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Australian Institute of Music

Australian Institute of Music, 1-55 Foveaux St, Surry Hills NSW For more information visit aim.edu.au or call 02 9219 5444 CRICOS CR IC COS OS 00 06 665 65C

BRAG :: 560 :: 30:04:14 :: 3

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

like us:

@TheBrag

THE BRAG

speed date WITH

JARIN PENNIALL FROM MAR HAZE Your Profile We are just four very average-looking 1. guys who play in a roots/surf/dub band. When

and we ended up snagging a spot. It was the end to a good year.

we aren’t touring we enjoy surfing, golf and searching for exotic clothing. Our ideal fans are people who will listen to our music then remain fans after talking to us in person.

Current Playlist Well, it’s interesting… Dean has an 4. extensive collection of country and useless

Keeping Busy We have just finished a big tour to follow 2. up the release of the first single, ‘Dancing In The Water’. In the past month we have been taking it easy before we head off again in May as we just released our second single, ‘Leave It To Me’. We have a busy winter approaching so rest and time off the road is great at the moment. Also the van needs a good month or two of airing out. Expect to see us in Melbourne, Sydney, Newcastle, the Gold Coast and Brisbane in the months coming though. We are stoked. Best Gig Ever The best gig so far I think would have to 3. be Festival of the Sun in Port Macquarie. We had a great show supporting The Basics, The Rubens, Ash Grunwald, Stonefield and other great acts. We had been applying for a while

Bodyjar

MANAGING EDITOR: Chris Martin chris@thebrag.com 02 9212 4322 ONLINE EDITOR: Tyson Wray ONLINE COORDINATOR: Emily Meller STAFF WRITERS: Alasdair Duncan, Jody Macgregor, Krissi Weiss, Augustus Welby NEWS: Gloria Brancatisano, Chris Honnery, Ed Kirkwood

GIG & CLUB GUIDE COORDINATORS: Ed Kirkwood, Emily Meller, Erin Rooney - gigguide@ thebrag.com (rock); clubguide@thebrag.com (dance, hip hop & parties) AWESOME INTERNS: Sarah Corridon, Ed Kirkwood, Erin Rooney REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS: Nat Amat, Ian Barr, Keiron Costello, Marissa Demetriou, Rachel Eddie, Christie Eliezer, Blake Gallagher, Chris Honnery, Cameron James, Tegan Jones, Lachlan Kanoniuk, Pamela Lee, Alicia Malone, Adam Norris, Daniel Prior, Kate Robertson, Amy Theodore, Leonardo Silvestrini, David Wild, Harry Windsor, Stephanie Yip, 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.

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us excited. If we could get anything I reckon it would be a small list: talcum powder, drinks, food, a wave machine. Where: Lansdowne Hotel / Upstairs Beresford / Narrabeen Sands When: Friday May 5 / Saturday June 14 / Friday July 25

(yes, Rick Springfield!) has announced an Australian tour. He’s sold 25 million records in a long career, and that’s aside from his role as the one and only Dr. Noah Drake in General Hospital. More recently, he popped up onscreen in Dave Grohl’s Sound City documentary, getting weepy about how he mistreated his former manager. See, ladies, he’s sensitive and good-looking. Anyway, Springfield plays Revesby Workers’ Club on Saturday October 11 and the Enmore Theatre on Tuesday October 14. Tickets go on sale Tuesday May 6.

German heavy metal legends Accept have announced they’ll be heading to Australia for the first time ever this November. With a career spanning more than three decades, three reunions and a 14th studio album due out this July, the tour has been a long time coming for the five-piece. In the last 12 months Accept have played at some of the largest music festivals on the planet including Sweden Rock Festival, HellFest, Bloodstock Open Air, Masters Of Rock and Bang Your Head. They’ll take over at the Factory Theatre on Friday November 14. Tickets go on sale Friday May 2.

BODYJAR ANNOUNCE ANNIVERSARY TOUR

To celebrate their 20th anniversary, Bodyjar are teaming up with Samiam, Blueline Medic and Clowns to form one of the best punk rock lineups seen in Australia for a long time. Bodyjar’s debut show (to the best of Cameron Baines’ memory) was at the Great Britain Hotel in Richmond in August 1994 – the first of thousands of shows around the globe. This tour adds five more shows to the tally, taking over venues in Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and Perth. Helping with anniversary celebrations are Californian punk royalty Samiam, Melbourne four-piece Blueline Medic on a rare lap of the country and young guns Clowns. Get in on the action at Manning Bar on Friday August 8.

FAREWELL MADE IN JAPAN

After seven years, two albums and an EP, Sydney cult favourites Made In Japan are going on hiatus. The foursome announced they “have decided to put the project aside to pursue other musical interests”. Founding member Tom Davis is relocating to Canada to follow a career in animation, though they hope to regroup down

She Rex

the track. For now, their final show is set for Oxford Art Factory on Thursday May 8.

RICK SPRINGFIELD IS COMING HOME

Aussie expat and Grammy Award-winning musician, actor and author Rick Springfield

SHE REX AND LEPERS & CROOKS JOINT TOUR

THE WINTER TOUR (IN AUTUMN)

Vancouver Sleep Clinic has announced a headline tour to support the release of his debut EP, Winter. The tour will see Brisbane boy Tim Bettinson take in intimate venues in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. After cutting his teeth as a support act on sold-out tours with the likes of London Grammar and Daughter, and receiving glowing reviews for his debut SXSW showcases, this will be Vancouver Sleep Clinic’s first headline tour. Support comes from fellow Brisbane act Wafia plus Twin Caverns at Goodgod Small Club on Friday May 30.

Vancouver Sleep Clinic

Two of Sydney’s most talked-about talents, She Rex and Lepers & Crooks, will embark on a joint east coast tour in May. The attitudefuelled She Rex have just released a new single and video, ‘The Heist’, off the back of their self-titled debut EP from late last year. Joining them in the tour van are the fi ve-piece Lepers & Crooks (that’s three lepers, two crooks, if you’re wondering – according to the band), whose ‘Her Kiss’ single has had tongues wagging for a while now. The joint tour will hit The Roller Den on Thursday May 22, Mona Vale Hotel on Friday May 23 and Newcastle’s Small Ballroom on Saturday May 24.

xxxx

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golden oldies, Kane listens to the only three artists he has on his iPod on rotation, and Chris and I are into Aussie hip hop. We all do really like The Beautiful Girls, Sticky Fingers, Horrorshow and Spit Syndicate at the moment though. We were fortunate to support Mat McHugh at the start of 2014 and really enjoyed that; also it was great to watch all the artists at FOTSUN.

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rock music news

free stuff

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

head to: thebrag.com/freeshit

five things WITH

STEVEN BOVENIZER FROM MUDLARK from the textures of digital music such as Teebs and Flying Lotus.

the cover art – it looks great. In a live application it’s defi nitely worth seeing. Music, Right Here, Right Now In Perth, the music scene is a very friendly, strange second cousin. It’s considerably smaller and you have less venues to play at as a local performer. You get this funny cross-contamination of interest from an audience where you go to see an electronic artist on one night and then a band the next at the same venue. You can kind of rely on the venues to keep less than average musicians out. While planning our east coast tour we got the feeling the bands in Sydney had a better quality of sound than those in the other eastern states.

Your Band Mudlark is an instrumental 3. two-piece; guitar and drums. 5. Bedroom musicians. We like

Inspirations Madlib is a big inspiration 2. on our songwriting. When you

brother Mahad – he was into Portishead, The Avalanches and MF Doom. War would borrow his MiniDisc player and bring it to school – he would show off. My dad played a lot of funk and disco records while my grandparents would play Irish/ Celtic music.

consider how an album of his may flow with interludes or perhaps tangents in a track because of the way it’s been chopped – we will try to emulate this feeling within a single track. Even though our performance is completely organic we find a lot of influence

The Music You Make We started feeling OK 4. with referring to our genre as ‘experimental’. We’ve put out our EP [Zimdahl] on a limited vinyl pressing, there’s something like 100 left. The digital is out free through Wood & Wire. A good friend and great artist, Oliver Coakley, designed

What: Zimdahl out now through Wood & Wire With: Milkk, Gazar Strips Where: FBi Social When: Friday May 16

Lily Allen

The Bronx

THE WHITE ALBUM CONCERT

Beatles cover bands get a bad rap. After all, before they was Fab, what were The Beatles but a Liverpudlian tribute act to the exotic sounds of US rock’n’roll? But put aside The Dung Beatles, The Bootleg Beatles, The Fab Faux and the rest – because tribute shows don’t get much better than this. Tim Rogers, Josh Pyke, Chris Cheney and Phil Jamieson are reviving their White Album Concert, in which they’ll play the inimitable 1968 The Beatles album in full (with a little help from their friends). A third Sunday July 20 (afternoon) date has been added to the sold-out Friday July 18 and Saturday July 19 shows at the Sydney Opera House, and we’ve got a double pass up for grabs. To be in the running, head to thebrag.com/freeshit and give us your best Beatles tribute band name. If you can beat The Fab Faux, we’ll be impressed.

xxx

Growing Up In primary school, War 1. would get music off his older

playing with unique artists. This could be any genre, it’s not important. We feel without considering artists reviving a sound there’s no real direction for musicians these days. Anyone daring to do something different or weird inspires us. As artists we don’t want to limit ourselves to any particular style or application. This might mean we are operating under different aliases, collaborating with different artists, writing fi lm scores or playing different instruments.

SPLENDOUR TIX ON SALE

Tickets go on sale this Friday May 2 for this year’s edition of Splendour in the Grass, after the hotly anticipated festival lineup was announced last week. On the bill are Outkast (only Australian show), Two Door Cinema Club (only Australian show), Lily Allen, Interpol (only Australian show), Foster The People, Angus & Julia Stone, City And Colour, London Grammar, Vance Joy, Darkside (only Australian show), RÜFÜS, Hoodoo Gurus, Metronomy and many more. Splendour 2014 runs from Friday July 25 – Sunday July 27 at the North Byron Parklands, Byron Bay.

HAUS MUSIC

THE BRONX ARE COMING

The Bronx will make their return to Australia this June. Having slayed Australian stages at the Big Day Out, Groovin The Moo and Meredith Music Festival in the past, this tour will see The Bronx bring their visceral, soul-shakin’ live show for a series of headline dates along the east coast, alongside crossing the Bass Strait for a very special performance at Dark Mofo. See them on Friday June 20 at the Metro Theatre with support from High Tension.

Exciting news for Brisbane four-piece Twin Haus, who have just announced an extensive tour of the east coast. It’s on the back of the release of their debut EP Waxen Myriad and the success of their new single, ‘Night Locust’. The group kicks off the tour in Brisbane, before heading down to Byron Bay, Nimbin, Bellingen and Port Macquarie. They’ll stop in for a Sydney show alongside The Upskirts, Gypsies & Gentlemen and The Vanns at Oxford Art Factory on Friday May 23.

GET LUCKY

Music lovers are in Luck, and not just because they get to enjoy another awkward pun. Tom Vek is back, people. The wait between albums is significantly less this time around; Luck

comes only three years behind Leisure Seizure, which caused such an online frenzy it nearly broke the internet. Or at least the hipster part of it, which is probably underground somewhere and therefore difficult to repair. Vek is more than just a pair of glasses, though. The talented multi-instrumentalist has been producing off-kilter pop that breaks as many conventions as it builds upon. Luck shows off the grungier side of Vek, and his already released ‘Sherman (Animals In The Jungle)’ features heavy synth pulled straight out of the ’90s along with disaffected vocals. As a teaser, it is the exact mix of mystery and intrigue that have kept Vek’s fans so devoted since his performance at the Bait Shop on The OC (yes, really). Keep your ears open for Luck, which will be released on Friday June 6 via Moshi Moshi/[PIAS].

DAVID RYAN HARRIS

US singer-songwriter David Ryan Harris is coming back to town. The Sydney regular began his musical career in 1987 as the frontman of Atlanta rockers Follow For Now. In the years following their split in 1994, Harris has written, produced and toured with the likes of John Mayer, Dave Matthews and Carlos Santana. Within Australia, Harris and Guy Sebastian also enjoy a long history of creative collaboration, with Harris co-writing and co-producing two songs on Sebastian’s Closer To The Sun and four tracks on Like It Like That, and in 2012 he co-wrote the sixtimes platinum Battle Scars. Harris will play The Basement on Wednesday May 14.

FRENZAL RHOMB

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NINE SONS OF DAN

Used Up is the third EP from fivepiece alternative rockers Nine Sons Of Dan (what happened to the other four?), and they’re set to launch it with an east coast tour kicking off in late May. The band has an international flavour – its music builds on the college rock sound made popular by the likes of Yellowcard and All Time Low by giving it an Australian voice. The new EP was recorded in Australia but mixed and mastered in Nashville by J.R. McNeely (Dead Letter Circus, Anberlin), and is due for release on Friday May 9. The nine-date launch tour begins at Hot Damn on Thursday May 22, before heading to Tattersalls Hotel on Saturday May 24 and The Bald Faced Stag on Sunday May 25, where Far Away Stables will play in support. xx

Everyone’s best mates, the Frenzal Rhomb lads, have confirmed a new show happening in Parramatta. If you’re yet to catch the controversial punk lads live, then it’s right about time you did just that. There’ll be sweat, beers, and lots of 90-second punk tunes. The one-off Sydney show is scheduled for the Collector Hotel on Saturday June 28 from 8pm.

Nine Sons Of Dan

thebrag.com

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Industrial Strength Music Industry News with Christie Eliezer

THINGS WE HEAR * After its US debut in Detroit last year, St. Jeromeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Laneway Festival has cancelled plans for a follow-up this year due to lack of availability of the acts it wanted. * Which INXS member has landed the gig as judge of a singing reality TV series? * When Pure Heroine won the Taite Prize for most creative NZ album of the last year, Lorde asked that the cash prize of NZ$10,000 be distributed among the other seven finalists as they probably needed it more. * The kidnapper who grabbed then-nine-yearold Willie Myrick from outside his house in Atlanta, Georgia, threw him out of his car after three hoursâ&#x20AC;Ś because the kid kept singing gospel song â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Every Praiseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; over and over. * The latest Sydney live music pub to go on the market is the Cambridge Tavern in Fairfield. * At an intimate one-hour appearance at Melbourneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Trak Lounge before 800 I Heart Radio winners, Kylie Minogue revealed sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s doing a tour. She also glossed over the furore that dancers on her new video shoot in Melbourne were

initially told it would be just for the experience and exposure, as the budget wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t enough to pay them. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Of course they got paid,â&#x20AC;? she posted. * Chrissy Amphlett can still draw a crowd. The opening night of I Touch Myself exhibition at Paddingtonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Blender Gallery drew Suze DeMarchi, Erika Heynatz, Kylie Kwong, Rick Grossman, Sarah McLeod and cousin Little Pattie. The free exhibition, curated by husband Charley Drayton and featuring pics of her taken by photographers such as Tony Mott and Ian Greene, runs until May 10. Meantime, the video accompanying the I Touch Myself breast cancer campaign has been seen by three million people on Facebook. * The Kinks guitarist Dave Davies, who had a stroke in 2004, sent a message to rumoured fellow stroke victim Malcolm Young of AC/DC to remain positive: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Keep your hands busy and recall your best solos before going to sleep.â&#x20AC;? * Paolo Nutiniâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Caustic Love is the fastest-selling artist album of the year so far in the UK, shifting 109,000

BIGGEST BLUESFEST YET? The 25th Byron Bay Bluesfest drew about 100,000 people. But specific figures to be released by promoters will tell if itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s their biggest or second-biggest crowd. A 180page pictorial book celebrating the festivalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

copies in seven days. * 2NM in the Hunter Valley helped raise $30,000 for local farmers battling one of the worst droughts this decade through its Buy A Bale initiative. * The second Deni Blues And Roots Festival drew 8,000 over two days â&#x20AC;&#x201C; almost double the attendance of last year, promoter Michael Chugg said. * Australian video makers Oh Yeah Wow posted an accusation on their website that One Direction nicked their concept for Clubfeetâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s award-winning â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Everything You Wantedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; clip for their own â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;You And Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. The Clubfeet vid used freeze frame and meeting-in-abody visual effects and was shot in one take. * Ben Harper: â&#x20AC;&#x153;I love touring but I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t plan to do it a whole lot longer. The only thing harder than getting into the music business is knowing when to get out. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m a skateboarder at heart; I think Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be the only one to start a skateboarding career in his 50s.â&#x20AC;? * Mariah Carey spends US$47,000 a year grooming her eight pet dogs with massages and manicures.

25 years is available at bluesfest.com. au. During his set, Michael Franti brought on a heavily pregnant lady who danced onstage, and rubbed her belly. â&#x20AC;&#x153;She wants to get her waters to break during this show,â&#x20AC;? said Franti, whose set also marked his 48th

E HIFI 1300 THO M.AU

THEHIFI.C

Just Announced This Week

birthday. But no baby was born onsite. This year a raffle to help cure cystic fibrosis raised approximately $55,000, its highest fundraising effort ever, with the prize of donated Gibson guitars. Over the last 15 years Bluesfest has raised approximately $367,000 for charity. Acts like John Butler, Nahko and Medicine For The People, Nicky Bomba and Mama Kin headed to the Bentley gas field protest site in Lismore to serenade the protesters.

