Brag#632

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ISSUE NO. 632 SEPTEMBER 30, 2015

FREE Now picked up at over 1,600 places across Sydney and surrounds. thebrag.com

MUSIC, FILM, THEATRE + MORE

INSIDE This Week

MERCURY R E V

Returning with an eighth album after a seven-year break.

LAST DINOSAURS

COL D CHISEL

The Oz rock legends who continue to endure.

T HE A R T

A massive lineup helps them launch a new single.

H A ND S L IK E HOUSE S

Passing on their knowledge to the next generation.

Plus

A IR L ING K IR IN J C A L L IN A N CHIL DR EN OF BODOM

THE THEORY OF EVOLUTION

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rock music news

the BRAG presents

welcome to the frontline: what’s goin’ on around town... with Aaron Streatfeild, Chris Martin and Tyson Wray

speed date WITH

RUFINO FROM RUFINO AND THE COCONUTS

THE ART Oxford Art Factory Saturday October 3

maybe a touch of sweat running down the back of your neck. We like to shake your bones with a touch of dark voodoo magic and throbbing tribal beats. But we’re definitely up for good times, dancing in the sunshine and the moonlight – seductive melodies lilting from our voices, synthesisers or melodicas. We’re fond of a good story; tales of Caribbean dentists, jungle misadventures, cray fishing and near-death-love-making. We love an adventure but are wary of cannibals and evil tropical spirits due to former heartbreak. We carry baggage, but they are pretty nice old stylish suitcases. Keeping Busy I’m one-fifth of theatrical 2. supergroup Mikelangelo and Your Profile Rufino and The Coconuts 1. like to keep things hot and steamy – thick, sticky, tropical steamy;

The Black Sea Gentlemen, so much of this year has been songwriting and performing in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Canberra. The Coconuts have still managed to delve into their

debut record recording – which is sounding superb – as well as doing shows in Sydney for Sydney Festival and Canberra for the Art, Not Apart festival.

3.

Best Gig Ever Well, there was that amazing show on the beach in Trinidad with Eddy Grant and Rita Marley, but we were deported afterwards, so best not relive that too closely. More recently, our packed midnight show at the Spiegeltent at the end of Sydney Festival this year was pretty hard to beat – an amazing mix of fine peoples from the arts and music fans all getting deeply possessed by the music of The Coconuts!

Current Playlist I’ve been having a bit of a 4. love affair with early-’00s groove hip-pop at the moment – Missy Elliot, Snoop and Pharrell, Busta Rhymes… there was something special in those grooves, and you

Chvrches

ADVERTISING: Les White - 0405 581 125 / (02) 9212 4322 les@thebrag.com Krystal Le - 0421 662 486 / (02) 9212 4322 krystal@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 COORDINATOR: Sarah Bryant - gigguide@thebrag.com (rock); clubguide@thebrag.com (dance, hip hop & parties) AWESOME INTERNS: Elias Kwiet, Tegan Reeves, Aaron Streatfeild, Eden Gillespie REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS: Nat Amat, Prudence Clark, Tom Clift, Keiron Costello, Christie Eliezer, Patrick Emery, Tegan Jones, Lachlan Kanoniuk, Emily Meller, David Molloy, Annie Murney, Adam Norris, George Nott, Daniel Prior, Kate Robertson, Natalie Rogers, Erin Rooney, Spencer Scott, Natalie Salvo, Leonardo Silvestrini, Jade Smith, Lucy Watson, Rod Whitfield, Harry Windsor, Tyson Wray, Stephanie Yip, David James Young

Your Ultimate Rider Most importantly, we will 5. require one coco macaque (a Haitian magic stick for warding off the evil spirits – the stick can also go off on any last-minute errands by itself); one live chicken; the blood of a young goat; a circle of whitened stones; enough wood to make a hot live fire; various bird feathers and clay facepaints to enact backstage rites; and a qualified Vodou priest. It’s amazing how many Australian venues find this difficult to deliver. So we often settle on fancy liquors instead. With: Bichos Locos Where: Goodgod Small Club When: Saturday October 10

IT’S NOT UNUSUAL

Bluesfest has revealed the second of eight announcements that will form its full 2016 lineup. The new bunch of names for the Easter event include Tom Jones, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Jackson Browne, The Decemberists, Jason Isbell, Sturgill Simpson, Tweedy, Steve Earle and The Dukes, The Wailers, Grace Potter, Lord Huron, Nahko and Medicine For The People, Vintage Trouble, Lucky Peterson, Emdee and Blackberry Smoke. They join the acts from the first announcement, which include The National, City And Colour, UB40 featuring Ali Campbell, Astro and Mickey Virtue, Joe Bonamassa, Tedeschi Trucks Band, The Cat Empire and many more. Bluesfest

Jeremy Neale

2016 will take over Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm, just north of Byron Bay, from Thursday March 24 – Monday March 28.

AUSTRALIAN MUSIC WEEK GETS BIGGER

An additional 70-plus artists have been added to the already jam-packed music summit lineup at the maiden Australian Music Week, taking over Cronulla and locations across Sydney this November. Among the newly added showcase names include performers like Tuka, Ben Ottewell, Ray Beadle, Juice, Declan Kelly and The Rising Sun, Mind Over Matter, Mr Percival, Palace Of The King, The Owls and The Stiffys. The event runs from Wednesday November 18 – Sunday November 22. Visit australianmusicweek.com for full details.

MODELS ON TOUR

’80s cult heroes Models are back on deck and lining up for a national tour this summer. The Melbourne art rockers released five classic albums in a five-year period during their heyday, culminating in the hit ‘Out Of Mind, Out Of Sight’ from the 1985 album of the same name. They’ll be prowling around the Factory Theatre stage on Friday December 18.

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Burns Creek, Tasmania Friday February 19 – Saturday February 20

PAUL DEMPSEY PRESENTS MYTUNES

Redfern concert and theatre venue Giant Dwarf has announced a new series of acoustic performances, MyTunes, with the maiden event to be headlined by Paul Dempsey. The Something For Kate frontman and solo songwriter will feature at the first of Giant Dwarf’s intimate monthly gigs, which include not only a live set but also a Q&A and interview session. Triple j host Zan Rowe will MC the premiere show on Wednesday October 21.

ARIA AWARDS 2015

Australian music’s night of nights is nigh. The 2015 edition of the ARIA Awards has been confirmed to return to Sydney this November, supported by the New South Wales State Government through Destination NSW. Channel Ten will broadcast the ceremony from The Star Event Centre on Thursday November 26, pretty much guaranteeing a long weekend of hangovers across the music industry. But who’ll take out the pointy prizes? After a big year internationally for homegrown acts like Courtney Barnett, Vance Joy and Tame Impala, we’ve got our hopes pinned on them.

FOR THE PEOPLE OF THE SUN

Port Macquarie’s Festival Of The Sun has added a new bunch of acts to its bumper 2015 lineup. The regional festival, which lands right at the start of the summer, has locked in a big ol’ program of performers for its 11th year. The second round of reveals includes The Lulu Raes, Polish Club, Skegss, The Owls, Dusty Boots, Ziggy Alberts, Waax, Jeremy Neale, A.D.K.O.B, Low Lux, Woodlock, Twin Haus, Wish, Royal Chant and The Mountains. They join a list that already features the likes of Illy, Jebediah, Thundamentals, British India, The Delta Riggs, Alpine, Bad//Dreems, Sleepmakeswaves and many more. FOTSUN 2015 takes over Sundowner Breakwall Tourist Park in Port Macquarie on Friday December 11 and Saturday December 12.

A CLUTCH PLAY

Almost a decade after first appearing on Australian shores, and following appearances at Soundwave and Meredith, Clutch are returning for their largest-ever headline shows Down Under. The rockers will be touring in celebration of their 11th studio album, Psychic Warfare, which saw them team up once again with acclaimed producer Machine in Austin, Texas. To up the ante on their Australian dates, they’ll be joined on the tour by Cosmic Psychos. Catch them on Friday March 4 at the Metro Theatre. xxx

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PARTY IN THE PADDOCK – ft. Violent Soho, Spiderbait, The Preatures and more

Clutch

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Lazybones Lounge Thursday November 19

St. Jerome’s Laneway Festival will return next February with a bumper lineup. The 2016 incarnation of the festival will feature performances from big-name internationals and some of our favourite locals, including Ali Barter, Banoffee, Battles, Beach House, Big Scary, Blank Realm, Chvrches, DIIV, DMA’s, East India Youth, Fidlar, Flume, GoldLink, Grimes, Health, Hermitude, High Tension, Hudson Mohawke, Japanese Wallpaper, Majical Cloudz, Methyl Ethel, Metz, Purity Ring, QT, Shamir, Silicon, Slum Sociable, Sophie, The Internet, The Smith Street Band, Thundercat, Tobias Jesso Jr., Vince Staples and Violent Soho. The Sydney edition of Laneway 2016 will go down on Sunday February 7 at Sydney College of the Arts.

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MICHAEL P CULLEN

LINED UP FOR LANEWAY

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: Eden Gillespie, Tegan Reeves, Aaron Streatfeild, Tyson Wray ART DIRECTOR: Sarah Bryant PHOTOGRAPHERS: Katrina Clarke, Ashley Mar

hear them coming back. More recently, last year’s SBTRKT and Jungle records are close to The Coconuts’ heart.

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byron bay

dec 31 2015 Until jan 03 2016 NEW YEAR’S EVE

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FOALS BLOC PARTY DISCLOSURE RÜFUS COURTNEY BARNETT BIRDS OF TOKYO HALSEY KURT VILE & THE VIOLATORS JARRYD JAMES MAC DEMARCO MEG MAC PAUL KELLY PRESENTS THE MERRI SOUL SESSIONS FEAT. CLAIRY BROWNE DAN SULTAN KIRA PIRU VIKA & LINDA BULL THE AVENER DJANGO DJANGO GARY CLARK JR. LITTLE MAY THE MACCABEES LEON BRIDGES ALPINE TORO Y MOI YOUNG FATHERS ELLIPHANT GANG OF YOUTHS BØRNS HIATUS KAIYOTE KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD WIZARD MIAMI HORROR SETH SENTRY SOAK OH WONDER TIJUANA CARTEL BOOTLEG RASCAL GOONS OF DOOM SPIRIT OF AKASHA

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live & local

free stuff

welcome to the frontline: what’s goin’ on around town... with Eden Gillespie, Aaron Streatfeild and Tegan Reeves

WITH

GREG NUNAN

when my brother started bringing home B.B. King records, things started to come around. Inspirations We had a tape 2. player we could crank in the bathroom and I used to listen to Hendrix whilst soaking in the bath. But when I first heard Stevie Ray Vaughan at my friend’s house, my life changed there and then. I just had to have that sound soaking my ears. It still is. Your Band Liam is bulletproof 3. on the kit, swinging a pistol Growing Up Growing up on a 1. farm as the youngest of seven, my elder sisters had cracking parties in the shearing shed with their friends’ bands playing.

They were wailing Deep Purple, Status Quo and Pink Floyd. I remember my sister trying to teach me guitar when I was five and I was saying, ‘Get that thing out of my face!’ But

A METHOD TO MADNESS

Sydney-based metalheads The Arbitrary Method have announced an EP launch show for their Augmentation release this October. Two years in the making, the EP boasts a highlight track ‘Into Insanity’, featuring guest vocals from Björn Speed Strid, the frontman of Swedish band Soilwork. Dawn Heist, Noveaux, Double Chamber and Inertia will help The Arbitrary Method launch Augmentation on Friday October 23 at Hermann’s Bar.

STICK TO THE PLAN

Indie-pop outfit A.D.K.O.B have released a new groovy single that sticks, called ’Glue’. The psychedelic film clip for ‘Glue’ landed just last week, and it’s a mirage-like piece of video goodness that’s more colourful than a crowd at Woodstock. In late October, the Sydneysiders are following up the release of ‘Glue’ with a debut EP and extensive national tour. A.D.K.O.B launch ‘Glue’ at Freda’s on Thursday October 8.

NO FOOTBALLERS ALLOWED

Mondays are about to get even madder, with the Marrickville Bowling Club’s Mad Monday event kicking off over the imminent long weekend (just in time for the end of the footy season). The Lonesome Heroes from Texas will be on hand to headline an epic show of haunting alt-country. Other artists set

CALIGULA’S HORSE

groove to old flavours. Hulkster is a gentleman with wicked humour and an elephant’s memory for fat bass runs. And Felix simply puts style into whatever he does,

whether it’s guitar-based or dressing slick. He has an infectious laugh too. They all do. I just love these guys! Gush! The Music You Make 4. If you think Stevie Ray Vaughan meets Pink Floyd with some grooves as tasty as the crusty bits off a slow-cooked Sunday roast, then you’re getting in the ring to where we swing. Music, Right Here, Right Now 5. There’s some red hot music out in the Sydney scene at the moment; all you have to do is scratch the surface. There’s a smaller pool of venues than even five years ago but there’s no less quality and conviction in the music. Bands like Eddie Boyd and The Phatapillars

to appear on the night include Mick Daley’s Corporate Raiders and Van Walker. Expect gravelly voices and awesome storytelling skills when Mad Monday launches on Monday October 5.

CHUCK A HUSSY FIT

Roots power pair Hussy Hicks will play a one-off Sydney Blues and Roots Festival sideshow at Lazybones Lounge in Marrickville. Songs from their upcoming EP, recorded in Mobile, Alabama, will be the focus of the night. Hussy Hicks’ genre-defying sound, described as Australian roots with European gypsy guitar and Arabic rhythms, marks them out as one of Australia’s most promising blues and roots acts. Eddie Boyd will open the show on Thursday October 22.

and Cameron Henderson Band are ones to watch out for. The best thing about the Sydney music scene is the people who support the musicians by getting to shows and simply having a good time. Some other scenes treat their music as a place to grow a beard and be seen. Sydney people celebrate music by listening, applauding and getting into it. Salute! Who: Greg Nunan and The General Jacksons What: Kites For Hurricanes out now through Only Blues Where: Frankie’s Pizza / Lewisham Hotel / Old Manly Boatshed When: Wednesday October 7 / Friday October 9 / Sunday October 11

Homegrown rock talents Caligula’s Horse are all set to release their third album, Bloom, on Friday October 16. The Brisbane-dwellers have rounded up quite a large following and are living evidence that the rock spirit has not dwindled among the Australian masses, with much of the buzz around them coming in the aftermath of their dark 2013 concept album, The Tide, The Thief & River’s End. You can catch Caligula’s Horse onstage in support of Tesseract on their upcoming tour dates, including at the Factory Theatre on Thursday October 15. To celebrate, we’ve got five copies of Bloom to give away. Enter the draw at thebrag. com/freeshit.

Rae Howell_Credit – Anne Skilbeck

five things

head to: thebrag.com/freeshit

JJ GREY & MOFRO

JJ Grey & Mofro are hitting the road and on their way to the Factory Theatre on Thursday October 8. Australian audiences will recognise the Bluesfest favourites from regular trips Down Under, this time around lining up dates at The Great Southern Blues Festival and Caloundra Music Festival. Meanwhile, they’ve got new tunes to share from their latest release, Ol’ Glory. Special guest Shaun Kirk will be performing his soul and blues ditties in support. We’ve got a double pass on offer for the Sydney show. To be in the running, click through to thebrag.com/freeshit.

DON’T GO BREAKIN’ MY HEART

Country crooners Jep And Dep will launch their latest single ‘Cut All Ties’ over the October long weekend. Following critical acclaim for their 2014 album Word Got Out and a 2015 European tour, Jep And Dep are back in town for a Heartbreaker Sessions performance at Freda’s on Sunday October 4. Darren Cross’ acoustic guitar and haggard croon combined with Jessica Cassar’s sweet swoon make up the minimalist folk-noir sound that is Jep And Dep. Leah Flanagan will play in support. Jep And Dep

A PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS

Melbourne-based singer-songwriter Penny Ikinger is making her way to the Factory Floor with a special lineup in tow. Known around the traps for her incinerating guitar sound, Ikinger will be back onstage this October to preview songs from her upcoming album, recorded with Radio Birdman’s Deniz Tek. Tek, alongside fellow Radio Birdman member Jim Dickson, will join Ikinger in Sydney for a one-off performance. Supports for the Saturday October 17 date include The Maladies and psychedelic Japanese guitarist Masami Kawaguchi.

Mar Haze The Gooch Palms

OUT OF THE HAZE

Dub-rock four-piece Mar Haze have launched their latest single ‘She’s Not Lovin’’ with a goofy, light-hearted new film clip. Like the special effects from an early Sesame Street episode and the kitchen decor from a ’70s suburban household, ‘She’s Not Lovin’’ shows the band’s lighter side. Lead singer Dean Mitchell said, “To us, having fun is what it’s all about. There’s nothing we love more than writing and playing music, and we want to show our followers that.” More fun will be in store when Mar Haze play Narrabeen Sands Hotel on Saturday October 31 and Frankie’s Pizza on Wednesday November 25.

GO GO GOOCH PALMS

The Gooch Palms will return to our shores this January and February for a run of shows to support their new single ‘Slow Burner’. Since moving to Los Angeles in March, the eclectic duo have played more than 70 shows across the States. They will perform eight dates across New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland in the New Year, as well as a show in Canberra. Catch up at Oxford Art Factory on Friday January 15. Xxx

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Industrial Strength Music Industry News with Christie Eliezer

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THINGS WE HEAR * Which singer-songwriter quipped that he hasn’t told his hippie parents he picked up an award because they don’t take his career or the music industry seriously? * Is Facebook about to go into the ticket-selling business for concerts? * Did Sam Smith channel Michael Jackson’s ‘Earth Song’ for his new James Bond theme? * Are New York’s iconic Avatar Studios (formerly The Power Station) to go on the market? * Joakim BrodĂŠn, singer of Swedish metal band Sabaton, has started a 320-mile walk from their hometown of Falun, Sweden to their next gig at Trondheim Metal Fest in Norway after losing a drunken bet. It’s 107 hours by foot. * The Choirboys’ Mark Gable told the Newcastle Herald that

his family’s real name is Kitchen, but he changed it by deed poll in 1984. * Slipknot’s Corey Taylor is such an avid fan of the original Guns N’ Roses lineup that he says he’ll give up performing if they reunite because he can’t compete, and will attend every show they do. * The Amy Winehouse documentary Amy is being shown as an anti-drug film at a Thailand juvenile prison. * Nightclub king Justin Hemmes is talking to lawyers after a man claiming to be the love child of his late father John announced plans to start legal action, chasing some of an $800 million fortune, the Sunday Telegraph reports. * Latest certifications for Aussie tracks include Vance Joy’s ‘Fire And The Flood’ picking up its first platinum, Delta Goodrem’s ‘Wings’ its first gold, Sia’s ‘Elastic Heart’ its third platinum and Travie McCoy’s ‘Golden’ (featuring Sia) a platinum.

* Peking Duk weren’t sure what to expect when they asked US actor Matt McGorry (Orange Is The New Black, How To Get Away With Murder) to appear in their hilarious new video for ‘Say My Name’, but said, “All our hopes and expectations were absolutely blown out of the park ‌ when he rocked up to the set.â€? * Local businesses expecting strong trade during the inaugural Murwillumbah Country Roots Festival are less than happy that Tweed Shire Council will still be undertaking drainage works on Murwillumbah’s main street during the event. * HarperCollins is this week issuing a revised version of Sydney metal scribe Murray Engleheart’s book AC/DC: Maximum Rock & Roll (rumoured global sales: 350,000). There are updates on Malcolm Young, Phil Rudd, the story behind the stage cannons and a tale about a promoter who spotted Angus Young alone and having

a ciggie in the back of the tour bus, and went over to chat about future dates. Young didn’t seem that conversant, and it was only when a young lady popped up from behind the bus seat that he realised the guitarist had been getting a blow job throughout. * In the meantime, a new book on Bon Scott called Live Wire, out in October through Allen & Unwin, was penned by Valentines and AC/DC roadie John D’Arcy, his wife Gabby and Scott’s “soul mate�, fashion designer Mary Renshaw. * Father John Misty says he took down his Ryan Adams/ Taylor Swift covers because Lou Reed told him to in a dream. * Australian grandfather Michael Baxter set a world record by having 203 The Simpsons characters tattooed on his back at a cost of almost $12,000. * In the UK, albums sold at gigs will now be included in calculating the official album charts.

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Diddy was the world’s highest-paid rap act last year, earning US$60 million, according to US business magazine Forbes’ annual Hip Hop Cash Kings list. The Dids hasn’t actually released an album since 2010, so the moolah didn’t come from music sales or touring, but from his business ventures including CÎroc vodka, Sean John clothing, TV network Revolt and water brand Aquahydrate. Coming second was Jay Z at $56 million, earned from a 22-date concert tour with wife BeyoncÊ, his Roc Nation business empire and sales from his Armand de Brignac champagne brand. After Drake (third, $39.5m), came Dr. Dre ($33m), down from being top of the list last year. Pharrell Williams ($32m) was next, ahead of Eminem ($31m), Kanye West ($22m), Wiz Khalifa ($21.5m), Nicki Minaj ($21m) and Birdman ($18m).

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Steve Hevern will assume the role of general manager at Sydney’s Allphones Arena from Monday December 21. He has been GM of Qantas Credit Union Arena (formerly Sydney Entertainment Centre) since 2013, and ran Perth Arena before that. Hevern takes over from Guy Ngata, who will move to CEO at Eden Park in Auckland.

MINISTER FIFIELD: MEET THE NEW BOSS The new Federal Arts and Communications Minister Mitch Fifield wasn’t exactly riding in on his white horse to right the wrongs as seen by the Australian arts, music and communications sectors. Not in his first week on the job, anyway. In an interview with RN Drive’s Patricia Karvelas, Fifield indicated the controversial National Program for Excellence in the Arts (NPEA) – introduced by predecessor George Brandis – won’t be dropped, and the Australia Council won’t get back the $110 million taken from its budget. “Obviously I hear what some organisations are saying,� he said. “The $26 million that George has set aside is actually to support small and medium organisations.� Fifield said he also needed time to considerer the future of the “three strikes� warning system for pesky illegal downloaders. He did add, however, that he is ready to talk to and consult with the sectors.

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Sony Music Entertainment Australia has promoted Gavin Parry to GM of digital, business development and sales (Australia and New Zealand) and executive VP of digital and business development (Asia). Tony Glover, GM of Commercial Music Group and Parade Management, will broaden his responsibilities at Parade to expand it as an all-round management company, and continue to maximise the CMG catalogue, compilations, special projects, country, children’s and classical releases.

FUTURE CLASSIC SIGNS OVERSEAS DEAL Sydney-based label Future Classic – home to the likes of Flume, Chet Faker, Jagwar Ma and Flight Facilities – has signed with full service company Caroline International

for digital and physical distribution to the US, UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Benelux, Scandinavia, Italy, Spain and Portugal.

SMELLS LIKE ICONIC SPIRIT Nirvana’s ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ has been hailed the “most iconic song of all timeâ€?, after research by Goldsmiths, University of London. Researchers took songs in seven ‘all-time best’ lists from other sources and ran them through analytical software to compare their key, BPM, chord variety, lyrical content, timbral variety and sonic variance. The top 50 ranked songs were those that “use sound in a very varied, dynamic way when compared to other records ‌ This makes the sound of the record exciting, holding the listener’s attention.â€? The other songs in the top five are John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’, U2’s ‘One’, Michael Jackson’s ‘Billie Jean’ and Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’.

AUSTRALIA AT MUSIC CITY SYMPOSIUM The National Live Music Office’s policy director John Wardle will represent Australia in the US for the second Music Cities symposium, being held in Washington, D.C. on Sunday October 25. Wardle told Industrial Strength that he will speak on the $15.7 billion value that Australia’s live music sector contributed to the community last year and the nearly 65,000 full-time and part-time jobs created by live music spending. These figures were revealed in the recent report The Economic And Cultural Value Of Live Music In Australia 2014, which was commissioned by the LMO. Wardle will also discuss the need for music cities to have live music task forces to develop policy (only three Australian cities currently have them), co-regulation roundtables and strategic planning for contemporary music. The first Music Cities conference was held in the UK in May, with 50 cities represented from 20 countries. Representing Australia were Music Victoria CEO Patrick Donovan, David Grice of Adelaide’s Musitec Creative Cluster Development, and the Live Music Office’s director of audience and sector development, Damian Cunningham.

METRO SCREEN PUTS FILM AND MUSIC MAKERS TOGETHER Metro Screen is holding a free event called Music Video Show+Tell, bringing film and music makers together on the challenges of making music videos. The panel of emerging video makers includes Alex Lee, Melvin Montalban and Guy Franklin, and will be moderated by director Jaime Lewis. It will be held on Wednesday September 30 at Paddington Town Hall from 6pm. Metro Screen has a $500 production subsidy prize to award on the night.

LIVE NATION EXTENDS NSW HEALTH DEAL After a successful first year, promoter Live Nation Australia and NSW Health have renewed their partnership. The Play Safe campaign targeted punters aged 15 to 29 at Live Nation events in NSW and aimed to encourage responsible sexual behaviour and regular testing for sexually transmissible infections (STIs). The age group has the highest rates of STIs in NSW, with 16,500 chlamydia notifications in the last year. The campaign also included online platforms and

ticketing promotions.

