measure. Maldonado steps out from the shadows to provide some unaffected vocals for the title track, which is bound to be a party anthem of the summer. ‘Friends Are Dead’ is an impeccable dose of female driven Euro-melody that is so infectious it would make the likes of Lily Allen blush if she had a little more class. With two voices and a foot in the folk, indie and pop camps, Dresses is a band that is still finding its unique voice. If Sun Shy is anything to go by, it will be a hell of a lot of fun observing the couple’s coming of age.

Creep is a partnership between established Brooklyn-based DJs Lauren Flax and Lauren Dillard. On their debut LP, Echoes, a string of guest vocalists helps to infuse Flax and Dillard’s dark electronica with a human touch. Creep have released a handful of singles over the past three years, all of which are included on the album. Continuing in the manner of these singles, Echoes widely employs eerie trip hop backbeats and gothic minimalism. Skittering percussion lines pop up here and there, but the pulse is usually too disjointed for dancing. By the record’s third quarter the murky atmospherics start to lose breath, but there are a number of memorable cuts earlier. Second track ‘Vertigo’ features Lamb’s Lou Rhodes, whose elegant presence gives the delicate number a hypnotic substance. Creep’s 2010 debut single ‘Days’, a collaboration with The xx’s Romy Madley Croft, still surges with hook-laden alarm. On ‘Call Her’, Tricky’s slinking whisper is melodically supplemented by the ethereal vocals of Alejandra de la Deheza (School of Seven Bells) and the track placidly alludes towards a grimy underbelly. Flax’s past collaborator, Sia Furler (Flax co-wrote Sia’s 2009 single ‘You’ve Changed’) shows up on the album for closing power ballad ‘Dim The Lights’. One of the record’s lesser successes, the song urgently shoots for the stars, yet the emotional target feels somewhat abstract.

Chris Havercroft Echoes shows that Creep understand how to evoke an image of a maligned reality, where beauty must fight against machine manipulation. However, the formula does become slightly tired before the record’s conclusion.

Jesse Hayward

THE AVETT BROTHERS Magpie And The Dandelion American/Universal North Carolina’s pop/punk/country hybrid The Avett Brothers may have fewer siblings than Kings Of Leon but they are a far more cohesive sounding unit. After releasing a creative high point in The Carpenter, the band has quickly followed up with another album of recordings arising from that same Rick Rubin-led session. Where The Carpenter found The Avett Brothers embracing their pop smarts, Magpie And The Dandelion is a more sombre and controlled affair. Man can’t live on bread and water alone and The Avett Brothers are clearly aware of this, as their partnership with Rubin has seen them move from ramshackle folk curios to the crisp product they are today. ‘Open Ended Life’ has all the type of harmonies that are sung from your soul – it’s the most barnstorming track on the album, complete with harmonica stomp and bar room shuffle. Melodic gem ‘Another Is Waiting’ is the obvious radio appeaser, but it is the heartfelt downtempo numbers like ‘Part From Me’ and ‘Souls Like The Wheels’ that are the most delicious. The Avett Brothers are yet to really put a foot wrong, whether pushing low-budget folk recordings or the glossier Rubin-produced albums of the past few years. Magpie And The Dandelion plays a bit like a poorer relation of The Carpenter, but it is still bordering on royalty by anyone’s standards. Chris Havercroft

Augustus Welby

Leonardo Silvestrini

INDIE ALBUM OF THE WEEK FUCHSIA II: From Psychedelia To A Distant Place Independent/ Bandcamp 42 years ago, Fuchsia had one release, one gig and then disappeared, disappointing fans and leaving only their album as a suggestion of what could have been. Tony Durant has spent most of the intervening years in South Australia and only now do we have the privilege of a second album. It more than makes up for the long wait. Named after the despairing and dark character of Fuchsia Groan from Mervyn

30 :: BRAG :: 541 :: 02:12:13

Peake’s Gormenghast novels, Fuchsia play a brand of psychedelic folk not seen since the tail end of the psychedelic movement, which is not surprising given their history. What is surprising is the way the sequel album takes advantage of musical and technical advances yet retains that original essence that made Fuchsia such a classic. The album opens with ‘Melancholy Road’, a song heavily reminiscent of Pink Floyd’s folkier numbers. A jaunty beat carries the track ever forward while violins provide a whimsical backdrop to Durant’s ruminations on past and present. His voice is strong but it is used as a vehicle for the poetic lyrics more than an instrument, though it is put to great harmonic effect on songs like ‘The

Waves’. ‘Fuchsia Song’ has a very Irish sound which provides a great danceable energy, while ‘I’ll Remember Her Face I’ll Remember Her Name’ has a more sombre tone both musically and lyrically. Throughout the album I am reminded of classic songs from The Beatles, Pink Floyd; there are even some notes of Led Zeppelin here. While these comparisons are unavoidable given the overall texture, Fuchsia II is an original take on the classic Celtic folk sound. Folk lovers, don’t miss out; get this album, turn it up and let the violins carry you away to a distant place.

OFFICE MIXTAPE And here are the albums that have helped BRAG HQ get through the week... NEIL FINN - Try Whistling This SMASHING PUMPKINS - Siamese Dream VARIOUS - GTA: San Andreas Soundtrack

WEST SIDE STORY - OST POWDERFINGER - Internationalist

Jesse Hayward

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BRAG :: 541 :: 02:12:13 :: 31

live reviews What we've been out to see...

THE JUNGLE GIANTS, TWINSY, MUSCLES

KINGS OF LEON, THE GROWL Enmore Theatre Wednesday November 20

Metro Theatre Friday November 22

What happened to the menace, the danger, the don’t-give-a-Tennessee-toss snarls? Kings Of Leon dutifully worked through 20 or so of their classics and anthems-in-the-making from new album Mechanical Bull. They rocked the crowd – with songs like these they couldn’t fail – it just wasn’t very rock’n’roll.

Brisbane’s The Jungle Giants first tore their way into our hearts and our eardrums back in 2011. Since then, the quartet has grown into a well-known and respected band. After witnessing them live, it’s not difficult to understand just why.

There’s not much to say about Perth’s The Growl. They ticked the blues rock box but showed nothing to suggest they will break out of triple j’s playlists to inhabit the same universally appreciated space that KOL find themselves in these days. And given the Followill family’s popularity, you can’t blame them for cashing in, for plastering the place with banners for tour sponsor Klipsch speakers. Hey, it was a novelty to see them do their thing in a space barely big enough for 1,600 people when they can pack out fields 100 times as big.

As a dreary week in Sydney drew to its close, the Metro Theatre was buzzing with many fans eager to be treated to the musical stylings from the headliners, as part of their Learn To Exist tour. Priming the venue for the evening were the popular Bec and Ben and Melbourne producer/DJ Muscles, who amped the horde with bassheavy, infectious pulses over and over, working everyone on the dancefl oor into a glistening sweat. Shortly following was indie/ dance outfi t Twinsy, who served up a set of percussion-led beats, maintaining the upbeat ambiance built prior. Joining the four lads onstage during their performance was The Jungle Giants’ leading lady, guitarist Cesira Aitken, who enthusiastically executed dynamic guitar riffs over a summery pop arrangement that closed the set.

But that was the problem. When you’ve headlined Glastonbury, perhaps it’s hard

to get yourself up for a show like this. It was billed as an intimate gig, yet the Enmore is hardly the best place to get up close and personal with the truest fans. So the result, from opener ‘Supersoaker’ to unsurprising curtain-closer ‘Sex On Fire’, wasn’t unentertaining – far from it. It just lacked any sense of being special. There was none of Caleb’s aggression during his ‘I really don’t want to be here’ phase or the unbounded enthusiasm with which the band toured the first two albums. On bassist Jared’s birthday, he couldn’t have looked more uninterested. But let’s accentuate the positives. Caleb’s voice was sensational and no hit was left out. The handful of songs from the new LP sounded great and went down well, in particular album highlight ‘Rock City’ (“I was running through the desert / I was looking for drugs”) and the ’80s FM sound of ‘Temple’. It feels like a new happy stage for Kings Of Leon, with fewer rows and their feet eased off the gas a little. And who can blame them for wanting that? David Wild :: PHOTOGRAPHER :: ASHLEY MAR

With a ripple of excitement came sauntering onstage The Jungle Giants. The group chose a selection of old and newer tracks, playing a set that moved from pleasurable dance-along tunes to emotive ballads and everywhere in between. ‘Mr Polite’ brought a buoyant musicality to the stage, bursting with multi-layered percussion, slick strumming and raw vocals. Bass guitarist Andrew Dooris then enthusiastically threw himself into the already overwrought and exhilarated crowd. ‘You’ve Got Something’ was a highlight in the middle, sending shivers down arms. Sam Hales and his guitar brought the set nearer its close at a slower pace with ‘Devil’s In The Detail’, before the band ended on a high with crowd favourite ‘She’s A Riot’. Aside from the top-notch performance, The Jungle Giants create invigorating and well-crafted music. This indie rock sensation can go anywhere. Kiera Thanos :: PHOTOGRAPHER :: ASHLEY MAR

POP-FRIENDZZZY: SONNY & THE SUNSETS, SURF CITY, COMMUNITY RADIO, ADULTS Goodgod Small Club Thursday November 21

