ISSUE NO. 617 JUNE 17, 2015
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MUSIC, FILM, THEATRE + MORE
INSIDE This Week
SHL OHMO
The young Californian keeps his fans guessing.
LINDEMANN
The Rammstein frontman delivers a new project.
N A NC Y C A R T W R IGH T
The voice behind Bart Simpson is on her way to Sydney.
T HE UMBIL IC A L BRO T HER S
Definitely not a show for kids.
Plus
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rock music news
the BRAG presents
welcome to the frontline: what’s goin’ on around town... with James Di Fabrizio, Lauren Gill and Sarah Basford MOJO JUJU Newtown Social Club Saturday June 20
five things WITH
CHRIS CAVILL FROM CHRIS CAVILL AND THE PROSPECTORS Your Band The Prospectors are great 3. musicians, and even better blokes. We’re all very family-orientated guys, the kind of band who likes to bring their kids to festivals, but can also throw back a few beers after dusk. We love being connected with our musical family also. The Music You Make As a songwriter, I try to keep 4. things pretty true to myself and
Growing Up I was introduced to many 1. great artists growing up, such as
Inspirations My most prominent musician 2. influences are Neil Young, Ben
Elvis Presley, The Beatles and Elton John, all thanks to my mum. My dad’s favourite band was The Seekers, he also loves my music… don’t know if this is a good thing?
Harper and Ryan Adams, to name a few. We all know about them, though. The main people who inspire me are my loved ones. I have a seven-month-old son who
the world I’ve experienced. The songs tend to waver between folk acoustic ballads and full-blown rock’n’roll, not too dissimilar to the musical influences mentioned earlier. As a band, we definitely like to play to the audience we have on the night and are pretty flexible with our sets. If it’s a real intimate and attentive crowd, we might strip back to acoustics and share a moment; on the
GREAT SOUTHERN BLUES 2015
MANAGING EDITOR: Chris Martin chris@thebrag.com 02 9212 4322 ONLINE EDITOR: Tyson Wray SUB-EDITOR: Sam Caldwell STAFF WRITERS: Adam Norris, Augustus Welby NEWS: Sarah Basford, Gloria Brancatisano, James Di Fabrizio, Lauren Gill, Vanessa Papastavros, Jade Smith ART DIRECTOR: Sarah Bryant PHOTOGRAPHERS: James Ambrose, Katrina Clarke, Ashley Mar COVER PHOTO: Ian Laidlaw ADVERTISING: Les White - 0405 581 125 / (02) 9212 4322 les@thebrag.com PUBLISHER: Furst Media MANAGING DIRECTOR, FURST MEDIA: Patrick Carr - patrick@furstmedia.com.au, (03) 9428 3600 / 0402 821 122 DIGITAL DIRECTOR/ADVERTISING: Kris Furst kris@furstmedia.com.au, (03) 9428 3600 GIG & CLUB GUIDE COORDINATORS: Sarah Bryant, Vanessa Papastavros, Jade Smith gigguide@thebrag.com (rock); clubguide@thebrag. com (dance, hip hop & parties) AWESOME INTERNS: Sarah Basford, Vanessa Papastavros, Elias Kwiet, Jade Smith REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS: Nat Amat, Prudence Clark, Tom Clift, Keiron Costello, Christie Eliezer, Fergus Halliday, Cameron James, Tegan Jones, Lachlan Kanoniuk, Emily Meller, David Molloy, Annie Murney, Adam Norris, Kate Robertson, Natalie Rogers, Erin Rooney, Spencer Scott, Natalie Salvo, Raf Seneviratne, Leonardo Silvestrini, Lucy Watson, Krissi Weiss, Rod Whitfield, Harry Windsor, Tyson Wray, 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. ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE: Luke Forrester: accounts@furstmedia.com.au ph - (03) 9428 3600 fax - (03) 9428 3611 Furst Media, 3 Newton Street Richmond Victoria 3121
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4 :: BRAG :: 617 :: 17:06:15
Music, Right Here, Right Now 5. We love the local scene. We’re continually inspired by our friends who get up time and time again, pouring out their hearts onstage. The musical family, our supporters, and a genuine love for authentic music are what keep us going as songwriters and performers. I feel my main obstacle has been trying to maintain gigging and recording music without letting finances and ‘regular life’ get in the way too much. Where: Lazybones Lounge / Stag & Hunter, Newcastle When: Friday June 19 / Saturday June 20
Newtown Social Club Thursday July 23
AZEALIA BANKS Metro Theatre Friday July 24
WOLF ALICE Oxford Art Factory Friday July 24
YEARS & YEARS Oxford Art Factory Sunday July 26
JJ Grey & Mofro
Celebrating its 18th year, Narooma’s Great Southern Blues Festival has revealed this year’s headline act as well as a swathe of great bands added to the bill. Swamp blues band and Bluesfest alumni JJ Grey & Mofro will headline the October long weekend festival, ahead of a headline date at the Factory Theatre on Thursday October 8. Adding to the good vibes and overall stellar Narooma schedule will be Blue King Brown, Ross Wilson and The Peaceniks and The Backsliders. Also included this year will be oneoff performances from The Three Nasty Boys (featuring Darren Jack, Pete Cornelius and Shannon Bourne) and The Doley Brothers onstage together for the first time. Check it out from Friday October 2 – Sunday October 4.
THE SMITH STREET TOUR
In anticipation of their set at the hallowed Reading and Leeds Festival, Melbourne punk rockers The Smith Street Band have locked in their biggest Australian tour yet. Coming along for the ride will be Arizona’s Andrew Jackson Jihad, indie rockers The Sidekicks and Melbourne soul outfi t The Sugarcanes. It has been a huge year for The Smith Street Band, touring their way across the US, UK and Europe on the back of their 2014 third album, Throw Me In The River. Catch them at Manning Bar on Wednesday September 9 and Newcastle’s Cambridge Hotel on Thursday September 10, ahead of the band’s curated I Love Life mini-festival at the Metro Theatre on Saturday September 12.
DEVIN IN TOWN
Metal hero Devin Townsend and his band are returning to our shores, bringing a career-defining set with songs spanning his prolific catalogue. Moving from thrash to death metal, progressive rock to ambience, Townsend has pushed and defied boundaries of contemporary metal for more than 20 years. Coming with him will be fellow metal upstarts Periphery, off the back of their latest album Juggernaut: Alpha And Omega. Devin Townsend Project will be shredding their way through UNSW Roundhouse on Saturday October 24.
GET ON GENGAHR
London indie outfit Gengahr have announced they’ll be playing a free Sydney sideshow alongside their appearance at Splendour In The Grass this July. The announcement comes amid the hype of their recently released debut album, A Dream Outside, which features the cuts ‘She’s A Witch’ and ‘Powder’. Joining them will be Velociraptor and I Oh You DJs. They’ll take over Newtown Social Club on Monday July 27.
MIGHT BE GIANTS, DEFINITELY BE TOURING
For the first time since their 2013 Australian tour, alt-rockers They Might Be Giants have announced their return Down Under this November. Keyboardist and accordion player John Linnell and guitarist John Flansburgh first became friends as Massachusetts schoolkids, but only formed the band after moving to New York. The tour will see the Johns and their live band play shows in Adelaide, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth, including the Enmore Theatre on Friday November 6.
THE RUBENS JUMP THROUGH HOOPS
The Rubens will celebrate the release of their sophomore album, Hoops, with one of their biggest tours yet. The 22-date tour will see the alt-rockers play tunes from the new album (due out Friday August 7) as well
JENNY LEWIS SIDESHOW
as old favourites from their acclaimed selftitled debut. The upcoming run will mark the first time The Rubens have toured nationally since their huge Never Be The Same Tour. They’ll return to the Enmore Theatre on Saturday October 31, alongside shows at The Entrance Leagues Club on Friday October 30 and Newcastle’s Bar On The Hill on Friday November 6.
PARKWAY OR THE HIGHWAY
Byron Bay’s Parkway Drive have announced a national tour in support of their forthcoming new album, Ire. Set for a Friday September 25 release, the album will mark the metalcore outfi t’s fi fth full-length since their formation in 2002. They’ve already unleashed the first single from the album, ‘Vice Grip’, accompanied by a video clip that can be watched on the band’s website. They’ll hit the Hordern Pavilion on Friday October 9. Jenny Lewis
LA indie-pop star Jenny Lewis has revealed she will be heading to Sydney for a single sideshow ahead of her upcoming performance at Splendour In The Grass. Also appearing with Ryan Adams on his sold-out Sydney and Melbourne tour, this will be a last chance for fans to see the singer-songwriter perform while she’s on Aussie soil. Having played six Coachella festivals, received critical acclaim for her 2014 release The Voyager (which featured the track ‘She’s Not Me’) and collaborated with the likes of Beck, she’s not an act to miss. Catch Lewis at Newtown Social Club on Wednesday July 22.
Jenny Lewis photo by Autumn De Wilde
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other hand, if it’s looking like a real party vibe (and folk wanna get loose), we’re just as happy jumping into the audience and sharing a few beers.
Years & Years photo by Mike Massaro / Wolf Alice photo by Jordan Hughes
lights up my world everyday.
MARMOZETS
thebrag.com
BRAG :: 617 :: 17:06:15 :: 5
live & local
free stuff
welcome to the frontline: what’s goin’ on around town... with Chris Martin, Gloria Brancatisano and Jade Smith
five things WITH
STONEFIELD
ASH KING FROM HIDDEN CANDY Inspirations I adore the huge showmen 2. of the ’60s and ’70s like Mick Jagger, Robert Plant and Freddie Mercury, and I’m also a massive Tom Petty fan. When I was 15, my mum handed me down her old record collection and I listened to You’re Gonna Get It! on vinyl for the first time. The world finally made sense. Your Band Hidden Candy is basically 3. the love child of me and keys
Growing Up My house was a musical 1. utopia – my folks had records and CDs constantly playing, everything from Elton John and The Beatles to Duran Duran and Mötley Crüe. I still remember my
head to: thebrag.com/freeshit
dad teaching me and my little sisters to throw ourselves off the sofa to ‘Mota’ by The Offspring. My folks were in a super ’80s band too, called Hotel Berlin. Big hair, synths, catchy pop riffs, pretty much Client Liaison.
player, Chris Long. We’ve been friends for ages, and he was studying jazz piano at the Con and I was singing with a very average cover band called Agent 69 (seriously). Chris and I started playing covers together to make a bit of money, and then finally we got our shit together and said, ‘OK, let’s do our own stuff.’ The Music You Make We really just wanted to 4. record songs that made people
want to get up and dance. We love Elton John and Lady Gaga, Gary Clark, Jr. and Grace Potter, so we just threw all our influences in the ring and said, ‘Let’s go!’ We released our debut EP this month, which we recorded at Linear Recording with Wade Keighran. Music, Right Here, Right Now 5. I’m loving the rock’n’roll babes tearing up the scene right now, like Haim and The Preatures, and in Sydney, bands like Burn Antares, She Rex and Hot Spoke. Brighton Up Bar is always an awesome place to go and catch new bands, and of course Frankie’s Pizza, whose house band is killer and their pinball machine collection is epic. What: Hidden Candy out now independently Where: Frankie’s Pizza When: Wednesday June 24
Stonefield The sisters really are doing it for themselves. After winning multiple triple j competitions and playing at Glastonbury, Stonefi eld, the band made up of the four Findlay sisters, are back on the scene and preparing for a new album release. The fresh material takes on a more psychedelic vibe, moving away from their previous glam rock sound. ‘Golden Dream’, the first taste of the new-look Stonefi eld, takes a feminine run at the age-old tale of being on the road and leaving a lover behind. So, to celebrate, they are hitting the road through June and July. We are giving away a double pass to their show at Goodgod Small Club on Friday July 3 with Magic Bones and Destrends. For your chance to rawk away the night, head over to thebrag. com/freeshit.
Born Joy Dead
xxx
Dae. Way Of The Eagle will play Oxford Art Factory on Saturday August 15 with guests Sultan, Benji Lewis and Ceeko.
BACK ON THE HORSES
Julia Messenger
HAIL THE MESSENGER
Melbourne singer-songwriter Julia Messenger will deliver her talents to Sydney this week for one night only. Messenger has been praised for a vocal versatility that sees her comfortable in genres from jazz, blues and soul to electronica, and compared to the likes of Norah Jones and Joss Stone. Her regular home in Melbourne is the Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, but this Friday June 19 she’ll be taking over Foundry616.
THE EAGLE EYE
Way Of The Eagle is set to release his debut album Kodo this Friday June 19, and to celebrate he has announced a run of east coast shows for this August. The collaborationbased project has seen Melbourne musician Jan Skubiszewski work with the likes of Dan Sultan, The Cat Empire and Illy. He has also previously scored film and television productions including the modern day Australian classics, Two Hands and Bran Nue
To celebrate the imminent release of their new album, Tunnel At The End Of The Light on Friday July 17, Tex Perkins and The Dark Horses will be saddling up for an east coast tour. Recorded and mixed by Roger Bergodaz at Tender Trap Studios and produced by the group, it will be the seventh album Perkins has released with his horsemen. Get your fill at Lizotte’s Newcastle on Saturday July 18 and Oxford Art Factory on Sunday July 19.
JMC/BERKLEE MASTERCLASS
JMC Academy and Berklee College of Music’s International Network are partnering up to facilitate free, hands-on music workshops for high school students and the general public. Taking place at JMC Academy’s Ultimo location, there will be an information session about Berklee College with admissions representatives and a special masterclass series. The workshops will feature Berklee’s chair of music business management, Don Gorder, as well as guitar professor Rick Peckham. Gorder has played with the likes of Tony Bennett and Aretha Franklin, while Peckham is an active international jazz guitarist, composer and writer. Register at jmcacademy. edu.au for free entry to the event on Tuesday June 30 and Wednesday July 1.
PALMS ARE SWEATY
Sydney lads Palms have been welcomed into the Ivy League Records family and are
JOY TO THE WORLD
Former Hungry Kids Of Hungary gent Ben Dalton has returned with a new project, the four-piece Born Joy Dead. Already, the Brisbanites have been prolific in the studio and onstage, launching singles ‘Upside Down, Inside Out’ and ‘Hey Blood’ to acclaim. Their debut EP Stones In My Shoe dropped in April, and having played shows alongside Ball Park Music and Pepa Knight, they’re on the way to Sydney as part of an east coast tour. Born Joy Dead play The World Bar this Friday June 19.
celebrating with a sweet new tune and a Sydney show as a taste of their forthcoming second album, due out later this year. With the new track ‘Bad Apple’ recorded by Owen Penglis of Straight Arrows and the accompanying video directed by SPOD, the whole thing is a product of local legends. ‘Bad
Apple’ will be played live for the first time at the Gladstone Hotel on Thursday July 16. Scuzzy and melodic as per their debut album, 2013’s Stepbrothers, while simultaneously entering new territory, Palms’ new album should be an absolute treat with no bad apples in sight.
The Belligerents
The Babe Rainbow
Who’s ready to get weird? The Babe Rainbow have locked in a bunch of dates on the east coast, including three new shows in Sydney. It’s all in support of their upcoming debut EP, set for release on Friday August 7. Until then, it’s hard to know exactly what to expect from these purveyors of all things wonderful, though you can get a taste via their new single ‘Ash May & Dr Love Wisdom’. The Babe Rainbow will be at the Beach Road Hotel on Wednesday July 8, Moonshine in Manly on Thursday July 9, and Brighton Up Bar on Saturday July 11.
6 :: BRAG :: 617 :: 17:06:15
BELLIGERENTS AT THE BEACH
This week’s live music lineup at Bondi’s Beach Road Hotel promises plenty of good vibes. After the State Of Origin footy match this Wednesday June 17, the venue’s upstairs stage will host The Belligerents – yes, these psychedelic peeps are from Queensland, but don’t hold that against them. Meanwhile, Richie Ryan will hold court on Friday June 19, before Sydney locals Sons Of The East bring their expansive indie folk on Saturday June 20, delivering an early taste of their upcoming second EP.
thebrag.com
ReclinkCommunityCup#5080_photo Rod Hunt
SOMEWHERE OVER THE BABE RAINBOW
“PAUL DANO & JOHN CUSACK “
ARE PHENOMENAL THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
PAUL DANO
IS BRIAN WILSON
ELIZABETH BANKS
JOHN CUSACK IS BRIAN WILSON
AND
PAUL GIAMATTI
LOVE & MERCY
HIS MUSIC SHAPED OUR LIVES. LOVE SAVED HIS. T H E T R U E S T O RY O F T H E B E A C H B O Y S ’ B R I A N W I L S O N
Mature themes, drug use and coarse language
IN SELECTED CINEMAS /IconFilmDistribution.au
JUNE 25
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Industrial Strength Music Industry News with Christie Eliezer
THINGS WE HEAR * Which cashed-up promoter is talking about buying an island on which to host festivals? * Just who tipped off authorities about an illegal rave attended by 800 people on the weekend? * Which security guard copped a $500 fine for keeping two confiscated items – a set of plastic knuckledusters and a flick knife? * Tragedy struck a Flume gig at Echostage in Washington, D.C. A woman in the audience celebrating her 19th birthday collapsed and died after taking MDMA.
* The latest incarnation of The Smashing Pumpkins includes the Melbourne-born and LA-based Katie Cole on bass. Cole, who moved to America after being discovered online by a US producer, has been recording (she released the album Lay It All Down last year) and writing hits for others. She recently opened a tour by Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan. * Slash has put up his US$11 million Hollywood mansion for sale. The 11,000-square-foot Tuscan villa-like home comes with alligator print wallpaper and custom-made black crystal chandeliers. * AC/DC have made it clear that Phil Rudd will not be playing
APPLE’S BEATS 1 TO HIT AUSTRALIA Australia will be one of 100 countries to get Apple’s 24/7 global radio station, Beats 1. Launching overseas on Tuesday June 30, it will broadcast from London, LA and New York. An Australian website is already set up, but there is no pricing available yet. The team will be headed by former BBC Radio 1 presenter Zane Lowe, who will also host the 9-11am show from LA. The Siri-activated station will be able to play whatever you want on command – for example, “Play the top ten songs of 1993,” or “Play the top ten songs of dance.”
NEW SIGNINGS #1: MANAGEMENT, BOOKER FOR SNOWDROPPERS Sydney band The Snowdroppers have signed a management deal with full service company push.pull, and a booking deal with Select Music, repped by Rob Giovannoni. Also handling The Fumes and Ivy, push.pull was set up by Jase Spiller (ex-TPA agency, Club 77, FBi) and Ryan Hazell (The Drones
with them when they tour Australia and New Zealand in December. * To ensure punters focus on the music, new club night Number56 has banned mobiles and cameras from its underground raves. * Katy Perry’s ‘Dark Horse’ has hit one billion online views, making it the second mostwatched video on Vevo after Justin Bieber’s ‘Baby’. Perry’s ‘Roar’ is at 970 million views. * In April, a week out from ANZAC Day, a Corrimal war memorial was vandalised. Part of the granite monument was broken off, and the words “No tears for dead soldiers” and “Scab Eater” were scribbled in felt pen. Melbourne band
engineer and producer/GM at Ivory Lane Studios). The Snowdroppers have dropped a video for new single ‘Love Letters’, with third album Business out this September.