AUSSIE ARENAS MAKE IT ON GLOBAL LIST

Two Australian arenas made it onto Billboard’s Top 10 list of top-grossing concert venues in the world. In a list led by London’s 23,000-capacity The O2, Melbourne’s 16,820-capacity Rod Laver Arena was placed fifth for gross takings of $36.3 million between November 12, 2014 and June 2, 2015. Sydney’s 21,000-capacity Allphones Arena was sixth for its gross of $30.6 million.

Lifelines Married: Usher and long-time girlfriend Grace Miguel married in secret in mid-September. Married: Frances Bean Cobain and boyfriend of five years Isaiah Silva in an intimate ceremony with 15 guests, which didn’t include mum Courtney Love. Hospitalised: Of Mice & Men frontman Austin Carlile with finger burns after being electrocuted at a gig. In Court: a former UK prison officer is facing jail for selling stories about George Michael to London’s Sun newspaper for £2,100. In Court: a 26-year-old Cairns man for allegedly grabbing the testicles of a bouncer at the Woolshed bar and spitting in his face as he was being escorted out, and also for later spitting on a cop at the police station. In Court: after a five-year legal battle, original Ratt drummer Bobby Blotzer has won the rights to use the band’s name and tour under it with another lineup. The name originally also belonged to singer Stephen Pearcy and guitarist Warren DeMartini. Sued: Scott Weiland for allegedly not paying his legal fees to the law firm that represented him when he was fired from Stone Temple Pilots. Jailed: aspiring Adelaide rapper David Keith Corlett, 31, for 18 years for stabbing a man to death at a 21st birthday party. Died: Shane Cooper, stage manager with Thirsty Merc, in a car accident in country Victoria which also saw drummer Mick Skelton fighting for his life in a Melbourne hospital. Died: Ben Cauley, trumpeter and founding member of Stax Records’ house band The BarKays, 67.

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NOT A MOMENT TOO SOON BY AUGUSTUS WELBY

I

t’s been three-and-a-half years since Last Dinosaurs released their debut LP, In A Million Years. The breakthrough album thrust the Brisbane four-piece into major pub and theatre venues all over Australia and Southeast Asia. Despite such success, it wasn’t until late August this year that they returned with album number two, Wellness. Given the momentum generated by the debut, Last Dinosaurs’ initial plan was to follow it up as quickly as possible. However, the power to do so eluded them.

before the ‘Evie’ single tour,” says Caskey. “I was like, ‘This is the worst song ever.’ But I’ve got over it now, because it’s fine. When we played that tour everyone was going crazy, and at Splendour everyone went pretty crazy for ‘Evie’.”

“You have no idea how difficult it is,” says vocalist/guitarist Sean Caskey. “We just don’t have a choice. We can have all the songs, but it doesn’t matter – we can’t decide when we record and stuff like that. We’re very conscious of the fact that we’re on the edge of taking too long. It just kept getting delayed. But I’m hoping this one is good enough to generate interest again and then next album, hopefully we can record when we should record.”

“After exhausting Australian touring, this massive door opened for Asia – and it was awesome,” he says. “We went to South Africa as well. We realised there was a whole other side of the world that was very interested in what we were doing. So it was kind of a blessing taking that long, because if we didn’t, we probably wouldn’t have realised there was this massive opportunity in Southeast Asia.”

Caskey needn’t fret that people have forgotten about Last Dinosaurs. Wellness’ first single, ‘Evie’, was an instant success, leading to a sold-out national tour in June and July. The warm welcome back led the band to aim higher on the official album tour, upgrading October’s Sydney show from Oxford Art Factory to the Enmore Theatre. “I had a massive panic attack

Australian audiences aren’t the only ones who’ve been infected by Last Dinosaurs’ sharp, guitar-led indiepop. Although the interval between albums was lengthier than Caskey would have liked, it allowed them to make an impressive dent on select overseas markets.

Behind-the-scenes rigmarole was the major factor that stalled the arrival of Wellness, but that’s not to say the band’s creative leader is immune to songwriting challenges. “There was definitely pressure to try to beat the first one,” Caskey says. “The pressure I put on myself was just to make it cooler. I didn’t care about anything else. I wanted to do something I was proud of – songs that I thought were deeper and artistically better, and sonically

cooler as well. I got older and I listened to better music and had a better idea of what I thought was cool.” Production-wise, while Wellness sounds like the work of a compact rock band, it’s clearly not the result of a live-in-the-studio recording approach. It’s a tight, brightly produced record comprising atmospheric keyboards, guitar effects and electronic drums. Famed Aussie producer Scott Horscroft joined the four-piece in the studio and the band welcomed his constructive methods. “I’ve admired Scott forever,” says Caskey. “I listened to Mercy Arms and Starky and The Protectors – all bands he wouldn’t really mention on his CV, but I’d see ‘Scott Horscroft’ [in the credits] and I realised who it was. What I respect about Scott’s production style is that he doesn’t get your song, pull it to pieces and be like, ‘Nah, this is no good.’ He’s just like, ‘OK, that’s your thing, I get where you’re going – you probably don’t need this little bit here, but let’s record it and I’ll record it in a way to make it better and make it sound how it should sound.’ That’s the genius of Scott – being able to appreciate and understand a band and what they’re doing.” On that note, the slick studio sheen that characterises Wellness isn’t simply a consequence of Horscroft’s post-production handiwork. Rather, that’s down to

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“All my demos are very structured and electronic,” says Caskey. “I program everything – the drums, sometimes bass and guitar – and then I’ll translate it from MIDI to guitars later on. It’s just easier to do it on MIDI for me. Even though it’s timeconsuming and I just hit one note then copy and paste and move it all, I’m not the kind of guy to bash it out on guitar. I always like to be fiddling with it, because I’m really OCD with that sort of shit. I’ve always liked doing it like that. “[Horscroft] got that; he made the drums super tight, really quantised and stuff like that. He wanted to keep elements from the demos in the songs. We talked about it and we were like, ‘That’s perfect.’” In some cases, Horscroft deemed Caskey’s demos strong enough to preserve them for the album. “That song ‘Wellness’, for instance, that’s actually my demo,” he says. “It’s all stock Pro Tools plugins – drums and bass and synth.” Intriguingly, the song is one of the album’s clear highlights – a sidestep from Last Dinosaurs’ guitar-heavy signature, and an indication of a possible future direction. “That was more [like] the stuff that I listen to,” says Caskey. “I don’t really listen to the stuff that we play. I’ll probably never listen to our stuff. Maybe except for ‘Wellness’. ‘Wellness’ is closest to the stuff I really enjoy listening to – more dreamy and a bit deeper and more soundscapey. “I’ve always listened to Panda Bear. Panda Bear’s Person Pitch

would probably have come out 2,500 times now. Mr Twin Sister was a huge influence for me. When I found them I was just like, ‘Oh my God.’ The thing that I admire is that every song of theirs sounds completely different, because it’s supposed to. They take it all the way. That’s what we haven’t really done that much. Demos I have, but then we peel it back and turn it into pop songs.” It’s odd to hear that Caskey’s songwriting doesn’t reflect his personal taste. Perhaps this avowal could be attributed to artistic selfdoubt – the common feeling that what one’s made isn’t good enough. “I just do stuff and then I finish it and I’m like, ‘I think it’s alright and it’d probably sound alright if we played it.’ But later on I’d be like, ‘I probably wouldn’t listen to this if I heard this.’ Maybe also it’s because I listen to it and I’m working with it for so long that I semi-hate it.” Either way, Caskey’s misgivings thankfully don’t have a negative impact on his attitude towards live performance. “When you start rehearsing it, it sounds pretty crap at the start. It always does, and you’ve got to try and remember that as well. But that’s also only our opinion as well, because people will still react. It’s all about that anyway, and that’s all I really care about too – making sure everyone’s having a good time.” What: Wellness out now through Dew Process/Universal With: Palms, The Jensens Where: Enmore Theatre When: Friday October 9 xxa

“I WANTED TO DO SOMETHING I WAS PROUD OF – SONGS THAT I THOUGHT WERE DEEPER AND ARTISTICALLY BETTER, AND SONICALLY COOLER AS WELL.”

how Last Dinosaurs’ songs tend to begin life.

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PIERCE BROTHERS

INTO THE DIRT NEW EP OUT NOW - TOURING OCT/NOV National tour info & tickets from piercebrothers.com.au

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Cold Chisel Eight Is Great By Augustus Welby

A

fter a 14-year drought, Aussie rock legends Cold Chisel returned in 2012 with their seventh studio LP, No Plans. However, it was hardly a moment of triumphant rejoicing, given original drummer Steve Prestwich had sadly passed away in the midst of the album recording process. The band pushed on, completing the record with kindred sticksman Charley Drayton (X-pensive Winos, Divinyls, Fiona Apple), who also joined them for the subsequent Australian tour. Yet despite this display of fortitude, Chisel fans everywhere were completely surprised by the announcement of the band’s eighth album, The Perfect Crime, which arrives this weekend.

“We wanted to make sure we went into the studio and had rock’n’roll songs,” says Barnes. “Because we’re not under pressure from the record company to make a record now, we just came into my house – I’ve got a recording studio here – and we put down eight or nine tracks, and then we stepped away for six months and in that period we wrote another bunch of songs. Then we went into the studio again and recorded another ten or 11 tracks.”

“By the end of that tour, we realised we’d actually started to find our groove with the new drummer and the newfound joy of playing together,” says vocalist and rock icon in his own right, Jimmy Barnes. “You tend to forget these things, or you take it for granted when you’ve been doing it for 45 years.

“When we first started, we were just typical teenagers who thought Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple were the be-all and end-all,” he says. “As we started writing songs and learning more we started going, ‘Well, who did they listen to?’ You go back and it’s all the blues people or rock’n’roll – and the real rock’n’roll is from the era of people like Little Richard and Chuck Berry. When we say this is the most rock’n’roll album we’ve done, that’s what we’re talking about. It’s rock’n’roll as in that era, done in a Cold Chisel way and still sounding nice and present and ready for 2015.”

“When Steve died we had a bit of an epiphany where we went, ‘You know, we’re not here forever.’ We all love playing so much, but we just always presumed we’d always be here and we could play whenever we wanted.”

Cold Chisel’s eighth album arrives nearly 40 years since their self-titled debut. In the ensuing years they’ve not only created a bulletproof back catalogue, but also secured a loyal following and an enduring legacy. Nevertheless, they’re not ready to rest on their laurels. “We’re still trying to make better and better records,” says Moss.

“We want to make an album that satisfies us musically,” adds Barnes. “Cold Chisel’s the sum of all the members, and we’re all so different. We listen to different music, we write different music, but when we get together and try to play it as one, it comes out sounding like Cold Chisel.” Prior to Chisel’s 1984 breakup, pianist Don Walker was the band’s leading creative force (not to disregard the notable contributions of the remaining four members). Following the split, Barnes ignited an illustrious solo career, and is now a widely respected songwriter himself. Walker takes the majority of songwriting credits on The Perfect Crime, while Barnes is responsible for two songs (‘All Hell Broke Lucy’, ‘Long Dark Road’), and there’s one each from Moss (‘Shoot The Moon’) and bass player Phil Small (‘Get Lucky’).

xxx

“I’ve not really been a prolific

songwriter and I’ve got so much stuff lying moribund, on the wrong side of the finishing line,” says Moss. “But I went to Nashville last year at the inspiration of an Australian guy called Sam Hawksley who said, ‘Gather up all those ideas you’ve got lying around, we’ll put you together with some writers.’ [It resulted in] ‘Shoot The Moon’, a song I wrote with an Australian guy called Matt Scullion.” Cold Chisel are hitting the road in early October for a massive Australian tour that takes them right through until Christmas. Throughout all their various activities, the band members haven’t lost the love for playing live. What’s more, they’ve also never ignored the demands of their audience. “The albums are really a vehicle for us to play live,” says Barnes. “We get some new songs to go out and play live. We like our audience to be there with us and to be catching it.

“In that way, the audience is a part of making the records as much as we are.” “We put a lot of thought into our setlist, and there’s a minimum of 14 songs that we know we have to play if we want to get out alive,” says Moss. “That doesn’t leave a lot of space for new songs. We’d love to be able to do a lot more, but we’re grateful that we’re able to get out there and do any,” he laughs. What: The Perfect Crime out Friday October 2 through Universal With: Grinspoon Where: Qantas Credit Union Arena When: Tuesday December 15 – Friday December 18 And: Also appearing at the Deni Ute Muster, Deniliquin, Friday October 2 – Saturday October 3

Cold Chisel photo by Daniel Boud

No Plans began to take shape following a one-off reunion show in 2009. Acknowledging the subsistence of their unique collaborative bond, the five-piece decided to have a crack at another record – albeit with a non-committal approach, hence the album title. When it came to The Perfect Crime, however, the process was far more deliberate.

Chisel’s members have boldly hailed The Perfect Crime as the most rock’n’roll album in their extensive catalogue. However, founding guitarist Ian Moss clarifies the implications of this claim.

Mercury Rev Cinematic Psychedelic Realism By Augustus Welby

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ercury Rev’s long-awaited eighth album, The Light In You, is on its way this weekend. While the New York alt-rockers never ceased activity, it’s been seven years since their last LP, Snowfl ake Midnight. For a time, the arrival of another album from Mercury Rev looked fairly unlikely, especially considering the tumultuous experiences in the lives of the band’s two driving forces, guitarist/multi-instrumentalist Grasshopper and vocalist/guitarist Jonathan Donahue. “We got started one time and then there was a huge hurricane and Jonathan’s house was kind of destroyed,” says Grasshopper. “That was right before we came to Australia last time [in 2011]. He lost everything, pretty much – his clothes, a lot of his equipment; I had written a bunch of songs and I lost a bunch of stuff that I had at his place. So we had to start all over again.” Despite the ominous whims of fate, the band wasn’t going to be discouraged, restarting the album in 2013. However, some more unexpected events lay ahead.

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“It was cool,” says Grasshopper. “It was a different process and stuff. I think it was kind of refreshing – not to diss Dave or anything, we’ll work with him again I’m sure. He was kind of there in spirit; we would call him a lot. But we got on a roll.” While Grasshopper and Donahue largely took charge of production, the recording sessions weren’t actually restricted to their hometown. To get the ball rolling, they visited their old friend Ken Stringfellow (The Posies, R.E.M., the reunited Big Star) in Paris. “This is weird, because I’m saying Dave Fridmann was eight hours away, but meanwhile we went to France and worked with Ken Stringfellow,” says Grasshopper. “That was just like a different way of working. We’d never recorded outside of New York State, really. I think that was the catalyst for this bunch of songs that ended up being The Light In You – a lot of that stuff we worked on with Ken Stringfellow.” The band’s relationship with Stringfellow dates back many years. “During Deserter’s Songs we toured with R.E.M. when he was playing with R.E.M. Then also after that, around All Is Dream [2001], we played a bunch of festivals with Big Star and saw Ken again a bunch.

“We lost contact with him for a couple of years. We were rekindled two summers ago. Ken does this Big Star tribute with Mike Mills and a whole bunch of people – they play all of Big Star’s third album [Third AKA Sister Lovers]. They do it in different cities and they get different people to sing. So Jonathan sang ‘Holocaust’ in Central Park. That’s how we reconnected.” Working apart from Fridmann for the first time in their 25-year career gave Grasshopper and Donahue a fresh perspective, and Stringfellow’s input also had a significant impact on the nature of the new album. “I was a big fan of a lot of his production stuff, like with Damien Jurado, so it was great to work with him,” Grasshopper says. “Music is coming out of him all the time. He’s

so positive and he really gave us a boost on some of the songs that we were working on. He gave us a lot of confidence and added a lot – vocal parts, some production ideas. He’s a great guy.” In contrast to the abstract, electronic bent of the band’s two previous releases, The Secret Migration and Snowfl ake Midnight, The Light In You has more in common with the orchestral density of Deserter’s Songs and All Is Dream. Grasshopper says the major inspiration for The Light In You came from a series of Deserter’s Songs retrospective shows. “We’ve always played songs like ‘Holes’, and ‘Goddess On A Hiway’ has been a staple through the years, but a lot of the other songs

we haven’t played. So just to be out there playing it in 2011, we fell in love with it again, I guess. We found some of the stuff on there – we hadn’t really mined everything. We had some loose ends to tie up with using some of that instrumentation. “We didn’t want it to be Deserter’s Songs Two or anything like that, but I think the spirit of [that album] was in the songwriting of The Light In You. We really wanted to make a, what we call ‘cinematic psychedelic realism’ album. We were shooting for something like that.” What: The Light In You out Friday October 2 through Bella Union With: DJ James Dela Cruz Where: Oxford Art Factory When: Monday December 7 thebrag.com

Mercury Rev photo by Alise Marie

“We were recording with Dave Fridmann up at his place [Tarbox Road Studios],” Grasshopper says. “We recorded a bunch of songs there and then I found out my wife was pregnant with a baby – my first child. So then we had to rethink things. A lot of people think Dave Fridmann lives right around the corner, but he’s actually seven or eight hours away. So with my wife being pregnant with a baby, Jonathan and I just started recording a lot in the studios around where we live.”

Recording in New York’s Catskill Mountains region wasn’t entirely unusual for Mercury Rev – 1998’s Deserter’s Songs was partly tracked in the nearby NRS Studios. However, scheduling conflicts meant Fridmann was unable to join them, making The Light In You the first Mercury Rev album to feature no input from the producer and former bass player.

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Airling Flying High By Adam Norris we always used to listen to Like A Version, and it seemed like a different world. It seemed so far away for me then, so it’s a very interesting journey. To be able to play the last song we released as well as the cover is cool, because I’m probably the most proud of ‘Stallin’’. But we played Usher’s ‘U Got It Bad’. It was really fun! I think Usher is one of the best R&B voices, and I was a ’90s baby, so it makes me very nostalgic, singing that song. I hope it will make a lot of other people nostalgic hearing it as well.” It seems like such a terrifying honour, performing on Like A Version. The quality can be exceptional (and if you haven’t yet heard Airling’s cover, go check it now – it’s OK, we’ll wait), but the standard demanded from fans these days is high. Usher was a good choice, but it turns out it wasn’t Shepherd’s only contender.

H

annah Shepherd, AKA Airling, is many things. An outstanding alt-R&B artist. A fierce hockey player. A hater of penguins and all that they stand for. Someone both intrigued and dubious about cat cafés. In short, she can’t be easily categorised, and as a result, conversation with her is like a restless, living thing, veering from tangent to tangent,

dropping insight and observation like breadcrumbs. With a national tour just days away, she talks to us of genesis, expectation, and how it feels to have just wrapped a performance on triple j’s Like A Version. “I’m feeling good! I’m excited, and nervous,” she laughs. “When I was a teenager going to school,

“It was a decision between that or doing something more modern. I was interested in doing one of The Weeknd’s songs, or maybe Tame Impala. I actually had a little play around with a John Farnham song, and I really wanted to do ‘Burn For You’, but my manager kind of vetoed that. I was even out one night and a little bit drunk, and I saw his new tour poster and took a selfie with it. I sent it to my manager and said, ‘It’s a sign, it’s a sign!’ But nope. I’m still really happy with the Usher choice though. Can you imagine if he heard it?” Talk of signs turns out to be a nice, if unintended segue, as we move

through the musical mists of time to chart the Brisbane songwriter’s evolution over recent years. Her debut EP, Love Gracefully, appeared last September, and 2015 kicked off with a tour alongside Vance Joy. Airling’s strides in the industry have been impressive so far, yet tracking down the origin of her name proves elusive – right up until the point we simply ask her about it. “I think I kept that one pretty well hidden. I think about things a lot, and I spent about six months or so trying to come up with a name after I’d started to make music. The music had definitely come along first. But I really love the word ‘air’, and I’m Gemini, which is an air sign as well, so it made sense. But the word just popped into my head, and so I looked it up and the definition – well, there’s two definitions there, but I’m being selective in which one I’m choosing – basically means anything that can fly. That’s an airling. So not all birds are airlings – for instance, poor little penguins aren’t airlings. I liked the visual part of that. Obviously I can’t fly yet, but it’s something I’m working on.” It seems a little harsh on penguins, who already have to contend with things like leopard seals and frozen landscapes on top of poor access to live music. But Shepherd is the boss – “No penguins!” she insists, laughing. “God, what have I done? All the penguin lovers are going to stop coming to my shows now.” With the release of ‘Stallin’’, several voices in the music industry have commented on a perceived shift

in direction of Airling’s music. While she concedes her sound has changed somewhat, Shepherd suspects this is more a result of her long-term love of artists like Lauryn Hill and Erykah Badu than any attempt to redefine herself. Even after a half-hour chat, the enduring impression is that Airling is not an artist trying to fashion something she is not. “I didn’t plan on things happening like this. But I’ve always been a big R&B listener. I think there are lots of R&B elements in my songs, and I guess it’s something that just happened. It makes me feel really good to hear it there, and really comfortable in what I was doing. It made me feel like I’d finally arrived at a place that really reflected where I was at as a writer and as a listener. “It’s great, because I realised that this is the kind of music that I’d want to listen to myself. There’s no right or wrong way, and there are so many options, you can go down so many different paths. But there are still pop elements, there are still hip hop elements. We did strip back the electronic instruments a lot – that’s probably been the biggest change. Just wanting to turn up the vocals, drums and bass. It was actually quite scary in the start, but became really empowering.” What: Love Gracefully out now through Pieater With: Lanks Where: Newtown Social Club When: Friday October 9

The Art Following Their Heart By Natalie Rogers

K

ara ‘KJ’ Jayne of Sydney rockers The Art is pragmatic when it comes to the highs and lows of success. “Nobody just sits around eating a lobster breakfast on tour – you’ve got to work really hard. We’ve learnt some valuable lessons, but there were some depressing ones as well!” she laughs. Jayne is referring to their time spent on the road as the support act for some of her musical idols – Pixies, Nine Inch Nails, Sonic Youth, Thirty Seconds To Mars and Marilyn Manson. “I’m still trying to get my head around the fact that we toured with these people,” says the bassist. “I would say that we took away something very different from every band and every experience. There were little surprises along the way too. Marilyn Manson was very friendly and funny, while other bands that you’d think would be light-hearted were really quite serious. “Overall, every band was very inspiring, and to see how each has its own way of operating was a very valuable lesson. What I took away from those tours is that there’s no right or wrong way – you’ve got to do things on your own terms and find out what works for you.” That sentiment has always been at the heart of The Art’s approach. They’ve maintained their integrity and creative control over the past decade by looking beyond the current trends or fads in the music industry and staying true to themselves. “We’ve learnt that success is tangible if you want it, and if you work really hard it can be a reality, so we were very lucky,” says Jayne. “And just being in that environment where there are so many people excited to see an

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artist or a band play live, there’s a certain energy that you don’t get to feel very often.” The Art are hoping to channel some of that energy and excitement at the launch party for their latest single, ‘Minute To Madness’, a fresh taste of their forthcoming album Voodoo Storm. “We’re really excited to go back to the Oxford Art Factory – we had such a good time there last year. In fact, I think it’s almost exactly a year since we did our last show there.” This time around, drummer Jordan McDonald (who also happens to be the booking agent for Frankie’s Pizza By The Slice) has pulled out all the stops to assemble a formidable support lineup of Sydney’s best rock bands. “Jordan can always put together a great show,” says Jayne. “The Ruckus will be there and Bec & Ben, who are a cool Sydney duo that I really like – there are so many great acts that we’re all really into. “We’ve been playing around with the guys from The Lockhearts in different bands over the years, so it’ll be kind of like a family reunion doing the show together,” she adds. “We’re all really close, and Sam [Sheumack] from The Lockhearts has helped us out a lot.” The Art have long played an active role in the Sydney arts community, and reaped the rewards in exchange. Local filmmaker Mark Darnay edited and directed the band’s ‘Figment Of Your Imagination’ video clip on a shoestring budget, and it’s been viewed tens of thousands of times. Another friend of the band’s, Oliver Heath, directed the clip for ‘Dirty Girl’ and more recently ‘Dead Inside’, which cemented

The Art’s reputation for producing weird, wild and wonderful visuals to complement their sound. “We always collaborate with the filmmakers, and generally they’re our friends,” says Jayne. “We’ll all sit down and talk about what the song is about and how we see it, then they’ll talk to us about how they see it. We like that, because it’s good to get someone else’s perspective as well – and sometimes they come up with things that I would never have thought of.” However, for their release of ‘Minute To Madness’, Jayne explains she’d like to try being the one behind the camera as well as in front of it. “I’ve actually been playing around with the idea of making

the video myself. I have a camera and I’m trying to learn filmmaking, so I’m always paying attention to what everybody’s doing. When I wrote ‘Minute To Madness’, I was influenced by what was going on around me. I live in a particularly interesting part of Sydney – there’s a lot that goes on outside my door that I wanted to capture in a song, and that’s the inspiration for the clip too.” After the single launch party wraps, prepare to see a lot more of The Art. “Voodoo Storm is officially in the can, so to speak,” says Jayne. “The album will come out early next year and we’re planning a tour for February, but there will probably be one more single leading up to the release.