LOST JAY-Z RECORDINGS CONFISCATED The â&#x20AC;&#x153;lostâ&#x20AC;? master recordings belonging to Jay-Zâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Roc-A-Fella Records, made between 1998 to 2002, have been confiscated by police. TMZ says they were in the possession of producer Chancey Mahan, who worked at the record company from 2008 to 2009. The producer allegedly contacted Live Nation to say he had the tapes in a storage facility in California, and he would either auction them or hand them over for a $100,000 â&#x20AC;&#x153;storage feeâ&#x20AC;?. When he went to the storage place to finalise the deal, police were waiting. He has handed the tapes over while a judge decides who owns them.

IGGY AZALEAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;FANCYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; GOES GOLD While Aussie rapper Iggy Azalea has topped the iTunes charts in the United States with her debut album The New Classic, and is expected to make a top five debut in the official US chart, her single â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Fancyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; feat. Charli XCX has gone gold in Australia. Azaleaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s star has been rising globally over the past 12 months. She now has one million followers on Instagram and 50 million YouTube views. The New Classic was released in Oz on Friday April 21 through Island Records.

HEAPS DECENT LAUNCHES POZIBLE CAMPAIGN Heaps Decent â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the charity set up by Aussie club names Levins, Nina Las Vegas and Diplo to promote the creativity of underprivileged children â&#x20AC;&#x201C; is trying to raise $10,000 through Pozible. It will go towards mastering tracks, music videos, marketing, better gear and more workshops. Prizes include a workshop, a song written about you, a rap song name checking you and merchandising.

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;BLURRED LINESâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; MOST DOWNLOADED IN THE UK Forget the furore about sexual harassment lyrics and bans by student unions. Robin Thickeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Blurred Linesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is now the highestselling download in UK history. It has sold 1.54 million downloads since its release in May 2013, overtaking Adeleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Someone Like Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; (1.53 million). These are followed by Maroon 5â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Moves Like Jaggerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, Gotyeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Somebody That I Used To Knowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, The Black Eyed Peasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;I Gotta Feelingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and Daft Punkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Get Luckyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Happyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, by Pharrell Williams, has sold 1.3 million downloads â&#x20AC;&#x201C; slotting in at number nine.

AUSSIE ACTS GO PLATINUM Sat 22 Nov

Thu 1 May

Fri 2 May

Sat 3 May

Toxic Holocaust & Iron Reagan

John Newman

D.R.I

DJ Premier & Pete Rock (USA)

Coming Soon

SOUND SUMMIT TO TAKE HIATUS IN 2014

Sat 10 May

Fri 9 May

Jonny Craig (USA)

Children of Bodom

Sat 31 May

Fri 20 Jun

Cubanizate

Band of Skulls (USA)

Sat 5 Jul

Fri 11 Jul

Bell X1

Sheppardâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Geronimoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, Jessica Mauboyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Never Be The Sameâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and Canberra EDM act Peking Dukâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Highâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; have been certified platinum. In other news, Pharrellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Happyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is now seven times platinum in Australia.

Tankard (GER)

Fri 16 May

Misery Signals (USA)

Fri 30 May

Kingswood

Fri 27 Jun

Sat 28 Jun

The Crimson ProjeKCt

First Sounds feat. DJ Maveriq

Sat 27 Sep

Rebel Souljahz (USA)

ENTERTAINMENT QUARTER, BUILDING 220, 122 LANG RD, MOORE PARK, SYDNEY

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The Sound Summit Festival of Independent and Innovative Music will take a break this year. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The ongoing financial viability of the festival has been a major factor in this decision, with Sound Summit currently seeking out a range of funding and partnership options within a revised business plan,â&#x20AC;? organisers said. Sound Summit launched in 2000 as part of Newcastleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s This Is Not Art Festival. It went standalone in 2011, and last year moved to Sydney.

RADIO RATINGS: KIIS TAKES LEAD The second radio ratings of the year showed that Australian Radio Networkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s KIIS 1065 is the most popular of the music stations. Talkback station 2GB leads with a 14.3 share. But the rebranded KIIS has grown to 10.1 from 8.8. It leads over Nova 96.9 at 7.9 from 7.7, WSFM (7.5 from 6.3), smoothfm 95.3 (6.6 from 7.1), triple j (5.9 from 5.2), Triple M (5.3 from 4.9) and 2Day (4.1 from 4.2). The Kyle And Jackie O Show rose from 9.3 to 10.9 to become the biggest breakfast show in Sydney, beating Novaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s team (7.9) and 2Dayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (4.1).

PRINCE, WARNER BROS STRIKE NEW DEAL Remember when Prince claimed he was a â&#x20AC;&#x153;slaveâ&#x20AC;? to Warner Bros. Records? That was then. In a new deal, he has regained ownership of his master tapes. The deal includes a global licensing partnership with Warner that covers every album he released from 1978 into the â&#x20AC;&#x2122;90s. A new studio LP is on its way. So is a digitally remastered deluxe 30th anniversary version of his breakthrough Purple Rain album and movie. The album, a number one in Australia, sold 20 million worldwide and is the sixth best-selling soundtrack of all time. Two tracks, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;When Doves Cryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Go Crazyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, hit number one in America.

NEW AGENCY MAKER LAUNCHES Artist Voiceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s head of electronic music, Alastair Green, has left to set up a new agency called MAKER. It will cover artist management, artist bookings, venue bookings, events and tour management, promotions and consulting. The idea is for artists on its roster to collaborate with each other. Promoter Jon Debeere will continue to work closely with Green as he did at Artist Voice.

Lifelines Injured: Dariya â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Nookieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Stavrovich, female singer with Russian heavy rock band The Slot, was stabbed multiple times in the neck in a cafĂŠ. Hospitalised: Within The Ruins singer Tim Goergen for heart and liver complications. In Court: Jason Connors, 23, of Gladstone, QLD, appeared in Lismore Local Court charged with punching a cop in the eye after being refused entry to Bluesfest. Connors admitted heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d had â&#x20AC;&#x153;eight or nineâ&#x20AC;? alcoholic drinks before arriving at the site with two friends. The three were refused entry by security who notified police. Connors refused to give ID and allegedly struck out. In Court: aspiring rapper Rashad Charjuan Owens was hit with four extra charges over the South By Southwest hit-and-run in which four died and 17 were injured while waiting outside a club. Sued: New York actress and model Sally Ferreira has hit 50 Cent with a US$11 million defamation suit. She claims he abused her with colourful language, leaked photos of a video shoot they did together and insinuated they were dating. Suing: Aretha Franklin has taken a US$10 million action against online site The News Nerd which made up a story that sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d got into a punch-up with Patti LaBelle at a concert. Franklin didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t see the humour, and said she was defamed. Died: long-time 2RRR jazz presenter Ray Volpatti from postoperative complications after major surgery to remove a tumour. He joined the station in 1996 with his Rayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bag which centered on the bebop era. He was also a board member and their technical director, and a member of 2RES (Eastside Radio). Died: US country musician Arthur â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Guitar Boogieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Smith, 93. His best-known song (of an impressive 500) was â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Dueling Banjosâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; from the Deliverance movie. Died: Australian ticketing executive Tim Roberts. He spent 20 years working for ARTS Australia and providing inspirational leadership across ticketing, CRM and arts marketing in Australia, NZ, USA, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, South Africa, Turkey, Spain, Chile and the UK. He was also the chair of NARPACAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ticketing Professionals Conference Committee.

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for his contribution to Kanye West’s masterpiece My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, and followed it up by producing tracks for West’s and Jay-Z’s Watch The Throne LP.

PETE

West, someone not particularly known for his modesty, has put it on record, declaring Rock “one of the most legendary producers of all time”. Pharrell Williams, meanwhile, admits he aspires to affect the masses the way Rock has throughout his career. “That’s how you know that you’re a legend, ’cause you can come out at any time … Age is not a factor when you’re a genius,” Williams said in 2008 ahead of Rock’s NY’s Finest release. What’s surprising and refreshing, though, is that for all this worthy praise, Rock remains grounded in a scene where a degree of front is both expected and applauded.

ROCK

“I started out doing this as a hobby, not knowing that it would be my career later on in life,” he says. “It’s a true blessing from God, and without him it wouldn’t have been possible, and without Heavy D – rest in peace – it wouldn’t have been possible. He noticed my talent at a very young age.” Rock’s New York roots remain strong, evident both in his enduring love for the New York Knicks and his continued support for the next generation of hip hop artists. In fact, his efforts on that count extend beyond the Big Apple and into the upper echelons of higher education, as a visit to Harvard University late last year demonstrated. “9th Wonder brought me and DJ Premier on campus to speak to the young students there about our careers, our music and how we got started in the music business and so forth,” he says. Meanwhile, a trip to Austin’s South By Southwest festival earlier this year provided an opportunity for Rock to assess the strength of up-andcomers. “It was a lot of fun to meet younger guys, young people just wanting to be in the music business. I always try to offer some type of wisdom to the young folks.” “All this new young talent that’s out here making music – I keep my ear to them.” It’s a fair bet this new crop is keeping its ears to Pete Rock, too, and while the way youngsters are making, marketing and playing music differs greatly to how it was done back in the day, Rock, an active social media user, is forthright when asked how he’s affected by rapid changes in technology. “I’m not,” he laughs. “I’ve basically joined the clan of all-new digital equipment. I still collect vinyl and I still use vinyl, but when I’m DJing parties and performing shows, it’s Serato.” “Now it’s just my laptop that I carry around the world with me to DJ [which] cuts out … the hassle of carrying records everywhere. I actually can’t believe I used to do that. [But] I’m cool with that, you know what I’m saying?” While the style and methods may have changed over the years, Rock says individuality remains the key to musical expression, whatever gear is being used. “Everyone has a different feel on how they approach using equipment and making music,” he says. “Me, for instance, I was always used to the natural way – using equipment in the ’90s that was available, like the Akai 950 sampler, or the SP-1200 or the TR-808 drum machine.

IN THE HOUSE • BY TIM MCNAMARA

espite having a discography as long and impressive as the list of artists singing his praises, hip hop legend Pete Rock’s recipe for success is relatively simple. “Just be passionate, never give up, and love what you do,” he says from his hometown New York. “You’ll prosper from those three things alone.”

“I just feel like people like myself have to keep ourselves connected to what’s going on out

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It’s that ear that has seen Rock rise to, and remain, at the top of the global hip hop heap for over 20 years. Through pioneering the injection of jazz, funk and soul into the genre, he’s positioned himself as both an influence on, and inspiration to, many of today’s biggest names. Born Peter Phillips in The Bronx in 1970, the sixth of seven children, Rock was raised in ‘Money Earnin’’ Mount Vernon and got his break from his cousin and scene luminary, the

late great Heavy D. As a fresh-faced 16-yearold, Rock emerged supporting Marley Marl in the mix on New York City’s WBLS radio. Linking with fellow New York rapper CL Smooth in the early 1990s, Rock became a main player in that golden age of quality hip hop. The release of timeless albums like 1992’s Mecca And The Soul Brother featuring single ‘They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)’ – an ode to fallen friend Troy Dixon of Heavy D & the Boyz – garnered Rock a reputation as one of the most talented producers in the game. And that was just the start. Over the course of 11 albums and last year’s 80 Blocks From Tiffany’s Part II mixtape, Rock has generated sales approaching 30 million units. In the studio, meanwhile, he’s produced for and remixed everyone from The Notorious B.I.G., Mary J. Blige and TLC to Mick Jagger, Madonna and Lady Gaga. In 2011, he picked up a Grammy

“I’M VERY PASSIONATE. I LOVE MUSIC, I LOVE MAKING MUSIC. I LOVE HIP HOP, I LOVE MAKING HIP HOP. I KEEP MY EAR TO THE GROUND.”

“Everyone has a different feel for one another. With that said, I stay tuned to what’s going on around me, and I just add my Pete Rock to whatever I’m doing.” Rumours of a joint album with DJ Premier have been doing the rounds ever since the duo’s oneoff show in Japan in 2010, but while that show did inform the evolution of the Collusion tour, Rock is quick to shoot down speculation of a forthcoming album. “I’m not too sure it’s gonna happen anymore. Premier has his ventures that he does, and me the same. Right now we’re just focusing on doing these shows.” And what can the masses expect onstage in Australia? Rock is tight-lipped. “It’s a surprise. We can’t give it away, [but] we’ll have plenty in store for you.” What: Collusion: DJ Premier x Pete Rock Where: The Hi-Fi When: Saturday May 3

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Pete Rock photo by Laurie Markiewicz

Ahead of his and fellow luminary DJ Premier’s Australian tour – the first in the Collusion concert series revolving around collaborative artist performances – Rock is in evergreen form, rattling off current projects at breakneck speed. In addition to the forthcoming third instalment in his acclaimed Soul Survivor album series, there’s an EP with Brooklyn rappers Skyzoo and Torae in the works, ongoing collaboration with De La Soul on their new album, work with emerging Harlem rapper Smoke DZA, and a “couple of movie things” as well as a “big surprise” on the horizon.

there,” Rock says. “I’m very passionate. I love music, I love making music. I love hip hop, I love making hip hop. I keep my ear to the ground.”

“But today has so many different sounds and different equipment that I actually love. I actually go to South By Southwest to see what’s really out there, to go to a Yamaha panel, or … somewhere where they’re talking about something new that’s gonna hit the market.

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Steve Kilbey And Robyn Hitchcock In Conversation By Augustus Welby RH: I could, but I’d have to have a laptop working. I’m a bit of a luddite. I’m not really very machine-friendly. About 2000AD I bought a dictaphone to write songs into. That was alright, but it was very hissy. Now, either I remember a song or I don’t, so the strong ones survive. Songs are like cats, they turn up when they want to. You can’t open for business at 9:30 on Monday morning and say, ‘OK song, step this way.’ SK: So far you’re reminding me of Grant McLennan. This is how he was with songs, suddenly it was just happening out of the blue. Whereas, if someone wants me to write a song at 9:30 on Monday morning, I will fucking write a song. There’s other people who have a more mysterious relationship with it. RH: I think that’s probably me. Although I’ve written a lot I can’t take them for granted. They just appear when they will. Like bats or fireflies, they really are elusive. How do you feel about colour and sound? Are you very synaesthetic?

n the last three-and-a-half decades, Steve Kilbey and Robyn Hitchcock have churned out more than 1,000 songs between them. Kilbey is perhaps best known as the bassplaying frontman for Sydney’s psychedelic pop masters The Church, but his solo and collaborative records are just as constant as the band’s. Hitchcock first made an imprint fronting London’s ironic post-punk group The Soft Boys, but since the early ’80s he’s been leading his own enterprise. Right now the poetically inclined pair are taking the Insects And Stars tour around the country, but prior to this they hadn’t actually met. In a special BRAG feature, we got Kilbey and Hitchcock together and let them do the talking about each other’s art and career choices.

Steve Kilbey: When you write a song do you write it by grabbing a guitar, strumming some chords and going [sings], “I feel pretty good today…”? Or do you work with a tape recorder or a computer, slowly building up little pointillistic things? Robyn Hitchcock: Either there’s something about the way I play a couple of chords that suggests there’s going to be a song, or I flick through my notebooks, because I write a lot of stuff when I’m moving around. If you’re on a train or a plane or somewhere you can’t play the guitar, all you can do is write. SK: You could get on GarageBand and write a song.

SK: I don’t have that unless I’m on some psychedelic drug. I have another thing with words, [which is] also regarded as a problem if you’re mentally ill. It’s semantic hyper-priming, like a constant bombardment of words. This is the way they judge a lunatic: if the guy doing the test says, “Dog,” most people say, “Walk, collar, bark,” but if you ask a lunatic or an eccentric old rocker with semantic hyper-priming, he’s going to say, “Galaxy, miserable” – anything at all, because his mind hasn’t been wired up that way. RH: Well, you know, no mental illness, no talent, basically. That’s the trade-off. Don’t you think creativity’s there as a way of processing the difficulty we have with existence? It seems like we’re doing this to process the fact that life is not working for us the way we expected. SK: [Laughs] I agree with that. Guys like you and me who have been doing it a long time and written lots of songs, and yet we’re not going around on the circuit doing some old thing we did – we’re writing lots of new

songs and people like our new songs pretty much as much as our old songs – we’re chronic songwriters. RH: It’s a habit that one acquires that one can’t really shake. What did you listen to when you were growing up, when you were ten or 11? SK: I listened to The Beatles and I had Beatles magazines and I was sort of an aficionado of Dylan and the Stones. I was the kid down the back of the class drawing pictures of guys playing guitar. I was obsessed with rock’n’roll. Eventually, at 16, I nagged my father to get me a bass guitar. RH: Why did you go for the bass? You sensed that’s where the power lay? SK: I went to a school social and saw a band and the guitars and the drums were exciting, but then there was this other sound. It wasn’t even like a sound. It was sort of hitting you in the guts and I just thought, “Fuck, I have to do that. That’s my vocation – to make that sound.” RH: In that case you’re on a mission for your 16-year-old self, which we all are, certainly in this business. I recently made a record produced by Joe Boyd [Pink Floyd, Nick Drake], so I’ve impressed my 16-year-old self. But I don’t know whether he’d like it. He might find it a bit too mellow. SK: Robyn, if our 16-year-old selves confronted us what would they fucking expect? We’ve stayed true to it. We’re not on the cabaret circuit, we still love what we’re doing and we’re minstrels. We haven’t made millions of dollars. We’re still going around doing it half for love, half for money and half because we’re fucking mad! With: Dave Mason Where: Metro Theatre When: Saturday May 10 And: Steve Kilbey’s Miscellanea – Whispers In The Static and Robyn Hitchcock’s Love From London are out now

Dallas Crane Off The Dope And On The Road By Rod Whitfield

he name Dallas Crane has not been seen around as much recently as it was in the mid-to-late 2000s when it was kind of everywhere in Aussie rock circles. Between approximately 2004 and 2009, the band’s profile experienced a steady rise, with the release of albums three and four, relentless touring and multiple ARIA Award nominations. There’s a good reason why Dallas Crane have been under the radar since that heady period – they have been on a four- to five-year break from the scene after many years of relentless hard work. Fans of the band and Aussie rock in general can rejoice now, however, as 2014 marks the quartet’s return to the scene in both a recorded and live sense. Vocalist, guitarist and founding member Dave Larkin caught up with the BRAG to discuss the break and the comeback. “We were one of those bands that were just in fifth gear the whole time,” he says. “We never really took a break at all. It just got to critical mass and we just decided that, for a number of reasons, [a break] is probably the best thing to do while we all worked on other things. We wanted to keep the idea of Dallas Crane interesting, rather than just going over the same thing all over again.”