It seems a crime that when support bands take the stage at the beginning of the night, there are so few people there to witness their performance. The majority of the audience rocked up to this show when Sonny & The Sunsets took the stage. They danced and swooned to band’s pop and indie rock sounds, laughed as Sonny told a story about killing a prostitute with scissors before singing a love song, and bombarded Instagram with photos of Sonny Smith dancing to his own song with the crowd on the dancefloor. But what were they expecting? It’s Sonny & The Sunsets; of course they were going to be great. Had they come in early, they would have caught Adults opening the show with an amazing set. Their music took on a movement and life of its own. Songs felt like the motion of the sea or a high-speed chase or an escape down a back alley. It was quite an experience, a wonderful surprise, and an excellent leadin to the second support, Community Radio. Before they even played a song, the lead singer gave his sincere thanks to the 32 :: BRAG :: 541 :: 02:12:13

crowd –a heartfelt moment before the band launched into music full of warmth while continuing the friendly interactions with the crowd in between songs. Community Radio are perhaps the most polite and relaxed band on the scene right now. But not everything runs smoothly for support bands, and Surf City drew the short straw here. Kicking off with a bang, they launched straight into their first song, their energy firing up the crowd. But the show stopped as abruptly as it began, with the bass amp on the blink. The band formed around it like a prayer group raising their hands over a terminal patient, but instead of interacting with the crowd and holding their interest, the lead singer simply sat down and waited for someone to work it out. They eventually just played with the bass coming through the front speakers, which diminished their sound somewhat. But they soldiered on (with some complaining) and delivered a great, if unenthusiastic, performance. In the end, Sonny & The Sunsets were the best band of the night, but that was to be expected. Instead, the lesson here was to take a chance on the supports. Who knows? You may be surprised for once. Daniel Prior

THE SCREAMING JETS, THE SNOWDROPPERS Metro Theatre Saturday November 23

There is something deeply mischievous and potent about local four-piece The Snowdroppers. They command your attention with a unique, raw energy onstage. Frontman Johnny Wishbone oozes don’tgive-a-fuck charm as he croons about booze, broads and broken dreams. These delinquents are aptly named after two types of early 20th century vagrants – cocaine junkies, and thieves with a fetish for nicking lingerie from neighbours’ clothes lines. Depraved namesakes or not, The Snowdroppers are a slick rat pack touting a titillating hybrid of blues, rock and kneeslapping country. They weave guitars, bass, drums, harmonica and the banjo together with swagger. Dressed for seemingly serious business in their button-up shirts, vests, braces and polished black shoes, you would think they were auditioning for the next series of Mad Men – until Wishbone unleashes a mouthful of Australian pub vernacular punctuated with swearing, shouting and vulgar humour. On this night, he strutted, thrust and flaunted his way across the stage with unadulterated moxie. His band dripped in sweaty old school vamp. Devoted Screaming Jets fans stacked themselves ear to ear inside the Metro to

greet the formidable Aussie rockers with a thundering roar of allegiance. Each member of the band wore a smile of pride as they took the stage, and singer Dave Gleeson repeatedly expressed thanks and his great pleasure at “being up here again and doing what we love.” They played all the favourites, and the highlights ‘Better’ and ‘Helping Hand’ were sung passionately and word-for-word by the crowd. I was third from the front, almost swallowed up by the towering tattooed cavemen and a sandwich of furiously wiggling dancers on either side of me. Everyone seemed lost in the Jets’ hypnotic presence. Gleeson gave a powerhouse performance with his booming vocals, corkscrew curls and intense facials, and he showcased his trademark contentious discourse throughout the set. World affairs, celebrities and politics were slammed. There was a whole song dedicated to Clive Palmer being “a fat fuck”. While Gleeson did his thing, the almighty Mickl ‘The Slayer’ Sayers thrashed out on drums with mastery and brawn. Guitarists Scott Kingman and Jimi Hocking skilfully jammed alongside Paul Woseen on bass, who wailed with incredible suave and dexterity. They are true Aussie rock’n’rollers dripping in passion for their craft. Shows like this are a testimony to why The Screaming Jets are best consumed in the flesh. Kylie Finlay

thebrag.com

snap sn ap

stormchasers

22:11:13 :: Brighton Up Bar :: Level 1/77 Oxford St Darlinghurst 9572 6322 PICS :: AM

never mind the swillfest

PICS :: AM

up all night out all week . . .

cub sport

PICS :: KC

24:11:13 :: Frankie's Pizza :: 50 Hunter St Sydney

gossling

PICS :: KC

23:11:13 :: Brighton Up Bar :: Level 1/77 Oxford St Darlinghurst 9572 6322

23:11:13 :: Oxford Art Factory (Gallery Bar) :: 38-46 Oxford St Darlinghurst 9332 3711

MAR :: JACK S :: KATRINA CLARKE :: ASHLEY OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER

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@ LIFE WITHOUT ANDY

the crooked fiddle band

PICS :: KC

the jones rival

PICS :: KC

23:11:13 :: Oxford Art Factory :: 38-46 Oxford St Darlinghurst 9332 3711

23:11:13 :: The Standard :: 3/383 Bourke St Darlinghurst 9331 3100

BRAG :: 541 :: 02:12:13 :: 33

g g guide gig g

send your listings to : gigguide@thebrag.com

Steel Panther

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS

SATURDAY DECEMBER 7 Hordern Pavilion

Steel Panther + Buckcherry + Fozzy 7:30pm. $76.20. MONDAY DECEMBER 2 JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Motown Mondays - feat: Soulgroove The White Horse, Surry Hills. 8pm. free. Reggae Monday Civic Underground, Sydney. 10pm. free.

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS

Frankie’s World Famous House Band Frankie’s Pizza, Sydney. 9pm. free. Happy Monday Games Night Venue 505, Surry Hills. 8:30pm. free.

ACOUSTIC/ COUNTRY/BLUES/ FOLK Aleyce Simmonds & Lachlan Bryan The Vanguard, Newtown. 8pm. $23.80. Leonard Cohen

Sydney Opera House, Sydney. 8pm. $141.40. Songs On Stage - feat: Monica & The Explosion + Brent Mcgregor + Andrew Robinson + Matt Briggs + Helmut Uhlmann + Chris Brookes + Massimo Presti + Rick Taylor Kelly’s On King, Newtown. 7pm. free.

TUESDAY DECEMBER 3 JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Old School Funk And Groove Night Venue 505, Surry Hills. 8:30pm. free.

ACOUSTIC/ COUNTRY/BLUES/ FOLK

Co-Pilot Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 9pm. free. Stage Starz - feat: Samantha Johnson + Guests George IV Inn, Picton. 7:30pm. free.

Chris Stretton Stamford Grand, North Ryde. 6pm. free. Freaks In Love Venue 505, Surry Hills. 8:30pm. $15. Live Band Karaoke With Dennis Val Peakhurst Inn, Peakhurst. 8pm. free. Metz + TV Colours + Batpiss Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 8pm. $33. Now Now Festival Launch Party - feat: Robbie Avenaim + Martin Ng + Horse Macgyver + M.O.B + Lucas Abela + Pollen Trio The Red Rattler Theatre, Marrickville. 7:30pm. free. Papa Vs Pretty + Parachute Youth Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach. 8pm. free. Songs On Stage - feat: Peach Montgomery + Bradley Primmer + Guests Sackville Hotel, Rozelle. 7:30pm. free. Under The Overpass - feat: Chupacabra + Falling Down The Stairs + The Remains Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 7pm. $10. Uni Bar100 Bar100, The Rocks. 9pm. free.

THURSDAY DECEMBER 5 INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS

Asja Nissen The Cube, Campbelltown. 10am. free. Chris Shermer + Raw Idiocy + Muddy Lamb Brass Monkey, Cronulla. 7pm. $13. Franky Valentyn The Cube, Campbelltown. 10am. free. Grooveworks The Cube, Campbelltown. 10am. free.

WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 4 ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK

Mark Travers Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 9pm. free. Pulp Kitchen And Folk Club - feat: Live Rotating Folk Bands Soda Factory, Surry Hills. 5pm. free. Songs On Stage - feat: Carolyn Woodworth + Monica & The Explosion + Ruby’s Toy + Bradley Primmer +

ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK

Live Music Thursdays Bar100, The Rocks. 5pm. free. Songsonstage - feat: Peach Montgomery + Matt Briggs + Gabriel Levin Forest Lodge Hotel, Forest Lodge. 7:30pm. free.

JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Cole Soul And Emotion feat: Lionel Cole The White Horse, Surry Hills. 8pm. free. Jesse Whitney Venue 505, Surry Hills. 8:30pm. $15. Lollo Meier + Spyglass Gypsies Camelot Lounge, Marrickville. 7pm. $37.70. Uncle Jed + Alex Gibson Brass Monkey, Cronulla. 7pm. $18.

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS

Alex Hopkins Northies Cronulla Hotel, Cronulla. 7:30pm. free. Alithia + Narla + Atrabillions + Adaptors

Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 9pm. $15. All Our Exes Live In Texas + The Phoncurves The Factory Theatre, Marrickville. 7pm. $12. Amazing Entertainment Karaoke Royal Hotel, Bondi. 8pm. free. Andy Mammers Dee Why Hotel, Dee Why. 7pm. free. Cambo Observer Hotel, The Rocks. 10:30pm. free. Cath & Him Campbelltown Catholic Club, Campbelltown. 6pm. free. Cave The Annandale Hotel, Annandale. 8pm. $43.90. Dave White Duo Maloney’s Hotel, Sydney. 9:30pm. free. Davey Lane Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach. 8pm. free. David Agius Hillside Hotel, Castle Hill. 7:30pm. free. Eaststudio - feat: Rose Ashton + Max Burns + Jimmy Fardouly + Jackson Farley + Anne Harry + Emily Robson + Ego Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach. 6pm. free. Electroshock 4 - feat: Cybridian + Snuff + Machina + Pink Industrial Whores + Before Ciada Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 8pm. $10. Evie Dean Mordeo Bistro & Bar, Sydney. 5pm. free. Greg Byrne Scruffy Murphy’s Hotel, Sydney. 7:30pm. free. High Rollers - Bublé Show Manly Leagues Club, Brookvale. 4:30pm. free. Joe Dabron + Rhythm Hunters + Bondi Beats 34 Degrees South, Bondi Beach. 8:30pm. free. Klay The Mercantile Hotel, Sydney. 8:30pm. free. LJ Peakhurst Inn, Peakhurst. 7:40pm. free. Matt Price Australian Hotel And Brewery, Rouse Hill. 9:30pm. free. Paul Laine + The Radio Sun + White Stallion Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 8pm. $20. Redlight Ruby O’Malleys Hotel, Kings Cross. 9:30pm. free. Ted Nash Fortune Of War, The Rocks. 7pm. free. Wats Up Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 9:30pm. free.