“For the first time I can say that this album was a truly equal collaboration. Azaria [Byrne, lead vocals and guitars] started out as the main songwriter of the band and over the years I’ve started contributing more and more to the songwriting. Jordan has two or three songs he wrote on this album as well, and our new guitarist Nat [Connolly] has only been with us for about a year, but you can really hear her influence in the guitar work and a lot of the songs – she’s really left her mark on the album.” With: The Lockhearts, The Ruckus, Graveyard Rockstars, Bec & Ben and more Where: Oxford Art Factory When: Saturday October 3

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Hands Like Houses Dissonant Dreams By Thomas Brand

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n comparison to the bustling music scenes of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, Canberra is overlooked as a place to foster world-class talent. Rather than locking themselves into the ouroboros of a local scene, Canberra natives Hands Like Houses took a more direct approach to launching their career, which resulted in lifechanging opportunities. Guitarist Matthew ‘Coops’ Cooper reflects on the group’s career thus far, and how a rock band from a secluded community broke into the international market.

“I really don’t know how we got there, apart from possibly saying that it came down to being in the right place at the right time,” he says. “When we first started to record some music over in Florida five years ago, we were out of school and backpacking anyway. We decided to spend some time in the States and record some songs. Those songs got picked up by the right people and – as cliché as the expression is – like I said before, we were in the right place in the right time. Although we recorded some cool songs anyway, which helped out.” Still a young man, Cooper has spent the better part of his 20s away from home. With a heavy touring schedule that’s taken him away from a tight community, it’s easy to presume Cooper has become homesick. However, this isn’t the case for anyone in the band, and touring as a group of friends has helped ease this stress immensely. “It’s an interesting world,” he says. “If you start having the problems that come up with missing home or

spending so much time doing this, it’s not a very common problem to talk about it with family members or on tour. It’s a bit of a rare thing to be able to do, in terms of people going away for work all the time, but when you work in the line of entertainment, it’s a different dynamic. “The last few years have been super hectic; we’ve been at our busiest. Since December last year, we’ve been home for maybe two to three weeks. I wouldn’t even complain. None of us would. It’s pretty unreal being able to do what we get to do. We’re getting older – it’s just about trying to balance it out, going on tour with an open attitude towards trying to make music with an open mind whilst trying to be a human and live a normal life as well.” By far the most rewarding but hardest tour in Hands Like Houses’ career thus far has been this year’s Vans Warped Tour. The time schedules were stricter than on a headlining tour, but it proved a very positive experience. “When I say it’s hard, we all worked when we’re back home, so it’s not hard in that respect,” Cooper says. “It’s just a great tour – literally school camp for adults. A travelling circus of craziness. We have a good time, because for one, we’re not working normal jobs. We get to tour around and drink beers for two months straight with our best buds, which is pretty sweet, as well as working and trying to maintain stuff – we’ve found the balance. And just the draw of Warped Tour, what it is or what it has been, it’s a cool thing to be a part of. It’s friggin’ mad. Every tour like that where we see a band that we grew up with

has been so good.” From now until the end of the year, Hands Like Houses will be embarking on an international headlining world tour. Before that commences, they’ll be joining this year’s annual Indent Tour of New South Wales, which offers developmental opportunities for young people in regional areas. Cooper elaborates on what drew the band to the MusicNSW project. “We haven’t done anything the likes of that, necessarily,” he says. “A few of us work at schools so we’ve done similar programs in the past, but to be part of it as a band is new for us. We were approached with the opportunity, checked it out and thought that it looked awesome. We had some mates doing it last year who said it was

rad, so we just said, ‘Hell yeah!’ Get on down to Orange, rural Australia, it’s going to be crazy. We’ve explored more rural America than we have rural Australia before, which is just the way it worked out. But it should be rad.” Hands Like Houses’ release of their third studio album, Dissonants – due before the end of the year – is the end result of both a figurative and literal journey. Being locked in to such a tight 2015 schedule meant the band had to rethink the writing process.

really know what we were doing. Unimagine was a similar sort of thing; we had a tonne of time to work on it. This one, we had a lot of time to work on ideas, but in terms of being able to jam out the songs and come together in the normal way that we have in the past, we didn’t have that. We had to figure out how to create time to write on the road. It’s been interesting. Now we’ve finished it, we’re all super stoked.” What: Indent Tour 2015 With: Columbus, Fifth Dawn, Vanity Riots Where: Giant Dwarf When: Sunday October 4 And: Also appearing at Newtown Social Club on Saturday October 17

“Each album has been very different or unique in itself, in the way we’ve approached it,” says Cooper. “This one’s been unfamiliar territory. The first album we did [Ground Dweller], we had years to work on, and we didn’t

Falls From Shore To Shore By Adam Norris community of musicians all supporting each other, working and creating something really cool. It felt like something that was missing here at the time, and I feel like that has changed so much in the last couple of years. There’s been a real shift, and there are so many folk singer-songwriter nights that have emerged since Folk Club, and that’s so exciting. When we started, we really didn’t know if it would work, and by the end of the first year, we really did see this community emerge.”

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t’s difficult not to be charmed by Falls. With the echoes of their Folk Club still sounding through Sydney, and their debut album, Omaha, set to be one of the year’s most resplendent releases, Melinda Kirwin and Simon Rudston-Brown are sitting pretty. Through writing, international touring, relocating to Los Angeles and the end of their romantic relationship – if not their musical one – the pair have been collecting stories from shore to shore. “Somewhere along the way I think we just got braver,” Kirwin reflects. “Our first EP was our stepping out, taking songs from what had just been the two of us in a live context and seeing where we could go. This 16 :: BRAG :: 632 :: 30:09:15

time we really pushed the limits of what we did with our sound. Not playing things too safe, to try and create something that was uniquely us. “I don’t think it was the change in our personal dynamics that caused it. You can’t erase the history we have; we’re like each other’s family. The reason we’re still doing this together is because it’s the one thing that has always been easy – it’s never been hard to write or play together. Even when all that other crap was going on, the one thing we could still get in there and do was make music. So I feel this record is us taking that next step. Being brave. That’s why it’s also a little terrifying.”

It has certainly been a remarkable road. Falls found their feet playing at the Hollywood Hotel in Surry Hills, and as their recent homecoming performances attested, there remains an impassioned fan base at their old stomping ground. Their own music notwithstanding, Falls left a rather indelible mark on the Sydney folk movement through Folk Club, and while a variety of singer-songwriter nights have since taken root, the scene owes a lot to Kirwin and Rudston-Brown’s vision. “Folk Club really came about because I’d seen what Mumford & Sons were doing with Communion over in London,” says Kirwin. “It was so exciting to see this

While Falls certainly aren’t claiming full responsibility for the resurgence of folk music in Sydney, there is little doubt they’ve played a significant part in the strength of the scene today. However, as new folk artists continue to emerge, there is a strange imbalance that threatens to appear; a potential homogeneity of sound as fans who grew up listening to the likes of Mumford & Sons, Laura Marling and Boy & Bear begin showcasing their wares. “I think that’s where the danger creeps in,” Kirwin says. “I think the term ‘folk’ gets a little distorted, because it does become one sound rather than many. Something we tried to do with Folk Club was have artists we felt fit under the umbrella but were all quite distinct. We felt like the bands that played weren’t really imitating anyone. But what does start to emerge, and I think this is across most scenes, is that when a band starts to become popular, lots of mini-versions of that sound start to appear. But I think it’s the opposite of what music is. The reason why those bands were so successful is because when they

first appeared, they were the only ones who were really doing that. So I think it’s important even within the genre to stay distinct, and I think a lot of it still is. Hopefully the sound of folk music can be used to evolve into new music.” Before unshackling Kirwin from our interview, I ask about the genesis of my favourite song from the album, ‘When We Were Young’ – a track that has been taxiing about my head now for weeks. “I notice a lot of older people at bus stops and on the subway, and you speculate about their stories. There’s a guy who lives in my old building, Arthur, who works at the strip clubs in Kings Cross. And he is one of the most interesting people I’ve ever met in my life, and I wish I could see who he was when he was that young guy working down at the Cross. He says he wishes it hadn’t been his life, but he’s too old to do anything about it now. But I would just be so fascinated to meet him as a young man. “I’ve had a similar experience in LA, with an old lady who lives downstairs from me. The first time she asked me for help with Facebook, she showed me some photos of when she was young. And she was saying, ‘Oh, I used to be so beautiful!’ She wished she could still show me a version of herself when she was at her most vibrant, and that’s what the song is really about. It’s not about us personally; it’s about the people you meet along the way.” What: Omaha out Friday October 2 through Universal

thebrag.com

Kirin J Callinan The Next Embrace By Augustus Welby

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irin J Callinan’s music is idiosyncratic enough to be almost peerless. Varyingly humorous, violent, industrial and romantic, there aren’t many suitable analogues for his songwriting style. Likewise, as a live performer he shows no inclination to deviate from delivering a uniquely absurd and somewhat risqué experience.

Any artist of this ilk is liable to scare away audiences who are used to things they can straightaway understand. On the other hand, Callinan’s 2013 debut Embracism contained a few songs (such as ‘Victoria M.’ and ‘Landslide’) that were reasonably immediate. It’s a quality shared by his brand new single ‘The Teacher’ – the first taste of his forthcoming second album. The song is a slinky jazz ballad that unfurls a mournful, if slightly perverse, narrative. Although hardly a recipe for pop superstardom, it seems certain to expand Callinan’s burgeoning global following. “I’m not trying to ever alienate people,” he says. “I understand, though, that I do do that. In an ideal world, I’d love for everybody to love me and to be the biggest artist in the universe. But I guess I don’t want to compromise. I want to like my music as well, and for me to like it, I feel like it does need to be singular. Also, I can’t help it. It’s not like I’m trying to be difficult or challenging or weird, or even trying to be original. I’ve tried to do the opposite – I’ve tried to make really straight dance music, just for my own entertainment. But whatever I do, it always just comes off a little bit weird. I’m not entirely sure why.” It’s now over two years since

Embracism’s release. Plenty of people were familiar with Callinan prior to the album – if not through his notorious solo shows, then courtesy of his central role in Jack Ladder and The Dreamlanders and earlier work in Mercy Arms. However, it’s only since his debut LP that listeners have developed a clearer understanding of Callinan’s artistic personality. He’s well positioned to make a bigger impact with his second album, but he doesn’t feel pressure to appeal to a broader demographic.

[Moyes, producer]. That said, this one’s the same thing in that regard. I mean, it’s the same record; it comes from the same place. But it also stylistically has nothing to do with Embracism. Music’s about the process for me, it’s not about the style or genre or anything like that. It’s about personality and it’s expressive. One comment about Embracism was that it jumped around stylistically, and I felt it was a strength that it could do that and still retain a flow and a world. So I’m trying to do that again.”

“As far as record labels go, they want to sell records,” he says. “If they don’t start selling records, then they’ll stop giving me money. For me, it doesn’t really matter. I just want to keep making music that excites me and confuses me – and excites and confuses other people as well.

Following Embracism’s release, Callinan developed a constructive synergy with live keyboardist Tex Crick and drummer Dave Jenkins, Jr. As richly enveloping as the album is, the songs became more fully realised at his live shows. Crick and Jenkins, Jr. both contribute to the new album, but Callinan didn’t try to tailor the record to the live show.

“This record feels, in many ways, to be the exact same record as Embracism. I don’t think anyone else thinks that, but for me it feels like the same record, just a more extreme version. And that’s all I’m trying to do – be the most heightened, exciting and confusing version of myself.” Deeming the forthcoming record – which is due in the early months of 2016 – the same as Embracism shouldn’t suggest Callinan felt so satisfied with the first album that he’s simply copied and pasted its core ideas into a follow-up. “I guess I had a clearer idea of what I wanted to make, so I’ve done it with a bit more focus,” he says. “Embracism was really making it up as it went along with Kim

“I suspect these songs will make themselves clearer and I’ll be able to communicate them better once I start playing them live, because these songs are as much a mystery to me, and I’ve very much been writing them in the studio. I think that’s just the way it goes. The songs are going to reveal themselves live in the presence of other people and you can hear them through their ears. Definitely the songs [from Embracism] matured live after recording them, but I think that’s going to happen again with this record.”

return visit to Europe. There are some fundamental differences between live performance and recorded music, and from an artistic point of view Callinan isn’t interested in trying to minimise the distance between the two mediums.

The maturing process will begin almost immediately, with Callinan and co. hitting the road around Australia this October before a

“They really have very little to do with each other, other than they serve the songs. You think of all the great records that would’ve

never been made if the artists were worrying about how they’re going to translate it live. A Night At The Opera [by] Queen, they never would’ve attempted anything half as ambitious as that if they were worrying about how they were going to do it live.” Where: Oxford Art Factory When: Sunday October 4

Children Of Bodom Heavy Matter By George Nott

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haos theory. The notion that all things are interlinked and the smallest event can determine a massive one. That a hummingbird flapping its wings in Bolivia can cause a hurricane in Germany. That a seemingly unimportant choice in Ashton Kutcher’s childhood started a chain of events that meant The Butterfl y Effect star would be talking to a CGI sexy pizza slice in an advert for chewing gum decades later. Was it in awe of this mind-blowing outlook on the universe that Finnish melodic metal band Children Of Bodom named their latest album I Worship Chaos? Not exactly. “I don’t actually know what Alex [Laiho, chief songwriter] is talking about in the title,” admits bassist Henkka T Seppälä. “I was thinking about it recently – ‘I wonder what he means by this? What the philosophy is behind chaos? Can you worship it?’” Seppälä (the middle initial T is for his nickname ‘Torso’ and his surname is Finnish for ‘blacksmith’) joined his schoolmates in Children Of Bodom in 1996, when they were called Inearthed. He replaced the previous bassist, who moved with his family to the US. Could a decision by the parents of someone he didn’t know have changed Seppälä’s life forever? “It’s a hard one,” he says. “Something you’d have to really think about. I don’t know who knows.”

I Worship Chaos is Children Of Bodom’s ninth studio album and is touted as being “blood-knuckled but incredibly fun” by Laiho, who adds: “Put your shades and helmets on, it will get very dark and it might hurt.” The album is being heralded as a return to form; gloomy, heavy and progressive. “This time it seems like the all of us, the whole band, are more excited about it than we have been for the last ten years,” says Seppälä. “There’s something fresh about it, but I don’t know what it is. Everybody’s super happy. We were all into it more than we have been for a long time. We’re always happy with the stuff, but when something’s better it’s easier to say, ‘This is better than other ones.’” Approaching two decades since their debut, Something Wild, Children Of Bodom are one of their home nation’s best-selling acts of all time. Still, there have been some not-so-good albums, one or two less well-received releases. Seppälä is grateful the fans have stuck with them. “Metal fans, they are very loyal,” he says. “They support their band. Even if they do a couple of really bad albums, they still go to the live shows. The shittier the new album a band does, the better older ones sound, and that’s always good for the live shows!” Having learnt from their past mistakes, Children Of Bodom are no longer resting on their laurels.

“The shittier the new album a band does, the better older ones sound, and that’s always good for the live shows!”

“We never went back – we always went places we’d never been before and tried to do something new. From the first album on,” says Seppälä. “If we went back and did everything like we did in the ’90s, it wouldn’t be us. I always felt doing music as a career is a process, a process that is progressing. It’s very vital to have new things to keep the flame alive. I don’t like to go back – it would be devolution. We prefer to evolve, not go backwards.” In the early days, the band members earned something of a reputation for their heavy drinking and rock star antics. Their rider once included a litre of Jameson, a litre of Jack Daniel’s, seven bottles of vodka, four of Bacardi and five big cases of beer. “We’ve mellowed,” says Seppälä. “There was a lot of partying – 14 days straight sometimes. But you have to think about your health. You have to be in good shape to play a good show. We are older also – we

just cannot take it anymore, not like we did back in the day!” As they near legendary status among metal fans the world over, Children Of Bodom join one of the genre’s founding fathers, Megadeth, on a four-date tour of Australia this October. “I’m really excited about Australia,” says Seppälä. “It’s so far away, but everyone loves Australia. It’s hard to understand until you actually go there and feel the vibe and see the nature and the cities – then you know Australia is one of the nicest places to be.” As his own band matures, Seppälä is looking to the future, hoping to replicate Megadeth’s enduring popularity. “It just happened,” says Seppälä. “I never even dreamt that we would be around this long. We had a threerecord deal. I was like, ‘Wow – if we make three records it’s going to be

amazing.’ And now, after nine albums, all the wildest dreams have come true. “[Megadeth] show it’s possible to play that long. Metallica and Judas Priest too, those bands are still around. More important than enduring is that you’re proud of what you do and enjoy being onstage. I still have that buzz onstage. Always when I get onstage I get that feeling, I cherish it. I hope it will last.” Catch them live if you can. Who knows – going to that particular gig on that particular night could change the course of your life forever. Right, Henkka? “That’s a big one. Wow. That’s really deep!” What: I Worship Chaos out Friday October 2 through Nuclear Blast Where: Supporting Megadeth at the Hordern Pavilion When: Sunday October 18 BRAG :: 632 :: 30:09:15 :: 17

Olympia The Artistic Side By Annie Murney

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lympia is the musical project and stage persona of Olivia Bartley, a Melburnian singersongwriter who’s been making waves for quite a while now. The past year has seen her tour with Alpine as well as booking sets at Brisbane’s Bigsound and the fastapproaching Dashville Skyline festival in the Hunter Valley – a celebration of Americana culture and music with an Australian twist. Olympia’s debut album is due to hit the shelves later this year. “We’re almost ready to press the button and print to CDs and USBs,” Bartley says. “I can’t wait. I’m quite keen to move on and build a new body of work.”

Although Bartley has been making music for a long time, the Olympia project is a relatively recent development. It is also the blueprint for a bigger band. “When I started this project, I had a long-term vision involving a nine-piece band; however, touring with multiple people is incredibly difficult,” she says. “I pour a lot of effort into writing my songs – they are quite unusual. I think the songs are strong enough that I can play them on my own or explore them with a band. The aim is we can do special shows with horns or choral elements.” Though she’s now a promising musical talent, Bartley actually began her professional life as an artist and designer. “I guess I’ve always been a creative person,” she says. “I love to stay home and rip pages out of books and recreate them in plastic folders. I do approach music the way I approach making artwork. My family all play instruments and are such naturally gifted players, so it seemed easy to

pick up a guitar.” Earlier this year, Bartley performed at the National Gallery of Victoria’s winter music series, Unplugged Live, which explored resonances between art and music. She still finds herself most productive when working between disciplines and gathering inspiration from a wide range of sources. “Often it’s picking up an Artand Australia magazine that will give me an idea for a song or the way artists are always trying to push things forward,” she says. “That’s what I really admire – when artists push ideas forward and bring their audiences with them.” Over the past few months, Bartley has been collaborating with Burke Reid, a producer attached to some of the most powerful new voices in Australian music such as Courtney Barnett and Jack Ladder. “Burke works so hard, you can’t help but trust him,” she says. “There are not many people that put so much of themselves into your work.” Looking ahead to her soon-to-bereleased record, Bartley says the

new suite of songs is more personal than ever. “Many of them are quite strong, even though they seem quite fragile. I took them into the studio with Burke and pulled them apart – it was quite a deconstructive way of working. We had access to all these vintage synthesisers, which I had never used before. It was such a privilege to keep on creating in that recording environment, which is such a pressure-cooker. I was open

to seeing how far we could go with these songs.”

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Bartley’s brand of alternative pop is sonically and lyrically adventurous. However, there’s a pared-back quality to her work that accentuates each individual element of her careful compositions. An eyecatching live performer, you will likely see Bartley in her trademark ensemble – a glittering bodysuit topped with a slick blonde bob. “I’ve been looking into a lot of Australian bands from the ’70s and old Countdown footage,” she explains. “They dressed up so much

compared to us. Musicians are quite austere these days, so I like to disrupt the norm a little bit.”

What: Dashville Skyline With: Bahamas, Shane Nicholson, Holy Holy, Wagons and many more Where: Dashville, Hunter Valley When: Saturday October 3 – Sunday October 4

Pierce Brothers Dirty Ditties By Michael Edney (Dan Sultan, John Butler Trio) at the Way Of The Eagle Studios in Melbourne earlier this year, their Into The Dirt EP sees the brothers take a mature step towards becoming the next big folk-pop band out of Australia. “Because we only had four tracks to record due to the fact that we have been touring so much, we really wanted to get out a couple of songs just before we do an album,” explains Jack Pierce. “We tried to produce a really diverse range of songs in the studio. With ‘Monsters’, we kind of decided to do a bit more of a rock thing. When we created the riff, it had like a Powderfi nger vibe, which we loved.

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rom busking on the streets to performing on stages across the globe, there is no doubt Pierce Brothers are one of Australia’s best breakout artists of 2015. But success did not come overnight for these

identical twins. Having sold more than 50,000 EPs independently, Jack and Pat Pierce have toured relentlessly around Australia, and more recently the world, to break into as many markets as possible. Recorded by Jan Skubiszewski

“We are really happy with the EP. It has a bit more of an edgier sound than previous releases, but this is the direction I feel that we are going to go in.” What makes Pierce Brothers so irresistible is the atmosphere they

seamlessly create at their live shows. Forget all predispositions of folk duos; these guys know how to get a crowd moving. “Busking has really shaped our stage presence when playing live,” says Jack. “When we were busking on the streets, we felt like we really had to jump around, do summersaults or play drumsticks on a bin to make people stop and look at us. If we got them to stop and look, then that was great because they would then get to enjoy the music we were playing. “That whole idea of us having to earn the crowd’s respect and enjoyment hasn’t left us from the streets. Whether we are playing festivals, or are a support act, we have worked really hard to give it our all to give these crowds an exciting show. I think this could be a factor as to why we have had these opportunities to play overseas so much in the last few years and play pretty big festivals. We try and make it all about the

live show and go crazy for all of our fans. “When we were busking, we had a bit of spare money lying around, so we always tried to take our show around the country,” says Jack. “We had a mentality that if busking can be our day job, then on the weekend we could head up to Sydney and break into other markets. We really tried to do this in all different places. Even today, we found out that both of our shows in the Netherlands have sold out, which is crazy because we have never even played a headline show in the Netherlands. We were really shocked by this. But it was kind of the same formula to our success in Australia. We moved to a new market and tried it out and kept working at it.” What: Into The Dirt out now through Warner With: Timberwolf, Anna O Where: Newtown Social Club When: Thursday October 1

Evol Walks The Other Side Of Stardom By Adam Norris

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y their own admission, Evol Walks got lucky. Finding themselves on the bill for the 2015 Woodstock Festival in Poland was remarkable enough, but when they saw what time they would be performing – and caught a glimpse of the size of the crowd – things were knocked up a gear. With their EP The Other Side offering a glimpse of the band’s evolving sound, and a national tour underway, there’s really no better time to get acquainted with Australia’s dark horse rock stars. “I sort of see why they call us that,” says lead singer Leah Martin-Brown. “In everything we do, I feel we’re kind of the dark horse. We’re playing classic rock’n’roll, which is a bit different these days, and we’re also female-fronted. There are a lot of female-fronted bands [but] the kind of rock we’re playing is usually maledominated. The songs are usually about heart-breaking women, things like that. So we’re coming from this position of, ‘I’m the girl that they

Martin-Brown laughs. “Also, people don’t expect it, because we’re still so young. At Woodstock, no-one knew who we were, since we were there with these huge, established bands. Even the lesser-known bands were huge in Europe, so the fact we were on the main stage with this really good timeslot, people were like, ‘Whaaat?’” By anyone’s estimation, Evol Walks’ trajectory has been the stuff of lucid dreams. They have shared the stage with Vampire Weekend and the Chili Peppers, and even supported those bastions of ’90s alt-rock, The Presidents Of The United States Of America. Consequently, they are no strangers to significant audiences. Yet at Woodstock, they found themselves faced by crowds of epic proportions. “We played in front of 200,000 people,” says Martin-Brown. “We

were on at about quarter to six or something, and by the end of the night they were reporting there were over 700,000 people there. It’s funny, I walked side stage to get an idea of just how many people were there, and had a little ‘Oh my God’ moment. And on top of that, I then remembered that this whole thing was being filmed, so if I fucked this up, everyone is going to see it forever. So I was a bit nervous, but you just put on your game face, and when I walked out with the boys, it was… there was nothing like it. All these people who are there to see you! Everything else falls away, you’re suddenly just there to give these people the show they came to see.” Since returning home, Martin-Brown has at last found time to wind down, take a breath and fix her sights once again to writing. Evol Walks’ intention had been to spend their European downtime writing material for their LP, but their adventures proved too distracting. For now, we must remain

content with the EP offering just a taste of things to come. “We didn’t… quite… get anything done,” she says haltingly, and laughs. “Just before we left, we did some work, we wrote two songs. Now I’m back home, I’ve got some time before the next tour to get some writing done. I’ve been on tour before and it’s been hectic, but there’s always been some downtime. Not this time. But I definitely think

The Other Side is an indication of the direction the band is going. I’ve always really been into writing things that are a little bit darker, so I think the album is going to have that darkness, but still be fun rock’n’roll.” What: The Other Side out now independently Where: Frankie’s Pizza When: Thursday October 8

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were singing about all those years ago.’”