NEW SIGNINGS #2: BLOODS SPILLING AT SUB POP Sydney’s Bloods have signed a worldwide publishing deal (excluding Australia/New Zealand) with Seattle-based Sub Pop. They are the first Aussie signing to Sub Pop’s publishing arm. Bloods have just returned from a US tour behind debut album Work It Out, released on Chicago label Minty Fresh. They’re starting on their next album, and work closely with Skateistan, a not-for-profit organisation that uses skateboarding as a tool for empowering and educating youth in Afghanistan, Cambodia and South Africa.
Scab Eater, who played a local hotel the night before, were blamed. The incident pissed off the national punk scene for its stupidity. On the weekend, 14 Wollongong punk bands made amends by playing a fundraiser at the Corrimal Hotel for Legacy. Scores of Sydney bands wanted to be part of it but organisers felt their inclusion would make the day too long. * A year-long campaign by cops to crack down on the distribution of ecstasy, coke and ice in Brisbane nightclubs has led to 50 people being charged. * Oh dear… a change.org petition to bring Def Leppard up to Brisbane (they’re only playing Sydney and Melbourne) attracted all of 18 people.
shown a SoundCloud link to ten tracks they’d recorded at a farm outside Bathurst and “immediately became hooked”. The label is releasing Green Buzzard’s debut single ‘Zoo Fly’ on Friday August 21 following their maiden gig at the Civic Hotel on Friday July 17. NYC-based tastemaker label Mermaid Avenue/Mom+Pop will be releasing the seven-inch in the USA.
ADELE’S 21 NAMED BIGGEST UK SELLER OF THE DECADE
NEW SIGNINGS #3: I OH YOU FLAPS OVER GREEN BUZZARD
Adele’s second album 21 is the UK’s topselling album of the decade so far, according to the Official Charts Company, which compiles the UK charts. The album has sold 4.75 million copies after sitting at number one there for 23 weeks. It beat Take That’s Progress (2.37 million copies), Michael Bublé’s Christmas (2.22 million), Emeli Sande’s Our Version Of Events (2.21 million) and Ed Sheeran’s X (2.13 million).
Sydney outfit Green Buzzard haven’t played a gig or released any material. But earlier this year, I Oh You founder Johann Ponniah was
PSAV TO ACQUIRE STAGING CONNECTIONS US events technology company PSAV has entered an agreement to buy Aussie event staging and services provider Staging Connections Group Ltd, subject to shareholder approval. SCGL managing director Tony Chamberlain said the proposed deal “opens the door to broader technology offerings, resources and professional expertise” and will allow them “to offer our clients an international solution to all their event needs and an improved offering domestically”. PSAV was set up in 1937 and employs 5,000 people in 1,400 destination resorts and hotels throughout the US, Canada, Caribbean, Mexico, Europe and the Middle East.
ANTI-PIRACY BILL TO BE PASSED IN JUNE A bill that will force Australian ISPs to block overseas “pirate sites” will be passed by end of this month. The Senate’s Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee has in its report recommended that Parliament put it through. Copyright holders can apply to the Federal Court to demand that an ISP block any site that encourages copyright infringement. The report suggested some minor changes, including recommended criteria for a judge to consider before green-lighting a request. The Australian ISP will not be liable for any costs of court proceedings. The Committee has also asked for a review of the bill in two years.
ACCELERATE APPLICATIONS OPEN Applications are open for the British Council’s Indigenous Australian creative leadership programme, Accelerate. It is open to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with five years’ experience working in the arts or creative industries and ready for a step up in their career. For more info, see accelerate.org.au.
S4 MERGES WITH MJR GROUP NSW-based S4 Productions has merged with UK-based The MJR Group and will now trade in Australia as MJR Presents. It said, “This major investment and rebrand will help to build stronger links between both companies, and the UK and Australian music promotion scene.” S4 was set up last May by Port Macquarie-based Scott Mesiti and MJR director Richard Buck to tour international acts, taking on UB40, From The Jam and Michael Franti. “After operating for a year, we’ve found that business is equally as busy promoting shows across Australia for homegrown talent, such as The Cat Empire, 8 :: BRAG :: 617 :: 17:06:15
Lifelines Hospitalised: 5 Seconds Of Summer’s Michael Clifford after setting his face and hair on fire by stepping onto a pyrotechnic display during a show at London’s Wembley Arena. Ill: Newcastle country music performer Catherine Britt has commenced treatment for breast cancer. But she is determined to stay on the road. Ill: Mykki Blanco announced on Facebook he has been HIV positive since 2011. Recovering: Foo Fighters have cancelled two shows in Europe after Dave Grohl’s infamous leg break in Gothenburg, Sweden. Recovering: rapper YG is “fine” after being shot three times outside a studio. Split: Seal put an end to a burgeoning relationship with Australian travel and style blogger Hermione Underwood after she reportedly told people and it went viral. They met at a London function in April. Not Married: Little Mix’s Perrie Edwards and former One Direction member Zayn Malik had to deny they were secretly married after she was goofing off in a band video and referred to herself as Perrie Malik. Injured: 33 folks at Germany’s Rock am Ring festival, after the site was hit by two lightning strikes. Arrested: Rick Ross on marijuana possession after his luxury Bentley was pulled over by Atlanta cops for violating tinting regulations. Arrested: two men, 22 and 23, over the alleged bashing of Sydney transgender musician Stephanie McCarthy at the Town Hall Hotel in Newtown. Just before she went onstage with Love Maul, a group of men verbally and physically assaulter her. The men will face Newtown Local Court on July 9. In Court: Coast Hotel owner Cheralex Holdings was fined $1,100 and its GM James Marriott put on a good behaviour bond in Coffs Harbour Local Court for continuing to serve an intoxicated man in 2013. The 34-year-old man, a former employee of the club, later died of head injuries after brawling elsewhere with a 21-year-old. Died: ‘Outlaw’ country singer Randy Howard, 65, was killed in a gunfight at his own Tennessee home by a bounty hunter who was trying to detain him for a DUI charge. Died: major US country music figure, Jim Ed Brown, 81, from lung cancer. Died: jazz sax-playing great Ornette Coleman, whose impact on the global scene in the past 50 years rivalled Miles Davis, of a heart attack, aged 85. His concept of ‘harmolodics’ dispensed with traditional Western key and chord structures. Died: Ronnie Gilbert of 1950s US folk group The Weavers, 88. Died: German composer and big band leader James Last, 86. Xavier Rudd and more,” said Mesiti. “What’s really exciting about this merger is we also now have a stronger network to support and promote Australian acts in the UK.”
GOLDEN STAVE CANCELLED The Golden Stave Foundation, which for 37 years has raised millions of dollars for NSW children’s charities, has cancelled its annual dinner this Friday due to “disappointing ticket sales”. The Foundation will continue its work with charities. thebrag.com
The Seymour Centre & Sport for Jove present
Of Mice and Men 9th July —1st 9th—25th JulyAugust spor t for jove.com.au
THE REGINALD SEASON IS AN INITIATIVE OF THE SEYMOUR CENTRE
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Shiver And Shake
“ I
’m in Sydney!” It’s early afternoon on a Monday, and the sharp-dressed sensation known to all and sundry as Mojo Juju is recapping her weekend. So, what’s brought the Melbourne inhabitant up to the big city of lights? Some album promo? Maybe visiting some friends? “I, uh… I actually played the Opera House.” She says it with such timidness and in such an understated nature that one immediately suspects she might be joking. Not so – as it turns out, the claim is 100 per cent legit. “When I first got asked to do it,” she begins, “I assumed it’d be in the Studio or one of the smaller rooms. Then they sent through all of the details, and I realised we’d been booked to play the Joan Sutherland Theatre. That’s basically the second-biggest room in the entire venue. It was momentous for me and my band – it’s probably the highest level of production we’ve ever worked with, and to look up and see all these people that had filled out the room to see us was absolutely incredible.” And there were no sound-bleeding issues with the man in the Concert Hall opposite, Morrissey? “Not at all!” chuckles Juju. “We were happy to go vegetarian for the night.”
The Opera House support show with Melbourne Ska Orchestra properly kicked off both a national tour and the launch of Juju’s second solo album, entitled Seeing Red / Feeling Blue. Since breaking away from her original outfit, Mojo Juju and The Snake Oil Merchants, around the start of the 2000s, the singer has been pursuing whatever proverbial weaponry is at hand in order to break the mould that band set for her. With Seeing Red, Juju feels as though she is finally getting there. “My last record [2012’s Mojo Juju] was me just getting the last of my vintage blues out of me,” she says. “Even that record was very different to the Snake Oil Merchants days, but I just got to a point where I realised that I needed to branch out. A lot of those songs were written when we were still around but the band could collectively see the end. I see myself as a different artist now, and I really feel like this whole album is going to be quite a step away from what people expect of me.”
“You go through all sorts of weird things as an artist,” she says. “I think all we’re trying to [be doing] is making music that we love, being
someone who has created whole universes through the music that he makes. Maybe I was a little worried about getting pigeonholed. I’m interested in innovation. I’m interested in artists that can do that – Waits, Madonna, André 3000. People like that are at a point where they can do whatever they want to do – they don’t get compared to anyone else.” Seeing Red / Feeling Blue, as its title suggests, is an album of raw emotion. It stems from deep catharsis and passionate reaction, as well as Juju’s own aspirations to once again redefine the characteristics of her own music. Even when attempting to continue on from the foundations set on Mojo Juju, there were some clear and immediate problems – ones that instantly called for change. “For this album, I sat down and tried to pick up where I left off from the last record,” she says. “It felt unnatural and it felt inauthentic. I had to shrug off any idea of what people wanted from me, and move toward what pleases me. At the time, I was listening to a lot of Frank Ocean, a lot of Solange, a lot of Kendrick Lamar – it was all this new sound, giving me all these new ideas of what to do from a melodic perspective. Once I had those ideas, and once I started writing with them in mind, the songs came really quickly.” Of course, in spite of the music solely baring her name, Juju is quick to point out an all-important outside influence who allowed her to truly find her voice – both figuratively and literally – on Seeing Red. “The producer I was working with was a guy called Ptero Stylus. He’s done a lot of hip hop records – albums for guys like Diafrix and Mantra. He’s also got a keen ear for pop music. He told me straight up that if I wanted to pursue doing songs that had a bit of a pop side to them, I had to learn how to sing differently. I had to learn how to use my voice in a way that I’d never used it before. It was great having someone that really pushed me out of my comfort zone. That’s the best thing that you can do for yourself.”
“I see myself as a different artist now, and I really feel like this whole album is going to be quite a step away from what people expect of me.” Juju’s album tour will take in a mix of major capital cities and a handful of smaller towns across four different states and territories. If you’ve not experienced a Mojo Juju show before, you’re in for a night of style, sass and smarts, backed by a team of exceptional musicians hand-picked by the lady herself. “I’m really stoked with the band I’ve put together for this tour,” says Juju. “There’s some new players that I haven’t had the chance to work with in this vicinity yet, as well as some old favourites that I’ve been playing with for years. I’ve got several members of The Cactus Channel playing with me – they’re some of Melbourne’s best young soul and funk players. My brother [Steve ‘T-Bone’ Ruiz de Luzuriaga] is joining me as well, who’s probably one of my closest and most consistent collaborators. He’s a real go-to guy. You can really depend on him. We’ve got some guests lined up in each city, too, and some great supports. It’s going to be an absolute party.” The promotion for Seeing Red / Feeling Blue is officially in full swing. The album is out, the tour is booked and reviews are in – as far as Juju herself is concerned, everything’s coming along just swimmingly. “There’s been a lot of love,” she says. “I’m really grateful for the fact that the fans I do have are really loyal. They’re really into the idea of going on this journey with me. No-one’s disowned me or turned their back on me…” She pauses, laughs to herself, and adds: “Yet.” What: Seeing Red / Feeling Blue out now through ABC/Universal With: Betty & Oswald, The Duke Of Erlington Where: Newtown Social Club When: Saturday June 20 And: Also appearing at the Clarendon Guesthouse on Thursday June 18 and the Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle on Friday June 19
“Funny, how looks can be deceiving but she’s not easily painted from memory” - Painted From Memory – Hayes Theatre 10 :: BRAG :: 617 :: 17:06:15
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Mojo Juju photo by Ian Laidlaw
Juju, at one point in her career, found herself in an immediate community of rock and blues musicians who revelled in the regalia of old-time blues while giving it a contemporary edge – acts such as Gay Paris, The Snowdroppers and Kira Puru. As much love and respect as she has for all of those artists – whom, it should be noted, have all made progressions of their own – Juju emphasises the need she felt to not be permanently stuck to a particular sound or collective movement.
authentic to ourselves and being as creative as possible in your expression. There’s an element of theatre in there – you’re an entertainer, after all – and a lot of the songwriting traditions I learned from have allowed me to create other worlds. It’s no secret I’m a massive Tom Waits fan – I see him as
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www.foundry616.com.au BRAG :: 617 :: 17:06:15 :: 11
Lindemann The Secret Is Out By David James Young up when we were in one another’s countries – I mean, I’m three hours out of Stockholm, but if he called me up and said he was in Stockholm then I’d come all the way out just so I could hang with him and the guys. He invited me and my family out to one of the last Rammstein shows before they took a break, out at this big festival. Before the show, he pulled me aside and said that Rammstein were taking some time off – I don’t think it had been announced at that point – and said that we should get together and make the collaboration happen after all this time. He just left me with, ‘Just call me when you’re ready.’ We were on the phone again within a couple of weeks.” The resulting album, Skills In Pills, marks some dramatic changes as far as both men are concerned. For Lindemann himself, it was the first album he had ever recorded predominantly in English after spending the majority of his career singing in his native German. For Tägtgren, it was a notable stylistic shift away from the melodic death metal with which he made his name, and into a world of gothic-tinged industrial metal. In spite of there being some very clear differences between the two musicians, Tägtgren insists it’s these differences that have made Skills In Pills all the stronger a record.
I
f you’re about to turn 52, you’re more than likely going to celebrate with a quiet family lunch (and maybe a few afternoon beers if you’re looking to go all out). This likelihood shifts, however, when it concerns a 52-year-old who has spent the last 20 years and change terrifying the masses at the head of one of Europe’s biggest metal exports, Rammstein. And so it was: on Till Lindemann’s 52nd birthday he announced that a new project was in the works, to be known succinctly as Lindemann. In order to begin the project, he turned to an old friend with whom he had once cloud-
talked fancifully about making music together.
but it finally happened – so never say never.”
“It must have been in ’99 or maybe 2000 when I started seeing the Rammstein guys around all the time,” says Peter Tägtgren, the instrumental half of the project. “We’d play a lot of the same shows, go to a lot of the same bars… it was pretty much that situation where it’s like, ‘Oh, it’s that guy!’ Naturally, these encounters led to a lot of typical drunken musician talk and what we thought were empty promises of, ‘Yeah, man! Let’s do something together sometime.’ It took 13 years after those conversations,
Tägtgren is a force to be reckoned with in his own right – he has been at the helm of notable acts such as Hypocrisy and Pain, as well as the owner of The Abyss, a recording studio in the south of Sweden. His involvement with the Lindemann project came to fruition when both he and Till found themselves with some time away from the bands they are best known for. “We always stayed in contact,” he says. “We were always checking
“We were throwing ideas back and forth like you wouldn’t believe. It was interesting – I mean, I come primarily from a background of heavier metal, your death and your black metal, and Till is very much into the more gothic side of things. All these worlds came together, and I really wasn’t sure how we’d go when it was starting out. Once we got past the first song, which was the song ‘Ladyboy’, we both looked at each other and were like ‘…Well, that was easy!’ “It came so much quicker then – Till was emailing me all these lyrics, sending me all these voice memos of vocal ideas, and I was writing all of this new stuff. It developed
“Till was emailing me all these lyrics, sending me all these vocal ideas. It developed way better than either of us could have expected.” way better than either of us could have expected. It definitely wasn’t a common approach to songwriting, but it was great for the long-distance way that we work.” It’s early days for Lindemann yet, but the topic of the two doing live shows is one of interest. After all, Rammstein are notorious for being one of the wildest and most exuberant live acts out there, genre regardless. It’s not something that is lost on Tägtgren at all – as a matter of fact, playing live is often a primary concern for him from a songwriting standpoint. “I’m always thinking about live stuff,” he says. “Whenever I’m writing stuff, I’m always thinking how it’s going to come across when we do it live. Till, interestingly enough, has never really been like that. He’s always been more focused on the then and there – if he’s writing lyrics or working on an arrangement of a song, it’s within that moment only. He’s not considering anything beyond that. He doesn’t really step out of the moment. We were just enjoying ourselves, making this record – we only realised after we got in touch with the label and management that we’d opened a can of worms. There’s so much more when an album is concerned!” There may be no Lindemann live show yet, but Tägtgren exudes confidence that his counterpart will be up for the job. “If he was a woman, I would marry him in a heartbeat!” he laughs. What: Skills In Pills out now through Warner
Title Fight A Class Of Their Own By Natalie Rogers
T
itle Fight are hometown heroes back in Kingston, Pennsylvania. As a bunch of teenagers that some would describe as ‘punk-ass kids’, the Russin brothers, Ned and Ben, would jam in their parents’ basement with older brother Alex, refusing to keep the noise down. Soon they were joined by neighbours Jamie Rhoden and Shane Moran, and Title Fight were born. From such humble beginnings they’ve gone on to become one of the most sought-after young bands in the States. Bassist and singer Ned describes sharing the stage with punk and hardcore heavyweights New Found Glory, The Bouncing Souls, H2O and Anti-Flag as a regular occurrence in school holidays, but insists he is still a bookish small town kid at heart. “I do a lot of reading in my downtime,” he says. “Right now I’m reading The Corrections by Jon Franzen. I’m gearing up for the release of Purity, which is his new novel coming out in September. I’ve actually just read Although Of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself by David Lipsky, which is a 300-page interview with David Foster Wallace, who’s my favourite author. “I also try to read The New Yorker every week and keep up with a Brooklyn-based literary magazine called N+1, but I definitely get burnt out now and then – I just wanna hang out with my girlfriend and our
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cat and binge-watch TV series on Netflix!” he laughs. Title Fight touch down in Brisbane this week ahead of their whirlwind 12-date tour of the country to promote their third studio album, Hyperview. “It’s the most wellthought-out record we’ve ever made,” says Russin. “Back in the day we barely had the attention span to write an EP, let alone an entire LP – all we wanted to do was play shows!” These days, the teenagers who formed Title Fight have grown up and matured, so it’s only natural that their sound has too. “This time there was a lot of conversation back and forth about what was the right way to go in terms of our sound and track sequencing, but I think we all benefitted from that, and so did the final product, very much so,” Russin says. However, he knows humans can be fickle, and admits he wasn’t all that surprised to see Hyperview meet with some reservations from fans and critics. “I think it’s a very normal and natural thing to feel a connection with a band or an artist during a specific time and to hope that the time will continue forever,” he says. “I don’t hold that against people at all. I’ve definitely felt that way about certain records and bands before. “When we’ve sat down to write records in the past, we were trying to make a reflection of ourselves at the time, so it’s inevitable
that each record will be different because we’re different people. And honestly, I think there is something slightly strange about any type of art that doesn’t evolve.” Title Fight have always welcomed change – especially the fact that they no longer need to rely on Myspace to book their gigs and can pick and choose their own supports. “The band works like a well-oiled machine these days,” says Russin.