Dallas Crane have released a new single entitled ‘Get Off The Dope’, and even on first listen it sounds as though the band has barely been away at all. The old magic is still very much there – and Larkin tentatively agrees, although it did not always feel that way within the group. “Haven’t been away? That’s good you say that! When we first got back together, and Pete [Satchell, guitar] and I had been doing our own things for a few years, there was definitely a divide in between styles and the way we went about writing songs. It’s taken about 20 songs, between ourselves, to get to a point where it’s like, ‘This sounds like something that could be a Dallas Crane song,’ rather than solo acts being played by Dallas Crane. It’s starting to find its feet again, musically, because it doesn’t take long to lose that.” 12 :: BRAG :: 560 :: 30:04:14

A new single out generally means a new recording is on its way. Larkin confirms this is indeed the case for Dallas Crane, although he is as yet unsure as to what form it will ultimately take, especially in the current musical climate where things appear to be slowly but surely moving away from the album format. “We’ve definitely got enough tracks for a new album,” he says, “but we’re kinda just liking putting out new songs every few months, because it’s a lot less effort. You can just keep it interesting for each other and the

fans, and you can just focus on the one song. It doesn’t mean we’re not going to do an album, but we’re kind of in two minds whether we’re going to bother as well. “A lot of bands go and spend thousands of bucks producing, and putting all their lives on hold for a record, and then it gets up on iTunes and people only give a shit about two or three songs.” The band is back on the live circuit again with dates in Melbourne and Sydney. Larkin is looking forward to getting back on the

road with Dallas Crane, although again somewhat tentatively. “I think so!” he laughs. “Personally I love touring more than anything … as far as our touring compared to the old days, 40 to 50 dates in a row, I reckon it’s going to be more subject to demand. We defi nitely won’t be out there pushing a barrow of shit up a hill.” Where: Newtown Social Club When: Saturday May 17

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Masked Intruder A Gang Of Four By Jody Macgregor

here are a lot of pop-punk songs about unrequited love. Usually it’s the kind of unrequited love that involves a guy pining for a girl while obsessing over her – what she’s doing now, and who she’s with, in so much detail that you realise he must be following her around, peering in at windows, possibly in defiance of a restraining order. Masked Intruder take this theory to its logical conclusion: they’re a poppunk band made up of love-struck burglars. They’re still looking through your windows, but they’d like to steal your television as well as your heart. Each member of the band hides his identity behind a coloured mask, so when I interview their lead singer I’m talking to ‘Intruder Blue’. That’s a weird thing to have to call someone, but in his thick Noo Yawk accent Blue tells me he’s a normal guy who’s just finished “a normal day at work”. What is a normal day at work for Masked Intruder? “Me and the other guys in the band, we were casing some houses earlier and got some pretty good-looking stuff. Green got a nice scooter. It’s green, so he was happy about that. We don’t too much like to use stuff that’s not matching colours, that’s a thing.” Is it an obsessive-compulsive thing? “It’s really just a fashion sense, is what it basically comes down to.” They may be criminals, but Blue thinks he’s more of a misunderstood hero. “I’m always seeing myself as a Spider-Mantype character,” he says. “Like, I wish I could crawl up walls and stuff but I can’t. But I would definitely very much like to make out with Kirsten Dunst.”

“Some people might think it’s questionable to let your kid listen to Masked Intruder, but we think it’s cool ’cause it’s better than letting your kid listen to The Wiggles.” is due this year. Best of all, they got to meet the legendary Fat Mike himself. The closest Blue comes to breaking character is when he talks about that.

Masked Intruder are like comic book characters in one respect, though: they’re very popular with kids. Although their songs operate on a satirical level that might be a bit beyond youngsters (Blue introduces their song ‘Heart Shaped Guitar’ by saying, “It’s about when you love somebody but they don’t necessarily love you or know who you are or think that you should be on their property”), kids do turn up at their shows.

“We always try to autograph their stuff,” Blue says, “because we think it’s pretty special when a kid comes out to a show. Once people get old everybody’s a jaded asshole, but when you’re a child you’re still cool, you’re still excited about stuff. We think it’s real swell, we think it’s real cool. Obviously we’re not a kid band. Some people might think it’s questionable to let your kid listen to Masked Intruder, but we think it’s cool ’cause it’s

better than letting your kid listen to The Wiggles.” Having young fans has helped their career as well – their musical career, rather than their criminal one. Michael ‘Fat Mike’ Burkett of NOFX signed Masked Intruder to his Fat Wreck Chords label after he heard his children listening to their album. That debut self-titled record has since been re-released on Fat Wreck and a follow-up, M.I.,

“It was an honour,” he says, “because I’ve been listening to NOFX, like a lot of people, since I was a kid, so it was a little bit surreal to meet your heroes like that. But it’s cool, he’s actually a pretty chill hang. We had a lot of fun – he likes to party, we like to party, so it’s like a match made in heaven.” What: Hits And Pits 2014 With: Strung Out, Unwritten Law, Face To Face, The Casualties, Ten Foot Pole and more Where: UNSW Roundhouse When: Sunday May 11

The Hold Steady All Partied Out By Keiron Costello characters. Gone is the recurring cast of characters that made previous albums feel conceptual, and Kubler puts it down to a growing maturity from Finn. “I know that he deliberately wanted to stay away from the finer details in terms of the characters. It’s a lot of ‘he’ and ‘she’ as opposed to Charlemagne and Gideon and Holly, and I think he wanted to make it more general so people could see themselves, or put themselves into, the material.” Another change for Teeth Dreams was the introduction of producer Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Alice In Chains, Deftones). Having discovered Raskulinecz while watching Dave Grohl’s Sound City documentary, Kubler was after a producer who could give the band a fresh start, and was delighted when Raskulinecz admitted he’d never heard The Hold Steady play before.

hile it feels strange to be talking about a band of men well into their 40s as having finally ‘grown up’, that’s just the nature of The Hold Steady. They’ve always sounded like the best bar band in the world; a hard-rocking soundtrack to the parties, drug trips and near-death experiences of your wayward youth. But on their sixth album, Teeth Dreams, there are plenty of changes afoot. Not only has the band added an extra guitarist in Steve Selvidge, but it seems to have matured significantly in the four years since its last album. The lyrics of lead 14 :: BRAG :: 560 :: 30:04:14

singer Craig Finn are as brilliant as ever, but there is a weariness to them and the parties just don’t seem as fun anymore. Having previously played alongside Finn in Lifter Puller and then founded The Hold Steady with him, lead guitarist Tad Kubler has never seen his bandmate open up like this. “To me, having been in a couple of bands now with Craig for, shit, almost fucking two decades, it’s one of the most personal performances I’ve heard from him,” says Kubler. “I feel with Craig, more so than any other record, the one thing I can hear in his delivery is – as opposed

to before, where he’s a narrator and storyteller – it feels like he’s more connected to these songs emotionally, in a way that you can hear empathy or compassion in these songs. And I don’t really know that I could hear that on previous records.” While much of The Hold Steady’s lyrical themes are the same as ever as Finn sings about doomed relationships and bad parties, the drama feels more real on Teeth Dreams. There are no murders or police interrogations here, and the subjects of Finn’s lyrics feel like regular people rather than movie

“I thought, ‘That’s perfect, that’s what we need here actually,’” Kubler says. “Somebody that doesn’t have any expectations or preconceived idea about what kind of record we should make, or what we should do, or anything like that. And I really like what Nick does sonically, so I thought that was great.” Teeth Dreams also marks the first time The Hold Steady have recorded with an additional guitarist in Selvidge, formerly of country rock band Lucero. Despite having joined the band as a touring member nearly four years ago, this is the first record Selvidge has played on, and Kubler says the inclusion of another guitarist was liberating for his own guitar playing. “Steve is such a great guitar player, it allowed me to really work on the songs as songs and allowed me to leave some of the more technical guitar stuff to Steve. Which is super nice –

he’s a better guitar player than I am anyway!” Rather than feel threatened by the presence of another guitarist, Kubler enjoys the influence Selvidge is having on both him and the rest of the band. It also doesn’t hurt that the two guitarists have long been very close friends and were indeed even born on the exact same day. “Guitar players have big egos and I think that Steve and I are close enough, both as friends and as having enough respect for each other as people and as guitar players and musicians, that it’s not an issue. “We’re inspired by a lot of the same things, but playing-wise, like I said, he’s a much better guitar player than I am and he can do everything, really melodic solos and stuff like that to total shredding,” says Kubler. “And it really forced me to think about how I approach things, and it forced me to elevate what I brought to the table in terms of the guitar playing, because he is a calibre of musician that it’s inspiring to play with.” In good news for The Hold Steady’s Australian fan base, there are plans in the works for the band to tour the album here in the near future. While nothing is concrete at this stage and the band is still working out logistics, Kubler says it’s just a matter of time. “I mean, shit, if I had my way, we’d be in Australia three times a year. And I think I speak for everybody in the band when I can say that it’s one of our favourite places to tour. You know, it’s beautiful down there, the weather’s great, the people are fantastic, so I would like to get down sooner [rather] than later.” What: Teeth Dreams out Friday May 2 through Razor & Tie/Sony thebrag.com

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Midlake A New Era By Alasdair Duncan

he past few years have been a time of transition for Texan folk rockers Midlake. The departure of lead singer and founding member Tim Smith left the band at the edge of a precipice, but they were determined to continue, and thus regrouped with guitarist Eric Pulido as frontman. The change might seem drastic, but for the laid-back Pulido, whose tenure in the band stretches back for a decade, it was an easy shift.

“The transition in the band started long before Tim left,” he says. “I was doubling melodies, talking between songs, standing centre stage, even doing a lot of interviews, so it wasn’t a drastic transition. Not to take away from what Tim was or brought to the band, but I realised that with me as the lead singer now, my only choice was to own it and to say to people, ‘This is what we are now, take it or leave it,’ and people have responded really well.” Following Smith’s departure, Midlake scrapped a number of songs, but moved right onto writing a new batch for the record that would become Antiphon. “Tim’s departure was unexpected for us, but there was no use crying over it or letting it stop us or divert our course,” says Pulido. Every new record that a band makes has its own unique influences and sounds, he continues, and Antiphon is really just a case of a band embracing a different set of circumstances and pulling together in new ways. “Tim wanted to get away and pursue his own thing, and we just had to understand and respect that and pull things together as a band. It forced us to step up communally, because Tim was always an integral figure in the band before. It was a challenge, but it helped shape us and make it better. Looking back, I’m really happy at how quickly we pulled together.” The songs on Antiphon are more loose and spontaneous than on any of Midlake’s three previous records, drawing explicitly on psyched-out ’70s rock and introducing more of a jam band sound. “I think part of it was just us trying to capture a more organic feeling than some of what we’d done in the past,” Pulido says. “For better or

worse, some of the recordings were a little bit too worked-over before, and we didn’t want that this time, we wanted the new recordings to be a bit more organic.” Rather than being too precious about getting each individual part of a recording perfect, the focus on this album was on the product as a whole. “We wanted to capture the magic while it happened, rather than trying over and over to recreate a single moment,” says Pulido. “With Tim, one of the things we struggled with was trying to find that one perfect sound, and we’d end up losing a lot of the other great stuff we might have had. This time around, we didn’t want to overthink what we were doing, we wanted to just depend on each other and trust what we knew was right, to capture all the ideas at the very beginning.” Solidifying their bond as band members and friends, Midlake recently opened a bar called Paschall in their hometown of Denton, Texas. Located just off the town square, it’s a place for them to hang out and relax outside the studio, and a reassuring bastion of stability. “Being in a band, you don’t really have a retirement plan, so it’s nice to have something like this!” Pulido laughs. “It’s really fun for us too. Denton has its own unique vibe. In some ways, it’s the small Texas town you might imagine, with a square and a courthouse and all those things which have been preserved throughout the years, but as far as the community goes it’s a university town. It’s a great place to live, and our bar is somewhere we can enjoy company and conversation in a warm atmosphere. It’s nice to have something else going on, money-wise, while you’re recording and not touring. It’s a great little nugget of a thing to have for us.” Speaking of touring, Midlake are set to come to Australia, where they’ll play in Sydney as part of this year’s Vivid LIVE. I ask Pulido just how the band’s live show has changed in this new, more democratic era. “Well, Tim’s absence is obviously a big change in the live show, because I’m in the role of lead singer now, I’m up there front and centre. But taking it back a step further from that, what we’ve done this time is try to add more life

and a bigger sound to the overall set. The new songs lend themselves to that, but we wanted to go back and have some consistency there with the older songs as well. The new record has a bigger sound, a more psychedelic vibe, a lot of vocal harmonies, and so we’ve gone back to the old songs and added a few more of those things.”

What: Vivid LIVE 2014 Where: Joan Sutherland Theatre, Sydney Opera House When: Friday May 23 And: Antiphon out now through Bella Union/ [PIAS]

Die Roten Punkte Eurosmash! By Joanne Brookfield Since then they have travelled the world, selling out venues in New York, Edinburgh, Montreal and Dublin. Most recently, they have been touring Australia and Europe with Amanda Palmer, after being nominated for a Time Out and Soho Theatre (TOST) Cabaret Award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. “Which is cool,” says Otto. “It’s a little bit weird for us because people say, ‘Oh, you are best cabaret show,’ and it’s like, ‘But yeah, we are serious rock’n’roll band,’ so I don’t understand.” While others may think the duo is merely joking, Rot takes his life as a role model and rock star seriously. Die Roten Punkte’s new album, which follows on from Kunst Rock, is full of songs with positive messages. “With the last album it was amazing, because we could express ourselves and we didn’t have any limits, but Astrid said, ‘I want on the new album, I just want hits. I want pop hits and rock hits.’” Otto reveals as well that during recording, Astrid was lying on the studio floor, smelling of sick, unable to be woken. “There’s a lot more dancing and electronic music and lots of hooks on this, and for me, I really want to spread the message of using music so that people can do things like recycling and like, one idea I had, just let homeless people sleep in your house.”

ven rock stars draw the line somewhere. Or, as is the case with Otto Rot, one half of Berlin art rock duo Die Roten Punkte, refuse to draw on certain things. At least he’ll be happy to sign their new CD, Eurosmash!, which they’ll be launching during the Sydney Comedy Festival. “We can sign anything really, if you have a t-shirt or body part or something,” he says down the phone in his thick ‘German’ accent (Otto and Astrid Rot are actually Australian

16 :: BRAG :: 560 :: 30:04:14

duo Daniel Tobias and Clare Bartholomew). “Astrid, one time in Scotland, this guy, he pulled down his pants and she signed his arse,” says Otto. “Actually, that also happened at the Woodford Folk Festival, too, she signed an arse there as well. But I encourage people to not show their nipples; that’s kind of getting to a point where maybe that’s a private space that maybe you shouldn’t use a Sharpie on. Like, if you want to do that at home, that’s OK, but I think if we’re doing that, it’s not a good example for the kids.”

Being a good example to their fans is something very dear to Rot’s heart. “I think more than a musician and more than a rock star and more than being a guy in a band, I am a role model. That is actually my number one job. So, like, it doesn’t matter what I do for now until the rest of my life.” Die Roten Punkte’s narrative follows thus: Otto was orphaned at nine, when Astrid was 12, and together they lived in a squat in Berlin, discovering music that way.

Rot sleeps with his guitar and computer, all plugged in, just in case inspiration should strike as he sleeps. One of his favourite songs on Eurosmash! is ‘Good Choices’, which contains other ideas like teaching orphans how to play guitar. “[Astrid] doesn’t like the song at all, and she said that. We have to have two minutes of silence at the end of the album and then I can have my song.” What: Eurosmash! out now Where: Factory Theatre When: Wednesday May 7

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Best known as the Lead guitarist/songwriter from Powderﬁnger, this tour sees Darren playing both songs from his new album ‘Translations’ and songs from past bands, stripped down to an acoustic format.