BRAG’s guide to film, theatre, comedy and art about town

arts in focus

velvet

Velvet photo by Sam Oster

no business like show business

also inside:

EDWARD II / FRANK OCKENFELS / NATIONAL YOUNG WRITERS WRITERS’’ FESTIVAL / ARTS NEWS & REVIEWS thebrag.com

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arts news...what's goin' on around town... with Tegan Reeves, Tyson Wray and Aaron Streatfeild

five minutes WITH

BLINDBOY FROM THE RUBBERBANDITS artistic expression. For some reason, it tends to be dominated by solemn love songs. We don’t try to be funny, we just write songs about things that don’t usually find their way into songs. Like retarded birds of prey, or twofoot puppets of Gabriel Byrne. We haven’t made a hip hop song in about five years, because hip hop doesn’t allow the exploration of vocal melodies. I was visited by the ghost of Bob Marley when I feel asleep on a toilet in a train and he told us not to limit our musical palette to hip hop exclusively.

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the only inevitability is death. It also helps us to have sex with women, because women love shopping and we look like shopping. When did you first make the link between hip hop and comedy? Music is just another form of

Your Australian shows are part of the Cane Toad Cuddles tour. Is cuddling cane toads really a good idea? Yes. The cane toad is treated with derision in Australia. They are turned into wallets and hit with golf clubs. We intend to cuddle dozens of cane toads on our arrival and

Swan Lake

Are there any similar animal threats in your home country, Ireland? Yes – an increase in Wi-Fi signals has driven foxes mad. Foxes steal denim jackets from clothes shops, and they all hang around underneath sheets of galvanised metal, wearing denim jackets and avoiding Wi-Fi signals. It’s a serious problem.

THE REAL THING

Tom Stoppard’s The Real Thing is a boymeets-girl story like you’ve never seen on a stage before. Henry, a playwright, falls in love with Annie, an actress. The two elope together and leave their former partners for each other. But is their love the real thing? Doubts kick in and Henry starts to worry that he’s made a rash mistake. He’s not alone in these feelings, either, because when Annie gets pursued by a young co-star, she also struggles to remain loyal to her new flame. The play is a bitter love tale that looks at romance from a pessimist’s eyes, showing love can easily be swapped for betrayal and adultery. The Real Thing is playing at New Theatre from Tuesday October 6 – Saturday November 7. We’ve got two double passes to give away to the performance on Sunday October 11 – to enter, visit thebrag.com/freeshit.

Ireland has certainly produced some massive acts over the years – do you have ambitions to be the best band Ireland’s ever produced? No, we honestly couldn’t give a fuck. We’re fine as we are. Where: Max Watt’s When: Saturday October 31

GOOD WORKS IN DARLINGHURST

Penned by acclaimed playwright Nick Enright (Cloudstreet, The Boy From Oz), Good Works is coming to the Darlinghurst Theatre Company under director Iain Sinclair. Set across several decades and generations, Good Works tells a story of two boyhood friends in Australia. Sinclair explains: “Audiences can expect a very complex ride with a very clear emotional through-line, so you’ll get the best of both worlds. It’s a seriously sophisticated piece of work by an artist at the top of his game.” Good Works opens at Eternity Playhouse on Wednesday November 4 and runs until Sunday November 29.

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our act is instantly recognisable for the plastic shopping bags you use to mask your faces. Do you do it to avoid the perils of fame, like getting stopped on the street? We wear bags on our heads because life is meaningless and

position ourselves as cane toad messiahs who will lead them to paradise.

head to: thebrag.com/freeshit Triptych photo by Peter Greig

arts in focus

free stuff

chance to learn what it takes to be a monster in a special hands-on drama session. The Doctor Who Festival, with a lineup led by current Doctor Peter Capaldi, runs from Saturday November 21 – Sunday November 22 at the Royal Hall Of Industries and Hordern Pavilion.

Bassem Youssef

OPEN UP SYDNEY

AUSTRALIAN BALLET 2016

The Australian Ballet has unveiled its lavish 54th season, one that combines timeless classics and explosive contemporary works, with the theme of the 2016 program being ‘The Power To Transform’. The 2016 highlights include the triple contemporary bill, Vitesse, bringing together the works of choreographers Christopher Wheeldon, Jiří Kylián and William Forsythe for a Sydney season in April. In addition, the company will turn back the clock to a traditional take on the world’s most popular ballet, Swan Lake, for an encore performance of Stephen Baynes’ production set to Tchaikovsky’s quintessential score. Meanwhile, arguably the centrepiece of the 2016 program will be Nijinsky, a work inspired by the rise and fall of a ballet legend. Choreographed by John Neumeier and created for his company Hamburg Ballet, the work explores the tortured mind of Vaslav Nijinsky, and follows his journey from ecstasy to anguish before his tragic end in an asylum. It will be performed in Sydney in November. For full season details and packages, visit australianballet.com.au.

SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE OPEN DAY

Australia’s most iconic building will open its doors to the public on Sunday October 18. Visitors to the Sydney Opera House will be able to partake in self-guided tours beneath the sails between 9am and 3pm. A

Andrew Barnett

number of performances both planned and impromptu are also planned throughout the day, alongside exhibitions from the likes of The Australian Ballet and Bangarra Dance Theatre. Visitors will also get the chance to view the sets of a number of current productions up close and personal. Register online at sydneyoperahouse.com.

LAUGH AGAINST LYME

Now in its 11th year, Sydney Open – taking over town on Sunday November 1 – gives the public the chance to step inside, above and beneath over 50 of Sydney’s most significant architectural and cultural buildings. New to the program for 2015 is Frank Gehry’s Dr Chau Chak Wing Building at UTS, WWII tunnels located beneath Hyde Park, and the iconic Clare Hotel and former Carlton United Breweries administration building. Architects and building owners will be onsite to offer information and their own first-hand knowledge of each of the locations. Limited capacity sites include the disused Platforms 26 and 27 at Central Station, the Central Station Clock Tower, and behind-the-scenes tours of the Sydney Opera House. Tickets to these sites can only be obtained by purchasing a City Pass, putting attendees in the draw for a Golden Ticket. Visit sydneylivingmuseums. com.au for details.

DOCTOR WHO FESTIVAL ADDITIONS

In good news for Doctor Who enthusiasts around Sydney, Billie Piper will be joining an all-star cast of former Doctor Who actors, writers and producers at the Doctor Who Festival this November. Piper, who starred onscreen as the companion to the Ninth Doctor, Christopher Eccleston, and the Tenth Doctor, David Tennant, will appear onstage in Sydney for a series of fan Q&As hosted by Adam Spencer, alongside the Seventh Doctor, Sylvester McCoy. Dan Starkey, who played the character Strax, will also be along for the ride, offering fans the

The Harold Park Hotel is set to host a charity comedy night as part of its regular Laugh Stand event, raising some much-needed funds for research into Lyme disease. Very little is currently known about Lyme disease, and much more research is needed into treating and preventing its debilitating effects. The disease, believed to be caused by ticks, is the fastest growing tick-borne infection in the world. All proceeds from the charity event will go towards the Karl McManus Foundation, one of Australia’s leading Lyme disease research institutions. Comedians appearing for the cause on Friday October 16 include Andrew Barnett, Mark Williamson, Peter Meisel, Cait Johnson, Maslow Ivanovic and Gerard McGeown, with more to be announced.

ANOTHER INAUGURAL CHASER LECTURE Sydney’s resident funny guys, The Chaser, have invited Egypt’s Bassem Youssef, an influential political comedian, to perform at their 16th Inaugural Chaser Lecture and dinner. Youssef, a former heart surgeon and political activist, has made himself best known for his ability to tell a cracking joke. Having been forced to shut down his satirical show Al Bernameg when it was considered no longer safe to make light of Egyptian politics, Youssef was named one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in 2013. The lecture will be held at Sydney Town Hall on Monday November 9.

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Edward II [THEATRE] Marlowe’s Modern Relevance By Adam Norris the usuals – love, lust, betrayals, passion, ruthlessness – but at the core, he’s exploring personal and political transgressions. How the personal is all too often political, and the political is usually rooted in the personal struggles of a leader. That’s what he’s exploring, and I think the relevance and connection to today, in my mind, is all too clear. “These notions don’t leave us. It’s part of our DNA and organisation as a society. Where do we draw these lines, and where do we cross them? Who legislates, and how do you reign if you are essentially unfit to rule?” While Edward II was one of Marlowe’s last plays, it is rather a useful launch pad to appreciate his oeuvre as a whole, and in doing so, fashion some sense of the man himself. There are noted parallels between this and his final play, The Massacre At Paris, and on the heels of Faustus it’s fun to note the name of Edward’s adversary, Lightborn (Lucifer).

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hristopher Marlowe is a fascinating figure. Forget Shakespeare (well, actually, don’t; Shakespeare is kind of a big deal), Marlowe was the real rapscallion of the Elizabethans. We may not know a great deal about him, but the tantalising slivers left behind in his life and writing have endured to this day. Having composed seven plays now considered classics by the age of 29 – including Doctor Faustus – he was slaughtered on the streets of Deptford as either a drunkard, a spy, an atheist; no-one is certain. Yet as

Sport For Jove prepares to bring Edward II to visceral life, it is clear the 16th-century bard remains as vital as ever. “I read the play a while ago now,” director Terry Karabelas recalls, “and I remember Damien [Ryan, Sport For Jove managing director] and I were caught by how modern this play felt in its subject matter, in its ideas, its structure and language. It is a late-16th-century play, but like great literature and theatre, the themes are so universal and timeless. I mean, Marlowe is exploring all

As Karabelas adds, though, within Marlowe’s text there are distinct shadows of the author, and the struggles of his characters are quite rooted in his contemporary concerns. “Sometimes you find a playwright and you can’t take much of his or her biography from the text, but in this case you really can. Marlowe had a personal motto: ‘That which nourishes me destroys me.’ I think that rather sums up the whole play. The very thing that nourishes and sustains Edward is the very thing that will ultimately bring his downfall: his illicit desire and love for the nobleman Gaveston, which threatens to completely ruin a nation.

“Marlowe was a punk, an enfant terrible, he was a famous atheist. There are beautiful passages where he just rails against the church, how they’re tyrannical and oppress humanity. His biography just pours straight into the writing. His language as compared to Shakespeare is very lean and direct. Marlowe doesn’t go in for extended metaphors. He’ll give you a line, and it’s almost like everything you need to know is contained there.”

“So I think Shakespeare was profoundly influenced by Marlowe. But I’ve also come to realise there’s no way they could be the same person. If Shakespeare is Marlowe, then there was a major literary transplant that happened in the space of a year or two. They’re just not the same. The structure isn’t the same, the language isn’t the same. Marlowe is lean, direct and economical. He thunders, whereas Shakespeare plucks.”

Although there are certain recurrent themes between Shakespeare and Marlowe (and some rather suspiciously similar lines), the celebrated conspiracy that Shakespeare was actually Christopher Marlowe holds little water for Karabelas. The writing is far too distinct, and the publication timeline doesn’t quite fit with the seismic shift in Marlowe’s prose that would allow for such reinvention.

Though written around 1593 concerning a period of history more than 200 years earlier, the contemporary relevance of Edward II is strong. Power, politics, death and desire; these traits endure despite the centuries.

“Marlowe is generally put as the most likely candidate, and I love that controversy. Marlowe was killed in what was essentially a pub brawl, and there’s a lot of conspiracy around that too. Was it just a fight that got out of hand, or was he assassinated? But working on this play, I’ve profoundly come to realise two things. Firstly, there’s no doubt that Shakespeare is heavily influenced by Marlowe. For instance, the deposition scene in Edward is almost the same as the deposition scene in Richard II. Lines like, ‘Gallop apace, bright Phœbus,’ in Marlowe, and ‘Gallop apace, you fi ery-footed steeds / Towards Phoebus’ lodging,’ from Shakespeare. It’s quite extraordinary.

“Ultimately, what I’m really fascinated about in this play is the humanity of the characters,” Karabelas says. “Marlowe has such a deft touch and great insight. He doesn’t paint characters as either good or bad, he makes everyone deeply flawed. He gives you a lot of anti-heroes. “Edward, for example, has the capacity for incredible love and tenderness, passion and good, but he’s also very weak. He makes spectacular bad choices and can be quite bloodthirsty. Marlowe is giving you a brief but very realistic view of humanity – what our best qualities are, but alongside that we all have very negative, dark qualities that threaten to engulf us.” What: Edward II Where: Seymour Centre When: Thursday October 1 – Saturday October 17

Velvet [CABARET] A Knockout Performance By Adam Norris

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rior to hitting the Sydney Opera House, the all-singing and all-dancing cabaret extravaganza Velvet has been building its audience across the globe. Featuring some of Australia’s best stage and musical talent, coupled with burlesque, dance and circus performers, the spectacle is set to quite literally soar on home soil. This hedonistic extravaganza led by the inimitable Marcia Hines has already been garnering awards, and as singer/ performer Brendan Maclean and aerialist Emma Goh explain, the Sydney season is certain to have people dancing in the aisles.

Velvet photo by Daniel Linnet

“What I love about shows like this is that the audience is so close,” Goh smiles. “They can see everything that passes over your face, so you have to be on your toes. Sometimes when you’re on a stage that’s miles away, you can kind of get away with pulling a couple of strange faces and nobody will notice. But here, they can see everything! You need to be mindful. But it means you can interact with them a lot more – you have these moments where you’re connecting with different people, which makes it a much more intimate experience.” “That’s the funny thing about live performance,” Maclean agrees. “As much as you are emoting, far more important than having tears rolling down your cheeks or whatever is making sure you don’t fall head over heels into the front row – which most of us has done at least once. This show has a lot of action, there are a lot of lights, a lot of technical aspects. You have to be careful you’re not being kicked in the head by a passing aerialist.” thebrag.com

He laughs. “You have to know every inch of the stage, you need to know what the backup singers are doing 20 feet away, you have to know there’s rigging there above you, and at the Opera House it’s only going to be more intense. We’re adding things that didn’t exist when we started in Adelaide. It’s going to be an incredible spectacle. Hey, you might get knocked out, but at least it looks impressive!” Between the two of them, Goh and Maclean are certainly bringing a wealth of disparate talents to Velvet. Goh has travelled the world as a dancer, from stadium shows to intimate venues, and the musicality of her movement is astounding. Maclean is also no stranger to varied exposure, swinging between presenting on triple j and featuring in Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby to his own burgeoning music career. Velvet will see the duo incorporate the full sweep of their talents, honed through years of practice, success and setbacks. “Performing has become really competitive these days as well,” Goh explains. “Because there are so few jobs out there, you always need to be pushing yourself. These days it’s really important to have some ground skill that you can do, so you’re always working on increasing the acrobatic ground-based stuff you can do, and quite often that will help with what you do in the air. I’ve done a lot of cabaret work, but this show is different, and I’m just loving every moment of the ride. I’m sort of the sassy party girl, which is fun. I get to have a bit of attitude. It’s such a great cast, it’s so much fun to be a part of.”

for his sexuality or performance,” says Maclean. “For me, Velvet really is about that. It’s promoting the individuality that I’ve struggled to balance with my performance. I was always terrified to use my real voice on triple j for fear of getting hundreds of texts saying, ‘You faggot.’ And I mean, you really do get those texts. Or performing at the Lansdowne and wanting to dress up and be myself onstage, and getting torn apart for it – for being myself, for being theatrical. For being a lover of queer culture and the queer community. So this show perfectly reflects my own journey, where finally, this character comes into themselves and opens up to so much love and success.

“I come into Velvet as a very lost little boy who doesn’t have an outlet

“I think Velvet is the first thing to push me further,” Maclean continues

between sneezes – he has arrived direct from the airport, and is nursing a flu he assures me is highly contagious. “You can’t become an iOTA or [Paul] Capsis without a director like Craig [Ilott] grabbing you and saying, ‘I think you can do more than what you’re doing – how about it?’ I think otherwise my career might have lapsed a little or I would have ran out of ideas. I’ve thrown a dozen drag queens onstage with me at the Oxford Art Factory and done great spectacles of indie-pop shows, but nothing like this. I’ve never had so many talented people around me.” Before they slip back into rehearsals, I cajole Goh into breaking the show down to its fundamentals; what folk should anticipate once they take their seats under the opera sails.

She doesn’t need to think twice. “Disco delirium. That’s our catchphrase. It’s fun, it’s a bit of razzle-dazzle. It has sombre moments as well, times when the music gets dark. But it’s about trying to revive and evoke that whole Studio 54 era. We really want to let loose and have a bit of a party, have people dancing in the aisles. There’s a beat that sneaks into you, and when you’re in such a close environment, it’s hard not to get lost in that energy.” What: Velvet Where: Studio, Sydney Opera House When: Tuesday October 6 – Sunday November 1

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Frank Ockenfels [PHOTOGRAPHY] The Image That Counts By Adam Norris with access to a smartphone. “What’s amazing is that everyone is taking pictures now!” he enthuses. “It used to be when you’d get your portrait it was a big thing. I mean, back in the day, you had to be dead! You couldn’t move at all – so that really shows just how far photography has come. First, you had to die. Then it started to progress, and you’d have to go into somebody’s studio and stand tremendously still. But jump forward and now everyone is taking selfi es. “I think it’s amazing that people are becoming more aware of photography. You can almost shoot in darkness now with these cameras. Someone can be sitting in a bar looking at their phone, and you can take their photo from the light on their screen. That’s exciting – that at any moment you can capture images, you can be spontaneous.”

Angelina Jolie by Frank Ockenfels

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rank Ockenfels is a kind of wizard. His arcane powers (presumably acquired from forbidden books bound in human fl esh) are the stuff of legend, even if few – or any – would agree with my assessment of his magic. Some might even suggest he

isn’t magical at all; that in fact, the world of photography doesn’t involve small demons trapped inside torture boxes but are instead innocuous cameras that anyone can master. As Ockenfels himself insists, photography has become the domain of anyone

Ockenfels is visiting Australia for his solo exhibition at Black Eye Gallery in Darlinghurst. There, a wide selection of his portraiture will be showcased, refl ecting decades of work capturing celebrity and everyday faces alike. His reputation has developed not simply because of the gamut of renowned personalities he has worked with – though the list is mighty impressive – but largely due to the imaginative scope of his work. Snapping off a simple profi le shot is one thing; capturing a moment that may outlast the subject themselves is something else altogether. “I think it’s always fi nding new opportunities, seeing what else can be done. I like the imperfection of things. Going to museums, I always liked to

see the edges of the canvas, seeing the paint spatter at the edges where things weren’t really perfect. I think that went along with my vision. If I’m going to shoot your portrait, there are so many different ideas and approaches. And there’s always the obvious picture, sure – you can just show up, get a very fl at piece of light, get them to look at you and take a picture. But the other approach was, what could you possibly do to fi nd some other moment, some other use of light? It’s like dipping your fi nger in ink. Nine times out of ten, that splatter is the most interesting part – this wonderful, unknowing, haphazard result.” More often than not, his results are stunning. In addition to his portrait photography, one need look no further than his work on television series such as American Horror Story, Breaking Bad and Mad Men to see his arresting imagery in full fl ight. While he has become a seasoned hand in fi nding that moment of frisson between subject and lens, Ockenfels treats his work very much as a dialogue; the fi nal image is a meeting of minds. “You want people to be themselves. Nowadays I might be one of six photo shoots that a celebrity is doing that day. You need to fi nd that moment, talk to them. Years ago I worked for a photographer called Josh Green, and Josh used to say you treat famous people like they’re nobody, and nobody like they’re famous. You need to fi nd that common ground. If I walk in the door and I’m in adoration of who I’m standing in front of – ‘Oh my God, I love your work’ – no matter how normal that person is, you’ve then separated yourself. There’s

this unease where they know they have your awe, and they’re then in control of the situation. “You want an equal conversation. You want to sit there and engage, go back and forth and disagree. I like when people say, ‘I don’t like that picture.’ It makes me think, ‘OK, then I’m missing the point here, let’s fi nd the picture together.’ My ego is totally in check on that. I’m happy to say, ‘Great, give me two or three words about why you don’t like it, and we’ll fi gure out something amazing.’” At the end of the day, despite his numerous accolades and a CV littered with shoots for journals such as Rolling Stone and Time – and despite the fact he probably isn’t an evil wizard – Ockenfels’ passion remains at heart a rather simple, timeless joy. “I guess I just like taking pictures. I could care less about the celebrity aspect of it. I love it when people don’t know who I am, but they know the work. The work should be more important than the person taking it, and I love that I’ll teach sometimes and people don’t know me, but they’ll know my work. I’ll hear people say that they’ve followed my work for years, but they don’t know my name. And that’s the point. That’s what I work towards. “I want to take a picture that will make you stop in your tracks, that takes you some place else. It shouldn’t be, ‘Hey, that’s a shot of David Bowie.’ It should be, ‘Wow. That’s a great picture.’” What: Frank Ockenfels 3 Where: Black Eye Gallery When: Until Sunday October 25

National Young Writers’ Festival [LITERATURE] The Voice Of The Youth By Adam Norris themselves that, or decide that they just want to continue in the writing community somehow. That 18-to-35 age is quite an important time, because it’s not really a point where the writers in Australia are getting many opportunities for publication. It’s probably before people have reached a point where they want to write a novel, which might get them on the other literary festival scene, so we’re kind of the first stop for people who think they might like to write.” The calibre of the festival is remarkable, with 83 different events scattered across Newcastle. NYWF has a long history of catering to different tastes, and 2015 will prove no different.

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he National Young Writers’ Festival is once again set to ravish Newcastle with poetry, prose and pages. In turning 18, the NYWF has come of age, and in addition to no longer getting kicked out of nightclubs, it also fi nally gains admittance into the very age bracket it celebrates. Festival co-director Lex Hirst gives us her insight into what makes the

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long weekend so memorable, and exactly what constitutes a young writer in the first place. “In terms of the festival it’s actually really easy to defi ne a young writer,” Hirst explains. “It’s 18-to-35 years old. Obviously that’s quite a broad area, and we have a section of the festival for 15-to-18-year-olds called the

Younger Young Writers’ Festival. It does make us quite unique around Australia, and it’s also what makes us different to the Emerging Writers’ Festival, which is perhaps the next step in professional development. “NYWF has a real celebratory feel. It’s often the first time a young writer might decide to call

“We have screenwriters on a panel next to memoirists and sci-fi writers, video bloggers and comedians and poets, all there together to discuss an issue,” says Hirst. “You might go from one panel on the politicalisation of poetry, and then fi nd yourself at our feminism and romance panel. Most writers like to move between genres, they like to be excited by different things. We take the programming very seriously. We think that writing is such a vital part of Australia’s cultural institutions – it’s an important job and I think we tend to undervalue that at times. Important, but you know, also fun,” she laughs. An enduring highlight is the Late Night Readings. Scheduled across Thursday, Friday and Sunday (Saturday is reserved for the

Enchantment Under The Sea Ball, where folk are encouraged to dress in their jellyfi sh best – “Getting your squid on,” as Hirst styles it), they are ideal bookends to days of inspired roaming. “They’re my favourite part of the festival, and I think that’s true of a lot of people,” Hirst says. “Although there are some excellent groups doing it in Sydney, a lot of people first go to these kind of events at the NYWF. We have a bunch of different writers who have written to a theme and are reading them out loud. They’re often quite incredibly personal, intimate, funny, gross, intense or superfi cial stories, and I’m really excited. “It’s our 18th birthday, so we’re looking at coming-of-age stories. So the themes are Sex and Cyborgs on Thursday, Flirting With The Law on Friday, and Breakups and Breakdowns on Sunday. Those are a mix of festival artists and wildcards, so it’s a blend of genres. I absolutely guarantee they’re going to be fun. If there’s one thing you’re going to see this year, make sure it’s a Late Night Reading.” What: National Young Writers’ Festival as part of This Is Not Art 2015 Where: Various locations around Newcastle When: Thursday October 1 – Sunday October 4 More: youngwritersfestival.org

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Film & Theatre Reviews

Game On Gaming news with Adam Guetti

Hits and misses on the silver screen and bareboards around town

Pan

PAN

OCT

2015

New Releases You thought September was huge for games? Then just wait until October, because shelves are about to get even

In cinemas now

more crowded.

Joe Wright’s Pan is the latest adaptation of J.M. Barrie’s classic tale of the boy who wouldn’t grow up. However, Wright’s film takes a slightly different tack than previous adaptations in choosing to tell the story of Peter Pan’s childhood before he arrived in Neverland. Pan, played by Levi Miller, is introduced growing up in a London orphanage run by a tyrannical psychopath. After being spirited away to Neverland one night, Pan begins to discover that he may not be an orphan after all, beginning a quest to find out who his parents were, and why he has ended up in Neverland.

Kicking things off on Thursday October 1 is Fallout Anthology, a PC mega-collection that bundles some of the industry’s greatest games before Fallout 4 steals your life next month. Alternatively, NBA Live 16 also lands for the more athletically inclined.