FRIDAY DECEMBER 6 JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Mara! The Sound Lounge, Chippendale. 8:30pm. $15. Peña Flamenca Venue 505, Surry Hills. 8:30pm. $20.

INDIE, ROCK, POP,

METAL, PUNK & COVERS

Aimee Francis The Eastern, Bondi Junction. 8pm. free. Alex Hopkins Wentworthville Leagues Club, Wentworthville. 9pm. free. Andy Mammers Cronulla RSL, Cronulla. 4:30pm. free. Andy Tipton Australian Hotel And Brewery, Rouse Hill. 9pm. free. Armchair Travellers Duo North Sydney Leagues Club, Cammeray. 7:30pm. free. Australian Guns N’ Roses Show Bull & Bush Hotel, Baulkham Hills. 10pm. free. Battleships + Ginger & The Ghost + Young Mayfair Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $15.30. Bearhug + Bored Nothing + Ocean Party + Deep Space Supergroop The Standard, Surry Hills. 8pm. $10. Best Kept Secret Revesby Workers Club, Revesby. 8:30pm. free. Brad Johns Observer Hotel, The Rocks. 10:30pm. free. Castlecomer Kirribilli Hotel, Milsons Point. 8pm. free. Cath & Him Seven Hills Toongabbie RSL Club, Seven Hills. 8:30pm. free. Craig Thommo Manly Leagues Club, Brookvale. 10pm. free. Dan Lawrence The Grand Hotel, Rockdale. 5:30pm. free. Dave White Experience New Brighton Hotel, Manly. 11pm. free. David Agius Band Crows Nest Hotel, Crows Nest. 10:30pm. free. David Ryan Harris The Basement, Circular Quay. 8pm. $25. DJ Marty Wentworthville Leagues Club, Wentworthville. 9pm. free. DJ Night Engadine Tavern, Engadine. 9:30pm. free. Double Jeopardy Duo The Overlander Hotel, Cambridge Park. 7pm. free. East Coast Band Scruffy Murphy’s Hotel, Sydney. 10pm. free. Elevate Cock N’ Bull, Bondi Junction. 7pm. free. Evie Dean Hillside Hotel, Castle Hill. 5pm. free. Face Command, MC Filth Wizard, Whales Town Hall Hotel, Balmain. 8:30pm. free. Geoff Rana Mona Vale Hotel, Mona Vale. 9pm. free. Greg Agar Duo Kings Cross Hotel, Kings Cross. 11:30pm. free. Greg Byrne The Ranch Hotel, Eastwood. 5:30pm. free. Guess Who Duo Quakers Inn, Quakers Hill. 8:30pm. free. Happy Hippies Dundas Sports Club, Dundas. 8:30pm. free. Harbour Master Abbott’s Hotel, Waterloo. 7pm.

CELEBRATING THE RELEASE OF THEIR 3RD ALBUM ‘THE SEVEN SEAS’

SPECTRUM NIGHTCLUB

7TH DECEMBER W/ GENERAL PANTS & THE PRIVATES

T H E G O O D S H I P. C O M . A U 34 :: BRAG :: 541 : 02:12:13

$10 PRE-SALE FROM OZTIX X & VE VENUE NUE $15 ON THE DOOR – 8PM thebrag.com

Xxx

pick of the week

Hampshire Hotel, Camperdown. 7:30pm. free. Songs On Stage - feat: Angeline Harris + Paul Ackroyd + Oliver Goss + Mark ‘N’ The Blues + Lion Calamity + Toni Abikhattar Collector Hotel, Parramatta. 7pm. free.

g g guide gig g

send your listings to : gigguide@thebrag.com free. Heath Burdell Kings Cross Hotel, Kings Cross. 7pm. free. Hooray For Everything Canterbury Leagues Club, Belmore. 9pm. free. Hue Williams The Oasis On Beamish, Campsie. 8:30pm. free. Immortality - The Bee Gees Show Terrey Hills Tavern, Terrey Hills. 9pm. free. Jess Dunbar Novotel, Darling Harbour. 5:30pm. free. JJ Duo Pittwater RSL, Mona Vale. 7pm. free. John Vella The Leichhardt Hotel, Leichhardt. 5pm. free. Klay Commercial Hotel, Parramatta. 6:30pm. free. Lecheros Gaze + Bed Wettin’ Bad Boys + Oily Boys + Gentlemen The Square, Haymarket. 8pm. $20. Leon Fallon Observer Hotel, The Rocks. 6:30pm. free. Live Music At The Royal The Royal, Leichhardt. 9:30pm. free. Louis London + Davey Lane Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 7:30pm. $10. Luke And Ben Duo Horse And Jockey Hotel, Homebush. 7:30pm. free. Marty Stewart Ambarvale Tavern, Ambarvale. 8pm. free. Matt Jones Harbord Beach Hotel, Freshwater. 8pm. free. Michael McGlynn Crows Nest Hotel, Crows Nest. 7pm. free. Mid Nyt Sun Duo Ramsgate RSL, Sans Souci. 8pm. free. Milan + Special Guests Name This Bar, Darlinghurst. 9pm. free. Muddy Feet Windsor Leagues Club, 9:15pm. free. Nathan Cole Duo Vineyard Hotel, Vineyard. 9pm. free. Nicky Kurta Stacks Taverna, Sydney. 5pm. free. No Secrets - The Angels Show Pioneer Tavern, Penrith. 9pm. free. Panorama Duo Courthouse Hotel, Newtown. 10pm. free. Pat O’Grady Chatswood RSL, Chatswood. 5:30pm. free. Pop Fiction Cronulla RSL, Cronulla. 8pm. free. Rachel Eldon Mona Vale Hotel, Mona Vale. 5:30pm. free. Rapture Ettamogah Hotel, Kellyville Ridge. 8:30pm. free. Restless Leg + Royal

Chant + The Pretty Littles The Lansdowne Hotel, Chippendale. 8pm. free. Rick Fensom Northies Cronulla Hotel, Cronulla. 9pm. free. Riz Hallowes Parramatta RSL Club, Parramatta. 5pm. free. Rob Henry Castle Hill RSL, Castle Hill. 9pm. free. Ryan Thomas Three Wise Monkeys, Sydney. 8pm. free. Suite Az Campbelltown Catholic Club, Campbelltown. 9pm. free. The Blackened Beneath + Special Guests Tattersalls Hotel Penrith, Penrith. 9pm. free. The Lonely Boys Marlborough Hotel, Newtown. 10:30pm. free. The Snowdroppers Hotel Steyne, Manly. 9pm. free. Tim Shaw Greystanes Inn, Greystanes. 8pm. free. Time Machine Penrith Gaels, Kingswood. 8pm. free. Wildcatz Club Engadine, Engadine. 8pm. free.

ACOUSTIC/ COUNTRY/BLUES/ FOLK Acoustic Dave General Gordon Hotel, Sydenham. 7pm. free. Jammin’ With Songsonstage - feat: Stuart Jammin’ + The Counts Trio + Brad & The Blues Guy Earlwood Hotel, Earlwood. 7:30pm. free. Live Music Fridays Bar100, The Rocks. 5pm. free. Songsonstage - feat: Carolyn Woodorth + Ben Osmo + Patriarchs + Van Bogan + Smack Pandas Manly Leagues Club, Brookvale. 8pm. free.

SATURDAY DECEMBER 7 JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC

Gervais Koffi And The African Diaspora Venue 505, Surry Hills. 8:30pm. $15. Josh Kyle Quintet The Sound Lounge, Chippendale. 8:30pm. $15. Salsa Kings Revesby Workers Club, Revesby. 8:30pm. free. Yuki Kumagi & John Mackie + Paul Furniss + Tony Burkys + Bob Gillespie Penrith RSL Club, Penrith. 2pm. free.

Metz

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ACOUSTIC/ COUNTRY/BLUES/ FOLK Acoustic Dave Eastern Suburbs Leagues Club, Bondi Junction. 8:30pm. free. Live Music Saturdays Bar100, The Rocks. 4pm. free. Ollie Brown Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $45. Paul Hayward Town & Country Hotel, St Peters. 4pm. free. Shaun Kirk Coogee Diggers RSL Club, Coogee. 8pm. $13.30.