COOGEE DIGGERS coogeediggers.com.au

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arts frontline

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arts news...what's goin' on around town...with Ed Kirkwood and Chris Martin

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five minutes WITH

JEFF JANISHESKI HEAD OF ACTING AT NIDA

Jeff Janisheski

NIDA graduates have certainly achieved plenty over the years – who’s making their mark at the moment? Sarah Snook has just been cast in the title role of the US ABC pilot Clementine and featured in Not Suitable For Children and Sleeping Beauty; Remy Hii has just been recognised with the Graham Kennedy Award for Outstanding New Talent and has been cast in the new Netflix drama Marco Polo; and Rob Collins was cast as Mufasa in The Lion King before he even graduated last year.

Your June productions are set to showcase students’ work. Can you tell us more about that? Our June student productions are an entertaining showcase of the talent to be found right across NIDA. They include an exciting lineup of guest directors and will feature the world premiere of an original work by our Head of Writing for Performance and acclaimed Australian playwright, Stephen Sewell, called Kandahar Gate. Is the acting profession in Australia in a healthy place at the moment? Australia has an intensely vibrant theatre scene. I worked professionally in New York City for nine years, and I find the level of theatre here to be on par with the best of New York – it’s just on a smaller scale. Sydney has a wonderfully diverse theatre scene, with Griffin, Sydney Theatre Company, Belvoir, Bell Shakespeare and Carriageworks. These are fantastic companies and venues that showcase some of the best of Australian talent. What: NIDA Open Day Where: National Institute of Dramatic Art, Kensington When: Saturday May 17

Stones In Her Mouth

STONES IN HER MOUTH

Michael Griffiths will perform a unique tribute to Eurythmics’ Annie Lennox in Sydney this July. Sweet Dreams: Songs By Annie Lennox will have audiences dreaming sweetly indeed, with pianist, singer and cabaret artist Griffiths offering his own interpretation of Lennox’s hits as both a solo performer and as one half of Eurythmics. Sweet Dreams runs from Wednesday July 2 – Saturday July 5 as part of Cabaret Season 2014 at Hayes Theatre Co.

To showcase the creative work of refugees and asylum seekers in Australia, Art Is Our Voice is an exhibition organised by Settlement Services International and Amnesty International’s ARTillery project. The exhibition gives a creative voice to those who rarely get to express themselves, with 15 visual artists from places like Iran, Iraq, Egypt and Sri Lanka. Many artists have worked professionally in their countries of origin for a variety of creative media that include painting, sculpting, photography and jewellery. Characterising this exhibition is the art of Masoud Akhava Ghassabzadeh, whose craft is coffee art – practised by those who have spent time in detention. Ghassabzadeh had no access to paints and so began using instant coffee mixed with water to paint. The Art Is Our Voice exhibition is showing at the Verge Gallery at the University of Sydney from Wednesday May 14 – Thursday May 22 (closed Sunday). 18 :: BRAG :: 560 :: 30:04:14

Sophie Hyde’s directorial debut, 52 Tuesdays, is one of the most exciting new releases in Australian film this year. The concept is simple, yet intriguing: over the course of one year, teenaged Billie (Tilda Cobham-Hervey) spends a weekly visit with her biological mother, who’s decided to undergo gender transition. The film is as much about Billie’s growth and identity change as it is Jane’s/James’, as we witness a young woman finding her place in the world and among a tight circle of friends. In time for the cinematic release of 52 Tuesdays this Thursday May 1, the BRAG has ten in-season passes for two. We’re giving them away at thebrag.com/ freeshit – just head there and tell us how you spend your Tuesday evenings to be in the running.

Carriageworks will play host to the Australian premiere of Stones In Her Mouth, the new production from Lemi Ponifasio and his acclaimed dance company MAU. Running from Wednesday May 28 – Saturday May 31, Stones In Her Mouth is a powerful piece driven by a ten-member ensemble of Maori women, voiced through the Maori language and culture. It focuses on resilience and outrage in the face of devastating social and political change, and blends dance, theatre and music into one arresting production.

WOOLLAHRA SMALL SCULPTURE PRIZE

Now in its 14th year, Australia’s pre-eminent national award for small sculpture, the Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize, has announced a new panel of judges, a new category and an increase in prize money for the 2014 competition. Carriageworks director Lisa Havilah takes a position on the judging panel, alongside former director of Sotheby’s Australia Justin Miller and philanthropist Gretel Packer. The Mayor’s Award, an added category, will carry a monetary value of $1,000 – adding to the massive $19,000 in total prize money going out to winning artists. Entries will be invited

from Thursday May 1 until Friday July 25, and artists are required to present images of their proposed or original sculptures up to 80cm in any dimension. For more details on the prize, head to sculptureprize.woollahra.nsw.gov.au.

AUSTRALIA’S FUNNIEST SHORTS

Australia’s only comedy film festival for filmmakers, Australia’s Funniest Shorts, is calling out for entries. Entries will be screened at the sixth annual Rottofest, to be held on Rottnest Island in Western Australia from Friday September 19 to Sunday September 21. The funniest selected films and sketches will be judged by a panel of comedy

CAM KNIGHT & MORE

While we’re getting into the swing of Sydney Comedy Festival, a number of young talents are emerging – and boy, do they have the funny bone in their bodies. Cam Knight’s 100 Percenter show runs at the Enmore Theatre’s Wild Oats Wine Bar from this Thursday May 1 – Saturday May 3. He’s the master of the one-liner and has been earning rave reviews around the country. Also on the to-beseen list are Suns Of Fred, whose musical comedy hits Happy Endings Comedy Club (Wednesday April 30 – Saturday May 3) and Chris Radburn’s Breaking Rad (Happy Endings, Thursday May 1 – Saturday May 3). For more information about Happy Endings (oh, behave), visit happyendingscomedyclub.com.au.

experts with the funniest short film walking away with a $1,000 cash prize, and the funniest sketch taking a cool $500. Applications are available from the rottofest.com.au. The entry deadline is Friday August 15. xxxx

A VOICE FOR REFUGEES

52 TUESDAYS

Cam Knight

Michael Griffiths

SWEET DREAMS ARE MADE OF THIS

Del Herbert-Jane & Tilda CobhamHervey in 52 Tuesdays

52 Tuesdays photo by Bryan Mason

hat goes into training an actor at NIDA? The acting training at NIDA is like a crucible. Through the intensive pressure of the curriculum and the heat of the creative process, people transform from being students to being professional artists after three years here. Our Bachelor of Dramatic Art (Acting) provides students with the skills and knowledge to work across theatre, fi lm and television. They learn to be a malleable instrument who can adapt and transform from moment to moment, medium to medium, project to project. From day one, students are challenged to jump.

How do aspiring actors get a taste of what life is like at NIDA? There are lots of opportunities for anyone thinking of studying at NIDA to experience what it’s like to train here. On May 17, we are throwing our doors open for one day for anyone and everyone to fi nd out more about everything we have to offer. NIDA is the goal for many aspiring actors, and our Open Day is a great opportunity for them to talk with the teaching staff and learn more about how they can be part of our community. NIDA’s training expertise and environment are available to the public through the NIDA Open short courses and the Studio program, which provide flexible learning options for intensive study in acting for stage and screen.

HIBS AND GORGIES

It’s about time we caught up with Renton, Spud, Begbie, Sick Boy and the rest. Irvine Welsh’s classic novel Trainspotting, transformed for the silver screen by Danny Boyle in 1996, is now the basis for a new production at the King Street Theatre. It’s a tale of drugs, sex, friendship and crime set in murky 1980s Edinburgh – because ye cannae get wide wi Franco if ye dinnae mind the bairns and birds of Leith and the New Town. Black Box Theatre Company’s production of Trainspotting opens on Thursday May 8 at King Street Theatre, Newtown.

Trainspotting

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Mel Buttle

Ben Lowy

[COMEDY] Bring A Plate By Joanne Brookfield

[VISUAL ART] Semi-Permanent By Tegan Jones

or the past 11 years, Semi-Permanent has brought together internationally renowned designers, artists and creative icons for live events, presentations, workshops and parties. One of the largest events of its kind in the world, it’s a creative platform that often serves great inspiration in the realms of art and design.

el Buttle remembers as a child her mum’s fridge door being full of invitations with the words “bring a plate” on them. “So I’m kind of going back to that era, you know, when there were pikelets with jam and cream,” she says of her new show, Bring A Plate.

Hitting both Sydney and Auckland this year, the festival of creativity is looking to be even bigger and better than ever. The lineup includes the likes of Tony Hawk, Mr. Brainwash and Tara McPherson. One of the most exciting speakers is worldrenowned New York photographer and photojournalist Ben Lowy, whose work in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya has earned him international acclaim.

When Buttle, a born and bred Queenslander, speaks with the BRAG, she’s just finished the first night of her show at the Brisbane Comedy Festival. Alas, no-one took the show title literally, but she hasn’t given up hope just yet. “I called the show that because I actually hope someone brings a plate. Like, deep down I’ve gone, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool, one night someone will turn up with something,’ because I’m always doing shows at dinner time,” she says. In Sydney or Melbourne, this is never an issue, but when she’s performing in Brisbane, she says it’s impossible to find anywhere still open to eat when she comes offstage – so she secretly harboured a desire for an audience member to appear one night with a plate of sausage rolls. Scoring a free feed from her audience wasn’t the only reason she chose the title. It also refers to the content of her routine. “It’s a nice title that summarises what I’ll be doing, you know; when people bring a plate it’s like all different things on the table – for me, that’s what the stories are. But also this feeing of, when you bring a plate, and you’ve had two glasses of chardonnay, the kind of stories that come out, they’re the ones I’ll be telling.” Buttle, who has appeared on a variety of TV shows such as This Week Live, The Project and Tractor Monkeys, will also share stories from her childhood, such as recollections of driving to Sydney every Christmas with her family. “My dad wouldn’t stop so you could wee, he would only stop at a petrol station for petrol to try and get there really quickly, and if the petrol station didn’t have a toilet, well, too bad – you just had to wee in this ice cream container.” She’ll also be talking about the time her dad lost a budgie (to this day, she says, the owner of that budgie still doesn’t know the truth) and

Lowy says his motivation for working in war zones is simple. “I know I am willing, while others are not. I fi nd it a privilege and honour to stand on the front lines of history and record the events that will change the course of global politics. Most people in the world, regardless of where they live and what god they believe in, hardly venture outside their own comfort zone and home. To me, going to these places, photographing them, and connecting people through visual communication is a tremendous and important undertaking.”

audience what you think they want to see. Show them what you want them to see. These days, whether you have a job or a freelance career, you have numerous free platforms to showcase and self-publish the work closest to your soul. Don’t shrink from doing that. Take advantage of it.” Despite Lowy’s support of mobile photography and utilising online platforms as a showcase for artistic work, he does believe that physical events such as SemiPermanent are a necessity in the creative world. “I think the digital, interconnected world has been great for the fl ow of information, but not great for groups of artists to sit, exchange ideas and inspire people. Festivals are important, if only for the exchange of ideas.” With the myriad of talks, screenings, shows and parties happening at SemiPermanent, what Lowy hopes for most is that aspiring photographers will take away one lesson: “That the future of photography is wide open. We just have to constantly innovate.”

Despite being aware of the great importance and potential infl uence that his documentation has, Lowy remains humble. “I think documenting does inform, [but] I don’t think I am going to change the world. I just want to enlighten a few people.” the TV show Embarrassing Bodies, “which is one of the greatest TV shows of our time”. But it’s also a chance to bring her audience up to speed with the continuing adventures of her father, Barry Buttle. “It’s just like a catchup. I’ve sort of picked up from where I left off at the end of last year’s show: ‘This is what my dad has done this year, this is what I’ve done.’” Buttle’s show for last year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival won her the Director’s Choice award. “It was a shock,” recalls the comedian, who was actually in the toilet at the time of the announcement. Not actually on the toilet, just having a “breather” in there to escape the crowded venue for a moment. “Then all of sudden my friend runs in the toilet, ‘You’ve won! Get out, you’ve won!’ and I thought it was a trick. ‘Oh this is very cruel to pretend I’ve won an award in the middle of my panic attack,’ but no, I had. I had won an award. And it was amazing.” What: Bring A Plate Where: Wild Oats Wine Bar, Enmore Theatre When: Wednesday May 14 – Saturday May 17

52 Tuesdays

It goes without saying that being a photographer in war-torn countries can be incredibly dangerous. Lowy himself was nearly killed in a convoy bombing in 2007. However, this experience, along with the other horrible things he’s seen, hasn’t prevented him from doing his work. “Life-threatening situations infl uence my psychology. The camera is an actual physical and mental barrier. The minute you pick it up and put it in front of your face, you are no longer in the situation, you are watching it from afar. It actually helps in many ways. People often wonder how it is that my colleagues and I can photograph the dead and dying. But often we don’t witness these events with our naked eye – rather, within the context of looking through a camera.” Lowy has also, sometimes controversially, been an advocate for smart phone photography. He has even used his own phone to take many amazing shots. He offers a word of advice for anyone interested in photography, no matter what equipment they’re using: “Be true to your creative eye. Don’t show the

What: Semi-Permanent 2014 Where: Carriageworks When: Thursday May 22 – Saturday May 24

Imogen Archer, Tilda Cobham-Hervey and Sam Althuizen in 52 Tuesdays

[FILM] A Question Of Authenticity By Tegan Jones

52 Tuesdays still by Bryan Mason

2 Tuesdays tells the story of 16-year-old Billie and her struggle with her mother’s decision to become a man. The teen goes to live with her biological father for a year, but vows to meet with her mother every Tuesday to spend time together. After already winning the Crystal Bear for Best Film from the youth jury at the Berlin Film Festival, and the World Cinema Dramatic Directing award at Sundance, this low-budget film from Adelaide is taking the world by storm. One of the most original and fascinating aspects of the film is that it was both set and filmed every Tuesday for a year. Director Sophie Hyde explains, “It’s kind of a conceptual idea, and that was because we were going for this low-budget initiative. We wanted to come up with a concept that would work on a low budget better than if we had money. And then the characters kind of came secondary to that and they came about for many different reasons to do with the themes of the film, and the ideas of what we wanted to explore. And the story then came from them.” 52 Tuesdays is the first feature role for Tilda Cobham-Hervey, who was a teenager herself

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during production. It’s perhaps due to this, as well as the year-long shoot, that the actress truly connected with her character. “I think Billie shifted as a character a lot more through the year than maybe we all expected,” says Cobham-Hervey. “And I think when we first started filming I felt very different to the Billie that was written on the page. Then there was a point in the middle where there was a complete grey area between Billie and Tilly because we were both growing up at the same time. So I think a lot of scenes I did in the film I don’t believe I could have done at the beginning without having been in that world and grown up.” Growing up is a major component of the film itself. In addition to the relationship Billie has with her mother Jane/James, there is a focus on the friendship and sexual relationship that she embarks on with the characters Jasmine and Josh. Hyde says it’s a matter of exploration. “I would hope that people [in the audience] would think about their own life and if they’re living the way that they want to and whether they’re treating people the way they want to be treated,” she says. “In terms of teenagers and

their parents, I feel really connected to some of the ideas about allowing a teenager to explore things, particularly in a safe environment. The three teenagers in the film are incredibly safe with each other and are exploring things in a very real way that’s not about anyone else’s expectations of them or the world that we often see sexually, such as pornography or the romanticised version of being a teenager in Hollywood films. I would hope that they would be part of a discussion about how we are able to live and how to talk to our teenagers about life.”

Cobham-Hervey agrees with the ideas of honesty and authenticity being paramount not only to the film, but to everybody’s lives. “It’s OK to talk about things, it’s OK to be messy, and it’s OK to screw up. Honesty, and the question, ‘Are you living an authentic life?’, which is asked in the film, are completely imperative to all things. I hope that people take that away from [the film] and make their own choices.” What: 52 Tuesdays When: In cinemas from Thursday May 1 BRAG :: 560 :: 30:04:14 :: 19

Theatre & Film Reviews

MARY TOBIN PRESENTS

“THE

Hits and misses on the bare boards and silver screen around town

COMGUY IS A GENI EDY US”

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■ Theatre

LOVE, LIES AND HITLER Until May 3 at Old Fitzroy Theatre “Would you kill Adolf Hitler? Or do you think that murdering him would undermine your own sense of integrity?”