Any film directed by Wright promises to be an incredibly beautiful affair, with the cinematography of Atonement, Pride And Prejudice and Anna ■ Film

MISS YOU ALREADY

Karenina being each film’s shining glory. Pan is no exception, as Wright uses his first foray into the 3D form to stun the audience, with wide-open shots of pirate ships traversing the imagined wilderness of Neverland. Hugh Jackman is fantastic as the pirate Blackbeard, running a pit in which he uses child labour to mine for fairy dust. The only downside of Jackman’s performance is that there isn’t more of it, and he only really features heavily in the first half of

the film. Garrett Hedlund is absolutely hilarious as a young Captain Hook, and chews up the scenery as a conglomeration of every character Harrison Ford has ever played. However, the real star of the film, and rightly so, is the young Miller as Pan himself. Pan is a rollicking adventure that kids and parents alike will enjoy, and a good pick for school holiday watching. Louisa Bulley

Jess (Drew Barrymore) and Milly (Toni Collette) have been the closest of friends since their early school days, and remain so through marriages, pregnancies and all the drama life can throw at them. But when Milly is diagnosed with breast cancer, their relationship is put to the ultimate test. It says something unpleasant that Barrymore was the third choice for the lead role after both Jennifer Aniston and Rachel Weisz dropped out. Despite its focus on two female leads, Miss You Already doesn’t provide anyone with a particularly meaty role, nor enough plot to hang a story on. The relationship is all there is to the film, and if you’re not

Dumy Moyi

Wrapping things up on Tuesday October 27 is the big gun: Halo 5: Guardians. The first in the shooter series on Xbox One, make no doubt about it – this game will deserve a place in your library.

invested in it, you might as well turn it off. Even Paddy Considine, a wonderful actor, falls terribly flat here with the little he’s given. The moments most irksome are often the most predictable ones. Milly’s diagnosis from a sympathetic doctor; her explanation of her condition to her children; infidelities and arguments wrung out to pad the running time. Name any one cliché from soppy dramas about terminal illness and it’s right here on display. Aren’t we all just waiting with bated breath for the moment someone says the title of the film? But the worst offenders are always the kids. Every time you put a child actor in a position where they are required to actually act, the moment loses all weight. A far more effective moment, free of dialogue, is when Milly’s son (Ryan Lennon Baker) climbs into her luggage while she packs to move into a hospice.

The fi lm’s strengths are threefold – firstly, Collette is a powerful performer and manages to carry the bad girl stereotype that is Milly with depth and believability. There are also a few zinger moments peppered throughout Morwenna Banks’ script that imply she may not actually be all that bad. Finally, though there are a few on-the-nose music cues that try too hard to twang the heartstrings, for the most part, the distance and silence employed by Hardwicke manage to keep the focus where it should be – on the core relationship and the harsh realities of cancer. If you enjoy strategically planning to reach for the tissue box, you could do worse than pick M iss You Already. David Molloy

Arts Exposed What's in our diary...

Dumy Moyi is an artistic dance performance choreographed by the French talent, François Chaignaud. Inspired by a fascination with mythology and cults, and his obsession with religious aesthetics, Chaignaud’s choreography is a hypnotic tease of Indian religious performance and rhythms from Ukraine and the Philippines. Dumy Moyi was developed in collaboration with French fashion designer Romain Brau and has been described as a “multi-lingual baroque recital”. You’ll emerge from this one feeling a lot more culturally aware and artistically engaged, to say the least.

Dumy Moyi photo by Philippe Savior

The party continues all the way to Thursday October 22, because that’s the day you’ll be able to grab Just Dance 2016, while a day later (Friday October 23), you’ll spy Assassin’s Creed Syndicate. It’s the latest in the successful series – popping out from the shadows to provide twin protagonists and a London playground. Even 3DS players have something to celebrate with The Legend Of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes on Saturday October 24. It might not be exactly what fans were hoping for, but allows three players to team up for co-op dungeon adventures.

Carriageworks, Wednesday September 30 – Saturday October 3

For bookings, visit carriageworks.com.au. thebrag.com

Things might quieten down from there, but swing back into action on Tuesday October 20 with Guitar Hero Live. This will mark the return of the musical showstopper – packing a complete visual overhaul and brand new guitar.

Miss You Already

In cinemas Thursday October 8 The trailer for Miss You Already, the new BFF tearjerker from Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke, is without doubt the most emotionally manipulative, trope-laden and cloying trailer of 2015. It sets expectations extremely low, but fortunately, the film manages to surpass them somewhat, opting for a minimalism that can’t save the story, but at least makes it bearable.

Jump to Wednesday October 7 and another collection – Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection – rears its head, remastering three amazing action games for PS4 owners.

HIT AND RUN Despite making a big splash with a fascinating release model at this year’s E3, IO Interactive has announced that the next game in the popular Hitman series has been delayed until 2016. “These extra few months will mean we can add more to the launch content of the game, more than we had originally planned, and then follow with a tighter frequency of updates which ultimately will create a better game for everyone,” IO explained on its Hitman blog. Originally slated for December, the game joins the ranks of Star Fox Zero for Wii U, which has also recently been pushed back into 2016.

NEWS

■ Film

BEATA-FUL Excited about Star Wars Battlefront? Well then, prepare to get even giddier, because not only is the highly anticipated shooter’s beta coming in October, it’s coming to everyone – no pesky pre-orders required! The beta is set to include three modes including the Walker Assault mode on Hoth, Drop Zone mode on Sullust and the Survival mission mode on Tattoine, and will include split-screen functionality. The full game drops Thursday November 19 for PS4, Xbox One and PC.

MORPHEUS NO MORE As the battle for VR domination continues to truck along, Sony has finally lifted the curtain on the official name of the company’s own VR-centric device. Originally given the codename Project Morpheus, the unit will adopt the much more functional (and painfully obvious) name PlayStation VR from now on. PlayStation VR is currently scheduled for launch during the first half of 2016.

Review: Super Mario Maker

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f you’ve been guiding Nintendo’s iconic moustached plumber through treacherous levels for anywhere near as long as he has existed, there’s more than likely been a time where you’ve believed you could do better. That if you were the designer, your levels would be smarter, harder. With Super Mario Maker, Nintendo does the unthinkable by releasing its shackles and tempting you to try. To prove you have the design chops to impress the world. That said, it won’t happen overnight. First you might want to brush up on your 2D platforming skills with the game’s in-built 10-Mario Challenge, which pits you against a selection of pre-made levels that must be completed with only ten lives. The kicker is that each can vary wildly – one might be a remixed classic while another could feel like a miniature maze. Still, while these diversions are certainly enjoyable, they’re merely an entrée to the main course and the wonders you can create with Super Mario Maker’s tools. With your stylus in hand, you’ll be the one making the big calls – like your level’s graphical style, for example, with skins ranging from classics like Super Mario Bros., Super Mario World d or New Super Mario Bros. U. Each brings a distinct look, feel and sound to your designs, as well as their respective items. At a glance, it sounds incredibly daunting and intimidating because… well, it is. The good news is that a smart and well-executed user interface helps keep things relatively easy (like a grid-based UI to avoid confusion as well as drag-and-drop controls), and the game’s 60-odd building blocks are handed out in a non-overwhelming manner over the course of nine days. Soon enough you’ll be uploading levels for the world to see and downloading the diabolical designs of others. The content creation concept is not a particularly new one in the gaming industry, nor is the idea to share it online with likeminded people all across the globe. Titles like LittleBigPlanet have been catering to that need for years already. Where Super Mario Makerr is able to succeed, however, is by being able to draw upon 30 years of polished, refined and expert gameplay mechanics – not to mention the associated fountain of enemies, items and music that can also be combined to create your wildest dreams or darkest nightmares. Go on; show the world what you can do. Adam Guetti BRAG :: 632 :: 30:09:15 :: 23

out & about Queer(ish) matters with Lucy Watson

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his year, the US media monitoring group GLAAD announced it would no longer conduct its survey into representations of LGBT people in television, stating that (numerical) representation of queers in the media had improved substantially so as to render such a survey no longer necessary. The L Word

Without making too general a statement, every lesbian I know has seen The L Word. We all watched it as we were coming out – it was the show that helped us develop in our formative lesbian years, much like Play School or Sesame Street helped us develop in our formative human years. If Sesame Street taught us the alphabet, The L Word taught us about the alphabet soup (pardon the pretty terrible pun). But by most accounts, The L Word is terrible. The theme song is literally the worst thing I’ve ever heard, everyone fawns over Shane as though she’s the best thing ever (she’s just not, that hair is awful), and on a serious note, the way the characters treat Max is pretty godawful and reeks of radical feminism (i.e. transphobia). The L Word was a product of its time, but it still remains formative television viewing for young lesbians. We’ve obviously come a long way since the early 2000s – far enough for GLAAD to deem its survey unnecessary – but what show are teenage lesbians going to watch when everyone else is watching Gossip Girl? Probably the most obvious answer is Pretty Little Liars, which is aesthetically pretty similar to Gossip Girl (that is, teenage girls with a long-haired star). GLAAD notes it has a “multiracial lesbian teen” as one of its co-leads. Other options include Orange Is The New Black, which has some pretty smoking lesbian characters. I’m slightly hesitant to totally promote this as an option, though, because despite the fact the lesbians are babin’, multi-dimensional characters, they’re all in prison, and do we really want to further the idea that a lesbian’s place is in the cell? (Though I’d probably traffic drugs for Alex Vause too, Piper.) There’s Faking It, the show about two girls who appear to be lesbians but are, surprise surprise, faking it. Until it turns out that one is actually gay and in love with her best friend, and therefore not actually faking it. This show kicked me right in the gut at first (what lesbian hasn’t been in love with her best friend at some

stage in her life?) but it’s now halfway through season two and just decidedly terrible. The main male characters get way too much airtime for the show to attract a solid lesbian base. Glee fulfils a similar role here, with the storyline between Santana and Brittany. But it also has the same shortcomings, with Santana and Brittany just being one subplot in a larger narrative arc about a range of other issues. I loved The L Word when I was coming out. But it wasn’t because of any sexual desire for the characters, or even a desire to see lesbian sexual relationships displayed onscreen. What I craved most, and what satisfied me most about The L Word, was the way it displayed queer friendships. When I was coming out, I wasn’t always on the hunt for someone to fuck – I was mostly just desperate for someone to talk to. Someone like me, who understood what was happening to me, who had shared experiences, who was part of my community. Arguably, we crave the experience of community, of mutual understandings and subcultural bonds, far more than we crave sexual or romantic partners. And this is what LGBT representation in television should be seeking to recreate. The shows I’ve mentioned have lesbians in them, and some lesbian relationships, but what they lack substantially (particularly compared to The L Word) is representation of lesbian friendships. The LGBT identity is way more than who you sleep with or who you desire. It’s your community. And television shows need to reflect the whole LGBT identity before they can be said to be representative of LGBT people. (I’ve used LGBT in this article to be consistent with GLAAD, however by and large I’ve spoken only about lesbian representation, in line with my own experiences. There are huge issues particularly with transgender representation on television that I don’t have the space to go into – maybe next week.)

this week… Happy long weekend! Get an early start and a laugh with The Shift Bar’s new weekly comedy night on Thursday October 1 – the Bizarre Comedy Vaudeville Extravaganza hosted by Brenda Trolloppe. This Sunday October 4 sees the queer community divided once more. Over at Manning Bar, Girlthing, Homosocial and House Of Mince are teaming up to bring you Werk, a daytime party featuring the likes of DJ Kiti, Black Vanilla, Matt Vaughan,

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Cunningpants and more. Then at St George Sailing Club, Bad Dog is back with Illumiedoggie, featuring regulars Ben Drayton and Annabelle Gaspar. On Tuesday October 6, the Sexual Violence Won’t Be Silenced campaign is running a panel discussion about online threats and harassment at The Red Rattler. Speaking on the panel will be hip hop artist Sarah Connor, journalist Lucia Osborne-Crowley and Dr. Emma Jane.

DJ Kiti

thebrag.com

THE BRAG ♥s MARKETS GUIDE

Yep, we love markets. Really, what’s not to love? There’s the chance to score a bargain, to explore handmade arts, crafts, clothes and nibbly bits you can’t find anywhere else. There’s the spirit of shopping in the sunshine – all the more fun now that we’re in the warmer months and the market stalls are looking their best. We’ve caught up with a few of the best markets on the scene this spring, to find out what’s AVOCA BEACHSIDE MARKETS going on all over town.

guide

Hungry for more? Find more great markets with your one-stop guide to Sydney’s best. Northside Produce Market

LOCAL MARKET GUIDE What’s the idea behind the Local Market Guide? Local Market Guide is a directory to markets, stallholders and popup market events in Sydney. We proudly feature over 90 markets from farmers’ and artisan markets to fashion, pre-loved and night markets. What are your favourite markets around Sydney? There are so many! There is nothing better than walking barefoot from the beach for a wander through Palm Beach Market, recently re-opened for the summer months. Blak Markets at Bare Island, La Perouse is steeped in history and offers brilliant workshops where you can learn about Aboriginal arts and crafts and traditional skills, and for those who love to get dressed up vintage-style and rock the afternoon away, Sydney Rock ‘N’ Roll & Alternative Market is a must.

Why do markets attract such a great following? Markets provide us with access to the growing number of local producers and artisan makers, but they also offer fun and informative activities and workshops and a great day out for all ages. Northside Produce Market, for example, will be hosting a talk with Indira Naidoo about her latest book, The Edible City, on Thursday October 8, and Green Square Markets are welcoming four-legged furry friends at their Pet’s Day Out on Saturday October 10 with a host of activities and talks. What are the must-have market finds this spring? Your market basket will be filled with fresh cold-pressed juice, glutenfree baked goods, raw desserts, fermented vegetables, fresh fruit popsicles and loose-leaf tea blends. More: localmarketguide.com.au

please turn over - more markets this way!…

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Speciality: Avoca Beachside Markets are a local multiple-award-winning event with live music and buskers all day, international hot food zones, fresh local produce on the waterfront including breads, cheeses, spices, fruit and veg and more, plus emerging fashion labels, art stalls, vintage, homewares and upcycled stalls. Our unique stallholders are handpicked, ethical and respect the environment, offering quirky vintage and retro pieces at very good prices. We also have waterfront paddleboats and Art Tank, the award-winning artists who conduct ecoinspired creative workshops for patrons and families. We have approximately 120 stalls from the street right along to the waterfront. The crowd: Avoca Beachside Markets is a great place to chill with the family, a great road trip from Sydney, and pet-friendly. It’s a real mix of eclectic people from locals to seasonal travellers, and has a real beach vibe feel, as we are right on the lake. At any market you just might catch Kasey Chambers chilling with her kids or Matt Moran checking out the local produce and food vendors. Find a bargain: Getting there early is always good as the crowds roll in around 10am right up until past lunchtime. See the specials on our Instagram page on the week of the market. With $10, our suggestion is to buy a funky ABM recycled shopping bag from the site office for $2, and head to the waterfront and fill it up with a fresh apple pie from Batlow Apple Man, some local fruit and vegies from Delightfully Fresh Organics, or a Brooklyn Bagel and Smoothie Co combo. Then sit down in front of the main stage or on the grass hill, eat and relax while listening to some tunes – and save a couple of coins for the buskers. What’s the fuel? We have a vast fresh local

produce section running along the waterfront with a great range of delicious food, like La Tartine sourdough, Little Creek Cheese and Smoke And Spice, and new to the market for the season are churros ice-cream sandwiches. We also have a hot food zone with food from around the globe, including Nepalese, Turkish, Dutch, Mexican, Vietnamese, Spanish and Italian, to name a few. Fresh lemonade, cupcakes, local coffee, homemade icecream and chai also tempt you on the day. Stallholder info: Applications are done via our website, fixxevents.com.au, and we are always looking for new

and exciting musicians at info@ fixxevents.com.au. Where: Heazlett Park Foreshore, Avoca Beach – only 40 minutes from Hornsby and one hour 15 minutes from Sydney. When: Every fourth Sunday from 9am-2pm. Come celebrate our massive fifth birthday on Sunday October 25 with a special The Voice artists live stage including winner Ellie Drennan, Jake Howden and Grace Pitts, plus others on the day. More: fixxevents.com.au

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THE BRAG ♥s MARKETS GUIDE REDFERN NIGHT MARKETS

Speciality: RNM offers you live music and stalls from local makers and creators, and delicious food from Sydney food trucks and food vendors exhibiting their diverse goods indoors and outdoors. People flock to hear our resident DJs Sydney Def Jam and The Roots Odyssey collectives, who spin through the night, helping to create the Redfern Night Markets atmosphere that we are so well known for.

THE FINDERS KEEPERS Speciality: The Finders Keepers have the reputation of being the best design markets in Australia. We continue to showcase new makers each event, and support emerging design. We have everything from terrariums, lighting, homewares, fashion and handmade beauty products to delicious food and drinks. There are 220+ stalls.

Find a bargain: The markets have an array

What’s the fuel? There will be some awesome food trucks, bar by Stone And Wood, coffee by Allpress and a whole section dedicated to food produce and goodies for Christmas. Stallholder info: The applications for the markets are taken earlier in the year, so unfortunately applications are closed for this event. If you’re keen for 2016, we’ll be taking applications again early next year. Where: Australian Technology Park –

Exhibition Hall, Locomotive Street, Eveleigh

You can find many locally made products such as

When: The markets are held twice a year over a weekend to make them extra special. Our next market will be just before Christmas on Friday December 11 – Sunday December 13. They run on Friday night (6-10pm), Saturday (10am-6pm) and Sunday (10am-4pm).

Find a bargain: For $10 there’s lots to buy, including a great meal, vintage surprises and succulents from the Weave Social Enterprise stall. From $1 to $100, there’s something for everyone. What’s the fuel? We have lots of delicious food and drink stalls in our RNM eatery. Prices range from $4 to $12 at vendors like Paella In A Box, Sev’s Gozleme and Turkish Desserts, Ghiotti Panino, Fancy Bangers and more. Stallholder info: See redfernnightmarkets. com.au Where: 29-53 Hugo Street, Redfern When: First Friday of every month, 4:30-9:30pm

More: thefinderskeepers.com/ sydney-markets

More: redfernnightmarkets.com.au

LIVE MUSIC & ENTERTAINMENT 4:30pm - 9:30pm

Redfern Community Centre 29-53 Hugo St, Redfern (Opposite Redfern Train Station)

FRIDAY 02 OCTOBER

DJ - The Roots Odyssey FRIDAY 06 NOVEMBER

DJ’s SYD DEF JAM FRIDAY 04 DECEMBER

DJ’s The Roots Odyssey & SYD DEF JAM End of year beats mash up

For info & stalls:

www.redfernnightmarkets.com.au 26 :: BRAG :: 632 :: 30:09:15

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Finders Keepers photos by BecTaylor

The crowd: The markets are definitely family-friendly! We attract all types of people with an array of stalls from the design-conscious hunters and gatherers, crafty types, ethical consumers who want to buy local, and everything in between. We have live music, food, bars, coffee and workshops for creatives.

of handcrafted goods, so it’s not so much about bargain-hunting, more about finding some great locally made items for your home, wardrobe or for getting your Christmas shopping list nailed with unique items.

handmade soft toys by local maker Jerisa as well as Nulla Breeze; high-quality candles created by Joe, who has a full range dedicated to the beauty of the outback and her Kamilaroi Aboriginal heritage; Havea designs, created by Tavita Havea; and visual art by established painters Christopher Vidal, Angela Iliadis and Sharon Smith, whose paintings range from landscape to Aboriginal contemporary art. We have up to 70 stallholders at any one market.

The crowd: RNM is 100 per cent run and operated by volunteers who have done some study, got some skills and are passionate about creating music, arts and cultural events in their community. We are enjoyed by all who reside nearby and visitors alike. Our people are lovers of music, from hip hop and reggae to rock’n’rollers and vintage lovers. We have an eclectic crowd that refl ects an international vibe.

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BARS BRAG

Mon – Fri 11am-1am; Saturday 5pm-1am A Work In Progress 50 King St, Sydney CBD (02) 9240 3000 Mon – Fri noon-2am Ash St Cellar 1 Ash St, Sydney CBD (02) 9240 3000 Mon – Fri 8.30am-11pm The Attic 275 Pitt St, Sydney CBD (02) 9284 1200

Assembly 488 Kent St, Sydney CBD (02) 9283 8808 Mon – Tue 5-11pm; Wed – Fri noon-midnight; Sat 5pm-midnight The Australian Heritage Hotel 100 Cumberland St, The Rocks (02) 9247 2229 Mon – Sun 10.30am-midnight

Balcony Bar 46 Erskine St, Sydney CBD (02) 9299 3526 Mon 5pm - late; Tue – Fri noon-midnight; Sat 5pm-midnight BAR100 100 George St, The Rocks (02) 8070 9311 Mon – Thu noon-late; Fri – Sat noon-3am; Sun noon-midnight Bar Eleven

Lvl 11, 161 Sussex St, Sydney CBD (02) 9290 4712 Thu 4-9pm; Fri – Sat 4-11pm The Barber Shop 89 York St, Sydney CBD (02) 9299 9699 Mon – Wed, Sat 4pm-midnight; Thurs – Fri 3pm-midnight The Baxter Inn Basement 152-156 Clarence St, Sydney CBD Mon – Sat 4pm-1am

BULLETIN PLACE

deVine 32 Market St, Sydney CBD (02) 9262 6906 Mon – Fri 11.30am-11.30pm; Sat 5.30-11.30pm Frankie’s Pizza 50 Hunter St, Sydney CBD Mon – Fri noon-3am; Sat – Sun 4pm-3am Gilt Lounge 49 Market St, Sydney CBD (02) 8262 0000 Wed 6pm-midnight;

The Glenmore 96 Cumberland St, The Rocks (02) 9247 4794 Mon – Thu, Sun 11am-midnight; Fri – Sat 11am-1am Goodgod Small Club 53-55 Liverpool St, Sydney CBD (02) 8084 0587 Wed 5pm-11pm; Thu 5pm-1am; Fri 5pm-3am; Sat 6pm-3am Grain Bar 199 George St, Sydney CBD (02) 9250 3118 Mon – Sun noon-late Grandma’s Basement 275 Clarence St, Sydney CBD (02) 9264 3004 Mon – Fri 3pm-late; Sat 5pm-late The Fox Hole 68A Erskine St, Sydney CBD (02) 9279 4369 Mon 7am-3pm; Tue – Fri 7am-evening

bar

The Grasshopper 1 Temperance Ln, Sydney CBD (02) 9947 9025 Mon – Thurs & Sat 4pm-late; Fri noon-late

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ADDRESS: 10-14 BULLETIN PL, SYDNEY WEBSITE: BULLETINPLACE.COM OPENING HOURS: MON – SAT 4PM-1AM

Bulletin Place First Floor, 10-14 Bulletin Place, Circular Quay Mon – Wed 4pm-midnight; Thurs – Sat 4pm-1am

Thu & Sat 6pm-2am; Fri 5pm-2am

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B R A G ’ S G U I D E T O S Y D N E Y ’ S B E S T WAT E R I N G H O L E S

Bondy’s L1, 16 Philip Ln, Sydney CBD (02) 9251 2347 Thu – Fri 5pm-late; Sat 5pm-late

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Harpoon Harry 40-44 Wentworth Ave, Sydney CBD (02) 8262 8800 Mon – Sun 11:30am-3am The Lobo Plantation Basement Lot 1, 209 Clarence St, Sydney CBD 0415 554 908 Mon – Thu, Sat 4pm-midnight; Fri 2pm-midnight The Loft UTS 15 Broadway, Sydney (behind 2SER) (02) 9514 2345 Mon – Wed 2pm-10pm; Thurs – Fri 2pm-late

Tell us about your bar: Bulletin Place opened in Christmas 2012 and is one of Australia’s most awarded bars. The bar has become the poster girl of the ‘small bar’ movement

in Sydney, taking advantage of a change in liquor licensing laws to encourage small independent operators to create more grownup drinking spaces akin to Melbourne’s

‘laneway culture’. Step up Adi Ruiz, Tim Philips and Rob Sloan – three lifelong bartenders who met while working in Melbourne’s creative hub, Fitzroy. The venue has no outward signage; the entrance is through a store room and up a fl ight of stairs, two mintues’ walk from Circular Quay. Bulletin Place is entirely table service, seats just 45 people and there is no traditional menu – instead, the beers, wines and cocktails available on the day are written around the room on chalkboards and rolls of butcher’s paper. What’s on the menu? Our signature at Bulletin Place is our daily changing cocktail menu. We write a list of fi ve brand new original drinks every single day. The drinks are strictly based on the best of Australian produce from the market each day, what’s looking good, what the weather’s like and if there are any signifi cant events on that day. We have a rotating wine list where every time a bottle is fi nished, the next person

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who wants to order a red wine picks what we have open for the room by the glass until that bottle is fi nished, with two reds and two whites open at any time. Beers are hyper local and we change it up every week. Food is simple and honest – marinated olives, hummus made for us by a neighbouring restaurant, a cheese board and pate/breads. Care for a drink? Seasonally, try a mango daiquiri at the height of the season, black cherry brambles, passion fruit pisco sours, or the Penicillin cocktail (scotch whisky, honey, lemon, ginger). Sounds: Eclectic – lots of old dub, dancehall. Highlights: Relaxed service by adults for adults, some of the best drinks in the country and a quirky but comfortable interior. The bill comes to: For an order of marinated olives ($7), cheese board ($24), daily cocktail ($19) and a glass of wine ($12), the total comes to $61.