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS 80s Flashback Ettamogah Hotel, Kellyville Ridge. 9pm. free. Abbalanche - The Australian Abba Tribute Show Canterbury Leagues Club, Belmore. 8pm. free. Achtung Baby - U2 Show Bull & Bush Hotel, Baulkham Hills. 10pm. free. Am 2 Pm Town Hall Hotel, Balmain. 10pm. free. Andrew Dyce Manly Leagues Club, Brookvale. 6pm. free. Andy Mammers PJ Gallagher’s, Moore Park. 7:30pm. free. Armchair Travellers Duo Seven Hills Toongabbie RSL Club, Seven Hills. 7:30pm. free. Back To The ’80s Epping Hotel, Epping. 9pm. free. Ben Finn Cronulla RSL, Cronulla. 4:30pm. free. Cara Kavanagh & Mark Oats Duo PJ Gallagher’s, Sydney. 9pm. free. Cate Padstow RSL Club, Sydney. 10:20pm. free. Cath & Him North Ryde RSL, North Ryde. 8:30pm. free. Closure In Moscow + A Self Is A Seed + Cuervo Tattersalls Hotel Penrith, 8:30pm. free. Craig Thommo Duo Collingwood Hotel, Liverpool. 10pm. free. Dave Agius Duo Northies Cronulla Hotel, Cronulla. 9pm. free. Dave White Experience Crows Nest Hotel, Crows Nest. 10:30pm. free. Davey Lane The Midnight Special, Newtown. 8pm. free. Daybreak Showcase Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 12pm. $10. DJ Marty Wentworthville Leagues Club, Wentworthville. 9pm. free. Dubhouse Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $45. Electric Anthems Trio Paragon Hotel, Sydney. 9:30pm. free. Endless Summer Beach Party Oatley Hotel, Oatley. 8:30pm. free. Fatt Lipp Carousel Inn Hotel, Rooty Hill. 8:30pm. free. Gemma Observer Hotel, The Rocks. 10:30pm. free. Geoff Rana Sir Joseph Bank Hotel, Banksmeadow. 7pm. free. Greg Agar Castle Hill RSL, Castle Hill. 9pm. free. Happy Hippies Wentworthville Leagues

mon

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03

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(9:00PM - 12:00AM)

wed

(9:30PM - 12:30AM)

thu

04 Dec

05 Dec (9:30PM - 12:30AM)

fri

(9:35PM - 1:30AM)

(4:30PM - 7:30PM)

06 Dec (9:30PM - 1:30AM)

SATURDAY AFTERNOON

SUNDAY AFTERNOON (4:30PM - 7:30PM)

sat

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(4:30PM - 7:30PM)

(9:30PM - 12:30AM)

08 Dec (8:30PM - 12:00AM)

BRAG :: 541 :: 02:12:13 :: 35

gig picks

g g guide gig g

send your listings to : gigguide@thebrag.com Club, Wentworthville. 10pm. free. Harbre3d Presents Forbidden Society feat: Network + Killer Industries + Mark N + Splinter Cell + Supply & Demand + T3knition + Heretik + Foreign Instinct Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 8pm. $20. Hello Cleveland The Mean Fiddler, Rouse Hill. 9pm. free. Hooray For Everything Panania East Hills RSL Club, Panania. 8pm. free. Jess Dunbar Panthers - Domiques Bar, Penrith. 9pm. free. Kataklysm Manning Bar, Camperdown. 8pm. $50.15. Krishna Jones General Gordon Hotel, Sydenham. 7pm. free. Luke Dixon Trio Moorebank Sports Club, Hammondville. 9pm. free. Luke Robinson Australian Hotel And Brewery, Rouse Hill. 10pm. free. Martys Place Parramatta Leagues - The Firehouse, Parramatta. 7:30pm. free. Matt Jones Duo Woolloomooloo Bay Hotel, Woolloomooloo. 9pm. free. Nathan Cole & Will Teague Engadine Tavern, Engadine. 9:30pm. free. Nicky Kurta Crows Nest Hotel, Crows Nest. 7pm. free. Panorama Three Wise Monkeys, Sydney. 10pm. free. Papa Pilko And The Binrats + The Drey Rollan Band + The Tequilla Twins The Basement, Circular Quay. 7:30pm. $19. Party Central R.G. McGees, Richmond. 9pm. free. Party Revival Campbelltown Catholic Club, Campbelltown. 9pm. free. Peachy Bayview Tavern, Gladesville. 10pm. free. Peter Northcote + Brydon Stace + Virginia Lillye Brass Monkey, Cronulla. 7pm. $30. Philadelphia Grand Jury Vs Feelings + The Creases The Standard, Surry Hills. 8pm. $20. Rapture North Sydney Leagues Club, Cammeray. 7:30pm. free. Renae Stone Cock N’ Bull, Bondi Junction. 5pm. free. Riley Beech Duo The Overlander Hotel, Cambridge Park. 7pm. free. Rob Henry Observer Hotel, The Rocks. 8:30pm. free. Rock Solid Duo Padstow RSL Club, Sydney. 6:30pm. free. Rose Carleo The Mean Fiddler, Rouse Hill. 6pm. free. Ryan Thomas The Belvedere Hotel, Sydney. 8:30pm. free. Sarah Paton Observer Hotel, The Rocks. 4:20pm. free. Shane Flew Observer Hotel, The Rocks. 3:30pm. free. Sharron Bowman Brewhouse Marayong, Kings Park. 8pm. free. Soul Nights Castle Hill RSL, Castle Hill. 10:30pm. free. Steel Panther + Buckcherry + Fozzy Hordern Pavilion, Moore Park. 7:30pm. $76.20. Steve Tonge Harbord Beach Hotel,

36 :: BRAG :: 541 : 02:12:13

up all night out all week...

Davey Lane

Freshwater. 8pm. free. The Bandits Ramsgate RSL, Sans Souci. 8pm. free. The Exes Abbott’s Hotel, Waterloo. 8pm. free. The Fuss + Rob Edwards Penrith RSL Club, Penrith. 9pm. free. The Gin Club Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 8pm. $18.40. The Lonely Boys The Mercantile Hotel, Sydney. 8:30pm. free. The Nuts Penrith Gaels, Kingswood. 7pm. free. The Ride Ons Botany View Hotel, Newtown. 7pm. free. The Sphinxes Riverwood Inn, Riverwood. 8pm. free. The Upskirts + Blind Valley + Callithump + Winston Surfshirt Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $10. Titanium 22 The Sly Fox, Enmore. 8pm. free. Tony Williams Kirribilli Hotel, Milsons Point. 8pm. free. Two Minds The Mercantile Hotel, The Rocks. 3pm. free. Uncovered Scruffy Murphy’s Hotel, Sydney. 10:30pm. free. Video DJ Shayne Alsop AKA Sloppy Mounties, Mt Pritchard. 8pm. free. Wildcatz The Mean Fiddler, Rouse Hill. 10pm. free.

SUNDAY DECEMBER 8 JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC

Peter Head Band Harbourview Hotel, The Rocks. 4pm. free. Yuki Kumagai & John Mackie Well Co. Cafe And Wine Bar, Leichhardt. 11am. free.

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS ’60s Chart Toppers Penrith RSL Club, Penrith. 2pm. free. 3 Wise Men Observer Hotel, The Rocks. 4pm. free. Alex Hopkins Horse And Jockey Hotel, Homebush. 3:30pm. free. Andy Mammers Unwined Bar, Lane Cove. 4pm. free. Antoine O’Malleys Hotel, Kings Cross. 8pm. free. Cath & Him Crossroads Hotel, Casula. 1pm. free. Craig Thommo Waverley Bowling Club,

Waverley. 3pm. free. Dave White The Ranch Hotel, Eastwood. 5:30pm. free. Di Solomon Campbelltown Catholic Club, Campbelltown. 1pm. free. Endless Summer Beach Party Time And Tide Hotel, Dee Why. 2pm. free. Geoff Rana Mill Hill Hotel, Bondi Junction. 3pm. free. Greg Agar Duo Northies Cronulla Hotel, Cronulla. 6pm. free. Jake McDougall Trio Fortune Of War, The Rocks. 2pm. free. Jess Dunbar Duo Woolloomooloo Bay Hotel, Woolloomooloo. 3pm. free. Jingle Bellies Ramsgate RSL, Sans Souci. 1pm. free. JJ Duo Parramatta RSL Club, Parramatta. 5pm. free. Klay Western Suburbs Leagues Club, Leumeah. 11:30am. free. Luke Dolahenty Hillside Hotel, Castle Hill. 3pm. free. Mark Travers Ettamogah Hotel, Kellyville Ridge. 1pm. free. Marty Simpson Harbord Beach Hotel, Freshwater. 6pm. free. Raoul Graf Ambarvale Tavern, Ambarvale. 2pm. free. Renae Stone The Mean Fiddler, Rouse Hill. 1pm. free. Rob Henry Observer Hotel, The Rocks. 8pm. free. Ron Ashton Ramsgate RSL, Sans Souci. 2pm. free. Satellite V Botany View Hotel, Newtown. 7pm. free. Scorcherfest Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 12pm. $20. The Frocks The Sly Fox, Enmore. 5pm. free. Tony Martin Campbelltown Catholic Club, Campbelltown. 6pm. free.

Leonard Cohen

MONDAY DECEMBER 2

WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 4

Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $15.30. Bearhug + Bored Nothing + Ocean Party + Deep Space Supergroop The Standard, Surry Hills. 8pm. $10. David Ryan Harris The Basement, Circular Quay. 8pm. $25. Lecheros Gaze + Bed Wettin’ Bad Boys + Oily Boys + Gentlemen The Square, Haymarket. 8pm. $20. Louis London + Davey Lane Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 7:30pm. $10.

Metz + TV Colours + Batpiss Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 8pm. $33. Papa Vs Pretty + Parachute Youth Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach. 8pm. Free.

SATURDAY DECEMBER 7

Leonard Cohen Sydney Opera House, Sydney. 8pm. $141.40.

THURSDAY DECEMBER 5 All Our Exes Live In Texas + The Phoncurves The Factory Theatre, Marrickville. 7pm. $12. Cave The Annandale Hotel, Annandale. 8pm. $43.90. Davey Lane Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach. 8pm. Free.