“Our tour schedule is booked until November and we couldn’t be happier.” Joining them on the Australian leg of their world tour are special guests, Adelaide’s Paper Arms. “We picked them to support us – we met them on our last Australian tour, but we’d heard about them even before that. They’re really cool and such nice guys, so when it came time to decide who would be on the tour
with us, they were our first choice and we’re happy to have them and can’t wait to have some fun.” What: Hyperview out now through Anti-/Warner With: Paper Arms Where: The Small Ballroom, Newcastle / Factory Theatre When: Tuesday June 23 / Wednesday June 24
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Methyl Ethel Still Wasted, Still Dreaming By Augustus Welby and intriguing lyrical details. Along the way, the album recalls the likes of Air, Animal Collective, Connan Mockasin, Ariel Pink and Brian Eno. That said, as a whole, it’s difficult to think of contemporary records it closely mirrors.
into play. For instance, while ‘Rogues’ has a muted cassette tape quality, ‘Twilight Driving’ is presented in lucid and relatively pristine detail. Elsewhere, the likes of ‘Depth Perception’ and ‘Unbalancing Act’ flaunt an intoxicating reverbdrenched density.
“The album started off with me writing on a Fender Rhodes piano with electronic drum beats just put on the top,” Webb says. “I ended up steering away from that – it didn’t feel true to me, or it was distracting from the songs. I was intending to make it feel honest and not like I was trying to make it fi t into anything. I just wanted to allow the songs to get across to the listener, rather than have number one singles on the radio.”
“First and foremost, my approach is just using the tools that I have on hand,” Webb says. “So I like to marry the analogue and the digital, just because I don’t have a million dollar studio to record things perfectly. It’s sort of just trying to get the right textures that sound right for the song. So for example, drums on a couple of songs have gone back and forth between digital and analogue. It’s not a choice of using tape because it’s a cool thing to do or something.”
Several tracks, including singles ‘Twilight Driving’ and ‘Rogues’, and the late-album highlight ‘Artifi cial Limb’, reveal Webb’s aptitude for generating instantly pleasing melodies. However, from a structural and textural point of view, he avoids the temptations of convention.
I
n a world of streamed singles, iPhone playlists and automated music recommendation services, the idea of the album has fallen out of favour. Sure, people keep making them, but are they being listened to in the desired manner? Well, that’s always going to fall beyond the artist’s control. But Methyl Ethel
mastermind Jake Webb sees no reason to abandon the longplaying format. “There’s defi nitely something wholly satisfying in listening to an album in its entirety,” he says. “Especially something that rewards the listener who begins it and fi nishes it.”
Methyl Ethel’s debut LP, Oh Inhuman Spectacle, gives credence to Webb’s claim. Released in early June, the 12-track album – created almost entirely by Webb – is a holistic entity. Melodically immediate and curiously progressive, it features unusual textures, structural deviation, weird time signatures
“I was thinking recently about growing up and going on long car rides with my parents, listening to cassette tapes of whatever music they were into – ones that had slightly melted in the car, so everything was a little bit warped. That seems to feel the most nostalgic and the most familiar to me. In a strange way, texturally I like to fuck with things a bit to make it sound more familiar to me.” Across the record, a range of different production flavours come
Throughout Oh Inhuman Spectacle, Webb crucially ensures his vocals don’t get lost. Even when swimming in reverb, the melodies remain distinct, and more often than not the lyrics can be easily deciphered. “One of the hardest things, especially when you’re recording yourself, is to be able to listen back to a song and enjoy it outside of yourself,” he says. “So if I were to bury the vocals, it would just indicate that I’m hiding away from it. But I think that the lyric is just as important as anything else. It defi nitely needs to be there and be heard.” What: Oh Inhuman Spectacle out now through Dot Dash/Remote Control
Dawes Playing Favourites By Augustus Welby
I
magine if The Beatles had broken up after releasing just one album. We’d have no ‘Day Tripper’, no Sgt. Pepper’s, ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ or Abbey Road. It’s a similarly unfathomable situation when you consider the career progression of The Rolling Stones, AC/DC, Wilco or Radiohead. Rock’n’roll is often deemed a young person’s game, but some of the most compelling output has been made by bands that have had time to ferment and enhance their collective powers. Los Angeles four-piece Dawes have just returned with their fourth record, All Your Favourite Bands. The name isn’t a conceited proclamation of Dawes’ historycondensing prowess. Rather, it’s taken from the album’s title track, which has frontman Taylor Goldsmith singing in an earnest tone, “May all your favourite bands stay together”. In the spirit of this sentiment, the BRAG caught up with Taylor’s younger brother and Dawes drummer Griffin Goldsmith to fi nd out about some of his favourite bands. Dawes’ melodically rich Americana owes a debt to the likes of Neil Young, Gram Parsons, Randy Newman, Harry Nilsson and The Band. But that’s a long way from where Goldsmith’s musical fandom began. “Despite being fi ve years younger than my brother, we very much grew up together and in the same environment,” he says. “So we were listening to a lot of the same stuff at the same time. I was listening to Third Eye Blind and Blink-182 and Marcy Playground and bands like that when I was 12.” From here, Goldsmith’s tastes quickly expanded, and music subsequently shifted from a casual interest into an allthebrag.com
encompassing passion. “I was super impressionable around 13,” he says. “My brother was in a band with a musician, who’s still a good friend of ours, named Blake Mills. I was taking a lot of my cues from them, and they were very into Steely Dan. I don’t necessarily listen to it as avidly as I used to, but that defi nitely played a big part for me at a pivotal time in my life.” Goldsmith is now 25 years old and has been playing in Dawes for roughly a third of his life. Being in a successful band can be like living in a bubble, but the drummer’s tenure with Dawes hasn’t constricted his listening habits. In fact, a lot of his musical interests are “drastically different” to Dawes. “I listen to a lot of jazz and hip hop,” he says. “I guess maybe there are subtle infl uences of jazz drummers that I like that make their way into my playing. Bill Evans, Roy Haynes, Mos Def, Nas, The Pointer Sisters, lots of different types of world music – the list goes on.” On the subject of hip hop, Goldsmith was recently won over by the genre’s most conspicuous contemporary trailblazer. “Obviously [Kanye West] is incredibly successful, so people talk about him a lot and I kind of just never got it and wasn’t a big fan,” he says. “Then one night on the tour bus I went to the back lounge and put on Graduation. I’d never really listened to that record front to back, and it blew my mind. Then I went on, in the next few weeks and months, to listen to everything else he’s done and get into a lot of production work he’s done on other people’s records. “My brother had a similar experience too, but starting with
Yeezus,” he adds. “I had listened to Yeezus and I wasn’t stoked on it and then I went back to Graduation and consequently got into Yeezus and Watch The Throne and everything else. But his starting point was Yeezus and then he went back and got into Late Registration and College Dropout and everything else.” The members of a band are often perceived to share the same taste, but that’s not always the case. While Goldsmith says the four members of Dawes are very accepting of each other’s proclivities, there are some disparities. “My brother, being a
songwriter, is much more willing and able to get past poor production if a song is good,” he says. “Whereas I’m able to get past a song that’s not very good if the playing and arrangement’s good and the production’s good. So I totally understand why my brother is super into the new Waterboys record, despite the production not being up our alley. And [he understands] why I listen to Roy Haynes.” Goldsmith has been a professional musician since the age of 18, so he naturally looks up to musicians who’ve managed to stay afloat in the biz over the course of several decades.
“We’ve crossed paths with many older musicians who are now in their 60s or 70s and they’ve been doing it since they were 15 or younger,” he says. “The few that we’ve become relatively close with in Los Angeles include Benmont Tench from The Heartbreakers – he played on our second record and he’s a very inspiring guy – Jackson Browne’s still doing it, and I’ve more recently become friends with Jim Keltner, who’s extremely prolific. That’s what we aspire to ultimately – to make this a career for the rest of our lives.” What: All Your Favourite Bands out now through Hub/Ada
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My Disco Dark Dreams By Augustus Welby
T
he music of My Disco relies on structural balance and technical precision to conjure up strong emotions and dramatic tension. The band’s first three records incorporate elements of post-punk, krautrock, drone, ambience, aggressive postrock and the occasional vocal chant. Understandably, this amalgamation of sounds makes categorising My Disco just about impossible. The band recently teamed up with producer Cornel Wilczek at Melbourne’s Electric Dreams studios to work on a fourth album. Ahead of a brief run of Australian shows this month, bass player and vocalist Liam Andrews speaks about the forthcoming release. “We’ve been working on and off on music for this for the last couple of years, but we recorded it in full in December/January,” says Andrews. “And it was written in full about six months prior to that. It’s looking like it will be a late 2015 release.”
“I think creatively it was nice to be apart and to do a few other things in life,” says the frontman. “We did feel quite refreshed when we commenced writing this record, which was literally done in the space of two or three months. It’s quite amazing how the three of us are on the same page as to what is and what is not working.” The band’s renewed enthusiasm hasn’t exactly given rise to a brighter sonic palette. On the contrary, the songs on the forthcoming album have been fl agged as slower, heavier and darker than anything My Disco have done previously. “From the people I’ve played them to, it’s been taken as quite intense and rather bleak,” Andrews says.
“Listening back to the mixes, it’s feeling relevant to the record we wanted to make. Quite often you go into an album with songs and an idea of how you want them to sound, but it might not quite get there. But working with Cornel on this, we’ve had great help from him in terms of the production.” There’s no shortage of things that could inspire bleak artistic works; just a quick glance at the news headlines will do it, or perhaps the changes in the band members’ personal lives coincided with patches of vulnerability or depression. However, Andrews says the slower, heavier sound emerged without much planning. “We played around with writing and experimenting with other ideas, but then it just quite naturally came around to this. It’s still very rhythmic and repetitive, but there’s a lot more space and ambience in the guitars and a much darker sound across the board. It might reflect a lot of music we listen to.” On the subject of the music they
listen to, in spite of experimenting with a multitude of familiar genres, My Disco have distanced themselves from easy pigeonholing. But building such a reputation has never been the ultimate aim. “We would never [reject something] just for the fact that might be a conventional sound or riff or rhythm,” Andrews says. “If it suits and works for what we’re trying to accomplish, then I have no problem with that.” My Disco will premiere material from the forthcoming album at Sydney’s
Goodgod Small Club next weekend. “It will be all the new music from the new record,” Andrews says. “Everything before it is well past its use-by date for us to be performing. Something we’ve always done as a band is to keep moving from relevant music to the next. We’re creating a mood when we perform and trying not to break that concentration of sound.” With: Cale Sexton Where: Goodgod Small Club When: Friday June 26
Xxx
It’s been more than four years since the band’s previous
effort, Little Joy. Not long after that album’s release, Andrews relocated to London. More recently, he’s been based in Barcelona, while guitarist Ben Andrews lives in Indonesia and drummer Rohan Rebeiro remains in Melbourne.
Sex On Toast Bring The Melbourne Funk By Keats Mulligan there I was, standing next to nine other guys who were in front of a snake charmer, kind of convulsing a little bit. Afterwards I introduced myself to them, and I introduced myself to the charmer who told me he was reprogramming their brains to become exceptional virtuosos at their respective instruments. Before that, they were all just amateurs; now they’re all stunning. That wasn’t even that long ago – that was in 2006.
A
commandeers the mind, heart and erogenous zones of the listener all at once.
Top 20-style flickering montage of Melbourne in 2014 would be an endless succession of “goon bag-swilling, rollie-smoking, half-shaved-hair kind people with broken Fender Mustangs”, according to Sex On Toast frontman Angus Leslie. That is, of course, with the exception of him and his own band. In an age where four-chord punk songs are more Australian than celebrity builder Scott Cam, and Bon Scott’s flannelette-coloured dream is becoming a taxpayer-funded reality, Sex On Toast buck the trend with a unique brand of funk that
As Leslie explains, the formation of Sex On Toast was a very lucky and happy coincidence. “I happened upon all of the band members at once,” he says. “They were sitting in front of a snake charmer. He was playing one of those oboe things that snake charmers play. He was sitting in the middle of Rundle Mall in Adelaide, and they were all in front of him. I was just there on holiday because it’s Australia’s number one holiday destination. So
“I didn’t want to get the snake charmer in trouble, so I brought people to the band in instalments, which is why the band has sort of grown steadily over time,” Leslie adds. “It seemed to me a little too suspicious to have everyone reach such a high level of virtuosity from the very beginning.” Presently Sex On Toast are continuing their gradual domination of the globe, and the adventure brings them to Sydney this week to launch their latest single ‘Oh Loretta!’ According to Leslie, it’s something of a haphazard love story.
“It’s a love song from the perspective of a charlatan who is professing a singular love to two different women, because the first verse is about a girl called Loretta and the second verse is about a different girl called Becca. It’s kinda light, kinda breezy; it’s got some big horns in it, got some Yamaha CP-70 in it, it’s got a slamming backbeat and it’s got some claps in it as well.” To go along with the single itself, the band has put together a film clip – one that’s equally stimulating, and features an appearance from a much-loved member of Australia’s showbiz royalty. “It is what I like to describe as an intersection between Top Of The Pops, Countdown, Soul Train and a horrible David Cronenberg nightmare,” Leslie says. “It features an appearance from esteemed Australian icon Molly Meldrum as the host. We’re then brought into quite a surreal world, which shows us performing for fans. Let’s just say it gets a little sick and it goes a little wayward from there. It’s directed by
a guy called Yoav Lester, and Yoav Lester walks with the stars.” Love them or loathe them, Sex On Toast have injected some muchneeded irreverence into a musical community that has an unfortunate predisposition toward cynicism. “I think there’s music with humour in it, and I think there’s musical comedy, and the two are very different things,” says Leslie. “I’m a big fan of bands like Ween, Captain Beefheart, musicians like Charles Ives and even The Beatles. There are all sorts of musicians that use comedy. I’d prefer to use ‘comedic’ rather than ‘comedy’ because ‘musical comedy’ suggests Flight Of The Conchords or Tenacious D, and that’s not what we’re going for at all. We’re much more about creating music that we like and infusing it with a humorous element in order to engage an audience.” With: The Venusians, The Liberators Where: Goodgod Small Club When: Friday June 19
Ten Thousand The Rising Of The Light By Tom Clift
F
ive-man Melbourne rock group Ten Thousand have been on our radar ever since their EP Tales From The Wasteland dropped in the second half of 2011. More than three-and-a-half years have passed since then, but they’ve finally released their first full-length album – a mix of arena rock and electronica fittingly titled First Light. According to lead singer Jay Bowen, it’s a record borne of passion and personal belief, and one that’s indicative of the group slowly discovering its own distinctive voice.
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For a long time the band put off the idea of making a full-length album. “We thought for a little while it may be more effective to just release singles,” says Bowen. “But we found that pathway a little bit dissatisfying. We wanted to get a little more traditional, and release an album where it’s like a journey from beginning to end, and its own little universe.” While an album might qualify as traditional, the recording process was anything but. “We actually recorded it ourselves,” says Bowen proudly. “The singles were great, but we found that they were a little bit too glossy. Even though they were great for radio, they lacked a bit of edge. We just wanted something that was a bit more immediate. You know, like when you’re watching the original Star Wars, and it’s all wonky and grainy, but you connect completely with it, because it hasn’t been over-homogenised.
“We found this amazing space in St Kilda where they record orchestras for film soundtracks. It’s something that’s not done much these days, because it can all be done on computers, so these facilities were largely unused. We had these amazing 40-year-old mics and this big beautiful space with amazing acoustics.” For the duration of the recording process, the studio was home. “We had mattresses and sleeping bags,” says Bowen. “We each had our own little area that we’d decorate with images on the wall to inspire us. We would literally get up in the morning and play all day until like 3am, 4am, or until the sun came up … and I think it needs to be like that to capture something special. We were totally saturated in this process, and totally obsessed. “Oh, and it was fucking haunted by the way,” Bowen adds with a laugh. “Doors would open in the middle of the night, and there was this constant feeling of being watched. It
was fucking incredible. We were too scared to walk down to the bathroom in the middle of the night.” Ten Thousand continued to buck convention with the album’s physical release, which they rolled out on a USB drive. “They look awesome,” says Bowen. “They’re in a little metal box. You pop the little USB out, which you can then plug into a computer or a smart TV, and you’ve got the entire album on there. People have gone mad for them.”
Ultimately, Bowen hopes these sorts of personal, unconventional touches will be appreciated by the listeners. “One thing that was really important to us during the recording was the feeling and then vibe, and having those intangible qualities infused into the album somehow. Even though it has a very big sound, it’s a very personal experience.” What: First Light out now independently
thebrag.com
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“I guess in the course of the last five years we’ve been going through a process of adolescence,” says Bowen. “We started as quite a traditional rock, bluesy-sounding act, and that’s really reflected on our first EP. I think it was a reflection of a lot of what we grew up with, in terms of things like Mötley Crüe and Guns N’ Roses, AC/DC and that tradition of Australian pub rock. But after that you gain more confidence in yourself as an act, and rather than simply being a contemporary
version of one of your major influences, you actually start to form your own sound.”
BRAG’s guide to film, theatre, comedy and art about town
arts in focus
the umbilical brothers
xxx photo by xxx
mouthing off once more
also inside:
LIKE ME / BONNIE WRIGHT / NANCY CARTWRIGHT / ARTS NEWS / ARTS GIVEAWAY / REVIEWS thebrag.com
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arts in focus
free stuff head to: thebrag.com/freeshit
arts news...what's goin' on around town... with Jade Smith, Vanessa Papastavros and Lauren Gill
BAJAZET
five minutes WITH
COREY WHITE because it seems they’ve led to wars? I don’t think there’ll be a ‘We’re Funnier’ War, though, so I’m going to say Scottish people are funnier only because they seem sadder and I think more sadness equals funnier. Do you know what to expect at Edinburgh? Nope, and I’m excited to see what happens.