Mojo Record Bar Basement 73 York St, Sydney CBD (02) 9262 4999 Mon – Wed 4pm-midnight; Thu, Sat 4pm-1am; Fri 3pm-1am The Morrison 225 George St, Sydney CBD (02) 9247 6744 Mon – Wed 11.30am-midnight; Thu 11.30am-1am; Fri – Sat 11.30am-2am; Sun 11.30am-10pm 11.30am-10pm The Palisade 35 Bettington St, Millers Point 0421 001 474 Tue – Fri noon-2.30pm & 6pm-9.30pm; Sat 6pm-9.30pm Mr Tipply’s 347 Kent St, Sydney CBD (02) 9299 4877 Mon – Sat 10am-late Palmer & Co. Abercrombie Ln, Sydney CBD (02) 9240 3000 Mon – Wed 5pm-late; Thu – Fri 3pm-late; Sat – Sun 5pm-late Papa Gede’s Bar Laneway at the end of 348 Kent St, Sydney CBD Mon – Sat 5pm-12am Ramblin’ Rascal

Tavern Basement, 60 Park St, Sydney CBD Mon – Sat 4pm-midnight; Sun 6pm-10pm Rockpool Bar & Grill 66 Hunter St, Sydney CBD (02) 8078 1900 Mon – Sat lunch & dinner The Rook Level 7, 56-58 York St, Sydney CBD (02) 9262 2505 Mon, Sat 4pm-midnight; Tue – Fri noon-midnight The SG 32 York St, Sydney CBD 0402 813 035 Tues – Fri 4pm-midnight; Sat 6pm-midnight Shirt Bar 7 Sussex Ln, Sydney CBD (02) 8068 8222 Mon –Wed 8am-8pm; Thu – Fri 8am-10pm Since I Left You 338 Kent St, Sydney CBD (02) 9262 4986 Mon – Wed 5pm-10pm; Thu – Fri 5pm-midnight; Sat 6pm-midnight Small Bar 48 Erskine St, Sydney CBD (02) 9279 0782 Mon – Fri noon-midnight; Sat 5pm-midnight The Smoking Panda 5-7 Park St, Sydney CBD (02) 9264 4618 Wed – Sat 4pm-late Stitch Bar 61 York St, Sydney CBD (02) 9279 0380 Mon – Wed 4pm-midnight; Thu – Fri noon-2am; Sat 4pm-2am The Swinging Cat 44 King St, Sydney CBD (02) 9262 3696 Mon – Sat 4pm-midnight Tapa Vino 6 Bulletin Place, Circular Quay (02) 9247 3221 Mon – Fri noon-11.30pm Uncle Ming’s 55 York St, Sydney CBD Mon – Fri noon-midnight; Sat 5pm-midnight York Lane 56 Clarence St, Sydney CBD (02) 9299 1676 Mon – Wed 6.30am-10pm; Thu – Fri 6.30pm-midnight; Sat 6pm-midnight

121BC 4/50 Holt St, Surry Hills (02) 9699 1582 Tue – Sat 5pm-midnight Absinthe Salon 87 Albion St, Surry Hills (02) 9211 6632 Wed – Sat 4-10pm Arcadia Liquors 7 Cope St, Redfern (02) 8068 4470 Mon – Fri 4pm-midnight; Sat noon-midnight; Sun noon-10pm Bar Cleveland Cnr Bourke & Cleveland St, Redfern (02) 9698 1908 Mon – Thu 10am-2am; Fri – Sat 10am-4am Bar H 80 Campbell St, Surry Hills (02) 9280 1980 Mon – Sat 6pm-late; Sun 11am-3pm

Bellini Lounge 2 Kellett St, Potts Point 0432 241 556 Thu – Sun 6pm-late The Beresford 354 Bourke St, Surry Hills (02) 8313 5000 Mon – Sun noon-1am Black Penny 648 Bourke St, Surry Hills (02) 9319 5061 Mon – Sat 7am-midnight; Sun 7am-10pm Button Bar 65 Foveaux St, Surry Hills (02) 9211 1544 Mon – Sat 4pm-midnight Café Lounge 277 Goulburn St, Surry Hills (02) 9016 3951 Mon – Thu 5pm-midnight; Fri – Sat 4pm-midnight; Sunday 4-10pm Casoni Italian Bar & Eatery 371-373 Bourke St, Darlinghurst Tue – Thu 5pm-11pm; Fri – Sat 5pm-midnight; Sun 5pm-10pm Central Hotel 42-50 Chalmers St, Surry Hills (02) 9212 3814 Mon – Sat 10am-2am; Sun 10am-10pm Ching-a-Lings 1/133 Oxford St, Darlinghurst (02) 9360 3333 Tue – Wed 6pm-11pm; Fri – Sat 6pm-1am; Sun 5pm-10pm The Cliff Dive 16-18 Oxford Square, Darlinghurst Wed – Sat 6pm-4am The Commons 32 Burton St, Darlinghurst (02) 9358 1487 Tue – Wed 6pm-late; Thu – Fri 12pm-late; Sat – Sun 6pm-late The Darlie Laundromatic 304 Palmer St, Darlinghurst Mon – Sat 5pm-11pm Darlo Bar 306 Liverpool St, Darlinghurst (02) 9331 3672 Mon – Sun 10am-midnight Dead Ringer 413 Bourke St, Surry Hills (02) 9331 3560 Mon – Fri 5pm-midnight; Sat noon-midnight; Sun noon-10pm Eau De Vie 229 Darlinghurst Rd, Darlinghurst 0422 263 226 Mon – Sat 6pm-1am; Sun 6pm-midnight The Forresters 336 Riley St, Surry Hills (02) 9212 3035 Mon – Wed noonmidnight; Thu – Sat noon1am; Sun noon-10pm Gardel’s Bar 358 Cleveland St, Surry Hills (02) 8399 1440 Tue – Sat 6pm-midnight Gazebo 2 Elizabeth Bay Rd, Elizabeth Bay (02) 9357 5333 Mon – Fri 4pm-midnight; Sat – Sun noon-midnight Goros 84-86 Mary St, Surry Hills (02) 9212 0214 Mon – Wed 11:30am-midnight; thebrag.com

COCKTAIL OF THE WEEK

BASIL & GARLIC BLOODY MARY

Pour it in your mouth-hole... (responsibly).

Earl’s Juke Joint 407 King St, Newtown Mon – Sat 4pm-midnight; Sun 4-10pm

@ BAR CLEVELAND, CNR BOURKE & CLEVELAND ST, SURRY HILLS

Freda’s 107-109 Regent St, Chippendale (02) 8971 7336 Tues – Sat 4pm-midnight; Sun 4pm-10pm

Origins: When Hangover met Man! Ingredients: • basil and garlic infused vodka • lemon juice • Tabasco • Worcestershire sauce • celery salt • pepper • tomato juice

The Hideaway Bar 156 Enmore Rd, Enmore (02) 8021 8451 Tue– Thu 4pm-midnight; Fri – Sat noon-1am; Sun noon-10pm

Method: Built lovingly over ice, served long Glass: Tall hurricane

Hive Bar 93 Erskineville Rd, Erskineville (02) 9519 9911 Mon – Fri noon-midnight; Sat 11am-midnight; Sun 11am-10pm

Garnish: Olives, cocktail onions, dill pickle and fresh celery Best drunk with: Any of our hangover-licking burgers. During: What feels like the end of time. While wearing: Last night’s clothing. And listening to: Hopefully nothing too loud!

Kelly’s On King 285 King St, Newtown (02) 9565 2288 Mon – Fri 10am-2.30am; Sat 10am-3.30am; Sun 11am-11.30pm

More: barcleveland.com.au

Thu 11:30am-1am: Fri 11:30am-3am; Sat 4pm-3am The Hazy Rose 1/83 Stanley St, Darlinghurst (02) 9357 5036 Wed – Thu 5pm-midnight; Fri – Sat 3pm-midnight; Sun 3-10pm Hello Sailor 96 Oxford St, Darlinghurst (02) 9332 2442 Tue – Sun 5pm-3am Hinky Dinks 185 Darlinghurst Rd, Darlinghurst (02) 8084 6379 Mon – Sat 4pm-midnight; Sun 1-10pm Hollywood Hotel 2 Foster St, Surry Hills (02) 9281 2765 Mon – Wed 10am-midnight; Thu – Sat 10am-3am Hustle & Flow Bar 105 Regent St, Redfern (02) 9310 5593 Tue – Sat 5pm-midnight Li’l Darlin Darlinghurst 235 Victoria St, Darlinghurst (02) 8084 6100 Mon – Sun 4pm-late Li’l Darlin Surry Hills 420 Elizabeth St, Surry Hills (02) 9698 5488 Mon – Fri noon-late; Sat 4pm-late LL Wine and Dine 42 Llankelly Place Potts Point (02) 9356 8393 Mon – Thu 5pm-11pm; Fri – Sat noon-late; Sun 11am-10pm The Local Taphouse 122 Flinders St, Darlinghurst (02) 9360 0088 Mon – Wed noonmidnight; Thu – Sat noon-midnight; Sun noon11pm Love, Tilly Devine 91 Crown Ln, Darlinghurst (02) 9326 9297 Mon – Sat 5pm-midnight; thebrag.com

Sun 4-10pm Low 302 302 Crown St, Surry Hills (02) 9368 1548 Mon – Sun 6pm-2am Mr Fox 557 Crown St, Surry Hills 0410 470 250 Tue – Wed 5pm-late; Sat 10am-midnight; Sun 10am-10pm The Norfolk 305 Cleveland St, Surry Hills (02) 9699 3177 Mon – Sat noon-midnight; Sun noon-10pm Old Growler 218 William St, Woolloomooloo 0422 911 650 Tue – Sat 5pm - midnight The Passage 231A Victoria St, Darlinghurst (02) 9358 6116 Mon – Sat 5pm-late Peekaboo 120 Bourke St, Woolloomooloo 0403 747 788 Mon – Thu 4pm-10pm; Fri – Sat 4pm – 12am Play Bar 72 Campbell St, Surry Hills (02) 9280 0885 Tues – Sat 5pm-midnight Pocket Bar 13 Burton St, Darlinghurst (02) 9380 7002 Mon – Wed 4pm-midnight; Fri – Sat 4pm-1am; Sun 4pm-midnight The Powder Keg 7 Kellett St, Potts Point (02) 8354 0980 Wed 5pm-1am; Thu 5pm-2am; Fri – Sat 4pm-2.30am; Sun 1pm-midnight The Print Room 11 Glenmore Rd, Paddington 0424 034 020 Wed – Fri 3pm-late; Sat 12pm-11pm, Sun 12pm-10pm Queenie’s Upstairs 336 Riley St, Surry Hills (02) 9212 3035

Doris & Beryl’s Bridge Club and Tea House 530 King St, Newtown Mon – Fri 5pm-midnight; Sat – Sun 5.30pm-midnight

Tue – Sat 6pm-late & Fri noon-3pm Roosevelt 32 Orwell St, Potts Point 0423 203 119 Tue – Fri 5pm-midnight; Sat noon-midnight; Sun noon-10pm Rosie Campbell’s 320 Crown St, Surry Hills (02) 8356 9120 Mon 5pm-midnight: Tue – Sun 4pm-midnight Shady Pines Saloon Shop 4, 256 Crown St, Darlinghurst Mon – Sun 4pm-midnight The Soda Factory 16 Wentworth Ave, Surry Hills (02) 8096 9120 Mon – Fri 5pm-3am; Sat – Sun 6pm-3am Surly’s 182 Campbell St, Surry Hills (02) 9331 3705 Tue – Sun noon-midnight Sweethearts Rooftop 33/37 Darlinghurst Rd, Potts Point (02) 8070 2424 Mon – Thu 2pm-11.30pm; Fri – Sun noon-11.30pm This Must Be The Place 239 Oxford St, Darlinghurst (02) 9331 8063 Mon – Sun 3pm-midnight Tio’s Cerveceria 4/14 Foster St, Surry Hills Mon – Sun 5pm-midnight Vasco 421 Cleveland St, Redfern 0406 775 436 Tue – Sat 5pm-midnight The Village Inn 9-11 Glenmore Rd, Paddington (02) 9331 0911 Mon – Sun 12pm-late The Wild Rover 75 Campbell St, Surry Hills (02) 9280 2235 Mon – Sat 4pm-midnight; Sun noon-10pm The Winery 285A Crown St, Surry Hills

(02) 9331 0833 Mon – Sun noon-midnight

Anchor Bar 8 Campbell Pde, Bondi (02) 8084 3145 Tue – Fri 4.30pm-late; Sat – Sun 12.30pm-late Bat Country 32 St Pauls St, Randwick (02) 9398 6694 Mon – Sat 7am-midnight; Sun 7am-10pm Beach Road Hotel 71 Beach Rd, Bondi Beach (02) 9130 7247 Mon – Sat noon-1am; Sun 11am-10pm Bondi Hardware 39 Hall St, Bondi (02) 9365 7176 Mon – Wed 5pm-late; Fri noon-midnight; Sat 9am-midnight; Sun 9am-10pm The Bucket List Shop 1, Bondi Pavilion, Queen Elizabeth Drive (02) 9365 4122 Mon – Tue 11am-5pm; Wed – Sun 11am-late The Corner House 281 Bondi Rd, Bondi (02) 8020 6698 Tue – Sat 5pm-midnight; Sun 3pm-10pm Fat Ruperts 249 Bondi Rd, Bondi (02) 9130 1033 Tue – Fri 6pm-late; Sat – Sun 2pm-late Mr Moustache 61-79 Hall St, Bondi Beach (02) 9300 8892 Mon – Fri 5pm-11pm; Sat noon-11pm; Sun noon10pm Speakeasy 83 Curlewis St, Bondi (02) 9130 2020 Mon – Sat 5pm-11pm; Sat – Sun 4pm-10pm Spring Street Social (and Jam Gallery) Underground 195 Oxford St, Bondi Junction (02) 9389 2485 Tues – Sat 4pm-3am Stuffed Beaver

271 Bondi Rd, Bondi (02) 9130 3002 Mon – Sat noon-midnight; Sun noon-10pm

The Angry Pirate 125 Redfern St Redfern (02) 9698 9140 Tue – Thur 5pm-midnight; Fri – Sat 3pm-midnight Bar-racuda 105 Enmore Rd, Newtown (02) 9519 1121 Mon – Sat 6pm-midnight The Bearded Tit 183 Regent St, Redfern (02) 8283 4082 Mon – Thu 4pm-midnight; Fri – Sat noon - midnight; Sun noon - 10pm

Different Drummer 185 Glebe Point Rd, Glebe (02) 9552 3406 Mon – Sat 4.30pm-late

Soho in Balmain 358 Darling St, Balmain 0407 525 208 Tue – Sun 5pm-midnight Temperance Society 122 Smith St, Summer Hill (02) 8068 5680 Mon – Thu 4pm-11pm; Fri – Sat: noon-midnight; Sun: noon-10pm Thievery 91 Glebe Point Rd, Glebe (02) 8283 1329 Tue – Thu 6pm-11pm; Fri 6pm-midnight. Sat 11pm-3pm & 6pm-midnight

Wilhelmina’s Liquid and Larder 332 Darling St Balmain (02) 8068 8762 Tues – Fri 5pm - late; Sat – Sun 8am - late

The Little Guy 87 Glebe Point Rd, Glebe (02) 9200 0000 Mon – Fri 4pm-midnight; Sat 1pm-midnight; Sun 3pm-10pm Mary’s 6 Mary St, Newtown (02) 4995 9550 Mon – Fri 4pm-midnight; Sat noon-midnight; Sun noon-10pm

Miss Peaches 201 Missenden Rd, Newtown (02) 9557 7280 Wed – Sun 5pm-midnight

Cottage Bar & Kitchen 342 Darling St, Balmain (02) 8084 8185 Mon – Wed 5pm-midnight; Thu – Sat noon-midnight; Sun noon-10pm

Secret Garden Bar 134a Enmore Rd, Enmore 0409 284 928 Mon – Sun 1am-11pm

Kuleto’s 157 King St, Newtown (02) 9519 6369 Mon – Sat 4pm-late; Thu – Sat 4pm-3am

Bloodwood 416 King St, Newtown (02) 9557 7699 Mon, Wed – Thu 5pm-late; Fri – Sat noon-late; Sun noon-10pm

Corridor 153A King St, Newtown 0422 873 879 Tue – Fri 3pm-midnight; Sat 1pm-midnight; Sun 1pm-10pm

The Royal 156 Norton St, Leichhardt (02) 9569 2638 Mon – Thu 10am-1am; Fri – Sat 10am-3am; Sun 10am-midnight

Timbah 375 Glebe Point Rd, Glebe (02) 9571 7005 Tue – Thu 4pm-10pm; Fri noon-11pm; Sat 3pm-11pm; Sun 4pm-8pm

The Midnight Special 44 Enmore Road, Newtown (02) 9516 2345 Tues – Sat 5pm-midnight; Sun 5pm-10pm

Cornerstone Bar & Food 245 Wilson St, Eveleigh (02) 8571 9004 Sun – Wed 10am-5pm; Thu – Sat 10am-late

The Record Crate 34 Glebe Point Rd, Glebe (02) 9660 1075 Tue – Sat noon-midnight; Sun noon-10pm

Knox Street Bar 21 Shepherd St, Chippendale Tue – Thu 4pm-l0pm; Fri – Sat 4pm-11pm

Blacksheep 256 King St, Newtown (02) 8033 3455 Mon – Fri 4pm-11pm; Sat 2pm-11pm; Sun 2pm-10pm

The Chip Off The Old Block 3 Little Queen Street, Chippendale (02) 9318 0815 Tue – Sat 4pm-11pm

11.30am-midnight; Sun 11:30am-10pm

The Workers Lvl 1, 292 Darling St, Balmain (02) 9555 8410 Thu – Sat 5pm-3am; Sun 2pm-late ZanziBar 323 King St, Newtown (02) 9519 1511 Mon – Sat 10am-4am; Sun 10am-12am Zigi’s Wine And Cheese Bar 86 Abercrombie St, Chippendale (02) 9699 4222 Tue 4pm-10pm; Wed – Sat 2pm-late

The Moose Newtown 530 King St, Newtown (02) 9557 0072 Wed – Sat 6pm-midnight

Alberts Bar 100 Mount St, North Sydney (02) 9955 9097 Mon – Wed 11.30am-10pm; Thu 11.30am-11pm; Fri 11.30am-midnight

Mr Falcon’s 92 Glebe Point Rd, Glebe (02) 9029 6626 Mon – Thu 4pm-midnight; Fri 3pm-midnight; Sat noon-midnight; Sun 2pm-10pm

Firefly 24 Young St, Neutral Bay (02) 9909 0193 Mon – Thu 5-11.30pm; Fri 4-11.30pm; Sat noon11pm; Sun noon-10pm

Newtown Social Club 387 King St, Newtown (02) 9550 3974 Mon 9am-6pm; Tues – Fri 9am-8pm; Sat 10am-8pm

The Foxtrot 28 Falcon St, Crows Nest Tue – Wed 5pm-midnight; Thu 5pm-1am; Fri – Sat 5pm-2am; Sun 4pm-10pm

The Oxford Tavern 1 New Canterbury Rd, Petersham (02) 8019 9351 Mon – Thu noon-10pm; Fri – Sat noon-11pm; Sun noon-9pm

The Hayberry Bar & Diner 97 Willoughby Road, Crows Nest (02) 8084 0816 Tue – Thu 4pm-12am; Fri & Sat noon-midnight Sun noon-10pm

Raven’s Eye 127 King St, Newtown (02) 9517 2081 Mon – Thu 5pm-midnight; Fri – Sat

Hemingway’s 48 North Steyne, Manly (02) 9976 3030 Mon – Sat 8am-midnight; Sun 8am-10pm

Your bar’s not here? Email: chris@thebrag. com Honey Rider 230 Military Rd, Neutral Bay (02) 9953 8880 Tue – Sat 4pm-midnight; Sun 4pm-10pm InSitu 1/18 Sydney Rd, Manly (02) 9977 0669 Tue – Fri 5pm-midnight; Sat 9am-midnight; Sun 9am-10pm The Hunter 5 Myahgah Rd, Mosman 0409 100 339 Mon – Tue 5pm-midnight; Wed – Sat noon-midnight; Sun noon-10pm Jah Bar Shop 7, 9-15 Central Ave, Manly (02) 9977 4449 Mon – Fri 4pm-late; Sat 9am-late; Sun 9am-10pm The Local Bar 8 Young Ln, Neutral Bay (02) 9953 0027 Tue – Fri 11.30am-midnight; Sat 7am-midnight; Sun 7am-10pm Los Vida 419 Pacific Hwy, Crows Nest (02) 9439 8323 Mon – Wed 5pm-midnight; Thu – Sat 11.30am-midnight; Sun 11.30am-10pm Manly Wine 8-13 South Steyne, Manly (02) 8966 9000 Mon – Sun 6.30am-late The Mayor 400 Military Rd, Cremorne (02) 8969 6060 Tue – Wed 5pm-late; Thu – Sat noon-late; Sun noon-10pm Miami Cuba 47 North Steyne, Manly (02 99775186 Tue – Thu 8am-10pm; Fri – Sat 8am-1am; Sunday 8am-4pm Moonshine Lvl 2, Hotel Steyne, 75 The Corso, Manly (02) 9977 4977 Thu 5pm-2am; Fri 1pm-2am; Sat noon-2am; Sun noon-midnight The Pickled Possum 254 Military Rd, Neutral Bay (02) 9909 2091 Thu – Sat 9pm-1am SoCal 1 Young St, Neutral Bay (02) 9904 5691 Mon – Tue 4pm-late: Wed – Thu noon-1am; Fri – Sat noon- 2am; Sun noon-midnight The Stoned Crow 39 Willoughby Rd, Crows Nest (02) 9439 5477 Mon – Sun noon-late The Treehouse Hotel 60 Miller St, North Sydney (02) 8458 8980 Mon – Fri 7am-late; Sat 2pm-late Wilcox Cammeray 463 Miller St, Cammeray (02) 9460 0807 Tue – Thu 4pm-10pm; Fri – Sat 2pm-11pm; Sun 2pm-10pm BRAG :: 632 :: 30:09:15 :: 29

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

ALBUM OF THE WEEK CRAYON FIELDS No One Deserves You Chapter

BANOFFEE Do I Make You Nervous? Dot Dash/Remote Control

It’s been roughly a year since Martha Brown – AKA Banoffee – dropped her debut self-titled EP after an 18-month build-up. In the time since, Brown has made inroads on an international basis, and earned a significant reception across the greater blogosphere. As her second EP enters the world, there are more eyes on her than ever before. Subverting any weight of expectation, Brown simply carries on business as usual – her blend of late-night R&B, warped vocal layers and the occasional rave beat are refined and sharpened across this five-track suite. That’s not to say, of course, that there is nothing fresh on offer. Opener ‘With Her’ may surpass ‘Got It’ as Brown’s hookiest, simplest and most effective chorus, while the lush, pensive ‘Oceans’ nods to Sophie B Hawkins with its exasperated “damn”s, making great use of the more tender side of the Banoffee soundscape. Does she make you nervous? Brown and her take on post-internet pop should instead put you at ease. Were one to pitch the same question to her contemporaries, however, it may well elicit a different answer entirely. Banoffee means business, and a complete takeover is only a matter of time.

While All The Pleasures went at times to almost dizzying and euphoric places, No One Deserves You combines innocence with something more worldly, and at times, optimism takes a back seat to realism. But while the message may have evolved, the pop powers of this band have never been stronger. First single ‘She’s My Hero’ harnesses an ecstatic energy, while closers ‘Somewhere Good’ and ‘Good Times’ display a resigned and emotionally mature side that’s not been seen before.

SLAYER

MEAT WAVE

Paper Gods Warner

Repentless Nuclear Blast

Delusion Moon SideOneDummy

Whether it’s down to a conscious business decision or a result of frivolous experimentation, Parkway Drive’s fifth album Ire sets its sights on the realm of stadium metal, chug-full of anthems and glutinous production values. The Parkway identity still runs through the veins of this record, but their attempts to take an already successful venture to the mainstream metal masses are unabashedly apparent. Fleeting moments of the band’s trademark ferocity are swept away by a tidal wave of ’80s hair metal cheese. From the orchestral accompaniment on ‘Writings On The Wall’ to the classical guitar on ‘A Deathless Song’, Ire follows the signature of a by-thenumbers festival headliner. Even the anthemic ‘We Will Rock You’ rhythm on ‘Writings On The Wall’ screams for stadium crowd participation.

The Duran Duran timeline reads “1974-present”. There have been no empty-promise farewell tours, no cash-in reunions, no bust-ups in the press. Trends, phases and band members may have come and gone, but the core of Duran Duran itself has never truly gone away.

This is a Slayer album, plain and simple – the type they’ve been releasing for three-and-a-half decades. So if you know the band, you’ll know exactly what you’re in for. These guys experimented briefly with their sound in the ’90s, but apart from that, they never mess with the formula.