AZET

A rather confronting question for a Thursday night, I guess it was expected from a play titled Love, Lies And Hitler. Although the intense opening left me feeling rather guilty for wanting to impale Hitler, as the story unfolded I was further lowered into the world of the main character, Dr. Paul Langley (Paul Scott), whose own moral high ground is put to the test. Langley, as intelligent as he is, believes he is somewhat insane given the fact he has visions and extended discussions with Dietrich Bonhoeffer (Doug Chapman), whose life and work he has studied and lectured on for years. Imaginary conversations aside, Langley lands himself in even deeper trouble when he falls for one of his adoring students, Hannah (Ylaria Rogers), who later reveals she has a secret that threatens to destroy them both. Walking Langley through his inner demons, Bonhoeffer, a German pastor whose foiled attempts at assassinating Hitler led to his imprisonment and subsequent execution in 1945, endeavours to show the professor that sometimes it’s necessary to risk everything for a better future. The play cleverly

ENMORE THEATRE 6 & 8 MAY 7.15PM

O.T IK I.NE W ORL E A N

Love, Lies And Hitler delivers an insight into an important historical figure in an entertaining and well-executed manner that leaves the audience members questioning both their personal integrity and the role they play in today’s society. To paraphrase a Bonhoeffer quote, sometimes our choice is not between good and bad or right and wrong, but between bad and bad and wrong and wrong. Prue Clark

In cinemas May 1 Like a fair few films boasting “written, directed by and starring…” credentials, Fading Gigolo is a very blatant vanity project, wherein the great John Turturro casts himself as a struggling NYC bookshop employee who turns to prostitution, with his elderly store owner (Woody Allen) acting as his pimp. It’s an absurd premise, and though Allen’s miscasting is clearly played for laughs, it’s less clear whether Turturro himself is in on the joke of asking us to buy that women find him irresistible (among his clients are Sharon Stone and Sofia Vergara; I mean c’mon), particularly when he carries with him memories of the losers and creeps that he’s memorably etched in a handful of roles for the Coen brothers (The Big Lebowski, Barton Fink, O Brother Where Art Thou?) over the years. Still, Turturro is a cut above other multihyphenate narcissists like Eric Schaeffer and Zach Braff, and just as his previous feature Romance & Cigarettes was considerably elevated by a wonderful comic turn from Kate Winslet, Fading Gigolo presents Allen’s

OD O

Written by Elizabeth Avery Scott, Love, Lies And Hitler draws the audience deep into the drama and the varying degrees of suffering the characters experience. Although both Scott and Rogers maintain a strong-felt stage presence, Chapman definitely steals the show, with his wellexecuted German accent and his depiction of the ever-present and at times very humorous Bonhoeffer.

FADING GIGOLO

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Exploring themes of institutionalism, risk versus reward and rules versus forbidden love, the play takes the audience on a philosophical and ethical journey, raising historic themes of morality that continue to be relevant in society, particularly in regards to the church.

■ Film

marytobinpresents.com.au obinpresents com au

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juxtaposes Langley’s personal challenges with Bonhoeffer’s true-to-life political efforts and exposes the fact that instead of addressing ethically demanding problems, many of us are caught up in ‘first world problems’ and self-obsession.

John Turturro in Fading Gigolo funniest acting performance in ages. He’s still doing his stammering/kvetching schtick, but rarely has he seemed more engaged in it. Otherwise, it’s an innocuous albeit surprisingly downcast farce which goes down easily and, befitting its title, fades into the ether of memory with equal ease. On the other hand, the pathos that Turturro attempts to wring from a subplot involving Vanessa Paradis as a lonely widow and client of his seems to be spliced in from another movie, and the whole film has a peculiarly late-’90s vibe to it, like something daydreamed after seeing its VHS cover. Which, alas, makes it sound more interesting than it actually is. Ian Barr

See www.thebrag.com for more arts reviews

Arts Exposed What's in our diary...

Mayhem F UNK . S O UL . RE G G A E T, K EN T S T CBD M O N -S A

Mayhem

Justice & Police Museum, Friday May 2 The Justice & Police Museum at Circular Quay shines a light into the shadows of Sydney’s darkest secrets. There’s no better setting for an evening of dangerous glamour and indulgence, and so our hot ticket this week is the Mayhem night they host this Friday in conjunction with The Festivalists. It’ll be like a reallife Underbelly (except without the likelihood of being shot) – you can spend time in the lockup with a true crime storyteller, learn streetwise card tricks, design a tattoo or have your mug shot taken. Spyglass Gypsies and showgirl Bunni Lambada will provide the sights and sounds, with Urban Pasta catering and bourbon by Bulleit. xxx

Mayhem is a licensed event for ages 18+ only, and tickets are $75. Head to sydneylivingmuseums.com.au.

Laneway 348 Kent St drink@papagedes.com www.papagedes.com 20 :: BRAG :: 560 :: 30:04:14

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bread&thread Food & Fashion News...with Chris Martin

THE BIG BURRITO CHALLENGE It’s baaaa-ack. Mad Mex have once again put out the Big Burrito Challenge. Because while we have the Big Prawn, the Big Banana and various other oversized novelty objects dotted around Australia, there’s nothing novel about a one-kilo burrito. It’s a man versus food challenge like no other – made with twice the amount of fresh ingredients as a regular burrito, and certain to prove to your mates who’s boss (if you’re game, that is).

MAN The challenge is running from Thursday May 1 until the end of the month, in celebration of Mexico’s Cinco de Mayo (the fi fth of May); the day the Mexican army defeated their French oppressors at the historic Battle of Puebla in 1862, despite being

MERIVALE’S WORK IN PROGRESS It’s long been a champion of the food, drink and music scenes, but now Merivale turns its eye to another aspect of Sydney culture. Opening on King Street on Thursday May 1, A Work In Progress is a new art-based pop-up, which will see the venue transformed into a live art studio, offering the CBD an unprecedented bar experience. The studio will be curated by Glenn Barkley – former curator of the MCA – and Darwin-based artist Franck Gohier. The bar will serve traditional Thai street food by head chef Air Jantrakool, accompanied by a short but ever-changing cocktail menu designed by Paul Mant – focusing on simple ingredients and fresh produce. A Work In Progress will also host a variety of DJs performing each night.

NEW HEAD CHEF AT THE TILBURY

BURRITO outnumbered two-to-one. In other words, it’s the celebration of the underdog. If you beat the odds and beat the Big Burrito in a Mad Mex restaurant this May, you’ll win an authentic Mexican wrestling mask. For more info, visit madmex.com.au/bigburrito. Viva Mexico! Viva burrito!

KOOINDA BOUTIQUE BREWERY COMES TO HIVE BAR

The Victorian-based Kooinda Brewery started life as the first residentially licensed brewery in Australia – meaning those home brews had a little more quality to them than your dodgy mate’s. These days, they make their ales, witbiers, porters and pilsners at a site near La Trobe University. But you needn’t make the trek south to taste their wares – at least not this Thursday May 1, when they’ll be setting up at

Head chef Elton Inglis has taken over at The Tilbury in Woolloomooloo. Inglis, who’s trained with Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver and had over 10 years’ experience in the industry, is using fresh, seasonal produce to deliver a new menu for the popular inner-city spot. In the true British fashion, there’s a Sunday roast, plus a Sunday brunch and the Friday night Moet Ice champagne bar. New offerings for foodies include pork loin with purple carrot, caramelised baby onion and cider jus; seared mackerel with mackerel rillettes, beetroot, walnut and raisin puree; and a baked blueberry cheesecake with yoghurt sorbet. Tasty.

SHANGHAI STYLING

The Lindy Charm School for Girls is running an exciting vintage program centred around the fashion and style of 1930s Shanghai. The exotic elegance of the era will be experienced through a lively three-hour workshop including hair and make-up. The class on Sunday May 11 is open to females 14 and older and is perfect for an interesting afternoon with friends. Bookings are essential so call 4735 1100 to secure your place or visit penrithregionalgallery. org for more info. The Hive Bar in Erskineville. The tap lineup is a guarded secret at the time of printing, but we hear the delightful Black IPA will be on offer. First beers are 6pm.

EAST SIDE RIDE

Eastside Radio’s second annual East Side Ride celebrates the art of green living by focusing on Sydney’s growing cycling culture. There’s plenty to enjoy for everyone, with cyclists encouraged to ride around and check out the workshops and

demonstrations available from riding and sustainable living experts. Festivalgoers can also browse the latest in cycling fashion (lycra alert) and all the latest gear from retailers Cyclette and Monkey See. Also on offer will be a massive range of organic and wholesome food and beverage options, plus live music courtesy of Declan Kelly & The Rising Sun and funk/soul group Tina Harrod Electric. It’s happening from 9am until 3pm on Sunday May 25 at Centennial Park, and is completely free.

LIVERPOOL NIGHT MARKETS

This Saturday May 3 marks the launch of the inaugural Liverpool Night Markets. The suburb’s Macquarie Street precinct will be transformed into an outdoor entertainment centre and marketplace, with a broad range of market stalls and, even better, plenty of food and entertainment. The Eat Art Truck will be on deck with former Tetsuya’s sous chef Stuart McGill and former Quay chef Brenton Balicki, as will the Veggie Patch Van. The Karaoke Massage ‘performance experience’ promises a choreographed massage based on a pop song chosen by the audience, while cutesy popsters The Collective will probably be choreographed as well.

Have you heard?

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BRAG :: 560 :: 30:04:14 :: 21

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

ALBUM OF THE WEEK THUNDAMENTALS So We Can Remember Obese

It’s only been three years since Thundamentals released an album, but the maturity displayed in their latest effort, So We Can Remember, far outstrips the time they’ve been gone.

In a way, the storytelling that flitters between light and dark makes Thundamentals’ latest work more intimate than ever.

xxx photo by xxxnlee

Xxxx So We Can Remember is honest, clever, and reflects the trio’s newfound maturity.

DJ Morgs has outdone himself again, producing a plethora of beats that cover all bases. From the light-hearted and tongue-in-cheek verses on ‘Quit Your Job’ and ‘Noodle Soup’ to the darker and more socio-politically aware tracks, the melodies that accompany the lyrics are thoughtful and nuanced.

Opening track ‘Home In Your Head’ is a slow jam that features the soulful vocals of Mataya. It’s sparse, perfectly self-contained and cool. ‘Something I Said’ features Thom Crawford and takes a jab at childish gossips. The bouncy, staccato keys are interspersed between words of wisdom dished out by the MCs: “When Billy has a bitch about Susie to Millie, it says more about Billy than Susie.” Preach.

So We Can Remember shows the Blue Mountains trio at its finest – it’s honest, clever, and highlights the virtues that make Australian hip hop so accessible. Sharon Ye

BLACK LABEL SOCIETY

PLAGUE VENDOR

THE HOLD STEADY

KEVIN DEVINE

NAS

Catacombs Of The Black Vatican Bullet Proof/Universal

Free To Eat Epitaph

Teeth Dreams Razor & Tie/Sony

Bubblegum / Bulldozer Hobbledehoy

Illmatic XX Sony

Guitar titan and unholy Father of the Black Vatican, Zakk Wylde, is back for the first time in three years to grace us with his burly brand of grinding rock. His new Black Label Society effort, Catacombs Of The Black Vatican, is jam-packed with throbbing chiaroscuro from start to finish.

Plague Vendor’s debut record Free To Eat is ten songs and 17 minutes of gale-force, self-assured, 21st century punk rock. Lyrics such as “I’m going to drive my car off a bridge / When I run out of gas” suggest the LA foursome is hellbent on self-destruction, but also knows when enough’s enough. Theirs is a sort of debonair chaos – they’ve got a knack for making fast, maniacal dissonance sound friendly.

The Hold Steady’s sixth album, Teeth Dreams, faces the tall task of recapturing the brilliance of the band’s first four records that was somewhat missing on 2010’s Heaven Is Whenever. Lead singer Craig Finn is a storyteller of almost unparalleled brilliance as he sings of the trials and tribulations of young American life, but he’s grown up and is getting weary.

In the two years that have passed since his last studio album, Between The Concrete And Clouds, Kevin Devine has been unusually productive. So much so, he’s made the risky decision of releasing two albums simultaneously, each containing a different style of music.

Illmatic is regarded as one of the most important albums of the ’90s and a benchmark by which hip hop classics are measured. April 2014 marks 20 years since the album came out, and listening to its remastered re-release certainly reiterates its impact – not only on artists for a whole generation, but on Nas’ peers.

Even with Wylde’s sobriety in tow, the record reeks of whiskystained machismo. It pummels the ear with explosive riffs and soulful southern-style ballads. Incredible shredding, pinch harmonics and Wylde’s throaty wails blazon the distinctive BLS sound and yet there is an overarching, refreshing fl avour to the album. ‘Beyond The Down’, ‘Damn The Flood’ and ‘I’ve Gone Away’ pounce on you with their throttling big-riff grooves. The heartfelt crooning of ‘Angel Of Mercy’ and ‘Scars’ expresses a more tender and refl ective side to Wylde. The album’s curtain call, ‘Shades Of Gray’, howls straight from the pits of the catacombs. Wylde claims his studio houses “a ton of glue, steroids, Kimmy Kardashian Quick Trim and a whole bunch of Viagra”. It may be the lethal combination of everyman in mid-life crisis, but we don’t care what he’s sniffing. BLS’ latest offering is dark and meaty with enough moshworthy grunt to blow your skirt up.

Even though these boys do get wild, self-awareness keeps tapping them on the shoulder. Opener ‘Black Sap Scriptures’ (the longest track at two minutes, 37 seconds) makes dystopian allusions like, “I’ve been living off the soil for centuries / Never did I stop to think what it might do to me,” while ‘Garden Lanterns’ faces a sentimental conflict. Plague Vendor is the friend who spends all night devouring wine and rambling about who’s the best-looking Dostoevsky character, before passing out in the bath only to emerge at 4am with glow sticks in their hair. It all happens in a spasmodic daze and the band fluctuates between taking itself rather seriously and telling “the world to fuck off”. The party would be nothing without them.

Teeth Dreams finds Finn dishing out advice rather than trying to find the next high, and the more relaxed, less celebratory music from the rest of the band reflects this. It’s almost as if the party is over and they’re picking up the pieces and trying to get on with adult life. Nailing this feeling is the slow-burning, nine-minute closer ‘Oaks’, the album highlight with a killer solo and possibly Finn’s most versatile vocal contribution ever. While there are plenty of excellent tracks – notably ‘On With The Business’ and ‘Spinners’ – one can’t help but miss The Hold Steady anthems of old as the band’s party fatigue and relaxed maturity (both lyrically and musically) replaces its youthful optimism.

This one-loud/one-quiet formula has had both its successes (Bright Eyes) and its failures (Foo Fighters) in the past, and the Bubblegum / Bulldozer project falls somewhere in the middle. It comes with both its hits and misses, but perhaps the main issue may be the fact that the albums – stylistically, at least – really aren’t all that different. It’s less one-acoustic, one-electric; more one-chorus-pedal, onefuzz-pedal. The loud tracks are jolty and fun, while the quiet tracks are serene and dreamy. That said, neither carry the kind of atmosphere that demands an entire album dedicated to them.

But even if it struggles to hit the highs of their earlier work, a new Hold Steady album is still an album worth the listen.

At a pinch, Bubblegum would be suggested as the one to check out – mostly for tracks like ‘Private First Class’ and ‘Bloodhound’, which give the record the sugar rush it needs. Better still, though, may be the inevitable all-killer-no-fi ller Spotify playlist that combines the two perfectly.

Keiron Costello

David James Young

The linguistics still run rings around listeners, matched with some of the more striking beats of the time. Still, what does Illmatic XX offer that we don’t already know? Well, it provides a look at the prodigious young man prior to its release via a radio spot and a previously unreleased track, ‘I’m A Villain’. Furthermore, we get a chance to hear what a Bizarro World version of Illmatic would sound like thanks to some inventive and creative remixes – ‘It Ain’t Hard To Tell’ still works without its defi nitive ‘Human Nature’ beat, and ‘Life’s A Bitch’ takes a different turn and threatens to surpass the original with its lively reinvention by Arsenal. This particular trip down memory lane is well worth your time, especially if you missed out the first time around. Pull down your shade and start counting that money. David James Young

Kylie Finlay

Augustus Welby

INDIE ALBUM OF THE WEEK

THE APACHE RELAY The Apache Relay Dine Alone

With a name like The Apache Relay, you can probably guess what the music sounds like. The sweet tones of acoustic instruments. The vocals as rich as butterscotch schnapps. This indie/folk sound that has been sprouting all over the world just keeps coming. And even though no-one has been doing anything unique with it for a while now, it’s still so damned enjoyable. The Apache Relay is yet another indie/ folk album released by yet another indie/folk band that looks like it’s just strolled off a fashion shoot for the ruggedly attractive. Does that make it a bad album? Not at all. If you’ve been enjoying this sub-genre’s sound (and lets

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face it, who hasn’t?), then you’re sure to enjoy them. It is a good album; every song is pleasant and the lyrics are charming. There’s nothing wrong with the record, but there’s nothing new either. The Apache Relay bring nothing more to the party then the dozen other groups who have sprung up over the past few years. If you haven’t found your favourite indie/folk band yet, then you should definitely give this album a try. But if you’ve already made your pick, then you’re not going to find anything here that will win you over.

OFFICE MIXTAPE And here are the albums that have helped BRAG HQ get through the week... DAMON ALBARN - Everyday Robots THE SMASHING PUMPKINS - Siamese Dream A TRIBE CALLED QUEST - Midnight Marauders

JACK CARTY - Break Your Own Heart SHIT ROBOT - We Got A Love

Daniel Prior

thebrag.com

snap sn ap

27:04:14 :: The Hi-Fi :: 122 Lang Rd Moore Park 1300THEHIFI

india.arie + joss stone

PICS :: AM

skid row + ugly kid joe

PICS :: AM

up all night out all week . . .