Who’s funnier, Australians or Scots? I’m very wary of generalisations about different nationalities
MANDE OF THE MOMENT
If you’ve been plagued with a secret shame all your life, then this could be the event for you. Confession Booth invites writers, musicians, actors, comedians and just generally awesome people to confess their deepest, darkest, most embarrassing, hilarious or surprisingly moving moments that were previously kept hidden from the world. To top things off, the ABC has picked up Confession Booth for its ABC Radio First Run podcast series. The lineup of confessors for this week’s edition includes Andrew O’Keefe (Deal Or No Deal), Kirin J Callinan (musician and national treasure), Eddie Sharp (writer, comedian and host of Versus on FBi Radio) and Jen Carnovale (comedian and the Carnovale half of Carnovale & Culp). However, if you have a confession that could put these celebrities to shame, then you too are welcome to take the stage. Spill your beans this Wednesday June 17 at Goodgod Small Club.
With: Tommy Dean, Christina Eakins and more Where: Harold Park Hotel When: Tuesday June 23
We are giving away two double passes to the show on Tuesday July 7 at City Recital Hall Angel Place. All you have to do to be in the running is head to thebrag. com/freeshit. Simple, right?
STORIES ABOUT MUSIC
Surry Hills’ Late Night Library will host an evening of performances about music with some of the local industry’s finest. Celebrating the topic of music through vivid story readings and songs, Stories About Music will feature Anwen Crawford (The Monthly, The New Yorker), who recently published a book on Courtney Love. Funnyman Tom Ballard, known for his stints with triple j and Sydney’s Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade, will also make an appearance, alongside writer and Goodgod Danceteria host, A.H. Cayley. Give your ears a treat and head to the Surry Hills Library on Thursday July 23.
Run For Your Lives
RUN FOR YOUR LIVES
The concept of the ‘fun run’ is about to get a whole new meaning, with the arrival of Run For Your Lives on Australian shores. Run For Your Lives, founded in the US by Singapore sports entertainment company Action X, is bringing a zombie-infested obstacle course to Sydney in September. Participants can race as either a Survivor or a Zombie, with an ‘Apocalypse Party’ of dance music and entertainment to follow the 90-minute event (if you make it to the end, of course). It could be your final chance to be part of the human race as we know it, in more ways than one. Run For Your Lives will take place at The Dairy, Western Sydney Parklands on Saturday September 5. For tickets and more info, visit runforyourlives.com.au.
KINGS COLLECTIVE SEASON LAUNCH
Budding theatre and arts group The Kings Collective has launched its first show of the 2015 season, The Sugar Syndrome by Lucy Prebble. With the group’s core made up of four young professional actors in David Harrison, Georgia Scott, Cecelia Peters and Scott Lee – and boasting expertise via their work in As You Like It, Black Swan and Home And Away – the Kings aim to challenge content, form and aesthetic and to encourage a vibrant arts community. The Sugar Syndrome will play from Wednesday June 17 – Tuesday June 30 in a Surry Hills warehouse. For more information, visit thekingscollective.com.au.
LIVE PORTRAITS ON VIEW LIONEL CORN IN CONVERSATION
For three performances only, Andrew Hansen and Chris Taylor will present In Conversation With Lionel Corn, an unsparing send-up of every earnest celebrity writer Q&A event you’ve ever had to sit through. Taylor and Hansen are best known for their television work with The Chaser, but In Conversation With Lionel Corn marks their fourth collaboration as a duo. It runs Wednesday July 8 – Friday July 10 at Giant Dwarf.
Australian choreographer Sue Healey is combining forces with cinematographer Judd Overton to create a remarkable performance experience this July, thanks to Performance Space. On View: Live Portraits will give audiences a fi x of dance, fi lm and portraiture in one hit. The creative performance piece exposes diverse ways of thinking through the body, and encourages the
audience to get involved. In part one of On View, video portraits of fi ve Australian dance artists will accompany live performances. Part two will involve video portraits of iconic dance fi gures Dame Lucette Aldous and Professor Shirley McKechnie, featuring as part of a complementary exhibition that will be open daily throughout the season. Running from Friday July 17 – Saturday July 25, a total of ten live performances will take place at Carriageworks. The separate video installation will be open from Saturday July 18.
STARS AND STRIPES
Drawn from the private collection of Sydney-based Lisa and Danny Goldberg, Stars + Stripes: American Art Of The 21st Century From The Goldberg Collection is a vibrant new selection of American art. The exhibition brings together 51 works across the mediums of painting, drawing, photography and sculpture, exploring the cutting-edge practices of a new generation of American artists. Head over to Manly Art Gallery and Museum from Saturday July 4 – Sunday August 30 to check it out. thebrag.com
Chris Taylor and Andrew Hansen photo by Evan Munro-Smith
In Conversation With Lionel Corn
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Antonio Vivaldi’s classic, Bajazet, premiered in Verona in 1735. Now, Pinchgut Opera is bringing the masterpiece to Sydney this July for four nights only. The rarely performed baroque tale follows the drama and betrayal of the Emperor of the Tartars, Tamerlano, after he has conquered the Emperor of the Turks, Bajazet. What ensues is a messy tangle of love and deceit.
Tom Ballard
LA-based comedian Joe Mande has locked in a run of shows across the country this September. Best known to Australians for his characters and writing on Parks And Recreation, Kroll Show and Delocated, Mande has also risen to prominence in the States as the host of his own variety show, Totally JK. Now writing for Aziz Ansari’s Netfl ix series, Mande will appear in intimate theatre settings when he hits the stage in our capital cities. He’ll play Giant Dwarf on Friday September 4 and Saturday September 5.
COMPELLED TO CONFESS
How did you get into comedy in the first place? Do you see this as a ‘serious job’ for yourself in the years to come? My friend Shayne dragged me into it, kicking and screaming. I want to do this for the rest of my life. It’s my bliss.
Bajazet
Bajazet photo © Keith Saunders
Y
our Laugh Stand show will double as a farewell before you head overseas for your first Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
As the saying goes, ‘Write what you know.’ How much of your own experience do you draw upon for your comedy? I draw upon anything from my life I fi nd funny. So, most things with the exception of fi lling out the bullshit paperwork for a passport. It’s still too soon to make jokes about a topic that has scarred me. I have PPTSD.
You jointly won the Best Newcomer Award at this year’s Sydney Comedy Festival. How responsive have audiences been to your work? The audiences have been wonderful and seem to appreciate what I’m trying to do with the show.
Like Me [THEATRE] Organised Chaos By David Molloy
F
or a man running a theatre company whose guiding principle is to make “theatre out of control”, Duncan Maurice is surprisingly calm and assured. Perhaps one would have to be when in charge of cultivating the kind of chaos for which Mongrel Mouth shows are known, where audience members roam freely, shaping the action to their desire.
“It’s not a static journey; you don’t just sit on one page and stay there and read to the end. You hyperlink all over the place, and that’s the kind of theatre we make. You literally can hyperlink at any time you want from any room to any room, and for me that’s just more fulfilling. “I don’t know how we do it!” he admits with a laugh. “I just think somehow, we do it. It’s a lot of work… for the last show we had eight rooms going at once; that’s over eight hours of theatre condensed into one hour.” Add to that the intense physicality of their chosen performance style – in this case, the French clowning tradition of bouffon – and you
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As a young company, it’s a risky dynamic to attempt, but Maurice is emphatic that this wrestling with form is what’s needed in the Aussie scene. “I see the proscenium archstyle theatre as quite autocratic, in that you’re told where to sit, you’re told where to look,” he says. “I think it’s a very dominating art form for its audience. I’m interested in shifting that relationship – so what if we let the audience do whatever they want, whenever they want? You can’t just hit your audience over the head continually with questions, you’ve gotta give them some delight.”
This anarchic form is core to Mongrel Mouth’s third show, Like Me – a roaming work set in an asylum that is populated by clownish versions of the I Generation’s greatest narcissists. Maurice links the form to our habit of surfing the net.
have one exhausting show for the cast. “It’s able to deal with such complex social issues but through this idea of play,” Maurice says of bouffon. “It’s almost the perfect irony that the bouffon clown is so savvy but so naïve at the same time. For me, that’s a really interesting dramatic conflict or dichotomy to explore.” Of course, Maurice doesn’t want the show to be a moralistic scolding of any kind. “It’s just fun, it’s just madness, and I think so often as artists we take ourselves so seriously – and of course at Mongrel Mouth we take what we do seriously – but we also need to enjoy the process,” he says.
Much of the comedy stems from audience interaction and its inherent dangers. Maurice has a slew of anecdotes from when the relationship between performer and audience has dramatically changed.
“I don’t want it to come across as, ‘It’s really heavy and dark and you’re gonna come and be lectured by three left-wing artists’ – it’s not that at all. You know, I think all really good comedy allows us to take a step, take a breath, have a laugh at the world and refresh.”
“On the last show there were two big toy, red, glittery guns in the final scene, and it was basically up to the audience whether certain people should live or die,” he says. “And we had audience members break the guns – it was great!” he laughs.
“When they’re that involved, it’s exciting. You don’t know where you’re necessarily heading, but you’re all on the train together, so it’s OK. It’s a whole new level of flying by the seat of your pants, I guess.” What: Like Me Where: Merchants House, The Rocks When: Thursday June 18 – Saturday July 11
The Umbilical Brothers [COMEDY] Not Suitable For Children By David Molloy their new show. It’s news to us, as the performance history on their website hasn’t been updated since The Portal Of Uncertainty opened in 2010. “We’ve been to Holland, and that’s where the Portal of Uncertainty tends to open,” explains Dundas.
I
t’s been some years since last we heard from Australia’s favourite physical theatre fruitcakes, but Shane Dundas and David Collins are back on Aussie stages with a brand new show that’s distinctly kid-unfriendly. When I catch up with The Umbilical Brothers, they’re just stepping off from a photo shoot where Collins is convinced the photographer is more exhausted than they are. “Either he was really high or the camera was really heavy, I dunno,” he quips. “Or just flicking the button with his finger was really taking it out of him.” It must have come as a surprise to two performers who are very used to
bouncing around at breakneck speeds. “I seriously get no exercise outside of performing because that gives me more than enough exercise, right?” says Dundas. “I’ve gotta balance it up.” “And we really should learn to stretch before a show or do some vocal warmups,” Collins continues. “We don’t do any of that. Almost 25 years in and we’ve never stretched before a show.” “I think if we started stretching at this point, it could seriously injure us,” Dundas says. Fresh from an extensive stretch of overseas touring, the boys have a wealth of experience with which to craft
“We spent three weeks in Amsterdam one Thursday night,” says Collins. “And that’s what happened, so we haven’t really updated. It’s either that or we’re just fucking lazy and haven’t gone back to our website since 2010. You can make up your own mind.” In fact, they’ve been anything but lazy, having now travelled to 37 countries across the globe, including the Baltics and Lithuania. “We’ve never been to Lithuania before and we did two nights of 900 people,” says Collins, boyishly excited. “And that was a hundred people standing in each show.” Dundas is quick to add, “And there are only 800 people living in Lithuania – ” Collins laughs, “Yeah, where the fuck did the other ones come from?! They’re already fans because they’ve seen three minutes of us on YouTube, and now they get to see an hour and a half
of us doing christy-wisty weird stuff that has a through-line and a story, and it’s kinda like their brains exploded.”
develop a show concept on the spot in which they’re put on trial by their imaginary characters.
The Umbilical Brothers’ new work, Kidshow!, stemmed from ideas conjured up by the gruesome twosome as they worked on their television program The Upside Down Show, aimed at – in Dundas’ words – “fiveyear-olds and stoners”.
“Well, what’s the jury consist of?” asks Collins. “If they’re imaginary characters, we’re fucked!”
“Your comic brain is always thinking about what the evil version of that could be,” he explains.
“It gets a bit sick,” says Dundas, allowing Collins to elaborate.
Collins clarifies, “What is the wrong thing that could happen in this oh-soright situation?” And there are many, many wrong things at their disposal. I’m treated to an audience with Timmy, a young boy the Brothers have ostensibly kidnapped for the show; the voice of a certain very famous mouse who cops at least one blow to the face during our chat; and a recreation of the moment when the boys accidentally decapitated Kermit the Frog in front of his own operators. “All the characters we do, the fluffier they are, the harder they fall,” says Collins, and the two spontaneously
The Brothers are convinced that Kidshow! may be the perfect show for a BRAG audience.
“We massacre the Brady Bunch, for fuck’s sake,” he says. “One by one. It’s still as shocking as anything you’ve ever seen.” Even though you can’t physically see them onstage? “That’s right,” says Dundas. “We’re completely staying away from any sense of responsibility on that.” What: Kidshow! (Not Suitable For Children) Where: Roslyn Packer Theatre (formerly Sydney Theatre) When: Friday June 19 – Sunday June 27
Bonnie Wright [FILM] Being Ginny Weasley By Adam Norris
B
onnie Wright is not, of course, Ginny Weasley, except in the sense that she also somehow is. Since the release of J.K. Rowling’s first Harry Potter novel in 1997, and the subsequent film series from 2001-2011, the Hogwarts universe has developed into a cultural touchstone that endures to this day. Its legacy is likely to further cement itself in the public’s imagination with the release of further features in the years ahead and annual conventions such as Sydney’s upcoming Supanova event, at which Wright will appear. Such is the strength of these characters and narratives that to many people the world over, the creations have surpassed their creator, the George Stark of young adult fiction. Yet while most of us fondly recall the development of Rowling’s Potter characters, for a select few, the line between entertainment and identity is much
less defined. After all, a decade is a long time to walk in another person’s shoes. “I think what made it easy to connect and mould something,” Wright considers in her cheerful British accent, “was that at the time, both in the role and for myself, you’re going through a much more influential ten years than you are if you were, say, playing a role set in ages between 30 and 40. Playing a role that stretches from age nine to 19 is a hugely important part of a child and teenager’s life, so I think what made it so close to home for me was that all of the stages of growing up were happening at an identical time in the story. “So the lines quickly crossed each other, and by the time we finished it took a while to really shed those layers and to see it as one experience rather than think of myself as still being a part of it.
“I mean, to play this for ten years, it’s always going to be a part of me. [The characters] are always going to be a part of all of us, part of our memory. But I’ve found as each year passes, more understanding comes from those times.” Wright’s development as a performer was unique for a variety of reasons. The sheer length of time it took to film all eight movies and her adolescent years notwithstanding, this was a story for which the cast had no idea of the ending. Unlike an ordinary screenplay or novel, the actors could not read ahead to learn the fate of their characters, and remained for a long time at the mercy of plots that had yet to be published. “I think it was a very unusual way of storytelling, and therefore acting, in terms of knowing the content from the books that had already been released and knowing where the character was going to go,” says
Wright. “While filming, of course, some of the books hadn’t come out, so there really was that waiting to find where your story went. It was a very bizarre way as a performer to understand where you’re going, and not to think about it too much. Other productions that I’ve done, I’m just given the script and I know exactly where it all ends. It’s definitely been a long learning process, upon finishing and seeing how the films were made in terms of storytelling, and even how different that storytelling can be from one writer or director to the next, or even across genres. “But I think you’re always ready to let a character go if you feel you’ve done justice to it. After ten years of playing the same role, I think all of us were excited and ready for what came next, what new characters. Mostly in the sense that you’re just ready to perform something new, to start some other chapter.”
What: Supanova Pop Culture Expo 2015 Where: Sydney Showground, Olympic Park When: Friday June 19 – Sunday June 21
“Oh, if I could just become forgetful when night seems endless. Does the extinguished candle care about the darkness?” - Painted From Memory – Hayes Theatre thebrag.com
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Nancy Cartwright [TELEVISION] Life As A Ten-Year-Old Boy By David Molloy
W
hen it comes to professional longevity, no-one thinks of voice acting, and very few people can claim the staying power that Nancy Cartwright can. For 26 years – this author’s entire lifetime – Cartwright has been doing one job and doing it well: voicing television’s most notorious lil’ troublemaker, the one and only Bart Simpson. Surprisingly for someone with such an auspicious and celebrated career, last year marked the first appearance Cartwright has made at a convention. “I’m fairly new to the comic-con experience – I’ve never been, certainly not to one in Australia,” she says. “But I thought I’d give it a go. I mean, what the heck, a trip to Australia, sounds pretty fun!” At this year’s Supanova convention, Cartwright will be in excellent company. Appearing onstage alongside her are John DiMaggio and Billy West of Futurama fame, another of Matt Groening’s marks on the pop cultural landscape. “Oh, I love Billy West! We’re gonna have a lot of fun,” Cartwright laughs. “You know, the idea of being mobbed by tens of thousands of people wanting my autograph and taking my photograph, that didn’t interest me so much, but after 26 years, I think it’s OK to go do this every now and then. “And then, you know what? Because I’m just a voice, I can walk away from it all, catch an airplane, head home and it’s back to anonymity.” Bart Simpson’s witticisms won’t be the only ones on display at Supanova, as Cartwright is also the voice behind Simpsons characters Nelson Muntz, Todd Flanders,
Maggie Simpson, Kearney, Database and Ralph Wiggum.
do because you know what you’re doing.”
“I can tell you this, the name of the game in voiceovers is you have to be versatile,” she says. “They are looking for people that can just do a plethora of characters… Dan [Castellaneta] and Hank [Azaria], they do like ten, 12 voices! That keeps it fresh and keeps it fun, especially when I have a scene where I’m doing dialogue with myself, so to speak, as other characters – that’s super fun!”
Thanks to her stint on the world’s longest-running cartoon series, Cartwright knows how to keep it interesting. “I keep it fresh by saying a prayer,” she says, before launching into Bart’s voice – “‘Dear God, hello, it’s me again…’ The writers are brilliant at what they do, and I just say what they write! It is fresh every time I do it; it’s a brand new show, it’s a brand new adventure, it’s a brand new surprise.”
Unlike Castellaneta, Cartwright didn’t have real-life references from whom she drew her characters – the voice of Bart was decided on in her first audition for The Simpsons back in 1987. “It was a voice I had actually used,” she admits. “You know, for My Little Pony, I did a pony voice that sounded kinda like Bart, but when I did that for Matt Groening, it just resonated so clearly to him and it’s a simple voice that doesn’t take a lot of effort for me – ”
Our conversation touches on Cartwright’s recent endeavours – a successful practice as a sculptor, and a move towards becoming a filmmaker. “I recently completed a sculpture that’s 20 by 12 [inches], it’s of Bart Simpson,” she says. “It’s called The Bartman … [it’s] installed at USC, the campus here in Southern California, permanently in the Steven Spielberg building, so I’m in great company.”