Meat Wave: what a name. Too bad about the band. Their latest offering, Delusion Moon – what one would expect to be a rollicking ride through the obscene and obscure – is more just a tour de force of what not to do on a punk record.

It’s commendable, but it also raises a home truth that the ’80s pin-ups have struggled to maintain relevance in recent years. This may well explain why literally half their new album features guests and collaborations, traversing genre and profile notability. As a result, Paper Gods is a mixed bag – both stylistically and in terms of quality. ‘Pressure Off’ sees Duran reunite with Nile Rodgers, who adds some trademark guitar swagger to pristine Mark Ronson production and a hyped-up Janelle Monáe cameo. Kiesza, a forgotten gem from the class of 2014, also shines on the glossy retro-pop of ‘Last Night In The City’. For each of these moments, however, there is a snoozer like ‘What Are The Chances?’ or the droning, overlong title track.

Slayer pretty much invented thrash metal – or maybe co-invented it with Metallica – in the early ’80s. And what that means is fast, pounding, violent songs, with some grooves thrown in for good measure.

It’s as close as they’ve come in at least a decade to creating something fresh and vital, but Paper Gods still doesn’t quite reach the heights of a Rio or Notorious.

The band’s hardcore element has given way to wailing guitar harmonies and bounce-along Slipknot groove, with vocalist Winston McCall at times channelling the methods of Corey Taylor. It’s the equivalent of Tommy Lee and Jim Root locked hand-inhand in a hardcore handshake. Fans of Parkway’s 2005 debut Killing With A Smile will most likely shun the change in direction. But the energy-drink-gulping, summerfestival-attending mainstream metal audience will froth over the abundance bang-your-head riffs.

Vocalist Tom Araya howls and screeches about war, blood, death, violence, hatred and serial killers. He’s not glorifying or celebrating those things, and not condemning them either. Rather, he’s just reflecting on the fact they exist in our society.

Meat Wave sound like early The Horrors and The Cramps got together and had a baby, that baby fell in love with Fidlar, and then this is their child – but unfortunately the child thinks it’s far more talented than it is. The lyrics to most of the songs are technocentric, like in ‘Network’. Oh, the foibles of the modern world. And then there’s the chorus from ‘Witchcraft’ – “I never meant to throw your computer out the window” – which sounds ultimately insincere. Despite all this, there are some shining moments on an otherwise aggressively mediocre release, such as ‘Sham King’, but it’s nothing we haven’t heard before.

While other old-school bands have had their edge blunted by the passage of time and bulging bank balances, these Californian masters have lost little of their fire and intensity.

This kind of garage rock/punk hybrid that’s resurfacing at the moment needs to be sincere – which is why The Orwells have killed it, why Fidlar are going gangbusters, and hell, even Dune Rats are doing well.

They still slam out their relatively simple thrash metal with great vengeance and anger, and their legions of fans love them for their consistency.

Unfortunately for Meat Wave, they’re a couple of clean-cut white boys trying to be weird and out there. I’m not buying it. Navarone Farrell

Rod Whitfi eld David James Young

INDIE ALBUM OF THE WEEK

30 :: BRAG :: 632 :: 30:09:15

Daniel Prior

DURAN DURAN

Aaron Streatfeild

Lowlights Independent/Bandcamp

from a group of musicians that proves they still have much more to come.

Ire Resist

PARKWAY DRIVE

David James Young

ROSS DE CHENE HURRICANES

This album may not rise to the same levels of exuberance as All The Pleasures, but it is no less of an achievement because of it. Instead we witness an excellent next step

With their tough-as-nails garage rock attack, Ross De Chene Hurricanes proudly celebrate the tradition of garage punk. You can hear the attitude in the Black Lips-ish ‘Sun Don’t Set When You’re Cool’ – what’s youth for if you can’t muscle through the toughest situation with a bulletproof sneer and a casual wink? Then there’s the specious culinary analysis of ‘TV Dinner’, all post-Ramones simplicity and domestic banality; the Digger and The Pussycats-like introverted pop psychology of ‘Personality Disorder’; and the King Khan-inspired career counselling of ‘In A Rut’. If you want to sit back on the couch and gaze into the distance thinking fondly of Sic Kidz’s ‘LSD’, then cop a listen to ‘I’ve Been

Thinking’ and get your life in some sort of chaotic mess. Then comes ‘ADHD’, nominating a psychological condition to explain everything stupid you’ve done in your life, just in time for the Weezering musing of ‘Getting Old’ to remind you that bigger shit’s going to happen sometime soon. Maybe that’s what the LA-punk-spiked ‘Everything’ is about; a white flag in the face of unavoidable psychological and vocational complexities. But then comes the band’s eponymously titled track, a Ted-Nugent-in-a-garage slice of rock’n’roll comfort that makes you realise garage rock is and always will be where it’s at.

OFFICE MIXTAPE And here are the albums that have helped BRAG HQ get through the week... DAY RAVIES - Liminal Zones GRINDERMAN - Grinderman 2 THE DEAD WEATHER - Dodge And Burn

RADIOHEAD - In Rainbows CHVRCHES - Every Open Eye

Patrick Emery thebrag.com

Kurt Vile photo by Marina Chavez

The Melbourne popsters turn inwards to build a stronger identity for the future.

Six years have passed since Crayon Fields released their album All The Pleasures Of The World to rave reviews and an instantly won-over audience. But their time on hiatus wasn’t spent twiddling their thumbs, waiting to get back at it. Their latest release, No One Deserves You, sees the Melburnians picking up just where they left off. The result is an album possessing the same intoxicating adoration of pop music,

but with a far more mature outlook on life and love.

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

PENNYWISE, ANTI-FLAG, LOCAL RESIDENT FAILURE UNSW Roundhouse Saturday September 26

Walking into the Roundhouse for this 18-plus show felt like a being welcomed into a loud, rowdy and warm family reunion. Friends and strangers were greeted with hugs, high-fives and handshakes. There were old-school punks with multi-coloured mohawks, long-haired leather-clad rockers, dreadlocked dudes, and lots of tartan, tattoos and skate shoes. Seasoned gig-goers mingled with barely legal first-years as Newcastle’s Local Resident Failure took to the stage. It seemed they were out to prove something as they powered through their short, fast, loud yet blistering set. Hats off to them. Now the stage was set for Anti-Flag. After lead vocalist Justin Sane announced they’d come all the way from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to be here, they launched into track after track from their latest album, American Spring. Their politically minded message of combining free thinking and social responsibility to effect positive change was ever-present, and their lyrics filled with anti-war and anticapitalist sentiment struck a chord with the crowd. For their last song, the three

guitarists formed a row at the front of the stage and rocked out in precision, as drummer Pat Thetic hurled himself and his drum kit into the eager crowd and was carried on shoulders till the show was over. Kudos to the mosh pit for keeping it classy. Pennywise drummer Byron McMackin could be seen quietly psyching himself up side of stage as the crew worked its magic in record time. Out of nowhere, their returned original frontman Jim Lindberg burst onto the stage, followed by lead guitarist Fletcher Dragge and bassist Randy Bradbury, all to the roar of applause – the band was back together. As promised, the four-piece played 1995’s About Time in its entirety to honour the passing of much-loved bass player Jason Thirsk. The crowd sung each lyric word for word, the emotion clear on people’s faces. The set then moved to iconic anthems ‘Fuck Authority’, ‘Alien’ and ‘Living For Today’, but the certain highlight of the night was the finale, when Pennywise were joined onstage by Justin Thirsk (Jason’s little brother) for ‘Bro Hymn’. The walls shook as the crowd delivered its tribute in unison – “Jason Matthew Thirsk / This one’s for you,” and the perennial punks of Pennywise played it to perfection. Natalie Rogers

A STATE OF GRACE: THE MUSIC OF TIM AND JEFF BUCKLEY Enmore Theatre Sunday September 27

Almost 20 years to the day Jeff Buckley performed at the Enmore Theatre, A State Of Grace paid tribute to the legacy he and his father, Tim, left behind. And while the two voices the audience longed to hear did not appear onstage, their stand-ins were of impressive pedigree. Six singers rotated throughout the set, each bringing one unique performance quality they shared with the Buckleys. Martha Wainwright orchestrated the power of ‘Lover, You Should’ve Come Over’, while Willy Mason spoke straight to the soul in a solo rendition of ‘Satisfied Mind’. Breathless from an electric performance of ‘Cruel’ (and nailing the signature Jeff Buckley wail), Camille O’Sullivan shared her musical love affair with the younger Buckley before transitioning into an intimate and vulnerable rendition of ‘Lilac Wine’. The New York guitarist instrumental in

Jeff Buckley’s early musical career, Gary Lucas, shared personal anecdotes and addressed controversies from his time with the “finest collaborator” he met by chance. Backed by the five-piece Gods And Monsters, the performers – rounded out by Steve Kilbey and Cold Specks – selected the crowd-pleasers from Tim Buckley’s nine studio albums, and Jeff Buckley’s only studio album. The quality of the songwriting itself – which is what this celebration was all about – held the setlist together. Unfortunately, perhaps expecting too much from the songs we know too well, ‘Grace’ fell into chaos, and some of the cast didn’t match the emotional intensity their other songs demanded. In contrast, the standout performances of the night were those that were stripped back to minimal instrumentation, and captured the spirit of the lyrics. Cascading into a hauntingly beautiful a capella version of Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’, Cold Specks’ unique interpretation shadowed what Jeff Buckley had created in his iconic cover. Tanydd Jaquet

PHOTOGRAPHER :: ASHLEY MAR

OUR

JAMES AMBROSE :: KATRINA LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHERS ::

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CLARKE :: ASHLEY MAR ::

PHOTOGRAPHER :: ASHLEY MAR

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up all night out all week . . .

sounds of the suburbs 2015

PICS :: AM

27:09:15 :: Frankie’s Pizza :: 50 Hunter St Sydney

beach road 23rd bday

23:09:15 :: Beach Road Hotel :: 71 Beach Rd Bondi Beach 9130 7247 32 :: BRAG :: 632 :: 30:09:15

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27:09:15 :: Space 44 :: 44 Kingsway Cronulla 0403 988 115

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CLARKE S :: JAMES AMBROSE :: KATRINA

:: ASHLEY MAR ::

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g g guide gig g

send your listings to : gigguide@thebrag.com

pick of the week The Art

JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC

Martha Wainwright

Charito Foundry616, Ultimo. 8:30pm. $30.50. Edema Ruh + Gypsy Dub Sound System The Gaelic Club, Surry Hills. 8pm. $15. Sexy Sunday Jam Bellini Lounge, Potts Point. 7pm. Free.

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS

SATURDAY O C TO B E R 3 Oxford Art Factory

The Art + The Lockhearts + The Ruckus + Graveyard Rockstars + Bec & Ben 8pm. $23.10. WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 30 INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS Bam Bam Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 9pm. Free. Batch Sessions - Feat: Andy Golledge + Caitlin Harnett Batch Brewing Co, Marrickville. 6pm. Free. Gorilla Biscuits Bald Faced Stag Hotel, Leichhardt. 8:30pm. $44.30. Gypsies Of Pangea + Cigars Of The Pharaoh Frankie’s Pizza, Sydney. 4pm. Free. Moving Pictures The Basement, Circular Quay. 6pm. $35. Stonefi eld + The Pinheads Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 8:30pm. $25. Vallis Alps Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $17.90.

JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Octave Inc Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville. 8:30pm. Free. Phil Scorgie’s Fusion Fire thebrag.com

Foundry 616, Sydney. 8:30pm. $21.50.

THURSDAY OCTOBER 1 JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC I Got Sole + Johnson & Friends Play Bar, Surry Hills. 8pm. Free. Joel Sena Group + Sky Tribe + Phoebe Foundry616, Ultimo. 8:30pm. $16.50. Thursdays In Jam - feat: El Moro + DJ Av El Cubano Jam Gallery, Bondi Junction. 9pm. Free.

ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK Corey Harris The Basement, Circular Quay. 7pm. $39.60. Money Killed Johnny + Big Erle + Big Erle Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville. 8:30pm. $10.

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS Chris Cook Trio Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 9pm. Free. Gogo Star

The Concourse, Chatswood. 8pm. $35. John Milligan The Push Bar, The Rocks. 7pm. Free. Live At The Sly - feat: New Venusians + Sampa The Great + Triceratops Slyfox, Enmore. 7:30pm. Free. Pierce Brothers + Timberwolf + Anna O Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 8pm. $20. The Oz Rock Roadshow - feat: Mark Gable + Angry Anderson + Mick Pealing + Steve Mulry + Bob Spencer + Dai Pritchard + Justin Bianchi + John Prior Bridge Hotel, Rozelle. 7:30pm. $38.90. The Tommy Hawks + Johnny Gretsch’s Wasted Ones Frankie’s Pizza, Sydney. 10pm. Free. The Usual Suspects Oxford Hotel, Darlinghurst. 5:30pm. Free. Vallis Alps Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $17.90. Vanessa Heinitz Fortune Of War, The Rocks. 7pm. Free. Yours Truly + Ethan Conway + Chasing Giants + Linden Furnell The Vanguard, Newtown. 7pm.

$13.80.

FRIDAY OCTOBER 2 ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK Eddie Boyd & The Phatapillars Hotel Steyne Manly, Manly. 9:30pm. Free. Gods And Monsters Factory Theatre, Marrickville. 8pm. $42. Jo Fabro Band Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville. 9pm. $15. Martha Wainwright The Basement, Circular Quay. 7:30pm. $70.

Andy Mammers Town Hall Hotel, Balmain. 5pm. Free. Bahamas + Fraser A. Gorman Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $39.70. Blake Tailor Duo Quakers Inn, Quakers Hill. 8pm. Free. Blake Wiggins Manly Leagues Club, Brookvale. 9:30pm. Free. Cath & Him Kurnell Recreation Club, Kurnell. 7:30pm. Free. Dave Ireland Chatswood RSL, Chatswood. 5pm. Free. Doctor Goddard + Noire + Salvador Dali Lama Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 8pm. $11.80. Durry + New Regulars + Stormbird + Insanity Proof Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 5pm. $10. Former Suspects Colonial Hotel, Werrington. 8:30pm. Free. Geoff Davies The Push Bar, The Rocks. 7:30pm. Free. Georgia White The Oriental Hotel, Springwood. 8pm. Free. Glenn Esmond Cronulla RSL, Cronulla. 6pm. Free. Jellybean Jam Revesby Workers Club, Revesby. 8:30pm. Free. John Vella 99 On York, Sydney. 5:30pm. Free. Marshall Okell The Vanguard, Newtown. 7pm. $18.80. Midnight Drifters Penrith RSL, Penrith.

8pm. Free. Reckless + Jonathon Jones Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 5:45pm. Free. Reel Big Fish + Less Than Jake Max Watt’s, Moore Park. 7:30pm. $62.20. Stephanie Lea The Crest Hotel Sylvania, Sylvania. 7pm. Free. The Sphinxes Vineyard Hotel, Vineyard. 9:30pm. Free.

SATURDAY OCTOBER 3 ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK Mike Waters + Robbie Miller The Newsagency, Marrickville. 8:30pm. $13.50. Mojo House Band - feat: Jesse & James Mojo Record Bar, Sydney. 7pm. Free.

JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC

8:30pm. $23.50. Knox Heritage Hotel, Bulli. 8pm. Free. Sexy Sunday Jam Bellini Lounge, Potts Point. 7pm. Free.

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS The Vacationists + Motionliners + Cold Vulture Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville. 9pm. $15. Abbalanche - The Australian ABBA Tribute Show Rooty Hill RSL Club, Rooty Hill. 7:30pm. $22. Alfredo Malabello The Push Bar, The Rocks. 7:30pm. Free. Endangered Species Carousel Inn Hotel, Rooty Hill. 8pm. Free. Glenn Esmond Fortune Of War, The Rocks. 3pm. Free. Greg Poppleton’s Bakelite Dance Band Penrith RSL, Penrith. 2pm. Free. Hits & Pieces Wentworthville

Leagues Club, Wentworthville. 10pm. Free. Idol Threats Macarthur Tavern, Campbelltown. 9pm. Free. Jed Zarb The Crest Hotel Sylvania, Sylvania. 7pm. Free. John Vella Coogee Bay Hotel, Coogee. 10:30pm. Free. Kirk Burgess Picton Hotel, Picton. 8pm. Free. Panorama + Natasha Duarte Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 5:45pm. Free. Rebecca Johnson Band Town Hall Hotel, Balmain. 9:30pm. Free. Rockwiz Live! Salutes The ARIA Hall Of Fame Civic Theatre Newcastle, Newcastle. 8pm. $94.25. Ryan Thomas Novotel, Rooty Hill. 6:30pm. Free. Salsa Kingz Revesby Workers Club, Revesby. 8:30pm. Free. Spit Roasting Bibbers Kings Park Tavern, Bahamas

Davood A Tabrizi + Far Seas Foundry616, Ultimo.

Ellie Goulding

BRAG :: 632 :: 30:09:15 :: 33

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up all night out all week...

Stonefield

Less Than Jake Kings Park. 7pm. Free. Steve Crocker Fortune Of War, The Rocks. 8pm. Free. Ted Nash The Belvedere Hotel, Sydney. 7:30pm. Free. The Art + The Lockhearts + The Ruckus + Graveyard Rockstars + Bec & Ben + Fade In Mona Lisa + Narla + Reidemeister + The Dark Hawks Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $23.10. The Frocks Penrith RSL, Penrith. 9pm. Free. The Meanies + Yes I’m Leaving + White Dog Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 8pm. $30. They Call Me Bruce The Henry Sports Club, Werrington County. 7:30pm. Free.

SUNDAY OCTOBER 4 ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK Paul Mbenna + The Okapi Guitar Band Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville. 6:30pm. Free.

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS Abbe May + Sophie Lowe + Nussy Newtown Social Club, Newtown.

7:30pm. $18. Bandintexas Frankie’s Pizza, Sydney. 4pm. Free. Barangaroo Welcome Celebration - feat: Busby Marou + Lolo Lovina + Crusty Suitcase Band + Ben Walsh + Sousaphonics + Uptown Brown + Gramophone Man + Sugar Bowl Hokum + The Morrisons Barangaroo Reserve, Sydney. 11am. Free. Blake Wiggins Ingleburn Hotel, Ingleburn. 1pm. Free. Chunk! No, Captain Chunk! Bald Faced Stag Hotel, Leichhardt. 5pm. $39.95. Dave Ireland The Mill Hotel, Milperra. 12pm. Free. David Garnham And The Reasons To Live Marrickville Bowling Club, Marrickville. 7pm. Free. Ellie Goulding Enmore Theatre, Newtown. 8pm. $84.40. Evie Dean Mosman Returned Services Club, Mosman. 3pm. Free. Glenn Esmond Fortune Of War, The Rocks. 6pm. Free. Indent Tour 2015 - feat: Hands Like Houses + Columbus + Vanity Riots + Fifth Dawn Giant Dwarf, Redfern. 5pm. $13.30. Kirin J Callinan Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $27.70. Open Mic Epping Hotel,

Epping. 5pm. Free. Reckless + The Blarney Boys Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 3:45pm. Free. Salty Tenders + Braizers + Slow Nomad + Dark Raven + Gypsy + Wideview Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 3pm. $10.

MONDAY OCTOBER 5 JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Sonic Mayhem Orchestra Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville. 8:30pm. Free.

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS Ed & Astro Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 7pm. Free. Frankie’s World Famous House Band Frankie’s Pizza, Sydney. 9pm. Free. Glenn Esmond Fortune Of War, The Rocks. 3pm. Free. Mad Monday - feat: The Lonesome Heroes + Mick Daley’s Corporate Raiders + Van Walker Marrickville Bowling Club, Marrickville. 2pm. Free. Swerve Society feat: Cull + Koral And The Goodbye Horses + Clare Kelly

Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 7:30pm. Free. Watsup Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 2pm. Free.

TUESDAY OCTOBER 6 INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS Open Mic The Bourbon, Potts Point. 7pm. Free. Rock ‘N’ Roll Karaoke Frankie’s Pizza, Sydney. 9pm. Free.

ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK Live & Originals @ Mr Falcons - feat: Julianne Jessop + Amy Freeman + Dave Dacosta + When Saturday Comes Mr Falcon’s, Glebe. 7:30pm. Free.

JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Jazzgroove Presents - feat: Pilot + Viata Foundry616, Ultimo. 7:30pm. $16.50. Steve Mckenna Trio Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville. 8:30pm. Free. Sunset Jazz - feat: Jazz Society Hermann’s Bar, Darlington. 6pm. Free.

WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 30

SATURDAY OCTOBER 3

Batch Sessions - Feat: Andy Golledge + Caitlin Harnett Batch Brewing Co, Marrickville. 6pm. Free.

Mike Waters + Robbie Miller The Newsagency, Marrickville. 8:30pm. $13.50.

Gypsies Of Pangea + Cigars Of The Pharaoh Frankie’s Pizza, Sydney. 4pm. Free.

The Meanies + Yes I’m Leaving + White Dog Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 8pm. $30.

Moving Pictures The Basement, Circular Quay. 6pm. $35. Stonefield + The Pinheads Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 8:30pm. $25. Vallis Alps Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $17.90.

THURSDAY OCTOBER 1 Pierce Brothers + Timberwolf + Anna O Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 8pm. $20. The Tommy Hawks + Johnny Gretsch’s Wasted Ones Frankie’s Pizza, Sydney. 10pm. Free. Yours Truly + Ethan Conway + Chasing Giants + Linden Furnell The Vanguard, Newtown. 7pm. $13.80.

FRIDAY OCTOBER 2 Bahamas + Fraser A. Gorman Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $39.70. Doctor Goddard + Noire + Salvador Dali Lama Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 8pm. $11.80. Gods And Monsters Factory Theatre, Marrickville. 8pm. $42. Marshall Okell The Vanguard, Newtown. 7pm. $18.80. Martha Wainwright The Basement, Circular Quay. 7:30pm. $70. Reel Big Fish + Less Than Jake Max Watt’s, Moore Park. 7:30pm. $62.20.

SUNDAY OCTOBER 4 Abbe May + Sophie Lowe + Nussy Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 7:30pm. $18. Bandintexas Frankie’s Pizza, Sydney. 4pm. Free. Barangaroo Welcome Celebration Feat: Busby Marou + Lolo Lovina + Crusty Suitcase Band + Ben Walsh + Sousaphonics + Uptown Brown + Gramophone Man + Sugar Bowl Hokum + The Morrisons Barangaroo Reserve, Sydney. 11am. Free. Chunk! No, Captain Chunk! Bald Faced Stag Hotel, Leichhardt. 5pm. $39.95. Ellie Goulding Enmore Theatre, Newtown. 8pm. $84.40. Indent Tour 2015 - Feat: Hands Like Houses + Columbus + Vanity Riots + Fifth Dawn Giant Dwarf, Redfern. 5pm. $13.30. Kirin J Callinan Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $27.70.

MONDAY OCTOBER 5 Mad Monday - Feat: The Lonesome Heroes + Mick Daley’s Corporate Raiders + Van Walker Marrickville Bowling Club, Marrickville. 2pm. Free. Swerve Society - Feat: Cull + Koral And The Goodbye Horses + Clare Kelly Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 7:30pm. Free.

The Meanies

Less Than Jake photo by Katie Hovland

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

dance music news club, dance and hip hop in brief... with Chris Martin, Eden Gillespie and Aaron Streatfeild

five things WITH

Young Franco

SAMY JACKSON FROM ANIMAL TRAINER

YES WE WANT YOU

Brisbane hotshot producer Young Franco has kept the ball rolling with the release of a new single, ‘Don’t U Want Me’ (feat. Blair De Milo), and the announcement of national tour dates to boot. Having recently returned from tour dates in the UK and filling a tent at Splendour In The Grass, Young Franco’s collaborative CV is only getting thicker – in the past, he’s worked with fellow Queenslander UV Boi and vocal powerhouse Joy. Hear the new song now, then get down to it live at Newtown Social Club on Friday October 30.

CHINESE LAUNDRY COMES OF AGE

Growing Up I grew up in a family of 1. musicians. My father is a musician and there was constantly classical music around me as a child, so this [was] my first influence. [At the age of] seven years I started to play the piano, my first step playing an instrument. Later I studied jazz and contemporary pop/rock music for five years, playing the guitar.

just do what comes from the inside. Your Crew First of course my father, 3. who’s a musician himself and always supported me to play in bands or to study music. I quit my last shitty day job about three years ago and I can never imagine to have a normal nine-to-five job in an office again.