FRIDAY DECEMBER 6

Ollie Brown Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $45. Dubhouse Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $45. Kataklysm Manning Bar, Camperdown. 8pm. $50.15. Papa Pilko And The Binrats + The Drey Rollan Band + The Tequilla Twins The Basement, Circular Quay. 7:30pm. $19. Philadelphia Grand Jury Vs Feelings + The Creases The Standard, Surry Hills. 8pm. $20. Steel Panther + Buckcherry + Fozzy Hordern Pavilion, Moore Park. 7:30pm. $76.20. The Gin Club Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 8pm. $18.40.

Battleships + Ginger & The Ghost + Young Mayfair

ACOUSTIC/ COUNTRY/BLUES/ FOLK Elevation U2 Acoustic Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 4:30pm. free. 3 Way Split Oatley Hotel, Oatley. 2pm. free. Intimate Sessions Paragon Hotel, Sydney. 6pm. free. Live Music Sundays Bar100, The Rocks. 1pm. free. Shaun Kirk The Clarendon Hotel, Katoomba. 3pm. free. Sunday Blues And Roots The White Horse, Surry Hills. 5pm. free.

Papa Pilko And The Binrats

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BRAG’s guide to dance, hip hop and club culture

brag beats inside

anna lunoe also: + club guide + club snaps + weekly column

danny rampling the housemaster

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BRAG :: 541 :: 02:12:13 :: 37

brag beats

BRAG’s guide to dance, hip hop and club culture

dance music news club, dance and hip hop in brief...with Chris Honnery

five things WITH

Marcus Meinhardt

LEVI 5STAR FROM LA FIESTA SOUND SYSTEM on sax; percussion is Vincent Sebastian and Cameron Douglas on kit. Over the years we have got together a fun, energetic team that all share the Fiestaology concept – to break the rules and play anything that gets the crowd fired up. We have set pieces, sure, but that freedom of expression makes every Fiesta show unique and exciting. We love what we do onstage and it always shows. The Music You Make We are working on some 4. new studio projects currently – Justin Shave is our co-producer at Uncanny Valley Studios. It’s all about the house music for us! Regarding the live show, you can expect 100 per cent pure house music magic. We are really looking forward to smashing the Cruise NYE event out of the park, with views like those – it’s going to be the hottest party on the strip!

Growing Up I grew up in the country 1. and my parents banned us

Inspirations The list of all-time personal 2. favourites covers Bob Marley, Fela Kuti, James Brown, Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie, Led Zeppelin, Jill Scott, Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, The Police, St. Germain, Basement Jaxx, Groove Armada, Beastie Boys… Anything with a funky beat. For me, the bassline has to be rolling!

Your Crew Music, Right Here, La Fiesta has been rocking 3. Right Now 5. consistently since 2003. I had Right now I think the scene is been DJing since ’96 and started the band to bring a live element to my show – now the band comes in up to an eightplayer format. We have a core of musicians we use; we are more of a collective these days. It allows us to really tailor our show for any specific event needs. Our current roster of vocalists includes Chris Luder, Chloe West, Reigan Derry, Michelle Martinez and Roxane LeBrasse. On the brass side we have Johnny G on trumpet and Mark Matthews

a bit depleted; I think DJs and musicians should stick to their guns and not just play the biggest hit of the week just like every other bar in the city – it’s no good for the diversity of the scene. Lead from the front and others will follow. What: Destination NYE Where: Cruise Bar, Circular Quay When: Tuesday December 31

MAD RACKET NYE Claude VonStroke

Omar-S’ cousin Leonard Strickland, AKA Big Strick, will headline this year’s Mad Racket New Year’s Eve bash at Marrickville Bowling Club. Big Strick has built up a discography comprising the albums Resivior Dogs and his impressive 2011 debut Detroit Heat, which were released on his own label, 7 Days Ent. Strickland rose to prominence with a brace of EPs on Omar-S’ FXHE label, including ‘Hustler’, which featured the gritty house number ‘Old E 800’. “Omar would always say that I had some good music, so one day I just was like, ‘Let’s do it,’” Strickland said. The Detroit native will be supported by the resident Racketeers and Claire Morgan, with $44 presale tickets available online.

ZED BIAS, KILL FRENZY & CHRISTIAN MARTIN

EMC @ THE SPICE CELLAR

As one would expect, The Spice Cellar is at the forefront of Sydney’s Electronic Music Conference, hosting a number of tie-in events throughout the course of this week. On Tuesday December 3, Smallpeople and Nico Stojan will be offering first hand insights into the German electronic music scene against a backdrop of dinner and drinks. Later in the night, Bella Sarris and Fantastic Man will throw down. The following night on Wednesday December 4, Murat Kilic and Robbie Lowe will spin alongside special guests, while Thursday December 5 is all about Dirtybird Records’ head honcho Claude Vonstroke. Friday December 6 kicks off with Moodmusic’s Michelle Owen, before local disco proponents Slow Blow commandeer the decks for the after hours slot. Head to thespicecellar.com.au for further details.

38 :: BRAG :: 541 :: 02:12:13

A reminder to all music and festival lovers that the beloved annual Subsonic Music Festival falls this weekend, delivering an eclectic lineup of continuous beats for the whole weekend in the picturesque setting of the world heritage listed Mountain Valley Resort in Barrington Tops. Nile Rodgers, UK garage luminary DJ EZ, Alexkid, Marcus Meinhardt, Nico Stojan, Smallpeople, Kill Frenzy, Zed Bias and Salmonella Dub will all perform along with a host of other acts and entertainment. Tickets are still available through subsonicmusic.com.au.

Subsonic Music is joining forces with Construct for a Friday December 13 showcase at Goodgod Small Club featuring an international tripe bill comprising Zed Bias, Kill Frenzy and Christian Martin. UK producer Zed Bias is one of the many monikers used by Maddslinky, AKA Dave Jones, who has produced under the guise since the late ’90s, chalking up garage classics such as ‘Neighbourhood’. Bias is one of the pioneers of breakbeat garage, and has collaborated with Skream, Mr Scruff, Omar and Mighty Moe throughout his career. Kill Frenzy, AKA Sébastien, is a young producer from Belgium who has released on Claude Vonstroke’s Dirty Bird imprint, which is also home to Christian Martin, the third headliner of the night. Keeping with the name-shifting motif, Martin moonlights as Leroy Peppers and has also collaborated with his brother Justin as the Martin Brothers. In addition to his output on Dirty Bird, Martin has released on the Trapez and Anabatic labels, while also remixing luminaries such as Underworld and Canadian sleaze balls Chromeo. The beats commence at 10pm, with entry a mere $15 on the door.

Alexkid photo by Yonathan Baraki

from having a TV in the house (referred to as the plug-in drug). My father was a jazz drummer and I recall, when I was about three, my father’s blue drum kit was set up in the lounge room and I had a good crack on it. Thankfully my parents had good taste in music, I thank them for that and I think it is one of the main reasons I do music full-time currently. The artists I got exposed to as a kid were Herbie Hancock, Stevie Wonder, Bob Marley, Chick Corea, Frank

Zappa, JJ Cale, Steely Dan and Airto Moreira. The ’70s remains the richest time for music for me personally. It’s when the music came first, and the video clip second.

SUBSONIC MUSIC FESTIVAL

Alexkid

UPCOMING @ MARQUEE

This Tuesday December 3, Marquee At The Star will host the Electronic Music Conference Showcase featuring Krewella, Sunnery James and Ryan Marciano, Kaz James and longhaired larrikin Tommie Sunshine. The venue will then host a few Stereosonic sideshows over the weekend, with hugely popular Dutch DJ Afrojack doing a sideshow on Friday December 6 and Nicky Romero throwing down on Saturday December 7. Presale tickets available online for $15 and $25 respectively.

LA FAMIGLIA FT JON CONVEX

English producer Jon Convex will headline a post Subsonic La Famiglia bash at The Burdekin on Saturday December 14. One half of Instra:mental, Convex is a pioneering fi gure in DnB circles, integrating dubstep and techno infl uences while experimenting with analog and hardware equipment. Convex also has a laudable pedigree as a solo producer, releasing his debut album as Jon Convex, Idoru, last year on his own label, Convex Industries. La Famiglia residents LeOCh versus Dave Stuart and youngsters Technomore will also spin, as will VIVI, the man who made the recent Tiga Sydney show happen.

BAD APPLE BOXING DAY

A host of local DJs will throw down at The Abercrombie for Bad Apple’s Boxing Day Bash that kicks off at 1pm (after the first session of the Ashes test, so you can still watch Mitchell Johnson skittle the English top order – if you’re a cricket fan, that is). Mad Racket DJs Simon Caldwell and Ken Cloud will be playing, along with the man behind the House of Mince brand, Peter Lovertits, Daniel George and Lauren Fuller among (plenty of) others. $10 presales are available online at Pulse. thebrag.com

dance music news

free stuff

club, dance and hip hop in brief...with Chris Honnery

head to: thebrag.com/freeshit

he said she said WITH

I

f music is the soundtrack of the world, football is the world game. On the back of ARIA Week comes Música Copa, a five-a-side charity football event featuring a feast of musical (and perhaps even sporting) talent. The BRAG caught up with organisers Paul Stix from Modular and Martin Novosel from Purple Sneakers ahead of the big day. How did the Música Copa idea come about? Paul Stix: Martin and I are lifelong football fans and we’ve been playing together in various fivea-side teams for the past few years. We play in teams with other music industry guys so we always knew there would be a lot of interest if we put something together. As it turns out, Música Copa is an idea we had both independently wanted to do for many years, and over a few beers the tournament was born. It was also very important to us to add the charity component, giving all the players and teams that extra incentive to compete and raise awareness for their chosen charity. And beyond everything else, we felt that the music industry was lacking something

INSANE CLOWN POSSE

Juggalos, prepare your Faygo. Insane Clown Posse – who else? – are touring Australia this week for the first time in more than a decade. They might be the selfstyled “most hated band in the world”, but they have a following like no other. You can get together with the famous Juggalos at The Hi-Fi gig on Saturday December 7. As for Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope, the notorious clowns themselves, they can’t wait – J told the BRAG recently that Australia is a “bombastic” destination and they’ve committed to the 17-hour flight because they’re “doing it for the Juggalos.” We’ve got a pair of double passes to the show – for your chance to win, head to thebrag.com/ freeshit and tell us where you’d host a Gathering of the Juggalos.