Cartwright’s voice shifts, and suddenly the person on the phone is Bart Simpson. “ – to just start talking like that, man. It doesn’t take any effort at all! As opposed to – ” Another shift, and Cartwright’s voice becomes gravelly and low: that of the owner of TV’s most iconic laugh. “ – Nelson Muntz! If I have to do that for a whole show, my throat is pretty sore by the time I’m done,” she says, now back in her own Californian accent. “But Bart is really effortless, and that is totally the way to go in acting: it shouldn’t be an effort, it should be no thinking, you just
As for filmmaking, Cartwright has just returned from pitching her first screenplay, In Search Of Fellini, at the Cannes Film Festival, based on her own experiences travelling to Italy on a whim to meet Federico Fellini in the flesh. “I went by myself and I couldn’t speak the language,” she says. “I’m a little blonde chick with long blonde hair and it wasn’t tourist season so I got a lot of attention, and I had this wild adventure! 20 years later and we’ve got the screenplay version of it… we’ll have the whole thing shot by the end of the year, and submitted to Cannes Film Festival next spring.” Cartwright may have experienced a similar flashback moment as she
performed her very own hit single ‘Do The Bartman’ to an audience of 18,000 people last year, the closing number of The Simpsons Take The Hollywood Bowl. “It was the culmination of, at that point, 25 years of work, and it was just such a thrill,” she says. “Here I am, backed up by about 300 people including the LA Gay Men’s Choir and Yeardley [Smith] and Hank and Matt Groening and everybody in the audience up on their feet!” With the live spectacular behind her, and now with series veteran Harry Shearer leaving the show, it’s clear The Simpsons won’t last forever. But Cartwright is unfazed by the line of questioning, her history of
achievement buoying her optimism. “I guess I can’t speak on [Shearer’s] behalf, but… we’re just gonna continue,” she says. “I have no idea how they’re gonna end it – I’m sure that they will come up with something someday, when it is all over. “But I’m not ready to turn in those blue sneakers and that skateboard just yet.” What: Supanova Pop Culture Expo 2015 Where: Sydney Showground, Olympic Park When: Friday June 19 – Sunday June 21
KURT
Featuring ARIA award-winner and star of Rock of Ages
JUSTIN BURFORD (End of Fashion) with
PHIL CEBERANO
18 &19 JUNE | 6:30pm Hayes Theatre Co 19 Greenknowe Ave, Potts Point
MICHAEL FALZON & BOBBY FOX IN
THE MUSIC of BAChARACH AND COSTELLO 18, 19 & 20 JUNE 8:30pm Hayes Theatre Co 19 Greenknowe Ave, Potts Point
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thebrag.com
Film Reviews Hits and misses on the silver screen and bareboards around town xxx
■ Film
■ Film
SUNRISE
AMY
Reviewed during Sydney Film Festival 2015 Overturning the Bollywood stereotype that is familiar to most Western audiences, Sunrise instead captures the essence of Hollywood noir and throws it into the light. Dressed in algae greens and neon blues, it follows police inspector Joshi as he hunts the elusive shadow of a man. No, not a man, but the embodiment of child trafficking in Mumbai. Somewhere in the city, a girl is snatched from her family and brought to an apartment laden with others much like herself, who’ve either been kidnapped or have run away from home. They remain in a single room, cleaning and grooming each other by day and making themselves up to ‘work’ by night. It is these victims he is searching for. All this seems plausible until the line between dreams and reality begins to blur. Joshi’s memories of his wife – pregnant, learning English and cleaning the home – haunt his now stale and empty apartment. Torment and despair swell as his personal investment in the matter is revealed, with his own six-year-old child having been kidnapped. And while his wife now busies herself
In cinemas Thursday July 2
Sunrise haunting his apartment, his daughter spends her time haunting the city streets. For it’s in the torrential rain of night when Joshi sees her, dancing for seedy men in a mysterious club called Paradise. It’s like Groundhog Day each time he discovers himself knocking on its fantastic neon red door. The same men welcome him in and seat him, the same men point at his daughter implying that she is their property, the same men throw money on her despite her apathetic reaction, and the same men never see justice. Undoubtedly a stark and unique perspective on child trafficking in India, while the emotion is rife and the cinematography superb, the element of noir refuses to command the sense of severity this issue demands. Ironically, so great is the fantasy in Sunrise that the reality does not needle its way into our minds for long enough to make its statement. Stephanie Yip
■ Film
THE MAFIA KILLS ONLY IN SUMMER In cinemas now A black romantic comedy: it’s a rare kind of genre blend, but this Italian stunner actually manages to pull it off with barely a hitch. Expansive and playful, but nevertheless rich with history, The Mafia Kills Only In Summer is a fascinating effort from writer, director and star Pierfrancesco Diliberto (AKA Pif). Since the moment of his conception, Arturo’s life has been inextricably linked with the presence of the mafia in his hometown of Palermo. We watch Arturo, hopelessly in love with his childhood classmate Flora, as he strives to win her affections through the ages, just as Palermo strives to free itself from the stranglehold of organised crime. The Mafia Kills Only In Summer sits in the same strain of filmmaking as Amelié, bursting with character and at times painfully awkward in its honest depiction of youth. The young Arturo (Alex Bisconti) is very endearing, even if his later iteration (writer/ director Pif) is a bumbling mess of a human being, and his classmates, too, are a pleasure. As for the title, it stems from a poor effort by Arturo’s hilarious dad (Rosario Lisma) to get his son to stop worrying and go to sleep. Impressively, the film manages to find a balance between the sickly sweetness of
The Mafia Kills Only In Summer
After careening through 20 years of the city’s history, things are wrapped up a tad abruptly, and though the ending sequence reminds us of the inestimable price that Palermo paid to rid itself of the mafia, it is difficult to put names to some faces when all is said and done. More time, too, could have been spent in the conclusion of the love story, though credit is due for making this a secondary concern in the film’s final act. There’s plenty in this colourful romp to satisfy the hopeless romantics, history buffs, Europhiles and real crime fans among us. Broadly appealing and genuinely warm, it’s well worth seeking out this limited release. David Molloy
Arts Exposed What's in our diary...
Game Prototyping with Dr. Egg Spunky Bruiser, Darlinghurst, Saturday June 20 It’s one for the kids this week, with this month’s DoDarlo program (focusing on all things great in Darlinghurst) set to feature an interactive game and jewellery-making event with Dr. Egg. The workshop will allow children to create their own game prototypes as well as participate in an experiential writing and jewellery-making workshop. The event comes in the wake of news the AWGIE Award-winning and critically acclaimed stage show, Dr. Egg And The Man With No Ear, is being adapted into interactive productions. Catherine Fargher’s brainchild will be transformed into an audio-visual storybook with games, television episodes and webisodes as well as a large hands-on laboratory.
thebrag.com
Kapadia wisely does away with talking heads in the film. Instead, he relies on creating a patchwork of footage from chat shows and awards events, married with private home videos and testimonies, that beautifully illustrate the changing nature of the singer’s experience in both private and public life. The director masterfully accentuates the mystery in the young singer’s
Arturo’s failed attempts at courtship and the brutal reality of Palermo’s mafia wars. Time and again, men are gunned down in the street or blown up in their homes, and the camera does not shy away from these moments. After all, the film is based in reality: these were real people and real murders, and their resonance in the film is profound.
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Catherine Fargher
The tragic life of British soul queen Amy Winehouse, who died from alcohol poisoning in 2011 at the age of 27, is the subject of a new documentary by BAFTAwinning Senna director Asif Kapadia and commissioned by Universal Music. Kapadia grew up in the same North London suburb of Camden where Winehouse lived, and felt compelled to tell the story behind the gifted artist who disintegrated in plain sight. Amy opened to widespread acclaim at Cannes this year but has drawn plenty of criticism from the singer’s family, who have since distanced themselves from the film, claiming it “is both misleading and contains some basic untruths”.
For more info, head to dbp.org.au/dodarlo.
Amy voice. Winehouse was a rare and confounding talent – an old soul living in a young woman’s body complemented by the rich vocal tones of the likes of Sarah Vaughan, whom she grew up listening to. She comes across as eloquent and passionate, streetwise and curt, and both loving and distant. Talk show host Jonathan Ross is shown congratulating her on sounding “common” whilst Tony Bennett recalls her as “the truest artist I ever heard”. How did Winehouse see herself? “The more people see of me, the more they’ll realise all I’m good for is making music.”
Winehouse’s premature descent into drugs and exhaustion, whilst her father Mitch comes under the most scrutiny for advising her against going to rehab. Winehouse was desperate to find a stable male figure in her life, and her destructive relationship with husband Blake FielderCivil only exacerbated insecurities around her mental health and ultimately introduced her to substance abuse. In the end, it was Winehouse’s growing notoriety that fuelled her life becoming tabloid fodder for the UK press when things inevitably began to unravel in public view.
There is little, if any, analysis throughout the film, as Kapadia presents a number of sources, encouraging viewers to draw their own conclusions. Managers, advisers, promoters and colleagues all awkwardly deny responsibility for
Amy is an overwhelming tale and completely compelling viewing, despite knowing how the story ends. At times it’s a difficult watch but no less an important one. Tim Armitage
five minutes WITH
DAMON AMB
Y
ou’re participating at the New Beginnings Refugee Arts & Culture Festival. What’s your background in photography? I started more than 20 years ago on my dad’s old Konica. I’d save money to buy film and take photos of my surroundings, my people, my life in Iran. At the end of my military service, I did an Advanced Diploma in Photography at Iran’s Jahad Institute. I ended up working as a photographer in an advertising agency. I had some group and solo exhibitions, but I had lots of problems getting permission to show my artwork. Art is one of the biggest crimes in Iran. There are lots of [censorship] filters you have to pass. How long have you been in Australia, and will you be able to stay here? Just under two years. At first I was in detention and now I live in the community on a bridging visa while waiting for a decision on my refugee status. I’m a criminal in my country because I’m an artist. How can I live in a land where my skills, my art, my emotions are crimes? You previously exhibited at Art Is Our Voice, another event focusing on refugee and asylum seeker artwork. How important are these exhibits for having your voice heard? In terms of introducing myself as an artist, they’re great first
steps, so that my new society knows I’m an artist. But my art doesn’t communicate the things that have happened to me or what could happen to me if I go back to Iran. More specifically, the series you’re exhibiting is called Goddess. How does it relate to the feminine? Goddess represents the concept of the feminine as an archetype projected into a futuristic time and space. The masculine symbol of the tie is a marker for a blending of genders where no-one holds absolute power, but where power is shared. The political issues around asylum seekers and refugees are well known, but how welcoming have you found Australia’s artistic community? I feel like they’ve welcomed me. Even in the detention
centre I found new hope about being part of the art community because I met an artist – someone who listened to me, even though I didn’t have artwork to show. I couldn’t have a camera in detention. After leaving detention, it was hard to be in a new land with nothing. But I made some artist friends who helped me get a camera, helped me in this new situation. I collected some money to buy a computer. And my case manager at Settlement Services International (SSI) was very supportive. So I was able to start using my photography skills here. What: New Beginnings Refugee Arts & Culture Festival Where: Addison Road Community Centre When: Saturday June 20
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out & about
Arts Giveaway What's been on our TV screens this week Head to: thebrag.com/freeshit
Queer(ish) matters with Lucy Watson
S AY W EA IV G Love & Mercy
LOVE & MERCY! WIN TIX! W
Newtown is mad. And something has to change. The recent bashing of Stephanie McCarthy at the Town Hall Hotel started two main conversations: one around bringing down transphobia, and the other about the changing Newtown nightlife, brought on by the lockout laws.
have made the Cross safer and reduced violence generally, but anecdotally, on King Street that doesn’t seem like the case. The community feels unsafe; many of us avoid our own neighbourhood on weekends. For now, I’m just going to retreat to [redacted – secret safe haven venue that bigots don’t know about].
The lockout law conversation we’re having now isn’t new. It’s been quietly bubbling along since Barry O’Farrell introduced the changes in March last year, but this attack seems to have brought the issue loudly to the surface. Newtown, once considered a safe place for alternative types, appears to have been overrun by beige city/Kings Cross folk, who don’t understand our ways.
The other debate these events have raised is that of the very real issue of transphobia in our own community. While violent attacks (or at least, those reported to the police and in the media) on trans people in Sydney seem rare, transphobia exists, and is experienced almost daily. Whether it’s misgendering Caitlyn Jenner, or referring to her by her old name (seriously, let’s never use that name again), transphobia is a too-often-felt phenomenon that needs to be remedied.
It’s been clear in the atmosphere down King Street on the weekends for a while now. Friends experiencing blatant homophobia in bathrooms; people staring as women in (shock!) overalls, boots and facial piercings pass them by; drag performers experiencing confused, silent reactions to their shows rather than the usual screams and cheers. The beige weekenders just don’t get it.
idely regarded as one of the greatest albums of all times, Pet Sounds was the product of Brian Wilson’s innovative genius (and a lot of LSD). He and The Beach Boys had already achieved phenomenal success with corny classics like ‘California Girls’, but Wilson wanted more. The masterful Pet Sounds saw him become a musical legend, but also led to a spectacular and shocking downfall. Bill Pohlad’s biopic Love & Mercy follows Wilson’s rise and fall, with Paul Dano playing a young Wilson and John Cusack playing an older Wilson, alongside love interest Elizabeth Banks and Paul Giamatti as the controversial Dr. Eugene Landy.
WIN!
T
here are moments when an issue just comes to a head and something has to snap. In a kind of ‘straw that broke the camel’s back’-type situation, it can be set off by something relatively small – or something much larger can bring an issue to the fore in a number of ways. And when that happens, often the only appropriate response is to get mad.
For a while, Newtown has been getting boring, and the feelings of queers being in danger have been there, lying quietly behind the curtain. Until now.
Love & Mercy opens in cinemas on Thursday June 25, and we’re giving away ten in-season double passes. If you wanna feel some good vibrations, head to thebrag.com/freeshit.
The actions of a few have now proved that the lockout laws are not safe. The nanny state has literally, paradoxically, forced queers into dangerous situations in their own backyard. Is there a solution for this? I don’t know. Studies seem to show that the laws
five minutes WITH
JUSTIN BURFORD FROM KURT
Y
ou’re starring in Kurt, a tribute to Kurt Cobain as part of the Hayes Cabaret Season 2015. What’s your approach to playing such a famous character? At first, the idea of playing Kurt was enormously daunting. It happened organically though. I decided early on that I wanted to tell the story in his own words, complied from his writings and interviews. There was a lot of myth perpetuated by Kurt himself and I thought I’d play that angle. If he was around to tell his story, this is the sort of story I think he would tell. When I was rehearsing, I found myself slipping into his voice and it just seemed like the most natural way of delivering these anecdotes, so I went with it. What else should audiences expect from the show – loud tunes and guitars, or the darker side of the story? He was a pretty complex guy. We all are. It is hard to sum up anyone’s life in an hour. So there are different shades to the story. He had a great sense of humour, which shines through I think. But of course there is the dark side of his life. I haven’t tried to avoid or sugar coat any of it. It’s all right there for the world to see and I think that’s how he wanted it. That was why it was so important for me to tell it in his words.
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We can thank Caitlyn for bringing transgender people visibly to the fore this month, and we can stand in solidarity with Stephanie and condemn what happened to her. But now we need to do more. We need to step up and work to erase transphobia. And we can start by listening to those affected most: trans people, and particularly trans people of colour. It’s not enough just to get mad. And while it really sucks that we have to have a catalyst as awful as the bashing of Stephanie McCarthy to get us talking about these issues, at least now we’re not ignoring it. We can’t hide from it, shove it back under the rug, because now it’s out in the open: an ugly stain on Sydney that can’t be washed away until we do something about bigots, violence and transphobia.
this week… Wednesday June 17 is Goodgod Trivia, this time all about RuPaul’s Drag Race. From 8pm, head along to see if shante you’ll stay, or if you’ll sashay away. Kato
Justin Burford in Kurt How much of an impact has Kurt Cobain’s music had on you personally? An immeasurable amount. My image of him has changed a lot since I was a teenager. I see his fl aws and there is a lot about him I don’t like. But the impact his music made on me and my generation, as well as generations since, cannot be denied. I would say, like a lot of other kids, Kurt Cobain and Nirvana defi nitely made me feel like I could start a band and play from the heart. What is it about the Cobain story and Nirvana that makes for a good stage show? People generally don’t realise how much theatre went into a Nirvana show. There was a reason they
became the biggest band in the world. But it was a subversive theatre. Plus, Kurt’s private life was anything but short of drama. How did you come to be involved in cabaret performance originally? I knew for a long time I wanted to do something like this. I wanted to tell Kurt’s story. And I bloody love playing these songs live. I didn’t even know there was a name for the kind of show I was thinking of. It’s defi nitely cabaret. Not your usual fare, sure, but still essentially cabaret. What: Kurt Where: Hayes Theatre Co When: Thursday June 18 and Friday June 19
Fridaze continues every week at the Oxford Tavern, including from 9pm this Friday June 19. There’ll be music from House Of Mince favourites Victoria Kim, Kato, HipHopHoe, L’Oasis and more. Get down earlier for margarita happy hour (6-8pm). On Saturday June 20, the Harbour City Bears will be hosting their very own Bear Bake Sale at Bunnings, Alexandria, to raise money for the club. I’m not sure yet whether there’ll be cubcakes, but you should head along to fi nd out. Also on Saturday June 20, Arq will play host to RuPaul’s Drag Race season seven queen, Pearl. These events are always pretty bland in my mind, but worth it if you’re a fan.
Pearl
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Album Reviews
What's been crossing our ears this week... What's been crossing our ears this week...
Hudson Mohawke photo by Tim Saccenti
ALBUM OF THE WEEK CD OF THE WEEK
The one-of-a-kind Canadian returns with a guest-heavy trip through the genres.
HUDSON MOHAWKE Lantern Warp/Inertia
‘Ryderz’, which samples D.J. Rogers’ 1973 track ‘Watch Out For The Riders’, is a Motown and soulinspired offering with a solid, pushy bassline rattling underneath that’s almost too clever for its own good.
It’s been a busy six years between records for Hudson Mohawke. He’s kept himself occupied producing tracks for the likes of Kanye West and casually pioneering genres with Canadian cohort Lunice as trap innovators TNGHT, and now, we’ve finally arrived at Lanterns.
Elsewhere, ‘Indian Steps’ (feat. Antony) is heartwrenching to say the least, and works sublimely as a Hudson Mohawke-flavoured ballad. Similarly, ‘Deepspace’ (feat. Miguel) sees him show off some well-honed pop/R&B chops.
Here, we’re treated to a much more mature approach to HudMo’s skittish style that traverses hip hop, pop and R&B with plenty of noisy, cartoonish references thrown in. Much of the hyperactivity that permeated debut record Butter has been eased and there are some eye-popping gems scattered across the record.