24:04:14 :: Enmore Theatre :: 118-132 Enmore Rd Newtown 9550 3666

THU 1ST MAY LOUIS LONDON FRI 2ND MAY OPEN

6PM LATE

WED-SUN WED-Sun LV 3 / 383 BOURKE ST / SURRY HILLS WWW.THESTANDARDBOWL.COM.AU thebrag.com

SAT 3RD MAY

CALLITHUMP THE MOONLIGHT COWBOYS VISIONS CURATED BY DEEP SEA ARCADE AND HOT MOSH

ZEAHORSE & SPIRIT VALLEY (LIVE) SPLASHH DJ’S

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THE STANDARD BOWL PRACTICES THE RESPONSIBLE SERVICE OF ALCOHOL BRAG :: 560 :: 30:04:14 :: 23

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

I gotta say, we had the best seats in the house. Second row but with no seating in front of us (and no foldbacks obscuring our view), with Warren Haynes’ furious guitarmanship four short metres away and bassist Jorgen Carlsson’s frightening power hair at a safe but respectable distance, there was really no better place for a music reviewer to be. From opening number ‘No Reward’ to the finale, ‘Gonna Send You Back To Georgia’, Gov’t Mule were all business, barely pausing for breath the entire night. The circumstances leading up to the gig were somewhat unfortunate. While the audience was packed with folk well-versed in the Gov’t Mule catalogue, the sheer volume of old Allman Brothers tour shirts on display left no doubt who people had originally come here to see. Unfortunately, headliner Gregg Allman had to pull out from the remainder of his Australian tour dates after an old wrist injury resurfaced, prompting Haynes and co. to step up and carry the gig. The Enmore was offering a partial refund to the audience in recognition – a nice touch.

GROOVIN THE MOO 2014 Maitland Showground Saturday April 26 Groovin The Moo 2014 boasted one of the most diverse festival bills in Australia so far this year. Inclusion was the name of the game – it was an all-ages, all-genres, all-hairstyles affair (shout out to ‘Mohawk Man’). But the flipside was a median age of around 16 and a sea of exposed pecs and loose singlets. Perhaps the thing that all the sets had in common was the audience’s feeling of, “Uh, you know that one song… trust me, you’ll know it when they play it.” Thief was a perfect example, finishing with ‘Broken Boy’, the only track everyone could remember the words to scream along to. One benefit of having half the crowd under 18 is its terrifying enthusiasm for everything. Kingswood started the first muddy circle pit of the day to ‘Medusa’, while Robert DeLong delivered a bizarre set involving a joystick, but unfortunately he bordered on irritating glitchiness live. Illy was unapologetically Illy, and Illy is exactly what fans got. He delivered a particularly strong set for someone with a broken thumb, including a mashup of Flume and Van Morrison. ‘Tightrope’ was in contention for best song of the day.

The performance itself was tremendous, a master class in classic rock musicianship. Though Haynes seemed to be plagued by wah pedal issues and a speaker hiccup that saw two of the roadies ‘discreetly’ (i.e. not discreetly at all) perform some strange surgery on the back of a stage amplifier, his actual playing is beyond compare. The previous week I had caught Gary Clark, Jr. and although they are both exceptional guitarists in their respective fields, Haynes is easily the stronger performer. And man, can that guy belt out a tune, at times not so much singing as bellowing his lyrics. That the band can still summon such fresh energy – especially when every gig is largely improvisational, full of solos you can get lost in – is really quite remarkable. Highlights of the night included ‘Soulshine’, ‘If Heartaches Were Nickels’ and ‘Lay Your Burden Down’, though for me (and a large part of the audience, as evidenced by the sudden rush to the front), the peak of the performance came when Devon Allman was invited onstage for a cover of Neil Young’s ‘Southern Man’. A memorable set from a classic band still at the top of its game. Adam Norris

Parkway Drive proclaimed themselves the “heaviest band here” before showing why they are an Australian festival staple; ‘insane’ was the only word to describe ‘Carrion’. Non-metal fans flocked to Vance Joy who did well to compete with the up-to-11 volume of Parkway, though a less-than-enthusiastic rendition of ‘Riptide’ seemed to reveal the dark side of triple j fame.

27:04:14 :: Frankie's Pizza :: 50 Hunter St Sydney

Surprise set of the day was an honour reserved for Violent Soho, and not just because they lit up at 4:20pm on the dot. Energetic, tight and fun to move to, they were good enough to have punters screaming “Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!” – ‘Covered In Chrome’ – all night. Architecture In Helsinki brought the groove with sax, trumpets and a trombone for ‘Heart It Races’ (“you know it, trust me”), while Wave Racer celebrated a very happy birthday to a pumping tent – he is one to watch. Dizzee Rascal rarely puts a foot wrong, this time educating “youngsters” on “original Dizzee”, but almost lost the crowd by refusing to play ‘Bonkers’ until his second (yes, second) encore. The Presets closed the main stage as only they could, while Disclosure kept the fire burning, and for the first time all day the crowd knew every word. Emily Meller

PICS :: AM

furnace and the fundamentals 25:04:14 :: The Standard Bowl :: level 3 383 Bourke St Surry Hills 24 :: BRAG :: 560 :: 30:04:14

southern smoked swillfest

PICS :: AM

Enmore Theatre Monday April 21

stella angelico & saidah baba talibah

PICS :: KC

GOV’T MULE

24:04:14 :: Upstairs Beresford :: level 1 354 Bourke St Surry Hills 8313 5000 S :: OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER SACCO :: ARCHI :: ASHLEY MAR :: FIOR A :: KATRINA CLARKE :: DYLAN DEM

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snap sn ap up all night out all week . . .

25 years old, and Byron Bay’s Bluesfest remains divorced from those persistent rumours about the failing health of Australia’s major festival market. What’s its secret? Frankly, it might be nothing to do with the blues. The audience plays its part, of course – Byron attracts a knowledgeable, responsive and diverse crowd this time of year, one which spans at least three generations and doesn’t suffer fools. But the biggest signpost towards Bluesfest’s future is that its most unlikely acts are the ones that work perfectly. Take Chali 2na, for instance, the rapper whose Sunday afternoon set was one of the festival’s surprise highlights. He stepped onstage to a sparsely populated Crossroads tent, yet within a few songs it was near full. 2na’s beaming smile (and occasional tears) infected everyone in the vicinity as he landed ‘International’ alongside some Jurassic 5 material. Bilingual folkster Devendra Banhart had already played a similar hand in his Saturday main stage slot. He was one of the bravest songwriters on the bill, for his refusal to rest on safe clichés. There were no 12-bar blues or disco sing-alongs here – in his slower moments, Banhart borrowed all the most meaningful elements from jazz without the trimmings of self-indulgence. Kate Miller-Heidke, KT Tunstall and Beth Hart ruled the festival’s first half, while fans of Jack Johnson and Jeff Beck returned bearing varying levels of disappointment. No matter, because John Butler Trio were on hand for Saturday night to deliver the weekend’s biggest performance. Butler himself was in the birthday spirit, and while he was one of the more obvious acts on this lineup, it wasn’t always the case. “We played this song here 14 years ago with 500 people in the tent,” introduced Butler for ‘Pickapart’. “The rain came down, 3,000 people came running in – and they’ve kept coming.” This time, a 22-minute version of ‘Ocean’ had 10,000 or more screaming. Another pair of potential future stars – Clairy Browne & The Bangin’ Rackettes and Saskwatch – offered popular sets on the small Cavanbah stage, yet could have used some tighter material.

While 2na was tearing up his Sunday appearance, Kasey Chambers was joined by Bernard Fanning for a rendition of a brand new song. And the sing-along country acts continued with Troy CassarDaly and later John Williamson keeping the old fogies in tow. Ozomatli jumped around and Morcheeba grooved their way towards ‘Rome Wasn’t Built In A Day’, but all eyes were on the Easter night headliner Erykah Badu – or at least her backing band, left to play a nine-minute intro before the so-called ‘Queen of Soul’ deigned to appear. By the time Badu finished her first song, she’d made four separate requests for the monitors to be adjusted. When she halted proceedings to conduct an entire line check (even though the reason for her hearing difficulties might’ve been the stovepipe hat and headscarf she’d wrapped around her ears), a significant portion of the audience clearly grew fed up and left in the direction of Michael Franti, where Henry Wagons had hopped onstage to play guitar and dance. Franti’s voice needed all the help it could get, but by voyaging out into the crowd for ‘Hey Hey Hey’, that’s exactly what happened. The crowds came late on Monday for Elvis Costello & The Imposters and another taste of the much talked-about Dave Matthews Band, but it was a shame for those who missed the Tim Rogers’ early slot. One punter declared his love for the You Am I frontman, but Rogers snapped back: “I’m the cult icon, you’re the audience. This is not a conversation.” It was all in good fun, naturally – Tim Rogers is Tim Rogers – and his strippeddown set hit the mark. A substantially different audience made its way to KC & The Sunshine Band (plenty of hits, but let’s face it; children’s entertainment for adults), as another did to Jake Bugg. The Nottingham youngster is only growing as a performer – cuts from his debut record and last year’s Shangri La have built his setlist into a confident beast, and he’s another whom Byron Bay will be keen to see again and again. The final word on Bluesfest 2014 was left to Gary Clark, Jr. – the extraordinarily talented guitarist and leader of the new generation of blues music. If this is the healthiest festival of the lot, Clark fits its mould well. When the Clarks, Buggs and Banharts become the Becks, Costellos and Frantis of the world, and Bluesfest has another 25 years to celebrate, you’ll know how it got there. A happy birthday indeed. Chris Martin

thief + i know leopard

OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER

26:04:14 :: Upstairs Beresford :: level 1 354 Bourke St Surry Hills 8313 5000 thebrag.com

jon stevens

:: DYLAN DEMARCHI

PICS :: FS

Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm Thursday April 17 – Monday April 21

PICS :: AM

BLUESFEST 2014

25:04:14 :: The Star :: 80 Pyrmont St, Pyrmont 9777 9000 BRAG :: 560 :: 30:04:14 :: 25

g g guide gig g send your listings to : gigguide@thebrag.com

pick of the week Arctic Monkeys

Midnight) Tatler, Darlinghurst. 8pm. free.

THURSDAY MAY 1 JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC

TUESDAY MAY 6

Cole Soul And Emotion feat: Lionel Cole The White Horse, Surry Hills. 8pm. free. Lionel Robinson Dee Why RSL, Dee Why. 6:30pm. free. Nova Tone Brighton RSL, Brighton Le Sands. 7:30pm. free. The Blues Night The Commons, Hamilton. 6pm. free. Waldo Fabian Quartet Foundry 616, Sydney. 8:30pm. $16.50.

ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK

Caitlin Park Venue 505, Surry Hills. 6pm. $11. Live Music Thursdays Bar100, The Rocks. 5pm. free. Mark Wilkinson + Anabelle Kay Brass Monkey, Cronulla. 7pm. $28.60.

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS

Qantas Credit Union Arena

Arctic Monkeys + Pond 8pm. $99.95. WEDNESDAY APRIL 30 ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK

Maules Creek Moondance - feat: King Tide + Ocean Alley + Cull + Lyall Moloney + Tin Sparrow The Basement, Circular Quay. 7pm. $11. Pulp Kitchen And Folk Club - feat: Live Rotating Folk Bands Soda Factory, Surry Hills. 5pm. free.

JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Jonathan Crayford

26 :: BRAG :: 560 :: 30:04:14

Venue 505, Surry Hills. 8pm. $16. Lionel Cole Imperial Hotel, Paddington. 8pm. free. Supafly Jam Night (Open Mic) - feat: Gang Of Brothers Vintage Night Club, Sydney. 8pm. free. Take Me As I Am (An Evening With Joni Mitchell) - feat: Rainee Lyleson Foundry616, Ultimo. 8:30pm. $21.50. The Blues Night The Commons, Hamilton. 6pm. free.

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS 5 Seconds Of Summer Enmore Theatre, Newtown. 7:30pm. $49.90.

Disturbd + Insidious Process Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 7pm. $15. Drunk Mums Small Ballroom, Newcastle. 8pm. $12. Fat Bubba’s Chicken Wednesdays Soda Factory, Surry Hills. 5pm. free. Gemma Observer Hotel, The Rocks. 8:30pm. free. My Oh My Frankie’s Pizza, Sydney. 9pm. free. Passing Through (Movie Premiere) + Soundtrack Live Performance - feat: Shining Bird + The Walking Who + You Beauty + Ernest Ellis + The Pinheads Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $18.50. Tatler Sydney (Live Til

10 O’Clock Rock Frankie’s Pizza, Sydney. 10pm. free. Adulthood Album Launch Frankie’s Pizza, Sydney. 9pm. free. Balmain Blitz Band Competition Heat 5 Bridge Hotel, Rozelle. 7pm. $15. Beatville Boys Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 9:30pm. free. Broken Hands Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 8pm. $10. Cambo Observer Hotel, The Rocks. 8:30pm. free. Freaks In Love + Elodie Sablier The Basement, Circular Quay. 6pm. $24.10. John Newman The Hi-Fi, Moore Park. 8pm. $60.50. Paul Greene And The Other Colours Lizotte’s, Dee Why. 7pm. $20. The Acacia Strain - feat: Vices + Hunt The Hunted Lansdowne Hotel, Chippendale. 7pm. $37.50. The Late Night Soda Social Soda Factory, Surry Hills. 5pm. free.

FRIDAY MAY 2 ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK

Live Music Fridays Bar100, The Rocks. 5pm. free. Tamara Stewart Lizotte’s, Dee Why. 8:30pm. $30.

JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Craw Daddy Club Bank Hotel, Newtown. 8pm. free. Dr Kong & The Stem Cells + Skylounja + Emp Venue 505, Surry Hills. 6pm. $16.30.

Jazz Hip Hop Freestyle Sessions Foundry616, Ultimo. 11:30pm. free. Jellybean Jam Revesby Workers Club, Revesby. 7pm. free. Matt Gresham The Basement, Circular Quay. 7:30pm. $29.20. Michelle Nicolle Quartet Foundry616, Ultimo. 8:30pm. $27.50. Professor Groove And The Booty Affair Brass Monkey, Cronulla. 7pm. $19.90. The Blues Night The Commons, Hamilton. 6pm. free.

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS

AM 2 PM Seven Hills Toongabbie RSL Club, Seven Hills. 8:30pm. free. Carl Fidler + Rob Henry + Sarah Paton Observer Hotel, The Rocks. 8:30pm. free. Cath & Him Dee Why RSL, Dee Why. 9pm. free. D.R.I The Hi-Fi, Moore Park. 8pm. $48.60. Emille Wentworthville Leagues Club, Wentworthville. 9pm. free. Evie Dean Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 4:30pm. free. Far Away Stables + Insider + Trobes Tattersalls Hotel Penrith, Penrith. 8:30pm. free. Ice On Mercury Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 7pm. $10. Joey Talam Trio Dee Why RSL, Dee Why. 6:30pm. free. Krishna Jones Garry Owen Hotel, Rozelle. 4:30pm. free. Kye Brown Huskisson Hotel, Huskisson. 8pm. free. Live Music At The Royal The Royal, Leichhardt. 9:30pm. free. Lookear - feat: Ears + Big Dead + Takadimi + Nic Cassey FBi Social, Kings Cross. 8pm. $5. Raoul Graf General Gordon Hotel, Sydenham. 4pm. free. Reckless Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 9:30pm. free. Sasha March & The Dawnhorse + Hawking + Tom Redwood The Newsagency, Marrickville. 7pm. $10. Steve Luca And The X-Aspirators + Peabody + Silo Bald Faced Stag, Leichhardt. 8:30pm. $18. The Ape - feat: Tex Perkins Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $28.70. The Kamis Rooty Hill RSL Club, Rooty Hill. 8pm. free. The Upskirts Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst. 7pm. $10. Vaudeville Smash Upstairs Beresford, Surry Hills. 6pm. free. Wildcatz Bayview Tavern, Gladesville. 10:30pm. free.

SATURDAY MAY 3 ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK

Mark Wilkinson + Anabelle Kay

Lizotte’s, Dee Why. 8pm. $30. Owen Campbell Camelot Lounge, Marrickville. 7:30pm. $17.70. Paul Hayward And Friends Town & Country Hotel, St Peters. 4pm. free.