PAUL STIX AND MARTIN NOVOSEL

on a real grassroots social level. Hopefully, Música Copa will bridge that gap and the event will become a key fixture on the annual calendar. Is there a special link between football and music? PS: Absolutely. Modern day players are held in a similar regard to rock stars and DJs. There’s something very cool about being involved in either football or music, and most bands support a team, and every football player loves music. You’ve only got to look at all those (mostly) terrible football songs through the ages for more evidence – however, noting that, New Order’s ‘World In Motion’ is a brilliant song… John Barnes showing Kanye how they rap in Liverpool!

Wantan Ichiban, Moonbase Commander and LUEN – plus some special guests, you never know…

Who are the big attractions behind the decks on the Música Copa Soundsystem? Martin Novosel: We’ve recruited some of our best buds who also happen to be gun party-starters from around town to make triple sure every genre is covered! Step forward Purple Sneakers DJs, wordlife, Lancelot, Slow Blow, Astral DJs, Frames, Shantan

Who are the favourites to win the big prize? PS: That’s the million-dollar question! We know that many of the teams have been training hard for Música Copa, which is good to hear. At the end of the day it’s a fun event, but with a large chunk of money up for grabs for the winning team’s charity, there’s a lot to play for

Kerser

too! Some of the star names include Sir Bob from The Bloody Beetroots, Jamie Jones and Tommy Trash, plus What So Not, Van She and Movement! It’s gonna be an epic day… What: Música Copa Where: Fraser Park, Marrickville When: Thursday December 5, 11am-5pm And: Open to the public via cash charity donation. Capacity limited. See musicacopa.com for more.

ILLY ANNOUNCES NATIONAL TOUR

Marcel Dettmann

Emcee Illy has announced a national tour in the wake of releasing his fourth studio album Cinematic, which debuted at a lofty position in the ARIA album charts recently. Cinematic features guest appearances from Hilltop Hoods, Drapht, Daniel Merriweather and Kira Puru, with production credits from Jan Skubiszewski, Styalz Fuego and Cam Bluff. On his forthcoming tour Illy will be fl anked by Sydney hip hop duo Jackie Onassis, who were nominated for triple j’s Unearthed Artist of the Year, and Melbourne emcee Remi, who did in fact take home the j award for Unearthed Artist of the Year. Illy and the aforementioned support cast play The Metro on Friday March 14.

SPICE FT NICK HÖPPNER

KERSER

Kerser has just dropped his third album S.C.O.T, a release he claims reflects recent experiences and head spaces spurred by his success. “These days I find myself kind of preaching to the youth a lot more. Letting them know no matter how bad shit gets where you’re at, there is a way out, and I’m proof of this.” Inspirational, right? Kerser plays an all-ages show at The Hi-Fi on Saturday February 8.

Amir Alexander

Berlin techno icon Nick Höppner, the manager of Ostgut Ton and a Panoramabar resident, will headline The Spice Cellar on Saturday December 14. Half of the now defunct, but once ground-breaking German house duo My My alongside Lee Jones, Höppner has released on leading labels like Kompakt, but is best known for his ties to Ostgut Ton. Last year Höppner dropped his house-leaning Panorama Bar 04 compilation, which included cuts from Dexter, Matthew Styles and The Mole. “I tend to enjoy DJs who go from A to Z a lot more than someone who only goes from A to B,” Höppner has previously stated. “I think it’s important to cover a lot of different styles, and it also helps you to surprise sometimes.” Prepare to get alphabetic, people. Head to thespicecellar.com.au for more information.

MARCEL DETTMANN @ IVY

Marcel Dettmann will perform in the Ivy main room on Saturday February 22. A posterboy for the notorious Berlin nightclub Berghain, Dettmann’s vaunted reputation is founded on his productions for the self-conducted MDR label and his remixes for the likes of Modeselektor, Fever Ray, Junior Boys and Scuba. He’s also forged a strong alliance with fellow Berliner Ben Klock, and has released two albums, most recently Dettmann II on the Ostgut Ton label earlier this year. The party kicks off at midday and will run through ’til 8pm.

AMIR ALEXANDER

Renowned Chicago house producer Amir Alexander will play the next Strange Signals party, slotted for Goodgod Small Club on Saturday December 14. Alexander started releasing records in ’08 after well over a decade of DJing. A classically trained musician, Alexander has released on labels like Hakim Murphy’s Machining Dreams and his own Vanguard Sound imprint, establishing a strong underground following in the process. He continues to drop tracks that are charted and played by underground DJs world wide. Supporting Alexander at his first Sydney club show will be Magda Bytnerowicz and Simon Caldwell, with doors opening at 11pm.

thebrag.com

JORDAN DECK FAREWELLS STRANGE FRUIT

Strange Fruit main man Jordan Deck has announced that he is taking a backward step from promoting for a while, bringing an end to his stint overseeing the much-loved free weekly Saturday night party at The Abercrombie. With the strong support of the venue, Deck built a fantastic brand and weekly hub, solidifying the venue’s status as an electronic music stronghold by booking an excellent mix of local DJs, while often throwing in a high profile international – most recently Mr C. The Sydney club circuit will definitely be worse off for Deck’s absence, but he can still be tracked down in his Surry Hills café Suzy Q Coffee and Records, which hosts a weekly Sunday slow cooked brunch featuring guest DJs on rotation. While it’s certainly a change of pace, the more relaxed affair provides the perfect recovery from the night before. On behalf of dancers all across Sydney, Brag staffers raise our glass to Deck for the many great Saturday nights on the ’crombie dancefloor. BRAG :: 541 :: 02:12:13 :: 39

Anna Lunoe Another Voice By Claire Knight

A

nna Lunoe is killing it. It has been 18 months since the Sydneysider relocated to the US and in that time she’s proved herself as a key artist to watch in the realms of global dance music. On the phone from Las Vegas – which she casually mentions she has “only played about four times” – Lunoe fills me in on the decision to swap Tim Tams for Twinkies and make the massive move Stateside. “I really did go for it in Australia for a long time and toured constantly,” she explains. “I felt like I played every festival and every club a million times. I just wanted to keep moving forward and I knew there was more to achieve.” Lunoe has been touring nonstop in 2013, working with some major industry players and pumping out tunes with that signature Lunoe house flair. “It is an exciting time here for dance music, people are really getting behind it,” she says of the nation she now calls home. “It is such a big country and there are a lot of opportunities.”

As with many of her releases, Lunoe uses her own vocals in the mix on ‘Breathe’. I ask if there is a possibility of seeing her jump on the mic to bust it out live during a set. “It’s something I’d like to do,” she says. “I started singing in a band years ago. It never went anywhere, but that’s something I thought would always happen.” Mainstream audiences would probably be most familiar with Lunoe’s vocals from ‘I Met You’, her 2012 collaboration with Flume that’s just notched up over a million views on YouTube. “Everyone’s talking about Australian music,” she says. “Every time I do an interview they’re like, ‘Tell me about this Australian sound! What is going on down there?’ We’ve totally got a presence here.” Jokingly referring to the phenomenon as “the Flume thing”, Lunoe admits, “It does have a kind of sound to it. I think that by and large, the music that comes out of Australia has positive, festival vibes because that’s what gets popular in Australia.” Unfortunately, Lunoe is a rare breed in that she is one of few female

producers receiving recognition for her work. “It’s a tough industry for women at the moment,” she agrees. “People want to perceive women as being really sexy and attractive … So, everyone just uses naked or completely objectified women in their videos. All their artwork is just butts and tits and that is how women are being perceived by the mass media.” To quote Lily Allen, “It’s hard out here for a bitch”. Lunoe’s solution? To stop talking about this ‘issue’ and just start promoting female artists in the same capacity as their male counterparts. “If you’re a female DJ you’re instantly compared to every other female DJ, which is not really fair… Basically I just wanna be treated like a dude! At the same time, I know a lot of guy DJs who feel like girl DJs get an easy run, so it’s totally a huge, weird problem.” What: The Falls Music & Arts Festival With: Vampire Weekend, James Vincent McMorrow, Flight Facilities, Grizzly Bear, MGMT, The Preatures, Neil Finn and more Where: Byron Bay, Marion Bay and Lorne When: Saturday December 28 – Friday January 3

Le1f photo by Jake Moore

One of those opportunities was a recent national US support slot with Canadian hip hop/R&B wunderkind The Weeknd, which saw Lunoe delve back to her roots to bring together a versatile but relevant set. After all her achievements in the dance world, it can be easy to forget that Lunoe

started out as a part of Sydney DJ group Hoops alongside Nina Las Vegas and Bad Ezzy. Now her new single, ‘Breathe’, is out via cult label Fool’s Gold (headed up by ex-Kanye West DJ and one half of Duck Sauce, A-Trak).