With what would otherwise be a noisy, boisterous mash of incoherent nonsense from anyone else, Lanterns just keeps proving Hudson Mohawke’s status as one of a kind. Marissa Demetriou
BEN LEE
ALPINE
A$AP ROCKY
JACOB
MUSE
2015 not only marks ten years since the ARIA-smashing, worlddominating Awake Is The New Sleep – it’s also ten years since the last great Ben Lee record. Sure, there have been small moments of hope across the four albums he’s released since, but they’re cluttered and surrounded by sensitive new-age mantras and cloying saccharine pop balladry.
Alpine have never had issues standing out. Not only did their breakout sound invite definition beyond the immediate indie rock spectrum, it came with an accessibility that belied their genredefiant nature and resulted in some of the more interesting music to rise out of Melbourne at the time, from their maiden EP Zurich to 2012 debut album A Is For Alpine.
At.Long.Last.A$AP is certainly a step sideways from the trap beats we’ve seen on A$AP Rocky’s last two releases. This more psychedelic album has been praised for its experimental nature, and with guest appearances from the likes of Lil Wayne, Rod Stewart and Yeezus himself, it’s clear that Rocky is trying to do big things. It does, however, feel like A.L.L.A. falls short of the profoundness Rocky wanted.
Wollongong-based outfit Jacob have come out swinging with their new EP, Keep Growing Old. Spread out across eight tracks, the release only just scrapes the 20-minute mark. Luckily they’ve packed it full of jams that leave you reaching for the repeat button.
Exactly why there was any hope that Love Is The Great Rebellion would fare any differently is a mystery. Perhaps it had something to do with Lee affirming a return to writing pop songs in press surrounding the record’s release. Alas, Lee’s idea of a pop song now means simplistic cheese that draws closer stylistic parallels to Play School than to Breathing Tornados: ‘The Body Of Love’ is torturously repetitive; ‘Everybody Dies’ a faux-philosophical bore. How bad does Love get? Put it this way: it will make you want to agree with Kris Roe and Bernard Fanning.
A similar promise is shown on Yuck – indeed, if the rest of the tracklist bore similarity to ‘Foolish’, that promise would be kept. The song is a phenomenal work, with French pop strings and Nile Rodgers chord inversions on chirpy nylon guitar. It’s surrounded by the lush ‘Come On’ and the hypnotically bouncy ‘Crunches’, which charm in their own respect.
Muse have just scored a hat-trick of own goals. It began in 2009 with the release of The Resistance, when the Englishmen’s arena status truly began to get to their collective heads, resulting in a bloated, tacky album. It managed to get even worse with 2012’s The 2nd Law, replete with embarrassing dubstep breakdowns and hackneyed political commentary over some of the band’s most lifeless and meagre musical efforts to date.
Love Is The Great Rebellion Warner
Unless you’re planning a kaleheavy vegan picnic with your kids Wyntyr and Destinii after yoga class, there’s a good chance you won’t have any need for Love Is The Great Rebellion. Cigarettes will indeed kill you, but this record might get the job done faster. David James Young
Yuck Ivy League
We then hit a slump that’s all light programming and heavy vocals, wherein the four other members of the band besides Phoebe Baker and Lou James begin to seem like subtext rather than a primary element. It feels like a deep exploration into a corner of their sound where there is relatively little to be found, and yet it’s bafflingly pursued.
At.Long.Last.A$AP RCA/Sony
Some passionate lyrics in ‘Holy Ghost’ and the standard Rocky feel in ‘Canal St.’ make for a strong start. Much of the remaining content is themed around the tripping we experience on ‘L$D’, which itself is nothing memorable and borders on cliché. Nonetheless, there are some big beats on this record – notably ‘LPFJ2’ and three great tracks in a row in the back half: ‘Max B’, ‘Pharsyde’ and ‘Wavybone’. The list of guest appearances, with strong verses from Schoolboy Q and Juicy J, is tempered by a disappointing effort from Kanye, who produces and features on ‘Jukebox Joints’. ‘Everyday’ is the standout single, with exceptional production and features from Mark Ronson, Stewart and Miguel.
It’d be childish to dismiss Yuck purely by using its title. All that should be said is that Alpine are capable of a lot better.
A.L.L.A is by all means a solid album and an enjoyable listen, but it’s nowhere near as satisfying as what we’ve heard from Rocky before.
David James Young
Sam Caldwell
INDIE ALBUM OF THE WEEK
COSMIC PSYCHOS Cum The Raw Prawn Desperate
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Back in 1985, Coca-Cola launched its better-tasting ‘New Coke’ formula, replete with marketing fanfare. The company was immediately confronted with a barrage of complaints from its customer base, and within weeks ‘classic’ Coke had been reintroduced to the market. Years later, marketing strategists would muse that the campaign was an elaborate PR ruse designed to affirm the original Coke brand.
Macka’ McKeering drenches his power chords in a dirty wah-wah wash and Dean Mueller thrashes his drum kit like a country cricketer wreaking havoc on a Saturday afternoon. The profane rhetoric of ‘Better, Not Bitter’ betrays the Psychos’ resilience to fashion – in their words, “It’s fucking bullshit mate.” ‘Fuckwit City’ cuts through the rubbish of diplomacy and says what we all think, but are rarely prepared to say.
Judging by Cum The Raw Prawn, there’s not a snowball’s chance in hell that Cosmic Psychos will change their tried and tested formula – notwithstanding Ross Knight’s assertion in ‘Bum For Grubs’ that there’s more to him “than beer and pubs”. Knight retains his iron grip on Australian vernacular, John ‘Mad
There’s a theory in marketing that brands need periodic reinvention to remain vibrant in an ever-evolving commercial market. Go tell that to the Cosmic Psychos, and they’ll tell you to go fuck yourself. And they’d be right.
Keep Growing Old Independent/Bandcamp
Jacob combine elements of pop-punk with the sounds of the current emo revival. Each song has something a little different going on, from grunge-esque riffs to Midwestern noodly lead sections and full distorted chords ringing through. There’s a great play on dynamics throughout, as well as the subtle and playful synth on some tracks. It sits in that middle ground between an EP and an album, but feels like the latter. The vocals are infectious, making use of clean singing and yelled lines to keep things interesting. Highlights include the opener ‘I’, a loud catchy start that features some clever overlapping vocals. Towards the end, ‘Shoes’ brings things down in a slower, more intimate fashion. Keep Growing Old is a handful of really catchy songs, each with their own feel and goal. The short duration lends itself to multiple plays, and the lyrics reward them. Spencer Scott
Drones Warner
From all reports, Drones was going to be the album to break the cycle, by a band looking to become a band again, for lack of a better term. Disappointingly, it’s merely reinforced said cycle in a manner that can only be described as vicious. This is an album that is, at its core, an exercise in self-sabotage. When they get a big, chunky riff going on ‘Psycho’, they ruin the moment with atrocious lyrics (“Your arse belongs to me now”) and dialogue from a generic drill sergeant. ‘Defector’, meanwhile, shows signs of life with a mammoth Zeppelin groove before being buried in robot voices and shrill falsetto. Already on the verge of becoming self-parody, Drones sends Muse well beyond the point of salvation. A massive let-down. David James Young
OFFICE MIXTAPE And here are the albums that have helped BRAG HQ get through the week... BEN FOLDS FIVE - The Sound Of The Life Of The Mind ST. VINCENT - Strange Mercy BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE CLUB - B.R.M.C.
KIRIN J CALLINAN - Embracism BONDE DO ROLÊ - With Lasers
Patrick Emery BRAG :: 617 :: 17:06:15 :: 21
snap sn ap
VIEW FULL GALLERIES AT
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up all night out all week . . .
TV ON THE RADIO, KIRIN J CALLINAN Sydney Opera House Tuesday June 9 Entertainment: it’s a strange game. Conventional wisdom would suggest the entertainer’s job description is in the name itself; the onus is on the performer to build the audience they deserve. And yet, how many carbon copy pop stars have somehow inherited a devoted audience the world over? And how is an outstanding contemporary act like TV On The Radio’s audience at this Vivid LIVE appearance just so uninspired?
PICS :: AM
andy bull + cub sport
First up is the enfant terrible of Australian songwriting, Kirin J Callinan. He begins in stripped-back solo mode, strumming only the occasional chord over his pleading tenor. As the performance goes on and his backing band grows larger, Callinan’s shrieks of guitar and sonic manipulation prove too much for some, who make a hasty exit to the safer surrounds of the bar outside. However, for those who stay, the set is exhilarating – particularly so for the punter Callinan invites onstage to act as a human mic stand during ‘Come On USA’, and who ends up bellowing the refrain into the microphone himself. TV On The Radio expand to a sixpiece in the live setting, and their cacophonous instrumental intro shows off the power this set-up can harness.
13:06:15 :: Oxford Art Factory :: 38-46 Oxford St Darlinghurst 9332 3711
Jaleel Bunton must be one of the hardest hitting drummers to ever appear on the Sydney Opera House stage, while Tunde Adebimpe’s arms and legs are in perpetual motion from the off. The frontman’s voice projects nicely through the Concert Hall, so the conviction behind a song like ‘Happy Idiot’ carries near and far. Indeed, these leading lights of American indie put on a committed, even defiant performance tonight. And yet, their audience seems circumspect, happier to observe politely than participate as completely as the band obviously desires. These songs rely on irresistible rhythm and drive, more than anything else, and yet an exasperated request from Kyp Malone is required to get anybody on their feet for a boogie. It takes a masterpiece to lift the crowd beyond the mood of self-conscious reverence that this famous venue perhaps inspires. Thankfully, TV On The Radio have one in ‘Wolf Like Me’. Its layered melodies and insistent tempo compel tonight’s observers to finally express themselves, and the performers themselves feed on an energy that lasts the remainder of the show, through until encores ‘Ride’ and ‘Staring At The Sun’. Yes, Sydney, it’s OK to dance – even in your prettiest dress, even on a Tuesday night. Chris Martin
PICS :: AM
ash grunwald + hein cooper
wallapalooza ft. hail mary 14:06:15 :: Frankie’s Pizza :: 50 Hunter St Sydney
PICS :: AM
12:06:15 :: Metro Theatre :: 624 George St Sydney 9550 3666
PHOTOGRAPHER :: ASHLEY MAR
“I see you share your cake with him unwrapping presents that I should have sent” - Painted From Memory – Hayes Theatre 22 :: BRAG :: 617 :: 17:06:15
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live reviews What we've been out to see...
SLEEPMAKESWAVES, THIS WILL DESTROY YOU, GAY PARIS, SERIOUS BEAK
emarosa
PICS :: AM
Metro Theatre Saturday June 13
11:06:15 :: Newtown Social Club :: 387 King St Newtown 1300 724 876
The Vanguard Sunday June 14 I once wrote a university history paper on the Motown Sound. I don’t remember how that assignment ended up, but what I do remember is poring over everything I could find on this groundbreaking era of popular music and wanting to know more. When I found out that Mary Wilson, one of the original Supremes, would be performing at a low-key jazz club in Newtown, I had to be there. Wilson met fellow bandmates Diana Ross, Florence Ballard and Betty McGlown at the age of 12 at the Brewster-Douglass Housing Projects in Detroit, where they each lived. Initially, the goal for the group was to have a hit that would allow Wilson to avoid having to go to college. At The Supremes’ height in the mid-1960s, only The Beatles rivalled their popularity. Even today, they are America’s most successful vocal group. This Up Close tour chronicles Wilson’s favourite songs that have held particular significance to her throughout
her life. There’s a scattering of some wonderful jazz standards such as ‘The Girl From Ipanema’ right through to contemporary hits like ‘Don’t Know Why’ by Norah Jones. ‘I Am Changing’, a track made famous by Jennifer Hudson in Dreamgirls – the film largely based on The Supremes – is a fitting tribute to a former bandmate, the late Ballard. Tonight Wilson also pays tribute to Lena Horne, herself a trailblazing entertainer, vocalist and civil rights activist. Before long, Wilson is rocketing through a number of classic songs – a catalogue that would be the envy of most artists. ‘Where Did Our Love Go’, ‘Baby Love’, ‘You Keep Me Hangin’ On’, ‘Stop! In The Name Of Love’ and ‘You Can’t Hurry Love’ are still as resplendent and important as ever, more than half a century on.
Gay Paris are odd ones out on any given night, but here they were even the only band that incorporated vocals. True to form, the quartet walked onto stage with half-a-dozen fucks and got offstage some 30 minutes later with six remaining. Either you were enamoured with their scorching take on electric blues and the devil-maycare energy with which it was delivered, or… well, you were one of many in the room with your arms folded. Shame! Shame! Shame! If Gay Paris were the party, This Will Destroy You were the gloriously hazy comedown. After more than two years away, the softly spoken Texans were a
55 dates in 22 countries. Let that sink in for just a moment. This is what Sleepmakeswaves set out to do, ending up here, on the 55th show, playing in their hometown and doing their biggest headlining show to date. Emotional speeches given by guitarist Otto WicksGreen and bassist/keyboardist Alex Wilson were indicative enough exactly what this show meant to them, but – just as in the band’s music – their actions spoke far louder than their words. With a stunning light show backing them, Sleepmakeswaves powered through cuts from their 2014 breakthrough Love Of Cartography, as well as a few earlier tracks as a nod to those who had been around to see the band in rooms like the Annandale or the Excelsior. As the night closed on ‘A Gaze Blank And Pitiless As The Sun’, Sleepmakeswaves sent out their world tour with a wave of joyful noise. David James Young
By the end, everyone young and old is in a frenzy, tapping their feet and mimicking long-forgotten Supremes dance moves, thankful that Wilson decided to skip out on college. Tim Armitage
sosueme ft. lurch & chief
PICS :: JA
MARY WILSON
Sydney’s Serious Beak are the type who would be playing this kind of music regardless of who was watching. There was simply too much fun to be had between the four instrumentalists, who were in a constant state of squiggling, zigging, zagging, smash-cutting, tumbling and/or avalanching. The best part? While many who play this fundamentally progressive style are the brooding and serious kind, Serious Beak’s stage presence made the whole affair even more enjoyable for all involved.
major drawcard for a lot of people. You could hardly blame them – this is a band at the forefront of what great post-rock can be. The music goes from whispers to shouts; a calm blue ocean to raging storm; shimmering light to endless pools of darkness. It was the kind of set that, even showcasing the band in a relatively condensed form, struck a powerful emotional reaction, and reminded you just what a formidable act this is.
10:06:15 :: Beach Road Hotel :: 71 Beach Rd Bondi Beach 9130 7247
S :: OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER
24 :: BRAG :: 617 :: 17:06:15
KE :: ASHLEY MAR ::
JAMES AMBROSE :: KATRINA CLAR
PHOTOGRAPHER :: ASHLEY MAR
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g g guide gig g send your listings to : gigguide@thebrag.com Xxx photo by Xxx
pick of the week
The Mercy Kills
Tim Rogers & The Bamboos
Central Charlestown Leagues Club, Charlestown. 7pm. Free.
INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS
FRIDAY JUNE 19 Metro Theatre Me
Tim Rogers & The Bamboos 8pm. $44.05. WEDNESDAY JUNE 17 ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK
Mick Hambly + Mattrim Jones + Sundown State + Wash Lewisham Hotel, Lewisham. 7pm. Free.
INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS
Christian The Satanist Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 7pm. $10. Dirt Picnic + Fable + Fleur Wiber The Gasoline Pony, Marrickville. 7pm. $5. Mark Travers Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 9pm. Free. Mum - feat: Lanks The World Bar, Kings Cross. 8pm. $10.
THURSDAY JUNE 18 JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC
The KCM Trio Mach2, Sydney. 5:30pm. Free.
ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK Daina Demillo
Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville. 9pm. $10. Lucky Luke And His Shooting Stars The Annandale Hotel, Annandale. 8pm. Free. Mick Hambly + Chris Brookes + Ben Hardie + Lauren Valatiadis Ruby L’otel, Rozelle. 7:30pm. Free. Stuart Jammin + Zack Martin Marrickville Bowling Club, Marrickville. 7pm. Free.
INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS
Chris Stretton Fortune Of War, The Rocks. 7pm. Free. Dee Donavan Revesby Workers Club, Revesby. 12pm. Free. Funk Star Duo Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 9pm. Free. Grooveworks Revesby Workers Club, Revesby. 12pm. Free. Holly Wilson Honeysuckle Hotel, Newcastle. 6:30pm. Free. Justice For The Damned + Bounty Hunter + Flowermouth + Burning Season Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 8pm. $10. Make Them Suffer + Black Tongue + I, Valiance Bald Faced Stag Hotel, Leichhardt. 7pm. $28.60. Mindy Sotiri + Charlotte Kerr The Gasoline Pony, Marrickville. 7pm. $5. Paul Mccann As Oh Boy ‘The Buddy Holly’ Revesby Workers Club,
Revesby. 12pm. Free. Richard In Your Mind Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 7pm. $10. Rock The World (Bar) Grand Final - feat: Miss Mikala + Stormbird + Governor Ready + Mercury Rise + The Last Exposure + Insanity Proof + Miss Mikala The World Bar, Kings Cross. 8pm. $15.
FRIDAY JUNE 19 JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC
Julia Messenger + Greg Coffin + Karl Dunnicliff + Sam Rollings Foundry616, Ultimo. 8:30pm. $20. Sexy Sunday Jam Bellini Lounge, Potts Point. 7pm. Free.
ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK Chris Cavill And The Prospectors + Dog The Duke Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville. 9pm. $15. Damien Leith Penrith Panthers, Penrith. 7:30pm. $30. Darren Jack The Annandale Hotel, Annandale. 8pm. Free. Holly Wilson Cessnock Leagues Club, Cessnock. 8pm. Free. Jake Folbigg
Andy Miles’ Night On The Prawns The Gasoline Pony, Marrickville. 7pm. $5. Bellhops Penrith RSL, Penrith. 8pm. Free. Big Rich Manly Leagues Club, Brookvale. 9:30pm. Free. Blake Tailor Hornsby Inn, Hornsby. 7pm. Free. Born Joy Dead The World Bar, Kings Cross. 7pm. Free. Clowns + Summer Blood Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 8pm. $10. Cosmic Psychos + Dune Rats Manning Bar, Camperdown. 8pm. $25. Dark Horse + The Fuck Outs + Two Faced Black Wire Records, Annandale. 6:30pm. $10. Dave Ireland Chatswood RSL, Chatswood. 5pm. Free. Gold Fields + KLP Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 8pm. $18. Holy Serpent + Comacozer + Blacksmith + Blackbird Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 9pm. $10. Hostile Objects Blackwire Records, Annandale. 8pm. Free. John Milligan The Push Bar, The Rocks. 7:30pm. Free. Make Them Suffer + Black Tongue + I, Valiance Hombre Records, Newcastle. 7pm. $28.60. Matt Cornell Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 4:30pm. Free. Max Power Duo Vineyard Hotel, Vineyard. 9:30pm. Free. Midnight Drifters Belmont 16s, Belmont. 8:30pm. Free. Nathan Cole The Forbes Hotel, Sydney. 5pm. Free. Reckless Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 9:30pm. Free. Red Shift Ruby L’otel, Rozelle. 8pm. Free. Rob Eastwood Castle Hill RSL, Castle Hill. 6:30pm. Free. Steve Edmonds Engadine Tavern, Engadine. 9pm. Free. Ted Nash Duo Crown Hotel, Sydney. 8pm. Free. The Dinlows Modus Operandi, Mona Vale. 6:30pm. Free.