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS

Armchair Travellers Duo North Sydney Leagues Club, Cammeray. 9:30pm. free. Brendan Deehan + Shane Flew + Cambo + Dave Phillips Observer Hotel, The Rocks. 8:30pm. free. Bryce Cohen Brass Monkey, Cronulla. 7pm. $19.90. Calling All Cars + Love Junkies + The Sinking Teeth Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 9pm. $20. Clowns + Mesa Cosa Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst. 7pm. $10. Daniel Reeves + Liam Caulfield The Newsagency, Marrickville. 8pm. $10. Erebus Enthroned Album Launch Bald Faced Stag, Leichhardt. 8pm. $15. Far Away Stables Tattersalls Hotel Penrith, Penrith. 8pm. free. Jonathon Jones Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 4:30pm. free. Marty’s Place Courthouse Hotel, Darlinghurst. 10pm. free. Muddy Feet Wentworthville Leagues Club, Wentworthville. 10pm. free. Paradise City Hermann’s Bar, Darlington. 9pm. $10. Russian Circles Manning Bar, Camperdown. 8pm. $47. Sea Legs Tattersalls Hotel Penrith, Penrith. 8:30pm. free. Shane Flew + Tim Wedde Dee Why RSL, Dee Why. 6:30pm. free. South Creek Dee Why RSL, Dee Why. 10pm. free. Stand Alone + Black Label + Love Child Collector Hotel, Parramatta. 8pm. $10. Stella Rooty Hill RSL Club, Rooty Hill. 8:30pm. free. Steve Tonge The Belvedere Hotel, Sydney. 8:15pm. free. The Wildbloods + Ivory + Colour Therapy FBi Social, Kings Cross. 8pm. $10. Visions - feat: Zeahorse + Spirit Valley + Bad Jeep + Splashh DJs + Deep Sea Arcade DJs + Velvet Cave DJs Standard Bowl, Surry Hills. 7pm. free.

JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Darryl Beaton And The D1 Cartel Venue 505, Surry Hills. 6pm. $21. Barefoot Band Jam Gallery, Bondi Junction. 8pm. $10. Chris Cody Quartet Foundry616, Ultimo. 8:30pm. $21.50. Funkstar Penrith RSL, Penrith. 9pm. free. Greg Osby Quartet The Basement, Circular Quay. 8:30pm. $49.50. High Rollers Big Band Revesby Workers Club, Revesby. 7pm. free. Jazz Express Penrith RSL, Penrith. 2pm.

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g g guide gig g send your listings to : gigguide@thebrag.com free. Souled Out Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 9:30pm. free. Stormcellar Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville. 8:30pm. $10. The Blues Night The Commons, Hamilton. 6pm. free.

SUNDAY MAY 4 INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS Marty Stewart Waverley Bowling Club, Waverley. 2pm. free. Mods May Day - feat: Urban Guerillas + The Smart Folk + The Freds + Steph Miller Union Hotel, Newtown. 3pm. free. Tomorrow Foundation Fundraiser - feat: La Mar + Grace Pitts + Ruby Phillips + 100 Bridges Brass Monkey, Cronulla. 7pm. free. White Bros Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 9:30pm. free.

Xxx

JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC

Chris Connelly Ramsgate RSL, Sans Souci. 2pm. free. Richard Hughes Dee Why RSL, Dee Why. 6:30pm. free. Sunday Sessions At The Bull And Bush - feat: Four

Kings + Three Wise Men + Jimbo, PJ And Chappo + Keepinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; It Real Duo Bull & Bush Hotel, Baulkham Hills. 3pm. free.

ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK

Chill Out Sundays Scubar, Sydney. 7:30pm. free. Intimate Sessions Paragon Hotel, Sydney. 6pm. free. Live Music Sundays Bar100, The Rocks. 1pm. free. Lonesome Train Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 4:30pm. free. Midnight Drifters Penrith RSL, Penrith. 2pm. free. Satellite V Marrickville Bowling Club, Marrickville. 4:30pm. free. Sunday Blues And Roots The White Horse, Surry Hills. 5pm. free. The Cartwheels Marrickville Bowling Club, Marrickville. 4:30pm. free.

MONDAY MAY 5 JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC

Latin & Jazz Jam Open Mic Night World Bar, Kings Cross. 7pm. free. Mambo Mondays Bar100, The Rocks. 5:30pm. free.

Motown Mondays - feat: Soulgroove The White Horse, Surry Hills. 8pm. free. Reggae Monday Civic Underground, Sydney. 10pm. free.

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS 5 Seconds Of Summer Enmore Theatre, Newtown. 7:30pm. $49.90. Doom/Crust Show - feat: Disturbd + Insideous Process Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 6pm. free. Frankieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s World Famous House Band Frankieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pizza, Sydney. 9pm. free. Hugh Laurie State Theatre, Sydney. 8pm. $89. Ian Blakeney Dee Why RSL, Dee Why. 6:30pm. free.

wed

thu

Apr

May

(9:30PM - 12:30AM)

fri

02 may

(4:30PM - 7:30PM)

(9:30PM - 1:30AM)

SATURDAY AFTERNOON

SUNDAY AFTERNOON

sat

sun

(4:30PM - 7:30PM)

May

Innersoul Live Play Bar, Surry Hills. 6pm. free.

(4:30PM - 7:30PM)

May

TUESDAY MAY 6 ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK

(9:30PM - 12:30AM)

(8:30PM - 12:00AM)

(9:30PM - 1:15PM)

mon

tue

May

(9:00PM - 12:00AM)

(9:30PM - 12:30AM)

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS Arctic Monkeys + Pond Qantas Credit Union Arena, Darling Harbour. 8pm. $99.95.

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gig picks up all night out all week...

The Ape

WEDNESDAY APRIL 30 Passing Through (Movie Premiere) + Soundtrack Live Performance - feat: Shining Bird + The Walking Who + You Beauty + Ernest Ellis + The Pinheads Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $18.50.

THURSDAY MAY 1 Freaks In Love + Elodie Sablier The Basement, Circular Quay. 6pm. $24.10. John Newman The Hi-Fi, Moore Park. 8pm. $60.50.

FRIDAY MAY 2 Tamara Stewart Lizotte’s, Dee Why. 8:30pm. $30. D.R.I The Hi-Fi, Moore Park. 8pm. $48.60. Lookear - feat: Ears + Big Dead + Takadimi + Nic Cassey FBi Social, Kings Cross. 8pm. $5.

The Ape - feat: Tex Perkins Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $28.70.

SATURDAY MAY 3 Mark Wilkinson + Anabelle Kay Lizotte’s, Dee Why. 8pm. $30. Calling All Cars + Love Junkies + The Sinking Teeth Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 9pm. $20. Clowns + Mesa Cosa Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst. 7pm. $10. Russian Circles Manning Bar, Camperdown. 8pm. $47. Visions - feat: Zeahorse + Spirit Valley + Bad Jeep + Splashh DJs + Deep Sea Arcade DJs + Velvet Cave DJs Standard Bowl, Surry Hills. 7pm. Free.

MONDAY MAY 5 Hugh Laurie State Theatre, Sydney. 8pm. $89.

Russian Circles

28 :: BRAG :: 560 :: 30:04:14

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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

TOM PIPER music vibes at the moment, but also run a few things on the side. The Music You Make I play and make all 4. different kinds of music, I always have, but I guess it’s always pretty much based around club action and the dancefloor. If you look through my discography, it’s pretty fucking random and I’m always trying new things – I guess ‘big basslines and lots of vibe’ is a good summary of my sound. A lot of people would probably say I’m an electro house producer, and to some degree that’s true if you don’t know all my vibes… but I don’t see myself as that at all.

Growing Up I remember telling my 1. dad that I wanted Michael Jackson’s Bad on tape but he was like, ‘No no, you should definitely get it on vinyl, it will last so much longer.’ Oh how right he was [laughs]. My parents weren’t really musical, but they loved music and supported me though all my instrumentlearning vibes and such. Inspirations When I started really 2. getting into music it was a mix of punk, hip hop and rave… Frenzal Rhomb, The Offspring, Wu-Tang and Dutch hardcore. Not sure if they all really shine

through in what I do now, but definitely all inspirations. I remember the first time my next-door neighbour showed me Frenzal Rhomb’s Coughing Up A Storm; back then you couldn’t burn music, so I borrowed his CD for ages, then went to Red Eye and copped it. Your Crew [I’ve got] so many 3. mates that I work with, probably too many to go deep without writing a novel. The scene here in Australia is all pretty close so we are all one big crew, sounds wack but it’s pretty true – well, a lot of us are all really good friends. I’m full-time

Music, Right Here, Right Now 5. I think the scene is pretty healthy at the moment; there’s lots of good music coming from Australia and plenty of shows and parties happening all over. Sure, there are definitely some things going on that are pretty wack too, but in all I think we’re pretty all G! It’s very possible to make what you want, release your own music and get out there and play it. What: Chris Arnott, Sneaky Simon, Them Again Where: Chinese Laundry When: Saturday May 3

BBC Radio One. Meanwhile, Hamilton is signed to Andy C’s Ram Records and is renowned for his three-deck DJ sets. Word has it Hamilton is presently bunkered down in the studio working on his debut album. Tickets are on sale through Moshtix.

PRESETS AFTERPARTY

For those who missed out on tickets to The Presets’ sold-out club show at the Metro Theatre this Thursday May 1, there is a not insignificant consolation prize. Goodgod Small Club will host an official afterparty with sets from Modular’s Beni, Wordlife and Kim (being Kim Moyes of The Presets). Beni cut his teeth as part of the now-defunct Riot In Belgium, before releasing his debut solo album, House Of Beni, on Modular Records back in 2011. Wordlife is the duo collective of Kato and Adam Bozzetto, who have released on the Bang Gang record label and been remixed by the likes of The Bumblebeez and Teki Latex. And Moyes’ CV speaks for itself. The beats commence at 11:30pm.

TRUNCATE

Truncate, AKA Audio Injection, will headline the first official Gynoid Audio label night in Australia on Saturday 31 May at the Agincourt Hotel. A veteran producer who started out in the early ’90s, Truncate has honed a sound imbued with “deep, jackin’, rhythmic techno” influences through his releases on labels like CLR and 50Weapons. The support lineup comprises DJs Advanced Human, Jordan Peters, Andrew Wowk, Qu-Zen and Scott Kilpatrick, with $15 presales available online.

HALFWAY CROOKS

Halfway Crooks returns on Saturday May 3 for its first party after celebrating its fifth birthday last month. DJs Levins, Franco and Elston will be holding court behind the decks and pushing hip hop party jams all night long, with the beats commencing at the reasonably early time of 9pm at Phoenix Bar.

MINI LAUNCH W/ INTERACTIVE DANCEFLOOR

MINI Australia will host a party at Carriageworks on Thursday May 29 that will feature an

SPICE X VIVID

The Spice Cellar is getting into the swing of Sydney’s Vivid festival, transforming itself with an array of lighting, decorations and 3D projections. For those who fancy prefacing dancing with dinner, the venue will be offering a three-course colour-themed meal accompanied by entertainment ranging from burlesque to moderated discussions and live DJ sets before the ante is raised at 10pm each night. Spice’s Vivid tiein kicks off on Friday May 23 with a performance from Pink Lloyd of Softwar. Thereafter an array of acts will perform over the course of the next fortnight, with headliners including Germany’s Schlepp Geist, The Lady Boy from bourgeoning Brisbane outfi t Mitzi, Melbournian Sleep D and deep house luminary Jay Shepheard. However, the two highest-profi le headliners will be the original Studio 54 resident DJ Nicky Siano who will headline a Studio 54-themed party on Thursday June 5, and Panorama Bar resident Prosumer, who throws down on Saturday May 31. The full program and further details are available at the Spice Cellar website.

interactive and illuminated dancefloor conceived by Melbourne artist Darren Sylvester and design practice Eness. Putting the dancers through their paces will be Melbourne’s Naysayer & Gilsun alongside the Astral DJs and Pelvis.

Darkside

RIMBOMBO LAUNCH PARTY

The Astral People pairing of Ben Fester and Preacha will headline the launch of Rimbombo on Saturday May 10. Fester and Preacha have played before a number of international heavyweights over the years, including Omar S, Moritz von Oswald and Floating Points. On this occasion they will be given top billing and free hours to do their thing. The party will be held at an ‘intimate’ warehouse location that will be revealed closer to the date, with DJs Declan Esau, James Greville and Anthony Napoli also representing. Tickets are available now through Resident Advisor.

DAN ZILBER LAUNCHES FBI CLICK Inigo Kennedy

IF? RECORDS WAREHOUSE PARTY

IF? Records will host its next warehouse party on Saturday May 10. Headlining proceedings is techno veteran Inigo Kennedy, who has established himself as one of the most respected figures on the underground club circuit through releases under monikers like Reducer and Tommi Satori since he first entered the fray in the mid’90s. The DJ lineup also includes IF? Records main man Sebastian Bayne, Gene ‘Popeye’ Hoffmann, Gabriel Fernandes and Simon Pinnick.

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Local luminary Dan Zilber is leaving FBi Radio to launch a new electronic and dance project, FBi Click, on digital radio. FBi Radio president Cass Wilkinson summarised: “11 years ago we took a risk and asked a 24-year-old to tell us what the future of Sydney would sound like. A decade on, Dan Zilber’s influence has driven Australian music’s growing interest in our own backyard. We are so proud of him and forever grateful for his immense contribution to FBi.” FBi Click will launch in June.

DANNY BYRD + HAMILTON

Soapbox Events and Bass Drop host their next double header featuring Danny Byrd and Hamilton at Oxford Art Factory on Friday June 6 (the Queen’s Birthday long weekend). Byrd was one of the first artists to sign to the Hospital Records label and quickly made a mark by weaving hip hop, house and R&B influences throughout drum and bass soundscapes. It was not until 2008 that Byrd delivered his debut longplayer, Supersized, which spawned the single ‘Red Mist’ that received plenty of backing from

SPLENDOUR IN THE GRASS DANCE ROUND-UP

The majority of the coverage of July’s Splendour in the Grass festival lineup has concentrated on the headliners Outkast, Two Door Cinema Club and Lily Allen. But what about dance drawcards? Read on, dancers. Nicolas Jaar will be returning to perform with Dave Harrington as Darkside, and the purveyors of the ‘Kuduro’ sound Buraka Som Sistema will also represent. Future Classic have contributed the likes of Chrome Sparks, Touch Sensitive, Wave Racer, L D R U and Charles Murdoch to the bill while the DJ lineup comprises the likes of Nina Las Vegas, Yacht Club DJs and Motez along with plenty of others. Tickets aren’t on sale just yet, but it’s all systems go come 9am this Friday May 2 through Moshtix.

BRAG :: 560 :: 30:04:14 :: 29

Liars One Fine Mess By Lachlan Kanoniuk Mess builds upon the electronic bent of Liars’ previous LP, at times flirting with EDM elements without going all-in. “Generally, the way I think about music is never in these categories,” says Andrew. “I understand it’s the way people talk about music, but definitely when I’m making music myself, I’m not conscious of these kind of ideas. I certainly wasn’t trying to make something that would fit inside a grouping of ‘electronic dance music’. I think there’s a similarity because I’ve sort of co-opted this language that these kind of artists use to my own end. Without really getting involved in their conversation, I just wanted to steal some of their tools. I think that the result is not worth putting in the EDM category. But I don’t know, I’m not even sure how to define these kinds of things. It’s not something I give much thought to.” That aversion, or apathy, toward pigeonholing defines Liars as outsiders even well into their second decade of existence – not quite a conventional rock outfit, not exactly in line with Boiler Room fare.

ver the course of seven albums – culminating with the just-released Mess – genre-defiant trio Liars, led by Australian expat Angus Andrew, have developed a reputable penchant for stylistic divergence. Speaking ahead of a relatively swift return to tour his homeland, Andrew charts the evolution of Liars from a “sunny and plastic” LA.

After a laborious slog during the construction of WIXIW’s sonic foundations, Andrew’s trio relished a more streamlined approach to Mess. “To be honest, the thing with Mess was that there were less challenges,” says Andrew. “The challenge I put forward to us when we started was that we wanted to make it really quickly. When you set that kind of parameter, you don’t fall down these K-holes, which is possible if you have too much time. So it made things very immediate. Honestly, it was the most fun I’ve had in a recording session I’ve had in a while, just because we set those parameters.”

“The career of Liars, we’ve always been on the outside. We’re never really trying to do what people expect us to do. It’s ostracising.”

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

F E E L LI KE C RAP J U ST FOR

“Mate, I’ve felt like an outsider as soon as I left Australia,” Andrew says. “The career of Liars, we’ve always been on the outside. We’re never really trying to do what people expect us to do. It’s ostracising. It is weird – this kind of music is mostly generated by DJs and producers, and so it’s defi nitely a weird kind of environment to step into. That’s why it was pretty scary to do that when we did WIXIW, but when it came time to make Mess I just didn’t care anymore. I’m not interested whether what we do fi ts in with what people think we should be doing.” Liars’ acerbic tones and Andrew’s booming vocals often combine for largely aggressive compositions. “I want to be clear that the aggression doesn’t come from the obvious ‘I want to hurt people’ kind of way; it comes from anxiety, the nervous energy that I live with as a person, that I think is a common modern-day issue of having this unnerved, panic-stricken anxiety,” he says. “ When I get to perform music and make music,

Themes of mortality and entropy creep throughout Mess, both biological and technological – blurring the distinction between the two through gritty soundscapes. “‘Left Speaker Blown’, that song is about the idea of it being great to be a musician and an artist, but it does take its toll,” Andrew says. “It’s difficult to continually put your soul out there for people to decide what they want to do with it. That can be wearing, gruelling. There’s an element of it with me that is an understanding that it takes a toll; it evolves in a way into something interesting and different as to how you are as a person and how you react to it. When I was younger and making music, I felt different about it. It’s interesting how it evolves.” Sustaining meticulous quality control throughout their existence to date, Liars build a steadily snowballing momentum with each release – in spite of, or due to, that unwillingness to pander to expectation. “That anyone even wants to listen to the music is something I don’t take for granted, I never have. Even from the first record, I was just excited to put a piece of music to vinyl and be able to play it. The thing that I am very aware of is that we’ve changed so much stylistically from record to record that there are people who prefer some of our records to others. That’s an easy statement to make. I’m OK with that; I’m an artist doing what I want to do. It’s not about trying to please people.” What: Modulations as part of Vivid 2014 Where: Carriageworks When: Friday June 6 And: Mess out now through Mute / Create/ Control

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 BEING

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Liars photo by Zen Sekizawa

“Experimentation for me is synonymous with learning,” Andrew says. “What working and experimenting with sounds on [2012 album] WIXIW did for Mess was that I was able to manipulate the computer in ways I didn’t know were possible. It allowed me to be more impulsive working with electronic music. WIXIW was experimental, but it was also very

laboured. It took a long time to get from A to B, and I think that experience allowed me to be more immediate with Mess.”

that’s a way of channelling that energy. I’ve defi nitely tried to make more mellow music, but it just doesn’t happen. I have this side that needs to be unleashed, and that’s the point where it can come out.”