Danny Rampling A Lesson In House By J B McCauley has cemented his place in history. “Basically we sprinkled a touch of Ibiza’s colour and magic into our parties in London, and that was the blueprint for the rave scene. It was a very unique time for youth culture and a revolution in new music called ‘house techno’. The spirit of that movement still lives on in many people’s lives with ‘unity through music’. So the rave scene made its mark and infl uenced many. It has now become the festival scene as we know it and is a progression of those early raves, mixing live acts with DJs and performers.” This leads us into how he sees EDM and its explosion in recent times. “EDM is a great thing to happen in the USA, as electronic music is now recognised commercially and a new generation of clubbers has embraced and created a scene which hasn’t happened in the US since rock’n’roll and rap. The roots of EDM are in house and trance music. The sound has uplifting songs and lyrics, which helps with radio play. Swedish House Mafi a sold fi ve million copies worldwide of ‘Don’t You Worry Child’. That is incredible.”

T

he term ‘legend’ is often overused in the DJ industry. For that truth to be attained, a DJ must be a visionary, establish a legacy that cannot be ignored and be considered a person who has influenced beyond measure. In the case of Danny Rampling, all of this is true and more.

40 :: BRAG :: 541 :: 02:12:13

So when Shoom started, the nightlife was ripe for the picking. Rampling repackaged an obscure Spanish nightclub and turned it into his scene and his night. He brought the party and London, followed by the rest of the planet, went

along for the ride. Fast-forward to the present day and his idea has become an industry. The music that he promoted has become the beat by which people live their lives. Originally, though, Rampling aspired only to have his own radio show. “I wanted to be a radio DJ first as that is what influenced me … I was fascinated by radio broadcasting. [My] career as an international DJ flourished partly through radio work. Pirate radio is still close to my heart and pirate radio is where mine and many DJ careers began. It is still alive and kicking in the UK and keeps flying the flag for underground music forms.” Whilst radio inspired him, it is as a founding member of the UK dance movement that Rampling

“The underground will always be with us, though, and many kids who have been introduced to EDM will seek and be infl uenced by underground sounds as tastes develop further.” Rampling himself has not stood still in developing his performance style. He utilises digital technology because of its versatility and now performs with his wife Ilona. “It

works really well. We have great synergy together and Ilona is very talented. She has been DJing for 12 years. It happened very naturally, playing sets together at [London club] East Bloc. We are DJing together on this current tour of Asia. We are also writing songs and have produced tracks to be released in 2014.” Nonetheless, Rampling recognises what he is known for and what is expected of him when he plays at Goldfi sh this week. “I will be playing uplifting melodic house music with maybe a couple of classics thrown in. Nothing dull. I’m not into plodding music. I fi nd much of the new wave of fashionable deep house uninspiring. Flat sounds waiting for something to happen. The music stays linear.” The man certainly does not rest on his laurels. He always looks to the future. “There’s no point dwelling on the past. It’s done. Yesterday is history and I feel very blessed to have been at the forefront.” J B McCauley is the author of The King Of Sunday Morning – A fi ctional journey into the world of Australian Gangsters, DJs and House Music. Available at Amazon UK, The Book Depository and Angus & Robertson. What: Goldfish’s Fifth Birthday feat. Danny Rampling Where: Goldfish, Kings Cross When: Saturday December 7 thebrag.com

xxx photo by xxxx

He, along with Nicky Holloway and Paul Oakenfold, are regarded as the men responsible for starting the rave and dance phenomena in the UK and giving to the world their vision of dance music. A birthday holiday to Ibiza 25 years ago sowed the seed of an idea. A short time later, in a disused gymnasium in south London, that seed blossomed into a night called Shoom. And the rest, as they say, is history…

Before Rampling there was no house scene in the UK. There did exist the more conservative soul and Northern Soul nights – they were the descendants of the original sounds of Stax and Motown, but the wild abandon of disco had long since disappeared and these children of soul were but a mere blip on the Saturday night landscape. The drab suburban and inner city nightclubs were stifled by bland pop music and a new generation of thrill-seekers was looking to express its feelings in fits of boundless hedonism.

“The Electric Daisy [Carnival] in the USA had over 300,000 kids going nuts to electronic music peacefully and having the time of their lives,” Rampling continues. “The scene is so fresh and new to young America. It’s only going to get bigger and bigger and when America does something it is always on a grand scale. It’s an exciting time for dance music on a commercial level.

“There’s no point dwelling on the past... Yesterday is history and I feel very blessed to have been at the forefront.”

BRAG :: 541 :: 02:12:13 :: 41

g guide send your listings to : clubguide@thebrag.com

Insane Clown Posse

Xxx

club pick of the week

+ IDJut Boys + Noise In My Head Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 10pm. $13. Soft & Slow - feat: Slow Blow + Pink Lloyd + Steven Sullivan The Spice Cellar, Sydney. 10pm. $10. The Underground Battleground - feat: Harper + Dosage + Oh Dear Candy’s Apartment, Potts Point. 8pm. $15.

Oneman

SATURDAY DECEMBER 7 HIP HOP & R&B

Insane Clown Posse The Hi-Fi, Moore Park. 7:30pm. $61.50. Loose Change Civic Underground, Sydney. 9pm. $15. Nje Album Launch - feat: Untaymable + DJ Rilye Jm + Jason Matts + Kaz & The Voodoo Gang + 316 + Chaotic Methodz + Hard Evidence Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 8pm. $20.

SATURDAY DECEMBER 7

CLUB NIGHTS

The Hi-Fi

Insane Clown Posse 7:30pm. $61.50. TUESDAY DECEMBER 3 CLUB NIGHTS

EMC Special Event: DJ Degustation - feat: Smallpeople + Nico Stojan The Spice Cellar, Sydney. 7pm. free. EMC & Spice Presents Australian Artist Agency Showcase With Finely Tuned + Waving At Trains The Spice Cellar, Sydney. 10pm. $10.

WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 4 HIP HOP & R&B

The Wall - feat: Resident DJs World Bar, Kings Cross. 8pm. $5.

CLUB NIGHTS

Clash - feat: DJ Harper + DJ Bronx Candy’s Apartment, Potts Point. 9:30pm. free. EMC After Hours - feat: Spice Troopers + Special Guests The Spice Cellar, Sydney. 10pm. free. The Supper Club - feat: Resident DJs

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Kit & Kaboodle, Kings Cross. 10pm. free. Whip It Wednesdays - feat: DJs Camo + Snillum + Jaimie Lyn Whaat Club, Kings Cross. 9pm. free.

THURSDAY DECEMBER 5 HIP HOP & R&B

Block Party - feat: Bam Bam The Lansdowne Hotel, Chippendale. 7:30pm. free. Hip Hop Thursdays - feat: Slippery + Jaz + Can Okan + Anomaly Name This Bar, Darlinghurst. 8pm. free. Noisia + Foreign Beggars feat: UZ + Nick Thayer The Hi-Fi, Moore Park. 9pm. $44.50.

CLUB NIGHTS

Cool For Cats - feat: Valentino + Camo + Buu Whaat Club, Kings Cross. 9pm. free. EMC After Hours - feat: Claude VonStroke The Spice Cellar, Sydney. 11pm. $20. Exile (Blu & Exile) + Choosey (Dirty Science) Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 8pm. free. Loopy - feat: Drty Csh +

Daschwood + Generous Greed + Guest DJs The Backroom, Sydney. 9pm. $10.

FRIDAY DECEMBER 6

After Dark - feat: Resident DJs Whaat Club, Kings Cross. 8pm. $15. Argyle Saturdays - feat: Resident DJs The Argyle, The Rocks. 5pm. free. Astral People Present Oneman + Cliques + Mike Who + Preacha Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 10pm. $25. Disco Disco - feat: SMS + Sherlock Bones + Chick Flick Candy’s Apartment, Potts Point. 8pm. $15. FBi Hands Up! - feat: DJ Clockwerk + Special Friends With Benefits FBi Social, Kings Cross. 11:30pm. free. Goldfish 5th Birthday feat: Danny Rampling + Goldfish Residents Goldfish, Kings Cross. 9pm. $20. Homemade Saturdays feat: Resident DJs Home Nightclub, Darling Harbour. 9pm. $25. Jacksons Saturdays - feat: Resident DJs Jacksons On George, Sydney. 9pm. free. Masif Saturdays

Space, Sydney. 10pm. free. Restless Generation - feat: Bronx + Buu Whaat Club, Kings Cross. 9pm. free. Skybar Saturdays - feat: Resident DJ The Watershed Hotel, Sydney. 9:30pm. $20. Soda Saturdays - feat: Resident DJs Playing Disco And Funk Soda Factory, Surry Hills. 5pm. free. Spice - feat: Alex Flatner + Brydie Tong + Morgan The Spice Cellar, Sydney. 10pm. $25. The Suite - feat: Resident DJs Sapphire Lounge, Potts Point. 8pm. free.

SUNDAY DECEMBER 8 CLUB NIGHTS

Beresford Sundays - feat: Resident DJs Upstairs Beresford, Surry

Hills. 3pm. free. Doppelganger Dames feat: Gallery Burlesque Performers The Standard, Surry Hills. 8pm. $21.40. Easy Sundays - feat: Resident DJs Kit & Kaboodle, Kings Cross. 10pm. free. S.A.S.H Sundays - feat: Secret Guest + Chris Woods & Will Allen + Brydie Tong + Matt Weir + Kerry Wallace The Abercrombie, Broadway. 2pm. $10. Soup Kitchen - feat: The Soup Kitchen DJs World Bar, Kings Cross. 7pm. free. Spice After Hours - feat: Steven Sullivan + Murat Kilic And Guests The Spice Cellar, Sydney. 4am. $20. Sunday @ Gay Bar - feat: Resident DJ The Gay Bar, Darlinghurst. 3pm. free. Sunday Sessions - feat: DJ Kristiano Oatley Hotel, Oatley. 6pm. free. Claude VonStroke

HIP HOP & R&B

Kid Mac Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $15.30.