The Levymen The Belmore Hotel, Maitland. 9pm. Free. Tim Rogers & The Bamboos Metro Theatre, Sydney. 8pm. $44.05. Tre Soul Honeysuckle Hotel, Newcastle. 8pm. Free. Tres Hombres The Sydney Junction Hotel, Hamilton. 9pm. Free. Vanessa Heinitz Kings Park Tavern, Kings Park. 7pm. Free.
SATURDAY JUNE 20 JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC
James Power Modus Operandi, Mona Vale. 6:30pm. Free. Sexy Sunday Jam Bellini Lounge, Potts Point. 7pm. Free.
ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK Chich And The Soul Messengers The Gasoline Pony, Marrickville. 3pm. $5. Harmony James + Leah Flanagan The Gasoline Pony, Marrickville. 7pm. $5. Ian Moss Laycock Street Theatre, Gosford. 8pm. $55. Mojo House Band - feat: Jesse N’ James Mojo Record Bar, Sydney. 7pm. Free.
INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS
Anthems Of Oz - feat: Pink Show South Hurstville RSL Club, South Hurstville. 9pm. Free. Bad//Dreems Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 8pm. $15. Birthfest - feat: Dispolar + Frame 313 + War Of Attrition + Disparo + Hacked To Chunks + Hangman + Anime Girls + Unbranded Animals + Obat Batuk Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 6pm. $15. Blind Guardian Max Watt’s, Moore Park. 8pm. $74. Cosmic Psychos + Dune Rats Mona Vale Hotel, Mona Vale. 8pm. $25. Crooked Colours Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $18.70. Flick The Bean + Jimmy
The Junkie (Housos) Maroubra Sands Hotel, Maroubra. 7pm. Free. Gareth Hudson Duo Honeysuckle Hotel, Newcastle. 8pm. Free. GJ Donovan Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 3pm. Free. Grand Theft Audio The Sydney Junction Hotel, Hamilton. 8pm. Free. Graveyard Rockstars + The Mercy Kills + Fox Company + The Black Heartbreakers Bald Faced Stag Hotel, Leichhardt. 8pm. $15. Jim Overend Central Charlestown Leagues Club, Charlestown. 7pm. Free. Lost Ragas + William Crighton + Jep & Dep Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville. 9pm. $15. Love Parade Blackwire Records, Annandale. 8pm. Free. Pallbearer Hermann’s Bar, Darlington. 8pm. $43.90. Righteous Voodoo The Annandale Hotel, Annandale. 8pm. Free. The Hummingbirds The Belmore Hotel, Maitland. 9pm. Free. The Years Belmont 16s, Belmont. 8:30pm. Free.
SUNDAY JUNE 21 JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC
John & Yuki Jazz Band Cronulla RSL, Cronulla. 12:30pm. Free. Mo Soul Club Modus Operandi, Mona Vale. 6:30pm. Free.
ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK
Andy Baylor And The Inner West Cowboys Marrickville Bowling Club, Marrickville. 4:30pm. Free. From Street To Stage feat: Joe Moore + 3 Boys And A Fire Soda Factory, Surry Hills. 6pm. Free. Jack Bloak Jug Scullers + Veronica Wagner + Lawrence Osborn + Chris Stabback + Russell Neal Old Fitzroy Hotel, Woolloomooloo. 6:30pm. Free. Pugsley Buzzard Opera Bar, Sydney. 6pm. Free. Rich & Famous Belmont 16s, Belmont. 2:30pm. Free.
“There may be ugly rumours that I have been lying; There may be angry tears, but they’re never worth the crying” - Painted From Memory – Hayes Theatre thebrag.com
BRAG :: 617 :: 17:06:15 :: 25
g g guide gig g
g g picks gig p
send your listings to : gigguide@thebrag.com
up all night out all week...
ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK
Born Lion
Russell Neal + Chris Brookes Kelly’s On King, Newtown. 8pm. Free.
INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS Kye Brown Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 9pm. Free. Satellite V Shady Pines, Darlinghurst. 6pm. Free. Stuart Jammin Harlequin Inn, Pyrmont. 3pm. Free. Sunday Courtyard Sessions - feat: Gabrielle The Annandale Hotel, Annandale. 3pm. Free. The Mighty Surftones Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville. 6:30pm. Free. The Vacationists + Welcome Stranger + Bree De Rome The Gasoline Pony, Marrickville. 5pm. $5. U2 Acoustic Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 4:30pm. Free.
Love That Hat Honeysuckle Hotel, Newcastle. 4pm. Free. Low Lux Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 8pm. $10. Peter Byrne Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 8:30pm. Free. Steve Edmonds Band The Sydney Junction Hotel, Hamilton. 6pm. Free. Tim Rollinson + Graham M + Nad Manly Wharf Hotel, Manly. 3pm. Free. U2 Elevation Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 4:30pm. Free.
INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS Acid Nymph - feat: Upside Down Miss Jane + Rainbow Deathray Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 4pm. $10. Born Lion Frankie’s Pizza, Sydney. 4pm. Free.
MONDAY JUNE 22 JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC
Sonic Mayhem Orchestra Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville. 8:30pm. Free.
TUESDAY JUNE 23 ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK Swing It Tuesdays - feat: The Basement Big Band The Basement, Circular Quay. 6pm. $8.
INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS
Alma Music Presents Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville. 8:30pm. Free. Eric Stuart The Gasoline Pony, Marrickville. 7pm. $10. Katherine Vavahea + Amy Freeman + Zech Abbott + Kegan Deboheme Mr Falcon’s, Glebe. 7:30pm. Free. Tom Trelawny Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 9pm. Free.
Richard In Your Mind
WEDNESDAY JUNE 17 Dirt Picnic + Fable + Fleur Wiber The Gasoline Pony, Marrickville. 7pm. $5. Mum - Feat: Lanks The World Bar, Kings Cross. 8pm. $10.
THURSDAY JUNE 18 Make Them Suffer + Black Tongue + I, Valiance Bald Faced Stag Hotel, Leichhardt. 7pm. $28.60. Richard In Your Mind Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 7pm. $10. Rock The World (Bar) Grand Final - Feat: Miss Mikala + Stormbird + Governor Ready + Mercury Rise + The Last Exposure + Insanity Proof + Miss Mikala The World Bar, Kings Cross. 8pm. $15.
wed
FRIDAY JUNE 19
thu
17
18
June
(9:00PM - 12:00AM)
June
(9:00PM - 12:00AM)
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19 June
(4:30PM - 7:30PM)
(9:30PM - 1:30AM)
SATURDAY AFTERNOON
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SUNDAY AFTERNOON
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22 June
Chris Cavill And The Prospectors + Dog The Duke Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville. 9pm. $15. Clowns + Summer Blood Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 8pm. $10. Cosmic Psychos + Dune Rats Manning Bar, Camperdown. 8pm. $25. Gold Fields + KLP Newtown Social Club,
sun
Newtown. 8pm. $18. Julia Messenger + Greg Coffin + Karl Dunnicliff + Sam Rollings Foundry616, Ultimo. 8:30pm. $20.
SATURDAY JUNE 20 Bad//Dreems Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 8pm. $15. Blind Guardian Max Watt’s, Moore Park. 8pm. $74. Chich And The Soul Messengers The Gasoline Pony, Marrickville. 3pm. $5. Crooked Colours Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $18.70. Graveyard Rockstars + The Mercy Kills + Fox
Company + The Black Heartbreakers Bald Faced Stag Hotel, Leichhardt. 8pm. $15. Love Parade Blackwire Records, Annandale. 8pm. Free. Pallbearer Hermann’s Bar, Darlington. 8pm. $43.90.
SUNDAY JUNE 21 Born Lion Frankie’s Pizza, Sydney. 4pm. Free. From Street To Stage - Feat: Joe Moore + 3 Boys And A Fire Soda Factory, Surry Hills. 6pm. Free. Low Lux Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 8pm. $10.
(4:30PM - 7:30PM)
June
(9:30PM - 1:15AM)
mon
Pallbearer
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23 June
Cosmic Psychos
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thebrag.com
brag beats
BRAG’s guide to dance, hip hop and club culture
dance music news club, dance and hip hop in brief... with Chris Martin, Sarah Basford and Jade Smith
OUTSIDEIN RETURNS
five things WITH
The University of Sydney’s Manning Bar will see the return this year of every university student and Sydney dance fan’s favourite excuse to pop and lock, OutsideIn. The festival will return for its fourth year after the success of 2014’s impressive bill. Last year saw the likes of The Pharcyde, Seekae and Basenji light up the stage, and organisers Astral People and Yes Please have promised to reveal a lineup full of underground superstars and burgeoning local talent. OutsideIn 2015 will be held at Manning Bar in Camperdown on Saturday September 26. First lineup announcements will be made in the coming weeks. Keep an eye on thebrag.com for updates.
JMSN
FBI CLICK BIRTHDAY PARTY
Growing Up The Music You Make I remember getting my first guitar at ten. I had I produce all my own stuff and record it 1. 4. quit my short-lived piano career cause I thought guitar at my studio, The White Room. It’s a lot of real was cooler. My childhood affected me as a musician now because it moulded me as a person, and who I am is what makes my music what it is.
instrumentation mixed with the cleanest mixes I can get out of my abilities [laughs]. The live show is just a wave of love, welcomeness, realness and energy.
Inspirations Prince, Whitney Houston, R. Kelly. These 2. artists I felt weren’t afraid to do their own thing and
Music, Right Here, Right Now I’ve actually never been to Sydney but can’t 5. wait to experience it. The current music scene I
the carelessness they sing with is something that heavily influences how I sing today. Life inspires me constantly. You can never learn enough about yourself and your surroundings.
believe is always inspiring, no matter where you go. Shigeto inspired me lately, seeing him play live.
3.
Your Band My bass player has been playing with me since before I was even JMSN. I think he understands feel over technicality and that connects us. I’ve been here in Perth working with Ta-ku the last couple days. I was doing some stuff for Royce Da 5’9” the other day and Domo Genesis, Christian Rich. I’m all over the map a lot. I enjoy it though it’s refreshing to work outside of your own stuff.
BOUNCE INTO MARQUEE
The king of the Melbourne Bounce sound, Will Sparks, is back in town for an epic throwdown at Marquee this weekend. A Beatport top ten regular and number
What: Splendour In The Grass 2015 With: Peking Duk, Flight Facilities, Earl Sweatshirt, Azealia Banks and many more Where: North Byron Parklands When: Friday July 24 – Sunday July 26 And: Also appearing at Goodgod Small Club on Thursday July 23
Digital streaming all-day-all-night dance radio station FBi Click is throwing a party at Goodgod Small Club to celebrate 12 months on air. Exactly one year after the sold-out launch party that had people queuing around the corner, FBi Click’s full venue takeover will feature DJ sets from all of the station’s crews including Astral People, Purple Sneakers and, of course, Goodgod Sound Unlimited. Tickets are on the door so be sure to get in early to take in the deep house, UK garage, Afrobeat, dancehall and experimental beats that FBi Click is known for, as well as a special guest set from Sydney favourites Black Vanilla. FBi Click’s First Birthday will take over Goodgod on Saturday June 27.
PACHA SYDNEY
A few familiar faces will take to the decks at Ivy this weekend for an (almost) all-Australian instalment of Pacha. All the way from the Aussie west coast come Slumberjack, whose debut self-titled EP made a splash via its release on Onelove. More recently, they’ve been filling dancefloors during support slots on Alison Wonderland’s massive warehouse tour. Spenda C joins the party at Pacha this Saturday June 20, alongside Danny T, Nemo, GG
Nancy Whang
NANCY WHANG AT SPLENDOUR AND SIDESHOWS
LCD Soundsystem member and New York underground dance icon Nancy Whang is making her way Down Under this winter. For all the names who claim association with the influential DFA Records imprint, Whang’s presence in the early days was paramount; meanwhile, her contributions to a budding LCD Soundsystem and The Juan MacLean saw her go on to join both bands full-time. Whang remains a fixture on the DJing scene to this day, and she’ll be selecting from the top shelf at Oxford Art Factory on Friday July 24 before a set at Splendour In The Grass.
Magree, Samrai, Mo’Funk, Losty, Troy T, Jack Bailey, E-Cats, DJ Eko, Stu Turner, Chris Arnott, Wheeler, Vito and Matt Nugent.
one DJing talent Down Under according to Inthemix, Sparks has completed high-profile remixes for the likes of Robin Thicke and The Chainsmokers. He’s landed a residency at XS Las Vegas and a headlining slot at Paradise Ibiza, but he’s all ours this Saturday June 20.
Hau
Baro
THIS IS HAU WE DO IT
Koolism frontman and don of all things hip hop on triple j, Hau, is hitting the road to launch the first single from his debut album. ‘Kill.I.Am’ makes an assertive statement at this early stage in Hau’s solo career, with his album The No End Theory following up a 2014 mixtape, Football, Feasts & Funerals. The track takes aim at a certain rap megastar (no prizes for guessing who), questioning exactly what an artist might sacrifice in pursuit of album sales. Sensible J and Dutch (Remi) take the lead on production, ensuring Hau’s flow has the space to shine. He’ll be showing off his chops at the Oxford Hotel on Saturday August 1, following an RBMA stage appearance at this year’s Splendour In The Grass.
BRING ON BARO
Aussie hip hop wunderkind Baro has come of age in more ways than one, recently celebrating his 18th birthday and locking in an appearance at this year’s edition of Splendour In The Grass. The hotly tipped youngster shot to notoriety with his debut mixtape, Howgoodisgood? – a question that had those in the know answering, ‘Very good.’ From boom bap to jazz rap, Baro finds himself filed alongside the likes of Earl Sweatshirt and Joey Bada$$ for his sonic palette, and has supported the likes of Allday, Remi, Illy, Thundamentals, Spit Syndicate, Freddie Gibbs and Badbadnotgood. Baro is set to release a debut EP, 17/18, on Friday July 10 – yes, it’s all about his birthday – and he’ll headline at Goodgod Small Club on Thursday July 30. Gill Bates and Marcus will support. xxx
thebrag.com
BRAG :: 617 :: 17:06:15 :: 27
Shlohmo Upon Reflection By Jack Pilven shit, funerals, fucking hospitals and whatever going on. Nothing that I’d want to go too in-depth on, but I think it was inevitable that it all came through in the making [of the album]. But at the same time, I’ve always been drawn to the darker side of art-making, or whatever the fuck you want to call it.” The thematic darkness was amply supported by Laufer’s eclectic musical influences. “Some of my favourite stuff ever is Sleep,” he says. “Obviously, the album Dopesmoker has been a huge influence on everything I’ve ever done. Electric Wizard, another stoner metal band, too. And Burzum’s more cold, melodic shit is my favourite. Like the weird synth shit that he made in prison; it’s so fucking dark in how not dark it is. It’s creepy serial killer music. At the same time, I’m always listening to Memphis horrorcore, like Tommy Wright III, Hypnotize Minds – basically all the real slow rap that’s recorded to tape. That’s like my favourite shit.”