Deep Impressions

ILLUSIVE

FR O NT IER

T O UR ING

P R ESENT

Dance And Electronica with Chris Honnery 001 COLLABORAT IVE

LOOKING DEEPER SATURDAY MAY 10 HTRK Civic Underground

001 SERIES

DJ PREMIER

Inigo Kennedy Warehouse venue TBA

FRIDAY MAY 23 DJ Sotofett Goodgod Small Club

SUNDAY JUNE 8

Matthew Dear,Â Cosmin TRG,Â Hot Chip DJs Home Nightclub Matthew Dear Prins Thomas

orwegian producer Prins Thomas drops his third album, entitled â&#x20AC;&#x201C; wait for it â&#x20AC;&#x201C; III, this week. Thomas kick-started his career by releasing a couple of albums with his compatriot Lindstrom along with an extremely commendable Live At Robert Johnson mix (be sure to seek that out if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve missed it), a spate of remixes for the likes of LCD Soundsystem and Luke Solomon and even a cover of Ricardo Villalobosâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Fizpatrickâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, all before unveiling his self-titled debut solo album back in â&#x20AC;&#x2122;09. Thomas has continued to experiment and develop his sound throughout his discography, and III is no exception. Laden with â&#x20AC;&#x2122;70s and â&#x20AC;&#x2122;80s synths, the album possesses a less polished psychedelic aesthetic than some of his previous output. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no great concept, no specific theme, no scheme, no plan,â&#x20AC;? Thomas said of his third LP. â&#x20AC;&#x153;No space disco but still plenty of space.â&#x20AC;? Grab it while itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hot, space cadets. Continuing the Norwegian motif, HAHA will be following on from its bash headlined by DJ Fett Burger earlier in the year by hosting the Fettburgerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s brother, DJ Sotofett, at Goodgod Small Club on Friday May 23. Sotofett heads up Sex Tags Mania, a cult record label that is extolled by the club cognoscenti. With its records only available via mail order placed through their website, located at the provocative URL of shitfuckyou.com, Sex Tags Mania has been singled out for praise by auteurs such as Omar S. Sotofett also oversees the (even) more obscure techno label, Wania. Renowned for possessing an eclectic sonic palette encompassing techno, disco, Chicago house, â&#x20AC;&#x153;low-slung left-field psychedeliaâ&#x20AC;? (and the rest), Sotofett will be afforded carte blanche to give Goodgod a thorough working over. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be supported by the HAHA lads, along with Lorna Clarkson and Mad Racketeer Simon Caldwell. Chris Clark will deliver a 33-track DJ mix, LittleBig 10, as one half of a double-CD compilation released by the Berlin-based LittleBig agency, home to heavyweights such as Aphex Twin, Fuck Buttons and Oneohtrix Point Never, all of whom are represented on the release. A man who

is renowned for his productions and live performances rather than his DJing, Clark signed to Warp Records when he was still at university and promptly released a debut album, Clarence Park, which drew comparisons with some of the labelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s finest, namely Autechre and Aphex Twin. On the back of this auspicious entrance onto the chinstrokersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; radar, Clark has carved out a niche on the periphery of the electronic canon courtesy of his â&#x20AC;&#x2122;08 album Turning Dragon, a release that showcased a forceful take on techno and minimalist soundscapes, and its follow-up Totems Flare, an LP that was staunchly supported by the likes of James Holden. Clarkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s LittleBig 10 mix traverses cuts from Planningtorock, Jon Hopkins and Alex Smoke, and looks well worth tracking down once it is â&#x20AC;&#x153;distributedâ&#x20AC;? in May (yes, the LittleBig folk were somewhat cryptic when discussing whether their compilation would be released commercially, but that should only enhance your desire to track down LittleBig 10 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the internet is full of possibilities, people). Â The next instalment in the Watergate mix series will arrive in May courtesy of Sanna Engdahl, better known as La Fleur. The Swiss DJ is a resident at Watergate nightclub in Berlin and also runs the Power Plant Records label, through which she has released a number of her own EPs. Watergate 016 features six exclusive tracks alongside a few bonafide classics â&#x20AC;&#x201C; MCDEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s remix of DJ Sprinklesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Grand Central (Deep Into The Bowel Of House)â&#x20AC;&#x2122; always sounds fresh, while closing with Laurent Garnier also seems like a fairly decent way to round things off. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The making of the mix has been an exciting journey as itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s my first compilation,â&#x20AC;? the Swede stated bashfully. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m very happy with how it turned out.â&#x20AC;? You can judge Engdahlâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s glowing selfappraisal when her Watergate 016 compilation drops on Monday May 26.

PETE ROCK TICKETS ON SALE NOW

ILLUSIVE.COM.AU

La Fleur

SUNDAY 11 TH MAY

THE ROUNDHOUSE, SYDNEY GATE 2/HIGH ST, KENSINGTON DOORS 3PM

Direct all Deep Impressions-related feedback, praise, vitriol and other proposals to deep.impressions@yahoo.com. thebrag.com

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BRAG :: 560 :: 30:04:14 :: 31

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

SATURDAY MAY 3 HIP HOP & R&B

SATURDAY MAY 3

Collusion: DJ Premier x Pete Rock The Hi-Fi, Moore Park. 8pm. $65.50. DJ Premier

CLUB NIGHTS

The Hi-Fi

Collusion DJ Premier x Pete Rock 8pm. $65.50. WEDNESDAY APRIL 30 CLUB NIGHTS

DJ Tom Kelly Goldfish, Kings Cross. 11pm. free. Snapback - Feat: Various Artists Newtown Hotel, Newtown. 7:30pm. free. The Supper Club - Feat: Resident DJs Kit & Kaboodle, Kings Cross. 10pm. free. The Wall - Feat: Various Local And International Acts World Bar, Kings Cross. 9pm. $5. Whip It Wednesdays - Feat: Various DJs Whaat Club, Kings Cross. 9pm. free.

HIP HOP & R&B

Chance Waters + Sable Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach. 8pm. free. xxx

THURSDAY MAY 1

CLUB NIGHTS

$5 Everything Scubar, Sydney. 5pm. free. Goldfish And Friends - Feat: Regular Rotating Residents Goldfish, Kings Cross. 10pm. free. Hot Damn - El Hot Damno Spectrum, Darlinghurst. 8pm. free. Kicks World Bar, Kings Cross. 9pm. free. 32 :: BRAG :: 560 : 30:04:14

Lights Out Ivy Bar/Lounge, Sydney. 8pm. free. Loopy - Feat: Drty Csh + Daschwood + Generous Greed + Guest DJs The Backroom, Kings Cross. 10pm. $12. Physical Education - Feat: Various DJs Flinders Hotel, Surry Hills. 10pm. free. Pool Club Thursdays - Feat: Resident DJs Ivy Bar/Lounge, Sydney. 5pm. free. Sietta Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 5pm. $10. Solar Connections - Feat: Wayphaser + Jaws + Atolla + Blood Brothers FBi Social, Kings Cross. 8pm. $10. Solarium - Feat: Solarium DJs And Live Acts Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 9pm. free. The World Bar Thursdays World Bar, Kings Cross. 9pm. free. Thursday Spice 01.05 Feat: Mantra Collective + Aboutjack + Antoine Vice + Space Junk + Whitecat The Spice Cellar, Sydney. 9pm. free.

FRIDAY MAY 2 HIP HOP & R&B

Cross City Sessions - Vol.1 East Side - Feat: Daily Meds + Dutch + Beastside + Mr Theory + Corner Store Superheroes + Prospecta + Kid Fiction Jam Gallery, Bondi Junction.

7:30pm. $15. Kazaam Ramsgate RSL, Sans Souci. 8pm. free. The Tongue - Feat: DJ Secrtweapn Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach. 8pm. free.

AJ Harbourview Hotel, The Rocks. 8pm. free. Cakes - Feat: 4 Rooms Of Live Music + DJs And International Guests World Bar, Kings Cross. 8pm. $10. Chardy Marquee, Pyrmont. 10pm. $28.60. Chopdog Presents: Decline Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 7pm. $10. Client Liaison Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 8pm. $15. Elâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Circo - Feat: Resident Circus Act Performers Slide Lounge, Darlinghurst. 7pm. $109. Endless Summer Beach Party Macarthur Tavern, Campbelltown. 9pm. free. FBi Hands Up! - Feat:

DJ Clockwerk + Special Friends With Benefits FBi Social, Kings Cross. 11:30pm. free. Infamous Saturdays - Feat: Live DJs Scubar, Sydney. 7pm. free. Love 70s Pool Party Feat: Mr. Glass + Graham Mandroules Ivy Pool, Sydney. 6:30pm. $25. Masif Saturdays Space, Sydney. 10pm. $25. My Place Saturdays Bar100, The Rocks. 8pm. free. OGKY (Or Go Kill Yourself) X Since Day After Party - Feat: Big Redxap With Yellow Wiva D + Egasm + Dutch + DJ Freak Taste Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach. 8pm. free. Pacha Ivy Bar/Lounge, Sydney. 7:30pm. $32.80. Pineapple Republic Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 11pm. $5. Sienna Saturdays - Feat: Resident DJs The Establishment, Sydney. 9pm. free. Soda Saturdays - Feat: Resident DJs Playing Disco And Funk Soda Factory, Surry Hills. 5pm. free. Spice 03.05 - Feat: Brohn + Robbie Lowe + Michelle Owen + Mike Witcombe The Spice Cellar, Sydney. 10pm. free. Tom Piper - Feat: Chris Arnott + Sneaky Simon + Them Again Chinese Laundry, Sydney. 9pm. $25. Two Mindstrio The Mercantile Hotel, The Rocks. 8:30pm. free.

Play Bar, Surry Hills. 2pm. $8. La Fiesta - Feat: Samantha Fox + Agee Ortiz + Av El Cubano + Resident DJ Willie Sabor Establishment, Sydney. 8pm. free. Martini Club And Friends Feat: Ocky + Tom Kelly Goldfish, Kings Cross. 10pm. free. S.A.S.H Sundays - Feat: Flex Cop + Rifraf + Leoch + Matt Weir + Kerry Wallace + Hannah Gibbs Flyover Bar, Sydney. 2pm. $10. Sunday Spice 04.05 - Feat: Leoch + Murat Kilic + Lloyd James + Onn The Spice Cellar, Sydney. 9pm. free. Sundays In The City - Feat: Various DJs The Slip Inn, Sydney. 12pm. free.

MONDAY MAY 5 HIP HOP & R&B

Jason Derulo Qantas Credit Union Arena, Darling Harbour. 7:30pm. $99.90.

CLUB NIGHTS

Crab Racing Scubar, Sydney. 7pm. free. DJ Mattia Goldfish, Kings Cross. 11pm. free.

TUESDAY MAY 6 CLUB NIGHTS

SUNDAY MAY 4 CLUB NIGHTS

45 Sessions - Feat: Zac Hendrix

Chu World Bar, Kings Cross. 9pm. free. DJ Robin Goldfish, Kings Cross. 11pm. free.

p send your listings to : clubguide@thebrag.com

CLUB NIGHTS

Argyle Fridays - Feat: Resident DJs The Argyle, The Rocks. 6pm. free. Boombox Fridays Marquee, Pyrmont. 7pm. free. Cinco De Mayo Pre-Party Marquee, Pyrmont. 10pm. $18.40. Dank Dads Present: Discotek 002 Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 10pm. $15. DJ Marty Wentworthville Leagues Club, Wentworthville. 9pm. free. Elevate Vinyl Room, Gymea. 9:30pm. free. Factory Fridays - Feat: Resident DJs Soda Factory, Surry Hills. 5pm. free. Fridays At Manly Wharf Hotel - Feat: DJ Morphingaz + Grant Lewers + Pistolshrimp + Bernie Dingo + Stacie Todo + Kit Lennon + Toby Neal + Sam Wall + Benny B Manly Wharf Hotel, Manly 8pm. free. Frisky Fridays Scubar, Sydney. 5pm. free. Loco Friday - Feat: Various Live Bands And DJs The Slip Inn, Sydney. 5pm. free. Moonshine Fridays Ivy Bar/Lounge, Sydney. 7pm. free. Salmonella Dub

THURSDAY MAY 1

SATURDAY MAY 3

Sietta Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 5pm. $10.

Chardy Marquee, Pyrmont. 10pm. $28.60.

Thursday Spice 01.05 - Feat: Mantra Collective + Aboutjack + Antoine Vice + Space Junk + Whitecat The Spice Cellar, Sydney. 9pm. Free.

Client Liaison Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 8pm. $15.

FRIDAY MAY 2 Cross City Sessions - Vol.1 East Side Feat: Daily Meds + Dutch + Beastside + Mr Theory + Corner Store Superheroes + Prospecta + Kid Fiction Jam Gallery, Bondi Junction. 7:30pm. $15. The Tongue - Feat: DJ Secrtweapn Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach. 8pm. Free. Cinco De Mayo Pre-Party Marquee, Pyrmont. 10pm. $18.40. Salmonella Dub Soundsystem - Feat: Snareophobe (Ft. Dub Princess) + Forest Sounds + Xsetra Manning Bar, Camperdown. 8pm. $34.70. Soft&Slow 02.05 - Feat: Shivers + Jamie Lloyd + Pink Lloyd The Spice Cellar, Sydney. 10pm. Free. State Of Mind + Trei - Feat: Ghost Of Mutley + Ellagator + Chenzo + Hatch + Autoclaws + Yolo Swaggins Chinese Laundry, Sydney. 9pm. $25.

Love 70s Pool Party - Feat: Mr. Glass + Graham Mandroules Ivy Pool, Sydney. 6:30pm. $25. Spice 03.05 - Feat: Brohn + Robbie Lowe + Michelle Owen + Mike Witcombe The Spice Cellar, Sydney. 10pm. Free. Tom Piper - Feat: Chris Arnott + Sneaky Simon + Them Again Chinese Laundry, Sydney. 9pm. $25.

SUNDAY MAY 4 45 Sessions - Feat: Zac Hendrix Play Bar, Surry Hills. 2pm. $8. S.A.S.H Sundays - Feat: Flex Cop + Rifraf + Leoch + Matt Weir + Kerry Wallace + Hannah Gibbs Flyover Bar, Sydney. 2pm. $10.

MONDAY MAY 5 Jason Derulo Qantas Credit Union Arena, Darling Harbour. 7:30pm. $99.90.

thebrag.com

Xxx

club pick of the week

Soundsystem - Feat: Snareophobe (ft. Dub Princess) + Forest Sounds + Xsetra Manning Bar, Camperdown. 8pm. $34.70. Soft&Slow 02.05 - Feat: Shivers + Jamie Lloyd + Pink Lloyd The Spice Cellar, Sydney. 10pm. free. State Of Mind + Trei - Feat: Ghost Of Mutley + Ellagator + Chenzo + Hatch + Autoclaws + Yolo Swaggins Chinese Laundry, Sydney. 9pm. $25. Switch Goldfish, Kings Cross. 10pm. free.

snap

morgan

PICS :: KC

up all night out all week . . .

24:04:14 :: The Spice Cellar :: 58 Elizabeth St Sydney 9223 5585

PICS :: AM

ministry of sound bounce sessions

26:04:14 :: Chinese Laundry :: 111 Sussex St Sydney 8295 9999 OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER

thebrag.com

S :: KATRINA CLARKE :: ASHLEY

MAR ::

BRAG :: 560 :: 30:04:14 :: 33

snap

marquee ft dj bl3nd

PICS :: AMT

up all night out all week . . .

yacht club djs

PICS :: KC

26:04:14 :: Marquee :: The Star Sydney Pyrmont 9657 7737

27:04:14 :: Flyover Bar :: 275 Kent St Sydney 9262 1988 34 :: BRAG :: 560 :: 30:04:14

nu: logic + new york transit authority PICS :: AM

s.a.s.h sundays

PICS :: AM

24:04:14 :: Oxford Art Factory :: 38-46 Oxford St Darlinghurst 9332 3711

25:04:14 :: Chinese Laundry :: 111 Sussex St Sydney 8295 9999 OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER

S :: KATRINA CLARKE :: ASHLEY

MAR :: AMATH MAGNAN

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