CLUB NIGHTS

Argyle Fridays - feat: Resident DJs The Argyle, The Rocks. 6pm. free. Dusk - feat: Swell + Them Again + Parental Guidance Whaat Club, Kings Cross. 9pm. free. El’Circo - feat: Resident Circus Act Performers Slide Lounge, Darlinghurst. 7pm. $109. EMC Special Event: DJ Degustation - feat: Michelle Owen The Spice Cellar, Sydney. 7pm. free. Factory Fridays - feat: Resident DJs Soda Factory, Surry Hills. 5pm. free. Mashed Fridays - feat: DJ Ric C Oatley Hotel, Oatley. 8pm. free. Pelvis + Standish/Carlyon

thebrag.com

Deep Impressions

club picks p send your listings to : clubguide@thebrag.com

Dance And Electronica with Chris Honnery

Klartraum

Alex Flatner

TUESDAY DECEMBER 3 Emc & Spice Presents Australian Artist Agency Showcase With Finely Tuned + Waving At Trains The Spice Cellar, Sydney. 10pm. $10.

THURSDAY DECEMBER 5 Emc After Hours - Feat: Claude Vonstroke The Spice Cellar, Sydney. 11pm. $20. Block Party - Feat: Bam Bam The Lansdowne Hotel, Chippendale. 7:30pm. Free.

Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 10pm. $13. Soft & Slow - Feat: Slow Blow + Pink Lloyd + Steven Sullivan The Spice Cellar, Sydney. 10pm. $10.

SATURDAY DECEMBER 7 Astral People Present Oneman - Feat: Cliques + Mike Who + Preacha Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 10pm. $25. Goldfish 5th Birthday - Feat: Danny Rampling + Goldfish Residents Goldfish, Kings Cross. 9pm. $20. Spice - Feat: Alex Flatner + Brydie Tong + Morgan The Spice Cellar, Sydney. 10pm. $25.

FRIDAY DECEMBER 6

SUNDAY DECEMBER 8

Kid Mac Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $15.30. Pelvis - Feat: Idjut Boys + Standish/ Carlyon + Noise In My Head

S.A.S.H Sundays - Feat: Secret Guest + Chris Woods & Will Allen + Brydie Tong + Matt Weir + Kerry Wallace The Abercrombie, Broadway. 2pm. $10.

S

ubsonic Music’s popular annual harbour boat cruise, Pirates of the Underground, will set sail on Sydney Harbour for its seventh instalment on Saturday December 21, with a number of DJs from the Subsonic Music Festival taking to the decks. Headlining is Philip Bader, who was a resident at the hugely popular – and now unfortunately defunct – Berlin nightclub Bar25. Bader has released as part of the Highgrade Disharmonic Orchestra and has also been involved in fruitful sonic partnerships with Heinrich & Hertenfellner’s Sascha Braemer, a union that spawned the anthemic single ‘Thank You’. Renowned Berlin DJ Red Robin will also throw down, along with France’s D-sens and a selection of locals. New Jersey producer Kerri Chandler has mixed the next instalment in the Watergate mix series, which will be available for commercial consumption in February. Since the release of his first single ‘SuperLover/Get It Off’ way back in ’91, Chandler has accumulated a prolific body of work and established himself in the house music canon via classic tracks like ‘Bar A Thym’ and ‘Back To The Raw’ along with his curation of his Madhouse label. His forthcoming mix was recorded live and includes productions from the criminally underrated Frenchman D’Julz, Johnny D, Losoul and a Chandler/Jerome Sydenham collaboration that was crafted specifically for the compilation. If you aren’t already a fan of Chandler, I dare say you’ll be converted by the rant he reportedly delivered to dancers at Paris’ Rex Club earlier this year upon receiving one too many requests: “If you want to request more commercial David Guetta shit then get out, get the fuck out.” You heard the man. Another man who isn’t shy of expressing some attitude from behind the decks, Kenny Dixon Jr., AKA Moodymann, is set to release a new album called ABCD: The Album. Moodymann is entrenched in the club canon for musical sketches that drift between house, disco, jazz and the avant-garde that are interspersed with blaxploitation samples and smooth beats. While I can totally understand some people being put off by KDJ’s propensity to occasionally get a little excessive with the politicisation of his music, there’s little denying his unique sound and ability to capture a sound – nay, zeitgeist – that’s at once so simple yet ostensibly extinct among the younger breed of producers. ABCD: The Album features a dozen cuts, all of which bar one – the opener ‘Hold It Down’ – are previously unreleased. Fellow Detroit export Andrés guests on ‘Come To Me’, while the album artwork ought to be rated MA and not shown to impressionable youths. Put it this way – it would’ve been a far better poster for Wes Craven’s misfiring flick Vampire In Brooklyn than what the studio ultimately opted for.

Shrug will celebrate its fifth anniversary with a party headlined by highly touted Berlin live act Klartraum at The Burdekin on Friday December 13. Klartraum is the duo of Nadja Lind – who has released on labels such as Soma and been remixed by stalwart Terry Francis – and Helmut Ebritsch, who put out the excellent single ‘Modern Times’ under his Hatikvah moniker. Klartraum have released albums such as Evolution through their own Lucidflow imprint, which Ebritsch and Lind founded five years ago. Evolution spawned a remix album in 2011 that featured reworks from the aforementioned Francis, Silicone Soul, Steve Rachmad, Mark Henning, G-Man and Marek Hemmann among others. Such a formidable list is an indication of Klartraum’s standing in the electronic music milieu. Their set at the Burdekin will be an encore for anyone planning on attending this week’s Subsonic Music Festival with Lind also set to play a DJ set later in the night along with excellent locals such as Jimi Polar and Trinity.

Kerri Chandler

LOOKING DEEPER FRIDAY DECEMBER 6

Subsonic Music Festival Riverwood Downs Mountain Valley Resort

FRIDAY DECEMBER 13 Klartraum + Nadja Lind The Burdekin

SATURDAY DECEMBER 21

Subsonic’s Pirates Of The Underground VII ft Philip Bader Boat Departs Rose Bay Wharf

TUESDAY DECEMBER 31 Big Strick Marrickville Bowling Club

Deep Impressions: electronica manifesto and occasional club brand. Contact through deep.impressions@yahoo.com thebrag.com

BRAG :: 541 :: 02:12:13 :: 43

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sosueme ft. alison wonderland

PICS :: LWA

mix master mike

PICS :: AM

up all night out all week . . .

06:11:13 :: The Beach Road Hotel :: 71 Beach Rd Bondi Beach 9130 7247

20:11:13 :: Upstairs Beresford :: 354 Bourke St Surry Hills 8313 5000

live review What we've been out to see... THE SPICE CELLAR 2ND BIRTHDAY FT. CARL CRAIG The Spice Cellar Thursday November 21

Added to this was the fact the night was ‘Harajuku Neon’-themed, with a strict ‘no effort, no entry’ policy (a fact I didn’t ascertain until moments before the gig… cue mad rush to find a last-minute costume, the results of which were, umm, interesting). Despite the fact that I felt a little oddly dressed for the bus trip over, I needn’t have worried once I set foot in the venue – absolutely everyone had wholeheartedly embraced the theme. Glancing around the room I saw pastelwigged Decora/Kawaii girls, cyber goths, glow sticks, a blood-splattered nurse, a dude with Buzz Lightyear wings on and little else, lots of fluoro body paint, more glow sticks, cage dancers on both sides of the DJ booth, and a unicorn – all dancing along to tracks

spun by the likes of Murat Kilic, Simon Caldwell (whose set was a personal favourite of the night), Michelle Owen, Robbie Lowe, Space Junk, Morgan and Myall High. In addition to a cracking lineup of DJs, Spice had taken immense trouble to transform the venue for the theme. Multicoloured Chinese lanterns hung from the ceilings, maneki-neko ‘lucky cat’ statues waved hypnotically in the indigotinged light, fake cherry blossoms adorned the walls and all the staff were decked out in wigs, clashing neon prints and glitter. The man of the moment, Craig, took to the decks around 1am and was predictably awesome, wowing the crowd with a wellintegrated, largely instrumental tech housefocused set, which left everyone wanting more and partying well into the morning. Marisa Lugosi

harbourlife

PHOTOGRAPHER : ASHLEY MAR

PICS :: AM

Legendary Detroit techno and house producer Carl Craig returned to our shores to help The Spice Cellar ring in its second birthday. In the two years since the venue first opened its doors in 2011, it’s firmly established itself as a go-to destination for anyone looking to escape the usual depressing late-night haunts that litter the Sydney CBD. I had a feeling this birthday was going to be a big one.

23:11:13 :: 10th Birthday Edition: 2003-2013:: Fleet Steps, Mrs Macquarie’s Point S :: KATRINA CLARKE :: ASHLEY OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER

44 :: BRAG :: 541 :: 02:12:13

MAR :: JACK@LIFE WITHOUT ANDY

thebrag.com

BRAG :: 541 :: 02:12:13 :: 45

snap

s.a.s.h sundays

PICS :: AM

up all night out all week . . .

wolfgang uv edition + ratlife label launch

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24:11:13 :: The Abercrombie Hotel :: 100 Broadway Ultimo 9280 2178

22:11:13 :: Upstairs Beresford :: 354 Bourke St Surry Hills 8313 5000

46 :: BRAG :: 541 :: 02:12:13

jacques lu cont + bot

PICS :: AM

tkay maidza

PICS :: AM

22:11:13 :: Chinese Laundry :: 111 Sussex St Sydney 8295 9999

23:11:13 :: Chinese Laundry :: 111 Sussex St Sydney 8295 9999 MAR :: JACK S :: KATRINA CLARKE :: ASHLEY OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER

@ LIFE WITHOUT ANDY

thebrag.com

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