has returned with his darkest solo album so far. Released in April, Shlohmo’s second LP Dark Red is deeply hypnotising. Largely devoid of vocals, the record is propelled by layers of murky synths, skittering drums and eerie melodies. While partially inspired by horror movies, Dark Red was also driven by some harrowing real-life events. “I guess you could say it was a very trying time in my life,” Laufer says. “There was a lot of family
“There’s a basic melodic structure to follow, but it’s kind of… not necessarily a fucking jam band or anything like that, but it’s pretty loose,” says Laufer on recreating Dark Red live. “But at the same time,
When Laufer’s not making music, he’s making art for Wedidit, the music and lifestyle brand he co-founded in high school. Wedidit may have started as a joke, but it’s grown to encompass a clothing line and record label, which is home to the likes of RL Grime. The collective’s visual identity, which embraces kitsch ’90s iconography and bad graphic design, is nearly as renowned as its beats. The Wedidit logo is a tombstone with a smiley face on it, and it’s become a popular tattoo amongst hardcore fans. Business is good, but they don’t like taking things too seriously, as underlined by the unofficial mantra, “Professionally unprofessional since 1990.” “My main focus for most of my life was graphic design, painting and visual art,” says Laufer. “But then music started taking over and the only time I had to do my visual art was through Wedidit. So I was just kind of creating my own cover art and whatever the fuck I needed for the Shlohmo stuff. But then also logo design. Now, me and Nick work in constant collaboration on all the Wedidit clothing. It’s been a passion of ours for a while to run an allencompassing brand.” As for brand expansion, Laufer – a lifelong, dedicated skateboarder – is keen to incorporate skate merchandising in the future too. “That’s one of my only tattoos at this point,” he confesses, “a little skateboard on my knee.” Things are looking pretty rosy for the talented young producer right
now, but he wouldn’t be where he is if he didn’t have such a knack for selecting the best and brightest artists to collaborate with, produce and remix. Indeed, Shlohmo has earned his tastemaking status by maintaining a certain standard, and he’s not afraid to point out what he does and does not like. Unfortunately for a lot of contemporary producers, they fall into the latter category. “If it’s not perfect dance music or perfect hip hop or whatever, or it’s not completely crazy shit that I’ve never heard before, then it’s not worth my fucking time,” Laufer says. “People ask me all the time who my favourite producer is and I genuinely don’t know what to say, because I don’t listen to that kind of music anymore. Maybe my taste has just changed. Like, if it’s not exactly within the confines of what it’s supposed to be, or completely different to anything I’ve ever heard, I don’t care about it for some reason.” What advice does Laufer have for aspiring producers, then? “Don’t do it,” he jokes, before adding, “Either do it to say something, or don’t do it at all.” What: Splendour In The Grass 2015 With: Peking Duk, Flight Facilities, Earl Sweatshirt, Azealia Banks and many more Where: North Byron Parklands When: Friday July 24 – Sunday July 26 And: Also appearing at the Metro Theatre on Friday July 31 More: Dark Red out now through True Panther/Remote Control
The Kite String Tangle & Dustin Tebbutt Illuminate The Date By Augustus Welby
T
wo songwriters with a keen ear for production, Dustin Tebbutt and The Kite String Tangle (AKA Danny Harley), recently teamed up on the single ‘Illuminate’. Despite the pair’s clear chemistry, ‘Illuminate’ didn’t transpire out of a long-time friendship. Rather, mutual admiration for each other’s work is what brought them together. Ahead of a quick national tour on which Tebbutt and Harley will each perform separately before bringing it home with a collaborative set, the BRAG arranged for them to get to know each other a bit better. Dustin Tebbutt: I was interested to know, with songwriting, where’s your line in terms of how far you push something away from reality, or how much of it is actually to do with your life? The Kite String Tangle: What seems to be most prominent is I’ll start working on music first and then the feel or vibe will remind me of something that is going on in my life and I’ll kind of extrapolate on that. I never like to make it intensely personal, because I like people to be able to relate to it and apply it to themselves. The new Sufjan [Stevens] album is someone writing intensely personal stuff and just pulling it off really immaculately. I think I need to build up to that. DT: Would you say production dictates the direction of the end product, as opposed to starting out with a song idea and then taking it into the production realm? TKST: Yeah, I’d say probably 80 per cent of the time, and then the remainder is when I’ve just sat down at a piano or a guitar and something’s come out that has stuck with me and lived on. Because I originally started playing
28 :: BRAG :: 617 :: 17:06:15
guitar, I find piano to be more expressive because I know less about it. I was interested to know what instrument you found most expressive and whether you had a similar experience? DT: I played a lot of guitar when I was younger and I learnt how music works on that instrument. Even now, if I play something really simple on the guitar, my brain immediately knows what it is and I think, ‘Oh that’s been done a hundred times,’ or, ‘You’ve already used that.’ Whereas I’ve got a set of chime bars and you can put them in any shape and then play rhythmic ostinatos on them and it will generate melodies, depending on how you set them up. Or I just bought an Ableton Push and you can make the pads on that into different scales, but they’re not really in any recognisable shape. To just try things out that are directly related to what your ear’s hearing as opposed to what your brain thinks you’re playing, I think that’s really important. Even though we’re both working in the pop world, where we’re using mostly major or minor basic scales and there’s only certain chord progressions, there’s still infinite possibilities… but it is a limited palette. TKST: I relate to that a lot. There’s infinite possibilities, but you’re also really restricted, because it is essentially eight notes we’re working with. It reminds me – there was an inventor in the 1800s who went to the patent office and was like, ‘There’s nothing more to invent. Everything’s been invented.’ And this was in the 1800s. I feel like that
about music. Quite often you can feel like everything has been done and then the next day you’ll stumble across something that has a new feel to it. DT: If you didn’t have any constrictions – financially or stage sizes or whatever – and you got to do the show you wanted to do, what would it be? TKST: Unfortunately for my wallet and for my production crew, a big lights and visuals thing is what I always lean towards. I wish I could be one of those artists that’s completely stripped back and go for something honest, but my strength lies in creating a bigger show. A lot of the sounds I use can be quite big and I prefer a big bang at the end. I
was just in Japan for a festival and I got to see Nosaj Thing, who was collaborating with this Japanese visual artist. They had millions of dollars’ worth of gear and it was just insane. It was a groundbreaking use of new technology in a visual live performance. Then the next show was Autechre, who perform in complete pitch black. So the whole festival had to turn off all the lights, which was equally as amazing. What is success for you? At what point can you say, hands down, ‘I’ve done it’? DT: It’s just about creating an environment where I can make things that I want to make in the way that I want to make them and afford to have a normal
life. I think that’s when I’ll be completely happy with the trajectory. Apart from enjoying those moments where you go, ‘Holy shit, I’m playing Splendour In The Grass with some of my favourite bands in the world,’ or you hear your song on the radio for the first time or you get to go overseas and play gigs – all those moments, you have to just treat them for what they are. But the bigger thing, it’s not about taking over the world, it’s just about setting up a sustainable career. With: Joy. Where: Metro Theatre When: Thursday June 25
thebrag.com
Schlomo photo by Erika Miyagiwa
T
he best musicians keep us guessing. Just when we think we’ve got them sussed out, they throw down another stylistic curveball. 25-year-old Henry Laufer, AKA Shlohmo, exemplifies this dictum. Over the course of 2014, Laufer collaborated with crooner Jeremih on the sultry No More EP, produced one of the highlights on Banks’ debut album Goddess, and still found time for countless remixes. Another slinky R&B-inspired release seemed like the obvious next step. Instead, the Los Angeles producer
Shlohmo is coming to Australia in July for Splendour In The Grass, plus a string of headline shows where he’ll be supported by fellow producers from the Wedidit collective, Purple (Luis Dourado), D33J (Djavan Santos) and Nick Melons (Nick Meledandri). D33J also handles guitar and synth duties in Shlohmo’s live band, which is rounded out by New York percussionist Bill DeLelles.
Bill is very on point. He’s replicating almost identically the drum program that’s on the record.”
club guide g send your listings to : clubguide@thebrag.com
club pick of the week SATURDAY JUNE 20
El Loco Later - feat: DJs On Rotation Excelsior Hotel, Surry Hills. 10pm. Free. Homemade - feat: Rees Hellmers + Royaal + Venuto + I.K.O + Seiz + J-Reyes + M.V.P Home Nightclub, Darling Harbour. 9pm. Free. Infamous Saturdays - feat: Live DJs Scubar, Sydney. 7pm. Free. Le Fruit DJs Goros, Surry Hills. 8pm. Free. Lndry - feat: Touch Sensitive + Linda Marigliano + Discofool + Jeff Dranke + U-Khan + Platform 19 + Offtapia + Hausent + DJ Just 1 + Here’s Trouble + DJ Eko + Spin The Bottle DJs Chinese Laundry, Sydney. 9pm. $22.60. My Place Saturdays Bar100, The Rocks. 8pm. Free. No Rest For The Wicked feat: She + Xerstorkitte + DJ Action Ant Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 9pm. $5. Pacha - feat: Slumberjack + Spenda C + Danny T + Nemo + GG Magree + Samrai + Mo’Funk + Losty + Troy T + Jack Bailey + E-Cats + DJ Eko + Stu Turner + Chris Arnott + Wheeler + Vito + Matt Nugent
Ivy Bar/Lounge, Sydney. 6:30pm. $38. Pearl Arq Nightclub, Sydney. 9pm. Free. Resident DJ The Kent Bar & Grill, Hamilton. 9:30pm. Free. Robbie Lowe + Garth Linton + Rabbit Taxi The Spice Cellar, Erskineville. 9pm. $27. Sienna Saturdays - feat: Resident DJs The Establishment, Sydney. 9pm. Free. Tim Boffa + Raye Antonelli Manly Wharf Hotel, Manly. 6pm. Free. Will Sparks Marquee, Pyrmont. 9pm. $44.10.
SUNDAY JUNE 21 CLUB NIGHTS
DJ Matt Meler 5 Sawyers, Newcastle. 9pm. Free. La Fiesta - feat: Samantha Fox + Agee Ortiz + Av El Cubano + Resident DJ Willie Sabor The Establishment, Sydney. 8pm. Free. S.A.S.H Sundays - Feat: Thomas Lisse + Secret
Guest + Ezra + Daniel George + Kanis + Phil Sure + Matt Weir + Kerry Wallace + Matthew Lush + Eduardo Perlo + Eldad Home Nightclub, Darling Harbour. 3pm. $10. Sundays In The City - feat: Various DJs The Slip Inn, Sydney. 12pm. Free.
HIP HOP & R&B
Craig David + Def Rok + Sefu + DJ Delicious + Here’s Trouble + Regz Marquee, Pyrmont. 10pm. $43.95.
MONDAY JUNE 22 CLUB NIGHTS
Mashup Monday - feat: Resident DJs Side Bar, Sydney. 8pm. Free.
TUESDAY JUNE 23 CLUB NIGHTS
Chu The World Bar, Kings Cross. 9pm. Free.
Will Sparks
Marquee
up all night out all week...
Will Sparks 9pm. $44.10. WEDNESDAY JUNE 17 CLUB NIGHTS
The Roots & Riddim’ Club feat: The Errol Renaud Trio + DJ Dizar Play Bar, Surry Hills. 6pm. Free. The Wall The World Bar, Kings Cross. 9pm. $5.
THURSDAY JUNE 18 HIP HOP & R&B
Crate Digger Thursdays Feat: Open Decks Play Bar, Surry Hills. 8pm. Free. Gazele Rock Lily, Pyrmont. 7:30pm. Free.
CLUB NIGHTS
Audiophilez DJs Modus Operandi, Mona Vale. 6:30pm. Free. Pool Club Thursdays - feat: Resident DJs Ivy Bar/Lounge, Sydney. 5pm. Free. Taxx Thursdays - feat: HTML Flowers + Failr + Scatterbrain + Ellie Sass + Annie Bass The Passage, Darlinghurst. 8pm. Free. The Midnight Swim Sessions - feat: Thomas Studdy Goros, Surry Hills. 8pm. Free. The World Bar Thursdays The World Bar, Kings Cross. 9pm. Free. thebrag.com
FRIDAY JUNE 19 HIP HOP & R&B
Friday Lite - feat: Cache One + Baby Face Thrilla + Victoria Kim Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 10pm. Free. Hustler Fridays - feat: MC Shaba Hustle & Flow, Redfern. 7pm. Free.
CLUB NIGHTS
Afrobrasiliana V - feat: Trevor ‘Elchino’ Parkee + Thomas Studdy + Raphael Ramires + Walking Fish + Live African Drummers Play Bar, Surry Hills. 6pm. Free. Argyle Fridays - feat: Resident DJs The Argyle, The Rocks. 6pm. Free. Bassic - feat: Crnkn + Noy + Spenda C + Blue Grass DJs + Rozwel + Juvenal + Gillittene + Kyphosis + Rowdy One + Open-Eye Chinese Laundry, Sydney. 9pm. $17.50. Blvd Fridays - feat: G-Wizard Marquee, Pyrmont. 10pm. $13.40. Brenny B Side Manly Wharf Hotel, Manly. 9pm. Free. Derriere - feat: Rotating DJs Goros, Surry Hills. 6pm. Free. DJ S Huskisson Hotel, Huskisson. 8pm. Free. DJ Baltah The Sydney Junction Hotel, Hamilton. 11pm. Free. DJ Sean Andrews
5 Sawyers, Newcastle. 9pm. Free. El Loco Later - feat: DJs On Rotation Excelsior Hotel, Surry Hills. 10pm. Free. Elevate South Hurstville RSL Club, South Hurstville. 8pm. Free. Factory Fridays - feat: Resident DJs Soda Factory, Surry Hills. 7pm. Free. Feel Good Fridays Bar100, The Rocks. 5pm. Free. Loco Friday - feat: Various Live Bands And DJs The Slip Inn, Sydney. 5pm. Free.
SATURDAY JUNE 20
FRIDAY JUNE 19 Afrobrasiliana V - Feat: Trevor ‘Elchino’ Parkee + Thomas Studdy + Raphael Ramires + Walking Fish + Live African Drummers Play Bar, Surry Hills. 6pm. Free. Bassic - Feat: Crnkn + Noy + Spenda C + Blue Grass DJs + Rozwel + Juvenal + Gillittene + Kyphosis + Rowdy One + Open-Eye Touch Sensitive
Chinese Laundry, Sydney. 9pm. $17.50. Blvd Fridays - Feat: G-Wizard Marquee, Pyrmont. 10pm. $13.40.
SATURDAY JUNE 20 Lndry - Feat: Touch Sensitive + Linda Marigliano + Discofool + Jeff Dranke + U-Khan + Platform 19 + Offtapia + Hausent + DJ Just 1
+ Here’s Trouble + DJ Eko + Spin The Bottle DJs Chinese Laundry, Sydney. 9pm. $22.60. Pacha - Feat: Slumberjack + Spenda C + Danny T + Nemo + Gg Magree + Samrai + Mo’Funk + Losty + Troy T + Jack Bailey + E-Cats + DJ Eko + Stu Turner + Chris Arnott + Wheeler + Vito + Matt Nugent Ivy Bar/Lounge, Sydney. 6:30pm. $38. Pearl Arq Nightclub, Sydney. 9pm. Free. Robbie Lowe + Garth Linton + Rabbit Taxi The Spice Cellar, Erskineville. 9pm. $27. Still Love Her (Ladies Love Hip Hop 2) - Feat: Sarah Connor + Krystel Diola + Ms Hennessey + DJ Digabeat + Kween G Play Bar, Surry Hills. 6pm. Free.
HIP HOP & R&B
Still Love Her (Ladies Love Hip Hop 2) - feat: Sarah Connor + Krystel Diola + Ms Hennessey + DJ Digabeat + Kween G Play Bar, Surry Hills. 6pm. Free.
CLUB NIGHTS
Bounce Scruffy Murphy’s Hotel, Sydney. 10pm. Free. Cakes - feat: 4 Rooms Of Live Music + DJs And International Guests The World Bar, Kings Cross. 8pm. $10. DJ K-Rock The Sydney Junction Hotel, Hamilton. 11pm. Free. DJ Perry Carter 5 Sawyers, Newcastle. 9pm. Free.
SUNDAY JUNE 21 Craig David + Def Rok + Sefu + DJ Delicious + Here’s Trouble + Regz Marquee, Pyrmont. 10pm. $43.95. S.A.S.H Sundays Feat: Thomas Lisse + Secret Guest + Ezra + Daniel George + Kanis + Phil Sure + Matt Weir + Kerry Wallace + Matthew Lush + Eduardo Perlo + Eldad Home Nightclub, Darling Harbour. 3pm. $10.
BRAG :: 617 :: 17:06:15 :: 29
snap
VIEW FULL GALLERIES AT
up all night out all week . . .
thebrag.com/snaps
Off The Record Dance and Electronica with Tyson Wray
S
ydney is set to get a heavy dose of Detroit next month when Heavenly and Soul Control team up to throw one helluva bash with Jay Daniel. Here last year for a killer Red Bull Music Academy club night, Daniel is a protégé of Kyle Hall, has released on the ilk of Sound Signature, Apron and Wild Oats, and has a forthcoming 12-inch set to drop on his very own Watusi High imprint. He’ll be joined by Ben Fester, Preacha, T Mingus and Adrian E. Expect a night of house, techno, jazz, soul and a whole lot more when it all goes down at the Imperial Hotel on Friday July 3. Heads up – Romanian producer Sepp has locked in his debut Australian tour. A regular on labels such as RORA, Bleu Ciel and Andromeda, he also runs his own UVAR imprint and has been a firm fixture in the European underground scene for years, counting the likes of Cezar, Cristi Cons and Valentino Kanzyani among his peers. Support on the night will come from Aboutjack, B_A, Braille and Venda. It’s all happening next Saturday June 27 at Civic Underground.
sarah’s birthday jam
Calling all electronic producers – want to learn from the very best in the business? Liveschool has announced the tenth instalment of its Ableton-dedicated training event series, Input. This time around the lineup will feature Daedelus (Brainfeeder/ Ninja Tune), Joel Farland (Broods/Miami Horror/Van She), Adam Maggs (Ableton), Toby Pike (Toby & Pete – creator of Flume’s Infinity Prism stage show) and MXXWLL (Universal Music), who will talk you through everything you need to know about getting your productions out of the studio and onto the stage. It takes place on Saturday June 27 at Kings Cross Hotel. Tickets at liveschool.net/events. Tour rumour: only one rumour this week, but it’s a good’un. Ripperton will fi nally return to Australian shores before the year is out. Take my word for it. Best releases this week: so you remember in 2013 how Galcher Lustwerk blew everyone out of the water with a mixtape for Blowing Up The Workshop that contained 100 per cent original unreleased material? Yeah, he’s just released two EPs containing all of it. They’re titled Parlay and I Neva Seen and he’s put them out via his own label, Lustwerk Music. Essential listening. There’s also a brand new mix from DJ Metatron that’s just been put up on giegling.net that is out of this world. So good that between that and Lustwerk, I haven’t listened to anything else this week.
PICS :: AM
Boo yeah. 25-year-old Stuart Howard AKA Lapalux has announced a Sydney headline show after being locked in for Victoria’s Strawberry Fields festival a little while back. Signed to the illustrious Los Angeles Brainfeeder label by Flying Lotus himself (he remains the only British artist on the imprint), Howard counts the likes of Diplo and SBTRKT in his fan base, and has worked with huge names such as Crystal Fighters, Bonobo, and
AlunaGeorge. He’ll hit Chinese Laundry on Friday November 20.
13:06:15 :: Play Bar :: 72 Campbell St, Surry Hills 9280 0885
Lapalux
RECOMMENDED FRIDAY JUNE 26 Kobosil Bridge Hotel
SATURDAY JUNE 27 Stephan Bodzin Chinese Laundry Recloose The Spice Cellar Sepp Civic Underground
FRIDAY JULY 3 Jay Daniel Imperial Hotel
SATURDAY JULY 4 Mike Callander The Spice Cellar
SUNDAY JULY 5 Cristoph Home Nightclub
Kobosil
SATURDAY JULY 11 Iron Curtis The Spice Cellar Cristoph Kit & Kaboodle
SATURDAY JULY 25
kölsch
PICS :: AM
Tiefschwarz
13:06:15 :: Chinese Laundry :: 111 Sussex St Sydney 8295 9999 30 :: BRAG :: 617 :: 17:06:15
The Spice Cellar
SATURDAY AUGUST 22 Borrowed Identity Bridge Hotel
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 20 Lapalux Chinese Laundry
Got any tip-offs, hate mail, praise or cat photos? Email hey@tysonwray.com or contact me via carrier pigeon. thebrag.com
Less travel time...
...more party time
Going to Splendour? Fly direct. Over 25 flights a day from Sydney direct to Gold Coast Airport, means you’ll spend less time travelling and more time enjoying the party. goldcoastairport.com.au 15131
Fly with Jetstar, Virgin Australia , Qantas or Tigerair direct to Gold Coast Airport.
SEAN WOODLAND THURSDAY 25 JUNE FROM 7:30PM
SUPPORT: UMIT BALI
SUPPORT: JONAS HOLT
HOST: MIKEY ROBINS
Enjoy $5 Tooheys New and Hahn Super Dry, house wines and selected spirits. 5pm – midnight. Food till late.
LEVEL 1, 80 PYRMONT STREET, PYRMONT STAR.COM.AU/ROCKLILY
/ROCKLILY.LIVE
The Star practises the responsible service of alcohol. Guests must be over 18. Think! About your choices. Call Gambling Help 1800 858 858 www.gamblinghelp.nsw.gov.au
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The RRP is the recommended retail price as set bby th the Australian distributor of the product. While stocks last. Products pictured are for illustration purpose only. # # !
"
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