Inspirations The Music You Make I think my favourite musicians Usually I play based on the 2. 4. are all completely non-technochaos theory concept. This means based, because of my musical background, which was always very wide and not specifically focused on electronic music. Keith Jarrett, Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth), Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails), Duke Ellington, The Beatles and Boards Of Canada, for example. My inspirations are coming from everywhere – music in general, my son, listening to other DJs, nature (sometimes)… but mostly I try to

I start my set with a sure shot, then it can go into every direction. I love to let myself go and play by intuition. Some old, some new, some unreleased stuff… always different, but always with an eye on the crowd to make sure they have the same fun as me. Music, Right Here, Right Now 5. I guess the biggest obstacles, for

me, are the constant self-doubts, and besides this it’s (sadly) all about doing the right move at the right time and carrying [on] business stuff. As an artist and musician, I am still not used to those things, but I’m getting better and better. The scene in Zurich is and was always quite huge. There are so many clubs, events and artists around, especially compared to the size of the city, but due to the high costs of living, you can’t make a living without a normal day job or living on the countryside. We tried it another way and can play all over the globe and this is a huge blessing – I’m feeling lucky about it every day. There’s nothing better [than] to earn your money with things you love to do! What: S.A.S.H By Day Where: Greenwood Hotel When: Monday October 5 (8am set)

Would you look at that? She’s all grown up. It’s Chinese Laundry’s 18th birthday this November, and partygoers are invited to welcome the venue into adulthood by rocking up to its month-long celebration. Over the years this iconic Sydney club has earned bragging rights by having a host of impressive names perform, including Moby, Deadmau5, Disclosure, Flume and Peking Duk. Now, add dubstep heavyweights Habstrakt, plus Hydraulix, Oski and PhaseOne, who’ll be kicking off the monthlong program of celebrations on Friday November 6. Elsewhere on the birthday schedule, there’ll be a hefty serve of deep house and techno with acts such as Ben Pearce (Saturday November 7), Justin Martin (Saturday November 21) and Touch Sensitive (Friday November 27). To have a closer look at the killer November birthday lineup, visit chineselaundryclub.com.au.

A STATE OF SUCCESS Chris Davids and Liam Ivory, the British producers collectively known as Maribou State, are coming

The Island

Hamilton

HANDS OFF HAMILTON

Why DJ with two decks when you can DJ with three? That’s the mantra behind the 20-year career of Hamilton, a UK selector and one of the top DnB producers on the planet. While he’s been a fixture in UK and international clubs for a generation, Hamilton has only recently bunkered down in the studio to prep his debut full-length album – except now he needs some time off, and there’s no better place for a holiday than Australia. His mixture of retro aesthetics and modern techniques will be on show at Chinese Laundry on Friday November 20.

our way. Discerning listeners will recognise their second album, Portraits, released through Ninja Tune and applauded by the likes of Zane Lowe and Pete Tong. Maribou State perform sink-your-teeth-intoit kind of music; it’s all rich textural detail and warmth. That doesn’t mean they’re averse to a party – their history of festival bookings proves as much – and they’ll be the life of the dancefloor at Oxford Art Factory on Thursday November 12. The Island photo by Life Without Andy

Fatboy Slim

LET’S GET ELECTRIC

A new house music festival, Electric Gardens, is set to make its debut in Sydney over the Australia Day weekend next year. The lineup has been revealed for the inaugural edition of Electric Gardens in Centennial Park, with Fatboy Slim leading the first announcement. John Digweed and James Zabiela also feature on the schedule, with more additions to a “superstar DJ lineup” promised to follow. Electric Gardens makes its debut at Centennial Park on Saturday January 23.

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ISLAND LIVING

After its success in 2014, The Island Live has returned for 2015 thanks to V Movement and UNDR Ctrl, with homegrown favourites The Aston Shuffle getting things started. Last year’s The Island Live saw tickets for the event selling out within 48 hours of their release. Returning to Sydney Harbour for 2015, The Island Live series kicks off with an exclusive DJ set from triple j’s Friday Night Shuffle hosts The Aston Shuffle, joined by Set Mo and Dena Amy. The Island Live returns on Friday October 9. Tickets include a return water taxi from Double Bay Wharf.

ESCAPE SUNDAYS

Oh boy, it’s a long weekend – huzzah! What better time for a proper Sunday session? Bondi’s Beach Road Hotel has you covered, with its brand new Escape Sundays event landing just in time to make sure you’re sleeping like a log this Monday morning. Torren Foot will headline the debut party this Sunday October 4 – he’s a craft beer enthusiast and dancefloor-filler who’s sure to ramp things up to 11. Maybe there’s no escape, after all. BRAG :: 632 :: 30:09:15 :: 35

Banoffee With Or Without Her By Adam Norris

D

espite the obnoxious hip hop seeping through the ceiling and the fact she still hasn’t shaken off the Paris jetlag, Martha Brown, AKA Banoffee, has hit the ground running. Her new EP Do I Make You Nervous? is unveiled this Friday, and the Melbourne singer/ producer is bouncing off the walls with excitement. Her thoughts arrive in an entertaining rush, and there is truly never a dull moment as the self-confessed over-sharer looks to her upcoming tour and why embarrassing yourself in front of a crowd can be an enviable thing.

herself to performance for years, amidst tours with her sister Hazel (AKA Otouto), and is sincere in her attempts to engage with crowds minus a mask. Tears notwithstanding, what you see is what you get.

“I love being onstage but I need to make sure I don’t start bawling my eyes out,” she laughs, “which sometimes I do. It’s happened a couple of times, and it’s seriously embarrassing.” For real? There is a risk Banoffee might start tearing up mid-song? “I really do! All the tracks I make mean a lot to me, which works in two ways. One, I feel super exposed, which can be quite scary, but at the same time, it’s really nice to feel connected. I think it really works for me performing to have that feeling, because it means they’re paying attention. You’re giving your audience something that’s real; I’m not lying to anyone. But it means that sometimes I cry, and I also tell really embarrassing stories. I’ll go on a rant about something that no-one should know, and suddenly I’ve told 300 people. A lot of jokes are just met by dead silence and me thinking, ‘Ahhhh, shit. I’ve done it again.’” While it may sound like the stuff of nightmares – dropping a punchline to the sounds of tumbleweed and crickets – it’s also quite endearing. Banoffee has been acclimatising

“It’s funny. You kind of have to have an ego and no ego to play music. You have to believe you’re worth standing up there and command people’s attention, but you also have to be willing to play to a crowd of people all talking over the top of you, who are all pretty annoyed that your music is louder than their conversation. Or the football is playing over the top of you. I try my best not to be someone else onstage – I don’t come up and go, [puts on sultry voice], ‘Hello, I am Banoffee.’ When I started playing and speaking to people, I found they were having a conversation with me. I wasn’t standing up there being completely disconnected from them. I think if you show the audience respect, they give it back to you.” As Banoffee’s new single, ‘With Her’, soars past 60,000 plays, it’s evident that the integrity of her live performance has translated across to recording. It is a track that characterises who Banoffee is and what she is drawn towards – a kind of alt-pop R&B – though somewhat removed from her usual allegorical leanings. It is a more literal song, tracing her efforts to recall a memory and write it down scene by scene. “The truth is, I often go into songs trying to unravel something. But often if I’m feeling a certain way or going through something, and I don’t know how to communicate it to someone…” She searches for words. “It’s like explaining something to someone who has never felt it,

so you use symbols or metaphors to make it clearer. Say, something horrible like domestic violence might be a good example of a relationship people have within themselves. Or something in nature might be a great representation of something that happens between friends, and I’ll think, ‘Oh cool, great, I want to write about that.’ And then once writing, I’ll realise how it relates to me. So it goes both ways. ‘With Her’ is more literal and I think it works, but sometimes I can be too literal and hit a wall. I can’t go any further with the words that I have.” With her inclusion on next year’s Laneway Festival lineup, Banoffee is poised to have her songs reach a wider audience yet again. Her career and aspirations have been building slowly for almost three

years, and while she is content to continue releasing EPs until she feels an album is justified, she is still searching for the sound that reflects who she truly is.

experiences. There’s no instrument I’m trying to cling to, there’s no recipe for songs. I just try to enjoy each one as I make them, and I think this EP does that.

“I don’t know whether I’ve found it. I don’t know whether I’ll ever find it, to be honest. People recognise sounds that they connect to Banoffee, but in terms of finding the sound that’s me, I don’t know that I ever want to find it.

“I’m a bit of a wide-eyed child, following things one at a time and jumping across. ‘Hey, what’s that over there?! Oh look, candy!’”

“I had so much paranoia and fear after my first release. I started thinking, ‘People who liked it now have expectations, and how am I going to serve those people? How am I going to continue the theme of what Banoffee is?’ But the only theme I can really recognise in my music is that it’s all coming from my

When: St. Jerome’s Laneway Festival 2016 With: Flume, Chvrches, Grimes, Hermitude and many more Where: Sydney College of the Arts When: Sunday February 7 And: Do I Make You Nervous? out Friday October 2 through Dot Dash/Remote Control

LONG WEEKEND Sunday 4th October THE LAIR

Marco Resmann | Martinez Sunju Hargun Kerry Wallace The DEN

THE TERRACE

Boogs | T-Rek Henry Who | James Steeth

The BOX

Jordan Peak Dave Stuart | Nick McMartin Jordan Deck | Rickstar

Nima Gorji Aboutjack | Space Junk Whitecat The MAZE Mo'funk | Rabbit Taxi Tom Witheridge Forrest Ensemble (Live)

HOME NIGHTCLUB 7pm till Midday - $30 before 10pm / $40 after $30 with SASH by Day Wristband 36 :: BRAG :: 632 :: 30:09:15

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club guide g

club picks p up all night out all week...

send your listings to : clubguide@thebrag.com

club pick of the week Childish Gambino

SATURDAY O C TO B E R 3

Xxx

Centennial Park

Listen Out 2015 Childish Gambino + SBTRKT + Joey Bada$$ + Alison Wonderland + more

12:30pm. $142. WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 30 CLUB NIGHTS Salsa Wednesdays - feat: DJ Miro + Special Guests The Argyle, The Rocks. 8:30pm. Free. Side Bar Wednesdays - feat: Bangers & Mash Side Bar, Sydney. 9pm. Free. The Wall The World Bar, Kings Cross. 9pm. Free.

HIP HOP & R&B Optus Rockcorps feat: Wiz Khalifa + Peking Duk Big Top Sydney (Luna Park), Milsons Point. 7pm. Free.

THURSDAY OCTOBER 1 CLUB NIGHTS

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FRIDAY OCTOBER 2 CLUB NIGHTS Bassic - feat: Jaguar Skills + A-Tonez + Ventures + Gradz + Squeef + Bttrs + Netfleek + Bassline + Rack-AMack Chinese Laundry, Sydney. 9pm. $22.60. Blvd 1st Birthday feat: Savage Marquee, Pyrmont. 10pm. $13.40. Derriere - feat: Rotating DJs Goros, Surry Hills. 6pm. Free. DJ Somatik Manly Wharf Hotel, Manly. 8pm. Free. El Loco Later - feat: DJs On Rotation Excelsior Hotel, Surry Hills. 10pm. Free. Feel Good Fridays feat: DJs Bar100, The Rocks. 5pm. Free. Florida Blanca Supper Club + Bar Publico - feat: DJs Harpoon Harry, Sydney. 6pm. Free. Frankie’s Pizza Fridays - feat: Rock ‘N’ Roll DJs Frankie’s Pizza, Sydney. 9pm. Free.

Fridays Frothers feat: Babysham + Jesse Sewell Side Bar, Sydney. 9pm. Free. Nightminds II - feat: Cassian + Peruw + Avon Stringer Jam Gallery, Bondi Junction. 9pm. $12.10. Scubar Fridays - feat: DJs On Rotation Scubar, Sydney. 8pm. Free. Student DJs Hermann’s Bar, Darlington. 5pm. Free.

HIP HOP & R&B Christian James + NJE + Untaymable + Sarah Connor + Harjot Singh + Subz + Opaque Terra + Jesta MC Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 9pm. $10. Briggs + A.B. Original + Philly + Birdz + Nooky + Trials Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 7:30pm. $23. Phat Play Friday - feat: Juzzlikedat + Makoto + Cman + Noodlez + Louie Headnod + Adverse + Spook + Caratgold Play Bar, Surry Hills. 6pm. Free. Rae Sremmurd Metro Theatre, Sydney. 8:30pm. $59.90.

SATURDAY OCTOBER 3 HIP HOP & R&B Arash Big Top Sydney (Luna Park), Milsons Point. 8pm. $91. Listen Out 2015 - feat: Childish Gambino + SBTRKT (DJ Set) + Joey Bada$$ + Alison Wonderland + Odesza + Rae Sremmurd + Golden Features + Dusky + Ryan Hemsworth + Ilovemakonnen + George Fitzgerald + Lido + Hayden James + Client Liaison + Roland Tings + Halfway Crooks + Jordan Burns + More Centennial Park, Sydney. 12:30pm. $142.

CLUB NIGHTS Apollo Brown - feat: Souluxe + Waza + Raine Supreme + Dewis + Kas3one Oxford Hotel, Darlinghurst. 9pm. $25.60. El Loco Later - feat: DJs On Rotation Excelsior Hotel, Surry Hills. 10pm. Free. Establishment Saturdays The Establishment, Sydney. 9pm. $20. Florida Blanca

SUNDAY OCTOBER 4 CLUB NIGHTS Courtyard Party feat: Bar9 + Nina Las Vegas + LDRU + Vitor Niglio + HWLS + Linda Marigliano + Odd Mob + Go Freek + Lo’99 Ivy Bar/Lounge, Sydney. 1pm. $58.40. Dibby Dibby Soundsystem Cliff Dive, Darlinghurst. 9pm. Free. Dilf (The Workout) feat: DJ Tony Moran + DJ Chip + Jessy Ares The Midnight Shift Club, Darlinghurst. 10pm. $40. Ketami + Alex Mac

FRIDAY OCTOBER 2

Le Flay + Troy T + Heke Ivy Bar/Lounge, Sydney. 6:30pm. $38.

Bassic - Feat: Jaguar Skills + A-Tonez + Ventures + Gradz + Squeef + Bttrs + Netfleek + Bassline + RackA-Mack Chinese Laundry, Sydney. 9pm. $22.60.

Something Else - Feat: French Fries + Kato + Lewba + U-Khan + James Petrou + Eliot Mireylees + Dave Stuart Burdekin Hotel, Darlinghurst. 9pm. $16.50.

Blvd 1st Birthday - Feat: Savage Marquee, Pyrmont. 10pm. $13.40.

SUNDAY OCTOBER 4

Briggs + A.B. Original + Philly + Birdz + Nooky + Trials Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 7:30pm. $23. Phat Play Friday - Feat: Juzzlikedat + Makoto + CMan + Noodlez + Louie Headnod + Adverse + Spook + Caratgold Play Bar, Surry Hills. 6pm. Free. Rae Sremmurd Metro Theatre, Sydney. 8:30pm. $59.90.

SATURDAY OCTOBER 3 Apollo Brown - Feat: Souluxe + Waza + Raine Supreme + Dewis + Kas3one Oxford Hotel, Darlinghurst. 9pm. $25.60. Arash Big Top Sydney (Luna Park), Milsons Point. 8pm. $91. Lndry Listen Out After Party - Feat: Dusky + George Fitzgerald + Set Mo + Robbie Lowe + Pat Ward + Offtapia + Persian Rug + DJ Just 1 + King Lee + Mike Hyper Chinese Laundry, Sydney. 9pm. $43.10. Marquee Saturdays - Feat: Will Sparks Marquee, Pyrmont. 10pm. $28.80.

Courtyard Party - Feat: Bar9 + Nina Las Vegas + LDRU + Vitor Niglio + HWLS + Linda Marigliano + Odd Mob + Go Freek + Lo’99 Ivy Bar/Lounge, Sydney. 1pm. $58.40. Dilf (The Workout) - Feat: DJ Tony Moran + DJ Chip + Jessy Ares The Midnight Shift Club, Darlinghurst. 10pm. $40. Loefah & Chunky + Cliques + Low Motion Civic Underground, Sydney. 9pm. $32.90. Markus Schulz Marquee, Pyrmont. 10pm. $28.60. S.A.S.H By Night - Feat: Marco Resmann + Martinez Sunju Hargun + Kerry Wallace + Boogs + T-Rek + Henry Who + James Steeth + Nima Gorji + Aboutjack + Space Junk + Whitecat + Jordan Peak + Dave Stuart + Nick McMartin + Jordan Deck + Rickstar + Mo’Funk + Rabbit Taxi + Tom Witheridge + Forrest Ensemble Home Nightclub, Darling Harbour. 7pm. $30. Sun Sets - Feat: Jamie Lloyd + Murat Kilic + Robbie Lowe + Johnny Gleeson + John Devecchis + Steven Sullivan + Wild Sunset Cafe Del Mar, Sydney. 12pm. $16.83.

Maurice Fulton + Magda Bytnerowicz + Kali + Heavenly + Boogie Monster + Andy Webb + Hubert Clarke Jr + R.A.F Chippendale Hotel, Chippendale. 3pm. $22. Pacha - Feat: Samual James + JDG + Will K + Alex Preston + I Am Wolfpack + Kormak + Friendless + Fear Of Dawn & Friends + Mo’Funk + Deckhead + Fingers + Jade

Manly Wharf Hotel, Manly. 5pm. Free. Loefah & Chunky + Cliques + Low Motion Civic Underground, Sydney. 9pm. $32.90. Markus Schulz Marquee, Pyrmont. 10pm. $28.60. Marco Polo Sunday Season Launch Ivy Bar/Lounge, Sydney. 1pm. $22.60. Picnic Social Harpoon Harry, Sydney. 4pm. Free. S.A.S.H By Night - feat: Marco Resmann + Martinez Sunju Hargun + Kerry Wallace + Boogs + T-Rek + Henry Who + James

Will Sparks

Steeth + Nima Gorji + Aboutjack + Space Junk + Whitecat + Jordan Peak + Dave Stuart + Nick McMartin + Jordan Deck + Rickstar + Mo’Funk + Rabbit Taxi + Tom Witheridge + Forrest Ensemble Home Nightclub, Darling Harbour. 7pm. $30. Sun Sets - feat: Jamie Lloyd + Murat Kilic + Robbie Lowe + Johnny Gleeson + John Devecchis + Steven Sullivan + Wild Sunset Cafe Del Mar, Sydney. 12pm. $16.83.

MONDAY OCTOBER 5 CLUB NIGHTS Mashup Monday feat: Resident DJs + DJ Thieves + Recess + OTG + Chivalry + More Side Bar, Sydney. 8pm. Free.

TUESDAY OCTOBER 6 CLUB NIGHTS Coyote Tuesdays The World Bar, Kings Cross. 9pm. $10.

BRAG :: 632 :: 30:09:15 :: 37

Xxx

Five Dollar Thursdays - feat: DJs Steve Zappa + Skinny Scubar, Sydney. 8:30pm. Free. Kicks The World Bar, Kings Cross. 9pm. Free. Mixed Tape - feat: DJs Hermann’s Bar, Darlington. 5pm. Free.

The Midnight Swim Sessions - feat: Thomas Studdy Goros, Surry Hills. 8pm. Free.

Supper Club + Bar Publico - feat: DJs Harpoon Harry, Sydney. 6pm. Free. Frankie’s Pizza Saturdays - feat: DJs Frankie’s Pizza, Sydney. 9pm. Free. Frat Saturdays - feat: Jonksi + Guests Side Bar, Sydney. 7:30pm. Free. Le Fruit DJs Goros, Surry Hills. 8pm. Free. Lndry Listen Out After Party - feat: Dusky + George Fitzgerald + Set Mo + Robbie Lowe + Pat Ward + Offtapia + Persian Rug + DJ Just 1 + King Lee + Mike Hyper Chinese Laundry, Sydney. 9pm. $43.10. Marquee Saturdays - feat: Will Sparks Marquee, Pyrmont. 10pm. $28.80. Maurice Fulton + Magda Bytnerowicz + Kali + Heavenly + Boogie Monster + Andy Webb + Hubert Clarke Jr + R.A.F Chippendale Hotel, Chippendale. 3pm. $22. Murray Lake + Brenny B Manly Wharf Hotel, Manly. 5pm. Free. Pacha - feat: Samual James + JDG + Will K + Alex Preston + I Am Wolfpack + Kormak + Friendless + Fear Of Dawn & Friends + Mo’Funk + Deckhead + Fingers + Jade Le Flay + Troy T + Heke Ivy Bar/Lounge, Sydney. 6:30pm. $38. Scubar Saturdays feat: Live DJs Scubar, Sydney. 8:30pm. Free. Something Else feat: French Fries + Kato + Lewba + U-Khan + James Petrou + Eliot Mireylees + Dave Stuart Burdekin Hotel, Darlinghurst. 9pm. $16.50. Venom Clubnight - feat: Lilly + The Charge + Ten Thousand + Red Gazelle + Foreign Kings Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 9:10pm. $15.

Off The Record Dance and Electronica with Tyson Wray

A

fter nine years of sailing through the harbour on New Year’s Day, this time around Spice will be staying on dry land – however, as per usual, the lineup is all killer, no filler. Headlining proceedings with be Norway’s Finnebassen alongside internationals Lovebirds and Björn Wilke. Melbourne’s Andras & Oscar will be making their live Sydney debut while locals Murat Kilic, Robbie Lowe, Michelle Owen, Phil Smart, Ant J Steep and Mike Witcombe round out the bill. It’s going down on the open air terrace of Café del Mar on Friday January 1. If for whatever reason you can’t make it to Harbourlife, or perhaps you just want to continue partying well into the night, my favourite act on the bill Bicep have locked in an extended club performance. The UK duo of Matt McBriar and Andy Ferguson are responsible for some of the most jackin’ house music of the past decade, with releases on the ilk of Aus Music, Let’s Play House, Rvng Intl., Wolf Music and of course their own Feel My Bicep imprint. They’ll be joined by Motorik Vibe Council, Stereogamous, Vivi, Francis Xavier and CSMNT61 when it goes down on Saturday November 21 at Oxford Art Factory.

up all night out all week . . .

thebrag.com/snaps

One of the world’s foremost tastemakers – Gilles Peterson – will play his first Sydney show in in over seven years in December. Starting off in pirate radio, over the course of his career Peterson has been a DJ and broadcaster for the likes of Radio One, BBC 6 Music, Kiss FM, Jazz FM and Radio London, curates his own event Worldwide Festival and runs his own label, Brownswood Recordings. Get prepared for a schooling when he’s joined by Parallel People, Boogie Monster, Soul Of Sydney DJs and Edseven on Thursday December 3 at Oxford Art Factory. The founder behind the famed Opal Tapes label, Basic House, will play a last-minute headline show this weekend as part of his debut sojourn Down Under for the Liquid Architecture festival. Known to his parents as Stephen Bishop, he’s released productions for the likes of Prostitutes, Xosar and our own Tuff Sherm, and is revered for his own output of forward-thinking experimental electronica. He’ll be supported on the evening by Thomas William, Ben Fester, T-Mingus and Adrian E. It’s happening this Friday October 2 at Goodgod Small Club. Tour rumour: what’s this I hear about David August & Ensemble coming to perform live in Australia? Oh, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see the return of Mathew Jonson sometime soon. Best releases this week: The first compilation from the label Rutilance has dropped and it’s got some absolute fire releases from the likes of Janeret, Théo Muller, Marotti and John Jastszebski. Other goodness includes L Neils’ Beta (on Echovolt), The Mystic Jungle Tribe’s Solaria (Early Sounds), Gonno’s Remember The Life Is Beautiful (Endless Flight) and Marco Bernardi’s Spoken Word Of Lie (Brokntoys).

outsidein festival 2015

PICS :: AM

Finnebassen

snap

VIEW FULL GALLERIES AT

26:09:15 :: Manning Bar :: Manning Rd Camperdown 9563 6000

Bicep

RECOMMENDED Basic House Goodgod Small Club

SATURDAY OCTOBER 3 Maurice Fulton Chippendale Hotel French Fries Burdekin Hotel

SUNDAY OCTOBER 4 Marco Resmann Home Nightclub

SATURDAY OCTOBER 17 Norman Nodge Burdekin Hotel

SUNDAY OCTOBER 25 Public Possession Harpoon Harry Daniel Bortz Greenwood Hotel

FRIDAY OCTOBER 30

DJ Nobu Bridge Hotel

SATURDAY OCTOBER 31 Baauer Oxford Art Factory

Mr. G, Fur Coat, DJ HMC Greenwood Hotel

Hoesen Marrickville Bowling Club Rødhåd Oxford Art Factory

THURSDAY DECEMBER 3 Gilles Peterson Oxford Art Factory

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 14 FRIDAY DECEMBER 4 – Nina Kraviz SUNDAY DECEMBER 6 Greenwood Hotel FRIDAY NOVEMBER 20 Lapalux Chinese Laundry

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 21 Bicep Oxford Art Factory Justin Martin Chinese Laundry

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 27

Eric Cloutier, Peter Van

Subsonic Music Festival: KiNK, Dop, Rick Wade, Roman Flügel + more Riverwood Downs Mountain Valley Resort, Barrington Tops

SUNDAY DECEMBER 13 Wolf + Lamb Café del Mar

FRIDAY JANUARY 1

Finnebassen, Lovebirds, Bjorn Wilke + more Café del Mar

s.a.s.h sundays

PICS :: AM

FRIDAY OCTOBER 2

27:09:15 :: Home Nightclub :: 101/1-5 Wheat Rd Darling Harbour 9266 0600

Got any tip-offs, hate mail, praise or cat photos? Email hey@tysonwray.com or contact me via carrier pigeon. 38 :: BRAG :: 632 :: 30:09:15

OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER

S :: JAMES AMBROSE :: KATRINA

CLARKE :: ASHLEY MAR

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